#and the 'mrow' was happy birthday

[fatexbound]

@chibitantei said: Hanamura had stated that he would be late to Satonaka’s birthday party, and entrusted the delivery of his present to Naoto. She didn’t enjoy being his errand boy, but Naoto supposed she could let it slide this time. She was grateful that the present he had chosen was different from hers; interestingly enough, it seemed that they had traded spots. He had books while she had clothes. She was the second to arrive at Satonaka’s home, the first being none other than Amagi. She set the gifts besides the wrapped present she presumed was Amagi’s. Inside Hanamura’s unwrapped box was the complete collection of a well-known sports manga, Ashita no Joe. It was rather old, but she supposed Hanamura wanted someone to appreciate the classics. Her gift was a green sukajan featuring koi and dragon designs. Whenever Satonaka opened her and Yosuke’s gifts, Naoto hoped she would like them. (ft @kaeruninja)

Chie's birthday | Accepting

Last year, she might have been too busy with the case, but that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to celebrate her birthday with her friends this time. Any girl her age knew that a house party was essential in making all the good memories last. The decorations were colorful -- most were green and some yellow balloons. Food and snacks on the tables weren't missing either. She welcomed Yukiko first and her gift with a big hug. Naoto was next, punctual as usual, and she was greeted with a smile, although Yosuke was nowhere to be found yet.

"Thanks for coming! Ah, so Yosuke's gonna be late, huh? Figures." She was a little disappointed, yet happy to receive two gifts, one from each of them. She'd open them after all the guests had arrived. It wouldn't be nice to spoil the surprise, after all.

"Well, have a seat and get some snacks! Stay as long as you like. I invited everyone, so we can have a real blast together!" She giggled gleefully. She was just happy that Naoto remembered, or was told of this day and gave her something special. Even if she stayed for a few minutes, it would still mean a lot to her.

Hours passed, and when she opened them all in order, she was stunned at both Hanamura's thoughtfulness and Naoto's excellent choice for a sukajan. "Whoa, I'll definitely wear this tomorrow, and read the manga too! I finished all my other ones. Looks like I got my hands full!"

[jujumin-translates]

Misumi Ikaruga | [SSR] Mankai Treasure | Treasure Hunt: MISUMI - Part 3

Muku: Ah, Misumi-san!

Misumi: Just like I thought, it’s you, Muku~.

Muku: Hehe, you were spot on. I knew you’d be able to figure it out, Misumi-san.

Misumi: This clue is about the treasure-hunting game we played during “Sky Pirates”!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Flashback*

Misumi: I wonder if Muku will be here soon~?

Muku: Thanks for waiting, Misumi-san! It’s all ready.

Misumi: Kaaay! With this telescope, I’ll definitely find where you hid the treasure, Muku~!

Muku: Good luck! By the way, it’s placed somewhere where you can see it with the telescope.

Misumi: Time to find the treasure~. Hmhmhm~...

Misumi: …Ah! There’s something on the bench over there!

Misumi: Is it the treasure? Lemme go look~!

*Footsteps*

Muku: Ah, Misumi-san, wait up--!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Misumi: I found the treasure~!

Muku: Good job, Misumi-san, you found it so quickly.

Misumi: What’s inside this box?

Muku: It’s a type of coin that I used to get from a shoujo manga magazine as a free gift to all subscribers.

Muku: It’s specifically a coin that was made to commemorate the first anniversary of the serialization of my favorite series…

Misumi: Waaah~! It’s got a pretty triangle on it!

Muku: Exactly! That’s why I really wanted you to see it, Misumi-sa--.

Crow: Caw, caw!

*Crow flies off*

Muku: Ah!

Misumi: Waah!?

Muku: T-The coin! That crow just picked it up in its beak and carried it away!

Misumi: We have to go after it! Mr. Crow, wait!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Muku: We’ve lost sight of the crow…

Misumi: Where could it have gone~?

Muku: I wonder if it flew off somewhere far away…

Cat: Nya~.

Misumi: Ah, good timing, Mr. Kitty! Hey, have you seen a crow anywhere?

Cat: Nyanya~. Mrow.

Misumi: Really!? Muku, Mr. Kitty said he just saw a crow with a coin in its beak!

Muku: Really!?

Misumi: Which way did it go!?

Cat: Nya~!

Misumi: I think Mr. Kitty’s gonna show us. Let’s go!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Cat: Nya~.

Misumi: Mr. Kitty said he saw the crow around here, but… Mr. Crow, where did you go?

Muku: --! There…!

Muku: Misumi-san, there it is! A coin fell on the street!

Misumi: It really is it! Yaaay!

Misumi: Did the crow drop it while carrying it? I’m glad we found it safe and sound~!

Muku: Thank you for looking for it with me, Misumi-san, and Mr. Kitty, too…!

*Flashback end*

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Misumi: Back then, I really didn’t know what we were gonna do, but I’m glad we were able to find your coin, Muku!

Muku: It was pretty nervewracking, but it was sort of like a real treasure hunt, too… So it was kind of exciting too.

Misumi: It’s something shiny, so I guess Mr. Crow wanted it too~.

Muku: Once again… Happy birthday, Misumi-san.

Muku: This is my present for you.

Misumi: This is… This is the coin you said was your treasure back then!

Misumi: But isn’t this something really important to you?

Muku: You said the triangle on that coin was really pretty.

Muku: And you were the one who helped me find it again when I thought it was lost forever.

Muku: This coin is a memory for both of us, so I want you to have it, Misumi-san. Will you accept it?

Misumi: Muku… Yeah, I will!

Misumi: Thank you. I’ll treasure this coin forever and ever!

Muku: Yeah! Thank you to you too.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Misumi: Hmm… This looks good~.

*Camera clicks*

Kumon: Ah! Is that from the treasure hunt?

Kumon: Whoa, the picture you took of it with Sankaku-kun is super cute!

Misumi: Ehehe, I’m glad I got a good picture.

Kumon: I like that you can really feel that the gift is something special~. I hope you like my present for you, too.

Misumi: Thanks, Kumon~!

san-kaku

I got a good luck charm and a memorable coin~. Thank you both of you~! Birthday treasure hunt!

#△△△

[ ⇠ Previous Part ]

[1moreff-creator]

Happy Birthday Nico Hakobyan!

Meow meow! (Our favorite cat person's birthday has arrived!)

Mrow. (As always, small character analysis + fun facts + songs!)

CW Transphobia, bullying, blackmail, death threats, murder attempt

-Nico is the Ultimate Pet Therapist! This is because, as they've explicitly stated, they like interacting with animals more than humans. They feel as though there are many unwritten rules of human conversation they don't fully understand, while animals are a lot simpler by comparison. Mood.

-Their secret may also play into why they prefer interaction with animals. It was "No one accepted you for your identity. You were constantly mocked by your family, your peers, and everyone else." Basically, people made fun of them because they're non-binary, to the point apparently they threw rocks and mud at them :(

-Speaking of secrets, the quote on Mai's page associated to them is "Everyone confided in her." Presumably they came out to Mai out of their own will, instead of being essentially outed by David (which is one of the many morally wrong things with David's whole "sharing secrets" operation, but this ain't about him).

-And speaking of secret quotes, the one on Nico's page's source code is "Why should I own up for the mistakes that someone else made?" A bit vague, and one which will probably only make sense with future context. Although, it may actually be referencing something we already saw.

-Time to talk about The Gym Incident.

-Ace got Nico's secret at the start of CH2, and because of his own set of issues, he decided to use this power over Nico to bully them relentlessly. Now, Nico also got Ace's secret, but for one reason or another never brought it up. Possibly because they had a "better" idea for how to stop the bullying: in the heat of the moment, Nico threatened to kill Ace. I mean, killing the guy is a lot simpler than the blackmail equivalent of mutually assured destruction, and we know how Nico feels about complicated social rules and norms.

-Thankfully Hu stepped in before things escalated further, although her method might have been, uh, flawed. Giving her friend the benefit of the doubt, she blamed Ace for everything and slapped him. Which, yes, Ace was horrible to Nico. But the death threat should probably be addressed, shouldn't it? Or should they "not be forced to apologize for someone else's mistake?"

-One thing led to another, and Nico tried to kill Ace in the gym.

-To be fair, the whole situation is still surrounded in speculation, but they have admitted to it. To be clear, I don't actually think this is the situation their secret quote refers to, since they did say "I shouldn't have done that" in the trial, so they presumably feel enough remorse to feel like maybe they should apologize, even if Ace is far from blameless. Or maybe I'm wrong and this is the situation the quote refers to, who knows.

-Additionally, they never denied stealing Rose's turpentine to pull this off, so it's very possible they did.

-Oh, yeah! Nico and Rose and friends :D (or at least they were before the turpentine thing). They shared an FTE, which only had a 0,4% chance of happening apparently :O

-It's a very sweet one, where they vibe for a few minutes without talking, then call each other cats, and talk about their issues with communicating their feelings. It's revealed Nico has a pet cat named Tractor (because he meows very loudly), which is pretty old, and that they miss other cats they knew before the killing game. Also, when Rose brings up she's scared of what she knows because of her memory, Nico drops this while thinking of the killing game:

Nico [thought]: Everyone here probably is afraid of themselves and what they might end up doing.

Foreshadowing is a narrative device-

-Their numeral in the the David MV is VIII (8), which is "even if I try to think, IDK!!!". Explained at 1:58:22 in this video, though it's not too complex.

-According to Color Theory they get light blue, with the words "cry, cry, idk!!!" I don't think I need to explain why this applies to Nico, who might actually have more crying sprites than the rest of the cast combined (I don't think that's true, but you get the idea). Mood.

-Their birthday, December 19th, lands on National Hard Candy Day, National Harry (yes the name) Day, National Oatmeal Muffin Day, and National Emo Day, among others. At this point I'm no longer surprised by these things.

Fun facts!

-They like cat-themed things and dislike bathtubs. Cat behavior.

-Like most of the cast, they're American, right-handed, their sexuality is unconfirmed and their hair color is natural.

-They don't have a favorite color, as they are not interested in such things, but their least favorite is white. They find it unsettling.

-Nico cuts their own hair, as stated in their FTE.

-Their favorite ice cream flavor is "the flavor." No elaboration. Mood.

-They smell like a kitty-cat.

-Their favorite food is unprocessed and natural food.

Songs!

(I was really tempted to give them some of Muu's songs from Milgram, but whether or not they work depends on what their secret quote actually means so :p)

+The Chattering Lack of Common Sense by Ghost & Pals

+Scapeg∞at by Ghost & Pals

+God-ish by PinnochioP

+Karma by CreepP, CircusP

+Nobody Makes Sense by PinnochioP

+Monster by KIRA (listen evil Nico lives rent free in my head ok?)

+The Spider and the Kitsune-Like Lion by MASA Works Design (So about the evil Nico thing-)

+And Happy Birthday! Sung by kitties of course.

(Wow I did not have a lot for them rip)

[eliza-rivers]

*puts cockroach on pillow* Mrow! Happy birthday Eliza!

thank you my child. I love you. I think.

[genshinpng]

Kirara's Birthday Letter (2024)

The Best Holiday!

Mrow… It's been so cold lately, that I can't even stretch my tail out of my box at night! But once the weather gets cold, I know my "birthday" is coming up! To be more precise, it's the day I stopped being a normal cat and started being a youkai.

A birthday truly is such a happy day! All my colleagues at the Komaniya Express give me gifts and treat me to all kinds of delicious snacks, and the boss even gives a special approval for a paid day off! It's simply the best holiday in human society!

Though what I really want to do is turn back into a little cat, go back home, and eat the nekomanma Granny makes for me.

Will you come along? As long as I rub against your leg, Granny will know you're my friend!

If I could curl up into a little ball and sleep by the fire while you tell awesome adventure stories, that would be purrfect!

[ask-sodo-ghoul]

Happy birthday

Mrow

[vivid-badsquad]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

mrow tyyy ^-^

[tonguetiedraven]

Hey ik its prety late for this lol but could you write smth small for Ryuuji's birthday? Like maybe smth where Ryuuji is tryning to blow it off but Rin keeps trying to make it a huge thing?

I was unfortunately asleep when this got sent, so I missed it (and posting it on Ryuuji’s bday) so I figured I’d just post it on mine, lol.

Thank you for the prompt! <3

— — — — —

“Rin, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Is so!”

It was always a little funny how much Rin seemed to flare when he was indignant. There were no actual flames (this time) but Ryuuji could so easily see them in his mind.

“It’s just a day. Just a—“

“Just a day?! It’s your birthday!”

“It’s not even a—“

“I,” Rin growled as he stomped closer to Ryuuji, “already missed your sixteenth birthday—and no, I’m not over that yet—I’m not missing this one.”

“Fine," Ryuuji sighed, wanting to be more frustrated than he really was. “We can have dinner together? Will that make you happy?”

Rin stuck his lip out in an immediate pout. “But it’s supposed to make you happy.”

“Rin,” Ryuuji grabbed Rin’s hand in both of his and brought it to his chest, “will you please have dinner with me on my birthday? You’d make me very happy.”

The pout turned into a scowl that made Rin’s eyes flicker. Ryuuji loved the way they always seemed alight with flames. Even when they were irritated flames.

“I’m gonna say yes because it’s what I wanted, but you’re a dick.”

“Hey,” Ryuuji let go of the hand to playfully push at his stubborn boyfriend. “Is that anyway to talk to the birthday boy?”

Rin pushed him back. “It’s not your birthday yet.”

Ryuuji thought that was the end of it, but he forgot just how stubborn the boy he fell in love with was. When Rin decided something needed to be a thing, it was going to be a thing.

(˵◕v◕˵)ﾊ┌iiiiii┐( ˵`◡‘˵ )

It had, all in all, been a good day. The last week of summer vacation was almost here, and the school was beginning to fill up with students again. Ryuuji was enjoying the less populated places as much as he could and working extra hard to add another summons to his dragoon repertoire. Varuna was great and all, but he wanted to have something earth based for the missions that Shiemi couldn’t help on.

Lightning had given him a lot of files to organize, and left him alone to actually organize them, and that had been a nice finish to the afternoon. He’d seen Rin for breakfast and gotten surprised several times for ‘birthday kisses’ which were rapid fire kisses that were supposed to amount to seventeen, but Buddha love him, Rin was horrible at math so it ended up being anywhere from thirteen to twenty four.

(Ryuuji only commented on the ones that were less than seventeen.)

He’d enjoyed a quick lunch with Renzou and Konekomaru, and he imagined that dinner would be the end of the ‘celebrations.’ His parents had already called, he’d received a flurry of texts from the Myodha, and a recording of Kinzou ‘singing’ happy birthday that left him mildly deaf.

The old dorm was as creepy as ever despite the homey touches the twins tried to push on it. The little flowers, all bright and blooming somehow made the dreary and drab walls of the building look all the more dreary and drab, and the fresh scent of their citrusy cleaners just made the slight undertone of mildew all the more apparent.

Ryuuji loved it anyway and pushed the door open, only a little annoyed to find it unlocked. The lights hadn’t been left on in the hallway, which had him turning to the right to jog up the stairs for the twins’ dorm room. He used the flashlight on his phone, not wanting to bother to make the trek to the light switches and knowing that Kuro would probably keep anything dangerous out.

Rin’s dorm was empty – which was strange because he was fairly certain Yukio didn’t have any exorcist assignments even if Rin wasn’t there—and it occurred to Ryuuji that he had been silly coming up here at all. He’d gone with the assumption that they would be eating out, but of course his boyfriend was making a meal. Cooking was how Rin showed his love most of the time, and with how seriously he was taking this birthday thing, there was no way he just let it pass with takeout or one of the cheaper True Cross options.

Nope. Rin would obviously be in the kitchen.

Ryuuji made the trek back down there and waved a hello at Kuro when he passed him in the hall. The cat yowled as he walked, and it was strange enough to make Ryuuji pause.

“Uh, you okay?”

Kuro yowled again and jumped up onto his shoulder. Ryuuji startled at the unexpected move, and got his cheek head butted and nuzzled.

“Mrow.”

Okay. Ryuuji shrugged off the strange behavior and moved towards the dark cafeteria. He pushed the door open, peered inside, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the light on in the kitchen. He made a beeline for the light, anticipating something delicious and some cuddles. (Which he would never admit to adoring.)

Halfway across the strangely dark cafeteria, Kuro’s claws dug into his shoulder. He tripped to a surprise stop, hissing a bit in pain, and moving to get the cat sidhe off.

There was the sound of a small explosion, lights springing on everywhere, something colorful filling his vision, and a chorus of: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

Ryuuji yelped and reached for the gun he kept on his hip (even on dates because Rin attracted trouble like some kind of damned magnet) and paused as he realized the colorful stuff was confetti and the voices were his friends.

The entire cafeteria had been covered in streamers and colorful cut outs in shapes he couldn’t hope to decipher (because he was the one with the paper craft skills in this ridiculous group), balloons had been tied to almost every chair, there were bits of colorful paper all over the floor in homemade confetti, Nee had grown a selection of flowers he recognized from his mother’s garden, and cucumbers (his favorite vegetable, which would crack him up later.)

Yamantaka, Nee, Mike and Uke were all sporting little birthday hats, and the humans all had paper hats as well, with little pompoms stuck to the top.

Rin hurried forward, tail wagging furiously behind him (he’d tied a bit of colorful curly ribbon to the end like it was a present, and Ryuuji loved this ridiculous boy so damn much) and grabbed Ryuuji’s head to put a hat on top of his head as well.

“Surprise!” He cheered, beaming up at Ryuuji as the others all shifted closer. (Konekomaru, Renzou, Izumo, Yukio, Shiemi, Takara, Godaiin, Paku, they were all here. Even Shura and Lightning.)

“I—“

Rin pushed up on his heels (and still had to pull Ryuuji down a little) and pressed a loud kiss to his blushing cheek while Kuro made his weird chittering laugh. (Where had the cat sidhe gotten a birthday hat?!)

“I told you,” Rin said with fire flickering in his eyes and making him look all sparkly with happiness, “it’s a big deal!”

“Might as well just enjoy yourself, Bon.” Renzou brought a spinning noisemaker over and put it in his hands while Lightning spun both his own and blew one.

There was cake and presents, appetizers and an actual meal, music and games, and even if he was uncomfortable with so much attention and birthdays really weren’t that big of  deal, Ryuuji squeezed Rin’s hand and mouthed a bashful Thank you to his boyfriend that made him seem to ignite with giddiness.

He got his cuddles after all, even if they were done during a few rounds of Never Have I Ever.

(He couldn’t wait to plan something for Rin (and Yukio’s) birthday.

[sunlit-squid]

I don't care about everyone else! i care about you, SQUIDWARD! (simping softness asks)

For those who don’t know, my ask box is open. Send me a simping softness prompt, and I’ll write a short sbsp ficlet for you. ✰

so, uh -- i might have gotten a bit carried away with this prompt. it’s definitely longer than a ficlet, but oh well. either way, it was a lot of fun to write! selfish spongebob is so rarely explored.

fic under the cut. also, just in case, cw: drinking, drunkenness, etc.

Spongebob rose bright and early, long before his foghorn alarm went off at 7:00 a.m. With a cheerful shout, the poriferan jumped out of bed, earning a disgruntled “mrow” from Gary, who was still asleep nearby. Stretching vigorously, the sponge leaned down, planting a soft kiss atop the snail’s shell.

“Gary,” he whispered, practically vibrating with excitement. “Today’s the day!”

Turning away, Gary simply replied “mrow”, in a disdainful way that most certainly meant “whatever.”

Undeterred, Spongebob ran to his calendar. Sure enough, the day’s date -- July 14th -- was circled in bright-red, permanent marker, with the words “My birthday!” written neatly across it. And just below those words, was a tiny drawing of Squidward’s face, with dozens of little red hearts surrounding it.

Making his way over to the window, Spongebob gazed out at Squidward’s moai in the distance. He sighed, dreamily. What was Squidward doing right now? Probably sleeping, in that adorable dress of his.

The sponge lingered there, staring dazedly out at the moai, for perhaps a moment too long. Then, remembering himself, he sprinted to the bathroom. Once inside, Spongebob pointed a finger at his own reflection in the mirror.

“Enough beating around the bush, Mr. Squarepants!” he yelled -- much to Gary’s annoyance. The sponge lowered his voice down to a soft whisper. “Today, you tell him how you feel.”

His reflection simply shrugged. “I mean, okay,” it said. “But this is like, the 57th time you’ve said this.”

“Oh, shush.”

-0-

The party was supposed to start at 6:30, but Spongebob, in a manic cleaning fit, had the entire house ready by noon. This year, the party was themed around As The Tide Turns, a very polarizing-but-popular soap opera, especially in Bikini Bottom. If you were a Bikini Bottomite, you either watched the show genuinely, or ironically -- there was absolutely no in-between.

Spongebob and Squidward both genuinely enjoyed the show. It was one of the first things they bonded over, back when Spongebob started working at the Krusty Krab. Through the window to the galley, the two coworkers would talk for hours about the show, and whatever drama was center-stage for that season.

It got to a point where Mr. Krabs -- who only watched ATTT ironically -- got on them both, for shirking their duties.

“If yer gonna flirt,” he’d said, “do it on yer own time.”

So, Spongebob started coming over to Squidward’s house on Friday nights, when the new episodes would air. In fact, even when the show was between seasons, Spongebob still came over, just to watch reruns. It was one of the few times Squidward would (begrudgingly) let Spongebob inside, with no complaints.

Spongebob hummed softly to himself, his eyes scanning the small clipboard in front of him. Food, decorations, party games … Check, check, and check. Everything was present and accounted for -- and he had to admit, the house looked spectacular.

Every room was themed around a different, iconic arc in the ATTT series. His living room, filled with chalk drawings, crime scene tape, and red-string boards, was inspired by the murder mystery arc. His kitchen, decorated with leftover Halloween gear, was inspired by the vampire arc … and so on and so forth. Each and every room had its own particular, careful design -- and in all, it was probably Spongebob’s most intricate and detailed party to date.

That was because it had to be. Spongebob had a plan, a carefully detailed plan -- one that was sure to sweep Squidward Tentacles right off his … er, tentacles. And it went like this:

Squidward and Spongebob’s favorite arc, in all 42 seasons of As The Tide Turns, was the murder mystery. In the arc, the dashing Detective Heartthrob, accompanied by his sidekick-slash-lover Joey, must bring a heinous mass murderer to justice. At the climax, it is revealed that Detective Heartthrob is the true killer -- having been hypnotized by a witch, who was also his evil twin sister, for some reason. In the end, Joey must kill Detective Heartthrob, in a tragic display of love and sacrifice.

The season was thrilling, silly, and emotionally traumatizing, to boot. For months after the finale, Squidward and Spongebob would not shut up about it -- much to the annoyance of Mr. Krabs.

Either way, Spongebob had set up an elaborate, original mystery game, inspired by the events of the show. Each attendee would get a “random” card, assigning them a different role in the story. Squidward would be Detective Heartthrob, and Spongebob would be Joey.

Together, they would embark on an original mystery, one that Spongebob had devised all by himself. After he and Squidward solved the mystery together, and the party was over … Spongebob would finally, finally confess his feelings.

Of course, Spongebob had, more or less, rigged the game to ensure this would happen. Which was cheating, sure, but this was for love! So it couldn't possibly go wrong.

-0-

It went wrong. Almost immediately, in fact.

For one, the party started at 6:30 -- and, nearly two hours later, Squidward had yet to show up. Spongebob spent those first two hours lingering by the door, staring out the window towards the moai, and forgetting to refill the punch bowl. Sandy, ever the observant one, noticed immediately.

Pulling Spongebob aside, she asked, in a hushed voice, “Hey, partner. You good?”

“Oh, I’m -- I’m great!” chirped Spongebob, putting on his worst, most unconvincing smile. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Uh-huh,” said Sandy, flatly. “This about Squidward?”

Spongebob blushed, immediately. The squirrel sighed.

“I thought so,” she mumbled, folding her arms across her chest. “Did he say he was gonna come?”

The sponge nodded. “He said, ‘I’ll see if I can make it work’, which in Squidward-speak, is practically a yes!” groaned Spongebob, staring up at Sandy with his huge baby blue eyes. “He’ll come, right, Sandy?”

Sandy hesitated. She didn’t really know Squidward that well … but he did seem to have a soft spot for Spongebob. Awkwardly, she replied, “I mean … I can’t say for sure, but he did say he would try. Let’s be patient, okay, Spongebob? Maybe he just got caught up with something.”

Spongebob sighed, then repositioned his face into its usual chipper smile. “Alrighty. You do usually know what’s best, Sandy.”

“I sure do,” she giggled. “Oh, and Spongebob?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t cut his cable this time,” she said, before walking off to get more punch.

-0-

By 9:30, the party started to go a bit haywire. At this point, practically all of Bikini Bottom was at Spongebob’s house, except for Squidward -- and Larry thought it would be a great idea to play Truth Or Dare: Extreme Edition. The rules were pretty much the same as Truth Or Dare: Standard Edition, but with one exception: each subsequent truth or dare had to be more extreme than the last.

It started off alright. A few people were dared to take off their pants, or do a somersault down Conch Street while blindfolded. However, as the game progressed, the stakes grew astronomically. At one point, Patrick was dared to eat half of Spongebob’s pineapple. Later, Sandy was dared to juggle three of Plankton’s bombs, while riding a unicycle. Even later, Larry and Mr. Krabs were dared to switch shells and wrestle -- which wasn’t really destructive. Just disturbing.

The dares were stupid, but if there was one thing Bikini Bottomites had, it was a complete lack of common sense. Or any sense, really.

It certainly didn’t help that as the night progressed, the partygoers grew more and more … inebriated. The punch itself was non-alcoholic, but apparently, Karen and Plankton had taken it upon themselves to bring their own alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.

By 10:30, Squidward still hadn’t shown up yet. Several people had either passed out or thrown up. And the pineapple was a complete disaster.

Spongebob sighed. He was seated on his living room sofa now, watching as the partygoers reveled inside (and outside) his home. Of course, the sponge was happy they were enjoying themselves -- but this day was supposed to be about him, and … well, nothing had gone as planned. His entire house was destroyed, it would take days to clean up the mess -- and Squidward hadn’t even bothered to show up! The nerve.

“Hey Patrick,” muttered Spongebob, waving a tired yellow hand at his drunken best friend.

Immediately, the starfish stumbled over to him, drink in hand. “Wha… haha … whasss’ up, Spunchblarb?” he slurred.

Spongebob pointed to the drink in Patrick’s hand. “Could I have that?”

Patrick grinned widely. “Yeeeeeahh! Now -- now, yer talkin’, buddy!” And with that, the starfish handed Spongebob his first drink of the night.

-0-

About three drinks in, Spongebob Squarepants was well and truly intoxicated. Which was nice, in a way. Now, the world was a weird, misty haze, and he didn’t have to worry about his pineapple being destroyed, or his party being ruined, or Squidward, or whatever. Now, he could just be peacefully drunk and stupid, just like everybody else in his house. Blissfully unaware of the world around them.

As the night went on, Spongebob began losing track of time. What time was it? Midnight? 3:00 a.m.? Did it even matter?

Over the course of one very stupid evening, Spongebob made more than a few bad decisions. For one, he bought like, ten mops online. Which was both counterproductive (he was a sponge) and financially irresponsible (he was also a frycook). Later, the sponge swam to the surface of the ocean to see how long he could breathe without water. He fainted within the first ten seconds, and had to be retrieved by Larry. After that, the night became a dizzying blur. Spongebob was certain he had been driving, at one point, and also dancing, and maybe singing?

Either way, several hours later, Spongebob was still dancing in his living room, a lampshade stuck on his head, when he felt something on his shoulder. Turning woozily, the sponge tried to get into “kara-tay” position, and ultimately failed.

“Who -- what -- stay back! I’m warning you!” shouted the sponge. “I know … er, kar .. karat … carrots?”

There was a familiar sigh, then a soft chuckle. “Oh, you moron,” came a voice, a voice that Spongebob loved so dearly, even in this drunken state. “You’re drunk, aren’t you?”

“Squ … squib … ?”

“Yeah,” said Squidward, wrenching the lampshade off of Spongebob’s head. “It’s me. Sorry I’m late.”

Spongebob looked up at Squidward -- and in his inebriated, hazy stupor, he couldn’t take it. He loved him so much, and for so long. It hurt. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes. “Squi -- Squidward, you -- you came,” the sponge stammered, his bottom lip quivering. “I -- I didn’t think …”

“Hush,” said Squidward, looking around the room. “This is, uh … wow, you really had a rager, huh? I didn’t think you had it in you, Spongebob.”

Stepping away, Squidward began picking up random items off the floor -- the punch bowl, some photographs, and a spilled carton of milk. The octopus had to step over and around several bodies, which were lying passed out on Spongebob’s floor.

“Listen, I’m gonna try and find a way to get everyone home,” said Squidward, sifting his way through the pile of garbage and bodies. “Everyone else is knocked out -- ”

Spongebob had had it. He’d had enough. He’d planned out this whole day perfectly, just for Squidward to not show up, for his whole house to be demolished in the chaos. Sure, he was glad everyone had a good time, but deep down, Spongebob was a little selfish, and deep down --

“I don’t care about everyone else!” shouted Spongebob, clenching his fists at his sides. “I care about you, Squidward!”

Squidward, startled, nearly dropped everything he was holding -- and before he could properly respond, Spongebob fell over, unconscious.

-0-

For once, Spongebob didn’t wake up to the sound of his foghorn. Instead, he woke up to the sound of the television nearby. Very soft dialogue wafted its way over to the sponge, bathing him in its pleasant familiarity.

“Why, Joey, I think you’re right -- the killer is closer than we seem to think!”

“Then we best get cracking, Detective Heartthrob!”

Groaning, Spongebob sat up -- a dull, throbbing pain coursing through his skull. Dear Neptune. What happened last night? There was the party, the drinking, and … Squidward, maybe? Spongebob felt his heart drop at the thought of his neighbor, and sighed. He hadn’t gotten to tell Squidward how he felt. Attempt 57 had failed. Miserably.

Blinking slowly, the sponge looked around, and with surprise noted that his bedroom was not a mess, like it had been during the party. In fact, it was squeaky clean. The only thing out of place was the living room television, which had been moved to the end of Spongebob’s bed. The TV was playing an old rerun of As The Tide Turns, from the murder mystery arc. A smile tugged at Spongebob’s lips. How ironic.

Wait a minute. Who moved the TV?

Just then, there were footsteps on the stairs -- the tell-tale pat-pat-pat-pat of someone with four legs. Squidward. He was still here! Steeling himself, Spongebob sat at attention, gripping the blankets tightly.

When Squidward entered, he was holding a tray of food and wearing a long pink apron. When he saw that Spongebob was now conscious, the octopus jumped, nearly dropped the food, then steadied himself just in time.

“Squidward!” said Spongebob, cheerily. “You’re here!”

“Of course I’m here, you nitwit,” muttered Squidward. “Who else was gonna clean up that messy party of yours?”

Squidward crossed the room to place the food tray on Spongebob’s nightstand. Once there, the octopus shoved a glass of water and two pills into the poriferan’s hands, with one simple command: “Drink.”

Spongebob did so, gratefully. Then, he asked, “The party … what all happened?”

“I don’t know, but it was a mess,” sighed Squidward. “I’m pretty sure half the town was completely passed out by the time I got here. I’m surprised the cops didn’t get involved.”

“Oh,” said Spongebob, feeling very guilty all of a sudden. “Did -- did everyone get home okay?”

“Yeah,” said Squidward. “Listen, don’t -- don’t worry about it, okay? I took care of everything. Your house is clean, Gary is fed, everyone got home. That’s all.” Squidward’s cheeks were stained red.

Spongebob smiled, his heart jumping happily in his chest. “Thank you, Squidward.”

After a moment of silence, Squidward brought the food tray up to Spongebob’s lap. “You should … you should eat that,” he muttered, then took a deep breath. “Look, I … I’m sorry I was so late, alright? The truth is, I … I got caught up.”

With a mouthful of food, Spongebob asked, “Wif whaf?”

Squidward grimaced. “You’re disgusting,” he snapped, then looked away, blushing brightly. “Anyway, I … was trying to get ahold of your birthday present. It was supposed to be delivered here, to Conch Street, yesterday -- but I guess there was a mix-up, and it was instead delivered to Conch Road, which is … in an entirely different town. Several hours away.”

Spongebob blinked. “You drove all the way to get it?”

Squidward scowled. “Whatever,” he snapped, pulling a small red present box from beneath Spongebob’s bed. “Either way, it’s here. So, I guess … open it, maybe.”

Shoveling down the rest of his food (much to Squidward’s disgust), the sponge quickly shredded the pristine red wrapping paper to reveal -- a boxed set of the entire As The Tide Turns series. The extended edition, with all the bonus scenes and commentary tracks. And to top it all off -- the box was signed by the stars of the show.

Spongebob looked up at Squidward, eyes shimmering with shock and awe. “Squidward, this is -- this is amazing, I thought they didn’t sell these anymore!”

“Oh, trust me,” said Squidward, shuddering. “You have no idea what I had to do to get my hands on that.”

“Let me guess,” said Spongebob, holding up two yellow hands to form finger-guns. In his best Joey impression, the sponge said, “You had to kill a lotta folks, didn’t ya, Detective Heartthrob?”

Squidward chuckled immediately. In one suave motion, he leaned against Spongebob’s bed, and pointed a finger-gun of his own. In his best Detective Heartthrob impression, the octopus replied, “I did, and I don’t regret it at all, Joey!”

The two laughed for a good long while. Then, suddenly embarrassed once more, Squidward looked away. Taking a deep breath, the octopus said, “Look, Sponge, I -- last night, you said something kinda weird, and I wanted to know if -- if maybe --”

“Huh?”

“You said -- you only cared about me, not anyone else, and I -- I wanted to ask,” stammered Squidward, “... what exactly … you meant by that.”

Spongebob’s eyes widened. Oh, barnacles. Did he really say that? Well … there was no hiding it now. Gripping his sheets tight, Spongebob steeled himself for what was to come. “It means I … I wanna keep hanging out with you, Squidward,” said the sponge, staring down at his yellow knuckles. “I wanna hang out with you more than anyone else.”

Squidward swallowed, hard. “Sponge, what are you saying?”

Spongebob looked up. Their eyes met. “I like you,” said the sponge, smiling nervously. “A … a lot.”

A long moment of silence passed. Spongebob’s heart hammered furiously at his chest. Then, Squidward sighed, and picked up the ATTT boxed set. Walking over to Spongebob’s TV, the octopus inserted the first disc, grabbed the remote, and returned to Spongebob’s side.

Lifting the blankets, the octopus said, “Scooch over.”

Spongebob blinked, then did as instructed. “Why?” he asked.

“You really are an idiot,” muttered Squidward, climbing into bed with him. “It’s a Sunday, the Krusty Krab is closed, and we have a whole boxed set to watch together. Might as well start now.”

Spongebob smiled, happily. “So -- so you -- ”

Squidward rolled his eyes. “If you must know, yes, I … I like you,” he snapped. “I’m not gonna drive halfway across the ocean floor for just anybody, you know.”

Spongebob grinned stupidly. “I guess not.”

With that, the show began, its melodramatic theme tune echoing pleasantly across Spongebob’s pineapple home. And just below the bed, Gary let out a soft, contended meow -- which almost certainly meant “finally.”

-0-

References:

The line about cutting Squidward’s cable is a reference to the episode “Party Pooper Pants”, in which Spongebob cuts Squidward’s cable to get him to come over for a party.

[catrasredemption-moved]

i’m sure you’ve gotten this ask a million times but catra struggling with her birthday, if she even deserves the love she’s getting, adora giving her more in response, something cute and hurt/comfort like that

I actually haven’t, and I wrote a nice fluffy thing for y’all and everything, and.... okay let’s ruin it. -------------------------------------

A good day didn’t always mean a good night of sleep.

It was nothing particularly pointed - no ghosts talking to her, no friends reminding her what a terrible person she was, no city to stand over and watch burn. Just reliving everything - seeing the first time she fought Adora, kidnapping Bow and Glimmer from princess prom, banishing Entrapta, tearing Scorpia down bit by bit-

Catra gasped as her eyes flew open. Melog was half on top of her, nudging her cheek, licking away the tears that had fallen. Adora was still sleeping, breathing deep and even, face peaceful. 

Don’t wake her up. Don’t wake her up, she’s happy, she had a good day, she had so much fun, don’t wake her up, don’t wake her up, don’t-

Melog leaned over her and gently headbutted Adora. She immediately jerked awake, groggy. 

“Wha-”

Catra huffed, trying to scold Melog and realizing there was a distressing lack of air in her lungs. Adora sat up quickly, pulling Catra with her. “Hey, what’s wrong? It’s okay, you’re okay, deep breaths...”

She rubbed Catra’s back as she spoke, so gentle, so kind. Nothing she deserved.

A strangled sob wrestled its way out of her throat as she ducked her head, trying to hide the fresh wave of tears. Adora brushed her fingers through short, soft hair, still whispering that it was okay, everything was okay, she was okay...

Yeah, I’m okay. Maybe that’s the problem.

She took the comfort, selfishly, curling into Adora’s lap until her breathing calmed. Adora hummed, playing with her hair and rocking her. “Better?” she murmured. Catra shook her head. “What’s wrong?”

Don’t say it, it’s selfish. It’s selfish. You shouldn’t have even woken her up. She and Glimmer and Bow wasted so much time trying to give you a good birthday you don’t deserve-

Melog lifted themselves to rest on her back, squishing her into Adora’s back. She groaned. “Melog, knock it off-”

“Mrow.” Talk to her.

“No.” Melog grew slightly, putting more weight on her. “Ow - okay, okay!”

Melog purred, shrinking down to curl up next to the girls. Adora pulled away to look at Catra, raising an eyebrow. “I... I didn’t deserve any of this. Today. The gifts. Anything.”

“Hey.” Adora nudged her gently. “That’s not true. We did all this because we wanted to do something nice for you. We love you.”

“Well, maybe I don’t deserve that!” Catra shoved away, curling in on herself. Adora sighed faintly, pulling away. Maybe she was finally sick of Catra’s shit...

Then she was back, taking Catra’s hand and pressing something small and cool into it. Catra automatically brushed her thumb against it, recognizing the texture, the ridges. Adora’s Bright Moon pin.

“I love you,” she murmured. “Please stop being mean to the woman I love.”

Catra’s eyes filled with tears even as she laughed. “You’re such a dork.”

“Sure, but you took the pin, so what does that make you?”

“Someone who loves a dork.” She finally turned to press her face into Adora’s shoulder, sighing. “When I was... with Horde Prime... you know, after I sent Glimmer away... I dreamed a lot. He kept me asleep so he could fuck with my head without me fighting back. And I’d dream about... about being with you, just like this, and we’d be happy. And the only reason I know this is real is because the dreams didn’t hurt like this.” Adora’s arms tightened around Catra’s waist; she kissed the scars on the back of Catra’s neck. “Sometimes I feel like I should wake up and be back there. Like all of this has just been some... cruel twisted game he’s playing to make me feel worse when he pulls me out of it. And I’d deserve it, wouldn’t I? That... That was supposed to be it for me. The only thing I could do to make up for all the terrible things I did.”

“But it’s not,” Adora argued. “You do things every day to make up for what you did. You’re helping Scorpia figure out how to run a kingdom, you’re working in Salineas, you’re working with Glimmer... honestly I’m not sure what you do with Glimmer, but she seems a lot more organized. Every single day you accomplish more here, alive, than you would have by dying. At the very least, I think you’ve earned a good birthday. And everyone was happy to help make that happen.”

Catra sniffed, wiping her eyes. “I guess...”

“I know it’s hard to believe.” Adora kissed her temple. “But can you at least try and let us love you? Or believe that we think you’re good enough?”

Silence fell for a moment, save for the whispering babble of the waterfall. Finally, Catra scoffed. “Of course I believe you think I’m good enough. You’re such a bleeding heart.”

“Rude.” But Adora laughed anyway. Catra let out a long breath and closed her eyes, leaning a little more on Adora’s chest.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” The words were said without hesitation. Maybe, for now at least, she could believe she deserved that much.

[lemon--berry]

omg happy birthday!!!! <3<3<3<3 awooo!

aw tysm!!! 🥺🥺🥺 <3333333 mrow uwu

[asirensrage]

It's @vixenofcourse's birthday!!!

Everyone say "Happy Birthday!" Vix, you have been such a wonderful friend and supporter! I honestly can't say that I would have finished writing AoS without you pushing me and asking questions, nor would my other fics like Tammy Thompson Takes on the Upside Down or It's Always Darkest Before the (Second) Dawn even exist. Thank you for being you. I am so glad I wrote AoS because we're friends now because of it. I hope you have a fantastic birthday.

Now, when I asked her what she wanted as a gift, she gave me a list to choose from of things to write: - somebody discovering what a doting cat!day Erudite!Eric is with Dio (from the AoS AU! fic I'm writing) - Steve and Kate (from Tammy Thompson Takes on the Upside Down) confessing their feelings to each other (does not have to be kept in the fic) - Sofie and Anton being romantic in front of Hermione and Aleksander (who are together and thinking they're not in the same league) (from It's Always Darkest Before the (Second) Dawn) -Quest and Eric having antagonistic sexy times. (from untitled Divergent fic)

She gave me free rein to choose one and follow the muse. You'll have to forgive any errors with this lol. I don't know how well it turned out. There are no promises that this will go the same way when I eventually write it in the fic. So I hope you enjoy it and have a great bday!

Erudite!Eric with Dio

She isn’t sure how to react. It’s not like she’s known him long, but Eric was generally stoic with other people. This...this was something else.

“I hear you,” she heard him say. “Hold on.” He reached into the bag at his side and pulled something out. “Here you go. Got it?” He held it up to his hood and she watched as a small orange thing bit it out of his hand. There was an animal in his hood. Now that was interesting. Eric hadn’t seemed the type. It explained the hair on his clothes though.

She leaned against the doorway and watched. There was a soft “mrow” sound before the orange thing popped its head out and started climbing out of the hood. It got all the way to his shoulders before Eric picked it up.

“What did we talk about?” he asked it softly. “You have to stay there.” He pet its head. His hand seemed giant in comparison. The small cat, for it was a cat she finally realized, pushed its head up against his hand before reaching out and clawing at his jacket. Eric brought the thing closer and the cat proceeded to climb up and rub its head against his chin.

“Alright, that’s enough.” His tone got a bit more stern. “We’ll work on your tricks when we get home. In you go.” He lifted it and with some maneuvering, placed the kitten back into his hood. “Stay.”

He reached out and grabbed another piece of whatever it was that he had given the cat in the first place. He dropped it in his hood and got back to work.

“I didn’t take you for an animal lover,” she called out.

Eric turned to face her. “Joanna. I didn’t see you there.”

“Don’t get up,” she said, motioning him to stay crouched down. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Who’s your friend?”

Eric stood regardless. “Dio. She found me a couple weeks ago.”

“She must sense your good nature,” she said softly, reaching up to see the kitten.

Eric snorted. “I fed her and she hasn’t left me since.”

“I’m surprised Erudite allows you to keep her.”

Eric met her eyes. “They don’t know.” His tone had hardened.

Joanna smiled lightly. “They won’t hear it from me. She’s a good companion for you.”

He nodded. “I appreciate that.”

“I’ll let you get back to your work. Let me know if you need anything for her care.”

He stared at her for a moment, looking as if he was trying to gauge whether or not she was serious, or if he would owe her for it. “Thank you.”

She nodded back and turned to leave him in peace. She smiled to herself as she walked away. For as serious as Eric was, the kitten was clearly good for him. Hopefully, it would help temper his stoic nature and let him relax around people.

---

Steve and Kate: Confession

“Can we talk?”

I turned to look at Steve. We had been walking in silence for at least ten minutes. It wasn’t anything new, the silence and been comfortable, but any time someone uttered those words, it always caused dread to form in the pit of my stomach. No one liked to be told we need to talk.

“Sure,” I said lightly. “What’s up?” Steve stopped walking and I turned to face him. “You okay?”

“I want to tell you something and I want you to listen, like actually listen Kate. Okay?”

I frowned slightly but nodded.

“We’ve been friends for over a year now, right? And it’s good, I like being friends with you but it’s been…” he trailed off for a moment and looked away. He ran a hand through his hair. “We’ve been together through a lot, and at first it was crazy and I had never expected someone like Tammy to get involved but I realized that I’ve always known you as Kate. Kate’s the one who will jump into a hole first just to make sure it’s safe for the kids, or who withstands torture and makes sure I don’t do something stupid that’s going to endanger them. I thought you were a badass, but then I learned the truth and you became so much more. I know…” he swallowed. “I know you kept people at a distance because you’re different from us. I don’t care.”

I looked at him, totally confused. “What?”

“I don’t care that you’re different. I don’t care that you’re from the future or whatever. I just...I like you, Kate, really like you and half the time we’re together I think about what it would be like to kiss you and I don’t want you to be scared or tell me it’s not possible because I think it is. I think you and me...we deserve a chance to be more than friends, right?”

I stared at him, stunned. “Steve....”

“Please don’t argue with me. If you don’t like me like that, then tell me, but I think you do and I think you’re hesitating because you’re scared and you don’t have to be. I mean, aside from the fact that you can kick my ass, but I’m not going to hurt you Kate and you won’t hurt me.”

He wasn’t wrong. I did like Steve. More than I had any right to. He had proven himself over and over to be strong, helpful...and more importantly, he was charming and steadfast. I liked that I didn’t have to hide with him. The longer I spent with him, the less awkward it felt. I didn’t feel like I was still 28 and trapped while surrounded by kids. I felt like he and I were on equal footing in this constant battle against monsters and governments. It also oddly helped that we both kept getting involved in looking after the kids who just dove into these situations head first without looking back.

“Are you sure?” I asked softly.

“More than anything,” he said. He took my hands in his and stepped closer. “Let me prove it.”

“How?”

“Well, first we’ll go on a date. Maybe the movies, grab some food. If it goes well, I can kiss you goodnight, drive you home and we do it again. And again.”

“Kissing?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Not that I was opposed but it was an odd way to phrase it.

“Dating.”

I considered for a moment before I looked at him. “One condition.”

“Name it.”

“Kiss me now. If there’s no chemistry, we forget this. If there is...then I’ll go on the date.”

He didn’t respond. At least, not with words. He stepped closer before he let go of one of my hands. He touched my cheek softly before tilting my face up. My eyes closed automatically as his lips met mine. This should have been weird. This should have felt...god how long had it been since I kissed someone?

My hand went to the back of his neck, trying to keep him there. His mouth moved against mine slowly, almost tentatively like he wasn’t sure or at least didn’t want to break me. I let go of his other hand and gripped the front of his shirt. His arm went around my waist, pulling me against him.

The kiss deepened and for a moment I forgot everything except the boy holding me. We broke the kiss and inhaled deeply. I hadn’t even realized I had barely been breathing. Steve grinned at me.

“How’s that for chemistry?”

I burst out laughing at the cheesy comment. I couldn’t help it. “I think you pass.”

His smile widened. “You mean we did.”

I couldn’t help but smile back. “Guess so.”

---

Isn't It Romantic: Hermione and Aleksander

She couldn’t take her eyes off of them. It wasn’t that she didn’t know that they were together, she did. The age difference didn’t matter. Not when she knew how long Grisha could live. It was just that they were adorable.

This was the first time she had actually seen them together as a couple. She had met them separately and while she had been surprised that they were...lovers, it made perfect sense. At least now that she had seen them together.

Sofie and Anton were dancing. Despite being surrounded by other couples, they stood out. Anton stared at Sofie as if she was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. He had a devious smile as he bent to whisper in her ear. Sofie laughed at whatever he had said. Her affection for him was clear though on her face. Her gaze softened as she looked at him.

“Spying?” Aleksander asked as he stepped up next to her.

“It’s not spying if we’re at a ball,” she said. “And I’m not spying. I am observing.”

“My apologies,” he said dryly. “I had not realized the acute differences.”

She held back the temptation to elbow him in the stomach. “They look happy.” She nodded towards the odd couple on the dance floor.

Aleksander took a sip of whatever he was drinking as he followed her gaze. “They are.”

“How long have they been together?” she asked softly.

“Three years now. Anton pursued her quite ardently before she allowed him into her bed. He has yet to leave.”

She couldn’t help but laugh slightly. “Well, you can’t blame Sofie. He is rather handsome.”

Aleksander turned to look at her and she ignored the way her cheeks heated | under his gaze. She wasn’t embarrassed by her admission.

“Handsome?”

“Of course. So are Ivan and Fedyor.” She deliberately left his name out.

“Witch,” he said softly, just loud enough that she could hear him. “You are a temptress.”

“I know,” she grinned. She turned back to watch Sofie and Anton. He was leading her through another waltz. Anton may be younger, but Hermione was certain that it was Sofie who needed to be kept up with. The man grinned at them as they passed by and Hermione waved slightly. “I think they have a romance usually found in stories.”

“Oh?”

“How many others do you see who look at each other with the same level of affection that they do?”

There was a moment before he agreed. “It is rare but not wholly uncommon.” She could feel his stare on her again.

It wasn’t that she was not confident in his affection for her, but she doubted even they could obtain the same level that Sofie and Anton had.

“Come, Maya,” he said suddenly. She turned to see him holding out a hand towards her. “Shall we provide them with some competition?”

“A rare sight,” she said while reaching for his hand. “But we can try.”

“Let them have their affection,” Aleksander said while pulling her to the dance floor. He swept her up in his arms quickly, moving her into position. “We have ours.”

She smiled. “Think we’ll win?”

“Failure is never an option.” The music started once more and she allowed him to lead her in the movements. It was easy with him. Aleksander took control and rarely relinquished it. She could trust him to steer her well.

Sofie and Anton might have affection or even more passion than most people, but in Aleksander’s arms, Hermione was certain of one thing. What they had was magic.

Quest and Eric will make their appearance in the future...once they stop arguing. TBC as it goes lol.

[justiisms]

*both snow and eve run up to phan and give her powerful littol mewls before galloping towards the kitchen, revealing arthur who's setting the table while kiryu has bits of frosting on his face, a cake in the shape of a particularly r o u n d bird sitting on the counter!* "Neither of us have tried making something like this before, but we hope it fits in with today's festivities. Happy birthday, Phan."

"Oho! Heheh, mrow to you both, too~!" She giggles, before eagerly following Snowball and Eve to the kitchen! When she gets there, her eyes widen in surprise at the cake upon the counter!

"Arthur! Kazuma! Oh my god, a bird cake! So round, too!!!" She laughs in absolute delight, clasping her hands together as she got a closer look! She looks between the two as he explains, nodding in understanding.

"Ahh, I see! Then you two did such a great job, it looks so deliciously cute~ I love it, I love it! Even better because it's shaped like a bird, heheh... just kidding! You know I would've loved it no matter what kind of cake it was, especially because you both went out of your way to do this for me... ahh, I couldn't ask for better friends~" She chimes, pulling the two into a tight hug, along with giving the kitties soft nuzzles~

"Thank you so much, guys!! I love you all so much! It is absolutely fitting, okay! Now let's enjoy this yummy cake together! That'd make me super happy~!"

[corndog-patrol]

I am anynonymous anyon here to ask u 2 draw my favorites uhhhh :3c? Can you draw my super specific pairing of Eraserhead and mic but mic. Is dressed as a cat but badly and Aizawa has big hots for him UwU it’s my birthday I’m at least >13 I promissse uwu also uhhh can Aizawa be like extra extra sexy and tickling mic the cat this is again an anyonyonmous and I don’t know you but love ur art and it is my birthday

oh wowzerz ;3c happy birthday anon omg dis was almost too spicy to doodles. (mrow) aizawas and mics are having such a good time ohohohoho /^/w/^// <- dis is me blushing kyaaaaaa 

[hibiki-the-beast]

Happy birthday my little kitten 🖤🖤🖤

Thank you, papa! This year there will be no show to celebrate my birthday, but sometimes there is nothing fancy needed. Especially not when you have a family who loves you, mrow.

[baconsoupforthesoul]

How Much for that Kitty in the Window?

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY INKSPOTTIE!!!! @inkspottie (obviously) and I hope you enjoy~

To say that Henry was only a little nervous would have been an understatement. While Henry was a nervous person by nature, the anxiety that often buzzed at the back of his mind was hitting him full force. Henry glanced around at all the little cages around him, wringing his hands as his wife chatted idly with the lady who ran the animal shelter. Lyra had wanted to adopt a cat for some time, but when she had first mentioned the idea to Henry, he almost had a panic attack right then and there. It wasn’t that he was afraid of cats, not at all. He was afraid of himself around cats. He shivered as a memory he had once forgotten washed over him. 

“Not now. Not now,” Henry muttered to himself, trying to shake off the feeling of holding a limp kitten in his hands and Joey Drew’s voice ringing in his ear. Even though the man was dead, the former head of Rapture Studios still haunted Henry in his memories, especially the ones he had regained of the time he had spent as the madman’s test subject. Gosh, how old was he when it had happened? It was hard to say, with how fast he was forced to age back then, but he was pretty sure he couldn’t have been much older than seven when Joey had decided to test how far his ‘Would you kindly?’ conditioning would go. When he had forced Henry to break that kitten’s neck with his bare hands.

Henry sucked in a deep breath, wrapping his arms around himself to keep from breaking down. It had taken all of his courage to come here with Lyra today. After he had told her why he was so reluctant to adopt a cat, she had understood completely. She had been absolutely horrified to hear what Joey had forced him to do, and she didn’t bring up the subject for a long time after that. But Henry could tell she desperately wanted a cat around the place, seeing her longing glances at pet store windows whenever the two of them were out together. Despite his reluctance, Henry found he couldn’t deny Lyra something that she wanted this badly. She loved him despite all his scars and supported him through all the trauma he was still dealing with to this day. This was the least he could do for her. Besides, he didn’t want his past in Rapture to define him. He could move past this… for Lyra.

As Henry was lost in thought, something small and soft tapped his arm. Henry jumped, taking a step back as he turned to see one of the cats reaching out of its cage at him. The cat had white fur with splotches of black that looked kind of like ink drops. The cat looked up at him, giving a soft meow as it reached out to Henry with its paws.

“Uhhhh,” Henry turned his head towards Lyra but she was still deep in conversation, not taking notice of his sudden plight. Henry turned back towards the cat and took a hesitant step forward. “Ummmm, hi there,” Henry’s voice shook as he gave the cat an awkward wave. The cat meowed back at him, its green eyes staring curiously at him. Henry spared Lyra another nervous glance before returning his attention to the cat. This… this was fine. The cat was still in their cage, there was a slim chance that Henry might accidentally hurt the little thing. Hesitantly, Henry reached out and lightly ran his index finger over the top of the cat’s paw. The feline let out a happy little squeak as it reached out for Henry’s hand with his other paw. Henry could feel a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth as he gently pets the cat’s paws, feeling its soft fur under his fingertips. 

“Mrow!” The cat meowed happily as it squashed its face up against the bars as if trying to stick its head through. Henry let out a soft chuckle as he slowly reached his fingers inside the cage and gently rubbed the cat’s head. He let out a soft gasp as the cat started purring with contentment, rubbing its head on his hand as he scratched them behind the ears.

“Did you find a friend there, Henry?” The smaller man jumped slightly, not realizing that Lyra had walked right up beside him. She gave him a knowing smile, causing Henry’s face to flush. Meanwhile, the cat meowed at him again, swatting at his hand with its paws, demanding Henry to continue petting them.

“Oh, I see that Spottie has taken a shine to you!” The shelter worker chimed in. “She’s such a sweet little thing. Do you want me to take her out so you can hold her?”

Henry froze, going as white as a sheet and looking like a deer caught in headlights. Lyra noticed his panic though and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’d love to hold her,” she offered, saving Henry from having to explain why the thought of holding a cat terrified him. The shelter worker smiled, completely obvious to Henry’s alarm, as she went over to unlock the cage. She gently lifted Spottie out and handed her off to Lyra. The biggest grin broke out on Lyra’s face as Spottie meowed happily and rubbed her head underneath Lyra’s chin. “Oh my gosh she’s so precious,” Lyra cooed, her eyes lit up as she held Spottie close to her. “Isn’t she the cutest thing Henry?”

“Y-yeah,” Henry replied, staring lovingly at his wife. Seeing her this happy filled him with joy, washing away his nerves and putting himself at ease. Gosh, how did he get this lucky?

As he stood lovestruck gazing at his wife though, Spottie turned her eyes towards him and began reaching out to him with her paws again, meowing insistently. “Aww, she likes you, Henry!” Lyra exclaimed, ecstatic that the cat was already warming up to her timid husband.

“I guess so,” Henry sounded pleased but unsure as he slowly reached out and began scratching Spottie behind the ears. “I don’t know why though…”

“I can think of a few reasons,” Lyra said teasingly, winking at her husband causing him to blush again, before turning back to the shelter worker. “Is she up for adoption?”

“She most definitely is!” She informed Lyra, looking pleased. “Did you want to bring Spottie home or did you want to keep looking around?”

“I think Spottie has already decided for us,” Lyra chuckled as the cat in her arms nuzzled and licked Henry’s hand. Henry looked completely overwhelmed as he tried to suppress tears of joy. As nervous as he was, he couldn’t help but feel hopeful about his and Lyra’s new furry companion. 

—

Despite having such a wonderful introduction, Henry was still a little anxious around his and Lyra’s new pet. Spottie had made herself right at home these past few weeks, but Henry could still feel his nerves coil up in his stomach whenever he looked at her. It was stupid and irrational, but he was still so terrified that he might hurt her. She just seemed so small and fragile. Henry wouldn’t be able to live with himself if anything bad happened to her. 

Spottie seemed utterly obvious to Henry’s worry though and always seemed to be vying for his affection. Whenever he would walk in the door she’d always be right there, pawing at his leg meowing up a storm, demanding pets. She was so sweet, Henry felt like his heart couldn’t take it sometimes. He just wished he could give the kitty the love she deserved, not freeze up with nerves all the time. He had yet to even pick her up, he was so scared he might hurt her or drop her or something. Gosh, why was he like this?

One day though, as Henry was sitting on the couch, idling flipping through channels waiting for Lyra to come home from work, Spottie decided to take the initiative. Henry wasn’t even paying attention as the cat leaps onto the couch, stalking silently towards him. Suddenly, Henry felt a paw press into his leg and looked down to see Spottie climb onto his lap.

“Uhhhhhh,” Henry’s heart went into overdrive as Spottie stared up at him with big green eyes. “W-whatcha doing there Spottie…?”

“Mrow,” The cat replied with a soft meow, before curling up in Henry’s lap. Henry sat there, completely frozen, his eyes wide with panic. Oh no, what was he supposed to do now? He had a lap full of cat and he was terrified out of his mind. He didn’t want to disturb her, he was stuck until she decided to release him from his prison of cuteness. He could feel the soft rise and fall of Spottie’s chest as she breathed, completely at ease, unlike him.

Henry clenched his eyes shut, trying to fight off his rising panic. He…he needed to calm down. It was just Spottie. He could do this. Henry took a deep breath, slowly opening his eyes, before lifting his arm and running a hand down Spottie’s back. The cat purred with contentment, nuzzling further into Henry’s lap. Henry could feel his bottom lip quiver as he continued stroking the cat, feeling her soft fur under his fingers. Petting Spottie brought up another memory from his time in Rapture, but for once this one wasn’t traumatizing. He remembers feeling sick, unable to get out of bed due to the tests he had undergone when Norman had visited him with his pet dog. He recalls running his fingers through the dog’s fur, completely fascinated by something so commonplace on the surface. It had been a shining moment of happiness between all of his despair. For the longest time, Henry thought that he would never feel such happiness again. It was hard to fathom how much his life had improved after escaping Rapture a second time. He wasn’t alone anymore. He had brothers, friends, a wife, and now this adorable cat just laying in his lap, purring away without a care in the world. Henry sniffed, feeling his emotions bubbling over as the front door swung open.

“Darling! I’m home!” Lyra called, taking off her coat and shoes by the door. She strolled into the living room and stopped when she saw her husband in tears with Spottie laying in his lap.

“Lyra,” Henry choked, looking up to his wife with glossy eyes. “She’s purring,” he sobbed, scratching the top of her head, the sound of the cat’s delight filling the room.

Lyra held her hands up to her chest, her heart hurting from the level of cuteness in the room. “Of course she is,” Lyra murmured, sitting down next to her husband, wrapping an arm around him and rubbing the tears off his cheeks as he sniffled, completely overwhelmed with love. “Are you gonna be alright dear?”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry, I’m just…” Henry wiped the rest of the tears off his face with his sweater sleeve, leaning into his wife’s embrace. “She’s just so…. I never thought that I… I just can’t…”

“Shhhh, it’s okay, I know,” Lyra reassured him, kissing him sweetly on the forehead. “She is pretty precious, isn’t she?”

“You both are,” Henry pointed out, giving his wife a lovestruck grin, before pecking her on the lips. Lyra let out a soft giggle, holding Henry tighter as she joined him in showering Spottie with affection.

—

Henry jolted awake, gasping as he opened his eyes to his pitch-black bedroom. He lay there panting for a moment before looking over at his wife next to him. She was still asleep, thank goodness. He’d woken her enough times with him bolting up in bed screaming from nightmares. He must not have been as loud this time, as her soft snores filled the room as he tried to slow his breathing down. He couldn’t even remember what he had been dreaming about, he could just feel the dread swirling around in his stomach as his whole body tingled with unease. Well, he was wide awake now. Henry stared up at the ceiling, letting out a long sigh. He was tempted to get out of bed and do something but that might wake up Lyra. He wasn’t looking forward to lying in bed as his thoughts spiraled down the negative rabbit hole they usually did when he was left to stop and think. Henry had spent way too many nights contemplating everything that was wrong with him, wondering when all the happiness he had gained would all just slip through his fingers.

As Henry felt his thoughts already taking a headlong dive into depressing what-ifs, he felt something soft bat at his face. He blinked and looked over, squinting at the small dark shape on the bed next to him.

“Spottie?” He said groggily, trying to keep his voice down so as not to disturb his snoozing wife. “What are you up to? It’s…” Henry glanced over at the clock on his bedside table. “It’s four in the morning Spottie. It’s too early for me to feed you.”

“Mrow,” Spottie mewed softly, tilting her head at him curiously. She leaned forward and gently licked the tears Henry hadn’t even noticed were falling down his checks.

“Spottieeee,” Henry whined, gently pushing the cat away slightly. “That tickles,” Henry half laughed, half sniffled. “Come on, I don’t wanna wake Lyra.” Spottie merely meowed in response, ignoring Henry’s protests as she padded forward and climbed onto Henry’s face.

“Spottie,” Henry hissed softly, trying to keep his voice down as his cat walked all over him. “What in the world are you-?” Spottie cut Henry off with another meow as she curled up around the top of Henry’s head, using her owner like a pillow. Henry lay there for a moment, feeling the soft vibrations as Spottie purred next to him. Was she… comforting him? Henry sniffed and wiped the moisture from his eyes. “Thanks, Spottie,” Henry murmured, reaching up to scratch her behind the ears as the cat nuzzled closer to him. Henry let out a contented sigh before shutting his eyes again and letting Spottie’s purrs lull him back into sleep.

The next morning, as Lyra woke up with a stretch and a yawn, she looked over to see her husband peacefully asleep with their cat curled around his head. She had to suppress a delighted gasp as she slowly slid out of bed. She quickly but quietly scurried out of the bedroom to find her camera. She was determined to preserve this moment of adorableness forever, as Henry and Spottie snored away in bed, completely oblivious.