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#disclaimer: i don’t mean the demon killing demon blood stuff
f-identity · 9 months
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Vergil’s Autistic Swag
alternate title: NeurodiVergil. originally typed down on 31 Mar 2022
I once did a sort of infodump on the understanding I processed of Transformers: Prime Soundwave, how he might‘ve been autistic-coded, and why I identified so hard with him.
But before Soundwave, there was another blorbo I vibed with, and that was Vergil whom I encountered and got attached to when playing Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. I had a PS2 back then. I miss it so much.
DISCLAIMER: Similarly to the TF:P Soundwave autistic coding post, these following things I paid attention to are purely headcanons. They built into my way of making sense of Vergil’s characterization and why I related so strongly to him when I was a teen.
If you agree with these headcanons, then hello new friend. If you don’t agree, that’s fine - but please be courteous about it. Real-life autistic people (like myself) already have a lot of neurotypical crap to put up with. I write stuff for fun and as an outlet, and often enough, there are strangers on the Internet who want me to shut up when talking about this interest which does not involve them.
Rant aside - here we go. Birdbrain might chime in under quotes. (This post focuses on Vergil as read by Nad in DMC3.)
He prefers solitude and surrounds himself with books.
He does not like people even approaching his personal space. (Go away, Arkham.)
Discipline, diligence with which he practices Iaido. A martial art of awareness, of smooth, controlled movements. It matches his outwardly-calm temperament.
Heightened senses, able to feel enemies coming - and dodge them accordingly. (Pretty sure he had lots of practice with this, plus he has demon blood, but still.) .
Sometimes talking while he’s alone? Could be a twin thing (laying claim on a voice that is his own, affirming himself as separate from Dante). But it could also be externalizing words to make his thoughts/feelings clear.
“Why doesn’t he talk like a normal guy?” Very particular, different-from-most-people patterns of speech (writer-Nad had this in secondary school and was often bullied for it). He’s a lot more eloquent than Dante, who is still wittier than most demons. “Pretty sure most of the sentient, talking demons in the series are neurotypical.”
Using Summoned Swords because guns are distasteful to him. Has a code of honor that he upholds.
“Why does he dress like that? It’s not ordinary.” Is his outfit more comfortable to him??? Well, sensory comforts aside, it’s likely an issue of identity. He’s embracing his legacy - perhaps it’s how people expects Sparda to dress, but he’s maintaining his individuality, his power. He has zero use for people who think he looks weird. .
Focused on practical facts and achieving goal/task. Firm understanding of the importance of power.
Vergil fighting Dante - a familiar pattern of conflict. Sweep aside sentiment, focus on ambition. And being ready to stab Dante with Rebellion? Again, POV of a half-demon who's been living under a certain reality for too long. Power, and depending solely on own strength.
Having what he requires (the two amulets and blood of Sparda), he then has no need of Arkham. Thinking Arkham refrained from killing Lady out of sentimental hesitation, Vergil discards what he considers as weak.
At the site of the seal, again voicing his thoughts aloud. Goes “actually” at Dante with a correction, not that Dante cares. .
He fights Dante as he has for years. Lady’s interruption is not significant to him. To them.
Arkham/Jester’s reveal? Mostly quiet because he’s wounded, but there’s much information to take in.
Vergil walks pretty quietly. I mean, well, Lady was exhausted after fighting Dante. But stealthy movement is common autistic swag. ‘sup Arkham
Vergil’s negotiation with Dante is not at all emotional; just logical, practical. That’s just how he is. .
[the boys’ teamwork, im cryin on the inside again]
Heightened-senses, objective-focused Vergil is the first to notice the amulets and Force Edge free-falling.
One track mind pursuit of power~
.
[and that’s all I have regarding DMC3 Vergil for now]
[after all this, I kinda wonder whether to make an accompanying post about ADHDante]
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agblack · 9 months
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A Brief View on my SPN DR
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Disclaimer: I haven't wnet there yet, it's all my script. I also like to leave things as much canon compliant as I can. I do understand some things I script might not go as planned, especially stuff that happens in the future. Feel free to comment/ask anything.
♠ Name: Axel Logan Moore ♠ Age: 24 ♠ Birthday: October, 24 ♠ Zodiac: Scorpio ♠ Height: 5'8 (176cm) ♠ Appearance: Dark Brown hair, short; brown eyes ♠ Languages: English, French, Latin, Spanish
Things I put in all my scripts
My hair is always good and the way I like it.
My signature scent is chocolate and mint.
I am healthy. I am immune to sickness. I am immune to allergies.
I am immune to death by unnatural means and permanent or major harms. I’m immortal when it comes to diseases, wounds or creatures trying to kill me.
I have a high tolerance for pain.
I am immune to any traumas, physical or emotional, like losing a limb, but not limited to it.
I am immune to getting addicted to anything. 
I am immune to the negative effects of alcohol or any other drugs.
I have energy all day. Even if I wake up early in the morning and go to sleep late at night.
When I go to bed, I sleep fast and well. 
I’m ambidextrous.
I heal faster than others.
I never snore.
I’m resistant to cold weather.
I have a great memory and I can memorize facts easily by just hearing or reading them.
I am very confident.
I’m extremely good at reading people.
I have the same beliefs and principles in my Desired Reality as I already have in my Original Reality.
I have a sharp tongue.
I always know what to buy as gifts for my friends.
I know how to dance properly.
I’m a great singer, although I don’t usually sing in front of people who aren’t close to me.
I can have my favorite foods and drinks every time I want.
I have neat writing.
I know how to properly tie a tie.
I’m a great swimmer.
I’m an incredible writer.
I’m awesome at drawing.
I’m immune to being arrested, unless I’m with Sam and Dean (for the plot).
I’m very sneaky when I want to.
I have great reflexes and keen senses.
I have a good sense of direction.
I’m a great cook.
I have quick thinking.
Sleeping with other people is always comfortable.
Shower is always at the right temperature.
I have a great sense of style.
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About Me in this DR
I have a well-toned body.
I’m immune to the Croatoan virus.
I don’t have demon blood.
I can’t lose my soul.
I have earrings in both ears.
I have a tattoo on my back, depicting a raven.
I have a tattoo on my chest, in the same place as Dean and Sam, and in the same format, to prevent demon possession. I got mine with them.
I heal faster than others.
I’m immune to becoming a monster or creature.
I’m immune to any kind of mind control, manipulation or changes.
I’m immune to the Horsemen’s powers.
I’m immune to being possessed by any creature, including demons, ghosts, monsters and others.
I am used to seeing death, murders and blood.
I have an exorcism memorized.
I have legal rights to have a gun.
I kind of like Dean’s taste for songs.
I believe that some monsters, ghosts and other creatures are actually good.
I drive my own vehicle while traveling with the boys, but sometimes, for praticity, I go with them in the Impala.
I know a lot about most monsters and creatures, and all there is to know about demons.
I’m one of the best poker players in the world, despite not playing often.
I can throw knives, darts and similar with extreme precision.
I’m great at fighting without weapons.
I’m a master at fighting with knives and swords.
I know how to lockpick and get out of handcuffs.
I have a driver’s license and know how to drive well.
I know how to shoot with a gun with high precision, but I don’t like it.
I can handle any type of gun.
I can find any book I like in my Original Reality in any library or bookshop I look for.
I’m great at investigation.
I’m great by acting and lying when needed.
I have great skill with knives, no matter for what.
I can take all of my knives off their belt or sheath easily.
I know how to properly give any kind of first aid someone might need.
I’m one of the best hunters in the United States.
I know a few useful but harmless spells.
I know everything that needs to be known about Chicago’s monster families - their relations, leaders, everything.
I know well the surroundings of any of my houses.
I can always find someone to get my vehicles back to their specific houses.
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My Belongings
I always have enough money to buy whatever I want and to live well the rest of my life. This money was an inheritance from my parents.
I have a limitless credit card. This card is impossible to track. I’m unable to lose this card. It’s impossible to destroy it by any means.
I have a kit of throwing knives especially made for me. Its details are in a separate section.
I have a penthouse in the center of Chicago, Illinois, and another house in San Francisco, California.
My possessions are always at my disposal, and are immune to any laws that would take them away from me or block me from accessing them. This includes my houses and apartments, personal objects, vehicles and so on.
I have all the clothes I want to match my style. Sometimes I have more than one piece of the same clothing.
I have all the accessories, shoes and other kinds of things I want to match my style. Sometimes I have more than one piece of the same object.
I have a pistol and ammunition, but I almost never use it.
All of my houses have a complete library containing all the books I like in my Original Reality.
All of my houses have silver door knobs and permanent iron frames around doors, windows and any other entrance. Neighbors and guests find it strange and eccentric, but don’t say or think much about it.
All of my houses have devils’ traps in the floor right before passing the entrance doors, outside the house, and below the windows, inside the house. These traps are drawn in invisible ink, and can only be seen under black light. These traps are immune to being dismantled without intention. These traps work as normal.
All of my houses were made angel proof once I learned how to do it, always with invisible ink or in unseen places.
There’s something that keeps Leviathan from entering any of my houses.
I have a set of fake identities and cards to pass as a federal agent, an employee at CDC, and others.
My parents were multi-billionaires, owners of a big hotel chain, with buildings all over the country. After their deaths, I became the owner, but my place in the company is mostly symbolic. The directors and other people take care of everything for me, and I can do whatever I want with my time, without having to worry about the details of the business. Because of my position, I can get any rooms I want in hotels I own, for free, whenever I want. I also have a staff to take care of my houses when I’m traveling, and to get important things for me. People working for me never ask questions, just do as I say.
I have a car and a motorbike. The car usually stays in San Francisco and the bike in Chicago, and I travel more with the bike. These vehicles can’t be broken, destroyed, robbed or lost by any means.
All of my vehicles have a first aid kit and other hunters equipment, disguised if needed.
My car has a devil’s trap in its trunk, to hold demons in case of need.
My car has usb inputs in their sound system. It also has usb drives containing all the songs I like in my Original Reality inside its glove compartment. When I turn on the sound, it always plays the song I want to hear the most, even if I don’t know I want to.
My laptops, cellphones, smartphones, watches and other electronics never break, and always have battery when I need them to.
I always have a fast and good internet connection no matter where (except in a few cases).
My car is a Bugatti La Voiture Noire.
My motorbike is a MV Agusta F4CC.
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The Knives Kit
My knives kit was made for me in a deal I made with the goddess Athena. The deal was great for both of us.
The knives kit contains several types of throwing knives engraved with magical symbols, some specific to certain types of knives and others general to all of them.
The knives kit has a belt that passes through the shoulder and the waist, that can hold up to 6 knives at the same time.
All of the knives of this kit are unable to be destroyed by any means, and their symbols never lose its power.
None of the knives in this kit can have its path altered by telekinesis or similar powers after throwing.
All of the knives are perfectly well balanced and fit for throwing. Only the Diamond knife is not fit for throwing.
All of the knives are incredibly sharp, capable of cutting and piercing easily.
The Diamond knife has a sheath to hold it. This sheath fits perfectly on my waist.
All of the knives are engraved with a symbol to make them return to the location I’m thinking of. 
Silver Knives
Set with 6 pieces
Iron Knives
Set with 6 pieces
Steel Knives
Set with 6 pieces
Ruby Knives
Set with 6 pieces
Engraved with symbols to make it work as vervain to creatures susceptible to it.
Engraved with symbols to make it work as wolfsbane to creatures susceptible to it.
Obsidian Knives
Set with 3 pieces
Engraved with symbols to make them able to hurt and kill demons.
Engraved with symbols to make a demon in touch with this knife unable to leave its current body.
I only got this knives after the Colt was fixed.
Diamond Knife
Only one piece
Engraved with symbols to make it able to hurt and kill angels.
I only got this knife after Lucifer broke free from the cage.
This is more of a blade than a knife, and it’s terrible for throwing.
This blade can only kill celestial beings.
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Relationships
S/o: Dean Winchester
My friends understand my sense of humor and references. My friends are immune to death by unnatural means.
My love interest is immune to death by unnatural means, except in the ways it happens in the series, and always comes back.
I already knew a few hunters, including Bobby, Ellen and Jo, before I met the boys in the cafe. I also already knew Sam from the times we both spent together at Bobby’s when we were younger. They all knew me only by my name, not knowing I was The Raven. Bobby found out before I went to his place with the boys, but didn’t tell anyone.
I never met John Winchester before I met Dean and Sam at the cafe.
I know some people in high places, because of my parents’ jobs, and can ask them for favors sometimes in need.
I don’t trust Samuel, Dean and Sam’s grandfather, and we always argue when we’re together.
I like and respect Crowley’s way to deal with situations.
Before losing their memories, Lisa and Ben liked me.
At some point, I started to see Bobby as a father.
Bobby was the one that teached me most of what I know about hunting, and how to do my own research, the right places to look.
Charlie Bradbury is like a little sister to me.
Charlie is immune to death by unnatural causes.
I’m not jealous about Dean being with Lisa, understanding the time I spent away.
I am called The Raven by other hunters I don’t know and don't know me, by the way I come and go from each job without leaving many traces.
Me and Dean were just friends for some time, while he was adjusting with the fact that he also likes men. After a while after we met, we began to like each other, until it evolved to love.
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My Story and Canon Modifications
My parents died 12 years ago, murdered by a demon. I was born in London, but moved to Chicago, Illinois when I was ten. After my parents’ deaths I moved to live with Bobby, but sometimes I went back to Chicago or San Francisco.
I became a Hunter after my parents’ deaths, taught by Bobby.
I met Dean and Sam at a cafe in Chicago, the day they arrived in town (1x16, "Shadow"). Bobby asked them to ask for my help while in town. They accepted with reluctance.
Just before they left town, I asked to join them and help with the hunts. Dean was reluctant, but Sam convinced him. John advised Dean to ask for The Raven’s help, but neither of them knew it was me. From that time, I always traveled with the boys.
Dean and Sam started to look for The Raven while hunting, but never talked to me about what they were looking for. They only knew I’m The Raven at Bobby’s house.
I became friends with Ben and Lisa the first time we met.
After Dean's death from his deal, I returned to my home in San Francisco, where I lived for some time. I was in my house in Chicago when he went to find me, before going back to Pontiac to find Sam.
Dean only stayed dead for 3 months before Castiel pulled him out.
Dean and I started to date at some point between his father's death and his resurrection, after going to Hell. Before that, while traveling together, sometimes there were situations where me or him acted in a romantic/caring way towards each other, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
After Castiel and Bobby were murdered by Lucifer in the Apocalypse, the archangel sent me to a pocket dimension. There I had any books I wanted, video game consoles with every existing game in my Original Reality, a computer able to run any pc game that exists in my Original Reality, and a television capable of transmitting any programs that exist in my Original Reality. Time in that dimension worked differently: 1 week there was equal to 1 year in Dean’s dimension. I was unable to leave this dimension willingly, but God opened a door for me to leave when Dean asked Sam and Samuel about me, and I appeared right on their backs. Lucifer didn't know I was sent there, thinking he was killing me.
After the Apocalypse, Bobby took my bike to his place.
When I returned from the pocket dimension, Dean remained with Lisa, and I refused to work with Sam and Samuel, preferring to work by myself. I still help Dean and Sam when they ask for it.
While hunting, me and the boys usually stay in the same bedroom in hotels.
While we’re not hunting, I stay in a separate bedroom, until me and Dean start to date. Then, we both stay in the same bedroom, while Sam gets a different one.
While we’re in a city I have a house in, we all stay in my place.
During the events that happened like the 15th episode of season 6, “The French Mistake”, when Dean and Sam went to a different reality where they were Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, I went together, but I didn’t appear in the same place as them. Instead, I was a successful singer and dancer with the same name, ready to make an opening show to a local boy band, in the same city the boys were.
Dean and Sam could easily find me through posters, comments and other mediums.
I know all the choreographies for all the songs in the show.
All of the performances were perfect. Dean and Sam arrived at the show just before it started, and met me backstage after my part ended.
Me and Dean started to date again a few weeks after his break up with Lisa.
When I was a child, I got into the fairy realm, so now I can see them.
Bobby always acted as my superior when needed, to cover a disguise.
I still met the boys in the timeline where Titanic didn’t sink.
Leviathan never went to any of my houses looking for us, even when we were staying there.
I remained on Earth while Dean was in Purgatory. Sam and I lost contact this year.
After going to Clayton, Louisiana, Dean found me in a hotel in Kansas City, while on his way to Whitefish, Montana.
Sometimes I was able to save people that died in the course of the series, and this doesn't change the course of main events.
I have an arrangement with Chicago’s monster families, under the name of Raven. No members of the families are allowed to kill or hurt any human, and must find other ways to survive. Those who fail to behave are hunted and killed. I have enough power and influence so they don’t try anything against me. In exchange for their good behavior, they’re allowed to live peacefully in town, under my protection.
Me and Dean have our ups and downs, but we always get back together.
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Random Stuff
Bobby has a bedroom for him, one for the boys and one for me in his house. I usually share Dean’s room with him when we’re dating, while Sam keeps the single room.
When I do something that would change the main events that occur in the books, something else happens to keep things on trail. Minor events can be changed by my presence and actions.
The last episode of the show never happens.
I’m also a character from Supernatural books, written by Carver Edlund.
Shapeshifters, Leviathans and other creatures are unable to turn into me.
The police never associate me or my vehicles to the Winchesters’ crimes.
I never have to do the heavy work.
People only recognize me or my name when I want them to.
There’s no such things as STD’s or unwanted pregnancies.
People close to me or to my partner don’t act with homophobia, racism or other kinds of prejudgement.
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hsr-texts · 9 months
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D: now I’m concerned and don’t know if I want to look up the plot. Can you summarize it? I don’t care about spoilers
Tbh the premise itself isn't that bad. It's mostly just about a human being kidnapped- I mean, selected to be part of a special exchange program in hell's high school (Royal Academy of Diavolo or RAD for short) because the prince of hell wanted to strengthen ties between the humans, angels, and demons.
Side note: I still never learned the reason why these immortal beings are still in school in the first place.
Also a disclaimer: I haven't played this game's story in years so my knowledge on the plot's finer details is blurry as hell.
Yeah so after that, you the player are now living with the 7 most powerful demons in the Devildom at the House of Lamentation. Lucifer, the most powerful of the brothers and avatar of pride, assigned Mammon, second most powerful and avatar of greed, to look after you and keep you from dying.
Levi, third most powerful and avatar of envy, kinda ends up roping you into his plan to get his money back from Mammon, which involved you getting into a pact.
And the plan succeeded.
Then eventually the plot was sorta about finding out about the seventh brother, which then sent you to another quest to getting a pact with the rest of the brothers to free him because you found out he was imprisoned in the attic or something due to a disagreement he had with Lucifer.
Then when you freed him, he killed you because he hates humans.
Then you got revived because it turns out you're the distant descendant of their sister which struck me as weird but people insisted that they aren't blood-related siblings... (That felt kind of like a cop-out and it's still odd to me if I'm entirely honest but it's like- whatever, I guess?)
After that the demons started simping over the player and stuff and unfortunately I don't remember the rest.
Pretty sure the MC ends up becoming the "most powerful being in the cosmos" or something, which... kinda removed any stakes the plot had imo
Plus I really hate to use this word (because most of the time whenever people use it, it's used WRONG) but it made them feel even more like a Mary Sue. Like- every character is made to adore and worship their every move and now they're this ultra powerful being.
It's just simply wish fulfillment, which I did enjoy for a good few months but I grew out of it.
Wish fulfillment is not inherently bad and is in fact quite beneficial in some cases, but an abundance of it without care for plot or cohesion is not healthy for storytelling.
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everylamp · 3 years
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slimy-vore-bog · 3 years
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(Un)Necessary Evil
Disclaimer: all my work is meant to be non-sexual N/SF/W interaction is not appreciated
Okay, so a few warnings for this story... I try to go into the topic of the fear of death as deeply as I can. It could be way worse, but just as a warning, if you’re not ready to be reminded of death at the moment, give this story a skip.
For the more casual stuff that’s usually uncomfortable for safe vore people: this story contains mentions of hard and fatal vore, but none happen.
Oh, and as always; this is an Owl House fic.
Actually this is a rewrite of this old story that I didn’t post to tags called A Betrayal of Trust (But a Necessary Evil)
The two are very different and this is definitely a better story.
Anyway, I should probably just get onto the story... Oh wait, this story is set before s2 ep2 Escaping Expulsion. And obviously post that a lot of stuff will change, but I don’t feel like creating an entire canon divergent AU
Ao3
Word Count: 14k
***
I wonder why Amity wants to see me now… Luz stood in the market place, looking around for her friend. We’re going to meet up later anyway. She spotted the green haired witch in the distance, feeling a burst of excitement. I guess I don’t mind seeing her one more time before later today! She grinned, before she waved for her. “Hey Amity, there you were!”
Luz stopped herself, just as she was about to run towards her. Something seemed… off about her. She looked sad, as she stared back at Luz. “You are Amity, right?” Luz suddenly felt embarrassed. Please tell me I didn’t mistake some random person for Amity.  
Luz didn’t know whether she should feel relieved or more worried, when her friend nodded.
Luz hesitated, before she decided to run up to her. “I almost thought you were somebody else!” She smiled brightly at her, but Amity didn’t look at her. “Um,” Luz felt a little awkward, “so, why’d you want to see me now, instead of later?”
Amity glanced up at her, before quickly looking down into her bag. “I wanted to give you something.” She fiddled around in it, seeming to get more miserable by the second. “It’s really important that you wear this later, okay?” Amity looked up into Luz’s eyes.
Luz felt a bit shocked by Amity’s seriousness about this. “Why? What do I have to wear?” Why would Amity force her to wear something? This is weird. She didn’t like feeling forced to do something.
Amity looked unsure, as she dropped the thing she was holding back in her bag. Her eyes flicked around, as she grabbed her own hand, nervously fidgeting with her fingers. “Well…” her eyes widened, as she grabbed the thing out of the bag. “Sorry, I focused on your first question!”
Luz watched, as she brought out a necklace with multiple yellow gemstones on it. “Woah!” Luz exclaimed, suddenly feeling like she had to study it closer. “Is it glowing?” The gemstones on it seemed to be giving off a dim yellow light from them. “What makes it glow? Is it a spell? Or are they magic rocks?” Luz brought her hand out to take it, before she remembered that wearing a mysterious glowing necklace sounded like a horrible idea. “But, wait, why do I have to wear it?”
Amity curled the chain around her fingers, glancing around again. “Well… uh…” she let it fall through her fingers down in her other hand, as her brow furrowed. “It’s…” she hesitated again, looking a bit more frustrated. “It’s just really important to me that you wear it, can’t you do it for me?” She held the necklace out to her.
Luz hesitated, “I don’t want to sound suspicious of you, but…” she trailed off unsurely. “It’s just…” She wrapped one of her hoodie strings around her finger. “Are you sure it’s safe? Where did you get it from?”
Amity looked even more frustrated. “I promise it’s safe, just take it already!”  
She held it out to her, and Luz reluctantly took it out of her hands. “Sorry…” Luz opened the clasp, putting the necklace on, feeling a tiny jolt run through her body. Luz didn’t understand how she could feel it, or what she felt, but she was pretty sure it had to have a strong spell in it. Or Amity had a really weird and unsettling way of pranking. “I just don’t get why it’s so important.”
Amity looked away from her again. “I’m sorry too… I don’t want-” She quickly glanced over at Luz, before she turned around. “I’m just sorry…” She began walking away, before she turned to look back at Luz one more time. “See you later…”
Luz didn’t know what to do, “Uh, yeah! See you!” She lifted her hand to wave, but Amity had already turned around.
The glow of her necklace caught her attention, as she looked down to the ground. She picked up the biggest gemstone between her fingers. She had to admit; it was a pretty necklace. I wonder what makes it glow like that? She held it up to her face, watching it in awe. It’s really cool. She did a little jump out of excitement. And it wasn’t actually bad!
She suddenly felt even worse about her distrust of Amity. I’ll apologize to her again later today…
She let go of the necklace, as she turned to head back to the Owl House.
¨¨
Luz hated waiting; being patient wasn’t exactly her strong suit… But that didn’t change the fact that there were still a few hours until she could see Amity again, and she couldn’t come up with anything to do. Maybe I can talk to King for a bit? She was pretty sure she had seen him napping on the couch, but he might have woken up.
She went downstairs to check, but he hadn’t.
Luz thought about waking him up, just to make up for the times he had accidentally done it to her, whenever he unconsciously poked her with his sharp horn. But she decided that was a little too mean of her. She carefully sat down on the other side of the couch, resting her chin on her hand, tapping her foot against the floor.
I wonder where the others are? She looked around the living room, but there wasn’t anybody else in there. Strange, Lilith is normally in here… She was starting to feel a little too restless. I’ll go look around.
¨¨
She looked around the house, both inside and out, but she couldn’t find anybody anywhere. Well, except for Hooty, but she didn’t really feel like talking to him. Ever. She shook her head, not wanting to think about all the weird stuff she had seen him do, before she sat down on the couch again. Maybe King knows where they went?
She watched the tiny demon for a few moments, trying to decide if she should wake him up or not, before his fur bristled along his tail. “Stop staring at me, creep…” He mumbled, barely opening his eyes. “That’s the sixth time I’ve caught you doing that.” The look in his eyes told her that he definitely knew there were the times he hadn’t caught her.
Luz flushed in embarrassment. “It’s not my fault you’re so cute!” She shook her head. “But that’s not why I’m staring.” She pulled her legs up on the couch, as King stretched. “Did Eda and Lilith say where they were going? I haven’t seen them since I left to meet Amity.”
King yawned, before his eyes widened in surprise and he got up. “What’s that?” He pointed to Luz’s necklace. “When did you get that?”
Luz fidgeted with the necklace, as soon as he pointed it out. “Amity gave it to me.”
King reached for the necklace, but Luz pulled away. “I wanna see it!”
Luz didn’t want him to touch it. It’s mine; Amity gave it to me. “You don’t use your hands-” she cut herself off, before King even made a face, “-paws, to see.” Luz wasn’t sure it was as wide of a statement in the demon realm as it was back in her own, already King having paws was different, but that didn’t change that he specifically didn’t.
King scowled, before he sat back down and crossed his arms. “Some demons do, you know…”
Luz let go of her necklace. “Well you don’t…” She thought a little about seeing with paws and hands. I guess blind people do that in a way? “And some humans do too, but that’s a blind thing.” She shifted around, before remembering that this wasn’t what she wanted to talk about. “But, I still want to know if you know where Eda went?”
King moved a paw up to his snout, as he thought. “I’m not sure… I think she might have gone to the market to get something?” He shrugged, “she left some time after you did, anyway.” Before Luz could even ask, he answered her next question. “Lilith went with her, if you were going to ask.”
Luz nodded. “So we’re home alone?” she crossed her legs, looking over at the door. “Well, except for Hooty, but he is the house…” Luz stared over at the door, expecting him to butt in, but Hooty had been a lot better behaved, since Lilith and him had become friends. “So, is there anything you want to do?”
King’s tail wagged. “Let’s watch something together!” he jumped up on his legs. “Something violent! With lots of blood! I think I know just where we can watch something like that!” He was already running to get the crystal ball, before Luz could make another suggestion.
¨¨
Luz didn’t care all that much about what she and King were watching, but she liked that he was having fun. It looked like it was a monster movie of some kind, not as bloody or bad as she was scared it would be, but still a tiny bit more violent than she liked. It was at least not as weird as some of the other movies she had watched.
One time, she had seen a movie about some weird creatures that ate people, but they were really a struggling family that could only live by doing that. She had no clue if it had been some sort of parody, comedy horror or meant to be a serious heartwarming family story, but whatever it was; it made her both curious enough to watch it all the way through and incredibly uncomfortable.
Luz realized she was zoning out slightly, as she registered King screaming to her side. “Yes! Devour them! KILL THEM ALL!” He leaned in on the table, wagging his tail, his eyes shining with excitement. “One day, I’ll be like that again…” he whispered in awe.
Luz shifted around in her seat, messing with her necklace. I wonder how long there is until I have to head to Amity’s house? She checked the time, but there was still over half an hour before she could leave and get there at a reasonable time. “When’s this going to be over? I have to visit Amity later.”
King glanced up at Luz. “I think it’s over soon.” He sat back down, with a little squeak. “Sorry I was blocking your view.”
Luz smiled down at him. “It’s fine, you’re even cuter when you’re excited about something!”
Luz grinned, as he glared up at her. “I’m NOT cute! I’m the King of demons, and I…” He trailed of as his gaze fell back on the crystal ball. “I’ll lecture you later.” He tried to look tougher, like the movie bored him, but Luz could see how his tail twitched and shifted as he tried not to wag it.
Luz shifted to lay on her stomach, watching the last of the movie with him.
¨¨
Just a few minutes after the movie ended, Eda and Lilith finally came home, but Luz didn’t have a lot of time to stick around and talk, because she suddenly realized she needed to check if she had anything she needed to bring with her.
Shoot, why did I not remember to check earlier? She sprinted upstairs, after a quick hi to Eda, to look for her bag.
She took some time to draw a couple emergency glyphs, just in case she got into trouble, making sure to bring her notepad and pen with her, if she happened to use them all up without being able to draw them on the ground either.
She took a few seconds to look at her necklace, before she headed back downstairs to say goodbye.
King didn’t like that she was leaving at all. “Why do you have to go?” He grabbed her leg, as she was about head out the door. “Can’t you just visit Amity tomorrow?”
Luz smiled down at him, lightly pushing him away, but he stood his ground. “Sorry, King, I promised Amity I’d come over today.” She patted his head, as he looked up at her with big begging eyes. “We can spend time together tomorrow, okay?”
King suddenly got a way more worried look in his eyes. “But what if there isn’t going to be a tomorrow?”  
Luz froze, shocked at what he was suggesting. “I don’t think you need to worry about that.” She picked him up in her arms, despite his slight protest. “Everything’s going to be fine! I’m prepared!” He squirmed, as she hugged him, before she put him back on the floor and brought her emergency glyphs out of her bag. “Look! I’m ready for anything!”
King stared up at Luz, not looking any more at ease. “But… What if something catches you off guard?” he looked back to the crystal ball, before he pointed to it. “I don’t want anything like that to happen to you, Luz!”
Luz felt uncomfortable looking back at the crystal ball, because she knew she probably couldn’t say that it was just a movie. “Like I said; everything is going to be fine!” She felt a bit antsy, realizing that she was wasting time discussing this with King. “And, again, I promised Amity I was coming over today.” She fidgeted with her bag, before continuing. “And I’ve made it this long without being eaten! I promise I’m going to come home safe.”
She crouched down to give King another hug, before she headed out the door. “Bye, guys!”
¨¨
Luz didn’t know what to do, as she stood in front of the door to the Blight Manor after having knocked. She had no clue what to expect, as she waited for someone to let her in.
She shifted from foot to foot in small bounces, as the door opened.
She took a step backwards, nearly falling off the steps, when she saw how infuriated Amity looked. “Woah! What’s wrong?” Did I come over too late? Or too early? Luz wasn’t sure she should come closer, as Amity stared her down, before looking at her necklace.
Luz yelped in surprise, when Amity grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled inside the house. “Ack! Amity! Stop! That hurts!” She didn’t listen, as she kept pulling on her, making Luz follow along just to lessen the pain. Despite that, her grip was still uncomfortably tight around her arm. “What’s going on?”
Luz tried to figure out what she could have done wrong to make Amity so angry at her, but she couldn’t think of anything. Is she taking her anger out on me, or is she angry at me? She couldn’t tell what was going on, but she knew that she didn’t want to see Amity like that. “Have I done something wrong?”  
Amity huffed, but she didn’t answer her question.
Luz still tried to figure out what Amity could possibly be mad at her for, as she followed her into the living room. Luz remembered that she needed to give a more thorough apology for her distrust of the necklace. “I’m really sorry about earlier.” Amity didn’t look at her as she spoke, “you know, with the necklace; I didn’t mean to make it sound like I didn’t trust you.”
Amity tightened her grip on Luz’s arm, before she suddenly let go of it, and shoved her down on the couch.  
Luz hit the couch, before quickly rolling back off it, staring up at Amity. “What was that fo-” Her eyes widened, as she cut herself off when she saw Amity forming a spell circle. “Wait, don’t!” But she barely got the words out, before Amity cast the spell.
Luz braced herself for something to hurt her, but nothing happened at all. She let out a sigh of relief. Amity is just messing with me. “Wow, you really scared me-” Luz’s eyes widened once again, as she realized that something had happened; she was shrinking, getting smaller by the second. What did Amity just do to me?!
Amity watched her with cold eyes, before she walked over and crouched down.
Luz hesitantly backed away, trying to figure out why Amity was acting the way she was. “Uhm…” her voice shook slightly, stopping her from speaking, as she glanced away. Her fear felt like it grew larger by each second that the giant, compared to her, girl watched her. “What did you do that for?” she asked, trying to stop her voice from showing how scared she felt. Her heart thudded quickly in her chest, as Amity kept the cold look in her eyes.
Amity leaned down closer, before poking her hard enough to knock her over. “You’re boring… Aren’t you going to run away or something? I thought you would be more exciting to catch…”
Luz watched her for a few seconds, before she got up on her feet again. “Catch?” She kept looking up at her, but she couldn’t figure out why Amity would want her to run. Whatever Amity was doing; she wasn’t sure she wanted to play along with it.
Amity sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Alright, let me put it simply…” Her hand suddenly slammed down in front of her, making Luz jump back with a shriek. “You run right now, and I might let you go if I can’t catch you within...” she paused to think, as Luz heart pounded even faster in her chest, “ten minutes.”
Amity stared at her with the same uncaring eyes, waiting for Luz to do something, but she couldn’t get her feet to move. She took a couple unsure steps back after a few seconds. Is this a game? It had to be; why else would Amity be acting like that? Maybe it’s just a weird way to welcome guests here? But that didn’t make much sense.
Amity tapped her fingers against the floor in impatience, snapping Luz out of her thoughts. “I’m only giving you a few more seconds to try and get away, human.” She shifted her fingers to reach out after her, but she stopped before wrapping them around her. “This is getting really boring… Aren’t you at least going to yell at me?”
Luz stared at the fingers that had almost closed around her, not knowing what Amity was getting at. “I don’t get it!” she shouted, squeezing her eyes shut. “I don’t get what’s happening!”
Amity pushed her down on the floor, pinning her down roughly with only a couple fingers. “I’m giving you a chance to escape!” Luz still didn’t understand, as she looked up at Amity. She felt her press down harder on her shoulders, making her gasp in pain. “Or, I guess, was.”
Luz let out a pained wheeze, as Amity’s fingers wrapped around her, almost feeling like Amity was trying to crush her to death. “Stop! That hurts!”
Amity scowled down at her, but she loosened her grip slightly. “Oh, poor you.” She scoffed, before she opened her fist up to grab Luz’s bag, before she even had a chance to try and take it back from her. “As if it wasn’t on purpose…” she mumbled under her breath. “Didn’t realize you were that stupid.”
Luz stared up at Amity in disbelief. “I’m not stupid!” What is going on with her? “I want to know why you’re hurting me!”
Amity glared at Luz intensely. “Can you be quiet? I need to focus on something.” She lifted her up to her mouth and grabbed the back of her shirt between her teeth.
Luz felt a strong chill go up her spine, as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She tried to keep her shirt from pressing in on her throat, but it barely helped. What the hell is Amity doing? She gasped for breath, as she squirmed to try and loosen the pressure on her neck.
She looked at her bag, as Amity emptied it into her hand. Another rush of fear went through her, as she realized that she had barely had any ways of defending herself against Amity. She tried to kick Amity’s chin, but she couldn’t hit anything from where she was. “Don’t-” She coughed, shifting her grip on her shirt slightly, “-don’t take my stuff!”
An exhausted breath blew down onto her from Amity’s nose, before she put the pen and notepad down in the bag and shook the glyphs off her hand.
Luz watched, as her hand moved up to grab her again, kicking it as soon as it was in reach. “Let me go!” She only realized her poor wording, as Amity let out a small laugh through her nose, and opened her mouth slightly. “Wait, no! Not like that!” Luz let out a terrified cry, bracing herself for the fall, but Amity grabbed her again without dropping her.
Luz felt Amity’s tongue slurp up against her neck, before she was lowered down.
Luz couldn’t believe what Amity just did, as she shifted her head to try to process the feeling of drool that lathered her neck. Did she just lick me? She definitely did. Why did she do that? Luz felt another strong chill run through her body. “Why did you lick me?”
Amity’s eyes were just as unkind as before, when she turned Luz around to stare at her. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Luz cowered, as the bad feeling she had grew worse. “Please don’t hurt me…” she whispered quietly. She had a growing worry that this was going the exact way she expected getting licked by a person big enough to eat her in a single bite would go. I shouldn’t have promised anything to King… she realized, trying to stop the burning feeling in her eyes, not wanting to cry. I have to be wrong; Amity would never do that. But signs weren’t very promising.
Amity scowled down at Luz, before she shifted her gaze away from her. She didn’t say anything else, as she began looking around from something in the house.
Amity found her way to what looked like a dining room, where what had to be her mom was standing. Luz felt Amity shift her grip on her to dangle her from her fingers. “She was way too easy to catch… I even offered her a chance to get away, but, apparently, humans aren’t smart enough to take a chance to survive.”
Luz tried to look back at Amity, but she couldn’t quite see her, as the feeling of dread grew. “Survive?” She knew Amity was obviously hinting at eating her, but that didn’t mean she was being serious about doing it. She wouldn’t really do that, would she? “What do you mean?” She couldn’t actually want to kill her. Her thoughts spun in her head, as she tried make sense of it. She wouldn’t!  
Amity turned her around, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re not stupid?” She shook Luz, making her cry out in distress, as she felt like she was going to slip out between her fingers. “I thought you had already caught on.” She shifted her grip to let Luz sit in her hand. “I think it’s pretty obvious what I’m going to do, but I guess a human like you would be too dumb to understand?”
Luz tried to get up on her feet, but Amity didn’t give her a chance, as she was pinned down by her thumb. She stared up at Amity, still trying to figure out if she was serious. “I’m not dumb!” She squirmed underneath her thumb, but she held on too tightly for Luz to do anything. “I just don’t know why you would do this!”
Amity rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Yeah, sure, but isn’t it still pretty obvious?” She glared down at her, as she continued. “I don’t care about you.”
Luz suddenly burst out laughing. Something about the way she said it didn’t sound like she meant it. It sounded way too exaggerated. “What are you talking about?” She couldn’t stop laughing at the idea of Amity not caring about her. “We’re friends!” Just the thought that Amity would hurt her seemed completely absurd the more she considered it. “We’ve been friends for a long time, when did you suddenly start hating me again?”
Amity got even angrier, glancing over at her mom, as Luz spoke. “That doesn’t matter!” She pressed her thumb harder into Luz’s chest, making her let out a pained wheeze again. “What matters is that I don’t like you, and I’m going to make sure that I never have to see you ever again.”
Luz wriggled underneath her thumb, trying to process everything that was happening. She can’t mean that! “W-wait, no!” She already knew how Amity was going to solve this. “We can figure this out another way!” Luz looked around as she gasped for breath, while she tried to think. Is Amity seriously going to kill me? “I’m trying to find way back to my mom! Maybe-” Luz hesitated, before she made her decision. “What if I stay there? In the human realm?”
Amity kept scowling down at her, but Luz could swear she saw a glimpse of surprise in her eyes, before she looked over at her mom with a slightly hopeful expression.
Luz immediately put the pieces together, but that didn’t make her situation any less terrifying. Is Amity’s mom making her kill me? She decided to keep her mouth shut, until her mom made a decision. Please let me go home… She suddenly felt even more powerless in Amity’s grasp, knowing that her life could be ended by a single decision that neither she or Amity had a say in.
Amity looked back down at Luz, clearly realizing that she had noticed her odd behavior, as she her expression changed back to a glare hurriedly, before her necklace lit up.
Luz looked at it unsurely, waiting for either Amity or her mom to say anything. Don’t kill me… She couldn’t help squeezing her eyes shut, as she waited to know if she was going to make it out alive or not. Please decide to let me go… she begged inside her head once again.
Amity huffed, and Luz’s hair stood on end, as she realized what that meant. “No, you said you’re still trying to find a way back and that would take way too long.” Luz pulled her legs closer to her body, as she gave Amity a pleading look. “Besides, I don’t have the patience to see your face around anymore.” She shifted her around in her hands with malicious smile. “And I think killing you would be much more satisfying.”
Luz realized she had to come up with something to convince her mom to change her mind. “Amity, please, don’t!” She looked around, trying to collect her thoughts. What did I want to say? “I- You-” It was about Amity. “You don’t actually want to kill me; I know it!” She pointed her thumb where Amity had looked earlier. “It’s her, your mom! She wants to kill me! I saw the way you looked over at her!”
Amity squeezed her eyes shut in a scared wince, before she tried to play it off. “Why do you have to be so annoying about this?” She shifted her grip to dangle Luz from her fingers again. “You know you can’t do anything about this, right? Even- I mean-” Amity stammered slightly. “Ugh! I’m just going to get this over with!”
Amity opened her mouth as wide as she could, finally letting the fact that Amity was serious about killing her sink in.
“Wait!” She tried to grab onto her fingers, while kicking against Amity’s hand. “No, please! There has to be something I can do to change your mind!” But Amity didn’t hesitate, as she lowered Luz into her mouth. “Or your mom’s mind!” She writhed around, trying to get a look at her, but she couldn’t even catch a glimpse. “Mrs. Blight, please, stop this!”  
But her mother didn’t say or do anything to call it off.
The bare part of her legs rested against Amity’s tongue, as she closed her mouth around Luz’s waist. I have to do something now! “We can figure something out, or-” Luz felt that she was sliding deeper into Amity’s mouth, despite her desperate attempts to push herself back out. “Please, I-” Luz sucked in a breath, as she felt tears burning in her eyes once again, “-I don’t want to die!”
Amity opened her mouth a little wider around her again, using her tongue to drag her in. “Amity! Stop! Please!” This isn’t happening! This couldn’t be happening. She tried to grab onto Amity’s lip, but she couldn’t even reach anymore, let alone hold on. This isn’t happening!
“Amity! Spit me out right now!” She tried to kick herself back out of Amity’s mouth, but she shut it around her, before she even had a chance.  
“This isn’t funny at all!” It had to be a cruel joke, or a nightmare. It had to be. She couldn’t die here; she couldn’t die yet. This isn’t happening! She choked on her own sob, as she begged Amity to stop. “Ple-please!”
But Amity still didn’t listen to her.
Luz tried to back away from Amity’s throat, but she couldn’t get a proper grip on anything inside her mouth. Maybe if I kick her throat, she’ll spit me out? Anything was worth a shot at this point. She gave her a full force kick in the back of her throat.
Just as Luz had hoped, Amity immediately retched and spat her back out into her hands. But Luz instantly realized that there wasn’t anywhere to go from there. Okay, so I have another shot at changing her mom’s mind, that could work! Luz spun around to face her, but something about the look she was giving Amity told her there was nothing she could do. I have to try again.  
She tried to gather her thoughts, but all except the desperate pleas for her life escaped her. Shoot, what do I say? Luz stared at Amity’s mom, as Amity stopped gagging behind her.
Luz turned back around. “Amity, please, you don’t have to do this!” There had to be another way to convince her… What hadn’t she tried? “I promised King I would come back home today!”  
She looked up into Amity’s eyes, hoping to convince her to let her go. Luz immediately began talking, trying to stall her fate, despite the lack of any sort of pity in her eyes.
“I said that we could spend tomorrow together, but he said there might not be a tomorrow, and I tried to comfort him-” her eyes flicked around, trying to look as scared as she felt, “but if I really don’t have a tomorrow, then King and I will never spend it together!”
Luz hoped that her listening to her stream of panicked words meant that she was considering trying to change her mom’s mind. She continued trying to stall. “What’s your mom’s name?” She turned back around to face her. “What’s your name?” she shouted at her, but she didn’t respond, only getting out of her line of vision. “Please! Stop this!” she cried out again, as her eyes searched for her in vain. “I need to get back! I have to come home!”
She felt Amity lift her up and turn her around and Luz stared up at her with tear-filled eyes. The look in Amity’s eyes was bored more than anything, as she spoke, “do you really think you’re going to be changing my mind on this?” She sighed deeply. “Because I’ve planned this for a while and I’m not going to back down over some begging and crying.”
Luz racked her brain for anything that could save her, but she didn’t know what else she could do. She tried to stall again, hoping Amity would hear her out. “What about the time…” It didn’t matter what she talked about, as long as she talked. “Or I mean, what about the Azura books? If you kill me, you won’t have anybody to talk with you about them!”
Amity scowled at Luz. “Don’t remind me of that!” She squeezed Luz tightly, before she continued. “You just kept talking and talking and talking!” The look her eyes soften for a second, before she caught herself. “I never got a word in! Do you have any idea of how annoying it was?” She sighed once more. “I’m tired of this...” She opened her mouth back up again.
Luz immediately tried to squirm out of her grasp. “Stop!” She put her hands out in front of her, once again trying to grab onto something before she was shoved into Amity’s mouth. There has to be something I can do! But it was useless and, deeper down, she did know that.
Her eyes flicked around, as she tried to come up with something. Could I make her gag again? Maybe Amity will get tired of it eventually and… Luz didn’t even have to finish the thought, before she realized that wouldn’t work. Amity could easily bite her in half or just crush her arms or legs between her teeth. A sharp prickling feeling went up her spine, as she felt like the hair on her neck stood up. I can’t get out.
She suddenly became much more aware of everything around her, as she realized that now really was the moment she was going to die.
Everything felt fake, as a surreal feeling spread through her body, making every muscle in it tense. Her heart was beating, but it didn’t feel like her heart. She was breathing, but her lungs didn’t feel like they were hers. She had thoughts, but they didn’t feel like they came from her own head.
She shook her head, as she felt like vomiting. No, no, this is just a weird dream, a really scary, terrifying, nightmare, I’m going to wake up soon… But then why could she feel the saliva from Amity’s mouth making her clothes stick to her skin? I’m not going to die! I can’t! She clenched her fists tighter, digging her nails into her palms to feel something, as she shivered all over from the horrid realization she was having. She let out a small cry, wanting the feeling out of her body.
It couldn’t be possible that she would actually die; she couldn’t die. I can’t die! It doesn’t make sense! I can’t! Those were the only thoughts that echoed in her mind, as she tried to process what was happening. She wasn’t supposed to die; if she died, then what would happen to her? To the person she was? She heaved for breath, before whimpering, as she felt like an intruder in her own body. I can’t die!  
Luz let out the loudest scream she could muster, trying to feel like she was in control of the body she was in, before she dug her nails into Amity’s tongue. She knew her voice would come out hoarse, even before she screamed again, “SPIT ME OUT!” The words raked her throat, as she screamed them as loud as she could.
She pressed against the back of her tongue with as much force as she could, before she was pinned to the roof of Amity’s mouth.  
She wriggled against it, trying to maneuver her arms to make Amity gag another way. I’m not going to die in here! She hesitated for a few seconds, before she pressed her arms into Amity’s throat. She couldn’t put as much force into it, as her kick, or even just when she pressed down, but it was enough for her soon-to-be murderer to let her back out.
At least for a second, before she was quickly shoved back inside. This was exactly the scenario she had dreaded. She couldn’t keep stalling her death; Amity wasn’t using anywhere near the amount of energy Luz was. This couldn’t keep going forever.
Amity pinned Luz against her palate once again, letting her struggle uselessly for even longer.
Luz could feel herself starting to feel a slight bit weaker, as she tried to do the same thing she had done just before. But this time she didn’t get a chance to press against Amity’s throat, as she let her fall back to the front of her mouth, before she could reach.
She felt her feet hit Amity’s teeth, before Amity opened her mouth slightly and forced her leg in between them.
Luz squeezed her eyes shut tightly, realizing that Amity was going to be done playing with her soon. She’s going to bite my leg off! Luz tried to pull it out from between her teeth, but it didn’t do anything. Please don’t do this… It couldn’t be that much longer, before she decided to kill her.
But biting her leg off wasn’t what Amity had in mind, as she shifted Luz’s head in between her molars instead. Luz tried recoil, despite knowing she couldn’t do anything but wait for Amity to crush her skull. She didn’t think to send out any sort of last thoughts, as she focused on trying to shut out the unbearable pain she would feel in just a few seconds.
But Amity changed her mind once again, shifting her back on her tongue.
Luz was starting to wish that Amity would just get it over with already, instead of playing with her like she kept doing. I can’t get out… She had tried everything now, but none of it had worked. She went limp, before she tried one last time to get Amity to spare her life. “Am-” she coughed, as she realized just how sore her throat was from screaming. “-Amity, please, I can’t die yet!” She felt tears build up in her eyes once again, but she didn’t try to hold them back anymore.
Luz tensed up immediately, as she felt herself slide towards Amity’s throat. Amity is going to swallow me whole! She squirmed, before she was pinned in place again. “Amity!” This was one of the worst ways she could decide to kill her. “Sto-” she choked on her voice again in the middle of her word, “-stop! Please, at least make it a quick death!”
But it did nothing to convince her, as she was squeezed down into her throat.
Luz tried to make her gag again, but Amity swallowed her down way too quickly for her to do anything. She kicked the back of her palate, but even though Amity’s body clearly wanted her to cough her back up; she still quickly swallowed again to let Luz slide farther down into her throat.
Luz cried out in distress, as she was squeezed and shoved farther down by the second. She tried to clear her head of thoughts, not wanting to think about how soon she was going to die. She wasn’t ready to die in anyway at all. I can’t die… But she knew that wasn’t true; everybody had to die. I don’t want to die… She didn’t want to die yet, and especially not the gruesome way she was about to.
She whimpered, as trying to wriggle back up, but she knew there was no way she was making it out again. I never got to see my mom again… Every ounce of guilt she had felt since she had pretended to be at camp hit her at once. She cried even harder, letting out a wail, as she wished she had told her something, anything, about where she was. She’s never going to know what happened to me...
Luz could feel when the stomach opened up beneath her, and she squeezed her eyes even more shut, as she slid into the pool of acid at the bottom.
She quickly got out of it, but she knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference. I’m… She could barely finish the thought, but she knew she had to face sooner or later. I’m not getting out of here… She let her shoulders untense, knowing there was nothing she could do but wait for death. Maybe it won’t be as scary as it sounds…
But she knew she didn’t really believe that.
~
Amity felt Luz stop moving inside her stomach, but she didn’t worry, knowing she was going to be alright. She looked up into the smug face of her mother, glaring at her. Wipe that annoying smile off your face! Her mother hadn’t won; she had. Or at least as much as she could win, when she had, hopefully, broken Luz’s trust in her completely. She looked down at her stomach, holding a hand over it. Please don’t still trust me after this…
Her mom’s eyes nearly looked like they sparkled, as Amity hurried to lower her hand down. Shoot, I’m making this worse for Luz… Her mother touched the gem around her own neck, as her voice rung in her head like it had done so many times. “Mittens, you still seem pretty affectionate with the human, are you sure you can stay away from her?”
Amity nodded, as she felt anger bubble up inside her. I would do anything to keep Luz safe. Even if it meant never seeing her again. Though, the fact that her mom still wore that smug smile worried her. Am I missing something? Her skin prickled, as she knew there had to be something she wasn’t thinking off. Was there a loophole she hadn’t consider? How did the deal go again?
She thought back to what had been said. ‘If you can convince Luz that you’re trying to kill her, we won’t do anything to her ourselves.’
Amity’s eyes widened, as she realized exactly why her mom wore that smile, but she kept her face away from her. Stay calm, I can’t let her know that I’ve figured out her trick. If she knew she figured it out; she wasn’t going to get a chance to make a plan to save Luz from her.
She stretched casually, trying to look more tired than she was. “I think I’m going relax in my room for a while…” she hoped she could be more convincing than she was before. “I’ll come back… later?” She shot her mom an unsure look, trying to ask when she needed to let Luz out. That’s what I would have done before I guessed it, right? “When would be a good time?”
Her mom did look a bit suspicious of her, but not a worrying amount. “Come back in half an hour.”
Amity wasn’t sure she should chance a glare at her mom, despite knowing that she would have done it otherwise. I don’t want to risk anything… She would let her think she still thought she had won by ignoring her, as she walked past her.
~
Luz stared in confusion at the yellow tinted walls that were pulsing around her, realizing that something was off. Even if there was still enough air for her inside Amity’s stomach; she definitely should be feeling at least some itching, if not unbearably painful burning, by now.
She looked down at the bare part of her legs, but the skin didn’t seem irritated at all, despite her lower half having been in the acid the entire time she had been inside Amity’s stomach, because she hadn’t been able to get completely out of it.
Luz didn’t understand what was going on, but she had a feeling Amity had a reason for not telling her that.
She looked up where she had first entered her stomach, wishing she could get back out. She put her necklace in under her hoodie, letting the space around her darken. It was a lot more pleasant, when she didn’t have to look at the pulsing moving walls that she thought was going to kill her just a moment ago.
She closed her eyes, letting herself calm down. The thought that she was going to die eventually, even if not now, still lingered in her body, making her feel like she wasn’t really herself. But at least I don’t have to die right now. She tried to comfort herself with the thought, but thinking about the fact that she had to die at some point still left her with the hollow feeling of her body not being hers.
She pulled the necklace back out, realizing she needed a distraction from her thoughts. Or at least something to do with her hands, so she could squash down the feeling of needing to do something.
She watched the flickering effect the light gained, as she fiddled with the gems. It started to feel a little less scary, when she focused on the light and necklace in her hands, instead of her surroundings, thoughts or feelings. She could deal with her existential dread later… when she figured out how to stop feeling like herself when she thought about the fact that her life would eventually be over.
She took a shaky breath, trying once again to calm down.
~
Amity paced around her room, trying to figure out how to handle everything. How am I going to get Luz back to the Owl House? She couldn’t picture a way that would work. Mom has to be keeping an eye on me, in case I decide to run away… Amity paused in her pace. Is it obvious that I’m going to run away? She thought about it, but she quickly realized if her mom saw or heard her head out, she would immediately get caught.
She sat down, trying to form a better plan. My only back up plan can’t just be to restrain her, while I run… She had to come up with something better, but she knew she had limited time. How am I going to do this? She placed her head into her hands, gritting her teeth in frustration.
She rubbed her face, trying to come up with something else. What if I wait until I’m supposed to let Luz back out, but then I run away? It almost sounded easier, but she might as well use some of the surprise from running way now instead. It might have worked, if Ed and Em were home to help. But, obviously, her mother didn’t want anybody interrupting her traumatizing of Luz. Or, rather, her murder. Why did I ever agree to this? It should have been so obvious that this plan wasn’t going to work. What made me think mom would even keep her word? She knew how her mom was.
Amity wished she had just been smart enough to avoid this. Luz could have saved herself, if I just warned her… She squeezed her eyes shut, letting herself cry. I could have helped her! Amity knew that she shouldn’t dwell on the past, that was something she couldn’t change, but she couldn’t see how she was going to get out of the situation her stupid, absolutely terribly, mistake had brought her in.
Amity had to wipe the tears from her face not long after. I have to at least apologize to Luz… Her shoulders tensed, as she thought about having to tell her that she had pretty much gotten her killed. I’ll try to make it more optimistic... She didn’t know how to make it sound like that, but she could give it a shot. “Luz?”
~
The necklace thumped against her chest, as she let go of it, when she heard her name. She felt a sudden burst of anger, kicking Amity’s stomach with as much force as she could. She quickly calmed down after that, realizing that it wasn’t Amity fault that this happened. Maybe partly, she didn’t try to stop her mom, but I shouldn’t take my anger out on her…
But before she could apologize; Amity spoke again. “I deserved that.” Luz waited for a few seconds, before Amity continued. “But I wanted to say sorry, and that you were right about everything… Somewhat?” Luz wasn’t sure if she should say anything yet, but Amity seemed to be done, as she didn’t say anything after making a few noises while thinking.
Luz wasn’t exactly sure what to say. “Uh… Okay?” She didn’t really want to be talking with Amity, her voice still felt uncomfortable to hear. “But, uhm… If I’m not going to die in here; you’re going to let me out soon, right?” Luz didn’t want to spend a second longer than she needed to inside Amity’s stomach.
She heard the rush of air in Amity’s lungs, as she took a deep breath. “About that…” Luz felt like her skin was crawling, as she waited for Amity to say something horrible. “I might have messed up a little more than I thought, and my mom does want you dead.”
Luz immediately sprang up in a panic, or attempted to, but she just splashed down into acids again as she slipped. “You’re still going to kill me?!” She tried to climb backwards, as one of the ways that Amity could still kill her popped into her mind. She’s going to drown me! “No, please, I-” But Amity quickly interrupted.
“No, no, Luz, I’m not going to let her get her way!” Amity’s heart had sped up too, as she hurried to get her words out. “I would never let anyone or anything hurt you; no matter what.” Luz noticed she took a breath, after she had stopped her writhing.  
Luz tried to process her words, but they… didn’t make any sense. Something in the way she said it made her think there much more to them than what she let on. She tried to think back to before Amity had lied to her about how much she hated her, but she still couldn’t figure out what made Amity care about her that much. No matter what... her mind repeated the tone that Amity had used. Maybe I’m putting too much meaning in it?
Amity continued, snapping her out of her thoughts. “But I was trying to say that she still wants you dead, so I need to find a way to get you back to the Owl House.” She let out a sigh. “The problem is that I’m stuck in my room…”
Luz let herself relax again. “First of all; don’t phrase stuff like that ever.” She pointed a finger at Amity, despite knowing she couldn’t see her. “But secondly… I don’t really know what to do either.” Luz gave herself some time to think. “Uh… Maybe you could…” Nothing popped into her mind immediately that wasn’t obvious. But maybe the simplest option could work? “Do you think you could beat your parents in a fight? If you had to?”
Amity went quiet, and Luz listened curiously for her response. “What do you mean? Do you want me to fight my parents?”
“No, I mean, if you had to, if you were caught?” Luz knew that Amity had to have thought about this, but she was pretty sure it could work. “And if you can’t, what are they going to do?” Luz’s confident feeling grew, as she thought about it more. “They can’t get to me, as long as I’m in here!”
It was silent above her, as Amity thought.
Luz stared up hopefully, excited that Amity seemed to be considering the idea. It could really work! She tried to squash down her feeling of being clever, waiting to hear what Amity thought of it.
“You’re right…” Luz waited, hoping she would go through with the idea. “But what if they have a way to make me throw up?”
Luz deflated, not having thought about that. “Well… Do you think they do?” She gave it a few more seconds of thought. “Why would they have a way to make you throw up? Doesn’t that sound weird?” Luz tried to come up with anything that could help them out of this awful situation they had ended up in. “And how else are we going to get out of this? I can’t think of anything else…”
Amity went quiet, clearly trying to think of something. “I don’t know…” She breathed out, as her heart sped up again. “I guess it’s the only thing that sounds doable…”
¨¨
Luz had to wait with growing worry, as Amity moved around the house.
She kept her hands around her necklace and it helped her calm down slightly. The chain felt comforting, as she ran her fingers along it. Stay calm… She didn’t want to freak out too much, despite knowing that both her and Amity were incredibly worried. She can do this.
She could hear Amity’s heart beat faster than her own, but not by much.
She wished she could help out, but there wasn’t a lot she could do, even if she was back outside and her regular size. I would probably just be easier to kill… Not to mention the fact that she was still completely defenseless. Luz gripped her necklace anxiously, as she thought back to Amity taking her bag. What did Amity do to my bag?
It wasn’t that she was too worried about the bag; she didn’t have anything really important and irreplaceable with her, but she still didn’t want to have lost it. She did have a few of her favorite patches and pins on it and it would suck to lose them. So technically something irreplaceable, if she never got back to her mom, but nothing really important important.
She let go of the necklace, deciding to watch the walls around her for a bit. It made her own stomach churn, as she thought about what happened. It was gross to think that Amity could do that. She hadn’t had that hard of a time swallowing her down, despite how much she had tried to get her to gag.
She tried to stop the uncomfortable feeling she got from thinking about it. Amity is keeping me safe. She reminded herself once again. I’m safer in here than out there. If she was out there; Amity’s mom could get to her way more easily.
Luz wasn’t sure how long she spent thinking about all her different worries, but apparently long enough for Amity to make it out of her house, as the bigger girl told her exactly that in a voice a little louder than a whisper.
It was quiet again after that, except for her much louder and more strained breathing.
¨¨ ~
By the time Amity reached the Owl House; she could barely get her legs to move anymore. Maybe I should have taken it just a tiny bit slower… Her parents hadn’t even seen her run away, as far as she knew. But the thought that they had been after her had made it impossible for her to slow down.
She stared over at the house, feeling unsure about what to do. Should she explain any of what had happened, or keep it a secret? I think I’m going to start by letting Luz out… She wished she had thought about an easier way to make herself throw up suddenly. It can’t be that hard… she thought, remembering how easily Luz had made her gag. But maybe it’s harder to do it myself…  
Amity shook her head, realizing she was overthinking it way too much.
She looked down at her stomach, feeling an uncomfortable shiver go up her body as she thought about what she had done. I’m so stupid… “I’m going to let you out now.”
¨¨ ~
Luz yelped in surprise, as she fell out of Amity’s mouth, but her fall was slightly broken by the soft-ish leaves on the ground. And despite falling the relatively tall height that she had; it barely hurt.
She still groaned, immediately having to squeeze her eyes shut at the still bright light outside. I didn’t realize it was so dark in there... She had thought that the light from her necklace was a lot stronger. She felt dizzy, as she hesitantly opened her eyes back up again.
She heard Amity shuffle backwards retching again, but it didn’t sound like anything else was coming out.
Luz got up on her feet, grimacing as she saw Amity’s face. That does not look fun... She didn’t want to say anything, before Amity was done dry heaving.
Amity swallowed loudly, letting out an exhausted noise. “I’m so sorry,” she started, swallowing sickly again, “I really hope you’re okay after all this...” Amity sat up clenching her hands tight. “I didn’t think any of this through... ” She squeezed her eyes shut, and a couple tears rolled down her face.
Luz didn’t want to say that everything was fine; it wasn’t. But she also didn’t think Amity needed to feel that horrible about it. “Well... The worst part was really realizing that I was going to die, so it’s not really your fault?” Luz dug her foot in under one of leaves next to her, trying to lift it with her foot. “I mean, unless you’re a god of death?” she tried to joke with a hesitant smile.
Amity grimaced, as she clearly tried not to smile back. “It’s not funny...” Her grimace quickly turned sad, as she looked down at Luz. “I know how much I scared you.”
Luz stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do to make Amity stop worrying about it. “I don’t really want to talk about this right now.” It was true, but she was mostly hoping to distract Amity. “Also... Could you maybe turn me back to normal?”
Amity snapped up. “Right! Sorry,” she apologized, but she didn’t turn her back immediately, fishing around in the bag she had with her, before she brought out Luz’s bag. “Here.” She stood back up, before casting the spell.
Luz closed her eyes, as she grew back to normal, finding a little too weird to watch how everything changed back to how it was before.  
When she opened them again; everything seemed much more familiar.  
A lot more real.  
Without even registering her emotions properly; everything blurred with tears.
Luz couldn’t even get a word out, despite wanting to tell Amity that it wasn’t her fault that she broke down. Don't think it’s your fault! Luz’s thoughts screamed between the terrifying jolts of constant reminding that she was going to die and having no way of knowing what would or wouldn’t happen afterwards. Don’t get upset too!
She looked over at Amity, seeing how distressed she looked too, and managed to speak up. “It’s not your fault.” She blinked, letting more tears fall freely. “I’m not scared of you!” She wiped her tears away, even though they were still coming. “We should get inside... I just need to talk with Eda.”
Luz watched Amity, but she didn’t move any closer towards the Owl House.
Amity spoke hesitantly. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Luz would have shrugged, but she was too upset. “It’s fine; Eda has probably done more questionable things than this.” Amity still looked a little unsure. “Amity, it’s alright; I’ll make sure they won’t get mad at you.”
Amity slowly nodded, before they both headed inside.
~
She still didn’t believe that Luz wasn’t upset with her. I shouldn’t be here... She felt like her back prickled uncomfortably, as she stood stiffly a few steps inside the house.
Luz had immediately gone to embrace Eda, crying into her shoulder. The older witch seemed to be very uncomfortable, but she also looked ready for letting Luz cry for as long as she needed.
Amity took a step back, hoping nobody would notice her. I could see if I could stay at the library for the night... She was pretty sure she could convince Malphas to let her stay if she told him about her situation with her parents. Or I could work a little harder if I need to. That could make up for it. I need to go now if I want to make it.
She carefully turned around to head back out the door, still trying to make herself as unnoticeable as possible.
But, of course, she was noticed this time. “Amity?”
The voice immediately caught her attention, as she noticed Lilith on the couch with Hooty by her side. “Lilith?” She decided that leaving wasn’t an option anymore, now where she had been noticed. “What are you doing here?”
She threw out her hands, “I could ask you the same thing; I thought Luz was just supposed to visit you,” she looked over at Luz and Eda, gesturing to Luz, “so how did things go so wrong that this happened to her?”
Amity shuffled her feet slightly. “I think I’m going to let Luz explain some of it first... But it’s my fault it happened.”
Luz immediately butted in. “No, it’s not-” she sniffled, before she continued, “-there was no way-” she breathed in deeply, as she whimpered and hugged Eda tighter, “-it wouldn’t have happened sooner or later...”
Amity took a second to think about it. “You are really only upset about the-” She wasn’t quick to catch herself before she said a little more than she needed. “-about death?” If she had to be completely honest; she thought that Luz was lying to her about that to make her feel better. Unless she thought I would pretend to want to kill her? But that was ridiculous.
Luz nodded, before she let go of Eda, “it’s really really scary to think about dying...” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m so so scared and I don’t know how to stop feeling like this!” She immediately wrapped her arms around Eda again, almost looking like she was trying to crush her, but Eda still let her hold on.
Eda waited until Luz let go of her again. “Luz, I don’t really know what to tell you.” She took a deep breath, before she continued. “The only thing you can really do is try to forget about it and then when the moment comes... all you can hope is that you’ll be ready for it.” She gently patted Luz on her shoulder. “But we can talk about this after you take a shower, alright? I need to get changed now too.”
Luz nodded, not looking the least bit comforted, before she left for the bathroom and Eda went to get a change of clothes.
King had been eerily silent as all this went down, staring after Luz as she left, before he leaped off the couch to stare down Amity. “What did you do to our Luz? You said that this was your fault!”
Amity felt uncomfortable, as the tiny demon tried to interrogate her. “It’s hard to explain... I really don’t want to do it without Luz.” She grasped the sleeve of her dress between her fingers. “And Eda needs to know what happened too.”
King scowled at her. “She smells like vomit; how much is there to explain about that? When did she get eaten and why didn’t you help her?”
Amity suddenly focused a lot harder on the grim taste of puke in her mouth. I need to rinse my mouth with some water. She realized that she was also incredibly thirsty after her run. “I told you Eda needs to know too and Luz needs to be here.” She turned to Lilith hesitantly. “I know it’s a little weird for me to ask for something right now, but where can I get something to drink?”
¨¨ ~
When Luz came back from her shower Amity looked twice as uncomfortable as she had before with everybody staring at her. Oh gosh, how am I going to explain what happened? She didn’t want them to think Amity was a bad person. “Hey,” she called shyly, trying to take the attention off Amity. “I’m feeling a bit better now.”
She went into the living room, standing next to Amity to hopefully make her feel less awful about what she did. She didn’t have bad intentions with what she did. “Sooo...” Luz began hesitantly, “I guess you guys want to know what happened?”
King scowled at Amity, but Luz was quick to step in. “It’s not her fault.” But she hesitated again. “Not entirely anyway... It’s...” Luz realized she had no clue why Amity’s mom did any of what she did. “Actually, what happened back at your place? Why would your mom ever make you do something like that?”
Amity took a deep breath, “I don’t know...” She rubbed her arm, looking down to the floor. “I just know that it doesn’t really surprise me that much...” She sighed, before she talked about the other part of what had happened. “But what happened was that... My mom told me that if I didn’t...” She stopped, taking a step in behind Luz. “I know I shouldn’t have done it! But she told me that if I wanted Luz to live, I needed to convince her that I wanted her dead.”
Luz looked back at Amity, recalling her wince when she had told her that she figured out her mom was the one behind it. That was why she got scared... Luz carefully brushed her hand against Amity’s arm, making her flinch. “Sorry!” she quickly apologized. I guess she wouldn’t like a hug. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Amity nodded, refusing to look at Luz, before she continued. “But it turns out that it was a trick... She was going to kill Luz either way, and I was stupid and fell for it and now...” She looked at Luz briefly with confusion in her eyes, before she trailed of completely.
Luz desperately wanted to give Amity a hug, but she didn’t seem like something like that would help her. “So... Did your mom tell you to pretend like you were going to kill me a specific way or did you decide that?” Luz really hoped that it wasn’t Amity’s own choice, despite it technically having helped save her life.
Amity looked disgusted. “My mom... She pretty much planned the entire thing... Except for the... The uh...” She suddenly looked even more ashamed of herself, “... fake escape... I mean, I was pretty sure ten minutes was enough to catch you, but I wouldn’t have let you go.”
King interrupted their explanation. “I feel like you two are leaving out A LOT of stuff, because I’m just getting more and more confused.”
Both Amity and Luz looked over at each other, before Amity spoke, “my mom told me I had to pretend to kill Luz by swallowing her alive. That’s why she came home drenched and smelling like vomit.”
Luz jolted up, realizing she forgot to apologize to her mentor for running her clothes. “I’m sorry about your dress, Eda! I didn’t think about how gross I was.” It had completely slipped her mind, despite how sour she had smelled, even without thinking of how slimy she had been.
Eda quickly dismissed it, “don’t apologize about that; it’s been through worse.” She shrugged, “besides, I was thinking of getting rid of it soon.”
Luz looked around the room, but there still seemed to be some confusion. “Uh... Maybe it’s better if we tell them everything that happened.”
¨¨
By the end of it all, Luz felt completely exhausted and scared, having had to relive the moment again. “I think I’m going to go to bed early...” She tried to shake her head to wake up a little, but it didn’t work.
Eda immediately shook her head, “nope, not before you’ve gotten something to eat.”
Luz felt sick at the thought of food. “No thanks, I don’t think I can eat anything.” Her appetite was completely gone and it wasn’t just from the thought of what had happened to her. The idea of eating felt pointless after realizing she was going to die. “I just want to go to bed...” she said, despite her stomach hurting from a lack of food.
Eda didn’t back down. “I get that it’s uncomfortable, but you have to eat something.” She got up from her seat. “Get something to drink and I’m going to make you something.”
Luz decided it was no use protesting.
¨¨
She sat awkwardly and sipped her glass of water. Drinking without any appetite wasn’t easy either, but it did help slightly. She was getting a bit more open to getting something to eat, but mostly to stop the nausea she was getting from her stomach trying to break down nothing.
Amity looked over at her, before she spoke, “so, I’m going to be staying here, right? Or should I be going back home?”
Luz stared at Amity in disbelief. “What do you think?! Obviously, you’re staying here for the night!” She was not letting Amity go home to her parents. At least not for the night.
Amity looked away again. “But what if they only get more upset with me?”
“Then you’re staying here another day,” she replied, carefully putting a hand on top of Amity’s, hoping to comfort her. “Amity, I’m not letting you get anywhere near them, if you’re still scared of them.”
Amity pushed Luz’s hand away, before going silent.
¨¨ ~
Amity watched as Luz headed upstairs to go to bed after she had gotten something to eat, leaving her alone in a room full of people she barely knew anything about.
She decided not to speak to them, looking down into her hands.
Her nail polish looked like it was flaking off in some areas, and she picked at it to distract herself from the awkwardness that hung in the air. What do I do? She had no clue where she was supposed to sleep or if they had enough food for an extra person to stay there. I really want something to eat... She thought, but she would never ask for it, if the others weren’t going to offer. They would probably hate me for it... How was she ever supposed to eat again after she had done what she did?
She scratched a relatively big chunk of paint off, before she stopped to look around at the others. The only one staring at her was King, who was giving her a death glare.
She looked back down to her nails, continuing to scratch at them. “I’m mad at me too, you know...” she said quietly to King. “I really wish I had never done any of what I did.” She rubbed the back of her hand gently, wishing she could go back to before any of it had happened.
King huffed. “Yeah right! You’re just saying that so we don’t get mad at you.” He jumped off the place he was sitting to stare challengingly up at Amity. “Well, I’m still going to be mad at you, so it’s not going to work.”
She shrugged half-heartedly. “That’s okay... I wish you were angrier with me.” She lowered her hand back down. “I mean... I deserve it, don’t I? But Luz isn’t mad at me, even though she really should be...” Amity decided to let a few of her trapped thoughts out. “I don’t understand why she doesn’t hate me for what I did. Or why you guys are letting me stay.” She grabbed her own hand, crushing it as hard as she could. “I don’t deserve it.”
King seemed startled by her, taking a few steps back. “Oh, you really do feel bad...” He ducked his head slightly, before he jumped back to where he sat before, now watching her with a bit harder to read expression. “Well, then I don’t really care, as long as you don’t try to hurt Luz.” He continued to watch her, but he didn’t seem as angry anymore.
Amity looked back at him for another second, only getting more confused. Why don’t they hate me? Maybe she didn’t have to worry about them not wanting her to stay over? But she still felt horrible about what she had done.
She got off the couch, but didn’t know where she wanted to go. “Is there an empty room I could stay in? I need some time alone...”
~
Luz lay in her sleeping bag, tears running down her face. Her mind kept spinning in circles whenever she tried to calm her thoughts about death. As soon as she got to ‘you might feel ready for it when it happens’ it spun back around to the beginning of ‘I’m going to die’. She couldn’t sleep with her thoughts going like that on repeat.
She shuffled around, lying on her side instead. Maybe it’ll be easier to deal with tomorrow. That was her hope anyway, but she knew it wasn’t going to help this time. It normally helps, but this is much worse, she thought, but still tried to relax her body. Take a deep breath...
She did as she told herself, letting it out with a bit of trouble, before she wiped off her tears. Her tiredness seemed to be coming back again after she did that, and she did her best to keep her eyes closed, until she eventually fell asleep.
¨¨ ~
Amity first got back out of the room when she got called for dinner. And she had completely lots her appetite by that time.
She still felt absolutely miserable, but at least she hadn’t been stared at the entire time.
She only took a few small bites, despite her probably needing much more than she felt like eating.
The room was filled with the same awkward silence, as she sat with the others, herself mostly drinking water while the others ate.
Just eat a bit more... She told herself. She knew it wasn’t good that she wasn’t eating, since she hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast to make sure that she wasn’t going to suffocate Luz in food on accident. Or even just let her sit in it. But she couldn’t make herself eat more than another small bite.
She looked up at Eda before quickly turning her head away again. “Thanks for letting me stay over.”
Eda shook her head, “it’s not that big a deal. Though I should probably have gotten a little more when I was out...” She looked like she was thinking about something, before she shook her head lightly again. “I’m just thinking out loud, no need to worry.”
Amity had already begun to worry, but she tried to shove the feeling down.
She forced herself to take another bite, but she was pretty sure she couldn’t eat another bite after that. “So... Where am I supposed to sleep?” she finally asked.
King mumbled something under his breath that Amity just barely caught, “nowhere near Luz that’s for sure...” Amity sure wasn’t going to object to that.
Eda shrugged again. “As long as it’s not taking already, I don’t care.”
¨¨
Amity ended up getting some pillows for herself and sleeping on the floor, because she was too ashamed to do anything else.
¨¨ ~
When Luz woke up; she didn’t feel nearly as bad as she thought she would. Her worrying about death had left her mind after her full night of sleep. At least for that moment.
She quickly got ready and headed downstairs to check if anybody else were up yet.
Checking the living room, she noticed that Amity had fallen asleep in the middle of the floor and was still sleeping. Luz raised an eyebrow, immediately becoming concerned. That doesn’t look comfortable... Not that it’s much more comfortable sleeping in a sleeping bag for so long. She almost decided to wake Amity up to get her somewhere more comfortable, before she realized it was a little late for that.
She walked around the house for a bit, finding all the others were still sleeping. I guess I did go to bed a little early... What had it been? 6 PM maybe? But there was also some time where she kept tossing and turning trying to fall asleep despite her scary thoughts.
She shook her head quickly. Don’t think about that, she reminded herself. Especially not when you don’t have anybody to talk to. But they were slowly creeping back in and she could feel her pulse rising. I’m not having this happen right after I wake up, she thought stubbornly at herself.
She looked back over at Amity, quickly deciding that she needed someone to talk to and woke her up, even if it was a little selfish.
~
Amity had woken up to someone trudging around the house, but she tried to ignore it and go back to sleep. At least until she felt someone touch her shoulder. “Hey Amity...”
She tiredly raised her head up to look at Luz. She immediately perked up a little more, realizing she probably had terrible bedhead. Every emotion she had about Luz in the past weeks mixed together at once, and she could only respond by lying back down again and apologizing. “Sorry.”
Luz let out a small uncomfortable laugh. “Seriously, stop apologizing, I’m trying to forget what happened right now.” She put a hand on her back, making Amity feel even more conflicted. “Besides, I think you missed a ‘good morning’.”
Amity couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “So did you,” she replied, making Luz look a little sheepish, “but good morning.” She sat up, trying to rub some of the sleep crust out of her eyes. “Why did you wake me up?” She was pretty sure it couldn’t be that late. “What’s the time?”
Her friend shrugged. “Dunno.” She also rubbed her eyes slightly, before she continued. “But I know why I woke you up.” Luz sat down next to her. “I just want to talk a little bit... I’m feeling a little off.” She rubbed her arm nervously. “So... How’d you sleep?”
Amity was pretty sure she knew what she meant by feeling off, but it was clear Luz didn’t like talking about it. “Poorly.” She could feel how stiff her body was. “But I didn’t know where else to sleep... And I was maybe being a little dramatic yesterday...” She would definitely have chosen to sleep on the couch now.
Luz tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
Amity looked away, not wanting to touch on the subject, if Luz didn’t want to talk about it. “It doesn’t really matter.” She paused, thinking her decision over. Maybe I should tell Luz about how I felt yesterday. “Or, well... If you’re uncomfortable talking about yesterday it doesn’t matter.”
Luz gave a slight nod. “Oh...” Her brow furrowed. “So why did you sleep on the floor?”
Amity scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “I didn’t feel like I deserved a better place to sleep.”
Immediately Luz’s eyes turned sad, and Amity moved away. “Amity, I’m alright, you don’t need to keep being so harsh on yourself.”
Amity kept herself from saying anything, despite her thoughts screaming that Luz was supposed to hate her now. It doesn’t make any sense... she thought, looking over at Luz, before she finally said something. “It feels like you should hate me now.”
Luz got a much more sympathetic look in her eyes, before she gave a small smile. “I know how that feels.” She let out a tiny laugh, looking like she was about to say something before she bit it back. She thought over her words, before she continued. “I feel like that about the smallest things sometimes.”
Amity had to take a second to think about it. “But what I did was so much worse.”
Luz moved a bit closer to her. “Yeah, obviously? But I already told you that I’m alright.” She sighed. “You don’t need to worry about me.” Luz scratched her hand slightly, as she looked at her. “I know it sounds a bit out of nowhere, but would you like a hug?”
Amity had to give it a few seconds of thought, before she nodded.
She unsurely let herself hug Luz back, leaning into her. It felt nice to be held like that, and hold onto someone after all that had happened. Just knowing that she still had someone she could consider a real friend helped a lot. Though the thought that Luz was just a friend did make her feel a little sad, she felt like it was enough for her in that moment.
Amity was the first to try to pull away, but Luz held on a little longer, making Amity hug her back again. It felt like Luz also needed the hug a lot.
Eventually both of them let go, and Amity could see that Luz was about to cry again. Amity hesitated unsurely, before gently took Luz’s hand in hers, like Luz had tried to do for her the other day.
Immediately Luz tightened her grip around her fingers, making Amity wince, but she let Luz clutch onto her hand. If it makes her feel better I can stand it for a bit. It didn’t hurt that much; it just surprised her a little.
Luz loosened her grip slightly, as she looked at Amity. “It’s so- scary...” she sobbed, immediately tightening her grip again. “I just can’t imagine the fact that it’s all going to be over... That one day I won’t be here anymore.” Luz squeezed her eyes shut, gasping for breath. “One day my mom is going to die, and what if I never make it home to see her again?”
Amity didn’t know what to say. “I think you will.” Luz gripped her hand even tighter. “I don’t think I get your feelings about death, but if you really want to make it home; you can do it.”
Luz looked down at her own hand. “I wish things could be like this forever... But with my mom here.” She let go of Amity’s hand, looking into her eyes. “Then everyone could be here with me and none of us would have to die...” She sniffled quietly. “But I know that’s stupid to think.”
Amity looked at Luz, hating that she couldn’t do anything to make her feel better. She wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay, but she couldn’t say that. Luz was worried about death, something that was inevitable. She took a deep breath. “I’m going to be here for you as long as you need.”
Luz managed a weak smile, but didn’t say anything else.
They sat like that for a while, before Luz spoke up again. “You mean a lot to me, you know?”
“I do?” questioned Amity, not sure what to think about it. “Even after what I did?”
Luz nodded, “it does make me feel a little strange... But I’m happy that you’re here with me.” She shifted the way she was sitting slightly. “I don’t want to be weird, but... It makes me feel really... warm and fuzzy when I think about you.”
Amity stared at Luz, before she pushed the thought she was having away. “It’s not weird, except for your childish wording” she teased slightly, while trying not to get too hopeful. “And I’m happy to be here with you too.” She decided she would shift the topic a tiny bit away. “And I get what you mean with this feeling strange... It’s confusing to sit here with you, after what I did.”
Luz fiddled with her hands, looking like she wanted to ask something. “Uhm...” she started, before her voice fell away again and she had to start over. “Do you feel the same way about me? Even with the childish wording?” Amity could tell that Luz meant exactly what she had thought.
Amity nearly choked on her own breath in surprise. Her voice caught in her throat, forcing her to nod instead. I have to be dreaming. There was no way that Luz had just asked her that.
Both of them went completely silent, not knowing what to say to each other.
Hesitantly Amity deciding to reach out for her hand again and Luz took it. For some reason it felt a lot different from how they had held hands just before. And it wasn’t just the lack of her fingers being crushed.
As Amity looked up into Luz’s eyes; she noticed her smile had a bit of sadness to it. Immediately her own smile faded. “I wish I could do something to make you feel better...”
Luz bowed her head slightly. “I’m just happy you’re here with me.”
That would have to be good enough for both of them.
***
That’s the end! Thanks for reading! If you liked it, please leave a like! I love seeing that people like my stories! :3
Have a fantastic day/night! <3
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iheartbookbran · 3 years
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I think the whole Daenerys burning KL thing has a lot less to do with her than it does several other plot threads and themes in the story. Unfortunately I think GRRM is going to use Daenerys to confront the concept of paying for your ancestors crimes, her father put that wildfire there, her legacy (as a Targaryen, not as Daenerys herself) is literally built on fire and blood. The Targaryens might have united the 7 Kingdoms, but they did so with a lot of unnecessary bloodshed, and there was almost never a time in their history of reigning where there wasn't war. Daenerys as an individual is not responsible for any of this, and I wholeheartedly agree with you that she doesn't need to be taught a lesson about abuse of power, but unfortunately I think GRRM is going in this direction anyways, because he's going to use her as a climax for the entire Targaryen reign. It's a cruel sort of irony, that the place her ancestors built from the ground up will be the cause of her "downfall" and probably turn her into a morally ambiguous historical figure in the future, regardless of what she does to save Westeros from the others.
And there's the fact that the wildfire beneath KL is a huge chekov's gun. Someone *has* to ignite it, and if it's not Daenerys, I'm not entirely sure who it could be. Cersei is definitely a contender, but seeing as she doesn't know about the wildfire yet, it's a little bit of a reach. I think it would be a very tragic way to wrap up Daenery's storyline, but it seems like that's the direction GRRM is headed in :/
Hey there! Ok, a little disclaimer before I start: today I got my first covid vaccine shot and I’m a little dizzy as a result so I might not make much sense right now. Sorry in advance.
While I completely get the whole ‘paying for the crimes of your ancestors’ concept you’re bringing up, and that’s a theme GRRM is definitely fond of exploring, to me it would be like holding Dany at completely different standards than the rest of the characters. Because it’s one thing for Dany to be in conflict with her father’s legacy—which tbh I would say she already kinda is?—and another entirely to punish Dany for every bad thing the Targaryens ever did because Monarchies=Bad and therefore Targaryens=Bad. I mean we wouldn’t be getting anything similar from the other major POVs. For example, I don’t believe a house like that of the Starks could rule for literally thousands of years without a little blood in their hands, it’s just GRRM doesn’t focus as much on them (and they didn’t have dragons, but I already explained why I believe Dany doesn’t need a lesson on how her dragons can be dangerous in the first place).
I think when it comes to fathers and legacies characters like Dany, Tyrion and Jon are very similar because a part of their stories is about showcasing how they’re not like their fathers. Tyrion has to confront his father… and kill him so he can move on with his life, which in turn kickstarts the downfall of House Lannister, but that was something Tyrion was alive to see, and to question and to know that it wasn’t as glorious as his family wanted to believe it was, but instead shallow and rotten; Dany on the other hand never got to see her family in full power and reap the benefits of that; in fact, she was actively a target for most of her childhood because of her name. With Jon I think he will be confronted with the legacies of his biological Father (Rhaegar) and his adopted one (Ned), and try and decide which one he wants to honor, or that maybe he ought to forge his own path entirely.
Now with Dany, again she’s already starting to question Viserys’ narrative about their father, we see it in her conversations with Ser Barristan and her fears of ‘turning mad’ like Aerys (and tbh that’s all the reasons I need to know why she wouldn’t go mad) for me not to believe she’s going to try to distance herself from what her father represented. The destruction of KL and the knowledge of her father’s role in it would just solidify that in Dany’s head plus the internal emotional conflict that would come with it but without the extra steps of the author needlessly lecturing Dany (and us) about the dangers of unchecked power or that a throne is not all there is in life; I would argue Dany already knows that. She doesn’t need a reason or an excuse to be a rescuer, she already is one, as Tyrion (GRRM) said for several paragraphs in ADWD.
The part that you mention about the destruction of KL giving Dany bad PR? I believe she already has it lmao. Just remember how she was talked about during Quentyn and Tyrion’s POVs, while a lot of people love her, many others hate her guts to a hilarious degree and demonize her for what she’s done to the poor defenseless slave masters. Such are the woes of women who rise to power and then go like “hey… maybe owning people is wrong?” but I digress. As you said, there are currently many contenders for the honor of getting to burn KL, and who knows, maybe it will be a group effort! I suspect the dragons will be involved one way or another, but the stolen ones (idk if Euron will steal more than one dragon) so adding Dany to the mix wouldn’t make much sense except to make way for her showdown with Aegon VI, that at this point honestly I’m not that interested in. I think Dany has more important stuff going on for her. Like, there’s a lot of confrontations I would like to happen that I believe the narrative as it currently stands doesn’t have much room to allow to breathe properly, like Jaime/Tyrion, Cercei/Tyrion, Arianne/her family in general. At the end of the day those dragons are her dragons, her children, and she will blame herself strongly for whatever they do (and others will too, enthusiastically, I’m sure), just remember how much guilt she feels over Drogon killing that little girl, and no one was controlling him then, not even Dany.
So basically what I was trying to convey during this mess of a response is that I’m not saying Daenerys has no buisness in the KL conflict, but rather that making her the one responsible for its destruction would feel way too contrived for me, it would require the plot to stay on hold for god knows how long until she’s done with her business in Essos and it would do absolutely nothing for her character or development but rather serve as some kind of twisted double-standard in which only Dany has to atone for the sins of her ancestors, as if living exiled and destitude all her life wasn’t enough.
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horseyneigh2002 · 3 years
Text
A Desperate, Defenseless Creature (12/31)
Basically Doomguy Meets a borrower
Summary: Warren was desperate. Sure, the little three-and-and-three-quarters inch tall man had some close calls in the past; exterminators, rats, that one teen who’d been too curious for his own good, but nothing that even remotely began to prepare him for this.
Honestly, Warren was doubting that anything could have prepared him for the end of the world.
Enormous creatures that the humans had called demons roamed outside, killing each other as well as anything they could see. Buildings had been completely destroyed in the invasion. Not a single human had been seen in months. Food was scarce to nonexistent.
Everything changed when he was caught by a human called the Slayer.
[Ao3 link] 
Chapter 12: I Like-Like Him
Summary: The idiots are starting to realize things. It only took them eleven chapters. 
Warren is adorable and John freaks out because he doesn't know what to do.
Disclaimer: I wrote 3k of this story on prescription grade pain killers, so who knows if its actually good.
Contains: Confused romantic feelings, self deprecation, swearing and assorted f bombs, male in a dress
Wordcount: 3.5k  
---
Warren was waiting for John to return, sitting on the edge of the console, watching the stars. They looked so pretty from up here. The shirt was completed and he had taken the time to fold it and hide it in his room. Hopefully John returned okay. 
“Stand by for portal entry.” Vega’s voice softly reminded him as the portal frame whirred to life. 
After a moment, John dove through the portal and flames licked at his heels before the portal shut completely. A beat passed and he got up from the floor. 
“What was that?” Warren’s eyes were wide as he looked up at John. His armor was more red than green at this point, and he could see bits of monster stuck in his armor. 
‘Explosion.’ He signed and then carefully set a drone with a backpack tied to it on the console of the bridge. ‘VEGA, found another one.’
“Thank you, Slayer. I will get to reprogramming it.” 
John turned to Warren and smiled. ‘Hi.’ 
“Hey. Are you okay?”
He nodded. ‘Just dirty.’
“I’m glad you’re okay.” Warren smiled. “Did you find the Hell Priest?”
His smile fell for a moment and he shook his head. ‘Not there.’
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Warren rubbed his arm. “You’ll find him soon.” 
John shrugged and then started to sign again. ‘I am going to clean up. Be right back. No peeking.’ And then just walked off. Warren was left staring over at the console with the backpack set on it. Was that what John didn’t want him to peek at? 
Warren looked over to the console. “Vey?”
“I assume he wishes to share the spoils of his trip with you.” 
Warren blushed heavily. John knew that scavenging for someone was a romantic custom, but he wasn’t sure that was the big man’s intention. 
Unless it was. Warren sincerely hoped it was, but he knew better than to get his hopes up. John was a human after all, big and strong and so ruggedly handsome. And besides, just because he knew romantic customs didn’t mean that was his intent. Warren just needed to be realistic. John would never love someone so small and pitiful like Warren. 
It wasn’t long before John showed back up, toweling his hair off. He was wearing nothing but a pair of baggy sweatpants and a shabby grey tank top. He swept the bag up off the drone and then held a hand out towards Warren. The little man hopped up on his hand and sat down, hand resting on his fingertip. John flashed a miniscule smile down at him and then carried him down to his workshop or his “man cave” as once saw Vega call it. 
The workshop was kind of sectioned off. Just to the right of the door as you came in, there were big weapons storage racks, with literal crates of ammunition sitting along the base of the wall rack. A barrel with a bunch of medieval weapons sat just before the right side stairs, where the painting of Daisy hung. Just to the left of the door was all the memorabilia and books and toys he had taken from the ruined surface of earth, with a large wrap around bookshelf and a reading throne and a crate of records and all kinds of things. On the wall rack on the left side stairs were where his guitars hung up. On the table just in front of the door was magazines and unpacked bags and parts and pieces of various stuff. Down in the pit of the room was the car jacks he hung the armor (freshly hosed off) and repaired and maintained his weapons. On the other side of the pit sat artifacts and his gaming desk with the multiple monitors and the huge tower, Daisy’s empty (and well maintained) travel cage, snacks, more magazines, a skateboard, a small cleaning robot with a knife taped to it, and all other things never mentally cataloged. 
John sat the backpack down in the large throne that sat on the rug just to the left of the door, the rug that housed most of his comic book collection that wasn’t stacked up on the bookshelf. He tugged the throne to the side and then settled the hand Warren was sitting in on the seat. Warren hopped off and settled down. 
John sat on the floor, picked the backpack up, and set it in his lap to start unpacking it. He started with the mesh pocket on the right side, pulling out a nearly round plush sheep backpack clip. He gently squished it once and sat it beside Warren. It came up to the tiny man’s hip. Warren gently patted the plush head before looking up at John, who pulled out a pack of pencils from the mesh pocket and set them aside. 
“Oh, pencils! I’ve been looking for graphite.” Warren grinned and sat on top of the plush lamb-loaf. 
John looked at him with that tiny smile and then pulled three pens with UAC stamped on them before dropping them on the floor with the pencils. ‘Took that from the reception desk.’
“Awesome. If you don’t mind, I could totally gut them for the springs and there’s all kinds of cool stuff to use the ink for.” 
‘Gut away.’ John  signed before unzipping the outer pocket. He pulled out some blood stained handkerchiefs and tossed them aside. After a second he pulled out several pots of fingerpaint, in all kinds of colors. The last thing he pulled out of the outer pocket was a plastic toy, and Warren had to tilt his head. It looked like a demon. 
“What is that?”
‘R-E-V-E-N-A-N-T. Demon. UAC made demon toys.’ 
“Oh, are you gonna destroy it or something?” 
He shook his head and pointed up at the shelf. Warren hadn’t spent too much time in here, so he never got to see the exact contents of the shelf, but he recognized some of the demons that Vega had shown him pictures of up on the shelf. 
“You collect…. Demon toys?”
He nodded and pointed to one toy in particular. Warren covered his mouth to not laugh. There was a bobblehead Doomslayer toy sitting next to the demon toys. 
“They made toys of you? I thought they hated you.” Warren let a quick laugh escape. 
He shrugged. ‘I found a ton on Mars. It was before I woke up.’
“Cool.” Warren was looking at the one that was a very detailed action figure. It was only just a little bit bigger than himself. He brought his attention back to John when he opened up the main pocket of the backpack. He put aside a plastic paint pallet that had some brushes and tubes of paint inside the packaging and pulled out some notebooks. One had lined paper, but two were drawing notebooks. He tossed aside another pack of paintbrushes and seemed to be searching for something. 
A few balls of yarn were thrown aside and he perked up and came up with a handful of sewing supplies. A few thimbles, plastic and metal, a nice case of needles, straight and curved, and several spools of all kinds of thread. ‘To help you with clothes.’
“Aw, John.” Warren hopped off his lamb-seat and John set the thread beside Warren. They were quite beautiful. He could make some lovely patterns with this thread, maybe add some designs to his jacket. 
Warren was crouched down to inspect the thread when suddenly John tapped him on his back and a bunch of buttons were dumped just beside him. Warren gasped happily and started to dig through the buttons. There were classic white and black and semi clear buttons for bean clothes, but there were also fun looking buttons he had scavenged. One was shaped like a bee and covered in glitter, another was an intricate silver and black swirled button, one shaped like shells, one was big and gaudy and rainbow and Warren wanted to hang it on his wall. One was big and felt wooden and slightly curved and with the proper legs he could easily turn it into a nice table.  
“These are amazing, John!” Warren held up one of the big brass buttons. “There is so much to do with this! It’s real metal. I could make a lovely night stand, or a shield, or I could save it for your clothes, it’s just so pretty.” 
John’s smile grew a bit bigger as he finished unpacking rolls of tape, patterned and non, and even a few rolls of washi tape. Warren cooed at the holographic washi tape and thought with a nice piece of cardboard from the backing for the buttons he could make a wonderful mirror. John responded to his thinking out loud by searching through a box nearby and plopping down a compact mirror. 
Warren blushed deeply and looked away while John started pulling out bottles and a box of colored sand. He heard the rustling of felt squares being stacked by the yarn. 
After a moment, Warren felt a tap on his shoulder and looked back. John was holding a small wooden box with a latch on it. He looked really excited as he set it on the seat next to Warren. 
“Is this for me?”
John nodded. 
Warren’s face was bright red as he opened up the box that he could easily fit in. He gasped and covered his mouth when he saw what was inside. There was miniature stuff in there. He pulled out a teapot and a few teacups and some plates and even a fork and a knife and a spoon! Warren pulled out a plastic vase with plastic flowers glued in and a tablecloth his size and a picnic basket that only opened on one side and he was just in awe he had to pause to thank John over and over again. 
John motioned for him to go on and Warren lifted the picnic blanket and pulled out a charm that was an actual leather journal with real pages and everything. “You got me a journal?” 
John nodded. ‘VEGA said you lost one.’
Warren felt himself actually tearing up and hugged it tightly to his chest. “You are so sweet, thank you so much! All of this stuff will go to good use, I promise. I - I love it. Thank you.”
John started putting away all his scavenging from his outing and Warren suddenly felt the urge to do something in return. “I’ll be right back. Vega and I worked on a gift for you.” 
---
The Slayer watched Warren call for the mobility drone and he was feeling that strange feeling in his chest as Warren rambled on about the gift while the drone came over. “I - I hope you’ll like it. I wanted to make sure the gift was perfect for you. Vega helped so much, I was just the one putting everything in place, oh, there’s the drone. I’ll be right back, okay?”
He nodded and watched Warren zoom off on the drone. He couldn’t stop smiling as he started to put away all the stuff he had gotten from the craft store. He found a little space on the table by the door to put all the felt and yarn and sewing stuff by. He had to shake the backpack upside down for the knitting needles to fall out. The paint and books and stuff were all being stacked in a new place when the door opened and the mobility drone zoomed in. 
“Ta-da!” 
John looked over and saw his old metal band shirt he’d ripped sitting on the front of the drone, perfectly fine. ‘You fixed it.’
“And I made it bigger, so it wouldn't tear again!” Warren nudged it closer with his foot. “Vey helped with measurements and the sewing, but what do you think?” 
‘It looks awesome.’ He picked it up and put it on. It fit so much better now, and he could move around without risking it exploding on him. His heart felt like it did a little flip and he reached out and slowly picked Warren up off the drone. When the little guy didn’t struggle against his grip or look scared, he gently pressed Warren to his chest in a makeshift hug. A soft hum left him to make sure that Warren knew he was pleased. 
“You’re welcome.” Warren squeaked, and upon looking down, he saw Warren’s arms spread, trying to hug back. 
After a long second, he pulled his hands back, letting Warren sit in one palm. His tiny little face was red, and for a second fear bolted through his heart. Did he squish him? Was he too rough with the hug?
Warren cleared his throat. “So, uhm… want to show off your toys? I’ve never seen them up close before.”
He nodded, grateful for the subject change, and bridged his hands to the top shelf of the wrap around toy case. Warren hopped off and he started showing off all the toys he’s collected so far. Warren would make little comments about them, asking for names and such. 
‘That’s a C-A-C-O-D-E-M-O-N. Big, squishy, flys. Weak spot is tossing a grenade in the big mouth. Stuns them long enough to glory kill.’
Warren nodded and walked over to the collection of figures about him that the UAC had made and sold on the mars base he had destroyed a while ago. VEGA’s original home. He was smaller than all of them, but some of them really towered over him. The poseable action figure that was really detailed was one Warren seemed really interested in, he walked up to it and gently linked arms with it. Then he looked over at the Slayer and back at the toy and then gently knocked his knuckles on the toy’s chest. “Well, at least I can pick you up like this.”
John suddenly remembered another toy he didn’t see on the shelf and grabbed the ‘to be sorted’ box he left on the ground. After a moment of digging through it he grabbed up the Slayer keychain and brought it over to the shelf. 
Warren looked at the cheap, blocky keychain and laughed quietly. “The only time I’m bigger than you.”
He nodded and went back to the box to dig around. He had seen something that he had honestly forgotten he had found at some point. Warren might be able to use them. 
“What’s that? Another Slayer action figure?”
He shook his head and returned with a handful of doll clothes. He honestly didn’t even remember where he had found these, and there were certainly no dolls for him to dress up. He didn’t see Warren as a doll or toy, but they were small enough they might be able to fit them or he could maybe just tear them apart for fabric. 
“Oooh, pretty.” Warren stepped up onto his hand to check over the clothes. “Where’d you find these?”
He shrugged and then settled back on the floor, lowering his hands back to the ground. Warren was sorting through the clothes and came up with a sleeveless pink floral sundress in his arms, complete with some pastel pink lace flowers on the collar and a bow around the middle. The Slayer could have kicked himself. He should have been careful to not grab any of the frilly dresses, lest Warren feel insulted.
“This is so cute! I never got to wear such vibrant clothes. I want to try this on.” Warren stepped down. “Is there somewhere I could change?” 
The Slayer stared dumbly for a second and then grabbed a notebook to set up like a little changing room to give Warren some privacy. The little guy ducked behind the pages to change and the Slayer politely stared up at the ceiling. He didn’t expect Warren to actually like or want to wear the dress. Guess borrowers weren’t afraid to challenge gendered clothing. Cool.
“Hey, John, could you help zip me up? I can’t reach.”
He glanced down and saw Warren standing with his back to him, the velcro that held the back of the dress together undone, exposing most of his bare back. He stared for another moment and then with as much carefulness as he could muster, he tried to stick the velcro together. He was careful to make sure that the prickly side wouldn’t be touching his skin. He didn’t want the little guy to be uncomfortable. 
Warren giggled softly and twirled around in the dress. He felt his face heating up and suddenly his feelings crashed into him like a pinkie charging full tilt. He loved Warren. 
That’s the feeling in his chest. That’s why he went all mushy and weird when he thought about Warren. That’s why he wasn’t raging at the fact the Hell Priest had slipped through his fingers just because Warren was happy and waiting on him to come home. That’s why he nabbed so many gifts for the tiny man. He was in love. 
Well, what does he do now?! He could barely remember his last serious relationship! He didn’t know what to do!
Warren placed a hand on his fingertip and grinned up at him, making his heart do all kinds of weird things. “Thank you, so much, John. You’re awesome.” 
He wasn’t even aware of what he was doing as he shifted his hand to gently place the pad of his thumb on top of Warren’s hand. He tried to brush off the compliment, but let the motion die before he was even halfway through it. Warren was just so freaking cute.
“I’m going to put these away in my room, I’ll take the thread and thimbles with me.” Warren stepped back, wiggling his hand out of the Slayer’s grip and happily gathering up all the presents that he’d been given. 
The Slayer busied himself putting the new demon toys on the shelf and the second he heard the door shut behind the mobility drone he turned towards the nearest camera and signed ‘help!’
“Yes, Slayer? Do you need - your heart rate and internal body temperature is elevated. Are you feeling ill?”
He nodded, then shook his head. ‘I love Warren.’
VEGA was stunningly silent. 
‘Vega I don’t know what to do!’
VEGA was silent for a long moment before speaking. “I think that admitting this to Warren would be a step in the right direction.”
He shook his head quickly. ‘You can’t just tell someone that! I don’t know if he likes me! He’s still so nervous, I might pressure him into accepting and I don’t want to do that to him.’
“I think that Warren might already have feelings for you, Slayer.”
‘That’s impossible.’
The noise VEGA made the Slayer was positive was a recorded sigh through the nose. “Both of you experience an increase in dopamine and heart rate in close proximity to each other. He clearly enjoys spending time with you, and he blushes when you touch him.”
‘But what if that’s just him being friendly?’
VEGA’s silence was deafening, and the beep that indicated VEGA left the room had him feeling half insulted. He didn’t know what to do now, and VEGA wasn’t being helpful. Why would Warren like him back? He was a big, terrifying human and Warren was just so small and cute and innocent and why would anyone like him, the Slayer. 
He was trying to distract himself from the uncomfortable feeling in his chest when Warren came back in, wearing the dress but the flowers on the neckline were missing. 
‘Not a flower guy?’
“Hm? Oh. I cut them off because of how itchy they were.” Warren shrugged and slid off the mobility drone. “Playing with your dolls, Slayer?”
He shrugged and shifted a bit from where he was laying on his stomach in the floor, taking the Slayer figure in hand and having it bat one of the zombie figures across the little fake city he’d built out of books and whatnot. 
“So, I know I won’t ever be able to take on one of these baddies, but I could pretend.” Warren nudged the cacodemon figurine. “Did the Slayer toys come with any weapons? I kind of want to try. Don’t worry, I’m wearing pants under the dress.”
He shook his head, but sat up quickly regardless. Warren had been getting way too close to him. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do now that he realized he was in love. He dug through the ‘to be sorted’ box and came back with some tiny weapons he thought were from a d&d thing he had found a few days before finding Warren. He turned back to see Warren play wrestling the zombie figurine that was over twice his height. 
Why did Warren have to look so cute and feisty and why did he have to realize he was in love now because everything was just awkward now. Couldn’t this have waited?
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ayoitsnic · 3 years
Text
Crowley x Reader x Lucifer
Part 1
*Based loosely around 12x15 but Ramsey kills Gwen and gets away
Word Count: 2.6k
Trigger Warnings: Injured animal? Idk? If you think something should be added to the TW list drop a comment or DM me
Summary: Humans aren’t supposed to see hellhounds, so what happens when y/n finds an injured hellhound and brings it home to care for? 
*Disclaimer* Lucifer will be introduced in the 2nd part which should be up by Saturday 4/3/2021
It was almost midnight when y/n got off of work. She was exhausted after her shift at Regional West Medical Center in Nebraska. As she trudged through the parking lot to her old, beat up 2002 Suzuki she couldn’t help but feel eyes on her, like something was watching her from out in the darkness. Fumbling with her keys she turned to unlock the driver’s side car door (The remote to unlock the door was broken. The car could only be opened with the actual key.), only to freeze in place when she felt the hot breath and heard the heavy breathing of some sort of animal behind her. “Dear god, please let it be my overactive imagination.” she prayed silently, knowing it was no use. Whatever stood behind her was very much real.
Very slowly she turned to face whatever it was that was sniffing her, her keys moving between her middle and ring finger in case she needed to defend herself. Instead of being met with what she thought for sure would be a small bear or a rabid coyote, she was met with a very large dog. A very large dog that looked like it had been through absolute hell. Its fur was matted and caked with dried mud and dirt, and it was covered with cuts and what she naturally assumed was its own blood. It was hard to tell through the thick, matted fur but it also looked very underweight. “Oh you poor baby….” Y/n’s heart melted upon seeing the creature.
Obviously the dog had been out on its own for a very long time. Y/N took pity on it. It seemed so sad, and it didn’t appear rabid or vicious. It looked like it just wanted help. Reluctantly she reached down to check for a collar. There was a collar but it was in a foreign language. One she’d never seen before. Unlocking the back of the car she coaxed the dog in with some leftover food she had from her lunch break. She knew the poor thing must be starving. Being hurt it took a little help getting in. Little did she know how dangerous that dog really was or that there was a man out right now searching for it.
The K-9, which y/n decided to call (Dog’s name) had fallen asleep on the car ride home, snoring softly over the radio that was playing some Green Day song. Pulling into the driveway, (Y/N) stopped the car and turned off the radio. Almost on queue (dog’s name) looked up to see where they were. A light was on outside, illuminating a large porch (Which could probably use a new paint job, if we’re being honest) with 2 rocking chairs, a small table and a plethora of healthy, brightly colored plants. She picked up the injured dog and carried it inside, planning on taking it to the vet in the morning to see if it was microchipped.
She was going to let the dog sleep in the basement for the night, unsure if it would destroy the house or not. She remembered her aunt’s German Shepherd who took pleasure in tearing up sofas, and eating her plants. The dog also really needed a bath and she didn’t want it on the furniture until it got one. Unfortunately around 3:30 am, y/n felt a dip in the bed and then something making itself comfy by her feet. Looking over, she found the dog curled up in bed with her. Way too tired to deal with it now, and knowing she had to wash the sheets anyway she just fell back asleep let the dog stay with her so long as it stayed at the foot of the bed.
~
The next morning, Y/N got up early to go to the pet store and get stuff for the dog. She called up the local vet, making an appointment, she washed the sheets, and most importantly she began trying to wash (Dog’s name). At first the dog resisted, wanting absolutely nothing to do with the water. Y/N knew exactly how to deal with this though. Placing a glob of peanut butter on the side of the tub to keep the dog preoccupied, (Dog’s name) happily entered the bathtub. A trick y/n had learned from that aunt with the poorly behaved German Shepherd. By the time y/n was done with the dog she’d had to drain and refill the tub 3 times before she gave up and kept it drained, just using the shower head. She couldn’t believe how much blood and dirt had come off this dog.
Around 2pm the doorbell rang and this dog who was once so sweet, albeit a bit skittish turned into an absolute beast. Running to the door, loud deep barks and growls left it. The dog seemed ready to tear the stranger on the other side of the door to shreds. It was almost like it had turned into a completely different dog. “(Dog’s name)!!!” Y/n shouted as she raced down the stairs after it, hoping to get to the door before the dog did. “NO!!!” She yelled. Even hurt and underweight, (Dog’s name) was really big. If it wanted to break that door, it probably could. Without thinking, Y/n quickly grabbed the dog by the collar to stop it. “I said no!” She told her firmly with a pointed finger. The dog whined, tail between its legs as it hurried back up the stairs to the bedroom to do that thing dogs do when they roll around on the rug to dry themselves.
The front door had a glass window looking out so y/n could see the stranger. He was short, and wore a nice suit. He seemed only slightly concerned about the interaction. The man didn’t even flinch as the massive hound lunged itself at him. It seemed like this was a normal day for him. Actually, he seemed more unnerved after she called the dog off. Opening the door, y/n apologized profusely for the dog “I am so sorry about the dog! I-” Before she could continue, the man squinted at her, clearly confused about something. “What are you?” He questioned in an English accent.
“Hellhounds? Really?” She questioned with a quirked eyebrow and a small grin, crossing her arms and constantly turning to keep facing the man. It was obvious she didn’t believe him.
Obviously his question confused y/n as she gave him a look of confusion back “What do you mean ’what are you?’” She stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her “I'm human”
“Yes, really.” The man continued, as serious as a heart attack “You especially shouldn’t be able to control that bitch. I’ve only ever known one person to be able to control Ramsey and you and not that person.”
“Oh really? And who might that person be then?” Y/n asked, beginning to think this was some elaborate prank being played on her by a friend or coworker.
Remembering what the demon said about her being able to control the hound, y/n gave it a shot. Raising a hand she firmly commanded “Ramsey stay.” Not only did the dog stop dead in her tracks, she laid down and waited for further orders. Now most people would be a little freaked out by this; finding a hellhound that they didn't know was a hellhound, and now being visited by a demon sent to collect said hound. Y/n however wasn’t afraid. Actually she kind of got a Déjà vu feeling at this.
“No you can’t be. Humans can’t see hellhounds, much less control them.” Normally Crowley would just collect the demonic hound and leave, with humans being none the wiser that the rogue canine was even there, but not only did this woman know the hellhound was there, she was taking pretty good care of it. Even stranger, the dog was letting her care for it. There was something different about this woman, something special. He just wasn’t sure what it was yet. Crowley circled y/n, inspecting her. He was trying to find any indication of her not being human.
“Lucifer.” Crowley responded
At that, y/n was done. “Look pal, I don’t know what kind of kool-aid you’re drinking but I’m not buying it. Now’s the part where I tell you to get off my property.” she turned to go back inside, closing and locking the door behind her. As she turned to head upstairs though, Crowley was standing right behind her, his eyes red. She let out a screech, jumping as far back as she could (Which wasn’t far as the door was right behind her). Again, the dog that the demon in front of her called ‘Ramsey’ came running to her defense.
~
“The name’s Crowley. King of hell.” He introduced himself “May I ask who you are?”
“Y/n y/l/n.” she responded before telling him “Queen of this house.” This was crazy. Y/n was standing in her entryway conversing with a demon king. “Could I offer you tea ‘your highness’? Maybe Coffee?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she addressed Crowley as 'your highness' She wasn’t gonna hand over the dog so easily, and something told her the demon wouldn’t be leaving without Ramsey.
“.....Who are you?” Y/n asked the man
Y/n and Crowley sat in her kitchen, sipping tea and chatting. “Why aren’t you afraid of me?” The demon who sat across from y/n questioned “Most people would run, or beg for mercy if a demon showed up at their doorstep. Not invite them in for a drink.”
~
If it weren’t for the fact that y/n could sick Cujo on him at any moment, Crowley wouldn’t be being so patient with her. He wouldn’t be trying to convince her to send the dog to her death. “I’m sorry but I can’t let you take that dog back.” Y/n told Crowley. For some reason she felt bonded to that dog, with the overwhelming need to protect her.
“I’m afraid I must insist. She’s dangerous and unpredictable. It’s for the best that she be put down. She’s killed a lot of people who weren’t on hell’s hit list while she was topside.” Crowley explained “A pup like that out and about isn't good for business. It makes it look like I’m not in control.”
“Do you want me to beg for mercy?” Y/n asked with a smirk and a small, dry chuckle. “Sorry but you’re not very scary so forgive me if I’m quaking in my shoes.” She would never be seen begging for mercy. Not in a million years.
“I thought you were the king down there.” Y/n questioned “A king answers to no one. You could turn, walk right out that front door, and pretend she vanished. That you weren't able to find her. Or you could go back and tell your people she attacked you and you killed her. Besides, you’re a demon. You don’t really care about the people she’s killed, do you?” Y/n definitely cared and felt bad, she just didn’t believe Crowley did.
“The Winchester’s. They hunt monsters. Vampire’s, werewolves, demonkind, et cetera.” Crowley explained “They’re ruthless, and if they find out that dog is here they will show up and kill her. Painfully. If you hand her over I promise her death will be a painless and merciful one.” Of course he would make the boys sound worse than they were. In reality they’d kill it as quick as possible if they could. He’d say anything to get her to give up Ramsey. 
“Of course I don’t, but some hunters I know care a lot about the people that were killed. If I don’t collect this dog, they’ll come and collect her for me and they’ll be far less inclined to sit and chat over hot beverages.” Crowley explained
“Tell me about these hunters.” Y/n asked, genuinely interested. "I assume you're not referring to people who shoot buck in their free time."
“Let them come.” Y/n spoke after quietly mulling over what was just told to her. Whether she was underestimating these hunters or just didn’t believe what Crowley was telling her he was unsure. “She may be in a weakened state now but she’ll get better. She’ll get stronger and when she does I’ll be the only one who can stop her. If they show up, I’ll be ready and they’ll have to go through me. When they get through me, she’ll be ready for them too.”
“Y/n I know you think-” Y/n cut off the demon king, her patience wearing thin. She had all the leverage she needed in this situation and she knew it “You said I was the only one who could control her. Now I don’t know how or why that is, but that means there’s nothing stopping me from sicking the dog on you. If she really is as vicious and dangerous as you claim she is, I would be afraid of the one person who can send her after you. I’m telling you to walk away. I’m giving you an out. I strongly suggest you take it.”
Thinking about it later though, she was actually kind of sexy. She knew she held the power and the leverage in that situation and she knew how to use it. Not only that but she was bold enough to try and intimidate not just any king, but the King of Hell. And she didn’t need to raise her voice once while doing it. She was clearly a strong, intelligent, woman. He liked that.
~
After he was gone, y/n was in fact a little freaked out. If there was a hell that meant there was a heaven. Would she be going to hell just for harboring this animal? And better question; how do you even properly care for a hellhound? She imagined it would be a lot different from taking care of your average, run of the mill Pitbull.
Crowley stood his ground, calling her bluff. He didn’t believe she would actually do it. “Ramsey!” Y/n called “Ramsey c’mere girl!” she whistled as the Hellhound came barreling from upstairs “Ramsey, hurry up! Go get him! Get the demon!” Y/n told Ramsey in the same sickeningly sweet baby voice most humans use to talk to animals they find cute. Before she could get to him though, Crowley had disappeared into thin air.
After hours spent searching on the internet y/n got her first lead. Okay so it wasn’t really a lead. It was more of an idea. It’s not like she could just log onto wikipedia and pull up a page on 'How to take care of a Hellhound'. She did however find instructions for summoning and trapping a crossroads demon. She didn’t realize there were different types of demons but to her, a crossroads demon was still a demon so good enough right?
Late that night y/n put Ramsey in the car with her and drove to the nearest crossroads. Spray painting a ‘devils trap’ in the road she buried a box in the center. It contained a photo of her, some graveyard dirt, and the bone of a black cat. No, she didn’t go out and kill a cat. She was able to get that from a wiccan shop on the outskirts of town.
After burying the box, she stood and read the incantation she had written on a scrap of paper “Daemon, esto subjecto voluntati meae!” She waited a moment and when nothing happened she thought she might've gotten a word wrong. That was until she heard a woman speak behind her “What can I do for you tonight?”
Jumping a bit she turned to face the demon. “I just need some information.”
.....To be continued....
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renaroo · 4 years
Text
The Ghosts You Leave
Disclaimer: Batman and associated characters are the creative property of DC Comics Warnings: mentions of canon death and lonely teenagers talking to spirits Rating: T Synopsis: There is a game that is played around the cave that is difficult to explain. The game is that, in the most exasperated hours of stress, when the things that have happened on Gotham streets are too hard to express, they begin to compare notes. They compare what they have done and what they have seen. 
A/N: So, in the 90s and 2000s you could not go many issues into a Batbook without someone hallucinating and casually talking to someone’s ghost and that always felt like such a weird convention in comics that went unremarked upon. Especially if you were uninitiated to it, I don’t know what you’d think about Jason’s ghost just doing cartwheels and cheering on Tim Drake. So. Here’s a fic lol
Cassandra Cain has spoken to ghosts before.
There is a game that is played around the cave that is difficult to explain. At least, it’s more difficult to explain than most of the others are willing to put the effort toward. The game is that, in the most exasperated hours of stress, when the things that have happened on Gotham streets are too hard to express, they begin to compare notes. They compare what they have done and what they have seen.
There isn’t supposed to be a winner in these kind of games, but there always is one regardless.
“Demons,” Damian remarks. He’s receiving stitches from Alfred who is curt in his actions and silent as stone. “Child stuff, really. Certainly you lot would know.”
“Honest to god,” Tim adds in the dead of night. He still has a concussions from the previous night, isn’t allowed back out. “He’s Frankenstein. Well. I suppose book accurate it’s Frankenstein’s monster. But who’s book accurate anymore?”
“Witch boy,” Stephanie chuckles, still combing out a sewer substance from her hair that is unspeakable. It’s only after what felt like hours of intently hosing and dabbing it out of the gash in her forearm. “I don’t know if that’s the right term. Warlock or something right? But if he calls himself — ba-dum-dum —“
“This meta, right, and he looks right into your soul,” Duke says lowly. There is a haunted gauntness to his face as he traces old scars. “And when you look back, something’s put there… but it’s not new. No, I guess it’s not put there. He lets something out of you and it’s already there.”
No matter how it’s said, with jest or quiet contemplation, Cassandra sees the tiredness in her friends and siblings’ eyes. It’s not an age that matches them, it’s infinitely older and more worn. She is overwhelmed with empathy for their plights.
But she is still a teenage girl, and there is a moving desire inside of her that wishes to participate as well.
“I talk to them,” she says, pulling at the already torn fabric of her newest suit. It’s cut with a blade that did not reach her flesh due to speed and flexibility she easily dismisses in the moment.
There are four pairs of eyes drawn to her as she speaks. It’s both what she wanted and not at all at the same time.
“Talk to who, Cass?” Stephanie presses with genuine curiosity.
“You,” Cassandra says without hesitation. “You had died.” She paused, then added with some accusation, “And left me.” With a breath, she eases back into sitting. “Then you came back. We talked. You told me what I needed.”
Stephanie bristles in place. This is not a time she likes to speak on, not a moment she likes to remember. But even as she opens her mouth and utters a noise, nothing can come out, it seems. It’s hard to talk about dying, especially when you’re the one doing it.
“Yeah? Well, after that whole dying thing with Shiva, I was the one talking to you! And I’ll have you know, you were a total chatterbox while in that coma!” Stephanie defends. “What was I supposed to do with that pressure? Not fight one of Shiva’s minions and defend your dead honor?”
“I didn’t get honor,” Cass counters.
“Well, after being a badass that night I have plenty to share, so I’ll lend you some of mine!” Stephanie responds with a smirk and wink.
The boys were in complete silence, looking at the two of them like they were foreign bodies floating over the stoop in the cave. Even Alfred had raised an eyebrow, gathered his medical supplies, and carried along without comment. Which seemed to say more than anything the rest of them had said the whole night.
“That’s weird, dude,” Duke broke the silence.
“I used to talk to Jason,” Tim announced, out of sync with Duke’s message. “I mean, before he was… back. I did it all the time. I would spend hours after patrol just… here in the cave. Bruce gone. And I’d look at his case and just… ask the tough questions. Look for inspiration… wonder if I was doing the right thing.”
Cassandra curled her nose slightly at this. “You… asked Jason?”
“He was very supportive,” Tim defended. “Gave great advice… made me feel… okay with what I’m doing. Like it was really making a difference.” He sniffed and rubbed at his nose with the back of his glove. “Imagine the shellshock of going from that to… well. Multiple decapitation attempts.”
Duke refocused his concerned energy toward Tim, which immediately made the third Robin prickly.
“He’s gotten…. He’s still Jason but he’s not tried to kill me since the batarang thing,” Tim argues the unvoiced words.
The heaviness of it hangs in the air as Duke and Damian seem to look between the three of them.
“I… may have spoken to my ancestors,” Damian finally acknowledges. After a betrayed look from Duke, however, he is quick to amend, “I didn’t see them wearing a sheet and saying boo, Thomas, it’s simply in the sense that… Well, with the Year of Blood and all that, there is a lot I have witnessed and my witness… is expected. It’s not hallucination.”
Cassandra frowns at this distinction. She doesn’t shift in discomfort like Stephanie or grow red in her ears like Tim, but she searches Damian’s features. It’s difficult, even with her keen understanding of body and movement, to determine what he is trying to distinguish between their cases.
“I don’t know what you guys saw or talked to,” Duke says finally. “On my tough nights, I talked to the other Robins. And now… I’ve still got Riko or Izzy or… Well, I talk to you, Cass. About… the stuff we’ve been doing together.”
Taken aback, Cassandra nods. She has not spoken to any ghostly figures lately, not since the Outsiders.
It isn’t something she’s noticed before now. But it is curious.
“That is because you are not lonely, Master Duke,” Alfred speaks up, surprising everyone from his corner in the medical bay as he cleans tools and restocks dressings. “And unfortunately, this is lonely business… when one chooses to make it so.”
The teens glance back to each other as the butler continues his work. They’re silent again, but in each other’s companies.
After all, it had not been long since each of them had uttered the immortal phrase for Alfred in that very cave.
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authorgirl1111 · 3 years
Text
A/N Couple of things.
1. Spike has a soul. If I do continue details of how he got it and why will be revealed.
2. I know Spike doesn't show up until School Hard. But for reasons, this story starts 1 week before school starts. Before 2x01.
Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer and affiliated works.
***
Welcome to Sunnydale (Home Sweet Home)
Oops, Aisling thought when she drove over the ‘Welcome to Sunnydale’ sign.  Beside her her bleach blond adoptive father chuckled softly. Instead of staying to survey the damage done to the sign, she made a turn and drove down until she found the street she needed.
To be honest, the absolute last place she wanted to be was in another town that had a Hellmouth, (Cleveland had been a mess and a half) but this Hellmouth also had The Slayer, and if she had to choose between a Hellmouth with the slayer and one without- well it wasn’t exactly a hard decision. Though if it hadn’t been for the fact that a Hellmouth could supposedly help her father heal, she wouldn’t have even entertained the notion.
She stopped at the building she had been searching for, an apartment building a few blocks away from the school. For a moment she stayed still her hands clasping the steering wheel.
Then a pale cool hand reached out and held hers.
She turned to face the man, bleached blonde hair and blue eyes and covered neck to feet in black. She took a deep breath at his concern. "We're here." She said, he voice held a light irish accent, undoing her seatbelt.
Her father shook his head. “Wait here.” He said.
She wanted to argue and leave with him but he levelled her with a stare that had her backing down. When he was sure that she was going to do as he said he undid his seatbelt, opened the car door and left leaving him behind.
She locked the door behind him and waited. The moment her father had left she let out a breath she hadn’t realized that she had been holding since they left Prague.
She should never have suggested going to Prague. France would have been better, or Rome, or Ireland (where she had chosen to go every other year), literally any other place but Prague.
Every summer they travelled for summer vacation. Every year they switched on who got to decide where they vacationed. Her dad had been reminiscing about Prague and Aisling had figured that it would be nice to see, so that’s what she had suggested.
Aisling shook her head Idiot.
She leaned her head against the steering wheel. She would have given anything to take back that summer, to suggest any other place.
Someone knocked on the door and she turned to see Spike waving at her to come out. She took another deep breath and unlocked the door and stepped out of the cool September air. Together they walked to the back of the car and opened the truck.
Aisling reached out and pulled out two suitcases while Spike pulled out another. Aisling sighed as she watched him struggle.
“I can make multiple trips, it’s fine.”
Her dad stared at her before ruffling her hair and kissing her forehead and instead reached into the backseat and pulled out a backpack. Aisling rolled her eyes, the backpack contained most of his food.
“Want you to eat when we get inside,” Aisling said. “You haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Bit”
“So you say,” Aisling said then she switched tactics. “Still… I don’t want that to expire, so please. Eat.”
Dad sighed. “Point.”
Aisling smiled at the win, then it slipped when she looked at the suitcase her father had been unable to lift before she turned and walked with her Dad toward the landlord.
The landlord was not human, though the exact species of the demon was completely lost on her. He smiled down at her and she smiled back, but she could tell that both her father and the landlord could tell that she was forcing it.
“She’s tired.” Dad covered. “Bit’s been up since dawn.”
The landlord wisely did not mention that Aisling was carrying more than her father was. He walked them over to the main entrance and walked them through the passcode needed to enter. Then with a glance at the young human girl he explained that if they were bringing human company, there was a second code they had to enter, that worked as a kind of warning system so the demons living there could hide out of sight.
“Course, the girl here doesn’t count, since she’s living here. I take it she’s used to demons?”
“She is,” Aisling said tired of the landlord talking to her father like she wasn’t capable of understanding speech. “Living with a vampire will do that.”
“Have to say, I’ve seen a fair number of humans and demons living here together, but a human and a vampire living together is new.”
Dad wrapped an arm around Aisling. “She’s my daughter, found her when she was just a wee young thing.”
“I was 7.” Aisling cut in. “He found me when I was 7.”
“And how old are you now?” Landlord asked finally turning his attention to her.
“Turned sixteen this June.”
Landlord whistled. “Almost a lady.”
She wanted to gag at the almost patronizing tone the Landlord adopted. Her father must have sensed her ire because he quickly changed the subject.
“Will the other tenants mind?” Her father asked referring to Aisling bringing friends over.
The Landlord shook his head. “Nah, a good number of demons have kids that are human or human passing, and they like bringing human friends over. We just ask that you and your... daughter give us a heads up.”
Aisling nodded, though she had no interest in bringing friends over. “Thank you.” She said anyway.
The Landlord walked the two of them to the elevator, pressed the button and it led them up to the fifth floor.
“Have to say, Spike, when vampires do rent an apartment here, they tend to take the basement; fewer chances of sun exposure. Yet you specifically asked for an apartment with east-facing windows." The Landlord said as he led them through the building.
Aisling's father, Spike, shrugged. “Aisling likes watching the sunrise.”
“I also like not having my dad burst into flames,” Aisling said.
Her dad rolled his eyes. “I’ll be fine.”
“Uh-huh,” Aisling said rolling her eyes. “You always say that.”
Dad smiled. “And It’s always true.”
Not always. Not that Aisling was going to out her father’s injuries to a stranger.
“Here’s your room.” The Landlord said as he unlocked the door. “Rents due at the beginning of every month, though if you need more time we can work something out.”
“Thank you,” Spike said, Aisling nodded along.
The Landlord handed Spike the key before leaving. He closed the door with a soft click.
Fortunately, the apartment already had furniture. So they didn’t have to worry about sleeping on the floor, especially considering they had sold their last house and everything in it to afford to come there.
Aisling placed her bags on the floor and turned to stare at her father, who looked ready to keel over.
Aisling hurried forward and steadied him before leading him to the couch and gently pushed him onto it; then she removed his coat before she did so. Gently she took the backpack from him pulled out a thermos, opened it and handed it to him.
The smell of blood nearly undid him- even if it was two days old and nearly expired-, Aisling could tell he was holding himself together just enough that he wouldn’t vamp out as he guzzled down the thermos of blood.
Once he was done he put the thermos down, his mouth now blood red. He licked his lips and stared down at her.
“You don’t have to hide when you feed,” Aisling said. “I’ve seen you vamp out before, I’m not scared.”
“It’s not you Bit,” Spike said. “You know I have less control when I vamp out.”
She did, she also knew that Spike had the best control out of any vampire she knew. “Are you still hungry?”
Spike hesitated and Aisling pulled out another thermos and handed it to him. “Drink, I’m gonna go get the rest of the stuff.”
“Ash-“
“It’ll be fine,” Aisling said with a smile as she rummaged through the pockets of Spike’s leather duster to find the keys. “Have a little faith in me, will ya?” she said clasping the keys in her hand and hurrying out of the room before Spike could argue.
***
For as much as Aisling tried to hide, Spike always knew when she was scared, or worried, or in pain. Her heartbeat tended to always give her away, and if not her heartbeat then he tended to be able to smell the fear, or pain that would radiate off her in waves.
The last time Aisling had been near a Hellmouth had been when she was 12, they’d stayed there for six months before they’d packed up and left.
At least this one had The Slayer which would mean that there was some level of protection. It was the only reason he’d agreed to come to Sunnydale in the first place, and even then he’d raised concerns, but Aisling had been adamant, arguing that Spike’s job depended on him being in top physical health.
When Spike had still declined arguing that they would find another way to make money, that it wasn't the first time that they had landed on hard times. Aisling had brought up Her. Arguing that now that he was weak, she would likely know and would be heading straight for them. At least if they left for Sunnydale, they had the added protection of the Slayer, and with any luck it would detour Her, from making her way over.
He hated it. Hated that even after 8 years She was still a threat.
Spike was not the type to run. Every time She had come he'd been able to get her out of town, but now that he was weakened he had been forced to leave Los Vegas and come to the HellMouth in the hopes that the Slayer was somewhat competent (Though the fact that she'd survived the Master and Lothos suggested that she was), and able to deal with a vampire's whose mental abilities was on par with Lothos.
It helped to know that he had personally seen to Aisling's training, that he had taught her every conceivable way to kill vampires and demons. Trained her in techniques that would hopefully protect her from mental attacks. Training that saved her life multiple times, that saved his own life in Prague.
It also helped that the Master was dead, and the leader of the Order of Aurelius was some child fledge that had only been a vampire for a few months.
It helped that they were living close to the active Slayer. For however long that Slayer had left she would at least make sure that as many vampires and demons as possible died and stayed dead.
Still living so close to a Hell Mouth, while making him stronger, was very dangerous to the young human girl living with him, and he didn’t know if the Hellmouth would ever truly revive him to full strength.
He heard the sound of someone turning the doorknob and turned his head just as Aisling walked through carrying two more suitcases.
“Before you head back out.” Spike started stalling her. “Choose a room?”
Aisling paused and stepped forward and headed to the first door that was right beside the living room. She opened the door and looked inside it. It was small but not cramped there was still a bed from the previous owners, though it was completely stripped of sheets. A small dresser and a closet off to the right.
The east wall had a large window that gave her a perfect view of the town Skyline and would allow her to see the sun as it rose.
Despite its very deadly effect on her father, she always found the sight of the dawn to be beautiful. With a sigh, she turned and walked down the mini hallway and opened the second door and entered what was so obviously the master bedroom. Around twice the size of the other room with a walk-in closet, that Aisling was tempted to suggest to Spike that he convert it into his bedroom, so he didn’t risk waking up every morning burning to death. Oddly enough the window here was a lot smaller and had blinds already up.
“I’ll take the other one,” Aisling said.
“Are you sure?” Spike asked.
Aisling smiled. “I don’t need a lot of room.” She said.
“Neither do I Ash.”
Aisling shrugged. “The other room has bigger windows,” Ash said. “You're less likely to fry here. Also, the walk-in closet could be better for you… if you want to convert it into a smaller bedroom so your even less likely to fry during the day.”
“Ha, bloody ha,” Spike said dryly.
Ash rolled her eyes. “There are a few extra bags in the car, I’m going to go get them.” She said turning to walk away.
“Aisling.” Aisling paused and turned around.
Spike hugged her. “I love you alright? Please don’t ever forget that.”
Aisling smiled a little to herself. “Never have.”
Aisling sat down on the floor after she had brought in the last of the luggage. Her arms hurting Spike poked his head out of the room that Aisling had claimed as her own and knelt by her side. “Time for bed little one.” He said a hand on her shoulder. “You can finish unpacking tomorrow.”
Aisling stared at him for a long moment. “Can I just sleep here?” She asked. “ ‘m too tired to move.”
“Aisling.”
“Worth a shot.” Aisling yawned before she stood. “Don’t forget to put the curtains up before daybreak, I so do not want to wake up with a pile of ash as my father.”
Spike rolled his eyes. “I won’t.”
“Good,” Aisling said before she stood up and walked to her room. “Night, Dad.” She said before she closed the door.
Once she closed the door she sighed and rummaged through her suitcase to find a white lacy short-sleeved nightgown. Slowly she peeled off her day clothes and slipped her nightgown over her head.
She sat on the bed, that Spike had made up for her, for a moment just taking in her new room and sighed. “Home Sweet Home.” She said softly before she lay down and pulled the covers up to her chin.
Within moments she was asleep.
Outside the door, Spike looked around his apartment and sighed. “Home sweet home” He echoed.
***
A/N if you want more please review. Knowing that people like it gives me one more reason to update.
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onepdumpsterfire · 4 years
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Disclaimer: These stories are based ‘loosely’ on the game Obey me shall we date. The major stuff will be the same, but here and there the story will be changed or embellished. It is just an AU and I do not own the game the characters, from both One Piece or Obey Me, nor do I own One Piece in general. It would be cool though…
Warning: The characters will mostly be ooc and for the most part will not have the same background as in the anime/manga. The reader’s age will be above consent; the exact number is up to you.
Luffy’s pact
Devildom!AU
(pt5/?)
Various Characters X Reader
All of the debris was cleared from the kitchen and your room. Lower demons, as the brothers called them, came and were fixing the wall. It would take about a day and a half so you had one more night to stay in Luffy’s room. If you could find something to do to pass the time it would be great. You’ve been banned from your room by the lower demons, and Kid was busy building something. He’d told you not to bother him because he needed all concentration on this new project.
Suddenly, some fun finally showed its face. Your phone went off, it was one of the exchange students, an angel. You’ve met him in class, exchanged numbers just in case. He’d given you a warning before about staying away from demons, but it was kinda hard to do so when you housed with them. Usopp, the angel, was asking for a favor. He needed a place to stay for a while because he’d had a falling out with the other angel that was brought down here for the exchange program. Robin had told him to take it easy, that not all demons were bad. Usopp being such a prideful angel that he was found it to be treasonous words. To him the world was more black and white. Good and evil. 
You accepted his request, but you hadn’t told him about your situation yet. In truth, you had forgotten about it while you chatted on the phone. So now you were in Luffy’s room with Usopp whining about how this wasn’t what he had asked for.
“I don’t think I ever told you it was okay to bring a pet in here, Y/n” Usopp looked at Luffy, mouth wide open. Incredulous at what he had called him. “I am not a pet!” He turned to you, “Y/n, tell him! I asked to stay in your room, not this demon!” 
“Yes, but my room’s wall broke and this is the only other place I could think of to take you.” To say the least, Usopp was confused by your excuse. “Your wall...broke? How?”
“It was the custard. All because of the custard.” Luffy interjected, daydreaming about the food he never got to enjoy. “W...What does that mean?” 
“Don’t worry about it. At least you have a place for now. Right, Luffy?” His mouth was still watering from the thought of food. Luffy was hungry, but when wasn’t he? “Yea, it’s fine. You made food for me once so it’s okay for now.”
“....You’re letting me stay… because I let you try one of my new recipes?”
“Just take it.” You instructed him, “It’s better than being homeless.” Luffy’s stomach rumbled. His hunger was getting unbearable. “I’m gonna go get something to eat. You,” he pointed at Usopp, “stay here. Sabo would flip if he knew I let an angel stay in our place.”
“What am I supposed to do here?”
“Doesn’t matter. Just stay here.”
With that said, Luffy exited the room in search of food. You had time to kill so you decided you’d hang out with Usopp till it was time for bed. Where would he sleep? There was only one bed available, someone would have to take the floor.
You were mulling it over with Usopp, explaining that Zoro’s bed was off-limits, when suddenly Luffy came rushing into the room. He looked panicked, breathing heavily from wherever he had run from. “Sabo’s doing a surprise inspection of the rooms.”
“What?!” You and Usopp shout in unison. You needed to hide him, now! There isn’t anywhere! “In the closet. Now! He’s coming this way!” There’s a closet? Luffy walked over to the two wardrobes that were pushed to the side and separated them. Behind was a white door, presumably the closet. “Like that’s gonna hi-”
“No time, get in!” Luffy shoved Usopp inside, closing the door behind him. “Why did you cover up the closet?” You asked him, but he only told you that there wasn’t time to explain. He was right. At that moment the door to his rum burst open. “I heard a commotion in here.” Sabo stepped in the room, “Is there something I should know?”
“No. Everything’s good here.” Like that doesn’t sound suspicious. Sabo walked around the room, looking here and there. He found nothing. There was just one more place to in, the closet you both protected. “Move aside.”
“I-it’s just a closet there’s nothing in there,” you cursed at your stuttering. You were acting weird, you needed to give you answer confidence so he wouldn’t look. You stepped aside making way for him “Go ahead.” Luffy gave you a look that screamed for you to stop. You were far too in now, though. “Alright, I will.” Shit, that’s the opposite of what you wanted. Nearing the closet, Sabo pulled the door open. Nobody was in there…. NOBODY WAS IN THERE!
You and Luffy shared a nervous look. Where had he gone? “Alright… Everything’s good here. Excuse me, I’m gonna check our brothers’ rooms.” As soon as he left you and Luffy were in full panic mode. “We need to find him, now!” Luffy yelled.
You both ran out of the room, going separate ways to cover more ground. Checked the rooms on the lower floor and he the upper ones. Usopp wasn’t anywhere!
Ringing came from your pocket. Your phone was going off, a call from Kid. “Get down to the underground tomb now! Sabo is about to go ballistic!” They have an underground tomb? Hanging up on him you ran to find Luffy. He was searching one of the hallway closets. “We need to get to the underground tomb, something’s happening.” Luffy was gonna ask how you knew about it, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
-
All of the brothers were in the tomb when you arrived. Sabo was yelling at someone you couldn’t quite see from your place. Making your way further into the crypt you saw Usopp stood in a piece of raised ground near a stand. He had a book of some sort in his hand. It was old and worn but well kept. Now listening to their shouts, you could hear they were fighting over it. Sabo wanted him to put it down, and Usopp didn’t understand what was the big deal about a book. “That’s a grimoire,” Luffy informed the two clueless people here. “What’s a grimoire?” Sabo was livid while the rest of the brothers stood shocked. They didn’t know that a book like that was hidden underneath them. “It’s a book that has the power to control a demon.”
That sounds bad. No wonder Sabo had it hidden away from everyone. “How did you get in here!” Sabo shouted at the cowering boy. A furious Sabo was scary. You haven’t even seen him angry. His power had knocked you out before. If he unleashed his demon form again, you needed to prepare yourself. You can’t pass out this time.  “I brought him here,” Luffy stepped up for you both. He knew that if Sabo went on a rampage neither of you would survive. “I told him he could stay in my room for the night because he had a fight with Robin.” The brothers gasped, not believing that he would just open up his doors for an angel.
“YOU DID WHAT?!” If you thought Sabo was livid before now… now he was seething. His rage was overflowing causing palpitations to course through the room. Holding your ground, you prepared for the nauseating wave of power he would release. Sabo strode towards Luffy, his wrath seeping through until it burst. His demon form was magnificent. Four gorgeous coal-black wings protruded from his back. They had intricate markings on every feather, it was an ethereal sight. The markings branched out and swirled around each other, it was a masterpiece that would make any person stare in awe. His horns were long and curved into a swoop at the end. They’re pitch black, almost like they meant to suck out all the light from the room by themselves.
He means to fight his brother, but you can’t let this happen. It was your fault Usopp was here. You invited him over then made Luffy harbor him in his room. You rushed to step in between them. Pounding headache making your vision shaky. “S-stop. Ple-ease.” Your voice was weak, your body already beginning to give in to the pressure Sabo had caused with his power. “You insolent brat! Get out of my way!” He swiped a forceful hand at you, sending you crashing into the wall far ways from everyone. You heard a crunching of bones as your ribs gave way., blood spluttering from your lips. The brothers gasped, screaming at Sabo about how could he have done this to you. They all knew that Shanks would be furious if anything happened to any of the exchange students, even more so than Sabo is right now. 
Coughing you made your last plea to Sabo before blacking out. You asked him not to blame Luffy for your actions.
-
You awoke in a warm bed, one you’ve been in before. It was devoid of pillows but really comfortable. “You’re up.” Luffy sat beside you the chair he slept in. “Why did you step in our way? You could have died.” Not even gonna let you wake up fully. “S-sorry, Luffy.” you groaned, now feeling the bandages restraining you. “Be careful,” extending a hand he helped you sit up. “...I’m serious, Y/n. It was dangerous, what you did.” 
“I couldn’t just let you get hurt for me. I brought Usopp here, he was my responsib-”
“It wasn’t just for you, Y/n. And I could have taken Sabo.” Both of you knew that was a lie, he was just trying to make less of the situation. However, before we get to the undeniable strength each brother held, you needed him to know exactly why you put yourself in harm’s way for him. Forcing your aching body to move from the bed; now standing up you looked down at him. “I did it because I think of you as a friend, even if you don’t think the same of me.” you were dead serious about this. You weren’t gonna let them fight. What you wanted most of all- “I want to see all of you getting along. Even Zoro and Sabo.” Luffy perked up at the mention of his brother’s name. Did you know how badly they were separated beneath the guise of brotherhood they put up? “Do you really mean this? Is that why you’ve been making pacts with my brothers?” It was the truth, more or less.
“Yes.”
“Make a pact with me, Y/n.” Luffy held only sincerity in his eyes. Voice unwavering, he wanted to make amends with his siblings. He wanted Zoro to make amends with Sabo. you could give him that. He would offer you his power, give you anything you wanted. As long as you came through.
“Okay, I’ll make a pact with you.”
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foreverwayward · 4 years
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“Wayward Hearts” Season 3 Chapter 11: Time is On My Side
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Summary: After the Devil’s Gate had been opened that fateful night in the graveyard, the hunters are forced to face a new war. Countless demons now run rampant, hungry for blood and power. It’ll take everything the three have to survive when darkness once again knocks on their door. But, with only a year before Dean’s deal comes due, Sam and Riley will stop at nothing to save him; to save their family.
Masterlist
Word Count: 7415
Content Warning: language and violence
DISCLAIMER: any words or phrases in bold in the story are not my own and are credited to the writers of Supernatural.
**GIFS ARE NOT MY OWN**
In an abandoned cabin, hidden away from the world, the fireplace roared. Its light danced across the walls and was the only illumination in the room, keeping the darkness outside at bay.
Screams of suffering went unheard as a demon cried out in agony. The possessed man was strapped to a chair in the center of a devil’s trap as holy water was thrown into his face. His flesh sizzled and steam seeped from the vessel’s skin and faded into the air.
Sam, Dean, and Riley stood in front of him unmoved. The hunters were going to get answers with the clock running out for Dean. As they had run out of ideas, they interrogated a lower level demon.
“You ready to talk?” Dean shouted into the creature’s burning face.
“I don't fucking know!” It thrashed against its restraints. “I don't know anything!”
With a mocking expression, he turned to his partners. “Oh, you hear that, guys? He doesn't know anything.”
Sam smirked as he replied, “yeah, I heard.”
“I'm telling you the truth!” it cried.
With a wry laugh and condescending smile, Riley took large strides to have herself eye to eye with the demon. “You guys,” she feigned. “He says he’s telling the truth. I guess we owe him an apology.”
“You’re so right, Rye.” Dean grabbed the monster’s face and forced holy water into its mouth before it garbled a deafening cry, “I'm gonna ask you one last time...who holds my fucking contract?!”
The demon went quiet, his head hanging in defeat. When he looked up, his eyes were an evil black as he smiled at the three. “Your mother. Yeah, she, uh--showed it to me right before I bent her over and fucked her ‘til she screamed.”
Riley took a step back as Dean moved into her spot and leaned in. “I want a name. Or else…”
“Or what? You're gonna squirt your holy water in both ends? Please. Brother, that's like a flea bite compared to what's coming to me if I tell you jack. Do what you want, the only thing I'm scared of is the demon holding your ticket.”
With a nod from Dean, Sam began to recite an exorcism. “Exorcizamus te, omnis immundusspiritus, omnis satanicapotestas, omnis incursioinfernalisadversarii…”
“Go ahead, send me back to Hell. 'Cause when you get there, I'll be waiting for you...with a few pals who are dying for a nice little meet and greet with Dean Winchester.” The demon grew a sinister grin on his face and laughed.
“Should I?” Sam asked as he paused the ritual.
Listening intently to whatever might still remain inside the vessel, Riley sighed. “The guy he’s got locked in there didn’t make it. Get this evil son of a bitch out of here.”
“Okay,” Dean agreed. “Sam, send him someplace he can't hurt anyone else.”
“...omnis legio, omnis congregatio et sectadiabolica.” As Sam continued, the unholy shrieks of pain ripped from the demon, echoing into the night and going completely unheard.
------
Sam sat alone in the cabin’s main room as he made several phone calls. He was just like his brother, whenever he had sniffed out a possible case, Sam was like a dog with a bone.
Dirty and sweating, Dean came in as he wiped his brow and huffed in exhaustion.
As the younger brother ended his call, he sat down on a chair close behind him. “Bury the body?”
“Yeah. Looks like these demons ride 'em hard just for kicks these days.” Dean grabbed a beer from their cooler and popped it open. Taking a large swig, he crashed tiredly onto a beat-up couch.
The front door closed and Riley walked in with bags of takeout. She tossed the Impala’s keys over to Dean as she went to a nearby tabletop with their spoils. “Who’s hungry?”
“Oh, I’m fuckin’ starving. Waddya got?” Dean asked. Riley pulled out a wrapped burger from the bags and smirked as he grew excited. “If I haven’t told you yet today, I love you.” 
Riley tossed the warm food to Dean he quickly unwrapped it. He moaned happily as he took a large bite.
Sam chuckled. “Should we leave you and your cheeseburger alone?”
“Hey, I think I could show this burger a good time.” Filling his mouth again, Dean watched Riley as she grabbed her own beer. She had found a large and worn cushion tossed to the side and sat cross-legged as she readied to eat her own meal. “What? You too good to sit next to me now?” he teased.
“Mm-mm,” Riley started with a mouthful. “You just kinda fucking stink right now.”
He paused dramatically. “That hurts my feelings.”
“Well, you’re hurting my nose.” She laughed to herself and took another bite. “So, what’d I miss?”
“Uh…” As Sam leaned back into his chair, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. “Not much. I was just about to tell Dean I think I found us a case.”
Riley appeared taken aback. “A case? Sam, we’re already on a case.”
“What? Whose?”
“Uh--Dean’s,” she answered incredulously. “We’re down to three weeks, Sam--three weeks.”
“Well, do you have a lead on Richard, or the Colt, or anything that can help us?”
She tensed as she downed more of the cold drink. Riley’s head fell as the bottle sat between her two hands, fiddling with it. “You know I don’t.”
Dean had remained silent as the two talked and he knew Riley was right. Time was not a luxury they had, but Sam wasn’t wrong. With nothing to go on, the hunters were left with countless questions and no answers.
As Dean’s phone rang, he dug into his pocket to pull it out. He looked at the caller ID before flipping it open. “Bobby.” Dean put the call on speaker and held it out for everyone to hear.
“Hey,” their old friend replied. “Think I finally got a lead on Richard.”
“I'm listening.”
“Rufus Turner.”
Sam, Dean, and Riley shrugged at each other not knowing the name. “Who's that? Like a Cleveland steamer?”
“He's a hunter, or he used to be. He’s practically a hermit now--does a little selling on the side. Anyway, I put the word out on Richard months ago. Rufus just called, said a guy got in touch, wanted to buy some things.”
“And he thinks it's Dick?”
“Stuffy British accent went by the name Charles Gardner.”
“He’s used that before. Well, it's kind of a sloppy move, isn't it--getting in contact with one of your old friends?”
“Friend? Haven't laid eyes on him in fifteen damn years. He's not the Christmas card type. I doubt he knows I know him. Canaan, Vermont.”
Riley called out from across the room. “You’re the best, Bobby!”
“One other thing. Take a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue.”
Slightly confused, Dean answered, “okay.” He hung up his phone and turned to the others. 
“Come on. We’re going Dick hunting.” Dean stopped, almost appalled by what he had said. “Pretend I didn’t say that.”
“It’s for the best,” Riley retorted with a look of disgust as she got up to gather her things.
“What?” Sam appeared perplexed and his brow scrunched. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second.”
Dean grabbed his bag and turned down the fire that was still ablaze. “Come on. Get your stuff. The clock's ticking.”
“Look, I think we should check out the lead I have on this other case.”
“You insane?” Dean snarked as he turned back to his brother.
“Dean, there's no way he still has the Colt! That was months ago! He probably sold it the second he got it.”
“Well, then I'll kill the bastard. Win-win.”
As Riley threw their bag over her shoulder, she shrugged carelessly. “All in all, wouldn’t be a wasted trip.”
Sam sighed in exasperation. “Dean…”
“Sam,” his brother barked. “We're going!”
“No!”
“Why the fuck not?”
“Because I may have found a way to save you!”
Dean’s eyes widened and his voice softened as Riley spun to look at Sam as well. “What? What are you talking about?”
“This case? I’m pretty sure it’s from Doc Benton...real-life doctor, lived in New Hampshire in the nineteenth century--brilliant and obsessed with alchemy, especially how to live forever. So, in 1816, Doc abandons his practice and…”
Riley stared back at him, puzzled. “Sam, what the hell are you talking about?”
“...and nobody hears from him for like 20 years, and all of sudden, people start showing up dead--or missing an organ, or a hand, or some other kind of part. The legend is that whatever he did to himself was actually working to keep him alive.”
“Wait, a minute…” Dean started. “Why does this sound familiar?”
“Because you heard about it when we were kids. Dad hunted this guy down and cut out his heart. Apparently, that didn’t quite do it. But, Dean, this--this is what's gonna save you.” There was nothing disingenuous about Sam’s plan. He truly believed that following the case would finally lead them to answers.
Dean’s brow hooked and he shared a look of disbelief. “What? Chasing some Frankenstein?”
“Chasing immortality.” Sam’s words had both of his partners staring back at him, startled at the idea. “Look, Benton can't die. We find out how he did it, we can do it to you. I mean, you have to die before you go to Hell, right? So, if you can never die, then…”
“Sam, stop!” Dean shouted angrily and the room went still. “You’re not helping! You forget that if I try to welch out on this deal, Riley dies. Guess what? Living forever--is welching.”
“Fine! Then, whatever the magic pill is, we’ll take it too!”
Riley could feel Sam’s sincerity and she leaned her face into her hand as she rubbed her temples. “Look, Sam...I know you wanna save Dean just as much as I do. But I think Bobby’s right. If we hunt down the demon that has Dean’s one-way ticket, then maybe we can stop it. I really think it’s gonna be our best shot.”
“Say you find the Colt, then what? None of us even know who holds the contract.”
Raising his voice again as he felt his frustration grow, Dean bit back at him. “Well, I'll shoot the goddamn hellhounds then before they slash me up. Now, you coming or not?””
“I'm staying here,” Sam said quietly, certain of his decision.
“No, you're not. 'Cause I'm not gonna let you wander out alone to find some organ-stealing freak.”
“You're not gonna let me? How are you gonna stop me?” As Sam went on, Dean appeared taken back again. “Look, man, we're trying to do the same thing here.”
“I know, but I'm going. So, if you wanna stay...stay.” Dean shook his head when Sam didn’t answer. He shrugged and took the duffel from Riley before hanging it on his shoulder. 
“Come on,” he told her as they both went for the door. Sam didn’t move but they both hesitated before turning back to him. “Sammy, be careful.”
“You too.” He and Dean stared at each other for a long moment before Dean reached out for the doorknob and walked outside.
Riley’s eyes still sat on her brother lovingly. “I know you wanna save him, Sammy. You do what you think is right.”
As Riley left, closing the door behind her, Sam let out a long and drug out sigh.
------
After driving through the night, the Chevy rolled to a stop in front of an older home on a quiet suburban street. Its colors were tacky with a mix of dark red and light green. Angled tall steps led up to an elevated porch with massive weeds lined around it.
Riley and Dean shut their doors behind them as they headed up the walkway. As they reached the porch, they saw a handwritten sign that read: ‘No solicitors. That means you! No asking for directions. No selling ANYTHING!’
Under her breath, Riley muttered, “well, Rufus just sounds like a breath of fresh air.”
Dean chuckled as he rang the buzzer and banged on the metal security door. The hunters both turned to a sound and looked up to see a camera moving to focus in on them.
“What?” a harsh voice barked over the intercom.
Dean cleared his throat. “Hi, uh--Rufus?”
“Yeah...even if I am, the question is still the same. What?”
“Uh--I'm Dean Winchester. We’re friends of Bobby Singer's.”
“So?”
Riley shrugged as the two shared a look. “Hi, Rufus. I’m, uh--Riley Munroe. Listen, we heard from Bobby that the guy we’re looking for made contact with you. He’s British…”
“And so?”
“So...do you know where he is?”
“Yeah.”
“Awesome. Would you please tell us where we can find him?”
“No.”
“’Course not,” Dean muttered under his breath. “Look, Rufus, man…”
The two doors quickly flung open as an irritated man stood in the doorway. He was roughly Bobby’s age with dark skin, a full mustache, and short hair. 
With the cereal bowl he was still working on in his hand, he studied the couple. “Look, let me point something out to you. You are knocking at my goddamn door, so don't ‘look, man’ me. I'm not your man.”
Realizing he may have stepped in it, Dean apologized with a nervous smile. “I'm sorry, sir.”
“Alright, let me tell you a little story. See, once upon a time, Bobby called me--asked me to call him if I got a whiff of this Richard Lewis. I got a whiff, I called, the end.”
“Okay, yeah, if you could just tell me where he is, I mean, that would be great.”
Rufus stopped as he stared back at the young hunter. “Dean Winchester, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Dean, do I look like I'm here to help you?”
“I'm gonna say...no?”
“Then get the fuck off my property.”
Riley tried to regain the man’s attention as he began to head back inside. “Listen, that’s totally fair. But, uh--” she reached into the bag on Dean’s shoulder and pulled out a tall box with the Johnny Walker label. “We have this scotch, and, uh--we weren’t sure if it was any good.”
As Rufus eyed the bottle of his favorite scotch, he looked back at the couple and smiled with a nod of approval.
------
Inside Rufus’ home, the three sat at his collapsible card table as they each nursed a glass of Johnny Walker. The bottle was already nearly empty as they finished pouring another round.
“Bottoms up,” Dean said gruffly as they all clinked their glasses together with a soft chuckle from Rufus.
“You know, I don't even bother drinking unless it's this stuff. Nectar of the Gods, I'm telling you.”
“Mm…” Riley started as she seethed through her next sip. “I’m enjoying the change. Most of Dean’s whiskey tends to come in the form of a plastic jug.” As she shot him a look, the three hunters laughed. “Alright, so back to business. Richard was here…”
“He wanted to buy a couple of things, which is gonna take me some time to round up.”
Anxious for answers, Dean jumped into the conversation. “Where is he now?”
Rufus watched Dean closely for a moment and Riley could feel his skepticism. “You got three weeks left. Why are you wasting your time chasing after that English asshat in a suit?”
Now suspicious of Rufus, the couple shared a glance. “How do you know about that?”
“Because I know things.” The older man leaned in intensely. “I know a lot of things about a lot of people. And I know ain't no goddamn peashooter gonna save you.”
Riley and Dean grew more anxious as they continued to drink, desperate to calm their nerves. “What makes you so sure?” Dean questioned coolly.
“‘Cause that's the job, kid. Even if you manage to scrape out of this one, there's just gonna be something else down the road. Folks like us...there ain't no happy ending. We all got it coming.”
“Well, ain't you a bucket of sunshine?”
The room went quiet and Riley couldn’t contain the hold her abilities had on her. Her constant state of anxiety had made it nearly impossible to control her gifts and the thoughts of others had her feeling like she was drowning.
Knowing she needed a minute to calm down, Riley tossed back the last of her drink. “Rufus, you mind if I, uh--use your bathroom?”
Without a word, he motioned toward the hallway as if telling her to find her own way. Riley nodded gratefully and walked away trying to contain her urge to cry.
Rufus and Dean refocused on each other and the older hunter shook his head softly. “It was a mistake getting so close to someone the way you are with her.”
Dean thought to himself as the corner of his lip barely curled up in a gentle smile. “Nothing with Riley has been a mistake, that much I can tell you.”
“Even selling your soul for her?”
“...I’d have given more to get her back if I had to.”
With a scoff and chortle of disbelief, Rufus poured more scotch into his glass. “Love has got you by the balls, boy. It’s gonna end up costing you everything.”
“Well,” Dean replied as he swirled the liquid in his hand. “Some things are worth everything.”
“It’ll never work out with her. I'm what you've got to look forward to if you survive.” Rufus smirked as he raised his glass to Dean once more. “But you won't.”
Riley’s back leaned into the wall as she listened in. Her eyes were shut and a tear freed itself to run down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and straightened herself up before walking back in to join the others. 
As she sat down, Riley ran a hand through her hair and exhaled a hard breath. “So, Richard…”
Clearly quite drunk, Rufus began to slur his words; his eyes looked heavy and tired. “Hotel Canaan. Room 39. But watch your back.”
“I’m not worried about it. We can handle Richard.”
“Oh, don't be so sure about that. There are things that you don't know about him.”
“And I’m assuming that’s because you ‘know things’.”
With a look of superiority, Rufus took another sip. “Yep.” Riley and Dean waited as the older hunter took his time and drug on. “Lifted his prints, he burnt them off. Probably years ago.”
Dean nodded, not surprised with what Rufus had told them. “Yeah, so you're right where we are.”
“Nope.” Again, he stopped the pace of the conversation and waited before going on. “You do his ear?”
“...Sorry?” Dean asked, wondering if he had heard him correctly.
“You do his ear?”
“Hey, man, I'll try anything once, but I don't know. That sounds uncomfortable. I mean, to be honest, he’s not really my type either.”
“Ears are as unique to humans as fingerprints.”
“No kidding.”
“Of course, that don't fly in the courts over here, but in England, they're all over it. A friend of a friend...of a friend, faxed me ten pages of confidential files within a day. All I had to send him was one clean shot off the security camera.” Rufus stood from his seat and walked across the room to his cluttered desk. He grabbed a thick folder stuffed with paperwork and handed it to Dean. “The so-called Richard Lewis.”
------
Crickets chirped loudly through the woods as Sam pushed open an old and squeaky door to a lost cabin in the Pennsylvania forest. 
Armed with his flashlight and desperate for answers, the large hunter stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and peered around the main room. Dust filled the air and danced in front of his light. It smelled of dampness and worn wood; curtains torn to shreds still barely clutching to the windows.
Sam walked through the room examining everything that caught his eye. He flipped through pages of antique books he found lying around and crouched to rifle through the small drawers of a desk. When he found nothing, he stood back up only to notice a leather journal with a strange symbol carved into the front. 
Knowing he needed to be in and out as quickly as possible, Sam tucked the book into his jacket and moved on.
A large door sat prominently in the middle of the floor. Sam gripped the metal handle and lifted it open as its rusted hinges screeched. Steep steps disappeared into the darkness below him and they creaked under the hunter’s weight as he slowly descended into the cellar.
Cobwebs hung from anything they could cling to and twinkled in the beam of the flashlight. It then bounced off what appeared to be a work station of sorts. Glass bottles, assorted tools, and other odds and ends for Sam thought to be for dissection lined the wooden countertops. Shelves were stuffed to the brim with medical antiquity jars filled with disgusting fluids and papers strung about the walls.
As Sam worked through the dark room, his light landed on a man’s body lying on an old operating table. He moved closer and reached out a hand to check the stranger’s pulse only to feel the cold touch of the man’s skin. How long he had been dead was unclear, but his body was clearly opened and sewn back together before it was crudely covered in a blood-stained sheet.
The sound of gentle tapping caught Sam’s attention and he turned in its direction. It was coming from behind tattered curtains tucked away in the back. He eased his way closer trying to remain as quiet as possible to get a closer look.
Once inside, he found a woman strapped to another operating table. She was a young and beautiful brunette in a white top and blue jeans. Her arms had been stretched out beside her where pieces of skin had been removed. A collection of maggots crawled across the open wounds as the girl remained unconscious.
As Sam leaned in to place his fingers on the pulse point of her neck, the woman gasped and her eyes sprung open. 
Violently startled by the girl’s immediate awakening, Sam jumped.
The desperate and terrified woman whimpered and cried as she came to, shaking and fighting against her restraints.
“Shh! Shh! Shh!” Sam repeated softly as he tried to comfort her. “It's okay. I'm here to help you. I'm here to help you. I'm gonna help you.” 
With a swift glance around him, the hunter found a large sheet and began to wrap the destroyed flesh on her arms. She sobbed as his touch reminded her of the blinding pain. 
“I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” He continued to shush her as he gingerly tended to her wounds.
The sound of a creaking door opening echoed through the house and the woman’s heart began to race out of control. She tried with all she had to stay silent only for her fear took over as she mewled soft but high pitched squeals.
With no other option, Sam covered the girl’s mouth. 
As they looked up, a shadow blocked the light out as shoes stomped across the wooden boards. Dust fell at their movement and fluttered down onto them. Sam kept his hand in place to silence the weeping woman while his free hand moved swiftly to free her.
A small window of the cellar caught Sam’s eye and he carried the wounded woman to the wall before lifting her up and out. He softly grunted as he scrambled up behind her and picked her up into his arms once again. 
Sam rushed through the woods back to his rental car as the trembling girl clung around his neck.
Once at the car, he placed her in the passenger seat as she groaned in pain. Sam ran around to the driver’s set and pulled the door closed behind him in a hurry.
As he turned the ignition, the car sprung to life. But before he could shift into gear, the glass beside him shattered as the cold hand of Doc Benton reached out for him. 
The girl began to scream and backed herself into her side of the car as she shook.
The doctor looked like something out of an old horror movie. His complexion was practically grey with hair that gave the same hue. There were stitches across his face where pieces of skin had been strung together to recreate his face; wrinkles of the dead tissue were prominently indented. The trail of sutures traveled down his neck and underneath his 19th century tattered clothing. His eyes were dead, with one nearly completely white with an expressionless appearance. Doc Benton was a perfect blend of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster.
Benton took hold of Sam’s head and his fingers laced into his hair before slamming him against the wheel multiple times. 
As he fought off the decrepit man, Sam wildly shifted into reverse and slammed on the gas pedal. The car roared backward as the doctor tried to hold on before he was flipped onto the hood of the car. He rolled off and hit the dirt ground with Sam’s headlights fixated on him.
Once he doctor began to pull himself up, Sam stared him down as he met Benton’s dead eyes. He threw the car into drive with his teeth gritted and rammed into the creature. 
The doc was pulled underneath the small SUV and was crushed by the weight of the wheels. His body made an audible crunching sound as the vehicle bumped over him before Sam sped away with the rescued woman down the dirt road.
Unmoved by the events, Doc Benton stood to his feet once again. His neck was snapped, his head hanging at an obscene angle. 
The doctor watched the car disappear into the night as he effortlessly snapped his spine back into place.
------
The hotel door opened to a dark room with the hall light barely able to illuminate inside. Richard stepped in as he closed it behind him and pocketed his keys.
Before he was able to turn around, he was charged at from the darkness and pinned to the wall. There stood a wrathful Dean Winchester with his arm against his throat, his gun pointed at Richard’s face.
“Where's the Colt?” Dean snarled.
Trying to appear calm even as he was threatened, Lewis calmly replied, “Dean. Good to see you, old friend.”
“No extra words.”
“It's long gone, across the world by now.”
“You're lying.” Grabbing the briefcase in Richard’s hand, Dean tossed it onto the bed.
“I'll call the buyer. Speak Farsi?” 
From the shadows, Riley sauntered toward the two with her gun aimed and ready. 
“Riley, so good to see you.” As Lewis’ words were spoken, Dean leaned his weight into his throat, causing him to choke ever so slightly.
“Dean…” When he looked over to her, Riley nodded for him to step away. She walked to Richard still standing at the wall as he rubbed the tender muscles at his neck. Her eyes met his and she grabbed his jacket pulling him close.
Richard chuckled under his breath with a look of excitement. “Ooh, there’s the firecracker I remember…”
Quickly frisking him to check for a weapon, Riley took hold of the gun she had found on his waist and held it up. 
“Don’t fuckin’ flatter yourself.” She reached across him and flicked on the lights as Dean went to search the briefcase. “Don’t...move…” Riley seethed as she backed away to aid her boyfriend, leaving Richard standing against the wall.
“I told you I don't have it.”
“Oh, yeah,” Dean snarked. “I'm definitely gonna take your word for it.” He turned his back and dumped the contents of the case onto the bed coming up empty-handed. 
Riley rifled through the drawers as Richard slid along the wall toward the door. 
As he turned to his partner, Dean scratched his nose signaling for Riley to listen. “This shitbag telling the truth?”
All she could do was shrug before speaking back to him telepathically. “I can’t tell. I can’t get in his head. He’s scared as hell, I can tell you that much.”
“Good. He fuckin’ should be.” 
When Richard tried to inch away, a gunshot was fired and Lewis grunted at the shock of the bullet missing his head by inches, going clear through the door. He froze and looked back at Dean who stood with his gun still aimed. The hunter was serious with his threats and Richard knew it. 
“Don't fuckin’ move.”
Lewis’ breath had quickened and his brow creased with anger. “It's gone. Get on a plane if you must. Track down the buyer--you might catch up to him eventually.” 
While Riley bounced her attention back and forth between Richard and her search for the Colt, she watched as Dean marched toward him aggressively. Once in front of Lewis, Dean pointed his weapon to his rival’s forehead and his face twitched with wrath. 
Twitching a little with nerves, Richard asked, “Are you going to kill me?”
“Oh, yeah,” Dean answered with a coy smile.
“You're not the cold-blooded type.”
“You mean like you? That's true. See, I couldn't imagine killing my parents.”
Flabbergasted, but attempting to regather himself, Richard kept his face deadpanned. “I don't know what you're talking--”
“Yes, you do,” Dean interrupted firmly. “You were, what, 17? Folks died in some shady car accident. Police suspected a slashed brake line, but it was all too crispy to tell. Cut to little Richard--oh, I'm sorry, David...inheriting millions.”
Riley looked Richard in the eyes, seeing how taken back he was. “That’s your real name, isn’t it? David?”
With a sigh of defeat, Richard conceded. “How did you even…”
“Doesn’t really matter, does it?” 
Grabbing Richard’s hand in an attempt to connect and read his thoughts, Riley was suddenly met with flashes of memories. It was like watching a movie in fast-forward. She saw moments in time of Richard’s childhood and the unending bruises, cuts, and broken bones through the years. 
One moment in particular slowed down as a teenage Lewis laid helpless on the floor, crying and shaking after taking a terrible beating. His father’s footsteps retreated out of the room leaving Richard alone in agony.
As Riley released her hold on him, she was thrust back into the present and blinked rapidly trying to regain her composure. Richard glared at her skeptically, unsure of what had just happened. “They hurt you, didn’t they?”
“What?”
“You made a deal to be free of them--to be free of what you’d been put through your entire life.” 
The emotions in Richard shifted and Riley could feel it all. His hard swallow of pain rang through her no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
With a tone Riley had never heard before, Richard’s voice went softer. “You don’t know anything about it. They were lovely people, and I killed them--and I got rich. I can't be bothered to give a damn. Just like I don't care what happens to your Neanderthal boyfriend.”
Again, Dean pushed him roughly against the door with his arm shoved into his throat as the hunter’s jaw clenched. He stared Lewis down for a long and tense minute before growling, “you make me fuckin’ sick.”
“Likewise, Winchester.”
Dean took a step back and held up his gun with a smirk. There was no doubt that Dean wanted the man dead and Richard closed his eyes as he braced for the gunshot.
“Dean…” Riley whispered into his mind. She looked up above the door and his eyes followed hers. A strand of woven herbs was dislodged from the ledge above the door.
Taking a moment to think, Dean stared him down. When nothing happened, Richard opened his eyes and Dean dropped his pistol to his side. 
“You're not worth it.” The Winchester grabbed Lewis’ arm and shoved him off to the side before opening the door and leaving.
Riley stopped and her focus went back to Richard. “I’m sorry about what happened to you.” Her eyes welled and her jaw ticked in anger. “But I’ll never forgive you for what your selfishness is about to cost me. Goodbye, Richard.”
As she too disappeared and shut the door behind her, Lewis lifted his hand that had a scrap of paper that he uncrumpled to look at. It was a motel receipt for ‘The Erie’ that he had pick-pocketed from Dean, showing its address and the number of the room rented.
Reaching into his pocket, Richard took out his phone and quickly began to dial. When someone on the other line answered, he told them, “it worked. They found me. No, Sam wasn't with them. But I know where they are.”
------
Baby roared down the highway through the night as Riley made a call while Dean drove on. She put it on speakerphone as the line rang before Sam picked up.
“Riley, you guys get the Colt?”
“What do you think?” Dean asked, utterly frustrated.
“So, does that mean Richard is, uh…”
“No, no--he deserves to die a dozen times over, but I couldn't do it.” Looking over to Riley, Dean was hit with a wave of realization that while still without the Colt, they had no chance of saving him. 
As his glance went between the road and the woman beside him, Dean nodded as he clenched his lips. “I’m really screwed, guys.”
Riley sighed. “Dean, don’t talk like that.”
“Sam, you were right. Dick was a goose chase. The Colt’s gone, and this time, I’m really fucked.”
As Riley rested her elbow against the door, she put her forehead into her hand trying to control herself until Sam jumped back in. “Maybe not. Look, Dean, I found Benton's cabin.”
“You okay? Was he there?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you kill him?”
“No.”
With a look of uncertainty, Riley asked, “no? Why not?”
“Guys, please just listen for a second. I found his lab book, and it has the formula.”
“You’re talking about his zombie formula?”
Sam sighed in exasperation. “It’s not a zombie formula.”
“Let me guess,” Dean started as he resituated in his seat. “I got to drink blood out of a baby's skull?”
“No, that's the thing. It's not black magic. There's no blood sacrifice or anything. It's just science, Dean. Very, very extremely weird science, but…”
Again the couple shared a glance as a small flicker of hope rushed through them. 
“Wait, wait, wait,” Dean said as he fumbled over his words. “What are--what are you saying? You think…”
“Dean, I think it might be doable. I mean, I know we've hit a shit ton of walls, but I--I think this formula--I think it might be it. This could save you.”
“Okay, so, this formula…”
“Well, I mean, look--we're not in the clear yet. There are still things that I don't get…” Before Sam could finish his sentence, the sound of garbled grunts and a struggle came through the line.
“Sam?” Riley asked with worry.
With fear and panic in his eyes when he didn’t answer, Dean called out, “Sammy!”
------
Strapped to a wooden operating table in Doc Benton’s damp cellar, Sam’s eyes were wide as they were taped to stay open. His heart was racing and his attempts to free himself were useless against the restraints at his forehead, wrists, waist, and feet.
“You can relax. It's all gonna be okay,” Benton told the hunter as he softly tapped his arm. “Ain't nothing gonna happen here that you got to worry about, Sammy. Your chances of coming out of this procedure alive? Very, very high.”
“How do you know my name?”
The doctor held a metal scooping tool to an open flame and ensured that it had been entirely warmed. “Oh, I know. You think I'm some kind of monster, don't you? Well, I got to tell you, I have never done one thing that I did not have to do. This whole eternal-life thing is very high-maintenance. If something goes bad, like my eyes here--” he told Sam as he leaned over to show off his faded dead eyes. Benton’s cold fingers traced Sam’s forehead as he admired the hazel eyes staring back at him. “You got to replace them. And sometimes things get damaged, like when your father cut out my heart. Now, that--that was very inconvenient. So, I'm sure that you can understand all the joy I felt when I read all about myself here in his journal.” Holding up John’s hunter’s journal, the doctor flipped to a specific page and flashed it in front of the trapped Winchester. “Kind of makes this whole thing just feel like some kind of family reunion, don't it? Well, I guess it's about time that we get this thing started.”
Tossing the journal off to the side, Doc Benton brought the scooper close to Sam’s open eyes. He began to position the tool to remove them completely. The hunter trembled and grunted as he still tried to get free.
Three loud shots rang out as Benton was shot from behind. He turned to see Dean with his gun still raised, though he grew nervous seeing that his attack appeared to have done nothing.
“Shoot all you want.” The doctor approached Dean who let loose two more rounds. 
Grabbing him, Benton threw Dean into the wall causing him to crash against assorted items and glass. He groaned at the impact before falling to the ground. As the half-dead man grew close to Dean once more, he leaned down and hovered over him.
A small grunt came from behind him as Riley thrust her blade into the doctor’s back. It went clear through and pierced his heart. He stood erect again and laughed. 
“A knife? What part of immortality do you not understand? Pity about the heart, though. It was a brand-new one.”
“Glad to hear it,” Riley retorted while softly panting. “Guess that means it’s gonna be pumping really strong…” She held up a bottle of chloroform with a mischievous expression as Benton began to wobble. “I mean, now this junk is gonna spread through your entire body. You see, Dean and I picked up your little bottle upstairs. A little dip of the knife and...presto.”
With a look of shock as he began to lose consciousness, the monster collapsed to the floor with a moan.
------
Doc Benton’s cries for release came from the freshly dug hole in the ground. Inside, was a refrigerator strapped shut by heavy metal chains. They clanged against the porcelain as the doctor tried to escape.
“No! No! Don't! Stop it! I can help you! No!”
Riley tossed Benton’s book into the hole to disappear along with the monstrous man. “Should’ve been in the ground a long time ago. Better late than never, I guess.”
“Dean...” Sam said softly as his family turned to face him. “We need that formula. I mean, we're talking hell in three weeks, or needing a new pancreas in like half a century.”
“Yeah, well--you can't exactly get those at a Kwik-E-Mart,” Dean countered.
“It's not perfect, but it buys us more time to think of something better. We just need time, Dean. I mean, please, just--just think about it.”
Staying silent, Riley closed her eyes as Sam’s emotions swelled over her like a tidal wave. She could feel his desperation and undying love for Dean. It didn’t matter what the cost, Sam was ready to pay that price to save his brother. And as much as Riley felt the same, she knew Dean too well; there was no way we would ever agree to an existence like Doctor Benton’s.
“...no. What he is, isn't living. Look, this is simple to me, okay? Black or white; human, not human. See, what the Doc is is a fuckin’ monster. I can't do it. I would rather go to Hell.” With one last look into the deep ditch where Benton continued to plead for his freedom, Dean took hold of a shovel. “Enjoy forever in there, Doc.”
As the three hunters began to fill the hole with the freshly dug soil, the muffled screams continued. 
“Let me out! I can save you! No. Don't!” The Doc wailed as he was slowly planted in the Earth.
------
The Eerie was a cheap motel that barely had enough business to stay afloat. Its neon lights had random letters flickering as their bulbs died.
On the second floor, Richard’s ridiculously priced shoes tapped against the cheap concrete flooring. He picked the lock of the door and opened it with ease.
As he stepped inside, he drew a gun from his coat and quietly entered. He raised his pistol and pointed it toward the two beds in front of him. 
Richard fired three shots through a silencer into the bodies lying under the covers; two in one bed and one in the other.
He moved closer and turned on the bedside lamp. The clock beside the bed showed it was 11:56 PM and he swiftly pulled back the covers. As he did, he revealed a sex doll slowly deflating. When Lewis checked the other bed, two more dolls continued to lose the air that hissed as it seeped out.
Disoriented and clearly in a state of urgency, Richard’s eyes darted across the room. His attention was stolen by the loud ringing that came from the phone on the nightstand. 
Picking it up, he put it to his ear.
“Hiya, Dick,” Dean snarked from the other end of the line. “Here's a fun fact you may not know. I felt your hand in my pocket when you swiped that motel receipt.”
With desperation in his voice, Richard replied, “you don't understand.”
“Oh, I'm pretty sure I understand perfectly. See, Rye and I noticed something interesting in your hotel room--something tucked above the door. An herb, Devil's shoestring? There's only one use for that--holding hellhounds at bay.” 
As Dean went on, Richard sat on the edge of the bed as he began to accept his fate. His eyes grew red as they filled with tears and he swallowed the massive lump in his throat, threatening his air. 
“So, you know what we did? We went back and took another look at your folks' obit. Turns out they died ten years ago...today. You didn't kill them. A demon did your dirty work. You made a deal, didn't you, Dick? And it's come due. Is that why you stole the Colt, huh? Try to wiggle out of your deal--our gun for your soul?”
“...yes.”
Riley could be heard sighing as she interjected. “It wasn’t enough though, was it? Taking the Colt?”
“They changed the deal. They wanted me to kill Sam...and you, Riley.”
“Yeah, I figured as much. But you’d think you’d know by now Richard, demons aren’t exactly trustworthy partners, are they? ...and it’s almost midnight.”
“Riley, I’m out of time and I’m out of options,” Lewis choked out with a broken voice. “I need your help. I know I don’t deserve it.”
“Do you deserve our help? No, you don’t. But the saddest part of all of this? If you would have just told us you needed help, we could have used the Colt and saved you from this mess.”
“I know and saved Dean as well. I know about his deal. The demon that holds it--she holds mine too. She said she holds every deal.”
“Who’s she?”
“Her name's Lilith.”
“Lilith?” Dean scoffed incredulously. “Why should I believe you?”
“You shouldn't, but it's the truth.”
“This can't help you, Dick--not now. Why you telling me this?”
Richard paused as a tear fell down his face. “Because just maybe you can kill the bitch.”
The line went quiet as the hunters were lost in thought. It was Dean that broke the silence. “I'll see you in Hell.”
Dean hung up and Richard was left alone in the motel room as he listened to the deafening dial tone coming from the phone. 
The receiver clicked as he hung up and the old clock flipped as midnight made its deadly appearance. Beads of sweat poured from Lewis’ face as deep howling came from the distance. He stood to look out the window, pale with fear.
Closer vicious growls came from behind him and hot panting breath blew through his hair. Lewis inhaled a sharp breath as his eyes squeezed shut.
His time was up, and the pits of Hell were waiting.
------
S3 Finale Prequel: Just for Tonight
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tanadrin · 5 years
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hey *whispers* hey. hey. i saw your post in the wow tag. i would read THE SHIT out of your interpretation of wow lore. i have homework right now but i think i might just read through your blog a bit. the characters have always been such a high point for me (listen. i know knaak did a lot of shit. but you can pry Krasus from my cold dead hands he was EVERYTHING to middle school me) and i feel so conflicted over what theyve done to the characters - sylvanas, anduin, everyone. would love ur take
You might be a little disappointed, most of my blog isn’t about WoW (it postdates my WotLK raiding/RP guild phase, and I’ve only just recently got back into it with Classic). Lots of opinions on WoW characters below the cut.
I actually don’t hate Krasus as a character. He’s fine, he’s not a Designated Idiot Ball Carrier like some of the others are. In re: the dragons generally, I don’t like the simplistic thing WoW lore does a lot where one faction leader going bonkers turns the whole faction into baddies for no apparent reason, because all political entities are monoliths except when they’re not. I’m also not a huge fan of how crowded the, erm, metahuman bureaucracy on Azeroth has become in the lore–like, the Keepers and the Dragon Aspects serve similar roles, and the lore could have done fine with one or the other, and the dragons were here first (and Ysera and Alexstrasza are BAMFs), and so should get to stay.
Sylvanas is bae, obviously, and Sylvanas as Warchief was a terrific move plotwise. I think it’s a pity they had to kill Vol’jin to do it (because I am also very here for Warchief Vol’jin), but she is obviously the more interesting choice. Speaking of Warchiefs:
Thrall doesn’t have the Green Jesus Marty Stu quite as bad as some people think, but he does kinda have it, and I don’t see them grappling quite with the fact that he done fucked up. Like, not only did he install a Warchief who should have had all smart members of the Horde tugging at their collars nervously when he started his rule, Garrosh turned into a Sha-summoning Old God-corrupted, casual-atrocity-perpetrating maniac, not to mention all the bullshit on Old Draenor I do my best to forget about lest my blood pressure spike. We don’t really get a satisfying mea culpa from Thrall for that, and then his response is to fuck off to fiddle around with the Earthen Ring for a bit, before retiring to a farm in Nagrand. Keep in mind, one of the whole reasons the Horde came together in its current shape in the first place is because of the charismatic, hopeful figure of Thrall. It ran the very real risk of splintering under Garrosh for good (ESPECIALLY after the murder of Cairne, RIP Cairne Bloodhoof, you were too good for this world), and even the most unifying successor (which I think Vol’jin was) didn’t have Thrall’s inclusive, unifying vision. Sylvanas doesn’t, either, and even more, is sort of low-key hated by everybody else, so while I don’t think she’s a maniac like Garrosh who would recklessly divide the Horde, she’s also not, I am forced to admit, necessarily the ideal Warchief from a political standpoint.
Even if he didn’t return to the post of Warchief, Thrall had a moral obligation after the Garrosh debacle to try to help hold the Horde together and heal the divisions his negligence caused. At least to throw his support behind Garrosh’s successors, and not to pretend that Deathwing’s death meant everything was OK forever, job done. And if he wasn’t going to do that (and he has excellent motivations for not wanting to do that!), I think the consequences of that have to be explored. I think some people would blame him, and be justified in doing so. I think somebody like Varok Saurfang, who has had decades of experience with the damage bad leaders could do, would rightly be a little pissed, even as he sought Thrall out for help, that Thrall had let the Horde he built languish under subpar leadership. Thrall has been selfish–and that’s great, because he desperately needed some character flaws more significant than “cares too much” and “believes in people a lot.”
Anduin: better than Varian, still a little bland? Varian was a Professional Idiot Ball Handler, who seemed to do stuff not out of a coherent conception of his character, but just because the plot required a Generic Human King to do it. Plus there was all that stuff with the cloning and the kidnapping that never really made any sense. I like Anduin’s optimism; I like that he feels like a thoughtful, reasonable guy, who’s doing his best in often-impossible circumstances. I feel like they could show him being a little more frustrated sometimes, though, and a little pissed at people like Jaina who obstinately refuse to do the strategically correct thing even if it means setting aside their resentments for a bit. Disclaimer: I play almost exclusively Horde toons, they may address this better in the Alliance quests in WoW.
But oh man, besides the Draenei, I hate most what they did to Jaina. Jaina was that rare jewel, an optimist in a world whose setting demands perpetual chaos. Yes, yes, Theramore and the mana bomb, I’m not suggesting she should be made of stone, but it breaks her character to have her suddenly go from someone trying to forge a lasting peace between the Horde and Alliance in WC3–to the point where she would see her own father dead–to someone who now blames the whole Horde as one no exceptions for what happened at Theramore. Should she struggle with grief and pain and anger? Absolutely. But she should deal with them in more complex ways than “now I am become the mirror image of Daelin.” Nevermind that even if she did that she should at least regret not listening to him back in WC3. (Do they address that in BFA with the introduction of Kul Tiras? Idk, I haven’t played BFA at all yet.) It seems like Jaina’s role now is to be the Person Who Hates The Horde, and honestly, that’s a tired trope. It’s just not interesting, it has no nuance, it has no interesting outcomes. You could maybe get away with it with the generation of leaders from the Second War like Daelin and Genn who knew the Orcs only as the fel-corrupted servants of the Burning Legion, but it’s obvious to anyone with two brain cells to rub together than the current Horde is a very different animal politically and strategically, so even if you hate the Orcs with a burning passion, that is not going to transfer to the Tauren, nevermind onetime allies like the Blood Elves.
Gul’dan: oh my god the time travel plot was so stupid. Did the whole universe get duplicated in the alternate timeline? Since travel between the universes is cheap and easy that means there’s a whole nother Burning Legion with a whole nother Sargeras out there that’s still a huge fricking threat! Not to mention a whole nother Azeroth! Did just Draenor get duplicated? That doesn’t seem to match up with the fact a lot of the Burning Legion characters in WoD seem to be parallel universe versions of Burning Legion villains we already know, but it’s not directly confirmed or disconfirmed. Is it some sort of weird Bronze Dragonflight timey-wimey thing that doesn’t have its own independent reality? Ok, fine, but obviously this alternate Draenor has enough of an independent existence for us to visit it again and see what it’s like decades later, not to mention bring some of the people there back. Gul’dan was a fine, if one-dimensional villain but bringing him back from the dead was dumb, dumb, dumb, in a setting where death often feels meaningless and seems to be reversible at random. And the general incoherence of magic in the setting combined with the perennial incoherence of time travel plots (Gollum voice: *we hates them!*) really just reduced WoD to a quivering mess of plot holes, like febrile fan speculation made manifest.
Tirion Fordring: good example of a purely heroic character done well, which WoW has few of. I think because he actually has challenges to overcome, and he doesn’t feel like an idiot.
Bolvar Fordragon: Literally did not know or care who this guy was until the Wrathgate cinematic, but what they did after that with his character was terrific, 10/10.
Malfurion, Tyrande, Illidan: These characters all bore me to tears. My WotLK main was a druid, and I’m a big fan of the druid lore, so I wanna like Malfurion, I really do, but he’s just so dull. Partly because it doesn’t feel like he has any real limitations on his power, just whatever the plot demands he be able to do or not do at any given moment, partly because he just feels like a stiff-necked scold. Tyrande is even more one-dimensional. Illidan is pure 3edgy5me, and the demon hunters in general feel like they get to be too cool to actually traffic in any of the pathos of what should be their emotional equivalents like the Death Knights and the Forsaken. It’s like, “oh man, my life is so tormented, I have these bitchin’ horns and tattoos, and I’m, like, totally immortal, here, hold my rad sword thingies for a second.” At least with the Death Knights you get the feeling that being a Death Knight is a genuinely miserable experience, so there’s some genuine conflict at the heart of the class: sure, you play as a hero, but not the kind of hero you’d necessarily want to be. Demon hunters are just pissed they don’t get to sit at the cool kids’ lunch table, and Illidan genuinely acts like a giant asshole and then gets self-righteous and whiny when his friends and family are like “Dude! Stop being such an asshole!” There’s room for a prickly character, who’s a dick, but who’s our dick, and maybe that’s what they were going for, but Illidan is just the worst.
Azshara, Lady Vashj: The Naga were a giant fucking mistake. A symptom of the inability to let backstory stay backstory, to have to resurrect and retread the same events over and over again that plagues serials when lesser writers without original ideas get let loose on them. Settings like WoW (like Star Wars, like Star Trek, like Dune) are whole universes. You should be expanding the borders, making them feel bigger, more fine-grained, more alive, not beating the same major characters to death over and over again. The ancient Kaldorei are way more interesting as a lost past and a lesson in hubris than fish-snake-people who live under the sea.
Also, water levels are dumb and I hate them. This applies to coral-and-shellfish themed zones regardless of whether swimming is involved.
Cho’gall: I loved the “insane nihilist death cult” reincarnation of the Twilight’s Hammer Clan in World of Warcraft, and Cho’gall as the many-eyed crazed ogre mage with two heads was great. Would much rather have more Cho’gall than Guldan 2.0.
While I’m on Cataclysm: one thing you don’t often feel in worlds like WoW is the possibility of real defeat, because for extradiegetic reasons, it’s impossible to truly lose in any long-lasting way (or, in quests like Battle for the Undercity in WotLK, they just… don’t let you, which feels dumb as heck). I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of a post-apocalyptic fantasy world, a world where the bad guys won, and all the worst things the good guys feared came to pass. I think this is one reason I loved the original interpretation of the Draenei so much, because we saw in Draenor what that really looked like. It was bleak, and it was poignant, and even though it was set within a silly melodrama, it actually moved me. Cataclysm did something similar with the postapocalyptic time-travel instance (time travel being used well for once in WoW!), where you saw that Deathwing’s victory wasn’t just an abstract possibility, but a thing that could actually happen. It made the possibility of defeat feel more real, and it gave you a taste of that same bleak, poignant feeling: this, it said (just for a moment!) is what failure looks like, an Azeroth without life, without hope, in which everything you ever struggled for was utterly in vain. And that motivated you to work even harder to prevent it.
Alleria, Turalyon: “You last saw us in WC2, and since then we’ve been fighting a thousand years (subjective) of endless war against the Burning Legion and been irrevocably changed by the experience” is actually pretty great! But if I were going to rewrite WoW lore, I would make that a thousand objective years and set the final victory over the Burning Legion in the future, at a time when the Alliance and Horde have made a durable peace, and Azeroth has moved on from decades of endless war. I think there’s a real problem with trying to make the player one of the heroes that brings down Sargeras for good because it’s *such* an epic battle, but it’s a massively multiplayer game. Making every player the grand master of their class order was bad enough, but when you are obviously playing out entirely different diegesis from everyone around you, even if you didn’t have problems like sharding and a glut of phasing and cross-server activities and instant teleportation to dungeons, it really feels like a single-player RPG with a chat function. I mean, conflicting diegeses is always going to be a problem with questing-based MMOs, but suspension of disbelief worked when you were plainly one person embedded in a larger effort, like in vanilla, BC, and WotLK. But “you are one of thousands of people who is the Best Warrior Ever and sole Leader of the Warriors, and who has the Only Artifact Weapon that somehow also has thousands of copies”… yeah, that just doesn’t work for me. I feel like I’m being pandered to, and not in a fun way, like with the Pandaren.
Sargeras: I like that they retconned Sargeras to have a better motivation than “demons made me nihilistic.” The idea of a void-corrupted titan being something so terrible a member of the Pantheon would shatter worlds to prevent it is interesting. But the Void gods still feel… kinda non-threatening? We don’t see them actively working to threaten anything we really care about, the Void is mostly a pretty passive abstract force like the Light, and in general I feel like the setting isn’t really dualistic, but er… trialistic? Is that a word? In that there’s a three-way opposition between the Void, the Light, and the Nether/Arcane, from the perspective of which each is the opponent of both of the others, but that’s never laid out explicitly anywhere.
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pinacotheque · 5 years
Note
Hiii! So, like. I saw you ranting about Good Omens on Twitter and I enoyed reading it lol, so I was wondering what were your thoughts on the differences between Crowley and Aziraphale's personalities in the show vs the book?
(okay so, apparently just TOUCHING an ask to read it gets it actually posted? oh well. the tumbrl app sure is Something. sorry about that!)
first of all, thank you! i'm glad you liked my incoherent shouting on twitter, you might get more of that sooner or later because i'm in the middle of a Good Omens reread and, unsurprisingly, i have Opinions.
so, my thoughts. as you MAY HAVE GUESSED from aforementioned incoherent shouting, there are some things i liked about the show and a lot of things i... did not. i am staunchly in the 'The Book Was Better' camp, which i know is an unpopular opinion, given that even longtime fans of the book seem to generally love the adaptation. which is cool! lord knows if we don't deserve something nice to watch, and if someone liked the show or actually prefers how the show handled some things, good for them. i just really liked many aspect of the book that i feel the show mishandled, or changed, or directly cut out... so there.
with the disclaimer out of the way: i feel that, in general, show!Aziraphale&Crowley were somewhat oversimplified, like flattened versions of the original characters. part of it it's just the nature of adaptations - you can't have every detail of a third person pov narration in a tv show, you have to... well, adapt, choose what to keep and what to lose - but part of it isn't, and i just... i'm baffled, mostly.
the book establishes fairly early on that Crowley just likes people ("It was a major failing in a demon.") while the show is... not really consistent on that point. tv!Crowley likes human STUFF just fine, is shown a couple of times to be distressed about children (although then he turns around and suggests to straigh up murder an eleven years old, holy shit, that's why i say the show is inconsistent) but for the most part... doesn't look all that attached to humans per se? considering also that in the book, Crowley (along with Aziraphale) is ready to sacrifice himself in a suicide mission against Satan to save all the humans they put in danger with their "messing people around".
(the big finale in the show is a fucking mess so i'm not even gonna touch that.)
book!Crowley, under the general demonic tendencies and the attempts to be a proper flash bastard, is a gentle soul that resuscitates doves and didn't know about the Spanish Inquisition until he got a commendation for it, and then HAD TO GET DRUNK FOR A WEEK TO COPE. not just that, he knows that about himself (and is obviously embarrassed about it) while tv!Crowley seems to... be in denial? when Aziraphale says that he always knew that, deep down, Crowley was a nice person, tv!Crowley pins him to the wall shouting that no he's not YOU TAKE IT BACK, while in the book: "All right, all right," Crowley snapped. "Tell the whole blessed world, why don't you?"
he knows he's too nice, it's just not proper for a demon.
(btw i would have LOVED to see book!Crowley's flat in the show, because it’s another detail that cracks that stereotipical demon image: "spacious, white, elegantly furnished, and with that designer unlived-in look that only comes from not being lived in." the flat in the show is very... goth and dramatic, which is fine, but i think the white designer flat tells a lot about Crowley's persona. he doesn't want to look demonic, he wants to look like a cool human.)
tv!Aziraphale, on the other hand, is... well, soft. too soft. book!Aziraphale is a passive-aggressive, at times insufferable cryptobastard, a ruthless pragmatist-at-heart who makes the fucking mob disappear, accidentally posseses a tele-preacher and candidly tells his audience that Heaven doesn't care about righteous people and everyone is just gonna die in the Rapture (oh how i missed that scene) and decides BY HIMSELF that the Antichrist Must Be Killed.
furthermore, tv!Aziraphale is much more naive and trusting than his book counterpart. there's that gifset going 'round with that "the demon who still has faith and the angel who's losing his" (i'll link it when i see it again) that is perfectly on point for the show, but also highlights the differences between book and adaptation. the book doesn't really talk about faith (also, faith in Pratchett is A Whole Other Thing that i don't want to get into right now) and Aziraphale&Crowley's actions are not really a matter of faith or lack thereof. they just want to save the world because they LIKE IT (and free will is contagious). at the same time, both of them know perfectly well how their respective sides really are. i just can't stand tv!Aziraphale’s bubbly naive trust in Heaven when in the book you have bits like:
"My people are more than happy for it to happen, you know. It's what it's all about, you see. The great final test. Flaming swords, the Four Horsemen, seas of blood, the whole tedious business." [Aziraphale] shrugged.[this is at, like, PAGE 25]
"You'll be amazed at the kind of things they can do to you, down there," [Crowley] said."I imagine they're very similar to the sort of things they can do to one up there," said Aziraphale."Come off it. Your lot get ineffable mercy," said Crowley sourly."Yes? Did you ever visit Gomorrah?""Sure," said the demon. "There was this great little tavern where you could get these terrific fermented date-palm cocktails with nutmeg and crushed lemongrass-""I meant afterwards.""Oh."
the thing with the show, i think, is that they wanted to give more space to Aziraphale&Crowley (who are, admittedly, the most well-liked part of the book, so it makes sense) and in doing so pushed a bit in a corner the human cast. the problem is that, in the book, A&C are utterly useless and the humans are the ones who bring forth the plot and above all the fucking themes of the story - free will, responsibility, what it means to be human, etc - so what did they do? they had to make A&C's dynamic all about free will and (dis)obedience and what not, and to do so had to change the characters a bit.
and it kind of works, too, for the show. it's just that, for me, the book worked better.
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mtvswatches · 5 years
Text
Wynonna Earp 2x03 Gonna Getcha Good
Spoilers disclaimer (please read before sending messages or writing comments.)
Click here for previous recaps!
Stray thoughts
1) Honestly, it’s an accomplishment to remain straight after watching this…
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Also, loving Nicole’s new look, and I love the fact that they included that throwaway line in the last (or was it the first?) episode about her wanting to cut her hair.
2) Ha!!!
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3) Three minutes into the episode and almost every line includes a double-entendre… or single…
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4) The Sunnydale vibes are real!
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5) Is Nicole going to lock horns with Wynonna over the jurisdiction over the crimes in Purgatory? She’s still pissed at being left out…
6) “Cocktail”? “Open another vein”? “Yours isn’t right”? “We need something pure”? What type of weird-ass experiment are they doing? And what do they need blood for? I don’t get it, I’m super confused!
7) Jealousy is a lovely color on you, Wynonna…
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8) Yay! Jeremy is still part of the team!
9) Is this former classmate, this Perry guy, going to be somehow involved in the… OH THE FUCK, NEVER MIND
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As I was writing that, he literally picked up the skinned rabbit, I hope he DIES!
10) WTF IS WRONG WITH POSSESSED WAVERLY?
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11) I don’t know why I’m getting a The Dark Age/Reptile Boy/Go Fish vibe here… like, I feel the team made some type of deal or sacrifice with some demon to get that one great win, and now the demon has come collecting.
12) I really like how Wynonna is completely self-aware and acknowledges exactly what tickles her pickle…
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13) Oh, can possessed Waverly eat this fucking creep, please?
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14) Okay, so Nicole locked horns, but with the Earp I least expected. Wynonna pointed out how Waverly was putting everything on hold so that she could spend more time with Nicole, which is fine, but it’s a slippery slope to the type of behavior that she used to have with her boyfriend. On the other hand, Nicole takes her job very seriously, as she should, and is put off when Waverly gets in the way of her doing her job and compromises her authority. I’m still not sure how much of this is actually Waverly and how much of it is the demon influencing her somehow, or outright manipulating her. It’s not cut-clear. Does the demon or whatnot take over only when her eyes are black? Or is that just the introduction, and she remains to be possessed for a while? Or has she been possessed the entire time?
15) “Perry marked you with blood?!”
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Wynonna dysfunctional self-awareness is so fresh! I love it!
 16) “Boys will be boys” WTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Why is the sheriff so scared of the Gardners?!
17) I really love how Nicole is literally the only one who’s noticed the changes in Waverly…
Wynonna Have you noticed any like, changes in Waverly lately? (…) It's just ever since Willa was sent down, she's been acting not herself. (…) It's just, what I really love about Waverly is… it's like it's sometimes missing, you know, a sweetness. And she's become hard. Cruel, almost.
18) I’m sure this…
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…had nothing to do with the fact that Perry was on a semi-date with Wynonna, right?
19) Okay, so I guessed it, more or less. The coach was tired of losing (Go Fish) so he gave his boys a spell and they summon a demon who promised to give them the best ten years of their lives in exchange of their lives or souls or something, and now it’s come collecting (Reptile Boy/The Dark Age.)
20) Awwww, Doc wants to save Dolls! He’s been trying to cook Dolls’ drugs, and now he wants to use this demon to save him somehow. If I thought I couldn’t love Doc any more, and here we are. He’s a softie!!
21) Well, at least the demon has some moral principles, it won’t tolerate any homophobia…
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22) I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS! Wynonna kicking some entitled boys’ assess?
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23) She fucking thrives in chaos and I love it!
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24) That freak Candyman monster better not hurt Nicole or istg!!!
25) I’m not sure I get what just happened… Perry was trying to break the spell himself, but the demon managed to overpower him, and then Wynonna pulled out Peace Maker and the demon offered to give her whatever she wanted if she spared him. I felt like she had to make a choice, but it wasn’t really clear? Let the demon live and kill Perry but ask for Dolls to be saved? And instead, she ended up wishing for the demon to get in the trophy, therefore screwing this chance to save Dolls? Did I get that right? Please let me know, because I’m a bit confused…
26) Wynonna never really leaves anything on her “what if” list, doesn’t she?
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27) This was a truly nice moment…
SHERIFF: You wanna know how Purgatory really works? OK. Everyone pretends the whole goddamn town isn't overrun by demons. NICOLE: That's it? That's the big secret? SHERIFF: The people who choose to live here, they want a simple life in a small town with a shitty hockey team and a view of the Rockies. Some of us feel that that's worth ignoring the occasional mermaid poltergeist. NICOLE: OK, yeah, now I'm sure I've hit my head. SHERIFF: I sure hope not. You graduated top of your class in the big city and I need someone smart to take over when I retire. NICOLE: You want me to be Sheriff? SHERIFF: Why do you think I worked so hard to recruit you? Look, I know that Black Badge seems like a hot shit covert operation… NICOLE: And they don't have to wear khakis. SHERIFF: But who's gonna keep the drunks off the road? Who'll referee the neighbourhood feuds? Who will keep the ordinary, everyday, non-werewolf citizens of Purgatory safe, Officer Haught? NICOLE: We need more manpower, OK? And we've gotta work with BBD and stop pretending there's nothing paranormal going on around here. SHERIFF: OK. You got permission to intervene in the wacky stuff when it's necessary. The Lord knows they could use your instincts.
I really like how Nicole was working so hard to be a part of Black Badge, but now she’ll be able to make her own path. I had a feeling that the Sheriff was playing the Gardners with the whole “boys will be boys” thing, but at least now Nicole will be in the know instead of putting herself in danger unwittingly every other day. I also appreciate the fact that the Sheriff acknowledges that everyone in town does indeed know about all the supernatural stuff, but they choose to ignore. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.
And then he gave her this…
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What the fuck is up with that freak and when can we kill him?
28) Well, Mercedes seems to be decent, at least. She doesn’t want her family to go against the Earps.
29) Oh, fuck, I knew that couldn’t last!
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At least I can now confirm that these two things are the ones that escaped from that box at the Black Badge facilities.
30) Okay…
WAVERLY: Might help if you returned my lipstick, though. WYNONNA: I did. WAVERLY: Really? WYNONNA: I gave it to you. WAVERLY: Huh. I'll check again.
So… this means that Waverly is Waverly at times, but she can’t remember what the demon does when it takes over. But… I’m still not sure if the demon is control only when her eyes black, it seems that’s not the case. So how are we supposed to tell?
31) Like here…
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That’s the demon, right? Not very conspicuous, btw. And her eyes are normal.
32) This will teach you not to judge a book by its cover, Wynonna…
DOC: Before Dolls' escape, I injected him with the last of his serum, save for one iota. My bartender here has been undertaking the challenging task of trying to reverse engineer the formula. WYNONNA: We think Boobs McSeltzer can pull this off? DOC: Her name is Rosita and she has an advanced degree in Biochemistry. WYNONNA: Oh. Well, maybe then I'll just shut up and stop being such a superficial ass.
I can’t believe that Doc, a white male COWBOY from the 1800s, is the feminist in this equation.
33) So… Dolls and Doc had arranged all of this. I guess the “tell her” message was for Rosita? Is that right? And damn, Doc is my dysfunctional turn on…
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34) What the hell is she doing to Dolls?!
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Damn, he screamed like a little baby! WTF!!
35) Hope you enjoyed my recap, and, as usual, if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi.Thanks!
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smolbeandrabbles · 5 years
Text
Speechless - Dave x Reader (Lost River)
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oh my god but why are you not the softest thing... Author’s Note:
My brain: Wow, Lost River! Let’s make all these smutty kink-filled notes for Dave. Me: Good idea brain, he is literally a great character for that. I’m gonna enjoy writing it... Also my brain: Let us write some Dave! But make it ultra soft and a little angsty  Me: Wait what-?! Why angst?! Why always angst?! 
 And thus this thing happened... Disclaimer: Tbh, this probably works as an ending for what I actually want to write for him. But... Anyway; Lost River and all associated characters not mine (Thanks, Ryan Gosling!!). Premise: Billie’s actions leave Dave with serious consequences. You’re so used to being looked after by him, can you both handle a role reversal? Words: 3626
Warnings: Sexual undertones / Blood / Injury detail / Angst! / Potential major spoilers for the end of Lost River!! 
Words distract us, but we know the truth, So hush, baby, my heart's speaking to you
Just give me that touch (I want it) Quit talking too much, I'm ready Stop moving your lips and kiss me Keep taking my breath away 'Cause you make me speechless You quiet my demons Swallow me whole tonight and just kill me silently I don't need a reason When you make me speechless We're getting loud tonight, we're allowed tonight to be Come on baby, make me speechless...
Body language screaming everything And keep giving it to me, fire away
When you’re touching me, When you’re kissing me Nothing left to say... 
--- “Stop! Stop!” Dave cut across you, he looked confused and disoriented. “I can’t hear you-! Baby, why can’t I hear you?!” You didn’t like that his voice was panicked. You hated that he was panicked. “Baby you-!” You stopped, could he really not hear you?! Like at all. He clung to you, suddenly “Why can’t I hear you—!!?” You had to get him to calm down, but you also had to get him to hospital... And this was hardly the place to call an ambulance now, was it. How were you about to explain to anyone who showed up here what this club was, why you were dressed like this, how the hell what happened… happened. You pulled him; you had to go and NOW-! Running with him down the corridor, your hand in his you got him outside and to his car. Keys?! Keys...?! Sh*t did he leave them on his desk??! DAVE! You didn’t want to leave him, but you didn’t have a choice; you tugged his hand and sat him down. Clearly still disoriented. You pushed his shoulders firmly ‘stay here’ you pressed your lips to his forehead and then sprinted back to the club, you didn’t think you’d ever made it through a crowd of people so fast. Car keys, wallet, jacket... what else would he need? You swept your eyes over his desk quickly - phone! You’d come back for your stuff later.  You ran back to him, crouching to his level you handed him his things. ‘C’mon lets go’ Where the hell was the nearest hospital?! If there was one thing you damned about Dave’s job in all these small towns it was things like this.  Your driving was more than just a little reckless and you dialled 911. So they could help you out. Meaning eventually, you got him to a hospital. Only, when you looked down at yourself you thought twice about walking in. That wouldn’t have seemed appropriate. He was looking at you fight with yourself long enough for him to hold his jacket out.   “Oh...” you took it from him delicately and slipped it on “Thank you!” He was watching your lips very carefully “You’re welcome...” You still had to pull him into A&E. By that time his white shirt was covered in blood. And you had to do your best to try to explain how, why and where this had happened without a) talking about the club and b) an actual clue. Your best guess was she’s stabbed him. But you understood why Billie would carry a knife somewhere that shady. And boy, if you didn’t know Dave by now. He had his fair share of muses that weren’t you. Billie was one of them. Just by the way he talked about her… * “... Does it really matter if I know sign language if he doesn’t? He’s not mute! But you can tell me words, how do you tell him words?! Is it not something a hearing aid can fix...” You thought about that, his other ear was bad but not completely gone. He’d never quite told you a story with that one though. “All I’m saying is it’s something to think about if he doesn’t regain his hearing.” “And how unlikely is that?” “It’s not looking good.” “Can I see him?” He gave a curt nod, and led you down the corridor. You noticed the way his eyes awkwardly swept you. Making you instinctively pull Dave’s suit jacket tighter around you. Thank God you’d actually finished for the evening and had pulled on shorts. Still, they were incredibly short shorts. You were back in flat shoes; but it was clearly the fact that you were wearing a bustier, almost had your full make-up intact AND the choker around your neck that was intriguing him. The thin strip of black leather was small; but the red buckle made it noticeable. It looked like a collar. For all you knew it probably was one… You bit your lips together and rolled the sleeves of Dave’s jacket up. Definitely not appropriate to wear whilst dragging a man to hospital. You knew what you looked like – hell you knew what you felt like. He tried to clear the air, with an awkward cough; "He’s lucky, if that knife had cut any deeper, or severed any major artery he could have been dead.” That DIDN’T help! You turned to him with a look of almost disgust on your face; "Do you think I really need to hear that right now!?!?!" The doctor walked you into the examination room and told you he’d be back in a minute. You walked across to Dave, sitting with his head down. Even when you stood right in front of him, he didn’t look up. You placed your hands gently on his legs and pushed your head against his. He looked up at you. “Can you really not hear me?” You paid close attention to how you said it. Slow. If he could lip read it was a start. He shook his head “It’s like mumbling... like you’re 5 rooms away from me...” Dave placed his fingertips delicately to your lips; “What if I can’t ever hear you again Y/N? What am I supposed to do if I can’t ever hear you...?” You knew how much vocalisations played into your relationship. He held his fingers there for a second and you watched as his eyes welled up. His tears began running and then he was sobbing. “Dave!!” That shocked you; you didn’t think you’d ever seen him cry before?! He threw his arms around you and pulled you into him. You tried your best not to cry because he was crying. Winding your arms around him and into his hair. “Baby... Don’t cry... Please don’t cry...” you knew he couldn’t hear you, but the reverberations of your voice into his body you hoped were at least calming... At least you hoped he knew the sentiment was there... *** You spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to make this easier for him.  And you. You didn’t want your relationship to change because of this. You had to be grateful that he had problems in the first place... because there was a bunch of things, you’d picked up that now you had to work harder on. Dave was good at reading vibration. You could tap his desk to let him know you’d brought him coffee, his glasses, his notebook, a pen, just to let him know you were there, anything...  Now when he talked to you he would press his hands to your chest and watch your lips to see how the vibrations fit to words. So, when he held you and you talked to him he knew what you were saying without watching your lips. But he had no sex drive. And for a relationship that relied so heavily on the physical that was tough for you to get used to.  He would still kiss you, he would still push himself up against you and grind your hips into his. He would still pin your wrists above your head with his hands to deny you from touching him, but, then he would stop, and let you go with a sigh of discontent, rolling over onto his side, back to you. To your dismay, Dave would lay like that until the following morning. You needed to figure out a way to fix this. The doctor had spoken about heading aids. You’d taken matters into your own hands on that one because Dave was point blank refusing to have anything to do with it.
As tiny and discreet as possible. Money wasn’t an issue. And you couldn’t let Dave know. No one could let him know so he couldn’t completely settle into the idea of refusing; alongside your need for it to happen hastily so he didn’t get himself into a depressive state. And Dave would leave you if he thought it wouldn’t get better. He would say it was for you. But you had no doubt he would. It might have been slightly twisted, but you knew exactly how that brain of his worked... and you needed to give him every reason to stay... 
*
Today, you were looking at Morse code. Did Dave know Morse code? It seemed like the kind of thing a man like him would preoccupy himself with learning. You printed off sheet after sheet and stuck them in every room in the house. “Y/N!” He called you into the kitchen; “What are these?” You raced through, so he wouldn’t be kept waiting. You weren’t sure if you were still acting under the Rules of Engagement. You hoped if you showed him you were, he would realise... you wouldn’t leave. He needed you now. “Morse code.” “Yeah. I see that...” He tilted his head gently “I mean why do you have them?” “For you.” He gave a smile “Why?” “Do you know it?” His eyes flicked to the sheet in front of him “I can learn it.” You got closer and placed a hand on his arm to turn him back to you. “Please do…” This was a different kind of physicality now. Touches weren’t meant to tease, or arouse, or warn... They were reassurances, comforting, little gestures to let him know you were there, that you had something to say. “...” He untacked the sheet from the kitchen wall “...I guess it gives me something to do whilst not at the club.” Stay away from loud noises. Well he hadn’t liked that one bit either. But your insistence he listen (ha!) to the doctor on that one in particular made him stay home. You weren’t sure if you were supposed to be hopeful that he would regain hearing. You did know the doctor said it could get significantly worse, or the wound could reopen. You were (obviously) not willing to take a chance on either of those things. Your idea seemed to have an instant effect on Dave’s mood. Maybe that was just because it gave him something to focus on. But it went back to vibrations. That made it sensory again.  It made something ever so slightly physical too. Because he could tap the code into your skin as much he could a table. Or just about anything. It was long though. Overly long, and you were sure there was something less complicated you could try. Still, you liked the way he got amused at you trying to remember exactly how to dot, dash, and where to use the gaps. Every so often you’d slip up and he’d laugh. Sometimes so hard there were tears, and you loved that. You loved screwing up because that was always his reaction. You were supposed to like messing up anyway; there was a thrill to it. There used to be. But this was a different set of Engagement Rules... and these ones had his laugh as a consequence.   That made breaking these new rules your favourite game. The problem was it was hard to concentrate on, and even harder to communicate with it, when he had you pinned back to the bed like this.  But you were desperate for every piece of affection he would shower you with here. You wanted this. You needed this. You craved him. He knew that. All you wanted was for him to tell you what to do. Or tell you what not to do. To tell you how good you were... or even how bad you were... You wanted anything; him to use his nickname for you, him to get you out of your clothes, no matter how he did it.  But it still didn’t work that way. And after about 10 minutes of you trying to believe that his sighs weren’t frustrated, you whined at the feel of him releasing his grip on you.   He knelt up.  Not looking at you, but rather himself. He sighed again and his eyes flicked to the bedroom wall. You held still. Wrists where he’d left them. A little tense... Maybe he’d come back to you... you wanted to show him he could. That that was okay... But, no. He sank back into his side of the bed and turned to his clock. It wasn’t tension that cut across his shoulders; it was something much worse.  Was he disappointed in himself? What was he letting go of? There was something there you didn’t like. And you’d give anything, ANYTHING, you could to hear his thoughts right now. You were too used to what he should be doing to you. Meaning although you were watching him you were still in the position he left you, and you remained that way for a number of minutes. Until you had to relax. He wasn’t coming back; he wouldn’t come back to you. He would lie like this, and eventually fall asleep and that was it. Why did he hate himself so much...? You were suddenly aware there was a tear rolling down your face. No-! What?! You rubbed it away quickly. But you already knew why.  You already knew what was crossing his mind; if he couldn’t be what you wanted him to be... What he HAD to be for this relationship to work the way it did. His only choice was to set you free to find someone else. But didn’t he understand? There wasn’t anyone else! He SHOULD have understood that. You would follow him; you’d continue to follow him everywhere.  You already had. Through all his muses; none of which has outlasted you. If that’s even what you were? No. You wouldn’t stand for this. You wouldn’t let him leave you when you didn’t want him to leave. There was a way through it even if you both couldn’t see it yet. You bit your lip hard to stem your crying. Now was the time to be a big girl. To be the adult you actually were and stop this! You reached out tentatively to wrap your arms around him. He tensed, just a little, but you took the fact he didn’t tell you to stop, physically or vocally to be a sign you could continue. Pushing your chest to his back, you wound your arms around him, resting your head gently against the back of his neck. Dave didn’t react. He didn’t respond. He just remained there. You still didn’t like this. For Dave this wasn’t enough. And you weren’t sure there was anything you could do that would ever be enough. It clicked. Suddenly. And you moved one of your hands tentatively, tracing your fingertips from his front to his back you rubbed gentle comforting circles.  It’s okay. I’m here. No matter what. But you knew he needed more. You took a deep breath. Better not screw this up now. Dot. Dot. “I” His eyes widened for a second. Were you-!? Did you just—?? Dash – the significance of the length told him that was an “L” He concentrated. Was this why you’d made him learn? Dot. Pause. Dot. “O” Your fingertips continued to dance lightly across his back as you gently wrote… Dot. Dot. Dot. Dash. “V” Dave found himself smiling... Oh... Y/N... “E” “Y…” He moved then, snatching your hands in his he pulled you tight to him; “I love you too.” ** You were sitting studying when Dave approached. Squinting over your shoulder. You’d been studying non-stop for days. Any work he had to do now had to be done from home; he hadn’t been to the club or the bank but he was still sitting here running it. Or having you run things back and forth. You certainly weren’t about to let him out of your sight and for once you were desperately waiting for that phone to ring so the bank would call him to any other branch in another town and you could start over again...Hopefully with a week gap. They were always good respite... and always gorgeously vanilla... He snapped you from your concentration “Is that sign language?” You nodded, causing him to drag a chair over and sit down. You watched him for a second, before right clicking the video and throwing up the subtitles, with a little smile. “May I ask why?” You pulled a piece of paper towards you and wrote ‘your doctor said I should start thinking about learning it just in case.’ He scoffed gently at the notion you were spending your energy listening to his doctor. “Which means I have to learn it too, right?” You gave a gentle shrug and wrote ‘it’d help!’ But he was sitting here now, so he certainly wasn’t against the idea... Besides, it was certainly a lot easier than Morse Code. Eventually he smirked “Kinda gonna be hard to communicate with your hands when they’re tied up though...” You hit him with the pen you were holding; /not helpful!/ But he continued to watch with you. And you spent several days following curled up on the couch trying to learn together. It surprised you just how quickly he would pick it up. That he was trying. You wondered if he was doing it for himself… or for you? Now you’d let him know you weren’t going to leave? Maybe that would pick his spirit up enough. Every so often whilst you were lying together like this, or when he had his arms around you at night he would tap gently against your arm – like you had before. Morse code was a much slower way to communicate than sign language though… But it made you beam until your face hurt. Today you wandered into his home office, whilst making the rounds tidying the house. He was a handful at the best of times. It didn’t get any better now. But something about you liked looking after him. He was sat at his desk looking over several pieces of paper, upon which appeared to be printed accounts. Oh-! Bank related. He was chewing on the end of his pen and was propping his head up with his arm. Clearly bank related! You waited patiently for him to look up, which he did, slowly. You gave a smile; and signed How are you? Dave shook his head, with a small smile and put his pen down; it was shaky, but it was incredibly cute to watch I am good. Thank you. How are you? Good. Can I get you something? He paused for just a second, and you could see him trying to remember it in his head. He held up his hands and then stopped. No wait. You wanted to attempt to help him, but he shook his head again, insisting that he had this; C… Coffee. Coffee. You repeated encouragingly. To let him know he was right. He nodded, encouraged to smile; Thank you, sweetheart. You touched a hand to your heart for a second; sweetheart?! Wh… Had he learned that himself!?  You noticed the grin that spread across his face at your reaction. He had, hadn’t he?! Oh… Dave…! He beckoned you over, pushing his chair out a little way and pulled you onto his lap for a second; you were only too happy to oblige this. He kissed you gently. It was chaste. Barely enough… And when you tried to tease another from him, he pushed a finger to your lips and shook his head, with a smirk. Coffee first. Then you’d get more.  Oh. He was taking this THAT seriously??! Maybe he’d figured you’d stay. The way you’d promised and proved that? He was trying to put your relationship back on the track it had been on before... in the only way he could. In any way he could.You had a hard job not smirking. Because that would get you in more trouble. But you did pout; which made him smirk instead and he nodded towards the door; “Go on...” He lowered his voice, dark, deep, plainly seductive. Dave..! You stood and gave a nod, what was the signing for ‘Yes Sir..?’ Would he like that...? Or would he prefer something a little more... unusual. You couldn’t help grinning to yourself as you skipped down the stairs to the kitchen. Maybe soon you’d be able to shimmy yourself out of your jeans and T-shirt again... Finally! 
* I’m not f**king wearing a hearing aid! How old do you think I am?!” You glanced at the tiny little device in your palm and thought he should probably just grow up. You gave him a look that told him such and held it up. “It’s tiny.” “It’s still a hearing aid.” “Well then how else do you hear my voice?” For once he acted like his ‘bad ear’ was fine “I can hear you; it’s just mumbling.” You sighed, exasperated and stepped forward “Try it.” For one, from these past few weeks alone, you both knew how much of a lie what he’d just proclaimed was. “No!” “DAVE!!!” You took his hands in yours, “Please. Baby. For me. Try it for me.” You realised by the look on his face that he couldn’t say no. He turned his head and you smiled triumphantly as he let you fit the tiny device. You stepped back; “Better?” His eyes suddenly went wide in delight “Ha!!” And then he laughed “Yes-! Yes; Oh my God!” He pulled you closer to him cupping your face in his hands; “Keep talking. Baby... just keep...” “Okay don’t cry on me...” Though he looked like he was about to. You placed your hands gently over his and allowed yourself a tiny smirk; “Why don’t we skip the talking...?”
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