Voxhollow

Voxhollow

Link to Prologue

Link to Previous Chp

Chapter 3: Ripples of Change

It had been about a month since the last arson attack took place in Ashvale. The sudden gap of peace and quiet didn’t quell the people’s fears, rather they intensified. Everyone could only speculate who would be the next target of Anti’s reign of terror. A handful of people had the dim hope Anti was done with his villainy and the city could return to its blissful state of ignorance. 

Dark knew that wasn’t the case. Much like any criminal mastermind, they always took a break in between their escapades, the next job being bigger than the last. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t concerned about this. Always discreetly attending all of the morning meetings about any reports related to suspicious activities at his establishments along spending his afternoons personally inspecting the buildings himself incognito. Each time nothing came up. He couldn’t shake off this sickly feeling building in his gut. Dark knew this paranoia wasn’t worth losing sleep over. He was just being cautious is all. At least that’s what he wanted to believe. 

Wilford noticed the changes in his demeanor and became worried. It was the littlest things he could pick up on. He wanted to say something to Dark, but he wasn’t sure how to approach him. He knew he would tell Wilford not to worry about him and that would be the end of the conversation. He sighed and put a hand through his suave pink hair getting ready for another day at the office. He stepped over to the door and took a deep breath. “Another day, another dollar.”

Walking to the office, Wilford fully takes in the surroundings. A city that keeps moving forward, a place with bright aspirations for the future, the perfect target for someone to smash into pieces. Wilford knew even this city was not free of its flaws no matter how much people try to deny it. He doubts anyone believes Anti is done with his spree of arson. Ignorance leads to nothing but trouble. His thoughts then begin to linger about the same kind of people always jumping to conclusions about everything and everyone; it makes him feel slightly frustrated about his own experiences with those same individuals. Sure he might present himself as an eccentric goofball but hardly anyone ever gives him a chance to really get to know him better. Instead people just write him off as an idiot who is extremely lucky he’s friends with such a powerful figure. Dark has assured him time and time again that’s not the case at all, he does sometimes wonder how Dark puts up with him and his sporadic behavior.

Wilford snaps out of his thoughts when he hears the loud whistle of a traffic signal. He brushes those feelings aside and crosses the street. Along the way someone nearly bumps into him hurriedly walking in the opposite direction. Strange, he thought. “I wonder why they’re in such a hurry, it's only eight in the morning? Eh oh well must be late for work or something.” He heads into the office, greeting all of the receptionists as he makes his way to the top floor.

When the door opens he is greeted with the sight of Dark preparing coffee and some toast. He took in a deep breath taking in the intricate aroma of a morning brew. A warm comforting embrace to truly wake him up. He headed over to the kitchenette to prepare his share of breakfast.

“Good Morning Wilford.” Dark said as he poured coffee into his mug, black coffee with only two cubes of sugar was his go to in the morning.

“And a good morning to you my friend! How are you doing on this fine day?” Wilford responded. He proceeded to make his own mug of coffee with a boatload of cream and sugar. It sometimes sent a shiver up Dark’s spine, wondering how Wil could take so much sugar early in the morning. He took another sip of his own slightly bitter drink, walking towards his desk to take a seat.

“Same as always. And you?” Dark asked, taking his seat to look at last night’s reports from security. 

Wilford took notice of this action and internally sighed. He felt that now would be the right time to say something.

“Just dandy!” Wilford exclaimed. He walked over to where Dark was and faced him. He took a deep breath and sighed. Oh boy. Whenever Wil did this, Dark knew he was being serious about something.

“Damien. I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, but I'm starting to get a little worried about you. I know what you’re going to say, that I’m worried about you over nothing, but clearly this Anti criminal is starting to drive you up the wall. Please Dark talk to me, tell me how you really feel about all of this. It is just you and me.”

Dark felt a twinge of frustration course through his body. He usually didn’t like dealing with his own emotions or talking about them. However, bottling up emotions is never a healthy habit for anyone. So, just this once he felt he could partially share what he was feeling. 

“William. I understand your concerns over my seemingly anxious behavior about this miscreant. I am truly just taking the extra steps needed to be absolutely safe about this ongoing problem.”

Wilford wasn’t fully convinced of this. Dark could tell by the look on his face. He took a slight pause and walked towards Wil. 

“Wil, while it might seem I am being paranoid, it is only fair I feel overly cautious, I have a strong feeling that Anti’s next plan is going to be bigger than the last and it’s only fair to assume… I’m the next target.”

@luxuriadanti @iamvegorott @bookwormscififan

I love it! And I can't believe Night threatened Dark like that 😳

A Sweet Bribe

Here's a (Only a little late this time XD) birthday gift for @ariesshower824

A quick note that this takes place in the DemonHunter!AU

A Sweet Bribe

Host had a complicated relationship with his birthday. The complication was caused by parents using that day as an excuse to see if his skills have improved and how. They turned a day of celebration into a day of overworking a child to the point of passing out and missing the rest of it. It was now a yearly reminder that he needed to be better, faster, stronger, and he wasn’t good enough. After losing his sight that feeling of resentment returned every time it was his birthday. 

Everyone knew Host’s sensitivity to his birthday, but Dark was the only one who knew the story since his own past was similar, and he also struggled with his birthday. Most just assumed Host didn’t like knowing he was getting older, and it definitely added to it since his partner is an immortal Demon.

There was a silent rule to not verbally wish Host a happy birthday, but they could still give gifts to him. Host would never get angry or snap at anyone for wanting to give him something. He always politely smiled and thanked them, taking the gifts to his office and having them piled on the small table. The gifts would get a proper look at the next day when the sourness of his birthday was gone, and he could appreciate them more. 

Even some of the Demons got him something. Anti had run into him on his own that morning and given him a cupcake, stating that he had made extras and heard Host had a sweet tooth. Host knew that was a lie and thanked Anti with a smile, and the cupcake was the only gift used the same day. Anti was right about Host having a sweet tooth, and he couldn’t resist. 

“Host?” Night’s voice came from his office door. “May I steal some of your time?” 

“You say that as if you wouldn’t do it regardless.” Host chuckled with a loving smile.  

“What can I say? I enjoy being with you.” Night playfully hummed and went to the desk, seeing Host turn his head slightly at the sound of him placing something on the wooden surface. 

“Do I even want to know what you’ve brought?” Host asked.

“I know you’ll like it. You do have a famous sweet tooth. I already saw Anti with his cupcake, but something tells me you can’t deny a slice of homemade cake.” Night had gone behind Host as he spoke, placing his hands on Host’s shoulders and gently massaging. He hated how he could feel knots already forming despite having just taken care of those the previous day. Host really did stress himself too much with worries for everyone. Night adored Host’s courage, passion, and willingness to do what it takes, but he wished his mate would take better care of himself. 

“You made cake?” Host asked as he slowly melted into Night’s touch. For a being stronger than most of mankind combined, he sure knew how to work his hands in a firm yet delicate manner. 

“I know I don’t bake often, but when I do, it will satisfy even the most sugar-addicted person.” Night teased with a kiss to the top of Host’s head. 

“I’m not sugar-addicted.” Host protested. 

“Sure you’re not, my dear owl.” Night smiled when he worked his hands a touch deeper against Host’s shoulders and watched as Host groaned with relief and leaned more against him. “Let’s call it early. It is a special day, after all.” 

“It’s not special.” Host tried to tense up, but it was nearly impossible with Night’s hands on him. 

“I know your birthday is hard for you, and I don’t blame your sourness toward it.” Night paused his massage when Host placed his hand on top of his. 

“Dark told you?”

“He did after a lot of threats. Your past is safe with him. I just have plenty of extra cards to pull with him than the average Human or Demon.” 

“Can we just treat today like any other?” Host asked with a sigh. 

“I understand your desire to drop the birthday aspect of it.” Night gently squeezed Host’s shoulders before moving his hands and then going over to where the cake was, picking up the knife he had brought with it. “How about we change this day into an anniversary.” 

“An anniversary? For what?” Host asked. Night softly chuckled as he cut into the cake and placed a slice onto one of the two plates. 

“For the first time you tried my devil’s food cake.” Night grabbed the plate and a fork. He stood beside Host and leaned back against the desk. 

“I don’t think your cake is going to be that good.” Host teased, tilting his head and opening his mouth after Night tapped his chin. 

“Just you wait.” Night sang as he fed Host a bite. 

“Holy shit.” Host blurted out as he chewed. 

“I told you.” Night was beaming with pride as he loaded his fork with another bite. 

“How did you do that?” Host asked. “That should not be so good.” He opened his mouth again at another chin tap and happily sighed at eating more of the cake. 

“Looks like I found your weakness.” Night chuckled. “Could I use this as a bribe to get you to head home? Get you to sit by the fire and read a book? Enjoy some peace?” 

“I think you could.” Host opened his mouth once more and Night was more than willing to continue feeding Host the cake until the slice was finished. 

“I think that’ll last you until we get home.” Night sat the empty plate down and leaned over, kissing Host and then chuckling when he could taste the chocolate on his lips. “And I thought your kisses were sweet before.” 

“That one was bad, even for you.” Host softly laughed.

“I could be so much worse.”  

“I’ll hold you to it when we get home.”

“Yes, sir.” Night kissed Host’s cheek, a light purr in his throat as Host turned his head into another kiss. 

Sure why not

Reblog In 5 seconds for good luck

Obviously I want to read more

Magicians Don't Need Superheros Pt5

First: Link Prev: Link Next: TBA

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Marvin spent another week traveling around and trying to figure out what to do. He did see Jackie but apparently, it was impossible to not have that man on his mind since he started finding little ‘care packages’ for him around the city. He knew they were from Jackie since all of the little boxes had a piece of paper taped to the top that had JBM written on it. It didn’t take a lot of thinking to connect JBM with Jackieboyman. The boxes were usually filled with food, containers of tea, and bottles of water. 

Right now Marvin sat under a tree in the park, the leaves above him beginning to turn yellow and orange. He was eating one of the ‘care package’ sandwiches while waiting for someone to pick up his call. He thinks he finally managed to find someone that could help him get home. 

“First and last name.” An automated voice asked. Marvin bit back an annoyed sigh at getting a machine and not a person but hoped giving that information would get him closer.

“Marvin…Um…Marvin…” Marvin thickly swallowed.

Why couldn’t he remember his last name?

“Marvin Marvin. Is that correct? Yes or no?”

“No. No. It’s Marvin…fuck.” Marvin hung up the call, suddenly feeling like he wanted to throw up. He stared off at the dying grass and found it hard to breathe, heavily panting as panic started bubbling inside him.

He was Marvin. 

He was Marvin. 

Marvin what? 

The Magnificent. 

Where did that come from? The hell kind of name was that? 

That wasn’t-he isn’t. 

No.

No.

No.

Marvin pressed a hand to his chest, sandwich falling and air suddenly in short supply. 

Breathe, Marvin, breathe. 

“Shit.” Marvin wheezed as he forced himself to his feet, his other hand on the tree as he remained hunched over, slowly working that unwelcomed rush of fear away with deeper and deeper breaths. 

Why couldn’t he remember…why couldn’t he remember anything?

This wasn’t good. He needed to get out of the public. He needed to be alone, he needed some peace. 

x~x~x

Jackie casually jumped from one roof to the other. He had found one of his boxes in the park and the mess that was left behind told him something was wrong. Marvin always cleaned up and put everything back into the box neatly. Jackie had asked around and the few witnesses around said the man had just disappeared and he assumed that meant Marvin was up on a roof again. 

“Tell him he can choke on the entirety of my ass if he has a problem with how I’m doing this.” Jackie scoffed into the phone. “I’m supposed to be the one that brings him to the House so I’m doing it my way.” He jumped onto the next roof, still not seeing Marvin yet. “Remember the last time we went against the prediction? There was a lot of fire. And the time before that took out half a country's power for a whole day. Aren’t we supposed to be like low-key? I’m doing pretty good about that compared to those messes.” Jackie did another jump and this time he saw Marvin, sitting on a raised ledge of this roof, letting his feet hang off the edge. “Found him. I’ll fill you in later.” Jackie hung up the phone and started walking over to Marvin.

But then he paused.

Was that a sniff? 

A sob?

Was Marvin crying?

Oh…it must have kicked in. 

Jackie had hoped it didn’t happen until Marvin was at the House, with more information about everything and with the others around to help. They were a lot better at dealing with this than he was but he couldn’t let Marvin go through his alone. 

It hurt too much to do it alone.

He would know. 

Jackie got confirmation that Marvin was crying when he got closer, hearing it a lot clearer now and as he sat down on the ledge next to Marvin, he could see the wet spots of tears on Marvin’s pants. 

“Did I manage to sneak up on you this time or does this still not count?” Jackie weakly laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew it had to be bad when Marvin didn’t give a comeback, he didn’t even look at him. “Are you okay?” 

“I…I can’t remember them.” Marvin’s voice came out soft and raspy as if he’d been crying for a while. 

“That happens. I was told that it’s how we adjust to this new…form. It’s weird.” Jackie also knew he wasn’t the best at this because he didn’t really pay too much attention to the details of what they were. He just wanted to live and thinking too far into his and the other’s reality got sad. Jackie didn’t do sad. Or at least he tried not to. 

“They’re not here. My friends, my family. They’re not here. I don’t have anything. All I have are my clothes and even then the jacket I’m wearing isn’t even mine.” Marvin’s laugh was forced, strained, and almost sounded painful. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“I can’t remember my mom.” Marvin finally looked at Jackie, eyes red and filled with tears that continued rolling down his cheeks. “I had her face in my head just hours ago and now she’s gone.” 

“Forgetting mom is the hardest.” Jackie wished he knew how to comfort Marvin. He felt so useless. “I mean, I know we don’t actually have parents but…but losing that memory still hurts. It doesn’t matter if it was real or not. It still sucks.” 

“I went from having so many people around me to being alone. Or at least I think I had people. I don’t fucking remember anymore. I think I had a cat or was it a hamster? N-No it was a cat…was it? The fuck did I have?” Marvin looked at Jackie with a pleading look, silently begging him to give him an answer. 

“I’m sorry, Marvin. I don’t know.” Jackie placed a hand on Marvin’s shoulder and he felt an ache in his own heart when Marvin cursed, beginning to cry again. Jackie did what worked for him when he was like this and he moved closer to Marvin, pulling him into a hug. 

Jackie didn’t know how long they stayed like that, how long he held Marvin and let him cry into his chest. He didn’t care how long it took, he’d sit like this all night if Marvin needed it. 

Eventually, Marvin did pull away and Jackie let him go. The two sat in silence for a while before Jackie broke it. 

“Wanna see a magic trick I learned?” Jackie asked, getting a confused look from Marvin.

“Sure?”

“Cool! Let me see your hand.” Jackie held his own out. Marvin still looked confused but he went with it, placing his hand palm-side up on Jackie’s. “Gotta have a little patience with this one.” He took the very tips of his fingers, using his dull nails, and scratched at Marvin’s palm before closing his fingers over it. Marvin blinked and just waited as Jackie did that gesture several times before just barely pinching the center of his palm and then ‘plucking’ at it. “Eh? Did it feel like I just pulled a string out of your hand?” 

“Yeah.” Marvin was lying, but the way Jackie perked up and gave him the brightest smile made him not feel bad about it. “I don’t get you.” 

“You don’t get me?” Jackie tilted his head a bit.

“I just-” Marvin did a scoff-like laugh. “Why are you so nice? I’ve pushed you off a building and had you fall out of a tree and knocked you off a fence, and yet you just keep making sure I’m the one that’s okay.” 

“I mean, if you actually wanted to hurt me, you wouldn’t have made sure my landings were soft. I might not be the smartest guy, but even I caught on to that.” Jackie did an exaggerated tongue pop and smiled when that got Marvin to laugh. “Oh! If you knock me off the roof again could I have like feathers as my padding? I think the puff of them flying in the air would make a funny scene.”

“You don’t have to worry about a padded landing.”

“Why not?” 

“Because I’ll go with you to the House.”

“You will!?” 

“You already have my hand, you can just walk away with me,” Marvin smirked as Jackie looked down, saw that he was, in fact, still holding his hand, and started sputtering.

“I-I just-I was-uh-distracted and-”

“Take me to the House before I change my mind.”

“Okay!” 

Excellent

I was thinking of Night experiencing Host going through a vision for the first time. With a lot of blood going through the bandages and Night is freaking out over what to do until Dark intervenes 😱

Sorry this took me forever to write!!

Also I couldn't resist slipping a little bit of the chaos twins in there! XD

--

It was a peaceful evening, for the most part. Night had cooked a lovely dinner for Host, feeding him a rich chocolate cake for dessert with a smile, then curling up in the couch to just enjoy the other’s company.

He was just beginning to doze off, fingers threading through Host’s hair to keep the longer strands out of the bandages, when he felt the narrator tense up against him. Turning to look at Host, Night’s eyes widened as he watched blood seeping through the bandages around his own eyes, leaking out from underneath to run down his cheeks.

“What’s happening? What’s going on?” Night asked, losing his composure as fear trickled in his veins. Tugging a handkerchief from his pocket, he pressed it to Host’s cheek, feeling his hands start shaking when the blood seeped through the fabric instantaneously.

He’d never seen so much blood coming from beneath Host’s bandages before; helping to change them had made him believe his sockets were mostly healed. This seemed… different somehow. Despite his tense pose, Host seemed unbothered by the affliction, simply facing forward with his mouth forming unintelligible words.

“I’m going to get some bandages… warm water… cold water to drink…” Night trailed off as he left the room, heading first for the bathroom to get the first aid kit, then going to the kitchen to douse a dishcloth in warm water and fill a glass with cold water. He paused as the thought of calling for help entered his mind, then shook it off in favour of getting back to his partner.

--

Stepping into the room, Night stopped as he spotted Dark kneeling in front of Host, hands on his shoulders with his eyes trained on his mouth, carefully reading Host’s lips and muttering comments about the words. After some time, Dark leaned away from Host and noticed Night standing in the doorway. Clearing his throat, he stood up and motioned for the god to return to Host’s side.

“He’s fine now,” Dark said, seeming to sense Night’s concern. “When he’s had time to rest, ask him about his visions. I have a feeling they’ll be regular occurrences for you. Also please inform him I received his message and will act on the vision as soon as I am able.” With that, Dark left in a cloud of black smoke, leaving Night blinking at empty space before turning back to change Host’s bandages.

--

“Sorry about that,” Host said quietly as he leaned toward Night, tilting his face to let him clean the blood. “Sometimes I can control when I have a vision, but today it couldn’t wait. I’m alright, though,” he finished, reaching for Night’s free hand.

“Did it hurt?” Night asked, carefully wrapping fresh gauze around Host’s head. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Having the visions don’t hurt,” Host replied, curling back into Night’s side once he heard the click of the first aid kit closing. “Mostly, it’s just annoying. I was going to tell you tomorrow, because Dark needed me to experience a vision for his next job, but I guess the vision couldn’t wait.”

“Do you need me to help you in any way when this happens?”

“What you’ve done is more than enough,” Host said with a smile, shifting slightly to rest his head on Night’s chest, humming when Night draped his arm around his shoulders. “The visions don’t last long, but afterward I will need a bandage change and a lot of water. In rare cases a shower would also help.”

Night nodded, humming in acknowledgement before holding Host closer, pressing a kiss to the top of his head and relaxing more against the couch cushions. As he listened to Host’s breathing even out, signalling he had fallen asleep, Night couldn’t stop the swarm of thoughts and questions he had about Host’s visions.

With a sigh, he decided to ask them on their next date, opting instead to do some research into the illusion magic that was probably involved with Host’s visions. And what better way to research than to ask the illusionists born from chaos magic themselves?

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Night sent a quick text out to a specific group chat, turning off the phone and closing his eyes after hitting send. Need to ask you two about illusion magic. Can it happen in the psychic threshold? Meet me at the cherry blossom tree tomorrow, noon.

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@iamvegorott @brokentimewatch