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fragmentedink-archived · 3 years

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Hell to Pay: Part Fifty- Three

I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, IX, IX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XVIIII, XXX, XXXI, XXXII, XXXIII, XXXIV, XXXV, XXXVI, XXXVII, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XL, XLI, XLII, XLIII, XLIV, XLV, XLVI, XLVII, XLVIII, XLIX, XLX, LI, LII

cowritten by @lux-scriptum

Lev put his hands on his hips. Cameron and Ash had done most of the heavy lifting, and Mami and Cameron had gotten the food ready, so Lev really hadn’t done much, but it’d turned out nice, and in the end that was all Lev could ask for, really. They had indeed gone with an ocean theme, to match the nursery, and since despite Lev’s efforts to help in some way or another, Cameron had been in charge of everything and took little input, it was all rather tasteful.

Lev fussed with the placement of the snacks, even though he knew Cameron was going to come along behind him and fix it again. He felt useless, especially with Ash reminding him to not push himself.

As expected, Cameron appeared, smacking Lev’s hand away. “Knock it off,” Cameron reprimanded. “The others should be arriving soon.”

“Is Biela coming?” Lev asked. They’d sent an invite; it’d’ve been rude to not. To Lev’s knowledge, she hadn’t responded.

“Likely not. She’ll probably send Caius in her stead.”

“Mm.” Lev had liked Caius, the one time he’d met him. He was pretty. And seemed kind. Friendly, at the very least.

Cameron lifted a brow, and grabbed Lev’s hand when Lev reached to adjust a platter of pastries. “If you don’t leave it alone, I’ll make you go baby sit Nik.”

Lev opened his mouth to argue, but Nik himself had appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. “What’s the party for?” the pregnant omega mumbled.

“You,” Lev grumbled, making his way over to Nik. At least he was allowed to fuss over Nik, and he did so with a tiny spark of pleasure, pressing a kiss to Nik’s cheek and brushing his green and black hair from his eyes. “You’re not supposed to be awake yet. It was gonna be a surprise.”

Nik frowned sleepily at Lev. “I had to pee,” Nik complained bitterly.

“We’ve been planning for a week,” Lev informed him, before brushing his cheek lightly. “Oh well. Now I don’t have to figure out a way to get you dressed.”

“Planning what for a week?” Nik muttered. “My birthday isn't until next week.” He pulled a face. “And I can’t even get drunk.”

“Your baby shower,” Lev said, guiltily tucking away Nik’s birthday to worry about later.

“My what?”

Lev sighed, and started herding Nik out the door. He could practically feel Cameron rolling his eyes at him. “Your baby shower. Did you think I would let you get away without one?”

Nik shrugged. “I didn’t even think about it.”

With another sigh, Lev slid his arm around Nik’s waist. “I wasn’t going to not give you one. We invited your brothers. Both of them. You deserve it.”

Nik made a face at him.

“Come on. Let's get dressed,” Lev said, bonking his shoulder with Nik’s.

---

Nik let Lev lead him back to the bedroom to get clothes. He hadn't really thought much about clothes lately and had been wearing sweats for the most part.

He thumbed through a few pairs of jeans and frowned. "None of these are going to fit, are they?"

"...Cameron went shopping."

Nik squinted and looked through his jeans once more. He pulled a pair out and stretched. "When did he do this?" Nik frowned at the alien jeans with their stretchy fabric in horror before shrugging it off and grabbing a loose black shirt to go with it.

Lev had no answer other than his own shrug and took it at face value. The idea of Cameron in a maternity store was too hilarious a thought to stay irritable at it.

Nik worked at getting himself slowly dressed. Without any coffee in his system, he was fighting the urge to just go back to bed. Though luckily enough for him, he wasn't showing nearly as much as what he had seen on the internet with people pregnant the same length as he.

"Seems like a pretty big party for like seven people." Nik said. He rubbed his eyes, pulling the last bit of sleepiness away. "Unless you decided to invite his royal prickliness too."

"Well I assume Bay is coming. Celeste too; they'll bring the babies," Lev said. "We also invited Biela too- though we don't think she'll come."

"I should hope not. I might do something hormonal like poison her sparkly punch, or something."

"Nikolas."

"Hm?" Nik started for the doorway, expecting Lev to follow him back to where he was sure the festivities would eventually begin.

By the time they got there, Bay and Nate had already arrived with Lucas sitting contently on Bay's hip chewing on a teething toy. And their boy scout was promptly hovering behind them.

"Silas," Nik said. "Didn't think you'd be here. Unless you're here because of Lev, of course."

Silas' only response was to flip him off, though it was short lived by Nate smacking him upside the head hard enough Nik heard Silas' neck pop. Nate gave Silas a dirty warning look.

Nik snorted. "Need to learn new tricks."

"Hi Silas," Lev said, from Nik’s side.

Silas gave a disgruntled, "Hey Lev."

Nate looked pleased at Silas' newfound self restraint. "The party looks great, Nik."

"I know, I did great," he said, lying through his teeth. Nik smooshed Levs face away when Lev pinched his hip. "My taste: impeccable."

Nate rose a singular groomed brow. "Oh I'm sure." He looked to Lev. "It looks great, Lev."

Already Lev had glued himself back to Nik’s side. He looked a little put out as he said honestly, “Most of the praise should go to Cameron and Ash and Mami. I wasn’t allowed to do much.”

"Well next time don't die," Ash said, appearing back in the doorway. "That way you'll actually be able to do some of the heavy lifting."

Nik frowned deeply at him, especially once Lev froze next to him and looked uncomfortable.

Ash looked perfectly unfazed.

Mami appeared a heartbeat later, to which Nate instantly perked up somehow even more. Though her eyes were trained on the well behaved six month old in Bay's arms.

The tiny woman nearly flew across the room to get to him, only for Bay to stare her down and refuse to relinquish the baby. "No."

Nate instantly jumped in. "He's still, ah, getting used to letting people hold Lucas," he said, quickly. "I can get Eden for you, if you like?"

Nik's hand flew over his mouth at the mirrored glare coming from both Mami and Bay. She sized Bay up, clearly deciding if it's worth it or not to challenge both her king and the omega that carried the partly legless bundle of joy. Bay's eyes narrowed. "I said no."

She huffed and tore her attention back to Nate who gave her a warm hug, though she was absolutely miniscule compared to Nate's height of six-two. When she pulled back, Nate went to disappear, presumably to find the little terror most likely taking a nap.

When he came back, Nate not only had Eden crawling all over him, he also had Adrien and his wife in tow. Neither of them had particularly warm or friendly looks on their faces, though that was usually par for the course for Adrien and Dyaana.

"Hello," Lev offered.

Dyaana eyed Lev, and gave him a slight smile whereas Adrien looked halfway in pain and just nodded once before coming to give Nik a hug.

Lev wisely removed himself from Niks waist before he got crushed by pure muscle. When Adrien pulled apart, Nik said, "didn't think you'd step foot in Demon Territory."

"The things you do for family," Adrien deadpanned.

Nik only grinned.

"Hey where's your clone?"

"Babysitter," Adrien said. "I'd rather not risk my two year old getting eaten by your boyfriend."

"Hey, Cameron doesn't eat infants. If he had, he would have eaten Eden," Nik said. "She's far more appealing as a meal than Mathias."

Adrien's only response to that was to roll his eyes. At that Lev decided to usher Nik to an armchair. "I am not an invalid, Lev," he said, plopping down anyways.

Lev perched on the armrest and kissed the top of Nik's hair. "I know dear."

When Adrien snorted, Nik threw him a poisonous glare. "Oh shut up."

Eden was still screeching happily in Mami's arms, getting all the attention she wanted, even though she was trying to latch her tiny teeth in Mami's shoulder. Mami easily avoided it by giving her a toy worthy of her teeth.

It was another twenty minutes before Celeste arrived. The last time he saw the witch she was about to pop. But judging by the fussy newborn in her arms, that was no longer the case. She came over to offer Nik a hug, and to show off her tiny pale baby. "We named him Dakota," she informed them.

Lev instantly cooed over him. "He’s so cute," Lev said. "Can I hold him?"

Ash found his way over to butt his nose in like he usually did. He squinted at Lev, but Celeste was already moving to hand him over. "Of course. Watch his head?"

"I know," he assured.

"Wait," Nik said, "Do you know that Ash is staying here…?"

"Yes she does," Ash said, "And she also is staying here. They both are."

Nik's brows shot up. "Is Cameron aware of this?"

Ash lifted a shoulder. "I told him."

"You 'told' him," Nik echoed.

"Dunno what you expected. I have a wife and a kid that I need to be with and I have a stubborn friend who refuses to listen to me. I told you I'm making myself everyone's problem."

Celeste looked pained. But Lev seemed perfectly blissed out; he hadn't even looked up from the fussy baby in his arms. "I don't think I'll mind having them here." He looked up at Celeste. "You've always been nice."

She gave him a tired smile. "I certainly try." She cut Ash a look. "Some people make it difficult sometimes."

Ash folded his arms. "If they don't want me to be difficult, maybe they should try to listen to me for once."

Celeste rolled her eyes but looked back to Nik. "I'm very happy for all of you. I'll help however I can."

Lev’s focus was already trained back on Dakota. Nik squirmed a little. "Thanks, I guess."

She just squeezed his hand.

---

Cyrus lit the last candle and shook out the match. He looked over at Darius as he settled on the bed. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad of an idea is this?” he asked drily.

Darius thought on that for a moment. “Probably a seven point two.”

After giving a small sigh, Cyrus laid back on the bed. “Better than I ten, I suppose.”

When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer lying on his bed. He wasn’t even in his own house anymore. The walls around him were all earthy tones, the green accents only catching his eye briefly before he settled on Asmi themself.

The god was tall, their dark skin a deeper brown than his own, and bright blue eyes that pinned him in place. After a moment where he froze -afraid, if he was willing to admit it - he dipped his head respectfully. When he looked at them again, he noted that they were still seated in their chair, face thin and tight, bags under their eyes, though they kept their chin high.

“Am I right in assuming that Darius explained what’s going on?” Cyrus ventured.

"You poisoned me once and now you want me to give you the tools to be able to do so again?"

Cyrus forced himself to keep his gaze steady. “If I do it right, it shouldn’t this time.”

"Shouldn't have happened the first time," they said flatly. "Necromancy defies balance and you weakened me for an angel who didn't bother communing with me in the first place. You didn't bother communing with me in the first place. And now that you need my help, you finally deign to bother?"

Cyrus inclined his head ever so slightly. “Ignorance is not an excuse, but it’s the only explanation I personally have.” He folded his hands carefully on his knee. “I made a promise. I don’t break them.” Asmi gave him the time he needed to gather his words. “I am sorry. For everything. I’ve never-” He paused again, frustrated by how hard it was to piece together the words. “It’s not an excuse, that I was never taught how to commune with you. Darius had to teach me, and you’re not even his god. But I want to do right by Darius. If nothing else, he’s been kind to me, and kind to everyone. I promised Cameron I would try. This is me trying. I want to make a deal that will work, not flub the spell again.”

They seemed to think on it; to weigh his words carefully. "What kind of deal?" They finally said.

“Same as the one that brought Levant back.” Cyrus considered his words and then amended, “A similar one, at least. Some sort of exchange.”

"And what's stopping you?"

Cyrus shook his head. “I don't want to risk getting the exchange wrong. That’s what released the dark magic into the earth in the first place. The spell unravelled, and I won’t let that happen again. But I won’t sacrifice Cameron Luain for this spell. It makes both this one and the one that brought Levant back completely pointless.”

Asmi nodded slowly and leaned back in their chair, blue eyes narrowed in thought. "Pick your sacrifice one last time and I will cover the remaining sacrifice to your spell. I warn you, the price will be heavy and I am not so easy to forgive the disruption you have caused me. Make sure this is worth it before you once again defy me."

Cyrus nodded slowly. “Thank you,” he said softly. When Asmi didn’t reply, Cyrus added, “If it’s not arrogant of me to ask... I’d like to talk to you again.” He cocked his head ever so slightly. “I know nothing of you, as my god or as a god in general. I’d like to fill in the gaps my education has.”

"It's not arrogant," they said. "It's what's expected of you. So yes, you may. There's plenty you need to get caught up on."

Cyrus limited himself to a small smile. “Then I look forward to speaking to you in the future,” he said politely. “Thank you, again.”

Rather than reply, they gave a tired flick of their wrist.

Cyrus blinked his eyes open to see his own ceiling. Sorin was sprawled against his side, purring as he kneaded his claws gently in Cyrus’ arm. Cyrus rolled his head until he could find Darius. “I think I got permission. I need to call Cameron.”

---

The party had been well underway when Cameron stepped out of the room. He slipped into his office several hallways down before his phone started to buzz. He didn't let it finish its first ring before answering. "Are you ready, then?"

“Sort of.” Cyrus hesitated. “I spoke with Asmi. They’ve promised as long as someone is sacrificed, they’ll take care of the rest, rather than risk the spell failing. I just don’t have anyone to sacrifice, to my knowledge.”

"Well lucky for you," Cameron said, "I currently have a spineless traitor rotting in my basement. Will that appease your morals?"

“A traitor?” Cyrus pressed mildly.

"A person who betrays a friend, country or a principle," Cameron replied, matching his tone. "A traitor."

“How did he betray you?”

"Well now, that's my business, now isn't it?"

There was a long pause, and then, “Did they kill anyone?”

"He's my employee."

The sigh the witch gave was audible through the phone even if Cameron hadn’t been a demon. “Fine. I’ve got a few things to pull together but I’m mostly ready, whenever you are.”

Cameron promptly hung up his phone and smoothed out his suit. He gave himself five heartbeats to settle before joining the festivities.

Caius had finally arrived, with many gifts in tow, despite it being demonic custom to not celebrate an infant until after its birth. Adapting to Nik’s angelic ancestry, he imagined. Cameron hadn't bothered saying as much when Lev suggested a baby-shower. If that was what the angel thought Nik needed, then he would provide.

Nik instantly eyed him from where he was, brows rose in question, but Cameron went to turn his focus to the Crown Prince currently placing the gifts along the table. "You seem to be in a rather generous mood, my prince," Cameron observed.

Caius flashed him a dazzling smile. "Why you make it sound like I'm not always in a giving mood, my loyal subject."

"I imagined a massacre would dampen your rather optimistic spirits."

Grief flickered in Caius' blue eyes. "All the more reason to celebrate a new life."

"Hm."

"I brought you all gifts," Caius said, with an echo of cheerfulness. "Including one for him."

"Much thanks." Cameron looked Nik's way to see him talking animatedly with Ash and Lev and Nate. He seemed to have been brought to a better mood with the sole focus on him. "It's always an honor to receive the eye of the crown."

Caius snorted at Cameron’s ingrained court-speak, but said nothing of it. Merely squeezed his shoulder before disappearing back into the party to give gifts to their respective recipients.

---

Admittedly, after so many months of solitude or just Cameron and Nik for company, the party was a little overwhelming. He drew comfort from the fact that Nik was right there, and Cameron lingered on the edges of the party being Cameron.

The fact that Caius was very friendly helped, though. Lev barely knew the man, but he was pretty and his smile seemed both genuine and calm. He laughed easily and didn’t seem bothered by the amount of angels in the room with him, despite being the Crown Prince of demonic territory.

At some point during the festivities, Caius pulled Lev aside, though. Lev glanced back at Nik, but let Caius with only a flustered, “Okay.”

“I got you something,” Caius said, flashing him another smile that definitely made Lev flush a little.

“Nik’s the one who’s pregnant,” Lev blurted. He flushed deeper, and then said quickly, “I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just Nik’s day, I wasn’t expecting anything.”

“I got everyone a present,” Caius said easily, unbothered.

Lev blinked down at the box, confusion at why it looked very much like a ring box catching him off guard. The brief glance up at the prince told him he was very amused, and Lev had to wonder if he was a telepath like Biela. When he opened it, though, a locket was nestled inside.

“Oh,” Lev said, picking it up gently. He thumbed it open to find a picture of Cameron, Nik, and Eden each in its own little section. “Oh.”

“Were you expecting an engagement ring?” Caius asked.

“Oh,” Lev spluttered. “No, not expected, I-” He gestured helplessly at the box, flushed deeply. “I love it, really.” He ran his finger over the picture of Nik, knowing his face was softening as he did so. “It’s perfect.”

Caius said, “Well I’m glad. You’re not an easy person to pinpoint.”

“I don’t want much,” Lev said honestly.

Caius shrugged. “Just the important things.”

Lev let his attention track through the room, hitting on Cameron, Nik, and Eden one by one. “Exactly,” he said softly. He switched his gaze back to Caius, offering him a smile. “Thank you. Truly. I love it.”

Caius winked at him, but before he said anything else, Nik made his way over. He gave Lev a pointed look. “What’s going on over here?” Nik asked. “You look like you’re about to ask his hand in marriage, Levant.”

“No,” Lev promised, tucking into Nik’s side pointedly. “I was just thanking him. He got me a gift. See?” He showed it to Nik with enthusiasm.

Nik kissed his cheek. “It’s very pretty. Where’s my attention?”

A laugh bubbled up in his throat. “You’ve got a whole party. I wasn’t gone long.” He shot Caius an apologetic look.

"Well let me make it up to you," Caius said to Nik. "As you're doing all the heavy lifting, you deserve a gift of your own, yes?"

Nik arched a brow. "I'm literally doing nothing other than being a rotisserie oven."

“Nikolas,” Lev hissed, poking him gently. “Be polite.”

Nik raised his brows but Caius only laughed. "Even still. Not easy. I understand you like music?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Caius' smile widened. "Great! I actually worked with a few different craftsmen and musicians to have something built for you. Excuse me."

When Caius disappeared back to the piles of gifts he had brought, Nik turned back to Lev. "Very pretty isn't he?"

Lev could feel heat rising in his cheeks yet again. “Yes,” Lev said primly. “There’s no need to tease"

"I have never teased you a day in your life," Nik said. "Merely stating an observation."

“You tease me daily,” Lev informed him, but he still smiled at Nik, reaching up to brush Nik’s hair from his eyes. “Every single day, Nikolas. Every day.”

“Are you calling a pregnant omega a liar?”

“Maybe so,” Lev hummed. He kissed the corner of Nik’s mouth. “Maybe so.”

Caius came back with an elegant cedar guitar. The gleaming guitar’s finish was clearly done to bring out the natural colors of the wood. Nik’s eyes trailed over the body of the guitar and rested on the careful mosaic beadwork around the hollow. “That design work is specific to Tullum,” Nik said, vaguely accusatory; though mostly amused. “Are you trying to buy me off?”

Caius seemed unbothered. “Not particularly. Just trying to gift you something you would actually enjoy. I find personal gifts are more memorable.”

“Sure,” Nik said, but he was still moving closer to run his fingers along that delicate beadwork.

“Thank you,” Lev said, since Nik didn’t seem inclined to.

Caius merely winked at him.

Lev blushed, since Nik seemed too interested in his new guitar to be embarrassed. He certainly was interested enough to take it from Caius and strum a few bars. Lev elbowed Nik gently. Nik ignored him, but Caius seemed pleased anyway.

Caius dipped himself into a mini bow. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s Cameron’s turn.”

---

Cameron led the prince back towards his office where they could be alone without prying party guests could interfere. He took the gift meant for Darius and sat it carefully on the desk, and turned back to Caius. “I received a call from the witch who will be performing the spell,” Cameron said. “I figured you would want to be informed.”

Caius slipped his hands smoothly into his pockets. “I would.” Caius cocked his head, eyeing Cameron very carefully. “You have certainly come a long way from the bastard whore I met you as.” There wasn’t any disrespect in his words, merely a statement of observation. “Now a lord in your own right, with your own family.”

“I am merely filling in a role that needed filling,” Cameron said. “Though I am grateful nonetheless.”

“Hm.”

“The resurrection,” Cameron said, pointedly, drawing attention from whatever point Caius was clearly trying to make. “Should be happening within the week.”

Caius gave him a look, but let the insolence slide. “So you have someone lined up to be slaughtered for a sacrifice?”

“Slaughtered is a large word for a demon with a weak spine, your grace.”

Caius lifted a groomed brow. “Is that so?”

“The witch’s morals interfered with choosing a warm body, and luckily enough, I happened to have a traitor rotting in my basement.”

Caius snorted. “Traitor? From the rather loud screaming, I did imagine someone was being tortured in this house.” He tapped his temple. “I’d like to see this traitor.”

With little choice to that matter, Cameron led the prince through the house, down to the basement where Sage was still chained up. Cameron had been keeping him well fed and in peak condition outside of his routine torturing. Sage rolled his head towards them, tiredly, but there was a bit of surprise - and a new found fear- flickering in his eyes when he saw Caius next to him.

Caius eyed him slowly, circling the chair bolted into the floor. The impeccable clothes tailored to Caius’ frame were a stark contrast to the sharp bleakness of the room, though Cameron knew the weight of power a good suit held, and how to weaponize it.

When Caius stopped in front of the chair, he had a small smile gracing his face. “I could hear your thoughts from upstairs,” he said. “Clearly you wanted my attention.”

Sage sucked in a haggard breath, trying to not look at Cameron. “Just make him kill me,” he rasped. “I’ve been here for months-”

“My sister was tortured by angels for months on end,” Caius said, unfazed. “She was whipped and beaten and carved up and she hadn’t broken. She hadn’t begged for death, or whatever pathetic attempt at mercy this is. In fact, the difference is,” he said, “this was rather well deserved. Your treasonous actions against your lord led to the events of millions of children dying, so, if you were to die, it’s going to be for something that is definitely not for your benefit.” Caius leaned forward, just enough to keep the blood from touching him. “Don’t worry, your suffering will soon end.”

Caius leaned back and turned to Cameron. “Do what you need. So long as another innocent isn’t taken from these lands, I couldn’t care less.”

Cameron’s mouth twitched, but he just inclined his head.

---

The day had been tense and heavy for Darius. Between getting everything in line with Asmi and Cyrus, and also not returning to the Manor, knowing Destris was lurking the halls, Darius had decided to spend his time that night playing a small game of fetch with Sorin in his demonic form.

A small ball of paper used a rather small amount of energy, so it was easy to keep up. Around three in the morning, they had been playing the quiet game going for the last few hours after Cyrus retired to bed. Sorin had been kind enough to keep him company while his mate slept without him.

It was then that the front door opened silently. Sorin flicked his ears at Cameron, who promptly ignored him and started his way back through the house. Darius rose to his feet and followed him back, veering around him to get to Cyrus before he did to give the witch a heads up.

He touched Cyrus’ shoulder, in effort to wake him. He blinked sleepily at Darius, eyes flashing gold from the amount of swollen magic Cyrus had building inside him. “I’m assuming Cameron is here?” The amount of pure tired that was in Cyrus’ voice didn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated by Darius.

Cameron walked into the room not even a heartbeat later. “Have I come at a bad time?” He sounded very unsympathetic.

Darius flashed Cyrus an apologetic wince.

All Cyrus said was, “No,” while rising to a sitting position. “Are you here to speak to Darius?”

If he hadn’t been watching Cameron’s every move the last five hundred years, he would have missed the way Cameron’s jaw set. “Yes.”

Cyrus gave the smallest of sighs, but stood up. “I have my supplies in my study.”

Unsurprisingly, Cameron merely turned around and most likely started towards the study. Darius simply waited patiently for Cyrus to get ready.

Cyrus rubbed at his face, stifling a yawn with his wrist as he followed Cameron. His movements were slow and heavy, but he only made his way into the study and began lighting candles while Sorin followed, tail swishing over the ground like a fluffy ginger ribbon.

Cameron stood stiffly out of the way, slender hands in his pockets while he waited, unblinkingly in pure silence. Darius did not need his magic to know that Cameron getting here was like pulling teeth.

Darius could only imagine the weight in his chest he’d be feeling at the idea of Cameron avoiding him to the point he has to force himself to be here- to speak to him.

There was relief in Cyrus’ voice as he began the incantation for Darius to manifest to Cameron. When Cameron’s pale eyes slid to him, unreadable as ever, Darius curled a lock of hair behind his ear, if only to relieve some of his own tension. “You wanted to speak with me?”

Cameron’s lips thinned.

Darius gave him the time to be able to put together the words he needed to patiently. Finally, Cameron fixed his jaw once more and said, “I am assuming you still want to be resurrected?”

“Do you still want me to be resurrected?”

Cameron’s eyes narrowed. “The Prince has gifted me papers of your reinstatement as a citizen of Razya the moment you are alive. As if you had never been dead in the first place.”

A citizen of Razya? Darius hadn’t even been considered a citizen when he was alive. Bastards hold no citizenship, no rights, no protection. He hadn’t even had a home before he had been abducted when he was a child. Merely living on the streets. A pretty child with no home was easy prey.

“That was very kind of the prince.”

“Mm.”

“Is that all you wished to tell me?” Darius asked, after a heavy silence.

“I imagine you’re aware that Nik is pregnant.”

When Darius nodded, Cameron said, “I mated him, a few weeks ago when his father tried to stake a claim on him. I used the Old Laws.”

Darius smiled. “That was kind of you,” he observed. “I’m sure Nik adores you very much. He and his child will be safe with you.” When Cameron rose a brow, Darius tried to not snort. “I will do my best to not upset the dichotomy of the house, Cameron. I have a rather pleasant personality.”

“I can see nothing going wrong with that,” Sorin said from the doorway.

Darius flicked Sorin a look. “I’m sure I have no idea what you are referring to, Sorin. I seem to get along rather fine with you.”

Sorin smiled, eyes crinkling. “True enough.”

Darius returned his attention back to Cameron, who was giving Sorin his own irritable look. Though the moment Cameron caught Darius’ eye, his expression returned to neutrality.

“I’m sure you will,” Cameron said, as if Sorin hadn’t spoken a word. “However Nik’s shrunken frontal lobe suggests he will not behave accordingly. So when he eventually does decide to overreact, I suggest you be prepared for it. He’s emotional on a good day and as he is pregnant, he’s even more so.”

“Thank you for the precaution.”

“I thought it would be beneficial.”

Cameron’s pale eyes lingered on him momentarily, flickering in the candle light, before he turned back to Cyrus who was kneeling on the ground near the candles. His eyes seemed rather unfocused. “When can we get this over with?” Cameron asked him. When Cyrus didn’t answer, Cameron moved his attention to Sorin in the doorway. “Focus your witch.”

Cameron rolled his eyes when Sorin hissed at him, but moved to crouch near Cyrus. Cyrus blinked at him, and then fixed his gaze on Cameron. “Pardon?”

“When can we get this over with?” Cameron said, irritably.

He always did detest repeating himself.

“Within the next few days,” Cyrus replied. “I’ve got everything ready. I just need to set it up.”

Cameron pulled out his phone, clearly flicking through his schedule. “I’ll give you the next two days to set up and then I will be here at seven sharp the third day. Be ready by then.”

Cameron slipped his phone into his pocket and disappeared through the door without a glace his way.

Darius bit back his sigh. “I do hope that is alright.”

Cyrus shrugged. “Not that I have much of a choice. But I’ll be fine. Once the spell is done, I’m going to take the longest nap, however.”

“And it will be the most well deserved longest nap,” Darius said, solemnly.

With a tired smile, Cyrus began extinguishing the candles, one by one, coating the room with nighttime once more.

Tagging: @incandescent-creativity @solangelo3088 @lil-miss-red @halstudies @littleyellowdinosaur @caelisis @idreamonpaper

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #wip boost #original writing #hell to pay #ch: cameron #ch: darius #ch: nik

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rainbowdragonlair · 6 years

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I have way too many DBD characters. Killers, Survivors, Names, Perks, Home maps, and Transportation Items.

The Reaper/ Guardian of Rail Park/ Guardian of Crystal Waters Wildlife Preserve Perks: Birds of a Feather (Allows the player to more easily find where survivors are if wildlife is alerted. “The crows still speak to me.”), Trickster (Allows the player to hide while against a tree without a red light giving away where they are looking. “What? You thought I was just a set piece?”), White Stag (Allows the player to disguise themselves as one of the survivors in the match. Long cooldown time, terror radius remains intact. “I am neither doe nor stag. But some think I am.”). Outfit names: A Nice Night (Standard) (“What are you doing on these tracks?”); Here comes the Train (“Move you total mortal self-destructive fool!”); Failed Hunt (“Hunter? You are no the hunter, I am.”). Power: Fairy Lights (Turn into a small light and flicker about the map, flitting from tree to tree. Allows the player to quickly travel from one spot to another. Be careful, doing this costs a lot of energy.) Home map: The Haunted Birchwoods. Item to be sent there: Book of Fairytales (“A thick book containing the original telling of all the classic fairytales. Red stains can be seen on the back and front covers.”)

The Fallen/ Douglas Northesta Perks: One of You (Allows the player to set the progress farther back on sabotaged generators. “I was one of you once… I know how these things work.”), Thorough Search (Instead of kicking chests to scare a survivor out, the player will open the lid and look inside. “He found me though…cowering in a chest…Just like you are now.”), Fight or Flight (Grants the player the ability to quickly vault through windows and over fallen pallets instead of destroying them, only active during a chase. “You cannot outrun one of your own.”). Outfit names: Summer Picnic (Standard) (“It’s not very warm here.”); Memory Lane (“He gave me these. I like them.”); Little Trapper (“Now I look just like him!”). Power: Relaxing Bath Mixture (Years of being stressed and bored has lead The Fallen to develop this strange mixture of glittering sea foam; contains two-parts various bath salts, two-parts glittering bath soak, and five-parts body wash. Once thrown, the glass mason jar containing the mixture will burst, showering any survivors around it and causing the following effects: Impaired vision, reduced movement speed, reduced repair time.) Home Map: Howling Winds High. Item to be sent there: Old School Photo Album (“An old school photo album where almost every face on every page has been blacked out with sharpie marker. “Howling Winds High 45-46” can still be seen in bold and colorful letters on the front.”)

The Judge Perks: Ring around the Rosie (Enables one’s aura reading abilities; any kind of cue to a survivors location will now be accompanied by a directional key telling you which way the survivor ran. Ring around the rosie~, a pocket full of posies~, ashes, ashes, we all fall down~.”), A candle to light you to bed (Allows dull hex totems to be disguised as active hex totems. ““Oranges and lemons,” Say the bells of St. Clement's. “You owe me five farthings,” Say the bells of St. Martin's. “When will you pay me?” Say the bells at Old Bailey. “When I grow rich,” Say the bells at Shoreditch. “When will that be?” Say the bells of Stepney. “I do not know,” Says the great bell at Bow. Here comes a candle to light you to bed, and here comes a chopper to chop off your head! Chip chop chip chop the last man is dead!”), Catch a Tiger by the toe! (You become obsessed with one survivor; letting the survivor leave the trial grants bonus bloodpoints. Sacrificing or killing them will result in the regular amount of bloodpoints to be given. “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go, Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”). Power: Frenzied guillotine (She spins around, her weapon thrown out in front of her. Upon spinning around three times, she will spin three times in the opposite direction before slamming the head of her weapon down on the ground to steady herself. Applies the dying state to any survivor hit during the attack, but will cause a stun effect on the player.) Home Map: Smoke Mirror Kingdom. Item to be sent there: Night themed Keychain (“A Keychain made of a crescent moon charm and small glass bottle filled with black glitter and some rainbow star shaped glitter. The cork and screw connecting the bottle to the rest of the keychain both appear to have been crazy glued together.”)

The Collection (Lillie, Dan, Lindsey, Ayden, Dakota, Dexter) Perks: Forgotten Memory (Disrupts Aura reading abilities. “This place is…Familiar…”), Friend or Foe (You gain an obsession for one survivor, for each aggressive action taken towards the obsession you gain a token. For each token vaulting and destruction speed is increased at the cost of one token. A maximum of five tokens is allowed. “I’m not letting you get away this time!”) , Self-Control (Applies a bleed-out timer to the hit survivor. Will not slow down a survivor, but a blood trail left by the hit survivor will last longer and become more noticeable. “We only hurt when needed. We’re not monsters, after all.”). Power: Paranormal Panic (Due to your understanding of the human psyche, you are able to unnerve people just by being in the same area as them. Periodically, a “chase” will begin with the obsession. “It’s not them, it’s us…”). Home Map: Albtraum Home for the Criminally troubled. Item to be sent there: Therapy Doll (“A small hand-made doll that looks strangely familiar. Its creator and owner are both unknown, but at this point, they are probably as active as the abandoned doll.”)

Kimberly Perks: Prima Donna (Allows the player to wake up other players by raking their nails across the other’s face. “I may be prissy, but my nails can cut deeper than any weapon.”), Freakout (Allows the player to break free of the killer’s grasp/to kick the killer while on the hook, effectively stunning the killer. “Okay, so I may have lost my temper, but like, that’s not that bad. Harm was intended and I retaliated. So what if he ended up in the hospital? Not like he wasn’t warned!”), Not a Princess (Makes it easier to find uncommon or greater item in a chest. “Bitch, I’m the QUEEN!”).

Bryan Perks: Once a Convict (Allows the player to temporarily injure the killer once per match. “Even jail has rules. You know that right?”), Blackout (If the Killer is carrying a survivor and gets hit with a pallet by the player using this perk, the stun duration lasts moderately longer than normal. “Oh God…What…What happened? What did I do?!”), Cell Farm (Expands the area of view for the player. “I remember these letters. They had pigeons and pigs and cows on them…I always wanted a farm.”).

Chad Perks: Keg Stand (Allows the player to vault through windows and over pallets at running speed while walking or sneaking. “I’ve done more acrobatic shit while stoned and drunk out of my mind!”), Do or Die (Being thrown into a trial with familiar faces fills you with a sense of determination, increasing the speed at which altruistic actions are performed. “My coach would say it’s do or die time before each game. So I’m going to say the same thing. Except, he meant it in a sarcastic sense, and I’m being serious.”), 2nd Amendment (Allows the player to throw a rock to stun the killer twice per match. “I may not have a real gun, but rocks work just as well mother fuckers!”).

Arder Perks: Hija de la luna/Daughter of the Moon (Makes the player completely silent when not running at the cost of movement speed. “If I stay still, they won’t see me.”), Gato del Purgatorio/Cat of Purgatory (Allows the player to retaliate against the killer. Only if the player is carrying an item and the killer is carrying a survivor will this be able to activate. Once the killer is hit, the player will drop their item and gain increased movement speed to make a quick getaway. “You aren’t my owner.”), Rogar/Pray (Allows the player to sacrifice themselves while on the hook, so long as two generators are active and at least one survivor other than themselves remains unhooked. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to keep, since I’ll die while awake, my life is forever yours to take.”)

Dr. William Albtraum III Perks: Mystery Rail (Disrupts the killer’s aura reading abilities, and will very rarely trigger a false notification for the killer. “You’ll never find me, unless I want you to find me!”), Dark Science (Decreases the healing, sabotaging, and repairing speed of all other survivor in visual range while increasing your own speed. “The most important person here is me, the rest of you should be thankful I’m even pretending to help you.”), Living Automatons (Upon a failed skill check, another survivor’s location will also be made visible to the killer as well as your own. “If I go down, you’re all coming with me!”).

#Dead by Daylight #dbd #dbd ocs #dbd killer oc #dbd survivor oc #help me plz

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huntertales · 7 years

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Part Four: Hollow Fate. (Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid S05E15)

Episode Summary: Sam, Dean and the reader investigate Bobby’s home town where the dead are rising from the grave but instead of attacking humans, they are happily reuniting with their families. Gif Credit: frozen-delight. Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader Word Count: 2,968.

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“Nothing like burning flesh to wake you up in the morning.”

You licked your front teeth with your tongue from your tasteless remark, for some reason, you were trying to make light of this situation and how it ended. You and Sam stood in the exact same cemetery where, not too long ago, people were crawling out from their graves to join their loved ones. While it wasn't their flesh that went bad, it was their homicidal rage to kill that did. You watched as the bodies, each one that all of you had found and collected, laid together in a bonfire for one last funeral they would ever get. But there was no loved ones here to shed tears, just your guilty conscious of what you couldn't do to save them, like always when hunts when bad. And it had been happening an awful lot with you. You win some, you lose some.

“Well,” You looked over your shoulder when you heard Dean’s voice come from behind after he and Jody had arrived back from their sweep of the town for anymore rabid folks. “If there’s any zombies left out there, we can’t find them.”

“Great.” You muttered underneath your breath. You weren’t exactly happy at the thought of leaving Sioux Falls with a few possible zombies lurking in the shadows and waiting to make their next move. But all of them knew what to do if one of them tried to attack. You looked over at Jody from your question you asked next. “How are the townspeople?”

“Pretty freaked out. Hell, traumatized.” She said. “A few of them are calling the papers. As far as I can tell, nobody’s believed ‘em yet.”

“Would you?” Sam wondered. Jody looked over at the man, a quiet scoff was her response from his question. All of you drifted off into a silence for a moment or so. None of you knew exactly say at this moment of time. While things had been rough, the day was saved, the only true casualties that you had was Ezra Jones’ husband and Jody’s too, the rest of the people that died were already past their expiration date. But it didn't mean their passing once more would mean grief would be a thing of the past. Sam knew Jody had lost someone more dear than a spouse or a sibling. She lost her only child. It was hard on the younger Winchester himself, being the one who had to do one of the worst things in his entire life, but it was what he had to do. Kill one to save them all. “How are you holding up?”

Jody fell silent from the question. While it could have been answered with a simple, "I'm fine." you knew she would be lying. So, instead she decided to say nothing. You gave the woman a sympathetic smile at her situation. Just in her eyes you could see the pain she must have been going through. But from what you had seen from her, she was a strong woman. She got through losing her son once, and she could do it again.

“Is that everyone?” Dean asked, getting the focus back to the conversation again.

You let out a sigh and turned your head to look at the burning bodies. “All but one.”

+ + +

Karen was the last person that needed to be put to rest. You and the boys wrapped up things at the cemetery before heading back to the Singer residence to help Bobby say his final goodbyes to his wife. You found him in the junkyard with the fire already going, while his back was turned to you in his chair, you could feel his true emotions lingering around in the air. But you didn't say anything. You stood beside him and allowed him to work through what emotions that he wanted to express. None of you lost someone close to you all over again. Bobby was there for you at your worst. And it was now you who needed to return the favor.

“So, thinking maybe I should apologize for losing my head back there.” Bobby said, breaking the silence that had been around the four of you over the past several seconds.

“Bobby,” You spoke the man’s name with a soft tone. “You don’t owe us anything.”

"Hey, look, I don't know squat from shinola about being married, but..." Dean tried his hardest to be supportive to the older hunter. While he was tempted to say that he didn't know squat about true love, he refrained himself, knowing it wasn't true, and how hurtful words could be. He looked at you from the corner of his eye before turning his gaze down, trying to find some sort of silver lining here. "At least you got to spend five days with her, right?"

"Right. Which makes things about a thousand times worse." Bobby admitted. You tried to be supportive of him when you reached out a hand to rest it on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "She was the love of my life. How many times do I got to kill her?"

“Are you gonna be okay, Bobby?” Sam wondered. While he was trying to be helpful, you looked up at him, and slightly shook your head no. This type of thing wasn't something he could take like any other death. None of you would understand what kind of degree of grief Bobby would go through. Whether it last months or years, time would only tell.

“You kids should know, Karen told me why Death was here. I know why he took a stroll through a cemetery in the sticks of South Dakota. He came for me.” Bobby said. You furrowed your brow and leaned over to the side, giving the man a confused expression from what he was talking about. “Death came for me. He brought Karen back to send a message.”

“You? Why you?” Dean asked.

“Because I’ve been helping you, you sons of bitches.” Bobby snapped at the oldest Winchester. “I’m one of the reasons why you’re still saying no to Lucifer, Sam.”

“So this was a hit on your life?” You asked him, suddenly not liking the sounds where this was going.

“I don’t know if they wanted to take my life or...my spirit.” Bobby muttered. His gaze went back to the fire, the sight of the flames growing bigger from the quiet breeze that passed by every so often. “Either way, they wanted me out of the way.”

"But you're gonna be all right." Sam said, now it sounded like a statement that he wanted to believe in, and not like a question. "Right, Bobby?"

Bobby answered the younger man's question by looking up at him to show the look on his face. You could see in his expression alone that he couldn't just brush this off like nothing. Death had knew exactly where hit the hardest in the man. It wasn't one of you, an old hunting buddy, and the man sure didn't have any friends to call his own. It was bringing a ghost from his past and making the man relive the pain all over again. It was just the effects of dealing with this apocalypse business. All of you knew it was going to be hard. But this...this was worse than you could imagine. And it was only gonna get more complicated in the upcoming months ahead.

+ + +

Chapter Thirty Seven: Hollow Fate.

Does anyone know what their purpose in life was? Why all seven billion, and growing each second, were placed on this earth? Everyone has a different answer if you ask them. Some speculate each human soul has a purpose, what it is, they won't know until they're happy. It hits them like a freight train, and this stupid smile spread across their face. “This is what God [or insert whatever religious belief you have here] put us on this earth for.” People think that fate has a special plan for them that will lead to an entire life of happiness. Others aren’t so optimistic about that philosophy. Others think it's just an endless cycle of misery. You come into this world screaming and confused, and you die the same way, the feeling like you missed something is the last thought you have until it's nothing but darkness. If there's a bright light, that's for you to decide. It's true that some will die with regrets because they felt like they had no purpose in life. But for three people, they were running from the path which was chosen for them.

Standing in some motel with Castiel passed out on the bed and a round of cheap whiskey to comfort the emotional wounds after another defeat, Dean had come up with a catchy nickname for the group; Team Free Will. Mr. Comatose, a high school dropout with six bucks to his name, an ex blood junkie and Rosemary’s baby, all grown up. All four of them, Bobby included, were the only people who trying to stop the end of the world. Stop themselves from accepting their fate. But in the process of trying to change fate, they were slowly changing themselves. And not for the better. These poor people were turning into a hollow shell of who they once were.

Bobby Singer; the man who was good at just about everything, except for knowing how to love somebody else. He had killed his wife, for the second time. The man thought putting a gun to the woman’s head wouldn’t be as painful like the last time, but it was worse than before. While he watched the fire continue to burn on and his wife's ashes slowly get caught into the wind, drifting off to hopefully another part of land that wouldn't bring her more pain than she ever deserved. Bobby's fate in this apocalypse was about losing everything; the ability to work his legs, his wife again, and—no matter what he said, or even tried—he was slowly losing his will to live.

Sam Winchester. For a man striving tirelessly to better himself, he'd been failing an awful amount of times. It wasn't too long ago he tried to make himself feel complete by sucking down demon blood from whatever black eyes that looked in his direction. But that was the past. Sam was trying to hollow out the evilness inside of him. He tried running away, apologizing and fighting each side that was pushing him closer to the edge. Sam has only known his entire life to fight. But he was beginning to feel himself wondering if the Devil was right. What if, in a cruel twist, he stops fighting who he was meant to be and ends up embracing the darkness?

Castiel; an angel without wings and shunned out from Heaven. He'd grown to accept his new role as what it was. He learned from the Winchesters that life was about sacrifice, and living long as he had, it was time to change things up a bit. But he was learning the hard way that fighting his own kind wasn't easy as he thought. The trail to finding God was slowly starting to grow cold. Mr. Comatose was supposed to be a strong fighter in Team Free Will. But this angel was losing faith in his own father. And without realizing it, he found himself slowly being pushed back into his old role when he was an angel of the Lord. He was being obedient again, following the rules of how fate wanted things to be.

And Dean. Poor, poor Dean. He appears to be hollow, he makes everyone believe there's nothing going on in his head from the hard expression that he lets sit on his face. But it's all been an act for months now. He wants to be hollow. He wants to feel nothing. But he can't. He feels every damn thing that crosses his mind with too much crippling emotion that even spending a night of binging on his favorite sins can’t wash away. He's drowning in his emotions from everything that was going on around him. The man who once thought he could never have a normal life suddenly craves it all the time. He wants a way out of this. But he knows it's not that easy. The team leader was breaking down from the weight that was slowly growing heavier.

Dean’s thoughts were constantly about his family; Bobby earlier that day when he was grieving over his dead wife and what kind of man he used to be. (And the realization that Dean put him in that chair.) He's been trying so hard for twenty six years to make sure his baby brother made the right choices and was protected from those terrifying creatures. And Cas, that pain in his ass. Dean was hard on that angel any chance he could and got annoyed easily from his stupid naivety about everything. But he knew, deep down, Cas was something special. Maybe that angel wasn’t so bad after all. He called that son of a bitch his friend, the only one that had stuck by his side. And Dean couldn’t forget about Y/N...the woman that he loved. The woman who was damned to a fate that was the worse of them all.

They called her many names over the years, but the one that stuck the most was mutt. A term commonly referenced to a creature that was of a mixed heritage. Y/N was a mutt; a mixture of humans and demons. The worst of the worst. While Y/N had heard her own backstory over and over again, it never got any easier. She remembered when she first started hunting with the boys when the only problems she had faced was tracking down John and trying to put a bullet right between Azazel’s eyes. She was twenty four, a newbie at hunting, and she thought the struggles that she faced were terrifying as they come. And her nightmares that she rarely expressed about her turning into a demon.

She remembered making a joke to Sam when they were investing a man named Andy Gallagher, one of the "special children." While Sam was worried about going dark side, Y/N knew the demon had plans for her too. She tried to ease the tension by making a joke that if he went crazy, she would grow some black eyes and the urge to kill. All those jokes were just to help keep her mind at ease. Five years later, it was the truth.

She was turning into a demon. She was tempted to hurt people. Y/N couldn't deny the truth any longer or make some joke to help ease the anxiety in her head. While the men around her were emotionally feeling hollow, she was being scooped clean of her soul, and she couldn't do anything about it. But that didn't mean Y/N was going to lay down and take what life was trying to give her. She was trying her hardest to keep her optimism alive for everyone and herself. She wanted everyone to believe that there was a way out of this, and on top of it, she could somehow become human again. Somehow she could find a way to destroy everything that made her who she was and still keep the best parts of her that weren't rotten.

While she put on a smile everyday and pretended like everything was all right for the past twenty three years, at this point in her life, it was becoming hard. Being her empathetic and kind self was becoming emotionally and psychically draining. Y/N was fighting tooth and nail everyday to do the right thing. Who knew, while her role was so small, could be so demanding. She was just the pretty face to fill the role, the boys had the title fight everyone cared about.But it didn't mean the story being written out for the three of them was fair. All of it was equally terrifying and soul crushing when they took a moment to acknowledge it.

Y/N and Dean were together, soulmates—that special word that made each of their hearts skip a beat—but for all the wrong reasons. Dean was being forced to watch as the woman he loved turn into a monster. Y/N was trying her hardest not to succumb to the darkness and lure in her best friend to saying yes to the Devil. Y/N was made the habit of squeezing herself in the middle of the boys, from the age gap, to how she would sit or walk with them. But not like this. Y/N couldn't be the reason why the both of them would take the swan dive right into their fate. She was supposed to find a way to save them, not destroy them.

+ + +

Chuck lifted his hands from the keyboard and leaned back in his seat, knowing the last chapter of "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" was complete. There was nothing else that he needed to write down. It took him most of the day and a half bottle of whiskey to get the words flowing just right. The man took a moment to read his words quietly back to himself as he leaned his head down with his reading glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. He'd written what felt like a thousands of words on you and the boys. While he had learned his own fate of what his role in this world was, nothing compared to the burden on yours and the Winchester's shoulders. Chuck let out a heavy sigh and closed his laptop, thinking his work was done for tonight.

Rewrite Taglist: @deansquirreljerkwinchester@lotsofspnshitposts@everything-i-tried-was-taken @starswirlblitz @albot-e@supernaturalismydrug @we-are-band-sexuals@cleo-is-my-doggy @eeyore1988@kaylinfayezink@owhatshername1@kgbrenner@princessofhorrors (Message me if you would like to be added!)

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