《Not Quite What You Meant (Short Story Collection)》Just Part Of The Contract
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She believed I was different from the first day we met.
On my side, though, our first conversation was utterly unmemorable. Even when I try, I remember none of it. I go through the whole rigamarole every time, hammering out the details, ensuring they understand the caveats. It was another day at work, stealing souls, breaking hearts, nothing to stand out. Only her demand.
"Be my friend," she ordered when we got to the part for her to make her wish, hand thrust out with innocent confidence. I took it, bemused, and thus our contract was sealed. She wasn’t the first mortal to bind herself to me, but she was the first to ask so few questions. Not the youngest of my victims, but not far from it.
“You understand I’m very busy, I won’t be able to tag along after you at all times.”
“I know.” She scoffed, glaring up at me as though I were an idiot. “I have a life too, you know. I’ll meet you at the mall after school tomorrow.”
So this was going to be one of *those* deals. Well, I’d had worse.
But despite my fears, all she wanted was someone to talk to. Every few weeks, she’d schedule a meeting, and we’d walk and talk. Mostly her doing the talking, but she did ask an occasional question.
“How long have you been at your job?”
“This particular one?” I smiled down at her, an affectation I knew irritated her. “About three months now.”
“You consider me a job?”
“Of course. You are my master.” Blatantly false, but mortals do like to think they’re in charge.
“I don’t want a slave, I want a friend.”
It was around then that I started paying more attention.
“I’m leaving him,” she declared, her stride quick and decisive. “You’re right, it makes no sense to continue in a holding pattern waiting indefinitely for something to change.”
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Ten years into our ‘friendship’ and she was still full of self-assurance. Still called me up every month or two for a chat.
“Where will you go?”
She flung her arms wide, raising her face to the rain. “I don’t care.” Then her expression transforms, frustration melting to slyness as she smiles and turns to me. “I could move in with you.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“My realm is not one for—“
“Ssssh,” she put a finger to her lips. “I don’t accept excuses. Every single one of my friends has let me crash at their place. You’re not fulfilling your duty.”
“It hasn’t been cleaned lately,” I protested, a feeble excuse even if truthful. The last time I tidied was… probably around 1530, when I ditched the whole ‘roman temple’ setup. Since then, I’ve been pretty busy.
“I’m coming home with you.”
Her soul would be mine in the end, and all I needed to do in the meantime was continue playing along, so I shrugged. A second contract, as it turned out, and one I did not realize at the time had been made.
"You know what they say about monsters."
She never left. Another decade later, and she was still bumming around in my empty cathedral, keeping it as neat and well-appointed as it ever could be. As if we needed to be ready to receive visitors at a moment’s notice. As if we didn’t live in a swamp in the middle of nowhere, visited by no one but stray alligators. She often starts our discussions with such non sequiturs. I’ve grown accustomed to it.
"I know the official story, yes."
"So you know that you don’t fit the definition.”
“You really should be afraid of me.”
“I’m not.”
And she truly wasn’t. So many mortals, they grow to hate me over the years. They regret their bargains, try to recant their wishes, try to take back what they sold. But she’s different.
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“Kill anyone interesting today?” she asks, blithely, as I return home after a particularly long night. She’d been living with me around fifty years now, but still refuses to even pretend to understand my nature.
“I’m not a murderer,” I say, for the eight thousand, three hundred seventy-fourth time.
“Sure you aren’t. Kiss?”
I don’t oblige, backing away. “You know I destroy anything I touch.”
She scoffs. “As if that ever stopped me.” As if to defy reality itself, she takes my fiery hands in her own with a brief squeeze, gripping tightly to be sure I can feel it.
I wrench my hands away. “You have to stop doing that. Once was bad enough, but this is… six times this month?”
“Never.”
“You are pushing boundaries that are not meant to be touched.”
She raises her arms to the sides. “I’m still whole.”
“Not for long, if you keep it up.”
“Long enough.” She steps closer, her smile warm and full of mischief. “You’ve given me so much. Why won’t you let me give something back?”
“We have our agreement. Your payment will be quite sufficient.”
“Oh, that old thing.” Her eyes sparkle with glee. “Do you want to know a secret?”
“I don’t particularly care about secrets. I’ve known more than enough and they always boil down to insignificance.”
She leans closer and whispers, “I love you.”
I stare at her, trying to figure out how in the world she could have possibly believed this was a secret.
Her voice is playful as she continues on. “Nothing to say? I’ve shocked you to your icy core?”
“The only shocking thing about it is that you somehow imagined that I didn’t figure it out seventy years ago.”
“Forget the past. This is the present.”
I stare down at her, unsure of what’s come over her. “Something’s been different lately.”
“Ah, so you’re not as oblivious as you pretend. Good to know.”
“I’m not pretending anything…”
“Psh, no need for deception.”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“You didn’t ask one.”
I sigh, more a growl really. “What’s different?”
“I’m done.”
“You’re… done?”
“Yup! Life mission accomplished, no need to stick around any longer.”
I frown at her. “What about your work?”
“Done.”
“The library?”
“Dealt with.”
“The shelter?”
“It’s in good hands.”
I stare at her, confused.
“I am done,” she whispers. “You wanted my soul, now is the time. Take it.”
“Um.” I step back, uncomfortable. “That’s not how this works. No one ever gives me their soul ahead of schedule. That’s not a thing that happens. They always cling on, grasping for one more minute, one more day, screaming against inevitability. You don’t just—“
She shakes her head, cutting me off. “You’ve always known I was different,” she whispers, and in that moment I realize it’s true. “It’s time. Let me end it on my terms.”
She steps forward, and this time when she leans up to kiss me, I don’t back away. I meet her lips with mine, catch her breath as my heat suffuses her. Her eyes widen, but instead of backing away she steps closer, right up against me, pressing her body against mine, arms clinging tight around my neck.
I wrap my arms around her, feeling the moment her mortal shell dissolves and her soul drifts free, and then there is no barrier between us at all.
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A-Live AI
The year is 2247. For almost two hundred years Sentient AI research has been banned. Everyone knew this, and yet no one has ever given up on finding the perfect setup for it. Restricted AI are rare, but possible to get ahold of if you have the money and the clout to get through the law for it. Especially when it deals with the military. Alfred Homis is an engineer and has spent the last three years working for the United Terran Military's Research and Exploration Department. Specifically to help build a 'shackled' AI who's prime directive was to explore potentially habitable worlds. Worlds that are far cheaper to colonize and add to the United Terran Directorate's fold than terraforming. During the AI's maiden voyage things go horribly wrong, taking Alfred Homis along for the ride. Thrown into a parallel universe where the laws of physics are just a little messed up, Alfred finds himself trapped inside the very machine he'd helped to build. Add magic, hostile fantasy creatures, and two different pantheons of 'Gods' to the mix and things get even more complicated. Oh, and an invasion between universes to boot. But that's just all in a days work though for Alfred, the AI Lord. Authors Note: Hi guys! Long time no see. And yes, I know that's all on me. But I blame life for that. Anyway, this is my new work, and I hope you guys enjoy it! The chapters are a little shorter than I'd previously posted in my other stories, but I cannot say that I have the same amount of time or energy to write them like that anymore. Sorry about that. Still, some warnings: There is cursing in this story. I am not going to edit it out. There will be sexual content later. Blood, gore and cruel depictions are all planned. If that isn't your thing, I'd suggest you turn back now. There is also my dry, and often not-so-funny sense of humor. And oh, it's all in first person gain. Haha. I just tend to write better that way. If none of that bothers you, then enjoy the read! Feel free to comment, point out mistakes, or make suggestions! Reviews are nice too, but please lay off the criticism until the story gets good and going. Thank you. Note 1: Some edits to the synopsis.
8 73Leslie's Poems
This is a continuous collection of poems that I've written in chronological order, starting with the oldest and ending with the newest. This will be updated periodically and may have mass updates. More often than not, each poem either will be written in free verse or with zero adherence to traditional poem structure. Some poems may imply situations and actions that can be triggering or annoying, especially the earlier poems. I recommend skipping most of the ones from 2018-2019, or just not reading this at all if you feel it may hurt you. Please enjoy and read at your own discretion.
8 66Transition and Restart
If you were transported from this world to another almost identical.If you were transported from your life to your teenage self.If you had to restart your life again.Would you, or would you cling to your memories?This is a Japanese manga/anime -style slice of life high school romance with a splash of sci-fi. Ensemble cast, so if you only want one main character this is not for you. It's also a repost of books I already published here. It's cleaned up, and it's published the way I meant it to be read. For those reasons the very concept of a release schedule lacks meaning. Chapters are either miniscule or humungous.
8 201RE: Necromicy! The Mouse Necromancer!
Mikey was a good boy... with some mental issues, as his mother drunk a lot while being pregnant, and father sometimes could drop him while tying to cuddle him (he was always drunk) and because of his problems he never got friends. BUT when he was in London in the year of 2012 he got hit by a firetruck and died. But that was not the end of his journey, as he met an old lady Death, who actually likes cute things, and doesn't have friends due to her looks. So the little guy befriended her before transporting to the new world, but... Death being an airhead as she is, accidentally turned him into a mouse... *** Warning! This fiction has no serious plot and is set with rules of Pyro universe, slightly modified. Made because there were no Mouse Necromancers... There was a Hamster Demon lord, but... RIP Hamster... Will be updated at least once a week, unless said otherwise. Chapters will be quite short by the way. Chapters will be posted when I push myself to continue with this fiction. Moose decided to run away, or muse... or mouse, but in this case, it's probably the fault of my cat...
8 174FOR GOD SAKE KITA SHINSUKE! || KITA SHINSUKE [COMPLETED]
Kita Shinsuke is a captain of Inarizaki Highschool Volleyball Club. Meanwhile, Miya Ayumu is Miya twins; Atsumu and Osamuㅡ youngest sister. Ever since their first meet (between Kita Shinsuke and Miya Ayumu), nothing is going well. Anyway, as time passed ㅡ will the fate bring them together? Or not.Kita Shinsuke X Reader ^^[STARTED: 24NOV20][STATUS: COMPLETED][ENDED: 25AUG21]Rank#585- Fanfiction [25/10/21]#949- Fanfiction [24/11/21]A/N: There will be some similar scene based on HAIKYUU. However, since I put my own character, there will be slightly difference.
8 192Someone Like Adam
"You know, it won't physically hurt you to be nice for once." I crossed my arms in front of my chest and groaned. "I don't want to take a chance." the corner of his lips lifted a little as he finished his sentence. "Well, you don't hear me complaining. The view of a someone so desperately working out is not a delight either." I retorted in a weary voice. "I bet it isn't." he narrowed his eyes at me and commented. Ugh.. Why is he so damn annoying? "You know what, just take your arrogant ass out of my room." I scowled at him, pointing towards the door. With small steps, he walked towards me. I took a step backwards when he neared me. He was invading my personal space, making me a bit flustered. The urge to push back his golden-brown hair covering his forehead was increasing with every passing second. "Gladly." he mumbled against my face and then walked past me out of my room. It took me a minute to calm down my racing heartbeat. ... He was a mystery, an enigma I wanted to solve. He was exhausting, he was infuriating, yet staying away from him was not an option. He was making me feel things I haven't felt before. Adam McArdle! Who are you and what are you doing to my poor little heart?...#1 in GENERAL FICTION (23-05-2019)#1 in CHICKLIT (21-07-2019)
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