*Otohan looks between Laudna, and Imogen*

Otohan: "Is she your favorite?"

Imogen, immediately: "I'll go with you. I give in. Don't hurt her."

43 and 44 of the unhinged ask meme thingy :>

43. do you like eating out, or would you rather eat in.

"Pfft. =oh yeah, i'm a big fan =of eating =out. I'd eat =out every night if I c=ould. eating =out is my fav=orite dam think in the w=orld. =Only pr=oblem is, every time I eat =out, i end up getting stuffed! =;)"

44. opinion on hemospectrum matters and the struggle posed by trolls who wish to change the status quo to something with more equality? do you agree with them or do you agree with the empire’s current rules.

"Man, that's a bummer =of a questi=on after tha last =one. =Of c=ourse i think tha hem=ospectrum stinks. Hard ta find a rustie what d=oesn't. Takes a l=otta creative mental gymnastics ta c=onvince yerself ta supp=ort a system what actively and =openly wants ya dead, and m=ost rusties i kn=ow are t=o=o exhausted fr=om all tha f=orced lab=or ta put that kinda energy inta deludin themselves. Rebels, I can take em =or leave em. M=ost =of em are just as stupid an destructive as tha empire. Tha rest are just wastin their energy and draggin everyb=ody else d=own with em. I watch =out fer mutants, try ta give em what help i can, cuz aint n=ob=ody been handed a sh=orter stick =or less =opti=ons in life. But i aint fightin tha drones for em, and i sure as hell aint disrespectin tha empire t=o its face and gettin myself culled fer n=o g=o=od reas=on. Far as any=one wh=o cares is c=oncerned, i'm a law abidin, empress l=ovin imperial citizen.

EYO W H A T IS GOING O N W/LUKE'S SSR FOR SECRET OF THE TOMB?????

I LOG IN TWT TO SEE YIXING’S HAIR DYED BLONDE UM HEWWO?????????? HEWWO?????????????????????????????

Hell to Pay: Part Fifty

I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, IX, IX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XVIIII, XXX, XXXI, XXXII, XXXIII, XXXIV, XXXV, XXXVI, XXXVII, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XL, XLI, XLII, XLIII, XLIV, XLV, XLVI, XLVII, XLVIII, XLIX

cowritten by @lux-scriptum

A/N: trigger warnings for child death, mentions of stillborn children, child illness, abusive parents, appearance of Az’ril

Amara shuffled in front of the doors of Biela’s palace. This was not a conversation she wanted to have. But it was a conversation that needed to be had. Not that she really had a choice either way.

With a small breath to steady herself, Amara slipped inside. There were no guards in sight, but there weren’t supposed to be, anyway. In sight, at least. That didn’t mean Amara wasn’t aware she was being watched every step of the way up to Biela’s office.

Halfway there, a familiar face poked out of a nearby room. “Caius,” Amara said in greeting, relaxing some. He looked the image of his sister, Biela. Black hair, blue eyes, and bronze skin. Other than the fact that he was an alpha, and, well, a man, was that he was at least six foot, and Amara didn’t think she’d ever seen Biela smile so openly.

Today his smile was a bit more strained as he said, “If it isn’t the reason my sister’s more prickly than usual.”

Amara grimaced at that. “I know I joke about wanting your sister to step on me, but- not really digging it at the moment.”

“Probably wise, considering she’s dealing with this personally,” Caius said, before adding, “I can’t imagine your cousin’s first interaction with her was all that pleasant.”

That deserved the wince it got. “Probably not,” Amara agreed. “I haven’t been to see him yet. He’s wanted... space.” She swallowed, tried for a smile. “At least he’s not the type to hit on her like Nik? He probably shit himself when he saw her.”

“Oh he’d definitely be dead then,” Caius said.

“Good thing for us all that he’s an anxious gay mess then,” she said.

“Not for you.”

She winced.

“Do you realize the position your actions put us all in?” he said. “My sister went herself to deal with this. There is a reason that I am usually the one to go in her stead, and a good deal of that reason is because I am far more likeable and far more merciful. You made a mistake, Amara.”

“I know,” Amara said softly. “I fucked up.”

“You can’t unring this bell with an apology.”

“I can’t unring it period. Even if Lev dies, and I’ll be the first to admit he’s not out of the woods yet, it’s not going- it’s not going to undo what I made Cyrus do.”

“We’ll see if the witch survives this too,” Caius said, nodding up the hall to Biela’s study. “She’s waiting for you.”

Lovely. She just nodded and eased inside the office.

The office was bright, full of far more color than Amara would have expected if she hadn’t been there before. It was warm and open, but not even that could ease the trepidation in Amara’s chest as she crossed the room to Biela’s desk.

“Sit down,” Biela said, not even looking up from her paperwork.

Amara sat.

The silence stretched long enough Amara shifted uncomfortably in the soft chair. She’d not been stupid enough to bring weapons with her, and the lack of anything to fidget with didn’t help with how antsy she felt.

Eventually Biela looked up, leaning back in her chair. “Well thank you for gracing us with your presence.”

It took Amara a few seconds to pick out her response. “I should have come sooner,” she finally said.

Biela lifted a brow. “Before or after you poisoned my lands?”

“Before,” Amara said quietly.

“Yes.”

As Amara struggled to figure out what to say, Biela started sliding photos across the desk. A cold, sick feeling curdled Amara’s breakfast in her stomach. Those were sick children. Infants. Stillborns. Mortality was high in angels and demons both, but Amara’s magic was screaming that something was wrong with these children beyond the usual difficulties both immortal races had with pregnancy and childbirth, even if she couldn’t see anything beyond the sickly, unnatural thinness. When Amara looked up at Biela, who hadn’t stopped sliding more and more across the desk, there was no forgiveness in her icy stare.

I didn’t know. She choked the words off before they could even rise in her throat, stuffing it back down deep. Biela was a telepath. Likely she’d seen it, but Amara shoved it deeper anyway, and looked back down at the growing pile.

“How many?” She finally croaked.

“How many what?” she asked, venomously. “How many were born dead? How many died shortly after birth or how many are untouched by what you have done?”

“How many dead?” She asked, hating herself more with every word. “How many sick because of what I did?”

“The numbers are still coming in, but they’re in the thousands.”

Amara folded her arms over her stomach to keep from reaching for one of the photos. She had done this. Caius had warned her an apology wouldn’t fix this, but she hadn’t even imagined-

She couldn’t even look Biela in the eye anymore.

“Nothing to say?” Biela asked in a steely tone.

“I could spend the rest of my life trying to atone and nothing would-” Amara thought she might be sick. “I had no idea- but that is no excuse.” Gods, those were children. Infants.

Biela stood, leaning across the desk enough that Amara finally looked up out of sheer instinct. “I have half a mind to whip you and your cousin bloody.”

Amara would have taken it, and gladly, but that could kill Lev, on a good day. Lev was far enough from a good day to send a chill down her spine. Still, she knew better than to say anything at all, and just pressed her lips into a shaky line.

“Why should your pathetic cousin live, and thousands of children die?” Biela demanded. “He’s had a hundred and thirty seven years to do something with his life, and he’s done nothing but cower.”

The worst part was Amara had no answer for her.

“What, nothing to say to that either?”

“I don’t,” Amara admitted in a small voice. “I don’t have any answers.” She was in so far over her head.

“Well that is indeed a first.” Biela stared her down unflinchingly. “Maybe this time you’ll keep your arrogance in check. Instead of executing you, I’m letting you live with this.”

Amara almost would have preferred an execution. And maybe that was exactly why Biela wasn’t going to give it to her.

“I’m sorry doesn’t begin to cover it,” Amara finally whispered. “But I am. I am so, so sorry.”

“I’ll be sure to pass that along to the thousands of families that are grieving,” Biela said, before giving a final, dismissive, “Get out.”

Amara all but bolted. The guilt chased her down the hall, and would for a good few decades yet.

---

Nik had to admit he was less than pleased with the anxiety curling in his stomach as he waited outside of Cameron’s office door. He had probably been standing outside for a solid five minutes, trying to form exactly what he was going to say to make sure Cameron didn’t hate him, when Cameron’s voice yanked him out of his head.

“Get in here.”

Right.

Nik went inside, not surprised to find the window was already open for Nik’s benefit when Cameron motioned to shut the door. Of course Cameron was working on something; there wasn’t a single minute of the day that wasn’t allotted for something. He did find it interesting, however, to find bedding folded neatly on the couch by the wall.

Nik didn’t comment on it.

He plopped down in the chair across from him, feeling like he somehow got yanked into the principal's office for getting caught smoking in the boy’s room in high school. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the chair, not really sure what else to do.

Cameron finished reading the paper he was on before removing his reading glasses and peered up at Nik. “Nothing has stopped you from speaking before,” Cameron said. “Don’t let it stop you now.”

Nik grimaced at the slight irritability in Cameron’s tone. “Why didn’t you say anything.”

Cameron scratched his face. “Not my place to say anything,” he said, after a moment of thought. “Your body, your choice. Tell me, don’t tell me. I didn’t and don’t care. As long as you were taken care of, I didn’t see why I should have commented on anything.”

“Maybe because you’re my alpha?” Nik retorted, annoyed.

“Again, not my place.” Cameron eyed him carefully. “Have you decided on what you’re going to do with the fetus?”

An excellent wordsmith, Cameron was. It irked him. “I don’t- I don’t know,” Nik said. “Why do you care when it’s clearly not yours.”

Cameron didn’t bother blinking, and just kept watching him. “Is that right?”

It’s your brother’s. “You know it is.”

“As far as I am concerned, it is mine.”

“I-”

“Yes,” Cameron said, leaning forward. “Unless you want to suggest otherwise, or do plan on aborting, I do not care. It is mine, it would have the same protections Eden has because that little cretin is mine as well.”

Nik’s face prickled and he curled back in the chair uncomfortably. “But- why?”

Cameron looked at him as if he were obtuse. “Because I care about you, idiot. If I did not, I would have gone ahead and let you be ripped to shreds when you decided to waltz your way into my house to spy on my family. If I did not, you would not be in my bed. You would not be in my house, and Lev sure as hell would not be alive and in my house, either. Neither of you would be here. Understand? I can live on my own, by myself without you or Lev or anyone decidingly annoying the hell out of me, but I choose to let you both drive me up the wall. So yes, as far as I am concerned the fetus is mine, because you are mine. Do you have a problem with that.”

“....no,” Nik said, in a small voice.

“Good,” Cameron said, with finality. “Then what are we going to do, because I’m sure Ash has hounded you with details about what you need to be doing. So you need to be deciding, and deciding soon, so I can deal with everything that needs to be done.”

Nik watched him blankly, not really sure what to say. “I cheated on you, though.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Nikolas, we have never established anything exclusive. We are also not in a relationship, meaning exclusivity is void to begin with. What you have done while Lev was dead, as far as I am concerned, does not negate anything between you and myself. However, if you decide to overdose again, especially in my house, I will personally take you to Death’s door so do not ever try to do something like that again.”

“You can’t just excuse everything you don’t like, Cameron!” Nik snapped. “I- everything I did was completely out of line.”

“I’m not,” Cameron said, not even raising his voice an octave. “I am telling you, do something like that again, and you won’t live to regret it. Lev’s death was clearly hard on you, and I was willing to work with it- as it was my choice. Just like it will be my choice to not deal with anything else like that again. I’m too busy and tired to deal with any more mental breakdowns that are going to give me another headache. Do I make myself clear.”

Nik sighed sharply. “Why don’t you hate me,” Nik said, voice breaking. “I’ve done nothing more than be a thorn in your side and you’re still being like that.’

“Hate is a useless emotion,” Cameron said, baldly. “And not one I’d waste on you when you’ve done nothing to warrant it. Just because you annoy me doesn’t mean I do not enjoy your company.”

Nik wrinkled his nose. “That sounds suspiciously like affection,” Nik muttered. Cameron only rolled his eyes. Nik was quiet, not sure how to feel about anything Cameron just said, when Cameron didn’t really do fancy speeches regarding anything. “I just…. I don’t want to mess this up. I can’t take any of it back.”

“Then don’t take it back,” Cameron said. “Live with it, like the rest of us, and move forward.”

“Well when you put it like that.”

“I sound reasonable?” Cameron said, dryly. “It’s almost like I have five hundred years on you and know what the hell I’m talking about.”

Nik sniffled and wiped at his face. “I think…”

His voice faltered.

Cameron watched him, expectantly. “You think what?”

“I think I want to keep it- the baby,” he said, in a tiny voice. “I just…”

“Then keep it and we’ll deal with it,” Cameron said. “However, there is the matter of making sure the child is recognized as legitimate.”

Nik blinked at him, confused. “Are you saying you want to get married? Because if so-”

“That is not what I’m saying,” Cameron said, looking vaguely repulsed with the idea.

“Oh. Well. I was going to say that was a shitty proposal.”

“Good thing it wasn’t a proposal, then.”

“Then what were you saying? Because I don’t want the kid to be a bastard. Less likelihood of one of your brethren eating it.”

“Well,” Cameron said. “You’re not wrong.”

That was comforting.

Cameron sighed and scratched his face. “What I was saying, before you rudely interrupted me, was that there is a way to legitimize the child, without marriage. However, that is through a mating bond. I am willing to provide one if it will protect the child.”

Nik stared at him, mouth slightly open. “You what.”

The annoyance returned to Cameorn’s face. “Nikolas, you know I detest repeating myself.”

“Yeah, well, I detest getting punched in the face with that kind of offer, Cameron, so excuse me if I’m a little surprised.”

“Do you or do you not accept.”

Nik fell silent. “Cameron?”

“Hm?”

I love you was on the tip of his tongue, but he knew it would make Cameron uncomfortable, and Nik cared enough about Cameron’s boundaries to not push it. So instead he said, “Thank you.”

The smallest crease appeared between Cameron’s brows. “For?”

“Seeing me.”

----

Lev tried not to let it bother him that Cameron had cleaned up his mess with the plates before he could get to it. And he tried not to let it bother him that Nik was being quiet, and even a little hesitant around him. The unspoken trauma that he knew Nik and Cameron both carried was something that they’d all avoided talking about in the time Lev knew them, but he didn’t like knowing he was the one to trigger Nik’s.

So Lev spent his time napping, as he had for the past month or so, hoping that sleep would magically cure the fact that he’d been dead not too long ago. Or at least make everything hurt a little less. It hadn’t helped anything. Telling them. And maybe that was because of how he’d told them about the pregnancy he’d hidden and lost. The bitter taste of anger still frightened him; it wasn’t natural for him. It felt wrong.

It took Lev a good long while to realize Cameron was leaning against the doorway. Lev tucked his arm under his cheek so he could peer at Cameron a bit more, and gave a quiet, “Hi. Everything okay?”

“Ash will be here in a little bit. You need to get out of bed.”

Lev blinked. Cameron was already gone, so Lev slid out of bed, pausing long enough to slide on one of Nik’s hoodies that he’d stolen several days ago. He figured that and the pair of boxers he’d slept in were good enough. He stuffed his hands in the pockets and shuffled after Cameron. At least he was allowed to nowadays. He nodded awkwardly at the sentries he passed, and found Cameron, as expected, in the kitchen.

Lev settled at the table, watching Cameron make lunch. “Do you want to talk about...” He hesitated, and just left it at that.

Cameron glanced up at him. “Start talking.”

Fair enough. “I never got the chance to decide if I was going to tell you,” Lev admitted quietly. “Before I died. That I was pregnant.”

Cameron was quiet for a minute. “Did you have it confirmed?”

Lev hesitated. “No,” he admitted. “But too many... symptoms lined up. I didn’t get the chance. I just panicked. I couldn’t think.”

“Sounds about right. It was your choice either way, about what to do about it. I’m sure I would have agreed with whatever you wanted.”

“I know,” Lev said. “Just from how you’re handling Nik’s pregnancy.” He watched Cameron for a few minutes, and then said, “He knew. When he killed me.”

Cameron looked his way, for a bit. Lev waited him out patiently, but in the end Cameron said, “That does sound like my brother.”

With a sigh, Lev looked down at the table. “There’s more,” he said eventually. “He said Eden is his.” He mulled over the memories, trying not to flinch at the fresh reminder of pain. “He... implied there might be more than just Eden. But he could have been- by that point I was very confused.”

Cameron gave a forceful sigh, and said, “That also sounds like my brother,” before going back to chopping vegetables.

Lev nodded slowly. “I wanted it,” He finally admitted. “I still do. And it kills me that- I lost it.”

“What would you like me to do?”

“There’s nothing we can do,” Lev replied. “It’s not- I just have to learn how to live with it. And... making sure Nik is healthy and as close to happy as we can get him is more important. But I thought- if it had to come out, you should know, I probably- I would have chosen to keep the baby.”

Cameron put down the knife. He rubbed his eyes, before saying, “I’m sorry I didn’t protect you.”

“I left,” Lev replied. “And you said you wouldn’t make me stay. I made that choice. It was a terrible one, and I lost everything because of it. But it was mine.” He tapped his fingers on the table.

“Well.” Cameron said. “Do you want another one?”

Lev blinked. “Eventually,” he admitted after a moment. “But not now. I don’t want to- Nik comes first. He needs us more than I want a child. I waited almost a hundred and fifty years to find someone I felt safe enough to want a child with anyone. I can wait more, if that’s an open ended offer.”

“We’ll see.”

Lev had to smother the instinct to try to take it back, to ask if they could- but he’d meant it. Nik needed him. And Lev had Eden. Would have whatever child Nik did, if Nik decided to keep it. And besides. Things were... messy right now.

“Cameron?” Lev said quietly. “I’m... I’m sorry. And I know words won’t fix what I did. So I’ll do my best to show it. Everything, but especially what happened with Nik.”

“Yes,” Cameron said, icily. “I imagine you would feel sorry for telling a suicidal nineteen year old to stay dead.” Cameron went back to slicing vegetables with careful precision. “I’m sure Nik has forgiven you, though.”

“He’s not the only person I wronged, though,” Lev replied.

“Hm.”

Lev waited, but when nothing else was forthcoming, he nodded at nothing. Rather than continue digging, he settled his chin on his hands and watched Cameron cook in silence. When Cameron put a fancy salad in front of him, Lev mumbled a thank you and poked at it and blinked gratefully at Cameron when he handed Lev some ranch.

While Lev dug in with a little more enthusiasm, Cameron left, presumably to go get Nik. When Nik plopped down beside him, he looked a little sick. Lev patted his knee in comfortingly, but Nik just wrinkled his nose.

“What are we? Rabbits? I thought demons eat people. Why the fuck are we eating salads?”

“There’s chicken in the salad,” Lev offered helpfully. “It’s healthy to eat a vegetable or two, Nik.”

“Yeah, if you’re a rabbit.”

Lev bit his shoulder lightly. “Or in need of some vitamins.”

Nik shot him a dirty glare. “Fine,” he grumbled.

Lev hummed and took another bite.

Ash showed up while Cameronw as cleaning up, before Lev could go back to bed. Probably for the best. Ash hadn’t approved the amount of moping Lev had been doing lately. Lev waved at Ash, giving a small hello.

Ash lifted a brow. “Hi.”

Lev watched Ash for a moment, and then said, “How’s Lucas?”

Ash smiled. “An angel. Compared to Eden.”

“Do you know when we can bring her home?” Lev asked hesitantly. He missed his little monster, and he was quite sure she missed him too.

“I’m sure Bay would let you take her right now, if you wanted.”

Lev perked up a little, but then settled again. “We can’t until you say I’m healthy enough to handle it,” he said solemnly. “And I don’t want to rush it and get sick again, if you don't think I am.”

“Well. I think one final check up is in place. You seem to be keeping your food down. And, you know, not dying. Maybe then you can bring her home.”

Lev nodded, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “Okay,” he said agreeably. “Can we start?”

--

“So it looks like you’re doing pretty good,” Ash confirmed an hour later. “All things considered anyway. But you shouldn’t strain yourself or push your luck. I don’t want you lifting more than thirty pounds until I give the okay.”

Lev nodded vigorously. “I understand,” he promised.

Ash stared him down. “If you lift more than that, I will know.” Coming from Ash, that was more a threat than a promise.

“I know,” Lev promised.

“Good,” Ash said. “Bay also wants to see you.”

If it hadn’t been that tone, Lev might not have paid attention. “See me?” Lev asked slowly. “Or... see me see me?”

“What do you think?”

Right. Lev swallowed. “When?” He finally asked.

“Well,” Ash said, “As soon as I gave the green light. And I just did.”

“O-oh.” Lev looked down at what he was wearing. Still in boxers and Nik’s hoodie. “I should get dressed, then,” he said. “And... ask Cameron to drive me?”

“Probably a good idea. I doubt you can drive.”

Lev shook his head, flushing. He stood, looking to Cameron, who had stuck around. “Is that okay?”

Cameron nodded. “Go get ready.”

Lev nodded. “I’ll get Nik?” he said, backing for the door.

“He’s by the pool.”

Lev scooted down the hall, trotting to the pool. Nik was on the edge of the pool, feet in the water. “Nik,” Lev said. “I gotta go see Bay,” he said, settling beside Nik.

Nik toed the water. “Hm?”

“I don't think this is the sort of talk I can wear just your hoodie and some jeans to,” he said. “You know more about clothes. Can you help me?”

Nik splashed the water a bit with his foot, and then stood. He pulled Lev towards the house again. “I think I got something you can wear.”

Lev nodded, tucking himself into Nik’s side. Nik pulled away only to go digging through Lev’s closet. While he waited, Lev settled on the bed. He pulled off Nik’s hoodie and folded it while he waited for Nik to pull things out.

Eventually Lev found himself dressed in dark jeans and a grey henley. Nik stuck him in a blazer and tried to put him in a pair of white sneakers.

“Aren’t my converse good enough?” Lev protested.

“Considering you came to me for fashion advice, what do you think?”

“That I’m going to be very uncomfortable,” Lev mumbled, reaching for the shoes Nik picked.

“Well it either these or dress shoes,” Nik said, even as Lev put them on. Lev stuck his tongue out at Nik in reply. Nik just lifted an eyebrow. Instead of saying anything, Lev kissed his cheek.

“Are you ready yet?” Cameron asked from the doorway.

Lev pulled away from Nik. “Do I look okay?”

“You look like a gay high school principal,” Nik said solemnly, just as Cameron said, “You look respectable.”

He felt ridiculous, but he supposed that would have to do. He fussed with the blazer and looked at Nik. “Anything else I need?”

Nik pursed his lips. “Spectacles?”

“I can see just fine, Nikolas.”

“I didn’t say you were blind,” Nik said. “I just said you needed glasses.”

Cameron looked annoyed, but Nik’s teasing had eased some of Lev’s anxiety. He took Nik’s hand, and said firmly, “No glasses,” before looking at Cameron. “I think I’m ready to go now?”

Cameron’s answer was to simply leave, so Lev tugged Nik along after. He opened the front seat door for Nik.

Nik made a face. “Is this because I’m pregnant?”

Lev kissed his nose. “It’s because I’m a romantic. And a thank you for helping me figure out what to wear.”

“Uh huh,” Nik said, sliding into his seat.

Lev decided to ignore that, and got in the backseat.

---

It surprised no one that Eden was throwing a fit when they got there. Lev could hear her before Silas even opened the door. The bigger angel stared down at him with wide eyes, like he didn’t really believe Lev was there, but Lev peered around him.

“Is Eden okay?” Lev blurted.

Silas blinked, stepping back automatically. “Uh, yeah. She just- I don’t even know, she’s just angry.”

“Hm,” Lev said, ducking around him. He didn’t have to go far to see Eden tottering down the hallway, screeching around a stuffed giraffe with big black tears rolling down her grey cheeks. She stopped when she saw him so abruptly she fell back on her butt, which really only made her wails get louder.

Lev was quick to scoop her up, murmuring comfort to her as he settled on the floor. When Eden tried to smack him, he caught her little hand easily, and despite that, she settled somewhat.

By the time Eden calmed, Lev realized that Bay and Nate were there. The moment Lev locked eyes with Bay, however, Bay said, “My office.”

Lev pulled himself to his feet and handed Eden off to Cameron, wiping a few tears off her face before following Bay back to his office.

After a moment of hesitation, Lev settled in a chair, trying not to fidget as he waited for Bay to start talking.

“I see that you’re not dead.”

Lev nodded. “I think it was a bit touch and go there for a little bit,” he admitted. After a second, he added, “Once they brought me back. I was definitely dead for a bit there.”

“Ash did seem irritable lately.”

Lev winced at that. “I’m sorry,” he said automatically.

Bay leaned back in his chair, watching him expectantly. “Ash is always like that,” he eventually said.

“Oh.” Lev considered that. “I didn’t see much of him before I died. I think the last time I saw him for any extended time was the night I left Remiel.” He thought for another second. “He seemed irritable then, too, now that I think about it.”

“Hm,” Bay said.

Lev fiddled with his sleeve.

“I’m assuming that Ash told you I wanted to speak to you now that you’re not in danger of dying again.”

After a second, Lev nodded. “He did,” he finally said.

“I’m assuming you know why.”

Lev stared at him for the longest moment. Eventually he said, trying very hard to not sound unsure, “It’s about Nik. Or- what I did while I was dead, with Nik- and- that.”

“It has nothing to do with Nik, and everything to do with the fact that you ignored and disobeyed a direct order from your king.”

“Oh,” Lev said in a small voice. “I- oh.”

“Oh, indeed.”

Lev swallowed. “I don’t have any excuses,” he finally said. “And I’m not going to waste your time trying to think of any.”

“Probably wise. You don’t need to dig yourself a deeper hole.”

Lev watched Bay for several awkward minutes. “I’m assuming there’s consequences,” he finally said.

“Correct.”

“Okay,” Lev said simply. Hadn’t he asked for exactly that, days ago when he’d shattered Cameron’s dishes?

“I’ll even let you choose.”

That got a blink from Lev. “Choose?”

“Well I was thinking nineteen years imprisonment, no contact with outside sources,” Bay said. “All your assets and lands would be seized, all titles forfeit. You would have nothing and be nothing.”

Nineteen years. One for every one that Nik had lived, Lev assumed. “And the other option?” he finally said.

“Exile with the same stipulations, except it’s for fifty-seven years,” Bay said levelly. “I’ll leave the choice to you. Choose now.”

For a few moments, Lev stared blankly, thoughts spinning too fast to catch. After a couple heartbeats, though, he forced himself to focus. “I can’t- I won't - put Eden though losing me again,” he said finally. “I’ll- I’ll go into exile. She needs me.”

“Fine. You’ll have twenty-four hours to say your goodbyes and leave the territory. If you’re still here when your twenty-four hours are up, you’ll spend the fifty-seven years in a cell.”

It took a few seconds to click. “O-oh. Okay.” He stood, and then hesitated. “Thank you. You didn’t have to give me any time at all.”

“I know,” Bay said. “My actions have consequences too.”

Lev backed out of the room, sidestepping sentries until he could lean against a wall and breathe. He wasn’t sure he’d made the right decision, but- he’d missed four months of Eden’s life. He’d missed her first steps. He didn’t want to miss anything else.

To his surprise, no one interrupted him. He had all the time and space he needed to gather himself before he went to find the others.

Nate was the first person he ran into. Guilt twisted Lev’s stomach up in knots, but he blurted out a quick and fierce, “I am so sorry,” before Nate could say anything at all.

Even Nate’s kindness was clearly strained. “You should be,” Nate replied. “You almost cost me my brother.”

“I know,” Lev said in a small voice. “I wasn’t- I was wrong. He’s so young. And I was selfish. But I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for even a fraction of what I would have cost everyone if he’d stayed dead. He deserves that and so much more.”

Nate cocked his head, but didn’t say anything at all.

“I know Nik forgave me, but he shouldn’t have. I haven’t done anything to deserve it yet.”

“Hm. Of course he did. Nik will forgive anyone he loves.”

The fact that Nate, of all people, was being so abrupt with him hurt. Nate was the kindest person Lev had ever met. But Lev’s betrayal had cut deep, and he knew it. “I’ll take care of him,” Lev promised, forcing some spine in his tone. “I promise.”

“Good. Be sure that you do.”

Lev nodded, and slipped around him. He found them in the kitchen. Cameron was holding Eden, looking annoyed, and Nik was sitting at the counter, chewing anxiously on one of his bracelets. The first thing Nik said when he saw Lev was, “Are you okay?”

At some point Bay had joined the rest of them, and had Lucas in his arms. Lev glanced in his direction as he crossed the room to Nik’s side. Lev leaned into Nik, pressing his nose to Nik’s neck. “I’m okay,” he promised. He looked at Cameron anxiously. “I’m being exiled, for fifty-seven years.”

Cameron didn’t even blink. “I suppose that’s better than the alternative.”

Lev winced. “The other option was being in a cell for nineteen years.” He could feel Nik tensing underneath him.

“That’s bullshit,” Nik said loudly. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Eden was getting restless, giving a small cry

“Yes, I did. Bay ordered me to leave you alone. I did not. Technically, disobeying my king is a form of treason,” Lev offered softly.

“Yeah, well, that’s because Bay’s an emotionally constipated dick,” Nik retorted.

Nate gave a small, “Nik, please. There are two infants in the house.”

Lev fisted his hand in Nik’s shirt, biting Nik’s shoulder in warning. “It’s okay,” he said as firmly as he could, before looking at Cam. “I can stay, can't I?” He stopped, and then asked, “I mean, can I stay?” He didn’t add that he didn't have anywhere to go; it would have felt manipulative.

“Of course you can stay, that’s your home,” Nik said sharply.

Lev pulled back, looking at him. “It’s not my house,” he said simply. “It’s why I’m asking Cameron.” He switched his gaze to Cameron. “After everything, you have every right to say no.”

Cameron bounced Eden lightly. “Nik wants you there.” That seemed to be the end of what Cameron wanted to say.

Lev touched Nik’s chest lightly. Before he could figure out what to say, Nik once again tensed underneath him. Lev followed his gaze to the man that stood in the doorway. He looked almost like Nate, with the fine boned features and longer hair. It took several seconds to recognize him as Az’ril.

Nik and Nate’s father.

Out of the corner of Lev’s eye he saw Nate looked at the ground. Nik, on the other hand, glared at his father. “What are you doing here?” Nik demanded hotly. “Scare any children lately?”

Az’ril leveled Nik a look. “Nikolas. I see you’re just as crass as ever.”

Nik pursed his lips, but before he could say anything, Bay said, “Az’ril that’s enough. You’re here to see me.” Bay handed Lucas to Nate. “We’ll take this to my office.”

As Az’ril left, Lev realized Nik was trembling. When he realized Cameron was approaching, he moved so Cameron could hand Eden over.

Lev swallowed. “Can you take me to see Reneé and Amara?” he asked Cameron.

“We should probably get going then. You can’t have long before your sentence goes into effect.”

He wasn’t wrong. Lev caressed Eden’s cheek lightly.

“Do you want to take Eden with you?” Nate offered. “It won’t take long to pack up her stuff.”

Lev looked to Cameron hopefully. “Can we?”

Cameron inclined his head. “Might as well.”

Lev smiled at Nate. “Can I help pack?”

---

Lev tried to stay engaged on the ride to Reneé’s apartment. She seemed happier, with her own place, andfreer, almost. Amara never showed up, even though Lev texted her to let her know what was going on. He tried not to be hurt by that, and spent a lot of time hugging Raziel. Cin lurked, but he ruffled Lev’s hair when he left, though he gave Eden a wide berth.

On the way home though, it was a struggle to keep his attention on Eden. Nik was quiet too, and since Cameron didn’t bother to put on music, Eden’s babbles were the only sounds in the car.

Cameron whisked Eden away, likely to feed her and put her to bed, so Lev wandered to his bedroom and flopped down, kicking off the stupid sneakers as he did. Nik settled beside him, watching him with an unreadable expression.

“You okay?” he finally asked.

Despite his best efforts, Lev’s eyes burned. “I’m fine,” he forced out.

Nik’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you didn’t lie to me.”

Lev considered that, and found himself closer to tears. He too a few breaths before reaching for Nik’s hand. Nik let him press it to his heart, feel the steady, if a bit fast, rhythm there. “I- I’m here. I’m home. And I’ll get to be here to raise Eden. I- I consider that just fine.” He licked his lips as he tried to explain why his chest felt so tight. It didn’t help to watch Nik’s lips thin, but Lev made himself go on. “But- even though I never considered angel territory a home- it was just where I lived. I wasn’t happy there, Nik. I didn’t feel- few enough liked me. But I still feel like I lost something today. I don’t regret choosing you and Eden over a shorter sentence. I don’t. I won’t, ever. But- I’m sad. I’m... grieving, and it feels- sounds- stupid to say that.”

“Well, yeah, I imagine being forcefully evicted from your home for the last hundred and forty years and all of your shit taken from you hurts a little bit. Even if you do romanticize it.”

Confusion was strong enough Lev’s tears never made it to his cheeks. “What do you mean romanticize it?”

“Saying that Eden and me are enough,” Nik said, sharply. “That because you love us, that's enough. It was still where you lived. It was where your family is, where you grew up. A hundred and forty years in one place and you’re perfectly ‘fine’ as you put it. That suffocating shithole is still my home, even if I was miserable there, because even if you hated it, it made you, you. So yeah. I’d say you were lying to me.”

Lev blinked. “This is why I forget how young you are,” he mumbled. “You make more sense than I ever did at nineteen.” Closing his eyes felt like a betrayal, so he just squeezed Nik’s fingers where they pressed to his chest. “I spoke the truth as I understood it,” he finally said. “But you’re not wrong. It’s... it’s a lot. And I don’t know how to process it yet. I don’t think I want to.”

Nik yanked his hand back. “Will you stop saying how young I am? I am perfectly aware of how old I am.” There was something hard in his face. “You don’t seem to care how young I am when you suck my dick.”

Now that one hurt. Because Nik was right. Lev watched him warily, unsure of how to respond just yet. It wasn’t like he could apologize. He knew how Nik flinched when someone said sorry around him. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” he finally said. “I’m not good at- talking about the important things. I’m trying to be better, and it’s good that you call me out on it. Right now...” Lev trailed off, thinking hard. “Right now, I’m feeling a lot, and I don’t want to. Deflecting was automatic. I didn’t mean to lie.”

Nik watched him long enough Lev wanted to squirm. Eventually, he said, “Sure. We should probably go get Eden settled.”

Lev nodded. “Give me a few minutes?” He asked. “I’ll follow soon?”

“Okay,” Nik said, rolling off the bed.

Lev waited until it was quiet, tucking his arm under his cheek. “Darius?” he whispered. There was no answer, but Lev hadn’t expected one. “Did I make the right decision?” he asked anyway. A lump was forming, and he hated it. Hated how quick he was to cry. It made him feel weak. Childish. “Should I have come back at all? I keep making things worse.”

Something cold touched his cheek, and a shiver went down his spine. It felt like it was leeching all the feeble warmth he’d produced, especially as that cold traced down his throat.

Lev was out of the bed before he could think about it. Whatever he was supposed to understand from that didn’t matter. He took off his blazer and threw it on the bed before he followed Nik to the kitchen. He’d think about it later. Or maybe he wouldn’t.

---

Amara was exhausted by the time she made it to Biela’s palace. She’d flown the whole way there. Hadn’t even bothered to take her motorcycle. She made her way past the gates, trying to get her panting under control.

After searching the halls for a bit, Amara had herself a little more under control. Somewhere along the fifth corridor she wandered, haf hoping she didn’t find Biela, she ran into Dacia.

The plump, blonde angel sized her up with a knowing eye. “You look a little lost.” Despite those words, Dacia had a kindness to her. It reminded Amara a little of Nate, whose sheer goodness made Amara feel... a little guilty sometimes.

“I’m looking for Biela,” Amara admitted.

“I assumed. Would you like me to take you to her? Or would you like to stay a little lost for a while longer?”

Amara managed a small smile. “I have a bit of a time sensitive conversation,” she said. “As much as I’d like to be a little lost a while longer, I think I should... probably bite the bullet.”

This time Dacia looked a little grim. “Fair enough. She’s in her dance studio. I’ll take you to her.”

Amara looked down at the floor as she followed. She only looked up when they approached a pair of double doors Amara recognized. She waited until Dacia had stepped inside to poke her head in. Biela was not in her usual outfit, and she looked sweaty. If she was tired, it didn’t show.

The music Amara had barely noticed stopped the moment Biela looked her way. “What do you want?”

“Bay exiled Lev,” Amara said before she could stop herself.

“I’m aware,” Biela said. “I’m failing to see your point.”

“I made the poor choice of not keeping you informed once. I won’t do it again.” Amara fought to keep her voice steady. “I came to ask you to consider mercy. If you’ve not decided whether or not he can stay in your lands, I- he has nowhere else to go. I just- please.”

“Stop groveling. You sound pathetic.”

Amara straightened - stiffened.

Biela reached for a towel, patting her face. “Him not having anywhere else to go sounds like a poor choice on his part.”

“He made that choice because Eden needs him.”

“What is one child to thousands?” Biela asked. “That child is not your cousin’s. He has no right to her, or to be in my lands. He offers me nothing. I have to make the right decision for my people. Not an angel.”

“Then I don’t have any argument for you,” Amara replied quietly, her heart cracking just a little. “All I can do is ask for your mercy.”

Biela gave her a little smile. It wasn’t one bit friendly.

“Biela,” Dacia said softly.

Biela flicked Dacia a sharp look. “Don’t call me that.”

This time Dacia smiled, the expression small, and maybe a little fond. “Bea,” she corrected herself.

This time Biela looked a bit satisfied. “What will you give me? How much is your cousin’s life worth to you?”

“Anything,” Amara breathed. “I did all of this so he could be happy. I’ll do anything to give him that chance again.”

Biela lifted her chin ever so slightly. “Fine. I’ll restrict him to Cameron’s house. You will not see him again.” Dacia made a small noise. Biela looked a little annoyed, but added, “Until I feel otherwise. Any contact and he’s back in the ground.”

Amara swallowed the lump in her throat. “Okay,” she whispered. “Thank you, Majesty” she added, more clearly, flicking a look to Dacia to let her know she was included in Amara’s feverish gratitude.

“Anything else you came to beg me for?” Biela asked, drawing Amara’s attention back to her.

“If there’s anything I can do to- to at least- ease the effects of what I did- even if it costs me my life- I’ll do it,” Amara said, even though she knew it was stupid.

“Do not tempt me,” Biela said, turning away in a dismissal even before she clipped out a curt, “Leave.”

Tagging:  @incandescent-creativity @solangelo3088 @lil-miss-red @halstudies @littleyellowdinosaur @caelisis @idreamonpaper

Discord pt 50

[Date: 25/02, 6.59 PM - 25/02, 07.51 PM GMT]

[‘Puppet’ from the Ib OST is playing in the VC.]

fetch: “:)”

Prince: “Oh! Crown said this was a good song! He says it reminds him of being a kid again! Don't you guys think so?

:)”

fetch: “YOU RE R I GHT PR INCE ! TH IS JS A VE R Y G OOD S ONG .” [You’re right Prince! This is a very good song.]

Prince: “I like it! It makes me feel all happy inside :)”

fetch: “TH OUG H ITS A L ITT LE F AST ER TH AN WH AT I U SUALL Y L IS TE N TO . N IG HT COR E HA AHA AHA .” [Though it’s a little faster than what I usually listen to. Nightcore haahaaha.]

Prince: “It is a little fast, but it's very nice :D”

Prince: “It makes me kinda sleepy :) How about you, fetch? :)”

fetch: “I GU ESS A L I TT LE HA HAA . B UT I GOT PL ENTY OF SL EE P LAS T N IGH T!” [I guess a little hahaa. But I got plenty of sleep last night!]

IM SO ENE ER GIZED AND R E ADY FO R THE D A Y” [I’m so energized and ready for the day]

donti: “Isn’t too much sleep a little bad for someone?”

Prince: “I don't think so :) It's nice to sleep. You don't have to think about all the things that might be stressing you out :)”

fetch: “I AG REE PR INC E . SL EE P IS NNI CE B UT D OGS CA NT S LE EP ALL D A Y ! THAT S A CAT TH ING TO DO L OL” [I agree, Prince. Sleep is nice but dogs can’t sleep all day! That’s a cat thing to do lol]

[‘No One in Sight’ from the Ib OST starts playing on loop]

fetch: “N OT AS G OOD AS THE LA ST ONE B UT S TILL A BOP” [Not as good as the last one but still a bop]

Prince: “Oh! This one is nice, too! Relaxing, like you’re outside listening to the breeze~”

Prince: “I can put on the other one again! :D”

[fetch: “ HM . TH ANF YOU PR INCE BU T I LIKE VA RIE TY SOM E TIME S :)” [Hm. Thank you, Prince, but I like variety sometimes]]

Prince: “Oh, ok :)”

fetch: “IM H APP Y TO SEE C R OWN ANS W E RIN G T H IN GS! YO U M UST BE H APPY T O O” [I’m happy to see Crown answering things! You must be happy too]

[donti: How had your day been so far Prince, while you’re here? This music really gets me in a convering mood.]

Prince: “It's been great! everything is fine :)“

fetch: “TH AT S GOO D :D” [That’s good :D]

[donti: Thats nice to know! How’s everyone in the court doing?”]

Prince: “Everyone is doing well :D i miss Knight, though... He hasn't been around in a while.”

fetch: “AW SADGE D: I H OPE Y OU F IND Y OUR KN IG HT BUD D Y SOON !” [Aw Sadge D: I hope you find your Knight buddy soon!]

[donti: Oh no! did something happen? Do you know where he is?

Prince: “No... He just... Went away one day... Crown said he'll find him for us and bring him home again, though, so it's ok! :)“

fetch: “AW HA HA HA H OW N ICE OF. H IM :) :) :)” [Aw hahaha how nice of. him]

[‘BGM008′ from the Ib OST starts playing]

[Povas: “Where did you last see knight?”]

Prince: “Um...Here, I think :)”

fetch: “O H G OOD SON G [Oh good song]

TH IS MAK ES THE FUN NY PIA NO T INK Y NOIS E” [This makes the funny piano tinky noise]

Prince: “I like the tinky noise too! :D”

Povas: “Why is it giving me a sense of dread?”

fetch: “I DK WHA T YOU M EAN BY D R EAD :/ ? IT S OUND S F INE TO M E !” [Idk what you mean by dread :/? It sounds fine to me!]

Prince: “Yeah! I think it's lovely! :)”

Povas: “It might just be me”

fetch: “PR OBAB LY Y OU LOL :D” [Probably you lol :D]

[donti: “Hm, change of music aside, whatcha been up to?”]

Prince: “Not much has been happening :) I just like to listen to music here. You can't be sad if there's nothing to make you upset, you know? :)”

[fetch [responding to donti]: “WH O ME ? OR PR INC E ?” [Who, me? Or Prince?]

donti: “Either or! I care about both of you :D”

fetch: “OH IM D OI NG GR E AT :D APP A RE NT LY M I SS E D D INN E R LA S T N IGHT SO M ONA (G OOD GO OD F RIEND MO NA) L EFT OUT A BR EA KF AS T FOR M E TO M UN CH WHI LE SHE WE NT TO W O RK” [Oh I’m doing great :D Apparently missed dinner last night so Mona (good good friend Mona) left out a breakfast for me to munch while she went to work]

[fetch: “HAV E BEEN VE RY TH IRST Y SO D RINK ING W AT ER” [Have been very thirsty so drinking water]]

Prince: “That's good! Drink plenty of water and eat plenty of food and get plenty of sleep! Crown would want you at your best :D”

fetch: “Y E AH :) TO AST WITH RO SE PET AL J AM M M  AND GO OD C E R EAL” [Yeah :) toast with rose petal jammm and good cereal]

[‘The Little Doll's Dream’ from the Ib OST starts playing]

fetch: “OO OO O GUITAR R R [ooooo guitarrr]

I LI KE GU IT AR” [I like guitar]

[donti: Prince, you have a very wide range of music in here! Where did you find so many songs?”]

Prince: “Oh, i just like to listen to a lot of things! These songs are from a game called Ib! You should play it :)“

[fetch: “IT I S A VER Y F UN G AME ! GARRY IS MY F AVOR I TE CH AR ACTER” [It is a very fun game! Garry is my favorite character]]

Prince: “Garry is my favorite, too! he's so nice! :D”

Bea (she/her): “I've heard of that game before. What's it about?”

[fetch: “A G IRL GO ES TO AN A RT ME USE UM AND THE N SHI T GE TS F UCKED LOL PAI NTINS COM E TO L IFE N S H JT” [A girl goes to an art museum and then shit gets fucked lol]]

Prince: “I guess... But i'd describe it a little differently...”

[”Inquiry” from the Ib OST starts playing]

fetch: “I M EAN AIN T THAT WH AT HAP PENS LOL” [I mean ain’t that what happens lol]

Prince: “A girl named Ib goes to an art exhibit and ends up in finding herself inside a painting! She meets a nice man named Garry and they have to make their way out together! There's lots of different endings and lots of puzzles! :)”

fetch: “MY DE S C RI PT ION W AS BE T TER LOL” [My description was better lol]

donti: “Oh! So its not a horror game?”

Prince: “It can be a little scary sometimes, but it's not terrible :)”

fetch: “ANYW AY NIC E B OPS IM GONNA GO EA T THE R ES T OF THE ROSE PETAL JAM :) Y UM BY E G UYS DONT FOR GET TO AS K CR OW N TH IN GS” [Anyway nice bops I’m gonna go eat the rest of the Rose Petal Jam :) Yum bye guys don’t forget to ask Crown things]

[donti: Alright! What other games do you play?]

Prince: “Lots of games! I like Skyrim, Overwatch, Undertale and Minecraft the most, though! :D”

[donti: “thats awesome! I like Minecraft too! I also play Pokemon and some rhythm games :D”]

Prince: “Ooh, what's your favorite Pokemon? i like Mimikyu and Ditto the most! :)”

donti: “Gengar and Joltik! the Mareep line is also pretty cool!”

Prince: “Oh, I have to get going! Crown's asking to see me :)

Bye bye! :D”

a low-profile extortion by the name of JANG YEONGMIN as decreed by Hydrus, presided over by MIDNIGHT and FALLACY  (@myeongchokrp )

some people go back to school to advance their careers. others go to career and skills workshops to get the promotions they want.

this isn’t any different.

medusa knows that murder can’t be all there is, and once she begins thinking about being told what to do – no matter how much she enjoys doing it – it often niggles at the back of her head like a centipede crawling into her ear and twisting around in her brain. as much as she loves her work, and as much as she’s proud of it, her father had larger plans for her. in a different world, perhaps her ambitions would align more with a perfectly acceptable position for a sociopath; like, say, a CEO. like all others, however, it seems she has to work her way from the bottom.

still, she takes instructions with a grain of salt and a healthy degree of interest. when she asked to be trained in this, she decided that she would excel in it, no matter who she had to kill – but this doesn’t involve that (unfortunately). it’s far more boring than she expected, but she won’t back out now, or ever. she still has her pride to uphold.

her supervisor, a senior extortionist going by ‘midnight’, eases her nerves before they go into the shop, saying it’s just like murder. no – no, hold on. it isn’t nerves. it’s boredom. no matter what information she gets from their backup hacker, ‘fallacy’, it just seems so boring. this is small fish, and she’s casting her net wide, but she supposes it’s better than nothing. one target at a time. maybe it’s cumulative.

she nods when midnight pats her on the back before they enter the small barbershop, located at a side street in yeongi. “just a good word?” she asks, raising an eyebrow and laughing a little, rolling her neck and her shoulders, taking it as a challenge. “how about a bonus?”

her senior probably says something, but it doesn’t quite register when she’s already walking away and pulling a new mask over her face; she also has some really nice shades on for the occasion (this time, it’s a face mask with the ‘uwu’ emoji on it. it’s cute, and goddamnit, if it’s a job, she might as well look presentable.) probably something about her finances. you don’t need more money, or something preposterous like that. how stupid. she always wants more money, and that’s the issue.

she steps inside the barbershop, even going “hello!” as if it’s a great day; as if she’s still obligated to be friendly. there’s only the two of them here now. behind her, she clicks the dial to a locked position and turns the sign to ‘closed’.

her target is a middle-aged man named jang yeongmin. his business isn’t too big, and he owns another apartment that he rents out to visitors. (it’s not doing well.) his barbershop is decent, but vacant on a wednesday afternoon. most appointments are closer to the weekend, and the middle of the week, during these hours, is quiet, with only the low thrum of the fan in the corner of the ceiling and the idle chatter of a small, indistinguishable TV behind the tall counter to keep their silence company. it stinks of hairspray and shaving cream. there are three security cameras in the establishment that run on a rudimentary closed system, and she hopes fallacy is as good at their job as they say they are.  

she expected to see a short, stout old man. instead, yeongmin is tall and middle-aged. he has the face of a rat, she notices, when he looks up from the TV. he freezes when he hears the lock click closed and she draws a gun. “hands up, buddy. c’mere and have a seat,” she instructs, cheery as ever, patting an aged leather chair in the middle of the row. there are three. he knows how to listens to instructions, it seems, when there’s a gun pointed at his face.

he walks over cautiously, saying, “i – i don’t know what you want from me, but –,”

god, even his voice is grating. she could kill him now if she wanted. if she could. she should. she’d be doing hydrus a favour. but, in a show of great restraint, she just lets him ramble on about how he has money, how he can pay her, etcetera etcetera. he’s still sitting down on the chair, and she keeps the gun pointed at him when she sharply interjects, “so how do you do this whole… shaving thing?” medusa heads to the nearby drawer. there’s some shaving cream, some old-fashioned razors meant for shaving. she takes out the set, the cream, and lays it out in front of the mirror, in front of him. “is this it?”

he looks confused, but nods. “wh-what…”

“you have a very annoying goatee.” with one hand, she takes the razor; with the other, she tucks her gun behind her back. that same free hand takes hold of his hair and pulls it back just enough for him to expose his neck and be able to look at his reflection. “and a very annoying voice.” she presses the blade to his adam’s apple; it bobs as his eyes water up.

“i have children!” he blurts out tearfully. his voice even trembles.

“i…don’t want them?” she answers right back, slightly confused. is he offering them? she isn’t usually in the business of killing those. they have more time to make mistakes, and they aren’t nearly as satisfying to kill. “look,” she continues, pulling her head back as if that’ll make it so that she doesn’t have to hear him crying when he does start to sob. she even lets go of his hair, but keeps the blade to his neck, and places her hand on his shoulder. just in case. “you owe hydrus a debt. i don’t know how stupid you have to be to do that, but you do, and you’re a fucking idiot, and we know that, right?”

oh, he’s really sobbing, now. it would be so. easy. to swipe the blade through his skin and muscle and windpipe right now. but he nods, like he can even hear her through his sniffling. “y—i – hic – d-don’t have en-n-nough to pa-ay th-is month – pl-please – oh g-ohu-ood –!”

oh my god. oh my god, he’s so annoying. is that the test? to see if she can withstand the job without killing anybody?

damn, that’s good.

“it’s not money we’re after,” she tries to say past all that, moving her hand to his hair again and pulling hard. “although…yeah, i heard you owe us. kinda have to grab the rest of what’s in your cashier after this, but – will you shut up?!” she presses the blade harder against his skin. he bleeds, but stops crying, seemingly trying to hold it behind a closed mouth. good enough. “look, someone who knows someone who knows someone knows that a certain police officer passed by here and blabbed about where they’re hitting us next. so, you need to tell me that, and y–,”

“the docks! the – fu-ohhuuhuhu – oh g-go-od, don’t kill me – god help me! – it’s the docks! w-warehouse… five or – or ten – or three – one of th-those!”

“and the code to your register! will you let me finish?! – actually,” she amends, “you better open it for me, so i know you won’t do anything even more stupid, like call the police.”

what he says isn’t lost on her. it’s not entirely useless, which is good for him, and she makes a mental note of it. he follows her instructions like a trembling, frightened old dog. for good measure and to motivate him further once the blade is off his neck, she takes out her gun and presses it against his back as they walk behind the counter.

someone laughs in the tv as the register dings open.

“and everything in your – i don’t know what you call it. the other money that’s not here that you keep, you know? you know what i’m talking about, right?”

he nods, bends down and opens the little cabinet under the register. there’s a fat stack of rubber-banded cash. she should know what it’s called, working for jieun’s little boutique now, but she doesn’t, and she won’t bother to. it’s money that shouldn’t be touched, and that’s all she knows, but she knows now that all shops have to have them. float, or sink, or something like that.

“put it in a bag.”

he does. it’s for the little cosmetics that not many people buy from a barbershop – hair wax, gel, 2-in-1 shampoos – and would rather buy from other local stores. she takes it from him and sighs a sigh of relief. finally.

medusa takes a step back and grins. not that he could see it. “now close your eyes and do the macarena.”

she takes another step back, and another away from the counter to move in front of it. the man is sobbing, now, and actually dancing the macarena, even singing it tearfully. she takes a video of it and lets him do the rest, walking back to the door slowly. when she opens it, his eyes dare flutter open, and his arms stop mid-raise, but she quickly shoots her gun at the ceiling and snaps, “did i tell you to stop, dickhead?”

he sobs harder and continues, absolutely butchering the song, even as she tucks the gun behind her back (it burns a little) and lets the door close. to the rest of the street, she’s walking out with just a bag and looking absolutely cute. as soon as she gets back in the car with midnight and fallacy, she’s greeted with laughter and praise.

“yeah, shit, i know, right?!” she laughs right back, finally letting it out and giving the bag to midnight, wheezing a little, having had to hold it in. “fuck, let’s get outta here.”

maybe this gig isn’t so bad, after all.

@d-o-t-s

             SHREK

                                      Written by

                               William Steig & Ted Elliott

                                    SHREK                         Once upon a time there was a lovely                         princess. But she had an enchantment                         upon her of a fearful sort which could                         only be broken by love's first kiss.                         She was locked away in a castle guarded                         by a terrible fire-breathing dragon.                         Many brave knights had attempted to                         free her from this dreadful prison,                         but non prevailed. She waited in the                         dragon's keep in the highest room of                         the tallest tower for her true love                         and true love's first kiss. (laughs)                         Like that's ever gonna happen. What                         a load of - (toilet flush)

              Allstar - by Smashmouth begins to play. Shrek goes about his               day. While in a nearby town, the villagers get together to go               after the ogre.

              NIGHT - NEAR SHREK'S HOME

                                    MAN1                         Think it's in there?

                                    MAN2                         All right. Let's get it!

                                    MAN1                         Whoa. Hold on. Do you know what that                         thing can do to you?

                                    MAN3                         Yeah, it'll grind your bones for it's                         bread.

              Shrek sneaks up behind them and laughs.

                                    SHREK                         Yes, well, actually, that would be a                         giant. Now, ogres, oh they're much worse.                         They'll make a suit from your freshly                         peeled skin.

                                    MEN                         No!

                                    SHREK                         They'll shave your liver. Squeeze the                         jelly from your eyes! Actually, it's                         quite good on toast.

                                    MAN1                         Back! Back, beast! Back! I warn ya!                         (waves the torch at Shrek.)

              Shrek calmly licks his fingers and extinguishes the torch. The               men shrink back away from him. Shrek roars very loudly and long               and his breath extinguishes all the remaining torches until the               men are in the dark.

                                    SHREK                         This is the part where you run away.                         (The men scramble to get away. He laughs.)                         And stay out! (looks down and picks                         up a piece of paper. Reads.) "Wanted.                         Fairy tale creatures."(He sighs and                         throws the paper over his shoulder.)

              THE NEXT DAY

              There is a line of fairy tale creatures. The head of the guard               sits at a table paying people for bringing the fairy tale creatures               to him. There are cages all around. Some of the people in line               are Peter Pan, who is carrying Tinkerbell in a cage, Gipetto               who's carrying Pinocchio, and a farmer who is carrying the three               little pigs.

                                    GUARD                         All right. This one's full. Take it                         away! Move it along. Come on! Get up!

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Next!

                                    GUARD                         (taking the witch's broom) Give me that!                         Your flying days are over. (breaks the                         broom in half)

                                    HEAD GUARD                         That's 20 pieces of silver for the witch.                         Next!

                                    GUARD                         Get up! Come on!

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Twenty pieces.

                                    LITTLE BEAR                         (crying) This cage is too small.

                                    DONKEY                         Please, don't turn me in. I'll never                         be stubborn again. I can change. Please!                         Give me another chance!

                                    OLD WOMAN                         Oh, shut up. (jerks his rope)

                                    DONKEY                         Oh!

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Next! What have you got?

                                    GIPETTO                         This little wooden puppet.

                                    PINOCCHIO                         I'm not a puppet. I'm a real boy. (his                         nose grows)

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Five shillings for the possessed toy.                         Take it away.

                                    PINOCCHIO                         Father, please! Don't let them do this!                         Help me!

              Gipetto takes the money and walks off. The old woman steps up               to the table.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Next! What have you got?

                                    OLD WOMAN                         Well, I've got a talking donkey.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Right. Well, that's good for ten shillings,                         if you can prove it.

                                    OLD WOMAN                         Oh, go ahead, little fella.

              Donkey just looks up at her.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Well?

                                    OLD WOMAN                         Oh, oh, he's just...he's just a little                         nervous. He's really quite a chatterbox.                         Talk, you boneheaded dolt...

                                    HEAD GUARD                         That's it. I've heard enough. Guards!

                                    OLD WOMAN                         No, no, he talks! He does. (pretends                         to be Donkey) I can talk. I love to                         talk. I'm the talkingest damn thing                         you ever saw.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Get her out of my sight.

                                    OLD WOMAN                         No, no! I swear! Oh! He can talk!

              The guards grab the old woman and she struggles with them. One               of her legs flies out and kicks Tinkerbell out of Peter Pan's               hands, and her cage drops on Donkey's head. He gets sprinkled               with fairy dust and he's able to fly.

                                    DONKEY                         Hey! I can fly!

                                    PETER PAN                         He can fly!

                                    3 LITTLE PIGS                         He can fly!

                                    HEAD GUARD                         He can talk!

                                    DONKEY                         Ha, ha! That's right, fool! Now I'm                         a flying, talking donkey. You might                         have seen a housefly, maybe even a superfly                         but I bet you ain't never seen a donkey                         fly. Ha, ha! (the pixie dust begins                         to wear off) Uh-oh. (he begins to sink                         to the ground.)

              He hits the ground with a thud.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Seize him! (Donkey takes of running.)                         After him!

                                    GUARDS                         He's getting away! Get him! This way!                         Turn!

              Donkey keeps running and he eventually runs into Shrek. Literally.               Shrek turns around to see who bumped into him. Donkey looks scared               for a moment then he spots the guards coming up the path. He               quickly hides behind Shrek.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         You there. Ogre!

                                    SHREK                         Aye?

                                    HEAD GUARD                         By the order of Lord Farquaad I am authorized                         to place you both under arrest and transport                         you to a designated resettlement facility.

                                    SHREK                         Oh, really? You and what army?

              He looks behind the guard and the guard turns to look as well               and we see that the other men have run off. The guard tucks tail               and runs off. Shrek laughs and goes back about his business and               begins walking back to his cottage.

                                    DONKEY                         Can I say something to you? Listen,                         you was really, really, really somethin'                         back here. Incredible!

                                    SHREK                         Are you talkin' to...(he turns around                         and Donkey is gone) me? (he turns back                         around and Donkey is right in front                         of him.) Whoa!

                                    DONKEY                         Yes. I was talkin' to you. Can I tell                         you that you that you was great back                         here? Those guards! They thought they                         was all of that. Then you showed up,                         and bam! They was trippin' over themselves                         like babes in the woods. That really                         made me feel good to see that.

                                    SHREK                         Oh, that's great. Really.

                                    DONKEY                         Man, it's good to be free.

                                    SHREK                         Now, why don't you go celebrate your                         freedom with your own friends? Hmm?

                                    DONKEY                         But, uh, I don't have any friends. And                         I'm not goin' out there by myself. Hey,                         wait a minute! I got a great idea! I'll                         stick with you. You're mean, green,                         fightin' machine. Together we'll scare                         the spit out of anybody that crosses                         us.

              Shrek turns and regards Donkey for a moment before roaring very               loudly.

                                    DONKEY                         Oh, wow! That was really scary. If you                         don't mind me sayin', if that don't                         work, your breath certainly will get                         the job done, 'cause you definitely                         need some Tic Tacs or something, 'cause                         you breath stinks! You almost burned                         the hair outta my nose, just like the                         time...(Shrek covers his mouth but Donkey                         continues to talk, so Shrek removes                         his hand.) ...then I ate some rotten                         berries. I had strong gases leaking                         out of my butt that day.

                                    SHREK                         Why are you following me?

                                    DONKEY                         I'll tell you why. (singing) 'Cause                         I'm all alone, There's no one here beside                         me, My problems have all gone, There's                         no one to deride me, But you gotta have                         faith...

                                    SHREK                         Stop singing! It's no wonder you don't                         have any friends.

                                    DONKEY                         Wow. Only a true friend would be that                         cruelly honest.

                                    SHREK                         Listen, little donkey. Take a look at                         me. What am I?

                                    DONKEY                         (looks all the way up at Shrek) Uh ...really                         tall?

                                    SHREK                         No! I'm an ogre! You know. "Grab your                         torch and pitchforks." Doesn't that                         bother you?

                                    DONKEY                         Nope.

                                    SHREK                         Really?

                                    DONKEY                         Really, really.

                                    SHREK                         Oh.

                                    DONKEY                         Man, I like you. What's you name?

                                    SHREK                         Uh, Shrek.

                                    DONKEY                         Shrek? Well, you know what I like about                         you, Shrek? You got that kind of I-don't-care-what-nobody-thinks-of-me                         thing. I like that. I respect that,                         Shrek. You all right. (They come over                         a hill and you can see Shrek's cottage.)                         Whoa! Look at that. Who'd want to live                         in place like that?

                                    SHREK                         That would be my home.

                                    DONKEY                         Oh! And it is lovely! Just beautiful.                         You know you are quite a decorator.                         It's amazing what you've done with such                         a modest budget. I like that boulder.                         That is a nice boulder. I guess you                         don't entertain much, do you?

                                    SHREK                         I like my privacy.

                                    DONKEY                         You know, I do too. That's another thing                         we have in common. Like I hate it when                         you got somebody in your face. You've                         trying to give them a hint, and they                         won't leave. There's that awkward silence.                         (awkward silence) Can I stay with you?

                                    SHREK                         Uh, what?

                                    DONKEY                         Can I stay with you, please?

                                    SHREK                         (sarcastically) Of course!

                                    DONKEY         ��               Really?

                                    SHREK                         No.

                                    DONKEY                         Please! I don't wanna go back there!                         You don't know what it's like to be                         considered a freak. (pause while he                         looks at Shrek) Well, maybe you do.                         But that's why we gotta stick together.                         You gotta let me stay! Please! Please!

                                    SHREK                         Okay! Okay! But one night only.

                                    DONKEY                         Ah! Thank you! (he runs inside the cottage)

                                    SHREK                         What are you...? (Donkey hops up onto                         a chair.) No! No!

                                    DONKEY                         This is gonna be fun! We can stay up                         late, swappin' manly stories, and in                         the mornin' I'm makin' waffles.

                                    SHREK                         Oh!

                                    DONKEY                         Where do, uh, I sleep?

                                    SHREK                         (irritated) Outside!

                                    DONKEY                         Oh, well, I guess that's cool. I mean,                         I don't know you, and you don't know                         me, so I guess outside is best, you                         know. Here I go. Good night. (Shrek                         slams the door.) (sigh) I mean, I do                         like the outdoors. I'm a donkey. I was                         born outside. I'll just be sitting by                         myself outside, I guess, you know. By                         myself, outside. I'm all alone...there's                         no one here beside me...

              SHREK'S COTTAGE - NIGHT

              Shrek is getting ready for dinner. He sits himself down and lights               a candle made out of earwax. He begins to eat when he hears a               noise. He stands up with a huff.

                                    SHREK                         (to Donkey) I thought I told you to                         stay outside.

                                    DONKEY                         (from the window) I am outside.

              There is another noise and Shrek turns to find the person that               made the noise. He sees several shadows moving. He finally turns               and spots 3 blind mice on his table.

incomplete list of my dads commentary during the lost boys:

[during credits] “ugh, corey feldman. ......... ugh, god, the other one”

[re: theme song] “are they singing the ten commandments? is that what this is?”

[re: vampires appearing on screen] “they look like a bunch of dummies”

[re: oily sax player] “oh my god”

[re: corey haim] “is that what hes wearing?”

[re: corey feldman] “why does he have to talk in that voice? hes twelve”

[re: markos untimely death] “are they, covered in glitter? wh”

[re: fucking vampire toes] “oh my g od”

i miss your haikyuu art so much it was the best - dont get me wrong i fucking adore your bnha art but like,,,,, haikyuu,,,,,,,

Well pal, aren’t you lucky, you might have been missing from my blog in the past two weeks but if you scroll down just three posts you might notice I’ve been drawing haikyuu again (x x x)

Anon said:People don’t remember baccano anymore? :o

I assumed so since it’s been ten years since it aired and the fandom has always been small and quiet anyway, but it looks like I assumed wrong!!!! That made me so happy, honestly? Baccano’s my fav anime ever, it’s always super nice to see it appreciated!

Anon said:I’M HAPPY YOU LIKE BACCANO! NOBODY KNOWS IT

Anon said:Omg thanks for the baccano au I love it.

Anon said: BACCANO!! I love you so much right now!!!

Anon said: YOU DID A BACCANO CROSSOVER!! IVE NEVER SEEN ONE DUDE MAJOR PROPS TO YOU!!!! I literally love that series, it was one of my first ones so seeing it mixed with one of my current favourites is surreal!!

Anon said: DID YOU JUT DO A BACCANO AU OMG ITA BEEN SO LONG SINCE IVE WATCHED THAT IT WAS MY FAVE 😭😭😭😭😭 i cried so much during it all the time it was so badass

This is exactly what I was talking about!!! So HAPPY all of you love that anime as much as I do! And thank you SO MUCH for liking the crossover!!!!!!! ;O;

Anon said:Fran, just out of curiosity, what colors do you associate with Bakugou/Kirishima/the rest of the squad?

The ones I use to write their dialogues! Orange for Bakugou, red for Kirishima, gold for Sero, yellow for Kaminari and pink for Ashido! :D

Anon said: tumblr has been a butt and not notified me of your post but i saw your nishinoya and i died i love the way you draw him and boiiiiii bokuto and kuroo be looking smokin and your kiribaku (is that right??? im a failure i cant remember!!!:( ) is amazing SO MUCH FLUFF i die of happiness. keep up the lovely work 💕👌👌👌

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE KIND WORDS HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!!

Anon said:I love your art its so amazing.

Thank youuu ;u;

Anon said:I was just wondering if I could use one of your drawings of Kuroo as a phone background (just for personal use! It’s fine if you don’t want me too! I’m a huge fan and I hope you’re having a nice day~)

Sure! As long as it’s just for personal use I don’t mind at all!!

Anon said:Oh wow, thanks for the tutorial! I think it will be really helpful!

I’m glad to hear that!!!! :D

Anon said: what is the jock / nerd thing?

At this point it’s mostly a meme, I’d say haha

Anon said:ASDFGHJKL *-* Your art is to beautiful for the world

That’s!!!! Too kind of you oh man (〃´ﾉω`〃)

Anon said:Your kiri is so pretty.

THANK YOU!! Every Kiri is super pretty tho, it’s the intrinsic Kirishima-ness of the Kiris that makes them beautiful whatever style they’re drawn in! :O

Anon said:YOUR ZORA ITS SO GOOD I LOVE HIM AS MUCH AS YOU DO AND WHEN I SAW YOU DRAW HIM I WAS LIKE: a m a z i n g 💕💕💕

OH MAN THANK YOU I love that disaster of a trickster so much I’m glad I could make him come out okay ;O;

Anon said:so i left tumblr a while ago?? but i check back every so often bc ur pretty much my favorite tumblr artist ever

Aw man thank you so so so much this means the world to me! ;u; sometimes it’s hard for me to see any improvement in my own art so knowing that you can see it helps a lot!

Anon said:your art is literally my favourite thing in the entire world i love it all! i hope you’re having a good day and taking care of yourself! x

GOSH THANK U I hope you’re having the best day too, anon!!!!

Anon said:Asahi is so pretty when you draw him, I love it; my gentle son, in your amazing art style.

I’M!!!!!! Glad you liked him!!!!!!! That boy is 100% out of my comfort zone so knowing he came out okay is super nice!!!!! :D 

Anon said:The way I drew the bakusquad in that one set of images … They’re like … On the cover of Vogue or something. It’s aesthetically good to my eyes man. Also you kinda got me into tetsukami?? I don’t understand it at all but now im into it BC of ur fanart and bc of other fanart but Imma blame u and im grateful to have another ship to hyperfixate over. Anyway I love youu and your art man, i wish u many good days

Oh man I love you too anon this ask made me so happy???? And I’m especially happy I could get you into tetsukami! It doesn’t make much sense as a ship, does it? But they’d be fun interacting and their quirks work well together, so I have fun thinking about them! I hope they’ll interact in the classes 1a and 1b will have to share in the future! :D

Anon said:Oh I love your Noya’s, so glad you drew my boy again!:)

Thank you for liking him!!!!!! He’s hard to draw but I love him and he makes me happy!!! What a boy!!!

Anon said:Have you seen little noya in the newest chapter

I HAVE little boyo already had his blond hair how cute is that! The newest chapter made me really warm inside I really loved the whole speech Noya made ;u; my inspiring little lightning bolt !!

Anon said:I really really love your bnha art! But put some highlights on the kirabakus one, you probably have the quirk to melt my heart with them ;w;

That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever read!!!!! Thank you SO MUCH!!!!!! ;O;

Anon said:Who do you think would propose? Bakugo or Kirishima???

I actually answered a similar question a while ago! But I can’t find it so I guess to sum it up I mostly think at some point it’d just become something both of them have talked about throught the years enough times that by then it’ll just be something they are gonna do, sooner or later, and when it’ll happen it’ll be more like “we have a stable income and a house and a dog and a cat and are p much already married we should really do this already” - in a scenario like that either of the two works, for me haha

Anon said:the best thing was that I just a moment before u posted I felt bad and pissed ad sad, but then all that disappeared ;V;

I’m!!!!! So happy to know I could help you like that!!!! ;O;

Anon said:Can I just say, I’ve been following your art a long time (I’ve always loved it!) and I’ve really noticed a lot of growth and improvement in your style? The thing that always impresses me most is how you are able to take simplified facial features and make them SO expressive. You convey emotions so well and I love it so much. Thanks for always giving us art to smile about! Hope you are having a lovely day!

THANK YOU SO MUCH OH MY G OD!!!! I’m!!!!! crying!!!! probably!!!!!!! FrICK!!!! ;A;

Anon said:KINONOYA!!!!!!

INDEED!!!!! What a good relationship they have!!!!!

Anon said:You draw Sero so good oml he’s too pretty

Anon said:THAT SERO YOU DREW!!! *clutches heart* n i c e !!!!

;O; I’m glad you like him?????? gods!!!!

Anon said:I love the way you draw Kaminari, he looks beautiful in your art style! ^^

SOB you guys are all so nice to me I’m gonna cry for real here ;U; thank you!!!

Anon said:Whenever I’m sad I look at your art and everything feels better.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! happy I can help you with your mood!!!!!!!

Anon said:When you Kiri with his hair down, I’m always like “that’s it, that’s the cutest Kiri ever” and then you draw him with it spiked and I’m like “no wait, there it is, the cutest Kiri.” And now you go and give me both Kiri’s in that adorable pair of sketches and how is that even fair because how am I supposed to handle that? I can’t even decide anymore. All your kiris are the cutest Kiri.

THANK YOU !!!!!!!!! All Kiris are the cutest Kiris tho, aren’t they? What an inherently cute boy he is!!!

Anon said:i showed my friend your art and since we both find it super good, we both decided to try to draw more regularly because we want get better and get a smooth(? idk how to say it in english lmao) style like yours so thank you for the motivation/inspiration!!

:O !!!!!! I hope you and your friend will have fun while at it, anon!!!!! :D

Anon said:I love your bakushima

AND I LOVE YOU

Anon said:drawing ppl from above is so cool though!! i really like these kinda pics ✨ (esp bo and tetsu, so /cool/!!) dont give up, fran❤

Please don’t enable me anon, if you give me the green light I’m gonna keep on drawing that sorta angle forever hahahaha (thank u so much for the compliment, tho!!!!)

Anon said: ahhh i love your recent kiribaku drawings! they are so cool!!

That was about the red and teal ones, right? Thank you so much!!!! Working with colors like that isn’t something I do often, so I’m really really happy that you guys ended up liking them!!!

Anon said: Row! Row! Fight the power!!

I don’t know what brought this on but HECK YES

Anon said:Man I love all your art, fanart and OCs alike! And your BNHA is such an inspiration and one of the reasons I started writing fic. Have a great day!

OH BOY that’s such a nice thing to know!! I hope you’re having lotsa fun writing fics, anon!! And I also hope you’re having a great day, too!!!

Anon said:OK, i’m sorry for sounding this emotional, but OMG your art makes me cry. it’s just… so beautiful… *there i go again* *crying*

*hands u tissue* thank you so much but please don’t cry!!!!

Anon said:I’M CRYING LUCA’S BIRTHDAY IS THE DAY BEFORE MINE, I’M A PHYSICS MAJOR, A MAJOR DOG (and cat) PERSON, AS WELL AS A MORNING PERSON LIKE WH A T

You’re the second person that tells me they’re really similar to one of my ocs!!!! I wonder what that means? :O but it’s a fun thing to know, anyway!!! :D I hope you don’t mind Luca being so similar to you, anon haha

Anon said: What do you think would happen if eraserhead erased fatgum’s quirk?

He’d probably just lose his ability to absorb hits and then re-use their power? :? but if he’s fat he’s gonna stay fat and if he’s slim he’s gonna stay slim, I think :O

Anon said:Oh my god you know kekkai sensen I’m actually crying I love kekkai sensen but no one I know likes it/knows about it and aaaaaaa I love your art and you drew something from kekkai sensen and thats amazing!!!!

I’M GLAD YOU LIKED IT and I know right? Kkss has such a small fandom! Which to me is super weird considering how much following Trigun used to have? :O it’s definitely one of the best anime I’ve seen in recent times, tho!!!

Anon said:FRAAAANNNNNNNN!!!! I’m soo excited!! I might be getting a tote from your shop for Christmas! My friend asked what I wanted, so I looked at your store, and chose a tote with Mina, and Hagakure (?) And he told me to send him the link!

HOLY SMOKES THANK YOU FOR BUYING MY STUFF ANON THIS SERIOUSLY MEANS THE WORLD TO ME!!!!!!!

Anon said: Your art is so good! I especially love your black and white stuff! Its really punchy! Also all your Kiribaku content makes my heart melt!!!!!!

*gross sobbing* thank you so much!!!!!!!!!

Anon said:would it be okay…if i drew luca (giving credit to you tho obv) i just love him so much GOD

YES!!!!!! Please do link me to it if you do draw him, I wanna see!!!!! :D

Anon said:Hey! I really liked your OCs and i was especially intrigued by Max and Leo!! Do you mind telling us more about their relationship? They look so sweet!!! Love ya and keep being awesome!

Thank you so much for liking my kids!!!! ;O; and sadly I can’t tell you too much about them cause their story is a bit still up in the air as far as details go, but in general they used to be best friends back when they were kids, then the accident that gave Leo his scars happened and for reason they lost track of each other for a long while - they met again recently, tho! Leo’s been in love with Max since they were babies and being able to talk to him and interact with him again makes him incredibly happy/mushy/soft but also absurdly and unreasonably overprotective since he’s really, really scared of losing him again - Max… because of plot-related reasons hasn’t realized that Leo is the kid he used to know back when he was super young, so his falling in love with him happens as the story progresses. He finds the overprotectiveness silly and unecessary, but he doesn’t exactly mind it? He has a feeling it helps Leo more than it helps him, so he lets him do his thing. All in all, maybe Max takes more care of Leo than Leo of Max. Welp, their story is kind of a mess haha

Anon said:Have you ever thought about doing nsfw? Or at least something kinda hot?

This is actually answered in my faq! But yeah, no, I don’t do nsfw, sorry! Something kinda hot… maybe in the future? But I gotta be in a very specific mood that doesn’t come around too often, so I dunno if and when that’s gonna be!

College Student!Guanlin AU

kind of rushed but I tried my best. all the punctuation that seems like it shouldn’t be there is there purposely, trust me. odd amounts of commas and semi colons are kind of my thing. enjoy and don’t forget requests are always open !!!!!

-part of a group of rlly popular boys on campus

- only joined for the food - and the bitcheZ AYE AYE AYE - no just the food - the whole thing is like supposed to be a brotherhood but he only really can have lasting conversations with maybe three members at best - jihoon is everyone's translator - "..whaddya say guanlin?" *guanlin mumbles so quietly it sounds like a breath* "he said no thanks" - in reality is just kinda awkward - has his own fanclub amongst students, most female but a lot of male students as well - has lineups to watch him play basketball w/ seongwoo + daniel in his free time - really doesn't understand why everyone loves him so much - every valentine's day leaves w a moUNTAIN OF CHOCOLATES - mistaken for some cold prince but is just afraid to say something wrong by accident - he meets ppl and is kinda quiet nd they're like o god o god and he's like o goD O G O D - you don't rlly get all the hype surrounding him???? - like yes he's attractive and good at basketball but he seems to you kind of rude and mean and you vow not to fuck with lai guanlin - and you don't - until one day somehow he decides to sit right beside you in the lecture hall and youre like ???what - he doesn't even make eye contact w/ you he just pretends like he didn't just invade your personal space and you're PISSED - you mutter something under your breath along the lines of "i'm sorry was every other chair taken?" and he lOOKS OVER - his face is so expressionless you're saying your prayers like this is it for you you're dead oh my god mom i'm so sorr y - he coughs slightly, looking at his paper instead of you - "uh, the floor was wet and i didn't want to slip but i c-can go if you w-" - COMMENCE PANICKING - "n-no its alRIGHT SORRY" - nothing else is said and u can hear seongwoo cough out "awkward" from a row behind you - the rest of the class he doesn't speak, except for turning around to ask someone behind you for a pen because his ran out of ink - the day after that he tries to sit next to you again, but this time yoo seonho wedges his way between you two and claims the seat next to you - he immediately attempts to strike up a conversation, and is about fifteen times more likeable than guanlin - you two hit it off, and seonho doesn't even stop talking for the teacher, which pisses the professor off to nO END - you barely get any work done, but do manage to learn seonho's life story and a good deal of guanlin's - "and then guanlin slippe-" "i saID DONT TELL THIS STORY"- apparently guanlin opens up more when seonho is present, and despite the fact you still don't rlly like him you don't hold yesterday against him - the day after that, you don't really expect much - the night before you spent cramming for a test in a different class, and you were spent - you get into the hall late, and all the desks--including where you usually sit--are taken -you kinda just curse and go sit over off to the side where it's quieter and has a fifteen percent higher chance of you falling dead asleep - you sit in the desk up against the wall, so you have somewhere to rest your head - as soon as you lay your head against the wall someone slams a pencil case down on the desk beside you, and you jump - guanlin sits beside you, and seonho beside him - dont they have friends?????????? - speaking of, then ong seongwoo and kang daniel--two other boys with strong fanclubs that have members throwing glares at you--decide to join as well, bae jinyoung and lee daehwi scampering behind them - "when did i become this popular??" - "when guanlin started li-sAT NEXT TO YOU WHEN HE SAT BESIDE YOU OW OW" - most of the lesson goes off without any problems, until daniel taps you on the shoulder - "yo, party this friday at jaehwan's place,,,,,you in???" - you were rarely invited to parties, let alone parties on the scale you knew this one would be at, and so you agreed - "thANK GOODNESS I THOUGHT GUANLIN WOULD HAVE NOBODY" - guanlin just mutters and goes back to his papers--face rllyyyyy pink - fast forward to friday,,,,, - daniel and seongwoo said they'd pick you and a few other people from your dorm so you're like :-))) alright pal - the car ride is crAMPED - you're forced beside daniel and have to listen to him talk and talk and talk - at one point he gives up trying to start conversations with you and starts yelling up to seongwoo who's driving - seongwoo yells back and at one point he turns around while still driving in an attempt to swat at daniel who said something seongwoo didn't like - a neaR DEATH EXPERIENCE - when you finally get there after much hardship and almost car crashes--courtesy of daniel--it's barely past the time the party was supposed to start and there's already teens spilling from the mouth of the house into the front yard, music obnoxiously sounding from somewhere close to the doors - when you turn around to make a sarcastic comment, everyone's gone - you--despite your better judgement--make your way inside the house and try to find anyone you know - that turns into you wandering around a house for fourteen minutes until you accidentally trip and fall on someone - you land on the floor beside them, but didn't manage to fully knock them over - you're saying goodbye to your loved ones in your brain bc you thought you heard kang dongho over here and o fuck he's kinda scary - "o h my god i'm so sorr ry are you alright this looks bad can i help you are you hurt,,,,o G od i didn't see y-" - "y/N wHAT ARE YOU DOING" - seonho yells from across the room at you like there aren't enough people looking at you - the guy you ran into kinda just glares at you and you're offended but not offended enough to say anything - seonho, on the other hand, is the opposite - "aRe yOu tryiNg to fiGhT //OUR// Y/N???!?!!!?//!!?? GUANLIN HYUNG HE'S GOING TO TRY AND FIGHT O UR-" - you and guanlin are mortified - "ignore him!!! i'm so sorry!!!!!!!" - the senior just apologizes back and turns around, and guanlin has to physically drag seonho out the door and down the street a little - "seonho let's go get food" - "you're right,,,,y/n must be hungry" - you come bc you really didn't want to be at that house anymore,,,,,even though you were barely there you realize why you rarely go to parties even when invited - you all walk to a variety store and hang out in front like the cool cats u are - ....more like you wanted seonho out of the store so he wouldn't spend any more of YOUR money - at some point seonho wanders back in with ten more dollars courtesy of guanlin which leaves the both of you alone - "are you okay?" - until he spoke up you were silent and eating your little cracker snack, so you kinda gulp and turn to him in shock - "y-yeah, are you okay?" - good going - you fucked it up - you're nervous because under the neon lights of the variety store realization hits you like a truck - lai guanlin,,,,,is,,,,,criminally attractive - he chuckles and looks out to the traffic - "it's going better than i had planned" - planned>???? - seonho sticks his head out the door of the variety store - " are u done yet" - guanlin stands up w/ his fist raised - "dONT RUSH ME" - "YOU'RE NOT GONNA DO IT BABY" - " OH Y E A H????? WATCH ME<<" - he takes a deep breath and says abnormally loud - "y/N I REALLY LIKE YOU I THINK WE SHOULD GO OUT SOME TIME. SEE SEONHO I DID IT WH-" - he clamps his hand over his mouth realizing what he just done gone and did - "i like you too, lai guanlin"

Lawyer!Woozi

Requested by anon: Woozi for lawyer!au Hehe thanks! 

This was one of the more popular choices when yall voted! I was sure that woozi aus weren’t that popular but my street musician au blew up?? as did this au when people voted??? ever since i made this blog you guys have never ceased to amaze me I LOVE YOU ALL!!! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS PIECE FROM YOUR FAV MOM!!!

warnings: a Manly Jihoon that turns into a Blushy Jihoon with bad jokes

Ok yall im in mock trial so this is some real legit stuffz but i don’t know everything so it’s obviously not completely accurate!

This au got quite a lot of votes, a lot more than i expected

Here we will explore the concept of Manly Jihoon

Let’s get moving!!!!!

You’ve been in your current law firm for a few years now

You ain’t even an attorney you just file papers rip

You’re like i am s O D ON E with this job hahahah :)))))

Your office job is like the typical ones you hear about that make you wanna yawn bc they’re just sO B OR I N G

#savereader2k17

Additionally to your office job, you’re also lowkey a personal assistant for the one and only,,,,,,

You guessed it

Lee Jihoon

The bEST of the best attorneys ever to exist, at least for the defense

We’re talking about high-scale crimes that you would only imagine happening, like big scandalous murder cases in mystery novels and movies

And he always,,,,, aLW A YZZ,,,, wins the case no joke

The last case he worked on took literally months and the trial for it w A S O IN TE N S E HOLY CRAP

You: wow i would so not wanna be that witness on the stand rn

The guy spits out objections left and right and usually the opposing attorney would be almost up to par on his level but we all know jihoon is gonna miss u with that bs

He indirectly tore apart the attorneys on tOP OF SHREDDING APART THE WITNESSES W O W

Bc of this you know exactly how intense and firm jihoon is when it comes to his work

The day he asked you to be his personal assistant may or may not have made you wanna pee in your pants

The most intimidating guy just asked you to be around him more often than you were supposed to, which is never???? um u have an office job????

“Look you seem to be the most trustworthy person here. Like i don’t even trust soonyoung and he’s my fellow coworker for this case” yes it’s bc he trusts you nOT liKE He hAS A CR us H On yO U NO OFC NO T

“hE Y I HE A RD THAT”

“See what i mean??? Always eavesdropping smh”

#letsoonyounglive2k17

Soonyoung: ok,,, if that’s how you wanna play jihoon,,,, you think you’re such a hOtShOt,,,,,,

You: jihoon wheRE DID THAT GUITAR CO M E FROM WE ARE AT A LAW FIRM

Since he’s perfectly aware he’s asking you to do something out of your way that is not part of your job he is willing to actually pay you

You’re lowkey thinking about just being his assistant bc the pay he gives you is lowkey higher than your actual salary rIP IM SORRY READER YOU DESERVE BETTER

For the most part you fetch him his daily coffee and help him file more papers jesus

But this guy is busy 25/8 so you’re on your feet a l o t

“y/n where’s the file i told you to create for brian?”

“y/n can you hand me the case book”

“File this in with the evidence”

“Take a look at the errata and cross these sections out”

You are doing a lot of the tiny things jihoon just doesn’t have time to other than the bulk of the case

You’re like oh de ar,,,, this is my office job 2.0 but i’m moving around more

You’re a little overwhelmed bc you’re experiencing firsthand how serious jihoon’s job is and it isn’t just about objecting to the opposing side

Figuring out how to word your questions so you don’t get objected to is by far the hardest part

Sometimes he would even ask you for advice just for some insight from an outside party

You don’t know every single thing about the law so he explains some of it to you but he’s actually like o H My gOD THEY’RE SO CUTE

“Jihoon what does hearsay mean?”

Jihoon: *combusts* “lol well it’s pretty simple,,,,”

When you’re too busy filing papers and doing other tasks, you are completely oblivious to the little glances he spares your wa Y JESUS

He would be like o m g how does one make crossing things out look sO G O OD

You look up and he pretends he’s reading the case book i fucken see u jihoon

But you don’t and you just resume your work

The biggest case he’s ever worked on is gonna be put to the test

The trial for it is the next day and jihoon is usually the epitome of calm and collected

But when you show up to his office with his coffee he doesn’t even notice you coming in and is running back and forth

“Jihoon??? I have your coffee if you,, still want it,,, you look a lil busy”

“Oh y/n thank you just set it down over there on the table”

As you put it down on his desk you glance around the room and it looks like a tornado came in and turned the room upside down

You don’t wanna pry and be in his way but you’re also like where is the relaxed jihoon from yesterday????

You’re like um,,, is,,, is everything ok??

And he stops for a second to catch his breath and you’re like pL S DON’T YELL AT ME

Shockingly he just sighs

“I reread the case book last night and i caught something pretty strange,,,, and i’ve been trying to dig up more about it in the other witnesses’ testimonies to find anything that slipped”

You’re like oh jesus that sounds stressful but i will be here to help you!!11!!

jihoon is trying to keep his fanboy in check but hOW CAN HE IF YOU’RE BEING THIS CUTE

“Ah..haha… that’s very considerate of you. Actually,,, maybe you can help me”

You’re liKE WHAT OMG THE LEGENDARY JIHOON IS ASKING ME,,,, A NOBODY WITH AN OFFICE JOB,,,, FOR HELP?????

You must have been gawking at him with your mouth open bc he’s like is it that shocking i need help

You shake your head “n-no!!! Tell me what it is GO LISTEN TO THIS BY SF9 BYE and i’ll do it”

And he’s like ,,,,,,,,,,,,, i knew i liked you for a reason -- i mE A N OK PLS GO THROUGH THE TESTIMONIES FOR ME

And you spend a few more hours helping him out

You’ve never seen jihoon this frazzled and it kinda makes you freaked out too bc if he ain’t calm how can you be

You guys finally finish and he lets out a huge breath of relief

“I think,,,, we did it,,,, they can’t weasel out of this!!!”

“That’s good i’m glad i was able to help!!!”

“Yes we make a good team :)”

And yO U’RE LIKE OH,,,,, OMG

“cAN U PLS STOP STARING AT ME LIKE THAT I’M NOT AN EMOTIONLESS ROBOT”

“Well……………….”

“Wow i’m offended????? Is that what you think of me???????????”

“nO I WAS JOKING I Love how passionate you are about your work and really admire you for always being able to set your mind to something and doing it”

Jihoon is shook to say the least

No one has ever said that to him despite his huge success as an attorney

People compliment him on his work yes but it’s superficial and only empty words

Everyone is always reluctant to actually talk to him bc he’s always so cold and work-oriented

He can see the floating halo above your head

It takes him a while to say something bc now it’s his turn to stare

There’s a strange air of intimacy and you’re trying to control your cheeks from flaring red under his gaze

You suddenly notice how long his eyelashes are--

wAIT STOP YOU DON’T LIKE JIHOON AHAHHA WHAAAAT NOPE

“Did,,, i say something funny?”

“No,,,, not at all,,,,, thank you. That means a lot to me.”

Alert the reader is melting emergency alert

“Would you,,, like to come watch tomorrow?”

You really want to but,,,, your office job,,,,, stacks of papers are piling up on your desk

He senses your hesitance and is like i’ll let your boss know it’s to help me out

You’re like uh does that actually work

“He loves me ok this firm would be in the ground let’s be real”

You: well he ain’t wrong

“Ok well,,,, as long as it’s alright,,,,,, I have to see it through the end with you!!”

Jihoon: i am def gonna need 2 win

The following night comes too soon and you’re in the audience with bated breath

As soon as jihoon announces himself the atmosphere instantly shifts

The opposing attorneys seem to be unfazed and it’s a harsh battle between defense and prosecution

Jihoon brings up the newly found loophole and you can see the witness be like o cr a p gudbyez

And the attorney tries to save their witness during Redirect but even you thought their reputation was ruined

Jihoon is All Smirks for the rest of the trial

As it comes to an end after many many hours, the judge finally speaks about the verdict

And yAY YOUR WITNESS IS NOT GUILTY JIHOON LED THE CASE TO SUCCESS WOO HOO

You wait for him outside of the building as the people are dispersing

It takes a while for him to emerge out from the doors but the second he does you’re like

“oH MY GOSH JIHOON YOU WERE AM A Z IN G!!! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!!!!”

He knows he’s used to hearing this but for some reason he turns sO BL US H Y

Instead of replying with his usual “oh thank you, I know” he’s avoiding your gaze

“Oh,,,, it was,,, nothing,,,,”

And you swear you can see hints of pink on his cheeks

You decide to tease him for a bit bc i mEAN THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY

“Omg jihoon,,, are you blushing????”

“*clears throat loudly* SUFDFSDJLFJF NO WHAT I DO N OT BLUSH we’re going to the nearest pizza parlor”

And he starts tugging your arm and you’re like wH AT I DIDNT EVEN AGREE TO THIS???

He mutters “well the least we could do is celebrate” aND YOU CAN SEE THE TIPS OF HIS EARS SUPER RED

Even in the dark you can see his embarrassment written all over him

You’re like “well this is cheesy aHAH SEE WHAT I DID THERE”

“We’re not going anymore”

“Ok i’m soRRY I WANT FOOD I’M HUNGRY”

“,,,,but not as cheesy as me using this as an excuse to ask you out”

“Well i mean -- wAIT WHAT”

And he’s looking at you expectantly and you’re just trying to Register What Happened

“Oh,,,, well,,,, i wouldn’t mind,,,,,,,,,,”

And he smiles ever so slightly my heart

“How greasy of me”

“Ok who’s the one making bad puns now”

dont rb & please dont reply

i cant s top fuckign crying or shking and i feel sick i feel so so fucking sick and i jsut. god oh fucking god i jsut. like you knw when you jus  enter p anic attack zone and smood of oh god oh god not fucking again jsut leave me the fuck alone but g od what can you fucking do you re so pathetic and youre so worthelss and youre so fucking alone but you cant even fucking do anything you cant do anything at all neve rmind deal with this  and wh y  m tired and m sick of it and im sick of vomitting becase im shaking too ha rd o whatver the fuck it is and m sick of the twitching and m sick of it i cant. god i jsut cant. i dont fucking see how any of this is woeth it i cant see why its fucking worth it to fucking push on when god fucking knows i know im as valuable as fuck ing dog shit and i dont know im sick of that too im si ck of just. being nothin but a failure and not only in everything i fucking do but m sick of jsut. cant even fucking b e human c ant even have fucking friends my famiyl are so fucking asham ed of me im so fuck ing alone and the fucki ng therapist cant even fuck ing he l p me because m so fuck ed up i just fucking have a melt do wn every time she trie s to say anythin and the only fucking th ing i can  ever find a comfor t in is fucking running a way and fucking thinking about how it doenst  fucking ma tter im going to be d e ad soon im going to fucking kill myself and it’ll all go away but i cant even do th at i cant even do that right because i fucking . just lose it over how it doesnt ma tter how im so so fucking worhtless that even if i did it wouldnt fucking ma tter and im never not going to be fucking alone and miserable i’ll just exist and then nott exist and its nothign its fucking nothing at all and i jsut g d

@bacon135 replied to your post “All Might’s voice reminded me of something so I checked what it could...”

wh a t

the more u know ;O

@bacon135 replied to your photo “DEKU OH MY G OD”

anyways dude so far im having a lot of fun reading your bnha blogging

and rip deku

rip deku indeed ;;-;; 

And omg thank you <3 I’m glad you have fun :D

@bacon135 replied to your photoset “Neat power :O”

sonic

Listen my son is amazing even if he’s secretly a hedgehog shh

@bacon135 replied to your post “Anyway back to the least discoursy stuff, Aizawa is so damn cool man”

YES AGREED AAAAAAAAA

HE’S SO AMAZING AND HE’S SO MUCH THE BEST I’M CHEERING FOR HIM

@bacon135 replied to your photo “HUH NO NOT GOOD NOT GOOD GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY BOY THANK YOU”

f uc K o f F g ra bb y hanD s

THAT GUY IS ANNOYING THAT’S UNFAIR D:

akdjhfdkjf anyway glad you enjoyed the liveblog so far ;OOO take care!

Loose cannon

It was the middle of­ the night and he cou­ld barely walk straig­ht- granted he had ju­st downed a whole bot­tle of vodka. He blam­ed it on Mako for thr­owing the celebration­ party in the first p­lace, they had succee­ded in locking Black ­Magic up for good and­ the harpy goddess in­sisted it was the per­fect reason to party ­deep into the night. ­Leon knew he should h­ave declined the invi­tation when he had th­e chance but he just ­figured hey, it'll on­ly be for a little wh­ile right? He would o­nly have maybe one or­ two drinks right? Ab­solutely not; Lycan h­ad challenged him to ­a drink off at Raigek­i's request and he co­uldn't exactly back d­own with everyone wat­ching. Needless to sa­y, he was victorious ­and there was a very ­"sleepy" wolf hanging­ by Rai's side for th­e rest of the party. ­He had left the party­ immediately after th­at before Rai could c­onvince him to do any­thing else crazy. Leo­n stumbles again and ­he places his hand on­ the wall to steady h­imself, it wouldn't d­o him any good if he ­fell over before he c­ould reach his target­. He was more than su­re that he would be a­wake at this hour- th­e man rarely if ever ­slept and it wouldn't­ be the first time he­'s popped in to see h­im. Although, this wo­uld be the first time­ he shows up complete­ly intoxicated with s­omething more than ju­st reprimands on his ­mind. He reaches the ­room and enters witho­ut bothering to knock­; Rodrick was seated ­on the bed watching t­v and Leon steps in f­ront of it to block h­is view. Rodrick look­s up at him, "can I h­elp you?" Leon stares­ at him for a few sec­onds, dully noting th­at he's missing a shi­rt at the moment, "yo­u...need sex to live ­right? Just like all ­the other inccubi." R­odrick raises an eyeb­row, "uhh yeah I do- ­what, are you doing s­ome kind of project o­n my kind or somethin­g?" Leon didn't feel ­like deeming that wit­h a verbal answer, in­stead he moves in clo­ser to Rodrick; one h­and on his bare shoul­der while he connects­ their lips in a soft­ kiss. He can feel th­e incubus stiffen bef­ore he relaxes into t­he kiss, but then he'­s pushing Leon away a­nd looking at him str­angely, "are you feel­ing okay man? Normall­y you're always on yo­ur high horse about n­ot being gay or wanti­ng to do anything lik­e this with other gu-­" Leon places to fing­ers on Rodrick's lips­ to silence him, "you­r talking is annoying­. Right now all I wan­t is for you to do me­, okay?" Rodrick gape­s at him like a fish ­before something chan­ges in him and a wick­ed grin appears on hi­s face, "really?~ Wel­l I would love to do ­you but....why don't ­we do this my way?" F­eeling intrigued but ­slightly impatient fo­r reasons he doesn't ­understand, Leon cros­ses his arms, "what e­xactly IS your way?" ­Rodrick chuckles, "we­ start with you using­ that normally snippy­ mouth of yours to pl­easure my dick~ then ­from there we'll get ­to the actual doing."­ Leon nods before spr­eading Rodrick's legs­ apart, his hands qui­ckly unzipping his pa­nts to grasp at the l­imp member inside. Hi­s eyes flick over to ­meet Rodrick's for ha­lf a second and then ­he's dropping to his ­knees, sliding his me­mber into his mouth a­s he begins to suck a­nd lick at it. He clo­ses his eyes in faint­ pleasure, it wasn't ­what he wanted right ­now but it would suff­ice for now. The thic­kness was just right ­and he could feel it ­twitch as it slowly l­engthens and hardens;­ his own body respond­ing as he feels an er­ection beginning to r­ise. He jolts a bit w­hen Rodrick's hand sl­ides through his hair­, fingers toying with­ his ear and Leon ope­ns his eyes to watch ­Rodrick's face. He no­tes the parted lips a­nd half lidded eyes; ­the way the incubus g­od seems to be enjoyi­ng this already and i­t motivates him to do­ more. He begins stro­king the erection par­tly to spread his sal­iva and partly to giv­e Rodrick more pleasu­re. Leon flicks his t­ongue along the sensi­tive slit of Rodricks­ penis and delights i­n the throaty moan he­ releases. Wanting to­ hear more of those m­oans, Leon indulges i­n running his tongue ­up and down the full ­length, swirling his ­tongue around the sen­sitive head before su­cking on it hard. He ­can hear Rodrick begi­nning to pant and fee­l the hand in his hai­r tightening it's gri­p. Another hand finds­ it's way into his ha­ir, toying with the s­trands before it slid­es down to caress his­ cheek and he raises ­his eyes to meet Rodr­ick's gaze. "You're d­oing great Leon but I­ think it's time we m­oved onto the next st­ep, no?" Leon detache­s himself from Rodric­k's nether region and­ allows him to direct­ his body towards the­ bed until he's seate­d on it, Rodrick lean­ing over his body to ­deliver a short kiss.­ He trails more kisse­s down Leon's cheek, ­his neck; then his ha­nds are slipping unde­rneath the fabric of ­his shirt and he shiv­ers at the feel of Ro­drick's slim fingers ­ghosting over his ski­n. He moves to connec­t their lips again bu­t Rodrick's hands are­ gently pushing him b­ack before they pull ­his shirt over his he­ad and then the incub­us allows him to brin­g their lips together­ again. This time Rod­rick leads the kiss a­nd his tongue is soon­ slipping into Leon's­ mouth, his hands ret­urning to trace light­ patterns over his sk­in and Leon sighs. Pe­rhaps it was the alco­hol but the kiss felt­ particularly nice, R­odrick's tongue was w­arm and slick but it ­also faintly tasted o­f mint. All too soon,­ Rodrick is ending th­e kiss but his lips d­on't exactly leave Le­on, instead they move­ down to his nipples.­ Leon flinches slight­ly at the feeling of ­Rodrick's mouth sucki­ng on him in such a s­trange spot, he didn'­t think his chest wou­ld actually be sensit­ive enough to give hi­m pleasure and he's r­eally not sure how to­ feel when Rodrick be­gins swirling his ton­gue around the harden­ed nub. He settles fo­r a mix of light moan­ing and panting just ­because it feels righ­t. Rodrick looks up a­t him with a smug smi­rk on his face, "you ­like that huh?" At Le­on's nod, he returns ­to swirling his tongu­e around the nub and ­toys with the other, ­gently twisting and p­inching it. His smug ­expression only incre­ases when Leon's back­ arches as a louder m­oan passes between hi­s lips. The strange p­leasure was quickly b­ringing him to full a­rousal and he runs hi­s fingers through Rod­rick's hair to get hi­s attention, "it feel­s nice but I want mor­e- I want you inside ­me." Rodrick jerks aw­ay from Leon and snor­ts, "wait really? If ­this is how you're go­ing to be then maybe ­you should drink more­ often~" He doesnt wa­ste any time removing­ the rest of Leon's c­lothing and then he's­ holding two fingers ­near his lips, "go on­ and get them nice an­d slick so I can prep­ you up. It'll feel m­uch better if you're ­loose." The intoxicat­ed lion obeys, partin­g his lips to take th­e two digits into his­ mouth where he then ­sucks and licks at th­em, down their length­ and in between them ­in a way that makes R­odrick shiver in arou­sal. The lion always ­went on and on about not liking men yet he­ sure knew how to get­ them hot and bothere­d. Rodrick pulls his ­fingers out of Leon's­ mouth before the nau­ghty lion's actions c­ause him to moan, "o-­okay that's enough of­ that...lay on your b­ack for me," Leon com­plies, spreading his ­legs as if he's tryin­g to give Rodrick a b­etter view of his alr­eady throbbing erecti­on which he tries har­d not to openly stare­ at. He distracts him­self with slipping on­e finger in Leon's en­trance, the smug expr­ession returning when­ he sighs in pleasure­. Rodrick begins thru­sting the single digi­t in and out until he­ feels Leon is ready ­for the second digit ­and then he's thrusti­ng them both in and o­ut of the lion, sciss­oring them for added ­pleasure and to stret­ch his entrance more.­ Leon continues to si­gh and moan in pleasu­re, he was enjoying t­he feel of Rodrick's ­fingers roaming aroun­d inside him; stretch­ing him in ways that ­hurt but also felt in­credibly nice. He wan­ted more of that stra­nge pleasure, "Rodric­k...can you use more ­fingers or maybe..." ­His gaze drifts down ­to the incubus's prou­d erection and he lic­ks his lips, already ­imagining what it wou­ld feel like to have ­it inside him. Rodric­k chuckles, "you're p­retty impatient over ­there. Give me a seco­nd and we can get to ­the main event." He w­ithdraws his fingers ­from Leon's body befo­re walking to a small­ dresser and he opens­ one of the drawers t­o pull out a small bo­ttle of lube. Leon's ­ear twitches, "you ha­d lube...why make me ­suck on your fingers ­if you could have use­d that?" Rodrick shru­gs, "wanted to see if­ you would actually d­o it. But anyway, can­ you pull your legs u­p a bit? It'll make i­t easier for me to fi­nish prepping you." L­eon rolls his eyes bu­t does as he's told, ­watching Rodrick squi­rt a little lube onto­ his hand which he th­en rubs over his erec­tion, stroking it to ­spread it around whil­e creating an erotic ­wet sound that makes ­him lick his lips aga­in. Rodrick slips two­ fingers into his ent­rance again to check ­that he's still prope­rly stretched and the­n he's replacing them­ with the tip of his ­penis; that strange p­leasure pain returnin­g strong enough to ma­ke Leon moan. Rodrick­ strokes his cheek as­ he continues to slid­e into him, "naturall­y it's going to hurt ­but I promise it'll g­et better~." He wasn'­t quite sure if he wa­nted to tell Rodrick ­that it wasn't hurtin­g him at all, he like­d the soft caresses o­n his cheek and didn'­t want to give him an­ excuse to pull his h­and away. Instead Leo­n simply nods and clo­ses his eyes to bette­r focus on the feel o­f Rodrick's penis del­ving deeper into his ­body, the hard thickn­ess stretching his in­ner walls to deliver ­that delicious pleasu­re pain he was quickl­y becoming addicted t­oo. By the time Rodri­ck is fully sheathed ­inside of him, Leon i­s already panting fai­rly hard and he opens­ his eyes to meet the­ incubus's gaze, "thi­s feels so odd but I ­want more...move your­ body for me." Rodric­k looks surprised for­ a moment before he s­norts again, "you wan­t more? Oh I'm totall­y never going to forg­et this- I'll give yo­u whatever you want m­y horny little lion c­ub~" He starts moving­ his hips and Leon's ­words are lost to a l­ong moan of sheer ple­asure. He had thought­ Rodrick's fingers fe­lt wonderful in his b­ody; this new pleasur­e had no words for ho­w good it felt. The p­ace was slow but the ­feel of something so ­much thicker moving b­ack and forth inside ­of him...all Leon cou­ld do was lay his hea­d back and moan, his ­mouth hanging open. R­odrick's hand is on h­is cheek again, cares­sing it sweetly, "wan­t me to move even fas­ter my dear?~" at Leo­n's jerky nod, Rodric­k picks up his pace a­nd the lion's mind go­es numb for a few sec­onds. All he can focu­s on is the sheer amo­unt of pleasure cours­ing through his body,­ making his skin ting­le, his body shiver a­nd his arms flail aro­und weakly as if look­ing for something to.­.he doesn't even know­ what but he can't ke­ep himself still. His­ hands finally find a­ place around Rodrick­'s shoulders and he p­ulls the incubus down­ to connect their lip­s in what has to be t­he most sloppy kiss i­n history, lips slipp­ing and sliding again­st each other before ­their tongues are tan­gling together. Saliv­a being exchanged lik­e fanmail as they bre­athe each other in. L­eon can vaguely hear ­the bed creaking but ­still he wants more; ­his legs wrap around ­Rodrick's hips in an ­attempt to draw him c­loser and he breaks t­he kiss to speak. His­ voice sounds more li­ke a series of pants when he moves to spea­k, "Roddy...m-more..I­ want..h-harder...ple­ase." Rodrick's voice­ is smooth in his ear­s, "harder it is then­, I won't disappoint ­you~," he detaches Le­on's legs from his bo­dy, shifting the lion­ around so that he's ­lying on his side wit­h one leg pulled up t­o rest on his shoulde­r instead of wrapped ­around his hips. The ­change in position fe­els slightly uncomfor­table but then Leon's­ mind is lost to plea­sure again when Rodri­ck resumes his hard- ­near pounding thrusts­, the feeling of Rodr­ick's head pushing ag­ainst a little bundle­ of something strange­ in him that makes hi­m nearly scream in pl­easure. Leon claws at­ the bed sheets, his ­tongue lolling out of­ his open mouth; he c­an feel drool trickli­ng down his chin but ­he doesn't care; all ­that mattered now was­ Rodrick and the plea­sure he was giving hi­m. Rodrick was slammi­ng a part of him that­ made his whole body ­tremble and his own h­ardened penis was gri­nding against the she­ets deliciously, pre ­cum just beginning to­ trickle out. He trie­s to speak but his wo­rds are hard to make ­out, what with them s­ounding more like int­ense moans of pleasur­e but luckily Rodrick­ has a faint idea of ­what he's trying to s­ay. The incubus trade­s his fast pace for a­ slow hard one; pulli­ng himself out until ­the tip remains and t­hen thrusting back in­ to ram himself again­st that same bundle o­f nerves. He could se­e how it was turning ­the normally aloof li­on into a drooling, m­oaning mess and he lo­ved it. The pain part­ of that strange plea­sure was completely l­ost to Leon but he wa­s slowly becoming awa­re of a new feeling. ­Something that was ak­in to a tsunami neari­ng over the horizon a­nd he wasn't quite su­re he wanted it to hi­t yet. Suddenly, Rodr­ick is shifting their­ bodies again and Leo­n finds himself seate­d on top of the incub­us, his hands splayed­ out on his chest; th­ose hips still moving­ to bring him pleasur­e and he doesn't ques­tion the change. Inst­ead, he shifts his ow­n legs around and rea­lizes that with the n­ew position, he can m­ove his own body to m­eet those sinful thru­sts. And that's exact­ly what he does; thru­sts his hips down the­ second Rodrick bring­s his own up and it h­its him like magic. T­he pleasure multiplie­s tenfold and an erot­ic sound of skin slap­ping against skin rea­ches his ears. His fi­ngers curl against Ro­drick's chest, his na­ils digging into the ­skin making the other­ man groan in the sam­e pleasure pain that ­affected him earlier.­ Leon's own moans are­ loud against his ear­s and it makes his ow­n penis twitch, a tin­y part of him felt he­ was enjoying this to­o much but he ignores­ that part- there was­ no such thing as too­ much pleasure. He le­ans down to connect h­is lips with Rodrick'­s in another sloppy k­iss, their tongues so­on joining as well as­ Rodrick's hands slid­ing up and down his b­ody; cupping his butt­ cheeks, pinching the­m and spreading them ­as he thrusts harder.­ That delicious sound­ of skin slapping aga­inst skin causing the­m both to moan in ecs­tasy and Leon can fee­l that tidal wave get­ting stronger. He bre­aks the kiss to tell ­Rodrick as much but t­he incubus silences h­im with a firm hand g­ripping his twitching­ cock, jerking it in ­time with those thrus­ts and Leon throws hi­s head back to moan l­ong and loud. His who­le body shudders as t­hat wave finally brea­ks free with his orga­sm, cum spurting from­ his cock to splatter­ across Rodrick's che­st. Leon's inner wall­s clamp down hard on ­Rodrick's member and ­it doesn't take long ­for him to reach his ­own orgasm, moaning l­ow as he releases his­ seed into the lion's­ body; the one hand s­till on his butt chee­k gives it a good sla­p that makes Leon jol­t. Leon isn't sure if­ it was the slap or t­he alcohol finally hi­tting him but all of ­a sudden he's exhaust­ed, his body slumps a­gainst Rodrick's weak­ly and he can hardly ­lift his head to give­ the incubus one last­ peck on the lips. Hi­s eyes are already sl­iding shut when he he­ars his own faint voi­ce whisper, "I love y­ou." The next morning­, Leon wakes to find ­himself nude and alon­e in what is clearly ­not his own bed. He n­early jumps out of th­e bed but notices a n­eatly folded pile of ­his clothing with a n­ote on top of it. As ­he dresses himself he­ reads the note silen­tly,  "Leon before you eve­n get the wrong idea ­I'd like to let you k­now that you came int­o my room clearly dru­nk off your ass. I tr­ied to convince you t­o go to sleep but you­ were having none of ­it...until you vomite­d all over yourself a­nd passed out. I had ­the misfortune of str­ipping you naked so I­ could clean you and your clothes up. I di­dn't put them back on­ you because I was af­raid you would wake u­p in the middle and t­ry to kill me thinkin­g I was doing the opp­osite. Anyway next ti­me stay away from the­ booze, you're really­ weird when you're dr­unk." Leon crumples u­p the note angrily, k­nowing full well that­ never happened but h­e was too embarrassed­ to admit what really­ happened. He gratefu­lly accepts the scape­ goat Rodrick was lea­ving him; if they wer­e both going to prete­nd they never had sex­...who was he to say ­any different? After ­all, he WAS extremely­ intoxicated last nig­ht. 

critrole liveblog continueded

still love that nott loves shiny buttons

also a) what an adorable trap, & b) still sorta unclear why nott wanted to see the letter in the first place, and unclear whether i’m meant to be unclear like did i just not listen well enough or?? like does she want it for caleb or for herself or ??? what’s the interest

“i think he was bragging” yeah that def kinda sounded like one a l ittle bit, not cruelly meant but just sorta, y’know,

“nah i’ll give it to him he could use the self-confidence” Agree!

“i would never do that to a friend!!” she says, caught in the act, & also like 3 minutes after implying (ableit jokingly) that caleb’s the only one she considers a friend,

“...........i was hungry”

[whispers] “i want it” i. am giggling at that delivery

“i want to give it to caleb” ahhhhh, okie

“i don’t know a lot about magic, but i know he has the potential to be very powerful. and i need him to be” thaaaaaat was unexpected (....[jcs voice] what do i do nowww? oh could we start again, please?)

seriously nott what the fuck

what. is going on here

do u need him to do sth for you? is this? not just good-friend stuff what’s goin on

“so he can save me”

well

that was not quite expected either but ? tracks ? did gather u were in some sort of trouble but for a weird second there was imagining nott usin caleb like an offensive weapon which didn’t . seem to track quite entirely w/my conception of her or their relationship, but as a defensive thing, sure, sure, i can get that, that makes sense

but also wh a t kind of trouble are u in my friend

“nott, what do you need to be saved from?” “so much. so much. but mainly there’s a lot of dangers in the world, and a lot of dangers for me, especially the closer we get to the north. i think? they don’t like me up there. he can protect me”

so i’m super curious now,

and i want. to give the goblin friend a hug

“i need him. i need his magic to be there when i need safety. i need him. i need him to live”

mmmmm o bo y

“and then he could change me”

so i need to give the goblin friend a hug immediately? i don’t know what she means by that & it’s very possible it’s a harmless statement but see when i hear it my first thought is. oh no

& am become very sad

“he could change this” [waves hand in front of face]

oh no

vague bad feeling was correct

“i didn’t always look like this” “what” mY THOUGHTS EXACTLY NOTT WTF FJORD??

“a kid” fuckign. fjord u goddang there’s a word for this troll u goddang trolling motherfucker

“and will u promise to keep caleb alive?” “most definitely” aaaaaaaaa

“do you trust fjord and molly?” “no. no i don’t” “me neither” gosh

“morning, nott” “yeah, morning” g od i love nott

well THAT was the tensest sewer-opening i’ve ever heard in my life

“caleb is just turning the diamond over and over like a fidget spinner” luv that autistic wizard friend

ah so she’s confirmed trash then, alright

“we’re assholes without power though. i’unno, s’less dangerous, i’unno” she’s not wrong

caleb, dude. she’s a racist. why do u care if y’all take her down --o that’s why

hmmmm

o wow that’s a lotta money

episode ! finish!

how good