DISCLAIMER: This was written before the series release when not all information about the characters/universe was public knowledge, and therefore not everything will be canonical. Pretend it's an alternate universe or something please and thank you 💕
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PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTINUING:
There are lewd scenes in this book. There are raunchy scenes, risqué dialogue, and some of Al being a horny little shxt at times. (Before you come at me saying 'but he's asexual'- I know. I am too. Hear me out.)
Asexuality is a spectrum, first of all- and doesn't automatically mean repulsed or averted to the activity itself.
That being said I *do* realize this particular way of writing him is out of character canonically. And I am in no way shape or form trying to invalidate or dismiss anyone's preferences (or lack there of)- be it his, or mine, or yours.
I just like writing smut lol and this is a fantasy anyway.
Any scenes that depict detailed NSFW scenes will have a warning either before it starts or right at the very start of the chapter. No shame if you don't want to read the hedonism. It's totally fair, valid, and understandable! Smut scenes are (almost) never vital to the plot in my work for that reason, and you won't miss anything important from the story if you skip them.
Just wanted to give a fair warning to those who are new to my work!! With that being said, ladies and gents: Enjoy the tale~!
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~Part 1; Midnight Smokes and Stolen Bets~
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"Hit me."
"You sure?" Paul asked, sifting the remaining cards in his calloused hand. You lifted your bottle of Jack Honey to your lips and took a decent sized swig, the amber liquid burning smoothly on the way down. You wiped away a small dribble that escaped down your chin as you set it back onto the dried grass between your feet.
"Y/n are you nuts?" Shannon asked, sitting next to you with her own cards- who had chosen to stay where she was at a few deals ago.
"The courts thought so." You joked.
This was a usual little ritual for you and the others, in your downtime you'd enjoy getting together, playing card games and enjoying some decent liquor and some good weed on occasion. It wasn't very often that you got to enjoy yourselves like this, most of you lacked the time- and the energy. But, that was life in the circus. Hard work all day and night, hardly a moment with rest and without fatigue. But it was the life you grew up with and you had become very accustomed to it. You couldn't imagine living out there, with the strange lifestyles of the townies in the outside world. You didn't have a house, but in the spotlight at the big top, you were right at home.
You had your own private caravan and that was just fine with you; in fact, it was a luxury in your case. Most others were bunked together in the same trailer, others even chose to set up personal tents and sleep in those- when you weren't traveling those nights, that is. Life in the circus was not for the faint of heart, one was either born in it or born for it. Many try it out, more than half can't handle it- and flee in the middle of the night. You had seen many things in your life that few people ever witness. Exciting things, new sites and places, death-defying stunts; and also a lot of drama, illness, suffering, and... accidents.
It was taxing on more than just your body, but your mind, emotions and soul too. The life of a "normal" person seemed to move at a snails pace compared to what you all were used to. After all, 'what is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly'; that's what your parents always said about it.
It was a home with a traveling area code, where the only friends you had were the ones you lived and worked with. One had no time to get to know anyone on the outside, you had no interest in the matter either. You tried not to get too close to anybody anymore, you learned that the hard way... But all in all, it was a way of life you were comfortable with.
You were the child of the ringmaster and a trapeze artist; the leaders of this small traveling show. You took after your mother and the other aerial artists, your favorite skill was aerial silks. It made you feel weightless, powerful, dare you even say enchanting when you were in the air; dazzling the audience as you danced and spun to music. On many occasions you even trained to sing whilst performing like that. Which was very uncomfortable in practice, felt like getting punched in the stomach while trying to sing, but you made it look and sound easy. You were one of the bigger stars of the show, although you didn't start out that way.
No, just because you were the daughter of the masters didn't mean you got any special treatment. You were a part of the side shows for your entire childhood and most of your teenage years, learning slight of hand magic tricks and then how to juggle on stilts or a unicycle; and even eat fire and sword swallow in your later teenage years. And when you weren't performing or practicing your sideshow acts, you were training with your mother. You worked your ass off to get to where you were. The issue was, you were always a bit of a problem child. Ain't much had changed now that you were in your twenties, except that you had gotten smarter and sneakier.
Like playing black-jack and partying with some of the clowns and roustabouts, gambling with the money you had pick-pocketed earlier than night for example.
"Y/n if you win this round I swear to god-"
"What? You'll what, Reggie?" You teased.
"You'll run and tell her parents?" Shannon joked. "Don't you fuckin' dare, they'll send her to work with us for a week and then she'll be our problem. And, it ain't her fault you don't know how to play."
"Get good or get wrecked." You chuckled.
"Hit me."
Paul let out a soft sigh, shaking his head as he dealt you another card facing up. Presently there was a king, a jack, and an ace in front of you; you had hit 21 exactly. You grinned as you looked down at your cards and looked back up at Paul, who revealed his down-facing card which mount up to only 20. Another king and a ten. The others beside you either slammed their fist onto the metal table or swatted their cards right off it in defeat, you smiled and danced in your seat.
"Damn I'm on fire, tonight!" You giggled, displaying a toothy grin as you held your open bag just under the edge of the table and used your hand to slide your winnings into it. "Good game though guys, for real."
"You're not playing another round?" Paul asked, taking all the cards back and shuffling them as you and the others watched you grab your bottle whiskey and place it in the bag as well, before tying the cinch-string and draping the strap over your shoulder.
"Nah, I'll quit while I'm ahead." You hummed, getting up from the rectangle of hay you were using as a chair and wiping any remnants of it off the back of your legs. "I'm not that lucky, and I want you all to actually have fun. I'll see ya's in the morning at breakfast!"
"See ya, Y/n!"
"Goodnight!"
You smiled over your shoulder and waved goodnight to the other roustabouts, clowns, tumblers and daredevils as you made your way out of the small beige tent. (Small compared to the big-top, anyway.) Once you swept the curtain door aside and crossed that threshold, you welcomed the sound of crickets and the whooshes of cars rushing by on the near by street. You took a deep breath, greedily taking in the cool summer air as you walked through the back yard. (Which was what you all called the area off limits to the general public.)
Pulling out a pack of cigarettes out of your pocket you opened it to find it empty. Dammit, you thought. I forgot I smoked the last one. Sighing heavily you put the empty pack back and looked out towards the street across the way, your eyes lids low and lips pursed as you searched for a corner-store or gas station. You weren't above asking one of the others for a stoge, and knew they wouldn't mind, but you'd rather have your own supply and not bother them. Much to your relief there looked to be an open one about a 2 minute walk to your left. You smiled softly and began walking.
Passing by the various other train-carts, dressing rooms and tents, you snuck by your parents cart and treaded lightly as you did so. Yes they acknowledged and respected that you were a grown adult, and permitted you to do just about whatever you pleased. But if they knew you were awake at this hour knowing you had to be up early, they would have given you an earful... Let alone find out you were gambling with stolen money.
You reached the gas station and waltzed inside, hearing the sound of a bell alerting the cashier of a customer's arrival. You quickly glanced around and moseyed over to grab a soda before making your way to the counter.
"That all?" The cashier said, scanning the bottle you had placed between you two.
"And a pack of marb reds, shorts please." You murmured, pulling out your ID to show him and some cash. The man nodded after checking your ID and grabbed you the pack, scanning it and sliding it over to you. Your gaze was panned over to the window, glancing out in the direction of where you came from. It always looked so different this time of night, no matter where you were. To see it all dark and barren looking was such a contrast compared to the hustle and bustle of the day and early evening. You even half expected to see a tumble-weed roll by and chuckled softly at the thought.
The cashier continued to look at you out of the corner of his eye, taking note that your ripped jeans and black tank top were a little uncommon as far as style goes around these parts. Not to mention you still had a fair amount of makeup and body glitter on from earlier. He averted his gaze when he saw you turn your head back to face him and he counted your change.
"You new around here?" He asked.
"Just passing through." You said, taking the change from him and grabbing your purchases.
"You in that circus or something?"
"Maybe." You chuckled softly, giving a sly smile. "Buy a ticket to tomorrow's show and find out." Without a word more you turned on your heels and walked outside, waltzing over to the side of the building where you opened the new pack and pulled out a cigarette. Taking a zippo out of your pocket you glanced over and noticed a camera in the upper corner of the building. Flicking the lighter open and lighting the deadly stick in your hand, you smirked at the camera and took a gratifying drag before walking back.
My muscles are killing me. You internally whined. The numbness from your alcohol starting to fade away as your heavy feet carried you home. Could've taken a hot shower to soothe them but of course I decided to do the opposite.
You sighed and kept on walking, shaking your head slightly in spite of yourself. Ah well. You'll get over it, soon you'll be in your bed and you can rest for the night. Looking up at the sky, you took a good look at your surroundings. It was a moderately busy street but not a very commercialized road, the land you were set up on was just on the outskirts of a adequately populated southern town. But from where you were standing it felt like the middle of nowhere. The lack of light pollution made the evening sky look like something out of a painting, you could practically see the whole milky-way. It was gorgeous, a sea of stars and a half moon lit up your path to home.
"Dammit." You muttered to yourself, shakey hands dropping your bottle of soda onto the road as you were crossing. You could hear the immediate fizz of carbonation within the bottle and rolled your eyes. "Great, can't drink that right away now."
Bending over to pick it up you failed to notice the car approaching rather quickly. And without their headlights on, they failed to notice you too.
~~Part 2; Find Your Mark~~
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"Ughhhh..." you groaned. Rolling over onto your side and immediately clutching your head. You had a roaring headache, blood flowing to your brain made your ears ring. The pain was indescribable, you have had raging headaches before but this was ridiculous. You didn't want to move. You just laid there on the grass and waited for the world to stop spinning.
Did I pass out on the way back? You thought. I must have drank more than I realized.
It wouldn't be the first, second, or even the third time that you had gotten trashed and fell asleep somewhere out on the field. Your vice was the bottle, you kept it hidden well too. You had to, performers couldn't risk having a substance problem if they wanted to keep working. So waking up to feeling grass beneath you wasn't much of an unfamiliar scenario; but getting up and going back before your parents found you, that was priority number one.
You took a deep breath and held it in your chest as you got up your strength, and used your arms to push your languid body up to a sitting position. "Fucking fuck..." you grumbled to yourself, silently begging your body to just calm the hell down. You released the air you were holding and exhaled audibly. Rubbing your tired eyes as you waited for the world to stop spinning. You lifted your head up and blinked a few times, your eyes beginning to adjust to the world around you.
Sun hurts... Grass is itchy... Sky is red- Sky is red?
You furrowed your brows and looked around. No circus tents in site, no trailers or caravans to behold. No, just a large city off on the distance; just a walks away from a gate of trees. Getting up on your feet- with an incredible amount of ease, considering the discomfort in your head, you walked up to one of the trees and leaned against it, taking in the view.
"Welcome to Hell, huh?" You chuckled to yourself, reading the numerous neon signs off in the distance. "Didn't realize damnation had such a charming welcoming committee."
"I must be dead... My body isn't exhausted for once." You muttered softly, walking toward the red world of flashing lights and ominous vibes.
Deeper, and deeper you sauntered into this foreign world. Lost in a city full of stores, dance clubs, casinos, brothels, bars and strip clubs. It was like if Vegas were run by demons. The streets were littered with trash, used needles, used contraceptives, empty pill bottles, abandoned purses and wallets. In a morbid kind of way, it reminded you of some of the more forsaken and dilapidated cities you had traveled to before.
The more you walked the more it dawned on you. You needed a drink. Now.
Damn dependency... You thought bitterly. You were starting to feel shakey and a bit sick to your stomach, similar to blood sugar dropping. You were having withdrawals and you knew you either needed a shot asap, or it was going to be a long couple days for you... Plenty of bars to pick from, as well as liquor stores, but with what money?
Pickpocketing was an easy task for you, but without something to mask your hands or an overcrowded place where you could easily be up close to somebody, this was going to be a little tricky. Fortunately for you, so far Hell seemed to be an opportunists dream; plenty of demons passed out, either high on drugs or just unconscious. All you had to do was pick your mark.
Acting nonchalant and like you belonged you walked on like you knew the area, and moseyed on down an alley where someone was sleeping next to a trashcan. Looking around quickly you gently sifted through their pockets and found a wallet. You couldn't help but notice your hands were now clawed, black and white striped talons replaced your fingernails. Almost everyone here looks animalistic so far... I'm scared to see how I look.
With luck you managed to find the poor gents wallet, and luckier than that you found a few twenties in store. It wasn't much, but it was enough to curb your withdrawal. You'd worry about finding a place to crash later. You threw the wallet down beside the anthropomorphic man, who merely snored louder as the leather accessory landed by his arm. You folded the cash and stuffed it in your back pocket, and got the hell out of the alley before anyone saw you.
~~Part 3: A Stowaway in a Tight Spot~~
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About a block away from where you discarded your mark and took his money you stumbled upon a club, neon pink and green lights lit up the window. You figured they had to have a bar in there. It was Hell after all, one would assume there's bad choices to be made at every corner. It wasn't your typical vibe, but you liked the music you could hear from the outside.
Feeling your shakiness start to get worse, you walked right inside. Wanting to get a drink fast before the clamminess set in.
Your eyes scanned the place, various LED lights lit up the room from the ceiling to the floor all in different colors. The place was fairly crowded, much like the outside it was full of demons of all different shapes, colors and sizes. Some dancing on the dance floor, some sitting at tables or the bar, some dancing on poles. You spotted a couple of empty seats at the bar by the far end next to the dancers poles and b-lined for it.
Hardly giving the bartender a chance to acknowledge you or ask what you wanted, you were more than ready the second the blueish green moth-like demon locked eyes with you.
"Double shot of fireball."
She sniffled and nodded, heading off to fix your shot and tend to the other patrons.
You waited, your eyes taking a more in depth look at your surroundings. Twas a site to behold, people really didn't give a fuck here. Between people snorting substances in plain view at their tables and a bit of violence here and there, it was definitely a free for all where chaos was the ruler. Although you had to admit, Hell was way more lit than you would have thought.
You glanced over to your right to see a tall, white spider demon wearing a pink and white suit, and another cyclops demoness with red and blonde hair approach the pole closest to you. You watched with curiosity as he danced around, very fluidly in fact, even after the bartender placed your shot in front of you. It wasn't until he attempted a certain move where he wound up busting his ass on the floor where you stifled a chuckle and looked away.
"I don't fuckin' get it, why can't I get that move?" You heard him ask.
"You're distributing your weight wrong." You muttered, picking up the shot glass.
" 'Scuse me?" The arachnid scoffed, him and his friend looking over at you.
"I said, you're distributing your weight wrong. You can't carry yourself like that for that kind of move."
"I'd like to see you try it."
You smirked and threw back your shot, swallowing every last drop before slamming the small glass down onto the table. "Gladly."
"Oh this outta be good." You heard him snicker to one of the girls next to him, also hearing her chuckle quietly. You merely rolled your eyes and grabbed the pole. Pulling yourself up using your arms, you let your core strength do the rest as you pulled your lower-half above your head and wrapped one leg around the pole- using the back of your knee and your ankle to grip yourself in place. Once you were secure you let go with your hands, and posed. As the pole spun on it's axel, you smirked at the fluffy white and pink spider. Who looked slightly impressed that you actually did it and weren't just talking shit, but not amused at being shown up by some stranger.
"You're trying to only use momentum in your legs to get off the ground. But... It's also core-strength, baby." You giggled, loosening the grip you had ever so gently and allowed yourself to slide down until you gracefully sunk to the floor.
"Show off." He grumbled. His friend snickering at his embarrassment, strutting away on her 8 inch platform heels.
"Can you uh, you show me how you did that though?" He asked, holding one of his hands to his chin in thought. "Walk me through it?"
"Sure, come here." You got up off the floor and stood a couple feet away from the pole, giving the tall creature some distance as he stepped up to it. "So your hands were okay, grab it like how you did before."
He did as you asked, and without touching him you gestured to which muscles he should be focusing on. "To go lift yourself off the ground with your arms, but instead of just trying to swing your legs like a pendulum, once they're off the ground try and lift them like you're trying to kick somebody taller than you with both feet. You should feel it get tight in your stomach. Use that muscle, and try and lift your legs high enough to wrap one around."
"Like this?" He asked, getting his legs about half way where they need to be.
"Yep! Don't let go, use your abs to get those legs nice and high."
He released a puff of breath he didn't realize he was holding and managed to accomplishing the task. Impressing you even, as he finished off with a flawless pose.
"See? You did great." You chuckled, beginning to walk off back to where you were sitting.
"Thanks toots." He said, releasing a soft laugh and sliding down off of the pole, spinning gracefully on the floor before getting back up on his feet. "Been on the pole for decades but I couldn't nail that move."
"We all need a good teacher, sometimes." You hummed, sitting back down with your back turned as you were before.
"Wait, so uh-" he started, making his way over toward you. You instinctively rolled your eyes. Great, I made a friend.
"How'd ya learn? You a dancer too?" He asked, sitting down next to you and turning to face the bar tender and held up three fingers. "Hey, Maggie, three cosmos please."
You pursed your lips and tapped your claws on the bar counter, rhythmically and mindlessly. "Yeah. Not a pole though."
He scoffed with a smile as he leaned in closer. "What, then? Praytell?"
"Silks, hoops, that sort of thing."
"An aerialist?" He laughed in surprise, smiling wider at the three pinkish red drinks placed in front of him. He took two for himself and slid the third toward you. "Here, as a thanks or whatever. What made you wanna learn that? Shits harder than pole work, a pole spins but at least it stays in one spot."
"It was my job." You said flatly. Smiling softly at the beverage in front of you but giving him a cautionary look when you met his eyes. "Listen I appreciate this, and I'm gonna drink it, but I'm not interested in-"
"Honey, I don't swing that way so don't flatter yourself." He interrupted. "But if I did, I'd definitely be hitting on you."
You felt heat rising to your cheeks at his blunt sentiment and took a rather large first sip of your very strong cosmo. Vodka was never your first choice, or even your second, but hey. A free drink was a free drink. "Thanks?" You chuckled softly, swirling the contents in the glass.
"I always wanted to learn that shit, always looked so majestic. But the studio doesn't have the ceiling height to accommodate something like that." He rambled. You could tell he was either already a little tipsy or maybe even coked out, but at least he was being friendly and not too overbearing.
"Doesn't need to be a high ceiling." You stated, taking another swig and setting it down. Covering the opening with your hand to avoid getting roofied. "Just needs to be high enough to get your body off the ground. If you can install a pole, you can install silks."
"Would you be willing to teach me?" He asked. You couldn't help but chuckle.
"You serious?"
"Yeah, I can make it worth your while~" he cooed, walking his index and middle fingers up your knee to your thigh. You daintily picked up his finger and moved his hand off of you.
"Not. Interested." You reiterated.
"I can pay ya for it," he offered next. "Wouldn't be a lot since my boss gets a cut of my pay already, but I can make it work."
You blinked a few times and thought it over, but the arachnid gave you very little time to think before interjecting again.
"You got a number or an address I can get a hold of ya by? 'Case you don't wanna answer me right now?"
"Mmm. 'Fraid not..." you muttered begrudgingly.
"Ya don- oh. Ohhhh, you're new here." He realized, seemingly proud of himself for drawing that conclusion. "Listen, I don't normally do anyone any favors. But I dunno, I'm feelin' kinda funky today so what the hell. There's this place I'm stayin' at, my friend runs it. Supposed to be like a rehabilitation for sinners or some shit. I ain't stayin' over tonight 'cause I gotta work a double shift, as long as you don't rummage through my shit I can let ya crash there for a night or two."
Your eyes widened at his offer, you damn near choked on your drink as you looked at him like he was crazy. "You would let a complete stranger stay in your room, and sleep in your bed?" You laughed. "Bruh I could be a deranged lunatic for all you know."
"Are ya?"
"Not by most peoples standards, I guess." You chuckled.
"You seem more together than a lot of other assholes down here, plus I like the vibe you give off." He stated. "What do you say, toots? You teach me, you have a place to crash till you can get on your feet."
You thought for a second and then let out a heavy sigh, throwing back the last few sips of your beverage. "Fuck it. Thanks."
"What's your name?"
"Y/n." You sighed gently, your lips forming a tight smile.
"I'm Angel Dust, kind of a big deal round these parts." He chuckled. "Just eh, don't let the others at the hotel know you're there unless I'm with ya, alright? They don't want people staying unless they're trying to redeem themselves. It ain't like an apartment or some shit like that."
"Who makes a hotel that's meant to rehabilitate sinners, anyway?" You chuckled.
"The princess of Hell." He answered. "No, really. Her name's Charlie. Come on, we'll go and I'll sneak you in."
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Angel Dust had managed to sneak you through the hotel and into his room without being seen by anybody. You were incredibly grateful for that, you didn't feel like interacting with anyone else and embellishing your story. You had barely had any time to get your barring straight or let your new reality sink in, you didn't even know what you looked like yet aside from you had claws and your skin had a grey tone now, since lacked the warmth of the living now.
"Bathroom's through that door, I keep snacks in the drawer beneath the bed, don't touch anything in the nightstand drawer or in the box that says 'work shit' unless you wanna get weird." He said, rummaging through his closet for an outfit to change into later. You sat awkwardly on his bed, not really sure what to do with yourself.
"TV works, remote should be to your left." He continued "and don't let anyone know you're up here. We'll talk more when I get back from work in the morning."
He was talking and moving so fast you hardly had time to process anything, by the time you did he was almost out the door.
"Angel?"
"Yeah?" He asked, stopping to turn and look at you.
"Thanks." You smiled gently.
"Don't mention it." Was all he said before he opened the door and left you to yourself. Without a moment to lose you quickly got up and went to the bathroom. You were dying to see what you looked like. And what you saw was definitely a surprise, but by no means a disappointment compared to other demons you've seen.
Your hair was different now, thicker, and sporting inky black on your right side and almost an iridescent white on the left. You had ears that resembled that of a fox sitting atop, the colors matching the hair beneath each one. Your scleras were a dark grey, almost a gradient to black in contrast with white irises. Black eyebrows and eyelashes. Your lips were darker, what looked to be a deep purple. You were just glad that for the most part, you could still recognize yourself.
"Damn." You huffed, making different expressions in the mirror as it sank in that... Well, this was you now.
Exhaustion beginning to creep as your nerves settled down, your body was practically begging you to lay down for a while.
"I'll just take a-" you yawned, talking quietly to yourself. "10 minute snooze."
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"Angel?" A voice called out, pulling you out of your slumber. You whimpered quietly at being disturbed and rolled over in the bed.
"Angel!" The voice yelled louder, now knocking on the door. This time your eyes shot open. Realizing in your tired state that you weren't home anymore, but in fact in a strangers bed- a strangers bed who's acquaintances couldn't know you were there. You must have slept way longer than you had meant to. Now someone's knocking on the door looking for Angel, and last you checked, you weren't Angel.
You quickly got out of the bed and tried to think of a hiding place, quickest being his closet. The bed had too much crap stored under it. You tiptoed on fast and nimble feet toward the wall wardrobe and opened the door, finding little room to hide behind except maybe on the overhead shelf. Hearing the knocking become more agitated, you carefully hoisted yourself up and curled up into the little hiding spot. Pulling the door shut as tightly as you could before wrapping both your arms around your legs.
Almost as if on cue, the door opened, and you listened carefully with baited breath as footsteps continued to enter the room. The door shutting behind the person.
"Where are you?" The voice asked. You could hear him a bit better now, seeing as you were actively trying to listen. His voice was strange, almost like it was coming out of the speaker of an old radio.
"I know you're in here, I can hear your heart racing." He continued.
I hope he's joking.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." He sounded. He sounded closer now, hearing his footsteps approach. You were practically holding your breath now. "I have a bone to pick with you, Angel. Your little pet was in my office again."
Suddenly the door swung open and it was like a spotlight hitting you as light from the room flooded the wardrobe. What you saw before you was another demon, perhaps a few inches taller than how you stood now, clad in a red suit. Two toned red and black hair with ears to match, and a set of antlers as well. Paired with bright red eyes, that glowed vibrantly with surprise as they locked on you. He had a wide, painfully wide smile and two rows of fangs to display.
"What do we have here?" He chuckled darkly. "A stowaway."
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(A/n: AHHHHHHHHH so this is the pilot!!! Let me know what you think and if I should continue or not! )