#I just got pet feeling guilty for drinking coffee so it’s a work in progress

[thefabulousfab-3]

Random ask to get to know you better lol: do you like to drink? And if you do, what's your go to drink?

I have actually never drank. I grew up in a religion that forbade alcohol so I just never have. Now that I am finally physically leaving that religion (I’ve been mentally out for awhile) I have thought about drinking, but it still feels illegal almost. It’s weird I know.

However, I feel like I would really like wine. I feel like it would be the alcohol the tastes the best. Idk how accurate that is but I think for my first drink it will probably be some type of wine.

[fairyoftbz]

rêveur | b. jacob

☕ pairing: (shy) pastry chef! jacob x fem! reader (with barista!kevin) ☕ word count: 4.2k (。_。) (oops i got carried away) ☕ genre: fluff, sort of slow-burn (more like jacob and the reader rejecting their feelings) ☕ tw: maybe some occasional swear words and one (1) mention of the reader’s ex but nothing too crazy.  ☕ synopsis: you find yourself always coming back to the café down the street where you absolutely loved the pastries and befriended the barista, but you’ll soon discover the culprit of your sweet tooth. ☕ a/n: gosh it’s long but i couldn’t stop myself writing for him 🥺 i’m just too soft for him. ☕ requested: yes! i hope it’s not too bad!

╰☆☆☆☆╮

No matter how hard you tried, the efforts you put to prevent you from coming back, you always found yourself going at the local café every single week. You didn’t understand if it was the atmosphere or the warmth of the place, but you always found yourself there. The fact that it was located just down the road gave you the excuse of hanging around there more often than you should.

You could be busy, studying for finals or hang out with friends, the café was always hidden in the corner of your mind. As soon as the street works ended, your neighbourhood became the most tranquil place you’ve ever lived in. All your neighbours were friendly and polite, sticking a little note in the lift to warn the other neighbours of a potential party or loud reunion, helping each other at any occasion. Some residents, including you, owned a pet, and you were grateful that none of them was a pain in the butt for the rest of the building. When you told your friends how quiet and different it was from your former apartment, they never believed you.

While some of them would have killed to study or sleep at a place like your current one, you always found yourself going back to this local café. This little, Japanese-like coffee shop became your new obsession over the months, randomly finding it once while you wanted to go to a flower shop at the end of this street. The employees were welcoming and caring, completely catching you off guard as you were used to going to Starbucks, where some baristas and waiters could use a good lecture about politeness and respect. In the small coffee shop, their goal wasn’t to make the most money possible, it was more to please people and make them discover new coffee or pastries flavours. Everything was homemade, and that’s what encouraged you to become their number one fan. The workers, especially one, started recognising you by dint of your regular appearances at the shop, remembering one of your visits.

“Morning Y/N! Caramel macchiato, as usual? Nothing else?” Kevin, the barista, greeted you with a smile, which you returned alongside with a nod.

This barista was a social butterfly, always striking up a conversation with everyone. And he didn’t care, he just kept going, even if the customers were rude or remained quiet. You were admiring because you were among the people that stayed reserved yet polite when he started talking to you, but his ease made you comfortable enough to joke and laugh with him, striking a conversation with him whenever you had the chance, quickly becoming friends over your many visits.

“Yes, please! I need a lot of caffeine today,” you murmured, and he sadly chuckled, understanding your great need for energy. “Rough night?” he asked, and you agreed again, chuckling as you realised how lame it was. “I assisted my dog being in pain while giving birth,” you explained, and the barista’s eyes widened, his mouth falling agape in excitement. “But that’s amazing! How many did she have?” he seized your credit card without even telling you the price of your purchase - in his defence, you were so used to coming here that you knew the price of your order by heart by now - and typed on his screen, closing the cash register in a slam as it randomly opened.   “She gave birth to four healthy puppies, they’re so adorable,” you replied, and the man in front of you smiled as brightly as you were.

“Those are great news! Oh, by the way, would you like to have a taste of the discovery of our pastry chef? You should have seen how happy he looked when he finished the batch this morning,” he explained, and you followed him to the window display, indicating with his finger what resembled a mille-feuille. “That looks nice, I’ll have one, then,” you stated as you were to hand him your credit card again, which he hesitantly took before looking at the back office. You asked him if something was wrong, but he shook his head with a smile and gave you a tray with your drink and the pastry. “Have a great day Kevin!” you thanked him while he washed his hands, head turning to you before shooting you a friendly wink. “You too, Y/N! And you can always tell me if you need someone to take one of the puppies, I’ll gladly adopt one. I only have to talk with my girlfriend first,” your eyes turned into crescent moons filled with joy at his words, and you lifted your thumb excitedly. He quickly waved before serving the next customer, his signature undying smile plastered on his face.

Comfortably sitting down at an empty table, you took off your coat and gulped a sip of your drink, your mouth salivating at the sight of the food. Grabbing the fork, you slid it against the pastry and brought it to your mouth, the sugary taste melting against your tongue. You ate more and more until you finished, almost tempted to go back to Kevin and ask him for another one. But you ignored your love of good food and started getting to work, getting a book and your computer out of your bag, touching up your project that you had spent a lot of time working on. It was one of the last things you had to do for university, and you were delighted to get it done to finally move on.

“Is everything okay?” You recognised the voice of your favourite barista, smiling as you watched him clearing your tray. “Yeah, thanks! Actually, can you tell the chef that it was amazing? I loved how incredible it tasted,” you explained, and Kevin smiled brightly, nodding. “I promise I’ll do it. Jacob gets so happy when he receives recognition, I’m sure it’s going to brighten his day,” nodding at you, he took your empty tray back to the counter.

Quickly saving your paper on your computer, you turned your head to the side to stare at the barista, smiling as you noticed him disappearing in the back as he called his friend’s name.

“Jacob!” Kevin spoke as he wiped his wet hands on his apron, his friend slightly flinching as the voice filled the silence he was used to working in. “Are we out of something?” the baker worriedly asked, and Kevin shook his head, a chuckle escaping from his mouth. “No, no, I’m just doing my job, being a messenger,” Jacob slightly frowned and stopped spreading yolk on the biscuits. “One of my friends, Y/N, came and ate the mille-feuille you made this morning. She said that it was excellent, and she wanted me to tell you,” Kevin explained, and the baker blinked a few times, the tip of his ears getting progressively red as he processed his friend’s words. “Thank you, I appreciate it,” the baker replied with a smile, peeking out of the back office to try and get a look at the customers. “Is she still there?” he asked, and Kevin peered closer, shaking his head as your seat was now found empty.

Jacob nodded and went back to work, a bit disappointed to not have been able to see you, hence the pout forming onto his face, but he was touched that someone complimented him on his skills. Of course, it was his job after all, but it always felt nice to receive compliments and validation that what you do is fantastic. Jacob wasn’t the most confident person in the world, so your words only brought him the daily dose of happiness and the credits he deserved.

You came back the next week, the atmosphere of the café had changed into something quite hectic, almost stressing you out when you came here to relax and chill out from your day at uni. Now that your project was done and submitted, you had some hours to kill before meeting up with some friends. Without even noticing, you arrived in the middle of rush hour, people jostling one another to get some pastries or a quick coffee before going back to work. You had to put back into place a businessman that tried to overtake you to place his order, feeling your heart hammering in your chest while doing so. The excuse of being in a rush didn’t persuade you, riposting that you also had to go somewhere so he went back behind you, breathing out of frustration to make you feel guilty, but it didn’t work. You only rolled your eyes and waited, smirking to yourself as the man behind you gave up and left, cussing.

A hand settled the pastries in the window display in a rush, people massing together to decide on their order. Kevin was all over the place but still an angel, a tired yet bright smile adorning his face. Once it was your turn, a man walked behind your friend and recognised the thin hands that placed the pastries in front of you a few minutes earlier. “Jacob? We ran out of chocolate chip cookies, we need a new batch asap, bro. We’re selling them like hot cakes.Y/N, hi, the usual?” Kevin said, and you looked up at the name, the baker stopping in his tracks and nodded, a tired look on his face. Kevin seized the opportunity to grab a chocolate croissant from the tray his friend was holding, wrapping it in a napkin.

Your eyes connected with Jacob’s for a second, his light brown pupils holding something warm and gentle towards you. He wiped the flour off his apron before quickly looking back at you, pushing the strands of hair away from his eyes before replacing his baker cap. He looked in great need of sleep, the bags under his eyes enhancing the empathy you had for him. He was handsome and adorable at the same time, your heart not being able to choose what side to fall for. The baker tiredly nodded at his friend’s request and disappeared, hearing him hastily get back to work.

“Oh uhm, yes, please,” you stammered, and Kevin smirked, humming in agreement, and typed on his screen. You shyly cleared your throat as your friend probably understood your train of thoughts since you weren’t so discrete in observing the baker, but thankfully, he didn’t raise it.

Once the rush hour had calmed down, and the coffee shop quieted down again, just like it was when you came last time, Kevin took his break with Jacob. The manager took over, leaving the two employees time to take a much-needed break and breathe for a while, gathering enough energy to make it to the end of the afternoon.

“It was her that complimented your mille-feuille,” Kevin revealed as he motioned to your table with a nod, where you were happily calling a friend and munching on the pastry the barista had placed on your tray.

Jacob followed his friend’s finger, and an honest, tired smile emerged on his face when he noticed how bright and sunny you looked. You looked so soft and nice to have around, making the baker wonder how it was to have a conversation with you. Eyes turning into crescent moons as you laughed at one of your friend’s joke, you failed to notice the employee looking in your direction, his colleague observing him out of the corner of his eye while sipping his iced americano.  

“She’s pretty, right?” Kevin mumbled, but Jacob didn’t hear him. “What did you say?” The pastry chef mindlessly asked, gaze trailing on your figure. “Y/N. She’s pretty, don’t you think?” Jacob’s eyes widened and stared back at his friend, who was giggling. “It’s okay, I’ll keep it a secret,” the barista nudged his tired friend in the ribs, finishing his drink. “You better,” his colleague finished his coffee, throwing the paper cup in a bin before going back to work, leaving a chuckling Kevin behind. “Why do I feel like cupid out of a sudden?” the barista mumbled to himself, a smirk appearing on his face as he stood up and went back inside.

The next week, as you hung around, you felt the same way of tension as soon as you stepped into the café as last time. Jacob was surprisingly serving customers, juggling between the coffees and the pastries baking in the back office. “H-hi!” you greeted Jacob, and he slightly froze at your word, greeting you with a bright smile. You were surprised when he didn’t even ask for your order, getting straight to work and wishing him a nice day as you walked to your usual seat. However, as you took your first sip, you felt your stomach churn and a disgusting taste landing on your throat. Shivers travelled down your spine as you swallowed the bitter liquid you recognised that belonged to the iced americano. A wave of memories invaded your mind as you remembered how terrible it tasted once you took a sip from your ex’s drink, who was addicted to this type of beverage.

Jacob got your order wrong, and you swallowed thickly several times, pondering if it were a good idea to add more stress to the poor baker’s shoulders by pointing at his mistake, but you couldn’t bring yourself to drink this no matter how hard you tried. You stood up and walked to the side of the counter, waiting for the people to get served before you caught the baker’s attention. You started to calmly explain the uncomfortable situation you were in to the barista, his ears became bright red as another customer came and seemed to have your drink in your hand. The customer got extremely mad as he was apparently in a rush, yelling and cursing at the baker.

“You are paid for doing this, how could you make an order wrong? It’s not that difficult!” the man exclaimed, and you noticed Jacob’s eyes darkening. You knew that he wanted to talk back to the customer, but he didn’t plan on getting fired, so he just listened and nodded. “Jacob, don’t worry I can wait, serve him first,” you said before walking back to the table after offering him a smile, noticing him nodding again and take the two drinks that you and the other man laid on the counter.

The baker cleared his throat as he arrived a few minutes later with your correct order and a slice of chocolate cake.

“I’m sorry for giving you the wrong order. I am the only one here because Kevin is on holiday and my manager was supposed to come, but he left me in the lurch. So… I’m a bit stressed out,” Jacob explained quickly, earning a reassuring smile from him. He swallowed thickly but felt a wave of relief crash onto him as you didn’t look mad at all.  “It’s okay, Jacob, it’s human to make mistakes. If it were another drink, I wouldn’t have said anything but I really can’t drink strong coffee. Thank you for the pastry, and uhm… good luck for today?” you said as he stood up, his tired eyes shining with thankfulness as he got back behind the counter. You quickly enjoyed your food and left after trying to wave at him timidly, but sadly, he didn’t notice you.

When you visited the café on the other days, he disappeared again in the back office, Kevin taking back the lead. There, with your caramel macchiato in hand, you started daydreaming about the pastry chef, his dreamy hands and beauteous face. You imagined romantic dates and activities you could do together, such as baking you new pastries before offering them at the coffee shop or even spending a day at the park together, a lost yet gentle smile on your face.

Everything about him made you dream. He exuded comfort, fondness, and warmth, his eyes always pearly with delight. Even a blind man would not have missed how amazing and passionate he is when it came to baking. You once overheard a conversation between him and Kevin, talking about a new receipt he found on the internet and how excited he was to try it out. His soft voice never failed to make you smile, his fluffy hair making you wonder how soft it was and how good it’d feel if you carded your fingers through his locks as you hugged him.

It was undeniable and inevitable, you had tried to deny those feelings during the past few weeks, but you couldn’t reject the fact that you had a massive crush on Jacob. Kevin gently teased you about this when his friend appeared, making sure to say his name aloud to catch your attention when you sat at a table, only to watch him quickly find a hiding place. You also wished you would see him more often, feeling quite defeated to see him escape your gaze as soon as he saw you. With the number of times you came to the coffee shop and saw your friend, your crush’s brief appearances weren’t enough to fulfil your little heart’s happiness. You wanted more of him, but, much to your dismay – and secretly Jacob’s – you didn’t know what to do.

“Ah Y/N! I talked with my girlfriend today, and I was wondering if I could adopt one of the puppies? I showed her the pictures you sent me, and she is all over the moon for this one,” Kevin said as he placed your order on the tray, quickly getting his phone out after checking whether some customers were waiting or not. “Yeah, no problem!” you smiled as you recognised the crazy, adventurous one. “I asked the vet, and he told me that they are old enough to be adopted. Is it okay if you come with your girlfriend within the next few days? I can’t wait for you to have one, they are precious!” you exclaimed but calmed instantly, heart hammering in your chest as your lovely baker appeared from the back office, visibly in a bad mood. He didn’t even glance at you, his attitude sent a pang in your heart, but Kevin just shook his head, winking at you. “Can we come tonight to your place? I’m excited to meet my future baby boy!” Kevin made sure that his friend heard, noticing that he was listening carefully yet discreetly, hence his movements coming suddenly to a halt. The barista gave you a knowing smile and kept on chatting with you as if nothing happened.

That night, someone knocked at your door, and you excitedly walked to the main entrance, happily greeting the couple, and welcoming them in, eyes widening as Jacob had tagged along.

“What a great surprise!” you awkwardly mumbled, and he nodded, his smile outshining the sun as you let them all inside. Kevin and his girlfriend were quick to follow the yaps of your dogs to her newborns, leaving you with Jacob, who was quick to grab your wrist gently to make you stay with him. You mindlessly smiled, but deep down, you were sure that Kevin did this on purpose.

“I couldn’t help but hear your conversation with Kevin, and I’ve always loved dogs, and since yours gave birth, I wanted to see them,” he explained, and you smiled, heart hammering in your chest. “Yeah no worries, you are welcome here! Let’s go see them before they steal all the puppies.” 

With Jacob on your heels, you went to the spare room that became your dog’s nursery, the couple already cooing at the black puppy as you slowly opened the door.

“Look how proud she is,” his girlfriend said, looking at you with twinkling eyes. Your dog walked up to you, tail wagging as she got all the attention on her and the puppies. Since your dog only allowed you to reach inside the box, you were quick to lift the only black puppy out of the four and placed it in your friend’s arms. “I named him Squishy, I had no inspiration for the names,” you giggled as Kevin pet its belly, the puppy trying to lick his finger.

You brought everyone to the living room, where you offered your guests some drinks and started talking together. Your friend’s girlfriend was adorable, over the moon with the dog, just like Kevin had predicted it. Jacob was more on the reserved side, just like at the café, your dog climbing up the couch to rest her head on his thigh, asking for caresses. You felt a sense of betrayal rushing through your veins as she preferred a perfect stranger over you, retrieving her head every time you tried to pet her. Your dog looked at you almost with a mocking look, as if she wanted to show you that she dared to go up to him, unlike you.

It was getting late, but you were having fun, the couple confirming that they adopted the puppy. You helped packing everything necessary for the puppy and got ready to leave, thanking you for your kindness and hospitality. You were happy but felt a bit sad that someone already adopted one of the puppies. It was hard not to get attached to those cute little creatures, but you were reassured that he’d be treated like a king by living with your friends.

Jacob, on the other hand, was stuck on the couch as your dog prevented him from doing the slightest movement.

“She is quite stubborn,” Jacob shyly giggled as he tried to move his leg, only to have the dog whining and yapping. “Luna, stop! Let Jacob go, now!” you walked up to the couch, and she fled, strolling away from you each time you tried to get closer to her.

After many unsuccessful attempts, you managed to lure her into the nursery, shutting the door shut and she barked, but the apartment was quick to fall in silence.

“Finally,” you said as you went back to the living room, where Jacob was quietly admiring the photos on the wall. He gave you a quick smile and went back to his observations, you standing next to him with a slightly embarrassed smile. “It was nice to come here, but I’ll still reconsider my choices. I don’t want to decide on a whim, I wanna make sure that I’m settled and ready to welcome a puppy.” You nodded at his words, throwing him a reassuring gaze. “I completely understand, Jacob. You can take all the time you need. I’m planning on keeping one anyway, so if you change your mind, you can always come and visit,” you said, and an awkward silence installed around you two, Jacob scratching his neck as he avoided your gaze.

“Y-you know. I enjoy… what you bake, really, and I can’t wait for your next pastries,” you shyly mumbled to the man in front of you, who looked up with red adorning his cheeks. “I’m touched by what you’re telling me, thank you so much,” he said and quickly looked outside before inhaling and turning back to you.

“I’m going to go, but… I was wondering Y/N… y-you know, you’ve been friends with Kevin for a while and come around the café regularly, so I was wondering if we could also hang out, but you know… only the two of us? Maybe without Kevin?” Jacob was finding his words, thickly swallowing as he tried his best to tell you what he wanted. You giggled at the way he said things, imagining Kevin on his own while you were together. “Sure! Sure thing! You probably have a hectic schedule, but we can find something that works for the two of us?” you suggested, and he smiled, taking out his phone from his jeans pocket, holding the device with a nervous grip.

“Can I get your number, then? It’s gonna be easier to communicate rather than you coming around the café all the time. I- It’s not what I mean though, I really like having you around the shop, but you know, it’d be easier for the two of us,” you both shyly giggled as he messed up, the tip of his ears glowing bright red.

You were quick to enter your number in a new contact, confirming it before returning the phone to its owner, who gave you the warmest smile you had ever seen on his face.

“I’ll call you tomorrow then,” Jacob said as you walked him to the door, him thanking you just like your friends did. “Drive safe,” you whispered, and he nodded, giving you a soft smile before getting closer to you and softly pressing his lips on your cheek.

Your eyes widened at the sudden display of affection but smiled, feeling a wave of embarrassment invading your body. You waved at him until the elevator arrived, closing the front door with your heart pounding in your chest, doing a little dance of joy in the corridor as something concrete was starting to form between the two of you.

And the best was still yet to come. ♡

[rjhpandapaws]

A Hand in the Matter

Chapter 12: Adopted by Strays

"So tell me about Garrett.” Silas said as he settled onto Richard’s couch. It was one of his rare days off and for once he wasn’t spending it at the theater, “What’s he like?” Richard rolled his eyes at the protective lilt to Silas’s voice, ‘Gavin.’ He corrected, ‘He Is Kind. Different From You And Connor. Rough Edges. Noisy.’ “You don’t normally like loud.” Silas remarked as Richard brought the drinks into the living room. ‘I Know.’ Richard agreed, ‘Something About His Noise Brings Comfort.’ “He brings liveliness with him.” Silas said, and then more absently, “Like Allen.” Richard paused. He hadn’t heard this name before, and he didn’t think he had been meant to now. Silas had let on that he made a new friend at work, but had never given a name. There was something in the way he said it. A reverence to it that he normally only reserved for Daniel. ‘Who A-L-L-E-N?” He asked. Silas froze for a moment, “Shit.” He scrambled to recover, “He’s just a friend from the theater, a new security guard. No one important.”

Richard stared at Silas over the rim of his mug. There was more to it than that. “No.” Silas responded, “Don’t you look at me like that. I’m here to talk about your newly acquired problem, not mine.” ‘Who Said He Was A Problem?’ Richard replied and Silas let out an annoyed huff. “Okay so I might be projecting a little.” He continued, “Anyway Gavin. Tell me about him. Starting why he was here for a whole fucking weekend.” Richard gestured to his now decorated apartment, ‘We Redecorated. He Is Friend From School. Very Kind. We Met At Cafe. He Has Cat.’ “There it is.” Silas said with a laugh, “He has a cat, that’s why you like him so much.” Richard rolled his eyes, ‘So Who A-L-L-E-N?’ “Fine.” Silas said with false annoyance to his voice, “I suppose it’s only fair that I tell you about my new friend since you told me about yours.” Richard nodded and waited for Silas to decide what things about Allen he wanted to share. There probably wouldn’t be much, but he clearly left an impression on Silas.

His brother was a private person. Both of them were really, but Silas did it oddly. Where Connor would avoid the topic or politely decline; Silas would give non-answers or selectively give information. Even though he didn’t typically say anything that helped to make it so someone understood the situation, they would feel like they did. He gave the illusion of transparency. It was the reason so many people thought they knew him well without actually knowing anything about him. There was a quiet sigh that marked Silas as being ready to talk, honestly, “He’s just a guy, there isn’t anything remarkable about him. Tall, brown hair, and eyes to match. You could lose him in a crowd without even trying.” He stopped and looked down at his tea, “But I always know he’s there. Even when I don’t see him. I’m hyperaware and I hate it. He’ s nice though, before you worry. Concerned for me not too unlike Daniel, but different at the same time.” ‘He Sounds Interesting.’ He didn’t really know how to respond. He wasn’t good with emotions, that was more of Connor’s thing. “He’s great.” Silas said it like a confession and Richard smiled.

‘I Happy For You.’ Richard said. Silas hummed, “Thanks.” They stayed like that for a while. Silas was back in his own thoughts and Richard let him be. He knew his brother had plans with Connor later so it was better if he got this out of his system now, otherwise Connor would go full big brother mode and that never ended well. “If you ever feel like it, you could introduce me to Gavin.” Silas said eventually, “I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.” Richard smiled, this was a small gesture but it meant a lot since he’d never had a friend of his own, ‘After Finals.’ Silas nodded and placed his empty mug on the coffee table, “Sounds like a plan.” He looked at the time on his phone, “I’m gonna head home for a smoke and a shower. Connor wants to go out and do something now that we both have the time.” Richard could understand that. He needed time to decompress before going out as well, ‘Have Fun.’ “I’ll try.” Silas remarked as he stood, “I’m sure it will be fun once I’m ready.”

He walked Silas to the door and they hugged before Silas left. He did the dishes and put the mugs away so he wouldn’t have to do it later. Richard took out his phone to see if Gavin wanted to hang out. His most recent message was from Gavin letting him know he had plans with friends tonight. Gavin talked about them a lot. Chris and Tina, he seemed to like them and Richard wondered what they were like. They had borrowed Tina’s truck when they took his closet doors to be recycled but that was the closest he had come to meeting her. Richard was perfectly content with just Gavin, but he would like to meet the people he thought so highly of. The people who responsible for that stupid shit eating grin that always meant that he caused trouble and had gotten away with it. To thank them, he supposed, for making Gavin so happy. He put his phone away and went into the room that served as his office. He could draw for a while and then he’d probably go to sleep. He and Gavin had plans to study tomorrow and one of them had to be in a good state of mind. He figured Gavin would probably have a hangover from drinking more than he should have.

The sketch unsurprisingly turned into another drawing of Gavin. He looked up sports bar interiors so he could do the piece justice. Gavin was leaning on the table in his usual manner, with one forearm resting on it to prop it up the other elbow resting on it with his free hand gesturing in the air as he spoke. It took Richard a while to decide what the drink would be, but he eventually decided on beer. Gavin didn’t seem the type to do fancier drinks. When he checked the time again it was two in the morning. What was meant to be a sketch was now inked and flatly colored which wasn’t anything that he planned on doing. It was in his personal sketchbook so Gavin wouldn’t have to see it. He didn’t want to run the risk of creeping him out. He sat back and stretched with a sigh. It was time to call it a night if he wanted to be able to concentrate while they were studying. He picked up his sketchbook and put it in its place on the shelf. Away from his other sketchbooks so he didn’t run the risk of mixing them up. After that he got ready for bed.

He woke up his usual time. He rolled to turn of his phone alarm and found he had a few messages from his brother.

Connor: Hey. The cafe is going to be closed for a while. Connor: A pipe burst last night and there is a ton of water damage Connor: You’ll have to have your study dates somewhere else for a while. Me: Don’t worry. Just be safe. Me: They aren’t dates

Richard knew it would be a while before Gavin woke up. He had gotten a couple of drunk texts he still hadn’t been able to decipher. He finished getting ready for the day and deiced it was late enough in the morning to text Gavin and see if they could figure something out.

Me: The cafe is close for a few days because a pipe broke. Me: Is there another place we could meet?

About an hour passed before his phone chimed with a reply from Gavin.

Gavin Reed: There’s a place near me called Pawsome Coffee. It’s a cat cafe if that’s okay. Me: That works. Can you send me the address? Gavin Reed: Sure!

The cafe was a little out of his usual walking range, but it was nice out so he figured he could try. If he left now he could make it there by their meeting time. The walk was pleasant and he had caught his breath by the time Gavin made it. He was a little late, but that was normal. The cafe wasn’t too busy when they walked in, but it wasn’t long after they had opened. They ordered their drinks and settled at a table by the windows. He was barely able to get his things out before he was buried in cats. It started with a weight settling across his shoulders and he looked to find a short haired white cat lounging there like it was normal. Two more hopped onto the table. They grey one pawed at him and the rust colored one seemed content to just watch him. A black one settled in his lap and he was officially buried in cats. Gavin took sympathy and went to get their drinks once they were up. “Well aren’t you Mister Popular.” He joked as he set the drinks down and grabbed the rest of what they would need since he was significantly less trapped, “Normally it takes them a few visits for them to warm up to new people.” ‘I Not Do Anything Special.’ He said then pet the grey cat that was still persistently pawing at him. 

Gavin settled in at the table, “I think you just have that effect on cats and some people. Are you even going to be able to study like that?” ‘Yes.’ He replied as he stopped petting the now sleeping grey cat, ‘S-I-L-A-S worse.’ Gavin laughed, “There is that I suppose.” ‘Will You.’ He pressed. “Yeah.” Gavin said as he opened his textbook, “I used to study here all the time before I adopted Franklyn. She doesn’t like it too much when I come home smelling like other cats.” ‘Dirty Cheater.’ Richard signed in a deadpan. He wasn’t ready for Gavin to start coughing. Richard hadn’t seen him pick up his drink. That had been bad timing on his part. Gavin laughed as he caught his breath, “God damn it Richard, you can’t just say things like that when a guy is drinking his coffee. You could have killed me.” Richard rolled his eyes. He was being just as dramatic as ever which meant he was fine. They finally began studying, and Gavin had fewer questions than Richard thought he would. He was glad that Gavin had made so much progress. Especially since midterms started on Monday.

It only took him two hours to give in and pet the cats that were on and around him. Gavin had done well today and they both deserved a break. It was a stretch to justify his distraction, but it was the only way he could do this without feeling guilty. “Hey. So I have a question.” Richard looked up when Gavin spoke, he looked almost uncomfortable, “Chris and Tina were wondering if they could meet you. Apparently I talk about you a lot and they’re curious. Obviously if you don’t want to, just say so and I’ll let them know.” ‘Not Today.’ He didn’t have the spoons, ‘This Weekend Maybe? If You Not Busy?’ Gavin nodded, “How does Saturday sound? That’s Chris’s day off.” ‘Saturday Works.’ Richard said, ‘Can We Meet Here? Hand Brewed Hope Not Open.’ Gavin agreed an spent a little more time telling him about his friends. It was nice to know what he was in for. They sounded like fun and Richard was actually looking forward to it. They parted ways with plans to meet back at Pawsome Coffee on Saturday. He didn’t have the energy to walk back so he hailed a cab.

With meeting Gavin’s friends on the horizon Richard didn’t worry about his midterms at all. He was too busy worrying about making a bad first impression. He was a little odd according to most people and a lot of people didn’t take his being nonverbal very well. They always assumed that he was being rude. Gavin didn’t seem to mind it so he hoped his friends would be the same. When Saturday rolled around Richard wound up at the cafe before it opened. The walk had helped to clear his head but anxiety still bubbled beneath his skin. When the cafe opened he settled at the same table as last time. The same cats as before made themselves comfortable on him again. Chris was the first to show up. Richard noticed he had hearing aids and some his anxiety melted away. His being nonverbal wasn’t going to be a problem it seemed. He introduced himself and they went up to order their drinks. They signed to one another until Tina slid into the booth, then Chris began to interpret for him. It was nice. Gavin was the last one to show up, late again, but no one really cared.  He set his drink on the table and picked up the cat that was beside Richard so he could take its place, “I swear you keep treats or some shit in your pockets.”

‘I Thought You Said I Have Captivating Personality.’ Richard teased. “With people as well as cats apparently.” Gavin remarked as he rolled his eyes. “Captivating personality huh?” Chris laughed. “Oh shut up Chris.” Gavin said with no real anger to his words. Tina looked a little bit lost, “So am I the only one that doesn’t know Sign Language then?” “Yeah.” Gavin shrugged, “But I’m still learning so don’t worry.” ‘I Teach You If You Want.” He offered. Gavin spoke for him, “He said he would teach you if you would like. Or we could add him to the group chat.” “Why not both?” She replied, “But it really sounds like he has enough on his plate with tutoring you so Chris can teach me instead.” She gave Chris a gentle shove, “Lord knows we have enough time with all the hours we spend on patrol together or at our desks.” “Thanks for asking T.” He responded dryly, “But we aren’t here for that.” “True.” She agreed, “We’re here to have coffee and a good time.” The conversation picked up some after that. It was a lot of reminiscing, and despite not having been there for any of it, he still felt included. He learned a lot about Gavin and it was nice.

“We go out for drinks at a local bar on Fridays if you ever want to join us.” Tina offered as they got ready to leave. ‘Sounds Fun.’ Richard replied and Gavin let out a put upon groan. “We can cab together then I guess.” Gavin said with a slight smile. ‘Thank You.’ He was looking forward to it despite the fact that he didn’t drink. They went their separate ways outside of the cafe. Richard flagged a cab and felt his phone buzz.

Chris added Me to: Oh No! Its the Cops. Me: Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun. Tina: Of course! it was great to finally meet you. Chris: See you Friday! Gavin Reed: I’m in danger. Me: Only if you don’t take care of yourself. Tina: I like him Chris: Same

Richard smiled at his phone. For once he wasn’t nervous about having plans. He supposed he belonged to a group of friends now. It was funny how fact things could change. He still had his brothers, but now he had a group of friends of his own. There would be no more being passed between baristas and actors. Better yet, this time he wasn’t afraid. Even if he was, he had people he could turn to now.

[nightunite]

For be nosy I choose all 👁👄👁

hhh1. What’s your sexual orientation?

Pansexual! Actually got some Pan Chucks coming in the mail this week! 

2. What are you obsessed with right now?

Warren Peace and Bucky Barnes, but also snails and frogs as always.

3. Ever done any drugs?

Not in the sense of recreational, but I take meds.

4. What piercings do you want?

Oof I want to get an eyebrow piercing but my skin hates piercings and happily enflames regardless of how often I clean.

5. How many people have you kissed?

Two!

6. Describe your dream home.

Two story, with a back porch, a library with a reading window, colors like periwinkle and soft greens and creams making up most of my color scheme. 

7. Who are you jealous of?

No one! Jealousy isn’t something I’ve experienced much of tbh!

8. What’s your favorite show to binge?

Changes by the month but right now probably Masterchef

9. Do you watch porn?

No but I read it and sometimes stumble across smutty artworks on Pixiv and Tumblr.

10. Do you have a secret sideblog?

Nope

11. If you could teleport anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?

Pretzel Twister to get myself some pretzel bites.

12. What’s one of your fantasies?

I assume this is probably take sexually more often than not, but honestly one of my fantasies is just getting to spend all day working with bacteria cultures in a lab and then getting to come home and sleep in a soft bed.

13. Do you have/would you get your nipples pierced?

Nope, see above skin issues also I hate wearing a bra so rubbing would be an issue I feel.

14. How would you spend a million dollars?

Charities, helping friends and families, then keeping some for a rainy day

15. Are you in a relationship?

Nope! Working on myself and being stable so not interested either!

16. Do you follow porn blogs?

Nope!

17. Are you angry with anyone right now?

Just our country in general tbh

18. What tattoos do you want?

I want a tattoo of the word enough on one of my wrists, as a reminder that I’m more than nothing but that I don’t need to force myself when I’m not okay.

19. If you could change your name, would you? What would you change it to?

Nope, but if I had to I’d go by Nighty

20. What is something you’re obsessed with?

Snails!

21. Describe your best friend.

We’re exactly alike in our morals and general ways we act/approach a problem, but in terms of foods and personal interests for the most part we’re complete opposites. We hold each other down without holding each other back

22. Tag someone you think is hot.

Uhhhhh @andyl394 I guess since you havent done it yet

23. Who are five of your favorite bands/musical artists?

Blink-182, Dermot Kennedy, FFDP, Jonathan Young, P!ATD

24. What are three places you want to travel?

All places I’ve been to before: Monterey Bay, Fort Destin, and Colorado

25. Describe your perfect Friday night.

Home with a movie and a book and some unhealthy food

26. What’s your favorite season?

Fall

27. What’s your pet peeve?

PEOPLE WHO DONT FOLLOW BASIC INSTRUCTIONS OMG

28. Who is the funniest person you know?

The whatsapp fam we made

29. What’s the most overrated movie?

Oof uhhhh Star Wars I’m guessing? 

30. Tag someone you want to talk to but have been too shy to message.

@rogvewitch I follow them but never drop a message even though they seem really nice

31. Do you like paper books or ebooks better?

Paper I like feeling the fact I’m progressing

32. If you could live in a fictional world, what world would you pick?

Viva Pinata baby

33. If money was no object, what would your wardrobe be like?

Same as it is now, cargo shorts and soft tees

34. What’s your coffee order?

I dont drink coffee

35. Do you have a crush on anyone?

Not on anyone real

36. Do you still have feelings for any of your exes?

Not romantically but I regret that we couldn’t keep our friendships

37. Have any tattoos?

Nope

38. Do you drink?

Nope

39. Are you a virgin?

yep

40. Do you have a crush on any of your mutuals?

Nope

41. How many followers do you have?

355 Though some might be bots who knows

42. Describe the hottest person you know.

Bucky Barnes in any of his uniforms tbh

43. What’s your guilty pleasure?

Smut and also bad music that teenagers listen to

44. Do you read erotica?

Of course see above

45. What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on?

Oof none of mine were bad? There was the time we went to get lunch and my anxiety got so bad I almost puked but I didn’t.

46. How many people do you follow?

223

47. If you could marry any celebrity, who would you pick?

Sebastian Stan he’s dorky and cute and seems like he’d try his best.

48. Describe your ideal partner.

Someone who understands my issues and works with me but doesn’t let me run roughshod and can reign me in without belittling me. Also who will kill spiders and fold fitted sheets heyyyyyyy.

49. Who do you text the most?

On whatsapp its the fam but regular texting it’s my two friends.

50. What’s your favorite kind of weather?

Ooh either when it’s slightly warm but there’s a cool breeze, when it’s nice and warm out right before a good rain, or when it’s storming but it’s a hot rain so it feels like a bath.

[meowmerson]

Tom meet Hermione as animal first time and Hermione don't want near him. Female lion, otter or cat you pick. 🙏🏻 you're so awesome!

(I’m choosing cat because I think the idea of Tom being like a crazy cat man who feeds all the neighbourhood cats who gets outrageously offended when one cat (hermione) doesnt like him is hilarious so here we are)

Hermione lived in a muggle block of flats for a number of reasons.

First of all, it was cheaper. Second of all...

Well, really, it was just cheaper. She wasn’t exactly made of money, and she had lived in the muggle world all her live besides magical school, so a muggle flat really wasn’t too strange for her. 

Her neighbours were, for the most part, friendly yet reserved. 

Except for 207. He was a dick.

Except for the act that he really wasn’t. He was quiet, but unerringly polite. He helped Mrs. Pince bring her groceries up to 803 every Monday. He smiles politely at the other tennants when they pass by. He held the door open for Hermione once, and another time saved her morning coffee from tumbling off the bannister on the second floor walkway, which was great, because that was her favorite mug, and she would have been devastated if it shattered on the pavement below. 

It’s just that...he also did this thing. Where he fed all the stray cats that wandered around the apartment complex. 

Which might be find if it weren’t for the fact she was one of the cats he was always attempting to feed.

She remembered a time when she could wander around the apartment complex in her animagus form without getting into fights with twenty other stray cats, but even that she could deal with if it weren’t or Tom Bloody Riddle trying to entice her with cans of tuna every goddamn day.

Tuna. Disgusting. 

She tried not to let him stop her. Taking a stroll in her animagus form was always a surefire way to work off stress and anxiety and just be a goddamn cat for a second, and she would be damned if Tom fucking Riddle ruined one of her favorite daily activities. Even if he was always waving tuna in her face. Even if he couldn’t take a hint no matter how many times she hissed or attempted to maul him. No matter how many times other cats got into fights with her on the walkway.

It was one early morning when she woke up later than expected that it all changed. 

Most mornings she would be able to relax, drink her coffee, read the morning paper, take a stroll around the complex in her animagus form, and then return to her apartment and get ready for the day without running into anyone (save, sometimes Tom, although usually she ran into him during her afternoon stroll) but this particular morning she woke up too late to take her time, and decided to kill two birds with one stone. She made her coffee and set it on the bannister, then went inside and transformed and returned to her coffee, sat down on the bannister and started lapping it carefully out of the mug. It was barely 6 AM, and no one else in the complex usually left their flats until at least 7, so she had assumed this morning would be the same.

So when she happened to glance down and see Tom Riddle staring curiously up at her, she flinched. Her paw swept across the bannister and her mug went sailing down to the pavement, and shattered. 

She stared despondently at her favorite mug, destroyed, for a long time. When she finally lifted her eyes to look at Tom again, he was staring at the shattered mug on the ground. She wondered what the hell he was doing coming home at this hour, and what right he had to look so put together after he had obviously been out all night. Then, he lifted his eyes to focus on her, and there was something strange about his expression, calculating somehow.

She fled the scene.

--

She didn’t have the chance to take another stroll around the complex that day. She wound up running so late that morning that it put her behind schedule all day, so it wasn’t until the following day that she ran into Tom Riddle as a woman or as a cat. But then as a woman he would never try and wave tuna in her face to get her to let him pet her.

The truth was, she woke up late again the next morning because she had to stay up late the night before, this time late enough that she couldn’t even brew herself a coffee. She took her stroll around dinnertime out of desperation to assuage the anxiety that had been curling in her chest all day, and she just thought fuck Riddle and his fucking tuna, she wouldn’t be held captive in her flat because he couldn’t take a hint.

So she went on a stroll.

A tabby cat hissed at her as she trotted past and she almost got run over by a delivery biker but otherwise her stroll went without incident. While she was making her way back toward her flat, however, still feeling wound up despite taking an extra thirty minutes on her walk, she saw Tom Riddle leaning on the bannister and watching her ascend the stairs. She hesitated, glaring at him from the other end of the walkway and waiting for him to make those annoying clicking sounds while waving tuna in her face.

He didn’t. 

He carefully crouched down to the ground and held out a mug. Her tail twitched, and she lifted her head to scent the air.

Coffee.

Momentarily, she panicked. Her tail puffed up and her back arched and she growled and thought that somehow he must know, or he must suspect, that she wasn’t actually a cat. Why else would he be offering her coffee? She started running through all possible paths at this point, whether she would have to move or if she could just obliviate him, how sad it would be to leave the little flat she had called home for years, but then she remembered.

He had seen her, as a cat, drinking coffee. This was a new tactic. 

...And she really wanted that coffee.

She still hesitated, although she stopped growling, and her back straightened out. She should really just go home and make coffee herself, but then she didn’t always make the best decisions while in her animagus form. She took a careful step toward him, and stopped when he smiled.

“Hello,” He said softly, taking an awkward step toward her while still crouched to the ground. “That’s it,” He encouraged as she neared him, “You just didn’t like tuna,” he was almost cooing at this point, “And here I thought you just didn’t like me.”

She carefully sipped rom the coffee. It was lukewarm, as if he had brewed it and been waiting for her, but it was just warm enough to still be good. She felt his fingers carefully scratch behind her ear and she jerked back, hissing.

He withdrew his hand. She went back to her coffee.

“Alright,” he said, with decidedly less happiness, “You also don’t like me.”

That was true, but as long as he didn’t try to pet her again or shove some more tuna in her face she would accept offer of coffee.

She downed about half the mug, then darted away before he could try to pet her again.

--

Things progressed from there.

Tom would continue to give her coffee when he saw her roaming the halls. Sometimes he would try little pieces of his granola bar, which she would turn her nose up at, but he found success with blueberries and dark chocolate, which she thought he really shouldn’t be feeding to a cat, but she appreciated the treats anyway, so...

She accepted them.

She still didn’t like it when he tried to pet her, but she found if she let him pet her he would give her more food, so sometimes she allowed it. The fact that he had...very nice fingers had nothing to do with it.

She allowed herself to get comfortable with the situation. Her relationship with Tom as a woman remained the same, he would nod politely at her when they passed, he might say good morning, he even helped her with her groceries now and then despite the fact that she was more than capable of doing it herself and she only lived on the second floor. 

He did ask her once, if she had a cat. She figured he must’ve seen her enter her apartment in her cat form, so she lied and said she did, but they spent most of their time wandering the complex. He had nodded and seemed to accept her answer and pressed it no further.

She let herself get a bit too comfortable. Over the course of the next few weeks she began to seek him out when she went on her strolls, pacing outside his door until he emerged, if she felt particularly starved for attention she would meow loudly until he came out. In the mornings he would often already be outside, and he’d feed her coffee and blueberries and wait until she was distracted enough by the food to let him pet her. It got to the point where she would let him pet her even if he had no gifts to give, and then eventually she would reuse to eat until he started petting her.

It was kind of nice. She had forgotten how nice it was to let someone touch her in her animagus form, to be pampered. 

It was kind of pathetic how quickly she became attached.

It was kind of pathetic how guilty she felt.

He would speak to her sometimes. He never said anything personal, but he would still speak to her, share innocuous thoughts in the quiet morning while his fingers sank into her fur, thoughts he would never share with her as a human. Moments he would never spend with her as a woman.

She felt extraordinarily guilty.

She didn’t stop.

Until Saturday morning when she trotted over to his door and another tabby cat was pacing in the walkway. He spotted her, and a growl started low in its throat. She contemplated leaving, but she didn’t want to give up her morning ritual, so she crouched down and growled back. She had a moment of clarity, in which she questioned if she was really about to throw down with an alleycat over her dickhead neighbour that used to wave tuna in her face every goddamn day, but then the cat took a swipe at her and she pounced.

The door open, a hand caught her around her middle, and she found herself unceremoniously plopped into an unfamiliar living room. The sound of a door closing made her jump, and she turned to face Tom where he was leaning against his front door. “Are we fighting the neighbourhood cats, now?” He asked. 

She sat down, her tail twitching anxiously as he walked across his living room and into his kitchen. Slowly, she padded around his space, curiously sniffing at the couch and the table, trying to get a feel for the room. It smelled familiar in a way she couldn’t place, but maybe it just smelled like him, and like their shared apartment complex. He walked back over and set a little box of blueberries and a mug of coffee on the table, and she hopped up in the table and leveled him with a glower. He leaned back on the sofa and watched her with a strange expression. 

She waited. 

He sighed, the corner of his mouth tilting upwards, and he leaned forward, holding out his hand palm-up. She sniffed his fingers, then stroked her fuzzy cheek against his palm and purred when he scratched at her throat. She turned away after that and drank the coffee while his fingers dragged down her back.

“You are an odd one, aren’t you?” He murmured. 

The morning continued as normal, with the added novelty of Hermione being able to wander around his apartment while he got ready for the day. His apartment looked more or less the same as hers, but with less pictures--no pictures, in fact--but the same amount of books spread throughout the room as she had. He had interesting books on an impressive array of subjects, and if it weren’t for how strange it would look, she would leaf through a few of them. When he reemerged from his room she hopped off the kitchen counter where she had been examining the food he had in his cabinets and trotted toward to door to leave with him. 

He shoved her away with his foot and slammed the door in her face. 

She stood in shock for a long time, staring at the close door and listening as he turned the lock. It hadn’t been an accident. He had purposefully locked her in here.

After shock came anger. He had trapped her in here for god-knows-how-long while he went about his day, and he knew that she belonged to someone--or he thought he knew she belonged to Hermione, herself, it was all very complicated when she considered all of her lies--she scratched at the door and yowled but she already knew he was long gone.

In what was probably petty, she set about destroying his apartment in revenge.

She could just leave. She knew she could. But there was no way to explain how she could have opened the door to his apartment, and she wanted to avoid that complicated situation for as long as she could. Instead, she hopped up on his kitchen counter and nudged open the cabinets and knocked off every glass eh owned, then moved on to the plates, then she tore open his bags of pasta and rice and let them pour out of his cabinets onto the floor. She clawed at the leather of his couch until the stuffing poured out and ripped at his wallpaper and even managed to wedge her tiny body between the wall and the television in order to knock it over on its face.

She left the books, though. 

She was in the middle of trying to use her paw to pop open his refrigerator to cause more damage when she heard the lock turn, so she rushed toward the front door. She managed to shove her face through the crack in the door as he opened it but he scooped her up around her belly before she could make her escape. She squirmed, even managed to claw at his ace, but by the time she made her way out of his arms his door was shut again.

Bastard.

She hissed at him as he rubbed at the freshly bleeding wound on his face. 

“I tried to let your owner know I found you,” He told her in a very peculiar tone of voice, “But she wasn’t home.” His expression looked mocking, somehow, and she felt her tail twitching with anxiety. “Suppose you’ll just have to stay here until we find her,” He said with a smile.

God she hated this fucking bastard.

He finally looked around at the mess she had made of his apartment, but he didn’t get angry. Instead he laughed, a quiet, short sound that barely resembled laughter, but a laugh all the same. 

He quirked an eyebrow in her direction, then made his way toward the kitchen. He opened one of the drawers and pulled something out--

A wand. She felt a shock run down her spine. He had a wand--Jesus Christ, she thought as he smirked in her direction and waved the wand to start to put his kitchen back together, that’s what this was all about--that fucking bastard knew.

She darted into his bedroom, which she hadn’t torn apart because she was saving that for later in case he held her captive for much longer, and she used her body to push it shut. She transformed and then locked it, opening all his drawers until she found a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt to wear before storming out of his bedroom. Both his eyebrows flew up on his forehead when she emerged, as if he hadn’t expected her to give in so easily.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” She exploded. the room stopped its whirlwind of putting itself back together as he fixed his attention on her, “You knew this whole time?”

“Yes.” He said simply.

“How long were you planning on keeping me here?” 

“However long it took for you to give up and show yourself.” He answered simply, as if that wasn’t fucking insane.

“Why didn’t you just ask me, like a normal person?” She asked, aware that her voice was becoming more and more shrill the longer this conversation went on. 

“And if you had been a muggle? And I asked you if you were capable of turning into a cat?” He scoffed, “Right, you would have had me committed.”

“You could have asked the cat, asshole!” She snapped, “you had nothing to lose! Either you were right or you would be speaking nonsense to an animal, why didn’t you do that?”

He shrugged, “This way seemed more appealing.”

“Appeal--” She choked on her words, too shocked to speak. He raised an eyebrow, as if she was the one being unreasonable, as if he was just waiting out her tantrum. “You’re insane.”

“I wouldn’t have held you captive for more than a few weeks.” He said, as if that made it all better.

“A few weeks?” She shrieked, “A few--you would have held me captive for a few weeks?”

“You were a cat,” He said, “It’s not as if you could have pressed charges--”

“That is completely irrelevant you sociopath!” 

“Well obviously it worked,” He said, gesturing pointedly to where she stood, very human, wearing his clothes. She opened her mouth to retort, but was so choked up by anger she couldn’t say anything.

She stormed out of his apartment and slammed the door shut.

--

She contemplated moving.

It wasn’t precisely necessary, since he was obviously a wizard and she hadn’t broken any statute of secrecy or anything of the sort. She was just so furious and abjectly humiliated that she almost moved just so she never had to see his face again. But she had grown fond of her little apartment, of the people who inhabited the building, and she would be damned if the asshole from 207 ruined her home.

So the next morning, she brought his freshly laundered, folded clothes outside to return to him and to tell him to fuck off and never speak to her again.

She stopped short when she saw him leaning against the bannister, a cup of coffee and a bowl of blueberries beside him. 

He turned to face her, his eyebrow quirking upwards when he saw her in her human form. “This is different--” He started, but before finished she had already marched up and shoved his clothes into his arms.

“You expect me to just go back to our normal routine as if you hadn’t tried to hold me captive for weeks?” She hissed. He rolled his eyes.

“I wouldn’t have kept you for longer than a day,” He said, tucking the clothes under his arm and taking a sip of his own cup of coffee. “People would have come looking for you if you disappeared. It would have been stupid to keep you longer than a day.”

She frowned. “That doesn’t make it better, asshole.” 

“I still stand by that it worked,” He said, and looked at her as he said, “And here you are.”

Angrily, she reached for her own coffee and took a sip as she glared at him over the rim. “Doesn’t mean anything,” She said. “I was returning your clothes.”

“Would you like to take them back so you can return them tomorrow?” He asked.

“Fuck off.” She scoffed, taking another sip of the coffee as she leaned against the banister beside him. He his a smirk in the rim of his mug but she still saw it, and she didn’t let herself think too much about whether this was a smart idea or not. She figured she could always make him pay for it later. 

For now, the coffee was nice. 

She felt something brush against her neck, and she jerked away when she realized it was the pads of his fingers. She scowled as he lowered his hand, the corner of his mouth turned up into a mocking sort of smile. “No.” She said sternly.

“You seemed to like it before.” He reminded her. She pretended she wasn’t blushing, rolling her eyes and shrugging her shoulders as if it could banish the phantom feeling of his fingers on her skin.

“You have to earn that privilege again.” She told him sternly, reaching in the bowl to pop a blueberry in her mouth.

“I will,” He promised, quietly. 

She set her elbow on the banister and her chin in her palm so that her fingers could hide the blush in her cheeks. 

[queen-of-the-crows]

11 Questions Tag

Okay so I was tagged by like 5 different people and I'm just gonna answer all in one post cause that's the easiest way to do it. Huge thank you to all my loves who tagged me in this @annorarutherford @heraldofwho @sassylavellen @enchantment1385 (twice :P) @elevanetheirin :)

Buckle up cause this is gonna be a long ride!

@annorarutherford questions

1. Biggest fear? Feeling like I've done nothing with my life and that I've been a failure

2. Favorite flower/plant? I'm not a nature person, that's just not my thing but a black rose

3. Are you close to your family? Sorta, some of them anyway, depends on alot honestly

4. Your deepest wish? Not to be rich but to be able to pay all my bills and still have a good amount of money left over to save and buy fun stuff

5. What's something that always calms you? No one thing always works, it depends on why I'm not calm. Video games work often, some times reading, sometimes writing, sometimes drinking

6. Some movies you love? Love this question! Jaws, Jurassic Park series, Alien series, Beauty and the Beast, Dracula, The Crow, and many others

7. Guilty pleasure song? I'm not really ashamed of anything I listen to but alot of people judge me for loving Fall Out Boy so I'll say anything by them, I have an entire playlist

8. Favorite weird smell? Professional hair color, I fucking love it. Also the green soap they use in tattoo shops

9. Game that has changed your life and how? Dragon Age. It introduced me to my love of gaming and are me fall in love with Thedas and the characters

10. Someone(s) on Tumblr you really admire/like? All my usual lovelies of course @annorarutherford @a-shakespearean-in-paris @sassylavellen @enchantment1385 @aban-asaara @heraldofwho also love seeing posts from @jawsandbones @andrastini @fyeahfenrisxfhawke @laraslandlockedblues @nevertrustamage and others

11. Worst personality traits someone can have? Always down on themselves, put down everyone around them, bad hygiene! (Not a personality trait but seriously bathe), being insanely cocky and thinking they can get whoever they want

@heraldofwho questions

1. When you get butterflies in your stomach what color are they? Blues and purples

2. If spiders could talk what would their voices sound like? I think they'd sound alot like Flemeth

3. How do you like your coffee or tea? In the trash lol I hate them both

4. If you could learn any language instantly, which one would you choose? Oh man, there's so many cool ones. Probably Russian, I love the sound of it

5. If they made a DA/ME film or series about YOUR protagonist- which OC would you choose and who should play them? Oh shit, I love them all so much!!! Probably Clea cause I think her and Zevran's story would be the most interesting. I would cast Megan Fox as Clea, she's my face claim for her and she plays a pretty good badass.

6. What change the nature of a person? Anything really depending on the person, death seems to be a big one, break ups, being broken

7. What musical instrument do you play? What instrument would you like to learn? I play piano and I sing. I'd like to have a piano so I can practice more but I wanna learn guitar also

8. Pick any aspect of your life or personality and choose a theme song for it. You Call Me A Bitch Like Its A Bad Thing by Halestorm because I'm very much fuck you and your opinions of me, i don't find being called a bitch insulting

9. Can you cook or bake? What's your speciality? I love baking and I can cook too. Cakes are my favorite thing to make

10. Got any dead crushes? Heath Ledger, Brandon Lee, Paul Walker, and Gary Oldman (I mean him in Dracula is to die for)

11. What is your quirkiest hobby or interest? I don't have many so probably writing fanfic

@sassylavellen questions

1. Do you have a favorite soundtrack from a movie or video game? Oh yes, Queen of the Damned. Best soundtrack ever created

2. What was the first video game you remember playing? Either Super Smash Bros or Mario Kart way back on Game Cube

3. If you could have any kind of food right now what would it be? Chocolate cake or Panda Express, maybe both

4. Are you a good cook? Oh yes

5. Do you have or want any exotic pets? I would love to have an iguana. Snakes are cool too

6. What fictional character would you love to be friends with? Oh so many, strictly friends with no somatic interest: Dorian, Varric, Cassandra, Shale, Charlie from Supernatural, The Doctor, Lisbeth Salandar, and Scout Harding

7. If you could have any superpower what would it be? Telekinesis and mind control

8. What movie could you watch and enjoy every single time? So many. Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and Big Hero 6 are probably my tops though

9. Favorite color combinations? Black crimson and white, black grey and blue, black and deep purple, basically dark combinations

10. When you play games do you use armor sets that have good stats but looks bad or armor that looks good with bad stats? Definitely looks good with bad stats but I keep the ugly with good stats to change into for particularly challenging encounters. I love the story aspect of games and put so much time into my characters I like them to look good

11. Favorite genre of music? Rock and metal. KoRn and Rob Zombie are my absolute favorites if that helps explain it

@enchantment1385 first set of questions

1. Favorite fandom and why? Dragon Age. Best game series ever, the characters, the play through, the environment, the choices, the romance. And the people I interact with here are amazing

2. What's your Pokemon team? I played Black 2 so my favorite team was Zoroark, Arcanine, Banette, Lapras, Hydreigon, and Virizion

3. Favorite team in Dragon Age or Mass Effect? Depends on my class honestly but my favorite is dual weapon rogue so I'll answer for that. Origins- Alistair, Morrigan, either Shale or Zevran. DA2- Fenris, Aveline, either Varric or Anders or Merrill. Inquisition- Cassandra, Dorian, either Cole or Iron Bull

4. Favorite nonBioware game? Dishonored

5. OTP? Alistair and Cousland, Zevran and Mahariel, Fenris and Hawke, Cullen and Lavellan. None DA OTPs Mulder and Scully, Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner, Emma Swan and Captain Hook, Rose Tyler and the 10th Doctor

6. What is your guilty pleasure? I really don't have one that I know. Reading smutty fan fic maybe?

7. A food you can't get enough of? Cheese pizza, mac and cheese, spaghetti

8. What can you see right now? I'm in class so classroom stuff

9. Something I don't know about you? Alot. I'm coloring my hair white, I have a huge Fenris and femhawke in progress back piece, I'm in cosmetology school, I have a tattoo appointment with Sarah Miller

10. Most loved OC and why? As hard as it to choose between all my loves, I choose Clea. She's the most like me or rather I see the most of myself in her and that was an accident. I love her attitude, her sarcasm, her badassness, her relationship with Zevran, her goals, how she carries herself and how she just is.

11. What song is stuck in your head right now? Hold Me Tight Or Don't by Fall Out Boy

@enchantment1385 second set of questions

1. What does your name mean? Do you think the meaning is anything like you? Like our usernames? Queen of the Crows is a reference to Clea who takes over the Antivan Crows with Zevran and they do some reforming of the guild. She's one of the leaders so she's the queen of the Antivan Crows, hence queen of the Crows. Is that anything like me? Well I mean she's my OC and I'm alot like her so I would hope to be that badass if I was in Thedas.

2. First celebrity crush? Max Thieriot, he's still good looking too

3. If you could live in one fictional world, which one would you choose and why? Come on love, guess :P lol definitely Thedas. Learn archery and dual wield, find one of my favorite romances and fall in love. Oh yes! Second choice would be Westoros provided I could be with Jon Snow of course

4. Why did the chicken cross the road? His life bored him and he needed change

5. You can have one superpower, what do you choose? Answered this already but since this says only 1 I choose telekinesis

6. Biggest pet peeve? When people can't do simple things

7. 1 fictional character you would meet for a day if you could? Hmmmm I wanna meet alot. If I only have a day I think I'd choose Iron Bull, I'd be in for an adventure all day

8. First game you ever completed? Dishonored

9. Which class in game do you enjoy playing the most? Definitely rogue. Idk what it is but I love rogues especially dual weapon although I've recently gotten into playing archery as well

10. Favorite fictional villain and why? I love Maleficient. She turns into a fucking Dragon and is bitter for not being invited to a party. And the movie really goes into depth about how she became how she was and it shows that good people can be broken so badly they become bitter heartless and evil

11. Creepiest experience? I'm not really sure, I try to avoid that sort of thing. I've been hit on by creepy weirdos though

@elevanetheirin questions

1. Coffee or tea? I hate them both. I'm a soda junkie though and love energy drinks

2. What is your favorite book or book series? I have a few. Dracula (this is my all time favorite), A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin (aka GoT series), Millennium series by Stieg Larsson (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and The Meg series by Steve Alten

3. Do you have a hidden talent? Most people don't know I can play piano

4. Who is your favorite author? George R R Martin, Steve Alten, Michael Crichton, Ellen Hopkins, Stieg Larsson

5. Favorite type of cookie? Chocolate chip, I know I'm boring

6. Brotp? Varric and Hawke, Sara Lance and Mick Rory, Meredith Grey and Alex Kerev, Sherlock and Watson, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner

7. Did you have a nickname in school? I've never really had a nickname ever. My love in high school called me his muse cause he's an artist. Lots of classmates called me that weird goth girl cause I was always quiet, very smart, read for fun, and was goth.

8. Do you have resting bitch face? Oh fuck yes I do haha I love it though

9. What makes you smile? Alot. My stupid cats, my boyfriend, my favorite shows and movies, funny gaming videos, video games, reading, SLEEP, FOOD

10. What one thing do you like most about yourself? The fact that I don't give a shit what anyone else thinks about me. Looks wise probably my eyes

11. The best part of your day yesterday? Getting paid so I had money for chicken nuggets

Finished them all!!!! My 11 questions

1. If you could switch places with one fictional character who would it be and why? (Besides your OCs)

2. If you could choose one fictional character to be your love interest forever who would it be and why?

3. Least favorite video game you've ever played?

4. How did you get introduced into the Dragon Age fandom?

5. Which of your OCs is the most like you and how?

6. If you could only watch one genre of movie for the rest of your life which one would you choose?

7. One tattoo you plan on getting someday?

8. Xbox, PlayStation, or PC?

9. Do you have any exes you would take back if they ever asked?

10. Favorite quest in the Dragon Age series?

11. Favorite ship or OTP?

I'm not tagging anyone cause most you already tagged me but if you wanna answer my questions then go for it!

[xdalynxx]

Re-blog?

1. What’s one animal you wish you could have as a pet but can’t?

Fox

2. Favorite thing to wear to sleep?

Long sleeves 

3. What song really gets you going?

Something hype haha

4. Where do you usually eat your meals?

Living room on coffee table

5. Favorite meal: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

Lunch and dinner ^^”

6. Most embarrassing habit?

I feel like I stretch or open my eyeballs often. :(

7. Chocolate or fruity candy?

Chocolate

8. Soft or hard tacos?

I enjoy both, soft is fun for dipping tho

9. Worst way to break up a fight?

Jumping in not knowing wtf is really going on lol. One of the teachers at my school got punched in the face and got knocked out by the fight o.o

10. Best thing to say in an elevator of strangers?

Allo there.

11. What color/design are your bedsheets?

Floral, random, cozy

12. Any hidden talents?

Yes a few odd one apparently lmao

13. Favorite thing to drink out of (mug, glass, etc.)?

Crangrape juice, water, coffee

14. Socks or bare feet around the house?

Bare

15. Favorite board game?

The last one I played what Chutes and Ladders with the fam

16. Do you sleep with the fan on or off?

On

17. Heat on or keep it cold with lots of layers?

Cold and cozy with layers <3

18. Do you sing in the shower?

Yes and stupidly too lmao

19. Favorite song to belt out at the top of your lungs when you’re alone?

Recently Midnight Sky

20. Last thing you cried about?

Something upsetting

21. At what age did you first have alcohol?

Idk if this counts, it was a wine cooler and my dad let me have a sip around 4 years old o.o

22. Relationship status?

Taken c:

23. What’s the most amount of money you’ve spent on a single item of clothing?

Maybe $30-$40?

24. What do you typically wear to formal events?

Dress or a jumpsuit

25. Favorite memory?

Happy ones

26. Gum or breath mints?

Gum

27. Favorite shoes?

Converse or boots

28. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Ahhh one thing at a time

29. What is the natural state of your hair?

Wavy or just big

30. Have you ever had braces?

Yup

31. Most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?

Driving fast.

32. Most embarrassing thing your parents have caught you doing?

Farting

33. Last time you had an orgasm?

heh

34. Celebrity crush(es)?

Evan Peters, Ariana Grande

35. Windows or Mac?

Windows

36. How old were you when you learned to ride a bike?

6-9? Idr honestly

37. Makeup or natural?

Both is nice

38. What color do you wear the most?

Black

39. Favorite season?

Summer and fall

40. Umbrella or rain coat?

Coat

41. Have you ever fallen out of a tree?

No

42. First car you ever owned?

Nissan Versa

43. What time do you usually go to bed?

1am

44. Are you a competitive person?

If it’s something I’m good at or passionate about

45. Least favorite color?

brown

46. First pet you’ve ever owned?

Rabbit

47. Sweet or salty?

Salty

48. Favorite pasta dish?

All of em

49. Favorite kind of chips?

All kinds

50. Talk about something you’re passionate about.

My dog and hobbies

51. What are some of your hobbies?

haha funny... Gaming, art, exercising, books

52. Caffeine? If so, what kind? Coffee or soda

53. Favorite kind of pizza? Supreme but no olives

54. Fast food or sit-down restaurant? More fast these days than the sit-downs. But I enjoy the home cooking as well

55. Lots of acquaintances or a handful of close friends? I know a bunch of people but keep that circle smol

56. Something that ruins your appetite? Intestines or something pungent like sardines

57. Favorite labels about you? I don’t

58. Are you a religious person? No

59. Night out with a bunch of friends in public or night in with one friend having deep conversations? I enjoy both!

60. What size shoe do you wear? Average

61. Favorite thing about yourself? I can literally nap anywhere

62. Have you ever told someone you loved them first? Yes

63. Have you ever had sex on the first date? No

64. Heroes or villains? Neither

65. Favorite fruit? Strawberries

66. Least favorite fruit? I haven’t come across I disliked yet

67. Favorite vegetable? Onions 

68. Least favorite vegetable? Olives?

69. How many plates can you eat at a buffet? If I’m really trying, maybe 3-4

70. Favorite dessert? Cheesecake, or anything with fruit on em. I love a good Oreo cake too

71. Do you play any sports? Not at this time 

72. Age you learned how to swim? 4?

73. Tell a funny story. 

Funny then but this was actually awful lol. When we were younger, our mom accidentally shaved my brother’s hair all off and he wore a bandana. Our friend came over for a visit and I ripped that thing off of his head and embarrassed him “Look at Bo’s new haircut!”

74. What’s interesting about your culture? Food and traditional wedding ceremony

75. What’s one annoying thing about your culture? Arranged marriage was a thing.

76. What job would you be terrible at? Probably a tower person.

77. Would you rather watch a TV show or a movie? Both D:

78. What’s your favorite compliment to give? I love your -insert-!

79. What’s your favorite compliment to receive? As long as it is nice, I accept lol

80. Has your opinion changed on something recently? Hmmmyes...?

81. Do you always order the same thing at a restaurant or order something different each time? Normally the same stuff.

82. What’s something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t yet? Go to one of those smash and destroy places lol

83. If you could learn to do anything right now, what would it be? It’d be cool to do 3D printing

84. Favorite physical feature about yourself? Teeth

85. Least favorite physical feature about yourself? Neck

86. What’s one amazing thing you did that nobody was around to see? Cooked some amazing food. The process wasn’t seen

87. If you could change your height, would you? I would, not by much though

88. What’s something you would rate 10/10? My playlist currently lol

89. Heels or flats? Flats

90. What’s something you wish you had more knowledge about? Mika’s thought process. I always wonder about it.

91. Would you want to be famous? No thanks

92. What’s something you would get arrested for? I guess it could be anything except murder.

93. What’s your spirit animal? Totoro

94. What’s the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to you? Too many near death experiences. I’d say SUPER lucky to be alive ._.

95. Are you the type to have an organized mess, or no mess at all?

It’s messy haha. My desk I’m guilty of but it’s a work in progress atm

96. Do you tend to make decisions based on the past, present, or future? Present and future

97. Are you a planner or a more spontaneous person? Planner for sure, but definitely the other way if nothing is going on at all.

98. Thoughts on the oxford comma? Idc

99. What do you hope never changes? One can’t keep hopes up

100. How would you celebrate your 100th birthday? Honestly, I don’t want to be alive for that long. BUT to celebrate with what friends I have left and of course with cake.

[empresswrites]

Dropped

Sabo may have been the newer one of the relationship, but he was getting things down great. Though, he sure as hell was confused at what to do with this situation. On the couch, Ace was curled up and laying along his side while mentioning he didn’t want to talk right now. It was like he was upset with something Sabo did and the man didn’t know what he had done. Sure, last night things got intense in their activities, but everything was okay as they checked with Ace during the activity and afterwards. They slept shortly after cleaning and cooling down. Marco was exceptional with aftercare and Sabo was still learning all the quirks for his new lovers, being with them for a good four months, but still had a lot to learn. 

With this situation, he knew he needed to call Marco. 

“Everything alright? Please tell me Ace didn’t set fire to anything, yoi.” Marco mentions over the phone, having a previous call like that before and Sabo would have even laughed if he wasn’t so worried. 

“No, but… Ace, he’s… not okay?” Sabo questions as he is in the kitchen and glancing towards the living room, seeing his lover laying along the cushions with legs sliding against each other a few times before stopping. 

“… not okay? Is he upset with you? Is he not eating? Does it seem like he is depressed?” The questions are specific, and Sabo is slightly confused, but can’t deny them. 

“Yeah, he was fine when we got up this morning and through breakfast. Then when I asked him about going out for lunch after doing some things on the computer for work, he told me to go away and not talk with him. I haven’t done anything as far as I am aware of…” Sabo feels guilty and a little heart wrenched at what is going on before hearing a small hum. 

“I knew he didn’t have enough aftercare last night, yoi. I should have stayed home in case he dropped.” The comment makes Sabo give a questioning noise and gets a throat cleared while hearing things being moved around. “It’s also known as a subdrop, more commonly. It can happen with people who top, but rarely so. It just means all the happy chemicals was used up and not helped with replenishing properly or with artificial ones at least, yoi. It’s no one’s fault, but I should have kept Ace awake longer to get more of the aftercare in.” There are noises as if he is packing up for the day, Sabo knowing the sound, and he swallows. 

“What can I do?” Sabo asks, wanting to help Ace get back to a more safer area with his emotions. 

“There is a container in the hall closet, labelled ‘Ace’ and will have everything you need. I will see if Pops will let me get out of here and be there to help while getting some drinks and chocolate for him. Do you want anything, love?” Marco doesn’t sound hurried, but he is moving a little quicker than usual and Sabo makes a noise as he is in the hall of their apartment. 

“No, I’m just worried about Ace.” 

“You are just as important, yoi. Experiencing a drop is a little stressing and though I think you are okay from our activities last night, it’s good to make sure you won’t as well. It can happen anywhere up to forty-eight hours after…” Marco is obviously knowledgeable about the subject and Sabo purses lips while stopping in front of the closet with fingers fiddling with the bottom of his shirt. 

“Maybe… maybe some cookies?” 

“The soft kind? Red package, right?” The questions bring a smile to Sabo at him knowing and gives a confirmed noise. “Good, I will be home soon. Pops already gave me a nod of approval.” 

“Okay, don’t rush, be safe.” Sabo says and is opening the closet door to start pulling out the tub. 

“Don’t be alarmed if Ace still says he’s upset with you, he’s not. Part of his mind is thinking that whatever reason to be upset is logical. Just reassure him and hold him with pampering, yoi.” Marco comments as he is heard at the elevator since it sounds out with a noise. 

“Okay, I will get you some coffee going and see you soon.” A small chuckle is heard in response to Sabo’s statement. 

“Thank you. I will see you both soon. I love you.” 

“I love you, too. Bye.” Sabo hangs up and starts getting the things out provided. 

Taking the heavy blanket and the small bag, he slides the tub back in and closes the door. Trailing into the living room, the small bag is to the coffee table and the blanket is dragged to pull the blanket over the other. Ace shifts a little and pulling on the blanket while seeming to curl more. Sabo would let him take in the blanket first and quickly moves to get the coffee going. It takes around ten to fifteen minutes for Marco to get home, twenty at the most if traffic is bad. 

Once the coffee maker was going, he gets them both a glass of water and goes back into the living room. Setting the glasses to an end table, he moves Ace around carefully with small whispers. Ace gives a noise of complaint, but doesn’t resist as Sabo sits down and begins pulling him closer to be in his lap. Sitting sideways with head resting to the crook of his neck and Sabo takes the blanket to wrap around him securely before having his hand pet through dark hair. 

“I love you, my fire. I’m here and Marco will be home soon.” Sabo reassures as he hopes he’s enough to help Ace, looking to that bag on the table with a small curse in his head as he completely forgot about it, but didn’t move in hopes he could help this way until Marco is back. Being the newer party and never going through something like this, he just wants to be enough for Ace. More reassurances spill from Sabo, holding and petting Ace like a lifeline. Time passes, Sabo thinking the other should be home soon and he feels like he hasn’t made any progress, but then he feels the shift of the other’s head. 

“I thought you were mad at me…” Ace finally whispers while gripping a hand to a shirt, Sabo feeling some relief on the other talking. 

“No, I’m not mad at you, Ace. I thought you were at me, I was worried on what I did. I’m sorry.” Sabo comments while keeping his head to the other and give peppered kisses when he can. “Here, have some water, my fire. You should stay hydrated.” Sabo starts up and gets a slow nod in return and is happy to make more progress. 

Getting a glass, he helps get the cup to the other’s mouth and soothes in to drinking. At that moment, the door opens, and Ace is in the process of another sip as Marco comes around the corner. A smile is on him at the sight and Sabo pulls the glass away to let Ace swallow before he mentions of being done with it. 

“I bring goodies, yoi.” Marco says, getting green eyes to find him after the glass was set to the side. Sabo looks relieved more as he walks in. A hand pets through dark strands, “how are you feeling, my fire?” 

“Mh… better with Sab holding me.” The comment has Sabo smile before lips purse as he thought he wasn’t doing too good. Ace proves more by snuggling back close to his lover and keeping a hand tight in his shirt. “M’tired…” 

“You need to have a bit to eat and more to drink before that, love.” Marco comments while getting more into the grocery bag and starting to get a bag of Hershey kisses and then a package of cookies. “Let me get some coffee, could you give him a few kisses?” The question is directed to Sabo, who takes the bag before feathering some to a forehead. 

“Like this? Some of these kisses?” A small giggle leaves Ace and gives a short whine as he drives his face to a neck stubbornly. Marco is smiling as Sabo mentions of getting the chocolate for the other and goes to the kitchen. 

Turning back again, Marco is relieved that Sabo had been home for when Ace dropped and was able to take quicker action. Part of Marco hates thinking back to when it first happened, but it had been a learning lesson and the scare of his life. Ace needed aftercare with how his childhood had been, making his drop more extreme if not careful. Having Sabo with them has made it double the care and double the love, Marco can’t imagine how they would be without him with them.