maimaily

[maimaily]

crying screaming and throwing up help

"I'm gonna pull for the wedding banner I don't think I'll regret it" well now you do Mai, what now

[maimaily]

the lads boys as kittens. 🌹 ‧₊˚ sylus

summary: You were living in your new apartment now, a free space for yourself, but maybe it was too free. You weren't quite used to the silence and loneliness of it, so you decided to welcome a little one to your home. After considering many options, a cat seemed adequate: clean, independent, wouldn't take much of your time like a dog… right?

characters: kitty!sylus (other characters will be posted separately), mc as reader.

a/n: cat breeds are selected based on the "Yes, Cat Caretaker" event. If there's any change, it'll be based on the appearance of each breed, but not its personality traits strictly. proofread but if there's any mistake please let me know! (eng isn't my first language). This one is gonna be long btw.

xavier 🢒 rafayel 🢒 zayne 🢒 caleb (coming soon)

Sylus — Caracal How did he get to live with you?

During the winter season, Captain Jenna assigned your division the mission of traveling to the periphery of the savanna, a crucial task for a recruit like you since it had the dual function of personal training and training for the hunters in the area, who had limited personnel and experience compared to the grand cities.

The camp, to everyone's luck, was well-equipped and the missions were not as exhausting; plus, the weather was pleasant enough to work in. However, one night, the onslaught of the Wanderers was greater, and communities nearby, in their attempt to defend themselves, caused a fire that spread rapidly, exacerbating the crisis.

The next morning, once the flames had been controlled and the locals were taken care of, you began patrolling the area with your colleagues to ensure there was no one else injured, continuing through much of the burned terrain. That was the moment when you found him.

He was just a cub, weak and on the verge of starvation. Even so, he showed resistance by hissing and pulling out his sharp claws when he considered you a threat. If it had not been for his critical condition you would have left him alone, simply taking him to a safer zone deep in the Savannah. Still, the obvious wound in his right eye prevented you from ignoring him.

With a few scratches and bites (which, yes, they HURT) you managed to take him to the nearest animal protection center. Some questions were asked while they started the examination of the rebellious cub who wouldn't let anyone come close that easily. Information about the place you found him and if it existed any signal of its mother in the nearby area was significant. The wildlife veterinarian concluded that it could be the case of an orphan, the hints being the location he was rescued from, which happened to be near the hunter's campsite, areas that caracals avoided due to the abundance of people around.

Thinking about it, the past few days you had been suspicious of some strange sounds as you trained or passed the time with your friends. Some unexpected rustling or scratching. And that time when a piece of meat disappeared from your plate… Could this little guy be the culprit? The idea made you chuckle, and you got a little closer with the permission of the vets, perhaps he was a little more familiar with your voice.

"Little man, we're just trying to help you. Everything will be fine, come on", you coaxed him out of his hiding spot behind the cabinets. It took you a whole ten minutes to catch him in your hands, wrapping a warm towel around him with a gentle tone and slow movements. He squirmed, hissed, and tried to bite again, but there was no opportunity now, he was in the hands of professionals again.

Maybe that was how your bond started.

After being admitted to the clinic, his condition gradually improved. Your visits were nothing new to the staff, because something inside you felt peace at seeing him in better shape each day, watching him sleep peacefully, and eat voraciously. The poor guy had surely spent a good while starving. Little by little, between frequent visits and growing confidence, the little one warmed up enough to play with you. He would run in the gardens and jump to catch the dangling cat wand that you used to carry around.

On a certain evening, during one of your visits, the head veterinarian approached you with a warm smile, his clipboard tucked under one arm and a practiced casualness in his step. "I was checking on his analysis from this morning, he looks a lot better than when you first brought him in, don't you think?," he said, leaning against the tree that protected you from the sun as you watched Sylus run around. "Is that so? He looks bigger now too, and it's been only a few weeks."

"Caracals grow quickly. And with a gentle person taking care of them, even more," he said, taking a step closer. You only smiled, looking back at Sylus who was flicking his ears. "I was thinking… You mentioned it was your day off, right? Maybe we- Ack!" The guy yelped in surprise as a blur of tawny fur shot from the shadows. He wasn't using his claws, but was firmly gripping his ankle, his good eye narrowing as his little tail flickered.

You laughed, managing to take him in your arms with care. "Sylus! You can't just do that, you scared him."

"Sylus?"

"Ah. The locals mentioned something the other day. I couldn't catch the pronunciation right, tho. But it meant something about greatness and… I thought it fitted him." The feline in your arms chirped and you returned to the main point of the conversation. "Excuse me, you were telling me something earlier?"

He cleared his throat, fixing his appearance a bit. "Ah yes. I… I was going to suggest transferring him to Linkon. They’ve got better equipment at the Wildlife Linkon Reserve, and I know the team there. They probably won't take him in immediately but… he's still young, you could take him with you, right?"

…Why did you always end up in these situations?

Four-legged threat. You became accustomed to the sound of things breaking and falling after adopting Rafayel. It wasn't always intentional, he just tended to be messy. But Sylus… he deliberately locked eyes with you, he CRAVED for you to witness his crimes, to watch how his paw slowly pushed over the edge of the counter your coffee mug, the way his sharp claws threatened to scratch and tear apart the bathroom mat (again) and how his teeth was just a breath away from munching on your chicken thigh. He didn't just love chaos, he was the chaos.

Hyperactivity is afraid of him. He jumps, and remember, caracals can jump over three meters (10 feet) with no impulse. So, leaving the balcony open was completely ruled out; the passing birds deserved a longer life far away from Sylus' claws (yes, it had happened before, and the bird had survived… barely). He likes to run, and caracals are also unbelievably fast, so he does these marathons from the kitchen to your bed, to your bed to the sofa and then you have to see the table he knocked over and the covers of your bed on the floor. You feel like taking him to the wild and making him run a whole day wouldn't be enough to tire him out.

He's BIG. You thought Zayne was big, I mean, Maine Coons were large cats… but now you can't help but feel that Zayne looks tiny by his side. He takes almost half of the couch, your bed, your whole damn desk when he climbs on it, the cages you use for the rest are comically small for him, and carrying him is a chore that tortures your back health. If Zayne could talk he would complain with you about how he's a victim of his fat ass 💔 (Sylus has picked out the habit of crushing cuddling Zayne with his enormous body. Zayne barely stands him, Sylus probably thinks he's hilarious). He takes the best spots on the bed, by the way, and Xavier is not having it.

Chonk. The change of being in the wild and living in a small apartment with another 3 cats led him to move less. And his diet couldn't change, so, over time, he became a bit chonky. You couldn't deny he looked adorable with a little pooch belly (which he sometimes allowed you to scratch and pet), but you also knew that wasn't healthy. Taking him for walks outside was nearly impossible, that'd be irresponsible and people could get scared, but you had the solution: a new exercise wheel! It was huge, and he ran so fast you were almost scared he'd accidentally centrifuge himself… Don't worry, he was back in shape in no time.

Food thief alert. Rafayel and he are very much alike in this topic with one difference: Rafayel steals your food and Sylus steals his. No, he shouldn't be eating regular cat food, yes he eats it just to be petty, and yeah, he acts smug about it. Probably just messes with Rafayel 'cause his reactions are madly funny, but something inside him tells him he should avoid Xavier's plate…

Scary dog cat privileges. No one will ever break into your apartment, trust me. And if you're dealing with some creepy neighbor at the door, he will calmly walk over and sit beside your standing form, yawn, and not even hiss. Seeing those fangs as he yawned was enough to get you out of your uncomfortable situation, isn't he such a good boy? If you're too scared to take out the trash at night he'll also accompany you to make you feel safe. He has never attacked anyone, but wouldn't hesitate to do it if you were in danger.

Actual cutie :( Deep down Sylus is just a really silly and sappy guy !! Please don't get intimidated by his looks, he'll literally cuddle with you on the sofa, letting you pet him for hours if you wish and he PURRS. LIKE. AN ENGINE. He likes to rub himself against you so you smell like him and he smells like you, likes kisses, nose boops, chin scratches, and if you're lucky you can touch his ears. If he doesn't let you, it ain't personal: caracals have sensitive ears (a lot of muscles there!), so too much touch can overwhelm him. You can always admire his little ear flicks when he's focused either way!

His favorite place to make biscuits is your belly. The softest dough he'll ever knead, and if you have a bigger belly? Please, you'll make him feel like he won the lottery. He rarely shows this kind of affection and, even if it hurts a little because of his natural strength, you're not interfering in the process. He'll purr as he kneads and lick your hand if you reach out to pet him.

Another mighty thunderclap tore through the skies, momentarily deafening the sound of the drops hitting the terrace floor and the shaky windows. It was the third day of this great storm, this one being so strong that going to work was out of the question, so you stayed home. Having four cats was not exactly synonymous with boredom, though. Xavier missed bathing in the sun, Rafayel wanted to play in the rain, and Zayne... well, he actually just wanted to nap.

The most restless of them all seemed to be Sylus, pacing around the apartment with an annoyed look, as if tired of waiting for something thrilling to happen. The first thunder he heard got him excited, making him perk his ears in alert, and jump onto the window seat with wide eyes. He tapped the window when the first drops of water hit the crystal, reminding you of the times you did “drop races” as a child, anxious to see if your selected drop of rain would reach its “goal” before your friend’s one did. 

But now, after three days of non-stop raining, it no longer caught his attention. Until now, apparently. A gentle growl and a nudge on your shoulder made you turn to look at him. “You want to get in?” You asked, lifting the blanket you had been using to cover yourself as you sat on the floor in front of the balcony doors, admiring the storm. “Come on, let’s see the rain together.”

With a warm smile, you welcomed him to cuddle with you, him taking a seat by your side and closing his eyes as you scratched the space between his ears. The comfortable silence of your home, combined with the chilly weather, brought you closer to him. You welcomed the storm with quiet gratitude. And, with all your being, you hoped it would last just a few more days.

It was the only way to postpone it, at least for a little while.

ᯓ★ A few days before

You were at work, mindlessly sipping coffee as you reviewed some documents on your laptop for your next mission, when the notification sound of an email brought your attention back. But after clicking on it, your hands didn’t move, you didn’t even blink, and the room suddenly felt too cold.

Subject: Wildlife Release Authorization. From: Linkon’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Considering the successful follow-up of the rehabilitation treatment, and the notoriously improved clinical results and professional evaluation, candidate 943 “Sylus” (Caracal caracal) has been considered suitable for reintegration into the wild. We kindly request that you confirm receipt of this email, as the candidate's presentation is scheduled for the next five working days.

Just after reading the body, you closed the tab and let the email bury under the endless pile of new ones. You knew this would happen someday. But you’d think about it later, after work, maybe, or tomorrow. Just… not today. 

You returned home late, dragging your feet, but not exactly in exhaustion, at least not a physical one. You followed your nightly routine, spending some time with your precious kitties before going to bed, and you found him there, curled up over the soft covers with his usually sharp features completely relaxed. Trying not to wake him up, you got closer and booped his nose, giggling at his little ear flicks and his paws moving, as if trying to find you. “Sleep well,” you mumbled and lay down beside him, your hand caressing the smooth fur of his back. 

You weren’t ready to say goodbye.

“Now… go!”

The next day, you stayed home. Full of energy and with a ton of free time, you built an obstacle course for Sylus. This was a common exercise for him as part of his treatment and training for his injured vision. It helped him build a stronger spatial awareness, kept him active, and improved his visual coordination. “Good! Good, great!” You cheered with enthusiasm as he finished the entire course without bumping into anything, eating with delight the treat that awaited him at the end of it. “You’ve gotten so much better, Sy. You looked awesome—”

But your enthusiasm vanished with the memory of that email you tried so hard to ignore. Maybe, deep down, you wanted to prove that Sylus still needed some time, for his own safety! He could still use a week or two, or maybe three, or… or you could simply accept that you knew from the start this was bound to happen, and sooner or later he’d need to return to his natural habitat, and you shouldn’t have bound with him as you did.

A grumble got you out of your thoughts.

“Oh my god. Yes, yes. I’ll give you another treat.” You looked down at him, rolling your eyes at how he pulled the fabric of your pants. “Jeez, you’re so greedy.”

You still had four more days, yet parting as soon as possible might be the best thing for everyone. After thinking about it too much, tossing and turning as if feigning dementia gave you hives, you decided to start packing. His medical reports, leftover medication, his documentation, and some things that, once returned to the wild, he would never use again, such as the toys he pretended not to want so much, but ended up using perhaps to amuse you. You weren’t sure if he was aware of what would happen soon, yet he seemed restless, flicking his tail constantly and looking through the windows almost in annoyance.

The day you decided you’d take him to the center was when the storm started. The perfect excuse. But as mentioned before, it wouldn’t last forever.

Your eyes then opened as something heavy lay on top of your back, pressing you against the mattress more than you’d like. “Ugh…” You squirm, only to see a big paw right on your cheek and a warm, steady breath tickling your neck. “Sylus…” You complain, trying to move him, but it only seemed to make him cling more to you. 

“Caracals are solitary creatures”, they said. “They prefer to be alone and aren’t as loving as other felines”, they lied to your face. Sylus was the dictionary description of clingy and needy. He picked up this habit when he was a cub. And I repeat, he was a cub; he barely weighed more than two kilos after growing up. But now? He was easily ten times that weight. However, this time, you allowed him to stay like that. The alarm would go off in an hour, you could endure it.

But what you could not endure was what happened in the next few hours; you never imagined it, but the image of Sylus, the once-wounded little caracal you rescued and cared for for months, fussing and hissing inside a cage while the vets took him away, broke your heart. 

“It’s for the best, he will re-adapt to his habitat, please do not worry,” someone said to you, but you didn’t see who. You just stared at the vast valley that would serve as Sylus’s temporary home until they reintegrated him into the savanna. The lump in your throat signaled it was time to go home; you didn’t want to cry in front of everyone. So you went back the way you came, took a couple of steps, and suddenly you heard the rattling of the metal grating that divided the protected area from the outside. Curious, you turned around one last time, and what a surprise when you saw that tawny fur jump over it, high as never before, getting out of the valley.

“Sylu– Ah!” He landed on top of you, making you fall hard, and you thanked the floor, which was all slippery mud, for preventing you from getting a contusion. The caracal licked your face after pouncing on you, like a little treat for letting him catch you, and suddenly, the tears slid down your cheeks. You hugged him tightly, giving kisses to the top of his head, earning a little grumble from him that made you laugh. 

Perhaps your bond had grown too deep for a clean goodbye, and parting was a language either of you had ever spoken.

© MAIMAILY. Please do not steal, copy or plagiarize this work. Likes, reblogs are comments are greatly appreciated!

Guys. I tried, I really did my best. I'm gonna admit that I don't love the final result, I feel that it was getting too long but this is the idea I wanted for Sylus. Yes, I could've forgotten the part of caracals being wild animals and just make him domestic, but I simply couldn't, lol. Sylus is probably ooc but pls he's just a caracal 💔. Regardless, I really hope y'all like it, I worked on this for days and did my best I SWEAR.

Thank you so much for your support on the series, the next one will be Caleb as the final part!

tag list ! @animegamerfox, @princessofenkanomiya, @aethercoreria, @thatweirdomidas

Dividers made by: @uzmacchiato, @v6que and @haecunt

[maimaily]

Canon things about Xavier that I think are funny and people might forget:

Tastes:

Loves spicy food but dislikes wasabi

Enjoys multi-culture foods as long as it involves meats

Dislikes extremely bitter things

Neutral on sweets, it isn't his go-to and doesn't often get them alone, but does occasionally enjoy them

Prefers savory, salty, and spicy

Alcohol tolerance is very high

Prefers beer

Not a fan of vegetables but doesn't mind them juiced

Favorite fruit is cherries

Home:

Has a massive two-person bean bag chair that occasionally he or MC nap on

Has a workout section of his house so he doesn't have to leave the house and can nap right after working out

Has a garden on his balcony with a few flowers, herbs, and frequently harvests strawberries

Prefers homeopathic and traditional medicine

Culinary:

Great at mixing drinks

Great at making coffee; the one time he messed it up for MC even he was surprised and blamed his coffee maker, it hasn't happened since

Good at cooking things that are cold (anything that doesn't require heating up), master salad and sandwich maker although according to 21 Days he's also improved in soup making!

Lifestyle:

Is extremely rich and philanthropic

Graduated with several degrees

Volunteering and side jobs to help backtracker friends, Jeremiah, and other older humans he's met through his lifetime

Commonly stops to help strangers

Despite oversleeping a lot he's never late (lucky)

Has become a morning person even waking up earlier than MC often

Is a ranked FPS player 😭 (He's platinum)

Has a lot of friends he goes out of his way to see often, outside of MC

Stopped practicing piano for a while

Occasionally helps out at a bookstore near the seaside Destiny Café

Holds on to a lot of nostalgic things, even if it's useless

Weakness for small children

Hobbies:

Glass blowing

Fruit and veggie juicing

Traditional calligraphy (masterful enough to teach)

Generally good at all video games

Undefeated in Pile Up

Fishing + Ocean fishing

Reading

Gardening

Poetry

Horror films

Can't stand cheesy movies

Is known to commentate over movies he's not enjoying (yes even if MC is present and enjoying it until she tells him up shut up.)

Bird watching

Music (Listens to a wide variety and also composes his own)

Collects vinyls and CDs

Photography (digital + film)

Fondant + cake decorating (don't ask him to bake it though he can decorate)

Absolutely horrendous at drawing but he likes to doodle

General:

You think he's soft but has ruthless comebacks

Won't hesitate to say no even if you beg

Makes time and effort to spend time with other friends

Often asked to babysit Frankie

Has had to kill off a lot of people who've turned on him, in order to protect MC

Prefers phone calls to texting

[maimaily]

da boys (this is my first time drawing them btw sorry if they look weird)

rafayel - majoring in fine arts (clubs; cooking/baking club, leisure club) has an art scholarship

wears glitter to class

hands has a small tinge of turpentine. theres dry paint under his fingernails too which takes him forever to get rid off so he hides it with nail polish

has like 10 tote bags, miniso addict

roommates with xavier whos a heavy sleeper which is good bc as an art student he stays up all night with the lights on and crashing out

xavier's also a good "time to eat" reminder

uses caleb and sylus for manual labor to pick up/carry his art stuff like plywood, canvases, easels etc.

always looks for zayne for anatomy advice: "are u sure arms can bend this way??"

finishes his art assignments in class then leaves

has the best fucking hair ever and he knows it, later inspired zayne to grow his hair as well

has matching fish flip flops with the boys

popular

xavier - majoring in physics, minor in astronomy (clubs; botany club, foreign language society, history club)

has slept on his glasses more than 3 times and had to change the frames so much the optometrist gives him discounts every time he comes bc hes considered a patron (useful for zayne as well)

the typa guy u rarely see around campus but is deemed a star student amongst the lecturers

just a swell chill guy. most of the time.

falls asleep to raf and caleb bickering

sylus' lizard/bugs catching buddy

could befriend the campus' ghost if he tried hard enough

will randomly drop the deepest life changing groundbreaking theory ever at the front of the class then refuses to elaborate

probably has 5 different degrees

hangs out in zayne/sylus' room a lot for galen bc raf doesnt allow cats

plans on taking over spacex with caleb one day

caleb - majoring in mechanical engineering (clubs; robotics club, leisure club, sports club) applying for a scholarship

still calls zayne gege

doesnt necessarily hate sylus, but still thinks hes a smug asshole

roommates with gideon whom he bullies a lot (affectionately)

collects any spare metal parts he finds at the side of the streets

has slept in the attic of the university's administration office before

skates around campus, falls a lot, a lot of bruises on his body

sends in 4 versions of his assignments out of paranoia (no hes never failed a class before hes just crazy)

talks to himself a lot

do NOT play uno with him

"sir, sir i'm telling you one day we WILL have neon genesis evangelion Eva suits ive done the math it's not out the realm of possibi-" "caleb go sit down before i call your grandma again"

keeps designing planes rafayel calls ugly

is the only one that knows about the truth of sylus' website

also popular

since these guys are a few years younger than snowcrow, they met through the orientation programs for the freshmen that sylus suggested they joined as facilitators for networking/making friends and stuff. caleb obv was the first they met bc of zayne, then raf and xavier. its also coincidental that their rooms are just a few spaces apart, which made them grew closer bc of frequent hang outs in each others rooms. then snowcrow had to rent a place outside bc their dorm year duration ended. hangouts still happen, just not as frequent. but they still meet through elective classes and clubs.

they play games together, go on road trips, end the term with hotpot and a lot of other wholesome stuff. ofc the 3 can sense the chemistry between sylus and zayne, and silently rooted for them. yes, caleb too. tho he did swore he would jump sy if he ever did anything to his gege. not like sy was intimidated by that in any way. but he played along.

caleb *did* seriously warn sylus about his website, talking bout how he shouldnt hide things from zayne if he really cared about him. sylus knows that. its not like he ever lied, zayne just never asked. sy knows he himself isnt bad natured, hes just young. young ppl do dumb shit. theres still plenty of time to fix that, right?

bruhhhh im taunting you feel my taunt im edging you with mystery ooooo whats gonna happen... hm.....

AU list

snowcrow uni au intoduction

nerd sy

singing class

sleepy boys

the loo

gym rats

nyam nyam

[maimaily]

oh. 😀 well, when I finish the series I will start with this.

I'm thinking about your kitty lads au, and I was wondering... are they all gonna stay cats, or is there gonna be a situation where they turn half-human/hybrid with their kitty features still in tact?

y'know... I was thinking of leaving the series with them as cats, buuut. If you're interested in half-human/hybrids, I could make the effort of writing about it 🧐 (it'd be my first time so I'd so some research first lolol)

[maimaily]

maybe this is too niche but, 100 años by Pedro Infante reminds me a lot of Rafayel and now I feel like writing something inspired by the song.

[maimaily]

Sylus in the most lethal, tight charcoal leather pants. He would absolutely be sinful in those pants. Large meaty thighs, tight calves and long legs striding around like the crime lord he is. That’s a recipe for disaster for Sylus girlies.

[maimaily]

it just hit me that xavier could have literally carried baby zayne in his arms because, you know, he's been on earth for like 200+ years. i don't really know how to feel about it.

[maimaily]

This reminds me of you! SMAU

you send them photos that remind you of them <3

(ive wanted to make a SMAU so bad but could never figure out a prompt... I might in the future take suggestions cause it's soo fun!)

Part 2 | LI Version

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

⭐ Xavier 🐰 & 🍐 Zayne 🩺

🐟 Rafayel 🎨

hes a chronic texter i couldn't make the conversation short 😭

🐦‍⬛ Sylus 🔫

🍎 Caleb 💥

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏ i wanted to be canon-compliant with the way they text so i also grabbed their stickers 🙇 thanks for reading! :D

[maimaily]

This reminds me of you! SMAU LI Version!

THEY send you photos that remind them of YOU! <3

(one or two memes felt mc coded so i wanted to do the REVERSE >:))

Part 1 | Part 2

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

⭐ Xavier 🐰 & 🍐 Zayne 🩺

🐟 Rafayel 🎨

🐦‍⬛ Sylus 🔫 & 🍎 Caleb 💥

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏ we found one or two that reminded us of mc and i HAD to make a version where they sent their own some of em are kiiinda weak but it's ok it was still fun!

[maimaily]

sharing some of my journal pages (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

I don't have experience with journals, pls be nice lolol.

the last page i edited is bugging, sigh.

[maimaily]

FRR I'm still debating if Xavier or Zayne is the last one on my list, but.

following the pattern, how does sylus qin fit in here. hua cheng doesn't count bc i like him differently than the rest of the guys here.

sometimes i wonder how the hell did i fall in love with sylus bc like. statistically. i was supposed to love zayne. it's not like I don't like him but why

[maimaily]

andy speaks: maybe caleb feels ooc idrk i dont beta my works but !!! silly girl dad caleb :P

“i’m gonna marry uncle zayne when i grow up.”

she—caleb’s sweet girl who just turned six—said it so casually. over breakfast, too. at seven in the morning, it’s the most important meal of the day and yet caleb feels like he already wants to wretch all that he’s eaten.

his heart breaks, spoon clattering to the table dramatically as he stares at his daughter, wide-eyed and jaw-dropped. his head turns toward you in disbelief—are you seeing this? are you hearing this?—feeling even more betrayed when he sees you laughing at his misery.

she didn’t even say she wants to marry zayne. instead, she worded it like she’s actually going to marry the man.

caleb clears his throat, trying to calm himself.

“marry…” he coughs once more. you hand him a glass of water. “uncle zayne? why him? i thought you said you wanted to marry daddy?”

“ugh,” she groans, as if it’s painful for her to even talk about it. “i was three, and you made me say that!”

"i did not! you said it because you meant it."

"no, i didn't!"

“i mean,” you quip, “zayne is a good man.” you grin at caleb, knowing damn well his mind is about to blow up. his two girls ganging up on him? this was not written in your vows.

“don’t encourage this, pip." he points a finger at you, his eyes narrowing. "you’re supposed to be on my side!”

you shrug with a teasing smile. “i don’t know, caleb. she has good taste.”

“good taste? he’s like—he’s so—” caleb gestures vaguely, trying to conjure up the perfect insult for zayne, but he’s got nothing. because even caleb, at his most bitter, has to admit zayne is a decent guy. irritatingly decent. frustratingly admirable. the worst kind of competition.

“he saves lives, daddy,” your daughter says in that small as a matter of fact voice. “you just press buttons and stare into space.”

“excuse me?!” caleb nearly sputters his coffee. “those buttons could change the course of interstellar flight and exploration for the next hundred years! i stare at space because i’m observing complex quantum variables in real-time—”

“boring,” she cuts him off, swinging her legs under the table and picking at her strawberries.

he gasps. greatly offended. hand on his chest and all.

you’re covering your mouth to hide your laugh now, barely holding it together as caleb collapses back into his chair like the tragedy of this morning has physically drained him.

“he’s too old for you, anyway,” he grumbles, defeated. “zayne’s like... over thirty.”

“you’re only two years apart.”

he ignores your comment regarding his age—gentle implications that he, too, is in his thirties and has just called himself old.

“ancient. he’s got gray hairs and his back hurts every minute of every day.”

he once again ignores the teasing glances you direct at him.

she hums, unconcerned. “that’s okay. i’ll just marry his son.”

caleb goes still.

his soul leaves his body.

there and then, he blows up. explodes like dynamite thrown into the sea. erupts like an angry, raging volcano.

“no! baby, you can’t do that! he—he doesn’t even have a son!” he exclaims, in complete agony.

you stifle your laughter to place a hand on his back, like that can comfort him.

“he doesn’t even have a son!” he repeats, like that’s the final nail, or maybe his 13th reason. caleb doesn't know anymore.

your daughter just blinks innocently at him and pops a blueberry in her mouth. “yet.”

and caleb, poor caleb, lets out a long groan and slumps face-first into the table.

you pat his back gently as he mumbles something about betrayal in his own home, cursing zayne, how dare his daughter turn against him, cursing zayne again, how he will never allow her to marry until she’s fifty, and cursing zayne one last time.

“you’re still my number one pick,” you whisper in his ear before kissing his cheek as consolation.

“tell that to your traitor daughter,” he groans, voice muffled by his own arm.

and just like that, breakfast ends with caleb’s dignity shattered, your daughter planning a wedding that doesn’t exist, and you—well, you’re just having the best morning of your life. (and caleb sending zayne threatening emails for the next two weeks.)

masterlist here!

[maimaily]

Sylus: Question. What if I see something I want to take but it belongs to someone else?

MC: If you take it, you'll be arrested.

Sylus: Yes. But what if I want it more than the person who has it?

MC: That is still illegal.

Sylus: That doesn't follow. No, I want it more, sweets- what are you laughing at? What? We can't have a discussion about this?

[maimaily]

sometimes i wonder how the hell did i fall in love with sylus bc like. statistically. i was supposed to love zayne. it's not like I don't like him but why

[maimaily]

idk abt y'all but...personally...I love the headcanon that Sylus was originally a few years younger than MC. (spoilers ahead for main story ahead)

In Death and Rebirth, we get a glimpse of the childhood they shared in an arena fighting wanderers to the death. Sylus asks MC, "What do you hate more, teammates who steal your points, or teammates who can't keep up with you?" MC responds, "You're so annoying! If you steal my points again, I'm throwing you into Tartarus!"

He sounds like he's trying to prove himself to her, and she sounds like she's fed up with a little brother. I imagine Sylus as a 10-year-old little shit who is completely smitten with 12-year-old MC. When you're 10, a 12-year-old feels so much cooler than you! Little Sylus is always trying to impress MC. Since he's a head shorter than her, he measures himself every day. When he grows just a centimeter taller, he's immediately informing MC. He just leveled up on the weight rack? Time to brag to MC. He's definitely throwing sand in other kids' eyes so they don't have the chance to impress her instead. Little Sylus is truly a tiny fiend.

MC is eventually stolen through the deepspace tunnel. She spends years dying and being reborn as a human experiment. Meanwhile, Sylus spends his life escaping Tartarus and crossing the galaxy to find her. Teenage Sylus is like young Han Solo. A loveable rogue. A jack-of-all-trades who has never met a spaceship he couldn't fly. He speaks broken parts of 15 different alien languages. His reliable talent earns him a spot amongst bounty hunters and drug smugglers in high-rolling crime syndicates. This is where he gains his street smarts and learns how to become the leader of Onichynus.

In the current timeline, I sensed that Sylus is supposed to be older than MC. That's probably because he continued his life in one straight line while MC was forced to start over and over again. Maybe she lost a few years along the way while growing up. That's why she's just graduating from the Hunter Academy and he's a mafia boss (significantly different levels of career development, lol). To Sylus, she's always been the cool, beautiful, out-of-reach older girl. Now, he's got the upper hand in age and size. He loves to tease her about it, calling her kitten and manhandling her like a sack of potatoes whenever possible. Despite his hard exterior, in their most intimate moments, Sylus is a huge softie, totally weak for his cool older girlfriend, on his knees trying to please her any way he can.

[maimaily]

i was a bit bored. have some templates. (⁠´⁠ε⁠｀⁠ ⁠)

no need for credits i guess