#also i personally would not try to pet that thing

[er-osion]

Fool Me Twice (four times)

pairing:  Dick Grayson x gn!Reader

summary:  The four times Dick’s family thought they caught him in a relationship with someone, the one time there’s confirmation

word count:  3.6k

warnings:  none, fluff

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It wasn’t that Dick was ashamed of you, far from it, he’d just seen enough of the world of vigilantes to know that relationships, especially with civilians, was a risky business; and losing you was a risk he was not willing to take.  That’s why, even though the two of you had been dating for nearly three years now, Dick hasn’t said anything to his family, the less people who knew, the better.  Truly, it’s a combination of many factors, but fear (from multiple different faucets) is the primary reason for keeping things on the down low.

Three years of hiding a relationship may sound like a long time, but given that the two of you live in Bludhaven, not Gotham, keeping things private has been fairly easy.

Keep in mind, Dick doesn’t like to say your relationship is secret, rather, it’s private.  He’s not hiding you, he’s just conveniently not going public about your relationship.

This is, again, why living in Bludhaven is so beneficial; there aren’t as many chances for his family to bump into you and he’s not in as many situations where your connection could be unearthed.  However, this means that when Dick is in Gotham, he has to be extra careful of some of the habits he’s grown while living in Bludhaven with you at a certain distance away from the rest of his family.

1st time:

Tim was just wandering the halls of Wayne Manor.  Bruce had forced him out of the Batcave and told him to either “take a walk or a nap” and not to come back until he had confirmation from Alfred that the boy had had a proper meal.  Tim was too tired to want to be out in the sun but also too caught up in the case he was working on to be able to fall asleep, and thus, he was stuck meandering the long hallways of the manor, waiting for his “time out” to be over.

He was walking past one of the parlors, the door was cracked open and he could hear the light pacing of someone inside.  Tim was about to walk past it when an unexpected noise made him freeze in his tracks.

“Hey, honey, how are ya?”  Dick’s sickeningly jovial voice rang softly from inside the parlor.

Honey?  Honey?

Surely, Tim was mistaken, he didn’t hear that.  

Of course he didn’t; why would Dick be answering the phone with a pet name?

Out of curiosity, Tim sneakily stepped a little closer to the door that had been cracked open ever so slightly.

“You’re giving Haley lots of smooches for me, right?”  Jeez, Tim could hear the broad smile in Dick’s voice.  Gross.  But now Tim’s mind was racing, his previous mystery dropped for this new, and somehow more pressing one.

Who was the person on the other side of the line?

Could it be Wally?  No, Dick’s tone when he said ‘honey’ wasn’t sarcastic enough, it was too genuine.  Kory?  No, Starfire was across the galaxy right now, and besides, Tim had never heard Dick use a nickname like that for her.  Babs?  No, Barbara is in Gotham so there’s no reason for her to be giving Dick’s dog any attention.

“Oh, also, you might need to get some more strawberries from the store, I ate the last of em before I left, sorry.”  Dick’s laugh was quiet and Tim could hear the distinct rustling of him settling down on the couch, signaling that Dick was anticipating a long phone call.  

Tim took another silent step closer, trying to hear more of the conversation to see if he could gather anymore details.

“Hey, Timmy, either come in or keep walking but don’t hide behind the door like a creeper,”  Dick’s voice suddenly boomed, and while it was teasing in nature, Tim almost made out an annoyed strum.  The poor boy was startled, however, he thought he was being sneaky enough.

Sheepishly, Tim entered the room.

“Sorry. Uh, who’s that?”  Tim nodded his head toward the phone being held up to Dick’s ear.

“Nobody,”  Dick’s smile faltered almost imperceptibly, “Hey, I thought you were working on that Condiment King case?”

Tim’s face immediately fell and he groaned dramatically, dragging his hands down his face, “Bruce told me to take a break.”

“Ah, so he put you in time out.”

“Shut up.”  Adequately annoyed and attention effectively diverted from Dick’s phone call, Tim trudged out of the room.

Dick waited a few polite seconds before closing the door behind his brother, then resuming his place on the couch and putting the phone back up to his ear, he carried on, “Sorry about that, sweetheart, one of my dopey little brothers was playing detective.”

“A game that seems to run in the family,”  You teased from the other side of the line, and Dick’s stomach did somersaults at the sound.

“I hope you know I’m counting down the days till we’re reunited,”  Dick confessed dramatically.

He could feel you roll your eyes through the phone, “We’re only a few miles apart and you said you were only in Gotham for, like, a week.”

“A week of torture,”  Dick lamented, “how is one expected to live?” he cried.

“Since it’s you, I’m assuming via too much cereal and ice cream.”

“I’m so flattered by how you know me so well.”

“Your list of demands from the grocery store are always so predictable, it’s hard not to.”

“Ugh, don’t mention the grocery store, now I’m suffocated by the weight of missing our weekly errands,”  Dick whined, bringing an exasperated laugh out of you.

“Don’t you have crime to be fighting?”  You poked.

“I told them to put it on pause so I could call you.”

2nd time:

No matter how much of a brat he could be, Dick always relished the time he got to spend with Damian, and no matter how much he tried to hide it, Dick was sure that Damian felt the same.  

Damian had just gotten a science test back, and even though top marks weren’t something new, Dick still demanded they go out and celebrate his high score (he was just using the grade as an excuse to spend time with his baby brother).

Currently, the two were walking through the streets of Gotham, window shopping and occasionally bumbling through a shop that struck one of their fancy’s.  Dick was listening attentively as Damian lectured about a National Geographic documentary he recently watched when a flash of something in a shop window caught the older brother’s eye.

Dick slowed down to stop and get a better look at it; it was a cute sweater sitting nicely on a mannequin, next to some other jackets and coats.

Damian paused his rambling momentarily, “What is it, Grayson?”

“Let’s… go in here for a sec.”  Dick didn’t wait for confirmation before he started for the door.

The little bell rang as the two brothers shuffled into the small clothing store.  Damian had recommenced his review of the documentary while Dick quickly hunted down the store clerk to ask for the sweater he saw in the window.

Damian was watching the whole ordeal play out with the careful eye of a detective trained by Batman.  But, he was holding his questions back until the dust had settled.

Dick paid for the sweater and had to suppress the urge to bounce on the balls of his feet with excitement.  This sweater looked damn near exactly like the one you’d been raving about for weeks now.

The two of you had been watching some random HBO show when you pointed out a sweater that you really liked that one of the main characters was wearing.  But since that episode, you’d kept mentioning how cool it was and how you wished you could find one just like it in real life.  And even if it wasn’t the exact same sweater, it was close enough that most would probably mistake it for a replica.  Dick could already see the smile on your face when he handed you the gift, the thought made him want to rush home just so he could watch the joy light up your face as you pulled the sweater out of the bag.

“That sweater isn’t a style you typically wear, who is it for?”  Damian questioned bluntly, while Dick had barely registered they were outside again, so caught up in imagining how you’d thank him for the thoughtful gift.

“What?”  

“The sweater, unless you are changing your wardrobe, does not look like something you’d be accustomed to wearing; thus, I am led to believe it is for someone else.  So, I ask again; who is the sweater for?”

Dick was silent as he thought through an answer.  He could just tell the truth, but that would require illuminating your existence to the family and Dick wasn’t sure if he was ready for that.

“Guess,”  Dick threw back with a knowing smile.

Damian scoffed, “What am I, five?”

“Oh, you’re not?”  Dick earned himself a punch in the arm for that one.

“Obviously, the first guess would be a partner, but my gut is telling me that’s an absurd guess, knowing you, and father has been telling me to consider my gut more,” Damian reasoned as they walked and Dick felt his heart stopping and starting repeatedly as his brother mulled over the possibility of him having a love life.

“Um, ouch.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “It could possibly be for one of your former teammates, maybe a birthday gift,”  Damian lifted a quizzical gaze to his brother’s face, clearly trying to discern whether or not he’d guessed right.  Not wanting to invite Damian to continue his guessing game but also not wanting to lie to him, Dick just shrugged coyly.

His non-answer answer seemed to have worked for now, as Damian’s eyes narrowed in a way that told him he was still suspicious but settled enough to move on.  Damian then continued with his critique of the documentary he’d been yapping about for the past 45 minutes, clearly deciding that the film about the Amazon Rainforest was far more intriguing than whoever Grayson went through all the trouble of buying a sweater for.

Dick was only breathing easy again once they’d made it two blocks without Damian bringing back up the subject of the sweater. Dick knew that the kid was smart enough and pushy enough to figure it out if he really wanted to, and Dick also knew that he had too much of a soft spot for the boy to lie or mislead him for very long, so he was glad Damian didn’t feel the need to press him further on the debated existence of his live life.

3rd time:

There was an unspoken rule at Wayne Manor: don’t leave your phone unattended.  A house full of chaos loving siblings is bad enough, but make them world-class detectives and this rule becomes more about survival than anything.

Dick had been sitting in the living room with Steph, Cass, and Duke, all enjoying a little bit of downtime (gossiping).  Dick was half listening, half focused on texting you, when a loud crashing sound was heard just down the hall.  All four straightened and Dick was instantly on his feet, “I got it,” he rushed, and in his flurry, he set his phone against the arm of the sofa he’d been lounging on.

The remaining three were about to settle back down and continue their debrief when a loud buzz was heard a few feet away.  Their head snapped to the direction of the noise and immediately clocked Dick’s phone sitting temptingly on the armrest.

Steph got up, immediately scheming about all the things she could do with Dick’s phone, Duke followed with a mix of curiosity and mischief, then Cass, purely intrigued by what notification the eldest batkid may have gotten.

As the three were creeping toward the phone they began spotting things about the screen which had been turned up toward the ceiling.  Just as Stephanie was about to reach out to snatch the phone, which had gone dark after the notification went untouched, the three heard Dick’s booming voice shouting reassurances to whoever had caused the ruckus he’d rushed out to help.  In an instant the siblings were flinging themselves back to their seats and regaining their previous, inconspicuous postures.

Dick reentered the room thinking nothing of his sibling’s near discovery of his lockscreen or text chain.  Flopping back on the couch, Dick picked up his phone and instinctively smiled at seeing your notification waiting for him.  Unbeknownst to him, his siblings were watching him with a shrewd eye, trying to share a telepathic conversation in which they changed the topic of their debrief to what the hell was on their brother’s phone.  Thankfully, Alfred’s voice rang from a few rooms down, asking for Dick, so the man was quickly on his feet and out of the door.  

As soon as he was out of the room, Stephanie, Cassandra, and Duke immediately huddled up.

“Did you see his lockscreen??  I think it was a picture of someone,”  Stephanie exclaimed excitedly.

“Someone you recognize?”  Duke questioned.

“No.”

“Well the notification was a text, I couldn’t read what it said but it ended with, like, three emojis,”  Duke added on.

“The contact had a heart, I think.”  Cassandra elucidated quietly.

“No way, seriously?!”  Stephanie leaned forward eagerly.

“Woah woah, that’s some pretty serious implications we’re making here,”  Duke reminded the group.

“Maybe, but the lockscreen and the contact,”  Stephanie pushed, Cass nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, but if Dick were in a relationship, how would we not know?  The guy can have a big mouth,”  Duke rebuked, Cass nodded

“True, but he can also keep a secret when he needs to,”  Stephanie asserted expertly, Cass nodded again in thought.

“Yeah, but why would Dick need to keep such a thing a secret from us?”  Duke posed, and at this Stephanie paused thoughtfully.  Just when Stephanie was about to respond, Dick sauntered back in the room to grab his water he’d seemingly left behind.  Frozen, in fear of their topic of discussion being found out, the three observed him cautiously.

Stephanie, feeling bold, broke the stillness that had been cast over her group, “Hey, Dick, who was that that texted you earlier?”

Dick’s movement stuttered, the noise and the question catching him briefly off guard.  But like the pro he was, he recovered quickly.

“Joe Mama.”

Stephanie gave him a pretentiously fake laugh, “Nice one, Grayson; the fifth graders make you King of the Playground for that one?”

“Sure did, that’s why you’re banned from the swings.”  Dick decided not to entertain any more of Stephanie’s questioning, knowing how driven she could get with things like this, and made his escape.

“I don’t know guys, I’m just not sure I can picture him being in a relationship and not blabbing about it 24/7,”  Duke admitted once Dick was a safe enough distance from the room.

Stephanie slumped in her seat, “Whad’y’ya think, Cass?”

“Can’t be certain.”

“I guess,”  Stephanie grumbled, “Ugh, and here I thought we were about to uncover some grand conspiracy.”

Meanwhile, Dick was thanking every god above that his siblings didn’t get a good look at his phone, otherwise they would’ve seen the Instagram-worthy photo of you set as his permanent lockscreen and your contact name of, “the love of my life!!! ❤️❤️❤️”.

4th time:

Dick’s head had been all over the place today.  He can’t explain why, but he just isn’t thinking straight, can’t keep his focus like he usually can.  Maybe it’s because it’s been a week of waking up without you by his side.  Yeah, that’s probably it.

Today, he was out on the town with Bruce.  Technically, they were trying to scope out a cover-business of Maroni’s, but father-son bonding time is father-son bonding time in any format.

As the two men were walking, clocking everything about their surroundings, a woman came running past them, clearly in a frantic rush, probably late to something.  In her run, she accidentally ran into Dick, the two sputtering out apologies as she caught her purse and Dick caught his balance.

Dick blinked but pivoted and returned to his walk down the street, thinking nothing of the woman who was already half way down the block, but Bruce had caught a glimpse of something falling from his son’s pocket.

If it had been any other day, Dick would’ve noticed immediately that something had escaped his person, but as we’ve already established, it was an off day for him today, which is why it was Bruce who moved to pick the fallen item up off of the grimy street.

Bruce bent down and grabbed Dick’s brown leather wallet, “Dick, your wallet,”  Bruce called to him, but his voice drifted off as his eye caught sight of something he’d never seen before.

What looked like the corner of a picture was sticking out of one of the wallet pockets.  Curiosity having been piqued, Bruce tugged at the corner a little more, revealing more of the photo.  His eyes widened and eyebrows furrowed as he took in the picture, clearly candid, where Dick’s dog Haley was being held by someone Bruce didn’t recognize but whose face was being conveniently cut off by Haley’s head, only the individual’s gleefully smiling eyes were visible.  Bruce’s head cocked in confusion, but Dick had turned around and began reaching for his wallet.

“Shit, I didn’t even notice, thanks, B.”  Dick grabbed his wallet and Bruce discreetly shoved the photo back into its pocket.

“Hn,” was Bruce’s response, mind now spinning over the concealed face in the photo.

Who was that?  Why is that photo in Dick’s wallet?  Is there someone in Dick’s life he doesn’t know about?  Is Dick dating somebody?

“What’s up, B?”  Dick questioned, having picked up on Bruce’s silence that meant he was deep in considerable thought.

“Nothing,”  Bruce was about to drop it, but couldn’t help himself, “How’s Bludhaven treating you?”

Dick raised an eyebrow, already suspicious of Bruce’s motives, “Fine.  Why?”

“Can’t a father check in on his son?”  Bruce joked in monotone.

Dick laughed, “I guess.”

“You’ve been establishing a social group there?”

“If you mean ‘making friends’ then yes, Bruce, I’ve been making friends.”

“Good good… that’s good,”  Bruce was about to begin asking more specific questions when Dick cut him off.

“Hey, we brought that guy into the GCPD a couple of years ago during Maroni’s last turf war,”  Dick pointed out, motioning subtly to a man across the street.  Instantly, Bruce’s attention shifted, and his previous focus forgotten.

“Yes, we did.  We must be close.”  With that, the two zeroed in on their mission.

Later that night, Dick was sitting on his bed after a boring night of stakeout patrol, his thumb gently tracing the lines of your face from the photo in his wallet.  A small smile lightened his face as he gazed at the joy brightening your eyes; he could hear the sweet sound of your laughter just from looking at the photo.  He’d long ago memorized every line of the picture, gazing at it whenever he missed you, which was pretty much whenever the two of you were separated.  Before he fell asleep, he placed the picture back in his wallet with the utmost care, it was his favorite talisman after all, it had to be treated as such.

5th time:

“Congratulations on wrapping up your mission, Master Dick,”  Alfred spoke as he prepared lunch for the family, Dick leaning against the container next to him but just far enough to not get in the older man’s way.

“Thanks Alfred, I’m just glad it was a fairly quick and clean round out,”  Dick confessed with a smile.

“I’m sure you’re anxious to return to Bludhaven,” Alfred noted, with a slight inflection in his voice that made it clear he was implying something.

“Ha, yeah, I’m sure everyone’s missin’ Nightwing over there so it’ll be good to be back,”  Dick tried not to acknowledge the raised eyebrow or side eye being cast his way.

“And I’m sure some are missing Dick Grayson even more.”

Dick was silent, a pregnant pause fell over the kitchen before Dick sighed in defeat, “How long have you known?”

Alfred’s lips twitched into an almost imperceptible smirk, “A few weeks ago, I called you to ask if you’d be available to attend Miss Cassandra’s ballet recital, but someone else picked up the phone.  I may not be active in the field anymore, but my deduction skills are far from rusty, Master Dick.”

Dick rolled his shoulders, trying to grapple the wave of complex emotions washing over him at this moment.  Finally, his secret was out in the opening, something that brought him both relief and a new feeling of fear.

“We’ve been together for three years now, living together for one and a half,”  Dick provided without prompting, now getting more and more thankful he had someone to share these details with; and who better than Alfred?

“I’m assuming this partner of yours is aware of your night job?”

Dick laughed, “Oh yeah, there was no hiding that after I opened some stitches along my stomach while we were watching Love Island.”

“And are you happy, Master Dick?”

Dick was quiet for a moment, a soft smile like none the family usually sees slowly lighting up his face, “Like I’ve never been before, Alfred.”

“And when do you intend on telling the rest of the family?”

“Uhhhh that’s a great question,”  Dick rubbed his neck and forced a laugh, “Soon, maybe…” 

He honestly wasn’t sure yet.  Alfred knowing about the two of you was one thing, but the rest of his collection of loved ones was another thing.  He just wasn’t sure if he was ready to make that announcement, make it so real.

“Well, I’m happy for you, Master Dick, truly, to see you at such peace is a reward.”

“Thanks Alfie, I really am at peace, it’s one of the nicest feelings I’ve ever known.”

Suddenly, Jason, who’d been eavesdropping for pretty much the whole conversation burst through the door with an animation uncharacteristic of him, “I knew it, you are dating somebody!”

[arbitrarykiwi]

Track 4: Pretty Lies

Thanos / Choi Subong (Player 380) x Fem!Reader

── .✦ Part of Kiwi's 1k Album Event

Warnings: 18+ , sfw , reckless driving (I don’t condone it , don’t do the shit I write) , vandalism , mutual pining , stalking ish (?), he’s crazy she’s crazier trope , just some lovesick idiots tbh

Thanos knew he was fucked when he set his sights on you.

He was the typical bachelor playboy of your shared college, many of the girls on campus knew him well- spouting nothing but praise in his endeavors in the bed. He really shouldn’t have an issue talking to you!

He was a smooth talker, had a thick ego that made him exude confidence and a reputation to match, and an aura that commanded attention. He can’t think of one time he got rejected!

Theoretically, he should have no issue walking up to you at this party and trying to talk his way into your pants. But there’s one major issue- you are so much like him.

A wild card he’s taken to call you. His ego wouldn’t let him admit you were intimidating.

You were rambunctious, sociable, down for almost whatever and more often than not were at every single party Thanos attended. You were also open about your sex life, maybe not as promiscuous as he was, you weren’t ashamed that you had short fun flings!

Pretty eyes. Pretty face. You seemed so perfect your smile had to be hiding something. No matter what it was, Thanos genuinely couldn’t care. He surmised that you could smile at him and give him that pretty doe eyed look you always had and tell him that you killed a man and he’d just nod and say “yeah, whatever you say beautiful!”

You were addicting. A drug he hadn’t even tried but was fixing for.

So Thanos used all his suaveness and made it a mission to get you all to himself.

Unluckily enough for Thanos, it worked. And he had you. But he would have never been prepared for the tornado that was you.

He was used to being a free person, getting together with women who were so docile and ditzy that he could do things- like dance around the idea of commitment and make the line between dating and ‘just fucking’ so blurry that those women couldn’t get mad at him for ‘talking to someone else’ when he wasn’t even dating the girl.

But you? You didn’t put up with that shit. And unknown to Thanos, despite your calm exterior and easy going demeanor you thrived on revenge. You scared him a little. But he couldn’t get enough.

He really did it to himself, he should have known better.

It was weeks of nothing but hot and heavy fun and affection, you drove him wild and kept him on his feet. Thanos had probably been at your house three times out of the week, you two had gone out multiple times and Thanos was pretty sure he’s sent you 200 messages over the past three days. Yet, there wasn’t any labels- you two weren’t dating- at least that’s what he thought.

It started when he casually flirted with a girl in his science class. Bio chemistry. He was failing, hard. Harder than he was before he met you. He needed help! So Thanos, being Thanos, decided the only way to get his grade up was get in good with the nerdy girl that was always the teachers pet.

He gave her his number, sweetened her up a little and got her to write his midterm thesis. It wasn’t even something that lasted more than a week and he wasn’t even sure how you got wind of it. But you did.

Thanos was wrong to think you wouldn’t care, but to his defense you saw the texts he exchanged with the girl in his class- he’d text her openly begging her for answers with an ungodly amount of cute emojis while you’re curled up on his chest. You said nothing.

But that’s how you worked. Meticulously and in silence.

He had left his apartment to head to the gas station. He needed a new vape. Tossing his keys in his hand and whistling leisurely to himself, he makes his way down to his car. If it wasn’t for the street lamp that was conveniently placed right near his vehicle he wouldn’t have seen it.

The whole drivers side of his car is keyed.

‘U Thought. Ur mine.’ The letters sratcjed into the paint and metal over and over. The real kicker? A carved heart next to your first initial. You weren’t even trying to hide that you did it. You were making a statement. It was like some fucked up love letter.

And oddly, Thanos liked it. It only made you hotter to him. Barking out a laugh and running a hand through his hair, Thanos is hopping in his car. He doesn’t pull out to go to the gas station though, he’s grabbing his phone and going straight to your number.

‘Did you really key my fucking car?’

Almost instantly, like you were waiting for him to find what you did and see it- you respond.

‘lol yeah.’

Fuck, you were perfect.

‘Come over?’ It’s typed out with such speed and memorization that it’s sent in under a second.

‘Ur a freak. Be there in an hour. Have one rolled for me, handsome?’

Sure enough, when you arrive at his house he’s scooping you up into his arms and carrying you right to his bed, placing a blunt between your glossed lips and lighting it.

You weren’t even trying and you had the man whipped. You were the first person to keep the rambunctious rapper on his feet. From waking him up by pounding on his window to go on a drive (he wasn’t even sure how you got his address then- he had only been to your house when that happened), to showing him an abandoned house in the woods he would have never thought to explore- You had Thanos head over heels.

You also didn’t go out. He’s tried. So many times. You never went to any parties or any of the bars and clubs that your town hard to offer. For the most part you were a homebody. Thanos knew you had to be damgerous when he knew that even know you never went out- you seemed to know everybody.

You would talk about people with him that he knew didn’t know you yet you seemed to know some of their darkest secrets. How you obtained any of this information he had no idea but the image of you being some ghost in the shadows, knowing all about everyone but no one knowing anything about you- it made you all the more attractive.

For once in his life Thanos felt excited by the promise of continuing to see you. You didn’t bore him like his other one-night stands did- if he was like a firecracker you were like the lighter that lights the whole box he’s sat in. You had him whipped.

‘Quit that shit.’

Its nearly 3am

You’re looking at your phone, more than confused. Sat at home alone, getting that text from Thanos made no sense.

‘??’

Fuck, even the way you text is attractive to him. Always so short, like he’s the one who has to work for it for once. It drives him mad but fuck he loves it.

‘You’re doing witchcraft or something idk. doing that manifestation shit, thinking of me while you’re fingering yourself or whatever.’

Completely alone, you’re choking out a laugh and re reading the text over and over. Sure, you often got yourself off to the thought of him- the man was good in bed! But when he texted you, you were balls deep in a tiktok rabbit hole. You were hardly doing anything to bewitch him to think about you.

‘It’s cute you think I care that much.’

The second he sees your message come in he’s groaning and tossing around on his bed. Thanos is clutching his phone to his chest and giggling. What have you made him into?!

‘C’mon pretty girl u know u miss me’

‘Wanna see u.’

You’re smiling at your phone, pausing to respond when you see the three little dots pop up, he’s texting again.

‘Don’t do me like this, sexy…it’s been too long’

‘It’s literally been half a week. Ask another one of your little gfs’

‘Okay and? I want to see u I don’t have any other girls, mamacita- just u’

You’re cringing just the slightest bit at his choice of pet names but something about it just works for him. You’re practically giggling like a maniac at your phone now, as much as you’re stringing him along, playing your little game, you’re just as whipped as he was.

You’re texting back, ‘Down for a drive? Be ready in 30. I’ll pick you up.’

And you do.

Thanos waits outside his apartment eagerly, nearly booking it down the sidewalk when he sees she holographic wrap of your car turn down the road. He wastes no time hopping into the passenger seat and clicking his seatbelt in place.

“Hey pretty girl~” he coos, looking you over. Giggling softly and smiling, you’re meeting him halfway over the center console in a heavy kiss. It’s slow, full of tongue and spit. The kind of kiss that rips the breath from your lungs so violently but is so addictive you never want to pull away.

In your month of the little fling you’ve had with him you two have learned each other so well the kiss is exactly what you both need and crave, a perfect dance of your lips that makes your mind fill with static.

You pull away slowly, teeth pulling at his bottom lip. Sat back in the passenger seat, Thanos is breathless, trying his best to keep his mind and body under some sense of control, “easy now, sweetness..we’re gonna spend the whole night in the back of your car if you don’t simmer down.”

You roll your eyes coyly, “looks like you’re the one who needs to simmer down.” With no shame, your eyes are dropping down to the very obvious tent in his pants, “so easy~” you tease.

Thanos scoffs and adjusts himself in the seat, grabbing at the crotch of his pants and moving the fabric to make it less obvious how much you affect him, “Awhh, Don’t flatter yourself.”

He keeps his eyes on you as you shift the car into reverse and begin to drive off.

“So where we goin’, baby?”

“Nowhere in particular, jus’ driving. I can’t want to just have you keep me company?” You reach over and poke his cheek. He’s snatching your hand and placing a kiss on your knuckles.

“You could kidnap me, throw me in your trunk, kick my knees in and I’d thank you.”

You have to place both hands on the wheel with how hard you laugh, “Oh??! Is that so?!! I’ll keep that in mind for our next hang out.”

For at least 30 minutes you just drive. No destination. The windows down and the sunroof open, wind whips through the car and meshes with the music you have blasting through your stereo.

Thanos can’t stop looking at you. The way your hair whips around from the wind, the way you mouth along to the song, one of your hands out the window and riding the wind in waving motions, the yellow streetlights lighting you up in slow strobes as you pass by each one.

In all regards you were picturesque.

The music blaring, no one on the road as far as the eye can see and a long stretch of straight road, this has to have been out of a movie.

“Hold the wheel.”

“Huh?!” Thanos says, looking at you with a dumbfounded expression. He can’t decide if he misheard you or didn’t hear you at all and made it up.

“Take the wheel f’me” You’re reaching over and grabbing his hand out of his lap and placing it on your steering wheel, “You got your license, yeah?” You’re putting the car in autopilot, keeping the speed limit.

You give him one more look and he has no moment to answer before you’re unbuckling yourseat belt and standing up. You’re nimble, climbing up onto the drivers seat until your upper body was out the sunroof.

Arms in the air, you’re giggling and screaming the lyrics of the song out into the air.

In that moment, Thanos realizes a few things. One) you might actually be a bit insane Two) your wild nature was what made him even more obsessed with you, and Three) you were singing the song that he had showed you when you two first started hanging out.

He should be afraid, this isn’t exactly safe. But, he wasn’t exactly the most law abiding citizen.

Thanos is barking out a laugh and beginning to cheer for you. Leaning over the center console more he’s placing one hand on your hip to keep you steady and the other hand keeps the car where it needs to be. He’s singing along with you between laughs. He’s never felt more alive.

You’re singing along, screaming the lyrics out into the air like they’re a prophecy to be told to the whole world. One of your hands is dipping back into the car and sliding over Thanos hand that splays across your waist, interlocking your fingers and giving his hand a squeeze.

You could punch him square in the face and not only would he thank you, he’d be the one to be giving you the boxing gloves.

When the song fades out and the next one on the queue begins, you bring yourself back into the car and sit back down. In your seat you’re taking the wheel and falling back into driving perfectly, the car never jolting or leaving the lane. You did it with little to no effort.

Your cheeks are reddened, having been kissed by the wind and your hair is blown back and wild but goddamn do you look so good.

As he looks at you, then and there Thanos can finally understand the prospects of a relationship. He thought all of his friends who were in committed relationships were stupid. They gave up their individuality and had no fun. The longer he spends with you the more he realizes how wrong he had been.

“We’re almost there.” You say, looking over to him briefly with a pretty smile stretched across your lips.

“O-oh?” Thanos says, coming out of his internal realization and clearing his throat, trying to act nonchalant, “I thought you said that we didn’t have a destination.”

“We didn’t. But I don’t wanna bring you back home yet so now we do have one. ‘S it a problem?”

Reaching a hand over and placing it on your thigh, he’s shaking his head, “Not at all. ‘m all yours sweetheart.”

Another 10 minutes and you’re pulling into an excluded outlook. You’re turning off the car and hopping out before Thanos can even unbuckle himself.

When he meets you at the edge of the cliff you smile so sweetly at him and point up, “it’s the best place to see stars. No clouds and it’s so high up”

A wild card like you so enthralled by stars, looking up at the gimmering dots like a kid who’s being handed a lollipop- it makes him chuckle a bit. He’s following your pointing finger and sure enough, you’re correct. The stars are so bright and he feels close enough to the sky he could touch them.

You’re making him feel like a kid again. Who the fuck were you?

Your eyes are torn away from the sky when he’s grabbing your face and pulling you into him.

Face cradled in his hands, the kiss is needy and desperate. It’s like he’s trying to memorize every part of you. Tongue licking along your bottom lip you’re parting for him instantly. With the taste of you flooding every single one of his tastebuds, Thanos is gasping into your mouth.

Pulling away, he’s resting his forehead on yours and heaving shuddering breaths, “w-what the fuck did you do to me…” he laughs.

Nuzzling your cheeks against his hands you’re giggling along with him, “Put you under a spell.”

He laughs, placing another quick kiss against your lips, “You’re laughing but I just know you put a nicotine pouch in your lip when we fucked and would make out or something. You’re too addicting.”

“I can say, for sure I didn’t do that…but I’ll keep that min mind for next time.”

“So will ya let me take you out? Maybe we can make this a thing?” A painted thumb brushes against your bottom lip, wiping away the spit that remained.

“I figured this was a thing since I keyed your car.” You giggle. “…but I should go to class tomorrow so pick me up at 3:30?”

“You actually gonna go to class, princess?”

Your face scrunches up as you try not to smile, “okay, okay….probably not.” You admit bashfully.

“Hm. Thought so. So you’re staying the night at my place then?”

“Yep.”

Taglist: @namsgyu @nuttybeans @namgyucat @g1rlonthe3internet @reilapse @yuuumeee @thanosspills @thequeenbmulan @infinetlyforgotten @gothinlove @seaweef @lov3lycosmos @lunaryoongie @thecryingangei @dennsfz @pugh-bug @ykmeoryoudont @mari-18s-world @corrdelia @skinstickets @chosangwooswife

[cupcraft]

Can I rant about why I dont like when people say they hate toy breeds specifically chihuahuas especially because theyre "mean" "aggressive" "evil" "rats".

Im not a dog behaviorist by degree or anything but I am a bit passionate about dogs and their behavior AND ive grown up with a chihuahua. So im no scientific expert i just want to rant as a pet owner sort of person.

Chihuahuas and toy breeds at large often behaviorially have big boundaries in their breed. I sort of see it like this that imagine youre that tiny and the world is huge, being loud is one way to assert boundaries and your place in that world (growling). I often also see dog owners that just worsen the fear and anger in their toy breeds by never training or socializing them. Thirdly, in my experience, people dont respect chihuahuas boundaries. Chihuahuas are not just attacking people because theyre mean. Like any dog, a bite is an escalation of boundaries being broken.

I think to own any dog breed or any animal you have to know their individual personality ON TOP OF breed typical behavior. Chihuahuas specifically bond very closely to one or two people in the family unit. They are sweet loving lapdogs who play and enjoy time. Many even can be socialized to like others. Mine growing up didnt like most guests so we made sure to tell people to leave him alone. They only time he ever bit a guest is when they pet him and ignored MULTIPLE warnings from the dog (growls, body language, etc). My chihuahua growing up also did not like kids, which isnt nontypical for that breed I believe, and it wasnt till i was 13 he decided I was an adult and loved me. I only got bit as a child once. As a baby/toddler my mom never let me into his personal space (when it wasnt on his terms) and when I was an older kid I was taught pet boundaries very early. I broke his boundaries once and he bit me (I was okay) because I was like "lol im 5 and my mom's not here (she was using the bathroom) she cant tell me what to do".

Idk if that makes sense but to me toy breeds are tiny dogs with large expressions of boundaries and people often adopt them not knowing that (esp bc they're so sweet to their person) and dont train or socialize them (worsening the problems) and then outside people disrespect their boundaries over and over and wonder why the dog is aggressive or mean.

And i hate when people call them rats or "just get a cat". Rats are not gross for one and toy dogs are NOTHING like cats. Very few dogs by breed standard have catlike traits one of which is a large dog, a husky so 😭.

So I guess im saying when youre adopting dogs, even mutts, its important you work to train and socialize them EVEN IF IT IS DIFFICULT (not every breed is instinctually going to magically heel like a border collie or Golden). And it is important to learn your dogs boundaries and respect them and have guests respect them. And also know if they like kids OR NOT and keep that in mind. Little dogs are wonderful and I wish people would respect them more. And if you want a more extroverted little dog breed they certainly exist too! Because trust me these same people would adopt big dogs and wonder why they have behavioral issues too, because they fundamentally lack understanding of behavior respect and socialization.

Dont even get me started on the people that thinks cats are evil standoffish ans mean too. Is it that the cat is standoffish or does the cat not prefer strangers and you keep trying to hold it till it attacks you. "It hissed"...yes a hiss isnt mean its a verbal thing meaning "stay away please!". "Your cat bites when I bite its stomach" maybe...it doesnt like that 😭😭???

Anyway animals have complex social behaviors like humans and they communicate those in many ways. Yes there are some very few animals that do not communicate boundaries before a bite/attack and this is a true behavioral issue often due to years od trauma in animals that requires patience and rehabilitation or medication. Most animals give warning signs before escalation, there's no such thing as an inherently evil animal. You need to learn animal language before owning. As an owner you need to communicate your pet's boundaries before you let visitors touch them. If youre meeting a random stray or store animal, approach gently and assume nothing. Do not just grab and reach in and question why it got mad and is "poorly trained".

And respect toys most of all. Theyre wonderful breeds and sweet and cute. They deserve our respect and love too. And no you dont havr to own one but yes if your friends ever get one do please respect them.

[nanastrait]

About Fumiya Yuigami (結神)

1 . Are you named after anyone?

My name is Fumiya Yuigami (結神) – "Tied by the gods," symbolizing a fated connection beyond time. Yuigami = “Bound by the gods”, “Tied through divinity”, or even “The knot of fate woven by spirits. My parents chose Fumiya (文哉) because they hoped I'd be someone who respected words, who could listen carefully, and maybe write the things they themselves didn’t know how to say. It wasn’t a flashy name, but to them, it felt elegant. It felt quiet, steady, and a little bit wistful, like the boy they imagined holding in their arms. They gave me the surname Yuigami, inherited from my mother’s line. Not many people know its meaning “to be tied by the gods”, but to my family, it simply reminded them that people are always connected.

2 . When was the last time you cried? I can't remember.

4 . Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Rarely. Sarcasm is a lazy mask for honesty and I don’t enjoy pretending I don’t mean what I say.

5 . What's the first thing you notice about people? Their silence. Not the absence of words, but what they're trying not to say. That's where truth lives.

6. What's your eye color?

Dark brown, nearly black. Someone once told me they looked like old ink

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Neither. I prefer endings that echo the ones that leave something unfinished, because that’s how real stories work.

8. Any special talents?

I have a memory that doesn’t always belong to this lifetime.

9. Where were you born?

In a small town near Nago, in Okinawa. Nothing dramatic — just a quiet neighborhood with cicadas in summer and salty air that sticks to everything. I grew up near the sea, but I didn’t really appreciate it

10. Do you have any pets?

A grey cat named Shiro. He’s quiet, always watching. The elders say he only appears to those carrying a karmic burden.

11. What sort of sports do you play?

I practice kendo. It's not really about winning it's more about focus, control, and showing up with discipline. There’s something clean about the sound of bamboo striking, like your mind can’t be anywhere else.

12. How tall are you?

About 1.82 meters.

13. What is your dream job?

Systems engineer, maybe. Or something where I can build things that work better than they did before software, structures, plans. I like when things make sense. And I like being the one who makes them make sense.

Thanks for tagging me @mingternet. I did also Fumiya version! Hope you guys are interested in Fumiya and is quiet but cool personality! He is INTJ btw ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡

I would like to suggest @sehanmii, @seasimss, @vanilanous, @chocbee, @lunelfy, @peachandjujube @toyuets4

[sunfish-exotics]

do you have any tips for picking up watercolor? I've got all the tools and I've been trying to get started, but I'm having a challenging time finding good starter resources that aren't videos.

I'd be happy to do a mini tutorial for you! I also don't always learn well from tutorial videos, don't get me wrong- they can be very helpful but if I'm watching a video I prefer to just watch people paint and pick up new techniques through observation.

I will start off by saying (while I hate the term "self-taught") my only real art instruction experience is from public school art class and I never took any classes for art in "higher education". So! This is just bare bones basics for what I consider essential steps to learning watercolor.

First step- kick Cricket out of the studio. She is so helpful and not annoying at all when trying to work.

Ok so for this mini tutorial I'm using a very basic master's touch fine art watercolor pan set. It's great for practice and travel, and I also use them for less saturated colors in some of my pet portraits. First thing I do is arrange the color pans in a way that makes sense for my brain.

Here's the paper I'm using, I highlighted the most important terms when buying watercolor paper (besides feeling the texture in person)

Cold press vs hot press - cold press is textured, hot press is smooth

The lbs rating - basically the higher the number, the more paint & water the paper can absorb without falling apart or buckling.

This paper is very textured and rough but again, good for practice.

Once you have your paper picked out I would swatch the colors. Different papers absorb pigment differently so I like to try to swatch on whatever paper I'm going to be using for the final piece. When swatching it's also a good idea to do them on a value scale- with watercolor the more water is in the mix, the more transparent and lighter the color will be! Need more saturation? Use less water.

For paintbrushes I use a big variety, but these are really nice to have for watercolor imo. The big mop type brush is excellent for large areas of wet paint.

^ these are my baby brushes I use for most of my pet portrait work.

The other techniques for watercolor that are pretty essential to get used to and utilizing are wet on wet and glazing.

wet on wet involves wetting the paper with a clean brush and then adding wet color to the area for really smooth blends and interesting textures. I use this mainly for very subtle color blends and background fill. This is also called wash / washing.

glazing is adding color(s) to dry paper and then allowing it to dry before adding another layer, which will create unique colors in the spots where combined. This is the technique I use the most! it does involve some knowledge of color theory but you can also learn through doing just as well I think.

Don't be afraid to experiment and practice with silly little doodles!

Starting new mediums can be scary and I tend to treat new supplies too preciously, but that also will stagnate growth! Don't be afraid to "waste" supplies and make mistakes, it's how I learn the most anyway.

[thesimselfsworld]

oc interview tag game

1 . Are you named after anyone?

Birth name... no. Alias, yes. I was named after my specialty, so I am called "Love."

2 . When was the last time you cried?

This is an incredibly inappropriate question... It's none of your business. (15 minutes before the interview, because he was mad about his hair)

3 . Do you have kids?

Does it look like I have kids ? Do you see any children around ? Engel (the younger brother-in-law) and the twins (the younger cousins, Lily and Luke) are enough. I rarely have the house to myself these days because of those runts. And Engel never wants to stay at the guest house because it's "scary." Please. Grow up.

4 . Do you use sarcasm a lot?

No. I am very polite. *Francis scoffs in the background*

5 . What's the first thing you notice about people?

Their auras. It's the only thing I can see until I remember their shapes.

... I can see your aura, too. It's pitch black. You're not a very good person, are you? (He may or may not be trolling)

6 . What's your eye color?

*briefly opens his eyes and closes them again* Green. But they weren't originally this bright. It's a byproduct of my magic.

7 . Scary movies or happy endings?

I don't watch movies.

8 . Any special talents?

My specialty is love magic. I suppose for more mundane things.... A strong memory runs in the family. It's a blessing and a curse. I'm also fluent in multiple languages due to my mother's pushing. Don't get any ideas. I won't demonstrate for you.

I suppose there are other things....

9 . Where were you born?

I was born in Sprucederry Grove, Innisgreen, but my mother and father moved to Britechester when I was very young, so I was raised there instead. A pity, really. I have no desire to visit my birthplace anymore.

10 . Do you have any pets?

What part of "Engel and the twins are enough" wasn't understood by you ?

11 . What sort of sports do you play?

I don't play sports.

12 . How tall are you?

A little over 6'0'ft''.

13 . What is your dream job?

I don't have any of those. I've always been able to exist doing as I please without the shackles and responsibility of the job market, and I'd prefer to keep it that way if possible.

That said, if push came to shove... I suppose ... No. Nevermind.

Hmph. Is the interview over ? If not, I would prefer to be interviewed by someone more competent. You're boring me.

Thank you for the tag @sugarcoatzzz. Mind you, this is Love in a decent mood and trying to be polite.

Tagging.... anyone who reads this. Go for it. I wanna see what your ocs have to say.

[yandere-fics]

♡ Raphael Steals Theanna's Darling During The War ♡

(A slight variation on the war au where instead of being brought along as an advisor, she is left behind to take care of Theanna's darling during the war because the queen has tried escaping multiple times already and Theanna winds up regretting that choice so much. Alternative title: Theanna gets fucking cucked. Or Good End War AU Raphael)

The war really was the best thing that ever happened to Raphael in her opinion, she had always had a certain fondness for the queen that she had to hold at bay, the best case scenario was her being driven away and unable to see her sunflower again which would be agony to her, at worst she'd be killed. While a vampire, there were always people strong enough to kill a vampire at court who held loyalty towards the king and would slay her if they were to ever discover how Raphael really felt. But now all of her biggest threats were away! She could almost dance as she went about preforming her tasks for her dear queen. No more stupid knights, no more court mage who was always somewhat suspicious of Raphael's attentiveness towards the queen, and no more king who foolishly left Raphael to ensure the queen wouldn't attempt to run away during the war. To be honest she hadn't been so bold in her affection before, she did love you but you being the highest lady in the lands felt like a good place for you to be, but you'd run off several times, you clearly weren't happy with this. She didn't want her sunflower to be unhappy and who better to make you happy than the vampire who worshipped the very ground you walked on. Her original plan was to take you away from the castle until she discovered the thing underneath the garden, she'd been told to give it a potion monthly to keep it's power subjugated but she much preferred letting it grow so whenever the foolish idiot king did return, she wouldn't even be able to make it back to the queen. The thing was now Raphael's pet, which meant by extension it was her walking goddess's.

Most of the palace staff had been let go as well, the nobility still within the palace was more than free to keep theirs but there was no point in a lot of them when she was more than willing to do every task for her. Beyond that she couldn't really have them seeing her dropping a bit of her blood into the vines that swarmed the palace as she walked around, they might try to run off to the temple and ask the chosen one to do something about this awful curse on the palace. For now all anyone had to know about the vines was that they were there because a rule hadn't been crowned and they needed to crown the queen fast to make it stopped, everyone readily agreed to it.

"Raphael, you seem very happy today." She still cried the same amount but now it was the biggest smile on her face, honestly this war was a great thing for both of you, you got to usurp power, declaring yourself the only monarch of the kingdom with those left behind pledging loyalty to you out of sheer terror, and also because of the vines starting to overtake the kingdom when the thing was left completely unchecked and Raphael got to see her precious sunflower be even higher up than even that stupid king now. You were even so generous as to let this foolish servant worship you at night.

"How could I not be Sunflower, my queen is finally getting the respect they deserve." Everything was perfect, you as the most powerful person in the kingdom and her a loyal servant kneeling by your throne who had made it happen. Soon she'd turn you and you could drink on your former wife who didn't even deserve you to begin with.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get married Raphael, I can't really ask for a divorce yet though, we'll have to wait till the former king dies." Raphael could care less about that, as long as she got to hold you at night then no one else really needed to know about your relationship, plus she couldn't have people attacking her Sunflower for getting remarried, she'd die if her relationship to you did you any harm. She did plan on telling the former king when she returned though, the look on Theanna's face when she described in detail everyone in the castle she'd worshipped the queen would be priceless. Honestly if she got any happier right now, she was probably going to go comatose.

[biteyoubiteme]

I was so very excited to read this when i realized it was a familiar fic, ive always loved reading books, watching movies that have the concept in it and this was so so so good, i actually did not realize it was coming to an end i was so engrossed and emotional im sad it ended but this has to be one of the best things ive read on here. It was so atmospheric and warm, warm in a fall, dark, and moody kind of way that comes with reading dark academia and this was kinda hinting at that for me. Your writing style is so pretty and i know you said you wrote it well over three years and i could not tell, all of it flowed so well together. Anyways i loved this ><

Your magic has been weaker lately. You can feel it like a dwindling fire inside. Everything that should be easy is difficult, and all that was once difficult has become impossible. Not only are you half the witch you were, but you also feel like half the person you know yourself to be. Looking dazedly around the room, you try to calculate how long it’s been since it began. It began a few days past the last occurrence of the full moon. Was that a week ago? In your mind, you try to pry the blur of days apart, but since most of them have been much the same – lethargic and hazy – they seem unintelligible from one another. Ugh i love the way youre setting up the lore here, i love your writing style.

At your feet are the tracks of your dear companion; little paw prints still sunken into the soft dirt of the path that leads from your door to the garden gate. Stop this is actually so cute. 

You would be able to see every emotion of his in those eyes if you weren't able to feel them for yourself through the bond. "I didn't mean to be gone so long, o-or go so far. I lost track of time, and I was coming home but..." He trails off as he senses you aren't upset, your calmness washing over him. He sighs and leans back into the cushion of the settee tiredly. There's food in his belly, he's warm and cozy, taken care of, and most importantly, home. "I missed you." ugh i can feel the warmth and welcome, you made it so cozy. 

and, he’d pointed out, what was he to do with a pair of shoes once he’d shifted? Carry them around by his little cat mouth? Lmao stop now im picturing a cat with shoes in its mouth ;-;-; my own cat brings me her toys and im just seeing that lol 

If you were to lose your life, Hyuka would soon follow after. But if Hyuka were to die, you'd go on, your life forever missing one integral piece. Other familiars might come, perhaps, but they wouldn't be Hyuka. Hyuka, with his superstitions about ravens, scowling at them through the window as if he might pounce through the glass even in his human form. Who always muttered in his sleep when he went to bed with a full stomach. Whose soft snoring you had come to be unable to sleep without hearing across the hall. The small black bundle of fur with glowing moon eyes he shifted to and fro, always making you laugh as he strayed from the path his human counterpart had told you he would take the minute he saw a butterfly; chasing them always seemed more important to the cat. You were sure you'd still see his phantom running around the house and garden for years to come if he were to be taken from you. All you can do is what you have always done; do your best to protect each other and hope that fate will be kind. Stop i love this so much and i actually started to tear up, with real tears, i love their bond that they have ;-;-;

“I’m sorry I took it,” she says a little breathlessly. “I slipped it off while petting you when first we met. I don’t know why…” You can see her body growing heavier against the concrete of the porch, hear her breathing more shallowly. “Maybe I just wanted something to hold onto. Something like… a friend…” no this breaks my heart so bad, and knowing its mainly a token to show their bond so when kai wears it, its about reader, so its something closer to what she lost ;-;-

“She said this has been happening a lot, and getting closer to the village,” you say in an almost whisper, as if the trees might overhear and spread your words. “Do you think… do you think we're safe?”-A brisk chill blew across the clearing, as if the very wind itself was relaying a warning. -He meets your eyes and you find there a cloud of emotion and determination like you've never seen. When he replies, his voice is rough but firm. “We'll make sure of it. We'll lay low. At the first sign of trouble, we'll leave.” -You nod solemnly. “I'll do everything in my power to protect you,” you say, as if it needs saying. -“I know,” he replies in a gruff voice, and you feel your shared feelings of protectiveness intensify as his grip on your hand tightens.-As he takes a step forward, you fall into step beside him. He leads you out of the clearing, back through the forest, towards the village – towards home. Neither one of you lets go of the other's hand, both silent once more as you trek home in a flurry of emotions and anxieties, wondering what the future holds, and grateful to have each other. Ugh i know this is a big just block of text ive copied over but this is just so good, i loved every bit of it, i dont know why when i read like soulmates it sometimes feels so proformitive almost but reading this or about any familiar really it feels lived in, like its something deeper, i dont know if that makes sense but i love it so much. 

Safe & Familiar - Huening Kai

Synopsis: When your familiar goes missing, you set out on a search, only to find danger is brewing (I’m no good at writing synopsis)

Warnings: death, grief, brief mention of imprisonment and someone being killed (slowly so maybe torture?), reader is a witch so themes of magic, eludes to the beginnings of some considerably dark historical events 

Author's note: Finally finished! A little ashamed to say this took three years when hardly anything happens in it, but life happens and other ideas come up, and my writing brain doesn't always want to co-operate. This is a story I was really excited about when I started it and couldn't wait for it to be done to be able to post it, so I hope it's a good read because I enjoyed writing it. I was halfway through writing this when I lost someone special, and I thought it wouldn't get finished for a lot longer due to that. Surprisingly, the grief spurred me to work on it and I ended up able to use my own feelings because it matched the character’s thoughts. If it feels a little bare-bones or disjointed, it's because I worked on it on and off over three years including when I had lost my writing mojo but just wanted to get it finished!

Word count: 4.7k

At the break of dawn, with the first light of day intruding through the windows of your room, you decide to give up on the idea of sleep. Proper rest has evaded you for weeks, slumber slipping from your grasp as soon as you seem to catch it. You feel ragged and rundown, drained and lackluster, and you know the cause.

Your magic has been weaker lately. You can feel it like a dwindling fire inside. Everything that should be easy is difficult, and all that was once difficult has become impossible. Not only are you half the witch you were, but you also feel like half the person you know yourself to be. Looking dazedly around the room, you try to calculate how long it’s been since it began. It began a few days past the last occurrence of the full moon. Was that a week ago? In your mind, you try to pry the blur of days apart, but since most of them have been much the same – lethargic and hazy – they seem unintelligible from one another.

All you could clearly and vividly remember was the day that ended with the full moon. Watching your familiar disappear past the front gate, tail flicking between the garden shrubs, and then gone. Then you'd begun preparing for your own full moon rituals. It had been the same as every month before. Except that your familiar had not returned come next morning, and had not returned since. Every full moon phase the cat would go, called to the natural world, to explore, to hunt, bathe in the moonlight, instincts leading it out into the forest, part wild animal. It'd never been away from you this long, always returning home by mid afternoon of the following day.

Pushing yourself up from the still cold mattress, you walk to the doorway of your room, from which you can see through the open door of the room opposite. Once again finding the bed inside empty, you breathe in a sigh. Despite your misguided hope, you had not expected to see anything otherwise. Exhaling deep and slow, you resign yourself to what you know; that something is not right, and that it's time for action.

Not bothering to eat, for you have no appetite, you wrap a shawl around yourself over the clothes you have not changed for days, and slip your feet into a pair of boots. With one last look around the strangely empty quarters, you step out into the brisk early morning air. 

The light of day is hidden behind a substantial layer of cloud, casting a grey gloom over the garden. At your feet are the tracks of your dear companion; little paw prints still sunken into the soft dirt of the path that leads from your door to the garden gate. Closing your eyes, you visualize the animal leaving that day, before you'd closed the door behind it. You focus on the feeling of the cat and the empathetic bond that you share, searching for the tether between you. 

There – you get your first instinct of where you should be headed, though vague and foggy, and step onto the middle path into the woods, trampling through layers of pine needle and shredded tree bark, scanning the landscape of rocks and trees. As you walk, you try to reach out through your bond, asking for a sign. The cold bites at your face, and you curse yourself for leaving it so long, for not gathering your remaining strength to search earlier. Your familiar knows its way around, never lost – you know that. If it had not returned home, it meant something was stopping it – something has certainly gone awry. Why have you not forced yourself into the forest sooner?

The wind in the trees makes it harder to listen out for movement, creating noise all around you. The chill of the breeze tries to distract you, make you focus on yourself, the feeling of the cold settling heavy into your face and limbs. A few times you almost stumble clumsily as you look around you and not at the placement of your steps. As you venture further and further still, pushing your weary body along even while it begs you to stop, you feel something; a faint presence not far away, though there is no living being in sight. Unconsciously, you pick up your pace, ignoring the exaggerated ache of your legs and feet, eyes straining and searching, until suddenly, you stop. Your eyelids close of their own accord.

In your mind you see yellow and orange leaves making the transition from green to red, different from the foliage of the trees around you that remained a deep green. You caught a fleeting scent of moist soil, as if it had flown by on the swiftest of breezes, shivering as the phantom sensation of cool water dripping down your neck tickles your skin. Water.

Without another thought, you instinctively turn in the direction you know there is a stream in a glade. You find yourself almost at a run now, your body despises you for it. As the evergreen trees around you thin, you see the yellow-orange leaves of the liquidambar trees ahead. You begin to feel another pain, a pain that is not your own. 

Approaching the stream, eyes trained on the plants around the bank, you see black shapes against the greenery. Shapes that, as you grow closer, focus into birds. Sleek black feathers and beady eyes – five of them. Your mother had always tried to teach you the symbolic meaning of the number of crows one came upon, but you can't remember now, for better or worse, which number meant death or misfortune or good luck. You shoo them away, making them clear out, screeching their loud piercing calls, a blur of feathers and a racket of strong flapping wings. Finally, as they fly off, you lay eyes on your closest friend, laying in the shrubbery. 

Your heart pulses as you take in your familiar's unkempt state. The cat's midnight black fur is damp in patches and ridden with leaves and twigs from the forest floor. The yellow of its eyes is less vibrant than usual, and less attentive of the scene around it. Not until you stepped closer, until the two of you made eye contact, did the animal's eyes seem to focus. Worst of all were the cuts and scratches to its face and body. Whipping your shawl from around you, you carefully scoop up the cat, eliciting a pained ‘orw’ from the poor creature. 

"Shh, we're going home," you soothe as you wrap your shawl around it. 

----

The house is warm and welcoming, and relief washes over you the moment you step inside. The cat is sleeping in your arms, having relaxed into you on your journey back, and you can sense how it has missed your presence, that it feels safe once more with you. You feel considerably more stable and capable yourself. 

Placing the sleeping bundle on the settee by the fire, you leave the room to fetch water and some cloth. The kitchen is in disarray, having had no strength or desire to see to any of your chores since the last full moon. Thankfully though, the bread you bought last week is still good, and you grab it on the way back. 

"Ah ah," you scold as you enter the room and find your familiar halfway off the settee. 

Dark eyes look up at you, the bloody cut across his nose shining in the firelight, your shawl falling over his shoulders, no longer big enough to keep him warm. "Sorry," he says quietly, bringing his foot back up off the floor. 

His wounds don't look as severe on his less tiny body, but they need to be cleaned nonetheless. You hand him the chunk of bread as you set the dish of water on the table and sit on the space of floor in front of him. You hear his stomach make itself known at the sight of food, catching his eye as he chuckles with a small smile. Oh, how you've missed that smile. 

Being home again is doing him good, giving him more strength and allowing him to shift. He would not have been able to shift to his human form at all while he was out there alone and injured, away from you and your magic. Your bond causes you to depend on one another, and though other magic users found this frustrating, you felt that it made the magic that you did use more meaningful. 

One hand clutches at the edge of the shawl and readjusts it around himself as he eats, eyes watching your fingers dip the cloth into the bowl. You should have brought a blanket, you realize, but then you feel the warmth of his skin as the hand you use to press the wet cloth to his arm comes in contact with, and decide the fire is enough. 

"You scared me, Hyuka."

His chewing stills as his eyes find yours; those big innocent eyes that let him get away with even more in his human form. You would be able to see every emotion of his in those eyes if you weren't able to feel them for yourself through the bond. 

"I didn't mean to be gone so long, o-or go so far. I lost track of time, and I was coming home but..." He trails off as he senses you aren't upset, your calmness washing over him. He sighs and leans back into the cushion of the settee tiredly. There's food in his belly, he's warm and cozy, taken care of, and most importantly, home. "I missed you."

Images play in your mind of when Hyuka had come into your life. You had begun to have dreams, more vivid each night until he arrived, of paw prints through your house. Then one morning you'd opened the door to a ball of midnight fur. He had been nervous about how you'd feel about him being a shifter, and shy when it came to revealing his human form, but he needn't have worried. He'd come to you just when you needed him and you grew alongside each other. Now you could not do without each other, magical bond or no. 

His hand moves to the back of his neck, a well-known habit of his. His eyes grow startled as he feels the absence of leather cord, his hand flying to his throat to confirm the loss. "My... my charm… Do you have it?"

"No," you answer. You'd been too worried about getting him home to notice his accessory was missing. 

"I must have lost it in the tousle… a wild cat picked a fight with me," He looked down at a scratch on his forearm as he spoke with a scowl, as if mentally cursing said animal. 

You knew the charm was important to him—it was special to you, too. It was a long running tradition amongst magic users to give their familiars a token of their bond. Not only as a symbol of the connection, but for other magic folk to determine familiars on sight, give them shelter or aid, accept or send messages, or follow them to their human counterpart if they were in need of help. "We can go and look for it. Maybe in a week, when we're both back to our best, hm?"

Hyuka agrees, his eyes back to their usual warmth and calmness. As you tend to his cuts and scratches, he watches the fire, his mind wandering back into the forest. He'd gone further than he'd ever been, and if it weren't for his cat form's senses, he probably would have been lost. 

"There was another familiar in the woods," he says suddenly, remembering more as the haze of hunger lifts and the warmth of home settles into his being. 

Hands stilling their work, your eyes lift to his face. You had lived in this area your whole life, born and raised and never left, and never met another magic kind—not one you weren't related to. "A familiar? Are you sure?" 

Hyuka nods, looking solemn. "I had walked a long way. I must have been halfway between our village and the next. I was about to turn back and make for home, but I spotted a house. It was abandoned, I think. But... there was a woman."

Sitting back on your heels, you listen intently, fingers worrying at the cloth in your hands subconsciously. "At an abandoned house? Was she a squatter?"

"She was using the shelter. She was weak. I could tell she'd been through an ordeal. She was like me. A shifter, I mean."

Blinking in this information, your mind begins to rush with possibilities. Has there been someone else with magic close by all this time? Just a walk through the forest? Could you have had a friend, someone to share everything with? To exchange notes about herbs and spend traditional holidays with? Just the thought of it made your chest squeeze with longing. You had Hyuka, of course, but a familiar was different; an extension of yourself, in essence.

“Was she separated from her witch?” you ask, intrigued. “Was she lost, like you?”

You feel his mood dip lower before he even formulates an answer. “No,” he answers, eyes blinking faster, the way you knew he always did when trying to keep his composure. He looks off again, remembering. “I’d never met another shifter before, you know. What they say is true; I could sense that she was one, and she sensed me too. She talked to me, told me I’m more lucky than I know to have a bond. She told me I should go home.“ You notice a longing in Hyuka, just as you had felt moments before, perhaps a little stronger now. “She told me her witch was dead. She knew it would be her turn soon.“

Moving on instinct, you get up from the floor, planting yourself on the settee beside him and clasping his hand in both of your own. “That's terrible.”

He looks at you again, with sorry eyes and a heavy heart. If only you could take it away for him. “I wanted to do something to comfort her, to be able to say something, but…”

“You couldn’t shift to your human form,” you finish. Hyuka nods. As ragged and tired as you are, the feelings of desperation and distress you feel, both your own and shared, outweigh everything else. “Do you think you could find your way back to that house?”

His eyes light up a fraction. “But you need to rest and–“

“We can't just let her die all alone out there.” You feel your frazzled nerves sparking as you speak, mentally preparing yourself and what little strength had returned since your reunion. “Someone should be with her. If you’re up to going back again.”

Hyuka stands faster than you can blink, almost knocking over the dish of water at his feet.

–---

 Leaving the house with Hyuka in human form alongside you is something new. While his animal side was a keen adventurer, as a human he was somewhat of a homebody. As someone who could change himself from man to animal, Hyuka didn’t own a single pair of shoes. You’d offered to buy him a pair in the beginning, but he’d refused. For one, he never planned on walking around outside of the house as a human, and, he’d pointed out, what was he to do with a pair of shoes once he’d shifted? Carry them around by his little cat mouth?

For the first time, you were witnessing his bare feet in the elements. The pine needles, broken twigs, stray stones and other natural materials that made up the forest floor didn’t seem to bother him the way it would your own feet. 

It was getting into the afternoon now, and the sun had made an appearance from behind the clouds. Hyuka was much easier to keep up with when he was a cat; his long human legs made for big strides, and while you struggle to keep the same pace, straggling only a few steps behind, you understand his haste. 

Fear creeps in as your mind wanders ahead. What if you were too late? You can feel the desperation in Hyuka, wanting to help even if it was just by being there for someone, even a stranger, in their final moments. You knew that if she was already gone, he’d be crushed. You would be crushed. Hoping against hope, you chant silent prayers in your mind that there is still time.

Hyuka turns to look over his shoulder at you as he dodges a stray branch that had already lost all of its leaves. For once, you can’t think of anything to say to him, so you give him a small reassuring smile which he returns, though you both know the other’s feelings like your own – there could be no hiding them. You both wanted to say something to comfort each other, and that knowledge was enough. 

The further you walk, the drier the surroundings grow, as if the place had been abandoned not only by people but by nature itself. Brambles catch on your clothes, dried needles crunch and snap underfoot, and the air somehow feels stale as your lungs breathe it in and push it out again. This was unfamiliar ground for you, and so different from the areas close to home you were used to.

“Almost there,” Hyuka announces as you pass the remnants of a broken down and weather worn horse cart.

Your heart squeezes with hope when you approach a clearing and a small cream coloured house with a faded roof comes into view. Sensing Hyuka’s pulse quicken, you attempt to slow your breathing and be strong for him – for the both of you. He was losing something that might have been too, but he was also seeing his fate first hand should anything take you from this world.

As the two of you draw nearer to the home, you can make out the figure laying still on the doorstep. The closer Hyuka advances, the more carefully he treads the dry woodland floor, so as not to startle the woman. A few paces from the step of the porch, he stops and calls out softly, “Hello.”

The woman’s weary eyes open, and or a moment she looks panicked, her body tensing, the expression of a scared animal wanting to flee crossing her features. But you can see she is too exhausted to make a move even if she wanted to run away. Your stomach pangs with the realisation that the woman is not far from death. To look at her, you can see how shallowly she breathes, as if each intake of oxygen is an effort. You wish with all your being that this was an ailment you could cure with magic, with some special brew, but there could be no righting her condition or her fate.

“It’s okay,” Hyuka assures her, his hands held out flat in what he hopes is a calming gesture. “We’re friends. Remember the black cat you spoke to?”

A wave of understanding and surrender rolls over her face and she physically relaxes. She must feel comforted by the fact that she is in the presence of her own kind – even as her eyes take you in, it looks as though she puts it together; a familiar and his magic user. You feel Hyuka relax slightly at her acceptance.

“What’s your name?” he asks.

The woman’s lips part, her tongue darting out to wet them before she speaks in a weak, hoarse voice. “Alita.”

“Alita,” you address her gently as you step wider out from Hyuka so she can see you in full. Her eyes are slow to drift over to you once more. “Where is your bonded one?”

Alita’s eyes fall closed as if recalling a nightmare. “She is gone.”

“What happened to her?” Hyuka asks. Carefully he steps forward onto the porch, and when Alita doesn’t look frightened by this, he kneels down by her side. You follow suit, crouching down next to your companion. Her eyes look broken as she looks up at the two of you, flitting between both pairs of eyes. There is a sadness there that you can only imagine. 

“They came in the night, the people of our village. Shouting and banging on the door, on the walls. So many men. A few women, but mostly men. They were angry – more rage and hate than I’ve ever seen in one person, multiplied many times over,” Her lips quivered as she found her next words. “They broke the door down and took her, my mistress. Dragged her from the house and into town, locked her up. She was locked up for days, and they wouldn’t say why. Then she was taken to the town hall. There were so many people there, even people we knew. People my mistress had helped. Everyone was shouting at her. They all looked at her like she was the most evil thing they’d ever laid eyes on. A trial, they called it.”

You watch as Alita shudders, a sign you recognise as the irreversible cold someone feels as they linger at death's door. Even if you had a blanket to give, she would not get warm. She would never be warm again.

“I’d name it a screaming match. They all shouted such terrible things, claimed my mistress had done things that just weren’t true. It went on for days.” Alita’s next inhale was so shaky and stuttered you thought she might’ve been choking until she spoke again. “They said they knew she was a witch. That part was true. It wouldn’t be tolerated, they said. So they took–” Her voice caught in her throat. Hyuka placed his hand comfortingly over hers which laid limp on the concrete of the porch. You could see the pain written all over her face, her eyes far away as she relived the whole ordeal, grief that she would never get to heal taking her over. “They took her away again, and they killed her. Slowly. I know because I could feel it.” 

She was looking at Hyuka now, and when you glance at him you see tears wet on his nose. You had never seen him cry. He always held it back on the rare occasion he got choked up. But in this moment, hearing this story, he couldn’t. “It’s been happening more and more in our town,” she continues. “We thought we’d be safe because we live just on the outskirts, close enough to visit but not really part of it. I thought we were safe because so many people appreciated my mistress's help. She always went to them when they asked for her.”

Feeling your own eyes prickle, you take a sidelong look at your familiar as he holds Alita’s hand. You imagine what it would be like if he were suddenly gone from you, from the world; to never again be able to look into his eyes and feel seen and understood; no longer feeling that connection, your bond severed, left feeling cold and untethered. A shiver threatens to take over as you consider your life without him, and you stifle a gasp as a pain throbs in your chest. Alita’s fingers weakly clench Hyuka’s hand as she sobs. You are so lucky, your thoughts remind you. Lucky he came into your life, lucky the two of you get along as well as you do, and that your bond is a strong one. Lucky not to be completely alone in the world and your little cottage. 

If you were to lose your life, Hyuka would soon follow after. But if Hyuka were to die, you'd go on, your life forever missing one integral piece. Other familiars might come, perhaps, but they wouldn't be Hyuka. Hyuka, with his superstitions about ravens, scowling at them through the window as if he might pounce through the glass even in his human form. Who always muttered in his sleep when he went to bed with a full stomach. Whose soft snoring you had come to be unable to sleep without hearing across the hall. The small black bundle of fur with glowing moon eyes he shifted to and fro, always making you laugh as he strayed from the path his human counterpart had told you he would take the minute he saw a butterfly; chasing them always seemed more important to the cat. You were sure you'd still see his phantom running around the house and garden for years to come if he were to be taken from you. All you can do is what you have always done; do your best to protect each other and hope that fate will be kind.

Alita turns Hyuka’s hand over and presses her palm into his with a weak squeeze, and Hyuka’s eyes are drawn to their touching hands with curiosity. Her hand slips away and he up-turns his palm to find a silver moon charm in a leather cord – the one he had lost. She meets his eyes with a slightly guilty look in hers. Her breathing is growing more ragged by the minute, her eyes losing more and more of their light, and you want to suggest that she save her strength, but you don’t want to deny her of her last interaction. 

“I’m sorry I took it,” she says a little breathlessly. “I slipped it off while petting you when first we met. I don’t know why…” You can see her body growing heavier against the concrete of the porch, hear her breathing more shallowly. “Maybe I just wanted something to hold onto. Something like… a friend…”

Suddenly her eyes go hollow, the breath draining from her chest. Hyuka just has time to draw back his hands before Alita’s body shifts one last time into her animal form – a grey dove. 

You take in a shaky breath, feeling so many emotions yet numb at the same time. Hyuka turns to you, his eyes wet, and presses his forehead to your shoulder. The two of you sit like that for a while, until you’re sure Alita’s spirit has passed on. Until you’re both ready to do what needs to be done. Then, you pick up the grey dove and follow Hyuka in silence to a nearby tree, the biggest one in the clearing. Using his hands, he scoops out enough dry earth to make a hole just big enough. You place the dove inside, then carefully bury her together, handful by handful. You place some stones to mark the spot, but don't dare to leave any likeness of a symbol of magic.

Standing side by side looking over the site, you grasp Hyuka's hand. The numbness has given way to questions and concerns, leading you to finally break the silence. “She said this has been happening a lot, and getting closer to the village,” you say in an almost whisper, as if the trees might overhear and spread your words. “Do you think… do you think we're safe?”

A brisk chill blew across the clearing, as if the very wind itself was relaying a warning. 

He meets your eyes and you find there a cloud of emotion and determination like you've never seen. When he replies, his voice is rough but firm. “We'll make sure of it. We'll lay low. At the first sign of trouble, we'll leave.” 

You nod solemnly. “I'll do everything in my power to protect you,” you say, as if it needs saying. 

“I know,” he replies in a gruff voice, and you feel your shared feelings of protectiveness intensify as his grip on your hand tightens.

As he takes a step forward, you fall into step beside him. He leads you out of the clearing, back through the forest, towards the village – towards home. Neither one of you lets go of the other's hand, both silent once more as you trek home in a flurry of emotions and anxieties, wondering what the future holds, and grateful to have each other. 

[thebad-lydrawn-sanses]

Can I pet errors teeth

[luna-loveboop]

I want. Four to get appreciation. Because

Four gave a ton of unnoticed help when Twilight was injured

The fight with Wild was difficult, and I know we're all concerned about his negative view of the shadow crystal

But Four did something that no one else really thought of to help- He took care of Twi's stuff

From the beginning he told Twilight to not worry about them

So Four took care of pretty much everything but the others (that Sky and Wars handled)

He took care of Epona

Which is so very important- he took care of Twilight's horse. After her arrival at the stable Four followed up on her

And for Epona, a horse so attached to her human, having some company can help so much for reassurance

He took care of Twilight's stuff

He got Twi's shield- his bags and equipment, and organized it into one place

And he was worried. He obviously found the shadow crystal while handling Twi's stuff, but his negative reactions to it were out of concern.

Also- because of his placement in this scene

I'm fairly convinced Four was ready to start cooking before Wild showed up (since he's beside the counter with food supplies). At the very least he had the basket of fruit out for everyone -but he was literally standing with food behind him- he thought of everything

And he did housekeeping!

Wars payed for the inn, so Four took care of the inn

Realistically these boys were probably not too concerned with tidyness. Four got all of Twi's things on one table, and took care of the room they stayed in

Organizing tables and Twi's things, having food supplies ready, and opening the curtains- overall he was the one tidying up the inn

Four helped in a huge way! He took care of Twi's horse (Epona is so important), his equipment and shield and bag, as well as the other rooms in the inn

Four filled in all the little tasks that others didn't think of. He helped in ways that were needed, but not obvious

There's a lot of problems with the shadow crystal and with Wild, and I don't know what's gonna happen in the future

But don't forget this- don't forget that Four was one who stepped up in an almost unnoticeable way

Don't forget that when everyone was barely holding it together, Four visited Twilight's horse and took care of his things

No matter what develops in the future- this amount of care shown is important ya know?

.

Art and comic from Jojo @linkeduniverse au :)))

[qoldenskies]

actually genuinely depressing that when people write april's mom as an actual character she's just kind of a one note Good Caretaker Mom... and like i know why this happens (let the the mammy trope dieee) but i still think there's a lot of untapped potential. im not saying she has to be a BAD parent but there are infinitely more interesting things you can do with april and her relationships with her parent(s), especially because she's WROUGHT with insecurity and is shown to develop a close bond with splinter, who she seeks out approval from, not to mention the absence of her likely working parents is so loud despite it never being mentioned as a reason for her issues, really.

april can take on the front of confidence because she's excitable and courageous but she is so deeply insecure. her being so tenacious despite that doesn't negate it. she notices how she doesn't seem to get along with other people and desperately desires balance between her love of the weird and her need for normalcy. april will work hard to fit in and she'll never succeed (also i really do relate to the fact that the one "friend" she has at school before likely sunita is kind of a creep that she doesn't like, can we talk about that more), and she does seem to find it frustrating that her only actual friends dont understand how that feels. being in the in-between point. wanting the best of both worlds and not truly fitting in either.

i think these are problems that can come with having a bad social life at school even with great parents, but unintentional emotional neglect due to being working class would be interesting, and parallel with splinter in a really fascinating way (+ they do say she has parents but i do prefer the idea of her having a single mom, more to be done with that. maybe they're divorced? that'd add something).

actually april's dynamic with splinter is really unexplored in the fandom because i do think there's a reason she finds his approval so validating,,, i think april's strong personality is mistaken for genuine confidence when it's really not.

SHE THINKS SHE'S A FAILURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[canisalbus]

I love the idea of Machete healing some unresolved stuff about himself because he realizes the things he resented about himself when he was younger are traits that Ear has but because he loves Ear it helps him to realize those traits aren't inherently unlovable. Do you think Machete or Vasco would be helicopter parents?

.

[auguryofjellyfish]

🤍

[depresseddepot]

I miss my special guy so much

[quetzalpapalotl]

Crack AU post Sins where Tarantulas figures nothing would piss off Prowl more than him getting together with Optimus Prime, so he asks Optimus to pretend to be his boyfriend and in exchange Tarantulas will reverse global warming or whatever Optimus needs for the humans to like him. Optimus agrees For The Sake Of Earth, and also he honestly does want to get back at Prowl. Prowl gets so mad he runs the risk of his own energon catching fire. Optimus is now Springer's dad #5

[omensofatimelord]

One of the most obnoxious things about the diet/'natural healthcare people' or w/ever they call themselves is how difficult it makes it to look up diets/supplements that might help certain conditions (obnoxious, not dangerous, and to be clear there are much worse impacts of this attitude). Like I have hyperthyroidism, which comes with a stupid high appetite and deficiencies in weird combinations for which supplements/diet changes might help mitigate some of the symptoms. Hyperthyroidism is also entirely treatable, although leaving it for long enough can be very very bad for you! So I'm waiting atm for a specialist (for about 15 weeks, yay our breaking public healthcare system!), but also Suffering (tm) and looking to help reduce symptoms in the meantime. BUT every single attempt at trying to work out what might help is undercut by some level of 'buy our magic snake oil cure-all' or 'this fully treatable (genetic) medical condition is your fault for Eating Wrong'. The ones that aren't are nearly all scientific articles, and I'm struggling enough comprehending scientific articles in my own field let alone a completely different one!