Monsters In The Dark #10

Stronger Without

A Drabble set in the Monsters in the Dark universe.

@idaofinfinity @e-dubbc11 @rosaleenablack

//angst, mentions of pregnancy, mentions of abandonment, mentions of an attempt on reader’s life by her father, dark themes, fem!reader//

Billy wondered if his mother ever loved him. Or if he’d been a burden from the beginning. Had she wished she had terminated the pregnancy?

What about his father? Had he left when he learned of his mother’s pregnancy?

Had he abandoned Billy, too?

Bitterness filled him at the thought, maybe it would have been better than all this suffering, he thought hitting the punching bag hard, his knuckles aching.

He sweated as he hit the punching bag in quick succession, his muscles aching with the strain. It didn’t relieve the ache in his heart, the fucking pain, that no matter how much he tried to shove it down, still remained.

But then he’d never know you, if he hadn’t been born. And that made him ache deeply. Especially knowing you’d experienced the trauma you had. Your father hated you, and made it known to you every day. Tried to kill you, even.

The thought of you facing that alone, was enough to make him realize that he’d go through it all over again, just to be with you.

Billy clenched his fists.

You were both stronger without your parents.

he’s a fictional character to you, i know him personally

Monsters in the Dark #16

@idaofinfinity @e-dubbc11 @rosaleenablack

x

“How’s things going with Billy?” asked Curtis, as you took a bite of your dorito taco. You were having a lunch date with him. He was your very first friend before Billy. You adored Curtis. He had found you on the streets, being attacked by several thugs. It took weeks to nurse you back to health.

Your boyfriend had kicked you out after cheating on you. Life had been hard after being in the system. He knew Billy would understand.

“Good,” you said happily after swallowing, “Billy’s sweet to me.”

Curtis laughed, raising an eyebrow.

“What?” You asked, curious.

“It’s just that I wouldn’t describe Billy as sweet.” Curtis said, taking a drink of his soda.

“He lets me sleep with him.” You told Curtis, smiling softly.

Curtis’ eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”

You nodded, “I had a nightmare the first night after you left me there. He let me in his bed, and held me. After that I kept sneaking in. So when we were at the bar last weekend, he said I could sleep with him whenever I wanted if I could hit the bullseye at darts.” You explained, finishing off your taco, and digging into your cinnamon dessert. This place was your favorite to eat at, and that was why Curtis brought you here. His treat.

Right now you worked at a library even though Billy insisted he could take care of you. You liked independence, though, and you were cautious.

Your ex had left you with nothing; you wanted the security in case anything went sour. You weren’t going to be defenseless again.

“And did you?” Curtis asked, cautiously.

“Uh huh!” You grinned, “I sleep with him every night now.” You missed the look of concern on Curtis’ face, but when you looked at him, he smiled and ruffled your hair.

He needed to talk to Billy. He loved his brother, but Billy was a known womanizer.

After that he asked how your work at the library was going, and listened to you chatter about that, and the cranky old lady you worked with.

“She’s so crusty!” You had said, rolling your eyes playfully.

Curtis laughed. And despite worrying about Billy, Curtis could tell he was having a good influence on you.

You’d been skittish when Curtis first found you, and now you seemed open and light hearted.

Still, he needed to hear from Billy that he wasn’t going to just drop you, and move on.

x

Curtis appeared at the penthouse a few nights later. “Can I talk to you, Billy?” He asked, and Billy frowned. It was clear Curtis wasn’t there for drinks.

“Sure, give me a minute.” Billy said, leaving Curtis in the living room.

He looked around the corner and into Billy’s bedroom. He was tucking you into bed, kissing your forehead, saying: “I’m gonna talk to Curt. I’ll be in, in a little bit.” His fingers squeezed your hips before letting go, a soft smile on his face.

Curtis was stunned. Billy was a hard man, not known for being soft. He made his living out of violence, and enjoyed it to some degree. It was why he was good at what he did. It was why Curtis placed you with Billy. He could protect you. But here he was being gentle with you.

Billy shut the door coming back out, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. “So, want a beer?” Billy asked.

“Nah, listen Billy, I'm here for her.” Curtis said, not bothering to beat around the bush.

Billy’s stomach dropped. Was Curtis taking you away? He’d gotten attached to you in the short amount of time he had you. He hated attachments yet here he was, afraid you were being taken from him. If he was, Billy wasn’t letting you go without a fight. “Yeah?”

“What are your intentions with her? She really likes you, and the men in her life haven’t treated her well.” Curtis said, stance rigid.

“What do you mean they haven’t?” Billy asked, ready to murder anyone who’d hurt you. It wasn’t hard to imagine someone hurting you, you were exceptionally kind and gentle. It wasn’t hard to rip the wings off a butterfly.

“Her boyfriend used her until he was done with her, before kicking her out onto the streets. Her dad used to beat her pretty bad, too. The pictures I’ve seen from police reports are pretty bad, Billy. I feel like her father has set a precedent for every man she’s encountered.” Curtis said, making Billy see red.

“Her mother was the only refuge she had. And I’m worried she’s finding refuge in you, and you’ll grow bored of her.” The tension was thick in the room, Curtis just wanted the best for you.

“I’m not gonna throw her aside, Curt.” Billy said through gritted teeth, angry at both what your father and boyfriend did to you, and Curtis’ implications. “I know what it’s like to be thrown away. Better than anyone else. Better than you. You forget, I lived in the system. My ma didn’t exactly want me.” Billy said bitterly.

“So—“

Billy cut him off, rolling his shoulder, “She’s mine, I’m not letting her go.” He said leaving no room for discussion.

Curtis stared at him for a moment, stance softening. He understood this was Billy’s way of saying he cared for you, “Just so long as her best interests are at heart.” He said. “Because the minute I think they aren’t—“

“They are.” Billy said, jaw ticking.

Curtis nodded, before leaving Billy standing there wondering how you’d wormed your way into his heart.

x

Billy crawled in with you that night, wrapping his arms around you, his insides melting when you rolled over and snuggled against him, cheek pressed to his chest,

He meant what he said to Curtis, he wasn’t letting you go. He understood Curtis cared for you, it was easy as Billy found out.

But Billy would rather chew off his own leg, than hurt you.

He slept that night, vowing to always keep you safe, to kill your enemies, and to be their worst nightmare.

Ben Barnes

blue moon.

( inspired by this YouTube video )

( a Monsters in the Dark Drabble. )

( @idaofinfinity @e-dubbc11 @rosaleenablack )

x

It was raining, and an oldies station he knew you loved was playing as you laid curled in his bed, warm and sleepy while he smoked. His scent of vanilla and clean linen surrounded you.

His fingers touched your head sitting on the side of the bed, “Billy,” you mumbled, eyes fluttering as you reached for him with your eyes closed, wanting more of his touch.

He chuckled, knuckles brushing your cheek. “Sleepy, baby?” He hummed, taking a drag off his cigarette, and admiring how pretty you look wrapped in his sheets. Soft and warm, and inviting.

It made him fucking ache. You were his, not in a way of possession like had thought, but more in the way of you were his to care for, to protect, to love. Things he never thought possible of himself.

He always thought he was just some asshole who thought he could have the good things in life. Things he didn’t think he deserved.

But you always saw the good in Billy, even when he couldn’t see it himself. Your idealism often clashed with his cynicism. But he wouldn’t trade you for the world. His fingers stroked your face, and you yawned.

“Mhm,” you mumbled, pulling on him, your eyes half lidded. “Come to bed, Billy.” You said, sweetly. You tilted your head, pulling on him again. “Can’t sleep without you against my back.” You said, yawning again.

He stood up, kissing your forehead, before putting out his cigarette, and turning the music off, before he began to undress. It was the last thing you were aware of, besides his body pressing against your back, making you sigh.

You felt warm and safe in his embrace, and you clung to the feeling of happiness, a feeling so foreign to you.

But maybe it didn’t have to be.

Low Energy/Effort Witchcraft

Are you perpetually busy? Never have any spoons? This might be the post for you. Note that not everything here may be considered low energy or low effort to everyone, and that's okay :)

Carry a crystal around based on what you need. I have a black tourmaline bracelet that absorbs negative vibes throughout the day. I stick it on a selenite slab when I get home to cleanse overnight, then rinse and repeat in the morning.

Put a bay leaf in your wallet to attract money. If you have time, draw a sigil or a $/£/€ on it.

Dedicate anything you drink to your deities if you have any. I dedicate water and black tea to everyone and my favourite raspberry tea to Hathor. Coffee is for Caim.

Enchant your pill case so you remember to take them on time. Enchant your pills to work efficiently. ("Anxiety begone. Ye be banished" on all of my anxiety pills ✌️)

Draw a sigil on your body wash bottle to remove bad vibes or carve a sigil in a bar of soap.

Enchant your moisturizer to repel the evil eye. I fucking love this one.

Incorporate colour magic into the socks you wear (Goths who wear hot pink socks, I'm looking at you).

Enchant your charger so it doesn't break and so you don't lose it. Enchant your phone too while you're at it.

Sorry, I love enchantments--

Uhhhhh

Match those big ol jar candles to different intentions. Burn a cedar candle to cleanse/banish. Burn a cinnamon candle to draw in prosperity. Burn a citrus candle to uplift mood. This one is fantastic for broom closet witches.

Got a humidifier? Fill it up with moon water. You're welcome ;D

Politely ask the spirits of your plants to ward your space. Feed two birds with one scone this way.

Witchy social media. Scrolling on Tumblr and learning something new about witchcraft counts as witchcraft imo. Saving tarot spreads from Instagram for later counts too. Making Pinterest boards for literally anything also counts.

Keep a digital grimoire if doing it on paper costs too many spoons. I have used Google docs & drive in the past but I currently use Notion (You can copy and paste this way!)

If you still want a physical grimoire, print your stuff out and stick it in a binder or glue it in your journal. Boom. Physical grimoire

Listen to witchcraft related videos in the background while you do other tasks or chores in your home

Preparing a meal? Toss in spices that correspond with good health and drawing in positivity, or any other intention you have

Enchant your glasses to help you focus and "read between the lines" or see what wants to remain hidden (this one is a lifesaver at my job)

target audience of less than ten individuals

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Send to 10 other bloggers you think are wonderful. Keep this going to make someone smile! Add a heart so we know how long the chain's been going!💜💚💙💙💛💜💚🩷🤎🖤🧡💚💙💚

Right back at you, my friend. I appreciate your friendship a lot. And your writing is a bright spot for me! 🩶🩷