#I’ve been a little stressed about this animal for the past week.. I will be honest with you | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

darlingdekarios · 1 year

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hibernate.

rating: explicit. 18+ only. length: 6,152 content: Arthur Morgan x f!reader, animal hunting mentions, cannon-accurate outlaw behavior, cowboy meet cute, Arthur Morgan is a simp, snowed in, fluff, smut [v fingering, unprotected p in v, creampie, cockwarming], kink(s) [spit as lube]

it was like fate insisted on the two of you colliding.

The first time you’d met Arthur Morgan was a lovely March night in New Hanover, opportunities abound as the hustle and bustle of life was at its highest point of the year, the weather the most tolerable for moving about. Returning from an evening of fishing now that the water wasn’t frozen in some areas and sketching birds by the river when he stumbled across a lone figure boarding train – well after midnight. He followed on horseback under the cover of trees in anticipation, joined by your own horse shortly after. He followed alongside with a hold of the strange horse’s reins until the train came to a stop.

He'd strained to hear you, considered boarding after you to clean up any straggling guards – it wasn’t his business, so he didn’t – but curiosity held him close. When the sound of police approaching quickly began you emerged to the top of the train, looking around desperately for your horse. Temporarily frozen when the moonlight caught your face and confirmed to the man that you were a woman, he recovered just in time to spring into action.

It had been Arthur who had led your horse to you and instructed you to follow. It was Arthur’s path that led you away from the law and eventually far enough away to be free of their hunting.

“Are you some kinda lunatic, lady?” he questioned when the two of you slowed side-by-side under the cover of thick trees, his face hard-set and stern. “You coulda gotten yourself tossed away for a long time back there.”

“I didn’t, though,” you laughed, and despite the feeling that burned in him that he couldn’t quite place as anger or worry Arthur’s stomach flipped at the sound and the way your laugh reached your eyes. You adjusted your hat with a playful smile on your lips, keeping the reins to your horse in one hand.

“Thanks to me,” he asserted, the stress causing him to light up a cigarette and adjust his hat. His eyes caught your gaze and you held it, appreciating his handsome features for a moment as your smile twisted wider.

“I would’ve figured it out, cowboy – you can be sure of that.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’ve seen your face on ‘wanted’ posters, Mr. Morgan,” you proclaimed, tone proud as you called him on his identity. He took another drag from his cigarette before leaning forward comfortably in his saddle, outstretching a hand toward you.

“Arthur,” he offered, amusement flashing across his features when you shook his hand firmly. “And I’ve seen yours, too. What is it they call you…?”

“The Panther,” you replied, that proud tone ever-present in your voice. “A nice tribute to my best hunt.”

His poker face was too well-trained to reveal that he was impressed – that he was intrigued.

“Well next time you go thinkin’ of doing something so goddamn stupid like rob a train at midnight alone,” he began, gruff voice filled with frustration as he attempted to present his unamused façade. “You could invoke that particular nickname and be a little more subtle.”

The second time was just as circumstantial. It was July – the heat sweltering, the air sticky, the fireflies sparkling in fields at night. You’d been riding for days, hunting gators in the swamps for weeks and now headed back to a more familiar area where you felt more at home. Just past Emerald Ranch you’d spotted him on the road ahead – his hat unmistakable and burned into your mind, his horse giving away his identity to anyone who knew it.

There was no questioning if he’d want your company – you didn’t even give it a thought. Instead, you’d hastened your own horse to catch up with him.

“Where ya headed, cowboy?” you questioned as you approached from behind, adjusting your hat back on your head to offer more of your face to him. Your voice immediately sent a shiver down his spine, the barely-there smile crossing his features unmissed by you.

Four months trying to remember your face and voice hadn’t done it any justice.

“Valentine,” he replied, slowing his horse’s stride to match yours. The two of you set a lazy pace, in no real hurry to get anywhere. “You following me now, cat?”

“Like I ain’t got better things to do, Mr. Morgan?” you joked, nose scrunching as you smiled. The Summer sun had done beautiful things for your color, he noted. “Give you $50 and shine your guns if you can beat me there.”

“Are you tryin’ to race me?” he questioned with a subtle laugh, raising an eyebrow in your direction.

“Won’t be much of a race, cowboy.”

He let out a real, genuine, albeit short laugh at that. The sound filled the air around you, made birds vacate trees. Your heart soared away alongside them.

“And what is it you want if you win?”

“A nice bottle of whisky,” you replied after a brief moment of thought, reaching your hand to rub your horse’s neck gently. Arthur had forgotten how gentle your hands were with everything they touched – the rediscovery lighting up his mind. “And a hot meal at your camp.”

“Can’t promise the gang’ll let you eat at camp without drinking, too.”

“Which is why I asked for a bottle of whisky,” you remarked, that shit-eating grin he was starting to love spreading on your face again. “Do we have a deal?”

“Hope your horse is fast enough to back up that mouth of yours,” he quipped back, intentionally antagonizing you as he started to pick up the speed slightly. “Or that you’ve got plenty of gun oil.”

You shot forward then, the dust of the road kicking up behind you as you left Arthur behind on a road you both knew well. In reality he could’ve caught you – could’ve even won if he’d pushed his horse hard enough – but the sound of your laughter in the cool evening air was reason enough to lose.

It wasn’t a surprise when you crossed over into the town first.

“You cheated,” he argued as he approached, allowing his horse to slow to a reasonable speed for being around other people. “Got a head start. Doesn’t count.”

“You’re just a sore loser.”

“Maybe I am,” he replied, reaching up to remove his hat to resituate his wind-blown hair. You were momentarily transfixed on his fingers running through the strands that looked soft – maybe in need of a wash but soft nonetheless – but quickly wished he’d left it messy. “Weren’t mean you didn’t get a head start, cat.”

“Oh, like a couple steps mattered,” you entered an easy banter with him, just like the two of you had done in the Spring. He’d missed it – hadn’t realized how much he had until then. “Coulda given you a five-minute head start and still would’ve beat you and that slowpoke horse you ride.”

“Anybody ever tell you you’re difficult?”

“Heard it a couple times,” there was that smile again – the nose crinkling one. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep his thoughts to himself with you smiling that way – at him. You jumped down from your stallion and hitched him with ease, feeding the massive animal a small snack in appreciation of his efforts. “I can compromise. I buy the whisky, but I still get a hot meal at your camp.”

He pondered your proposal only briefly before nodding, letting out an affirmative huff in agreeance. “I’ll meet you at the butcher when you’re done.”

You gave your horse a gentle pat and nodded, turning back to meet his gaze. “Sell that fox pelt I have up on Scratch, will ya?”

Easy. Simple. Honest. Sensible. Arthur loved having you around camp that night – and the night after when you’d been convinced to stay again by the women – though it was hardly just them that enjoyed your company. You’d made easy companions in the camp with your sharp tongue and ability to hold your alcohol. You had plenty of stories to share with Arthur’s chosen family – each one of them genuinely interesting to the gang.

Everyone knew the fact Arthur had brought you around meant you were a good person. The beauty was a bonus, he’d been informed in privacy. He’d only told Sean to shut his mouth in response. Arthur slept by the fire that night so you could sleep in his cot, and if anyone else in the gang saw the way he’d sat up for at least an hour with his eyes transfixed on your sleeping figure in his bed.

It was Fall, October to be exact, the next time he heard from you – this time you had taken fate into your own hands to seek out his company. He was certain he’d never be able to dispose the letter you’d penned and sent to his camp.

Dear Arthur, Kinda strange to call you “dear”, huh? Anyway, I have a job comin’ up in Saint Denis that involves me boarding a train quite late at night and remembering our conversation earlier this year I thought I may ask you to join. Job is planned for the night of October 18, the Saturday after next. I’ll meet you the Friday before at the saloon in Van Horn if you plan on joining me. I do hope you join me. Hope that gang of yours isn’t being too rough on you.

He arrived in Van Horn a day early and rented himself a room – and a bath – so he was prepared for the meeting. He was in the saloon before you, his chest clenching as you walked in through the swinging doors.

You’d taken a page from his book and clearly bathed recently as well, and you were dressed for the first time in front of him in feminine attire. The sight of you in a skirt shouldn’t have affected him the way it did – it was embarrassing for a man his age. It didn’t prevent the pressure building at his waist, nor did it stop him from speaking his mind.

“You had to wear that damn skirt, didn’t ya?” he questioned when you joined him, a smile spreading across your face. It was hardly a gentlemanly way to greet you, but then again, he was hardly a gentleman. “Knew what you were doin’ puttin’ that on with me coming in today…”

“You complained so much about the pants last time I figured I’d save myself the headache,” you replied, sliding into a chair next to him and crossing your legs for emphasis. “You don’t like it?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, kitten,” he’d practically purred – a new tone between the two of you. There was no denying that you wanted to hear it more, and you nearly chose to forget the real reason you were now sitting beside him.

“I need to look the part tomorrow for the job,” you replied quickly, eager to squash the tension now building between the two of you, unwilling to allow the job to go forgotten. There was too much money at stake. “Have to board a real nice train when it leaves out of Saint Denis tomorrow night. There’s a safe onboard I’d like to get my hands into.”

“Can’t just rob it the old-fashioned way?”

“Someone didn’t like the last time I did that,” you teased, feeling pleased with the smile it earned. “Figured I’d board and crack the safe.”

“Why you need me then?”

“Need someone to play my husband and keep watch while I’m workin’ on the safe.”

“Your husband,” he huffed out with another laugh, a brief shake to his head. The term had always been silly to him, just as silly as the idea of marriage was to you as a whole, really – and yet, there was no denying the clench in both of your chests at the mere thought. The imaginary suggestion manifested in brief images of domesticity, the vision of you sleeping in his cot in July flashing in his mind.

You didn’t miss the slight redness to his cheeks, he didn’t miss how your smile fluttered into something laced with affection. For all your joking demeanor, it was still clear that there was some secretive sincerity beneath the surface – that you cared for Arthur. And on Arthur’s part, well…he wouldn’t ride across the country to work for just anyone.

“Yes,” you replied when you’d pulled yourself from the depths of his eyes. “A woman travelling with her husband is far less likely to draw attention than if I were alone.”

You thought there would be some protest, though if you’d seen even a fraction of the thoughts Arthur had conjured up in the preceding months you’d never have to question it. To you what seemed to be him conceding was actually the outlaw taking a step he’d long considered taking with you the next chance he got.

Arthur just wanted to spend time with you – there were probably very few things he’d say no to right now in regard to you. He wouldn’t go admitting that out loud anytime soon either.

“Fine, I’ll go along with your little plan. Only so you don’t go gettin’ yourself arrested.”

“Great!” you exclaimed, the brightness that covered your face blinding but serving as confirmation that he was making the right choice. The money he was sure to get would be a bonus, too. “I got you a wedding ring. Looks like it’ll fit. You can sell it when the job’s done, as a thank you.”

“You get it off a dead body?”

“He didn’t need it anymore.”

There was that goddamn feeling in his chest again.

This was the fourth time destiny had crossed your path with Arthur Morgan’s.

Now, the ring still lay in the outside pouch of his satchel, the cool metal brushing against the tips of his calloused fingers often daily in a physical reminder of you. Today, feeling the pull of being apart from you for four months now and into the new year, he’d been clutching the metal in his gloved hands as he led his horse through the far North. Seeking the solitary bliss of being alone in the mountains for the winter, he had opted to simply ride and camp, sketching in his journal and enjoying the snow dusted scenery. Arthur’s plan was soon thwarted as a snowstorm began to roll in.

He'd been riding along the same worn path to make his way down the mountain when he noticed horse tracks leading into the thick forest – a horse, by the look of it, with no reemergence to be seen. Opting to do the honorable thing, Arthur pursued the trail, weaving through trees atop his own horse until he came to a small clearing where you were setting predator bait.

He didn’t know the kind of words to describe the way he felt seeing you right in front of him.

“Are you some kinda lunatic, cat?”

If he had a way with words, he’d tell you that your smile was brighter than the sun itself – fleeting shooting stars, the North Star when he’s lost.

“That’s not the first time you’ve asked me that question, Mister Morgan,” you replied, standing up and patting your horse as your gaze remained transfixed on him now. Even at this distance you could see the blue in his coat had electrified his eyes, the tone a perfect match for the world around you. You found it hard to form any further rebuttal.

“Won’t be the last either, given you’re doing something fucking crazy every time I see you,” he teased, finally giving into the natural ease he felt with you. The light air between the two of you had finally lulled him into a sense of comfort around you – he was willing to admit he was concerned, in his own way. “There’s a storm rollin’ in. You trying to freeze to death?”

“Trying to hunt a white wolf,” you replied, glancing back at the bait you’d just set and adjusting the bow you held in your hands, an arrow already grasped between two fingers.

Fuckin’ hell, Arthur thought. ‘Course that’s what you’re out here doing.

“You ain’t gonna be hunting much of anything when you turn into an icicle,” he replied, hopeful that you would understand his taunting was coming from a place of concern – not control. “You got Scratch nearby?”

“I suppose you’re right,” you smiled, slipping the arrow back into the quiver on your back and whistling to call your horse back to you. You mounted up on the animal easily, Arthur taking the moment to appreciate how languid your movements were – how graceful. His eyes lingered at your waist for a moment longer than was decent.

“If I remember right there’s a cabin just up the road. Been empty the last few times I rode by,” he explained, his words offering more than just a place to shield from the freeze.

Arthur wanted to spend time with you. You’d truly have to be a lunatic to think otherwise.

“Lead the way, cowboy.”

The snow picked up as the two of you rode side-by-side, both of your horses slowing as the powder piled up, creating heavier footsteps. While Arthur spoke to his horse beside you to soothe her through the storm, you could feel his eyes consistently on you despite the painful whip of flakes against his unshielded cheeks.

What could have been a short ride in the summer extended in the weather, and by the time the cabin approached view you had begun to shiver – something Arthur took note of. When he climbed from his horse he unrolled the blanket on the back of his saddle, passing it up to you before grabbing his shotgun.

“I’ll check inside, you try not to shiver s’much you fall off your horse.”

He disappeared into the cabin, your mind focusing on the sounds of him moving about rather the piling snow that was sure to trap you for days. Keeping yourself wrapped in his blanket provided the additional comfort of his lingering scent, and you found yourself clutching the fabric tighter and tighter as the moments passed.

“This’ll be fine ‘til the storm’s passed,” he announced as he exited through the doors, voice raised so you could hear him over the wind. “You go on in while I get some firewood and hitch the horses.”

“I can help, you know,” you offered, eyebrows pulling together to communicate your frustration.

“Would you stop your arguing for once and go inside out of this shit?”

By the time Arthur made his way in from the storm you’d used what wood remained in the cabin to start a fire, the flames warming the air around it quickly. The mattress was considerably dirty and out of the question, so you were validated in the decision to carry in your bedrolls and blankets, having set them up comfortably in front of the fire.

His heavy boots sounded on the floor as he approached where you sat on the floor from behind, and while you couldn’t see him, you could feel his eyes on you.

“Already got a fire going?”

“Uh huh,” you replied, noting the subtle shake to his voice. Arthur was strong, but he was human, and he was cold. The fact that he not only was willing to but insisted on suffering for you caused a knot to form in your stomach. “Got some whisky if you need help warming up.”

He simply grunted affirmatively in reply, setting the stack of wood carefully to the side and picking out the driest pieces to tend the fire with now. You tempted to hand the bottle out to him, the liquid going ignored as he began to peel off layer by layer, tossing the soaked clothing to the side lazily with little regard for how they ended up. Normally you’d have stood to hang the clothes, but you found yourself spellbound by the way Arthur’s muscles flexed with each movement under the simple wet damp button up shirt – the last remaining layer.

When he was somewhat comfortable, he turned to face you, eyes flashing with amusement as he took the bottle from your fingers. You were certain your mouth was hanging open and he’d caught you. At the moment, you could hardly bring yourself to care.

Hours passed as the two of you got warm and caught up over the last few weeks. You sat opposite one another, both wrapped in your own blankets and full of enough whisky to ignore the storm outside – to ignore everything but one another. Arthur hadn’t missed that most of your clothes lie neatly folded atop the countertop. The thought was repeating in his mind – the heavy question of what exactly remained under the blanket haunting him.

He couldn’t be blamed for not being a good listener.

“Arthur, are you even listenin’ to me?”

“Not a fuckin’ word,” he replied with one more small swig of whisky from the bottle, setting it well out of the way to the side. “Stop fuckin’ doin’ that if you want me to listen.”

“Doing what?”

You knew damn well what.

“Lookin’ at me like you want me to come crawl on top of you.”

Why on Earth would you ever stop doing that?

“No.”

Your mouth was going to drive him to insanity one day. He wasn’t going to do a single thing about it.

“Did you just tell me ‘No’?”

“Yeah, Arthur, I surely did,” you replied, quick and agile as you were on your feet. He was beginning to think you may only talk to hm this way, and that thought alone was enough to make him want to reach out to you. “Hoping you take the hint.”

The blanket he’d been using for himself was discarded to the side, your words finally snapping the thin thread of control that remained in him. He extended one arm outward toward the floor to support himself, outstretching his legs to be situated in a more comfortable position before his eyes found yours again.

“Come on over here,” his invitation came thick as molasses and dripping just as sweet, his free hand patting his right thigh to give his words deeper meaning. “Bring the blanket.”

Arthur had finally figured out how to get you to stop arguing and basked in the glory of the moment as you crawled to him carefully, finding a comfortable seat in his lap as you straddled his thighs. He savored the view as you wrapped your arms around his neck, encompassing you both with the blanket, your face illuminated by the golden glow of the well-tended fire – beautiful, warm, inviting.

He was more than happy to finally accept.

“Are you gonna kiss me, Arthur?”

He knew you were trying to sound resolute as you always did – firm and demanding and impossible to deny. While those things lingered – he doubted they could ever truly be gone from you – what really laced your words was the quietest of whines. He sat up fully, bringing his torso closer to yours and grasping your hips in both hands, all the while your heart beating faster and faster in anticipation.

When you opened your mouth to let your protest be known again, he took his opportunity to claim your lips in a long-awaited kiss, the feeling of his lips caressing yours sucking the air from your chest immediately. He opted to slide his hands to your lower back to bring you in closer, pressing your chests together as he kissed you hungrily. Touch starved and overwhelmed by the feeling of you returning his kiss with soft lips he sought more of your skin, sliding his hands up the back of the loose blouse you remained in.

“Clothes are still wet,” he grumbled against your lips, displeased by the cool touch to your skin that remained. You scrambled to reinitiate the kiss, your lips catching his bottom lip as a whine slipped through your lips. A quiet chuckle rumbled through his chest as he nuzzled your cheek with his nose.

“Take them off, then,” you breathed out, bowing your head to press a delicate kiss to his neck. His own breath caught, arms wrapping tighter around you – almost too tight, almost too crushing. You made no move to stop him as you began to test the best places to leave your kisses, spurring him to release his hold on you to start peeling the last layers from both of you.

Your lips brushed against the shell of his ear when all that remained were intimate coverings, a shaky groan rolling through his chest. His hands engulfed you, sliding up your torso until he cupped your breasts, dipping his head to claim your lips again.

That kiss was hungry – starved – clumsy in ways that screamed of desperation. His thumbs rubbed over your nipples lightly, a smile evident on his lips despite the fact he continued to kiss you as a moan slipped from your throat. It spiraled from there, both of your hands exploring, your fingers the best thing he’d felt against his skin in a long time. As the pressure built heavier at your waist his hands trailed lower, one stopping to grasp your waist, the other slipping into the waistband of your underwear.

He'd never heard music that sounded as good as the sound of the moan that left you as his thick fingers swiped through your wet folds, an appreciative hum shaking in his throat as you burrowed your face in his neck.

“You’re already soaked for me, darlin’,” he rasped, his voice getting lower and lower with each word. He began to sink his index finger into you, grasping your hip tighter in his other hand. “Fuckin’ tight, too. Hell.”

“Arthur…”

“Aw, hush,” he cooed, turning his head to press a kiss to your temple as he curled his finger inside you, pulling a quiet whimper from you. “No point tryin’ to talk right now, darlin’ – just lemme take care of ya.”

He could take his sweet time, Arthur Morgan. He was a patient man, especially when it came to you, and never more-so than now as he began to work his finger in and out of your clenching heat. He added a second finger soon, pressing the heel of his hand to your clit to give you more pressure, which you gladly accepted by rocking your hips into it.

As he pumped his fingers into you he began to trail kisses lower, the kisses growing heavier and wetter the further down he went. By the time he nipped at your hip with his teeth lightly you were breathless, eyes squeezed shut as you lost yourself to pleasure. He kissed across your waistline as he pulled your underwear down, smiling against your skin lightly when you kicked them free with frustrated fervor.

Nothing up to this point compared to the feeling of Arthur sliding his tongue from his fingers to your clit, giving the sensitive bundle of nerves a soft suck. He repeated the motion as you struggled to even moan, your hands grasping at the blankets now on the floor beneath you as you tried to rock your hips into his face desperately.

“Easy, now,” Arthur reprimanded with quiet reverence behind his words, turning his head to press a kiss to your inner thigh softly. “I’m takin’ my time with you, don’t rush me.”

You finally opened your eyes, ready to give him an earful about being a tease, only to be frozen once again faced with the sight of Arthur, golden illuminated by the fire and somehow still wearing his hat tipped back on his head. You maintained eye contact with him as you reached forward with your hands, removing the hat with one hand and placing it on your own head as your fingers ran through his hair, giving a soft tug at the end.

The growl vibrated through him and you as he connected his lips to your clit, pumping his fingers into you and connecting the tips, curling them skillfully to rub against the sensitive patch deep within you as he sucked your clit. All the while he maintained eye contact, even when he removed his mouth from you with one final flick of his tongue, just as he removed his fingers from you.

“Arthur…” you whimpered in protest, tugging his hair again to try to bring him back to your needy core.

“Hush,” he instructed tenderly, slipping his hands under your ass and grasping firmly to lift your waist from the floor. He soaked in the view of your glistening folds at this angle and tested how it looked to watch one of his fingers slip into you before removing it, licking his lips again. “You are a pretty little thing, ain’t ya?”

Your reply was sucked from your chest and altered into a cry of pleasure as he spit on your folds, smearing the liquid around before connecting his thumb to your clit, rubbing a figure eight. Supporting your raised hips still with one hand he continued to rub your clit, now using his tongue to fuck into you rather than his fingers, tasting you how he’d wanted to for nearly a year now.

The pressure continued to build and boil, eventually reaching a point of eruption – all the usual signs there with your shaking thighs, shorter and desperate breaths, your nails scratching against his temple as you gripped whatever you could. Arthur figured it was a previously unknown bonus to him keeping his hair a little on the longer side. He groaned to encourage you, switching his movements to pump his fingers into you again, circling your clit with his tongue until you became incendiary, your first orgasm washing through you with white hot heat.

He continued to lap at your folds as you came, removing his tongue from you occasionally only to kiss your thighs and mutter tender praises as you came back down to your body. When you had some sense about yourself, he was crawling back up you, pressing kisses to your stomach and breasts before he reached your lips, offering you a taste of your own honey sweet pleasure on his tongue.

When the adoration filled amorous kiss ended so Arthur could breathe you began to trail kisses down his neck again, following a trail to his chest before his index finger caught under your chin, lifting you back up to him, cerulean eyes questioning.

“Your turn,” you offered, slipping one of your hands into the waistband of his underwear and wrapping your fingers around his throbbing cock slowly. Running your finger over the velvet head you smeared the pre-spend leaking already, biting at your swollen bottom lip when he moaned.

“Not tonight, sweet thing,” he declined, his hesitation clear in his voice. You began to rub him gently – slowly – too damn slow – causing his eyes to roll back briefly. “You wrap these lips around me, and I won’t last long enough t’ fuck you.”

“Please.”

You didn’t truly know what you were begging for – for him to test himself and allow you to take his already throbbing cock into your mouth or for him to follow through on that promise to fuck you. Luckily, Arthur seemed to know exactly what your words were asking for – what you needed.

He reached to remove your hand from his cock gently, freeing himself of his underwear before he gently moved you to your side, lying beside you with his back to the fire to shield you from getting too much heat, to ensure you didn’t get hurt. One arm wrapped around your waist while the other slid to cup your cheek in his hand, bringing you in closer to him as he kissed you again.

As much fun as he’d been having teasing, he was done with the games now, and could no longer find the patience. He reached to lift your leg around his waist before grasping his cock, rubbing against your still-soaked entrance for a moment to gather some lubrication before he sank into you. Inch by inch disappeared into your velvet channel, the kiss practically halting as you gasped. He leaned his forehead against yours instead, grasping your waist gently as he continued to slip into you.

“Atta fuckin’ girl,” he breathed out. The large hand that still cupped your cheek slipped downward to rest against your neck instead, his fingertips digging into your skin in attempt to steady himself, to savor your pulse beneath his touch. “Takin’ me so good. You doin’ okay?”

You nodded as you stared into his eyes, pupils blown wide and mouth hanging open already at the feeling of him stretching you, almost too full but not something you’d be willing to give up anytime soon. When he’d fully seated himself within you, his cock buried to the hilt he released a shaky groan of his own, his eyes briefly closing as he savored the feeling of being wrapped up in you.

“Goddamn you’re tight,” he groaned out, pressing several light kisses to your lips before grinding his hips into yours slightly. “Shoulda crawled ‘tween your legs months ago.”

“Would…ah…woulda let you,” you managed to reply, pressing your lips to his in an unabashedly salacious kiss, already perfecting how to slot your lips against his in a way that left him craving more. He couldn’t hold back his movements any longer and began to pump into you repeatedly, setting a wanton and quick pace that somehow managed to remain tender and reverent.

He could only be tender for so long, desperation and months of waiting and yearning building in him. His movements began to get sloppy sooner than he’d have liked, though he felt better when your walls began to flutter and clench around him, your thigh shaking around his hip slightly. He picked up his pace to a much more relentless one, driving his cock into you and into your spongy cervix repeatedly as his grunts became more frequent, pressing kisses to your neck now.

“Want you to finish while I’m inside you,” he instructed, though there was something so subtly desperate behind his words – a quiet beg that only someone who knew him would recognize. “Think you can do that for me, darlin’?”

You nodded before leaning your head back again, quiet cries leaving your lips as he connected his thumb to your clit again, immediately choosing a relentless pace to rub in circles. You were almost certain you’d do anything he asked and soon enough you were pushed over the edge again, your walls clenching him so tight he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to remove himself. He did his best to continue pumping into you roughly now as he sought his own release, certain you wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow. Like you’d need to, anyway.

“F-fill me up, Arthur,” you begged unexpectedly through your euphoria, and he didn’t need anything else to convince him. With only a few more bruising thrusts he stilled inside you as he emptied his seed in hot ropes into you, groaning loudly as he lazily leaned his forehead to yours again, his own eyes screwed shut.

He didn’t remove himself from you when you’d both ridden your orgasms, instead holding you close and reaching to cover the two of you in one of the blankets that was on the floor. He wrapped his arms around you tightly to hold you closer to him, slipping one of his legs between yours for additional comfort and warmth. Still semi-hard with plenty of stamina to offer you couldn’t ignore the feeling of him seated in you still, buried as deep as possible as he brushed his nose against yours.

“Be a whole lot warmer this way,” he offered, giving a subtle move of his hips to emphasize the meaning behind his words. He pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of your nose before reaching upward to kiss your forehead, leaving his lips resting there. He was right – you did finally feel warm.

“Mm,” was all you could reply, laying your head against his shoulders and closing your eyes, burrowing your face into his neck. He smiled as you managed to press lazy kisses into his neck before wrapping your arms around him as well.

“Think I’ll keep you here all winter,” he offered after several blissful moments, his head leaning to rest on the top of yours as his own eyes closed. He pressed one final kiss to your temple before succumbing to the comfort of you fully.

“Always knew you were a big teddy bear, Arthur,” you teased. How you managed to run your mouth still after he’d fucked you right was beyond him – but it was also probably a reason he’d want to keep fucking you.

“We’ll call it hibernation, then.”

masterlist. red dead redemption masterlist.

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan x you #arthur morgan fanfiction #arthur morgan smut #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 smut

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wosowrites · 9 months

Text

Moose (Jessie Fleming x Reader)

warnings: none

prompt: in which the reader and jessie play for chelsea and before they leave for the world cup reader makes jessie a crochet moose which becomes the team mascot for canada.

a/n: based off this request here also a super short fic because i’m still broken.

You were not at all a crafty person. Jessie had grown up with a craft room in her house and she liked to paint, draw, and do artsy things to calm herself down like her mother had taught her. When you started dating a year into her contract at Chelsea, her calmness had rubbed off on you. You had always been a stressed out person and moving in with Jessie had made you into a much more relaxed and happy human. You would go on bike rides, hikes, make crafts, paint the house every time you got bored of it and do everything together.

However the only thing you started doing on your own was crocheting. Jessie had tried it but was never big on it, so all the spare yarn in the house went to you. You loved it. You were horrific at it however. Everything turned into little colourful blobs and your creations were constantly either too loose or too messy. That’s why, when you walked into the house one day and pulled out a beautifully crocheted moose with a Canada jersey on, Jessie was baffled.

For the past three weeks, you would escape to a café every day and crochet for about an hour before going back to your girlfriend. Jessie was not a worried person and as madly in love as you both were with each other, spending a small amount of time away from each other every day just made you closer. Some days you would tell her you were grocery shopping, other days it was a meeting with your agent, a hang out with one of your German teammates.

But today, Moose was finally done.

You finished him a week and a half before the departure of the World Cup and you were in Canada with Jessie and her family. It would make it harder to travel all the way back to Germany and then to Australia but you didn’t care. All you wanted was to be girlfriends instead of rivals for as long as possible.

At the dinner table that night, you picked up your glass and straightened up.

"Um, I’m not big on words as you guys have seen by now but I wanna say a couple words," you said.

Jessie’s entire family put down their cutlery and looked up at you. "I’m terrified for this World Cup. Like… horrified. It’s been four years since I’ve played a major tournament so far from you, Jess. The olympics are in one city so we can visit but in Australia… we’re constantly going to be flying around. So… I made Moose," you said.

From under the table, you grabbed a bag and pulled out the knit animal. He had a red and white swear and big old antlers. Jessie’s mouth fell open and a large smile cracked her freckled face. "I’ve been making him for weeks, and he has like… five half knit siblings that went wrong if you want them," Jessie laughed loudly and extended her hand to take the crocheted animal. "Baby… it’s perfect oh my god," she said, smiling down at the animal. "Klara taught me how to make him. That’s why I was always out for an hour or so these past weeks," You said.

Jessie hugged the plushy to her chest and then put it beside her plate. The brunette stood up and walked to behind your chair, wrapping her arms around your neck and squeezing you.

Elysse took a quick picture as Jessie’s parents raved over your new talent.

Over the next couple weeks, Jessie was seen carrying Moose during press, in the bus, around the city, at training, everywhere. She always had Moose. And if she didn’t, she had entrusted Christine Sabrina, or anyone else on the clamer side to take care of the little mascot.

After Canadas 2-1 win over Ireland, Jessie was interviewed and eventually, the subject of Moose came up.

"Is that a moose?" the woman asked, looking down at the plushie tucked under Jessie’s arm. The camera followed the reporters eyes and then went back up to the Canadian. "Yeah it is," she laughed shyly, holding up the mascot. "Is there a story benne that? I mean it’s been showing up everywhere. "There is, yeah. My… uh my girlfriend made it for me. She’s at the world cup and her friend taught her how to make it for me. We won’t be seeing each other for a while depending on how the games go so she said she wanted me to have a piece of her. It’s cute, and I didn’t think she was this artsy so it caught me by surprise for sure," Jessie said, shyly and gently.

The reporter awed over Jessie’s story but the midfielders brain was just full of images of you. She missed you so much.

That night, she called you and the whole Canadian team joined the call behind the vice- captain, thanking you for the mascot.

#woso fic #woso imagine #woso x reader #woso #jessie fleming #canwnt #gerwnt

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jaegeraether · 4 months

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Sunsets and footballers (Part 35)

Lucy Bronze x Reader (33)

Masterlist (other parts here)

“Luce..” she cooed, happy to hear that deep, Northumberland voice.

“Little one,” she repeated and YFN could hear her smile. “How was your day?”

She couldn’t help but laugh as she took in her surroundings from her bed. “That’s…a dangerous question. I’ll tell you after but right now, can you please just tell me all about your past few days?” She rolled onto her side and held a pillow close to her body for comfort. “I want to hear everything.”

“Everything, hm? Okay. Well yesterday I woke up in bed with you and I almost stayed. I was so close to stealing your phone and texting Alexia asking for a day off. I know she would have given me one.”

YFN gave a happy hum, wishing she’d stayed but knowing it would have just been delaying the inevitable.

“After my flight I picked my car up from the airport and went home to feed Narla and change. She was a little confused, I think.”

YFN pouted. She didn’t like affecting anything with their relationship, she wanted it to be the opposite of a burden, though she knew it was only one night. She had also hoped that Narla would like her. She was nervous about that, but she’d always had a way with animals.

“Went to training, was teased by the girls...”

“Teased by the girls?”

“Yeah,” she laughed almost embarrassed. “Apparently I’ve been a pain the past week and a few of them said they were happy I was back.”

YFN remembered the not-so-Lucy, Lucy she’d seen in the FC Barca Instagram stories where she had been obviously upset and having to force a little smile for the cameras. Then she pictured Lucy, Lucy. Always a big grin, yelling and enjoying herself at training. She had been so busy the past few days that she hadn’t looked at any social media besides Lumos’.

“Alexia, Kiera and the girls are excited to meet you. Also I think you’ll be happy to hear that I’ve spoken to Ona.”

“Oh?” She asked, surprised at multiple things she’d just said. Alexia Putellas was excited to meet her? Kiera was too? How much did the girls at Barca know about her? Also, “Everything is okay with Ona?”

Lucy hesitated. “She…okay I didn’t speak to her about the relationship between her and I, I just sort of started talking about you a lot…”

YFN groaned as she rolled onto her back. “Luce, that’s not the best way to go about it.”

“I know,” she said, a little stressed. “I just don’t want to hurt her feelings…”

“Has she taken a step back?”

“Yes, but she’s still overly friendly and even let me pick her up for training this morning. I’m thinking maybe I don’t need to have the talk with her.”

“I trust you Luce, whatever you decide is best. Just…protect that relationship, please? You won’t forgive yourself if you go about it the wrong way.”

“I’ll keep an eye on it, little one. I promise. Oh, also security found the footage of my number one fan reaching over the boundary fence to grab my phone when I was meeting fans. She’s banned from the stadium.”

The audacity. She shivered. “But she can still follow you around and go to other stadiums?”

“Yes and no. Technically yes… but Barca have her on their blacklist and also the lawyers have officially drawn up the restraining orders. It was difficult because I need to protect you not just in the UK but in Spain also, and then if we ever travel…”

Her stomach did that weird thing when Lucy mentioned her need to protect her. Protective Lucy. “Thank you, Luce. Really. Thank you. I feel like such a weight has been lifted. Please tell me you also have restraining orders for you?”

“Yes, love, of course. Unfortunately, they’re both just for Kristie though, but I think that’s all we need.”

She nodded, even though she knew Lucy couldn’t see. “She is the instigator. Hopefully she leaves Spain now and leaves you alone…”

“I’d rather she stay in Spain than go anywhere near you,” she almost growled.

YFN hummed again. “And how did your day today go?”

“Today was great! I managed to catch up on sleep. I woke up and took Narla for a walk. The beach is close so we went down to the beach in the morning and had a swim and played in the sand for a bit.”

“She likes the beach?”

“Oh yeah, we’re both beach babies.” She said proudly. “She doesn’t go in the water much but she dipped her body in a bit today. She just loves to run around mainly and dig holes. She digs the holes and I play with the sand she digs out.”

She pictured their day at the beach and Lucy with her sandcastles. “Did you make your sandcastle?”

“Yeah, only a little one but. I only make the big ones when I want to impress you.”

YFN chuckled at Lucy’s attempt at flirting. Her voice changed when she flirted, it became cheeky and smiley. She didn’t realise until now that she could tell that difference over the phone. “I expect big sandcastles from you when I get there.”

“Yes, love. And we love going to the beach most mornings, if you’re up for it.”

“Of course I am! I miss the beaches back home. I’m sure the ones in Spain are much better than the UK ones.”

“What, you don’t like the rough sand, cold weather and brown water? How dare you.”

“Luuuuuuce. You’re killing me here.”

Lucy laughed. “I don’t mean to talk bad about the UK, I just want to give you some incentive to come here. It’s much better.”

“Luce, you’re all the incentive I need. I don’t care if you live in the middle on no where. I want to be where you are.”

There was a happy silence then. A silence where they both appreciated each other and were comforted knowing that the other was just on the other side of that phone. When Lucy spoke next, it was husky with a little emotion. “Also the sunsets are pretty here. They’re not entirely over the water, but I figured we can go down to the beach to watch them and it might remind you of home a little…”

YFN may have mentioned Western Australia and how they were lucky to have their sunsets over the water, though she’d only mentioned it once. Lucy really did listen to everything she had to say. “I can’t wait, Luce. I’m also really excited to meet your friends, and to meet Narla, of course. I hope she likes me.”

“She’s notoriously picky, but I have no doubt she’ll like you because…you’re you.”

YFN bit her lip.

Lucy continued. “Actually speaking of, I need to get her a new toy for when you come. She gets excited and chews a lot with people she likes…”

“Oh, can you wait until I get there, please? I want to help.”

“Okay, love.”

YFN grinned. She put sat up, leaning against the headboard and put her AirPods in to talk to Lucy while she took out her laptop and started doing sneaky things. She listened to Lucy talk about training, her knee, her friends, everything. She could listen to her talk forever.

“Jonatan is starting me for the game.” She said. “We’ve been doing some extra therapy for my knee. It feels good, it’s just the way that it is at this point.”

“Did the massage help?”

“Ah, you have no idea. That released so much tension before bed so it wasn’t as bad as it usually is in the morning. It was amazing, thanks love.”

“Anytime Luce, you know that. I’m happy to help. I’m happy to learn a little more about it if you can teach me, please?”

They’d gone over it before, Lucy showing her when they were a lot fresher into their relationship, however Lucy had a degree and knew an endless amount that she wanted to take on board. Partnerships were about equally giving and receiving to her and she wanted to help Lucy in any way she could. That was her way of loving.

“We can do that.” Lucy agreed. “I also have an ice bath which helps. Are you going to be brave and try it out?”

She could hear the challenge in her voice. “I’ll try it, though I don’t exactly have any muscles that need to be iced.”

Lucy scoffed. “Lies, your muscles may be smaller than mine, but you’re still a strong little Australian. I see those abs.”

“Attempts at abs,” she corrected. She was definitely not an athlete like Lucy, she just always loved to keep herself fit and watch her food intake.

“You’re perfect.”

“Luce, you’re too far away to be complimenting me like that.”

“Getting needy, love?”

“I’m always needy for you.”

“Mmn. Would you like me to help you tonight…?”

She looked at the time. 8pm. That meant it was already 9pm where Lucy was. “Maybe when I get home?”

“You’re not home?”

“I’m in Edinburgh?”

“What?! You listen to me talk about myself and didn’t mention you’re in Scotland?!”

“It’s…a long story.”

“I want to hear all of it, starting from when I saw you. Right now. Go.”

YFN spoke about her days. She spoke about visiting a few of the clubs in London and talking to the management and players. She spoke about her conversation with ‘Joe’ and her request to go to ‘her house’. She spoke about her conversations with Leah at Arsenal and then the random Leah and Jordan interaction at their house. She got a little distracted as she spoke about what Jordan had messaged her, though she had no further update as they’d agreed to talk in person with some take-away and perhaps some alcohol. That was the only time Lucy said anything, she asked if Jordan was okay. Other than that, she was dead silent as she listened to every YFN had to say. The flight, the drive, the estate, Joe, and ‘Joe’. It was impossible to tell Lucy’s thoughts across the phone, especially being as silent as she was, and YFN actually appreciated it. It allowed her to get everything out and describe Catherine from the way she walked to the way she so passionately spoke about and led Lumos.

“So now she’s headed back to London and I have a flight out of here in the morning…which is a good thing really because I need to have a meeting with our team about the new hires.”

She’d sent a very last minute meeting invitation out to the group after Catherine had left, and they’d all agreed to meet in Birmingham tomorrow to discuss the round and the new hires. Management would not have the London office ready until next week.

Lucy was still silent and she was worried they’d been cut off.

“Luce?”

“I’m still here, little one.”

“Are you…mad?”

“No. No, of course not. I’m overwhelmed. I’m proud, obviously, that out of everyone, she chose you. It’s just so hard to believe. I wish we had someone like her help us when I was still new to the sport. This is…fantastic. I’m so happy you told me…”

“You were the one exception she allowed me.”

“I’ll keep it safe, don't you worry. This is unbelievable. I don’t even think I can find words right now. Do you realise now how unique you are?”

“I…I think I’m pretty lucky. I came to this country for a holiday. Now I have the most attractive girlfriend to ever exist, a job where my boss is Catherine, and so many friends from different clubs and countries, I don’t even know where to begin. Oh, and a stalker.”

“I think you’ll find she’s my stalker.”

“I think you’ll find that she’s much more of a me problem than a you problem.”

“Your problems are my problems. She’s just jealous I’m obsessed with you. Also, you think I’m attractive, huh?”

“Argh, you’re relentless, Luce.”

“Sooooo…?”

“Sooooo you know I find you attractive.”

“I know, I just like hearing you say it.”

“You do own a mirror in Spain, right? You’ve seen yourself.”

“I do okay.” YFN could almost feel the shrug through the phone. “I like to think my personality makes up for it.”

“Well that is what I fell for. Your multiple personalities.”

“Multiple…?” She questioned.

“I’ve named them, but that’s just for me.”

“I’ll drag them out of you in Spain.”

“You do have this amazing ability to get anything you want from me.”

Lucy chuckled. “Now times that by a hundred and that’s how you make me feel.”

“We’re one of those disgusting love-sick couples you see in Hallmark movies, aren’t we?”

“No, we’re much more sophisticated than that. Hopeless millennial romantics. No bad dialogue and expected storylines here.”

“You make me really happy, Luce. Thank you again for coming to London. I know you sacrificed a lot of sleep and recovery for that. I…we really needed that.” She’d gotten too into her head. She knew she had, and Lucy had paid the price of that insecurity and she’d managed to also pull some of Lucy’s insecurities out.

“I should have done it sooner.” She admitted. “You and I? We just need to communicate. You can trust me with that part of you…the part you don’t show anyone. And I think I’m learning to trust you with mine also. It’s terrifying, but I’m never going to hide that from you. I know what I want.”

Happy silence again. Lucy was right, as always, but she wasn’t going to admit that. She didn’t need to. They sat in that happy silence for a while longer until YFN looked at the time.

“You should be sleeping, Luce. It’s getting late.”

“I wish you were here.”

“Soon. Cuddle Narla in the meantime and I’ll cuddle a pillow or Dory. I think she needs it anyways.”

Lucy gave a light chuckle. “Jords always needs a cuddle, regardless of if she’s sad.”

“I’m going to suggest she give you a call tomorrow night, okay? I think that’ll be nice.”

“I’d like that. After 6pm though, I have a boxing class after training.”

Ah, Lucy boxing. It should have been illegal.

“I want photos.”

“Oh, I’m planning on posting them online. I fully intend on teasing you until you get here.”

“That’s unfair,” she groaned.

“You in that backless dress was unfair. You in my hoodie at the football matches was unfair.”

She’d seen her in her hoodie? She’d been trying to find her at the games online? YFN was tempted to get on a flight tonight. “I think I need to step up my game…”

It was Lucy’s turn to groan now. “I can’t handle that.”

“Well we’ll find out, won’t we?”

“Oh, also, I’m going to a bar with Alexia on Friday…”

“Why does it sound like you’re asking permission?”

“Maybe I am…”

YFN laughed. “You don’t need permission from me, love. But I really do appreciate you telling me instead of finding out other ways. You and Alexia are becoming quite close lately. That’s great!”

“Yeah, she’s been there for me over the past week. We’re getting a lot closer now. She’s also been having a rough time accepting her feelings for someone at the bar, so I’m going with her for support.”

“You’re an amazing friend, you realise that?”

They challenged and teased each other for a bit longer until they called it a night for the sake of sleep. They eventually said their goodnights and unwillingly ended their call with smiles on their faces. Four days.

#woso #womens football #woso community #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso soccer #jordan nobbs #lucy bronze #lucy bronze x reader #engwnt #lionesses #woso x reader #lucy bronze imagine

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jealousjersey · 1 month

Text

₊࿔*:･୧”too sweet”₊˚࿔*:･୧

pairing // mike schmidt x gn!reader fluff

mentions // purely fluff just some nice and sweet content, pet names, reader is overwhelmed and stressed with everything and mike uplifts you, y/n isn’t mentioned, reader in college, reader and mike are in a situationship, mentions of being cheated on by past shitty gender unspecified partner

1.4k wc

tags // mike schmidt x reader fluff, purely fluff fic, pet names, slight angst

authors note // yes this is inspired by too sweet by hozier i’ve played it 18 times today (still listening to it) also per request (ty anon) fluff

school is kicking your ass. the lectures are too long and not informative at all, although you’ve had exams all week, they never seem to contain the information you’re supposedly learning.

you don’t even live on campus so you constantly feel like you’re missing out on important events and information. it’s truly exhausting.

that is until you get home, you’ve been in a situationship with this security guard worker, mike. you’ve talked and had dates, even had sex a few times but it doesn’t suffice you. you were made to be a lover, but right now you’re just a piece of ass. you want mike to love you, well, right now it feels more than a need. you want to finally receive the love that you give.

once your classes are done, you leave campus. taking the subway back to your apartment, luckily you don’t live too far, but not close enough to walk. and instead of wasting gas on driving to and from school, so why not take the safer option and just take the train?

as you arrive at your apartment, you finally get to lay down on your bed. you feel a tear fall from your eyes but you’re not sure why. today wasn’t too bad…but your body’s reaction is telling you different. you check the time and wait-

it’s the 2 year anniversary of your ex cheating on you, well atleast it’s the anniversary of the day you found out. you check the date and you get flashbacks, flashbacks to you coming to surprise them at their house for your 1 year together.

you arrive with tickets to some indie concert in hand. but instead you were practically hit in the face with realization as you saw her. she looked…perfect. you still wonder how they ended up with her. but let’s face it, you knew there was signs. but you chose to ignore them.

as of now, you’re laying face down on your bed, basically crying at this point. your breath hitches as you just lay there, helpless. until suddenly

knock knock

“hey? anyone here?” you hear a familiar voice enter your house. it’s mike schmidt, the man you’ve been talking to for a few months. wait a second-

“how did you get in?” you question. you thought you locked the door but apparently not.

“oh, the door was halfway open. wanted to check to see if you were being robbed” he says as he gets a good look at you “shit are you okay?” he asks worried, staring at your puffy face, your swollen eyes as tears leak from them.

his worry makes you feel better. you’ve waited on somebody to actually care about how you were, not just ask without remorse in their eyes. but mike actually cares, and it feels good. it feels like he gives you a little sliver of comfort.

“yeah, i’m fine…schools kicking my ass and-” you cut yourself off, he’s just a fling, why does he get to know your personal problems? but something inside you just tells you to come clean. “2 years ago today i went through hell with my ex. he cheated and things went…down from there you could say.” you open up, not wanting to share anything that could bring back more deep memories- maybe mentioning the abuse would be too far.

“oh baby, i’m sorry. you need me here with you? i can get take out and we can watch one of your weird cartoons” he says. you chuckle. does he mean anime? you don’t even watch it that much, maybe he’s basing his suspicions on the death slayer poster in your room that you got because it looked cool. i mean, you only watched a episode or two. it might make you a poser but it looks good in your room so what’s the harm?

“yeah, take out sounds great. and we can just watch a movie or something.” you smile at his request, your eyes still puffy. mike notices this and sits next to you on your bed, bringing a hand to your cheek as he gently brushes a thumb over your eye bags, taking in the darkness.

“i’m gonna be right back, you want take out chinese food?” he asks with a smile as he presses a kiss onto your cheek. you slightly nod.

“gotta use your words baby” he teases you. “yes, chinese food is perfect” you smile “amazing, i’ll be back in 30. don’t fall asleep” he says as he points a finger in your direction and smiles softly

30 minutes pass, you just stay in your bed until he arrives, he walks in without knocking. “baby, i’m here” he yells, arms full with bags of chinese food. god, how much did he get?

you silently laugh to yourself at the site: mike with both hands carrying giant take out bags that say “thank you” with a smile face, his keys on his mouth and his pinky closing the door. it’s…really funny to be honest.

you snap out of your daze and run to help him, taking the bags out his hands and placing them on your kitchen island. you see him huff out a short breath, taking the keys out of his mouth and hanging them on the key holder.

you place a short kiss on his lips “thank you love” you say. a blush creeps onto his face. he wonders why he’s feeling so intense at your small gesture, i mean it’s not like you two are official….

you two get cuddled up on the couch together. he always said your couch is weird, two seats with a middle compartment in the center, dividing the chairs. he says it’s not ideal for cuddling but you make it work, the chairs aren’t small per say, but you can both fit on k it with ease, kicking up the leg so you can both lay comfortably.

you put on some movie that was recommended through the roku app. it doesn’t matter what movie it was, it just matters that you had mike with you.

soon enough he’s yawning, the mint aroma coming from his mouth isn’t bad. it’s kinda nice. before he could close his mouth fully you kiss him gently, wanting more of that mint taste. he returns the kiss, using the same pace you started.

as you let go, you ask the dreaded question. “do you want to be with me? romantically?” he stops and freezes before speaking. “honey, you’re too good for me- i..i’m not the best person. you’re full of love, i don’t want you to waste it on me, you’re too sweet for me.” he says. you look confused, you know you want to love him. why isn’t he accepting?

“but i want to be with you. i want to love you, and if im being honest i think i kind of already do.” you say after a moment.

“you…really?” he looks confused, almost baffled by your statement. do you really want to love him? like fully and truly?

“god yes mike, I try not to call but there’s some days that i really, really want to. i want to hear your voice, i want to hear you laugh. hell, i even want to smell your cologne. but i stop myself because i know you want something casual.” you blurt out.

“who said i wanted casual? baby i was waiting for you to say that. i think ive been in love with you since we first started talking. it sounds cheesy i know, but i really do.” he responds, making your heart flutter for a moment as you blink, suddenly feeling his breath against your ear.

“i only want you” he whispers, putting emphasis on only. immediately you blush more than ever in his presence. “really?” you can’t help but whisper back. is this really happening? are you about to have a boyfriend?

“really. you are the only person i ever want to be with. promise” he says as he puts his pinky out, asking for yours. sealing it with a pinky promise. he knows you’re serious about those so him doing this for you means a lot.

“you’re the only person i want to be with mike, has been that way since i think i first spoke to you. were so dumb” you laugh.

“yeah but we’re dumb together” he chuckles back as he holds you closer to him.

“so….are we dating or what?” you ask, popping your lips after “so”.

“let me ask you” he fixes his messy hair and uses a takeout napkin as a tie around his neck. “would you like to date me” he says sincerely, still a hint of laughing under his voice.

“fuck it, sure” you laugh as you bury yourself into his neck.

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onestepbackwards · 1 year

Text

Love That Bites

I’ve been playing Symphony of the Night randomized for months, and rewatching some stuff from the anime, this series has had me in a choke hold. I’ve had a thing for Dracula for Y E A R S and the first season of the anime did not help (Even if I have my gripes with that adaption). Unfortunately, there is very little Dracula x reader content out there, and I can only reread it all so many times. o(TヘTo) I also started writing this a bit before the Dead Cells x Castlevania crossover was announced, so that only fueled my motivation to write this. This series is also going to ignore some stuff in canon like some stuff in Aria and Dawn of Sorrow. Canon is just a sandbox and I’m making a castle. I hope you all enjoy the start of this new series! This is part 1, and is mostly setting up the scene for the story. Hopefully there will be more to come! Apologies if this chapter is a little messy. (❁´◡`❁) Summary: When you decide to take a vacation to get away from a toxic home life, you just expect a few days of relaxation to revitalize yourself. However, you didn’t exactly plan on finding the castle belonging to your family’s arch nemesis. Especially when he should be dead for the next century... CW: Reader is a Belmont, Anxiety and anxiety attacks, brief mentions of past trauma, mentions of toxic home life, increasing stress, death mention, paranoia and confusion, you’re safe though don’t worry. Word Count: 6016 words! First: Here! Next: Link

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All you had wanted was a break.

You wanted, no, needed to get away for a week. Simply put, your home-life had become unbearable once again.

Normally, you at least tried to plan ahead when you wanted to take a break away from home, but things had been piling up. You knew if you didn’t get out, you were going to crash and burn again, and that was the last thing you needed as of late.

So early in the morning, before anyone else in your home had awoken, you packed a few small bags, and loaded up your vehicle.

You left a note on your kitchen counter for your relatives, and quickly left. If you thought too much about it, you’d start feeling guilty again, and stay behind.

Thankfully, the quiet car drive had been a welcome one, every mile further away from your home only seemed to lift the stress off of you little by little.

It took a while to get to your destination, but a few hours were nothing to you, considering your profession.

When you have to go on hunts across the country, and occasionally around the world, you learn to get used to the long travel time.

The trip to your current destination had always been worth it, though.

It was a small cabin out in the countryside. Your family had purchased some of the land a few generations ago, and it was a sort of vacation spot, at least until recent years.

Not many family members knew about the property anymore. Your late mother had been one of the few that knew about it, and had still used it. When she was alive, she took you often as a kid to get a break from your training.

You had nothing but fond memories of the place.

The little cabin and surrounding wildlife had become more than just a place with fond memories as of late. It had also become a safe haven.

When things got rough at home, it became a habit to take off to said little safe haven.

So here you were.

The cabin was the same as you had left it, not that it ever changed.

You walked through the overgrowth on the porch, and pushed through the front door. The inside was just as old and dusty as you remembered leaving it a few months ago.

Despite the layer of dust, it still looked well kept and comfortable. Just like you liked it.

Lugging your bags through the entry, you let out a sigh as you made your way through the small cottage. When you entered the living area, you unenthusiastically dropped your bags to the floor, and fell onto the couch with a loud sigh.

You didn’t do anything for a while, simply staring at the ceiling as you sat, your thoughts fast, but your head feeling empty. Overwhelmed, but dissociative.

It was like this every time you came here, but you could finally breathe.

No yelling, no arguing, no working your days away with chores at a house. If you were lucky, there wouldn’t even be hunting involved. Just pure, unbothered peace.

A scoff left your mouth at the thought.

“Some Belmont I am…” You muttered to yourself. What Belmont doesn’t like going hunting? Your aunts and uncles probably still jump at the chance to do so, and your step family would already be out the door with weapons in hand.

You didn’t hate hunting. But nowadays, you were beginning to dread doing it.

Either you were hunting all the time, especially on trips that were long and hard on you, or you were at home, forced to play housekeeper half the time. Anytime there was a hint of a possibility of a monster near your city, your step family took the job. They essentially barred you from doing anything nearby, only having you do the tedious jobs.

As much as you liked traveling, you didn’t like doing it for a hunt that might be a bust half the time. When you arrived at your destination, either the monster was long gone, never existed, or was already killed by a local hunter instead.

It’s become a drain on your personal finances, and a drain on your energy. Especially since you were always ‘expected’ to come right back home. Didn't matter if you were an adult, they needed their precious servant back.

“What a joke…” You huffed, before closing your eyes.

Attempting to relax, you took in the scent of the area, listening to the slight breeze and wildlife from outside.

There was so much going on in your head, but the cabin was already helping, you could tell. Despite your thoughts, your body was already beginning to lose tension.

This was just what you needed.

You waited a few more minutes, taking everything in, before you got to work. Getting up, you grabbed your few bags, and hauled them off into a bedroom. You dropped them on the bed, and moved to the closet, looking for something specific you had left behind years ago.

Opening the closet, you pulled out an old backpack, and brought it to your bed. With memorized ease, you opened your bags, and tossed a few things in.

It’s not like you’d need a lot for a hike. Just a few snacks, some water, and a few weapons just to be safe.

You weren’t exactly afraid of monsters showing up, but being who you were, you couldn't afford to be too careful.

Chances were you’d be fine. Monsters were incredibly rare on this stretch of land, and the wildlife tended to keep to itself.

You paused though when you gripped The Vampire Killer. The whip that had been in your family for centuries.

Would you really need this for a hike to clear your head…?

You stared at it for a moment, battling with yourself in your head. You took it just about everywhere. Not so much for hunting, but so it wouldn’t end up in anyone else's hands.

Eventually, you came to a decision, and placed the whip to the side. The whip was safe here at the cabin, and you had several weapons. It would be fine. You would be fine.

With your mind made, you finished packing your backpack, and slung it over your shoulder, before heading for the front door of the cabin.

The door locked shut behind you, and you set out in a random direction. It was still early in the day, just around noon, you figured you could go out by the mountains. You raised a hand up to the sky, wincing at the light.

“The shade should be perfect to come back this way by 5….” you mumbled, and got to walking.

You wouldn’t be out longer than a few hours. By the time you got back, you could make something light to eat, and catch up on some reading, if you were lucky.

Wandering around, you followed a few paths, before turning around the base of a smaller mountain. You knew the area well, but still enjoyed venturing out and exploring.

Especially as of late, the beauty and nature of the area was an amazing way to clear your head and de-stress.

The walk was nice, and you swore you remember a lake being in the area. If you could find it once again, it would be the perfect place for a picnic.

It had only been an hour of walking when you turned the corner of the base of the mountain, where you normally would have been able to see the lake.

Something felt a little bit off, though. Despite the weather forecast being clear for the day, the sky seemed to be clouding up the further you walked. Then the further you walked, the more on edge you felt. It was as if you were somewhere you weren’t supposed to be.

However, instead of a beautiful lake surrounded by a forest and mountain range, you were met with a sight that made your stomach drop.

Out across the edge of the lake, just past the tree line, was a humongous castle. One you distinctly remember not being there in the first place.

Lightning occasionally flashed around it, and you could hear the thunder in the distance. Despite how dreadful the dark clouds looked above it, the weather almost seemed deadly calm. It faintly reminded you of the eye of a storm.

You felt sweat beginning to form all over you, and you swallowed thickly as you stared at the ominous structure. Your hands shook, and you were finding it hard to stand.

Dracula’s Castle.

There was no doubt about it. You had learned about this castle your whole childhood, and understood what its presence meant.

Sitting down on the grass beneath you, you took a shaky breath. If you stood any longer, you were worried you would faint.

How was this possible? Dracula hadn’t been vanquished for that long…. Right before you had been born, if you remember correctly.

Has someone resurrected him? Or was someone trying to take his power? You had heard of both scenarios happening, and you weren’t sure which one you wanted to be true.

Hell, you knew it was possible for Dracula to be revived just a few years after being defeated, if someone powerful enough wanted to.

But if you were being honest… You hadn’t expected Dracula to be back in your lifetime, or at least in your youth. You had somewhat hoped it wouldn’t be your problem.

You didn’t exactly want the fate of the world resting on your shoulders.

It had been something you had feared since you learned the truth of your lineage. That Dracula may very well come back, and you, or your future kids may need to step up and defeat him. That you might have to be the one to save the world from destruction.

Licking your lips, you tightly gripped a strap from your backpack till your knuckles went white, and looked up at the sky.

“Hey God? Why me?” you asked, genuinely serious.

As expected, you received no answer, just another flash of lightning and clap of thunder in the distance.

Your eyes then landed back on the castle, and you let out a nervous sigh.

You knew you needed to check it out, despite the feeling of dread in your gut.

As you got up though, a sudden thought struck the back of your mind.

The Vampire Killer was back at your cabin, almost an hour away.

Groaning loudly, you couldn’t help but smack your face in frustration.

“Of course! The one time, the one time-! Of all times to have decided not to take the whip with me!” You cursed, frustration building in your chest alongside the anxiety.

Yeah, you could go back to the cabin and go grab it, but that would be wasting possible precious time.

“Okay… So, it’s not the end of the world… Yet… People have defeated Dracula before without the Vampire Killer. Not a big deal.”

It was a big deal, to you at least. This was huge. Dracula could be planning to attack humanity at any moment, and the best weapon against him was sitting snugly on your pillow back at your cabin.

You sighed.

Still, as you watched the castle in the distance, you couldn’t help but notice something odd.

You didn’t see any monsters. Hell, you didn’t see any bodies outside the front of the gate. Didn’t Dracula have monsters all over his castle, inside and out? Not to mention all the stories you had heard, involving impaled corpses that tended to sit outside the castle every other resurrection.

It was quiet.

No monsters. No bodies. No Dracula.

It made you feel sick, like you were waiting for something to attack you from just around the corner.

But the attack had yet to come.

You weighed in your options. Could you really just leave and go back to the cabin? How were you so sure nothing was watching you right now? What if something followed you back, and found your cabin?

Another thought suddenly hit you like a freight train.

Just how long had Dracula’s castle been here?

It has been over a year since you last checked out this lake. The castle was in the perfect place to remain hidden from view at the cabin, being behind a mountain. The castle could have been here this whole time, just an hour away from you, and you were never the wiser.

The very thought sent chills throughout your body. Just how close to death had you been this whole time?

You felt like you were going to hurl.

As much as you want to leave, and puke from the overwhelming emotions, you force yourself to stand your ground.

You had to investigate.

It wasn’t up for debate. As much as you would like to throw excuse after excuse until it was nighttime, you did not have that luxury.

You came to a decision.

The most important thing you could do right now is head into the castle and check things out. You had some weapons on you, so it wasn’t like you were going in defenseless.

If push comes to shove, you could always make a hasty retreat, and head back over to the cabin. There you could grab The Vampire Killer, and return after regaining your strength.

Was it the best plan? No. But right now, any plan was better than nothing.

A thought passed through your mind as you took a step forward.

Should you call for backup?

You had your father and step brothers, and even your uncle and aunt. Quick, you pulled your phone out, only to sigh in frustration.

“No service. Figures.”

You should have guessed. There was just barely usable service at the cabin, why would there be any out here in the wilderness?

Looks like it was all you. No help was coming for you.

If you died… You doubted help would come for you as well. Your family would probably only come looking for your equipment, if anything. The chances of them looking for you, especially here at this lake, were slim. There wasn’t a question in your mind that they would miss the castle.

Just like you had for who knows how long.

Gripping your phone for a moment, you sighed, before shoving it back in your pocket.

Calling was no use. It really was just you against the forces of evil.

“So much for an uneventful, relaxing trip…” You mumbled, and reached into your bag. Pulling out a dagger, you gripped in your hand for a few moments, before finally heading towards the castle.

The walk towards the looming castle wasn’t as long as you had hoped it to be. All the while, it also felt like it lasted an eternity.

Must have been the impending doom and anxiety, which only increased with each step you took.

Why hadn’t you come across any enemies? So far, just like you had seen from afar, there were no monsters.

Even as you quickly approached the gate, you saw no adversaries. No undead armies. No wolf men ready to tear you to shreds.

Just an old, rusted looking gate.

You couldn’t help but wonder, what was Dracula’s game? In nearly every journal you’ve read with family members in the past hunting him down, his castle is filled with enemies of all sorts. Even at the gate, monsters are usually ready to attack.

Yet, it was quiet.

For a few moments, you could only stare. It was now or never, and you couldn’t exactly ignore the fate of the world.

Gently pushing at the massive iron looking gate, you were surprised at how easy the door gave way. It slowly opened with a loud squeak of the hinges, stopping just a few feet forward, waiting for more force to push it forward.

You were a bit dumbstruck.

Was it really that easy? You weren’t going to lie, when you approached the gate, you assumed you may have to find another way in, or some obtuse way of opening it.

Peeking your head in, your eyes widened at just how… empty the courtyard was.

There were a surprising number of plants and trees, sure, but other than that? The only sign of movement there was, was the plants moving from the wind.

It was ominous. The lack of any life, or undead rather, made your hair stand on end.

A low rumble of thunder went off above you, and you looked up at the dark sky. Despite being early in the afternoon, it felt so late with the clouds surrounding the area like this.

It was fitting, you supposed.

Steeling your nerves, you pushed the door open further, and stepped into the courtyard. Each step had you on edge, with you anticipating an attack that never seemed to come.

That didn’t stop you from keeping an eye out though.

Approaching the door to the castle was more or less the same as the gate. Though it wasn’t any less daunting. The doors towered over you all the same, and did nothing to quell your nerves.

“...Should I knock?” You mumbled to yourself, before shaking your head.

“Stupid… It’s a Vampire Lord’s castle, who of which I’m supposed to vanquish. ‘Should I knock…’ what a dumb question.” you grumbled to yourself. Though at this point, it felt like you were stalling.

Taking a deep breath, you pushed the door open, fully expecting an attack.

But once again, you were completely surprised to see an empty entry hall.

“...Now this is definitely weird.” You mumbled, carefully eyeing the long, dimly lit hall.

You pushed past the door, and let out a small squeak as it shut behind you. The grip you had on your dagger tightened, and you shuddered at how the temperature seemed to drop.

It was cold. Unnaturally cold.

The air was stagnant, and hardly cold itself, but something about the area was nearly sapping your warmth. Was it your nerves? Or just some aspect of the castle being supernatural?

Perhaps it was the strange nerve wracking loneliness that seemed to echo with each step down the hall?

Either way, something was not right about the castle, and it wasn’t just the fact it was a being of Chaos.

It was the fact that the further you walked in, you were encountering nothing.

The courtyard and entry all weren’t the only empty areas. The large open room you entered after that had also been empty, along with the hallway and stairway after that.

Not a monster in sight.

There wasn’t even any sign of life in this place. Sure, you hadn’t encountered anything yet, but every room you entered, every hall you cleared…

It was as if nothing was here in the castle.

You weren’t going to lie. You were starting to have doubts about this being Dracula’s castle.

But at the same time, there wasn’t any explanation for this place otherwise.

Not to mention, the air in this place wasn’t normal. There was an underlying power in the air. The same kind that made your hair stand on end. The same kind that made the air feel colder than what it was.

What castle could feel this way, besides Castlevania?

“Still… none of this makes any sense…” you mumbled to yourself as you cleared another empty room. At this point, you were both extremely nervous, and incredibly frustrated.

You had combed through several parts of the castle at this point. It was getting late, and you were getting nowhere. Already you had been through what looked like an art gallery, passed by a library, and pressed on through a giant dining hall.

As you neared another set of stairs, you could only run a hand through your hair in irritation and stress.

Despite how much ground you have covered, you found no sign of this place being lived in. You only had so much daylight left, and you were beginning to feel like you were investigating a weird, lost cause.

Still, you persevered. If there was a throne room, you at least wanted to check it out. If you didn’t find anything, you would come back another day more thoroughly prepared.

And if you found something? Well…

You could hope for the best. Maybe if Dracula is there, he would be weak? It would make sense, given the lack of life and monsters in the castle. If he was weak, you wouldn’t have to worry about not having your whip, you hoped.

If not… Well, you could run away. Despite the lack of weapons on you, you still had a few tricks up your sleeve. You didn’t live this long as a monster hunter without learning a few ways to give yourself a back door for a fast escape.

Thankfully, it wasn’t too hard to figure out where the throne room was. It tended to be high up in the castle in nearly every iteration your ancestors talked about in journals.

Still, as you came across a final staircase leading up to a separate tower of the castle, you couldn’t help but be more on edge than ever before. The clouds circled above you, occasionally cracking off lightning and thunder uncomfortably close by.

“It really feels like I’m about to be in some final showdown from a movie…” You mumbled as you approached the door, your dread pooling in your gut.

However, much like the growing trend of this castle, you noticed something odd.

The door to the throne room was open, and creaked on its hinges. It was as if it was half hazardly pushed away by someone running out the room.

You briefly wondered if that was a bad sign or not.

Going against the little voice in your head telling you to turn back, you pushed past the door and walked in.

The first thing you took note of, despite the poor lighting from outside, you could see just how huge the room was. You could easily imagine it being big enough for a battle, or a council meeting.

Then there were the giant windows that occasionally lit up the room whenever lightning strikes. Some were even open, clacking open and closed from the wind outside, said wind occasionally pushing the curtains back every so often.

It certainly added to the creepy atmosphere.

Finally, there were the two most glaringly obvious parts of the throne room. The giant throne on top of a set of stairs, and what looked to be a statue kneeling in front of it.

You could only stare in silence. The tension you felt in the air was so thick, you felt it could snap at any moment like a stretched out rubber band.

Your curiosity pushed over your fear, and you found yourself walking forward. Each footstep echoing through the chamber, the sounds of your steps bouncing off the walls.

Coming to a stop a few feet away from the throne and the statue, you couldn’t help but feel… odd at the sight. A mixture of fear, dread, curiosity and intrigue turned in your gut as you stared down the statue.

It was Dracula.

Or at least… You thought it was Dracula.

The statue was big, despite the figure kneeling on one knee in what looked like pain or exhaustion. A hand gripping his gut, while another reached forward, clawed fingers pointing towards you. A cloak seemed to wrap around his body, but it hardly hid his large form.

The head was… a lot of things.

His face was hauntingly beautiful, much like you had come to expect from vampires. What was his hair seemed to beautifully frame his face, with his mustache and beard only adding to the charm.

However, under the beauty, you could see traces of what he really was. A monster.

Despite his handsome features, his face was contorted in what looked like a pained snarl. His fangs were bursting forth, large and ready to pierce.

And his eyes… His eyes were wide open, the whites a darker shade than the iris, which only added to his supernatural and inhuman look.

The room was silent, and you felt your blood run cold, despite the sweat on your skin.

It was Dracula, no doubt about it, but…

Why was he a statue?

Tentatively, you took a few steps forward, but still kept your distance.

You studied the statue a bit more, rounding it cautiously. After a few moments, you carefully stepped forward, and poked the shoulder, before jumping backwards.

Pure stone.

Your hands fell to your sides. It really was just a statue.

“Unbelievable.” You mumbled, confusion and disbelief clear in your voice.

Just what was going on? The castle was here, so in theory, so should Dracula. Not a statue of the guy.

“Unless…” You murmured, putting a hand along your chin in thought.

Dracula being turned to stone somehow… Perhaps that was the reason the castle was like this?

It made sense, the more you thought about it.

“It’s as if the whole castle is asleep…”

If Dracula was technically alive, but out of commission, then it would make sense. Though if you were being honest with yourself, you were still surprised you weren’t seeing some of his more powerful supporters. Surely you would have at least seen Death by now?

The deity was loyal to its master, appearing even when Dracula had not always been in control. So where was Death, or any other powerful monsters that no doubt would support the Lord?

Perhaps being petrified like this, also cut ties with his presence to those powerful monsters? He simply seemed asleep to them, or not fully revived. If he wasn’t fully around, or at least enough for any of his powerful generals to sense him, they simply did not know he was here.

Other than that, it was the only explanation you had.

It still made you nervous and uncomfortable though.

You continued to eye the statue. Was Dracula dead, or was he aware? What had happened to lead to this?

Thinking hard, you tried to remember everything your mother had told you about the last time Dracula had appeared. It was a long time ago, and your mother had only heard about what had happened from another family member.

Didn’t she mention that the Belmont who defeated Dracula last say something about a curse?

You cursed your poor memory, which had been worsening with your own health as of late. Shaking your head with a sigh, your frown deepened.

Still, even if you didn’t know all the details, this could easily have something to do with said curse you were briefly told about all those years ago.

Biting your lip, you placed your hands on your hips, unsure what to do, or where to go from here.

Obviously no one was in danger at the moment, even if you still felt on edge. Dracula was very much contained here in the castle.

But that left you with a bunch of different thoughts rushing through your mind.

You couldn’t really ask for a better spot for the castle to be, if you were being honest. It was hidden, right along private property. Chances of civilians finding it were slim. The less innocent lives you had to worry about, even if it was idiots trespassing, the better.

Then there was how to deal with the problem at hand. What do you do with the statue and the castle? You couldn’t just leave Dracula here could you?

“If I had only brought the Vampire Killer…” You mumbled under your breath, nails digging into your palms.

The whip was ancient, but incredibly powerful. It was strong enough to break down stone. You could finish the job tonight, if you wanted to make the trek…

But would that be wise?

…Did you even have much of a choice?

It’s not like you can actually do anything right now, anyway. Your dagger and other weapons can’t cut through stone. Not like your whip could. You would be here for hours.

You let out a sigh and rubbed your temples, exhaustion creeping up on you. Sure, you hadn’t fought anything, but this whole ordeal was adding onto your already existing stress.

Running a hand through your hair, and looking out a nearby window, another thought ran through your mind.

What if you revived him by destroying the stone? Even if he was cursed, you weren’t aware of the specifics, and you didn’t want to be the one to accidentally doom the world by trying to ‘save’ it.

Feeling your hair stand on end again, you quickly glanced back at the statue. Even if he was on his knees, he was still level height with you.

And it felt like he was looking right at you.

The thought made you very anxious. Was he alive? Or even aware you were standing right in front of him? A Belmont, debating on how to end his life?

Suddenly, the very thought made your stomach sour.

“I… Need to go. I need to leave.” You said, finally making a decision. You needed to get away from here.

You were not equipped to handle this.

A fight to save the world? Sure, you could improvise.

But whatever was happening here? No. No way.

Despite your conscious telling you to stay and deal with the problem, you tentatively took a step backwards. Then another. And another.

Your eyes stayed on the statue until you reached the door, and you quickly turned and left, shutting the large door behind you.

It didn’t take you long to hightail it outta of the castle. The main layout you had passed was burned in your mind, and made it easier to run through.

Though it wasn’t until you were out of the castle, did you feel like a weight had been lifted off your chest. The moment you passed through those large, ominous doors and into the courtyard, it was as if you could breathe again.

You didn’t wait to catch your breath.

Running through the courtyard, you sprinted out past the rusted gate, not stopping until you were long past the lake that sat in front of the castle.

Finally, when you reached the spot where you had first noticed the castle, you came to an abrupt halt. Panting, you turned around, and eyed the ominous structure.

It was late now, the sun had been setting for a while. However, that didn’t hide the castle from your sight. The dark clouds still hovered above, with lightning and thunder striking every so often.

You still couldn’t believe it. Dracula’s castle was here, for who knows how long.

And you were going to have to destroy it somehow.

“Lucky me…” You mumbled.

Taking one last look, you anxiously made your way back to your cabin.

The walk back, which normally would have been peaceful and relaxing, was nothing but a stressful venture for you. Sure, the castle seemed empty, and you could no longer sense it the further you walked. However, that didn’t mean you were safe.

For all you knew, you were being followed by an army of hell, just waiting to ambush you.

That… didn’t really put you at ease, even as you approached your cabin.

Cautiously, you opened the door. With your weapon ready, you made a quick search of your small home.

Thankfully, no one but you seemed to be here. You weren’t sure if that relieved you, or made your anxiety worse.

You decided to take it as a blessing.

Still, you didn’t rest. It was too late to drive back, nor did you want to just leave, knowing the castle was right there, just an hour away by foot.

Biting your lip, you eyed the Vampire Killer, which was still sitting innocently on your bed. You could practically hear it in your mind to pick it up and head back to the castle. ‘Use me! Use me! Finish the job!’

As much as you wanted to, you felt a sick feeling in your stomach. Something wasn’t right, and you knew it. You just needed to figure out what it was, before you made any hasty decisions.

One wrong move, and you could not only revive your family’s immortal enemy, but also potentially doom the world if you fail at killing him. This was something where you had to tread lightly, lest you make a horrible, world ending decision.

No pressure.

You stood next to the bed for a few minutes. It felt as if your mind was racing, but you felt unable to think at all.

With a sigh, you made up your mind. Grabbing your whip and a bag, you headed to the backdoor. You wouldn’t be hunting Dracula tonight, no, but you still had to ensure your safety.

Starting with some protective measures.

Thankfully, throughout the generations, your family came up with many different ways to ward off monsters and vampires from properties. If you wanted any sleep tonight, you would have to put some of these in place, at least for your peace of mind. It wasn’t something that would take too long, but better safe than sorry.

Even if you hadn’t seen a single monster, you weren’t going to risk your life by making assumptions. It was small mistakes that got hunters killed, and you weren’t going to join their numbers.

Setting up a few traps and enchantments took longer than you would have liked, but you weren’t going to take any chances. Your cabin already had some traps in place, but renewing everything wasn’t going to hurt anyone, let alone you.

When you finally sat down on your bed, you rolled onto your back, and blankly stared at your ceiling. The Vampire Killer in your hand tightly.

“What now?” you asked yourself.

The answer seemed simple. Sleep, wake up, and take care of the problem.

It wasn’t that simple though. You already had fought yourself about this for hours. Did you really need to now, right before bed?

You turned your head to the side, seeing your phone charging on your nightstand.

“I could call for assistance…” you said, toying with the idea in your head. But did you really want to invite that mess here? With how reckless your family at home was, you didn’t think it was a good idea.

Then there was the fact they would find this place. Your little sanctuary away from them. They would never give you peace if they found this place. In fact, you were sure your father would tear it down, or claim it was his, since he was the beneficiary after your mother passed.

They would never let you have anything like this. You knew they already had tried multiple times to find where you go when you disappear, you weren’t going to give them that luxury.

Most of all, you weren’t going to give them the last thing left untouched that had been your mother’s.

You could call your other family, such as your uncle, but you shot idea that down. You hadn’t really talked to your aunt or uncle in years since your father took over everything. For all you knew, their numbers had been changed again. As much as they’d probably like to know what was going on, you felt a bitterness in your gut.

As much as you loved your aunt and uncle, they hadn’t so much bothered calling or texting you these past few years. Why would they help you now? Maybe for some glory? ‘To keep humanity safe?’ When they haven’t even helped out family?

You snorted. No thanks.

Besides, it would no doubt take them hours to get here, and they’d probably tell your father about this place against your wishes. Something about wanting all ‘Belmonts’ on deck. Bah.

Turning onto your side, you reached over and turned the lamp on your side table off.

You could think more on this tomorrow.

#castlevania #dracula vlad tepes #dracula #dracula x reader #castlevania x reader #x reader #reader insert #Belmont!reader #eventual relationship #cw death mention #cw anxiety #cw paranoia #cw toxic family #long post #zed.writes #to be continued

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bluewonderer · 1 year

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Hi! For those of you who don't know, I'm Becca. The same one mentioned above. ⬆️

I know I normally only reblog on here, but I'm hoping you'll hear me out. Hasi (@hussyknee), my sweet friend, my fandom wife, my comfort and my cheerleader, needs some urgent care. Please help me help her.

If you'll please take a moment to read through the link (text also copied and pasted below) and consider donating, I would really appreciate it. If you cannot donate, please consider reblogging to help spread the word.

Thank you so much ❤️

. . .

Hasi, my beloved friend, needs a lifeline.

For a little over two years, I’ve only been able to watch from half a world away as my friend is crushed without reprieve. I’ve watched her living situation become hostile as her mental and physical health deteriorated. I’ve watched her withdraw for weeks at a time as she tried to put every last scrap of her energy toward basic survival.

I’m watching her now as she’s giving up hope. As she’s deciding that the only solution to her struggle is a permanent one. I’m watching her make preparations for it.

And now I’m asking for help, because I don’t want to lose my friend.

Hasini (35) lives in Sri Lanka. She has struggled with mental illness for 15 years, and with chronic physical illness for 10 years. Even though she’s been passionate about learning from a young age and is a talented writer and debator, she fell ill during her second year of her dream program in anthropology and was forced to drop out. She later became beridden with ulcerative colitis immediately after her marriage, and was diagnosed only 7 years later (at age 31). Because of the lack of adequate care, treatment resources, and family support, she was only able to get diagnoses for Complex PTSD and bipolar at age 29 and ADHD at 32.

Her dogs had been her comfort during her years of isolation and illness, but when her marriage disintegrated in 2020, she had to leave them behing and return to her surviving parent and intellectually disabled brother. Her mother is now a pensioner, and won’t be able to support them much longer.

I cannot emphasize enough how toxic this situation is for her. She has developed arthritis and worsening colitis flares due to the stress of her divorce and the retraumatizing environment of her family. This was made exponentially worse when the 2022 Sri Lankan Economic Crisis plunged her country into chaos. With the cost of living skyrocketing, the prices of her medications have more than doubled. She has had to stop therapy and choose which of her doctors to visit. Government hospitals are free, but her mobility has been further restricted by a back injury and transport costs are prohibitive. Most of her friends don’t live in the same country.

Although she has experienced suicidality before, she has found lifelines in rescuing animals, learning and blogging about social justice, and cultivating friends across different continents. Before the pandemic, she’d been well enough to take on a part time job for the first time. She also began to pursue a community college degree that she’s again had to put on hold.

All Hasi wants is to be well enough to work. With work, she would have the means to live away from her family, continue her studies, and help rescue animals however she can.

Her panic attacks and PTSD episodes have been escalating by the day, and it’s imperative that she’s admitted to a hospital for psychiatric care. Her doctor arranged for her to be admitted to a free government hospital, but due to the Sri Lankan national crisis-spawned overcrowding and poor conditions, she became more profoundly stressed.

We hope to raise enough money to admit her to a private hospital. We also want to get her consistent access to therapy, so that her emergency treatment could lead to more long-term, life-affirming solutions.

Her initial emergency care and immediate treatment may come to approx USD 300. We also want to raise enough money for her medication (USD 300), therapy (USD 100), and doctor’s fees (USD 200) for the next five months, as well as money for medical investigation for her back injury (USD 100).

She doesn’t want to lose her dreams, and I don’t want to lose her. We met six years ago and I would be a different person without her. Less confident, less loving, and less curious.

Without her, the world would be a bleaker place.

Please help her.

Thank you for reading and for donating.

#hussyknee #hasi #helphasi #tw suicidality

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gimmiesomehoneynsugar · 10 months

Text

It Lead to this

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Info Rocket/Gn Reader Refrence to smut, word count 1180

(Hi! I made a promise to make gender neutral versions of my stories and here you chapter 1 of my first chapter length fic Enjoy!)

You wake up with blurry eyes, stiff muscles and a warm fuzzy ball beside you oh wait, that's Rocket, you stayed over after the celebration last night over the high evolutionary being defeated and freeing all the victims. This happens between you too much, hence you’ve got a couple of spare clothes now at his place as well as your toothbrush.

Your arms are still wrapped around his bare furry back so warm beside your skin, speaking of skin you didn’t put a shirt on after the spicy event of Rocket dragging you away from the party and having your little celebration. Have you ever seen him so peaceful other than now with his tormentors no longer able to harm him, never even in his sleep he seemed stressed.

You slowly move your arms away from him covering him back up with the doona, you grab a spare graphic shirt, slowly putting it on as Rocket softly wakes up, but you're too busy trying to find your socks n shoes to notice his eyes sluggishly opening.

He quickly shuts his eyes again just before you reach over to kiss his forehead as a quiet goodbye, you had work today and we’re not in the mood to hear any bullshit from your boss. Grabbing your bag and phone you walk out of his room into the hallway and just as you're about to open the door, Groot says your name as well as Adam yawns next to him, both looking as haggard as you.

“Hey.. good morning sorry if you heard stuff..,” you said sheepishly with your hand inches away from you opening the door.

“I am Groot?”(you don’t usually leave this early?) he questioned you leaning his shoulder on the hallway wall.

“Yeah, what the tree man said,” Adam agreed, not knowing much about you other than your Rocket’s sneaky link.

“Yeah… I’ve got work and I’m not a fan of my boss bitching about me being two hours late. I've already had to do overtime and I’m not in the mood for that,” You claimed, now leaning your back on the door.

“I am Groot,”(Yes but I’ve seen you eat breakfast here saying this is worth more than your Bitchy job and that bitch of a boss, tell me why change?) he asked while slightly smirking.

You’ve been keeping this in for a while and now feels like a better time before you change more.“Uh well.. I’m trying to distance myself from Rocket and I uh.. see this as a silent painless way,” you said while scratching the back of your head looking away.

Both Groot and Adam are in shock, Groot gasping as Adam covers his mouth with his jaw dropped.

“I am Groot!”(But why, you both seemed to be getting closer these past couple of months, I thought it’d be any day now you’d be dating, why!?) he asked with a shocked sense of curiosity all while Adam crouched down in absolute shock now his hands holding his head.

“Well I do like Rocket, sure but he’s clearly said before that he's not interested in a more serious relationship, and is busy with the management of all the animals,” you said now avoiding eye contact with Groot rubbing your shoulder.

*— — — *

Your mind retraces back to last night's enormous party. Confetti, drinks, music and what I could tell more than a hundred neighbours and friends celebrating, you’ve had this question on your mind for a while, it has been a couple of months since you both became infatuated with each other.

At least twice a week Rocket and you would sneak away going on little dates, shopping, restaurants and bars. Or just hours together enjoying each other's affection like teenagers. It felt like you were dating but he never expressed if you guys were a couple or not even after drowning you in his gifts, verbal and physical affection. It honestly just confused you even more.

You’d have had enough of his vagueness and needed to put a label on this relationship if not you would've gone mad, just before Rocket walks into the bar with the rest of his family, you quickly tap his shoulder coaxing him into the ally way before anyone notices you both vanished.

“You okay doll?” he questioned you with an energised grin on his face.

“Rocket, I’ll just say this… what are we?” you asked bluntly not wanting to beat around the bush anymore, crouching down to his height with such dread not wanting to ruin the one good thing in your life.

“What, what do you mean?” his smile dropped and now he was just confused at your out-of-nowhere question, it honestly made him more nervous than it should.

“This Rocket, us what are we, are we dating or just fuck buddies, I’d just like to put a label on this before we go further,” you said as your body felt like it was sinking in your anxiety.

“What we are just fuck buddies, we never went far with affection,” he proclaimed looking away, your heart sank hearing such words.

“Really?! you don’t see what I see?, the constant verbal affection, the dates the gifts the overwhelming love you shower me with, I don’t mind staying as we are now but I feel like it’s becoming more than just ‘fuck buddies’, I don't want to get attached Rocket.” You spoke, tears swell in your eyes, you felt like you were drowning in hopelessness and anxiety of losing the one good thing keeping you sane.

He’s a bit shocked by your reply, as he is about to give a comeback to deny any of this. Still, he remembers doing all those things, he remembers the gifts he saw in the plaza thinking they would look great on you, he remembers calling you in the middle of the night just because he saw a star that reminded him of you. Something more was going on with his actions but he didn’t know how to put it in words to you, all he knew was that when you were next to him, he still missed you. But with new emotions and newer actions became more panic for him.

“Look doll, I also like what we have going on but, I’m just busy right now and I can’t afford to have a more serious relationship. For tomorrow on I have to deal with over 100 animals and figure out where they go on this freakin skull,” He said sheepishly trying to talk in a calm tone but inside he is freaking out just blurting the most apparent stuff trying to deflect himself.

Although it wasn't what you wanted to hear at all, you are at least glad that your anxiety can be quelled over time by distancing yourself.

“Are you satisfied now, is this what you wanted from me?” he quelled getting a bit antsy.

“Yes, Rocket… thank you,” you said so bittersweetly, pushing down the feelings that bloomed like stepping on a flower.

Chapter 2 will be posted soon! If you can’t wait go check out my Ao3 same name and icon!

#guardians of the galaxy #rocket gotg #rocket raccoon #gotg 3 spoilers #gotg volume 3 spoilers #marvel #high evolutionary #rocket/reader #rocket racoon #Rocket Fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction

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theveryworstthing · 2 years

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I Live.

Gonna give y’all a little life update copy-pasted from patreon since I’ve been gone for a thousand years. I don't really want to get deep into everything because sharing too many private details about my life/family on the internet feels a little icky even when people are nice but a quick rundown is:

1. My mom was helping my aunt through the legal proceedings of a messy divorce from her abusive ex husband and had to fly to her place like every 2 weeks. During her stays there she sensed something was wrong and after a few doctor's visits we found out that my aunt has early onset dementia. She's being taken care of by family and her shitty ex will never see her again if we have any say so but it's been Rough. She doesn't deserve this shit.

2. Surgery Bonanza! Mom has to get a giant mysterious fatty mass schlorped out of her back and my Grandma Lou' s thyroid gland went insaneo style and blew up into two huge masses that had to be cut out of her throat before they completely cut off her breathing. Then she had a bonus surgery to help with her failing eyesight. On the bright side, there was no cancer found in the weird lumps harvested from my kin.

3. My cat developed a weird lump full of cancer. I spotted a small lump on his right back leg over a month ago and after begging his former vet for an appointment sooner than 2 weeks away we finally got him in. Within seconds she said that it was probably cancer and that if it is he probably won't survive the treatment for it because he's 15 so do I really want to know? Because if I know then maybe I'll want to treat this expensive thing but if I wanted to let it ride it might be easier I guess? Because letting my weird little son die without trying to save him or give him proper end of life care is cool as long as it's cheaper and I don't have to think about it as much???? This was before any sort of intensive check on him or the tumor was done btw. The little dude was pretty much either a dead man walking or he had some mysterious swelling that time would take care of as far as she was concerned. Either way there was the vibe that she kind of wrote him off.

I ordered tests for him anyway, waited 2 weeks to get inconclusive answers, ordered an x-ray (which should have been done with the other test but whatever), waited a week and a half to learn that yeah, he probably does have cancer maybe and thank god it's not spreading too fast because uh oh! It's been almost a month and that bad boy has been growing this whole time!!!! Also it took weeks for them to bother scheduling any kind of re-check. At this point they say that there's nothing they can do and offer to get me in contact with what seems to be the only animal cancer specialist around. Who's like 2 and a half hours away. And has a crazy wait list. Did I mention that Coup hates being stuck in his carrier and will stress out and cry constantly every time he's forced to travel anywhere? So after reaching out to friends and family I found another much closer vet who could give me a second opinion first and thank god I found that place because not only did they actually judge him by his actual level of health instead of just his age when it comes to treatment (besides the cancer Coup is healthy as an ox, stellar scores in bloodwork and overall cat-ness, vet said that judging from his behavior/usage of the leg that we're probably more concerned about the situation than he is) but they also had a treatment plan rolled out and ready by the end of the visit. The boy is almost done with his chemo injections now and even though the shrinking is slow he's still in great health so we're daring to dream.

Fuck The Haters.

Other things happened but I don't want to talk about those things. The bottom line is that I'm not juggling a hell schedule or crying every day now so I want to get back in the drawing saddle. Thanks again to everyone on patreon who stuck around and basically threw their money in this mysterious pit, Y'all helped pay my bills when I was literally too mentally wrecked to work. And thanks to everyone else who sent me random good vibes, hoped I was okay, said nice things about my art, and were generally pretty cool even though I fled social media. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

#talkin #medical #cancer #just chock full of downers

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twinanimatronics · 1 year

Note

Idk if it's because people first got into fanfiction during quarantine when authors had nothing to do and so were pumping out updates at frightening speeds but there's been a huge uptick lately in entitled weirdos who think that 2 weeks is a long time to wait for an update, a month without updating means the story is abandoned and after 2-3 months, you should lose all hope.

Probably

And tbf at the start of Twins I WAS updating like, almost every week.

But then life shit happened and my progress got slower cause of that.

Personal shit and my promotion at work that requires I wake up at 5:30 near every morning.

I’m responsible for caring for a lot of animals where I work and frankly, a lot of my younger coworkers don’t take shit as seriously.

So I’m always the one cleaning and maintaining everything from habitats, to mountains of dishes, to supply shopping, to food prep, to cleaning out and murderizing maggots in the cricket bins that no one ever cleans or changes the water-bead dishes of other than ME (which is why maggots and flies have become such a prevalent issue to begin with)—

Which is why I’m usually exhausted by the time I get home at like, 3-5 pm and have become a worse sleepy bitch XP

Rest assured though, I am constantly thinking about the next part of Twins tho and AM chipping away at the next chapter (I’m already at 3k words)

And while stressful to the point I’ve literally gotten more than a dozen gray hairs in the past few months—

I do love my job and the little ones I work with.

Here’s some pics and a vid:

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violetvelourr · 9 months

Text

A little bit of whining venting

I’ve spent 3 hours today trying to draw something. Anything…. I have plenty of sketches and I tried linearting several but nothing worked out, they were just straight away hopelessly ugly.

At moments like these I feel like I’m a complete fraud because one week I’m totally fine and then the next one I can’t do shit.

But in fact it’s been like that for a while now - we are halfway through August and I’ve only managed to finish one artwork which was in line art stage already back in July. So strictly speaking I haven’t produced anything this month yet. ‘Melancholic Arina’ is stuck in the face/hair phase, I spent two evenings trying to draw her body and arms with no progress. And there should also be Kakashi in that artwork which is also not going to be easy.

Today in one of the lineart attempts I couldn’t even draw Kakashi’s hair though I had zero issues with that part of him for a long time already 🤯 like it was always the easiest and most enjoyed part for the past 6 months or so…

I’m in mild despair because no matter how much I repeat to myself that it’s alright to not always be in the high (after all, July was rather productive with 7 artworks), I still think about it all the time, like I’m not doing anything and time goes on, and I am stressed because I feel like I have forgotten how to draw and even more stressed because I try to draw and just fail again and again. But I have to keep trying because I’m afraid that if I’ll stop now to give myself a break it will be again 10 years like the previous time. 🤦🏼‍♀️ and the cycle repeats. Trying. Stressing out. Trying. Stressing out…

I’ll change my screen protector tomorrow perhaps - could be the fact that it’s way too slippery - now that the ‘paperlike’ protector is completely worn off - is affecting my ability to control the line. I know that with writing the feel of the pen affects my writing a lot. Maybe here it’s a similar thing… Also I want to do something that always seemed to help me reset my artist anxiety a bit - redraw some anime scene in my style. Suggestions for the scene are welcome, by the way…

But if that doesn’t help, I don’t know anymore. I haven’t had it hit me that bad in a while, I even cried today because of it. 😖 I didn’t even cry that much when my previous artwork got corrupted 🤯

The problem is that my motivation is not as high as it used to be. Previously it helped me get through my tough times. I was driven by inspiration. I hardly have it left now, unfortunately… and the recent events killed the spirit off even more… 😔

Anyways, another day wasted, off to bed… 😖

#artist struggles #venting #just a phase I’m going through

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tessatales · 2 years

Text

Touch Starved ✨Kate✨

Kate Bishop x F!reader

Warnings: Touch starved (obviously), Swearing(not much), not much else really 🤷🏻‍♀️

Theme: Touch starved Kate, comfort, sweet, secret crushes(maybe) AvengerReader

A/N: Hello! It’s been a while since I’ve had chance to write- and I’m meant to be doing coursework right now so obviously is a perfect time to write one of these 😂

Oh yeah, and this one has a slightly different way to tackle touch starvation 👌🏻

*Your POV*

There is something wrong with Kate.

For the past few weeks you’d suspected she wasn’t feeling herself; her usual bubbly and sarcastic demeanour had slowly diminished as time went on.

At first you’d thought it had been the move to the Tower that had done it; knowing from personal experience the jarring nature of the move. But Kate had seemed to settle right in, the other team mate taking her in as quickly as Clint had.

But as you watched her now, aggressively shooting arrow after arrow at the moving targets in the practice room; you knew something was bothering her.

“Hey stranger, Tony said if your not up in 10 minutes he’s going to eat your food” you said, slipping into the practice room as quietly as possible. Kate stopped, the bow pulled taught to sit against her cheek. This was the first time you’d seen Kate consecrate on the target for more than 2 seconds since your got here.

“Oh hey, sorry. Tell Stark he can have it.” Kate said, breathing out as she shot her final arrow. Her shoulders stayed tight, her whole posture screaming stressed as she turned to face you.

“That will be the second meal you’ve missed today”

‘I’m planning to pig out on my weights worth in Chinese food later if your interested?’ Kate quipped, her grin not quite touching her eyes.

You grin.

‘That doesn’t sound bad to be honest. But first. Serious stuff.’ You say, pushing yourself off the wall to walk towards her.

‘Uh oh. What have I done’ Kate said, shelving her bow and turning towards you.

‘Whats wrong Kate? You seem off.’ You asked, crossing your arms. Kate’s shoulders sagged.

‘I’m all in my head recently. My mom’s trial is all over the news. Clint had just sort of left me here. Not like I’m not grateful! It’s just-’ Kate said, her words a rush as she tried to correct herself.

‘It’s just you want your normal life back, right?’ You chime in, your smile soft. Kate nodded.

‘Come with me’ you said, taking Kates hand and leading her out of the room.

*Kate POV*

She’s taken me to a freaking Cat Cafe. A Cafe, full of cats.

Freaking.

Awesome.

Kates thoughts ran wild and she and Y/N entered the little cafe, the quite purrs and meows that greeted them as the walked in being music to her ears.

‘I know your more of a dog person, but the dog shelter wasn’t taking walk ins today.’ Y/N said with a shrug.

Kate blinked. As much as she loved dogs, she was perfectly happy here.

‘No worries, we can go to the shelter another time, let’s talk tea and cats’ Kate exclaimed, quickly finding a seat.

*Your POV*

Within moments of sitting down, a beautiful pure white cat had wondered up and sat on Kate’s lap. It’s purrs so strong you were sure it was reverberating through Kate’s leg.

‘So, why the sudden trip to the cat cafe?’ Kate asked, taking a sip of her drink. You shift in your seat.

‘Well, your not the touchy feely type Kate, so I thought the best way to fix your touch starved ass was with animals’ you reply simply, shrugging as you stroke the chin of a ginger kitten.

Kate gaped.

‘I am not touch starved!’ Kate exclaimed. You sighed.

‘Have you been feeling antsy and upset recently?’

‘Kinda’ Kate mumbled in response.

‘Do you feel miles better because of the cat on your lap?‘ you ask, raising an eyebrow.

‘I guess’ Kate replied again, looking younger than she was as she considered her words.

‘Wow, maybe I was touch starved. Figures’ Kate said, shrugging before taking another sip of her drink.

You laughed, shocked yet completely unsurprised she took it so well.

‘So what do I do about it? Just keep petting cats?’ Kate said, looking deep in thought as she scratched the cats chin, it’s purring deepened.

You thought for a moment.

‘Well, you could. Or you could- I don’t know. Ask one of us for a hug?’ You quip, staring as the girl in disbelief. Kate’s cheeks coloured slightly.

‘I know, I know. It’s just- I.’ Kate starts, stumbling over her words as she tried to think.

‘I find it hard to ask people for things. I can be sarcastic and witty without thinking; but asking for help? Is like pulling my own teeth out’ Kate admitted, her head pointed towards the cat in her lap but her eyes were unfocused. You sighed.

‘Figures, you don’t have to speak you know?’ You say, reaching over the table to poke Kate in the arm affectionately. Kate frowned

‘You ever seen Wanda just wonder up to one of us and just hug us?’ You ask, watching as Kate frowned in thought before nodding.

‘And what about when Bucky will get overly hyper and start play fighting with anyone who will take it?’ You continue,

‘Yeah, what’s your point?’ Kate said, shifting slowly as to not disturb the cat.

‘It’s all their own way of fixing their issues. If they’re feeling down or touch starved, they do those things to help feel better.’ You say, hoping your point was getting across. Kates eyes seemed to light up.

‘So, I don’t have to ask? I could just- I don’t know, knock on your door and then flop on you once you’ve invited me in?’ Kate said, her voice the brightest it’s been in weeks. You laugh.

‘Yes, if that’s what would make you feel better’ You reply, grinning. Kate beams back

*Kate POV*

‘Thanks for taking me out Y/N, I really needed this’ Kate said, smiling at Y/N as they made their way to the lifts of the Avengers tower.

‘It’s no problem’ Y/N replied, her smile broad as she looked at Kate. For a second, the world froze, it’s was just Kate, Y/N and that was it. Before she gave herself time to overthink it; Kate sprung, attacking Y/N with a forceful hug.

‘Whoa!’ Y/N yelped, the smile still evident in her voice as she clung onto her.

‘Really, Thank you’ Kate said into Y/N’s chest, relieved the feelings she couldn’t place had finally been understood.

Kate had been through a lot over the winter, so being able to have this, this calm; was perfection.

The pair stood there for several moments, clinging onto each other like their lives depended on it. It should be a big step to take; learning to ask for help; but Kate was glad that if it ever got to much, Y/N would be there to help. Always.

#avengers #avengers imagine #avengers x reader #bucky x reader #tony x reader #dr strange #dr strange x reader #touchstarved Kate bishop #touchstarvedMCU #hawkeye #cute #cuddling

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cynicaldom · 2 years

Text

Scheduling

Amy is self-employed. Over the years, she would occasionally ask for help with time management when she was feeling overwhelmed. It also felt like she would appreciate consistent guidance. But I knew I wouldn’t follow through on a promise to do that, it would require a lot of mental energy, and a failed promise is often worse than inaction.

Our lives are exponentially less stressful now, which has been invigorating, and I finally made myself see a doctor for adhd, so I have more mental energy to spend than I’ve ever had before.

Earlier this year I suggested I start scheduling her work day. We’ve been doing it for about 5 months now. “Schedule” might be the wrong word, there aren’t specific times.

Here’s how the process works:

We have a google sheet called Schedule Maker. When Amy thinks of a work-task to be done the following week, she makes an entry in this Schedule Maker spreadsheet. Each entry is two cells of the spreadsheet horizontally next to each-other: the task name, and the estimated time required to complete the task. On Saturday she looks at the document and makes sure she isn’t forgetting anything, and comes up with additional tasks if there isn’t enough to fill a week. Recurring tasks that need to be done every week are italicized.

The task spreadsheet cells are color-coded based on how annoying they are to complete. Red is painful, yellow is kinda annoying, and green is fine.

Every Sunday I duplicate a different blank-template spreadsheet called Work Schedule, and rename it with the week’s date range. Every day of the week is listed. Every day has a 5 columns:

Task name

Time estimate

Blank cell for her to enter the time she started the task

Blank cell for her to enter the time she completed the task

Blank cell for her to enter the total time the task took to complete.

We record times so we can more accurately update time estimates for recurring tasks. Inaccurate time estimates could potentially lead us to overload her schedule.

I copy a task & it’s time cell out of the schedule maker, and paste it in a day of my choosing in the new schedule.

With our color-coding system, I can visually see if I’m equally distributing annoyance throughout the week. It can help too if we know she might have a stressful day for other reasons, to keep mentally taxing tasks off that day.

Since time estimates are in terms of minutes (i.e. hour and half would be represented by 90), there are cells lower on the spreadsheet that have math functions that tell you automatically how many hours you have scheduled for each day, and one cell at the bottom that automatically tells you how many hours you have scheduled for the week. Having these helps me distribute her work more equally. Another example where it’s useful: we visit my mom for a few hours every week on Wednesday, so I schedule less work hours for that day.

It can be fun for me to put together, like a logic puzzle. The goal is to maximize her happiness, the challenge comes from recognizing her mental energy is a resource that has to be spent wisely. Her desire for success means you can increase her happiness by increasing her productivity. But productivity has a parabolic relationship to happiness, if you increase productivity too far it's positive effect becomes a negative one. So too much productivity can ironically cause a crash, which would leave her worse off than she was without a schedule.

When I’m done, I send the schedule to her. She writes the tasks down in her planner, in her preferred order, for each day. The planner has new animal facts every week and little drawings of the animal. I learned that Binturongs exist, and they smell like popcorn. It’s a very cute planner. I think she writes it down on paper mostly for the satisfaction of crossing off items when they’re complete.

I don’t do it very often, but it’s also fun to schedule horny tasks unrelated to her work. It’s fun knowing that occasionally there is a degrading sexual task to be performed in her work schedule.

The process has been a great bonding experience. Fairly often she’ll tell me where she wants her business to head, and I help her break down those bigger strategy goals into actionable tasks that can be scheduled. It gives me an opportunity to lead and her an opportunity to follow, which forms a virtuous cycle, it recharges us with more emotional energy than it costs us to do.

It wasn’t intentional, at least not consciously, but I like that I didn’t just end up becoming her boss. I want her submission, but I don’t want to subsume her entire will into my own. Well, to be frank, I do want that, very fucking much. I want every single moment she has be solely concerned with me. While this idea arouses me, it’s not really how I want someone I love to live their life. If the goal is to maximize happiness, then desire can not override love, love being another word for respect. She is a whole person the same as I am, and as much as I like to control her and as much as she likes to be controlled by me, a level of human autonomy is sacred and fundamental to happiness. I don’t have the experience to confirm whether my hunch is true, but I suspect dominance and submission also have a parabolic relationship to happiness, over a long-enough timeline.

I’m assuming there’s ways you could modify this type of schedule for other situations beside self-employment: for chores, or a largely self-directed white collar job, or hobbies you want to do but never prioritize. Anything where there’s a lot to do, and being given direction could help.

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bvannn · 2 months

Text

Weekly Update March 1, 2024

I’m not doing the best this week but I’m also not doing the worst. I’ve not been sleeping well and I think it’s culminating today so slightly early update post just in case I fall asleep early tonight. I’ve had on and off moodiness and flareups but not a whole lot of surgery sickness, hoping next week will be the same. I think this week was a lot of semester stress, which makes it hard to take care of myself. I just ate three applesauces and next week is spring break, so I should have a bit of breathing room for more art stuff. Just in time for my art block to maybe be giving way. All I gotta do is get caught up on sleep, which I’ll try to start tonight.

So I’ve been trying to put more brain power into actual Oc story writing stuff this week. I have the little comic I’m working on in the background and that’s going a bit slower than I’d like but I’m still making progress and reviewing over it there’s fewer older pages needing redo than I’d thought. I’m also now officially through the second act of the episode/chapter/ w/e, so the third should move smoothly. Scenes are flowing nicer than I thought they would, generally going pretty good.

I also finally think my animation art block is giving way. Clip studio is good for flowier animation so I’d like to combine it with flash for any actual big animation projects I try to pick up but on it’s own it’s fine for smaller ones. I might do some more sketch style test animations for unfamiliar movements, and eventually I’ll need to do a test for one with lineart and color layers. The interface is not user friendly at all but I did figure out how to do it the way I had wanted. Not planning on doing any shaded animations though, shading will have to be done with after effects somehow. I’ll round up ideas for test animations tonight because I’m very headfoggy today so I doubt I’ll be able to throw music together.

I’ll definitely do a quick little gif for the bigger song I finished, I’ll try to get going on the next one, but for the time being I might finish up some half baked covers. I’ve fiddled with vocaloid more now, have two half finished vocal parts I’m using to test out how the English and Japanese banks work with English songs. Japanese bank is working better than I thought, but it’s annoying having to play with the dynamic and exciter settings for certain consonants, and the limited vowel selection also sucks, but it’s not like the English banks have basically the same issues too. I just need to play with settings a bit more, finish writing out the vocal parts (should basically be copy paste at this point, I’m already through one chorus of each), and throw together instrumentals to go with them, but I picked songs with simple instrumentals anyway, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get a skeletal structure ready, then I can fill it in with piano or violin because I can’t go two songs without either I’m addicted.

Music comic and animation are the main things I did this week but I am slowly getting my updated commission sheet together. I’ll probably start timing myself on smaller songs so I can try to add music options properly. Animation comms would be nice too but that’ll definitely be a ways off.

I did make unexpected progress writing an epithet TTRPG campaign, it’s like mostly structured, but maps minis and some encounters still need to get written. I might sit down to do that over break. I’m more certain now that I’ll need to take people online as players but I’ll wait until I’m closer to run before I make a google form for that

I’m going to try to either spend tonight with friends or go to bed early or both. I’m a bit worried about my body because flareups have been getting bad but tomorrow I don’t have to move my legs at all beyond doing laundry so I should be fine. If plans for both fall through I’ll either watch a movie or cartoon (I don’t do very often but if I indulge in media I can improve my writing skills) or draw or both. Tomorrow is walled off for homework though I don’t think I’ll be able to do much else.

#weekly update

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hallowedmuses · 1 year

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discord chat: so hungry i could eat a horse

SUMMARY: Dagon comes clean to Beelzebub about a deadly creature that she’s befriended in the Mariana Trench. The two make their way there with some unfortunate company in tow. TRIGGERS: Trauma, PTSD, Depression, Body Horror, Animal Death WRITTEN WITH: @offallenfeathers (Beelzebub, Gabriel, Suds) @hallowedmuses (Dagon, Andy)

DAGON: She was anxious as leaned against the dock and picked at her lunch. Today’s environmental committee meeting was a disaster. She didn’t know what happened. Suds was doing so great these past few weeks but last night was a massive regression. She felt like it was only a matter of time before Gabriel found him. She couldn’t keep hiding the creature on her own. It wasn’t safe. She had a plan, an idea really, to bring Suds to Hell but she needed help. So, she asked Beel to come have lunch with her after the meeting. She needed to fess up to her antics and show him everything, but it was hard to know where to begin. “It looks like it’s going to rain…” she began mildly only for one of her snakes to escape her bun and nip at her ear. She swatted it away, annoyed with herself. “Alright, Jesus…” She surveyed the dock to make sure they were alone before sliding her lunch over to Beel. “I need your help.” She was pretty sure he picked up on that a while ago. “The creature Gabriel’s unit is looking for is a shark,” she began. “Prehistoric, large, one of your original designs maybe..." She bit her bottom lip. "His name is Suds. I've been hiding him for the past few months..."

BEELZEBUB: Ever since Valefar had joined these committees, they'd gotten more interesting. Beel wasn't fond of the idea of her being there, but surprisingly, she wasn't the drama this time. Gabriel had made them all aware of some sort of creature in the ocean that was attacking ships and eating massive amounts of sealife. It was upsetting the balance of things, and worse than that, when Gabriel sent his own people to deal with it, the beast killed and ate them. Thankfully, the Empty wasn't a bad place to end up now, but death was still a serious thing. They'd never be able to leave the Empty again. It clearly put a lot of stress on Gabe. Beel could see the frustration and guilt on Gabe's face for what happened to them, and he seemed desperate to stop the monster. On the other hand, Dagon had seemed panicked ever since the subject of the creature was brought up, though for different reasons. Every time the actions of the monster were brought up, she seemed to defend it with the same passion as a mad lover. It all made her seem incredibly suspicious. She was known to make friends with all kinds of creatures, and he was sure that everyone suspected that she was somehow involved in the reason why the beast hadn't been caught already. After the committee was over and Dagon invited him to lunch, he suspected that it wasn't just an excuse to have some of his cooking. It was actually all the confirmation he needed to know she really was involved in this.

It was amusing to watch her snakes nip at her. It was always an interesting display to when she was at war with herself, but in the end, the snakes usually helped her to the right destination. He took her lunch, beginning to eat it as she explained herself. He nodded for her to keep going when she said she needed his help. That was a given. The fact that it was a shark was a little surprising. There were some giant sharks out there that he'd made. A few were even still around, though they didn't cause many problems. They also didn't usually attack angelic units, nor did they have the power to actually kill them. "I don't think that sounds like something I would've made." Although the name she'd given the shark was a little amusing. It was close to the nickname Laute used to call him a long time ago. "Can you take me to him. I think I need to see him with my own eyes." Beel usually had a strong connection with his creations. Even if they didn't recognize him as the one who created their species, sharks tended to be relaxed around him. The better thing was that he could make sure the shark was no real threat to Dagon. Even if it tried attacking him, there weren't many things that could actually harm an archangel.

DAGON: Beel seemed annoyingly satisfied that she was asking him for help. Her snakes eyed him like they were debating smacking the tacos out of his hand. “Don’t. He’s just wearing a smaller, smugger look under there,” she warned her snake as she tugged it back into her bun. It didn’t surprise her that he didn’t want to be credited or associated with Suds, but she’d seen enough of Beel’s creatures to know his designs. If Suds was created by a copycat they were in some trouble. “Look, I know he looks bad on paper, but I don’t think nurture made him the way he is. I think something happened to him. The way I found him, he wasn’t in good shape...” Of course, she found him when he tried to eat her, but she was able to save herself and gain his trust. She got quiet when Beel asked if she would take him to the shark. “That depends.” The words were heavy between them. For a couple months now, things seemed like they were back to normal with the two of them. Dagon had forgiven the secrets that were kept from her, but this was a reminder that she hadn’t forgotten. She was still struggling and the act of asking one of them for help was still hard. “There’s ground rules to this. I found the shark, I make the final decisions. You don’t get to shut me out, okay? He’s my friend, Beel.”

BEELZEBUB: "It's actually a larger, smugger look, but it wouldn't be that bad if you didn't make yourself so obvious in that committee." Gabriel and Andy were probably just waiting for her to outright admit her involvement, not that they could actually do much about it. They'd have to go through a lot of channels, and in the end they wouldn't get anywhere. Dagon may not have been right to protect a monster that was killing angels, but Hell would still defend her if they needed to, though whether they'd defend her creature or not was a different story. "I'm not trying to disown him because he did bad things, Dagon," he promised. "I just really don't recall making something like this." It was possible he'd been on something if he'd made this. He'd been pretty chaotic when he was younger, and he had so many creations, he couldn't always keep track of them until he was looking at them, which is why he felt like he needed to see the shark first. "If I did make him, then he's my responsibility." He didn't mean that to say he was going to take over on what to do with the shark, more so that he felt responsible enough to help make sure that his creation was well taken care of and that it wasn't hurting people outside the natural order of things. "He wasn't in good shape?" he questioned. It was hard to believe something that massive could really go through any kind of trauma. It wouldn't have had any natural predators. If it was killing angels, the average fishing boats shouldn't have been a problem for it, and he didn't think Gabriel's angels would attack it without cause.

"Even if he did go through something rough, his actions seem more like animal instinct. He's going to eat the biggest things he can, which at this time seem to be angels." He didn't think it really made a difference whether it was nature or nurture that was making Suds act like this. It wasn't like they could give a shark therapy, and the amount of time Dagon was spending with it didn't seem to be helping. He recognized that Dagon was nervous. She'd asked for his help, but she still had reason to doubt that she'd be on his side.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not looking to hurt Suds. I know that you care about him, and I'm sure we can find something to do for him." He didn't know what that was just yet. He needed to actually see the creature's size and personality first. It'd make things easier if the shark listened to him like the others did, but if it wasn't his, he didn't know that it would. There was still another concern though. "But if a life is in danger because of him again while I'm there, I will stop him." He was mainly worried in regards to Dagon. She might've bonded with a lot of creatures, but that didn't mean they wouldn't hurt her if she got in the middle. If his presence upset the shark, it was possible she could get hurt, and he wouldn't let that happen. He didn't plan to take deadly force immediately, but he would do what he had to do to keep more lives from being taken. Suds might've been Dagon's friend, but he was killing a lot of Gabriel's friends.

DAGON: She gave him an exasperated, almost comical look. “Well, you try keeping these space buns under control!” She pointed to her hair. She might’ve known a thing or two about being covert, but her snakes weren’t always on the same page. Which is why they were in intricate buns and braids almost every meeting now. She was getting tired of being tied up. Restraining them never felt right. They were a part of her. She started undoing her buns. Maybe they would behave now that she was trying something that didn’t require so much secrecy. “Despite defending Suds at meetings, I don’t exactly feel great about what he’s doing. I just need more time to train him.” She shook her hair out, feeling relieved that some of the weight and pressure was gone. “We had a streak going for almost two weeks with only minor incidences. I know he can do it.” She felt her shark deserved a fair shot. Moving him to hell was the best shot she could give him.

She sighed and nodded when he assured her that he wasn’t trying to disown Suds. “Maybe seeing him will jog some memories. I haven’t had much luck digging up his origins. Most of those records are still in Heaven. Talk about paywalls,” she quipped. That was definitely a complaint she’d picked up from Declan. She nodded and frowned. “Yeah, poor thing.” Her snakes drooped a little at the memory. “He had spears lodged along his underbelly and jaw line. It took a while to get him to trust me enough to get them out. And he had scar tissue to hell and back, healed fractures that hadn’t properly set, chunks of flesh that were just gone. He must’ve fought something and came out on top, but for the life of me I don’t know what.” Whatever it was, she was pretty sure Suds must’ve eliminated it.

She didn’t agree or disagree with Beel’s statement. Suds was acting on instinct, but she also believed he could be trained to not be so aggressive and reactive. She didn’t plan to domesticate him by any means. Some form of aggression was needed to survive in the wild, but he had too much for something of his size.

Her snakes observed him quietly for a moment as they tried to assess whether they trusted his words. They dropped away into nothing but strands of hair once Dagon decided that she did trust that he wouldn’t harm Suds. “I want to take him to Hell. I’m not sure Lucifer will be thrilled about the idea, but I think it’s the best place for him. I’ll lay out the vision once you see him.” She knew that second part was coming before he even said it. She was just trusting that Beel’s first plan of action to stop Suds wouldn’t be violence. “All right, then you better trail behind and let me talk to him first so you don’t spook him with your very large, smug face.”

BEELZEBUB: Beel chuckled. "That's basically just asking me to keep you under control. They're a result of your subconscious after all." He could keep his own emotions in check, but he couldn't do that for Dagon. "I think if you said that to Gabe, he wouldn't believe it." The arguing between him and Dagon had only gotten heightened this time. It wasn't a surprise to anyone that Dagon would defend animals, but he could tell that Gabe felt like Dagon just didn't care at all about the people who were dying. Beel knew that wasn't the case. Dagon was an extremely caring person. The problem was that it got excessive sometimes to the point where she only saw the danger around her. She had good reason not to trust a lot of the people at the committee though. Gabriel had kept the truth about what was going on with Bells longer than he had, which was probably part of why she elected to tell Beel the truth first too. "How exactly have you been trying to train him? And if you were doing well, what happened this time?" She was right. There hadn't been too many incidents, but he imagined there had to be something to set him off. Maybe he got startled or she let him get too close to where Gabriel's unit was searching.

"Maybe," he nodded. "I did make a lot of weird things back then. Raphael actually brought down some of those records of my creations a couple years ago." It had been the day that Belphegor confronted the family about the truth, and it was probably the only good thing that happened on his birthday that year. "I didn't get around to looking at all of them, but after I see him, I can compare them to him." Assuming he didn't recognize it immediately. He frowned at the description of the state he was in. "That sounds more like he went through a war than just a single fight." It made the whole thing sound more confusing. He wouldn't have been surprised by some of those injuries, but the others sounded like something he would've had for a lot longer than any injuries Gabe's unit could've given him.

"To Hell?" he asked, considering the idea. It would take some excessive terraforming, but they had people for that, and it would keep heaven off their backs if it kept him away from the angels and the rest of humanity. Beel already had some large bodies of water in his kingdom where they could keep Suds while they worked on terraforming more space. Food might've been an issue, but he needed to understand Suds more first. If they could sustain him on large fish, that might've been fine, but if he really did have a preference for eating angels, then that would be a problem. He'd have to hear what she had in mind for the shark once they got there. "Okay, I'll try to keep my smugness contained. Lead the way."

DAGON: She snorted and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I'm so glad your siblings aren't here. The amount of sex jokes they could generate from that comment alone would be my thirteenth reason,” she joked. She sighed when he said Gabe would have a hard time believing she felt remorseful for Sud’s behavior. “I know. I’ll make it up to him somehow.” She just needed a minute where he wasn’t stressing her out. She was sure he’d say the same about her which was fair. Dagon didn’t have anything against Gabe. She generally liked him. She knew his job wasn’t easy. In the past, she tried to make it easier by cleaning up the ocean at the very least. She and Beel had done a decent job at it. She just wished Gabe would leave this alone so she could continue her work. As a leader herself, she understood he felt responsible for this situation. She didn’t know Gabe all that well and frankly she was afraid that even if she came forward and told him the situation, he’d just want to take it over and she’d never see Suds again. The Archangels had already shut her out once by making decisions regarding her best friend. She had a hard time believing they wouldn’t do it again.

“I train him the way I train most of my animals. Build trust, establish myself as a safe person, keep them fed—that’s been the hardest part. I can’t make creatures at the rate that he eats them.” Which was why having Gabe’s unit work on replenishing the ocean would’ve been helpful to her and Suds in this process. “I’ve been tagging along on hunts with him though and redirecting him to eat creatures that are appropriate shark food. I thought teaching him command cues would be the hardest but he picked up on that fast. He responds best to the old war commands.” She made hand gestures that indicated stay, move out, and fall back.

She got a little quieter when he asked her what happened last night. “I don’t know. It came out of nowhere. We were just floating through the ocean. I was laying on his back stargazing and babbling like one does. We passed by the northern lights and he just froze. I hopped off his back to check on him and I dunno…there was this massive wave of sadness coming from him. It was deep. Like my Kingdom after the fall deep.” She’d never met an animal that experienced that level of profound sadness. It felt almost human. “And then it was like a switch flipped. There was nothing behind his eyes but rage. He went barreling for the nearest living thing which was an expedition ship a thousand knots away. By the time I caught up to him, he’d already eaten it and was looking for the next thing to eat. I got him to slow down and that’s when I heard Zophiel somewhere in the pit of his stomach.” She rubbed her temple at the stress of the memory. “He wasn’t supposed to be there. Apparently, he decided to disregard orders to stay out of the ocean until the situation was resolved. I talked him through how to trigger Sud’s gag reflex.” Gooseflesh peppered her skin. She rubbed her arms as if she was cold. “It wasn’t a pretty scene but he puked Zoph out. While I stayed with the kid and patched him up, he swam off and went on his rampage. When I found him in the morning, he was calm again but the damage…” she shook her head. She was lucky that Zophiel wasn’t hurt, but she didn’t think she’d be lucky a second time if Suds got triggered like that again in open water.

“I don’t know. I kind of miss ham-ster. That one was cute,” she replied when he said that he’d made some weird things back in the day. She was sure the designs that Raph gave him were probably most of his goofier designs. It was unlikely that Heaven would release the blueprints for something as hostile as Suds. She hoped Beel would recognize the creature, but at the end of the day they could still help Suds even if they were unsure about his origin. “I thought about that too,” she nodded. “That maybe he was one of our fighter beasts from the war and that he went dormant after Belphegor’s explosion, but I don’t remember seeing him on the battlefields or in the pens.” The only thing that looked remotely like Suds on the battlefield was Beel. “If Val gets to keep a dragon, I’m sure an argument can be made for letting me have a mega shark.” She smiled when he said he’d keep his smugness contained. “Thanks, Chef. That’s probably the hardest thing I’ll ask you to do today.” She was absolutely being facetious. If she got her way at the end of this, he’d be helping her move a massive shark into hell. She glanced around the dock one last time before jumping off of it and into the water. The demon shifted into her mermaid form and waited for Beel to join before starting the long swim to Sud's hideout.

BEELZEBUB: "I try not to think of what sex jokes they could make. We'd be here all day for that." Through life he'd learned that there was a sex joke for everything. He dished them out himself when he was in the right mood. The best thing to do was just not let it bother you and ride along with the joke. "I wouldn't worry too much about making it up to Gabe as long as we can keep your shark from eating any more of his people." Gabriel was just worried about the safety of his people as a leader. As long as he could see to their safety, he'd be okay.

He nodded, rubbing his chin as Dagon explained her training for the creature. He hadn't really seen the monster that had been attacking people, but they had gotten some descriptions from the deceased. The overall size of the beast seemed to differ in everyone's interpretations, which made sense. It was hard to consider details when you were about to be eaten to death. All they'd really gotten was that it was massively big and somehow managed to sneak up on full groups and eat them all at once, sometimes without them even being able to put up a fight. It spoke to why it would be hard for Dagon to keep it fed. Something that big took a lot of food, and if its prey was angels, that made it even harder to keep him fed. "That's . . . interesting." It made the creature that much more peculiar. So far, a lot of the information she'd given him pointed to the shark being involved in a war somehow, but how?

"Hmm." It was hard to think why any normal animal would have a reaction to an aurora borealis. Maybe the lights could've been frightening to it somehow? But the lights weren't overwhelmingly bright or anything. The fact that it was saddened only made it more peculiar. "It's not possible that we both just . . . forgot something like that being there during the war, is it? The auroras were a sign of loss for a lot of them during the war, but even if a shark was somehow there, he doubted it would feel anything that deep from lights, especially to cause it to go into a fit of rage.

"Zoph got involved in all of this?" He asked with exasperation. He assumed her story wasn't going to end with his death or else this conversation would've probably been going differently. As frustrated as Gabriel was now, he would've been much worse if Zophiel had been seriously hurt. Gabriel treated the Avanis more like family than his own siblings sometimes. Luckily, it seemed like Zoph was being smart enough to keep his mouth shut about the whole ordeal. "What about you? Are you okay? That couldn't have been easy to deal with." He'd seen some of the wreckage that Suds had done. Seeing all of that chewed up and spit out again woudl've felt like seeing the massacre that was the war. It'd be hard not to throw up just seeing it.

He chuckled when she mentioned one of his sentient food creations. "Yeah I liked those too. Definitely not sustainable though. If Gears had taken the time to look at them in the early days, he probably would've felt better about his own designs." All things considered, a lot of his little brother's designs were better than some of the things Beel made.

It really did feel like the creature had something to do with the war, but it was hard to picture where he would've fit in. Angelic warfare hadn't been in the seas. Beel might've turned into a shark on the battlefield, but he'd been a land shark. As far as he knew, this thing seemed confined to the sea. "Maybe God weaponized one of my rejected designs during the war and just had it ready in case the fighting took to the sea?" It didn't sound entirely logical. Maybe God might've used it to take away his safe space from him, but if that was the case, why was it only showing up now? "Maybe he's supposed to be my curse," he suggested. "Maybe he was supposed to stay dormant until a certain time. Once we got to a kind of good place, he showed up so I'd have to deal with my own creation hurting people." He still wasn't sure it was his own creation, but if it was, this might've made sense as a curse. Beel would've felt guilty and would've had to find a way to stop it, but God didn't account for them having other ways to deal with a killer shark besides just killing it.

"My siblings could make a lot of jokes off of that too?" Beel snorted. "In Val's defense though, she does need her dragon to keep guard of all her statues, and she can't even pet it. I think it'd be a better defense for you if you pointed out that Asmo is able to keep your twin." He giggled at his own joke before following Dagon into the water. His form shifted as well, taking on the features of a shark that allowed him to swim through the water quickly to follow alongside Dagon.

SUDS: It wasn't easy to find a place to hide a giant shark, especially one as big as the one deemed as 'Suds' was. Fortunately, the trench hid a lot of tunnels and hideaways, some big enough for the giant to swim through, though the size of the shark was actually fluid. It seemed to miraculously fit through some tunnels that might've seemed to small for it. That made keeping it in one place hard too. Although Suds had some affection for Dagon, he didn't always listen to her. Already while she was out, he'd been on the hunt again. It wasn't angels this time thankfully. At the bottom of his sea cavern was a whale that he was chewing on. He shook it around, spreading its blood through the water. It distracted him enough that he didn't pay attention to the angel and archangel approaching him.

DAGON: "They are incorrigible," she snorted. "That's easy for you to say. You have sibling privileges. Maybe I'll send him a nice gift basket or take Zoph off his hands for a week. He needs more redirection than my shark most days." At least the only danger Zoph presented was to himself generally.

"He's not exactly a forgettable creature." It wasn't just his size but he had a pretty distinct personality. She was able to see more and more of it the more he trusted her. She was pretty sure it was even playing with her in some cases. "But God is capable of collective mindwiping so it's possible." If he wanted them to forget this creature, he could make it so. He didn't even need much of a reason in most cases to condemn a being to be forgotten. The monster that was God did as he fancied.

She nodded with equal exhaustion when he asked about Zoph's involvement. "He thought it was pretty cool until it wasn't which is usually how it goes with these things. I'm going to check on him in a few days to make sure his stomach's settled." It looked like he'd learned his lesson but she still wanted to make sure he was okay. She chewed at her bottom lip when he asked her if she was okay. "There weren't many survivors to heal. Just bodies and bile. It hit a little too close to home, but I'm okay now." She managed to get herself to the Empty were she promptly lost the contents of her stomach. Gears helped her to the shower so she could clean up but she still couldn't wash that feeling off entirely. Normally she wasn't around when Suds decided to go on these mass rampages. He brought her carnage sometimes, but it was usually animal bones. That was when they'd collectively decided she needed to bring Beel into this.

She knew Gears wouldn't like the fact that Beel saw that insecurity but there wasn't much she could do about that. "Everything is sustainable in the right environment," she smiled softly. "Earth might not have been the place for hammy and burgle and some of Gears creations but Eden made space for them on her lands." And Dagon made space for them in her heart. That was the hardest part of leaving home. She'd left pieces of her heart back there with all the creatures she couldn't take with her.

She listened as Beel speculated on the origins of Suds. "If he was God's weapon, I'm glad he got out of there and stayed out." Suds would've been pretty lethal in battle. Probably on par with the Archangels in terms of the level of damage that he could yield. She didn't think that Suds was his curse. The creature was violent at times, but his existence as a curse seemed to mild when the other curses were forced romance, death to true love, involuntary golden touch, and the void.

She groaned when he pointed out sex jokes could be made about that too. "You're right. I can't even make the standard suicidal jokes like i wish the shark would've just eaten me when there's a minor inconvenience. I'll do it anyway. It's better if I beat Asmo to the joke." She anticipated he’d have the most fun with all of this, but she could at least beat him to the punchline most of the time. “Andras is truly Asmo’s curse. Or maybe he’s Aamon’s,” she speculated. There was still no sign of what Aamon’s curse was.

Their swim through the ocean was quieter than usual. They weren’t met with nearly as many creatures. Suds had eaten a good portion of marine life and anything that he hadn’t eaten was in hiding. Dagon slowed down the closer they got to the trench. As they plunged into the dark depths, her form shifted slightly so that the scales on her tail and torso and the tips of her hair glowed with bioluminescence. Normally other bioluminescent creatures floated down here too giving the appearance of a bunch of floating lanterns, but they were all in hiding now leaving Dagon as the only source of light. She navigated her way through the caverns with ease before pausing briefly at one not too far away from Suds. She had Beel help her create a few seals, making sure to not develop their brains since they would only be used as shark feed. Once the brainless seals were made, she hauled them over her shoulder and gestured for Beel to stay in the shadows for a bit.

She approached the massive shark as he chewed on the whale bone. “Hey, friend,” she smiled and set the seals down next to the whale carcass. “I brought you some snacks.” She held out her hand to him and waited for him to gesture that it was okay for her to approach. When he gave her the cue, she swam closer and ran her hand along his snout to say hello. She gave him some affection, briefly taking the time to assess him for any new injuries. “You look well.” She patted his snout before giving him some space. “Eat up. We’re going to have a visitor.”

BEELZEBUB: "I think Andy would appreciate that as much as Gabe does." It was a benefit to both of them if Zoph stayed out of trouble, and Gabe could always use more reason to do less work. He nodded when she said the creature wasn't easily forgotten. He was more in line with her second thought, that maybe God made them forget the creature, but even if that was the case, why would they only rediscover it now?

"That's a good idea," he agreed when she said she was going to check on him later. Things like this didn't always catch up to you until later. He might've been too hyped up on adrenaline to really feel the panic of a near death experience. He grimaced at her description. It really did sound like the war. When he fought in the war, it was how he'd left things too when he fought in his larger form. He hadn't even had to use a weapon aside from himself, and it just left bodies like that everywhere. When he got off the battlefield, he threw up some of the corpses that got stuck in his mouth. Laute was usually there to clean them away, so he didn't have to see them for long. Unfortunately for Dagon, she had to deal with that herself, and she was far more empathic than Laute. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, but there was nothing you could've done for them at that point." Gabriel probably would have said something about how she could've kept Suds away from people if she told them all about him, and Beel was glad he wasn't here right now.

"I guess I should specify sustainable on earth then." He wasn't really bothered by the fact that they couldn't live on earth. "It was very nice of her to let them stay there. Maybe that's where Suds came from. If he was one of my old creations, maybe he slipped out of Eden. I know we're on better terms with heaven, but maybe they're trying to cover up his escape from there." It still didn't seem that reasonable, and it didn't explain why Suds would respond so well to battle directives or have war wounds.

Beel's shark form allowed him to swim through the water unbothered. He didn't glow like Dagon, but he didn't struggle to see in the dark, with or without Dagon glowing. As they stopped and he made almost lifeless seals for her, he considered the fact that he'd probably be doing this for a while. If they found a way to keep her shark, they'd need to make food for it almost constantly. It wouldn't be allowed to just keep eating angels.

He stuck close to the cavern walls as Dagon went into the opening where her shark was. From his vantage point he had to get a little closer to see around the tunnel, but what he did see was massive. He'd heard the description that the beast was big, but this was bigger than even his megalodon. In fact, it was almost as big as he was when he fought in the war. Obviously there were differences between him and the beast, but he could see why Dagon would think this was one of his creations. He waited patiently where he felt he'd be unseen until Dagon would tell him it was okay to come forward. He didn't want to startle the guy into attacking. He felt like he even he might struggle against it in a fight.

SUDS: Suds dropped the whale carcass when he heard Dagon calling out to him. He had already been eating, but his hunger never really stopped. He waited until she was away from the seals to drop down and swallow them whole before returning back to where he was. She was so small compared to him, but he still liked the affection he got from her. He didn't always understand it, but she felt familiar to him, some times more than others. He at least knew he felt comfortable around her. She wasn't the only presence there though. He looked past her to the tunnel she'd just come through. He could feel something else familiar there. He swam towards it to figure out what it was.

DAGON: “There’s always one chaotic sibling in a bundle, but I think he’d give me an easier time than he does Gabe and Andy.” At least Zoph seemed to have an awkward little crush on both her and Beel. That made it easier to redirect him. Given what had just happened to him and the fact that he couldn’t really talk openly about it, Dagon figured he’d need someone he could talk to. So, offering to keep track of him had a dual purpose of giving Gabe and Andy a break and providing Zoph with a safe outlet to talk about what happened. She tried to maintain her composure when Beel assured her there was nothing she could’ve done for those people, but still a single tear made its way down her cheek. “I know, I know,” she replied softly. “I’m going to fix it. We’re going to get Suds help so it won’t happen again.” She was mostly trying to reassure herself at this point. “If he did escape from Eden, I’m not giving him back though. Finders keepers. He’s mine.” Granted, it was Suds who technically found her but she still thought the philosophy counted.

She observed as Suds swam closer to where Beel’s energy was coming from. He’d clocked him, but he wasn’t attacking which was a good sign. Dagon swam closer to Suds and placed her hand on the base of his pectoral fin to let him know she was there. She was absolutely dwarfed by the fin, but her glow could still be seen next to him. She took in the emotional temperature of the room. Things were still calm. “You can come out now,” she told Beel. She kept her hand on Suds, but slowly started swimming toward his snout as Beel’s presence filled the room. She stopped when she was finally able to see Beel over the massive shark. “Suds, this is my friend Beelzebub. He’s here to help. Beel, this is my friend Suds.”

BEELZEBUB & SUDS: "Usually several," he agreed. His family had Asmo, Gears, and Lucifer. Hers had Andras and Dagon (As much as Dagon could be reasonable, she also did things like this where she took in exceedingly dangerous animals). The Avanis had Zoph and sometimes Declan. He felt sympathetic to Dagon as the tears slipped out, but he knew there wasn't much he could say to comfort her on it. The way she said help almost made it sounds like he was a person who just needed to go to therapy. It was hard to grasp when most animals didn't have that much intellect to really understand trauma. Beel held his hands up innocently and chuckled. "I don't think anyone would take him away from you if that was the case, so long as we're able to keep him under control." Heaven was a little more lenient now. Beel knew that Michael was trying to get on better terms with Dagon too, and if there was a way to do that, letting her keep one of her pets was certainly a good start. Beel just didn't think Michael would let that come at the cost of (mostly) innocent lives.

Beel waited for Dagon's signal before swimming out into the open. His form changed to become more humanoid, but still shark-like, like if there was a shark version of a mermaid. He grew larger, so he wasn't just a speck to the shark like Dagon was now. It didn't seem that it was necessary though. No matter his size, Suds eyes were locked on him. The shark didn't seem to be listening to Dagon as he swam slowly closer to Beelzebub. Their heads tilted in unison as they observed each other, doing the same thing to tilt their heads the other way. Beel moved around the shark to observe it's distinctive features and injuries, and Suds circled around him as well. They both stopped at the same time after making their observations of each other. Despite them both behaving so similarly, they arrived at two different conclusions.

SUDS: After what happened to Suds, so much had been lost of his mind. He'd been hurt physically, but that was nothing compared to the mental damage. There were certain triggers for his memories. The auroras the other night had made him remember his brother who was gone. He couldn't remember his name anymore, just a sort of echo of his laughter and also a scraping headache of his dying screams. He'd been sad at first until the memory of the being that took him away infuriated him. The fury replaced the memories until he forgot everything again, but he was starting to remember more the more time he spent in this universe. He remembered the man in front of him. He didn't just feel like a reflection of himself. This man was him, before it had gotten so bad. A deep wave of sorrow passed over him, similar to what he and Dagon had experienced the other night under the northern lights. He remembered being that man, having a life. He remembered snippets of a family with Dagon. The memories weren't perfect, but their children had been. Even without remembering them fully, he felt the sorrow of missing them. If it was possible for a shark to cry underwater, he would've been. He pressed forward into Beel. It was the closest he could get to comforting himself and receiving comfort from himself.

BEELZEBUB: For Beel, he felt an almost immediate kinship with the shark. It wasn't just because it was a shark, but Suds felt oddly familiar to him. He reminded him a lot of himself, and he wondered if maybe God had copied the form he used to fight in during the war. The injuries the shark had were similar to ones he'd gotten in the past, but there were certain details that didn't match that either. For one, this wasn't a land shark like he'd been, and Suds also didn't give off the same type of energy as Beel either. He could tell that it seemed to recognize him, but there was also something . . . off about it. Suds felt wrong. Beel wasn't afraid of the shark, but something about it gave him chills, like a sailor sensing an oncoming storm. He looked over at Dagon to tell her what he'd determined when Suds charged at him. Underwater, Beel didn't have any sort of footing to stop himself from being pushed back. His arms wrapped around Suds's snout, holding on until he was pushed up against the cavern wall. "Woah there, buddy." He patted Suds as he nuzzled against him. He clearly wasn't being aggressive, but a giant shark still held a lot of power. He patted Suds on the nose and pushed him back, so he could properly address Dagon. "I have no idea where he came from."

DAGON: Dagon hoped he was right because she wasn't giving up Suds without a fight. She worked hard to train him and if they took him any progress he made would be gone. More importantly, she was attached to him. She'd given up plenty of things during the war and she was done reconciling her losses.

She swam closer to the walls of the cavern as Beel made himself larger. Suddenly the space felt very small and she wished she would've coaxed Suds out to open water, but this was the safest place for them to do this. She made herself slightly bigger mostly so she wouldn't be crushed by anyone's fin. That might've been the way Andras wanted to go but it definitely wasn't the way she wanted to. More light filled the room and illuminated the space. She watched with mild amusement as the two beings surveyed each other in paralleling motions. It was like watching two Golden Retrievers assess each other. As she watched them side by side there was no denying that this was Beel's creation.

Her amusement faded though as she felt a wave of sadness coming from Suds. The unexpected intensity of it stung at her chest. It felt like the air was knocked out of her lungs for a moment. She felt it magnifying her own powers. "Suds..." she started swimming toward him again, but froze as he started to charge into Beel. Was this it? Was the switch going to flip to rage like it had last night? Please, please, please don't. From her vantage point, she couldn't see much but she eased when she observed that the movements weren't violent in nature. The sadness in Suds chest seemed to ease but only by a fraction. As Beel pushed him back, Dagon swam forward. "Hey there, ocean eyes..." she hugged his snout by curling most of herself around it. "It's okay..." she uncoiled herself but continued to give him reassurance that everything was going to be okay.

She nodded when Beel said he had no idea where Suds came from. "That's okay, we'll figure it out. Like you said, our childhood was a weird time. Are you okay?" He seemed a little spooked and confused, but Dagon couldn't blame him. It had to be weird to be confronted by something that was clearly his with no recollection of having made it. Given what had happened to Beel and the fact that they were sheltering in a space that was created through his trauma, it was possible Suds came from that same deeply traumatized space of Beel's mind.

Suds was still pretty elevated as she kissed and petted his snout. "You did good, friend," she assured him. "Can you make him something to eat?" she asked Beel before turning her attention back to the shark. "It's all right," she soothed. "I'm taking you home where it's safe and we'll figure it out."

BEELZEBUB: Beel nodded when Dagon said that they'd figure this out, but he still felt unsettled by all of this. "Yeah, I'm okay. I doubt he could do much to hurt me anyways." He knew that wasn't what Dagon had meant. She probably felt his emotions as well as Suds, and what he was feeling was a mixture of confusion and fear. He didn't really know what he was afraid of. He wasn't afraid of Suds hurting him or anything like that. The shark clearly felt some form of attachment to him, but it was like he was a bad omen. Of what, Beel didn't know. There was also the fact that he didn't remember him. That in itself was concerning. His childhood was traumatizing, but he didn't usually have problems with forgetting. If anything, he struggled with trying to forget. He felt like it had to be something God made him forget, which just caused more pain for him. It was another one of his choices that God just ripped away from him. He wouldn't have just abandoned Suds if he knew about him. He patted the sharks snout. "I'm sorry. You deserved better than this," he said sorrowfully, though maybe part of his sadness came from Dagon's depression manifestation. It was hard to tell.

"Yeah, I can do that." He moved down to the lower half of the cavern to start creating more food for him. Dagon had said he went on a rampage the last time he got sad.

SUDS: If he had a better understanding of language, Suds might've had a reaction to what Beel said. He didn't understand that Beel didn't know who he was. All he could tell was that Beel didn't understand what he meant. He didn't know what was coming for him, and that also made him sad. Maybe with more time, he could gain back more of himself. If he could remember more of who he was, he could warn him before it got too bad, but he was mostly just an animal. As Dagon redirected him and comforted him, his mind became hazier and less focused. The cognition usually only came in small bursts anyways before he felt almost brain dead again. He took the food that Beel had made, chomping down on it and releasing more blood into the water. As he chewed on it, he nuzzled up against Dagon while she petted him. Like with Beel, it pushed her back into the wall, but he wasn't pushing too hard to crush her.

GABRIEL: While Beel and Dagon had been having lunch earlier, Gabriel and Andy had been watching from a distance. Luckily, Gabe literally had the eyes of a hawk, so they could stay far enough away without being seen. After what had happened the previous night, Gabriel decided to switch up his methods. It was obvious that hunting the monster wasn't doing them any good. The beast singled out his units, and he could never get there in time to save them. He hadn't even been able to see the thing himself yet, but from the committee meeting today, he knew that Dagon knew where it was. It wasn't really his intention to kill the creature, but he couldn't let it kill any more people, angels, humans, or otherwise. He thought that Eden would've been a better place for it. She housed all sorts of environments and all levels of dangerous creatures. The giant shark might've been massive, but her garden was ever growing. She could've made sure it had all the food it needed without it having to hurt anyone.

The trouble was just catching it. Dagon hadn't been willing to tell him anything about it, nor would she admit to having it. He wouldn't have cared about her keeping most creatures. She was usually good at keeping dangerous things, but it felt like she was really dropping the ball on this one. It was killing so many people, his people, and it was like she didn't even care. He wasn't all that close to her, nor did he know her life or what she was going through, but it frustrated him to no end that it felt like she was just letting these things happen. A part of him considered that she just had no control over the situation, which made this all worse. If she couldn't keep her beast from eating other angels, what if it got hungry enough to turn around and eat her? He had already started taking more and more of his soldiers away from the water. As much as he would've liked them to help with protecting the humans and replenish the oceans with more food for the creature to focus on instead of the humans and angels, they were losing more lives than they were saving. It wasn't sustainable, but it made it more likely that the shark would get hungrier. He was frankly scared for Dagon's sake, and she wouldn't talk to him about it. He unfortunately had to take the sneakier route. He wouldn't let her die just because she wouldn't ask for help.

He wasn't surprised to see Dagon talking to Beel after the committee. They were both close, and it made sense that she'd meet him for lunch. What he didn't expect was that Beel looked like he was involved in this too. He considered for a moment that if Beel was involved in this, then Dagon might've actually had some protection from danger, but if he was involved, why wasn't he speaking up about this either? Gabriel still needed to investigate then. "They're moving," he told Andy who had accompanied him. It had originally been his plan to have Andy pull Dagon away while he dealt with the shark, but with Beel there, he hoped it'd be less of an issue. After giving Dagon and Beel a moment to make some distance, Gabriel flew down to the shore and dove into the water. His body changed form to work as something more aquatic, a sea kelpie. It allowed him to blend in to the ocean background a little more and stay out of sight of Dagon and Beel.

It got harder as they got into deeper waters. Gabriel didn't really ever go down this far, and it was getting really dark. Thankfully, Dagon's form was glowing, and for a while, it was leading them right to her. Unfortunately, as they got deeper into the sea caverns of the trench, more aquatic life was getting in their way. He wondered at first if maybe Dagon and Beel had caught onto them, but they kept going anyways. "Where did they go?" He muttered quietly to Andy, trying to keep his voice low, so Dagon and Beel wouldn't hear him if they were around. It took them some time, but eventually they came to an opening.

A light glow illuminated some of the cavern enough for Gabriel to see the giant shark. "Fuck," he muttered. Even hearing about how big it was didn't prepare him for its size. Even as an archangel, he felt a little intimidated. He couldn't see where Beel was, but he could see the blood spilling out from the shark's mouth. That glow was coming from the same spot where the shark was chowing down. He recalled the glow they'd been following earlier. "Dagon!" Panic creeped into his throat. "He's eating her!" he told Andy as if she couldn't see the same thing he was seeing. "Get Dagon to safety if you can. I'll distract the shark." He swam forward toward the shark, summoning a spear that he threw right over the shark, intentionally only grazing the top of his skin. "Hey, get away from her!" he told the shark.

DAGON: Beel was rarely unsettled by things. There wasn’t much that they hadn’t seen in their long lives, but Suds was a first. His sorrow for the creature was genuine. Dagon squeezed his hand in silent reassurance. “We can’t fix what happened to him, but we can give a good life moving forward. I think your curse might just be adopting wayward souls with me.” Misunderstood, abandoned, and broken things always seemed to fall into their path. As Beel prepared food for the shark, Dagon continued to coo and babble soothing things mostly for Suds benefit, but occasional for Beel’s sake too. She always talked to her animals as if they could talk back. They never really responded but it didn’t matter. She went on to tell Suds about hell, making promises that they’d terraform him a big space with lots of food. She planned to get the kids involved in that part. They could use the practice designing marine life and ecosystems. Things were going to be okay. Suds emotions seemed to level out once he had food in his stomach. She laughed as he nuzzled her and accidently pushed her against the wall. She allowed him to keep her there as she continued to pet his snout.

ANDROMEDA: Today was a weird day, but she wasn’t surprised it was leading up to this. Dagon hadn’t really given them much of a choice. It was clear she knew where the monster was. Andromeda did not find her attempts to redirect them amusing in the least. It was hard to tell how many people had lost their lives simply because she was sitting on valuable information. So, she and Gabriel decided to follow the demon out to lunch, from a distance of course. Andy picked at her meal. Stakeouts were generally boring. For her vantage point, she could see that Beel and Dagon seemed engrossed in some kind of conversation and for his sake Andromeda hoped he was just giving her a detailed recipe for fish tacos, but Gabriel’s eyes confirmed that Beel’s involvement went deeper than that. She wondered if his ex had a habit of dragging him into things or if he was involved in it from the beginning. Hopefully he was at least telling her how dangerous and stupid this all was. Even Steve Irwin died doing Steve Irwin shit.

Andromeda followed Gabriel into the water and quickly changed into a merform so that they could follow Dagon and Beel. They had to maintain a good distance in order to not be detected. She and Gabe were protectors of nature, but neither were delusional enough to think they knew the ocean better than the two beings they were trailing. It was smooth sailing so to speak until they found themselves in the trench. It was easy to get lost in the caverns and Dagon and Beel were moving pretty quickly through the place. Thankfully, Dagon’s form had changed to allow for a faint glow but given how far ahead the two were, she mostly looked like a dot until she disappeared altogether. “She’s a depression demon. Maybe she’ll get sad enough for us to pick up her energy.” The two angels continued to travel downward as if they were entering some new circle of hell until they eventually saw that faint glow. Sure enough, it was followed by a slight melancholy energy.

Andromeda peered over Gabriel in time to see the giant shark. At first, she thought maybe it was Beel given its size but then she noticed the blood and how close it was to the faint glowing light. Andy nodded at the command to get Dagon, or whatever remained of her, away from the beast. As Gabriel threw his spear, Andy sprang forward and started barreling for the glowing mermaid.

DAGON: She was just about to get up from her spot and tell Beel that it was probably time to try to move Suds out to hell, but then a spear came flying just above Suds. It landed in the sand not too far from Dagon. The demon froze as she heard someone shout her name. It was stupid given how long he’d been dead now, but her first thought was Poseidon. “Beel!” she shouted as she backed herself further into the cavern wall. “Beel!” But it wasn’t Beel that she saw charging toward her. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to process Andromeda Avani coming right at her. “The fuck…”

BEELZEBUB: He appreciated the assurance Dagon was trying to give him, but he wasn't sure he could be comforted him on feelings he didn't quite understand himself. "I don't doubt that. I know that we can help him, but . . . I don't know. I just have this bad feeling. Something about the way he looked at me." He sighed. "I'll figure it out later," he sighed. Like Dagon had before, he really doubted that Suds was his curse. "It doesn't feel like a curse to adopt them," though sometimes it did make him wonder what could have been, and that hurt sometimes. He had moved on from Dagon, but that didn't necessarily mean he moved on from wanting a life like that again. He just went to work on making food as he listened to Dagon talk to Suds.

SUDS & GABRIEL: Suds had been through a lot of pain in his life. He'd been attacked and prodded, but most of it didn't actually do too much to him. As he snuggled up to Dagon, he felt the sharp sting of a blade scrape across his back. He didn't voice any pain. Sharks weren't known to make sounds, but he swirled around, chomping his teeth in the direction that the weapon had come from. He saw two figures. One stirred up more memories than the other. He recognized his brother, but the last time he had seen Gabriel had been after he died, and the Void strung up his corpse like a puppet to use against them. Suds wasn't going to let him hurt them again. He charged forward at him, only to notice the other one with him charging at Dagon. He froze for a second, looking between Andy and Gabriel, back and forth all in the span of a second before he charged at Andy.

Gabriel expected for the shark to come straight after him, most creatures didn't have much genuine thought besides just reactions, but he saw cognition in the sharks eyes for a moment. The problem was that it was considering who to kill, and unfortunately, it chose his best friend. "Andy, watch out!" he shouted at her. He swam forward, making it just in time to tackle her out of the way of the barreling shark.

Suds, being unable to turn that well in this space, slammed into the cavern wall. It shook the entire sea cavern and smashed a hole into the cavern wall. Debris rained down throughout the cavern but eventually settled. Suds shook himself before turning to the intruders. All real thought seemed to leave him, every one except for killing. He was full of rage now. It was all that he was. He only waited a second before charging at Gabriel and Andy again.

"Shit!" Gabriel muttered. He couldn't see Dagon through the debris, but he knew they couldn't go after her at the moment, not while the shark was after them. He hoped that Beel was nearby and could help her, but he couldn't see well enough to count on it. He assumed they must've split up at some point after he and Andy had lost sight of them. All they could do now was pull the shark away from Dagon and come back for her. Gabriel looked behind him at the cavern tunnels. They could try to lose it through there. "Hold on!" He told Andy. He shifted back into the form of Kelpie, so she could ride on his back. Once she had a good grip on him, he swam back through the tunnels as quick as he could. "We'll get back to Dagon after we get it away from her," he promised Andy.

Suds had no problem chasing after the two. All he saw was red. He'd nicked Gabriel's tail, and it was leaving a blood trail right to him. He raced through the cavern tunnels after him, going so fast that he couldn't turn well, and he crashed into walls several times. He didn't plan to let him get out of this alive.

BEELZEBUB: Beel had been focused on making food, letting it float up to Suds whenever he finished one. It was actually a fairly soothing process until he heard the sound of something hitting the sand, followed by a shout, the sound of chomping teeth, and Dagon calling his name. She sounded panicked, and he swam up from where he was quickly, following Dagon's glow. Suds was so massive that it was hard to see around him. All that Beel could see was that he rammed a wall and then fled down one of the tunnels. He made it to Dagon's side right after that. She didn't appear injured from what he could tell, but she looked just as confused as he felt. "Are you okay?" he asked. "What just happened? Where did Suds go?" He glanced over at the sand where a spear was stabbed into the ground. He recognized the design of the weapon. It stayed there for a moment before it recalled back to its owner. "Gabriel was here?"

DAGON & ANDROMEDA: She glanced at Suds when Beel remarked that there was something unnerving about the way the shark had looked at him. There were times she felt that way too about the creature, but she’d written it off as her imagination. When you treated creatures with a sense of personhood, it sometimes felt like they took on those qualities. But Beel had spent maybe 15 minutes with the shark and was seeing it too so perhaps there was some validity to what she was feeling. There was too much left for them to do and process so she left that thought alone for now. They could talk about it in the morning. She smiled when he remarked that it didn’t feel like a curse. She was going to ask if he was sure Murmur’s lack of a filter didn’t feel like a curse, but she knew what he would say. He loved those kids as if they were his own. Instead, she hugged him and held on a bit longer because he looked like he needed it before letting him go. Making food always helped him process whatever he needed to process.

Things were calm for a while until they weren't. Suds was quick to react to the spear by flashing his teeth at the individual who’d thrown it. But as soon as he saw that this was a two-fold attack, he turned his attention to the individual that was coming right at Dagon. “No, no, no…” Panic filled Dagon’s chest. “Andromeda go!”

Andy barely had time to react to the shark turning its attention to her. All she could see was rows upon rows of teeth with bits of flesh still stuck to them. Fear filled every bone in her body, but it did not paralyze her. She was about to draw up her own spear when Gabriel tackled her out of the way. The massive creature slammed into the wall as Gabriel pulled Andy forward and they went speeding down one of the open tunnels.

Dagon avoided the falling debris, but she couldn’t see anything over it. “Suds no!” she called after him once she caught a glimpse of his fin disappearing down the tunnel after Gabriel and Andy. A moment later, Beel was next to her. She was still trying to process what just happened, but she nodded to let him know she was okay. “Andromeda too. They must’ve followed us. I-I didn’t feel their presence until just now. I think they misunderstood Suds intentions and thought I was under attack,” she explained. She pushed herself off the cavern wall. “The switch flipped. He’s going to kill them. We have to get them into one of the smaller caverns.” They could mask Gabriel and Andy’s energy in one of the smaller spaces and ride out the wave until Suds calmed down. “They went this way, come on!”

Andromeda held onto Gabriel as he bolted through the tunnel in his kelpie form, but the beast was following closely behind them. All it would take was for them to hit a dead end and they would be shark food. The angel manifested her golden bow and arrow and took aim. She was hoping to take out the shark’s eye and temporarily blind him, but it was hard to get a good aim when they were moving so quickly through the water. She released her arrow, but it lodged into the shark’s dorsal fin instead of his eye. “He’s gaining on us!” she replied as she held on more tightly to Gabe. They needed to get out of this trench before it became their funeral hole.

BEELZEBUB: Beel took in his surroundings as Dagon told him what she knew. Beel hadn't spent much time with Suds, but it wasn't hard to understand the giant shark after spending even more than a minute with him. There was still blood all around Dagon from the seals Suds had been eating. He could see how that might've made it seem like Dagon was being mauled, but if Gabe and Andy had been following them, surely they would've known he was here. Beel wouldn't have just let something happen to her, but of course Gabe and Andy were already coming into this with their own ideas of Suds. They probably thought she got in over her head, but it didn't really matter right now. What mattered was what Suds thought, which was that they came to attack him in his territory. Beel looked in the direction that they fled through. There was a thin trail of red. He smelled the water as they followed after the group.

"Dagon . . ." he started. Concern and a little bit of fear filled his voice. "Gabe's bleeding. Suds isn't just angry. He's in a frenzy. And if he can actually make Gabe bleed. . ." It meant that Suds wasn't just a danger to angels but to archangels too. Beel had known that Suds was almost as large as he could be, but he didn't think he actually had the power of one. Beel didn't have much room to think that deeply as they swam through the tunnels, but thought of Suds's origins were troubling him once again. He wondered if maybe he'd broken off a piece of himself to make the beast. Maybe that was why he couldn't remember it. Maybe it took the memories with it. He still wasn't going to let it kill Andy or his brother. "We can cut them off this way!" He told Dagon as he turned down a tunnel that seemed at first like it was going in the opposite direction as the shark. "We wait here," he said as they got to a certain part of the tunnels. Beel could hear them coming in their direction. He made himself a little bigger, so he could keep Suds from going forward if he kept going down this way.

GABRIEL: Gabriel did his best to speed through the tunnels, but he was unfamiliar with them. Having a passenger was slowing him down, and so was the fact that his caudal fin, the main thing that propelled him through the water, had a tear in it and was bleeding. He didn't know if Andy was aware of it, but as long as blood was coming out of that, the shark would keep finding him. He was putting her in more danger by keeping her with him. Still, he kept swimming because it was all he could do to keep them both alive for now. "I know! I'm going as fast as I can!" he told Andy. He was praying on everything that they wouldn't come on a dead end.

His prayers seemed answered when he could see two specks down one of the tunnels. It was Dagon and Beel. He was relieved to see that Dagon was okay. Beel must've found her in time and healed her. The problem was that the shark was still close to his tail. He couldn't just lead it back to them. If he did, they might all be dead. He tried to keep an eye on his surroundings, even as he was barreling forward so fast. There was a split in the tunnels right before the tunnel where Dagon and Beel were. "Andy, I need you to trust me and let go of my mane." As he approached the split, he bucked her off towards the tunnel where Dagon and Beel were, using as much force as he could to make sure she got to them, before he went down the other tunnel. He couldn't turn all that well, and he hit the cavern wall. He did his best to recover and start swimming away, but Suds was faster. Gabriel screamed as Suds slammed him back into the wall. The cavern shook again, and the wall crumbled, blocking Dagon, Beel, and Andy from getting back to him this way. Thankfully, the debris falling provided Gabe a little bit of cover, so the shark couldn't find him immediately in it. Gabe was injured more though. He started swimming away, but the shark got the scent of his blood again. The chase was back on.

DAGON & ANDROMEDA: Dagon paused as Beel surveyed the scene. Suds had done enough damage to make Gabriel bleed? “That’s not…” she shook her head as she tried to process that. Most, if not all, the animals in creation couldn’t successfully bit down hard enough to actually tear into an Archangel. Even beings manifested by angels like her snakes barely caused a dent. “He can’t…” but he had. Where did this shark come from? She didn’t have much time to think on it as they continued to zoom down the tunnels. Archangels healed at a faster rate than regular angels but Suds had caught Gabriel’s scent. He was marked regardless. Dagon just hoped he’d heal fast enough to stand a fighting chance against the shark. She turned sharply to follow Beel down one of the tunnels, stopping where he’d indicated they could wait. “Two-fold barrier then?” she asked as Beel made himself slightly bigger. She figured he was going to ram the wall once Gabe and Andy were close enough. She could draw up wardings in front of the debris to act as a second barrier. She hoped that would exhaust Suds enough to be in a state where they could calm him down. It didn’t take long before she saw the spec that was Gabriel with Andromeda on his back followed by the massive monolith that was Suds. “Oh, they’re coming in hot,” she grimaced and got into position.

Andromeda furrowed her brows when Gabe said that he was going as fast as he could. She knew Gabriel’s speeds. He could go much faster. It only took her a split second to realize why he wasn’t going faster. She glanced backwards, regretting it slightly because every time she looked back the shark seemed to be closer than before, but now that she was concentrating on Gabriel she could see the injury to his fin. “Gabe you’re—” she whirled sharply when he asked her to trust him and let go of his mane. “Don’t you fucking dare, Gabriel!” Unfortunately, her protests were of no use. He bucked hard and despite her efforts, she couldn’t stay on. A moment later, she was skirting to a stop next to Dagon. “GABRIEL!” her screams shook the cavern as Gabriel pivoted down a different tunnel. Andy jumped forward to follow him again.

“Oh, what the fuck!” Dagon gave Beel an exasperated look when his brother suddenly changed tracks. She began tailing Andy, but just as they got to the mouth of the tunnel Gabe had entered, it collapsed in and blocked them out.

Andromeda slammed into the debris a couple times but the wall barely budged. She whirled on the two Princes standing before her. “I’m not losing another brother. Help me!” She slammed into the wall again and again.

Dagon gave her an empathetic look. Andromeda’s panic was deep and Dagon couldn’t blame her. She’d be the same way if something happened to her friends. She placed a hand on her shoulder.“Stop,” she told her. “It’ll take too long that way.” She glanced at Beel. “I think there’s a path on the lefthand side that converges with that tunnel.”

“You think?”

Dagon ignored the snippy remark. Andromeda was upset and scared and it was easy to lash out at them. “Go find your brother,” she told Beel. “But please be careful.” Gabriel was clearly drinking from the trough of stupid.

BEELZEBUB: Dagon was struggling with the reality of what her shark was capable of, but it didn't matter. That was the reality, but while it was horrifying, they didn't have the time to process it. He nodded when Dagon asked him his plans, but she didn't need him to answer to start working. She knew what he was doing. He prepared himself for Gabriel and Andy to come to them, but Gabriel wasn't reading from the same book that Dagon was. He should've come right to them, but instead, he veered down another path, throwing Andy to them instead. "Dammit, Gabe!" Beel muttered as he glanced at Andromeda. She looked like she was in far better shape than Gabriel, aside from being panicked and pissed off. He was going to tell Dagon to hold her back while he went after Gabriel and Suds, but then the walls came tumbling down. It was like the shark had the same plan he'd had. It was hard to tell if it was intentional or not. Sharks didn't usually think like that, but this wasn't an ordinary shark. Beel pushed on the wall to test it's strength, but even with him, there wasn't anywhere to move it. His guess was that it filled the tunnel far back. They'd be digging all day if they tried to get through this way, and by that time it would be too late.

Beel didn't think Andy would appreciate any comfort from Dagon, but it was better that they stay close to each other. He gave Dagon a look to tell her to make sure that Andy didn't get in the middle of this. "I will, but I don't plan on losing my brother either," he was speaking to Dagon, but he wanted Andy to hear that too. They both had family in danger here, and he wanted her to be aware that he was going to do everything to keep him alive. He turned around and swam quickly down the tunnel to find his brother.

GABRIEL: Gabriel's injuries were seriously slowing him down now, and with these tunnels so dark, he could barely see where he was going. He was pretty sure one of his arms was broken, but he couldn't stop. The shark was hot on his trail. They were both like fish in a glass case, bumping into the walls they couldn't see. The caverns were shaking constantly, debris raining down on them, but it didn't slow down the shark like it did for him. If he turned around, he was sure he'd see the shark's teeth right at his neck. "Beel!" Gabriel called out, hoping his brother would hear him and come to help him. Gabriel might not have thought it through on separating from the others, but he was smart enough to know that he couldn't actually fight this shark on his own.

GABRIEL & BEELZEBUB: "Gabe!" Beel called back to his brother, thankful to even hear his voice. "Follow my voice!" He hoped his brother would be able to. Caverns like this had a tendency to pass sound around strangely.

Gabriel did his best to listen to which way the sounds were coming from, but that was hard when he was also trying to avoid being eaten alive. "I'm trying! But I don't know how long I can keep going!"

"That's okay!" Beel tried to keep his voice calm, so he didn't scare Gabriel even more. He was also aware that Andy and Dagon weren't far behind him, and he didn't want to give Andy any more reason to jump into something she couldn't win. "You just have to meet me halfway! I'll get to you, I promise!"

Gabriel turned another corner quickly. Thankfully, the shark had more trouble turning. It went careening down a different tunnel, allowing Gabriel some more distance between them, but this wasn't the time to be relieved. He kept swimming towards his brother's voice, not looking back to see how close the shark was. "Are Dagon and Andy okay?"

Beel resisted saying something bitter about how they were never in as much danger as he was now. "Yes, they're fine. Just worry about getting yourself here now!" His voice was really close now. After going a little further, he could finally see him. Gabriel looked awful. His arm was bent oddly. The tear in his tail had gotten bigger, and he was covered in blood. The more concerning thing was . . . where was Suds? It didn't seem likely that he would just give up the hunt in the middle of a frenzy.

Gabriel saw that Beel stopped, and he stopped himself. Looking behind him, he was relieved to finally not see a giant shark chasing him. He felt like he was going to collapse. He sighed, slowly moving towards Beel. He could see Andy not too far behind Beel. He waved at all of them to let them know that he was okay. "Thank H-"

"NO!" Beel screamed as Suds came down through a tunnel that let out right above Gabriel. He opened his mouth as he plummeted straight down, chomping down once the archangel was in his mouth.

Gabriel let out a gasp as he lost every bit of air he had. When Suds raised his head back up, Gabriel's body hung half in and half out of the shark's mouth. He could feel the teeth slicing into his sides, and he screamed in pain. Suds didn't just swallow him down like most of his prey. It was like he was aware this time that his food might survive if he just tried to swallow it whole. He shook Gabriel's body first, spreading Gabriel's blood all around. Then he swayed his head from side to side to slam the body into the cavern walls. Gabriel wasn't screaming anymore. His body swung limply and lifelessly. Beel felt nauseous, but he was furious. He didn't accept Gabriel being dead, and he wasn't going to let this shark take his brother's life. He rushed forward at the same size as Suds, and he slammed into the shark, biting into his side. Suds tail whipped around to smack Beel away. He no longer saw Beel the way he had before. He was an enemy now. He swum around to circle Beel before lunging at him too. There wasn't much room to dodge in here, and he took a bite at Beel's side too. They both charged head to head, kicking up debris all around them. They looked so similar, it would've been hard to tell which one was which except for the fact that Suds still had Gabriel in his mouth, at least at first. As the fight went on, Gabriel fell deeper into Suds mouth. If things kept going as they were, Gabriel would be swallowed, and Beel didn't think they'd be able to get him out like Dagon did for Zoph. Beel looked back at Dagon for just a second. "I'm sorry, Dagon." He told her before his body changed from that of a shark to a merman. Archangel blade in hand, he stabbed upwards into the shark's heart. Suds squirmed for a moment before dropping lifelessly. Beel shrunk back down to his normal size. He pulled Gabriel out of Suds's teeth, carrying his body back to Andromeda. He grimaced as he moved. Gabriel had intense injuries, but there were plenty of marks to speak of the fight Beel just went through. A full chunk of skin had been peeled off his side, but he wasn't as bad off as his little brother. "He's alive, but you won't find anyone to do that here. Take him to Raph as quick as you can." Beel himself had used up too much energy and was too injured to be able to help Gabe anymore than he had, and Dagon was going to be going through too much pain to be able to help too. "And make sure he hears hell about this when he wakes up."

ANDROMEDA & DAGON: Dagon nodded at the silent order to keep herself and Andromeda out of the way. She was well aware this fight was far and above their skill range. She could only hope Andromeda would cooperate. She and Gabriel didn’t seem to be playing on the same chess board as Dagon and Beel were at the moment. She knew what Beel meant when he said he wasn’t planning on losing another brother either. She trusted that he’d find a non-violent way to get Gabe away from Suds, but if it came down to it she wouldn’t ask him to sacrifice his brother for this. She nodded her understanding. “Do what you need to do. Just come back in one piece.”

She watched as he swam away to find Gabriel. Andromeda was about to follow him but Dagon grabbed her shoulder. “Andy, we have to stay here. We can make ourselves useful in other ways. Gabe’s injured he’s going to need—"

Andromeda shoved Dagon’s hand off of her before whirling to look at her. Dagon stopped talking and the two stared at each other for a moment. In Andromeda’s opinion, Dagon’s was way too composed for someone who they thought had just been mauled by a shark. She didn’t have a scratch on her, her snakes weren’t even standing at a defensive position, and given how quickly she and Beel had shown up to the scene Beel wouldn’t have had time to heal her with that kind of precision. “You were never in any danger, were you?”

“No,” Dagon answered honestly. “Not from him, anyway.” But now they all were.

“It’s your pet, isn’t it? That’s why you’ve been holding back this entire time.” Her jaw clenched. “Where did it come from?” Gabriel was risking his life and it was all because Dagon didn’t want to tell them about her massive, angel eating pet. So they were going to talk about it now. “Did Beel make it for you? Is that why he’s involved?”

“He is my friend,” Dagon replied only for Andromeda to scoff. Dagon, again, ignored it though it was starting to test her patience. “Beel doesn’t recall making him. And before you ask he didn’t know about Suds before today.”

“You named it? Might as well have gone with Scrub Daddy.” She was exasperated. This thing was killing her entire unit and had Gabe locked in a pursuit, and yet Dagon was treating it like it was her pet.

“Yes, I named him. And I was training him—”

“Well, phenomenal work, Your Highness. Do you know how much destruction it caused last night? Or within the span of the last three months? Do you know how many friends I’ve lost? Do you even care?”

“Of course I care!” Her snakes snapped along with the sharpness of the words. “I’ve been trying to redirect you and Gabriel for months now to pull your unit out and focus on repopulating the marine life population. If you’d just listen—”

“If you’d just told us from the beginning we—”

“You’d what, Andromeda? Every step of the way today you and Gabriel have been in over your head and underestimating me the whole way through. I’m supposed to believe what? That you’d let me have any agency or control of the situation? That you wouldn’t shut me out? It was your best friend…the person you consider a brother, lied to my face about my best friend and the person that I consider my sibling. And you expect me to trust him just because some time’s passed?”

“Beelzebub did the same fucking thing and yet—”

“I’ve made Beel suffer for his bullshit plenty. And if you haven’t noticed, he didn’t get dragged into this until today for the exact same reason. Trust is earned, Andy. It’s not given.”

Andy stared at Dagon with calm composure but Dagon could feel the storm of emotions brewing underneath the surface. “You’re right,” Andy replied a bit too calmly. “Trust is earned. And you haven’t earned mine.” Andromeda rammed her shoulder into Dagon’s which sent Dagon sideways long enough for Andy to start swimming in the direction of Beel’s voice. She wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines and lose another brother. She hadn’t been there for Ramiel, but she could be here for Gabriel.

Dagon sighed and collected herself. Her form shifted again, still maintaining its bioluminescence but her snakes were now of the more deadly variety. Andromeda had taken off in the direction that Beel went, but Dagon took a different path that she knew would lead to the same destination. She arrived just as Andy entered the cavern where Beel was. It was just about that same time that Gabe came into view. Andy was relieved to see him. The shark didn’t appear to be following him. He just needed to make it over the—she screamed as the shark bit down on Gabriel. Andromeda lurched forward but Dagon’s snakes shot out and coiled themselves around Andy’s arms and legs. They pulled the angel further away from the scene so as to give Beel space to handle the situation in front of them.

“Let me go!” Andromeda demanded but Dagon’s snakes didn’t budge. The more Andy fought against them, the tighter the coil got. Andy felt helpless as she watched the shark swing Gabriel around like a rag doll. She wanted to scream and throw up and cry all at once. The scene was brutal enough that even Dagon had to look away. It was worse once Gabe stopped screaming. “Dagon please!”

Dagon felt for Andy but she couldn’t let her go. She’d only get in the way and make it harder for Beel to save his brother. “Andromeda, I know that you’re scared but I need you to listen to me.” She wouldn’t ask her to trust her because that ship was not in the dock today. “He can wound an Archangel. That’s not a fight Gabriel wants you in…”

“Oh fuck off!” Andy yelled at her. “What do you know about what Gabe wants?”

“I can make some educated guesses.” Mainly that he wouldn’t want his friend to die. “What’s your plan? I let you go and then what? You ram the shark? You’ll bounce off of him like a rubber ball. There are limits to what we can do, Andy.”

There were apparently limits for what Beel could do to stop Suds too. Dagon’s attention turned away from Andromeda for a moment when Beel called her by name. She saw him pull out his Archangel blade. The bioluminescence faded slowly from Dagon’s form and her snakes released their grip on Andromeda. Andy was relieved to see the blade and slightly annoyed Beel hadn’t used it early. He was finally going to put an end to this. She grabbed Dagon to keep her from intervening just as Beel stabbed the shark through the chest. Dagon’s scream echoed through the chamber like a loaded gun releasing with it a wave of depressive energy that forced Andy to let go. Her chest felt hollow as Beel brought Gabriel’s limp body forward. She was crying as she collected him. He was alive but barely. “He’s going to wish he was in hell when I’m done,” she muttered. Now that there wasn’t a risk of bringing a killer shark home, she opened up a portal to Heaven. She was done with this trench and its caverns. She walked through the portal and sealed it behind her.

Dagon had gone to Suds the moment Andromeda let her go. Her emotions were elevated as she stared at his lifeless body. It wasn’t just Suds there. It was Honesty. It was Courage. It was Belgirel. It was Belphegor. It was everything and everyone she’d ever loved and lost. She wasn’t going to lose him. She couldn’t. She pulled off her power dampening rings and dropped to her knees beside the shark. She placed her hand firmly on the wound and began pushing her power into him. She was able to bring smaller animals back to life, but she never tired with anything this size. She let out a ferocious scream as she unleashed a wave of healing energy. “Come on…come on….” she grunted, black spidery veins crawled up her arm. She was pushing too hard. “Come on…please, Suds. Please wake up.”

BEELZEBUB: Beel felt the depressive forces not long after he stabbed Suds. He knew it was coming, but there was nothing that could really prepare you for that level of overwhelming depression. As an archangel, he had more defenses against it, but when he was already feeling guilty about what he had to do, it made those emotions ten times worse. It was a miracle he was able to stand (or swim as it was), let alone carry Gabriel back to Andromeda. They were all crying, except for Gabriel who was too unconscious to feel anything, lucky for him, though he wouldn't be so lucky when he woke up and Andy had her way with him. Beel might've felt guilty about Suds attacking him, but he didn't feel guilty about him having to experience that. He deserved it, but at least Andy would make sure he got the help he needed as she left with his body in her arms.

Beel felt like he was going to collapse once they were gone. Dagon was still radiating depressing energy, but he didn't feel like he could do anything about it. Normally he would help her. He would've drawn up a ward to stop some of the power she was emanating, both to protect everyone else and protect her from the guilt over the damages. The problem was that he had no energy. He was covered in injuries, and the energy Dagon was radiating wasn't held back by her power dampeners this time. He felt so guilty. He felt heartbroken for Suds. He might not have known the shark long, but he'd felt connected to him. It felt like killing family or tearing out a piece of himself. He should've found a way to save him. Now, he suffered, and Dagon was suffering too. He pushed himself through the pain and the sorrow to swim back to Dagon and Suds. He let himself slide down next to Dagon and he put on arm on hers. "Dagon, you need to stop. I'm sorry. He's gone. You're just hurting yourself."

DAGON: She only became aware of Beel once he was kneeling beside her. She shook her head when he told her she needed to stop. She didn't care if she was hurting herself. She wanted to hurt. She led Gabe and Andy here. She was the reason Gabe threw his spear. She was the cause of the pursuit. Suds was gone and it was her fault. She pushed her healing magic a little harder, but it only made her sick. She let go of Suds as she turned in the opposite direction of Beel and puked. "It's my fault," she whispered. “You deserved so much better. I’m sorry.”

She rested her forehead against Sud’s snout. He didn’t respond or nuzzle her back. He was so cold. She was sobbing profusely, and she could feel her power building. Normally she kept a tight leash on it. It had been a very long time since she had a meltdown, but this one was a long time coming. “You need to go, Beel,” she heaved. It wasn’t that she was angry at him. Her anger was directed at herself and at Gabriel and Andy. She couldn’t contain the grief. He was already hurt and she didn’t want to add to it but she also knew Beel. It was pointless to ask him to go. No matter how hurt he was, he wouldn’t let her ride out her grief on her own. “I can’t—I can’t…”

She felt Beel’s hand on her back and the dam walls broke. Her grief exploded through the room causing the sea floor to quake around them. Dust and debris kicked up and a few of the caverns around them caved in. Dagon’s grief traveled on and upward. On the surface of the ocean, sailors began diving off of their ships and into the treacherous, stormy waters to be ripped apart and drown by the sea. The quaking of the sea floor triggered a tsunami that was now making its way to a nearby island. She was right when she said it looked like it was going to rain. A typhoon was building up in the atmosphere with the trench as its point of origin. There was no warning give and there was no time to prepare. Many lives would be lost as the demon mourned her losses.

BEELZEBUB: Beel felt ready to give up. He knew it was the depression talking, but it didn't sound like such a bad idea at the moment to let these cavern walls crumble and bury them all. He would've deserved it, but Dagon didn't. "It's not your fault, darling. You're not the one who killed him. I did. If you need someone to blame, blame me. I should've found a way to save Gabe without hurting him." The problem was just that his methods hadn't been working, and while he didn't want to hurt Suds, Suds seemed to have no problem hurting him. He was already hurt enough as it was. If the fight had gone on much longer, he probably would've been hurt as much as Gabe was, and if they were both out for the count, Suds might've gone on to hurt Andy and Dagon. He couldn't let that happen.

"I can't go, Dagon." He couldn't leave her like this. Someone needed to be here for her, not just because she needed company but because he was scared of what might happen if someone wasn't here. If he left, and she killed herself, he would never forgive himself. Beyond that, he could barely move. Aside from the depression weighing him down, he was hurt bad. He didn't think he could get back up right now. His body would start healing a little at a time, but right now, he was stuck. "I'm not leaving you," he promised. As her grief exploded through the room again, he felt even worse. Everything hurt, emotionally and physically. He knew that this was going to cause massive damage, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything. He only leaned forward, letting his upper body tip over Dagon, so he could lean on her and wrap his arms around her. "I'm sorry. We'll get through this. I'm here for you," he said as they both rode out the waves of her depression. / END

#character: dagon #character: andromeda #discord: dagon #discord: andromeda

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