#I realized I did not post this drawing of him in his non-curse form

[cozyjae]

confessions- j.jh 🥂🎙️

info: roommate au, drunk confessions, jaehyun x reader

wc: 3.1k

warnings: alcohol consumption

a/n: i’m posting my old drafts <3

A loud crash and a subsequent string of low giggles late at night draws you out of your room, cautiously approaching your living room with curiosity and slight concern, only to find your roommate staring at a mess of records strewn across the floor.

It takes all of three seconds for you to realize Jaehyun is drunk, noting the way his head whips around to you suddenly, surprised to see you- as if you don’t live together, before breaking out into a wide smile, skin obviously flushed a deep red.

“Hey!” He says loudly before wincing at his own voice, frown immediately forming as his dark eyebrows knit together. “I didn't wake you up did I?”

“No, I haven’t gone to bed yet,” you wave it off, watching the way he stands up slowly as your eyes drift to the opened bottle of wine on the coffee table, “I was just making sure you were okay.”

In the almost year that you had been roommates with Jaehyun, you don’t think you have ever actually seen him drunk. Occasionally he would come home late at night, a little louder than usual with hooded eyes and red ears, accompanied by his friends- but you have never seen him anything past tipsy.

“Have you been drinking?” You ask rhetorically, already knowing the answer that he confirms as he nods, “You want some?”

“Uh,” you hesitate but are easily convinced by his hopeful expression, wide eyes looking at you with anticipation, “sure, I guess.”

Jaehyun grins, sitting on the sofa and patting the cushion next to him as he pours you a glass, overly concentrated on the simple task as he hands it to you, fingertips brushing against yours. He bumps his glass with yours before he drowns the wine quickly, making you laugh into your glass, only taking small sips.

You watch him with interest, having never seen Jaehyun like this. You were comfortable with your roommate but not drinking wine together at 2 am comfortable, yet he seemed completely content.

Before your former rommate moved out to live with her boyfriend, she introduced you to Jaehyun- a friend of a friend who needed a place to stay as soon as possible after transferring universities.

Since then, you’ve fallen into a non romantic- yet domestic, routine with each other that brought a comforting normalcy and company to your daily life. You took turns grocery shopping and cooking meals and split up chores and kept a shared to do list.

Although Jaehyun was a relatively private person, he was still extremely polite. He played music but it was always at a considerate soft, volume- never too loud. If he stayed out late, he would always tip toe back in and if he had an early class and you were still sleeping, you could always hear his endearingly quiet movements through the walls of your apartment and sometimes the clatter of pots followed by a muttered curse word.

During the first few months of living together, whenever you felt like doing something and your other friends were busy, you always found yourself naturally drifting towards Jaehyun as he did the same with you, often appearing at your doorway with a timid invitation to watch a movie that he rented.

But as time passed, you slowly began to go to Jaehyun first, spending time together not just when your other friends were unavailable as Jaehyun simply became a friend himself.

As much as your friends pestered to you and made obvious the potential relationship between the two of you, you never really pursued anything with Jaehyun. What you had together right now was enough, and you wouldn’t want to ruin everything and lose your roommate and now- friend, by an incorrect assumption. 

Said friends also befriended Jaehyun after he moved in with you as your individual friend groups began to intertwine. Like earlier today, when Donghyuck was over studying and catching up with you, Jaehyun hung around as you ignored the not so subtle hints and ques Donghyuck attempted to give. Even after Jaehyun left, your friend continued with his declaration that you and Jaehyun were obviously infatuated with each other, which you rolled your eyes at and refuted.

You don’t deny that now and then, you could notice a certain level of tension between the two of you, whether it was when the cashier at the grocery store assumed you were a couple or how Jaehyun always listened to your late night, stress induced rants, nodding along as you confide in him and offering kind advice. 

You could always see the two of you moving forward with a relationship, you already lived together and were comfortable with each other- but you can never truly know what Jaehyun thinks and you were definitely not going to outright ask him. 

And so, your budding feelings for Jaehyun stayed between you and Donghyuck- much to your friend’s dismay as you reprimanded his meddling and turned your focus back on the schoolwork he had come over to complete.

Jaehyun’s abrupt movements snap you out of your thoughts as he leans down, reaching for the discarded records, suddenly fixated on opening a specific one. “Do you need help?” You ask warily, watching the way his tongue pokes out in intense concentration.

“No,” he says distantly but his actions say otherwise. You lean down anyways as he fumbles with pulling out a specific disk, taking the record from him gingerly and pulling the sleeve off easily. 

“Do you want me to put this on?” You ask softly as he nods, sitting back up to watch the way you move across the room, staring at the way your oversized shirt hangs off of your frame, legs exposed under the thick material as you stand on your tiptoes to reach the device that Jaehyun brought with him when he moved in. 

You fiddle with the record player, carefully putting on the record that instantly fills the room with soft, melodic jazz that echoes through the player’s speakers with a low, soothing rhythm.

Jaehyun smiles at the familiar song, arm thrown loosely across the sofa, “this one’s my favorite,” he says quietly, making you hum in appreciation. You move back to where he’s sitting, about to join him before Jaheyun reaches out to grab your hand. “Dance with me,” he whispers seriously.

“You’re really drunk,” you say matter of factly, biting back a laugh at his determined expression as you let him use your weight to pull himself up to stand, swaying slightly as he stares at you with hooded eyes.

“Yeah,” Jaehyun agrees before a smile breaks out across his features, dimples appearing in the soft pink, tinged skin of his cheeks, “I can still dance though.”

You laugh silently as he looks at you for a few more moments, smile slowly turning into a small pout. Before he can say anything else your tongue pokes in your cheek as you mutter a quiet, “fine.”

Jaehyun’s arm quickly comes to circle around your waist carefully, almost testing how the touch feels. It felt different, him touching you in a way he never had before. It wasn’t like your usual, accidental touches, like when you bump into each other in the small space of your shared kitchen while cooking and he places a hand on the small of your back while moving past you. 

This felt so intentional, touch weighing heavy on your skin, feeling the way his fingertips each move individually on your waist. Jaehyun looks at you for an okay and you nod your head, “yeah,” you say softly, letting him pull you closer. Your hand comes to rest on his shoulder, skin covered by the simple black t-shirt he’s wearing.

He sways both of you from side to side, hands warm as one stays on your waist and the other holds your own hand delicately. He’s silent from his overwhelming concentration, mind filled with only buried thoughts of clouded admiration and attraction. 

Jaehyun rests his head in the crook of your neck, burying himself into your shoulder as you feel his lips pull into a smile that ghosts along your collar bone and his nose press further into your skin.

The short duration of the song goes by in a hazed quickness that you don’t notice until the song fades out slowly, offering only a few seconds of low static before the sound cuts abruptly and silence fills the room. 

Jaehyun waits before reluctantly breaking and immediately plopping back down on the sofa, letting his body sprawl across the cushions. “That was nice,” he mumbles as you frown at his new position, already concerned about the possibility of him falling asleep there. 

“Here, why don’t you let me help you into your room?” You say gently, knowing his current position on the small couch would only lead to neck crooks and aches in the morning to go along with his already predictable hangover.

Jaehyun hums distractedly, mind elsewhere, not disagreeing but not making it easier for you to help him.

You hoist him up, holding his forearm as his fingers graze over your hand, rubbing your skin softly. His fingertips run over your wrist then hand, grasping onto you for stability.

“How did you get this drunk on wine?” You complain more to yourself, realizing the extent of his lack of dexterity as Jaehyun just laughs breathlessly, mumbling something incoherent into the material of your shirt.

He lets you lead him into his room fairly easily with little resistance. You move him to your side, letting him wrap and arm around your shoulder for support.

You open his door and Jaehyun suddenly breaks away from your grasp to flop onto his bed, sprawling out comfortably.

You smile watching him squirm on his bed, shifting to get comfortable, even drunk Jaehyun was endearing. You make sure he’s in a better position than before and then move to leave, figuring you would see him in the morning with Advil to help the hangover he was bound to have.

“Don’t go,” Jaehyun says lowly, voice laced with realization, trailing off as you turn back to face him. 

“You need sleep,” you say and Jaehyun doesn’t respond, instead he looks at you intently before suddenly groaning and frowning exaggeratedly, his full lips forming a small pout.

“I’m so embarrassed,” he groans, not making eye contact as his thoughts begin to spill freely with no filter.

You sit on the foot of his bed while his gaze follows your movements. “Don’t be,” you say, voice laced subconscious sincerity, “It’s fine. Remember how you helped me when I was drunk after Johnny's party last month? That was embarrassing.”

He laughs, shaking his head, “no, that was cute.”

You give him a small smile, not bothering to disagree. It’s quiet for a few moments as you watch Jaehyun, his eyes close as his eyelashes brush lightly against his skin. You watch the slow and steady rising of his chest, shirt hanging off his frame, exposing the warm skin of his chest and collarbones. 

You start to think Jaehyun fell asleep until his eyes suddenly flutter open to meet yours directly as he sucks in a deep breath, pausing for a few seconds before speaking. “I love you,” he blurts randomly, making your lips part in complete surprise.

You’re momentarily stunned by his words, unable to process any of your own as Jaehyun continues casually, “like,” he breathes out, “really.” He giggles lightly, different from his usual, low laugh. Jaehyun’s eyes widen before he covers his mouth with his palm, seemingly realizing what he just confessed, mumbling a muffled, “oops.”

His words ring in your mind continuously but you refuse to let them completely register. Jaehyun was drunk and you couldn't allow yourself to bask in an admission that you doubt he would remember in a few hours. You smile wistfully, “I’m gonna go,” you say quietly, patting his leg.

“Wait- what do you say to my romantic confession?” He whines, reaching his arms out as his hand plays at your fingers to try and keep you next to him.

You let out a small laugh, letting his fingertips rub over your knuckles, eyebrows raising jokingly, “That was your romantic confession?”

Jaehyun doesn’t respond at first, only staring at you as his gaze flickers down to your lips, obviously lingering too long on your lips. You laugh again, causing Jaehyun's eyes to snap back up to meet yours, matching your smile and laughing airily.

He shifts, hair splayed across his pillow, “yeah,” He says simply.

“You’re drunk. I don’t-,” you stop, trying to find the right words to seriously break down what he said, “we can talk about it in the morning.”

He sighs, air puffing out his cheeks stubbornly, “Technically,” he cranes his neck to look at his bedside clock, “it’s morning right now,” he says, staring at the glaring, red 2:49 AM.

You roll your eyes, turning and looking away to hide your smile as Jaehyun grins at your reaction, “do I make you laugh?”

“Yes, Jaehyun,” you say with endearment, noting how he looked like a child seeking validation with wide eyes and concerned, furrowed brows, anxiously awaiting your response.

“Do you think I’m funny?” He asks again in a small voice.

“Yes,” you reiterate gently as he continues, propping himself up by his elbows. “Is that why you laughed today when Donghyuck asked if you liked me?” He asks pointedly, only blinking as he awaits your response. ‪

Your chest constricts and your mouth opens in surprise, confusion reading across all your features, “Jae, what? You heard that?”

Your mind instantly replays the conversation you and Donghyuck had earlier that afternoon when he asked if you liked Jaehyun after the elder had left. 

You remember laughing awkwardly at Donghyuck’s question, choosing avoidance over straight up denial, but it still didn’t stop a wide grin from appearing on his features, looking at you like he had confirmed his suspicions, “Oh you totally do.” 

“So what?” You mutter, shoving your textbook away from you to lay on your bed, “it’s not like I’m going to do anything about it, and I don’t know, I doubt he feels the same way.” 

Now, Jaehyun sighs loudly, making you realize he must have only heard the first part of your conversation. “You don’t like me.” He says matter of factly.

You look into his searching eyes, lips twisting as you think of what to say. “Of course I do, Jae. I just- I don’t know, I thought I didn’t know if you felt the same way,” you explain, giving him a small smile, “And besides, I didn’t want to admit something that to Donghyuck in the first place.”

He hums, seemingly content, “I like it when you call me that.”

“Jae?”

“Yeah,” he sighs, hand reaching back out to hold yours as you hesitate. “I- I, think we should finish talking about this in the morning.”

He blinks, retracting his own hand. “What does that mean?”

“It just means you’re drunk right now.”

He seems to take that as an acceptable explanation, satisfied with your response and reaction to his admission. When you bid him goodnight he only smiles, relating a soft, “good night,” before you’re closing his door quietly, rubbing your face in confusion.

Jaehyun’s words leave you lying in bed unable to get rid of the fluttering feeling in the pit of your stomach and unable to sleep due to the feeling of eventually confession and discussion the next morning would entail.

You wonder what you would even say, what Jaehyun would even say, and if he even truly meant or remembered what he admitted. It makes you nervous, so nervous that you fall asleep with a feeling of dread overshadowing any excitement or anticipation you would have otherwise felt.

-

“Morning Jae,” you say knowingly, amusement monetarily overpowering your nervousness as your obviously hungover roommate comes into view.

Jaehyun turns from his seat at the kitchen bar with messy hair and tired, narrowed eyes due to the light that streams through the large bay window in your apartment.

He laughs tensely, hand on his mug as he looks up at you nervously. “Yeah, really nice,” he says sarcastically, smiling with you before he clears his throat, expression instantly changing and making your voice immediately catch in your throat. “About last night,” he starts, turning away from the countertop to face you.

You bite your lip, awaiting the worst rejection stemming from his own confession, waiting for him to deny and apologize for any admission from his drunken consciences

“Well- first, I'm sorry about that, that was,” he pauses, struggling to find the right words, “uh- not me and very embarrassing.”

You nod, not really knowing what to say as he continues. “But thank you for helping me,” he gives you a smile that you return easily.

“Yeah, of course,” you say, feeling his choice of words had completely affirmed what you feared.

“And I remember some of the stuff I said and I just want to say- I mean, that was not how I wanted to talk to you about my feelings. But I want you to know that I really do like you.” Jaehyun says everything in one breath, adding a small, “if haven’t ruined any chance I had with you.”

He pauses to read your expression that doesn’t look immediately negative as he’s encouraged to carry on. “I overheard your conversation with Donghyuck yesterday and then,” Jaehyun visibly cringes as he continues, “I got kind of sad and drank the wine Yuta bought me from forever ago. I shouldn’t have listened and I shouldn’t have done,” he gestures wildly with his hands, “whatever that was.”

He looks at you with a rawly vulnerable expression that you have never seen before, wincing as he recounts the events from last night while he awaits your response.

“I mean, I really like you too,” you say quietly, making his head snap up in surprise, “really?”

“Yeah,” you say, thinking it was pretty apparent. “Of course I do. I really like living with you and I really like spending time with you,” you twist your fingers subconsciously, shifting under his gaze, “I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

“I guess I made that easier,” Jaehyun laughs and you so do you, taking the seat next to him and resting your elbow on the counter, looking at him with raised eyebrows in agreement, “it was a very bold approach.” 

Jaehyun’s smile widens before he bites his lip, “Can I kiss you?” He asks shyly before rambling, “I mean I’m pretty hungover right now so maybe not but-.” 

You cut him off, moving closer than you already were, leaning up and reaching up to press your lips into his sweetly, breaking apart after a few seconds only to smile up at him- your roommate who had suddenly become so much more, “I don’t mind.”

[nobodyfamousposts]

My-Crack-ulous: Aku-Maid

In which I am a horrible person...

No seriously. Don’t read this.

For @mermain123, for bringing up the cursed image that started this mess in the first place.

Mermain: i said i was suffering

Mermain: i didn't want you to make the internet suffer

Me: That sounds like the internet’s problem.

Also for @bloody-writes. You know why...   ; )

_________________________

Hawk Moth was a supervillain who had been terrorizing Paris for the better part of two years.

But no one could really argue that not all of his ideas have been good. Or well thought out. Or in any way sensible even.

Like the time he akumatized a baby.

Or the time he akumatized a girl to transform people into exact replicas of herself.

Or the fact he keeps akumatizing Mr. Ramier for going on 29 times at this point…

Or the other time he akumatized a baby…

Times that he destroyed Paris. Times that he nearly destroyed the world. Times that he gave people powers that were completely contradictory to the goals of getting the Miraculous he was after by erasing the heroes from existence or transforming them in ways that made the Miraculous inaccessible.

But none of his akumatizations had ever gotten him as much hate, caused as much misery, were were ultimately as pointless as this most recent incident.

Aku-maid.

It was known the instant she was akumatized. As soon as she was transformed, a wave of power enveloped the city. And within that wave, half of the people of Paris were transformed as well. 

…the male half.

Her power was to transform all the men of Paris. She didn’t even have a weapon or attack that did it, it just happened almost instantaneously. All men suddenly found themselves changed.

Or rather, their outfits…

“Ah!”

“What the hell—!?”

“I can’t get it off!”

One by one, every male in Paris suddenly found themselves in a much different state of attire. What had just been a normal day full of various styles and appearances had all suddenly become very…frilly.

“WHY AM I A MAID?!”

Much as implied her namesake, the akuma’s power involved transforming whatever any man was wearing into some variation of a maid outfit.

Every man.

All over Paris.

From Andre Bourgeois, who has refused to leave his office to make an official statement…

“ANDRE!” Audrey shouted, banging on the door. “Get out here this instant!”

“But, honey, I can’t be seen like this!”

To Roger Raincomprix, who has tried to continue his normal duties despite the…change of uniform…

“Stop in the name of the law!” Roger shouted, reaching into his pockets in an automatic reaction to try to get his handcuffs. While the dress he was wearing did still have pockets, the only item they procured was a cleaning rag, which was notably less threatening as the suspect in question stared for a moment before deciding to take off.

“HEY!”

And yes, even to…

“I’m a Macrophage!” Adrien gushed happily as he lifted his lengthy skirt to give a twirl.

…even to Adrien Agreste, who was apparently the only one to find anything pleasant about the current crisis.

Nino stared.

“Dude. Seriously?”

“I’ve always wanted to cosplay!”

Nino, having been long-since exposed to his friend’s deep love for anime in its many forms, at least knew what a Macrophage was. But even so, he couldn’t help but feel there was something odd about the way Adrien took to the long pale dress and cap.

Kim rested a hand on Nino’s shoulder. “Just let the guy enjoy this.”

“At least somebody is.” Nathaniel muttered bitterly as he tried to hide as behind his sketchbook. It was a futile attempt, of course, as he at most only covered his face, leaving the red dress, white apron with pockets, and knee-high boots on full display.

“I don’t understand how he can.” Max complained. He tugged at his own skirt in vain, looking at Adrien’s ankle-length ensemble enviously. The skirt was much shorter than he would have liked—reaching a couple inches above his thigh and almost seemed to be defying gravity to stay that way despite his attempts to get it to either flatten or otherwise lower. “I question the design choices.”

“But you look just like Misaki from Maid Sama! And Nathaniel looks like Lizbeth!” Adrien insisted. “It’s totally a cosplay!”

Max just stared incredulously. He was wearing a black dress with puffy sleeves that tapered off just shy of his elbow, white apron, a cap, and thigh-high black stockings and knee-high boots, it seemed Adrien did have a point.

Max, in all fairness, didn’t particularly care in favor of the problems that came with suddenly finding himself in a short dress, heels, and a corset.

“I just can’t peg where Kim or Nino’s outfits are from.” He continued, studying the outfits in question contemplatively. “But give me a little time! It’ll come to me!”

The boys had been having an afternoon hangout session in the park. No girls. No teachers. No Gabriel Agreste or bodyguards to whisk certain teen models away. It was supposed to be a normal non-drama-filled day.

…which was naturally when it became something less than normal and certainly more than drama-filled.

“I think I get why girls complain about this sort of thing now.” Kim said, looking at his shoes. “These heels are kind of uncomfortable…”

“Are you sure it’s the heels and not the flippers?” Nino asked, annoyed.

Sure enough, Kim was wearing flipper-heels. They were black and also had black ankle straps with a little bow on each. This strange footwear did seem to go with Kim’s talent in swimming, which was also emphasized by the ruffle maid swimsuit they matched with.

“Nah, it’s definitely the heels.” Kim insisted.

So this was what their all-boys’ afternoon had come to.

Kim was wobbling on unsteady heels.

Nathaniel groaned and kept his ever reddening face covered.

Max was questioning where they could procure jackets. Long jackets.

Adrien was giggling to himself and asking if they could do a full Cells at Work group cosplay.

And Nino paled, suddenly realizing something.

"Guys. Guys, we have to hide!"

"Why?" Kim asked. "It's annoying, but this akuma doesn't seem really dangerous."

"No, you don't get it!" Nino hissed. "If Alya catches us, we will NEVER live this down!"

Nathaniel looked over the edge of his sketchbook. “Alya wouldn’t actually post pictures of us to the Ladyblog, would she?”

A long pause followed.

The boys paled.

Except for Adrien, who turned to them with a gasp of excitement. “Do you think she would? We could do a group picture!”

All the other boys paled even more, looking downright ill.

And immediately took off running.

Or at least as well as they could with heels. None of them made it very far without tripping, stumbling, or simply struggling to stay upright as they still tried to move away from the area as quickly as the heels would allow.

“But what’s wrong with—?”

“JUST RUN, ADRIEN!”

“Who thought maid outfits with high heels was a good idea?! How can anyone be expected to clean in these things?

“I will never draw high heels on a super heroine again.”

“I can’t breathe! Who created corsets?! What objective does this achieve besides crushing one’s lungs?”

Nino groaned, still running. “I hope Hawk Moth is suffering as much as we are!”

_____________________

If Nino Lahiffe had the ability to break the fourth wall and peer into the events happening outside of his immediate vicinity, he would be happy to find this was actually the case.

And he would laugh.

Oh, how he would laugh.

“Sir…?”

“Don’t.” Came the dark growl from a very unhappy supervillain. “Don’t say anything, Nathalie..."

This was an akuma that impacted every male in Paris. Every male.

…even to Hawk Moth, himself.

“Why did this happen?”

It would appear that even Hawk Moth was not immune to Aku-Maid’s power as he had been similarly transformed. And unfortunately, due to the change, he could no longer access his Miraculous. The Butterfly broach had disappeared, having been transformed along with his outfit.

And his outfit had…actually left much to be desired.

Which was truthfully just a nice way of saying it was ugly.

Really, really ugly.

Normally the picture of stoicism, Nathalie had to pretend to cough to avoid reacting.

“Can’t you order the akuma to undo it?” She eventually was able to ask.

He lowered his head and closed his eyes in concentration. “No. It’s no good. I’ve lost the link!”

His eyes widened and he clutched his chest in a panic.

“Where is the Miraculous?!” Hawk Moth demanded, trying—and failing to pull at the tasteless dress. But as others across the city had already discovered, the clothes were magic and would not be removed or displaced. Not even the frock or the cap he now wore.

“Sir, you were transformed when you changed. It looks like the Butterfly Miraculous was transformed along with you.”

He froze, eyes widening in horror. “But that’s—”

He grasped at the empty place on his chest. Where once had been his lapel and pin now only had ruffles and a leathery texture. His mask remained in place, though it was now fully black except for the openings around his eyes and mouth, which were bordered with a lighter grey color. The material and outfit overall had a shine to it that could be found on any wetsuit.

To put it nicely: he looked atrocious.

To put it bluntly: he looked like some sort of BDSM role-player with a maid kink.

So it was fortunate, perhaps, that no one else in Paris would have to be subject to the sight.

Except Nathalie. Who was probably going to have nightmares.

Or a coronary from the laughter she was trying to hold back.

It was admittedly a bit hard to tell.

But it seemed she was handling the situation a bit better than Hawk Moth, despite the fact that the man was currently unable to see himself or the full extent of the monstrosity he now wore.

…this was probably for the best. Given the man’s fashion sense, there was really no telling whether he would be horrified or inspired, and nobody would want to find out.

“I can’t contact the akuma! And I can’t call it back!”

He moaned, covering his…already covered face with his hands. “I’ll never be taken seriously again!”

Nathalie resolutely held back from pointing out he was barely being taken seriously now.

“It’s…not that bad?” She tried. Not very well, but she tried.

Hawk Moth clutched his head in horror. “Unless Ladybug and Chat Noir can stop this akuma, we’re doomed!”

“Sir, it’s just an akuma that puts men in maid outfits. It’s really not that bad.”

“DOOOOOOMED!!!”

__________________________

The akuma, for her part, was unaware of her benefactor’s misery, too busy enjoying the abject misery of everyone else around her.

Nobody knew just what had set the girl off to get her akumatized in the first place. Her comments about men being “the eye-candy now” suggested an argument. The maid outfits involved suggested what the topic of the argument had been regarding.

To be honest, nobody had actually realized she was the akuma responsible. She did appear fairly normal by akuma terms, dressed in a seemingly authentic Victorian era dress more befitting as an authentic Lady’s Maid compared the frillier, lacier varieties that the men around her had suddenly found themselves in. What would normally have gotten her a few odds looks was mostly ignored in the face of the sudden change. Few even took notice of her dark purple skin or black hair. Or the fan in her hand.

“THAT’S RIGHT! SEE HOW YOU LIKE BEING OBJECTIFIED!”

The yelling…was a bit harder to miss.

It was the first thing that drew the attention of the three girls settled at the cafe.

The second thing was the various cries of horror as several of the men around them suddenly discovered their state of dress transformed into…well…dresses. Of a variety that made the little cafe appear more like a maid cafe than anything.

The third thing was the appearance of a familiar face running down the road, holding up his long white dress to make running easier as he looked for a place to hide.

Marinette stared.

“ADRIEN?!”

Adrien Agreste was running around in a long white and pale cream Victorian-era dress and cap, looking like Cinderella running from the ball. Except a maid.

A quick glance to her companions showed that both Alya and Kagami were similarly staring in befuddlement, so this was neither her imagination or a fever dream.

“Adrien? What’s going on?” Alya asked for everyone.

“It’s an akuma!” He replied, quickly. “She’s putting everybody into cosplay!”

“…cosplay?”

“Yeah!”

“…everybody?”

He paused, glancing around. “Well…all the guys, I think?”

Marinette stared.

“…Just that?” Alya asked, thankfully taking over while Marinette’s brain started to become aware that this WAS Adrien she was talking to. “She’s not doing anything else besides putting guys into…‘cosplays’?”

He blinked in confusion. “I…think so?”

“She isn’t…I don’t know…commanding you or anything?”

“Well, she hasn’t yet. Which, really, isn’t so bad for an akuma if you think about it.” He said with a frown before he noticed the strange look on Kagami’s face. “Kagami, are you okay?”

Kagami made a strangled sound.

“Marinette?”

Marinette pretended to choke on a drink from an empty glass to avoid speaking.

“Can I add to your order?” The waiter came by, seeming unconcerned by the ruckus or the act that he was now wearing a rather cutesy maid outfit the likes of which would be seen in a maid cafe in Japan.

“You don’t seem put off by this.” Alya pointed out, noting his relatively unfazed attitude compared to the panicking of the other men around them…or the gushing from Adrien.

The waiter took it in stride.

“It’s okay.” He replied blankly. “I’m already dead inside.”

“Oh.”

He turned to Kagami. “Do you need anything else, Miss?”

Kagami was still staring at Adrien, blushing furiously.

“I think I have a problem.”

“You mean a kink?”

“A. Problem.” She spoke through gritted teeth.

“Story of my life.” The waiter replied as he refilled her glass of water, either unaware or uncaring of the specific nature of her trouble.

Alya gasped in sudden realization. “Wait! If this is happening here then…” She turned to Adrien. “Where were Nino and the boys?” He blinked, curious. “Oh, they decided to head home. Why?”

An almost sinister smirk formed on Alya’s face. One that would have anyone it was directed at cowering in fear. And strong enough to be felt from several blocks away.

Unbeknownst to them, Nino felt that smirk like a trail of cold fingers down his back, and promptly threw himself into his room and slammed the door shut behind him.

As if she sensed this, Alya slammed several bills on the table and dashed out the door.

“GOTTA GO!”

Realizing an akuma was about, Marinette was right on her heels. She found a nearby alleyway and immediately prepared to transform and face this latest threat.

“Oh my god. OH MY GOD.” She broke down, letting out the laughter she’d been trying so hard to hold in. “He’s a dork! The boy I’m crushing on is a complete DORK who is in to cosplaying! He thinks maid outfits are COSPLAY!”

…or she would be.

“And here I’ve been driving myself nuts with anxiety over just asking him out and he doesn’t even—”

Any minute now…

“Marinette!” Tikki hissed. “You need to stop the akuma!”

“Can’t I just take a picture first?”

“MARINETTE!”

“Oh fine…”

_____________________

Luka didn’t realize anything had happened. He felt a bit off balanced for a moment, and a bit colder, but attributed that to being on the Liberty. So he simply shifted his stance to be a bit more steady and continued playing. It wasn’t until the drum stopped that he realized something was actually wrong.

The look of shock from Mylene and the following shriek from Ivan cemented it.

He spun around, not sure what could have elicited such a cry from his fellow bandmate. And at first, he couldn’t really tell what had happened. Ivan was crouched behind the drum set, covering his face with his hands and trembling in what appeared to be mortification.

Then he noticed the mobcap on Ivan’s head, which he was pretty sure hadn’t been there before. And Ivan’s shirt seemed distinctly…fluffier and frillier than he remembered seeing a few minutes ago. He tried to move closer to offer help, only for his own balance to be off. And when he looked down…

Oh.

The dress was new.

As were the stockings.

And the notably thinner and sleeker heels on his boots.

He hummed to himself, considering the change.

“Akuma?” Juleka asked him.

“Most likely.” He replied.

Mylene had rushed up to their practice stage and to Ivan’s side, even as he moaned for her to not look at him. The poor guy was completely red in embarrassment. Seeing how upset he was, the other three had backed away, leaving Mylene to try to help her boyfriend.

“Luka, are you okay?” Rose asked worriedly, trying to respect Ivan’s need for space while also checking in on their other effected bandmate.

“I’m fine. It was just a surprise at first.” He replied.

It wasn’t every day that you suddenly found yourself in a maid outfit, after all. It was a simple outfit. White off the shoulder puffy sleeves with black frills. A black tube skirt. White apron. And…he reached to his neck where a weight was, feeling a choker.

Huh…

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Honestly, he could be in worse.

Rose seemed surprised at that. “Really? Even with those shoes?”

He looked down at the shoes in question. The boots were his style—surprisingly, given it was an akuma. The higher heels were definitely different from his norm, and clearly what Rose was referring to. In any other circumstances, she would be right.

But...

Luka smiled, shifting his stance and resting a hand on his hip. “Well, someone had to teach Jules to walk in heels. And I couldn’t show her if I didn’t know how myself.

Juleka huffed. “Don’t say that like you didn’t enjoy playing dress up.”

Luka merely curtsied, not only showing off more of his slightly ripped and punk-looking fishnet stockings, but almost proudly displaying his ability to move fluently in heels.

Rose appropriately “oo-ed” and “aah-ed” at his display. Juleka merely shook her head and smiled. Ivan was still recovering from his panic attack and had resolutely refused to come out from behind the drums, despite Mylene’s reassurances.

“So it has to be an akuma, right?” Rose asked.

“If it is, I want a picture or two, at least.” Juleka muttered as she admired Luka’s outfit, mumbling about commissioning Marinette to recreate it in her size. She hadn’t known maids could come in this style.

Mylene nodded from her place at Ivan’s side. “Though it seems rather fortunate if this is all the akuma is doing.”

“We don’t know if that is it, though.” Luka warned. “For all we know, there could be some other ability she has if she catches us. It would probably be safer if we hid out inside until this is over.”

The others agreed. And Anarka, bless her soul, actually came up with a large blanket for Ivan to wrap himself in to preserve his dignity. Then she and Mylene helped the taller teen to safely relocate to inside. Much like Luka, Ivan’s shoes had changed, but he was substantially less able to maneuver in them. And no amount of effort or force on his part could seem to separate the heels from his feet.

Once he and the others were inside, Luka moved to follow. He hesitated, however, at the sound of something landing behind him.

“Viperion? We’ll need your help.”

He turned to see Ladybug standing tall. And was that perhaps a hint of blush on her face?

Oh. 

A shame.

It looked like Juleka wouldn’t be getting her pictures, after all...

_____________________

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

He shuddered, backing away from the door as far as possible.

“Ninoooooo…”

It was a fight for survival.

“C’mon, Nino. Just open the door.”

The survival of his dignity, but still!

He’d lost track of the others and immediately rushed home and to the safety of his room. His room, which he could lock and hide away in until this all blew over.

“I have a key!” Came Chris’s voice. “Somewhere…”

“Give it and I won’t take any pictures of you.”

“Deal!”

His room, which his traitorous little brother was willing to allow the enemy entry into.

Under any normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be this desperate. But if Alya caught him like this…

Black dress. Puffy at the shoulder, sleeves that extended to his wrists and were bound by white cuffs. A white smock tied back with a white ribbon. White bow at the neck and white frills along the bottom of the dress?

Oh yeah…Alya would never let this go…

He knew he shouldn’t have gotten into all those anime Adrien pushed him into! So what if the maids were cute? And sure, he’d admit he's had a thought or two of Alya in such attire...

But how was he supposed to know Alya had such thoughts as well? And in the complete opposite direction! Clearly this was the akuma’s magic punishing him!

Nino looked to his window.

It would be a long fall, but it was his only escape.

But would the broken legs be worth it when Alya would soon figure out what he did and be able to catch up to him easily?

Maybe he could try to climb up instead…but in these heels? It was suicide!

“Fufufu!”

…screw it. 

He opened up his window, only to meet a new pair of eyes.

Ladybug stared in surprise from her place at his windowsill, a certain box in hand.

“…hi?”

“Oh thank god!” He exclaimed. He took her by her shoulders, half leaning out and half pulling her in. “Alya’s insisting on taking pictures! Please tell me you have my Miraculous with you!”

“Actually, about that—”

“I don’t care! I’ll do anything! Just please—SAVE ME!”

Ladybug looked back behind her to a distant rooftop and the other allies she’d left behind.

The sound of a key jingling could be heard and Nino stared up at her, pleadingly.

Well, she could never resist the eyes…

By the time they’d gotten the door open, the room was empty.

Nino was gone.

_____________________

Six heroes stood assembled.

Ladybug.

Chat Noir.

Carapace.

Viperion.

King Monkey.

Pegasus.

Six heroes.

Five of whom were male.

And…still wearing some semblance of feminine maid-like outfits.

Ladybug wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or worried.

“What the hell?! I thought the Miraculous were supposed to change us into our hero suits?” Nino groused.

Contrary to his hopes and expectations, using the Miraculous had not transformed him into his normal Carapace look, but had rather simply given him a different outfit. The dress itself was green and had a turtle shell pattern, while the apron and waist belts were a brown color. The bowknot around his neck was a dark green and a brown to match the apron. He wore stockings. And to his very limited relief, his shoes were flats instead of heels.

“Well, at least this skirt is longer.” Pegasus said, now wearing a dark brown blouse and bicycle skirt. The skirt went to just above his ankles, for which he was grateful. But this seemed to be countered by the increase of height to his heels.

Plus no corset. The outfit was still fit tightly and not very comfortable, but at least he could breathe now.

“Though I believe we’re getting away from maid-wear now.” Chat said, conversationally.

Pegasus gave him a flat look. “I’m not complaining.”

If Chat had witnessed his earlier ensemble, surely he would understand.

King Monkey, for his part, seemed somewhat appeased with his Miraculous suit. It was a notably more Eastern style of dress, appearing more like robes worn by palace servants. He wore a light brown waistcoat with wide sleeves over a blouse and a wrap-around skirt. It looked heavy, but Kim seemed to have no trouble with it. Maybe it was made of a lighter material…?

And Viperion’s dress was different in style as well. Whereas his maid outfit as Luka had been more punk, this was more sleek. Wearing a green sleeveless dress and white smock, as well as what appeared to be a green corset. The dress had a slit at the sides, giving more maneuverability for his legs…as well as more show, given the appearance of a garter belt and stockings. His shoes were high heeled but including a beautiful snake design that wrapped around his ankles. To finish it off, rather than remain bare, his arms were covered in what appeared to be loose green sleeves that started at his elbows and extended to his wrists.

…maybe a picture or two wouldn’t hurt? Or three? Because the amount of details on these outfits were amazing and she was just brimming with ideas now…

Ladybug broke out of her musings when someone tugged on her shoulder to get her attention.

It was Chat. Chat who, much like the other heroes, as dressed in a fantastical outfit. Though a maid outfit, it was definitely more cat-themed with a giant paw-like gloves covering his hands, a paw print on his apron, and bow and bell on his tail which rang as he shifted.

What material was that made of, anyway? She kind of wanted to give it a feel and see if she could find something to compare it to. Maybe a quick sketch?

Oh. Right.

Akuma.

Maybe if she was lucky, they could finish this quickly so she could rush back home and take notes while she still had the ideas bouncing in her brain.

…maybe someone would have gotten pictures by then…?

“Ladybug?” Chat whispered, snapping her back to reality.

“Yes?”

Chat frowned in concern. “Is the Guardian okay with this?”

Ladybug froze.

“PSST! Ladybug!” Came a voice from a nearby rooftop, drawing her attention.

“Master Fu?”

“Ladybug! Here’s the Miracle Box. Take as many allies as you can and resolve this as soon as possible!”

“Master? Are…you hiding in a box?”

“No questions! Just go!”

“…he’s fine.”

Chat seemed uncertain, but decided not to pry.

“Let’s just split up and find the akuma.” Ladybug said. “But don’t engage until we’re all together!”

With that, the six split into three groups, with Chat and Carapace going one way and King Monkey and Pegasus going another, leaving Ladybug and Viperion searching together with the former trying not to get caught stealing peeks at the latter.

“Is something wrong?” He asked with a smile.

…trying. The key word was trying not to get caught.

“No! Nothing!” She replied quickly. “I’m just…surprised that you can still move so quickly in those heels.”

“I’ve had practice.” He explained, still smiling. He even lifted one leg behind him, managing to stand perfectly balanced even on one leg in heels.

“I…see.”

Part of her wanted very much to laugh. It was the same part that had found this entire day ridiculous. The other part of her was her inner artist at work and really wanted to make a few sketches inspired from the presented outfits. Like Viperion’s sleeves…and those shoes with a snake coil wrapping around the ankle…

“Ladybug!”

Gaah! Focus!

She turned towards the shout to find King Monkey and Pegasus stumbling towards her.

Her fingers twitched. She ignored it.

“We found the akuma.” King Monkey reported. “She doesn’t seem to be doing anything. Just…kind or roaming around.”

“And laughing.” Pegasus added bitterly. “She appears to be doing a lot of that.”

“How’s THAT for ‘doll them up’?” Came a shout from street level. “HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, HUH?!”

As if on cue…

Ladybug and the others peeked over the edge of the roof.

“Has she displayed any other powers?” She asked.

“No.” Pegasus replied. “From what we could see, her power has already been activated to…obvious effect.” He hesitated, resolutely avoiding mentioning his new outfit or the indignity he’d already suffered. “She has only been laughing. And tripping the occasional person while searching for someone in particular—possibly the one responsible for her ire.”

Ladybug nodded. “At least she’s distracted and doesn’t know we’re here. We just need a plan of attack before we try to fight her.”

“No problem!” King Monkey said with a grin as he reached for his weapon. “We can just do a head on attack with our weapons and—”

They stared.

In place of his staff was a broom. A normal cleaning broom.

They sent cautious glances to each other before they checked their own inventory.

Said inventory consisted of a broom, a bucket, and a feather duster.

“I believe that constitutes as a problem.” Pegasus stated worriedly.

“That’s no fair!” King Monkey exclaimed. “Adrien was able to summon a machete!”

Ladybug blanched at that. “A what?!”

Pegasus pushed up his glasses. “I believe it’s a component of his…‘cosplay’?”

“Pfft!” Ladybug covered her mouth with her hand.

“Ladybug?”

“I-it’s nothing!” She replied hurriedly.

Viperion raised his eyebrow at her but didn’t comment.

King Monkey at least seemed to take it in stride.

“Now we just need a plan for attack!”

“With what?!” Pegasus questioned, waving the feather duster in frustration. “Our weapons don’t work!”

“More like our weapons aren’t actually weapons.” Viperion said, considering his bucket.

“I could smack her.” King Monkey offered, holding up his broom. “Maybe your feather duster has dust on it and could make her sneeze?”

Pegasus gave him a flat look.

“I think the broom is the best weapon we have right now.”

“Don’t knock a bucket!” King Monkey commanded, resolutely. “I got one stick on my head one time and it took hours to get it off! Buckets are evil, man!”

Pegasus sighed and rubbed his head. “It concerns me that you’re the second person I know whom that has happened to.”

Ladybug coughed, discretely trying to draw attention off that particular subject lest identities be at risk. “Anyway, I think I have a plan...”

______________________

To be honest, it wasn’t that difficult of an akuma. Especially not with six of them teaming up against it.

Akumaid truly see to have no ability other than the initial one of transforming what any male in Paris was wearing into something embarrassing...unless you were Adrien, apparently. Aside from that, she showed no other power—neither over the clothes themselves or the people wearing them. Well, she wasn’t controlling any of the victims or shrinking the clothing to choke them at any rate...which if you think about it, was rather lame for an akuma in the power department.

The only real disadvantage in battle came in the difficulty the boys had moving freely in their current outfits. And the afore noted lack of proper weaponry.

Their advantage of surprising was ruined by Chat’s bell ringing before they could ambush her, and both Carapace and Pegasus losing balance with their heels and falling over. King Monkey’s outfit, while longer, also meant more fabric to flap about and resist his movements regardless of how light it may have been, so he wasn’t able to get a hit in fast enough before the akuma turned on him and knocked him away.

Chat was able to get a hit in though.

With his…Kitty Wand…

“THIS IS MAGICAL PUNISHMENT!” He shouted as he smacked the akuma over the head.

“Chat. Chat no. Chat why?”

And Ladybug had hopelessly lost her composure by this point and was laughing. Just laughing. Laughing so hard she was crying actual tears as she smacked her own thigh in her struggle to breathe. Viperion was trying to help her stay standing, keeping an arm around her to support her as she half leaned and half chuckled tears into his chest.

“What’s going on? Does the akuma have some power over Ladybug, too?” King Monkey asked.

…

Viperion sighed.

“Sure. Something to that effect.”

Ladybug wheezed.

“LADYBUG!”

“Lu-haha-lucky haha-charm!”

It said something when her own Lucky Charm magicked up a paper bag. With Ladybug still victim to her fit of giggles, Viperion simply put the bag over her face and had her try to breathe.

“A paper bag doesn’t help with out of control laughing.” Pegasus noted as he forced himself to his feet.

“Do you want to try to figure out the Lucky Charm?” Viperion bit out in annoyance, Ladybug still shaking in his arms.

Pegasus coughed and backed away. “No, thank you.”

Ladybug let out another giggle.

“All right, enough! I’ll stop her!” Carapace shouted, reaching for his back. “With my…serving plate.”

His shield.

His precious shield was gone.

“…Carapace?” Ladybug asked.

The newly rendered Turtle Maid sighed and simply threw the plate as he had his shield, not expecting much.

…the plate slice flew through the air at a surprising speed, but missed the akuma entirely. Instead, it sailed past her, hitting a light post.

Ladybug had expected it to bounce, but instead there was a sound of shredding metal as the serving plate actually tore through the lamp post and into the concrete itself.

The lamp post, now detached, tilted and fell over—conveniently on top of the akuma before she had the time to realize what was happening and move out of the way.

SLAM!

It fell on top of her and she hit the ground.

“Huzzah?” Kim asked.

“Well…that’s one way to defeat an akuma.” Pegasus marveled.

“Great. Now can we fix this already?” Carapace asked impatiently. If they took too much longer, someone was bound to catch them.

That someone would probably be Alya.

And that was the last thing he wanted at this point.

“But I kind of wanted to make a sketch at least…” Ladybug muttered to herself, holding the paper bag Charm to her chest.

“LADYBUG!”

She waved her hands insistently. “I’m on it!”

But she could dream…

“MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!”

It was with some disappointment that the Miraculous Cure wiped away the outfits of the other heroes, returning them to their original costumes.

“OH THANK GOD!”

“That was…horrible…”

“Corsets were invented as a torture method, I swear…”

“Shieldy!” Carapace exclaimed, hugging the shield in relief. “Never leave me again!”

“You okay now, Ladybug?” Chat asked her in worry.

“I’m fine.” She said, even though she wasn’t really. She felt like she’d missed a chance, even if it was for the greater good. But it would have been an abuse of her power to be taking pictures of the guys in that state and she already felt bad enough for breaking down laughing in the middle of the fight.

In that moment, however, the loveliness of ladybugs that made up the Cure returned from their task of restoring Paris to flow over Ladybug herself before vanishing, leaving her holding an envelope in their wake. Curious, she opened the envelope…

She gasped.

Inside were a multitude of photos of the other heroes. From different angles. In different positions. All of them in their new outfits.

Ladybug bit the inside of her cheek to keep from responding and drawing attention to herself.

…Thank you, Tikki.

Best. Kwami. Ever. “Ladybug…” Carapace said in growing wariness. “What is that?”

“Nothing!”

“Ladybug. That better not be what I think it is…”

She shoved the photos back in the envelope.

“It’s nothing at all!”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

Noticing the stand off, the others approached as well.

“It was just something I was missing, yeah.”

“Then let us see it.”

“Can’t.” She replied, clutching the envelope to her chest. “It’s…Ladybug stuff.”

“Hand it over. Right now!”

"NOOO! THESE ARE FOR THE FUTURE OF FASHIOOOON!”

“GIVE US THE PHOTOS!”

“Wait—did she get any of all of us in a group cosplay pic?”

“NOT NOW, CHAT!”

Unfortunately, that small distraction was all she needed to get away.

Viperion, the only one having been pretty nonchalant this whole time, simply watched her leave and the others shout after her.

“…isn’t she going to take our Miraculous back?”

_________________________

Angela sighed, already dreading what was to come.

It was a humiliating end to an already humiliating week as the former akuma victim had been forced to return to her job to go over the updates for the new Ladybug game with the rest of her team.

Said updates were apparently to include maid outfits for the female heroes thanks to one particular coworker who had decided to work on maid outfits for the female heroes instead of the level he was assigned. It had been part of the reason she had been angry enough to be akumatized.

The fact that he was insistent on shoving his maid fetish into the game for no good reason other than having them be eye candy was the other part.

The images in question that he insisted on bringing featured the three female super heroes of the city: Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Queen Bee.

But not as anyone had ever seen them.

Instead of their usual hero suits, the three girls were portrayed in sultry, even provocative poses. And most notably, all three were wearing some mockery of a French Maid outfit…as what would be believed by Americans, no less.

They might as well have been the initial sketches of pinup posters.

“You can’t still be serious!”

“Hey, I’m not the one who got akumatized just because I was jealous that someone else had a good idea.” He said bitingly and giving her a pointed look, perhaps still a bit bitter of the aforementioned experience that her akumatization had caused.

“It’s not a good idea, John.” Angela countered. “There was no reason to have the girls be running in maid outfits.”

He shrugged. “We could just say an akuma did it. After all, we did just get an akuma who did exactly that.” He said, giving her another look.

She clenched her fists and was about to retort when their team lead entered the room.

The meeting commenced and she’d been forced to bite her tongue. Each of the team members went over their progress and updates for their contribution to the game. Level design. Enemies. Testing.

And then came his grand achievement. Instead of the level he was assigned, he gave scantily clad designs for three of the eight known heroes.

What effort.

“I was thinking we really need to include something to make our game stand out, so I made some extra skins for the heroes.” He bragged, sending her a smug look. “The appeal would sell plenty of copies.”

“Or the controversy.” Angela muttered back before turning to the team lead and hoping that the man leading their group had more empathy…or sense.

The team lead looked over the designs with an analyzing gaze. Tiffeny, despite the initial impression his name would give, was a rather buff man who took no shit. But was also a guy. Who liked guy things. But did those things include young women in maid costumes?

After a moment, Tiffeny dropped the pictures on the table and looked at John incredulously. “You know, if you were going to base skins off recent events, you could at least have been authentic.”

John stared. “What?”

“It was the guys who were affected by Akumaid. Not the girls. If we’re going to do maids, we need to keep it true to life, just like the rest of the designs we’ve included. We talked about this when we started this project.”

“But it’s what the audience wants!” John argued.

“Do you know who comprises the majority of our audience?” Tiffeny asked. “Girls. Girls, gay guys, and those who are exploring their interests. Guys in the outfits would sell leagues more than the girls.” He started ticking his fingers “It’s different. It’s original. And it’s based in actual events. People would love it.”

“But…they’ll love this!”

“Man, if people wanted to see sexy girls in skimpy clothing, they’d play literally any other game! Or watch porn.” Tiffeny explained. “But what game do you know of has had guys in maid outfits?”

“Well...”

“Exactly. We want to stand out. And we even have recent events as justification. So if you’re going to be wasting time you should be spending on level-making to put people in maid skins, then get those male heroes some maid costumes.”

“But that’s not fair!” John exclaimed.

Tiffeny paused at that. “Hmm…you’re right.”

With that, he turned to her. “You’re good at designing. Make some butler outfits for the girls. Something dashing to serve as a counter for the guys.”

Angela blinked in surprise for a moment before smiling.

“Sure thing!”

“You know…” one of the other workers noted. “While we’re on the subject, I WAS thinking of some medieval armor designs for the girls and princess dresses for the guys.”

“Hey yeah! Like a light green for Viperion!”

“Maybe teal might be better?”

“Ooo! How about…”

Soon enough, everyone seemed to be invested in the new plan.

Everyone that is, except John.

“Lovely!” Tiffeny said cheerfully. “Plan it out and bring the concepts to me later.”

With a new task in hand and John’s pouting to forever be a memory to hold onto, it seemed her day was looking up…

_________________________

“That was some akuma battle.” Marinette said as she slid into her seat next to Alya.

The reporter, however, only looked annoyed. “Ladybug had apparently called all the male heroes and I completely missed it!” She groaned and leaned back in her seat, bemoaning the lost opportunity.

If she’d hadn’t been so focused on tracking Nino for the purpose of collecting blackmail ensuring his safety, she would have been able to catch all of the male heroes in their maid outfits.

Marinette smiled. “You know…I may have a connection…”

Alya gasped.

“No.”

Marinette giggled and slid over her phone with a picture showing.

“NO WAY!” She cried out before staring up at Marinette in shock. “Girl, you have to send me these!”

“Wait—you have what now?” Nino had arrived, initially hopeful that he had avoided the worst of that day only to have those hopes immediately dashed upon arriving to see the two girls sharing what could only have been one thing…

“I have pictures of the heroes in their new outfits.” Marinette replied cheerfully as she swiped through her phone. “Oh look, Nino! You’re in here, too!”

“WHAT?! NO!” He shouted, rushing forward.

Marinette quickly grabbed back her phone and hid it in her pocket with an overly sweet and not at all innocent grin.

“Mari, come on, no! Don’t do this to me!” He begged.

“Don’t do this to ME!” Alya cut in. “You can’t just show me that and take it away! That’s just not fair!”

“Don’t worry.” Marinette assured them. “It’s going where all my blackmail material goes.”

“Wait what?”

“Since when do you have blackmail material?”

“Since somebody started a game of ‘let’s take pictures of Marinette while she’s asleep and post them online’.” Marinette replied dryly.

Nino groaned. “Come on! I said I was sorry!”

“And now I can be just as sorry.” She replied blithely.

Which was to say: not sorry at all.

“Come on! Alya made me do it!”

“It was just in fun! Marinette! Please!”

“Do you want me to beg? Cry? I’ll cry.”

“I’ll pay you! Pretty please! At least the heroes if nothing else!”

“Oh no you don’t!”

“My blog NEEDS this!”

Marinette smiled at the minor chaos she had caused as the normally happy couple bickered with each other.

Sweet sweet music.

“Hey, Marinette!”

And speaking of sweet…

She turned to look up at a certain blond-haired model as he arrived at his own desk. Though he seemed to be a bit distracted by the arguing couple.

“Hey, Adrien!” She greeted, for once with no stutter to speak of.

“Hey, um…are they okay?” He asked, gesturing to the two.

“Oh, they’re fine.” She said, waving them off. “Just…a bit excited over the recent akuma.”

At that, Adrien brightened. “Wasn’t it awesome?”

She nodded, trying to keep her laughter inside.

“You…ah…enjoyed yourself then?”

Adrien shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. “Well, it’s not often I get to dress up in a way that’s ‘silly’. Or in anything that isn’t promoting Father’s brand. And I’ve never gotten to cosplay. So it was…really fun.”

Oh. Ouch. Okay, that one kind of hurt. The poor Sunshine Child…

“You know…” Marinette said, leaning over her desk and smiling at him. “I’ve seen a bit of that one anime you mentioned.”

“Cells at Work?” He asked, brightening up.

She nodded. “Mmhmm. I could make you a jacket based off the lead Red Blood Cell. And if you like, I can keep it so you can wear it whenever we hang out.”

He gasped. “Really?”

“Sure! Maybe you can come over sometime so we can try a fitting. We could even play Mecha Strike.”

Adrien beamed. “That sounds great! Thanks, Marinette!”

She waved him off and went back to full sitting in her seat.

Alya and Nino both became distracted from their arguing by the miracle they had just witnessed.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had just spoken to Adrien Agreste…and not a stutter to be heard!

“What the heck, girl?” Alya whispered, sliding into her seat beside her friend. “Since when could you do THAT and why haven’t you done it sooner? I could swear I saw hearts in his eyes!”

Marinette shrugged, grinning sheepishly. “After seeing Adrien Agreste in a maid dress, I kind of wondered why I was so scared of talking to him to begin with.”

Alya laughed. “Well, at least something good came out of this, then.”

“You know...more good WOULD come out of this if I had pics of those heroes..." 

“Really, Alya?”

“You’re pretty much the only one who managed to get any shots of the male heroes!” Alya exclaimed. “Seriously, how?!”

Marinette giggled.

“Just lucky, I guess.”

________________________

OMAKE 1:

Knock! Knock!

“Felix?” His mother called on the other side of the locked and barricaded door. “Will you be coming out?”

“That depends. Do you have a camera?”

A pause. Which was all the answer he needed.

“Then no.”

OMAKE 2:

Fortunately, in the midst of their searching, the team had managed to find the akuma and her primary target, getting between the two.

“So what happened?” Ladybug asked him.

John gripped his skirt, nervously. “She’s my coworker in developing a new video game and she didn’t like my input.”

“What set her off?”

The guy rolled his eyes. “She’s one of those types who wants to take the fun out of video games.”

“What?” Ladybug blinked.

“Okay, so I wanted to put some maid costumes in the game! It was just for fun! Besides, it would have added a bit of pizazz! Something for the players to enjoy!”

“You could just try making a good game.” Pegasus pointed out. “If you have to rely on a cheap gimmick to get buyers, it may not be a good product.”

"I'm sorry, really! I mean, sure, I'm still going to put it in the game, because who wouldn't want hot maids, but still! That doesn't mean I deserve this!"

The akuma raised her fist and shouted at him. “THEY ARE HEROES, DAMMIT! THEY DESERVE BETTER THAN MAID SKINS JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE GIRLS!”

Ladybug blanched. “Wait…is the game about me?”

Pegasus coughed and looked away. “There have been…rumors, yes.”

Viperion tilted his head. “That seems like a double standard though…since we’re the ones in maid outfits...”

“Not the point, Viperion!”

Ladybug frowned.

“I don’t think I want to help now.”

“Ladybug!”

[limitlessgojo]

Blood Bound: Blackened Bond (Ch 15.5)

Warnings: Action, Coarse Language, Fighting, Descriptions of Blood

Previous Chapter: Shadows Fall

Next Chapter: Non-Standard

Word count: 2.4k

Tags: Kamo Noritoshi x Reader, Soulmates AU, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Fem!Reader

Taglist: @lessie-oxj @rizzo-nero @whoreuc @fkngkumiko @isl3t @gojoussunglasses @onepotatostand-blog @s-t-f-u-b-i-t-c-h @sunaswife @lordguameow @track5enthusiast @nayydoesthings

Notes: If you want to be tagged for every update, and specify if you're okay with nsfw posts or not, please mention it in the comments below ty❤

Author's Notes: This is a deleted chapter but I decided to just put it as an extra/half chapter. I took a step back to assess my drafts and deemed that it didn't need to be in the story for it to be cohesive. But this is full of extra info that will be quite significant in the chapters to come^^

土御門天皇

Chapter 15.5: Tsuchimikado

“Geto Suguru has pronounced war against the Jujutsu Society. We are expecting there to be an ambush here in Kyoto and one in Tokyo Shibuya. We must prepare thoroughly. Amongst the students we will only be asking Jujutsushi of Grade 3 or higher to assist us in this battle. And you may opt out if you do not wish to fight. But your help will be highly appreciated, especially on such short notice.” Principal Gakuganji ended his speech by looking at you dead in the eye.

And deep in your gut, you knew you didn’t have so much as a choice. You were going to fight this battle as a Special Grade sorcerer (and being the only one in this room at the moment), whether you liked it or not. So you gave a short nod in return.

“I’ll be joining. As the future clan head of the Kamo clan and the eldest son, this is not a matter to be ignored or taken lightly.” Your head whipped around to face Noritoshi and to your biggest surprise he was looking straight at you. Then he turned to nod to Principal Gakuganji who nodded back approvingly.

“I’m always up for a good fight, so of course I’ll be joining. Can’t miss out on a chance to beat down curses.” Todo grinned and cracked his fists.

“Will you join, Tsuchimikado?” Utahime asked.

Everyone was silent as you looked at her then the Principal. “Of course I will.”

Everyone else called out to say if they were participating or not. After the meeting was finished after several more announcements, and you left back for your dorm rooms.

◇◇◇

The next day, Utahime sensei called in some students plus Hiroki into her office. You all filed in, wondering what it was about. Hiroki nudged you, “Why am I here with yall kids?” You pinched him in return.

Outside the door, you went face to face with Noritoshi. He gently called your name, “Good morning Y/N.” You just purse your lips and nod.

In this time of war, you need to set aside all personal matters. It’s all business; everyone had to cooperate together to have a chance of surviving.

You counted and named the people present. Noritoshi, Todo senpai, You and Hiroki. That was it.

Utahime let you all sit down on chairs facing her desk before calling your attention, “So, I called you all here today, because we have some information on the possible curses that might appear here at Kyoto. As you know, Geto Suguru has the ability to manipulate and take in curses.

We know of some grade 1 and special grade curses. I decided that amongst the students, the three of you are the most capable in handling those. Hiroki san, you’ve stated that you’ll be fighting alongside your cousin, so I brought you in here today so that both of you can prepare together.”

He grinned, “Of course Utahime san. We got this in the bag sis.” He punched you softly in the arm, and you softly hit him in the head. A childhood habit of yours.

So Utahime sensei then explained and listed off the curses that are known to be in his possession. All of you paid close attention and took notes. Most were Grade 1 and 2.

“And finally. We know of another Special Grade curse, the Giant Black Tsuchigumo of Kyoto. This curse is-” she continued to speak, but it felt like radio static on your end. You couldn’t hear anything anymore.

The blood drained out of both your and Hiroki’s faces. ‘Huh? I thought that nightmare was already done and gone. Whatthefuck’

Your right hand shot out to grab at Hiroki. Utahime paused at the sudden movement. It was getting harder to breathe, and you could feel the onset of the panic attack kicking in.

You’ve done so well recovering from anxiety attacks over the years, but this just made you feel so helpless. “Sorry, can’t breathe.” You gasped out.

“Give her space!” Utahime and the others pushed back the chairs and desk. Hiroki caught you as you leaned your forehead against the top of his chest and settled on the ground.

“Breathe in 2 3 4, hold 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, out 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9, and again,” Hiroki repeated your go to breathing exercises, ignoring how your nails dug into his arms. It took you a good 7 minutes to calm down. “I’m so sorry,” you apologized, wiping your sweaty palms off your thighs.

You looked down at your hands to see them still shaking. Utahime, Noritoshi and Todo were all kneeling with you on the floor. “Don’t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Utahime patted your head lightly.

“Tsuchigumo. That big black one is dead. I have no idea which one you’re talking about right now, but the one that reigned in Kyoto is dead.” you said. “Gojo Satoru and I killed that curse back in late 2007.”

Noritoshi inched closer to you. Hiroki stiffened, watching him closely, but he didn’t do anything to close the gap. He just stayed by your other side, a silent and steady presence.

Utahime reached out to wipe your sweat with a towel. You only noticed now that the room has been rearranged, chairs pushed away to make a bit of space. There were cushions on the ground for everyone to sit on.

“Drink.” Hiroki pushed a cup of hot tea into your hands. You nearly spilled it, but he cupped your hands firmly, helping you drink. You leaned against your cousin, sighing at his warmth.

Hiroki spoke up, “As you can see, it is a bit of a touchy subject for the both of us. Our clan had a bad run in with that Tsuchigumo years back when sis was only 6 years old. But we are pretty sure that, like she said, Gojo and Geto san have gotten rid of it.”

Utahime nodded, “Geto did huh. Then he must have taken it in during that time.”

Noritoshi looked at you and realized that something far worse than just an attack happened. “Your sister,” he spoke quietly, “was she…?”

Hiroki raised his eyebrows. “Yes, our Sora was killed by that Tsuchigumo.”

The atmosphere in the room turned heavy and almost unbearable. Utahime looked concerned, “We need as much information on that Tsuchigumo as we can. Y/n, can you tell us anything?”

Oh yeah, just the one memory you’ve desperately tried to forget your entire life. Still you nodded.

Hiroki squeezed you.

“So basically.” You paused. “One night when I was 6, Sora neechan was like 10 years old. We got attacked near the Kiyomizu shrine. It was getting late, the sun was setting. But we were up at Daimonji-yama to play, and there were barely any people around. It wasn’t too dark yet, but it was really quiet.” Your teeth were practically chattering.

Noritoshi met your eyes and for a moment you wanted him to hold you. Until you remembered you were supposed to be angry with him, so you brushed it off and looked elsewhere.

“Satoru nii and Geto san were actually in Kyoto at that time to visit us. So I remember calling Toru nii and screaming for help, he was on my speed dial. He told us that we could call for help anytime. We are pretty much like siblings to each other. So he would always come to our aid. Right niichan?”

You leaned into Hiroki as he let out a small “Yep. He never lets us down. Dumb as he is.” Your lips actually quirked into a small smile at that.

“Sora and I basically had to hold off the curse until they got there. But it was strong. As you know, Tsuchigumo are earth spiders. But this particular one reigned in Kyoto for so long. Like centuries. It was so strong it ate every other tsuchigumo, making it grow bigger. Still, it rarely comes out to feed and is adept at hiding. We like to think of it as a smart curse. Every bite is laced with poison.”

“Back then I only mastered basic freezing and wind manipulation techniques. I couldn’t make barriers yet. And it really…” you closed your eyes remembering that sense of helplessness you’ve felt like never before.

“It was the worst 10 minutes of my life. I couldn’t do anything to hurt it. I had another technique I was working on, but it involved using reverse cursed techniques which I didn’t perfect yet. And I didn’t like playing with fire as much as I did with water and ice.”

“I froze it several times, but my technique was way too weak. It kept breaking free. Sora nee didn’t even have a cursed technique; she couldn’t fight. But still she felt responsible for me since she was older, so she …” you stopped. You closed your eyes and tightened your fist.

At this point your nails were drawing blood from your palms, but you didn’t feel the pain. “It’s so stupid really.” You laughed out loudly trying to distract everyone from the tears that were forming in your eyes.

Noritoshi reached out to you. But Hiroki’s eyes flashed at him in warning and he dropped his hands. Your heart squeezed painfully.

“I was just a stupid kid, who let her weaker sister take the shot of poison from that Tsuchigumo, instead of facing it head on. She wouldn’t let go of me no matter how hard I tried to put her behind me. A huge part of me was scared and terrified that night of course. I didn’t know what to do and I was such a coward. It was about to hit me until Satoru nii came.” You took a deep breath and forced out the remainder of the story.

“So I actually did manage to activate my reverse cursed technique towards the end, but it was too much. I burned nearly half of the mountain…. My mom had to help in restoring a large part of it afterwards. Satoru finished it off and carried us away immediately.”

“But Su- Geto san. Like he has the cursed spirit manipulation right? I never realized if he took it in or not really. I never particularly cared about it that night, because Sora nee was dying in my arms.” You rushed your words and pushed further into Hiroki’s arms.

“It was a bad omen for our clan,” Hiroki’s teeth were gritted tight as he relived your stories. “For such a powerful and evil curse to share a part of our namesake, only to hurt one of our own. After that day, we hunted down all the Tsuchigumo we could find across the entire country as a priestess told us to do so to cleanse our clan of a lingering curse. But… for some reason it was never enough. Now we know… it still lives with Geto san.”

“What painful memories,” Todo cried. “We will help you take it down, y/n. And I don’t doubt that you can defeat it the way you are right now.” You were touched by his words.

“But can you face it once more?” He asked.

“I’ve been training all my life for a day like this. Of course I’m going to throw that thing into the depths of hell.”

“Careful there.” Hiroki nii was eyeing you carefully. “You tend to rush headfirst when you’re being controlled by your emotions. You’re too reckless lil sis.”

“That’s true.” Noritoshi hummed. You glared at him. “If it’s to save a life, why not.” You shot back and had a stare off with Noritoshi.

More like a one sided glare on your part and him lovingly looking back at you with a sad smile. Noritoshi’s bond mark burned.

"Ahem." Hiroki cleared his throat loudly and everyone turned to him. "I'll be watching over lil sis here so it should be fine. I'll be joining this war anyways."

You smiled at your cousin gratefully.

“Well then. That was the last curse that needed explaining. I think the four of you are suited to taking them down. You’re all dismissed.”

You all nodded at Utahime, rising to your feet along with everyone else.

◇◇◇

“Y/n! I need to talk to you.” Mai said urgently. She followed you back to the first year dorms after class. You had told the first years about the special grade curses you were expecting to see in the war.

Mai looked particularly shaken upon hearing about the death of Sora. She was always the cool and calm one amongst the first years, besides Mechamaru that is. So this was very new.

“Of course, come into my room.”

You served her tea and cakes, before kneeling down on your floor cushion.

Mai threw her arms around you. Your eyes widened as her arms tightened around your shoulder. You cautiously put your arms around her.

“I know how it feels….. To lose an older sister.”

You flinched, “Is yours-”

“She’s alive.” There was a different pain in her eyes. And that was then you realized that she must have been left behind.

“Grief is the loss of a person. Someone could be going through a divorce or a break-up and experience grief. You could lose an important person, while they’re still alive and it’s still considered grief.” Mai said.

You wanted to cry, but your eyes ran dry. All you’ve been doing is crying yourself to sleep night after night lately. Your soul was still longing for Sora when she couldn't be reached anymore.

Noritoshi was different. He made it clear that he’s still running after you, never stopping to call out your name even if you ignore him in the hallways. But you were not willing to touch on his matter as of now.

Mai told you all about Maki and her life in the Zenin clan. How she was left behind and forced to be a Jujutsu sorcerer. Everyone has their issues deep inside, but you’re all still pushing and coping as you fight curses.

You buried your hair into Mai’s chest. “I’m sorry you experienced that Mai. You’re such a brave woman for doing this everyday even though you’re afraid of curses.”

“You get used to it.” She sniffed.

You sat there for a while, just hugging her.

“Wanna watch sappy romcoms with me?” You peeked up at her from her arms. “Of course.” You both smiled at each other.

Author’s notes: Tsuchimikado translates to “Emperor of the Earth”, while Tsuchigumo translates to “Earth Spider”. Thus, with how Tsuchi (meaning earth), both names share common Kanji. They are a strong clan that can heal and guard living beings and plants. And Tsuchigumo are expected to be easily defeated by them, being an earth creature. But, as Hiroki said, it was a very bad omen when Sora was killed by one.

Blood Bound: Table of Contents

[erekiosuncreativeideas]

Being Human - Chapter 23

<= Chapter 22

Summary : Snatcher is taken to a familiar room of the manor. Also available on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/24826561/chapters/74145501

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(Trigger warning for this chapter : emotional abuse and creepy situation)

HEEEEEEY NEW CHAPTER

SO. Let me put some dates here.

Sunday 4th of April 2021 : chapter 24 will be posted. Thursday 8th of April 2021 : chapter 25 (last chapter) will be posted.

Why do I wait a few days to post the last chapters ? Because I want to draw for them, and, if possible, make as many drawings I can. Hopefully, you'll like this chapter and the last two as well ! Thank you for remaining so passionate about this story since its beginning, it means a lot to me !

The “Oh The Humanity” AU belongs to @doodledrawsthings​​ !

Uh if you’re interested, I post my progress on my chapters on Hatty Fan Time (the AHIT Discord server I’m moderating with two friends), so if you wanna join, go ahead !

Happy reading !

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Chapter 23 : “I can do this, I can… I will do this.”   

-“There we are,” sing-sang the Queen, opening the door leading to the nursery. To Snatcher’s horror, while the room was still relatively damaged, mostly with claw marks on the walls, it remained recognizable. The sight was enough to give him flashbacks of the time they had commissioned this room, of the time they had entered it the first time after it was completed- The former ghost could remember it like it was yesterday: the couple had been so happy, staying in the room for a good hour, imagining how their child would be like, how they wanted to give them as much love as possible… But none of that ever happened.

Instead, the Subcon Freezing had happened, ruining all hope for Snatcher to ever have kids, ruining his dreams of having a family with the woman he loved so, so much.

And now, he was back in that cursed room, a room that was reminding him of what could have been, had things been different.

Snatcher had no choice but to rely on Vanessa so he wouldn’t put any weight on his broken ankle. No need to say this was frustrating… And extremely frightening, having to depend on the one who had mercilessly killed you. The former ghost knew he had no choice anyway and he could do nothing but clench his teeth, hoping nothing would happen. With a swift gesture, the Queen grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him inside, soon closing the door behind them. The sudden movement made him cry out in pain as it forced his body to put weight on his injured ankle. It didn’t take long for Vanessa to notice what had happened and she quickly helped him to straighten, a sickening smile painted on her face.

-“There, there,” she cooed: “It’s okay. You know what you need ?” she then asked, completely out of the blue. A look of fear crossed his features as he heard her words. Oh, this couldn’t be good, now, could it…? The Queen remained silent after her own question and her face grew irritated, which were pretty good indicators that she was waiting for an answer from him. With this realization, the child quickly realized he had to give her a sign, anything- and so, unable to speak, he just shook his head, his whole body trembling from the pain, the fear and the cold.

Seeming satisfied with Snatcher’s reply, even if non-vocal, she smiled again and quickly picked him up without any warning. Naturally, out of surprise, the former ghost gasped and started to struggle. How could he not, when his own murderer was holding him in her arms, without any difficulty? However, it didn’t take much to convince him otherwise: Vanessa’s warning glare and the pain in his ankle from the movements were more than enough.

-“Now, now,” she sermonized him, all while carrying him to the crib. As soon as she got them both closer, he guessed her intents, and his face paled up. God, this nightmare was just becoming even worse- she was going to put him into the crib where their child should have been hundreds of years ago, should they have been born.

This was so disturbing, so creepy-…! But, apparently, Vanessa wasn’t seeing anything wrong with this. She really was taking him for a child, a child she had to care for.

This was sickening.

-“W-wait!” he interrupted her just as she was about to lower him into the pink crib, and she gave him both a confused and annoyed look.

-“What’s the matter?” she asked back, narrowing her eyes and furrowing her brow. Oh, this wasn’t good.

-“I’m… I’m too old to be in a cradle,” he tried, hoping this would be enough, though he couldn’t help but giggle nervously, his eyes looking away in fear they’d see anger on the Queen’s face, maybe worse. She stared at him for a moment… And soon enough, a light laughter left her lips, all trace of annoyance gone from her face, as if those had never been there in the first place.

-“Oh ho ho,” she took a deep breath as she finished laughing, sighing. Snatcher… Didn’t like that.

-“W-what…?” he wondered, his voice trembling from uncertainty and dread. Why would she laugh at something like this?

-“Oh, silly one,” she replied, an even more sickening smile painted on her ghostly lips, one that was letting him see her sharp fangs: “You need to rest, and I have the perfect bed for that. Your age doesn’t matter, does it? Cribs are for children, and you are one, don’t you?” she retorted, as if this was oh so very obvious.

Perhaps she had remained too unstable for years to remember cradles were for young infants, or toddlers. Her madness had affected her perception of reality, so much that she couldn’t see the problem here- or maybe she did, though in that case, why would she care? She had murdered him centuries ago, she wouldn’t feel guilty about forcing a kid into a crib!

And, well, it wasn’t like he could struggle more, seeing his injured ankle. After all, not only did this hurt, but this was also a very good warning of what could happen to him should he resist more. All of his instincts were crystal clear: “wait for the right opportunity”, they instructed him. And so, as the Queen lowered him into the cradle, Snatcher did his best not to cringe at the thought and didn’t resist. Once done, Vanessa stepped back and looked at him with a twisted fondness, one that made Snatcher want to throw up. Though he knew better and stayed still and silent.

-“Aaaw, look at you!” the Queen cooed, as if this was the cutest thing she had even seen in years- which was probably the case, in hindsight: “See, you fit just right!” At this remark, the young Prince examined the crib. Yeah, sure, he could fit while sitting- but lying down? This was another story. With the body of a twelve years old kid, or around that age, it was obvious this was the worst choice ever for a bed.

Although… Although this was much, much better than being put in Vanessa’s, he just realized. A chill ran down his spine at the thought. Yeah… Yeah, the cradle wasn’t so bad in comparison.

Snatcher’s thoughts were interrupted as he heard a clap of hands next to him- and unsurprisingly, it was her.

-“Good!” she spoke again: “Now that you’re ready to rest, I’ll bake some cookies!” She started to walk to the door and the former shade felt relieved at the idea of her leaving him alone- but just before exiting the room, she stopped and turned to him, a knowing smile on her lips:

-“Stay in the bed and sleep, alright?” she told him, and Snatcher had no trouble to detect that this was not a suggestion: “I don’t want anyone running around here. Otherwise, there will be consequence. Have I made myself clear… Uh…” she stopped for a moment, thinking, before tilting her head to the side: “Wait, what is your name? I don’t think I asked you before, did I?”

Oh. Oh crap. He obviously couldn’t give her his old name, this was the worst possible thing to do- but what other name could he use? Obviously, if he took too much time to decide, she would know… And yet, no words could leave his mouth.

Snatcher was simply paralyzed. At no time he had expected her to ask about his name- but how could he not think of anything like this?

-“Well?” she urged him, getting suspicious. Oh no, oh no, he had to find something, quick…!

-“Lu...” he tried, hoping he’d find a name close to his old one, something that would easily evoke close forms of the name “Lukas”, he lacked too much time to think more. But nothing was coming in his mind: “Lu…!”

The Queen frowned, confused.

-“Lulu?” she repeated, as a confirmation she had understood. Instantly, a wave of relief washed over him, though he did his best to hide it as much as he could.

-“Y-yes,” he nodded weakly, with a trembling smile: “That’s… That’s my name, yes,” he lied, trying so hard to keep his “happy mask” on. As a response, Vanessa stared at him, as if she were watching for any sign of lie in his words, in his expression. Snatcher hands were becoming clammy from how dreadful this whole situation was, his heart was beating loud and fast in his chest, he was doing his best to keep his breathing under control, no matter how difficult this was… And, finally…!

-“This is such a cute name!” exclaimed Vanessa with glee, clasping her hands once more: “Well, Lulu. I hope I can trust you, right?” Another warning, one that was even more obvious than the last one. The former ghost forced himself to smile again, despite how insincere it must have looked- but perhaps Vanessa was too unstable to see it, or so he hoped.

-“Of… Of course!” he lied again, with a nod: “I’ll just… Sleep and wait for you to come back,” he assured, hoping this would suffice. And fortunately…

-“Perfect!” her face lightened up, yet Snatcher couldn’t tell if she was fully convinced. In any case, she grabbed the door handle and waved at him affectionately, like a mother would do to her child. This was… Extremely upsetting, given the circumstances. Still, the child merely forced another smile… And let out a huge sigh of relief as the Queen finally left the room.

Gods, this had been much, much more terrorizing than anything he could have potentially imagined.

Doing everything he could to remain silent, the young Prince listened closely to her steps slowly getting away, and waited a few more minutes, just to be sure. When he was sure she was definitely far away from this room, Snatcher tried to straighten up, only to be cut short by the acute pain on his ankle. Oh yeah.

There was this problem too.

The former ghost winced and frowned. What could he do for that? He couldn’t possibly escape with such an injury… Not only would it hurt, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to move discreetly. With Vanessa being in the room under this one… Oh, yes, she would definitely hear him. Then what? It wasn’t like he could miraculously heal that ankle-

However, his body froze as a stroke of genius burst in his mind. Maybe, just, maybe this could work… Frowning and wincing in advance, not really sure if this would succeed… Snatcher moved his hands to his broken ankle and closed his eyes, focusing.

He had learnt healing magic in his past life… Now, it was just a matter of hoping this small and frail body would allow him to use it. And so, the former ghost tried to find the small spark of magic he still had under this form. Breathing in and out, it was like trying to find something that was now hidden in the depth of his mind, something that felt so familiar and yet so foreign.

“Come on…” he urged himself, feeling himself getting closer and closer to that feeling he was trying so hard to find. Healing magic wasn’t as easy as fire one for him, one of the main reasons being that his mother’s family had been gifted with the power of fire. Summoning flames was thus easier for him- healing magic, though? This was a complete new story. While fire had been easy to learn at the time, him being a natural at it, the other types of magic had to be learnt the traditional way, with teachers, a lot of reading and study times, and getting familiarized with the elements you were learning.

Of course, in his situation, Snatcher couldn’t really use any of those things. All he could do was trying to focus… And soon enough, he began to feel tingles at the tips of his fingers. Yes, this is what he had been looking for! A small smile of victory spread on his lips, but he did his best to remain focused. In the meantime, the child could feel his injured ankle becoming number and number to the pain, and maybe… Bones shifting around a bit, though it was more uncomfortable than actually painful. This was working, this was working, he knew it, he knew he could-!

And suddenly, Snatcher felt like he lost all grasp on his magic. Shocked, the former shade opened his eyes, the tingling sensation in his fingertips quickly disappearing as if it had never been there at all. Why? Confusion spread onto his features and he looked at his hands, almost hoping he’d see what went wrong. But everything seemed normal.

And in fact, it was, thinking about it. The fact that he had been able to summon healing magic when he was in a body inexperienced with it… Was already quite an achievement, and it made sense it wouldn’t last, that this would be too unstable for that.

The former ghost tentatively moved his ankle, already wincing in advance in fear of how much it would hurt- but it wasn’t as painful as he had first thought. He slowly and carefully palpated his skin, trying to feel what had changed. Sure, touching it hurt, however… However, he was almost sure that his bones weren’t broken anymore.

He had managed to heal the biggest part of his injury. A long sigh of relief left his lips: things were… Going really well. But Snatcher was far from being over with this, oh, very, very far. He still had to escape this cursed place.

As silently as he could, Snatcher straightened up and hopped over the guardrail of the crib. His feet met the floor with a muffled sound, which was enough to scare him: had Vanessa heard anything? The sudden pressure on his ankle made his face tensed greatly though he managed to contain the urge to whine in pain.

This body was definitely one of a child… But to the former shade, he was sure that his mind had been altered to a degree, and this was not something he liked. He had to find the kids and Moonjumper, making sure they were alive, that he had managed to save them… And have the brats returning him to his adult for- no, his spirit form. Yes, that was what he wanted, and for a moment, he felt confused as to why this hadn’t been the first thing popping in his mind.

What was happening to him…?

The child forced his mind to focus back on reality: this wasn’t the time for questions. Who knew how much time he had before Vanessa decided to check up on him? If he had to try something, without getting caught, this was literally now or never. Waiting was dangerous, especially if his friends needed him- it was really cold outside, freezing even… Would he even get there on time? He was pretty far away, especially on foot…

“No,” he tried to reassure himself: “I can do this, I can… I will do this.”

Determination was now fueling inside of him, almost making him forget the pain in his ankle and how low the temperatures were in the manor. He himself was also on a time limit: his fragile body would become less efficient the colder it would get- Snatcher couldn’t lose any more time.

Slowly, silently, the child moved to the door and slightly opened it. Good, it hadn’t been locked, and he couldn’t hear anything coming closer, whether it was a voice or steps. Another sigh of relief left his lips, and after hesitating a bit… The young Prince took a deep breath and moved forward, entering the hallway with a mix of apprehension, fear, and resolve.

He was going to leave this manor and find his friends again.

This was a promise.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

ONLY TWO CHAPTERS LEFT

I hope you liked this chapter, I can't wait to show you the ending of this fanfiction ! Thank you so much for following me this far, and I hope you'll be there for my next fanfic too ! (I already have an idea of the story, so now it's a matter of making it better and actually writing it).

See you next Sunday !

=> Chapter 24

[xomarauders]

hello everyone,

it has been far too long since i have posted anything on here and for that i apologize, but i have been working on some of my own writing as well as just dealing with personal stuff so please forgive me. 

i also might be changing this blog up a bit and start posting more than just marauders fanfiction (such as some of my own writing perhaps). i’m still not sure about this idea because i don’t really want to change my user name or anything and i do want to contiue writing fics so we’ll see! 

anyway, without further ado, here is my latest fic for yall :) hope you enjoy! (p.s. there is a second part coming!!!)

tw: internalized homophobia, implied child abuse, depictions of a panic attack

--

The cold December air was harsh against Marlene’s skin as she stood outside the small record shop she had been frequenting since she was fourteen. It was tucked away in the side of a building in London, offering solace to those who did not seem to fit in with the more fast-paced, business-like folk you so often saw among the sidewalks. The cigarette in her hand was offering little warmth but seemed to be calming her nerves, so she stayed outside to finish smoking it. It was winter break from Hogwarts and Marlene was relieved to be away from school for the time being as well as away from her friends. She couldn’t face them at the moment. Not after what she did.

Marlene rolled her eyes at herself for thinking of things she’d rather forget and tossed the butt of her cigarette to the ground before crushing it with the toe of her combat boot. With one last glance toward the busy street, she retreated into the record shop which greeted her immediately with the chime of a bell and rock music playing throughout the speakers of the store.

A man at the register with short, dirty blonde hair and rings through his eyebrows glanced up at her entrance, a smile appearing on his face.

“Marlene! Haven’t seen you in a while.” He commented, swinging his legs over the counter and making his way toward her. Marlene gave a non-committal shrug but returned the high-five he offered her with semi frozen fingers.

“How has business been, Curtis?” She asked, glancing around the nearly empty shop. There was no one else in there aside from the two of them and Marlene felt her heart break just a little bit. This was one of her favorite places to be, a place she and her friends would escape to during the summer to be with one another. She wondered if their absence was the reason for her melancholic mood.

“It hasn’t been bad. Just caught me on a slow day.” Curtis replied, seeming to notice Marlene’s shift in behavior. “Lily was in here the other day, actually. Got herself a few new albums.”

Marlene looked up at the mention of Lily and felt her cheeks burn slightly. She wondered if Lily had mentioned anything about the incident to Curtis. Judging by the passive look on his face, she assumed not and tried to school her own expression into a neutral one.

“Yeah? What albums?”

After Curtis introduced her to the new music Lily had gotten, Marlene picked up a few albums of her own to purchase before leaving the shop to get back home. She would have stayed to visit with Curtis longer, but she didn’t want to linger in a space that reminded her so much of her friends at the moment and she especially didn’t want to run into them anytime soon.

It was a bit of a walk to the closest floo station and the London streets were bustling with people walking home from work or coming out for the night. Marlene kept her head down, staring at the pavement in front of her and wrapping her jacket tightly around herself, blocking out the bitter cold as best she could. Suddenly, a body collided against her and she fell backwards, dropping her records in the process.

“What the fu—?” Marlene was cut off by the commotion of being pulled off the sidewalk and dragged into a nearby alley way.

She looked up, ready to scream insults at her attacker, but stopped at the sight of Sirius Black’s face. His hair was tied up in a bun, though most of it seemed to have fallen out, and there was a wide look of panic in his eyes that matched the rapid rise and fall of his chest. He was trembling finely and looked ready to pass out as he glanced behind him in a paranoid manner. It seemed as though he was running from something. Or someone.

“Sirius?” Marlene asked, keeping her voice low. She turned to look in the direction where Sirius was peering and spotted two men seemingly searching the crowd. Her eyebrows raised. There was something off about the two men…they did not fit in with the rest of the crowd, the clothes they wore were different, not really matching and the confused, disgusted looks on their faces made them stick out like sore thumbs. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks—they were wizards trying to blend in with a muggle crowd. Purebloods, to be exact.

She whirled around to look at Sirius once more. “Sirius, who are those men?” She hissed, desperate to know what kind of danger they could possibly be in. Rumors about dark wizards had begun circulating around Hogwarts for months now. Followers of Voldemort that had begun to call themselves “Death Eaters” were threatening the lives of muggleborns, though Marlene had never actually seen any such wizard. Until now, she supposed.

“We’ve got to get out of here.” Sirius said, completely ignoring her question. He looked down towards the other end of the alley to see a chain link fence and cursed. They were trapped it seemed and Marlene felt herself begin to panic.

“Sirius,” She said, her voice urgent, though she wasn’t sure what she was pleading for.

He turned to her once more, gripping her shoulders tightly and staring at her intently. “I have an idea, but you have to promise me that you won’t breathe a word of this to anybody, do you understand?”

Marlene nodded and then watched with complete shock and awe as Sirius disappeared, a large, black dog appearing in his place. Animagus, she realized with a jolt. The dog turned away, walking back down the alley before turning and barking at Marlene, as if motioning for her to follow. She blinked a few times, still shocked at the sudden change of events, before following him back into the streets. He stopped where she had dropped her records and Marlene bent down to pick them up, a slight frown playing on her lips at the sight of the bent corners of the packaging. She was just about to scold Sirius when a rough voice behind her cleared their throat. She looked up, just as Sirius growled, to see the two men from earlier standing there.

The men did not seem to pay attention to the dog, focusing their gaze solely on Marlene instead. She tried to keep her face neutral, raising a single eyebrow in their direction. “Can I help you?”

“Have you seen a boy run through here?” The shorter of the two men asked, his lip curling in disgust. The other man eyed Marlene warily, taking in her muggle attire and turning his nose up at the mere sight. Marlene tried not to roll her eyes.

“No.” She replied, sounding calmer than she felt.

The two men shared a look, as if trying to decide whether or not she was telling the truth, before nodding their understanding and moving past her without another word. Marlene felt as Sirius curled around her legs, watching as they disappeared around the corner before letting out a victorious bark. She looked down at him, shaking her head.

“I suppose you need somewhere to hide for a while?”

Another yelp and wag of his tale gave Marlene all the answers she needed.

****

“Well, this is home.” Marlene said with a sigh, dropping her records onto her bed with a soft thud. Sirius—still in his canine form—sniffed around before cocking his head in her direction and allowing his tongue to roll out of his mouth. Marlene wrinkled her nose at the slobber. “I think you are safe to go back to your usual…form. Unless you’re stuck that is.”

Again, Marlene watched in amazement as Sirius came back to himself, a shiver running through his body as he grinned at her. “Nice room you’ve got, McKinnon. Am I the first boy you’ve brought home?”

“Care to explain what just happened?” She asked, not caring for the way he seemed to avoid explaining himself.

Sirius shrugged, moving toward the desk in the corner of the room and running his fingers down the various artwork Marlene had spread out there. A look of wonder shined in his eyes as he delicately examined the paintings and drawings as if they were some sort of precious treasure. He stopped at a particular piece of a woman’s face done with charcoal pencil and Marlene felt herself blush at the way he traced the strokes that molded her lips.

“These are wonderful. Who did them?”

“I did.”

Sirius turned, his eyebrows raised with surprise and admiration. “Really? I didn’t know you were an artist.”

She stood up, marching over to where he stood, and removed the drawing from his grasp, shoving it beneath the rest of the art, effectively obscuring it from his wandering eyes, before turning to face him once more.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Black.”

She did not miss the way he seemed to flinch away from her before shaking it off and plastering another smirk across his face. “Touché.” He spoke quietly.  

Marlene felt a jolt of guilt in her gut, feeling bad for snapping at him. He was merely admiring her work. He did not understand the context of her drawing and likely wouldn’t make the connection. Afterall, he did not live in her mind where all the confusing thoughts and doubts resided. He could not possibly know her dirty little secret.

“Just…tell me what happened back there. Do I need to be afraid that someone might follow you here?” She asked, changing the topic.

“Those were the Lestrange brothers. Rabastan and Rodolphus. Purebloods. Family friends.”

“Why were they looking for you?”

“Because I may have said something rather…deplorable at my dear cousin’s engagement party.” Sirius said it with a grin, but Marlene noticed the flicker of fear in his eyes.

Marlene vaguely knew about the Black family and the way they presented themselves. Most of her ideas about them came from the mere reactions Sirius had whenever someone brought the prestigious bloodline. He was always loud about it, shouting about how stuck up they were in the Gryffindor common room and how grateful he was that he had not followed in their footsteps and ended up in Slytherin. She also knew that they were blood purists, believing that muggles were beneath them.

From what she had gathered, she was not a fan of them.

“Is there any way they can find you here?” Marlene asked, unwilling to allow her family to become endangered for hiding a self-proclaimed fugitive. Sirius just laughed, shaking his head so that his hair flung about. Marlene would have found it amusing how much it reminded her of a dog if it were under difference circumstances.

“I doubt they would. Going into muggle London was bad enough for them, they’re not going to continue their search in a muggle neighborhood.”

Marlene did not get the chance to ask what Sirius planned to do next due to the sound of the front door opening and her family announcing their presence.

“Marls!” Her father shouted up the steps. “We’re home!”

“Come down and tell us how your trip to London was. Your brother has been pestering me all afternoon about not letting him go with you.” Her mother spoke with a laugh and Marlene heard her brother scoff indignantly.

Marlene turned to Sirius, pointing a finger at him and giving him the best glare that she could. “Be on your best behavior. Go along with everything I say, are we clear?” Sirius just nodded, unwilling to cross her and with a final nod Marlene turned to exit the room with Sirius following closely behind. As they entered the living area, Marlene watched as her brother’s eyes went wide at the sight of Sirius.  

“Mum! Marlene’s brought a friend home!” He announced. The McKinnon’s turned, a look of surprise on each of their faces at the sight of the young man standing in their home. Marlene’s mother turned to her and offered a hesitant smile.

“Marlene, who’s your friend?”

“Mum, dad, this is Sirius. He goes to school with me.”

Her father instantly lit up, clasping her hands together as he plopped down on the sofa. “Another wizard! How nice to meet you, young man. I’m Grant McKinnon, but you can just call me Grant.” He offered Sirius a hand and Marlene tried her best not to smirk as Sirius suddenly stood up a bit straighter and shook her fathers’ hand as if he were meeting the Queen.

“A pleasure to meet you, sir. Lovely home you have here.”

“What a gentleman.” Her mother laughed lightly. “I’m Lottie.”

This time, Marlene had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing as she watched Sirius gently kiss her mother’s hand. Merlin, he really was a posh bastard.

“I’m Freddie.” Her brother greeted, not wanting to be left out, and Sirius’s eyes lit up.

“Like Freddie Mercury?”

“Exactly!” Freddie exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

Just as Marlene was about to interrupt to give an explanation as to why Sirius was there in the first place, her family initiated a game of twenty questions directed toward the poor boy.

“So, you go to Hogwarts then?” Lottie asked, an easy smile playing on her lips. She moved to sit by her husband, smoothing out her yellow sun dress as she did so. Sirius nodded, a proud smile appearing on his face.

“Yes. Sorted into Gryffindor, just like Marlene.”

Grant leaned forward; an eyebrow raised. “That’s the one with the lion, right?”

Marlene rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Dad, you know it is.”

Her father merely laughed, raising his hands in defense as he leaned back once more. “I just want to make sure! I never went to Hogwarts now did I?”

“Oh, did you go to Beaubaxtons?” Sirius asked and Marlene cringed.

“Oxford, actually.” Her father answered easily, and Sirius glanced at Marlene with clear confusion on his face. Grant didn’t seem to mind though, catching on to what Sirius wasn’t fully understanding. “I don’t have magic, son.”

Sirius’s eyes went wide for the hundredth time that day it seemed, and he grinned wickedly. “You’re a muggle.” He stated as if he had just made a new discovery. Marlene got the impression that Sirius had never really spoken to a muggle before now.

“You’re pureblood then, Sirius?” Marlene’s mother asked, quickly connecting the dots of Sirius’s curiosity.

“Oh. Yeah. Yeah I am.” Sirius shifted a bit uncomfortably and Lottie frowned at the sudden change in behavior.

“I was the only witch in my family.” Lottie continued, changing the subject. “Was sorted into Ravenclaw at Hogwarts.”

“That’s what I’m going to be.” Freddie piped up, puffing his chest out in perfect eight-year old fashion. Marlene rolled her eyes.

“You still have three more years and there’s no guarantee you’ll follow in mum’s footsteps.”

Freddie narrowed his eyebrows and glared at Marlene. “But I want to be a Ravenclaw.”

“You can be whatever you want to be, mate.” Sirius said solemnly and Marlene found herself surprised at the sincerity in Sirius’s voice. She had never known Sirius to behave in such ways at school, often getting into trouble and shouting about loudly and animatedly. What he said had seemed to be an acceptable answer for Freddie, though, who beamed right back at Sirius.

“Sirius needs a place to stay.” Marlene blurted suddenly, and everyone’s attention turned toward her once more. Her mother gave her a dubious look, waiting patiently for an explanation while her father seemed to not even question the notion.

“For how long?” Grant asked.

“Oh. Uh, you don’t have to do that, sir. I’ll be okay on my own.”

Lottie leaned forward, reaching out for Sirius who instantly flinched in return, causing her to draw her hands back quickly, a stunned look on her face at his reaction. She cleared her throat and fixed him with a serious look. “It’s not problem if you need somewhere to sleep, Sirius. I would just like a reason and an idea of how long you would be staying.”

Sirius glanced at Marlene hesitantly. Clearly, he had not planned on staying here but he also had not planned on going home. Had he assumed that she would kick him to the streets? Perhaps that was what he had intended to do all along. Marlene frowned at the idea of Sirius wandering aimlessly about London, probably in his Animagus form, just to hide away from his family. She wondered how terrible they must be for him to resort to such a thing.

Marlene turned back to her parents, a resolute look on her face. “However long he needs.”

****

Grant quickly set up a cot for Sirius in Freddie’s bedroom—who was far too excited to have a roommate for the time being—and Sirius offered his thanks every five minutes with Grant dismissing it with a wave of his hand stating “it’s just what we do, son.”

Marlene was preparing for bed in her own room when a tentative knock came from the door. “Come in.”

Her mother walked in, shutting the door behind her with a soft click before making herself comfortable on Marlene’s bed. She looked at Marlene with a curious but open expression and Marlene found herself wondering if her mother could see right through her.  

“Is Sirius…someone you fancy?” She asked, and Marlene realized that perhaps her mother couldn’t see her at all.

“No.” She answered honestly, and her mother nodded, accepting the answer without question. Lottie still sat there though, mulling something around in her brain it seemed before letting it out.

“Is he in trouble?”

Marlene considered her mother’s question. The truth was that Marlene really wasn’t sure if Sirius was in trouble or not. It could just be him being his usual dramatic self and getting a kick out of ruining some extravagant family function, but somehow it felt different. The look of pure fear in his eyes when they were in that alley way was burned into her mind.

“I don’t know.” She said finally, her voice sounding more childish than she cared for. Her mother sighed, standing up and opening her arms which Marlene gratefully fell into. She closed her eyes, grateful that her parents were who they were. That they were so accepting and helpful towards everyone. It made her proud to be their daughter. She wondered idly if they would be accepting of everything or if there was some unforeseen limit to which their compassion reached.

Marlene thought about the events that occurred just a few days ago. The firewhiskey her and her friends had indulged in, intent on having one last night of fun before leaving each other for the winter holiday. She thought about the tingly feeling in her stomach as she leaned forward, placing her lips against Lily’s. She thought about the shocked look on Lily’s face and the small sound of surprise that came from Alice’s mouth. She thought about how she ran away before she could even give her friends a chance to ridicule her for her actions.  

It had been eating at her ever since, and now, as her mother held her in her arms, she wondered how she would react to the idea of her daughter liking girls.

“Mum?” Marlene asked, her heart rate picking up speed and hands starting to shake.

“Yes, dear?” Lottie pulled back, a look of concern on her face.

Marlene felt her throat close up, blocking off the words she wanted to confess. I can’t do this. Not now.

“Never mind.” She breathed, looking down at her feet instead of meeting her mother’s gaze. Lottie lingered there a moment, debating whether or not to push the subject. In the end, she just hugged Marlene tighter and smoothed out her hair.

“Okay. But you can always come talk to me whenever you need, okay?” Lottie kissed her daughter’s forehead and went to leave the room, turning in the doorway just before exiting. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, mum.”

As her mother left, Marlene crawled into bed, huddling deeply beneath the blankets and turning to face the wall, finally allowing her tears to fall.

****

Marlene awoke to a frantic knocking on her door. She shot up in bed, immediately reaching for her wand and pointing it towards the doorway. What if it was the Lestranges? What if they had followed Marlene and Sirius straight to her home? What if it were the Blacks themselves, here to take their runaway heir home and punish those who gave him sanctuary?

“Marls! Open the door, it’s Freddie!”

A feeling of relief as well as slight irritation flooded through her. Freddie was tolerable most of the time, but waking her up in the middle of the night was definitely not a way to get on Marlene’s good side.

“What do you want, Mercury?” She asked as she swung the door open. Freddie was standing there, his hands twisted together and his face painted with worry and fear that immediately caused Marlene’s sour attitude toward her brother to vanish. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s Sirius. He won’t stop shaking and, and I thought he was having a nightmare and so I went over to shake him awake and he…he freaked out! He screamed and pushed me away and now he’s huddled in the corner and he won’t stop crying and—”

Marlene pushed past her brother and moved down the hallway towards his bedroom. When she got there, the cot was flipped over and the blankets were in a tangled mess on the floor. Sirius was pressed against the wall, his knees tucked up against his chest and his hands pulling anxiously at his hair. He was muttering something Marlene couldn’t quite make out but whatever it was, he sounded utterly terrified. Marlene turned to Freddie who had followed closely behind her.

“Go get mom.”

Freddie nodded and raced away, seemingly grateful about being given a task. Marlene turned her attention back to Sirius. He hadn’t even noticed the two of them had come into the room, too lost in whatever memory he was reliving. Marlene had heard about this sort of behavior before, when her dad spoke of her grandfather and the effects the war had on him. The panicked breathing and dissociation that blinded a person to their realities were sure signs of post-traumatic stress, she was sure. She was also sure she that she was way out of her depth to properly break Sirius out of it, but she’d be dammed if she didn’t try.

“Sirius,” She spoke slowly, inching towards him before kneeling in front of him. He shook harder, his breath coming out in pants. Merlin, he was going to make himself pass out.

“Hey,” She grabbed his hand and he recoiled with a scream.

“No! No, please! Please don’t, it hurts.” He whimpered. Marlene felt sick and uncomfortable. This was not the Sirius Black she knew. This was a scared and hurt little boy that Marlene could not help.

“What is it?” Marlene turned. Her mother was standing in the doorway, her father and brother right behind her. She watched as Lottie’s eyes found Sirius and she motioned for Marlene to move away. Marlene obliged, standing, and watching her mother crouch down in her place.

“Sirius, sweetie? It’s Lottie. Marlene’s mom, remember?” He didn’t respond but Lottie didn’t seem deterred.

“Breathe with me, Sirius. I’m going to count and we are going to breathe.”

Marlene watched in awe as her mother calmly coaxed Sirius out of the horrific state he was trapped in. They breathed together, with Sirius attempting to match Lottie the more lucid he became. Eventually, Lottie took his hands in hers, rubbing small circles in his palms with the pads of her thumbs. She spoke softly to him, asking him questions about his surroundings and Sirius muttered back short responses. Slowly, he came back to himself. Marlene stood in the doorway, Freddie beside her still looking quite distressed and her father with an unreadable expression playing on his features.

“Marlene could you come sit here beside Sirius? I’m going to go whip up a potion for him to take. Freddie, Grant, why don’t you come help me? Give Sirius some space.”

Freddie nodded wordlessly and turned to head down the stairs followed by his father. As Marlene passed her mother, Lottie put a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t make him talk about it,” She whispered, “just listen if he does.”

Marlene nodded and Lottie gave her a sad smile before leaving the two teens alone. Sirius stared down at his lap, his eyes puffy with tears and his hair a tangly mess. He seemed embarrassed and shifted slightly when Marlene took a seat next to him. She didn’t blame him. She’d be pretty embarrassed too if her whole bravado façade fell apart in front of an audience. It was quiet between them, and Marlene struggled as she thought of something to say. She wanted to ask Sirius what had happened, what kind of nightmare he’d had to cause such a reaction, but she refrained. Still, she thought she could gather a well enough idea.

“I’m thinking of cutting some fringe.” She says instead, reaching up to toy with a strand of her hair. Sirius blinks, glancing toward her and then back at his toes. “I think it’d be a nice change, you know. Eleanor Tippets has fringe and it’s quite nice looking, don’t you think?”

“I’ve never thought about Eleanor Tippets.” Sirius responds. Progress, she thinks.

“Me neither. Not really. Just noticed her hair is all.” Marlene purses her lips. “James has some wild hair, doesn’t he? Does it naturally look like that or does he do it on purpose?”

A ghost of a smile traces Sirius’ lips and Marlene feels her muscles lose a bit of the tension she was unaware she had been holding.

“It’s naturally messy, though he does run his fingers through it often.”

“When he flirts with all the girls?”

“Well, just one girl, really. He still can’t get over Evans.”

Marlene tenses a bit but forces the conversation to continue. “Lily is nice.”

“So is James. She still hasn’t given him a chance.”

Sirius was right, Marlene supposed. James Potter wasn’t exactly the poster boy for good behavior, but he was nice enough. He always helped first years with their homework and encouraged the Gryffindor Quidditch team to win the games and have fun doing it. Lily had talked about James before, to Marlene and Alice, usually to complain about how annoying he was or about what elaborate date he asked her on that week. At the time, Marlene thrilled over the fact that Lily was not into James and perhaps she imagined it was for the same reasons Marlene wasn’t into boys. Now, though, as she looked back on it, she could remember the faint blush gracing her friend’s cheeks each time James smiled at her and the way her lips would twitch upwards just before she told him to get lost.

“My parents hate me.” Sirius said suddenly. Marlene felt her heart stop. Even if she expected it, it was different to hear the words falling so painfully out of Sirius’ mouth. She looked towards him, at the hunch of his shoulders and the pain in his eyes. It was painful to see Sirius this way. He should be jumping on the bed or ranting to Marlene about David Bowie. He shouldn’t be sitting in the corner with trembling hands and a fear of his family. It wasn’t right.

“They shouldn’t hate you.” Marlene knew it was a lame response, but she didn’t know what to say. She had never prepared for a conversation like this, let alone with Sirius Black.

Sirius scoffed. “Oh, I don’t know. I sometimes hate me.”

“Why?”

“We’re not close enough for this conversation, McKinnon.”

“Well, you’re the one who started it.”

Before Sirius could reply, Lottie had stepped back into the room, a cup held in her hand that presumably held the potion she had concocted. Sirius accepted it gratefully, attempting to put his mask of perfect manners back on, though his hands still shook as he drank. Lottie exchanged a look with Marlene, a frown on her face and pity in her eyes. Marlene looked away. She knew Sirius would hate to have any pity directed towards him so it felt wrong to accept such a look.

“You can stay in my room for the rest the night,” Marlene said, “I don’t want you to scare my brother awake with your screams again. He might just wet the bed.”

Lottie opened her mouth to scold Marlene, but Sirius just let out that barking laugh that Marlene had come to enjoy now that she had learned about Sirius’ animagus form. Her parents set the cot up in Marlene’s room quickly and said goodnight once more before shutting the bedroom door. Sirius stood awkwardly next to the cot, his hands clasped together in front of him. Marlene crawled underneath her own blankets, scooting as close to the wall as she could before patting the space next to her. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“Are you inviting me into your bed, McKinnon?”

Marlene rolled her eyes. “Just for sleep, you dog.”

Sirius hesitated, but slid in beside her after a moment of consideration. He was careful not to touch her, whether that was to make her more comfortable or him, Marlene wasn’t sure. She turned on her side so that she was facing him. He stared resolutely at the ceiling, his hands on his chest and eyes wide open.

“You can relax you know. I don’t bite.”

“Biting might be fun.”  

“Sirius—”

“I’m kidding!”

Marlene just shook her head. What a weird day, she thought as she closed her eyes and let her thoughts wander. Spending Christmas break with Sirius Black wasn’t something she had ever planned to do and now here he was, lying in her bed. Marlene wondered what Lily and Alice would say if she told them. She frowned as she thought of her friends. Would they still be her friends when she got back to Hogwarts? Or would they shy away from her, possibly even hate her. She couldn’t bear the sick feeling that washed over her at the idea of that.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Sirius asked. Marlene opened her eyes to see him gazing at her with an uncharacteristic look of empathy on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’m thinking about how much sleep you’re costing me.”

Sirius flushed slightly, but persisted, nonetheless. “Oh, come on. Your face was all scrunched up, there’s no way you were thinking of sleep. Enlighten me, McKinnon.”

“No.”

“Is it a boy?”

“No.”

“Good. Then I have no competition.”

“Trust me when I say this, Sirius. You are not my type.”

Sirius hesitated and then, “I’m sorry for messing up your holiday. I can leave tomorrow. Find my way to James’ house. He’s more equipped to deal with this mess.”

Marlene wanted to reassure Sirius that he was no bother, that she was happy to help, but she couldn’t. Because she probably wasn’t as equipped to deal with all of Sirius’ stuff, not compared to James who knew Sirius better than anyone. Marlene suddenly felt a sense of guilt overcome her. She and Sirius had always been friends at school, chatting in the common room on occasion and sitting next to each other in history of magic, but they were never close. She supposed it was because Sirius didn’t let people get too close, no one except for James, Remus, and Peter. Not that she was any better.

“We can write him in the morning if that would make you more comfortable.” She mumbled. Sirius nodded.

“That would probably be best.”

“Sirius,” Marlene hesitated. “Sirius, I don’t want to pry or anything but…what happened? Why did you run away?”

A dark look settled over Sirius’ face and Marlene almost recoiled. Whatever happened had been bad, probably worse than Marlene could imagine. She almost regretted asking the question and was about to tell him he didn’t have to answer when he spoke in a breath.

“They tried to kill me.”

Marlene’s blood ran cold. She didn’t want to believe it. She wanted Sirius to crack a teasing smile and claim that he was just being his usual dramatic self and that he was exaggerating the story and that his parents just had some old-fashioned ideas that got him in trouble when he didn’t agree with them. That she could handle. But this…god, she was going to be sick.

“Why?” Her voice sounded childish, laced with curiosity, and horrified awe.

“I…disagreed with them, as usual. But this time it was because of more personal beliefs.”

“Personal beliefs?”

“I told them I was gay.”

There was a stutter in Marlene’s heart, a sudden thrill that she wasn’t alone, such an excitement that she almost screamed “me too!” back at him. But she didn’t. Because right now was about Sirius, not her.  Instead, she reached out and took Sirius’ hand. He flinched at the motion but Marlene did not let go. She could not let go, not now, not when she might be the only person who Sirius might be able to relate to, that he might be the only person who could understand her. She felt the need to cling to this, to remember this moment as Sirius told her this secret with raw vulnerability and tears in his eyes because not only was the world cruel to people like them but his own parents couldn’t see past their own prejudices to just love their son. Instead, they set out to hurt and even kill. Marlene could make this moment matter. She could make this moment a happy moment for him.

“I’m so fucking proud of you.”

Sirius finally met her gaze, surprise evident on his face. She grinned back at him, her own eyes watering.

“I am so fucking proud of you, Sirius. For being strong enough and brave enough to stand up to your parents and be who you are. I really admire that and I am so happy that you shared it with me. Thank you.”

Sirius’ body seemed to lose all the tension he had been holding since bumping into Marlene earlier that day. God, had it only been a day? Marlene felt as though Sirius had been there for weeks, ready to burst at the seams at any moment. And this was that moment. He started crying in earnest, his body shaking and eyes becoming blinded with tears. Marlene inched forward, wrapping her arms around him, and holding him close. Her own face was wet with tears of joy and pain for her friend.

Eventually they fell asleep, wrapped tightly around each other. It was how Lottie found them in the morning.

[talesfromlissom]

Brother Sharpens Brother (Part II)

A/N: This is the same thing as my latest post, but it takes place after Cole becomes a human again. Technically this is halloween ish cause DOTD is technically halloween ish so. 

For those of you that actually know Ninjago and are watching Ninjago, I chose the alternative version of it, instead of the actual one lol. 

ALSO: I’m so so sorry that this took so long to do. I have school, and I was completely unmotivated for a while, then I spilled soda on my laptop cause I’m stupid so I had to get it repaired but uh,,, here it is, hope you enjoy!

!WARNING! Mentions of blood, violence, and broken limbs, please proceed with caution.!

You had completely ignored your brother, and you could tell he was as well. 

But that was the farthest thing from your mind, as it was racing with so many other thoughts, and you could feel your hair briskly waving in the wind as you leaned over the railing of the bounty. 

“Hey.” A soft voice had startled you, and for a second you thought it was Zane, because he was the only person capable of sneaking up on you. 

However, your soft gaze turned hard seeing the ghost before you. 

Morro fidgeted, turning to the floor. 

“Uhm...nice weather we’re having.” 

You blink. 

“Sure.” You reply quickly, turning back to the clouds below. 

You can feel the wind pick up, as you still feel his presence drifting behind you.

“Alright, I’ll bite, what do you want?”

Morro hesitates, he hesitates, which is new, because you remembered fairly well that he never hesitated, as a child, a teenager, a brother, or a ghost. 

“I’m sorry.” He says, so softly that you almost don’t hear it. 

“What?”

“I’m sorry,” He says, much more confidently and a tad bit louder. “I shouldn’t have left you all those years ago, I shouldn’t have possessed Lloyd, summoned the preeminent-”

“Turned Cole into a ghost?”

He stares.

“I didn’t do that.”

“Because you stole the scroll of airjitzu, Cole had to get the original one, so technically it is your fault.”

He lets out a ‘tsk’, before crossing his arms. “Fine, I’m sorry for turning Cole into a ghost.” 

You don’t reply. You won’t gift him that. Hell, you’re too surprised that he even bothered coming up here to say much of anything.

“You’re upset.” He says. “And worried.” 

You don’t reply again. 

“It’s Cole, isn’t it?” 

Now that gets your attention. 

The wind becomes softer, less loud. 

“Ah, there it is.” He says. “When I possessed Lloyd I fished through his memories-” He pauses, seeming to catch himself, and mentally cursing at himself in the process.

“Uh...you like Cole, huh?” 

“Yeah, so what if I do?”

Morro throws his hands up defensively. “Hey the kid-” 

You frown and Morro bites his tongue.

“Look, I’m not sure how much time I have left until I go back to the departed realm, but...you should...tell him.” 

You scoff. “He likes girls.”

“Do you know that for sure?”

You shake your head. “He has a picture of those girls in bikinis on a car above his head.” 

“I used to have a picture like that above my dead, you’re forgetting all of you are horny teenagers.” 

“I am not horny.”

“Are you?”

You turned to him, a small smile on your face. “I liked it better when you were trying to kill me.”

“No you didn’t.” 

“Pft.” A pause, as you turn back to the clouds. “I suppose you’re right.”

You feel his presence become closer. 

“Anyways, as your bestest big brother-”

“Bestest isn’t a word.”

“Whatever, as your big brother, I’m telling you to go get ‘em.”

“You really think I have a chance?”

Morro shrugs. “I dunno, I’ve only ever tried to kill Cole.” 

You frown. “Wow thanks.”

                                                             _

Morro had disappeared soon after that, you assumed he slipped off of the bounty to go back..wherever he went. 

You had gathered up the rest of the ninja and currently you and the group were making your way over to the air temple. 

That is, until the wind hit.

You couldn’t control the wind, why couldn’t you control the wind.

“(Y/N)! C’mon, do something!”

“It’s not working goddamn it! It's not my wind, my powers don’t worry like tha-”

A large gust throws the ship to the side, and you tumble down the deck and into one of the ship’s posts. 

A rope slaps you in the face, and you grab it with your hand.

“Can anybody see Cole? Or Yang!” A voice calls in the distance, another reply is said, but your ears are ringing far too loudly. 

You grab the rope, and begin to pull yourself up the pole, resting on the top of the bounty.

If Cole was here he’d probably shout something at you, say you were being reckless, and that you’d get yourself killed. 

But here you were.

Your eyes widened.

“I see him!” You shout, hoping your friends will hear you. “He’s fighting Yang on top of the temple!” 

A bright blue light fills your vision, and you screech, tumbling from the post and onto the deck.

A deafening crack! Is heard, as well as a screech from your mouth.

The wind dies down a tad bit, as footsteps fill your ears. 

You see Zane above you.

“Why’s the bone sticking out like that!” Jay cries. “Bones are supposed to stay inside your body!” 

That’s the last thing you hear before you close your eyes. 

                                                             _

Waking up in white was the last thing you wanted to do. 

You knew they had changed you, that didn’t bother you, no.

What bothered you was if Cole was okay.

You sat up in your bed, eyes surveying the room. Looking down, you saw a white cast slung on your arm. 

Great, just great. 

You sigh, and fall backwards into your pillows, staring at the ceiling.

You could feel a soft breeze flowing through the room, that’s when you realized that your window was cracked open, the curtains flowing softly from the wind. The sun was low in the sky, as said sky was painted soft oranges and pinks.

Normally, you would’ve sat up and meditated, maybe even sung a quick tune or two, but your mind was so active with anxiety and fear inducing thoughts that you barely even muster the strength to get up.

Cole.

What happened to Cole?

That was enough motivation for you, as you pulled yourself from your soft bed, despite your entire body aching. 

You made your way down the hall, realizing that you were in a plain black t-shirt, and grey sweatpants. 

Your head drifts to the hallway ahead of you, seeing shadows dancing on the walls, and a soft light from the room to the left.

You step towards the room quietly, only to peep your head into it. 

You see the other ninja, happily chattering away, boxes of chinese food littering the table.

Jay is fighting with Cole over a dumpling, where Cole snatches the dumpling from-

Wait what. 

Jay looks up, his face riddled with shock.

“(Y/N)! You’re awake!” He calls out, almost getting up from the table, but Zane beats him to it. 

“(Y/N), I do not wish to intrude but, you should be resting,” He says. “You...broke your arm, as you can see.”

Zane gestures to the arm, and your eyes drift to it. 

You shrug, wheezing slightly at the pain. 

“I’m fine, nothing hurts right now.” You reply, softly. 

Your eyes fall onto Cole’s, and you almost double back in shock.

He’s there, his face looks full, not green, his eyes are as bright as ever, and he’s non-transparent.

However, your eyes become captivated by the deep, green, and nasty scar that goes from his hairline and falls just below his eyes. 

He flushes, and gets up from the table.

“I’ve...got it Zane, you guys finish eating.” 

Zane flashes Cole a look, before a grin forms on his face, so small that if you weren’t a ninja you probably wouldn’t catch onto it, but Zane returns to the table.

A hand falls to your waist softly, and Cole guides you down the hall.

However, you come to a halt once you know you're out of earshot.

“Wh-” Your unbroken arm grasps Cole's face, pulling him down to your eye leve.

“Is there something on my face?” He asks.

You frown.

But your eyes fall onto his. 

“How…” You say, before turning back to look at him again.

His hand drifts up to your, grasping it so lightly, and god is his skin soft. 

“Yang...he...he tried to become human again, so he created a portal that would...well..make him human again,” A pause. “But, I went through it instead, after he thought better of it.” 

Your eyes widen.

“Yang?” You ask, hearing your almost turn to a shout. “Didn’t he turn you into a ghost?” 

“Technically Morro did.” Cole mutters, and you chuckle.

“True, I even told him that.” 

Cole raises an eyebrow, but you shake your head. 

Your fingers drift to his hair, twirling a strand in between your fingertips. 

“So..what’s it like being human again?”

Cole is silent for a moment, his eyes never leaving your hand, which is still playing with his hair. 

“I..uh...it's different.”

“Do you like it?”

“Of course I do.” He chuckles. “I can touch stuff, again, and I don’t feel cold anymore.” 

You sigh. “That’s good..” 

“It also means I can kiss you.”

You pause, your hand drawing back from his face immediately. Your cheeks feel hot, and your eyes widen at the words, and he sheepishly looks away from you, almost seeming surprised that he even said those words.

“I…”

“Cole.”

“I’ve gotta go now, bye-!”

“Cole hang on a second-”

“Bye!”

Cole races down the hall, leaving you in silence. 

You shout; “I swear to god if you don’t get your ass back here and kiss me, I’ll make you a ghost again!” 

You cried, chasing after him.

                                               ──•~❉+❉~•──

Rules

Overwatch Masterlist 

Ninjago Masterlist

The Arcana Masterlist (WIP)

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[svtskneecaps]

alright pals, i said i’d do it. and idk i’m a narcissist what can i say i love talking about my shit so here are my

current sm au wips

there’s two

first: (fem!)reader x mingyu centered

a university, non-idol au, quelle surprise (is surprise feminine? i should know this)

basically, you and mingyu are suitemates in the on-campus dorms (with two others; it’s a 4-person suite) and one day mingyu bangs his oversized limbs against the back of the cabinet in the kitchen area and uncovers a hidden compartment containing a stack of notes and a bottle of wine, each note addressed to “angel” from “s.coups”

the first?

“hey angel

i guess the painting was a bit much. and, i guess the note i left you was pushing it too. i’m sorry. i should have realized we weren’t on the same page.

don’t be a stranger, okay? i’m still checking all the note spots.

i promise i won’t push meeting in person again. from now on i’ll take your cues, okay? i promise

write me back? - s.coups <3″

naturally, he texts you immediately, and you decide to solve the mystery. who’s s.coups? who’s angel? when did all this happen and what exactly went down? what was the painting?

you can’t help but draw comparisons between these notes and yourself, though. sometimes it’s terrifying. if the love expressed in these notes you’ve found ended as poorly as it seems, what hope does that leave for you?

(yes i do watch hallmark movies with my mom why do you ask)

second: (fem!)reader x jeonghan

(or wonwoo, they’re fighting over it rn but initial plans are for jeonghan and dual love interest fics stress me out so i’m gonna beat wonwoo’s ass back into best friend position, but if you’d like to read it as that! go for it!)

a university, non-idol, magic au

jeonghan spent the first semester of university on first dates. only first dates. he never had seconds, never took anyone home, just a first date. and then if he didn’t feel a spark, that was it.

of course, this landed him a “playboy” reputation that persisted even up to his final year at the school, even though he’d stopped the behavior before winter break. he thought he’d be fine if he could just graduate.

then he ran into a date on the street. and unbeknownst to him, they cursed him.

jeonghan wakes up. and he’s sure it’s tuesday. he checks his phone.

it’s not tuesday.

you’ve been dealing with curses your entire life. seeing, identifying, breaking, the works. when your friend wonwoo, who shares your ability, informs the group chat about a dude with the ugliest curse he’s ever seen, your interest is piqued.

it’s even worse.

jeonghan can no longer form long term memories. every night he loses all memory of the past day. out of desperation, his roommate joshua tracks you down and asks you to help

it’s a terrible and dangerous curse. and you’re still an amateur. but with all the professional cursebreakers out of the country on assignment, you agree to help.

things grow from there

if any of that sounds interesting lmk i can tag you if i start posting them; they’re a bit more plot heavy than character based so i do kind of want to get them scripted in full before i start posting, just so i don’t hit a block halfway through

[notsosecretspy]

The Kids Aren’t Alright pt. II

****************

Hello guys, gals, and non-binary pals! This is part two of my 2015 fan fiction. So be prepared again for some throwback 2015 fan fiction style. If you enjoy the nostalgia, like it currently, or find it humorously bad, I hope you enjoy!

Warnings:, cringe writing, talk of past child abuse, talk of child neglect, cursing, talks of PTSD and schizophrenia, slight misogyny (seriously what was going on with past me?)

Word Count: 1,500

*****************

The Start of a New Life

“Hello Mr. Holmes. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say, using the most polite voice I had.

“Likewise.” His cold eyes squint and a forced, toothless grin and an outstretched hand is what meets me. I return my own and give a curt handshake. His look made me feel like I was a specimen, like I was some sort of puzzle that he was trying to figure out. It actually makes me slightly uncomfortable, I hope he isn’t always going to be this weird all the time.

“Well, Mr. Holmes, after checking out your profile you are clear for the adoption,” Mrs. Shanon drops smoothly as she hands him the forms. I wonder how she could say it so casually as if she was repeating her grocery list and not as if she didn’t just say something that would be so monumentally life changing to me.

I could feel my mouth go slack a bit as I glimpse towards the forms and see I’ll be living at 221B Baker Street. Although my jaw doesn’t tense I could feel the effort go immediately into trying to reign in my thoughts. Already? I just met the guy. This is a really exciting opportunity. We should just at least try it out, right? How do they know that he won’t try and hurt me? Remember what our therapist said, not everyone is trying to hurt us and you have to be willing to trust some people at least a little bit. Can he really pay for all my medicine? I really have a lot. Did you see his coat and suit? He doesn’t seem to be short on money. Deep breath, and take a leap of faith on him.

“Go get your things, Josie.”

I didn’t say anything but simply nodded my head and walked out of the room. The steps that I never really took much notice seemed to creak extra loud to me, like they wanted me to stay. When I reached the top and looked at the hall, it had apparently grown in length since I last treaded upon it as I walked towards my room. Taking a breath as I looked at my room, my home, for the last time, I continued my leap of faith and walked towards my wardrobe. I always thought I had more than I did, and opened the simple two drawers and realized that I didn’t have a lot. Besides my clothes on me, I had my uniform, an extra pair of pants, socks, and an extra tank top. Hopefully since he seems to have a good amount of money I could get some more clothes so I wouldn’t have to wash mine as much. Also in my drawer was a backpack Mrs. Shanon gave me from Thailand, and my phone and computer as well as their coordinating chargers, a quilt I had sewn when I was little, and a teddy bear that I won at a fair Mrs. Shanon took me too.

Mrs. Shanon took care of us like we were her own kids, when we were new at least, then she forgets us and moves on to the next one. I haven’t done much with her since I was like 7 but she was still like my family. But, maybe this time they’ll be a bit more fair to me. So, with nothing left to distract myself with, I put all of it in my backpack and grabbed my violin that I had a friend that had painted it to look like Starry Night, and headed down to the office.

When I come back down I see Mr. Holmes standing outside the room and is fervorously typing something on his phone, so I walk back into the room with Mrs. Shanon instead.

“Goodbye Josie, I hope you have fun in your wonderful new home.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Shanon,” I say while tightening my arms around her. Tears pricked my eyes unexpectedly as she let go. She gives me a crooked smile, one who is not wanting to say goodbye just yet and so she gives me the traditional £50 that she gave everyone and folds her arms into herself.

“You’re welcome Jose. Now go on,’ she says with a nod of her head, ‘Go enjoy your new life.” Giving her one last squeeze I exit the door to a now unoccupied Sherlock and we start walking towards Baker Street who had gently reached out a hand to take my violin from my hands, which I gratefully did.

The walk on the busy pavement is oddly quiet and not at all what I expected from my first time with my adopted parents. Though, I feel like his eyes seem to be baring into me.“So, um, should we play 20 questions or something?”

“I don’t know. Is that what people usually do?” He replies while turning to me briefly.

“I guess I don’t really know. But anyways, I can tell you were kind of uncomfortable with having to be professional or whatever, so you can feel free to be yourself now and drop the entire act thing,” I feel my face heat and throw a look towards him, only to see him have a quick flash of surprise or maybe curiosity. “So, how much do you know about me? I can tell you’re curious and I’m really not sure how extensive my file is. Maybe we should play the game and get to know each other a bit more. But, I also guess that you can probably read me in a similar way I’ve been observing you so you might know more than me.”

“So you are a clever one,” Sherlock smirks and finally turns some more attention towards me. “Well Josephine, I have a few things that I’ve deduced about you and from the file. By your unconscious behavior I would think that you were abused as a child from some scars that are visible and I am guessing there are more on your back from the way you layer your clothes, there are more layers on the places you want to hide the most. Also you have post traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia from your meds that I am paying for, Zyprexa and Fanapt. Also you are a talented musician, you are able to play the piano and violin from the calluses and shape of your fingers. Also, from the graphite on the side of your hand I can guess that you are an artist and choose pencil drawings as your medium. Should I go on?”

What the fuck man? Why did he have to bring that stuff up since I still barely know him? “Um, no, thanks. You ,show off, can calm down a bit.” I try to give a short laugh despite my discomfort. I see him casually roll his eyes, “So, what can you deduce about me?”

I take an elongated breath in, “Well,” I say mimicking his voice though I’m still a bit shaken, “I can observe from you that you play the violin as well from the mark underneath your chin and your chapped fingers. You probably practice quite often with how prominent they are on your skin. I assume you also live with someone in your flat, you don’t seem the type to live in a house and seem to also want at least someone around so you aren’t alone. My guess that it might be a man in the flat at 221B Baker Street, since I’d assume if you did live with a girl you’d want them to come with us to make me feel more comfortable with going to live with you. But, moving on, I think you are a detective but not really, since you seem to be more intelligent than necessary for police work, but my guess is that you at least still work with them since you have that badge shape in your pocket. Also,you don’t seem to live in the presence of children at all since you are clearly a bit unsure how to be in mine. By your lack of clear occupation on the form I’d guess you have a sibling or similar person who is higher up in some sort of authority where you get a small income of money from since you still have your flat. And from your slight twitching in your fingers I’d guess that you have or had some sort of addiction... Shall I go on?”

He gives a light laugh and with amusement in his eyes gives me a look. “No you’ve done quite well. And, it’s a brother that I have. He’s my only sibling.”

I simply give a grin and nod my head. Before I knew it we were turning towards the door of the flat. He produces a key from his pocket and turns the golden knob. We walk up a set of stairs and open a sturdy wooden door.

“Hello John. I’m here with the girl.”

[freevoidman]

Okay I’m reading through Porg’s update so some of y’all can save your braincells and here are some great highlights (under a readmore bc i couldn’t help but tear into a few things she suggested):

Flat out ignoring that Vergil had changed by the end of the game as a result of V and Urizen’s separate experiences.

In trying to make V and Urizen their own character, she throws out the idea of Vergil being manipulated by the Qliphoth/Urizen (??? somehow??? even though the tree is implied to be non-sentient i believe???), with V being a Devil hunter looking through the remains of Mallet Island (which was completely blown up, turned to rubble, and then swallowed by the sea, so... that can’t happen), finding the cane which makes him youthful and not sick but... having the cane makes it so he can only kill demons through the cane??? for some reason??? And he needs the Qliphoth fruit to heal himself and free him from the curse???

How did she make V’s backstory even more confusing and complicated how the fuck did she do that

Almost immediately after bringing up the cane, she instead changes it to be one of the rings he’s wearing because she wants her “precious V” to use weapons other than the cane, which makes all the prior paragraphs about the cane’s curse and only using it pointless. She’s the one writing this fic, why can’t she edit her own work so it’s more cohesive?

Despite saying that V should be a Devil Hunter, she doesn’t explain why someone who is supposed to be killing demons would form a pact with at least three to fight demons. Her rewrite dismisses Visions of V, and she even states later that the manga is a waste of time as it won’t ever be translated into English (which 1) is not a limiting factor to reading it as many people have translated it already and 2) doesn’t dismiss it’s value at building up V’s character, who she supposedly likes the best).

Also, for someone who complains about DMC5 being a rehash of DMC3, she’s sure doing her best to change it to a rehash of DMC1 (Vergil being controlled by an outside force, bringing back Mallet Island, bringing back Mundus [the cane is supposed to be tied to Mundus]).

V apparently can’t be human because she wants to give him a devil trigger, despite having 3 familiars and his own strength. Okay I guess?

Also it’s really fucking sick how she describes V changing, because it’s apparently V fusing with Nightmare? Devil May Cry has never been one for body horror but she straight up says she was inspired by “The Thing (1982), The Fly (1986), Bloodborne, and Resident Evil 7″ for the transformation imagery and I wanted to nope the fuck out of there real quick.

Her segments of actual fiction writing and dialogue are really bad it’s almost like a parody Youtube skit.

She switches between prose and script writing randomly, it’s really odd. She does it primarily with Dante i’ve noticed? Here’s an example I wrote of what she does:

“Hey, don’t stress out about it will you?” Says John following a few steps behind VINCENT: Don’t get your panties in a twist

And that just happens... randomly? Like, there’s no indication why she’s doing that it just happens.

She straight up writes notes in her fic about the controls for character actions in-game what the hell--

She also shamelessly puts in a link to artwork that clearly isn’t her’s (and I highly doubt she got permission to post about) to try and show what V’s Devil Trigger would look like. I couldn’t find it because I don’t know how pixiv works, but that’s just a shitty move, especially with how she treats artists on tumblr when they draw art of Vergil.

EDIT: Porg has now straight up copy-pasted the art into her fic without the artist’s permission which is, we all know, fucking theft. While it is good artistry, is just a weird mashup of Vergil’s and Dante’s. It’s not all that unique and I don’t understand why she had to reference a bunch of body horror shit when all the Devil Triggers in game are essentially just a large flash of light and a seamless transition between forms??? It’s good art, I’m not trying to bash the artist, but... Porg, you could’ve been a little more original here rather than just ripping off another artist’s designs...

Everyone in her fic acts super casually to seeing Vergil alive in the Qliphoth and it’s like... honey, no.

Vergil acts WILDLY out of character holy fuck. Like, I know I should have expected that but this is NOT how Vergil would act in the slightest. She’s pretty much writing an OC.

Building off of this: EVERYONE acts OOC and... it’s not exactly cringey, but it is perfect proof that Porg doesn’t know what she’s doing and hasn’t properly analyzed the characters.

Dante acts weirdly... detached? There’s no sign of him acting like his normal goofball-y self, and he’s much more serious than normal. He actually acts more like cannon Vergil than himself, actually. (He also knows CPR apparently? Which... is a skill he would really never bother learning, so...)

Nero doesn’t act nearly as emotional, and acts calmly for some reason. You can’t feel any of his emotions behind his dialogue, only through the adverbs added to the tags)

V is too informative. He knows way too much about random shit that... no one should rightfully know. I’ll mention it more later, but... V doesn’t act like himself and I don’t really know how to explain it.

Vergil is essentially her OC. Seriously--he’s not as brooding or snarky, he’s far too open and apologetic, there’s practically no sense of rivalry between him and Dante. Weirdly, he acts more like canon V than fic!V does, despite the fact that Porg wants to establish V and Vergil and separate characters. His actions also make no sense when put alongside his canon personality. We aren’t reading anything about Vergil, we’re reading about Porg’s weirdly idealized version of him.

I’m going to make a break in the post here because I feel like this is the part that needs the most attention:

Porg goes OUT OF HER WAY to dedicate a GIANT portion of this chapter to her own OC: Nero’s mom. There are several long paragraphs of establishing the relationship between her OC and Vergil, talking about leaving Fortuna, how they were ‘happy’ and then saying that after a hurricane (inspired by hurricane hugo, you’ll see later) she got separated from Vergil, never reconnected with him, GAVE BIRTH, died from a demon attack with Nero staying near her corpse, and then Nero was found by humans and taken off the mainland to be taken to an orphanage on Fortuna. She wanted a massive amount of time to be taken out of the fun parts of playing Devil May Cry to establish a relationship that would never come back and essentially turn into a 15 minute soap opera inserted into a game about having fun killing demons.

Alright back to the noted highlights.

Porg confirms in her fic that the universe of Devil May Cry happens in the US, and that Fortuna is an island along the southeast coast and I want to fucking rip my eyeballs out at this point.

The ONLY REASON why she is doing this is because she lives in Florida. I know she does, and she just wants to imply that this is all happening near her home turf. How anyone who lives in Florida thinks an island like Fortuna can exist is beyond me though, because playing through 4, most of the buildings are inspired by Italian designs, and no one in the states would build an entire island with italian designs. I’ve been to Florida multiple times--there’s no buildings there even REMOTELY designed to match Fortuna.

EDIT: I have been informed that Porg actually lives in Pennsylvania, not Florida, which makes both more and less sense. Why Florida? Why not a hidden island up on the east coast? Why does this have to be taking place in the states at all Porg???

Yeah, let’s take Nero off the MAINLAND OF FLORIDA after a DEVASTATING HURRICANE and send him to an orphanage on an ISLAND which would’ve been hit the hardest by ANY hurricane. TOTAL SENSE. 

She tries to make her own timeline for the series using actual real world dates and events and it’s terrible (she references Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and confidently states that 3 took place in 1990, despite all evidence for the actual dates of events being fan theory established through circumstantial evidence).

There’s so much horror movie inspiration here--not cheap horror, but really twisted shit that... doesn’t fit with Devil May Cry’s tone at all? In the slightest? She references Jacob’s Ladder, plus all the other body horror media I wrote above.

Straight up just tears Vergil’s arm off which sure, I guess we gotta make THAT a parallel between Nero and Vergil. They can have a father son moment over being physically maimed.

In the scene immediately before this, Urizen picks up Vergil by the head and roots around Vergil’s memories (somehow???) to show him all the ‘bad moments’ in his life to traumatize him. She describes it as the audience getting flashes of him falling to hell, charging Mundus, being Nelo Angelo, etc. 

This causes Vergil to cry and beg for Urizen to stop. Then Urizen rips off his arm. So. Yeah. Another point for the OOC!Vergil/OC-taking-Vergil’s-place board.

Also this point ALONE made me realize that Porg does not know how much time, effort, and money needs to be put into making assets. Like, the entire fic she was stressing that everything be done in 5′s HD Graphics--including the ruins of Mallet Island, so I have to assume she’d want these little snippets in HD too, which would be a massive money hole creating these assets for one scene that lasts maybe ten seconds total.

I know I stated it in one of my earlier posts, but most of what she’s writing would fit better with a sequel for the reboot series, not DMC5. It would make her OOC writing of Vergil make sense, all the horror movie inspiration and body horror shit would fit better there, especially all the crappy dialogue too.

She somehow made Griffon even MORE annoying than in cannon.

BTW if I had to listen to poetry while fighting the final boss of a video game, I’d sooner turn my PS4 off. Not that poetry isn’t cool and all, but it cheapens the final fight and distracts you. It wouldn’t work.

EDIT: I realized this point made no sense without context, sorry. Porg made the Book of Urizen (the poetry book by William Blake referenced multiple times by V) either weirdly prophetic or made it out like Blake had inner knowledge of demon powers or... something along those lines, and V magically has the knowledge that reciting poetry from the book about Urizen will... harm him? Weaken him? Open a gate to hell (she mentions a portal appearing near him)? It’s very unclear, but she essentially rewrites Urizen as the final boss, and makes it three stages (V [Griffon recites some verses, which is what the first point was about], Vergil and Dante [this is where Vergil gets his arm ripped off btw], and then Nero) with all three of them reading poetry from the book to deal the “final blow” to Urizen. I’d much rather have Vergil be the final boss than have to go through a three-stage boss fight while every character I play as recites poetry to kill the boss.

She mentions Dante using Sin DT against Urizen but I’m pretty sure with her fuckery of the game’s events Dante can’t GET Sin DT? Because there’s no fight between Nero and Urizen where he’d intervene?

COMPLETELY IGNORES VERGIL’S DEVELOPMENT OF WANTING TO TRAVEL WITH HIS BROTHER THROUGH HELL TO ELIMINATE THE QLIPHOTH FUCK OFF.

Also she changed the lore of the Qliphoth so that it sprouts semi-naturally around every 500 or so years? So... shouldn’t leaving the Qliphoth roots be fine now? Since it’s natural?

Nico acts like growing back arms is totally normal

Wrote an INCREDIBLY shoe-horned in moment in the van with Dante filling Trish and Lady in about finding Vergil and everything that happened where, once again, Trish and Lady act almost completely nonplussed that Vergil is alive after 20+ years in hell, with about 9 of those ten years being trapped under Mundus’ control and corrupted by the Demon King

Seriously why is no one surprised in this fic that Vergil survived? Dante has a brief moment before finding him, but everyone finds out and accepts it like flipping a switch (once again--ESPECIALLY DANTE, which is NOT how the grieving process works)

Porg states that the ending is trash because the twins are fighting in hell, but completely ignores that most of Dante and Vergil’s lives have been built on conflict and they like fighting demons, especially Dante. Both of them were happy and doing what they love.

She also completely ignores through this entire thing that Dante was really fucking depressed in the novels leading up to 5 but hey I don’t even know if she can read.

I can vaguely agree that Trish and Lady were sidelined and they should’ve had a bigger role. However, I can’t fault the directors for not doing this, because they were already developing three playable characters with their own unique fighting styles. She writes all this shit about the story, writes notes about controls and mission layouts, but forgets that it takes a lot more than pressing a single button to code a game.

She just doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Seriously, none of these things are cohesive or edited properly, and despite her saying she wanted better for Vergil, or Nero, or Dante, or V, she writes all of them incredibly out of character and doing illogical actions. I just... I don’t get it.

The best part is--I can’t even tell her about these things, or give constructive criticism. She moderates the comments on her fic and isn’t afraid to delete anything she doesn’t agree with or can’t make a ‘passionate rant’ about.

[junghelioseok]

pronoia. ⇢ preview

◇ namjoon x reader ◇ zombie apocalypse!au | ta!joon ◇ 772 words [preview]

notes: a late bday gift for @imaginationofacrazyfangirl, who i apparently like so much i’m going waaaaaaaaay out of my comfort zone with this fckn genre. i’m about halfway done with this fic at this point, so. hopefully i can finish up and get it posted soon!

“So,” you begin as you begin the return trek through the parking lot, “where are we headed, anyway? It seems like you and Yoongi have a plan.”

Namjoon nods. “We do. There’s a reported quarantine zone up north—it’s all over Twitter.” He pulls out his cellphone, along with a massive battery pack. “I’ve been conserving my phone battery as much as I can, keeping track of any news, and I think it’s our best bet.”

“Smart.” Ruefully, you pull out your own device and show him the black screen. “My phone died ages ago.”

“You might be able to charge it still,” Namjoon points out. “The electrical grids haven’t gone down yet. And I know Yoongi’s got a cord back at the car, so we can charge our devices on the road too. He’s got all sorts of stuff—this battery pack is his, actually. I couldn’t find mine.”

“Of course you couldn’t,” you mutter, thinking back to every time he’s misplaced his laser pointer or lecture notes during class.

“What?”

“Nothing,” you say quickly. Off in the distance, you spot a few zombies shambling along, no doubt searching for their next meal.

Yoongi and Jungkook are both seated inside the SUV by the time you return. Jungkook hops out to help you load the bags, and you shoot him a grateful grin as you climb into the backseat alongside him. Namjoon takes the passenger seat, and kindly plugs in your phone while Yoongi adjusts his mirrors. “The engine’s gonna draw their attention,” he says. “They probably won’t be able to get us in the car, but hang onto your weapons just in case.” Then he pauses, glancing back at the metal pole in Jungkook’s hands and the wooden bat in yours. “Well. We’ll need to make a stop and get actual weapons.”

“We can try the police station,” Namjoon suggests. “I’m sure others will have had the same idea, but it’s our best bet for now. Then we’ll have to load up on food, water, and gas.”

Curiously, you peer into the grocery bags sitting on the floor between you and Jungkook. “Most of this stuff’s perishable. We’ll need to get non-perishable stuff if we’re going to be on the road for a long time. How far did you say that quarantined zone is, Namjoon?”

“I didn’t. I’m not actually one-hundred percent sure myself. Social media is a mess, as you might imagine.” Turning around in his seat, Namjoon shows you his Twitter feed—conflicting news alerts interspersed with grisly photos of the destroyed city and panicked requests for aid. “The last emergency alert said that the military base just outside of city limits is safe, but I’m not so sure.” He scrolls down, revealing several videos of zombies staggering around a helicopter, and upon closer inspection, you realize that they’re in full military garb. Horrified, you take his phone to get a closer look, thumbing down the page to reveal even more atrocities.

“Shit,” Jungkook breathes, sidling over to look over your shoulder. “That’s not good.”

Yoongi heaves a sigh, eyeing both of you in the rearview mirror. “Yeah, no kidding. The only thing we’re sure about is that the infection started in the south, so heading north is our best bet. And hopefully, we’ll find—”

THWUMP!

Namjoon’s phone clatters out of your hands as the parked car suddenly tilts, swaying dangerously to the left before all four wheels return to the asphalt once more. You stare in horror at the huddled horde of zombies pressed against your window, bloodstained hands trying in vain to reach you through the glass. “Yoongi, I think you need to drive now!” you shout, wincing as the thumping continues against the window.

The blond man curses as the car rocks again, his eyes flickering from the zombies swarming on Namjoon’s side of the car. “Oh, fuck. Fuckfuckfu—HA!” The engine roars to life, and you watch as the zombies closest to you flinch at the sudden noise before renewing their efforts, banging against the glass until spiderwebbing cracks begin to form.

“Dude, floor it!” Jungkook yells.

Yoongi doesn’t need to be told twice. The car lurches forward, tires squealing, and you yelp as you’re slammed back against the seat. Instinctively, you fumble for your seat belt, ignoring the stunned look Jungkook shoots you in favor of buckling yourself in and watching the undead horde recede in the distance as you pull farther and farther away. “Holy shit,” you mutter, your head falling back against the backrest, your chest heaving with uneven breaths. “Holy fucking shit.”

Yoongi huffs out a sardonic chuckle as he slows ever so slightly to turn onto the main road. “Yeah. Welcome to the apocalypse.”

as always, feedback is appreciated! 🥺

[thereismagicinthesepages]

Pop Culture Entity Challenge: Hircine, Part 1

Stolen from @highpriestness

This is meant to be a sort of bonding and questionnaire in regards to spirits, entities, and deities you may work with in Pop Culture.

You can use it as a 30 day challenge, an ask meme to ask for questions, or simply write them all however you feel.

General Questions:

1. What is the name of the entity and what is their canon universe?

Hircine. The Elder Scrolls anthology.

2. What drew you to this entity? What drew you to their world?

The Elder Scrolls universe has been close to my heart for a very long time. In particular, Skyrim. It’s a beautifully created fantasy world full of colorful characters and lore, and it came to life for me. I’ve put many hours of playtime into the game, running new characters with varying skills and trying new things. It’s always a unique experience and one I never regret diving into.

Hircine himself interested me from the first time I met him in-game. He is the Great Hunter, and the quest in Skyrim (my first encounter with him) leads you to him by way of helping a werewolf NPC who had been cursed by him. Many of the characters in the game frame Daedra as being evil or bad, they are considered demons against the godly presence of the Aedra; the Divines. Hircine’s actions throughout this quest are harsh, but he is also one of the more agreeable Daedra.

Hircine appears in the game as a white stag that you need to hunt down and kill, then his Aspect will appear to tell you to hunt down the same werewolf who asked for your help. You can refuse, but he will warn you that other hunters will be going after the werewolf regardless. You then have two options; Defy Hircine and save the werewolf from the hunters, or join the hunt and kill him. Either way, Hircine will reward you with one of his artifacts. I always choose to spare the werewolf.

What actually draws me to Hircine is my already great love of nature. Deer and Wolves have always been very close to my heart, wolves in particular. Hircine is the father of lycanthropy and thus werewolves are his people. Also while I myself am not a hunter in the strictest sense, I do support and respect those that do hunt, and I respect and make use of animals’ sacrifices on a regular basis. I often pick up roadkill or take hunter waste and use the bones, pelts, feathers, ect. in crafts, as offerings to my gods, or just as general decor,

Also, going back to Hircine’s Quest, if you choose to kill the hunters to save your werewolf friend, Hircine remains impressed with you for “turning the hunt inside-out.” He appreciates alternative thinking, and he just wants to see his Hunters overcoming obstacles to reach their goal. That’s the true Hunt, and he reminds me of that frequently. I don’t have to dawn a bow and shoot a deer, my Hunt can be any goal I’m reaching for, every obstacle I am trying to over come, regardless of how small or massive. Afterall, hunters take on prey of all sizes, right? From a hunting spider catching a tiny insect, to a dragon hunting a mammoth.

3. Did you choose them or did they tap you? How?

A little bit of both. I am a fairly recent baby witch and pagan, and at first I was really only looking into “real” gods, in particular I started with the Egyptian and Greek pantheons, as I already had very strong connections to both. However, I did begin to see others weaving pop culture into their witchcraft, and I eventually discovered Pop Culture Paganism. It clicked for me, it made so much sense, that these worlds and characters that I put so much love and time into, that someone put heart, soul and life into, could be considered “real” and hold power in their own rights.

I already believed in the Infinite Universes theory, wherein there could be a universe out there somewhere where literally anything could exist. Hearing that others worshiped gods based on works of fiction, or even other non-deified entities from those works, was eye-opening for me. I started researching. I wanted to learn more. I found a particular tumblr user who worshipped the Daedra and that clicked with me. I love so many of the Daedra, something about them always spoke to me. Clavicus Vile, Sheogorath, Molag Bal, Hircine....

Shortly after this revelation, I started researching how to worship PC entities. I wasn’t really all that solid on my more “traditional” pagan beliefs, let alone branching out into mostly uncharted territory. There was so little help on how to begin. I found posts about manifesting, about working with them as spirits, as archetypes, creating thoughtforms and servitors.... It was a lot of information to pick through, and a lot to think about. Even now I’m having some trouble beginning working with some entities I’d like to approach, because thus far all of the beings I’ve been working with are considered gods in their own rights. I am having a harder time figuring our how to work with a mortal character who may not want to be deified.

Regardless, while I was in the midst of all of this research and soul-searching, Hircine did tap me. I had actually forgotten the initial feeling, I had to go back to my journal to remember. I was asleep in bed asleep one night and heard a sort of crinkling sound. I got a vivid vision of large, leather boots crunching through dried leaves in a dense forest. My mind immediately screamed Hircine.

I put off contacting him for a bit after that, as I was still unsure, but upon realizing that the Hunter Moon was coming up, I couldn’t ignore the signs. I found a young buck skull that I got from a roadkill deer I processed a few years ago, and set it and some crystals out near a window where they could absorb the moonlight. I left him some bread and water, and waited.

I don’t remember if it was the following day, or a few days later, as I’m terrible at keeping an up-to-date journal, but I know that shortly thereafter, I was heading to work early in the morning. As I was walking out to my car, I felt a compulsion to look out at my back yard. There were a number of deer standing there. That’s not so uncommon, we have a doe that seems to frequently hang out behind the house, I see her often. What was unusual, is that she was accompanied by three other does. I usually only see the one. As I cautiously stepped forward for a better look, a large buck suddenly bolted past, leading the does back into the woods.

The feeling of elation that rose inside of me was amazing. I love seeing deer anyway, but to me it was very strongly a sign from Hircine. I sensed a presence there that I’d never before experienced. I thanked him, watched the herd leave, and continued on my way.

Since then, I get occasional messages from him, either in similar form, or just hearing his voice. I get this with most of my main deities, either hearing them in my head, or just getting a strong feeling about a situation and knowing it to be one of my gods communicating. I have a fair number of deities I appeal to, so sometimes it’s hard to decipher who exactly is trying to speak. I have no such ambiguity with Hircine, as I always distinctly hear his voice from the game, that clever, echoey sort of voice that emanates from the Stag aspect.

4. How do you typically communicate?

This is what I get for writing too much for each question;; As stated above, he often speaks directly to me, in the voice I know as his from Skyrim. He often gives me advice, though it’s usually in a sort of “tough love” form. If I’m feeling frustrated or discouraged, he’ll tell me things like “a hunter presses on regardless of hardship” or “the hunt is not yet over”. Usually it relates to hunting, but it always fits my circumstances.

5. What role does this entity play in their universe?

Hircine is the God of the Hunt and Father of Manbeasts. He created the various forms of lycanthropy in Tamriel. Every Era, he will put on a Great Hunt for which he will choose a number of mortal candidates to participate in. It could be as simple as sending hunters to kill a rogue werewolf, to making his champions navigate a maze of Daedric creatures while transformed into hares.

Hircine is revered by hunters and offers his followers the chance to hunt with him for eternity in the Hunting Grounds, Hircine’s Oblivion Realm. He has a fondness for predators, and values Strength, Speed, Guile and Cunning.

6. What kind of relationship do you have with this entity?

I offer my personal “hunts” to Hircine, using his wisdom to overcome the obstacles in my life. He offers me advice and council, occasionally being stern about it, but really only when I need it. We have a pretty positive relationship, I think. I have always had a reverence for nature, and I think he appreciates that. While I don’t actually hunt animals as prey, I still am able to take the lessons he teaches to put towards everyday life, and I am still able to offer him what I consider traditional offerings, like bones and pelts from animals, due to my taxidermy work.

7. What aspects does this entity reside over?

Traditionally, the Hunt is his Sphere, called many names (the Great Game, the Chase, ect). I also consider the other traits he values as being part of this. He values strength, speed, guile, and my personal addition; cunning. He often appears as a fox to trick people, and will grant those he finds to be clever knowledge and tricks of their own. He takes pride in seeing someone openly defy him and turn a hunt around on his chosen hunters.

He values loyalty. He values nature and animals and a respect for them. He values pride in oneself and strength of heart and character. He values independence, but also the ability to run with a pack or herd. He values both the hunter and the prey, and he values someone who can flip on those roles very highly.

8. What kinds of offerings do you/would you give this entity?

I am still discovering this myself. Certainly a very traditional offering to Hircine is the act of hunting. Again, I alter this to be overcoming challenge or reaching for a goal. I will sometimes dedicate such things to him as offerings. I would also offer him animal bones or pelts. I believe he would like prey animals, like deer or rabbit in particular, but also predators like wolves or big cats. I often offer him cool water, which is a traditional offering for many old gods, and in the wild is such an essential thing. Though I have not yet, I would offer him natural foods; berries, fruits, thinks like that.

I offer him meat sometimes, usually whatever I have, though I think he would particularly appreciate things like venison, rabbit or bear meat. I have given him a number of stones and crystals in the past, things close to the earth. Alcohol is another thing I have and would like to offer him. Particularly I think he would appreciate red wines and mead, though I have access to neither right now.

Arrows, arrowheads, daggers or hunting knives, bows, and other hunting tools would be other good things to dedicate to him, I think. Especially if they’re used to hunt with. Imagery of deer, wolves, bears, foxes or werecreatures would all be good as well. I also associate him with crocodiles, mostly because of his Daedroth creatures. I feel like he would also appreciate tattoos as well, particularly of a tribal sort.

9. What kinds of animals, stones, elements, plants, etc do you associate with this entity? Why?

Stones I used for him were clear quartz, like a clear lake or like the full moon. Moonstone, for obvious reasons; bloodstone, representing blood from his prey. Red or orange stones, representing the blood moon. I’m still learning and experimenting with others.

Animals that I associate with him, I mentioned some, but really any hunter animal. Wolves, bears, foxes, crocodiles, spiders, and birds of prey in particular. Deer and elk are also very strong associations for me, as well as other antlered or horned prey animals like gazelle. I also associate him with other creatures in Tamriel such as Daedroth, dragons, unicorns, sabrecats and werecreatures. I also have a loose association with him and sharks, again for the predator aspect.

I strongly associate him with the element of Earth. I always feel a connection to the Earth with him, to plants and animals and nature. He makes me feel very grounded and in touch with my surroundings. I could also connect him to fire, for the occasional harshness he exhibits, the flaming reds of the blood moon, his ability to go from warm and gentle to fierce and burning. I could make connections to air and water as well, but Earth is certainly the strongest elemental association for him, to me.

Plants are tricky, I’m still learning meanings and correspondences so I have trouble pinning them to spirits and deities, though I do strongly associate him with Hemlock and evergreens in general. As well as with fall foliage. I have the image of a stag moving through a forest of evergreens and that feels very Hircine to me.

I associate him with the smell of musk, pine, and a general earthy smell, like freshly disturbed soil. I associate him with the smell of the forest, with the crisp mountain air. The sound of birdcalls and wolf howls. The full moon.

10. Are there any songs, books, or quotes you associate with this entity? Why?

I’m still looking for things like this that remind of of him. Of course there are his in-universe books such as The Totems of Hircine, and any of his spoken dialogue in game (”Well met, hunter” springs to mind), but as for things in our world, one song I really strongly associate with him is “The Stampede” from The Lion King soundtrack.

11. How and when did you first encounter them as an entity?

Told the story above, but there was the strange dream/vision of him walking in the woods, and then the buck in my back yard.

12. How are they particularly involved in your life? Do they teach you anything specific? If so, what?

He teaches me patience and control, dignity and pride, perseverance and strength. He reminds me that a successful hunter has to be aware and in control of her surroundings. He reminds me that sometimes the prey escapes, and that’s okay. He reminds me that even the greatest hunters sometimes lose their mark and go home hungry. He reminds me that it is important to keep trying and keep improving. To keep my eyes on the target, but not to get lost in it either. The wilds are dangerous and they require my attention. They are also beautiful and demand my reverence.

There is excitement and also sadness in a successful hunt. You have taken something very beautiful and precious from the world, and that demands a moment of introspection. But you have also triumphed over your trial, and you will continue to thrive now with all that the hunt provided you. You have food, tools, clothing and shelter. The good sometimes comes with the bad, there is balance in all things and that must be accepted to be able to move on with one’s life.

He teaches me that there is a time and a situation where one should rely on the pack, be content and dependent upon the presence and assistance of others, but there are also times when the hunter must venture out alone. Some prey are best taken down with a group, some are best to be hunted solo.

He reminds me that all things are not as they seem. The hunter may hide himself from the prey if he is skilled enough. I must take care not to become the prey myself, and if the hunt should turn upon me, I must be clever and resourceful enough to escape my hunters. I must be mindful of those hidden hunters, and I must be hidden myself to be successful; either as a hunter or as prey. The strong and the smart survive, I must be one of the two to live; I must be both to thrive.

13. Do they have any identifying symbols in canon or otherwise?

Deer, mostly. Hircine is most known for appearing as a stag, or having the head or skull of one. But he has also appeared as a fox, a bear and a man. His children are the skinshifters, the werecreatures. His weapons are the spear and bow.

14. Do they have alternate versions, verses, or canons? Do you communicate with all or some of them?

Hircine appears slightly differently in each TES game, though it is always the same entity. I have based most of my worship on his appearance in Skyrim, as that is the one which I have the deepest connection with.

[rxyllum]

All of Our Days

Summary:

Small snippets of life after the war.

(Based off of my “rayllum headcanons” post)

—

Pairings:

Rayllum

—

Notes:

This started off as a small drabble, but ended up being much longer, a bit over 5,000 words. Please note that most of this was written last night after school cuz I had bits of inspiration I didn’t want to lose (so several parts might be a bit rushed).

I’ll probably go back, add a few things, and edit it later, but for now here’s the final version of the first draft.

—

All of Our Days

—

It started off simple. A small, slowly growing flame that often diminished to the point of almost non-existence.

But it was there, and when Rayla first realized what was happening she pushed the feelings as deep into her subconscious as possible.

They had a mission, they had to return the dragon prince to his mother. Nothing more, nothing less.

Their time together would eventually end. She wasn't going to fall in love.

•  •  •

Callum didn't know exactly when he began developing feelings for Rayla. He just knew that it was a silly crush, and it would pass eventually.

After all, who wouldn't like the sarcastic, smart, funny, intelligent, cute, awkward, amazing, talented elf in that way.

When the crush wasn't fading, Callum began to grow concerned. It was as if, with every passing day, his love grew and grew.

He'd fallen down a deep hole called love, and he wasn't sure he ever wanted to leave.

•  •  •

When they first revealed their feelings for each other, it was completely by accident.

The dragon prince had been returned to his mother, and the dragang had finally returned to Katolis, where Harrow had managed to escape Viren's curse and return to his rightful place at the throne. Peace negotiations were being made, and a formal celebration was held at Katolis' main ballroom, where several political leaders — both human and elf — had gathered for peace treaty negotiations.

There had been several people around their age as well, and they even managed to get a message out to Ellis, who joined Ezran in exploring secret passageways and stealing jelly tarts throughout the night.

The problem was the elves and humans around Callum and Rayla's age. The elves were the children of high-ranking Xadia elves, and the humans the children of nobles.

Callum had left Rayla for a split-second to grab the two of them drinks (moonberry juice, of course) when a random human girl approached him, laughing flirtatiously at something he said. The dress she wore was much more extravagant than Rayla's (there was no way anyone was getting her into one of those frilly ball gowns, and it had taken Claudia hours to convince Rayla to wear the corset-less sea foam colored one she had on), and Rayla's heart seemed to burn at the sight of Callum's awkward laughter and silent glance he sent her way.

It was a plea for help, one she'd seen several times on their short journey together.

And so, Rayla approached them, taking one glass of moonberry juice from Callum's hand, and then replacing the empty space with her own hand.

The girl seemed to falter at the sight of the elf, who simply smiled in return. The humans could hate her all they wanted, but that didn't mean she had to give them valid reasons to hate her.

The conversation dwindled, and the human girl eventually left to join her other human girls, whom Rayla could clearly hear gossiping about the stuck-up elf that had interrupted her conversation with the prince, who was close to marrying age.

Seeing how awkward the conversation with the other girl had made him made a spark of jealously fill her chest, and she gave his hand a comforting squeeze, which he returned.

They didn't separate after that, not until Harrow approached them and asked Rayla to find Ezran, as both princes were needed for a diplomatic address. Rayla nodded, quickly saying farewell to Callum and making her way out of the ballroom and to the secret passage Ezran had shown her earlier.

"It's the best one to steal jelly tarts at events," he'd told her. She could only assume that's where he and Ellis had made their base.

Sure enough, he was there, and she sent him off to find the king. Ezran and Ellis stealthily slopped our through a ballroom vent as Rayla made her way to the less conspicuous entrance, a ways away from the party.

When she exited and let a tapestry fall over the hidden doorway, she heard voices.

"I can't believe they let elves into the castle!"

"I know right? And that one who was hanging out with the prince, how on Earth did she manage to earn his trust?"

"Probably some weird voodoo magic they use in Xadia."

She bit her lip. The voices were coming from around the corner, in the passageway that led back to the ballroom.

"Are you sure you saw her come out here? What if she never left the ballroom, then we'd be missing the king's speech for nothing."

"Oh hush, she's out here. We just have to find out what she's doing and ruin her reputation so that the prince sees she's nothing but a lowly elf who doesn't deserve his time."

She turned to face the tapestry, maybe Rayla could just hide out in the passageway until they left. Unfortunately, they had different plans.

Before she could make any decision, the girls turned the corner, spotting the elf standing there awkwardly.

There was a long moment of silence, before Rayla lifted her chin, and began walking past them.

A hand flew out to stop her shoulder, sharp, filed nails digging into her exposed skin.

"You're that one elf girl, correct?" she asked.

Rayla recognized her as the one who's been talking to Callum.

"I'm sorry?" Rayla replied, suddenly aware of how much her accent stood out compared to the girls.

The girl rolled her eyes — which were a surprisingly sharp blue — and went on to mimic her voice, "'Ah-m soh-ray', oh shut up. You know what I mean."

Rayla stared at the girl in surprise, before commencing to look them up and down.

She could easily take them out, even without her weapons — which were tucked away back in her temporary room. A simple sweep under the legs and they'd be out of commission. They were the ones who'd chosen to wear heels instead of flats.

But if she did that they'd undoubtably twist the story, saying she attacked out of nowhere, and the humans would be outraged and war would start again.

And so, she remained silent, throwing a small glare over her shoulder.

The girl's grip on her shoulder tightened, Rayla ignored the growing pain. She survived having a binding slowly crushing her wrist, this was nothing.

"I mean, really. What does the prince see in an elf?"

Her hand released Rayla's shoulder, leaving several small, red lines forming thin crescent shapes. What happened next was worse than the pain.

The girl reached to the thin, see-through layer that stretched across the surface of her dress' base. In one swift, clean motion that suggested she'd done this before, a large tear was ripped in the expensive material.

One of the other girls gasped, "Kathleen—"

"Oh, please, Charlotte, as if the elf would risk telling anyone. If she does we'll just play the victim rout, should be easy enough."

Rayla simply stared at the dress, slowly taking several steps backwards. The now-loose fabric dragged along the ground, and Rayla's foot caught onto it, the sound of ripping fabric filling the air as she fell back and hit the wall behind her.

"You know, rags really do suit you," the blue-eyed girl continued, the one the other girl had deemed Kathleen.

It was a blur on what happened after that, but Rayla did recall a simple notion filling her mind.

Don't lash out, don't lash out.

An elf couldn't afford to hurt them.

It ended when Rayla's fear got the better of her, and an arm flew out, hitting the nearest object — or in this case, human.

When Rayla opened her eyes, she saw the shocked faces of four girls. Kathleen's cheek was a bright red, and a thin line slowly began to grow where Rayla's hit had sliced open the girl's cheek.

The look of confusion slowly gave way to that of anger. Of pure, blistering rage.

She hoisted up her dress, turning on her heels and making her way down the hall, her three friends following, their voices hushed and terrified.

Rayla took in a deep breath, swallowing back the tears that threatened to escape her eyes. Rayla slowly pulled herself to her feet, slowly looking down to examine the damage.

Her dress was a mess. The jewels that had been carefully sewn into the hems were loose, several had scattered on the floor around her. The lower parts of her dress had huge gashes exposing her legs. The cuffs that had been positioned on her arms were bent, one was missing. Her necklace, one made by Runaan's boyfriend for the occasion, had been forcefully yanked off of her neck and lay shattered on the floor, where one of the girls had "accidentally" stepped on it.

And so, Rayla collected the fallen gems, slipped them into her pockets, and began making her way away from the ballroom.

It was cold out. Scattered leaves lined the entrance to the garden. Callum had mentioned the place once before, when she'd seen a drawing he'd done of it. It looked much different in autumn, when the flowers weren't in bloom and all of the plants were dying.

Rayla found herself falling to a sitting position on a bench, her eyes stinging as she tried desperately to hold back tears.

She would not cry. She would not cry. She would not cry.

A sob escaped her lips.

Rayla hates crying. The feeling of pain in her chest was an immense, crushing feeling, and the tears blurred her vision to the point of blindness.

She really was pathetic to think she'd be able to attend without some jealous, racists ruining it for her.

Her breath fogged in the air around her, and the cold pricked painfully at her skin as wind raced through the empty garden.

She didn't know how long she sat out there, alone, but when someone finally found her she'd cried out all of her tears.

Callum dropped his suit's jacket over her bare shoulders, blocking the chilly air from hitting her and providing her with an extra layer of warmth. He sat next to her on the stone bench, letting his head fall into his hands. They sat in silence for several minutes, neither of them wanting to break the comfortable silence they were accustomed to. They'd walked all the way to Xadia together, they were used to silence.

"We missed you at dad's speech."

Rayla nodded.

"He mentioned you. The brave elf who helped escort us safely to and from Xadia, returning the dragon prince to his rightful home."

She nodded again.

"A few minutes after the speech ended a girl around our age came in screaming about an elf attacking her."

"Kathleen?"

"Yeah. She was bleeding."

They fell into another silence, before Callum unconsciously moved closer to Rayla, trying to obtain any possible heat.

"I'm guessing there's a second side to the story."

Rayla had thought she'd cried enough tears, but her eyes had other plans. At what Callum said, tears began flowing all over again.

"She ruined your dress, didn't she?"

"I'm sorry," Rayla managed to choke out, "they'd cornered me, and I panicked! Okay? I didn't even know what I'd done until it was over!"

Callum wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "She'll be banned from all future events. When people see what she'd done to you they won't be able to protest."

"And why would they believe the word a lowly elf?"

"You're not— Rayla, you're more than just a 'lowly elf', you helped end a war!"

Rayla turned to face the boy at her side, "And  what does that matter to them? There are centuries worth of hatred that isn't just going to be undone by some silly treaty!"

"Then we'll make them understand somehow," Callum suggested, "that'll be our next adventure, re-associating the two races and ending the stupid superstitions about bloodthirsty monsters."

Rayla laughed, "Because I'm positive they'll listen to an awkward prince and his elf friend he loves to annoy."

In response, Callum smirked, "You know you love me!" he teased.

"And you know you love me too!"

"Of course I do!"

The two suddenly paused, realization dawning on what they'd just accidentally said.

"W-wait!"

•  •  •

So far dating in secret was a huge success. The only others who knew were Ezran and Bait, which made sense, since they were the most epic group of friend on the face of the Earth.

Ezran had freaked out when they told him, saying "finally!" and "it was about time" without hesitation. He then declared that it was a "Romeo and Juliet" scenario after they explained how their relationship would work.

"Are you sure this place is safe?" Callum asked, his voice cracking as he narrowly avoided a spider web that just happened to be in the middle of the path.

"Ezran explores these passages all the time, we'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say, you're an epic, badass, monster-slaying assassin. I'm just a guy with a sketchbook."

"Oh hush, you love being the guy with the sketchbook."

"That would be true."

The hallway Ezran had showed them was similar to the one that led to Viren's old evil lair, only much more rarely used. Dust littered the floor, aside from small, Ezran-sized footprints that covered the length of the passageway. Unlit torches lined the wall, and Callum had originally suggested that they used the candle they had for light to ignite them, only to be shot down immediately. There was too much dust and too many cobwebs, it would be asking for disaster.

The room that the passageway led to appeared to be a part of some old shelter, a bunker designed for if war ever broke out or someone invaded the castle. It was obviously now unknown to anyone in the castle other than Ezran and the two of them. Ezran had a way of finding every one of the castle's secrets.

"There's meant to be an exit to a secret garden somewhere in here," Callum mentioned, "Ez told me that behind one of the walls is a staircase leading out to a small, hidden courtyard. There were several other passages along the way, some of which lead out of the castle and city."

"You mean like right here?" Rayla asked, pressing in a stone on the far wall. The bricks began receding to reveal a staircase like the one Callum mentioned.

"How did you do that?!"

"There was a jelly handprint."

"Of course there was."

The two entered the small staircase, ignoring the small passageways and stairs that branches out from the one they were currently on. Eventually moss began appearing on the stone steps, bits on light seeping in from what appeared to be a loosely concealed exit that was covered in roots and vines.

Rayla carefully parted the greenery, her breath catching in her throat as she took in the area around her. Flowers and various plants filled the area, a small tree was growing in the far corner, a small pond formed underneath from the lack of any drainage area.

Callum set their candle down to the side on the steps before following Rayla out of the stairwell. The walls towered high above them, with a few crumbling windows revealing what appeared to be more hidden passages.

"Wow," was all Rayla could manage to say.

"I think this might've been a medicinal garden at one point," Callum mentioned, walking over to one of the green plants that seemed to break out of a border of stone that appeared to be separating different garden plots, "that's aloe, normally used for treating burns and several skin conditions."

"Was it for the bunker below?"

"I guess, this courtyard is really small and not visible from anywhere in the castle, it might've been an emergency area, since there's only roof paneling above it looks like it was made to be practically invisible from the outside. Not even the guard areas can see it."

"It's beautiful here."

"Yeah."

"And, this means no one will be able to find us!" Rayla happily exclaimed, "Which means I won't have to worry about Runaan's unavoidable lectures that would come with dating a human."

The elf smirked, leading to Callum pouting.

"Hey, humans aren't that bad!"

"According to you, a human!"

Callum shoved Rayla's arm, and the two laughed.

He leaned over and pressed a small kiss on her cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too."

•  •  •

Runaan knew.

She had been careless, talking and laughing with Callum like they always did, like what people were used to, then she made the unconscious mistake of reaching out to take his hand. She held his hand, like they always did when walking in hidden passages with no one around to see.

Their conversation had been about something stupid, and then they began talking about art, which eventually led to Callum talking about plans King Harrow had for them to take a diplomatic trip to Xadia. They'd be able to return to her home when she and Runaan left in a few weeks.

She'd turned into a ball of joy, "That's amazing, Callum!"

The stupid elf then forgot that they were meant to be "just friends" and kissed him. Right then and there.

She'd let her guard down, and didn't realize Runaan was walking towards them, from far down the hall.

"Rayla?"

The sound of his voice made her freeze. She'd turned toward the direction of the sound and saw Runaan standing there, a faint look of bewilderment crossing his face.

Rayla had then dropped Callum's hand, and began to run, trusting Callum to do the same.

Callum hadn't run, and later told her that Runaan wanted to speak with her.

Here she was, a week later, still avoiding the elder elf at any possible moment. She'd been avoiding sleeping in her assigned room, instead rotating through random guest rooms that were never used and running every time Runaan appeared.

Today was a problem, however. Runaan decided to chase her.

It was inevitable, really. But she was not ready for this conversation.

Runaan was far more experienced than her, they both knew this, but she knew the layout of the secret passageways better than him.

The only problem was that there were no entrances near where they were.

Oh, for the love of Xadia—

Rayla turned a random corner, making her way out to one of the guard walkways, and jumping over the wall, using her daggers to quickly scale down the wall and into the training courtyard, ignoring the baffled looks of those around her as she ran.

Runaan caught up to her in one of the empty hallways.

Her legs we pulled out from under her, and she went crashing to the floor.

"Rayla," Runaan shouted, "would it kill you to stop running for just one second and listen?"

She rolled onto her back, staring at her mentor with a silent fear in her eyes.

Runaan sighed, "Come in, let's go to a more private place."

The walk back felt like an eternity, and Rayla felt her cheeks redden at every thought of what he'd seen and what he was going to try talking to her about.

They reached her room, and Runaan closed the door behind them, leaning on it casually as if to say "you aren't getting out of this."

The silence was deafening to Rayla.

"So, how long has this been going on?" Runaan finally asked.

"Maybe six months or so, since that one event when my dress was ruined."

"And just how long were you two planning on hiding it?"

Rayla remained silent.

"Rayla—"

"I don't know! Okay?" she shouted, her hands wrapping around her chest in a false sense of comfort, "I don't know how any of this will end, I was just sort of hoping things would find a way to work."

"You do realize that people won't be happy with this."

"Yeah."

"There'll always be someone trying to find fault in both of your actions."

"I know."

"If you ever decide to try having kids they'll face all kinds of discrimination—"

"Okay, ew. Please don't say anything like that ever again."

Runaan let out an emotionless laugh.

"Never change, Rayla."

•  •  •

When they decided to go public with their relationship, Callum had just turned 17. There had been countless rumors beforehand, so it wasn't that big of a shock to anyone (King Harrow had known for almost as long as Runaan, but had decided to let them tell him when they were ready).

There was an outrage, as expected. A mob of protestors appeared outside of the castle gates the very next day, and the two lovebirds decided to run off to their secret garden with Ezran in order to avoid the press.

"So, are we still going to raid the kitchens tonight?" Ezran asked, pushing through the curtain of vines and joining the other two in the small courtyard, Bait clutched securely in his arms.

"Of course! What else are we meant to do on a full moon?"

"You two are ridiculous," Callum signed, letting a hand rest on his forehead, "Ezran, you're the crown prince, just ask for some jelly tarts to be brought to your quarters and you'll have a plate in the next ten minutes."

"But that takes the fun out of it!" the younger boy protested, Rayla nodded in agreement.

"Besides, sooner or later the baker will come to a realization that the sweets disappear only on the full moon, we have to collect as many as possible before they discover our plan," Rayla explained.

Callum rolled his eyes, "Rayla, you know I love you. But why do you insist on using your spooky, magical, epic full-moon mode on stealing jelly tarts?"

"Well, I'm not an assassin anymore, what else am I meant to do with my magic?"

"I don't know, something cool?"

"My dear brother, are you suggesting that stealing jelly tarts in the middle of the night isn't cool?"

"Um, that's not what I meant—"

"I think he is, Ezran," Rayla accused.

Bait croaked in agreement.

"Fine then, we won't share any of our loot with you tonight!"

"But Ez!"

Callum ended up helping with their theft that night.

•  •  •

When Rayla next returned to Katolis, their reunion played out how it usually did. Callum was waiting at the gates when her group of elves arrived, and as soon as she saw him she was sprinting to close their distance. In the next second they were in each other's arms, Callum spinning the elf around before kissing her.

You'd think that by their reunion it had been years since their last meeting. No, Rayla had only been gone for a couple of months.

It was just how they'd grown used to seeing each other again.

The two of them spent around an hour at the castle, talking, before heading off to the city.

The streets of Katolis' capital were crowded with people. It wasn't a surprise, really, considering the fact that the now-annual festival for peace between humans and elves was today.

The late-summer air was filled with the feint chill of winter, though the extra layer of Rayla's cloak dismissed any bit of cold lingering in the air. Callum had painted over her markings with a tan oil, and the gloves on her hand were a much more advanced disguise than the ones she'd used when traveling with the two princes. There was a prosthetic fifth finger, sewn into the glove so that whenever she moved her pinky the extra finger moved as well.

Callum's disguise was much more simple, he'd found a way to create a sort of wig, so that his hair was a dark black instead of brown, and changed into much cheaper clothing. If anyone were to look at them they wouldn't see the crown prince and his moonshadow elf girlfriend, but two random people strolling the streets.

Music drifted throughout the street, with a clearing up ahead holding a dance area. The concrete was covered in various chalks and paints, and there was a group of children creating their own messy artwork on the cobblestone.

"Callum, look," Rayla suddenly said, getting her boyfriend's attention.

In the window of one of the several shops was a painting. It depicted two people, one was a human boy, and one was very clearly a moonshadow elf, or what she assumed the artist thought moonshadow elves looked like. They faced each other, foreheads touching and their hands cupped around what appeared to be a small star, illuminating their faces in a soft glow.

Callum bought the painting on their way back to the palace.

•  •  •

"So when are you going to ask Rayla to marry you?"

The question came as such a surprise that Callum choked on his moonberry juice.

"I'm sorry?"

"You two have been dating for years now. When are you gonna marry her?" Ezran asked again.

He asked it so nonchalantly, before going back to eating another jelly tart.

He turned to look at Rayla, who was currently on the other side of the dining room, conversing with their dad as if he wasn't even a king. It always amazed Callum at how quickly the king took a liking to Rayla, treating her more like family than an elf assassin that once tried to kill him (though she never actually got around to killing him).

"You're eighteen now, you know. Most princes get married at sixteen," Ezran mentioned, stressing the fact that yes, today he turned eighteen. He was officially an "adult".

"Ezran!"

And so, the next several month were spend in a complete and utter mode of panic.

For once he was actually glad Rayla had to return to Xadia for the next month, because he didn't know how he would be able to act around her. Ezran must've known his words had an effect on him, because he kept finding a tray of jelly tarts at the foot of the door that led to Ezran's room most nights.

Still, Callum wasn't able to sleep soundly and act normally until he'd managed to plan out every bit and piece of how he'd propose to Rayla — if that ever even happened.

He accidentally proposed to her a year later.

It wasn't supposed to happen the way it did.

He'd gotten the ring ready and everything, and was confident in his decision, sure. But he just didn't want it to happen in that exact way.

It was meant to be a perfect day. They'd go for a walk through the castle gardens, spend the whole day out in the sun and possibly go swimming before having a late lunch and—

Well, none of that really mattered anymore.

They didn't even make it outside.

When walking through the castle halls, they managed to walk past the place where the two of them first met and, well, it just sorta slipped from his mouth.

"Hey, remember the one time you tried to kill me when I was walking down this very hall?"

"Oh, that was here, right! I'd almost forgotten."

"I'm glad Ez and I aren't dead."

"Me too."

"...ugh I can't do this anymore."

"What?"

"Nothing, I'm just stressed about how I'm going to ask you to marry... me...."

He'd trailed off as he realized what exactly he'd said.

Rayla said yes, of course. But still. It wasn't the best way to ask someone to marry you.

•  •  •

It isn't until years later, we'll after they're married and happy when the subject of children came up.

It took forever for Rayla to get pregnant, and when it looked like she was, she and Callum didn't tell anyone except Harrow, Ezran, Amaya, and Runaan. They didn't want to get the kingdom's hopes up; after all, despite the portion that hated their relationship, the majority seemed to actually ship them. Ezran discovered this when he accidentally found a "black market" dedicated to fanart and fanfiction for his brother and friend.

When it became clear that Rayla definitely was expecting a child, she and Callum cried. They began worrying about the smallest things. Callum wanted to be there for the child, able to live and see them grow, to fill in a needed place that he'd only ever known from Harrow (it occurred to Rayla that Callum didn't know anything about his birth father, other than that Sarai never ended up staying with the man). She was worried about being there for the child as well, worried about not being able to live up to expectations, and not wanting to leave only for someone else to take her place.

Several months later, the child was born.

It was a cold night at the beginning of December, and when she came it was all too clear what her name would be.

After all, it wasn't every day a child was born on the same date as their grandmother.

She was small, much smaller than she would've thought, with fuzzy hair bordering on white, with the occasional dark streak running through it. From what she could tell of her eyes, they were currently a mix of blue and green. She knew that as her daughter grew they'd grow to become a bright emerald green to match his father's. The small trace of horns that had yet to grow in could be felt on her small head. She had five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot, and slightly pointed ears with such pale skin she looked like a ghost.

To Rayla and Callum, their daughter Sarai was perfect in every way, shape, and form.

When Callum left the room to speak with Harrow about all of the small details about the birth (she was a new princess — that was kinda a big deal), Rayla was left with the baby girl.

She moved a small tuff of hair off of the child's forehead, spending time taking in every little detail she could. Small thoughts began filling her mind, about the hate she would eventually receive, how she'll grow up seeing that no one around her looked all that similar, or how no one but her mother seemed to have horns or markings.

A sudden cry bubbled up from the baby, as if Sarai had sensed the unsettling thoughts that drifted throughout Rayla's mind.

"Shh, don't cry," Rayla whispered, holding the child closer, "I know everything is new, and scary, and you have this weird old elf looking at you."

Rayla started to cry, she didn't exactly know why, but once she started, she couldn't stop.

"There are going to be people out there who try to hurt you, because you're different, because you're special," the child's cries slowly faded as Rayla was talking, the baby helplessly opening her eyes and attempting to stare at her mother, "but you're more amazing than any of them will ever be. You know why?"

The child couldn't understand any of this, Rayla knew. Perhaps the words were more for herself than anything else.

"Because you're surrounded by people who will love you, and care for you, and hold you tightly in their arms whenever needed. You're a miracle that most say shouldn't be able to exist. But you're here!"

The baby's eyes closed, and by the soft breaths Rayla guessed that she'd fallen asleep.

"Because your father and I love you so, so much," Rayla leaned down, pressing a soft kiss against her daughter's forehead, "welcome to your life."

[askdawnandvern]

A Lamb Among Wolves

Chapter Fifty-Two: Something Old, Something New

It was only after Dawn had twisted the key into the lock of mailbox number four-o'-five, and drew back the door did she realize just what a big mistake she had made. The edge of a stray letter sticking out between the seam of the box should have been a red flag; a warning telegraphing to the ewe to open the box with some degree of care. But the lull in overall mail over the course of the previous week had fooled the ewe into thinking the steady stream of fan letters had finally started to diminish, and in response, the ewe had grown significantly less wary and cautious when opening the box. Her guard had begun to slip, perhaps based on a maligned hope that the frenzy surrounding her and her mate was finally starting to die down now that the 'Last Night' case was beginning to fade from the imminent public consciousness.

Dawn's time spent under parole had afforded the ewe a great deal of privacy thanks to the various security provisions included in Zootopia's criminal rehabilitation and reintegration program. Her address, both when she lived alone, as well as when she  first moved in with Vernon, had been largely limited knowledge. The information was only divulged to those to whom knowledge of Dawn's whereabouts was deemed crucial, both for the sake of her own safety and security, as well as the safety of the public at large should she succumb to her previous criminal inclinations. The short list had included her parole officer Don Polaraski, the members of the parole board, key members of the Savannah Central ZPD, and finally, the Savannah Central post office. That was, of course, where the legal use of a 'cover name' was afforded to the ewe. This was the name the post office would be instructed to use for anything associated with Dawn's current address in order to help shield the ewe from harassment through the mail. Any mail received for 'Dawn Bellwether' would be written off as being delivered to a non-existent P.O. Box by the head of the office, but in actuality the mail would be rerouted and delivered in bulk to an 'Abigail Weathers' at the ewe's actual address. The end goal was to leave no mention of Dawn on the postal registry that could lead back to her actual residence should any mammal with a grudge try to dig it up.

Of course, getting that mail rerouted and delivered in the first place was easier said than done. Despite having the legal edict from the mayor's office, which was signed on by every member of the parole board as well as her parole officer, the mammals at the post office had absolutely refused to even handle her mail. Several mammals on the staff had even gone as far as threatening to burn any mail that they received under her name should it turn up at their branch. In the end, it took the a combination of Vernon's silent, but imposing presence, and Don's legal threats over Dawn's Carrot phone to force the few 'problematic' workers into complying with the law, albeit begrudgingly. Don had threatened the mammals that would be directly involved with handling her mail that they were not to so much as 'look at any of Dawn's mail the wrong way', or he would be more than happy to bring the full weight of the law down on ever single mammal working there. All the while Vernon stood in the background, maintaining the most menacing fanged smile he could muster. Looking back, the ewe knew it was rather petty to take such joy in the way the post master general seemed to tremble with each threat from Don or Vernon, but she was more than okay with that.

Of course, now with her parole being lifted in the wake of her 'heroic actions', the previous privacy curtain that was afforded by the cities rehabilitation program had not only been drawn back leaving her naked and exposed, but a blaring spotlight had been cast upon her, drawing the attention of the entirety of Zootopia and beyond. More eyes were on her now than during her career as Assistant Mayor, and perhaps even more than when she was an infamous criminal mastermind. In theory it should have been what she had always wanted: to be appreciated despite being so small and weak. No longer a mere shadow in the corner on the best of days or a punching bag for bigger mammals on the worst. Public opinion of the ewe had taken a near complete one-hundred-and-eighty degree turn overnight. In many mammals eyes, the ewe had managed to earn some form of renewed respect after what she had done for the city. So she could only imagine most would assume she should be happy to receive all the praise and attention she could possibly get, but in truth, the sudden surge of positive attention felt overwhelming at times, especially when it came to the getting her mail.

Dawn had only been out of the hospital for about three days when the first of the letters had shown up. She could never be sure exactly how much time had passed between her parole being 'officially' lifted, and how quickly her address began to disseminate into the public sphere, but checking Zoogle maps that day had revealed that her current address registered among the general listings. She could only assume someone at the post office had done it, perhaps as revenge for all the big talk and bluster from Vernon and Don, or perhaps because they, too, had a change of heart and generally thought they were doing a service.  Regardless, the information was out there. And as the days turned into weeks, and the information continued to spread despite their attempts to have it removed, the swath of mail arriving each day continued to swell well beyond the capacity that her and Vernon's little post box could feasibly hold. Fan mail from mammals of every size, filled with pledges of forgiveness and admiration, admissions of new found respect, and even some rather inquisitive and sometimes personal questions. A surprising number of mammals had actually asked her and Vernon for advice; the semi-public knowledge of their relationship spurring mammals in similar couplings to reach out to them for help. And despite the almost dizzying, almost unbearable publicity currently swirling around the pair in the wake of 'Zootopia's Last Night', it was those letters, coupled with Vernon's support and encouragement, that managed to keep the ewe's head above water. It kept her focused on completing her novel, and made her all the more determined to publish it.

With the constant stream of letters, it soon became a weekly event for Vernon and her to take an hour to sit down and read as much of the mail as they could, as well as brainstorming a way to even begin to reply to it all. Of course there were still more than a few letters spattered with hate, either regarding Dawn's past actions, or her current public perception as an open 'crosser'. However, so long as they didn't arrive attached to mysterious ticking package, Dawn was more than happy to take her mate's advice and simply shred the letters without reading beyond the first sentence.

The door of the post box was only a quarter of the way open by the time her grievous error in judgment became visibly apparent; her eyes widening sharply as they fell upon the bulging mass of letters swelling from the interior of the mailbox. Her internal warning flags shot up in an instant and her reflexes were screaming as they surged into a panicked attempt to slam the door closed again before the letters began their escape, but by that point it was far too late. The compressed mass of letters that had barely been held back by the flimsy little bronze door began to spray out of the mailbox as though it had been spring-loaded.

“Mutton chops!” The ewe cursed loudly, frantically trying to catch as many of the letters as she could as they continued to pour from the box, but in the end only a small hoof-full had ended up in her arms, and by the time the pressure began to die down, the bulk of the letters spattering across the floor as though they were a spilled deck of cards.

“Shells preserve us! Seems like you got your hooves full over there Miss Bellwether.” A familiar voice called drawing the ewe's attention to the short, tired looking otter standing a few feet behind her.

Martin Otterley, the couple's landlord, offered the ewe a kind smile as he leaned on the handle of the baby carriage in front of him, running a free paw through his his frayed coif of head fur. Nestled in the crook of his arm the ewe could make out the edge of a swaddled cloth.

“Surprised that hadn't managed to blow the door off the box with that much mail.” Mr. Otterley laughed.

Dawn rolled her eyes, letting out a dry laugh of her own. “I'm more surprised the post-mammal could even get it closed in the first place.” The ewe sighed in defeat. “I suppose it's my fault for not checking it yesterday.”

“I'd say you could use a helpin' paw lass.” The otter continued, gingerly bouncing the pup resting on his arm.

Dawn let out a chuckle as she crouched to the floor, clasping several of the scattered letters up into the clump already in her arms.

“I'd say the same to you Mister Otterley.” Dawn replied, gesturing her head in the direction of the otter's pups before rising to her feet. There was still more mail on the floor, as well as crammed into the small post box, but if she didn't take a few moments to straighten out the clump of mail she was holding into something a bit easier to grip, most of it would end up back on the floor.

“And it's Misses Hunter-Bellwether now...” Dawn added proudly, tilting the door of the mailbox nearly shut in order to show off the new label Vernon had stuck on the face of the door. Where once it had simply said 'Hunter & Bellwether', it now read 'The Hunter-Bellwethers.'

To most mammals, it may have read as a minor change if they noticed a difference at all.  A simple change from ampersand to hyphen would have probably meant very little to most, but to Dawn it meant the world.

With a laugh, the older otter made his way over to Dawn, crouching down as he began to scoop some of the stray letters into his free arm.

“Right, right....O' course deary.” Mister Otterley replied. “I keep forgettin' seein' as how it happened so fast and all.” The mammal shook his head dismissively.

Dawn sighed warmly. “It was a surprise for us, too, considering Vernon's parents sort of sprung it on us.”

Mr. Otterley ceased bouncing the little pup cradled in his arm, the move a clear effort to allow him to gather more of the letters with ease.

“From what Vernon told me the Hunter's pulled out all the stops for ya.” The otter replied, straightening the clump of mail in his arm as best he could. “Not that'd I'd be expectin' any less from 'em based on the stories I've heard.”

Grabbing the last of the stray letters from the ground, Dawn rose to her feet, flashing the older otter a small smile.

“They certainly did, but-.” Dawn stopped, shaking her head dismissively. “But that's far too long a story to tell out here.”

With a laugh, Martin stood, shifting the letters clasped to his chest neatly into his paw as the pup in his other arm began to stir.

“I suppose me and the misses will have to have ye up fer tea sometime this week.” Martin replied, handing off the stack of letters to the ewe. “And we do still owe ye a wedding present after all.”

Dawn shook her head with a decisive 'no', letting out a soft chuckle. “Talk about owing, I still owe your mate a baby shower gift .”

Mr. Otterley rolled his eyes, the pup in his arm starting to whimper as the otter turned his attention back to gently bouncing it.

“Easy Shaun me boy, easy...” The mammal chuckled before glancing back at Dawn knowingly. “These pups are spoilt enough as it is, trust me! I can't put little Shaun here down for a second without him makin' a fuss!” Martin sighed, running a paw though his head fur. “He's more fussy than both his sisters combined!”

Dawn struggled to hold a hoof to her muzzle around the mound of mail in her arms in an effort to stifle a giggle. It was the best she could muster, but it did little to hide her smirk from the older otter.

Martin lowered his gaze at the ewe. “You laugh, me arms practically ready to fall off over here!” The otter said with a tired sigh.

Bringing his attention back to the small pup, the otter gently brought his other arm to rest underneath it, shifting from the more erratic bouncing motion to a gentle rocking as he regarded his pup with a warm smile.

“It's worth it though.” The otter chuckled. “No doubt about it.”

Dawn couldn't help but let out a soft 'aww' as she watched Martin attend to his fussy pup. Despite the tiredness in his eyes, she could see the gleam of love and adoration at the little barely furred bundle in his arms. Despite being unable to open his eyes, little Shaun seemed aware enough of his surroundings to effectively grasp his father's finger as Martin brought it close to the pup; the little mammal quickly drawing it into his mouth before he began to chew on it rather fruitlessly. Still, it seemed to be enough to appease the pup, as he let out a rather happy sounding 'coo' as he gummed it.

The sight alone was enough to stir in Dawn a fleeting vision of Vernon tending to an adopted pup or lamb of their very own. While Dawn found herself uncertain with the prospect of making a very good mother, in her mind Vernon was made to be a dad. It was easy to imagine him cuddling and nuzzling their pups regardless of how old they grew. To picture a little lamb swinging from his neck, or a little pup trying and failing to keep him from smothering it with kisses. And it was just as easy to imagine Vernon making their kids feel safe and protected, and knowing just when a situation called for him to be stern. Between Audrey and Dorian, Vernon had been given a head start in terms of the qualities one would think were perfect to raise a child. But where did a mammal from a miserably broken home like Dawn stand?

The ewe was quick to brush the thoughts aside as she turned her attention back to the letters still crammed into the mailbox. There was plenty of time to talk about pups and lambs, and the type of mother she might turn out to be. For the time being, the ewe was more than content to simply enjoy the fact that her and Vernon were together. Emotionally and legally.

Appraising the crumpled letters that lingered in the dim bronze chamber, the ewe let out a tired sigh before reaching a wary hoof inside.

“I think it's time I talked to Vernon about investing in a new P.O. Box, and possibly paying someone to screen our mail.” Dawn shook her head. “If my book gets picked up, I can only assume we're going to get that much more mail, and the last thing we need is to end up getting a shrapnel bomb in the mail like what happened with Gazelle a few years ago.”

“Oh aye, I remember that.” The otter muttered. “ The Gazelle Stalker. Grisly business that was.”

“I'm just surprised her dancer lived through the explosion.” Dawn muttered scraping the remaining letters into the pile clasped to her chest. “If he hadn't received it by mistake, and Gazelle had been the one to open it...” The ewe trailed off, shuddering at the grisly thought. She may not have been a 'Gazelle Head' like Judy, but the ewe was loath to wish death on any mammal aside from maybe Leodore Lionheart.

As the ewe pulled the last letter out of the box, a glimmer of gold caught her eye. There was a large seal emblazoned on the back of the envelope, one the ewe was rather familiar with, but hadn't expected to see so soon after sending out the final draft of her novel.

Dawn had nearly dropped the entire clump of letters she was holding on the ground as she fumbled to bring the business envelope up to her muzzle, inspecting it with a keen eye.

“Serval and Hoofster!” Dawn spat excitedly, the hoof holding the letter starting to tremble as nervous excitement began to take hold of her tiny frame.

“The publisher?” Martin asked, quirking a brow.

Dawn turned her attention to the otter, waiving the letter in her hoof as she spoke.

“I-It is!” Dawn chirped, biting her lip. “I sent them a c-copy of my book!”

Dawn was desperate to bite a hoof nail to ease her nerves, but even more desperate to open the letter now and find out just what they thought. While Serval and Hoofster hadn't been her first choice in publisher, it was still a largely recognizable and distinguished firm, and out of the four she had spoke to over the phone, they had been the only ones interested in taking a look at her draft.

“I have to go Mister Otterley! Have a good day! Bye!” Dawn said, flashing the mammal a nervous smile before turning on her heels and making a mad dash for the elevator. The faster the ewe had her hooves free, the faster she could find out just what decision the mammals at Serval and Hoofster had made.

“Dawn! Your key! Ya left yer mailbo-!”

The elevator doors had closed before the ewe even had time to register Martin's words, Dawn now bouncing on her heels impatiently as she watched the the numbers slowly shift from one to the next. Never had the ride up to the fourth floor felt so painfully long, and all the while the ewe's mind was in a haze, plagued with endless questions as to just what the letter actually contained. Did they like it? Did they hate it? Would they publish it or tell her to move on to another company? The ewe could feel each chamber in her stomachs twisting into individual knots as the elevator finally opened once more.

Without a moments' hesitation the ewe was barreling down the hall, all the while scrambling to keep the clump of letters pressed tightly to her chest while her eyes remained fixated on that golden seal: the ticket to her big break.

Stumbling to the front door, the ewe finally came to a an abrupt halt, and with a giddy hum allowed the rest of the mail to unceremoniously fall out of her arms and spill onto the floor of the apartment. With Serval and Hoofster's letter now clasped with both hooves, the ewe pushed the door behind her closed with her rump.

“Woah Floofs.” Dawn looked up to find her mate eyeing her from the couch in the living room. The wolf's ears were standing at attention, his expression a mixture amusement and concern. “Where's the fire?”

She was running again, further scattering the crumpled pile of mail as she tore through it and straight into the living room, coming to a stop at her mates side. Dawn could barely compose herself as she jutted the letter toward the wolf so quickly it caused him to reflexively flinch.

“P-Puppy! Puppy!” Dawn stammered. “I-It's I mean-It-!”

“E-easy now Mutton Chop.” Vernon replied, placing his paws out defensively. “Take a minute to breath. Get yer thoughts all lined up before ya tell me.” The wolf chuckled.

Dawn tried to stand still, taking a long, deep draw of breath as she began the counting exercise she had learned from Dr. Gnu, but she only managed to make it to three before the building excitement and fear inside forced her to blurt out an awkward explanation.

“My book! Remember my book?!” Dawn spat excitedly, only for the smirk on her face to melt away as she realized just how silly what she had said must have sounded.

“Yes Honey Lamb.” The wolf chuckled. “I remember yer book.” Vernon pushed himself off the couch, allowing his legs to hang to the floor as he placed his paws on his knees. “If I recall y'all had me help write some of it.” Vernon added with a smirk.

Dawn sighed, pressing the letter to her forehead in slight irritation at her own stupidity.

“Right...” Dawn muttered in a defeated tone. She hadn't even made it one sentence without making a fool of herself. “Of course you know about the book.”

Vernon chuckled.

“What about it?” The wolf asked, leaning closer to inspect the letter still tightly clasped in the ewe's hoof. “Is this the fellas that were willing to take a look at it?”

Dawn nodded briskly, gulping sharply as she attempted to catch her breath.

A moment of silence passed between the two mammals. With nothing save for the ewe's withering pants and the faint sound of rain-forest fauna acting as the rooms ambient noise the two simply stared at one another.

“Are y'all gonna open it?” Vernon asked, breaking the awkward silence.

Dawn glanced at the letter in her hooves, the swirling torrent of thoughts assailing her mind and dragging her emotions in every direction now suddenly fixing on the actual source of all the excitement. Dawn had gotten herself so worked up over the letter even being here that she had nearly forgot about actually opening it.

But now that there was little more than a thin paper cover separating her from a possible fresh start career-wise, the nervous tension began to outweigh the excitement. The thoughts that had muddled her brain had quickly shifted entirely into the negative. And with it, the prospect of open the letter became less and less appealing.

“Oh, now what's wrong Honey Lamb?” Vernon's comment drew the ewe's attention back to him, his deep green eyes laced with concern as he placed a paw on her forearm. “Yer ears are all saggy, and yer frowning now.”

Dawn reached up with a free hoof, running it over her muzzle and into the creases on either side of her frown. The muscles in her face felt so numb she had barely even felt her smile slip away.

“Y'all are lookin' paler than Trenny when he's sick.” The wolf chuckled. “Where'd all that excitement run off to?”

Dawn glanced at her feet uneasily, rubbing one leg against the other as she squirmed in her stance.

“W-what if they didn't like it?” Dawn murmured. “W-what if they don't want to publish-?”

Dawn felt the wolf's paw nestle under her chin, slowly drawing her gaze up to meet his own.

“Then we'll find someone who will Lamb Fry.” Vernon replied, flashing the ewe a comforting smile. “There are plenty more publishers out there.”

“B-but..” Dawn's lip began to quiver. Part of her felt silly for getting this worked up about the possibility of being rejected. Her mate was right after all, there were more publishers. But the fact that this firm had been willing to read her book before deciding whether or not to make an offer on it made her all the more uneasy. To Dawn, what they had to say would actually reflect what they read, and if they had chosen to pass on it then the ewe could only assume it was her writing style that was at fault.

“And...” The wolf gently steered her chin back up, keeping the ewe from averting his gaze as he held up a claw. “All it takes is one publisher to make it a hit, and then all the big publishers will be banging yer door down to get their claws on it.”

Dawn's irises fell back to the shining gold emblem sealing the letter, studying the logo as it glimmered in the mid-day sun light. The ewe bit her lip nervously.

“Honey Lamb...” Vernon cooed softly, placing a paw on her shoulder and squeezing it gently. “The longer y'all drag it out, the more agony yer puttin' yerself through fer no reason.”

It was an expression Dawn had a feeling the wolf had picked up from his mother. Something about it made her picture it being said in the she-wolf's warm and familiar tone. But regardless of where it had come from, it didn't make it any less right. If she opened the letter to find the decided to pass on her novel, then she could mourn afterward, but if not, then it was rather pointless to preemptively mourn what could turn out to be a victory.

Dawn took in a slow drag of air, holding it for a few moments as she attempted to take a more serious stab at her breathing exercises. All the while the ewe kept her gaze fixed on her mate, his warm and comforting smile helping to stoke the rising courage within the ewe to simply tear the letter open and see what it said.

Dawn averted her gaze as she dug her hoof under the seal, the sound of shredding and tearing paper causing her to wince as she carefully dragged her hoof-nail across the length of the envelope. Flipping open the torn top of the letter, the ewe grasped it's contents between her fingers.

With another deep breath, the ewe slammed her eyes shut, holding her breath as she yanked the letter out of the envelope with far more force than was required. Holding the letter at arms length, the ewe's hoof began to tremble as she mustered the courage to open an eye.

“You can do it Darlin'.” She could hear her mate coo softly.

Biting down hard on her lower lip, the ewe managed to force an eye open. Her lime colored orb scanning the header of the letter as it wavered in her trembling grasp.

“From the Desks of Cadence Serval and Arnold Hoofster

Dear Misses Hunter-Bellwether,

After having your manuscript reviewed by several of those on our staff, as

as well as Mrs. Serval and Mr. Hoofster personally, we are delighted to

inform you and your mate that your book proposal, tentatively titled 'Predator seeking Prey' has been accepted for publication by...”

The air left Dawn's lungs, and with it all the tension and nervousness that had been wracking the ewe up until that very moment, the moment her shimmering green irises scanned over the word 'accepted'.

“A-Accepted...” Dawn voice wavered as the grin returned to her muzzle.

Lowering the letter, she could see Vernon's own gleeful expression seemed to match, if not surpass, her own. The wolf's ears playfully skewed as he regarded her with awe.

“No!” Vernon said in clear mock surprise.

Dawn nodded briskly as tears began to spill from behind her lenses.

“They accepted it!” Dawn yelled excitedly. “T-They're going to publish it!”

The room was spinning; Dawn found herself suddenly aloft as her mate leapt from the couch and scooped her into his arms. For a moment they simply spun, the pair lost in a whirlwind of excitement as the wolf pulled her into a tight embrace. In response, Dawn threw her arms around the wolf's neck, squeezing her mate with as tight a hug as she could muster and burying her muzzle into the wolf's thick, luxurious pelt, before letting out a squeal of pure joy.

Over her own muffled squeals, the ewe could hear Vernon's own bellowing, celebratory howl ring out through the sleepy little apartment, and while the wolf had limited himself to two howls total, it didn't take long for the sound of muffled howling to begin filtering in from some of the other apartments.

Drawing back from her mate's embrace, the ewe placed her hooves on his shoulders as she smiled down at him with glee.

“We did it Puppy!” Dawn yelped. “We did it!!!”

Vernon flashed his fangs. “ I knew you could do it Honey Lamb.”

Turning his attention to the living room wall, the source of some of the loudest howls, Vernon placed a paw to the side of his muzzle.

“Y'all boys hear that!” Vernon announced loudly. “My mate's about to be a published author!”

“That's great Vern!” Came a somewhat muffled reply. “And thanks for getting Gary started by the way!”

Vernon winced, turning to his mate as he flashed the ewe a meek smirk. “Oops.”

Dawn giggled softly before placing her arms around the wolf once more, flashing the wolf an amorous, half lidded gaze as she caressed the side of his muzzle with a hoof.

The wolf barely had time to react before Dawn had drawn him into a kiss so powerful that by the time the wolf had finally managed to draw free of her grasp, he was gasping for air.

“Sweet Sawgrass...” The wolf panted, running a paw though his head fur as he nuzzled Dawn's nose. “What 'ewe' do to me, I swear.”

The wolf had made sure to emphasize the word 'ewe' before flashing the Dawn a cheesy grin.

“Oh hush.” Dawn giggled, giving the wolf a playful swat with her hoof which only served to make the wolf laugh.

Adjusting his grip around the ewe, the wolf gestured over his shoulder.

“So what do we got to do?” Vernon asked, quirking a brow. “What's the next step?”

Following the wolf's gesture, the ewe's gaze returned to the letter still tightly gripped in her hoof. With a laugh, the ewe brought the letter back up to her eye line, carefully unfolding the rest of the page to read the whole letter.

“Let's see...hardcover, softcover, e-book...” The ewe murmured as she scanned the next few sentences.

“Ideally we would be looking at a November fifteenth release...” Dawn paused, lowering the letter and furrowing a brow at the wolf holding her aloft. “November fifteenth...?” The ewe murmured.

“Vernon...” Dawn shook her head. “T-That's barely a month away!”

Vernon lurched his head back slightly, raising his eyebrows. “A month?!” The wolf replied. “Do they usually publish books that fast?”

Returning her attention to the letter, the ewe continued to skim.

“It says it's unorthodox, but they also say they believe it has the potential to be a best-seller if it came out in time for Yule.” Dawn's eyes were wide as saucers as her mind began to wander.

“Best seller?” Dawn murmured to herself. She hadn't even considered such a prospect. Pred-prey romance was a niche genre of literature after all, and Dawn had purposefully remained light on the details of her time working under Lionheart and the first Night Howler case mostly in part to keep the lion from writing a rebuttal in the form of his own biography. Dawn had anticipated a modest career at most with a core group of readers who related to what she wrote, and could maybe glean some sense of solidarity from her works. But just the possibility of the book becoming a best seller, against all odds was practically unfathomable.

“Can ya do it?” Vernon's question drew the ewe from her stupor.

“W-what?” Dawn replied.

“Can we get it out that quick?” Vernon added, his ears skewing inquisitively.

Dawn glanced back at the letter and continued to skim.

“It says they've already passed it through their editing department, and there was very little clean-up to be done....” The ewe murmured, her eyes scanning the most pertinent keywords to find what she was looking for as quickly as possible.

The ewe gasped, drawing the letter down sharply at she stared at her mate in shock.

“T-they want us to come in tomorrow to negotiate and sign the contract.” Dawn muttered, placing a hoof to her brow to steady herself. “Lamb sakes...”

“Movin' faster than a cheetah on prom night.” Vernon replied.

“I-I mean if they edited it...” Dawn murmured. “I-It's mostly ready to go.”

Vernon smiled broadly, giving his mate a tender, albeit it shorter, kiss before gingerly lowering her to the ground.

“Teeth to Tails...” Vernon laughed. “Fast to tithe, fast to publish...” The wolf shook his head. “Maybe Gus ain't wrong about pups considerin' how quickly we're flyin' past these goal posts.”

Dawn took a step away from the wolf, too lost in her own thoughts to really register the wolf's comment as she began to pace. The ewe scratched her head wool as she tried to run through the mental check-list of preparations that needed to be done in order to meet the date.

“I still need to pick a book cover design...” Dawn murmured. “Pick fonts maybe?” Dawn began to pace. “Oh, I'll h-have to write a bio for both of us...”

The ewe turned on her heels to face the wolf, placing a hoof to her forehead.

“We need good pictures for the book jacket!”

Vernon laughed. “We'll get 'em, we'll get 'em. Relax...” The wolf assured, turning his attention Dawn's work station. Dawn watched as the wolf squinted slightly, scratching his chin as he seemingly appraised the area.

“You aren't going to tell me my workspace is messy again are you?” Dawn asked with a dull chuckle.

“Nah, I already heard that 'organized chaos' cover story a million times.” The wolf replied with a chuckle of his own before turning his attention back to the desk. Dawn watched as the wolf placed his arms out toward the computer, framing his paws in the air as though he was shooting a movie and trying to set the scene.

“I think the first thing we should worry about is where we're gonna fit that letter on yer ol' wall o' achievements.”

Dawn blushed, shrinking into her shoulders bashfully.

“Veeernon...” The ewe cooed.

“I'm thinkin' right under the 'key to the city'...” The wolf continued, angling his paws carefully. “Right up next to our partnership license.”

“T-that's our wall of achievements Puppy.” The ewe corrected. “Our key...our license.”

The wolf chuckled. “Well, either way, it needs a nice, proud placement.” Glancing back Dawn's way, the wolf flashed her a smirk. “My Honey Lamb is forging a new career path fer herself, and that ain't no small feat. I want everyone who walks in to be able to see that.”

“Vernon...” The ewe cooed, strolling over to her mate and wrapping her arms around his leg. As Dawn nuzzled into his hip; she felt the wolf's paw come to rest atop her woolly tuft of hair, tussling it gently.

Glancing up to her mate, the ewe flashed him a warm smile.

“Thank you...” Dawn murmured. “I couldn't have done this without you...”

Vernon placed a paw against her cheek, which the ewe proceeded to lean into, holding it with her hooves as she nuzzled into it affectionately.

“Nah...” Vernon replied. “You could have done it.” The wolf sighed. “I'm just glad I got to be the one by yer side to see you do it.”

Dawn scoffed, ready to rebuff her mates claim, but Vernon was quick to cut her off before the words had a chance to leave her muzzle.

“Before y'all get on me about bein' too selfless here, I'm admittin' ahead of time that I'm really looking forward to callin' all the folks and showing off what ya did.” The wolf grinned. “I'm callin' every Hunter relative in my damn contacts list and tellin' them I'm tithed to a future famous author!”

Dawn let out a giggling snort, playfully pushing the wolf away as best she could before flashing him a look of mock surprise that barely hid her amusement.

“Ohh...Bad Puppy...” The ewe shook her head as she sarcastically scolded her mate.

The wolf chuckled, a mischievous gleam forming in his eye as he grinned down at the ewe.

“Ooh...Darlin', keep that kinda talk up and we'll have to move this party to the bedroom sooner rather than later.” The wolf replied, bobbing his eyebrows impishly.

Dawn feigned a shocked gasp, but could barely hide her grin as she sidled up closer to her mate.

“You are awful!” The ewe laughed, playfully swatting the wolf with a hoof.

Vernon feigned a wince, shrinking slightly as he held his paws up in mock defense.

“Ah! Domestic abuse!” The wolf laughed, only to earn a another swat from his mate. The wolf's comment caused the ewe to puff her cheeks in irritation, letting out a huff as she gave the wolf another, firmer swat.

“That's not funny Puppy.” The ewe whined.

Crouching to his mate's level, the wolf's struggled to shake off the last of his laughter, wiping a tear from his eye as he spoke.

“Alright, alright...” The wolf snickered. “Too far...”

Dawn crossed her arms, letting out an irritated huff while at the same time fighting to stifle a smirk.

“I tell ya what...” The wolf continued. “As punishment I'll get to scoopin' up the mail y'all left in front of the door, and you can get started on the calls.”

Dawn was just shy of cracking out a laugh as she gave the wolf an affirmative nod of approval.

Before rising to his feet, the wolf booped the ewe on the tip of her snout, immediately breaking her facade and forcing a spat of giggling out of her as he made way across the room.

Taking her phone out of her pocket, the ewe began unlocking her home screen.

“Oh, I should call Judy first!” The ewe announced excitedly. “Her excited squeals would probably put my performance to shame.”

“Wouldn't bet on it.” She heard to wolf mutter with a gleeful chuckle. “How are they doin' anyway? They back in Zootopia yet?”

Dawn glanced over her shoulder toward her mate as she opened the contacts list.

“The text yesterday said they should be back sometime today.” Dawn replied. “Of course Nick's still going to be in a cast until late November.”

“Fallin' off a Ferris Wheel is bound to do that to ya.” The wolf shook his head as he scooped some of the mail into his paws, clumping it into a fairly neat stack. “Not that I'd expect any less from some dumb fox.” The wolf grumbled.

Pulling up the entry for 'Judy Hopps', the ewe hit the dial button.

“Oh Vernon, be nice.” The eye replied, furrowing her brow at her mate. The wolf let out a soft grumble before shifting his attention back to the pile on the floor and changing the subject.

“He's gonna be off duty that long?” Vernon added, placing the stack of letters on the breakfast bar before crouching back to the floor.

The ewe shrugged. “I think Judy's going back tomorrow. I'll have to ask her about Nick.”

“Imagine his boss won't like him bein' out fer that long...” Vernon muttered. “I ain't no psychic, but I think I see take home desk work in ol' Red's future.” The wolf said with a chuckle.

“Bogo's not that cruel...” Dawn replied, waiving a dismissive hoof. “Well...not always.” The ewe corrected herself, wincing slightly.

“Oh, we definitely need to send them a get well present!” Dawn added as the idea came to her, turning her attention back to her mate for a brief moment. “At the very least we should stop by when they get settled.”

The wolf grumbled something that was barely audible, the only words that managed to stand out were something along the lines of 'Red' and 'dumb jokes', followed by a derisive snort.

Dawn giggled. “Oh hush Puppy.”

The phone rang once, then again as Dawn waited. The ewe barely able to contain the building excitement as she awaited Judy's answer. But as the phone continued to ring, Dawn's enthusiasm began to wane, eventually leading the ewe to let out a disappointed sigh as she hit the doe's voice mail on the sixth ring. Placing her phone into sleep mode, the ewe turned to face her mate.

“Machine?” The wolf asked as he slapped the second stack of letters onto the breakfast bar.

The ewe let out a quiet huff.

“I don't want to leave a message...” The ewe muttered, twisting her foot into the carpet in disappointment. “I want to get her live reaction, you know?”

The wolf chuckled softly as he sidled around the breakfast bar, plopping down on a stool as he began to sift through the mail he had neatly stacked up.

“I know...” The wolf replied. With a ginger swat, the wolf tapped his paw against the nearest stool, gesturing his mate to join him. Dawn let out a small sigh before moseying up to the adjourning stool. As she began to clamber up the side of the stool frame, Vernon halted his sorting and offered a paw to help keep her steady as she made her way up to the seat. It took a few seconds to finally reach the 'summit', but soon enough Dawn had firmly planted herself by her mates side, the ewe leaning into him as she watched the wolf separate the bills from the fan mail.

“Wanna call my Ma?” Vernon asked. “I'm sure she and Pa would be over the moon to hear about the book.” The wolf continued.

Dawn nuzzled softly into the wolf's sweater.

“I'm not sure if I should call them first or last...” The ewe muttered. “If we call any of your brothers first, they'll likely tell Audrey before I get to calling her.” Dawn shrugged. “But it might have more 'oomph' if we saved the best for last.” The ewe sighed.

“Not to mention Pa's probably at work about now...” Vernon added. “It's what, two in the afternoon?”

“Two-fourteen.” The ewe corrected.

The wolf nodded, placing an arm around his mate and rubbing her upper arm affectionately.

“Even if it's a Friday, police work ain't exactly the kinda work ya'll can just cut out early on without advanced warnin'.” The wolf sighed. “Not everyone has the benefit of havin' a paid internship that only has ya workin' three days a week.”

The wolf let out a pleasant sigh. “Part of me will miss that if them folks at the city's architecture department decide to take me on full time.”

“I suppose that means Zach and Vanna are out?” The ewe asked, glancing up at her mate with a frown as she balled some of the fabric of his sweater in her hooves.

“Suppose so.” The wolf replied. “They're pa's right hand mammals. So they generally have the same shifts.”

“And Wade..?” Dawn continued, running down the list of Hunters in her head.

“I think he may have  moved to a night shift again...” The wolf mused, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “But seein' as how Giz is a barista, and they don't live together, I don't think we got a good chance of catchin' 'em at the same time.”

Dawn let out a defeated sigh, slumping deeper into the wolfs side in disappointment as Vernon continued to sort letters with his free arm.

“Same with Yuri and Ada.” The wolf continued. “At least one of 'em is at work right now, I can guarantee it.” The wolf stopped his sorting, gesturing a paw at nothing in particular as he continued to rattle off the list of remaining Hunters. “Xavier, Trenny...”

The wolf sighed “I figure just like Judy, ya wanna tell 'em all the news in sets.” Vernon continued, running a paw through his head fur. “So even if Qali or Mal were off today...”

“Yeah...” The ewe replied, picking up on just where the wolf's statement was leading. It was frustrating to say the least. Dawn was bursting to tell the news to Vanna, let alone the rest of the Hunters she had grown so attached to in such a short time.

Whereas telling Judy the news would have most likely gone relatively quickly with how busy the rabbit always seemed to be,with Vanna Dawn had expected the call to last an hour or maybe more depending on just how side tracked they grew in all the excitement. Since the wedding, Vanna was first and foremost the sister-in-law she called to simply 'girl out', as it were. To catch up on what was happening in their lives, the local goings on, and keeping each-other up to date on Suri Nick's tour page, waiting patiently for the day 'Zootopia' would be added to the list of venues so they could reserve front row seats for the four of them. Of course, the announcement that her book was being published seemed like the perfect excuse to visit her favorite sister-in-law, along with mister misses Hunter to celebrate over a dinner. But with her and Zach on duty, even if the ewe could get a hold of her, she would be forced to keep the call brief and to the point. And with news this big sitting in the ewe's lap, she knew such a call would be impossible for her to keep short.

From there the diminishing list of family left to call only made the ewe that much more discouraged. She did want to tell her sister-in-laws the good news along side their mates, even if she assumed the Hunter girls would be the more enthused of the lot. Qali alone would probably hit the ceiling with excitement before asking exactly what it means to be published. Giselle would probably hit the ceiling too, but it wasn't exactly hard for the giraffe to do so considering her apartment had low ceilings to begin with. And Malcolm, being at work, would probably go as far as to offer free pie slices or something along the like to the patrons currently at his restaurant. But the nagging knowledge that chances were high that everyone would be far too busy to take the call, or give it the amount of time the ewe hoped for continued to dash Dawn's visions.

Vernon was right, it was Friday after all. The day which heralded the weekend and the notion  relaxation. But it was also one of the busier days of the week for that very reason, especially for mammals in the service industry like Malcolm who was probably elbow deep in batter at this very moment. And from her previous conversations with Qali she could only assume the little vixen was out trimming trees with her father and sister by now, getting them ready for harvest in November. Then there was Ada...

Dawn turned her attention to the strange tribal looking bracelet her mate was wearing on the wrist opposite his tithe-mark. She had thought it strange Vernon had even brought up Yuri when discussing mammals to share the news with, nearly forgetting what the wolf had told her about the strange gift, and Yuri's attempt to start mending the fences between them. In truth, the lamb was a bit dubious that such a plan could ever hope to work considering how she had seen Yuri behave, but Vernon seemed to believe in it. Perhaps due to his 'everyone deserves a second chance' creed he liked to live by. It had been true in her case after all, hadn't it? And at the very least it meant the ewe stood a chance of seeing her second favorite sister-in-law more often than just reunions.

Throwing another bill on the significantly smaller stack, Vernon glanced down at his mate, offering her a playful smirk.

“Ully's probably not doin' nothin'.” Vernon chuckled.

The ewe rolled her eyes.

“He's last.” Dawn decided. “Yep, I've decided, he's last.”

Vernon snickered in response as the ewe continued to toy with the hem of his sweater with her hooves, tilting her head curiously and flashing him a pleading expression. “Actually....do we even have to tell him at all?”

“Do y'all want to be open and honest?” The wolf quirked a brow. “Or would you rather he find out on his own and see how that goes?”

Dawn winced, her head drooping slightly as she gave her mate a weak and defeated nod in agreement. As with the letter regarding whether or not her book was to be published, it was best to pull of the Ulric band-aid in one swift motion rather then try to delay it by simply not telling him. One prolonged, accusatory phone call was probably better than the wolf blowing up his brother's cell phone for days on end.

Dawn sighed as she turned her attention back to her phone, idly scrolling through her contacts list for a few moments as she considered which of her friends should be the first to hear the news.

“Oh, duh.” The wolf chuckled, slapping his head with a paw as if whatever had just come to him had seemed elementary. “You should call-.”

The wolf paused, stopping mid-sort as he began to inspect the letter in his paws. Dawn watched his deep forest green eyes shrink as his eyelids tightened around them, his irises intensely scanning to envelope for a few moments before turning his attention back to the ewe and quirking a brow.

“Hey Hon?” The wolf asked. “What was that er...fella's name who was with my ex-girlfriend at the fair? The fancy, all trussed up fella?”

Dawn blinked a few times in surprise, the question seeming bizarre, almost out of nowhere.

“Uh...Kendrick Loupon.” Dawn replied, tilting her head in confusion. “The Assistant Representative of the North Meadowlands, remember?”

Vernon bit his lip as an uneasy expression crossed his muzzle, the wolf's eyes shifting back to the letter in his paws.

“What is it Puppy?” The ewe asked.

The wolf rubbed the back of his neck uneasily, averting his gaze from the ewe as he spoke.

“I-I'm purty sure this letter is from him.” The wolf replied.

Dawn grimaced slightly as she eyed the letter in the wolf's paws, hesitating for a moment before taking it into her hooves. Scanning the return address proved the letter had indeed come from the Ken's office. It bore the official government seal from the district, distinct with it's own special imprint bearing the wolf's name and position, but confirming it with her own eyes only managed to baffle the ewe that much more. After how events had played out at the Harvest Festival, and the sizable scene the wolf and his mate had been at the center of, she could scarcely conceive of a reason the wolf would have for contacting the couple.

Unlike the letter from her publisher, the ewe opened this letter with much less anticipation and fanfare, making quick work of the envelope with her hoof before slipping the letter out. Gently the ewe opened the neatly folded letter, gesturing to her mate with a nod to lean in and read over her shoulder as she held the paper in a way that made it easily visible to both of them.

Dear mister and misses Hunter-Bellwether.

I would like to start this letter by profusely apologizing for my behavior at the harvest festival two weeks ago. I'm not sure any amount of apologizing on paper will truly encapsulate just how regretful and ashamed of my behavior I am, but it felt even more inappropriate to try and call or visit your residence despite my intentions. Call it an abuse of power, but to be honest I fear I was more afraid that should I have attempted any other methods, you both may not have been willing to even hear me out this far along.'

“Got that right.” Vernon said, letting out a derisive snort. Clearly the wolf had been reading along about as quickly as Dawn had been.

Grabbing the letter with a paw, Vernon tugged on it gently as he glanced down at Dawn. The wolf expression a mixture of annoyance and ire.

“I think we should just toss it right now.” The wolf said, giving the letter another gentle tug. “That's as much as that smug 'native' politician deserves.”

Dawn frowned, pulling the letter free of Vernon's paws.

“Vernon, that's our hate mail policy.” Dawn replied. “So far I haven't read any hateful remarks and we are several sentences in.”

Vernon drew back slightly, crossing his arms and turning his snout up at the letter.

“I ain't never met a native wolf that grew out of the belief system.” The wolf retorted. “And any mammal dumb enough to hitch himself up to Ana at his age-.”

“Aren't you the same mammal who told me 'everyone deserves a second chance, especially if they are trying?'” Dawn cut the wolf off, placing a hoof on her hips and cocking her stance in the chair. Her muzzle turned up in a knowing smirk.

Vernon's expression faltered slightly, his ears skewing at two different angles as a look of mild surprise overtook his features.

“W-well...” Vernon stumbled. “I-I mean...”

“Ruddy was a part of that too, and look at what he did for us.” Dawn continued, holding up a finger as to emphasize her point.

With a defeated sigh, the wolfs slumped in his seat, his ears sagging sharply as he regarded his mate.

“I know, I know...” The wolf muttered. “Yer right...”

Bracing his neck with a paw, the wolf turned his snout up toward the ceiling.

“It's just after how Ana was threatinin' us, I mean...” The wolf shook his head. “I just figured this is some fake olive branch er somethin', and he's buried threats of a lawsuit in there behind his pretend flowery words.”

Dawn rolled her eyes, letting out a soft chuckle.

“Well...” Dawn replied. “The only way we are going to find that out is by reading on.” The ewe raised a hoof, idly waving it in a small circles. “So far all he's done is apologize.”

With a another sigh, the wolf leaned his elbows on the counter, reluctantly turning his attention back to the letter as the ewe held it steady once more, Dawn slumping back into the wolf's side as she continued to read.

'I would apologize for Ana's sake as well, had we not decided to separate shortly after the incident.'

“Well I'll be...” Vernon muttered, letting out a soft chuckle.

Dawn pat the wolf on his arm affectionately.

“I don't think any case Ana could try and make for herself would have a chance of standing up in court without any help from Loupon.” The ewe said with a snicker.

“Provided he's tellin' the truth.” Vernon mumbled.

The ewe gave her mate a playful swat with her hoof.

“Oh Hush!” The ewe chided.

'The break up was not on good terms. Not in the slightest.

I will keep it brief by saying that it had absolutely everything to do with her childish behavior at the fair, and her inability to admit she was wrong.

Of course, this does not excuse my inaction by letting her lead that mob,and failing to intercede. But if I'm being honest, for all the claims by Ana of me being 'alpha materiel', In actuality, I've lead the life of a meek, timid wolf, one often so afraid of being pulled into confrontation that I let others speak on my behalf regardless whether I truly agree or not with what comes out of their mouths. And I think that Mister Hunter-Bellwether knows just how a mammal like Ana can take advantage of such traits.'

The ewe could here her mate let out a soft, muttering whine. It was a sound of discomfort, almost as if he had recalled something particular painful.

'That said, I wish to congratulate you both on your tithe. Forgive me, I don't know how personal you want to keep that information, but I had seen Mister Ruddy officiate the license the day after he had apparently been at the ceremony, and I would be remiss not to wish you all the best. I don't believe it could happen to a nicer couple, or a more respected ewe.'

“Respected huh?” Dawn murmured. “I suppose he was just as moved by the 'Last Night Case' as everyone else.”

Vernon tightened his grip around the ewe, pulling her in for a side hug.

“Well, it's not every day a mammal literally tried to sacrifice herself to save a city of fifteen-million plus mammals.” The wolf replied with a chuckle. “Who wouldn't be impressed by that?”

The ewe let out a soft giggle, nuzzling against the wolf's side.

“Still, if I didn't have that I'd be just as hated as before.” Dawn murmured.

Dawn felt herself being drawn back from the wolf's side, her mate placing a paw on her shoulder as he looked down to meet her gaze, his forest green eyes filled with affection.

“Ya already had my heart Darlin'.” The wolf shook his head. “Far as I'm concerned that little stunt of yers was just proof of what I've seen in ya since day one.” The wolf smiled warmly. “This here is one mammal ya earned the love of without needin' to do anythin' but be you.”

Dawn placed the letter down on the counter before wrapping her arms around the wolf's torso, burying her face in his side as she gave him the tightest hug she could muster. The wolf reacted quickly, squeezing the ewe in a hug that matched her own in vigor and enthusiasm as she felt the wolf's lips press down through her woolly poof and place a tender kiss atop her head.

Drawing back, the ewe lifted her lenses as she lamely swabbed at her eyes with her forearm.

“Oh Puppy stop.” The ewe sniffled. “You're going to make me cry.”

The wolf chuckled. “Sorry Darlin'...” Vernon replied, rolling his eyes slightly as though he were mulling things over. “Although you do look purty when you cry.”

“O-Oh stop.” The ewe rebutted, wafting a hoof at her eyes in an effort to stem the tears as she grasped the letter with the other. “L-let's get back to the letter...”

The wolf nodded.

'I must confess, as stated at the fair i was quite enamored with your career as a politician before the...'incident', and I would feel remiss to pass up the chance to expound on it without Ana talking over me. It is a shame so much of your diligent work for Zootopia went unnoticed and un-credited considering it was no secret among political circles that Lionheart was little more than a pretty face. While studying for my own political degree, I watched your role in his campaign, as well as the debates that you were a  part of, and was quite impressed. And...well, I would be lying if I said I didn't end up developing a bit of a...crush on you.'

“A crush?” Dawn murmured, a slight blush forming on her muzzle as she re-read the sentence.

“A crush huh?” Vernon growled. Dawn could feel the wolf's arm wrap around her once again, this time a clearly possessive gesture as the wolf sneered at the letter. “I mean the fella seems to have some taste...but...”

Dawn let out a giggle.

“Oh Puppy stop.” The ewe murmured, giving the wolf's paw a rub. Still, the wolf's brow remained furrowed, which only prompted the ewe to reach out and pull his left paw over to her side of the counter. The ewe gingerly flipped it over, revealing the wolf's crimson 'tithing' mark before turning her right hoof over next to it to display the same.

“We're tithed, see?” The ewe chuckled before slipping her marked hoof gingerly on top of his matching paw, completing the moon between them. “I'm not going anywhere.”

The wolf let out a soft huff. “I -I know...” Vernon winced slightly. “H-he just better not try anything if I ever...”

The ewe laughed that much harder, gingerly patting the wolf's paw with her hoof.

“Ooh...Possessive Puppy.” The ewe cooed, fluttering her eyelids suggestively at the wolf. “I kinda like it.”

Vernon quirked a brow, his expression a mixture of concern and confusion as his ears sagged.

“I-...” The wolf uttered..” Really?”

Dawn smirked. “It's kinda hot...”

All hints of the wolf's previous sour expressions dissolved as a beaming smile over took his muzzle, and his tail became a blur as it wagged frantically against the seat, which only made the ewe giggle that much harder.

“O-Oh don't tease me like this Floof's...” The wolf whined, the hint of a blush forming on his muzzle. “At this rate we ain't gonna be making any calls till tomorrow!”

The ewe flicked her hoof at the wolf playfully.

“Okay, okay...” The ewe cooed. “No more flirting until we finish the letter, we're on the last page anyway.”

Vernon nodded briskly, his tail continuing to wag against the seat as though it were keeping rhythm for a band.

'I guess, I've always sort of harbored feelings for....carpid folks if I'm being honest. It was just something I tried to suppress, to bury deep down because it conflicted with my family roots, and my future goals, at least I thought so. But watching Mister Hunter-Bellwether stand up for the both of you, to proudly announce to the world his unabashed love for you regardless of species, well...it made me reflect on those old dormant feelings and gave me the courage to explore them.

And so, it may surprise to learn that I am in fact currently seeing a ewe. Granted we've only been an official couple for about a week, but it already feels like we've known each other forever.'

Dawn placed a hoof to her muzzle in an effort to stifle a gasp.

“Wait? Really?” The wolf muttered, clasping the edge of the letter with his paw as he leaned in to inspect it. “Loupon's crossin'?”

“T-that's what it says.” The ewe uttered in mild surprise.

'I realize this might jeopardize my position depending on how this information plays with my constituents, but in all honesty, I really can't find it in me to care. It's such a relief to just...let it go. To embrace my feelings and see where the road takes me. I'll tell you dating a mammal like Claire is probably the first time I've felt 'happy' in a relationship, even if it is a tentative one.

And so from myself, and my mate Claire Chilver, we wish you all the best. And the next time you visit the Meadowlands, I hope we can meet for tea some time and really patch things up.

Hopefully your friend,

Kendrick Loupon,

Assistant Representative to the North Meadowlands'

“Wow...” Dawn murmured. “I-mean...”

Turning to her mate, the ewe rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

“I-I don't even know how to take that...”

The apology was surprising enough, but the fact that Loupon had admitted that her and Vernon had inspired the wolf to actually date outside his species had blown her away. The ewe was fairly new to the 'crosser' life, her feelings for Vernon being the first of their kind for a mammal outside her species. But here was a mammal like Loupon admitting to having been struggling with long term feelings of attraction and desire toward those outside his species, let alone a prey mammal, for years. The idea was something she had only scratched the surface of in her writings; those mammals out there who lived in a quiet sort of misery as they forced themselves to suppress those feelings and live a 'normal' life. But, Loupon was the first mammal who had actually told her about dealing with such an issue to any degree.

With all the fan mail the ewe had received, most of those inquiring about life as a cross species dater, or being a pred/prey couple had come from those already established. Those mammals who partook in such a relationship but were hiding it from family and friends, or the public at large. But Loupon's admission had the wheels turning in her mind; a quiet realization dawning on her as she scratched her chin thoughtfully.

Just how many mammals were hiding? How many thought they were alone in their feelings, or are just to afraid to simply indulge them? Would her book serve to help them too? She could only hope. By Loupon's own words he was 'happy' for the first time in a long time, and perhaps her book would not only give courage to those in inter/crosser relationships to step out of the shadows, but maybe give those mammals hiding alone the courage to seek out others like them. To find that same happiness that Loupon had found, and that she had found in Vernon.

“Clair Chilver?” Vernon muttered, drawing the ewe from her thoughts.

“What?” Dawn muttered, inspecting the name in the letter once more curiously.

“Claire Chilver...” The wolf scratched his chin. “Not our Claire Chilver?”

Dawn tilted her head curiously as she regarded her mate.

“'Our' Claire Chilver?' The ewe questioned, quirking a curious brow.

Turning his attention to his mate, the wolf scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“Back in high school there was this ewe that was part of our friend group with the same name.” The wolf muttered. “We were all real tight, she even dated Gus fer a bit.”

“Oh?” The ewe added. She was starting to recall something regarding the name as well. She had definitely heard of her at least once before.

“Wait...” Dawn recalled. “Is this the ewe that basically stopped talking to everyone in your B&B group a few months back?”

Vernon nodded briskly.

“Granted she was still livin' in the Meadowlands, but she kept in touch on Furbook.” Vernon ran a paw through the tuft of fur on his head. “Talked to me more than Gus.” The wolf shrugged. “Least till she decided to block me.”

“Messaged you a lot huh?” The ewe muttered, eyeing the wolf suspiciously.

Vernon laughed. “Hey now Floofs, it wasn't like that.” The wolf shook his head dismissively. “I told y'all, you're the first and only ewe I've ever been attracted to.”

Dawn scratched her chin thoughtfully.

“That doesn't mean she wasn't harboring feeling for you though, does it?” Dawn asked.

The wolf scoffed. “Who, Claire? Pft...” The wolf waived a paw in the air dismissively. “No way. I woulda' been able to tell.”

Dawn crossed her arms, flashing the wolf a smirk.

“If I recall, you told me Gus had told you that there were a bunch of ewe's in high-school begging for your 'attention'.” The ewe chuckled. “And you admitted you were oblivious to all of it.”

Vernon rubbed the back of his neck, an uneasy expression lacing his features.

“Y-Yeah but I mea...” The wolf's eyes became focused on the counter top in such a way that told the ewe the gears in his head were starting to turn.

“They called you 'Sheep dog' Vernon.” Dawn added.

“Yeah but it's because I had so many caprid friends, not cause-!” The wolf stopped himself, placing a paw to his muzzle as he seemed to return to his thoughts. The ewe shook her head dismissively.

“When did you put the fact that you were in a relationship with me on your Furbook Vernon?” Dawn asked, the ewe now almost one-hundred percent sure the theory she was building was correct.

Vernon rubbed the back of his neck, that uneasy expression returning as the wolf now seemed reluctant to answer.

“I-Er...” The wolf muttered. “Around the time Claire blocked me...”

Dawn rolled her eyes. There was no need to say what she could only assumed had happened with Claire, she could see in the wolf's eyes that he was quickly coming to the same realization.

“Damn...” Vernon muttered. “I guess wolves are as dumb as they say.” The wolf chuckled weakly.

Dawn giggled, giving the wolf a reassuring pat on the knee.

“You aren't dumb.” The ewe chided.

The wolf's ears dipped sharply, a sorrowful look overtaking his features as he glanced down at the floor.

“I feel awful...” Vernon whined. “I mean, the feelin's weren't mutual but she must'a felt terrible tryin' to get my attention over and over again and failin'.” The wolf shook his head.

“Vernon.” The ewe cooed softly.

“Is that why she dated Gus?” Vernon asked, seemingly to himself. “Was she tryin' to get closer to me?”

“Puppy Love.” The ewe finally had the wolf's attention, rubbing his knee affectionately as she looked up into his deep green eyes.

“She's okay now.” Dawn replied, nodding in the direction of Loupon's letter. “She's with Ken, and from what he said they are happy.”

The wolf whined softly.

“I-I know...” Vernon muttered. “I-I just feel guilty.”

The ewe shook her head.

“Hey, if we ever meet them for tea, you can apologize.” Dawn added.

The statement seemed to earn a weak smile from the wolf, his tail wagging lamely as he eyed his mate hopefully.

“Really?” Vernon asked.

“Of course.” Dawn replied, patting the wolf's knee playfully before drawing her hoof back. “Just don't get to close to her now.” The ewe chuckled, flipping her right hoof palm side up and displaying it once more to the wolf. “Remember which ewe you're tithed to.”

Vernon chuckled, the wolf rolling his eyes in response.

“Now who's bein' possessive?” The wolf snickered.

Dawn crossed her arms, flashing the wolf a smug grin.

“You know it's cute when I do it.” The ewe retorted.

Vernon rolled his eyes, seemingly mulling over what he was going to say in his head.

“Somewhere between cute and sexy I'd argue...” The wolf chuckled. “But it is harder to take you seriously Misses Hunter-Bellwether.”

“Oh-ho-ho?” The ewe smirked, placing a hoof on her hip. “Do I need to get the leash and collar out of the bedroom drawer and remind you who you belong to Mister Hunter-Bellwether?”

Vernon let out a playful growl, before suddenly lurching forward and scooping the ewe into his arms, smattering her in a playful flurry of kisses as she giggled and flailed in an attempt to resist.

“Ooh you know just how to bring out the 'alpha' in me.” The wolf growled playfully. “The calls can wait, we're headin' to be right now!”

“V-Vernon, n-no!” The ewe let out a giggling snort as the wolf continued to kiss her. “N-not yet! C'mon.”

The wolf chuckled before burying his snout in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply before drawing back, throwing the ewe a mischievous glance.

“You say 'no', but them pheromones are screamin' 'yes'!”

Dawn rolled her eyes before clasping her hooves around the wolf's muzzle, effectively silencing the wolf and stymieing his efforts to kiss her.

“Oh, c'mere my big, fluffy Sheep Dog.”

With that, the ewe drew him in for a powerful passionate kiss, one that demanded the playful dancing of tongues the moment their muzzles touched. Dawn could feel the fire inside begin to roar as she drank deeply of her mate, caressing his cheek and holding him tightly to her muzzle with her other hoof.

However, the passionate, frenzied kiss was short lived as the familiar sound of Vernon's ring tone began to rise from somewhere on his body. The wolf seemed rather keen to ignore it, but despite her great reluctance, the ewe managed to break the kiss.

“They'll call back.” The wolf was quick to spit out, running his tongue along his muzzle.

“Vernon.” The ewe shook her head, patting the side of the wolf's muzzle affectionately. “Who calls these days unless it's important? They'd text otherwise.”

Vernon scoffed. “Telemarketers!”

The ewe rolled her eyes.

“Vernon you have a private number.” Dawn retorted.

“Still...”

Dawn merely furrowed her brow at the wolf, her less than intimating glare she had tried to crib from Audrey at least managing to put an end to her mate's protest as the wolf let out a tired sigh.

Placing the ewe back on her stool, the wolf scooped his phone at of his pocket, answering it without even looking at the screen.

“This better be-”

The wolf immediately pulled the phone away from his face as a loud howl emanated through the speakers. It was a call so loud that Dawn could easily hear it despite the volume, and apparently so could the neighbors as the wolves next store started up again.

“C'mon Vern!” Came the muffled cry through the wall. “Damnit Gary!”

“Sorry, sorry!' The wolf announced before shifting his attention back to the phone. Vernon briefly scanned the face before a look of confusion overtook his features.

“Ma?” Vernon asked.

“Audrey?” The ewe quirked a brow. The fact that she had opened with a howl showed the she-wolf was clearly excited, but that lead the ewe to question why. Was Audrey so good at reading mammals that she had become somehow psychic, and divined that Dawn had landed her book deal from across the county?

“Get Dawn in the room and turn on muzzle time!” Audrey chirped through the phone. “Iv'e got a surprise fer y'all!”

“I'm here Misses Hunter” Dawn replied as her mate took his place back at the stool next to her. Lowering the phone to the counter, the wolf held it far enough out so both of them could easily see the screen. Hitting the muzzletime button, the camera connected on Vernon's end, however Audrey's screen remained black.

“Dori, how in the-sweet sawgrass.” The she-wolf cursed. “What button was it?”

From the other end, Dawn could hear Dorian groan, and after a few moments both wolves were finally on screen revealing a very tired looking Dorian with an arm around a positively beaming Audrey. Both wolves flashed the couple a smile.

“Howdy you too!” Audrey practically sang.

“Hi mom and dad.” Dawn replied, offering a weak wave amidst her confusion and excitement.

“Pa, yer home?” Vernon asked.

“I took the day off to take yer mom out to the docs.” Dorian replied.

“Don't spoil it!” Audrey snapped, giving the wolf a playful swat.

“Spoil what?” Dawn asked, leaning in closer to the phone.

“The doctors?” Vernon asked. “Is everythin' alright?”

Audrey nodded so briskly her head looked like little more of a blur as the connection struggled to keep up with the speed.

“Everythin' is great!” Audrey replied cheerily. “Heck it's more than great! It's a miracle!”

Vernon scrunched is muzzle in confusion.

“A miracle?” The wolf repeated. “Ma, what's goin' on exactly?”

Audrey turned to her mate, the wolf quirking a brow.

“Should I tell them?” Audrey asked.

“That's why we called.” Dorian shook his head.

“Noooo!” The she-wolf replied sarcastically. “I mean should I tell them, or do you want to?”

Dorian scratched his chin. “I think you should tell 'em.”

Audrey lolled her head indecisively. “But it might be more fun if you do it.”

“It's your surprise.” Dorian replied.

“Our surprise!” Audrey corrected, giving her mate a tap on the nose. “ Which is why I-!”

“Could someone just tell us somethin' already?” Vernon cut the wolfess off.

Dawn had expected Audrey to flash Vernon a glare for his retort, but the she-wolf simply looked at her mate, tilting her head curiously.

“Together?” Audrey asked.

Dorian sighed. “Count of three?”

Audrey nodded briskly.

“One...” Audrey said.

“Two...” Dorian added, building the anticipation.

“We're expecting!” The two wolves announced, Dorian pulling Audrey into a tighter hug and kissing the top of her head before relaxing the hug.

Dawn placed her hooves to her muzzle in surprise. But for Vernon it seemed to take a little longer for the expression to click.

“Expectin' what?” Vernon muttered, drawing the ewe's attention. Dawn looked up to her mate in disbelief, which only drew an expression of confusion from the wolf. Vernon looked as though he was about to ask the ewe 'what?' when the realization seemed to dawn on him, his eyes growing wide in shock as he suddenly snapped his attention back on the phone.

“Wait!? Y-Y'all mean!?” Vernon stammered. “I-Is Ma on the nest?”

Audrey nodded excitedly ,flashing the couple and ear to ear smile.

“I'm pregnant!” The she-wolf replied before breaking into a squeal of joy, one that Dawn couldn't help but join in on as both Vernon and Dorian's ears flattened in response.

“I can't believe that!” Dawn spat excitedly.

“I can't believe it either!” Vernon replied, running a paw through his head fur. “A-aren't y'all too...er...?”

“Old?” Audrey asked, the hint of a glare permeating her expression as she eyed Vernon. Dawn watched as her mate seemed to shrink in response.

“I mean...y'know...?” Vernon muttered. “Pup-bearin' wise?”

“I thought so too!” Audrey chirped, wrapping an arm around Dorian and squeezing him tightly. “But it turns out there was a few good eggs left in yer Ma's den!”

Dawn could see Vernon cringe visibly at the comment, but it wasn't enough to stop Dawn from asking a question that was sure to make her mate feel that much more uncomfortable.

“How?!” Dawn had simply blurted it out without even thinking, which earned a wide-eyed glare from her mate.

Audrey chuckled.

“Well, after the weddin' wrapped up, and all yer brothers and sisters went home, well...” Audrey blushed slightly. “Me and yer Pa got to mendin' thangs.” Audrey gave Dawn a sly wink. “I mean, really got down to mendin' thangs.”

“Ugh..” Vernon murmured.

“Multiple times.” Dorian added. “All over the house, includin'-”

“By the gods Pa stop!” Vernon pleaded, the wolf bringing his finger to hover directly over the disconnect button. “Don't make me have to hang up!”

Dorian and Audrey shared a knowing laugh.

“Alright, alright...” Audrey cooed. “The no details deal goes both ways, I remember.” The she-wolf chuckled. “I just figured me and yer pa would get a little revenge fer yer antics in the cornfield.”

Both Vernon and Dawn blushed sharply, the two mammals briefly making eye contact before averting their gazes bashfully.

“Incidentally, we did do it in the cornfield.” Dorian added.

“Oh gods, I'm hanging up!” Vernon snapped.

“Wait, wait!” Audrey held up her paws defensively, stopping Vernon just shy of hitting the button.

“We weren't gonna be long anyway, we got the rest of the pups to tell.” Dorian spoke, running a paw through his silvery mane of head fur. “But before we let ya go, we should tell ya it's triplets.” Dorian smirked. “All girls.”

“Girls?” Vernon muttered. “Y-y'all mean I'm gonna have sisters?”

Audrey cocked a brow. “Well, y'all already have sisters.” The she-wolf replied, cocking a brow. “Better to think of it as gettin' to be a big brother as not to offend yer sister-in-laws.”

“Big brother?” Vernon murmured softly. “I ain't barely been a mammals big brother before.”

Dawn quirked a brow. “What about Trenton and Ulric?” Dawn asked.

“Well, I mean if y'all count older by minutes.” The wolf replied, shaking his head.  “But I mean, I was the smallest remember? Weren't no one in the family small enough to look up to the runt of the litter.”

Dawn chuckled softly, grasping the wolf's paw and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“That means y'all get to be a big sister too Dawn!” Audrey added, flashing the ewe a warm smile.

“A big sister?” Dawn felt a warm smile crawl across her muzzle as she mulled over Audrey's words. While Vernon had never gotten to opportunity to be some in his families big brother, at least the wolf had brothers. Dawn had grown up with no other siblings, and so the thought of any mammal looking up to her as part of there family was an alien concept, but a welcome one.

“I can't wait to have y'all back up for the shower!” Audrey let out another excited squeal, pumping her fists in the air and displacing her mate in the process. Dorian nearly tumbled off the couch, the camera shaking and stuttering as the wolf clambered to steady himself. “It's gonna be a hoot!”

As the camera grew steady again, Dorian sidled up back next to his wife, the wolf letting out a relieved sigh.

“How d'y'all know it's gonna be girls?” Vernon asked, quirking a brow. “Isn't it a little early to tell?”

Audrey lowered her gaze at her son. “A mother always knows.”

Dorian chuckled. “Mother's intuition is the one thing that puts the 'Hunter Family' intuition to shame.”

“Welp, we'll let you go.” Audrey said, wrapping her arm around her mate once again and kissing him on the cheek. “We got more calls to make, and we're sure y'all got things to do so-”

“Wait!” Dawn blurted out, suddenly remembering her own small victory in the wake of all the she-wolf's excitement. “Vernon and I have something to tell you too!”

Audrey crooked her head, her ears lolling at skewed angles as she regarded the ewe.

“Oh ya do?” Audrey asked. “What is it?”

“Wait a minute!” The she-wolf suddenly snapped to attention, her curious expression gone in a flash, over taken by an even wider, beaming smile.

“Don't tell me you two are already fixin' to adopt are ya!?” Audrey seemed to practically swoon as she spoke, clasping her paws together almost as if she were praying. “Oh sweet Freyja, I don't think my heart could stand so much joyful news at once!”

Dawn blushed sharply, exchanging a rather bashful, timid expression with her mate. For the second time today the ewe's mind had shifted back to the idea of Vernon as a father, and her uncertainty as a mother. But in Vernon's case, while the wolf was wearing a bit of a blush himself, his smile was warm and inviting as he took the ewe's tithing hoof, gently clasping it in his own as he gently stroked the top of it with his thumb. The adoration in his eyes, the warmth in his smile, it was more than clear the wolf was happy with the idea. And that same feeling of confidence quickly began to spill into the ewe, slowly, but surely, silencing those lingering fears of what kind of parent she might make.

She and Vernon had each other, even before the tithe. They were a team, and together they had braced themselves for whatever life could throw at them. But glancing back to the face of Vernon's phone, and the older wolves smiling back at them, Dawn realized she had so much more now. No longer did Dawn have just Vernon in her corner to rally her onward, and to turn to when the chips were down. But she had the entire Hunter family; her family.

Audrey, a mother who's sweetness rivaled her own mothers. Dorian, the father she never had. Vanna, her best girlfriend, Qali and her boundless enthusiasm, Ada and her snark, and her other sisters. Her countless brothers, even the likes of the less than pleasant Yuri and Ulric. For better or worse they became her pack from the moment she had officially became a Hunter. And with her family by her side, she could surely rise to the challenge of motherhood when she and Vernon were ready to adopt.

Turning his attention back to the phone, the wolf offered his mother a soft smile.

“Not yet ma, but soon.” The wolf replied.

“We promise” Dawn added, squeezing Vernon's paw affectionately, once again making the two half moons whole.

[secretshinigami]

Masterlist of Demegawa-chan’s Special Prompts

A compiled list of everyone’s prompts from the exchange – thank you for letting us post them, and we hope you guys enjoy them! Prompts are organized by their submitter, so be sure to give credit if you use one.

niatsuki

Near and Light kissing

Mikami and Light in the rain sharing an umbrella

Misa in a suit

Domestic Mikalight

Matsuda confronting Near on the theory he brings up at the end of the manga

Nate and Light having an obtuse argument, but with romantic undertones

toygowther

Light wearing a crop top, high waisted jeans and fishnets, and a choker. 

L having a nice day out in the park eating ice cream with Maki and Near 

Musical!Light smiling

Misa in a cute gothic dress doing a finger heart

L and Light wearing Misa Misa merch at one of her concerts.

AU in which Light is actually a woman. The fic would follow how Misa reacts to it and if she would still want to be her girlfriend.

Role swap au. Light as Misa and Misa as Light.

Light and Misa meeting a different way and actually forming a healthy relationship. 

spaceblue

L, Naomi & B shenanigans

Naomi, Wedy and Lidner as Charlie's angels (or L's angels?)

Wammy kids as Pokemon trainers

Matt gets the rest of the Wammy kids to play Smash with him

Naomi and L after the end of LABB, after he says his name is Rue Ryuzaki 

Drama!L and drama!Raye Penber bickering 

hazblogs

your take on A's gender and sexuality, bonus points if they're not a cis man and straight

Mello and sun imagery

Beyond Birthday and his eyes

Near with Hanahaki disease (pick who it's about if you want a specific ship)

Mello and witchcraft, if possible in the canon universe

Naomi interacting with Beyond (au or canon), if possible talking about L or the Wammy kids

L/Light being soulmates, in canon or in an AU

how Matt started smoking (I am comfortable with heavy drug themes)

polyphenols

L learning to garden, paint, cook, do taxes, care for an animal, or pay for a parking ticket for the first time

All the times L has cursed Right In Front Of The Task Force (poor Soichiro)

L alone, dressed for the cold, in a cathedral during midnight hours, gazing at the altar in silent contemplation

Aiber and Wedy at an evening gala on a mission

L and Alessandro Juliani warmly shaking hands

Young Naomi in a darkened room with red string and case clippings everywhere

What chain of events led to Quillsh Wammy deciding to adopt L and care for him?

Matsuda cant swim and he’s knocked into a body of water on a case, one of the task force has to go after him

The conversation that happened between L and Rem before he walked out onto that rooftop

L traveling somewhere exotic for a case, meets celebrity of your choice and becomes unlikely friends, takes down crime circle together 

Naomi and L interact side by side as partners during a seperate case  

paralllaxes

16 year old Gevanni (normal day or family banter)

Naomi in modern clothing

the SPK in one of those cheesy family pictures.

Naomi thinking about LABB while in Japan

SPK found family stuff / domesticity

Naomi being with the SPK (with or without Raye is the author's choice)

kiranatrix

Light and L in emo/goth clothes or in an emo band

Light in a crown on a throne

Ryuk doing something funny or playing a prank while invisible

L and Light on a road trip

Misa painting Rem’s looooong nails or giving her a makeover

Death Note characters as birds! 

Sayu gets a grumpy parrot and Light doesn’t realize it can talk until after he hears it repeat some Kira plan thing, so he has to adopt it to keep it from spilling on him

L and Light talk about something important that happened to them in their childhood

L has to deal with growing amount of Light’s products in their shared shower and tries some out of curiosity with disasterous results

Light accidentally eats the last piece of cake in Kira HQ and L can’t deal at 4am

Lawlight Apocalypse AU of any variety 

Beyond breaks out of prison after LABB, where does he go?

47gaslamps

The task force with portentous umbrellas

Halle, symbolically framed between Near and Mello

Naomi kicking Light's butt after he attempts to use force

Matsuda gives Yamamoto a welcome-aboard to the former Task Force / 

AU where the drawer IS forced open

Misa has to shield Light from the paparazzi

translightyagami

Light and L in a crowded apartment, obviously lived in, playing piano next to each other

Light sewing something like his father's suit jacket or a shirt Mikami tore

Indulgent ask for my cryptid AU L and Light sitting in a graveyard having a nice time

Light having a smoke before he has to go tell his parents he's moving in with Misa

Light and Sayu having a difficult conversation where they're both saying they're gay without out loud saying it

Near goes to a Lego building event and meets a nice boy who isn't a Wammy kid

almostsane-things

Wammy's kid(s) of your choice sitting on the roof, watching the sky

Beyond Birthday and Candy Guro

DN characters in a rock band, maybe the shinigami are their mascots

Draw a less appreciated character but try something new with your style/medium. (i.e. use different brushes, incorporate a traditional art/craft like painting or cross-stitch, make a collage piece, go abstract, etc)

L in prison

Misa and Sayu becoming friends/ hanging out

The legend of Kira, how has the story of Kira changed over time in universe? Do people believe it was something supernatural, a government conspiracy, a group of vigilantes, or perhaps it's faded to nothing but a cautionary tale for misbehaving kids

A DN character enjoys that thing you really like/ find interesting to learn about, and shares that interest with someone else. (i.e. Matt plays your favorite video game with someone, Linda teaches someone about gardening, etc)

weneedtotalkaboutdeathnote

A hot double date with BBxDemegawa and LxHiguchi

B meeting L (any context is fine).

Naomi and Raye getting coffee together, having a nice time.

L can see ghosts, but he chooses to ignore them. This becomes increasingly had to do when B’s spirit shows up during the Kira investigation.

An Au where L defeated Kira, grew older, and basically disappeared. Older Mello (mid 20sish, now a detective) follows a lead that takes him to the washed up L. 

Non serial killer, "Unprivate Detective" Beyond Birthday works on a case with Naomi Misora.

pensulliwen

Misa making Valentine’s Day chocolate, perhaps while daydreaming about a fantastically unlikely result of giving them to Light.

Rem holding Misa as they fly over the city.

Meme redraws featuring Misa, Light, and L. Just go crazy. Any ridiculous meme image, shove these dorks in there instead.

Misa convincing Rem to take her flying, the feelings they both experience in the air together.

Misa and Mogi on a shopping “date” in which the unlikely pair manage to work together surprisingly well.

Light considers eliminating Misa from the equation many times, but there’s always something that stops him. Explore how he views her and the dissonance between how he views her versus how he views himself, as well as the reasoning for keeping her around longer than intended. 

izaori

Demegawa in a hot tub but instead of water its money

Mello playing soccer with the other kids (like Matt for example). 

Matsuda playing cookie clicker, because he's obsessed.

Young Demegawa when he first got his job, maybe a few months into the job.

Sayu studying for her big exam coming up so she goes to big bro Light for help.

Ryuk discovers sour green apples rather than just the red ones. Maybe Sidoh discovers dark chocolate/white chocolate at the same time.

mikami

High school age Mikami in a high school uniform.

MikaLight out on a date

anything L/Higuchi

A Sakura TV Documentary about the Kiras. 

MikaLight office romance, non-Kira AU.

Write me a fic about Demegawa. Can definitely be comedy, but please take the character somewhat seriously.

ghostoftasslehoff

L and Light playing piano together.

L with a kitty

Sayu and ‘Ryuzaki’ meeting, and hitting it off 

Matsuda recieving a present or something from a ‘secret admirer’

A day in the life of Matsuda (away from the task force)

L and B’s first meeting (can be shippy or not, whichever my Shinigami prefers)

L tries to engage in punnery with the task force, but only one person engages (preference for Light, but surprise me!)

Sayu’s (or Sachiko’s) thoughts on Light’s new secretive actions as Kira becomes more and more active 

tzigi

(All canon-compliant)

L gets first suspicions about a string of heart attacks which may be a new murder case for him

Light’s first day at To-Oh after L’s death

Light’s first day of work at the NPA 

Near tries to pick up L’s investigation

Why did Near go back to L’s original font for the “L” logo between chapter 108 and the C-Kira oneshot? 

A non-Lawlight rendering of the first evening of Light being chained to L after everyone else has already gone to sleep (preferably in keeping with the One Day one-shot) 

Light begging Ryuk for his life

Light’s funeral

catfishmaster

The main characters (plus B) as DND characters

Older Near (like 25-30) with a bunch of cats he keeps for company

Roger bonding with Near after the Kira case.

Beyond Birthday faked his death in 2004 and now lives alone as a poor and pretty miserable theatre actor with a fake name. Oh, and also it's a Kira wins au.

Years after the Kira case has concluded, L takes on Near as an apprentice.

Matt takes Near on a tour of an afterlife-like world they both wound up in. It's more like a dreamscape than anything else but it serves as an afterlife.