Aster Morningstar

Lead Singer | Witch | Mentions: X

Aster found himself curled up under a weighted blanked for security. Maybe it was the weight and pressure that lessened his ache and worry, or the slightly cool feeling of the blanket against him. He gave a shuddering breath, to try and center himself - distract his focus from dangerous thoughts that seemed to consume him when he was like this. He had smiled softly when X didn't question his request and just did complied. He was forever greatful for the dragon. It was one of the first times someone had actually believed him because of course - "men don't suffer abuse" . He scoffed at that, sinking deeper into his blanket. Cloasing his eyes and trying not to let in the thoughts that were coming to his mind. Like how he was 15 and had his first opportuity with a label as a solo artist, but the manager had been a creepy bastard - but his parents had been a bit unaware of the guy's nature. But the hurricane his mother sent rippling through his building and the lawsuit that left the man penniless and in jail never ceased to amaze him. They were a bit harsh and albiet neglectful at times, but he knew they cared and they were working on fixing up their relationship. Hell, he hadn't even had the heart to tell them about his ex, because he knew what'd they do - and before he could, the guy had dissapeared into the wind. Was that why he was so unsettled? The possiblity of him showing up again? He always had feelings about things, and somehow they always turned out to be true - and that scared him profusely. He hoped X would be here soon, his mind was overthinking again as usual.

He let out a shaky sigh and rubbed his eyes, he could feel the small, yet growing bags under them. Yikes. Since when had they gotten this bad? He was tired, oh so tired, he hadn't been able to get rest because of the damned nightmares plauging him the past couple days. But he managed to hide it well, until he wasn't well. He's thankful none of the band questioned why he has a bodyguard, because it would be too painful to tell them. He was a bit startled when his window door opened, and had quickly gotten the nearest object (a metal clock) and nearly chunked it at the intruder, but he calmed down when he realized it was just X with the food.

He then watched as his friend, yes friend, walked around his little abode comfortably to his kitchen. Aster hated admitting it, but why did he feel at ease when X was here? Maybe it was because he didn't like living alone? He gave a small smile as the tea was place on his nightstand, and X sitting on his bed, and asked him about getting back at Matthew. Aster only gave a hum in response and lay his head on X's lap and sighed, a tired sigh. The warmth of the smoke felt good, and he looked at his friend.

"You know," he said softly, his voice softer than his usual tone, "you're too good to me. Thank you for being my friend." and he released a small chuckled, " good luck finding the bastard, the slippery snake finds a way to slither out of situations." he said with huff and then sitting up, he got the tea and sipped it, " I . . . think I'll be fine, besides I don't need Mosi wondering where you are, afterall not everyone knows about what happened to me, or about this whole panicky situation - and I want to keep it that way, when you're a rising star, you hav to be strong, right?" and that last part sounded a bit unsure, and him lacking confidence, but he digressed, it wasn't anything.

He got out the bed saying, " Besides, I have no time to mope. We have a meeting, and as Lead Vocalist, I have to be there." he muttered a bit bitterly, " So, I'll be getting ready for the group meeting at the studio and we can go."

The male then retreated to his restroom where he had already planned out his look for the day, the previous night before. After closing the door beind him, he put on his shower cap, tucking his coiled locks carefully under it. Afterwards, he stripped himself of his clothing, and started the warm water of his shower. Once a little steam was released he stepped in, and let the hot water pour over him, it felt good and somehow stung at the same time. He took a nice and warm shower and wrapped himself in a towel. Looking at himself in the mirror he gave a weak smile. He noticed how his eyebags were beginning to be a bit noticable, and he tilted his head, had he lost weight? He looked thinner. . . he felt ashamed he had let himself get this bad. It felt odd feeling a tear roll down his face , when was the last time he had cried? When was the last time he had been angry, for himself? And not let someone walk over him. His teeth gritted a bit, they were growing a bit sharper due to some reccessive genes, he wasn't one to be used and played with and not have the last say.

He gave a small sniff as he looked at himself in the mirror, "You are not a ragdoll for someone to use. You are worth it, you're not trash or anything less. Sure maybe you're a bit broken but you can be fixed. You were never one to take things lying down, so why are you now. Those cold nights, moping on the bathroom floor, weren't for nothing were they?" He paused for a moment and gave an laugh that could be described as nearly insane, "Great now I'm talking to myself." he muttered.

Only you can be your biggest fan. Don't forget to be your biggest hypeman . Those words rung clearly in his mind at the moment, and he couldn't have been more greatful for his therapist. She was a bit crazy herself, but aren't all the best people?

So with a bit of growing confidence he put on the cropped shirt, and then the white baggy sweats with the tantilizing thin lines on the sides, and not to mention the pants sagged just barely under his waistline, and showed of the form of his dip hips. Hm, maybe giving yourself a pep talk did do wonders for the soul, and having a friend that'd ride for you? Damn well untouchable. He then but on some black heeled platform boots to match the look. The colorful tattoo on the side of his waist showing just a bit. The golden lip piercings and dragon earrings set the look off. A bit of black metallic lipstick and gorgeous red cat eye and a bit of rings on his finger and he felt more like himself. Not to mention his black and white nails brought the look together even more. And then having his hair down? Instead of up? Man, he didn't even know the power of having his hair down.

"Damn, I clean up nice when I'm not deppressed." he mused as he put the towel and other forgotten clothing in the laundry basket.

He then walked out the restroom with a smile on his face and gave a small twirl for X saying, " How do I look, my darling friend?" and walked off, knowing the dragon would follow him as he answered the question.

They then grabbed the food provided and two cupcakes. Yes he was eating two cupcakes and the delicious sushi first thing in the morning. Sue him. And he tossed his keys to X, the little dragon on the chain jingling a bit, " Come on sleepyhead let's get to this meeting before Sumire kills us."

And he walked out the door and to his car so they could go, knowing X had flown instead of driven. He then noticed the ping of his phone, it seemed Emery had texted all them.

Responding To Emery

Aster : Don't get your panties in a bundle, I'm on the way. Had a rough morning. And don't you dare, you know Sumire would kill us. No offense Sumi, but you would. You're no fun. Also, thanks for the drinks, it'll go good with my cupcakes and sushi

Aster Has Changed The Name Of The Group Chat To The Queerest Band To Ever Queer

X | Bodyguard | Dragon | UNB

Mentions: Aster (dir.)

His face remained unmoving when Aster complimented him, yet his gaze remained firm on the mentally disturbed witch. In response to Aster's praise, he only grunts. "I'm only doing this for the pay," his tone crisp and to the point, "don't forget that," X added, his eyelids narrowing slightly. His entire persona on the outside was cold and wrathful. "I don't deserve it," his voice was nothing more but a whisper. His typical bloodthirsty glare, stony face with little to no facial expressions, and the only time he smiles is when he's fighting someone. To the others, he's reckless and violent, having little care for anyone but himself.

However, all of that was a facade. Purposely, he makes himself behave that way. He's doing it out of fear and defensive reasons. X always hated the feeling of being weak. Letting abominable vulnerability be exposed so openly left a bitter feeling in his soul. There's one person who wasn't fooled by the cloak of lies. Aster. The other can see right through his bravado. The damn witch knew that he was putting on the tough guy act, and oh boy, does X hate him for that. It was peculiar how Aster didn't bother to manipulate his self-loathing.

The dragon wasn't grateful for the lack of attempts. Instead, he was suspicious and highly so. X words may sound offputting to those who know little about his nature. As if treating the witch as nothing more but a quick cash grab. That wasn't true. None of those other outlooks were legitimate. Fraudulent.

The dragon is worried about Aster. He's deeply concerned about him yet unsure how to approach such sensitive topics without the amenability seeping through the cracks of his deception. X examines him for a few seconds before shutting his eyes, a huff escaping his lips, "I have no issues when it comes to devouring a snake. The serpent won't be able to slither away into the shadows for long," his tone sharp with murderous feelings, "I will stalk and hunt him down one day. Mark my words." He grabs a strand of Aster's hair, gently playing with it while daydreaming about killing the man that dared to cause harm to his companion.

He was deathly quiet when Aster spoke again, bringing in Mosi and the others. X's eyes steadily open, his eyes eerily dull. "Do you truly believe that anyone would notice my disappearance? Don't be gullible." X said internally, refusing to say it out loud. "Alright," those being his only remark to the witch's comment. His eyes shuffled to the side, his ears sealed from Aster's continuous sentence as he was lost in his internal dialogue. "I don't matter. My presence doesn't matter." His body was at bay as his muscles tightened, his jaw clenched tightly while his self-loathing instilled itself into his brain. Rudely, it forced its way into his thoughts.

He was brought back to reality when Aster got out of bed, him blinking a few times in confusion as to where the conversion was at now. X grunts in response when he finally catches up to the present. His eyes focused vehemently on his client. "Moping does make you look unsightly," a devious grin on his lips after he said that.

As Aster retreated to his bathroom, X climbed out of bed too. He walks over to the window that he turned into his entrance to shut it. As the panel slid downwards, the wood softly slamming together, his eyes dart outside to examine the scenery. His gaze settled toward the neighbor's yard across from Aster's house, with the rare emotion of disturbance appearing in his orbs as he noticed an oak tree.

He could see a ghostly figure of a little boy trying to do pull-ups in one of the branches. The boy's feet kicked weakly beneath him, trying to give himself a boost upwards. His short raven-black hair was messy and full of vegetation. His body was riddled with fresh bruises, cuts, and stitching. The figure's skin was an unhealthy color of pale and covered with grime. His muscles were nonexistent and making the child seem fragile. Hell, a gust of wind could've knocked him over. None of that bothered X. The boy's condition never made him feel an ounce of grief.

Though. One thing that managed to exacerbate the seemingly unbothered dragon. It's when X gazed at those amber eyes full of frustrated tears. His nails unknowingly scratched the wood of the seal, his eyes burning with a mixture of emotions. He blinked once, then stared at the tree when his vision grew clear. The boy was gone, leaving the tree empty. X's eyes gazed at his fingers embedded an inch deep into the wood. He removes his fingers and inspects the damage he managed to cause. The dragon inhaled sharply, trying to regain his composure before he crumbled right at the spot. His eyes were glassy at first, but he continuously blinked to get rid of them. "I was close to losing myself. I nearly-." He paused before mercilessly scolding himself, a heavy frown on his face now. "I'm strong now." He stood there a bit longer before forcing his body to obey him, walking towards the direction of the bed.

When the bathroom door opens, he tilts his head in that area, noticing Aster's less raggedy appearance. When the witch asked how he looked now, X gave a thumbs up. Not confident that his voice would be calm after that brief incident. As expected, he followed after Aster with his arms tucked close by his side. His eyes peered over the witch's head with his posture straight. When Aster tossed him the keys, he effortlessly caught them and stared down at them before turning to the vehicle that was supposed to take them. He nearly snarled, not loving that the car was too small for his size. X approaches Aster from behind, wrapping an arm around his waist to stop him from walking further. He proceeds to tuck the car keys into Aster's back pocket.

Without waiting for the witch's conversation, he scoops Aster up bridal style and spreads out his wings. "Hold on tightly. It's not my fault if you fall." He mumbled, then took off into the skies with haste, holding the small man against his chest. X flew in eery silence, his body tenser than before while his eyes harbored a distant look at them. He has a feeling nightmares of his past would soon return-an experience he's felt for a while now. His entire face drooped for a split second, with his grip unknowingly becoming tighter around Aster. "If I were to disappear," his tone was icy, baring little warmth within, "don't come searching for me." He paused for a little bit, briefly peering down at the witch in his arms.

"Just. . .don't." His eyes shuffled to the city they'll soon be approaching, a shaky sigh escaping his chapped lips. The rest of their flight was uneventful as X ceased his communication and seemed to avoid further eye contact with Aster. When the two reach the band's headquarters, the dragon glides downwards and parks at the main entrance. He resisted the urge to drop the other. Instead, he went for a more gentle method. That is dropping Aster's feet first meanwhile holding him by the waist before letting go entirely. X fixes Aster's appearance the best he can before gently shoving him toward the doors.

"Hurry up." He impatiently replied, having a passive and stony face with little to no other emotion within his voice.

Evan shook , not drenched his sweat this time but he was shaking as he woke up and when he realized it was all a nightmare he sighed. Ray had been having nightmares ever since he could remember , it was a childish thing that he rarely shared with anyone like his past. Ray shuddered he usually had the repeating nightmare but no his brain has decided to give him a nightmare of an old man chasing him out of a building . He rolled out of his bed landing his Star Wars duvet on his face .

//

. After snoozing there for a few minutes as he usually did , he groaned as he kicked the duvet off with a fight. He got up finally and smiled at his matching Yoda onesie , ears and all. He skipped breakfast but he just remembered in a panicked that he didn’t know what time the Thorns Of The Black Rose band was meeting up . Ray looked around and nearly screamed as he realized it was in his bedroom . He sped down the corridor to his bedroom at the furthest room which was three doors down from the kitchen. He lived in an appartement, he couldn’t care less which floor it was . He just called it home. Grabbing his phone , Ray texted the TBR group chat that someone he couldn’t remember who had formed, he didn’t ask to be added but he was and he doesn’t regret being added. Ray smiles at the previous conversations that the band members have had with each other and text *Hey Guys! When are we meeting today?*Ray read that then deleted that and retyped something completely knew he didn’t want to seem like a fool or an idiot or just him the forgetful childish sensitive annoying and irritable adult that can’t get a life . Sighing and looking at the window he laughed at the dramatics that he just did. He began retyping a message *Hi, just wondering what time we are meeting up to discuss?* he read the message four times and an extra one for luck then he hit send blindly.

//

Ray lay in bed by his phone , not really wanting to move from his comfy position under the covers of his bed . He was just waiting for a single text message but why did it seem to drag time slower? After debating himself and procrastinating he got up and got dressed . Ray folded up his Yoda onesie sadly and put it on the corresponding Star Wars double duvet cover, it was one of his childish things that he kept. The onesie he brought from a guy on Ebay, the guy didn’t laugh at all but it took Ray a long time to trust the guy long enough so they had to talk snd they became online friends until their conversations got shorter and shorter and he cried that night because he had thought he had down something wrong. He looked at the Star Wars duvet and traced his fingers along it. He stepped back and looked in the mirror on the wall and smirked , tracing the scar on his neck and cheek he winced. Speaking to no one he said out loud “I better draw da curtains a little” Then he started laughing at nothing but just that as he got in his ripped black Jeans and black jacket . He pondered and he fell back into his double bed if he should put a white shirt in but decided to just put it in his bag. He frowned in the mirrror and when he added the black spiked collars/chocker he felt at peace for once.

Matt Marwood | Male | 25 | Naga | Electrician | SC (Side-Character)

M: Aster (dir.) + X (ind.)

Around and around and around… The rigidity and shaking ceiling fan went in quick circles. The mattress was bare and empty and white unless you count the strange stains on the springy and painful bedding of the apartment Matt had bought last week. It had been a hassle to move all his cardboard banker boxes full of paper, film, and other important supplies. At least he did not have many clothes or other things he needed to bring with him, but it left him without any blankets. Groaning, Matt twisted onto his side as his tail wrapped around him to conserve some of his heat.

As a naga, half his body was devoted to his scaly tail which mirrored that of a black rat snake, causing black scales to grow occasionally on his torso and chin that were always painful to remove. It was nice to have a tail that could be used as a pillow but Matt was reminded how hard it was to regulate his body temperature as every little breeze that came through the thin walls sent shivers through his body. It was probably best that Matt got dressed before his tail went entirely numb, but despite the horrible mattress he was on, it was surprisingly comfortable in the morning where he only wanted to stay in bed for longer.

Reluctantly slithering out of his bed, Matt was reminded why he chose this spot. Even though the place smelled of cat piss, the walls were thin, and the neighbors were nosy and curious little mice that needed to be silenced, there was something so beautiful about the city view even as cars honked loudly at the start of the new day. Letting his tail curl around himself as he hopeless longed for the gorgeous view, Matt found himself glancing down at his phone to check the time only to get distracted by—

My savior, my love, my everything.

Matt’s eyes flicked between the outside world and the only thing in his life that was good, that made Matt’s life worth anything. His soft brown skin, his alluring green eyes, and his warm, embracing heart were all shown in his lockscreen where his savior smiled warmly to the camera. Browsing through some of his savior’s images couldn’t hurt, right? Matt still had time before work, so looking through his most recent online posts could not hurt, right?

Pose, pose, pose, his lover sure could strike a good pose, so enticing and engrossing as he seemed to glow with greatness and beam with beauty. Matt’s pupils grew fatter as they ate up every detail in every image, his grip on his phone and the windowsill getting tighter as his nails only dug further into the dents he had previously made in both. His mouth practically salivated at the thought of running his hands over his body in each of the images he looked through, his tail coiling around himself tighter and tighter as he desperately tried to contain himself from desiring that stunning man.

In his most recent post, it appeared to be that his everything was by himself, alone with no one around him in what Matt knew to be his room as that gorgeous man promoted his new band and how they were finally getting a new name. Matt’s eyes narrowed as he read this caption, fans yipping and yapping and oh-so fucking gleeful that someone as amazing as Matt’s everything was infested with those insidious insects that tainted his image. They placed their slimy, tainted hands on him like they deserved him. Damn the admirable sinner as much as you want, but at least loving, devoted Matt knew that he did not deserve the presence of his everything yet still did everything with the deepest of love for him. A love which that foul dragon, the worst of them all who pretended like it is still the Middleville Ages where dragons kept princes away from the knights who did not deserve them, could never understand.

Out of the blue, Matt got a strange idea, a terrible, devious idea but one that he acted upon with a smile. He knew he had to wait, he knew the plan was almost in place, but he knew his love was too strong as his fingers compelled him to write. Oh Hades, was this how you felt when you planned to sweep Persephone away, you tragic, loving God? Before Matt knew it, he had already typed and sent two messages to him.

“i saw you were alone in your latest post…”

“we will be together soon so dont worry about that <3”

So poetic and palatable! Just the right length and detail to not give away the finale to the protagonist and gleaming light that stole the stage in every scene but enough to convey the love of the miserable soul who plays the role of oaf but who strives to be the companion! So paradisiac and passionate! So perfect, so perfect, so—

Ding!

A text from his employer blocks the view of his light and his forked tongue flicks out from his lips in irritation.

“Hey buddy, you’ve been on time every day so far but I don’t see you here yet. You alright or are you taking a sick day?”

Janice meant the best, Janice was kind, but Matt could not help but groan at the reminder of work. It still amazed Matt that there were still a select few who treated him as more than what he was, with kindness and humanity, but his light was the most brimming with genuine affection that he had ever met. Reluctantly, Matt set his phone down and pushed off the windowsill only to look at the bright view.

There, his savior, his love, his everything, his Aster sat next to that foul dragon, X. Jealousy and anger rose momentarily in him but he shook these feelings off with a chuckle as he realized, if that dragon interfered with his plans, if he hurt or made Aster mad, there was nothing that a bullet could not do to stop him and protect Aster.

I’ve missed you so much… just wait a little longer for me, my light.

Matt then got dressed in his blue polo and naga shirt for work, closing the blinds of the window that gave Matt the beautiful view of his Aster and acting as though this was any other work week.