trust in Merlin

Reader is an old friend of Lockwood's and they run into ine another during a case.

You were beginning to think that you were unlucky. This was the 5th job this week, and the 3rd one you were stuck babysitting some inexperienced or under qualified agent on. You couldn't fathom why the academy kept sending out these half baked nitwits with little to no actual experience other than a few measly type ones.

It was your regular dilapidated, cobweb infested house on the corner, but you could feel the shift in air as you got closer. Hear the whispering of unidentified voices before you saw yourself standing directly in front of it. You could hear the yells and screams of whatever agents were inside. Sounds like they were doing quite alright. As you started to pick up your feet to walk past you heard a familiar name being shouted.

"Lockwood!"

You couldn't catch a break could you? Sure you hadn't seen the arrogant stringbean in a while but you had assumed maybe he left town. Who were you kidding he would never leave this place. It was you that had relocated, which made it difficult to meet one another, or have overlapping missions every now and then. The two of you were quite a duo back in the day but like they said all good things must come to an end. You needed a better paycheck as you had been an individual hunter on your own before the two of you met. You were what they called a triple threat, you had the talent of touch, listening, and sight. However, you mainly kept your talent of listening under wraps. Last thing you needed was to go famous and end up six feet under due to the amount of work they'd throw at you. You also had no interests in being in a tug of war between Fittes and Rotwell. It was too pompous for the normal lifestyle you were hoping to achieve even with this crazy profession.

Right, enough inner monologue time to see if your old friend needed help.

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Making your way up the stairs your head was spinning as you could hear voices in almost every direction. You had already deduced that the main floor was empty given the screaming which sounded like it was coming from the floor above you and all.

The noises growing ever so loud made you push open a door with enough force that it slammed into the wall. The noises stopped for a moment. The three figures looking your way. Lockwood who was armed with his Rapier inches away from slashing it through the ghost. A girl that was lying on the ground visibly exhausted and terrified. Lastly the ghost. A nasty looking one at that. Half of its face looked as if it was melting and you couldn't stop yourself from thinking it resembled two-face.

It didn't give you any time to speak as it vanished temporarily only for you to spin on your heel and slash the blade of your iron kusarigama into the poltergeist. It unleashed a guttural scream that made you swear. "Fuck off!" You ran the second blade through its body once more before it disappeared. Frowning you turned around fully to look at Lockwood. Your arm hurt a bit and maybe you were getting too old for this huh?

"You know for someone with their own agency and all maybe it wouldn't kill you to train your employees." You gestured to the blonde girl still.om the floor. "Who am I kidding? You're the epitome of 'don't think just do'." You huffed making your way over to them. Lockwood had already assisted his partner off the floor and his lips quirked up as soon as he saw you.

"My my look what the cat dragged in." Lockwood smirked.

"Cat is correct. That's exactly what it sounded like from outside. Between the ghosts and the two of you I couldn't tell who was in danger." You said with an eye roll before wrapping an arm around both of their waists and taking a step back resulting in the two of them being pulled towards you. A ghost appeared in the exact same spot you had moved them from and she just stared at you. It was a little girl. She looked sad as she held her teddy bear. Then she looked at the blonde girl beside you and pointed to the left.

You watched as Lockwood's employee listened to the young girl. "Book is in the closet." She said before vanishing.

"I knew there were three ghosts here but I couldn't imagine one was friendly." You hummed as you followed behind Lockwood whom had already began moving to the closet where he saw her point. He couldn't hear them like you and the other girl could but he did read body language which was just as important.

"You're a listener as well?" The girl asked a bit shocked.

Tilting your head left and right with a scrunched face, you spoke "More or less."

"Aha!" Lockwood cried as he retrieved the book and dusted it off. "Time to get out of here." He grumbled.

"Yeah before ghost number three traps you." The girl beside you looked up at the ghost that was on the ceiling and quickly descending.

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The three of you walk together down the road. Lockwood and the girl you came to find out who's name was Lucy look a bit worse for wear compared to you with not a single scratch or hair out of place.

Smiling to yourself you looked over at Lockwood and playfully nudged him with your shoulder. "Say Tony you come here often?"

Lockwood only shook his head with a grin before responding. "No but if it means I'll see you I think I can make some arrangements."

He was still a smooth talker. Deciding not to make the atmosphere too intense you looked over at Lucy. "You know Locky never told me he actually hired someone better than him."

Glancing at you from the corner of her eye she laughed. "I'd reckon he's simply shy." Lucy played along.

Placing a finger under your chin, you feigned being lost in thought. "He has always been rather bashful hasn't he?" What a bold lie.

Lockwood glared at the two of you. You knew it was utter regret by the way he crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "Lucy has been with us at Lockwood and co with us for some time now. I guess you'd both be bound to meet at some point."

"That's right. I may have to save your ass much more in the future!" You had a sickeningly wide grin when you clasped your hands together.

"How scandalous of you. To think you'd be checking me out on the job." Lockwood draped an arm over your shoulder. "As much as we would love to see you again George isn't quite fond of animals."

You resisted the urge to bring your hands up and shake him by the shoulders. "You know I'd choke you but I think you'd enjoy that too much." You mumbled under your breath. "Hey Luce how do you live with this utter nightmare?" You preferred her more relaxed personality over Lockwood's cocky behavior right now.

Lucy looked between the two of you a smile playing on her lips and a knowing look in her eye. "I simply don't encourage his foolery." She shrugged before climbing the steps to open the door.

"Wha- Lucy we're supposed to be friends." You whined to no avail as the girl simply sauntered inside and made her way up the staircase to what you can only assume is her room.

Sighing you turn to face Lockwood. He didn't have much of a look on his face and you wondered if he was feeling okay. Without a second thought you placed the back of your hand on his forehead you scanned his body over with your eyes. "You don't feel sick."

The heat spreading on his face made him cough lightly and push your hand away. "Maybe I've just got a bit of a temperature." He waved his hand dismissively.

You two stood there for what felt like an eternity. Neither wanting to move but not knowing what to say. It was him who broke the silence in the end.

"Let's catch up more often." He said genuinely. A softer look on his face that you just couldn't help but tease.

"Do you miss me or something?" You snickered but he didn't react much.

"Of course." It was simple and boy was it effective. The way he looked at you like it was impossible to look at any thing else. The reflection of light dancing in his eyes from the hanging porch light above you two. Not to mention the way he glanced at the door as if he was planning his escape. He didn't say much but he didn't have to. He wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to the ones he cared about. The showboat facade died out quickly after getting to see the real Lockwood.

All of a sudden those intrusive, deep, and buried feelings of crushing on your old friend resurfaced. It was your turn to flush as you pushed him through the doorway and turned your back towards him. "I have a feeling I will be seeing you soon." You stepped down. Something stopped you from walking away.

Whipping around you went back up the steps. Your arms snaking their way under his and around his back. "In the case we don't meet for a while I figured it's only professional of me to leave you with a small token of my memory." You told him before pulling away.

He hadn't even hugged you back the ingrate! As you retreated and looked up at him you could see he was more preoccupied on looking at anything else but you. A faint blush covering his cheeks as you could even notice the color staining the tips of his ears.

Not wishing to stand out in the cold any longer you left his doorstep this time for real. "Hey y/n next time you see me the hug will be a minute for every week we haven't seen one another!" Lockwood yelled from his doorstep.

It had been about half a year since the last time you saw him. He always had a knack for occupying your brain. Holding up a thumbs up you kept walking. If your calculations were correct that hug would last 182 days. Maybe you should push it to not seeing him for whole year?

Here's an itadori fic I originally posted on ao3 with an alternate ending because I didn't write this one at 5 a.m. whilst falling asleep. Also reader is a girl here.

Crouched against a wall you breathed in deep breaths. How'd you get here again? Oh yeah, your teacher sent you on a mission thinking it was just to receive some dumb kids from a haunted hospital but apparently a special grade demon lived here. Not one, but two! You weren't the main protagonist and yet here you were holding your breath as a lower grade demon passed. Your sensei told you that finding the kids were the main priority. Your teammate Sugoku had shouted out 4 minutes ago that he found a kid and your other teammate Meili had yet to say a word. Good thing you were good at tracking cursed energy. Standing up slowly you peaked around the corner of the wall you were hiding behind. You could see her footsteps trailing up the staircase. With one last glance you darted up the stairs. There was no use in fighting more demons when you still had children to save after all. As you ascended the stairs you could hear faint grunts and sounds of metal being hit together. Following the sound you were greeted with your teammate Meili who seemed to have a dislocated right shoulder as she fought one of the special grade demons.

You wholeheartedly could feel her pain just standing there and the look in her eyes said she was about to give in at any moment. Without caring you charged forward managing to push her out of the way of a large attack. This sent you flying into the wall, a large crack in it from where you landed. Sliding to the ground you seethed. Meili was alright, for now. You noticed the young boy that was behind the demon. He was shaking as he stood frozen in fear. If only you could get to him from here. Focusing back on the demon he only spared you a few seconds of inner monologue before he began charging at you once more. At least he wasn't attacking Meili this time. Breathing in you took to your feet and began running to put some distance between you. Your technique wasn't the best suited for close combat and your physical strength wasn't very high at all. That's okay, as long as you could move your feet you were guaranteed some kind of hope. Making sure to run past the boy, you grabbed Meili and pulled her forward. The next thing you knew she disappeared and was now next to the child. Your Technique Flash Steps allowed you to make a shoe imprint in the form of a footstep to use as a teleporter. As long as you had enough cursed energy to maintain it and multiple footsteps to teleport to and fro it was a good bet.

You got distracted having your eyes on the Meili and the young boy you didn't see the arm coming at you at full force. Therefore you took another hit right in the stomach. It'd be a miracle if you got out of this alive. Being knocked right back into the wall you so graciously met a few minutes ago, your head was now pounding. Bloodied and bruised you took some time to stand up this go around. If only you had some kind of weaponry. What would Yuuji do at a time like this? He was sort of your inspiration in a way. Not only did he have crazy stamina but also really good physical strength unlike you. You made up for what you lacked in speed and intelligence. The one thing you both had in common though, was that you never gave up! Earlier you left a footstep by the entrance of the hospital, not knowing that two special grades resided here. You tried to focus your energy on keeping that teleporter opened. Your energy was fading on that specific marker and you could tell many people had unknowingly trampled onto the footstep which gradually made it weaker. Along with the fact that you weren't pouring ridiculous amounts of cursed energy into it. Getting into a defensive position you glared at the demon as he began to attack. Ducking and dodging was your current strategy as you thought about the best way to get Meili and that young boy out of here. Your stamina was decreasing steadily along with your will to fight. You would give it another five minutes before you passed out. Most of your energy had been used up earlier fighting lower ranked demons not to mention having to continuously pour a higher amount of cursed energy into the footprint you left at the entrance.

You would have to put down another footprint in order for Meili and the young boy to be able to escape. The energy in the current one on which they stood was also steadily fading out. It would be less of a strain to make a new marker that can quickly be used than to pour energy into the one on which they stood. Whilst also trying not to get killed. What can you say? You definitely weren't the strongest and you hoped that you'd be able to live in the future where you can fight against a powerful demon and still have large amounts of cursed energy left while using it in a technique. Blocking an attack with your arms you were pushed back but other than the burning sensation you were fine. "Meili! I need you to run at the demon with the boy." You said ducking under a punch.

Meili looked at you worriedly then at the boy whom she was cradling. "You have enough strength to make it! I won't let you get killed I promise. He's our priority remember and you won't stand a chance fighting this demon by yourself." You managed to land a direct hit, buying you a bit of time. "You're the only one that can do this!"

"But you'll die!" Meili choked out.

You smiled at her knowingly, one of your eyes was only half open from the bruising you endured and you were pretty sure half of your ribcage was broken. "That's what I signed up for." You said truthfully. This is a job for which you must be prepared to die. Your dad used to tell you a story about a scarecrow when you were younger. It was a silly tale. One day the scarecrow's friend had been attacked by crows. They pecked and pecked until his friend was no more. The scarecrow was saddened and came off of his post to hold what was left of his friend in his arms. He could hear his friend repeat the motto he lived by. "Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." In the end the scarecrow stayed there until the crows eventually pecked him away as well. You like to think in the end the two friends were united.

With a battle cry you watched Meili charge up behind the demon as you charged at him from the front. Thankfully he was more focused on you then on her. With a stomp you placed down a footprint and slid under the demon. Once he turned around and stepped onto your footprint an explosion ignited from under him. That was your attack called Flash Bomb. It allows you to detonate a footstep. Blinding him for a second, you placed another footprint down and pushed Meili onto it. "Tell sensei and Sugoku I'm sorry." You said before she disappeared as well as the curse energy you felt from the footprint she was teleported to. It seems you're only escape route had left as well. The demon stared at you as he now understood that you're friend had left. A low grumble of a laugh emitted from his throat and you winced as he pushed you into the wall. There goes your vocal cords, now. You couldn't scream for help as his hands were on your throat. So this is how you were going out, strangled to death. Couldn't he have killed you in a less painful way? "I hope whoever should find you next, offers you a swift and painful death." You gasped. His eyes turned red and he cocked his arm back getting ready to punch the life out of you. Shutting your eyes tightly you inhaled sharply and awaited your death. To your surprise a gust of wind was what hit you.

That doesn't make any sense. Opening your eyes you could only see pink hair and a red hood who had caught the demon's arm before it got the chance to hit you. The man before you returned s punch of his own which in return sent the demon soaring to the other end of the room. He turned around to look at you and you gasped for air. You weren't sure if you were that surprised or if it was because you were being choked to death a mere moments before.

".......Yuuji" you hummed a grin on your face. Maybe you would actually get out of this alive.

"Y/n when Gojo said we had to rescue a team I didn't expect it to be yours." He spoke loudly his eyes trailing your body with concern. A part of you almost looked twisted and it scared him to think this is how much damage demons cause average humans with no cursed energy. It hurt him even more to know that this demon had hurt a classmate of his. "Anyway, consider me as backup. I accidentally stepped onto one of your teleporters in the hallway and ended up here." He said with a small smile. You were glad to know that at least a little bit of your cursed energy still resided to activate your technique. "Don't move okay, you look like you're going to fall off your own skeleton." He said before turning around and in the speed of light he had landed an attack on the demon. You couldn't help but wonder what his training process was like or if he was always this physically strong. Your punches only managed to move the beast a few steps back, Yuuji on the other hand had no issues knocking him into the wall.

Your eyes could barely keep up as you watched the two going at it at an incredible speed. Before you knew it though Yuji had taken some damage and slid back right into you. "Your sensei is fine, Gojo is helping her out. He said something about her being weak. Your teammates also made it out with both of the kids safely thanks to you. If I can just keep this up long enough until someone else comes then we have a chance of getting out of this." You could imagine your sensei now, she always had a sweet demeanor but anything about Gojo Satoru made her blood boil. You couldn't really blame her. It was heartwarming to know your teammates were alive and probably waiting on you to join them. You just wished you could do more. Be stronger, have more cursed energy, be able to fight better. Then again this was a demon way out of any student's league.

"I have a plan" you said to him. Yuuji wrapped an arm around your waist pulling you away from the demon who had come speeding at the two of you. When you were within safe distance he removed it. Yuuji wasn't usually the planning type, but he wouldn't knock it if it meant that you'd both be safe. "Okay start talking because he's coming fast." The pink haired male pointed to the approaching demon.

"I'm going to activate my technique! Wherever you see footprints just hit it. As fast as you can and as hard as you can." You said and he nodded. With a cough you did a hand sign and unleashed your technique. "Flash forward!" You exclaimed as footprints began to form on the demon's body. Without further explanation Yuuji launched forward punching the spots with footprints, occasionally he also used one of his known techniques called black flash.

Your technique flash forward allows you to highlight the weak spots on the opponents body. It's in the form of a shoe print. You began sending kicks as you could tell the demon was being affected. That technique took almost all of your cursed energy and the only thing that kept you from fainting was the fear you were experiencing. You and Yuuji stepped back to take a breather. The demon winding up to charge at you again. "You don't happen to have another teleporter hand do ya?" Yuuji frowned.

"Nope." You said simply as you held onto him for dear life. At least you two would die together.

In a flash of light you heard a very familiar voice. "Let me show you what real teleportation looks like." Of course a smirk came along with the delivery of that line. Ah great now the last thing you'd see before death was Gojo Satoru.

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It's been 3 weeks since the fight at the abandoned hospital. It turned out that the two boys went in there to play hide and seek and only got lost and tormented by the demons. Gojo Satoru ended up killing both or the special grade demons and your injuries landed you in the school's own hospital for a week and a half. Turns out you did have a few broken ribs and your vocal cords were slightly damaged. With some rest you'd be fine after some time. It's been a week and a half of steady rest and you would often attend your classes and go to your dorm room to get some shut eye or entertain yourself with some manga and terrible reality TV shows.

Today in particular you were in for a surprise. It wasn't particularly hard to miss a 190 cm man with white hair standing outside your door. Especially when he seemed to be out of uniform. Random visits from Gojo weren't unexpected but they still took you by surprise every now and then. This time it seems he brought something. You kept your head down as you used your keys to open the door to your room and walked inside. He entered too closing the door behind him. "Y/N!" His cheerfully loud voice bounced off your walls. Here we go again. "What aren't you happy to see your favorite cousin?" He said giving you a tight squeeze.

"Gojo...." You squeaked as he was hugging too tightly. Once he let go, you glared up at him. "We are distant relatives. So distant we most likely aren't related."

Gojo tilted his head to the side. "Hmmm, that didn't stop your clan from trying to kill me." He answered and you sighed kicking off your shoes. He was right after all. Even if your clan was a very very distant branch of his they still held on to past grudges and hated how the main family and clan treated them. You understood why your elders were mad but right now the only member who cared to do something about it is a high school teacher and possibly the only person standing in the way of demonic destruction and your lifespan on Earth.

"What brings you here? And with gifts. You don't usually bring me anything." You said taking a seat at your small dining table that only had two chairs. He placed the bags in the middle of the table and sat down on the opposite end.

"Are you trying to say that I don't care for my best cousin?!" He feigned dramatically as he placed his hand over his chest.

"I'm the only one you even know. Besides that's not where your heart is, you maroon." You laughed.

"Oh I know." Gojo smirked. Ah you really did hate him at times. "These" He started off waving his hands around. "Are from Itadori. He wanted me to bring you this soup because he knows about your throat and he was trying to give this to you earlier but he couldn't seem to catch up with you."

Your eyes widened. He actually cared enough to send you soup? This small action only intensified the growing crush you had on him for months now. Well if he bought you the soup then who bought whatever was in the other bag?

Gojo watched your eyes trail over to the bag and he spoke up once more. "Aww glad you noticed your nice older cousin decided to gift you with some sweets." He hummed. "I ate half of them on the way here though." He said laughing his ass off.

"Get out!" You pointed towards the door.

"I would but I do have some compelling news. I heard that your clan was thinking of promoting you due to the skills you showcased during that fight. They thought it was highly commendable and was shocked you were even still alive." He said leaning back in his chair. Ah yes the elders of your clan. You weren't shocked to hear what they thought of you now that your powers have been showcased. They were always focused on status and power. No one even came by to check on you or call in to see how your studies were going. Not when they had others your age who were way above you in terms of skill.

"They can promote someone else. I'm not interested." You said grabbing the soup and started opening it. Who cares if it was cold? You felt like suppressing your anger somehow.

"Isn't this a good opportunity for you?" Gojo asked folding his arms as he quirked an eyebrow.

"Perhaps, if my clan wasn't so power driven." You shoved a spoon into your mouth. They treated weaker members no different than how the main branch treated them, bunch of hypocrites.

"That seems to be a hereditary trait." Gojo said making you laugh. "You know if you really got a handle on your strength and cursed energy limitations you could surpass anyone in your clan." He leaned forward watching you eat. You could catch a glimpse of his eyes when his shades fell a little off his nose. "If I had a cousin like you I'd be proud." You dropped your spoon into the soup a bit frightened by what you had heard. He seemed so genuine about it too. "IF I had a cousin that is." He teased sticking his tongue out at you.

What were you going to do with this idiot? Even if the two of you weren't the best of friends you still shared some familial bond and you viewed Gojo as an older brother in a way. "Anyway I've got to go. Being the strongest doesn't allow me to mope around all day like you do." He said getting up and heading to the door.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out." You grumbled from your seat.

"Y/N please, you know it can't." He turned to leave and you heard the door close. A few seconds later it opened once more. "Do me a favor and ask out Yuuji, he's driving me crazy blabbering on about you." And with that he left and your room was silence once again. Looking down at the soup you could see that it was none other than Alphabet soup Yuuji had gifted you. He wanted you to ask out the guy that gave you alphabet soup? Laughing to yourself you put the lid on and rushed to the kitchen to put the rest away. Maybe you'd take Gojo up on that offer if he wasn't so annoying. You figured Yuuji could bother him some more and talk about his favorite cousin after all. Speaking of the sorcerer, how were you going to thank him?

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The next few days resulted in you running from Itadori everytime you got the chance. It was harder than it sounded, that boy was fast, really fast! He managed to corner you this afternoon in a hallway. "Y/N! You forgot your homework!" He sped at you like a charging bull waving the paper around. Thanking him you accepted the paper and met his eyes. "It's so hard to catch up up with you." He sighed. "I've been wondering how you were doing after that fight. It was really grueling, and you were in the hospital for weeks! I got out after a couple of days but I do heal a bit quicker than most. I made sure to visit you everyday." He rambled on.

You listened to him and appreciated the fact that he took it upon himself to make daily visits to you. How'd he even manage that everyday? Didn't he have like a busy schedule usually? "What about Sugoku and Meili?" You asked as you began to fold the paper in half.

"What about them?" Yuuji lifted an eyebrow in confusion. The look on his face was so endearing it made you crack a smile.

"Did you visit them too?" You hummed and watched as his face grew surprised and then bashful.

"Ah well...." He started out then looked away. You noticed a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "I....I uh- didn't have the time."

"Itadori you're a terrible liar." You chuckled and he just stared at you for a second before laughing it off. You didn't want to pry but if there was really a reason behind why he visited only you, you'd be pretty ecstatic to hear it. "Thanks for the Alphabet soup by the way. It was really good." You nodded.

"I'm glad you liked it. It's my favorite kind because I can spell out lots of things in it. My favorite thing to spell out is probably my name but I wanna see if it would work using cursed techniques." You saw his eyes light up when he mentioned the latter. Hmm, you suppose that would be interesting.

"I'm willing to test that theory, Yuuji." You made a mental note to buy him alphabet soup if he should ever get sick. Looking down you listened to see if he had anything left to say. After a few moments of silence you started to turn away. "I'll see you in class then! Thanks for the homework!"

"Yeah....see you" You looked back to see him still where you left him, waving at you.

Why didn't you just ask him out?! It's obvious he has to like you right? At least as a friend. Besides he would never turn down food. Stooping in your tracks you clenched your fists and turned around. "Yuuji!" You shouted down the hallway and saw the boy spin around pretty quickly, causing himself to lose his balance for a moment. "Let's go get alphabet soup later!" You said loudly and he gave you a thumbs up.

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It was the weekend. Exactly 3 days since you had asked Yuuji to get some soup with you. It was never specified that it was a date and you honestly didn't mind whether it was or wasn't. I mean how could you now after he had invited his team along too? Kugisaki and Megumi almost seemed like twins sometimes with their reactions to Itadori's odd behavior but then a switch would hit and Kugisaki would be right along with him acting like a fool. Megumi, however was more occupied with his phone or anything else he deemed to be 'less embarrassing than you two'. It was nice seeing their dynamics as your team only had one boy and 2 girls whilst theirs was the opposite.

It was nice making new friends for a change. Kugisaki had worked up quite the rebellious reputation at school but she was really just straightforward about everything. Megumi was feared by quite a few people in your school even in higher grades but he was sort of just a presence in a way. Not positive nor negative just there. Itadori was liked by most people but he wasn't a social butterfly so you enjoyed seeing him relax with his friends.

When Itadori dragged Megumi along to buy something from a store you had the chance to speak with Nobara as the two of you waited for their return. "He's such an idiot." The brunette said glancing in the direction that the two boys had run off to. You stayed quiet wondering if there was more to what she had to say and there was. "This was supposed to be a date right y/n-chan?" Surprised at the honorific attached to the end of your name you shook your head.

"Not really" you dragged out.

"So that's a yes?" Nobara concluded.

"I think its a little too early to go on a date with the guy since he doesn't exactly know how I feel, besides he managed to introduce me to some pretty cool people so I think the alphabet soup was worth it." You laughed.

The rest of the day went by smoothly with the boys hauling all of Nobara's shopping bags. You only bought a few items and was more than happy to carry your own bags to take the load off of the guys. Arriving back at the school you sighed as you flopped onto your bed. What an eventful day. It was pretty funny seeing the things that the team got caught up in even without their teacher around.

I'll take you on a proper date next time, but we still have to get alphabet soup.

A buzz from your phone that was in your pocket alerted you. Reaching to grab it you looked to see that it was from none other than Itadori. It read:

Your eyes widened as you sprung up out of bed. He caught on?! Happily you jumped around your room making a mental reminder to apologize yo your downstairs neighbors if need be. Remembering you still needed to text back you grabbed your phone off the bed.

You've got a deal!

Hisirdoux x reader. Platonic! It had a theme I swear but then I couldn't stop writing. This takes place after Merlin's death but  before Douxie and Nari leaves for New York. There's a little timeskip to the present Douxie in New York as well.

word count: 5k

History was not your favourite subject. You loathed it actually, but when the topic of Camelot came around in class you were absolutely thrilled! To you any lesson that seemed like the fantasy shows you watched made you attentive. This wasn't your usual telling of the Camelot tales, the fall of King Arthur and the knights of the roundtable. No, your professor had gone the extra mile of stating that Merlin, a great wizard, was also a key factor in this tale. Accompanied by his apprentice named Hisirdoux. According to him, the Camelot battle was just some side plot that was hiding the bigger story. The fact that King Arthur's sister, Morgana was a sorceress who only wanted to reign destruction. The rest of the class waved it off. Mr Choi was no stranger to conspiracy theories. You always knew there was some truth to your teacher's words. Even if the truth was buried in a few myths it was still there right?

For the whole day you couldn't get the thought of wizards out of your head. It was farfetched but not unbelievable. You knew wizards, witches, and warlocks existed. They had to! The worldwide witch trials were proof of it. Whether or not some of the people were just simple humans and some secretly having power over the arts, there was definitely proof that they existed. Even if the proof was downright criminal. It's just like humans to kill the things they don't understand.

Yawning, you had a lot of time to research the fact that Merlin was indeed present at King Arthur's death and perhaps even beforehand. Your teacher had urged you to go to the nearest bookstore and find evidence to either build your case or deny it. Of course you chose the first. Something was telling you that you'd have no trouble looking for information. Call it a gut feeling. Though you decided to head home first and see what the internet had to offer. Your nearest bookstore wasn't too far from your home. On your way there you couldn't help but wonder about the wizard Merlin and if it was true about him having an apprenticee. Even even storing about Morgana seemed way too good to be true. How cool would it have been to be alive in that era! Watching brave knights and seeing magic first hand. Perhaps they even had monsters-

Your thoughts were cut off by you colliding with something. You stumbled back managing to take a fall. Did you run into a pole somehow? Groaning you opened your eyes to see a hand stretched out towards you. It belonged to a man. One with black hair and blue tips. Hesitantly you took it and he helped pull you up on your feet. Offering you a smile and a pat on the head he apologized. "Terribly sorry about that little lady, you should always watch where you're going." Perhaps it was your fault. You were too focused on daydreaming instead of looking where you were going.

"Its my fault. I wasn't paying attention." You nodded as your eyes darted down to his hand. What an interesting watch he was wearing. It almost seemed as if it was glowing. Looking down at your own wrist you grew surprised and started walking again. "Thank you for the help. I've got to get going." You waved at him before picking up your pace. Your parents weren't fans of you going out into town during the night so you needed to make it home quick before it got too dark out for you to come back to the bookstore.

After your arrival home you spent an hour searching for anything that mentioned this wizard Merlin. You came up empty handed. There was a lot of information about the battle at Camelot but most of it was centered around the King and what he had done. About his knights and even mentioned him having a sister. But there was absolutely nothing to be found about wizards. Sighing you let your head hit your desk. Books would be your only answer now. History required a lot of reading and you were much better processing information given to you orally. It's not that you found books boring it's just that when it came to history it was extremely extensive and there were oh so many details. It gave you a headache and after a while you could barely remember the key details.

Grabbing your house keys you told your father that you wouldn't be out too late and that you would only be going around the block to the bookstore. He was wary at first but as soon as he heard that it was for a school project he relaxed. Ah yes adults and their 'school is everything' mindset. He told you to be safe and you laughed at the comment once you walked out the door. This is Arcadia. The townsfolk might as well be invincible at this point. The amount of damages this place has seen and the way that everyone just becomes immune to it at some point is honestly astounding.

As you swung open the door of the bookstore that was about 2 blocks from your home you smiled as the scent of books hit your nose. A lot of people you knew found the scent suffocating or have told you that it made then sneeze. It didn't bother you at all in that aspect.

The front desk was right ahead and you didn't see anyone there so you took it upon yourself to browse. Who ever was working this shift had to have known a customer came. The door had a little bell that rang when you entered. It was odd that there weren't any alphabetical organization of the books so that meant the workers probably knew where everything was by memory. It would be a pain to fire someone and have to teach a new worker where everything was. You knew for a fact that if you worked here you would be absolutely lost when it came to the whereabouts of any book here.

You were heading into another aisle and stopped once you saw one of the workers. He was on a ladder putting up some of the books. You couldn't see his face but for some odd reason you look familiar. Then you realized it once you saw him reaching to put a book back in place. The weird watch on his arm, that was the man you ran into just an hour ago. What a coincidence that he worked here at the bookstore. "You!" Pointing your finger at him you watched as he screamed and lost his balance. Resulting in him falling off the ladder. You wanted to move and help him but you could only watch in fear as the ladder tipped over as well. It could have crushed him if he didn't move out of the way fast enough. You watched as this man rolled over out of the way and laid there on his back panting. "I've never felt that frightened since I dropped from the sky."

What was he talking about. Nervously walking over you glance over at the ladder then at him. You didn't mean to cause so much harm. What if he hurt his ankle really badly? Or dislocated something. "Sorry mister." You said offering a weak smile and an outstretched hand.

"Not mister." He groaned accepting your hand as you pulled him up. Dusting off his clothes he looked down at you. "Just Douxie." He said before moving to pick the ladder back up. While he leaned it against the bookshelf you wondered why his name had a familiar ring to it. Douxie.... it was quite unique, almost old fashioned. If that was his full name you knew for sure it was at least French in origin. Doux meant soft or sweet in the language. And the -ie ending just made you giggle. His name could be translated to sweetie or softie. Judging by his appearance that was probably not something he would enjoy being called.

"Softie huh?" You chuckled. He turned to walk over to you with a face full of confusion.

"What?" He asked. Douxie was really wondering what had made you laugh. All he did was say his name. He's gotten weird looks before because of it and the occasional "Did your mother really name you that?" But he never saw a problem with it. His name was definitely rare but even he has heard some names that would put his to shame. He prefers going by Douxie instead of his full name because well he was no longer living in the 12th century and well 21st century people can be cruel. Especially kids like you.

"Doux in french can mean sweet or soft. I think it fits you well." You were obviously teasing him.

"It's short for Hisirdoux." Douxie rolled his eyes and tapped his foot. "I thought you would've taken my advice the last time we spoke." He chuckled. "Now then what brings you to my humble shop?" He asked mentioning for you to follow him.

Your feet were moving slowly as you followed him. Your mind however was raging. Did he just say his name was short for Hisirdoux? That was not a common name in any way, shape, or form and if he was telling you he shared the same name with a wizard you needed information about you'd be lying if you said you weren't bouncing around right now.

He seemed to have noticed your current state of excitement and decided to address it. He couldn't recall saying anything that would've resulted in you staring up at him like he saved the universe or something. Granted, he has but it's not like you would've known about it. "What is it?" He asked slowly, knowing that the last time he asked this question it was only met with a silly remark.

"Your name is Hisirdoux?" You asked once for confirmation and he nodded. Clapping you gently gripped his arm. "Are you telling me that you share the name with a wizard that may have been around in the 12th century and may have been involved in the battle for Camelot? Not to mention the apprentice of a wizard named Merlin?!" Your eyes were huge now. Douxie thinks they resembled a chameleon's but that wouldn't be very nice to say to a girl. Besides how did you even know about him. He wasn't in the history books. No, that was just Arthur and maybe a bit of Morgana. Merlin also wasn't involved in too many stories read by humans. The only people that knew about him nowadays were Jim, Claire, Steve, and the other kids that were mixed up in the time travel drama. Anyone else was probably familiar with magic or was someone who knew of his master's death.

Anyway, you knew quite a bit and it could potentially be disastrous if the Arcane order were to find you. The possibility is slim to none but that didn't mean it couldn't happen. He just couldn't let you run around saying that you met a wizard, not that you could prove it, but it would be better for him to diffuse this situation now. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Douxie hummed as he attempted to lean on the wall casually. He accidentally tripped on the broom but managed to settle himself on the wall despite it.

"Oh Douxie I was supposed to tell you that Merlin-" a voice said but came to a stop. You and Douxie looked up to see a a flying cat descend to the floor. You were quite shocked but this had to mean that you were right. No ordinary librarian had a talking and flying cat with glasses. Besides he said Merlin's name too. There was no way he was getting out of this.

There really was no way douxie was getting out of this. Dragging his hands down his face he gave a glare to Archie who immediately stopped flying and instead meowed. As if that would help him. You've already interrogated him and managed to witness his non human best friend who happened to be a familair talking and flying. Maybe he should just resort to answering your questions after all. It didn't seem like you would leave empty handed. Besides he was curious about how much you knew too. Beckoning you to follow him you smiled as the cat brushed between your legs and moved to catch up to Douxie.

He guided you to a table and pulled out your chair before sitting in the one opposite from you. Resting his chin in his palms you stared at one another. He looked tired. There were literal bags under his eyes and- oh he just yawned. Now that you were actually face to face with him you were sort of nervous. Sure he may seem cool on the outside but he was still a wizard who lived this long. Maybe he sacrificed kids for his immortality. Just then his cat nudged his foot and he sat up straight. The guy was totally dozing off. In Douxie's defense he was too busy saving Arcadia to think about regulating his sleep schedule, not to mention the fact that he had like three part time jobs and also needed to continue his wizard studies while protecting Nari.

You offered a smile and he rubbed his eyes. Oh yeah, you were supposed to be having a conversation. Archie jumped into his lap and he gently stroked his friend while he spoke. "As you have somehow figured out. My name is Hisirdoux Casperan and yes I'm a wizard. This is my Archie, he's a familiar and my best friend who can also shape shift. You're correct about my involvement in the war and being Merlin's apprentice but how in the world do you know all of this?" He was curious as to why this kid was sitting in his bookstore at 7pm inquiring about his old life in Camelot.

When you inhaled Douxie had expected a brief response not a full on ramble. "Okay so my teacher started telling us about Camelot and the battle. He said you were there and your master too! That the two of you helped greatly and there was something about the King's evil sister but he couldn't get into all the details because well it's a research project. What kind of research project would this be if he just gave us all the answers, you know? Anyway everyone else thinks he's making it all up but I'm totally going to get the best score because I've actually met a wizard!"

Douxie only nodded slowly to show that he had in fact heard you. Did he understand? A little your words were way too jumbled and he swore he heard something about a sea search? Who knows the main point was that your teacher had told you all about this and from the looks of it the rest of your classmates. Definitely alarming, he was a bit worried that someone else out there knew the truth of what happened. Someone that wasn't directly involved. He just hoped that the information he gave to you wouldn't be used recklessly. By the sound of it the rest of your classmates would rule it off as some piece of fiction and maybe, just maybe  your teacher would think it was ridiculous too. The latter seemed the most difficult.

Now it was his turn to riddle off information. He started simply from the beginning about how he became Merlin's apprentice then went on to talk about the battle, how he got his cool staff, Merlin's unfortunate death and what happened with Atthur and Morgana. He left out Nari for obvious reasons and the fact that a few of your classmates may have been involved. You don't need all of those details for your report after all.

You were thrilled really that not only was a master wizard sitting in front of you but the whole story checked out and you were glad you asked for that pen and paper earlier. Not only did you get to witness his magic but it also allowed you to write down everything important. "Its a shame really." You hummed.

Archie had long gone off to take his nap not feeling very up to listening to the retelling of incidents. Truthfully he didn't want to be reminded about Merlin's death again. Douxie had to hold himself together as well when he mumbled out the fact that his master had died. He still blames himself and sometimes he gets nightmares but he shouldn't dwell on that right now. "What is?" He asked watching you scratch down sloppy notes.

Sighing you placed your pen down gently on the paper as your eyes ran over the text before peeking up at the guy before you. "That someone as great as you didn't make the history books."

It grew silent and you stayed quiet as you watched the look of uncertainty on his face. In the past 30 minutes of sitting in this bookstore you've learned that Hisidoux Casperan was probably one of the greatest people you've ever met by chance. He basically saved the world and nobody even knew. He was so...normal. It was difficult to believe he had been alive for 919 years now. Sure he had an extensive vocabulary filled with British slang and words that date back centuries but he fit into the mold of the 21st century so well. You guessed that's why no one was able to find out about his secret. He was great at adapting.

Hisirdoux didn't exactly understand where you were coming from. He's told you the story you wanted to hear. He thought the hero was painted as clear as day. His master Merlin. Even if you didn't pick up on that it seemed a bit farfetched for you to assume that he was the hero of this story. He wanted to tell you that you've got it all wrong. That he had no place in those books your school deemed mandatory. But you interrupted him before he could speak.

"It's alright." You said standing up while collecting your paper. "Even when the years go by I'll surely remember the master wizard. The apprentice who became a legend. I'll write this down someday, that way your legacy won't be lost." You moved towards the door as you spoke and he followed after you. Interested in what you were saying. "I'll call it the Tales of Hisirdoux." A goofy grin made its way on your face. "What do you think?" You turned back to get his response.

Shaking his head with a smile he opened the door for you. "I think it'll be a best seller some day. Just make sure you pass your report first."

"It's a research paper." You rolled your eyes playfully.

"Uh huh.....there's a difference?" Douxie asked trying to blink the sleepiness away as he yawned.

"I can forgive that. Only because you're really old." You teased giving him a peace sign when you bid him farewell and hurried back home. Your parents would freak but hey at least you were being assured an A.

Douxie watched you leave before shutting the door. "What an interesting kid." He thought aloud.

Douxie wrestled with the doorknob to his apartment. He didn't know why they needed so many locks. If the Arcane Order showed up they most likely wouldn't stop to pick it. They'd probably just knock the blasted door down. But Alas, his familiar wanted to make sure Nari was safe from New York thieves, as if he couldn't handle one or two himself. Finally getting it opened he entered then kicked it closed. "Archie did you leave any pizza for Nari and me? You know I'm running low on money and-" he was taking off his shoes when he felt a spike in magic. How did he not notice it before he came in? He was on high alert as he slowly looked up. There was Archie, Nari, and some random girl standing in his kitchen obviously interrupted from their precious conversation.

"Douxie!" The girl smiled as she came charging towards him. Did he know her? Crushing him in a hug he felt the remaining life drain from him in an instant. He was already tired from working at the pizzeria downtown and the subway ride back had him in shambles. Seriously, how could you just allow your baby to wail like that? He would've moved but that would be considered rude and there weren't any empty seats. The last thing he wanted to do was squeeze himself under five other people holding onto one pole.

"Okay okay you're squeezing the daylights out of me." He muttered gently pushing the girl back.

"You don't sound so happy to see me. I mean for someone that's writing a book about your legacy you would think I'd get a hug back or I don't know a hello?" You huffed crossing your arms over your chest and turning your head.

Hisirdoux was beyond confused. With a raised eyebrow and a familiar that was expecting him to say something he took another look at you and sighed. "Alright love, just tell me who you are, why you're in my apartment, and if you're just here to lead the Arcane Order to us don't you think you could have done this earlier in the day to save me the trouble of going to work?" Originally he thought that maybe Nari had gone from collecting plants to collecting New Yorkers but with the magic radiating from you he knew it was a little unrealistic.

It was your turn to be confused. "Arcane Order?" You repeated. Who the hell was that? Glancing down to Archie who was no longer sitting on the countertop but rather brushing past your legs you smiled.

"Hisirdoux, since you're not aware this is y/n, from Arcadia." He spoke as he pushed his glasses back. Nari had soon joined your side as well looking ecstatic to see a new face.

Arcadia? The only kids he knew from Arcadia was the trollhunters gang and that little girl who-

Wait.

You were that little girl?!

You laughed as his sudden realization affected his expression. He didn't have droopy eyelids anymore and wasn't standing like he was about to pass out from exhaustion. No matter how long he's lived he still can't sleep regularly. You sighed internally. Would you end up like him too? "Y/n L/n." You stuck your hand out. "Perhaps I didn't state my name when I pestered you three years ago."

Douxie accepted your hand shake before shuffling over to the couch. You followed him and took a seat as he did. Archie had curled up on his lap and Nari wormed her way beside you. His couch was fit for two people but Nari was smaller than you were so she managed to fit fine. "What brings you to New York y/n?" The wizard asked as he stared at the television. It seemed that after he realized you weren't a threat his tired mood had made a reappearance.

"I'm going to NYU this year and a certain sorceress mentioned that you were in New York so I decided to drop by." You answered. Honestly, you had wished to see Douxie after you turned in your research report but it had been too late. You weren't able to see him on that day or the next. It took a month before you went back to the bookstore and by then he had already up and left according to Claire.

Douxie looked at you with one eyebrow raised as if he wasn't buying anything you said. "Okay fine! I'm not lying about NYU by the way but last year I started noticing weird stuff happening." You looked down at your hands then back up at your friend. He was urging you to continue. "Something dark had been following me around. I have no idea what it was or who it was until it attacked me. I managed to run away at least I thought I did but this thing cornered me. I must have gotten so scared to the point that I blasted it." A yellow ball of light shone in your palm. "I've never done anything like that before and I was scared it would return so I tried my best to read some of those books you left lying around in the bookstore. The ones about magic. When I learned a few basic spells I knew it wouldn't be enough to protect my family so I decided to track you down. So here I am." The glowing light came to a stop.

Douxie was thinking. Something attacked you, something that scared you to the point you unleashed magic you never knew you had. It could only be the Arcane Order but why would they come after you? Was it possible that they already knew about your powers? Dragging his hand down his face he yawned. "How about you get some sleep and we talk about this later?" You suggested.This man looked exhausted. Archie had briefly mentioned that Douxie worked all the way across town from where they live at a pizza parlour during the weekdays on top of another job at a fish market down the block on the weekends all while tackling odd jobs and making sure there was a protection spell around the apartment at all times. No wonder he was drained.

"No no it's okay." Another yawn escaped and you stood up only to grab a blanket and drape it over him.

"Master wizards need their energy." You reminded him as he settled into the couch.

"But-"

"Don't but anything me Douxie. I'll make sure to leave out the fact that you're sleep deprived in the book. Don't want the kids thinking they can do anything without needing a good night's rest." You said using your magic to turn down the television. It was five in the afternoon now, you could just hang out with Nari and Archie until he woke up.

Hisirdoux reminded himself to offer you some of the pizza in the fridge whenever he woke up. You decided to continue your conversation from earlier with Archie and Nari back in the kitchen. "Are you going to ask him?" Nari asked as she tended to her plants.

"I don't know. He has a lot on his plate right now I don't think I want to add more. Besides what if he says no? What do I do then just go back to my ordinary life and hope that thing doesn't find me?" You opened the fridge to help yourself to whatever they had. To your amusement they had pizza. Knowing this family's circumstances it would be best to leave them with what they have but Archie was currently begging you to put him out of his misery. They had been eating pizza for about a month now and no matter the different toppings the smell of it alone was dreadful. Archie was quite glad that Douxie didn't come home with a box today.

"Douxie may be busy but he's not heartless. Now that he knows you're in danger and this may be linked to the Arcane Order the chances of him saying yes outweigh the chances of him saying no." Archie riddled off. It sounded like he was scolding you but you knew he was just looking out for you. Pouting you threw a slice on a plate and stuck it in the microwave for a minute.

"Who's this Arcane Order anyway?" You grumbled. If they even made Douxoe scared then they were a big deal. The wizard was a bit of scaredy cat though so maybe he was just in his head again. You think he would've improved in three years. You watched as Archie stretched out his back and Nari tried to shush you. Weird. Even they seemed to be on edge and well Nari was a literal goddess was she not? And Archie was a cat who could speak! Okay he was a really powerful familiar who took on the form of a feline but still. Grabbing your pizza from the microwave you desperately blew on it.

"A group of very evil people who ate after Nari. Before Merlin died he trusted Hisirdoux with protecting her." Archie said hopping off the counter and onto the floor.

You almost dropped your hot pizza out of shock. The greatest wizard is dead? "H-how long has he been...you know?" You asked as Nari picked up Archie and stroked him gently.

"About 3 years." The girl said with a sad smile. "Merlin gave his life to protect me and it's the last thing I want Douxie to do." She glanced over at his body now sprawled out on the couch as light snores could be heard.

"3 years?" You spoke in disbelief. That meant he would've died around the time you first met him. That was when you realized that he had never strayed from telling the story of Camelot those years ago. He didn't give you the luxury of extra details he kept it simple and straightforward. Not spending too much time on Merlin and Morgana's personalities in fact he would somehow direct the conversation back to you and your childish enthusiasm about the tale. Allowing you to add your own input. You suppose he's been on the Earth long enough to know how to build people's narratives. Besides you wouldn't have noticed it then, you were merely a child. One that had no idea about the mess she was getting into. You took a bite of your pizza and sighed. That cool wizard you met 3 years ago was just a guy stuck in some eternal time loop with his cat and adopted sister. Running from danger while working too many jobs and not getting enough rest. You were seriously contemplating not going to college to help him out.

Okay so what you met some weird wizard three years ago on a whim but now that you had magical powers maybe you could assist him in some way. He wouldn't have to be living on a prayer anymore. You could help him take down those bad guys and then he wouldn't have to stay in hiding like this. He would be safe to roam the world along with Nari and Archie. If he was in your place you think he'd do the same. He is awfully selfless. To the point that you knew he was planning on giving his own life during the Camelot battle. It still chills you to this day to think about it. Maybe you would take that offer the familiar was pushing you towards. Archie and Nari were staring at you worriedly. You did basically stop talking.

With the last bite of your pizza you stepped forward with a grin. "I'll do it. I'll ask Douxie to be my mentor and I'll help him fight the Arcane Order!" You declared loudly. Nari had accidentally dropped Archie when she went to clap. A hiss came from Archie as he was about to mouth her off.

"I'm trying to sleep!" Douxie slurred from the couch. You wondered if he was conscious enough to know what you were saying.

I've watched wizards and this kid is just stuck in my head. Why not make a oneshot?

Ever since you lived in Arcadia you've always equated the town to nothing less than special. The mysterious strangers and things that spontaneously happened. Not to mention the way you always felt a presence looming behind you wherever you went. You didn't think too think about it though. Thinking about it would only make you fearful and your mother always taught you that fear shouldn't reside in your heart for too long. Unless you want it to become real. You always thought it was silly, her words. Yet you found yourself trying to get rid of the scary thoughts and what ifs that clogged your brain. Whenever you needed to relax you would take a stroll around the town. College was pretty stressful for anyone and even if the only reason you got through this semester was because of an investment in a coffee maker and your friend Chloe who made sure to bring some pizza once in a while you still needed time to study. Mostly time for breaks after you studied too. Hugging your jacket closer to your figure you shivered. It got cold all of a sudden. A rush of wind blew past you and you brushed it off as just some random gust of wind.

Right when you were about to pass an alley something made you stop. You were glued to the spot as you heard a heavy breath being amplified throughout the alley to your right. Staring into the darkness every thing in your body was telling you to run. That whatever you heard was surely dangerous and you'd be dead if you didn't book it this instant. You almost thought you had imagined it. That voice in the back of your head saying to run. Almost. "RUN!" a loud yelled rang through the night and you could hear footsteps pounding from the alley. They certainly didn't sound....human. The power in your legs has returned and you burst out in a sprint down the street. The sound of a chain being dragged and multiple swears from behind you made you want to turn around and see your attacker. It wouldn't be that easy now would it?

Turning sharply through a corner, in no time you were blessed with a wall. Stupid arcadia and it's inconvenient dead ends. Back against the wall you painted hard from the running. Reminding yourself that maybe if you didn't scarf down pizza like a ninja turtle you could possibly outrun whatever was chasing you. It was too late now. Face to face with the creature, you saw the way its eyes bulged out at you. You definitely had no idea what kind of monster was staring at you. It looked like it jumped straight out of a horror movie. The blue glowing chain wrapped around its tail definitely wasn't missed under the moonlight. How would you get out of this? This was larger than any known creature on Earth and you didn't even know what this thing was! It crept slowly, the long chain around its tail dragging behind it. It snarled at you and you realized that maybe this was the end. It wasn't all that bad was it? No more college, no more working three part time jobs to earn a living, and you could kiss those noisy neighbours of yours goodbye.

"I've got it arch!" A boy who was holding onto the chain said. Something was flying beside it. You couldn't see what it was so you assumed it had to be a bird of some sorts. But why was he speaking to it as if it could respond back? You watched as the boy yanked the creature back, the force making him land on his bum. He was going to get himself killed! You urged your legs to move and managed to dart out of the alley while the creatures attention was focused onto the boy. Now that you were out of the alley and under a streetlight you could see this mysterious boy up close. Well as close as you were comfortable getting.

"You know, if you're not exactly frozen in fear you should get going." Your head snapped to the side to see....a cat? Definitely a cat. It was wearing glasses too! How strange. It blinked and licked its paw before tilting its head at you. "Seriously, get a move on." It spoke louder and you stepped back. Okay what? A demon creature and a talking cat? Perhaps you hit your head during the walk and somehow managed to dream this whole thing up.

"Um, Arch? If it's no problem could I ask for....oh I dont know, a little help?!" The boy shouted. You noticed his black hair which faded into a darker blue and the bracelet on his arm that shared the same color as the chain around the creature he was holding onto. Looking back at the cat just in time to see it sprout wings from its back and fly forward you decided maybe you shouldn't stick around after all. But you were curious. Too curious for your own good. They say curiosity kills the cat but this one grew wings instead. He was fast enough to reach the boy before the creature lunged at him. Hitting it with fire which spew from its mouth you really wanted this all to be some kind of nightmare. But what you're currently feeling is fear. The thing that manifests if you dwell on it too much. Maybe it was far fetched but was this creature of your doing?

Then the boy's bracelet started glowing again. She watched as he outstretched his hand a blue circle with symbols formed on the road. "Your pet munching days are over! Say hi to everyone in limbo for me." He jeered. He then sighed and shouted out. "Your welcome Arcadia!" You almost wanted to smile at how goofy that sounded but this guy seemed pretty sketchy and definitely dangerous. Him and his cat-bat thing. The flying cat nudged the boy and jerked his head over to you. The boy turned to look at you and began to approach. You stuck your hands in the air as a sign of surrender. You didn't have anything on you which could be used as a weapon so for now your only option was to give up. "So you did stay for the encore." He gave a smirk. His accent was something you didn't pick up on when he was yelling earlier. Neither was the attire he was wearing. It was simple yes but he seemed like the walking stereotype of the lead singer in a band. With the dyed tips, all black attire, not to mention the skull necklace. The only thing missing was black nail polish.

As he started coming closer you moved away from him. A small frown settled on his face. "I'm not gonna hurt you, darling." You didn't want to give in but that accent was going to be the death of you.

"Say that to that thing you just banished to limbo!" You pointed over to the spot where the creature disappeared.

"She's quite feisty." The cat flying beside him said.

"Well in my defense it was going to eat you so you should be saying something along the lines of....oh I don't know, thank you Douxie." He ranted.

You stifled a laugh and he looked at you funny. "What is it?" He asked.

"Y-your name...is douxie?" You burst out laughing.

A confused look settled onto his face as he stared back at you. Was it really that funny? He rolled his eyes when you doubled over and pushed Archie away when even he started to laugh. "It's short for....Hisirdoux." he grumbled but your ears did not miss it.

"H-Hisirdoux?!" You laughed even louder clutching your stomach as you raised yourself back up while trying to catch your breath. "That's absolutely ridiculous! You sound like you came straight from the sixth century."

Douxie shared a look with Archie. "More or less." He shrugged. "Nevermind all that. Would you like to grab a bite to eat? It's the least I can do for putting you in danger." His hand went back to rub his neck. He seemed almost shy. When did that flirtatious attitude go missing?

"Why not? I have many questions Sir Hisirdoux." You bowed playfully. "And we can start with the first while we walk." You hummed as she followed alongside him. You think that over dinner would be a much better time to ask all of the compelling questions. Like what was that creature, how did he get rid of it, why did his cat have wings and glasses, but for now you would start with something simple.

"Ask away. We've got lots of time until the morning." Douxie smiled.

"Well what are you going to do about all of those parked cars that got turned over?" Your question must've struck a nerve. The boy stopped and turned around to view the damage. Covering his face with his hands, he groaned.

"Aw fuzzbuckets."