Twst Grim - Tumblr Posts

Yuu: Woooooow...

Yuu: I'm so disappointed in all of you.

Ace : What did we do!?

Yuu: Y'all actually forgot.

Yuu: I mean, my standards were none existent, but still.

Epel: What did they do now?

Grim: I didn't do anything, Henchman!

Yuu: I told y'all a week ago and you still forgot.

Deuce: I'm sorry, Prefect, but none of us know what you're talking about.

Yuu: It was my birthday yesterday.

*Silence*

Ace: What!?

Yuu: Yea, even Leona gave me a present and I'm pretty sure his ass was nowhere near me when I told y'all.

Yuu: Although it was just plain money, but godanm was it a lot.

Yuu: Oh, and Jack, Epel, and Sebek already gave me something yesterday.

Yuu: Anyway I'll see yall hoes later while you scram to get me a present or two.

Yuu, jogging off to hang out with faceless students who don't have any drama going on: Byeeeeeeeee!

This was a piece made for the @twst-charity drive! Check out, it is a twisted wonderland themed charity drive, and the money will go to support Palestine!

GRIM IS GETTING CARDS ON THE 2ND ANNIVERSARY OH MY GOD???

THE SHORT KING IS FINALLY GETTING MORE OF WHAT HE DESERVES

As a hooray for the last part of the stich event coming out I have weird drawings

Yuu: And what do we say when we want something?

Grim: Give it to me, or i will burn you to a crisp.

Yuu: *frowns at Grim*

Grim: Give it to me, or my minion will burn you to a crisp?

Yuu: *sighs*

Oh my gosh, this all makes sense -

Malleus keeps emphasizing (3x up to where I'm currently at) how Jack Skellington is a fellow ruler so suddenly it clicked... Oh my god the Jack, Sally, Skully, Zero quadrio is reskinned Malleus, Yuu, Sebek, Grim in the context of this Halloween event. 🤣🙏

Jack and Malleus: charismatic leaders who patiently listen to their people. Has a cult.

Sally and Yuu: sweet and agreeable

Skully and Sebek: ultima fanboys

Zero and Grim: pet

Sam would be getting one heck of a call if that was me.

When you find a store that sells dolls that look extremely like you and your cat

Word Count: 1,309

Reader Type: Gender Neutral

Story Type: Twisted Wonderland

Beware: Angst, Mentions of Death

Summary: Everyone misses you. but Grim misses you the most.

Key terms: n/a

Rook’s Notes: I've felt pretty down lately, and this happened.

Grim looked around the spacious bedroom. He jumped onto the queen size bed and claimed his usual spot on the right side. Softly he pawed the empty pillow by him. A downhearted purr echoed through the room as his small paw patted the dusty cushion. The burning sensation itching his cyan eyes only worsen.

"I am just a kitten. Hardly fit my mittens." Grim hoarsely purred while curling up on the pillow. Laying his head on the cushion rather than his paw, "Much too small, I figure. One day I'll be bigger…"

The nonsense residents of Heartslabyul didn't have their unbirthdays as cheerful. Their desserts weren't as sweet anymore as Trey had slowly lost his sense to bake. He would often make a few treats to distract himself, but those baked goods didn't hold the same flavor as they once did. Cater continued his social appearance, but the ginger would find himself in the rose garden when left alone. He would pick roses and paint them (color), not paying mind if he got in trouble as (color) seemed so beautiful than the dreadful red or empty white. Riddle would be held up in his room most of the time. Reading to himself before speaking out loud, he stopped himself multiple times when not receiving an answer from his commentary. "One day I'll be a great big kitty cat. Uses open windows to go from flat to flat."

Savanaclaw reverted to their old ways. No more socializing with weaklings or non-beastmen. Leona rather spent time in his dorm than in the garden, claiming the grass was too itchy. The plants were damaging his senses as his eyes would water. Jack's workout routine kept him active as he continued to train. However, he would stop every once in a while to catch his breath before snapping out of his daze with a light scowl. The mischievous Ruggie didn't pull pranks as the childish acts didn't cheer his sour mood without someone to help. Even the taste of donuts was bitter when he ate alone in the cafeteria.

Azul looked at the quiet lounge and signed at the empty seat by him. The paperwork is seemingly endless without an extra hand, especially when the help would distract him when he got frustrated. Tucked away in the forest, Jade quietly hiked through nature as his eyes scanned the ground. he tilted his head slightly to look behind him but shifted his eyes back to the ground in search of mushroom, not enjoying the lone hike as he used to. Floyd stared at the ceiling of his room while the a deep frown on his face. Bringing the shrimp plush towards him, the usually mischievous boy feels more tired than normal.

As lively as the halls of Scarabia, Kalim felt void of light. He could seem to hold his smile for longer than a minute, his dormmates noticing the lack of energy when he walked the halls. Jamil lost his sense of excessing and revolted back to his tucked-away nature of being average. His dancing becomes more intense as he ignores their memories and cheers.

"I am just a kitten. Hardly fit my mittens. Much too small, I figure. One day I'll be bigger. One day I'll be all grown up and strong."

The three beauties of Pomefiore grew bored without their admiring fan. Vil didn't have the usual urge to shop and dare he say- he lost the appeal to maintain his beauty routine when he passed a mirror. Rook grew bored as the students all looked dull to him, none appealing to his standards anymore. Epel slowly lost his nerve to bother working out and bite his tongue on makeup, covering up the bags under his eyes from sleepless nights.

Keyboard keys echoed the poorly lit room while the screen flashed with bright colors. Idia emptily stared at the computer while he built his character, focusing his entire mind on making the little icon identical. Ortho sat in the corner of the room as he built a hologram. Using every part of his memory software to mimic their voice so the brothers could have comfort during their hard days.

Diasomia shut itself away once more after the dreadful day. Lilia turned from being teasing and playful to forever strict. He stop being friendly when his closest friend left him alone. The usual loud mouth Sebek turned rather quiet as days went by, being rather more reserved. The quiet Silver revolted back to his old self of being distant and focused on his Knight training, however, the dull ache in his chest would hurt when he looked towards the clock. Reminding himself that he would need to take a break after hearing the small voice that haunts him. Malleus sighed during his nightly walk. He lost interest in interacting with the student body, the need to silence the thoughts growing with each passing day after losing his companion.

"But until then, I'll just purr and sing along."

Deuce and Ace both looked at one another as they heard the feline's broken purrs. The redhead pressed his back against the doorframe while humming to the purrs. He closed his eyes while faintly hearing the words to the small lullaby in his head. The ravenette listened to his friend hum as he sat down on the floor. Every night. They would hear you sing that lullaby without fail, as silly as it was that was the only way for Grim to fall asleep. The pair knew this and it hurt. Your absence had created a great void in their hearts. In everyone's hearts.

Ramshackle hasn't felt like home. Its clean halls had collect dust over time as the common room had a cloth over the furniture for no one dared clean. The once rowdy dorm had turned muted that even the ghosts found it too eerie. All the other dorms felt the effect of the absence as time went by.

Your absence bought great grief to everyone, but Grim had to worse impact. He had all his memories with you from the best funniest ones to the scary frightening ones. The warmth that once radiated from your desk chair grew cold after a week and caused him to move to the bed. He would avoid your side as much as possible, remember how you would hold him close at night. However, he misses your arms around him. He misses listening to your heartbeat after a hard day of class.

He remembers seeing you study on your desk every day while he slacked off. The first time you sang that stupid lullaby. You were humming while writing down notes, while he ate away at his tuna. The feline ears twitched when he heard your light meowing. Tilting his head he popped up beside you, catching your attention.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

He said nothing but stare at you. A blud went off in your eyes before you picked him up and set him down on your lap, running a hand through his fur as you went back to humming. The silly song was his comfort every day and night because you would always smile while humming it.

It was your humming that bought him back when he overblobbed. It was the lullaby that woke him up when you called out to him. It was your smile that forever haunts him when remembers his jaw opening.

Grim let out a weak cry as he buried himself into your old pillow. Wishing wholeheartedly that you come back to him. Promising to the night sky that he would be better if it meant seeing you next to him. He would swear on his favorite cans of tuna that he was the good feline you proudly proclaimed.

"My little kitten.." He just wants to hear you call him one more time..

I like to think Grim can do the thing Stitch does with the records. You know, where he uses the claw for a needle and open his mouth for a speaker. No reason. He just can. It's a neat trick to pull out for guests at the dorm.

Hot take:

Grim is a affection starved tsundere. He will not cry but he will whine, complain, scream and throw a tantrum whenever Mc ignores him. Mc just puts up with it since he is the only person/character/thing that was with them from the beginning.

the more that i think about it....

if the game give more mc and grim the dynamics i see in my delusions, They would have a Kamitani and Tanaka from highschool babysitters

The game gives out that MC is straightforward so i could imagine they could act like Kamitani with words but not their whole personality

Twst Cast: You should take it back, don't hate Grim right!?

MC/Yuu: Huh? yeah i don't hate him

Twst Cast: pheww....

MC/Yuu: it's not like a hate or like relationship, i don't like him nor hate him either (they love him)

Grim's thoughts: Don't hate me -> doesn't like me -> DEFINITELY HATES ME (;^;)

As MC/Yuu proceeds to carry Grim calmly he flails around trying to be free

Grim: NOOOOO YOU STUPID HUMAN!! STUPID STUPID HENCHMAN!! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!!!

MC/Yuu: yeah right.

also spoiler If you don't know Highschool babysitters (its a cute anime about a baby daycare club in a highschool)

i remember that one episode where Tanaka wrote all over Kamitani's favorite ball and Kamitani ignored him the whole day? YEAH THAT SCENE BUT WITH MC/YUU AND GRIM

MC/Yuu ignoring Grim and leaving him behind ramshackle because they were kinda upset or more moody about their favorite thing getting destroyed by their evil demon baby cat, and when the headmaster arrived to check the dorm Grim was bwaling his eyes out and headbutting him at the stomach AND ADEUCE OR FIRST YEARS HELPING THEM MAKE UP LIKE AWWWH THERES GOES THWY WIEURHERBTMEMR OMG THEY ARE SO BABIES I LOVE THEM SM

ahem. got a little off track there...

BUT

in the end they make up like they were in the anime, and MC/Yuu forgives him AND AAAAAAA OMG ITS SO CUTEBSHEHRHEUWYRHGH I LOVE THE LIL HUMAN AND THEUR FIRE BREATHING CAT

Made a gif of bby Grim :3

P.s. if you want me to draw/make a gif of other characters from twst drop your suggestions in comments ~^-^~

And I'll just go finish that animation,

Good day/night 💚

Man, just wanted to make a new project but ended up with shishishi post.

Bonus: *congrats you've unlocked angy El*

P.s. originally I wanted to recreate that moment from ch. 11, but welp my hands said nope.

Old animation...

You might ask why?

Because I'm lazy

And still doing wip \(TvT)/

It is the longest and cringiest animation I've ever done and now I am confusion.

But here it is

Also:

Now I can finally use this gif after reading "Once upon a tragedy"

❁ ❝ 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲 ❞

━ first years and gn! reader (reader can either be yuu or an oc/twstsona) ━ the weekend is finally here, and you and your dear batchmates have decided to make the best of it with a simple get-together. (f/n means first name)

this work does not contain spoilers for chapter 7, diasomnia's arc.

do not steal or translate without my permission.

­­­­knock, knock, knock

the obnoxious thumping on the door abruptly interrupted your blissful weekend nap. you groaned in annoyance as you sat up, rubbing your eyes and realising your accompanied creature with an abyssal appetite was nowhere to be seen.

you got out of bed and opened the door in a rather grumpy manner, preparing to show your frustration to whoever was knocking on your door on a weekend.

as soon as your eyes landed on a familiar group, your frustration grew even more, “what’s the big deal, guys?”

deuce was the first to apologise sheepishly as he spoke, “ah, sorry, n/n…” before he could continue speaking, however, a certain first year cut him off, casually draping an arm on your shoulder with that cheeky grin on his face.

“happy weekend, n/n~! remember the plan we talked about? also, it’s 3 in the afternoon, why are you still sleeping?”

ace’s words made you realise this weekend had some plans for you with your batchmates. it was no wonder that epel, jack, and ortho were standing by your bedroom door as well. however, there was one missing person…

“where’s sebek?” you asked, trying to get ace’s heavy arm off your shoulders, but he took it as a sign to tighten his hold onto you just to annoy you even more.

“he’s in the backyard, setting up the grill,” replied jack, and as soon as he said that, he excused himself and went to the backyard to assist sebek.

“the foods to be grilled are all prepared! go and dress up, n/n,” spoke epel as he smiled at you before walking away, presumably heading to your kitchen, leaving ace, deuce, and ortho with you. the Ignihyde child had a bright smile on, showing how excited he was to spend time with you.

“f/n-san! good afternoon!” greeted the child enthusiastically, causing you to smile as all your frustrations from earlier disappeared in the blink of an eye. you patted ortho’s shoulder as you replied, “good afternoon, ortho. well, i’ll make me look presentable.”

ace hummed as he replied teasingly, “you should. you look like you came out of a cave after a century has passed."

you were about to reply but he quickly left with deuce and ortho in tow, heading to either the backyard or the kitchen to prepare for today’s hangout. you sighed, shaking your head slightly before closing your bedroom door.

“grim! that’s my chicken!” yelled epel as he tried to get his barbecue chicken from grim, but it was long gone from his hands as it met the darkness of his stomach. you gave epel a piece of your chicken to make up for grim’s behaviour, “you should have guarded your food better, epel~”

the pomefiore first year huffed before trying to hand you back your meal, feeling embarrassed that you had to give up something of your own for him. your conversation was abruptly cut off by a loud voice from the microphone coming from the lounge.

“HELLO!!!”

the rest shrieked, almost dropping their food or drinks in the process before you looked at sebek standing by the lounge window with a disapproved expression, seeing him hold the microphone as he tested its volume. jack, who was beside him, was clearly annoyed from the loud noise, “sebek, don’t yell into the mic…”

“i was testing it!”

“you could just tap it…” mumbled jack before lowering the volume a little.

you chuckled at their dynamics before sipping on your drink. deuce and epel were busy grilling the marinated meat and potatoes. the aroma of the savoury meals reached your nostrils, filling you with delight as you felt your stomach rumble a little.

ace noticed you had been staring at the grilling barbecue meat and potatoes, and without a word, he grabbed a small plate and filled it with the recently cooked meals. he then approached you, sitting beside you as he handed the plate, “you did not eat yet and i could see how you were drooling at the sight of the grill.”

deuce quickly glanced at you as he continued grilling the potatoes while epel continued grilling the meat, grabbing your preferred sauce, and handing it to you as the heartslabyul first year smiled, “eat up, n/n. we still have plenty of food to grill.”

“thanks, guys, but this is a lot. i can’t finish this,” you spoke as you looked at the filled-up plate. ace grabbed some utensils and said with a teasing grin, “who says you’re eating that alone? now, scooch over.”

“the karaoke is all good!” announced jack as he and sebek stood by the window of the lounge with a proud smile. the karaoke machine was seen behind them as it was flickering colourful lights to indicate that it was on. “i’ve updated the song list, too!” added ortho, causing epel and ace to cheer in delight, feeling excited to just start singing with drinks and barbecues on the table.

“let’s eat first before we sing our hearts out,” recommended deuce as he continued grilling the potatoes. “more like annoy people,” corrected epel with a soft snicker as he continued grilling the meat.

as you all ate to your heart’s content, evening came rather quickly. laughter and light-hearted bickering filled the atmosphere as you enjoyed your drinks and meals with your batchmates. as soon as the sun had set, ace decided to use his magic to put up some lights in the area – to impress, perhaps, or to fish out compliments.

“oohh, that’s more like it. now, i can see if a certain paw tries to steal my food again,” remarked epel before grim huffed. “you were not even eating it, so i did the meat a favour and devoured it!” spoke the cat-monster as the rest of you chuckled.

after a few minutes, you were conversing with sebek about the books he lent you a week ago. he was seated beside you, the grill settled on his other side as it remained closed after having all your meals. your conversation was unfortunately cut short by a sudden loud singing.

(1) “🎶 YOU CAN RELAX MY FRIE—”

“not yet! the instrumental isn’t even playing yet,” exclaimed epel as he laughed, stopping ace from singing with no background music. deuce chuckled while ortho had a smile on as he spoke, “ace trappola-san is just excited to sing!”

“the lyrics he sang did not match his current demeanour, though,” remarked jack.

“ortho is right! come on, epel, play it already! i’ll show you all that i’ll get the highest points!” cheered ace as epel sighed, playing the instrumental as ace started singing. both you and sebek were already cut off from your conversation and listened to ace’s singing. as much as you wanted to tease him, he sings pretty well that you can help but sway to the beat.

after ace completed the song, the point system showed up and he got a perfect score, making him cheer, “WOOHH!!! told y’all so!” deuce sighed and stood up, snatching the microphone from ace as he spoke, “it’s too early to celebrate.”

deuce went through the track list, wanting to see which song he would start singing. it took a few seconds until he found the song he wanted to sing. as soon as the instrumental started playing, he started singing.

(2) “🎶 welcome to wonderland, we’ve got it all~ 🎶”

if you had a light stick, you would have been waving it. you enjoyed deuce’s performance, complimenting him once he was done singing as you liked how his voice sounded. he was bashful due to your compliment but remained calm as he thanked you.

as soon as deuce’s points showed on the screen, ace chuckled and said, “hah! you’re just 3 points lower than me!” deuce huffed as he retorted back in reply, “i-i didn’t give it my all, okay!” ace laughed in response, “nah, i’m kidding. there’s actually a trick in getting the perfect score during karaoke.”

and with that, the heartslabyul first year shared his trade secret, but of course, he wanted something in return.

once that was done, it was jack’s turn to sing, but he declined the offer, “no, i don’t sing… it’s not my thing, you know.” his words made the rest of you let out disapproving groans as deuce practically shoved the microphone to him, “it’s all for fun, man! don’t worry, we won’t tease you.”

“hehehe…”

“ace, stop chuckling.”

as the rest continued bickering and laughing about, you remained seated with your arms crossed and a smile on your face, eyeing each and every one of them as thoughts swirled in your mind, finding peace, comfort, and happiness from just being surrounded by them, by the people you call your friends.

‘you always make me feel included... like i belong here...’

lyrics are taken from: 1 – Open Arms by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, Steven Dookie, and EPIC Ensemble from EPIC: The Musical – The Troy Saga 2 – Welcome to Wonderland by Anson Seabra

© twstgarden 2023 || please do not steal, translate without my permission, or use this to train a.i.

Another shitpost for your heartshackle woes

Book 6 is so funny because it just assumes you care about Grim to the point where every dialogue option you get mentions him

Like bro idc about the cat who literally attacked me two days ago because of his stupid rock addiction that I explicitly told him to stop eating

My FRIENDS got kidnapped by the robots and we're all gonna die now apparently

Priorities, people

Grim mood board rn

Who changed it?! Who did it?!

He calls it the Banana 🍌 Dorm 😂😂😂

Don’t you have like 2 sisters?!

Catch me outside how bout that!!!!

‘Earth’ To Azul!!! ☺️

Mc being protected by all of the first years is 🥺 AHHHH! YOU DESERVE THE WORLD- NO! UNIVERSE FOR GIVING US THIS WONDERFUL PIECE OF WORK!! IT’S SO GOOD AND JUST AJAHSHSHSHDJN

Making a Stand - Part I

First Years/Prefect - Romantic Poly

Hi guys! I know there were quite a few of you that wanted the First years to win the Valentine's Day poll and I actually had a bit of an idea for them so I decided to go with it. This one is a little darker than normal with very obvious negative outlook on the upper classmen.

Hope you enjoy! <3

=================

“So, who’s up for a little murder and mayhem?” Ace grinned, his eyes glinting coldly.

He was leaning against Deuce, arm on his shoulder and gaze leveled on the Prefect who was currently surrounded by the Housewardens of Pomefiore, Savanaclaw, and Octavinelle.

They had just gotten out of class and were heading to the cafeteria for lunch when their Prefect had been called for by the pale haired octomer. Of course, being as nice as they were – too nice – they didn’t hesitate to promise the group that they would be right back before jogging over to Azul to see what he needed.

Whatever Azul had been planning on speaking with their Prefect about had been derailed when Leona had sauntered over and injected himself into the conversation without hesitation or care to the icy glare the octomer was shooting him.

It was only compounded a few moments later when the beautiful Queen joined them, charming smile and thinly veiled acid being flashed at the other two while he offered a private lunch and tutoring session on potions. Which, of course, was argued against by the lion, and Azul pointed out that he had a whole restaurant for the Prefect to eat and study at.

It left their Prefect standing there confused and trying to mediate an argument that they could tell was going on but didn’t understand in the slightest beyond the fact that three of their most powerful friends looked about ready to claw each other’s eyes out.

A situation that, regrettably, had become more common as their Prefect saved and won over the various princes, celebrities, and rich heirs that ran their school.

A situation that Ace had finally decided they needed to snuff out before anyone else got any bright ideas about the Prefect.

Their Prefect.

“Lilia-sama would be most displeased if I was expelled for being caught exterminating troublesome students.” Sebek admitted begrudgingly, though his expression very clearly stating that he was almost willing to risk it.

“Then we just won’t get caught.” Epel grinned nastily, pounding his fist into his palm, sharing Ace’s blood lust eagerly and more than willing to make his Housewarden disappear.

“It’ll be a long list.” Deuce pointed out, his own brow furrowed, arms crossed, and he had the same look in his eyes that he got when he slipped into his old delinquent ways. “We’ll need an alibi and a way to hide the bodies.”

Jack heaved a sigh, his ears remained pointed in the direction of their Prefect and the three Housewardens.

“We’re not killing anyone, guys.” He said, though his tone indicated that he was saying this more because it was against the rules rather than a lack of desire to go through with it.

“Haaah,” Ace glared as he leaned around Deuce to turn his focus on the wolf. “And what do you suggest then? Keep letting these assholes throw themselves at the Prefect until one of them manages to trick them into something?” he demanded.

“They wouldn’t-“ but Jack cut off when all four boys turned their own looks of disbelief on him.

“The only one that didn’t hurt or try to kill them was Kalim and he only gets a pass because he was brainwashed at the time.” Epel said firmly, fists clenched tightly.

“Yeah, and I’m still pissed that he stood up for the asshole when Jamil literally BRAINWASHED the Prefect.” Deuce glared, shoulders tense at the memory.

“They don’t get to just apologize and then act like nothing happened and try to get into their pants.” Ace said darkly.

Jack glared at the red head but couldn’t help looking back to how Leona was now leaning on the Prefect, fingers tucking a strand of hair behind their ear and smirking at the confused blush on the human’s face.

Those same fingers had almost turned their friend to dust.

He didn’t even think Leona had even properly apologized about it either, just took the beating they got during Magift and acted like that made them even.

The wolf looked to Sebek.

“You’re okay with this? Malleus wouldn’t exactly be happy if you interfered with him trying to win the Prefect over.” He pointed out, which was absolutely true, and something that the half-fae had almost had a mental breakdown over when they found out that the Prefect’s ‘friend’ Tsunotarou was, in fact, his beloved Waka-sama.

The green haired male shifted, his expression torn as he clearly struggled between his loyalty to his liege and…his feelings for the Prefect.

Feelings that the others of their group shared but had never dared to voice. Not when their Prefect needed their unwavering support and the possibility of a romantic relationship with them wasn’t worth the possible awkwardness or ripping away the safety the magic-less human felt with them.

“While I believe Waka-sama would be only the best of partners, I…I am not convinced that it is what the Prefect wishes for.” He finally admitted, swallowing harshly and clearly feeling like he was betraying Malleus with such words somehow. “And if the Prefect does not wish for the relationship then it would only harm Waka-sama should it continue.”

And the Prefect really hadn't ever spoken of their fae-prince friend as anything more than a friend.

In fact, they seemed completely oblivious to the attentions from everyone around them, or at least oblivious to the type of feelings they were inspiring.

Maybe their world expressed such emotions differently, or maybe it was just their dumb little Prefect being their normal dumb little self too willing to see all the great things about others but never their own.

The Prefect didn’t notice the eyes that followed them. Didn’t see the want and desire on clear display. Didn’t catch just how willing they all were to play dirty if it meant winning them for their own.

Like a prize from a game.

Well Ace was a master at games and he was also very willing to cheat.

They had all been accepted to NRC for a reason, after all.

“The point, Jack, is that we can’t trust any of them.” Ace said darkly, gaze flicking back over to where their Prefect had still not managed to extricate themself from the posturing and focused attentions of the three Housewardens.

“Or do you want to risk what they could do to the Prefect if they manage to force them into a relationship? How much do you trust that prince of yours, because I can tell ya, I’ll ‘off’ Riddle’s head myself before I let that tyrant bastard force his perfectionist bullshit on them more than he already does. You know he actually uses every rule he can to touch them? Adjusting their clothes and hair even when nothing’s wrong? Even Trey has been pushing it. He just had to show the Prefect the right way to mix batter so he could practically molest them!”

Deuce nodded in confirmation.

“The Prefect was very uncomfortable and we managed to drag them away from the kitchen but Trey-senpai and Cater-senpai are sneakier than you’d expect.”

The pale haired therianthrope shifted, tail swaying tensely behind him in clear agitation as he watched the way his own leader was getting into their Prefect’s personal space despite the smaller human clearly being uncomfortable about it.

Come to think of it, their Prefect had become less tactile recently when around others. Only reaching out to their fellow first years when their small group was in Ramshackle or away from prying eyes.

Jack didn’t remember the other students – especially the Housewardens – being so eager to touch others until the Prefect was there, and then suddenly they all stood a little too close and touched just a little too long for it to be comfortable or casual.

If it was happening and the Prefect just didn’t feel like they could say anything about it…if they felt afraid to say something about it to the very influential, very powerful upperclassmen…

The last bit of hesitation was swept away as he watched Leona continued to hang off the Prefect as their human gave awkward apologies and tried to leave, only finally giving in and letting go when they promised to come by to visit later. A clear attempt to escape the current situation and not a real desire to spend more time with the lion.

He watched the Prefect’s shoulders remain tense and expression strained until their gaze fell on the group. Instantly it was all wiped away. Their eyes lit up and a smile bloomed on their face as they picked up their pace to jog over to them. He watched the three Housewardens’s gazes remain on the Prefect, following their steps.

“Alright, I’m in.” he said softly, earning sharp nods from Sebek and Deuce while Ace and Epel flashed vicious grins.

“Hey guys! You didn’t have to wait for us!” the Prefect beamed as they reached them, Grim grumpily moving from their arms to their shoulders where he couldn’t sit before because of Leona.

“Yeah right, Ace and Deuce would eat everything before you got back if we didn’t.” Epel laughed, his viciousness from before no where in sight as he hooked his arm with the Prefect’s and started tugging them towards the cafeteria.

They all settled around them as they walked, falling into a comfortable pattern that Jack hadn’t even realized they had taken up. One that kept the Prefect safely in the middle where they were protected from any of the students that got it in their heads that they could try to still bully their friend…but he realized that maybe the others had started to do it to keep others away as well.

As Ace slung his arm around the Prefect’s shoulders – dislodging Grim and making the feline tumble into his partner’s arms with a curse – and how they were relaxed and their laughter bright instead of forced…Jack allowed his own doubts to disappear and he shared a glance with Sebek. The half-fae’s gaze told him that even though he had his duties and loyalty to his prince…he was willing to do what he had to, to protect their friend.

If the fanatic knight thought the situation serious enough to risk his position or prince’s favor…well Jack didn’t think there was any greater indicator that it was the right choice.

And he knew there were no others that he trusted more than Grim, Ace, Deuce, Epel, and Sebek to have the Prefect’s best interest at heart.

-

The next couple of days went by normally, though the first years did more to stay at the Prefect’s side and try to hinder any of the other students – especially the upper classmen – from having time alone with them. Ace, Deuce, and Sebek were surprisingly the best at this, easily playing ignorant to what the older ones were wanting and coming up with excuses to drag the Prefect away or remain stubbornly at their side.

They also planned and began taking steps to ensure that the unwanted attention and focus would stop, doing their best to keep it secret. Especially from the Prefect.

Some of the other upper classmen might have noticed, though, as a few were getting more and more brazen about their attempts. The eel twins were a couple of them, along with Jamil.

Thankfully, the one time Floyd and Jade had managed to corner the Prefect, Jack was with them and while the two eelmers weren’t afraid of Jack in the slightest, he stood a better chance of acting as a barrier to them than the humans of their group.

Jade’s smile had been as placid as ever – though his eyes sparked daggers – but Floyd made no attempt to hide the urge he was feeling to rip Jack’s throat out with his teeth.

The Prefect had promised they would see the twins at work before snagging Jack’s wrist and dragging him away as fast as they could.

“Man…Floyd’s really in a bad mood today.” They muttered wiping the nervous sweat from their brow when they finally turned enough corners that it didn’t feel like the two’s mirrored heterochrome eyes were following them.

“Thanks for staying with me, Jack. I know those two can be a bit intense.” They admitted sheepishly, turning an open and grateful expression up at him that made the wolf’s heart skip a beat as it always did.

“It’s fine. I’m not afraid of them.” He answered, feeling his chest warm when the Prefect let their hold shift to his hand to intertwine their fingers and began swinging it between them absently.

“Well you’re definitely braver than me.” They chuckled. “I mean, I know they wouldn’t do anything really bad but man, Floyd really doesn’t know his own strength sometimes.”

Jack’s expression hardened. “Has he hurt you before?”

“Hm? Oh, no, not really.” They said quickly. “I mean, not on purpose at least. He’s just really strong and I don’t think he realizes that humans are a lot squishier than merfolk.” They chuckled. “Sometimes he can get a little rough when he picks me up and stuff be he always apologizes and carries me around to make up for it.”

“I see.” Jack muttered, tail flicking back and forth in agitation.

The Prefect watched him for a moment, their expression turning concerned.

“Are you okay, Jack? Is something wrong?” they asked worried, their hand squeezing his lightly in reassurance. “You know you can tell me if something’s bothering you, right? I know I don’t have magic like you guys but I’ll help any way I can.”

The wolf’s ears twitched slightly before he stopped and promptly hauled the Prefect up to sit on his forearm, his other hand steadying against their waist.

“If you ever need someone to carry you just ask me or Sebek. We won’t mind.” He said simply as the Prefect blinked owlishly at him, a light blush dusting their cheeks.

“O-oh…okay.” They said, clearing their throat a little and looking away quickly.

“About time!” Ace called, causing them to look up to where Ace, Epel, and Sebek were waiting for them at the breakoff walkway that lead up to Ramshackle. “We’ve been waiting so long Deuce and Grim just decided to go and grab the snacks without us and meet us there.” He grinned.

“Hi, guys.” The Prefect smiled, giving a little wave.

“HUMAN! WHY IS JACK CARRYING YOU!? ARE YOU HURT!?” Sebek demanded, stepping over to them quickly and ignoring how they tried to ease his concern.

“I’m alright, really, Seb,” they chuckled as the half-fae began moving their limbs around a turning their head to make sure they didn’t have any obvious injuries. “Jack just offered to carry me since Floyd has kind of been in a bad mood.”

Ace rolled his eyes in disgust. “I swear, that psycho probably has bodies stashed somewhere to chew on when he gets hungry.” He snorted before grinning up at the Prefect as they turned and started making their way towards the more secluded dorm. “But don’t worry about him! We’ve got a movie night ahead of us!” he said pleased with himself as he pulled his bag off his shoulder and around the front so he could dig inside.

“My brother sent me some of our movies from home so I’ve got a great selection to choose from now.” He said pleased with himself as he pulled out a handful of cases to flash at them.

“Oh, cool! What did he send?” the Prefect asked, reaching down to accept the ones Ace passed up to them, not bothered by Jack still carrying them and just shifting their weight a little more against his shoulder so they could look through the movies without losing balance.

There were actually a good range of genres and the red head had even more still in his bag so they were all pretty excited to get to watch them. Sebek hadn’t seen any of them – stage theater being more common in Briar Valley - and there were some even Epel hadn’t gotten to watch yet. Jack had seen all but one, but insisted he didn’t have any problem with watching some over. Especially if the others would like them.

Once they reached Ramshackle, the Prefect let them in and they all began working together to rearrange the front room how they always did when they had sleep overs.

Mattresses from unused bedrooms upstairs had been brought down and kept in one of the side closets, ready to be pulled out and pushed together in front of the fireplace. They moved the couches out of the way and shoved the coffee table to the side but close enough to put their snacks on and situate the laptop that Ace always brought to watch the movies on.

Epel and Ace helped the Prefect bring down the many blankets and pillows that they kept clean just in case any of them wanted to stay the night outside of weekends while Sebek got the fire sorted and put the grate up around it.

Grim and Ace were active sleepers and after they had almost rolled over into the flames more than once – despite there being plenty of room between them – and the group had quickly learned to not forget it.

By the time Deuce and Grim returned, the room was all set and they were all changing into their pajamas, the Prefect running upstairs to grab theirs.

“Did you get what we needed?” Epel asked the blue haired boy while Ace and Grim pulled out the snacks to set out and get the popcorn started.

Deuce nodded, a sharp, pleased grin pulling on his lips as he flashed his phone.

“You’d be surprised what people say around you when they think you’re an idiot.” He shrugged.

There were certain societal things that Deuce didn’t understand or catch onto. It was something he shared with Sebek. But he hadn’t been a delinquent for years, broke the law without getting caught, and then get accepted into the most prestigious school for magic users without his own skills and acumen.

Many forgot about that though, and saw him not getting jokes or struggling with dyslexia and assumed he was an idiot.

The lavender haired boy quickly took the phone and began copying all the information, pictures, and videos over to his own and then making another copy to keep on a memory card for backup.

“I really wouldn’t.” he snorted with derision. “People underestimate me all the time because of how I look.” He pointed out, earning a comforting pat on the shoulder from Jack.

The Pomefiore boy flashed the wolf a smile before returning to his work. “Besides, it works in our favor. I was able to get what I needed too. Ace already got me his.” He explained, earning a nod from them.

Jack crossed his arms over his chest, purposefully listening for the sound of the Prefect’s footsteps heading downstairs again. They didn’t want to worry the stressed dimension traveler more than they already were. He might not have really liked having to take sneaky measures to keep their human safe, but he certainly didn’t want to do it in a way that would just add to the Prefect’s problems.

His tail swished tensely as he went over his own part of the plan.

“I did what you said. I think I made it sound natural, but Ruggie might be on to me.” He admitted.

Ace snorted as he returned to the room with Grim on his shoulder while he and Sebek carried large bowls of popcorn.

“Don’t worry about Bucchi.” He waved off the concern. “He might dance to Leona’s tune but he won’t put himself in a position of risk. Not after how close it all went to shit the last time he put faith in someone.” Ace understood Ruggie better than most, after all, seeing the same sharp selfishness and willingness to drop anyone at a moment’s notice should it benefit him.

He also saw the same greed and desire in his eyes but the difference was that Ace was willing to do something about it where Ruggie stayed to the shadows and only made moves when it couldn’t fall back on him.

He was smart, but a coward.

Ace knew he wasn’t a threat no matter how much Ruggie might want the Prefect for himself, or be willing to help Leona if it meant he would share them.

“Worry about the hyena?” Grim asked, brow furrowing from where he dropped down onto the mattress pallet beside Epel. “Why would we care about what that dog is up to?”

“Hyenas are actually closer to fel-“ “Jack, no one cares.” Ace rolled his eyes, though his tone didn’t hold the acid it did when he insulted anyone outside their group.

Jack shot him a glare but didn’t bother arguing back and just accepted when the red head pushed the large bowl into his hands.

“We’re setting up a plan to get everyone off of your henchman’s back.” Ace explained to the monster, who’s ears perked up instantly.

“Oh, yeah? Count me in!” he said instantly, actually pausing from where he had started to root around in the candy bag. “Those guys are getting way too close to my human! They all act like I’m a stupid cat that doesn’t see what they’re trying to get away with!” he snapped, electric blue eyes narrowing as his forked tail sliced through the air.

“Exactly.” Ace nodded, his grin widening and gaining a dangerous sharpness that Jack only ever saw on predators stalking their prey. “We’re going to fix that.”

“Uh huh.” Grim said dryly, leveling a knowing look on the red head. “I’m all for it but why should I trust you guys when you want the same thing as them?”

Epel actually threw his head back at that and laughed while Deuce and Sebek looked thoroughly shocked and Ace seemed somewhat impressed.

“Because, Grim,” Jack said seriously as the others recovered.

He had suspected that Grim realized more than he was letting on.

“We love the Prefect and you know we would do anything for them.” His tone even despite the somewhat embarrassing admittance. “We were willing to wait and let the Prefect decide what they wanted for themselves, but the others…they aren’t going to be patient forever and some are already trying to use underhanded means to force them into something they don’t want.”

“JACK IS CORRECT! IT IS UNACCEPTABLE!” Sebek declared angrily, taking a moment to settle his voice down a little when Deuce tapped him lightly on the wrist to let him know his volume was louder than he intended. “If the Prefect liked any of them in a romantic way it would be different.” He added, spine straight and eyes narrowed dangerously. “But they do not, as is obvious in their actions, and yet the filth proceed to force themselves on our friend! We will stand for it no longer!”

“The point is, Grim,” Ace said with a nod to Sebek’s words. “Is that you know we would never force the Prefect to do anything they didn’t want to do. As long as they are here, though, they are going to be a target. They attract people even when they don’t mean to. It’s just the kind of person they are. Especially in this place. You can’t protect them on your own, so you’ve got to make a choice. Help us keep them safe, or risk any or all of the others managing to hurt them again.”

“Do you trust them or us?” Epel asked, finally finished with the phone and handing it back to Deuce.

“Who does the Prefect trust?” the blue haired boy added as a final point.

The monster took a long moment as he eyed each of them in turn, clearly debating seriously over what they were saying and what might come from this. He wasn’t human, wasn’t any of the humanoid races that were even similar to his henchman. There was quite a bit of human-humanlike society that he didn’t understand and didn’t want to understand.

But if there was one thing that monsters did know it was greed and gluttony. Always wanting more. Always wanting what they didn’t have.

He saw that same look in the students of NRC and it was all leveled at his partner.

His henchman.

“I’ll agree to this with the condition that you understand that the Prefect belongs to me. You do whatever you’re planning, have whatever weird human relationship with them that you want, but they are mine and you are not going to be trying to replace me.” He said lowly, a growl in the back of his throat and sharp teeth glinting in the low light.

For an instant, the image of raging blue fire and screams of agony and fear flashed through Jack’s brain but was gone as fast as it came.

Sometimes he forgot just how little they knew of Grim and what he could ultimately be capable of.

Ace didn’t seem to care, though, and just met the dangerous smile with his own.

“You stop trying to cockblock us and you’ve got yourself a deal.” He chuckled lowly, causing Jack to sputter and Sebek to let out an awkward squawk and began babbling denials in a language that none of them understood.

Grim’s nose wrinkled but he finally snorted and looked away. “Gross, but fine.” He said before leveling that heavy gaze on the red head once more. “But if any of you try something my henchman doesn’t want or like I’ll roast you myself.”

Jack absolutely believed him.

Ace’s grin didn’t waver and Epel flashed one of his brilliant, completely fake smiles that Vil forced him to practice in the mirror.

“Wonderful, then we’re all in agreement!” he said cheerfully.

“Agreement for what?” the Prefect’s voice interrupted them and Jack couldn’t help but tense, the fur on his tail puffing up as he had been so distracted by Grim’s words that he hadn’t continued to listen for their return.

“Sorry I took so long, I wanted to clean up a bit before changing.” They admitted sheepishly.

“Oh! We think we should start with the scifi trilogy.” Ace said without skipping a beat, any of the earlier emotions wiped clean from his smile. “The superhero series is like, insanely long so we should probably start that last.”

The Prefect hopped down the last few steps eagerly with their own smile as they threw themself into the mass of blankets and pillows with a laugh.

“That sounds great! That’s the one with the cool light up swords, right?” they beamed, gathering Grim in their arms and settling themself down between Jack and Epel.

“Yup! They’re super cool and manly!” Epel met their excitement as they all settled into their cuddle pile to start the movie.

When they were finally situated, Jack was leaning back against the couch with his legs draped over Deuce’s hip – who preferred laying down while watching movies together – with the Prefect laying back against his shoulder while snuggled into Epel’s lap.

Ace was draped over the lavender haired boy’s shoulders comfortably with his chin resting near his neck, while Sebek – who’s knight training made it difficult to feel at east unless he was able to react in a moment’s notice – was on Jack’s other side where he could lean against him but was also not held down and was positioned between them and the doors and windows.

The Prefect absently ran their fingers through Deuce’s hair where his pillow was laying on Epel’s outstretched legs at their hip, while their other hand idly brushed up and down Grim’s back where he was curled up contently in their lap and munching on the popcorn.

The movies were good, but they didn’t really matter in the end as the group just basked in the feeling of comfort and warmth that only ever felt complete when they were all together.

It was a feeling that hung heavy around them even when most of them had fallen asleep during the third film.

Sebek had to help Ace cover the others up from where they had all migrated into laying positions on the mattresses, tangled together so that it was difficult to tell where one ended and another began.  

The red head took the time for one last chance to take in how cute the Prefect looked curled into Jack’s chest with Epel plastered to their back and his nose buried into their neck while Deuce’s arm was thrown haphazardly over them. With Grim sprawled out near the Prefect’s head and Sebek sleeping with his back pressed against Jack’s and facing the door and windows as always – his sheathed sword in easy reach – he couldn’t help but admit that it made his heart flutter with feelings he didn’t even think himself capable of.

Yes, he decided.

This was how things were meant to be.

And they were going to make sure it stayed that way.

Grabbing his shoes, he silently slipped them back on and tucked his phone into his pocket before tiptoeing towards the door. He nodded at Sebek – who’s near glowing eyes tracked his movements before returned it in silent understanding – and then slipped out into the darkness.

The upperclassmen were going to find out exactly what happened to anyone that threatened what they had. Threatened their Prefect. Threatened any of them.

Ace knew better than to risk what he cared about, and he didn’t play fair.

None of them did.

And he was willing to do more than just draw blood.

=========================

Hope you guys like it! I might be continuing this but I can't promise, it'll depend on if I can come up with the next part and make it work how I want or not.

<3

@love-thanatopsis

How You Turn My World; Chapter 1

Your day started with chaos, and my dear, it looks like it will continue to be chaos. But only time will tell. The Underground holds many surprises in store for you.

Characters; Grim, Lilia Vanrouge, Deuce Spade, Ace Trappola

Content; Gender-neutral reader, cat shenanigans, building the plot

Content Warnings; Swearing, illusion to marijuana but there is none

Word Count; 4.6 K

Chapter 1 | more chapters to be determined

Don't put my work into AI; I'll make sure you go to the Underground and don't return. Mwah mwah, kisses~

Ah, the joys of cat parenthood. Days spent cuddling your little bundle of furry joy. That’s what your friends preached. That having a feline roommate was easy and rewarding. That you would benefit by having a cute and fuzzy companion that didn’t demand much of anything. That you would love your little kitty friend like a child. Well, either your friends were liars with questionable senses of humour, or you drew the short stick when it came to choosing a furry companion. And there’s always the possibility of it being both, what with having Ace as a friend and all, but you just hoped it was just your shit luck and not that you had shit friends.

Seriously, though, what higher power did you manage to piss off to deserve the royal hobgoblin of a cat you have? He has shit and pissed in your plants on several occasions. Demolished every single curtain he laid eyes on like he had a personal vendetta against them. Stole your breakfast off your plate right as you were about to take a bite. Puked on your last pair of good white shoes, which still had stains on them because they wouldn’t come out. The cherry on top of it all though was that he insists on yowling and crying in the middle of the damn night for no good reason. Rudely awaking you from the dead of sleep because he demanded attention. With how loud he was, you were surprised that you hadn’t gotten a noise complaint from any of your neighbours… yet. But then again, you could hear the upstairs neighbours’ children screaming bloody murder every so often — what were their names, the Clovers? They were probably so used to it that they threw you a bone, or they didn’t want extra grey hairs from filing a complaint to the landlord. So maybe Grim wasn’t all that bad, but he was still a gremlin child. 

“MROWWWWWW!!!!!” Ah, so tonight was no different then. Grim had decided that you needed to be woken up before even the birds started to sing, needed to be yanked out of the land of dreams. That whatever had caught the attention of his singular brain cell was more important than you recharging so you don’t accidentally say the wrong thing to your boss. Since last time you had slipped up and called him dad, even though no one in their right mind would leave him alone with a rutabaga unattended, and he went on a two-hour long monologue about how much of a kind and generous person he was for you to see him as a father figure. And your salary wasn’t high enough, nor would it ever be, to deal with his eccentric and maddening behaviour.

Maybe, just maybe, if you ignored him and stared at the ceiling long enough he would stop his caterwauling and go to sleep. “MROWWWW!!!!!” Apparently not.

Just one night, ONE NIGHT, of peace and quiet. PLEASE. But you knew that if you didn’t get up soon, he would get up on the bed and put his fluffy butt in your face… like he did last night and the night before that. Sighing, you begrudgingly got out of your cocoon of warm, fluffy, blankets, and hoped you would soon be back in them after dealing with Grim. Hopefully, he was just complaining about his food bowl not being as full as he would like it.

What was the time anyways? Three-thirty in the morning? Ugh, Grim! What did Ace say about it, ah, yes, “Primetime witching hour. Demons and all sorts of creepies” yada yada yada. But you didn’t pay any mind to him, as his annoying smug look would taunt you in your mind even though he was probably sound asleep, blissfully asleep. Something that you wanted to be doing, but woefully you were not.

Stepping out into the main living space, you shot the grey fuzzball the stink eye. “What the hell do you want? You absolute gremlin!” You hissed through gritted teeth, very much annoyed with your brat of a fur child and wanting nothing more than to crawl back to bed, hell, even the loveseat would suffice.  

The offending feline just trilled at you in response, and his tail vibrated, happy that you had come out to see him. How is he so cute but so annoying? He rubbed against your legs before trotting off to one of his hidey holes, which also served as his nest of your stolen socks. He has a weird obsession with socks. But he popped back out, holding something in his mouth. Something small and fuzzy that didn’t look like any of his toys.

“Prowwww,” he dropped it at your feet as if saying that catching whatever it was, was the equivalent to paying his share of rent. Which, it was very much not.

You closed your eyes and pinched your brow. Please be one of his toys. PLEASE be one of his toys. You chanted to yourself in your mind and then opened your eyes. Unfortunately, it was not one of his toys. The small, fuzzy thing in question seemed to be a mouse or some other kind of rodent. It was too late (too early?) for this, and quite frankly you didn’t have the brain power to confirm whatever the hell it was. All you knew was that it looked like a mouse, therefore it was a mouse.

“Is this what you’ve been screaming about this whole time? A mouse,” you sighed. Shaking your head, you went to the bathroom, grabbing some paper towel so you could at least put it outside for something else to eat, or go back to nature in some other way. It was better than just being left to decompose in the communal garbage bin. When you came back out though, it was nowhere to be seen. Now, either Grim decided to eat it like a good kitty cat, or, with your luck, it was still alive and was now running amuck in your apartment.

Grim’s chattering was coming from the kitchen now, and he was up on top of the fridge. It was running amuck in your apartment, how lovely.

“Why, why, are you like this?! Get down from there!” You really didn’t have the energy for this.

Grim just blinked at you before his eyes dilated. He leapt down from his perch on the fridge and was pawing at a corner by the window. Looking down and you couldn’t make out anything on the floor. But you had the oh-so-brilliant idea to look up toward the ceiling. The ‘mouse’ was very much alive, and wasn’t a mouse at all, since it was flying around and banging itself against the corner.

“YOU CAUGHT A FUCKING BAT?!”

He had indeed caught a fucking bat. And bats were normally fine, when they were outside. Not when they’re flying around your apartment at three o’clock in the morning and your cat is losing his goddamn mind trying to catch it. So no, this was very much not fine. 

The bat was about as pleased as you were with this whole situation and kept on flinging itself against the glass of the window, desperately trying to get back outside. How the hell did it get inside in the first place? That could be pondered on upon at a later time, as the first priority was getting it back outside.

“Don’t fly towards my head, bat. I’m just trying to get you back outside. You’re a nice bat, right? Nice bat, nice bat,” you whispered in a non-threatening tone. Could the flying mammal understand what you were saying? Mostly likely not. Hopefully it understood that you, unlike your cat, were trying to help and did not want some fresh bat as your late night snack tonight.

After what felt like forever fuddling with the window to open with a broom in hand, just in case the bat decided to dive bomb your head, you finally got the cursed thing open. 

Grabbing Grim, who was still trying to catch the bat for a second time tonight, you got back to your bedroom and locked the door shut. You hoped that the bat would take the hint that it now had a path to freedom, but only time, and a bit of sleep, would tell. Slumping against the door frame, you sighed and looked over at Grim. He was playing with the door stop, the boing, boingg, boinggg sounds filling in the quiet. Whether it was to amuse himself, or to annoy you was a fifty-fifty bet.

Just as you were about to crawl back under the covers a string of anxiety connected in your head. Shit, did Grim get bit? DAMMIT GRIM! After leaving a somewhat desperate and tired call to your vet’s voicemail, alongside an apology for the late call (early call?), you peeked outside to see if the bat was still flying around. According to Google, the bat should be tested for rabies. You did not trust your no brain cell having fluff ball to know better than to get bit by a possibly rabid bat. But it was gone, so yet again, you were out of luck.

You had enough with today, even though it had just really begun. Pulling up the covers, you sighed in the dark warmth of your blanket cocoon. Grim was busying himself by trying to pounce on your feet, but you ignored him, falling back to sleep and hoping that the rest of your day wouldn’t bring any more shenanigans, migraines, or small flying mammals.

…

…

…

By some miracle, you managed to get Grim to the vet the very same day. Your boss agreed to let you work from home because he is ever so kind and generous… It did help that one of the other higher-ups nearly nagged off his ear upon hearing about the condition of your cat. Even through the phone you could hear it, and could only imagine the spectacle it must have been. Oh well, you had the day off and that is what mattered… but you would be lying if you said that you didn’t cough out a laugh just imagining the scene on the other side of the phone.

You were relieved, Grim on the other hand was not having it. To be fair, you did trick him into his crate with some tuna. He made his disdain known to all though by crying the entire way there. You almost felt bad for him, almost being the key word. 

“You have no one to blame for this but yourself, ya know.” You huffed at him, feeling your shit sleep all too well. “Crying about it won’t help you any.”

Grim let out a pathetic little mew. His little, bright, blue eyes being the only visible part of him, which peered out miserably from the crate. Caving to the kitty manipulation, you poked your finger in as a peace offering. Grim booped his nose to your finger and then proceeded to nibble on it; such a vicious beast.

The vet visit went as well as you could hope it could, as Grim only tried to maim the vet a few times. Hey, it was an improvement from last time, as he had actually peed on them. So yes, trying to maim was vastly better than seeing your figurative child pee on the doctor. You’re pretty sure your vet didn’t go through years of schooling and thousands of dollars into debt just to get peed on by your unruly cat. But Grim was won over by the offering of that cat gogurt, his nose and stomach betraying him. Note to self, stock up on some of that stuff.

The rest of the visit went on without a hitch; he had some blood drawn, got his booster shot for rabies, and even managed to squeeze in a bonus nail trim. There was no evidence of any bite or puncture marks, so Grim by some miracle, did indeed have enough brain cells not to get bit.

“Grim will have to be watched for about forty-five days,” the vet hummed, checking Grim’s chart. “Since you don’t have any other animals it shouldn’t be too difficult to keep him in quarantine. If you see any symptoms be sure to bring him back, just in case.” They gave you a tired smile, and then turned that smile towards their cantankerous patient. “And thank you for deciding not to pee on me this time, Grim. I’m not so bad, see?”

Grim swatted at them, which was his answer to the vet’s question. In Grim’s book, the vet was that bad.

Ignoring his attitude, as you would whenever you came across a screaming toddler and exhausted parent while doing your grocery run, you turned back to your vet. “Thank you, and sorry for Grim. If it makes you feel any better, he’s just as much as a gremlin child at home as well.” At least today went better than last time.

The vet chuckled goodheartedly, “Don’t worry about it, I have more unruly patients than little Grim here.”

Damn, they have seen some shit, haven’t they? … Maybe I should, I don’t know, bring them a gift basket next time I’m in? Or maybe a gift card for a spa day or something??? You should really get them something for the amount of dry cleaning they probably needed to do.

With the visit over, and Grim having a clear bill of health, you shoved him back into his carrier with zero decorum, closing the door as fast as possible before he could escape and try to hide behind the counter like he did last time. I know your tricks, cat. Speaking of bills, the one that was waiting for you at the front desk was enough for you to point an icy glare at your unruly ward.

“You’re lucky that I love you, asshole.” And much like the vet you too got a swat as your thank you. Wonder if this is what the Clovers feel about their children? At least their kids didn’t wake them up in the middle of the night with a bat they caught… You shook your head, moving past those thoughts, and hauled your wailing cat back home.

…

...

By the time you got back to your place, it was just a little past noon. The rest of your day was wide open, and you didn’t really have anything else to do, since taking Grim to the vet was the most urgent of your tasks. Your place could benefit from some tidying, since your boss had recently been demanding more as of late and has been even less useful than he usually was… which was saying something. Seriously, how does he have his position? It was baffling. You swore you could hear his monologue playing on loop in your head whenever you thought of the man, which you tried to keep to a minimum for your own sanity… whatever little of it still remained that is.

Shaking your head to rid the annoying voice, you put on your favourite playlist and got to work. You took your time, putting away the dishes, vacuumed the main room, and even got rid of the dust on the high shelves. But your place was small, so it didn’t take very long for you to tidy up, and deep cleaning could wait for another day when you had enough energy to mentally and physically deal with that undertaking.

You knew that your email probably had a few messages, but it could wait. You weren’t on the clock and therefore didn’t have to check it. Only do the stuff you’re required to do when you get paid, it makes your downtime way more enjoyable.

But, you were bored. The cleaning helped with it, but with the majority of it done and the more intense stuff waiting for another day, you had nothing else to do. And while doom scrolling through social media may fill in the time, it too, was boring, predictable.

… There were two people though who were the exact opposite of boring and predictable. And yes, they did give you your fair share of migraines and questioning your life decisions more than you usually do, they were your best friends. And you were in need of having a movie night with them.

Opening up the group chat, you typed in a message.

| The Responsible One | You guys down for a movie night at my place tonight?

And almost immediately, Ace replied.

| Ginger, derogatory | depends  | ya got fiid?

Deuce responded shortly after.

| Mama’s Boi | Yeah, I’m down | What time? | . . . | And what’s fiid?

|The Responsible One | How does 6 sound?

| Ginger, derogatory | IT WAS A TYOP | *TYPO | I MEANT FOOD | F O O D

| Mama’s Boi | 6 works for me

| The Responsible One | I took a screenshot of that btw love you Ace | Thanks Deuce for actually giving me an answer. | What FIID do you guys want?

| Ginger, derogatory | FUCK YOU | … but yeah 6 works 4 me | any is cool with me

| The Responsible One | Yes yes, fuck you too Ace | Bring your own snacks it is then | See you guys at 6!

That gave you about ninety minutes to hide your good snacks, since the last time, Ace had made himself too comfortable and ate all your fancy treats that you paid way too much for. But like they say, you deserve to ‘treat yoself’ … Ace still owed you for those snacks though. They were fucking expensive, prick.

…

Ninety minutes didn’t take very long, but you managed to hide some of the mess that you hadn’t tackled in your bedroom; it could stand to wait. And the first of your dork friends arrived right on time, count on Deuce trying to be punctual… even if he was panting like he had run a marathon to make it.

“You know,” you sighed, “you didn’t have to sprint here.” You grabbed a glass, filled it with some ice water, and handed it over to your flushed and heaving friend. Please don’t pass out on me. “It’s not a race.”

Deuce took the glass and downed it, still catching his breath. He lifted up the tote bag he was carrying, “Mom made brownies.” A series of coughs escaped him, but he gave you a bashful smile and showed off the multiple Tupperware containers filled to the brim with still warm chocolatey divineness. “Didn’t want them to get cold! Oh! She also made extra for you too!”

He is such a sweetheart… but he’s also pretty dense at times, still a sweetie though. You could have just warmed them back up in the microwave — yes, they weren’t the same as fresh from the oven, but still — you didn’t have the heart to tell Deuce that though. He looked so proud that he made it on time and that the brownies were still warm. What did you do to deserve Deuce as a friend? 

“Also,” he fished around the tote bag, “I brought extra popcorn, since we ate all of yours last time.” And he pulled out an unopened bag of popcorn, the bashful smile turning bright.

Deuce took a step forward, but stopped and backpedalled, taking off his shoes. After he set them neatly by the door, he made his way to the kitchen, and set all of his assorted belongings on the meagre counter space. Once he unloaded the tasty cargo, he made his way over to your loveseat, which had seen better days, and sat down, getting comfortable.

He was looking at you, and there was a little crease in between his eyebrows. Deuce only wore that look when he was worried. “Are you feeling okay? You seem a bit… off.” 

You gave him a tired smile, “Meh. Tired, stressed, not enough money. You know, the usual.” You noticed that his frown was only deepening, so you took a seat next to him and patted his shoulder. “Seriously, Deuce, I’m okay. Plus you got enough on your own plate without worrying about me. I’m going to be fine.”

Deuce pursed his lips, but let out a long sigh, accepting your answer without much fuss. You were capable of dealing with whatever it was, he knew that. You were one of the most capable, and stubborn, people that he knew. You would be fine in the end. “Whose turn is it to pick the movie this time?” He asked, stretching out, trying not to bump into you.

“Hmm, your turn actually,” you hummed. “But–”

Bzz! Bzzz! BZZZ! Someone was buzzing your door, repeatedly pushing at the button. Only one person you know did that. BZZZZZZZZ! And he wouldn’t let up until you answered the door.

Groaning, you got out of your spot and peaked through the peephole. On the other side was none other than Ace, who’s leg was bouncing and he kept on pushing your damn buzzer.

You only opened the door when he decided to lean on it, making him almost fall… almost. Maybe next time would be the day where you would see him eat dirt. “Happy you could join us on this lovely evening,” you drawl, doing a little bow.

Ace rolled his eyes at you, “Seriously? Feeling petty tonight I see.” He too took off his shoes, since the last time he wore them in and tracked in mud from outside, you made him clean it up. He learned his lesson that day, and really didn’t feel like cleaning your floor again.

You smiled at him, “Yeah, yeah I am~” You dropped the smile and went back to your comfy spot beside Deuce. “Also,” you turned around right as Ace was about to plunder your fridge. You glared at him, and he backed off, giving you a sheepish look. “Don’t even think about stealing my food, there’s popcorn and you have food at your home. Unless you want to start paying for my groceries, stick to what’s on the counter.”

Closing the fridge, Ace busied himself by making himself some popcorn, and sneaking a brownie or two in his mouth as he waited for the microwave to finish making his treat. While he was busy in the kitchen, you and Deuce were slowly going through the seemingly endless catalogue of movies. 

“What are we even watching tonight? There’s no special occasion,” Ace mused, sitting on the counter, swinging his legs back and forth. “Action? Horror? Sci-fi? Perhaps,” he paused and made a kissy face, “romance?~”

You stared at him, until he dropped the kissy face. “Never do that again,” you deadpanned, turning back to the screen. “Found something?”

Deuce was hovering over a title, Labyrinth. “Can we watch this? Mom said it was one of her favourites when she was a kid.”

Ace plopped into the armchair, and started chowing down on his fresh popcorn. “Dude, your mom probs just had the hots for, uhhh, Jared? Or whatever his name is.”

You threw a pillow at him, but missed unfortunately, and Ace flipped you off. “First off, Ace, his name is Jareth not Jared. And yeah, we can watch it,” you said, stretching back and getting into prime comfortable blob position. Oh yeah, you weren’t getting back up. 

Once Deuce got up and brought some snacks back in, you started the movie. And damn, these brownies are divine. You really needed to ask Ms. Spade for her recipe. The popcorn was decent, overall meh, but the brownies! THE BROWNIES!!!

You all settled down after being rationed your snacks, and you pressed play. Ace and Deuce both nearly choked on popcorn when Jareth appeared.

“WHY ARE HIS PANTS SO TIGHT?!” They both choked in unison. 

You just rolled your eyes and ignored them, trying to focus on the movie. Other than you nearly having to do the Heimlich manoeuvre on the both of them, the movie continued without incident, until a certain gremlin decided to start crying right as Magic Dance began playing. Seriously Grim, must you choose the most inopportune time to act like Toby does in the movie? But that’s life with a cat.

You paused the movie and looked at Deuce. You were in prime comfortable blob mode, you weren’t getting up. Deuce patted you on the shoulder and went to go see what on Earth Grim was screaming about. Ace just continued to scarf back brownies, thank goodness you hid some away before he got here, or else you wouldn’t have any come tomorrow.

But Deuce came running back out of your room, since that was where Grim was. And you were about to question why he looked like he’d just seen a ghost when something blurred right past him; something small, fuzzy, and flying.

The damn bat is back?! Yeah, you definitely felt like you were cursed.

Now, you could either get up and deal with the bat, since Deuce was just trying to shoo it outside the window with a mop and Ace was screaming much like Grim was, or you could stay warm and comfy and hide under the blanket, pretending that this wasn’t your waking reality…

Option B was really tempting right now, to be honest. Sighing, you got up, massaged your temples to collect yourself, before arming yourself with a broom yet again. Grim has his rabies vaccine, you don’t, so you weren’t taking any chances.

“WHY IS THERE A BAT IN YOUR APARTMENT?!” Ace hissed, ducking as the bat swooped near him.

You opened the window right open, almost threatening to take it off its bearings, “Because the universe hates me, that’s why!” Was it dramatic? Yes. Did it contain a seed of truth? Yes. So that’s what you went with. Was it really an exaggeration though? In the past twenty-four hours it really felt like the universe was sending you a personal ‘Fuck You ♡ ' letter with a kiss mark on the envelope.

You and Deuce tried to work together as a team to coax the bat outside. Come on, the window is wide open. Come on bat, get your fuzzy ass out of my place. 

All that was happening though, was some scene that belonged in a Three Stooges act. With Ace and Grim screeching — yes they counted as one collective unit — Deuce trying his best, but not getting anywhere, and you feeling like you were about to explode from the stress and noise. Even on an impromptu day off, you didn’t get a break, not really.

Getting whisked away by the Goblin King is looking real appealing right now. The bat swooped down close to you, and your instincts kicked in and you swung at it, making it crash land into your coffee table, right into the popcorn. And alongside the popcorn getting spilled everywhere, there was also a poof of green sparkles.

When the green sparkles subsided, there was a strange person with long black hair and red streaks, wearing something that looked straight out of a Ren Faire, and he was standing on your table. The strange man looked straight at you, and you looked back, blinking fast. Did Ms. Spade give us a different kind of brownie? Or is this actually happening?

He snapped his fingers, and you watched as he slowly disappeared into another poof of green sparkles. You were backing up, since hey there was a stranger in your place out of nowhere, but thanks to your shit luck, you tripped over your own feet, tumbling into them. And as the green poof subsided, both you, and the stranger, were nowhere to be seen. Leaving a very confused Ace, Deuce, and Grim to wonder what the hell happened to you.

And honestly? You were thinking the same. Where the FUCK am I?!

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Tags; @busycloudy, @eynnwwyjth, @identity-theft-101, @ithseem, @krenenbaker, @ryker-writes, @twistwonderlanddevotee, @xxoomiii

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Author's Note; And I'm finally showing this to the world, after months of collecting dust in my Google Docs. I have no idea how long this fic will go on for, and the length may be dictated by how much feedback and interaction this gets, so yeah. General rating for this is Teen but might change in the future; I won't tag people if that happens though, cuz, yeah.

If you enjoyed this story, and want to read more of my stuff while I slowly work on more installments to this fic, check out my masterlist! Please ignore any spelling mistakes, I write and die with no beta.