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desertfangs · 2 years

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Vamptember Day 24 - Cold Skin

Prompt: "Cold Skin" | Armand/Daniel | 1641 Words

A series of vignettes tangentially related to cold skin that take place as the years pass.

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Armand sat on the other side of the bar table, asking Daniel about drying cleaning. What was its purpose? And how did they clean the clothes without water? Daniel didn’t have answers. They used chemicals, he knew, but not the specifics of how it worked. So Armand moved on. Did Daniel really appreciate how easy it was to get new clothes in this modern era, where you could just buy them off racks?

Daniel pulled a cigarette out of the box and then flicked open a matchbook. It was empty.

Without even pausing his diatribe about clothes, Armand produced a matchbook from his pocket and extended it across the table between his fingers. Daniel took it, his fingers brushing the cold skin of Armand’s hand. The quick touch was oddly charged and he had the strongest urge to take the vampire’s hand in his.

Instead, he lit his cigarette, taking a deep drag. It took him a moment to realize Armand had stopped talking. He was looking at Daniel with a faint air of surprise.

Daniel lay in a bed on the fifth floor of a gleaming white hotel on the coast of Greece. The ocean waves had lulled him to sleep in the late afternoon but now he awoke with a start.

Armand was sitting on the bed. Daniel’s heart slammed against his ribs.

“Good, you’re awake.” So casual, as if they were travel companions and it was perfectly reasonable for him to be in Daniel’s hotel room, rousing him from sleep.

Daniel sat up and reached for his glasses. “What the hell do you want now?”

It had been maybe a week since he’d last seen the vampire on the street in Prague. They’d talked about the juxtaposition of modern and historical architecture for hours while walking through the city.

“This hotel,” Armand said. “Why did you choose it over the others nearby?”

“You woke me up because you want me to be your travel agent?” Daniel asked.

Armand laughed, that melodious, sensuous sound. “Isn’t that what you’ve been?”

Daniel shook his head. “You’re mad. This isn’t some pleasure cruise.” He pushed the blankets off but Armand continued to sit there on the edge of the bed, watching him with those intense eyes that almost glowed in the moonlight. If someone had told him five years ago he’d awaken one night to find a vampire perched on his bed, he’d have thought they were insane, but now it felt almost normal.

Armand touched his cheek, hand brushing over Daniel’s stubble, skin cold against his warm face. Daniel's breath caught. “Has this become routine? Is our game at an end?” Armand smirked, flashing fang.

Terror shot through Daniel. But it wasn’t only terror he felt. There was also intense desire, almost more powerful than the fear. Armand’s smile widened. The asshole was enjoying this.

“For god’s sake, at least let me get up and get some coffee,” Daniel said.

Daniel carried his paper plate to the kitchen, tossing it in the trash. “I’m just saying, you don’t have to order every single thing you see an ad for.”

Armand sat on the sofa facing the the television, which was playing an infomercial for some magical egg scrambler.

Daniel shoved the pizza box with the remaining pizza in the fridge and then grabbed a beer. “You don’t even eat eggs.”

“You eat eggs,” Armand said. “And it might work on other things.”

Daniel remembered his fascination with microwaves a few months before and winced. He turned back around to pull the bottle opener out of the drawer. He popped the top, letting the bottle cap fall to the counter, and took a swig.

Armand came up behind him and put his hands on Daniel’s hips. Daniel hadn’t even heard him move from the sofa. His cool, silken hands trailed up beneath Daniel’s shirt, gliding up his sides. Daniel set the beer down and Armand pushed him against the counter. He kissed the side of Daniel's neck. The touch of his cool lips against his throat was electric, even before the fangs pierced his skin. Armand drank, his fingernails digging into Daniel’s chest as he held fast.

When he stopped, he kissed the wound and then loosened his grip, pulling his arms out from under his shirt. Daniel smelled the blood, rich and heady, before Armand’s wrist appeared at his mouth. Daniel drank, sinking back against Armand as the blood shot through him. But all too soon, Armand tugged his arm away, running a hand down Daniel’s back as he steadied him.

Daniel turned around and grinned at him. “See? Much more fun than some egg gadget.”

Armand kissed him. “I’m ordering at least 3.” He reached around and pilfered Daniel’s wallet from his back pocket and then carried the phone across the room to the sofa where the cord just barely reached.

Daniel sighed.

Daniel sat in the Adirondack chair on the patio near the cliff overlooking the ocean. He’d spent two weeks in Texas before he’d started to fall apart again, losing time, sanity, his hotel room key. The car had arrived last night as if by magic and he’d gotten inside, no questions asked, letting it whisk him back home.

Now, he was back on Night Island. He had a glass of whiskey on the table next to him but it tasted sour, rotten. He sipped it anyway, trying to quell the dryness in his throat.

He heard Armand approach, which meant he was making an effort. He could move soundlessly when he wanted.

“Here to gloat that you won again?” Daniel asked bitterly.

“Because you came back?”

Daniel looked up at Armand, who was staring out at the ocean rather than looking at him. He wore a soft-looking dark blue collared shirt and black pants, and the wind whipped his hair around his face, a beautiful devil whose pallor was exacerbated by the light cast from the nearby lampposts.

“What do I win?” Armand asked.

“The remainder of my mortal life,” Daniel said. “And my corpse when it ends. Congratulations. Should have gone for door number 3. Maybe you’d have won a new car.”

Daniel expected Armand to leave as he so often did these days when he sensed the fight starting. And it was always the same fight. Sometimes Daniel wondered why they bothered. Maybe they should dig out Armand’s old camcorder and just record one they could play on a loop inside the villa. Save both of them the trouble.

“We don’t have to fight.” Quiet, defeated.

Daniel grabbed Armand’s hand. He hadn’t fed tonight, Daniel could tell. He was too pale and his skin was cooler than usual. He pulled his arm close and then kissed his wrist. Isn’t this what lured him back, again and again?

“My blood?”

You. All of you. Your blood, your black heart, your mesmerizing hold on me. The hope that you might come to your senses and make me like you.

Armand pulled his arm from Daniel’s grasp. He bent down in front him, kneeling on the paving stones. He placed his hands on Daniel’s arms, so cold and inhuman in contrast to Daniel’s sticky, sweaty skin. He felt almost feverish and didn’t know if it was just the heat or something else. He didn’t want to be human anymore.

Armand swept some of the hair from Daniel’s brow, kissed his forehead. “Be alive, Daniel,” Armand said.

Daniel scoffed but there was no real rancor in it. He couldn’t seem to muster any. He was too busy studying Armand’s throat, itching for the blood on his tongue. Armand climbed onto the chair and made a gash in his throat. Daniel locked his lips around it. Just a taste before Armand eased him away. He kissed him again before standing and taking Daniel by the hand, leading him back inside the villa.

Daniel sat in the parlor, watching a mosquito buzz around the room, pressing his tongue against his fangs every so often as if to check they were still there. He pushed his fingers into his arm and then waited to see how long the impressions of his fingerprints remained once they were pulled away. Such a strange sensation, the way touch lingered on his cold, immortal skin.

Armand appeared in the doorway. Daniel smiled at him.

“Is this where you’ve been all night?” Armand asked.

Daniel shrugged. He was supposed to go to the mainland with Marius, who’d invited him along, but then he’d gotten caught up playing chess with Khayman, who had left after their game ended over an hour ago.

Armand sat down beside him on the sofa. He’d fed recently. Daniel could smell the blood racing through his veins and see it in the little vessels under his skin, which now gave him a faint pink color.

Armand kissed his cheek, blood-warmed lips burning against Daniel’s cooler skin. The impression lasted like one of those cartoon lipstick kisses that stayed behind long after the kiss was over. He laughed at the thought.

Armand looked over him, titling his head in question. Daniel shook his head. Took Armand’s hand in his and then with his other hand, trailed his fingers lightly up and down his arm. “Why did you never tell me what it was like for you? How everything is a revelation.”

Armand smiled, amused. “How could I have hoped to explain it?”

“Imagine if I’d never known,” Daniel said, amazed by the thought. Armand stiffened slightly, still bracing for a fight that was, finally, over.

Daniel lifted his hand and kissed it, grinning at him. Armand relaxed and leaned against him, the smell of blood becoming intoxicating. Daniel sat, forcing himself to be patient, letting their arms touch, and delighting in the fact that for once, his skin was cool against the warmth of Armand’s.

_____

AO3

I had another one for this prompt where they just talk about walk-in freezers and it gets WEIRD so this one is better, LOL.

#vamptember #armand/daniel #daniel molloy #armand #vampire chronicles #vc #devil's minion #fanfic #my fic

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wisdomofthegecko · 1 year

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A/N: This is a short scene for my main character's backstory for the book I'm slowly writing. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated.

Summary: Clara has decided to go on a date with James, or rather has invited James to her house for a date, not realizing what this means to change the rest of her life.

661 words

I rubbed a little Aphrodite’s Love oil behind my ears. Giving myself one last look over before my date knocked at my door. Fiddling with the lid, I finally closed the bottle before setting it back in its respective box and rushed to the door, plastering on my happiest smile as I opened it. “Hi James, come in.” He returned my smile as he walked inside and followed me into the living room.

“You do have a plan for the night, right?” He smirked as he looked me up and down from the couch.

“Of course, I was thinking we could order some pizza and watch something like Beetlejuice. Would you be into that or are you not into that kind of movie?”

“No, that sounds good. I haven’t watched that movie in a good few years anyway, besides Fall just started and it sounds like a nice little way to bring in the season! Where are we ordering from?”

Reaching over, I snagged a few books from the coffee table and set them on the floor under the table before opening it and pulling out different pizzeria menus and setting them on the couch between James and me. “Okay, so my favorite is Milanese.” I passed the Milanese menu towards him before sorting out the others.

“How about Tucci’s Pizza? I haven’t eaten there yet, but some of my pals have said they have amazing pizza.” He asked after a few minutes of looking through menus and handed me the green and white one.

“Wow, yeah. I only tried them for the first time like two weeks ago. I went there on my day off with a friend and they were delicious. Two pizzas, what toppings do you like?”

“Sausage and peppers are a necessity for me, but can you ask for no garlic?”

“Yeah, of course.” James went to the bathroom as I ordered the pizza before I started gathering drinks, cups, and napkins to line the coffee table for our date.

Once we were all set up for the night, James and I settled on the couch again, less space between us this time and Beetlejuice began. We were about fifteen minutes in before the pizza boy knocked at the door. Digging through my purse, I found the money and paid him. As I shut the door, I headed to the kitchen and set one pizza on the kitchen table and another at the counter before setting a slice on each plate and bringing them out to the living room.

Taking my spot back, I set the pizza on the coffee table and took a sip of my drink before letting myself sink into the soft green couch. “I forget every time how special of a place this movie has in my heart.”

I set my plate on the coffee table after downing a few slices and reclined back into the couch again as James wrapped an arm around me. Leaning into his body, my eyes slowly drooped until I was half asleep and felt him move.

No more noise from the TV, he must’ve paused the movie. The thought came minutes later and I knew it was late, but for some reason my brain just wasn’t working. I knew I needed to pull myself off him but my body wasn’t listening, like something else was in control. Some hair was brushed behind my ear before a cold finger laid on my neck, cold enough to jolt me out of my stupor.

Gasping, I jumped from the couch, falling on the floor. James offered me his hand, which I shakily took. “Why are you so cold?”

He smiled wide, exposing his two fangs. “I think by now you have a pretty good idea of why my touch is cold. Don’t worry Clara, it’ll be over very soon for you.” He pulled me towards him, holding me tightly as his fangs sank deeply into the side of my neck.

#writeblr #writblr #writing #writing community #writing ocs #writer #vampire #vampire attack #original wip #original work #original content

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unoscraft · 1 year

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"The Vampire"

Written by Sebastian Paul Soriano

We are in the 21st century where myths are no longer valid. Do you still believe in monsters, ghosts, and vampires? Well, if you would ask me, I would say yes. Do you want to hear the story why I still believe in those? If yes, keep on reading.

It started when we had a vacation in Italy. It was a two-month vacation; long enough to know the whole city. Our first week was great, we visited a lot of tourist attractions and all. The people were great too, some were nice and some were rude. Did I mention their pastas are superb? But the croissants are just basic pandesal in the Philippines. But this is how my story starts on why I still believe in vampires. My mom would go out every night to meet her business partners and friends, my brother and I would sometimes go with her. But one day I refused to come because I was tired of doing nothing. It's 10:00PM and my mom and brother said that they will be home by 12 midnight so I decided to buy some pizza and watch a movie. I was walking down the bridge casually browsing thru my phone when I heard a loud scream coming from the hallway which made me a little bit uneasy. I removed my air pods and continued walking when suddenly a woman popped up in my sight. I don't know how to react since I don't know her and she's so pale. She asked me where I'm headed to and I said I will grab some pizza. She told me that this certain branch sells a super good pizza and smiled which made me somehow scared because her smile looks like a villain in a sci-fi movie. I thanked her and said I will take her recommendation. I walked and the second I looked back, she disappeared. I told myself that maybe she had a ride or something so she disappeared fast. I went to the pizza place she recommended and ordered two boxes. The place is somehow old but elegant. The people inside looked at me and they were all pale. I just thought that maybe they were pale, maybe because they were Italian and white. Got my order and booked a car because it was too late to walk alone that time. I arrived home and my mom and brother were already inside. We ate the pizza and my mom asked where I bought it so she could visit the shop sometimes and told her the exact place. I was still thinking about the woman I met a while ago, why is she built like that? Pale skin, red lips, ginger-haired, and she looks super cold. As the month goes by, I continue to wonder what those people are because I am certain that they aren't normal.

One night in November, mom asked me to buy some tomatoes for her pasta. It's already 11PM but the grocery is just near our pod. As I went out, I noticed something unusual. I felt like I was not alone. I continued to walk until a man dragged me in the darkest corner of the street which made me super scared. The moon lit up his face and I saw his fangs! Yes fangs! He's about to bite me until a lady comes in and bite the vampire. I saw a glimpse of her face, it's the woman I met down the valley. After a minute, she came to me and said I should be careful next time because there's a lot of vampires going around the city since it's November. I bought tomatoes and went home fast.

#SebastianSoriano #FlashFiction

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amelia-yap · 3 years

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Imagine a pizza delivery AU with Weiss and Ruby meeting the first time when Weiss deliver Pizza to Ruby and both become smitten with each other.

and then the bees had to come out to drag ruby back in the house because of the one-sided shouting match going on for the past 30 minutes and because they were getting hungry

#ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #whiterose #white rose #rwby #my art #sorry for the long wait!#and sorry about excluding the 'smitten' part #i didn't know how to go on with it #but it's okay weiss made sure she was the one to personally deliver rby's food later on so she can lecture ruby on her poor eating habits #then they eventually became friends; exchanged numbers; hung out; fell in love ; have gay panics over each other; kissed and went on dates!#and now when ruby orders (only) a dozen of cookies weiss willingly gives all the cookies to ruby and tells the customers to deal with it #cookies are the universal love language #dunno if i wanted weiss to work in a regular random pizza place or make the sdc into a pizza company #that'd be hilarious ngl;; schnee pizza company!#having a monopoly over pizza all around the world #jacques making shady business deals over getting cheap pepperoni #the white fang out there to take down pizza places #ok you get the gist of it #i apologize in advance for the shitty handwriting and any of the possible ooc-ness #also weiss works at the counter and helps to pick up calls sometimes because she isn't allowed to go in the kitchens. period.#here she does the delivery bc they were short-staffed or sth idk #yang does the ordering so she knows weiss #and she manages to bring up ruby in any conversation she's having #'you know;ruby? dark hair with red tips; 5'4 foot tall; silver eyes; has an obsession with guns?'#'yeah! she'd like to have the entire store's worth of cookies again.'#everything about this is so weird and amusing lmao

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bbrandy2002 · 3 years

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Fool’s Rush In

Part 15

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Liam x MC

Warnings: mild violence

Series Premise: With two weeks until Liam is to marry Madeleine – his pick during the social season – the guys throw him a bachelor party in Vegas. After a drunken night, he finds himself with more than he bargained for.

Thanks @burnsoslow for the beta read.

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Supposedly, the more a person suffered in the name of love, the more it showed they really cared.

At least, that's what Riley thought.

After nightfall of this particular evening -- when she least expected it -- she never realized how much truth that belief held.

Or how much it would hurt to sacrifice the one person who made her believe she was worthy of love and saw who she really was on the inside.

Her dainty arm -- a delicate bronze in color, sleek, with a glittering red strap across one shoulder -- linked through the arm of the man she had grown to love more than life itself as they entered the palace ballroom. Working tirelessly over the last week to ensure everything went off without a hitch had taken its toll on her. All she could think about, as she shook hands and charmed dignitaries with a sparkle in those twinkling brown eyes, was how much sleep she planned to make up for after the ball ended.

This ball was to introduce the King and his new bride to the Cordonian court for the first time. A show of solidarity and, hopefully, strength. A way to establish that what happened in a tiny chapel 10,000 miles away weeks ago between two strangers wasn't a careless mistake, and that she could handle the duties bestowed on her as a common American woman.

Or at least pretend she could for now.

However, for the King and the "Jewel of His Heart" whom he escorted through the curious crowd of pretentious naysayers in extravagant gowns and tuxes, with their fake smiles and tedious posturing ...

It was nothing less than fate.

Riley was the key that unlocked that safe space deep inside Liam's heart that had been sheltered for so long, waiting for the perfect person to come along and open it. This was the place where he kept his most sacred feelings: a genuine love, never-ending laughter, joy, romance, ecstasy, and every dream he ever held for the future -- one he presumed would never exist in any form he longed for.

But she didn't just unlock it. Riley shattered it wide open, where everything came flooding out at once and consumed him like a raging wildfire.

And it was the most remarkable, intoxicating experience of his life.

Liam showed her off all evening as they mingled during their rounds, danced, and conversed with the variance of nobility. She was the sexiest woman in that room, and he'd dare say the looks of envy shot in his direction from high-class men as he proudly cavorted her around didn't bother him in the least. Not that that was her only quality -- far from it. There were so many things about Riley that were special. But he couldn't help feeling a sense of pride that she was all his.

And without question, he was all hers.

Seated at the head table, Riley swallowed a morsel of the veal medallion she wanted to be served for this occasion. When given a choice between fish and lamb, the fish never stood a chance. The memory of that smelly, god-awful lunch with Regina three weeks ago was not something her palate had forgiven her for yet. As wonderful and savory as this extravagant meal, covered in a light brown mushroom sauce and served with a side of broccoli rabe, was, it couldn't hold a candle to what she craved the most: a slice of white pizza from Carmine's back in Brooklyn.

Or a slab or two of the New Yorker.

With maybe some cheesecake.

Covered in chocolate.

And a sausage rice ball. A Frito pie smothered with sour cream. Definitely a rainbow bagel from The Bagel Store. Barbecue ribs and beans from the mom-and-pop diner hidden just off the strip in Vegas.

Of course, her grandma’s country fried steak with white gravy sounded delicious too.

For sure, a fried Twinkie like the one she ate at the New York State Fair in 2013.

"You've outdone yourself, sweetheart," Liam marveled while wiping at the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "The meal was delicious, and our guests appear to be enjoying themselves." The others seated at the table looked up, adding their compliments.

Still dreaming about a fat slice of New York-style pizza, Riley smiled graciously back at him, until she noticed the server refilling Liam’s glass with merlot, causing her to do a double-take.

Hot tears pooled in her eyes, and a heavy feeling of sadness swelled in her chest as she panicked. "I asked for the Pinot Noir. Not the merlot,” she rasped meekly. “You don't like merlot, Liam. And the Pinot Noir was from the 'C' place where Duke Hakim lives. He'll be so disappointed and think I'm slighting his duchy. They’ll all hate me forever and ... wait a minute." She trailed off as a realization hit her, and Riley quickly glanced down at her plate before scanning each of the dishes from those seated around her.

The anxiety intensified; she could no longer suppress the heartbroken sob that wailed out of her. "Where are all the potatoes? We were supposed to have the potatoes, Liam. They didn’t serve the potatoes. Now the whole night is completely ruined, and it’s all my fault. I'm such a failure as a queen, and you should just send me to the dungeon now and throw away the key. I apologize to all of you for my incompetence and the lack of potatoes with your meal." Riley’s red-hot face, full of tears, plunged into the palms of her hands, then quickly sprung back up as Liam hesitantly tried to place a hand on her shoulder. A strong urge to use the restroom ended her crying spell as if it never happened. “Oh, oh. I gotta pee so bad. I’ll be right back.” She gave a warm smile and excused herself as she pushed her chair back and scurried merrily toward the nearest restroom.

Liam, Regina, Leo, Maxwell, and Olivia watched with confusion as she happily took off, not knowing what to say or what to make of the sudden shift in her moods.

“What the hell was that?” Olivia scowled, her eyes fixed on Liam.

“Is she all right, dear?” a concerned Regina asked.

Liam scratched the back of his head, nearly at a loss for words. “I ... I don’t know. I’ve never seen her that upset … especially over potatoes.” He paused in thought. “She was a little on edge this morning. Still, she’s been working a lot on the preparations and everything else going on. It must have gotten to her.”

Maxwell shrugged. “Maybe she just finally snapped.”

Leo shook his head, swallowing a forkful of beef. “Or maybe she has the premenstrual syndrome.”

“Leo!” The group admonished.

“What?” Leo bit back, taking in each of their disappointed glares. “Don’t act like it’s not true. Trust me, when I have cramps and bloating, I can go from a happy little Leo to a Bertrand, just like that.” He snapped his fingers, following it up with a frown. “It ain’t pretty, you all.”

Maxwell looked across the table at Liam and agreed, “He has a point.”

Wanting to shed his skin and slither away, Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can we not discuss something so personal and private, especially while several hundred people are dining around us?”

“I’m just saying, little brother, that you need to be understanding and gentle during this special time of your wife’s 'lady business.' You should speak softly and slowly to her because Shark Week messes with a girl's mind, man. Their brains short-circuit, and there’s nothing left up there but a couple of crickets and man-eating rattlesnakes. One second, you think she’s fine, but if you’re not careful, in the next second, you’ll find yourself with two venomous fangs rattling from your nut sack, dude. She will tear you apart and spit you out like a rabid dog. You can make it through these next few days, but only if you take my advice.”

“That is the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Olivia spat, boring her eyes into him. “And you’ve said a lot.” She turned to Liam, whose face was slightly pale and void of expression. “Don’t listen to his sexist drivel. Why you haven’t declared him insane yet is beyond me. You should have sent him away with that filthy hairball to Valtoria you had caged earlier.”

“IT WAS MONGO!” Leo erupted, causing the dishes on the table to clatter as he jumped to his feet and hovered over the redhead. Every head in the ballroom whipped around to see what was happening, and a deafening silence filled throughout. Even the orchestra stopped playing their classical tune.

A wide-eyed Regina smiled sheepishly as she glanced out at the quiet audience who were waiting to see what all the fuss was about. She thought fast before calling out, “We were just playing a little game of … 'It was Mongo.'” The former queen snatched Maxwell’s Sunset Rum punch from his hand, thrusting the drink up at her stepson, towering beside her, and instructed in a grandmotherly tone, “Be a good lad, Leo. You lost this round. It's time to chug-a-lug, my boy.” With his face burning, Liam slid down in his seat.

“Ooooo, I wanna go next.” Maxwell bounced excitedly while the guests resumed the festivities. "How do we play?"

“I think I want to go, too,” Liam replied, straightening back up before hurling his napkin on the table. “I’m going to go find Riley.”

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

Riley exited the ladies' room, clutch in hand and a fresh dab of clear gloss gleaming on her pink lips. She stopped walking just as the door closed behind her and smiled with a look of surprise at seeing Liam leaning against the opposite wall. "What are you doing out here?"

He pushed himself off the wall, closing the distance between them and meeting her in the middle of the empty corridor. They wrapped their arms around each other, indulging in the warmth of their lovers' embrace. "Would you believe me if I told you I just missed you?" he answered, placing a tender kiss on her lips that skimmed lower to her jawline.

"I missed you, too," she moaned with each gentle pressure of his seductive lips, suckling and nibbling along the spot that trailed behind her ear that he knew drove her crazy. "But something tells me that's not the only reason you left the ballroom."

Their gazes met simultaneously. "Leo."

Riley chuckled softly. "Do I even want to know?"

Liam sighed, smoothing back a loose hair behind her ear. "You know my brother and his wonderful words of wisdom." There was no way in hell he would tell her what they really discussed after she left; he could only imagine her embarrassment. "Everyone was just a little worried about you, that's all."

"I didn't mean to scare everyone. I just wanted tonight to be perfect. Instead, so many things went wrong. I can only assume what the court thinks about me now." She lowered her gaze to the red carpeting where they stood. "I let you down."

"I don't want to ever hear you say that again. Riley, sweetheart, you can never let me down. Do you understand that?" Liam lifted her chin; her tentative eyes stared back at him for a moment before nodding. "Good. And just so you know, our guest are used to bombings, stabbings, kidnappings, shootings, and terror plots at most of my palace events --"

"Wait. What?"

" -- I assure you, just the fact alone, that none of that took place tonight, and they're all going to leave here soon -- alive -- will be huge for them. Not having potatoes with the meal or the right wine was the least of their worries. They will consider this night a success. And a testament to their new queen. You should, too. I'm so very proud of you."

"I have so many questions about everything you just said."

Liam smiled, caressing Riley's petal-soft cheeks and lowering his head to kiss her again. "All in due time, my love.”

Riley let out a deep, drawn-out yawn she lightly covered with her palm before stretching and rolling her neck. A couple of weeks' worth of planning and endless decisions had left heavy tension in her shoulders and overwhelming exhaustion like nothing she'd felt before. None of it went unnoticed by Liam, who placed his hands on her shoulders and gingerly kneaded the taut muscles.

"What do you say about heading back to our quarters, taking off all of your clothes, and I'll be up soon to massage this gorgeous body from head to toe? And hopefully, when I'm through, you'll massage parts of me, too … with any part of your body that you'd like." His lips curved into an inviting smile.

"Mmm, that's tempting," she purred, rubbing her hands over his ample chest. "But I can't just leave. It's the Queen's Ball. Without me, it's just ... The Ball." She chuckled, despite herself.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little panties over the ball. Just go upstairs and take them off. I’ll handle everything down here. Then … “ He squatted down to her eye level. “ … I’ll handle you.”

Her heart fluttered every time Liam spoke to her that way. The way he desired only her. She bit the corner of her lip teasingly. “I love you so much.”

Liam smiled. “You better. You’ve got one hell of a husband. I’d even venture to say you’re the luckiest woman on the whole damn planet right now.” Before Riley could respond to his jest, he put both of his hands on her cheeks to hold her head still and began placing playful, wet smooches all over her face, causing her to laugh riotously. After a few seconds of her squirming around and cackling at his antics, he paused to look at her. “You know I love you, too. Now go on up. I’ll be right behind you soon.”

With a pat to her backside, they went their separate ways.

---------

Liam returned to the ballroom, having offered to finish what little time was left without her. He would offer his apologies for her absence, but in reality, the King couldn’t have cared less what anyone there thought. Since his bachelor party weeks ago, he had grown from a man who had no choices to one who made his own. His marriage and relationship with Riley came first. Her wellbeing was the main priority -- to hell with anyone who had a problem with that.

As Riley placed a hand on the elegant wooden handrail of the grand staircase and took the first step up, her thoughts meandered to where she had been in her life one month ago and how vastly it had changed in such a short time. For the first time in years, she was happy, and it felt so good to be in that place where she could finally let go of the past and move on. Liam was a game-changer, and she was thoroughly convinced he was the only person on the planet who could have gotten her out of her own head and to this level of blissful existence.

Rounding the corner at the top of the stairs, she reached into her clutch to pull out the key card to her quarters, exhaustion slowing her strides. Shuffling past a row of closed office doors and framed artwork, she made her way to the residential wing.

The squeak of a door behind her and the click of heels drew her attention, causing her to stop and turn to see who was there.

The color drained from her face as Madeleine casually stepped out, her hands behind her back and a devious, unsettling grin cemented on her face.

It wasn't the fear that made Riley's heart pound with a sickening thud, but more shock than anything. No one had seen or spoken to the Countess since the confrontation in Las Vegas when she showed up unexpectedly after finding out Liam had married Riley the night prior.

Now, suddenly, there she was, as if out of nowhere, a gleam in her eye, looking all too pleased to have this run-in with Riley.

"A little dramatic, don't you think?" Riley scoffed, taking one step back the closer Madeleine approached. "What are you even doing here?"

"I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're worried about," she answered contemptuously. Her green eyes drifted to one of the cameras mantled at each end of the hallway. Riley placed a shaky hand over her stomach, letting out a low, relieved breath, hoping that was the truth. "Not physically, anyway."

"Well, that sounds promising," Riley replied sardonically. "Now, if you don't mind ..." She turned away, wanting nothing more than to escape this conversation and make it back to her quarters.

Madeleine reached out and grabbed the Queen by her elbow, pulling her back and harshly twisting her around so they were now face-to-face. "You're not going anywhere until I'm through with you," she hissed with an icy glare. "I told you I would make you regret what you've done."

Riley jerked her arm, trying to free herself. "Let go of my arm, Madeleine!"

"Not until you hear what I have to say."

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say! Now LET ME GO!" Riley hoped someone heard her yell or at least witnessed what was happening on the camera. Where the hell is security?

While continuing to struggle to free herself, she reached up with her free hand in an attempt to pry off Madeleine's bony fingers that were squeezing tight grooves around her elbow, her manicured nails digging deeper into Riley's skin. "You're hurting me. I said to let me go."

"Very well, then." The woman, who had twice lost her chance at the crown, released her firm grasp, knowing that the momentum would cause Riley to stumble back as soon as she let go.

Just as predicted, Riley planted a foot behind her for leverage before drawing her arm back as hard as she could, one last time. Her eyes grew wide, and she let out a sharp gasp that sounded well down the corridor. Riley sailed backward, tripping over herself and toppling to the ground. She finally landed with a hard blow on her backside, the rear of her head just inches from slamming to the floor.

A shockwave of pain coursed up Riley's spine from hitting so abruptly. Before she had a chance to respond or process what happened, Madeleine crouched down beside her, holding a DVD up and gaining Riley's attention.

The pain had morphed into a throbbing ache that was soon forgotten as the Queen stared quizzically at the object displayed in front of her like a grand prize.

"What is that?" her voice trembled.

"It's my ace in the hole," Madeleine stated, then wagged a finger. "Someone used to be a very naughty girl."

Furrowing her brows, Riley responded. "I don't know what you mean."

"You know precisely what I mean, but just in case, please allow me to refresh your memory," Madeleine smirked before rising to her feet and prancing around as if she were having the time of her life. "I did a little digging after my brief visit to Las Vegas and came across a man who knew you very, very well at one time. I made some calls. We exchanged e-mails, a transfer of money or two. And he was all too eager to accept my offer of payment for any dirt he could give me on you."

There was no point in asking "who" -- she already knew; the thought made her nauseous. Riley closed her eyes and muttered. "Tyler?"

"Yes," Madeleine beamed, " Your ex-husband. He had a lot to say about you."

"I'm sure he did. Does it even matter to you that he's a liar and a cheat -- not to mention greedy? He would make up anything if he thought he could profit off of it."

"Oh, it matters. Personally, I don't believe a damn thing he had to say. Honestly, Riley ... even someone like you could have done better than that slime."

Riley cringed in pain as she pushed herself off the floor and turned to her oppressor. "Just get to the point, Madeleine. Clearly, he gave you something you thought was valuable enough to use against me, so just spit it already."

Madeleine smiled, "How very astute of you. You're correct. He did." She held up the disc as Riley regarded it suspiciously. "On this disk are several hours of the two of you ... together. Very graphic, if I do say so myself." Riley's jaw dropped upon hearing those words as Madeleine continued, "Now don't worry. I only watched it long enough to make sure the video was legit --"

"Give me that!" Riley reached out to snatch the DVD, but Madeleine pulled it away just out of her grasp. A burning sensation filled inside her chest and spread across her face. "You're lying. I never made videos like that."

"Oh, I think you did," the blonde countered with a mirthful tone. "You just didn't know about it. Your ex admitted as much to me ... an asshole move, for sure. But nonetheless, I purchased the copy from him for a hefty sum. And ... well ... here we are now. You're more than welcome to take this disc and see for yourself; I have it downloaded as a backup, knowing you'd want proof."

At that moment, all Riley wanted was for Liam to walk down that corridor where she now stood, pick her up in his arms, whisk her away to safety, and tell her it was all a bad dream. Not that she did anything wrong -- she was married at one time to the man, presumably on the video, and would have been a consenting adult.

No, it was the fact that Tyler Brooks had taken intimate videos with her during their marriage, without her knowledge. Now Madeleine had possession of them.

God only knew what she planned to do with them, but Riley had a pretty good idea. "What do you want?" she whispered in defeat, afraid to hear the answer.

Madeleine grinned from ear-to-ear. "For you to leave Cordonia tonight and never return, or I release everything to the press."

Riley shook her head. "No. As much as I don't want anyone to see that video, I did nothing wrong, and I won't be blackmailed or intimidated by you so that you can get your grubby little paws on the crown."

"Is that so?" It wasn't a question so much as a remark meant to convey who was in control.

Maintaining her position, Riley raised a brow, refusing to give in.

Madeleine was far from giving up, though; she had manipulation in her blood. "Very well, then. I'll release the video in the morning. It should be interesting to see how the world reacts to yet another scandal by this monarchy. Their Queen plastered all over the internet again, except this time, uploaded on every porn site on the web.

"The news will run the story with your blurred-out silhouette in the background. Your father will see it, and his business will become a target.: Your friends. Family. Students. They'll all be inundated with your sexual proclivities. But the worst part will be the tribunal. The council will have no choice but to question Liam's decision-making abilities after not only squandering his pick of queen on some American nobody, but now one whose ass will be featured on the desktops of teenage boys across the world. It's a shame that he'll lose his reign, all because of you. Would you really do that to Liam? Do you genuinely believe you're worth all the trouble it will cause him?"

Riley froze. She knew Madeleine was taunting her with the people she cared about the most. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass each of them. But to possibly cause Liam to lose his legacy, his birthright, and the rulership of a country he loved so much? It was something she couldn't shake.

Staring blankly, twisting the bands of gold that belonged to Liam's mother, she couldn't get the question Madeleine just asked out of her mind: Did Riley believe she was worth the trouble it would cost him?

Nothing was damning on that video, aside from the fact that she never knew it existed. But she already had so much to prove; another video in the press' hand would tarnish Liam. Maybe the Countess of Fydelia was right: He would lose it all.

"Time is ticking," Madeleine reminded Riley as she tapped her watch. "What's it going to be?"

----------

@burnsoslow @dcbbw @ao719 @hopefulmoonobject @jessiembruno @texaskitten30 @janezillow @merridithsmiscellany-blog @mskaneko @callmeellabella @queenjilian @sirbeepsalot @drakexwillow @caroldxnvxrs @jovialyouthmusic @forthebrokenheartedthings @bebepac @kingliam2019 @lovablegranny @cordoniaqueensworld @amandablink @liamxs-world @choiceskatie @iaminlovewithtrr @hopelessromanticmonie @charlotteg234 @annekebbphotography @txemrn @thecordoniandiaries @alyssalauren @cordonianroyalty @monsoonbloom12 @mom2000aggie @theroyalheirshadowhunter @princessleac1 @kimmiedoo5 @graceful-leah @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @thegreentwin @gkittylove99 @cinnamonspongecake @lifeaskim @neotericthemis @pink-diamond13 @walker7519 @natureblooms24 @yourmajesty09 @gabesmommie1130 @sweatyrysconnoisour @kat-tia801 @debmcg1106

Liam x MC: Cordonia-gothqueen

FRI Series Tags: @narrytheworld @queenwalton @cordonianprincess @zaffrenotes @zilch3 @drrookie @sfb123

#liam x mc #liam x riley #prince liam #king liam #the royal romance #trr #choices liam x mc #Fools Rush In #bbrandy2002

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remmushound · 3 years

Text

Beyond the Bay Chapter 12 - Hidden City

Summary: The turtles go off in search of a new rift in the Hidden City

Tags: @brightlotusmoon @selfindulgenz @digitl-art-monstr @ilo-artistry

Leo hated every part of this. The sun was up, so they should be down, and out of sight. He had known his counterparts long enough to know how loose they often played with the rules his family followed so diligently, but to take to the streets under the danger of daylight for something that could easily wait for the blanket of night was absurd! In his two decades of life, Leo could count the amount of daylight explorations he had taken on two hands; the risk was hardly ever worth it. Despite the prickling insecurities inside him, Leo pushed himself onward to follow Raphael’s lead. This city was so familiar, yet so foreign at the same time. So easy to get lost in. Leo found himself picking out familiar buildings to assure that this place was still New York, even in this toony world so colorful that he could almost believe a pallet of paint had been spilled over it. This was New York and New York would always be home, even if home was a whole dimension away.

Raphael’s guidance brought the group of anxious turtles to an alleyway. They dropped down from above; Leo felt a shutter go through his body, a cold chill seizing his senses and stealing away his breath as he passed through something that seemed almost… green. The sudden shock made him stutter, his balance unsteady enough to knock over a trash can upon landing. With a clutter and a clang the silver bin fell and rolled, several more loud crashes sounding off each time it hit something. The eyes of Donnie and Raph turned to the shock-stricken Leo, who could only stare with his wide, cerulean eyes. The people walking past in the streets to either side, just feet away from what they’d see as monsters, didn’t stopped. Leo let himself breathe and the three brothers, muscles still tensed and ready to hide at the slightest sign of trouble, moved back into a tight formation around their younger counterparts.

“What are we doing here?” Leo couldn’t contain it anymore and he had to ask. His voice was a low whisper. “We could be seen!”

“Relax.” Leonardo laughed, and his voice wasn’t at all soft. He was met with three sets of shhhhh from the Splintersons, but laughed each of them off, “This alleyway has a mystic shimmer. We can see them.” He cleared his throat, “BUT THEY CAN’T SEE OR HEAR US!”

True to his word, the people in the street kept on their way as if the turtles didn't even exist. So that was what Leo felt! What had made him stumble! The cautious tension in Donnie was immediately replaced by heart-fluttering curiosity. He couldn’t resist a high-pitched whistle, striding away from the group before Leo could say a word to stop him; he went as close as he dared to the end of the alleyway, waving and laughing and calling out to the streets with, to his utter joy, no response.

“This is so cool this is so cool this is so cool!” Donnie’s voice got higher with each repeat, flapping his wrists, “W-what is it, some type of four-lensed blind spot? O-or something using metamaterials or—?”

“Noooo, it’s mystic.” Leonardo said, and with a snap of his fingers Michelangelo perked up. He removed a small item that had been hidden in the rainbow pouch around his neck, the artifact attached to him by a slim golden collar; it was almost like a keychain he hung around his neck. “And so is this.”

Leo eyed the little trinket curiously; in shape, it was similar to Donatello’s gift, except with greens and golds instead of orange and reds. He could have mistaken it for an oddly colored compass with kanji if he hadn’t seen that familiar, lop-sided M in the middle. The compass itself was pointing directly at the wall, glowing the most vibrant neon and pulsing slightly. Leo could feel the energy radiating.

With a hand as steady as a seasoned artist, Michelangelo traced the trinket across the wall using the M as a guiding map. Before the astonished eyes of the Splinterson brothers, the compass left what looked almost like a trail of paint in its wake, except it didn't drip, and when Michelangelo had completed his work it began to glow. It was green at first, then shifted into a soft baby blue, and then into white as the faux paint finally started to drip and melt into a doorway. Leo felt an immediate draw toward it, like the force that would try to lasso them into Leonardo’s rift except not as strong. Raph gave a simple hiss in response, pulling back and shaking his head while Donnie did the exact opposite, reaching for the rift as if it were the most precious treasure.

“I thought only your Leo could make rifts…” Leo said.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Leonardo asked, dancing over to stand proud at Leo’s side, “Portals are the only way into the Hidden City!”

“Hidden City?” Raph breathed through his teeth, eyes still fixed on the rift.

“Yeah!” Raphael said unhelpfully, “You three should stay close to us; the mystic types can be pretty jarring for first timers.”

Raph started to say, “I think I can handle them” before he felt a gentle tug at his hand. Raph looked to see Michelangelo holding his hand, resting his full weight against Raphael’s arm without the older mutant so much as flinching. Michelangelo’s eyes were wide, the colors flowing in them like a warm sunset as he beamed up at his friend.

“Don’t be scared, Raphie! You can hold my hand if you want to!”

“Uh…” Looking down at this tiny, vibrant young shinobi that barely came up to his stomach in height, Raph couldn’t say anything except, “Y-yeah, sure. Thanks kid…”

Michelangelo have a happy giggle and wiggled his joy. He snatched Donnie with his other hand before the tallest box turtle could get very far.

“You can hold my hand too, Donna!”

“Donna?” Raph breathed through his nose, then laughed, “Hell yeah. Down with the patriarchy.”

Donnie, upon being grabbed by Michelangelo, had much the same reaction as Raph. He didn't know what to do, and then he fell to soft adoration as he realized he would do anything for this kid.

“Thanks Mike.”

“Can I hold your hand too?” Leo asked brightly

Michelangelo’s expression flattened. “Only got two hands, Leon.”

Donatello cleared his throat and stepped forward to motion the first group through the rift. “Please keep your hands and feet inside the mystic rift until the ride has ended, keep all personals close as we will not be liable for any limbs or items that may turn up missing. Keep your shells on, your heads low, and watch out for portal jackers as we take this small voyage to Run-Of-The-Mill pizza.”

With that, Michelangelo and the two other box turtles that had to crouch to be able to hold his hand went through the rift without fear. Leo, his mouth still hanging open, turned to look at Raphael, who could only shrug before going through the rift himself.

“Lady’s first~” Leonardo gave what could have resembled a polite bow if not for the mocking tone, motioning Leo through first.

Leo sucked in a breath, shaking the nervous jitters like water off a duck's back before he stepped through. The pull was very much so like the rift he and his family had taken to wind up in this world to begin with, except less painful. When he opened his eyes again he was standing in… a restaurant?

The smell of cumin and Chili filled the air. The feeling of the polished floor under Leo’s feet was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Like ice, except not cold; soft, but hard at the same time if that was possible. His eyes adjusted to the darkness of the building and more details were quick to come to him; wooden booths with dark brown cushions and tables clean enough to shine under the candlelight that filled the restaurant; the candles, it seemed, were held up by nothing at all! They were shaped almost like they were living; Leo thought it nothing more than a cool design before he realized they actually were living! Living candles with curves and form almost like human women, their hair the flaming candle wicks and the bottom of their shafts flowing out like a ball gown! Closer still and Leo could even begin to make out tiny, detailed faces!

“You want your normal seats I presume?”

Leo blinked and shook his head as the familiar voice brought him back down to earth. Though he hadn’t seen Hueso in just over two years, the skeleton man had hardly changed at all. The calaca’s white pupils danced across the group with a curious hum.

“And shall I double your usual then?” Hueso queried.

“Bone man!” Leonardo explained, scooping Hueso up in a hug before the older yokai could make his escape. “Good to see ya!”

“Wish I could say the same.” Hueso grumbled, then added bitterly, “Problem child…”

“And that’s why you love me!” Leonardo blew a kiss, “Now Hueso, you remember the other us’s, right?”

“Unfortunately, it’s a pleasure to remake your acquaintance.”

Hueso was met with three half-hearted mutters of greeting; none of the Splintersons were even looking at him! Why would they when there were so many different creatures to see? In most every booth and table and barstool were mutants out of a fantasy book; beings even Donnie couldn’t single out as anything familiar! Some of them had characteristics that could have been compared to more natural animals— tentacles and fangs and frills. Creatures as big as an elephant or small as a shrew, with varying table sizes to accommodate all in between.

“Hey, listen bone man.” Leonardo tried to whisk Hueso away for a private conversation, but Hueso ducked to avoid the fate. His eyes and Leonardo’s were locked until Leonardo backed down, “We need a favor.”

“Don’t you always?” Hueso asked, “Seems every time you come to pay a visit it is for your own gain.”

“What? Noooo! Me? Noo!” Leonardo scoffed, waving a dismissive hand and laughing before quickly giving up the ruse, “It’s important this time. We need to find a yokai who sells decent rifts at an affordable price, and we need it like yesterday if we want to get these boys home.”

Hueso hummed, bringing his fingers to his mouth as he considered. “Define affordable.”

“Somewhere in the price range of… eight hundred US dollars or nine thousand Japanese yen.” Donatello said.

Hueso hissed through his teeth. “You won’t get any that cheap. Cheapest I know of would be Monroe, but quality rifters at his place run upward to three million pesos.”

Donatello took out his phone and ran some quick calculations. “Okay guess we’re not eating this month.”

“Wish I could be of more help pepino.” Hueso said, turning to leave while he was still talking, “I’ll go get you directions to Monroe.”

~~~

“This looks like the place…” Donatello said, and he indicated a small sliver of alleyway squeezed between two tall buildings.

“Doesn’t look like much.” Raph huffed; Michelangelo still had a tight hold on his and Donnie’s hands for support.

“But it is discrete though.” Donnie pointed out; his mind was still wandering, trying its best to soak up the tangled stimuli from the buildings and the mutants that looked almost like something out of a cartoon! Like a child had drawn these characters and these structures and planted them together in a bright, yet disorienting, array of flashing colors. “I’d hate to be an epileptic in this place…”

“Are we… gonna be able to fit through there?” Leo asked, his question directed toward Leonardo.

Leonardo flashed Leo a warning glare before saying, “Raph, are you and the guys gonna be able to fit?”

Raphael gave a low whine. His beak crinkled in concentration as his first idea was to simply walk forward, which proved him too wide. Then he huffed and turned sideways, but was still too bulky. It seemed Raphael ran out of ideas, so Donatello cleared his throat.

“If I could direct everyone’s attention slightly upwaaaard~”

Following his motion, they found what could have resembled a bell hanging above the alleyway. It looked as if it were made of slime with little chunks of something floating inside. Raph cringed at the sight of it, but Raphael gave a far too curious ooo and reached to touch it. Leonardo quickly stepped between Raphael and the slime-bell.

“No no no no, no no. No.” Leonardo said, forcing Raphael back, “Bad Raph.”

“I wasn’t gonna eat it.” Raphael pouted.

Leonardo narrowed his eyes. Raphael stuck out his bottom lip and tapped his fingers.

“Okay I was gonna eat it. You can ring it.”

“Eh… not sure if I want to…” Despite his words, Leonardo reached up and took the slimy rope of the bell, a texture not unlike a worm, and yanked on it. Instead of ringing, it gave off a sound like a foghorn blowing that made every turtle cover their ears, though Leonardo removed his hands from his head just as quickly when he realized it was still covered in slime. “Ew ew ew ew—“

There was a pop and they were swallowed by a slimy, green bubble. What followed was mixed reactions of terror and disgust as they moved into a tighter group, shell to shell with the bigger ones surrounding the smaller. The bubble lifted then off their feet and through the wall like they had no matter at all, carried past the narrow door and lowered to the ground on the other side before the slime bubble popped and left them confused and disgruntled.

“What is this place?” Donnie was the first to separate from the group to look around. The space around them was not unlike an auction house, filled with all sorts of items on display. They filled shelf after shelf after shelf, placed around with no true order. Looking up would reveal several more floors, all just as filled with artifacts and creatures for purchase, with a convenient opening through the middle of each floor.

“Looks like some sort of witchy auction place…” Raph commented. Not to be outdone by his younger brother, Raph separated and started to investigate the place for himself, “How does a grimy grifter get a place like this?”

“Wait a minute…” Leonardo frowned as he looked around, “Wait— I know this place.”

Raph picked up a gem-encrusted chalice, turning it around curiously. “Huh. Fancy.”

“Raph, don’t touch anything.” Leo groaned.

“What?” Raph scoffed, “Guess you don’t want me to do this either, huh?”

He began to juggle the chalice with surprising style.

“Raph, stop that!” Leo tried to intervene, but that only seemed to egg Raph on. He danced out of Leo’s reach, laughing as he pretended to drop the decor before catching it at the last second, “I’m serious!”

Raph only laughed. At least, he was laughing until he actually did drop it— right on the head of a small, purple yokai who had been observing the scene, as still as one of his statues. Raph swore, trying to recover the drop but it was too late. It sank into the yokai’s head as if he were made of pure gelatin, and they could still see the gold through the flesh and skin. The purple yokai blinked, and Raph screamed.

The purple yokai’s skin shifted into flowing rings of yellow and orange that forced the chalice up and out of his head, into his hand. He didn't look like much— something akin to a slug if anything— with a soft beak and a snaggle tooth like Raphael’s only smaller. He breathed onto the chalice and wiped it off with his sleeve before placing it back on the shelf.

“Please don’t touch.”

“YOU!” Leonardo pointed accusingly, “You’re that slug guy who sold me wallet-stealing hair! You’re Monroe?!”

“That’s a talking slug—” Raph withdrew back into the crowd of his brothers, eyes wide.

Donnie gasped, pulling his goggles down over his eyes and advancing as quickly as Raph had retreated. The slug drew into himself, his entire body constricting like a squeezed stress ball. Leo visibly cringed, while Raphael and his brothers didn't seem all that bothered beyond a few yawns or comforting pats for Raph.

“This is incredible— there’s compounds in him that fail to be isolated or traced!” Donnie picked up one of the slugs arms to investigate every inch of him. “He doesn’t even seem to be carbon based at all; there’s elements I can’t even identify— what…?” Donnie pulled up his goggles as the astonishment gave way to a confused frown, “Is— is he a mutant?”

“No.” Donatello scoffed.

That was met with three very confused box turtles casting side glances.

“Are… are any of them mutants?” Leo asked.

Leonardo laughed, “What? You though every yokai in the Hidden City was mutated by Draxum and his army of mutant mosquitoes? Ha! W-what dumb idiots would think that?” Leonardo was visibly sweating.

“Not these dumb idiots, that’s for sure.” Donatello tried to brush past, scratching his neck.

“W-wait, so none’a them guys we passed were mutants?” Raph asked, pointing back at the door.

“Well, some of them might have been, but the majority? No; they’re yokai and cryptids.”

“Yokai…” Donnie breathed, and that astonished look returned to his face as he continued to circle Monroe, “They exist in your world? Oh my kama this just keeps getting better—“

“Don.” Raph whistled as if Donnie was a dog, “Buy first, geek later.”

Monroe’s eyes lit up at that and he pulled himself away from Donnie to give a polite bow to the rest of the group. “If sales you wants, sales I’s gots! I gots artifacts from all around the world, from the tombs of Giza to the ancient Amazons. If you needs it, I gots it!”

“Great!” Raphael clapped. “Cause we need a high quality rifter.”

Monroe sank into himself. “Not that’s I don’t gots…”

A visible vein twitched in Leo. “What?”

“I solds out…” He frowned, tapping his nubby hands together.

“WHEN?”

“Like ten minutes ago, don’t yell at me.” The slug quivered, his eyes like saucers.

Leonardo sucked in a slow, deep breath, “Who bought them, Monroe?”

“Oh, an andoroido with a nice voice ands such manners. He’s having buying all my rifters. He’s very rich.”

“All of them?” Raphael whimpered, “Y-you don’t even got a… a small busted one in the back?”

Monroe shook his head. “Not one! He was be very insistent he gets alls of them. But I do has a very special hover pod with your name witten all over it if you—“

“Not interested.” Leonardo quickly dismissed, pulling on his face in his frustration, “Great. We— we’ll find somewhere else to look.”

“But I is to be assuring you that no other shop has rifters worth your while…” Monroe said.

“That's what every illegal rifter peddler would say!”

“Not this illegal rifter peddler, I swearing it to you!”

“And I swear I’ll bust your teeth in if you’re lying…” Leonardo seized Monroe by the collar and lifted him up.

“Leo.” Raphael was quick to correct. His eyes met Leonardo’s for just a moment. That was all it took for Leonardo to relent and release the Yokai. Raphael made a quick point to help Monroe fix his shirt. “Sorry ‘bout that. If you happen to find a rifter you missed, could you give us a call?”

Without having to be asked, Donatello had already written up his phone number and placed it in Monroe’s hand.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any more contacts, do you Don?”

Donatello took a long, slow breath. “I’ll see what I can find.”

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #tmnt au #tmnt 2014 #tmnt 2016 #bay turtles

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obsessive-ego · 4 years

Text

Just a little spit

Musical beetlejuice x reader

Nsft

Reader falls asleep during movie night and drools on beej, things get messy

It's been a long week, work was running you left, right and center, 8 hour shifts, 7 days in a row, so it was no surprised you were low energy, but tonight was movie night and tomorrow was a day off.

Movie night was a weekly occurrence in you little apartment, you've been looking forward to this night all week, exhausted as you were, you were powered by the idea of soon you'll be in comfy clothes and hanging out with you best friend. Changing into your pajamas, a baggy tshirt and boxers you feel as though a weight has been lifted.

"Beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice" you say plainly, you've summoned the undead bastard more times then you can remember, so at this point it felt like second nature.

Your bedroom fills with a thick smoke, amazing how he never sets off any fire alarms, waving the smoke away from your face, trying not to cough, you're caught off guard by a multitude of hands grabbing you and pulling you into the soft stomach of the demon in question, 2 sets of arms hold you tight to his midsection as he spins you around with glee.

"Bought time I saw my sweet little breather~ babes did you miss me?"

You stumble about when he places you down, dizzy and trying to find your balance while the ghoul chuckles at you.

"Oh ho, look at you, all casual and comfy for me? Looking like a snack babes" he coos eyeing you up and down, you can feel a shiver run up your spine, his flirting always got to you, wither it was legit or not, it was incredibly easy for the demon to make you blush.

You catch beetlejuice staring, following his eyes you notice hes staring at your legs, before you say anything beetlejuice cuts in

"Didn't think you were wearing any pants there sugar, your shirt hid those cute little boxers from me, kinda bummed you're not just in a shirt and panties for your old pal mr beebleboose" he snorts out an awful cackle

"Are we gonna watch a movie or are you just gonna be an ass all night?" You huff out

"I can do both" the ghoul shrugs, following you to the living room

Beetlejuice flops down on the couch "so besides you, what's on tonight's menu?"

"I was thinking final destination?" You ask waving the dvd case around

"YES! A bunch of breathers getting torn apart for cheating death, an excellent choice my dear Y/n"

You couldnt help but smile at his reaction,

"Oh! What about-"

Ding dong

Beetlejuice just stares at you, you smile "one step ahead of you my friend"

The ghoul gives you a smug grin, grabbing your hand and leading you to the door "got me without a plan sweet stuff, but your pal is the king of improv, I got a trick I've been saving that's really gonna get your knees weak, watch and be amazed" the ghoul then drops his coat around your shoulders, you weren't quite sure why, was it because you were in your pajamas? That you look alittle exposed? Was it a pride thing for him? To have you wrapped in his coat in front of a complete stranger? Who knows with beetlejuice, if it wasnt one thing it was another. The coat didn't exactly help cover much past your baggy shirt, in fact it emphasized the idea you weren't wearing any pants, oh well.

The ghoul swings open the door with glee, practically buzzing with excitement, you couldnt help but feel excited, it was always contagious when beetlejuice was in this type of mood.

It was a miracle that you were still able to get take out, with the amount of times beetlejuice has scared the piss out of the delivery guys, it was a surprise you havent been blocked. But it wasnt like anyone would believe the stories they would tell.

"Pizza for l/n"

"That's me, Thanks man" beetlejuice took the pizza from the guy and handed it to you,

"Hey, sweet stuff, what you order?" The ghoul asks without turning to face you, before you could respond beetlejuice snapped his fingers, your body goes ridged

"Pepperoni, bacon, and snakes" you rattle off nonchalantly, with beetlejuice puppeting you.

"Snakes?" The delivery man responds

Coming back to your senses, you eagerly await what's next.

"Snakes" with that beetlejuice collapses into a pile of black and white striped snakes, you jump at the sight, they begin to slither towards the delivery man, who straight up screeches and blots away.

You hear Beetlejuice's awful laugh, not sure where, as the snakes pile back into the demon you knew.

"Such a beautiful sound, right babes?so, What do ya think sweets? Dont think I didnt see you jump" he snorts out an awful cackle, while you shrink with embarrassment.

Beetlejuice wraps an arm around your shoulders "I'll let it slide sugar, cuz you look so sweet in my jacket, keep it on for the rest of the night and give me a 10 on my performance, and I wont tease ya about being scared" he chuckles squishing his cheek against yours, his scruffy beard scratching your face, he could probably hear your heart hammering away in your chest, you sigh trying to regain what little dignity you had left.

"I have to say bj, that was amazing, you really outdid yourself, a perfect 10"

The moment the words left your mouth you felt the ghoul's grip tighten around you,

"You're too kind, and correct about me being a perfect 10" he flashes you his big fangs, you couldnt help but laugh.

...

You really enjoyed these nights with beetlejuice, unfortunately you're second wind of energy was about to run out, you could barely keep your eyes open, it was bad enough you're already leaning against the ghoul in question, which you were teased with.

"My jacket not enough sweets? You want to get into my pants next?" He snickers, you were really too tired to counter that comment, instead you just mumble something unintelligible and refuse to make eye contact.

The ghoul drapes an arm around you out of habbit, how you would lean against him in the summer to cool off, streaks of pink flashes through his hair as he enjoyed your warmth, your scent, you. He adored your movie nights, just you and him, he would never admit it, but simple things like this, the whole domestic thing, with you, was almost enough to get his undead heart pumping. His perfect little breather, no idea what he did to deserve you, nice, funny, and hot, now if he could get you to confess you love him first then he'd be set, but just like him you are a coward when it came to such things, but beetlejuice can wait, for now.

Snapped from his thoughts, when he clues back into what was happening in the film, he smiles.

"Oh sugar, this is the best part- oh" turning to you, he huffs out a small laugh, you were out cold.

"I'm I that boring sweetheart? Or is it the film?" He chuckles

This wasnt the first time you've done this, beej constantly complained about how hard you worked and how tired it made you, but yet would never complain when youd pass out on him, but teasing was a different ball game, he adored seeing your face scrunch up in embarrassment, how funny you sounded as you try to babble out an excuse, the demon knew you liked him, but still adored messing with you due to how funny your reactions were.

The demon was brought back from his musings with the feeling of a unfamiliar warmth on his shoulder and arm where your head rested. Closer inspection, you were drooling in your sleep, beej couldnt help but smile at this, you are NOT gonna hear the end of that, he chuckles.

You shift in your sleep, and let out a soft groan, the ghoul let's out a desperate sigh, such a beautiful sound, just enough to get his motor running.

Yes beetlejuice had a soft spot for you, but he was a very sexual being, the amount of times the ghoul has spied on you during private times were more then he could remember, the amount of times he's jerked it to the thought of you were also more then he could count, god slash satan he wanted to pound you into the mattress so bad, have you yell out praises on how good a lover he was. It's been awhile since he cleaned his pipes, with your soft warm form pressed up against him, now seems like a pretty good time, the idea of being caught was always a nice thrill, to have you catch him, may be youd be flattered and join in, as impossible as that fantasy was, it was a nice thought.

Without much further convincing, beetlejuice had already pulled his cock from his trousers, and lazily began stroking it with a third hand, the others were busy with you, on draped around you shoulders, the other absentmindedly circling the spot of drool you had made on his shoulders. Every soft noise you made, every sigh, every groan, every mumble you uttered in your sleep was fuel to the fire of the ghoul's arousal.

Stifling a groan he utters "you have no idea what you do to me sweets" still circling the drool spot you made on his shoulder, shifting a bit in you sleep, his finger slips into your mouth, the demon was quick to retreat his hand in fear youd wake up, you only scrunch up you face in response. Beetlejuice let's out a breath he didnt know he was holding, not that he needed to breath, yes he liked the idea of being caught, but in reality youd be sick to your stomach at the sight, you'd probably banish him.

Once beetlejuice realized you were out cold, he returned to his strokes, until it clicks, the hand he was circling the drool you left behind, his finger was now coded in a nice thick layer of your spit. A ghoulish grin spreads across his face, hair fully electric pink, how he dreamed of that beautiful mouth around his cock, how lovely your moans would sound with your lips around his shaft. He couldnt let this opportunity go by, the ghoul slowly begins covering his dick with your salvia, he shivers at the sensation, still warm from your mouth, the ghoul utters a muffled groan "just like that sweetheart, you're so good to me"

Beetlejuice couldnt help but imagine you, mouth hovering over his lap, drool dripping from you mouth onto his cock. He groans softly "lubing me up babes? Such a considerate breather"

Once his cock was as covered as it was gonna be with the slavia you graced him with, he once again began with his strokes, starting off at a slow gentle pace, soft moans escaping his lips, you were asleep next to him, so the ghoul couldnt be as loud as he'd like to. When you were away the ghoul would treat himself to long loud sessions of alone time using your delicate laundry items, he could be as loud as his undead heart desires, not caring about your neighbors, but now, not so much.

"God I wanna slip into that pretty mouth of yours, feel how wet and warm it is, have you lube up my cock with your salvia before I shove it in that cute pussy of yours" he stifles a groan as his strokes begin picking up pace, his eyes were glued to you sleeping face, the arm the demon had around your shoulders slowly began to draw hearts with his fingers on your back.

You mumble and shift a bit in your sleep, your hand finds it's way to his thigh, gripping on to his pants, beetlejuice nearly jumps out of his skin, he was so lost in his fantasy of you, you completely catch him off guard, but hed be lying if he didnt enjoy the scare. It felt real good to have your hand resting on his thigh while he jerked off.

"Naughty little minx, you do want to get into my pants huh?" He chuckled softly.

The thought always crossed his mind during your weekly movie night, he fantasized about how you would grow bored of the film, lean into him, and have those pretty hands of yours find their way into him pants. Having his cute breather lazily jerk him off while watching a horror film easily had to be in the top five of his fantasies of you, simple but still delicious.

"Naughty thing" the ghoul stifles a groan as his pace picks up, the thought of your hand replacing his quickly taking over his mind.

Beetlejuice was using every ounce of strength he possessed to not start bucking up into his hand, not wanting to jostle you awake since you were leaning on the ghoul. Chasing his own orgasm, his pace becomes quite harsh, to the point where the ghoul summoned an extra hand just to bite and muffle his moans.

It felt so good, having you so close to him, hand on his thigh, salvia on his cock, god slash satan he wanted to scream out in bliss, he was so close, so focused on your sleeping face, his sweet breather, so kind and considerate, using their spit as lube for a hand job, he couldnt have asked for a better breather.

"Your so good to me sugar, you know just how to treat a guy, I'm gonna pay you back, anything you want, upstairs, downstairs, butt stuff, just say the word doll~" he groans out.

"...bee.." you mumble, shifting in your sleep, ever so gently sliding your hand up his thigh, that was enough to get the ghoul to the finish line.

"F-fuck y/n" and with that the ghoul shoots his load, into his hand and his lap, thank god slash satan it missed your hand, as hot as itd be to have those pretty hands of yours covered in his cum, now was not that time.

A smug grin plastered across his face as he gazes at you a soft "thank you" is whispered your way, as he slides his now soft cock back into his pants, snapping his fingers to clean himself up as of nothing happened.

The electricity of bright pink slowly leaves his hair, being replaced with a much softer mix of pink and green, the hand around your shoulders now lazily rubbing circles on your back, the film long over, beetlejuice snaps his fingers once again and the tv turns off leaving the two of you in gentle darkness.

"Nigh sweet stuff"

Bonus

Waking up to the buzzing sound of your phone you groan, ot was your day off and yet you forgot to turn your alarm off.

"Morning babes"

No, you feel asleep on the couch again, leaving against that bastard "morning" you grumble

As you try to get up to start your day beej pulls you back down into him lap

"Oh no sugar, you're not getting away that easy~ was I so boring last night you fell asleep? After my amazing performance too, such a cruel little breather you are" he teases "not to mention you were drooling on too" he cackles pointing at the spot.

"Doll if you wanted to spit on me, I can name some better places then my arm" he hollers with his awful laugh.

You're never gonna hear the end of this.

#beetlejuice x reader #muscial beetlejuice x reader #rambling #nsft

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downwiththeficness · 3 years

Text

In the Bond-Chapter 23 (Final Chapter)

Summary: Lilah often wished she’d never said yes to working with the Gecko brothers—usually while dodging gunfire. At no time was she regretting that decision more than when she’s hanging upside down from the ceiling, staring down a group of hungry culebras and one (1) extremely powerful sun god.

Word Count: ~7,950

Warnings: Violence, blood, the use of explosives, a bad movie reference, death (kind of)

A/N: This is an AU of my Story In the Blood, which can be read here. Basically, this fic explores what would have happened if Lilah had met up with Geckos before she met Brasa.

Taglist: @symbiont13

Start from the beginning Previous Chapter

Read on AO3 Masterlist

They were once again sitting around the conference table looking at a map. In this instance, the squabbling had, thankfully, been kept at a minimum. With a common enemy between them, all the anger and mistrust of each other had been redirected outwardly. There was no sense in fighting with one another when a greater peril threatened them all.

Lilah had marked several points all along an open space in the desert—possible hideouts Benny had used in the past. Javier was currently working with a small, trusted crew to root out where he might be through other means. While waiting for new information, they developed about five plans, all centered around obliterating the ever loving hell out of him.

She’d given up on steering the plan into less violent territory, settling for making things as quick and as efficient as possible. Lilah wanted no more incidents of near-death for the people in this room, herself included. If that meant others had to die, then so be it.

Seth leaned back in his chair, “We won’t be able to get any further on this until we know where he’s holed up. I say we get some food.”

They’d been at it for hours, and though Lilah wasn’t particularly hungry, she was glad for the prospect of a break.

“Pizza?” Seth asked, turning to the only other person in the room not on a liquid diet.

Lilah shrugged, “Long as its not from that place across from the grocery.”

“Oh, come on,” Seth groused, “Its not that bad.”

“The health inspection code is a ‘C’,” she countered, “They found rats.”

“Not in the pizza.”

She leveled a stern look at him, “They found them in the fryers.”

Seth rolled his eyes, but relented, “Alright. I’ll pick another place.”

Lilah leaned on her elbows with an indulgent expression as Seth took out a phone and pulled up the website to order. The phone wavering in her vision, the reminder of how she’d been captured, made her flinch. She covered it by running her hand over the map, but not before Brasa felt it.

Sitting to her right, he had been texting frequently with Javier, relaying the updates as he got them. Sensing her unease, his thumbs paused over the screen as he mentally reached out to her.

Lilah rolled her shoulders, taking the comfort he offered. She had a mission to accomplish. She could cry about being kidnapped later. Belatedly, Lilah realized that the ‘deal with later’ pile was pretty damn big and she would definitely have to take some time to actually deal with it.

Richie, who had been checking in on Kate, tossed his phone onto the table, “Much as I hate to ask, I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

Brasa gave a curt nod, “I’ll have something brought to us.”

“Its appreciated,” Richie replied in a rare instance of sincere, professional gratitude.

She took in Richie’s appearance. He looked...tired. As a man of nearly unbounded energy, to see the glint in his eye diminished was unsettling.

“I’m sorry about Jackknife’s,” she said, catching his attention.

He lifted a shoulder in affected nonchalance, “Its good. We’ll rebuild.”

That boded well. Lilah half expected to hear that he was moving on to another high risk, high yield project. That he was sticking with the place hinted at Kate’s grounding presence.

“Did the bar top survive?”

Richie smiled, “Yeah. Its a bit singed.”

“That’ll just give it character.”

“Fair point,” he conceded, pushing his glasses further up his nose, “We got interviews with contractors in a few weeks.”

She made a soft sound of praise, “Look at you, doing interviews, being official.”

His eyes dropped, demure, “We figured we should actually follow the policies you wrote.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

Richie’s attention was momentarily taken by a staff asking him about his blood type preferences, and Lilah found herself staring at the map. The ground cover was too wide, she didn’t have enough supplies. There were too many unknowns for her to be comfortable with moving forward. It frustrated her to no end that she couldn’t just make a decision and be done with it—execute.

The door to the conference room opened and Javier strolled in. Dressed in all white, a gleaming silver cane tapping along beside him, he was smiling wide. Cat and canary.

“I have brought some guests.”

Two staff were each dragging along a single, fighting person. Lilah didn’t recognize them, but she caught their fangs flashing as they grunted in pain. Clothing bloodstained and ripped, they looked like they’d been in a serious fight—which she guessed they had.

Brasa stood, gloved hand sliding along the wood of the table as he circled it, “Do they have the information we need.”

Javier’s smile held, “I believe they do.”

“Good. Bring them to my office.”

“As you wish.”

Brasa watched them go, then turned to the group, “I will need to question them. You may remain here for the time being. Rest. Eat. I will return when I have Benny’s location.”

Lilah cut in, “I’m going with you.”

He fixed her with a hard look, “This is not an easy thing to do. I will very likely need to hurt them.”

She blinked, “I’m sorry, who in this room just got kidnapped? I think I’m owed a little time to take out some aggression.”

From his perch on the tabletop, Richie drawled, “She’s got a point.”

Brasa glared at Richie, earning himself an amused laugh. Then, he gave a single, curt nod, and reached out for her. Lilah took his hand and followed him out of the conference room and to his public office. The two chairs that normally sat in front of his desk had been pulled out so that they faced the walkway dissecting the room. In each sat a battered culebra—one with his head hanging down, the other glaring defiantly at no one in particular.

Lilah let Brasa lead her to them. His step slowed several paces away and he squeezed her hand before letting go. Lilah stopped where he left her, folding her hands in front of her body as she took in the scene.

Javier was standing off to the side, the staff having left prior to their arrival. His expression was relaxed, but she sensed a hardness underneath it. They’d done this before. Possibly hundreds of times over their unimaginably long lives. She drew in a breath to steady herself.

Brasa pushed his hands into his pockets as he regarded them, “What are your names?”

“Up yours,” came from the glaring one.

Without hesitation, and seemingly without thought, Brasa kicked out. His foot landed on the knee of ‘up yours’, the bone crunching audibly. Lilah felt her hands clench at the sound, but she managed to keep the wince from her face. ‘Up yours’ screamed in pain, his chin tilted up to the ceiling. He let out another, softer sound, then visibly calmed himself. He’d been prepped for this.

Stepping forward, Lilah edged around Brasa, one hand brushing his arm. She leaned down and caught the eye of ‘up yours’, “This will go much easier for you if you answer our questions.”

His glare returned, more fierce than before, “We’re prepared to die for this.”

Lilah nodded, two fingers touching his temple, “We’ll grant you that. Death is much better than what he,” she jerked her head towards Brasa, “is going to do to you if you refuse to cooperate.”

“Luis,” came a small voice to her right.

Lilah glanced over at him, “Luis. Is that you?”

He nodded.

“And this one?”

A hesitation, then, “Rafe.”

“Rafe,” Lilah echoed, turning her attention forward once again. “Where is Benny?”

Rafe pulled away from her touch, “Nowhere. Everywhere.”

She very nearly rolled her eyes. They knew that Benny had created a kind of weird mystique around himself and his mission. They also knew that he had cast them as the villains in the story. The technique made a lot of sense—it was still annoying as fuck.

A scoff from Brasa, followed by, “Spare us your delusions.”

Lilah straightened to standing, “Benny failed you over and over. Why continue to protect him?”

Luis cast her a look that was edging on pathetic, “He saved us.”

“From what?”

“From you,” Rafe answered, something more than derision in his voice. Hatred, perhaps.

Brasa moved. Slow. Relaxed. “Why would you need to be saved from us?”

Another answer from Rafe, “You are Xibalban. We know what you do to our kind.”

There it was. They’d been told enough to keep them scared—little truths that were coated in a thin, thin lie. Easy to swallow. Easy to accept. Easy to break.

“It is true that my people once committed inconceivable atrocities against yours,” Brasa allowed with a congenial dip of his head, “But that is not what I intend, nor is it what I will allow. Not any longer.”

Rafe sneered, “Liar.”

“Sometimes,” Brasa admitted, “When the moment calls for it. But, this is not that moment. I am not lying.”

Luis spoke, his lips trembling, “We don’t know that. You’ve been hunting us down. Killing us.”

Again, Brasa acknowledged the truth for what it was, “Only those who put us all at risk.”

Lilah could see how this was going to play out, could already hear the back and forth that would take time that they just didn’t have. Benny could strike again at any time, possibly with more firepower. Every second they spent debating right and wrong, good and bad, was a second that could cost the life of someone she cared about. Lilah made a decision.

Reaching into the pocket of Brasa’s slacks, she pulled out his knife, flipping the blade open. With deliberate slowness, she showed each of them the weapon. Then, she started talking.

“I’m going to give you an opportunity. The offer is time limited, and it will be given to only one of you. Tell us where Benny is, and you live. First come, first serve.”

The room was quiet, save for the near constant snarls coming from Rafe. Lilah waited. Knife in hand, she simply let the quiet hold, let the uncomfortable stillness of silence make them squirm. If they knew Benny’s whereabouts, they’d tell her, and soon.

Luis broke first, “He’s in the tunnels, about ten miles north of where he...found you.”

The last two words were halting, as if he knew he shouldn’t say it, but couldn’t quite help himself. Next to her, Brasa growled low and long. She could feel the heat of his anger build both physically and within the confines of the bond.

“We have a winner,” she rasped, affected by how viscerally Brasa was emoting. Knowing that the longer they sat there, the risk of blood spilling would rise exponentially, Lilah turned from Brasa, “Javier, if you would, take Luis to be questioned further.”

“As you wish, Lady Lilah.”

Brasa held up a hand, “I want details, Javier. I want to know what Benny is planning.”

With a flourish, Javier hauled Luis up, tossing him towards the door, “I will take care of this.”

Luis landed hard on his knees, grunting in pain. But, he got up and let Javier lead him, limping, out of the room. The door closed with a kind of hard finality that eased Lilah’s anxiety. She felt Brasa’s confidence in Javier’s ability to get more of what they needed from Luis.

That left Rafe.

Lilah’s fingers gripped the knife, her jaw set, “Were you there when Benny took me?”

She didn’t recognize him, but she’d been hit pretty hard and had been too preoccupied with playing possum to memorize the faces of the people hauling her away. Beside her, Brasa removed his gloves.

Rafe shook his head.

“You’re sure?”

Another shake.

“I believe you.”

He visibly relaxed.

“But,” she continued, “I did say the offer would only be given to one of you.”

Rafe, knowing that she wasn’t going to relent, let out a sound of rage, rising unsteadily from the chair, hands outstretched towards her. He was stopped by Brasa’s hand around his throat. There was an almost too soft to hear pop as his larynx was crushed, the sound of his anger cut off with a wheeze.

Lilah closed the knife and slipped it back into Brasa’s pocket. Then, deliberately, she took a step back and crossed her arms. She’d said that she wanted vengeance, but exacting it with her own hands felt somehow unnecessary. All the fire that had been there five minutes before dissipated, leaving her feeling deflated.

Brasa had no such issues. His fingers curled deeper into Rafe’s throat, pushing beneath his skin. Blood welled up, dripping down the back of his hand to the floor. Lilah didn’t have to look at his eyes to know that they were red with rage, the glow of his power burning ever brighter beneath his skin. Flame burst from Rafe’s eyes, smoke wafting from his pores. He seared from the inside out, his body cracking into dust from the top down.

Brasa’s arm dropped, and he wiped the dust from his hands, his attention on the pile at his feet, “I should get a broom.”

Lilah looked at the spread of particles, trying hard not to think about the fact that it had once been a person, “We might have more important things to do right now.”

His brows quirked, “You might be right.”

***

Lilah stood at her station, well away from where the action would go down. The night was deep and dark, the new moon casting no light to guide their way. She looked over her equipment, one hand brushing over the black metal box sitting innocently to her right. Her laptop was gently whirring, all comms connected. At her thigh, her pistol rested in its holster, her knife strapped to her arm. Lilah hoped she wouldn’t have to use them.

According to Javier, Luis had talked freely, answered question after question. All of this was relayed to Lilah in detail until she felt like she had a good grasp on Benny’s plan. Brasa had sent Javier to set up the final blow, refusing to allow Lilah to do it, herself, as was her preference. She was too tired to argue, never having fully rested since the bomb had gone off two days before.

It was hard to think about it, the breakneck pace she’d been going at over that time. Lilah couldn’t even nail down if she’d slept properly, couldn’t remember eating or showering. And so, when Brasa had firmly pulled her into their room, she hadn’t resisted.

Assured that her friends were being taken care of, she’d let Brasa strip her down and run her a bath, let him wash her with soothing motions, until the water cooled And then, they’d tumbled naked into bed, the full darkness of the room letting her fall into a deep sleep.

She wished that she could say that she felt fully rested. While Lilah had slept for a long time, she had awoken groggy. Her body ached with something that wasn’t quite injury. She sleep walked through getting ready for the day, reluctantly eating a meal next to Seth, who sat drinking coffee while he cleaned his gun.

It wasn’t until she began to set up for the job that Lilah’s brain kicked in. This was it. They could be done with this awful mess today. If they succeeded, Lilah vowed to herself that she was going to do something fun—maybe rob a museum.

As she was contemplating this, heat built at her back. She looked up to find Brasa and Javier standing not far away. Brasa was wearing the familiar uniform of leather, sunglasses perched on his nose. Next to him, Javier was very much out of uniform. Instead of a sharply tailored suit, her wore thick canvas pants and a long sleeved shirt. He’d forgone his usual cane, a literal sword strapped to his hip.

“Are we set up?” She asked Javier.

With a deferential nod, he answered, “We are.”

“And you made sure to ground the connection—its just that it could go early if you—.”

Brasa laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, “He was very thorough. This will work.”

Lilah’s jaw shut with an audible click. She pursed her lips, the effort to hold back further questions not inconsequential. She busied her hands and her mind with activating the comms.

“McNamara online,” she said evenly.

It took a few seconds to get a response, but eventually she heard the click of the mic turning on.

“Richie Gecko online.”

“Oh, shut up,” Seth groused, “We’re in place.”

“You’re the one who said we should take this seriously.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t the fucking movies.”

Lilah rolled her eyes, “Alright. Hang tight while we get a lock on him.”

Tapping her mouse pad, Lilah opened the tracking app, “You think he’ll go for it?”

Javier shifted on his feet, “I believe he will. He’s already proven that he’ll sacrifice anyone and anything to protect his own skin.”

She stared at the little dots on the screen, “And Luis?”

“Running back to daddy,” he intoned, derision tainting his voice.

“You’re sure.”

He sighed, “I’ve done this a thousand times over. I know fear. I made him very, very scared before I let him go.”

The intensity with which he spoke, the unsaid threat in his tone, was enough to make Lilah drop the subject. She turned her attention to the screen, taking note of her location and the pair of dots indicating Seth and Richie. At the bottom left corner was a renegade dot that was steadily moving towards them. She watched it shift across the screen, pixels lighting up along the path.

It stopped at a fair distance from where the other two were congregated. Lilah held her breath as she waited for it to either stay where it was or start moving again. It stayed.

“He’s back,” Lilah murmured.

A flash of headlights appeared, lighting her station. She turned around in her seat, squinting at the car coming towards them.

“Is that one of ours?”

Brasa touched her shoulder, “It is. I should have warned you. Richie insisted.”

The car pulled up, dust swirling around the tires as it came to a stop. The engine and lights cut off, the driver’s side door opened. A dark head popped up, hair pulled into a high pony tail. Kate was dressed for practicality—jeans, t shirt, jacket, boots, gun. She closed the door, and walked confidently towards them.

Lilah waved at her, “Welcome to the party.”

She smiled wryly, “Richie said I couldn’t go with him, so I thought I would go with you.”

To be honest, Lilah was grateful for the extra support. It was often the case that she was alone, running the logistics, while others were executing her plan. Today, when the stakes were high, she found that she didn’t like the thought of being by herself.

Brasa took her hand, saying lowly, “Keep the bond open.”

She nodded, “Absolutely.”

“Good,” he leaned down and kissed her temple.

With a nod to Kate, Brasa turned from them. Javier stood a moment longer, his eyes absorbing Kate in detail. Then, he stepped back and followed his lord into the darkness.

Kate sighed with an odd kind of relief, “Well, what’s the plan?”

Lilah lifted a brow, “Richie didn’t tell you?”

“He said that he would be, quote, ‘fucking shit up’, but that’s as far as I got.”

That made sense. As if he’d gotten a power up in a video game, Richie had gotten some of his energy back as they neared the start of the job. As he’d loaded up the car, he’d been fairly vibrating with energy, a wide smile wrapped around a cigarette. Seth, on the other hand, had been stone cold sober—both literally and figuratively. The seriousness of his expression, the cant of his shoulders, told her that he was determined to get this done.

“Okay,” Lilah said, sliding into her chair, “This is Seth and Richie. And this,” she pointed to the errant dot, “is Luis. We’re fairly certain that he is heading back to Benny to tell him that we know his plan.”

Kate peered at the screen, “What was his plan?”

“To nuke the entire cave system, causing a sinkhole that spans across our entire territory.”

Eyes narrowing, Kate said, “That doesn’t make sense.”

Lilah cut her a glance, “What about it doesn’t make sense?”

“Benny’s schtick is all about how Brasa is destroying their way of life, right? What does taking down the cave system do.”

Lilah hesitated, her mind running through it, “I...think its because Brasa said they built it.”

“They did what?”

Hand waving to the land in front of them, “They built it—the Xibalbans. Its this huge maze of tunnels that are carved deep into the rock. I’ve only seen some of it, but its huge and complex and had to have taken forever to accomplish.” She paused, eyes scanning the middle distance, “I think that he made the caves a physical representation of their rule. I mean, right?”

Kate cocked her head to the side, “That could be right. Benny could also be batshit crazy.”

“Fair point.”

“Well, we can pretty much guarantee that he’s going to change his plan, knowing that we know.”

Lilah shook her head, “If you’re right and he is batshit, then we don’t know that. Crazy isn’t always predictable.”

“That is a fair point.”

“Which,” Lilah added, tapping out a few commands, “means that we need to get a little more inside information.”

She cued up the sound, activating the comm Javier had placed carefully into Luis’ pocket on the way out. For a few minutes, she had to screw around with the settings, trying to get the best sound quality.

We should keep to the plan—Benny. Make their land unlivable, give them no place to retreat. Then, we pick them off like the parasites they are.

What about the Xibalban? Came a voice she didn’t recognize.

They’ll protect their bondmate first. When they realize the danger, they’ll come running.

Lilah reflexively looked around, trying to discern if they were going to be attacked from the deep black of the landscape around them.

“Could they know where we are?”

“No,” Lilah answered, feeling her shoulders drop, “No, they couldn’t.”

“Then…?” Kate prompted, her head shaking from side to side in confusion. “Oh no… get your phone.’

“What? Why?”

“They’re gonna finish off the bars,” Kate’s voice cracked, “We have to get the staff out of there.”

With a long line of curses falling from her lips, Lilah sent off a barrage of texts to the floor manager, telling them to get themselves and everyone else out of the building. As she did that, the conversation coming from the ear piece continued.

We should cut and run—Naya.

We run now, and we’ll keep running. We have to hit them where it will hurt.

Didn’t we already do that? Benny, you burned down his lair, you bombed both their bars—every time you try to hit them, they just keep...coming for us.

That was not untrue, and Lilah hated that she agreed with Naya. Her mouth turned down as she listened, half her attention on the phone in her hands as she waited for confirmation that the staff had been taken to safety.

They aren’t invincible, Naya.

Neither are you. A sigh. Maybe we should leave. Maybe we should just leave them here and go find a place for ourselves.

And let them win? There was that voice she didn’t recognize.

If we don’t fight now, we’re gonna end up like Luis, over there.

A heavy silence landed in the middle of the conversation, and Lilah could only guess that Luis had been killed after he’d told Benny that he’d talked.

We just found each other, Benny. I don’t want to lose you so soon.

You won’t. We’ll handle this, and then we can start our lives together.

The sincerity of his tone, the way Lilah could hear every emotion steeping into his words...It helped her to understand how so many people could believe him when he told them that they could succeed.

Brasa’s voice sounded from over the bond, We’re in the caves. Where should we go?

Lilah relayed Benny’s location, telling him to be careful. She avoided details about the secondary plan, about how Benny had wanted to distract him. It wasn’t necessary. She’d taken care of it, and would fill him in later.

“They’re headed for Benny. If he wiggles out of it again, Seth and Richie will herd him to the back up plan.”

“What is the back up plan?”

“We got incoming!”

Lilah tapped the keyboard, “Seth, what’s going on?”

“Got a group of ‘em heading towards us. Richie and I will take care of it.”

“Yeah, nothing we can’t handle.”

Lilah nodded, even though they couldn’t see her, “Be safe. Don’t do anything stupid. If it gets too hairy, cut and run.”

There was a pause, then, from Seth, “Duly noted, boss.”

Unable to listen to the gunfire she knew was coming, Lilah cut the line. Next to her, Kate checked her phone, tapping on the screen a few times.

“What’s left of Jackknife’s is empty. The staff have gone to ground.”

“Good, good.”

Lilah’s phone had been silent, no response from the manager. She hoped that meant they were taking care of business and hadn’t been killed in the second wave. Her stomach rolled with regret that she hadn’t thought he’d attack there again, that she may have inadvertently put both her staff and the remaining injured culebras in danger.

We knew you’d be here—Benny.

Apparently, Brasa and Javier had arrived. She found herself leaning into the computer as she listened.

This needs to stop, Brasa’s voice was deceptively soft. She could feel how he was going to stop things, how much it took to say what came next, The two of you can go. We just want him.

Not a chance.

I can’t leave him.

This was said simultaneously, but Lilah could pick apart the variation in tone. The unknown man spitting the words out, Naya’s voice soft and weak and desperate. She resisted feeling sorry for either of them.

We will take him by force, Javier pronounced, and she could hear some rustling, then, We don’t want you, but we will go through you.

More rustling, I’m not afraid to die. And, if I get to take you out with me, that’s a bonus.

And then there was a bang that preceded the comm cutting off entirely. Lilah stared at the screen, one finger tapping on the keyboard to try to bring the sound back. No use. It was fried. Closing her eyes, Lilah reached across the bond to find that Brasa far away, further than he’d been since the beginning of all this.

She couldn’t tell if he was hurt, or if he was putting distance between them so that he could concentrate on doing what needed to be done, so that he could shield her from it.

“How fast is your car?”

Kate smiled, “Pretty damn.”

“Let’s go.”

It wasn’t until they were speeding away that Kate actually asked where they were going, “I’m literally hauling ass through the dark, here.”

Lilah pulled up her phone, opening the tracking app for the comms. She had the last location of Brasa, the little dot shining from somewhere below the ground. And then there were the two dots signifying the brothers. They were a little further South than they had been, but they were moving.

She opened the line, “Guys, you there?”

A click, “Yeah, we’re here. Kind of busy, though.”

Then, Seth cut in, “These fuckers just keep coming.”

Lilah swallowed down her rising nerves, “We’ve lost contact with Brasa and Javier. We’re gonna check it out.”

A few shots fired, the sound of it making Lilah wince. Seth’s voice followed, rough with exertion, “That’s a bad idea. He can handle himself.”

“I think,” Lilah croaked, “I think they had the same idea we did.”

There were more shots, intermittently cut through with unintelligible yelling. Lilah tried not to think about what was going on, knowing that her mind was far more creative than was typical of reality. Instead, she focused on directing Kate while she waited for a response that she might not get.

“Ah, fuck!”

“What happened?”

“Got clipped in the side,” Seth ground out, “Its not deep. I’m good.”

He wasn’t talking to her. She could tell. He was reassuring his brother.

“Quit getting hit,” Richie demanded, “We got people to kill.”

“Yes, Richie, that’s so helpful.”

Knowing that she wasn’t going to get them to focus, and the attempt might result in another injury, Lilah turned down the volume and pointed to the left of the car, “That’s about where they were.”

Kate pulled to a stop, shutting the car off, “What do you want to do?”

“I want to find him, and I want to ring his neck for leaving me in the dark.”

“Alright.”

Pull her gun from its holster, Lilah exited the car, using the headlights to peer around, “I don’t see anything.”

Kate had followed her example, a nine millimeter pointed towards the ground in front of her, “I don’t either.”

“They must still be in the caves, or—,” Lilah cut herself off as she spotted a plume of dust settling not too far away.

Kate followed her gaze, her mouth thin as she concentrated, “You think…?”

“Yeah,” Lilah breathed, “We need to be careful. The ground looks unstable.”

And indeed it did. Fissures cut through the rock below, the surface shattered in some places. Lilah eased forward, stepping back quickly when her foot sunk deep.

“Okay, what do we do?” Kate asked, taking a few steps back her eyes flicking back and forth.

“I don’t know.”

In the distance, something blew up. Another. And another. The sound came from all around them. Lilah could feel vibrations in her feet, in her chest, her hair standing on end.

“The fuck?”

Kate grabbed her arm, “The plan—they planned to blow the caves.”

Lilah stared at her, her mind slowly working to put the pieces together.

“He wasn’t going to hit the bars,” Kate said, her eyes shining with intensity, “He was going to bring us here. He knew you’d feel the hit to Brasa, knew you’d come here.”

Lilah looked down. Another bomb went off. There was no telling how many more there were, or when the ground beneath them would crumble. Angry and afraid, she reached out, slamming through the bond as it stretched thin.

I’m here. I’m fine. Javier is fine. We are near your post.

As relieved as she was to hear it, she cut through his reassurances, I already came to you. I followed the comm. Kate and I are standing on the caves.

She sensed his fear, sensed that he’d turned and was running back towards her, I’m coming.

No, no, that’s what he wants. You need to head towards Seth and Richie. They’re the next stop. Kate and I will get out of this.

Kate was already moving to the car, ushering Lilah along. Inside, she slammed the transmission into drive and they hauled ass away.

“We need to get to Seth and Richie,” Lilah said, pulling out her phone.

As she expected, their dots were moving towards the rendezvous points. Unexpectedly, the comm they’d planted on Luis was also moving. It had reconnected to the tracking system, and was flying in a twisting pattern towards the Geckos.

Lilah glared at it, flinching as a bomb went off a little too close for comfort. Kate was driving fast, the car eating up road as the engine roared. If it had been anyone else at the wheel, Lilah might have worried for her safety. As it was, Kate was a notoriously skilled getaway driver, having honed the talent over many jobs.

She hesitated, her finger hovering over the connection button on the app. Her hunch could be wrong.

Mouth curling, Lilah connected to the comm, “You still alive?”

There was rustling along the line, a bit of feedback, then, “I am alive and well.”

“Wish I could say that I’m glad to hear it, Benny.”

He chuckled, the sound coming out forced, “Good thing I don’t give a fuck about your happiness.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“I’m guessing that you can see where I’m heading.”

“I can.”

“Good,” he bit out, “Then you’ll know when I’ve taken care of your friends.”

“You’re not going to make it that far, Benny.”

“We’ll see.”

The comm disconnected from his side. Lilah sighed and shut down the app. She pushed her phone into the pocket of her sweatshirt and fiddled with the edge of one of her sleeves.

“We almost there?”

Lilah nodded. Whatever she might have answered was cut off as a bomb went off too close to the car, the ground exploding outwards. Rocks shattered the windows on the driver’s side, the car swerving as Kate tried to keep control. A second bomb went off a moment later, the back side of the car lifting about ten feet. As it slammed back down, Lilah could hear the axle crack, knew instinctively that they had to get out, and fast.

“Out! Out!” Lilah cried as she threw off her seat belt.

Disoriented, Lilah stumbled as she got out of the car, looking over the body to see Kate slamming the door closed and rounding the hood.

“You alright?”

Lilah nodded, “I’m good. The car’s fucked, though.”

As if on cue, a bomb went off maybe a hundred yards away, and the ground shifted. Lilah felt it in a way that she couldn’t describe, an intangible feeling that scared her more than she’d ever been scared before. In between one second and the next, the ground sunk down, caving in on itself. The hole grew bigger, yawning ever wider as it worked to swallow them whole.

“Run!”

Lilah had never, never made her feet move so fast. The air whipped at her as each step slammed into the ground. The roaring in her ears was only tempered by the sound of her own breathing. A glance over her shoulder saw the car rear up before falling down into the depths, cutting off the light. Gritting her teeth, she dug into her pocket, her stride slowing as she keyed up the flashlight on her phone.

The path before them was illuminated, much good that it did them. On either side of them, the ground trembled. They weren’t going fast enough. They were going to fall.

Brasa…

He heard her, but his answer was overpowered by the way the ground fell out from under her. Lilah’s arm was caught by Kate, who dragged her to the side.

“Over there, the rock formation. That’s the safest bet.”

Not in a place to argue, Lilah followed Kate’s lead, pushing through the burn and strain of her muscles. As they neared, a tiny flicker of hope swelled, urging her to just keep moving. Lilah obeyed the feeling, arms pumping, breath punching in and out.

Another huge chunk of ground swelled up and dropped, the rumbling sound of crunching rock following. She veered, moving with Kate towards the only goal in sight.

Scrambling up, Lilah climbed as quickly as she could, digging her feet into the stone and scraping her palms. Behind her, in front of her, to her left and right, the earth roiled. She could hear more of the cave system crumble in on itself, taking whoever might be inside with it.

Near the top, with Kate huffing at her side, Lilah turned and watched the disaster unfold. It was a sight she would never forget. The whole world, as far as she could see it, rocked up and down, sinking and rising, turning over almost completely.

“He meant for us to be in that,” Kate said, the barest tremble in her voice.

“He did.”

“Fuck this guy.”

“Yeah,” Lilah said, when she could find her voice again. “Fuck this guy.”

Kate closed her eyes, and Lilah didn’t even have to guess at what she was doing. She drew in a breath to follow suit.

I’m okay. We got out.

Let me through.

Have you found Seth and Richie?

Let me through.

Tell me. Did you find them.

I...did.

And?

Seth’s hurt. We can’t stop the bleeding.

Horrified, Lilah opened her eyes, catching a similar expression on Kate’s face. She made a decision.

“Tell Richie to let you through.”

Not waiting for an answer, Lilah reached out to the bond, got a good grip, and pulled. The world tipped over, and Lilah landed hard on her knee, dry heaving.

“You could have just asked,” Brasa griped from not far away. Then, “Are you alright?”

She nodded, swallowing. As she looked up, Lilah caught Kate landing next to Richie, who was already bending down to help her up. Next to Richie was an ashen Seth. He was leaning against their car, blood soaking clean through almost the entirely of the front of his button down. His suit jacket was crumbled a few feet away, along with his gun holsters. He looked like he was going to try to stand, took a single step, and crumpled down in a heap.

“You look like shit.”

Seth started to laugh, the sound cut off by a groan of pain, “Fuck you, too.”

Ambling over to him, Lilah sat on her heels, “We need to get you to a hospital.”

He shook his head, “I’m good here. Could use a drink, though.”

“Don’t need to thin your blood any more than it already is,” Lilah shot back, “You’re hurt. This isn’t just a flesh wound.”

“Benny got in a good shot, I’ll give him that.”

Lips sneering, Lilah said, “We’ll get him back for this. We still have an ace up our sleeve.”

Seth sucked his teeth, blood coating the enamel, “You need to be getting to that ace.”

“Not until I know you’re going to make it.”

He was already shaking his head, “This isn’t something you come back from.”

Seth lifted the hand that had been staunching the blood, a spurt shooting out with every beat of his heart until he covered it again.

Lilah to a moment to think, “You can. You can come back from this. Richie can help you.”

She knew the moment that he understood what she was saying. She also knew that he was going to refuse.

“I’m not having this asshole,” he pointed to his brother, “Hold it over me for eternity, thank you very much. I’ve had enough of that already.”

“Are you seriously arguing about this while you’re dying?”

Seth glared at her, though the effect was somewhat diminished by the fact that he was struggling to focus.

Lilah laid a hand over his, worried by the cool skin beneath her fingers, “Then, let me do it.” Surprised by her own words, she glanced up at Brasa, “I can do it, right?”

His mouth parted, closed, parted again, and then he nodded, “Yes. Your blood is my blood, and blood is the conduit.”

Turning her attention back to Seth, Lilah lifted her brows in question, “It’ll be better if its me, right?”

He was quiet for a long time, so long that Lilah began to feel the hope that had sparked while the earth trembled beneath her feet begin to fade. And then he nodded.

Hand digging into her sweatshirt, Lilah pulled out her knife. She rolled it into her other hand. And then, before she could question it, she dug the blade in. Carefully, Lilah dripped the steady stream into Seth’s mouth.

He took a deep gulp, then tried to pull away. Lilah cradled the back of his head, holding him to the wound, her eyes lifting once more to her bondmate.

“How much?”

Brasa’s eyes were fixed where Seth’s mouth met her skin, “A bit more.”

Lilah held her position for a minute or two more, focused enough on her task that she didn’t hear the conversation going on around her. Then, when she thought it might be enough, she pulled away. Seth, already weak, couldn’t keep his head up. His eyes were rolled back, forehead clammy.

“How long does it take?”

This time, Richie answered, “It depends, but not long. I’ll stay with him. You guys go after Benny.”

Kate moved to stand next to Richie, “I’ll stay with him, too. He’ll need someone here who won’t rib him for ‘coming to the dark side’.”

The last little bit of that sentence was said with heavy sarcasm and a pair of finger quotes.

Lilah sheathed her knife and stood, “You’ll let me know that he’s okay.”

With half a smile, Richie tapped the ear piece, “I’ll give you live updates.”

“Thanks.”

Brasa moved to her side, holding up the little metal box from her station, “I thought you might need this.”

Lilah took it gratefully, “I do. Thank you.” She rose up on her tip toes and kissed him lightly, “Let’s go kill this shithead.”

After settling Seth as comfortably as possible, Lilah took the keys to the car from Seth’s coat and hopped into the driver’s side. Brasa’s body dropped into the passenger’s side, Javier nimbly climbing into the back.

She rolled down the window, pointing at Richie, “Real time updates.”

He gave her a little salute and shooed her away, his focus turning to his brother.

It surprised Lilah how quickly they arrived at the rendezvous point, though it was nowhere near where they’d found Seth and Richie. Over the horizon, the sky was beginning to grow pink with the rising of the sun. She pulled to a stop a good distance away from where she knew Benny would be.

If all had gone to plan, they would have all been sitting here, watching this. Lilah comforted herself with the knowledge that they were at least unhurt, mostly. Seth would get better, would be healed before she got back.

Opening the door, Lilah got out, closing it behind her, the black box tucked beneath her arm. She didn’t bother looking for Brasa and Javier to follow, already moving around the huge boulder she’d parked behind. Pulling out her phone, she checked the dot representing Benny. He was right where she wanted him to be.

Below, the rock face sheered off, giving her the best view of the helipad just across a flowing river. Lilah breathed in the cool morning air, wind blowing gently.

Brasa leaned against the rock to her right, glasses reflecting the world below, “I can do it, if you want.”

Lilah looked at him.

“You don’t have to do it, if you don’t want to.”

She caught the glimmer of Javier as he stood at a respectable distance, felt the subtle change in light as the sun continued to rise. The night seemed far away already. The anxiety. The fear. The relief. It all felt as if it were a dream. And yet, here she stood, at the precipice of committing the final act in their plan. She felt no hesitation. She felt no fear. Lilah wasn’t quite sure she could feel much of anything.

“I got it,” she said finally.

And she did—have it.

Looking down, Lilah opened the box, her thumb flicking each of the toggles upwards until red turned green. In the distance, she heard the blades of the helicopter begin the turn. She looked down. Two figures ran for the craft.

“Is that him?” She asked Brasa, knowing that his eyes were infinitely better than hers.

He craned his neck, looking down his nose, “Yes.”

Without thinking, she tapped the comm, “You still alive?”

From across the distance, Benny laughed, “I am. Tell me, is Seth?”

She sneered, “He is.”

“Shame,” Benny replied, unrepentant. Then, with a light, conversational tone, “Hey, McNamara, looks like we’ll be seeing each other again sometimes.”

They wouldn’t.

“Hey, Benny,” she shot back, “looks like you’re on the wrong side of the river.”

Lilah waited a moment more, watching as the two figures climbed inside.

She pressed the button.

The explosion was small—or, perhaps it was only small because she’d seen so many up close not an hour before. From around the helipad, the explosives went off. In a succession of fifteen or so, they obliterated the ground beneath, until it began to crumble in on itself. And then, just for good measure, the helicopter, itself, detonated. Lilah watched until the whole thing fell into the hole the first blast had created, then closed the box and looked to Brasa.

“I want to go home.”

And that’s what they did. They found Seth, Richie, and Kate where they’d left them. Stuffing everyone into the car, they went back to the bar. Lilah was not ashamed to be relieved that the place was still standing. In their absence, the elevator had been fixed. It opened to workers still making repairs, a fine smattering of dust on every surface.

Tired, and half awake, the group filed into the conference room. Seth was laid out on the tabletop. As was his way, Javier was already arranging for food, liquor, and blood to be brought to them. As Lilah moved to sit, Brasa pulled her away from the chair she’d pulled out. With quiet care, he gathered her into his lap, holding her around the waist.

She wasn’t surprised to see Richie doing the same with Kate, though he was watching his brother very closely.

“When will he wake up?” she asked.

“Any minute,” Richie answered, his voice even and sure.

“How do you know?”

“Because Javier is bringing a bottle of shitty bourbon and you know he can’t resist.”

She laughed, some of the feeling coming back to her. Resting against Brasa, she watched as Seth laid on the table, unmoving. He’d been asleep for so long that she was doubting her decision. Sensing her unease, Brasa ran a hand up her back. Up and down. Calming.

Her shoulders didn’t move from where she’d had them bunched up by her ears until Seth drew that first, ragged breath. The relief coursed through her, tears dotting her cheeks. Sniffing, she wiped them away, resting an elbow on the table as leaned forward.

Richie eased Kate to the side, rising. He took a few steps around the table, lifting a hip and sitting not far from Seth’s head.

“Welcome back, brother.”

“Fuck. You.”

Richie laughed, “Glad to see you’re going to still be cranky when you wake up.”

“I died, you asshole.”

“I know. I was there.”

Seth tried to sit up, dropping heavily back down, “Fuck.”

The door to the conference room swung open, Javier pulling a cart in behind him.

Richie smiled, “Breakfast is here.” Then, softer, “You need to feed, Seth.”

Lilah though he would fight, thought he would grumble and pout until the hunger took over. And yet, when Richie held the bag out to him, Seth took it. With ease that could only come from watching someone do it over and over, he tore into the plastic, and drank it down.

Standing hesitantly, Lilah crossed into his field of vision. He drew back from the bag, breathing hard, game face on.

“Hey.”

He swallowed hard, “Hey.”

“You feel ok?”

One shoulder lifted, “For having nearly died, I feel pretty good.”

“Cool.” Then, “You want to steal a Renoir with me later?”

#from dusk til dawn #from dusk til dawn: the series #Brasa #In the Bond

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davids-cartoon-corkboard · 4 years

Text

We’re all excited for Draxum’s redemption arc, right? Our heroes will no doubt be hostile towards him at first, so he’ll have to work hard to earn their trust. And then they’ll welcome him into their hearts and everything will be fine!

Right?

I always felt the “Horrible Wolfie” book from “The Mutant Menace” was foreshadowing something... what if Draxum plays them all for fools?

I’ve talked before about how Draxum is a Devil figure- the ego, the horns and hooves, the beef with humans, etc. And what does the Devil do? He tempts people. I don’t count Draxum’s previous “join me and be strong blah blah blah” monologues as “temptation”, because the turtles weren’t actually interested.

Draxum is weak right now, sure. He's suffered both physical and psychological damage. But an injured snake is more dangerous than a healthy one. Draxum will try and get the turtles to sympathize with him, manipulating them by appealing to their worse natures. The parallels between Donnie and Draxum are the most obvious, but every turtle can be compared to Draxum in some way.

Leo and Donnie both have The Ego as a mechanism to hide how inadequate they feel. “Look how great I am, pay attention to me, praise me!” They have a bad habit of solving problems for the sake of benefiting themselves. Then the solution hurts others, and comes back around to bite them in the ass.

Draxum talks about keeping yokai safe by eliminating the human threat... but he also talks about “taking over” and “ruling” the surface. His true motive is a grab for power. He doesn't keep his plans a secret, so succeeding would paint a target on his back for a bunch of very angry humans-turned-mutants, any remaining world governments, etc.

An example for Donnie is "War and Pizza", where unnecessarily showing off his tech skills created a new recurring enemy, endangered a bunch of children, and got April fired. We see the same problem in "Smart Lair" and "Mind Meld".

Leo's showboating in "Shell in a Cell" also made them a recurring enemy. He led his brothers into a death trap in "Minotaur Maze". He could have pulled Stanley out of the hotel in "Bug Busters", but Leo wanted an audience. And Stanley (Bullhop) got mutated because of it.

Mikey and Draxum's shared flaw is black-and-white thinking. For Draxum, Humans Are The Enemy no matter what, to be either mutated or destroyed. Anyone who gets in the way will be destroyed. He doesn't even consider that learning about human technology could benefit him. (Seriously, just figure out how the water supply works and dump some mutagen in key locations.)

Mikey responds to bad situations by either convincing himself that Everything Is Fine, or by reacting like it’s a total disaster. His favorite pizza place is destroyed? “THEY’RE ALL GONNA PAY!” Bullhop is wearing out his welcome? “HIT THE BRICKS, SLAPPY!” Meat Sweats has tried to eat him and his family multiple times, and Mikey focuses on learning that pork risotto recipe. Foot Recruit threatens to smash his shell into powder, and Mikey calls her "frenemy".

I think Leo, Donnie, and Mikey will be fine. They'll resist Draxum's pull on their worse natures and refuse whatever deal he tries to strike.

But Raph... oof. I've made the argument that Wolfie symbolizes Draxum, but it’s clear that Wolfie also symbolizes Raph and that makes me nervous like... it’s Raph’s book. He wasn’t aware of the ending, and won’t be aware of Draxum’s bad intentions. Wolfie has a red bandanna, and one fang poking out of his mouth.

Characters will sometimes have the full moon as a “halo”, but only Draxum has had the sun as a “halo”.

And the yellow/orange/red background for Wolfie serves the same purpose.

Draxum has horns. A crescent moon functions as a stand-in for horns.

The Devil was once an angel. Perhaps Draxum once genuinely cared about yokaikind. He’s going to switch tactics and appeal to Raph's better nature. After all, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Don’t you want to protect your brothers, Raphael? Don’t they deserve the world?

I will give it all to you,

if you will kneel down and worship me.

And when Sweet Darling Red Boy listens to the Devil, there are terrible horrible consequences. :)

#rottmnt #rottmnt theory #baron draxum #rottmnt raph #its 4:30 in the morning hee hoo hee hoo #anyway i feel it's important to reiterate: we all need to form a prayer circle for huey duck #I! HAVE! OPINIONS!

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darkjanet2 · 3 years

Text

Drusilla’s Soul Ch. 14

Odiaba, Japan

A 14-year-old boy was practicing with his band. His name was Yamato “Matt” Ishida, he was handsome, cool, intelligent, and he was a bearer of Friendship. He had medium length blond hair and a green school uniform.

You've got a boy, you've got a girl,

Sitting' underneath a tree

They sit there everyday

And even though, you may think

this is the way the things should be,

It may not always be that way

You can't take nothing for granted,

You've gotta live life today

“Your music is really good. You can tour the world once you get a good enough agent, then you and the band will be world wide, Matt.” said the boy with a guitar.

(A/N: I don’t know their names for the Teenage Wolves band. I hope you don’t mind.)

The keyboard player nodded, “ I agree with him, but there are always other ways.”

“You really think we can travel the globe if we sign an agent? That’d be awesome, but I wonder who will watch TK while I’m gone?” Matt asked, “I mean, he’s 11. You think he can take care of himself?”

“That’s true, bro, but don’t you think you’re being a bit more like a parent than a brother? Being overprotective may make it harder for TK to seem more like a child than an adult, but I may have someone that can watch him while we’re gone.” said the drummer.

Matt looked at the drummer, “Who do you have in mind?”

“My cousin, she is cool.” the drummer responded.

“We have a gig to start next week. We are not going to travel nor will TK stay on his own. Besides, let’s do this gig and then we will start a concert.” said Matt.

They resumed playing music and the music level was absolutely brilliant.

After they finished practicing, they packed their instruments and fist bumped each other.

“That was really great practice, you guys. I’ll see you later.” Matt waved his friends goodbye.

“See ya, Matt.” said the keyboard player, waving goodbye to his friend.

Later that night

TK was playing Tekken 7 along with Patamon. His mother went to work until 6 PM. TK’s Tekken character was Paul Phoenix and Patamon’s Tekken character was Steve Fox. Paul was fighting Steve while his health bar was depleted. Patamon was trying to find a way to get his health bar up. TK was looking for power ups in the game, but couldn't find any. And Patamon also tried to find power ups, and he found it. Steve finally powered up and pummeled Paul to death. A K.O. appeared on the screen. Steve danced in victory. TK hung his head in defeat and Patamon won. TK couldn’t help but smile.

“You played well, Patamon. Wanna play another round?” asked TK.

“No. I'm kinda hungry. So what is your mother doing?" asked Patamon.

“She works at the newspaper company as a journalist. So she'll be back soon.” TK said, “Let’s have a hot pocket for dinner.”

“Okay.” said Patamon.

TK went to the kitchen and took out two frozen hot pockets from the freezer. He put them in the microwave to warm them up, and the microwave beeped those pizza pockets were done. He grabbed the saucers and carefully took them out of the microwave because it was hot.

They began to eat their food, it was so delicious and cheesy and it tasted like real pizza. They were soon full and sleepy.

“Ah, that was so good,” said Patamon blissfully.

“Yeah, it was." TK replied.

A phone rang in the kitchen. TK answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, TK.” greeted Matt.

“Hey, Matt. How have you been?” asked TK.

“I’m fine. The practice was really great, and the gig will start next week. Would you like to come?” asked Matt.

“Yeah, I can’t wait. Is all the gang going to be there?” TK replied.

“Sure, they are,” said Matt.

“Awesome! We haven’t seen them in a while.” said TK.

“You better be there next week ‘cause you don’t wanna miss it.” said Matt.

“Oh, I won’t miss it. I’ll set up a reminder, so I won’t forget that.” said TK.

“Okay, great. Is Mom home?” he asked.

“She’ll be back home until 6:00. I’ll tell her about this.” replied TK.

“Okay, I’ll see you later, bro.” said Matt.

“Bye, Matt.” TK hung up.

“Matt is having a gig next week. I think you should come, too.” smiled TK.

“Really?” Patamon beamed.

“Yeah, so are our friends, too.” said TK.

Patamon squealed in excitement and hugged TK, and TK hugged him back.

Somewhere in Underground

One night there was an underground crypt filled with candles resembling the church. The vampire minions gathered their leader. An ancient vampire was sitting on his throne who was old and hideous. He had white pale skin, a bald head with pointed ears and yellowish, talon-like nails. His face had the basic vampire brow ridge, wrinkles and fangs, except with red eyes instead of yellow ones; and a snub, bat-like nose. He also had blood-stained on his nose down to his mouth. He was wearing a leather jacket with matching pants and boots.

“My children, gather and listen to your Master,” the creepy looking creature said, as the vampires began to gather their master.

“Yes, my lord.” said the group of vampires.

"My children, have you obtained the items I need to free myself from this Hell Hole?" asked the Master.

One vampire kneeled in front of him, "Not yet Master, the Book Of Crimson Rituals and the Dagger Of Vladimir still have not been found, Master.” said the vampire named Luke.

The Master bent down and placed his index finger under the vampire's chin. "You best not fail again, my child or I will have to make an example of you."

“I won’t fail you, my Lord.” Luke said. " I'll find that book no matter what." Luke said.

“Anyway, I have a mission for you. There are some valuable items in Japan, Romania, and Denmark. I need three things that I have to free myself from this barrier.” said the Master.

“What are three items you need, Master?” asked Darla.

“The first item is Dagger of Vladimir that lies in Romania, the second item is a book called Crimson Ceremony that lies in Denmark, and the third item is Pigeon Blood gem that lies in Japan. This gem is precious.

Luke said, " I'll do whatever it takes to find that book Master. I won't let you down. I'll give you my word."

Angelus whispered to Darla, "This is ludicrous. Why do I have to stick with this prune face?”

“Because he’s trapped underground and the barrier held him off." replied Darla.

Angelus replied, "If we freed him, why can’t he just do it himself?”

“I heard that! Do you disobey my order?” asked The Master.

“Of course not, Master. We're just getting our plan of action together." said Darla.

“That's right. We'll be heading out soon." said Angelus.

“Of course you will, but if you disrespect your master, I will gladly dust you away like you're nothing.” said the Master.

Angelus scoffed, “Why not? You’ve been trapped underground with the barrier for 60 years!”

The Master said,"Don't make me kill you Angelus! Just do as I say!"

Luke said, “Well, speak of the devil, this girl called Drusilla was cursed by a gypsy to have a soul.”

“So Angelus was the one who sired her— no, he drove her insane before he turned into one of us." said the Master.

“And she fled from us, she was no longer with us. She has a damned soul and helped people.” said Angelus.

" What in the hell did you say? How would you know?” asked the Master.

“Because I have seen her every media report, Drusilla helped people from danger. The President had given her awards and a statue that made her a hero. It made my blood boil!” said Darla, in an angry voice.

Luke said, " And it's all on the head of one person. Angelus! I'll see you when I get back. I'm going to look for that book."

“Go ahead,” said Angelus. "Knock yourself out."

“I'm going to find the dagger, Master.” said Darla, bowing respectfully.

“You may go now, Darla.” the Master looked at Angelus, “ And it goes for you, Angelus. If you screw up even once, you're dead! Understand?”

Angelus paused before he responded, Yes, Master. I understand.” said Angelus, dully.

“Now go on. Your mission has begun.” said the Master.

They headed out on their mission determined to find the items for the Master.

One Week Later

Drusilla packed her belongings to get ready for the mission trip to Japan. She was dressed in a red dress and coat and shoes. Her hair was tied up as a bun and part of her mane down. She called David and Britney to come over to take care of her cat, Jade.

When they arrived at her house, she welcomed them.

“Hey, guys. Thanks for coming.” said Drusilla.

“It’s no problem. Guess where you are going?” asked Britney.

“Well, I have a mission to go to Japan. I’m on my way to the Princess Cruise, there are some strange creatures around here.” said Drusilla.

“Really? When are you coming back, Dru?” asked Britney.

“About 2 weeks.” replied Drusilla.

“Then you should be right back, right?” Britney asked.

“Yeah,I won’t be gone for too long. Before I go, please make sure you feed her, groom her, play with her, and wash her while I’m gone.” said Drusilla.

“Okay, we’ll do that.” said David, in affirmative.

“Please be careful. We’ll take care of Jade.” said Britney.

Drusilla nodded when she heard notification from her Uber app that had arrived at her house.

“Well, there goes my ride.” Drusilla patted Jade on the head saying goodbye. “Bye, Jade. Be a good cat and get along with them, okay?”

As Drusilla went out and got into the Uber and departed for the Princess Cruise. Drusilla called her boyfriend, Leon.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Leon.”

“Hey, Dru. How are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m fine. I’m on my way to the Princess Cruise.” replied Drusilla.

“Really? Where to?” asked Leon.

“Odaiba, Japan.” Drusilla said, “I have a mission trip right now, and I won’t be back until I return in 2 weeks.”

“You’re going on your own? If I come with you, it’s pretty dangerous to go on by yourself, you know?” said Leon.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be okay, Leon. Like I said, I’ll return in 2 weeks.” said Drusilla.

“Okay. I’m gonna miss you, Dru.” said Leon, sadly.

“I’ll miss you, too, Leon.” Drusilla smiled sadly.

“Take care, Dru.” said Leon.

“You, too.” Drusilla hung up.

After they had arrived at the Princess Cruise at the port. Drusilla thanked the Uber driver and took her luggage out of the trunk, walked to the entrance and gave them a valid ticket. As the cruise began to depart from the port, the passengers were exploring the ocean or relaxing.

A light switch came on, Drusilla scanned around the luxurious room. It had a Smart TV, queen bed, nice furniture, and there was a window where you could see the ocean. She opened the door to reveal a luxurious bathroom- beautiful.

It had a bathtub next to the shower, it had a sink and a toilet. So Drusilla made herself comfortable, so she turned on the TV to watch Family Guy.

#digimon adventure #btvs #btvs fanfiction #alternative universe #au crossover #drusilla #tk takaishi #matt ishida #takeru takaishi #yamato ishida

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gilbirda · 4 years

Link

What if the wolves arrive a little too late? What If Laurent did bite her? Bella fulfils her dream of being a vampire, but it quickly turns into a nightmare as she finds herself alone, hungry and heartbroken; with no one by her side to help her and guide her. When there's nothing left for her in this world, would she make the same decisions as if she were surrounded by her loved ones?

[Read on AO3][Read on FF.net]

I perfectly remember that day as if it were yesterday. Obviously, with this new vampire mind, I was able to remember every drop of rain that hit my face since I regained consciousness after burning for an eternity, every smell that assailed my nose, and even the taste of the first breath in this new life.

I remember the pain that hit me when I tried to get back my recent memories, like a sword stuck in the middle of my chest. My emotions moved to the front of my mind, amplified by this new body full of new sensations. The pain of rejection, helplessness at seeing me so lonely and despair knowing that everything that I had lived, that fantastic dream of just few months, was gone and never coming back.

Or so I thought.

When Laurent appeared in the meadow I never thought it would come to this. I remember with vivid clarity the voice of Edward’s illusion yelling at me to distract him and tell any lie, but silly me I didn’t do it on time. He lunged at me with those eyes, dark crimson from hunger, and I could barely register the pain of his fangs as almost immediately a new agony spread throughout my body. I did not register either when someone pushed away the body of the vampire feasting on my blood, nor heard the roars and howls filled with fury.

And that’s how I discovered that my best friend is a werewolf. The same day I was exiled from Forks, the day I woke up after what they said were three days of infinite hell, Jacob held my cold hand between his burning ones and looked at my eyes with a mix of feelings in theirs. He said, "You know, Bells? I really loved you, but now ... now that’s not possible.”

And just like that, everything I knew crumbled down before my very eyes. I could not mourn, I could not scream. I could not even move when I was left with my own means on the edge of the small town of Forks. I watched them go back to the reservation, turned into these huge animals designed to kill my kind, realizing that I’ve been spared only because of Jacob, and that I would never see my friend and my Sun again.

***

Living in the streets was relatively easy when you're a vampire. Never getting hungry, never feeling cold or never having to sleep. Eventually I stopped caring about my clothes or being covered with dirt or wandering aimlessly through the streets or not having a place to return to. I had no money, but I did not need anything, I only needed blood.

At first I refused to move from my refuge in the depths of a forest for fear of finding a human, but the thirst was so strange to me that it instinctively made me move. Before I knew it in my arms was the empty body of a hiker who had adventured too deep into the woods and had to be too close to a newborn vampire.

I wanted to die. I spent even more time locked away from humanity, remembering again and again the family of vegetarians who I still loved despite everything, thinking that he did not want me to become a monster. I'm still proud to have resisted the temptation the weeks that I did until my body simply disconnected from my mind and began acting on its own. I had to eat, it was just that, and the blood of the hiker was just too delicious. I could not go back to animals.

But that did not make me a monster. I was the same person, if this empty shell could be called person, no matter whose blood I drank. I did not enjoy the suffering of my victims, or found any fun in their terror or seeked entertainment that gave life to my long existence. Nor it sickened me. Simply it was what it was. I needed to eat, they were there within my reach. They did not even know what was that had happened to them as they never saw me coming.

Still, perhaps in honor of my lost love, I carefully chose my victims among the worst of worst kind, those who would die anyway or should not have been born, and I had to limit my thirst and keep it under a tight control.

And so in a slow succession of week after week, year after year, I rolled with my empty existence to the point where I forgot the sound of my voice, how my parents were called or why it had come to become this.

And you may ask, after so many years, have I not met any of my species? It is true that there are not many in the world, but pure statistics say that some should have crossed my path.

The truth is that I often saw several vampires, and at close distance. That was how I discovered I had the uncanny ability to be completely invisible. Not physically, but even if I were close enough for them to detect my scent, they never managed to find me, even taking them in circles until desisting and letting go. If I did not move and I focused enough, they couldn’t even see me. As if the place where I was wasn’t at all interesting, and when it seemed that they were going to look at me they turned to look elsewhere.

And so I never had any problems with other vampires; and if I didn’t want to be seen by humans I simply had to think about it and I became completely "invisible" to their low quality senses.

***

It was precisely that quirk what saved me from certain death.

The Volturi. I had the opportunity to watch firsthand how deadly they could be and the speed with which they came searching for me. If I did not have this power surely I would have died many years ago.

You see, when I felt strong enough to control my thirst to be among humans, I made the mistake of returning to Forks. Nostalgia, perhaps? I don’t know, I just knew I wanted to come back and see everything once again, have that closure that I was denied; and, silly me, to see if I would finally stop thinking so much of the months I spent in the town and the family of vampires that I met there. Obviously it was bad decision.

My father was destroyed. When I went to see him before going to the town, I looked through the window and there I saw him, surrounded by empty pizza boxes and empty beer bottles. It was about two in the afternoon and he should be at the police station, but was instead on the living room couch with a bottle in his hand and looking the TV screen without really watching what was on. In his hand, a sign of "Have you seen this girl?" with a photograph of my human version. He was incredibly aged even though I had not been gone for more than a few months, and I just knew that the gray hairs that had populated his head were completely my fault.

I could not look anymore and went to the school I never thought I’d yearn to see. I watched from the woods that surrounded it how everyone was going from one class to another and moved around campus, books in their hands and their faces full of concern for a lot of issues that were so alien to me now. I looked face by face for a known one but didn’t recognize any. My old friends had to be here, they were approaching final exams and graduation and they shouldn’t be allowed to skip class. As the minutes passed and all students were leaving after the last class, I analyzed every face feeling butterflies in my stomach. Perhaps I had forgotten them all? Forgotten Angela?

And I saw the face that I less wanted to see and, as if I really were so jinxed, she realized that I was watching and turned to see me. I did not have to see those eyes or blond hair to know it was her because the cry she let no more than two seconds after would be able to make me feel sick to the stomach had I been alive.

Lauren.

“Look what we have here,” she said, getting those who did not turn by her shriek do so now. And I felt everyone's eyes on me, on my face, in my white skin, my clothes that I have not changed since Laurent attacked me. It could not escape. “Our beloved Isabella Swan! The prodigal daughter returns home, huh?” She started walking towards me and I could hear her slightly accelerated pulse calling me. Imperceptibly I swallowed the poison that was gathering in my mouth. “We’ve been very worried, Bella,” she spat my name in disgust, “Where have you been all this time?”

From the giggles of the girls who accompanied her I did not have to be a genius to realize that Lauren had been spreading all sorts of nasty rumors about me and my disappearance. A few more people turned to see what was happening and gradually saw the recognition shine on their faces, followed by a range of expressions from surprise to disgust, passing through amusement.

The situation was so like a high school soap opera I couldn’t even feel afraid of what this human was trying to do to me. Inside my body there was just bloodlust and she was already too close.

“Bella!” a new person approached. Angela. “Oh my God, you're alive! I can’t believe it!”

I moaned, scared. No no no. Please do not get near me, I chanted in my head. But she ran to me with the solid intention to hug me, pushing Lauren out of her way. She threw herself into my arms, remaining motionless when she felt my cold and hard as stone skin. If I had a pulse it would be at full speed by the anxiety I felt at that moment.

I shouldn’t have come here. Damn, I shouldn’t have.

I could feel all eyes on me, on my face and especially on my red eyes. I could almost hear their thoughts thinking that I was Bella, but at the same time I was not; that was really obvious by the way their expressions changed the following seconds.

I turned my eyes to Angela and swallowed once again the poison that had gathered in my mouth, feeling my will fade whenever her blood hit the same spot on the skin of her neck.

“Bella,” she whispered, raising a hand to touch my face, her eyes roaming my new perfect and dangerous features. “What happened to you?”

“That she underwent surgery to look like her Edward” Lauren answered for me, followed by a chuckle from the people around her. Other people just watched, some feeling obviously uncomfortable after realising that I was not human by now. “I can not believe you've fallen so low, Bella. I knew your obsession was not normal, but this...”

“Is that's true?”

“I do not think so…”

“God, and she seemed responsible.”

“Bells,” the girl in my arms caught back my attention, her pulse quickening, probably feeling a instinctual fear that she surely could not explain. And I knew I could not escape anymore.

Lauren approached us and roughly pushed away my human friend to look at me more closely. I returned her defiant gaze, feeling the poison flowing uncontrollably with every sweet human heartbeat from the girl that was trying to humiliate in public. But how little I cared about that now. There was nothing to humiliate me for anymore and saying things about the Cullen wouldn’t have any effect in me. They were gone and I had been left behind and I think the message was very clear. I had accepted that in my days of isolation.

The blonde huffed and turned to look at his followers, telling them something that I could not register because when she raised her hand to grab my hair, the concentrated scent of her blood through the thin skin of the wrist hit me right in the nose .

And my mind disconnected from my body, driven by a bloodlust that I always felt, leaping from body to body and emptying them quickly before they knew what had hit them. When I was finally full, my eyes focused back and I saw that in my bloody hands lay, lifeless although with a remnant warth, the body of maybe my only friend in my previous human life; her face frozen in a grimace of terror, perhaps a cry, and the ripped skin of her neck in a rather animalistic bite.

***

I still remember my frightened face in the videos that roamed the Internet the following days. Students who were far enough away to escape the massacre recorded everything with their phones (I guess they wanted record Bella's reaction to Lauren’s provocations), and obviously that went to the news.

Until suddenly everyone pretended that nothing had happened, the initial alarm replaced by weather news and everything was blamed on an occultist group making sacrifices to Satan. No one mentioned the word "vampire" and in a couple of months the situation was forgotten. And the Volturi were obviously behind.

I saw them track me with the perfection of a clock, one by one killing the witnesses who were not willing to let it go as another strange thing in the town of Forks. I saw them in person when they almost caught me outside Seattle, a day after the slaughter, as I wiped off the blood on my clothes.

They weren’t able to find me thanks to my power, but their breaths on my neck was a memory I did not want to keep the rest of my life. From what I could understand from their conversation, one was a tracker, as was James, and it was getting on his nerves not being able to accurately locate my position more than a general area. They never gave up, and although over the decades they stopped looking, I know they were in the shadows waiting to come out to get me, and probably destroy me.

***

I looked away from the lifeless eyes of the person who was my dinner while I wiped with my tongue the remnants of blood from my fangs, listening intently. Few people adventured so close to the outskirts of city at this time of the morning, at least not so silently, as would someone who was drunk or high.

I cocked my head and dropped some junkie’s empty body at my feet, a shudder running through me at the taste of his contaminated blood, to crouch in case that these new vampires were coming for me. But they did not approach the city and the people, they went to the forest and up to mountain. How strange, I thought, no vampire in hunting mode (because at that speed and perfection of movements they were not playing) would go to ...

Oh, well. Vegetarians.

An imaginary cold sweat made me squirm. I had never crossed paths with vegetarian vampires before and the chances of it being them were painfully high. I did not know if I wanted to see them though, mainly because of the suddenness and little time to prepare. Because I was sure that I have forgiven them. It was not their fault that Laurent was in the meadow at that time and it was just my own stupidity that had brought me into the wolf's den, pun intended. The Cullen had made the decision that best ensured the survival of the group and now I could see the logic in that. That’s why I had buried my feelings as deeply as possible and tried to rebuild my life all these years, as promised.

But, was I going to try to approach? With my power I wasn’t sure if they’d find me anyway and I would feel like a coward if I tried to hide and escape or wait for them to leave, especially when on my part there was no hostility.

I glanced at the dry body at my feet and sighed. While at this point I do not know if there was any hostility ... I did not hunt like them and it would cause some tension, I was sure. They would ask questions, try to change my way of life ... But I do not think they’d reaccept me, especially if they knew that I am the most wanted vampire by the Volturi despite nearly hundred years from incident in Forks, and they could attack the family if the kings thought they were associated with me.

I sighed again, looking at the forest.

***

A couple of hours later, when I had buried my victim and had changed my clothes to something more suitable to wear, I went to track down the vampires I detected before. First I could hear and then finally I could see them pounce on a group of deer that did not know who attacked them.

Completely clean clothes and not a single spot of blood or a single hair out of place, Emmet, Rosalie and Carlisle were cleaned any stain on the lips as they stood on the clearing without knowing that I was watching them. I sighed mentally, it was now or never.

I left my hideout making my steps sound heavier and deliberately raised my arms to make me less of a threat. I've waited for them to finish hunting for a reason.

“Who's there -!?” Yelled the blonde turning to face me, her body turning to stone when she recognized me.

“What-” Emmet now turned.

I set my eyes on Carlisle when he finally looked at me, trying to make as if the surprise and horror that crossed his eyes did not affect me; as if the small icy dagger dug into my heart did not exist when they went into a defensive stance; or as if I didn’t feel my stomach turn itself out when they did not relax even though recognition shone in their eyes.

“Bella,” Emmet whispered, his face full of confusion. He looked at Carlisle not really knowing what to do in this situation.

“Oh my God,” Rosalie brought her hands to her mouth, “Edward will have a stroke.”

“Carlisle, what do we do?”

“Hm ....” he said, deep in thought.

I remained impassive as they deliberated, my gaze hovering between the three figures and my body still as a stone, as I was used to be. This was going to happen sooner or later and I was somehow grateful that these three have been those who were hunting when I found them.

“Bella, are you coming home with us?” I came back to reality and looked at him with all the force of my red eyes. I tried not to register the face he made at them.

I nodded silently without bothering to smile.

***

I still had not opened my mouth when I saw the house that so painfully reminded me of the one I knew in Forks and I wondered for a moment how many houses had the family around the world.

“Oh ...It’s good that he’s not at home,” whispered Carlisle and I immediately knew who he meant.

At the door Esme was waiting with her hand on her chest and the most serious face I have ever seen in her. I glanced past her to see what was behind. Alice was waiting for us in Jasper’s arms, sitting on the couch and staring at the horizon with an empty face transforming her perfect features into those of a doll. I set my eyes on Jasper when he got up into a defensive pose.

I cocked my head going over his scars with my eyes, on his beautiful golden eyes, remembering the details of his difficulty adapting to the vegetarian lifestyle. Had he finally gotten the hang of it? I smiled cautiously wishing things with Jasper about our past were less strained.

“What happened? What is she doing here?” hissed the blond, one hand hovering near Alice.

“Jazz …” Esme put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at me apologetically.

“No offence taken,” I finally spoke with my little used but beautiful voice, “is a normal reaction.”

“Bella, how is it that you are ... alive” said Alice when she got out of the trance. She looked about to cry. And I knew that she wasn’t just asking about my life status.

“How long …?” Carlisle sat in the chair beside me.

“Oh, Bella. What happened to you?” Esme dropped on the armrest of the couch where her husband sat.

I looked around observing every little detail of the great room, recognizing a couple of objects and giving myself unnecessary nostalgia. I lowered my eyes to Carlisle and Esme, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie, Alice's horrified eyes. I could almost see the thoughts going full speed on her head.

“Sometimes, although we think that a situation is over and done with, problems do come back,” I said finally letting myself go down my memories of that afternoon when Bella Swan died. “Even if James was more than dead, Victoria and Laurent were hovering too close to Forks, waiting.”

“Oh no,” Esme gasped, one hand on her mouth. I nodded and smiled softly.

“She wanted revenge and was trying to figure out the best plan to get to me. She recruited Laurent, who had given up your lifestyle, and was around Forks those days. I found him by chance and he was too hungry to wait for her.” My smile turned slightly downwards at the memory.

And then I explained what had happened to me since then, my power, my current diet, Forks’ incident and why I had decided to come and see them after so many years. Various stages of horror crossed their faces and eyes, and I really don’t know what part of my story had shocked them more. I no longer cared. The strong need for acceptance that I felt before when I was human had faded over the decades of a life where I had no one else beside me to impress, or a place to belong. I just got used to the fact that I had to be myself to survive.

It would hurt if they couldn’t accept this new “me”, but I wasn’t willing to change now to fit in the Cullens. Even if that was still an option.

When I finished my tale I stayed standing right there with a tiny smile, trying to ease the obvious tension in the air. I watched them pass a hand through their hair, sigh, look everywhere... except my red eyes.

I knew what they were thinking, of course I did. I didn’t need Edward hearing their thoughts to know what they were thinking. It only took looking into their golden eyes, the tension in the muscles under the skin of granite or slightly pursed lips in concentration to know the answers.

***

The cool evening breeze cradled my hair as I sat on a rock near the back door of the humble but enormous cabin-mansion that the Cullen had chosen as home in some well hidden place in the forest. I wondered vaguely if it was on purpose and if they did not want to make life in this city by being so far from humanity. Did the years change their modus operandi? Or it was just that this place was a temporary thing and they thought that having to leave early was enough reason to not be necessary to show a façade of normal human.

I sighed.

With my eyes closed I heard him before he reached the house, his steps being slightly lighter and faster than the others’, his sweet scent assailing my nose. I could recognize it anywhere even after all that happened, I thought sadly. I felt the slight tug on my chest where my dead heart was that had nothing to do with the pain that initially felt when I thought about him. I sighed, as this has brought me the opportunity to be sure that yes, I had forgiven everything that happened and that no, I didn’t want to give it another chance. Friendship, perhaps, but our “bond” broke so many years ago and over time the possibility of fixing it had faded into nothing.

I straightened up on my place, getting into a perfect Greek statue impersonation and waited for him to appear.

A slight breeze and the sound of his rapid breathing told me the time to open my red eyes, fixing them into his soft creamy golden ones, ignoring the grimace that he made for a second at the intensity of my ruby eyes, those of a freshly fed. His expression was a frightening mixture of horror, shock, disbelief and denial at what was happening, telling me everything I needed to know and confirm that for him things were different now. I vaguely wondered if he had met someone else or if he had somehow moved on; but knowing how things are as a vampire, as I do now, you never really "turn over a new leaf".

I got up with unnecessary slow, for our species, and smiled.

“Hello, Edward. It’s been a long time, isn’t it?”

***

“I don’t understand why he does this,” Alice mumbled while walking in circles in the corner, “I'm so sorry, Bella, I did not expect him to react that way.”

“Oh, honey …” Esme sobbed and collapsed in my arms. Carlisle was right behind her with pursed lips and lost in thought, one hand on his wife's waist, offering silent support.

I sighed for the thirty-fourth time that night.

I turned my eyes to Emmet and Rose sitting on the couch, her arms crossed and a frown on her face, him with an arm around the blonde's shoulder as if he were supporting her, but I knew better. He was holding her in place to stop her from killing someone. Jasper has followed Edward when he ran away.

I patted the weeping mother could that couldn’t cry and rested my head on hers, trying to reassure her that nothing was wrong and that I was okay.

“It’s okay, Esme. Somehow I am not surprised that he reacted that way. I remember that he was very much against my turning and that he was ... sickened of this lifestyle” everyone in the room knew that I was not referring only to being a vampire, but my chosen diet.

“But he you called monster” Esme said in my ear with a disbelieving voice. I closed my eyes tightening the embrace. I was not used to people worrying about me, much less in a motherly way, and I loved the detail. “He has no right to do so. When he gets home he will have to face a very angry Esme.”

Emmet looked at her with wide eyes and somehow I knew it would not be pretty. I smiled widely and pushed her gently out of the embrace to look at her eyes, giving her a slight squeeze on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Esme. For real. I'm fine.”

The other pursed her lips, upset by the situation but understanding what I meant, which I appreciated. After all that had happened I did not want to make this bigger than it was and if Edward wanted to behave so selfishly it was neither my right nor my responsibility to correct it. He was a big boy now.

I went to the couch to sit besides Emmet and slightly leaned on his shoulder, feeling his heavy breathing like a large animal, going through my thoughts about the brief but intense argument with the vampire that as soon as he saw my red eyes shouted that I "was not Bella". Or, at least, was not the same Bella who he had left in Forks.

He said that instead I had become ... something. A monster, I know he wanted to say, and I told him so. He did not deny it.

Still I do not know what hurt more, the expression on Edward’s face or the cowardice he proved to have when he turned around and run the other way. The worst part is that in my mind I was not able to match the image of the Edward I fell in love with back in Forks’ high school, so ethereal and perfect, and that always knew what to what to do; with this Edward, ironically more humane and unable to confront the ghosts of his past. And that had preferred to flee rather than accept that he was wrong those years ago, that I had changed to be someone else.

***

A few hours later and after many farewells, promises to meet again more often, having gotten a satellite cell phone and exchanged numbers with all of the Cullen, I was standing on the porch of their home saying goodbye with my hand and a big smile on the face. The weight that was on my chest had disappeared almost completely, a small thorn with the name of a certain vampire with coppery hair uncomfortably digging in my side.

I hadn’t taken two steps when I felt him coming towards me at full speed. I turned to see what he wanted from me, trying to make my face as emotionless as possible so it did not show how upset I was with him for calling me "monster".

“Bella…” he whispered, frowning. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. I remembered that gesture, how weird. “I'm sorry. That wasn’t an exemplary behavior.”

“Not much,” I simply answered. My honesty seemed to throw him back for a moment.

“I’ve really had a hard time accepting that ... Well, what you are.”

“A vampire. Yeah,” I said looking into the woods behind me. “Edward, I'll be frank with you. It’s been almost a hundred years and I have forgiven what happened. I've moved on, or what we call in this long existence ‘move on’,” he nodded in understanding, a sad glint in his gaze, “but those times are never coming back.”

I could see in his eyes that he knew where I wanted to go with those words and any speech he had prepared crumbled into dust leaving only bare emotions. He was confused, sad, and with the expression of a helpless child and for a second I felt like hugging him. He had spent at least fifty years of his life thinking that I was dead, I had to concede him that. And I would be just as confused if suddenly someone appeared at my house, a vampire whom I believed had died of old age as a human.

“I understand,” he took my hand gently, but there was nothing romantic about it then. “I regret even more deeply for having made this reunion so awkward. Please come back home more often. We've really missed you…”

“Will do,” I smiled and walked over to give him that hug we both needed.

And I could see the rays of a possible friendship starting from scratch. A less lonely life, without carrying my sorrow by myself or not having anywhere to go. At least there was a family of vegetarian vampires who would come to help without thinking twice, no matter what happened. And I would obviously do the same for them.

***

I blinked feeling that the lenses that Alice had given me were clouding my vision more and more. Argh! It was so uncomfortable.

But the need to blend in better with humans was greater since my red eyes did not go as unnoticed as the golden ones of the vegetarians and I could not focus on my power long enough to not rely on extra help to avoid being discovered.

Right now I was trying to buy new clothes without going crazy in the process and I haven’t been even fifteen minutes into the mall when the phone that the Cullen had given me this year rang. The other one worked perfectly fine, but their excuse was that it had to be up to date with the new technologies. I was not one to deny them anything when Esme looked at me with such intensity.

“How dare you go shopping without calling me!” said the high-pitched voice of the pixie from the other side of the line. I sighed.

“Alice, I'm not even "shopping". I just needed some new clothes-” but, of course, I was interrupted.

“I'll be there in ten minutes. Don’t you dare to move!”

I blocked the phone with a small smile. My life had changed since I decided to contact the Cullen family, and it had been for the better. They treated me like one of them but not pressured the issue of Edward, and I appreciated it. I wanted to be myself, and eventually they had accepted my human diet so it was no longer any problem between us. They had also stopped trying to convince me to switch to vegetarianism, although occasionally they brought it up jokingly.

My smile broadened as I raised my eyes to the dark sky with gray clouds. This was not the life as vampire I had wanted so many years ago, but it was the life where I had done the best I could with the cards that were given to me. And knowing this made me feel more complete than ever.

#twilight fanfiction #twilight #bella swan #edward cullen #new moon #new moon au #alternate universe #fanfic #fanfiction #writeblr #canon divergence #gil writes

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t-i-n-y-d-i-n-o · 5 years

Text

Acceptance

Guys, I did a thing. A thing I’m proud of. Please show me love 💕

Word count: 8.4K

Warnings: swearing, blood, violence

werewolf x Shawn

Lifting your head from where you are sticking a skull solar light into the ground. With sensitive ears picking up on the sounds coming from your left. Heavy and fast footsteps crashing through the forest bordering your home.

Standing up you start to make your way to stop whatever creature is coming too close to your territory. Little growls emitting from your chest, more than ready to protect your pack. Just as the screaming hits your over sensitive ears.

“Please help us! God please help!” Brian cries as he and Matt trample through the forest. Geoff comes down the steps from the porch, flanking you.

“Go around the left side, I’ll meet you there.” You respond, picking up your pace as you both rush to stop the screams. Nina jumping off the porch to go around the right side, all three of you in sync.

“Holy fuck oh my god. Please help me, my my friend he’s going to die. Oh fuck it happened so fast.” A ginger says as he pants, cheeks flushed a deep red as he looks at you.

“Where? What happened?” You ask, an almost stern tone to your voice hearing two more people running towards you. Screaming for Brian, before your ears pick up on a slowly thudding heart. Geoff and Nina meeting you, only for you three to follow the boy.

“Oh my god.” Nina whispers eyes wide as she stares at the bloodied boy on the ground. Shirt shredded, holes in his jeans, the right side of his torso riddled with puncture wounds.

[[MORE]]

“What attacked you?” Geoff asks in a low whisper, watching as you kneel next to the curly haired boy. Your fingers ghosting over his skin while you wince at the pain coursing through his system.

“A a huge wolf attacked us. We were just setting up camp and it came out of no where.”

“You do know this is a reserved area right?” Nina asks the boys while kneeling next to you, helping to pull his shirt away. Both of your eyes flirting over the marks across his skin.

“Alpha bite? She whispers, Geoff tilting his head to look around the open field.

“Rouge alpha...he’s lucky he got away.” You respond, looking up at his face to see how pale he is.

“What’s his name?” You ask looking up at who must be Brian. Tear tracks on his face as his heart hammers away in his chest.

“S Shawn. Please save him, please don’t let him die. He didn’t even want to come out this weekend. But we made him.” The ginger says, body shaking from the amount of adrenaline coursing through him.

“I...the only way to save him is to bite him and hope that the mark takes. His body might not be strong enough for it.” You murmur, frown creasing your eyebrows together.

“We have to try.” Nina says quietly, looking at you. You take a deep breath and nod slightly, looking up at your right hand beta.

“Geoff, help me get him back to the house. Nina get Lilly and run the perimeter. Call me if you find anything suspicious. Do not take on this thing by yourself. You three, you know Dr. Leslie’s number?” You ask looking at the three teenage boys seeing the bearded one nod his head quickly.

“Good, follow us and call her.” You say standing and helping Geoff lift the boy up.

“Alright lets go.” You say following the tall blond back to your den. Your hands steadying Geoff under the somewhat muscular boy.

“Daniel, Zach go and tidy up the room next to mine. Downstairs the smaller one, fix the bed up and open the window.” You tell your two younger betas, they both nod their heads. Hurrying down the stairs to fix the room, Nina and Lilly rushing out to check the perimeter.

“Geoff keep them out of here please.” You say softly once the blond has laid Shawn out on the dining room table. He nods a bit and squeezes your forearm softly before heading out.

“Alright Shawn...you’ve gotta work with me...need you to accept this. I don’t want to tell your friends that you died.” You murmur, pulling his shirt away from him more. Brushing off his right shoulder before feeling for the more prominent veins. Taking a deep breath and looking up at the sharp cut of his jaw.

Letting your fangs extend, breathing in deeply. Getting his cinnamon scent to fill your nose, your eyes bleeding into a bright amber tinted green. Before sinking your teeth into his shoulder, a muffled groan coming from his mouth.

Body jolting slightly at the hot pain coursing through his system. You rest your hand on his chest, pulling his pain away and letting it filter through your body. Detaching after a few moments, taking a deep breath while closing your eyes. Listening to his heart, letting it beat under your fingertips.

“Come on...come on Shawn...don’t do this. Accept it, let it rush over you. Take the bite.” You whisper, willing the tall boy to accept what you’ve given him. His heartbeat starts to drop, making you growl softly. Eyes closing while you focus on pulling more pain from him.

Your muscles starting to quiver from the energy you’re putting out. Before a wet gasp leaves his mouth, causing your breath to drop. A relieved sound coming from you just as the sliding doors open. A tall pale blonde man hurrying through, seeing the bloodied mess on you both.

“What did you do?” He asks pushing his round glasses up his face. You slowly turn to look at him, body feeling fatigued.

“I didn’t have a choice, he was going to die. I had to override his system, I had to change him.” You say, leaning against the table, breathing heavily. Muscles still quivering from the adrenaline and fear going through your system.

“Jesus Christ...you both need to rest. Is he healing? His friend said it was bad.” You look down at the gangly boy on your oak table. Delicate eyes searching for his wounds from earlier, most of them slowly beginning to heal.

“It’s working, just slowly...he’ll need pain medicine. And an IV drip for fluids.” You respond looking up to see Geoff coming into the room. A glass of orange juice in his hand, the other grabbing a chair. Making you sit down before handing off the juice.

“Will he be okay?” Geoff asks looking at the doctor, watching as his fingers flit across bruised and broken skin.

“I don’t know yet...your alpha is going to have to watch over him closely. Pick up on any changes to his heart or pain states. The worse the pain gets the less his body is taking the bite.” You nod slightly and let out a deep breath, drinking down more of the citrus juice.

“Is a room ready for him? He needs to rest in a place where he can be comfortable.”

“His room is ready.” Daniel says as he pokes his head into the room. Zach close behind him, the almost 9 year old antsy as he waits to see you. You nod slightly and stand from your chair, before Geoff is shoving you down.

“Rest, we’ll move him and then you can come down and check on him. Daniel make her an almond butter sandwich. No crust just the way she likes it.” You feel your cheeks heat up in a blush at the way your beta bosses you around.

“You know...I’m the alpha.”

“Yea yea I know. Just chill out okay? I’ve got him.” The blond responds, before helping to lift the tall boy up. You can feel your stomach clench as they carry Shawn away. Daniel coming out with your sandwich and a glass of ice water.

“Are you okay alpha?” Zach asks as he comes over to look at you. His chestnut colored eyes searching for yours, you smile softly as you look at him.

“I’m okay Z, just tired is all.” You respond, pulling him in to kiss his forehead. Eating your food in silence as the two youngest members of your pack keep you company.

“We didn’t catch any odd scents, near or around where their site was.” Nina says as she comes back into the house. Curly black hair pulled up into a bun, her darker complexion covered in little beads of sweat.

“Okay, we need to keep a close look out on the edges of our territory. I’ll ask Lelia if she’s heard anything in the counsel, make it a pizza night and everyone needs to make sure their windows are locked. As well as the alarms are set, front and back doors are locked as well.” You say slowly rising from your chair, getting nods from each of your betas.

“What happened? Why can’t we see Shawn?” Brian asks rising from the large black sectional in the living room. All three of the boys almost bombarding you on your way to the basement stairs.

“I didn’t have a choice...I had to change him. If his parents want to come and see him they can. He’s going to be sleeping for a little bit while his body adjusts. I’m sorry.” You say softly, eyes meeting the ginger’s. Seeing the confusion on all of their faces, feeling the guilt and anger in some of them.

“This wasn’t your fault, you didn’t know there was a rogue alpha. I didn’t even know and this is my territory. I’m going to make sure that he’s okay. You have my word.” You say standing up taller to look at all three of them. Brian is the first one to wrap his arms around you, pulling you into his chest. Letting you feel his warmth, gratefulness seeping into your mind. His strong cranberry scent filling your nose as he squeezes you tightly.

“Thank you so much, I know you did what you had to do. I know you saved him. Thank you so much.” He whispers into your soft hair, you hug him back slowly.

“You’re welcome.” You murmur, before two more sets of arms are wrapped around you. Lemon and mint filling your nostrils, you accept their hugs. Their thank you’s piling in before you’re all breaking away from each other.

“I need to go check on him, he’ll be okay.” They nod a bit and take deep breaths while watching you shuffle for the stairs.

“She isn’t lying, she will make sure he’s okay.” Lilly promises while she looks at the three boys, they all look at the silver haired wolf.

“Can we leave our numbers? So she can call and tell us how he’s doing?”

“She’ll text, she doesn’t like calling people.” Daniel says laughing as he nods at the large white board on the wall. Weekly chores, grocery lists, and drills written down. They head over, opening Expo markers and writing their names and numbers down in a corner.

“We’ll walk you back to your site and then back to your car.” Nina says as she looks at them all, letting them follow her out the back door.

“How is he?” You ask as you step into the room, looking at the tall boy in the full sized bed. His body almost too long to fit properly, an IV bag hanging on the post.

“He’s resting, his pain level should stay low. But you’ll be the best judge at that, he might wake up disoriented and confused. Ease him into it, he’s going to need time to adjust. It’s a big change from being human to wolf.” Dr. Leslie says looking at you, blue eyes clear behind his glasses.

“Thank you, I’ll make sure to pay close attention to him.” You murmur, eyes slowly gliding over to look at him again.

“You should get some sleep too.” Geoff says softly, you nod slowly. Leaving the room with the two men, keeping the door partially open before heading for your room. You let the doctor check you out, listening to your heart beat and breathing sounds.

“Rest, drink fluids, eat more protein. Replenish yourself.” He tells you, patting your shoulder gently. You nod a bit and step into your large room, looking around a bit before eyeing up your bed.

“Just gonna take a couple minutes then gonna get up and shower.” You promise yourself before laying back, eyes already closing. Exhaustion from helping and healing Shawn finally attacking your system.

“Are they going to be okay?” Lilly asks as Geoff comes up the stairs, seeing all of the betas waiting anxiously.

“Yes, they are going to be okay. They both just need to rest.” He responds, getting nods and relieved sighs. Before he’s herding them all to get their chores done, ordering dinner, and making sure everything is locked up just the way you like.

~4 days later~

Shawn can feel that he isn’t in his bed, this one smells like ginger. The blankets are too soft and the pillows are too squishy. His entire body is aching, throat feeling like the Sahara desert. His ears picking up on an even thudding, the smell of honey and roses filtering down to his nose. His muscles slowly unlocking as he tries to open his eyes.

“He’s awake.” You whisper, looking down towards the basement stairs. Geoff grabbing a bottle of icy water, while you grab a soft granola bar. Both of you stepping down the stairs slowly, listening as Shawn’s breathing hitches. Confusion, and anxiety beginning to flow towards you.

“Shawn...hey breathe, in and out slowly bud.” You say sitting on the edge of the bed, hand coming out to touch his bare chest. Feeling the hairs there, his skin clammy to the touch.

“W where am I? Who are you? What is going on?” He asks, Geoff stepping over to help him sit up better. While you stuff another pillow behind his shoulders.

“Can you drink some of this and eat before I explain everything?” He looks between the cold bottled water in the blond’s hands and the soft chewy granola bar in yours. Before nodding slowly and accepting your help into eating and drinking it.

Geoff slowly backing out of the room, staying close just in case you need him. Shawn eyes you, noticing the way your shoulders are set a certain way. A scar running from the top of your left shoulder and curving around your collar bone jaggedly. Your tank top a little worn around the edges, your hair tied in a half up, half down type of way.

“Can you answer my questions now?” He asks, voice still slightly rough before he clears his throat. You take a deep breath and bring your eyes up to meet his. Heart beat beginning to increase slightly, Shawn’s new hearing picking up on it. His anxiety spiking again as he looks at you in worry.

“You’re in my den...well my home that I share with my pack. My name is Y/N, I am alpha and pack leader. You were attacked by a rogue alpha and your friends came to me for help. I didn’t have a choice...I had to change you. I wasn’t sure if you were going to accept the bite. I know this wasn’t your choice and I’m so sorry. But I couldn’t let you die.” You say the end in a firm voice, shoulders set in a line as you meet his gaze.

“Y you turned me into a wolf? There were more options than that! Where are my parents? Where is my sister? My friends?! I have to leave all of that behind for you?! For this pack that I don’t even know! A pack I don’t even want.” He asks, chocolate eyes meeting yours. A mixed look of horror and disgust buried in his eyes.

“You haven’t met my pack, you don’t have the right to say anything about them. You have no idea the amount of work they have put in to making sure you are okay. You don’t have to give up anything, but you do have to accept the fact that this has happened. It can’t be changed, you can stay here and learn how to harness the gift you’ve been given or you can go and run wild. Go and hurt somebody, but you do not get to disrespect my pack.” You say, standing and setting his water down on the nightstand.

Before storming from the room, fury rolling off of you in waves. Low growls coming from you as you pace the upstairs, moving from the dining room into the kitchen. Eyes a bright green color, heart slamming into your ribcage. While Shawn is left to sit in a room that isn’t his, in a bed that he barley fits, and heightened senses he doesn’t know how to handle.

“Y/N...Y/N, slow down please.” Nina says as she sits in one of the barstools at the breakfast nook.

“He disrespects my pack, he disrespects my den, he is a right out asshole to me. I saved his life, I didn’t have to bring him in. I could have told them that it sucks to be them and left it.” You growl, she sighs softly and looks at you.

“Alpha...he is scared, confused, alone, he woke up in a strange place, in a strange bed, only to be told he’s a werewolf now. It’s a lot to try and accept at one time.” You let out a soft huff of annoyance, not wanting to admit that she’s right.

“Give him a little bit, maybe he’ll want to talk again.” She offers, you bring your eyes up to meet her deep brown orbs.

“Fine...fine I will wait it out. But I’m not happy about it.” Nina smiles softly and nods her head a bit before hopping off the stool. You take a deep breath and turn towards the kitchen, wondering if you have the time to reorganize the pantry.

“I have to leave.” Shawn whispers to himself as he stands from the bed. Wobbling slightly at the light headedness that washes over him, steadying himself with a hand on the wall. He looks around the small room, seeing the way the walls have been painted a faint grey. The large window opened, letting a soft breeze flow about. Trees, grass, leaves, dead branches, orange, and lemon grass scents all filling his nose.

His eyes closing as he lets out a little whimper, brain trying to keep up with everything now. Shawn’s eyes slowly drag across the wall, looking at the floor length mirror pinned up on the tall closet door. Stepping over to it he looks at himself, fingers touching his skin.

Feeling the stubble across his jaw, something he couldn’t really grow before. Noticing the way his eyes have flecks of gold in them now, his pupils also drawing in on the way his canines look a little sharper. Before he looks at his chest, the hair spread across a little thicker.

“Checking yourself out in the mirror could be counted as vain.” You say, standing in the doorway of his room. A plate of food in one hand, two bottles of water tucked under the other arm. Shawn’s eyes snap over to you, stomach grumbling loudly as the smell of burgers and chips fill his nose.

“Mhm...you’ll need to up your calorie intake...and add more meats to it. It’ll help with your fast metabolism now.” You say, offering up the plate for him. He slowly takes it from you, admiring the way the burgers are piled high with fix-ins.

“I know you don’t fully grasp what has happened yet...a sudden shift like this is...rough. I don’t personally know, I was born this way. But I know Lilly would be able to relate to you...her shift was similar to yours. You can always talk to her, if you don’t feel comfortable talking to me.” You say, keeping your place in the doorway while he sits on the edge of his bed. Eating quietly, eyes focused in on a spec of dirt on the floor.

“Why didn’t you try something else?” He whispers once he’s swallowed, heart rate

rising.

“I could feel your pain, could hear the way your heart was slowing...no heart should ever sound that way. I couldn’t wait for the doctor to get there...I couldn’t let you die.” You reply, watching his profile and the way his sharp jawline clenches slightly.

“I want to go home.”

“I never said you couldn’t go home.” He shakes his head slightly and takes a deep breath.

“You said I could hurt someone. I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Shawn lets out in an almost whimper, you take a deep breath.

“If you trust me...and my pack, we will do our best to make sure you don’t hurt anyone. I just need a little bit of time.” He takes a shuddery inhale and turns his head to look at you. Chocolate eyes boring into yours with a type of intensity that you’re not expecting.

“Can I see my family?”

“You’re not a prisoner, you can see them, call them, whatever. Any time you want, all I ask is that you check in. Just so if you need me, I can find you easier. I may be an empath but I’m not a mind reader too.” You say trying to get him to smile, watching as the joke goes right over his head.

“How do I control everything? I can smell so much and hear so much. And it’s all...it’s too much.” He says shaking his head, you take a deep breath. Waving your hand into his room, watching him nod slightly. You step in and sit on top of the oak dresser, pulling your legs into a criss cross.

“You need to focus on one thing...when you say you can smell so much what is it that you smell?” You question, resting your elbows on your knees.

“Outside of the window...can smell all of that. And I can smell oranges and lemon grass and honey and camomile. It’s just too much.” He says, you can feel the anxiety and mental pain coming off of him.

“Focus on the things closest to you, your scent pick up on that.” You say quietly, resting your elbows on your legs. Chin in your folded hands as you watch him, eyes closing. His chest still rising and falling rapidly, but his fingers loosening their hold on the edge of the bed.

“C cinnamon...I smell cinnamon.” He replies after a few moments, ribcage slowing in its movements.

“Good...that’s you. You smell like cinnamon, now focus on something else.” You say quietly, keeping your own breathing and heart rate down. Paying attention to the way his eyebrows crease, his head tilting slightly.

“Honey dipped roses.” Shawn whispers, heart slowly coming down to a healthy rhythm.

“That’s me.” You answer, watching as his eyes open to show off a soft caramel color.

“Why does it make me calm down?” He murmurs, looking at you with confusion creasing his brows.

“Because I’m your alpha, the bond we have will be stronger than any bond with any of my other pack members...I created you.” You reply, letting your legs unfold from the dresser.

“You need to rest some more, the tv remote is in the drawer over there. The shower is in my bathroom...which is separating our walls. Just come out of here and go right, make sure you shut both doors...I’m going to help you as much as you’ll let me Shawn.” You say, gently touching his shoulder before leaving his room.

The soft touch of your finger tips on his skin making goosebumps form all over. Before you’re gone, and he’s looking after your retreating form. Tipping back onto the bed and taking a deep breath. Closing his eyes and zeroing in on the way your scent is still swirling around his room.

“Fuck.” Shawn whispers, opening his eyes again. Wondering how the hell he’s going to be able to do this.

~few days later~

“You must be Aaliyah.” You say opening your front door, looking at the somewhat tall girl. Her brown hair straight but her face set into an anxious expression.

“Where is my brother?” She asks looking at you with wide brown eyes. You step aside and let her in, leading her towards the stairs. Before heading down in front of her, stopping outside of the room that Shawn has taken residence in.

“Just call if you need anything. I’ll be upstairs.” You say before departing and heading back for the kitchen where you had been making snacks for the younger pups. Aaliyah looks at the door, taking a deep breath before twisting the cold metal knob.

“Shawn?” His head lifts up, already having known she was outside but not wanting to bombard her. The teenager’s eyes fill with tears as she rushes to hug him as tight as she can. His arms curling around her shoulders, letting her cry into his shirt for a few minutes.

“It’s okay, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” He promises, kissing her head gently and nuzzling close to her. Picking up on her peony scent, eyes closing as his heart aches. He isn’t sure how long he holds her before she’s sitting on the bed next to him.

“Where’s mum and dad?”

“They um, they didn’t want to come with. Brian drove me...they aren’t they aren’t happy about it.” She says softly, picking at the hole in her jeans. He feels his heart snap in half, before anger bubbles up.

“I couldn’t control what happened...it’s not like I asked to be turned. It was either I die or I become this.” Shawn says, heart rate picking up as his eyes begin to shift in color. Aaliyah can feel her own heart jack hammering against her chest. Suddenly praying that you hear Shawn, and then feeling a hand wrap around her bicep. She looks up to see you standing there, moving her behind yourself.

“Shawn, calm down. Hey you need to come back.” You say in an even tone, left hand up towards him. The other gently touching Aaliyah’s arm, keeping her body tucked behind yours. Honey eyes lock in on you, fangs bared as he tries to breathe. Fighting with himself, you steel your body to the ground. Expecting him to come lunging at you, it wouldn’t be the first time one of the newbies had tried.

“Shawn please.” Aaliyah says softly, holding onto your arm slightly. Looking at her brother with pleading eyes, wanting him to be the way he used to be. The tall boy lets out a soft whine, shaking his head slightly as he backs himself into a corner.

“Geoff is right outside that door, I want you to take slow steps towards him. I will call you when it’s okay for you to come back. You didn’t do anything wrong, he’s just not stable right now.” You say softly to the teenage girl clutching your forearm. She looks up at you, tears filling her eyes as she nods slowly.

Accepting that her brother, her Shawn isn’t the same anymore. And that she will have to put her trust into you, and hope that everything will be okay. With heavy feet she slowly begins her walk towards Geoff, eyes looking over at Shawn. Seeing that he’s sunk to the ground, head in his hands as he tries to breathe deeply.

“Can you give him this?” Aaliyah asks as she holds out a stuffed lion. Geoff gently takes it from her, looking out at Brian’s waiting car.

“I’ll make sure he gets it.” The blond wolf says, getting her to nod slightly and sniffle as she looks at the basement stairs one more time.

“Shawn, focus, smells what can you smell?” You ask as you kneel in front of him, keeping your body from touching his at all. Not wanting to overwhelm him, making sure your heart rate stays the same.

“Honey and roses.” He breaths, hands cupped next to his temples as he tries to focus on you. Your scent and the sound of your heart being a solid beat.

“That’s good, keep focusing on that.” You say, sensitive ears picking up on his heart beat. Listening as it slowly comes down from the erratic pumps. He lifts his head to look at you, tears welling and blurring his vision.

“I...I fucking terrified my sister.” He gets out before a sob erupts from his throat. You bite your lip, before pulling him into your arms and letting him cry. Trying to calm the wolf in your arms, feeling him hiccup against your throat as he clutches onto you.

“You didn’t scare her, she’s worried about you. You can talk to her on the phone maybe tomorrow, and we’ll work on anger management.” You tell him, feeling him nod against your skin. Long eyelashes brushing across the sensitive flesh. You take a deep breath, cinnamon filling your lungs.

You’re not sure how long you both sit like that, before he’s letting you go. You make sure he’s okay before you slip from his room. Running your hands down your face as you head up the stairs again. Letting out a soft groan as you lean your elbows on the kitchen counter.

“Alpha?” Zach asks as he tugs on your shirt gently, you look at him. Seeing a questioning look in his eyes as he looks at you.

“What’s up bud?”

“Can we have tacos tonight?” You smile softly and nod your head a bit. Seeing the smile cross his features, pulling his cheeks up towards his eyes. Showing off the missing tooth on the bottom, something he was very proud of.

“Lets get all the stuff ready, then we don’t have to do the dishes.” You say squeezing his sides and getting him to laugh. Before you both set out to make dinner, browning meat and cutting tomatoes. Chopping lettuce and slicing olives, putting everything in different bowls. Watching Zach as he stands by the meat, browning it up for you with the seasonings. The other wolves slowly coming in from their activities. Shawn even coming in, helping set the table.

“Aaliyah left this for you.” Geoff says softly as he hands Shawn the small lion. The teenager holding it in his hands, looking down at it. His heart squeezing in his chest, wanting nothing more than to hug his sister.

“Thank you.” He says softly, before going back down towards his room to set it gingerly on his bed. Coming back up to see everyone setting things down on the table. Chatter filling the empty space, everyone having fallen into place together. Like one large and happy family, something that maybe Shawn could fit his way into.

-few days later-

“If you’re going to learn to control your anger, you need to find triggers.” You say as he stand outside with Shawn, the early morning sun beginning to come down on the large field. His eyes come over to look at you, admiring the way your bun is messy yet put together.

Your muscles looking lean but like they could snap someone in half. Your grey Nike tank top hugging your curves well, as do your matching spandex capris. Even down to your black tennis, you look completely in your element.

“How do I know what my trigger is? Everything pisses me off.” Shawn states, kicking some pebbles with the tip of his own black Nike’s.

“You find the things that get you the most worked up, the things that make your blood boil with just a single mention of it. Everything pissing you off will calm down, it happens with the hormones of being changed.“ You respond, seeing him nod a bit before he looks up at you again. Brown eyes searching for something that he isn’t finding.

“Your parents are a trigger.” He grits his teeth, right hand clenching into a fist by his side. Turning his head away from you and trying to take a deep breath.

“Channel that, work through it and process the anger and frustration rolling through your system.” You say, slowly step off a few steps to the right. Watching and feeling as he tries to work through the rage bubbling under the surface.

“We know being transformed is a trigger for you.” He lets out a huff of air through his nose, eyes clenching shut.

“Being here is a trigger...even if you don’t want to admit it. Being here and not being able to go anywhere makes you angry. Because you don’t trust yourself yet.”

“Shut up!”

“Work through it!” He snarls as he turns his honey eyes on you, your muscles clenching under your skin. Anticipating his next move, remembering when you trained with your mother. Remembering the feel of working through your emotions as high school had taken its toll. Watching Shawn brings back the memories of helping all of your pack.

Even down to little Zach, working through his heightened emotions. The tall wolf slowly breathes through his nose, unclenching his jaw a few times. Flexing his fingers as he finds his anchor slowly. Before he’s turning to look at you with soft chocolate eyes.

“How do you handle all of this?” Shawn asks as the two of you sit eating lunch now. You wipe your hands on your napkin and clear your throat slightly.

“It’s different for a born wolf, we don’t have to learn as much as one’s that have been bitten. It’s harder on you guys to come to terms with the fact that everything is so different. It’s a lot to take in, but you’re doing well with all things considering.” You tell him, tucking your hair behind your ear slightly. He laughs as he shakes his head at you.

“I’m a fucking mess.” You chuckle and smile at him as you take a deep breath. Picking up your cold water and sipping from it.

“It could be worse, Lilly almost ripped off someone’s arm the first time I took her to the grocery store.” You say shrugging a bit before eating a few of your cheddar chips. Shawn laughs as he looks at you, shaking his head in disbelief.

“How do you always know what everyone is feeling? Is it an alpha thing?” The teen asks, before finishing his sandwich and wiping his hands off.

“Some wolves have abilities that others don’t, mine happens to be being an empath. It’s like I can feel your emotions on top of my own, it’s stronger with my pack...strongest with you.” You respond, watching as his eyes come back to look at you.

“Why?” He asks softly, chewing on his lower lip a bit. You smile softly as you rest your elbows on the table.

“I created you, my wolf has a special bond with yours. It will always be that way.”

“Is there a hierarchy in packs still? Or is that not anymore?” You hum a bit and drink more water before setting the cold camelback down.

“Well, I’m an alpha, Geoff is a beta. Zach is still undetermined. The rest of my pack are betas, except for you.” You state, watching as he looks at you in slight confusion. You shift in your seat, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable.

“You’re an omega.”

“What? No way...isn’t that the lowest guy on the totem pole?” Shawn groans as he looks at you, laughing softly you shake your head a bit.

“No it doesn’t, it means you’re more of a caretaker, and someone the alpha looks to for reassurance more so than any other parts of their pack. Omegas tend to be the right hands of the alpha, they keep the alpha standing when they’ve been knocked down. And the kids of the packs tend to like omegas more than anyone else.” You explain watching as he nods, taking everything in as you talk. His eyes come up to meet you again, your face turned to look at the house. Listening in as Lilly and Nina come back from the store.

“Should probably get in there and help them before they give us shit for being useless.” You tease, getting up and collecting your napkin and water. Grabbing the bag of chips and folding the the opening closed before snapping the pink clip on it. Shawn gets up, grabbing his own things before following you in. Your honey sweet rose scent rolling up to him again, his stomach tensing.

Eyes closing slightly as he breathes it in, holding in his little sound. The new wolf looks at you before shaking it off and heading after you. Shawn had slowly begun to develop feelings, even if he tried to deny it. But he wouldn’t act on them, too intimidated yet turned on to not make a fool of himself. Too anxious to even really think about it, but he enjoyed being with you. He enjoyed being with the pack, he enjoyed seeing how the momentum of the pack went. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he belonged with everyone.

Everyone had fallen into place together, finding their way around the new pack member. To celebrate Shawn ‘graduating’ from your anger management classes, Geoff was grilling out.

“Fuck.” Shawn murmurs to himself as he paces in his room, fixing his shirt again. Not hearing Daniel coming down to get him to help with the tables.

“What’s wrong dude?” The 15 year old asks as he stands in the doorway, eyebrow raised. His arms crossing over his chest as he watches the older boy pace.

“What if I hurt someone?”

“Alpha will take you down before that happens.” He assures, getting a quiet sound to come from Shawn’s throat.

“Listen...if Y/N didn’t trust that you were ready then she wouldn’t have invited your sister and friends over for dinner. She takes their safety very seriously, and she doesn’t want anything to happen to them just like you don’t want anything to happen to them.” Daniel states, Shawn looking over and nodding a bit before taking a deep breath.

“Okay...okay I’m fine.”

“Good then come help me with this heavy shit.” Both teens head out to help finish setting up tables and chairs. Nina bringing out a large cooler filled with drinks for everyone. Geoff manning the potatoes on the grill, with steaks marinating next to him in a Pyrex dish. Kebabs of vegetables next to that dish, as well as burgers on a plate next to that. Shawn’s eyes coming over to see you and Lilly filling up a table with different sides. Fruit salad, watermelon, pasta salads, brownies, cake, and cookies all on different platters.

“They’re here.”

“Would you like to get the door Shawn?” You ask looking up at the large wolf, seeing him nod a bit. The anxiety beginning to roll off of him again, you follow behind him to the front door. Hearing all of their heartbeats and feeling their own anxious nerves.

“Hey guys.” Shawn says once he’s opened the door, all four of them looking up at him. Before a wide smile appears on Aaliyah’s face. And she’s stepping in to hug her brother tightly, face buried into his chest.

“I missed you so much.” She murmurs, he kisses the top of her head gently. Squeezing her back, reminding himself that his strength is more now.

“I missed you too.” He responds, before letting everyone into the house. Aaliyah stepping over to hug you next as Shawn gets bombarded by all of his friends.

“Thank you.” She whispers to you, you smile and hug around her waist gently.

“He did all of the work, I just helped along the way.” You state before leading everyone towards the back sliding doors. Opening it and letting them out to enjoy the food that is now being dished out to the wolves. Everyone falling into a rhythm, the rest of your pack greeting the humans that have come in.

Shawn almost looking like he’s floating on air as he walks next to Aaliyah and Brian. Talking to them both and getting filled in on the shenanigans that the boys have gotten into. As well as all of the practice Aaliyah has been putting in for hockey lately.

“So when does he get to be let loose on society again?” Brian asks as he sits next to Shawn, Geoff on your right and Shawn on your left. While you sit at the head of the table, everyone’s attention coming to you and Shawn.

“Well, whenever he feels like he’s ready. It can be just small outings to begin with, it’s a lot of new smells and new things to take in.” You respond, taking a deep breath as you look at the wolf. Before the hair on the back of your neck stands up. Arm hair coming up with goosebumps underneath as your eyes shift to the tree line.

“Y/N?”

“Get the kids into the house.” You say as you get out of you chair, Lilly and Nina ushering all the humans and kids into the house.

“What do I do?” Shawn whispers as he stands up, Geoff out of his chair to flank you. The omega’s eyes watching as you slowly make your way down the back steps. Eyes still scanning, nose picking up on a different scent lingering in the air.

“Stay up on the porch for now, she might need you to be the last line of defense for the others.” Geoff says before following after you, Shawn staying planted on the porch. Nina coming out a few minutes later to stay by him.

“Geoff head around the other side, I’m going to trail up this way.” You tell your right hand beta, before you break off from each other. Concentrating as you go, trying to pick up on different emotions aside from the pack’s. A chill runs down your spine as you feel a sudden surge of rage and anger come over you.

Turning your head you pick up on the scent of musty grass fills your nose. And your body is soaring through the air, hitting a tree and feeling your shoulder crack. Your eyes roll across the field to see a large wolf coming your way. Eyes a blood red color as she charges at you, before you’re scrambling to get up. Yelping as you’re rammed into again, both of your bodies tumbling to the ground. Going head over heels as you try to keep her jaws from clamping down on your throat.

“Somethings not right.” Nina says as she looks over towards the tree line, ears trying to zero in on you.

“Holy shit!” Shawn gasps as he sees you and the large black wolf come barreling out of the trees. Her body on top of yours as you try to use your feet to push her away. Geoff coming through the other end of the trees, already transformed. Nina jumping off the porch and shifting mid-leap as she comes running for you.

“Stay back! She’s rouge!” You yell, before crying out as her teeth clamp onto your right forearm. You use your left elbow to hit behind her ear, kneeing up into her ribs. Her paws slam into your ribcage, the sound of cracking bone being heard. Your vision going white before you’re blinking back into focus.

Growls being heard from nearby, her weight being tackled off of you. Coughing softly as you feel teeth dig into your t-shirt, dragging you back. Lifting your head slightly to see a dark chocolate wolf pinning the rogue alpha down.

“Shawn?” You whisper in confusion, eyes widening slightly at the realization that your omega had just shifted for the first time ever. To protect you, to save the alpha of the pack. Looking up you see the underneath of Nina’s jaw as she pulls you towards the house. Geoff helping Shawn to take down the other wolf, howls being heard. Both boys cornering her, snipping and growling.

“We’ve called Dr. Leslie.” Lilly says as she meets Nina, hooking her hands under your armpits. You groan as pain starts to come down your spine. Your body throbbing and muscles crying in pain as you lay there. Nina rushes off to help the boys, your head dropping back onto the ground. Eyes closing as you try to block out the pain, before you’re falling asleep.

~few hours later~

You let out a soft sound as you feel your sheets beneath your body now. The itchy feeling of gauze across your arm irritating you. Shifting slightly you feel a weight on your blankets, opening your eyes you groan softly. Seeing Shawn and Zach cuddled up at your side in your large king sized mattress. Smiling softly you gently rest your fingers on Shawn’s shoulder.

Starting to drift off again, body relaxing as more pain meds course through. Shawn wakes up at the feel of a hand on his shoulder. Looking up to see your finger tips on his skin he scoots a little closer. Zach’s head already resting on your thigh, the nine year old refusing to leave your side. He tucks his arm across the little boys stomach, pulling him in tighter. Resting his own eyes as he begins to drift back off. Listening to your even heart beat and letting your scent fill around him.

~next day~

“Shh she’s waking up.” Geoff says as he sits on the side of your bed, you blink your eyes open slowly.

“Is everyone okay?” You ask, trying to sit up a little straighter. Groaning at the pressure it puts on your shoulder.

“Ah ah, careful. Dr. Leslie said it could take a week for your shoulder to heal. Faster than most but there’s a lot of damage in there I guess. And yes everyone is okay.” Nina states as she sits on the end of the bed, Geoff’s hand against your good shoulder. Shawn coming into the room with a tray of food, Daniel and Zach close behind. Lilly coming in next with a bottle of pain medicine and a soft ice pack.

“The alpha is taken care of, Jack and Paul from the neighboring pack helped take her down.”

“She ran that far?” You ask in surprise, letting Geoff help lift you against the pillows. Shawn sitting on your other side and setting the tray down. Zach and Daniel both perching on the end of your bed now.

“Yea, she hightailed it with the three of us on her heels.” Nina says nodding her head a bit as she looks at you. You look down at the food in front of you, stomach growling loudly.

“Almond butter sandwich with the crust cut off, apple slices, chocolate pudding, and a vitamin water.” Shawn states, you smile softly and nod your head. Shifting slightly to use your left arm, groaning at the pain in your shoulder.

“Right hand it chief.”

“What time is it?”

“Almost 12:30.”

“At night?!” You squawk looking at them all, seeing the little winces.

“No, in the afternoon. Don’t worry everyone was in bed at a reasonable hour yesterday.” You nod slightly before pulling apart your sandwich and eating it. Almost moaning at the taste of it on your tongue, eyes closing.

“Honestly though, I’m ready for a nap.” Daniel admits before yawning, you chuckle softly and smile.

“You all looks exhausted...you should all go lay down. That’s not a suggestion actually, that’s an order. Go and rest all of you.” You say, your pack all nodding their heads. Almost looking grateful as they head towards their own respectful rooms. Zach crawling up to place a kiss to your cheek, nuzzling into you and purring softly.

“Love you alpha.”

“Love you too Z.” You say softly, nuzzling him back and resounding a purr at him. He hurries off the bed, going up towards his room.

“Geoff said it meant something that I shifted to protect you. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.” Shawn almost rushes out in one breath, you take a deep breath. Trying to open your vitamin water one handed, before Shawn takes it from you. Cracking the seal and handing it to you while playing with the cap.

“Some elders will say that if a wolf shifts for the first time to protect someone they are mates. But that’s not always true, there‘s usually other things too.”

“What other things?”

“Anchors, usually your mate is your anchor. Need, you want to be around them all of the time. Wolves, your wolves are drawn to each other.” You explain, getting him to nod a bit. Chewing on his lower lip while you sip at your drink again. Watching him, wondering what’s going on in his head.

“You’re my anchor...I want to be near you all of the time...and my wolf forced itself out of me to protect you. But I don’t think you feel the same about me...is it because you changed me that I feel this way?” The omega asks softly, looking up at you with questioning eyes as he takes a deep breath.

“No...I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to be near you more often than not...and that my wolf enjoys when I’ve shifted around you...but you’re not my anchor...my mom is.” You feel him move a little closer, eyes shifting between your lips and eyes.

“Can I...just for a tester?” You nod a bit and accept his lips against yours. Tasting his spearmint gum and hearing his heart pounding in his ribcage. You feel it click into place, like a piece of you finally shifts it’s way to where it belongs.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” You whisper once you’ve broken apart, eyes blinking slowly to look at each other again. Noticing how his eyes are a brighter shade of brown, borderline honey.

“Did you feel it too?”

“Yes.” He smiles softly as he leans in and kisses you again. Bringing a large hand to cup your cheek gently, your fingers coming up to hold his wrist. Lips melded together as you figure out the grooves and feel of each other.

“Finally, once you’re done sucking face. Geoff wants to know if it’s a pizza night.” Daniel says as he stands to the side of your bedroom door. You feel your cheeks burn with a blush as Shawn’s own ears light up.

“Yes pizza night tonight...you’re all supposed to be napping.” You tell the teenager, he laughs at you before heading for the stairs.

“And you’re supposed to be resting!” He calls back at you, you laugh softly and shake your head.

“Damn teenagers.” You whisper while smiling at Shawn, getting him to smile again at you. Before leaning in and kissing you again, slow and steady.

TAGLIST

@shawnm521 @begginyouformendes @esoltis280 @nervousaroundmendes @rosecth @yellowitsmendes @particular-mendess @dancingafterdeath @someoneunimportantxx @pinkk-peonies @planstonightbaby @particulataste

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terrablogz · 4 years

Text

THE AMUSEMENT PARK OF HALLOWEEN’S NIGHT!

It was a breezy evening, with the rain pouring down gloomily and the skies pitch dark. The wind was blowing very strongly and the trees outside were swishing side to side as if they were dancing. “Tap, tap, tap.”

“I wish this storm would go down,” said Vera.

“This sucks,” said Fera, who was Vera’s twin sister.

“Well, you guys wanna share some stories or fun facts?” asked Kiara, their youngest sister.

“Sure I guess,” said Vera.

“Ok, me first!” exclaimed Kiara.

“So this is a real fact I’ve heard about and researched online, it has been said that Merryhike has a mystifying amusement park which only appears in the woods on Halloween’s night!” said Kiara in a quiet voice.

“You mean the place Mum and Dad are bringing us this time?” asked Fera.

“Positively,” said Kiara

“Kiara, do you believe this?” asked Vera.

“Well, the only way to find out is when we leave there tomorrow,” said Kiara.

“But you said it only appears on Halloween nights,” murmured Fera.

“That’s right and Halloween is only 2 days away!” shouted Kiara!

“Well, we better get some sleep for tomorrow’s trip,” said Vera.

The girls said their goodnights and were off to bed.

The following morning, it was bright and sunny outside unlike the storm last night.

As the sun was shining bright, Vera woke up and got dressed for the trip while both her sisters were still sleeping.

“Wake up!” yelled Vera while shaking her sisters.

“Geez, I’m up!” said Kiara while yawning.

“Me too,” said Fera still looking half asleep

“Guys it's our trip to Merryhike today!” exclaimed Vera

“Right!” exclaimed Fera, fully awake.

“Woohoo, here we come Merryhike!” yelled Kiara in joy.

The girls were all settled in the car and were already on the road

“Are you excited girls?” asked Mrs. Denver, the girl's mother.

The girls exclaimed in joy, “You bet we are mum!”

“Well, Merryhike is known for its best berries,” said Mr. Denver, their father.

“Hmm, those berries do sound juicy!” sighed Fera.

As they were on the way to Merryhike they decided to take a break in a rest and relax area.

“Ahh, nice fresh air after that long ride,” said Mrs. Denver.

“Yep, couldn’t stand being in a car for that long anyway,” said Vera

“We better hit the road before it gets dark, so hop on!” said Mr. Denver.

As soon as they reached Merryhike, they came across a big mansion called the Kimberly. It was the place they were staying at for the vacation.

“Woah, it’s a really big mansion dad,” said Kiara, unsure of how to express it.

“She’s right dad, do we need such a big mansion for just 10 days?” asked Vera.

“I didn’t say that!” shouted Kiara.

“Yes you did!” demanded Vera.

“No, I didn’t!” snapped Kiara.

“OK, girls please calm down,” said Mrs. Denver

“Sorry mum,” the girls murmured.

Slowly, their car came to a stop, and there they were standing right in front of a huge door made out of a hardwood. The house looked old but elegant with beautiful structures around it. There stood many statues of animals and many birds flew over the house. As the family got out, they could see that this house hadn’t been used for many years.

“Come on girls, let’s go inside,” said Mrs. Denver.

“Wait a minute mum, why is there another car over the other end of the house?” asked Fera.

“Are you girls sure you don’t recognize that car?” asked Mrs. Denver with a smile on her face.

As Vera went closer to the car, only then she realized it was their best friend Polly and Molly’s car.

“Fera, Kiara! It's Polly and Molly’s car!” exclaimed Vera.

“Yay, this is going to be so much fun!” squealed Kiara

Since the girls wanted to unpack their stuff as quickly as they could they decided to go inside to check out the house. As the girls set their foot in their house, there was a strong smell of oldness. It was fairly dark in there so they couldn’t see anything. Mr. Denver then found the light switch and flipped it on. They couldn’t believe their eyes!

“Wow! What a tremendous chandelier!” exclaimed Kiara, her eyes full of admiration.

“It stinks in here,” said Vera.

“That’s because it hasn’t been in use for a long time,” replied Fera.

Soon enough, the girls were all unpacked and ready for dinner with some fresh new clothes on.

“Dinners here!” yelled Mrs. Denver, so the girls could hear her from their room.

“Coming mum!” the girls said, as they rushed downstairs to eat dinner

“Oooo! Pizza!” Vera and Fera exclaimed.

“I can’t wait to dig in!” joked Kiara.

The night had fallen so soon and the girls were getting ready for bed, it was stormy outside as it was yesterday but this time it had just gotten stronger!

“Here comes the storm again,” sighed Kiara.

“I bet it’s going to last until tomorrow,” said Vera as she sighed quietly.

All of a sudden they heard footsteps coming from downstairs.

“Tip, tap, tap, tap”

“Shhh, do you hear that?” whispered Kiara.

“You bet we do,” said Vera.

“Let’s go check it out!” exclaimed Fera.

“SHHH!” exclaimed her sisters, quietly.

“Oops, Sorry!” whispered Fera with a silly laugh of embarrassment.

“Tap, tap, tap” the sounds of the footsteps got closer and closer and soon it stopped right in front of the girl’s room. As the girls held their breath in and waited for something bad to happen. The door swung open and they could see two girls standing right there. “Polly!Molly!” exclaimed Fera in delight.

“Fera!” Both girls squealed in happiness.

“When did you guys get here?” asked Kiara.

“Oh, it was a long trip from riverville,” said Molly

“Yeah, we got through some rough traffic,” sighed Polly in exhaustion.

“Have you both had dinner?” asked Vera.

“Yes,” said Molly.

Suddenly the girls heard snoring coming from next to them, as they turned around they saw Polly enjoy her sleep. The girls laughed and soon were asleep too.

“Tweet, tweet, tweet.” the birds sang. Soon enough from the sounds of nature, the girls woke up! “Good morning,” said Polly with energy.

“Good morning,” the other girls replied.

“Girls it's time for breakfast!” shouted Mrs. Denver.

The girls took the time to take a shower and get ready.

“Hmm, these pancakes are delicious!” exclaimed Molly.

“Thank you, Molly,” said Mrs. Denver.

“Wow, what is that smell?” asked Mrs. Fisher.

“It’s mom’s pancake!” exclaimed Fera.

“Great, I’ll have 3 of them!” said Mrs. Fisher.

Soon the girls were full and ready to go outside, as it was Halloween today!

“Oh dear, I was so excited for today that I barely slept last night!” exclaimed Polly.

“Me too!” exclaimed Fera.

“Haha, I am pretty sure we all did the same thing,” laughed Vera.

“Ok, line up girls!” commanded Mr. Denver and Mr. Fisher

“Ok, Vera 1, Molly 2, Kiara 3, Fera 4, and Polly 5. Great, we are good to go!” said Mr. Denver.

“Girls have fun exploring this place,” said Mrs. Fisher.

“We will mum!” exclaimed Molly and Polly.

Abruptly Vera became quiet. There she saw a woman standing right in front of the window looking at them! She showed no sign of movement as if she was a mannequin. Vera knew that she clearly could see the woman breathing but thought she was imagining things.

“Girls, do you see a woman at the window?” asked Vera not to take her eyes off the woman.

“What do you mean Vera?” asked her little sisters Fera and Kiara.

“I said, '' Do you see a woman wearing a white gown at the window?” asked Vera again.

“Yea we do but it looks like a mannequin,” said her sisters.

“No, she’s alive I can see her breathing,” said Vera, feeling scared-stiff.

“Well, you must be seeing things, let’s go,” said Molly.

“I guess so,” said Vera. But inside she was certain that she saw the woman breathing.

As the girls turned back to call Vera they were aghast of what they saw. Vera was missing! “Vera!” her little sisters began to call out in fear.

“Vera, where are you?” asked Molly loudly.

“Uhh, girls,” said Polly.

“What is it Polly?” asked Molly in annoyance.

“I see Vera!” exclaimed Polly with concern

“Wait, what?” asked Kiara as she turned around.

“Goodness gracious! What is she doing over there!” exclaimed Fera.

The girls couldn’t believe what they were seeing! Vera was standing right next to the Woman! The girls rushed upstairs to Vera and were horrified by what she had been doing!

“Vera! Stop it!” said Fera.

“She’s not alive!” exclaimed Kiara.

“She’s a mannequin!” screamed Molly with fright

“You’ve gone mad Vera!” said Polly.

“Guys, you have to believe me, I can hear her heart beating!” exclaimed Vera.

Slowly the girls began to take turns to see if she was breathing and alive! “Your right Vera!” all the girls exclaimed!

Shortly after they knew she was alive and were still in her room, night had fallen by so quickly, as it grew darker and darker the girls then realized the woman was starting to come to life! Her fangs dropped! Her cape appeared! She transformed into something the girls had never experienced! She was a VAMPIRE! “AHHHH!” The girls screamed.

“Shhh!” said the vampire.

The girls then remained silent

“Look I’m not gonna hurt you, girls,” said the vampire.

“My name is Victoria,” said the Vampire.

“Well, nice to meet you Victoria,” said Vera.

“How old are you Victoria?” asked Fera.

“Does the sun hurt you,” continued Polly.

“Are you vegetarian?” asked Molly.

“I’m 13, No the sun doesn’t hurt me, I eat meat and vegetarian,” said Victoria.

“Wait, your 13?” asked Fera.

“Yes I am,” answered Victoria.

“We are too but you look so much taller than us!” exclaimed Fera.

“That’s because I’m a vampire,” said Victoria.

“Well, VAMPIRES ARE AWESOME!!” screamed Polly.

“Shhhh!” said Vera.

“We can’t let mum, dad, Mrs. Fisher, and Mr. Fisher know!” whispered Kiara.

“Don’t worry about that girls, I can turn into a human,” said Victoria.

“Cool!” exclaimed Kiara as Victoria transformed into a human.

“Let’s go girls!” said Victoria.

As the girl went downstairs they could see the sun setting slowly! The sky was fading into different colors of yellow, pink, blue, and purple! The clouds were moving slowly away to show the moon rise as the sun was setting!

“Girls!” called out Mrs. Fisher.

“Coming mom!” said Molly and Polly.

The girls were inside getting ready for Halloween’s night! “I see you’ve found a friend,” said Mrs. Denver as she was helping Fera dress up.

“You bet we did Mrs. Denver,” said Polly.

“Her name is Victoria,” said Kiara.

“Ooo, that reminds me of the vampire story I read,” said Mrs. Denver

“Wait, what do you mean mum?” asked Vera.

“Victoria the vampire, the girl who helps people on Halloween’s night,” said Mrs. Denver.

There was a sudden silence in the room, for all the girls were thinking the same thing! Victoria the vampire is real, she’s helping them!

Once the girls had dressed up, they met up with Victoria but never told her about what they knew.

Later that night the girls were walking back to their homestay when something suddenly began flashing in the woods. “I don’t think it's a good idea to go there, let's go home,” said Victoria, already aware of what was coming.

“Too late,” said the girls as they were already running ahead to it.

“Wait, I hear kids singing,” said Kiara.

Victoria was worried and didn’t know what to do but she knew she had to somehow save her friends.

The girls started running towards it and soon in front of them stood a board saying “Welcome to Halloween’s night!” The girls except for Victoria were excited! “Let’s go, girls,” said Molly.

The laughter of kids was spilling the whole place with happiness but the girls weren’t aware of what they were expecting. Suddenly a clown appeared in front of them! “Hey there girls, I’m Dreader,” said the clown with a smile.

“Well, I’m Molly, this is my sister Polly and my friends, Kiara, Vera, Fera and Victoria,” said Molly.

“Victoria huh…,” said Dreaded with an evil smirk, “like Victoria the vampire?”

“Wait, how do you know this?” asked Kiara.

“That’s because I'm no ordinary clown.., I'm a killer clown,” said the Clown with evil laughter.

The second Victoria heard the word “Killer Clown” she told the girls to run. Soon the girls found a safe spot in the Horror house at the amusement park. “Phew, we lost the clown,” said Kiara taking deep breaths.

They all looked at Victoria. “You knew about this right?” asked Fera.

“Fera..,” Vera nudged Fera in her ribs.

“What do you mean?” asked Victoria hesitantly.

“Your Victoria the Vampire,” said Fera.

“Ummm…,” said Victoria.

“You help people on Halloween’s night,” continued Fera.

The other girls remained silent as Fera continued talking.

“Ok..yes I am her,” said Victoria helplessly.

After several hours the girls could see people still out there enjoying the fun. Soon enough, the sun started slowly rising.

“Found you!” said Dreader with an evil smile.

“Your gonna be sorry,” said Polly and Fera.

Polly had found a baseball bat the time they were hiding there. Polly swung the bat so hard that Dreader fell down with a loud crash. He slowly disappeared as the morning sun shined up wide.

The people started to get out of there and the girls were the only ones left there! “The gate’s closing!” screamed Victoria in fear.

“We have to hurry!” said Vera.

The girls were a second earlier than the gate! The gate closed and the girls were safe outside! They all rushed home.

By the time the girls reached the homestay, they were exhausted and dirty! “We are back!” exclaimed Molly.

“Bye girls, its time for me to go home now,” said Victoria.

The girls said their farewells to Victoria. The next morning it was time for the girls to leave. “Bye Molly and Polly,” said Fera.

The girls soon were on the road and back on the way home. “I’ll never forget this vacation,” said Vera.

“Us too,” said her sisters.

“Mum and Dad, you won’t believe what happened to us,” exclaimed Kiara.

“Kiara...shhhh,” said her sisters.

The end!

#short story #story time #halloween #halloween is here!#scary story for kids #fun stories #entertainment

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danetobelieve · 4 years

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Threat Level: Pizza || Ricky and Winston

Honestly, Winston was tired. In the last week, between them, Ricky and Dee they had spotted and dealt with four alghouls and what Ricky referred to as a spawn. Then last night a pack of three spawn had attacked the house and Winston and Ricky had been forced to deal with them. Winston was pretty proud of the fact that they had managed to immolate one. That had been a feeling like no other. Yet as they stood with a broom in hand, brushing vampire dust off of their porch, Winston couldn’t help but feel like it was time to make a change. Two attacks on their home in as many months wasn’t their idea of fun. Turning to Ricky, who was fixing a window before moving onto the porch railing that had been shattered during the commotion, Winston sighed. “I think that it is time that you and me start thinking about installing some security, and I’m not just talking about the mundane type of security. I think that we need to consider the fact that it might be time to have something other then a kitchen knife available when the next grizzly beasty comes after us.”

Pausing from his repair work to pick alghoul out of his fangs Ricky nodded emphatically. “I mean. Setting aside the fact that the last time the last time that you and I were involved in some magic together we ended up in a strange prison demiplane inspired by my woodwork and fueled by your magic…. I agree. This is becoming fucking exhausting.” The unending night had made some things that were only comfortable at night far more brazen than they normally were, and a whole subset of those things viewed Ricky as a particularly choice piece of steak, and the house constantly being under siege was wearing on him super fast, “So… I am open to suggestions. As far as super fun magic home defense systems go. All I want you to keep in mind… is that I am very very open to the idea of flame turrets. Very very very open to that idea.” He leaned against the frame of the window and looked out at Winston on the porch, “But, practically, how does it work?”

“Yeah, I’m not necessarily talking the same sort of magic. I don’t want to get stuck in a pocket dimension that is also a puzzle box.” Winston wasn’t sure what they were thinking, but if they could centralise a number of security features to a central console, then Winston wondered whether including spells into their code as data flags would cause any change in the potential effects. “I don’t want to mess around with magic just yet, for now though we should think about making some supernaturally minded upgrades.” They paused as they considered a few options. “Well first of all we could look into installing motion sensors in the grounds around our house and Dee’s these could activate UV bulbs as security lights, that should at least give any vampires a little bit of trouble.” They considered other options. “Maybe something with salt and iron for ghosts …” they were still so new to this, they weren’t entirely sure what else they could include. “If it isn’t too expensive we should consider getting CCTV, maybe I can work out some enchantment that allows us to see things approaching. Infrared or heat sensitive cameras or something…” they paused and pulled their glasses off, rubbing the end of an arm against their scalp thoughtfully. “Any eureka moments?”

“Oh come on didn’t you enjoy our little demiplanar excursion into the realm of ‘oh god I hope we’re not dead?’” Ricky paused his repair work and joined Winston out on the porch, sitting down with his back against the warm wood of the porch, “Well… You’re already talking outside my scope of knowledge, but I think you’re right, we don’t really need to be focusing on the human threats, it’s the supernatural ones we need to be worried about.” He pulled out his phone and started to type out notes as Winston was talking. He was more of a old-school kind of guy; the security enhancements that his roommate was talking about were way out of his scope of knowledge, “Are ghosts really a problem though? I think it’s the physical things we have to worry about more. As for CCTV that shit isn’t too expensive anymore with like Ring and Blink and all that shit you can just control it from your phone. And I do mean you I’m sure I’d break it if I tried to control it.” He kept typing as Winston talked before looking up with a raised eyebrow, “if you’re expecting me to have a eureka moment about technology you are in for a dismal disappointment. You’re gonna have to take point on this and I’ll help out however I can. But if you think you can work enchantments into it I’m absolutely down.”

“No, for some reason I did not enjoy having to endure a minor existential crisis as to whether or not I have died, although I will admit that it is nice to know for certain that I am indeed relatively alive and well.” Winston shrugged before continuing. “No, I think that Dee and her shotgun are more then enough to deal with the potential human criminals, but if we draw the attention of something like Hunters or Vampires or I don’t know, something along those lines then I think that I would want to have something else. I also think we should think about setting up a communication tree with others.” Winston nodded. “I know that it sounds ridiculous, but the one exorcism I saw, back in the library at UMWC was terrifying and I don’t really want to experience it again if I can help it. But I need to really work out how well these cameras will work against fast moving and potentially magic critters.” Chewing on their lip, Winston shrugged. “Maybe you can help me by telling me how feasible it’ll be to set up stuff and we can begin working on sourcing all the things I’ll need to set this up. I can do the techy stuff and you can help me with the actual skilled labour.”

“Well I had a delightful time so your negative experience is on you. I enjoyed our one on one time inside a magical prison. I think we could market the whole experience to white people with too much money and too much time on their hands. Throw in some bullshit about it being meditative and shit. We could be super rich.” Ricky couldn’t help but laugh at Winston’s mention of their land lady, “Yeah I know one day I’m gonna have to have the “hey you probably shouldn’t have a loaded shotgun in the house anymore” talk with her but we’re a ways off from that and she’s a crack shot with it.” he kept typing away, looking up periodically at Winston as they talked, “Well we’ll add ghosts to the list of things to keep out. I mean I don’t think I can tell you how feasible it all is until we get an actual plan in place but it shouldn’t be too bad. Don’t think it’ll require any actual like renovations to the house, unless you’ve got a plan for a garlic filled moat you havne’t told me about yet.” He dashed inside to grab a pad of paper and came out again, starting to scribble down some ideas, “Wanna order delivery and hash this out?”

“You’re also completely barking mad if you thought that our time in a magical prison was anything like fun,” Winston laughed and shook their head at Ricky, “I think that you could market that shit to normal White Crest people and they would still eat it up. But I don’t think I want to get super rich based on whether or not people are going to make it out of a trick prison.” They paused for a moment and slipped down onto a bench on the porch overlooking their property. “Well make sure that I am nowhere near you or her when you have that conversation.” They raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Yes, that sounds like a great idea, and I can use your sketching skills to try and visualise where we are going to put this shit and how it is going to work. We’re going to need shit loads of rock salt, iron fillings, holy water, maybe even silver. Stakes wouldn’t be a bad idea either. I also need pizza and probably some beer too.”

“What can I say, I like puzzles and I’m good at compartmentalizing my feelings. So. I made it fun.” He pulled out his phone and started thumbing through apps, “is that not exactly what an escape room is? Ours would just be a magical escape room where you’re not sure if you’re dead or not! It’s an extra perk; existential crisis added on for free.” Ricky brought up Grubhub with one hand while the other kept scribbling the supplies Winston was listing off, “Meat lovers no cheese extra anchovies for me, what do you want? I’ve got beer in the fridge, I made a supply run when the darkness hit because I didn’t want to leave the house if possible. I’m a vamp magnet.” He started a very basic sketch of an aerial view of the house and the property that surrounded it, “Are we going to have auto turrets for the stakes? I think that’d be noticeable. We should try to be as discreet as possible. Don’t want to draw attention, just protect ourselves.”

“That sounds like something that a crazy person might say, I think you’re just an adrenaline junkie who likes to put their life in danger because it gets their heart racing.” Winston raised an eyebrow and shrugged gently. “I don’t know if anyone is going to play for a healthy dose of Nihilism Ricky, and also in escape rooms you can usually guarantee the safety of your customers and I’m not convinced that I could.” Winston swallowed gently and decided that they wouldn’t try and recreate the mistake they previously had. No they had other plans, a type of magic that they had yet to find any information on. It made them wonder what could be achieved if they tried some new stuff. But now wasn’t exactly the time for them to do that. Now they had other things to focus on. “Can I get a meatlovers with extra cheese and extra mushrooms?” Winston replied. “I can leave the house if needs be, plus I’m sure that people can drop stuff off to us if you don’t want to risk it.” They were honestly a bit shocked at Ricky’s suggestion of auto turrets. “Dude, this isn’t Doom Eternal, we’re not installing auto turrets mainly because I don’t know how to build auto turrets. NoI think it would be better if we can go with high powered UV lamps and a few well placed stakes around the house. At least until I get better at this stuff, I’m a computer programmer not an engineer.”

“At absolutely no point in our cohabitation have I ever fucking told you I was a sane person. No false advertising here. That’s just because you haven’t figured out the right marketing spin for it yet. You can market Nihilism to anyone you just gotta put a pretty enough bow on it. But, we’re getting away from the main topic here.” Ricky tapped the orders into his phone, adding on a couple of 2-liters just so they’d have something in the fridge where they didn’t have to leave the house for supplies. “I’d rather you not take any unnecessary journeys since, you know, once again it’s fucking nightmareville up in this place. But if worse comes to worse we’ll make a group run for it.” He laughed at the reference, shaking a fist in the air, “Rip and tear, until it is done!!! You know it may be eternal night right now but it really makes for some amazing ambiance when I’m playing that game.” Ricky nodded and started a shopping list on the side of the paper titled “Death-based Doodads”, “Stakes and UV lamps it is. Though too many UV lamps and people are going to think we’ve got a grow operation here.”

“My apologies for not considering your sanity as something that could be in question, most people usually don’t expect other people’s sanity to be in question. As for marketing existential crisises and nihilism then that is something that I will leave for you.” Winston replied with a small grin decorating their face. Winston was glad that they weren’t going to have to cook for themselves. They were feeling incredibly lazy after fighting for their night in the middle of the day, even though it was dark. “Don’t worry, I don’t really want to risk facing alghouls and vampires if I can help it, especially not when I know better. I’m not going out as much as I possibly can, I’m just trying to stay home and when I do go out I am making sure that I’m not alone.” Winston shrugged and smirked. “You know, it is not Overwatch, but it is still a lot of fun to kick the shit out of demons, even if I can’t do it in real life.” Winston frowned and nodded. “You’re right, we’ll have to be sensible about where we plant our weed crop, don’t want people to catch us doing anything illegal.” They were being sarcastic, somehow they thought that they would manage to get away with it. They worked for the Police Department after all.

“I really feel like you should have seen that coming though. Marketing existential crises and nihilism are definitely something we could get away with with Gen Z I’m sure of it. Just make the marketing laden with memes and we’ll be all set.” Ricky slid his phone back into his pocket after receiving the text notification that their order had been confirmed, “See. That’s some solid planning right there. In the end it’s gonna be the goddamn buddy system that saves us all.” Rolling his eyes he pushed himself to his feet and wandered back into the house, spreading the papers out on the dining room table so they’d have more room to work, “Yeah yeah yeah you and overwatch. That’s way too much for me to try to wrap my head around. I’ll stick to chopping demons apart with a chainsaw and a variety of super fun weapons. That’s more my speed. Mindless platforming, puzzles, and mayhem.” He laughed as he drew a stool over to sit on, looking down at their plans, “We’ll add a grow operation after we figure out how to protect our home from the supernatural. Even if regular weed doesn’t really affect me much. It’d be a good money maker anyway. But for now we’ll use the UV lamps to attempt to vaporize some vampires.”

“If we marketed using memes we could, but then that would cut out an entire demographic of baby boomers and the older millennials that wouldn’t get it, so you know, you win some you lose some.” Winston shrugged gently and settled in their seat, looking around them trying to decide what else they could include. “Is stuff like wolfsbane a thing?” Winston asked trying to think of the most generic supernatural stereotypes that they could implement here. “Obviously it is going to take a bit of time before I can really get any of this stuff working, but better to start now rather then later.” Winston was terrified of what some of the things that were out there could do to them and their friends. “Everyone has different preferences and enjoyments, it’s not my fault that your tastes are so far separated from mine which are obviously far superior.” Laughing, Winston shook their head and smiled. “Bro, you remember that I work for the police department. They’re not huge fans of illegal grows that aren’t regulate by the tax man.”

“Listen. Boomers had their time to shine. They don’t deserve targeted marketing anymore. They can take or leave whatever we give them.” Chewing on his pen for a moment, Ricky pondered for a moment, “I honestly don’t know. You’d have to ask Morgan. Seems like she’d know more about that sorta herbology shit than me. I know there is a whole subset of supernatural related herbs. But I’m right there with you; this will definitely take some time so we might as well get going. Because knowing this town… this darkness could last for quite a goddamn while.” The doorbell rang and Ricky went to retrieve their pizzas, heavily tipping the put-upon looking driver to make up for the extra anchovy stench undoubtedly filling his car, “Grub’s here. And my taste in video games is impeccable. I’m sorry I’m not into games with a gay cowboy, weird angst cyborg asian stereotypes, and people screaming in the headset about their skill rating. Gimme that sweet sweet ‘don’t talk to other people’ gaming.” He set the pizza down on the counter and got them out a couple plates, “Oh I didn’t forget. But I like to think I’m above certain aspects of the law given the great ease with which I can implement plan ‘just hide in the fucking ocean forever’. Which is a solid ass plan.”

“It doesn’t matter what they do or don’t deserve, proportionally speaking they hold far more wealth then Gen Z or even a good proportion of the millennial population, targeted marketing takes that wealth away from them.” Winston scratched at the thin film of stubble that had sprung up over their jaw. “I’ll put some feelers out and try and find out what else we could to do to really sure up the defenses here, if I was better at magic then I could enchant some more shit but after the last time that went I’m a little bit weary of trying anything big without more practice.” Winston sincerely hoped that whatever it was that was causing this darkness would get resolved soon, but they weren’t about to charge into the darkness and try and change any of it. Not yet anyway. They weren’t that desperate yet. “I love the inherently racist stereotypes that Blizzard brings to me, and if you keep talking McShit about McCree then I’ll cut you.” They grinned and grabbed their pizza from Ricky, slipping down onto the sofa and laughing as Ricky continued their tirade against multiplayer gaming. The irony was that of course in real life they were the exact opposite. Winston was the introvert and Ricky the extrovert that adopted them. “Unfortunately I cannot hide in the ocean forever because I am not an aquatic animal, but you go off.”

“This took a weirdly capitalist-centric turn; but, I’ll keep all this in mind when I’m planning out how to launch our magical escape room empire. Which is going to have a terrible pun of a name but I haven’t decided what it’s going to be yet.” Nodding along with Winston’s train of thought Ricky opened his pizza box and put a couple of slices on a plate, “I’ll do the same. So we’ll see who knows what and we’ll protect this bitch.” A thought crossed his mind as he chewed on his first piece of pizza, “They’ll have to be disableable though. Things to keep werewolves and vampires and ghosts out. I’m… well Remmy and I… are trying to put together an interspecies clan. To at least offer some sort of unified protection against the hunters. It’s harder to pick us all off if the various species have each others’ backs.” It was hard to laugh and not spit a mouthful of various meats and fish all over his couch, but he managed, “They are really bad about racial stereotypes but you’re more than welcome to McTry. It’ll be super messy though, I’ve got extra blood.” He made quick work of the first piece of pizza and set to work on the second one as he kept sketching things out. “We should have some sort of motion detector at the end of the drive, connected to some kind of camera.”

“I never knew that I would be starting an escape room empire, but I guess if I was going to do it with anyone then I would want to do it with you.” Winston smiled gently as they placed a piece of pizza in their mouth and chewed on their pizza straight from the box. Winston nodded. “Of course, they’ll be disable-able and hopefully eventually I’ll be able to write something that is sophisticated enough that it will be able to distinguish between who needs the measures in place. But no offense, we’ve not seen any progress there for a while and I know that you want to help these people but we can’t do anything until we’ve made sure that we’re safe. Once we’re looked after then we can look after others, but not before that.” Winston was a realist and they knew that this wasn’t going to be resolved straight away, this was something that they would need to really work on. “Gross, who needs extra blood. Seal it away in my opinion.” They winked and wiped grease from their hands with a piece of tissue from the takeaway before nodding. “Motion detectors at the gates, not to mention in the grounds hooked up to security lights so if anything moves everything gets lit up.”

“Tides… I would have never considered starting an escape room empire but you and I have some of the weirdest things happen to us, so, I think that that’s pretty on brand for us.” It was a truth; Ricky was realizing. He and Winston definitely had a relationship that seemed to be a magnetic force for strange situations, and he loved it. Life was infinitely better now that they lived together; it was definitely one of the better decisions Ricky had made at a party. “Ooooh I have some bad news for you. We’re never ever going to be totally safe. Welcome to the supernatural life. But, I take your point. We can’t form the Justice League until we lockdown the Fortress of Solitude. Did I mix references there? I don’t really care just roll with it.” Another slice of pizza disappeared into his mouth and he rolled his eyes at the pun, “Alright well for how terrible that was I’m just going to go offer myself to the vampire hordes now. Thanks. Your terrible pun has damned me.” Scribbling at the margins of his page he attempted to not get pizza grease on the plans, “I like that. Plus it makes us look real important.”

Laughing, mouthful of pizza, Winston looked into the moon for a moment before shrugging. “I think it is pretty on brand, we always end up doing the weirdest shit.” They settled into the silence for a moment and shrugged. “Watch tower not fortress of solitude, though I guess both are DC so it doesn’t count as much? I don’t know. Anyway, you know Orion Quinn right?” Winston was considering their next words carefully, “I think that I’m going to offer him one of the rooms if that’s cool, it seems like he could use a place to go because he is currently staying in that Scribe building way too much for the amount of living that someone our age needs to do, obviously we don’t know him but I think he’s a good kid. Just be careful about your skin, I know you are careful, but Orion found Skye’s seal skin after that time we all watched anime together and I want to believe the best in him, but I’m not completely sure we can trust him, I guess we’ll just see, but he needs somewhere to go and I’m offering him this place.” That was one of the reasons that they wanted to sure up the security, to make sure that everything was safe. “I’ve got some more stuff I want to work on, but now we’ve got the basic designs down I can start shopping for the parts and we can look at introducing all of this stuff onto a central system.”

“We have a weird fucking life. But. When you’ve got a seal and a mage living together what the hell do you expect. I love it. This is me living my best life.” He listened carefully as Winston laid out the situation that Rio found himself in and Ricky ended up frozen with a piece of pizza halfway to his mouth, “I’m sorry. He’s living at that creepy fucking abandoned building you found while you were sleepwalking?! Of course he can stay here what the fuck. That’s not even a question.” He took the bite that he’d been frozen about to take and rolled his eyes, “Winston. I’ve been successfully hiding my skin from people for almost a quarter of a century. Have you ever found my skin accidentally? I didn’t think so. I’ve got it nice and hidden so that’s not really an issue. But I appreciate you looking out for me.” He finished the piece of pizza and moved to another. “He’s more than welcome here. I like him. He’s a good dude. So he can absolutely stay with us. I’ll clear out one of the rooms upstairs for him. We do have the basic design down though. Start putting together a shopping list and keep track of costs and we’ll split it up.”

“I don’t think that he is officially living there, he told me that he is living with his parents, but they sound … not great from the very little that he has actually told me about them.” Winston fiddled with their glasses. “Anyway, I feel like they use that place as a way out of the house but they don’t want their parents to find out and it would make sense for someone of their age to be moving out of the house, we’ve got the room and I knew that you would say no without hesitation.” They paused and shrugged. “I know you’ve got this dude, but you’re my rock and I definitely wouldn’t be able to do all of the stuff that I’ve got to do if I couldn’t rely on your safety.” Winston nodded. “Cool, well, I gotta admit that isn’t how I thought this would end, but I’m glad we agree. We can get started on this all tomorrow I think.”

Ricky’s face immediately went pinched and narrow. As someone with his own latent parental issues, he had remarkably little patience for homes where parents mistreated their children. It was part of why Skylar’s defence of her abusive parents had rubbed him so much the wrong way, and why his tone took on a decidedly dull and stony timbre “well. Of course he’s always welcome here. For a couple of nights or for the foreseeable future. Whatever he needs; at least there’s an easy cover with the whole ‘oh yeah I’m just striking out on my own’ excuse. When you do bring it up to him, let him know that there’s no rent. I don’t pay Dee anything so he doesn’t have to pay me anything. Eventually he can chip in on the internet bill, but getting on his feet is more important.” His expression softened and he smiled, “If it makes you feel better… it’s not in the house. It’s hidden and locked away. He won’t find it by accident. You’re stuck with me for a good long while, don’t you fear.” Closing the pizza box before he ate the entire thing he nodded, “Good. We’ll start in the morning and turn this estate into an at least somewhat-secure fortress.”

#p: ricky #para #wickedswriting #threat level: pizza

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dylan-o-yumm · 5 years

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I accidentally deleted the request this was for, but basically anon wanted some Nero in leather pants. This isn't smutty at all cause I needed a break from writing smut, so I'm sorry dear anon if this isn't what you wanted at all.

You had shockingly been invited to Patty’s party. Shockingly because you had never met her before and suddenly you were getting a phone call, practically being yelled at by the high pitched girl to attend her 18th birthday party. You had heard a few stories of her through Dante, but never had the pleasure of actually meeting her face to face. Did he tell her of you? Surely, otherwise how else would she know you?

Though excited, you were a little surprised when Dante called you the following day, asking who you were going to the party as. Odd, Patty didn’t mention it being a costume party. You listened to Dante ramble on about how he was going to dress up as a zombie, just to be able to scare the birthday girl. You obviously told him he was mean, but then he proceeded to tell you what everyone else from DMC was going dressed up as.

Lady was going to be a fairy, Trish a nurse, and even Nico and Nero were going to get dressed up… Or so Dante told you.

He was so convincing, the little shit.

You walked into Patty’s house, marvelling at all the pink decorations, high ceilings and beautiful furniture. If you didn’t already feel out of place, having everyone immediately turn to look at you as you entered, definitely did the trick. There were so many people, all of which were in fancy suits or dresses, while you were standing awkwardly in the entry way dressed as a pirate.

Hook on your hand, sword on your belt, stuffed parrot on your shoulder — pirate.

“Y/n!” A familiar voice calls out, snapping you out of your awkward daze of staring at how fancy everyone around you looked. You waved and smiled at the crowd, trying to seem like you didn’t just have the most embarrassing moment of your life before you glanced around to see who called you. You let out a sigh of relief when you saw Nico waving you over, a big goofy smile on her face.

You quickly bow your head and cover your face with your hands as you make your way over to the artisan, fully aware that every single one of Patty’s friends saw you and your ridiculous costume. Not that it really mattered, not like you’d be seeing them ever again except maybe on the odd occasion when you’re out and about. Still didn’t help the heat rising to your entire face.

“Hey! Lookin’ good, hot stuff. Dante put you up to this as well?” Nico chuckled and nudged your side playfully when you finally weaved your way through the crowd to stand next to her. Thankfully you didn’t stay as the centre of attention, everyone turned back to talk to their friends or dance to the not so loud, but not too quiet music. It wasn’t so often you got to listen to pop music, but that seemed to be what all of Patty’s friends liked. She was 18 after all.

“Yeah I’m gonna kill him when he gets here — wait, what do you mean 'as well'?” You ask, noticing how Nico is also in quite fancy looking clothes. Well, fancy for her anyway. She wore tight, black pants and a loose fitting, mustard shirt. She looked pretty casual but very nice in your opinion. The sides of her shirt were cut low, which meant you could see quite a lot of her bra if she lifted her arms up, but honestly that was quite normal for what she usually wore.

“Nero got the same message. Went and hid in the upstairs bathroom as soon as he got here.” Nico explained with a half smile on her face. You could tell she felt a little sorry for him but also wanted to laugh. You might have laughed as well if you weren’t dressed as a pirate. However, you knew exactly how he must be feeling and to be honest, you wanted to lock yourself in the bathroom too.

“Nero’s in a costume, too?” You ask softly, as if he would somehow hear you and come storming down the stairs to pout directly in your face. You could never handle his adorable pout. You tried to imagine what he was dressed as, but every idea that popped in your head was immediately run over by the thought of ‘Nero would never’.

“Go hava look for yourself” Nico nodded once in the direction of the stairs, cradling a drink that you have no idea where came from but you figured maybe you should have one. Some alcohol would probably make the whole situation much easier to deal with. You decided finding Nero first was more important, hopefully you could coax him out from hiding to come and at least try to have a good time with you.

You patted Nico’s shoulder and softly mumbled a goodbye as you made your way up the stairs. Patty’s house was amazing! Did she own it herself? Buy it herself? You had so many questions, like what was she working as to afford such a nice house. You had no idea Dante knew such wealthy people since he was always living in piles of old pizza boxes and bills that need yet to be payed.

Upstairs was pretty quiet apart from a few people calmly chatting away along the halls, needing the quieter space away from all the people and music. There were a few rooms with closed doors, which meant you’d have to go knocking and possibly interrupting strangers, and you didn’t want anyone else having to witness what you were wearing. So you settled for calling out instead, leaning against each door and calling Nero’s name.

“Y/n? What do you want?” You heard the ‘completely done with everything’ tone from Nero come from behind door number three that you checked. You knew not to take his tone and the way he said ‘you’ so personally, though it did sting a little. You leaned against the door and tried turning the handle, but as you expected, it was locked.

“Hey, it’s just me. Can you let me in?” You ask softly, ignoring his tone.

“Why, so you can laugh at me too? I never should have listened to Dante…” He replied in a huffy tone. You sighed, fiddling with the sword on your hip.

“I’m not gonna laugh, just please open the door.” You tried again, keeping your voice calm and sweet so he didn’t think you were trying to mess with him. And thankfully, after a few long seconds of silence, the lock clicked and you could turn the handle. You made sure to open the door slightly so you could squeeze in without anyone around you being able to see in, having to turn your body awkwardly to do so.

Once the door was closed again, you made sure to lock it before you turned around. And the sight before you was something you never expected to witness in your life. Nero didn’t seem to mind that you were staring at him with wide eyes because he was doing the same to you, obviously surprised to see you also in a costume unlike everyone else downstairs.

Nero was wearing a flowy, white shirt that was ripped and torn all along the sleeves and along the hem, as if he had been attacked by a horde of demons before he got here. His hair was spiked, like usual but more so somehow and he wore tight, leather, black pants. If it weren’t for the fake blood along the rips of his shirt or the discarded fangs left on the sink, you wouldn’t have guessed he was a werewolf. But since this was Nero, you were impressed since he was never one for dressing up for halloween or anything.

“I mean, if this were a costume party, I’d be impressed” You smile shyly as you look the handsome devil hunter up and down. His pants were gripping his thighs so nicely you had to tear your eyes away so it didn’t seem like you were staring. He too was staring at you but you didn’t think for the same reasons, nothing about your costume was considered attractive so he had nothing to stare at except your ridiculous outfit for a party that just so happens to not be a costume party.

Nero vaguely gestured to you and found it difficult to form a proper sentence. Perhaps you weren’t going to laugh at him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to laugh at you. Maybe staying downstairs with Nico would’ve been the safer option. However, when you thought he was going to burst out laughing at you, he instead huffed and placed his hands on his hips in annoyance.

“Lemme guess, Dante put you up to this?” He asks, already knowing the answer. “I’m going to rip that mop of hair off of his head as soon as I see him” Nero huffs as he sits back down on the side of the bathtub, hands gripping the edges while he stares daggers into the wall beside him. “Maybe shave his eyebrows off, pull his pants down in front of everyone—“

“Why not just stab him?” You cut Nero off from his child-like ideas for pranks to pull on his uncle. However once Nero turned to look at you with a frown, not quite mortified since the both of you knew Dante would survive a sword through his chest, but he still didn’t look pleased. “That was a joke.” You add with a nervous laugh.

After much convincing and pep talk, you managed to persuade Nero to go downstairs with you. You both took a few accessories off of yourselves, like your pirate jacket and hat, and Nero’s fangs stayed on the sink. He tucked the overly ripped parts of his shirt into his pants so that he didn’t look like a vicious beast clawed him up, which left him to look pretty casual apart from the few blood splattered on his white shirt.

What stood out the most to you though, and anyone else that would look in his direction, were his pants. Since parts of his shirt were tucked, you had a nice view of his backside when walking down the stairs. Tight leather pants did absolute wonders on him and you found your cheeks flushing red when you caught yourself staring. You wouldn’t mind being caught in between those thighs though…

By the time you made it down to meet Nico, Nero had awkwardly tried to stand behind you, still wanting to hide himself as much as possible. You had to look behind you and shoot him a kind smile to help him relax a little, even reaching behind you to grab his hand and pull him out from behind you to at least stand beside you. He glared playfully at you for that but you shrugged it off with a smile and a nudge to his ribs.

“You’ve all but walked down the stairs and I’ve already caught you starin’ at Nero’s ass” Nico chuckled as soon as you were standing beside her. You felt like clasping your hand over her mouth but the damage was already done, her loud mouth having reached Nero’s ears and not just yours. Not like she planed on making it a secret between just you and her. It was like she had no concept of secrecy.

“I was not…!” You shriek, horrified that Nero now knows you were shamelessly staring at his butt the entire time you were walking down the stairs. Nico just laughs at you and Nero raises an eyebrow. You make the mistake of facing him, seeing how his cheeks are a little pink but he overall looks a little cocky. Your face turns red, you can feel the heat rise to your ears, neck and cheeks. “You look good in leather…” You huff and immediately regret it.

Nero blinks in surprise, having no idea what do to or say. And luckily he didn’t have to since a certain white haired male came storming through the front door, fashionably late with Lady and Trish under his arms. And funnily enough, he was in a suit, not looking like a zombie at all like he said he would be. It was very clear that this was just a prank pulled on you and Nero, no one else.

“Hey, you two! Lookin’ good. Is it halloween already?” Dante laughs as he spots the two of you.

You and Nero exchange a look before the both of you storm over to him. Lady and Trish wriggle out from under his arms but hold his hands out so that they can trade places with you and Nero. The two lovely women smirk as you grab Dante by his left arm while Nero gets the right, not giving the pizza-loving male any time to make it inside the beautiful home as you drag him back out.

“Wha-! Oh, c’mon! It was funny, guys!” Dante tries to reason as the doors close behind you. You have no idea what you’re going to do or say to the older male, but you and Nero were certainly going to have your own fun. Maybe shave off Dante’s eyebrows like Nero wanted…

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