For the Open Novella Contest, based on Prompt 65: On the way to collect a soul, the Grim Reaper is distracted by a stray puppy. Instead of completing the task, he decides to find the puppy's owner, much to the frustration of his assistant. ***** The Grim Reaper has seen everything, really. From the beginning of humans living in caves, all the way to modern-day humanity. These days, he's mostly a figurehead, going through a handful of cases a week that no other reaper wants. While floating through the mortal world, unseen by anyone, he comes across a dog that seems to be able to see him. Despite his over-achieving assistant begging him to return to his duties, Grim decides to seek out the puppy's owner, and in doing so meets Jeremiah. Miah is an accountant who loves numbers but hates the monotonous tone his life is taking. The rescuer of Miss Trixie, his dog, is an unusual but interesting man that he decides to strike up a friendship with... although is it just him, or is Grim a bizarre name for a person?

Sunny has a unique power, one that got him thrown in prison when he was only a child. Now, after years spent in isolation, he's escaped and become one of the city's most feared villains. Working under Monarch, a villain organization rapidly becoming the greatest threat Solace International has seen since the fall of the first hero society, isn't too bad. As long as he ignores the general constant death and fear, the day job and peaceful life Sunny built make his night obligations worth it. Unfortunately, Monarch's recent actions have drawn the attention of Solace's top heroes. One of which being: Clover. Solace's golden boy hero is charming, beloved, impossibly lucky, and far too interested in Sunny for his liking. No big deal, though. Not like any of that affects him. Sunny's there to clock in and clock out, the end. That is, until something entirely foreign gets involved: Touch. [] [] [] [STANDALONE sequel/spinoff that takes place after the events of ZERO. You do not need to read ZERO to read this] [WARNINGS: death. Like a lot of death and some gore, also smut]

San Jose Sharks alternate captain Lukas Matterson has been in the NHL long enough to know how this works. Do your job, fulfill your responsibilities, don't make a spectacle of yourself, and above all, don't get involved in any messes. Mathias Söderlund is a mess. Mathias, the shamelessly confident and infuriatingly cocky forward for the Los Angeles Kings, seems to have made it his life's mission to unsettle Lukas every time they meet. Mathias brings with him a kind of chaos Lukas can neither ignore nor fully understand. Lukas Matterson and Mathias Söderlund are used to hating each other. But as the tension between them intensifies, the power struggle that began on the ice starts drifting into more dangerous waters. What once felt like hate begins to grow into something Lukas doesn't know how-and doesn't want-to name. Or in short: You have sex with the wrong guy once, and he never leaves you alone.

Heath and Teagan only agree on one thing: they don't want to be in a relationship. Teagan, who is busy finishing her law degree, needs a break from the stress of living up to her parents' expectations. Heath is following his passion and starting his career as a physical therapist, but his family's drama is tearing his life apart behind the scenes. As members of the same friend group, Heath and Teagan will be around each other plenty during wedding season, whether they like it or not. With no time or desire to date, the two come to an agreement: pre-scheduled hookups through the summer or until something real comes along. A situational relationship, otherwise known as a situationship. Their arrangement seems perfect. If their past doesn't come back to bite them.

"Getting a Clue" is a slice-of-life story about Casper, an autistic gay teen whose most meaningful relationship is with his dog, Pippi, and whose safe space is his closet-literally. Enter Jethro: confident, boldly expressive, and inexplicably interested in Casper's prickly brand of charm. As Casper battles his instinct to retreat from every social encounter, Jethro patiently flirts his way past Casper's defences. Together, they navigate the minefield of high school, gender expectations, and first love, all while Casper tries to figure out why the hell anyone would voluntarily seek out human connection. With a healthy dose of snark and a dash of awkward romance, this tale proves that sometimes the biggest dramas in life are just... life. Will Casper figure out how to be a functioning human being? Will Jethro ever stop looking unfairly hot in tights? And how hard do you have to flirt before an oblivious gay boy gets a fucking clue? (Warning: Contains catastrophic attempts at small talk, impromptu bus adventures, and a surprising amount of fairy bread.)

When things with his step brother finally escalate too far and Gabe gets seriously injured, he's sent to stay with another family for a while. Unfortunately the guy Gabe's sharing bunk beds with has taken an instant dislike to him for no apparent reason.

Sam and Sage are next-door neighbors with an almost-four-year strong rivalry that peaks when they both apply to be Professor Olekev's Research Assistant. Unlike other professors, Olekev only chooses one student to study under her for their last two semesters, and every student that does transitions from college to the workforce seamlessly. You're almost guaranteed your dream job with a recommendation letter from Olekev. Which is why Sam needs that letter. And he'll do anything to get it. Even share the position with his stupidly pretty arch nemesis. ( © saeglopur )

Dresden and Calvin are lucky enough to have had not one, but two, beginnings. They're beginning again, or maybe they're picking up where they left off five years ago. Either way, this is their "Take II" and absolutely nothing will get in the way of that. Except maybe a global pandemic.

Dresden Gibson never left. But that's not the story he's telling. [sequel to The Art of Moving On] It's five years later, and though time has a way of making all pain feel less prominent, the pain that sits right under Dres's ribcage, the one tied to the buried words, and regret like a cold sweat on his palms, hasn't changed at all. Hasn't subsided or dulled throughout the years. Dresden regrets a lot of things. He'll never regret anything more than the way he ended his relationship with Cas those years ago. That's a pain, he thinks, he'll carry with him always. So he keeps the letters, and the memories; he lets them plague him on the long nights because it's what he deserves. When the opportunity arises to make things right, Dres takes it. He owes Cas that much. Even if the boy who's heart he broke years ago doesn't want a single thing to do with him. (And he doesn't)

Calvin Sumner is just trying to find a job, pass his classes, get into college, and maybe kiss a few boys if he can manage it. He never thought he'd find himself working in a cupcake cafe, or falling in love with his brooding, ex-military boss who has more tattoos than he has words to give. But Cas isn't going to complain. Not when he's finally making some money, doing well in his courses, has a pretty good sports scholarship in his future, and gets to kiss Dresden Gibson as much as he wants (and he wants to, a lot). ( © saeglopur )