#you know like back when you gave a shit about individual characters

[nitrowyverine]

I think I write dating sim/VNs/etc reviews now? Anyway,

LOST IN LIMBO REVIEW/THOUGHTS

This VN piqued my interest, so I gave the demo a shot! This review will follow the same general format as my Obscura/Touchstarved review, except there's 7 (!!!) romance options.

Since I totally loved this game, I'm going to put the conclusion promo up here too: if Lost in Limbo interests you, consider playing it Here, Here on steam, and/or backing it Here!

ALSO! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE DEMO!

My (long winded) thoughts are below:

(Banner image courtesy of the Ravenstar Games tumblr account pinned post. Individual character pics courtesy of tumblr posts from the studio. Individual posts are linked in character titles.)

Gameplay design thoughts:

the plot immediately sucked me in, I'm pretty invested in whatever the hell is going on with the protag, the realms, the lords, etc. I think the setup/land are deep enough to draw me in, but not so intimidating in it's depth that I'm afraid to explore more.

I always enjoy a little bit of nightmare fuel in my games, so the voidbound are perfect. They're so gross and horrible, but not just a stock zombie/nightmare creature design. Whenever the voidbound pop up, it makes the back of my neck itch, which is perfect.

I have no idea whose route I'll pick first. Usually I have one candidate that I can pick out as number 1. This game however? I go back and forth all the time, since I love all of them. I do think I have bias for Ara/Gael/Amon/Envy, maybe?

I really want to design an MC to doodle for this, but I feel like I don't know enough about other people in the realm. (Mostly, I'm assuming that standard humans don't have pointy ears? how close to our reality is the regular world?) I might say "screw it" and design an MC anyway (with some speculative clothing for once they get cleaned up)

The backgrounds have been great set pieces so far. Sometimes I catch myself just kinda staring into space at them. They've got a fantastic flavor.

Misc. Thoughts written during a replay

Fun touch to have Evie's rock image from the beginning fortune shop scene line up with the 7 LI's color schemes.

Each of the VA's does a lovely job with their voices. I've been turned off of certain dating sims because of bad voice acting, but the acting in this game is superb so far. It really helps set the richness of the story.

I have a theory that the LI's (and possibly people in Limbo in general) experience pain differently. The characters seem largely uninterested in the MC's stabbed, weakened state, beyond a "Oh that sucks....we'll clean you up later" mentality. I wonder if they have different pain tolerances, or are just less attached to such things. (Then again, Amon and Raeya have full missing limbs/eyes, so they probably have a decent perspective on pain altogether)

What does wielder/non-wielder mean? Xal says the MC "Can't wield, can't see." What do the LI's see that we don't? Ara mentions that the MC seems "Completely normal". Many mysteries.

I need those monster forms like crazy oh my goodness. Please devs PLEASE SHOW THE MONSTER FORMS

Now, to the lovely love interests!

Amon

WHO LET THIS MAN BE OVER 7 FEET TALL? PRIDE YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO

I only just noticed he also has a few freckles, *chefs kiss* (Waaaiit do all of them have little freckle skin textures??? Oh this is a glorious day.)

It's hard not to love a big friendly guy. I was honestly relieved when he first showed up, because I did Envy's route first, and I was thrilled to see a friendly face in the big dark scary woods.

This does not mean, however, that I'm not excited to see what this guy turns into when he's mad.

I like that he has pity for MC when they first show up, but I do worry it makes his resolve weaker. I'm not as confident that he could handle society/reality breaking down as well as the others. Can he put aside his affable nature for when shit hits the fan?

Question: What level of fight had to happen for Amon to lose his eye? He's already huge, and has some sort of telekinetic powers. My theory is that he was taken by surprise, maybe by someone close to him.....(Envy I'm looking at you)

RIP Amon you would have loved Hawaiian shirts

Conclusion: Most likely to be the camp counselor who hurts his back from always giving piggy back rides. Least likely to keep his composure during a badly timed pun/dad joke.

Raeya

I'm fighting for my life whenever shes on screen good LORD

Similarly to Amon, I GOTTA know the story behind her prosthetic arm. Its so rad looking, but how did she lose a whole arm? (I am also considering that she was also not born with one)

Playing the demo again, she makes a specific comment about the monsters having not "infected a limb" of the MC. My bet is that's how she lost her arm.

I wish I could have spent 1:1 time with her, but it wasn't offered in the demo. I'd love to have like, a sit down discussion with her about history. (Well I'd be fine getting lectured about history and drinking tea and hanging out)

Out of everyone's motivations, I think I understood Raeya's the most. Even if she was against MC, I think her concerns are completely valid. If an alien fell out of the sky from a different reality to earth I'd ALSO be taking every precaution

She and Amon have matching ear chains, that's adorable....

I hope I can take her on a nice date and spoil her and let her relax in the full game, pretty please. Nothing bad will happen right???

Conclusion: Most likely to gently remind the waiter that you said NO pickles with your order, thank you very much. Least likely to admit to being the one who farted in a crowded room.

Envy

every other line from him is "UGGGHHH" and i love that for them.

After playing, I think I've finally realized that I've got a soft spot for grumps. just grumpy lil friends with their pouty faces

I want (vivi's) Envy's nails SO BAD. I need him to do my nails because theirs are perfect. Envy, envy PLEASE

They pretend not to care, but are already getting attached to the MC by the end of the demo. I can't wait to see what they're like when they actually DO get attached

Elephant in the room, what could he have possibly done to get himself demoted so severely? Everyone seems to be fine with him being demoted except Amon, who sheepishly vouches for him when he can.

I just wanna wrap him in a blanket burrito like you do with a spicy kitten. and then give him little smooches

Conclusion: Most likely to be they guy who gets one drink at a party and sits in the corner with the dog/cat all night. Least likely to allow their partner to willingly boop their nose with any regularity.

Pride

Old man yells at cloud? No....old man IS cloud.

The dev's tumblr has mentioned that he's a pathetic old man, but for now at least, I am afraid of his authority and power. since hes like. yaknow. the big god of this world

The VA did some fabulous work for his voice. I definitely got actual chills in certain parts. 10/10

Okay, so WHAT is this guy's deal with mirrors? He looks great, why is he worried about it. I sincerely doubt he's just 52 though, if he's a god. (as a note for all these interests, I have a feeling that the ages are their physical ages, and not their actual ages. Or at least, age relative to ours. I think they're much older in our years than in their years.)

We also didn't get any 1:1 time with Pride in the demo, so I'm fascinated to see what alone time with Pride would be like. Is he quiet? a chatterbox? Just a guy??? does he only play piano and not talk to you. (power move)

Conclusion: Most likely to show up WAY over-prepared for Parent-Teacher conferences. Least likely to understand and survive the cinnamon challenge.

Ara

Certified CUTIE PIE

We got a pretty clear demonstration of everyone's powers in the demo, except for Ara. Unless it was too subtle for me to realize, I'm not actually sure what her cool powers are yet.

If she DOESN'T have plant powers I'd be very surprised.

I keep wanting to think things like "I have to protect her" or "keep her safe at all costs". But then I remember she's likely absolutely terrifying, and I honestly should be actually afraid for anyone who gets in her way.

I would like to remind/inform everyone that so far, she is the only member of the cast who is visibly armed at all times. (Raeya doesn't count even if her arm claws look really really sharp.)

If I have to pick anyone to party with, it's probably Ara. I know she'd throw an absolute rager, but would also make sure you stay hydrated. I wanna hold her hand too. Please?

I'll go butch for her, i'll do it if thats what she wants. I'm weak

Conclusion: Most likely to be able convince you to give her your kidney. Least likely to let you skip a bloodthirsty game of monopoly because you "Have a headache"

Gael

where did he find pants long enough for him.

Okay. So its HIS fault that Amon has the deepest V-cut since time immemorial. Do you think Amon and Gael had an extensive argument about the minimum amount of clothes Amon has to wear at any given time? Because I do.

His powers certainly did not. Awaken anything in me. Nope.

he has the shortest and most perfect arc from stranger -> friendly -> ???? -> BETRAYAL

I am MASSIVELY curious about his dissociation/spacing out during the demo. He was 8 million miles away in the tower for some reason, and I HAVE to find out why. I just KNOW this man is doing some questionable shit with good intentions and I can't wait to find out what it is.

So, he has SOME issue with touch. No idea what it is, but I can't wait to find out what it is. Also noting he's the only one with full-coverage gloves in the cast. Interesting...

Conclusion: Most likely to cry after being sent those sad FB/insta animal stories. Least likely to let you open your own car/carriage/etc door under any circumstances.

Xal

He looks so soft. I have to bully him, in a good way. (Like grim from Date with Death)

I am fascinated as to why he would lie for MC. That's such a great hook to his character. What does a guy who so desperately wants to be left alone have to see to stick his neck out for a stranger?

SOMEONE get this man a NINTENDO DS POST HASTE

THIS GAME HAS TO GET FUNDED BECAUSE XAL SAYS HE HAS A CAT AND I WANT TO SEE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will do it, I will be the one to tuck him in when he is too eepy. I will carry him to bed and kiss his little head good night

Wait, if he can "Figure something out" by touching it, he could be like, the worlds greatest doctor. Xal please get off the couch and help me diagnose mystery ailments in a medical sitcom

Conclusion: Most likely to injure himself rigging up a Rue Goldberg machine to scratch his back. Least likely take it easy on you once he learns how to play super smash bros. (He's a fox/falco main)

Concerns:

What the Ravenstar team has already been able to accomplish is incredible. I'm worried that with 7 whole love interests (with a possible two more on the way if the kickstarter goes well), i'm worried the devs are taking on a whole lot of work. I think they're fully capable of taking this on, but I hope they don't burn themselves out in the process.

I'm pretty happy to see the kickstarter is moving along, but there's always the chance that something happens, and/or the kickstarter goal isn't met. BY THE TIME I FINISHED WRITING THIS IT GOT FUNDED LETS GOO!!! I still hope this project makes it all the way to completion beyond the kickstarter. Things can always happen, so Ive got my fingers crossed for the Ravenstar team!

OVERALL CONCLUSION:

I loved the demo, and I have now backed the project! The team is trying to hit stretch goals now, so share Lost in Limbo with your buddies! I crave content for this game like nothing else.

[thelionandtheeagle]

Do you guys wanna see something so immensely Tim Drake it kills the man? (In a good way. Affectionately. I love him so much)

There's so much that could be said here, it's great

[beescake]

i am in love with your sollux i think

sollux love party :]

if you’re interested heres some of my personal fondness thoughts on him.. big warning for the mega long read ahead aye

as we alr know sollux's rejection of participation somewhat mirrors dave's rejection of heroism, but even without getting cooked to completion i still find sollux's character v compelling beyond the fourth wall

as someone who doesnt get a pinch of that Protagonist Sparkle to begin with, he can openly say he wants to leave anytime…. and unlike dave, he actually Can leave the scene anytime. but he can never be truly Free from the story via permanent character death like the other trolls.

his irrelevancy is indeed relevant - he’s there so u can point him out.

while his image is intended to be a relic of past internet subculture, his role is not only about hehehaha being a Chad or a 2000s cyberforum 2²chan haxxor ragequit gamebro.

his continued existence also happens to add a Bit to the overarching themes of homestuck! a Bit that gives him longer-lasting thematic relevance compared to the trolls who could’ve had more character potential but didnt get to survive beyond the main story.

the Bit in question:

his defiance contributes to the illusion of agency (treating characters = people with autonomy). he’s “aware” of it, and that recognition is worth noting enough to forcibly keep him alive as both reward and punishment.

considering how his personality & classpect is designed its definitely a very haha thing for hussie to do LOL. he’s made to be op asf so he's resigned to doing dirty work, gradually deteriorating along the way but never truly dying. as fans have mentioned before, him openly rejecting involvement after a while of grim tolerance is like if the sim u were controlling suddenly stopped, looked up and gave u the finger while u were step six into the walkthrough for Every Possible Sim Death Animation.

but since he’s just a sim… the more he hates it, the more you keep him around. if ur sim started complaining abt your whimsical household storyline you’d definitely keep that little fuck.

but yeah i like that sollux is just idling. the significance of his presence being that one dude who's always reliably Somewhere, root core Unchanged, no individual ambitions (possibly due to fear of consequence?), and design-wise: a staple representative product of his time.

compared to dirk's character, who has aged phenomenally well into the present (themes of control + AR + artificial intelligence, clearer exploration around navigating relationships/sexuality, infinite possibilities of self-splinterhood and trait inheritance), sollux's potential is really... contained. bitter. defeatist. limiting and frustrating in the way old tech is.

the world continues moving on to shinier, brighter, more advanced automated things - minimalist and metaverse or whatever but sollux is still here 🧍‍♂️ going woohoo redblue 3d. (tho personally i imagine his vibe similar to what the kids call cassette futurism on pinterest mixed w more grimy grunge insectoid influences eheh)

conceptually-speaking,

at the foundation of it all, the rapid pace of modern development was built off the understanding of ppl like sollux in the past, who were There actively at work while the dough was still beginning to rise

thats one of the cool things abt the idea of trolls preceding humans! the idea that trolls like sollux excelled back when lots of basic shit still needed to be discovered, building structures like networks and codes from scratch, and humans will eventually inherit and reinvent that knowledge in ways that become so optimized it makes the old manual effort seem archaic, slow, and labour-intensive.

but despite information/resources/shortcuts being more accessible now, much of the new highly-anticipated stuff released on trend still end up unfinished, inefficient, or expiring quickly due to cutting corners under severe capitalistic pressures

meanwhile, some of the old stuff frm past generations of thorough, exploratory and perfectionistic development still remains working, complete, and ever so sturdy.

those things continue to exist, just outside our periphery with either:

zero purpose left for modern needs (outdated/obsolete)

or

far too important to replace or destroy, bcs of its surprisingly essential and circumstantial usefulness in one niche specific area.

which are honestly? both points that sum up sollux pree well.

dramatic ending sorry. anw are u still on the fence or are u Sick abt him like me </3

[yanderecrazysie]

Twisted Zoo: Chapter 10

Surprise! Sorry for the lack of Jack content in this one.

I feel like this sucks but at least I wrote something ;-;

Prologue: here

Previous Chapter: here

Next Chapter: here

This is based on the stories of a keeper reader with the octotrio by @ashensgrotto and @merakiui .

Also @twistedcece @cenatour @xiaopleasecomehome @bearshideout @koebishrimpuwu @vash-yuu @twstsandturns @help-whatdoimakemyusername @secret-potion @magmdnv @sunshine-for-serotonin @mel-star636 @silkkorchid @the-ace-reader @pamv11 @coffee-or-hot-cocoa @hrhqueenfox @goseew @luxthestrange @juno-of-wonderland @who-mst @despairingy-obsessed @lanxianschoenheit @ceramic-raven @m0063576 @kimdourden @rammylog @sushiperson @starshiningsirius @im-here-for-the-fun-of-it @the-monochrome-jester @owodi @girl-nahh-two @obeythehuman @berry-efoy @ivorette @the-broken-truth @losingmybrain @sxftiebee @queens-unheard-thoughts @medicine-san @strugglingsleeper and @rocketstyx  wanted to be tagged! Let me know if anyone else wants to be tagged for future chapters. If you no longer want to be tagged, please tell me! (I have removed the tags that weren’t working for me, apologies if yours was removed!)

Summary: You’re a brand new zookeeper at The Halfling Zoo- a place where half-animals live in captivity. Your job is simple- feed them and study them. Your main worry is that one of the more dangerous halflings might kill you. 

Unfortunately, that may become the least of your worries.

WARNINGS: yandere themes

Note: All characters are aged up, since there will be mature themes in future parts.

Also, I can’t promise I’ll finish this. I suck at finishing stories.

NOTE 2: I decided to make this a little fluffy before shit goes down.

—-------------------------------------------------------

It was your turn to feed the halflings dinner again. The hyenas, lions, and wolves all were going to be given the same food: hamburgers. Each was individually wrapped, and there must have been a hundred of them between the two giant buckets you were forced to carry. 

Surely that’s way too much for even all three groups combined! You groaned as you lifted the buckets. Your arms were definitely going to get a workout from this.

You trudged into the savannah, your arms already aching from the heavy load you were forced to carry. Thankfully, the hyenas were gathered on the rocks not far from the entrance.

Ruggie’s eyes lit up as soon as they saw you, letting out a bark of excitement as he leapt down from the rock he had been sitting on with the grace of a cat. He stopped a few feet away from you, as though he were waiting for a signal from you. 

You placed the buckets on the ground and lifted your hands in a calming gesture, “You know I’m not going to hurt you, Ruggie. I’ve just brought food for you all.”

Ruggie grinned and bounded forward, taking you by surprise as he pulled you into a hug, rubbing his cheek against your own. He pulled away, a sly grin on his face as he stole a burger from the left bucket and slipped away, climbing onto a large rock and unwrapping the food.

You felt a little flustered by the sudden show of affection but, with a shake of your head, you dismissed his odd behavior. Yet, Ruggie’s eyes never left your figure, his tail wagging back and forth as though he was thrilled to be able to see you.

When he came for his second helping, he reached out a hand and slid it beneath your chin. He drew his face closer until you could feel his hot breath playing across your lips. For a moment, you thought he was about to kiss you, but he spoke up instead, stumbling a little over his words, “You are special to me.”

“I am?” you were taken aback by his sudden confession.

“Yes,” Ruggie said with a wide smile, “You’re my favorite!”

“Favorite what? Researcher? Aren’t I the only researcher you know?”

Nishishishi. Ruggie giggled at your confusion, “Favorite. (Y/n) is my favorite.”

Completely nonplussed now, you gave him an awkward smile, “You’re a strange one, Ruggie.”

His smile morphed into a pout, “Am I favorite?”

You reached out a hand and messed up his fluffy blond hair, “You’re my favorite Ruggie in the whole world.”

He gave you an annoyed look, his hyena ears flat on his head. It was clear he was hoping you’d be a little less specific. But you couldn’t tell him something like “you’re my favorite hyena”, as that wouldn’t be fair to the other halflings.

You took a seat on the rock as the other hyenas came for their second helpings, skirting around you with nervous looks. Ruggie practically threw himself onto your lap, his stomach back landing on your legs as he gazed up at you. You almost shivered when you saw his expression.

His gaze was hungry, eyes dark and lips pulled into a sinister smile. He lifted a hand and cupped your cheek. He whispered something and, though it was too quiet to tell, it sounded suspiciously like he had said “mine”.

Then, his eyes fluttered closed, his hand flopped to his side, and his breathing turned even. It took you a moment to realize he had fallen asleep. You were a bit jealous that he could fall asleep so quickly and easily (it took you much longer to settle down at night). 

Some of the hyenas came for a third helping, but once all of them had deposited their wrappers in a pile near the buckets, you realized you had to move on. “Ruggie, time to wakey wakey,” you teased.

Ruggie’s eyes fluttered open and his peaceful expression became cross. His hyena ears flattened themselves against his head again and his tail lashed once, but he obediently stood up, freeing your lap so you could stand as well.

You took the wrappers to a trash can near the entrance of the enclosure and returned to the buckets. Ruggie watched you from on top of a rock, eyes sad as he watched you walk away. You felt a little bad, but you had to move on. You couldn’t just spend the entire evening with the hyenas when you had to see the lions and wolves too.

The buckets were still heavy and you felt your arms ache as you took the long walk over to the lion halflings. As you approached, Leona sat up on the rock he was lounging on. You put down the buckets and waved at him.

He leapt down from the rock gracefully and walked towards you. When he was just a few feet away, he stopped dead in his tracks and his nose screwed up in disgust, “You smell like hyena. You let one of those bone-eaters scent you?”

“Huh?” you were confused for a moment before you remembered the way Ruggie rubbed his cheek against yours and lounged across your lap. Was he scenting you then?

“Disgusting,” Leona snapped, reaching out and snatching your wrist, “You should smell like lion.” His face drew closer and you snapped out of your surprise and confusion, pulling your wrist out of his grasp and taking a step back.

“You shouldn’t be surprised I smell like hyenas, considering you aren’t the only halflings I care for,” you snapped, “That doesn’t give you permission to scent me too!”

Leona let out a growl deep in his throat and you involuntarily took another step back. His eyes narrowed, as though he was deep in thought. Then, a somewhat sinister smile spread across his face, “Of course, you’re right.” Somehow, his tone seemed condescending, as though you were too stupid to understand him, “I’ll have a talk with the hyenas, and no one will scent you again.”

A shiver ran up your spine, “You don’t have to do that.”

“Oh but I do,” Leona growled, “Now, you brought us food, I believe? Or are you going to stand there gaping like a fish?”

You closed your mouth and pursed your lips into a deep frown. Leona was really getting on your nerves, “Yeah, I did. Feel free to grab something, your highness.”

Leona didn’t seem offended by your dig, if anything, a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. He grabbed a wrapped burger from the bucket closest to him and leaned in as close as he could while doing so.

The other lions followed his example, grabbing burgers and eating them under the tall rock that Leona had resumed lounging on. The king of the jungle gazed at you with darkened eyes and you were surprised to read the jealousy on his features. Was the great Leona really jealous of some hyenas?

You tried to shake the ridiculous idea from your mind, but you just couldn’t believe otherwise when you looked at his expression. You didn’t like the way he gazed across the savannah at the group of hyenas with a sneer on his lips.

“Leona,” you called up to him. He turned his furious gaze on you, eyes burning, and you shut your mouth, the words dying on your tongue, “Never mind.” You picked up the buckets and turned around. You heard a light thump as Leona jumped down from the rock again.

Arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you close to a toned chest. You grabbed his wrists and tried to wrench them from your body but Leona didn’t budge. “Let me go,” you demanded firmly. 

The lion halfling placed his chin on your shoulder and let out a sigh, “Why do you tempt me so?”

You furrowed your brow, “That sounds like a ‘you problem’. Now let go.”

Leona obeyed with a chuckle, his arms disappearing from your waist, “You’re entertaining, you know that?”

You refused to look back, angry that he had put his hands on you, and simply walked away. You didn’t breathe again until the enclosure door shut behind you. You leaned against the wall and slid to the ground, entirely nonplussed by what had gone on between you and the lion halfling.

You took a moment to process the encounter, then stood up with a sigh. You hoped all of the lions’ bellies had been filled with only one burger, since you hadn’t stuck around long. You checked your watch and were happy to see that it was still fairly early. That way, it wouldn’t be too dark out when you brought the burgers to the wolves.

You hurried down the pathway to the wolf enclosure, looking off in the distance where the sun was beginning to turn the sky pink and orange. Maybe if you hurried, the wolves wouldn’t all want to kill you.

Unfortunately, as you entered the enclosure, the only wolf you were met with was Jack. That wasn’t to say you weren’t happy to see him, especially as he gave you the most endearing smile ever.

“Is there any way to feed the other wolves without getting my skin torn off?” you asked him. 

Jack shook his head and your heart sank. He seemed to notice your disappointment because he spoke up, “But you have me.”

“I know, Jack,” you sighed, “But I want to get to know the other wolves too.”

Jack’s smile disappeared and his eyes narrowed a little, “But you have me. I protect you.”

“I appreciate that, I really do,” you said in a soothing voice, “But I need to interact with all of the halflings, not just you.”

Jack’s expression darkened, his shoulders hunching over, “They’re dangerous. They hurt you. I can’t let anything happen to you,” his voice grew tight with emotion, and he looked down at you with such a lost expression that your heart twisted.

“Maybe if you help me, they will grow to like me,” you suggested. Jack shook his head and grabbed the buckets off the ground. Before you could protest, he disappeared into the forest.

You tried to follow, but he had completely left you behind. Soon enough, you were lost in the trees, looking this way and that, before Jack returned to you with empty buckets.

“They have eaten,” he said gruffly.

You sighed, “Thanks…” Jack didn’t seem to understand your disappointment, as he merely took your hand in his larger one and led you back to the enclosure exit. He smiled gently at you and said in a soft voice, “Safe.”

You couldn’t really argue with that.

Ruggie and Leona watched in amusement as the zoo staff brought out the body bags from the wolf enclosure across the path from them. “She’s becoming quite popular,” Leona murmured, “Enough for a wolf to turn against his own pack.”

Ruggie pouted, “I want her to be mine. Not anyone else’s.”

Leona chuckled darkly, “You’ll have to put those thoughts aside if you really want to take our deal. You know that a war against lions who obey only me and hyenas that will run away with their tails between their legs will end in only one way.”

Ruggie’s ears flattened against his head, “I’ll share, but only with you. Three’s a crowd.”

The lion nodded, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

[ratatouillewastakendammit]

30% Off

Pairing: Hawks x reader

Summary: In the end of the world, death around every corner means you don’t exactly get much time to pleasure yourself. Thankfully, someone you’ve had your eye on is more than willing to help

Warnings: smuttttt; edging; language; apocalypse AU; the 'monster cocks' that I found in a Spencer's the other day.

(I originally wanted to write this for an AIB character, but it's been a while since I've touched on Hawks so I literally just did it again with him.)

Your fingers flit through a small sea of heavy fabrics, each embroidered with some colorful design of whatever video game or anime character had been trending when the world stopped.

Apparently, it had been Gojo, the white outlines of his hair a stark difference to the black of the hoodies base framework.

The material was heavy and warm, hiding your fingers from the damp chill in the air as you slid them underneath to find the price tag.

$49.99

The notion of one piece of clothing being nearly worth a young teens entire shift made your eyebrows tug upward.

Slipping the cloth off of its hanger, you gently ripped the price tag off, letting it fall to the floor as you snuck an arm into one of the sleeves.

Once upon a time, you would have cared about the littering, but it wasn’t as if rest of the mall didn’t look any different.

It was getting increasingly hard to care about things like that.

Instead, you focused on the comfort of your newfound treasure. Taking what you wanted was one of the few benefits you reaped in a place like this.

The mall doors had been hard to pry open, but a crowbar and a few minutes had done just fine. With a few days of peace before another game needing to be won, Mirko suggested some good old scavenging.

If anything, it was a lot better than sitting around and starving to death.

So you, her, and a few others had ended up here, each going their own way to cover the maximum amount of ground before darkness fell over this wasteland.

And while you didn’t exactly think Spencer’s would have the most survivalist-prone gear, it was one of the only stores in the North end of the mall that didn’t reek of rotting food.

You slipped through a wall of nose piercings, grabbing another thick hoody that sported a small drawing of Killua Zoldyck on the lower right corner.

Going towards the back of the store, you rummaged through the trays of snacks that could usually be found near the checkout desk. Even though they technically weren’t the most nutritious, sour gummies and sodas were known to have a better-than-average shelf life.

As you scoured over numerous packages and Best Buy dates, your gaze slipped a few feet to your left, eyes widening as a short chuckle bubbled up into your throat.

You walked over to a stand proudly boasting its abundance of ‘Creature Cocks’ and picked up a glow-in-the-dark Unicorn dildo.

It was nearly 9-inches.

Guess I could use that thing as a weapon if anything.

Snickering, you put the sparkly sex toy back and let your line of sight graze curiously over the smaller, more much conventional ones.

It had been a long time.

Which wasn’t surprising, since personal pleasure wasn’t exactly a priority during what many would define as the apocalypse.

Still…

Almost unconsciously, you reached out, fingers curling around a small toy that slightly resembled one you used to have.

“You know most of those don’t work anymore, right?”

“Shit!” You spun around in fear, locking eyes with the second male in your little group, Hawks. His lower lip was curled in amusement as you pressed a hand to your pounding chest. “You just gave me a heart attack, asshole!”

Regardless, nervous excitement brewed in your stomach. The feelings you harbored for the individual in front of you were dangerous and you knew that, but they were hard to ignore.

“Sorry, didn’t think I was interrupting anything,” his eyes flit down to the device in your hand, a feline-like smirk spreading across his features as he turned and began to leave. “But I’ll leave you to it.”

You dropped the toy, it’s clatter against the floor causing him to swivel his gaze back and you to internally cringe. “Batteries,” you swallowed, cheeks beginning to burn as you mentally fumbled for an excuse. “Some have batteries. I figured we’d run out at some point. For flashlights and stuff… ya know?”

Rambling. You’re rambling. Stop it.

Hawks cocked an eyebrow, stalking closer and quietly bending down to pick up the device. When he straightened, his body was a few centimeters from yours.

A contrasting scent of ashes and spice hit your senses as he lifted an arm to put the toy back, effectively caving you in on one side.

You wondered absentmindedly if he still would’ve smelt faintly of fire if he wasn’t stuck here, in a world surrounded by death and decay.

“If you really needed help that badly, you could’ve just asked,” he replied, wolfish grin doing nothing to quell the heat blooming into your face.

The meaning of his statement hit you like a train, the suggestion crawling below your abdomen to tease you with a flash of pleasure.

“I don’t… I wasn’t trying to-”

“But you want to,” you blinked, eyes wide in surprise as his arm snaked around your waist. “Besides, it might be dangerous to leave you all hot and bothered during an attack or something, don’t you think?”

“I’m not… I’m fine,” the reply definitely lacked the assertion you planned to give it, the idea of his skin against yours more than distracting.

He let out a raspy hum. “So it wouldn’t turn you on at all if I did something like this?”

The hand resting on your hip began moving downward, began toying with the top of your jeans.

Mindlessly, your hips lifted upwards, practically begging to meet his touch.

That smirk grew slightly, excitement flashing through brown irises. “Thought so.”

His hand slipped under the fabric, gently brushing against your clit. The contact made your body jerk in surprise, that soft heat slowly building as the touch moved in between your thighs.

“I-” One finger pushed between your folds, drawing a soft groan from you as he began to slowly thrust the digit in and out.

“I know, princess. Don’t worry, I’m gonna take care of you.”

His lips grazed over yours, gently stealing the sigh you gave in response to his movements. Blond hair tickled your face as he continued to whisper praises in your ear.

“So pretty,” his free arm linked under yours when your knees threatened to fall out from under you.“Do you know long I’ve wanted to do this? Wanted you?”

He watched as you continued to slip away in a pleasured haze, expression flashing for a mere second in adoration as his finger drew soft circles over your clit.

The feeling was overwhelming, the rest of the world melting away from the burning heat just begging to reach its climax.

Then it vanished, his touch slipping away as quickly as it came before he pressed his lips against yours, the moment lasting mere seconds but leaving you breathless.

“Why did you stop?” The desperation in your tone might have embarrassed you, if you cared.

“So needy,” he taunted. “I’ll fuck you properly when we have some more privacy.”

You almost reached out to stop him when he backed away, your pride saved as the rest of your group pushed through the isles.

“You guys okay? We’re gonna head back to the shelter soon.” Mirko stopped, eyes widening as she took in the area. “What are you doing back-“

“We thought there might be some batteries in here.” Hawks grabbed one of the toys. An effortless smile gracing his lips , he spun the package around so the label was visible. “30% percent off.”

[icanseethefuture333]

Celestial alignment: Pick a pattern in the sky

Messages to realign you with your soul path

Pile 1:

Shufflemancy -

Replay by Lady Gaga

JMK by Sango ft. Xavier Omar

Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine

Ten of Wands, Eight of Cups, The Magician, The World, & Three of Cups

There is a call for you to let go of thoughts that are holding you back. There is something about repetition here that is preventing you from progressing into the next chapter of your life. You could be taking on the burdens of other people as a way to help them. Your guides are urging you to please stop. You are constantly making sacrifices for others when they aren't doing this for you. Your lesson right now is to focus on making yourself the top priority. You are always putting yourself on the back burner. Some people here take care of their family members or work in the medical field. It's understandable to be worried and to care for your loved ones or other people, but who's be concerned about you? Who is making sure that you are alright or have what you need? If nobody is there for you, then you have to be there for yourself. Start making goals or a list of things you wish to accomplish. You need to realize you are worthy and deserving of what you desire, start dreaming again, pile 1. The universe is waiting and ready for your call and demand. Once you have faith in yourself, the universe will be ready to make your dreams come true. A journey of peace, abundance, and celebrations will be coming your way soon.

Summary:

Change your thoughts & way of thinking.

Practice mindfulness & work on releasing limiting beliefs.

Learn how to include self care in your daily routine

Set boundaries

Think about what your goals or dream are

Make a list or a vision board

Research information on manifestation or spirituality that aligns with your beliefs

Pile 2:

Shufflemancy -

Bruises by Kelela

Brain by Mariah the Scientist

Omega by SAAY

Seven of Wands, King of Wands, Wheel of Fortune, The Aeon (Judgement), & Nine of Pentacles

This pile gave me goosebumps when shuffling - You have a very intense aura and strong presence, pile 2! Something about having to "fight" or the "brain" being significant. I'm reminded of this wounded emoji: 🤕. You could suffer from past trauma or have a mental disorder. I had to rewrite for this pile because it didn't save and I felt so frustrated having to write for this pile again, but it made me realize that this is possibly how you feel in life. You are constantly having to work with difficult circumstances without seeing any progress of the outcome. There were a lot of struggles that you had overcome and I am reminded of movie The Truman Show. His entire life was just programmed for him and he was forced to live a life he didn't want for the entertainment of others just so they could have a TV Show to watch. So I feel like people found joy in your misfortune and suffering, which I am terribly sorry for. The thing is though that was in the past and you don't have to deal with these people anymore. You don't have to pretend to be this character that obviously doesn't resonate with you. You can create an entirely new life, new self concept, new everything for yourself. Think of who you want to be as an individual, not what other people have labeled you as or want you to be. You have to start realizing that you are free to do as you please. Life can be like a simulation and we could all be considered avatars, but we don't realize is that we are able to customize our reality in anyway we wish. You have the inner strength and passion but you are just stuck in this survival mode that is not serving you anymore. It is time for you to move on and your spirit guides are being stern with me right now but they're saying "take this shit seriously". If you have a dream or goal you know you wanna do, take action and stop complaining. Stop with the excuses, the self pity, and the martyr complex. Once you start asking the universe for help is when you can start to achieve your dreams. "It's like clockwork". I am seeing that you feel that you're running out of time in life to accomplish your goals but I am reminded of Maddy from Euphoria when she said "Don't worry, this is only just the beginning". Your "shift" or soul purpose has only just begun and time is ticking for real now. I am getting a vision of someone holding a bright lantern in a dark cave and they are like making a come hither motion with their hands. So I believe this is the universe and your guides saying if you need guidance and you are unsure what to do or where to go or how to even begin the project you wish to work on - Ask them. Once you start asking the universe for help shit is going to change in your life dramatically because your purpose is very significant and it is going to be for the better of society but you have to stop being in your ego and acting stubborn because it is not helping you or anyone else for that matter. I'm not saying you have to be some sort of holy messiah or the rebirth of Jesus Christ himself, but you are going to be someone who will make a difference in this world. As you embark on this journey, it is crucial that you pay attention to the signs the universe or spirit gives you. It is okay if you make mistakes but you have to be careful and aware of people or vices that will sabotage you in the end. So listen to your intuition and notice those gut feelings. I feel like people will be giving you your flowers in the future, that could mean you will be someone who has a certain level of status, or this means people will show appreciation or gratitude for your benevolence and charity. You have this gift or tool that the universe has blessed you with and you have to utilize it for the good will of others.

This is a powerful message I channeled from spirit: "Others who have begun early are merely the matches that were chosen out of indulgence, for candles & waxes, the faster they burn, the quicker their ashes will fall. The last one to be picked, is the match that is the resource for those in need of hope and warmth when faced with the darkness."

Summary:

Use your intuition

Release the version of yourself that is no longer serving you

Embrace change & endings

The end of a chapter means a new beginning

Rely on your inner strength & wisdom

Ask for guidance

Focus on what it is meant for you

"All that glitters isn't gold"

Pile 3:

Shufflemancy -

Lemon by N.E.R.D ft. Rihanna

Starface* by Jean Dawson

Screen Time by Epik High ft. HOSHI

The Tower, Four of Pentacles (reversed), Three of Wands, The Sun, & Four of Wands

The pile's energy instantly chirped me up and made so happy! Its interesting how the piles are always so unique in their own way. You could have been or are currently in denial with your circumstances. It reminds me of Hey Ya! by Outkast. Go take a look at that music video or listen to the song if you're unfamiliar with it. It's a fun happy song, but the meaning of the lyrics are actually quite depressing. You could have this mindset of: "Y'all don't wanna hear me you just wanna dance!". You could be someone who is pessimistic and a downer, always wanting to look at things from a more "realistic" perspective. Although, your spirit guides are asking you to actually change this way of thinking. I actually see that you have a really bright and energizing aura! You could be really funny, pile 3! Your purpose could align with having a good sense of humor or being a source of hope and optimism for others. You could be interested in working in the entertainment field. Once you get past this, you will realize how much fun life can actually be! Your past challenges could also be viewed from a more positive standpoint. For example, the situation might have been unfortunate, but did you learn anything valuable? Or was there any positive outcomes because of that said situation. Reflect on your life experiences and lessons to see where the universe actually might have helped you dodge a bullet or blessed you with protection or love. You could also attract new people into your life who will make you feel a sense of joy and gratitude. This pile just reminds me of a fun summer day, where people eat watermelon or have fun at the pool. Another song I'm channeling is Summertime by DJ Jazzy Jeff & Will Smith. You will be celebrating and having a good time with your loved ones in the future soon. I believe honestly your path for now is to focus on happiness and sharing love and light with others!

Summary:

Have fun!

Make jokes that uplift people's energy

Focus on the good vs dwelling in negativity

Try to make someone laugh or smile!

Make plans for the summer

Hang out with your friends or spend time with family

Your past struggles are why you're still here. You overcame a great deal and should be proud of yourself!

[commanderchr1st]

Why I left tumblr suddenly in 2017 at the apex of my blog commanderchrist.

I'm sorry to "break character," but I gotta say some shit as Joe that's been bothering me for years. It is corny, it is personal, it is emotional, but I've recently been facing a lot of personal turmoil, and I gotta say some shit.

I'm not calling anyone out, not trying to start drama, but for quite some time I've had some baggage that has caused me a great deal of mental damage, tbh. More below.

Hey all, 7-8 year old drama here. I've told my friends this story, and I've also kind of hinted at it, but I've never really gave an official response why I left tumblr in April of 2017. It's a really long story, and it's been connecting to a process of grieving multiple friendships, two relationships. I've never really wanted to talk about it too terribly much on an account that is so closely associated with what happened, I mainly spent time venting on private tumblrs, going to see doctors, therapists, psychiatrists, etc. For a half of a decade, I was extremely upset, and honestly, it kinda came back in 2022.

First off, fartdick-supreme was a blog I made a few days after I left commanderchrist. I was obsessed to see a particular user disparage me, make false claims, and I was very, very angry on that blog. So, if you do snoop a little, just know that's a hella mentally ill college kid writhing in pain, not a coherent blog at all tbh.

The above picture was sent to me on discord in November of 2016 before they started telling one of my friends I called them fat (and they knew that person had self image issues and most importantly I didn't), racist, treating Tumblr like a meat shop, telling somebody I had a crush on that I was exploiting them because of their pill addiction (just an insane thing to say tbh), conspiring with an ex that cheated on me to write a callout post about all of this and more lol. I deleted in 2017 because I was unmedicated, going through a pretty severe breakup, was taking more than a full-time load at school, and this former friend was doing shit like this almost every day of the week. I refused to talk about this until I've had a LOT of time to heal because tbh somebody who I considered a close friend doing this kinda shook my mental health. I deleted, but I never left. I really don't want to leave their URL or talk specifically about anyone who was impacted on tumblr, but this has also affected a lot of individuals I used to be friends with. And for a lot of that, I was the scapegoat. I accepted this blame. Even though I didn't do like...any of it. At the most, I was a mentally ill alcoholic who had a really hard time navigating friendships. A good deal of friends also had their own individual hardships, especially this individual who had spread these accusations to myself and my friends.

I think it's important to say that all of this started because I was talking shit behind the friends back. I said they were a sore loser, I said they were impossible to talk to, I said they were bossy when it came to playing games, I said they needed to work on their anger issues. And I denied it to them, which I should not have. I should have told my friend all the problems that I was having with them. I failed to do that, because they were a very defensive person. My friends tried too, but they did not have any luck. So, it manifested as anger, and I did talk shit about them to those friends. Word got back to them, and this is how it all started. I'm not going to point any fingers because MOST of those friends, I am still on good terms with, but there were definitely a few that also seemed to share similar frustrations in a public setting.

Maybe it's because I'm mentally ill, but I refused to confront this. I deleted. I left. I went on medication, I finished my degree. But I did not ever once publicly defend myself.

Fast forward to now, and in 2022 I was faced with a very similar situation. I had broken up with my partner of four years. I REALLY don't want to get into the details of that relationship because it was incredibly toxic. I did a couple things I was not proud of as a response, especially when it came to involving my family in our relationship. Both my ex and my mother tried to drive a wedge between me and the other person, and it was maddening. It was a horrible way to live. Especially since every interaction I had with my mother was her trying to pry me from that relationship. At the time, I thought she was being manipulative and shitty, but everything changed in December of 2021 when my ex went to go visit family and I was left alone after moving several times, being evicted twice during covid, making some dumb mistakes financially, and it all dawned on me.

I was being abused. My ex from 2017 had BPD, which is fine, but my ex from 2022 also had this condition. And I was able to see a parallel: I REALLY don't want to go in detail about my relationships tbh and was one of the reasons I didn't want to bring it up, but in both relationships I was put into some fucked situations. In both, any time I had issues with something it was like pulling teeth... 0-10 on the intensity meter. I would bring things up and immediately be disparaged, yelled at, etc. In one of those relationships, they were drunk daily and would call me up and yell at me. They were also sleeping in the same bed as their ex boyfriend for months and not telling me (it was long distance). They also had some sexual exchanges with a pretty well-known tumblr user. The other, long story short, sexually abused me a lot. Put me in a situation of fatherhood when I explicitly mentioned I did not want to be a part of it. They said it was okay. And it was all okay, until all the sudden our bank account was shared and I had moved to a different state. They trapped me financially, and cornered me into fatherhood. The rest of the abuse got a bit more intense when I was left isolated without family in the state I was living in. This shit is hella hard to talk about, but those two are linked. In December of 2021, I realized everything. I was terrified, depressed, isolated, and ruminating. I broke up with my most recent ex in 2022 because...well its complicated but I misinterpreted this grief as me being gay. I thought I was purely attracted to men, and vagina repulsed. It took me longer than this to realize no, I was repulsed by my ex because of sexual abuse. Anyways, when I broke up with them, they threw shit all over the place, some at me. They screamed at me and told me that I was a waste of four years. And they immediately told me I could not be a father anymore and could not see the child. When just month prior I was given a deadline on providing a child for them.

What did this all have to do with 2017?

I've lived long enough to see me make some pretty big mistakes twice in a row. It's not the relationships I regret, despite the abuse. It's the lesson that I failed to learn myself. I need to stand up for myself more, and not accept blame when I did not do anything. I've been diagnosed with (at the very least) minor Obsessive Compulsive Disorder recently, I've had some mental issues in the past. But we are exploring that this may have been derived from PTSD. I think these two scenarios have been a part of it. I've let this get under my skin. In 2022, I lost a couple friendships because I did not explain ANYTHING to them, and my ex spoke to them a day or two after our breakup when I was still grieving, processing, trying to figure all this shit out. I'm ready now. I am a mentally ill person who suffered abuse from other mentally ill people. I have made the mistake of allowing THREE people who have mistreated me and left me with lasting trauma rule my life. They made me run, I've allowed myself to become all the things these abusive people have wanted me to be because I did not stand up for myself, I did not deny anything.... I ran like a coward. I'm sorry for doing that.

To the select people who have heard these rumors from these people in my life, I don't blame you for believing them. As a matter in fact, I'm sorry that I did not explain everything to you.

It will not happen again. And if we have had conversations in the past, or you have considered me a friend. A friend. Not a funnyman, not a "derailer," not anything on this site. If you have talked to me, if you know me as Joe, not Jog. Feel free to DM me.

I've stopped with the anon messages, because tbh I don't want to deal with them. I've had this individual and a couple other send me them throughout the years. If they have anything to say, I'd appreciate them striking a conversation with me via here, discord, whatever. And the same with you if you're curious. Just come to me, ask. I won't yell at you. I won't say anything I won't want to say, either, so if you ask and we were never close or didn't have a friendship in the past, I may not be inclined to share more receipts that I have from this time frame. But I'm an open book.

If you've read this far and you've thought some of my posts are funny, videos, whatever. I just wanna say thank you for sticking with me and appreciating it. And thank you for hearing something out that you may have not had a general interest in. Again, this is not a callout post or anything like that. This was years ago, I'm ready to move past this. I need to heal, and if you were a part of this... even if you were shitty to me, I want you to heal and get help, too.

[kaybreezy3000]

Why is it said that Five has a degree in Philosophy? Is he a graduate in something? My curiosity was piqued, now I can't help but think of Five citing Philosophical things.

Get ready because I am going full brain unload on this one and there might be some spoilers in all this if my ideas are right.

So...

Five does have some very thoughtful lines that could make one think that he's a bit of a philosopher. It's in things like his reply to the Wisconsin lady, right before he killed the board of directors. When she told him he was lucky that he was just in time for their fresh cookies, he contemplatively said,

"Some might stay that true luck is dying at the right time."

~It was something like that. I honestly can't remember it for sure, but this is close enough, and it was a very weird thing to say but also very philosophically thoughtful and it might have been a tiny hint at what is to come for him in our final season.

On that note, for this great question you so kindly gave me, I am going to first reference an ask post done a little while back by my brilliant fanfic writer friend we call Mango. This will help others who don't already know what you are talking about.

Mannequin Envier — ebay.com/itm/266752426854?itmmeta=01HTN3F0RKPVM3V47... (tumblr.com)

If you click that link, you will see a diploma for Five that someone found out there. I obviously don't if Mango is right in that it is simply a prop that wasn't even used, or it's perhaps just a reference to a different version of Five that may have gotten this degree.

To note, as a very nice person mentioned, PHD essentially is saying a Doctor of Philosophy, not meaning necessarily that this is the specific area the person did their studies. It's just what that level of degree is called. But the thing that's got people thinking Five may have gone to school for Philosophy specifically is that the degree should have what he went to school for under the Doctor of Philosophy line. It's as if Five didn't go to school for a particular area of any kind, (which is odd and not at all normal for PHD's) or they left it out on purpose, and mean nothing by it, or it could mean that he got his degree in the area of Philosophy as a discipline.

In all my stories with Five as the main character, I have never gone with the idea that he had a degree in anything, and I base this in part because cannon material doesn't give us anything about him getting one. We do know that they were all homeschooled, and now thanks to Reginald, they have a ton of unresolved trauma and jack shit for real world credentials.

Five is a genius, but he has the added bonus of being used over and over, and turned into a hitman, so I am thinking that makes for a guy that's probably not down with being told what to do anymore.

To me, based on those ideas, and on how Five acts about things in general, the last thing I'd think he'd want to do when he was no longer stuck working for the Commission, or starving in the apocalypse, or trying to save the world, would be going back to school and being under anyone's thumb. Some people like to write him doing the school thing, and it's all good, but I can't get on board with that one, especially if it's high school.

For a guy that's mentally near 60, I think that going to high school would be a big, fat no. Going to college would not be that appealing either because he's not on the mental level of people aged 17-25. He's an ex-temporal assassin, genius, master survivalist, so I am not sure what he'd gain by the tiny dorm room, beer pong champion, Ramon noodle eating, college guy experience, other than having a rite of passage he'd been denied almost a lifetime ago.

Imagine Five chilling in his pajama pants while doing keg stands...😂👍 It's a great visual, but not so much fitting for the character we know.

I do see Five as a Benjamin Franklin type, as in wanting to put himself around like-minded individuals that are driven and want to learn new things while pushing the envelope of what people think is possible. I think he'd be more likely to be an inventor or busy himself with research, but I wouldn't think he could do that right out the gate at a college because to the rest of the world, he's a teenager. That's true, unless, in Reginald's new timeline, he let them keep their identity and he was somehow able to do a work around to go to college.

Using the idea that he'd like to be around people like him mentally could be a link to him and the new Jean and Gene characters, with them both being professors. The script they gave us also shows that they are digging into all these curious finds out there that prove the timeline isn't what it seems. Five could have been the one that tipped them off on that one, and I half wonder if they didn't help him or take him in at 13 after he left Oblivion Park at the end of season three.

Now that is a cool idea...right? Together, Five, Gene, and Jean are all anarchists trying to take down Reginald!? In the trailer, we did see Nick Offerman shooting the shit out of shit while wearing a cool Santa suit, so it could be a thing. It could start that they are trying to take down Reginald, but as the trailer suggests, they find out they have something way worse bringing on their next shit storm then that old alien fart head.

Thoughts? Do we want to see any of that? (I do! 😄🤘)

Really though, back to your real question, why Five would choose philosophy as his go to didn't really make sense to me at first either. But the more I think about it, it's not that out there.

He's numbers guy, so maybe it would be to fill that void in something he's not already an expert in. It's not a subject that hard lined and directly used in life, so applying it isn't straight forward. It very wish-washy compared to other sciences, and it's not what I would think he'd be drawn to unless it was for a very good reason, and that reason I just don't see yet, but it could be hiding not that deep when you look at the character more closely.

Five could be trying to figure out the meaning to it all, and that would be very in line with what he might want to know. He of any of the Hargreeves has been through hell and back, so he might simply be looking for some kind of peace by reconciling the big question of, 'what was it all for?' Philosophy could shed some light on that for him, or at least ease his troubled mind a little bit.

To find your answer, we need to know what has Five been doing the last 5 years, and so far, the trailer hasn't really told us that, but it looks like the first episode will. I am pretty sure we also don't know if they got to keep their identities as far as the rest of the world knowing who they were before being dumped there.

I am leaning towards the idea that they were left with nothing but the skin on their backs, no names, no past, no powers, and nobody that's going to buy it that Five is a grown man walking around in a fresh new teen bod. He can be the adorable smart mouthed know it all that we all love, but getting into college means you need an id, money, past records, and all that other important real-world jazz. So, with that in mind, if Five is an even smarter smarty pants now, with a fancy piece of paper to prove it, that should be interesting to see the flashbacks of how he got there. If Five is not rocking a degree in fanciful what nots and so ons, he's for sure still going to be dishing out some witty lines that only he could come up with.

I could totally see him standing on the side of the road with his siblings, just like they are in the trailer. All of them arguing about the crazy things they are seeing, like Hazel and Cha-Cha's masks laying in the road. Some still want to believe it's nothing and they think that they should move on and keep trying to live as they were. Five, being annoyed with all of them, says,

"Hey, idiots! If it looks like shit, and smells like shit, it's shit! I know that using common sense is a bit of a leap for some of you, but you shouldn't have to take an even bigger lick off the crap platter we've already been served to know the things we keep finding are no good. If history tells us anything, it's that we need to pull our heads out of our asses and get ahead of the shit storm this time."

~~~~

In conclusion: Maybe Philosopher Five makes sense.

The wise philosopher, Aristotle once said, "No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness."

This quote is so true, and it is so Five Hargreeves. When you considering his high-level brain function and his record of being more than a little crazy at times, he's pretty much the greatest mind out there. He's the king of philosophy already, degree or no degree.

Awesome ask! Sorry my reply turned into a book. I'm like that about important stuff like this. 😄

TY. ❤️Breezy

[bittersweetbark]

Show me 100 reasons why you love Emhyr, because I also love him……A LOT.🤲😽😽

This is a big ask :D

I don't know if there are 100 reasons or even one - love knows no reason, it happens. 😌 There are no arguments and no case to make, but there are lots of things I go mushy about because he's the blorbo of my heart:

He was tortured as a child and now is a ruthless powerhouse but in between he didn't just break but was a young man with a questionable sense of humour and a wild abandon of properness. Yes I'm milking the leg over the armrest thing but come on: he apparently waltzed back into Nilfgaard like a mad king. Then gave himself the most pompous and ridiculous title ever. That's not someone who takes the whole thing serious. Having an edgelord on the throne isn't that great of course, but I think underneath his schtick he's also brittle.

This is headcanon territory but he had that whole faction who wanted him on the throne, not only backing him but pushing him. They found him in his exile and - forgive me for using the word but here it fits - groomed him into The Legitimat Heir. I think he had no healthy sense of self, he saw himself as a monster and then was given a purpose. So that throne is the core of his self-worth, him being the emperor has become all he thinks he is in the course of the years.

And - I've gushed about it before - he's ruthless against himself. He's learned some things have to be done, regardless how horrible, they just need to be done, and he's learned that the individual (himself) can survive them, so you'll bite down and think of Nilfgaard when you're raped or have to impregnate your daughter or whatever. In theory. When it's just "being hard against himself". Then he sees Ciri, the person, crying, being a whole human being and his daughter: he can't. Doesn't take long, a few sentences, then he crumbles, packs up his army and goes "kthxby let's forget about this, let the world save itself another way or be doomed, whatever, not doing this". (That is a core moment of my appreciation for his character.)

I also love the face CDPR gave him, and his massive frame, and his nose and his moles and his nose and that he looks like a sexy, disgruntled bird of prey. He looks like he'd be a very sexy smoker. He's so very grumpy! He's Done With This Shit . He looks like he dances from the hip like a Southern European uncle who gets his moves out at a wedding when he's tipsy. He smells amazing. :)

[savoytrufflephd]

Let's talk about the title...

Having created this Tumblr for no other purpose than send HIUH (Hand in Unlovable Hand) asks to @thickenmyblood, I figured why not dedicate winter break to fic analysis posts?

So let's start with the title!

How could you possibly be here if you're worried about spoilers, but...

Hand in Unlovable Hand.

At first I was oriented toward the Mountain Goats song (“No Children”), you know how it goes :

I am drowning there is no sign of land you are coming down with me hand in unlovable hand

And throughout the fic's posting, lots of readers have been alternately finding Damen and then Laurent very hard to like (which was an awesome reading experience in and of itself because fanfic doesn’t always tend toward deeply complex characters). So the sort-of-toxic relationship view felt plausible (except I was always going for “appears-toxic-but-is-actually-true-love-and-totally-fixable” because this is make-believe anyway and it’s based on CP, so).

But now I’m thinking, what if the “unlovable” is actually about people who think they are unlovable? And what if that’s not just both Damen and Laurent, but also Nicaise?

So, like, what if what this little family actually has in common – even if Damen appears to have a very different history and Laurent has said they are too different – is their individual fears that no one will ever really love them?

Like Nicaise obviously doesn’t think Damen can actually love the real him and tries to be on his best behavior (even while pushing Damen’s boundaries). And Nicaise seems like he’s doing his level best to drive Laurent away, so that when Laurent eventually abandons him – as he fears - he can pretend that’s what he wanted anyway. 

And Damen has panic attacks about Maxime not because he gives a shit about Maxime but because he’s let Maxime represent the idea that Laurent never really loved Damen, but was just using Damen and moved on quickly and painlessly. And Damen had no mother and had a distant father and a resentful half-brother and he’s only just beginning to believe that chosen family can be real family.

And Laurent completely doesn’t get that Damen has this insecurity because he sees Damen’s life as so normal and charmed.

And, finally, even though our unreliable narrator thinks Laurent has always been in control of everything, including their relationship and entrance into the family formed by Laurent and Nicaise, Laurent’s insecurities (on nearly full display in Chapter 19) have been sprinkled throughout this fic like breadcrumbs.

In the original breakup:

“We’re different. We want different things.” Damen said nothing. The coffee was ashy in his mouth. Dry. “I’ve got Nicaise,” Laurent said, “and I can’t—this is not working. It was never going to work.”

In the overheard conversation with Ancel:

Ancel’s back is all Damen can see. His hair shakes from roots to ends when he tilts his head in Laurent’s direction. “I thought,” he says, slowly, “that you wanted different.” “I did.” “Ugh, Laurent, you’re giving me a headache. What even is the pro—” “I’m not,” Laurent says, louder than before. The shock of sound works like a slap, and Damen wants to move back into the hallway, to scurry to the other bathroom, to leave them alone, but his legs simply won’t take him there. “ I’m not. I’m still—you heard what Nicaise—”

In Laurent's interpretation of the breakup:

“You wanted out,” Laurent says, “so I gave you out.”

But Damen finds Laurent so loveable – and he didn’t ever really talk to Laurent about the effects his abuse – that he can’t understand how unloveable Laurent feels.

So I feel like they three are all so much alike (and so lost in insecurity) that now they’re all talking past each other.

But I also feel like when they come back together in the right way, the family will be so good for each other, damn it!

[anti-spop]

tumblr keeps recommending me c//a and pro Catra posts, it's both entertaining and irritating. anyway, i'd like to know your thoughts on this post!

personally, i feel like c//a stans misunderstand our point. we keep saying that Catra does deserve a redemption but she doesn't deserve forgiveness, or at least, instantaneous forgiveness when she has put no effort into trying to change. but they take it as "CATRA IS AN IRREDEEMABLE MONSTER WHO DESERVES TO ROT IN HELL" (which, ironically, is what they say about characters like shadow weaver).

also Adora "wanted" Catra in the finale season because that's how the authors wrote her. it made no sense for her character to suddenly want Catra back after it took her so long to finally cut Catra out of her life.

Do not go after the person who wrote the original post. (this is mostly for my other followers)

Tumblr has been doing the same thing to me, too. It showed me a post that said that as similar as Catra was to Shadow Weaver, she improved to be better. Which is a lie, lmao.

I hate that people think redemption and forgiveness are the same thing. You are allowed to improve as an individual, but the people you hurt don't owe you forgiveness. Sadly, SPOP doesn't have a single character that chooses not to forgive Catra. Even though Frosta punched her in the face, she was more accepting of Catra than Entrapta. Same counts for Perfuma and the other princesses. Though I'm pretty sure anyone would be demonized for not believing that "Catra got better!!!". S5 already does this when Adora vents about Catra being a stubborn brat, she just looks pathetic and Glimmer doesn't take her seriously.

And indeed, most stans think characters like Shadow Weaver or Hordak are not allowed to be redeemed, that's really because they're older and physically disabled.

Finally, yeah, Adora in s4 completely gave up on Catra, she didn't hesitate to nearly kill her without any remorse. Adora's priority was her friends, but especially Glimmer. "I want to be the hero she deserves". But you never see C//A stans talking about that, lol. They only bring up Glimmer and Adora's conflict or Glimmadora at all so they can shit on Glimmer and prove that Catra is a better girlfriend. Which is also bullshit.

Adora is allowed to want things, yes, but s5 pretty much sums it up as her wanting Catra of all people. Not her friends, not a family, or knowing more about her origins, idk. Just Catra. It's literally always about her. Adora is not a character that exists outside of Catra anymore. S5 definitely reinforced this, and the fandom only repeats this. It's annoying.

[exhaslo]

Idk if you have any interest in writing for any characters that aren't Miguel, but would you ever consider writing for Gabriel O'Hara? Either normal or as Green Goblin?

In terms of the Spider-Verse, noooooot really? But if someone requests a certain character I will do my best to write it.

Now for other series, oho, I got a list of characters I would die writing for! But, that will be after my hiatus (cuz Bleach is coming back and GRIMMJOW SHALL RISE!!!)

Warning: None, just fluff

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

Another day of unrecognized heroism.

At least to Gabriel, that's how it felt. Every day was a constant reminder that his ex preferred his brother as Spider-Man. Every day was a constant reminder that Gabriel returned to a lonely apartment, only to feel better after saving the day in Cyberspace.

But he shouldn't or his mother would get worried about him being addicted again. Gabriel did not want to be 'saved' by Miguel again after the last time.

All Gabriel wanted to do was feel heroic too.

'Wow! Thanks a bunch for getting me out of that mess!'

Gabriel's eyes widen as he stared at you. You were in a cute, cybernetic form and your speech was almost robotic. Your style was unique and quite different than what he was used too in Cyberspace.

"You're welcome...You need to be more careful with those crooks," Gabriel warned you.

Gabriel was a hero in the Cyberspace known as Firelight. He usually messed with a group called Discord, which prayed on poor individuals in the online world.

"Thought I was, but shit happens. Just wanted to cause a little bit of trouble, hehe."

"Trouble is what I'm supposed to do. Why don't you log off, it isn't safe to stay on here for too long." Gabriel said with a soft sigh. You crossed your arms,

"And do what. There isn't much for me in the real world,"

Gabriel felt sympathy for you. He started to type something and sent it to you. Your messages popped up with a 'ding', causing you to look at what was sent.

"Huh?"

"Whenever you want to talk or hang out. Just give me a shout. I don't mind." Gabriel said with a wide smile.

"Thanks."

--------

Gabriel didn't really think too much about the offer he gave you. He was always a kind soul, so the thought of helping someone was instinct. Gabriel was surprised when you actually messaged him to chat.

That was how everything started. Gabriel couldn't help but smile whenever you would message him or ask to hang out in Cyberspace. He couldn't help but use you as a distraction for himself as well.

Within time, Gabriel had started to like you. He couldn't wait for your messages. Your adventures in Cyberspace were sometimes just silly and fun.

"Hey, mind if I ask for your name? I know we really shouldn't in the Cyberspace....But I'd like to call you a friend."

"Hm, I'd like that too. How about this. Why don't we spare phone numbers, that way we can chat about more personal information like our names." Gabriel offered. You were hesitant at first, but agreed,

"Okay. Thanks, Firelight...for being my friend."

"Of course."

-------

Gabriel felt like his head was over the moon and his heart had landed in the stars. The two of you had started to text instead of visiting the Cyberspace. Gabriel finally convinced you about the dangers of staying online, and you listened.

It wasn't hard for Gabriel to admit that he was in love. Miguel called him silly for falling for someone he hadn't physically met yet. But hell, it was 2099! No one knew anything about anyone.

Gabriel knew that you were nervous. It took weeks of texting before you started to open up about your life with him. Gabriel was just happy that you even shared anything at all.

It took some time, but Gabriel asked to meet you in person.

You hesitantly agreed.

-------

Gabriel was waiting at a local coffee shop in downtown Nueva York. He found it more peaceful for you to meet him there since uptown was so snobby. Honestly, Gabriel had no idea how his brother, Miguel, does it.

Speaking of his brother, Gabriel couldn't help but notice the brute hovering over a nearby building as Spider-Man.

"And yet he says he doesn't care," Gabriel resisted a chuckle. Feeling his phone buzz, Gabriel checked his messages.

'I'm here, but just give me a minute. I'm really nervous...Can you stand or something so I know where you are? Or even who you are?'

Gabriel just smiled as he stood from his seat. He stood there for a few minutes before hearing you clear your throat behind him.

"G-Gabriel?"

"(Y/N)?"

Gabriel slowly turned around to face you. Your voice was low and he could hear your nervousness. Turning to finally face you, Gabriel's eyes widen as he smiled brightly.

"You're more beautiful than I ever imagined."

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Hehe, thought it would be cute to leave things off with the meeting. Leave the rest of the interaction up to your imagination! Haha

Hope you enjoyed!!!

[pixiedust-poppers]

you know funny enough, I feel like Jake and the neverland pirates would actually do really well as a Disney channel show for older kids (like say Gravity falls) instead of a preschool show. You’d be able to get more into lore and emotional stuff. Maybe even plot?

I don’t know, if they ever did decide to reboot the show it’s a neat idea.

*grabs your shoulders and shakes you excitedly*

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING!!!! LIKE!!!!

Ok, I think there is something to be done with Jake and his crew and his dynamic with Peter and Hook. Like for example how do the kids feel that Peter is only here for a day or a few hours, just enough to help with their issue? I'm sure the kids have a bit of an unhealthy attachment to him as he's really the only guardian figure they know, and as shown in Peter Pan's return, they all crave his attention so bad that they fuck up the mission trying to impress him! Like sure they can call him to bring him back to Neverland, but they don't perhaps he implemented a rule that they can only call him for emergencies. Which is also kinda hm. But you know he doesn't completely neglect them.

Word vomit incoming

Now let's take this a step deeper; what about Peter's relationship with them individually, it's clear he has a favorite, and it's Jake like that isn't a contest. Even if the show tries not to portray it in that manner it's obvious (I mean for fuck sake his name is in the title lol). His item(s)? A wooden sword personally hand-carved by Peter himself. After completing the Forever Quest, a golden sword called the Destiny Sword (towards the end of season 3) turns him into Captain Jake after giving the others a rousing speech about teamwork and how they can all get together to defeat Fathom with it. So it's clear he's the chosen (I'll touch more on that pressure later) by Neverland. But what does that mean for Izzy and Cubby? I mean sure they got items from him and he does care about them, but they're not as special as Jake. And they're never going to be, I mean god, Disney didn't even bother to make them Birthday episodes yet gave Jake two, then gave Skully and a minor character one. So it could develop into them realizing that while they are well-liked they aren't loved by Peter, Cubby is in denial about this revelation as he has gotten more gifts than Izzy. Izzy, the only girl in the main cast, is grated by this knowledge, she KNOWS and she has known for a long time. Enough to the point where perhaps she deserves a villain arc (then a redeemed villain arc) with the help of Captain Hook, who sees this opportunity to manipulate her for his gain.

Ok so jumping, let's go back to that Captain Jake issue. I personally didn't like Season 4, I thought it was shit BUT this new Captain Jake in a reboot could bring up an interesting little angst point called, "The pressure of being forced to be THE responsible one when you're only still a child." You might have all these other well-established Captains around you but, they depend on you to think of ideas, and come up with solutions to save the day, if you fail then it's on you but you're only 8 or 10 years old!!! A user mentioned this before but Jake could develop an entirely new personality as a Captain to make himself seem smarter and more capable than he actually is! This can go two ways A) he burns out and he burns out REAL bad and rather fast. B) The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and the realization of how much power he holds makes him realize he can almost do whatever he wants because he IS the 2nd most powerful person after Peter. This then comes his Power-tripping arc and the consequences of Peter not dividing this power between the trio, and being gassed up everyone, which raises his ego through the roof. This can only end badly obv and it does, how? idk but just know it does.

As for Captain Hook, because this is New Disney he can't be 100% back to his OG self but he can absolutely be raised to be more of an asshole in a Disney channel show and probably a bit fucked up. But you also would have to thread carefully on how you do these things, because one wrong move and Disney will have you rewrite the whole thing and tone it down more than need be. I also think there would be more to explore with the kids and their dynamic with him, since they also would have more nuance to them. They could have more stakes with him, and could honestly do more messed up shit with them he could make them have an inner conflict, he could manipulate one to join his side temporarily. Put the kids in more life-threatening situations that they don't come out unscathed from. Hell, you know what, I want him to win some episodes and get his way with Jake and his crew being powerless to stop it. It would teach a lesson that some days, you just can't win, someone who is nasty will win and get away with it and you have to be ok with that! (if you have resourced all your options first) Life will not always go your way. As for him and Red Jessica, show a toxic relationship, I mean come on do you REALLY think she has a thing for hook lol, it was shoehorned Hetero-shipping bait and it worked now can we do something else with it? As for smee, sharky and bones? I guess they can be less friendly to the sea pups, it would be more of a loyalty thing rather than a personal thing.

Also, the show could bring back the lost boys, to make the island seem less empty than it is, and maybe a different set of kids to replace the Native Americans.

Finally, to end this word vomit, the relationship between the kids. I really beg it be explored more. Now don't get me wrong they can have a wholesome and loving bond but not everything has to be peachy-keen. Like sure Jake is their captain but do they, not envy or resent him in some way? For example, they're all bright but Izzy is shown to be the brightest she has more knowledge about Neverland and its artifacts, so why is she not captain? Is it because she isn't naive enough? She isn't as nice or forgiving as Jake? She has no issue snapping at you when she's fed up? Then there's cubby, does he even have the real guts to be cut up for this type of thing? The classic "why him and not me?" type of deal. Then there's Cubby, does he hate being just stuck as coconut boy by his peers and other pirates? Will he ever break out of his shell, does he have a breaking point with his friends? Then Jake gets annoyed that they're not as in sync as they once were, he kinda hates that they're developing on their own and steadily gaining more and more independence. They're willing to talk back to him, be rude, and do less trio activities. Which leads to more conflicting ideas, possibly fights, and less "what I say goes!". He is scared of them changing and becoming their own individuals, he's scared that they might be growing up.

Sorry this is so so so long and rambly, I just have a lot to say about a reboot for this show that I cannot help myself.

[alovesongtheywrote]

Hide and Seek | Eddie Munson x Reader

♥ Summary:  When your first meeting with boyfriend's family goes off the rails to a murderous degree, you call your cute co-worker for help. as it turns out, he has a couple demonic tricks up his sleeves [Demon!Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader]

♥ Warnings:  18+, minors and ageless blogs dni. graphic violence, extreme gore, a rape metaphor, threats of sa, vomiting, stabbing, murder and attempted murder, gun related violence, violence against women, derogatory terms used for the reader by someone other than eddie (whore, slut, skank), multiple side characters infer that the only purpose of individuals with wombs is to have children/make sacrifices for others, unprotected sex, p in v sex, mild breeding kink, monster fucking, angst, mediocre smut imo, fluff. if you've ever seen ready or not, take that, and combine it with labour paris paloma. if i missed anything, please let me know so i can tag it

♥ A/N: other content tags include: modern au. demon au. there's vague lore to this, i might write a follow up. for more author's note, please check the bottom of this post.

♥ Word count:  23041

♥♥♥

“Grace couldn't be happier after she marries the man of her dreams at his family's luxurious estate. There's just one catch- she must now hide from midnight until dawn while her new in-laws hunt her down with guns, crossbows and other weapons.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” you hissed, snatching the movie away from your coworker, “Do not read that shit to me right now, I’m anxious enough as it is.”

A laugh slipped out from Eddie’s soft lips as he scrunched his face up in sympathy, “That bad, huh?”

“Don’t laugh at me,” you groaned, burying your face in your hands, “I never should’ve agreed to this.  I’m so stupid.”

Eddie shrugged, pouting slightly, “No, you’re stupid for other reasons.  This isn’t stupid.  This is far from stupid.  You’re just meeting your boyfriend’s family, I mean, that was gonna happen one way or another, right?”

You didn’t give a verbal response right away.  You just let out a pained scream, muffling the sound of it with your palms.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Eddie gave your arm a sympathetic pat.

“It’s just,” you pulled your hands away from your face, “It feels so soon- and I didn’t think my first meeting with them would be a weekend long getaway at their giant fucking mansion.  How the fuck am I supposed to deal with that?  A giant fucking mansion?  Who the fuck has a giant mansion in this economy?”

“Your boyfriend’s parents.”

You let out another distressed sound, “I mean, I knew Roman had money, I just… I didn’t know it was McMansion money.”

Eddie nodded, hopping up on the counter of the always quiet video store, “I see.  So what exactly are you afraid of here?  Slipping on marble floors?  Breaking their solid gold antiques?  Using the wrong fork in such an egregious fashion that you get yelled at?”

“Honestly, I’m mostly afraid of blaspheming or something.  His parents are like, hyper-Catholic.”

A smile crossed your face, but it faded far too fast for Eddie’s taste, “God, his parents are gonna hate me.”

Eddie tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy, or an adorable baby cow.  You weren’t entirely sure how he managed to pull off that expression.  Everything about his appearance seemed to scream tough, scary metalhead- except for his eyes.  His eyes betrayed the fact that under layers of leather, chains, and eyeliner, Eddie Munson was deeply kind.

“And now you’ve lost me,” he leaned back, tipping himself over the counter to a dangerous level, “How could anyone hate you, angel?”

“Eddie, I work a minimum wage job in a nearly-defunct movie store that sells DVDs.  I go to a community college for a degree that won’t take me anywhere.  I’m pathetic, and I have no energy ninety percent of the time, and even though I’m going to try and look nice this weekend, I know I’ll look like a mess.  I’m nothing.  I’m nothing, and I’m going nowhere, and in a hundred years I won’t be anything more than a footnote on a footnote on their son’s wikipedia page.  They’re gonna see that I’m not good enough for him.  I’m never gonna be enough for him and they’re gonna hate me for it.”

“Sweetheart-” his eyes were wide.  He looked completely shocked, taken aback that you saw yourself as nothing.

“You know, whenever we get an angry customer, everyone here hides behind you?”

You raised an eyebrow at him, unsure of where this was going.  Eddie continued, “It’s because you’re strong as hell and you’re terrifying- and you can make anyone see reason.  You’re smart as fuck and you take no shit from anyone.  You’re the furthest thing in the world from pathetic..”

“You’re just saying that-”

“I’m not!” he leaned forward, “I promise!  And I mean, besides all that, you’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met- and you’re definitely the hottest.”

“Are you sure about that?” you asked, finally cracking a smile, “You know Steve.”

“‘The Hair?’  Well, I mean, I have eyes, I know he’s gorgeous, but you?  You’re a total knockout,” he threw a few punches into the air.  You couldn’t hold back your laugh.

He smiled at you, just admiring the way you wheezed at his eccentricities.  

“You aren’t nothing,” he said as your laughter subsided.  

“I know,” you didn’t really believe your own words.  You were pretty sure he picked up on that.

“I’m serious!  You could have the entire world if you wanted it.  Forget a hundred years, I give it six months before the Earth is yours.”

“Are you sure about that?” “Six months!  Then the world is yours and the rest of us are just living in it.”

You scoffed, hopping up on the counter beside him, “Make it four.”

“Or less!”

A soft, content silence passed over the two of you.  You watched as Eddie’s long, slender fingers tapped a beat into his thigh.  You reached out, taking his hand into your own, running your thumb over the blue veins that lay beneath his skin.  God, you didn’t know a person could have such beautiful hands.

“Still,” with his hand still in yours, you leaned into his shoulder, using it as an oddly soft pillow while you spoke, “Even if I am taking over the world, I haven’t done it yet- so this weekend is going to fucking suck.”

“Hey, if there’s anyone who can deal with hellish in-laws, it would be you.  Pretend they’re just customers.   If anyone can deal with a couple of rich in-laws for a weekend, it’s you.”

“Is it?” you sighed, “Or are they gonna kill me because I used the wrong salad fork?”

Eddie rolled his eyes, a smirk crossing his lips.  He gave your hand a squeeze and let go before he jumped off the cash desk, “They’re not gonna kill you, sweetheart.  You think Roman would let them?”

“Who knows?  Think of Grace.  Think of Chris Washington.  This could totally be a Get Out, or a Ready or Not!”

You were playing around now, dabbling in worst case scenarios to ease some pressure off of your worried mind.  Eddie played along with you, as he so often did.

“You’re right.  You’re totally gonna get murdered this weekend.  I’ll have to find someone to pick up your Monday shift.”

“I know,” you feigned a wince,  “Sorry in advance.  I’ll be too busy getting sacrificed to the devil.”

Eddie paused for a split second.  His smile wavered so briefly that you didn’t quite catch it as you continued on your dramatic rant.

“And yes, I should have informed the company over text, at least!  But!” you shrugged, “I was too busy getting murdered by my in-laws.”

“That’s no excuse!” Eddie gasped, taking on some weird, posh sounding accent- presumably the sound of the bourgeoisie, “You should know that the interests of Family Video come before personal crap like getting murdered.”

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Boss Man.  I’d ask you not to fire me, but, y’know.  I’m dead.”

Eddie’s smile returned in full force as he twisted away from you, focusing on the new task of placing films back on their shelves.  As you gazed at his back, gears began to turn in your brain.  Maybe keeping someone in the know about your whereabouts wouldn’t be such a terrible idea.

“Hey, Eddie?  Would it- would it be okay if I did inform you?  Over text?  If something happens, I mean.”

He paused, and when he spoke again his voice was much softer, “Nothing’s gonna happen to you, sweetheart.”

“I know that.  Logically, I know that- I’m talking about a scenario where everything goes terribly wrong and I end up offending the hell out of his parents.  If they hate me, can I call you?”

Eddie nodded, his sweet eyes widening as his strong hands wrapped around the plastic case of another film.  

“Of course, sweetheart.  Of course.”

You bit your lip as you watched him turn.  The way Eddie spoke to you filled something inside of you.  It met a deep dark need that ached somewhere in your chest.  You wondered if, in a different universe- one where you had met Eddie before you met Roman- you would still have that need.  

You kept your eyes on Eddie for a few minutes before you finally turned away.

-

Hours later, the clicking sound of your heels echoed across the front lawn of a rather imposing mansion.  The smell of freshly cut grass overtook your senses, nearly covering the underlying stench of metal.  Already, the grass was covered in fallen Autumn leaves.  

A mildly uncomfortable dress clung to your body, exposing your shoulders to the chill of the early evening air.  An expensive bottle of red wine sat heavy in your hands.  Behind you, you could hear the muttering of butlers (butlers!) as your luggage was removed from the car you’d arrived in.

Roman stood at your side, his piercing blue eyes dead focused on the door a few paces ahead of you.  His suit was perfectly tailored to every sharp edge of his toned form.  The harsh scent of his expensive cologne stung your nose.  He was the very picture of confidence- next to him, you felt like a lost, sad stray puppy.

“You’re sure about this?” you asked, not bothering to turn to face him.  You knew he wouldn’t look you in the eye for a question this trivial, “You really think I’m ready to meet-”

“You are,” there was no hesitation in your paramour’s voice.  There was no compassion, either.

“And you think they’re ready to meet me?”

When you were met with silence, you steeled yourself.  You took a deep breath, clenching your fists as your lungs filled with the scent of cut grass and cologne.

“Now, the second that door opens, you are quiet and polite, got that?  Don’t speak out of turn, laugh softly, and for once in your life, do as I ask.”

You didn’t have time to respond.

The door swung open as you and Roman approached, revealing the smiling faces of a middle aged couple.  You had been informed about them on the car ride up- and you didn’t fail to notice the way they looked you up and down, judging you in a practiced silent way.  

The woman, Roman’s mother, had short dark hair, styled neatly so her bangs framed her unwrinkled face.  From what you’d been told, she was a fan of diamonds, anti-aging creams, and vintage reds- hence the bottle in your hands.  The man next to her, Roman’s father, Benedict, shared your boyfriend’s piercing blue eyes.  The watch on his wrist was expensive, though you already knew it would be.  When it came to the finer things in life, Benedict (never Ben) was something of a collector.  

The couple was perfectly warm as they welcomed you into their home.  Cecilia placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, and Benedict clapped his son on the back, expressing a sort of fatherly pride.  Still, as you stepped through the heavy oak doors, you were overwhelmed with a sense of wrongness.  It took all your strength to smile through it.  You had to ignore every instinct you had- all of which were currently screaming for you to run.  

A chill ran up your spine as the doors swung shut behind you, trapping you inside with a heavy thud.  Someone took the wine from your hands.  You had no choice now.  You were in.

You tried to shake off your unease as you moved through the hallways.  Each space you entered dripped with the trappings of wealth.  Everything was crafted with fine materials by the very best craftsmen.  The decorations were decadent and modern and entirely overwhelming.  You could just tell that everything in this house was more expensive than your car.  

You did your best to listen as Cecilia and Benedict took turns delivering the history of the marble floors and fancy trims, but you couldn’t help but focus on their taste in wall decor.  Oil portraits hung on the walls; painted visages of men and women stared down from golden frames.  Their bodies were bathed in painted finery, and their eyes seemed to watch you as you passed through their hallway.

“Ah, I see you have an eye for art!” Benedict exclaimed, stepping away from your side for a moment to gesture to the portrait of one woman in specific.  She had the saddest honey-brown eyes you had ever seen.  You wanted to reach out and hold her hand- which was odd, considering the fact that she was a painting.  

Benedict continued, ignoring you as you became lost in your own mind, “These paintings are all originals, all commissioned by the family.”

Your eyes followed the line of portraits as far as you could see.  In each gilded frame, a different face peered out at you with sad, desperate eyes.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Cecilia took your elbow in her hand, pulling you closer to the painting of the brown-eyed girl, “She was Benedict's darling first wife.  She passed so tragically young.”

Her words told a tragic tale, but her tone was nothing short of upbeat.  You stood straighter, becoming more aware of Cecilia’s proximity to you and the smile on her face as she continued to speak of Benedict’s late partner.You couldn’t help but notice that the woman in the frame was missing a ring.  

“She died in childbirth, as did her baby- her only child.  When she left us, we had this portrait made.”

“Tragically, that’s the case with most of these old things,” Roman said, placing a hand on the small of your back, “When a LeBuer passes, we commemorate their life with art.  It’s a nice way to keep them close- to keep them from leaving.  Someday soon, you’ll join them.”

You nodded, entirely unsure of how to respond to that statement.  All of your jokes with Eddie had been just that- jokes.  Now, however, with the eyes of the portraits boring into you, you were actually starting to get freaked out.  

“Come now,” Benedict’s voice boomed through the hallway as he guided the group away from the portrait and down the corridor, “It would be rude to leave the rest of the family waiting.”

“Oh, yes.  They’ve all been so excited to meet you!  Roman has told us such wonderful things.”

You peered at Roman from the corner of your eye, wondering what, exactly, he had told his family.  He kept his gaze on the portrait, glaring at the woman within as if she had done him a personal injustice.  He remained there, stock still with that look on his face until his parents pulled you away, leaving Roman behind.

A short ways away, the hall opened up into a second foyer that was somehow even grander than the first.  A chaise lounge sat in the middle of the room.  On a small table next to it, dried flowers sat perfectly arranged in a vase that definitely cost more than you could hope to make in a lifetime.  An elegant staircase twisted up one wall.  Beneath it stood an oak door, covered from top to bottom with fine gold detailing.  When you looked closer, you could see that the gold made up tiny illustrations of what you had to assume were biblical stories.

The other walls were decorated with more portraits.  More finely dressed men and women, more piercing eyes staring down from gilded frames.  You suppressed a shiver of discomfort.

Roman’s parents stopped you just as you reached the door beneath the stairs.  Benedict  stood behind you, keeping a firm grip on your shoulders as Cecilia gathered your hands in her own.

“Now, some members of the family were unable to make it- tonight you’ll be meeting our daughter Medea-”

“And her no good husband,” Benedict continued, the tone of his voice and Cecilia’s eye roll betraying the truth behind his joke. 

“You’ll also meet our eldest son, Adam, and Roman’s aunt and uncle, their son, and-”

“Cathrine,” Roman announced his return to the group, “You’ll get to meet Cathrine.”

Honestly, you had no clue who the fuck that was.  Cathrine could’ve been the family pet for all you knew- but something about the way Roman’s lips curved around her name, the way his voice took on a tender tone that he never even used with you- that said otherwise.

“Are you ready, dear?”  Cecilia took your hands in hers again as she asked.  Her words were kind, but you couldn’t help but think her smile looked fake.  You drew in a harsh breath.  Your heart began to race in your chest.  You drew your lower lip between your teeth, nibbling at it as your nerves twisted in an anxious dance.  Cecilia’s hand drifted up towards her neck, where she laid a few dainty fingers over a necklace- a gold chain and a crucifix.  For a split second, and only a split second, you could see disgust cross her face.

“I-” you stuttered, “I think I need a moment.”

Cecilia said nothing.  She no longer looked like she wanted to throw up at the very sight of you, but there was still a cold look in her eyes.  Benedict was unaffected by his wife’s sudden frost.

“Just as well!  We’ll let the family know you’ve arrived.”

He took his wife by the elbow and gestured for his son to follow, guiding them both through the massive doors into what looked like a void of darkness.  Before you could question it, the patriarch’s voice called out to you.

“Come in soon, dear.  They’re waiting for you.”

You smiled, attempting to cover the tremor that ran through you at the echoing sound of Benedict’s voice.  The second the doors shut behind the happy family, you let your facade drop.  You collapsed onto the chaise lounge.  At a different time, you might’ve felt glamorous doing that, in the moment, you just felt anxious.

Moving quickly, you pulled your phone from your dress pocket.  Your lockscreen was a photo of you and Roman at a beach.  His arm was wrapped around you, his eyes and smile confident and self assured.  Beside him, you simply looked inadequate- tired and anxious.  Unlocking the phone, you were met with your homescreen- a photo of you and Eddie where the flash made his eyes go red- and a text from the man himself.

EDDIE: hope you got to the haunted mansion safe and sound (ooooooo ooooooo *spooky sounds*)

Your thumbs flew as you typed a response.

Y/N: i’m here, and i haven’t been murdered yet.  this place is fucking *weird* though

EDDIE: what brand of weird are we talkin??  good weird?  bad weird?  me weird?  that time gareth got drunk and tried to organize the gravel behind my place weird?

You paused, smiling before you resumed typing.

Y/N: ok, tbh, i don’t think anything is gonna top gareth weird

Y/N: but things are like… weird weird.  

Y/N: i don’t mean to be a bitch.  his family is perfectly nice, it’s just…  they have paintings??  oil paintings of all these dead people.  apparently they’re all relatives, but there are so many of them

EDDIE: huh

EDDIE: maybe it isn’t ready or not, maybe you’re in crimson peak, and one of his relatives is murdering all of their wives 

EDDIE: hey if you see tom hiddleston wandering around looking sad, lmk, i wanna get in on that

Y/N: ha ha, very funny

Y/N: but seriously, i hate these damn paintings- it feels like the eyes are following me

Y/N: I’m On Edge, eds. seriously, Roman told me I was gonna join the paintings on the wall one day, and maybe it was a marriage proposal, but it felt more like a threat

There was a pause, a moment where all you had were three little dots telling you he was typing.  For a split second, the storm of anxiety brewing in your chest threatened to overtake you.  Your breath came in harsh pants as your hands began to shake.  Eddie would think you were overreacting.  It was just a comment from your boyfriend- you thought for sure Eddie would call you crazy.  Roman would have called you crazy.  

EDDIE: do you want me to come get you?  I can be there in half an hour if i drive fast enough

Just like that, the storm faded.  The thundering beat of your heart returned to normal.  You couldn’t help the grin that crossed your face as you stared at your phone, nor could you withhold the relieved sigh that left your lungs.

Y/N: don’t break any traffic laws for me just yet… but leave your phone on, just in case

EDDIE: as you wish.  stay safe, sweetheart 

You stared at your phone until the screen went black, trying to fight the warmth that crept up your face.  After years of knowing Eddie, those damn pet names never lost their effect on you.  You tried to shake it off, steeling yourself to prepare for your next challenge.

In-laws.

With a calming deep breath- and then a second and third calming deep breath when the first one didn’t do its job- you pushed open the doors and made your way into the next impossibly fancy room.  

Immediately, you were overcome with the sense that the very act of entering this room was a massive mistake.  It was almost as if the space itself knew you did not belong inside of it.  

A wide, oval shaped table took center stage in the middle of the room.  Like everything else in the house, it was finely crafted- and probably custom made.  The surface was carved with strange, intricate shapes.  Chairs had been scattered around it haphazardly, as if a family sat down only to get right back up again.  The walls were covered in paintings alongside various taxidermied trophies from various hunts.  Unlike the paintings, the glass eyes of the deer, foxes, rabbits and bears didn’t seem to follow you.  Two cabinets sat at the far end of the room, both well stocked with guns and other weapons that you could just see through beautiful glass panes.

The entire LeBuer family fell silent and turned to face you, as if you had rudely interrupted each and every one of their conversations.

You stood there for a moment, facing Roman’s family with wide eyes.  His parents were standing with a pregnant woman, her hands clutching the arm of the man that stood beside her.  That would probably be Medea and her husband if Benedict ’s clenched fists were anything to go by.  Across the room from them, another couple stood talking to two young men, presumably Roman’s aunt and uncle, his brother and his cousin.  At the very back of the room, in front of a massive portrait of a dark-eyed man with a devilish smirk, stood Roman.  With him was a woman you did not recognize.  Cathrine.

Each and every one of them wore an expression like you had just kicked their dog.  Lovely.

The room seemed to drop a few degrees in the following moments.  Silence filled the air as you stared at the family, and they stared back.  You had half a mind to turn right back around and call Eddie, and you were about to follow through with it when Benedict moved towards you.

“Ladies and gentlemen!  And other creatures of the night,” he pointed at Roman’s uncle with a grin, “It is my honour and privilege to introduce you to the newest member of the family.”

You felt like that was a bit extreme, but really, you were just glad someone was talking.

“Miss (L/N),” Benedict ’s hand was on your back, guiding you through the room, “I’d like to introduce you to my brother, his lovely wife, their son, Alexander, and our boy Adam.”

You tried to hide the tremor in your fingers as you made your introductions and shook their hands.  Roman’s aunt and uncle gave you polite but cold smiles.  Alexander looked completely uninterested in you.  Adam almost looked too interested.  He wouldn’t let go of your hand until you pulled away with moderate force.  The smell of his cologne was overwhelming.

The storm of anxiety Eddie had eased moments before had returned in full.  You could feel it clawing at your ribs- it was a force of nature that became less like a weather event and more like a feral creature the longer you stood in that room.  Every moment you spent speaking to Roman’s family was a moment your instincts screamed at you for not running away.

But you were being silly.  These were just nerves.  You wanted to make a good impression.  You wanted to get along with Roman’s family.  You wanted them to approve of you- to make him happy.  He wasn’t even looking at you.  Even as you crossed the room, as you were introduced to his sister and his brother-in-law, his eyes stayed on that other woman.  Cathrine.

“We’re so excited that Roman has finally found someone,” Medea let go of her husband’s arm, placing her hands over her bump, “Maybe our little guy will have a friend to run around with someday soon.”

You didn’t even try to make your laugh sound genuine.  You just smiled, and nodded, and pretended you were totally down with that idea.  

You were not totally down with that idea.

“Roman!” Benedict  called out, “Come here, son.  Introduce your sweet girl to dear (Y/N).”

It took you a moment to process Benedict ’s words- his phrasing was odd, and perhaps it would be a touch hurtful if you were a jealous woman.  

Across the room, Roman took Cathrine’s hand, cradling it gently in his.  He looked at her like she was precious to him, as if she was something he’d searched all of time and space for and finally found.  He looked at her as if she was a divine and expensive creature.  

If you were a jealous woman, this would have been more than a touch hurtful- it would have been a punch hurtful, perhaps.  Roman never looked at you that way.

“(Y/N), dear, this is Cathrine,” those weren’t Roman’s words.  He didn’t even bother to introduce you to her.  His mother did, “She was a childhood friend of Roman’s.”

“They’ve always been close,” Benedict said, putting a hand on your shoulder.  It was probably meant to be reassuring, but it felt like a dead weight on your back, pushing you forward into the event horizon of a black hole.

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for so long,” Cathrine smiled at you, her voice was sweet as honey- with a special sort of poison lurking just beneath, “Roman’s told me so many good things.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” you tapped your fingers against your wrist in a rapid, anxious rhythm, “I’d be a little sad if he only told you bad things.”

Cathrine laughed, but the sound was fake; a cheap plastic vase in the place of a porcelain one.  You knew your joke was bad, but still, the sound put you on edge.  When her tiny nose wrinkled with laughter, you were almost sure she was scowling at you.  As her chest rose and fell, you caught sight of her choice of jewelry- a gold chain with a dainty crucifix.  

“Oh,” she hummed, “You’re so funny!  That’s such a good trait.  You’re so pretty, too.  I’m so glad Roman picked you.”

She looked at you the way a hawk would look at its prey moments before they tore it into little tiny pieces.  You thanked her quickly and cast your gaze to the floor, unable to stare down her bloodthirsty expression.

You didn’t have to avoid her gaze for long.  The massive doors creaked open.  The sound echoed through the room.  Neatly dressed men in white shirts and black dress pants filed through, each of them carrying a tray with a single flute of champagne on it.  It seemed incredibly inefficient, but you were just happy that something had distracted Cathrine from her murderous thoughts.

Benedict took his place at the head of the table, standing behind the chair that you assumed was his.  The rest of the family followed suit.  There was a place saved for you beside Roman.  Feeling petty, you took a spot away from him- an empty seat closer to the head of the table.  No one seemed to mind, and the place that would have been yours was filled by Alexander.  

“My beloved family,” Benedict  raised his glass, “A toast!  To good company, good fortune, and a bright future.”

You watched Roman’s family toast and drink.  You did the same.  You had never tasted such salty champagne.  

Benedict continued, “To my brother-” he turned to Roman’s uncle, but you could not make out the man’s face.  You shook your head, trying to clear your head.  Benedict’s voice became briefly inaudible as your vision blurred.

No one paid you any mind.  Roman’s father continued, his glass still held aloft, “To my darling wife-”

You gripped onto your glass, breath coming fast as Benedict’s voice faded in and out.  Black dots swam in front of you.  Something was very wrong.

“My dear children.  You have ensured that our family will prosper for yet another generation.  First, my sweet Medea, and now Roman.  You’ve brought home the perfect girl- and the perfect sacrifice.”

You couldn’t have heard that right.  The world seemed to sway, spinning around as you tried to stay steady on your feet.  Your stomach flipped and your throat burned as you fought the urge to vomit all over the table.   

“You’ve done an excellent job, Roman,” Cecilia’s voice was immeasurably fond.  Her eyes were on you.

“Did you really have to pick such a cute sacrifice, though?”  Medea whined, “Now your kid is going to be cuter than mine.”

“Does the demon have a preference?”

You stumbled backwards, champagne glass slipping from your hand as you tripped away from the family.  The sound of shattering glass was entirely lost on you.

“What-” your voice was weak.  You could barely hear yourself over the static in your ears, “What the fuck-?”

“Relax now, dear,” Benedict put a hand on your shoulder, “You will come to understand in time.”

You jerked away from him, nearly collapsing to the floor in your haste to get away.  You could see Roman approaching you, hands outstretched as if you were some feral creature he wanted to soothe.

“Darling,” he whispered.  You couldn’t hear him, you could only see his lips moving.

“The drugs are in her system, Roman.  You’ll have to speak up.”

Roman sighed, throwing his hands in the air as if annoyed that he’d have to expend anymore energy on calming you.  You were kind of used to that gesture, actually.

“(Y/N), darling- my family has a tradition.  We can’t further the family line until-”

“Until we spill the blood of an innocent and summon the ancient gods,” Cathrine spoke, stepping towards Roman and wrapping her arms around his waist.  She grinned as confusion spilled across your features, and she spoke to you as if you were a small child, “Don’t you understand?  You’re here because I wanted to have a child with my husband.”

Ice spilled through your veins as realization sunk in.  The agony of betrayal bit at your heels like the feral dog this family imagined you to be.  Anguish spread through you, burning in your throat and behind your eyes.  You were hurt, you were sick, and over everything else, you were annoyed.

Because you had been right, and Eddie would never hear about it from you.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Roman took a step closer, “I wasn’t the only one in our relationship who loved someone else.  I had Cathrine.  You had that boy from your work. You should have stayed with him.”

Roman’s words stung like tiny razors dancing across your skin.  Of course this was mostly because he was excusing his own deceit, but it was also because he was kind of right.  You didn’t want to admit it.  You didn’t want your killer to be right about anything- but here, in what could be your last moments, you were thinking of Eddie.

You made an attempt at retreat, but your back hit something.  A cabinet.  

Roman’s eyes were on you.  His family’s eyes were on you.  His wife’s eyes were on you.  Your intuition had been right all along- you were the prey, and they were the hunters.  You were never welcome here.  You were never going to be welcome here.  Your mind raced, eyes flitting around as you tried to find a way out.  They were going to kill you.  Roman’s family was going to kill you in a stupid, cliche way.

But the LeBuer family, in their infinite wisdom, had made a mistake.

They backed their prey into a cabinet filled with guns.

You let out a shuddering breath, folding in on yourself as you tried to project the image of a woman defeated.  You let out a sob, a genuine sound, even though it was a distraction.

“You’re right,” your voice betrayed your terror, “For both our sakes.  I should have stayed with Eddie.”

Roman didn’t have time to ask what you meant.  None of them did, and you couldn’t imagine them being super curious about what you had to say, anyway.  You were livestock to them.  Something to stab so that they could further their family lineage, or whatever the fuck they had said.  You couldn’t remember it clearly, and as you stood, the thought completely vanished from your mind.

Adrenaline flooded through your system as you threw your elbow into the glass panes of the display cabinet.  You didn’t feel the glass pierce your skin, or your blood dripping over the wood.  You just felt the solid reassuring presence of a weapon in your hands.  

You weren’t sure if it was loaded.  Even if it was, you were not confident in your ability to shoot straight given your drugged state.  Therefore, when the first of Roman’s family members approached you, you decided to use the shotgun in your hands as a club.

Alex went down like a fucking chump.

You hit him in the face and he collapsed to the floor with a sharp screech.  Adam was next.  You ducked under his open arms and nailed him on the inside of his thigh with the butt of the gun.  Just as he fell to the ground, Roman’s uncle moved in.  You jumped up, hitting his chin from below and sending him stumbling into his wife.

The other members of the family began to back away.  You turned the gun in your arms, aiming it at them as if you knew what you were doing.  They raised their hands in surrender.  You kept the weapon trained on them as you began to stumble through the room, your back to the wall as you headed for the door.

“Now, (Y/N), sweetheart,” Cecilia began, “You have to understand- this is for the greater good!  Your sacrifice would give Roman and Cathrine the ultimate gift- a child!  Don’t you want that for them?  Don’t they deserve it?  The joys of mother and fatherhood?”

“Isn’t this your place as a woman?” Adam decided to join in, “To give life?  Don’t you want to fulfill your duty as a woman?”

“Don’t you love our son, (Y/N)?” Benedict  asked, “Please, help him with this.  No marriage is truly blessed without children.”

You almost lowered the weapon, shocked at their audacity, “It was never gonna work out.  Turns out he’s married.”

You were almost there, almost out.  Just another few steps, and then you could run.  You didn’t know how far you would get, how long the adrenaline would last, but it had to get you somewhere, right?

You would call Eddie.  You had to call Eddie.

Just as you formed a concrete plan in your mind, someone’s arms wrapped around your throat.  They pulled you back, nearly throwing you to the floor before you had a chance to fight back.  You scratched at their hands with your free one, managing to draw blood.  The angle was awkward, but you did your best, using the gun to try and beat them away from you.  They tried their best to pry the thing from your hands.  You fought back.  Their arm was tight against your windpipe.  With their other hand, they reached down.  Their finger wrapped around the trigger.

The sound of a shot made your ears ring.  The arms around your throat dropped in a millisecond.  You stumbled away, hand wrapping around the gun as you dared to glance behind you.  

Roman’s uncle was on the ground.  The space where his face had been was nothing more than a mass of blood, bits of skull, and scattered brains.

You aimed the gun at your hunters.  You could faintly hear Roman’s aunt screaming, but you tuned her out.  It was easy enough- your ears were still ringing.

“Are you still going to kill me?”

There was a moment of silence.  Blood pooled on the marble floor near your feet.  The light from the chandelier caught on the broken champagne glass you’d left on the floor.  You were seeing double again.

Roman nodded.  So did the second, drug fueled vision of him that only you could see.

“Fine,” you hissed, shutting your eyes against the harsh reality you were facing.  When you opened them again, Roman was much closer, staring you down with a look of pure disappointment.  The fucking audacity of these people.  You turned the gun in your hands again, hitting him in the dead center of his face.

“Good luck with that.”

With that, you were gone, tearing out the doors and down the hallways.  The mansion that Roman’s family called home was a fucking maze.  Even without the drugs coursing through your system, you would’ve been lost in seconds.  The only thing you could do was find a place to hide.

You let out a small laugh at the thought.  Your night had, despite all improbabilities, actually turned into Ready or Not- a cursed game of hide and seek that would end with somebody dying.  You would never let Eddie forget this.

That is, if you saw him again.  To do that, you needed to survive long enough to call him, and get help.  You could do that- you had to believe that you could do that.

You could hear voices and footsteps far down the hallway.  Someone was coming.  With your goal in mind, you ran.  It was a struggle to avoid falling or tripping over the stupidly lavish hallway runner.  There were no significant landmarks to tell you where you were going.  There were no windows, no doors, and every damned wall was covered in those paintings.  The portraits with sad eyes watched as you tried to make your escape.  You weren’t afraid of them anymore.  

After coming upon two dead ends, you finally found some way to make progress.  A twisting stairway led up to another floor.  You didn’t have time to weigh your options.  The voices of your pursuers were only growing louder.  With the shotgun in hand, you threw yourself up the stairs and bolted onto the second floor.

Immediately, you were blessed by the last rays of light that the sun had to offer as it sunk below the horizon.  You didn’t have time to enjoy it.  You just ran down the hallway, past windows and portraits until you finally, finally found a series of doors.  

The first few you tried were locked.  Sweat pooled in the palms of your hands as you heard someone running up the stairs.  The ground seemed to shift beneath your feet when one of the doors finally swung open beneath your palm.  Counting yourself lucky, you tucked yourself inside and gently shut the door behind you.  Moments later, you heard footsteps thudding passed your hiding place.

You took in your surroundings.  You were in a bedroom.  Though it was beautiful, the space smelled of dust and neglect.  The fine silk sheets on the bed clearly hadn’t been used in some time.  A bronze crucifix hung over the bed, though it had been tilted to the side ever so slightly.  The rug was expensive, but its red hue had been darkened from dust.  The other furnishings had suffered a similar fate.  

You took a step forward, trying to explore the room further and get away from the door.  Your leg gave out beneath you.  Nausea overtook your body as you struggled to stand.  The world wouldn’t stop spinning.  Again, your vision doubled, though this time it faded to black at the edges.

You were about to pass out.

In a desperate attempt at self preservation, you checked the door behind you.  There was no way to lock it- no keyhole, no mechanism, nothing.  You glanced at your surroundings again- there was a bed, an oak chest that was far too small for you to fit inside of it, a nightstand, and a door.    You had no choice but to crawl to it, dragging yourself across the floor, burning your skin on the rug.  

You had fully assumed that this door would lead you to a closet, but to your luck, you found a small ensuite.  It was just as neglected as the bedroom- particles of dust floated through the air, coating the counter and catching in the fluffy towels that hung on the wall- but the door had the ability to lock.  That was all that really mattered to you.

You slid the shotgun in first, tucking it beside the toilet before you slid yourself in, knees and thighs clinging to the cold tile.  The moment you were in, you pulled the door shut behind you and locked it.  A moment passed.  The silence was broken only by your deep, haggard breathing.  Your hands clutched at nothing as you tried to calm the erratic beat of your heart.

Though you desperately needed a second to catch your breath, time was not on your side.  Your body shook almost violently on the cold bathroom floor.  Your vision continued to darken, and you knew that whatever drugs were in your system would slowly drag you under if you let them.  You didn’t know if you would wake up from that.

Pulling yourself over to the toilet, you made yourself vomit to the best of your ability.  You did everything you could do.  Still, the world swam in front of you.  As you faded from consciousness, you managed to pull your phone out from your pocket.  Roman’s smiling face mocked you from the screen as you unlocked the damn thing.  In the final moments before the world went dark, you managed to send out one text.  You hoped that Eddie left his phone on.

Y/N: sos.  sos.  please.

Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as your phone clattered to the floor.  Night fell as you lay there, alone and asleep on the bathroom floor.  All the while, Roman’s family searched for you, becoming more agitated as they did.

The sound of your phone vibrating against the tile floor pulled you from your sleep.  The bathroom was dark and cold, and you shivered as you sat up.  Your skull ached.  Your throat stung.  Your limbs hung heavy at your sides.  In other words, you felt like total fucking garbage, and in that sweet moment before you remembered what hell you were living in, you swore you were going to shatter your phone for robbing you from your peaceful sleep.

And then you remembered that you were in deep, deep shit.

You immediately began to search for your phone, pawing mindlessly through the darkness with only the occasional vibration to guide you.  When your fingers wrapped around the sweet little device, you almost cried tears of joy.  You unlocked it quickly, wincing at the agonizingly bright light that spilled from your screen.

Your phone was flooded with missed calls and texts, not only from Eddie, but from Steve, Robin, and Nancy.  Your dear friend had raised the alarms- and you were so thankful that he did.

EDDIE: what’s up??  are you ok???

EDDIE: what’s going on???

EDDIE: (Y/N)???

EDDIE: do you need me to come get you??

EDDIE: is this a joke??  if this is a joke, it fucking sucks :(

EDDIE: you’re freaking me out, man

He called you.  Of course, you hadn’t been awake to answer.

EDDIE: come onnnnn, (Y/N), pick up the phone

EDDIE: ok, im making steve call you

EDDIE: if this is a joke, he’s gonna be so mad

EDDIE: he’s gonna go full dad on you, just wait

EDDIE: and if it isn’t

EDDIE: please tell me this is a joke

There was a missed call from Steve, then a missed call from Robin.  The latter had spammed your phone with texts and direct messages, sending you your name a thousand times on three different apps.  Steve had sent a few frantic texts of his own.  Both Steve and Robin were clearly worried by the end of it, but neither of them could top Eddie.  From his texts alone, you could tell he was terrified, and that was without all the missed calls (of which there were at least 20 and at most 200.  You didn’t bother to read the number correctly.)

A twinge of guilt ran through you as you kept reading.

EDDIE: ok, you aren’t answering steve or robin

EDDIE: i don’t like this

EDDIE: please tell me what’s wrong

EDDIE: please

EDDIE: if you don’t respond, i’m calling hopper

EDDIE: i swear to christ

EDDIE: (Y/N) my heart can’t take this, please pick up your phone

EDDIE: ok, that’s it, im calling hopper

That was the most recent message.  You responded.

Y/N: do it and hurry

EDDIE: HOLY FUCK YOU’RE ALIVE

EDDIE: thank god 

Y/N: i need you to come get me, now

Y/N: please

EDDIE: i'm on my way

EDDIE: are you okay?  can you tell me what’s going on?

There was no way you could tell him- not through text, anyway.  There was no way he would believe you based on words alone.  You tapped his name in your contacts list and hit the little phone icon.  He picked up on the first ring.

“(Y/N)?  Sweetheart, what’s going on?”

His voice was distorted by static, but you could still hear every ounce of his concern.  Your body warmed as tears pooled in your eyes.

“I- I don’t even know, Eds,” you cringed as your voice cracked, but Eddie didn’t miss a beat.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.  Just take deep breaths for me, angel.  You don’t have to say anything, Just stay where you are, I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.  Okay, just be careful.  They-” you paused, taking a shuddering breath as you remembered the feeling of drugs coursing through your veins, of an arm around your throat and hands grasping at your body.  You knew it had happened.  The shotgun lying beside you and the blood spattered across your body told you that.  Still, you barely believed that any of it was real.

“What did they do?  If they hurt you, I swear to god-”

“I think they drugged me,” you sounded so painfully small, broken in the middle of this strange bathroom, “They drugged me, and Roman’s uncle tried to choke me, and I- they said something about sacrifice?”

“What the fuck?” Eddie sounded just as terrified as you felt, “I’m calling Hop, he’ll meet us there.”

“Call an ambulance too, please.  I don’t know what they gave me, and I feel sick.”

“I will.  Just hang on, sweet girl, just hang on for me.”

“Okay,” you whispered as tears finally spilled down your cheeks.

The line fell silent for a moment as your mind raced over the events of the day.  With another shaky gasp, you spoke again.

“Roman is married.”

“Shit- what?”

“He’s married.  He has a wife.  They want to kill me.”

“Jesus H. Christ-”

He’s about to say more when you cut him off, “And Roman’s uncle shot himself in the face.  He- he was trying to kill me.”

“Holy fuck- and he shot himself in front of you?  God, angel, I’m- I’m so sorry.”

A small, breathy laugh escaped you, “Don’t worry.  It was kind of metal.”

It was such a weird joke, but you were coping in whatever way you could.  Eddie laughed cautiously over the phone, clearly concerned but allowing you to cope.  The line fell silent for a few moments.  You could hear him scrambling around, grabbing his keys and trying not to trip over himself.  Despite the situation, you were filled with overwhelming affection for the man on the other end of the line.

“I love you, you know,” you weren’t sure he heard you.  You didn’t try to speak up, “If I don’t make it out of here, I want you to know that.”

“You’re gonna make it out of there.  I promise, I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.  I love you, too, sweet girl.”

You let out another small, terrible laugh.  Tears kept spilling down your cheeks.  You couldn’t hold them back anymore.

“Y’know what’s funny?  I was right.  I’m hiding from my boyfriend’s family members while they try to kill me- this is just like Ready or Not.”

“You’re right.  You were right, and this is just like that fucking movie, and you’re gonna get to rub this in my face for the rest of our lives, just stay put, baby.  I’ll be there soon, ok?”

Before you could answer, a floorboard creaked somewhere nearby.  You pulled the phone away from your ear.  Footsteps thudded down the hallway.  A chill ran up your spine.  You threw yourself away from the door as quietly as you could, seizing the shotgun with your free hand.

The bedroom door opened.

“Eddie,” you whispered, “Someone’s here.  I have to go.”

“Okay,” he sounded frantic, “Okay, okay.  You go, stay safe, I’ll be there soon, sweetheart.  I love you.”

“I love you,” the words were barely there.  You hoped to whatever force was out there that he heard you.  The light of your phone dimmed down to nothing, and you were left alone in the dark and the quiet.

You slipped your phone into your pocket with the utmost caution, trying not to make even the smallest of sounds.  Moving slowly, you wrapped your other hand around the shotgun, holding it in front of you like the world’s worst shield.  Someone was breathing on the other side of the door.  You could hear them moving around, getting closer and closer to your hiding space.

Suddenly, the bedroom fell silent.

The smell of cologne became overwhelming.

Adam knocked on the door.

“(Y/N)?” he drew out the sound of your name, his voice violating every syllable, “I know you’re in there, sweetheart.”

You remained silent, praying that he would decide that you weren’t actually in the bathroom and leave.  Those prayers went unanswered.  The doorknob twisted, but it didn’t give.  You had locked it.  Now Adam knew you were in there.

“Who were you talking to, Miss (L/N)?  Was it someone special?  No, it couldn’t be, you already have a boyfriend… well, had.”

Something was tapping against the door- something metal.

“But now you know the truth- or at least part of it.  Roman is happily tied to the lovely Cathrine, and you’re nothing but a lamb for slaughter.”

Your knuckles were white around the shotgun.  Adam went silent for a terrifying moment.

“You’re real a cute lamb, though.  It’s a damn shame, if you ask me.  A real waste of a body like yours.”

You tried not to gag.

“Y’know,” something dragged across the door, fabric, then metal again, “We could always figure something out.  If you came with me, Roman and Cath would just have to find another sacrifice- and we could get a sacrifice of our own.”

You tried to take deep breaths.

“You look like the kinda girl that would like that- summoning a few demons, having a few kids.  You’d make a cute little housewife.  That’s what girls like you are made for.  And I’d treat you better than my shit head brother ever did.”

You remained silent, biting your lip until it bled.  The taste of iron spilled into your mouth, but even that wasn’t as vile as the man on the other side of the door.

“On second thought, I might not keep you, Miss (L/N).  You’ve been too quiet.  I like girls who can scream.”

You could hear the sound of a gun, cocking, loading, fucking whatever, you didn’t know how guns worked.  You just knew that you had to do something, and you had to do it now.

Just before the sound of a shot could fracture the uneasy silence, you unlocked the door and threw it open, smacking Adam in the face.  He collapsed to the ground in an undignified heap, the gun in his hand skittering across the floor.  Without a second thought, you ran for it and kicked the thing into the hallway.  When you turned back to Adam, he was still sprawled across the rug, clutching at his face.  Blood gushed from his nose, dripping into his mouth and spilling across his lips and chin.  You hoped the taste of it was fucking vile.

“YOU FILTHY BITCH!” Adam screamed, “You broke my fucking nose!”

“You deserved it,” you held the shotgun like a bat.  You didn’t know how to shoot, but you did know how to hit something with a blunt object.

Before Adam could struggle to his feet, you hit him again, right in his bloodied nose.  He shrieked in pain, scrambling back as you went to hit him again.  He took his face out of range- an intelligent move, in theory.  Unfortunately for Adam, this put his knees right in your line of fire.

You weren’t sure what damage you did, but by the time you’d finished, Adam was curled into himself, and you no longer felt human.  You staggered away, covered in the blood of not one, but two of Roman’s family members.  Your hand found purchase on the window sill.  You leaned against it, desperately trying to catch your breath.

Outside, someone screamed.

You looked down, only to see some of the LeBuers gathered in the driveway.  Medea was half-way inside of a car, looking up at you with horror and rage painted across her features.  Immediately, half of the people with her raced back into the house.  Cecilia remained outside, ushering her daughter and son-in-law into the vehicle before she, too, went back inside.

They all knew where you were now. 

You were deeply, deeply fucked.

You could hear Adam laughing at you as you raced into the hallway, scooping the discarded gun into one hand and keeping the shotgun in the other.  You sped down the corridor, stopping every now and then to throw open whatever doors you could find.  You hoped that Roman’s family would think that you’d disappeared into another hiding place- anything to give yourself more time.

You ducked into one of the open doors just as Roman’s family spilled into the hall.  They weren’t quiet in their searching- you could hear Benedict barking orders, and Cecilia’s distressed cry upon finding her beaten and bloodied son.  As the hunting party panicked, you slipped into the darkness, moving backwards into an endless and ill-lit corridor that you hadn’t even noticed.

When the voices of your pursuers faded, you finally let yourself turn around.  The hallway seemed to stretch on forever into infinite darkness.  You could just barely see the frames of portraits that still lined the walls.  The floor runner beneath you muffled the sounds of your footsteps, and you followed it diligently, staying silent until you found yet another fucking door.

You held both guns in one hand as you pulled it open.  The next room contained another goddamned staircase, this one descending to the floor below.  Before you could truly question the design choices of the rich and powerful, someone shoved you forward.  You collapsed to the ground, losing your grip on both guns.  Exhaustion filled your bones as you watched both weapons tumble down the stairs.

A well polished shoe slammed into your ribs before you could move.  You didn’t have the chance to respond before your assailant kicked you again, bruising your ribs if they hadn’t already.  You let out a sharp cry as you tried to sit up.  Your attacker spat at you as you struggled, and when you looked up, you saw Alex’s disgusted face.

“Get up.”

You didn’t move.  You just laid there with a shocked expression on your face.  Alex leaned in, grabbing the front of your dress and dragging you to your knees.

“I said get up, you stupid whore.”

This time, you did as he asked, moving slowly as your shocked body tried to catch up with your equally shocked mind.

Alex didn’t appear to be armed.  If anything, he looked like he hadn’t expected to find you.  It was pure coincidence that he’d happened to wander down the same hallway you had.  Alex was doing his best to look angry- furrowing his brow and glaring down at you- but the disgust on his face betrayed him.  Locating you was nothing more than an inconvenience. 

You hoped you could use that to your advantage.

“Alex, listen,” your voice was more sure than you expected it to be, “You can let me go.  You can let me run off.  You won’t have to get your hands dirty.  You can just- you can pretend you never saw me.”

“Mm, yeah, I could,” Alex drew out every syllable he could, whining as a way of mocking you, “But this whole thing will end faster if I drag you back by that skanky little dress of yours.  So-”

He pulled you to your feet, hands still tangled in the fabric of your dress.  Adrenaline surged through you as he pulled you to the door.  You fought him, scratching at his arm, drawing red angry lines into his pale flesh.  He shrugged you off for the most part until you leaned in, seizing his neck with one hand and pulling it towards your mouth until you had the opportunity to bite.

Alex screamed as your teeth broke his skin.  Blood filled your mouth, hot and metallic.  You wanted to pull away, to stop biting and spit out the vile liquid, but you didn’t stop.  You couldn’t.  Not yet. 

With your teeth still embedded in the flesh of Alex’s throat, you used your hold on his neck to drag him backwards, towards the stairs.  He didn’t struggle or fight- he only screamed louder.

When he finally let you go, Alex lost his balance.  You watched as he stumbled, staggering away from you as he tried to stop the bleeding.  With his blood dripping from your mouth, you walked up to Alex and shoved him down the stairs.

You watched him fall, tumbling and bending in ways that human beings were not meant to tumble and bend.  His screams stopped about halfway down the staircase.  You shut your eyes.  You just listened to the sounds of bones breaking in silence until that, too, came to a stop.

Then, the only sound was your breathing.

You felt around in the darkness for the banister of the stairs, and you clung to it as you collapsed to the floor.  You sat there in the quiet, staring into nothing.  For a moment, you were lost to the world as a numbing sort of panic filled your lungs.

“Holy shit.”

You knew that voice.  With a gasp, you looked up.  Of course, given your luck, the first thing you saw was Alex’s mangled body.  His knee was twisted the wrong way, as was his left arm, and you winced at the sight of it, but your attention was quickly pulled away to the thing right next to Alex.

A pair of beat up white sneakers.  Black jeans, a Metallica t-shirt, a leather jacket and violently wild hair.

“Eddie?”

The familiar boy at the bottom of the stairs didn’t say anything for a second.  He just examined the body below him.  At this angle, you couldn’t see his face.  For a moment, you were terrified.  You might’ve taken a man’s life- and that in itself was horrifying- but to add more fire to the hell you were in, you’d taken that man’s life in front of your best friend.  What would he think of you now?

“Eddie?” you asked again, your voice trembling unpleasantly.

“Holy shit, sweetheart,” he finally looked up at you.  His expression wasn’t disgusted or afraid- in fact, if you didn’t know better you would almost say he was impressed, “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

Tears filled your eyes as relief washed over you.  You were safe now.  Eddie was here, and he would take you away from this place, and these people, and you wouldn’t be brutally murdered because Eddie would never let that happen to you.  And on top of that, he didn’t seem to mind that you had just maimed a man.

A smile crossed your face as you called down to him, “Will do.”

He returned the grin, but it immediately slipped from his face.  His eyes were no longer focused on you.  In the silence that followed, you could hear Roman’s family coming down the hall.

“Run, run!”

Eddie really didn’t have to tell you twice.  You sped down the staircase just as Roman’s aunt stepped into the room, a silver hunting knife clutched in her hand.  Adam limped in behind her, bruised and bloodied but still well enough to hunt you down.  Clearly, you hadn’t kicked his ass enough.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, you leapt over Alex’s body and into Eddie’s arms.  He caught you and pushed you behind him, getting you as far from the new threat as he could.  As you moved towards the exit, your foot hit something metal.  You knelt quickly, seizing the guns at your feet and handing one of them to Eddie.

The moment you did, Roman’s aunt noticed her child’s crumpled form on the floor.  For the second time that night, you heard a mother scream at what you’d done to her son.  You couldn’t find it in you to feel any sort of guilt.

“YOU WRETCHED JUDAS!” she screamed as she stormed down the stairs, “You’ll pay!  You’ll fucking pay!!”

She ran at you, knife raised, but before she got the chance to enact her vengeance, a deafening shot rang out.  The shotgun was still in your hands, unused and useless.  Blood soaked the woman’s shirt as she collapsed to the floor.  You and Eddie watched in silence, the gun still smoking in his hands as she pulled down the steps into a bloody heap at the bottom.

“No- no!”  Adam’s face was painted with his rage.  His eyebrows were furrowed, cheeks red, and the look in his eyes could only be described as murderous, “You fucking wretch!  I’ll make sure the last thing you hear is her screaming as I tear her apart!  Do you understand that you stupid bitch?  I’ll break you open and I’ll make him watch!”

You resisted the urge to vomit as you and Eddie ran out of the room, his hand slipping into yours as you fled.  The beating you’d given Adam bought you more time, but you didn’t let yourself indulge in the illusion of safety.  Even as Adam’s threats faded into silence, the need for escape haunted you.  Your fear followed you like the eyes of the paintings on the walls.

“Do you remember the way you came in?” you asked, panting and out of breath from your run.

“I did, but I think we lost it two hallways ago- who the fuck lives like this, man?”

“Rich people.”

Eddie barked out a laugh.  With his hand still in yours, he pulled you to an abrupt stop.  Before you could ask what was wrong, you were in his arms again.

“Please never date a crazy rich dude with a homicidal family again.  I don’t think my heart can take it.”

You laughed into his chest, wrapping yourself around him and grabbing fistfulls of his shirt in your hands.

“I don’t think mine can either.  I’m barely functioning as it is, I can’t even begin to think of doing this again,” you moved your hands up to gently cup his jaw, making his eyes meet yours, “Let’s make a deal- we are never doing this again.  Ever.  For any reason.”

“Agreed,” his smile was damn near blinding, betraying his mock-exasperated tone, “Because all of this is just fucking crazy.”

“I know!  It’s crazy and it’s cliche, and if I ever fall for another psychopathic rich man, I want you to kill me.”

He laughed, but there was a look in his eye.  You couldn’t really tell if it was guilt or some other kind of remorse.  Your smile fell from your lips as you remembered, unsure of how you had ever forgotten- Eddie had just killed a woman.  He had done it for your sake, to save your life, but you didn’t know how that action would weigh upon his shoulders.

“Thank you,” you whispered, “For coming to get me.  And I’m so sorry for- for everything else.”

Eddie shrugged, as if shooting someone hadn’t bothered him in the slightest, “Anything for my best girl.  Now come on, we need to find a way out of this fuckin place.  Hopper’s on his way, he’ll be here soon- not soon enough, but soon.”

You nodded, but you stood still as he began to pull away.  Before he could get far, you launched yourself at him again, wrapping your arms around his broad shoulders.

“I mean it,” your voice was muffled by his body, firm and solid beneath your lips, “Thank you.  And I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get us into this mess, I should’ve followed my gut, and-”

“Hey, hey,” two of his fingers slipped under your chin, tilting your head up, “Look at me, angel.  Look at me.”

His eyes were soft, gentle, and indescribably comforting.  You raised your hand, slipping it into his much larger one.  You couldn’t help but watch as his muscles flexed, his fingers wrapping around your own.

When he spoke again, his voice was soft and quiet.  For a fleeting moment, you found yourself captivated by his lips, “You don’t need to apologize.  For any of this.  Look, I’m a coward.  I know I am.  But if you’re in trouble, I need you to know that I will always come to get you.  It doesn’t matter if it’s this homicidal family, another homicidal family, or some other shit.”

He paused.  His hand was so cold in yours.  You never wanted to let go of him.

“When it’s you, I can put the fear aside.  When it’s you, I can be brave.”

The air stilled for a moment as you let his words wash over you.  They warmed your skin like soft flame, and without another thought, you brought his still freezing hand to your lips.  You pressed a gentle kiss across the back of his fingers, silently returning the affection he's given you.  When you met his eyes again, his cheeks burned an impossible red, but he could not hide the smile that spilled across his face like wine across a fine linen.

“Now,” he cleared his throat, “We’re gonna get out of here, and Hopper’s gonna fix this shit, and I’m gonna take you home, and we’re gonna stop for soft tacos on the way, and we are never watching Ready or Not again.  Sound good?”

“That sounds amazing,” you returned his grin, but before you could say anything else, you heard voices echoing through one of the endless hallways.  It was time for more running, “Let’s go.”

“Good plan!”  Eddie kept your hand in his as he bolted, “You’re so smart, did you know that?  I always love your plans. “I think I love your plans more!” you panted, knowing that you, at the very least, were not talking about plans.  

You weren’t sure how Eddie felt about you, but as the two of you threw open doors in the hopes of an exit manifesting itself, you became sure of your own feelings.  Truly and completely, you were in love with Eddie Munson.

Maybe you should’ve been worried about that.  Maybe you should’ve felt some heavy sense of dread that he wouldn’t return the feeling.  Maybe, under normal circumstances, you would’ve felt that way.  However, given the fact that this self-professed coward had broken into this place for you, shot a woman for you, and saved your life, you were pretty confident that he felt something for you.

“This way!  They went this way!”

But you would never know for sure if Roman’s family managed to find you before you could ask.

You threw open every door you found as you ran, again looking for an escape while creating a million distractions.  Eddie followed your lead, catching on quickly as if he was built for this exact insane situation.

Behind each door was the same kind of shit- bedrooms, closets, storage spaces holding extravagant nothings (you were pretty sure you saw the shape of a grand piano.)  You could feel your hunters closing in.  The hallways and corridors of the mansion seemed to close in around you and Eddie.  Then, there came the final door.

It was painted red, though the colour had faded and chipped away through the years.  Without a second thought, you seized the brass door knob and turned it.  The door opened to reveal an empty black space.  You couldn’t see the end of the room.  

A frigid draft blew in through the new space raising goosebumps on your skin.  The smell of rotting flesh overtook you.  You shivered, trying not to retch as you looked around, desperate for another escape.  Other than the red door, you had found yourself at a dead end.

“(Y/N), come on, let’s hide and find another way out.”

“There’s no time,” there really wasn’t.  You could hear Adam’s enraged screaming getting louder and louder with every passing second.  You wouldn’t let yourself be caught.  

You grabbed Eddie’s hand and pulled him into the dark.  As you ran further into the room, the light from the hallway shrunk down until it was nothing but a pinprick.  The smell of mold and decay got stronger as you ventured further inside.  Flies buzzed around just out of swatting distance.  Your body trembled, struggling to get warm as the room got colder and colder.  Eddie’s hand was an anchor in a sea of nothingness.  You held him tighter, desperate to know that he was there.

Towards the back of the room, another light came into view, blood red like a warning.  You raced towards it, Eddie’s hand in yours.  The dim crimson light illuminated a set of poorly painted metal stairs.  You didn’t even stop to wonder what the hell they were doing in a mansion like this.  You didn’t stop to wonder where they led.  The breeze on your face- though it smelled putrid as anything- felt like freedom.  You moved down the stairs faster than was safe.  Eddie followed behind you hesitantly, though he didn’t slow you down.

You seemed to descend for an eternity, moving down until the light faded and you were in the dark again.  When you finally met solid ground again, you surged forward, running in an animalistic panic through what you had to assume was a basement.  You kept telling yourself that you would be safe, that you were almost out the door.

Then, the floor fell out from beneath you.  The shotgun slipped from your hands, landing somewhere deep below with a dull thud.  A scream tore itself from your lips, echoing back up the stairwell and giving away your location instantly.

Eddie pulled you back to solid ground and turned you, keeping your face tucked into this chest.  His arms wrapped around you, keeping you secure in his embrace.  He was muttering something, but you couldn’t hear him over the rush of blood in your ears.  Your fingers gripped his shirt so tightly that it made your knuckles sore.  Your ribs ached as your breath came to you in harsh pants.  

You turned to look at where you had fallen.

All too late, Eddie’s voice finally became clear, “Don’t look at it, (Y/N).  Don’t look, you don’t need to look.”

You had nearly fallen into a pit.  It was deep.  Wide.  And the bottom was absolutely lined with corpses.

You could see bones sticking up through tattered old finery.  Flesh still clung to fingers, decorated with once gleaming rings.  Eyeless sockets stared up at you through matted, fetid, rotting clumps of hair and scalp.  

You were looking down at centuries of sacrifices, first and second and third wives of the LeBuer family, victims of a ritual that you could not hope to understand.

If it weren’t for Eddie’s hold on you, you would have collapsed.  

“I see you’ve found your future tomb.”

You whirled around.  As your eyes adjusted to the low light, you could see Adam standing on the stairs.  Alex limped down behind him, his mouth drawn up in a pained grimace.  Eddie pushed you behind him, trying to protect you from this new, hellish encounter.

“You won’t touch her,” he growled, “Not while I’m here.”

“Oh, shut up, guttersnipe.  This isn’t about you.  This could never be about you.  All we want is the girl,” Alex hissed, though you couldn’t tell which was stronger in his voice- hatred or agony.

“Look, trailer trash, we’ll even make you a deal for her,” as Adam spoke, you wrapped your hands around Eddie’s wrists, trying to provide some form of comfort.  You weren’t sure if it worked, or if it just made you look like a damsel in distress, but at least you tried.

“We’ll set you up for a few years, and in exchange,” Adam continued, “You give us the girl.  And you keep quiet about this, of course.  The LeBuer name has a reputation.  If any of this were to get out-”

“Any of what?  The demon sacrifice?  The murder of innocents for your own selfish needs?”

“And how would you know about any of that you fucking heathen?”

Eddie shrugged, “Just trust me on this one, man.  I know.”

“Look at him, Adam,” Alex wheezed, “He would know demons.  He fucking looks like one.”

Adam scoffed, shaking his head at Alex’s attempt at a joke… or was it an insult?  You were too tired and terrified to give a shit.

“Okay boys, fun’s over, I’m afraid I’m not up for exchange this fine evening.  Now if you’ll excuse us, I think it’s time to leave.  Thank your parents for hosting, Adam, it’s been wonderful-”

The deafening sound of a gunshot cut you off.  

You screamed, reaching up at your ears to protect them from the noise.  Eddie had the same idea, and Alex and Adam ducked right to the ground, lying on their bellies as you all looked up to see who had shot.

Roman stood on the stairs, his back just bathed in the faintest crimson light.  In his hands he held another fucking gun.  Honestly, by that point you were so fucking tired you almost hoped he’d just shoot you with it.

Clearly, God, Roman, and also Eddie, had other plans.

Eddie tucked you behind him, making it absolutely fucking clear to everyone in the room that if they wanted to hurt you, they would have to go through him first- and oh, how your heart sunk as you realized you were something Eddie wanted to protect.  In that moment, you knew you were precious to him.  Maybe you were something he’d searched all of time and space for and finally found.  You wanted to fucking scream again, but your throat was really starting to hurt.

Roman just sighed.  As he made his way down the stairs, his pace was leisurely and completely self assured.  He didn’t even aim the gun at you or Eddie- he barely even spared you a glance.

“My good gentleman, I assure you, this isn’t how we wanted this night to go.”

“Don’t even start with that bullshit, man.  Don’t fucking gentleman me.  Maybe you didn’t want to spend the night in your corpse dungeon, but I’m perfectly happy to be here,” Eddie’s voice had a harsh edge to it, one that made you want to cling onto him and never let go.  If you were too tired to fight this battle- which at this point in the night, you had every right to be- you knew he would handle this thing for you.  For the both of you.

“Are you?  You’re happy to defend an empty vessel?  Happy to stand on the edge of a pit filled with the lowest form of decay?  Well, I guess it’s an upgrade from whatever hovel you crawled out of.”

Nevermind.  Fuck lying dormant while Eddie protected you.  You were going to protect him, too.

“Oh, would you fuck off, Roman,” you barked, woken up from your angst-filled exhaustion, “How long have you been bottling up the classist insults?  Just through our relationship?  Or did you hide even before that?  Come on, then.  If you’re hurling insults at people who don’t spend stupid amounts on whatever pathetic bullshit you call “luxury,” you should probably spare one for me.  We were partners, after all.”

Eddie’s eyes were filled with pride and fear in equal measure- he looked like he wanted to kiss you and shove you back behind him for your own safety.  Roman, on the other hand, had the audacity to look hurt.

“Were?”

It was your turn to scoff, “You were planning to sacrifice me to the devil for your own sake- and for the sake of your secret wife.  You expect me to serve you, to die so you can have a kid.  You used me, Roman, and I’m sick of your shit.  We’re fucking done.”

He stood still on for a moment, his eyes darting between you and Eddie from his place on the stairs.

“I was right,” he finally mumbled, “It’s you and him.”

In the silence that followed, Eddie’s hand found its way back into yours.  Your thumb traced over his knuckles, over every ridge and vein his hand had to offer.  He squeezed his fingers around yours in return, pulling you close to him with no intention of letting go. 

“Very well, then,” Roman pointed the gun at Eddie’s chest, “You’ll both die screaming.”

You knocked Eddie to the ground as Roman fired a shot.  The overwhelming sound of gunfire echoed off the walls, making everyone in the room wince and cover their ears.  It gave you an opening.

With Eddie’s hand in yours, you bolted towards the stairs.  Alex recovered from the sound first.  He jumped towards you.  Eddie let go of you for a moment, just so he could fight off your assailant.  As his punches landed, Alex staggered back.  He made weak attempts to return Eddie’s blows, but he was no match for the metalhead.  For the second time that night, Alex went down like a bitch.  He rolled across the floor, coughing and swearing until he fell off the edge of the floor.

The third time Alex went down that night, he went all the way down to the corpse pit.

You froze, listening to Alex’s scream as he plunged out of sight.  A dull thud echoed through the room as he landed.  Bones crunched beneath him, rotten flesh squelching as Alex slipped through old blood and viscera.  You could barely hear him screaming over the buzz of disrupted flies. The smell of rancid meat rose into the air.  Bile rose in your throat as the screaming turned to desperate retching.  Eddie stood still, gazing into the pit with an expression you couldn’t name.

Before you could reach out to him, an arm wrapped around your throat.  You let out a yelp as someone pulled you into the firm plane of their chest.  Your heart fell through your chest as you clawed and scratched at your attacker.  You couldn’t afford to show them mercy.  You bit and tore at them, drawing blood and shrieking like a feral animal as their other arm curled around your waist.  Through your adrenaline fueled haze, you were absolutely sure that it was Roman’s voice calling you a bitch.

Eddie raced to help you, moving faster than you thought a person could go.  Adam interfered, advancing on Eddie viciously.  Unlike Alex, Adam was adept at fighting and capable of heinous violence.  The two men exchanged blows with equal force and brutality, landing hits until Eddie’s nose was bloodied and the side of Adam’s face was painted purple.

In the interim, you didn’t stop fighting.  As Eddie and Alex beat the shit out of each other, Roman tried to pull you towards the stairs.  In retaliation, you took a sizable chunk out of his arm with your teeth.  You gagged as you spat out his flesh- the sensation of hot, metallic blood spilling past your lips was almost too much to bear.  Roman growled, and you could feel his hand tangle itself in the roots of your hair, pulling you away from his new wound.

“I’ll credit you with this, my darling,” Roman grunted, pulling you backwards as you spat out his blood, “You’ve put up a good fight.  But you have to know, this can only end one way.”

Beside the body pit, Adam had finally managed to pin Eddie to the ground.  You watched as the bastard gripped Eddie’s jaw and turned his head to face you.  Eddie looked absolutely devastated.  Panic swirled in his warm brown eyes as he kept trying to free himself.  No matter how hard he tried, he was still forced to look at you as Roman wrapped a hand around your throat and started to squeeze.

As your vision began to swim, Adam leaned down, pressing his lips to Eddie’s ear.  You clawed at Roman’s arm like an animal.  Your nails tore at his already open wound, but he held you fast, placing another hand just below your navel to keep you still.

“I get what you see in her, pretty boy,” you could hear Adam’s words, muffled slightly by the sound of your blood rushing in your ears, “She’s hot when she struggles.”

Beneath his assailant, Eddie growled, digging his nails into any flesh he could reach.  Adam barely winced.

“It’s a shame you won’t leave this room- I mean, the things we’re gonna do to her once we get upstairs.  It would be a wet dream for a freak like you.”  

Tears spilled from your eyes as the threat set in.  Fear burrowed itself inside of you, eating away at your flesh as flies fed on the bodies below.  Across the room, Eddie grit his teeth, his eyes flashing with rage.  You didn’t see him land his next hit.  You didn’t see him claw at Adam’s face.  You didn’t see anything- it was all too fast.  All you knew was that one moment, Adam was smirking down at Eddie, and the next his face was covered in blood.   Adam shrieked, his hands hovering over his face as crimson gushed from four deep, perfect wounds embedded in his flesh.  

In his panic, Adam made a terrible mistake.  He let Eddie go.  Without a second of hesitation, Eddie tackled his assailant.  He wrapped his pale, slender hand around Adam’s throat and squeezed.  You watched Eddie’s knuckles turn white, his veins standing out against his skin.  Beneath him, Adam gasped for air, thrashing desperately in an attempt to escape.  You could hear him choking on his own blood as it poured down his face.   

You heard something snap.  A smile snuck its way onto your face.

Adam was still gasping, though the sound was almost nothing now.  Static filled your ears.  Roman screamed, a sound of deep rage, right in your ears.  Eddie looked up at you, his eyes wide.  A thick strand of scarlet something dripped from between Eddie’s lips.

And then he was gone.

You watched as Eddie fell back into the pit, dragging Adam with him.  Someone was screaming- you.  You were screaming.  You couldn’t feel the strain in your throat.  You could barely hear the sound.  You hadn’t heard the gun go off, even though Roman had shot it inches away from your skull.  You couldn’t feel Roman pulling you back.  You couldn’t feel the stairs hitting the backs of your legs as he dragged you back up into the house.

All you could see was the dark void that Eddie had fallen into.  All you knew was that dark void.  There was nothing else.  Tears ran down your cheeks.  Eddie was gone.  Broken sobs left your body as you collapsed into Roman’s arms- into the arms of the man that had destroyed your world in seconds.  You were nothing but a wounded animal, now.  Hunted, maimed, and brought forth for slaughter.  You took some bitter joy in that thought.  You knew you would see Eddie soon enough.

The hallways of the LeBuer mansion blurred into nothing.  The portraits on the walls had the decency to look bereaved, but every little Jesus on every little cross you passed seemed to laugh at you.  All the fight had been drained from you like blood from a cadaver.  You said nothing as Roman pulled you back into the dining room.  You didn’t flinch at his family’s carnivorous smiles.  You didn’t make a sound when Roman let you drop to the floor.

Bruises began to form on your arms and shoulders but you didn’t feel the pain.  Someone took your phone, not that it mattered.  You let the family place you on their table.  You let Roman tie you down.  You let Cathrine tear open your dress.  Even the chill of the room on your exposed flesh didn’t bother you.  You just laid there, still as death, while Benedict approached with a large, intricate blade.  He handed it off to his son.

“Roman, dearest, did you drug her?” Cecilia asked, “She hasn’t moved an inch.  Usually they squirm so much…”

“Don’t worry, mother.  As far as it concerns us, she’s already dead.”

“That’ll make the next few steps a lot easier.  Perhaps she’ll bleed less,” Cathrine put a hand to your cheek, gently brushing the smooth pads of her fingers over your flesh.  Her face was the only thing you could see, the only thing you had to focus on as the knife finally dug deep into your skin.

You refused to scream.  You wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.  Your tears, however, spilled from your eyes without your consent.  Cathrine’s smile grew wider as her family tortured you, as you were penetrated again and again with the blade.  You couldn’t see what they were doing.  You didn’t know when they would finally end your suffering.  Your world was made up of her cruel eyes and nothing else.

Your blood burned as it dripped over your sides, pooling beneath you until you could feel it between the table and the flesh of your back.  You could hear drops of it falling to the marble floor.  The sound was enough to drive you crazy- that is, if the pain didn’t do it first.

The blade ripped through your skin, diving deep into you with such brutality that your body shook from the force.  You could feel yourself choking on blood.  The world was turning gray, tunneling into a mess of static.  The grunts of effort from Roman’s family were muted by the panicked sound of your own breathing.  You were going to die here.  You were going to die here, and Cathrine would be the last thing you would see.  You didn’t try to fight it.

In a weird way, it was almost like sex- the blade thrusting in and out of your body, making you bleed, making you hurt.  It was a violent intrusion.  A man imposing his will on you to serve his own desires.  

You didn’t have it in you to fight, but you did want to throw up really badly.  

When she finally pulled back, you had just enough strength to look up and see what they’d done to you.  You’d been stabbed.  Just stabbed, a thousand times without a hint of grace or tact.  You could see yourself bleeding out, blood pulsing to the surface with every weak beat of your heart.  The sight made you sick.  There was something viscerally wrong about your mutilated body lying before you.

You let out a soft cry as Roman put his hand low on your abdomen.  It was a pitiful sound, the only thing you could make as your heart struggled to keep you alive.  

“Thank you.  For your sacrifice,”  he pressed down, a final act of cruelty.

Cathrine wrapped her arms around him, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “It’s what any woman would do.”

“My family,” Benedict  began.  Though his voice sounded miles away, you could still hear the jovial tone in his words, “Let us begin the prayer.”

You watched as Roman took Cathrine’s hand in his- specifically, his hand that wasn’t stained in your blood.  She grabbed the golden crucifix around her throat and held it with a look of pride and hope.

“Our father,” you couldn’t tell who was speaking anymore.  You just knew that they sounded happy.

“Forgive us this trespass and send us a servant of the one below.”

The lights flickered.  You almost wanted to laugh.  This was some cheesy fuckin shit.  The air took on a sudden chill, not that you could feel it.  Your blood provided you with a scorching heat as it spilled from your veins.

“A servant of your fallen son, to bless this fallen daughter.”

The lights flickered again.  You could hear something loud above the voices.  Something crashing, loud like thunder but not as natural.

“To bestow upon our family the ultimate gift- a child-” their voices cut out, “And your name.”

You were pretty sure one of the ten commandments was not to murder anyone- but you knew you weren’t a person to them.  Thou shalt not kill didn’t apply to slaughtered lambs.  Why would it apply to you?

“Accept this most humble offering, this lamb to slaughter, this child of Abraham.”

You heard a door open.  

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  Or whatever.  Amen.”

That voice- that voice was new.  Roman’s family stopped their prayer.  You could hear someone gasp.  They sounded terrified.  You wondered, briefly, what they would have to fear.

“You- you can’t be here.  You’re dead.”

“Huh.  Thanks for filling me in, I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.”

“I shot you-”

“I’m aware.”

“Roman, who is this boy?”  Was that Cecilia or Cathrine?  For the life of you- something that was quickly coming to an end- you could not fucking tell.

“You asked for a demon,” you heard a pause.  Footsteps.  Something fell to the floor with a crash, “You got one.”

“No- you’re not, you can’t be-”

“Roman, darling-” was it concerning that you still couldn’t tell if that was your ex’s wife or his mom?  It didn’t matter.  The next thing you heard was Roman, enraged.  You were sure of that.  You heard it enough times.

“ENOUGH- I’m going to end this!  I’m going to end-”

A shot rang out.  There was another pause.  Something small and metal clattered to the floor.  Silence followed.

The lights went out.

Bathed in darkness, the voice of the new guest suddenly became clear, and when he spoke a fresh round of tears fell from your eyes.  You were dead now.  You were sure of it.  The afterlife was fucking weird, but you were certain.  

“Hey there, angel.  You’re gonna be okay.  I’ve got you.  Just tell me what to do.”

You drew in a shaky breath, your chest rattling, aching with the effort.  The cold air hurt your lungs.  You felt like you were burning from the inside out.

“Help me, Eddie.”

In an instant, his presence was gone.  The room was still dark.  When Eddie spoke again, his voice came from the doorway again.

“You’re going to get away from her now,” his voice was low, his words a warning, “This is your only warning.”

Footsteps echoed through the room.  Someone was running.  There was a grunt, a sound like someone exerting effort, throwing a punch.

There followed an awful, fleshy, tearing sound.  Roman’s screams of agony met your ears, just as the snap of breaking bones jolted you back to some level of reality.  There was another shout, a scream of paternal rage.  More footsteps- and again, the sound of flesh being torn from bone.  You couldn’t find it within yourself to feel bad about that.  In fact, you almost laughed.

The next cry that rang out was definitely Cecilia’s.  The noise she made was cut short, overtaken by cracking sounds of a shattering rib cage.  Someone choked on their own blood, gagging and sputtering their way to a brutal death.  You couldn’t really feel bad about that, either.

Roman was still screaming.  You could hear Cathrine’s voice, demanding Roman’s freedom.  It didn’t help much.  The next thing you heard was Roman’s pained gasps for air.

Eddie’s voice rang out again, a source of comfort amid all the auditory gore.

“Let me get this straight.  You two shit stains wanted a child so badly that you were willing to torture an innocent woman to get one?  You were willing to brutalize her for your own sake?”

“It’s tradition!  Roman’s family is cursed- they must have a sacrifice in the name of God!  A holy baptism of blood!  A new mass!  The killing of one womb so that they may conceive in another-”

“God doesn’t give a shit about your family’s tradition of torture porn,” Eddie’s voice was strange, caught between a growl, a laugh, and a sob, “I’m half convinced he doesn't give a shit about anything.  He doesn’t see you, Cathrine.  He doesn’t care about you.  He doesn’t bless you, he doesn’t bless this fucked up family, and he doesn’t bless your husband.”

You heard a weak wheeze before Roman spoke, “She- she gave her consent.  I had her, she whored herself out to me.  That means-”

“THAT DOESN’T MEAN SHIT,” Eddie had been enraged the entire time he’d been speaking, but this was something new.  From your place on the dining table/alter, you could see a red light flickering off the ceiling.

“Consent to sex is not consent to ritual sacrifice, you stupid fuck.”

You were pretty sure the black mass that flew across your vision was Roman.  You weren’t sure how Eddie managed that one, but you sure as shit weren’t complaining.  A deafening crash came from one of the cabinets.  Glass shattered on impact.  You laughed- the sound was wet and broken, and the laugh itself was painful, but the sound still escaped.  You hoped that whatever had happened to Roman had fucking hurt.

“Roman!” Cathrine’s scream all but confirmed your theory.  You heard her footsteps as she tried to get to her husband, but something stopped her.

“And you.  Well, you’re just a fucking disappointment.  Tell me, kid, what makes you think you’re any different?  What makes you think you’ll be spared from him?  From his wrath?  From his family?  There’s a pit in the basement full of bodies, full of people this family has sacrificed for their own gain.  What makes you think you won’t join them?”

“He- he loves me.  Roman loves me.”

“He told (Y/N) the same thing.  Look what he did to her.  Look what you did to her.”

“She- she would have done the same thing!  She would have killed me!”

“No.  Not like this.  I, on the other hand-” 

Eddie didn’t finish that sentence.  You just heard the squelch of skin splitting, the sound of something wet falling to the floor, and a half scream from the woman who watched as the light in your eyes faded to nothing.  Like that, she was gone.  You couldn’t help the smile that slipped across your face.  You shut your eyes.

“(Y/N)- (Y/N), come on, keep your eyes open.”

You did.  Eddie was above you, haloed in red light- and something was different.  His eyes were dark, pupils blown.  It almost looked like the dark overtook the whites of his eyes.  His skin was pale, ashen, far more so than it normally was.  You reached towards him and when he moved to take your hands you noticed them.  Massive leathery wings stretched out behind your boy.  You had to be dead already.  Or at least close to it.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his hand squeezing yours, “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.  I never meant for any of this to happen.  I never wanted you to get hurt, I never wanted you to see me like this-”

“You…” your voice was weak.  Your blood stained your lips and teeth, “You’re pretty.”

He let out a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh.  It broke your heart, a little bit.  You wanted to pull him close to you and never let him go, but it hurt to move.  You just wanted to close your eyes and drift off to sleep.

“No, no, no, come on.  Stay with me, angel, stay awake.”

You could only hum in response.

“I- I’m going to have to touch you.  Is that okay?”

You wanted to tell him that he could touch you however he wanted to.  He could do whatever he wanted, he could finish what the LeBuers had started and cut you to bits and you would let him.  Whatever was left of you was his.  You loved him, and you wanted him to know that.  All you could do was lie there and nod.

Apologies spilled from his lips as he let go of your hand and placed his own over your wounds.   His touch was feather light.  It should have hurt.  By all logic, it should have hurt, but you didn’t feel any pain.  You could feel something sharp against your flesh, but whatever it was, it didn’t cut into you.  It just scratched sweetly across your skin as his fingers traced over your stomach and your ribs.  

Eddie brushed over you slowly, gently, in a way that filled you with want.  You could feel his hands start to tremble as they moved lower and lower.  Warmth seeped into your body wherever he touched you.  Slowly, the agony you felt- the sharp sting of your torn flesh, the bruised ribs, all of it- it just faded away. 

You opened your eyes and slipped your hand into Eddie’s.  Your fingers tangled with his over your stomach.  Where you expected to feel blood, you only felt your own skin- and something sharp, attached to Eddie’s hands.  Claws.  Neat.

Your strength was coming back slowly, inch by inch, but you could feel it- you could feel life return to every vein and nerve you had.  

“Whatever you’re doing,” you whispered, “Don’t stop.  Please don’t stop.”

A smile broke out across his face, “I won’t.  I promise, I promise I won’t.”

He leaned down, pressing a kiss to your forehead and giving you a good view of those things behind him- wings.  Actual fucking wings.  They were beautiful, terrifying, and they were half wrapped around you, keeping you close to Eddie.  You loved them, instantly, but good lord were you confused.

“Am I dead?” your voice was still quiet, still fragile despite your growing strength.

“No, sweetheart.  I couldn’t let that happen to you.  I couldn’t let them take you from me.”

“So this…” your eyes searched his face, “All of this is real.  I’m not dead or dreaming?”

“You’re not.  You’re awake, and alive, and in a few minutes we’re getting the fuck out of here.”

“Oh,” you nodded, “That’s nice.  Are you going to fly me out of here?”

He paused, seeming surprised, as if he had forgotten about the massive wings behind him.  A deep blush overtook his face, painting him red from his jaw to his ears.

“Yeah, about that,” he winced, “I know this is a terrible time to tell you, and I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but I’m not really a person.  Or at least, I’m not anymore.  I’m so sorry that-” You cut him off before he could say anything else.

“They’re perfect.  You’re perfect.  It’s all very metal.”

He laughed at your words, ignoring the tears that spilled over his cheeks.  Without a word, you reached for him, trying to maneuver yourself into a sitting position as you wrapped your arms around his neck.  He leaned down, meeting you halfway, and burying his face in the bare skin of your shoulder.  His messy curls stuck to your skin.  His strong arms curved around your back, his fingers digging into you as if he was afraid you’d disappear if he let go.

“Just hold me for a second, please,” you whispered, running your fingers up and into his hair, “Don’t let me go.”

“Never,” he gasped, his voice trembling terribly, “I almost lost you.  You’re not leaving my sight ever again.”

“Good,” your voice broke, your eyes burning as tears of your own began to fall, “Don’t let me go.  Don’t ever let me go.”

“I won’t.  I promise.  I’ve got you.”

Eddie pulled away first.  You made a small sound of protest, but he wasn’t gone long.  He didn’t even take his hands off of you.  He just took off his leather jacket and wrapped it around your shoulders.  

When you looked down at your body, at his clothes covering you, you couldn’t help but notice that you had been healed of every single stab wound and every single bruise.  There wasn’t even a scar left behind.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, sweetheart.”

“I mean it, Eds.  I would have died if you hadn’t come to get me, I-” you paused, watching as Eddie anxiously bit his lip.  Heat pooled in your stomach like the births and deaths of a thousand stars.  You couldn’t tear your eyes away.  You really wanted to kiss him.

“I really want to kiss you,” you moved closer, your lips barely an inch away from his.

His eyes went wide.  His grip on you tightened.  You could feel his breath catch, feel the way he tensed up in anticipation.  Everything about him betrayed how badly he wanted you.

“Shit, I-” he took a shuddering breath, his fingers kneading a pattern into your skin, “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that.”

“Good,” you leaned in, but he stopped you, placing a hand on your shoulder to put some space between you.  You paused, tilting your head as his fingers ran down to your hip.

“Wait,” his voice was so quiet, “Just wait.  I don’t want to- I don’t want to take advantage, y’know?  You just went through something terrifying, and I-”

“You don’t want to hurt me,” you reached up to cradle Eddie’s jaw in your hands, letting your thumbs stroke across his skin, “You’re still protecting me.  You’ve been doing that all night, y’know.  You should let yourself take a break.”

Eddie tried not to grin and failed.  His grip tightened on you as you pulled him closer, your chest pressing against his as you sat up properly.  

“Hey, I have a demon question for ya,” you pulled one hand away from his face, tracing lines up and down his arm.  You followed the thick ridges of his veins, a deep blue against his pale skin.  You hid your grin as he inhaled sharply.  His fingers would definitely leave bruises on your hip, but you couldn’t bring yourself to mind.

“Demons usually offer their aid in exchange for something, right?”

“Where are you going with this?”

“Just answer the question, Munson,” you looked up at him through half-lidded eyes, and you watched him melt in front of you.

“Yes, we usually take souls and shit, but I couldn’t ask you for that.  I couldn’t, I-”

“Could you take something else?”

He let out a half gasp, “Wh- what?”

“Could you.  Take.  Something else?” you met his gaze dead on, “A firstborn, maybe?”

“Oh, sweet girl, you are trying to kill me.”

You giggled- actually fucking giggled- and leaned into his chest.  Maybe you were trying to kill him, just a little bit.  Maybe you wanted something else.  

Just as you opened your mouth to speak, something across the room broke.  Beneath the collapsed gun cabinet, something was moving.

“Shit,” Eddie whispered, “Get behind me.” 

Without another word, he let you go and moved to stand in front of you.  His wings spread wide, blocking you from sight as someone began to rise from the rubble.

“I’ll kill you,” Roman’s voice was weak, “I’LL KILL BOTH OF YOU!”

“Don’t you people ever die?”  Eddie asked, exasperated as his body tensed, preparing for a fight.

You stepped to the side ever so slightly, getting a glimpse of Roman that you very much could have lived without.  There he was, your ex boyfriend, his face painted red with his own blood.  His shirt was torn revealing bruised and broken skin beneath.

He looked like a monster.  And he looked like he wanted to kill Eddie.

For whatever reason, your gaze turned to the side.  You winced as your eyes fell upon Cecilia’s body, lying across the room in a pool of crimson.  Eddie had destroyed her.  He’d destroyed all of them.  It was a gorey sight, but you had a hard time finding sympathy for a woman who watched as you were held down and tortured.  If Roman wasn’t being a little shit, you might have grinned.

Beside her, in a puddle of viscera that you could only assume was once Benedict , was the elaborately decorated knife that almost brought about your end.  

“You haven’t even seen the worst that I could do to her,” Roman growled, “You love her, don’t you, demon?  Then it’ll hurt you even more when I flay her alive.” 

“You won’t live long enough to get the chance.”

“Won’t I?  I’ve lived this long!  You killed everyone else, but I’m still here!  I-I have been chosen!  By you- by God!”

You slipped under the table, dashing across the room to grab the knife.

“Man, I genuinely thought you were dead until right now.  Your survival was a mistake.”

“There are no mistakes, demon.  I was meant to be here.  I was meant to survive!  To carry on the LeBuer line!  And I think I’ll use that pet of yours to do it.”

Eddie made a deep, inhuman sound at the back of his throat.  From your space across the room, you watched as he lunged at Roman, teeth and claws bared.  He was ready to attack, and so enraged that he didn’t see the grin that spread across the LeBuer boy’s face.

When Eddie flew across the room, Roman dove out of the way, bending down and seizing a wayward piece of glass.  He leapt at Eddie, shoving him into the wall and bringing his forged weapon to his chest.  Roman’s hand bled where it clenched around the sharp object, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“I’d kill you now, demon, but it would be much more fun to make you watch,” he pressed the glass into Eddie’s shirt.  Honestly, it didn’t do much.  Eddie pulled back, his neck tensed.  He looked absolutely murderous.  Realizing his mistake, Roman dropped the blade and wrapped his undamaged hand around Eddie’s throat.  It took everything you had to keep from screaming- and you couldn’t scream- for the sake of stealth.

The two men were so focused on each other that they didn’t notice you coming.  They didn’t notice you leveling the knife at Roman’s back.

“Roman,” you called his attention to you.  Roman turned, and from the look in his eyes alone, you knew that given half the chance, he would make good on every threat he’d made.

You took a deep breath and drove the knife straight through Roman’s chest.  You didn’t stop until you had run him through.  Roman let out an agonized screech as he stared down at the blade protruding through his body.  You winced as he collapsed, his weight pulling the blade from your hands.  As he spit blood at your feet, you whispered, “We’re.  Fucking.  Done.”

A moment passed, silent and still.  Your hands shook slightly.  Taking another deep breath, you looked up at Eddie.  His big dark eyes were already on you.  Without another thought, you leapt over Roman’s body, running into Eddie’s arms.  You fell into him, and he caught you like he was made to do just that.

He held you close, his grip strong and reassuring.  You buried your face in his chest for a moment, your hands gripping onto him hard enough to bruise.  You could feel his wings wrap around you again, locking you in a soft and safe dimension of your own.  Eddie whispered something to you, several somethings, but you couldn’t quite hear him.  You could feel the vibration of his voice in his chest, but you couldn’t register anything.  It was all just static.

You looked up at him, eyes wide.   His soft lips were moving, speaking, and the motion was hypnotic.

“Can I kiss you now?”

He paused, lips parted slightly and eyes wide.  You spread your fingers across his chest, brushing your thumb across his collar bone.

“I saved you.  You saved me,” you leaned closer, “We’re even now, right?  So we can kiss each other without feeling bad about it?”

He stared at your lips.  His eyebrows furrowed together slightly, creating the picture of a conflicted man.  You could feel his heart racing in his chest, just beneath your fingertips.  

“Eddie?” 

“Fuck it.”

Eddie’s lips were on yours before you could make another sound.  His hands were on your face in an instant, cradling your jaw with such a sweet intensity that you almost melted into him, then and there.  Your hands came up to grip his arms, and you followed them up the shape of his body until your fingers wrapped around his shoulders.  Without another thought, you pulled him closer.

He let out the sweetest sounds as you parted his lips with your tongue.  You wrapped one of your legs around his, desperate to feel his touch everywhere you could.  He lowered a hand to your waist, nearly clawing your side in his desperation to hold you.  Need turned the both of you into animals just a few shades from feral.

 “We’re even,” he spoke against your lips, breathless and panting, “We are so, so even, angel.  Fuck-”

“Haha, I get it now.  You’re a demon, and I’m-” you cut yourself off, whining into Eddie’s mouth as he bit down on your lip just hard enough to make your flesh sting.

“Yeah, sweetheart,” Eddie whispered as pressed kisses to your jaw, “You’re my angel.  Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Eds, I’m- I’m perfect… When's Hopper gonna get here?”

He paused, tilting his head, “Not for a while… why?”

“Because I have plans for us, pretty boy.”

A wicked grin crossed Eddie’s lips as he dove back into you.

Eddie may have seen you as angelic, but the thoughts running through your head were anything but holy.  Your blood seemed to burn wherever he touched you.  Sparks flew with every touch he left on your skin.  You were seconds away from catching fire, from burning brighter than any star the sky had to offer.  You let out a soft moan as Eddie’s lips trailed down your throat.  

“I need you,” you panted, “I need you, Eddie, please.”

“Whatever you want, sweet girl, whatever you-”

You cut him off by leaning forward and wrapping your lips and teeth around his shoulder.  You bit down, marking him up without drawing blood.  The moan that slipped from him was far too pretty for you to handle.  Your hips moved against his thigh, grinding against him desperately.  You were very much aware that you were acting like a pathetic slut, but you didn’t really care.  You needed him- and judging by the hard length pressed against you, he needed you just as much.

You wrapped your hands around the back of his neck, pulling him blindly towards the altar/table in the center of the room.  He followed eagerly.  You both stumbled, nearly falling to the ground since you both refused to break the kiss.  

Your back hit the altar with a harsh thud.  You let out a soft whine, jumping up to sit on the flat surface just as Eddie pulled away.

“Are you okay?  That sounded like it hurt-”

“I’m fine,” you reached behind you and unhooked your bra, exposing your breasts to the cold air of the sacrifice room, “Can you do me a favor and tear off what’s left of my dress?”

Eddie didn’t move.  He didn’t say anything, either.  He kind of just froze for a second.  When you looked up to meet his gaze, his eyes were completely glued to your chest.  A sweet blush graced his cheeks, and you couldn’t help but grin.  

The fact that he wanted you, that he couldn’t look away from you set off another set of sparks deep inside your body.  Absolute want pooled at your core as galaxies formed in his eyes.  You were his universe.  You could see it.

“You okay there, Munson?”

“You’re so fucking pretty.”

You let out a laugh before reaching out and pulling him close.  Once you had him between your thighs, you wrapped your legs around his hips.

“Thank you, Eds.  Now are you gonna help me with my dress, or am I going to have to take it off myself?”

You tilted your head to the side, unable to wipe the smile from your face as Eddie continued to devour you with his eyes.  His hands came up to your sides, trembling slightly as he took you into his hands.  Something dark and dominant flashed in his eyes.  His grip tightened.

“You’re gonna have to wait a second,” his voice was low, almost inhuman, and fucking delicious to your ears.  You laughed again as he buried his face in your chest, kissing and biting your skin, leaving purple marks behind.  Your laughter quickly gave way to breathy moans and desperate pleas as Eddie’s lips moved across your exposed flesh.  Your hands found their way into his hair, tangling at the roots and giving them a slight tug.  He growled against you, biting down hard and marking you with the shape of his teeth.

“God, I want you to do terrible things to me.”

“You’re-” he cut himself off with a kiss, “Adorable.” 

“I’m serious!  I almost died today- we both did.  I’ve come face to face with my own mortality, and I realized that life is too short.  If I don’t ask you to rail me now, who knows if I’ll get another chance?  In other words, please fuck my brains out before we get hit by a meteor or something.”

He laughed.  You could feel the vibrations in every place his skin met yours.  You kind of wanted to scream.

“We’re not gonna get hit by a meteor.”

“You don’t know that!” you sat up, pulling his face from your chest and holding his jaw in one hand, “We could get meteored any second, so I need you to know that I love you.”

His soft brown eyes bore into your soul for a moment, and honestly, you wouldn’t have cared that much if a meteor did smite you at that particular moment.  You had Eddie.  You had everything you needed.

“I love you, too,” he pushed you back and finally, finally set his claws on your dress.  He tore it off slowly, making you ache with anticipation.  You could feel the sharp, pleasant scratch of his nails against your skin again, slipping beneath the waist of your underwear.  You really wouldn’t complain if he just ripped you open, but you knew he wouldn’t.  Not unless you asked nicely.

“By the way,” he leaned up to kiss you, “I wouldn’t let you get hit by a meteor.”

“Is that something you could prevent?” you tried to come off as confident, but your voice snapped into a million pieces as he pulled your panties down your thighs.

“I’d do my best,” he shrugged, tossing your underwear to the side for the moment.

“That’s comforting.”

“You’re the one that came up with the meteor thing,” he gripped your thighs, claws just biting at your flesh as his fingers flexed, “You know I’ll always protect you.”

He would.  He had.  He’d proved that much to you.  He leaned in slowly, kissing your lips again before moving down to your throat, tracing the pattern of purple bruises and bite marks that he’d already left.  You squirmed in his hold, hips thrashing slightly.  You could feel yourself dripping.  Arousal gathered between your thighs as he eased his way down your body.  

Eddie’s arms hooked themselves around your thighs, hands spreading on your hips- he was holding you in place.  After pressing another kiss to your skin just below your navel, Eddie paused.  When he looked up at you, you could feel the space of the universe fill your lungs.  When his eyes met yours, the heat of the sun made its home within your ribcage.  

“Please,” you begged.  It was all you had to say.

He bit his way down your thigh, leaving another trail of marks on your skin.  His lips were so soft against your skin.  When he reached your aching pussy, he grinned.

“You’re soaked for me, sweetheart.  How long have you needed this?”

“Too long,” you whimpered, though the sound turned into a moan as he pressed a kiss to your throbbing clit. 

“My poor girl,” his tone was soft with the slightest hint of mockery.  You opened your mouth to respond, but you cut yourself off with a whine as Eddie’s tongue met your entrance.  He lapped at you, collecting your arousal like something feral.  His nose nudged against your clit, making you cry out his name.  

“That’s it baby,” he moaned, “Just like that, fuck.”

You called out his name again, and he buried himself deeper inside you- a reward for your good behaviour.  You could feel Eddie smile against you, grinning like a madman and lapping up your arousal as it dripped down his face.  You could feel your body clench around nothing, feel yourself draw closer to the edge.

His hands reached up, moving over your hips to your breasts.  His calloused fingers brushed over your nipples, squeezing and circling until you threw your head back against the altar.  You tugged at his hair again, pulling him closer to your core with a desperate whine- not that he was any better at keeping his composure.  

The noises he made were nothing short of delicious- hungry praises and moans that let you know just how much he wanted you.  After the blood-soaked night you had, you needed to hear that.  You needed to hear him moan your name.  You needed to hear how badly he ached for you.  It sent you right over the edge.

You let out a weak cry as he devoured you, as he sucked and bit softly, and as his fingers dipped down to find your dripping entrance.  You clenched around nothing, your hips thrusting into his face of their own accord.  The world faded around you, disappearing into a void of stars that burned half as brightly as you did.  

“You taste so good,” he whispered, sounding almost mindless, rambling as if eating you out had decimated his ability to think, “So, so fucking good.”

You simply panted in response.  Your grip relaxed on Eddie’s hair for just a second before you pulled him up to face you.  He went willingly, obediently, following the unspoken order.  When you brought his lips to yours, you could taste yourself on him.  

One of his hands left your chest, moving to your back to pull you closer, deeper into the kiss.  His fingers spread out across your back, rough fingertips dug into you carefully, almost gently.  You pinned his other hand to your chest, threading your fingers through his and pressing your joined hands into your skin.  You and Eddie wrapped your bodies around each other, refusing to let go as you kissed the breath from his lips.

His body was soft but firm beneath your hands.  He was your anchor, keeping you tethered in the real world, ensuring that you didn’t float off into another world while you were with him.  You needed that.

Slowly, keeping his hands on you, you sat up.  You wrapped your free arm around his neck.  He literally couldn’t get any closer to you, but that wouldn’t stop you from trying.  The hand that you had tangled with his slipped away, tracing a line down his chest until it reached the button of his jeans.  

You let your fingers play with the fabric, slipping beneath it to feel the rough, scarred skin of his hip.  You paused for a minute, surprised at what you felt.  Eddie pulled back for a second, a mildly embarrassed look on his face.  You didn’t let him stay away for long.  You pressed your lips to his again, hard and fast as you full on attacked his jeans.

“You must want me pretty bad, huh, angel?”

“How do you figure?” you asked, pulling him closer with the arm around his neck and bringing your lips to his neck.  You kissed the column of his throat for a few moments before you bit down harshly, lips and teeth completely unforgiving.  When you pulled back, a large swath of his skin was stained purple.

“Yeah, pretty boy,” you pressed a kiss to the sore spot, “I want you.”

“Good,” he growled, pushing you back onto the table and pulling you to the edge of the surface.  He brushed his hand across the side of your face before lowering it, tracing down your side until he reached your cunt, “Because I want to do unspeakable things to you, pretty girl.”

You moaned, your face burning hotter than the heat death of a small universe.  Eddie slipped his fingers into you.  He took things slow at first, torturing you by easing you into things, pumping into you gently with just the tips of two fingers.  You mewled, craving more of his touch.  You’d given up on wondering how his claws weren’t cutting you.  You just wanted his calloused fingers to go deeper.

Eddie silenced your pleading whines with a kiss.  Slipping deeper into you, he whispered, “You have to be patient, angel.  You can be patient for me, right?”

“I-” you moaned as he sunk his fingers deeper.  His dark eyes watched your face intently, taking in every change in your expression.

“Come on, sweet thing.  You can be patient, right?”

You whimpered, opening your mouth to respond.  You didn’t get the chance.  Eddie moved his fingers again, moving his fingers in and out of your dripping slit.  You moaned softly, and as your lips parted, Eddie added a third finger.  The sound you made snapped, becoming louder and more desperate as your demon brought you to the edge again.  

“Eddie,” you whimpered, “Please.  Don’t be mean to me.”

He laughed a little, pressing a kiss to your lips as he brought his thumb to your clit.  You came quickly, thrashing slightly in his arms as you clenched around his fingers.

“God,” he groaned, “You’re so fuckin tight.  Such a good girl for me.”

You let out a little whine, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him down on top of you.  The two of you stayed there for a moment, holding each other again as you calmed down.

“Think you can give me one more, pretty girl?”

“Is that even a question?”

He kissed your throat again, keeping you distracted as he freed his cock from his pants.  He pulled away for a moment, allowing you to see the absolute monster he kept between his thighs.  You knew, now, why he had prepared you so thoroughly.  It was necessary.

His cock was almost unnatural- long and thick, red near the tip and covered in veins.  It looked… demonic.  And you wanted to take him inside you as soon as you possibly could.

“See something you like, sweetheart?”

“I do,” you grinned, reaching out for him.  He leaned in, placing his face against your palm.  He smiled down at you, his eyes incredibly fond.  You were the thing he had searched all time and space for- and you had searched for him.  Now, you were both found, both real- as batshit insane as it was that this was the place that made you so.

“Let me know if it hurts,” he whispered, “If I need to stop.”

“I will.  I promise.” He pressed into you, slowly and gently, letting you feel every single ridge and vein.  You shut your eyes, moaning softly.  Eddie braced himself with one arm, using the other to knead at the soft flesh of your chest.  His lips were on your throat again, adding more marks to the sea of purple that he’d already made.  

Once he was inside, he paused, just taking a moment to feel your body around him.  You clenched down on him, running a hand into his hair to tug at it again.  

“You’re so fucking warm,” he growled in your ear, “So fucking tight.”

“Thanks, I worked hard on that.”

Eddie lost his composure, thrusting into you gently as he laughed, “You are so deeply strange.  I adore you, did you know that?”

You thrust your hips up towards his, “I kind of figured, I’m not gonna lie.”

He pressed his forehead to yours, his thrusts increased in speed as you bathed in the light of his smile.  You could feel his cock deep inside of you, pressing against every sensitive spot you had.  You moaned softly as his thumb stroked over your nipple.  The stimulation of his calloused touch on your breast had you arching your back, pressing further into him.

“You’re so deep inside,” your voice wasn’t much more than a whimper, though you willed it to be stronger, “Fuck, keep going.”

“Whatever you want, baby,” he thrust into you harder, leaning down to bite your chest, clearly not satisfied with the job he’d done on your neck.

His hand slipped down to your clit, pressing into your swollen nub.  He circled it in time with his thrusts, alternating between heavy pressure and feather light touches until you were seeing stars and screaming his name.  

“Are you gonna cum for me sweet thing?”

You didn’t even get to answer his question.  You came around his cock quickly, and he fucked you through your orgasm without a moment of hesitation.  Your body spasmed, your walls clenching down on him until he moaned your name into your skin.  

Your chest heaved as you caught your breath.  Eddie’s lips didn’t leave you.  He laved his tongue over the bite marks he’d made, and you could feel his smile against your skin.

“You’re so perfect, sweetheart.  Such a good girl for me.”

You clenched down around him again, moaning this time at the praise.  You searched your mind for a witty comment, something cute to say to make him laugh, but your brain was full of stars and nothing else.  Every time his cock stabbed into you, another damn galaxy found life behind your eyes.  

You used the hand you had tangled in Eddie’s hair to pull him closer.  You pressed your lips to every part of him that you could reach.

“I love you,” you whispered, “I love you.  I love you so fucking much.”

“I know, sweet thing.  I love you, too.”

You tugged his hair, biting down on the side of his throat, and he moaned softly.  You clenched your now sensitive walls around him, whimpering slightly at the sensation.  He let out a sharp exhale, and his hand left your clit to wrap around your hip.  You could feel how wet your cunt was just from the feeling of his damp fingers on your skin.

His thrusts grew harsher, his pace speeding up to something unforgiving.  His grip on you was bruising, but you wouldn’t mind the marks.  

“Are you gonna cum for me, sweetheart?” you asked, “Are you gonna cum inside me?”

His hips stuttered, and you could practically feel his heart skip a beat, “Can I?”

“Please.  I want to feel you- I want this.”

“You- you promise you want this?  The whole- the whole deal about your only purpose being to create life, that isn’t in your head, right?”

You shook your head, “No.  Not with you.”

One of his hands found one of yours.  Your fingers tangled together like they were made to do just that.  You leaned up, pressing a kiss to his lips, “Besides, I’m on the pill, anyway.”

He laughed again, briefly against your lips before he went right back to kissing you.  He squeezed down on your hand, his teeth grazing your lip.  You could feel him twitching against your walls, could feel his cock throbbing inside you.  

He thrust all the way inside you as he came.  Ropes of hot cum flooded your walls, filling your cunt and warming you from the inside out.  Another orgasm took you by surprise, rolling over you suddenly and making you clench down hard.  Cum spilled down your thighs, pooling on the altar beneath you.

When Eddie pulled out, you were both completely breathless.  His hand was still in yours, his body still draped over top of you.  You wrapped your free arm around him, your fingers landing on the spot where his back met his wings.  They unfurled behind him, showing you their impressive size in whole.

“You’re amazing,” your voice was quiet, trying not to ruin the post-orgasm haze, “I don’t know how I managed to land you.”

“Are you kidding?” he murmured, his voice just as quiet, “I don’t know how I managed to land you.  You’re terrifying,” he pressed a kiss to your collarbone, “And sweet,” another kiss, “And you’re fucking stunning,” a third kiss.

He pulled back, warm eyes dead focused on you, “I’m in love with you, sweetheart.  I have been for a while.”

“Good.  Because I love you, too, and I think all of this would be a touch awkward if you didn’t love me.”

He grinned, pressing his face into your shoulder and pulling you up.  More cum spilled out of you and onto the altar.  You reached down, collecting some of it on your fingers and putting it in your mouth.

“Fuck-” Eddie hissed, “Don’t do that.  You’re gonna make me cum again.”

You threw your head back, cackling as Eddie put his forehead against your shoulder.  

“Would that really be such a bad thing?”

“Normally?  No.  But I just noticed that that painting looks kind of like my dad, and it’s freaking me out,” he pointed at the wall, to the massive portrait of the smirking gentleman with black hair.

You tilted your head, casually running a hand through Eddie’s hair.  If you squinted, you could almost see the resemblance between Eddie and the man in the painting.  You didn’t want to think about it.  You’d had enough creepy shit for one evening.

“We should get going,” you murmured, wrapping Eddie’s leather jacket around you again, “Hopper will be here soon, and I don’t really want him to see us like this.”

“Fair enough,” Eddie looped his hand beneath your knees, “You brought your stuff for the weekend, right?”

“I-I did.  Eddie, wait-!”

Before you could stop him, he lifted you up, carrying you over the bodies and out of the room.  You wrapped your arms around his neck, clinging to him tightly.

“Am I not-?  Do I weigh anything to you?”

“Demon strength.  It’s like lifting a bunch of grapes.”

You scoffed, letting your head rest against Eddie’s shoulder, “I don’t know where the butlers put my stuff.  My bag could be in the body pit for all I know.”

“It’s not, I was down there.”

You scoffed again, ”Well, we’ll have to hunt for my shit I guess.”

You did.  It didn’t actually take long.  Most of your things had just been left by the door.  As was the-

“Oh shit!  The wine!” you exclaimed, patting Eddie’s chest until he put you down.  You ran over to the bottle, which had been left just beside your bags- bags that you ignored entirely in exchange for the sweet bottle of vintage.

“Angel, don’t you-?  Want your clothes first-?”

“Eddie, you don’t understand, this wine was fucking expensive and I didn’t think I was gonna get a chance to drink it.”

You struggled helplessly with the cork for a few seconds before you gave up and handed it to Eddie.

“Demon strength?”

He laughed at you a little, but he did open the bottle for you.  While he did, you pulled some clothes out of your bag- a shirt you’d meant to sleep in, and some pajama pants.  You kept Eddie’s jacket wrapped around your shoulders.

Once you were dressed, the wine was ready to go.  You gave Eddie a cheer, and a small round of applause.  He joined you, and for a moment you both applauded like idiots in the foyer of Roman’s big ass house.  The portraits seemed to smile down at you, grinning your approval as you drank the blood coloured wine.

You and Eddie passed the bottle back and forth wordlessly as you made your way to the door.  Your hand slipped into his again.  Every time you held his hand, you felt more and more like that’s what your hands were supposed to do- what you wanted them to do.  When you weren’t busy taking over the world, you wanted to hold Eddie close to you.

The two of you sat together on the front stoop of the McMansion.  The porch light cast a warm glow over the front yard.  The freshly mowed lawn had drowned beneath a sea of leaves since you last saw it.  You let your head rest on Eddie’s shoulder.

“What the fuck are we gonna tell Hopper?”

Eddie took a drink of the wine, “The truth.  Your in-laws tried to kill you.  We didn’t let them.”

“I’m pretty sure we both committed several counts of murder tonight.”

He shrugged, “Eh, it wouldn’t be the first time.  For me, anyway.”

You looked up at him, concerned, though you didn’t move away from his shoulder, “Should I be concerned?”

“I mean, I haven’t technically killed any people?  It’s a long story.”

“Oh,” you nodded, taking the bottle from him and taking down a deep sip of wine, “So.  What about the melted puddles of people?  How do we explain that?  Do we just tell the cops that you’re a demon?”

Again, Eddie shrugged, though a wince crossed his face, “Well, Hopper knows.”

“WHAT?”

“Yep.  And Steve.  And Robin.  They know.”

“What?  Okay, okay, who else knows?”

“Nancy doesn’t know officially, but I think she’s aware.  Also, you know those kids who come into Family Video like, constantly?”

“Mhmm, the freshmen.”

“Yeah, they know.  One of them was there for it.”

“It?”

“The incident.  I’ll tell you about it another night, we’ve… we’ve been through a lot today.”

“That’s one way of putting it.  I think tonight was my incident.”

“You could definitely call it that.”

You smiled, lacing your fingers with Eddie’s, “If this was my incident, I’m glad you were here for it.”

“Yeah?” he asked, placing his head on top of yours.

“Yeah.”

You let your eyes flutter closed then, knowing that you were safe from harm.  When you woke, there would be no sirens, and no flashing lights.  Just the guy with the sweet daughter, who bought literally all of the Barbie movies and Die Hard.  The former for his daughter and her friend, the latter for his daughter’s other friends.

When you woke, Eddie would be there with you.  His eyes would be brown again, and his wings would be tucked away so well that you would wonder if this whole nightmare had been a terrible dream.  You would feel his hand around yours, and you would know it hadn’t been.  You would know, finally, that you were no longer anyone’s prey.  

You were the hunter.

♥ A/N: I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS SINCE SEPTEMBER WHAT THE FUCK. IT'S SO LONG MY EDITING SOFTWARE WOULDN'T ACCEPT IT, SO YOU'RE GETTING THIS THING RAW. happy halloween babes, i hope you enjoyed this. thank you to @mxcheese for reading this a million times, and to my partner for listening to me ramble about various plot points with no context.

[isagi-fan-page]

HOLY SHIT THERE'S AN ISAGI FANPAGE??

..sorry lol. anyway, im a big big isagi fan, so i was wondering: what are (in your opinion) the best/worst takes or characterizations you've seen about our beloved striker isagi yoichi?

YES THERE IS AN ISAGI FAN PAGE!!! I love making fan pages <3 I have many

Uh quick note tho: most of the characterization of him I've seen has been via fanfics so I'm not 100% sure about how Tumblr views him, so when I say "the fandom" I mean the fandom I've seen from tag searching ao3

From what I've seen there's 3-4 main ways the fandom takes him and thats: 1 uwu soccer boi twying his best, 2 RAHHH SEX GOD, 3 [insert love interest] omg I live for you never leave meeee, 4 shy boy whos good at shit. Which isn't that bad tbh, other fandoms wouldn't even get close to his character, so while I kinda tear at those interpretations they aren't so far from the mark.

1 I think is mostly from anime onlys because at the start of the anime he's kinda like that and people tend to run w/ their first grasp on a character, also his low self esteem and repetitive losses throughout the season can very easily feed into that. However in the manga as the series carries on he gets more and more skills, he gets more egotistical and confident in his own abilities. So seeing this version annoys me because if anyone in this series is gonna be like that it's Igaguri I mean

Look at him, but even then that'd be a stretch.

2 is just frustrating to see everywhere like calm down

3 stems from wanting to ship characters but not knowing how to write individual ships, so the writer defaults back to a cookie cutter dynamic and sorta fits the characters. It happens in every fandom, with every ship. At least once. It's like rule 34 but the porn is optional.

Ah but it doesn't fit Isagi because he's more than capable of leaving people behind if that's what's best for him, it wouldn't be personal for example him and Bachira play against each other all the time and they play to win but they're both still close after the game. He's able to detach emotions from leaving someone behind which is why when they show up again later he's genuinely happy for them, he still likes them. So for Isagi to be like "nOoOooooo I neeeeeeeeeeedddd youuuuuu" it doesn't make sense. And in regards to the 3v3 game against Rin. He was upset about Bachira being taken I think if Bachira had chosen to be on a different team he wouldn't have been so pissed.

4 is just episode 1 and 2. He outgrows his "shyness" immediately, but it is the closest to canon imo. Because Isagi isn't shy per say but he is aware of his limitations (most of the time) which means he does change his plans to accommodate that, not exactly shy but I can see how one could read it that way.

As a bonus I don't mind the chatfics but I'd like if they gave them text accents. I think Isagi is a no punctuation but uses capitalization For Emphasis kinda guy.

Sorry if I didn't answer this how you wanted but I love yapping about characterization.

I was gonna say how I'd personally characterize Isagi but this is already several paragraphs longer than I'd planned so. another day.

[ratatouillewastakendammit]

30% off

Pairing: Chishiya x reader

Summary: death around every corner means you don’t exactly get much time to pleasure yourself. Thankfully, someone you’ve had your eye on is more than willing to help

Warnings: smuttttt, edging, language

(yes, Spencers does have a line of monster dildos)

I may rewrite this with another character because I don’t know how many of you guys watch AIB

Also warning this was made in under 90 minutes at 2 in the morning. Enjoy

•

•

Your fingers flit through a small sea of heavy fabrics, each embroidered with some colorful design of whatever video game or anime character had been trending when the world stopped.

Apparently, it had been Gojo, the white outlines of his hair a stark difference to the black of the hoodies base framework.

The material was heavy and warm, hiding your fingers from the damp chill in the air as you slid them underneath to find the price tag.

$49.99

The notion of one piece of clothing being nearly worth a young teens entire shift made your eyebrows tug upward.

Slipping the cloth off of its hanger, you gently ripped the price tag off, letting it fall to the floor as you snuck an arm into one of the sleeves.

Once upon a time, you would have cared about the littering, but it wasn’t as if rest of the mall didn’t look any different.

It was getting increasingly hard to care about things like that.

Instead, you focused on the comfort of your newfound treasure. Taking what you wanted was one of the few benefits you reaped in a place like this.

The mall doors had been hard to pry open, but a crowbar and a few minutes had done just fine. With a few days of peace before another game needing to be won, Usagi suggested some good old scavenging.

If anything, it was a lot better than sitting around and starving to death.

So you, her, and a few others from what the priorly known as The Beach, had ended up here, each going their own way to cover the maximum amount of ground before darkness fell over this wasteland.

And while you didn’t exactly think Spencer’s would have the most survivalist-prone gear, it was one of the only stores in the North end of the mall that didn’t reek of rotting food.

You slipped through a wall of nose piercings, grabbing another thick hoody that sported a small drawing of Killua Zoldyck on the lower right corner.

Going towards the back of the store, you rummaged through the trays of snacks that could usually be found near the checkout desk. Even though they technically weren’t the most nutritious, sour gummies and sodas were known to have a better-than-average shelf life.

As you scoured over numerous packages and Best Buy dates, your gaze slipped a few feet to your left, eyes widening as a short chuckle bubbled up into your throat.

You walked over to a stand proudly boasting its abundance of ‘Creature Cocks’ and picked up a glow-in-the-dark Unicorn dildo.

It was nearly 9-inches.

Guess I could use that thing as a weapon if anything.

Snickering, you put the sparkly sex toy back and let your line of sight graze curiously over the smaller, more much conventional ones.

It had been a long time.

Which wasn’t surprising, since personal pleasure wasn’t exactly a priority during what many would define as the apocalypse.

Still…

Almost unconsciously, you reached out, fingers curling around a small toy that slightly resembled one you used to have.

“You know most of those don’t work anymore, right?”

“Shit!” You spun around in fear, locking eyes with the second male in your little group, Chishiya. His lower lip was curled in amusement as you pressed a hand to your pounding chest. “You just gave me a heart attack, asshole!”

Regardless, nervous excitement brewed in your stomach. The feelings you harbored for the individual in front of you were dangerous and you knew that, but they were hard to ignore.

“Sorry, didn’t think I was interrupting anything,” his eyes flit down to the device in your hand, a feline-like smirk spreading across his features as he turned and began to leave. “But I’ll leave you to it.”

You dropped the toy, it’s clatter against the floor causing him to swivel his gaze back and you to internally cringe. “Batteries,” you swallowed, cheeks beginning to burn as you mentally fumbled for an excuse. “Some have batteries. I figured we’d run out at some point. For flashlights and stuff… ya know?”

Rambling. You’re rambling. Stop it.

Chishiya cocked an eyebrow, stalking closer and quietly bending down to pick up the device. When he straightened, his body was a few centimeters from yours.

A contrasting scent of ashes and mint hit your senses as he lifted an arm to put the toy back, effectively caving you in on one side.

You wondered absentmindedly if he still would’ve smelt faintly of fire if he wasn’t stuck here, in a world surrounded by death and decay.

“If you really needed help that badly, you could’ve just asked,” he replied, wolfish grin doing nothing to quell the heat blooming into your face.

The meaning of his statement hit you like a train, the suggestion crawling below your abdomen to tease you with a flash of pleasure.

“I don’t… I wasn’t trying to-”

“But you want to,” you blinked, eyes wide in surprise as his arm snaked around your waist. “Besides, it might be dangerous to leave you all hot and bothered during a game, don’t you think?”

“I’m not… I’m fine,” the reply definitely lacked the assertion you planned to give it, the idea of his skin against yours more than distracting.

He let out a raspy hum. “So it wouldn’t turn you on at all if I did something like this?”

The hand resting on your hip began moving downward, began toying with the top of your jeans.

Mindlessly, your hips lifted upwards, practically begging to meet his touch.

That smirk grew slightly, excitement flashing through brown irises. “Thought so.”

His hand slipped under the fabric, gently brushing against your clit. The contact made your body jerk in surprise, that soft heat slowly building as the touch moved in between your thighs.

“I-” One finger pushed between your folds, drawing a soft groan from you as he began to slowly thrust the digit in and out.

“I know, princess. Don’t worry, I’m gonna take care of you.”

His lips grazed over yours, gently stealing the sigh you gave in response to his movements. Blond hair tickled your face as he continued to whisper praises in your ear.

“So pretty,” his free arm linked under yours when your knees threatened to fall out from under you.“Do you know long I’ve wanted to do this? Wanted you?”

He watched as you continued to slip away in a pleasured haze, expression flashing for a mere second in adoration as his finger drew soft circles over your clit.

The feeling was overwhelming, the rest of the world melting away from the burning heat just begging to reach its climax.

Then it vanished, his touch slipping away as quickly as it came before he pressed his lips against yours, the moment lasting mere seconds but leaving you breathless.

“Why did you stop?” The desperation in your tone might have embarrassed you, if you cared.

“So needy,” he taunted. “I’ll fuck you properly when we have some more privacy.”

You almost reached out to stop him from backing away when he backed away, your pride saved as Arisu, Usagi, and Kuina pushed through the isles.

“You guys okay? We’re gonna head back soon.” Arisu stopped, eyes widening as he took in the area. “What are you doing back-“

“We thought there might be some batteries in here.” Chishiya grabbed one of the toys. An effortless smile gracing his lips , he spun the package around so the label was visible. “30% percent off.”