Author's Note: Oh, come on. Like you guys didn't see a fic like this coming. Merton is ~way~ too messed up for him to have had a "normal" family when he was growing up. I think this explains a lot.
Disclaimer: I don't own Big Wolf on Campus or any of the associated characters and entities. Don't sue me because this is just for fun and I'm not making any money from this. Really, who'd be dumb enough to PAY for it?
Dysfunctional
"Family Values Week?" Merton asked in a scornful tone, eyeing the banner a couple of Home Ec. students were hanging up across the hall with suspicion. "Is this the attempt at instilling our unsuspecting students with a conformist set of conservative prejudices that I think it is?
Tommy closed his locker and shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that I gotta pretend to be Lori's husband for next week."
"I didn't know Lori took Home Ec," Merton said, frowning slightly in confusion. Somehow he just couldn't reconcile the idea of Lori learning the difference between a casserole and a hotdish with what he knew of the tough, ungirly girl.
"Well, when she transferred there weren't a whole lot of classes open. It was Home Ec. or Advanced Physics," Tommy explained. "I can't fault her logic there. Anyway, she needed a partner and I, being her boyfriend and all, had no choice."
Merton, who actually like Advanced Physics, just frowned harder and grew more animated in his objections."That doesn't make it better. As a Chylde of Darkness, I protest!" He was nearly shouting.
"Calm down, buddy," Tommy admonished him when the Home Ec. girls turned to stare. "Go home, relax, and I'll come over after football practice."
"Yeah, good idea," Merton agreed. "Then we can find out who's behind this obvious evil brainwashing attempt."
"Whatever," Tommy replied skeptically. "See ya!"
As Merton walked out to his hearse, he sighed. Family values, huh? He had precious little of those.
Not that he really cared anymore; he'd long ago given up hope that his family would one day be normal and happy. Not that they weren't happy, exactly. After all, he did fine on his own in his basement Lair, Becky did fine with her room filled with N*Sync posters, and his mom and dad were fine at the office they both worked at. Better than fine, really, considering how much money they always gave out to him and Becky. If his parents had been poorer, maybe they would have felt it more necessary to be involved in their children's lives.
On the rare occasions that he went over to Tommy's house, sometimes Merton had to bite back surges of jealousy. Tommy's parents, though incredibly busy, always made sure that Tommy knew they cared about him. Dean was always willing to lend a sympathetic ear to his brother's troubles - provided, of course, there wasn't something better on T.V. Sometimes it almost made him sick that such a perfect family still existed in this day and age. It was like the Brady Bunch only minus four annoyingly sweet kids.
The most Merton ever saw of his parents were brief moments at breakfast before they rushed off to work. The trouble with Becky was that when she wasn't denying he existed, insulting him, or avoiding him, sometimes there would be a hint of the friendship they'd shared when they were scamps. Before she'd gone to kindergarten and discovered being the little sister of an outcast was bad for her social life, she'd actually looked up to him.
*But maybe that was only because I protected her from -* Merton began to think, then stopped himself. He didn't like to think of that. Better to remember the good times, when he, Vince, and Becky would play hide-and-seek or pretend. He and Vince had been really good at playing pretend. Maybe that was because Vince had been an extension of himself, back then, just a projection of his own subconscious. Of course, having his old imaginary friend return ten years later after having gone insane from being locked in a box for that long and then try to do the same to ~him~ had somewhat dulled the luster of his childhood memories. But even those were better than those other, more sinister memories.
Merton sighed again and started the engine. He shook his head to banish his thoughts, then began the short drive home.
X X X X X
Tommy ran to Merton's house in his unwolfed form, but he still was faster than any human had a right to be. He was just anxious about what Merton was plotting away at. He recalled what the Goth had pulled at the last school event week he'd objected to, School Spirit Week. It'd taken Tommy an hour to pry him out of the basketball hoop, and then there was the matter of Tommy's favorite shirt, which Merton got all covered in paint...
Overall, Tommy decided it was better to diffuse this time bomb before it was properly assembled.
When he got to Merton's house, he paused outside the door to catch his breath. As he panted, he noticed a small square of folded paper taped to the door to the Lair with only the word "Merton" written on the front. Puzzled, he plucked it down and turned it over in his hands. It was tempting to just open it and read it, but it was meant for Merton. With respect for his friend's privacy, he didn't open it. Besides, knowing the kinds of things Merton was into, Tommy wasn't sure he ~wanted~ to know what was in this note.
With that in mind, he walked into the Lair, prepared for the worst. Instead of finding Merton pouring over blue-prints of the school, searching for the perfect line of attack - as he half-expected - the Goth was sitting Indian style on his bed, staring off into space as eerie, haunting music played.
"Don't you have someone you'd die for?" the female singer asked. "Don't you have someone to die for?"
"Merton, what the hell are you listening to?" Tommy asked, weirded out. He never pretended to understand the Goth's predilection for Marilyn Manson and Sisters of Mercy, but this was a change from those hard, gothic tunes. It was more melodic and creepy.
Merton started, as if he hadn't noticed Tommy until just then. "Oh, hi Tommy," he said, sounding spacey, as if his mind was somewhere else. "I'm listening to Belly; they're an older band but they're pretty cool." Then he went back to staring at the air in front of his face.
"Hello? Earth to Merton. Come in, Merton," Tommy said, crossing to the bed and waving his hand in front of the other boy's face. To his surprise, Merton flinched away, raising an arm as if he was afraid Tommy would hit him. "Hey, what's up with you?"
Merton seemed to come to himself then, and he straightened up, looking embarrassed. "Uh, nothing. Just jumpy tonight, I guess. How was football practice?"
The jock instantly became suspicious. Merton usually could care less about football ~games,~ so why should he care how the practices went? Was he just trying to be polite, or was he trying to hide something? Knowing Merton, Tommy guessed the latter. Unfortunately, Tommy had no idea what his friend would be hiding, so he chose to just ignore it for the moment.
"fine, I guess. I got in some really good tackles, and Coach says we're ready to take on Muelenburg next Wednesday," Tommy replied, as if it were normal for Merton to ask sports questions.
"Oh, that's good. Go Badgers and all that," Merton said absently. That was the last straw.
"Okay, spill it. What are you thinking, Merton? You're not planning on trying to ruin Family Values Week, are you? Because that would be incredibly stupid, not to mention insensitive, because Lori's grade is hanging in the balance," Tommy said, frowning down at Merton, who's blank look turned confused.
"Huh? Ruin it?" Merton blinked.
"Yeah, like you did with School Spirit Week. I don't want to have to drag your skinny ass out of the basketball hoop again," Tommy said, not buying the innocent act.
Merton winced at the memory and sighed. "I can assure you that ruining Family Values Week is the farthest thing from my mind. Actually... I was thinking... Maybe... maybe Lori could have two partners for the project?"
The last was said so lowly, Tommy had to lean in to hear it. His eyes bugged. "Wha-?" he asked as intelligently as he could.
Merton blushed and looked anywhere in the room but at Tommy. "It's just... well, you guys have normal families and look how you turned out. Maybe there's something to these so-called values."
"But - but -"
"And it's not like I plan on stealing Lori away from you or anything," Merton said, and gave a small, self-deprecating laugh. "Like I could."
"But - I thought you objected as 'a Chylde of Darkness,'" Tommy finally got out.
Merton crossed his arms over his chest and seemed to shrink into himself a little, still refusing to look up at Tommy. "I was just thinking... maybe if I'd had a family like yours or Lori's, I wouldn't ~be~ a Chylde of Darkness anymore than you are or she is..."
"Oh. Um." Somehow, Tommy couldn't think of how to respond to this unexpected turn of events. He felt bad for just standing around
"It's okay, Tommy," Merton said after a short pause, sounding nervous and forcedly cheerful. "I didn't really think it'd work out anyway. I'm just kinda... curious, I guess."
"No, it's kind of an interesting idea," Tommy said, surprising himself. "I'll talk to Lori about it."
"You will?" Merton sounded skeptical and hopeful at once, startled into looking up. Tommy scanned his face, and couldn't decipher most of what he saw in Merton's eyes.
"Yeah, sure. I'll talk to her about it tonight at the Factory. You coming with?"
Merton shook his head. "Nah, I'm in too much of a good mope. I'll sit this one out. Besides, I bet it gets weird trying to make out with Lori when you always have a third wheel along. You guys should go have some time to yourselves."
An utterly selfless statement from Merton? Wasn't that a sign of the apocalypse? Tommy fiddled with the paper in his hand nervously, then belatedly remembered that it was for Merton.
"Oh, before I go," he said, offering the paper to Merton, who took it automatically. "I found this taped to your door."
Merton turned the paper in his hands, puzzled. "It wasn't there when I came home. I wonder why whoever left it didn't just knock?"
Tommy shrugged. "Read it and see who it's from."
Merton opened the sheet of paper, eyes darting as he scanned it. Then gasped. Then his already pale face became even paler and a strange, queasy look pasted itself to his features. Tommy cocked his head quizzically. Merton crumpled the paper suddenly, and tossed it with accuracy into the wastebasket next to his desk. He drew his knees up to his chest and hugged them.
"What's wrong? What's it say?" Tommy asked when Merton didn't immediately say something.
"I-it's some kind of sick joke, is all. The neighbor kids always do stuff like that to me," he muttered.
"This is the first I've heard of it," Tommy said suspiciously. Merton stared down at the tops of his knees. "You want me to go over there and set them straight?"
"No, it's not worth it. They're just a bunch of dumb kids," Merton said with a shrug. "It doesn't matter all that much, so I never said anything about it. Don't bother yourself with it. Just go have fun with Lori, all right?"
Tommy frowned. He knew when someone was trying to get rid of him. But this new depressed Merton was something he didn't know how to deal with right now, and a quick glance at the clock on the wall proved that he was almost late at getting to his date with Lori. He sighed huffily.
"Fine. I'm going, but we're still on for movies tomorrow night, right? Lori wants to watch 'The One' on your awesome surround sound," Tommy said, already headed for the door.
Merton nodded. "Yeah, sure. Have fun."
Tommy left, feeling just as anxious as when he arrived, but for a reason he couldn't quite put his finger on.
X X X X X
As soon as the door shut behind Tommy, Merton leapt up with more agility than he'd thought he possessed. From the adrenalin rushing through his body, perhaps it was no surprise. He'd always heard that people could do amazing things on adrenalin, like lift cars to save their children. But he wasn't thinking about that now; he was concentrating on getting the paper out of the garbage. He tried to smooth it out as much as he could, then read it again. The crabbed handwriting hadn't changed, hadn't proved to be a hallucination.
"Merton," the note began, "I'm back. Tell anyone and you'll regret it. I have some unfinished business with you. Don't make it worse than it has to be."
The last line of the note made Merton choke on the hysterical giggle he was repressing. It was so calculatedly mocking, such a low blow that it tickled Merton's sense of the melodramatic.
"Love," it read, "Your Father."
"Shit," his whispered, heart in his throat for fear. He tried not to whimper; it was unmanly and pathetic, especially at his age. He would have laughed at himself except for the fact he was too petrified at the moment. God, he really was a sad, sad excuse for a rebellious teenager. One note from his father and he was reduced to a -
// " - sniveling, whining, ugly son of a bitch!" //
He groaned and flopped back on his bed, pressing his fists to his eyes in an attempt to stop the memories that threatened to surface. He tried to ~never~ remember them, but there were times - awkward times - that they'd surface. Like when T'n'T bore down on him, he'd recall exactly what it felt like, the helplessness, the hopelessness. And then the two huge boys would scent his fear and attack. When supernatural beasties threatened violence, another reflex from his childhood kicked in: he fled, or hid. He cowered. He hated that. He hated being so weak. Hell, even when Lori or Tommy threatened with the smallest amount of physical violence, he'd fold like origami. After all, he couldn't run from his friends.
// "Stay still and take it like a man!" //
His breath hitched in his throat and he rolled onto his side, telling himself to calm down. If this kept up, he'd have a full-blown panic attack.
The real thing he should be worrying about was ~why~ had his father come back? Why threaten him now, after all this time? He hadn't even ~seen~ him since that night over ten years ago. Surely his father still couldn't be grinding an axe over the imagined childish transgressions Merton had perpetrated.
// Becky wailed and wailed at the top of her lungs. Merton concentrated on her and tried not to feel - //
Merton felt something on his cheek and scrubbed at it, opening his eyes to find the blurry. Shit.
// "Don't you dare start crying, you wuss, or I'll ~really~ give you something to cry about!" //
It was going to be a long night.
TBC...
So I guess my writer's block only applied to my other BWOC series. ^^; Oh well, this is a more fun kind of Merton-torture anyway. No slash in sight, however. Ah, well. But there will be Vince! Yay!
Review? Pretty please?
Disclaimer: I don't own Big Wolf on Campus or any of the associated characters and entities. Don't sue me because this is just for fun and I'm not making any money from this. Really, who'd be dumb enough to PAY for it?
Dysfunctional
"Family Values Week?" Merton asked in a scornful tone, eyeing the banner a couple of Home Ec. students were hanging up across the hall with suspicion. "Is this the attempt at instilling our unsuspecting students with a conformist set of conservative prejudices that I think it is?
Tommy closed his locker and shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that I gotta pretend to be Lori's husband for next week."
"I didn't know Lori took Home Ec," Merton said, frowning slightly in confusion. Somehow he just couldn't reconcile the idea of Lori learning the difference between a casserole and a hotdish with what he knew of the tough, ungirly girl.
"Well, when she transferred there weren't a whole lot of classes open. It was Home Ec. or Advanced Physics," Tommy explained. "I can't fault her logic there. Anyway, she needed a partner and I, being her boyfriend and all, had no choice."
Merton, who actually like Advanced Physics, just frowned harder and grew more animated in his objections."That doesn't make it better. As a Chylde of Darkness, I protest!" He was nearly shouting.
"Calm down, buddy," Tommy admonished him when the Home Ec. girls turned to stare. "Go home, relax, and I'll come over after football practice."
"Yeah, good idea," Merton agreed. "Then we can find out who's behind this obvious evil brainwashing attempt."
"Whatever," Tommy replied skeptically. "See ya!"
As Merton walked out to his hearse, he sighed. Family values, huh? He had precious little of those.
Not that he really cared anymore; he'd long ago given up hope that his family would one day be normal and happy. Not that they weren't happy, exactly. After all, he did fine on his own in his basement Lair, Becky did fine with her room filled with N*Sync posters, and his mom and dad were fine at the office they both worked at. Better than fine, really, considering how much money they always gave out to him and Becky. If his parents had been poorer, maybe they would have felt it more necessary to be involved in their children's lives.
On the rare occasions that he went over to Tommy's house, sometimes Merton had to bite back surges of jealousy. Tommy's parents, though incredibly busy, always made sure that Tommy knew they cared about him. Dean was always willing to lend a sympathetic ear to his brother's troubles - provided, of course, there wasn't something better on T.V. Sometimes it almost made him sick that such a perfect family still existed in this day and age. It was like the Brady Bunch only minus four annoyingly sweet kids.
The most Merton ever saw of his parents were brief moments at breakfast before they rushed off to work. The trouble with Becky was that when she wasn't denying he existed, insulting him, or avoiding him, sometimes there would be a hint of the friendship they'd shared when they were scamps. Before she'd gone to kindergarten and discovered being the little sister of an outcast was bad for her social life, she'd actually looked up to him.
*But maybe that was only because I protected her from -* Merton began to think, then stopped himself. He didn't like to think of that. Better to remember the good times, when he, Vince, and Becky would play hide-and-seek or pretend. He and Vince had been really good at playing pretend. Maybe that was because Vince had been an extension of himself, back then, just a projection of his own subconscious. Of course, having his old imaginary friend return ten years later after having gone insane from being locked in a box for that long and then try to do the same to ~him~ had somewhat dulled the luster of his childhood memories. But even those were better than those other, more sinister memories.
Merton sighed again and started the engine. He shook his head to banish his thoughts, then began the short drive home.
X X X X X
Tommy ran to Merton's house in his unwolfed form, but he still was faster than any human had a right to be. He was just anxious about what Merton was plotting away at. He recalled what the Goth had pulled at the last school event week he'd objected to, School Spirit Week. It'd taken Tommy an hour to pry him out of the basketball hoop, and then there was the matter of Tommy's favorite shirt, which Merton got all covered in paint...
Overall, Tommy decided it was better to diffuse this time bomb before it was properly assembled.
When he got to Merton's house, he paused outside the door to catch his breath. As he panted, he noticed a small square of folded paper taped to the door to the Lair with only the word "Merton" written on the front. Puzzled, he plucked it down and turned it over in his hands. It was tempting to just open it and read it, but it was meant for Merton. With respect for his friend's privacy, he didn't open it. Besides, knowing the kinds of things Merton was into, Tommy wasn't sure he ~wanted~ to know what was in this note.
With that in mind, he walked into the Lair, prepared for the worst. Instead of finding Merton pouring over blue-prints of the school, searching for the perfect line of attack - as he half-expected - the Goth was sitting Indian style on his bed, staring off into space as eerie, haunting music played.
"Don't you have someone you'd die for?" the female singer asked. "Don't you have someone to die for?"
"Merton, what the hell are you listening to?" Tommy asked, weirded out. He never pretended to understand the Goth's predilection for Marilyn Manson and Sisters of Mercy, but this was a change from those hard, gothic tunes. It was more melodic and creepy.
Merton started, as if he hadn't noticed Tommy until just then. "Oh, hi Tommy," he said, sounding spacey, as if his mind was somewhere else. "I'm listening to Belly; they're an older band but they're pretty cool." Then he went back to staring at the air in front of his face.
"Hello? Earth to Merton. Come in, Merton," Tommy said, crossing to the bed and waving his hand in front of the other boy's face. To his surprise, Merton flinched away, raising an arm as if he was afraid Tommy would hit him. "Hey, what's up with you?"
Merton seemed to come to himself then, and he straightened up, looking embarrassed. "Uh, nothing. Just jumpy tonight, I guess. How was football practice?"
The jock instantly became suspicious. Merton usually could care less about football ~games,~ so why should he care how the practices went? Was he just trying to be polite, or was he trying to hide something? Knowing Merton, Tommy guessed the latter. Unfortunately, Tommy had no idea what his friend would be hiding, so he chose to just ignore it for the moment.
"fine, I guess. I got in some really good tackles, and Coach says we're ready to take on Muelenburg next Wednesday," Tommy replied, as if it were normal for Merton to ask sports questions.
"Oh, that's good. Go Badgers and all that," Merton said absently. That was the last straw.
"Okay, spill it. What are you thinking, Merton? You're not planning on trying to ruin Family Values Week, are you? Because that would be incredibly stupid, not to mention insensitive, because Lori's grade is hanging in the balance," Tommy said, frowning down at Merton, who's blank look turned confused.
"Huh? Ruin it?" Merton blinked.
"Yeah, like you did with School Spirit Week. I don't want to have to drag your skinny ass out of the basketball hoop again," Tommy said, not buying the innocent act.
Merton winced at the memory and sighed. "I can assure you that ruining Family Values Week is the farthest thing from my mind. Actually... I was thinking... Maybe... maybe Lori could have two partners for the project?"
The last was said so lowly, Tommy had to lean in to hear it. His eyes bugged. "Wha-?" he asked as intelligently as he could.
Merton blushed and looked anywhere in the room but at Tommy. "It's just... well, you guys have normal families and look how you turned out. Maybe there's something to these so-called values."
"But - but -"
"And it's not like I plan on stealing Lori away from you or anything," Merton said, and gave a small, self-deprecating laugh. "Like I could."
"But - I thought you objected as 'a Chylde of Darkness,'" Tommy finally got out.
Merton crossed his arms over his chest and seemed to shrink into himself a little, still refusing to look up at Tommy. "I was just thinking... maybe if I'd had a family like yours or Lori's, I wouldn't ~be~ a Chylde of Darkness anymore than you are or she is..."
"Oh. Um." Somehow, Tommy couldn't think of how to respond to this unexpected turn of events. He felt bad for just standing around
"It's okay, Tommy," Merton said after a short pause, sounding nervous and forcedly cheerful. "I didn't really think it'd work out anyway. I'm just kinda... curious, I guess."
"No, it's kind of an interesting idea," Tommy said, surprising himself. "I'll talk to Lori about it."
"You will?" Merton sounded skeptical and hopeful at once, startled into looking up. Tommy scanned his face, and couldn't decipher most of what he saw in Merton's eyes.
"Yeah, sure. I'll talk to her about it tonight at the Factory. You coming with?"
Merton shook his head. "Nah, I'm in too much of a good mope. I'll sit this one out. Besides, I bet it gets weird trying to make out with Lori when you always have a third wheel along. You guys should go have some time to yourselves."
An utterly selfless statement from Merton? Wasn't that a sign of the apocalypse? Tommy fiddled with the paper in his hand nervously, then belatedly remembered that it was for Merton.
"Oh, before I go," he said, offering the paper to Merton, who took it automatically. "I found this taped to your door."
Merton turned the paper in his hands, puzzled. "It wasn't there when I came home. I wonder why whoever left it didn't just knock?"
Tommy shrugged. "Read it and see who it's from."
Merton opened the sheet of paper, eyes darting as he scanned it. Then gasped. Then his already pale face became even paler and a strange, queasy look pasted itself to his features. Tommy cocked his head quizzically. Merton crumpled the paper suddenly, and tossed it with accuracy into the wastebasket next to his desk. He drew his knees up to his chest and hugged them.
"What's wrong? What's it say?" Tommy asked when Merton didn't immediately say something.
"I-it's some kind of sick joke, is all. The neighbor kids always do stuff like that to me," he muttered.
"This is the first I've heard of it," Tommy said suspiciously. Merton stared down at the tops of his knees. "You want me to go over there and set them straight?"
"No, it's not worth it. They're just a bunch of dumb kids," Merton said with a shrug. "It doesn't matter all that much, so I never said anything about it. Don't bother yourself with it. Just go have fun with Lori, all right?"
Tommy frowned. He knew when someone was trying to get rid of him. But this new depressed Merton was something he didn't know how to deal with right now, and a quick glance at the clock on the wall proved that he was almost late at getting to his date with Lori. He sighed huffily.
"Fine. I'm going, but we're still on for movies tomorrow night, right? Lori wants to watch 'The One' on your awesome surround sound," Tommy said, already headed for the door.
Merton nodded. "Yeah, sure. Have fun."
Tommy left, feeling just as anxious as when he arrived, but for a reason he couldn't quite put his finger on.
X X X X X
As soon as the door shut behind Tommy, Merton leapt up with more agility than he'd thought he possessed. From the adrenalin rushing through his body, perhaps it was no surprise. He'd always heard that people could do amazing things on adrenalin, like lift cars to save their children. But he wasn't thinking about that now; he was concentrating on getting the paper out of the garbage. He tried to smooth it out as much as he could, then read it again. The crabbed handwriting hadn't changed, hadn't proved to be a hallucination.
"Merton," the note began, "I'm back. Tell anyone and you'll regret it. I have some unfinished business with you. Don't make it worse than it has to be."
The last line of the note made Merton choke on the hysterical giggle he was repressing. It was so calculatedly mocking, such a low blow that it tickled Merton's sense of the melodramatic.
"Love," it read, "Your Father."
"Shit," his whispered, heart in his throat for fear. He tried not to whimper; it was unmanly and pathetic, especially at his age. He would have laughed at himself except for the fact he was too petrified at the moment. God, he really was a sad, sad excuse for a rebellious teenager. One note from his father and he was reduced to a -
// " - sniveling, whining, ugly son of a bitch!" //
He groaned and flopped back on his bed, pressing his fists to his eyes in an attempt to stop the memories that threatened to surface. He tried to ~never~ remember them, but there were times - awkward times - that they'd surface. Like when T'n'T bore down on him, he'd recall exactly what it felt like, the helplessness, the hopelessness. And then the two huge boys would scent his fear and attack. When supernatural beasties threatened violence, another reflex from his childhood kicked in: he fled, or hid. He cowered. He hated that. He hated being so weak. Hell, even when Lori or Tommy threatened with the smallest amount of physical violence, he'd fold like origami. After all, he couldn't run from his friends.
// "Stay still and take it like a man!" //
His breath hitched in his throat and he rolled onto his side, telling himself to calm down. If this kept up, he'd have a full-blown panic attack.
The real thing he should be worrying about was ~why~ had his father come back? Why threaten him now, after all this time? He hadn't even ~seen~ him since that night over ten years ago. Surely his father still couldn't be grinding an axe over the imagined childish transgressions Merton had perpetrated.
// Becky wailed and wailed at the top of her lungs. Merton concentrated on her and tried not to feel - //
Merton felt something on his cheek and scrubbed at it, opening his eyes to find the blurry. Shit.
// "Don't you dare start crying, you wuss, or I'll ~really~ give you something to cry about!" //
It was going to be a long night.
TBC...
So I guess my writer's block only applied to my other BWOC series. ^^; Oh well, this is a more fun kind of Merton-torture anyway. No slash in sight, however. Ah, well. But there will be Vince! Yay!
Review? Pretty please?
