#only after i finished i realised i could make the horns into a HALO to really drive the point home but. too late now | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

beelzebaes · 4 years

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Lessons learned.

Obey Me! Shall We Date oneshot; Pairing: Beelzebub + (f)MC Warnings: None Genre: fluff, introspective, self indulgent The first time he sees her, Beel crosses his arms over his chest, frowning. Humans are small, fragile, breakable. He takes a hasty glance at his brothers and that’s really all it takes for him to know they feel the same way: a reign of demons, cold and sunless, was no place for a mortal. Even so, she doesn’t flinch at the sight of him. She stubbornly stands her ground, stiff yet proud, and slowly extends her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she says, and Beel almost laughs. He half-expects her to cower, to somehow will herself into shrinking down the second his hand grips hers, but she doesn’t. She smiles instead, teeth showing and everything, and it istantly reminds Beel of biblical miracles. He smiles back. That’s the first lesson he ever learns: strenght isn’t a demonic exclusive. Humans, he’ll soon find out, are way more resilient than he gave them credit for.

“Listen, I don’t mean to shame you, but this is just excessive,” she notes, ungraciously plopping down on his couch. She clicks her tongue eloquenty, pointing to the mountain of chocolate bars resting on it. Beel snorts at her signature lack of elegance, but chooses not to comment on it. “I am the Avatar of Gluttony, you know.“ He absent-mindedly throws one of the sweets in her direction, too busy unpacking his own to pay any mind to the strenght he put in the gesture. A loud thud forces him to peel his focused glance away from the precious bar and look at his companion, who appears to be utterly unimpressed despite a hand pressed against her heart. “Beel, you threw it all the way across the room!” she whines then, standing up to retrieve her chocolate. “No wonder people aren’t big on demons.” “Aren’t they now?”, Beel retorts. He puts a hand on her shoulder and nods to the couch. “Sit, I’ll get it,” he says apologetically. “Sorry.” He strides towards the bar, stretching a bit in the process. “You know, Beel– ” “Hm? What?” Beel picks up the chocolate bar, but doesn’t turn immediately. He senses something in her tone, a feeling he experienced before. He knows what she’s about to say, feels it coming with a certainty that he rarely ever knew before. A lot changed since she arrived, though. Beel’s never been one for surety, for definitive answers – if anything, he used to be costantly torn apart by doubts. Admittedly, he didn’t have it easy, even considering demonic standards. He doesn’t really like thinking about it, nor he enjoys being reminded of it: Beel remembers all of it vividly, thank you very much. The exctruciating pain of losing a sibling, of being impossibly fast and strong, just not quite enough. Of course, how could one forget the tragedy of not being allowed to repent, his sin being plainly dismissed by everyone around him? No atonement meant no forgiveness, no forgiveness meant eternal torment. That, added to the loss of his home, of his very essence, utterly and royally fucked him up. What level of certainty could he ever hope to achieve? The mere thought used to be ludicrous to him, just as blasphemous as his own existence. Because, honestly, how else could anyone describe it? After his halo twisted into horrifying horns, how could anyone welcome such change? No, nothing made sense anymore. Until she stumbled right into his life, that is. As of now, pain isn’t the only thing he can remember. Beel thinks about it with embarassing frequency: he pictures a small human standing in front of him, arms stretched impossibly wide, small and unafraid, shielding him from what would’ve been certain death had Diavolo not intervened then and there. He muses back to the comfort washing over his body the second she took his hands in hers, nodding and smiling, ecstatic at the idea of a pact binding them together forever. She shined brightly then, open and honest, and it almost made him want to cry. The Devildom had no sun, no summer to speak of, but that was the warmest he ever felt. He learned a lot, these past few months. About her, about himself. It’s to be expected, she explained once. When you spend all your days by someone’s side, well, how can you not? Beel didn’t quite know how to respond then, but he understood eventually. He got to know her better than anyone, and she knows everything about him just as well. It’s almost odd really, considering the nature of their relationship, mortal human and immortal demon. But Beel treasures her more than anything else, more than life itself. She’s his light, his anchor, and he’s completely and absolutely hers. She’s the one thing he’s sure of. It clearly comes as no surprise that, the moment she opens her mouth, Beel just feels it. That tinge of worry in her tone, the way she suddenly pauses before clumsily trying to finish the sentence… he’s seen her stammer like that, and it’s never ended well before. He doesn’t need to look at her to know she’s staring down at her feet. He bites his lip and waits. “Sometimes I just forget,” she continues, faltering yet determined. “That you’re a demon, that is.” “Did my chocolate throwing skills remind you?” Beel answers. It comes way too quickly, and he’s still not turning to face her. He’s deflecting, they both know he is. “I’m sorry,” Beel offers again, “I wasn’t paying attention.” It pisses him off, the way he can’t do anything but apologize. It’s infuriating. Then again, what’s he supposed to say? Why yes, yes indeed, I am a demon and the very fact you’re alive right now is a miracle even I can’t explain. “It’s okay, I actually found it funny.” Her reply, the way she whispers it… all of it makes Beel want to scream. “You do realize I am… a lot stronger than you, right? I could kill you in two seconds,” he deadpans. “You should work on that survival istinct of yours. Geez, I’m hungry–” “You wouldn’t.” Beel turns to her then, spins on his heels unnecessarily fast, and opens his mouth to reply, to say something. Nothing comes out. He pinches the bridge of his nose instead, desperately trying to find the words to convey just how frustrated their exchange is making him. “Of course I wouldn’t. I won’t,” he manages. But you still need to be careful, because if anything happened to you– “I’m not worried about getting hurt. I’m not scared of you guys. Of you. You know I trust you with my life.” She’s standing up now, and Beel silently prays to any divinity out there she doesn’t come any closer. She does. Of course she does. She’s never been a fan of caution, after all. “I just think… I wish I was a demon, too. Or, you know, an angel. Something more than,” she points to her chest, smiling weakly, “this.” Everything unfolds so quickly then, it almost doesn’t feel real. Beel doesn’t quite remember his legs moving, closing the gap between them in a couple of hasty strides. He can’t recall his hands stretching outwards to hold her shoulders, as gently as he possibly can given the circumstances. He’s vaguely aware of her eyes growing wider and wider with wonder, his hug inevitably lifting her way above the floor, her arms struggling to envelop his huge back while she clings to his shirt with what he imagines is all the strenght she can conjure, but that’s all he manages to focus on. He has to tell her. He has to make absolutely sure she knows. “I wouldn’t change you for the world,” he says finally, and it’s barely audible, but it reaches her. She hears him loud and clear, as she always does, and cries. “But when I leave– ” “Then stay.” He’s never really said it before. He thought about it, obviously, but he never really expressed it like that. As unnatural as it is for a demon, Beel feels all too vulnerable, naked almost, but it’s out. Might as well roll with it, he concludes. Beel takes a step back, his hands still on her tiny shoulders, and exhales loudly. He didn’t realise he was holding his breath until then. She’s standing there, stiff as a board, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. Beel expects her to protest, and for a second he’s completely sure she will. And yet, she says nothing. A rare occurrence, really. “I know this place isn’t what you’re used to. I know there’s no proper spring, no actual summer, and I know you hate the food most of the times, I know you miss the sun, but I’ll try my hardest to make sure you’re always comfortable, and I– ” I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. “What are you talking about?” she suddenly cuts in, her hands trembling. She removes them from his back and wipes her eyes, only to place them right against his chest. Her eyes meet his, and Beel has to make a conscious effort not to look away. “The sun’s right here.” She smiles through her tears, and thanks to some sort of otherwordly miracle, it’s her usual smile. Teeth showing and all. That’s when Beel understands. He’s already figured out how strenght can be borrowed, infinitely shared between two souls. She lent him hers, over and over again, teaching him how to take hurt and turn it into resilience. As tiny as she was, she supported him through it all, with all her might, albeit sometimes unsteady. He just never knew, never truly realised: she was his lighthouse, sure, but he was hers. He matters to this woman, this small breakable woman, just as much as she matters to him. And that’s the last – and most important – lesson Beel ever has to learn.

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me!#obey me swd #obey me beelzebub #beel x mc #this was completely self indulgent tbh #all aboard the cheese train peepsss #mystuff #lessonslearned

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border-spam · 3 years

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Leech Lord - Frost

They had an unspoken agreement, Ven and Troy.

Had for a long time, back since he'd taken The Oracle as an aide to that sponsorship meeting on Vigil-5.

A full night cycle travelling subspace in a ship escort had eased both of them into really talking. Well, that and the 30+ cocktails they must have managed on Maliwan's tab. The vessel was fully catered after all, would have been stupid to waste the gesture.

Troy had asked after months of rolling the question around the back of his mind, if Ven would tell him when deaths were close. Not for him of course, he knew it didn't work that way and whatever magical alien bullshit fueled the other man’s “unique” outlook swam into confused blurs if he focused on Siren markings in future threads, but for other people. People that mattered. Jak-Knife. Seifa... he'd tell him, right? He knew, right? Had looked ahead for everyone?

Ven winced back his 8th martini and stared into the glass like it might answer in his stead if he could bribe it with another shot of disgustingly overpriced spirits. First time Troy had ever seen the man squirm.

"...Yeah boss, I look. Tell myself I won't every time I meet someone new, but." he'd reached to refill his drink as he slumped back further into the transport ship's luxury armchair, just pure gin this time though - no room in his stomach to waste on mixers.

"...But I always do."

He swallowed the shake in his voice before he continued, eyes heavy as he refused to part them from the glass he nursed gently side to side.

"Can't not. How could I, if s-something happened to them and I could have stopped it and didn’t? Nahhhh."

The shot slipped down his throat in one smooth pour, and Troy had smirked at how much practice that must have taken as he rolled his own drink slowly in claws that left scratches across the crystal tumbler.

"But big guy, I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone, it's not how it works... cause soon as I tell someone? It changes. The act of telling them changes the outcome, does that make s-sense? It's like... I'll see one thread clear, but soon as I make it real, soon as I put it into words? It's gone. They slip onto another and sometimes it's worse, even harder to avoid.” a discolored human finger jabbed accusingly in Troy’s direction from under the ridge of the Eridian arm’s hand shield.

“The deal of uh.. the deal of speaking this shit. Sometimes t-that's enough to wipe it from existence completely." he finished with a wobble to that caramel smooth voice, shrinking back into the lavish chair and gesturing sloppily at the Maliwan branded service droid that had eagerly scuttled over with yet another bottle.

God-King Calypso nodded sagely, as if he had the slightest clue what Ven was talking about. He didn't. That wasn’t possible for someone who lived life moving in one direction.

Ven's view of time was warped beyond what a human mind should be able to handle, and Troy knew there were times he couldn't. Where Eli would find him staring at nothing, muttering quietly to himself for hours as he got lost in the now and the then - stumbling through versions of reality that never happened and never would but were real in every way to his mind. He wouldn't wish that shit on anyone. He wouldn't wish it on someone he hated.

An unspoken agreement there and then, that Ven wouldn't tell, but he'd advise. He'd do his job. Troy wouldn't ask more of him. A friend shouldn't suffer to ease his nightmares.

Today was one of those days, a quick e-comm message in the early AM subtle enough for Troy to grasp without breaking their agreement.

Not today, boss. Keep them home.

So he had.

Jak-Knife's position at the head of the scheduled escort into Three Horns was cancelled, and Calypso had reissued them into training. They wouldn't question the change, they never did, and he wondered as he pulled the fur of his coat closer around his shoulders and shivered, if they knew too.

The barracks were so eerie this late into the night.

Elpis was just beginning to rise and frost still coating the grime of the Holy City like crushed diamond glinting in the flickering neon lights. It crunched under his boots as he quietly walked through the compound, breath billowing around his head in curling halos of steam that evaporated into the darkness.

All still asleep, cocooned in the Crusader barracks among clan and family. All bar God King Calypso, wrapped in a coat not thick enough to stop the bitter chill of the morning’s approach from creeping into his chest through the steel of his prosthetic's bracer.

He scuffed at a blood smear in the brick under his feet, dappled with twinkling ice.

Might be his.

He wondered if JK knew about these decisions, the unspoken agreement with Ven. They'd be angry, maybe. Was he robbing some great death in glory from them? Was he denying something sacred to Bandits that he didn't grasp right?

The same way he couldn't comprehend why there were graves of fallen Paladins so close by - lovingly tended to and decorated with trinkets they'd carried in life when he knew Bandits saw meat as only temporary and believed the soul carried on through belongings. The same way he didn't understand how a face worn as a mask could be someone else's, or a weapon scream with the war-cry of hundreds when it fired.

Did JK know what it meant when there was a sudden shift in their schedule on days they had been steeled for war?

Did they know he saw the way their shoulders would tense and nails would bite into their palm in frustration they couldn't put into words after a night of laughter and jokes with their marauders?

Troy understood that all too well - the primal need to show you were powerful to people you knew loved you and who's words hadn't been designed to hurt, that sometimes you needed to remind the world you weren't soft in that way you worried it had begun to think you were, the bad way. That you could crunch bone and rip flesh with a body you could show gentleness with too.

He understood that, the two sides of Jak-Knife that mirrored his own. The human and the other.

Did they know how often he let them win when he'd grapple with them in this arena on those days? Surrounded by ecstatic Crusaders lost in chants and battle cries as he'd hold back, leave openings, make mistakes, watch JK remind their warriors and themself of their physical threat as he fell, then take their offered hand when he lay panting through a bloodied split lip on that rough brick. Let them haul him to his feet with a slap of thanks to the meat of his shoulder and a distorted grunt through their mask that he knew meant so much.

He knew they let him win some days too.

On his bad days...

He sniffed, nose numb and red as the fur of his collar tickled it, shivering quietly in the thin light. Maybe that was his blood, maybe it was JK's.

Maybe really, there was no difference.

Troy breathed out a wave of foggy steam he’d not realised had been held in his lungs for so long - thinking. He needed to get back to the Cathedral, the world around him was starting to wake and he wasn't in the mood to wear his Godhood right now. He was too tired, and it was too heavy.

Not today, boss.

He turned and began to walk towards the compound gates, shifting his coat higher around his shoulders again. If Seifa was here he’d...

No. She wasn’t. Hadn’t been a long time now. Maybe Ven was still awake.

Impossible to stay cold around that man.

Ven belongs to @hieroglyphix , and JK to @godkingsanointed

Asks are open!

#borderlands #borderlands 3 #bl3 #troy calypso #leech lord #ven #oc: ven #oc: jak-knife #jak-knife #seifa #my hcs #my writing

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artificialqueens · 4 years

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Spirit (Part 1/2) - (Gigi x Crystal / Gigi x Nicky) - opalescentcheetah

A/N: My exponentially growing love for Crystal Methyd and for fantasy has resulted in this: a 5.6k thing of magical shenanigans. Enjoy! And feel free to drop by my blog, @opalescent-cheetah , to say hi - I don’t bite!

Thank you so much to Rusty for beta-ing!

Summary: “It’s some sort of… devil, she thinks, but she can’t be sure. It has a pair of small, golden horns sprouting from its forehead, and its body is covered in a layer of short red fur that seems to sparkle in the artificial lights, curls of glittering hair framing its round face. The most normal thing about it is the 16th-century ruff around its neck."

Gigi finally meets the spirit that has been terrorising the abandoned warehouse for ten years. Nothing goes the way she expects it to.

The doors fall shut with a loud CLANG, sending a gust of metallic wind in Gigi’s direction and plunging the room into darkness. She jumps, suddenly disoriented, and stumbles back the way she came, trembling fingers pushing and prying at the cold metal of the door handle.

It won’t budge. She shakes it, rattles it, but it’s unyielding, cold and dead in her sweaty palms.

Are you some sort of coward?

A scream tears loose from her throat. She kicks the door.

Go in the haunted warehouse, Gigi. Go on.

The door shudders violently, but remains firmly shut. How old is this thing? She kicks it again.

Are you scared? Hah! Look at her, she’s terrified!

“Let me out!” she howls, voice echoing pathetically in the abandoned warehouse. Tears are gathering in her eyes when she hears movement behind her - there’s a shuffling sound and the crash of something heavy falling. Gigi sucks in a shaky breath.

“Finally!”

The voice is unfamiliar.

“It’s been way too long. Wow,” the stranger continues, and Gigi presses her back against the door, her heart in her throat, her very bones hollowed out with fear. She wants to shout a reply into the darkness, but the words won’t come. She can’t move, can’t see - every limb is stiff with terror.

“Wait, wait, I think I’ve got it…”

She hears a snap, and suddenly there’s fire, flickering lazily against the eerie black. She glances past it, meeting red eyes and a shining, toothy grin.

For a moment Gigi can only stand, paralysed with fear, lungs heaving with shuddering breaths.

And then she screams.

It’s a wordless wail of absolute horror. She’s sure she’s about to die.

“Geez Louise, the years really must’ve done a number on me, huh?” A clap, and the fire goes out. “Do people still say that? Whatever, you get my point. There better be a damn mirror in here somewhere.”

“Let me out!” Gigi shrieks again, broken voice echoing hollowly in the cold warehouse air. She lunges blindly at the creature, fists flying, eyes hot with tears.

“Woah, woah, calm down!”

The voice whirls past Gigi’s ear and she stumbles, flailing her arms into nothingness. Once she’s regained her balance, she looks around in vain, unable to see anything but the tiny stripe of gold light beneath the door.

“Let me go,” Gigi growls into the darkness, struggling to keep her voice from trembling. “Open that goddamn door right now!”

“That’s not within the range of my capabilities, I’m afraid,” the creature says calmly. At least it has the decency to sound a little bashful. “I can turn the lights on for you, though, if you’d like to have your sight back.”

Gigi swallows. A beat of silence passes between them - she doesn’t even hear the creature move.

“That… would be nice.”

A moment later, white factory lights flicker on overhead, crackling with years of inoperation. Gigi glances sidewards to see the creature standing near the lightboard, squinting at the ceiling.

It’s some sort of… devil, she thinks, but she can’t be sure. It has a pair of small, golden horns sprouting from its forehead, and its body is covered in a layer of short red fur that seems to sparkle in the artificial lights, curls of glittering hair framing its round face. The most normal thing about it is the 16th-century ruff around its neck.

“You know,” it says suddenly, “a thank-you might be nice as well.”

Gigi tenses when the creature turns to look at her, but its eyes are alight with curiosity - there is less malevolence in its small, shy smile than in the faces of some of her friends.

“…Thanks,” she mumbles, and the creature grins.

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard one of those,” it tells her, carefully stepping closer. “In fact, it’s been a while since I’ve heard anyone say anything at all.” It stops a metre away from her, its tail flicking pleasantly behind it as it sticks out a hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Crystal.”

The name makes sense, Gigi thinks to herself; the creature - Crystal - is glittering all over like a thousand blood-red fireflies.

“Gigi,” she replies, staring at Crystal’s outstretched paw. She doesn’t take it.

After a moment, Crystal sheepishly withdraws her arm. “I guess people don’t do that anymore.”

“Why can’t you open the door?” Gigi asks, blatantly ignoring her question.

“I’m not the one who shut it.” Crystal shrugs, an air of nonchalance about her. Gigi’s heart stops, right then and there, and her blood turns to ice.

“It wasn’t you? You swear on it?”

“It wasn’t me, I promise. I can’t shut doors from that far away.”

Gigi has to take a seat. She slumps to the ground, reality slapping her twice round the face, leaving her cheeks hot and eyes stinging. She doesn’t want to believe Crystal, she really doesn’t - she wants to scream and cry and call her a liar, but there is too much sincerity in those inhuman eyes. It takes her a moment to realise she’s crying.

“Wow. Uh. Sorry, I guess?” Crystal’s voice edges its way through the cracks in Gigi’s fragmented thoughts, pulling her back to reality.

“Don’t be.” Gigi wipes her eyes with the back of her sleeve. “I just - I just can’t believe–” Her breath hitches in her throat, tears dribbling down her chin.

Crystal crouches on goat-like legs beside her, still keeping a reasonable distance. She’s quiet, and Gigi can see her biting her lips, eyes darting awkwardly around the warehouse at anything that isn’t Gigi’s tearstained face.

“I–”

“God, this is so stupid.” Gigi pauses. “Sorry.”

“No, no, keep talking. I’m listening.”

“My friends dared me to come in here,” Gigi admits. “They were calling me a coward, and I… I wanted to prove myself.” Her voice breaks, and she buries her face in her hands, mumbling through her fingers. “I’m so fucking dumb.”

“So they locked the door?” Crystal asks quietly, and Gigi nods. “Wow, that’s… they sound like. Uh. Lovely friends.”

“I can’t believe I fell for it. Nicky said I was stupid to keep trying to hang out with them, but… god, I don’t know. I just wanted to be cool.”

“Well… I think you’re pretty cool,” Crystal offers.

“You don’t even know me.”

Crystal surprises her by giggling, hiding her smile behind her hand.

“You’re the only person I’ve seen in ages, so therefore, you’re cool, since I have no-one else to compare you to.”

Gigi exhales in a breathy laugh. “Wow. Thanks, I guess. I’ll take what I can get.”

“No problem!”

In the silence that follows, Gigi looks around the warehouse, taking in her surroundings. Apart from the creature sitting next to her, everything seems to be fairly normal.

Well, except for the fact that almost every box is overturned, shelves spilling over with loose objects - there is no possible way to describe the mess that lies before her.

“How long have you been alone here?” she asks Crystal, unable to hide the incredulity from her voice. Crystal, having started shuffling through one of many boxes brimming with randomness, turns around to look at her again.

“That’s a very good question,” she replies, thoughtfully tapping her tail on the hard concrete. “I don’t know. Months? Years? Maybe decades. I… don’t get out often.”

Gigi thinks back to when the rumours started, back when she was only five or six, and people told tales of the horrors they’d seen in the warehouse. It’s been abandoned for years, but sitting here now, Gigi finds herself wondering what they were all so scared of.

“Wait, wait. Can’t you just leave? The door’s been open for, like, ever.”

Crystal shrugs. “Curses are weird.”

“You’re cursed? Is that why you’re…” she bites her lip, not wanting to sound offensive, “…red?”

Crystal blinks down at herself, as though only just remembering how she looks.

“No, no, that’s got nothing to do with it,” she smirks, and suddenly there’s a tall, humanoid figure standing in her place, with a billowing shawl and a dozen beaded necklaces, grey-tipped hair haloed around her face. A moment later, the sparkling crimson creature returns, lips curled in a shit-eating grin. “I can look however I want - red is just my natural colour. But I’m here serving some, like, spirit jail-sentence or something. I don’t really know. They said I can go back when I finish some sort of moral task, I guess, but I’ve been trapped in this place for ages and nothing ever happens.”

“So you’re just… stuck here? You can’t leave the warehouse?”

“Yep. I’ve tried a million times, but it’s like there’s some sort of invisible barrier around it.” Crystal shrugs, turning away from Gigi to return to rummaging through her box.

It isn’t hard to tell that Crystal’s nonchalant facade is faked. She’s got her back to Gigi now, her tail flicking restlessly from side to side.

“You must get so lonely,” Gigi murmurs. All of a sudden, every year she’s spent at school struggling to make friends seems like a breeze. At least she can make friends - Crystal’s been abandoned here for years, alone, with nothing but hundreds of overturned boxes to keep her company.

Her shoulders droop in a sad, humourless laugh. “I guess so. But it’s fine! I mean, how could it not be, when I have all this stuff to myself?” She pulls out a jacket covered in bright patterns and beads and shrugs it on in one swift movement. “Like, look at this. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Pity spears itself through Gigi’s chest. “I’m sorry.”

“Pfft, don’t be. It’s kind of my fault that nobody comes by anymore.” Crystal digs around in the box again, triumphantly pulling out a small, cracked mirror. “Ahah! Found it. …Wow, I don’t look as bad as I was expecting. You sorely overreacted, you know.”

“Are you really as scary as they say?” Gigi asks, her fascination getting the better of her.

“I used to be, I guess, but people stopped coming and it got boring. Why, what have you heard?” Crystal absent-mindedly pulls at one of her fiery curls, watching in the mirror as it springs back in place.

“I’ve heard… lots of things.” Gigi thinks back to the tales that haunted much of her youth. “Like, an enormous creature of fire. And sentient ice cream–”

Crystal finally looks up again, cutting her off with a burst of laughter. “Oh, that was one of my favourites! I don’t know if the people who came in that day were morbidly terrified or just thought they were going completely nuts.”

“I’d say the latter, to be honest,” Gigi admits with a giggle.

“Yeah.” Crystal grins. “Hey, do you wanna see the ice cream monster?”

“I’m good, thanks.” Gigi is content to leave that much up to her imagination.

“Aw, shame.” Crystal waggles her fingers in Gigi’s direction, and for a moment her hand turns into ice cream, glittering like it’s covered in frozen jewels. “Let me know if you change your mind!”

Gigi laughs, still in utter disbelief that this is really happening to her. She’s sitting across from a spirit in the form of a goat-legged demon, with one outstretched paw made entirely of ice cream. It feels like a fever dream.

“Anyways,” Crystal goes on, returning her hand to normal, “while you’re stuck in here, want to go through some boxes with me?” She rummages around nearby, pulling out a long, cone-shaped, gold-and-green hat and placing it gently behind her horns. “There’s a ton of stuff here that I totally forgot about.”

“Are you sure there’s no other way out?” Gigi bites her lip, avoiding the offer. The door behind her is still firmly locked.

Crystal blinks, her bright smile wilting at the edges.

“There’s a door at the back, but it’s usually locked too… hey, how about I take you on a tour of the warehouse?” Her tone is quietly hopeful, and Gigi’s heart aches despite itself.

“Sure. I’d love that.” She pauses when Crystal offers her a hand - it’s warm, as though her palms still spark with flame, and there is strength in Crystal’s grip when she pulls her up. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Crystal smiles easily at her, twining her tail around Gigi’s wrist to pull her along as she dashes between the rows and rows of storage shelves. There isn’t much to show except boxes, crates and piles and piles of mismatched objects, but Crystal manages to sound excited about it all anyways.

And then they reach the back of the warehouse, where an imposing set of double doors gleam in the artificial light. Gigi pulls her wrist free, scrambling towards them with her heart in her throat. She wiggles the handle, desperate, and–

Nothing happens.

She chokes back tears. How long is she going to be stuck here for? Internally, she curses the people she called her friends and her own stupidity for allowing herself to be dragged into this.

A gentle hand on her shoulder grounds her, and she looks over to see Crystal, red eyes swimming with sympathy.

“I’m sorry. I did try to warn you,” she says, and she’s close enough for Gigi to see her fangs.

“Are you - are you sure you can’t open it?” Gigi asks, a childlike whine on the edge of her tongue. She hates how pathetic she sounds.

“I’m sure,” Crystal promises. “My powers are limited to shapeshifting and fire.” She snaps her fingers, and a small burst of flame flickers briefly at the tips of her claws. “And trust me, I’ve tried burning this place down before. It worked as well as you’d expect.”

“Fuck.” Gigi rests her head against the cold metal. “What am I going to do?”

There’s a moment’s silence, and all Gigi can hear is her own heavy breathing.

“You could… stay here with me, I guess?” Crystal offers.

“Yes, but–” as much as Gigi pities her, Crystal is supposedly the story of nightmares, and Gigi doesn’t want to stay for long enough to find out why. “I - I need food, and clean clothes, and - well - human things.” She fishes around in her pocket, finally resorting to calling someone for help.

Gigi can feel Crystal’s curious eyes on her, her gaze tracking every tiny movement as she unlocks her phone. Her pointed ears prick with shocked delight when Gigi raises the device to her ear, and for a moment Gigi wonders how good her hearing is. She turns her back to Crystal as a tinny voice crackles through.

“Gigi! Hey, what’s up?”

“Nicky! I’m stuck in the–”

“Oh my god, girl, you did not.”

“Shut up! I know it was dumb, but I–”

“Gigi! I told you they were only going to hurt you. Why do you keep trying to be friends with them?” Nicky’s voice is edged with pain, and it pricks at Gigi’s skin like needles.

“I don’t… I don’t know.”

“So what have they done to you now? Locked you up in the haunted warehouse?”

“Yes, that’s… exactly what happened.”

“You’re so fucking stupid.”

“I know, I know, can you just– fuck!”

Gigi is abruptly bowled over by the force of Crystal’s excitement, leaving her sprawled on her back, winded and annoyed. Crystal sits pleasantly on her stomach and pries the phone from her fingers.

“Hello!” she yells eagerly at the phone before raising it to her ear. “Oh my gosh! This really is a talking box! I can’t believe it. Hi! I’m Crystal!”

Gigi watches as Crystal’s cheerful expression morphs into an affronted frown, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. After a moment, she tosses the phone roughly onto Gigi’s chest.

“Your talking box is mean. Tell it to learn some manners.”

Gigi manages a laugh, Crystal’s weight on her stomach still making it hard to breathe.

“Gigi! GIGI!”

“I’m here, I’m here.”

“Gigi, who the fuck was that?”

“The spirit that’s been haunting this place for the last decade.”

“Ohh, so it’s been a decade,” Crystal gasps above her, quietly astonished.

“Wait, it’s actually haunted?” Nicky asks, startled. “Gigi, please tell me you’re alright. Are you hurt? Did it do anything to you?”

“No, no, I’m fine, I’m just - I’m just kind of locked in here right now.” Her voice shakes, and she blames it on the fact she can’t quite breathe properly.

“I’m coming to get you. Hang in there, okay? I won’t be long, I promise.”

“Thanks, Nicky,” Gigi whispers, gratitude a hard lump in her throat.

“Nicky’s much too nice a name for such a nasty box,” Crystal tells her once she puts the phone back down.

“Please let me up,” Gigi gasps, wheezing with laughter. Crystal huffs before she complies, pulling Gigi to her feet again. She dusts off her clothes before asking incredulously, “you’ve never seen a phone before? They existed ten years ago.”

“Woah, wait! So that’s what a phone looks like?”

“Yeah–”

Before she knows it, Crystal has twined her prehensile tail around the device and plucked it straight out of Gigi’s hands. Gigi watches as she holds it up in front of her face, inspecting it, before tapping lightly on the screen and gasping delightedly when it flares to life.

“Hey! Look! That’s you…” Crystal points at Gigi’s smiling face, staring back at her from Gigi’s lockscreen. “And who’s this? She’s pretty.”

“That’s Nicky.” Gigi’s chest warms at the sight of her.

“Wait, the one you were just talking to?” Crystal scrunches up her nose in distaste. “But she’s so mean! Why do you like her so much?”

Gigi laughs - Crystal’s first impression of Nicky hardly surprises her.

“Yeah, she can be pretty intense, but she’s really fun once you get to know her.” Gigi sighs quietly, skin suddenly crawling with guilt - this whirlwind of a morning has really put things into perspective for her. Nicky was right, and she sees it now; it was stupid to go chasing after people who didn’t care about her simply for a vote of popularity. Gigi looks at Nicky’s gentle, charming smile and aches.

And then the phone begins to ring, vibrating softly in Crystal’s tail. She jerks backwards, so surprised she nearly drops it.

“Jackie,” she reads aloud, slow and careful, testing the shape of every syllable on her tongue. She glances sidewards at Gigi, a devilish grin spreading across her face.

“Crystal, whatever you’re planning–”

“Accept call!” she yells delightedly, pressing the button with gusto.

“No– stop– Crystal!”

She twirls away from Gigi, tapping the phone again.

“Speaker!”

“Hello? Gigi?” a concerned voice rattles through the phone.

“Hello!” Crystal says cheerfully before her skull transforms into something dark and shapeless, her voice little more than an ominous rumbling. “Welcome to the apocalypse,” she intones, and Gigi can see her biting back a grin, stark white fangs on display.

“Gigi! Gigi, are you there? Is everything okay?”

“Jackie! Hi! Yes, everything’s fine!” Gigi exclaims, before Crystal can get another word in.

“The world is ending,” Crystal growls. “Death is imminent!”

“Gigi, what in the world is going on? Nicky said you’re stuck in the old warehouse, and that it really is haunted, but I didn’t want to believe her.”

“No, it is,” Gigi tells her, sharing a secret smile with Crystal. “I’m afraid you got the bad side of my new friend, though.”

Crystal’s eyes soften as her head shifts back to normal. “We’re friends?” she squeaks, and her face is alight with such childlike joy that Gigi’s heart melts.

“Your friend?” Jackie questions, not quite sharing in Crystal’s delight.

“Yeah. She’s keeping me company while I’m stuck in here.”

“Hellooo!” Crystal purrs into the phone. “Don’t worry, I’m very nice. I’m just a little devil that likes to raise hell in the Bible Belt.”

“How long did it take you to think of that one?” Gigi grins.

“Well, to be fair, I had ten years and several crates of old books at my disposal.”

“Gigi, you’re sure you’re okay?” Jackie’s voice crackles through the phone again, thick with worry.

“One hundred percent,” Gigi replies, warm with Jackie’s kind concern. “Crystal was just messing with you. Everything’s fine.”

Jackie breathes out in a whoosh of air. “Call me if anything happens, okay? Nicky’s already on her way.”

“Will do. Thanks, Jackie.”

“Stay safe.”

The call cuts off, and Crystal tosses the phone back, looking far too proud of herself. Watching her, Gigi can’t help but think that for a moment back there, she’d been eye-to-eye with the monster from the stories.

“Crystal…”

“Yes?”

There’s a playful gleam in her candy-apple eyes. Maybe it was always that way - there is no malice in the cool air.

“Why did you stop scaring people?” Gigi asks. What made you spare me?

Crystal toys with the edges of her kaleidoscopic jacket, her gaze darting away.

“I got kinda lonely.” There’s the briefest of pauses before her bright smile returns and she flicks Gigi’s forehead with her tail. “But now you’re here, so everything’s okay!”

“…It was always just for fun, wasn’t it?”

Crystal lets out a short, dry laugh, looking slightly unnerved. “What’s with all the personal questions all of a sudden?”

“No, I’m just–” sheepishly, Gigi scratches the back of her neck. “Sorry. I’m just curious. Everyone always used to say there was a monster here, that we couldn’t come play here anymore because it’d kill us.”

Crystal’s face drops. The wounded look in her eyes doesn’t suit her.

“They really thought that?” Crystal’s voice is suddenly small. “I never meant to hurt anyone. It’s… it’s just like you said. It was all for fun. Gosh, no wonder everyone avoided me for so long.”

Gigi can see it clearly now, should’ve been able to see it from the moment Crystal lit that small burst of flame in the darkness.

“God, I’m sorry,” she says. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“No, I’m glad you did,” Crystal assures her. “I guess I need to work on being nicer.”

“If it helps, I think you’re doing a good job.”

Crystal ignores the compliment in favour of removing her tall, cone-shaped hat and placing it gently atop Gigi’s head.

“There, perfect,” she giggles, and Gigi is pleased to see joy returning in a golden flush to her cheeks. “I feel much better.”

Gigi strikes a pose, pretending she’s on the front cover of a fashion magazine. “How do I look?”

“Awful. Terrible. It suits you.”

Shrieking with indignant laughter, Gigi swats Crystal’s shoulder. “Okay, nope, you still have lots of character building to do, you nasty little devil.”

Crystal’s body suddenly begins to grow, her features changing until she’s an enormous, black-horned beast, her face fixed in a permanent snarl. “Did someone call?”

“I said little,” Gigi laughs.

Crystal flicks her lightly with the spade-shaped tip of her tail. “Shut up. I’m much cooler this way.”

“I think I prefer the regular you. She’s much easier to talk to,” Gigi tells her - she’s craning her neck to see Crystal’s face and mostly getting an eyeful of the inside of her nose.

Crystal bares enormous fangs in what might be a smile before shrinking back into her usual spritely form. She reaches out, her face close enough for Gigi to see the freckles of glitter along her cheeks, and adjusts the clown hat until it sits askew on Gigi’s head.

“I have the best idea,” she says, and Gigi likes the way her eyes crinkle when she smiles. Without waiting for a response, she takes Gigi’s hand in her own and pulls her deep into the clutter, cloven hooves clicking on the hard concrete.

Gigi feels tiny in the forest of steel, a rainbow of fabrics and toys and books spilling from the shelves like unkempt vegetation. The warehouse is like a world all its own - a whispered secret, a breathless discovery, that belongs to her and Crystal and nobody else. Crystal’s soft palm is warm in hers, and for the first time since she’s been here, Gigi allows herself to feel at ease.

“Here we are!” Crystal says, and Gigi can’t help but be disappointed when she tugs her hand free, swiftly scaling the shelf. She pushes box after box onto the ground, watching as they succumb to gravity and spill feathers and frills, buttons and bows, all over the floor. When she’s done, she peers over the edge at Gigi, and the sparkle in her eyes is still bright even from this far away. “Welcome to the costume aisle!”

“What are we going to do, play dress-up?”

“Well, yeah! I thought it would be something fun to do while we wait,” Crystal beams, leaping easily back down to the ground. “Don’t you think?”

All of the people Gigi tried to call her ‘friends’ would have sneered at her if she proposed this idea to them. But standing here now, looking at Crystal’s earnest grin and her mismatched ruff and jacket, Gigi throws all her doubts to the wind, letting her face stretch into a bright smile. The six-year-old girl in her who always wanted to be a princess has woken up again, and Gigi can feel her childlike excitement radiating through her skin.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Crystal chuckles, picking up a sparkling green jacket and draping it over Gigi’s shoulders. “Beautiful. It matches your hat.”

In return, Gigi finds a flower crown among the mess and places it gently on Crystal’s head. The warm yellows and pinks of the petals bring out the jewel tones in her face, and for a moment, Gigi can only stop and stare. Crystal’s cheeks blossom with gold under her gaze, dark lips quirking in a shy smile.

“You look gorgeous,” Gigi tells her, flicking her lightly in the forehead.

Crystal giggles. “And you look ridiculous.”

“Hey! You said I looked beautiful just a second ago!”

“Yeah, nah.” Turning away, Crystal rummages through the overturned boxes. “I can do better than that. Didn’t spend a decade here for nothing.”

Gigi laughs, watching as Crystal tosses aside various garments and accessories, clearly dissatisfied with everything she’s finding. Finally, she sits back on her hooves with a sound of delight - she’s clutching something in rippling shades of blue like the ocean, and Gigi’s curiosity piques.

“Look at these!” Turning around, Crystal proudly holds out a denim top and jeans. “They’ll look so good on you, I’m sure of it… the blue matches your eyes.”

She presses the garments into Gigi’s hands. The denim is soft and worn, the seams fraying at the edges, but the pieces have clearly been put together with care. Gigi holds up the bottoms to admire the craftsmanship: from the knees down, strips of denim in different shades have been sewn together to create the illusion of something like a circus top. She’s never seen anything like this before, but she’s immediately captivated.

“I think I chose well,” Crystal comments beside her, pride seeping in through the edges of her voice.

“You did! I’m curious, though… how did all this” - Gigi gestures outwards at the mess - “even end up here?” Even the jacket on her shoulders seems like it could have been expensive, if moths hadn’t already eaten at the inner lining.

Crystal shrugs, as though the question has never occurred to her before. “I guess it’s just all old stuff nobody wants anymore. No-one’s ever come to pick it up - most of it looked like it had been used before I got here, anyways.”

“This place is like a treasure trove,” Gigi breathes, finally realising the value of what she’s stumbled into.

“Really?” Crystal asks, dubious.

“Yeah! It’s like a time capsule. Imagine what else is in here! There’s so much stuff to draw inspiration from.”

“Ohh, like fashion inspiration?” Understanding dawns in Crystal’s eyes. “Are you, like, a designer?”

“I want to be,” Gigi admits. “It’s… kind of a dream of mine.”

“Well then, I’m very happy to be of assistance. Now go try on those things before Nicky gets here!” Crystal exclaims, shooing Gigi away.

Ducking into the next aisle, Gigi changes into the denim outfit, fluffing out the waves in her auburn hair until it neatly frames her face. The denim top is off-the-shoulder, long sleeves hugging her arms, and Gigi feels beautiful.

“I’m coming back,” she calls out. There’s a squeak of excitement in response and when she turns the corner, Crystal is waiting expectantly, an obscene amount of colourful beaded necklaces piled on top of her ruff.

“Oh my gosh!” she squeals, bounding up to Gigi, every step punctuated by the loud clicking of plastic beads. “You look gorgeous! I was right, this really suits you. Blue is definitely your colour.”

“Thank you,” Gigi replies, warm with Crystal’s effervescent compliments. Gesturing to Crystal’s neck, she asks, “what’s all this?”

Her tone must be overflowing with amusement, because Crystal grins, as cheerfully radiant as the pearl-white lights above them. “Aren’t they awesome? I love accessories. Hey, I should find some for you!”

Without waiting for a reply, Crystal picks out a string of beads from around her own neck and puts them on Gigi, soft hands brushing her bare shoulders. The necklace is a gorgeous cyan with a large beaded flower, crystalline blues and silvers emblazoned across Gigi’s chest. There’s a tenderness in Crystal’s eyes when she stands back to look at Gigi, who strikes a pose, feeling like Crystal’s gaze has stripped her right down to her core.

They both stiffen at a sudden banging from the front of the warehouse. There’s a metallic creaking and an accented voice permeates the air, calling Gigi’s name.

She drops her pose immediately, rushing from Crystal’s side towards the pool of golden sun collecting in the doorway. There’s a person standing there, outlined by the light, and Gigi has never been happier to see anyone in her life. Lunging at Nicky, she winds her arms tightly around her shoulders, breathing in the sweet French vanilla scent of her.

“Nicky. Oh my god, I’m so happy to see you.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Nicky whispers against her hair. “I was so worried. I was scared if I didn’t get here fast enough–”

“Shh.” Leaning back, Gigi can see the stark worry pooling in Nicky’s gorgeous eyes. “It’s okay. I’m okay. Thank you for coming to get me.” Her throat is tight with gratitude and joy at seeing Nicky’s face again. Gigi has missed her, has never felt so lucky to know someone in her life. Guilt rips at the edges of her heart as she thinks about all those times Nicky was her second choice, when she left her hanging to go running off after people who should have mattered less. And yet, Nicky is still here, still looking at Gigi with that genuine care and adoration. Gigi hugs her again, holds her close, never wants to let her go.

Eventually, a gentle tap on her shoulder gets Gigi to move again. Drawing back from Nicky, she turns and meets earnest red eyes - it’s Crystal, shyly holding out her clothes.

“Don’t leave these behind,” she says, pressing the balled-up fabric into Gigi’s hands. “And keep the denim… you look beautiful.” She hesitates, takes a quiet breath. “It was really nice spending time with you. Thank you.” There’s unsaid words in the warmth of her gaze, touching Gigi with strokes of sunshine gold.

“Thank you too,” she whispers, wrapping Crystal in a hug. She squeaks in surprise before reciprocating, enveloping Gigi in her velvet touch.

“Are you Crystal?” Nicky cuts in after a moment, and Crystal reluctantly steps back, nodding silently.

Nicky’s gentle face has gone tense, her lips pursed, and Gigi sees steel in her wintry eyes. She jumps between them, opening her mouth to say something, anything, to dispel the tension.

And then Nicky smiles.

“Thank you for looking after her,” she says cordially to Crystal, before throwing an arm across Gigi’s shoulders and tapping her on the nose. “God knows this dumb bitch can’t do anything for herself.”

There’s sincere humour behind the words, and Gigi laughs, pushing her away. “You’re so mean. I hate you.”

“It was my pleasure,” Crystal giggles. “It’s lovely to finally meet you, Nicky. Gigi told me a lot about you.”

“Did she really?” Nicky quirks a curious, playful eyebrow at Gigi. “What did she say?”

“Only good things,” Crystal assures her.

“Ah, très bien. I’d be surprised if she found anything bad to say about me - I’m far too fabulous.”

Crystal laughs. “Gigi was right - you are fun.”

“Well, what can I say? I can’t tell a lie to save my life,” Gigi chuckles.

Nicky snorts, and Crystal hides an amused smile behind her fist. After a moment, they lapse into a comfortable silence, before Gigi steps forward and takes both of Crystal’s hands in hers.

“I guess I should go soon,” she sighs, rubbing her thumbs over Crystal’s knuckles.

“You’ll come back though, won’t you?”

There’s a tender hopefulness in her tone, in her eyes, that tugs at Gigi’s fragile heartstrings.

“Of course.” She pulls Crystal into another hug, holding her close, holding her tight. “I’ll see you again. I promise.”

Crystal relaxes into her touch, and Gigi can feel her smiling against her cheek. “I’ll be here.”

They stand like that for several heartbeats, before Nicky gently rests her hand on Gigi’s shoulder and pulls her back. “We should go,” she whispers. “People are waiting. They’re worried about you.”

Crystal nods in silent understanding, stepping back, and the air around Gigi goes cold again.

“I’m really glad I met you,” she says, quietly sincere, waving gently as Gigi leaves with her hand in Nicky’s.

The door falls shut behind them, heavy with finality. Crystal stands alone beneath the harsh white lights, a blossom of hope flaring orange and bright in her chest.

#rpdr fanfiction #gigi goode #crystal methyd #nicky doll #jackie cox #gigi x nicky #fluff #supernatural au #fantasy #spirit #tw bullying #concrit welcome #crygi #cheetah #s12

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mystery-redacted · 6 years

Text

The Halloween fright

It’s Halloween and in tradition, Cole and all his creature friends go to the annual Halloween festival in the Creature district. But How will they feel when Cole invites a new person to join them? And wow, they sure upped the Haunted House this year.

Word count: 4963

Warnings: Contains mentions of Character Death, trauma, flashbacks and panic attacks

This happened every year. Cole chuckled, getting his costume together.

Each and every year, everyone gathered and went to the local Halloween festival in the Creature district. Roxie always told him it was because he always helped with the funding and so, he should at least be present for it. Bull.... Shit. He knew she just wanted an excuse to dress up and go with her brother. And who was he to say no? He found it good to hang out together without work or the high expectations.

So he put the final touches to his costume. He put his pumpkin mask on with it's little crown, a fluffy jacket and boots with heels. Go big or go home. He was the Pumpkin king, the king of Halloween and his mask even lit up!

He breathed in, straightening everything out before heading out. He lived in the Human district and so was walking against the crowd, all of them going to the other one, chatting happily. He sighed, Yes the human was bigger and fancier but..... If the creatures and humans did it together.... Even this little festival could be huge and magical.

His first stop was to Mike and Cammy's, since they were on the edge of the Human district since they were a couple.

They had all decided to walk, “It's be more fun!” Roxie had said, Alex humming in agreement. And no one was about to say no to Roxie or Alex. It took him a few minutes but soon he was there.

The apartment building was...... in a state of disrepair. It didn't look great, but considering it was on the edge, it wasn't that surprising. This building and its residents got a lot of hate from both sides. This was the place you went when most wouldn't accept you, he sighed. Cole was glad he had the mask, he wouldn't have to hold a smile in place, it got tiring after a while.

He pushed the buzzer and heard giggling from the other side. He chuckled, Cammy was definitely in the Halloween spirit, like he was each and every year.

“Boo!” The door swung open and there was a very happy Cammy, wearing a halo and angel wings, his whole outfit was white and very fluffy.

Cole chuckled “Won't you bow down to your pumpkin king?”

Cammy gasped, walking around him and looking at his costume “It is very nice on you Pumpkin King?” He bowed before giggling again and hugging him close.

Cole felt slightly awkward but gave him a few pats on the back, he still wasn't use to open affection.

“So where's the mate eh?” He asked

“Maybe you're just too tall to see him.” A robotic voice replied.

As soon as Cole turned his head down to him, he burst out laughing which angered the ant creature

“What are you laughing at?” The voice dead panned while Mike hit him lightly

Cole took a few minutes before replying “I just. Pffft.. I wasn't expecting such....Snrrk... Such a wonderful costume!”

It seemed Mike and Cammy teamed up on costumes this year, since Mike was wearing devil horns, had a devil tail and his whole costume was red. What Cole found so funny was that Mike was bald and 4ft10 next to his 5ft6 lover. Which made a hilarious contrast.

“You can stop laughing any time now.” His translator supplied.

Cole put his hand up in fake surrender “I apologise, you two are cute together!”

Cammy blushed and Mike clicked and chirped, Aww, Cole had embarrassed them.

Cole chuckled “Come on, We still got people to pick up! You two are only the first!” And with that, they started making their way to Roxie and Riley's. Cammy and Mike chatting away happily behind him.

Now they entered the main area of the Creature district, the flow of humans had stopped and more colourful creatures were out, all in costumes, most going to the festival. They smiled and waved, though most looked weirdly at Cole and Cammy, more so Cammy then Cole himself since Cole was mostly hidden by his costume.

They came to a nice little house in the centre and knocked on the door and who greeted them was a white sheet with two eye holes

“Booooo~” Riley said slowly before chuckling deeply

Cole rolled his eyes under his mask “Really Begonia? This is your costume?”

Riley chuckled “Bringing out the creature names, not sure if I should be honoured or insulted. A royal faux pas on my end!”

That was lead by a chorus of groans. Cole still didn't get what his sister saw in Begonia.

Roxie soon appeared in a pirate outfit, with Annie and Max “I thought we agreed on a pirate theme?”

Riley chuckled, taking off the sheet that hid his actual costume, a pirate one like the others and taking a hold of the shy Max, who was a lizard creature like his mother “Argh, you have me little missy, my plan did have a lot of.... holes in it”

And another chorus of groans. Including his daughter who was a butterfly creature like her dad, her wings fluttering.

Cole sighed “Can we go before I actually dip out because of your husbands awful puns?”

That's when he got two chorus of “Uncle Cole!” and two grabby hands towards him.

Cole chuckled, he did love his niece and nephew and ruffled their hair “Hi you two, have you been good to your momma?”

They both nodded excitedly with big smiles and Cole chuckled “If you two are good for the rest of the night, I'll be sure to get you something special~”

Roxie immediately hit his arm “Don't bribe my children!”

Cole chuckled “Isn't that my job as uncle? I'm pretty sure it is!”

Roxie rolled her eyes and started moving “Let's go before you get yourself in debt with my kids”

Cole chuckled, happily following her and chatting “So how have things been?”

Roxie snorted “I'm sure you saw me yesterday Cole.”

The Pumpkin King smiled under his mask “Well that can change easily, Do I need to get some itching powder on your husband again?”

Roxie raised an eyebrow “So that was you?”

Cole whitened a little, ah, right, she didn't know that. Time to back pedal “I was just bringing up a suggestion” He shrugged

The pirate rolled her eyes “No, everything been fine. What is with you two?”

Cole didn't really want to answer, but luckily Alain's house wasn't far from Roxie's

The human pointed it out “Look it's Alain's place! Better get going!” And he rushed off

“Hey! You haven't gotten out of this Cole Inokke!” She shouted after him.

Alain's house was nice, nicely painted much like Roxie's, he was a doctor and even if he was a creature, that still got some nice things. He knocked on the blue door and heard a “Just a moment!”

Everyone had caught up to him when Alain opened the door. His face was painted green with black spots and what looked like part of his jaw missing, all his clothes were ripped and torn and he was even wearing contacts that make his eyes white. He was a zombie.

“Oh. Cole you don't have to worry about him eating you then. He only eats brains” A voice dead panned. Fucking Mike.

Everyone burst into laughter, even Roxie and Alain. Betrayal of the highest order! But he guessed this was revenge for his earlier laughing.

“Har dy har! A-holes! Just remember who writes your checks!” Cole responded after a good minute of them laughing.

There was a time where they would have stopped laughing then and looked down, apologising and avoiding eye contact. But they knew him better now, and so

“Yeah! Roxie does! which is why we're laughing!” Alain replied still chuckling. And another round of laughter started.

Cole turned and started walking, the chuckling followed before Roxie called out “Hey! Don't go! Come on, we'll stop!”

Cole chuckled and turned around, folding his arm and looking at the group. All of them smiling widely. He felt a smile cross his face, he loved seeing them happy.

Alain walked over and grabbed his shoulder “Come on, let's go to Alex's and then to the festival.”

Cole felt his smile drop, he realised he might have forgotten to tell them, he clicked his tongue and went “Ah.”

The creatures and human looked at each other, they knew that meant Cole hadn't told them something. But none of them could think of what that might be. Riley bit the bullet

“Ah?” He said, unsure

“Ah.” Cole repeated “So..... How does everyone feel about having another person with us?”

He was so happy for the mask, he felt the nervous smile cross his face and felt like he was sweating bullets. He had fucking forgot to tell them, fuck.

The creatures blinked and then chirps and chittering filled the air. Cole couldn't keep up with the conversation since they were talking so quickly.

Roxie coughed “Er.....Who is this extra person Cole?” She was nervous. None of them knew who Cole would be talking about

And Cole shuffling on the spot was not helping “Well.....” He started, looking at his feet. Everyone was starting to get on edge, Cole doesn't get nervous easily.

“....I invited Dane?” He finished, looking up at all of them. All of them were staring back blankly.

“Dane?” Roxie repeated “Part of the terrorist group C.H.R.A. Dane? Muscular bird Dane?”

And of course Cole did, what Cole does best when nervous, he rambles

“He's not part of C.H.R.A. any more and he seemed lonely and he helped us so much. He practically saved my life and I thought well, that you wouldn't mind and he said he hasn't been out celebrating since before the war and he seemed like-” Two hands went onto his shoulders stopping him.

“Cole, breathe, a deep breath” Cole followed Alain's instructions until he was back to normal

Alain smiled, stepping back “I'm alright with Dane joining if everyone else is.”

Mike nodded “He did help us out and who am I to say no.” Cammy agreed “The more the merrier!”

Roxie seemed nervous but sighed “If you think he's fine then..... He can come. He come near my kids though and he goes home!”

Cole nodded and breathed in. Riley hummed “Fine with me, I'll keep an eye on him”

Cole was happy that they were all okay with this. He breathed in again “He does live in the.... shadier part so.... Meet up at Alex's?”

They all hummed, and chattered a bit in Creature dialect before nodding again with Alain stepping forwards

“I'll join you.” He nodded.

Cole looked at them all and knew, he wasn't going to win that argument. They were all still a bit nervous around him. So he nodded and they went.

The bird creature was following behind him in silence. A Pumpkin king being followed by a zombie. The houses started getting harsher, dirtier and the creatures were thinning out. It put him slightly on edge. A human so deep into the Creature District. Even though he was for equality for creatures, he knew some still hated him because he was the very thing that oppressed them. He was human.

“Why did you invite him?”

The question snapped him out of his thoughts, looking at Alain

Alain was staring at him “I mean, he did help us yes. But...” Alain then broke eye contact “He seems dangerous. I know your position with creatures but still. We should be cautious.”

Cole hummed, he understood where Alain was coming from. This was a bird creature that had worked for C.H.R.A. For years, who had fought and killed humans for years but....

“....He really thought he was doing better. He understood where they stood when they tried to kill me. Because, I might be human but I'm doing good work. And..... Well...” He blushed under his mask

He could feel Alain staring at him, burning through the mask. Then there was laughing and a light bump

“Oh! Oh ho ho! Does Cole have a crush? Does he have a crush of the big bad bird?” He said teasingly

Cole felt his blush darken, he was so glad he was wearing the pumpkin mask. Yes, he found the bird creature attractive with his dark feathers and light blue eyes, his light cooing and strong muscular chest.

He raised his head and spotted Dane's house, it was run down with bordered windows. But heck, he'd take a white van to get out of the teasing. He went quickly and knocked on the door.

There was a grunt from inside and he could feel Alain shuffling behind him, looking around. This neighbourhood was giving him the creeps. This was where Halloween lived 24/7

The door opened slowly to reveal a dark cloak with a scythe. Alain immediately put an arm in front of Cole as he pulled the hood down revealing Dane.

He chuckled nervously “Er..... Too much?” He leaned on the scythe, giving a tilted smile

Cole felt his blush coming back full force before chuckling “Well, it fits! We got a zombie, pirates, a devil, an angel, death and of course the great Pumpkin king!” He spread his arms wide

Dane hummed “And what a handsome king you make”

Cole almost choked and quickly grabbed his sleeve “Come on! We're meeting everyone at Alex's, eating some cake and then going to the festival and getting stomach aches from overdosing on sugar”

Dane chuckled, letting himself be dragged even though they both knew he could easily get out of his grasp. Alain chuckled harder and followed behind them.

God, Cole had never felt so flustered in years. Actually, now that he thought about it. He doesn't think he's ever been this flustered around anyone. Fuck. His grip tightened. Yes, he did invite him because he wanted to thank him, because he heard that he hasn't been to anything like this with anyone since the war and that had been decades ago. But.... He also saw how Cammy and Mike or Riley and Roxie acted in those places, all..... in love. Maybe he wanted a bit of that for himself. There was one problem..... He wasn't easily scared. Maybe he could pretend? Just get them alone, act all scared and then-

“Er.... Cole?” He heard the deep voice practically vibrate through him

Cole blinked, oh, they were here. How long had he stopped walking and was just staring at the pink door? He let him go quickly and patted himself down

“Sorry..... I was thinking of..... Something else” Smooth Cole Inokke, smooth. He knocked then entered

And as soon as he walked in, he saw Alex's costume and died. He doubled over, laughing

“Are you serious?!” He laughed, while hearing the other two birds lose it.

Alex, who was serving some pumpkin shaped cakes, was dressed up as cthulhu. The octopus creature, was dressed, as cthulhu. He didn't know if that was lazy or brilliant.

It took a good five minutes for Cole and the two bird creatures to calm down. They all sat down, and chatted, turns out they all had broke down laughing at Alex's costume. They chatted and ate lightly, though Cole was slightly distracted.

They were all a bit awkward around Dane at first, but after Angel was happy enough to chat with him, everyone started warming up to Dane. His smile was amazing, the sharp teeth should have terrified him, but they didn't.

He loved seeing him happy, he loved seeing them all happy. Sure Alex's angler teeth were sharp and long, but that smile was bright and happy. Dane's and Alain's teeth were sharp as well, but it was all still a smile. Happiness. It was great, never feeling afraid, to see the happiness behind the chittering and chirping, the smile full of sharp teeth. He was sad that other humans couldn't see this. Couldn't see those smiles of happiness.

And soon, it was time to move. And so the happy party started moving towards the Halloween festival. It was really nice. The decorations glowed in the evening glow, pumpkins and skeletons. It was never that big, they barely got any funds. Which is why Inokke Labs always helped out. Because sure, they could donate to other things, which they do. In Cole's eyes, every child show be able to celebrate these little holidays.

There was a little speech, as there was each year. Ending with a 'And thank you to Inokke Labs, for helping with the funds to this year's Halloween event, as they do each year' They all asked for a speech which Cole reluctantly went up to do.

Seeing all the creatures looking at him with bright smiles. He made him relax, he was always much more relaxed around Creatures than Humans.

“Another year has passed and Halloween is here once again! And as the wonderful Pumpkin king!” He heard chuckles from the crowd and happy chirping from the kids “I declare this event started! Make your king proud and rain tricks and treats!” and with that, the crowd moved into the festival.

A dark cloak came up to him and bent down “You fund this event?” Dane asked quietly

Cole chuckled, the group starting to walk “Yeah, I do. Everyone should have a nice festival. A nice day for kids and such. Plus the Creature one is much more interesting then the Human one”

Dane chuckled and they moved forwards.

There was food and games galore. Of course, it was much smaller than the Human one, but still, it was nice. They went through all of it, eating way too much sugar and playing a lot of the games. In fact they were just coming from Cole losing five games in a row.

“How does Cole lose so many games?” Alex asked, chuckling slightly

“Come on, they're so rigged!” He sighed “And these gloves are hard to play with!”

Mike clicked happily “I don't know, sounds like a lot of excuses to me” The translator stated

Cole groaned “Shut it Sequoia!”

They all burst out laughing then “Wow, the creature name coming out now, must really be on the defensive” Mike responded

“Who knew the Pumpkin king was so bad at games?” Roxie chuckled

“Well, maybe the power of Halloween has not awoken in him yet?” Alain smiled

The mocking went on for a few minutes and Cole decided to get his revenge

“And what exactly is the excuse of the pirate that lost the shoot out?” He tilted his head at Roxie

Dane chuckled “Yeah, if you actually become a pirate, I'm not joining your crew if you paid me!”

Roxie started blushing hard and spluttering as everyone else laughed before she pointed “Look, it's the haunted house!”

They all turned and saw the old looking house, covered in webs and skeletons. Speakers blasted thunder. And Cole chuckled, this looked like a good opportunity. He walked forwards and looked at the sign next to it, humming.

They had to go and find a key and escape through the basement. Simple enough. Then there was even a little back garden maze to finally escape. They hopped in line, chatting to each other and chuckling.

Roxie hummed “I think I'll stay here with the kids”

Riley chuckled “Ditto.”

Cole nodded and they split into twos. Cammy and Mike went first then after a good half hour, Alain and Alex went in. Cole waited nervously, shuffling on his feet while he and Dane waited for their turn.

When the doors opened, Dane grabbed his hand and smiled “I'll protect you”

Cole just chuckled lightly and followed Dane. Time to find the keys.

Cole was.... disappointed at the moment. It was set up so they had to go through specific rooms, he understood why, it was easier. But pretty much, it was walking into a room and someone jumping out, The bird creature jumped but Cole..... He couldn't even pretend to be scared or unsuspecting. He sighed, he knew where they were hiding because..... He was used to listening to bumps. His hearing was great. And whereas Dane might jump, he wasn't scared either. It seemed the haunted house was a bad choice for both of them.

Soon they entered a dining room, it had a grand table and corpses in every chair, like they had died there. Wine was split on the ground and the food looked repulsive, there were eyeballs and spiders and cobwebs, it was incredibly dim in the room, there was a dead spider creature, snake creature, dog creature, another dog creature, jellyfish creature and a fish creature. They had already been through the hallway, the kitchen, the bedroom, the bathroom and even the attic. Cole saw the key on the table and went over to pick it up.

As his hand gripped the key, it being nearest to the snake creature. Her hand grabbed his harshly, actually making him jump and look up into red eyes “Stay with us........ Stay with me, my son” She said in a raspy voice.

Cole gulped, starting to shake, tugging at her arm. The other creatures were raising up. So Dane moved forwards and grabbed the key, trying to pry the snake creature off of him.

“Son......... Stay...... With us......” She said with her rasp and a wide smile.

Cole started shaking harder, tears falling down his face, his mind flashing back. She was on the ground, the same red but on her head, not in her eyes “Stay with me Cole. Please....” Her voice had been raspy as well.

“Mother...” He said quietly, in a tear filled voice. This shocked the snake creature, getting her to let go and her face soften, she was about to ask something when Dane picked him up and ran to the basement.

There was a shuffle and the sound of a radio going off. But nothing else. Dane opened the door and put the key in the box outside. They were now in the maze portion.

Cole immediately came down and ran into the maze, he really didn't want to be seen right now. He went left and right, going back and forwards, until he couldn't hear Dane. He sat down in a dead end, taking off his mask and breathing harshly and curling up.

He soon felt a hand on his shoulder and he flinched, looking up into Dane's concerned face. Of course he found him, he's a runner, he can run much faster than him. Especially being a falcon.

“Are you alright Cole?” He asked lightly

Cole breathed in deeply, rubbing his eyes “Not really no.... That snake freaked me out” It was a bit of a lie, but he didn't feel like delving into his past right now.

Dane hummed before picking him up in his arms, guiding Cole's head to his chest and just sitting against the hedge “Shh.... It's alright. I'm here, I'll protect you.”

Cole sniffled but leant against his chest, hearing his strong heartbeat. He felt Dane's hand going up and down his back lightly. The other stroking his hair lightly. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. Then he heard a growl from Dane

Looking up at his face, he saw that his teeth were bared “Not now. Later.” He growled out, Cole blinked, going to turn before having his head shoved back against Dane's chest.

The growling went away and he was just about to ask what brought out the hostility until Dane answered himself

“It was just some workers. Don't know if they just came here to scare us or to check up on us, but I wasn't having any of it”

Cole nodded and leant back, listening again to his heartbeat and feeling the soothing stroking motion of Dane's stroking. Humming lightly, getting his breathing back under control and calming down.

The blue bird creature leant down near his ear and whispered “Are you feeling better now?”

Cole hummed in reply, nodding lightly. They hugged each other for a few more moments before Cole got up

“Come on, we better get going unless you want the others to search for us and get lost in the maze”

Dane chuckled, standing up and handing over the Pumpkin King mask which Cole put back over his head. Dane grabbed his hand and started walking with him, looking back and smiling.

It took a few minutes to find the exit, the workers had seemed to back off of them, not trying to scare them. Cole felt a little bad, they were just doing their job and then he just had to freak out and get Dane growling at them.

When they returned to the group that were out, there was excited chatter about the haunted house and whining from Angel that she didn't see it. Honestly, Cole just wanted to go home, his little panic attack took a lot out of him. But he didn't say anything as they went off again to play more games, Cole just didn't play any, saying that his ego was still bruised from the last few.

He was leaning up against a pole, looking at the ground and trying to think of the best excuse he could make to be able to go home, when a plush pumpkin cat was thrust into his face.

It was bright orange with glowing eyes to imitate that of a carved pumpkin, it was adorable. Cole looked up to see a slightly blushing Dane on the other end.

“I er..... I won this at the.... Shooting gallery and well..... Thought you'd... like it” He muttered into his chest.

Cole smiled, lifting up his mask so that Dane could see and accepting the pumpkin cat from him. It was very adorable and though normally he would give any plush prizes to Angel or Max, it warmed his heart that Dane gave it to him.

“Thank you, that's nice of you.” He smiled before lowering the mask again “The Pumpkin king can only have a pumpkin cat!” He chuckled lightly

Dane chuckled alongside him before it tethered off, leaving silence between the two. It stretched and stretched, though it didn't feel uncomfortable.

“You er.... Seem tired” Dane finally said after a minute of silence

Cole hummed, running his finger over the bumps of the pumpkin cat “Yeah, that er.... Experience at the haunted house took...... Took a lot out of me.”

Dane hummed before reaching out a hand “Want me to take you home?”

He tilted his head and coughed “I.. er... I live in the Human district.”

The bird chuckled at that “Then let me rephrase, want me to make a good excuse so that we can go home?”

Cole looked around, making sure there were no eavesdropping creatures before nodding “Please.”

The bird nodded and grabbed one of his arms, dragging him back to the group “As much as I've enjoyed this outing. I need to get back before it gets dark, plus I need to show Cole a little something for er.... Next time there's an.... incident.”

The group looked unnerved, looking to Cole who nodded “It's alright. Have fun! I'll probably head home since by the time Dane is finished it'll most likely be late.”

They all nodded, each saying their farewells with hugs before Dane and Cole made their way to Dane's house.

The walk was made in silence again, as Cole stuck closely to Dane, right up until he was at his front door, looking through his keys to open it

“Er.... Thank you.... for getting us out. Both in the haunted house and of the festival”

Dane chuckled “No problem. It's okay to be afraid, and you seem like the type of person that'll do anything for anyone else, even if you're uncomfortable with it”

He hummed, nodding slightly, he guessed he could come across as that type of person. He could see why Dane would think that way about him. Maybe.... Maybe one day he could tell him why he was afraid?.... Maybe.... He didn't know if he was looking forward to or dreading that day.

“But anyway, thank you for inviting me! I had a lot of fun. And it was nice to do something.... normal”

Cole chuckled “It's no problem. None at all”

Dane hummed and they both just..... stood there. Dane leaning against his open door frame, Cole just looking at him, the silence stretching. There was so much to say and yet, nothing at all. They just kept staring. It lasted minutes upon minutes before Cole finally decided to step away, starting to walk before turning back.

Dane had been leaning slightly forwards and had a bit of a surprised look on his face

“Don't be a stranger to the labs okay? And.... actually...” Cole gulped and brought out a pen and paper, he couldn't believe he was doing this. He scribbled on it and gave it to Dane

Cole coughed “My.... personal phone number. Don't be giving it out, call me if you want to.... you know.... hang out again.” And with that Cole started backing away, finger gunning Dane before moving down the street for his way home. But not before hearing a

“Don't worry, we'll see each other again Cole” And a door closing.

Cole's heart felt a little lighter as he made his way home to his apartment. This Halloween wasn't so bad after all.

#RedactedScrawls #ocs #story #halloween story #halloween #flashbacks #minor character death #character death #panic attacks #Cammy #Riley #Roxie #Cole #Alain #Mike #Dane #Alex #Angel #Max #Creatures

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prettyboy-jimin · 7 years

Text

Cherry Red; i

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Park Jimin

Genre: Fluff, mild smut implication

Word Count: 2.3k

Summary: Based on this prompt I got somewhere, I don’t remember but I’m pretty sure it’s from otpprompts

Imagine Person A saying to Person B, “If real life was a fandom, people would ship us.” Bonus: Person A, never one to quit while they’re ahead, continues to say “There would be porn of us.”

Note

Weeehh, I’ve been into a lot of angst lately and frankly #JUSTICEFORANGST because the beautiful thing is so underappreciated y’all like how dare, but my friend’s been hurting a lot with me and she deserves some Yoonmin fluff heh + Also, I only realised after I finished everything that the prompt would be best portrayed if it were a Non-Idol AU but.. you know… I finished it and… yeah…

Hawaii was beautiful, Jimin had absolutely no words for it. Only yesterday had he and the others boarded a boat to sail around for the day, his hyungs fishing like the old men he knew them to be, Jungkook and Taehyung pushing each other off the boat, into the saltwater. The day before that, he and Namjoon went hiking up the mountains in the early morning, early enough to catch the warm sun freeing itself from the night’s cold embrace. They took a few pictures for the fans, knowing their girls from all over the globe would be curious of what they were up to. Jimin especially liked the photo Namjoon took of him wherein the sun’s glare competed against the camera, resulting in a large halo of sorts around Jimin’s body. This morning, Jimin had gone down to the beach with Jin, Namjoon tagging along as the adventurer he was. They walked with their heads down, careful not to let a stray fan catch them and scream. They found a sea turtle making its way onto the shore, Jin immediately hopping about telling his friends to take a picture. Jimin snapped a photo of his hyung, Jin thereafter forcing him and Namjoon to do the same. They sat on the sand with curious smiling faces directed to the reptile, Jin especially pleased with himself once he had tweeted their photos, along with the sea turtle’s solo shot, with a caption that said they tried turtle watching. Jimin laughed, scoffed more so, since all they really did was sit and smile rather than actually watch the aged animal crawl further onto land.

And though Hawaii was beautiful and Jimin couldn’t get enough of the beautiful beaches, he found himself here, in their hotel suite lounging around; exhausted. Jungkook was napping on the bed across from him, Taehyung tucking the maknae securely under his arm as he scrolled through his phone. Jin, Namjoon and Hoseok were out for the afternoon for more adventure, using the most of their time exploring than actually resting, wherein the three youngest as well as Yoongi were just too tired to move.

Jimin was lying on his back, arms splayed out on his shared bed with Hoseok, feet on the ground and eyes on the ceiling. The suite was quiet save for Yoongi’s constant typing on his laptop and the music that Jimin could faintly hear blasting from the elder’s headphones. It surprised Jimin how Yoongi wasn’t deaf yet, or relatively close to it.

Jimin was just about to drift off to sleep when Yoongi’s voice broke through his daze.

“Yes, hyung?” he answered groggily.

“Let’s go out”

Jimin laughed, a witty remark on the tip of his tongue. Is this how you ask me on a date? But he knew that his hyung would have something better up his sleeve so it was best to behave.

“And where would we go?” Jimin asked, eyes still closed, half hoping Yoongi would change his mind.

“The hotel has a pool on the roof, a café and whatever.” Yoongi said “We could look over the city if you don’t wanna go for a swim.”

Jimin pulled himself up, resting his elbows on his knees as he tried to recover from the sudden movement. He muttered something Yoongi thought was I’m in board shorts anyway so we’ll see, and they both made their way out the door without much conversation; leaving Taehyung and Jungkook to sleep the afternoon away.

Jimin and Yoongi stepped into the elevator in silence, allowing the horrible music to envelope the small space they created between them. There were other people already aboard, either also on their way to the roof deck or up a floor higher than Jimin and Yoongi’s.

The dancer cast a glance to his hyung, usually they’d engage in some sort of conversation, the elder always having something interesting to share but at the moment he seemed to be in deep thought. Was something bothering him? Jimin would ask but now wasn’t the time and place so he figured to save it for later.

They stepped out of the lift after everyone else on board, basking in the warmth the afternoon sun down casted on them. The view was amazing, Jimin’s eyes immediately finding the edge of the building. He ran across the deck, passing the rooftop café and restaurant as well as the pool, leaving behind an amused Yoongi to chuckle and follow after him.

Jimin’s hands gripped the cold metal railing, his eyes wide and smile huge. The wind brushed his hair back, saltwater fusing with the air he enjoyably inhaled for the past few days as Yoongi stood by his side, enjoying the ocean breeze.

“This is amazing” Jimin said, breathless and in awe.

“Right?” Yoongi stole a glance at the dancer before turning his gaze back to the view. “A fan tweeted about how she was in the same hotel as us a few months back”

“Oh?”

Yoongi nodded his head with a pursed smile, Jimin only just noticing the slight tinge of pink on his hyung’s cheeks. When Yoongi shifted to look at him, Jimin ducked is head as if his distorted reflection in the metallic railing had suddenly become too interesting to ignore. A small smirk was displayed on Yoongi’s face that Jimin hadn’t noticed. He decided he liked making Jimin adorably uncomfortable.

“Do you ever wonder what our girls are up to on a daily basis?” Yoongi rolled around to set the undersides of his elbows on the railing that separated them from the edge, eyeing the other hotel guests as they enjoyed their vacation. “What they do with their normal lives?”

Jimin’s eyes were wide, observing Yoongi as if he had just sprouted a pair of goat horns, but Jimin knew that Yoongi just liked to think a lot. He gave a soft smile as he realised that Yoongi referred to the fans as ‘their girls’ just like how Bangtan were their boys. It made Jimin’s heart warm. It had been years since they first debuted, gradually building a fanbase in and out of Korea, but only in the recent years had Jimin seen their group of friends really skyrocket off the charts. It had been an amazing series of events, but it had also been really restless for the seven of them. Though the endless support they got from their ARMYs was more than enough motivation.

Jimin mirrored Yoongi’s position, observing the strangers of different backgrounds as well, a sense of fondness catching in his voice as he said, “Apart from loving us unconditionally, constantly making sure we’re happy and healthy, making fanfiction and screaming when we post new photos… I have to say Yoongi-hyung, I have no idea.”

Yoongi was eyeing a little girl no more than three years old on the pool’s edge, it was the kiddie pool with a built in ramp of sorts, made to look like the sand as the clear water kept lapping at it. She had floaters on her little arms, and her black curls were glistening with water droplets Yoongi saw an older boy playfully splash her with. He smiled as she let out a little giggle and attacked what Yoongi assumed to be her brother.

“Do you ever think of how amazing it is that people are all divided into different fandoms?” Yoongi wondered aloud, still watching the wonderful display of family affection before him. “They’re like organisations that you can just come in and leave and while you’re there you have a family.”

Jimin raised a curious eyebrow at Yoongi. That was one way to put it, a really complicated way at that.

“Hyung, you think too much.” He says playfully, chuckling as he admires the scenery Hawaii had to offer.

But the idea continues to amaze the rapper, how people who had never even met each other in person or even know each other’s name can become the best of friends over their mutual interest in Bangtan, how a single night spanning from two to four hours could bring total strangers together and form friendships, relationships that normally take days, weeks to build. It amazes Yoongi. He thinks of their fans’ creativity, how artists can remake their photos using various types of paint, pencils, how they use their talents and incorporate their support for Bangtan and as he looks over at Jimin who was still admiring the view, he thinks of how their fans can see Yoongi’s feelings for him as if he was an open book. Damn were they dedicated.

He looks at Jimin, unafraid despite their public location; no one knew who they were here. He notices how Jimin had developed a nice tan over the last few days, hinting his skin just the slightest. Jimin’s cheeks were painted a light pink from hours under the sun and in the seawater, Yoongi thought if this was what it looked like to be sunkissed.

Jimin looks over at him, his weight still leaning on his elbows on the railing as he smiles at Yoongi.

“If real life was a fandom people would ship us.” Yoongi says coolly, almost indifferent towards Jimin’s widened eyes and shocked expression. It’s evidently clear to Yoongi that Jimin wasn’t expecting that. “People do ship us.”

Jimin straightens, his pink cheeks darkening to a pale red as his smile forms a straight line. He shifts on one foot to the other as he then finds himself struggling to find a decent position to stay in, settling on just standing straight with his hands clasped together in front of him as Yoongi chuckles.

“Yoongi hyung that’s pretty—“

“There would probably be porn of us.” Yoongi says, not bothering to lower his volume as passers-by shoot him looks ranging from confused to downright disgusted, yet Yoongi only shrugs and laughs as Jimin is the one who bows apologetically out of habit.

Yoongi tilts his head at Jimin, the younger’s cheeks now aflame and his eyes darting everywhere except Yoongi. Yoongi enjoys seeing Jimin flustered like this, gulping down air, fiddling with his shirt, rubbing his forearms in attempts at calming himself down; it’s entertaining as it is absolutely adorable. The world knows Jimin to be shy with these types of things, but the world doesn’t get to witness it up close and personal like Yoongi does and he decides that it sort of labels him as one of the lucky ones.

Jimin chokes and coughs on the air he sharply inhales as he says, “Hyung, that’s pretty intense” Yoongi smiling as he looks down at his feet. Jimin takes the opportunity to stare for as long as he could before he says something more.

“You’d like that though, wouldn’t you?” he muses, trying to supress a smile as Yoongi’s head jolts upwards, his smile wavering. When the older boy doesn’t seem to understand where Jimin is coming from, Jimin speaks again. “You’d like that—porn of us?”

Yoongi knows Jimin is joking, that he’s just trying to get at Yoongi by his own game but it doesn’t stop his eyebrows from shooting upwards in surprise as Jimin steps closer, hands still laced together in front of him and a smug smile plastered on his face.

“You’d look really pretty writhing under me, hyung” Jimin whispers, fingers playing at the collar of Yoongi’s black shirt. Yoongi is more relaxed now, he’s played this game a thousand times before and is well aware of Jimin’s feigning confidence, the dancer trying to make him as flustered as he was mere minutes ago as a sort of revenge. But Jimin doesn’t know that Yoongi’s won this game just as many times as he’s played it.

“I don’t know about writhing, but I’d definitely be under you.” Yoongi mutters, looking into Jimin’s eyes with a dark playfulness staining his irises. “I could see you falling apart over me, Jiminie. Bouncing desperately and screaming my name as I make you feel good.”

Jimin gulps, body gone stiff and his board shorts unbelievably uncomfortable as his eyes flicker between Yoongi’s eyes lips. Yoongi’s tongue makes an appearance and wets his lips as he grits back a chuckle when he sees Jimin’s eyes follow. Oh how he loved seeing Jimin lose.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” he asks, his voice dangerously low as he leans towards the younger boy uncaring to whoever was with them and wherever they were. Yoongi leaned in, closer and closer until their noses were touching and Jimin’s lips were only a breath away, until a fabricated, unrealistic cough makes Jimin dance backwards; creating a large space between him and Yoongi.

Yoongi doesn’t move, shutting his eyes tightly to hold down his frustrations and biting down on his lip to muffle the protests. He exhales before turning forward, Jimin now a foot away from him nibbling on his lip as he toed the cement at his feet. Yoongi spares a glare at Jin, clearly the one who faked the cough and verbally drew Jimin away from him, who was standing between Namjoon and Hoseok, all three looking smug and proud of themselves when Yoongi just really wanted to hurt them.

“Jungkook told us where to find you.” Jin disclosed, a playful glint in his eye as a haughty smile played at his lips. “We’re here to call you so you can get ready for dinner.”

With that Jin turned away, Namjoon following suit like a little puppy. Hoseok winked at Jimin, making him redden even more than Yoongi thought possible, his blush reaching the tips of his ears and a part of his neck.

Jimin spared Yoongi a glance, burning a cherry when Yoongi winks at him, trailing behind beside Hoseok as Jimin speed walks to catch up to his other hyungs.

“What was that about?” Hoseok asks as soon as Jimin was out of earshot.

“That was…” Yoongi didn’t know what that was, he didn’t want to assume that Jimin like him too even if it was pretty clear; it was best if Jimin said it aloud and Yoongi could rest properly. He also didn’t want to give Hoseok a witty remark, he knew the younger was genuinely curious despite his playful demeanour but truth be told Yoongi was curious as well. “That was… something else.”

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formdrop · 7 years

Text

Leather and feathers

Reborntale belongs to @reborntale 18+ and @skellyhell the original creator. Warning: may have gore and sexual themes.

Main Reborntale fanfic by @purrfecktlysinful called ‘sunlight and shadow’. Recommended read.

Chapter 5: Judgement

Sans keep following Papy as he had no idea where he was going. They were in another hallway. A little more fixed up but still another hallway. It was shorter though. As they entered another door-way with just a metal frame, Sans found himself in an area with buttons which is called a ….. elevator, that’s right. Sans wasn’t enjoying the fact that some words and knowledge was taking it's time for him to remember or realise. Papy pressed a button and the doors closed as the elevator started to vibrate. It took a little while.

Sans heard Papyrus start to mumble, "reset after reset. The child keeps going. All this killing. I have to wonder why. When will it get bored? Over a hundred entries in my workshop describe the child being good at the start and only killing a few. Then they just went on an all-out genocide. Over and over. I've done multiple calculations in the past timelines. Yet they still continue. It's like something else is pushing them to do it. The shadow that hangs over them. The way their movements seemed almost jittery. *sigh* I don't know how to break this cycle. I've noticed I have never mentioned Sans though. Like this run, I must not go back. Maybe the first few times I went back but like me in this run I saw how many there were and stop bothering. It's just a cycle like this, and I just accept it. Just being a bunch of lazy bones…."

Sans saw Papys face start to leak tears, actual physical tears, he was finally breaking down, the mask was off now he was alone. Sans wanted to comfort, "It's alright Papy. I'm sure you will see him someday. I believe you will." Sans placed a wing over Papy in comfort. He seemed conflicted to cry more or calm down. Sans was worried. He swapped it for his hand like before but it had the same result.

Sans grew worried until Papy cried, "I can almost feel Sans here. Encouraging me on. That he is being the great big brother he always is." He covered his face as more tears flowed down. Sans smiled, Papy felt his presence but thought it was his Sans. His Sans must be great like himself. He wished he could meet this other Sans someday. He seems like a great guy.

The elevator had finished and the doors opened with a ding. Papy wiped his eyes with his hoodie to remove the snot and tears off. Sans grimaced at the sight of the mess on Papys sleeve. Sans wished he could lecture Papy about not doing that but he was already out and he wouldn’t be able to hear him anyway. Though Sans was a bit unsure why he does. Sans sighed as he followed Papy and their adventure continues. They were in a calm purple brick hall where it went left. Sans could hear shouting and many frightening sounds. Sans forgot Papy for the moment and rushed ahead. He skidded left then right with the short hall way. A quick glance to the left revealed another elevator and the right hall way made him stop. it looked like there was a large battle finishing between angels and a few demons, Sans guessed there was more.

A demon hissed at one, it was Frisk. Frisk had some damage like cuts but they didn’t show it. The demon got into a battle stance and yelled, "you have noticed more of these grounders dying! Their dust spread everywhere and either an angel or demon rises! The odd grounder that is doing this has outweighed the balance, more demons are rising! We believe it is time us demons control things! You have no right to keep us back! Now all you angels should clear off!" his deep tone vibrating around the area.

The angels there laughed, but with one wave of a hand from frisk they stopped. Frisk stood tall and looked at the demon, "we have kept the balance for many centuries and we will keep doing so. Just because there are more demons doesn’t mean they rule this plane or the grounders. Now back off demon." Frisk sounded calm and that went to the other angels as they seem calm. Sans looked at the scene more closely, both sides had weapons, some looked like magic, and the demons had more beated-up looking ones. There seem to be more angels and not as many injuries like the remaining demons as they were bleeding bad.

The demons started to retreat which the angels responded by flying off, they didn’t seem to notice Sans standing there almost paralysed. The conversation going through his head. the dust meant monsters dying and there were many which was why Papy avoided them and it made sense to see Alphys becoming an angel. And that meant, he was the Sans that was that dust. The dust of his brother became him. But angel Sans was his own monster now, not the old one. More things clicked the more he thought. When a monster gets 'reborn' into either a angel or demon, that is a new person. He didn’t have any memories of his other life so that Sans is dead. Why Papy reacted like that in the elevator when Sans tried to encourage him. Why he had instincts with Papy as they were the other Sans instincts of when he was alive. Sans covered his mouth out of shock at the new information, tears running down his face. His wings drooped so they touched the ground. His legs wobbled. He was seeing how cruel the world was. Then Sans shook his head, no, he made friends like angel Alphys. And he has to stay with his grounder.

...

HIS GROUNDER! He totally forgot about Papy in that thought process. Sans was about to run off when he saw Papy had decided to stop and lean against the wall that looked over the big city to the left. He must have come and stopped to do whatever he was doing. He had a white thing in his mouth with smoke coming off it. It was a smoke. Sans frowned as he almost felt insulted, the old Sans must not have liked them. It was disappearing quick as the ash kept falling off. He finished it quick and took out the packet, it was empty. He scrunched it up and threw it into the city, basically littering. Papy smiled and looked over the city, "heh. Guess I can't stall this any longer. I finished my last packet and I'm finally going to meet my end. I'll see you soon bro. Save me a spot there in heaven yeah?" he gave an emotionless chuckle and stood up. He began to walk along the path. They turn left and continued to follow the path. Soo the reached a house this light purple bricks at the front.

Papyrus began to walk through like he has done this so many times. Inside was a very clean house with a feint smell of butterscotch pie. It smelled nice to Sans. Suddenly Papyrus began to mumble, as if this was rehearsed, "A long time ago, a human fell into the RUINS.

Injured by its fall, the human called out for help.

ASRIEL, the queens's son, heard the human's call.

He brought the human back to the castle.

Over time, ASRIEL and the human became like siblings.

The King and Queen treated the human child as their own.

The underground was full of hope.

Then... One day...

The children went missing.

All searched high and low for the children but they went to be found.

The next day..

The human came back.

But different.

They had dust all over them and tears down their face.

They had changed as well.

The human and the prince had tried to find a way to absorb another's soul without harm.

But is had gone wrong.

The human had absorbed the princes' soul and had stumbled into the throne room and collapsed.

The human turned to dust right in front of the kings and queens' eyes,

Their dust spread over the throne room

Their dust spread across the garden.

The kingdom fell into despair.

The king and queen had lost two children in one day.

The humans had once again taken everything from us.

The queen decided it was time to end our suffering.

Every human who falls down here must die.

With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever.

It's not long now.

Queen TORIEL will let us go.

Queen TORIEL will give us hope.

Queen TORIEL will save us all." It sounded more than rehearsed to Sans but he didn’t say anything. Sans sent his positive energy towards Papy in hopes to make this easier. It did as he seems to go slightly faster. They had gone through the house quick and gone down the stairs and down a hall. They had passed a small section that viewed the city but Papyrus didn’t stop this time. He entered though some golden doors to the right which was right across some elevators.

In the other side of the doors were what could be described as pure light. Everything was gold and light brightened up the room. The only light coming from the glass windows that were on the left side when looking down the golden hall. On the other side of the wall seemed to be pictures.

The first was a place with blue ceilings and white fluffy looking things attached and green ground, like moss, and like the trees but not glowing and these strange grounders that weren’t monsters as well as monsters. Sans kept beside Papy as they both looked at the pictures on the walls. Both walked along to the next one. There were two sides. The non-monster grounders and the monster grounders. There were weapons and attacks. The next one was monster mostly gone with dust in the air and the other grounders chasing the monsters into a large mountain.

The next was monsters building houses in a small space and not looking happy. The next one was the area bigger and building more and looking happy. The next one was of a family of monsters. One looked like the angel with large horns but no wings or halo. Then there was a female one with small horns and they were smiling with a baby between them. They all looked happy.

The next one was a non-monster falling down in a dark place with a spot light. With a spot of the green stuff. The next one was what Papy chanted, the what could be a human coming back changed, from the other one with them falling, and dying in from of the horn monsters. It almost looked like the Frisk angel. Was that them? The one who died in the fail attempt of the soul thing?

Sans moved on to see the next few were the humans with different souls and different clothing dying and a heart thing, their soul being taken, always in the hands of the small horned monster with a…. crown. Always on the side, reaching for the soul of the dying human. Each of the humans dying had a shadow face and feature almost intentionally not there. But the rest of wall space was blank, as if there was space for more. Sans went back and counted the humans dying….. six, six humans died.

Sans sighed and looked for Papy. He was leaning against a pillar. As Sans got close he realized they couldn’t see the door they went through. They waited for a bit as Sans had sat down and waited. Papy seemed to calm. Sans could feel something bad was going to happen. But Papy looked too calm. Sans looked closer and saw he was crying again, without tears. Sans sighed and was about to help Papy when the sound of a door opening. Sans bolted up, while Papy closed his eyes and gave a heavy sigh. The human went to the middle of the other wall. They glitched a bit and Sans almost seemed to be dizzy at the same time. The human turned with a blank expression with dull red eyes and yellow looking with squinting eyes and straight mouth. They seem to almost drag themselves forward. As they got close to where Papy was, they seem to slow down and stand. Sans looked where Papy was leaning but found him gone. Sans looked around widely and saw Papy was standing in the middle. Sans went against the wall and waited. Though he didn’t want the outcome he knew was coming.

Papy stood stiff, "Hmm. that expression... that's the expression of someone who's died eleven times in a row. Well, give or take. There's nuance to this stuff. Don't think I'll be able to count very well from here. So, let's just get to the point." That confused Sans as he was sure died means permanently not coming back. Sans didn't question it because it was hurting his skull to try to make sense.

The battle started, Sans had never seen a monster battle. Papys left eye started to flame orange and yellow and his stance stiff. His hands at the ready for something and his feet in a wide stance but stable. Papy started off with, "It's a beautiful day outside. birds are singing, flowers are blooming... on days like these, kids like you..." suddenly bones appear around Papy and came out of the ground as they flew fast at the human. Papy and the area around was black and white, it didn’t reach Sans though, ended just before him. Sans looked left to see a sick looking red soul, it was different colour than the other ones on the wall. But Sans was sure they weren’t meant to look soo… soo… soo sick. It didn't look right and Sans could see what Papy meant about the shadow over them. Sans saw it in the battle. A square outline had the human boxed in as the bones seemed more solid inside the box as the human dodged the attacks. Suddenly large cat crossed dragon skulls appeared and start shooting beams of orange light at the human and the human dodged the beams and more attacks with ease. After they seem to stop Papy said, "S h o u l d b e b u r n i n g i n h e l l ." that sounded dark and powerful.

Then the human stopped and the square disappeared. Options seem to come up. It didn’t hesitate to slam on fight. Suddenly the body of the human launched and with a knife tried to slice at Papy. Sans shot up afraid that it got Papy but Papy slide to the side and said, "what? you think I'm just gonna stand there and take it?" Papy had a cocky smile. One of pain and anger. One that anyone seeing it should be afraid. Sans shivered and sat back down. The human retreated with a blank face as the box was around them again. Papy mumbled, "Our reports showed a massive anomaly in the time-space continuum. Timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting..." and the attacks were on again but their soul went blue and was forced to the side at the back. Bones started to again and little platforms the human was forced to use as they seem to climb up. It finished and the options went again and again it was fight, Papy side stepped again, "until suddenly, everything ends." And the process would repeat. But this time the human was thrown around in the box. Dialogs keep going as Papyrus kept going about it’s the human fault and they don’t understand how it feels. Neither does Sans.

Things repeated with Papy keeping on dodging the attacks and the human dodging his. At one point Papyrus said, "ugh... that being said... you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh? ... listen. I know you didn't answer me before, but... somewhere in there. I can feel it. there's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. someone who, in another time, might have even been... a friend? c'mon, buddy. do you remember me? please, if you're listening... let's forget all of this, ok? just lay down your weapon, and... well, my job will be a lot easier." The human didn’t listen and attack. Papy sighed. "well, it was worth a shot. guess you like doing things the hard way, huh?" and it continued. Sans saw Papy was starting to sweat and looked tired. Sans mustered up his positive energy and sent it to Papy. He looked a bit better as the fight continued. But this time Papy said about how the human might have stopped with all the good things and that pain coming to an end and that the resets would end. About other hims. Sans was getting worried with this odd talk.

Soon he mentioned his special attack and seemed to be trying to scare the human off with fright but it didn’t seem to work. The human looked ragged now. cuts and bruises by the latest attacks. At first it was easy for them to dodge but as time went on it seemed that they were almost like they were trying to remember Papys' moves but that was impossible since this was the first time fighting. Sans looked at Papy and saw he was more than tired now and Sans was out of energy. He himself needed to rest. Then it was time to use the special attack. Papy smiled a tired smile as almost whispered, "huff... puff... all right. that's it. it's time for my special attack. are you ready? here goes nothing."

. . . . . . nothing was happening, Papy was just standing there. It almost seemed that the human was waiting.

"yep. that's right. it's literally nothing. and it's not going to be anything, either. heh heh heh... ya get it? I know I can't beat you. One of your turns... you're just gonna kill me. so, uh. I've decided... it's not gonna BE your turn. ever. I'm just gonna keep having MY turn until you give up. Even if it means we have to stand here until the end of time. Capiche?"

. . . more time went and Sans wasn’t any better with his energy, Papy was getting worse.

"you'll get bored here. If you haven't gotten bored already, I mean. And then, you'll finally quit."

. . . Papy seemed so proud of himself. That he had won. The human was still. It didn’t seem to be breathing with it just standing there.

"I know your type. you're, uh, very determined, aren't you? You'll never give up, even if there's, uh... absolutely NO benefit to persevering whatsoever. If I can make that clear. No matter what, you'll just keep going. Not out of any desire for good or evil... but just because you think you can. and because you 'can'... ... you 'have to'."

. . . Sans grew worried as he slowly raised. The human had a smirk. Papy was starting to close his eyes a bit. He started to slump as his smile went and a frown appeared.

"but now, you've reached the end. There is nothing left for you now. so, uh, in my personal opinion... the most 'determined' thing you can do here? Is to, uh, completely give up. and... (yawn) do literally anything else."

Papy finally fell asleep. Sans manage to bolt up and run into the battle. He felt odd entering and he found that he couldn’t even see himself. He rushed to Papy and tried to wake him. But he couldn’t touch him. No matter how much he concentrated. He couldn’t touch Papy while he was in a battle. Sans looked at the human to see that they were pushing the box to an option of fight which would attack Papy. Sans resorted to yelling, hoping he could be heard, "WAKE UP YOU LAZY BONES. THIS IS NO TIME TO BE SLEEPING! YOU ARE IN A FIGHT." At that moment, the human reached fight and pressed it and was running towards Papy with the knife held ready. Papy woke up and had just missed the knife as it swung. Sans gave a sigh of relief and a scowl that Papy went to sleep.

"Heh, did you really think you would be able-" he didn’t get to finish as the human attacked a second time and it landed. Sans covered his mouth in shock as blood began to trickle down Papys' teeth, bottom jaw and onto his hoodie, a massive slash over his chest. "... ... ... so... guess that's it, huh? ... just... don't say I didn't warn you. Well, I'm going to Muffets'. Sans, do you want anything?"

Sans answered anyway, "no brother. I don’t." he might not be his Sans but he was sure Papy heard it as he smiled and leaned forward as the battle ended.

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#Leather and feathers #RebornSwap #Reborntale #Sans #Papyrus #SwapSans #SwapPapyrus #AngelSans #Fanfiction

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