@rotking s fic blog. could be canon, could be oc, etc. if you would like to just read lore visit @babyslia (wip)
dni list is the usual and you know what that means but hey lmao READ THE TAGS on this post please make this easier for all of us reading is not hard. or just visit my main, read them tags there.
well i basically write for reader/character only (you can browse my posts) and kind of always have, so.
THERE WILL BE A LOT OF OC STUFF
warning: possibe instances of gore/violence at times due to the nature of some ocs
when he first heard your very cheery tone through the door, he was a little hesitant to come in, but it beat frying to death
he made his sad rude comments here and there, but that didnt really seem to deter you much from coming to talk to him
or offer him food. or beer. or smokes. which you seemed to have a stockpile of
you were like some sort of friendly dog- with a gun.
he peeked out of the room once at you, and you had a gun in your hands, using the barrel to poke a door open before shooting him a smile.
"...what are you doing with that?" he asked. you gave a weird scoff, poking the door open and shoving the barrel of your shotgun into the mouth of a-
(BANG) (HISS)
"...jesus CHRIST."
you wiped the blood on your sleeve and gave a laugh...a laugh that kinda told him more than he wanted to know. like you didn't want to be here. the point of the gun went to the floor.
the feeling of your face in his middle caught him off guard- so did you letting a sharp sob slip out before you pushed past him. shit.
"wait-" he grabbed your shoulder. you stood there- damn, you need a beer more than him. and...well, you had a surplus.
he didn't bother looking at you as he directed you into the kitchen, grabbing four beers- two for him, two for you- and cracking two open. he noticed your wet eyes.
....
"life is shit, isn't it."
a lanky arm wrapped onto your shoulder. you weren't smiling- that's more annoying than you smiling.
"yes."
"well..." he is WILDLY not prepared for this- but you need to be the sunshine in his life...he can't fuckin' go outside anymore, and- and-
he shot his beer back, and you sipped on yours. what was he even trying to say???
you were....nice. too friendly. you gave him a HEADACHE. but-
"You piss me the fuck off, you know that? But- You also make me feel comfortable during....this shit. Do you understand?"
you were giving him a bit of a hurt look from the first part of his statement. Damn it. Of course.
"You-...Don't be so sensitive." He grabbed two more beers from the fridge.
When he turned back to you, you were laughing.
That almost made him snap at you- But he just rolled his eyes and set the beers on the table.
"Annoying."
you tapped your beer onto the top of his, making it fizz onto the table, and he scrambled for a napkin, glaring at you.
dredge: (bonks bedroom door open with his face)
reader: oh hey! how are y-
dredge: (grabs them, carries to bed before putting them down gently)
reader: the hell are you doing
dredge: (lifts himself on and puts himself stomach facing down on the bed, and flops his face in their stomach)
reader: ...
reader: you can just say if you're upset and need t-
dredge: (claw to their lips aka 'shut')
reader: (pets the weird dog but also somewhat cat like man) damn fine you wei-
dredge: (one more 'hush please' gesture to their lips before sighing)
royce/dredge - no warnings unless you count vampirism a warning (for context, royce is sort of the head check-in person when people come to live in their city and her job, among other things, stresses her out.)
A long sigh left Royce as she rubbed at her eyes, walking to the hall where inhuman entities one after the other kept coming in, making her ask the same questions again and again.
Some of them were normal. Others...not so much. Aggressive. Confused. ...Some just wanted to ask her out simply because she was a vampire. You name the weird shit, it's happened to her.
Hours later, a familiar claw clicking across the floor made her tilt her head up. He's here? Now? ...When was now? What time was i- A loud shout left her as a bulky arm tucked itself under her legs, making her lean back where her arms were caught in the other bulky arm.
Royce let out an admittedly pathetic growl at the man carrying her. ...Her damned boyfriend. Dredge didn't even look at her as he carried her down the hall, and up the stairs, completely unaffected by her exhausted little ranting.
"I...was...I was BUSY up there. I was busy up there you-" Royce rubbed at her eyes. "Had no right t-tuuughhh...." She went limp a bit.
Dredge gave her a look, but remained silent.
As soon as he got to their personal room they shared with Kin, Dredge gently placed her on their bed, staring down at her with his arms folded.
"....What.."
Wrong thing to say, as his brows furrowed h a r d. But he still sat next to her, tugging his collar down. Oh. Fuck. Right. He always got angry at her for not feeding, eating- Checking her comm unit... Yeah he left a lot of messages. Oh boy.
Royce was originally a vampire who drank human blood. Then felt shitty about that, switched to animal blood. Upon meeting Dredge and...accidentally getting his mutant zombie blood in her system, found it not only kept her fed, but kept her chronic pain at bay too. Something about his blood kept the pain away.
And she didn't get him to come to her at all today. So...yeah he was pissed off. Royce winced in guilt, but leaned in to bite at his throat. The entire time he stared crankily, and silently, forward. ...Leg twitched because it sorta tingled since his girlfriend was going to town on his neck, but he hid it pretty well. Other than his hand going to the bed and squeezing.
Leaning back, watching the bite marks immediately heal on Dredge's neck. Royce hesitated for a second, but put her hand on his, making him glance over with a bit of a pissy look.
"Ahh..."
He pointed at his neck.
"You know this shit in my body is basically your meds now, right?"
"Yes, but-"
A stern growl that meant 'Stop Talking' from Dredge actually made Royce raise her eyebrows and go quiet for once. He didn't actually look angry. He looked...worried.
"No. Buts. You're taking a break from work, I already have one of the Drones lined up to check people in."
Dredge let out a sigh and scooted in next to Royce, placing a claw on her chin and turning it to him. He tugged his mask off, leaning up to nudge his pointy overbite on her lips before she opened her lips a bit, letting him twist his tongue on hers for a moment before pulling back.
"And I am sending you an alarm on your comm to feed when you have to and take your other stuff, t-"
Royce pressed her lips against Dredge's overbitten ones again, rolling over and cupping his face in her hands. His eyes went wide when hers were shut.
When the kiss ended, Royce looked on at her boyfriend- Who was absolutely taken aback- and smiled. Folding her arms up under her head, she sighed.
"I love you, Dredge."
Dredge sat there.
"Gh- Love you too."
"Kin will be in here soon...come curl up with me. Ass."
hi im making a list basically only i care about again bc lists are fun. this time its of thems two in a fallout au where theyre both pretty evil (and technically alive just not 100% human. warning: violence, gore, death, cannibalism, drug use)
they both met in a bar fight where they noticed they were the only two actually taking lives, not just throwing punches, and sort of teamed up in the moment. after that they just...followed each other around and got closer over a few months. never takes long with these two no matter what au it is
very dependent on one another since then, to an almost alarming point that is only apparent to people around them. the two of them either dont care or dont notice. its not a bad relationship, honestly its beneficial in ways but its also just very dependent on one another
they will freak out if you try to separate them and holy shit help you if you accidentally succeed in getting them apart because one of them is gunning for your ass doesnt matter who but you are dead. even if you reunite them theyre gonna be mad about getting split theyre both gonna kill you
zoey is an ex-raider boss/queen who took over the gangs in nuka world but got bored of all of them (or possibly just annoyed) and when dredge spoke up about actually hating slavery she just killed every last raider in the park. dredge helped, but mostly let her enjoy herself. did not lay a hand on the slaves, just left with dredge
zoey is addicted to overdrive and takes it for fun mostly, but also during a fight. will take it multiple times during a fight, making her an absolutely fucked up maniac. she also uses psycho or anything to up damage. dredge uses literally everything he can find it is a wonder how theyre both still functioning
it is possible that zoey is a synth. dredge knows this, she told him this, and he let her know that he really does not care and just loves his only and best friend in the world (that made even her feel a little emotional)
the both of them force their way into any raider joint they see and slaughter everyone for sport, not to stop them from hurting people, its just fun for them. also, theyre raiders. to the two of 'em, they're thinking 'no one is gonna miss these people'.
that being said zoey does take live raider captives back to her and dredges hideout to torture them for fun, or to make them fight against other creatures they have no hopes of winning against. shes still zoey, she still tortures people because she finds it amusing. dredge has no interest in torturing, the noise is annoying.
zoey doesnt do her full-mouth grin with teeth, but she does constantly smile and also has the 'smile scars' on her mouth that she did to herself. dredge still has no nose and wears his mask, his body has the typical scars he has but worse looking.
they both have sharp teeth, they filed them for the sole purpose of being able to use as weapo- im joking they want to bite people. plus they are both cannibals. dredge likes to eat bugs a lot though. zoey finds it gross.
zoey wears black tea shades or tinted goggles. her right eye has a giant claw scar over it that made her blind in that eye from one of her deathclaw pups accidentally hurting her. plus dredge told her that it looks creepier if someone cant tell if shes staring at them and she LIKED it
oh yeah they have a deathclaw farm. they raise them. there are a LOT of them outside of where they both live. all of the deathclaws there recognize them as essentially parents, and do not get attacked. (also beta wave emitters help) dont go there you wont survive idc how many nukes you got your ass is done
zoey is still mute, dredge can still understand her from looks, gestures and body language, also sometimes she just kinda sends him messages on her modified pip-boy. only him though. refuses any type of communication with anyone else bc shes a dick
theyre both scarily good at making weapons when it comes to chemical warfare (paralyzing agents, things that dissolve human skin, gasses, etc) but dont do it at the main hideout bc...shit could explode
zoey is the main weaponmaker/engineer of the duo, being leagues more intelligent than dredge is. he helps by gathering any materials she needs, carrying them, and holding things when she needs more than two hands.
dredge usually makes the chems even though zoey can on her own; but something he does with them makes them hit a bit harder. he wont tell. zoey does usually check on him out of care but there are normally no mistakes. and he always makes her chems first to make her feel important (aww how weird)
sleep in the same filthy mattress with each other, normally dredge on zoeys front but sometimes they like to curl around each other when they get cold. dredge runs hot, so he warms zoey up. a few times after a night of drinking or taking chems they wake up with their faces touching...sounds like a kiss. it aint. they got to wipe the drool off and go get something to shake the hangover
been on a rampage for around 5 years since they met, actively hunted by a LOT of factions out there (especially BoS who has wanted posters of them all over the place) but either wipe out the hunting parties/bounty hunters or hide too well. no matter the au, the two of them are horrifyingly in sync with the other
their armor is a combo of leather and metal underneath trench coats. dredge has hidden knives built into the sleeve-like gauntlets on his hands he can launch out. zoey has something similar, but only on her right arm, and its a sharpened blade on a chain she can shoot out and retract.
Days at the mall were not Dredge's favorite days. Clearly. But he still went- Even if he hated the crowds, noises, all that...he liked being around you. Seeing what you liked.
Also he got to go to his game stores. Nerd. He had a full binder of Pokemon TCG. He laughed when he said he needed another binder just for more.
His chin rested on your shoulder as you stood in line to get some coffee, letting out a small huff and reaching up to toy with your hand. Purple claws tickled at the palm of your hand before wrapping themselves around your....well, entire hand. A purr came from the zombie behind you.
"You want anything?"
He shook his head no before lifting his chin up, pushing his masked face on your cheek in lieu of a kiss. Maybe it was because he got the cards he wanted; But was most likely because he was with you- That he was in a relatively sweet mood.
Okay. A very sweet mood. He was purring, he was nuzzling you. A bit embarrassing at a coffee place, but cute moods like this from him are not often. So you just ordered, petting your undead boyfriend's face.
"...What's got you in such an affectionate mood, dude?"
Dredge let out a hum in response., then shrugged.
"Fuckin' feel like it."
Ah. Yep. There he is. You let out a soft sigh and patted his cheek as he rested his chin on your shoulder.
Alleyway Meetup (emeto warning, not descriptive/dryheave mention, mentions of blood)
Bloodied knuckles. A clocked jaw. Bruises. Anton wiped his face, then let out a sigh as he got an electronic wipe from the first aid kit to clean the blood off of the front of his speaker. Ehhh.. He looked at his hands. They were fucked. Torn up. It had been a tough night, and he put his head in his hands.
He was the only object head in the underground fight scene here- and they were always trying to exploit that. Coughing, a bit of blood splattered on the ground from his mouth. Oh...fuck. Okay. No. It's fine. Anton got up, inhaling and looking up at the door to outside before tugging his shirt on. ...Might have gotten too hit too hard in the head here-
His steps were all over the place as he made his way to the doors, a dry heave leaving his throat as he busted his way through and putting his hand on his leg. This was Not Fine. A sudden voice made him jump- And almost give back in to another dry heave. His stomach was in knots.
“Holy shit! What the fuck happened to you?!”
An insectoid robot with a singular orange antenna stood before him, and he recognized her. She was a local musician- Dadi. It was hard to not know who she was. His face fell, for some reason feeling a bit embarrassed someone like her saw him almost get sick..
She made her way over to him and tossed her backpack to the ground, scrambling inside and stammering out nonsense. He was about to say something, to back away, but a bottle of water was pushed on Anton's hand. Screw it. Anton eagerly snatched it up and practically inahled it- Gasping as he finished and putting his hands on his knees, panting. It...did help.
“T-...Thanks.”
Anton let out a pained groan as he leaned on his hands. His head was pounding, he was panting. The robot beside him was frantic, and he looked over at her. She was digging around in her bag. His gruff, standoffish personality was put off by how fucked up he was, and he couldn't really come up with anything to get her to go away. And his mind told him “maybe don't fucking turn away someone trying to help you” anyway.
“Dude, you are bleeding fucking everywhere, what the hell is going on- Hang on, I have- I actually stuff in my bag- First aid kit,”
Um.
“It's...fine. It's n-”
“NUH UH!”
Anton jumped up from that disapproving sound, eyebrows raising from the equally disapproving look as the robot got a first aid kit out, huffing and taking one of his massive hands in hers, a wipe in her hand. He let out a small hiss as the wipe stung his busted fingers- Then he took a moment.
Why was he letting this person do this? He didn't like anyone. At all. But- ...Um. His face went soft as he stared at her face. She looked almost panicked. His head tilted. It'd been a while since anyone actually shown him any care at all. It's...foreign. He shut up and let her do what she had to do, 'cheeks' getting a bit pink.
“Dude, what the hell have you been doing!?”
Anton swallowed. He liked her music, she was a cool person- He knew from seeing her content. She was sweet, accepting, fun... Was she going to judge...fighting, or...
“I...I fight. Um...underground. I kinda got my shit wrecked tonight.” He looked down at his knees, brow furrowing as he wondered why he was actively admitting that to a virtual stranger; And he rubbed his head. Maybe he was concussed. Again. The robot let out a small sound.
“I can tell, dude. None of this-” She gestured to his entire body. “Is good. And one of your eyes is actually bleeding.”
Anton tensed up, swiping a thumb under each eye and checking. Yeah. She was right. Hunching over, he coughed up more blood onto the ground, a groan leaving his throat. He looked everywhere but at her, wiping his mouth. This was humiliating....
“FUCK! Alright- No- Can you get up? You gotta go somewhere, something-”
His eyes went wide and his head jerked back, giving her an almost terrified look. As Anton tried to respond, he immediately hunched back over and put a hand over his mouth as another heave made his body lurch forward. Eyes scrunched shut, his other hand clutched at his pants, trying to focus. Don't. Get. Sick.
She winced, sitting beside him and putting her hand on his back. It was obvious he didn't want her to look at him, so she turned her head to the side as he sat there. Her antenna flicked, and fidgeted her other hand on the dirty asphalt.
“I'm...Dadi, by the way.”
A thumbs up was given in response. Dadi patted his back, then tapped her fingers. Anton took a deep breath, then took his hand away from his mouth. He probably knew her name in the back of his mind, she wasn't exactly unknown. But with his concussion he definitely couldn't really think of that. He leaned back on his knees, letting out a hiccup. Looking back to her, he nearly flinched from the look of concern on her face. Then he furrowed his brow, personality seeping back.
“Breathe, big dude.”
He'd been a fan of her music. Even attended a few concerts. ...Maybe followed her on a few platforms. She was just as sweet as she was in every video, concert, interview- But. This was a dirty alley with a bloodied stranger who is coughing up blood and dry heaving. And it was him. Not that she knew him at all, but.
“...Why are you being nice to me?”
Dadi gave him a look as if he suddenly sprouted a second head. His brow raised at that. As if it was completely not out of nowhere for this robot to just see a beat up, huge guy in an alley and immediately just go out of her way to help him? Even if he wasn't down on himself that'd be a recipe for disaster in most cases.
Her face went a bit soft as she didn't answer, all she did was shake her head and look forward with her hand going back to continue stroking his back. Anton fought back another cough, but his hand went back to his mouth. His eyes clenched shut, but all of the pain got to him and he wrenched away from her with a quick shout of “DON'T LOOK” before all of his injuries caused the inevitable.
She did look away, but looked back when he gasped out a groan and hacked out a sharp breath.
“Oh fuck- Fuck-” Anton glanced at her and then at the ground. “...Fuck I'm sorry.”
A scoff left the robot as she dug in her bag, jabbing him in the shoulder with mouthwash with a look that just read- ...Well. He cleared his throat, taking the mouthwash and using it. As much as she didn't seem to care about him getting sick in front of her, it made it a little...not very much...better that she truly did not seem to give a shit. Anton rubbed the back of his head. A long pause followed before Dadi let out a breath.
“Did you seriously just apologize for that? Man, it's okay. I work in a club, dude. I've seen worse. So much worse.”
Anton winced. Even though her saying so made him feel a little bit better about...that.
“It's still embarrassing.”
Dadi leaned forward and gave a soft smile, which made the corner of his own mouth twitch upwards as well. He liked her music, he liked her shows. She was always a sweetheart on stage, it was nice to see she was a nice person off stage as well. Can't say that about a lot of musicians down here. Her gaze went back to his injuries, taking his hand in hers and letting out a sound.
“You got...somewhere to get this checked out? Or know anyone?”
Antons' face fell as he shook his head. He had his little apartment, and some tools. But hell if he knew how to fix himself when he got this bad. Normally, he just...rested. Which probably wasn't his best option, but the only one he had. He looked away again, sighing. Dadi put her hand on the side of his speaker, making him look back at her. Normally, that would have pissed him off, and it did at first- But the look on her face made his body ease up a little.
Getting up, Dadi looked around erratically as if she was trying to plan something, making Anton blink a few times. She let out an “uhhhh” before opening her phone and scratching at her hair. Is she...okay- Or- Her hand went to her hip as she typed something on her phone before closing it, going back to him. He blinked again.
“Alright, so- Your head is clearly mechanical, and I can help with that. I'm a robot, I know how to repair stuff. This is gonna be weird, but....” Dadi clasped her hands together, then pointed both index fingers out. “Can- Would you come back to my place so I can fix you up? N-NOTHING WEIRD-! Nothing weird! I just want to help!”
Wow. That is weird. Anton gave a frog blink, his mouth opening up to say something, but nothing coming out. Dadi nodded and gave a little sound out as if to say 'yeah I know this is super weird', but he kept staring before letting out a sigh, planting his hands on his knees and staggering onto his feet. He toppled side to side a bit, but kept himself upright. It might be his concussed head. It might be because he liked her as an artist. Maybe he was just a dumbass. Hell, it could be all of those things. But...
“...You know what. Alright. What else could happen to me.”
Dadi gave an awkward smile before taking his arm, guiding him out of the alley to her car, opening the back door and motioning for him to lie down. ...That's- ...That was sweet. He climbed in on his side and let out a groan, twisting in a way for his body to not ache as much. Another blush came to his face as she took a small blanket out of one of the back pockets of the seats and draped it across him. He tugged it up, looking down at the floor of the car. It was tiny on him, but it was something. And very soft.
“I'll drive as gently as I can...uh...”
“M'name is Anton.”
“A-Anton.”
The drirve was fairly alright. There were a few bumps, of course, but Dadi either always announced them or went ridiculously slowly over them in order to not cause Anton any further discomfort. He smiled. The level of care he was getting right now was nearly overwhelming him, but. He couldn't complain. His mind wandered a little bit. He was in the backseat of a popular DJ, concussed, bleeding all over the backseat, on his way to her house. There was no way this could be real. But he smiled anyway. Even if this turned out to be some hallucination from getting the shit kicked out of him, it'd be nice.
No way in Hell had he seen his night going this way.
Dadi parked in her driveway, getting out and opening up the back door to get the speakerhead out of her car. She petted his back, making casual little comments about random stuff as she lead him inside of her place. Still dazed, he let out mumbles and rubbed the side of his head. It wasn't as bad as before, but he still didn't feel too great. At least he didn't feel like he was gonna puke again.
Eventually, he was sat on Dadi's couch. She put her hand on the one of his that clutched the side of his head, making him look up sharply. The worried look on her face made his eyes widen, his heartbeat pick up. That- ...He'd never seen a look like that before. Especially not for him. Or at him. Not in a long time, at least. He truly hoped the dry swallow he just did wasn't heard.
“Alright, so...looks like youuuu...” She turned his head, seeming to not notice (PLEASE) his face. “Are a model...OH! I know this one!”
Anton squirmed a little bit and rubbed the side of his head. Dadi would definitely know a bunch of speaker models, they were a damned DJ. He smiled a little bit but tried to fight it back; Shoulders tense. Voice...also tense.
“Oh. Good.”
He felt like he was going to explode. No one's been in his head for years; Not him, not doctors- Poor choice on his part as he was a damned fighter, but there were no doctors where he was. Just sellers who sold parts of those who died in the fights. But whatever. So the fact that someone knows his model and knows what to do is making him tingle a bit. He forced a frown. Or what he could call a frown.
Dadi patted his shoulder, making him jolt.
“Alright, I got my stuff. Can I uh...open ya up? It's gonna feel weird, but I can fix you up no problem!”
Anton grit his fists. She wasn't kidding. It does feel weird. And she hadn't even started. He nodded. Dadi got her tools out, and fiddled around behhind him.
A cough left him as his back panel was opened, and his head began to ache as she reached in to mess around in whatever was in his head.
“Dadi, that- That hurts.”
“Yeah, I see the problem. I'm sorry, it's gonna hurt a little- Buckle up, guy... It'll be over in a minute.”"
Not knowing why, Anton gripped his hands into the couch. Dadi seemed trustworthy- Another person with wires, robotic features. A pang of pain shot down his spine and he shouted, Dadi frantically apologizing behind him,
“FUCKING HELL! WH-WHAT- ARE- Y-y-! OW-! FUCK-!”
Dadi winced and, as gently- And quickly as she could to make the pain last less long- Did what she had to do to re-do a LOT of what was fucked up in his system. There was deterioration. There were multiple frayed wires. His whole system was shot to shit, and she let out a whine as she worked. Anton let out a yelp and flinched, his hands gripping the couch. It didn't help that she had to keep reaching for more tools with one hand in his head.
“OH GOD I'M S-SO SORRY I'M SORRY I'M ALMOST DONE I ALMOST GOT IT-”
Anton let out a growl, eyes straining. Then a soothing wave crashed into him, his head no longer aching. No nausea. Not as much pain from the cuts, the bruises. The headache he had for...what, 2 years? Gone. A sigh left him as he let his body relax. His body was still bleeding a bit, but it didn't really hurt anymore. Well, not as much. He looked to the DJ, who- Ok she looks horrified, and she was panting.
“....Is-....Do you feel better?”
Anton gave a tired thumbs up, smiling lazily before he looked back down at the floor with a sigh. She she closed him back up with her hands shaking. He could hear her breathing heavily as she came down from panicking, feeling a bit bad about reacting so loud.
“I...I do. Thanks.”
Dadi smiled. “Oh thank fuck.” She chuckled, then let out a drained groan as she wilted onto his shoulder. Oh. Well damn. That took a lot out of her too, huh. Anton chuckled a bit and twitched his hand up as he was tempted to pat her head, but put it back down on his leg. She shot back up and inhaled before putting her tools back together, peeking back to make sure his back panel was on right.
“I am so sorry that hurt. There was no way to fix you up without...uh...” She gestured. “A bit of that.”
Anton rubbed his head and stretched his back out, cracking his neck before looking back at her with his crooked smile.
“S'alright...I appreciate it.”
Looking around the place, it was mostly techno based...which fit. Neon signs, some records of hers placed on the wall. Lots of blue, orange, red, gold and pink. A lot of vaporwave themed stuff was scattered around in places. He hummed. It was very much...them.
“Hey, y'want somethin' to eat?”
He winced. Then frowned. She's been nice, and all but... He can get food himself, he doesn't-
“Not a charity case. You've done enough.”
Dadi's face fell. Her eye rolled and she got up from the couch, arms folded.
“Dude, I'm not- I ordered a pizza like 30 minutes ago before I found ya. I was just offering.”
Anton looked at his feet. Ah. Now he kinda felt like an ass. He heaved out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head, looking everywhere but at the robot who was giving him her own look, her brow raised. He was kind of hungry though. All he had at his place was basic shit; Rice, pasta, canned vegetables. Pizza would be nice.
“...Sorry, it's just- No one has been this nice to me before. I'm not used to it. So...”
Dadi's expression softened as she sat beside him, putting her hand on his. He swallowed.
“That's fine! I wasn't trying to like...make you feel that way about it. Plus, hey! You're already here, it'd be weird for me not to, honestly.” Dadi nudged him with her arm and let out a laugh, making him smile. He watched her go get her delivery from the door, scampering back and putting it on the living room table.
“S'just cheese, sorry if you like any toppings.”
“S'more than fine.”
Dadi smiled as she went and got some plates, bringing them back along with paper towels. He was blushing again. She took a smaller piece, he took a bigger one. The both of them dug in, and he shut his eyes from how good it was to have fresh pizza again, not just cold or microwaved.
“Wanna watch a movie or som'n?”
Letting out a small sound, Anton swallowed his bite and rubbed his face with a napkin before nodding. She smiled up at him before putting her slice down, picking up a remote and flicking the TV on. Oh hell yes, he missed tv. He kind of...broke his when he tripped on one of his shoes and fell on it. He still had his 3DS, but. It can only entertain so much.
“Whatcha like to watch, big dude?”
“H-Horror.”
Dadi turned her head up and patted his chest, making him grin. Awkwardly.
“HELL yeah man!”
She grinned and turned to the horror movie channels, then handed him the remote. Anton paused. Oh, she wanted him to pick- Alright. He took the remote and squinted at the buttons before looking back up at the screen and tapping on search, scrolling to various letters.
R – E – A – N – I -
Dadi let out a gasp and made him jump. She looked up at him with her good eye absolutely GLOWING (more than it normally did). She looked downright giddy.
“ARE YOU LOOKING UP REANIMATOR?”
Anton tensed. “...yeh-”
“YES!!!”
Oh. He grinned. He pulled the movie up, pressing play and laying back on the couch with his arms on the back. Dadi scooted up next to him, her antannae glowing. ...Cute. ...She was cute. Very cute. The movie went on, but Anton had a hard time focusing on it. He kept looking at...her. Uughhh he felt stupid. Anton found her cute before, at her shows, but up close, in person? How she acted? Was he really doing this.
Also... Why did she help him? Yeah, her reputation was sweet, nice, always made time for fans no matter what. But. Why did she...go out of her way, take him into her home, a complete stranger, a broken and bloody bastard, who got sick in front of her? He sighed, and Dadi paused the movie.
“I've seen you at my shows.”
Whatever he had instead of blood went ice. Cold. His hand clenched the couch cushion. So she knew him... Or has at least seen him before.
“I...always wanted to say hi, actually. But. You left before I could.”
Anton's face fell. As if he was saying 'you dumbass why didn't you stay later you're a fucking idiot' to himself kind of way. Dadi seemed to pick up on that, and she let out a small laugh. He let out a groan, leaning his head back. Wait. Hang on. He lifted his head back up. She wanted to say hi to him? Turning to look at him, his brow was raised.
“W...uh, Why?”
Dadi rubbed the back of her head, looking at her knees.
“I...thought you might be interesting. I wanted to see if- ...Ah shit, I didn't mean to make it awkward, but I also thought you were cute, so I-”
“NOTWKARD.”
Dadi jumped back from his sudden shout, then let out a soft laugh as Anton groaned out in embarrassment, hands on his fsce. That wasn't EVEN A WORD. His heart was beating. Hard. Oh god. Holy fuck. Not a lot made him lose it like that, and out of all times, he had to do it NOW. He sunk into the couch.
“...Sssso I was wanting to see if you wanted to hang out sometime, was what I was going to finish up with, there.”
“YEAH.”
Anton muffled that his hands on his face, leaning into his own lap and groaning. Dadi let out a little giggle and patted his back, trying to pry him out of his position to sit back up. He was pink- Which is impressive for being a speaker- and he gave a weird little smile. He wasn't ever this awkward around anyone he's ever been with, but he's only been with people in a physical sense for the most part.
“It's a date. Anyway. It's real late, and you are NOT walking home in your state right now so you can crash on my couch bed, okay?” She got up and shot him a look before he could even try to protest, her good eye narrowing. The kind of look that said 'you better keep your ass right there or else'. She was much tinier than he was but.. He did want to stay. As she got up and walked off, he looked at the paused screen of the tv with his hands folded. He kept thinking to himself, 'this is nice'.
Anton looked up at her with widened eyes- Still processing that he just got a date with her. After everything that just went down- And nodded, letting her tug the bed part of the couch out and flopping onto it. She came back with a big, fluffy red blanket, letting him wrap it around himself as he still stared at her. She smiled, leaning down to hug his shoulders and pat his arm.
“See you in the morning.”
His eyes shut as he took in the comfort around him; Not just the couch, the blanket, the pillows- But Dadi as well. Kind, caring, funny... And she liked him. He let out a soft sound as he listened to her footsteps down the hall to her room before shutting his eyes and drifting off.
Canon!Dredge/Reader - Dredge chases you down in a 'game' (Consensual, Suggestive)
You brought up the idea of Dredge chasing you as if he was after you after you a bit ago, and he seemed to brush it off. But you knew by now his little tells that he was into it, and that was part of it. ...He could tell you picked up on that. So he was going to...just...wouldn't tell you when. The little shit.
After a day of errands, you opened up your apartment to all the lights off. Walking in, you almost spoke up but remembered that conversation and wondered if he was either not home, or if this was a game. You hung your keys up but froze at the sound of clacking claws from another room and low, gritty growling.
Game, then.
It's insanely easy for him to track you down in such a confined area, so you knew he was playing it up, lumbering about in...what, your bedroom, at the moment, allowing you to move to the kitchen, then your living room. Another growl rumbled out.
"Know you're home. Where are you."
You KNEW that he knew where you were already; He was just playing along. He was audibly sniffing around, probably without his mask on. Hearing his claws dig into the carpet and him skulk into another room, you shuffled softly into another position behind a loveseat.
"Rrrgh..."
That little snarl made your stomach do a bit of a flip, and your face went warm. Oof. Peeking out from the side of the chair, you saw glowing red eyes scanning the kitchen, purple claws flexing. It took a lot to not just jerk back behind the seat, as it'd get his attention.
Your heart was in your throat. This was all just a game, and it was exciting. A rattling growl left his throat as he lurched around the kitchen, then back to where he came from. Fairly certain he already knew where you were, it made you smirk at how much he was committing to this.
"Know you're here.."
A huff left him as he darted elsewhere. More snarling from around your apartment made your insides...do things...it was unfair how those sounds affected you.
He probably knew where you were exactly just from scent alone, especially right now, with how worked up this was making you. No...he definitely did. So he was just messing with you at this point, the fucker- Another rattling growl came from the hall. Your legs hugged together; but you scooted to the hall, slipping into the closet and stifling a giggle as you heard him pretend to search for you in the kitchen.
Loud, thudding footsteps came close to the closet you were in, making your heart race even more. He was right outside. Then they...wait- He walked off? Dredge had to know you were in there- Why didn't...
Peeking out of the closet, you looked around. He wasn't there? You scooted out, kneeling, brow furrowed. He had you right- OH-
Dredge pounced on you from behind, turning you onto your back with his claws planted on your hands. His mask was off, showing a sharp, crooked grin as he leaned down so his face was inches from yours. He pressed himself onto you, and your face got redder as he let his prehensile tongue loll out, dragging itself across his teeth before he leaned down and licked at your neck. The look in his eyes was wicked.
Dredge chases after someone who he was told to bring down (Death, violence/gore, Dredge is a weird jerk)
A beating heart rang in their ears. Their hand covered their mouth, swallowing nothing as they heard aggravated snarling come from a hallway away. He was close. What the hell did he even say again? What was this for???
"Hey. Uh...Yeah, so. Not personal, or anything, but I was told by a higher up that I gotta kill you so- Like I said, ain't nothing personal but, w- HEY-!"
It was barely even anything before he tried bolting after them, but they managed to slam their door shut. Two sets of massive purple claws had immediately rammed through the wood before yanking at it, making his target bolt off down the back door and downstairs where they now stood in a closet.
They did some bad shit, sure. But 'higher up'? What the fuck did they do in order to get a literal hit put out on them? And why was this fucker so absolutely casual about it as if they would just up and say 'OH OK YEAH SURE KILL ME'?
The sound of lumbering footsteps....like 5 feet away from them made them snap out of it and freeze. Don't move- He's sniffing the air. Loudly. Shit- Shit, shit, he's not human, he can-
"Oh, there you are."
Busting out of their hiding place, they stumbled off into the next hall. Tilting his head, Dredge gave a confused gesture. Did they really just...?
"That....was stupid..."
Dredge cracked his back before leaning down on all fours and shoving himself towards his target, letting his claws pick up his pace. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he skittered a bit from side to side from the number of fucking turns this shithead was taking.
Fuck, fuck, fuck-! His target darted into a wrong direction- Their face horrified as they looked up at a dead end with a barred window. Heavy stomping came from the side as they winced.
Dredge failed to turn in time, crashing into a wall. His eyes slowly blinked as he felt himself getting angrier before standing up and cracking his neck, taking some almost insultingly soft steps now to turn the corner and see his target against a wall. His eyes narrowed as he blocked the way.
"You know-" Dredge began, getting closer and purposefully cracking his knuckles to show that his claws were growing sharper, "I woulda at least made it fast if you hadn'ta bolted. But now? I'm just gonna take my time. For pissing me off. AND making me run into a fuckin' wall."
A glowing screen of sorts popped up between him and his target. A message scrolled across. The text was backwards for his target, but he read it, and let out an annoyed but accepting sigh.
"...Or not. Ain't allowed. Orders are orders." Dredge tilted his head to the side, and the nonchalant, uncaring attitude he had before taking this person down was almost insulting. And it felt like he was doing that on purpose, too. His target's eyes welled up, their lip in their teeth. "So, anyways. Yeah, I dunno what you did to piss Miss Ani off to the point where she asked me to kill ya, but. Here we go."
"W-WAIT! Wait- You don't have to-"
"...Just accept it, I don't wanna hear whatever you gotta say nor do give a fuck. She's always got a reason for askin' me to do this."
Before another response could come from them, Dredge yanked them up by their collar, leaning back before slamming his head directly into theirs, their body immediately going limp with occasional twitching from their limbs as they died on the spot. Their forehead was caved in from his headbutt, but he also rolled his eyes as he snapped their neck with his hand instead. Just to be sure.
He tapped his wrist to bring the screen up again.
"Are you done?"
"Yeah. Y'want their body, or..."
"You may have it."
Eh. Dredge hauled them onto his shoulder and kicked open a portal. He could share with Zoey.
Ani is prayed for by a mistreated child. Warnings: Violence, mentions/child abuse (from a parent), Gods, torture/torment
Ani sat in her dark room, multiple monitors displaying above her. Her one good eye watched some. The eyes she summoned behind her watched the rest. Over time, she walked around as a black cat, sniffing out those who needed help. Leaving slips of her prayer for them where they could find it.
Some of them prayed for her, some of them didn't. Her chest ached for those who did not. But she hoped they came around at some point. For their own sake.
A ping made her feline ears stick up, gazing towards one of her glowing screens as she heard her prayer sniffled out. Normally, she did not...or was rather incapable of showing much emotion, but the pain in the voice she heard made her scowl. A whispering sound surrounded her as she vanished.
===
Banging rang around the house as a boy no older than 10 clutched his sheets, hearing his Father scream. It'd been a while since his mother left. He wished he didn't. A bang came from his door, making him scuttle under his bed.
"Please be real. Please let it w-"
A cold set of claws closed around his mouth as he saw a shadowy, white eyed...thing, hold a finger to it's mouth just before his door was kicked in. He flinched, but the hand that shushed him put itself in his hair, petting him. The child gave a look that asked an obvious question- Was it you?
"Where are you, boy..."
The shadow narrowed its eyes, nodding, clearly getting more and more angry. With a soft sigh, he leaned into the shadowy thing, and Ani got even more furious as she felt tears soak into her claws, but leaned her head into his, letting out a soft purr.
"BOY- Why ain't you in your room?!" The Father stomped out, leaving the door open and looked around in the hall before marching off towards...Well, she didn't know where.
Ani slithered her formed head out, hesitating before coming out and crouching before the bed and taking the boy's hands in her clawed ones and sitting him on the bed. It never failed her that the ones that prayed for her didn't get scared of her lesser shadow form. ...Which was just like a big black pointy cat to put it basically.
"Ah-"
The kid hugged her body, sniffing. "Didn't...think that'd work. I saw a card on the street, and- I thought...Some words would be wrong."
A cold hand turned warm as she stroked his hair, letting him embrace her. He seemed he needed it.
"Where is your Mother?"
"Gone...He-...He hurt-"
Small hands gripped her skin, and with a sigh, she formed into her humanoid self. Cat ears. Tail. Softer. His eyes were still bleary, blank. It made her ears fold back. Sad. Taking a look around the room, she noticed a ton of basketball themed posters, toys...
"Do...you want to be a basketball player?"
A small furious nod was all she got in response, before pointing out of the door. The kid noticed her growl in her throat.
"Okay. Here is what is going to happen."
Placing her hands on the kid's shoulders, she let out an inhale, then exhale.
"My daughter, Kin, is going to be summoned to pick you up. I will go after your Father. Then you can pick where to g-"
"I want to see him hurt."
Ani let out a sigh. They usually do. But normally, that's more damage than it is worth. Sure. It is cathartic in the moment, but...not in the end.
"No."
"But-"
"No. It will hurt you more than you think."
He huffed out a little bit, then looked back up.
"...Can I at least punch him in the face before I go?"
Ani blinked. ...A huff of amusement left her, and she nodded.
"You may."
= = =
The Father stumbled about the kitchen, groaning out and getting water from the filthy faucet in the kitchen before splashing it on his face. Turning around, a yelp left him as a black cat sat on the island in his kitchen.
"WHAT- Cat- Cat? Did that little fuck bring home a ca-"
A sudden voice rang into his head. Like nails on a chalkboard, but worse. A migraine. He fell to his knees, hands on his head. His eyes shut as he tried to block whatever this voice was, but it screamed in his head. His stomach felt like it was about to purge itself- ...Then he couldn't move at all. Besides his eyes. The cat on the counter hopped down. It had one eye.
Its neck cracked to the side grotesquely, jaw going in a different direction. Eye widened as it's arms got longer, wider, cracking and breaking, getting longer. Bigger. It's arms got pointed, long, scratching the floor. Back legs crushed the island. Crushed the floor. This thing was NOT a cat.
He wanted to scream. Wanted to ask what this thing was. It's shadowy jaw expanded, the room going black. White eyes appeared everywhere. Staring. A huge hand put itself on his throat.
"I am here because you have committed crimes against the innocent. Your son. He prayed for me to come and help him. And I am here to do that. You will be coming with me, down to the dimension of darkness, for your sins. You will feel the pain you made him felt every single second for eternity. As you deserve."
Ani let out a small, almost laugh like sound.
"But first...he'd like to give you a present."
She motioned. "You may do so, little one."
The Father looked up as his son ran up and slammed his fist into his groin, making Ani raise a brow. ...The kid said face, but chose a different route. Fair.
"HAVE FUN IN HELL YOU BUTT-...ASSHOLE! ASSHOLE! YOU STUPID ASSHOLE!"
Kin winced as she walked into the room, kneeling down and opening her arms for the kid. He sniffed, running into them and glared back as he was carried off. Kin waved at Ani, getting a purr in response.
"There has to be something I can do- I...was drunk, I didn't-"
Ani looked down, twisting her shadowy neck in a curl. Her eye lit up, and her face fell.
"Your future in torment is now permanent."
= = =
Kin put the kid in Ani's...'lobby.' It is where people who pray for her sit and wait to be put...where they want. It was a little like purgatory, but more nice and comfortable. She turned to the kid, tilting her head and kneeling. Ani walked in through a portal, her hands folded.
She felt pain in her chest, seeing the kid sniffle. Already her anger built up in her stomach from how much this child went through, but she let out a breath and walked over, kneeling down. Kin gave a weak smile, tousling the kids' hair before walking off. This was Ani's part.
"Do you have any family?"
A head shake. Ani furrowed her brow.
"No one at all, little one?"
"No one that cares about me."
Devastating. Infuriating. The kid hugged his knees. He was shaking. Her ears folded, tail going lax. Her heart ached. A soft breath left her as she brought him closer.
"...I care."
The boy looked up with eyes red from crying, then looked down at his feet. Ani put her hand on his arm, and winced internally when he put his own on hers and clutched onto it. The look in his eyes burned into her mind, and it almost made an urge to cry with him. If she was able.
Her hand stroked his hair, then went to thumb his tears from his cheeks. Ani's voice was soft. Calm.
"You...can come with me, then. If you like. I can take care of you."
A rapid nod came from the boy as he scrambled up and thrust himself into a hug against her with his arms wrapped around her shoulders. Ani hugged him in return, eyes closing. The sob that left the kid made her dark insides twist up; And made a mental note to seek out his other family members that did not want him.
Slowly, they both let the moment pass before Ani stood up, offering a hand to the boy before her. He put his hand in hers, standing up and wiping his eyes on his sleeve before shuffling close.
"Do not worry. You are safe here. You will be safe with me. And your new family."
Turning, Ani opened up a portal to her home, a small hand gripping hers tight.
"You...you...Promise?"
"Promise."
Before they crossed through the portal, she noticed a soft smile on his face. ...The corner of her mouth lifted up.
It was...weird. This new person, Ani. She came in through...lord knows where, even, face blank, staring around the room. She had an energy about her. A very, very odd one. Cold. But warm at the same time. Maybe the coldness was due to the fact that whenever anyone came to her, at all, her facial expression did not change from a flat gaze. No smiles. No frowns. No glares, no gazes, nothing. Just a flat stare. Barely a twitch of her brow.
She moved about with an air of confidence and almost authority, despite being rather short. Barely spoke a word, unless spoken to. And even then, it was a short, formal response. Feline ears, tail and feet...well, paws, were featured on her, which. Made it a little easier to gauge her emotions. Most of the staff here knew how felines display feelings through their ears and tail. Tail flicking? Ears back? You should back off, etc.
Tenna was looking down at her. He was in the middle of a meltdown after a show, getting confused as he saw her standing in his green room. Some stranger. The scarred up half of her face took him for a loop, too. Who in the hell was this. She could tell he was confused.
“Ani.” She held up a hand. Oh- ...Wow, compared to him, she was....tiny. Even tinier than his staff. Um. He shook her hand, slowly. She nodded. “And you?”
An air of authority was around her. Something...intimidating. But also warm. Maybe?
“....Tenna. I- Mr. Tenna.”
Ani nodded, before taking in a breath, her flat expession somewhat refreshing from the ones that constantly gave the TV headed man stares of fear or... other things.
“Now then. What has you so upset?”
This woman looks trustworthy, at first glance. She seems...maternal. Tenna flinched a bit. ...To hell with it. If she wants to hear what's wrong, she can. Regret it later if she wants.
“I-...” Tenna shrank a bit. He looked around before motioning her to follow him. She put her hands behind her back, walking with him to his office. The door closed, and he sat at his desk. Ani walked over, looking up at him.
Before he could begin, she started. “I have many monitors, showing me people who need assistance across dimensions.” He blinked, and she was on his desk. How-
“And you require assistance.”
“What is THAT supposed to mea-”
“You know what it means, Anthony.”
Damn. No one's called him that in...years. How did she...? ....Tenna clutched his chair, looking down. A soft hand brushed his head, making him look up. Ani scooted a little closer, thumb rubbing his screen.
“Tell me...what bothers you?”
Tenna bit his lip. Who the HELL was this lady? Why was she so- ...She's... ...Oh SCREW IT. He let out a sharp sob, burying his screen into this small womans body, letting out grievances and panicked shrieks about never being watched again, never being relevant, everything.
Ani remained stoic, but rested her head on his, gripping his hands with her own. He squeezed tight, his static tears driipping down her back. She rubbed Tenna's back, letting him get through the arch of it. He came down, sniffling. ...He sniffled again. ….She smells...like cinnamon. Hm.
Leaning back, she wiped his screen with a tissue, rubbing his head.
“Feel a bit better, getting that out?”
..It did. It did feel better, venting that. Tenna tugged on her hand and nodded.t
“Good.”
Seriously, who the hell is this lady and- ...Fuck it. This felt good. This...woman, she felt nice to have here. Tenna smiled, gently.
“It is nice to see a genuine smile on your...ah...face.”
So she just spoke formally all the time then? Alright. Tenna held her hand, which was very tiny in his.
“Thank...you. Thanks for-”
“No thanks necessary.” Ani leaned down to hug his shoulders, giving him a small purr. Tenna put his hands on her back.
“I will go no-”
“WAIT! WAIT-!”
Ani looked up.
“Yes?”
Tenna was shaking. He needed this type of...Whatever this is, from someone-
“D-don't go, please I...I need-”
Ani stood up straight.
“I willl never leave you, now that I have found you. I will be with you...always.”
stillborn as a god, technically old as darkness itself
had a predecessor, oro, who stole her and forced her to rule under him. sapped his power in secret until she was able to overpower him, crucify him (upside down) in her dimension, and cut his face (a bone mask) off that she wears as a mask at times
has an opposite, a god of light. oddly enough, even though she is an evil god, the light one is worse than she is
her damaged eye is due to a fight with her light rival. easily fixable as she is omnipotent, but chooses to keep it there
only inflicts pain and suffering upon those who cause harm to innocents, those who deserve it, or to prevent corruption
dislikes mindless violence and disapproves of others in her family doing so, at times punishing them for it but not in the way she punishes mortals for it
had a 'mother' of sorts that took to her after seeing her, in the dark ages who was killed. said mother was turned into a separate dimension in herself. it is a serene world with no pain or punishment. thats a long story
chose a short humanoid form as a way to appear disarming in case she needs to take any action
the cat features are a tribute to her adoptive mother who loved cats, and to convey emotion via ears and tail because…
ani is by default overly stoic, has no real capability of displaying any sort of emotion with her face or voice
has not lost her temper very much nor does she have much of one. will get fairly enraged when her kids are threatened
very motherly, loves kids. has thousands of adopted kids she's taken with her into her realm where she dotes on them constantly. also has more in the physical world.
will drop slips of how to summon her to those in need to be saved from harm but only if the prayer is performed. it can be performed incorrectly if she gets the gist of it
married to rot, the god of sickness, disease, decay, etc
inter dimensional. can travel wherever she wants, but does not. sees an uninvited travel as a threat of invasion
her dimension is known among other inter dimensional gods to not try and invade, as she will storm them in retaliation and then just leave them either dead or in wreckage
has no interest in conquering other dimensions nor invasion and focuses on the two she found and tends to on her own
technically royalty (due to usurping oro) but really dislikes this and does not enjoy it when referred to in any royal term
when her blood is introduced to mortal or lesser beings bloodstream, they painfully transform into a twisted servant of hers. they are killed on the spot, as she dislikes servitude. it seems like an insult.
if they become soldiers from her blood infection, they are left alone
speaks very little, but when she does, it is pointed and in a formal manner. she can cut very deeply if she feels she has to, and with cold precision
the only god-like form she can morph into where it doesnt cause total madness is somewhat feline, spiked back, white eyes littering her skin, a mouth that resembles spider mandibles that opens up at the bottom that has two more mandibles at the bottom. her inner mouth is a swirling mass.
what she actually looks like will make most who look at her without omnipotence to go mad, claw their eyes out, take their own lives, etc. she has no feelings about this nor does she feel responsibility if they see her
empathetic despite her failings to show it with her person. will go out of her way to support someone she loves no matter what, encouraging them to be who they want to be, whatever they want to be. ...just...with no facial expressions.
it is extremely, extremely, extremely rare for someone to get the bare dusting of a smile on her face when she does something they are proud of. luckily, if they know her, they know when she is proud of them
will stalk someone she is looking to punish as a black cat with one eye relentlessly just to torment them. appearing when they walk anywhere, in their homes, etc, just sitting and staring or following them around
has at times broken the prayer rule to protect someone she sensed needs it because they were too scared to summon her or something else
overall evil, but with intention to protect the innocent only with her power and destroy her the so-called 'god of light'.
she has a small speech she performs each time she comes to punish someone -
"i am here because you have committed crimes against the innocent. you will be punished severely for your actions, and i will be the one providing the reprimands that you deserve. do not fight, it will not save you. take one more gaze at the being(s) you have hurt, the relief in their hearts seeing you about to meet your eternal pain the last thing you will ever know."
afterwards, the hurt person is taken somewhere safe or offered to be adopted by her/rot into the physical world, dimensional world, or with someone else.
Royce groaned a little bit at the feeling of a claw poking her. She looked over, seeing Dredge looking down at the floor. Oh. This...can't be good. He was always an ass so when he got that kind of look...
"...What''s going on."
He seemed to look everywhere but her for a minute, but finally looked up and winced. Oh, shit. Royce knew what this was. She stood up and patted his back, walking out of the room with her on his heels. Searching the rooms before finally finding Kin, she sighed.
Kin was sitting in the corner, eyes wide, brows furrowed. Her tail was tucked into her legs. Jaw tight. Gaze at nothing in particular, but it was scarily intense. An episode.
"How long she been like this."
"....Few hours. I can't get her to talk to me. I...don't think she knows I'm here."
Fuck. That's bad. Okay. Royce let out a soft sigh and led Dredge to Kin, sitting them both at either side of her. No response. Royce reached up to pet one of her ears, earning a small grunt. ...Progress?
"Kin...?"
No response.
Royce petted her hands through Kins' hair, like she liked. Dredge rested his chin on her hip. (Damn, he looked ready to cry). Kin twitched her leg, and Royce flinched a bit from how tiny her pupils have gotten.
"Kin...it's us. Kin?"
A bunch of babbling in German came from Kin, eyes twitching and nails digging into the floor. It was all in code, from before they met her. When she was made. Plus...neither of them actually knew much German yet.
"Dredge. Just...hold her hand, with me. 'Til this stops."
Dredge was quiet as he took one of Kin's hands in his claws. Royce took the other one. They both leaned against Kin's shoulders, letting her get...whatever this is, out. A bit of foam came from her mouth, and Dredge used his free hand to wipe it up with his sleeve. Royce sighed. She wanted to kiss her cheek, but.. She might get bitten.
Kin eventually stopped moving. Then blinked a few times, her eyes becoming less glassy. She flinched a bit, noticing her partners on either side of her. But a smile spread across her face. Nervously.
"OH- Hey- ....What's happening right now?"
Dredge and Royce looked at her, eyebrows creased. Kin looked at them both, then down at the floor. Happened again. Her form drooped. Royce rubbed her cheek before kissing it.
"Don't you dare even start on your damn negative bullshit about it."
"But-"
Dredge bumped his head onto Kin's shoulder, his stare a...however you can explain as an affectionate glare.
"Don't."
Kin shrank into herself. But gave a little smile and rested her head on Royce's. Her eyebrows furrowed.
"...Can I at least say sor-"
"NO." Royce was firm.
"Jack shit to apologize for. No." Dredge huffed. Royce tilted her head in approval of that comment.
Kin's eyes watered up and she put her arms close to her. She smiled, turning to kiss them both, gently.
"I love you two..."
Royce stood Kin up and wiped her down, huffing as Dredge stood behind her, his arms doing a "raptor hands", ready to help out. He kept peeking around.
"We love you too." Royce furrowed her brow.
"Stop apologizing for when you have episodes like this. It's fine."
"But-"
"NO BUT. No. But. At. All." Royce's gaze, and tone, was very firm. Dredge looked around her shoulder with a look that basically said "listen to her'. Kin felt her ears fold back. But they lifted up as Royce put her lips on hers, sighing.
Royce broke the kiss. She grumbled.
"The both of us are here for you. It doesn't matter how messed up you think it is. Neither of us care. Me and Dredge? We LOVE you. So."
Royce grabbed Dredge's hand, putting all three of their hands together.
"We will do anything for you. Y'get that??"
Kin wiped her eyes. Dredge bopped his head on her arm. Heh.
"I do..." She paused. "...Can we go to bed, please? I've had enough for today..."
Royce and Dredge both agreed, leading Kin up to the bed. She was set in the middle. Wait. Normally, Dredge was in the middle-
"Hang on-"
"Ah." Royce huffed out. "You're in the middle tonight."
Dredge just let out a small grumble as he wrapped his arms across both Kin and Royce, heating his body up.
Kin lowered her ears, but nuzzled into Royce's chest, feeling Dredge at her back. Her tail started to wag a little.
"I love you Royce...I love you Dredge....."
"Love you."
"Love you too."
Kin's tears wetted the fabric on Royce's PJs. A kiss pressed on her head.
dredgetenna - no warnings, it's a little gay in a platonic way (slight wireplay - dredge forgets tenna for a moment - spamton mentioned, dredge does not know spamton in this)
Tenna mumbled a bit as a pair of dull claws poked at his side. He swatted at them at first, but as they kept going, he just turned his screen back on and sat up. Dredge was beside him, on his back, looking at him.
“Morning.”
Letting out a grumble, Tenna papped his face with his hand. Dredge chuckled. Tenna's head was aching, and static fizzed on his screen as he put a hand to it. The dead man beside him sat up.
“Fuck, you okay?”
“Headache. Mmmhappens a bit when I need...dusting.”
“Dusting...”
“I'm a TV, you idiot, I need dusting sometimes.”
Dredge held up his hands, making a face when Tenna looked away. A claw tapped on the side of his head.
“Y'want me to...”
It would be in his job description at this point. Tenna rubbed his head, getting up and going over to his supplies closet in the corner of the room before coming back with electronic wipes and an air canister. He had a bit of...anxiety, not knowing how well a man with giant claws for fingers could do this; But he undid the back of his head and pointed out the spots that needed to be cleaned.
“Got it.”
“Be god damned careful with those gauntlets you call hands.”
“I know how to be careful.”
Dredge went in and was...shockingly graceful. He wiped his wires off, used the wipes to get the dust out and barely used the air canister. Tenna let out a small grunt, tapping his foot, fingers rapping on his legs. Couldn't bear to tell Dredge this...felt nice. Like a massage, but more.
“Y'know, this air spray just pushes the dust around in your system unless you have a keyboard, and since someone can just wipe it off, why would you use it in your head?”
Well. That made a bit of sense. The- Oh- He bit down on his lip as a claw wiped a wire down. His spine arched as Dredge kept going. Shit, this felt nice. He hadn't been dusted or cleaned in years. His antennae bent back as he kept his lip bitten in his teeth, not wanting to seem like this was..Something else.
Rolling his eyes, Dredge kept cleaning. Tenna didn't have the heart to tell him how sensitive his wires were and make this whole thing weird, so he kept his mouth shut. It was embarrassing. Especially to a new guy.
Dredge blinked, looking around. Seemed confused but just accepted it as he used two claw tips to wipe the rest of the dust off of Tenna's wires. Tenna quivered a bit, letting out a small sound, hands clenching. Dust was gone. Tenna was fairly sure Dredge knew how he felt the whole time, but neither of them spoke of it.
“You good?”
“MHM.”
Dredge's free hand flared out in a “what the fuck ever” gesture before the one in his boss' head kept going, grumbling and using his sleeve to rub the dust off of his claws. He leaned back. Tips of his claws kept brushing the wires, making Tenna shiver. Felt...nice. Pointy, but nice.
“All cleaned up, boss.”
Oof, that felt MUCH better. Tenna shook his head and cracked his neck, smiling. It was odd how this heavy handed man was able to...get that close and delicately clean up like that. Dredge wiped his hands on his shirt again, letting out a sigh.
“Thank you. ...How'd you even do that?”
Dredge furrowed his brow, looking downright insulted. “I'm capable of doing delicate things even with these claws, you know.”
“Alright, alright-! No need to get so huffy about it.”
Tenna got up, putting his shirt back on and stretching out. Damn, the work his little dead guy had him feeling amazing! He hasn't felt this good, physically, in years! He splayed his arms out and spun in a small circle.
“HAH! You did a damn fine job, Dredge! I'm adding this to your contract.”
“Sure.”
“Sound less enthusiastic, why don't you?”
The dead man gave a shrug, tugging off the PJ shirt and shaking off, reaching for his normal one. ...Huh. He was littered with scars, all over his front and back. He said he was beaten to death and motioned to his skull yesterday, where did these come from..? ...He had a little gut, too. Dredge tugged his shirt on, a black one with little white skulls patterned on it.
“Staring.”
“I wasn't staring, shut it.”
“...Uh huh. Let's just go to work, huh?”
Tenna blushed a bit from getting caught staring, but shook it off and nodded. He yanked Dredge up and carried him to the car, flicking him into the passengers seat before clearing his throat and driving to the studio. The little “oof” that came from Dredge made him snicker.
- - - -
Tenna burst in with a renewed sense of energy from being cleaned up, and was downright cheerful' Greeting each of his employees with a smile and a wave. It wasn't strained like it normally was, and everyeone kept staring at each other. Then at the dead guy that lumbered around at their boss' side. What...did he do? They got a glare in response- Or maybe that was just his face?
“I'm on! Remember to stay where I can see you!” Tenna actually patted Dredge on the head before leaving, which made him blink a few times. Alright, then. Dredge made his way to one of the couches, flopping down and letting out a sigh.
“So, what'd you do?”
Ramb's voice came from out of nowhere, and Dredge jolted. He looked over, eyes narrowing.
“What.”
“He seems like he's in a genuinely good mood, and not forcing it. What'd you do?”
“.I...Cleaned up inside his head, this morning.”
Ramb nodded. That'd do it. “It's about time he let someone clean up in there.” He looked at Dredge's hands, but based on the look on his face, it was probably best to not make a comment on it. He patted Dredge on the shoulder before returning to his station. Dredge's head turned to face front, staring off into space. The blank look on his face was mildly alarming to anyone who passed by, but they didn't say anything to him.
After, the show, Tenna waltzed out of the stage doors feeling like he was on cloud 9. However...it wouldn't last long. Spotting Dredge on the couch, he walked over and patted him on the back.
“There you are! Come with me to my office, I'd love to talk about the show! It was-”
Dredge looked up, blankly. His eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowing. Not in a smiling way. He looked...confused. His boss tensed up. Something was wrong. Was it his head? There was no recognition or soft look in his eyes like he had in the past few days at all. What's going on...?
“Who're you?”
Tenna felt like he heard glass break in his head. The room fell silent. His screen was black, and his form fell. So much for that good mood. His body started to shake as he kept his hand on Dredge's back, like he couldn't even move. There was a lump in his throat as he quietly grabbed Dredge in a single hand, rushing to his office and putting him on the floor. Dredge just stared. Tenna's form shrank down a bit.
“...Is- How- We've- ...You don't remember me?”
“Uh, no.”
Dredge looked a little confused as the man in front of him shook harder, hands turning into fists. He looked around, getting uncomfortable due to all the eyes on him.
“Where am I right now?”
Tenna's head shot up. He didn't know where he was, or knew who Tenna was? ...Please, just be something with his head. Pressing his hands together, Tenna took a deep inhale and looked away. It...wasn't on purpose, clearly, but the feeling of being forgotten still felt like getting stabbed in the gut. What if...
Crouching down to Dredge's level, he raised a hand up and whacked him upside the head. Dredge let out a snarl, stumbling back and shaking it off. Looking back up, his eyes glowed even brighter than normal.
“AY- MR. TENNA, THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!”
Thank [@#$%]. That moment hurt like Hell, even if, again, it was not his fault. Kinda funny that smacking him jumpstarted his brain again. Kind of like tech in a way, huh? Not...that you should hit things when they don't work, even if sometimes it fixed the issue. Tenna's voice was small.
“You...forgot me.”
Dredge's face scrunched up as he processed the words, then his eyes went wide. He rubbed the side of his head from the blow, looking down and nodding. Tenna let out a small sniff, but cleared his throat and walked over to sit at his desk. Dredge was still staring at the floor.
“I- ...I'm sorry. It happens sometimes 'cause of whole thing with my-”
“Brain damage?”
The hurt in Tenna's voice made Dredge flinch, especially hard due to the fact that it could happen again. Tenna stared at him. He felt a little bit of relief that his employee was at remorseful about it. Dredge walked over to the side of his chair, still too apparently mortified to even make eye contact. Tenna sighed and lifted him onto the desk, putting his head in his hands.
“How often does that happen?”
“I don't know. I can never remember afterwards unless someone tells me.”
Hm. This is an issue. Tenna still wanted Dredge to stay by him, but...that will hurt every single time. He began to open his mouth to speak, but his voice cut out as two large arms wrapped around his neck. Dredge was shaking now. ...Well, shit. He put a hand on his back.
“Sorry. I know that...sort of thing hurts you pretty bad.”
“...Not your fault..”
Dredge sat back on the desk, looking up. His eyes were sad. Tenna's screen was still black. It was dark. For a while, they just stared at each other before Tenna adjusted his tie, petting the dead man's head with a finger, resting his head on the other one. His screen turned back on with a soft smile on his face, letting out a snort. This little shit was seriously growing on him like crazy, and even the sting of being accidentally forgotten was fading fast. It felt nice to have someone around him again that actually had more than two emotions about him.
“At least you remembered me.”
“After you hit me,”
“After I hit you.”
Tenna let out a chuckle before hugging Dredge to his shoulder with his free arm, hearing the small content huff leaving him. Another partial apology came from him before Tenna shushed him. Little idiot.
“...Wait, can I give you even more damage if I smack you upside the head each time-!?”
“Don't think so. I'd need to be alive for that, I think.”
“....You were right, none of your anatomy makes sense.”
Dredge shrugged, leaning back. Then his eyes squinted up. In the smiling way.
“Y'know. I'm venomous, too.”
“You what.”
- - - -
After hours, Tenna practically carried Dredge home. Even in the car, he had one hand on the wheel, one wrapped around Dredge to his side. That scare earlier was too much, and he felt...clingy. Dredge did not seem to mind. He didn't seem to mind a lot of what Tenna did. Well. Except getting whacked upside the head. Tenna stifled a laugh. His reaction to that was kinda funny, even if it was a not funny situation. He hadn't heard him raise his voice before.
They both got ready to go to sleep (“sleep” for dredge) in silence, Tenna occasionally popping out of his room to check up on Dredge. His heart couldn't really handle being accidentally forgotten twice in one day, but no blank stare came his way each time he checked. Just a confused zombie looking at him for peeking around the corner so much.
“You okay...?”
Dredge gave a soft nod, scratching his gut with his claws. “I feel fine, Mr. T-”
“Just...call me Tenna?”
“...Yes, Tenna, I feel fine. Don't worry.”
Don't worry. Don't worry? DON'T WORRY?! Right. Sure. After that? He's going to worry all he wants, you little- ...Anyways. Tenna's 'brows' knitted as he finished up his bedtime routine, once again coming out to the living room to sit next to Dredge. Hm. Actually.
Yanking Dredge up by the scruff for what seems like the fiftieth time, he carried him to his room and stopped himself from just flicking him onto the bed. Instead, he just set him down and sat next to him as he watched Dredge look around, taking his bedroom in.
“Shiny in here.”
“It is. ...Do you not like it?”
Dredge moved himself around on the bed to look more around, his white pupils getting a little bigger. Tenna looked down at his claws, tapping his fingers on the mattress. This guy better not cut his sheets or bed up with those damned things by mistake, or he'd be pissed.
“Naw, I like it.”
Dredge rolled over and stuck his head under a blanket. Ridiculous. He really was just like a little dog. Tenna smirked. His comfort guy was just a little dog in a weird, dead guys body. An emotional support zombie. Wait- What was that bump in his PJ pants- Good God, he has a little bump of a tail.
“You have a tail.”
“Mhm.”
Tenna reached back, flicking it. What is this guy. His smile faltered a little bit; As it reminded him of someone else again. He sighed, holding his hands together.
“Dredge.”
The dead man scooted over, recognizing that tone. He sat next to Tenna, looking up at him and putting a hand on his clasped ones. That was sweet. Tenna inhaled, then exhaled, looking to the side. Was he going to do this? It'd been a rough day. Not just for him. The both of them.
“I had...someone like you, before. Someone I thought I could always confide in. And that scare today, kind of reminded me of when he let me go.”
Dredge kept looking up at him. He had a bad sense of attention in almost every other area, but once he began speaking, the guy seemed to be wrapped up in whatever he was talking about. It was kinda nice. Tenna bounced his leg. This seemed heavy before bed, but. He had to get it out.
Tenna went on to talk about someone named 'Spamton'; Dredge tilting his head side to side at times (dog). Tenna's thumbs pressed together as he continued. There was a moment where Dredge looked downright pissed off when it was mentioned that Spamton up and left, and Tenna jolted as six spikes similar to Dredge's claws popped out of his back before retracting.. ...Tore his PJ shirt.
“The Hell were those?”
“I can explain later.”
Nodding, Tenna finished up. Dredge looked to the floor before scooting up to Tenna, hugging his neck with his face in his shoulder, making him jolt. Tenna put a hand on his back, picking at the new holes in his shirt where those spikes shot out.
“I told you...”
Tenna's antennae perked up, looking down at the dead man who muttered into his shoulder.
“I'm real hard to get rid of. I meant it.”
A smile graced Tenna's screen. Hopefully, he meant that. Please, mean that. He rested his 'chin' on Dredge's head, rubbing his back. Tenna needed this. It wasn't borderline romantic like what he had before. No. But. It was something, even if it was a bit weird. With a really weird guy. Tenna moved himself to get under his sheets, Dredge at his side.
dredgetenna - it gets kinda gay in a platonic way (part 1)
Tenna's screen flickered back on as he woke up, turning his head to see his brand new employee already awake, and staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. His arm was trapped under the TV man's head, and he wondered if Dredge was capable of getting the 'pins and needles' sensation at all.
“How long have you been awake? Or...not pretending to sleep?”
Dredge glanced over slowly and gave a small shrug. “Unclear.”
Sitting up, Tenna rubbed the side of his head. Did he really just spend the night on the couch cuddled up to someone he just met simply because he was that touch starved? Sure, it was this guy's job to comfort him and all, but it had only been...what...a fraction of a day before he literally dragged this guy into his home and had him hold him as he slept. Ugh, stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about that.
With a sluggish mumble, Dredge rolled over and planted his face in the couch before lifting it back up again and arching his back, arms out, stretching like some sort of animal. A yawn came from behind his mask. What was even behind that thing? Actually...
“Alright. So, if you are going to be working for me, and you are now, you're going to have to not wear that thing around me. Not all the time. It's like you're hiding something.”
Dredge made a questioning sound in response, not actual words. Seriously...?
“THAT.” Tenna gestured to his face. A claw tapped his mask, and an exasperated response was given in return. What else could he be talking about??
“I mean...yeah, masks are for hiding- I mean- ...You serious?”
Tenna's arms folded as he stood up, tapping his foot. It felt a bit mean after he saw Dredge look at the floor with what was clearly an uncomfortable, nervous expression, trying to look literally everywhere that was not up at his new boss as he thought about it. He sighed, his claws coming up to hook the masks bands before Tenna held up a hand.
“Wait- Sorry. Just...tell me first, why do you wear it.”
The tension in Dredge seemed to go away, at least a little bit.
“It's my teeth. Also, I don't have a nose.”
“So w-”
“No, I used to. I do not anymore. Now it's just a cavity where it used to be, since it rotted off. People tend to stare at that, and I really cannot handle being stared at for it for too long, it's incredibly annoying. Also, my teeth stick out, and apparently it's unnerving.”
He's concerned about being unnerving? Or just being stared at? Tenna crouched down to be at Dredge's level, curious now. He reached up to undo one of the straps of the mask, surprised that the zombie man didn't try to stop him. The mask fell to the side and, indeed, there was just a nasal cavity where a nose used to be. His teeth were sharp, and some of them different sizes as they stuck out in a very slight overbite. ...He was cute, in an ugly way. Like a fucked up little dog you can't help but find adorable even though they are messed all the way up.
“...Alright, then.” Tenna cleared his throat and put Dredge's mask back on, getting up. He noticed the off look in Dredge's eyes as he looked to the side before he stood as well, cracking his back. Tenna fought back a smile as he randomly pictured carrying this man around in a bag like some sort of purse dog.
“You're staring at me.”
“Oh- No, just thinking. Let's get to the studio. And stay where I can find you.”
= = = = =
“Dredge! You stayed, eh?” Ramb looked up at the dead man, who looked over lazily and gave a weird gesture.
“Mm. I work here now.”
So soon? He just got here. Ramb reached down and grabbed a few things to make something for him. He seemed nice enough to Ramb, a little passive, but if the stare he got the first time he saw Dredge meant anything, this guy wasn't harmless.
“And your job is....?”
Dredge did not respond. He simply stood there, staring ahead. ..Yeah, Ramb forgot he was weird, but not...that weird. He snapped his fingers and waved. Nothing. With a loud sigh, he went from behind his bar and smacked the back of one of Dredge's hands. That seemed to jumpstart him, making him scoot back.
“...Sorry, did I...zone?”
“Ya did, mate.”
Blinking a few times, Dredge rubbed his head before letting out a soft apology. Ramb rolled his eyes softly with a smirk before returning to his bar. Taking out a glass, he poured a drink and slid it over to Dredge.
“W'this.”
“Lil' something to take the edge off, I suppose.”
Dredge tilted his head at the glass, then looked up. “If it's technically like...alcohol, I don't drink.”
Huh. Ramb held up his hands and took it back, giving it to a shadowguy. That's a little new. Most people who work for Tenna did. Hell, even Tenna drank. With a small smile, Ramb pushed a glass of something else up to the dead man. Dredge nodded in thanks, but motioned for a straw. The straw went under his mask as he drank. ...It looked silly.
Dredge wandered off eventually, not too far, just sort of...watching Elnina play a game on a TV. Elnina took notice as he sat next to the couch, on the floor. Who...and what, is that. He looked weird, and gave off an even weirder vibe. Why did he just sit there like that.
“And...you are?”
“Dredge.”
“...What are you doing?”
“Watchin'.”
Okay, short answers only then. Elnina looked around, noticing Ramb giving her a small 'it's ok' nod, before going back to her racing game. She was doing well, beating the Pippin next to her with a serene look on her face- Despite the fact that a weird guy was sitting next to her. On the floor. Dredge looked up at her, making her tense. She didn't meet his eyes, trying to focus on the game, but he made it a bit difficult. What the Hell.
“You're real good at this game, miss.”
Oh, he was nice! Creepy...but nice! And he called her 'miss'! That's polite. Hopefully.
“Oh- thanks! I've played it a lot with my boyfriend. I always win.”
“I can tell you do. I don't know your boyfriend, though. Just got here.”
Elnina put her controller down and immediately went on a long spiel about Lanino, making Dredge fold his hands up to his chest (raptor hands), with his eyes widened a bit. He blinked a few times, looking around, but didn't stop her. He smiled awkwardly behind his mask as she stopped, picking up the controller again.
Dredge thought to himself: (WHAT was that). That came out of nowhere and he was very hard to startle, but that genuinely took him off guard and left him looking confused. The pippin playing with her looked over at him and gave him a shrug. He looked at her questioningly and they just nodded. Okay, so...he wasn't the only weird one here, then.
The stage doors slammed open, Tenna letting out a small groan. He looked around the room, seeing Dredge looking absolutely confused and slightly scared next to Elnina, which...told him he just endured her whole thing about Lanino out of nowhere. Almost made him want to laugh before he walked over, snapping his fingers.
“Dredge, over to me.”
Dredge lifted himself up, looking over, then giving a few questioning glances and gestures at Elnina like he was asking “is she always like that” before walking over to Tenna. He gave a short nod, fighting back a snicker.
“Whats up?”
Tenna put his hand on his back, leading him out of the green room to outside the stage doors. Then he let out a large sigh and lifted the undead man up in his hands, without getting a sound this time. ….Seriously, why does he seem to not care about being yanked around? Is he used to it? Or does he just not mind? ...Ugh, don't let the reason be that he likes it.
“I need you in a game. You can do that, right?”
“Yessir.”
With a nod, Tenna shoved him on stage, the crowd kinda going quiet. Er.... Dredge looked around, then to Tenna, before going to his station and waving to the crowd. Both him and Tenna knew he was hating this. Tenna winced inwardly, wondering how well he would do considering this. Introducing him with his usual stage self, Tenna half expected Dredge to enter his name as something off, but... It just popped up as “DRG”.Eh...Kinda read as “drug” but close enough!
The game went perfectly, to Tenna's surprise. Dredge hit his marks, got most of the answers right (probably by mistake but still), and excelled at the physical challenges. He did especially well with drumming in the music game. He did NOT seem like a performer at all, but...damn. He could perform. Did he drum before or something?
The show ended. Tenna stood there, Dredge shuffling up to him and flexing his claws absently.
“You...”
Dredge looked up.
“You're- How did you- Perform like that, when you're- Your hands are huge, how did you even drum that well?”
Looking down at his hands, he mumbled softly and returned his gaze back up to his boss. His shoulders gave a somewhat confused shrug. “I...don't really know. For you, I guess?”
Tenna stood there. 'For you'. …. 'For you'. ….For him. Tenna gawked at the floor. This felt a little...too familiar. Dredge was looking up at him, and his eyelids squinted. He was smiling (probably). What was this dead man's damned deal. He's been here for what, two days, and he already has Tenna grasping onto him for attention. Sure, it was his job and all, but WHY was he doing it? And why did it feel so nice?
With a slow inhale, Tenna picked him up and walked back to his office where he nearly tossed Dredge onto the floor but set him down instead, finding himself leaning back against his door and sliding down just like the first day they both met. It was dark, the only source of illumination being his screen.
“What do you get out of this. You already made it apparent that you do not care about earning points.”
Dredge tilted his head, and it nearly set his boss off. Tenna's jaw grit, but before he could say anything, the dead man held up a hand. His face looked...sad, again. Deeply. A small exhale left him as he placed himself next to the bigger man.
“I know what it's like, alright. To have someone, or in...your case, a lot of people, that really love you. Pay attention to you. Then...it all goes away.”
Tenna's face went blank. What is he even talking about? His face was dark, and he kept staring at his own feet. The sadness that radiated off of him was strong, though. Was he going to explain...whatever he “got” was?
“I was human once.”
Ah, he was talking about that then. Probably.
“I had..someone. Special. I have no clue who they are now because of what happened, but. I mean I had someone.”
Tenna's chest ached a bit. He knew that kind of pain. Thinking about that little mailman who up and disappeared on him, he lowered his head, nodding. This was too familiar, but he let him keep going.
“What uh...happened, with them?”
Dredge's claws dug into the floor. Clearly a sore spot. His eyes were shut, but he opened them back up in a solemn expression, staring up at Tenna's screen. He looked...pained. Confused?
“...They murdered me. Beat me to death.” He motioned to his head. Beat in the head, then.
Oh fuck. If he had eyes, Tenna would have widened them. So that's what happened to him. That answes that. Well shit, that's much worse than just being abandoned, this little fuck was straight up killed. Tenna stammered, picking at his pant legs. This was extremely awkward, learning his comfort employee was a murder victim. NOT something he could have ever prepared for.
“I...I'm sorry.”
Dredge shrugged, hugging his own legs. Part of Tenna kind of wished he never learned about this. Didn't get curious about what happened to this guy. But another part felt different; His guts twisting. Dredge trusted him enough, maybe...to tell him about that. This is not something light, it was clearly a guarded fact that he was just told. Oh- Dredge is still talking- Stop getting in your head, Tenna.
“I got a lot of issues 'cause of it. But. I can't relate to you exactly, obviously, but I know how it feels to get dumped like you're nothing. I woke back up feeling like nothing.”
Tenna swallowed. He picked Dredge up, putting him in his lap and wrapped his arms around him. He smelled like dirt, tobacco and wet leaves again. Was this just a natural smell for him or something? His antennae drooped. Murdered...by a loved one. Poor little freak.
“Why did...they do that to you?”
Dredge shrugged again, eyes staring off. It began to line up a bit, how he zoned out all the time...lil guy had some damage done to his brain. Tenna's screen went red a bit. This little fucker has been nothing but nice to him despite getting screamed at, and some asshole had the gall to kill him? He grit his teeth- ...Was he really feeling protective- ..Yeah. He was. Yeah he was! He hugged Dredge a little tighter.
“...You don't need to do this, Mr. Tenna. I'm here for you, not the other way arou-”
“SHUT UP. Shut up.” Tenna petted Dredge's back, smiling. A small warm feeling bloomed in his belly as he saw Dredge sigh and nod, leaning against him. The undead man mumbled, crossing his arms under his head. Comforting another felt...pretty nice. Sure, they didn't really share the same way of being abandoned, Dredge being murdered, Tenna just being ignored, but...
“I'm fine.”
“You are not fine.”
Dredge looked at the floor, sighing. The TV Headed man looked down, wincing again. Shit.
“I am. Really.”
No you are NOT. Tenna growled. His teeth grit. NO. No.
Tenna let out a sigh, hugging him close. He got up and marched himself over to his car, tossing Dredge into the passengers seat again before driving them both to his house. He sniffled. Dredge swallowed. Arriving at his house, Tenna yanked Dredge out and carried him inside, shoving him onto the couch. His eyes seemed more sunken than they were
“Listen to me, you little fuck,” Tenna pointed at Dredge. “I...I need you. I need you. You've been there for me, and you've been here for me more than anyone in a long time.”
Tenna swallowed nothing. Dredge sat up. Fuck it. Dredge got Tenna's hope up. And it felt like...him, again, but Dredge couldn't book it...like he did. Could he? Would he? ...Would he? A gloved hand pet the dead mans cowlick. Dredge leaned into it. ...Cute. Cute?!
“Would...you watch me?”
Dredge blinked a few times.
“Of course, Mr. Tenna.”
Tenna let out a small sound, hugging Dredge close. He mumbled. Shit. “Again.”
“I'd watch you, sir.”
Tenna grit his jaw, breathing. His foot wagged. Tears dripped down his screen. A sob left his throat. Dredge looked up at him, brow creased.
“Mr. Tenna...?”
A wail left Tenna's screen as he clutched Dredge tight, sobbing into the fabric of his coat. Dredge held him close. He held the TV to him, claws clenching him him close as he cried out about not being plugged in or watched for years. Dredge rested his chin on top of Tenna's screen, wincing. Tenna's cries got softer as he finished his rant, sniffling. Dredge had heard it before on the first day, but clearly still cared to listen again.
Dredge leaned is head onto the TV man. Tenna wiped his screen, placing a hand on the clawed one that placed itself on his chest. Leaning back, he looked at his eyes. ...He.. He really seemed to mean it. God damn it- Tenna's staticky tears rolled off of his screen and onto Dredge's shoulder. He twitched, but got over it quickly. Tenna sniffled, then cleared his throat.
“You- ...You're... good at this. Being my...confidant,” A pause left him.“And you still barely even know me.”
With a small sigh leaving him, Dredge nodded. “I know I don't really know you yet. It's been nice being around you, though.”
Seriously? How? A good portion of his time around Tenna had been him screaming about his life, yanking him around like a doll, or- ...Tenna shook it off, deciding to just accept the fact that this guy liked having him around, even if he was being a complete mess. Someone liked having him around them again, and hopefully this time it'd actually last. His hopes weren't up too much, since...
A sudden loud growl from Tenna's stomach made them both perk up.
“Mr. Tenna. Have you eaten at all today?”
“I-...Well, got a bit distracted-”
Dredge's eyes narrowed in a disapproving look, and it actually made Tenna give a sheepish look, shrinking in size as he rubbed his arm. Asking where the kitchen was, Tenna pointed in the direction and Dredge let out a huff before lumbering off. Alright...add 'taking care of him' to his contract then, if that annoyed stare was anything real. The dead man did not look happy that he forgot to eat. That's probably going to be a whole thing. He did forget to take care of himself a lot, especially eating.
“Here.”
“AH- How are you so quiet on your feet, they're HUGE- Oh-”
Tenna stared down as Dredge handed him a sandwich, probably just thrown together from what he could find in his fridge. He let out a soft 'thanks' before taking it, wondering just how good a dead guy can make food. Dredge hefted himself beside him as he took a bite, his antennae flicking. ...This...was pretty good, actually. He ate in silence, feeling a bit awkward since Dredge was dead (lol) silent as well.
“...Thanks.”
Dredge let out a soft sound of affirmation, patting his arm. “No problem, big guy.”
He sort of started to like it when this guy called him things like 'boss man' or 'big guy'. It was growing on him. Tenna missed terms of affection deep down. Affection, right...? This was affection. He looked down at his employee, drumming his fingers. No, don't.
“It- ...It's late. I should go to bed. You...uh..do whatever you do for rest, too.”
“Yessir.”
Tenna stood up, stiff. Then waited. Unsure what he was waiting for- Yes, he was. He bowed his head, hands clutched together and tucked up under his head. Dredge slid off the couch, patting his leg to get his attetnion.
“Y'want me to come to-”
“YES, DAMN IT.”
Yanking him up, Tenna booked it to his room and tossed the dead man onto his bed. Fuck. This felt way too familiar to something else, but he just wanted to be held. He held up a hand as he grabbed his Pjs, heading into the bathroom to change before coming back. Dredge's eyes squinted, in that 'smile' way.
“...Why're you smiling?”
“Your pajamas.”
“What...??”
He looked down, 'brow' furrowing. He was in red sweatpants with gold TVs patterned on them, a white t-shirt with his logo on it. What's to smile about that?
“They're cute.”
Cute- ...Tenna's screen flicked pink. Cute... He coughed a little, then pulled back the covers and yanked Dredge over to him, curling up around him. This was the first time he had anyone in his bed for a long time. For any reason. ...Hm.
“So...why do you have no issue with me grabbing you, picking you up, and manhandling you?”
“Eh?” Dredge shrugged. “I dunno. Guess I just don't mind.”
“You're not weirdly into it, are you?”
“...No- What? What does that even mean?”
Well that's a relief. It'd be a bit freaky if he enjoyed that. Tenna sighed, accidentally taking in how his little dead guy smelled again. He eased his body, giving an inhale and hoping Dredge didn't notice. He smells like the woods...in a good way. A comforting way.
“You're smelling me.”
Shit. He noticed. Tenna froze. Er...
“You...you smell nice. You smell comforting. Woodsy. Okay.” Tenna blushed again, embarrassed that he got caught. Then again, he probably knew all along (he did). Dredge stroked his arm, letting out a small chuckle.
“S'fine. I get it.”
Two parts of Tenna were torn up again. He shouldn't be getting this attached to this guy, but he was. Would it be that bad to get attached again? Yeah, last time was...a disaster, but. Dredge had no ties to anything or anyone else. He spoke without really thinking about it, first.
“Dredge.”
“Mhm?”
“Do you...actually like me?”
Dredge propped himself up on his elbows, squinting down at the TV man that rested next to him. His antennae were drooping, his screen was black.
“Of course I like you. I wouldn't be here if I didn't.”
“Why?”
The shakiness of Tenna's voice when he asked that question made Dredge's chest tighten up inside. Shit. This guy really, really needed a lot of company, friendship....affection. Clearly hasn't gotten the last two in a while. He tapped his claws on the TV's metallic arm.
“Well...Like I said before, I understand where you come from, in a way. Plus...I just think you're fun, I guess. You got real flair. A good personality, too, in my opinioOOF-”
Tenna yanked Dredge into a hug and whined, his large hands clutching the zombies back. That was what he needed to hear. Someone who understands, someone who actually sees through his anger and sadness. And he's barely been around. A sniffle left the screen tucked against the dead man's shoulder, and Dredge rubbed his arm. He rested his chin on top of the CRT.
“It's okay, big guy. I got ya.”
“Tell me you won't go.”
The arms around Dregde got tighter. Tenna felt a bit pathetic, latching on to this guy, but fuck, he was HERE. At least he was here. He's been here for...not long, but he was here.
“I won't. Not going anywhere.”
“PROMISE.”
“I promise, boss.”
“You BETTER mean that- Or-...Or...”
“I mean it. I'm very hard to get rid of. Seriously.”
With a short nod, Tenna let out a small laugh at his comment, then a sob. Dredge let out a small sigh as he stroked his boss' back, feeling torn up about how this guy felt so alone for so long. It didn't seem fair; Aside from his temper and breakdowns, he was a nice man. Deserved more than being forgotten. He'd tell him sometime.
“...Get some sleep, big guy.”
Tenna swallowed, clutching his employee to his chest. He fell asleep to Dredge telling him he was okay. He was okay... He's okay. His screen shut off, feeling large claws rub his back.
Dredge had been in the dark world for a few months now, and had wandered himself in some weird show place. Saw a huge dude with a TV head on posters, statues. Off the bat, seeing him walk around and interact with his...assuming employees, he seemed incredibly unstable. Dredge blinked.
"Welcome to the green room, stranger!"
Dredge jolted, but looked back to someone behind a bar, narrowing his eyes. His claws flexed. "The what. ...Who're you?"
"Call me Ramb, luv. Calm down, no need to look so angry." Ramb polished a glass, looking Dredge up and down. "Who might you be?"
"...Dredge..I just sort of found this place. It's shiny in here." Dredge let a pause go on. “...Also I kind of always just look like that.”
Ramb let out a tired laugh that Dredge tilted his head at. “Might not be the place for that kind of facial expression.”
“...Why-”
The conversation was cut short as the TV headed man crashed through the doors, shouting about ratings. Ramb watched as Tenna walked past, but paused, standing up straight. Then he turned around, hands clasped to his face, then twitched.
"...Who is that. Who are you. What are you."
Dredge pointed at himself in a questioning way.
"OBVIOUSLY, YOU. Who else could I possibly be talking about?!"
"M'Dredge. I just got here. Not really sure what 'here' is." Dredge tilted his head, eyes narrowing. Tenna was breathing hard, his screen had pixelated sweat drops on it, and he was tense overall. "You okay?"
"No?? I'M NOT OKAY! DO I LOOK OKAY?! Do I SOUND okay?!"
Dredge looked around a bit without really meaning to, noticing the reactions to this TV man's behavior. They seemed to shrink into themselves. This was probably normal, then.
Tenna was ready to pull his antennae out. But noticed the look this stranger gave him. It wasn't scared, angry, just..soft and calm, despite the way he was yelling at them. Almost sleepy, in a way. It made him a bit confused. Only Ramb kept this calm around him when he got worked up.
“No. No, you don't.”
Tenna's screen had a nerve mark on it. “Sarcasm, huh? YOU-” as he reached down to point in this freaks' face, they put a hand on his finger, and Tenna almost lost his mind before-
"I wasn't being sarcastic.” His head tilted to the side. “You want to talk about it?"
"YOU- ...what." Tenna's arms went limp, and his screen went blank, voice flat. That took him way off guard, even in his current mood. Enough to make him stall. Everyone still there went quiet. He was just screaming in this random persons face. And they asked him if they wanted to talk about what was bothering him? What kind of weirdo is this? He paused before standing up, gesturing, flinging his hands up.
"I don't even know you! You don't know me! Plus, you don't know what I'm even upset about!"
Dredge gave an affimitive nod, holding up his hands in a vague way, then letting them fall heavily to his sides. They did look rather hefty.
"Just an offer. ...I'm a good listener. Up to you."
“STOP! STOP IT- I...You...”
Tenna cut himself off from his next sentence. His 'brow' furrowed. He looked this stranger up and down. This...Dredge, was wearing a black mask with a red X in the middle, had huge hands with purple, glowing claws. His feet also had the same claws. Four on his hands, three on his feet. His clothes were casual, some dumb graphic shirt from a movie (Hey, he aired that one) and the faded army green fabric trench coat he wore had ragged, torn edges. His hair had a swoop of purple on his upward cowlick. He looked like he was just dragged across a gravel road without the dust. Dredge gave off a weird, weird vibe already. What is this thing? Tenna grit his teeth.
Though...maybe a new set of ears could be the thing he needed, actually. He straightened himself out, glaring at everyone else in the room. His foot tapped on the floor before he yanked Dredge up with one hand like scruffing a cat, and stomped to his office. Dredge let out a small sound from the sudden motion, but didn't put up a fight. Seemed to accept it.
Closing the door, Tenna let out a small huff and leaned back against his door, sliding down, dropping the weirdo he held to the floor face-first. Dredge let out a grunt but sat back up, shaking his head off and looking up at the man next to him.
"Good listener, huh? I've had many people tell me they're a good listener, but then- Okay. Fine. You wanna listen? Then listen."
Tenna proceeded to dump years of his own personal pain, at times starting to scream. Not entirely sure why he was letting all of this out on a total stranger who simply offered to listen, but he kept going. He looked down at Dredge for a moment as his voice cracked, who had a calm, sympathetic expression the entire time he went off. Almost sad. Not in a pitying way, but actually sad.
….Huh.
...That's....refreshing. Tenna tensed up as Dredge reached a clawed hand up, looking at his arm as if to ask if he could put it on there as he kept going. Cursing in his mind, he did miss a friendly touch; Even if it was fake. Or from a literal stranger. He put his hand on Dredges' to press it to his arm, and the claws gently squeezed. The claws were warm, oddly soft. It almost felt like...
Coughing a bit, Tenna finished up. Ugh. With a few motions of his own hands, he growled for this...man to go over to the small mini fridge he kept in his office and get him a drink. Dredge leaned up and lumbered over, opening it up to get a small bottle of water before returning and placing in his hands. Tenna downed it in a second and let out a frustrated huff.
A long silence followed before Dredge spoke up.
"Y'went through some serious Hell, there. You shouldn't have been through that, boss man."
"It's Mr. Tenna. Don't call me that 'boss man.'”
Dredge nodded, mumbling out an apology.
“And yes. I know. But how do you know that. You don't know me."
Dredge squinted at him, and Tenna noticed that he had black eyelids. Or was it makeup? Didn't seem like makeup. Looked too smooth. Wait, he was talking.
“..with people- Hey- Did you hear me?”
Tenna scowled, crushing the cup in his hand, leaning his head back.
“No, but I'm not in the mood to listen to any kind of speech right now.”
Dredge nodded and lifted a hand in a silent apology again. Tenna leaned his head back, simply feeling the warmth of this man he just met on him, thinking himself pathetic to want someone close this bad just- ….But. He looked down. Dredge's eyes were half open as they rested on Tenna's side, and they looked sad. Tenna creased his brow.
A long silence went on, Tenna just breathing. As weird as this interaction was, it felt a little good to get some of this out, even if it was with whatever this man was. It'd been a while since he got to vent to anyone but Mike, and even he seemed nervous whenever Tenna got too worked up. Although Dredge seemed a bit sedated almost, the lack of nerves was alright.
Dredge sat up, looking at him.
"Y'want a hug, Mr. Tenna?"
Tenna's screen went black as he looked down, bristling. Then it went red. Really? A Hug?! FOR RE... Really...? ...SHUT UP-
"WHAT? SERIOUSLY? FROM YOU? I-"
Tenna dug his hands into the grimy carpet floor before thinking about how long it had been since someone actually offered him a hug, or got a hug without asking.
“Y'don't have to, I was just-”
Tenna inhaled, scowling with his antennae down. Fine. Fine! If it's being offered. Right?
“Give me a hug before I change my fucking mind.”
Tenna just traumadumped the last decades of his life all over this guy, a stranger, and he offers him a fucking hug?? Was he a creep, or just nice? ….Didn't really seem to be a creep. Maybe a bit creepy, but not a creep. Just weird.
Dredge stood up and hugged Tenna's neck a moment, patting his shoulders. Tenna winced, but put his hand on Dredge's back. He smells like dirt, but in a good way...petrichor. A bit like iron. Blood? Wet leaves. ...Other things. His arms were heavy. Warm. Why were they so big? ...They felt so nice around him. Like weights, but...good. Tenna snuck another inhale of Dredge's shoulder again, a pleasant buzz going down his spine. It smelled like he was in the woods... It was nice. Dredge noticed, but said nothing,
But despite his kind of weird, slightly creepy energy, this freak seemed to genuinely care already. At least today. It wasn't clear if he was just humoring him, being nice.... Maybe Tenna could make this his occupation...someone to let out all of his feelings on who clearly won't afraid when he gets intense. Would he remain this calm around him? And would it even last?
Tenna squeezed him. "You've...listened to me for..." Looking at the clock, his antennae stood up. "An hour and a half. And you don't even know me."
“..Huh. Didn't realize it'd been that long.”
“Do you have any concept of time.”
“Not really, no.” (That made Tenna stifle a laugh. Was he dumb, too?)
Tenna broke the hug, putting him to the side, his screen black and his hands on his knees. His leg started to bounce. He could really use a little vent like this. All the time, really, especially now. No one is watching him, except, what, a few people? Every few years? He held his head and stilled as he felt a large one on his back, rubbing it softly. It made him stiffen, then droop down.
A sound left his throat as he noticed Dredge was still looking at him before just blurting it out.
“How would you like a job?”
Dredge raised his eyebrows, head tilting. “To do...”
“Be my...Person I vent to.” Tenna remained face down. “It'd be nice to have someone like this. You seem to be good at it. For now.” His hearing rang for a moment, again.
Dredge nudged his shoulder. Tenna let out a breath, looking back down at him.
"Did you hear me? I said yeah."
"Seriously...?? You want this job? You want a job where I yell at you about what bothers me."
Dredge nodded. Tenna raspily whispered out a 'why', given his behavior today, it seems like the last, LAST place anyone would want to be in.
"You need someone to talk to." Looking at his clawed feet, he tapped them on the floor absently. He was making a weird face.
The television tapped his fingers on the ground nervously. Was this all a trap? This Dredge seemed too new to know anyone he knew before.
“Mr. Tenna?”
“HN?”
Dredge's face was dark, suddenly. He stared off at nothing, flexing his claws and tapping them on the floor.
“I won't go into detail right now since it ain't about me, but I kinda know how it feels. Not exactly what you're going through, I'm not trying to..one up you, or anything like that.” Dredge furrowed his brow. “Feeling like you're tossed to the side. And angry because of it. Hell, that's how I got-....Anyways.”
A lump came into Tenna's throat, thinking about how it felt again since- ….Got what?
“So I can see why you're so emotional.”
What the Hell happened to this guy? An itch of curiosity dug at the back of Tenna's head.
“Got what?”
Dredge flinched, hard. Hard enough to almost fall over. Not the only one with a shit back show, then, eh? He shook his head, swallowing; Then muttered out that he'd explain one day while avoiding eye contact.
“So, if you need someone to listen to you...I'll listen.”
Tenna's brain screamed 'trap' but at the same time, needed something like this. At least, if he was faking for the moment, he provided some form of comfort. His mechanical stomach twisted up in conflict.
Nodding, Tenna got up and put Dredge down, walking over to his desk to write up a contract. He bit his lip, foot tapping. This would technically make it an obligation for Dredge, but at the same time it felt...nice. At least, if this freak signed, it would be a step forward from...before. He sighed out, babbling on and writing down about how it would be to be his....wait. What would he be called.
“What would you be even called as an employee?”
“I dunno, I'm not a dictionary. Sounding board? Confidant?”
“....Confidant.”
Tenna rolled his nonexistent eyes, writing down “confidant” in a contract. He confided in Mike enough, already. But...his pen shook. He sighed as he finished the contract, but held up a finger.
“You okay with being on TV at times.”
Dredge gave a shrug. “As long as you're fine with someone as weird lookin' as me on screen, sure.”
Tenna barked a laugh at that as Dredge signed, and the paper was slipped into Tenna's jacket. Tenna let out a tired laugh as opposed to his normal one, letting out a small sigh at the end. Normally there was more of a show. Dredge looked up at his new boss, who's eyes squinted up a bit. ...Um. Again, kinda creepy. Those black eyelids of his seemed to accent this.
“What...face is that?”
“I'm smiling.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah, hard to tell with the mask.”
Tenna looked at the clock and frowned. They'd been there for over three hours past closing now, just going back and forth before eventually making a contract.
“I'm going home. And you....?”
Dredge looked around, shrugging. “I just got here, I don't have a place. I can just chill on the floor or something. Don't matter.”
For the love of- Tenna dragged his hand down his screen. Tenna yanked him up by the scruff of his coat again, Dredge letting out a small grunt but no fight. Again. Tenna refused to make 'eye' contact as he carried him out to his car, practically tossing him into the passengers seat as he drove to his place.
“What, uh... What are you doing- Where we goin?”
Tenna remained quiet as he drove, rather quickly, to his mansion, parking haphazardly and yoinking Dredge back out again with one hand. Dredge made small sounds but seemed to accept being manhandled like a ragdoll, which...made Tenna raise a 'brow'. Weird. Walking into his home, Tenna placed Dredge in front of a bathroom.
“Wash up. You smell like dirt. Leave your clothes outside of the door so they can be washed. You'll get something to sleep in, and you can crash on the couch over there.”
“Aeuh..ok...?”
Dredge was wide-eyed, and...damn, he looked weird with his eyes actually fully open. He stammered a bit, but Tenna shushed him, and clapped at him, motioning him to get a move on before walking off to his bedroom. He couldn't help but scoff out a laugh as he heard another confused sound from the man behind him before the door shut.
---
Dredge had showered and let his clothes get taken away to get washed, even though he truly did not enjoy that. He looked at the oversized Pjs he wore that had Tennas' face all over them, raising a brow. Yeah, seemed on point. After he put them on, looking absolutely ridiculous, he just sort of...stood in the living room before he curled up on the L-shaped, oversized couch like a cat, letting out a large sigh.
“S' is weird.” He mumbled before burying his face in his arms, shutting his eyes.
Tenna peeked out of his room, screen glowing softly as he looked at the little undead man on his couch who was curled in a ball.
Walking out of his room, he tried to be as quiet on his feet as he could. Dredge looked soft. Had a lot of pointy parts, but soft overall. Probably smelled better, too. Even though the dirt smell wasn't...too horrible. The little freak was a good hugger, too. He sat beside him, thumbs flicking as he thought to himself about this. Nah. This was too weird. It was day one of meeting this...thing, and barely 2 hours after signing a job contract. Tenna motioned to get back up and leave before a gruff voice spoke up.
“If you want to cuddle, you can ask.”
The sudden sound of Dredge speaking made Tenna yelp out, nearly jumping out of his skin. WAS HE AWAKE THE WHOLE TIME-?!
“[@#$%^] YOU, WERE YOU AWAKE THE WHOLE TIME I CAME OUT HERE?!”
Dredge rolled over onto his back, raising his arms above his head and grunting. “Yep. I don't actually sleep. I can sort of....fake it because it feels nice, but I don't fall asleep at all. Zombie 'n all that.”
Tenna made strangling motions with his hands at Dredge, who just softly looked at him and opened his arms. That made his screen flicker a little bit. It was strange as Hell, yeah, but... This is his job, isn't it? To comfort him? Being..held would be comforting. His screen was blank as he considered both sides. And as touch starved as he was, it was very tempting.
...
“C'mere, big boss man, come here.”
Tenna swallowed hard before leaning onto his side, letting Dredge wrap his damned tree trunks for arms wrap around him, giving him a few pats on the back. He...did smell nice now. Sure, it was HIS body wash that was used, but the dirt smell was still there. Just now it was mixed with something clean. Barely noticed him calling him 'boss man' again.
“This is...very weird.”
Dredge shrugged. “Kinda. A lot of people need affection eventually, so I get it.”
Looking down, Tenna let out a small sound as he looked at the massive claws resting on him. It occurred to him that, given the number of times those things have been on him today, he wasn't scratched once. Not even a bit.
“How...do these,” He pinched a claw between his fingers, noticing they felt a bit like gel on the outside with a harder interior. “Not cut me up when you touch me with them?”
“Huh- Oh. Yeah, I can make them soft or sharp when I wanna. Makes no sense, but none of my anatomy does.”
Letting out a small sound at that rather unsatisfying answer, Tenna leaned his head back and turned his screen off.
“Get some r-...Whatever it is you consider rest, we have a big day tomorrow.”
just some facts about my oc kin. and a bit of her as a headmate too (violence/death mentions, negativity)
experimented on since birth to be a super soldier but with the werewolf thing going on. at age 9 she was just left in a cage each time they finished their experiments
made friends with the mice and rats that littered her cage, naming them all. that bit kept her from not going totally insane
her dad was killed in front of her by her mother because he tried to feed her off schedule
killed her mother when she became an adult when they were both in were form. kin now wears her mothers skull on her head as a helmet during her concerts as a giant "fuck you"
was essentially brainwashed to hurt innocents, but somehow reversed her brainwashing on her own and attacked the handlers that experimented on her as well after seeing the fear on the innocents she was ordered to kill
most likely insane due to the sheer amount of pain, isolation and trauma she endured, amongst other things; but not in a criminal way
refuses to hurt others unless they hurt her or someone else who does not deserve it first. firm believer in non-violence, hates violence with a passion. for good reasons
goes out of her way to beat the fuck out of and/or kill nazis though. shes got a kill count journal for them. she was engineered to fight for them, but kills them instead
can be extremely manic for up to hours, and it hurts the entire time. dredge and royce calm her down a little bit, but when she gets manic it's hard to get her down
dances and listens to music to try and calm herself down, or at least feel a little better
bottles up her anger as she was not allowed to express much as a child.
when she gets angry and cannot hold it back anymore, she gets weird. really weird. and tends to isolate herself when she does since she has no clue how to handle it at all and doesnt want to freak out at anyone by accident
anger spikes pretty much result in a panic attack and/or bad mania at the same time. almost impossible to deal with at that point
somehow very positive, very optimistic otherwise. constantly telling herself that it has to get better, and it will get better, believing it despite everything she has gone through
tries her damn hardest to smile through the pain, even though sometimes she knows she shouldn't
cannot process most negative emotions properly and knows it; but cannot seem to bring herself to fix it
genuine sweetheart. nice to basically everyone, likes everyone, not a single mean cell in her body. would rather get tortured again before she was a jerk to anyone who didnt deserve it
craves attention desperately, needs to be around people even if she doesnt really feel like it. big extrovert.
when she loves or likes someone, she does it hard. understands boundaries and such, but if she cares about you, she cares about you a LOT
fears to be vulnerable. will do so if she thinks she can, around certain people, but it is a select few. and it takes a while for that bond to happen
self harmed for a very long time, which is why she wears the bandages on her arms as they have scars all over them. her entire body is littered with scars from when she was a child as well. she does not let a lot of people see them, feeling shame
locks herself in a bunker during her birthday as it is the only day she transforms into her were form where she cannot control herself
prides herself on her music, motorcycle and custom guitar. the two latter are based off of werewolf themes and bones
favorite animal: wolf. surprising. (not)
has both hyperactive and inattentive adhd, probably other things. definitely other things
multi-lingual, can speak english, german, russian and spanish
photographic memory, much to her despair
enjoys reading text books and learning
high IQ, but still acts like a dumbass a lot
she is undead, but not a zombie. there is a big difference. she has no organ function, no need to eat, nothing. she's just a walking corpse that does not need to feed, no false breathing or heartbeat
can transform at will but prefers not to. even though she cant really feel pain, it DOES hurt/cause discomfort when she transforms as her entire skeletal form changes
tries her best to project positivity into the world even though she feels abysmal at times. #1 good girl
