#on the verge of chewing up a pillow like an animal

[cebwrites]

Hello !! Love the way you write the heart pirates 🫶 if it’s okay to request, would you be able to do head-cannons on the silly hearts with a reader who tends to fall asleep anywhere and everywhere around the polar tang?

They don’t do it on purpose- honest! But they don’t realize how tired they are and fall asleep on instant contact with anything comfy :’) ((inspired by my own tendencies to crash on the couch or floor with a simple pillow or soft blanket, the occasional chair if the sitting position complies))

No need to write if it’s a little silly!! You can take it any direction you want, have the bestest of days and keep on writing your awesome work, take care!!

a/n: eepy gang rise up!! i have a habit of getting very sleepy after eating too of course it's okay, this is just about what i need rn actually _〆(´Д｀ )

for anyone new here, here's the hearts name guide <- i use for them!

Heart Pirates with tired Reader

masc reader, they/them law word count: 1.4k

At first, it's just after a hearty dinner that your peers catch you on the verge of falling asleep—Bas, Laeno, and Dorie pride themselves on making such good knock-out food—but slowly they notice how you're seemingly able to pass out anywhere and everywhere you can find a comfortable enough position to curl into

Provided it's not during an important briefing or otherwise Heart-related meeting, since nodding off during those tends to make your captain quite upset and you've crossed them on the singular instance of doing exactly that before, the crew knows to leave you well enough alone

You pride yourself on never falling asleep on duty, at least

On occasion, someone will wake you for additional work at Law's behest if you've already finished or call you down for supper or Penguin and Shachi have the mischievous inkling to do something prank-related; either they're dragged away by someone more responsible or get chewed out by Law for putting you in ridiculous poses to take pics of while you were asleep, upset about something along the lines of potential injuries

The more you get to know your crew and the stronger your bonds become over the years, the more you start to lean on other Heart pirates for your impromptu naps instead of just cozy inanimate objects; none of them have ever beaten the sheer comfitude of the weighted blanket in your quarters, though

Bepo is the easiest suspect being as big and soft as he is, and the friendliest too, Ikkaku is more than happy to lend a shoulder as the resident "big sister" (although she's younger than half the other members), and hell even Pen and Shach were comfy enough pillows once you got them to swear not to pull any funny business while you slept - lest you made balloon animals out of them

The others all warm up to you on their own time, depending on whether you've been there from more or less the start or you're a relatively new member to the crew

Ani is reluctant for physical contact, it takes you getting to know them a little more before she's willing to shake you awake or spend a while sitting next to you taking a nap in comfortable silence, gay uncles Bas and Laeno with the addition of Fang have dubbed themselves the unofficial official "carries you to bed" squad

The other gay uncles (Marl and Gul) are content to leave you where you are whenever you drift off but always bring a blanket when it looks like you're getting cold or you don't seem like waking up any time soon - Dorie and Hoki try taking you to bed but Dorie's always too loud and ends up waking you before then and Hoki, well, Hoki can't quite seem to pick you up as a taller, heavier man

By god he's trying his best, though that also has the unfortunate consequence of waking you up; you once overhead Hoki training with Fang with the express purpose of getting strong enough to carry you to bed like "everyone else" and you genuinely didn't know whether to be flattered or mortified

Uni's content enough to let you lay your head on their shoulder (arm, because frankly he's huge) for a short while, though eventually he gets antsy and needs to move but since you're there he can't, but also Uni needs to move while not waking you up, like a cat asleep on its owner's lap trapping them for all eternity; other crew members have found him in this predicament every so often and find it hilarious/a perfect photo-op while he can't avoid the camera's embarrassing lens

Some of these pictures have both of you napping together (he accepted his fate and fell asleep sitting up, their back makes them regret it later)

You're awkward around Jean Bart at first, as you were with everyone else in the beginning, though you did puff out your chest a little at the thought of being someone's senior much like Bepo, and slowly as you took the initiative to spend more time around him, you'd find yourself falling asleep with his knee as you pillow every now and again, sometimes even with his very large hand over your back as a blanket; Jean Bart too would fall victim to the pictures taken while he was at the mercy of your slumbering form, unable to flee

Clione and Hake, as much as you adore them as friends, have the unintended affect of activating your sleepiness once they go on another one of their longwinded rambles about a topic of special interest; you've apologized time again that it's not because they're boring you, not at all! Their voices are just so easy to listen to, hearing them talk at length about things important to them, it's a comfortable backdrop to doze off to

Hake laughs this off with light teasing, flattered that their voice is as soothing as you claim it to be, Clione has to be coaxed with a bit more than that, but usually gives in after you agree to buying him a treat of his choosing at the next island they drop anchor at

The captain themself—you aren't quite sure how to act around them, you were sure that they'd been upset by the first and only time you fell asleep during that crew meeting, making it a point to never do that again in the hopes of avoiding Law's ire, and although it didn't seem like they'd been that upset with you again, being around them still set the hairs on the back of your neck on edge; like you were being watched

To your defense, you were, but not necessarily in the way in the way that you would've assumed

It took nearly a year of being in proximity with and hardship with each other for Law to finally ease up being around you and another year for them to fully let you in - you realize in that time that the staring is just something Law does with everyone, their crew, strangers on the street, marines they're supposed to be on watch for, it was just something your captain tended to do

Plus, observation wasn't the only reason for their keen eye on you, at some point, Law had developed these—day they say, absurd—feelings, for you, and were at a loss for what to do; so, without consulting anyone else like the massive dweeb they were, decided that intense soul-burning eye contact was the way to go instead of just talking to you and getting a boyfriend that way

Some days it was an attempt to get you to make a move before they did, other days it was trying to blow you up with their mind for daring to make them feel this way, and on the days you felt like you were ignored by your captain even more than before? Those were the one where Law doubted their feelings the most, wishing to hide them away and feeling if you looked too closely, you'd catch onto their "true" intentions and they would simply dissolve under your gaze

A bit unfair, but when has Law ever been anything but?

Now, comfortable with the relationship you've built with one another, Law calls you into their office often to sleep on the couch there, or take a nap on their bed while they worked tirelessly still at the desk in their room; whenever they needed a break or you'd call them over, they could simply recharge in the comfort of your arms and you'd get a warm body to slumber against

It does seem, however, that once the both of you got together Law started being a bit more scrutinous about your random cuddles with other crew members whenever you fell asleep per usual, almost pouting when you gave your attention, albeit unconscious but still physical, away to other people

You tease them about it once other Hearts inform you about this very interesting behavior and turn scowls into kisses with light laughter

The only person seemingly exempt from this "cuddle = angy Law" rule is Bepo, but that's only because he's the baby and Law is unwilling to give up their cuddles on their precious bear either, so the both of you will sometimes just nap on him together, sometimes to Bepo's chagrin when he needs to move just like Uni

Bepo obviously clears, but at least now it looks like there's finally someone to challenge your weighted blanket <3

[trainer-citrine]

//The Windmill.

Creak. Crack. Creak. Crack. Click. Click.

Arceus, does the noise ever stop?

Creak. Creak.

Citrine slams the pillow over her ears.

It's bad enough that her uncle ran off to Levincia, without her, but now that stupid windmill is playing noisemaker. It creaks and cracks and rattles through the day, and it doesn't stop for the night either.

Creak.

Maybe she should go back to the "burn down the windmill" idea.

No, that's stupid. In fact, she turns over in bed to contemplate just how stupid that is. Her only job here is to lay low. Burning down a windmill is the opposite of that.

She can't mess up her uncle's mission. Not over something as petty as--

Creeeeaaaak.

Citrine throws the blankets off.

She grasps for her phone on the bedside table, tapping the screen to turn it on. Scorching light burns from the screen. She hears herself make some aggravated noise as she turns the brightness down.

She struggles to sit up as she opens Rotomblr. Already rubbing her eyes, she considers her latest, masterful post complaining about the windmill.

Blearily, she stares at the attached image of the Arc-forsaken thing.

Maybe she should go see it in person. Give it a little punch or something.

Finally, she unplugs her phone and gets out of bed. She fetches her bag, trudging her way toward the door.

For a moment, Citrine just has to stand there, contemplating the slab of wood in front of her.

…

She opens the door.

The house is quiet as Citrine walks. Fair enough, she supposes— no one else is in here. The owners were kind enough to let her rent out the house while they were on vacation. They went to the desert. Which one…?

It doesn’t really matter. It’s just another thing for her sleep-addled brain to chew on.

Point: This isn’t her house. If it was her house, she would move out, because living this close to a rickety windmill is basically a death sentence.

She snatches the key off of the counter as she exits the house, then closes and locks the door behind her.

The warm wind of Artazon whispers through her hair. She keeps walking, footsteps too loud in the dead of night. She fights to step carefully; toe ball heel, toe ball heel, toe ball—

CRACK!

… stupid twig.

The windmill hasn’t stopped whining, occasionally halting its trail altogether before stuttering along.

“Damn thing can’t even turn right…”

She keeps walking, feet starting to drag against the ground. As she walks, she checks the time on her phone. 12 AM.

Ugh.

Finally, she comes to a halt in front of the windmill.

…

Now that she’s actually here, it’s less annoying than earlier. She watches it spin slowly, like a wounded animal on the verge of death. She finds her breath stopping every time that the blades go still.

It’s.

It’s sad.

The windmill continues to sing.

It’s not a living thing, but she can’t just sit back. She’s being a little absurd, getting attached to inanimate objects. It’s fine. Female hysteria, but make it aesthetic. Or something.

… it’s too late for these mental gymnastics. If she doesn’t take some type of action, she will lose her mind.

She takes a slow circle around the windmill, inspecting every angle. Maybe there’s something that she’s missing. But the windmill looks perfectly fine, beside the fact that it’s not spinning right. She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tries to come up with a solution.

Is that a ladder?

As she peers up the ladder and into the inside of the windmill, she considers if, just maybe, this is a bad idea. Or illegal.

Eh.

She grips the sides of the ladder and crawls her way up.

When Citrine breaks into the windmill, she is immediately punched by the scent of wood. Perhaps unsurprising, but it doesn’t stop her from sniffling and muttering complaints under her breath the entire time.

Also, oh Arceus, it’s super dark in here?

She flicks on her phone flashlight and resumes her search. Rather easily, she finds maintenance tools hanging on the wall. Wrenches glint in the light of her phone, and it takes her a moment to realize that a certain container is grease and not honey. Her color vision is truly awful in the dark.

Well. Citrine is no maintenance worker, but surely this can’t be too hard, right?

Only problem: She can’t access the actual blades. They’re far too high up and she does not have a ladder.

Oh!

She fishes through her bag— she’s surprised that she left her Pokeballs in here, but it’s incredibly useful for this.

Ribbon flutters out of the Pokeball, trilling as she goes. Citrine smiles and holds out an arm, just in case she wants to land. She perches with a sleepy noise.

“Riri, can you do me a teensy favor?” Citrine asks, picking up the bottle of grease with her free hand. “Just real quick?”

Ribbon’s whole face twists up with disdain, but she sighs and obligingly holds out a hand. Citrine lights up.

“Thank you! Just spread this in the gears, or along the axle, or… something. I don’t know what it looks like up there.”

Ribbon salutes, then flies out and away. Citrine climbs down, out of the windmill, then steps back to watch her Pokemon flit around the blades.

It only takes a few moments before Ribbon comes back, chucking the bottle at Citrine with a grin. It beans her in the shoulder and bounces lamely to the ground.

“So rude!” Citrine complains, kneeling down to retrieve it. Ribbon trills. “Shush. Pokeball for you.”

Ribbon claps her hands cheerfully. Citrine gets the feeling that she wants to go back to sleep.

… she can’t blame her.

Ribbon smashes the button on the Pokeball and returns. Citrine mumbles a goodbye, then turns her attention back to the windmill.

It’s certainly quieter, that’s for sure. It keeps stopping randomly, that hasn't changed, but…

Whatever. She’s done way more than what her job is supposed to be. The windmill still turning, silent and sturdy in the heart of town.

She hesitates before she goes, like she were leaving a friend. Still stuck in hysteria, huh? Unfortunate.

At least she’ll get to sleep, tonight.

Citrine goes back to the empty house.

[zekkopunks]

I’ve been a Splatoon fan since the first ever trailer I am gonna be so normal when I get Splatoon 3 (lying)

[theprettyarachnid]

what your favourite jjk man says about you

a/n: do not take these seriously

also i’m so fuckinn tired i literally have not slept for two days

warnings: none(?)

characters: itadori, megumi, inumaki, gojo, suguru, nanami, mahito

itadori

🕷 you root for the hero most of the time

🕷 very protective of the people around you

🕷 you have golden retriever energy or husky energy

🕷 you’re a little chaotic is what i’m trying to say

🕷 you give off gamer boy vibes who has a bisexual, goth girlfriend

🕷 i can see you guys not really enjoying sports but only because you’re not a fan of organized things

🕷 you also have a lot of clutter in your room but it’s neat at the same time

megumi

🕷 emo

🕷 you mind your own fucking business

🕷 you would survive in a horror movie, like you would be the final girl/boy/person

🕷 you guys are actually really sweet even though you have a resting bitch face

🕷 like even when you guys laugh or smile, it’s somehow still there

🕷 i can see you guys liking the ‘childhood friends to lovers’ trope or ‘only one bed’ trope

🕷 you should probably lowkey go to therapy

inumaki

🕷 y’all are literally the love of my life

🕷 you guys are pretty unproblematic and are overall just super super sweet

🕷 you’re either very quiet or do not stop talking

🕷 you probably have a collection of stuffed animals or you sleep with like 10 pillows

🕷 i can see you guys having cold hands

🕷 you’re very loyal and will cut a bitch for your friends

gojo

🕷 you are the reason mom friends exist

🕷 you’re on like 5 different antidepressants and yet you are still the horniest motherfucker I have ever met

🕷 you live for chaos, like anytime there’s drama you’re right there with a bag of popcorn

🕷 speaking of drama, you always know people’s business even when they haven’t told you

🕷 you guys wear socks with sandals purposely because you know it looks awful

🕷 you are the enabler of the friend group and you’re probably a little spontaneous

🕷 either that or the complete opposite

suguru

🕷 you are horrifically touch starved

🕷 you have anxiety, like a lot of it

🕷 you either love dogs or you’re terrified of them

🕷 you guys love changing up your hair frequently

🕷 might have a stick and poke or two

🕷 i love you guys and you’re really hot <3

nanami

🕷 cue daddy issues by the neighbourhood

🕷 you’re the mom friend and you have an awful caffeine addiction

🕷 you have never liked a single person in your age range

🕷 you act like you have your life together but in reality you’re on the verge of a mental breakdown

🕷 you probably have some kind of mental illness like ocd or depression

🕷 i can see you guys having a really nice room, like a few plants, some really cool paintings and posters and you probably have a wall dedicated to your loved ones such as pictures or drawings they’ve given you

🕷 even the pieces of papers that have a poorly drawn penis

mahito

🕷 you are a whole menace to society

🕷 like you were the kid who bit people during recess

🕷 you chew on your straws and pencils

🕷 your lips are really chapped

🕷 like for the love of god you can get lip balm for 2 dollars at a fucking cvs or walgreens

🕷 you made mud pies as a kid <3

🕷 but you might’ve tried it once out of curiosity

[inkpens-coffee]

So everyone has their own portrayals/headcanons for Akiren’s personality and relationships when they create content with him, I decided to write out how I portray him! ☕️❤️⭐️✨

I love the name Ren Amamiya for him. It’s translation is pretty much Lotus flower in a Rain Palace (so cute!!).

I headcanon him as a trans boy! Pronouns are he/him! 🏳️‍⚧️ He’s gotten top surgery and trains his voice to be deep.

Ren is very shy, quiet and sweet when you first meet him, but once he’s comfortable around someone he becomes a bit more talkative, cheeky and a lil’ bratty.

Country Boy alert! This boy is SO in tune with nature. He loves plants so much, he started a tiny garden in his attic. He uses the herbs and flowers he grows to make spices and sugars for pastries! 🥖🥐🍰

He’s also fascinated with the stars. He likes to sit on the roof of Leblanc at night to stargaze. ⭐️✨

We all know Ren is a cat in a human’s body! He likes chilling in small spaces, cuddling soft things like pillows and plush toys, and taking naps! Number one way to buy his love? Head scritches!

His favorite things to eat (besides Leblanc curry lol) are donuts, bread, cotton candy, sushi, and ramen. He also loves strawberry milk but can’t drink too much or his tummy will hurt.

Ren has an oral fixation. Whenever he’s feeling nervous, stressed or on the verge of an anxiety attack he NEEDS something to chew or suck on. His go to is lollipops because his mother liked them too. If he doesn’t have a lollipop on hand, he’ll just suck his thumb.

Old fashioned boy, can’t figure out how to use today’s devices to save his life.

Only one he uses is a Nintendo Switch to play Animal Crossing and Cooking Mama! still needs help from Futaba sometimes lol

Bless his heart.

Ren is such a sweetie…

He never notices when someone is flirting with him. He can’t take a hint. Send him flowers? Oh nice, he’ll talk your ear off about flowers! Buy him sweets? Good, he was getting hungry! Compliment him? He’ll give you one too! Fr is anyone wants to date this boy they gotta grab him by the face and tell him to him straight.

At the same time, Ren is so sweet he never sees the bad in people. Which in turn makes it far too easy for him to be taken advantage of. He’s quick to blame himself for everything even if nothing was his fault.

Ren’s relationships with others! ❤️

Ryuji

Ryuji is his absolute best friend! Those two are inseparable. They hangout together the most!

Ren likes falling asleep in Ryuji’s lap and getting headpats from him.

Ryuji always knows when something is bothering his friend. The second he sees Ren pulling his hair and tapping his heel, he’s the first to pull him aside and ask him what’s wrong along with a feel better hug.

It’s not uncommon for Ryuji to always have an arm around Ren’s shoulder or waist just to keep him safe.

Ann

Besties!!

Ann thinks Ren is absolutely ADORABLE! Girl straight up pampers him like a baby brother. ❤️

She’s always taking Ren shopping for clothes. Once she discovered he likes pastels she went all out on finding the cutest outfits for him to wear.

Ann is always carrying sweets in her school bag, so whenever Ren is tugging on her sleeve and quietly asking for candies with his cute lil face she doesn’t hesitate to give him some. When she found out sucking on a lollipop calms Ren down, she made sure to always have a couple in her bag.

Morgana

Ren sees Morgana as the ultimate plush toy most of the time.

At first Mona didn’t enjoy constantly being picked up and cuddled half to death, but he accepted his fate after a while.

It’s actually nice to know he can provide Ren with comfort.

Morgana takes his job of being Ren’s cuddle buddy very seriously!

Yusuke

Something about the artist’s aura is incredibly soothing to Ren. He likes to be in Yusuke’s presence whenever he’s drawing or painting.

Whiiich often leads to Ren falling asleep and Yusuke having a stroke because GOD if Ren isn’t the most flawless prettiest thing he’s ever laid eyes on. Fr half his sketchbooks are full of drawings of Ren asleep.

They love going to the park and stargazing together!

Makoto

So you know how cats react to people they don’t like?

Yeah.

These two are not a good match

That brief time when Makoto was stalking him was extremely stressful for Ren and he didn’t like it. It doesn’t help that Makoto is still so strict and wants to be a police officer after everything Ren’s been through.

Futaba

SOS Ren has no idea what she’s saying most of the time

Futaba teases him for not knowing about basically anything modern and drags him to watch anime with her and talk his ear off. Sweet Ren still doesn’t get it but it’s nice to see Futaba so happy about something she loves!

Haru

Oh, she’s basically his mom.

Ren was having a panic attack once, so Haru pulled him to lay on her chest so she could stroke his hair and calm him down. He started sucking his thumb and that was the exact second she was like “this is my baby now, I’ve adopted him”.

Haru was excited when she saw Ren little garden and they trade gardening tips often! Sometimes they bring all the crops and herbs they grew separately and make delicious treats for their friends with them!

Goro

/deep breath/

DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?

Goro is Ren’s number one protector. Ren is the only person that can cuddle up to him and give him physical affection. Ren could spend an entire Phantom Thieves meeting sitting in Goro’s lap and playing with his hair and Goro wouldn’t bat an eye.

Similar to Ryuji, Goro always notices when something is up with Ren. Occasionally he’ll give Ren a little present like a plush toy, candy, or just shiny trinkets he knows Ren will love just to see him happy.

Whenever Ren is really stressed or upset about something, Goro is the one he’ll call.

Ren spends time at Goro’s apartment a lot where they have lots of movie nights with cuddles :3

[xginata]

Heartbeats & Vibrations

Prompt: Gamer!Kiri, he was in a COD game with the rest of the bakusquad and you’d just gotten home from a very shitty day at work.

Warnings: M. HEAVY overstimulation/edging; toy play, sensation play, light bondage.

[!] Written to: Rehab by Brent Faiyaz, West Side by Ariana Grande, Bad Girl by A Boogie, Nasty by Ariana Grande

Notes: I really couldn’t picture this with anyone else but Kirishima aka pebble boy. I hope y’all enjoy!

ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ

You sat in your car, quickly gathering your thoughts and feelings in. You knew Kiri was in game right now, his stream was playing quietly in your car. He was just up and coming and you made sure to support him as much as you could. The last thing you wanted to do was accidentally cause a scene in front of his viewers, especially since he always asked for you to watch him stream and you loved doing that with him when you could.

Once you tried your hardest to appear like your regular self, you made your way up to your apartment and quietly walked in. You could hear Kiri start calling out your name from his streaming room, “Everyone! I think my beautiful, amazing girlfriend is home.” You heard him say, making your heart swell.

Your feet felt heavy as you walked into yours and Kiri’s bedroom first to change into something more comfortable. You still felt on the verge of tear and you tried your hardest to keep them in. It was just one of those days, even though you cried your whole way home it didn’t make you feel any better.

You let a couple tears fall, unable to keep them in and once again waited until you were able to put on at least a neutral expression before entering his streaming room.

Kiri had your spot set up, you’d have another gaming chair next to him, with your little set up. Kiri had made sure to stuff the basket next to your chair with a bunch of snacks. You absolutely loved this, even though he was streaming he’d still want you around him, and you were perfectly fine just sitting and watching, replying to chat for him or even playing animal crossing next to him as he played COD. It was your way to unwind as well, but today was different. It was difficult for you to let Kiri know that you needed him sometimes, and tonight was the same. You promised you’d bite your tongue for now, and not bother him during stream.

However, your emotions were easy to read, and even his chat noticed.

“Kiri, is y/n, okay??” One comment read.

“She looks upset.” Comments like this start flooding in and you started to panic. You didn’t want to ruin his stream.

“Wow, why is she bringing such bad energy in here. I don’t want to look at her sad face.” One comment chimed in, making your eyes well up.

Kiri’s whole mood changed, his character wasn’t moving anymore, instead he was reading through the comments, and then looked at you. That sent you over the edge, your tears escaped and you bolted out of your chair and into your bedroom.

“I don’t appreciate comments like yours, everyone who is being rude to y/n right now, please get the fuck off of my future streams. Honestly, it sounds shitty to say but I don’t care for “fans” like you. To all of you who are genuinely concerned for y/n, thank you. I’m getting off stream to take care of my babygirl.” He said sternly and ended his stream.

“I have to go.” He said in his in-game voice chat.

“Go! I’m gonna chew these fucking bastards out right now for saying that shit about y/n.” Bakugo said and the rest of the Bakusquad followed to defend you.

You were curled up, in a ball unaware of what was being said. You gripped tightly to Kiri’s pillow, you were so ashamed and embarrassed for ruining his stream. Your cheeks were flushed, your nose was stuffy and the tears just wouldn’t stop coming.

There was a soft knock on your bedroom door, “Pebble? I’m coming in, okay?” he said as he opened the door. You hummed in response.

Your eyes were closed but you could feel him staring at you. When you were able to open your already puffy eyes, he was at eye level. He was kneeled in front of you, next to the bed.

“What happened pebble?” He asked and all you could do was avoid eye contact with him. 

“You can tell me if your comfortable, if you don’t want to that’s okay too. Can I cuddle you?” He was treating you softly, he knew how sensitive you we’re probably feeling right now and how embarrassed you were probably feeling but not for the same reasons you thought.

While you were beating yourself up for ruining his stream, he was beating himself up for not having noticed you were feeling upset. He felt like a terrible partner, he felt like you were upset with him. And he knew you probably didn’t like your emotions being put on full blast in front of his stream, and for that he felt guilty. Had he not asked you to join his stream that night, you probably wouldn’t have shown such private feelings to over 500k viewer, but if you hadn’t gone in, he probably wouldn’t have noticed that you were upset. Either way, Kirishima felt like he failed you. 

He climb into bed with you and positioned himself to be the big spoon, his body engulfed yours and for once that night you felt better. You had plenty of time to sit with your thoughts and finally decided you were ready to talk, however, before you could let out a word Kirishima started, “I’m so sorry pebble. I feel like I’ve let you down, and I’m so sorry. I should’ve noticed you were feeling upset. I should’ve known how you felt.” His voice cracked.

“But you couldn’t have known, you’re not a mind reader Kiri and I know that. I should’ve told you how I felt but I didn’t want you to cut your stream short because of me, and now, I embarrassed you in front of your fans.” You said.

“You come first, you didn’t embarrass me. I think I embarrassed you actually. And I'm still so sorry. Will you tell me what happened?”

“I mixed up some documents that were for a very important shareholders meeting and I got chewed out for it. Then the rest of the work day I just kept fucking up. When I was driving home I cried it out so I didn’t feel too upset getting home but it didn’t work.” You said feeling guilty for ruining his night.

“You don’t have to do that, you can always come to me and the streams and the fans or whatever can wait. You’re more important to me. Before we keep going back and forth saying sorry, because we both know that will happen, just believe me when I say you don’t have to worry about closing off your emotions with me.” Kirishima finished off, leaving a kiss on your forehead.

“You’ve been so supportive of me since I became a full-time streamer and I’ve taken advantage of that. From now, I’ll make sure to have finished streaming before you come to work. Let me take your mind off of things and make the rest of the night better.” He said, his choice of words sending a tingle down your spine.

“Get undressed.” He instructed and you did as you were told. He had taken off his shirt off, leaving him in only his grey sweat, that seem to hang off his hips just perfectly showing the band of his boxers. Just the view of his toned abs and his v-line was enough to have you drooling.

He grabbed your blindfold from your nightstand, the one you’d occasionally use when you went to sleep. He motioned for you to sit up, “I’m gonna take care of you tonight.” He slid the blindfold on and let you adjust it comfortably.

“Don’t take it off.” You jumped slightly when you heard his command against your ear.

He sauntered out of your bedroom and into his game area, he grabbed his disconnected headset and made his way back to the bedroom. Still ignoring your blushing, naked body he walked to the dresser in the corner of the room, reached down to the bottom drawer and pulled out what he would need for tonight. He grabbed the cotton rope and cuff set, along with two other toys. He looked back at your ready body, letting his tongue dip out and licked his lips in anticipation. 

His touch surprised you, making you whine involuntarily. You felt soft fur cuffs positioned and tightened comfortably on your ankles, he gently flexed your right leg and wrapped the cotton rope around the middle for your thigh, then did the same for the right leg. Your cunt was on full display, only for him, you were already wet just from getting bound. 

Once you were tied up, he positioned himself to sit directly behind you. He adjusted your body against his so his legs were on either side of yours, slightly bent and your head resting comfortably on his chest. 

”I’m gonna put on the headset. If you want it off, use the safe word.” Kiri said. 

“Yes.” You replied. 

He put his headset on you, muffling all the background noises. All you could hear was the beating of your heart, you could feel the pounding of his behind your head.

Your back arched slightly, and your mouth opened as you inhaled sharply at the sensation of his finger dancing down your stomach. He stopped just above your folds, playfully tracing small circles around your core.

You were already writhing, trying to get his finger to brush even your lips, but to your dismay he took his hand away completely. Once again you were panting in anticipation, what would he do next? Where would he start touching you? Would he run his fingers down your arms, then up again and down your nipples? Would he instantly give you the touch you so desperately craved?

!

You could hear your own heartbeat again, your breathing leveled and your body calmed down. Once Kirishima noticed your senses come back down to your own bodily awareness he reached his hand down over your core, you swear you could feel the emanating heat from his hand on your wet cunt.

You bit down on your lip, your hips involuntarily bucking upwards. Kirishima wouldn’t give you the satisfaction, quickly jerking his hand back. You were desperate at this point, you wanted release.

“Please.” You moaned quietly. Kirishima smirked.

He’d finally had enough teasing you... for now. He snaked his hand down your stomach once more, gaining the same reaction as the first time. You readied yourself for when he’d ultimately decline your pleads, but when he didn’t stop you let out a small cry.

His hand covered your wet cunt, his hand laid there for a second until he felt you buck your hips up once more. He moved his hand up, flat against your cunt, his middle finger parting your wet folds.

“Fuck.” Kiri whispered to himself, small whines escaping your lips.

His other hand joined in parting your folds, his right middle finger connected to your sensitive clit. He rolled his finger in small, slow circles as his left middle finger teased your entrance. That alone could make you come.

You longed to hear his breath and his dirty words that you knew he was holding in.

“Sapphire.” You said loud enough for him to hear you. You prepared yourself for his hands to leave your core. His hands stopped working you and he took off the headset.

“Okay, pebble?” He asked.

“I wanted...to hear you.” You whimpered as he left a kiss to your temple.

“You want to hear me tell you how good you’re doing? Hmm?” His hands resumed to pleasure you. You hummed in response.

His finger teasingly entered your core, you groaned in frustration at his teasing. He chuckled lightly at your reaction, finally giving you the satisfaction as his finger entered your core. You arched your back at the sensation as his finger motioned a “come here,” movement in your aching core.

“You have to tell me when you’re almost there, okay pebble? Don’t keep it from me or else, I’ll have to punish you for lying.” He whispered against your ear.

He slowly inserted his pointer finger, joining into the small movement. Your breathing became erratic, your hips moving slowly against the rhythm of his fingers, supplying more friction.

“Tell me baby, are you gonna come?” he asked once again.

You protested, shaking your head. You knew what he would do if you said yes and you weren’t ready for his fingers to stop their sweet movements.

“Are you lying to me?” He growled into your ear and you shook your head again.

“Bad pebble.” Your climax was cut short, both of his hands escaped your heat.

“Suck.” His wet fingers were pushed onto your tongue, surprising you. You sucked and lapped around his fingers.

His free hand reached to the first toy. He took out his fingers and replaced it with the toy, the cold, velvet silicone making you flinch slightly but you welcomed it. Kiri pulled it out slowly, earning a small “pop.”

He pressed it down slowly onto your entrance, keeping an arm pressed against your stomach to keep you from bucking your hips. He would drag out your first climax as long as he could.

The tip of the lilac butterfly vibrator disappeared into your entrance, butterfly design was flush against your heat. Your clit was pinched between the small antennae designed for clitoral stimulation.

He let you sit with the vibrator in, not yet turning it on. Finally, when your breathing leveled, he clicked it on with the small remote.

One hand kept the vibrator secure to your core, as the other cupped your jaw.

“You like that?”

“You like that vibrator in you?“

“Yeah, you deserve it baby.” He spoke in between breaths, his breathing mimicked yours. Not one word left your lips, only moans and cries out for him.

“Don’t come yet, baby.” He struggled to keep you down, your hips jerking forcefully.

“I have to.” You cried out, instantly regretting it when the hand that was securing the vibrator, moved the vibrator out.

Your cunt was visibly throbbing, involuntary hip jerks following

“I love that heartbeat.” He whispered, leaving a kiss to your temple.

He grabbed one of your hand and guided your fingers to reach down your wet cunt, gathering moisture on them and bringing them to his lips this time.

“You taste so good.” He hummed. Your hand wrapped back around his bicep as it has been. You were sure his biceps were probably red and sore from you clawing and squeezing around them.

Kiri grabbed the next toy, positioned it onto your clit and clicked it on, shocking you once more, making your moan out loudly.

“You come when I tell you to come.” He demanded.

He positioned to fingers to your entrance, just barely entering your core. His fingers felt as they were being sucked into your folds.

The heavy vibration and the sensation of his fingers rubbing up on your cunt were too much, you could felt the familiar coil in your stomach. Your climax was nearing and you needed it this time.

“Please, let me come.” You begged.

“You can come, but you have to look at me when you do.” Your hand immediately reached up to your blind fold, peeling it off and sending it flying across the room.

You tilted your head and met his eyes. His cheeks and lips were flushed, his red hair stuck to parts of his sweat covered forehead. His chest tightened behind you, as did his biceps.

“Come for me.”

“Come on these fingers, baby.” Kiri kept his eyes on yours. Your stomach tightened once more, your back arched and your hips moved against his fingers, that were flushed against your core, making the same motion as before. You tried your best to keep your eyes on him as you rode out your orgasm, but you failed as they rolled back.

The vibration stopped, his finger gently pulled out of your cunt and the rhythm of your hips slowly stopped. Your stomach felt hot, your breathing slowed. Your eyes fluttering open, Kiri was still staring at you.

“You look so beautiful when you come.” He kissed your temple.

After you both calmed your breathing, he undid your ties and cleaned you up. You fell asleep that night wrapped in his arms.

[majolishious]

I saw the not being afraid of the demons, but when a spider shows up that’s when MC freaks out and that made me think of another ask. I have a huge fear of public speaking/stage fright. My legs may shake sometimes and other times I might stutter. I hate it How would the brothers comfort an MC that is like this before and after they have to do a speech for one of their classes in the Devildom?

I’m not sure if this is quite what you wanted, but I hope you enjoy is regardless!

【Lucifer】

He’d been helping you prepare for your presentation about the human world, and while you had no problem reading to just him when sat beside him, being up at the front of the room made for a different story. He figured you had issues when it came to public speaking, but seeing you shaking and ready to burst into tears made his heart twinge slightly, but since you were due to present first thing that morning, he had to come up with something fast. He’d offer to stand at the front beside you, acting as he was simply there to switch through your slides. Once the presentation is over, he compliments you on how well you did, gently giving your head a pat as praise.

【Mammon】

It had started out with you asking for him to help you prepare for the presentation, and since he was your guardian demon, you confide in him about your fear of speaking in front of the class, to which he scratches his head, and tries to think of something to say. He tries to comfort you, and offer simple words of encouragement. He’ll be at the front cheering loudly for you, maybe drawing the attention to himself and away from you a bit. When the whole thing is over, he stands up and claps for you, with the others in the class following suit. He makes sure to shower you in praise after it, telling you that he knew you could do it, even without the help of The Great Mammon.

【Leviathan】

He knows how you feel, and knows just how much it sucks. He would have skipped out on doing his all together, but Lucifer was able to bribe him with a limited edition figure of his beloved Ruri-Chan. Levi can’t exactly bribe you the same way, but he has a good idea on what to do, and it involves the power of the glowstick! He’ll have one with him at the back of the class, giving you something to focus on while he gives you the same support he would to an idol he loves. Once it’s over, he takes a huge sigh of relief with you, and tries to lift your spirits up saying, “Wow, you were great! It was like being at a concert!” He won’t say it openly, but he was nervous for you. He gets very embarrassed when you wrap yourself around his midsection, and thank him.

【Satan】

He can understand your fear of public speaking, and tries to help you find a way to tackle it. He’s read plenty of books in the topic, and all of the options are at least mildly helpful, but he decides to go with a stress ball, one of his own, so you can feel like he’s stood right next to you while giving the presentation. He also promises you that any demon who is stupid enough to laugh, or disrupt you will have him to deal with after. Once it’s over, he offers a genuine smile, and agrees that you deserve a treat to the animal cafe, and he promises it’s on him. He also notes that cute animals are great for comfort.

【Asmodeus】

He can’t understand why you wouldn’t want all that attention on yourself. Presentation day is his favourite, it gives him the chance to talk about himself, and have everyone focused on him. Still, he knows not everyone is like that - he does have Levi for a brother, and knows of his disdain for public speaking. Asmo agrees to help you, and the best way to do that would be perfume. Some scents have a calming effect, and he makes sure the room smells of such scents. He’s also into the idea of telling you to picture everyone in their underwear, and offers to strip for you to get the ball rolling. Either way, he makes sure to amuse you in order to take your mind off of it, and once the presentation is over, he dives up to embrace you, showering you with his love and praise, much to the annoyance of his brothers.

【Beelzebub】

He never thought about how bad public speaking is, but seeing you shaking, and in the verge of tears at the mere thought, he has to do something. He gives you special Beel hugs, and quietly offers you some gum, since he remembers Satan saying something about how humans are calmed when chewing, and seeing someone eating, so Beel will sit at the back munching like normal. Once it’s over he praises you more with actions than words, since watching you chew gum made him hungry, he’s taking you in a Devildom food tour to celebrate your success.

【Belphegor】

He’s not interested in public speaking either. It’s a pain, but seeing you fret about it, he tries to offer some comfort and support, mainly suggesting that either you, or the class wears eyes masks, and that way it would be far less embarrassing. The idea is shot down, but he comes up with another way to comfort you, and allows you to take his pillow up with him, “You can hold it close to you, and it smells like me so that should be comforting,” he says with a smile, befitting pulling you into a a hug and whispering, “Good luck,” before it’s time to go up and present. Once the ordeal is over he allows you to rest on his pillow, while he softly kisses your head, and dozes off beside you.

[jinniesmeow]

Felicity - Bang Chan

➵ Pairings : chan x reader

➵ Warnings : explicit language 

➵ Summary : ‘A feeling of intense joy’. That’s what sparks in you when you’re together. 

➵ Genre : best friends to lovers!au ; fluff (corniest stuff out there bruh)

➵ Word count : 3k

➵ Note : happy (belated) birthday bro @nanjaemin :’)) it’s not much at all, but I hope you’ll enjoy it anyway >:) chan still ur bias right? unless you swerved again... I'd still love you anyway, you rosbif :) (I even took the time to make the gif jUST for you bro look at dat poor quality)

“This town will never forget you, Elon Musk” 

You munch on a crisp, adding two more in your mouth before even swallowing it as you watch Homer and the rest of the Simpson family say goodbye to cartoon animated Elon Musk as he climbs back into his rocket, leaving the surface of Earth. Then, it’s the end of the episode and you happily hum along to the tune of Starman by David Bowie as they play it while the credits appear. 

Just as you’re swallowing, a sudden banging on your window makes you choke and you’re scared for your life for a second, thinking just maybe you’ll die because of a lousy prank someone pulled on you and you died asphyxiated by a crisp stuck in the middle of your throat while you were watching season twenty-six of The Simpsons in your — ironically — doughnut pyjamas. Maybe it’s better than to die after slipping in the shower though. 

Sitting up, you cough for a good ten seconds, eyes tearing up while the pain settles in your chest area. You finally manage to get that piece down the tunnel and take a breath in, eyes rolling back in relief. You’re saved from an untimely death, and you have the rest of your life to choke on more crisps while spending time in your pyjamas at eight at night, just like every normal person should. 

Exasperated, you still turn to your window, only to see Chan’s face stuck to it as he tries not to fall from your window border and break his legs two floors down on your dad’s freshly mowed lawn. With a sigh, you get up from your comfortable spot amongst five of your pillows you’ve set on the floor, facing the television. 

“You better have something urgent to tell or I'll push your ass until you land on it down there, accidents happen so fast” you tell him as you open your window but stand in front of him, not letting him set a foot inside. 

“Oh come on” he groans and tries to push past you, almost losing balance and you think he’s actually gonna fall off for a second and your heart skips a beat, imagining your best friend breaking his back in your garden because of you. “it’s date night” he says as he finally manages to get past you, dreading he will fall for real if he makes another unthought move. 

“It’s what night, now?” you whip around to face him as he stretches his sore legs in the middle of your room, not caring about the mud stains he’s leaving on your carpet in the slightest. 

“You know,” he grunts as he touches the tip of his feet with his hands, ass facing you (which only makes you roll your eyes), “it’s Friday night and we always hang out on Friday nights” he says as he finally starts untying his shoes, although keeping his weird position while doing the deed. 

You furrows your eyebrows and frown. “Okay, and? Since when are we calling that ‘date’ night?” 

Chan heaves a long sigh as he stands back up, putting his hands on his lower back to push his pelvis and get his bones to crack. “Since I decided it” he says and without waiting for you to comment on it, he takes his shoes off and throws himself ass first on the bunch of pillows you’ve put down for yourself earlier. “What are we watching tonight?” he casually asks as he finally spares you a glance. It’s actually more because he’s looking for the remote and of course, you have it in your hands. 

You roll your eyes and let out a curt sigh, biting the inside of your cheek. “Nothing, I have other things planned for tonight” you tell him. 

He scoffs and points at the TV and the bag of crisps laying next to him on the floor. “Like what? Watching the Simpsons all night long while eating junk food until you explode or something?” he jokes. 

He thinks he’s clever, but the corners of your lips don’t even move up a tiny bit. If anything, they turn further down, because as much as Chan said that mockingly, that’s exactly what you had planned on doing tonight. Alone. That means without him, but it’s a subtlety he seems not to understand. He’s so invasive, and all you want is to have one night to yourself while you can. Weekdays are too busy for you to do anything at night except going straight to bed, so weekends are your only occasion to turn into a giant junk food-eating slug, and for once in your life, you would actually appreciate it if Chan gave you some space. 

Space. 

A word Chan undoubtedly doesn’t know the definition to, as he just pats the spot he just made for you next to him. “Come on,” he pleads, “I’ll let you choose the movie” he says but you don’t move. 

You’re torn, because you definitely want to spend time with Chan and you can’t lie to yourself anymore, there’s definitely more to your feelings for him, not just plain friendship, but that’s exactly why you don’t want him here in your room tonight, because you can't think if he’s right next to you. And the whole ‘date night’ thing? Not helping. 

No matter how hard you want to kick him out, you can’t win a fight against the devil, and you know for sure Chan isn’t just going to accept and obediently leave you alone, because his mind is set on spending the night with you, so that’s just what he’ll get. 

You close your eyes and let out a defeated sigh. “Fine,” you comply and he instantly starts grinning, “but since you said I'm choosing, I'll pick a Ghibli movie” you add and his smile instantly disappears. 

“Please don’t make me watch that Mononoke thing again” he says with pleading eyes. You give him an evil smile, turning around to pick one of your DVDs. 

“Oh,” you say as you turn to face him again before putting it in the player, getting Chan to look at you with wide eyes, animated by a glint of curiosity paired with an ounce of fear of your next words. “you only get one bathroom break, and if you stay in there longer than five minutes I swear I will break that door down and drag your ass back in here myself, I even have my winter gloves prepared specifically for that” you smile innocently (it’s all fake though) and turn to push the DVD inside the player. 

Chan whines behind you. “Is that a way to treat the person you cherish most?” he’s being dramatic and you chuckle at his antics. 

“In your dreams, Bang” you reply, back still facing him. 

“Maybe..” he says lowly, and though you’re not supposed to hear it, you do. 

Totally (not) in control of your own mind and body though, you show no sign that you have and just turn around to sit next to Chan at a reasonable distance of about five centimetres, your mind set on keeping that between the two of you all night this time, for the sake of your own heart. You hit the ‘play’ button and watch as Porco Rosso starts playing on the screen. 

“Why are you doing this to me” he complains after barely five seconds when the movie hasn’t even started yet. You hit his chest with your left arm, using only the knuckles of your hand. 

“Will you shut up already? This one’s my favourite”

Your resolution has flown out the window not even twenty minutes into the movie after you’ve let Chan drag the pillow you’re sitting on towards him without protesting. 

You can try, but you know already your mind can’t win the fight against your heart, and you let your head fall on his shoulder while he snakes his arm around your form, pushing you further into him. You’re doing the best you can at keeping a steady breathing and a normal heart rate, but he’s not helping when he turns his head a little to have his lips brush against your forehead. 

To be honest, you’re losing it. But the storm is raging only on the inside, and all you can do to ease your pain is close your eyes and hope it’ll help make the feelings go away, somehow. 

Big mistake. It does make you focus on your breathing, helps you stabilise it and even slow it down. But it works so well that you end up falling asleep right there in his arms, lulled to sleep by the sounds of the movie playing in the background and the heat of Chan’s body pressed against yours. 

You only wake up four hours later and it’s past midnight. You want to kick your own ass when you realise what’s happened, but you can’t throw a fist at your own face right now. Chan has laid you down with him — on the floor, because your bed is a single one unfortunately — and you’re kind of stuck in his embrace, your back pressed against his chest. You can feel his breath on the back of your neck and you want to scream at how ticklish that makes you feel. 

You don’t move for an uncertain amount of time. It feels like hours, but barely four minutes have actually passed when you start chewing on your lip, knowing already what you’re about to do is probably — most likely — a mistake. 

Not listening to yourself, you turn around, rolling on your other side so you’re now facing him. You’ve been in similar — if not the exact same — positions with Chan countless times. And yet, this time it feels weird for you, like you shouldn’t be so close to him, like it’s wrong. 

Truth is, you think your feeling for him are wrong, because you feel like you’ve betrayed him. Friendship is definitely the purest and strongest bond two people can share, and you’ve established exactly that with him for years and years, and now you’re on the verge of blowing it because all of a sudden your dumb heart can’t behave? 

Even if you do date. You’re both young, and unless a crisp brings an end to it before you can do anything, you still have your whole lives to live. You can’t be sure you’ll stay with him for long, and you can’t stand the thought of not having him in your life. Besides, a change of relationship could most definitely impact your behaviour towards each other and make things weird between the two of you — like it sort of already has on your part. 

You’re having a life crisis, and Chan is just laying there, snoring into your face. The stress induced by all your self-questioning has made you wiggly, and your leg is actually bouncing lightly now, without you noticing. Though Chan is a quite heavy sleeper, that paired with your repetitive sighs and the fact you’ve been tossing around for fifteen minutes is enough to pull him out of his slumber, and just as you’re turning again to face away from him, he puts his hand on your arm to stop you from moving. 

“You know the bathroom’s next door if you need it, right” he grumbles in a hoarse voice. 

“I don’t need to-”

“Then, stop moving” he cuts you off. 

So you just lay there on your side, forced to face him. You sigh deeply. 

“Something wrong?” he asks, although it looks like he won’t be awake long enough to hear your answer. 

“No, n-not really” you stutter. Chan opens his eyes anyway. It takes him like what, three minutes? but he does. You can’t even believe he interrupted his sleep for you, and that only adds to your uncomfortable feeling. 

“Spill it” he just says, blinking rapidly through barely open eyes to try and stay awake. At least, long enough so you can get whatever’s bothering you out. 

You bite on your lip. “I think..” you stop yourself, changing your mind before you can say something too straightforward. You choose another way around things instead. “What if.. I had feelings... for someone and didn’t know how to tell them?” you say hesitantly. Chan’s eyes are closed again, breathing heavy, but he’s not asleep yet. 

“If it’s not me, I'll chop their legs off” he says bluntly, and in any other circumstances you would have exploded into fits of laughter at the contrast between his words and his pouty, bloated by sleep face. 

You chuckle nervously, trying to ignore the huge jump your heart just made in your chest. “Whaaa- that’s pretty gore, you got them feelings for my person or something?” you try to laugh it off and speak with a dumb accent, but regret your words as soon as they’re out of your mouth, because you can already feel the pain of what you think he’s about to say hit you, and every trace of what looks like a smile disappears from your face instantly. You try to make things right before it’s too late. “I mean-”

“Yes.” he answers, “been a while, thanks for noticing” 

Thankfully, you’re already on the floor. You can’t even register what the fuck is going on in your body and mind right now, but you’re pretty sure you’re just plain frozen. The machine just broke. 

Chan opens his eyes and looks into your wide ones. You feel the pain of heartbreak coming back quickly when you think he’s about to erupt into laughter and tell you it’s a joke. It’s like Chan is reading right through you though, because he doesn’t even let you say anything that would potentially put yourself down. 

“Do I have to kiss you to prove I'm telling the truth?” he says but it’s not even a question, because he’s gonna do it anyway, and somewhere deep inside you know he will too. 

And that’s just what he does. His eyes look down to your lips a second, and the next his lips are on yours, preventing your heart from jumping out of your chest that way. He’s so gentle, you just think you’re still dreaming and you actually never woke up in the first place. Is your whole life even real or is it just some twisted dream? Are you just going to wake up in a room with plain white walls and realise that was all your imagination? 

But you don’t. It’s been seconds, minutes, hours maybe, and you still haven’t woken up. It’s actually very real, and you finally allow yourself to kiss him back after getting over the shock of the events of the night. You’re lost in the feeling of his lips on yours, of his hand on the small of your back as he puts it there to push you even closer to him, if it’s possible. 

You pull back a few centimetres so you can renew your oxygen stock in anticipation to more of kissing his plump lips, if he allows it. Chan chuckles. 

“Nice” he just says. You’re not sure you’ve heard well. Did he just-?

You hit his chest. “Nice? Nice?? That’s it?” you gasp at his reaction. You’ve felt like exploding with butterflies right there and that’s all he has to say? 

“Hey!” he quickly defends himself, pushing your hand away so you can’t hit him anymore, “I’ve been waiting for this for years, I’m allowed to be at a loss for words too” 

You almost choke again, on your own spit (and maybe a bit of his too) this time. 

“Wha- years? Chan what the fu- why didn’t you say anything?” you attack him as your eyes are about to pop out of your face with how shocked you are. Years, he said. 

He just sighs. “Didn’t want to ruin our friendship, and I was kinda scared you would reject my ass” he explains. “does this ruin our friendship?” he asks hurriedly, a hint of worry obvious in his voice. 

Your entire self softens instantly. “No, of course not” you say. You’re sure of it. Your worries, just like his, had reasons to be, but after giving it about enough thinking, you’re about one hundred percent certain it’s just another way of seeing your relationship, like another step, something like that. Yes, a new side of the dice. 

“Oh thank god” Chan says and you giggle a little at his relieved face. He turns serious again quickly though. “Now whose legs do I have to chop off?” he half-jokes, although worry (and a dash of jealousy) are hidden carefully in the depths of his sleepy voice. 

You smile genuinely. You’re not cruel enough to make him believe it’s someone else or to tell him he can’t know, and to be true, you really just want to get it out of your chest and let him know how you feel too. 

“Yeah, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about chopping anyone’s limbs off” you whisper with an airy chuckle. 

Chan quirks an eyebrow. “Is that so?” he inquires.

Saying he’s relieved, saying he’s happy, saying anything about how he’s feeling is an understatement anyway. He can’t put words on it himself. All he knows is that he’s feeling amazing, like it’s too good to be true. He’s happiest when he’s with you, and he’s happier than he’s ever been right now. It’s a feeling he doesn’t want to go away.

“It is so” you confirm. 

It’s just spreading into his limbs, settling in his body everywhere. That’s the kind of way it feels when you’re together. 

He hopes it lasts. 

(quick a/n: it’s late right now that I'm (trying) to edit this before posting it and I'm leaving at 5:30am tomorrow to work so like if there were any typos and shit that doesn’t make sense I definitely did not see it. please excuse me for that :’))

[witharsenicsauce]

Chosen Stories From the War #34: All Quiet on the Western Front

(Content Warning: This chapter contains descriptions of gore, minor character death, and trauma)

For a moment, Jane happily lay in her state of half consciousness, reveling in the warmth of the unfamiliar bed. The blankets were surprisingly comfortable for being so rough, and the mat she relaxed upon was soft and warm. She turned over, for a moment entertaining the idea that sleep might return to her.

“Jx habet los Exletos.”

Jane threw an arm over her head, attempting to drown out the sound of talking but...it caught her attention. While she didn’t know the meaning of the words spoken, she knew the voice all too well.

“Jx habet onx botu, onx erinye, ‘n lau lophndia.” A moment of silence, but Jane could hear gentle murmur in the background. She sat up slowly, as her partner that evening, Althaea, said one more thing. “Jx deluge.” She broke off, slamming something metallic down on the desk as she saw Jane was awake. “You’re up.”

“Calling your side pieces?” Jane chuckled. “Or am I the side piece, and you’re calling your wife?”

“You? Sweetheart, you’re a diamond in the rough.” Althaea slithered back towards her and curled up in the pillows again. Jane scooted closer, trapping Althaea’s tail between her legs, and the Viper wrapped her tail around her waist.

“Who were you talking to?” Jane asked. 

Althaea was strangely quiet for a moment, and when she spoke there was a bit of hesitation in her voice. “My sisters at another haven.”

“Didn’t know they had phones.”

“If you can build it, you can keep it.” Althaea assured her. “And eventually I banged rocks together long enough to make the thing work.”

“Hm. Then you’re a woman of many talents.” Jane chuckled, winking.

Althaea rolled her eyes and straightened up. “I should be charging you for this.”

“Okay. How much?”

“I said I should.” Althaea stuck out her tongue in a long hiss. “Not that I will~”

“Isn’t that a bit unfair?” Jane rolled onto her back, eager to drift back off to sleep, but something still felt...off. “What language was that?”

Althaea didn’t say anything, just curled her long tail around Jane’s waist once again.

.

.

“What do you mean, you lost the rat?!”

“I didn’t lose him!” Gur-Rai protested. “I left him on this bench right here!” He pointed to the sunny stone bench, parked right by the oasis’ edge.

“And you expected him not to walk off?” Kon-Mai ran a hand through her hair in exasperation. “Gur-Rai! He’s an animal!”

“I know he is!” He snapped at her. “But he’s important to me! God, he’s probably really scared right now...” 

Her face softened a bit. “He is most likely fine.” She said calmly, reaching out to touch his shoulder. “He is probably hungry, and went off to catch bugs somewhere.”

Gur-Rai, chewing on the nail of his little finger, seemed not to hear her. He was just staring at the empty bench in despair when Dhar-Mon finally spoke up.

“There is plenty of food in this haven...” He said. “I say that is the first place we check.”

“I swear if that thing got into the food stores…” Nazira grumbled, picking at her cuticles in a way similar to Gur-Rai when he was nervous. She stood towards the back of the Chosen, isolated at this time. Her own brother was nowhere to be seen.

“The sooner we find him, the sooner we can ensure that is not the case.” Kon-Mai said. “Nazira, where is it that you store the supplies?”

Nazira looked around, pointing to a square building that resembled a stone warehouse. “Well over there is where we keep most of the raw materials. Grain that hasn’t been made into flour, dried fruits, salted meats, stuff that keeps. There are a couple of refrigeration units in the Generator room but I don’t think he could get in there.”

“What of farmland? Do you have any fields or gardens?” Dhar-Mon asked.

“Most of it has been harvested already.” Nazira shrugged. “But the dandelions are in bloom right now. He might be hunting for bugs in the grass.”

“Okay.” Kon-Mai stood up tall. “We shall split up, then, cover more ground.”

“I shall search the storage units.” Dhar-Mon said.

“Wonderful. Gur-Rai.” Kon-Mai turned to her brother. “Will you help me search the fields? My eyes are lacking compared to yours.”

That seemed to at least shake him from his trance. “Sure thing.” He nodded, looking over at Nazira. “You’ll be okay?”

“This is my house, Gur-Rai.” She giggled. “I’ll be fine without you.”

He faltered at her words, but Kon-Mai dragged him off quickly. Nazira lifted her hand in a wave, then sighed and turned towards the generator room. 

As much as she hated going in there, if this possum was as important to Gur-Rai as it seemed to be, she’d brave it for him.

.

.

“Of all the people I thought I would see again.” Zafar looked over his cup of tea, meeting Verge’s black eyes. “I’ll admit I never expected it would be you.”

“And I would have agreed.” Verge admitted, a slight smile on his face. “I could barely talk last time we worked together.”

“And you certainly wouldn’t hear talk of disobeying the Elders.” Zafar’s gaze turned cold. “You’re lucky Nazira forgives you, after what you said to her last time.”

“I know.” Verge hung his head. “I’ll admit that for someone who was supposed to be her comrade, I was...far too spiteful. Aggressive. I did not know how my actions, and my words, hurt her so.”

Zafar held the silence for a moment. “She does not seem to hold a grudge.” He admitted. “And she is excited that you are here.” He put his tea down. “But I need to know, Verge. What changed?”

“Everything. Slowly.” Verge said. “Interrogations gone awry. When you’re inside someone’s head while they’re being probed for information, you feel everything…”

Zafar took a deep breath. “That’s one thing I never had to suffer.” He pinched his own brown skin, smooth and hairless but otherwise so human. “These human ‘suits’ gave me the illusion of being a man, but I never had to gaze into the mind of one.”

“So what you’re saying is, you can make a snake into a Thin Man-”

“But you can’t get rid of the reptile brain.” Zafar smiled. “You get it.”

Verge leaned on his hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever read a Viper’s mind.”

“I’m sure it’s not a unique experience.” Zafar parted his black hair along the side and tied up half of it. “...How much smarter are humans, anyway?”

“Jealous?”

“No. Curious.” Zafar was lying, he stunk of it, but Verge just smiled and did not insist on antagonizing that point.

“Truth be told, actual intelligence isn’t exactly what they excel at.” He admitted.

“Oh?” Zafar raised a brow. “Emotional intelligence then?”

“Some learn it quickly, but it doesn’t come naturally.” Verge shrugged. “But that’s something they have to practice. What they do excel in is creativity.”

“Creativity?”

“Humans have a tendency to jump to conclusions.” Verge continued. “And in doing so they are...inspired to try something, even if it might not work. Because to them, if there’s a chance it will work, then it will work.”

“What if it doesn’t work?” Zafar crossed his arms. “Do they not get discouraged?”

“Surprisingly, no. And if they do, not for long. It’s as if their brains don’t let them rest until a problem is solved.” Verge chuckled. “And it’s beautiful. Because with it, they’re inspired to not just spread their wings, but to glide and dive and reach for the stars. Quite literally.”

“They must be careful then.” Zafar said. “Overzealousness is what led the Elders to their rapid decline.”

Verge almost questioned what Zafar meant by decline, but part of him already knew.

.

.

“Phoibos, Savitr, Calliope, Murillo, Diodor.” Prata Mox called out, and the officers stepped forward. “You are to patrol the Western Front, along the established road. Avoid the sands.” He said with a great amount of emphasis in his voice.

“What if we see something?” Phoibos called out.

Mox seemed to think for a moment. “...Come back and report it immediately. Do not investigate. I do not wish to risk a soldier’s capture.”

Calliope looked over to Savitr, who seemed lost in thought as he stared into the golden sand. “Ux ezom okay?”

Savitr looked up at her, blinking for a moment before giving her a warm smile and nodding. “Thinking about something, don’t mind me.”

She smiled, and then looked around. “I bet you can slip away and find her before we leave~”

“Move out!” Mox called, and the five of them began the march toward the Western Front.

“Well, it’s too late for that now...” He chuckled, as he and the rest of his platoon began the march down the sandy road.. “And even so…” He trailed off.

“Even so?” She nudged him. “That is no excuse.”

He kept silent, his usually sunny disposition strangely overcast. The once well maintained black asphalt had crumbled under years of neglect, and he had to hop the major cracks to avoid tripping.

“Maybe she feels the same way.” Calliope insisted. “It never hurts to ask, and after that mission you went on together-”

“I don’t want to be presumptuous.” He insisted. “She hasn’t had the experiences I have, and I don’t want to force her into something she isn’t ready for.”

“You wouldn’t be forcing her into anything.” Calliope rested her hand on her hip as she walked, the sand in the road crunching under her feet.

Still, Savitr shook his head. “It’s not something I feel confident in.”

“No one ever does.” Calliope giggled. “Don’t tell me you’re intimidated by her.” She thought for a moment. “Actually that’s a pretty normal reaction, with that skull face of hers-”

“Hey.” Savitr snapped, actually scowling at her. “That’s uncalled for.”

Calliope shrank back. “...Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He grumbled. “We’re not exactly the apex of beauty, Calliope. Please, take care of what you say…” He blushed a bit. “I happen to like her face very much.”

Calliope sighed. “You’re hopeless, Savi-” She broke off, craning her neck and covering her eyes with one hand. “Phoibos?!”

Savitr looked up, and saw his brother-in-arms waving to them frantically, pointing to something off the trail.

.

.

It was still surprising to Gur-Rai that within this dry and barren desert, just along the edges of the lake, lay such a fertile and promising land. Of course, such promise didn’t hold much hope for him if he couldn’t find his lost possum.

As he pushed the brush aside, he looked over his shoulder to his sister, who was kneeling in the weeds, making clicking noises to call Pangu towards her on the off chance that the possum was listening. It had been quite the day for her, and in the late afternoon sun, she turned briefly towards him and he saw the faint outline of the acid burn along her lip.

He watched her work for a moment, then stood up. “Hey. Sister.”

“Hm?” She looked up, breaking her concentration for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak but in that moment, she sighed and cut him off. “No. Do not apologize.”

“Huh?” He blinked.

“I know what you are about to say: that you are sorry for snapping at me.” She smiled. “It seems as though in this heat, we have spent the majority of our time offending one another and then apologizing for it. I shall save you the trouble, Gur-Rai: I forgive you.”

Gur-Rai crossed his arms. “I didn’t tell you I was sorry, yet. Can’t forgive me if I don’t.”

“Yes I can.” She straightened up, brushing the bits of dandelion fluff off her leggings. “Did I not just tell you yesterday I will love you until the day I die?”

He looked away. “...You did.”

She approached him and stretched her arms out, beckoning him closer with her hands. “So come on.”

He stepped forward, and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. He waited a moment, then embraced her as well, burying his face in her shoulder. She may have been his little sister, but she had a calming strength in her grasp that made him feel so secure; something he’d never been able to replicate.

“I’m sorry I pointed my gun at you that one time.”

“That was nearly six years ago, ‘nweghị.” She chuckled and rubbed her hand over his back. “I’d long forgotten about that. And I knew you would never actually shoot me.”

“How do you know?” He muttered. “I seem to remember you responding with a knife to my throat.”

“How else was I to get you to cease your little games?” She chuckled. “You are very annoying, Brother, but I trust that you would not hurt me on purpose.”

“Doesn’t mean I won’t on accident…”

She pulled away and patted his sunken cheek. “What makes you think you would?”

He sighed. “I don’t actually think it, just...” He admitted. “It’s more the principle of the matter.”

“Principle?” She furrowed her brow.

“Yeah.” He went back to wading in the weeds. “I do something to upset you, or accidentally cause you harm, that’s pretty similar to shooting you, isn’t it?”

“Oh, where is all this coming from?!” Kon-Mai grabbed his arm.

“From trauma.” He laughed, but it was dry and humorless and carried hurt with it. “We all have open wounds, Kon-Mai, and I pulled at one of yours this morning.”

“Do you mean-” She reached up and touched her lip, where the acid burn scar was still healing.. “...No, no Gur-Rai, you did not. You were trying to help.”

“Intention doesn’t mean dick. You were still in pain.”

“You were right to try and help.” She said. “I...have my demons…” She hugged herself, looking down at her body. “I have the remnants of what Abyzou gave me. But that is not for you to try and tiptoe around.” She approached him again. “Camazotz left you something similar, did he not?”

Gur-Rai froze. He didn’t move a muscle for a long moment, before kneeling in the weeds, pulling away from her grasp. “...The Elders had fucked up ways of showing love.” He admitted. “But I don’t think Camazotz even liked me.”

Kon-Mai sat cross-legged in the grass and pulled him down beside her, holding him silently in her arms, and letting the silence carry forth his words. Her strategy worked, and Gur-Rai kept talking.

“I’ve fucked up so many relationships, Sister. There’s a reason I leave before the sun rises.”

She held the silence, waiting for him to continue, but he just pulled away from her embrace and curled his knees up to his chin.

“Maybe Pangu wanted to go.”

“No.” She pressed her hand to the top of his head, pulling off his hood in the process. “Do not think such things.”

“Konnie. How much do you think the Elders care about losing me?” He looked her in the eye. “I was just their punching bag, anyway. How many of my exes do you think cared enough to actually stay in contact? Even Nazira disappeared; she straight up left ADVENT territory all together.”

“That did not have to do with you.” Kon-Mai assured him. “I am sure she had her reasons.”

“She did but…” He sat back. “What if one of those was me?”

“You stop this right now!” Kon-Mai stood. “You matter, Brother, to many people. You matter to me. Did you forget that I demanded XCOM spare you?! If I truly held a grudge, would I not have let you die?”

He thought about that for a moment. “...I suppose.”

“Suppose nothing, for it is the truth.” She held out her hand to him. “Stand now, my brother, for we are bound in blood, and when I say I love you, I mean it.”

He looked up at her hand, and slowly reached up, his fingers curling around her wrist.

.

.

The generator room was always cold, and Nazira hated the cold.

Part of what she loved so much about her darling Gur-Rai was that he was always hot. Not in looks, although that was certainly true, too. His natural temperature sat a good three degrees higher than a human man’s, making his body infinitely warmer than hers. She did not know the cause of it (the Elders had always seemed so cold to her), but either way, she wished she had a bit of that touch now.

She tried to contain her shiver as she stepped into that dark, cold room. Shaking her head to rid it of the fog that was quickly covering her thoughts, she looked around. “Pangu?”

There was no answer, so she blew a short whistle through her teeth and clapped. “Here, little possum!”

All Nazira heard was the chattering of her own teeth. If he was in here, chances are he was probably frozen dead by now. She hoped not; the idea of taking his little pet’s freeze dried corpse back to her lover did not make her excited in the least.

She looked back at the semi-open door to the room and wondered if she should just leave, but something compelled her deeper into the metal maze.

There was a shuffling noise nearby, and Nazira turned her head hopefully, the action suddenly making her lightheaded and dizzy. She stumbled a bit, and as she reached down to steady herself, the sleeve of her suit pulled up, revealing her cuffs.

She froze, eyes half closed, the room around her now stark white. People in lab coats swarmed her and suddenly, before her eyes, Vox Camazotz’s acidic gaze cut into her very bones. She heard screaming, but though she could feel her mouth open and her vocal cords vibrate, it was detached from her, as though someone was screaming for her.

“I like this much better.” He reached one gnarled hand towards her. “Much, much better.”

Nazira shoved the heavy metal door open with her shoulder and sprinted back out into the sun.

.

.

Savitr followed Calliope as she sprinted down the road after Phoibos, who had taken off into the dunes and disappeared behind a wall of sand. He called out to her, but she was so far ahead of him at this point that she either couldn’t hear him, or pretended not to.

“Calliope!” He shouted again. “Wait! We shouldn’t go into the sand!”

His sister-in-arms turned to him, indicating she had heard this time, but she just gave him a look of excitement and gestured for him to follow.

Savitr hung back slightly as she climbed a dune and disappeared over the ridge. The only human in the group, Murillo, stood beside him, hands clasped and thumbs twiddling.

“What did Phoibos see?” Savitr turned to him.

Murillo shook his head. “We saw a great purple flash over the dunes. Phoibos wanted to investigate.”

Savitr grimaced and gathered a cloud of psionic energy at his fingertips. “Stay here.”

“Wait!” Murillo called after him. “Don’t you go, too!”

“I’m not going to cross the dune.” Savitr tried to assure him by offering a smile. “I’m just going to see if everyone’s alright.”

There was a whizzing scream as something flew past his head and landed in the sand beside them. Savitr acted on instinct, grabbing Murillo and throwing up a stasis shield as the grenade exploded, sending them both flying into the dunes and cracking the damaged road even more.

Murillo lay moaning in the sand, and Savitr stumbled to his feet, ignoring the pain from his own injuries. He scanned the area, trying to locate where the grenade had come from, before he heard Calliope scream.

.

.

Nazira took a deep breath, trying to shake the last shiver from her body, and pushed aside the door flap, stretching as she walked inside. “Good afternoon, boys~” 

Her brother and old friend looked up from their tea at the sound of her arrival. Verge seemed to shift uncomfortably at her comment, but relaxed as she plopped down on the cushions beside him.

“Finally decided we were worth your time?” Zafar chuckled. “I expected you to be all over Gur-Rai.”

“He’s looking for his possum.” She sighed. “It waddled off while he was busy fawning over Kon-Mai this morning. I swear, he loves that animal more than he loves me.” She laughed.

Verge set his empty teacup down, and Zafar stood up to refill it at the kettle that was now whistling on the stove. “Why do you say that?” The Sectoid inquired.

Nazira blinked. “Oh...it was a joke.” She chuckled. “I know he doesn’t really, it’s just a bit silly to get all worked up over.” She wrapped her arm around his neck. “You’re awfully nosy for someone with no nose~”

Verge nodded. “I’m...just not really clear on the status of your relationship, is he-”

“Are you jealous?” Nazira giggled. “I don’t blame you~”

“No!” Verge’s pale pink skin turned orange with blush. “I just...I’m just curious.”

“I’m sure. And fair enough, I am too.” She took the teacup that her brother handed to her. “Black Cranberry?”

“Lots of sugar, no cream, just how you like it.” Zafar handed the other cup back to Verge and sat down.

Nazira smiled warmly and stared into her cup. “Well, to answer your question Verge, I suppose he’s technically my ex-boyfriend.” She sighed. “But as you have seen, the ‘ex’ part can be left up to interpretation.”

“Did you end on bad terms?” Verge asked.

“Not exactly.” Nazira stuck her pinky into her tea and swirled it a bit. “It was just something that was a long time coming.”

Verge looked at Zafar, who was leaning on his hand, his long nail tapping his temple.

“I didn’t want to be part of ADVENT anymore.” Nazira shook her head. “No, maybe that’s wrong. I couldn’t be part of ADVENT anymore. I couldn’t stand living my life as something I was not.” She put her cup down. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to touch a suit again, and not to mention a plasma gun...”

Verge slid his hand across the table. “I didn’t know why you left. I do not think anybody did.”

“I kept it very quiet.” She said. “I just couldn’t do that anymore. And in the end, I had to make a choice between my love for Gur-Rai and my love for myself. And I couldn’t love him when I wasn’t even...me.” She looked past them, staring into nothingness. “I wanted him to come with me but...he wouldn’t. Even after everything the Elders did, he still hoped beyond hope that one day, they might love him. Just a little.”

“Perhaps we all hoped for that.” Zafar cut in. “Just a little.”

“Not me.” Nazira sneered. “They lost my love when they meddled in my genes, made me into something that only suited them.”

Verge stared at his hand on the table, his fingers long and clawed, but his skin pink instead of grey like his predecessors. He stood tall in comparison to the Sectoids that came before him. His heart was very nearly human itself.

Zafar looked up at Verge, who met his gaze with his own black eyes. “I, um…”

“It’s alright to be confused.” Zafar assured him. “It is a curse many ADVENT escapees bear. There is much I still need to decide for myself as well, but I cannot be burdened with those thoughts now.” He sighed. “Not when our people-”

“Our people are ex-ADVENT.” Nazira said. “If push comes to shove, many can fight. You spend so much time worrying about them, Zafar, I think you forget that.”

“Can they fight like you?” He raised a brow. “I am not trying to insult you, Sister. But many are scarred from their time under the Elders’ thumbs, just like yourself. And we saw the effects of that this morning.”

“I have to agree with Nazira, actually…” Verge cut in. “I know you want to, but you can’t protect your people if you’re running yourself ragged.”

Zafar rolled his eyes. “I am not ragged, Verge.”

“You yourself admit you barely sleep at night.”

It was then that Zafar stood and took a deep breath. “Speaking of our people, I need to consult Althaea about the grain stores. She wanted a portion to turn into beer.”

“You’re avoiding the situation!” Nazira called after her brother as he disappeared out the door. “Damn him.”

Verge chuckled. “I almost wish I had a sibling like that.”

“Oh what are you talking about?” Nazira put an arm around his shoulder once again, squeezing him close. “You have me.”

.

.

“Do not go off the path” should have been a simple instruction. But considering that the remains of the path were now lying in shards throughout the sand, Savitr figured Mox would probably forgive him for this.

He clenched his fingers as he pulled a shield of energy from the air around him, deflecting the rain of bullets from the trooper that stood before. The distorted voice of his brethren shouted for him to stand down, but Savitr responded by condensing his shield into a beam that cut through the armor of his foe and sent him flying back into the sand.

Murillo was still in the dirt, groaning from the injuries he’d sustained from the grenade, and it was now a choice: get Murillo to safety, or cross the ridge and gather what was left of his brothers and sisters.

He looked back at his fallen compatriot, and that short hesitation left him open for what happened next. 

A black shadow darted out from behind the dunes, wielding a weapon that was glowing purple. Savitr barely managed to duck under it, and even then it struck him along his brow, shattering something and leaving a long gash. He fell into the sand and rolled away, getting back to his feet and raising a shield just as the purple lance came down again. His shield bent noticeably, and the purple sparks erupting from the contact sent shivers down his spine.

He looked into the eyes of his adversary and saw a foe he barely recognized: a crested woman with skin burnt red, her eyes glowing with psionic power, her face carved with shimmering runes. As she pushed forward and he fell back, he felt her own energy lancing into his, and with horror he realized she was so much more powerful than he was.

There was the sound of audible gunfire, and suddenly the pressure lifted. Savitr stumbled back, the hybrid woman turning from him towards where Diodor stood, rifle in hand. The bullet wounds in the woman’s back leaked dark blue, nearly black ichor that sizzled as it dripped onto the sand.

Savitr drew his own pistol and cocked it, but as soon as he pointed it toward her head she had already vanished from his immediate view. He glanced around frantically, and with a spark of fear he noticed Murrillo was gone.

Diordor began limping across the sand, and Savitr approached the younger hybrid and took him by the shoulders. “What happened?” He demanded.

Diodor shook his head, mouthing words, but his voice seemed to fail him.

“Calm down.” Savitr said coolly. “What happened? What’s out there?”

“So many…” Diodor threw himself into Savitr’s embrace. “There were too many! I think Phoibos is dead!”

Savitr looked around, still wary as he tried to search for the woman, and any sign of Murillo. “Where is he? Where are the others?”

Diodor clung to him closer, and Savitr felt the younger man’s tears fall on his own armor. He hated to push him away, but they were very much in danger. He gently shoved him back, helping him down onto his knees on the sand before stood up again.

Closing his eyes, Savitr reached out with his mind, feeling for any signs of life. And a sign of life was what he got: in fact the feedback of energy was so incredible that he nearly seized right there, but taking a deep breath, he pushed past it’s intense waves of light and heat.

There were at least two signatures he could feel, one he recognized as Calliope, and the other much stronger and stinking of rot. He focused on Calliope, trying to call out to her, and that was when the lance buried itself in his shoulder.

The connection severed immediately, and he tore away from the weapon, the hybrid woman standing dumbfounded behind him. Diodor had fallen in a puddle of his own blood, and with the fading of his life, Savitr saw red.

He lifted his hands, energy pulsing in his grasp, but as he was about to release it all, blowing up this woman and himself in a final act of retribution, she sheathed her sword.

*“Your sister is safe for now.”* She said in Etheric that was even smoother than his. *“It is not you I want. Return to your village. Tell them what is coming.”*

*“...And what is coming?”* He growled. *“Who are you?”*

*“I am an instrument of justice.”* She said as she stepped backwards into the sand. *“We are coming. Be ready.”*

*“No.”* He hissed, his shoulder throbbing. *“Stand and fight me.”*

*“I have no time for such tomfoolery.”* Her voice was cool and emotionless, and her eyes were nearly empty. *“You are not what I seek. There is only one I need.”*

Before he could stand to say another word, the woman jumped backwards into the dunes and disappeared.

.

.

Zafar arrived at the door of Althae’s Ban just as Kon-Mai and Gur-Rai stepped up to the door. The former bowed in greeting and he returned it, bowing lower than she had in respect to his “teacher.”

“You would not have happened to see a possum anywhere?” Was the first thing out of Kon-Mai’s mouth.

“No, I haven’t.” He chuckled. “Nazira informed me you were looking for it. Any luck?”

“Nope.” Gur-Rai sighed, looking downtrodden, but he picked up a bit as Kon-Mai put her hand on his back. 

“We’ve decided to take a break from the heat. A drink, something clear our heads.”

“In that case.” Zafar held open the door for her. “After you, my lady.”

Kon-Mai rolled her eyes but stepped inside, pulling her brother along with her. They stopped to dust the sand off their shoes before stepping onto the freshly swept floor, while Althaea the Viper stared at them with watchful eyes.

“Well, I was wondering when the famed Chosen would show up.” She grabbed two glasses and poured two drinks stinking of alcohol in preparation for them. Kon-Mai seemed to grimace at the sight of it as she sat down, but she took a sip anyway. Gur-Rai chugged half of his right then and there.

“Well, you two haven't changed.” Althaea chuckled, looking across the bar briefly as Jane emerged from the back.

“So that’s where you took off to!” Gur-Rai grinned happily and beckoned the ranger over. “Thought you’d left with the Commander.”

“I may be one of her many hands.” Jane said, leaning against the bar beside the two of them. “But I still like to relax from time to time. And Althaea is very relaxing.”

“Nice~” Gur-Rai nodded, turning back to the Viper woman “Hey, you didn’t happen to see a possum, did you?”

Althaea raised a brow. “A what?”

“It resembles a large rat.” Kon-Mai said.

“We get rats every now and again.” Althaea admitted, looking behind her towards the back rooms. “Do they eat rats?”

“They eat scraps.” Gur-Rai said. “Mostly he’ll eat whatever's in front of him, if it’s edible.”

“Oh that’s just great. Really, that’s what I need.” Althaea threw her rag down onto the counter.” Nobody touch the bar. I’ll be back.”

“I can look for you.” Jane said, beginning to stand up.

“No!” Althaea snapped, so harshly that Jane froze in her tracks. Even Zafar seemed startled by the snake’s outburst.

“Why?” Jane asked as she sat back down. “I’ve been in there all morning.”

“I...have a way I like things organized.” Althaea said quickly, slithering to the back. “Don’t touch the bar!” She slipped behind the curtain, disappearing into the stone walls again.

“Okay…” Jane sighed, slumping into a seat with her head in her hands. “There I go again, falling for emotionally unavailable women.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Gur-Rai tapped his glass to Jane’s.

Kon-Mai stood from her own seat and picked up her glass, watching the brown liquid slosh around in the cup. “Does anyone want this?” She asked. “I cannot stand the taste.”

“You can pour it out.” Zafar assured her. “I won’t tell Althaea.”

“I do not want to be wasteful.” She protested.

“We have more alcohol than we know what to do with.” Zafar chuckled. “In fact we may have a bit too much; we were supposed to start repairs on the roads a week ago, I’ll give you one guess where all the workers are.” He turned around to the group of human men in the corner table. “Isn’t that right, Ali?”

“We’re on break!” The man responded, his comrades raising their voices in agreement. “I’ll take that drink though!”

“On second thought.” Kon-Mai walked around behind the bar, looking around. “Is there a sink?”

“No running water.” Zafar said. “But I believe there’s a bucket under the bar that Althaea dumps poorly mixed drinks into.”

“Oh, here-” Kon-Mai reached for the blue bucket and hauled it from the cubby, noting that it was heavy for only containing liquids. “Does she pour out this much?” As she dumped her drink into the bucket, something squealed.

Gur-Rai jumped up. “What the hell?!”

“Indeed!” Kon-Mai exclaimed, reaching into the slop of discarded alcohol and pulling out a thoroughly soaked Pangu, who blinked at them in confusion. “What on EARTH were you doing in there, little one?!”

Gur-Rai ran around the counter. “That’s where you were?!” He shook his head, taking Pangu from his sister and hugging him, not minding the foul smelling cocktail soaking his clothes. “Deglu ux, you lil scamp!”

Kon-Mai shook her head. “We have been looking for you all day!” She lifted a finger and scratched Pangu on the top of his head. The possum seemed to barely register it. “And now you are drunk, you little rascal! I hope you are proud of yourself!”

“Alcohol won’t hurt him, will it?” Gur-Rai kissed the top of Pangu’s head, then spat on the ground. “That’s nasty. You need a bath, lil guy.”

Zafar laughed, his grin shining in the low light. “And they all lived happily ever after.”

.

.

Dhar-Mon stepped out into the heat once again, sighing in disappointment. His brother’s beloved pet was nowhere to be found, and it brought him great worry to think of how young Gur-Rai would take losing the animal. 

He drew a small line in the sand with his foot, staring aimlessly into the shimmering distance. Staying completely still for a moment, lost in his own thoughts, he only moved his head slightly when he noticed a black, humanoid shape cut through the mirage in the distance. For a moment, Dhar-Mon kept his eyes trained on it, still not moving as he watched it draw closer. It was only when he recognized the black lumps as Skirmisher armor that he snapped from his trance and began to step forward.

The Skirmisher limped towards him, and as he got closer, Dhar-Mon recognized his face, albeit vaguely. “Savitr?” He called, waving him over. “Savitr Vallinor!”

Savitr looked up, his eyes wide, and began to drag himself towards the Hieromonk faster. His progress was slow and his gait was uneven, and Dhar-Mon rushed out into the heat of the sand, meeting the Skirmisher halfway. “What has happened?!” He cried, as he came face to face with the man’s extensive injuries. 

The worst wound was in Savitr’s left shoulder, a gash through which he could see meat and muscle and veins sticking through the armor. But as he stepped closer, hands raised and ready to heal him, he noticed his entire body was riddled with deep cuts and burnt shrapnel.

“We were ambushed.” Savitr said, pushing Dhar-Mon’s hands away. “No, not now, there is no time. Where’s Zafar?!”

“I do not know.” Dhar-Mon admitted. “You must be healed-”

“No time.” Savitr coughed. “Will you help me find him? I can hardly walk!”

“Of course.” Savitr may have expected Dhar-Mon to simply help him stand, but the Hieromonk scooped up the smaller man into his arms. “He rarely ever leaves his home residence, let us check there.”

“Go, please.” Savitr was breathless. “We have no time.”

.

.

This time, Kon-Mai held the door open for Zafar and her now alcohol-soaked brother. “Age before beauty.”

Zafar grumbled and Gur-Rai snickered as he stepped inside, into the cool air of the stone home. Nazira got to her feet, a smile on her face. “You found him!”

“Yep!” Gur-Rai chuckled. “He was getting drunk off of the wasted alcohol. I think I’ve been a bad influence on him.”

“So, you could say he was wasted on waste...” Verge quipped, which earned a snicker from the Darkstrider and a sigh from the Shrinemaiden.

“If you are comfortable here, Gur-Rai, I shall go locate our eldest brother.” Kon-Mai folded her hands in front of her. “No sense in leaving him in the heat of the blazing sun, when we have already accomplished our mission.”

“You sure you want to be out there?” Nazira asked. “You’re supposed to keep your burn out of the heat, right?”

“I have been inside for a while.” Kon-Mai assured her. “A bit of sunlight will not hurt me.” She turned around, reaching for the tapestry just as it flew aside, and in stepped Dhar-Mon with a very bloody Savitr cradled in his arms.

Kon-Mai looked between the two in horror. “Nalla itzar…” She helped Savitr down from Dhar-Mon’s arms and led him towards the loveseat. “What has happened here?!”

“We were ambushed…” Savitr coughed, his skin pale and his voice weak. “On the Western Front, about 3 miles down the pre-war road…”

“Ambushed by what?” Zafar demanded, stepping around the table. “Ambushed by WHAT?!”

“ADVENT.” Savitr choked out, blood on his lips. “They were led by a hybrid I’ve never seen before: a woman with a crested head and red skin...her power was almost as great as the Wa-as Dhar-Mon’s.” Savitr corrected himself quickly, his voice faltering. “She killed my entire platoon, except for one. I believe she’s captured…” He pressed a hand to his injured shoulder just as Kon-Mai was reaching up to peel the torn Kevlar away from the wound.

Zavar went pale, stumbling back into the table. “We have no defenses. Barely any weapons. We can’t...we can’t defend ourselves.”

“Then we run.” Nazira said quickly. “We hide in the mountains! There are caves in there”

“We can’t move everyone that quickly!” He snapped. “It will take an hour at least to round everyone up! Half a day to get to the mountains!”

“Then just get on the intercom and tell everyone to scram!” Gur-Rai leaned forward, urgency in his voice. “At least give them a running start!”

“And let them run headfirst into the enemy, like cows to a slaughter.” Kon-Mai growled. “No, that is no solution. We ourselves have weapons, do we not? Let us stand and fight!”

“I’m going to make myself useful.” Verge stood. “I’m radioing the Avenger. Maybe they’re close enough that they can turn around.”

“What if they don’t have enough soldiers?” Zafar asked. “We don’t know how many troops ADVENT brought.”

“It’s our best option.” Verge said. “If anyone can help us, it’s them.”

“Place a call to the Templars…” Savitr winced as Dhar-Mon pushed the edges of his wound together to expedite the healing. “They’re nearer to us than the Avenger, with any luck they may already be on their way.”

“In the meanwhile.” Kon-Mai stood and pulled her sword off her back. “Gur-Rai, get your armor on and follow me.”

He nodded, not daring to argue with his sister, and handed Pangu to Savitr. “Watch this one for me.”

“You can’t.” Savitr reached out, grabbing Kon-Mai’s hand weakly. “It...She’s powerful. Too powerful.”

“I am the child of gods.” She curled her lip at his words. “Do not underestimate me.”

“I’ll try not to…” He pulled away. “Just do not die.”

“Rest, my friend.” She nodded. “I do not intend to die this day.” She turned as Gur-Rai clipped on the rest of his armor and pulled his gun off his back.

“Let’s move.”

.

.

The west road was empty, but Kon-Mai could see in the distance the remnants of a battle. From within the fading heat lines and the vaporous mirage, pieces of armor and abandoned bodies lay like heaps of trash in the sand, discarded and forgotten.

Her brother knelt low on the roof they stood upon, his sniper rifle trained in the direction of the bodies, where vultures were already circling.

“How much do you wanna bet it was just pirates?” He muttered.

“Did you see the wound?” Kon-Mai closed her eyes, keeping her ears trained on the sounds around her, waiting for any signs of movement. “That kind of gash had to be made with a sword.”

“Pirates can use swords.” Gur-Rai scoffed in response, learning forward a bit. “...Hey. What do you hear, Sister?”

“You, currently.”

“No, listen closer.” He hissed. “I see something.”

Kon-Mai lifted her chin and closed her eyes, letting the sounds of the oasis carry on the breeze towards her, and in that moment, an ear-splitting boom rocked the very foundation they stood on.

As Kon-Mai stumbled, in her peripheral vision she saw a great flash of purple light. The sky suddenly went dark, deep black clouds circling the small village, and Gur-Rai dove to the ground and grabbed her, holding her under him.

“What are you doing?!” She tried to shove him off of her.

“Keep down!” He hissed, but the crackling noise was so loud that he had to nearly scream.

“What is that?!” She struggled under him. “Let me up!”

“No!” He shifted, and for a moment she saw intense terror in his eyes. “Do not go up there! Konnie!”

Kon-Mai wrenched herself away for just a moment, long enough to sit up and gaze directly into the violet portal that had opened outside of the Dakhla Oasis. Dark-clad psionic warriors, the likes of which she had never seen, poured from it’s murky mouth onto the sand, lances drawn and weapons ready.

Right before her brother grabbed her hand once again, a tall grey figure emerged into the light, it’s four arms raised as it called upon the kind of power only a god could use.

“Humans and Traitors.” Vox Imdugud’s voice cut its way into her very soul. “We know who hides among you. Return unto us the Chosen, and no harm will come to you. Refuse, and you shall die.”

.

.

.

.

.

Summary: The chapter begins with Jane waking up in Althaea the Viper’s bedroom, where she hears her speaking in a language she doesn’t recognize to someone on the phone. When asked about it, Althaea says she is speaking to her sisters, but avoids any further questions. Outside, the Chosen and Nazira begin a search for Pangu the Possum, who wandered off when Gur-Rai left to check on his sister. The group splits up to cover more ground, searching in the places where food is commonly stored. Nazira searches the generator room and has a flashback to her days in ADVENT, and as Kon-Mai helps her brother search, he confesses to her he feels guilty about how he treated her before. Outside of the oasis, Savitr and his brothers and sisters-in-arms are sent to patrol the western front.

Nazira, after abandoning the search, returns home and talks to Verge and Zafar about their days in ADVENT. Upon the other two questioning him about his health, Zafar leaves and goes to the bar, where he meets up with Kon-Mai and Gur-Rai, who have taken a break from the search. It is here they finally find Pangu, hiding in the bucket of wasted alcohol.

Savitr and his party are attacked by a mysterious hybrid woman, unlike any he has ever seen and with incredible psionic power. The woman, seen previously as Dua-Zoar, kills all of his friends except one, and tells Savitr to warn the village of an upcoming attack. As Savitr returns, Kon-Mai and Gur-Rai go out to meet their assailants, upon which a great psionic portal opens, and Vox Imdugud emerges, demanding the Chosen reveal themselves.

(We’re in the thick of it now, pals! Next two chapters or so will be the big fight! We’re almost at the end of what I like to consider “season 1″ of Chosen Stories, and I really hope you enjoyed!)

Archive: https://chosenstories.tumblr.com/chapterlist

[grotesquegabby]

How has everybody been?

lets see~ uwu

Amaranthus: So good, I never mentioned it or wrote it yet but she did meet the Mad One a while back. She wore his hat x3 and wore hers in a sense since it floats. Shes been doing her best being a big sister. She thinks she has it down but....maybe more siblings would really help her get it down even more! x3

Lennie: Is very happy and content. uwu he still works at the library but only two days every other week. Hes got enough saved up to last a while so he doesnt need to work. Plus he loves his family so much he wants to stay and help out and spend as much time with them as he can. :3 plus be there to watch the kids grow up uwu Cordelia is so sweet and her scream can be painful but hes got earplugs for that x3 plus hes noticed Davey and her are getting along better than before so hes glad for that. Found them napping on each other. Cordelias hand was covering Daveys face, so cute. He took pictures x3

Billy: uwu hes still rather protective of the family right now but less aggressive which is good. And hes so glad Harper is asking for him in his own way now. This is progress, Harper is definitely  a grumpy one too. Billy wonders where he gets it from x3 But he is happy uwu work hasnt been so busy too since hes been coming home sooner to be with his wife and kids.

Cecilio: So chill~ uwu he feels hes got a normal life now. family, friends, the works. Things are looking up in life~

Tilde: She owns a zoo now. Its a lot of work but if anyone can do it, its Tilde. Shes talked with Billy and a lot of money and tlc are going into it uwu shes going to make sure the animals are well taken care of. Heck if she talks to Lennie maybe she can have aliens in the zoo and of course shed make sure they were well taken care of and had plenty of space. uwu

Calliope: Doing well uwu shes quite happy with everything. Her boys are doing well, and her babies and mate are just wonderful. Life is beautiful. She also adores Zeta and its clear how the twins think of Zeta. which is adorable and true, Zeta is part of the family after all. Clara is such a cuddle bug Calliope didnt see that coming but Rory’s mischief she saw coming a mile away x3

Honey: Doing better, has been taking her sister out to some of her favorite places just to add something new to her daily routine. Plus Brie is good company. So is Juno, shes cool. You could say Honey does look up to her x3

Brie: The happiest bean x3 shes great

Mr. Twinkles: he has been enjoying his little adventures into shops. Its interesting to explore places the way regular people can’t. He can fit into all the tiny spaces. Hes found a lot of coins which he has collected and saved within his dollhouse x3

Belinda: Shes getting very tired near the end of her pregnancy. Shes been napping more than usual and finding herself falling asleep in unlikcly situations. Like when shes cooking.

Pierre: (_ -w-)_

Alex: I dont really have a big explanation for him just a mental image. Of him sitting on a bean bag chair with his hands folded neatly on his stomach as he smiles. x3

bebes-

Davey: he doesnt like doing it but crawling around now. He perfers using his tiny wings to buzz around the house but even thats tiring. But not as tiring as crawling oh goodness. plus trying to stand up and climb things now x3 but hes so used to just sitting and laying down hes having a bit of a tough go at it. And when he fails too many times he just lays wherever he is and naps x3

Harper:  is teething, as baby deadlights usually do very soon. But hes so upset about it, hes chewed up a few living room pillows already. So much stuffing feathers. x3

Benjamin: Is on the verge of taking his first steps without holding onto anything. Hes managed to stand up but he just stands there x3 he stands for a good few minutes before plopping back down to the ground and crawling to where he needs to go.

Cordelia: quite the screamer, but fortunately the scrunched creature hasn’t upset her as much as the beginning x3 plus her laughs are a bit loud too, when she screams in happiness its a bit much.

Rory: trying to speak more. Saying a few words like ‘jump’ ‘hide’ ‘seek’ ‘hi’ ‘No’ ‘yes’ x3 and stuff like that. He only needs a few words to get his message across. heheh uwu

Clara: shes moving faster now and wants to explore. She doesnt go too far though as she for some reason doesnt want to lose sight of Calliope, Cuckoo or Zeta. Being with one is okay but if one finds her crawling away she will do so and stay within that one persons sight until one of the other two come to grab her. Is starting to get upset if anyone thats not those three try to take her away from one of them. its cute but oh no x3

[takingcourage]

A Prickly Diversion

Pairing: Jaime x MC 

Word Count: 3,600

Summary: Arden gets roped into yet another animal-related news story -- this time with Jaime along for the ride. 

Note: This piece is heavily inspired by a throwaway line from Jaime’s diamond scene in Chapter 6. In case you missed it, one tidbit to come out of the conversation is that Jaime “openly weeps” at pictures of baby hedgehogs. I’ve spent the better part of the past three weeks trying to work out how to turn that admission into a fic. Here’s hoping the result is enjoyable!  Even if it’s not, here’s some hedgehog cuteness for your viewing pleasure... 

“You’re such a lazy girl, Jinx,” Arden chastened as she returned to the living room. Kneeling down beside the couch, she smothered her face against the cat’s plush fur. Her short, polished nails made contact with Jinx’s chin, and soon the fluffy mass began to rumble in a satisfied purr. Arden settled her cheek onto the sound, sighing her own contentment.

No sooner had her eyes closed than the purring came to an abrupt stop, replaced by another noise altogether.

You’re using me as a pillow? How pathetic! Uprooting herself, the cat became little more than a blur as she dashed behind the couch.

“You and your mood swings,” Arden laughed, brushing a strand of fur from her cheek. She looked up to see Opie ambling toward her. 

Strange grumpy dog ran from nice lady. I help!

Lips cracking into a smile, Arden leaned down to scoop the puppy into her lap. “I should have started with you anyway. Your sister isn’t so great at providing affection."  

Opie propped his large paws on her shoulders before a broad tongue emerged to lick her cheeks. I help! I help!

With a laugh, she pushed the enthusiastic creature away. “Let’s stick to petting for now. I’ll take my bath later.”

The puppy hopped to the floor, returning to her side moments later with a chew toy dangling from his teeth. He dropped it into her feet before eyeing her for approval.

“Thanks, Opie.” Her smile prompted an enthusiastic wag of his tail. “I’ll treasure it.”

Arden was just getting to her knees to search for his toy squirrel when her phone vibrated across the end table. She caught it just before it fell off the edge. “If that’s anyone from work, I’m going to throw something,” she threatened while flipping the device right-side up.

Damn.

She flung Opie’s toy into the kitchen with a little more vigor than intended.  

“Hey, Aubrey. What’s up?”

The senior manager's greeting carried over the line. “Morning, Arden. I’m so sorry to bother you, but we’ve got a story coming out of Northbridge Zoo and Alec is convinced that you’re the only person who can handle it. The van is on its way to your apartment to pick you up -- it’ll be there in fifteen minutes or so.”

Knowing there was little use in arguing, Arden stood and made her way to the closet to find something that was both work appropriate and not too wrinkled --a tall order, even on days when she was anticipating going into the studio. “I’m sending him a glitter bomb. This is actually ridiculous.”

Aubrey’s deep breath implied agreement. “I tried to take it, but after the emu incident, he’s not letting anyone else cover anything to do with animals. Not that you don’t have a way them -- you’re great at dealing with animals -- but I don’t know why he thought he needed to bring you in on your day off to go look at baby hedgehogs.”

Her hand froze on the hanger, green sheath dress swaying wildly beneath the force of her surprise. 

“I can try talking with him again. It really isn’t fair for him to do this to you, especially when it’s just a routine visit and not an actual emergency.”

“No, it’s all good,” she answered quickly, tossing the dress onto her bed. “But if anyone asks, I need to make one quick stop on the way to the zoo.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Using one hand to corral the objects in her lap, Arden wrenched herself forward to prop open the front passenger door. Jaime was still occupied in the task of locking his front door, but she wasn’t in the mood to waste any time. The appearance of the very recognizable Northbridge News van was likely to cause a stir, especially among the handful of retirees in the community. If they made it out of this pick up without her father and half of the neighborhood coming out to investigate, she would count it a success.

“Hurry up!” she chided good naturedly as she warmed a fingerful of sculpting gel between her palms.

“Good morning to you too! Unusual ride.” If Alec has forced you into anything, he’s going to answer to me. “How ya doing, Tony?” he greeted as he climbed into the passenger seat.

Tony muttered something incomprehensible before backing out of the driveway. 

“So you got roped into this too, huh?” 

Arden combed both hands through her hair several times to add body, hoping that the resulting style looked something like her signature coiffure. This was about the level of effort she was used to putting in, but she didn’t typically have to factor bedhead into the equation. 

“It ended up being a kind of last-minute assignment,” she explained, adding to Tony’s curt nod. Her tone was casual, but guarded. She was aware that she’d be treading thin ice. “And I promise it’s going to be SO much better than the brunch plans we had to cancel to take it. You’ll see.”

“I hope you’re right.” But, Arden? I’m still not happy about Alec treating you like this. 

“Always,” she promised, leaning up to slide her fingers through his hair. “Here you go.” His thick locks were still somewhat damp from his morning shower, and the mingled smell of shampoo and styling product wafted into her nose. When did he start smelling so good? She dismissed the question as quickly as it came. 

“What’s that for?”

“Just getting rid of my extra gel. Had to get my fingers clean.” Jaime allowed his hair to remain mussed, though he brushed aside the loose strands from his forehead. Returning the tube of gel to her backpack, Arden withdrew a pair of shiny packages. “And this is why! I can’t go eating Pop-Tarts with oily hands.” Keeping one pack for herself, she extended the other to the front seat. “Trade you for a coffee.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal.” A full tumbler appeared in the space moments later, and she accepted it gratefully. “I’m guessing it’s not your first cup.”

“Just my second. I tried to sleep in this morning, but Opie came and woke me up at, like, 7:00. He was all worked up because --” she caught her tongue, glimpsing Tony listening from the driver’s seat. “He needed food and a walk.”

I take it Jinx was hiding from him again?

“And Jinx climbed into the back of the recliner,” she confirmed. “Refused to come out until she heard me pouring food.”

“It sounds like an eventful morning.” And we should probably stop talking like this. Tony is going to get suspicious.

“Yep.” She let the word serve as answer to both points, turning her attention to the makeshift breakfast in her lap. 

They arrived at the zoo shortly after Arden had finished eating. She brushed a crumb from the corner of her mouth, then set about applying a quick coat of lipstick. Her day’s look was verging on the simple side of what was acceptable, but Alec would need to be happy with whatever footage he got. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about the quality of her work, but as soon as Aubrey had mentioned the specifics of the job, another priority had shifted into prominence.

“How do I look?” she asked Jaime as he exited the vehicle behind him.

Like half the city of Northbridge is about to fall in love with you. "Newsworthy," he responded noncommittally. "Still refusing to tell me what this is for? I'm going to find out either way."

"You know I like a little pizzaz." She threw him some jazz hands and checked her appearance in the side mirror a final time. Upon moving to the back of the truck, she tossed him a bag of equipment. "Here, take this. It'll be better if they think you're part of the crew."

He received the duffle without complaint and they made their way across the sidewalk, Tony taking up the rear.

"I'll go along with this on one condition,” Jaime agreed, hiking the bag over his shoulder. 

"Name it and we'll see."

His eyes rolled upward, as if consulting the sky for patience. "Since I'm technically "helping” you with a job, would you come help me out with something once we're done? I was going to ask you to come with me anyway, but this gives a nice chance for some reciprocity." 

"You've got yourself a deal."

"I think someone named Lisa is our contact person?" Tony provided, squinting into the canopied entrance. "That's probably her right there."

A tall brunette emerged from the shadows, hand outstretched toward Arden. "Ms. Gale! I'd recognize you anywhere. You look just like you do on television," the woman's smile revealed dimpled cheeks and Arden couldn't help feeding off her positive energy.

"You must be Lisa." She eyed the name badge and extended her hand for a firm shake.

"My four-year-old loves you."

See? I told you.

Arden resisted the urge to glare in Jaime's general direction.

"She's going to flip when I tell her I met you."

"It's always a pleasure to hear I have fans. What's her name?" Arden asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear to distract from the overt delight in her grin. How long will it be before I’m used to this kind of thing?

"It's Evie," Lisa answered with obvious pride. “She’s a wildlife fanatic, so that story a few weeks ago -- the one with the emus -- it really won her over. Hasn’t stopped talking about you since.” 

"Well, I’ll see if I can give her a shoutout while we're on air."

"You're officially the sweetest celebrity I've ever met! Let's head on in." She waved them through, propping open the gate so they could follow her inside. "Animal lover too?"

Arden held the gate for Tony, dodging the duffle as Jaime walked in past her. "I do have a soft spot for them. I've got a dog and a cat at home to keep me company. Haven't been to the zoo in ages though -- honestly, it's been too long."

"Well, we're happy to have you here any time. Just say the word and I'll get you right in. Now, the hedgehogs are housed in our...."

Lisa's explanation continued, but Arden failed to hear it over the high-pitched screech coming from her right.

She snuck a glance at Jaime. Definitely worth keeping it a secret. 

Arden, you're the absolute light of my life. I’m still mad at Alec, but I may just let you off the hook about earlier.

"They have a full prickle of baby hedgehogs," she whispered to him as they passed through a corridor. 

“Is that what a group of them is called?”

“Uh-huh!” Her smile widened at his incredulous look. “I had to google it on the way so I’d know what I was talking about.”

“Let’s be real, Arden. You just wanted to think of puns in advance.”

She flashed him a sly smile as they followed Lisa into the learning center. That woman directed them toward the enclosure of African Pygmy Hedgehogs. Six bristly critters climbed around the habitat, spiky backs providing an adorable contrast to the soft curls of the wood shavings that surrounded them.  

“Aside from Evie, these are my pride and joy. Here’s Laurel,” Lisa pointed out the adult hedgehog, “and her babies, Tony, Steve, Natasha, Thor, and Hulk.” 

Great, I’m sharing names with a hedgehog now. Tony’s voice came from behind. 

Arden resisted the urge to address his complaint, instead asking,“Hulk? Not Bruce?” 

Lisa gave an airy laugh. “He’s always been the biggest, so it seemed more appropriate.”

“Well, they’re all adorable. Our viewers are going to love them.” Arden cocked her head toward Jaime. “What do you think?”

“Pictures don’t do them justice,” he answered simply, attention never wavering from the creatures before him. I'm not even going to hold you to that earlier agreement. We're even. More than even. 

Giggling, Arden turned back to Lisa. “This is amazing. No wonder Evie is wild about animals.” 

“Do you want to get to know them a little bit before you start filming? They’re going to be used with kids in our educational programs, so we’re trying to get them used to interacting with strangers.” 

Arden nodded, Jaime’s shriek ringing through her ears. I’m really going to have to tell him to stop thinking in sound effects. 

After a very entertaining half hour, Arden wrapped the segment. “Back to you in the studio. Stay sharp, Northbridge." She could feel Tony’s groan even before it became audible. 

"Evie's going to be saying that for weeks! Do you mind if I get a picture with you before you go?" Arden was only too happy to oblige. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Jaime was bursting with questions by the time Tony dropped both of them off at his house. “Be straight with me,” he began as the van pulled away. “What do hedgehogs think about?”

Arden followed Jaime into his truck, yanking the seatbelt over her shoulder as she rattled off the various things she’d overheard. “Laurel spent most of the time being worried about how their spikes looked. Hulk basically just wanted the green pepper you were feeding him. He was really into that pepper. And you remember when Thor rolled into the ball?”

“Yeah.” Shifting out of reverse provided him with the opportunity to meet her laughing eyes. 

“He just kept thinking, my feet are stuck! My feet are stuck! over and over. I almost died.” 

Jaime shook his head, lifting his hand from the gearshift to run it through his still-tousled hair. “That was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” 

His free hand fell between them on the bench seat, and Arden’s eyes followed the motion keenly. Does he want me to hold his hand? She couldn’t deny that the prospect intrigued her, but what if she was misreading the situation? Aware of his gaze, she scratched her cheek to diffuse the tension. 

Jaime cleared his throat. “Anyway, It’s a good thing we’re about to go mix things up with some manual labor.”

“I’m not about to do manual labor, am I?”

“Nah, you should be fine. I’m just bringing you along as a second pair of eyes. I’ll be doing the heavy lifting myself.” 

“That’s a relief,” she said, gesturing toward the skirt of her dress. “What’s the job?” 

"Remember that wedding that I helped with a few weeks ago? The couple asked me to install a mantelpiece in their new house and it's a lot easier with someone else there to make sure it’s straight. I might have you hold something in place for a minute, but it’s nothing too strenuous."

"You probably just want me to come along and drool over your muscles," she accused only half jokingly. Somehow the laugh stuck in her throat as she thought about the sight of his toned body. His v-neck wasn’t going to do much to conceal how ripped he was if there was actually any heavy lifting involved. 

"Please keep the drooling to a minimum, at least as long as we're in their house. I don't want them coming home from visiting family to find that I've left a trail of slime in their living room."

"Of course not. I'll just have to bottle up all of my awe, I suppose."

“It’s probably for the best.” They fell into easy banter for the remainder of the short drive, though Arden’s attention was divided once they pulled into the sprawling subdivision on the west side of town. The wedding venue had been enough to convince her that the couple had great taste, but somehow she hadn’t expected their neighborhood to be quite so upscale. 

“Wow,” she whispered, unable to keep her eyes from traveling up to the shutters of the second-floor windows. They pulled into the driveway of a brick house that could have easily held twenty copies of her apartment. 

“Nice, huh?” 

“I don’t think a place this big could ever feel like home,” she admitted, removing the seatbelt. 

“They’re planning to do a lot of entertaining,” he told her by way of explanation. “Receptions, fundraisers, stuff like that. A lot of this is just for show.” Jaime slid a spare key into the deadbolt. 

“I mean, it’s gorgeous, but a little much for me.” 

“Me too. You’ve seen my house,” he joked wryly.

With the click of the lock, Arden suddenly felt like they were trespassing into something sacred. This was the couple's home. Their home together. 

Even as they crossed the threshold, her overactive mind was running wild, picturing what it would be like to be entering a home she shared with Jaime. She’d come home from work to find him sketching out project designs in the dining room. He’d smile up at her and -- 

STOP! She snapped down on her inner cheek to halt the progression of that particular train of thought. You can't just go in and pretend that this is your house. You certainly can't go in pretending that Jaime is your... anything -- other than a friend.

Looking for any possible excuse for a distraction, she cast an appreciative eye over the decor and wandered ahead so that Jaime couldn't see the war that was happening on her face. "Jaime! Have you seen the kitchen? They have shiplap on this wall! I think I'm in love." Oh. Poor choice of words.

Jaime didn’t seem to notice the slip. "You wanna take a quick tour before we go to the living room? The Sanbornes won't mind. I've been in and out of here for a lot of projects to get things ready for them to move in. I could show you some of my handiwork."

"If every room is as good as the kitchen, it's going to knock my socks off."

"You're not wearing socks."

"Then you'd better hope it's impressive enough to knock my shoes off."

"It is," he uttered with confidence. Arden followed him through the lower level of the house, wondering just when his assured cockiness had crossed the line from slightly annoying to devastatingly attractive. 

Arden, get a grip. This is Jaime. You need to calm down. But the mental pep talk wasn’t enough to quiet the pounding of her heart. 

"What do you think of the crown molding in here?" Jaime inquired, flicking on the lights to the study. 

"It's too much."

"Really? I think it's pretty classy, myself."

"Sure, it's classy, but can you imagine what it's like to clean that much decorative wood? You'd spend a full day of the week just going around with a ladder and a duster."

"So you don’t dislike the look, you're just too lazy for that kind of upkeep." It was a statement rather than a question. Arden showed him the tip of her tongue.

 I'll have to remember that.

"Why would you want to remember that?"she wondered aloud.

His cheeks heated under her curious eyes. "It just seems like a good thing to keep in mind." If we ever have a house together, I’d want to make sure you liked any changes I made. 

Why is he thinking that way too? The desire to bolt from the room coursed fire through her blood. Her only option was to pretend she hadn't heard the thought, but the state of her face was likely to have already given her away. "It's nice though," she choked out finally, uncertain whether the words would prove convincing. 

Jaime worked his jaw, but moved on to the hallway. "Being in other people's houses just always reminds me of the projects waiting for me at home. I need to refinish the hardwood floors in the living room."

"You've been talking about doing that for years. That and getting rid of that  wallpaper you hate in the dining room. And refinishing the entire guest bathroom. And tearing out that wall to open up the downstairs."

"What can I say?” The boyish charm in his brown eyes was enough to stutter her pulse. “I've got a lot of plans for improvement.”

"I don’t need much.” The words were out of her mouth before she’d had a chance to think them through. Mortified, took a gulp of air and added, “My apartment is all the home I need for now, especially with Jinx and Opie.” There was no way she was ceding that kind of ground to him this afternoon. Not when her mind was already set on betraying her into thinking that there was something more than friendship behind his every action.  

What do you want, Arden? How long are we going to keep playing these games?

Mouth dry, she stumbled over her question. “Should we get going with that mantlepiece? I don’t want to take up your whole day.”

Jaime’s gaze was pensive. “Sure,” he tried, “let’s head back to the living room.” She could have sworn she heard disappointment in his tone. 

That's just the emotions talking, she told herself. Those hedgehogs broke you with their cuteness.

But the hoglets, cute as they were, couldn’t explain why so many of their recent interactions had left her with uncertainty. No, Arden thought with a pinprick of realization, this is something WAY beyond hedgehogs. 

She wasn’t sure exactly what that something was yet, but she intended to figure it out. 

[writingismyhappytime]

Kiss the Devil (Part 20)

Ricky Horror X OC

Warnings: Language, Extreme Violence

A/n: This series is almost over! I have maybe one or two more chapters, and then Kiss the Devil will finally be at its end!

Huh.

"Miss Clearwater?"

Oh, right.

You gaze at Ricky's band manager, wondering what the hell he wants as you work on your fifth cigarette of the day. You've been puffing like a freight train, you can't help it. You're worried about the hunters, that someone could be ready to kill you at every corner.

"What is it?" You sound as annoyed as you feel; you've seen Motionless in White's manager a lot, he's usually on the bus with them. You're not sure what he's doing irritating you when you're trying to have an internal crisis, but you also don't appreciate it.

You'd promised you'd meet Ricky in fifteen minutes for his show, the band apparently had something big planned and you'd said you'd be there to offer him support. So, unless the band manager is going to tell you the details on that, you could care less about what he wants.

Plus, you just don't like him.

You're not sure why, what about him that makes you so irritated. He just gets under your skin, with his beady eyes and weird mustache that looks like a kid in puberty is trying to grow it. You hadn't told Ricky about your aversion to him, there had never been a point.

You just don't like people in general.

Also it might just be you.

Whatever.

"Can you come with me? The band is having a big surprise for their fans for tonights showing, and I'm supposed to bring you somewhere you can have the best seat." The band manager explains, looking like he's uncomfortable. "I wouldn't normally do this, but Ricky begged me."

Ricky, eh?

You frown a little more, finishing off your cigarette and dropping it to the ground. "Well, what's the big surprise?"

"I'm not going to spoil it for you." The manager shakes his head. "I promised I wouldn't. Would you please follow me?"

Ah, for fucks sake.

Ricky really could have warned you about this.

"I guess so," You sigh, your hands on your hips. "I wouldn't want to disappoint Ricky."

You'd feel bad about it if you did.

The manager brightens, giving you a smile and beckoning you after him. You chew the inside of your cheek as he starts walking, reluctantly beginning to follow.

You hope this surprise wasn't a flop.

~~~~~~~~

Where are you?

Ricky is disappointed.

He can't find you anywhere, and his show ended ten minutes ago. He'd been so ready, so pumped to bring you on stage and drop to his knees, pulling the box out of his pocket and proposing to you in front of a ton of people!

Alas, had you caught on to his plans?

Or did you just ditch him to be an ass?

His shoulders slump as he leans back against the stage, lighting up his third cigarette in ten minutes. His chest is tight, and he wants to be angry at you for ditching him. He wants to make the moment for the two of you special, show you that he's crazy about you, he ---- well, his feelings are rather obvious now, aren't they?

"Hey, dude."

"Hey." Ricky glances at Ryan as his friend sidles close, his hands tucked into his pockets. Ryan sort of knew about the plan, and he feels terrible about his friend. However, he's incredibly worried, too.

He's not an eavesdropper, he never has been, but he's quiet. He hears things, more so then even the rest of the guys think he does. DJ Devil is his idol music-wise, but as a person, he doesn't like you as much; his opinion of you has tumbled lower and lower as the tour has progressed. The way you'd strung Ricky along, the biting remarks you'd publicly made to him, only for him to still be ready to grovel at your feet for attention. He'd finally won you over, but you'd embarrassed him, made a fool of him, and Ryan doesn't like that.

There's also the matter of the conversation he'd accidentally overheard the other day. He'd been walking by, he'd left his pass on the bus, when he'd heard your voice. He couldn't help but pause, hearing your furious tone as you talked on your cellphone. You were worried about Ricky, about your life putting him in danger, about someone hunting you down? It sounded like you were involved in some kind of shady shit, one that involved money and a lot of blood.

Ryan's stomach had plummeted.

He doesn't want Ricky bummed about you anymore, he wants his friend as far away as possible. He'd heard Devin ask once why Ricky was researching the mafia, and Ryan now thinks he has an inkling as to why.

You.

You're mafia, or in some kind of drug cartel, or something equally crazy.

Ryan's glad you didn't show for Ricky to propose.

~~~~~~~

Yoltan's worried.

You're not answering your phone, your texts --- you were supposed to check in an hour ago. He bites his plump lip, glancing at the blonde actress slumbering beside him. She's another fling, a pretty face and a wealthy checking account to keep him floating. He doesn't care about her, she's irrelevant, and he'll soon be moving on. He already has her soul, he needs nothing else from her. Still, she supports his frivolous activities, his spontaneous needs to travel, so she still has her uses.

Now.

He has to find you.

Are you fraternizing off with that human again? He can tell how much you care about the musician, he's never seen you look at anyone like that in all his years of knowing you. He never knew you before you changed, or how you might have looked at your soldier, but it didn't matter. You loved your musician, somehow the man had captured your heart despite all the walls you'd carefully constructed over your years of being a reaper.

The blonde man slips out of bed silently, not disturbing his lover in the least as he moves to leave the room, wearing nothing more then a pair of silk pajama pants. He glides over to the balcony, shuffling the doors open and closing them easily behind him. The smell of the ocean immediately hits his nose, and his eyes flick over the ridiculously blue waters, the hint of the sun rising over the cliffs.

He looks down at his phone, seeing he has no notifications from you.

You're more careless now then you used to be, because of your musician, but you always manage to respond. Still, Yoltan has a bad feeling, with all this hunter nonsense getting out of his control --- leave it to humans to think they're better at decisions then the ones making them. They were messing up his entire game, and at this rate, he would be found out. He doesn't want you hurt, he never has, and the hunters on your trail are acting completely of their own accord.

Unacceptable.

He has worked decades to create enough paranoia in these humans, for it to slip on to their children that he could mold, control. You were important to him, you were like the daughter he gave his soul to save, and he doesn't want you to be hurt or in pain. He wants you to have another chance at life, all he has to do is destroy the demon and turn all of them mortal again.

He wants to age, he wants to taste what death is like --- in such a way that he does not immediately go to Hell, of course, or his soul in control of the demon he serves. No, he wants to make amends, and this is the only way he knows to do it. Surely taking out a demon would give him some sort of immunity in the afterlife, yes?

He will see.

He tries you for the third time, hearing the phone merely ring and ring but you never answer. He grimaces, and flicks to a new name.

He has to call several times, of course, as musicians generally try to never answer numbers they don't recognize. He's on the verge of tossing his phone into the ocean when he hears that smoker's voice, irritated.

"Hello?"

"Ricky, is (Y/N) with you?" Yoltan doesn't waste any time.

"Is --- who?" Ricky's voice crackles, there is a great distance between them, but Yoltan can still make out his words. "Who is this?"

"Do not be a fool, you petty musician! Is ---- Kree, with you?" Yoltan presses in irritation, and Ricky finally recognizes the voice on the end of the line. He shuffles where he was lying down in his bunk, his heart in his stomach. He'd been sulking in his bunk for a it, curled around a pillow and debating all the decisions in his life that had brought him to that point of wallowing.

"Yoltan." Ricky hesitates, peeling back his curtain and dropping out. He glances around, but most of his band members are preoccupied, giving him the opportunity to slip off the bus unnoticed. "No, I --- Kree was supposed to meet me earlier today for a show, but she never showed up. Why?"

"I have been unable to reach her, and she's passed the time she was supposed to check in with me." Yoltan shuffles restlessly. "If she is not with you, where is she?"

"I dunno, I figured she ran off with you again when she ditched me." Ricky sounds almost flippant, managing to grate on the ancient reaper's nerves. "She usually does whatever you want of her."

Huh.

Jealous?

"So she has disappeared again?" Yoltan can't help the tense tone to his voice, and even a hundred miles away Ricky can hear the worry.

"Do you think she has? Shit! Do you think they got her?" Ricky demands, his entire body tensing. His heart instantly throws itself against his chest in panic, fear making his adrenaline spike until he has a hard time breathing. "What do we do? Where would they take her?"

Yoltan's white teeth dig into his reddening lower lip. "Is your band manager around?"

"What?" Ricky's taken off guard.

"Is your bloody manager there, Richard?"

Richard? No one calls him that.

"No, I haven't seen him."

Fuck.

Fuck!

Yoltan's hand tightens dangerously around his phone, and it takes all his restraint not to crush the small device between his fingers.

"Dammit." Yoltan seethes; disobeying his orders again! Useless bastard!" I want you to find him, now, Ricky. I want you to call him, I want you to pinpoint his location immediately!"

"What? Why? What use is he?"

"He's a goddamn hunter, you useless imbecile!" Yoltan hissed, turning to pace the balcony liked a caged animal, his entire body bristling. "He has most likely taken Kree to dispatch of her, and you should by now understand what that means! Find him!"

Yoltan ends the call, inhaling deeply through his nose, trying to find a sense of calm against the storm of panic inside his chest. He's frightened for you, he never should have let this get so out of control. He'd promised he'd protect and care for you, and he meant it. He couldn't stop the demon from hurting you, or for you agreeing to whatever he wished, nor could he stop you from having to take souls, to do the things you must for them.

But this --- he'd never meant for this to escalate.

He'd wanted to keep you safe, he'd thought going on tour an excellent idea. You would be in the limelight, the humans would not be so foolish as to try to hurt you ---- Yoltan isn't often wrong.

He has to leave, now.

He turns on his heel, striding into the bedroom. His eyes flick to the actress, and he slips to the bed, applying just enough pressure as he crawls to stir his actress. He leans now, nuzzling her delicate, pale throat, covered in his pointed bite marks. She might be soft, but she very much liked him rough.

"My sweet Evangeline, I must take a trip," he murmurs, his breath fanning her skin as her eyes flutter.

"Another, sweet Ambrose?" she murmurs sleepily, Yoltan's fingers caressing her cheek like butterflies against her skin.

"I am afraid it is necessary. My daughter needs me."

"Mmm, this daughter, you rarely speak of her so. What does she need?"

"Someone to save her from a very delicate situation." Yoltan sighs, kissing the woman on her too-long nose. "I shall return when I can ensure her safety."

"She's a very lucky girl, to have such an attentive father." His actress yawns, curling her arms around her white pillow. "Be back before my show tomorrow night?"

"I will do my best, Evangeline."

Yoltan doesn't know if he'll return or not.

~~~~~~

Ricky is frantic.

He'd scoured the bus for the manager, demanded of everyone if they'd seen him, then tore off to scope the venue. He'd been over it twice and had not found the man! He'd called him over and over, left voicemails, sent text messages --- the manager is usually much more attentive! Shit!

He's been a hunter the entire time!? How did Ricky not realize this? Did you know? Did you suspect him? How did Yoltan know?

Fuck!

No, no, no --- Ricky can't lose you like this! You're both supposed to be together forever now, it can't be over! You're here somewhere, you have to be! You've only been gone perhaps two hours, tops? That's it --- there's not a lot of places one can go in two hours.

Well, there is, but Ricky doesn't want to think about that.

To be so much stronger, faster, and a predator, Ricky feels completely helpless against the situation. What's he going to do? If you die, he becomes human again, but that doesn't matter to him --- the future is bleak without you in it. He wouldn't want to be a reaper if it meant not having you at his side.

He has to do something.

Something drastic, something that would catch the managers attention.

He hesitates, staring down at his phone.

He knows.

Ricky: WHERE ARE YOU? BAND EMERGENCY. CHRIS WAS IN AN ACCIDENT, CALL ME ASAP

Now.

Ricky rushes back to his bus, tripping as he clamors up the bus steps. He glances around furtively, spying the lead singer of his band leaning against the counter as he chops up a banana into little pieces.

Well, this was going to get bad.

"Chris, I need a favor!" Ricky bursts, Chris glancing over, his knife stilling.

"What?"

"I, uh, need you to look hurt."

"You what?" Chris sends him a look. "Dude, what the hell?"

"Please! I need you to have a bloody nose, or a black eye, or something," Ricky stresses, completely panicked. His calm resolved minutes ago, and every fiber of his being is stretched to the limit. All the guys swivel, staring at Ricky like he'd lost his mind.

"Ricky," Ryan hesitates from where he sits at the table, playing cards with Balz. "Dude."

"Please." Ricky begs. "I can't explain why, but --- Devin, can you make his face look like shit? Black eyes, blood, all that?"

Devin's eyes widen in alarm.

"Why the hell does that need to happen?"

"Because --- because --- can you just trust me?" Ricky's says in frustration, glancing around. He needs this to happen, it's the only way he can prove to the manager something is going on! He hesitates, and straightens, suddenly remembering a trick you'd told him once he'd become a reaper; always be calm, always look confidant, and always make eye contact when you want your way.

Right, time to employ reaper tactics.

His eyes burn into Chris', the blue color suddenly so vibrant it catches the taller man off guard.

"Chris, I need you to do this for me," Ricky says in a level tone, one that bode no argument and bode an uncanny resemblance to the voice you commonly used when you were tired of bullshit. Ricky turns his piercing gaze on Devin. "I need you to help."

"I --- we ----," Devin momentarily flounders, unable to look away from the vivacious blues before his head is nodding, his will not strong enough to disagree anymore. "Of course, whatever you want."

"Chris?" Ricky looks at him pointedly.

"Yeah, sure." Chris nods as well, the food in front of him completely forgotten.

Good.

Ryan sends the three men an incredulous look as Chris and Devin move toward the back of the bus, Ricky hot on their heels.

What the fuck is going on?

~~~~~~

You squirm against your restraints, a heavy sense of deja vu making you feel sick. You're in a damned chair again, your wrists tied so tightly to the arms you're in danger of losing circulations in your hands. Whoever had tied them had no inclination of letting you escape, and that's unfortunate on your end.

This time, you weren't up against amateurs.

You weren't sure at what point your day went to hell, probably when Ricky's band manager whacked you over the skull with a pipe and sent you tumbling into the trunk of his car. Or someone's car, hell if you know who it belonged too.

You writhe, your head pounding, but you've had worse injuries. Your eyes flick around the darkened room, the single lightbulb above your head buzzing annoyingly. It looks like someone's basement, there's a boiler in the corner, some tables, boxes of old, forgotten things. The floor above your head is creaking, there's lots of dust showering down on you with every step that makes you itch.

It's annoying.

Huh.

They'd taken your phone, but you can see it on the table across the room. You feet are bound too, but you'd seen enough horror movies now, you can still figure a way out. You're too pissed to be scared this time --- being hunted has gotten on your last nerve.

You're not afraid of death, but your kidnappers are going to be begging for it when you're done with them.

Now, about moving this chair.

You're being practical, it's like the fearful side of your brain has shut down. You're intent on getting lose, on finding someway to break free. You have someone to get back too that you care about, and that returns your feelings. You almost feel guilty for missing his big show today, but obviously that decision had been taken out of your hands.

Your eyes flick up as you hear someone start shouting angrily, their words too muffled to make out.

Huh.

Hmmm.

Well...

Shit.

This wasn't working.

You purse your lips, purple hair clinging to your dampened cheeks, sweat making your skin prickle from the ridiculous warmth of the room. You're normally a little more cold natured, but this is ridiculous.

You squirm in your uncomfortable chair, looking around the dark room. Well, even if you reach your phone, you're not going to be able to use it. Unless you can touch the screen with your nose, your fingers are absolutely useless.

So, that lead to the practical decision of finding a way to remove your bonds. Frayed rope, of course, the men had to be all medieval.

At least they hadn't chosen metal manacles, of course.

You chew your lower lip, seeing the tools on the table, a rusty color your brain ignores. This room has seen a lot more reapers then just you, but you're not going to follow in their footsteps. You have some questions for these idiots if they ever make their way down --- especially the band manager.

How long has he known about you? Was he biding his time?

You're curious to know if he knows about Ricky, but you're not about to ask. You doubt he'd kill a member of the band who supports his paychecks, but humans are dumb in their righteousness.

Stupid mortals.

You're almost glad you're not one.

~~~~~~

"We can't abandon her!" Yoltan says stiffly, standing in the damp, cold parking lot. It had taken him only an hour to travel inland, and only a few moments for the demon he served to appear before him one called.

The two of them stand there, leaning against Yoltan's red car, as if two friends rather the a demon and his slave. The air is humid, the clouds are black and threatening rain, but neither of them notice. The weather is unimportant.

The demon looks exasperated. "You think I care about that girl? If she dies, I just get her soul."

"If she dies, the only reaper you're going to have left is me," Yoltan growls, finally showing his temper. "If that happens, you're going to fall so far behind all the rest of them, you'll be laughable."

The demon narrows his eyes. "Watch your tone, little prince. I am not above ending you myself for such insolence."

"I called you here to help. You can find her at any time, that's part of the contract. No doubt the hunters have brought her to one of their dens, where more of their members will be." Yoltan ignores the comment; he's been a reaper a long time, demons are more talk then they are bite when it came to those who did their jobs for them.

"Think of all the bragging rights, if you manage to destroy the hunters before another demon does," Yoltan adds, changing tactics slightly. "You'll look very formidable."

"Mmm, your coercion does not work well on me, Yoltan." The demon is growing bored, he doesn't care about you, how you die, he gets your soul regardless. However, there is the issue of looking bad in front of the other demons that he does consider. True, destroying the human hunters targeting his peons would prove to show the others how powerful he is, that he put an end to the annoyance while the rest of them tottered about uselessly.

It's tempting.

Yoltan is right, as is usual for the ancient man.

The demon looks at him appraisingly. "Were you not human, Yoltan, you would have made an excellent demon."

Yoltan ignores that comment as well. "You will find her, then?"

"Well, it is incredibly taxing to create new reapers, even sub contract ones don't last long anymore," the demon sighs, letting Yoltan know instantly he knew of your musician's contract. "And it's true, you and (Y/N) have been my heaviest collectors of late, you two never fail me, unlike the rest that have been eliminated. I suppose it's in my best interest then, to intervene in this matter."

For fucks sake, good.

Yoltan shifts restlessly, glancing up as the clouds above thundered deeply, resonating beneath their feet.

"I will take us to their den, but --- I'm also taking the contract reaper."

Yoltan tenses. "He will not be useful, he is too new."

"Oh, but the new ones are always stronger, more brazen. It'll be interesting to see his talents. If he's good enough, I might make him a permanent addition; wouldn't (Y/N) be excited at that prospect?"

Yoltan is silent.

No, you wouldn't.

The demon chuckles.

"Shall we go collect the young musician then, little prince?"

~~~~~~

Ricky feels sick.

He's never seen, or met, a demon before, and he immediately never wishes to again. The man before him makes his skin crawl, makes his hair rise, his stomach twist and churn. Just being in the same air space as the creature makes him feel weak and shaky.

"Well, you're rather small." The demon comments as he circles Ricky, as if studying a show dog. "I thought (Y/N)'s tastes rather ranged to the more broad shouldered, beefy sorts of men, that's what her lover was before. Ah, but who am I to judge taste?" The demon loses interest. "Yoltan."

Yoltan moves forward instantly at the demons command, his hand curling in the back of Ricky's t shirt.

Ricky sends him a startled look; there wasn't a warning, he had just been pacing the length of the back of his bus when Yoltan and the demon --- which Ricky knew instantly without any sort of introduction --- appeared in front of him. He'd been startled, he hadn't seen them walking from anywhere, but he hadn't had a chance to even open his mouth.

Yoltan merely shakes his head, hoping Ricky remains silent.

The less he spoke to the demon, the better.

"Well, now that we're all together, let's go find that little nurse, shall we?" The demons voice is deceptively chipper as his hands appear on his hips, his features making Ricky's eyes ache. "I want to kill all these humans before sundown."

Kill?

Kill humans?

Is that what the demon just said?

Ricky feels his face whiten, and his stomach drops to an all new low. He wavers on his feet, causing Yoltan's grip to tighten in the back of his t shirt.

Passing out is not an option at the moment.

~~~~~

Well better you than Ricky, you guess.

You slink down sulkily in the chair, spitting the blood out of your mouth. You remain icily silent as the man circles you. He's doing the typical captor thing, trying to get more names out of you, trying to make you feel intimidated.

You're just angry.

The entire situation is ridiculous, you're pissed you're in it, and you've almost got one foot lose. Your eyes are on the man, violet gaze narrowed.

The captor has to admit, you've remained silent longer then he would have guessed from your soft appearance. You seem young, with colored hair and those bright demon eyes all of your kind seems to have. They're on his face, meeting his eyes every change they get. It's odd, but he's feeling less and less of an inclination to torture information out of you; instead, he'd really like to just have a conversation, get you to speak so he could hear your voice.

You're a pretty girl, he doesn't want to mar your skin, and your fingers are talented --- he's skulked along the edges of your shows of course, waiting for the opportunity to drag you into the basement. The band manager had provided you just like he said he would, making it easier.

The man doesn't know all of a reapers abilities, they seem to vary with each creature they encounter. Of course, the usual torture is generally enough --- none of the reapers are very strong against pain, they're very weak, actually. It's discouraging --- the man had always liked watching the movies where the torturer stood in front of his victim, prying information out of him as he pried his fingernails off and into the air.

You, however, are a formidable victim. You'd survived the attack before, albeit with some broken bones, if he remembers correctly. Had you handled it this calmly then? It's a bit unnerving, but he can handle it.

He realizes he's come to a stop in front of you, his hands limp at his sides as you gaze up at him. You're so silent, your purple lipstick smudged on your soft, plump lips now. You're a very beautiful girl, shame he has to kill you.

Because that's what he has to do, right?

That's the entire point of you being in his basement.

But he doesn't want to now.

Funny, how men are always the easiest for you. You sigh silently, not breaking eye contact with him. You're rusty, you don't usually use your coercion like this. It's been a few months, you've been preoccupied with Ricky, so you haven't used it.

Men are such easy targets, though, and your ability is natural.

You don't smile, you don't move, you just gaze at him, feeling your eyes burn with the need to blink. You don't want to break concentration, though, this is your only chance --- you have absolutely no idea what else you can do. You can't break your bonds, they're too tight and you're not strong enough. You've not been collecting souls, and your strength has begun to dwindle as a result.

Dammit.

Look what doing the right thing has done for you!

It's so much easier to be an asshole.

However, when there's a loud thud and a high pitched scream from above, you can't help but look up in surprise.

What the hell?

Your captor does as well, and you hear several frantic, hysterical voices before more shouting and scuffling.

You blink up at the wooden boards above you, seeing something start to seep through them, dripping lazily down.

Uh?

What the shit?

~~~~~

Ricky is not made for this kind of thing.

He's disoriented, first, at the fact that demons are real; yes, of course he knew you were contracted to one, but that didn't make it real. Seeing the demon, hearing him, being around him --- Ricky couldn't fathom how you stood it all those years.

Second, he doesn't like the fact he was standing in a parking lot a few minutes ago and now he's in the center of someone's rather cluttery living area. The two men sitting on the couch watching TV had, understandablly, been shocked at their abrupt and stomach churning arrival, causing them to shout and scramble backward over the sofa.

The demon had merely laughed gleefully at their alarm, and processed to --- Ricky can't think about it, bile rises to his throat. He's merely doing his best to stand perfectly still beside Yoltan, who's face is expressionless. Ricky is holding his breath, there's a coppery taste in the air that he doesn't want to acknowledge.

His back is to the sofa where the two men were, and he's doing his very best not to puke his guts out.

He's never seen anyone be --- he can't say he's never seen anyone die before, but never like that! The way their heads had bent, their shouts cut short... Ricky is glad he's not connected to the demon. The demon was cruel, he made sure the death hurt before prancing off to another victim. He's laughing and giggling like it's some kind of game, as if a treat!

Yoltan glances sympathetically down at Ricky; the new generations of the time didn't have the same stomach as those that came before him. Yoltan grew up in times of war, before there was any sort of technology and spears and duels to the death decided kingdoms and marriages. He isn't affected by the site before him, the demon having his merry way with all the foolish humans Yoltan had trained; none of them recognized him, he'd never met any of them personally, and none knew his true name to even rat him out --- none, of course, except the band manager.

Who Yoltan intends to deal with personally.

"Kree is most likely held downstairs somewhere, these people have a fondness for basements." He says after a moment through the sound of a person's femur cracking in the living room. "You should go find her."

Ricky is almost a yellow color at this point, becoming less and less impressive in Yoltan's eyes. He hopes the young boy can keep up, otherwise he'll never make it as a reaper.

"That looks like a basement door, why don't you check there?" Yoltan suggests gently, pointing. Really, he wants rid of Ricky so he can head upstairs where no doubt the band manager is cowering; he has intentions of ripping his head right off his beefy shoulders.

Maybe even with a close hanger.

Yoltan has gotten inventive over the years.

Ricky moves on shaky legs, his body on autopilot. He looks at nothing but the white-flaked door, his hand trembling as he turns the gold knob and swings it open. He has tunnel vision as he hesitantly starts down the creaking steps, worried they might give under his weight at any moment as the door closes behind him. He's not so sure about this, but --- well, he is sure he's in shock and nothing is processing.

Is this what you've been involved in?

Is this a regular event for you?

Does the demon typically go to people's houses uninvited and then shred them into ingredients for his supper stew?

No, he can't think about it, otherwise he might do something embarrassing, like faint.

Fainting is not something he does.

Not when you need him; focusing on you is the only thing currently keeping him sane.

He'd gotten a response back from the band manager after he'd sent that fake photo of Chris looking like he'd been run over by a truck, getting his attention --- he hoped that made some difference for you, that they hadn't hurt you.

The thought almost makes him glad for the demons cackling rampage above.

He nervously takes another step down, and another, the concrete floor of the basement starting to come into view.

Then ---.

"Kree!" Ricky gasps.

Tags:  @imaginemiw   @bigdaddyfairywinkle @riegan @lucifersnudes    @horrorshow365    @imjustareject99    @nikkihorrorxx   @miss-evil-one

[magic5ball]

Nature Trail to Hell Arc II: Watt Outta Hell (8)

Chapter 8: A Dik-Dik Screws us Over

 If there’s one thing you need to know about the WEEB life, it’s that it doesn’t last.

The day things came tumbling down, F-Bomb and I were just sittin’ in front of the T.V. watching reruns of F-Bomb’s personal favorite series, Sailor Moon high on WEEB (we were using F-Bomb’s favorite method: eating it straight from a bowl covered in milk). As for Sailor Moon (F-Bomb’s pillow, that is), she was sitting propped up on the bed so she could look at the T.V., too. Of course, F-Bomb had insisted that he didn’t like Sailor Moon that much and was only doing it for his girl’s sake, but I dunno. I’d get embarrassed watching myself get beat up and bailed out last minute by a hot guy in a suit for the hundredth time.

           Now, when we did these things, I should remind the audience we always watched with subtitles. The first reason was it delivered a more authentic experience that wasn’t dumbed down by an idiot who wouldn’t know a donut from a rice ball if either got lodged in his throat. The second reason was F-Bomb would always, always, always start ranting about his personal problems to Sailor Moon and me. And on that particular day, the topic was how everyone was being an ungrateful jerk to Sailor mini-Moon.

“Like, everyone says ‘Oh, she’s so annoying! Oh, she’s so mean!’ But I know the real reason they all hate her: it’s ‘cause she’s short! She’s small, and clueless, and scared, so they think they can pick on her!”

At times like this, Moon and I would just focus on the screen and roll our eyes. Maybe add in an “Uh-huh.” To look like we were listening. Frankly, I just liked Sailor Mini Moon ‘cause she was cute, but F-Bomb? He always, and I mean always had to go into a five paragraph essay about this stuff.

“And maybe if those noobs were paying attention, they’d realize that she might just be lonely ‘cause she’s been sent back in time with a bunch of weirdos she barely knows, struggling to find her place in the world, while they keep putting her down just ‘cause she’s a kid!”

There was an awkward silence in the room as F-Bomb took several seconds of deep breaths.

“Anyways, what do you think, Moon?”

Silence.

“Moon!?”

Again, nothing. And not just Moon’s usual silence, either. This was deep silence. The kind that eats up all the noise in a room.

F-Bomb paused the DVD and we turned around. Sailor Moon was gone.

For the first time, I saw F-Bomb on the verge of tears. His whole body trembled with shock.

“OhPorecelainGodOhPorecelainGodOhPorecelainGodOhPorecelainGod…”

Thinking fast, I brightened the dim lights. The good news was we found her, resting on her side in a corner of the room. The bad news was she was trapped in the diabolically adorable hooves of none other than Weena.

F-Bomb slowly pulled his machine gun out from under the bed; pointed it directly at Weena. “PUT. MY GIRL. THE FORK. DOWN.”

Weena, not giving a crap,  used her hind leg to scratch behind her ear. It was the most adorable freakin’ thing I’d ever laid eyes on. But like most adorable things in the underworld, Weena had a dark side. Mere seconds later the furry abomination was ripping the corner of Sailor Moon with her tiny widdle teeth, pulling out the soft clouds of cotton that made up Moon’s life force. It took all my strength not to hurl. F-Bomb wasn’t as lucky. Before he could pull the trigger on his gun, he was coughing his WEEB up all over the floor, leaving a sickly rainbow puddle at his feet. If anybody was going to fix this mess, it would have to be me. Granted, my mind was whirring a million miles a minute, mostly through stupid anime references, but gosh darn it, I had to do something before Sailor Moon became Weena’s latest chew toy. My legs began trembling, like they usually do when I’m nervous. I reached for my machine gun- only for my eyes make contact with Weena’s. The moment I stared into those, dark, sunken, adorable orbs I found myself unable to pull the trigger. My eyes darted, searching for something slightly less lethal. This turned out to be a very shiny rock resting on F-Bomb’s bookshelf with all his anime figurines. Grabbing it, I flung it near Weena, just enough to scare her away. Yet somehow, someway, I hit my mark square on the leg, leaving a thin red line running down it. At first I cheered, having finally done something right. Then the cheering stopped as I remembered that whenever I thought I did anything right, it usually meant I did something horribly wrong. And who better to affirm my crippling doubts that recently awakened F-Bomb!

“Y-you forkin’ idiot…” he grumbled. “What have you done?!”

Despite Weena’s wound looking like nothing worse than a paper cut (though to be fair, I once spent an entire day in the school nurse’s office because of one) she really put on a show. She’d dramatically dragged her body away from Sailor Moon, leaving only the faintest trail of blood behind, finally resting with her legs in the air and her tongue rolling out of her mouth. My triumph was now ice cold dread. I’d killed Weena! The spirit that kept the entire gang alive! The closest thing the boss had to a girlfriend! If A-Hole found out about this, getting caught smoking WEEB would be the least of my worries. But there was one thing I could do. Swallowing my last shred of pride, I prepared to deliver the breath of life to Weena’s lips. Only for F-Bomb to grab my ankle.

“Oh, for fork’s sake, ya moron. Weena ain’t dead!”

“She’s not?!” Relief shot through me as I realized my first kiss might not have to be a Dik-Dik after all.

“For starters, you barely scratched the girl. Second, and listen close, this is real important.” I leaned in close, eager to hear what wisdom my friend had to dispense. “WE’RE IN HELL, YOU FORKIN’ MORON! WE JUST REGENERATE WHEN WE DIE! HOW DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THIS?!” Several deep breaths later, he continued, his mind slowly sobering up from the WEEB. “A-and to top it all of, of all the weapons on my shelf, you had to use my mint-condition, authentic CashMoney Stone! Do you know what forkin’ happens to anyone hit by that thing?!”

“Uh… something?” Specifically, Weena had dropped her façade and now faced us, lightning bolts flashing in her eyes. Literally. Left sparks on the floor and everything.

F-Bomb sighed. “Just look at it this way: we’re not getting Moon back without a fight!”

           The second he finished, Weena charged us, a trail of thunderbolts in her wake. F-Bomb and I tried to dodge, but the little raptor wasn’t able to get his tail out of the way fast enough. He let out a screech of pain as his feathers stood up end on end before crumpling on the ground like a thanksgiving turkey. I tried to run, only to realize my hair was standing on end. There would be no escaping the judgement of the Dik-Dik. Satisfied she’d fried us into chicken dinner, Weena went right on back to pulling the stuffing out of Sailor Moon. You should have seen it. Man, it was GRIZZLY! Of course, even being reduced to a barbeque turkey wasn’t enough to stop the ‘Bomb, especially when his waifu was on the line.

“Watt” he croaked, “if there was ever a forking time I wanted you to do me a genuine solid and not fork everything up, now is the forking time! Now, if I’m right (and you know I forking am), Weena was pokevolved into Weenachu. She can cover anything around her in static electricity, and it gets stronger the closer you are to her body!”

“So we just moisterize our skin?” I asked, remembering something my science teacher taught me.

“Is that what our forkin’ schools are teaching kids these frokin’ days? No wonder American education has gone down the forkin’ tubes! No, ya forkin’ dingbutt! Weren’t ya payin’ attention when I told you about Pokémon? Electric types are weak ta grass types! And I have the most powerful kinda grass in the world right under my bed! While I’m going ta get it, I need you ta get the largest piece of plant matter I own.”

An audible gasp escaped my mouth, almost enough to alert Weena. “Y-you mean, we have to sacrifice our secret WEEB stash?! But I-”

“No, you forking moron! I mean my Naruto Omnibus. Like Hell I’m giving up WEEB!”

The Naruto Omnibus. An epic saga consisting of every Naruto chapter ever published (including spin off series)! It was wider than I was tall and consisted of more pages than the complete works of Shakespeare, Tolkien, and Dr. Seuss combined. As I crept down the shelf, I wondered why Weena wasn’t doing everything. Didn’t take long to find out why, though, ‘cause the closer I inched to the sacred tome, the closer I got to Weena,  the more every single hair on my body stood on end, tingling with electrical power, reminding me all too much of the time I crawled up a slide. One bad move, and I could be sparked out of existence. And through this suffering, I could only watch as Weena tore the stuffing out of Sailor Woon and sleep in the cottony aftermath. After what felt like an hour, I finally made it to my destination: the giant omnibus that took up an entire shelf worth of space. So of course then was when I realized I couldn’t carry the thing in my wildest dreams! When I tried to signal F-Bomb about this, he just gave a thumb (though it was more like a finger) up and tossed his secret weapon out from under the bed: a single floret of giga-broccoli. Weena sniffed it tepidly, then, doubting it was a threat swallowed it whole. Keep in mind the little Dik-Dik was a vegetarian, so her head didn’t exactly explode, but based on the way her pupils expanded, it was definitely having some kind of effect on her.

F-Bomb gave me a middle finger from under the bed. It was time to act.

With all the strength I could muster I took that omnibus and slammed it right on top of Weenna. A loud thud, like thunder, shook the room as the tome hit its’ target squashing her flatter than a pancake on Jupiter. When F-Bomb and I finally removed the tome, all that remained was a pink stain that smelled like cotton candy and baby kittens. To the last (until she regenerated, at least), Weena had been absolutely adorable. What wasn’t adorable was the loud sound of footsteps coming from the entrance tunnel.

“Hey, guys, I was wondering if either of you had se- OHMYPORECELAINGODWHATDIDYOUDOTOMYWEENA???!!!”

“Get the fork off our case, boss.” Muttered F-Bomb “It ain’t her. Just Turdsy here spilled his strawberry milk while was was learnin’ to vivisect caribou!” I had to hand it to F-Bomb, when he wasn’t being a curse spouting, animu hoarding spazz, he could really hold his own under pressure.

A-Hole sniffed the air with his undeceiveable Deinono nose.

“You smell that, you forkin’ turds? That’s definitely baby kittens and smiles. You guys can’t forkin’ fool me!” For a split second, I saw an expression that looked jarringly out of place on A-Hole. The rest of the gang, if you ever meet them, will deny it ever happened, but I know what I saw, and what I saw was…

A-Hole crying, a single tear sliding down his hideous, scaly face. “Now how am I supposed to attract the babes?!”

“Oh, for fork’s sake, you forkin’ baby! We’re in forkin’ Hell! She’ll probably forkin’ regenerate in a few days and show up somewhere random like she always forkin’ does!” cried F-Bomb, mustering up one final insult before our inevitable doom. Or destroying any chance A-Hole might have mercy on us, depending on your point of view.

To which A-Hole cried “It’s not the same after regeneration!”

           As for me, I stared at the pink splatter on the floor, trying to imagine my life was flashing before my eyes for a good reason and not because A-Hole was gonna give it to us. Sailor Moon still sat in the corner, stuffing pulled out, injured but alive. And just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse (something I really need to stop doing) A-Hole sniffed the air.

“Wait a second, is that…”

F-Bomb, at last, broke. “I-I dunno what the fork you’re talkin’ about! Just take us to our punishment already! N-nothing to hide anymore, no siree!”

Too late. By the time F-Bomb had finished his sentence, our verdict had been laid down by A-Hole, our private judge, jury, and executioner.

One look. Just one look at the stuff was all he needed to know.

All he did was point a single finger-claw at us; the rage in the room palpable “Come to my office.” He beckoned.