#the witch's house au | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

queenofcats17 · 10 months

Text

Based on a conversation with @pistachi0art, I wanted to write a thing.

I didn’t expect Kell to be introduced to the blog, but he was! So, this is kind of inaccurate, but here’s my take on Kell finding out about the whole...thing going on.

Warning, there are some references to attempted suicide and psychosis.

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

Kell had known from the second “Gordon” had started yelling at him that something was very wrong.

He’d just called to see how Gordon was doing. Gordon had always been a bit anxious and neurotic, but it had gotten so much worse after they’d broken up. He worried about Gordon. He worried about Gordon a lot. Whatever relationship they’d had was long gone, but he still cared deeply about Gordon. He tried to call at least once a week, sometimes more if it seemed like Gordon needed someone to talk to. Oftentimes, Gordon did need someone to talk to. He had so much on his shoulders all the time.

It made Kell feel even worse about leaving. Gordon seemed so tired all the time when Kell talked to him. It seemed as though he couldn’t catch a break, no matter what he did. He was barely keeping his head above water, trying desperately to both take care of Joshua and keep a job, which was a struggle to do by himself. Kell wondered quite often if maybe things would have been better for Gordon if he hadn’t left. If he hadn’t been a coward.

In any case, Kell tried to call as often as he could. He hadn’t expected this call would be any different.

“Hello?” Gordon sounded tired when he picked up the phone.

Kell’s brow furrowed. It wasn’t uncommon for Gordon to be tired when Kell called. Nevertheless, it made him a little worried. Then again, a lot of things made him worried about Gordon. “Hey. You doing alright? You sound tired.”

“I’m fine,” Gordon said flatly.

Kell’s frown deepened. “Are you sure? You can tell me if something’s going on.”

“I said I’m fine, Kell!” Gordon snapped. “Leave it alone!”

Kell flinched back from the phone a bit. “...Sorry. Didn’t mean to pry.” He paused for a moment before adding, “I was just worried.”

“Well, I’m fine.” Gordon’s voice remained short and sharp. “So you don’t need to worry.”

Kell couldn’t help but laugh, although that laugh sounded forced. “Easier said than done when it comes to you, Gordo.”

Gordon didn’t laugh.

Slowly, Kell’s laughter petered off, leaving them in silence. “Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked.

“I said I’m fine. Why won’t you let it go?” Gordon was starting to sound angry again.

“Right, sorry.”

Something had to be wrong. Even at his worst, Gordon didn’t hide things from Kell. Even when he yelled, even when he lashed out, he’d eventually cave and tell Kell what was going on. For him to be on the defensive like this...Something had to be wrong.

There was a beat of silence as Kell tried to come up with something else to say that didn’t involve poking at Gordon’s clearly unstable emotional state. He needed to see Gordon, he decided. Something was going on here and he had to make sure Gordon was alright. He had to make sure Joshua would be alright.

“Hey, it’s been a while since the last time I visited,” he suggested, trying to keep his voice as light as possible. “Why don’t I come over for a couple days?”

“Right now?” A note of panic entered Gordon’s voice.

This in itself didn’t raise any red flags. He knew Gordon didn’t like sudden changes or things being sprung on him.

“Not immediately,” Kell assured him. “It’ll take a little for me to schedule some time off work and book a flight. The visit would probably be in a couple weeks or a month.”

“I...” Gordon began, only to trail off.

“If you don’t want me to come, I won’t,” Kell said gently. “I’m just worried about you, Gordon.” He hoped he didn’t sound nearly as desperate as he felt.

Gordon didn’t say anything for nearly a minute before letting out long drawn out whining sound. “Alright. Fine. Just for a few days.”

Internally, Kell let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll text you a date once I figure it out,” he said. “...I love you.”

Gordon was silent once more for an agonizingly long time. “I love you too,” he finally said.

Then he hung up.

A little over a month later, Kell was getting off the plane at the airport. In the time since that call, he’d spoken with Gordon a few more times. The defensiveness had remained in every one of their conversations, which had only served to increase Kell’s concern. Joshua had mentioned that Gordon had been acting strange as well. However, when prompted Joshua hadn’t been able to offer much information outside of just saying that Gordon was acting weird.

“He’s trying to act like he’s fine but he’s not,” Joshua had said. “It’s not like the normal not being fine either. It’s just...weird.”

This report had... not made Kell feel any less worried about Gordon. On the bright side, Joshua had said Gordon hadn’t been shutting himself up in his room too much. He’d at least been keeping up with feeding Joshua and taking him to school on time. That made Kell feel a little bit better about the whole situation. If Gordon was still able to take care of Joshua, then things weren’t as bad as he thought they might have been.

It wasn’t as bad as he’d feared. He just had to keep telling himself that. If Gordon was still functioning, it couldn’t be as bad as he’d thought. He tried not to think about how he’d heard people about to attempt suicide seemed to suddenly get better. Gordon wouldn’t leave Joshua behind like that. He’d already made the decision not to go through with the attempt the first time. He wouldn’t change his mind now.

...Would he?

No, he wouldn’t. Gordon loved Joshua. He loved Joshua more than anything. Gordon wouldn’t abandon Joshua.

Not like Kell had abandoned both of them.

As Kell stepped into the gate, he scanned the crowd of faces for Gordon’s and Joshua’s. Not for the first time since he’d made the decision to come, a part of him wondered if this was a mistake. Maybe he was worrying over nothing. Maybe everything was fine and he was just going to make everything worse all over again. Maybe-

He was jolted from this spiral of self-doubt by a yell of, “KELL!” Immediately followed by something colliding with his legs. Looking down, he was greeted by Joshua’s smiling face as the boy hugged him.

Kell couldn’t help but smile back, reaching down to hoist Joshua into his arms. “Hey, kiddo! It’s good to see you!”

“It’s good to see you too!” Joshua hugged him again. He was wiggling in Kell’s arms, even as he hugged him. Always a little ball of energy, this one.

"Man, you were really looking forward to seeing me, huh?” Kell ruffled Joshua’s hair with a laugh.

“He’s been counting down the days since I told him when you’d be coming.”

Kell’s breath caught in his throat at the sound of Gordon’s voice. He almost didn’t want to look, but he knew he had to. So, slowly, he turned his gaze to Gordon.

Gordon looked... rough. Not terrible, but... definitely rough. Like he hadn’t been sleeping well. There were dark bags under his eyes, and he wouldn’t look at Kell. But that wasn’t what Kell noticed first. What Kell noticed first was Gordon’s hair.

“You cut your hair,” he said, taking a step toward Gordon. He wanted to ask why, but he had a feeling that would just make Gordon snap at him again. Even if things had been normal, Gordon probably would have snapped at him about questioning his choices regarding his body.

Still, it hurt to see Gordon’s hair cut so short. Gordon had always been so proud of his hair.

“I wanted a change.” Gordon gave a shrug.

“He looks like the Devil!” Joshua announced with a frown.

“Mijo, that’s not very nice,” Kell gently scolded.

“It’s true!” Joshua folded his arms, remaining petulant.

Gordon let out a small snort, the corner of his lips tugging up ever so slightly. “I know, it was a bad choice.”

“It’ll grow back.” Kell reached out, tucking some of Gordon’s hair behind his ear.

To his surprise, Gordon jerked violently away, slapping Kell’s hand. For a moment, Kell almost thought he saw guilt flash across Gordon’s face.

“Dad! You can’t hit Kell! That’s bad!” Joshua said, wriggling around in Kell’s hold so he could face Gordon.

“No, it was my fault,” Kell insisted, putting Joshua down. “I shouldn’t have touched him without asking.” He gave Gordon a weak smile as he grabbed the handle of his luggage. “I won’t do it again, alright?”

Gordon deliberately avoided looking at him, shoving his hands into his pockets. “We should go.”

“No, you have to say you’re sorry for hitting him!” Joshua tugged on Gordon’s sleeve. “Hitting people isn’t nice!”

Gordon hunched his shoulders, still refusing to look at Kell. “I’m sorry I hit you,” he said after a moment.

“Apology accepted.” Kell replied.

“Okay. We can go now.” Joshua nodded in approval, taking Kell’s hand and beginning to drag him away.

Kell allowed himself to relax a little at this. Leave it to Joshua to cut right through all the tension. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The ride back to Gordon’s apartment was mostly quiet. Joshua was the only one who was talking, excited to tell Kell about everything he hadn’t been able to tell him over the phone. Kell was more than happy to listen as it took his mind off of his worry for Gordon. Joshua had been right. There was just something... weird about Gordon. It was still definitely Gordon but... There was just something a little off about the way he was acting. Kell was sure now more than ever that something had happened. Something that Gordon was hiding from him.

He just needed to find out what it was.

And so, over the next few days, he tried to do just that. Not by getting in Gordon’s face or snooping, though. No, he knew that wouldn’t work. That would only make Gordon shut down even more. So, instead, Kell set about trying to make things easier for Gordon in any way he could. He cleaned the condo, he took Joshua out to give Gordon a break, he made dinner and lunch. If he just gave Gordon some space and showed him he was there for him, it would pay off. Gordon would open up to him. He was sure of it.

And he was right. A few days later, Gordon sat him down on the couch to have a talk. Joshua was at school, so it was just the two of them. Which was probably why Gordon had waited until now to talk to him. They could speak openly, without having to worry about tiptoeing around Joshua.

“So, you wanted to talk to me about something?” Kell gently prompted as the two of them settled on the couch.

“Yeah...” Gordon nodded. He was looking anywhere but at Kell. Was it really so serious that Gordon couldn’t even look at him?

“What did you want to talk about?”

“So...uh...” Gordon gnawed on his lip, fiddling with his hands. “I have something to tell you.”

“I’m listening.” Kell wanted terribly to put a hand on Gordon’s leg, to assure him that it was alright. But he refrained. He didn’t have the right to do that.

“I...” Gordon began, only to stop, starting to fidget with his sleeves.

Kell waited patiently. He owed it to Gordon to wait. He owed it to Gordon to be here for him. For once.

It took a few minutes, but finally Gordon managed to collect himself enough to speak. “I’m not Gordon.”

Kell gave a little chuckle. “Okay? Except you clearly are.” He gestured to Gordon.

“No, I’m not,” Gordon insisted. “I only look like him because I’m in his body.”

“You’re losing me, cariño.”

“I stole his body!” Gordon yelled, throwing his hands up. “I’m an AI who stole his body!”

“Okay, okay.” Kell put his hands up, trying to diffuse the situation. “Let’s calm down.”

“How can I calm down?!” Gordon demanded, jumping to his feet. There were tears welling up in his eyes. “You don’t believe me! I’m finally confessing and you don’t believe me!”

“Look, why don’t you explain what happened from the beginning?” Kell suggested.

It was probably better to go along with this, he decided. He’d hear Gordon out and then he’d figure out what to do. Whatever delusion Gordon was operating under, it was obviously real to him, and it would probably be pretty bad for Kell to outright say he didn’t think it was true. He got the feeling Gordon had been holding onto this ever since that talk a month ago.

Gordon sniffled, slowly sitting down. “You’ll... listen?” He asked hopefully.

“I’ll listen,” Kell confirmed.

Gordon sniffled again, tentatively putting his hand on Kell’s. Kell gave him a gentle smile, rubbing his thumb over Gordon’s shoulder. For a moment, there was almost a smile on Gordon’s face. Then he withdrew his hand and looked away again, guilt settling on his features.

“So, like I said, I’m an AI,” he said, drawing into himself once more. “I’m from a VR port of Half Life. I... Wasn’t supposed to be there. When the game found out about me, it started trying to delete me.” His shoulders hunched as he wrapped his arms around himself. “I didn’t want to die. So... I asked Gordon to switch bodies with me. I told him it was only for a day but...” He paused, taking in a sharp breath as tears began to well up in his eyes again. “I never intended to switch back. I didn’t even think about what the consequences were going to be. I was just... so mad. I wanted him to hurt like I had. And now he’s...” He trailed off, covering his face with his hands as he let out a sob. “He’s dead and it’s all my fault.”

“What made you so upset with him that you’d want him to die?” Kell asked. He trying to withhold his judgement for now, but this was honestly making him concerned all over again. It seemed like Gordon had really lost touch with reality. Maybe he should look into mental hospitals in the area.

“He was really mean to me in the first run of the game,” Gordon said, face still covered. “I didn’t want to be bad. But he made me bad. And because I had to be bad I pulled out all the stops for the boss battle and the game noticed me. And it thought I was a virus.”

“I see.” Kell nodded slowly. “That sounds like... a lot to be dealing with.”

Gordon paused, lowering his hands so he could look at Kell. “...You don’t believe me, do you?”

“I didn’t say that,” Kell said quickly.

“But you don’t, do you? You think I’m crazy.” The look of absolute despair on Gordon’s face made Kell’s heart break.

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” Kell assured him, taking Gordon’s hands in his. “I just... think you’re having a rough time right now. And I’m sure this is all very real to you-”

“But you don’t think it is real.” Gordon pulled away. “You think I’m losing my mind.”

“I didn’t say that,” Kell repeated.

“This is real. I’ll prove it to you. I will.”

Kell didn’t remember a whole lot about the conversation that followed. For the most part, it was just Gordon going point by point and debunking all of Kell’s skepticism. The more “Gordon” debunked Kell’s rational thoughts, the more upset Kell become.

“This is a joke, right?” He said, laughing weakly. “Please, cariño, tell me this is a joke. Please say you’re just messing with me.”

“Gordon’s” expression was solemn. “I’m not.”

Kell let out another weak laugh, which quickly turned into a strangled sob as he covered his face. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be. Things like this didn’t just happen. It couldn’t be real. Gordon couldn’t be gone. He couldn’t! Not when Kell hadn’t been able to say goodbye. He hadn’t even apologized for how he’d hurt Gordon. Gordon couldn’t just be gone.

But he was. He had to be. The thing wearing Gordon’s body had proved that.

The thing in Gordon’s body...

Kell’s head snapped up, his gaze fixing on the thing that wasn’t Gordon.

“Kell?” Panic spread across “Gordon’s” borrowed features.

“You...” Kell growled, rising to his feet.

“Gordon” rose as well, beginning to back away. Before “Gordon” could move out of his reach, Kell was on him, grabbing “Gordon’s” collar and screaming at him in a mix of English and Spanish. He didn’t even know what he was saying, although he was vaguely aware that he was calling “Gordon” things that he was very glad Joshua was not around to hear. Things he’d never called anyone before. He couldn’t help it. He was just so angry. This thing had taken Gordon away from him. This thing had killed Gordon and had the audacity to wear his face! The audacity to pretend to be Gordon! If Kell hadn’t come to visit, would this thing have ever told him Gordon was dead?

As he yelled, he looked into “Gordon’s” eyes...

And it wasn’t Gordon.

Those weren’t Gordon’s eyes. Kell knew Gordon’s eyes. These weren’t Gordon’s eyes. For starters, the pupils were...rectangular. But aside from that, they just...didn’t look like Gordon’s eyes. Gordon’s eyes were tired and full of anxiety, but also so full of love and heart. Kell could see some of that in these eyes but... it didn’t feel the same. It was as though the person behind those eyes had adopted Gordon’s personality, but it didn’t fit. Like they were wearing clothes that were too big for them.

“Who... Who are you?” Kell whispered, letting go of “Gordon’s” collar and stumbling back.

The person in Gordon’s body dropped his gaze, shoulders hunching as he folded his arms. “My...My name’s Benrey,” he said quietly.

“I don’t care.” Kell collapsed onto the couch, face in his hands. Now that the anger was wearing off, the realization was hitting him once more.

Gordon was gone.

One of the people he cared most about in the world was gone.

“He’s gone...” He whispered. His shoulders began to shake as sobs wracked his body.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Gordon wasn’t supposed to just be gone like this. Things weren’t supposed to get this bad. He’d always worried that he’d wake up one day and get word that Gordon had took his own life, but he’d comforted himself with the knowledge that Gordon would never leave Joshua behind like that. A situation like this had never even crossed his mind. So why was this the thing that had come true?

“I...I’m sorry,” Benrey said, reaching out to touch Kell’s shoulder.

Kell jerked away. “Don’t. Don’t touch me.” He stood up, refusing to look at Benrey. “I need to be alone.”

Benrey drew back, letting his hand drop. “You can use Gordon’s bedroom. If you want.”

Kell gave a curt nod, heading to Gordon’s room without another word, leaving Benrey alone in the living room. He could hear Kell crying even through the closed door.

Kell didn’t come out for dinner, and Benrey ended up sleeping on the couch that night. When Joshua asked why Kell was hiding, Benrey explained that they’d had a fight, and that Joshua shouldn’t worry about it. They’d work it out, he told Joshua. It would be alright.

Joshua didn’t look like he believed Benrey in the slightest, but he didn’t push the subject.

As Benrey curled up on the couch that night, a part of him wished he hadn’t said anything. But he knew it had been the right thing to do. Kell deserved to know what happened to Gordon. Benrey didn’t deserve the love and care Kell had been showing “Gordon”. He deserved to suffer.

This was all his fault, after all.

#hlvrai #fanfiction #the witch's house au

15 notes · View notes

gordonfreemansphysicsdegree · 1 year

Text

I don't think he'd like the benery plush very much

#hlvrai #gordon freeman #benrey #the witch's house au

15 notes · View notes

aquisces-arts · 1 month

Text

AU where Arlecchino is an immortal witch living in a mansion in the spooky woods and takes in 3 orphans who wandered in...

#arlecchino #house of the hearth #freminet #lyney #lynette #genshin fanart #genshin impact #genshin #digital illustration #illustration #witch au #genshin witch au #god I love found family so much #honestly I have a feeling I am very wrong about their dynamic but it’s ok I like being delulu

5K notes · View notes

benigraiek · 7 months

Text

They would have helped each other a lot !

#hunter deamonne #huntlow #the owl house #toh fanart #toh hunter #toh willow #willow park #willow x hunter #t4t #golden guard #half a witch #au?#What would have happened if they knew each other before?

631 notes · View notes

ghouljams · 9 months

Note

I do love the mental image you supplied of Price being out there with a broom trying to shoo the Mimic away, like-

Price: Get out of here, shoo!

Mimic: :((

Price: No! Go find another witch to snack on! *whacks*

Mimic: :(((((

You watch from your window as Price leaves your garden. The not-moose moves from one side of the wall towards Price. You aren't sure why that makes your stomach twist. You grip your chest, twisting your shirt in your hand, feeling that warm magic buzz at the tips of your finger again. Price can take care of himself, you're sure of it.

Price feels his tethers pull tight as the mimic walks towards him. The overgrown beast doesn't even have the common courtesy to pretend to be a regular animal. It stares right at him, it's eyes moving in different directions as it attempts to keep its focus on you as well as the new threat. Price cracks his knuckles, moves towards the mimic with the same predatory intent that it had been.

"Fuck off," Price advises the mimic, "kindly."

The mimic stops, shakes it's head. It's lips pull back in what Price is sure is supposed to be a terrifying display. He will admit that the noise it makes is downright unsettling, the sobbing wail that seems to broadcast from the mimic. It's face doesn't move at all, the sound just shakes out of it. Price raises a brow.

"You don't look starving."

Another wail from the mimic, the moose turns and butts its horns against the threshold. The twist of horn against your wards makes even Price grimace. It unhinges its jaw to press the full extent of its teeth against the garden's barrier. Price growls, leaning to reach over the wall to grab your watering can.

The iron burns.

Price twitches, his jaw clenched as his head pulls to one side. The unnatural sting of metal against his skin is almost as unpleasant as the scream the mimic lets out upon seeing it. The glassy eyes of it roll to look at him, it slides its teeth off the threshold like dragging knives through molasses. It gives another wail, almost bargaining. Price weighs the sentiment against the iron in his grasp before swinging the can hard at the mimic.

The creature flinches, stumbling back away from him. It drops its head low, menacing. Price doesn't move except to raise his free hand and make a shoo-ing motion.

"If you're not going to leave on your own I have no qualms makin' you."

The mimics eyes roll between Price and the house. It's lips curl, tongue lolling out over its razor sharp teeth. The menacing posturing doesn't let up, in fact the mimic almost seems to be challenging that assertion.

"Price," it sobs in your voice. Price's eyes narrow, his grip on the iron watering can tightening. The burn of it bites into his flesh.

"Now you're tryin' to make me mad." He growls, the mimic takes a half step back, "I'm tryin' to be civil, bet you can't even remember that part of yourself."

A step forward, the mimic attempts another show of aggression only to be caught by the swing of cold iron. The metal scrapes fur and flesh from its muzzle, oily blood sloughing off it into the snow before it can pull its skin back together. It scrambles back away from Price, away from your property. The mimic tries another sobbing voice, aiming for sympathy over threats. Isn't it pathetic? Cursed with only might and the decaying sense it once had as a human. If it could just get enough magic...

"Then find another witch to snack on, this one's mine." Though Price imagines any witch it finds will yield the exact same results. Well, maybe not exactly the same. He can't think of a single other fae that would- That would be eager to help? Have the tethers to be called on? The conviction to grab Iron in defense of their- of a witch. God help him this is getting out of hand.

The mimic seems to ponder this for a moment. It's neck twisting its head one way then another, its horns scraping the snowy ground as it does. It lets out an agreeable is terrified scream, before turning and making its way back into the thicket of trees. Price watches it go for a moment before tossing the watering can back towards the fence with a pained swear.

He grips his wrist, staring at the consumed flesh, the sinew revealed by the acidic burn of the iron. His fingers clench and shake, the muscles pulled tight with pain. Behind him the house door opens and closes, the iron back gate creaks, the sound of rapid footsteps through snow reaches him. He turns in time for you to throw your arms around him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," You squeeze your arms tightly around his shoulders. Price wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you more securely against his chest. You pull away too quickly to cup his face graciously, briefly, between your hands. He can feel his tethers singing for you as you leave his hold, eager to have you close again. His fingers still drag along your waist, reluctant to stop touching you as you turn to grab his injured hand.

Your fingers are so gentle as they graze the outer edges of the wound. Your expression pained, it makes him want to rip his hand from your hold. Instead he lets you finish your exam, his fingers tightening on your waist when you prod a little too hard. You mumble a quiet apology and release his hand, crouching to pick up a handful of snow.

"This might feel a little strange," You tell him, without actually telling him what exactly it is that's going to feel strange. You press the snow against his hand, careful to spread the ice down his fingers as well. Sort of weird that you'd think he'd never iced a burn before.

You lean over his hand, your face close to the snow, close enough he can feel the brush of your breath as you exhale. Then your lips move, and he feels it. The soft shift of the wind, the ringing in his ears, the lacing of his skin knitting back together under rapidly melting ice, the magic that races up his arm and circulates through his heart like a shot of ecstasy. Your grip on his wrist is far flung from the light touches it was, and he sees why now.

Your magic makes him want to jerk away, an involuntary reaction that he tries to steady as soon as it happens. It's hot and molten, it rustles past his ears like a sea breeze, and it is a foreign body invading his own. Price's pulse races, instinct keyed to the highest settings, and you are mouthwatering. All potential power and pretty packaging. He brushes your hair off your neck with his uninjured hand. You're so trusting. He can feel the itch in his teeth, and smell blood.

Price grips your shoulder hard enough to bruise, and leans down to press his teeth to your neck. He can feel your pulse rushing under his tongue, smell your scent under all those lovely herbs. You drop his hand and he's quick to thread it through your hair, to hold your neck long for his consumption. There's no pain, and the tethers between you are so brilliantly warm. No pain. Price blinks. The ringing is gone, the sea breeze gone, you're not holding his hand. You're finished.

He pull back, looks at how you've squeezed your eyes shut, lips thin with fear. That's not right. Fuck.

"Fuck," Price clears his throat, it feels like he hasn't had anything to drink in days, "I'm not gonna hurt you, that's-" He takes his hands off you, as a show of sincerity. Tension bleeds out of you as you open your eyes.

"I told you, it'll feel weird." You tell him, turning quickly to go and grab your watering can. Weird is not how he'd describe it, nor is that how he would've warned about it. But it's done now.

"That was real magic," Price swallows, flexes his fingers now miraculously, magically, healed. You don't miss a step in your quick pace back to your garden.

"It's all real magic," You call over your shoulder, "I just didn't use a buffer this time."

You only turn to look at him when you're closing your garden gate, your smile a little shy and your cheeks pink. You mouth a last 'thank you' and disappear into your house. It's strange. There should be a new tether between you, something solid, something the weight of unfiltered magical expertise, but there's nothing. Even done out of just the kindness of your heart he should have some evidence that you'd done him a service, nobody gives themselves that freely. Even those that do, a recipient would never accept such a gift without a debt; save maybe the few foolish enough to think they're in love.

Fuck.

482 notes · View notes

jess-the-vampire · 11 months

Photo

Happy Birthday Arofam

#a reverse of feathers and mud #a reverse of feathers and mud au #areverseoffeathersandmudau #the owl house #toh #emperor belos #the owl house hunter #golden guard #the golden guard #kikimora #philip wittebane #eda clawthorne #eda the owl witch #luz noceda #my art

485 notes · View notes

oobbbear · 29 days

Note

Are soul gems the only way to bring life to a doll? Or could one possibly place a living soul in one?

Oh boy lemme introduce you to Elleno, not from the same story but she specializes in exact that

#witch au #orange knife #ask #my art #now I’m thinking about #OK and Elleno would be bff #one make dolls #one collects #both awful people #but hey we support women wrong in this house

99 notes · View notes

emoreooo · 6 months

Text

i have so many thoughts about @zntauri ’s toh x omori crossover

252 notes · View notes

andygonzart · 11 months

Text

Golden Hour

#my art #the owl house #luz noceda #amity blight #lumity #spider-witch au

336 notes · View notes

pistachi0art · 10 months

Text

The drawings I did for the Joshua segment for @hlvrai-twh ^^ nothing bad happens I swear

#late night posting #Gordo’s going through it #not just in the game lol #they need family counseling/ therapy #hlvrai twh #the witch's house au #oc x canon #sad selfie lmao- idk don’t think about it too much #hlvrai gordos feetman #hlvrai gordon #hlvrai joshua #spoilers ig??#I don’t think I have to tag Kell idk #that’s the other dudes name btw #kell castillo

145 notes · View notes

kaimukiwahine · 5 months

Text

@hlvrai-twh

#the witch's house au #“[Untitled]” or “Turing Test”#I keep hoping to fix or change things but I just can't. Not anymore.#(Idk man I'm tired ha....)#into the draw pile #hlvrai tommy

21 notes · View notes

queenofcats17 · 1 year

Text

The Birthday Boy

So, I haven’t done a Tommy-focused fic for @hlvrai-twh. And I’m gonna do that now!

I'm guessing on a lot of the G stuff, so I might be proven wrong later in the blog.

Once again, here is the AO3 series.

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

Tommy had felt pretty bad about how Benrey had been treated during the game, and he’d fully intended to find Benrey after his birthday party to apologize for what had happened. Benrey was his friend, after all, and Tommy certainly hadn’t enjoyed having to fight his oldest friend. He could understand why Benrey had been the bad guy, what with the cutting off of Gordon’s arm and continuing to be antagonistic, but Gordon certainly hadn’t helped the situation by lashing out at Benrey. Plus, Benrey just didn’t really...get how humans worked. Gordon didn’t know that, though. From Gordon’s perspective, Benrey no doubt seemed incredibly cruel and callous.

The point was, they both had valid grievances, and Tommy hoped maybe if he could get them both to see that, they could all be friends again. Normally he wasn’t the biggest fan of having to moderate conflict, but he knew how stubborn both Benrey and Gordon could be and figured the interaction would benefit from his mediation. They both liked him, after all. They both trusted him. They would listen to what he had to say. He was sure they could talk this out and everything would be fine.

Then the swap had happened and the game reset.

And Tommy forgot everything.

At first, everything was alright. Or, as alright as things could be when he was trapped in a twisted version of his workplace. He was trapped and terrified, but at least he wasn’t alone. He had Gordon and there weren’t any monsters actively threatening to kill him at every turn. Although he didn’t remember the first run, he did feel a strange sense of relief every time he turned a corner and there wasn’t a hoard of enemies ready to jump out at him. He hadn’t even really needed the pipe he’d picked up to defend himself.

Things didn’t stay alright, though.

For starters, the man he thought was Gordon ended up losing an arm. That had terrified Tommy, as he hadn’t been sure what would happen to “Gordon”. They didn’t have access to any proper first aid kits. What if “Gordon” got an infection? What if he ended up losing too much blood? Tommy had been so scared that he was about to lose his friend. It had been such a relief when “Gordon” had eventually woken up again.

Reuniting with Coomer had been a slightly stressful experience as well, not just because Tommy had been dealing with an injured friend. Seeing Coomer had filled him with a sense of impending dread, the likes of which he’d never felt before. At the time, he hadn’t understood why he’d felt that way. He should have been happy to see Coomer. Doctor Coomer was his friend! But he hadn’t been happy. He’d been afraid, sure something bad was coming.

Perhaps that dread had come from the unconscious knowledge that this was all wrong. That they had done this dance before to a different song. Maybe he’d known, somehow, that the man with him wasn’t truly Gordon Freeman, and that Coomer did not consider this “Gordon” an ally. That knowledge surely brought up associations with the fight against Coomer’s clones. But this was all speculation. There was no way he could know for sure what the cause was.

The only thing he knew was that Doctor Coomer’s presence made him feel that something was very very wrong.

And then had come the less than tactful delivery of the truth of the situation while in the library: Benrey had stolen Gordon’s body and was trying to escape, leaving Gordon to be deleted in his place.

Having that knowledge so suddenly thrust upon him had...not been great for Tommy’s mental health. At the moment, he’d become overwhelmed by what he felt was the sheer hopelessness of the situation. He didn’t know how to help Gordon, how to fix things. He wanted to fix things. He needed to fix things. He couldn’t just let Gordon suffer like this. Gordon was his friend! But also, what would they even do if they got the chance to fix things? How did they fix this?

It was all just...so much.

There was so much he needed to juggle, so much he needed to remember and consider. They needed to get out, they needed to help Gordon, and they needed to make sure Benrey didn’t hurt them.

There was also something else that Tommy was trying very hard not to think about, but that his mind kept drifting back to.

Why had Benrey done all of this?

No one seemed to have an answer for that, and he certainly wasn’t going to ask Benrey about it.

Tommy kept coming back to that question, though. Why had Benrey done all of this? Why would he have done something so horrible to Gordon? Tommy knew Benrey! Or, at least, he’d thought he did. He’d never thought Benrey would have the capacity to do anything so heinous. If it had only been to avoid deletion, then why hadn’t Benrey come to Tommy or the others? They would have helped him. He had to know that, right? They were his friends. They wouldn’t have just let him be deleted.

So why? Why steal Gordon’s life and body? Why doom Gordon to be killed in his place?

It just...didn’t make sense to Tommy.

He also couldn’t help but feel a sort of...betrayal at all of this. Benrey had stolen Gordon’s body and was now putting all of them in danger. And for what? Just to avoid deletion? Why hadn’t he trusted them to help him?

He didn’t fully understand why Benrey had done what he had until he remembered the events of the first game. That made him feel even more angry and betrayed.

“He did all of this because- because he was mad we made him the bad guy?!” He yelled as he paced his little office. “That’s- That’s- THAT’S SO STUPID!”

Coomer simply watched from his chair as Tommy paced.

“Why didn’t he just talk to us?!” Tommy continued. “Didn’t he think about what the consequences would be?!”

“I don’t think he did,” Coomer said.

Tommy stopped, looking back at the older scientist in confusion. “What?”

“I don’t think he thought about any of it,” Coomer continued. “From what I observed, I don’t believe his thought process went beyond “I want Gordon to hurt and I don’t want to die”. I don’t think he considered what any of the consequences would be or how painful it would be for both Gordon and himself.”

Tommy was momentarily silent, then groaned and covered his face with his hands. “He’s such a fucking idiot,” he muttered darkly.

“Yes, yes he is.” Coomer agreed with a solemn nod.

When Null arrived, Tommy tried to be as friendly as he could toward him. This was still his friend, he told himself. This was still Gordon. And he needed to make sure Gordon didn’t feel lonely. Not to mention, he couldn't help but feel guilty. Both for not being able to help Gordon and for his father’s role in everything.

Having Sunkist around definitely helped. Whenever Tommy was feeling overwhelmed, all he had to do was find Sunkist and bury his face in her fur and he would feel better. Sunkist seemed to improve Null’s mood as well, so Tommy often brought her to the cave when Null was having a bad day.

“Do you think I could bring Joshua here?” Null asked one day when Tommy had brought Sunkist over.

Tommy stiffened, avoiding Null’s gaze as he stroked Sunkist’s back. “I, uh, I don’t- I don’t know, Mr. Fr- Uh, Mr. Null. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you brought Sunkist into the game,” Null said. “She’s technically just a part of your pre-programmed backstory, but you brought her here anyway. So maybe I can bring Joshua here.” He looked so hopeful it made Tommy’s heart hurt.

“Are you- Do you really think it would be a good idea to bring a kid here?” Tommy asked. “This is a pretty dangerous place.”

Null’s face fell. “That’s...a good point,” he conceded. “I just...I miss him.”

Sunkist turned her attention to Null, getting up on her hind legs to lick at his face.

“Whoa, hey!” Null laughed, gently pushing Sunkist away. “Alright! Alright! I’ll stop being sad!”

Sunkist sat down, barking out some sweetvoice.

“She doesn’t want you to stop feeling sad,” Tommy said. “She wants you to know that you’re not alone.” He reached out and put a hand on Null’s shoulder. “It’s...It’s okay if it hurts. I can’t- I can’t imagine how hard it must be to be away from your son. But you’re- you’re not alone. We’re here for you.”

He didn’t say they’d find a way to get Gordon back to Joshua. He couldn’t promise that. He didn’t know if Benrey would even come back. As much as he wanted to promise they’d find a way to let him see Joshua, he couldn’t give Gordon false hope.

Null smiled softly, putting his hand over Tommy’s. “Thanks, Tommy. I appreciate it.”

Tommy cried after he left Null’s cave. He holed himself up in his room with Sunkist and he cried.

It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. Why did it have to be this way? They should have been able to do something to stop this. They should have been able to save Gordon. It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair.

It was a day or two before Tommy visited Null again, not that time had any meaning in the game. Null didn’t comment on Tommy’s long absence, as Tommy was often gone for days at a time when he got caught up in an experiment. Tommy still felt guilty, though.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Null asked, frowning slightly.

“I...don’t think we can bring Joshua here,” Tommy said, avoiding looking at Null.

“Oh.” The disappointment was clear in Null’s voice. “Well, I guess I should have expected that.”

“I’m sorry,” Tommy said again, fiddling with his lab coat.

“It’s alright,” Null assured him. “It’s not your fault.”

And yet, Tommy couldn’t help but feel that it was. He’d failed to save Gordon. He’d failed to ensure Gordon would see his son again.

But he couldn’t tell Null any of that.

So he forced himself to smile. “Okay. Do you, uh, do you want to play fetch with Sunkist?”

Null smiled back. “Sounds good.”

Tommy didn’t talk to his father much. That had been true even before all this had happened. Or, at least, that was what his memories told him. Talking to his father could be...hard. Tommy’s father had always thought in terms of the big picture, the long term, the large scale. It meant he was almost always prepared for the worst-case scenario but fell flat when it came to the littler, more mundane problems.

Tommy had deliberately avoided his father after the game had ended. He didn’t know just how much his father had been involved in what had happened, but he still felt hurt and betrayed. He felt like, if his father had as much power as everyone said he did, he should have done something to stop this. His father should have kept this from happening, should have kept Benrey from escaping, should have kept Gordon from dying. His father, to his credit, hadn’t tried to force Tommy to talk to him, remaining outside of the map to work on Gordon’s code.

Once Gordon returned as Null, Gman simply observed, knowing the other AIs didn’t want to see him. Although he hadn’t been able to save Gordon’s passport, he had managed to salvage the photo of Joshua, which he gave to Null when Tommy asked. That request had been the most they’d talked before Benrey came back.

Tommy only went to properly talk to his father after Benrey had returned to the game. After he was sure that things were going to be alright. As he’d expected, he found his father outside the map, waiting for him.

“...Hi, Dad.”

“Hello, Tommy.” Gman nodded slightly.

Although he looked the perfect picture of calm professionalism, Tommy could tell he was somewhat nervous due to the occasional tapping of his foot. Tommy couldn’t help but feel a sort of vindictive satisfaction at this. Good, his father should be nervous.

For a moment or two, the two of them just stood there, floating in the void outside the map.

Then, Tommy asked the question that he’d been dreading the answer to, “Did Benrey learn that body-switching thing from you?”

Gman visibly flinched, turning away from his son. He didn’t even need to say anything for Tommy to know what the answer was, but he spoke anyway. “...He did.”

Tommy had predicted that would be the answer, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. He’d hoped this hadn’t been because of his father. He’d hoped Benrey had found the spell somewhere else. Deep down, though, he’d known that this all came from his father.

“Why?” He demanded, already feeling tears stinging his eyes. “Why did you teach it to him?! None of this would have happened if you hadn’t taught him that spell!”

“I know.” Gman’s voice was quiet and weary. His shoulders slumped as he continued to avoid looking at Tommy.

It only made Tommy angrier. If his father had known this would happen, then why had he done it?! Why had he given Benrey the tools to do such awful things?!

“Why did you even tell him in the first place?!” Tommy rubbed furiously at his eyes, willing the tears to stop. He couldn’t do this right now. He couldn’t break down. If he broke down, he wouldn’t be able to get any answers. “You had to know what he was going to do!”

Gman was silent for a long time before answering. “...He threatened to hurt you. I did not know if he was bluffing, but it was not a bluff I was willing to call.”

Now it was Tommy’s turn to go quiet. A part of him thought that maybe he should be happy that his father cared so much about him. Another part just felt guilty. His father wouldn’t have given Benrey the spell if he hadn’t been worried for Tommy’s safety. The one time his father hadn’t thought in terms of the big picture and it was because of him.

“Once the switch had occurred, I did what I could to save Mr. Freeman’s data and keep you safe, although my powers were severely limited as a result of Benrey’s actions,” Gman continued. “I understand that nothing I say will excuse what I did, but I...truly am sorry. I did not want this to happen”

Tommy didn’t say anything. His emotions had gone on such a roller coaster and now he just felt drained. Continuing to be angry wasn’t going to help him. There would be no fight, no tearful apology. This was the best he was going to get. His father thought through reactions and responses ahead of time. This was the response that had been decided upon and it likely wouldn’t be changed. At least he’d apologized.

Gman waited patiently for Tommy’s response.

“I...Thanks for apologizing,” Tommy finally said. “I appreciate it. I think Gordon’s the one you really need to apologize to, though.”

“I will,” Gman assured him. “Once he’s more...emotionally stable.”

Tommy let out a long exhale. “Thanks, Dad.”

Then, he turned and left.

Things were...tense after Benrey returned to the game.

By the time Benrey swapped back with Gordon, Tommy was considerably less angry with Benrey and more willing to spend time with him. He’d seen how sincerely sorry Benrey was and how much he genuinely wanted to make amends. Benrey was trying to be better, Tommy could see it. So, Tommy would come to see him and try to get him to do things other than mope.

But when Benrey had first returned...Tommy hadn’t wanted anything to do with him. He’d still been furious and hurt by Benrey’s actions, remaining cold toward Benrey every time they’d interacted. He was glad Benrey was trying to make amends, but he’d needed to be angry about everything for a while. It still really hurt. He’d thought they were friends. He’d thought Benrey trusted him. But Benrey had been willing to let all of them die just to save his own skin.

Not once did Benrey object to Tommy’s cold shoulder, a treatment Forzen and Coomer also employed, nor the open hostility showed by Bubby nor Darnold’s deliberate avoidance.

Things continued like this for a bit before Tommy finally sat Benrey down and asked all the questions that had been stewing in his mind for ages now.

Benrey had known he wasn’t going to like this conversation as soon as Tommy had grabbed his arm and dragged him to an empty room, but he hadn’t protested. Whatever was coming, he figured he deserved it.

“I want to talk,” Tommy said, turning to face Benrey after making sure to close the door.

“Okay?” Benrey stayed where he was, trying to make himself as small as possible.

“Don’t...Don’t do that,” Tommy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m not- I didn’t bring you here to yell at you. I just...I have questions.”

“...Okay.” Benrey unclenched himself a little bit but remained tense and afraid.

Tommy sighed again, his shoulders slumping. “I thought we were friends, Benrey.”

It was like their conversation in the hallway all over again. Benrey probably should have expected this would come sooner or later. They’d never really finished that conversation, had they? Tommy had been avoiding him ever since that day.

“...I know.” Benrey hung his head.

“Did you really not think about how any of this would affect us?” Tommy asked.

“I just...I just wanted him to hurt like I had,” Benrey mumbled. “I didn’t wanna be bad, but he made me bad. You all made me bad. It wasn’t fair. I didn’t...I didn’t wanna think I did anything wrong.” Tears were welling up in his eyes at the memory of what he’d done, the pain and rage reflected back at him on a face that was no longer his own. “I didn’t think about what was gonna happen after. I know I did bad. I know I did. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“I was going to apologize to you after the party, you know,” Tommy said. “I felt bad that you were the bad guy. Gordon was kind of a dick to you. But you were a dick right back. You both had valid grievances and I- I was going to make you talk it out so we could all be friends again.” Now Tommy was tearing up, all his emotions beginning to boil over. “You didn’t need to do any of this, Benrey! We could have worked it out! If you’d just told us we would’ve helped you!”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Benrey had transitioned to full-on sobbing, his arms wrapped desperately around himself as trying to bring himself some small modicum of comfort from the guilt weighing him down.

“Did you not trust us?” Benrey full-on sobbing had made Tommy start full-on sobbing now too. All his bottled-up pain and anger were spilling out now. “Did you not think we’d help you? We’re your friends!”

“I know! I wasn’t thinking about it! I’m sorry!” And he was, he truly was. He’d been sorry ever since the switch had first occurred. It was too late to back out by that point, though. And he hadn’t wanted to believe he was the bad guy. He hadn’t wanted to be bad. He couldn’t be bad.

“Why didn’t you trust us, Benrey?” Tommy demanded. “Why didn’t you trust me?” His voice broke on the last word, all the anger draining away to be replaced by raw, genuine pain. “I thought I was your friend.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I know, I’m sorry.” Benrey collapsed to the ground, covering his face with his hands, his whole body wracked with great heaving sobs.

Tommy had thought that this would bring him some form of catharsis or closure. Instead, he just felt tired. All of this made him tired. Now that the danger had passed, he so often found his emotional wells depleted. Dealing with all these emotions and conflicts was exhausting.

Tommy didn’t know how long precisely Benrey cried for. He cried a bit himself, but it was mostly little sniffles, much quieter than Benrey’s body-shaking sobs.

Finally, Benrey seemed to cry himself out, slumping back against the wall behind him. He looked especially like Gordon when he was exhausted. It was maybe slightly concerning that Tommy categorized “exhaustion” as a Gordon-like expression. He’d unpack that later.

Tommy was about to suggest they go back to the others when Benrey suddenly spoke, “Are we still friends?”

Tommy froze, halfway through kneeling to help Benrey up. How was he supposed to answer that?

Benrey, in turn, didn’t dare say anything. He didn’t want to pressure Tommy into answering.

“I don’t...I don’t know,” Tommy finally said after a painfully long silence.

Benrey visibly cringed, drawing into himself. He’d had a feeling that would be the response. It didn’t make it hurt any less.

“I...I still want to be friends,” Tommy continued. “But I...We need to work back up to where we were.”

“I understand,” Benrey mumbled, lowering his head.

“Look, let’s just...let’s go back to the others.” Tommy knelt, holding out a hand to Benrey. “We can- We can talk more about this later.”

“Okay.” Benrey sniffled, taking Tommy’s hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

It was a start, Tommy told himself as they headed back to the group. Maybe it wasn’t all fixed, but it was a start. They could get better from here.

For the first time in a while, Tommy actually believed that everything was going to be alright.

#hlvrai #fanfiction #the witch's house au

16 notes · View notes