This Will Not End Well

Tracking -- askthah Currently: Active Status: Phase Two Askbox: Open Sidebar thanks to asksds Icon and all header images by cute-anonyme

[moddethah]

Hey, I'm quite a fan of Ask Team Heaven and Hell. You haven't posted in a while, are you on hiatus? The blog isn't dying off, is it??

Hello! So sorry for the late reply to this. Tumblr has decidednot to notify me when I get asks… Gotta love it, right?

The short answer is: no, the blog isn’t dying off. The longanswer is a lot more complicated.

I started this blog back in college, but the truth was I hadplanned out my sinblog back in the “heyday” of the sindom when I was still in highschool. I don’t want to bore you with the meta answer but at the end of the dayas my sense of “good writing” has matured I’m not as happy with the early direction Iplanned for a lot of these characters. Rather than just retcon the whole thingor kill them all off, I’ve been trying to come up with more creative methods toeither force change some of the characters or have them exit gracefully and allowa different, more nuanced character take their place. Obviously, this requiresthinking which I am notoriously horribleat.

The other half of it is very personal and I’m going to sayit just because I feel I owe my followers an explanation but for those who don’twant to hear it, I’ll put a cut you can skip the details.

The general of it is that I haven’t had the emotional energyto work on the blog. The next arc is mostly written, but it is very heavy andintense, and even though it can be posted I don’t feel comfortable at themoment going back through it to make sure I post it in coherent order and to do all the double checking, grammar checking, detail work.

Last fall I had to drop out of college to come home and bethe full-time caretaker for my father whose health started to decline very fast.Living at my parents’ house basically tanked my mental health as being aroundthem worsens my anxiety and depression by a thousand. This was only meant to bea temporary arrangement and I fully intended to return to school after a half-year(or max full year) break.

In September, my fiancée called off our engagement and endeda four-year relationship (which I later found out was due to them cheating onme), in November my uncle had a major heart attack, and in December my fatherpassed away. From January to March at least one member of my family was in thehospital at some point. Our family cat, who is now 15, started having seizures and may have to be put down later this year. April would have been my father’s 61stbirthday.

I was working retail which is soul-draining work. The job I got after that was a bit better but the building was literally poisoning us all so I was in the hospital for a bit. My current job has mandatory overtime which means I’mworking 50+ hours a week, plus helping my mother out around the house. There’sa lot of stuff I need to take care of IRL before I can start doing writingstuff, and by the time all the IRL stuff is done I’m so exhausted I just wantto go to bed.

Unfortunately, these kinds of things don’t just go away. There’sno endzone where one day it will magically be all better. As much fun as theblog can be, the story is headed in a certain direction that I am really excitedfor. I don’t want to detract from that with a bunch of fluffy, light fillercontent and then punch everyone in the face with the serious stuff.

I can understand the concern with On Hiatus Off Hiatus, andI am very sorry about how long it’s been. I do still love this blog, and I lovethe characters, and I am super excited for the path I have planned out. It’sjust difficult to get back into it at the moment.

No promises, but hopefully I’ll be able to start postingmore soon! Thank you for checking up on me!

[askthah]

For anyone who doesn’t follow my mod blog... a bit of an explanation as to where I’ve been.

[askthah]

One Bad Night - Part IV

Britt.

Her face was screwed up in fury, and she had a bloody gash across her face, but Jules would know her anywhere. She had managed to drive her own dagger deep into her assailant’s arm, but it didn’t seem to be doing much other than ticking it off.

Before he could second guess himself, Jules launched himself forward, using his momentum to drive his dagger through the angel’s back he figured its heart was. The force of his jump kept him going, and the three of them tumbled unceremoniously over the bar towards the floor.

Britt, far more adept than him, rolled to the side before they landed on her. Jules was less fortunate, and his full weight hit the angel, driving the hilt of the dagger into his ribs.

Someone grabbed him by the collar and dragged him backwards, nearly hurling him out of the way as the remaining hunters took the opening he gave them to finish the job.

It wasn’t nearly as quick as he would have liked: the angel wasn’t half dead and being stabbed multiple times only served to enrage it further, but knowing what it was gave the hunters an advantage. By the time Jules had regained his breath, his ribs still aching something fierce, the fight was over.

The bar was an absolute wreck. It appeared as though none of the furniture had survived the melee. There was blood everywhere he looked, and after a few moments the angel’s corpse burst into a brilliant flame, the gold-tinted fire leaving nothing but ash and scorch marks behind.

No one was paying any attention to him, so Jules used the edge of the bar to haul himself to his feet. He caught sight of Britt on the other side of the room, and began making his way through the mess to get to her side. Someone had given her a first aid kit, and she was in the middle of cleaning a nasty looking cut on Colton’s cheek when Jules knelt down beside her.

“Look who showed up late to the party,” Colton’s voice sounded abused, but he cracked one eye open to get a good look at Jules. “Never thought we’d see you again.” Jules blinked hard, suddenly finding himself fighting back tears.

“You know me,” he replied, forcing a smile onto his face. “Someone’s gotta be around to save your asses.” Colton snorted, and it caused him to cough. Jules frowned, eyebrows drawing together. He would have gotten up to get water, but one of the other hunters came by and handed him two bottles, acknowledging him with a slight head nod.

“Get a load of this guy,” Colton managed once quit grimacing. “Guess we should all be glad the hero showed up, eh?” He nudged Britt’s leg with his knee, but she didn’t look up from her work, purposefully ignoring the two of them. Jules reached out suddenly, wrapping his hand around Colton’s and squeezing it, as though to prove to himself he was real, that he wasn’t dreaming.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” he said softly, and he hated the way his voice shook. “I’m sorry I didn’t look for you guys sooner.”

“I’m not dead yet,” Colton grumbled. “A bit banged up, but a fair way from dead.” He reached up with his other hand, messing with Jules’ hair the way he had so long ago. “You showed up when it mattered, and that’s what counts.”

“Damn good timing,” one of the other hunters commented, coming over to help Britt get Colton to his feet. “Don’t know what we would have done if that bastard had taken both of you out.” He gave Jules a shrewd look as he gingerly climbed to his feet. “Real good timing.”

“I got a tip some friends were in it deep,” Jules explained, not untruthfully. “Figured it was time I got off my ass and did something about it.”

“Good man,” the hunter said, clapping him on the shoulder. He turned to Britt and Colton. “Not to compound the bad news, but one of those blasts did some damage outside as well. Doesn’t seem like your car made it.”

“If the car is the worst of it, then it was a good night,” Britt spoke finally, a wry smile in her voice. Her eyes flicked over to Jules, before going back to the hunter. “Seems like we’ve got a friend here. If you don’t mind, I want to get Deorc here away from the crowd so he lets me look at his ribs.”

“Go on,” another hunter walked up to them, handing Jules his knife with a smile. “We can handle clean up: you’ve done your parts.”

“I’m sorry for your dead,” Jules said, feeling somehow inadequate. He hadn’t known these people, and it wasn’t his fault they were dead, but he couldn’t not say something.

“They knew the risk they took,” the second hunter told him, placing a hand on his arm briefly. “Take care of these two, will you?” She eyed Britt and Colton critically. “Someone ought to.”

“I’ll do my best,” Jules promised, picking up the two water bottles they had been given and leading the others out of the bar. At Britt’s silent direction, he grabbed their coats out of the front room, but neither of them were in any state to put them on.

One of the angel’s sonic blasts had done serious damage outside. The man hadn’t been kidding when he said the car wouldn’t make it: the four cars parked along the front wall had all their windows smashed out, and they were all leaking some sort of liquid. Britt stopped them for a moment next to a dark blue SUV, placing her hand on the back briefly. After a moment she shook her head, allowing Jules to take Colton’s weight so she could yank the back open and retrieve their stuff. Britt left him to help Colton as she arranged their four bags into a manageable bundle and followed him across the road. Jules could feel her eyes burning into his back with every step.

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Vii & Ezra

It was the perfect night.

The two of them reclined in the hilltop, not quite lying down just yet as the world darkened around them. It was cold, typical for the season, though they were lucky to not be buried in snow.

Above them, the blue of the day’s sky was lighting up brilliantly as the sun set.

It was rare, so achingly rare, that they had a moment to relax, to watch night fall over a landscape as serene as this. To watch the sky blaze with reds, purples, and golds as night pulled itself across the earth.

Well, one of them was watching the sky.

He couldn’t tear his eyes from her face. She was breathtaking, even then. No matter how many years would pass, he would always find himself blindsided by her perfection.

As though she felt his gaze on her she turned, caught his eye, and smiled.

Mirror, she said, my Mirror, we came to watch the sky. If we wanted to watch each other we could have stayed where it was safe.

Safe, oh how safe was in short supply these days. Travelling to Earth had been a risk, but one he was willing to take if only to see that look on her face as the sky brightened like fire before the darkness.

My Sunset, he whispered, and then her name, Ezra, my love, how could I tear my eyes away from the true beauty of the day?

She smiled, a playfulness curling the corners of her mouth. She shifted easily, leaning her weight against him as she watched the last few rays of sunlight sparkle across the clear sky. They stayed there, side by side, until long after the stars arrived.

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Galentine’s Day

“She got you too, huh?” Chancey remarked as she stepped into the shop. Ellie, who had been trying to ignore the absolutely massive flower arrangement that now took up half the counter space, flushed crimson.

“Please tell me Léonie didn’t send one to everyone.” There was a distinct note of existential dread in her voice that made Chancey grin.

“From what I hear, everyone got one.” Chancey leaned against the counter and reached up to investigate the bouquet. “Yours has more carnations in it than mine did.”

“You like roses more than me,” Ellie mumbled, waving in final farewell to her coworkers before she attempted to manhandle her ‘gift’ out the door.

Chancey just laughed at her. “Here.” She tossed Ellie her car keys. “I get the flowers, you get the car.”

Once the flowers were, somewhat safely, stowed in the back, Chancey gunned it down the road. They were expected for dinner, a plan Ellie hadn’t realized she’d agreed to.

It had been her complete intention to return home and unwind. Valentine’s wasn’t nearly as stressful for bakers as, say, florists, but they had still gotten slammed with orders. She couldn’t deny the appeal of a single-ladies-night-out, though she was somewhat skeptical that both Chancey and Léonie were involved.

“Remind me to never let you drive me somewhere again,” Ellie said as she staggered out of the car. Chancey grinned at her, unrepentant. “You drive just as bad as Liis.”

Liis and Brodie had beaten them there, the two of them leaning against the low wall outside the restaurant. Liis seemed her usual bored, while Brodie just looked annoyed that she’d been forced to wear shoes.

“Ouch,” the woman in question said in mock hurt. “You wound me.”

“Did you get flowers too?” Ellie asked, and the look of disapproval on Liis’ face made her laugh out loud.

“Tasty,” Brodie answered instead, earning her a hard stare from Chancey.

“You ate them?”

“Salad.”

“Flowers aren’t salad Brodie,” Chancey argued, Liis shaking her head in the background.

“You’re fighting a hopeless battle friend,” Liis told her, turning her head to watch Sévérine and Léonie walk towards them.

“Good, everyone’s here!” Léonie clapped her hands once in excitement, causing her sister to wince ant the sound.

“The flowers and invitations were hardly subtle,” Liis remarked dryly, moving to open the restaurant door. “Don’t you have a boy-toy to spend the night with?”

“The point of Galentine’s day is no boy-toys,” Léonie declared. Sévérine rolled her eyes behind her sister’s back helplessly. Go with it, she mouthed. Ellie grinned.

“Just gals being pals.”

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Lux & Francis

For once it was Francis leading the way, not Lux.

Not that he had really expected Lux to be any help, considering how bad he was at romantic things in general. If he were being honest with himself, Francis hadn’t expected Lux to agree to a themed date night. In fairness to Lux, he hadn’t really warned him. Too much risk he would run.

The streets were, not surprisingly, packed as they wove their way across town. Lux had been mostly quiet since he’d picked Francis up. Unusual, but he had at least listened when Francis told him to dress up.

“Are you throwing a hissy fit?” Francis asked, finally breaking the silence between them. “I hadn’t realized you were so opposed to romance.”

“If you wanted to do something romantic, we could have stayed home,” Lux grumbled, but he tightened his grip on Francis’ hand. “At least at home I wouldn’t have to wear pants.”

“If you weren’t wearing pants you would never focus,” Francis argued, though he couldn’t disguise the delight he felt that Lux was finally talking. “And it would ruin the Plan.”

Lux raised an eyebrow at him “The Plan? Capital P? Sounds sinister.” Francis stepped sideways and bumped into him.

“You like it when I plan things,” he said, allowing Lux to tug him out of the way as a particularly rowdy group of teenagers thundered past them. “If it were up to you we’d stay home, order pizza, and have sex all night.”

“Sex is fun,” Lux told him with a shrug, but there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes when he glanced over at him. “I suppose a romantic dinner can be fun too.”

Francis leaned his head against Lux’s shoulder. “Just one night, okay? One night for us to be in love with nothing else.” Lux didn’t respond, and when Francis glanced up he noticed it was red with embarrassment.

“You’re gross,” he muttered after a few moments, but he wrapped an arm around Francis’ shoulders to keep him close. “You’re so gross.”

“Because I love you?”

“Stooooop!”

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Noah & Hadley

She was in the middle of tying the last bow on the present when someone finally knocked on her door.

“Just a minute!” Hadley called, rushing to shove all the supplies into a drawer. Not that it would matter if her room was a mess, Noah would never be able to tell, but her parents had raised her to straighten up when guests came over and that was what she did.

Straighten up. Ha.

The bow might have been a waste, along with the wrapping paper. It just didn’t seem right to hand a present over with no pizazz. Even if Noah couldn’t see the pizazz, she could feel it. Literally, not in her heart. Well… maybe in her heart.

When she bounded over to open the door, there was a quiet murmuring of voices on the other side. One of Noah’s new friends, teammates?, must have brought her over. Hadley didn’t recognize who it was when she opened the door, but they clearly weren’t interested in staying long.

“Hey friend!” Noah greeted cheerfully, waiting for Hadley to take her arm to lead her inside. “Sorry I’m late.”

“No problem,” Hadley replied easily, waiting for Noah to toe out of her shoes before helping her get to the couch. “I like the dress. It’s new?”

She had, as far as she could remember, never seen Noah wear anything with color. All of her clothes were somewhere on the scale of black to white. It meant it was easier for Noah to dress herself: no concerns over clashing colors. The dress she had on was light pink, and absolutely dripping with red glitter.

Noah laughed. “It’s my Valentine’s Day dress! I got it special.” She fiddled with the hem of the skirt for a moment before smoothing it out. “Do you like it?”

“It’s pretty,” Hadley agreed easily. Not a lie, the dress looked lovely, if not a little extra for her taste. But Noah was always a bit extra around this time of the year.

“So, what’s the plan?” Noah relaxed back onto the couch while Hadley raced around the room, gathering up the drinks and snacks she’d prepared earlier.

“We’ve got a movie marathon,” Hadley started, gingerly setting everything down on the table. “Lots of snacks, and a rumor that we miiiight be able to order some food for dinner.”

“Heck yeah!” Noah cheered. “Party time!”

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Tiffany & Lowell

The press of his hands against her hips was a welcome feeling. Despite being nearly four months out from having given birth, Tiffany still wasn’t happy with her body.

“You worry too much,” Lowell told her, as if sensing her thoughts. He kissed his way up her neck to her cheek.

“I just got the twins down for their nap,” she replied, sort of a warning even as she leaned into his touch.

“So they’ll be busy for a while,” he murmured, pulling her back against him. “It’s a day for lovers, not worriers.”

“I like to worry,” she sighed, turning in his embrace and pressing a kiss to his lips. “I’m good at it.”

Lowell smiled against her mouth. “I know.” His hands slid from her hips, using a firm grip on her butt to keep them as close as possible. “But sometimes it’s nice to not worry so much, hm?”

“Lowell,” she started, but her voice was more of a moan than a complaint so she didn’t bother finishing. Probably for the best, considering Lowell’s next move ended with her up on the countertop, his tongue in her mouth as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He had told her he was bringing her a Valentine’s Day present. She had assumed the chocolates and roses would be it. It was rare for someone to offer themselves up as a present. Somehow Lowell made it sexy, not cheesy.

By the time the twins woke up an hour later Tiffany was done feeling bad about herself.

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Nabila & Justice

“I had never considered it that way,” Justice said, her voice thoughtful. “It’s certainly a different interpretation, but still well within the bounds of the law.”

“Right?” Nabila agreed enthusiastically, holding the door open for her friend. “I hadn’t considered it either, but these modern interpretations really make you think.”

Justice cut off her next comment with a low whistle. Their usual, low-key coffee shop had been transformed into a chiffon-and-ribboned madhouse.

“Well,” Nabila said, throat suddenly dry. “That’ll teach us to lose track of what day it is.”

Justice laughed, but it was strained. “I’ll say.” She turned to judge Nabila’s mood, neatly hiding away any sign of pity. Nabila could have kissed her for that. “We can go somewhere else?”

With a deep inhale, Nabila drew herself up. “Nonsense. This is the only café that makes your expresso properly.” She smiled even though it lacked genuineness. “I’ll manage.”

Justice gave her one final look before she shrugged and led the way to the counter. The frazzled barista looked a little too delighted to be able to make a simple drink, rather than what appeared to be the elaborate fast-track to a sugar coma that was the list of special Valentine’s Day drinks.

Nabila indulged herself by adding extra chocolate and whipped cream to her usual. Justice was the one who went all out and bought two cookies. A bonus was that this was one of the only shops that sold fresh baked gluten free cookies, meaning Nabila could enjoy them as well.

Their usual table in the back corner was taken, so instead they selected one under the banks of windows, granting them a beautiful view of the sunny landscape.

Why anyone would spend time in the north where it was cold was beyond Nabila.

Justice wordlessly passed her a cookie, sipping at her expresso like it were a delight rather than the death it tasted like. To each their own.

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Pale & Lady

Gifts are hard.

Chocolate tastes like ash in the mouth.

Perfumes are cloying, harsh, unnatural.

Jewelry tarnishes, breaks, looks too flashy.

Flowers, once cut, can only wither and die.

The beauty of life is that it is finite, she whispers, a breath of fresh air in their ear. She presses the stem of a lily into their hand. In hers, it was vibrant green, the beautiful rosy pink petals damp with life. As their fingers closed around it, golden veins races upwards, flaking off in fine dust until there was naught but a withered husk left.

Death comes to all things, they reply. It is hard to feel anything but sorrow for the loss.

It was just a flower, the Lady of Life presses a kiss against their cheek before moving across the room to lie down. Her lips are warm on their cold skin. It is a kindness they do not deserve. There will be many more that wither away not knowing the appreciation you have shown this one.

Pale sighs, ghosting across the stone floor after her. How helpless they feel in the light of her love. Like a hound following its master faithfully.

Are you my guard dog, or my lover? She wonders, amusement clear on her face. Little more than a pet I keep around for fun?

What sort of fun could Death have? Pale questions sadly, stopping just short of the divan their Lady had reclined on.

Come here, she reaches out a hand towards them. Come to me, my little Death, and I will remind you why our hearts beat as one.

In time, Death comes to all of Life.

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Tsumu & Perversity

“Hey big fella,” she greeted him. He supposed the voice she put on was meant to sound sexy, but it just felt like she was trying too hard.

“Cat ears,” he replied, glancing down at her. “You wanted something?”

Her hands slid up the front of his shirt. “I was thinking we could do a little… collaboration of some kind.” She giggled. “Some things are more fun with two.”

“A tempting offer.” He tried to ignore the way her hands on his body made him feel. “Did you have any specifics in mind, or are we just supposed to wing it?”

“Oh I’m sure we could figure something out.” Perversity pressed her body against his. “Don’t you want to play with me?”

“Of course I do,” Tsumu murmured, reaching out to scratch behind one of her ears. The sound she made was sinful. “But playing with you tends to get me in trouble.”

“Everyone else will be too busy to worry about us.” She sounded far more breathless now that he’d put his hands on her. Interesting. “We- we can do a lot more damage without them ruining it.”

“Fair enough.” He kept his voice low even as her excitement grew. She was so easy to get worked up. “Just the two of us, or should we bring in some others to enjoy?”

Perversity moaned, her whole body shaking. “Shut up, who cares?” She dug her fingers into the fabric of his shirt. “You’re mean, you’re so mean.”

He left one hand on her head, still toying with her ears, and used the other to slide under her skirt. “We’ll start with the two of us, then,” he told her. “And figure it out from there.”

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Nat & Rórdán

“Hello handsome,” Nat purred, nuzzling her face into the soft fur on the cat’s back. “How are you my little gremlin?”

Scampers, the notoriously evil mouser cat, yowled in protest, a display slightly ruined by the rumbling of his purrs that interrupted his angry yelling.

Rórdán watched in amusement, trying to contain his laughter as Nat all but wrestled with the cat. She had a tendency to go for the difficult ones first.

You were easy prey, her thoughts filtered into his mind like a crisp spring breeze. She grinned at him, her cheer bumped up ten notches by the over-the-top pink sweater she was wearing. It was hard to look anything other than brilliantly happy when wearing bright pink.

Rórdán’s sweater was a more modest cherry red, which did nothing for his complexion. Part of being ginger meant always looking redder than he actually was. Maybe a beard would fix it.

Beards are scratchy, Nat argued. Bad for kissing.

Beards are useful for annoying troublesome life-mates, he noted with a grin that made Nat pout. Scampers, realizing she was no longer paying attention to him, howled and moved in for the kill. Unfortunately for him, his claws tangled in the sleeve of Nat’s sweater when she raised her arm to defend her face.

It took both of them, plus a frazzled looking shelter employee, to detangle him. Nat took to the entire thing with an air of regal amusement, a mood that seemed to annoy the cat even more. Once they got him safely back in his crate, Rórdán pulled her towards the door, preempting any further attempts to socialize with the animals in the “troubled” room.

“Matching sweaters, huh?” the attendant asked as she locked the door behind them. “You’re lucky, my boyfriend would never go for it.”

“It was his idea, actually.” Rórdán wrapped his arms around Nat’s waist and put his chin on her shoulder as she spoke.

“Lucky,” the attendant replied somewhat wistfully, her face sliding from Nat’s face to his. Clearly still miffed about the beard comment, Nat turned her head and blew air at his face. “Well, enjoy the rest of your day.”

“Thank you,” Rórdán told her, standing up straight and lacing his fingers with Nat’s. “You as well.”

Nat swing their linked arms wildly as they left the shop. “If you get a beard I won’t wear matching sweaters with you anymore.”

“Of course you will,” Rórdán replied, tone smug. “You like them just as much as I do.”

To shut him up, she kissed him.

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Sirik & Bex

He knocked, knowing full well she would be able to hear him without the bell. It only took a few moments for the door to crack open. As soon as she caught sight of him, it opened all the way.

“I thought you’d forgotten,” she said in lieu of a greeting, ushering him in quickly and setting the wards.

“How could I forget,” Sirik replied gruffly, shuffling gift bag between his hands nervously. “It’s one day a year, and the least I can do.” He obliged her wordless request to take his shoes off.

“Oh papa, you’re so hard on yourself.” Her response came off like a chastisement, but there was only affection in her eyes as she turned to lead him through the house.

“Your mother would have wanted it,” he said softly, trying to disguise the pain he felt. It wouldn’t be right to give it away. “She deserved better.”

Bex rounded on him, laying a gentle hand on his cheek. “My mother loved you,” she told him, the truth ringing in her words. “You have nothing to make up for, papa.”

“I have much to make up for,” he told her, sharing what little bit of truth he thought she deserved. “Do not waste your kindness on this old man, child. Come, I don’t mean to stay long. I’m sure you have dozens of admirers lined up waiting to spend the day with you.”

Bex laughed softly, shaking her head as she retracted her hand and resumed leading him towards the lounge. “You flatter me. My only Valentine today is you.”

Not entirely true, if the vase on her table was anything to go by. The roses were stark white, highlighted by deep green stems and ivy vines crawling up the topper. The thorns had been left on.

“Your father did not come?”

“Father sends his love,” Bex said, her voice distant. “He always sends his love.”

Sirik bit down an unpleasant comment. He had no room to judge.

“Sit, please.” She gestured towards the couches. “You always try to rabbit out of here early. Today I am determined to keep you.”

She’s so much like her mother, he realized, lowering himself gingerly onto one of the plush loveseats. Bex neatly folded herself onto the floor, and wiggled her fingers at him imploringly. With a smile he handed over her gift.

“For my Valentine,” he said. She smiled at him, a copy of his own.

“From my Valentine.”

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Jules & Ridley

He was the first one into the classroom, at least the first of their friend group. Britt would be late, she was always late to second period. He liked to race Ridley there, mostly because Jules knew it annoyed them that he had something to brag about.

With a sigh, he dropped his bag onto the floor and practically fell into his usual seat. They had claimed a table at the back of the room as soon as the semester started: free period meant no one paid them much attention and it was a good chance for them to review Hunter stuff if needed.

Jules put his head down, cushioning it on his arms as he tried to block out the noise of all the other students. Why did they have to be so loud? There was some sort of fight going on over cards and flowers at the other end of the room, but he couldn’t be bothered to look up and see what was happening.

He had just begun to doze off when he was (rudely) startled awake by someone dropping several bags of something on his head. He bolted upright only to find himself surrounded by a sea of gummy worms, Ridley calmly arranging their skirt in the seat next to him.

“What the hell?” he asked, startled.

Ridley raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s Valentine’s day,” they replied, their tone indicating that they were bored. “It’s a gift.”

“Gummy worms though?” Jules attempted to shuffle the bags into a manageable pile. It seemed as though there were around ten, but he couldn’t be bothered to count them.

“You hate chocolate.” Ridley leaned forward, using their legs to pull the chair across from them closer so they could use it as a footstool. “That would have been a waste.”

“And gummy worms are cheaper.” They flashed him a quick grin, surprisingly cheerful considering Ridley hated any event that involved hearts and sappy, love related mush. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Sofi & Kaethe

“Hello darling!” Sofi’s overly cheerful voice broke her concentration. As soon as she let it distract her it was all over: the lines on the pages lying on the table began to swim and her whole body ached from sitting still for so long.

“Sofi,” Kaethe greeted cautiously, pushing her seat back a bit to give herself some room to stretch.

“Happy Valentine’s day!” They dropped a small, heart-shaped box in front of her, before sliding gracefully into the seat across from her.

“Is it really February already?” Kaethe mused, eyeing the gaudy red box with thinly veiled distain. That would certainly explain why everyone she’d seen that day was wearing red or pink. Including Sofi, she noted with some feeling of hopelessness.

“Someone’s not excited for the official holiday of Overpriced Chocolate.” Sofi winked at her. “You work too hard, take a day off. It’s a holiday.”

“Hardly,” Kaethe snorted. “They removed Saint Valentine from the official registers, remember? Because the church couldn’t find enough evidence about him.”

“Details,” Sofi waved a hand at her dismissively. “The patron saint of courtly love, bees, and the plague. What’s not to love about today?”

“The cold?” Kaethe offered. “The thousands of poor flowers being murdered for the sake of a lame, overhyped holiday?”

“You,” Sofi pointed a pen at her, leaning on one elbow, “ruin all my fun. Just shut up, enjoy your chocolate, and let me have one day to buy into a capitalist scheme.”

Kaethe held her hands up in mock surrender, fighting back a laugh even as a smile broke out on her face. “Whatever you say kid.”

“Hey! I’m older than you!”

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Summer & Salus

The soft rays of morning sunlight woke him, breaking through the curtains as a cool breeze pushed them open. With a groan, Salus rolled over, burying his face back in the pillow. It wouldn’t send him back to sleep, no matter how much he wanted it to. No, he was awake now, and lying in bed would be a waste.

He could smell chocolate.

Well, chocolate and coffee, but coffee was typical for the morning time while the chocolate was not. Cautious, he peeked through one eye and spotted the simple brown box wrapped in red ribbon on his bedside table.

Why would summer have gotten him a box of chocolate?

With some effort he hauled himself into a sitting position, the dull pain in his back warning him that it was going to be a bad day for walking. There was no card with the gift, but there was no one other than his Sun who could have left something for him while he was sleeping.

The box was full of dinosaur shaped chocolates, a discovery that made him more delighted than a grown man should have been. They’d been together nearly 30 years and she was still finding ways to make him smile.

With a new determination to survive the day, he pulled himself into his chair and began wheeling himself down the short hallway to their kitchen. Their accommodations weren’t much, but the small house suited both of them perfectly.

Summer was leaning against the counter, idly toying with her braid as she watched the pancakes sizzle away. She looked up when he entered the kitchen, flashing him a soft smile she showed no one else.

“Good morning lovely,” he greeted, making his way over to her.

“Morning.” She bent down to give him a quick kiss. “I can see you’ve found your gift.” He had brought the box with him.

“It’s a good present,” he defended himself with a smile. “A perfect Valentine.”

[askthah]

Valentine’s Day - Feó

The dark amber liquid swirling in the glass had mesmerized him for far too long, but he couldn’t manage to tear his eyes away from it. Too light, this one, not enough kick. He wanted something with a bite. Something to knock him on his ass so he wouldn’t have to know what day it was.

Bad decision, Heather called it.

Coping mechanism, said her husband.

They were both right, somewhat. Right and wrong, he mused as he rolled the glass in his hand, watching the whiskey dance back and forth like waves on a rough sea. Like most things in his life, a little right and a little wrong.

Without thinking he hurled the glass across the room, hearing more than seeing the crystal shatter as it collided with the marble. The shards rained down with a merry tinkling into the pile of other shattered decanters.

Under normal circumstances, Feó would be opposed to shattering an entire set of fine crystal ware out of spite. This was, however, a far cry from normal. And, as he poured himself a new glass, the set was hardly worth keeping.

It had been gifted to Marionette on her wedding day. A wedding, Feó raised the glass to eyelevel so he could study the color of a new drink, that he had missed. Oh, he would have loved to have attended, it was by all accounts one of the most lavish parties thrown this century. But he had been busy that day.

Being tortured.

The first draw was smooth, but at the back of his throat it burned like hellfire. He relished in it, downing the whole drink in one shot and pouring himself another.

And another.

[askthah]

One Bad Night - Part III

Despite the fuss, no one had noticed him.

Even in his darkest moments of black depression, Jules had never considered himself suicidal. That left him with no explanation for why he didn’t turn and run the moment it became clear they were outmatched, or why rather than staying in his safe bolt hole he decided to move as silently as he could along the far wall, crouched down behind some tables, and make his way towards the back side of the bar.

His chance of successfully sneaking up on that thing was laughable, and even if he managed that the likelihood he could kill it before it vaporized him was equally as bleak, but that somehow didn’t stop him from continuing his ill-fated journey across the trashed bar.

The fight sounded like it was heating up, and Jules knew he didn’t have long to act before it would be too late, so he quickened his shuffle and made it behind the bar just in time to miss the explosion of table debris as creature-man started hurling his magic around like nothing with a gleeful cackle that would have done credit to villain in a Batman film.

He had no idea what he was up against, but based on his first encounter with Lux, getting it wrong now would be fatal. He doubted this one would be forgiving about stab wounds.

Instincts, right?

Jules squinted up at the creature perched on the bar top, but he couldn’t tell anything from looking. He had no talent for reading auras, and it didn’t appear like there was a halo to speak of, but from the stories angels didn’t just walk around with them out all the time.

There was a sudden burst of movement and then someone was on the bar top as well. It had been years, but Jules recognized the determined set of Colton’s jaw as he drove forward with a blade, forcing his opponent to retreat momentarily. Everything happened so fast it took Jules’ brain a few moments to process what had happened.

Colton landed a few off hits, before managing to imbed his blade in the creature’s shoulder. As expected, it didn’t take well to being stabbed, and the force with which it hurled Colton backwards rocked the whole building on its foundation.

Jules had to bite his lip to keep from crying out: he hadn’t known Colton as well as Britt but he was a good man. And he had given Jules two valuable things: and opening and an answer to his question.

Colton’s blade had been forged to kill demons: although it was fine for stabbing angels it did no further damage. Jules knew exactly which blade to draw for his own attack.

He was moving without much conscious thought: he had no real way of knowing how to kill things other than ‘stab until it stops moving’ but that particular plan didn’t account for the amount of time it would take.

Someone else went flying through the air towards the bar, a well-aimed but poorly timed attack. The angel was clearly thrown off balance by Colton getting so close, because rather than blasting the hunter out of the air it caught them, and Jules felt his heart leap into his throat.

Britt.