#pretty chill one this year. happy spooky season! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

daveyjacobss · 4 years

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skeletons in the bathroom

racetrack higgins x reader

summary: it’s spooky season, and is there anything scarier than having to confront and admit your feelings for one of your closest friends? (or, in which y/n is helping race get ready for a halloween party and desperately trying not to think about how much she wants to kiss him.)

a/n: i did it!! a halloween fic out for october 2020!! sorry it’s so late in the month, life has been very hectic with an overload of assignments and plenty of politics induced stress. anyway this is unedited so sorry in advance but i hope you like it :)

masterlist

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This had been such a bad idea. Why on earth had she agreed to this? What kind of astounding lack of brain cells had led to her saying yes to attending her own goddamn funeral?

"Albert, you would leave flowers at my grave, wouldn't you?" She turned to look at him just in time to see him roll his eyes. Jojo and Finch, sitting across from them at their table in the library, both stared at her with equally confused and amused expressions.

"Y/N if you tell me you're gonna die one more time, I'll literally kill you myself." Albert fixed her with a halfhearted glare, brushing his hair out of his face. She groaned and dropped her head down on top of her arms, resting lazily in the tabletop. Jojo laughed quietly at her, but she didn't have the heart to give him a death stare in return.

"Out of curiosity," Finch started, effectively abandoning his work, "what kind of flowers would you want?" She lifted her head, pursing her lips in concentration as she thought the question over.

"I don't know, either something really pretty or something ridiculously dramatic." Albert sighed beside her, finally putting his pencil down. Jojo had stopped actually trying to get work done a half hour prior. "Like, some pretty marigolds or daisies would be cool, ya know? But, also, a single red rose would have a very nice effect." Jojo nodded along with her.

"What about black dahlias?" He asked. Y/N perked up at that.

"Oh, yes! Definitely achieving that she-was-probably-murdered-and-the-killer-is-leaving-flowers vibe." She high fived Jojo while Finch shook his head at them. Albert hit her from her right side—lightly, but she let out a loud "ow!" anyway.

"Can you stop moping and acting like you're gonna die? You're the one who got yourself into this mess." She went back to being miserable immediately, groaning again for effect.

"Will someone please explain why she's dying?" Finch asked, directed more at the other two boys than at Y/N. Albert rolled his eyes again.

"Race asked her to do his makeup for his skeleton costume before the party tonight and she said yes, but now she thinks she's gonna die when she does it." He punctuated his words with a pointed look at her which effectively communicated all of his exasperation as well as the sentiment he had been expressing to her for almost two years, that she should just go for it and ask Race out. She ignored it completely.

"I am going to die!" She threw her hands in the air for dramatic effect, giving Finch and Jojo her best 'I'm in despair' look. "I'm gonna have to be ridiculously close to his face—and his lips—for way too long! I'm gonna either go insane and launch myself out the fucking window or die of embarrassment."

All three boys laughed at her. Insulted, she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted at them.

"Y/N, it'll be fine," Finch said, pretending to wipe tears from his eyes. "Anyway, why can't you just ask him out already and not have to deal with the funeral arrangements?" She offered him her best deadpan stare.

"C'mon, Y/N," Jojo chimed in. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"Oh no, don't get her started," Albert groaned.

"The worst that could happen? Are you kidding?" She looked at them incredulously. "Well, for starters, I could tell him I like him and then he could be disgusted because why would he ever like me back when he's him and I'm me, and then, because he was your friend first and things are super awkward between me and him, we drift apart, and then I lose all of my friends and I die alone with no one to leave black dahlias on my grave in order to entertain my dramatics." Finch blinked, staring at her with wide eyes as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard.

"Hold on," Jojo spoke up again, face contorted with anger. "He would not be disgusted. Even if he didn't like you back, which he does—"

"Does not," she grumbled.

"Does too," they all answered in unison.

"He wouldn't be mean about it," Jojo continued.

"And we wouldn't stop being your friends," Albert added.

"Plus, even if we suddenly become arch enemies I'm totally still leaving black dahlias on your grave for dramatics," Finch grinned, winking at her. That got her to laugh a little, smiling back at him.

"I just..." She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I don't want to ruin anything, and I don't want everything to change between us. I'm fine being his friend, that's enough for me. It's just hard to keep my feelings in check when he gets too close to me." Her eyebrows furrowed while she fidgeted with her fingers, not liking how vulnerable she felt while telling all of them that. Albert's arm slid around her shoulders, bringing her into his side. It was awkward and uncomfortable leaning across the gap between their chairs, but she enjoyed the comfort anyway.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," he said gently. "You have our support either way." Jojo and Finch nodded, both smiling encouragingly at her. She smiled back at them, moving to gather up all of her papers. The boys followed suit, shoving everything back in their backpacks.

"Thank you," she said quietly just as they were all pushing their chairs in.

"Anytime," Albert grinned brightly, throwing his arm around her again and leading them out of the building. A wind blew as they walked out into the October sun, sending a chill through her body and causing her to lean into Albert's body for warmth. They all started walking in the direction of their on-campus apartments, pointing out the most colorful trees and joking about the upcoming party with easy smiles.

"Speak of the devil," Jojo muttered from behind her. She went to turn back to look at him and ask what he meant, but Albert pulled her more securely against him and she laughed.

"Hey guys!" Finch called out, waving wildly. She looked in the direction he was facing and saw Race walking in the opposite direction with Romeo across the street from them. She felt heat rush to her face automatically, lifting her hand in a small wave while sporting a shy smile. Albert and Jojo waved enthusiastically with Finch, receiving an equally energetic wave from Romeo and a small wave from Race. Y/N tilted her head in confusion, frowning. Race never missed the chance to make an ordeal out something as small as seeing his friends across the street, was something wrong? No one else seemed concerned, though, and their small group kept moving. If anything, Finch and Jojo seemed amused, snickering quietly behind her and Albert.

They parted to go to their respective apartments, all three boys giving Y/N a hug goodbye. She took full advantage of their attempts at comfort, holding them tightly and burying her head in their chests. Once she was back in her apartment, her roommates thankfully back home for the weekend, she dropped her bag on the floor and took a deep breath. Race was set to come over a little while later to get ready for the party, that left her some time to clean up a little. He wouldn't care if the apartment was dirty, but she couldn't get rid of the urge to make sure the counters were decluttered and the bathroom where she would be doing his makeup smelled nice. Plus, at least it would give her something to do to distract herself from her ever growing anxiety.

She was definitely going to die.

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Race was ten minutes late, but Y/N had already figured he would be when his "omw" text didn't come until a minute after he was supposed to be at her apartment. He grinned at her when she opened the door, arms (adorably) holding the straps of his backpack that she assumed was carrying his costume.

"I wasn't sure if you would want me to put on the costume before or after the makeup," he said as he walked in. "So I just brought it to change into." She liked the way he looked so comfortable in her apartment, facing her casually with his hair messy from the wind. She smiled softly at him, unable to contain her ever present joy at seeing him.

"Before, definitely. If you put it on after you might mess your face up." He nodded, already shrugging his bag off his shoulder.

"Your room okay?" He asked, gesturing in the direction of her bedroom.

"'Course. Just don't mess with anything in there." She playfully pointed a finger at his chest and he laughed as he moved into her room and closed the door behind him. She walked into the bathroom, taking deep breaths and trying to tell herself everything would be okay. Her and Race were friends, and she was perfectly capable of helping him with his Halloween makeup like a normal person. Maybe. Hopefully. Kinda. Probably not. God, she was hopeless.

He found her in the bathroom obsessively reorganizing the makeup, dressed in his full skeleton getup. She smiled when she saw him in it, happy that he hadn't picked something with a good that would have concealed his beautiful curls. With his lanky stature and gangly limbs, the costume worked perfectly for him. He grinned back at her, doing a little shimmy that made her laugh.

"You like?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she shook her head in a amusement.

"It looks good," she confirmed, their usual joking banter hindered by her nerves. "We should get started so we have enough time, I still need to get changed and finish my makeup, too." She patted the bathroom counter and he followed her hand, hoisting himself up so he was sitting on the counter facing her, swinging his legs.

She tried not to think too hard as she started on his face, going in with a layer of white before anything else. She could feel his breath on her wrist, but she tried not to think about it. Thinking about it meant her own breath would hitch and then, because their faces were so close, he would notice. She brought a hand up to his jaw to steady his face and resolutely did not think about how easy it would be to pull him to her and kiss him.

Part of her wanted to listen to the boys. She wanted to say fuck it and tell him how she felt about him. She wanted to flirt with him while she had him at her mercy like this, wanted to lean in and put a hand on his thigh for balance just to see how he would react. She wanted to know if his breathing would change, if his heart would skip a beat, if he would look at her with wide eyes or if he would simply smirk and carry on. Or maybe he wouldn't do anything, because it would nothing but a meaningless gesture to him. But, god, she wanted to try. And she wanted to kiss him so badly.

Still, the other part of her triumphed. The part that told her he didn't feel the same way about her, that to him she was just a good friend and if she went and did something stupid she would ruin that.

She asked him to close his eyes and he did so obediently. She took the chance to look at his lips while he wouldn't be able to notice, realizing how quiet he'd been the whole time so far. Once his face was fully covered with white he opened his eyes and she took a small break, giving herself some time to calm down her erratic heart beat. He kicked his legs out again without her standing in front of him to block them.

"So," he started, staring down at his feet instead of looking at her. She tilted her head slightly, waiting for him to continue. "You and Albert, huh?" Her eyebrows furrowed and she stopped short as she went to grab a brush, paused in confusion. "What's going on there?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, trying to laugh to diffuse whatever tension had just overtaken the room but only managing a nervous chuckle.

"You two looked pretty cozy earlier, outside. Do I gotta start preparing myself for you to be acting all gross and couple-y whenever we go out now?" His voice sounded strained, like he was trying to force the question to be casual. She figured it was because he was upset Albert and her wouldn't tell him something like—which, they totally would if that was at all a possibility. Which it wasn't. The whole idea was so ridiculous a strangled laugh bubbled out of her throat.

"Oh, god no. There is nothing romantic happening between me and Albert." She looked down at her hands, avoiding having to look at his face. "No, it was just cold, you know? And he was trying to comfort me because I was upset." Suddenly he was there, standing in front of her. He gently tilted her chin up to look at him and used his other hand to grab hers.

"Babe, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

She was going to cry. She was going to burst into tears, standing in her own bathroom with Race's touch overwhelming her senses. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that he was so handsome and funny and kind and loving. It wasn't fair that whenever he looked at her she felt like no one else existed. It wasn't fair that she couldn't breathe with his hand still resting just under her chin. And the universe was just playing dirty having him call her babe like it was nothing, like it didn't make her heart swell in her chest. Like it didn't absolutely break her. She was definitely gonna cry, her eyes already watery.

His concern only seemed to increase when he saw the distraught look on her face. He tried to take another step toward her but she moved backward, detaching herself from his hands. She breathed deeply, running her hands through her hair as she tried to keep herself from sobbing. He looked so worried—so sad—and it just wasn't fair.

"I'm—" Her words got caught on the lump in her throat. "It's nothing, really. I'm just being dumb." He looked at her disbelievingly.

"Y/N c'mon, you're clearly upset, let me—" He cut himself off at the way she back away from him again while he reached out, hurt flashing across his face. "Here, why don't we just skip out on the party? I'll stay here with you and we can watch old Disney Halloween movies or something." She wanted that so bad, she wanted that more than anything she had ever wanted. But she couldn't, it would only hurt her more.

"No," she sniffled, regaining her composure. "No, you should go. I might stay back, I dunno. But I don't wanna keep you from having fun."

"Hey." His voice was soft, the corners of his lips turning upwards just slightly. He was so beautiful she could have died over it. "I always have fun with you, party or not. If you don't go, I don't go."

"God, Race. You can't just—you can't say things like that." She huffed while he blanched in confusion. "It's not fair."

"What? I don't—"

"Listen, I'll finish your makeup, yeah? And then we'll go to the party and we can pretend like this never happened. Okay?" He nodded mutely, slowly positioning himself back on the counter. The concern wasn't gone from his eyes and his mouth was set in a frown, but he complied.

Not crying was a constant effort the entire time she finished his skeleton makeup. She felt her lip quiver at more than one point and Race's eyes kept darting down toward it. She did her best to keep it steady, not wanting him to see her cry. He had seen her cry before, of course, over classes and movies and the like, but there was a special kind of shame associated with him seeing her cry over him.

It wasn't until after she was done that he spoke up again. "Do you not want to be alone with me?" He asked it so quietly she was sure it must not have come from him, used to his loud, boisterous voice. Her heart broke all over again.

"That's not it, Race. You know that, right? It's not your fault I'm upset." It wasn't, really. If she was going to blame anyone it would all be on herself.

"What, then?" The joking tone was back in his voice, clearly trying to diffuse the tension and brighten the mood. "Too afraid you won't be able to control yourself around me?" Yes. "I know you'd love to jump these bones." She laughed despite herself, playfully hitting his arm. Her reaction made him smile again, and she was glad. He always knew how to cheer her up.

It only took a little while longer for her to change into her costume (just a regular witch in shades of black and purple) and put on her makeup. Race watched her as she put on her dark lipstick, making her nervous and subsequently causing her hands to shake, but she made it through alright.

They left just a bit before the party was supposed to start, Y/N shivering in the cold air as they walked. Race glanced at her a few times, seemingly conflicted, before cautiously wrapping an arm around her. She leaned into his touch and he gripped shoulder more firmly, pulling her into his side. When they stopped to let a car go by she turned to him and wrapped both her arms around him, basking in his warmth. Race was like a heater, generating warmth from the day she met him. He returned her embrace, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He mumbled into her ear. A shiver went down her spine at his voice so close to her ear, but she nodded, holding him tighter. They were later to the party then they should've been, having spent a good amount of time in that embrace. It had made her heart all fluttery, not to mention the way it did somersaults every time Race looked at her for the rest of the walk (which was a lot, he must have been really worried).

She expected him to split off once they entered, going to look for some of his other friends, but he stuck by her side. It made her smile, the butterflies in her stomach going wild. They went to grab drinks together and ran into Finch.

"Hey!" He smiled dopily, clearly a little tipsy already. "The makeup looks great," he gestured at Race's face. "And you two look so cute together." Heat rushed to Y/N's face as she quickly took a sip of her drink in order to avoid having to respond. Race simply laughed.

"Yeah, Y/N did an awesome job, right? I knew she would, though. I could feel it in my bones." Y/N groaned and Finch cringed.

"That was awful, dude." Race grinned proudly anyway, waving as Finch left to go back to the friends he was with.

"Did you pick this costume just so you could make bad jokes?" Y/N turned to face Race, raising an eyebrow. He winked, which was all the answer she needed. She wanted to give some sort of sarcastic remark in return, but the wink made her giggle nervously. He seemed content with her response all the same.

About three thousand skeleton jokes later (he had literally greeted Davey by saying "bonejour." Davey had promptly turned around and left the two of them without saying a word), Y/N and Race were sat on the couch together, chatting amicably. She felt better with a bit of alcohol in her veins and a few buckets of false hope from the fact that Race hadn't tried to leave her side once the whole time they'd been there.

"You're such an idiot," she laughed uncontrollably as he relayed a story about him following a squirrel across campus the week prior.

"What can I say?" He grinned cheekily. Her smile dropped.

"Don't you dare—"

"I'm a bonehead." He knocked on his head for good measure.

"Okay that's it, I'm leaving." She moved as if to get up before Race reached out to grab her arm.

"Y/N, no!" He managed to get out through his laughter. "Don't leave me bonely!" She stared at him in disbelief.

"You're the worst," she groaned as she let him pull her back into her seat next to him.

"But you love me anyway." He poked her side and she looked at his face. The makeup looked good, she had to admit, but she wished it had been able to mask his face better. Because looking at his face was still looking at his face, makeup or no makeup, and she had a bad habit of getting caught up in looking at his face. His features seemed to tense, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed harshly. "Drinks!" He said suddenly, breaking their staring contest and practically jumping out of his seat. "I'm gonna go get us more drinks." She nodded, eyebrows furrowed as she watched him scurry off. That had certainly been strange.

"Fancy seeing you here." She turned to see Albert falling into Race's spot beside her, grinning around his own drink.

"Hey," she smiled, adjusting her witch hat.

"You and lover boy work things out yet?" She punched his arm and he gaped at her.

"Shut up," she hissed. "It's not gonna happen, let it go." He rolled his eyes.

"You sure? Because, from what I've seen, he hasn't stopped staring at you all night." She glared at the redhead, pouting.

"Stop giving me hope, asshole. It just makes this worse."

"Makes what worse?" She looked up to find Race standing in front of them, two drinks in hand. She took one from him with a smile.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "Albert's just being annoying."

"Isn't he always?" Race asked with a smirk the same time that Albert said "hey!" Deciding this would be her best chance at payback for teasing her about her crush on Race, she pushed Albert off the couch. Race laughed loudly, stepping over his friend to return to his seat. She smiled brightly at him and he grinned back, bumping her shoulder with his. She had to take a drink to stop the flustered laughter from escaping her throat.

"You two suck," Albert groaned from their feet. It only made them laugh more, still giggling even as Albert stood up grumpily and walked away without saying goodbye.

"Your costume looks really good, by the way." She turned to Race, her smile faltering. "I didn't tell you earlier, but I like it." He said it so earnestly, looking right into her eyes. The only thing she could think of was hoping the boys were ready with those black dahlias, because she was a total goner.

"Thank you," she said softly, lost in his gaze. She thought about them in the bathroom, how she had wanted to put her hand on his thigh just to see how he would react. Thinking of what Albert had said and taking another gulp of her drink, she did just that. She leaned forward and put her hand on his thigh to steady herself. He froze. It was hard to tell over the noise of the party, but she thought she might have heard his breath hitch. She couldn't look away from him, her eyes once again finding his lips.

"You spent so long on this makeup," he muttered. "And it looks really cool." She tilted her head in confusion.

"Huh?"

"I really don't wanna ruin it. I'm sorry."

"Why would you—"

But then he kissed her, so no question she could have asked mattered anyway. He was kissing her. Oh, Albert was gonna laugh so hard when he heard about this.

She kissed him back fervently, one of her hands tangling in the curls at the back of his head while the other remained on his thigh to keep herself steady. One of his hands rested lightly on her waist, squeezing just slightly, while the other caressed her jaw. It felt like in the bathroom earlier that night when he had tilted her chin to look at him, but so much better.

He pulled back before she was ready, eyes still closed as she unconsciously chased his lips. She opened her eyes to see his makeup smudged and definitely some her lipstick on his lips, a warm feeling settling in her chest. But his mouth was pulled into a frown and it sobered her quickly. He was pulling at his hair, his eyes wide with panic and sorrow.

"I'm sorry," he panted. "You're upset, I shouldn't have done that. I've been trying to cheer you up and now I've, like, totally taken advantage of you when you're vulnerable and—"

"Race." He looked at her, face practically begging for forgiveness. She reached for his hands with a small smile. "You're not taking advantage of me. I was only upset because I thought I didn't have a chance with you." She shrugged slightly, averting her eyes. He gaped at her.

"You didn't have a chance with me? Are you kidding?" He tightened his grip on her hands, pulling himself closer to her. "Y/N, I've been pining after you since, like, the day we met. You're ridiculously out of my league." She looked at him with wide eyes, meeting his gaze. They both broke out into grins at the same time before she was leaning in again and he was following.

He tasted like candy and alcohol and she couldn't have asked for anything better. They slid closer to each other on the couch until her hands were clasped together behind his neck, playing with his curls, and his were holding her waist. She couldn't get enough of him. She didn't think she would ever get enough of him. They were both breathing heavily when they pulled away again, foreheads resting against each other.

"You know," Y/N breathed. "If that whole 'just the two of us spending the night at my apartment and watching old halloween movies' offer is still on the table...." He laughed quietly, his head falling to the crook in her neck.

"Definitely still on the table." He pressed a light kiss to her neck and she was dragging him into a standing position immediately, fully ready to get away from all the other partygoers. She wouldn't be able to handle it if his hands wandered any further than they had already gone, she needed time to breathe and process—preferably away from the crowd.

He held her hand and lead her through the sea of people to the front door. Jojo caught sight of them as they made their way out and, presumably seeing their joint hands and messed up makeup, whooped at them. Y/N laughed and Race stuck his tongue out at his friend.

"Which movie do you wanna watch first?" She asked as they walked back, holding onto his arm and leaning into his side.

"Oh, definitely Halloweentown." She smiled, pulling him in for another kiss. He chuckled when they pulled apart. "You know, I would say a skeleton pun right now, but I don't have the guts to ruin this moment."

"Oh my god, Race."

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#racetrack higgins x reader #racetrack higgins #newsies #newsies imagine #race x reader #newsies x reader #race higgins #finch #jojo de la guerra #albert dasilva #happy halloween :)#as always come tell me what you think!!#racetrack x reader #bambi can kinda write

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songficsbyrissi · 4 years

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Ain’t No Way (Spooky x Reader)

“Ain't no way (ain't no way), I'm gone let you down (let you down). I know it's hard right now (hard right now), To see (it's in me). But I'm gone make you say you love me.” - Chris Brown

A/N: I know y’all think when tf did I become a Spooky writer but listennnnnnnnn I’ve caught up on On My Block and that man is Fine with a capital F. Gangsters ain’t even my flavor! But seeing him and watching season 3 got my creative juices flowing. The way I got this going, this is most likely gonna be a mini series. Aight now let’s get interracial! (I’m making a joke so don’t nobody come butthurt in my inbox. I will delete your shit.)

Oscar Diaz, also known as “Spooky”, was not your type at all. You hated to admit that once upon a time, he was. It was back in high school. He was this wannabe gangster and your young dumbass was into that. It was the whole “bad boy” image that almost every teenage girl drooled over. Once you got to your senior year, you grew tired of Freeridge and the gang bullshit so you went to college far away, got your degree, and came back home hoping to make Freeridge somewhat of a better place by opening your own restaurant that held a lot of community events. Unfortunately, coming back to Freeridge also meant coming back to Oscar, who was the head of the Santos. He didn’t know you were back. You planned to keep it that way. “Hey mami!” You stopped in your tracks. No, it couldn’t be. You decided to keep on walking until the familiar voice called you by your name this time. “Y/N!”

You slowly turned around and realization dawned on you. You moved into the only apartment with vacancy, which so happens to be a couple minutes away from Oscar’s house. This was a really bad day for your car not to start. When you’re walking and completely forgot that Oscar’s house was on the way to your restaurant. You were right in front of his front yard and could see his little brother Cesar walking out the front door with his school bag around his shoulder. He’s gotten so big since the last time you’ve seen him. When he was little, he had a little crush which you were both flattered and annoyed by. “Cesar....look at you! You got so big!” “Y/N!” He gave you a quick hug. “You got...um....” You tilted your head in confusion. “Got what?” The 14 year old sighed out of frustration. “You got hotter! But I’m not supposed to say that because I’m dating Monse!” You found yourself laughing at his confession and even more at the blush coming on his pale face. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna tell her but thank you. Have a good day at school.” “You too.” He rolled his eyes groaning. “Fuck!” You snickered as he went on his way and followed behind him only to have your name called out again by his older brother. “Oh my God. What?!” You stared fiercely at the Mexican gang banger as he strolled up to you, checking you out from head to toe. Once he was a few inches away from you, he smirked. “Damn you look good.” “Is that all you gotta say? Because I got somewhere to be.” Oscar let out a soft chuckle before eyeing you down again. “When did you get back?” You raised an eyebrow. “Why you need to know?” He said nothing and just stared at you which meant you had to say something. You sighed deeply looking at your feet. “I came back a couple days ago.” “You’re lying.” You looked up at him with an expression that said “the fuck?” “Look Oscar-“ “Spooky.” You snorted. “I ain’t calling no grown ass man “spooky”. His smirk came back. “You used to. Back in high school.” You rolled your eyes. “That was high school. We’re both grown, Oscar. Now if you excuse me, I gotta take my grown ass to my grown ass job.” You pushed past him and continued your journey on foot. “Where you work at? I could drive you there.” You let a dry laugh turning to to glare at him. “Thanks but no thanks. I’m fine.” “Yes you are, mami.” You scrunched your face up in disgust and went back to walking to your restaurant. Oscar kept smirking as he went back to his front porch where some of the Santos were chilling in the front. “Who’s that hyna?” One of them took a drag of a cigarette, smirking in lust. Oscar’s smirk dropped as he slapped the cigarette out of his mouth. The Santo grew wide-eyed and the leader got close in his face with a menacing look. “That’s my hyna. I claimed her so nobody even look at her or even think about her. Entiendes?” All the Santos present held the hands up in defense, saying they understood. The Santo in question spoke up. “I’m sorry, Spooky. From what I saw, she didn’t seem like your hyna.” “But she is.” Oscar declared as he stared at you in a distance. *********************

“Damn, boss. You look pissed.” Your employee, Simone, observed as you approached your place of business. You put your glare on her, causing her to apologize and you waved her off. “No, I’m sorry. It’s just that this morning has been really annoying. I’m sorry for being late and leaving you out here.” “It wasn’t that long. It’s fine. Shit happens. Let’s just open this restaurant up!” You managed to put a smile on your face and you pulled out the keys to open the doors. You got the place open and your other employees came later in the day for lunch rush hour. When 3 o’clock hit, in came the kids who just got out of school. You didn’t want to be that person but you had to kick them out if they weren’t buying anything. “Hey beautiful. You sexy when you’re all assertive and shit.” This medium skinned cholo bit his lip at you and it took all your power not to gag right then and there. His friend came up to you two, pulling him away. “Ay chico, that’s Spooky’s hyna.” He informed him in a cautious tone and the one flirting with you backed up with his eyes widened. “Oh shit. My bad, mami. Don’t tell your man.” The two cholos scurried away as you stood there in confusion. You spotted Cesar and his friend having burgers and fries in a booth, diagonal from you. You approached them with a huge sigh. “Oh hey Y/N.” Cesar greeted you first. “Wait this is Y/N?!??!?!” Ruby stood out of his seat in the booth and got close to your face. “Hey girl. You might not remember me but I’m Ruben aka your future baby daddy.” You placed your hand on his right cheek and pushed him back down in his seat. “Eat your food, Ruby.” “What it do, cousin?” Jamal greeted you. You forgot one of Cesar’s friends was your annoying ass cousin Jamal. “What the hell does “hyna” mean?” You questioned the group and they all looked at each other in puzzlement. “So no one knows what it means?” “It means pretty girl. Beautiful girl. It’s a compliment.” Monse stated as she popped a fry in her mouth. “Ok but two cholos came in here and one tried to flirt but the other told him I’m-and I quote “Spooky’s hyna” you explained with air quotes. “So what the hell does that mean?” The group got quiet at your explanation and you stared at all of them anxiously. What the fuck did they know that you didn’t? “Hello? Earth to the Core 4?” You waved your hand trying to get their attention back on you. Cesar drummed his fingers on the table before looking up at you. “Let’s just say.... you finding a husband in Freeridge is probably never gonna happen.” Your eyebrows were knitted together in confusion and you folded your arms. “What do you mean by that?” “Oh wow it really do be the pretty ones that are slow.” Jamal whispered out loud and turned to you slowly. “It means that......Spooky....got dibs on you. He claimed you meaning nobody else can date you because if they do, they’re signing their death certificate.” You had to bite your tongue to prevent yourself from screaming “WHAT THE FUCK?!” In your professional establishment. You turned on your heel and just got back to work. Once it was close to closing time, no one was at your restaurant. You were walking to the front doors to flip the sign when Oscar showed up and walked through the doors. You sighed deeply. “You know we’re about to close.” Oscar pointed to the sign. “The sign says open.” “I was just about to flip it ov- what do you want from me, Oscar?!” He shrugged his shoulders in response. “I just wanted to talk to you. Maybe hang out sometimes.” You laughed loudly and sarcastically at his answer and the look on his face was not one of amusement. Is it ever is? “You got me fucked up if you think I’m hanging out with a fucking gangbanger. A fucking Santo at that.” You snorted and grabbed the dishrag to clean the tables. “You must be using some of the product you be selling.” He slammed his hand on one of the square tables, glaring at you. You were a little shell shocked but tried not to show it. “You talk all this shit about gangsters and shit like you weren’t feeling one in the past but you gonna feel one soon.” “And what the fuck do you mean by that?” You found your voice after taking a large gulp. “I’m gonna make you say you love me.” It took everything in your power not to laugh in his face in that moment because that shit was hilarious but you could tell he was serious. Word on the street is Spooky was the last motherfucker you wanted to piss off. You looked at the table he slammed and noticed a tiny piece of paper that read: 213-456-7893 The next day, your car ran smoothly today so you didn’t have to see Oscar on your way to the restaurant. That made you really happy. When it was close to closing time, before you could flip over the sign, a group of young boys pushed themselves inside and stared at you. You looked from side to side and back at them. “Can I help you?” “Are you the owner?” The one that seemed like the leader asked quickly. Straight to the point. You respected that. “Yes, I am. Why? Do you have a complaint?” “Yeah I do.” The leader glanced at the other two boys with him and focused his attention back at you. “This is 99th street territory and since your little restaurant is on it, you gotta pay us rent.” You let out a boisterous laugh at the audacity of these boys. Everyone was on a mission to make you ugly laugh lately. “I’m not paying you shit. You ain’t the government.” You spoke once the laughs subsided. “Now it’s either you order some food or get the hell out. I prefer the latter so you could run back home and do your homework.” You finished in a baby voice, ruffling the young boy’s hair. The group of boys began to chuckle as they began to walk out. “You don’t know who you’re messing with, lady.” The leader warned before heading out of the glass doors. You giggled to yourself as you wiped the tables. Suddenly you got the sense that something wasn’t right and you gut was right because as soon as you went into the kitchen, bullets sprayed throughout your restaurant. You grabbed Simone and forced yourselves to duck down. Once it finished, you remembered you had your employee, Marco, outside taking out the trash. “Marco!” You yelled out running outside which was probably stupid as hell because if the shooters were still there, now they got an easier shot. You found Marco slumped against the building with a bullet in his arm. He was holding onto it to prevent more blood from releasing. You heard footsteps approach you and you fearfully looked to see the boys from earlier. “We warned you, lady. Next time, the bullet goes in his head.” The leader stuck out his thumb, index, and middle fingers to make his hand look like a gun and gestured towards you. “Or maybe your head.” He began to chuckle and his boys joined in on the laughing fest. He stopped chuckling and they stopped too. “Don’t mess with us again, lady.” You waited until you were sure the gang was gone before dialing 911 to get Marco an ambulance. “Marco.....I’m so sorry.” You were on the verge of tears seeing your employee on a gurney, ready to go to the hospital. “It’s ok, Miss Y/N. I’ve gotten shot before. 7 more times and you call me 50 cent.” You began to smile as they wheeled Marco away. That’s what you always appreciated about him. Always finding light in a dark ass situation, even when that situation was his. You took out your phone and dialed a number as Simone stood next to you. “Who are you calling?” “Probably my biggest regret.” Too vague for her to understand, Simone shrugged her shoulders and went back inside of the restaurant. After your phone call, you sat down in one of the booths just waiting. After a while, he appeared right in front of you, saying nothing. He just took a seat in the booth facing you. You leaned in close. “First things first, take that stupid ass gang claim off of me. I’m not anyone’s fucking hyna, especially not yours. So cut the shit.” Oscar remained silent and just stared at you intensely. After a moment, he cleared his throat. “Is that it?” You took a deep breath, already regretting your next words. “No. I need protection.” He raised one of his thick eyebrows. “From?” You gestured towards the glass and bulletholes in your windows. “Do you see this shit? 99th street did it. I have employees and a reputation to protect. So I need protection from the Santos.” Oscar began to crack up suddenly at your words and you stared at him in annoyance. You knew you were going to regret this shit but you didn’t have a choice. The police said they’ll get them but that’s not enough. Besides, they are used to gang activity so they’re barely gonna do anything. “You know you’re one funny hyna. First, you talk all this shit about gangs and then giving me attitude since I first saw you. Shit, you gave me an attitude right when I sat down. And now, you’re asking me for a favor. Maybe food ain’t your thing, mamita. You should go for stand-up comedy.” “If I had any other choice, I would’ve took it but I don’t. So are you gonna do it?” Oscar sat in up in his seat, folded his broad hands, and leaned in close to you. “Protection ain’t free, mami.” You cleared your throat and tilted your head to avoid showing him that the look on his face kinda turned you on. Your fingers drummed on the table. “I know that. I’m willing to pay you for your tim-“ “Nah you not paying in money, hyna.” Oscar’s hands found yourself on the table and when you met his hands, you stopped thinking for a minute. You came back to your senses and removed your hands in disgust. “I rather have 99th street put a bullet in my fucking eye before I do that.” You hissed, gesturing to your left eye. “I don’t need sex from you, mami. Well, at least not now. But I need you to make it worth my while.” You shrugged your shoulders, completely defeated. “What do you want?” “How about you be my personal chef? Cook me and Cesar breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You do that and you, your employees, and your restaurant are under the protection of the Santos.” Oscar stuck his hand out to you. “Do we have a deal, mami?” You scowled at the man in front of you as he waited for your hand to meet his. To be honest, you rather slit your wrists than cook for him. But you’ll be cooking for Cesar too and you cared about Cesar. You knew he probably wasn’t having proper meals at home and you needed Santo protection. Fuck. You shook his hand. “You got a deal.” He slowly brought your hand to his lips, giving it a kiss, stood up, and left your restaurant. Simone emerged from the kitchen, staring at Oscar leaving and turned back to you, confused. “Wait what just happened?” You exhaled deeply, struggling to get your next words out. “I just made a deal with the devil.”

Tags: @cancerianprincess @drtycomputerx

(whoever else wants to be tagged just let me know :)

#on my block fanfiction #on my block fanfic #spooky x reader #spooky diaz x reader #oscar diaz x black! reader #oscar diaz x reader #spooky x black reader #spooky diaz x black! reader #oscar diaz x black reader #spooky diaz #oscar diaz

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intothewickedwood · 3 years

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Sims 4 Pack Ranking

Wondering which Sims 4 pack to buy? Here is my personal ranking.

Expansion Packs

1. Seasons

Great pack! It brings so much to the game! Weather gives the game a sense of realism. Being able to control the sim calendar is a God-send! You can add your own holidays and schedule events! Traditions are fun and bring family and friends together. I love throwing a Black and White bash on New Year’s Eve and a Dinner party on Christmas Day. It also helps you keep track of your sims’ schedules. Not to mention swings, sprinklers you can play with, kiddie pools, flower-arranging tables, snow activities, scarecrows, water baloon buckets, roller-blading and ice skating rinks and so much more! CAS and Bulid and Buy are also wonderful! And finally you can choose sims’ hot weather and cold weather outfits!

2. Cats and Dogs

I am biased because I love animals. Pets are a great addition to the family. You can train dogs, take them for walks and play with them. CAS for them is amazing! Brindleton Bay is a great seaside new world. And you can create and own your own vet!

3. Island Living

Certainly not everyone’s favourite pack but I absolutely love it! Sulani is a gorgeous world. Living the island lifestyle is one of my favourite’s to experience in this whole game. And now you can vacation their for a wonderful honeymoon or family trip! There’s mermaids (which you can become or create), sand activities, water activities like swimming, jet-skiing, canoeing, diving, scuba-diving and playing with dolphins. CAS and Build and Buy are amazing!

4. Discover University

My one issue with this pack is that I think it takes too long to graduate, especially when you’re playing on short lifespan. But apart from that, I have so much fun completing each students daily and term check-lists and it feels so good for your sim to enter a career at a higher level, already armed with the necessary skills. Living on campus is fun, especially in dorms. You can play table tennis, juggle a football or join the rabbit-hole team, build robots, ride bikes and more!

5. Get Together

Another pack that is not everyone’s favourite. I personally find it to be an essential. I use clubs all the time to allow family and friends to get together and socialise autonomously or to create specialised clubs where they complete hobbies autonomously and raise their skills. I find the nightclub experience so fun and take my sims out to one every friday in their clubs or by hosting a dance party or both! And the world is gorgeous! I love the little cafe’s!

6. Get Famous

I end up having a lot of performer sims, so the fame system and perks come in very handy. And your sim can get famous doing anything with the help of a drone and a video recording station! I think it adds to the game working towards your sim becoming not only a painter but a world-renowned one! There’s even a music station where you can create your own beats! The actor career is my favourite in the whole game. It’s so fun having your sims dress up in different costumes and perform a sword fight on set.

7. City Living

The City is beautiful. The festivals are amazing! My favourite is the spice festival because yes to my sims experiencing new cultures! I love living in an apartment. There are so many quirks, like your neighbour forcing their way in to borrow your shower or for game night. Love shooting hoops, setting off fireworks and adding all the new dishes to unique restaurants.

8. Snowy Escape

I’m still learning about this game as it’s fairly new. Love exploring the new culture. Their aren’t as many things to do at the festivals as I feel their were at those that came with City Living. Great food to add to restaurants. Snowboarding and skiing are really fun and it’s great that kids can do it too and that all ages, including todllers can snowboard. As someone who goes on a lot of walks, I look forward to trying out hiking. It looks really fun! I just feel this pack could have packed in a little more.

9. Get To Work

I’ve had this game for ages and I’m still yet to buy my own retail store. I need to get on that! I haven’t played the scientist career yet but I’ve played the doctor one and the law enforcement one and they do get boring after a while if your playing them actively everyday. Perhaps I should not play actively some days in the future. I think I just need to play with this one more.

10. Eco Lifestyle

I was really dissapointed when I heard this game was coming out. I’m all for saving the environment but I wasn’t sure it was something I’d have fun playing with in the sims and I haven’t really had much fun with it. Candle making is kinda fun but I hate that you have to have bits and pieces to make them as they are not easy to get. The only thing I really like in this pack is juice fizzing and the neighbourhood action plans. Free-love is a great addition for my polyamorous sims but it sucks that once they’re out of the neighbourhood, they get jealous again. Living off a dumpster is a fun challenge but it gets boring after a while. I don’t really like CAS or build and buy that much either.

Game Packs

1. Parenthood

Great pack! Adds so much depth to family play and I am pretty much exclusively a family player, even when I play with supernatural sims. I love that parents and guardians can shape their children’s personalities. Build and Buy is so pretty and colourful! It screams family play! Love the kids school projects. Love being able to ground kids and put them on time out, disciplining and encouraging them and even ordering them to do things.

2. Vampires

I looove playing with supernatural sims! In general I prefer witches and wizards and magic to vampires but this is just a solid pack. Build and Buy is beautiful and allows you to create unique gothic and historical buildings. CAS is very cool too! Forgotton Hollow is gorgeous. I absolutely love the look of it! I want to live their! I don’t care how creepy it is. The vampire powers system is so good and gives you a great goal to work towards. I get such a thrill using powers on and biting other sims at night. It looks so spooky! Super speed is so useful! And I love creating vampire clubs and having them have epic looking vampire duals, letting them spar and train eachother and turn other sims into slaves or vampires or vampire slaves! Much darker than the other games. I just wish kids could have vampire powers and have a vampire form.

3. Realm of Magic

I don’t know what it is but this game doesn’t seem as in depth as Vampires. It should but it somehow doesn’t. But it’s still a very good pack that satisfies my Potterhead needs well enough. You can create so many different types of spellcasters but I personally like going to the magic realm and learning all the spells and potions. It’s so fun duplicating yourself and setting sims on fire or conjuring a meal out of nowhere. Build and Buy is beautiful and duels are epic! I only wish kids could cast spells and it wasn’t so easy to learn all the spells and complete the aspirations.

4. Dine Out

A lot of people say this game is glitched and it does take, like a whole day to have a 3-course meal but I personally enjoy that. I like taking family or friend groups out to beautiful restaurants from the gallery on a Sunday and letting them socialise their all day while waiting for their meals and enjoying the atmosphere. I use this pack all the time. I love owning restaurants. I love choosing the menus and creating restaurants that reflect different cultures’ cuisine. Running one is really fun. It’s hard to get a balance, especially while starting out but with perks you can watch your restaurant thrive.

5. Strangerville

I played this through for the first time recently and I really enjoyed it! Much more than I thought I would. I love the possessed sims. They are so freaky. It’s a shame that it doesn’t feel like a game you’d want to play again but the world is nice.

6. Jungle Adventure

I confess. I entered a (I think it’s called a) temple for the first time at the end of last year. It took me forever to figure out how to get to one but when I finally did I found the game play a bit lackluster. But it’s a beautiful jungle-y world that is worth visiting for a vacation and exploring the culture is fun! Build and Buy is also amazing. And I liked adding the new cuisine to my restaurants.

7. Outdoor Retreat

I haven’t played this one in ages but I remember I had fun doing it. Basically, you could have a similar camping experience in Selvadorada or any other world. But it’s fun for the winter log cabins and if you’re looking for a more forest-y vibe.

8. Spa Day

Gorgeous Build and Buy! Worth it for that alone but I feel this pack could have been a stuff pack if you look at it compared to what we’re going to get in, say, Paranormal Stuff. Working on the wellness skill is cool. Teleporting is useful but a bit slow. I like having my sims go to a yoga class, meditate, get a massage and go to the sauna.

9. Star Wars: Journey to Batuu

I’ve seen like 2 Star Wars films and had no idea what was going on both times. Similarly, I was pretty confused while playing but I can’t deny I had fun completing the missions, fighting with lightsabers and chilling with my droid. I did get board after a while though. It doesn’t really fit in the game but I’m happy for Star Wars fans. I’d be estatic if they did a Harry Potter, Once Upon A Time or X-Men pack!

Stuff Packs

1. Kids Room

By far the best for me. You get so much stuff for kids. Love the addition of Voidcritters! The kids clothing is adorable and the Buy objects are incredible! Perfect for kids and creating unique rooms for them!

2. Toddler

Love the new toddler play equipment! It is so, so cute to watch them play. The CAS is so adorable as are the Buy objects. I have yet to use play dates but they sound great for my families!

3. Backyard

Love the water slide. My sims have so much fun on it. And the objects are great! Perfect for building a family garden. It makes me want to use the garden more in the sims.

4. Spooky

Not everyone’s favourite but I love spooky things (I was deprived of Halloween as a child!). I use it all the time to have spooky dress-up parties or for spooky night clubs or lounges. It’s the perfect thing to flesh out Spooky Day from Seasons.

5. Romantic Garden

I just think it’s pretty lol. CAS is really nice as are the buy items. The wishing well is fun and great to cheat with to bring back dead sims quickly, I recently discovered. There’s nothing more wonderful than going to a beautiful flowery garden at night with your sims couples.

6. Bowling Night

I find bowling pretty fun in the sims. It’s great for a night out with the family. I am biased because I love bowling with family on special occasions in real life. It’s great for sims birthdays and Build and Buy is so unique as is CAS.

7. My First Pet

Again, not everyone’s favourite but the items are freaking cute! Perfect for kids rooms and having a pet rodent is pretty cool as are the new CAS for Cats and Dogs. I wouldn’t be opposed to them expanding another pack like this was used to do in the future.

8. Luxury Party

I use the buffet table and the chocolate fountain all the damn time.

9. Perfect Patio

For the hot tub mainly! But the Buy items are great.

10. Cool Kitchen

I just love having my sims eat ice-cream on a Sunday. There are so many flavour combinations!

11. Movie Hangout

I love my sims having movie night with popcorn lol. And CAS and Build and Buy are pretty cool.

12. Vintage Glamour

CAS and Buy items are awesome. I love the vanity table and that kids can use it. The butler is useful but only a few of my sims live that kind of life.

13. Tiny Living

I was so disapointed when this pack was anounced but actually having a Tiny House comes with a lot of useful benefits. And Build and Buy and CAS are so pretty. Wish the furniture was tinier and the bed didn’t kill your sims all the time! I would actually like to use that bed!

14. Laundry Day

I was upset that simmers voted for this. It adds realism, so I’ll give it points for that.

15. Nifty Knitting

Again, I was upset that simmers voted for this but the Buy items are so colourful and pretty. Knitting can be kinda fun and some of the knittables are cute, especially the baby grows! Plopsy is a fun addition but I haven’t been able to make much money off of it.

16. Moschino

Love the update to photography. I use it with one fashion forward household. I hate CAS and Build and Buy.

17. Fitness

I never use the climbing wall but I like the wood design on the Buy items.

#sims 4 #the sims 4 #ts4 #sims #the sims

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dumplingsspookysweeties · 4 years

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Naga bitty information

Here is the information on all the Naga (snake) bitties we have in the shop!

cut below for length

Moonjelly (Undertale Sans): a peaceful garden snake, Moonjellies tend to live near homes and businesses with gardens or window boxes. He likes to pick off vegetables and eat small insects or the occasional mouse that enters his territory. He’ll adjust well to human contact and will eat any unprocessed foods (fruits, vegetables, meat). Keep a sun lamp handy so he can warm himself, though he can survive without it. It’s more of a comfort thing.

Sunjelly (Undertale Papyrus): another garden variety naga, Sunjellies are even more easygoing than their matching brothers. He only eats leaves and vegetation, being too kind to hurt another being for their food. They do enjoy sparing with either each other or other bitties, but only until someone gets tired. He’ll eat fruit, nuts, and vegetables, and enjoy the sunlamp, but he’ll also need more direct attention and love.

Hisser (Underfell Sans): These snakes are more aggressive, but they’re primarily egg eaters. They tend to live in tree hollows, eating the eggs of nesting birds or the young of the squirrels that also nest around those areas. He’ll be perfectly happy with a couple of eggs from your fridge, and a warm spot in the house, but make sure he knows you want to be there for him or he’ll get hostile toward you. He only allows family or those he cares for to be close to him.

Merc (Underfell Papyrus): A mimic in facial structure for a venomous bitty, these snakes have large fangs despite being constrictors and egg eaters. His diet at home would mostly be a large egg and some bits of meat, and he’ll warm slowly to an owner who provides for him. To get him to like you better, keeping a clean home and letting him choose activities will go a long way.

Bushsnake (Underswap Sans): These naga bitties are rarely seen because they tend to hibernate most of the year. They live around berry bushes since berries are their main food source. A Bushsnake in a home will not hibernate since they only do this for the purpose of sleeping through between berry ripening seasons. They will be awake year round and energetic. Feed on berries and fruits, frozen or canned is fine. Very quick to bond with owners.

Mouser (Underswap Papyrus): These are found in barns and other areas frequented by mice. It’s not that they want to hurt the mice, but Mousers are smart enough to know humans see mice as pests and that keeping their population down helps keep humans away from him and from the areas where Bushsnakes tend to live. In a home setting, he’s fine with any unprocessed food, but will be partial to meat just because they’re used to it.

DarkMoon (Horrortale Sans): These are hunters and despite their small size, they’re a force of nature. He takes down things his own size or slightly bigger, including birds, rodents, and the young of bigger animals. He uses his limited magic to corral his prey, and he’ll use it to prank you until he gains respect for you. This is easy to do if you have a good supply of meat and let him feast as he wants for the first few days.

DarkSun (Horrortale Papyrus): A general omnivorous naga, he’ll eat anything he can manage to swallow. DarkSun’s tend to enjoy home life a great deal and become very attached to kindly and generous owners. Feed any unprocessed foods, and treat him with respect, and you’ll have a friend for life in a fortnight.

Diamond (HorrorSwap Sans): Named after the rattlesnake, these are actually constrictors. The name comes from the way they rattle their open ribs if threatened. They eat live prey, but are just as happy with frozen mice or meat chunks. Make sure to let them explore your body when they first get home, as they’ll be very curious about how a human or other monster is different from himself. Set your boundaries though, or he’ll go EVERYWHERE in his thirst for knowledge, and then he’ll be so embarrassed and ashamed when he finds out he invaded your privacy!

Treeboa (HorrorSwap Papyrus): tends to climb things, but is lazy and more likely to be an ambush predator. Enjoys eggs and birds, as well as small reptiles and mammals as prey. Will use you as a climbing post, but won’t hurt you unless you hurt him first. Climbing on you is a sign he’s accepted you as his owner.

Squeakers (HorrorFell Sans): Has the same problem with unintentional laughing and noises as all horrorfell sans types, but his come out as small squeaks. Will make these sounds even in his sleep, but if he is calm and happy it will be more rare than when he’s first getting used to his home. Omnivore, but leans towards meat in preferences.

Leader (HorrorFell Papyrus): One of the few venomous bitties, they tend to show their fangs in warning if they’re angry. He tends to stay in shady areas since he’s the most actively warm natured of the nagas. Eats meat of any kind, prefers whole prey. Will eat more if he has to defend himself and use venom.

Titan (UnderWorld Sans): prefers fish as food, and enjoys water. These are bigger than your average bitty by about an eighth of an inch around, and two inches longer. Their jaws work strangely, but they are generally peaceful and lazy.

Feeler (UnderWorld Papyrus): These naga bitties are fascinating and tend to eat small insects. They make their way around by magic sense alone, and enjoy having a companion to help them. They will also eat small pieces of meat, especially if it’s shredded.

Clicker (UnderWorldSwap Papyrus):

Clickers have the same mouth trouble as their legged counterparts, but it makes swallowing their preferred fruit diet all the easier. They’re usually found around fruit trees, especially when the fruit is falling. They can’t speak, but sign very well and will purr like most bitties when content and happy. They can be a bit of a scavenger, as they like and can easily eat fruit that is past its prime, so they sometimes end up a little drunk off fermented ones in the wild! Loves cuddling hands and fingers, curling all around them. They also tend to press their chests to palms, so you can feel their soul pulse. They want their owners to know they’re happy to be with them. this makes toys with holes they can slide through a definite must!

Goosey (UnderWorldSwap Sans):

They will naturally summons hands to sign like their legged counterpart. In the wild, they live off the mashed fruit their brothers tend to bring. If they don’t bring any, or there wasn’t a lot, sometimes the brothers feed them like birds. (it’s gross, but they mean it in love and don’t do so in a proper home setting. or anywhere else there’s adequate food) They have heat sensing capabilities, so they can get around fairly well on their own! They also enjoy finding (but not eating) small mammals and playing chase with them. This can be simulated by using craft puffs warmed in a microwave or oven

Caesar (FellSwap Red Sans): This is another little venom baby. He likes to hiss and present his fangs, but won’t use it unless he has no other choice. His venom is anticoagulant and corrosive, so you’ll bleed for a while after but it won’t kill you unless you already have a condition in a similar vein. He eats meat and will keep your house rodent free without prompting. Haughty and prideful, he’ll hold himself pretty highly, so it might take a bit to win his favor. Once you do, though, he’ll beg for your attention.

Berma (FellSwap Red Papyrus): A constrictor, he’ll curl up into a ball as a defense. Be gentle and soft with him, and he’ll uncurl and lean into your hand in no time. Loves any food, but will ask for sweets often, especially maple flavored. Amazingly heavy for his size since his magic is thick and powerful.

Milksnake (SwapFell Purple Sans): impusive, these little squeezers are energetic and quick to bite, but won’t put pressure on if they aren’t scared or angry. They tend to squiggle around everywhere, and will make a lot of messes in trying to explore, so just clean up after them and wait till they’re satisfied they know the house. Likes anything food wise.

Rain Viper (SwapFell Purple Papyrus): basically, feed them anything and they’ll be fine. It’s a good idea to be nice to them, since they’re venomous, but their chill nature will make up for any slip ups. He tends to try to trick you out of more food, but it’ll be fine. He may also try to take your jewelry if you have any, or your spare change if you don’t.

Wyrm (UnderTomb Sans):

These guys hide snacks in their ribs like all Undertomb Sans types, and love wiggling around and acting ‘spooky’ by hiding and jumping out at others He’s a heavy boy - they average around three pounds! Will hide in your clothes if it’s cold, especially if you’re still in them! He just wants to be warm, so a big blanket with a few hand warmers inside will be just as good. For food, they like meat of any kind, but can eat anything.

Knucker (UnderTomb Papyrus):

A Knucker likes to hide in burrows; this can be clothes, sand, dirt, cotton balls, anywhere narrow that he can hide in. Warning, this means he might do this inside your clothes if he gets in there! Just tell him about personal space and he’ll not get in there again. Like most Undertomb Papyri, he has a screechy voice, but enjoys attempting to sing. Extremely curious and limber, he’ll try and get into just about anything, no matter how high up! They usually grow to about three feet long! he’s a lot longer than he ever would be tall, but that’s something he enjoys! so many coils to dig himself into! As for their diets, they eat meat by choice, but can safely consume any food.

Reverie and Figment: (dream and nightmare)

With similar powers as their legged counterparts, these little snakes deal more with daydreams. Reverie will help you have productive daydreams that help you get ideas for work, or for any creative endeavors you have. Figment will deal with the intrusive thoughts side of daydreaming, reminding you (when he senses they occur) that those are not your true self or a reality you’re facing, but the odd misfiring of your mind. They both eat anything you’d enjoy, but always want to eat at the same time. carry two servings of any treats you bring with you.

WARNING: DO NOT SEPARATE THIS PAIR. THE FIGMENT WILL GO DARK!

Dark Figment:

this variety will also lose his eye and grow tendrils on his back when he goes Dark. A Dark Figment will become venomous, but with a highly hallucinogenic substance that also corrodes nerve endings painfully. The visions will be all your worst fears coming after you at once, and you will see yourself doing terrible things to the people you love most. If you survive the experience (which is a 75% chance) you will never trust your own mind again without intense therapy. If you choose to try and rehabilitate a Dark Figment, please use extreme caution, have experience with venomous snakes, and wear thick gloves and clothing when handling. Again, it will take years before he is Safe.

Clay (ink sans)-

His tail is long and thin, and his bones are etched with bas reliefs in the aztec style, which he likes to color with henna or other temporary dyes. He likes a balance of meat and vegetables in his diet and will happily cuddle or doodle with you anytime. He likes to use his namesake to make statues that he colors with his dyes.

Moccasin ( error sans) - requires antivenom in the starter kit. Tends to be one of the only Error types that doesn’t mind touch as much since he prefers his warmth to come from mammals than from an outside lamp or heater. Will substitute one of those ‘warm in the microwave’ plushies for their owner, though, if the owner has to leave. Prefers meat and fish for food.

#bitty info #bittybones #naga bitties

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annab-nana · 4 years

Text

Spooky Season - Colby Brock

Colby invites some of his friends to go to Suicide Bridge and stay there overnight for a scary video idea to get into the Halloween spirit. They all experience crazy paranormal things, but y/n gets the worst of it.

Warnings: some curse words; mentions of suicide (past ones that occurred at the bridge)

Word Count: 3.1k+

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“What’s up, guys! It’s Sam and Colby and Corey and Jake and y/n and Shea because they are the only friends I have that aren’t scared to do crazy things with me!” Colby said excitedly as he introduced the group of people around him to the camera. We all met up earlier and parked our cars a little way down from where we currently are. Shea and I came together and the rest of the guys came with Colby.

“So, as you guys know, it’s October.” Colby begins to explain to the camera before getting interrupted.

“It’s spooky season!” Jake yells as he gets super close to the camera that is set up on the cement that lines the sides of the bridge. As a group, we collectively roll our eyes at the silly boy. Jake backs away from the camera as Colby continues to tell the camera where we are and what we’re doing.

“Yeah, it’s spooky season and we are at a scary place that a few of us have been at before. Anyone want to tell them where we are?” Colby asks as his eyes scan over the group. We all look at each other before I decide to speak.

“We are at Colorado Street Bridge, which is also known as Suicide Bridge,” I say as I stuff my hands into my hoodie pocket. It’s freezing out here as the wind passes by us and the cars breeze past us as well, adding to the cold temperature.

“Yes, we are at Suicide Bridge and we are staying overnight. We’ve got a lot of stuff planned for tonight and a lot of stories of this place to tell you guys about, so we’re going to get started by walking down the bridge and then, we will head down to the bottom.” Colby says before turning the camera off. Sam and Colby led the way along the narrow side of the bridge, followed by Corey and Jake, then Shea and I at the end.

“Wanna mess with the guys?” I lean over Shea’s shoulder and whisper. Her lips curve into a sly smile as she nods her head. As we approach the end of the walkway, the boys turn to the left around the cement wall. After Jake and Corey turn, I stuck my hand out in front of my best friend to stop her and pulled her down as we crouched behind the wall. She started to giggle lightly, and I placed a finger in front of my lips, signaling her to quiet down. No more than fifteen seconds later, we heard the guys.

“Hey, Colby! Sam! The girls aren’t behind us anymore.” I heard Corey yell to the guys at the front of the group.

“What do you mean they aren’t behind you anymore?” Colby questioned, concern laced in his voice.

“They aren’t here anymore. I don’t know what happened.” Jake stated with worry. We could hear their footsteps approaching as they got closer to us. Right before they came up to us, I grabbed Shea’s hand and pulled her up as we popped out from behind the wall.

“Boo!” I shouted, which scared Sam the most since he was the closest to us without seeing us. I watched as relief washed over all the guys’ faces. Colby had turned the camera back on and filmed it. I turned to Shea and we laughed at our accomplishment of scaring the guys.

“Why’d you do that?” Jake asked with a smile on his face.

“Just getting into the spirit of Halloween,” I say before giggling once more.

“Well, come on. No more scaring please.” Sam says before going back up to the front to lead the way with Colby. Shea and I smile at each other, happy with our little prank before following behind the duo. Jake and Corey come behind us to make sure we didn’t go anywhere else. We make it to the bottom and find a spot to set up the camera so we can tell some of the stories that haunt Suicide Bridge.

“Okay, guys so some of us have been here before with Elton, so you guys may have heard a few of these stories before but I don’t think Jake, y/n, or Shea have been here at all or heard the stories,” Colby says as he pulls up some the stories on his phone.

“The most well-known story is the one about a woman who threw her baby off the bridge back in May 1937. The woman, Myrtle, came here the morning after her husband left her and she threw her three-year-old daughter off the bridge. Her baby, Jeanette, fell into a tree and survived. Myrtle jumped after throwing her baby, in hopes to join her in the afterlife, and is said to be walking around the bottom of the bridge in search of her baby.” Colby said as he looked to us to gauge our reactions. The rest of the guys had probably heard this story, but it was news to me, Shea, and Jake. Colby passed his phone to Jake so he could read the next story.

“The bridge was built in the early 1900s and gained the nickname Suicide Bridge during the Great Depression when hundreds of suicides occurred in that time. In 2008, a guy killed himself after he murdered his son’s mom and her mom as well.” Jake read and gave me the phone. I focused my eyes on the screen as I read the next story aloud.

“When this place was being built, a construction worker fell and landed in wet cement. He died there and it is said that he lures many to jump and end their lives here.” I say as my eyes widen and I hand the phone to Shea.

“People often see a man with wire-rimmed glasses walking around and a woman in a white robe standing on the edge of the bridge, ready to jump,” Shea finishes before handing the phone to Sam.

“It is pretty common to hear the screams and cries of ghosts who took their lives and are trapped here,” Sam says as he gives Corey the phone for the last story.

“Sometimes, people hear someone whisper ‘her fault’ but have no idea what it means or who it’s coming from,” Corey says before giving Colby his phone back.

“So, some crazy shit has happened here as you can tell, and we are gonna stay the night here. We’re going to look for a place to set up and then, we will get into the scary stuff.” Colby said and clasped his hand over the lens before he stops recording. We walk around for a little while until we found a place to set down our bags filled with supplies. Colby got his camera back out and began recording as he opened his bag with his other hand.

“So, as we’ve said several times before, it’s spooky season,” Colby says as he rummages through his bag.

“And?” I ask. He kind of left us hanging with his last statement, wondering where he was going when he said that.

“Let’s summon something.” He says with an evil smirk as he pulls the Ouija board out. I look over to Shea with wide eyes. We both aren’t big fans of playing it, but as long as we are with each other and all our friends, we can do it.

“Okay, let’s do it,” I say as I let out a sigh. Colby sets the board up and places candles all around it. After lighting the candles and setting up the camera, we all gather around the board. Colby sits down in the center. I sit beside him with Shea on the other side of me. On the other side of Colby sits Sam, then Jake, and finally Corey.

“You guys ready?” Colby asks as he places his two fingers on the planchette. We all nod and reach out to touch the planchette as well. I don’t know how we all fit two fingers each on it, but we did. We pushed the planchette around the board in a circle three times before we say, “Ouija, we are here.”

“Demons of the underworld, we summon you here to talk to us and communicate with us and through us. Do anything you must to let us know you’re here.” Jake says in a demonic voice and rolls his eyes up to make his eyes look completely white. His face looks terrifying and he’s acting as if he’s possessed. It freaks all of us out. Shea grabbed onto my hand with the hand she wasn’t using to touch the planchette. We both looked at each other, wide-eyed in fear, and I gave her a small nod, letting her know that it’s okay.

“Jake, stop it,” I state, half whining and half warning. Corey nods in agreement.

“Yeah bro, chill. I don’t mess with all that.” Corey says as he gives Jake an evil glare. Jake laughs it off before becoming focused on the planchette.

“I’ll go first,” Colby whispers before he asks a question. “Is there anyone here who wants to talk to us?” He calls out and we all look down to see what happens. After sitting there for ten seconds, the planchette moves slowly towards yes. I’ve only played the Ouija board a few times before with Colby and Sam and the others, but I feel like I’ll never get used to the feeling of the planchette moving underneath my fingertips. I am barely applying any pressure at all with my left hand, but it still moves.

“Are there more than one of you with us?” Sam asks loudly. The planchette moved little by little, gliding along the board and stopping at certain letters. It spelled out “not”.

“What does that mean?” Shea whispered, but she spoke too soon as the planchette moved again to spell something else out, “now”.

“Not now?” Jake questioned. “So, it’s normally got other spirits around it, but it’s alone right now?” Sam nodded to his questions.

“Are you a male or a female?” Jake announced to the spirit we were talking to. The planchette moved to the letter F and stopped. “A woman,” he said with a smirk.

“Do you have to flirt with every girl you meet, human or not?” Colby asked him, to which Jake shrugged.

“How old are you?” I asked aloud. The planchette moved around the board, stopping at 3 and then spelling out “and a half”. I smiled at the little girl we were talking to. She may be a spirit, but she still has that childlike quality. It was cute that she felt it was important to add the last part to her age.

“What’s your name?” Shea asks timidly. She still has a good grip on my right hand with her left and together, our hands were resting on my right thigh. I could tell she was terrified because she gets quiet when she’s scared. We all watched as the planchette moved, spelling out “Jeanie”.

I looked over to Colby with a puzzled look. Earlier in the story he read, Jeanette landed in a tree and survived. “I thought Jeanette survived?” I whispered lowly to Colby, who was to the left of me.

“I thought so too.” He muttered back. The planchette started moving again, but no one asked another question. We all went silent and fixated our attention on the moving planchette, trying to figure out what Jeanie is spelling out for us.

“Have… you… seen… my… mommy?” I said softly as I read what she spelled. I felt a shiver go down my spine and Shea’s grip on my hand tightened. I felt another hand on top of my left knee and gazed down to see a familiar hand, adorned with rings. My gaze rose from his hand to his bright blue eyes and I gave Colby a small smile. He gave my knee a gentle squeeze in return and we both turned back towards the board.

As soon as I did, I heard a soft whisper in my right ear, but it wasn’t Shea. I looked over my shoulder and saw nothing. I shrugged it off and turned back.

“Anyone else have anything to ask?” Colby asked the group. I looked up to see what they had to say, but off in the distance between Jake and Corey’s heads, there was a white shadow of a young woman, looking around. My eyes widened as she locked her gaze with mine and gave me a small smile. I was too in shock to do anything back and when I squinted my eyes to get a better look at her, all I could see was a hand waving in my face.

“Yo, y/n, are you here?” I barely heard Corey say as his hand waved in front of my face. I blinked a few times before looking at him. He stopped waving finally, but when I glanced back to where the woman was, she was nowhere to be seen. I let out a sigh and looked back to Corey.

“Yeah, I’m here. What’s up?” I say. Everyone around me seems concerned for me.

“Are you okay, y/n? You look really pale.” Shea asked as her blue eyes searched deep into mine. I nodded, reassuring everything is okay with me.

“I’m a little hot, but that’s all.” I chuckled lightly, trying to prove to them that I truly am okay and that there isn’t anything to worry about.

“Okay, well let’s say goodbye and then we will explore around here for a little bit before we go to sleep,” Colby said. We all pushed the planchette to goodbye and said it as well before Colby gathered everything to put away. Once he did, we all split up to cover more ground quicker. Shea and Corey went together to explore the right side of the bridge. Sam and Jake headed to the left side and Colby and I went to explore the middle.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Colby asked as he shoved his free hand into the pocket of his jeans. His other held the camera to capture anything that might happen.

“You mean earlier? Yeah, I’m fine. I thought I saw something, but it was nothing.” I tell him. Maybe it wasn’t real. I hope it wasn’t real. I shake my head of the thought and continue to walk closer to the bridge.

“Her… fault…” I heard a distinct whisper in my ear, coming from the side Colby wasn’t on. The voice sounded tired and worn out and creepy as hell.

“Did you hear that?” I asked the brunette next to me.

“Hear what?” He questioned.

“Nothing. Must’ve been the wind in the trees or something.” I think I am actually going crazy. I’m going insane. How can no one else hear that? We continue on, almost under the bridge at this point. We get closer and I see the white shadow lady again. This time, she’s bent over crying beside a small tree.

“I’ll be right back,” I whisper to Colby before I walk away from him to the lady by the tree. I get closer and hear her crying.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” I ask and reach out to rest a comforting hand on her back, but when I do, it’s like she evaporates and my hand falls through her misty form. Colby comes up behind me and grabs my hand, pulling me back on track. I can tell he’s weirded out by my actions, but I know he can’t see or hear what I’m seeing and hearing. So, I keep it to myself. We walk along under the bridge and my head starts to pound. I hear cries and screams coming from all directions. An intense heavy feeling rests in my chest and I feel like I’ll pass out any minute.

“Colby, I have to get away from here,” I tell him as I stumble, falling into him. He catches me, thank God, and picks me up. I feel drowsy and I snuggle into his chest, almost falling asleep. When we get farther from the bridge, I begin to feel lighter.

“You can put me down now. I feel better.” I tell him softly. He gives me a look for reassurance and I nod. He sets me down gently but doesn’t let go of my hand.

“You’re scaring me, y/n. Are you sure you’re okay?” He asks me again. I nod my head.

“I think I’m just a little sick, but it’s nothing to worry about. I can stay the night here and then, I’ll go home tomorrow.” I tell him. We walk back to our spot and see that everyone else is already there.

“There you guys are! I was starting to get worried.” Sam said when he laid his eyes on us.

“Yeah, we’re good. I think y/n isn’t feeling too well, but she said she’ll stay the night with us.” Colby said as my head was leaned up against his shoulder. I found my sleeping bag quickly and went to sleep before the rest of the group did.

“y/n… y/n… Y/N!” I heard Shea and Colby yelling my name. Their voice sounded so distant but grew closer. Before I could open my eyes, I felt two arms wrap around my waist tightly and lift me up. I brought my hands up to my eyes to rub the tiredness out and opened them to look around. I look down to see who had me. The rings gave away who it was immediately.

“Colby, why the hell did you wake me up? And put me down.” I demand as I slap lightly at his hands around me. He sets me down and turns me around, so we are facing each other. I’ve never seen him so scared before. His eyes were huge, and his face had lost all color like he had seen a ghost or something.

“Y/n, do you even know what you were just doing?” He asks me. His voice sounded scratchy like he had been yelling for a while. I look back at Shea who was standing near. She had been crying. I turned back to Colby.

“What happened?” I questioned innocently. Something bad happened when I was asleep.

“You were sleepwalking, and you were headed for the bridge.” My jaw dropped as he told me what happened. What the fuck? I felt tears prick my eyes and a few spilled over, trickling down my cheeks. Colby pulled me in for a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist and placed mine around his neck.

“Please, get me out of here before I hurt someone,” I whisper in his ear.

“I don’t care about everyone else. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

#colby #colby brock #colby brock imagine #cole robert brock #sam and colby #cute colby #cute colby brock #fanfic #colby brock fanfic #colby brock fanfiction #colby brock x reader #traphouse #xplr #y/n #sam golbach #jake webber #corey scherer #shea elyse prior

384 notes · View notes

irwintry · 5 years

Text

The Man on Maple Street

Warnings: swearing

Author’s Note: this is Halloween themed!!!! spooky

Summary: Y/N finds herself head over heels for a town folklore, and she soon realizes that he isn’t as scary as he seems.

Word Count: 7k

A pumpkin with crooked teeth sat abandoned on the side of the road. Its face had sunken in, fresh with mold among the inner edges of the cuttings. The streets were damp from the rain, and the asphalt crackled beneath the weight of your bicycle. It was all so mystical, so dark yet beautiful, and the reds, browns, yellows, and oranges acted as a welcoming beacon–– leaves so keen on your arrival. The breeze was cold, its chill harsh enough to penetrate the bare skin of your hands. This left your knuckles frozen against the handlebars, but the warmth of your sweater and the smile etched on your face kept you content.

The winding road became hills, and the hills became a neighborhood filled with pink and yellow houses, each adorned with a great big tree and rod-iron fences. October was a day or two away, and you could only count a handful of pumpkins as you rode alongside the curb. The streets were empty, and the homes were dark, but the eeriness of the town comforted you. It smelled of autumn. It smelled of cold air, rotten leaves, and smoke from simmering fires, and it smelled wonderful.

You came upon a stop sign, and you had meant to pause for a brief moment. The adrenaline of the ride kept you active–– it kept your lungs and legs from aching. You stopped your bike at the corner of Maple and Main, but your feet caught in your pedals.

A man dressed in all black had his eyes on you. He stood, unmoving on Maple, tanned hands deep in his pockets. Your heart swelled with anxiety, and your legs shuffled to push and increase acceleration. And as you pedaled away, you kept your gaze on him, and he kept his gaze on you.

Main Street entered into the small downtown district. The long road was stocked full of seasonal (and year-long) mom-and-pop-shops desperate for attention, and you were determined to give them all of the love you could. Each place held a memory, some unknown, and some from when you were only a kid.

You carried on through downtown and beyond the square where a few people gathered, and you rode and rode down narrow lanes through cornfields to reach your final destination. Annie’s Apple Farm was in season, and you were more than willing to lend her a hand.

“Morning person yet?”

You set your bike against the small barn and sighed. When you glanced over your shoulder, Annie stood there with a pair of gardening gloves already on her hands. “We’ll get there,” you said, rolling your eyes at her energy. “Can I be on apple cider duty?”

“What, you don’t want hay ride duty?” your aunt asked, a small hint of humor in her tone.

“Ha-ha.” You followed her into the barn, meanwhile marveling at the many rows of top-prize pumpkins, plus a few shrimpy ones, too. “I thought you stopped doing hay-rides after a kid caught a barrel on fire.”

“Just messing with you,” said Annie. “Course you can be on apple cider duty. It’s a Monday, so I don’t expect much turn-out. Oh, but hey! Happy first day! You sure you don’t just want a ride next time?”

“I used to go to bed at three, Annie,” you replied. “I don’t think I could wake up at three.”

Annie sent you a smirk and a wink. “You’ll get there.”

The morning had yet to warm, and the sky hardly lightened as the hours ticked by. The cold air slipped through the holes of your sweater, allowing a chill to flow through your shaking bones. You were begging for sun by the early afternoon; the small cups of apple cider refused to keep any heat. Annie seemed unfazed, in fact, she had lost a layer while she restocked the large baskets of apples. You decided to ask for a more active job for tomorrow.

“You look like you need an ice-cold bath,” said Annie. The last few customers had packed up their pumpkins in their trunks and left, and you considered bundling up with a stack of hay to keep warm.

You laughed and stuffed your hands up your sleeves. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I want. Need anything else?”

Annie glanced around the barn. “Um, I think that’s it. I’m gonna stick around for another hour to work on financial stuff. When you get back, can you feed Oatmeal? Just a quarter of the can in the fridge.”

“Will do,” you said. “You sure you don’t need a hand?”

Annie just shook her head before digging around in her pocket. She pulled out her wallet, grabbed a few stray dollar bills, and then handed them over to you. “Go get yourself some coffee. You look like you’re about to freeze to death.”

You reluctantly took the cash. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Relax,” said your aunt with a smile. “I’m taking it out of your paycheck anyway.”

The bike ride home wasn’t as simple as it had been in the morning. Cars congested the roads and people served as distractions, and the shiver beneath your skin failed to disappear no matter the speed of your wheels. You thought about the warmth of your aunt’s house and the guest house you stayed at in the back, and you thought about a nice hot shower before making yourself a nice hot meal. And you also thought about the man in black.

You passed through the same neighborhood, and you stopped at the same stop sign between Main and Maple. But you stayed there, eyes searching just in case the man was still there. He wasn’t, so you pedaled on, and then you glanced down Maple again. There, the man in black walked slowly in your direction, gazed locked on you, yet you carried on.

You shook the thoughts of him away as best you could. There was something wrong about him, something so obviously off. Maybe it was his cold stare, or maybe the soft smile he gave you. Maybe it was his long, dark figure. Or maybe there was something else, and you wanted to figure it out.

When October rolled around, you had started a count of the man in black sightings. He wore the same leather jacket and the same dark jeans, and sometimes you caught him smoking–– other times he simply stared at you. You wondered about his workday, about his life. You wondered if he thought about you, the sweater-clad stranger on a bubble gum pink bike. Because not only did you see him every day, but he saw you, too.

“Hey, Annie?”

You had been sweeping the barn when the wondering became too heavy in your chest. Stray straws of hay and clumps of dirty grass lay in a pile below your feet when you paused to speak.

“Yeah, I have two more apple cider donuts calling your name,” your aunt called from her office.

You laughed. “Actually, I was gonna ask something else.”

“What’s up?” Annie stepped out from the small office, her gloves deep in the front pocket of her jeans and a small cup of cider in her hands.

“Do you happen to know anyone who lives on Maple Street?” you asked, tilting the broom away from you.

Annie thought for a moment. “That’s off of Main, right?”

You nodded.

“Yeah,” she replied, her tone light. “Miranda and her daughter. I think her son comes back every once and a while.”

“Her son?”

“I think so.”

“What’s he look like?”

A smile played on Annie’s lips. “Why? You interested in him?”

“No, no!” You held up a hand. “Just curious.”

“He might be a little old for you,” said Annie. “He’s blond. In his thirties. He’s a carpenter or something. Or maybe a truck driver.”

You frowned.

“Why’d you wanna know?”

You let out a small sigh and scratched your forehead. “Well,” you said, “I ride by there every day, and I keep seeing this one guy. Dunno. He’s just always there. Figured you’d maybe know him since this town is the size of a goddamn commune.”

“Communes can be pretty big, you know.”

“I’m sure,” you said with a laugh. Meanwhile, you continued sweeping. “He’s just kinda creepy. He wears all black.”

A look of realization flooded over your aunt. Her eyebrows knotted together, allowing her forehead to wrinkle as the worry became evident in her features. “I know who you’re talking about,” she said.

“Really?”

Annie nodded. “Yeah, I mean–– no. I’ve never seen him myself, but other people have. We have a page on Facebook.”

“I’m not even surprised that Little Falls has a Facebook page.”

“You said he’s always on Maple?”

“Yeah.”

Annie leaned back against the door to her office. She appeared concerned, but she also looked confused. “No one really knows who he is,” she muttered. “A few others see him, too, but I wouldn’t say a lot have. Everyone just calls him the Shadow Man because, like you said, he wears all black.”

“Shadow Man?” You chuckled. “What, do they think he’s a ghost or something?”

Annie paled a bit.

“You’re–– you’re kidding,” you said.

She shook her head.

“Do you think he is, too?” you asked her. You tightened your grip on the wooden broomstick. You believed in ghosts, sure, but you had seen enough Ghost Adventures to know the science behind ghost sightings. The man in black was too real.

Annie simply shrugged. “I’ve never seen him. And I drive down Main every damn day.”

“I see him every single day.”

“Maybe you just have a gift.” Annie shrugged once more and locked her office behind her. “Want a ride back?”

You thought about her question, eyes narrowing in on the pile of dirt below you. You thought about the man in black, and you thought about what Annie had said about him. “No,” you said. “Thank you, though. I think–– yeah, I’m probably gonna ride around for a bit. Maybe visit mom.”

Annie’s smile faltered, but it soon returned after a moment, and then she nodded at you. “Okay. I’ll see you back at the house. I’m thinking about soup for dinner?”

You smiled in return. “Yeah. Sounds good. See you then.”

Your shins were painted with the bruises from your ride back home. Traffic seemed heavier, even for a small town, and you found yourself tapping the handlebars to keep your frustration at bay. You even repressed yelling at a middle-aged woman for almost running you over. The downtown soon faded into the familiar neighborhood, and you were antsy. And then you saw the sign for Maple Street.

You stopped your bike at the stop sign, neck twisting right and left to check for “shadow man” sightings. At first, you saw nothing, so you sighed and kicked off. But then you spotted the figure down Maple again, and you sped off in his direction. You didn’t think about the consequences. You didn’t think about a single thing.

He had already been walking in your direction when your feet hit the ground harshly. The sudden shift nearly sent you tumbling, but you maintained your composure. You had to. Now, you were within ten feet of the man, and you were finally able to fully take him in. He was dark–– he was beautiful.

“Hey, um–– hello, sir––“

“Please don’t call me sir,” he said.

You stumbled back a bit, eyes falling wide for a moment to look at the man before you. The Shadow Man, the man you watched–– the man who watched you. His eyes were dark, too, and his lips were pulled into a deep frown. You saw through his dark exterior, but the colors didn’t change. Everything about him––his aura, his energy––was dark.

“Uh, sorry,” you said and readjusted your grip on the metal handlebars.

But his frown quickly melted into a cunning–– no, stunning––smile. “Jus’ messing with you,” he mumbled, his hot breath freezing in the air.

“Ah.” You raised a brow and allowed your faux confidence to return. “I can’t figure you out.”

The man also raised a brow, and the small action made you shutter. Although his presence intimidated you, it also made you feel warm. It was comforting. And it was wrong. “Well,” he said, “do you need to?” His dark curls blew into his face.

“No,” you said. You glanced down at his clothes. They were the same as always–– same black shoes, black pants, and black leather jacket. But they looked good. The color was attractive on him. “Why doesn’t anyone know you here?”

You weren’t sure why you asked it, but you were prepared for an uncomfortable tension. You were prepared for the bad reaction.

He shrugged. “Because they think I’m a ghost,” he answered. “They don’t wanna befriend a ghost.”

That made you smile. “Ridiculous. Ghosts are cool.”

“That’s what I think, too!” The man laughed a bit, and your own discomfort had eased. The anxiety that had once climbed into your chest withered away. You couldn’t tear your eyes away from him.

“Well,” you muttered, fingers slipping into a tighter grip around your bike. “You got a name, Shadow Man?”

He winced and shook his head. “So, that’s what they call me, huh?” He laughed again, crinkles and dimples stretching in a plastic-y fashion. “Damn.”

“Yeah, I thought it was cheesy, too.”

The man smiled at you. “Name’s Calum,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. His leather jacket creaked and tightened around his biceps.

“Cute,” you replied. “Way better than Shadow Man. Should I spread the word?”

Calum started to back away as he shook his head. “No,” he said. “Let’s keep that between you and me.”

You nearly took a step forward. “I didn’t give you my name.”

He winked at you as he continued backing up slowly. “We’ll save that for next time, then,” he mumbled.

You smiled, heading tilting toward the ground to glance at your shoes for a brief moment. But when you looked back up, Calum had gone.

The sunrise peeked through the trees outside of your window. Fresh dew sat upon the surface of the glass, each tiny droplet reflecting the warm colors in a liquified glaze. The thin white curtains hardly blocked out the subtle pinks and oranges. You awoke slowly, eyes aching with exhaustion, and your limbs felt like deadweights. You thought about the heavy scents of hay, corn, pumpkins, and apples, and you thought about the scent of your aunt’s kitchen. You thought about the giggles of children carrying pumpkins larger than their heads. You thought about the chatter of costume ideas as they searched for the perfect pumpkin to carve.

You also thought about Calum, and all color drained away.

Thoughts of him were black. He was hazy cemeteries and foggy forests. He was the embodiment of the town your aunt lived in. Eerie and comforting in ways you couldn’t explain. He held a mystery to him, and you desired to know him.

The idea of Calum was chilling. It was gray–– like a cloudy autumn sky with a frigid breeze, but there was a flicker of light like a candle when he smiled. It only intrigued you more.

Annie was in the kitchen when you made your way into the main house. A kettle sat on the stovetop, and a few boxes of tea were beside it on the counter. It was a Monday–– the farm’s off-day, but you had places to be. A person to see.

You said goodbye to your aunt through a mouthful of toast, and on your way out, you scooped up Oatmeal to give him a few pets and unwanted kisses. You were back on your bike in a matter of minutes, heart-pounding as the cool air slipped through your sweater. The moisture in the atmosphere filled your lungs, and soon enough, rain began to drizzle down. It was gentle, almost mist-like, and the way it fell transformed the scenery into something untouchable.

You skidded to a halt at the corner of Maple and Main. He said next time. Calum had promised a next time. So, you were going to make sure that “next time” happened soon. But his presence couldn’t be felt, and his all-black attire did not stand out through the haze of the morning. You sighed and carried on down Main to Elmwood Street. There, you set your bike up against a fence and walked down the path of the cemetery.

The burial ground had succumbed to the season. In its small little corner of the world, leaves piled high before gravestones, and moss became a friend to the memorials. A trail of fog led you down to where your mother lay.

But you didn’t get the chance to search for long. A low voice mumbled something from behind, and you nearly jumped out of your skin.

“Holy sh–– oh.” You let out a shaky breath. Before you, Calum stood in his usual apparel, and he was smiling. He, too, was untouchable. “Calum.”

“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. His brown eyes softened as he spoke, and the hint of morning sun reflected in his irises. If you allowed yourself, you could get lost in eyes like that.

You shrugged and hugged your arms tight. “It’s okay,” you mumbled. “A graveyard isn’t exactly the most ideal place to get crept on, though.”

“Yeah, sorry.” He chuckled and scratched his head, and you could see his thoughts jumping around in his brain. “Saw your bike, so I figured I could find you here.”

“You followin’ me?” you teased, but in a way, it wasn’t a joke.

Calum shook his head. “Nope. Just like walking.”

“My name’s Y/N.”

He rose a brow.

“I didn’t get to tell you yesterday,” you said, stuffing your fingers up into your sleeves. His eyes flickered down at the sight of the movement. “So, I’m telling you now.”

Calum smiled again. “S’pretty.”

Heat mottled up your back. “Never heard that one before,” you told him.

“Really?” he asked, taking a few steps to your right so he could initiate a mobile conversation. The two of you carried on down the wet path. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

You shrugged, and you were suddenly hyperaware of his gaze on you. It resembled his aura, dark and mysterious, yet you never wanted it to leave. You wanted it to haunt you forever. “I’ve been kind of a lone wolf for a while,” you said. “Don’t really get to hear compliments often. Unless they’re from friends or something.”

Calum hummed. “That’s–– Jesus.” He reached up and brushed a few curls away from his forehead. “No one’s wanted to snatch up the gal with the pretty pink bike, huh? Doesn’t sit right.”

“I’m no one’s to snatch,” you replied, meanwhile suppressing a hot blush. “Besides, I’m never in one place long enough.”

“Well,” mumbled Calum, “I guess that’s where we’re different.”

You glanced up at him.

“I’m only ever in one place.”

The next time you saw Calum, you had strayed from your usual bike path home. Mud caked the knees of your jeans, and your cheeks were red and bitten from the harsh cold. It was still early October, but the temperature in Little Falls always dropped too fast.

He stood on the bank of a small creek, his arms folded across his chest, and the crunch of leaves below your bike tore him out from some trance. A smile found its way on his face the minute he saw you. A genuine smile, dimples and all.

“You look like you fought death,” he said as you neared.

You huffed, and whatever exhaustion that had been running through you slowly dissipated. His company seemed to make you feel wide awake. You could remember every detail of the few moments you shared.

“Oh, how nice of you to say,” you mumbled, quirking a small smile. You let the bike slip from your grip and onto the bed of leaves below.

Calum stared at you for a long moment. He took a few steps back and nodded in a different direction. “I wanna show you something cool,” he said as he carried on away from you. “I promise I’m not gonna murder you.”

You chuckled dryly, but you followed him, nevertheless. “How do I know you’re not just saying that to throw me off?” you asked.

Calum flattened his lips and nodded. “Touché.

“What’s your M.O.?”

“Hm?”

You gazed up at the tall brunet. He stared at the path of trees ahead. “Your M.O.,” you said. “Like, what do you do? Why do you think people think you’re a ghost? Stuff like that.”

He stifled a small laugh. His face lit up exuberantly when he laughed. “Musician,” he answered slowly. “Freelance. And, I dunno.” Calum shrugged. “I think they just reject anything that’s different, y’know?”

You nodded. “Smart.”

He nodded, too. “They tried calling the cops on me once because I was so-called loitering in their neighborhoods. Can’t arrest someone for taking a jog on public property.”

“But you don’t jog.”

“Yeah,” said Calum with a chuckle. “I just scare them. Do I scare you?”

“No,” you replied. You weren’t sure.

He smiled down at you, but he didn’t say anything. The two of you walked on.

The forest grew thicker, and the air seemed colder as you stepped around brush and large branches. Calum stepped cautiously, but he seemed unaffected by the congested pathway. He occasionally glanced back at you, his smile and his eyes still warm as always. He seemed so happy–– you couldn’t imagine anyone actually being scared to be near him. But then again, appearances were deceiving. You trusted too easily; you hoped it wouldn’t harm you this time around.

“Almost there,” he said. “Promise.”

You stumbled on a few hidden stones. “You–– crap. You said that ten minutes ago.”

He looked back at you, his grin wide. “We have not been walking for ten minutes.”

“Feels like it,” you huffed. “You’re walking too fast.”

“You just have short legs.”

“You’re just freakishly tall.”

Calum laughed, but as he turned to face you once more, you tripped again. This time, your knees buckled beneath you, and you were sent tumbling.

A pair of arms caught you and lifted you up. The leather of his jacket was ice-cold below your touch, but his hands were warm on your forearms. And his chest was only inches away. The silence between you thickened, and you swore you could hear a heartbeat. When you glanced up, Calum looked terrified.

“Um.” He swallowed, releasing his hard grip on your arms so you could steady yourself. “Sorry,” he breathed out, and the horror washed off his features. He blinked, and a look of relief quickly took over. He stretched his fingers and asked, “you okay?”

“Yeah,” you mumbled. “Thank you.”

Calum smiled at you. “It’s, um, it’s just down here. Over that bridge.”

You hadn’t seen the bridge until he pointed it out. In fact, you had hardly paid attention to your surroundings whatsoever. Beyond the bridge, a stone foundation sat, and a weak building sat crumbling above it. A rotting mill was nestled against the creek.

“How’d you find this?” you asked, marveling at the old sight as the two of you crossed the bridge.

Calum shrugged. Twigs crunched beneath his shoes, and wings of birds flapped in the distance. “I like walking,” he said.

He led you through the open archway into the abandoned building, and the moisture in the air stiffened. Light peaked in through the collapsing roof, along with a few branches of towering trees. The place had been taken over completely by nature. It was eerie, like everything else in Little Falls. You looked over at Calum, but he had already been looking at you.

“Wanna go upstairs?” he asked you, motioning to the sad ladder beside him. “It’s safe-ish. I was up there a few days ago.”

You bit your lip, meanwhile, you contemplated every decision you had made up until to this point. You weren’t scared, no matter how much your subconscious told you to be. You allowed yourself to trust a stranger–– a stranger that the entire town refused to trust. You allowed him to take you far from civilization all because he made your stomach flutter in ways you couldn’t explain.

You nodded. “If I die, it’s on your conscience.”

Calum’s small smile turned sad, and you were so keen on knowing why. But instead of speaking again, he began to climb. You watched his fingers glide from rung to rung, grip tightening around the decaying wood, and you imagined the muscles flexing in his forearm. He then disappeared through the small opening to the floor above.

You took a breath and set a foot on the bottom rung. It felt steady beneath you, so you took it slow. When you reached the top, Calum’s hand reached out to guide you, and you grabbed it without hesitation. His skin was warm and rough beneath your touch. You didn’t want to let go.

The second floor of the old mill was musty and moist, and you felt the wetness in your lungs as you breathed in. The floorboards creaked underneath your weight.

“You sure it’s safe?” you whispered, your grip tightening around his palm.

Calum smiled down at you and squeezed your hand in return. “No. It’s definitely gonna cave in on us any minute now.” And then his smile became laughter when you hit his arm.

His hand left yours soon after, and he sauntered across the room to look through the cracks in the wood. Moss and vines climbed up the damp wall like they were desperate to give new life to the beaten and broken structure. And the leaves under your feet had come from years and years of sad autumns. You wondered how many times Calum had come here alone. You wondered if he had brought anyone else, too.

Or maybe they never lived to tell the tale.

“You come here a lot?” you asked, voice wavering as you stepped around a large hole in the flooring.

Calum twisted his neck to look at you. “Maybe too much,” he answered. He stepped back away from the wall, and a few leaves blew in from the trees above.

You kept your gaze on him while he peered up, eyes bright toward the sky, and he glowed. A smile like that could move mountains. He was a sunset, all bright yellows and oranges, but he was also a dark twilight, and the heavy black and gray swallowed you whole.

Calum’s eyes darted down to meet yours, and his smile grew.

“You look like a fucking puppy,” you whispered, yet you hadn’t expected the words to slip out so fast. Your cheeks heated while his grin accompanied laughter.

“Shut up,” muttered Calum. He tried hiding his face with his hand, but he was too exposed. He had never been this exposed to another person before.

A small gust rocked the rotting structure. A chorus of creaks followed, and you weren’t sure if you had shivered from the cold or the fear. But Calum noticed, nevertheless.

He took off his jacket for you. The leather material whined due to the strain for the motion, and then he handed it over to you. A jacket you had seen him in for the past week or two. A jacket you nearly swore belonged to a ghost. All he wore beneath was a black short-sleeve.

You put the jacket on with great reluctance, an unsure expression written on your features, but his nod assured you it was okay. It was okay when you took a peek at his crossed arms, and all blood drained from your face. His biceps pushed tight against the thin shirt. Beautiful black ink adorned his tan arms–– you wondered if there were more in secret places. But all you knew now was the heat of your chest, plus the fact that he was a lot broader than you originally thought.

“Thank you,” you said through a fit of chattering teeth.

Calum smiled at you and rubbed your arm. The small gesture filled your heart. “Don’t mention it. We can head out. Your lips are blue.”

“They are not!”

He burst into laughter again on his way down the ladder. You could hear his laughter even when his head disappeared.

You took a breath, and this time, your heart ached for another reason. Going up the ladder was much different than going down. You closed your eyes and turned around to take your first step.

“Don’t worry, darlin’,” said Calum, “I’ll catch you if you fall.”

“I’m not–– oh fuck–– I’m not gonna fall,” you said through a wheeze. Your foot had slipped mid-sentence.

“Uh-huh.”

One of the rungs splintered beneath your grip. “Good t’know you have a lot of faith in me.”

Calum chuckled. “You afraid of heights or somethin’?” he asked you.

You took another step down. “No, but I–– shit!” A rung snapped beneath your foot and sent you flying back. You shut your eyes tight, bracing for impact, but you were met with strong arms.

“I’m not gonna fall,” mocked Calum in a light tone. His arms felt firm around yours, and you decided that you didn’t quite mind. You didn’t mind it at all. His voice resonated from his chest, the small hint of laughter seeping through and murmuring against your back. Chills dug into your spine. The sensation of it all made your toes curl.

You sighed, head lolling back against his chest before you glanced up at his beaming face. You soon laughed, too.

“You’re something else, darlin’,” he said softly.

Calum smelled like rosewood and musk. It made you wonder what he tasted like, what he felt like. And then you wondered why he seemed so dark yet spoke so light. He spoke to you like you were the only thing that mattered. A part of you seemed to believe it was true.

The butterflies worsened by the next week.

You had fastened a basket to your bike and stocked it full of bags of candy corn. Annie had asked you to run to the nearest drug store and find some for her to hand out at the barn. The trip into town was a simple five minutes, but you had somehow missed your man in black sighting for the morning. So, you swung into the neighborhood off of Main in search of seeing the man who made your heart flutter.

It had happened so fast, although you weren’t all that surprised that it did. He was a charmer— he had a way with words, and he smiled like you were the greatest thing he’d laid eyes upon. All it took was a smile and a voice and a gentle touch, and you were a puddle on the ground.

But maybe that was how all of his other victims felt.

You pushed back negative thoughts and cycled toward the stop sign on the corner of Maple and Main. With your heart thumping in your throat, you searched, but Calum could not be found. You were quick to give up. He would be there when you returned later in the day, you were sure of it.

Again, Calum could not be found.

Not the next day either. And the day after that. Or even the day after that.

You laughed at the idea of crushing on him after his long absence. You had let yourself get sucked in–– you had allowed yourself to feel foolish.

Now, it was exactly one week until Halloween, and you assumed your fondness toward him had simmered into nothing. But then he was there. You saw him on your way back from work, attention straight while you rode. His figure caught your eye through the dark haze of the evening. It was like he beckoned you over without a single word, and you ached to pedal on. You ached to push him away–– something you did best.

You rode toward him slowly, and once again, your heart thumped in your throat. Luckily, your scarf kept it hidden.

“Well,” you said firmly as you unmounted your bike, “where’ve you been, then?”

He didn’t smile at you. His eyes weren’t bright. His presence, in fact, felt as cold as ice. “I don’t know,” said Calum.

You raised your eyebrows inward. “How do you not know? I haven’t seen you in over two weeks. Because for some reason I look for you every day, even though I should just... stop getting my hopes up.”

Calum’s expression changed. He looked sad and lost. He looked sorry. “Yeah, I, um––“ He swallowed, and he tried looking anywhere but at you. “I was just––“

“Look, I’m sorry,” you said with a sigh. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I just–– I missed you.”

His eyes widened. “Really?” he asked, smirking.

“Do not get cocky on me.”

His grin only grew. “S’just interestin’,” said Calum. He crossed his arms like he usually did. He seemed vulnerable, but he also appeared guarded. You just weren’t sure why he bothered around you.

“Why?”

“Cos’ I missed you, too.”

This time, a smile played on your lips. “Dammit,” you muttered. “You’re good.”

“You busy tonight?” Calum straightened his spine as he spoke. His eyes were still wide–– almost in a hopeful way.

“No...” you said with a smile. “Why?”

“Meet me on Elmwood at 8?”

Your stomach knotted. But it was a good knot. “Finally gonna murder me this time?” you teased, knocking his elbow with yours. He knocked yours right back.

“Ha-ha.” Calum’s grin was toothy and big and all things cute. “Yeah. I‘m gonna have to wear a blindfold though because you’re too damn cute. It’s been holding me back every time.”

“Ah,” you said. “Makes total sense.” You grabbed the handlebars of your bike and plopped yourself right back on the seat. “All right, then, Calum. I will see you at the cemetery at 8 for whatever fucked up thing you got planned.”

He shot you a wink. “Bring warm clothes. And a blanket.”

Your mouth dropped a little. “Should I bring snacks? Oh my god, should I download a movie? Do you like scary movies? Because I kinda do but I don’t know if being in a graveyard will––“

“Jesus Christ, darlin’––“ Calum held up a hand. “Slow down. You don’t have to do anything else.”

Your lips fell into a pout.

“And definitely don’t do that,” he said, stepping towards you and leaning down.

Your breath caught in your throat, and you stared straight ahead as his cold lips came into contact with your forehead. You hardly noticed the gentle brush of his fingers against your skin.

“See you tonight?” asked Calum. He slowly removed his touch and backed away.

All you could do was nod.

He smirked. “Perfect. It’s a date.”

You had forgotten about the total outcome of it all. Once October ended, your time in Little Falls would, too. But you pushed the thoughts to the back of your brain for the time being. Your heart raced erratically as you sped around Annie’s guest house, searching deep for the perfect comfortable yet cute clothes to wear. The nerves had returned in extreme quantities, and you were desperate for it to become easy.

You had a week left to make it easy.

Your bike had never held less resistance than on your ride to Elmwood Street. The wind guided you, and the large camping lantern in the middle of your basket rattled with every bump. You waved at the crooked-toothed pumpkin on the way over.

Elmwood was dark. Shivers crept your arms as you pedaled steadily down the street. The rod iron gate whistled and moaned against the wind, and the rustling of trees drowned out other noises of the night. You were going to get murdered. You were going to get––

“You cold?”

Your head whipped to the right, and there stood Calum in his typical attire. It always suited him no matter what. You smiled while he ambled over to you, arms spreading to pull you into a warm hug. And you accepted instantly.

“I brought, um––“ You retracted and grabbed your stack of blankets from the basket of your bike. “I brought a lamp and blankets. And perhaps some candy corn. I-If you like that stuff.”

Calum grinned at you and took you by the hand. He laced his fingers with yours. “You’re so cute,” he mumbled. “I might have made us a fire. My old boy scout skills came in handy for once.”

“You made a–– holy shit, seriously?”

He nodded before guiding you down the path.

“I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this,” you said, squeezing his hand. He squeezed it right back.

“Just showin’ you a lil’ Little Falls hospitality, s’all,” replied Calum. He held your camping lantern in his right hand, and the light reflecting on his face sparkled in his eyes.

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, sure. I’ve had plenty of that,” you said sarcastically. You glanced down at the tombstones you passed, and a few more unwarranted shivers trickled through you.

“Are you from here?”

You looked back up at Calum. “No,” you said. “My mom’s family was. I came here for a bit to help my aunt at her orchid during pumpkin season.”

“Annie’s?”

You nodded. “Yeah, you know her?”

“No,” answered Calum. “Heard of her.”

“My mom lived here for a while, too,” you continued. The path grew narrower and the trees thinned out, and you could see a flickering orange light far in the distance. “She–– uh, she passed a few months ago. Unexpectedly, so I didn’t really get to say goodbye.”

Calum’s face softened as you spoke. “I’m so sorry.”

You shrugged. “It’s getting better every day,” you said. “It’s been kinda hard to be here. But every minute I’m convincing myself you’re not a murderer is every minute I’m not in constant grief.”

He gave you a faint smile. A sad smile.

“You’ve made this town a little more exciting,” you whispered into the air.

His smile widened. “You have, too.”

Calum had already set out a few blankets by his makeshift firepit. It was clear he had been working on it for a while–– the pile of stones was stacked high, and they were nearly immaculate around the pit. A small guitar sat near the base of a nearby trunk.

“You weren’t kidding,” you mumbled.

“Hm?”

You pointed toward the guitar. “You’re really a musician.”

“Well,” he said, smirking, “that just depends on how good you think I am, I guess.”

You chuckled. “Yeah, please don’t suck.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Calum’s best was better than you ever imagined. It wasn’t perfect–– his voice was shaky from nerves and possibly the cold air, but the thing you loved the most was the way he sang. He kept his eyes shut tight, lips pulled into a deep frown while he sang words you only pretended to hear. You kept your focus locked on the shape of his features and the light casting against his brown skin.

The next few hours slipped away, and it became easier, just liked you had hoped. The piles of blankets atop and below hardly blocked the chill in the air. Eventually, you snuggled in, eyes heavy while the conversation carried on. Calum pulled you against him, and together, the two of you stared up at the sky through the branches of trees. He counted the stars while you counted each breath.

There was a heaviness settling in your chest. Something was unspoken, something needed to be said. But, with your fingers tracing shapes on his clothed chest, all you could think about was the heat of his skin beneath your touch. You glanced up, and your eyes met his.

“Hi,” you whispered, lips quirking as you rested your chin against his shoulder.

“Hi, darlin’,” he mumbled.

You felt your smile fall. The glow of the fire reflected in his eyes, and you were losing yourself in them. You lost yourself in his soft lines and burning touch. You lost yourself in the curve of his lips, so you reached up and grazed them with your fingers. Calum smiled.

And then he was pushing himself up and leaning down, shoulders blocking the light from the fire as his lips met yours. His skin was cold, but his breath was hot, and his movements were slow. Beautifully slow. He grazed the apple of your cheek with gentle fingers, pushing a few stray hairs behind your ear before bringing you closer against him. You pressed a trembling hand to his chest.

“You okay?” he whispered with a small pant.

You nodded and smiled. “Yeah. ‘m okay. You kiss nice.”

Calum laughed, once again leaning down to meet you in a tender kiss. His hand ran down your arm and to your side where it stopped at your waist. You shivered once you felt his fingers rest against the bare skin under your sweater. He skimmed his index finger along the ridges of your spine.

Eventually, he pulled away, lips ghosting over yours as if he had never been there. He spoke words you could hardly hear. His smile faded in with the crackling fire.

The next morning, you awoke early. The fire had died, and the air was thick with fog. Birds chirped from somewhere in the distance. Beside you, a mound of messy blankets sat cold and damp. And to your left, as you searched for the missing man in black, your eyes cast upon a mossy tombstone. One that read,

Calum Thomas Hood

“In the sun, I feel as one.”

January 25, 1973 ––– October 25, 1996

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