#animal instincts

[hungrypuppiey]

I just got the thought of tighnari following f!y/n around like the foxes do with their mate during the mating season.

you're going out? he's going with you.

you're doing patrols? he's going after you.

you're going to the bathroom? he's waiting on the door, following you just like a good mate would do, never letting you alone and sometimes when some man get the nerve to flirt with you, he's ready to show his sharp teeth with a growl

he's such a good mate <3

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

Favorite Buddie Moments Per Episode: 6x4 Animal Instincts

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun Part 7

reblog and comment plz <3 i read every one of them and love them all

also here's the masterpost

Damian knew Phantom used echolocation to locate this ravine in the first place, but the question was whether Damian could try the same thing. Damian hugged the walls of the cliff face, keeping his body flush against the surface, and lurking around corners and behind obstacles. The coast was clear.

Clearing his throat, he let out a high-pitched click, projecting it as far as his voice could carry. Immediately, his sensitive ears picked up the echoes coming back in layers. While the sound he sent was singular, the echoes came back in staggered waves, with layers of different pitches and tones and brief silent spells over the course of a millisecond.

This echolocation was useless!

Damian weighed his options. He could approach the surface, but there was no telling if Skulker had a vessel nearby where he could lick his wounds. The worst thing he could do was just hand himself on a silver platter to the creep. On the other hand, he doubted a flashlight would be very useful at the very depths of the ocean.

He still had to try.

Damian’s backside tingled with a light pressure, a feeling he’d come to associate with his lateral line. He armed the wrist ray on his left hand, and grabbed the Anti-Creep Stick with the other. Scanning the ravine revealed no other sirens or fish, but a slight stirring caught his eye.

Damian squinted at the crevice on the opposite side of the bark, not quite sure of what he was supposed to be looking at, until his nose caught the smell. There was definitely something there, but it didn’t smell like another siren the way Phantom and the teenage girls did.

An octopus then?

Octopodes were intelligent creatures, beautiful examples of the ocean’s biodiversity.

But Phantom needed sustenance, and he couldn’t afford for Damian to be picky. However, he put away the bat regardless. He wasn’t so cruel as to bash its head in to death. No, he would make it quick.

Damian unsheathed his claws, and coiled up his tail. Hopefully it wasn’t one of the poisonous varieties. He truly did not want to test Phantom’s immunities at the moment. Like a tiger waiting to leap, Damian kept his body still, and scrutinised the rock for the slightest deviation in colour…

There! Damian pounced. The octopus’s colour returned to its natural yellow pallor. His hands wrapped around its bulbous head. Score! Now to kill it. Sorry octopus, your sacrifice will not be in vain.

However, the mollusk was not about to give up without a fight. Suckered tentacles slapped at Damian’s face. The slimy skin of its head allowed it to slip out of its grasp. As Damian went to activate the wrist ray, a cloud of ink spurted right into his face, and he lost track of it.

Dammit! Damian let out some uncouth words under his breath, and banged his hand on the rock.

Hunting for food was difficult. Theoretically it should’ve been simple. Find something edible, kill it, bring it back, but everything Damian found was either too small to be worth the effort, or too big to risk his life. Multiple times Damian was forced to dive around corners or into claustrophobic cracks as ocean behemoths crossed his path. He couldn’t even find a patch of seaweed or algae this deep into the trench.

He was running out of options as the sun began to set above. Damian was starving himself, and it was getting frustrating. His body was not adapted to thrive in these waters, or maybe it was, and he just didn’t know how.

Either way, the exhaustion of the hunt began to take its toll on him. Far from providing for Phantom’s recovery, he had only wasted his own energy for nothing. Each failed kill, each accumulated bruise left him more and more anxious. That was why when he spotted a lone anglerfish creeping up from the depths, Damian decided to challenge it.

She, for male anglerfish were absolutely tiny satellites to the females, drifted into the twilight zone where Damian caught sight of her. She was almost half his size, and her teeth seemed as big as his fingers Her lure glowed brightly against the darkness of the deep ocean, as little fish wandered closer to the ‘sun’ and got chomped for their troubles. She was truly beautiful.

Hiding behind a small shelf, Damian aimed the wrist ray. The gills should allow him to subdue her quickly. Then securing the kill should be easy.

Damian waited. Just a little closer…

Then he fired.

The light of the shot was almost blinding. When the glare faded, Damian saw not a dead anglerfish, but a very much alive one dashing away. No! Damian sprung into a sprint after her. This may well be his last chance to get anything edible. He had to give chase.

Thankfully he’d gotten a lot of practice the last few others. As the anglerfish tried to round a corner, Damian grabbed its tailfin with his claws, digging in to try and slow it down.

Instead, the angler swerved to the side. Its powerful muscles slammed Damian against the rocky wall. Damian cried out in pain, and his grip loosened enough for the angler to get away.

Damian groaned. Not another one.

Damian lay there, dizzy from pain and exhaustion, watching morosely as the scraped scales healed themselves before his eyes, taking up valuable energy that he did not have to spare. Night fell. Without light, the next few quarries would be even more difficult, if not impossible. What he would do for Alfred’s cooking right about now. He would never make trouble at the dinner table again, if he ever got out of this alive.

His lateral line spiked up again, but Damian just felt tired. Sighing, he readied himself for another beating. How the might have fallen…

He noticed a beam of light shining from around a corner. Hushed voices followed. They were speaking Atlantean! Damian’s heart soared. He didn’t know they were this close to Aquaman’s territory! He knew there were a small number of settlements in the Pacific, but he never expected to stumble into one of them!

“Over here, I require assistance!” He called out.

The whispers rose into rushed conversation he couldn’t make out. Soon he found a light being shined on him, and two Atlantean soldiers, a man and a woman, pointing their spears at him. What?

“State your business here, siren.”  The venom in the woman’s voice was palpable. Belatedly, Damian realised it was hasty of him to assume good relations between the two ocean peoples. However, this was his last shot.

“Please, my companion is injured and requires medical assistance. I swear on my name that we do not mean you harm.” Damian pleaded, with complete earnestness. He even added a whimper at the end to make himself look more vulnerable, more childlike and unthreatening, even if it was beneath him.

The man laughed. “Hah! I’ve heard that one before, punk. But if you think you’re gonna pull one over us easily, you’re shit outa luck. Your kind’s not welcome in these waters, now scram.”

Damian’s mouth gaped open. Did these people have not the slightest compassion? He often criticised his father’s habit of picking up strays, but deep down he knew that that trait was a quality of his character, and not a flaw. These Atlanteans could not even be bothered to spare him a glance outside of telling him to leave. Their eyes did not hold compassion, or sympathy, or even pity, only hardened wariness, and contempt.

“Please, I beg of you.”

The soldiers bared their spears at him. “I said scram, siren! Go back to your pod and stay there.”

Damian gave them his best glare as he turned tail and swam.

Only, he stopped once he turned a corner, but was still in earshot.

“Damn sirens, sinking to new lows. What next, a baby?” The male soldier muttered, his voice trailing off as the two returned to their patrol.

Patrolling soldiers meant an outpost, maybe even a settlement. And that meant food, medical supplies, and weapons. Damian knew a golden opportunity when he saw one. If these miscreants would not grant him the aid requested, then who was Damian to decide he didn’t need permission?

And so Damian stalked them closely. He trailed behind the duo of soldiers a dozen or so metres away, using his lateral line and nose to keep close track of their movements. A sense of calm quelled the ever present instinctual fear of being out in the open, as the familiarity of stalking targets washed over him. He almost didn’t have to try, with how terrible their situational awareness. If he were in king of the ocean’s shoes, he’d be very disappointed with his underlings’ performance.

Perhaps he’d have to snitch on them to Aquaman once this was all over. That would be suitable revenge.

The soldiers unwittingly guided him through the ravine, finally ascending. Above the cliff shelf, about two hundred metres away, stood an Atlantean settlement. Looks like he managed to catch them at the end of their route. Excellent.

Damian estimated the town’s circumference to be around ten kilometres, judging by parallax. He could just spot scores of Atlanteans going about their day, kicking their legs about to swim in a way that seemed so clumsy after seeing Phantom zip through the waves. The buildings stretched out from the flat sandy planes to jutting out from the sides of cliffs.

What was more important was the fields. Huge fields full of leafy plants he had never seen before. Along the cliff face, vines weaved between stone supports bearing strange fruits.

Damian grinned.

Now, all he needed to do was infiltrate.

[estro-gem]

Jax x Ragatha: What lurks beneath the surface

The Amazing Digital Circus AU: Oasis

Author's Note:

It's done😭 Finally...

This is the longest Oasis fic I've written and I pray that my English was good enough to NOT have as many mistakes that would distract you from the story I am trying to tell. We'll hope for the best.

Thankfully, I finished it and I'm happy with it - as spicy as it turned out and all. I could finally showcase Jax and Ragatha by allowing them a chance to share another side to both of them - Especially Ragatha! It was so much fun to lean into her character (in the Oasis canon, at least).

Warnings: Suggestive themes and flirting Hypomania/manic episodes Animal instincts/ferocity

I hope you like this one. Please enjoy!

SUMMARY:

Ragatha gifts Jax a plush that she promised to make for him. He enjoys the comfort that it brought him as well as the sentiment behind the gesture, until Ragatha reveals that the dress of the plush can be removed for him to discover a secret she added for him to find. He is plagued by strange possibilities to his dolly’s reasoning behind the design choice. He struggles to muster the courage to remove the dress – or even see reason to do so, other than quenching the thirst of his curiosity.

It’s just a doll, isn’t it?

WHAT LURKS BENEATH THE SURFACE.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, Sweetheart?”

Jax didn’t expect Ragatha to come knocking at his door. It had been a long day with a very tiring adventure from Caine. Everyone had already retired to their rooms after they’ve enjoyed a feast together. The bunny was one of the last members to leave and he had been decompressing in his room for no more than an hour, until he was – as he considered – rudely disturbed.

Seeing Ragatha, however, made him curious enough to be more forgiving. She wasn’t one to knock at such a late hour… unless she had something to hide and oh, Jax loved a good secret!

Especially ones he could exploit in the future.

So Jax rested his forearm at the level of his eyes to lean against the doorframe as his free hand pushed the door open wider than before. Instead of answering, Ragatha walked up to him, keeping her eye locked with his as she invaded his personal space. Just as Jax had a flicker of uncertainty that she was getting too close, the doll smoothly strode right passed him without even touching or brushing against him. She broke eye contact at the last second and entered his room, while he was struck frozen by surprise.

Cheeky little-

“You’ve got some nerve, Dollface.” He said, masking his flustered state with a smug grin and a raised eyebrow, “I don’t remember ever saying that you are welcome to come inside.”

He turned around to find his doll smiling as if she was the cat that stole the cream. He took a moment to just silently appreciate her showing him this different side to her, as it was a side that she reserved for very rare, specific and special occasions.

Confident, sassy and letting her actions do the talking.

Dangerously silent.

Delicious.

“Are we playing games, Darling?” Jax shut the door behind him, not once looking away from her smug grin that perfectly matched his, before slowly sauntering towards her, “We can play anything you like…”

Rather than to humor him and say something snarky for him to play of off, his dolly knelt and proceeded to grab at her dress skirt to bunch it up on her lap.

“Woah, WOAH, Sweets! Calm down!” Jax eyes went wide, dropping his façade completely at the sight of Ragatha intending to lift her skirts. With his character completely broken, his ears pulled back and he averted the gaze of his shrunken pupils as a very prominent blush bloomed onto his cheeks.

“Would you relax?” Ragatha chided with a bubbly laugh, “…and shame on you for having your mind in the gutter!”

Jax almost scoffed in disbelief, but didn’t dare to look her way, uncomfortably shifting on his feet, “Ya waltz in here, makin’ eyes at me! Next thing ya know, ya here on my floor and pullin’ up you dress! Whaddaya think, I’m gonna assume ya wanna play cards or somethin’? Geez, Raggs!”

His heart soared at the sound of Ragatha’s laughter intensifying as he rambled on. He had the sneaking suspicion that she really liked his dialect when he was riled up. He tried to put a damper on it whenever he could, but sometimes he just couldn’t stop himself – especially when he was caught off guard.

If it meant that he could have his doll laughing as much as she had, he didn’t mind it too much.

“Oh, Jax…” she sighed, followed by more chuckles as she laughed, “I hid something under my skirt. Don’t worry!”

“Yeah, I’d like ta think that we all hide somethin’ in our pants, Dolly.” Jax quipped without missing a beat.

“I tie a string of wool around my waist and then I tie that to a bag that dangles at my knees, Honey.” Ragatha dismissed with an airy laugh.

The doll fumbled with a large, brown paper bag she had to waddle down the hall. When she managed to untie the top, she opened the bag to reveal a box wrapped with a disheveled red bow. It was a wonder that she managed to walk so naturally with it knocking against her legs, but years of practice taught her well.

She noticed Jax tapping his foot impatiently, still not looking at her, making her smile to herself. It didn’t matter how much he tried to hide it; he was still a good man at heart.

It was a shame that he had to do the wrong things for the right reasons.

“I’m decent for show, Honey. I always was… just so you know.” She said while standing up to present the box. She remembered what he previously said and sought the opportunity to milk her teasing just a little longer, “What are you hiding in your pants, Jax?”

“Hey, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” Jax mused suggestively as he peeked with a glance from the side when he was cleared by Ragatha to do so.

The doll gasped dramatically, “And here I thought you were a gentleman!”

“Ugh, please!” Jax approached his doll before resting a hand on his hip, “I’ll have ya know that ‘Chivalry’ is my middle name.”

“If that’s the case, we’re all doomed.”

The brief silence was eventually broken by the sounds of the couple barely containing their snorts, until they burst into fits of laughter. It was so hysterical, that Ragatha almost dropped the box, causing her to juggle and fumble with it in the air; eye wide until she caught it with a firm grip. Jax practically died at the sight, pointing and laughing with new vigor. The doll helplessly chose to laugh at her own clumsiness.

Finally, when the laughter died down, Jax looked at Ragatha and saw her face glowing the glee. In another life, he would have loved to make her laugh whenever possible. He would be her safe space that would never have to lay a hand on her, unless he wanted to see her smile, laugh, gasp or sigh in joy and pleasure.

But here, he was chained to the slavery of hurting everyone out of obligation.

Stop thinking about that!

“That’s a good look on you, Raggs.” Jax commented right after she chose to break eye contact to look down to the wrapped box she was still holding.

“You don’t look too shabby either.” She held out the box for him to take, but he just idly stood to look at it; hesitantly. He was a lot more expressive when they were alone.

“I didn’t get you anything.”

The doll just shook her head with a little huff, “You made me laugh.” She blushed, looking away, but fiddled with the ribbon wrapped around the box, “You make me laugh... and you never ask me for anything! I love that I could give you something you actually wanted for once.”

His dolly grew bold enough to look up to him, despite her little rosy blush. He focused on keeping his face neutral, despite feeling conflicted about accepting a genuine gift. Ragatha didn’t stop insisting for him to take it, “Please… just look at it? You can do whatever you want with it afterwards, but just take one look. Please?”

“Don’t beg, darlin’.” Jax suddenly said, as if a switch was flipped, as his aura shifted to take on a darker tone, “It’s unbecoming.”

Please beg for me to take you instead…

Silencing the confusing thoughts that clouded his mind, he stepped forward and held out his hands, only for Ragatha to step forward and lightly push the box against his chest. He took the sides of the present and met Ragatha’s eye. She was fixated on his gaze as she trailed her hand down her side on the box, before slowly turning around and walking to the door.

That doll would be the death of him.

“Where’d ya think you’re goin’, Sweetheart?” He asked coolly, making no move to trail behind her – even as she opened his door.

Just before closing the door behind her, she looked back one last time. The ragdoll sported that confident, cheeky grin again and Jax suddenly wanted nothing more than to make her melt.

“I’m giving you some privacy.” Ragatha gifted him one last sweet smile and closed the door as she left, not giving him a chance to answer, “Goodnight Honey.”

Silence.

Anticipation.

Curiosity.

Jax decided to sit on his bed before untying the ribbon. A small part of his mind giggled at the fact that Ragatha could walk with such a bulky object knocking against her knees. Another silent thought whispered into his mind, feeding his curiosity regarding all the things his doll managed to sneak around by hiding it beneath her skirt.

Her waters ran deeper than he thought – not that he was complaining.

Wasting no time, the bunny plucked the lid off the box, but froze on the spot at the sight of a familiar face that greeted him. The lid fell from his grasp.

His heart squeezed painfully in his chest.

About the length of his forearm, a little, redheaded ragdoll in a blue dress was staring up at him. Other than the fact that the little doll was plusher, it was the spitting image of Ragatha. It had the same red locks, the same blue dress with the darker patches and the same face of his doll – embroidered to capture to picture of her face exactly – save for the blue button stitched to represent her missing right eye, just as there was one in reality.

It was perfect.

His mind flashed back to an encounter he shared with Ragatha a few weeks ago. Them, sitting on the lone couch, with him just enjoying the sight of his dolly so focused on her very… flattering… project. How tempted he was to mess with her, but his attention was held captive by the precision, skill and progress she was making.

Maybe he was vexed by the doll’s sentiment to even think of making something that resembled him.

A monster.

The rabbit took the plush doll in his hands and admired it once again, before slowly drawing it to his chest and wrapping his arms around it in a soft embrace. It wasn’t his intention, but Ragatha’s scent invaded his senses, causing his hold on the doll to tighten.

It was not sentient or breathing, with skin or senses. It was lifeless and thoughtless, with no intention of ever reaching out to him. It just existed – made for the times he sought comfort whenever he wanted. It could provide a comfort he was cursed to loathe when receiving it from others who actually cared for him.

What a wonderful gift his precious little dolly had given him.

That night, he collapsed onto his bed, cradling the plush closely as he became intoxicated by his angel’s scent. He had no nightmares or worries that withheld him from sleep. He simply existed in the presence of something that his beloved had made for him.

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so loved.

He couldn’t remember the last time he overslept.

Jax overslept.

“Jax?” a worried voice cried out from the other side of his door, along with insistent banging that caused him to fly straight up. “Are you okay?! Jax?”

He stumbled to the door and fumbled to unlock it, as she wouldn’t be able to hear him from the inside. He didn’t have the time to pull the door open, as a great force crashed the door right into him and caused him to be launched back with a yelp. The pain to his face caused his vision to blur, but he could clearly see the shape of his ragdolly hunched over and panting in his doorway.

“Ow! Talk about a wake-up call.” Jax said as he was blinking to clear his vision.

“Jax…” her voice drew his attention in an instant. He didn’t like it one bit. She sounded terrified.

She sounded relieved.

“Hey, Sweetheart.” he cooed as he stood up and the sting subsided, “I’m right here.”

“Jax.” Ragatha said again, seemingly stuck on his name, “You…”

She stood frozen, blinking multiple times before she shook her head and perked up uncomfortably fast, “You’re late, silly!”

“Raggs…?” Jax spoke carefully and approached her, as if she was a startled animal, “Don’t do that with me.”

Her unsettling smile remained stuck on her face as she looked over his form for any obvious injuries, “Heh, sorry about bumping into you earlier! It’s not common that you sleep in! Why were you-”

Silence.

So intense, that not even an explosion would muffle it.

Her smile was dropped as her eyes suddenly widened. Jax, startled by the sharp continuous shifts in Ragatha’s expression, followed her line of sight to see what caused her sudden reaction. He followed it slowly, until he was met with the little ragdoll plush that was still miraculously clutched tightly in his hand. He stood there like a frightened toddler, holding his favourite toy, but he didn’t feel ashamed about it.

There wasn’t time that; his dolly needed help.

“I… had a great cuddle-buddy.” He started slowly, watching her reactions very closely as he stood closer, “I didn’t want our snuggle-session to end so soon, so I laid here for a little longer.”

He was jesting, but it was gentle and benign. The rabbit could still help her choose to drop her guard if he played his cards right. He just knew he could.

“You like her…” she said in a foreign monotone, “You slept with her…”

“Like a baby.” He chuckled briefly, before unveiling his true emotions by holding the doll up to look at it dearly, “She’s perfect.”

The rabbit allowed his eyes to flick back up to Ragatha, then repeating what he had said, hoping that his dolly would understand, “Perfect.”

Ragatha slowly treaded her way back to reality, helplessly succumbing to the little, somber smile that crept up the corners of her mouth, “I’m glad you like her.”

“Heh,” Jax genuinely huffed, “Only you would think that someone calling someone else ‘perfect’ only means that they kinda like them.”

Huh…

Ragatha meant to question him on what he said, but Kinger screaming about the practicality of duffle-bags distracted the couple beyond recovery.

Before leaving to join the others, Jax made a quick stop to his bed, to rest the plush against his pillow, “Can’t risk her getting ruined in an adventure. We still got plans for tonight!”

“Oh really?” Ragatha mused, though she seemed tamer than she was with her previous fake optimism.

“Oh yeah. No going back now!” Jax said, nudging the ragdoll with his elbow as they walked down the hall.

“I was going to ask if I was invited, but I wouldn’t want to keep you two from doing whatever it is that couples do when they are alone in bed.”

“Aw, there she is! Welcome back Raggs!” Jax laughed, causing the doll to chuckle along with him. He looked over to her with a little hint of seriousness, “But seriously though, we are keeping it clean, Dollface. I mean, it’s a doll.”

Ragatha stopped, alarming Jax to do the same, ready to pull back his statement in case he went too far with his jokes.

Ragatha beat him to it, “Wait, you didn’t take off the dress? Didn’t you notice that it could be removed?”

Jax didn’t know how to react to that.

On the one hand, she could be joking – in a way that he, in turn, would consider as ‘too far.’ On the other hand, she could be serious, opening an entirely different can of worms. Based on her shocked expression at the fact that he didn’t undress a plush, he could only believe that the latter was true.

It horrified him with its implications.

“Ragatha.” Jax said, not missing the way she twitched at the use of her full name, “Why would you expect me to undress a plush?”

Ragatha fumbled to answer, but her face lit up like a Christmas tree, “Don’t put it like that!”

“How else do you want me to put it?” Jax asked, bewildered, lowering his voice down to a hissed whisper, “Why would I need ta undress ya? Is it because ya think that’s what I want? Is that how little ya think of me?”

“Jax, stop.” Ragatha said sternly. He reluctantly obeyed for her to speak, “It’s nothing of the sort, it’s something else. I added a hidden… feature… with the hope that you’d find it on your own.”

“It still sounds weird, Raggs.”

“It’s not, I swear!” Ragatha exclaimed, “I thought you’d know that ragdolls often have their bodies be a different colour fabric; to represent the bodice of the dress, instead of making an entirely separate dress, like I did. I also thought that it would’ve been enough of a clue to look beneath the fabric since I showed you how I hide things beneath my skirt. There’s nothing funny about it!

Jax still looked skeptical, but seeing his dolly that upset, softened his heart a little more than he wanted to admit.

Ragatha pleaded one last time, hoping to have justified herself enough, “I just thought that it would be a special little secret for you to find.”

Jax sighed, but relented eventually, “Fine, but I’m not happy about this.”

“Just trust me on this!” Ragatha insisted gently, “So you’re going to look, right?”

“I’d rather you just tell me and be done with it.” Jax huff, folding his arms and turning away from her. He heatedly glared over his shoulder to flick his eye from her feet to her face, “You know I don’t only want you for those types of reasons, right?”

Ragatha wanted to protest her stance on being innocent with her intentions, but his words caused her heart to melt. She cleared her throat, choosing not to say anything to humor his last question, “If you want to know, you’ll just have to see for yourself, Honey. It’s already a shame that I ruined my plans for you to find it by your own accord.”

“Come on, Doll!” Jax whined, thankfully moving passed the other matter, “I’m dying here! I can’t wait until tonight – I don’t even know if I wanna do what needs to be done to even find out. I don’t care how innocent ya think it is, IT’S WEIRD!”

“Then suffer.” Ragatha shrugged as they finally joined the rest on the crew, leaving Jax perplexed.

That woman…

It appeared that it was going to be a long day for Jax.

It was a long day for Jax.

The curiosity was nipping at the edges of his mind throughout the day. The bunny hardly focused throughout the adventure – not even his disregard for Pomni could distract him. It didn’t help that Ragatha wasn’t making things easier for him, as she would knowingly smirk at him when he dared to glance at her. Occasionally, the doll would giggle to herself, only riling him up more.

What additionally tore Jax apart, was that he didn’t know how to feel about stripping the plush from its dignity by undressing it. It was a doll, sure, but it was a doll that looked like Ragatha, it felt perverted and indecent.

When the long day came to an end, Jax fought between sprinting to his room as fast as his legs could carry him, versus stalling to avoid having the plush taunt him with it’s secrets altogether. It became an odd mixture of the two, where Jax tried to cut any conversations short that stalled him from progressing down the hall, but taking the time to stop and talk to whomever was willing to keep him from reaching his room to soon.

His odd mannerisms caused suspicion to arise among the group, especially Gangle, who always seemed to catch on.

Those cursed observation skills…

 Finally, the rabbit entered his room and locked the door behind him. Just to be safe.

The doll was just laying there as it almost expectantly stared at him. It was mocking him; he just knew it! The bunny hated to admit that his mouth was suddenly feeling dry at the thought of even just touching it. He glared at it, silently cursing Ragatha for thinking that the whole situation was a good idea.

Because it wasn’t.

He took a breath and willed himself to march to his bedside, sit down and firmly hold the doll in his lap. It smiled with glee, and he scrunched up his nose while averting his gaze to gather his courage. It all felt wrong on so many levels! He really hated how curious he was to know what hidden gem his dolly had waiting for him. Yes, he was nervous, but…

He trusted Ragatha.

Jax was just going to be a man and push through his hesitation, he thought to himself. The doll felt like it was burning through his gloves, but he still preferred that above anyone else touching him. Jax looked down to his yellow gloves; and an idea slowly crept from the depths of his mind. With mild distaste, the rabbit flexed his fingers to summon his terrible claws, that pierced though the yellow fabric as a hot knife would cut into butter.

Jax’s ability to feel, was muddled through his claws, since they were not equipped with the sensory ability to perceive touch as well as his fingertips were. He could only feel the dull pressure sinking down onto his fingertips whenever he used them – willingly or unwillingly. He felt a little less guilty while implementing his idea as his very gently used the very points of the ebony tips to hold and maneuver the plush.

The bunny noticed a three little buttons on the back of the doll’s dress. He gently pinched at the blue dress’s fabric and lightly tugged at it, only confirming that the dress was able to be removed. He struggled to maneuver his claws in attempt to open the back of the dress without ripping the fabric, but he managed.

Agonizingly slow…

Finally, the buttons were loose. All that was left to do, was to pull the entire dress over the doll’s head. He still felt uncomfortable just… stripping the doll like a perverted freak, so he did the only other thing he could think of.

Pinch his eyes shut.

Blinded and with a heavy sigh, the rabbit struggled to fully remove the dress from the doll, while still being mindful of his sharp claws. It was a pain – the whole process became so frustrating that he just thought about giving up and saving the private adventure for another day.

But somehow, the plush was finally freed from her blue coverage and Jax just sat in silence, wondering for one last time whether it was the right decision to indulge in Ragatha’s twisted game.

Damn it…

It’s just a doll.

As curiosity won the dispute against shame, Jax hesitantly opened his eyes that were previously pinched shut. Slowly, as light broke passed his eyelids, the blurry vision of the mostly milky fabric that represented the doll’s skin, focused into a clear image of the doll’s bare torso as it’s little face patiently smiled up at him.

All thoughts left Jax’s mind as soon as he comprehended the sight the rested within his grasp. It stole the air from his lungs that grew still as he stopped breathing entirely. A wave of emotion washed over him, but he stood firm and frozen with the overwhelming shock that struck his mind – his soul – to a state of all-consuming numbness.

His hands started trembling, but the man remained silent.

On the chest of the ragdoll-plush, the pale fabric was harshly interrupted by the image of a small, purple heart in the very center. It was neatly threaded to the doll’s chest, in such a way that the stitch pattern of the thread wasn’t obvious to the eye. The only way that Jax could tell that the heart was indeed threaded to the doll and not just a part of the fabric’s print, was the very neat seam that revealed small purple stitches when the fabrics was pulled into the opposite directions.

Jax didn’t know much about needlework, but there was no doubt in his mind that the heart wasn’t just a patch that was stitched atop the pale torso. No. The purple heart was very much a part of the fabric that kept the stuffing from spilling out.

Without the heart, there would be a hole that would expose the plush’s inner content.

Without the purple heart, the stuffing would spill out from the doll, and it would be nothing but an empty, fabric shell.

The purple heart was a part of the doll.

When his vision became blurry, the bunny was suddenly taken aback by his uncontrolled breathing as well as the tears crawling down his cheeks. He hugged the undressed doll against his heart without a care in the world. All that mattered was him holding his dolly with a heart adorned with his colour. Falling to his knees, Jax mind was consumed by thoughts of Ragatha and her precious gift to him. The rabbit compulsively rubbed his neck and chin over the doll’s red locks, only stopping to nuzzle into the ragdoll’s chest.

A possessive blade struck into his cold, dead heart. Jax no longer had tears that spilled form his golden orbs. His dolly dried them, as she often did – because she was his. Only his.

His, as she always was and always will be.

And in kind, he was hers.

Only Ragatha could bring him to his knees like this. He’d kneel to only her, as if she was his queen. He knew, in that instance, that it would only be a matter of moments before she would kneel before him – to join him at his level as his equal.

Then, Jax would not rest until the entire universe was brought down beneath her. He’d destroy whatever it takes, he’d break whatever he saw fit, and he would crush and torture every soul that would ever dare to hurt her.

Because only he could hurt her – Jax would make sure of it.

No one else would do it right.

No one else would take care NOT to break her as he always made sure to do.

No one else would read her as he did.

No one else would care for her needs as he did.

No one else would do anything to her, because he would never allow them to.

Not only because he was the snake, but because he was HER MONSTER.

He was hers.

And at that moment, her monster craved to drown within her.

Jax held the plush back to admire it once again. It was hers, but it wasn’t her. He wanted her and he wanted her now.

NOW.

In a flash, Jax was moving.

He didn’t know how he made it through his locked door to mindlessly claw at Ragatha’s, like a dog, but he ended up doing just that. Jax was too far gone to even think about the keys he left in his door before sprinting down the hall. No words left his lips – only little desperate grunts escaped him as his claws sprouted fine wooden spirals from his dolly’s door. It was inhuman to say the least.

And that’s why Gangle lunged at him without a second thought.

 She happened to be in the hall to witness his descent into his animalistic nature. Shivers crawled up her ribbonoid form at the beastly sight of Jax’s blown pupils and ungraceful, jagged movements. He didn’t even acknowledge that she was there, so it became clear that Jax was experiencing one of his occasional manic episodes.

It didn’t happen all that often, but based on her experience, Gangle could tell that she would not be able to get through to him with mere words.

Her ribbons served her well as powerful restraints. Since she had the element of surprise on her side, Gangle was able to wrap herself swiftly and strategically around each of Jax’s wrists, as well as bind his powerful legs together, causing him to fall face first into the door, then onto the floor.

The rabbit, caught off guard, thrashed and screamed in a manner that no human ever could. He managed to slice one of her ribbons down the long length, only to have the 3 finer streaks of ribbon become their own independent tendrils that reenforced the grip Gangle had on Jax. It hurt, but there was very little that Jax could do to make Gangle stop.

It wasn’t the first time she had to restrain him, after all.

“What’s going on out there?!” rang Ragatha’s alarmed voice from the other side of the door as it creaked open by a mere slit for her voice to rush through.

“Stay put and lock the door.” Gangle ordered, her softer voice firm as a blade that sliced through any question to oppose her order. She constricted her grasp around Jax’s neck to manually muffle his senseless howls of protest and discomfort. Gangle also took note of how his pupils dilated impossibly wide at the sound of Ragatha’s voice. He fought with a greater vigor and tried to reach out to the door.

It, then, became clear to Gangle, that the bunny didn’t act out in anger, but in what appear to be a type of desire that he very rarely expressed.

“Gangle? What’s happening-?”

“Be quiet.” Gangle spat out as Jax only ceaselessly continued to struggle against her. His aggressive thrashing became desperate and distressed. The door shut after a few seconds of hesitance on Ragatha’s part. The doll knew her place.

There was nothing she could do now.

“You’ll scare her like this, Bunny.” The ribbonoid hissed into the wild rabbit’s ears, causing him to tense up and shiver. Despite Jax’s immeasurably greater tolerance for the ribbonoid’s touch, he still had his limits – limits that only Gangle had managed to push as far as he was willing to allow. Boundaries were thrown out the window a long time ago, for they both no longer regarded each other’s boundaries. They had no choice, as it was within their roles and owl and snake.

Boundaries were crossed too long ago for either of them to care.

“Mine.” Jax forced out as soon as Gangle remembered to loosen the grip she had enforced around his neck. He turned his face to look at the mask of the sentient ribbon, eyes filled with desperation, “Mine.”

“I know, Bunny. I know.” She almost cooed when she felt him burst into untamable trembling, clearly stumbling his way back to reality, “But there’s a better way to go about this. You need to control yourself.”

Jax could only blink a few times, trying to ground himself. He stopped to look down with a defeated sigh and leaned his head down to ungraciously plop his forehead against the forehead of the theatrical mask. She welcomed his gesture, by leaning back into him and closing her eyes.

They savoured the moment as the world grew quiet, sharing breaths to calm themselves.

Jax remained as he was as Gangle slowly opened her eyes again, not willing to risk being unaware for too long. Her dear friend looked worse for wear, but much better in comparison to a few minutes ago. If it wasn’t for a distant movement that caught the ribbon’s attention, the newfound peace would have led the pair to Gangle’s room in a gentler manner…

But the sight of a little jester who stood a while’s way across the hall, caused the girl to rip her ribbons from Jax - bristling up like a threatened raptor. The ribbons danced and scurried high above her head in an impressive display, causing sounds of fabric slithering and fluttering to pierce the silence. Pomni jolted at the sight of the previously meek and timid character being so intentionally disapproving towards her. It was so unsettling, that the jester took a step back.

Her movement jump-started a series of chaotic, spasmic events that could only be found in a horror movie.

In the blink of an eye, before Jax could turn his head to see what caught Gangle’s attention, the previously bristling ribbons sliced through the air to grab Jax where-ever they could grip; and rapidly dragged the purple character down the hall at inhuman speed. The only trace that Pomni managed to register for her to realize that she wasn’t hallucinating what she saw, was the blinking light reflecting on the ends of the ribbons the slithered through the remaining gap in Gangle’s door, right before it slammed shut.

The little fool blinked and recovered quickly, as she was forced to do since she found herself trapped.

The soft creak of Ragatha’s door caught her attention. The Ragdoll’s face hung lower than usual, causing the red locks to shield her face. The fool blamed the light reflecting the red, glowing hue of her hair onto her face, because there was no way that she would be bashful in the given circumstances.

Right?

Ragatha stepped outside and jumped at the sight of Pomni, then feverishly looked around the hall. She paused in confusion before she shook her head once to face the fool, who just opted to turn her face to the freshly carved scratch marks on the doll’s door. While Pomni’s face fell at the sight, Ragatha’s expression remained unbothered.

It was unnerving.

“Is this really what you consider Jax caring in his own special little ways?” the jester asked skeptically – almost rhetorically – as she recalled Ragatha’s words from a previous encounter.

“You wouldn’t understand.” The doll spoke in that cursed monotone that Pomni quickly learnt to hate, “We are all one minor inconvenience away from going insane. I told you that before. Besides, out of all of us, he’s literally the animal. The urges and instincts do things to you, you know…”

The silence that followed, stretched down the hall. The girls simply stood in front of the door and looked over the ugly trenches Jax had left in the wood. It wasn’t until much later that Pomni gently pierced through the stillness with a strangely steady quip of morbid curiosity.

“Didn’t you also say that Gangle and Zooble were romantically involved? She seemed very close to Jax just then-”

“Those two are intimately close, you saw correctly.” Ragatha interrupted, finally easing up her tone as a fond, little smile grew on her face, “Zooble and I are aware – we encourage it. They are very good for each other.”

Pomni almost got whiplash with how fast she swung her head to look to the doll, “Intimate? Do you mean- do they…? Are they-?”

“Intimate; nothing odd going on there, New Stuff! Friends.” The doll clarified with a chuckle, “Very good friends with a very strange, deep connection. There’s nothing more to tell – not that it’s really our business.”

“So. it wouldn’t bother Zooble that they are alone in Gangle’s room?”

Ragatha’s eyes lit up, “Oh! That’s where they are… And no, it doesn’t bother anyone when two of us wants some time alone with each other. Jax clearly needs a shoulder, I mean, just look at my door!”

Pomni sighed heavily.

It was a relief to hear the ragdolly act ‘normal’ again, but it felt like she was growing more confused as she learned more and more about her surrounding circus mates. The sooner she earned Gangle’s trust, the better. The claw marks on Ragatha’s door made Pomni want to avoid Jax for as long as she possibly could, lest she’d risk to randomly be mauled by a spontaneously feral rabbit.

Yet again, something new for Pomni to be weary of.

“Ragatha?” Pomni asked hesitantly, “Do you think I can do this?”

No context was given, but the doll could comprehend the true question that the jester was asking - she answered as honestly as she could.

“I believe that you can.” She said softly as she looked to the little fool, who’s eyes were occupied; tracing the marks on the door, “…but it will always depend on how much you want to make it work.”

“We don’t really have a choice, do we?” Pomni tore away her gaze on the door to peer up at Ragatha, who chose to remain silent.

No need to answer something that wasn’t intended as a question.

Oasis: TADC AU list

Masterlist

[elitadream]

According to google Tanukis are one of the only canine species that actually hibernate in winter. Imagine if that carried over with enough leaf use. Mario uses a tanooki leaf several times in the middle of winter, and the more he does it the more often he starts getting the urge to curl up and nap for a bit, or sleep in for a bit longer every morning. Especially if hes actually in Tanooki form. There's at least one instance where Luigi and Peach can't find him for a few hours, only to finally find him curled up in a nice, dark, warm spot somewhere. It was just too comfy.

Oooh the animal instincts becoming more present the more someone uses the power-up is an interesting thought! 👀 I like to think that its powers would somewhat influence the user as soon as / whenever the transformation would occur, but I also very much agree that there could be situations where it would be felt more strongly! And the hibernation element is such a fun concept to work with haha, I didn't know that tanukis even did that! :D Mario becoming more sleepy and taking unintentional naps more often (to the point of drifting off while hanging out with Luigi and Peach) is really funny to me, and OMG his bro and the princess looking for him - only to find him fast asleep in some cozy spot - is so adorable I love it!! 😍😄

[awkward-sultana]

(Almost) Every Costume Per Episode + Marial’s dark blue bodice and striped skirts in 2x05,6,7

[sofysta]

Animal instinct

[fentanyl-rabbits]

[fairystar111]

Birds of a Feather

By: fairystar111

Rating: Gen

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia

Summary:

Life isn't fair to those who don't take what they want   The sooner you take what is yours the happier you'll be   Now that Hawks finally has a family to call his own he won't ever let them go...

Characters: Hawks | Keigo Takami, Tokoyami Fumikage, Dabi | Touya Todoroki, Shouto Todoroki.

CW/Tags: Kidnapping, Parental Takami Keigo, Yandere, Stockholm Syndrome, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Stalking, Infantilism, Parental Yandere, Yandere Hawks, Animalistic Behavior, Animal Instincts, Forced Bonding, DabixHawks, Winged Tokoyami Fumikage.

If there was one thing Takami Keigo knew for a fact it was that his life did not matter in the grand scheme of things. His wants and needs would never matter to anyone. Before he was sold to the commission his mother neglected him, leaving him to starve and struggle to survive by himself; while turning a blind eye to his father abusing him. They never cared about him living or dying; they didn't even bother to ask the commission what he they wanted him for when they sold him. The commission trained him to be the perfect heroic puppet in daylight and a trained assassin by night. They beat him and tortured him to prepare him for the harsh battles he would fight when he was older. None of them cared that a six year old couldn’t consent, only increasing his punishments when he would resist the training. They tried to train all his bird characteristics out of him, calling them unsightly and abnormal. They shaved his talons and fangs down into bleeding little nubs, plucked his tail feathers, and punished him whenever he would release any bird-like sounds. For years he was convinced everyone would hate him if he let any of these traits show. 

He was just a cog in the machine; he would live his life running for other people until he finally broke and was replaced. It was a simple fact that he knew would always be true. That was until he was given the order to infiltrate the League of Villains. Then he met Dabi and he taught him how to be loved and appreciated in a way he had never known before. He taught him what had happened to him was wrong and that he doesn’t have to take the abuse any longer now that he was here for him. The league treats him like family; they are the only people in his life that ever truly cared about him. It really hurt that a government sanctioned commission could treat him so badly that villains were what he looked forward to seeing everyday.

He was conflicted about whether staying a hero was really worth it for a long time. Until he met his baby bird Tokoyami Fumikage. The then intern was just supposed to be a routine apprentice he took on for three weeks and would never have to see again. But unlike with his previous interns Hawks found himself absolutely infatuated with Tokoyami and his quirk Dark Shadow. He’s not sure if it's because of the avian nature of their quirks or how well they got along but at the end of the three weeks Hawks did not want to let Tokoyami go. The kid reminded him of a cuter version of Dabi. He had a sarcastic and serious personality but would often laugh and indulge Kiego in his games. The boy's little shadow was quite happy and funny to be around too, often blurting out things the other was thinking, but it was fiercely protective of its user and once even snapped at Hawks for simply trying to hug Fumikage when saying goodbye.

For weeks after the internship Keigo’s mind could not stop drifting away to think about Tokoyami. Would Tokoyami like this drink? That looks like a sweater Tokoyami would like? Does Tokoyami have a nest? Would he like this blanket for it? So much that it was distracting him on his partols, he got a particularly harsh punishment for it by his handlers. But he couldn't help it, his bird brain had latched on to Tokoyami as his chick and it was not letting him forget. Everytime he had to do something his mind would always lead back to his chick. Is he eating enough? Has he been preening his feathers correctly? Is there anyone there to keep him warm? Does he have anyone to play with? Is he happy?

Since Hawks couldn't stay focused he decided it would be okay to visit Tokoyami every once in a while… without telling him. It started off small, just him following the chick to school in the morning and then watching him walk back to his house. He had to watch out for his little chick since clearly no one was there to protect him! Then it transitioned to looking through his windows, planting feathers in his room to listen in, sneaking into his attic, coming through his window at night and watching him sleep.

What he realized while watching his chick was that his parents did not love him as much as he could. It's probably because he is so different from them. Neither parent had any avian quirks in their family histories when he researched their geneology. Tokoyami was a completely random mutation they were not expecting. They take care of him, give him basic necessities and don't abuse him but they don’t love him. They weren't even feeding him the correct diet for a hatchling for christ's sake. There were no hugs, no kisses, no affection whatsoever which isn't a crime but Keigo could do so much better than them. There was no way for him to get Tokoyami out of there legally because there was technically no abuse being committed. If anything he was technically committing a crime by watching a minor. He’s not stalking okay! He's just protecting his fledgling rightfully so. But if word ever got out about this his career would be destroyed.

He was comfortable with the routine just silently watching over his chick from the shadows. Until the commission informed him that they were looking into Tokoyami for the paragon program he had been raised in. They wanted to make him into a full time assassin. They thought his quirk would be great for taking out large numbers of people quickly. But unlike him Tokoyami would not be doing any daytime hero work since he has more physical mutations. The commission could never want someone like him in the limelight representing them. It took everything in Hawks that day not to murder the commission president for daring to even consider using his Tokoyami as an assassin. He knew his chick’s parents wouldn’t fight for him if the commission came knocking. He had to find a way to take his chick for himself once and for all.

So he confessed his sins to the league. He told them everything from how he grew up to how he was bought and raised by the commission. He told them about the infiltration mission and how he had come to love the little family they had despite the spying. And lastly he told them about his chick and the commission wanting to steal him and put him in the same program he was raised in. They were understandably angry at first, except Dabi, he knew the whole time, but they understood his situation and they would help him take down the commission and get his chick back.

He fought alongside the league to bring down hero society and won. Together they tore down the commission. He helped his mate kill Endeavor and give his family peace. It was finally over but… the little bird he was fighting for flew away. During the chaos of the war his chick had fled to god knows where with the rest of his class leaving him behind. His chick left him… Keigo did everything for him and he just left to hide away in some desolate hideout with some pest who could never treat him as well as he does. When he finds him he is going to smother him and love him so much he won't remember the life he had before Keigo. Tokoyami will be begging for him to never leave again once he is through with him…

Dark Shadow knew that while he was his beloved Fumi’s quirk he was also an entirely separate entity from his brother. He could feel what was going through Fumi’s head but Fumi could not do the same for him. He is his brother's built-in protector; he’s been caring for Fumi since he emerged as his quirk when no one else would. He could detect the danger Fumi couldn't feel and respond before he got hurt. So that is why he is so uneasy around Hawks. Their mentor always acted outwardly kind and warm to them but Dark Shadow could sense danger radiating off the man. This man could not be trusted around his Fumi. There was something very off about Hawks that Fumi couldn't sense like he could.

The entire internship he could not rest easily and he refused to retreat back into his brother when Hawks was around. It didn't feel safe to leave Fumi alone with that man. It all came to a head when the final day of their internship Hawks tried to hug Fumi and Dark Shadow lashed out beak piercing through the skin of the man's hand. Fumi had gotten really angry with him for that but he couldn't help it. That day the aura surrounding Hawks was suffocating, like a predator stalking their prey waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. From then on Fumi would not believe him when he said he felt Hawk’s presence. Fumi would argue that Hawks was so busy in Fukuoka that he would never have the time to come visit them. He would tell him to stop acting crazy but Dark Shadow knew that something was very very wrong, but Fumi just wouldn’t listen. 

Darks Shadow’s concerns had come to fruition when they turned on the television one day and saw a video released by Dabi detailing his life of abuse he endured as the son of Endeavour. The video ending only for a news broadcast to begin showing Hawks fighting alongside Dabi of the League of Villains, the duo successfully killing the number two pro hero. Shortly after Hawks released his own video detailing the abuse he went through during his time in the paragon program. He talked about how he was bought by the commission and was forced to sign a contract at six that meant he would work for them for the rest of his life. He announced that he was done being a hero and he was going to bring down all of those who've wronged him.

Dark Shadow had been correct but now it's too late for them…

As Tokoyami awoke his eyes wandered groggily, taking in the room he was in. The space was huge with enormous windows and tall ceilings. There were large perches made to look like branches high on the wall for birds to rest on and large divots in the wall near the ceiling for hiding. The ceiling looked tall enough for someone to fly in there. He was at the bottom of a large nest with tall sturdy but soft walls surrounding him. The nest was decorated with many soft pillows and fluffy blankets, it was making his avian instincts very happy. He was distracted cooing in the nest happily; it wasn't until he tried to call out to Dark Shadow that the happy haze taking over his mind shattered. He couldn’t feel dark shadow anymore. Why couldn’t he feel him? Then it all came rushing back to him. Hawks had kidnapped him. The mentor he trusted and cared for had betrayed him and took away his brother. Tokoyami was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice the distress chirping he was releasing. The boy doesn’t know it but the distress chirp he was releasing is one used by fledglings to call for their parents.

He was startled out of his cries when something large swooped down from one of the upper levels of the room. The boy hadn’t realized there had been someone else in the room the entire time. Tokoyami’s feathers ruffled and his wing flared in response when he realized it was Hawks. Hawks eyes widened at the blatant disrespect Fumikage was showing the older avian. Flaring one's wings is an act of dominance in avians and his chick is clearly not the one in charge here. He knows it's not the chicks fault he doesn’t know much about his avian instincts but Hawks will not tolerate the fledglings insolent behavior. He is going to make Tokoyami understand that he is the flock leader and that he must obey him as his fledgling. Hawks opened his much larger wings, flaring them wide and began to stalk towards the boy while releasing ear-piercing screeches and warning growls. 

“W-wait wait Hawks please stop!” Tokoyami whimpered, the little wings on his back quivering. He didn’t know what he did to get the other man so angry but this is terrifying. He had never seen the other man act even remotely close to this, he was truly acting like an animal.

Hawks did not respond to the boy, advancing further into the nest. The boy was too small to escape the large nest, he could only try to crawl backward away from the angry avian. The boy released a terrified chirp when the man pounced on him screeching close to his face, the boy followed his base instincts, folding back his wings, bowing, and exposing his neck in submission, releasing more terrified chirps. The man loomed over the boy before sinking his fangs into the soft skin of the chick's neck. Hawks was asserting his dominance over Tokoyami and claiming the orphaned fledgling as his own. Tokoyami cooed softly as an foreign feeling overtook his mind and body. Suddenly it was like his mind couldn't register why he had been so afraid of Hawks anymore. His body wouldn't listen to him to get away from the man, his body and mind now think that Hawks is his father.

“Aw baby bird look at you~” Hawks cooed looking down at the boy in his lap, his claim had worked Fumi was docile and cooing back contently in his hold. Tokoyami was now imprinted onto him; the boy won’t be able to fight back even if he wanted to.

“Fumikage, look at me please.” Hawks asked gently cupping the distracted little chick’s cheek and guiding his eyes toward him.

“I'm your papa now. Things are going to be different now that I'm taking care of you. Your old parents, if you can even call them that, didn't love you the way I do. They didn’t treat you like the precious little boy you are so I'm taking over now. You know that this is for your own good right baby? Say yes papa if you understand.” Hawks asked, coaxing the boy out of his hatchling daze.

“Yes papa,” Tokoyami warbled out, his mind still hazy. He was sure whatever his papa was saying was true. Fathers always know what is best for their hatchlings.

“Can you turn around and lay on my lap baby? Papa wants to explain your new rules while preening those cute little wings of yours.” Hawks asked, chirping happily. His chick finally recognized him as his true father!

“Okay papa,” Tokoyami chirps, flipping onto his back obediently.

“Good boy,” The man trilled, he had been waiting far too long to preen his fledgling’s wings. He gently smoothed out the downy feathers, coating them evenly even in oil and picking out old broken feathers from past molts. The chick was reduced to a purring puddle on his lap, the poor never boy had anyone to help him with his wings.

“Now that I am taking care of you, you are going to have to listen to everything I say. Some things won’t make sense to you at first because you were never raised with other avians but you have to trust your papa okay. I know what's best for you and I would never hurt you, you just have to listen.” Keigo's cooed, fingers coaxing more oil out of the little gland at the base of Fumi’s wings rubbing it through the soft downy feathers, receiving more content purring from the boy in his lap.

“Okay papa… but what about Dark Shadow?” The boy asked through happy purrs. While his mind was easily replacing his distant parents, his heart would not forget his brother who cared for him more than anyone else has his entire life. Dark Shadow may be just a quirk but to Tokoyami he was his only real family for a long time. Which is pretty sad if you think about it.

“Dark Shadow will have to go away for a little bit because he is a danger to papa right now. In a couple of months once you get used to life with me then we can try to let him roam free but that won’t be for a long time.” Keigo tried to explain gently not trying to upset the chick but that clearly didn't work judging by the heartbreaking cries he was making.

“Shh shh you don’t have to cry baby, I promise you won’t be alone. You'll have your papa here with you at all times and then later once you've proven yourself trustworthy you’ll meet my mate and your new brother and be able to play all around the manor and attend school with your friends. Things will get better, it will just take some time to get used to, okay?” Keigo cooed, he was so excited to meet Shouto and have him and Fumi stay in his nest but that won’t be until later. His and his mates' nestlings both need a bit more training before that can happen. The boy just chirped in agreement, getting sleepy from the treatment his wings were receiving.

“Come on baby, let's take a nap.” The man whispered, laying back and curling around the boy enjoying the skin to skin contact and chirping contently. He finally has his chick safe and happy in his arms.

The next couple of months were bliss for Keigo, he had got what he had always wanted. His fledgling was finally under his control. At first it was hard for the boy to get adjusted to his mind running on instincts he’d never used before but he quickly got used to it with Keigo there to guide him. The boy was hesitant when it came to his new diet, eating raw meats was not something he had ever done before. He had refused to at first but after a stern nip from Keigo the chick accepted the raw food. Now the baby bird will even hunt down little birds in the garden for fun before eating them. The fledgling acted like they were attached by the hip wherever Keigo goes Tokoyami would follow, releasing quivering sullen chirps when he couldn’t. Keigo always had such a smug expression when he would watch the fledgling cry out for him. Just a couple of months ago, his boy wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. Now here he was absolutely crushed when Keigo had to leave, as all nestlings should be. 

Tokoyami was ready, his chick has not tried to escape even once in the time he has been here. Keigo wants him to meet the rest of his family but first, he needs to have a serious conversation with his chosen mate. His hands trembled as his thumb hovered over the call button before finally pressing down. The phone rang a few times before his mate picked up. 

“Hey pretty bird, what's up?” Dabi’s soothing voice rang out through the phone.

“Can you come up here for a bit? I need to talk to you alone.” Hawks uttered nervously.

“Yeah I’ll be there soon. Is everything alright?” Dabi asked, concerned with the other man's behavior.

“I’m fine, we just need to talk.” Hawks answered, ending the call abruptly. He knows Dabi loves him the way he is but still asking him to indulge in his more avian habits always makes him so nervous. The league has always been kind and never shown any disgust towards his more bird traits but he has never asked them to take part in any of them so he’s anxious about how Dabi will react.

The few minutes it took Dabi to come up to their floor felt like hours to Keigo. He wasn’t sure how his mate was going to react to what he wanted to do. The elevator ding rang out into the apartment as the door opened revealing his concerned looking mate.

“What wrong Kei? You sounded upset over the phone.” Dabi asked, he hoped the other man wasn’t trying to break up with him. Keigo belongs to him, they are solemates there is no leaving their relationship. They were made for each other, Dabi could never let his little bird go.

“It’s just that Tokoyami has been doing really well and I want you and Shouto to meet him today but…” Keigo's voice tapered off as he moved his eyes to look anywhere but Dabi.

“But what?” Dabi asked, tipping Kiego’s jaw upward and guiding his eyes toward him.

“You promise you won't get mad?” Keigo asked, golden eyes looking up at him through thick blond lashes.

“I could never be angry at my pretty bird,” Dabi said, soothing Keigo’s frazzled nerves.

“It's just I don’t know how to have a normal relationship. Red tailed hawks only have one mate for their entire lives and you are my chosen mate. And as my mate your kin become my kin as well. So I was wondering if when you guys come over to meet the fledgling can I put my claim on Shouto and can you put your claim on Fumikage? I want them to be mine just as much as they are yours but I don't know if you're okay with that.” He already thought of Shouto as his own but he wants to make it official.

“What kind of claim? How do I do it?” Dabi asked, relieved his little bird didn't want to leave him. He was quite pleased to know that his feelings were reciprocated just as strongly. 

“Oh it's just some bird stuff. If I claim Shouto as my son in front of Fumikage then the chick will instantly understand that they are now brothers and nestmates but for Shouto it will just be a quick little bite. Then you just need to bite Fumi’s neck and the chick will imprint on you as a parent as well. I understand if you don't want to deal with all this bird stuff. It's okay really a lot of people don't really like this kind of thing- ” Keigo’s frantic ranting was cut off by Dabi cupping his jaw and kissing him, effectively shutting him up.

“Keigo, I would never dismiss any of this kind of stuff. I know how important it is to you. You said you're in it for life well so am I, I want all of you. You don’t ever have to be afraid of telling me something like this. I am never leaving you, I accept all of you always.” Dabi crooned looking deeply into the teary golden eyes of his mate. He wishes he could burn down the commission all over again for making Kiego think all his avian instincts were unsightly and disgusting, his poor bird still can't shake their harsh words to this day despite Dabi telling him the HPSC was wrong and he loves him the way he is. 

“You really don’t mind?” Keigo asked, sniffling and wiping his teary eyes.

“I promise, I don't mind at all. I can get Shouto right now if you want. Shouto is so sweet he won't mind any of this at all once I explain it to him plus it would be good for him to have another father figure in his life. Lately he’s been staring longingly at Twice and Toga whenever they're around.” Dabi explained, his little brother clearly wants a father in his life and Dabi wished he could be that for Shouto but currently the boy only thinks of him as his big brother. Maybe once he and Keigo move in together and he sees how they interact both boys will come to see them as their fathers.

“You’re such a good mate.” Keigo swooned looking at Dabi through half lidded eyes. Keigo was irrevocably in love with this man who changed his entire world as soon as he entered it. He wishes he could find a way to repay Dabi in some way for all he has done for him. Well… he has some ideas but that will be saved until later after the kids are asleep.

“Glad you think so.” Dabi winked with a smirk, walking towards the elevator to retrieve his younger brother. As he rode the elevator down to his floor he thought about Shouto. He hopes he’ll be happy with this new arrangement, his brother has been missing the rest of their family so the addition of a new brother will be good for him. When the doors opened he strode towards Shou’s room opening the door only to find him napping contently while Bluey played quietly on the tv. The floor was scattered with toys, clearly he had been playing for a while before he fell asleep. Dabi didn't want to wake the sleeping cherub but he promised Kei he would be up there soon. Well maybe he can nap with the fledgling in their nest if he’s still tired. He’s sure Keigo would be happy to have both their chicks in the nest. He quietly approached the sleeping boy gently shaking him only receiving whines and grumbles in response.

“Firefly, it's time to wake up.” Dabi cooed down at his sleeping brother, shaking him a little harder when the boy would not respond.

“Nooo you said today was a lazy day. Leave me alone.” Shouto whined lifting up his blanket to cover his head. There was no school today and he wasn't planning on going anywhere, he just wanted to play in his room.

“Well plans change, come on firefly. I have someone very special to me that I want you to meet.” The man spoke quietly trying to rouse the grumpy child from his blanket den.

“But I already met everyone. Don't wanna go.” Shouto pouted from underneath his blankets.

“But Keigo will be sooo sad that you're not with me.” Touya cooed in a teasing tone.

“Were going to see Kei?” Shouto perked up rising out of his blanket den to meet his brother's eyes. It's not a secret that Keigo is one of Shouto’s most favorite people in the manor.

“Yes but I haven’t been completely honest with you. Do you remember how I described the relationship between everyone in the league?” Dabi asked most of what he had told Shouto had been true; he just left out the fact that he and Keigo were together…in a very un-platonic way…

“You said that you were all family. That Giri-san and Sako-san were the papas and everyone else were like siblings.” Shouto said in a very matter of fact tone. He didn’t know what his brother was talking about, Shouto did think Touya treated someone more special than anyone else in the league.

“Well that's mostly true except for Keigo and I aren't like siblings were a couple.” Dabi said hoping that's enough for his brother to understand. He really does not want to have the talk with Shouto today.

“A couple of what?” Shouto asked, confused.

“Okay you're a little confused and that's okay it's not your fault. What I meant was that when two people love each other very much they get into a relationship and love each other even more.” Dabi said, that's a pretty straightforward explanation even Shouto can understand right? 

“So are we a couple?” Nevermind, Dabi groaned internally. 

“NO! Ahem… Sorry I didn't mean to yell what I meant to say is no we are not. Couples are people who are not related to each other who get married and kiss and have kids together. Like in that show you like so much the mommy dog and the daddy dog were strangers at first then they fell in love got married and had babies. Do you get what I'm saying?” Dabi asked, he can’t get any more blunt than that Shouto is clearly still too innocent for that. God, how do you even begin to explain love to an emotionally stunted kid who has never even seen a healthy relationship in his entire life.

“Oh” Is all Shouto said, a shocked expression on his face suddenly over taken by a jealous one.

“Does this mean you're going to have a baby?” He doesn’t want a new baby to take his brother's attention away from him.

“Firefly, you are the baby.” Dabi said, amused by his little brother's jealous pout.

“Anyways I’m bringing this up because since we're together and you're my baby that makes you Keigo’s baby too. Keigo was wondering if you would like him to be your papa. He already sees you as his kid since you're mine and you'd have a new brother to play with.” Dabi explained. It's not like Shou has a choice, it's going to happen either way but he would like his little brother to think his opinion matters.

“A new papa?” Shouto whispered looking at his big brother with stars in his eyes. He has never had a papa before, only a cold and cruel father who did nothing but hurt him. And a new brother! Not that he doesn’t love the siblings he already has but they're all so much older than him, having a brother his own age sounds like so much fun! Who did Hawks take again? 

“Okay, Let's go!” Shouto said excitedly, wiggling impatiently as his brother got him ready for the day. Dabi dressed Shouto in a cute soft set of pajamas with kittens on them, not bothering to dress him in real clothes because he's most likely just going to fall asleep as soon as Hawks is finished with him. He finished brushing the boy's hair and placed him on his hip heading towards the elevator. The farther up the elevator went the more subdued Shouto seemed to get. When the doors opened he hid his face in Dabi’s neck not looking towards the avian approaching them.

“Hi Shouto! Did Touya explain what's happening today?” Keigo cooed trying not to scare the new fledgling.

“Mm hmm” Shouto mumbled into Touya’s neck.

“And you're okay with it?” Keigo asked, watching with adoring eyes as the boy peeked out of Dabi’s neck to slyly nod in confirmation before hiding once again.

“Yeah,” Shouto answered shyly, still hiding.

“Wow, such a good boy. Dabi, follow me.” Hawks exclaimed in an exaggerated tone similar to one used when trying to sooth a young child. He led them toward Tokoyami’s bedroom, opening the door and motioning for Touya to place the boy in the nest with his other chick.

“Tokoyami?” Shouto asked, perplexed, he had forgotten Tokoyami had been one those that had been picked to be part of the family. He wouldn't call him a close friend or anything but they got along well during the period when they were in hiding.

“Todoroki? What are you doing here?” Fumikage asked bewildered, this is the first time he's seen anyone outside of Hawks in months.

“Well remember when I mentioned you meeting my mate once you were a bit more settled into life, well this is him and his child, your new brother” Hawks explained gently wanting the transition to go as smoothly as possible. 

“Dabi, come here.” Keigo motionted for Touya to enter the large nest. He picked up Tokoyami and placed him in the other's lap. The boy shifted uncomfortably sitting in the other villain's lap sending distressed chirps towards Keigo.

“Fumikage behave.” Hawks said sternly, giving him a warning nip as the chick began to struggle in his mates arms. The chick settled down and allowed Dabi to tip his head to the side exposing his neck.

“You're going to need to bite pretty hard for him to get it since you don't have fangs.” Hawks said as he watched his lover sink his teeth into Fumi’s neck watching the chick's eyes glaze over.  

“Look at him Kei” Dabi whispered, looking down at the boy chirping and nuzzling into his shirt, big hazy red eyes staring at him adoringly. Huh he could get used to having two adorable little birds in his life.

“Yeah he’s imprinted pretty hard, now it's Shouto's turn,” Keigo said, watching his mate and his fledgling fondly. Turning to advance towards the frightened looking boy. Tokoyami’s hazy eyes widened as he watched Hawks pounce onto Shouto pinning him down, the boy screamed towards his brother for help.

“W-wait what's happening?! Nii-chan help!” Shouto yelped whimpering when Keigo opened his mouth revealing a set of sharp fangs.

“Calm down firefly it's okay this is just a ritual avians do when welcoming new members into their family. You’re going to be okay, I promise.” Dabi cooed from the other side of the nest, watching his lover slowly sink his teeth into the soft flesh of his brother's neck.

Shouto whimpered as he felt sharp fangs painfully sink into his neck, squeezing his eyes shut as tight as possible feeling tears escape them. Then as suddenly as they were there the fangs were gone and there was something soft and wet lapping at the wound. The sensation made him giggle, it tickled. He opened his eyes when he felt himself being pulled off the floor of the nest and being nuzzled by two birds. As scary as that was he was glad he has a new papa and brother even though his papa is kind of scary. 

Tokoyami felt that fuzzy feeling taking over his mind as he was claimed by Dabi and watched Keigo claim Todoroki as his fledgling and his mate as their father. Suddenly he could no longer see just a distant classmate, this boy was his nestmate and the other villain is also their parent. And his brother is in distress! Fumi quickly crawled out of Dabi’s lap and to the other boy's side nuzzling him and releasing soothing coos trying to make his little brother feel better. He calmed down a little once his brother started giggling from their father tending to his wound. He screeched as he pushed their papa out of the way and curled his body around his brother. Papa was the reason his brother had been in so much distress, he watched him with narrowed eyes releasing warning growls when he would get too close to his brother. While snuggling this close Fumikage could hear his brother tummy rumbling, he released demanding hungry cheeps toward their papas to get him food for his little brother. 

“Alright alright I'm sorry. If I go get you the food will you forgive your big bad papa?” Keigo asked, raising his arms up in the air with an amused smile on his face. Well Fumikage definitely sees Shouto as his little brother now. 

“What’s he saying?” Dabi asked not fluent in bird talk.

“He's angry I made Shouto upset and wants me to go get them a snack. Come on, let's go fix them up something for lunch.” Hawks explained laughing when he heard Dabi snort as he followed him to the kitchen. Fumikage is clearly attached to Shouto now; it's fine if they leave them alone to bond. He doubts Fumi is going to want to leave the nest with Shouto in there acting like a nestbound hatchling. 

As they made lunch, Dabi making Shouto a quick grilled cheese with tomato soup while Keigo made Fumikage an assortment of raw meats,fruits,and nuts, they talked of their plans for moving in together. They originally had thought they would have to wait a little longer to officially move in together but seeing that the boys get along so well they could do it a lot sooner. When they were done preparing their food they walked to the chick’s room with the food in hand only to find the boys sleeping curled around each other like a pair of kittens. Hawks trilled excitedly seeing both his babies resting in the nest while Dabi shook his head fondly. Oh well they can nap for now, they'll put their food away for later. They tipped toed out of the room not wanting to wake the nestlings and settled down on the couch. Keigo resting in Touya’s lap, the pair couldn't help but think life couldn't get better than this . Heroes are over and their chicks are home safely in their nest, they can finally have the peaceful family life they've always wanted.

A couple months later

Life has been bliss for the little family. Dabi and Shouto have moved into Keigo’s floor leaving their old floor vacant for when the rest of their family is found. The chicks have since gotten closer to each other, practically attached by the hip. They go to school together, eat together, play together, sometimes they even find them sleeping together in each other's rooms. Though that is mostly because none of the other kids are ready to play yet. After the Izuku incident the others have really cracked down on their kids, not allowing them out unless they are 100% sure they are ready. 

The pair are quite the handful, always getting into some sort of trouble together more often than not, resulting in time outs and sore bottoms. There was the time they wanted to test if Fumikage could actually use his wings to fly or if they were just superficial so they decided to try to jump off an eight story balcony, turns out they do work he just didn't know how to use them. Thank god Keigo was there in time to catch him. Or the time they were playing hide and seek with Twice and Toga and they decided to hide in a trash can and were loaded into the back of a garbage truck. They only got to them in time because they got an alert from their collars that they had left the manor, Kiego had flown out just in time to see them screaming as they were dropped into the truck, he then had to chase down the moving vehicle to retrieve his brats.

Hawks never knew having children was going to be this exhausting. Dabi being the more experienced of the two when it comes to children just said the boys were testing them and that all kids did it and they would calm down soon. While it was exhausting they were happy that the boys felt comfortable enough to act out with them. They know that neither boy ever had the opportunity to do so safely in the environments that they were raised in and they were glad the chicks felt safe enough to do it with them. 

The only problem now was Dark Shadow. You see, recently Dabi decided that he would be taking off Shouto’s quirk canceller. The boy has been getting sick recently with no explanation. When they took him to the doctor the man explained it might have to do with his body temperature and what he has grown up being used to. Before Shouto had to wear the collar he rarely get sick because of the temperature his quirk made his body naturally, so with it gone his body isn’t used to not having the extreme temperatures of his quirk to kill of all the bad germs, without it his immune system is doing terribly trying to make up for the lack of quirk. So they took off the collar. They trusted the boy fully and wanted the best for his health. Though they did replace it with a tracking bracelet for safety.

Fumikage saw Shouto with his collar off and questioned why he couldn't have his off too. It broke their hearts when they saw one of their chicks crying that they don’t trust him. They tried to explain that it was a different situation since his quirk is sentient. It's not that they trust his brother more, it's just that they don’t trust Dark Shadow. This just led to more tantrums, Shouto joining in because he thinks it's unfair they weren’t being treated the same. After a week full of tantrums, crying, and several punishments they eventually agreed that they would try to release Dark Shadow to try to talk to him but neither boy could be present. They sedated Fumikage while Shouto was sent off to be watched by Magne. They unlocked the collar and out came the huge roaring shadow. Dabi unleashed a burst of bright blue flames to keep Dark Shadow at bay. The shadow decreased in size but stayed just as loud.

“What did you do to Fumi?!?!” Dark Shadow screamed, still trying to lash out despite his small form.

“We didn’t do anything to him, he’s happier now than he’s ever been” Keigo spoke truthfully.

“DON'T LIE TO ME! Just because you take away my ability to come out doesn't mean I'm not there. I can see and feel everything happening to Fumi. So I’ll repeat what I said before. What did you do to him? ” The shadow growled raging against the light keeping his form small.

“We didn’t do anything to him honestly.” Hawks said, raising both hands in the air in a placating manner.

“You're still lying! I can feel that you have done something to Fumi’s mind; he's running solely on some sort of chain of command he can’t fight against.” Dark Shadow growled, there is something very wrong with Fumi’s head he hasn’t acted like this since he was very small.

“Oh that, that's just our avian instincts you know bird to bird.” Keigo replied since he is the eldest avian that makes him top of the chain.

“NO I DON'T KNOW YOU FUC-” Dark Shadow screamed, cut off by another burst of flames. Contrary to popular belief he is a quirk that has nothing to do with birds at all. His user is shaped like a bird so he is shaped like a bird. He knows nothing about avian instincts, he isn’t even a bird himself. He is just a shadow with consciousness and the ability to fight.  

“Okay, simmer down little shadow. We didn't let you out to have a screaming match. We came to negotiate. The fledgling has been wanting to see you for months and we are willing to allow you to have contact with him if you follow our rules.” Dabi said sternly. 

“As if I would bow to the likes of you scum. I'd rather kill you all and take Fumi with me.” Dark Shadow spat venomously. 

“You seem to forget who's in charge here, Dark Shadow. All it takes is one quirk erasing bullet and you're gone forever. We already have Fumi, we don’t need you, all this is for his sake. So you can either cooperate with us and help protect Fumikage or you can be erased. Though I suppose you can also remain dormant if you'd like but I’m sure Fumi will be devastated when we tell him you purposely chose not to see him. The choice is yours.” Hawks purred a teasing smirk on his face, he was bluffing obviously he loves the little shadow and doesn't ever want to get rid of him. He's a part of Fumikage and Kei loves all parts of Fumi, though this particular part is going to be incredibly difficult to manage given the massive amount of power it holds. He needs Dark Shadow to think he is disposable to them, that with the flick of a wrist they would erase him. He needs him to think if he ever steps a toe out of line he will be killed so he never dares to use that immense power against them. 

“I want to see Fumikage. I don’t care what rules I have to follow to see him.” The shadow grumbled angrily looking to the side. He’s doing this to save Fumi, he would do anything for the boy even if it means he gets erased. 

“Good boy Dark Shadow, we knew you would make the right choice.” Keigo smiled.

As much as he would like to rip these villains to shreds and steal Fumi away he has to stay calm. He’ll gain their trust and take Fumi away from here when they least expect it. For now he'll just have to lay low and behave until the opportunity arises. Don't worry Fumikage, I'll fix whatever they did to your mind and get you out of here I promise…

Start/Previous/Next

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun Chapter 17

MASPAPOST

Danny caught a distant croon, bellowing deep and powerful from under the waves. “You hear that?”

Danny didn’t wait for a response before he took Damian’s hand and placed him on his shoulder over the water. “What was it? Was it a threat?” The younger boy asked.

“You’ll see!”

Danny sped off toward the origin of the sound. As they approach the source, the rumbling tones of whale song intensified. Danny’s lateral line zapped and tinged as the massive electric field got stronger. Damian shivered on his back, arms gripping tighter. Danny wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t a little scared too, but the excitement made up for it ten times over.

The whales were just ahead. Even with night vision, it was hard to make up their shapes underneath the dark sky, but his lateral line jumped. Danny retreated thirty feet, stopped and treaded water. He held his breathe for the big moment.

A moment later, the whale’s gigantic body smashed the ceiling of the ocean, with the force of a volcano. Waterfalls formed as the sea parted around its head, cascading and crashing thunderously. A plume of water as tall as Fentonworks blasted out of the whale’s back, showering the boys in a wet spray.

Danny’s passenger gasped. He felt Damian’s chin hitting his shoulder. Knew it.

Suddenly, another whale emerged. And another, and another. An entire pod of whales!

“This may be more beautiful than the stars…” Damian muttered.

Danny crossed his arms. “Since you’re obviously an animal kind of kid, I’ll let the blasphemy slide. For now. But I might feed you to the whales if you get testy.”

“Tut. The whales would not want me as food. I would make a much better companion than snack.”

Danny let a smirk grow. His fins stretched themselves. Danny grabbed Damian’s arms and tightened his grip. “Ready to test that hypothesis?”

“What are you doing-?!”

“Hold your breath!”

Danny surged into the water at top speed, then doubled back and rapidly made for the surface, gaining more and more speed until he launched out of the water like a flying fish. His stomach flipped as they went airborne. For a little extra flair, he arched his back and did a flip at the top of his arc. Then gravity pulled.

Danny yelled excitedly. “YEEHAWW!” As they plummeted. Instead of splashing into the water, the boys landed on soft blubber, tumbling and rolling as their momentum carried them forward.

He laughed gingerly, even as Damian crawled up to him and pounched. It was pitifully easy to hold the child at arms’ length as he scratched ineffectually at Danny’s thicker scales.

“Unhand me, you fiend! You will pay for actions! You will pay for disavowing animals in favour of the stars, and you will pay for putting the whales in harm’s way.” The boy said, kitten-like hissing accompanying every word.

“Scratch me harder Dami! Let’s see how bad you can tickle me!” Danny giggled, happily stoking the flames as the chorus of screeching reached a fever pitch.

“Do not call me that childish nickname!” Damian scowled, hackles raising. In an attempt to escape Danny’s hold, the boy raised his tailfin and slapped him over the head. A worthwhile tactic, but Danny had been slapped in the head by much more powerful tailfins before.

“Is the wittle baby getting grumpy over his new nickname?” He snickered. For extra dominance, he flipped himself and squished Damian underneath his body, squishing the boy’s fins flat.

“We shall we who laughs now, fool!” Damian said, And Danny realised his blunder too quickly. Damian turned his head, opened his mouth, and give Danny’s gills a good, long lick.

Firstly: GROSS.

Secondly: HOLY SHIT THAT TICKLED.

Even though they were shut due to being above water, that didn’t make them any less sensitive. The sudden ticklish sensation has him jumping back with a yelp.

With the advantage returned to him, Damian pounced on his weakness. Danny reached out to catch him again, but instead, Damian twisted in the air. The natural mucus of his scales let him slip between Danny’s fingers, where Damian went for the throat. The boy wrapped his body and tail around the older siren’s windpipe, constricting like a snake.

“I hereby declare victory.” Damian said, tiny body radiating smugness.

“Dami. Dami. Please. Can you stop strangling me?” Danny casually requested. “I totally concede, bro.”

Damian tightened his grip. “Only if you apologise.” He harrumphed.

“Apologise for what?”

“Calling me by that childish nickname. Only Richard does that, and he is too stupid to live anyway, which is why I allow it.”

“Aww, did you just call me smart? I’m touched.”

Damian hissed loudly. It was supposed to be intimidating, but man did he sound like a kitten right now. Dora once told him really young sirens even meowed. What he would give to see that happen to Dami.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry for threatening to feed you to the whales.” Danny said, lying with his fingers crossed (a very impressive feat, considering they were webbed).

“And?”

“And for calling you Dami.” He lied again, through his teeth.

“And?”

Danny paused. “Oh, the whales. Dude, we have a symbiotic relationship, it’s literally fine.”

That got Damian to loosen the hold he had on Danny’s throat. “Elaborate.”

“Lots of animals ride on whales, like, ugh, dolphins. And I really need this break. You’re not the one swimming literally all day for hundreds of miles.”

Damian hummed, face scrunching up in deep thought. “We can continue making progress without stopping for the night to sleep. It is a worthy plan.”

“Plus, we can protect these guys from any danger, like poachers or whatever. It’s why they’re been pretty chill with us being here.”

That finally managed to convince him. Damian confirmed his approval with a curt nod. “It is agreeable then.”

Just as he spoke, the ‘ground’ beneath them started sinking.

“Word of warning, you’re gonna have to fill your lungs with water.” Damian blanched. Poor kid. “Don’t worry! I promise it’s not as bad as learning to breath air. Now help me get this harness around the big girl, so we don’t get swept away.”

Jazz Fenton tapped her pencil on her notebook. She tapped it again, and again in a frantic rhythm.

She knew it wasn’t healthy. It was like staring at your empty wallet for hours hoping money would appear out of nowhere instead of finding a job or doing something productive like cleaning up, only she was staring at her messages. Fifty missed calls. If she was honest, Danny’s phone was probably at the bottom of the sea.

Little brother, what have you gotten into this time?

She didn’t have magic, like Sam, or insane hacking skills like Tucker, or superpowers like Danny. All she could do is hopelessly stare at a phone, wishing for things to be ok (but not actually wishing, because who knows when Desiree could be lurking).

The day she caught Danny changing, the day the horrible truth came to her like a revelation from Cthuhlu was the scariest day of her life.

She supposed it was now only the second scariest.

She remembered watching him sneak behind the pier, deserted thanks to an earlier attack, desperate to find some way to help Danny. Jazz laughed at her previous self’s naivety. How she wished it had been something simple like bullying or crushes. Instead, she looked on as Danny stripped down and jumped into the water (she was so ready to run out and reprimand him for skinny dipping. What if someone saw?).

Instead, she went into full-blown panic as a column of bubbles popped at the surface, the horrifying reality of drowning pounding in her mind. But as she’d reached for her phone to call her parents, already in a full sprint to pull her brother out, she saw him.

Translucent skin, blinding white and pitch dark scales. It was from there that the horrifying reality of her situation dawned on her.

How long could she protect her brother from her parents? How long could she protect her family from the truth?

Muffled sounds crept into her room. Metal clashed against metal. Blow torches buzzed. Buzz saws roared. Jazz knew exactly what was going on. Her parents were on the war path. They were making weapons. Weapons to hunt down their own flesh and blood. They had been working, day in and day out. The only time she’d seen them in the last two days was at the beginning of their work spree, when they called her to the living room to inform her of Danny’s disappearance.

Bile boiled in her throat. Jazz clamped her jaw shut. She had to maintain composure, she had to keep calm. But what could she do?

It was not her secret to tell. Danny’s unfiltered fear was as readable as the ABCs. He didn’t even know she was in on it. If she told their parents, he may never trust her again, and rightly.

Jazz put the pencil down, electing to waste time by scrolling news feeds instead. Dozens of articles about the disappearance of Damian Wayne. Barely any lip service for Danny.

Even if she did tell them, she had no reason to be sure it would even work. Their parents loved them. That was undeniable. She saw it in the boisterous cheers when their Dad celebrated their achievements. Both of them. She saw it in the way they dragged her and Danny out on road trips and boat trips and to the psychology seminars and space expos.

But they also loved their work, and hated sirens.

And the scariest thing of all was that, for all she told herself that she knew they would choose their children over their obsession?

Deep, deep down, buried inside her heart in a box she would’ve told Danny was unhealthy to keep, she was uncertain. As she listened to her parents working in the basement, she knew the cost would be too great.

Years of memories flashed by in Jazz’s mind. Each moment, each word and each action put on a scale between acceptance and rejection. Between a happy ending and the most tragic possibilities. But even as she worked and pondered and agonized, she felt the filter of bias and emotion clouding her judgement. These were her parents and her brother. Any analysis of them would be steeped in her own perspective.

If she exposed her brother, and her parents failed the test, it would very well be the end of this family right then and there. And then it might even be the end of Danny. Even if he survived what their parents would try to him, his heart might not.

And if she didn’t say anything? If she allowed her parents to go out there?

The basement had been silent for a while. A knock on the door.

“Sweetie? Can I come in?” Mom said. Jazz’s breath hitched.

“Come in, mom!” She could not hide the naked anxiety.

Her mother opened the door. Her hood was down, revealing disheveled hair and bags under her eyes. “Sweetie, I’ve got news.”

“About Danny?” Jazz asked. She moved to sit on the bed, inviting her mother to do the same. She had to strain to avoid clenching the mattress and showing her stress.

“We have reason to think he’s still out there, that Phantom took him alive for whatever reason.” Her mother said, voice tight. “Your father and I are going. We’re going to track down Phantom, and make him give us Danny back.”

Jazz’s nerves shot up, even though she knew that was what they were planning. Her parents were not passive people. To hear their intentions stated in plain words was a shock to the system.

Her mother took her silence as concern. She laid her hands on Jazz’s shoulder, the same as she’d always do to comfort her. “It’ll be alright, Jazzy. We’ll save your brother, no matter what.”

“When are you leaving?” She asked. Maybe she could sneak in and sabotage their weapons, and give Danny a better chance.

“In an hour.” That was no time at all! Jazz’s forehead went damp. A drop of sweat rolled down her cheeks. “Don’t worry about us, ok? We’ve already asked Vlad to come check in on you and help with groceries while we’re away. I know you’re already a brilliant and inde-,”

“NO!” Jazz yelled out, before cringing at her outburst.

There was no man on the planet she would less like to be alone with than Vladimir fucking Masters. After catching one of their fights, it was very clear that he was the one responsible for what happened to Danny.

“I mean. I want to come with you.” Her mother blinked.

“Sweetie, it’s dangerous, and-”

Jazz thought fast. “Mom, those sirens took my little brother away. I want to get him back too. I can help!”

She narrowed her eyes, and clenched her jaw. She assigned herself a mission to keep her parents away from her brother at that moment. On the outside, it looked like she was pumped to help them get to him.

Her mother paused, her eyes going downcast. Her parents had always tried to get her and her brother involved in their work, in siren hunting, only to be rebuffed as they found their own interest. For her parents, this was what she always wanted, and Jazz could tell the weight her words held.

Jazz pressed the attack. “I can help man the systems. You’ve taken us so many times now. And you’ll need my help to maintain your emotional balance over the course of such a harrowing journey. This is what I was born to do.”

Her mother pursed her lip, a sign she was very convinced, and yet fighting a way to say no.

Loud footsteps behind her. “I say we let her, Mads!” Her father shouted.

Her mom startled. “Jack, honey, it’s too dangerous.”

“The Fentons look out for their family, Maddie. Our little girl’s growing up, Maddie, and if she doesn’t wanna be cooped up in the house and watch us get Danno back, then why should she?”

Her parents stared at each other for a moment. Her dad grinned, and nodded vigorously. Her mother stood firm.

After a while, her posture finally relaxed. “Fine, but promise that you’ll be careful, and you listen to us very carefully, ok? This is a real siren hunt.”

“Mom, we’ve been hit by real siren attacks all summer. Whatever hits us, I’ll be right by your side.”

Right by their side, and sabotaging them every minute of the way.

Her dad clapped his hands. “Welp. That’s settled then! Pack your bags Jazz-pants. We’re leaving in an hour! We need to make the finishing touches, and then the Fentons will set sail!”

It turned out that they were not immediately setting sail as her dad had implied. Her suitcase and belongings safely tucked away in her room on the new and improved SAV, Jazz sat in the back seat as her father’s usual frantic but calculated driving brought them to stop outside Sanchez Hotel. Wait, wasn’t this where-

There he was. Bruce Wayne, somehow looking immaculate despite the stress the man was probably under. He’d probably spent a life-time hiding his emotions away, practicing it like an art form.

Crap, she was doing the thing again.

“You didn’t tell me Bruce Wayne was joining us!” She said, scandalised.

Her mom opened the door for him, greeting him as he settled in the seats, looking more than a little nervous as he double and triple checked his seatbelt.

“That’s because we weren’t sure he’d agree, sweetie. But Phantom took his son too, so it was only natural that we’d invite him. Bruce, meet Jazz, she’s our daughter.”

Bruce Wayne extended a cordial smile and offered his hands. Jazz took it warily. “It’s nice to meet you, Jazz. You can call me Bruce too.”

“It’s a pleasure, Mr Way- I mean Bruce. Sorry.”

“That’s quite alright. You’re very brave for agreeing to come.” He said.

“I wasn’t going to let my parents dash off into the sunset alone. Danny’s my brother too, and I’ve been taught how to operate most of my parents’ stuff.” Jazz said.

She couldn’t catch his next words. Her nerves were rearing up again, instincts yelling danger, danger. She searched within herself for the cause. Then her eyes landed on Bruce’s. And for a moment, just a brief moment, the casual gaze shifted into something intense. Like she was staring up at a scalpel.

And Jazz knew that the playboy personality was an act. Immediately her plans changed. Courses of actions rewritten. Suddenly her mission was about to become much more difficult.

[ask-uts-earthspark-au]

Does Nightshade ever have owl instincts even when in Bot mode, like sees something egg shaped they sit on it, or they just randomly screech

Nightshade: What? No.

Nightshade: I do have night vision, though.

Hashtag: Sometimes they squawk, or hoot, or coo. But don’t think I’ve ever heard them just screech, let alone randomly for seemingly no reason. I do have a file full of cute owl noises and things they do though!

Tarantulas: Not necessarily the egg thing, they are just a youngling, after all.

Tarantulas: However, they do not screech, it’s too much for their sensory processing to handle, and it greatly distresses them when there’s such loud scratchy noise.

Tarantulas: But they have certainly at some point randomly made owl noises, and sometimes if they hear or catch something out of the corner of their optics they’ll whip their head around to it.

Tarantulas: Sometimes the tiny toys that can move and meant to be a form of torment for others will trigger their predator response and they’ll swoop in to catch it. And they have destroyed multiple. They’re always very remorseful after.

Tarantulas: And of course, let us never forget: like any flight frame beastformer, their berth has been made into a messy nest, and they hoard all the things they like in it.

Hashtag: You mean the way they wall it off, and it’s super fluffy, and they don’t have one definitive point to leave their head or peds? And they hide all their sweets and most precious toys and that book they really like?

Tarantulas: Indeed, that is what I mean. Your sibling’s made a mess of their sleeping space known best as a nest.

Tarantulas: So it would more of a not quite that in particular, but there are other things they do.

Tarantulas: You’re welcome. |;)

Nightshade: *flustered* stop it…

Hashtag: no. <3

Tarantulas: Alas, you’re simply too cute for us to not share a little, owlet.

Nightshade: >/////<

[awkward-sultana]

(Almost) Every Costume Per Episode + Aunt Elizabeth’s green coat with flowered print and brown fur trimmed collar in 2x05,7

[harrowharkwife]

okay okay okay but like. old roommate & his wife asking buck to be their sperm donor. buck initially agreeing bc "year of saying yes to possibilities." buck going to talk to hen and karen (that bts photo oliver posted of him standing on the wilson's front porch looking super nervous????) about the whole thing bc he's starting to have some doubts and questions and second guessing himself, and with their ivf + fostering journey, they're equipped to give him some really good advice about making sure you know what you're getting yourself into and making sure you're doing this for the right reasons. then eddie catching chris in a lie that has *something* to do with the diaz family unit- whether its "i have two dads," a lie related to shannon, etc, just something where he's lying about his family situation that makes eddie realize chris is in kind of a confusing and hard place currently, in terms of explaining to others how nebulous and undefined the buckley-diaz family relationships are- putting the will, and buck's place in their family, forefront in eddie's mind. then, everything with the bike and the car- SUCH an explicit will reveal callback, and a shannon callback rolled into one, considering how she died. eddie calling buck out on his recklessness, reminding him of the will, telling him about christopher's lie, essentially saying "you already have a family, and it's right here under your nose."

buck, forced to choose- not between the diaz family and the sperm donation, because he was always going to say no to the latter in the end. but forced to choose between going for the scary thing he really wants, or settling for a half-measure yet again, a family on paper that he'd never get to see. everything oliver mentioned, about the end of ep 4 being "a real test" for buck in terms of all the work he's been doing on happiness and growth.

will he be too scared about picking the wrong couch, too scared to treat what he has with the diaz family as the real, important, meaningful thing it is, because he knows that if he acknowledges it, that means he can fuck it up? will he ignore the great option right in front of him and refuse to see everything it has to offer?

or will he be brave?