#and she just coincidently ate some grass outside or something

[just-dreaming-marvel]

Out Of Time ~ 105

MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 3,640ish

Summary: Thor leaves. Tony and Y/N spend needed time away. 

Warnings: mentions of sex

The new Avengers Facility was finished the week of Tony’s birthday. It was now the day before his birthday and Tony and Y/N decided to pay a visit to the new facility to say goodbye to Thor before they left to Tony’s private island to celebrate his birthday. When they arrived, Thor had requested to talk to Y/N alone.

“I wished to talk to you before I left because I want to offer you the chance to come with me,” Thor said. “I am planning on searching for the Infinity Stones and the only person that I would trust to help me with that is you.”

“Oh, Thor,” Y/N replied, surprised at his offer. “That is… I… honestly, if  this were a month or two before, then I might have taken you up on the offer. But I can’t, I’m sorry Thor. As much as I want to find the Stones, I need to keep living my life here.”

“I understand. I will keep you informed if I find anything.”

“Please do.” Y/N hugged Thor. “You’ll be missed around here, Thor.”

“I’ll miss you too, Lady Y/N.” He pulled away to meet her eyes. “Do not let anyone do anything to hurt you, you got it? Especially the Captain and Stark. They both do love you, but they both can be blinded by their own thoughts.”

Thor and Y/N met Steve and Tony in the hallway, leading to outside. It was almost time to say goodbye. The men were currently discussing the Vision’s ability to wield Thor’s hammer.

“The rules have changed,” Steve stated.

“We’re dealing with something new,” Tony added.

“Well, the Vision’s artificial intelligence.”

“A machine.”

“So it doesn’t count.”

“No. It’s not like a person lifting the hammer.”

“Right. Different rules for us.”

“Nice guy, but artificial.”

“Thank you.”

“If he can wield the hammer, he can keep the Mind Stone,” Thor said. “It’s safe with the Vision and these days, safe is in short supply.”

“But if you put the hammer in an elevator…” Steve continued.

“It would still go up,” Tony added.

“Elevator’s not worthy.”

“I’m going to miss these little talks of ours,” Thor chuckled as they exited the building.

“Well, not if you don’t leave,” Tony said.

“I have no choice. The Mind Stone is the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years. That's not a coincidence. Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us. But once all these pieces are in position—“

“Triple Yahtzee?”

“You think you can find out what’s coming?” Steve wondered.

Thor made brief eye contact with Y/N. He knew she knew what was coming, he just didn’t know it himself. “I do,” Thor stated. “Besides this one,” Thor patted Tony as he walked away, “there’s nothing that can’t be explained.” Thor separated himself from the others. “I will be in contact,” he promised Y/N.

“Stay safe, Thor,” Y/N said. “Those Stones are not to be messed with.” 

Thor gave her a smile before lifting up his hammer and returning to Asgard, leaving a burnt patch of grass in his wake.

“That man has no regard for lawn maintenance,” Tony stated. He turned, calling his car to them, and grabbing Y/N’s hand. “I’m gonna miss him though. And you’re gonna miss us. Miss me. There’s gonna be a lot of manful tears.”

“I will miss you, Tony,” Steve said.

“Yeah? Well, it's time for me to tap out. Maybe I should take a page out of Barton's book and build Y/N a farm, hope nobody blows it up.”

“A farm would be nice,” Y/N smiled.

“The simple life,” Steve said.

“You’ll get there one day,” Tony told him.

“I don't know, family, stability. The guy who wanted all that went in the ice seventy-five years ago. I think someone else came out.”

“We’re different people now, and that’s okay, Stevie,” Y/N said. She came up and pulled him into a hug.

“Don’t be a stranger.”

“I won’t.” She pulled back. “Natasha already had be agree to visiting a few days a month to help with trainings.”

“Alright. You stay safe, okay? Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will.” She kissed his cheek. “I love you, Stevie.”

“Love you too, Y/N/N.”

Y/N went around to the passengers side of the car. Tony was about to get into the drivers seat when he noticed how Steve was looking around.

“You alright?” Tony asked Steve.

“I’m home,” Steve answered.

~~~

It was nice to be on the island again. By the time they arrived, it was past midnight.

“Happy birthday, Tones,” Y/N smiled as she gave him a kiss. They were currently walking into the house. “What do you want to do?”

“I want to spend it with you,” he answered. He picked her up as they entered the house. “Just you and me.” 

He quickly got them to their room. Tony laid her on the bed before crawling over her. Y/N brought him down for a kiss before he ripped off her shirt and kissed his way down to her stomach. 

“I love you,” he whispered. “So much.” He continued to kiss her. “I want to marry you… I want you to bare my children. Y/N, I—“ 

He looked up and chuckled when he saw her sound asleep. Tony carefully got her changed into her pj’s before changing himself. Tucking them both into bed, he gave her one last kiss for the night.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, mainly to himself, “we’ll talk in the morning.”

~~~

Y/N was up first. It was Tony’s birthday and she wanted to make sure it was special for him. Though they had people on the island to cook for them, Y/N wanted to make breakfast and a cake herself. She left the cake cooling on the counter when she took dinner to the room. Tony was no longer in the bed when Y/N arrived. Setting the tray down the the desk, she realized that the door to the balcony was open. She slipped out to see Tony looking out at the water. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” she whispered, kissing just under his ear. “You make 45 look good.”

Tony laughed, turning around in her arms so that he could hold onto Y/N. “And you make 97 look amazing.”

“Hey!” She playfully smacked him. “I’m still 96 a little while longer.”

“You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry.” He gave her a kiss. “You know you fell asleep last night?”

“Well, I did wake up this morning, didn’t I?”

“No, like, we were going to start making love and then—“

“Oh, my gosh!” She buried her head in his chest. “I’m so sorry, Tony! The flight must of taken a lot out of me.”

“Was it the flight or the four rounds we did on the flight?”

“Both.” She looked up at him. “I’m so sorry, Tony. How ever will I make it up to you?”

“I can think of something.” 

His eyes darkened as he pushed her against the outside wall and kissed her, his tongue making its way into her mouth. Panting, Y/N pushed his back slightly.

“I made breakfast,” she said, softly. “Can I at least get some food in me before we go another round?”

“Fine,” Tony pouted, giving her one more quick kiss. “Only because I don’t want you falling asleep on me again.”

As they ate, Y/N could sense that something was bothering Tony. He wanted to talk about something, but was clearly worried about doing so.

“What’s going on inside that head of yours?” Y/N wondered, running her fingers down his face until they were under his chin. When they were under Tony’s chin, she forced him to meet her gaze. “I can feel you thinking a mile a minute. Don’t worry though, I haven’t peeked.”

“It’s… uh, nothing… it’s nothing,” he rushed out, nervously. Y/N gave him a questioning look. “I’m serious!” He held his hands up in defense. “It’s stupid… I don’t know why I even thought that I’d deserve it…”

“I’m sorry, what? What don’t you think you deserve?”

“I already have you. I’m pressing my luck with that as it is.”

“Tony, what’s going on? And no more lies or avoidances. I’ll look if I have—“

“I want kids.” Y/N’s silent look of shock made Tony keep going. “I want to have kids with you… I want your kids. Wait— that didn’t come out right. If I could, I would have your kids, but I can’t,” he rambled. “But I want kids with you. I want to be able to watch and feel them grow within you. And I know we only talked about a future not too long ago and nothing more. But I… well, I just haven’t been able to get the thought of having a family with you out of my head. Ever since I saw Clint with his family, I knew what I wanted. I want a family and I want it with you.”

“I… I… Tony—“

“You know what? I’ve completely put you on the spot. I’m so stupid! I’m just going to—“

Y/N yanked him down and kissed him, hard. She held his head in place so that it would be hard for him to move. Standing up, with their lips still connected as much as possible, Y/N led them to the bed. She laid down so that Tony could hover over her. Without an answer giving Tony a verbal answer, she let him make love to her. Because, sadly, though she wanted a future with him, her heart was still torn. Even after all this time. Which just confused her. 

How could she love a man she hadn’t been with in literal decades? Who was currently on the run, not wanting to be found? She had this man with her, ready to give her the world. And yet, she still loved Bucky. She loved them both.

Then there was the fact that she had seen a part of the future. How could she bring a child into this world when there was destruction ahead? How could she risk it? For her and Tony? And how would that be fair to their child?

~~~

Tony and Y/N spent 3 weeks pampering each other on the private island before heading back to New York. Y/N was needed for a few days of training at the new Avengers Facility and Tony had avoided Pepper and board meetings so much that they were now all piled on him for a week. Y/N drove herself up to the Avengers Facility, where Natasha was waiting outside for her arrival.

“Long time no see, Rogers,” Nat greeted with a smirk as Y/N exited the car.

“It’s only be a few weeks, Romanoff,” Y/N teased. “If I knew you were going to miss me that much, I guess I could have invited you to the island.”

“Ew, no. I’m good. How was it? You and Tony have a good time?”

“Yeah…” Y/N nodded, thinking back on the things Tony had said. 

Nat raised a curious brow. “Now that doesn’t seem very convincing.”

“Let’s just say we have a few things I’d like to talk about.”

~~~

“Wait a minute,” Nat panted, as she dodged another one of Y/N’s advances. “So, he told you that his wants kids with you? Tony Stark?”

“Yep,” Y/N grunted as Nat kicked her back, but not down. 

“And instead of answering, you shut him up by kissing him and letting him have sex with you?”

Nat kicked her leg up. Y/N wrapped her leg around Nat’s, flipping her onto the floor.

“Yes.”

“And you don’t think he took that as your answer?” Nat went to swipe out Y/N’s legs, but Y/N jumped up.

“Honestly, I have no idea.” Nat had jumped up and began attacking again. “I haven’t wanted to peek inside his head.” Nat got the upper hand, throwing Y/N onto the floor with a hard thud. “Okay, okay… enough.”

Offering a hand, Natasha helped Y/N stand back up. “Don’t you think you should talk with him? Besides, I thought you did see a future with him.”

“I do. It’s…. It’s complicated.”

“Then uncomplicate it.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Hey, you’re the one who came to me for advice, remember?”

“Actually I came because no one besides Steve is willing to go toe-to-toe with you and you wanted my help with Wanda.”

“True,” Nat nodded, throwing Y/N a water bottle. “Vision’s been a good help though.”

“He should be. He’s housing the thing that gave her, her powers.”

“And you.”

Y/N nodded. “I need to work on mine a little more. See what limits I can push.”

“You know if you do that without Tony, he’ll be pissed.”

“That’s why I’m hoping I can do it when Steve gets back and get away with it.”

“Is that your motto? It’s better to ask forgiveness instead of permission?”

“Sounds about right… Any word on Bruce?”

“No,” Nat shook her head. “Can’t find him or the quinjet anywhere.”

“He’ll turn up. He always does."

~~~

“Heard Natasha beat you today,” Steve said as he entered the kitchen where Y/N was currently eating. “How long has it been since that happened?”

“We switch off who wins,” Y/N excused. “She needed this win.”

“She needed it? Or you needed a beating?”

“Same thing.”

“Have you worked with Wanda yet?”

“No, but Vision, Wanda, and I are planning to work outside tomorrow.”

“Good. I’ll come out and monitor. How’s Stark handling retirement?”

“It’s only been a few weeks, so it’s too early to say, but so far so good.”

“And you? How are you?”

“I’m doing good, Stevie.”

Steve sighed. “Y/N, I need to apologize for questioning you and not trusting you during the whole Ultron incident. I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you, I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you, Steve. I understand where you were coming from.”

“Would you, uh… remember when we’d do those sleep overs?”

“Yes!” Y/N laughed. “We’d stay up all night, knowing Ma would be mad in the morning.”

“And she was,” Steve chuckled. “Sometimes I really miss those days.”

“Me too.”

“I know that we’re like 96 now and probably too old to have a sleepover, but do you want to? We can set up in my room and have FRIDAY play anything we want.”

“I’d love that, Stevie.”

The Rogers twins stayed up watching shows and movies they needed to catch up on. Y/N was the first to crash, at about 3 in the morning. All Steve could do was laugh and get her settled into bed before following suit. It was nice to feel like a family again. It had been so long, too long.

~~~

“Are you serious, Rogers?!” Sam shouted, pounding on the other side of Steve’s door. “I thought you didn’t believe in sleeping in!”

Steve looked at his bed side clock, realizing he was 15 minutes late for his morning running with Sam. “Shit,” he muttered, getting out of bed.

“Language,” Y/N groaned. She turned over and buried herself back into her brother’s bed.

“Rogers!” Sam continued.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Steve responded, rushing around the room.

“Sam, could you quiet down?” Y/N wondered as Steve opened the door.

“Y/N?” Sam questioned. “You know you have your own room, right? And it just happens to be the biggest and nicest of all of them because you’re dating the guy who built this place.”

“That’s true,” Steve nodded. “Why didn’t we do the sleep over in your room?”

“Sleep over? What, are you guys like 7?”

“Just leave and let me sleep,” Y/N grumbled into the pillow.

Steve laughed. “Well, Y/N, you better be up in an hour to start training with Wanda and Vision.”

“I will, I will.” Y/N swatted.

“Sweet dreams, Y/N!” Sam teased as the men left.

“Screw you, Wilson!”

~~~

“Good morning, Agent Rogers.”

“Good morning, Vision,” Y/N replied, making her way outside. “You know that you call just call me Y/N, right?”

“My apologizes, Y/N.”

“It’s really no big deal.” Y/N noticed Wanda walking up to them, she seemed nervous. “You ready for this?”

“I’m never ready,” Wanda replied, revealing her nerves.

“You’ll do fine. We’re all going to work on helping each other.”

Before doing anything, Y/N wanted to assess Wanda’s combat skills. As the two began sparring, Steve, Sam, and Natasha came out to monitor. The women had agreed that powers would be allowed so that the best results could be observed.

Wanda threw blasts of red at Y/N. She dodged them physically and by using the portals. Wanda advanced towards Y/N, trying to start some hand-to-hand combat. Using her portals, Y/N appeared behind Wanda, swiping her feet from underneath her. Falling to the ground, Wanda wasn’t able to stop Y/N from entering her mind and freezing her to the ground.

“Interesting,” Vision noted from his spot beside the other observers.

“What is it?” Steve asked.

“Wanda is unable to get into Y/N’s mind, but Y/N is easily able to get into hers. That’s how Wanda is stuck on the ground.”

“That is interesting,” Sam said, nodding. “Why do you think that is?”

“The Mind Stone.” Vision motioned to the Stone on his forehead. “It’s protecting her.”

“But isn’t that Stone what gave Wanda her powers?” Nat questioned.

“Yes, but not in the same way Y/N is given her powers.”

“All this power stuff is giving me a headache,” Sam commented with a shake of his head.

“Yield,” Y/N ordered.

“I yield,” Wanda stated.

Y/N withdrew from Wanda’s mind and helped her up. “Good round for a first time. Next time, no powers, for either of us. I need to see what you can do on your own.”

“I think that’s good for today, ladies!” Steve said, looking up from his tablet. “Your energy levels are fluctuating, Y/N. I think you need a rest before another round.”

“Have you ever used all your abilities like that?” Wanda wondered.

“No,” Y/N answered, shaking her head. “I’ve also never entered someone’s mind who has abilities similar to mine. That could be the reason for the energy levels.”

“How’s he tracking that?”

“This.” Y/N held up her wrist. “Tony made this for me to help monitor my abilities. I can get him to make you one as well, only if you want it though.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“I’m starving,” Sam said, coming over and throwing an arm over Y/N’s shoulders. “You ladies want some lunch?”

~~~

Tony had been sitting in the board meeting, half listening, for an hour. He was absentmindedly staring at the speaker as his hand flicked the hair tie against his wrist. He didn’t want to be here in this meeting. He wanted to be with Y/N.

“Mr. Stark?” The speaker called, everyone’s attention falling onto Tony. “Mr. Stark?”

“Yes, dear?” Tony responded, breaking through his thoughts. 

“What do you think about the plan?”

“I think that the plan is… it’s well thought out and you did a wonderful job explaining it. Alright,” Tony clapped his hands together as he stood up, “we done here? Cause I think it’s time for a break.”

“Tony,” Pepper scolded. 

“The plan’s great, it’s good. Go with it. It was nice meeting with you all. Can’t wait until next time.” Tony slipped through the conference room door, Pepper going after him.

“Tony, we’ve only just started. And don’t you dare try and say you were listening, you clearly weren’t.”

“I was listening.”

“What was the plan then?”

“It was about…. How we need to add new coffee machines in all the break rooms. A really great and needed plan.”

“Are you serious, Tony? The plan was about our going green initiative.”

“Oh? Well, I approve that too.”

“Where are you going? You still owe me a weeks worth of meetings and paperwork.”

“Just forge my signature, Pep,” Tony waved her off as he entered the elevator. “You did remember how do to that, right?”

“Tony, I’m serious. Yes, I’m the CEO, but this is still your company and I do need your help sometimes.”

“Looks like you’re doing a great job to me. Let me know if you need a press conference done or any of the buildings are on fire and I’ll me there.” The elevator doors began closing. “Bye.” He waved. Once the doors were shut, he leaned back against the wall. “FRIDAY, can you take me to my floor and call Y/N?”

“Of course, Boss. Dialing Y/N Rogers now.”

“Hey, Tones,” Y/N greeted. “Having a break from the meetings?”

“I decided to leave the meetings,” Tony answered, entering their floor. “They can figure that stuff out without me. How’s training going?”

“It’s fine.”

“Missing missions already?”

“Not as much as I miss you.”

“Then come home. My schedules completely open now.”

“How about tomorrow morning? I need to finish up some things here first.”

Tony groaned. “I don’t know if I can wait that long.”

“We’ve barely been apart for a day,” Y/N giggled. “I think you can manage one more night. I love you.”

“If you loved me so much, you’d come home tonight.”

“Nice try, Tony. I’ll see you in the morning.”

next chapter >

NOTES: from now on the taglist when be added by a reblog. I will reblog it using my second account, @just-dreaming-marvel-2​. Just so that my main page doesn’t get too cluttered.

If you want to be added to the tag list, please dm me or send in an ask. 

#avengers x reader #the avengers x reader #tony stark x reader #iron man x reader #tony stark #Tony Stark fanfiction #tony stark imagine #Iron Man #iron man fanfiction #The Avengers #Avengers #avengers age of ultron #age of ultron #marvel #marvel fanfiction #marvel imagine

[livthedragon]

Countdown, Chapter 2

Not even 15 feet away, in a large fig tree, perched a medium-sized blue bird. If Carmen had bothered to look up, she might’ve seen the creature, and noticed how out of place it looked. She might’ve seen how it stood perfectly still, except when it’s head rotated every now and then in a stiff manner. She might’ve seen how it’s feathers were a bit too shiny, and eyes a bit too black. She might’ve noticed that the bird didn’t sing, or crow, or fly away.

She might’ve noticed how it wasn’t a bird at all

But, of course, she didn’t.

The bird was actually a (not very well) disguised camera, one of the many others lining the very convenient game trail.

The fake game trail.

The fake game trail perfectly placed so Carmen would find it, as was planned. Just like everything else was planned. It was planned for her to find her walking stick, planned for her to run into exactly 7 bramble patches, and planned for her to stop at this particular patch of just-dry-enough grass.

She had no idea about this plan of course, to her everything that was about to happen would be completely by chance, luck, (both good and bad) and coincidence.

Newman had never believed in coincidence.

He didn’t believe in much, really, because he didn’t know much outside of what he was supposed to. He had never even been given a first name, he’d only every been called ‘Mr. Newman’, so he just called himself Newman in his head.

He’d only ever known Facility 26-A because he’d never left it. He had evolved from a Hollow into a Wight in a controlled environment, right in this very institute, and had never left.

Could he even leave?

He didn’t know. All he knew was his wing of the building, how to use his computers (very efficiently, at that) and approximately 4 people.

The food deliverer, the janitor, the inspector, and the General

He had seen other people of course, walking around the eastern wing, his wing, but he’d never interacted with them.

That would be a waste of time, time he could spend doing work.

What was his work?

He… didn’t really know. He watched people most of the time, mainly children, although the General assured him they were actually much older than him. (How old was he? He’d lost count after about 14 months or so...) He was supposed to observe them, jot down every little thing they did. What they ate, how they ate it, how they paced their cells-

Oh right, the cells.

The people were usually kept in cells, but this one, for whatever reason, wasn’t. That’s why this time he was excited!

Or was he nervous?

He couldn’t really tell, his job was watching, not feeling things.

But he felt things anyway, strange things, things he didn’t understand. The General had told him that these strange children (peculiars, she called them) were bad.

She had never told him why. He asked the janitor about it once, and he had given him a funny look

“We just do.” he had said “Don’t you get that feeling whenever you see them? That feeling that just tells you they’re terrible, they’re evil, they’re bad and we’re good?”

Newman had said yes, he did get that feeling

He had learnt something new that day, lying

It made him feel bad inside, he decided to not do it again.

But despite all these weird things he felt, this they’re-bad-we’re-good feeling just… wasn’t one of them.

That probably wasn’t normal, but he didn’t know enough about normal to prove that. Maybe it was just something that came with age? Experience? Direct exposure, not just through a camera? Who knew! Certainly not Newman.

He didn’t really know much, did he?

Nonetheless, he continued on working. Click clack went the keys under his fingers, a familiar noise he had quickly grown used to. He typed everything Carmen did into an empty file, her frustration, her blisters, her outburst, everything. He glanced up at the timer right above his monitor, his milky-white eyes and simple black glasses reflecting off the screen

2:04:18:32

31

30

He looked back to his camera feed, at the strange young girl lying in a clump of grass. He zoomed in a bit in her face, hoping to write down some more details on her expression, when he noticed something.

Water, coming from her eyes.

He paused for a bit, fingers hovering over his keyboard. He had seen a few of the smaller children do this as well, but usually the smaller ones had someone there with them to help stop the water. He didn’t even know what the water was, but something about her lying alone in the grass, water running down her face, and looking so… lost made him feel something new. A new feeling he didn’t like at all, it made his eyes sting and his chest hurt and everything seem bad.

Was this normal? Was this the they’re-bad-we’re-good feeling? He didn’t know, he didn’t think so, because this felt less like an you’re-so-bad-I-hate-you and more of an  oh-no-why-is-your-face-watering-do-you-need-help?

Newman shook his head, trying to get rid of the all the thoughts swirling around. He went back to typing, back to work.

Work was simple, you follow what the General says and everything is fine, one day into the next over and over again.

Newman glanced at Carmen again, she was sitting up now, rubbing her face.

Work was simple, this was just more work, like every other job he’s had to do before this one, and like every job he’ll do after this one.

Right?

#mphfpc #miss peregrines home for peculiar children #millard nullings #Emma Bloom #Enoch o'connor #horace somnusson #olive elephanta #jacob portman #hugh apiston #bronwyn bruntley

[neerasrealm]

Porridge and Panic

Fun fact, this is a complete rewrite of my first ever creepypasta fanfic. This story focuses on Slender and EJ meeting for the first time, and is based on my hc that EJ formerly worked for Zalgo. Warning for some swearing and jokes about murder if you’re not into that.

Word count: 2000

"Just go do this job for me," Zalgo had said. "It's only a small gathering, you can take it." He'd said.

That "small gathering" ended up being a CULT MEETING with TWENTY SEVEN PEOPLE.

Fighting off twenty seven people at once is not an easy task. Even if you're a demon like Eyeless Jack.

Sure he’s strong, but he's not a fighter. He went to college to be a doctor for god's sake! And he's definitely not immune to knives. Being stabbed hurts. Like- a lot. A lot a lot. But that's not important. What is important is getting away from the murder scene. He'd managed to find a first aid kit earlier and patch himself up, thank god. What he really needed now was rest. Of course, he couldn't do that. He'd just killed twenty seven people. He'd managed to limp into the nearby woods and-

"Shit!"

Aaand fall over a tree root. Great job. With a groan he rolled onto his stomach, burying his face, or rather his mask, into the cool, damp grass. He curled his hands into fists, gripping the grass. It felt soft and cold, which was nice, considering his pounding head.

He closed his eyes, or rather his eyelids- he didn't have eyes, not anymore- and proceeded to doze off to sleep in the grass.

When he awoke, he wasn't in the grass anymore. He grunted and rubbed his face against the soft pillow. A pillow- he was in a bed. He relaxed. Zalgo must've found him, or maybe Jason had been sent to grab him. He was fully prepared to fall asleep again when he realized something.

It was quiet. Far, far too quiet. Zalgo's realm always had some kind of noise in the distance, be it wailing, grinding or even screaming, but this room? Completely quiet. Come to think of it- the smell of sulfur wasn't present either. 

Just to confirm Jack's suspicions, a bird chirped outside. The only birds found in Zalgo's realm were the mechanical ones Jason made, or leftover KFC. 

He was about to open his eyes when he heard the door to the room open. He kept them closed, not wanting the person to know he was awake. Not yet. 

He heard them walk closer and place something down on a nearby surface. He could smell something- it took him a few moments to recognize the smell. Porridge. God he'd loved the stuff growing up-

Maybe it was his mom that had put him here. That'd be a twist.

"‘Ow is 'e doin'?" 

WELL THAT'S A VOICE HE WASN'T EXPECTING- it had an extraordinarily thick cockney accent, and was deep and gravelly. The voice's owner was surely intimidating to look at. Jack was suddenly glad he'd decided to play dead- or well- unconscious.

"He's still asleep." The second voice was closer to his bed, and much softer in tone. The voice's owner seemed kind, and friendly. These two were a stark contrast, it seemed. "He's either very smart or someone was with him. His wounds were all patched up when you brought him in."

"Ya fink 'e 'as a frien'?" The cockney voice got closer. Oh, the scary one had found him? So clearly they at least didn't plan to hurt him. Maybe. 

"Perhaps. We'll return him home, if he has one." A hand ran through his brown hair. The touch was gentle, far more gentle than Jack was used to.

"Alrigh'." He felt someone sit on the end of the bed. "Sally was askin' fer 'im, worried abou' 'im."

"Why am I not surprised?" Jack could hear the smile in the kind one's voice. "She's a good girl…"

"Yeh." The person sitting on the bed, presumably the intimidating one, shifted where they sat. "I 'ope 'e's alrigh' too. 'E's only a kiddo." 

"He's fully grown, Jack." Jack! The intimidating one had a name! And- it was the same as his. Heh. What a coincidence. 

"Everyone's a basin a' gravy when ye're two 'undred." Jack, the other Jack, replied with a tone of amusement. What- what the fuck does that mean- basin of...gravy? Two hundred? What? 

"I hate how well I understand you." The other person replied bluntly.

"Aw no, ye loooove me." 

"...If I find out our guest heard you say that you'll be in big trouble." The other was firm now, but there was fondness in their voice.

"Oh will I now~?" The cockney Jack replied before Eyeless Jack heard a light slapping noise. "Ow-!" Cockney Jack laughed lightly and stood up off the bed. "Alrigh', alrigh', I'll stop." He could hear the cheesy grin in the other Jack's voice. "Call me if ya need me, ya 'ear?" 

"I will."

Once he heard the door close Jack listened intently for the other person. They didn't seem to be moving. Maybe they-

A hand came down and ran through his hair again. Despite himself, Jack relaxed. He wasn't used to being touched so- gently, but he loved it. He felt safe, strangely. Slowly, he opened his eyes and took in the room. He was indeed on a bed. On the bedside table in front of him was a clock, a glass of...something, he wasn't sure due to his vision being completely black and white, and the person- Jack could only see their legs, but they were wearing a frilly apron. 

"Hello?" The person said. Their hand withdrew from his hair. "Are you awake?"

Jack grunted and stretched, trying to wake up his aching body. He rolled himself onto his back and sat up. The person by the bed placed pillows behind him to rest against.

"How do you feel?" The person asked. Jack blinked and finally looked up at him. Then froze. In an instant all the trust he'd built for this person was replaced with utter terror. 

He knew them, or rather him, in an instant. White skin, no face, tall- well he was actually far shorter than Jack had expected but maybe that was because he was a shapeshifter and the room wasn't tall enough but still! He knew him.

Slenderman. Zalgo's biggest nemesis. The one Jack had been told to attack on sight, should he ever encounter him. He'd heard stories of Slender. About his 'home', the children he kept prisoner, his lackey Laughing Ja- that was the cockney voice! 

Which meant Jack was in Slender's home. With the rest of his proxies. And if Slender, or anyone else for that matter, learned that he worked for Zalgo, he'd be dead. Immediately. Super dead. Deader than a dinosaur.

"Fuck-" was the only word Jack could say. His voice was hoarse and full of the terror he should probably be hiding. 

Slender seemed caught off guard for a moment. Suppressing the instinct to scold Jack for that, he cleared his throat. "I mean you no harm," he said. "I- realise my appearance may be unsettling but I assure you I don't have any ill intentions."

Jack gulped. That was at least a little reassuring, knowing Slender didn't intend to hurt him for now. Slender tilted his head.

"Might I ask for your name...?" He asked softly.

Jack panicked for a moment. His name could potentially have it click that he was Zalgo's minion right? He realised Slender was still watching him. "Greg." He blurted out of panic. Ah, his old roommate, the perfect alias. 

Fucking hell he's going to die here isn't he?

"Greg, I see," Slender seemed to smile despite his lack of a face. He grabbed a tray Jack hadn't noticed before from the bedside table. The bowl and glass were on the tray, which had legs that fell down when Slender lifted it. The tray was gently placed over Jack's lap. "I'm sure you're probably hungry, so I made you some porridge. Unless you'd rather something else?"

Jack was not about to make any requests. He felt as if any word he spoke would give away his identity. He shook his head. Slender nodded. 

"Well you eat up, I'll be back in a minute, alright? Do you need anything?" The faceless cryptid asked. He was nice, almost too nice, and it unsettled Jack even more. He shook his head again and watched Slender leave. 

Immediately Jack looked at the window in the room. An escape! He quickly moved the tray and tried to climb out of the bed, only to wince in pain the second he put pressure on his leg. Fuck, of course he'd been stabbed in the calf, of course he had! He limped weakly to the window and-

He was on the second floor, at least. There was only a drop to meet him. And he was definitely in no condition to jump out a window. "This is bad, this is bad, this is bad-" he buried his face in his hands, panicking. Too injured to escape via window, on thin, thin ice with Slender…

And the smell of porridge was too good to dismiss. Resignedly, he limped back to the bed and grabbed the glass and took a couple gulps from it. Good old fashioned water. Good to know. He grabbed the bowl of porridge and ate a spoonful. Then winced.

His tastebuds had long since been altered along with the rest of his body. Anything that wasn't meat tasted way different than it should've. The porridge tasted way blander than it already was, and the small hints of honey were more tangy than sweet. 

He still ate the entire thing within two minutes though because he was starving. Then again he was always hungry. 

Just as he was drinking down the rest of the water, Slender opened the door again. He'd removed his apron now and was looking...oddly casual. He wore a button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, which was odd considering Jack had been told the man practically lived in a suit. 

"Ah, you've finished." Slender seemed pleased. He moved towards the bed and sat on the edge of it. "Can I get you anything else?" He asked, looking at Jack, who shook his head. "Alright," Slender adjusted his tie. "I'd like to ask you a few things, Greg, if that's alright."

Jack hesitated for a moment before answering. "Go ahead." 

"How did you get injured?"

Okay, right off the bat he has to answer a question that'll require a teeny lie. "Got into a fight. People don't really uh- like seeing demons around their home y'know-" that was mostly the truth! He did get into a fight, and those people definitely didn't like seeing him!

"That's what you are then, a demon?"

"Y-Yes, I uh- I'm not evil if that's what you're thinking. I don't really like fights and stuff-" I mean- it's true he doesn't like fights, and Jack wouldn't describe himself as malicious. He only killed people when Zalgo told him to or when they wouldn't just quietly succumb to a concussion and allow their kidney to be stolen. He wasn't an evil person.

"I understand," Slender seemed to smile. "You seem like a good person."

Hah. Yeah. Good person. Definitely not the reincarnation of a godlike demon that works for another godlike demon. 

"And how old are you?" 

"Uh- twenty one, I think. I could be off but- y'know-"

"Ah, I see." Slender seemed almost pleased for some reason. "Do you have a home?" He asked.

"Yeah- kinda I- have a place to go to but I wander a lot." Jack shifted uncomfortably at the question. 

"I see." Slender seemed thoughtful for a few moments. "Is there anything you need?" He asked for what must've been the third time. Jack, again, shook his head. 

"I think I just need rest." He said. Slender nodded and stood up, grabbing the tray from beside Jack. 

"Alright," he said softly. "Call if you need me alright?"

"I will." Jack replied. With that Slender left the room. Jack slumped against the pillows behind him and sighed out. "Fucking hell…"

#creepypasta #writing #eyeless jack #slenderman #slender mansion #laughing jack #creepypasta fanfiction

[stellar-alley]

Everfalls

•Chapter 2•

This is based off of the artwork by oceanteeeth on Instagram! Also shout out to my Beta super.rose.cosplays!

(Summary: Eddie finds his father's best-kept secret. Richie gets some well-awaited news. )

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

~

He travelled about an hour northwest, he continued away from the ocean and deeper into the forest. At times it was almost too thick, but he kept going. The sun had begun to rise when Eddie stumbled upon a sign, 'Welcome To Derry'. He glanced down at his map, so close. And he was close. It took the boy a while to square in on the exact coordinates, but once he did, he knew he'd found his father's secret.

It was a house and a big one at that. It stood tall on the outskirts of the city. Far enough out that he could be one with nature and the residents of Derry wouldn't be a bother. Eddie stood in front of the house and let out a sigh laced with excitement and fulfillment. The moment he stepped onto the property he felt it, he felt the magic of a protection spell wash over him.

Smart one dad...

The bunny looked around and he could practically see it, a forcefield of magic surrounded the house. It also made the house seemingly invisible to anyone that wasn't deemed worthy, which made sense, considering humans never wondered why there was a random house no one owned.  By the way it simply let Eddie pass through, he assumed it was a blood spell. Meaning it only allowed those of the bloodline to pass through or anyone deemed worthy by the one who set the spell, or whoever it was passed onto. With that, he removed the beanie that sat on his head, allowing the cool spring breeze to flow through his hair and tickle his ears, it felt nice.

Well I guess this is mine now

He smiled happily at the house that stood before him. The house was surprisingly fairly clean, the same way all the nature in The All Lands was always kept at bay, magic. Yes, there was some dirt, dust and cobwebs, a broken window even, but it was nothing that Eddie hadn't dealt with in the past. As he walked through the house, he couldn't shake the familiar feeling that he wasn't alone. Somewhere, somehow, he knew his father was with him. Just being in the house-made him feel so much closer to Frank than ever before, with his hat, compass, and now the house.

Eddie did a quick walkthrough of the house. The main floor had the essentials, kitchen, living room, dining room and washroom. The upstairs had 3 bedrooms and a washroom. Eddie quietly placed his bag down on the bay window in the room at the front of the house. He liked the bay window and the bed seemed comfy, a little dusty but nothing a good cleaning won't fix. There was also a basement but Eddie got the chills just looking down the stairs, so he closed the door and decided to check it out another day.

As the bunny stood in the kitchen and admired his new house, he debated where to sit before he hoisted himself up and onto the counter. From there he sat and listened peacefully, the house settling, the birds chirping outside and the odd gust of wind that blew by. He stayed like that for a while, in complete harmony with his surroundings.

Suddenly his leg twitched, something that wasn't rare, but also not a coincidence. A moment later he felt that same twitch vibrate through his entire body. He hopped off the counter and shook it off. Quickly, he tried to calculate how long it's been since he last shifted.

Maybe a couple of days? I've been pretty preoccupied with the council on my back, but still, I've gotta go and fucking run free or something. 

This will be good. It's a new town anyway, so I might as well go do some exploring...

With the plan already laid out in Eddie's head, he marched out of the house and gave it one last look before continuing out onto the front lawn. He found a good spot where the grass wasn't too long and he still had a good view of the road to town.

Being a hybrid has its perks for sure, but being half-animal didn't simply mean you had ears and a tail, there was also the shift. Every hybrid could do it, they need to do it. It's like the animal that resins deep within their soul must be let loose every couple of days, or else it begins to get restless, that's when their animalistic side tends to show. This results in humans creating myths like werewolves and vampires, to explain what was happening to the Ancestors who couldn't show their true colours.  

Although the shift isn't what the humans made it out to be, well not for Eddie at least. He's never met a werewolf so he can't really ask if it's the same but he's heard enough stories to know that it's not as gruesome as humans believe it to be. Anyways, for Eddie, his shift is simple.

The teen began by crouching down, low to the ground and getting a feel for the earth beneath him. Followed by the tingle, the same one that you see when a bunny's nose twitches randomly, that tingle. It starts off in his nose, then the feeling washes over his entire body. Yes, there is some pain since the guy is literally shrinking and growing white fur. But there's a magical essence to it that allows the last little part to simply be overtaken by a quick glowing light. Once the light disappeared, there sat Eddie Kaspbrak, who was now in the form of a small white rabbit.

~

Richie Tozier bolted upright in bed. His entire body was shaking with a feeling he'd never experienced before. His skin was covered in a layer of sweat which caused his curly hair to matt to his forehead. The boy tried to get out of bed but failed as his legs were tangled up in his sheets. After mentally cursing out Sleeping Richie, Awake Richie began to tug his feet free from their silky prisons. Just because his feet were free didn't mean he still wasn't a 6-foot tall clumsy mess, because the moment he set his foot down on the floor and began to stand, a wave of nausea washed over him. Richie fell to his knees, dizzy and confused; he looked down at his hands which were swaying back and forth in a blurry haze. Quickly he reached for his glasses on his nightstand and slapped them on his face, but that only made the nausea worse. Finally, he caved and ran to his washroom and fell to the floor in front of his toilet just in time because he immediately began throwing up everything he'd eaten the day before.

After the vomiting stopped, Richie sat on the floor of his washroom and let the cool tile floor beneath him soothe his overheating body. He tried to remember everything he ate the day previous, attempting to pinpoint the substance that had poisoned him. With no luck, Richie flushed the toilet again for safekeeping and trudged back into his room. He looked over at his alarm clock and saw that it was 8 am on Saturday. Usually, Richie would still be in bed for another 3 hours or so before waking up, but after that incident, he didn't think he'd be able to fall back asleep. So he opted to get an early start on the day.

Of course, Wentworth and Maggie Tozier were already awake and in the kitchen, fixing breakfast and discussing their plans for the day ahead. Only did they stop when their son cleared his throat a little too loudly from where he stood at the entrance of the kitchen. When Wentworth saw his son he froze in his stance, "SHH! Maggie, shhh" He put a finger to his lips and shushed his wife, "I think we just stumbled upon the elusive Richard, darling we haven't seen one of these in ages. Do you know how rare they are?" he asked in astonishment as he spoke in an Australian accent. (It's his Bear Grylls impression)

"Ahaaham funny" Richie deadpanned as his dad dropped the act. "Son! Good to see you up so early, what's the special occasion? Are your friends coming over? Wait, crap is it Christmas?" His jaw dropped suddenly, "Shit... It's your birthday isn't it?".

This actually received a subtle laugh from Richie, his dad always put him in a good mood. "Wentworth gets off a good one” Richie chuckled, “Don't worry dad you're in the clear. But uh- I did do something" He began, unsure how to tell his parents he just puked up his lungs in the upstairs bathroom.

Maggie's brow scrunched together slightly as she took a step towards him, "Are you okay Richie?" her head tilted slightly.

"Y-Yeah... Well, I think so"

"You think so? What happened?" Maggie questioned and began inspecting her son.

"I threw up. But not like- a little, like a lot. Like a lot a lot-"

"We got it Rich" Went's lips were pressed into a thin line as he stopped his son from digging himself into a deeper hole.

"Honey, what happened?" Maggie moved to put one hand on Richie's shoulder and the other on his forehead to feel his temperature, "no fever...".

"I-I don't know" He sounded almost defeated, his eyes stayed on the floor as he continued, "I'm nauseous and sweaty and I feel like my bones are just gonna fucking jump out of my body-"

Went cut in, "Language" with a half-hearted tone.

"I don't know what's wrong with me" Richie finished, finally he looked up to see his parents sharing a knowing glance. It was like they were having a conversation with their eyes, no words were said but Maggie and Went both knew what the other was thinking. "What? What's going on? You two meddling kids better tell me what's up or else I swear to god!" Richie had subconsciously slipped into one of his various voices as he pretended to scold his parents.

"Do you want to or?" Maggie asked Went as she motioned to the two.

"I can do it" Went confirmed as he turned his attention back to his son. "Rich, I know we've talked to you about this before and you're ready for this, we know you are, so don't worry okay? Everybody's first full moon is always a big occasion and it'll really be-".

"MY FIRST FULL MOON?" Richie gasped, his eyes had doubled in size as he stared at his parents in shock, "No way! What? Really?" He asked eagerly, "How are you so sure?".

"You've got all the symptoms. Nausea, vomiting, weak bones, it's all there honey" Maggie pipped up with a small smile, "Aw, my boy! Going through his first transformation already" Her smile only grew wider as she went to hug Richie. He let her hug him only for a moment before he wiggled out of her grasp.

The full moon was a big occasion for the Tozier family, as it was for every other Ancestor. Although the Tozier's didn't associate themselves with the Ancestors in any way, Wentworth left that life behind him when he chose love, all those years ago. Once he was an Ancestor like every other werewolf was, he lived in one of the bigger cities near Maine, the sister city of The All Lands, Everfalls. He grew up there with his parents and his younger brother West. Even with all of the lessons taught to him throughout the years,  at the age of 14 Went still snuck out to the human world and he met a human girl named Margaret, who he'd grow to fall madly in love with. The love birds had a plan to run away and live their lives together, but the council caught a whiff of their little runaway plan. They made Wentworth choose between staying in Everfalls or being forever banished to the human world. (Since an Ancestor could never marry a human) Of course, he chose Maggie, he chose love. He was never the biggest fan of the way the council ran things anyway, so he was more than happy to finally be out of their grasp.

Wentworth and Maggie Tozier went on to get married and even have a kid of their own, Richie Tozier, who we all know and adore. The thing with raising a werewolf in the human world was that it was a challenge keeping their secret, a secret. Both Went and Richie had pointed fluffy wolf ears, instead of normal fleshy human ears, those weren't too hard to hide. Richie got away with it by giving the school some forged doctor's note that claimed he needed to wear a hat because of how the fluorescent lights in the classroom fucked with his hair. So Richie usually wore beanies and snapbacks which hid his wolf ears. But that wasn't all, the father and son also both had long wolf tails that sat right at the bottom of their back. These weren't hard to hide, just more of a pain. Normally Rich would wear multiple layers of sweaters and jackets, so he could hide his tail in the layers. But no matter how he hid it, at the end of the day he always returned home with an ache in his back and a minor headache.

In places like The All Lands and Everfalls, werewolves would've been taught at a young age how to shift from human to wolf and vice versa, but those who were never taught as pups usually experience their first full transformation after their 16th birthday. Richie had turned 16 in March and it was currently May, so it made sense.

"So what are we gonna do? Go terrorize the villagers? Or go plot our revenge against the Ancestors and that damned council?" Richie schemes, he rubbed his hands together in an evil manner, ya know like Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

"Hm yeah maybe" Went played along for a moment before he dropped the act, "Probably just the usual, you, me, down in the cellar".

The Tozier's chose this house for one main reason, aside from the fact that it was DIRT CHEAP, it had a cellar with a hefty door which made it perfect for full moons, so the werewolves wouldn't get out.

"But seriously Rich, now's the time you've really gotta be careful, alright? Any small thing can make you go all wolf and the last thing we need is a call from your teacher claiming you ate another student" Went was cracking a joke but the message still got through.

Even without the full moon, Richie always had to be careful. Whether it was watching his anger or making sure his hat was positioned correctly, he always had to be careful. If he lashed out in class, he'd feel his fangs begin to lengthen in his mouth and need to go to the bathroom to calm himself down. If he got a bad mark on a test and curled his fingers into tight fists. When he'd unclench his fists to find small semi-circle nail marks on the palms of his hands that were on the verge of bleeding because his claws were coming in. He was always careful. 

It's one of the reasons why he used comedy and sarcasm as a defence mechanism. It was a way to get the message across without throwing punches and risk killing his poor victim with his enhanced strength.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll be careful. Now can I get something to eat before I go and eat those three little pigs?"

(get it? Cause... ya know, Big Bad Wolf, Richie's a werewolf? Three little pigs? Get it? I know I'm hilarious.)

~

Since it was Saturday, Richie spent the day lounging around the house doing whatever he pleased. He'd start off by playing some video games in the basement and maybe even do some homework in the living room while his parents watched their usual Saturday afternoon cooking shows together. By 3:00 pm the teen werewolf had sprawled out on the floor of his bedroom and read comics.

Ms Marvel had just finished saving Jersey city when Richie closed the comic and stood up. He began to walk out of his room but stopped in the doorway when he noticed the way the sun beamed into his room. The urge to look out his window filled his body as he turned and made his way towards it. 

It was a sunny day for May which was nice, especially since it practically rained the entire month of April. The sun brought a new look to the Tozier's backyard, which Richie's room looked out to. It's warm afternoon light made everything just a little brighter, Richie could feel the edge of his lips tug upwards and into a warm smile with the sunlight that warmed his cheeks.

Something moved. Richie caught it out of the corner of his eye. He titled his head and focused on the spot where he'd seen the movement. The creature was easy to spot as it contrasted against the greenery in the Tozier's backyard. A little ball of white fluff sat peacefully in the grass. Richie smiled a little brighter at the sight of the cute little white rabbit.

Haven't seen one of those in a while

The thought drifted to the surface of Rich's mind as he studied the precious little bunny. Its nose twitched and one of his ears flopped slightly. "Awwe" Richie cooed at the cuteness of the little rodent. He scrunched up his nose as his smile grew wider. 

"Cute, cute, cute" he mumbled to himself and watched the bunny hop off into the hedges.

Later that day when dinner time rolled around the Tozier's sat in comfortable silence with the TV on low in the background. Richie finished chewing on the piece of steak he had in his mouth before he asked, "Have you guys seen any white rabbits lately?". The question stemmed from the fact that Richie had seen countless rabbits throughout his lifetime, yet he couldn't bring himself to remember if any of them had ever been purely white.

Maggie and Wentworth had another silent conversation with their eyes. "No... Why? Did you see one, honey?" Maggie asked with curiosity, she set her fork down on her plate and looked across the table at her son.

"Uh- yeah I saw one when I was reading, it was out in the back" Richie explained, "It's not like a saw an alien" Richie let out a forced chuckle since the air in the room had become tense.

"No, it's just odd. You know why white rabbits are so rare?" Went asked, he didn't wait for a response as he just kept going, "White rabbits are a symbol for magic. If you were to go to any land populated with Ancestors, all you'd see are white rabbits. They rarely ever come onto human territory".

The young werewolf's eyes grew wide, "Wait, so are you telling me that we had an Ancestor on our property today?".

Went scratched his head and contemplated the different options that could explain the event, "No... Not necessarily. Not every white rabbit is part human. Yes, some are-

Maggie cut in, "It could've just been a rabbit who spent too much time in Everfalls or The All Lands. Or maybe it was enchanted?" She looks over at her husband for backup.

"Precisely" He winked at his wife. "I wouldn't worry too much about it Rich. Just let us know if you see it again" Went concluded, he then proceeded to dig into his steak, his incisors had come to a point, his fangs out. Richie lightly rolled his eyes and let an amused huff of air out through his nose before he followed suit and continued his dinner.

Word Count: 3275

Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to chapter 2! I really hope you guys are liking this as much as I like writing this. Let me know in the comments if you liked this chapter and if you're excited to see what happens next!

Don't forget to like, comment and share! It motivates me to write and show you enjoy my content.

See you next Friday with chapter 3!

Until next time

So Long and Goodnight!

#it!everfalls #richie tozier #beep beep richie #werewolf richie #Richie is big dumb #reddie #eddie kaspbrak #losers club #incorrect losers quotes #the losers club #incorrect losers club quotes #it chapter 1 #it 2019 #it 2017 #it chapter 2 #it #bill hader #bill denbrough #beverly marsh #mike hanlon #ben hanscom #stanley uris #stan uris #fanfic #fan fic #fanfiction #werewolf #werewolf au #super powers #superpowers

[timetoresurface]

EXCHANGE / JJK (2)

to give something and receive something of the same kind in return

Note: First of all I want to thank everyone who took their time reading, liking, commenting and reblogging. You guys are always surprising me with your kindness and support. The second thing I want to talk to you about is how good our boys looked at the BBMA’s, like how are we supposed have a life of our own when they look like Gods.

Pairing: reader x Jungkook

Genre: romance, non idol AU

Warnings: none

Word count: 1835 words

PART 1 / / PART 3 / PART 4 / PART 5 / PART 6 / PART 7

Summary: Yes, you are an exchange student. You noticed EF also organized trips to Seoul and you wanted something different than the same five people in your hometown. You came to the beautiful city to learn and relax, most definitely not to fall in love with one of the teachers. Definitely not the young extracurricular teacher who seemed to be good at everything.

*Y/N = your name *Y/C = your city/country

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

It took you about one second after waking up to absolutely hate yourself because of the excruciation headache you were having. It took you a bit longer to find out where you were exactly. The familiar smell of filter coffee entered your nose and you dared to sit up. You realized you were in someone else’s sofa and this couldn’t be yours because you didn’t have one. The only thing you had was an annoying roommate who only wanted to study Korean, even though you wished you were a bit more like her at the moment. She probably didn’t have a throbbing head or a bad taste in her mouth. She probably woke up feeling very content and safe because she was in her own bed.

Out of the corner of your eye you could see the skilled hand of the coffee maker pour just the right amounts of everything into the cup.  He was wearing a black jogging with a tight black t-shirt, but he seemed to always look extremely fine in simple black outfits. It was a struggle to get out of your comfortable position but your stomach was making its characteristic whale noises and these were hard to ignore. With the blanket wrapped around your body you started your adventure toward the kitchen area where Jungkook was pouring a second cup of coffee. 

“Good-morning sunshine.” He beamed while handing you your cup of deliciousness and you silently thanked him. Not sure of what to say you just stared at him, hoping he would speak first. It had the opposite effect really, he just kept his hands busy with making breakfast. Bacon was being grilled an eggs were cracked by his large hands and the only thing you could do was stare.

“I usually make a great hangover soup but I lacked most ingredients so I hope you like my hangover eggs.” He said while setting up two plates on his dining table. The bacon in the supermarket packages turned your stomach inside and out: the blood and the white fat that ran through it. You hated the look of it. Yet once cooked it got you under its bacon spell, perfectly crisp with an aroma that wouldn't let you step away, it was something to be devoured, nothing more.

You quickly took place and felt no need for pretentious manners as you stuffed your mouth full with eggs and bacon. Now it was his turn to stare but you tried to ignore his questioning eyes and kept your focus on the food in front of you. When your eyes lock over the breakfast table he started to eat. He ate rapidly, stuffing his mouth too full so he had to chew with his mouth wide open. 

“Thank you.” It was silly but he stopped eating for a bit. He looked deep in thought about what to say or do but settled with simply nodding his head. 

“I also want to say I’m sorry but my memory is lacking me and I can only imagine the worst.” To you it counted as an apology as you barely said the words out loud. The embarrassment started to creep in your system and the only thing you wanted to do was run. “I’ll get going now so you can get some well deserved rest after seeing whatever you saw last night. Again, thank you so much for-“ you gestured at the sofa and the food on the table “for all of this.”

“No problem at all. You’re definitely not a problematic drunk, only a forgetful one. Next time put your room number and passcode in your phone so you don’t get lost again.” His comforting words made you feel a bit more at ease but you could feel the heat growing in your cheeks. By now they must be beyond an attractive rosiness. You felt as if all your insecurities were written across your face and there was nowhere to hide.

“Thank you.” You thanked him again and practically ran out of his place with the blanket still wrapped tightly around your body. 

**

It was midmorning and you still had a head that felt like an axe was planted in it. Your eyesight struggled to cope with the daylight and you fumbled tying the belt of your simple dress. With your brain still struggling to recover from the previous night's abuse, the only thing on your mind was trying to be on time for class. You grabbed some stuff and threw them in your bag hoping you had everything with you to make it through this day. 

With sunglasses hiding your swollen eyes you entered the classroom and to your surprise you were one of the first to arrive. Alfie was sitting in the back with black sunglasses matching yours. You both laughed at the coincidence. 

“We made it.” You simple stated before sitting next to him. 

“Barely.” He grunted and planted his head on the desk.

“Nice sunglasses.” You complimented him and this got a little laugh out of him. Your short conversation was interrupted by the teacher entering the classroom. Half of you were still missing but he didn’t care and just started with whatever he wanted to start with today. If he had noticed yours and Alfie’s sunglasses he hid it well. The both of you tried to pay attention but you were more aware of the cracking of your head than anything else. The day slowly continued and when your class had finally ended you and Alfie decided to lay in the grass together.

“Maybe I should’ve just gone on a simple summer camp to France.” Alfie admitted while rubbing his eyes.

“But France is just France. We’re in Seoul, which is way cooler than France.” You tried to cheer him up but he was still struggling with his hangover which surprised you. You were feeling a lot better, just tired.

“Yes, but a summer camp doesn’t have obligatory lessons.” He grunted and you wanted to respond but Jungkook was quicker.

“You can also wait to start drinking after Friday classes and spend all of Saturday in your bed.” Jungkook laughed while positioning himself next to you on the warm grass. He had changed out of his black relaxing outfit into tight fitting blue jeans combined with a white shirt and he looked even more handsome in white.

“We made a mistake. Apparently Koreans are better drinkers than us Europeans.” Alfie patted my shoulder as if to symbolize our European bond or something. Jungkook’s eyes glared at Alfie’s hand but he didn’t seem to notice or maybe he did. Because he suddenly planted his head on my thigh and closed his eyes while humming some melody. A minute ago there was a huge bunny smile on Jungkook’s face but due to Alfie’s actions his smile had disappeared into a straight line. 

“Y/N you still haven’t applied for any extra activities. If you need any help deciding, I’ll be at the front desk.” He excused himself and walked quietly away from us. You couldn’t help but stare at him while he was walking so carefully over the grass. 

“He sure does take an interest in you.” Alfie commented with his head still resting on your leg. 

“Oh shut up, it is his job to lure people into paying activities.” You muttered.

“All I’m saying is that he hasn’t willingly spoken to anyone off our class outside you.” He finally opened his eyes and tried to study your reaction. You tried to ignore the weird morning you had with Jungkook and how he had cared for you and your hangover. 

“Because most girls go and talk to him first. They don’t give him a chance to go and talk to them.” You glared at Alfie while pushing him off your leg. “Now, if you would excuse me, I have to apply to some extra activities you have already applied too. I can not let you go alone on a hike, right? Who would catch you?” and with these final words you walked away from a laughing Alfie rolling in the grass. 

He sure was a special character. He didn’t seem to care what people thought of him. He didn’t even seem to care what he thought of himself. He just existed to have fun, have drinks and learn a few things along the way. It was a simple life, or that’s what he liked people to believe. We tend to live in stories of our own creation and without realizing we’re just following a script we made for ourselves. Alfie was just following his own I-wanna-be-cool script and somehow he fooled most people, including you for a second.

“Please be safe.” He yelled once you were almost out of sight. All eyes were on you and for the trillionth time since you were in Seoul, your cheeks turned into the reddest of blushes. You silently cursed Alfie under your breath and hurried inside the building. 

**

You were kind of disappointed when you didn’t see Jungkook at the information desk but the lovely Jenna, Australian born and married to a Korean businessman, was also lovely. She chatted about her wonderful life but also didn’t forget to ask you some questions. Where you were from, what motivated you and whatever she could think of. She was a huge help and thanks to her you had signed up for half of the activities, almost filling up your whole schedule. You still had a few free nights that you intended to spend roaming through the city alone. Nothing was better than going on an adventure by yourself after a glass of wine, or two.

Speaking of alcohol, your hangover was almost completely gone. The only thing remaining was the constant graving for greasy food and stuffing your face to satisfy your belly who had worked so hard getting rid of the strong liquor. Right on cue your stomach started to make some loud noises making people turn their heads in your direction. 

“Are you hungry?” A voice behind you asked, startling you. It was Jungkook. Again. He seemed to always know where you were when something embarrassing was about to happen. A sixth sense leading him to you and your blushing cheeks. 

“Can you please not-“ you tried to come up with the correct words “-scare me.” You finished satisfied. He did always surprise you and therefor scare you.

“Let’s have dinner together. My way of apologizing for scaring you earlier.” He said it so quickly you had to blink a couple of times before fully registering his words. Even he seemed surprised by his straightforwardness and doubt started to color his face.

“I mean, you don’t need to feel obligated or anything.” His hand found its way through his hair and for a second there you were mesmerized by his actions.

“I’m starving.” Was the only thing you could say but this was enough to replace his doubt for excitement. 

#bts #bts imagines #bts scenarios #bts scenario #bts jungguk #bts jungkook #jungkook #jeon jungkook #jeon jungguk #jungguk x reader #jungkook x reader #Bangtan scenarios #bangtan #Bangtan imagines #Bangtan boys #bangtan x reader #bts x reader #fan fiction #fanfic #bts fan fiction #fan fic #bts fanfction #bts fanfic #bts fan fic #bts fic

[atethewriting]

Peppermint - Chenle

Dear Diary,

4 days after the devastation, I think it’s time to move into the town that’s in the middle of the woods. I am hungry and cold, and something is watching me. And the smell of rotting flesh is starting to get to me. But, I’m scared. What if I starve before I get there? What if they don’t let me in? What if I can’t find somewhere to live? I should pack my things soon and get going. I’ll write later.

-Chenle

【＊】【＊】【＊】【＊】【＊】

Chenle walked over the bridge and over a patch of loose dirt with a small potato sack filled with his items, slung over his shoulder. White and red peppermint antlers stuck out of his head, along with a set of red-spotted, white deer ears. His snow-white hair making him look like the definition of winter. Which wasn’t entirely wrong, he loved the cold season. He used to live in the deepest part of the woods with his family. That is, before his family was slaughtered. For 4 days he lived surrounded by the rotting bodies, but let’s not get too into detail. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he reached the tall stone wall that surrounded the kingdom. About a mile East was a gate, so he made his way over there, knocking politely. He was greeted by a boy with dark brown hair, dark clothing, and a gloomy aura. Chenle smiled cheerfully.

“Hi! My parents are dead and I came here for shelter!” He said. It was a bit straightforward but it got the point across.

“Welcome to the fucking club...” The boy replied, letting the cheerful one in.

“What do you mean?” Chenle tilted his head curiously.

“4 days ago, half of the population here was slaughtered. How did you not hear about it?” He snapped back, making the deer boy jump.

“I-I’m sorry...I lived really far away...I’m sorry...”

The taller of the two leaned in and sniffed Chenle, growling softly and backing away.

“Just as I suspected. You’re from the deep woods. Never met someone so cheerful from there.”

“What does that have to do with anything? I’m Chenle! Nice to meet you!!”

“Have you watched your parents die while you could do nothing?”

“Yep!”

“What about witnessing over 50 dead bodies scattered around the ground in the matter of seconds?”

“Does 50 squirrels count?”

“No. Have you heard the screams of children as they try running away, only for them to be silenced with a sword to the head?”

“Well, you’re awfully negative!”

The boy was greeted by a harsh slap on the face for saying that, making him yelp out in pain. He sniffled, looking down at the ground.

“The last time we let someone back in from the deep woods it turned out to be a serial killer! What makes you think that we should trust you?”

“Oh, are you talking about Kun?! I know him! Can you bring me to him!!? Please!!”

The other growled in response, pointing to Kun, who was sitting on a bench in the town square, reading a book. Chenle thanked him and skipped off, spooking the Death Fairy from behind.

“Hi Kun!!!!!” He yelled, Kun turning around at that.

“Hey. Need something?”

“My parents died 4 days ago and I’m hungry!”

“How can you say that so cheerfully,” He laughed, “But okay. I’ll buy you some food or whatever...”

“Yay thank you!!”

“Just let me finish this chapter, though. I’m almost done.”

“Okay!” Chenle skipped off once more, going over to a Witch with a wooden left arm. She was sitting against a tree, reading as well. “Hi Go Won!”

“Oh, hello...what are you doing in town?” The Witch pondered, closing her book and standing up.

“My parents are dead!”

“Well that sucks, I’m sorry. When did that happen? Recently?”

“4 days ago!”

“Odd coincidence..that’s when I lost my arm.”

“In the big devastation thingy??? A very gloomy boy told me about it!!!” He bounced, spinning in a circle.

“Yes, correct. How are you always so cheerful?”

“I don’t know! Just am!”

Kun came up behind him and placed a hand on Chenle’s shoulder, making him flinch.

“I’m done, dumby.” Kun laughed softly.

“Okay!”

【＊】【＊】【＊】【＊】【＊】

Chenle stared at all of the food in front of him, his mouth watering. Of course, being a deer, he couldn’t handle meat of any kind. But, all of the options in front of him looked like heaven. Kun sat across from him in the pink-fabriced booth, laughing. The Death Fairy gave Chenle the go signal, and he immediately dug into the grilled Proves, a type of vegetable that tasted a lot like buttered popcorn. It was a golden-brown color, char around the onion-like rings. It was a type of root, grown only in the Eastern Woods.

“Yummy!” He said as he finished that meal, moving onto the next. Deer ate a lot, especially when hungry.

“So, what really brought you here?”

Chenle stopped for a moment, his mouth full.

“...the smell of rotting bodies became boring-“

“And I smell lies from that. What’s the real truth.”

“That was the truth, though.”

“I think there’s more to it, right?”

“Something was watching me,” Swallowing the food he had in his mouth, Chenle smiled.

“And you’re just okay with that?”

“As long as it wasn’t hurting me, yeah!”

“You’re so dumb sometimes, I swear..” The Fairy groaned, pinching his temples together.

“I am not! I am way smart!” Chenle protested.

“Who do you think was watching you?”

“I don’t know!! Some woman!”

“What did she look like?”

“She had green eyes! And black hair! She had a blue necklace on!” The boy visualized.

“Hm...Finish eating. We’ll take this problem to King Jungwoo..” Kun went into deep thinking, muting everything around him.

‘It could be a forest spirit...’ He thought.

Next thing they knew, Chenle was done and they were halfway towards the King’s castle. As they got closer, blue jewels started to float in the air, and pink stars followed them.

When they got into the main hall, Jungwoo was waiting expectantly. His pink jeweled crown atop his head, and a calm smile plastered onto his face. They approached the throne he was sitting on, bowing politely.

“We have something to report-“

“I know.” He simply replied, shocking them both. “And I have the answer, too. The Maiden Messanger. Daughter of the Maiden Dust, and a close cousin to Mother Death. She reports odd cases, and yours is quite spectacular.”

“But I’m not hiding anything? Why is mine spectacular?!” Chenle smiled, spinning in a happy circle.

“Because you have nothing to hide, Chenle. Mother Life tends to hide secrets, and so do her children. But you don’t hide any, and we’re trying to figure that out.”

“Woahhhh!!! I feel like I’m in a mystery novel!! I’ll be Sherlock!” He straightened his posture, pretending a smoking pipe was in his hand. “My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people do not know!”

“How the hell do you know who Sherlock Holmes is?” Kun asked, bewildered.

“I read it in a book I found!!”

“Ah.”

Jungwoo laughed, amused. Johnny held in his laugh, remaining as serious as possible.

Kun, however, was unamused. Who was The Maiden Dust? And who was Maiden Messanger? The King was definitely hiding something.

“Your majesty. I have a question.”

“Yes yes of course! Go ahead!” The King replied, calming down.

“You show no specific traits any of the mothers. In fact, you show a variety of traits from all of them. So, answer me this — Are you a child of all? Or, perhaps, are you a child of none? You’re also fairly knowledgeable, a trait in which is only heavily seen in Death’s and Time’s. Yet, you’re also publicly emotional and carefree, a trait only seen in Nature’s and Life’s. So, what exactly are you.”

The King froze, his skin going pale as he started to sweat. As he choked back a cry, Kun grinned.

“So? What’s your answer?”

“I-um...”

“Come on~ spit it out.”

“Johnny...Get them away.”

A blast of air was shot their way, sending them flying out of the castle. Chenle landed in a soft patch of grass right outside the door while Kun tumbled down the steep hill and back into town. Both were left stunned and confused.

Chenle ran down the hill, skipping and singing. He acted as if nothing was happening. Kun growled, thoughts bouncing around his mind like the screen he saw once in the woods. DVD Video, it said, and it’s changed colors every time it hit a corner. He stood up, angered.

“Chenle.” The Fairy exclaimed, catching the younger’s attention.

“Yessss?~”

“Don’t you think...it was a bit weird, how he avoided the question like that?”

“I mean, yeah. I thought it was kind of strange, if I’m being honest...”

“What do you think he’s hiding?”

“Whatever he is, I don’t think he’s one of us. If he was a child of MomMom’s then he wouldn’t react like that.”

“I was thinking that, too. I’ll ask Go Won later, right now we need to get you a place to settle in.”

“Okay!”

【＊】【＊】【＊】【＊】【＊】

Kun reached the end of the long row of houses, looking at a house that was painted with flowers. He quietly knocked, Chenle standing right behind him.

He knocked again, someone finally answering the door. An older woman with purple hair, her skin worn and green. She wore a puffy white dress and a soft smile. Kun’s ‘Mother’. The woman took a quick glance at her son, not recognizing him at first. He smiled, making her flinch and start to cry because she knew that smile. It was her son’s smile. The same son that had left over 15 years ago to pursue whatever crimes came to his mind. The same son that abandoned her. She shakily reached her hands out to cup his cheeks, and he started to tear up as well. Kun brought his old woman into a hug, leaning on her shoulder and sobbing.

“Mama...Mama I’m so sorry...”

“It’s okay, my dear. I forgive you. I know you didn’t mean it.”

“Well this is awfully emotional!” Chenle put his hands on his hips, completely ruining the mood. Kun’s Mother laughed, wiping her tears away.

“You’re right, it is. This isn’t how we should celebrate! Doyoung!!” She called, going into the house and bringing her other son outside, who pointed at Kun and tilted his head. They had both grown lots since they last saw each other, after all. Doyoung looked more like a prince now, his hair styled back and his face more well-built.

“Kun?” He spoke, just as confused as Kun was.

“Doyoung?” The other spoke back.

“Chenle!” Chenle yelled, excited as always.

“Mama!” The mother spoke, just as excited as Chenle.

Chenle and Mama proceeded to do a little dance, confusing the hell out of Doyoung and Kun.

“I-“ Doyoung spoke.

“It’s a Life thing...” Kun responded.

“Come in for tea, my dear. It’ll be fun.” She said while dancing.

“Okay miss!” He responded, also dancing.

They both went inside for tea.

Doyoung looked back at Kun, sighing.

“You look like such a thug, god. I’m taking you shopping later.”

“And you look like a rich boy who goes to a special private school so you have no say in my clothes.”

“Good point. Also you need a haircut.”

“I know.”

“Still afraid of birds?”

“Yeah kinda”

“You never change, let’s go in.” He patted Kun’s shoulder, going inside the small house, Kun following shortly after.

Chenle and Mama were seated at a wooden table, talking (quite loudly) while having a cup of tea. The youngest noticed something in the corner of his eye, but kept quiet about it. Mama noticed something, too. But, she mentioned it before anything bad happened.

“Something’s looking at you, Chenle. Stay there.” She calmly placed her teacup down and got up, heading over to a window that faced the table. She opened it and climbed out, going into the forest beyond and spooking a woman with black hair and green eyes, who was hiding behind a tree. Mama smiled, holding her hand out to help the girl up. She was around 15, it seemed.

“It’s okay, girl. No need to be scared. But why were you watching that boy?”

“M-m-m-mama instruc-instructed me t-to...” She stuttered, pushing her long hair behind her ear. Her eyes were droopy, nose small, lips full, and ears pointy. Her pitch black dress matched her hair, and the bright blue pendant she wore seemed to glow.

“What’s your name, dear?”

“M-m-m-Messanger....M-Maiden M-mess-Messanger...” The Maiden’s eyes filled with ink black tears, falling down her silver skin. Mama wiped them away, making Messanger flinch.

“What a beautiful name. You can call me Mama, or Mamama, or Mamamama. Whatever you like!”

“O-O-Okay...”

“Would you like to come in for some tea?”

“Y-yes please...” She choked out, knowing that she’ll probably get in trouble for it.

“Alright~”

【㊄】【㊄】【㊄】【㊄】【㊄】【㊄】

Messanger sat across from Chenle, shaking like a lost dog. Every time she tried to speak nothing would come out. Chenle accepted this by doing most of the talking, which comforted her in a way. The Maiden stared down at the tea she had been given, looking at her reflection. Her mother would definitely scold her for this, and she was scared of what she would do. The girl was whispering small calming spells under her breath, but none seemed to work.

“What are you saying?” Chenle smiled, excited.

“N-n-n-nothing...” Messanger replied, her voice like soft rain.

“I saw your lips moving?”

“I-it’s none o-o-of your b-business, boy!”

“Well, sorry...” He sighed, finishing his cup of tea.

Kun walked over and glared at the small girl.

“Answer me this, girl. Who is King Jungwoo to you?”

She flinched, shaking her head and starting to tear up.

“I-I’m sorry...p-please d-d-d-dont hurt me...” Messanger hid her head, bracing for impact.

“I’m not going to hurt you, just answer the question.”

“H-he’s my brother!”

[moonysfrexckles]

The Morning After - Marauders

Now, the shack was quiet. Padfoot was curled up in a corner of the room, on a dusty armchair that had big gashes down the pillows, oozing stuffing. Prongs had settled down by the doorway. Remus was laying behind the settee, head lolling to the side, dirt and grime clinging to his body like a second skin. He was probably naked, but James had hidden a pile of spare clothes in the bathroom for him when he woke up. Peter had woken up and transformed out of his Animagus form immediately.

He didn’t mind being a rat; he’d hated the idea at first, but the knowledge that he was needed to press the knot at the base of the Willow made him grudgingly accept it. Now, he quite liked it. He liked being able to squeeze into places no one else could, and the way his feet (which refused to coordinate together when he was human) would scurry over the grass so quickly and nimbly he felt like he was flying. Even so, he sat on the armchair, watching the sun rise. He wondered if Mary was sitting in the Common Room watching it too.

Peter heard a sigh, and he glanced over to see Remus raising his head. He blearily looked around. When he looked at him, Peter smiled. “Morning.”

Remus gripped the back of the settee and hauled himself to his feet. He grimaced a little from the pain, but Peter noticed that there were no cuts on him this time. It had been a tame night, as smooth as he would dare to label it. They didn’t always go so easily. Remus gingerly moved towards the door, but stopped when he saw Prongs. He swore under his breath.

“Wake him up,” said Peter.

Remus pressed his lips together. He knelt down and stroked the deer’s head. “James, if you could be a dear and move out of the way so I can put some clothes on, I would very much appreciate it.”

Peter snorted, and grinned as the deer pressed itself into Remus’ hand. It blinked its large eyes open, and kicked out its legs in surprise, startling itself back into James.

“Merlin,” he gasped. Remus smirked wryly and left the room.

James stretched out his legs, leaning back against the wall. His shirt was creased and rumpled and his trousers ended half way up his leg. He yawned loudly. The sound was enough to wake the dog in the corner of the room, and Sirius lifted his head and surveyed them. The dog’s eyes lingered on the place Remus had slept, where the settee was still pushed away from the wall. He didn’t bother changing back, but clambered to his feet, stretched his legs, and padded over to where James was sat, curling up into his side.

James scratched Padfoot’s ears, then rested his arms around the dog’s shaggy neck. “Hello. Didn’t eat any mice last night, did you?”

Padfoot huffed and pawed at his chest, licking his face. James recoiled. “Sirius! I swear- if I find out you ate a mouse and you just licked me, I will starve you!”

But the dog paid this threat no heed, and settled down beside his best friend. His head rested on his paws but he watched the door with keen eyes.

Peter said, “It still makes me uncomfortable when I think about that.”

“He wouldn’t eat you,” said James. But he paused. “I don’t think, anyway.”

Padfoot swished his tail.

Sirius was the most comfortable with his form. If Peter had to hazard a guess, he’d say there was something about the freedom being a dog gave him. Sirius didn’t like to feel trapped; he needed the rush of wind in his hair (or fur) and the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He needed to be reminded that he was alive, and that life was worth living.

Remus returned, fully dressed, and Padfoot perked up, moving to meet him. Remus laughed a little, but it must have pained him, for he winced soon after. He stroked the dog’s head with his long fingers, massaging his scalp.

“I wasn’t too bad last night, was I?” he asked.

He didn’t look at anyone when he spoke. Padfoot pressed himself closer against Remus’ legs.

James said, “No, it was uneventful.”

Peter said, “You went in the lake, played a bit with Padfoot, then came back here.”

Remus nodded. His shoulders sagged. “Good.”

The shack wasn’t as unwelcoming and discerning as what it once had been. Peter remembered the first time he had stepped foot in the place; the floorboards creaked and groaned underfoot and the doors hung from their hinges. He’d started to count the cobwebs but gave up when he saw something that looked suspiciously big for a spider scuttle into a dark crevice. The Shrieking Shack left him with a bitter taste in his mouth and he never looked forward to the Full Moon, but he looked forward to it less at the knowledge he would have to spend a night in that house. He persisted though: Peter knew why it was so important that they did what they did. He wasn’t sure whether Remus would be able to cope with Moony on his own. The shack had become a haven to them, a dilapidated, moaning safe house that they could always count on to keep their secrets.

Except for that one time it didn’t.

They always seemed to gravitate to this room in particular. There was a large, three-seater salmon settee pushed against the far side of the wall, and a shelf that clung fervently above it with one or two books and dead, black plants. By the window, Peter sat in the ripped armchair, shifting to avoid the springs. The room curved round to the left, forming an L shape, and the foot of the L contained a grand piano that was surprisingly well-kept, all things considered, and another chair that Sirius tended to occupy. The windows had been boarded up, but somehow, the straining sunlight still slipped through.

“I heard you were chatting to Mary this morning. Or yesterday morning, even,” said James. Padfoot made a noise. James flicked his ear. “Don’t be rude.” He looked back at Pete and waggled his eyebrows. “What’s that all about?”

Peter felt the blush creep up his neck and ears, defusing into his cheeks. “Nothing really. We were the only ones up. It wasn’t like she was spoilt for company.”

“Peter, any girl would be lucky to hold your company,” said Remus. He’d moved over to sit on the settee. It was too low down for him, and his gangly legs were bent at a funny angle so his knees very nearly kissed his chin.

Pete scratched his head. “Thanks. I mean, it’s nothing really. We hardly spoke.”

“How long have you fancied her?” James asked. He wasn’t wearing his glasses. He always left them in the dormitory for these nights, so his eyes were big and hazel and he kept blinking.

“It’s a bit hypocritical if we go there, isn’t it?”

Remus huffed a laugh, glancing at James. “He’s got you there.”

James shook his head, but Padfoot snickered in a way uncommonly human-like. James tapped him on the nose, and the dog growled. “Don’t laugh at me.”

The dog tossed his head away.

“I just mean, don’t you think it’s high-time you tell her?” continued James. “Or at least say more than three words to her!”

“I have said more than-“

“The Goblin Revolution doesn’t count.”

Peter shut his mouth. He swallowed thickly. His eyes followed a little ray of light that had escaped onto his skin. “I don’t think she’d be interested anyway.”

“Why not? She’d be mad not to be.”

Peter shrugged.

“Peter,” said Remus. He spoke in such a way that commanded you look at him, like the unspoken audacity of a meteor shower that forced you to stare at a dark sky if only for one glimpse of a shooting star. “Any girl would be lucky to have you. Stop thinking you’re a burden. You have a lot to offer.”

Peter stared at him, and he nodded a bit unevenly, before he looked down at his feet. The room was quiet. Their bones were tired and it made trivial conversation an effort.

James yawned again and he stopped stroking Padfoot to cover his mouth. The dog pushed his wet nose into his hand. James continued obediently. “I sure am glad it’s the weekend.”

“What do you think about Hogsmeade later? D’you fancy it?” asked Peter.

James pulled a face. “I don’t know. Remus, will you play us something?”

Padfoot lifted his head.

“Is it not a bit early?”

Peter shook his head. “Sun’s up.”

Remus smiled a little, half-smile at that. He got to his feet, and his body looked heavy as he moved over to the grand piano, running his hand along the top of it as he sat down.

Remus lifted the lid.

“Any requests?”

“Something beautiful,” said James.

He cracked his fingers, dusted the keys, before he started playing. He had pianist fingers, long and spindly, and he closed his eyes when he played, reciting the movements from memory, his shoulders swaying with the force of the music. They couldn’t always get him to play; Sirius had discovered he could by pure coincidence, and had tried to persuade him to play more often. Remus was usually too tired. When he agreed, however, it warmed the shack like the sun outside, drenching them all in something both melancholy and bright. James closed his eyes too and leaned his head against the wall. Padfoot watched. Peter stared at the sunlight.

#marauders #james potter #remus lupin #sirius black #peter pettigrew #lily evans #mary macdonald #harry potter #marauders fanfic #marauders fanfiction

[artistic-writer]

Alii Dimidium Lunam (The Other Half of the Moon) - CS Werewolf AU - Ch 10

Title: Alii Dimidium Lunam (The Other Half of the Moon) by @artistic-writer   artwork by @cocohook38 & @artistic-writer

Rating: E (overall rating) for explicit sexual content, language and themes throughout. Trigger warnings will follow and be added as they are needed to avoid spoilers.

Art by @cocohook38 - Poster - Emma - David - Killian - James - Walsh

Chapter Art by @cocohook38 - Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 (NSFW)

Art by @artistic-writer - 1 - 2 - 3 - 

Also on: AO3 - FF

A/N: Here is ch 10!  There is art for this fic that I made that I will post seperately.  Also, this is a BIG reveal ch - so buckle up!  Some of you will be pleased to know we are not even halfway through this fic!  when I am sure of the number of chapters involved, I will start putting it in the title.  Massive thanks to my wonderful betas, @hookedonapirate who has done a fantastic job keeping my rabble in line, and @kmomof4 to whom this fic is also gifted.  Without your constant encouragement, I would have probably given up on this fic already.  Thank you to my crew, @hollyethecurious  @resident-of-storybrooke @courtorderedcake  and special thanks to @killian-whump @killianmesmalls and @sherlockianwhovian for how they helped later on. And to @flipperbrainwho drew THIS piece of art for this fic in December, before it was even written!

Taglist: @cssns @resident-of-storybrooke@hollyethecurious @kmomof4 @hookedonapirate@winterbaby89 @courtorderedcake @initiala @cocohook38@branlovesouat @teamhook @snidgetsafan@sherlockianwhovian @shireness-says@wingedlioness @lenfaz @therooksshiningknight @ilovemesomekillianjones @bmbbcs4evr @blowmiakisscolin@deathbycaptainswan @onceuponaprincessworld @chinawoodfan  @seriouslyhooked @snowbellewells@wordsmith-storyweaver   @jennjenn615 @delightfully-difficult-pirate @doodlelolly0910  @tiganasummertree @hookedmom 

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They talked for what seemed like hours about their dreams, each recalling the smallest details that might have seemed insignificant to anyone else. It was how they knew they were in the exact same dream world, experiencing the same reverie. From the softness of the grass under their feet to the smell of soon to be erupted flowers, the sounds of the forest and the chill of the midnight air, they were under no illusion their dreams were one and the same.

Emma was filled with conflict. On one hand, she was relieved to finally know that her dream meant something, and she was not just plagued by the nightmare of losing her father for no reason. But what was the reason? The only differing detail in both of their visions was the name on the grave, so they had deduced it had to mean something, only they had no idea what it was trying to show them. Killian assured her time and time again it didn’t necessarily mean her father was fated to die, but the fact that Killian couldn’t locate his own father alive meant he didn’t exactly believe his own assurances.

To take their mind off things, Killian had suggested taking Emma to dinner. They were in a part of town she would not be recognized and so, without hesitation, Emma had agreed. He picked a casual Italian place, and when he had entered with her arm looped through his, the owner had almost danced with glee to see one of his favourite patrons finally dining with another. Emma gave him a nervous smile and they were seated opposite each other in a private little booth away from prying eyes, but the minute they sat down she was invaded with Graham’s scent.

“Are you alright?” Killian asked her gently, reaching across the table to grasp her hand with his when he noticed she was busy scanning the restaurant. For what, he wasn’t sure, and he didn’t detect anything out of the ordinary, casually inhaling to try and find the scent she could quite clearly smell. “You seem distracted.”

Emma frowned a little. “I can smell someone from my pack here,” she almost whispered, eyes still scanning over the other diners, but unable to find what she sought.

“Can you see anyone?” Killian asked her quickly, trying not to draw any attention as he fidgeted with his napkin.

“No,” Emma shook her head a little, disguising the action by pretending to flick her lightly curled golden locks over her shoulder. “I can’t see him.”

“Is it Graham?” Killian offered casually, opening the menu with his free hand and pretending to browse the selection.

Finally, Emma looked at him and gave a raised eyebrow and a smirk. “Are you jealous, Jones?” she teased, relaxing a little. The scent was old, a few days at least, and it was possible that, with all of her recent stress, Emma was confusing what she could smell with what she had smelled recently. It was a mixture of musk and human aftershave that could have been worn by a thousand other human men, not just Graham, so when she couldn’t visually locate the Misthaven beta, she figured she was being paranoid.

“Of course,” Killian winked at her, giving her hand a squeeze.

“You don’t have to worry about Graham, trust me,” Emma said firmly, scooting to the edge of her bench seat and wrapping her other hand around his. “He would be the last wolf I’d want.” Emma’s words left her mouth with a little more disgust than she had intended for her pseudo-sibling, and Killian noticed.

“He’s your betrothed, isn’t he?” Killian asked with a soft tone, the pain evident in his words. Emma held his gaze and swallowed slowly.

“Yes.” There was no point in hiding it any longer. Killian knew about everything anyway, so why not divulge the name of who her pack wanted her to marry. “And he is also the beta in my pack, so me running away is a big deal.”

“Ah, I see,” Killian nodded in understanding. “The chance of you being able to smell him is more than an unlikely coincidence then?”

“I’m afraid so,” Emma agreed. “He’ll find me eventually.”

Killian sat back in the booth, pulling his hand from hers and lightly scratching over the stubble on his jaw. Emma could see him thinking, almost hear his thought processes as he looked around the restaurant. He ate here frequently and nothing seemed out of the ordinary for this time of the week - no new patrons, no new smells - but clearly something had Emma spooked, and he would not abide that.

Killian had waited his whole life to belong, to feel like he was accepted. Emma gave him that. She gave him a sense of humanity, as well as accepted him for the wolf he was. He was not much by werewolf standards, smaller than the average wolf and with no pack or status to offer her, but he was sure, without a doubt, that he would fight with everything he had for her.

He would fight to the death if necessary.

“Then let him come,” Killian nodded with a tight smile. He sat forward and claimed her hands in his once more, his fingers tangling with hers and interlocking their hands tightly. “I’ll fight for you, Emma. I promised you forever, and if it means a little bloodshed to get there, then-”

“I don’t want that,” Emma interjected quickly, clutching his hand tighter.

“Neither do I,” Killian admitted honestly. “But I will fight for you, Emma. I will fight with everything I have to keep you safe.”

“Graham would never hurt me,” Emma said slowly, her gaze locked with Killian’s across the table. As acute as their hearing was, neither of them heard a single voice or sound in the restaurant in that moment except for the thrumming of each other’s blood. Emma flushed hot, a nervous human reaction to what they were both thinking.

“But what of me?” Killian laughed nervously, vocalising both of their fears. He didn’t know much about pack politics, but he knew enough that if Emma was to be married to another, and they wanted her back at all costs, then killing him or any other wolf in their way was nothing. Emma’s silence confirmed he was right.

The owner of the restaurant, Tony, chose that exact moment to appear, dogeared notepad in hand and a half length pencil tucked behind his ear. Killian stood to greet him, shaking the man’s hand vigorously and then introducing Emma as his date, the slight blush that crept over his cheeks at his admission not going unnoticed. Emma blushed as well, a very human reaction she had rarely experienced before because of the way it revealed too much to a foe.

After some pleasantries, they ordered one of the restaurant’s speciality dishes; a huge plate of spaghetti and homemade meatballs gently tossed into a basil infused ragu. Emma had never tried meatballs before but after Killian’s insistence, she was in love. The meatballs melted in her mouth, the taste of herbs and cooked meat so exotic and peppery on her tongue, she couldn’t help but moan after every mouthful, much to Killian’s amusement.

Emma was an eclectic mix of someone who had seen everything the world had to offer and yet had experienced nothing at the same time. Killian loved the way simple things seemed to excite her beyond belief, like she had learned everything she knew from books alone, without ever setting foot outside. She had mentioned her pack were old school before, but Killian couldn’t stop his smile each time she became giddy over such trivial things.

After the restaurant, they were strolling down the nearly empty sidewalk when Emma spotted a poster for a local fair. It came to town every year, and Killian had gone before, but never with anyone. He used to go with his brother as a way for both of them to remember their mother, who loved to go to such things, but he never had the opportunity to take someone else. Emma’s enthusiasm upon learning what a fair actually was, prompted her begging, almost whining, for him to show her as she excitedly tapped the ripped poster upon the rough brick wall.

The fair was close to his home and after they had driven back to his place, Killian suggested they walk there to enjoy the night air. It was crisp and cool, but the lingering smell of the pastries from the nearby diner had Emma’s smile growing even wider as they strolled to their destination. Like a kid at Christmas, Emma almost ran through the barriers as Killian paid for two tickets, watching her enjoyment and feeling the swell of his heart at how happy she was.

There was no way that Emma would have ever been allowed to go to a fair if she had been with anyone from her pack. This would have been on the forbidden list of human activities. The Chronicle was clear, as her father constantly reminded her, that any human activity deemed frivolous or that dulled the responses was not allowed. Apparently, fun was at the top of that list, because Emma had never had so much.

Her arms were overloaded with soft toys, and the taste of cotton candy still lingered on her tongue as they called it a night. Spun sugar had made her fingers sticky, but she didn’t mind at all, and even eating a corndog was new. Emma felt human for a second and loved each and every time Killian used his supernatural abilities to his advantage, winning her everything that she requested. There was no weakness in what she felt, only love and compassion for the wolf at her side, and not for the first time, Emma began to question the laws by which she had been raised. Nothing was off limits for her, Killian had made that clear, and as they ducked through the trees, taking a shortcut back to his apartment, Emma stopped him suddenly by grabbing his hand.

“Thank you,” Emma smiled sweetly, tugging his arm gently until he turned to look at her.

“For what?” Killian frowned, shaking his head a little from side to side as he stepped into her space. His chest bumped into the pile of bears in her arms, the soft furs brushing his arms as he rubbed a hand over her shoulders.

“Everything,” Emma smiled at him, leaning into his body.

“I just took you to the fair,” Killian blushed modestly, reaching behind his ear to scratch there nervously. “It was no trouble.”

“No,” Emma said definitely, tossing the soft toys to the ground beside them. One squeaked as it hit the ground and Killian’s ears perked up a little at the sound, but he kept his gaze trained on her. “You’ve done so much more.”

“It was nothing, lass,” Killian smiled. He trailed his hand down her arms, clutching her fingers between his, lifting their hands and interlocking their digits lovingly. Emma tightened her grip and pulled him even closer to her, their bodies crashing together and their noses almost bumping in the darkness. Even though it was nearly a full moon, the canopy of trees overhead afforded them some privacy from the silvery glow.

“It’s everything,” Emma breathed, her eyes flicking between Killian’s and his lips, visible in the darkness because of their ability to see in low lights. Killian swallowed and his mouth twitched, the corners tugging into a small smile. He licked them quickly, leaning forward to offer her a kiss, but Emma pulled away and he frowned, confused.

Emma stepped back, untangling their hands, and in one swift motion, she lifted her shirt up and over her head. Killian felt a different kind of energy surge through him, more than just arousal as Emma undressed, a collection of feelings that set his nerve endings on fire and made panic set into his bones.

“Emma, what are you doing?” he asked nervously, fully aware of the only reason werewolves took off their clothes in the woods. He knew enough about werewolf lore to know that if they were discovered right now, he wouldn’t be able to talk his way out of any punishment.

“I want you to see me,” Emma told him softly, tossing the last remnants of her clothing aside and standing in front of him gloriously nude. Her nipples peaked in the night air, pebbling into hard nubs atop the fleshy mounds of her breasts and causing his loins to stir.

“I can’t,” Killian turned away, clenching his jaw tightly and exhaling hard into his hand that covered his mouth. He hadn’t realised what Emma meant until that second - her shift. “It’s...I can’t let you. If anyone finds out-”

Emma snorted a laugh through her nose and walked towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder and encouraging him to turn and face her once more. “They won’t,” she offered lightly. “Killian, I want to show you this part of me.”

“Emma,” he ground out through clenched teeth, pinching his eyes closed almost painfully. He could smell her change coming, could sense the shift of bones and muscle about to happen, the electricity flowing through her hand and into his, like an open current.

Their connection was something special, almost like twins in nature, where Killian could feel everything about Emma’s change at the same time she could, but what was even more unnerving was the way he was desperately attempting to halt his own change at the same time. Killian’s inner wolf howled to be free, clawing at his insides, yearning to join his soul mate in their true, free form.

“It’s okay,” Emma soothed, running her hand over the sweat of his brow, calming him instantly. Killian exhaled hard, eyes tightly closed, and his face twisted with a mixture of pain and the resistance to join her. Emma leaned forward, pressing her lips to his cheek only briefly before stepping back and letting their hands fall apart. “I want this,” she murmured, offering him a smile he couldn’t see as her shift ravaged her body.

When Killian opened his eyes, he was not met with the usual hazel green hues of Emma that he could get lost in for hours, but was staring out into the darkness of the forest. A soft whine alerted him, and he looked down, the dirt lightly disturbed by the huge grey and red she-wolf sitting at his feet. Even as a wolf Emma was beautiful, and Killian’s breath was taken from him, the softness behind her almond shaped eyes warming his heart.

“Emma, you could get into real trouble. You shouldn’t have done this,” Killian admonished weakly, finally relenting to her will.

Emma cocked her head to the side, her maw slightly ajar, halting its panting, and her ears pricked on her head. She watched him intently like a dog focused on a ball about to be thrown, and when Killian reached for the buttons of his shirt, she jumped back to her feet, her tail curled over her back where it began brushing her spine in a slowly increasing rhythm.

“Forever, right?” Killian arched a brow at her, finally pulling the edges of the shirt open and pulling his arms free. He tossed the material her way, smirking when she hopped out of the way with a playfully growl. “Just so you know, and I’m only saying this because I know you can’t argue back right now, you are buying breakfast,” Killian teased, pulling his belt open and feeling the ease in his muscles as his body surrendered to the beginning of his change.

Emma’s muzzle hung open once more, her happy dog smile lighting up her eyes when she realised he was about to change. When Killian was fully naked in front of her, his clothes a discarded mess of jeans and leather boots, Emma gave him one final whimper of encouragement before tearing off into the night, her feet skidding against the dried leaves under her paws as she swerved to avoid his legs.

“Wait!” Killian called out after her, twisting his body to watch her go. The sound of breaking branches echoed from the tree line, growing more and more distant, the sound indistinguishable from the creaking of his bones. Killian let out a cry and fell to his knees, falling forward onto his hands and clawing at the ground with a grunt. It was not advisable to fight one's change, he had always been told not to, and now the pain tearing through his body was a testament to why. “One of these days, I’ll stop chasing after this she-wolf,” he growled to himself, the syllables of his last words stretching out and turning into a full blown howl when his transformation was complete.

Emma stopped running as soon as she heard the howl, a quick exhale leaving remnants of condensation in the air in front of her nose and she spun on her heels to face the direction she had cantered from. The leather pad twitched at the end of her muzzle, desperate to find the scent of Killian in the non-existent breeze, the still of the forest offering him the perfect camouflage and the absence of wind the perfect opportunity to stalk her. Emma’s canine heart pounded thrice as fast in her chest, eyes flitting around the trees to try and guess the direction he would appear from.

She was tense, no doubt about it. Suddenly she was the prey, a feeling she had never experienced before, and the hackles on the back of her neck sprang to attention. Her ears swiveled on her head, twisting this way and that, trying to find a single indication of Killian’s presence nearby. Again she tilted her head back, inhaling hard into the night, but was met with nothing but the approaching rain and the damp, forest floor.

She froze, holding her breath, her eyes wide in an attempt to let in as much of the little light that was in the forest that night. She saw nothing, her paws flexing in the detritus in anticipation of running, her tail hanging low between her legs. She was deflated. She thought Killian would follow her, she thought he would be at her side and for a second, she missed his contact, whining into the night.

A twig snapped behind her and Emma turned instantly, staring intently into the bushes behind her. Every hair on her body stood on end and she couldn’t hear anything but the pounding of her blood. The shape of her ears funneled in the noises of the night, but it wasn’t until she saw the glow of blue between the dark green leaves that she shifted her weight backward and her tail began to wag. It brushed her hocks, and she stamped her paws forward in a playful bow gesture, enticing the blue eyed shadow out of his hiding place to join her.

Killian emerged slowly, the bushes snagging against his fur, his ears flattened to the top of his broad wolf skull as he pushed his muzzle through the prickly branches. Emma made a high pitched yelp, spinning on the spot in excitement of his arrival, glad to finally see him. He approached her cautiously, fur puffed out and ears erect on his head, his bush-like tail laying over his back in a tight curl. Emma halted her spin, meeting him with a puppy like submission, licking at his maw and pawing at his face in eagerness, loving his masculine demeanor as he let her.

There seemed to be a switch in roles; Killian suddenly became protective and dominant over her. Maybe it was their connection, maybe it was something else, but Emma felt helpless against him and rolled onto her back at his paws, tail tucked between her legs where it swiped to and fro over her hairless belly. Killian sniffed at her, avoiding her pawing with a dodge each time she tried to press her foot to his muzzle, until Emma suddenly slipped out from under him and sprang to her feet once more. Killian flinched back, slightly confused by her sudden innocent nature, but he didn’t have time to react before Emma turned and high tailed it back through the trees in the direction she had come from.

Killian took off after her, a low growl tumbling from his throat as he pounded the earth, newly formed branches snapping under the weight of his body as he forced his bulk through the narrow brush. A squeak tore through the forest, close by he could tell, and with a wolfish grin he increased his speed towards their discarded clothes. When he burst through the tree line Emma was waiting, her tail flying from left to right and her head shaking from side to side. In her mouth, she had one of the toys he had won her from the fair, the squeak inside of its soft, filled belly igniting the playfulness inside of her as if she were a puppy.

Emma closed her jaws around the toy, again and again, the high pitched squeaker piercing his eardrums everytime she chewed on it and growled at the toy in response. Killian inched forward, his own tail wagging furiously as he attempted to nip at the toy in her jaws, carefully teasing the leg of the fluffy, blue bear away from her muzzle with a gentle pull. Emma growled but there was no malice behind her tone, pulling the toy away from his reach just enough that he attempted to acquire it once more.

It was a game, a silly game that only domesticated dogs played, but somehow, under the cover of darkness, two fully grown werewolves had entered into a game of tug-o-war with a soft toy neither of them really wanted. It wasn’t about the toy, it was about having fun, Killian’s final acceptance to embrace his wolfish nature for more than just running to relieve stress. Emma wanted him to be free, hold onto his true nature and stop fighting what they both already knew.

Two halves of the same moon may never meet, but they will always fit together perfectly to make a whole.

Whilst Emma was distracted by the hoot of an owl, Killian managed to grab the toy, the squeaker shrieking under protest but soon fizzling away as his powerful canine popped the thin, plastic shell. Emma pulled, the muscles in her neck tensing under the strain, but Killian did not let go, a low growl rumbling in his throat as he declared to her that the toy was his. Emma growled back, her feet digging into the leaf littered floor as she pulled back, her equal size and impressive strength moving him with her.

Killian pulled even harder, moving around her in an attempt to twist it from her jaws, but Emma would not yield, her head turning unnaturally and her body soon following to straighten up. They were at an impasse for a few seconds, blue eyes staring into green, grunts of exertion through half muffled noses filling the air between them before, with one last tug, Emma managed to tear the toy in two, and paraded around with the head of the bear between her teeth.

Killian sat and dropped his half, white stuffing fibers stuck to his tongue. He shook his head, twitching it to the side as his tongue rolled in waves to eject the offending material from his mouth, his eyes trained on Emma who had stopped to mock him with a wolfish grin. She had dropped the decapitated head of the bear and was pacing towards him determinedly, and if Killian didn’t know better he would say she was swaying her hips in an attempt to seduce him.

When she reached him, her nose touching his and pushing against his face, he reared up onto his back legs like a begging dog and lost his balance, falling back against the tree behind him with a low groan. He shook it off, slouched against the rough bark when an all too human cry of anguish filled his ears, and he looked forward again to see Emma mid shift.

Killian was too late to look away; he had seen too much. Paws became hands, fingers long and delicate and Emma’s tail disappeared to reveal the soft, white curve of her behind. She cried out again and Killian felt a pull, as if an invisible thread had been tugged on and when she sank to the ground on all fours as human once more, Killian felt his own body change.

There was no pain with his shift, only amazement, and awe at the woman in front of him who had made sure he would watch her this time. Emma had made sure he could see, made sure he was distracted enough with their frivolous game that he would never see it coming until it was too late, and he was gazing upon the most intimate parts of her. And there was no taking it back now, the gnarled bark on the tree digging into his human spine going unnoticed as Emma looked over to him with a smirk.

“Forever,” she said softly, reiterating his earlier words before she sank to the forest floor exhausted.

--

The morning was cool, a light covering of fog hanging in the air, slowly disappearing as the morning sun grew hotter, evaporating it from existence. Emma walked along the sidewalk with a definite spring in her step, her newly acquired hoodie hanging off of one shoulder and her hair tied into a loose ponytail to the side. She was sure Killian wouldn’t mind her borrowing a few clothes, especially seeing as by the time he stirred, she would have returned with an aforementioned breakfast.

There were few people around at this time of the morning. Emma had always been an early riser, unless especially exhausted, and she had discovered a new found affinity for people watching. Humans were fascinating, barely awake themselves, and yet able to function from muscle memory alone as they made their way to their places of work under the thrall of tiredness. It felt good to be amongst them, like one of them, blending into a society that knew no more than she would allow - something Emma had never been afforded as a Misthaven wolf before.

The Chronicle was abundantly clear when it came to affairs of humanity. To protect all werewolf kind, living with or near humans was discouraged, lest their true identity become a revelation. There had never been a werewolf revealed to humanity, not in Emma’s entire bloodline, but it was the fear of discovery that kept many of the werewolves in her community petrified of even gazing upon a human. They were nothing to wolves, and as insignificant as the insects that inhabited the world.

If wolves never bothered humans, humans would never know.

Emma rounded the final corner on her way to the diner Killian had told her about, the scent of the freshly raised sweet pastry dough filling her nostrils. Killian had given her very quick instructions, but Emma was sure she could have still followed her nose and would have had no problem finding the place. The entire block was filled with a sweet smelling sugary aroma that was so enticing she didn’t notice the musky scent of another wolf until it was too late.

Two huge hands grabbed her, pulling her sideways into an alleyway that was darkened by shadows and a dead-end brick wall. One hand held her still, pinning her to the wall whilst the other clamped over her mouth to stop her from calling out. Emma’s back hit the rough brickwork with a thud, the air leaving her lungs on a squeal into the wolves hand that smelled salty and weathered against her face, her eyes pinched closed as she waited for an attack that never came.

“Shh, Emma, it’s me,” the wolf whispered, his body leaning into hers as he cast a quick glance to the sidewalk in case anyone had noticed him grab her. Emma recognised the voice instantly, the dulcet Irish twinge behind his words easily distinguishable from any accent she had ever heard. She peeled her eyes open and shook his hand from her face, huffing a little as she pushed against his weight.

“Graham,” Emma spat, her anger immediately evident. “I knew it was only a matter of time before you found me,” she groaned, straightening up the oversized hoodie she was wearing.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Graham assured her softly, taking a step back. “Or Killian,” he added nervously. Emma’s eyes widened and the hues darkened a little with her rage.

“How do you…” she began suspiciously, but Graham stopped her.

“I’ve been following you all week,” he admitted. “Your father sent me to bring you home.”

“I’m not going home,” Emma said defiantly, shifting her weight onto one hip and crossing her arms over her chest. “You can tell my father that. And stay away from Killian, he’s done nothing wrong.”

“Emma, this is serious,” Graham pleaded. “Your father gave me strict instructions to bring you home and to kill the wolf you were cavorting with.” Emma stared at him for a second, the muscle in her jaw twitching and her lip curling into a snarl. “He is very angry.”

“Of course he is,” Emma snarled, whipping her hair over her shoulder. In the tussle, it had come loose and was now a knotty mess of unbrushed blonde tendrils covering her shoulders. “His little princess has her own mind and he doesn’t like it, but Killian doesn’t even know who I am, so leave him out of this.”

“Emma, please,” Graham implored, rolling his eyes. Emma was stubborn, just like her mother, and sometimes he was irritated by her younger sibling act as much as she was annoyed by the way he acted like her big brother. “I’m not trying to argue here…”

“Good. Conversation over,” Emma snapped, heading back towards the entrance to the alleyway.

“Wait!” Graham lunged out and grabbed her elbow, quickly pulling her to a halt. “This isn’t about you,” he quipped angrily, grinding his teeth together. “God, you are still so…”

“Don’t say it,” Emma warned him, pointing a menacing finger in his direction. He used to call her selfish all the time as pups because Emma was raised with a sense of entitlement that she hadn’t realised was unbecoming until her wolf day, and Graham had never let her forget how much of a princess she had acted. She hated him for it, because even though they had matured, he had never outgrown his jibe. “I can kick your ass now. I’m not a little pup anymore. You can’t bully me and you most certainly cannot convince me to return to Misthaven.”

When they were pups, Graham had taken it upon himself to torment Emma with his larger than average size and strength, defeating her in every game they played. It didn’t help that David regularly pitted them against each other in practice bouts until Emma finally worked out how to outsmart him, using her cunning skills to defeat him, despite his size. In a way, it had made her an impressive fighter, but it was at the cost of her ego that Graham had relentlessly crushed each and every time she was beat.

“Just listen to me, will you?” Graham snapped, clenching his fist in frustration. “Do you want to hear what I have to say, or not?”

Emma studied his expression, the fatigue etched across his features. Dark grey half circles sat under each of his eyes, the crows feet at their corners making him look much older than she knew he was. Tiny white hairs had sprouted from his browline and peppered his sideburns, the rugged growth on his chin unkempt and messier than usual. It had been a while since Emma had simply looked upon the wolf she loved as a brother, but something was clearly weighing heavy on his mind and manifesting itself in his weary appearance.

She relaxed a little, letting out a heavy sigh when he looked at her with pleading eyes. “I’m listening.”

“Good,” Graham exhaled with relief. “I need your help.”

--

The diner was surprisingly crowded for the early hours, and Emma suspected it was because of the delectable pastries. There was a long queue, so Graham had offered to grab them coffees and breakfast whilst Emma took a seat. She had calmed down somewhat after realising Graham wasn’t here to exact her father's orders, and when he had asked for her help, she was a little concerned.

Graham was a beta. He didn’t need help, and she was sure the last person he would need it from was her. She was nobody, not yet, not until they were married. If they were married, which if Emma had anything to say about it, would be never. Her connection with Killian was so intrinsic, she couldn’t imagine herself with anyone else, and if that meant she had to die to fight for her freedom to marry for love, she would.

The clatter of plates made her jump suddenly, and everyone in the diner looked to the bar area where a waitress had dropped a whole stack. As she hurried off, red faced and embarrassed beyond comprehension, Emma noted the other seated diners as they resumed their activities. There were four other people in the diner that morning, eating in - two men and two women - and Emma made a mental note of them and their physical attributes just in case there was any trouble.

Two of the men were dining together, suited and booted and both chatting into an earpiece whilst ignoring their company. There was a blonde haired woman typing away on a laptop, huffing at herself as she slammed her finger down on the delete key time and time again. The other woman was seated at the back of the restaurant, with long, dark hair and a pale complexion, unable to hide the glow emanating from her skin. She was smiling to herself, reading a thick paged magazine that lay out before her, and Emma noticed the faintest hint of increased hormones in her scent. If she didn’t already know, the woman was pregnant, but maybe that’s why she was smiling so broadly.

“I got you one of those disgustingly sweet pastries you like so much,” Graham announced, interrupting her from people-watching. He placed the small round white plate in front of her, the still warm bear claw almost making her drool.

“Thank you,” Emma said with a tight lipped smile, taking the mug of steaming coffee out of his hands so he could sit opposite her at the small square table. The whole restaurant looked more like somebody's house, the casual placement of a few well worn couches and a bookshelf near a disused open fire making it seem more homely.

Graham fidgeted in his seat, tugging at his shirt like it had twisted out of place, and shuffling his chair under the table even more. Emma watched him with a narrowed gaze, confused by his actions that were decidedly more human. “Are you okay?” She asked gently. “You’re acting weird.”

“Am I?” Graham asked nervously, his voice an octave higher than before.

“Yes,” Emma affirmed calmly. “Very weird.”

Graham cleared his throat, finally content with the position he had found most comfortable, and he covered his face with both of his hands. It was like he was trying to find the courage she knew he already had to tell her something, so she knew it had to be serious. Graham was nervous, but she could smell something other than fear on him - she just didn’t know what it was.

“You said you needed my help,” Emma prompted, trying to break the tension between them. She reached for the small bowl of sugar cubes in the center of the table and grabbed one, letting it fall into the blackness of her coffee with a plop.

“Yes,” Graham agreed with a nod before pausing. His short answer confused Emma, and she gave him a twisted look.

“Graham, will you quit acting so human and just tell me what’s going on?” Emma told him firmly. “I’ve never seen you so rattled,” she noted, lifting her mug to her lips and taking a sip of the acrid liquid inside. She winced at the taste, returning the porcelain to the table and reaching for a creamer in a second ramekin. She didn’t normally take cream, but the coffee was a little too strong without its sweetness.

“Okay,” Graham blurted, shuffling forward even more and leaning forward on his elbows. He beckoned her nearer with a crooked finger and Emma leaned towards him. “I can’t marry you,” Graham stated obviously and Emma fell back against her chair with a huff.

“I could have told you that,” she sighed.

“No,” Graham shook his head quickly. “I mean, I’m engaged to another.”

Emma’s bottom jaw dropped open and she almost knocked her coffee from the table, scandalized by his confession. “Who?” She demanded curtly, and before he even had time to respond, she gasped loudly with realisation. “My father doesn’t know, does he?”

Graham looked at her with a darkened stare. “You think I would still be alive if he did?”

Emma gave him a knowing look. “So, who is it?” Emma demanded a second time, swiping her mug up and taking another gulp of coffee. “Which pack?” She smacked her lips together, wiping them with the back of her hand.

“She doesn't belong to any pack,” Graham shrugged, casting a sideways glance to a man who brushed past them a bit closer than he would have liked. Emma matched his shrug and arched her back against the chair, the wooden legs creaking a little.

“A loner?” Emma asked nonchalantly. “I get that appeal,” she smirked, recalling the small smile on Killian’s face as he had slumbered beside her the night before.

Loners were pureblood wolves who had no pack and were usually ignored by others. They were often without a pack because of upheaval or conflict that had meant the end of any community they had known. Being a loner was a choice, not a punishment, and as such, they were permitted to interact with other purebloods freely. The Chronicle was indifferent to lone wolves, and in more recent times it had become acceptable that they join an established pack through marriage. The only aspect of interaction frowned upon was illegitimate children, which would result in exile for both parents.

Graham lowered his head and looked up at her sheepishly. “Not exactly. She’s human.”

Emma kicked the underside of the table as she jumped, half in shock and half in disbelief. She ignored the pain throbbing through her knee, eyes fixed on Graham’s for any sign that he was joking. He had to be. The beta of Misthaven was a force, one of the strongest wolves she knew. He was honest, dedicated and loyal to his pack and werewolf lore. He was not engaged to a human, was he?

“I don’t know what to say,” Emma swallowed, her face pale with shock. “I mean...” she stuttered, exhaling hard, her brow furrowing with thought.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” Graham whispered across the table when a few of the people in the nearby queue turned to look at what had caused the echoing bang of bone against wood.

“How long?” Emma asked eagerly. “How long have you...you know?” She made a weird gesture with her hands, not entirely sure what it was herself. There were no anatomical differences between wolves in human form and humans, so Emma attributed her odd behaviour to shock. Yeah, that was it. She was still in shock. Graham quirked an eyebrow.

“Going on three years.” He hadn't even finished his sentence before he winced in anticipation of Emma’s reaction.

“THREE!” She almost yelled and the entire diner paused and looked in her direction. Graham grabbed her arm, holding her down when she attempted to leap to her feet, a strange child-like chuckle escaping her lips at this new found information. “How? I mean, bravo for pulling it off,” she laughed, grinning broadly. “Really, I had no idea, and you’re still breathing so obviously my father doesn’t either…”

“And he never can,” Graham interrupted her rant, gripping her arm tighter and catching her gaze. His face was stoney, a real sense of panic plastered across his features that sobered Emma instantly. She calmed, her smile fading.

“There is more isn’t there?” Emma asked him coolly.

Graham released her arm, sitting back in the chair that groaned under his hefty weight. He licked his lips nervously, running a hand through his hair slowly as if he were signaling someone with a secret gesture.

Out of the corner of her eye, Emma watched as the lady with long, dark brown hair got to her feet, a very visible bump on display now that she was on her feet. She gathered up her things, tucking the magazine into her satchel and pushing her chair back under the table. The sound of wood on wood vibrated through the diner and Graham turned red, his face blushing and the scent of his sweat invading Emma’s nostrils. He didn’t say anything else, and Emma simply watched him squirm with a confused expression.

That was until the pregnant lady appeared at his side, bag slung loosely over one shoulder and gripped by one hand, drawing Emma’s attention. She watched in fascination as the woman’s other hand snaked its way over Graham’s shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her slender figure. He planted his hand firmly on the outside of her heavily pregnant belly, fingers splayed protectively over the unborn child, as he looked back to meet Emma’s wide eyes.

“Emma, this is Ruby,” he murmured, the pregnant brunette placing her hand over his on her stomach.

“Hi,” Ruby smiled brightly, which confused Emma even more. Did she know what she was? “Nice to finally meet you.”

#cssns #cs fic #cs au #cs werewolf au #cssns fanfic #Alii dimidium Lunam #the other half of the moon #killian jones #emma swan #wolves of misthaven #artistic-writer #ch10

[driftinghereandthere]

BUKU RANT AHEAD

Okay so Chaitlin and I went to Buku this year with the hope of it being an incredible experience, but it was fucking wack. First of all, the people in NOLA are fucking  r u d e. I have never experienced such dirty stares or loud shit talking in my entire life, and it didn’t get much better once inside the festival. I’m not a ~rave queen~ by any means, but what I do love about going to festivals is the overwhelming amount of loving energy that courses through the air. That was NOT the case for Buku. There was such an angry and aggressive energy permeating the entire place that Chaitlin and I couldn’t even find one little sanctuary of our own. No one smiles when they look at you, they aggressively try to cut in front of you, and they were all so focused on themselves! Out of all the people I met, only one was a decent human being and we didn’t say more than two words to each other. At one point, a man was butt ass naked getting a shot in his ass because he was practically DEAD and the people trying to walk around the scene were breaking out into a fight because they didn’t want to follow the security’s orders!

Now the first day wasn’t as bad as the second, in my opinion, but they had most of the top artists sets stacked right on top of each other (on opposite sides of the venue of course) so we were rushing to see bits and pieces of people we love. We missed Spag Heddy because the parking situation was wack (they said it was free, but it was $20 so we ended up driving around NOLA to find free street parking), and luckily we got to hear Ganja White Night + Boogie T but only because we were in this BULLSHIT water line that was right outside of that stage. Sidenote, we stood in that water line for the entirety of Ganja White Night’s set because the water was trickling out so slow and the girls next to us were trying to shove their way past us. At this point, I’ve popped like two points of molly so all I want to do is vibe peacefully. We made it to MGMT (which was fun but we only stayed for a couple songs because their music got a little weird) and then we hauled ass to go see SNAILS. That was the best time I had at Buku because SNAILS always comes through with the beat drops and the vibe, but we had to leave 30/40 minutes in because SZA was on at the other side of the festival and I was NOT going to miss that angel. So we get to SZA and I am having the time of my life. I’m rollie, she’s angelic, and I got to hear my favorite song. But BOOM, out of nowhere the stage is black and she is MIA 15 minutes before her time is up. What happened, you ask? She fucking fell off the stage and sprained her ankle. You can’t tell me that was a coincidence because she had the most loving energy radiating off of her and I swear to god Buku just fucked it up because after that happened things really started going downhill. One news article even joked that the stage she was on might be cursed and I wouldn’t doubt it. So SZA has to leave early and now we still have an hour until Migos. Well, like the trash they are, Migos ends up being 45 MINUTES LATE. I’ve seen them once before and the pulled the same shit, but their performance made up for it. Not this time though. They didn’t apologize for the delay, they mumbled their lyrics, and they only played 30 second previews of each song!!!!! I’m not making this up!!!!! People were fucking p i s s e d (well I know some were, but there were a lot of sorority/frat people who were like “oh my gooooooddd Migos was soooo gooooood”). Not to mention, they didn’t even play Bricks which was the whole reason we even sat through that trash set. So day one is coming to a close, but there was still Virtual Self and Flatbush Zombies. Well as we’re trying to get to that side of the venue, security has to close down the walkway for a good 35 minutes because a train was on its way through! I’m sure you can imagine everyone’s piss poor attitude during that hold-up. But we finally make it and long story short, Virtual Self was not our cup of tea, and Flatbush Zombies took 15 minutes longer to come on than expected so we just dipped because neither of us could be surrounded by those people and that energy any longer. 

So now it’s day two. We’re thinking, “hey, maybe it’ll be less people because most of the really hot artists were day one.” Wrong. It was twice, if not three times as packed and people were even RUDER.  We missed Noname because of more parking bullshit, and the next person we wanted to see didn’t come on for another four hours. The good part about day two is that we actually had time to look around at all of the little intricacies and we ended up buying cute rings and some food. Doing so though, we missed Illenium (who I wasn’t even trying to see, but watching footage afterward I wish we had seen them because they sounded good as hell). At around seven we end up finding our way to Emo Nite LA with the hopes of getting lit to some throwbacks, but it was just “eh.” I mean, they played some bops for sure, but they were literally just a group of 19/20 something year old fuck boys who take pride in not being dj’s and just pressing random buttons. Every song they played had annoying air horn and dolphin sounds playing over them. Not to mention, the people at that set were flailing their limbs around and just jumping up and down. Actually, it wasn’t just at that set, but the whole festival itself. Chaitlin and I are headbangers, but we can get wavy to some other stuff for sure, and then there are typically people who shuffle or do light shows. This place didn’t have any of that. It’s like all of the people there didn’t know how to dance, couldn’t find the beat, and they were doing this weird jump/lunge move while swinging their arms??? And no one could do a proper light show!!!!!!!!!!!! We had three different people with gloves offer to give us a show and they were all  t r a s h. Anyway, the time finally comes for Borgore, the daddy of filth if you will, and we LOVE Borgore because he gets dirty with his beats and his adlibs are fire. So we get in there and it’s packed as all hell, but he starts off with some good shit. However, the people standing next to and in front of us were all doing that body flailing shit! And they didn’t know any of his songs! So Chaitlin and I are sweating balls, people are blindly running into us, and we’re barely even rolling because we were so uncomfortable. And to make matters worse, Borgore pulled some snake ass shit and started playing BULLSHIT tracks I’ve never heard him perform before. Out of nowhere he starts playing uppity, jumpy, house tracks and the crowd fucking ate it up. The look of horror that spread across our faces was priceless and we ended up sitting down during his set because we just couldn’t do it. (It should be noted that while I’m not a lover of house, I can fuck it up on occasion but we were so excited to hear his usual shit and desperately needed to headbang out all of the anxiety we’ve been feeling the past two days). We ended up getting pretty close to the exit because we were fucking over it, but luckily he switched back to his trap/dubstep ways. Interestingly enough, the majority of the crowd bailed when he switched back and people that were coming in were asking if this was Borgore. Not to sound snobby, but how do you not know who Borgore if you’re at Buku? It’s like everyone was there to just say they were there, you know? We have this theory that the artists were told to play certain things because that’s what the crowd wanted. Borgore didn’t even do adlibs! He was silent through his whole set! Which is so unlike him because he is usually interacting with the crowd and constantly asking to see some titties lmao. After a very disappointing Borgore performance, we made our way to Bassnecter. We decided to avoid the giant crowd and chill in the grass under some pretty light structures, but boy was that a huge mistake. At this point, we’re on five points and can barely feel anything because the music and the people have been trash. But we get settled, Bassnectar is killing it, and the roll starts hitting. Well, we notice these girls smiling at us so of course I’m like, “Oh my god, hi!” because that was the first time in two days that someone actually smiled in our direction and I’m feeling lovey dovey rollie. So we go and sit next to them and that was the worst mistake we could have made. 

The main girl was the biggest narcissist I’ve ever met and wouldn’t stop talking about herself and probing us to ask her questions. She lured us in by complimenting us, but as we sat with her the compliments began to sound so ingenuine and she wasn’t listening to anything we had to say. Her friends were just as bad too, one of them was in there with a fake ID and the other one was so fucked up that she was talking over everyone and couldn’t stay steady in one place. However, we did find out through them that apparently, Lil Uzi didn’t even show up for his set! (Neither did Dex or Ski Mask the Slump God). For some reason though, we didn’t leave and just tried to keep it chill. I made the mistake of offering them a hit off my dab pen because next thing you know it’s getting passed around to who knows who and people are taking multiple fucking rips off of it. One girl needed a sip of water and next thing you know our water mug is empty. That continued to happen with the gum and lotion we brought as well (and later we put it together that they stole our pack of cigarettes). So by now, we’ve stopped rolling once again because this bitch is yapping about herself during Bassnectar’s set, my dab pen is empty, and we start getting antsy. We finally decided to just get the fuck out of there and go see Little Dragon. Now I’ve only really heard Little Dragon as a feature on other people’s songs, but I like her voice and from what I understood she had a wavy vibe. Nope. We couldn’t even sit through more than two songs because she didn’t say one word and she was playing trancy music! We bailed on that and made our way to Rezz, who went hard on the first song, but the rest was just more of that jumpy bullshit, and the crowd was horrendous. People were flailing and screaming all over the place and getting out was like something out of a nightmare. The people in the crowd looked so dead in the eyes and none of them moved out of the way, but instead stared us down as we were leaving. Rezz’s debut album is called Mass Manipulation and I swear to god it felt like that entire crowd was a group of angry, brainwashed zombies. Fitting, huh? At this point, the molly isn’t even working and we both start having lowkey anxiety attacks, but Isaiah Rashad is closing the festival and I’m a fan of his stuff so we head over there. Pfffffffff, first off, he’s a talker. He just talked, talked, talked, and took forever to actually play something. And when he did, it was terrible! His voice was overpowering the beat, and it was so heavy and rough. It sounded nothing like his recorded songs. We decided to just call it quits and head the fuck home because the anxiety was getting out of control.

So basically, my review is a 3/10. The concept was great but the execution was horrible. The crowd consisted of so many rich kids all wearing the same, overpriced “I Heart Raves” outfits or Hawaiian shirts, and everyone was so wrapped up in themselves. At one point, this guy next to us snapped at his girlfriend and was like, “the whole point of being here is to experience it, not take it” because all she was doing was getting her friends to take pics of her while artists were performing. The people were literally Energy Vampires. So many people came up to us asking if we had molly, and I’m convinced that the group of awful girls could sense our nurturing energy because they literally sucked us dry. I’ve never been to a festival where people at the back of the water line started arguing with the front because they think they deserve water first. I’ve never been to a festival where everyone is shoulder checking you, looking down on you, stealing shit from you, or bragging about their handmade, artisan, face jewels they bought for $30. It was a fake woke, commercial bullshit, evil energy environment that I don’t care to go back to. Thanks, but no thanks Buku. 

#personal #buku #buku 2018 #nola #borgore #sza #migos #snails #buku music and arts festival #mgmt #bassnectar #i want everyone to know how trash this was

[high5nerd]

Alone Together---Chap. Seventeen

Yeah there’s smut in this.

I remember Sadie acting a little peculiar a few weeks after Valentine's Day. At first I thought maybe it was something related to school, or...restless sleep? I wasn't sure, but the girl wouldn't talk to me when I asked her and often changed the subject. Alice told me she noticed as well, and asked her when she picked her up from school. Apparently she hasn't heard from one of her friends in a while and she's worrying where they've gone. Alice told her not to worry, that they'll soon get in touch with her.

But Alice told me that she said maybe they sent a letter and it's taking a while, Sadie looked very uncomfortable and hopeless.

...What was that girl up to…

Two months passed, and it was soon April. Thank goodness the snow was finally gone, but the rain was constant on certain days and every morning guaranteed wetness and chilly winds. The flora in the town was struggling to bloom, not fully done but almost there. I liked this type of weather the best. It wasn't blindingly sunny, nor freezing cold, or absolutely dreary. It was decently shady. It didn't hurt my eyes nor did it make me want to stay inside. I liked the smell of rain and watching the leaves sway in the wet wind.

So did Alice.

One time we actually sat outside on the bathroom towels until it started thunderstorming, and we came in sopping wet and laughing. That was a good memory. That was the day I learned that her auburn hair wasn't her natural hair color. I mean, I kind of suspected it since it was an unnatural blood red color, but she told me she liked it better than her brunette hair. So of course, I challenged her to let her hair return to it's natural shade so I could see what she looks like as a girl with brown hair. Why wouldn't I? I felt like I was deceived!

I'm kidding.

April 22nd is Alice's birthday. I'll never forget that day, the first time celebrating her birthday with her and Sadie.

It started with making her chocolate chip pancakes in the morning. I mean, early in the morning. Crack of dawn. I had to literally carry Sadie out of bed in order for her to help me. But the little girl ended up falling back asleep at the table, her head resting on the open cook book I was using.

I needed Sadie's help badly then. I didn't know how to make pancakes and with the appliances in their kitchen, it was like rocket science.

That's a poor excuse. Alright, I'll confess.

Alice walked in and somehow an explosion of batter happened. I have no idea how, please refrain from asking. But the chocolate chip batter spread all over the stove, the wall behind it and all over me. It frightened Sadie awake, for I heard her jolt up with a yelp.

Surprisingly, Alice was laughing hysterically. She held her stomach as she gestured to my face.

I frowned, unamused at how she thought it was hilarious that I failed in making her breakfast. I was thinking of her! And now she's laughing at my attempt of making her a gift.

But I didn't realize I had batter all over my face as well, as well as chocolate splatters. Sadie was biting back a grin as well, rubbing her eyes awake. Alice walked over to me and touched my cheek and showed me her index finger, and indeed it was covered with batter.

"You suck at pancakes." Alice giggled, licking her finger.

"I know, just...shut up." I mumbled through my teeth, looking away. So much for-

Then I felt her tongue on my cheekbone. That startled me and made me jolt back up and stare at her in shock. She merely smiled innocently, but Sadie saw it all.

"Oh ew, Alice! That was nasty! That stuff is uncooked!" Sadie made a sick face and held her stomach.

I grinned widely, dropped the stirring spoon in my hand and wrapped my arms around her before kissing her. Alice giggled through the kiss and her hands wove through my hair, making me shiver. She pulled back from the kiss and licked my jaw where more chocolate lay, causing me to chuckle.

"Oh GOD!" Sadie made fake retching noises, "Stop it! I swear to God Above I'll do anything if you just stop!"

Alice pulled away again and grinned at her, raising a brow. "Anything?"

"Yeah, anything!" Sadie looked like she was having an actual meltdown. It was kind of amusing.

"You'll clean your room."

"Yes!"

"Do your laundry."

"That too!"

I was expecting Alice to give another chore for her sister to do, but I was surprised at the next one. She smiled and said, "Have a sleepover at Lucy's?"

Sadie's eyes widened. Alice told her that she was invited to a slumber party around lunchtime, and Sadie nearly whooped with glee out of her chair. That definitely encouraged her to do a good job cleaning her room and her clothes, because when Alice and I went in to double check the entire room was spotless. Not even a stray sock or puzzle piece on the ground. Not even a hair from her dolls' heads.

To be quite honest, I think it was the most cleanest room I've ever seen a child possess. Even her pillows were fluffed and her trash was empty. The room was spotless. That clearly told me she really wanted to go visit her friend. Maybe it was that friend who wasn't around and why Sadie was so forlorn for a while? I guessed so.

Once she left, it was just Alice and I. That gave us more privacy, and honestly, I kind of liked it. She properly cooked pancakes and ate quite a lot of it. I didn't really have anything to give her, so whatever she wanted to do, I was by her side with it. After lunch she wanted to watch a movie she hasn't seen in many years, and I was more than happy enough to lay on the couch with her. Half of the time I wasn't even watching the movie, I was watching Alice. I would laugh when she laughed, I'd stroke her hair, hold her shoulder when the sad moments happened and she'd cuddle closer, and at one point she allowed me to braid a small strand of her hair during the credits.

"How is your birthday, so far?" I asked, holding her shoulders.

"Good. Simple, just the way I like it." She beamed at me, "But it'd be better if you'd give me a back rub."

I grinned at that and swirled my finger for her to turn around. She made some sort of pleased noise and straightened her back, moving her hair away from her neck.

Oh, I knew what she was doing. She's clever, but isn't matched to my own.

I rubbed her shoulders before pressing my thumbs down her shoulder blades, and rolled my palms until I heard her sigh happily. That made me smirk, knowing how easily I could make her feel good.

...Imagine what else I could do to her...the moans she would make…

Shit. Don't think that, Pitch. Bad zone to go into right now, especially when she was around. Still, I couldn't help myself from kissing her neck and letting my lips linger there the more my hands trailed down her back and wrapped around to her stomach, pulling her close to me.

"Why send Sadie away to her friends house?" I asked, noticing her blush reaching the tip of her neck, "I know for a fact this wasn't a coincidence."

"Damn," Alice laughed as she turned around to face me, "Okay, I wanted my birthday with just you and me. There's...there's something I wanted to show you, to share with you."

I was genuinely curious. She's shared a lot of things with me...what other secrets could this girl keep? I guess my questions were written all over my face because Alice smiled and kissed my nose, causing me to smirk at her sappiness.

"You'll have to wait and see. It's a place that means a lot to me." Alice said softly.

I noticed her eyes glance at my lips before looking back at my eyes. I grinned and leaned back, teasing her. She made that adorable pouty face and followed me back, giving me bambi eyes.

"Come on, that's mean." Alice murmured.

"I'm an evil man." I laughed, gently caressing her cheeks.

"Yeah, you are!" Alice smiled, and then bravely kissed me, albeit a bit off from where her target should be but nonetheless she always was capable of taking my breath away.

To prove her I growled and bit her lip, and she opened her mouth to whimper. My tongue slipped in and gently caressed her own. Her hands were soon stuck in my hair and she pressed her body closer, moaning softly.

I wanted her so bad...I never thought I would experience total, uncontrollable lust and love again, but I have.

But then she pulled away and jumped up, and she started laughing when I made some sort of noise of disappointment. I didn't know I was capable of a whine, but apparently I was. Or at least, at that time.

"Come on," she called as she opened the sliding glass door, "I want to show you."

"Show me what?" I asked as I followed her outside.

The sun was already setting by the time we were outside. The sky was tinted a violet purple with dark pinks and reds. Stars were slowly blinking back into the sky, one by one, and not one single cloud was in sight. The wind was no longer bitingly cold, just warm and soft. Alice led me by the hand into the woods behind the house, carefully stepping over roots and branches, warning me of incoming stumps. I smiled and tried attempting to grab her ass, but she laughed and swatted my hand away, pulling me a bit so I would walk beside her. My arm snaked around her waist as she led me to this tiny clearing, barely ten feet long and seven feet wide.

By the time we reached this clearing, it was dark. The moon was just rising in the sky, but it was bright enough to see what was there. The entire clearing had soft grass and moss, not a single root or rock to be seen. Small flowers of white and purple dotted the grass here and there.

Upon further inspection, Alice released my hand and walked towards a tree at the edge of the clearing and climbed into it with dexterity. She disappeared behind the upper branch, and a rustling followed.

"When I was really little I found this spot, and this hiding place became something like a clubhouse, but only me and my imaginary friends could be in. Not even Sadie knows about this place."

I chuckled, watching my feet shuffle before looking up and seeing her silouette against the leaves. Something was lying in her hands.

"Am I an imaginary friend, then?" I teased.

Alice softly laughed before jumping from the branch expertly, rolling her eyes at me. "No, you didn't let me finish,"

"I apologize." I gave her the best pouty face I could muster, but being one with the dark and known as a villain makes it harder to pull that off.

She smiled before coming over to me and looking at this wooden box in her arms, etched into the cover was the word Memories in childlike handwriting. She traced her fingers across the top of the box and said softly,

"When I got a little older, I knew I wanted to share this place with someone that meant the world to me. It got a little lonely with just playing with imaginary people that even I couldn't see."

I smiled as I plucked a few stray leaves from her tresses. Her hair was already returning to it's original brown color, with the fading red looking like mere highlights. I liked her brown hair.

"Well, I feel honored. Thank you, Alice."

"You should be," she smirked, "Because whatever is in here are memories of...what I used to be before my parents died."

"Alice, you don't-"

"I'm ready to," she said with a brave smile, "Because you were around I finally moved on from all that sadness and regret, and I can look back with fondness now. It no longer hurts to think about Mom and Dad. My fears made me stronger, and now I...I want to show you this." Alice sat down on the soft ground, and I followed her movements.

"You know what a time capsule is?" she asked, putting her hands firmly on top of the box.

I slowly nodded. I knew the meaning behind it, I just didn't know what humans put inside of them. Alice shyly smiled before taking off the lid that scraped against the edges.

Inside were things like photographs, handmade objects, written notes, and even jewelry. Alice held up a plastic bag holding a sterling silver necklace with a swirling pendant, "My mom's. She gave it to me when I turned ten."

"It's very beautiful." I commented, and held my hands open when she handed me a small collection of photos from the past. Some were edged as if they were cut and some still shone as if they were brand new.

The first picture was of a woman in a wedding gown, the sleeves puffed and tapering down to the wrist. A man with a trimmed beard stood next to her, smiling broadly. The woman looked just as happy, and her eyes shone behind the thin veil.

"They got married a couple years after they dated. They were planning on getting married in the winter, but then my mom found out she was pregnant with me, so they got married in the summertime. I guess for legal issues." she had a nostalgic smile on her face that I liked.

She definitely did have her mother's eyes and her father's laughing smile. She inherited his dark hair as well, while Sadie looked more like her mother. But knowing Sadie, she'll grow her hair to her waist unlike her mother who cropped it to the beginning of her neck.

The following photographs were pictures of Alice as a baby and a couple of herself holding Sadie for the first time. Those made me laugh. Alice looked like she was confused as to why a baby was in her arms. She had on a disgusted, confused frown on her face and her messy hair was about to get snagged by Sadie's baby hands.

"That was the first time I held Sadie," Alice rolled her eyes, "I knew I wanted a sister, but I didn't know that babies smelled and...well, all in all I was disgusted that she peed on me."

I knew how much these meant to her. The photos of her family on vacations, Holiday cards her mother decorated, photos of their previous dog they owned when Alice was in high school, and her father happily showing his brand new car.

But then the next photo made my heart drop. The image was of Sadie standing next to Alice with her hand in her mouth, looking puzzled as she stared at the ground. Both of them wore black dresses and had their hair in ponytails, but Sadie looked more like a china doll than Alice did.

The funeral.

Alice showed me a clipping from a newspaper, old and smelling like aged paper. The title read in bold print, Cruise Ship Crash Along Coastline. Below that was an image of a massive vacation cruise, nearly broken and dismantled, sinking into the water. Smoke poured out of the bow of the boat, and only three lifeboats were floating away with people sobbing on them and holding each other for dear life.

"They were brave people," Alice said sadly, "I had a bad feeling when they left. I guess it was a warning of what was going to happen…"

"So...your parents drowned…" I looked up at her, understanding her pain.

She nodded, though with an emotion to show that she has moved on from her grief. "By the time they found their bodies, they were underwater held down by debris. Gramma was the one who told me a few days later…" Alice's voice lowered quietly, "But I think what bothered me most was that when my parents left, that was the last time I heard them say 'I love you.'"

I pulled her into a gentle hug, and she stiffened from surprise. Normally I don't react like that, and granted I don't, but in cases like this….I just knew she needed that. She hugged back before letting out a slight giggle. I pulled away and rose a brow, and she smiled at me.

"They would've liked you," she whispered, caressing my face, "Dad especially. You share the same taste in music," she looked down at my robe, "Though they probably would be concerned about me dating the Boogeyman."

"Everyone associates me with fear, I get that," I smirked, "If they were still around I bet it would take a while for them to trust me."

Alice looked up at me. Her big eyes read every emotion inside her. Love, happiness, comfort…

"I think they already do," she gave a soft smile, "Otherwise I wouldn't have...I wouldn't have felt like this."

Ow. My heartbeat was in my throat. I could feel it pounding...it reverberated all through my body. Was my own body shaking with each thrum of my heart? I never felt it beat so hard before...if anything I would feel it faintly before, but now it…

What was that Christmas movie Sadie liked watching? It had a green monster in it, where he was so evil he stole Christmas but then returned it because his heart grew so big. That's what it felt like. Like it was about to burst out of my chest.

Alice smiled and put everything back in the box before setting it aside, and then shifted her positions so she sat on her legs.

"Remember how you said you felt bad for not getting me anything?"

A pang struck, definitely a warning of guilt. I winced at that, and then slowly nodded. I was hesitant. I hope she wasn't disappointed. But by her confident smile I assumed the worst wasn't going to happen.

"Well, there is," she looked away and brushed back some of her hair behind her ear, "two, in fact."

"Oh? What might the first one be?" I smirked at her.

She laid down on the grass and stared up at the starry sky. Knowing humans she probably couldn't see me, but my well accustomed vision to the night allowed me to see her have a faint smile on her cheeks.

"Tell me about who you were before. Your life before you became you now."

"It's quite long, I'm afraid." I wasn't sure if she wanted to hear about my late wife and how I had a daughter…

She looked in the direction of my voice and smiled brightly, "We've got all night."

I was hesitant still. Awkwardly, I laid down next to her and looked up at the stars, thinking about where to start. Where should I? Right when I was born or where my life really held meaning?

So I started with the basics. I honestly was surprised at how easy these memories came to me now. Remember when Sandy informed me that because Alice's belief is stronger than others, and that she is my Devout Bond? It would help me regain lost memories, and he was right. Almost like a movie playing in my head were unlocked memories that I either couldn't recall or the fearlings blocked. They no longer controlled my mind. I could remember anything, or at least more than before.

I told her how I was the only child of my parents, my father who was a veteran from the royal kingsguard and my mother was a seamstress. My father died from wound infection when I was seven years old, a few years after I was sent to the Academy to be trained for the army. I was the best in my class, excelling at not only battle but linguistics and astronomy. Pretty soon I was assigned to my first squadron when I was only seventeen years old, but I didn't stay long. By the time I moved up to the title of officer, the fearlings and dream pirates were attacking our realm. Because of my skills my commander entrusted me to the royal kingsguard like my father served beforehand, and it was proven just that with my leadership our army would grow and defeat any who tried to attack us. Before I became a general I was roped into an arranged marriage by my mother, and ended up falling in love with my late wife. Days after being titled general, our daughter Emily Jane was born just as the sun was rising. I remember her being the light of my life...both of them. I loved them very much. A few years passed, and by the time Emily Jane was about Sadie's age I was assigned to guard the doors where the fearlings were kept in their dungeon. If I had a choice I would've stayed home. I didn't want to leave my daughter and wife, but they both knew I had no choice. I remember leaving on the ship, and looking back and seeing my wife wave goodbye and Emily Jane crying but waving her little hand very fast.

That was the last time I saw them as Kozmotis Pitchiner. The first time I saw them as Pitch Black, was the last time I'd see them alive.

I ended it there, only because I didn't want to scare Alice with the horrifying story of how I destroyed the entire realm and others as well, and even killed my own wife and witnessed my daughter disappear. I had no control over me back then, it was all the fearlings. All I could do was watch as the kingdom burned to the ground…

But once I was defeated by Nightlight and found myself here, I was capable of controlling myself more, and putting the fearlings at bay. Now that they were satisfied with the damage they've done, I made them my own servants and they do my bidding to keep me alive.

And...here I am now.

"Wow…" Alice sounded impressed, "That's more exciting than any life I've known."

I shrugged, "It was common where I was from. Old news, the usual. If anything your life is interesting. At least you're not forced into a marriage."

"Yeah, but you liked her in the end." she smirked.

"Yeah, I did." I rolled my eyes.

Alice childishly rolled on top of me and touched my face, trying to find where my eyes were in the dark. Once her hands wandered down to my mouth I bit her and she mumbled, "Ow." Then she placed her hands on my cheeks. Don't ask me why, I don't know why she did that.

"What would you do if you and I were in an arranged marriage?"

I smiled, "I'd be very happy, and glad my mother finally listened to me for once and gave me something I wanted."

"You want me?" she sounded surprised, and quiet.

"All the time. Even now…" my voice trailed off. Her face was so close, I could have kissed her. I wasn't going to unless she allowed it, though. But still, my hands found themselves at her waist, thumbing the bottom of her shirt.

"Pitch…"

That was a clear green light for me to kiss her. And I damn well did. Why wouldn't I?

I soon found myself rolling her over onto her back and on top of her. Her legs wrapped around my hips and her arms around my shoulders. My mind went fuzzy...I couldn't regain the self control I had before.

I have to be in control...I...can't…

I must've stopped because Alice touched my face and asked quietly, "Pitch?"

"I want you...right now, but I can't-"

"Yes you can," her mouth connected with my neck as her hands traveled down my chest. I couldn't help but shudder… "I want you to."

"No, you-"

"I do. I want to share myself with you in ways I haven't before. I want you to be my first. I choose you…"

I was quiet. I had to consider her words carefully. She sounded like she sincerely meant it all. But...I wanted her to be sure.

"There aren't any take backs."

"I won't regret it."

"I might if I hurt you."

Alice's lips found mine again, lingering there longer than before.

She pulled away and breathlessly whispered, "Think of it as a birthday gift for me."

That did it. I was kissing her all over, our clothes peeling off one by one. The air got hotter than it was before. Was it us? Was our love heating up the entire forest? I could imagine the entire wood lighting on fire, burning into the sky until the world turned red as we made love on the grass. I haven't done this in so long...for so long I thought I forgot how to hold a woman, how to make her feel good.

But her sighs and moans were an indicator that nothing slipped my mind over the centuries.

Our breath mingled, panting when her body pressed against mine and her hands grabbed at my shoulders. I kissed her again and let my lips trailed over to her ear, teasing her by trailing my hands down her body to her south.

"I bet you would moan my name beautifully." I murmured, biting her neck.

She tried biting back a moan, but failed, and it made it worse the more I played with her body.

I didn't think a virgin like her would know how to make me feel like I was melting. Sweat dripped from our bodies, the air got hotter and hotter. I hadn't even penetrated her yet. We were just playing, seeing who would cave in first. And so far I was winning.

I don't know what I did, but Alice's moans got louder and her back arched. God, it was sexy hearing her make those noises…

They say that when soulmates make love, they get so hot they create fire. I swore I saw steam rise from when I touched her and when she scratched my chest with her blunt nails, I saw tiny flames from her fingertips. She looked so vulnerable under me...so young, full of life and vulnerable. Seeing her squirm at my touch and moan...it undid me.

"Now...Please, Pitch. Now." she was the first to cave in.

I smirked, grinding her hips into mine just to tease her. She made a noise of both pleasure and irritation I wasn't doing her bidding. I grinned and kissed her stomach, enjoying watching it flex and release from her rapid breathing and good feelings.

"Why? I thought you wanted to play."

"P-Pitch…" Alice groaned, and let out a breathless moan when I licked her stomach slowly.

"Beg for me."

"N-no."

"Beg, princess."

I kissed down her inner thigh, teasing her more. By the time I reached where she wanted me to be, her hips jerked and she whimpered. I grinned and rose back up, giving her a superior smile.

"Pitch, please...I want you."

That's right. Beg for me...beg for your king.

Crawling back up to her face, I gently kissed her before thrusting in. Her mouth opened in a gasp, her head craning back.

After that it was just soft, gentle touches...soft thrusts in a rhythm, going faster and faster, harder and harder, and whisperings of 'I love you's. She clung to me, burying her mouth to my shoulder so not even the nighttime animals could hear her scream in pleasure.

…

We made love until the sunrise, and by then, we were fast asleep in each other's arms, legs intertwined. Her head rested in the crook of my neck, her breath soft against my skin. I was the first to wake up with the call of the morning birds. My robe was draped over our legs, giving us some source of warmth from the chilly night. When I woke up, I was met with her sleeping, angelic face...so at peace. Content in her own dreamland. A smile tugged at my lips as I touched her cheek.

But as my eyes traveled downwards, I saw the marks I gave her. Not just bruises, but bite marks as well. Was I that animalistic? They were scattered on her shoulders, her neck, her thighs and her hips and in between her legs. I couldn't help but smile as I touched her leg.

Alice stirred a bit and opened her eyes. I looked at her and grinned.

"Morning."

She smiled sleepily, "Good morning...What're you looking at?"

I gestured to her body, and she looked down. After a moment's worth of staring, she grinned, "Cool. They look like I've been in battle."

"And quite a battle it was." I chuckled, pulling her into a kiss.

#rotg fandom #rotg fanfiction #rotg fanfic #fanfiction #fanfics #rise of the guardians #rise of the guardian fanfics #pitch black #pitch black x oc

[aria-blazin-it]

Adagio had no words to describe her feelings at that moment. Hate, disdain, disgust, none of these words were quite enough to encapsulate the state of contempt she was in. Her body trudged forward as her hands lay in the front pocket of her hoodie. The weather was fair and was actually quite warm as the sun was still in the sky, though it wasn’t enough to keep her warm. As of late, she could never be comfortable; she was always too cold, sore, or achy. Her body protested for one reason or another and no matter what she did, it would never be enough.

It didn’t help that Aria had dragged her outside. She claimed it was a good day to go out and at least get some fresh air she said as she took deep hits from her bong. As much as Adagio wanted to say no, the other two insisted; there was carnival in town and they promised the moment she wanted to go back home they would. If it meant they would leave her alone a walk up and down the block, it wouldn’t hurt. They walked through the busy parking lot and finally at the gate they had arrived. The carnival was cheap looking and rather ratty, though what did she expect. Standing there she waited for Aria to pay the fare as Sonata bounced eagerly in place, her eyes glanced from attraction to attraction obviously unable to make up her mind what she wanted to do first as soon she entered. Adagio also looked around but not with the same wonderment Sonata had for this tetanus filled wonderland. The sights and smells caused Adagio stomach to heave as her toes curled in her shoes. The loud rides thundered in every direction and the booths populated by slacked jaw carnies and gullible mortals. They weren’t even in the park yet but already Adagio wanted to turn back.

Though if she said anything now her day would be over, as the other two would make her life impossible if they didn’t at least enter this dump. Aria gestured to walk through the barricade to enter. The two Sirens waited for Adagio to enter first before following her in and just as she figured, it was just as miserable. She waded through crowds walking in no particular direction seeing as it didn’t matter. Clueless and stupid faces as far as the eye could see, obnoxious laughter in every direction, and that horrid smell. Truly, this was hell.

Adagio stopped as she found a small clearing to catch her breath as the other two stopped behind her. She looked around and listened intently, even with the loud metal rides she could catch the faint beating of hearts all around her, all of them pounding with excitement. She turned head slightly and caught Aria staring at her through her peripherals. A slight grin tugged at her mouth; this was a little game she and Aria played throughout the millennia. Catching Aria spying on her, she would quickly turn her gaze or preceded to stare passed her as if she wasn’t looking, though long ago the implications were a lot more serious as the countless assassination attempts were once a thing to consider but now it was just pure habit. Turning to face the other two, she took a deep breath.

“Well we’re here. Hurry up and choose something while I still have the patience to tolerate this place.” With that, Sonata beamed with excitement and proceeded to speed-walk to her chosen ride. The other two followed close behind.

Adagio was actually surprised. Though she was miserable and this place was hellish, she wasn’t dying to leave quite yet. She wondered if it was her mind eroding, the winkles in her brain smoothing out and her body growing numb to this world after all this time. At one point, she would have never been caught dead in a place like this, yet here she was. Stopping at the railing next to the ride, she watched as Sonata was strapped into some sort of boat. As Aria had also stepped on to the ride, Adagio spotted the name of the ride preached on top the of huge gears that swung the boat, “The Siren’s Call.” She couldn’t have rolled her eyes hard enough after reading that. Was Sonata attracted to the ride because of the name, the theme, or was it just a coincidence? As the ride started, Sonata grinned and waved to Adagio. The boat swung back and forth, gaining speed and height. The screams of terror and laughs of glee melded together as the ride reached its peak. The ride wasn’t long but it felt like an eternity waiting by the sidelines. Adagio had made up her mind to inform the others to leave but as they approached. Sonata was sporting her usual big stupid grin she saw something that was fairly new, a genuine smile from Aria.

Aria was usually stoic and mostly rather humorless in most cases. If she wasn’t completely high out of her mind she was usually straight faced. The smile was small but it was there. Sonata bounced in place as they assumed the usual formation at Adagio’s side and waited. Adagio glanced at the two before she spoke. “You riding another ride or what? I am not picking or riding so hurry up.” Aria’s brow raised ever so slightly after hearing Adagio. “So you don’t want to leave yet?” Aria hid her surprise rather well and Sonata squinted at Adagio with obvious suspicion.

Adagio rolled her eyes and started walking in a random direction. The trio walked in silence, the two in the back unsure of what to say. Nevertheless, it wasn’t long until Sonata spoke.

“So Aria, you wanna go on that ride?” Sonata gestured with her head in a direction toward a roller coaster.

Aria glanced at the small coaster and then to Adagio. Even with her back turned Adagio felt Aria’s stare. She knew she was waiting for some sort of approval. She stopped and turned to face Aria. With a dismissive shrug and a quick nod, Adagio made her way to the gate surrounding the ride. Aria and Sonata ran over to the small line and after a short wait, they boarded. Again, Adagio merely watched as the two rode.

The rumbling of the tracks and piercing scream brought memories of days past. A derailed train due to a broken axle; who could’ve possibly seen this coming except her? She happened to be at the right spot to witness the tragedy. The amount of lives lost brought with it great sorrow and she drank it all up. She could almost imagine the faint taste of the sweet wine on her tongue she chose for that day. But soon the memory gave way to others and then those became a jumbled mess. Flashes of different times, all incoherent memories, and no matter how much she attempted to grasp on to one it only slipped through her fingers. The flashes only got worse as she tightened her grip on the railing, her eyes screwed shut in an attempt to stop the attack.

However, through the chaos of her mind she heard distinct and precise voices calling to her and the memories stopped. The sounds of the carnival came flooding back and her vision cleared. Starting at the dead patch of grass on the floor past the rusted railing, she caught her breath. A hand was gently pressed up against her and she traced up the arm with her eyes to its owner. It was Aria, with only the faintest look of concern. A thin sheen of sweat covered Adagio’s face as her eyes bounced to Sonata who expressed far more obvious concern.

“Are you ok?” Aria asked, keeping a small distant away from her distressed leader. Adagio quickly looked back the floor. “Yeah, I am just fine. You ready for another ride?” Aria face became obviously more concerned. “Dagi, we don’t need to be here. We can go. I mean it’s just-” Adagio whipped around to face the tall siren. With an expression of unquestionable certainly she interrupted. “I am fine. We’re already here so choose a ride and let’s go.”

Nudging passed her with surprising strength, Adagio lead them once more around the park. She stuffed her hands in the hoodie and listen carefully to the world around her. She blocked out the screams and shouts, ignored the racing heartbeats, and focused on the duo behind her. Aria’s steps were softer, as she made sure to be two steps behind Adagio. Sonata’s were quick as she stumbled to keep the same distance. Adagio knew they were both obviously disturbed by her behavior.

With a small huff, she made her way to another clearing and stopped along a few closed booths. The other two stopped in front of her before re-positioning next to her. They stood and watched the crowds pass in silence, the flurry of people minding their own business, paying no mind to the trio that watched them. If it were a year ago, the situation would’ve been so much different. They wouldn’t be just watching, they would stalking and preying on the mortals who dared get too close. Who knew a year would be the difference between her peak and her failure. With another loud huff she looked at Sonata whose attention was obviously directed to a nearby food court selling grease-laden foods. The smell was atrocious, but Sonata didn’t seem to mind.

“Ask Aria to get you something.” Sonata flinched at the sudden statement. Her glance snapped back and forth between the two older sirens. It wasn’t until Aria walked towards the booth did Sonata’s stupor broke and her trademark smile appeared on her face again.

Sometime after Sonata devoured her meal with vigor did their trip around the park continue. The carnival was quite big and provided a decent selection of rides and games. It was sprawled out in no particular order and the park goers made it seem even more chaotic then it really was. They rode more rides, Sonata ate more food, Adagio and the incident back at the first roller coaster was forgotten or least never mentioned.

The sun began to set, it bled into marvelous reds and bright yellows and Adagio shook her head. The colors reminded her of a certain thorn in her side. A thorn that they needed at the moment. Evening came and park lit up in colored lights but one ride stood out among the rest, a merry-go-round. Its dated appearance made it unique and it was antiquated compared to the others, which thankfully made its line short.

Removing a hand from her hoodie she gestured towards the ride and that was all Sonata needed, and she ran excitedly toward the ride.

Adagio followed and leaned on the rail overlooking the ride as she watched Sonata choose a seahorse as her mount. She felt a weight press onto the railing beside her and a familiar sight broke the stillness. For a second time Aria appeared next to her. The ride begun to spin and music started to play.

For a moment Adagio had wanted to ask why she wasn’t with Sonata but before she could Aria spoke first.

“She always has that stupid look on her face doesn’t she” Aria chuckled. Adagio kept her eyes locked onto Sonata and indeed, she had the wide smile. “Even after the body shifts, she always kept that smile.”

“Don’t tell me you’re just noticing that now?” Adagio sneered a bit as she thought back. Her tongue passed over her crooked teeth. When they arrived in this world, human mannerism were a challenge to get used to. A smile was a basic expression of happiness or humor and Sonata latched on to that one almost immediately. After some time they discovered they were able to change small features of their body. Grow in height, slim their figures, change their face but only small intervals. It proved to be useful, certain features were considered attractive in different regions but Sonata she always kept that wide smile that was noticeable from a mile away.

“You know I think she smiles more for us.” Aria concluded.

“Smiles? For us?” Adagio questioned with slight interest.

“Yeah, I think she feels she has to comfort us or just to show us she’s ok.”

“Assuming a bit much aren’t you?”

“Please Dagi, don’t tell me you buy into her act of the oblivious spaz?”

“No, I don’t but still you think she cares. The little tart that would be running around for days on end, spending all her money on food and drink, partying with any unfortunate mortal that would fall into her trap of promises.”

“And? She always came back. Even if we moved suddenly she would find her way back to us.”

Adagio thought of Sonata’s exploits; they were trips debauchery and over indulgence. She would always come home broke and often disheveled but “full” according to her. Adagio never asked nor did Aria, being an abyssal they could only assume but never really wanting to truly know.

Adagio chuckled and grinned. Shaking her head, trying to make sense of Sonata’s action was a fool’s game and Aria of all people would know that.

“Let’s say she does care. What would it mean to us?”

“Does it matter if it means anything to us? All these years and Sonata is still here.”

“And you?” Adagio rebutted.

“What about me?” Adagio felt Aria’s stare burning a hole in side of head but she didn’t bother to meet to her gaze.

“You’re still here, even when you decided to leave you came back. Very angry, but you came back.” Adagio waded through the memories and was able to find a crystal clear image. A livid Aria huffing over her desk, covered in head to toe in dirt and rags. If a look could kill, she would have been dead ten times over. The sound of Aria’s voice brought her back.

“Yeah well, I had something to settle with you and after that I didn’t have a reason to leave.”

“Until the next set of wedding bells rung.”

“Ok, ok, I get it. We had our moments. Fuck, you always manage to turn this around on me,” Aria sounded unamused.

“You make it too easy.” Adagio said with a deep sigh, rubbing her eyes the day was starting to catch up on her body.

“Bring this back to the present. Why haven’t we left yet? I was certain I paying for one ride.”

Adagio shrugged lightly. “I don’t know”

“’I don’t know’, quote Adagio Dazzle, 2017. I am making a note of that for future generations.”

“I just don’t have the answers like I used to Aria.”

“You’re not giving up are you?” Aria said in disbelief.

“No. Even in the face death, I’ll never consider giving up. Defying that wretched wizard and knowing he’s rotting in the ground is what keeps me going.” The Adagio brand grin on her face, that fire burning in her eyes but soon it dimmed.

“I am just tired.”

The conversation ended and they continued to watch the merry-go-round once more.

Sonata stumbled out of the ride dizzy and laughing up a storm. She came towards them and Aria placed her sizable hand on her head halting her approach. “After all you ate and that ride you’re not getting anywhere near me.” Sonata only giggled “What? That’d be a waste of food.” Aria only mumbled as they continued to walk. At the end of the park stood a tall bright Ferris wheel. Sonata was bouncing with anticipation; the choice was obvious. Sonata and Adagio made their to the Ferris wheel but Aria stayed behind. This didn’t go unnoticed as Adagio turn to face her.

“It’s the last ride.”

“So? Ferris wheels are lame and they take forever, let’s get out of here. If we start walking now we’ll beat the crowd out.”

Aria’s expression was unmoving and whether or not she meant what she said or not a relief washed over Adagio.

“Awwww but it’s so tall. Not even one go around?”

“No.” Aria preemptively grabbed Sonata’s collar as she pulled out her phone. “But let’s take a picture.”

“A picture?” Adagio said less then enthused.

“Yeah, why not?”

Adagio rolled her eyes for umpteen time that night. She always thought pictures were a novel idea but Aria always had a soft spot for mortal habits. A picture couldn’t hurt though.

“Make it quick then.” Adagio said with little resistance as she brushed her hair out of her face.

Aria positioned herself in front of the supposed lame Ferris wheel holding her arm out Adagio took her place next to her. Sonata leapt on to Aria and latched her arms around her shoulder. With an unceremonious light tap of the screen, the picture was taken. Aria examined the picture and nodded satisfied with her work.

“Aww let me see.” Sonata whined as she scrambled to Aria’s shoulders, perched right over her head.

“I’ll show you at home. Let’s just get out of here.”

With a pout, Sonata rested her chin on top of Aria’s head slouching the rest of her body forward and with that, they left. Not a word was said during their trip home. Sonata dozed off as she was carried and Aria merely hummed lightly to herself.

Adagio’s body ached but luckily, home wasn’t very far. She took deep breaths and flushed the smell of that carnival out of her nose. Her mind wandered as she began to think about the day.

All the faces passing in a blur; did she know any of them? Did any of them know her? What did all of this mean? Was the trip worth it? What was her time worth now?

That last question almost stopped her heart. The uncertainty of it all would’ve normally shook her very core. However, she realized she did not care at the moment and it did not matter. She only wanted to claim her spot next to the couch, away from mortal eyes where she could wallow in peace. Maybe then she’ll worry about her day later but for now, it was a nice night.

————————————————————————————————-

[[Something that has no business for being this long but yeah I’d like to thank all you guys for the support. A big shout out to Tango my go to editor. You’ve been a big help man. Lazer, TDX and my nigga JC you've all been a real bros for the past almost three years. Gorjee, you bring out the best in me and you’ve been nothing but a sweetheart. And to all the new and old followers thank for sticking around expect this thrilling drama to continue.]]

[laseroy89]

Don’t Do It Again.

My right cheek felt warm. The sun’s rays filtered through the slits in the curtain, and shone on my face. I rubbed the crust from my eyes, then sat up to stretch, flexing and curving my back. It was so satisfying, to hear my back crack, and feel the tension ease away.

I closed my eyes, soaking in the sounds of the morning. The birds were chirping without a care in the world, and rustled the leaves as they jumped around in the tree directly outside my window, looking for the ripe berries. The wind chimes in my neighbour’s backyard jingled in the gentle breeze, playing a calming melody. There was the sound of children playing happily in the distance, probably at the playground just a stone’s throw away from here. I opened my eyes and looked to my side immediately to see my phone’s screen flashing some words against a white background.

DON’T DO IT AGAIN.

Don’t do what? I was puzzled, and also a little angry. The dark bold words spanned my phone’s screen, and burnt into my retina as I continued staring at it. It wasn’t just a warning or a precaution, it was like….scolding me. For something I did wrong. What did I do? I don’t remember anything….I only remembered collapsing on my bed, tired after a long day of work. What wrong can a tired man do? Wasn’t it enough that I slaved at my laboratory everyday, to put food on the table? Wasn’t it? WASN’T IT?

“WHAT DID I DO!!!!!” I raged at my phone, my spittle splashing on my phone screen. The display sputtered a little, showed some static, before returning back to my ordinary home screen.

Phew. It was comforting, to see my wife on my home screen. Her lips, curved up in a beautiful grin. Her dimples, ever so cute. And her eyes, normally so large and mesmerising that I would lose myself in them, but were half-closed in the middle of a laugh. I touched her face with my thumb, only to open my planner app.

Hmmm. It was Saturday. Today’s breakfast was peanut butter and banana on toast. What a healthy and filling meal to start off a splendid morning.

I made my way towards the kitchen to make my breakfast, humming as I prepared my meal. I thought about my wife, as I coated each slice of toasted bread with a thick layer of peanut butter. She would have done the same, lavishing me with copious amounts of goodies, then giggled and complained that I ate too much. Then I would just shake my head and give her a peanut-butter stained smile which would have made her laugh out even more.

She was always the giggly type. She giggled when we cuddled in bed, she giggled when I gave her a goodbye kiss whenever I left for work, and she giggled when we binge-watched our tv shows.

I missed her giggles.  

I carried the plate over to my favourite wicker chair on my porch, and sat down with a grunt. My position overlooked the street in front of my home, which wasn’t very busy, one of the perks of living in a quiet neighbourhood. I remembered the previous house we lived in - it was just beside one of the main roads going into the city and boy, was it noisy then.

I picked up the newspaper that the paper boy had thrown beside the chair.

Man found dead at the roadside. Okay. Some bad news to start the day.

I read on.

The person was found dead on the grass patch right beside the junction where Barron Lane and Avery Road intersected, which was….just down the road. The police has ruled it a death due to unnatural causes. There were zero clues at the spot. No blood, no accident wreckage, no signs of a struggle, leading the police to infer that the body could have been dumped there. The person was identified to be one Auther Tager, according to the wallet found on his body.

My blood ran cold as I read that name.

I am Auther Tager.

This must be a coincidence. I didn’t know of anyone else in my neighbourhood named Auther Tager, but….well, it is indeed a unique name, but that was the only logical explanation. I mean, I was alive and well, right here with a newspaper in my hand, and two sandwiches next to me.

Until I looked at the photos.

There was a photo of the crime scene, with police tape sealing off the area, and what looked like a navy blue body bag surrounded by police officers. And on the top right of that photo, was a smaller picture of….me. They used the photo on my ID. The ugly one with pimples and my then stupid buck-toothed grin.

That’s just not possible. I am alive. I am alive, GODAMMIT!! There’s a mistake. There’s a mistake. No, there’s a mistake.

But I don’t remember losing my wallet. I patted my pocket. It was there, right there. I opened it to reveal my ID, glinting in the morning sun.

Come on, man. First my wife, then my work-life balance, now - me? Why has life got to be so unfair?

I wolfed down my sandwiches, threw down the newspaper beside my seat, and left for the junction. I needed to find out what was happening.

The junction looked normal. There were cars driving around on the road and there were pedestrians on the sidewalk. Some of them carried bags of groceries, some of them were taking their dogs out for a walk, some of them waited for the traffic light to turn green so that they could cross the road. It was just a regular morning, nothing unusual.

I walked over to the grass patch which was pictured in the newspaper. This must be where my body - or rather, what was mistaken to be my body - was found. There was nothing at the scene to suggest that though. The grass was a lush bright green, but short - must have been mowed recently. There were mynahs and ravens pecking around, foraging for food. Further away from the road, closer to the trees, there were children playing at the playground, while their mothers looked on and chatted about life. It was as if no one remembered that there had been a dead body here.

I’ve seen the crime scene. I needed to see the body, to confirm whether it was me.

The body must have been moved to the morgue at the nearest hospital. It has to be there - I work there, and I know that the police sometimes do autopsies there too. I fished in my pockets for my wallet - but there wasn’t any cash for a cab. Steal a bike it is, then.

Speak of the devil, there was someone cycling towards me now. I squinted, and made out my teenage neighbour, Stanley. He looked so happy, and so….old. He had a moustache now, and looked so fit and muscular. Huh, he had worked out quite a lot since I last saw him.

“Hey Stanley, do you mind if I borrow your bike for a while?” I said in a cheery tone, trying to disguise my urgency.

He stopped and got off his bike, and looked at me, mouth agape. It was funny, seeing his mouth open like that to reveal the chewed up chips inside. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.

Then I remembered I was in quite a hurry.

“Thanks, Stanley! Tell your mom I said hi!” I grabbed his bike out of his open hands, and pedaled away. I looked back after cycling for a while, and he was still there, staring after me. I sighed, and turned back. He was always a bit slow in the head.

The road to the hospital didn’t really look the same as I last remembered it. My memory was quite fuzzy, but I didn’t remember some buildings on the way.

Luckily, the hospital didn’t change much. That ceiling light and air-conditioner unit at the right side of the entrance were still not fixed. The third corridor was still narrow. And the morgue was still located in the basement.

No one seemed to recognise me at my workplace though. The nurses were new, and the doctors, well, were as usual too busy to even look in my direction. I made my way down to the morgue smoothly, which was weird considering how there should have been a greater police presence, since forensic criminologists should be examining the body by now.

However, there was only one person sitting in the morgue: the clerk, sitting at his usual place at the right of the door. It was some twenty-year-old kid, typing some stuff.

I pushed the door open, but it wouldn’t budge. Ah, I forgot that it was keycard activated. I pulled out my card, and slid it into the card reader. It replied with a loud “Access Denied”.

That was impossible. I am an employee of this hospital, I should have access!! I ran it through the reader again, but the same reply sounded again. Shit! Shit! SHIT!! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!!

The door opened though. The clerk poked his face out.

“Good morning, Dr Tager! Please, come in,” he opened the door wide for me to enter.

“Thanks.” I muttered while keeping my cursed keycard.

“Anything I can help you with?” he asked, with the same smile on his face.

I wanted to ignore him, but I realised that I didn’t come down here very often, and the clerk’s assistance could help a great deal.

“Hey, erm, I’m looking for a body. Can I use your computer to look for its drawer?”

“Oh, no need to trouble yourself, Dr Tager. I can help you do it!!” He sat down, his hands poised over the keyboard, ready to type.

“It’s okay, I think I’ll rather do it myself.”

“Doctor, with all due respect….I am not allowed to let others use the facility’s computer under my keycard. And according to what happened just now….your keycard doesn’t seem to be working.”

Fuck. Well, I had no choice.

“Alright. I’m looking for….Dr Auther Tager.”

“Alright, please wait a moment….C44, Dr Tager.” I scrutinised his face for any signs of shock or fear, but there were none, just a bright smile. Either he was too stupid to link the two names I just gave to him, or he just wanted to be promoted so much that he didn’t care and just wanted to please any superior he could find.

“Thanks.” I walked briskly to Section C.

It was just there, but I was afraid to pull it open. I had hurried here in my rush to know the truth, but now that it was just a few fingertips away….apprehension enveloped me. I didn’t dare to….but I had to. Otherwise, how….how do I live this down?

I pulled the drawer open.

There was a body inside, with the feet sticking out of the loose wrapping. I gingerly reached for the toe tag, and…..it read “Auther Tager”.

It was this body.

I reached inside the wrapping, and carefully pulled the top part open, to reveal the face.

It couldn’t be. But it was. The same nose, the same hairstyle, the same mole near the bottom of the right cheek, that little tattoo of a sun in the hollow above the right clavicle….it was me. I was staring at myself.

A sharp pain erupted from the back of my neck, and suddenly, everything around me blurred. I leaned on the drawer for support, and sank down slowly to my knees. I clutched the back of my neck, and pulled out what seemed to be….a tranquilizer dart.

“Subject 69 is down, I repeat, Subject 69 is down. Dr Larsson, you can conduct your introductory session now.” That sounded suspiciously like that clerk. What an asshole.

I lay down on the floor, dizzy and immobilised. Every part of my body felt like lead. My eyes hurt as the bright fluorescent lights shone directly on my retinae. My fingers hung on the edge of the drawer for a few more laborious seconds before falling on my face.

Boots clattered into the room. Some dark figures loomed over me, giving me some respite from the blinding light.

“This is Subject 69. I know, he looks like your dear neighbour the late Dr Tager, but rest assured, this is not him. I know this is your first day here, and I know this may be shocking to you, Stanley, so….get used to it.”

Wait what? Stanley? A doctor? Okay, good for him….but why would he DO THIS?

“What happened to Dr Tager?” Stanley’s voice came out quite meekly.

I heard Larsson sigh. “Auther loved his wife. A lot. So when she died, Auther sort of went….mad.” I tried to grind my teeth together in anger but even my jaw was paralysed.

“He was still an extremely good doctor, but he dabbled in the occult, trying to bring his wife back, I guess. Now, you and I rational people don’t believe in such foolish stuff, even Auther didn’t, but what he went through….changed him. Of course, Mrs Tager never came back - but something bad, something illogical happened. Remember what happened a few months back?”

Several of the silhouettes nodded.

“A pity, that one. What a talent, wasted like that. Sure, we were both rivals, but I still deeply respected him. You see that one in C44? Yup, that’s him. The real Auther. For some reason, that body refuses to decompose.”

What the fuck.

“Then, ‘he’ keeps on waking up on his bed. We’re still studying why and how that happens. Those versions of him….they look like him, and seemed to retain some of the same memories, but….they are different. After receiving the first few, we realised that they were quite unstable, and could be dangerous to the patients.”

The few silhouettes bent down to grab my limbs, and moved me onto a gurney.

“So we decided to use them instead. Through some trial and error, we conditioned them.” Hands reached into pockets and took out my phone and wallet. “The first step, is to type this on the phone. It’ll provoke him and cloud his judgement even more. Then place them both beside his bed. I’ll give you more details when we visit his house at the end of the day. Come on lads, let’s get a move on. Right now, we have some new organs for transplant.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My right cheek felt warm. The sun’s rays filtered through the slits in the curtain, and shone on my face. I sat up to stretch, flexing and curving my back. It was so satisfying, to hear my back crack, and feel the tension ease away.

I looked to my side to see my phone’s screen flashing some words against a white background.

DON’T DO IT AGAIN.

Don’t do what? I was puzzled, and also a little angry. The dark bold words spanned my phone’s screen, and burnt into my retina as I continued staring at it. It wasn’t just a warning or a precaution, it was like….scolding me. For something I did wrong. What did I do? I don’t remember anything….I only remembered collapsing on my bed, tired after a long day of work. What wrong can a tired man do? Wasn’t it enough that I slaved at my laboratory everyday, to put food on the table? Wasn’t it? WASN’T IT?

“WHAT DID I DO!!!!!” I raged at my phone, my spittle splashing on my phone screen. The display sputtered a little, showed some static, before returning back to my ordinary home screen.

Phew. It was comforting, to see my wife on my home screen. Her lips, curved up in a beautiful grin. Her dimples, ever so cute. And her eyes, normally so large and mesmerising that I would lose myself in them, but were half-closed as she was in the middle of laughing. I touched her face with my thumb, only to open my planner app.

Hmmm. It was Sunday. Today’s breakfast was spinach and poached egg on toast. What a healthy and filling meal to start off a splendid morning.

I made my way towards the kitchen to make my breakfast.

#nosleep #horror #story #stories #writing #dying #death #corpse #resurrection #clone #occult #spell #relive #repeat

[ourxcountryadventure]

August 11, 2018: Vimy

We awoke this morning excited for our adventure as today was the day we were headed out of Paris to visit the Vimy War Memorial. We had booked train tickets from the Gare Nord to Arras a town approximately 20 minutes from the site. Our train was set to depart at 8:50 am and being that train travel in general and European train travel in particular was not something with which we had a lot of experience we planned to arrive at the station at 8:00 to allow time for misdirections and unforeseen consequences.

Breakfast at the hotel was decided upon and turned out to be quite a fulsome and yummy buffet that allowed for the packing of snacks which we had been advised we would need as there is not a food service at the monument itself. We then headed out via the Metro towards Gare Nord to catch our high speed train to Arras.

Our adventure started with the simple task of securing subway tickets. We descended into the St Michel station entrance to find that there was no token machine located at the entrance. We did get to witness some high drama as a couple laden with suitcases and back packs raced for a train with the female leaping the turnstile to get there in time. We decided upon a less physical more legal action of going across the street to the other entrance where we found a machine and secured six return tickets. Once on the metro we had only a few stops before we reached the train station. Dad enjoyed the experience and we made sure that both he and Mom had ample time to plan their exit at the correct stop so as to not leave anyone on the train.

We had assigned seats on the train and once it arrived and we got settled we were quickly on our way. Dad handed out Canadian flag pins to everyone to put on our shirts so that we could show our pride. The high speed trip to Arras was scheduled to take approx 50 Minutes. At one point we were traveling at speeds in excess of 300 km/h!

Our arrival at Arras was smooth and we came outside to find the taxi stand just as we found described by many in Trip Advisor. One minor hiccup however....one empty taxi and none in sight. I phoned the number provided on Trip Advisor by several different people to find that Bruno had the day off but he assured me one of his colleagues would be right round. We called each number on the taxi sign to be answered by machines. Finally, Syl went inside to ask at the coffee stand and discovered the missing taxi driver inside. The size of his Mercedes car meant that we would have to go in two shifts. Syl and I took the first and shared with a young couple from Winnipeg (who ended up being on the return train with us in the seated in front of us what a coincidence). They had spent the last several months touring Europe and were in their last couple of weeks before heading home.

We arrived at the Canadian Visitors Centre and went inside to wait for our companions. We were greeted by Sally, a student from Aurora who was spending her summer working at the Parks Canada 🇨🇦 site.

The rest of our crew arrived approximately 40 Minutes after us. We took some time to look around the Centre and then headed out to see the trenches. Julie and Andrew also took a tour of the tunnels. The rest of us did a self guided tour which included seeing the trenches, craters, sheep, and of course the monument.

The site is beautifully curated with a portion that is home to a permanent collection and another section which has a display on loan from the Canadian War Museum that includes stories of many Canadian men, women and children who were impacted by the First World War. The stories were extremely moving and beautifully presented.

Outside the ground appears to be much like what you think of a hobbit village with grass covered mounds of earth everywhere. Then you see the trenches and the signs at the extremities noting the possibility of unexplored ammunition and you are reminded of what happened here over 100 years ago.

The preserved trenches snake like a maze. The sandbags replaced by concrete replicas and the mud and wooden ladders replaced by gravel and concrete forms. They are not as deep as I imagined them to be and when Syl’s 6’ stood up inside the top 1/3 of him was exposed. We could imagine the horrible conditions that they faced living their through terrible weather and conditions. Julie and Andrew’s trip into the tunnels revealed that they too had been modified for the safety of visitors. They had made them taller for visitors to be able to move more easily through them. They were able to see the chalk walls and imagine what it must have been like.

We continued our 20 minute walk from the trenches to the Monument taking a leisurely pace and enjoying the surroundings and the enormity of the site which was gifted to Canada by the French government in thanks for their help during WWI. We saw the Vimy Sheep 🐑 who act as groundskeepers in the lands that are known to have active ammunition still in the ground. Syl and Andrew reverted to their adolescent selves when they kept hoping for one to set off an explosion with little care or concern for these wooly patriots.

We approached the monument from the back and after enjoying our snack in its shadow, walked up the long mall towards it. It is powerful in its size and structure never mind its meaning and its representation. To get to the front we climbed the steps over the monument and found ourselves seeing it from an entirely different elevation and scale.

It is hauntingly beautiful. At the grave of the unknown soldier, there were wreaths and private tributes left. All over the monument there were small crosses and poppies which stood in stark contrast to the white stone.

It was a beautiful experience to be there.

Our return trip to Arras was orchestrated with our taxi driver and again we departed in shifts. Syl and I again went first and that gave us the time to scope out the immediate area around the train station for a bank and a good restaurant for lunch. Again we turned to our faithful travel companion, Trip Advisor, for a review and so when we all reconnected it was Yummy’s that was our destination.

Yummy’s is a burger joint with pizazz. Since Andrew and I had chosen burgers the day before so we opted for salad along with Sylvin, and the others chose the burgers which they deemed delicious. The salads were very good as well! Dessert was ice cream of varying combinations which was a nice way to top off our meal.

Back on the train and set to return to Paris at 3:17 pm we settled in and enjoyed the fast forward return to the City.

At the Gare Nord Julie and Andrew decided they would walk back to the hotel as they wished to do some shopping. The rest of us continued on with our plan of taking the Metro back to St Michel. What none of us took in to account was the different vibe that Paris exudes on Saturday late afternoon. The number of people out and about was staggering, the armed militia were traveling in groups of 4 or 5 as were the police. The station was full of people moving about but also gathering in groups. The subway cars were all full and standing room only Julie and Andrew had a similar experience in their walk which Julie described as a run as they found themselves in a neighbourhood where prostitutes were soliciting and groups of unsavory looking people were loitering along the streets.

Finally, back at the hotel safely we all had a bit of a rest before we got ready for our Seine Dinner Cruise on Le Calife.

The walk to dinner was lovely and calm as we had found the location of the boat previously at Pont des Arts. People were dressed so lovely for this experience that I was wishing I had brought something a little nicer than what I was wearing.

The maître d’/host made everyone feel special when he greeted us and escorted us to our table. We were seated on the top level by the window overlooking the Louvre and given champagne to begin our evening. Julie presented mom and I with Eiffel Tower charms which was very sweet of her. We made a toast to our great adventure and settled in to an amazing meal. There were two different prix fixe menu options and Julie teased mom that we got the peasants menu while she and dad ate like royalty but since mom treated all of us we all felt very special. It was all delicious and was timed perfectly. The cruise went towards Notre Dame and beyond both of the islands to a park where people were gathered and dancing to music being played over loud speakers: the swing, tango and waltz were identified at each of the gatherings. We then turned around and traveled under Pont Marie (no escape desired this time) and around the other side of the islands. When we arrived to the Eiffel Tower we emerged from under the bridge just as the twinkling lights came on. It was magical! Back to port at 11pm, we all walked back to the hotel together.

[crossingchina]

New Post has been published on Crossing China

New Post has been published on http://crossingchina.com/gansu-and-the-yugurs-pt-2/

Gansu and the Yugurs Pt 2

From the resort area on the top of the mountain we pressed on, winding our way down the backside of the mountain range through narrow two lane roads. The landscape abruptly changed from grassland to dense coniferous forest as we descended from the peaks of the Qilian Mountain Range into a tranquil valley on the western edge of the Hexi Corridor. We raced across a small stream that trickled over the road, shooting water into the air and causing much excited screeching from our young hosts. The trees thinned out in the valley as we approached the Yugur town of Sunan.

Jasmine above Sunan Town

Sunan was the first proper “city” that we came across since leaving Zhangye. It was small but felt like an actual town with businesses and school and homes and a “downtown” area, as opposed to just scattering of homes and farms. We didn’t stop however, we instead drove through town and up to a lookout overlooking the city and the snowcapped mountains beyond. We left the doors to the car open and the music cranked as we got out of the car. One other person was at the lookout, sitting shirtless on a bench under the hot sun. Our driver Birdie enthusiastically greeted the old man.

In such a small city out in the middle of nowhere, it is probably not a coincidence for townsfolk to run into people that they know, but it turned out this old man was one of Birdie’s school teachers from a few years back, and the two of them welcomed each other as old friends, smiling and shaking hands and laughing. The old fellow greeted the rest of us in the local dialect, with Jasmine and I nodding politely and smiling while not understanding a single word. After just a few moments more he wandered off down the hill. Maybe he was tired of baking under the summer sun, or perhaps he was annoyed by the blaring music, nevertheless he was gone from our lives just as quickly as he entered.

Shopkeeper in the middle of nowhere, Gansu

We took a few pictures of the idllyic country town as it hugged the natural contours of the valley. From our perch above Sunan it looked like a small slice of heaven with its neatly arranged identical apartment blocks nestled in the green foothills of the snowcapped Qilian Mountains. Before long we set off once again for the open road.

Convenience Store in Gansu

After climbing out of the valley and deeper into the treeless mountains we finally arrived at Birdie and Purp’s hometown. The village had one dirt road that wound its way through a block of about 20 mostly earthen homes. About half of the homes seemed to be abandoned, with their gates chained shut or the doors boarded. Each home had  At the highest point in town sat a large metal barnlike structure. The home nearest this “barn” was the only house that appeared to be made with “modern” design techniques and materials. I’m sure the town had a name but as far as I know we never learned it, despite asking at least a few times. A meandering dirt road snaked through town, around one set of homes, crossing a small stream and irrigation ditch before wrapping around another set of homes and off towards the snowy mountain in the distance. A number of small clay brick homes dotted the rolling hills in the horizon. Birdie and Purp were excited to be home. They picked up Jasmine like some kind of emperess and excitedly carried her down the road towards the one modern house. That was Birdie’s home. His family were the leaders of this tiny domain. We set our belongings down in the house and headed back for the car. We had somewhere else we needed to go.

Birdie’s home

Near the Yugur Village

Once again we piled into the sedan. Through the small village, across an irrigation canal, past the handful of homes, and out along the dirt road onward into the mountains. The dirt road slowly disappeared and became lost in the wild grassland. Flattened grass and tire tracks from the few cars that made this journey marked our path. Grazing sheep dotted the hillsides and, from time to time, blocked our forward progress. A well timed honk of the horn made the sheep aware just in time to escape being bumped by our slow moving ride. Eventually we found ourselves standing outside of a mud and brick home, perched alone atop a hill, surrounded by hundreds of sheep and a smattering of cows.

Very Few People in China

Birdie’s Grandma’s Home Powered by the Sun

Birdie’s dad, aunt, and grandmother, awaited us inside the two room home. His father sat at the foot of the bed chainsmoking cigarettes, while his grandmother laid on the bed, immobile and seemingly incapacitated, covered in blankets and wearing a hat and face mask. Birdie’s aunt fed the fire of an indoor stove. The fuel was dried cow dung that had been collected and was sitting in a box near the door. The aunt brought water to a boil before serving us the local style of milk tea. It was salty and just mildly flavorful. We drank from bowls.

Dad and Grandma

Gansu Style Milk Tea

The Second Bedroom and Batteries

The home was spartan. The main room was just a bed and two small sofas. A coffee table and a wardrobe. A dining table. A wood burning oven. A few knick-knacks. A poster of a wolf. Birdie said that the wolf was a representative animal of their family and their local culture. I tried to get more out of him but our ability to communicate on anything more than a superficial level was not quite there.  A portrait of Mao hung on the wall. This is typical of many rural homes. And a strange poster of an epic feast was prominintely displayed above the dining table; grapes and wine and cheese and flowers were arranged neatly on the image. It was the kind of spread that had probably never been seen in this part of the world. I asked about the picture. Birdie didn’t have a cultural explanation for this one.

“It looks nice,” he said. Sometimes there is no deeper meaning.

Jasmine and the Posters

The sun was starting to set so we finished up our milk tea and said our goodbyes. Back to the village we went.

In the village, hundreds of sheep blocked the road, drinking from the irrigation ditch that ran through town. We got out of the car and watched and took pictures. Purp noticed a rabbit bounding through the grass. He pulled a knife from his waist and ran off after it. Needless to say, Jasmine and I followed him. He chased the rabbit for a few minutes, over and through barbed wire fences and through dips and over hills, before giving up his hunt. We were having a good laugh about it when something else caught Purp’s eye. He raced over to a kind of small dirt cliff and thrust his arm into a hole. When his hand emerged he was holding a small bird. The tiny bird flapped its wings and squawked its beak in a desperate attempt to escape. Purp calmly held the bird by its feet, proudly showing me and the camera what he caught. He let the bird fly away. Growing up in this environment seemed to have taught Purp a lot about the natural environment and its native inhabitants.

Purp and his Bird

Light disappeared fast and the temperature dropped even faster. From a blistering hot morning at Danxia Mountains, to a cool afternoon in the Yugur Village, to near freezing temperatures as night fell, this part of the world seemed to be a punishing place. It took a strong and smart people to populate this part of the earth.

Sheep Drinking at the Irrigation Ditch

We went inside and cracked open a case of beer while Birdie went into the kitchen to make dinner. He cooked up some “big plate chicken” aka 大盘鸡, a famous, but simple, Xinjiang dish whose main ingredients are chicken, bell peppers, and potatoes. The four of us drank and ate, played cards and sang songs, well into the night. Around midnight Birdie’s 18 year old “brother” (cousin) showed up with a bottle of local baijiu. The alcohol was flowing and the three young men sang us songs. Local Yugur traditional songs, Chinese classic and modern pop songs, you name it, they sang it. It appeared that drinking and singing was one of the ways they found to entertain themselves, with no cell phone signal, no internet, no TV and unstable at best electricity supply.

Drinking Time

Around 3 in the morning as we were starting to wind down, we heard the distinct “clop clop” sounds of a horse approaching. The front door of the house swung open, and in stumbled a drunken uncle, carrying another bottle of baijiu. He could barely formulate a coherent sentence, but we cracked open the bottle and went to work anyway. According to Birdie, his uncle lives off in the hills on his little farm somewhere. News traveled fast through the countryside and so he rode his horse on down to the village to see the foreigner and have a toast. We wrapped up the bottle around 4 am, everyone drunk and happy, and headed to bed. The locals had to be up early as the whole village needed to gather in the big barn to shear the sheep. After the amount that we drank I didn’t believe they’d be able to get up and work in just a few short hours, but since they planned to be up just past 7, I set my alarm for 730 as well. If they could do it, I could do it.

Nightsky in Yugur Country

The alarm seemed to go off just moments after I set it. My head throbbed from the alcohol induced headache and lack of sleep. I checked on Jasmine to make sure she was ok. She was passed out. I chose to let her sleep while I ventured out into the village.

Uncle Sharpening his Shears

Outside the crisp morning air gave me a jolt of energy. I stumbled over to the barn where the first thing I noticed was the uncle and cousin both hunched over their respective sheep, efficiently shearing wool with electric trimmers that hung from the ceiling. They worked without a trace of drunkenness or hangover symptoms (besides bloodshot eyes) somehow. I was impressed. I felt like garbage, and the last thing that I think I could do while hungover is to be hunched over smelly farm animals in a crowded barn. The whole village was working. Young, healthy and strong men sheared the sheep. Women picked up the wool and helped bundle it in large sacks, along with other young men. Women also constantly swept up the poop and fluff and blood and other mess that came along with shearing sheep hundreds of sheep all day in an enclosed space. Older men had less labor intensive jobs. For example, one old man sat in the corner and handed one token to each young man for every sheep he sheared.

Sheep

The old token man told me that they get 8 RMB for every sheep they shear. The fastest shearers could finish upwards of 40 sheep in a day. That’s up to about 320 RMB for one day, nearly 50 USD, which doesn’t sound like much but is really quite a lot of money in this part of the world. The work looked tiresome and hard on the body, and they don’t shear sheep every day of the year, so they must get income from other places as well.

Getting Down and Dirty

Shearing Sheep

They said much of that extra income comes from selling the sheep for slaughter. They told me that most of the sheep goes to Xinjiang Province for meat, though they are willing to sell it anywhere, to anyone, for the right price. Just so happens that the market is in Xinjiang. Lamb is a staple meat in many Xinjiang dishes, and Xinjiang style lamb skewers are famous across China,  so it’s no surprise that the sheep get shipped off to Xinjiang when they are ready to be harvested. The entire economy of the village was based around this animal. There was no convenience store, no shops selling clothes, nothing but farms and sheep. It was quite special to see the entire village, along with this animal, working together to maintain their lifestyle and keep their culture and town alive.

Break Time

Ciggie Break

As the morning gave way to midday Jasmine woke up and came down to check on the sheep shearing situation. The process consisted of putting the wool into a huge bag that was propped up by inside a large box with a door on it. A person climbed into the bag with the wool and continuously stamped down the wool, packing it as tight as possible. A rope dangled from the ceiling above the sack, for the stomper to hang on to and keep his balance and safely work. We were both feeling pretty good and took turns helping the locals bundle the wool, jumping up and down in the bag. When the sacks were full the workers would open the door and pull the huge bundle to the scale. They’d weigh it, mark down the number with a permanent marker on the bag itself, as well as in the ledger, and then a team of men would lift the heavy bag on to the stack. The whole operation was incredibly efficient and well run. Everyone had a job to do. At noon lunch was ready for the entire village. Other women and young kids had been preparing it in a kitchen on the other side of the barn. Soup, bread, rice and some hot dishes kept the laborers full and ready to work for the rest of the day.

Packing Wool

Stomping

In the afternoon Birdie and Purp told us it was time to go. We drove directly back to Zhangye. We took a much more efficient route, straight down the mountain and to the highway. What was an all day trip on the way to the village was just a little over 3 hours on the way back. They dropped us off at Zhangye Railway Station and we posed for a picture together. We shook their hands, thanked them, handed Birdie a few hundred RMB for gas and food and just to show we were appreciative of his time and giving us the experience, and then we said goodbye.

The Road Out of Town

It was a really remarkable experience. I don’t know if I conveyed it well enough with my words. It was just a couple of days. But it was the kind of surreal and fun adventure that I hoped to stumble into when I initially set off across China. Birdie and Purp, if you ever somehow see this, thank you so much those days.

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[100scarystories]

Help me remember

In 6th grade, I was in the popular clique. I was the right-hand-man to the clique’s leader, Eric Bonner. I wasn’t the muscle, or the funny kid, or the one who always got along with parents… I was the support staff…. The person who would blindly follow Eric into a blazing fire or over a bridge… At that time, my loyalty was the most tangible thing I had.

I thought I’d never forget the day that Eric came by my house and said emphatically that we were going to egg Mr. Bruder’s lawn. Back then, the world seemed less frightening - and even so, I knew better than to mess with Mr. Bruder.

The rumor was that Mr. Bruder didn’t just kidnap and murder children, but that he ate their insides and stuffed their corpses so that he would forever have company to fill his otherwise empty home. There wasn’t a lot of validity to this and tales of his rampages tendencies were always spoken of during late night campfires describing victims who had unsurprisingly generic names.

And even though at 11 years old I was capable of rationalizing that Mr. Bruder wasn’t truly dangerous, the day Eric told me of his plans, my blood ran cold. But as a follower, I kept these sentiments to myself and exclaimed what a great idea it was - already plotting how to get a dozen eggs for the occasion.

The night of the prank, there were supposed to be 5 of us. By lunch period 2 had already chickened out. I would have given anything to be one of those guys - confident enough to just say no to a bad idea. Of course, if I was one of those guys - there’d be no point to this story.

At 8PM, only an hour before curfew and at the moment when the sky turns dark, we met 5 blocks away from Mr. Bruder’s home. It was me, Eric, and Sammy - who was as notorious for disrupting class as his dad was for being the town drunk.

‘You ready Drew?’ Eric asked me as I tentatively stepped into the group, with my stolen eggs still sandwiched between my chest and shirt.

In the absence of my reply Sammy exclaimed ‘Let’s get this show on the road Shitheads!’ - Sammy could always curse - that’s just how it was.

So we sauntered a few blocks, with me trailing reluctantly behind Sammy and Eric.

When we approached the house, to me, it was the stuff of nightmares. Until then, I had only heard tall-tales. I had never truly seen the structure in all its glory - and likewise, I had never really seen Mr. Bruder or known anyone who had.

What seemed to tower above us was 4 stories of blackened bricks. The mansion almost breathed like a live being - the darkness smoking from the foundation and siding as though it was a burn victim struggling to expel the smothering smoke from their lungs.

There were no windows - only the tall black structure that sucked any ambient light from the atmosphere around it. Where there should have been grass, there was none. There was no hint of this being a home - no fence, no garage, no garden. I could have swore that sections of the house’s exterior seemed wet and more vibrant - as though the structure was bleeding. Was it this frightening in the daytime? That’s a question I’ll never be able to answer.

A sole door, really just a suggestion of one, signified an entrance. We stood there, too amazed to move, and in my case - too frightened to provoke whatever this house really was.

Only when the egg I was gripping exploded in my hand did I snap out of it. Ever the adventurer… Eric said ‘Drew, you take the first shot.’

For a moment I didn’t realize what was being suggested until I realized that like me, my psycho and ringleader friend were scared shitless. Always ready to take one for the team, I mumbled ‘sure’.

I wasn’t just a loyal 11 year old, I was a damn good baseball pitcher. But after that night, I’ll never know if I would have actually succeeded in baseball.

I wound up with the egg and let it fly… At first I wasn’t sure it would hit the house, but when it did all tension was relieved. Eric and Sammy rejoiced and decided that now was the time to begin enthusiastically pelting the house with as many eggs as possible.

I had just thrown the one, but my friends were about 10 eggs in before I realized what was happening. We weren’t actually hitting Mr. Bruder’s home, it was absorbing whatever we threw at it. I noticed this but didn’t process it soon enough to stop what happened next.

Sammy, in his excitement screamed ‘Let’s fuck this mothafucker up!’ running towards the house, ready to break in or break something or god knows what.

Eric absorbed his rallying cry and led the charge directly towards the house.

I stood there hopeless - wetting my pants - aware of what would happen next simply by the feeling I got.

As they neared the house - two 12 year olds excited by the concept of mayhem, they seemed to finally grasp their fate. But it was too late and the pull was too strong. I watched as Sammy’s flesh was ripped off of his torso. As he turned to please his audience, his smile and the flesh on his face were ripped leaving only his quickly dimming eyes that left his body soon after. Realizing too late what was happening, Eric tried to stop his forward momentum only to have his necessary organs fly through his chest and be swallowed by the house.

By the time it had sucked the flesh off my friend’s bones leaving pristine skeletal remains, I was so scared shitless that I was sobbing harder than I knew was possible. But that wasn’t the end of their torture. As I backed away from the home hoping to awake from this nightmare, I heard their screams. Built into the foundation of Mr. Bruder’s home were bleeding, breathing, dark condensed bricks that screamed in pain and sorrow in the voices of my friends. And in one moment, I could hear so many screams and cries for help at once that I thought I would pass out from the fear and pain radiating through my entire body.

And that’s exactly what I did.

Awaking in my bed was the most welcome relief I had ever felt in my 11 years on earth. I could smell bacon and pancakes and couldn’t wait to tell Eric about my crazy dream.

When I got to school and realized that neither Eric or Sammy were there I was at first confused, but then realized that such a coincidence seemed more sinister. I asked our teacher Mrs. Maury where they were and she gave me a peculiar look, as though I had asked to go to the nurse’s office.

At lunch period, I frantically ran home and asked my mom to call Eric’s mother.

‘Eric? Is that a new friend hun?’

‘No mom,’ I breathlessly shouted ‘Eric is my best friend! You know him!’

‘I’m sorry sweetheart, but I don’t think I’ve met Eric before.’

Panicked, I said ‘Ok, well can you call Sammy’s parents? Sammy Mahoney? You’re good friends with Mrs. Mahoney right?!’

‘Yes Andrew, but Mrs. Mahoney doesn’t have any children - is Sammy a nephew?’

‘MOM they were taken by Mr. Bruder! I swear on my life - I was there, we made a mistake and I’m sorry but we have to help them please!’

It was like a switch had been turned. Once I had said Mr. Bruder’s name, my mother’s face became an entirely blank slate. For the second time in 24 hours, I began to sob.

You’d have to know my mother to know that she was being straight with me. Her eyes filled with concern as the realization hit me that I was either insane, or something bigger was at play here.

I didn’t want to be committed to a mental hospital. I had heard stories of a long lost uncle who they had to institutionalize for his paranoid delusions, and even at 11 - I knew better.

I tried to find the house, but never could. I could never even find a record of Mr. Bruder’s existence. He and my friends faded into the background - unremembered or recorded by anyone.

So I made it through middle school - and then high school - and then college. I always knew what had happened, but antidepressants and anti anxiety meds helped me cope and my eccentricities as a child helped me begin to believe that I had been truly… disturbingly imaginative.

My life is good enough - it’s normal enough. I have a wife who is too beautiful and smart for me, and an adolescent son who keeps me on my toes. Every day is as much of an adventure as I’d like to experience.

My son is a ringleader - he’s charismatic and popular. Today’s a much more scary time than when I grew up. We’re not helicopter parents, but yeah - as Andy is 12 and we keep a watchful eye on him. I heard him telling his friends that they should prank Mr. Bruder. And it’s not that I’m so scared of what could be a coincidence or some pre-teens having fun… I’m worried because I already can’t seem to remember my son’s face or all the things that make him ours. It’s already dark outside and my wife isn’t worried about… our son’s curfew. There was something important I had to remember… but I can’t seem to remember.