Mosi Kana′tĭ(22)|| Bassist/Back up vocals(TBR) || Werewolf || Mentions(M):Layton and Sorin (indirectly) Dahlia(side character indirectly)
(Music studio Thorns black roses)

Mosi lay stretched out on the faded leather couch that was along the back wall of the recording studio. Her band had been using this place since their earliest years together. The sofa was now soft to the touch; from years of it being worn down over many a band practice.
A dull brown with age; but cared for with love. Evident in the many patch work jobs along its frame. The fabric had its fair share of random sewn on band patches, miscellaneous embroidery, Not to mention where any one of them just decided to draw or write directly on the damn thing.

Long raven black hair fell over the arm of the couch. Almost touching the ground but not quite. To the average eye you would see a young woman relaxed on the couch. One leg stretched out on the seats. While the other resting on the back of the couch like she owned the place. Listening to the music in the earbuds she currently had blaring. Waiting for other members to show up.

But to the people in Mosi's life that knew her. Their eyes would go directly to the bright white section of hair casting her face in shadow. The hereditary mark that grew from the left side of her hair in an inch wide streak. The white stark against the rest of her black locks. Like the rest of her family her "moon mark" became more visible the closer to the full moon it was. With how white the streak of hair was it was safe to say that the full moon was fast approaching. A good warning sign to those near to not piss her off.

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

A familiar scent hit her nose causing her to glance up at the clock on the wall. The minute hand was missing so it was always a guessing game at what the actual time was. It was about time others would start showing up. When Laytons scent flooded the studio it confirmed her thoughts. While the other werewolf was a good friend to her Mosi wasn't in the talking mood. She turned her volume up and closed her eyes before her roommate came into the main room. Even over the roaring sound of Måneskins song Mammamia. She still heard the greeting he sent her. Sensing he took the hint of her mood based on the sound of drums soon following his departing steps.

Mosi opened her eyes and sighed. Today is going to be long she thought. Mind flashing to the yells and tears of the night prior. Fingers going to her pounding temples. Her roommates most definitely had heard her fight last night with her now ex Dahlia. Both had known better than to come see if she was alright after the sound of her slamming the door closed on the blue nymph. Said door now had five claw marks gouged deep in it. Great another thing I've got to fix. Dahlia had shown up late in the night asking to come over and talk. To Mosis knowledge the 2 year long relationship was going smoothly yeah they had their bumps in the road as everyone did but that's life. She had never ever suspected Dahlia of doing anything. So when the woman had come over tears in her eyes confessing that she had been cheating on her for months she was shocked. Physically shocked. The male she had been seeing she had never scented on her. Nymphs where notorious for their scents absorbing and negating other scents. A fact dahlia complained about relentlessly always pissed about no perfumes working on her. After a few hours of talking then arguing then yelling. She had kicked her out. Told her to not contact her again. Cheating was one thing but lying for that long infuriated her. She had desperately needed to go out and run out the anger. So she had done just that. Leaving the apartment and shifting with a flash of light. Her wolf form quickly taking over the human one. Only on a full moon did that light go away. The full shift was bones and everything changing from one form to the other. Normally it happens with a burst of slightly warm light. And it was painful but very very quick. The full moon changed that. She felt everything and it took a long time. Something about gravity and tides and some other science bullshit she didn't care to understand. Many hours later she had shown up to the studio. Shifting back and showering off the blood from what ever unfortunate creature she had eatten. Thanking the creator for the hot water in the shower the studio had in the very back. Glad she always had spare clothes for her and the other shifters at the studio. Mosi had slept at the studio glad for the alone time.

- A L E X I S -

She / They | Bassist | Unnamed Band

M: Jared [Indirectly]

Alexis was having an… interesting morning. She had woken up really early, before the sun was even up, because she had gotten rather restless due to a nightmare. One that after 30 minutes of trying to will herself to sleep, she eventually gave up and accepted the fact she could not obtain a normal sleep schedule for once in her life. So, Alexis did what any reasonable human being would do. She took her red colored phone from her bedside table and silently crept out of bed, throwing on a black jacket sitting on the back of her chair. Walking would hopefully help her burn some time before everyone wanted to meet up to discuss what would happen in the ongoing future of the band. The band that she had somehow gotten to be the bassist of. The band her parents had scoffed at and didn't believe would go anywhere. The band they believed she would eventually leave after a few months. The band that she loved with her whole heart, and the people in it. At the end of her bed was Disco, the tuxedo cat watching her with curiosity as she left out her bedroom. The cat made to follow her as she crept past Jared's bedroom door, leaping down and going as far as the kitchen before jumping up onto the counter and softly meowing. Alexis smiled and stroked his head before grabbing her pair of the keys and leaving out the front door as quietly as she could, though the avian did admit she closed it a bit more aggressively than she should have.

Hopefully it didn't wake Jared up, she didn't want to have to explain to him about why she was up this late. Alexis sighed as she looked at the time on her phone as she paused in front of the open gates to a park nestled within the city. 7:25 AM. She had been out for roughly 2 hours. Though, to be fair, she hadn't gone very far in the fear she wouldn't be back in time to meet with everyone. The last thing Alexis wanted was to make a bad impression to the crew and manager. The city was silent, mayhaps a little eerily so but she didn't mind. It allowed her to gather her thoughts better than if she had to focus on weaving between a bunch of people and keep her wings tucked so tightly to her back that it almost hurt. For however big that they were, they were also terribly fragile. Alexis wouldn't deny the fact that she had injured herself once or twice for small matters that caused the hollow bones to fracture. Her wings were half extended at the moment, conscious of the occasional one or two people who also were out this late ranging from businessmen, drunks, and maybe one Hobo. Or they were drunk. She couldn't tell. It was nice though, to feel the wind course through her feathers. Speaking of which, she would have to try and preen her wings again. A handful of feathers were crooked and out of place, and that wasn't even covering the blood pins and dry ones that could probably fall out at any moment. After practice, Alexis reasoned, stuffing her hands further into the pockets of her jacket. Speaking of which, now would probably be a good time to head back.

"'scuse me miss~" Alexis paused midway through turning around, looking over her shoulder with a tired look ready to bitch slap whoever the fuck this was. The person trying to address her was slurring their speech, walking tipsy and uncoordinated as they giggled a little bit. The clothes they were wearing consisted of baggy black pants and a stained white sweater, their breath smelling heavily like alcohol and ash blonde hair heavily tousled. Drunk was the word that first came to her mind. Followed by hobo. Yep, definitely a potential hobo. They were probably stumbling home after a late night party with some friends judging by the bit of confetti still sticking to their shoulders and hair. The avian watched wholly unimpressed as they tipped a bit too much to the right, causing them to stumble. To her internal dismay, however, they managed to correct themselves and lean an arm against the red brick building next to them in an attempt to look "cool" before they completely fell over on their face. The guy hiccuped again. "You the sun, cause ur shiii~ny." Bruh. She had half the mind to slap him first before she stalked off in a huff, but ultimately just decided against it. What the fuck kind of pickup line even was that? Stupid drunk people and their crazy hooligan parties. Alexis thought bitterly, shooting the stumbling person a venomous glare and flaring her wings out, casting a dark shadow over them. Alexis turned before she could even see their reaction, continuing on her way but silently hoping she scared them at least a little bit. To her luck, they didn't pursue her. The walk back, other than the weird encounter with the drunk person, was uneventful.

Entering back into the shared place with Jared was easy enough, the door locked like how she left it and Jared assumedly still not up judging by how the place still looked quite vacant. Disco mrowed from where they sat at her feet, and with a small smile she crouched down and stroked through their dark fur, putting the keys back in her pocket at the same time. Cute. She mused, then striding over to the kitchen and starting on making a quick breakfast for herself before she went to join the meeting. Toast and cream cheese was easy enough for today. They had run out of eggs yesterday anyways, and pancakes took too long for her own comfort with how she was running with time. Alexis debated whether to make something for Jared, then ultimately decided she might as well toast him something as well. If it was cold by the time he appeared then that would be his fault. While she waited, Alexis managed to feed Disco his breakfast before hearing the toast pop out after a few minutes. It didn't take very long for Alexis to quickly munch it down, and before long she had grabbed her bass' case from against her bedpost. Disco had gone off somewhere, probably to watch some of the birds that came by the window while laying on the ledge and with a fond smile she made her way down the hall back towards the front door. I should check on Jared before I leave. Alexis stopped by his door, knocking lightly against it and waiting to see or hear anything on the other end while she managed to lay the case against her back, strap held with her right arm.

Laika Herriman || UNB Guitarist || M: Open

A minor... C... She wanted so badly to put on gloves, thimbles, bandaids -- anything to protect the raw tips of her fingers. Years of callouses were being stripped away with every chord she played, but she couldn't stop. No, quitting now would just mean letting the band down. Dark eyes dropped down to her left hand hugging the frets of the acoustic guitar. Angry red skin pulled taut to white over the strings glared back at her, cursing her name and begging to just be chopped off. Laika had been playing all night. All the previous day? She couldn't remember when she'd started, but as she tried to retrace the hours, her stomach reminded her that, however long it had been, she was going to starve herself out if she didn't eat. Grumbling and harshly ending an E minor, Laika rested the instrument in its case and got to her feet, wincing as her joints snapped back into place. Her shoulders were beyond aching, and everything from that to her knees had gone numb. Next time, she decided, she'd be practicing on something squishier than laminate flooring.

Laika readjusted her jeans and pulled at the crinkles in her t-shirt as she headed into the kitchen. As she walked through the threshold, she was greeted by the dishes she hadn't cleaned earlier, and it looked like she'd left the butter dish open on the counter. Again. Laika stared blankly at it for a long moment; was this really how her day was going to start out? She pulled her long, thick hair back into a messy bun and cracked her knuckles out of habit while making a beeline for the sink. Covering the butter and sliding it to the corner, she pulled out the dish soap and a sponge and got to work. There would be no paper plate woe-is-me breakfast today; she didn't have time to feel sorry for herself. Besides, it was her own fault she had neglected the basic needs of any living being. The Lycan in her certainly helped keep her mentally stable when running off no sleep, but it made the hangry feelings worse.

Once the pots, pans, plates, utensils, and cups were washed and dried, she got started with the actual cooking. Four packs of bacon hit the griddle with hisses and premature spits. While the strips sizzled away, Laika grated potatoes over another pan of melting beef tallow. As the flakes hit the fat, they began to bubble and started the journey to becoming hash browns. Laika hummed softly to herself while whisking ingredients into a buttermilk pancake batter. She'd quadrupled the recipe, figuring that she would bring the extras to the studio later for all the poor, lost souls who had inevitably skipped or skimped on breakfast. She worked between the pancake griddle, waffle irons, bacon, and hash browns until all were complete and satisfactorily stacked into containers. She took about a pack's worth of bacon for herself along with a healthy helping of hash browns and six pancakes. Laika pulled out a large, covered bowl from the fridge and opened it to reveal the mashed up, sugared strawberries she'd pummeled the morning before. Or had it been two days ago? Regardless, they were fine.

After eating and cleaning up the dishes -- there would me no more days-old dishes lying around -- Laika plopped the rest of the food containers into a large insulated bag. She paused in her exodus to actually get ready for the day, placed her guitar in its case, hauled everything out to her truck, and hurried back to the cabin door to lock it. It would take a very stupid individual to break into her house, but it didn't hurt to deter the ones who would try. Laika picked at a strawberry seed that the floss must have missed as she drove the old gray Ford down to the band's studio.

Laika parked and dragged her gear and the food out to the door, let herself in, and slammed the bag onto the table inside. In stark contrast, the guitar was placed cautiously in the corner away from any seating. She looked around the room; it seemed she was the first one there, though it wouldn't surprise her if someone was around a corner or loitering outside. Her fingers, which had since calmed down, flared up again as she considered pulling out the guitar and continuing to practice. After some debate, the Lycan decided against it and leaned up against the wall to tinker around on her phone instead. This was going to be a long day.

Emery | Non-Binary | 22 | Human | Soundcrew/Roadie | UNB

M: Luke (dir), Aster (texting)

Emery’s eyes stung as they stared at the screen. Hunched over their mini desk, pressing random keys in hopes that would help get their creative juices flowing, if “creative juices” were even a thing, before defaulting to the space button with which they proceeded to slam with frustration. Leaning back in their chair, they looked up at the ceiling and rubbed their red, sleep-filled eyes. Finally, Emery managed to have the courage to look down at what they actually had down for their paper.

Influence on Popularity

People tend to think that influencers are popular, but this only comes from their ability to influence the population through the use of media. Popular artists, movies, and bands do not always become widespread from what they offer but how they are offering it. For example, dcide2ysaonahdh. b.

Yeah, Emery was going to fail.

Writing this essay should not have been as hard as it was, but it was practically consuming Emery. Normally journalism assignments were easier in the previous years, but since the teacher was a huge xenophobe, it made getting better grades nearly impossible. “Humans should not be taking our jobs,” “Humans should not be inserting themselves into the media,” and humans should this and humans should that. All just the typical ramblings of a xenophobic centaur. Technically, Emery was not even full human, but they did not like to talk about the other part. The only reason Emery had yet to pick a fight was because they really needed this last year of college to go smoothly and could not damage their scholarship.

After a moment of staring, going through the five stages of grief, Emery came down to acceptance once they pushed themself away from the desk in their rolly chair. Standing up with a tired groan, Emery looked around the small, messy room. They were sure— positive (they hoped)— that they had some clean and washed clothes around. Luckily for them, they did. Sliding into a short, plaid skirt, Emery stumbled to the bathroom as they navigated both the hallway and their loose black sweater that revealed their shoulders and bra straps. Finally bumping into the sink, Emery pulled their head through the hole of their sweater in time to catch a glimpse of their reflection. A glimpse was all it took to soak in their details.

Emery had bags that meshed horribly with their cardboard-colored skin and mediocre maroon eyes while their hair was disheveled and out of place. Sure, Emery had purposely grabbed their favorite skirt, but looking at themself in the mirror, the replication seemed too feminine and it made their stomach churn enough that the sickly feeling of bile rose in their throat again. Their eyes darted down when they could no longer stomach the sight, only looking up briefly to add makeup to not look sick, brush their hair to not look homeless, and put on their mother’s necklace because they never went anywhere without it now.

Flicking off the annoying, buzzing lightbulb of the bathroom and returning to the room, Emery grabbed a tote bag and began to shovel things in: their laptop for all their documents, their mini-synth for disarming stress, and a notebook which was freshly-bought and that would most likely never be opened.

As Emery exited their room, they were suddenly overcome by a delicious aroma. Fresh eggs and goods cooked in the best way possible. Luke was definitely in the kitchen.

There are many great things about Luke: 1) he was funny, 2) he helped Emery get their new job, and 3) he was an amazing chef. For every time Emery burned toast or rice, Luke made five-star meals. Honestly, Emery was surprised he decided to join a band and not Gordon Satyrsay’s kitchen.

“Duuuude, that smells heavenly…!” Emery mumbled through their mouth full of water, swallowing down their hunger but not the sound their stomach made as it helplessly begged for food. Food had been something Emery had been neglecting for the past day as they struggled through their journalism assignments, but now, the need for food was painfully clear. “You were God-sent, you know that?” Emery loosely hugged Luke from behind, burying their face in the crook of Luke’s neck as their wavering voice sounded like they were about to burst into tears for the food. Emery pulled away and practically dove for the food. Still drooling from their first whiff of the food, Emery’s mouth continued to fill with water till that first bite. Leaning against the counter, Emery was smiling like a toddler given candy as they held their fork in one hand and an already half-eaten plate of eggs in the other. “Fuckin— mhm!— delicious, man! I swear, you must put some magic drugs in this shit because there's no way food can taste this good normally.”

After a moment of silence only broken occasionally by the distant sound of early morning cars driving to work outside their home, Emery sighed as their fork clinked against the empty dish.

“Well, I can die a happy person after eating that!” Emery laughed, their eyes beaming with joy about as bright as their golden freckles shimmering from the sun peaking through the window blinds. Set the plate down in the sink as they went over to the cupboards, they were much more peppy after having somehow downed the entire plate. You would have thought they were a werewolf with the way they managed to scarf the eggs so fast.

“Alright, I am going to make myself boba before we head out,” Emery said, straight to the point as always after setting down their bag. “As thanks for breakfast— I know, I know, I am so kind for returning the favor—” sarcasm coated their tone as a chuckle leaked into their voice, turning to face Luke— “do you want tea, coffee, or boba too?”

Emery did not wait for an answer before getting started on their boba. Grabbing tapioca pearls from the cupboard and taro root powder, Emery had gotten good at making milk teas on their own. Granted, they were not as good as you could get from Mrs. Kim’s from down the street, but Emery was getting good at it. After boiling hot water in, they poured about half the water into a cup they filled with black tea leaves and left the rest in the pot only to add tapioca pearls. The tapioca pearls would need a bit longer so this was the point when Emery walked over to Luke only to sit on the counter beside his plate of eggs.

“Alright, roomie,” Emery’s favorite nickname for one of their favorite friends, “what’s the plan for—” ding!— “hold that thought.” Pulling out their phone, it was a text from Aster, Emery’s only other favorite friend. After a moment of a blank expression while reading his text, Emery suddenly burst into laughter. “Apparently Aster liked the date I set him up on!” Emery’s fingers worked like lightning, darting about on the digital keyboard of their phone before they managed to write a reply.

“oh thank god, you enjoyed him <3 but girlie, if you didnt I was for sure going to steal him from you because GODDAMN!! anywaaays glad you had a good night ;) ”

Emery was still giggling at their own response, shaking their head before looking back up at Luke with a beaming grin.

“Anyways! As I was saying: what’s the plan for today??” Emery asked, with even more vigor than before. “I mean, do we need to bring coffee or drinks from Mrs. Kim’s? Is there a group chat I need to join first? Do I look good in this?” Emery motioned to themself and looked down at their outfit. “Like, it definitely says, “I need this job because it is the only way I will retain some creativity in life while also making money,” but I don’t know if I want it to be screaming that, ya know?” Emery huffed after a moment resting their elbows on their knees and hunching till their chin was supported by their palms. “Man, I love being social and meeting new people, but Ima have to work with these people and I need to make a good first impression, roomie.”

Demon/Angel & Demon | 21 & 22 | Bassist/Back up vocals & Side Character | UNB | Mentions: Each other (dir.), Emery (ind.)

Aster Morningstar

Witch | 20 | UNB | Mentions : Eustace [ directly ] , Velvari [indirectly]

The male took in Eustace's form from behind as the Angel went looking for food. And the male was shirtless - so the witch got a nice view of the man. And he had to admire his tall and strong body, and not to mention his dip hips. They always had suited the angel, it had always given him a sultry sway (in Aster's humble opinion) and he hand always liked to place his hands on the hips or grab on to them. And he could feel himself straighten up slightly at the sound of Stace's morning voice, it should be illegal to sound that sexy in the morning. And it held a vice-grip on hind that he had forgotten about his plate of food momentarily, and then he found himself replying, " Morning to you too, bedhead." He said teasingly, with that soft teasing lilt in his tone as he tilted his head for a better view. The dark hair, contrasted against the pretty pale skin and those eyes. Oh those cerulean eyes would be the death of him, and he wished they would pay more attention to him. How long had it been since they had been directed towards him with love or interest? And not just a casual glance. He didn't know, but it irritated him that fact. And he let out a frustrated sigh, lost in his thoughts and he watched as the male sat at the counter as well. And he couldn't lie if he was offended that the male didn't choose the seat directly next to him but instead chose a seat apart. Was it to symbolize their growing divide in their relationship? Whatever it meant : he didn't like the implications of it.

He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had nearly missed the huff that Eustace gave, and he raised a brow in confusion and underlying concern. Was the male alright? But then he caught the other's gaze upon his skin, and he realized what he was looking at. Was he actually jealous? He had been trying to get his attention for months and all it took was a one night stand? And Aster found himself frowning at that, and there was a growing irritation. But that's when the angel spoke, and the witch swore he had to do a double take at the words spoken to him. What in the everlasting Nine Rings Of Hell? And he had to slowly place his fork down before looking at the male. His eyes were narrowed and if the flickering lights within the apartment didn't tell of his slowly deteriorating mood, then his nexts words would.

"Excuse me?" He has said with such anger and force, he nearly winced at his tone, but he was rolling with it - he was angry, and he got out of his seat up and quickly ; and without even thinking he gave Eustance a slap across his face. It wasn't soft nor gentle, but harsh and angry, one indication that he had crossed a line that wasn't meant to be crossed. And he one for physical violence either, but this just had felt so wrong to hear. Especially from him.

"Eustace Romeo Meire," he said enunciating the man's name with clear disappointment and anger, "have you lost your goddamn mind. How dare you even utter such words to me." The male hissed as he cornered the angel in his seat, his grip firmly on the sides and his small stature determined to block any means of exit for the male. He was about to get a piece of his mind. "You have the audacity to call me out on my lesion with another, when clearly you've been with Velvari, and don't give me the : but she's just a friend, bullshit, either. You've picked up common strays as you've called them from the bar - and you let them put their filthy hands on you." He said rather hotly, not caring if he sounded jealous, because frankly he was - and he was stabbing at Eustace's chest with his finger and then he turned around angrily and folded his arms - and angry and frustrated groan coming from him.

"Do you know, how long I've waited to even get your attention again, in a romantic way? Do you know I've spent nights crying because I've thought you've moved on?" He began lowly, but then his voice slowly began to raise past its normal range, and his brows were furrowed in frustration and his hair was whipping furiously because of the growing whirlwind that was Aster's magic. His emotions were strong, and it was clear he was angry and frustrated, "Why did it take for me sleeping with someone else to even remotely make it click that you possibly still harbor feelings for me?" He practically cried out, with an accusing tone of voice. "Am I really not worthy of your love, that you'd think so lowly of me?" He said in a soft, yet harsh whisper - his green eyes glassy, and tears threatening to spill.

"You know, I thought you were purposefully trying to get on my nerves bring Velvari over here - to our home, our shared apartment, but it's clear to see that you don't even realize what you're doing to me. So I guess I'll have to spell it out." He said slowly and then the ugly emotion that was jealously reared its head, "I fucking hate Velvari's guts," he said plainly, "I guess you missed me purposefully giving her glares and not wanting her in my house because I see her as a threat. I hate her because she has the one thing that I don't have but I want : you. How come I've known you longer and yet if you're feeling down or having a bad day - she's the first person you call" his voice was raw, and it wasn't hiding his hurt or anger at the situation, "how come she gets to wrap your wounds or scars, she gets to comfort you when you're down - why not me. . . " his voice abnormally small as he said the last statement before moving on.

"Do you know how much it hurts to come home to another whore being in the bed and pleasuring the person that you like. Do you even care how many times I've cried because I've seen the markings that she's leff on you and I just know she does it on purpose - like she's taunting me or something, goddess, I sound like a paranoid girlfriend." And he gives a humorless laugh at that, and he can feel the tears coming down his face as he stands besides Eustace - leaning on the countertop , his voice growing quiet and demeanor somber.

"I'm sorry for hitting you. . ." He said lowly as he fiddles with his thumbs before saying, "Is it so bad that I want to be the one you love?" His voice barely a whisper.

Matt Marwood | Male | 25 | Naga | SC

M: Aster (ind.) + Stace (ind.)

“Denice, did you try removing the software from your device and redownloading it?”

“No, but that is a very smart thing to think of, Matt!” Denice said, the cheery older woman’s warmth was practically leaking through her voice. Denice usually called around this time of day, the elder mage always being handed off to Matt as no one else was patient enough to deal with her. Any time Denice had tech problems was a reliable way for the naga to keep track of time. Other than his watch, of course. “You know, you remind me of my son. I told you about my son, haven’t I?”

“Yes, you told me—”

“He is a programmer!” Short, hearty laughter filled Matt’s ears as he adjusted his headphones while listening to the woman. Even Matt could not help a small smile at her joy as they leaned back in their office chair enough to see his coworkers in the cubicles near him chatting away. “Oh dearie! I might have been a powerful, gorgeous mage in my time, but my son is casting way more spells in his—in his—”

“Coding?”

“Yes, yes, coding. You do coding too, right Matt?”

“Oh, I only dabble a little here and there,” Matt admitted with an earnest chuckle, looking away from his coworkers back to his computer screen. “Besides, I am probably not as good as your son.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know a thing about these darn technological gizmos, but if you help me with my computer so often, I am sure you are just outstanding, dear!” Matt opened his mouth to thank her but was quickly interrupted by her voice cutting him off yet again. “Alright, I think I understand what I need to do. Thank you very much and I hope you have a good day dearie!”

“Wait, how about you stay on call in case—”

End call.

Matt stared at the computer screen for a moment before releasing what could either be called a breathy chuckle or amused sigh.

“Are ya finally off with Denice already?” Carol asked with a snicker, leaning over the top of their shared cubicle wall with her headset resting on her neck. Matt looked up with a tired expression as she reached down and poked Matt’s grizzly bear bobble head— giggling all the while.

“What did I say about touching Sir Bearington! Told ya he doesn’t like it,” Matt scolded her teasingly, his exhaustion finally seeping into his words as he sounded way less peppy than he did with Denice.

This only made Carol snicker more, however.

“Aw come on! He totally likes it! Don’t you, Sir Bearington?” The blonde unicorn-hybrid reached over again and hit the bobble head, making it nod and laughing with success. “See! Told you he sooooo does like it~”

“Ya see, Carol, and this is why all my other bobbleheads sit on Bryan’s side,” Matt sighed disappointedly with a smile plastered on his face, all the while his tail picked up the bear and moved it to the other side of the desk.

“Booooo! You’re no fun! And here I was, going to be all nice and shit, and invite you to an early lunch break!”

Matt paused, checking his watch, before looking back up to the long-haired blonde.

“Carol… it’s like… not even 11:00 yet…”

“Yeah, early lunch.”

“You’re insane, ya know that?” Matt said with a snicker, turning back to his computer as he opened his files and docs.

“Well, there are donuts in the break room—”

“Left over from yester—”

“—left over from yesterday that no one else has taken yet.”

“Absolute pass,” Matt said, re-reading and re-reading and re-reading the same lines over and over and over again all while Carol tried to keep the conversation going.

“Oh come on! Live a little! Kendle, Peter, and the two of us need to hang out together and I managed to convince the other two to take their breaks now so you are— you know— practically obligated to join us.”

Carol’s tone sounded hopeful, pleading even. She was not wrong exactly, either. It had been a while since the four of them hung out since Peter’s promotion and Kendle switching to marketing. Matt resisted looking over at her for a while, but regretted it when he did. She looked like a sad puppy dog. Matt sighed. It was not like they would even truly want him there, but if it made her feel better for him to be her charity case, so be it.

“Alright you win, but—” Matt put a lot of emphasis on ‘but’ to stress that Carol should not celebrate just yet— “I need, like, fifteen minutes to finish up some emails, deal?”

“Deal, but not a minute late, Matt,” Carol said with a huff, waving a warning finger at him. Matt just rolled his eyes and waved her off as the woman walked off to the break room, leaving Matt by himself.

It was better this way though. Matt was just a burden afterall. No one deserved to really put up with him.

Matt could not carry on thinking like this and there was only one thing that ever seemed to actually keep him calm. Flipping one of the bobbleheads upside-down and taking the USB tapped under it, Matt plugged it into the computer to access the livestream of his beloved.

Matt had no worth. He was nothing but a light-eating void that sucked up all life’s joy, but there was one person, one light, so powerful that Matt could not harm him.

Aster.

Gorgeous, kind, and loving, Aster was the world’s brightest light, no doubt about it. In spite of all Matt’s darkness Aster was unaffected and even loved the sorry excuse for a person. Aster loved him, a worthless being. Maybe it was selfish, but could anyone really blame Matt for wanting Aster protected from the muddiness of the world when everyone seeked to taint and destroy his beauty?

As he watched the livestream, Matt could not help but feel his blood boil as Aster’s perfection was being corrupted by an unloving man-whore. Aster deserved so much for being the closest thing to a literal god, yet here this angel was, disobeying its god. Either it was just as worthless as Matt or a tool crafted for the sole purpose of corrupting Aster. Matt did not even feel like assigning its real name and only referred to it as ‘damned angel’ in his racing and raging mind. Grinding his teeth, Matt could not help but watch Aster through the hidden camera in his apartment. He listened to his pleas with sympathy and… need. He needed Aster to remove himself from that damned angel, he needed Aster to stop letting people steal away his precious light, and he needed Aster in his arms.

Yes…, yes, Aster in his arms.

Aster, with his eyes fluttered closed and his arms limply draped around Matt, murmuring and squirming in his sleep. Pressing ever so slightly closer, Aster shifting as Matt’s tail squeezes around him. Too drugged up and peaceful to react to slow kisses, Aster whimpering his name. Aster, Aster, Aster, Aster, Aster—

Matt’s tail was coiling around himself now as he took some shaky breaths, hiding his growing smile behind his hand as he tried to calm himself. Yanking out the USB, Matt tried to distract himself with thoughts of work, but his head was already filled with sweet images that worked like ambrosia to his mind. He was far too worked up to function properly now, but he resorted to reassuring himself of his plan: soon, soon, soon, soonsoonsoonsosososoon!