Hi, I keep putting off older chapter ideas (and consequently part 2 of ch.3) for newer ones I make on the spot. This chapter is one of them. Whoops.

I listened to this horror story and really liked it, so my brain tried to jam it into this fanfic. Since this and 'Through The Chatroom' seems to be the go-to-places I put stuff into when I don't what to make a new fic or short story for it, so yeah. Here you go.

Okay, just to clarify these are two different scenes that take place on different days, I'm just putting them in the same chapter since they both have something in common.

Also, I know it's been like, 4 days and a year since I last updated, I'm sorry. TT^TT

The sleepover had originally been Pidge's idea. It was more of a sarcastic witty comment if anything, however it quickly turned into a real planned out event as her friends commented back and forth. Matt had a whole house to himself since Pidge moved out. And their parents were at a cheaper place that was closer to Samuel's workplace. Colleen started to work from home. However it was a big fat no from him, he'd didn't even want to attend the sleepover in the first place. Keith's apartment was big enough to host them all, but Keith wasn't to keen on having everybody back at his place so soon. Shiro's place was too small for his taste, and didn't want everybody to be crowded as he insisted. Lance lived in a big-ass house, actually gained ownership of it after the 'mermaid incident' as Queen Luxia gifted it to him as a 'thank you' gift. But as far as anyone human was concerned, an old man rented the place to him for the first few months for real cheap as 'he owned lot of property and was going to die soon.' It sounded too good to believe, but the excuse got even more ridiculous when the 'old man died and let Lance own the house in his will'. Honestly that prompted so many questions from people, but the 'paperwork' (God knows where that came from or who even made it) was all there…so, yeah. Even Lance had to admit the bullshit excuses that get used sometimes to cover up things that happen from the 'other side' were just…they're too fishy to believe. (No pun intended.) Lance wouldn't let them sleep at his place, not with the fact he's paranoid they might find something they shouldn't. Plus the fact he had a calygreyhound staying at his place. He named it Lotor, after that dude he met with the really nice hair and four chicks who stuck to him like glue. He specifically remembers Narti, she was pretty cute, but her cat gave him the creeps however. Then there was Pidge's place, she lived in a dorm, that's not going to work. End of story. Hunk still lived in a 2-story house with his parents, so that was the best bet. Therefore, everyone kinda just voted for Hunk's place and he was cool with the idea. That was until Pidge pointed out that Allura's the rich one among them and that suddenly dumping themselves on Hunk's sweetheart of a mom was rude; so that's how they got here.

Allura sat on one of her couches in the large living room, Lance sat besides her, with Hunk on his other side. Pidge outed for the floor, a pillow in her lap as she rested on her elbows. Which left Shiro and Keith on the overly decorated loveseat. "This still feels silly, it's like we're in primary school. If I don't say so myself." Allura giggled from her spot, a bottle of soda in her hand. No alcohol was allowed; not everyone was legal drinking age and her parents were home. So…

"I don't know about you, but I'm five inside." Lance rested against Hunk, using his arm as a pillow. Snickers from here and there came into existed.

"I'm actually two, I'm just the most mature two year old you'll ever meet." A silly smile from Shiro's direction gained mixed reactions. Keith oped for groaning as if he's been punch with a bad pun, leaning on the cushion as if he could disappear into it.

"Ha! I like that one. Definitely going to use it." Lance pointed over to him like a little child as if the others couldn't see him already.

"Pidge, what time is it?" Hunk whispered to the girl on the floor. As she laid there, a glance shot over to her 'fancy' watch.

"Not late enough." A mumble as suspected. "Allura, can I get some coffee?" She was louder this time, looking at the white-haired girl.

"No, sorry. I fear what might happen if we all followed in on coffee." Allura brushed her hand through her hair, feeling the strands part then halt her movement when she came to a tangle. "Darn." She curses.

"Pleaseeeeee?"

"No Pidge. You can have all the coffee you want in the morning." Upon the statement leaving her mouth, she immediately regretted saying that. She'll have to keep a close eye on her in the morning.

"That's too far away." Still, Pidge whines.

She smiled at her, but it was more of a smart-ass smile. "I know." She replied curtly.

"Are we just going to sit here and talk or are we going to do literally anything else?" Keith prompted. "We've been here for 3 hours." He held up 3 fingers for good measure. His lack of fingerless gloves was oddly relieving. Unknownst to everyone else, he had simply forgotten to put them on today.

"Yeah, but we played that game earlier where Hunk hid shit and we had to find them." Lance winched as his own cuss word. Still not use to cussing in English from being around so many youngsters. He brushed off non-existent dust from his sleeve, his ring still on his finger. Plain and golden looking it was. "Honestly I don't how you managed to get that pan there dude, even I was struggling to get it out." He was truly confuse how his friend seemingly got a pan to be there, Lance had to be careful not to force it. He didn't want to break it, but it was in a really tight squeeze.

"Yeah, sorry man."

"It's fine." A pat to the shoulder.

"Well does anyone else have any ideas?" Allura leaned over the armrest of the couch, now she didn't understand why everyone was so eager for a sleepover. It's boring at their age. They're just not kids anymore. Their reservoir of imagination had run barren and dry for the most part. That's what college does to ya.

"Let's tell scary stories." Shiro smiled. He could see everyone's faces from where he was sitting. Keith looked like he was about to asks him if he was actually 6, Pidge kept a face of indifferent (good for her), and Lance looked excited. Hunk seemed to be deciding if he liked his prompting and Allura—

"I love that idea! I'll set the lights, everyone get on the floor and come up with a short story. It can be one you heard before or one you made up on the spot. I will be righttttt back!~" Allura jumps with velocity off the couch, startling both Lance and Hunk. Pidge squeals as Allura barely avoided jumping onto her. With newfound energy from seemingly nothing, she hopped off into the kitchen. Gone.

"What the fuck?"

"Pidge!"

True to her word, their friend did dim the lights and came back from the kitchen with snacks of all kinds. She didn't care if they made a mess, Nanny was around for that stuff anyway. "Get in a circle." She instructed them as she lain forth the food in the middle of the tiny-ish circle comprised of 6 people.

"What are we doing?" Keith questioned, looking at the circle in suspicion. What were they going to play, truth or dare? They were college students not 5th graders. Although that would be kinda funny, but not necessarily amusing enough to justified it being played at this age. There is just some things you outgrow, you know?

There was a dramatic pause as Allura stared right at him with an intense look. She whispered. "Scary stories."

"Oh my God."

"Ugh."

"No way."

"Oh! Really?"

While Lance, Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro all had their reactions of varying levels, Keith simply stared quizzingly at her. "Are you serious? You're going through with that?" She can't possibly be serious— He reasons to himself.

"Yup." Popping the p like popcorn was the final nail in the coffin. With that, the scary stories had begun. Hunk went first. His was a ghost story, one that he heard from a classmate of his. Apparently the dude's being hunted after messing with an ouija board with his buddies. They thought it would be funny to mess around with one after going to an antique store. They originally were looking for antique lipstick tubes, but found the board among a pile of junk and decided to buy that as well. However the board was more expensive than the 5 lipsticks tubes combined. Trying to keep some weight to their wallets the group decided to get make their own ouija board.

"It's his own fault. He didn't say goodbye to the ghost and even burned the board afterwards. Those are like, the worst things you can possibly do with an fucking ouija board!"

"And you shouldn't also try making your own." Pidge added to Keith's commentary. "You slip up on one thing and you get cursed." She hissed for no reason in particular.

"Why do you two know so much about ouija boards?" Shiro couldn't help but ask. "Seriously it's kinda concerning. I mean really. There's no needs for you guys to know so much."

"'Cuz obviously they've played it in real life." Lance pointed out in an tone of 'obviousness'.

"That may or may not be true." Keith left it off open ended. "Guess you'll have to find out." That grin appeared on his face again. Not something seen very often by moral eyes. Lance even did a mock gasp with a hand to his chest for comical effect. Because you know, someone is totallywatching.

Shiro's eyes studied his surrounds, his friends all gathered in a circle as if they were using chalk to draw on the sidewalk, the sight of Hunk having a lazy Lance sprawled over his lap. Oh, I guess that messes up the circle. It was suddenly like a sunny day, and everyone was playing and grabbing at the colorful chalk, stealing it from one another only to have it taken back again. Childish but fun was the only way he could describe it. "Alright, I'm going to assumed you two have used one before." The raised eyebrow indicting the question 'Am I wrong?' or 'Any disagreements? Cries of outrage?'. When none came, he continued. "Alright good. Don't do that again." There it was, the scolding.

Pidge inhaled.

"No."

Okay, that was that. She was silenced and Keith didn't bother adding anything to that ongoing train.

"So, Hunk already went." He gestured towards said friend. "Who wants to go next?"

"I'll do it."

"Keith, taking one for the team!"

Lance snorted at Shiro's comment, and Hunk was no better.

"Shut up." Another short phrase throw at the two finding the latter comment rather funny. There was a silence that followed through, uhhhh, everything. "Uh, just give me a moment. I need to think." Keith leans by one hand, the other taking residents on his knee cap.

"Oh, course."

A growl. "Shut up Lance."

"Hey! What did I do?"

"Everything." A quip was thrown.

"Pidge, I was talking to mullet here." He gestures over to the Asian boy, as if Pidge can't already see him. What's with him and physically pointing out people?

"Guys, the story!" Allura reminded all of them. Her friends gave her the attention she wanted and as such, she redirected the mantle over to Keith. She gestured and urged him to continue. Telling him to get a drink of water and come back when he thought of a story. Without much complaint, he went along his non-merry way. The others waited, chit-chatting idly among each other with the energy of teens at a sleepover. They're still not over that stage. Nerds. All of them. Everyone. Even Allura and Shiro, regardless of how their appearances might suggest otherwise. They were shamelessly nerds and geeks. It was almost comedical. Almost.

"Hey, I thought of one." Keith came back from the kitchen. The cup he'd used to drink the fruit punch from the refrigerator was already stashed away within the contents of the sink. Keith hands were partially dug into his jean pockets. He went to sit back down on the floor next to his boyfriend. Questions from the others went under and ignored. "Alright. So..." He went on. The words slipping off his tongue. His voice was great for storytelling, however the constant pauses and stumbles ruined the illusion his voice would cast upon somebody. In the end, his story ended up making everyone feel...indifferent. It was both odd and weird. Almost like a phenomenon that didn't warrant its own existence. Now, Keith on the other hand looked moderately pleased. Maybe that was his plan all along...bastard.

"Alright, my turn!" Pidge scrambles to actually sit up instead of laying down on her stomach. She whines for a moment, having gotten up too fast. As the blood rushes to her brain, it goes to work. A thought forms, a story, then a twist. It sinks in and she smirks. Her friends mentally prepare themselves for what they think she is about to throw at them. She begins with this: "A man was walking into his living room. Being thirsty, he went to drink his ice water in a glass cup he had sitting on the coffee table." Okay, that was normal enough. Everything seemed good. "He picks up his glass without much. Without much thought." She ended up stuttering, but no one cares. She does that time to time. "He slips his drink, letting the cold water run down the lining of his esophagus. That's when he see it, a big fucking cockroach wiggling in with his ice!" She looks at them with this grin. Her friends patiently wait for the rest of the story, but...she just looks right back at them.

"That's…that it?" Hunk promoted. "That's the end of the story?"

"Yes." She stared blankly. "What? You were expecting more?" A choir of simpler phrased sentences follow suit, all meaning 'yes' in essence. "Oh," she falter for a moment, "well there is no more." She shrugged before they could ask her another question. She already knew the general gist of what they were going to say. "I got that from an anime. Ouran High School Host Club. It's that scene where Hon-"

"Honey-senpai tells a 'scary' story?" Lance interrupted. He already watched that anime. It was real old, but damn, is it good! Such a shame it only contains one season, but at least he got to read the manga afterwards. Although his ship didn't become cannon. Haruhi x Hikaru for the win. You can fight him on this one.

She laughed at him. The others didn't seem to know what they were talking about. Expect Hunk, he watched it with Lance. "Yes you weeb."

"Hey, I like being Cuban thank you very much. Not going to turn Japanese anytime soon." He jabbed back at her. His still remembers his weeaboo phase from his younger years. He shivers at the thought. No reminiscing for him. "Anyway, can I go next? I got a good one." He practically bounces from where he sits, already having gotten off Hunk when Keith finished his story.

Allura shrugs. "Sure, I don't see why not. Who want to go after him though?"

"Me." Shiro raised his hand, putting up two fingers in the air.

She nodded and some of the others shifted where they were sitting. Lance took this as a signal to start. He leans back onto the base of his palms. "Get ready guys, this is gonna knock your socks off." Pidge rolled her eyes and groaned. Keith mumbles something along the line of 'I would say something, but I'm wearing socks.' Hunk then points put he's also wearing sandals with them. Which at that point Allura questions him on that as well. He doesn't answer, instead he hisses and tells her not to question his fashion sense. Shiro sighs and smacks him at the back of the head. Lance just laughs at his friends. God they're funny. He'll protect them till the end. Although he doubts there'll came a situation that'll arise in which he needs to do anything violent. The Werecat situation was a one time thing, and it was barely a threat. Werecats are weak and inferrer. Lance pauses. Oh, shit. He's thinking like that again. But that's what they are. Why ridicule yourself about something that is true? No, just leave me alone. Lance fully sat up and rested his hand over his eyes. He took a couple of seconds to breathe and dragged his hand down.

"Is something wrong?" Hunk asked. The others had noticed too.

A part of him wanted to excuse himself to the bathroom. To get away from the eyes for a couple of minutes, but no. He's fine. He'll just reprimand himself about that later. "Yeah, I just remembered something painfully stupid, that's all." He smiles at them. "Can't beloved I forgot that…" He mumbles, trying to throw them all off so they can think he just had a lame epiphany. "Anyway the story. I got you." He waves them off and leans against his friend. He clears his throat and begins. "Now, just to let you know. This story's in first person so…yeah." With an ahem he begins. "'I'm getting another drink honey, do you want anything?' I say as I look at my beautiful wife." The other snickers and he rolls his eyes. He's barely said anything and already they're laughing, well, almost laughing.

"'No thanks baby.' She says as she gives me that gorgeous smile I love so much.

I met her about 3 years ago and let me tell ya, she really has changed me. I get up from the bed with my empty glass in hand. We were having a marathon of the 3rd season of American Horror Story, I personally think the 2nd season was way better. 'Be right back.' I say with a smile just before I leave our bedroom. As I'm standing in the kitchen filling my glass, my hand starts to twitch. 'What timing.' I say.

My wife really has changed me. I no longer go on those "late nights". I no longer look at the missing persons section of the local paper and smile. I'm no longer that monster I used to be. But still, there are certain "features" that surface from time to time. It's a good thing I left the bedroom when I did.

That way, she couldn't see the long shape black nails protrude from my fingertips as my hand twitches. She couldn't see my eyes glow red in that split second. She couldn't see the horror that is my true form.

It only takes a couple of second for me to go back to normal. …I guess I dodged a bullet there." He finishes and scans his friend's faces for their reactions. One thing for sure. Lance was pleased with the resulted. Pidge gave him this look of surprise, as if she wasn't expecting that. At the same time, she had this look of intrigue. A win for him. Allura had a similar look and even mentions she really liked it. Another point for him. Hunk stated he thought the plot was that the narrator was a spree killer, and didn't see him being a demon or monster coming. Lance blew a kiss in his direction, again win. Keith raised an eyebrow, but had a smile on there. He liked it…uh, still a win for the vampire. When Lance looked over at Shiro though, he stopped his internal celebration.

Shiro looked over at him with a frown. It wasn't an angry one or even a sad one. It seemed almost pitiful, concerned too.

Lance dropped his smile. Why was he concerned? Did Shiro feel that the story hit too close to home for his friend? Well it did, but that's none of Shiro's concern. He could deal with it quite fine. If he could deal with it with his own family, then his friends were no sweat. He felt even less guilty lying to them. It made him angry for a moment that Shiro felt this, but the boy reasoned with himself and the feeling subsided. He was being outright silly. That was no reason to be upset.

He still went home after that though.

His friends voiced their confusion and concern on him suddenly talking his leave. He reassured them that he didn't feel well all the sudden and was walking home. Allura insisted that it was nonsense that he was walking back. She had Coran drive him to his place. Lance didn't protest. He liked Coran, the old guy had a calming air about him. An old soul if you will.

They didn't talk about this until almost a week later.

"Lance, can I speak to you for a moment?" He looked at Shiro, he was talking to a classmate named Rick. Real smart and weird too, he was a hippie though and Lance could get behind that. "The sooner, the better."

"Sure man. Later Rick."

"Yeah yeah, later bitch."

He followed the older man off to the side. "Can I ask you about something?" Shiro stated as he led Lance to the area he believed to be far away enough from listening ears.

"Yeah? I mean, I don't see why not." Lance spun the ring on his index finger. He couldn't help it. He wore the damn thing so much he was half expecting to get a ring tan, but of course he can't tan up.

Shiro didn't speak up again until he got to where he was going. He turned around to lean his back up against a wall. The other just stood there. Shiro mentally went over the way he was going to phrase the question. The words he was going to use, he didn't like them and opted for something else. Hopefully the other won't get defensive and snub him out. He never could really tell what Lance was going to do anymore. He wasn't the closest with him, and it's pretty obvious that Lance had changed from the whole, well, thing. So the Lance his friends used to talk about doesn't mirror the one in front of him. "The story," he fumbled, "um, the one you told a couple of nights ago."

Lance already knew what he was talking about. He crossed his arms. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Does that have to do anything?" Shiro mentally slapped himself. He didn't even say that right. Wow, he was nervous.

"Anything-?" Lance prompted. Rolling his wrist to move his hand in circles, as if to say. 'Yes? Carry on.'

"Does that have to do with anything, important?" There was a pause before that last word. Shiro still wasn't comfortable with all this magic stuff, even if he's claimed otherwise. It was just to copious, bigger than life and always lingering.

Oh, it was so blatantly obvious that he wasn't comfortable about magic. Lance knew this, that alone was easy enough to read. Still, he wasn't sure what to answer. Hell, he didn't even know what Shiro wanted to hear, to be frank. In the end he said what came to mind. "No." He looks up more, looking into his gray eyes. "It doesn't. I read that story somewhere off the internet, and it just happened to catch my attention. That's all."

His friend shot him back a smile and nodded. The two decided to head for a nearby café to get a drink and maybe a bite until Shiro had to leave for his next class. Lance was free until another hour. And he didn't feel bad one bit for using his hypnosis bullshit vampires seem to have. Hey, it come in handy at times like this. He was uncertain how to go about that conversation. Best to make Shiro drop it to avoid it.

Bars are a thing on the other side. Pubs to, cravens are also a thing, so are just straight up clubs. The place Lance was at however, he wasn't exactly sure what the proper title would be. He wanted to say bar, but this place also gave off a club theme type of a vibe. Not that he would know how a club feels based off expensive, but more so what he's heard and seen on media or television. After all, he's technically not the legal age to drink. But fuck it! He's undead, quite frankly it doesn't really matter at this point. Besides, vampire don't get drunk. Not on alcoholic beverages that humans consume. You need the weird stuff. The stuff they serve here. Lance doesn't know what's inside of the drinks, but isn't questioning it anytime soon. He sat in one of those cubicle things off to the side. He thinks they're called booths? His friends he was with with were Nyma, Rolo, Plaxum, Blumfump, and Swirn. How ironic. His main gang of friends are 5 other people, all normal humans. His main gang of friends on the other side were; again, 5 people. Except the ratios of genders were the opposite. 2 gals and 3 dudes from his human squad and 3 gal and 2 dudes from his monster squad, neat. Though he doesn't have to wear that stupid ring when he's here. In fact, everyone has their disguises down. Rolo was purple, Nyma is yellow and pupiless, and this other friends were mermaids. End of story. It's a little weirder with them though. Since they're on land they have legs, but the things 'warped' around their waist isn't a skirt, it's actually their skin. From like, their tails? It's hard to explain. Lance just understands it as a byproduct of their transformation, there's more skin leftover so it turns into a built in skirt? Well, at least that's how he interprets it. And of course there's himself. He's not much to look at. Gaunt sockets, red eyes, fanged overbite, pale complexion. Again, not much to look at.

"You always drink that. Don't you think you need to branch out a bit?" Nyma commented with child-like innocence. Lance knew though that it only meant she was about to tease him. "It's no fun if you don't." With that she gives him the pouty lip. There it is, that the girl he knows.

He smirks at her. "Nah, I like boring. It's comfortable and familiar."

She raises an eyebrow at that but doesn't comment. She leans back into her seat and bring back her cup to her lips for a sip. It looks strikingly similar to blood, but Lance was a vampire so he knew it wasn't. It didn't smell like blood, smells like something else he couldn't quite place his nose on.

Rolo is the next to speak. "You know, speaking of things that are comfortable and familiar, have you guys heard about the calygreyhound that's staying at Lance's place yet?"

Poor Blumfump was eating a dish at the moment and mixed in with his surprise, he started coughing. Swirn hastily patted her friend's back to help him breathe again.

"You have a calygreyhound?!" Nyma questioned, settling down her drink with more force than intended. It clinked against the surface of the table and Lance cringed at the sound. The glass did not break however. These cups, they were forged by monsters. They were much stronger than the stuff humans used. Enchanted too. Sometimes.

"What were you in your last life, a knight?" Plaxum jokes, after all. A calygreyhound is a beast not seen very often. When one does show up, it usually is because somebody of aristocratic or knightly blood had a calygreyhound on their family crest/symbol.

"Or an aristocratic." Swirn adds on. She is quite fellow. One that you probably wouldn't be getting jokes out of. Though they are at a bar-club-thing, whatever. It was time to relax and hang out, so you'll get a joke every so often.

"Ha ha." Came Lance's faux laugh. "Very funny. No, I don't suspect so." He threw a glance over at Rolo who already knew how he'd inquired one. He accidentally found out he had one when he visited his house. "I got the little guy by a very odd coincidence actually…" He laughed the incident off, retelling how his friend had a problem. He just happened to find one outside during this time. When he relieved that the root of the problem was a werecat the others lost it.

"A werecat, really? How pathetic." Nyma seemed to have recoiled in disgust. Rolo just frowned at him and shrugged. Swirn barely audibly whispered that that was pretty anti-climatic. Plaxum frowned, but otherwise held her peace. Blumfump pushed aside his plate and shook his head.

"Werecats are tricky. I know it's weird for me to be talking about these thing since I'm a seadellwer. But they are…" He gave herself a second to find the proper word. "Odd. They tried to pretend to be something they're not."

Nyma scoffed. "Maybe they would get more respect if they didn't try to imitate so often." She rests her chin on her hand, elbow pressed on the tabletop.

Lance blinked. He thought his disgust for the werecat was just that voice, that bloodlust. He hated it, but it was apart of him. Accepting something was a different ballpark than embracing it. The boy concluded that his subconscience knew that vampires were generally stronger than them. In turn letting himself get… He didn't think others thought…shared similar thoughts and views. He felt both ashamed and guilty about how thoughtlessly he had gotten rid of the werecat, who was a person regardless. His paranoia and panic seemed justified at the time, but when he ruminates about it. Things were tricky like this. Just, it surprised him. Were they not well liked? Would anyone have cared if he had killed the werecat in the presence of an audience? If he just simply dumped the body, would it have raised a lot of questions? It didn't look like it would have based off the reaction that he had initially and the reactions of his friends. Lance chuckled nervously to himself before casting his gaze downwards. He swirled his nearly empty cup in his hand. Was it bad that he suddenly felt just a tab bit sick? He's not supposed to be able to get sick. He thinks. He's not sure. He's not sure of anything as this just proved. He forgets he's a stranger. A stranger to this world and the next. Circumstance have caused him to be partially alienated to the human realm, but he was simply a newcomer, a guest on the other side. He gulped. He was a stranger still, he didn't know too much. Even things about himself. And he sure as hell didn't understand the class ladder or hierarchical things as well as he thought he did. He wasn't even initially sure it existed. Only just prejudice and opinions people put out. But he knows nothing. Human look at each with "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." views and monsters are no different. Even in minorities there is division.

"You okay there Lance?" Rolo's voice cuts off his train of thought and he realizes he's been staring intently at the table.

"Uh. Y-yeah. Sorry." He grins sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck when he notices his whole table was starting at him.

Nyma looks concerned and upon seeing his empty glass. She smiles sweetly at him. "You know what, I'll get you another drink. I think you'll like it. It's kinda basic though." Nyma scooted out from the booth and waltzes over to the open bar area. It didn't take longer for her to coming back with a beer mug. "Here." She declared with a clink of the mug. It was shortly after thrust into Lance's hands. She took back her seat and started up on telling what the heck she got him. "It's a Spicy Beer."

"A what?"

"Just drink it!"

"Okay! Gezz…"

The night continued to bleed until it would reach twilight, but it wasn't quite there yet. An awkward tension from of the table of monsters ensued. You see, unlike his other group (not saying he didn't have other friends), this one didn't all know each other by various ways. His humans kinda had connections to one another that lead to a group being formed over time. While this group is…well, they know each other, just not well. They were only mutuals. Lance was the bridge between the two. Rolo and Nyma were practically besties from all their time doing, um, whatever. Swirn, Blumpfump, and Plaxum forged a strong bond over the whole 'conspiracy theories, regicide planning, and trying not to get killed' thing. You know; rebel things, fun stuff. Together they're two groups brought together by one person. And since they didn't have much in common; when Lance didn't offer up to fill the silence, the air became awkward. That boy was instead nursing his beer, eh, spicy beer. Nyma was the first one to get really annoyed about it. She quipped about how quiet everyone was being. Rolo calmly turned towards she and said something to the effect of playing a game to get something going.

Lance smirked. He liked that.

"Oh! That could be fun!" Blumfump clapped one pair of hands? tentacles? together. Kinda like a child, but that's Blumpfump for you.

"But what type of game?"

"We could play a story telling one." Lance answered Swirn. He got mixed reactions from his little crowd. "Like, just general stories. Doesn't have to be scary stuff or whatever." He shrugs nonchalantly.

"I don't know… Sounds like a game for kids." Plaxum picked up the abandoned cherry in her glass and promptly ate it, spitting out the singular seed into a napkin.

"Well," he raised an eyebrow, "do you have any other ideas?"

They all stayed silent.

"Story telling it is!" Lance proclaimed. "Let's go!"

The group dissolved into a fit of giggles. After a oh-so-very intense session of row sham bow, it was decided Nyma would go first. "I have have one in mind already." She smiled to herself and Lance couldn't help but comment.

"Is is gonna knock our socks off?"

Not missing a beat, she replied. "If you have socks on, sure."

"Well I only have one on." Rolo slid into the conversation.

"Yeah, gezz. I wonder why." The sarcastic remark was tossed over to him. She eyed his metal leg under the table. Among all the buzz of the music playing through the speakers and the chattering of other patrons there was a—ah nevermind. Let's just get to the story. "I don't know how this started or when it did, but I've been stuck in a time loop of some sorts for awhile now." She gets right to the chase, beginning the story in first person at that. The start so far seems promising. Everyone is listening. "Everyday I wake up it's the same day. The same obnoxious radio announcer, the same construction workers drilling away across the street." She twirls her hand around at this. "It was straight out of Groundhog Day. It got boring eventually obviously. So I started "experimenting"." Cue the quotation marks in the air. "I've done terrible, unspeakable things. It felt bad at first sure, but I kinda got used to it, I started to have fun while doing it. But something's changed. Because when I woke up today, my hands were bloody." She waits for the response and it's a spiel of questions and praise. An odd mixture, but she's flattered.

It not before long the that Swirn took her turn. Her story was depressing and weary. For most of the duration of her turn, she was fidgeting with the plain golden bracelets on her wrist.

"Huh." Lance was the only one to comment.

Blumpfump went next, who took too long and Plaxum cut him short out of impatience. She went right to work telling hers and overall it was a funny story of something that happened to her last week. Damn trees. Being inconvenient like that. Plain rude.

Then it was Lance's turn, and oh boy, did he have a good one under his sleeve. He's told this one before, but he really liked it. Besides they haven't hear it yet. From him at least. He smirked. "This one's called My Wife Has Changed Me." He cleared his throat to get started. "'I'm getting another drink honey, do you want anything?' I say as I look at my beautiful wife. 'No thanks baby.' She says as she gives me that gorgeous smile I love so much. I met her about 3 years ago and let me tell ya, she really has changed me." He recites it word from word, having already memorized the short tale awhile ago. Again, it was a really short story. "I get up from the bed with my empty glass in hand. We were having a marathon of the 3rd season of American Horror Story, I personally think the 2nd season was way better. 'Be right back.' I say with a smile just before I leave our bedroom. As I'm standing in the kitchen filling my glass, my hand starts to twitch. 'What timing.' I say." Someone raises a brow at this and he can already tell the others are trying to figure out the catch/plot twist.

"My wife really has changed me. I no longer go on those "late nights". I no longer look at the missing persons section of the local paper and smile. I'm no longer that monster I used to be. But still, there are certain "features" that surface from time to time. It's a good thing I left the bedroom when I did." He can see the cogs turn in their heads. "That way, she couldn't see the long shape black nails protrude from my fingertips as my hand twitches. She couldn't see my eyes glow red in that split second. She couldn't see the horror that is my true form." He pauses for dramatic effect. "It only takes a couple of second for me to go back to normal. …I guess I dodged a bullet there."

His table loses it.

"So is that like, based off something?"

Lance looks up at Nyma from the dim glow of his screen. "Sorry, what?"

"That story you told earlier." The night wasn't young anymore and morning was soon to arrive, so it could slit the throat of night. The trio of merfolks already called it a night and had left, leaving the other 3 behind. They just continued to hang out for awhile, nurse a couple more drinks. Eat at the insistence of the nymph. Moved over to another area. And now? They were finally leaving. Rolo was just getting the truck while the other two waited outside the establishment. He had parked in the lot on the other side, so it would take a few before he would arrive.

"Um, no? I don't think so. I think a horror narrator wrote that or something."

"Human?"

"I would assume so."

Nyma snorted. "Great, great." She went back to staring at the black beyond and Lance reoccupied himself with the social media platform on his device. Suddenly Nyma's banana hand snatch the electronic right of of his grip. He looks at her, startled. He could easily get it back, he's fast enough. But that might piss her off and you really shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you. He could only imagine the inconveniences that would arise if Nyma stop supplying him with potions. Besides, it was obvious she wanted him to listen to something she had to say.

"What?" He asked a little to snappy.

"I just wanna know if it's like that with him."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Who?"

"Your mate." If this had been 2 years prior, the vampire would've cringed. He hated that word being thrown around, but that's just the terminology of this place. He's come to expect by now.

"Matt?"

"Yeah."

He's looks away. "No, we're fine. I told you that already."

"I still think it was a real shitty decision to tell him right away…"

Lance is nor drunk enough or energetic enough to argue with her, they've had that conversation before. Instead he just listens to the wind's howl.

"Ugh, well I wouldn't know! I barely know your toys. I rarely meet them!"

Lance stiffens up. He hates it when they call them that. "Friends. " He corrects sternly. And yeah, she's right. She's doesn't. None of them do.Maybe it's better that way.

She peeks over at him as the headlights to Rolo's truck comes by. "Yeah yeah. Whatever." She's dismissively as always.

Story credits: Groundhog by trung87 on Reddit
"My Wife Has Changed Me" by Unit #522 on unit522stories

I think the cockroach story was from OHSHC? Although I can't seem to find that scene. I don't want to rewatch the anime…

By the way I put a reference in here from my other fanfic, Be The Homestuck Fandom. Can you find it? I don't think anyone will find it, 'CUZ NOBODY READS THAT FIC.