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writing-whump · 9 months

Note

ma'am, for your consideration: arnie realizing he can weaponize his human fragility by forcing his bros to co-exist in the same space. Aka him purposefully getting hurt/sick and putting both Isaiah and Hector as his emergency contacts, because he's manipulative like that. I love this boy so much

Food poisoning

Hehe thank you for sending this! I was staring at this one for a long time, cause it has the right mix of drama and brother bonding, lol. It has a bit of a twist to it :D

Arnie sat down at the sushi place at the mall, going over his plan one more time.

He would make Hector and Isaiah talk. They couldn't avoid each other forever. And fortunately for him, neither could deny him anything when they were worried for him.

Shrimps were the perfect choice. A bit of runny nose, itchy eyes and some cramps that would go away quickly enough, but if he pretended he ate many, he could exaggerate the symptoms and have them both rushing to his side. He had been allergic to anything shellfish since childhood.

Arnie gathered the sushi rolls, shrimp and crab mixed in, some cucumber ones too. It was the kind of all-you-can-eat place, so why not enjoy himself why he was at it?

He kept coming and returning with new portions to his table with a great view from the upper floor to the lower one, where the exit and the escalator were. Watching people rushing in and out, the different clothes, the speed was Arnie's favorite pastime at places like these.

He got himself those Japanese cherries and a big coke to sip on when Hector suddenly shook his shoulder from behind.

"Hey. I thought I caught a familiar scent. What are you getting lunch for and not calling me?"

Arnie winced, wrinkling his forehead. "Hey. I didn't know you were in town."

Hector rolled his eyes, hurling himself into the chair opposite Arnie, immediately grabbing for the sushi on his carefully arranged plates. "This place is like 5 minutes from the pack base. It's the center of my work radius."

"H-hey! That's my food! Go get your own," Arnie exclaimed.

Hector grinned, throwing the sushi and the shrimp into his mouth, not even taking time to use the cutlery. "Oh shut up. You can't eat half of this amount, are you crazy? Way too much for your tiny human stomach."

"Very funny," Arnie glared. Now that he was caught like this, he couldn't pretend not to notice the shrimp or that he ate more than Hector saw him eat.

Not that there was much left to eat, Hector devoured his plates without even looking.

"What are you so hungry for? You had a giant breakfast," Arnie said in irritation, sipping on his Coke. Hector was like a bulldozer to his plans.

"Hungry like a wolf," Hector said with a wink.

Since the little New Year's debacle Hector had been a lot more cheerful and friendly, although that wasn't really his style.

Arnie had to appreciate the effort he was putting into looking like he was alright with Arnie getting messages and Saturday lunches with Isaiah. Like he was happy for him when he clearly wasn't.

Arnie wasn't sure what the most prevalent emotion was for Hector. Jealousy? The sense of betrayal and hurt? From him or from Isaiah? Seriously, couldn't the two just sit down and have a long talk about what happened?

Not that Arnie was getting much in that department. He still didn't dare to address it directly and Isaiah skillfully dodged the topic or ignored any hints Arnie threw in to warm him up to it.

Arnie all but lost his appetite as he watched Hector clean out the plates with speed and getting more.

"You in a hurry? You are eating like there is no tomorrow," Arnie commented with a scrunched nose.

Hector rolled his eyes. "You want me to have table manners at a mall sushi stand? For real? Couldn't you have picked one of the fancier restaurants down the street? We are at the center, we got money, why don't you enjoy it."

"Oh, and I thought you would tell me to eat something more local instead of a risky fish stuff." That's what Isaiah told him last time, which Arnie couldn't take seriously after Isaiah took him for their first lunch after years at his favourite sushi restaurant. This small family place made everything fresh right there in front of their eyes.

Hector gave him a look, his cheeks puffing out and he muffed a burp against his fist. "You are the smartass here. Fuuh, I'm full." Didn't make him slow down as he threw himself at the rest of his half-filled plate.

"Then stop eating," Arnie said with a fond eye-roll. "It's just a mall sushi place," he added teasingly.

Hector's eyes narrowed and he smirked, taking it as a challenge as he ate the last bits before getting more dessert. Arnie would have popped from that amount a long time ago.

"Urrrrp, okay I'm done," Hector said after the next 15 minutes, leaning back in the chair. "That was pretty good. The sushi seems a bit old and wrinkly, but the taste is good."

"Remind me why I don't usually invite you for lunch," Arnie said dryly as Hector burped, loudly this time. "Come on, let's take a walk by the river. Help you settle and all."

Hector just grinned shamelessly, standing up to pay the bill for both of them.

Hector could complain all he liked, the mall had a good location. Just next to the river, the bank made into a beautiful park with nicely cut grass, fancy trees and those little gym instruments along the way.

The weather was gray and uninviting, but the temperature was actually quite pleasant, so Arnie didn't complain as they made their way against the current.

Hector walked like an old man, unzipping his jacket to free space for his bulging stomach. Arnie didn't notice how huge it got from behind the table.

Hector even planted his hand on it, rubbing slightly as they walked.

It hit Arnie then that it was Sunday. "Wait wait wait. You don't have any work in town today. You came to- you wanted to have lunch with me! Just like Isaiah did yesterday!"

Hector gave him a sour glare. "That's not-not why I did it at all."

Arnie giggled. Oh my god, that was so neat. Hector couldn't stand him and Isaiah having something he didn't have.

"Stop-urrrp-stop laughing," Hector said angrily, cheeks turning red.

"You know, you can always come with me? Isaiah would be happy to see you," Arnie said, still smiling wide.

"Happy my ass," Hector grunted.

"Oh come on! I know you want to."

"That's not, hiccc, that's not the issue-" Hector stopped as they came to the little bridge that people took pictures from, leaning heavily against the railing as another hiccup shook his shoulders.

"What, you worried he is angry about any of the mean stuff you tell him? I'm sure he is not," Arnie said, a smug smile growing as Hector's eyes widened that he figured it out.

"He knows you. He would forgive you anything. Can't you just-"

"Okay, Arnie, stop, I-"

"No," Arnie interrupted, bracing against the railing beside him. The chilly air, the river flowing with such force, it all gave him courage to breach this topic. "I think it's time you act like an adult and had a talk-"

Hector suddenly heaved, hands gripping the railing and threw up over it.

Arnie stagged in shock, not expecting that. "Geez, a little warning, eh?"

Hector didn't seem to be finished, leaning over only for another projectile vomit to shoot out. Distracted by the conversation, Arnie only realized now that Hector was sweaty all over, pale and breathing hard, bracing against the railing with all force.

"Hex? Hey, it's okay, get it up. I told you it was too much..." Arnie said, carefully placing a hand on his back, feeling the muscles move underneath the jacket.

"Think-ughhh-think there was something wrong with the food," Hector said with a grimace, bowing to lean his forehead against the cool metal of the railing, still gripping it with both hands as if for balance. "My stomach's fucking killing me."

Arnie rubbed his back with more vehemence now. Was the mall sushi worse than he thought? Was it spoiled and he didn't notice? He didn't have a single bite and Hector said it tasted old...

"Ughhhh," Hector wrapped both his hands around his stomach, face going white and then abruptly red and then white again. "Christ, this fucking hurts."

"Okay, uhmm," Arnie wracked his head with what to do. They were stranded between the mall, the river and the park. And Hector never said a word when he was hurting, this was bad.

"Do you want to- wait, wait, don't do that!"

Hector's knees gave out underneath him and he crouched down, moaning.

"Let's sit you down on a bench. Look there is one right over there, come on." Arnie felt himself panicking a little, rubbing Hector's arm, trying to coax him to stand back up.

Hector just curled more onto himself, clutching at his stomach like his organs were about to spill on the sidewalk.

He was bright red, white spotches on his face and neck and his throat was bobbing dangerously with each deep heaving breath.

"Told you...not to trust cheap places like that," Hector gritted out between breaths.

Arnie felt cold settling in his stomach. The food was bad and he ordered it, was about to eat to make Hector worry about him. This was way worse than any allergic reaction, this was downright food poisoning. This should have been him, not Hector.

"I'm so sorry. Hold on to me." He managed to free one of Hector's hands and pull it around his shoulders, tagging at him to get him up.

Hector groaned, but let Arnie hoist him up. It was a fragile position, because Hector was two times Arnie's size, all muscle and height while Arnie had the slim built of a teenage boy.

Hector swayed on his feet and Arnie wrapped his arm around his back while supporting his chest with the other. If Hector fell down, he would take Arnie with him, no stopping it.

"Okay, steady. Don't fall down," Arnie begged.

Hector burped, then doubled over Arnie's arm and vomited again, chunky pieces of dark and light pink sushi all over the ground. The smell had Arnie's nose wrinkling in disgust and he held his breath, planting both legs apart to find a stable center.

A woman and a kid passing by scrambled away quickly with a squeal.

Hector's shoulders rolled with another heave, all muscles in his jaw clenching and tensing as he fought against the next wave, but it came all the same, another chunky slimy mess. At least it shot up with such force it didn't hit any of them yet, though it sprayed around as it hit the concrete with a splash.

"A-are you okay?" Arnie hated the anxiety that made his voice sound all small and childish but there it was.

Hector spat out a pink frothy mouthful on the ground, straightening up at his question. "Good-uuuuuurp-I'm good. A bench you said?"

"Yeah, right over there." Arnie used all his strength to turn Hector around and guide him towards the bench. He was left sweaty and out of breath by the time they made the five steps towards it, Hector swaying with each movement in a different direction.

Hector collapsed on the wood gratefully, immediately spreading his legs and bracing on his knees to burp loudly on the ground. Nothing came up this time, but his stomach had a piercing angry growl that had Arnie jumping up.

Hector moaned, one hand back to clutch at the top of his belly, hanging his head. It was terrifying how someone stronger than the world could be reduced to a shaking mess by food.

And it was all Arnie's fault.

The blond sat down on the bench as gently as he could, hands on Hector's back and upper arm, quickly soaking with sweat.

"Feeling any better? It's not even been an hour since you ate, maybe you will get rid of it and feel better soon," Arnie said pleadingly, clasping Hector's shoulder as a sudden heave had him wincing.

"Everything's-... everything's spinning. Where..." Hector blinked several times, one hand still on his stomach but the other sneaking over towards his younger brother.

Arnie grabbed the hand quickly, clutching it tightly. "You feel dizzy?" This was getting worse and worse. He was seriously afraid now.

Hector shut his eyes, grimacing as he took deep erratic breaths.

"We need help. I can't get you anywhere like this. I'll call an ambulance." Anyone or anything to get Hector from looking like that, face contorting in pain.

"Nahhhh...I'm kay-justbadfoodsnonsnese..."

"Yeah, but your shadow won't work on food poisoning and you are slurring your words and-" Arnie pressed his face into Hector's shoulder trying to calm down enough to think. He couldn't just panic and leave Hector like this.

Would an ambulance work though? What if Hector's shadow acted up? It was fine now, not even budging, but that’s because Hector was used to Arnie. A bunch of strangers when he was confused, dizzy and in pain? Bad combination for a wolf. He could rip someone's head off and not notice.

There was only one solution. Ironically enough, Arnie would get his wish after all.

Still holding Hector's hand tight, he reached with his free hand to his pocket to get his phone out. The panic and the fact it was his left hand made him clumsy, but Isaiah's number was still there from yesterday.

Isaiah picked up on the first ring. "He-"

"Isaiah, thank god," Arnie interrupted. "You have to come get us. Hector's super sick, he can't even walk or see straight and I can't- I need to get him home, but maybe he needs a hospital? What if he needs a hospital, how d-do I k-know? I have no one to call, you know how angry he would be if I called someone from the pack in his state- can you come?"

"Arnie. Arnie calm down, you are talking too fast. Deep breaths. I'll come wherever you want. Now where are you?"

"At the park behind the mall? You know the big one in the centrum, I-I don't know w-what it's called..." Arnie was all but choking on tears right now.

Hector's grip on his hand tightened and he was heaving again, loud and horse guttural sounds accompanying the process. White pink vomit covered the ground between his legs and there was puke hanging from his nose and chin.

"I know where it is. I'll be there in a sec, you hear? It's going to be okay."

Hector made another horrible sound, moaning between burps. Arnie still held his hand, pressed between Hector's straining stomach and his tight.

"Arnie? What's wrong with Hector? Is he hurt?" Isaiah's voice was smooth and calm, holding the worry deep behind.

Arnie latched onto the sound. "No, but he ate really bad sushi and-"

Hector groaned at the mention like a hurt animal.

"And it hit him out of nowhere and he can't stop throwing up and Isaiah pleasepelasehurry..."

Hector gave him a side long glance, straightening up. His chin was slimy with spit and puke and Arnie realzied he didn't even have handkerchiefs on him.

"I'm on my way." Isaiah hang up.

Hector looked dazed, leaning back, rubbing at his stomach. It still looked full and distended, a sliver of skin sticking out from under his white shirt. Sweat run down his neck, creating a dark splotch around the collar.

"Feeling any better?" Arnie asked hopefully.

"Feeling awful. But it's fine. Stop crying, geez. It's not like it will kill me." Hector let his head hang back, voice raspy like he gurgled glass, sniffling. His hands hovered towards his face but he didn't dare touch it.

"I-I'm not crying!" Arnie protested, quickly swiping the back of his hand over his eyes to get rid the moisture. "You just look super bad, that's all."

Hector burped, cheeks puffing out with the movement. "Stop panicking and get me some napkins or something."

Arnie stood up at the order, Hector's face did look awful all covered in puke and saliva..."I can't leave you like this. Isaiah's on his way. Just a minute."

"The heck you calling him for?" Hector complained, rubbing at his chest, working out an airy burp. "Just caught me off guard, that's all."

"You can't walk and you are too heavy for me to-"

"No, you are just too tiny," Hector teased with a weak half-smile.

Arnie sat back down on the bench in relief. He knew what Hector was doing, playing it off like that, but it worked all the same.

"I'm so sorry," Arnie clutched his pants on his knees, "I should have been the one sick, not you."

Hector closed his eyes, head still leaning back, lips locked tight together. The stench from the puddle of vomit between his feet probably wasn't making it better. "What's that about? You couldn't have known it was bad."

Hector's stomach let out an unhappy gurgle, making the older blond wince and hiccup. "Ugggggh. Feels like there is a storm in my insides." He gulped down audibly.

"The nausea coming back?" Arnie said, palming Hector's arm anxiously.

Fortunately, that's when Isaiah appeared from the other side of the mall where Arnie now noticed the parking lot.

Isaiah quickly assessed the situation, frowning at both of them in concentration, a backpack half-heartedly thrown over one shoulder.

"Hello there. You need a ride home?"

"That would be fantastic," Arnie said, shooting up and tackling Isaiah in a hug. He was so glad they had someone to call, all but forgetting about his previous plan. He knew Isaiah would come, but it really counted now.

Isaiah huffed, staggering back a little, hugging him back with one arm. He squeezed Arnie's shoulders once, before sitting down next to Hector.

Hector didn't open his eyes, though his lips curled in a grimace. "Geez, I'm the one sick and the two are having the time of their lives."

Isaiah rolled his eyes, getting a bunch of paper towels from the backpack and handing them over to Hector. The sick man eagerly cleaned his chin and blew his nose.

"Let's see," Isaiah planted a hand against Hector's cheek. "You don't have a fever. How is your stomach?"

Hector's eyebrows drew together and he straightened, moving away from the touch. "Cramping like hell, but manageable. Really, you are totally useless at this point. The fun part's over."

"That's good, at least you won't puke in the car. Ready to go?" Isaiah handed Arnie a small bag with all the dirty paper towels. The youngest quickly scooped them up and threw them in the nearest trashcan, happy to have something to do.

It was amazing how quickly both of them calmed down when Isaiah showed up. Hector was putting himself together for Arnie's sake before, but despite his words, his shoulders sagged in relief and his face went from angry strained red to only a bit sickly white.

"We are going to my place this time," Hector warned, which had Arnie's eyebrows shooting up in question.

Hector obediently leaned forward though, sidestepping the mess on the grass to get up.

Isaiah grabbed Hector's arm to help him stand, reaching to wrap his own around his back, but Hector stepped away. "Keep your grabby hands to yourself. I can walk." He swayed on unsteady feet, but kept himself upwards, which Arnie counted as a win.

Isaiah said nothing, slightly amused. He took the backpack that had Arnie wondering what other first help things he got into it to make it so big and the trio got on their way.

"Front or back?" Isaiah asked once they reached the car.

Hector eyed Isaiah's car with a frown. It was an older model of Audi. Not too fancy or obvious, but that was a quality vehicle.

Hector didn't answer, opening the back door and sitting down, though he didn't close it, lips pressed tightly together. Arnie wasn't sure if he was fuming at being helped, at how cool the car model was or if he was getting sick again.

Isaiah shrugged, sliding the backpack to the back seats next to Hector and starting the engine.

That's when Hector let out a loud belch and leaned forward, legs out of the car and braced against the door. He spat on the ground, his body going rigid.

Arnie hurried to his side, hand on his shoulder. "Starting again?"

"No-I just...fuck, give me a second." He was breathing fast again, grimacing, his stomach making loud bubbling noises Arnie could hear even over the running engine.

Arnie could hear the liquid running up Hector's throat before his brother leaned forward with a retch.

The first wave was small, pinkish in colour, but the next one was big and thick, all bright pink and orange. Hector was hurling it out with a force that had him almost face-diving to the ground, weren't it for Arnie's hold.

"That's disgusting," Hector panted, mouth hanging open. Arnie noticed Isaiah turned from behind the wheel to reach over, his hand now on Hector's back too.

Arnie hoped they weren't overwhelming him with all the touches, but Hector didn't seem to mind as another gush of puke joined the first one on the concrete with a loud splash. Arnie moved his feet away a little to save his shoes.

"You can't possibly have anything left in you," Arnie said in a stunned voice as Hector went from vomiting to a coughing fit, wrecking his whole frame.

"Huh, you wanna bet?" Hector said with a sound somewhere between a cough and a burp, leaning back. His face looked white and pinched again.

Isaiah had a bottle of water unscrewed and ready, holding it up for Hector.

The older blond took it and rinsed his mouth out before planting himself back on the seat, eyes shut and breathing fast, but getting slower.

Isaiah eyed him like he was an interesting puzzle to solve. His calm nerves had Arnie impressed. "Let's just drive. You can continue with that at home. The bag is right there, when you need it."

Hector muffled another burp, angrily looking at Arnie who took the offered bag, positioning it next to his sick brother.

The drive back was silent. Isaiah kept looking back at them in the mirror while Arnie watched Hector anxiously.

Hector, for his part, was tense and quiet, arms wrapped around his middle. He held himself as still as possible and Isaiah was driving carefully, but Arnie could tell the ride made it worse.

Just when they turned towards the building where Hector and Arnie shared an apartment, Hector suddenly grabbed for the bag and dry heaved over it for several minutes. The car stopped a long time ago, when he was finished, burping emptily into the bag, bringing up the smallest mouthful of brown-pink puke. It hit the plastic with a splash that had them all cringing.

Arnie was tired from the ordeal and he wasn't even the one being sick. The guilt burned his stomach like acid as he urged Hector to let go of the bag.

Isaiah circled the car, opening it, but Hector just sat unmovingly, sagging to the side.

Isaiah's expression softened. "I know you are wiped, bud. Almost home. You will lie down, sleep this off and be good as new." He cupped Hector's cheek gently, patting it until Hector's eyes unscrewed open. He didn't even have the energy to muster up a proper glare, sliding into Isaiah's ready arms.

Arnie was grateful for Isaiah's wolf strength as he held Hector up and dragged him inside, following after them with the backpack.

#emeto #sickfic #vomiting #emetophilia #food poisoning #hurt/comfort #my writing #werewolf wip #Hector

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mwolf0epsilon · 2 years

Text

Fives while attending evening meal with the others: What's the worst thing you've ever done to a batchmate while you were still cadets?

Jesse looking up from his plate: Once when we were still in our 6th growth cycle, I hid a spider inside Kix's sleeping pod. The thing scurried off, so he never saw it... But a few months later the eggs it had apparently laid in his pod hatched while he was asleep...

Hardcase wincing slightly: You remember those running exercises we were made to do when we got on a trainer's bad side? During one of those an aiwha dropped a partially eaten fish on the platform. I took it back inside with me and hid it in Jesse's training bucket...

Rex looking a little ashamed of himself: I might have poured glue I finessed from an unnamed source into my entire batch's shampoo bottles. They still haven't forgiven me to this day, and I never leave my hygiene kit unatended whenever they visit.

Kix who's never done anything wrong in his entire life: I'm surrounded by a bunch of evil assholes.

Fives looking around at them with a slight frown: That's the worst you could think of? Now I feel kind of bad...

Jesse: Why? What did you do?

Fives: Well, I didn't start it, but I got the worst result. Back on Kamino Echo used to be a very picky eater and the others and I thought it'd be funny to see if he'd notice if we tampered with his rations a bit.

Rex looking up abruptly: .... You what now?

Fives: It was meant to be harmless! Really! We never put anything bad in them, like bugs or that sorta crap! Just... He didn't like asparagus, so we mashed some into his mashed taters and watched to see if he'd react. He didn't like bananas, so we mashed those as well and put it into his pudding...

Hardcase looking all kinds of horrified: Dude, you don't mess with a guy's meal. It's a sacred rule!

Fives sheepishly: It gets worse... So he always had a weird nauseated look whenever he ate any of the food we messed with. Nothing too bad, and honestly not as funny as we assumed it'd be... So one day I break out the big guns and mash up a serving of brussel sprouts and mix it with his broccoli...

Jesse flabbergasted: Fives?!

Fives: He uh. Well he certainly reacted...

Echo who is eating as far away from Fives as physically possible: I threw up violently and had to be taken to medbay because an Alpha saw me, and thought I was dying of food poisoning. And then I was punished by the Kaminoans for making an unnecessary mess in the cafeteria. I can no longer eat broccoli because just seeing it makes me gag.

Kix looking at Fives in horror: You are literally the fucking devil.

Fives: I was a very shitty cadet.

#incorrect quotes #star wars #the clone wars #arc trooper fives #arc trooper echo #arc trooper jesse #clone trooper hardcase #captain rex #clone medic kix

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mushroomminded · 10 months

Text

Ethical Consumption

submitted by @fundeadasylum

I didn’t proof read this and I wrote it all up in like an hour and I don’t feel like Ira’s very in character,,,But all this salmonid talk got me thinking and. Yeah. Here’s this.

no big warnings but there are discussions of eating living things and some minor death mentions

—————

Ira was pacing around the edge of the lake outside her house, scowling and muttering and kicking at the grass. She didn’t so much as blink when the surface of the water rippled and a spiky shell surfaced, followed by a pair of grumpy yellow and neon eyes. Zone snorted a stream of bubbles into the water, squinting at Ira as she continued her angry pacing.

Zone lifted his head out of the water just enough to be heard, “What’re you doing?”

“Piss off,” Ira grunted and Zone rumbled out a warning growl that went ignored.

“Is this about the fight you had with the Blue One?”

“I said go away! You’re the last person I need right now!”

“I can eat him for you.”

“Would just—!” Ira paused mid-stride and glanced at Zone. He was watching her from the middle of the water, far from her reach, each heavy breath he let out a ripple across the surface. They were not friends, not by any means, but Ira hesitated to call him an enemy. They did not like each other, might never given what Zone had done to Ira. But that didn’t mean she still wasn’t fascinated by him.

“Why do you do that?” She found herself asking, stepping closer to the edge of the water. Zone drew back a bit.

“Do what?”

“Offer to eat people?”

He eyed her warily, “Because it will get rid of a problem.”

“But they’re people.”

The giant sea turtle blinked at her, not at all comprehending what she meant, “So?”

“So!” Ira gestured wildly, “They are living and intelligent beings! They think and feel! They had lives before you killed them!”

The confusion on Zone’s face was clear as he watched her, “They’re prey. I don’t care how they lived before. I need to eat and sometimes you small things are the easiest to catch. Kell eats them too, why aren’t you yelling at her?”

“Because you’re here and she’s not,” Ira huffed, crossing her arms, “What about the salmonid? You’ve eaten them too, right?” Zone grunted in affirmation, still unsure of what she was getting at, “Have you ever talked to them?”

Zone barked out a loud laugh, one that made Ira wince at the volume, “Talk to them? Why would I converse with my prey!? They have nothing interesting to say except to beg for their lives like you little squids!”

Ira sat down hard on the grass, like someone had cut the strings of a puppet, her eyes wide and distant, “They…they begged for their lives…”

“Everything does,” Zone replied with a somewhat forced nonchalance. He didn’t know why Ira was acting so strange but it was making his scales prickle, “You things that can speak always use your words. The smaller things squeak and run and try to hide. They thrash about because their instinct tells them to live. Nothing wants to die, White Coat. But bigger fish eat smaller fish and that’s just how it goes. The strong devour the weak.”

A blink and Ira seemed to come back to herself, looking up at him. She crossed her legs, brow furrowed, and folded her hands on her lap, “You hunt salmonid.”

“Yes, I said that a—”

“And they talk to you?”

Zone tilted his head to one side, snout wrinkling, “No, they scream and cry like the little helpless prey they are. They fight back but they can’t do anything to stop me.” He paused then, considering, “Unless they are Kings. Then they put up a good fight.” Zone grinned, flashing the sharp teeth in the back of his mouth, “I haven’t eaten a King, but we do fight. I have bitten them and they have managed to leave me with some scars. They are worth the fight.”

“Do you talk to the King Salmonid?” Ira was watching him earnestly now, with an intense focus and strange curiosity.

“No,” Zone snorted, “There isn’t time for talking when we’re fighting.”

“What if one of them killed and ate you?”

Zone stared at her, really stared, looking her over like he was actually trying to understand. He leaned closer, not close enough for her to touch, but close enough that she felt the brief gust of his breath as he sniffed at her. Then he drew back, tail churning in the water behind him.

“Then I would be dead and be eaten by something much stronger than me,” He said, “I don’t understand why you’re asking these things.”

Ira tore her gaze away and stared at the grass, tapping her fingers together, “I…did you know the inkfish in the cities wage war with the salmonids? Steal their eggs and slaughter them by the thousands?”

“Yes,” Zone’s voice was oddly flat and he sunk lower in the water, eyes narrowing, “The times they call Big Runs are good for feeding.” There was a pause before he added, in a lower rumble, “I don’t know what the little squids want with the eggs. But…” His nose scrunched up again and something like frustration darkened his expression, “I do not think I like that they take them.”

That surprised her and she looked up, “What? Why? Why is that the thing that bothers you? Don’t you eat the eggs?”

Zone snarled, snapping his massive jaws in the water and spraying it everywhere, “They are hard and small and not easy to eat! Not worth the effort to crunch through them for a meager trickle!” His fierce gaze pinned her and he loomed closer, “Do you know why the little squid are egg thieves? Do you know what they do to the eggs?”

She wondered if it was wise to tell him. Ira knew something had happened to Zone, something bad. The scarred over barcode on his shoulder had ancient language underneath it, stuff from the time of humans. He hated her white coat, hated her specifically for the science she did and the studies she made. He had said that she was everything that was wrong with the world and destroyed her home simply because of what it represented to him.

It wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.

“I’m not sure what they use all the eggs for,” She found herself saying, found herself looking him in the eye and wondered how much of a challenge he saw in that, “But I know they—they use some of them as…power sources. Batteries. They’re very secretive about what they do with the rest. But it can’t be anything good.”

The ground vibrated and the water was rippling in a steady wave and Ira realized that Zone was growling. It was a deep and predatory sound in a register lower than she could really hear. But it was enough to make the earth tremble.

“They’re stupid,” The sub-vocalization of his growling did something strange to Zone’s voice, made it resonate with a deep undertone like some kind of angry god, “Stupid little egg thieves. And they deserve whatever the salmonid will do to them.” His tail lashed out of the water and splashed back down in a crashing wave and he glared at her,

“I was having a good nap until you came stomping around and asking me stupid questions! Stupid White Coat! You ruin everything!” And he bared his teeth in a threat both of them knew he wouldn’t follow through with.

Ira snorted, getting to her feet and dusting herself off, “Well excuse me for wanting to pick your brains for the vast knowledge of ancient wealth you hold. Guess I’ll go destroy the Salmon Run industry by myself then.” She smirked to herself when Zone rose up out of the water, his shadow blocking out the sun as his dripping frame towered over.

“You? YOU!? You are a little thing! You couldn’t destroy anything! Small! Pathetic!” He ground his fangs together, digging his claws into the earth on the bank of the lake, “I could destroy anything faster than you could! Stupid little squid!”

“First off, not a squid,” Ira corrected, trying not to be intimidated by him but taking a step back anyway, “Second of all…” She grinned,

“I was wondering how you felt about destroying the Salmon Run outposts…”

#submission #friend art #fics #splatoon #peachy fanart #nspeachy #ira #zone #YAYYYYYY

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iasmelaion · 4 days

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Fun and/or delightful things said by my assorted tour guides during this trip to Lisbon:

After I asked if people study Spanish in school in Portugal: “No, it's too close to Portuguese. Of course, we all think we can speak Spanish, but we can't.”

During our food tour (with Devour btw, highly recommended in any of the cities they do tours in!), our half Italian, half Ethiopian tour guide who’s been living in Lisbon for a decade: “I don’t know why the Portuguese don’t eat vegetables. They have them. And yet on the menus it’s all meat and fish.”

(This dude also gave us the A++++ tips of: enter the Livraria Bertrand via the cafe entrance on the side, much less crowded, and visit the Estufia Fria, which was a truly lovely and surprisingly big botanical garden. A quiet and peaceful respite during the trip!)

(Also, this dude’s tragic backstory: half Italian, and allergic to tomatoes :( Though he did constantly shit talk Italian food for being too boring and set in its ways lol.)

When we got to the big market with fresh fruits and veggies: “See, they have vegetables!”

About all the explorers and colonizers etc: “You know, they say these guys did it all for the glory of Portugal, but come on! They did it for the money!” (Appreciated that this guy also mentioned, hey, we have all these monuments about the Age of Discovery, but none memorializing its evils and horrors.”)

Dueling opinions about the pasteis de nata: food tour guy said Manteigaria has the best (though he allowed that Castro’s were pretty good too), other guide said the originals in Belem are the best. First tour guide said forget about pasteis de nata, Sintra’s pastries are where it’s at.

Coolest sights:

Unfortunately, the major parks and sights in Sintra were closed due to wildfire risk. It was still neat to visit the town though!

Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe was a surprisingly neat stop on one of our tours. Super windy, but neat to say you’ve been there.

The Jeronimos Monastery. Should you ever go, I really recommend booking a tour if only to skip the longest line, because holy shit that line was enormous. Anyway, the Manueline architecture is gorgeous.

Igreja de Sao Domingo. Fascinating story and interior. We stopped in during our food tour, and it’s so interesting to see the building’s history of disaster and reconstruction written on it so plainly.

The enormous Time Out Market that houses curated restaurants in a food court setting one one side and a traditional market on the other is just super neat and it’s worth it just to take in the atmosphere.

The MAAT museum was fine, but tbh, the view of the Tagus River and statue of Christ Redeemer from their cafe was lovely. Worth eating a light meal or having a coffee here and just relaxing!

God I wish we had a culture of nice, big public squares with great architecture and plenty of cafes and benches in the US. I know there are some on the East Coast, but here on the West Coast, we just have the occasional little park :( Every single such square we saw in Lisbon was lovely.

The Estufia Fria, as mentioned above.

The National Tile Museum! Sounds boring, but it was both interesting and super impressive.

Gulbenkian Museum. Now this is how insanely rich dudes should spend their money: collecting massive amounts of art and then putting it all on display in a museum in perpetuity after their deaths. Great collection of Egyptian, Near Eastern, Chinese, Japanese, and European art, plus a stunning though small-ish Lalique collection.

Mostly though we just wandered around, which is honestly my favorite thing to do in a new to me city, and while the hills are punishing, Lisbon is a great city to wander in.

Most delicious things I ate:

Gotta agree with food tour guy, it was the Mantegiaria pasteis de nata for me.

Meat sushi??? It was cooked, but it still felt like a great sushi innovation.

Chocolate cake from Landeau. Life-ruiningly good. All other chocolate cakes will pale in comparison.

Some astonishingly good Indian/Nepalese food, somewhat surprisingly. Some of the best naan I’ve ever had, and their dishes were presented so beautifully. Like, I like Indian food just fine in America! It’s basically always tasty! But this was on another level, and still comparable in price to the nicer Indian restaurants in the States.

Some of the best roasted chicken I’ve ever had in my life. Very simply prepared, but so tender and tasty.

Ate at one (1) fine dining restaurant, and damn, okay, that’s what the prices are about. I had duck breast and the dish as a whole was just exceptional.

Some very good gelato at the packed and bustling Time Out Market. Such a cool spot, I honestly wish every city had a version of this. (I know LA kind of does, but I like that the Time Out Market is curated.)

At the other end of the spectrum, a suspiciously cheap restaurant near our hotel that nonetheless had phenomenal food. Straightforward Portuguese with a twist food, presented beautifully with pretty generous portion sizes. Seriously though, it was so cheap I actually felt kind of guilty about it. Also they were cash only?? And had weird hours?? So maybe it’s a front? But the hotel recommended it and they’ve been in business for 50 years! So whatever, if it is a front, thank you to whatever mob boss is supporting their relative’s culinary dreams. Anyway, best chocolate mousse and sangria I’ve had to date, and the mains were good too. Truly felt like we got away with something eating mains, drinks, and dessert for two for 36 euros.

Our hotel brought us fresh pastries for breakfast every morning, and the chocolate croissants were especially delicious.

Okay, I know ginjinha is traditional and all here, but. Listen. It tastes like especially alcoholic cough syrup. (The booze-soaked cherry included in the shot glass was good tho) The white wine port I had at the suspiciously cheap restaurant, on the other hand, was absolutely delicious.

#travel

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crystalelemental · 2 months

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Kitties update.

We've seen some funny stuff with Gia. For whatever reason, one morning she was super spooked and wasn't calming down too much, so any time we moved she'd startle and run away. One such surprise had her run to the window alcove...where Bond was. Gia froze and just stared at him, but refused to leave the window. Bond, for his part, looked up at her, hissed, then laid back down and went to sleep. Gia hesitated a moment, but did wind up leaving. It was just...very silly.

We also got the laser pointer back. Turns out, Gia loves the laser pointer. It's the only toy we've gotten her to respond consistently to. She had active big play, even with us in the room. This is great for Gia, but also for Coco, who has destroyed her rope stick. There's a toy with like a feather toy attached to a stretchy rope thing, which is then attached to a firm rod you wave around to make it move. Coco, ever the gremlin, loved chewing on the rod part. Which finally broke apart to the point that, while playing with it, it just snapped off. Fortunately, she likes the rope part too, but goddamn girl, must you destroy everything?

Speaking of bastardry, we've been waking up to various items pulled out toward the back door, near the guest room the cats like. We had kinda assumed it was Coco, given...well, everything about her. Until one day, my wife caught Gia picking up the sponge from the sink and running off with it. So it turns out Gia might be the hoarder. Her desired items include the sponge, the TV remote, my exercise bands, among others. I found their lost jiggle bell beanbag toy, and that seems to have momentarily reduced their tendency to play with things that are not toys. But they are a problem. They tore up an entire roll of paper towels! Stop destroying everything!

Bond has been getting better about Coco being present on the bed with him. He isn't happy about it and will chase her away if she gets too uppity, but honestly at this point I'm on his side. He's no longer getting annoyed about her presence, or even proximity. He's losing patience with her flopping around on the bed trying to play while we're sleeping. So like. Honestly dude, just slap her a little. Don't actually hurt her, but kick her ass just a little. I think he actually may have one time. She has not learned any lesson whatsoever.

We also have confirmed, live evidence of Coco Meows. A fly got into the house, and she got really excited about its presence. When I got up to take care of it, she gave a non-distressed meow. Prior, we've only heard her meow when she's scared or worried, like when we close her out of the room at night or we have to put them in the carry case. But it turns out, much like Gia, she has a very soft, cute meow. Which is...deceptive, really.

We're also finding out that Bond doesn't actually like almost anything but Chicken. We'd assumed he wasn't eating much of some of his dinners because he just doesn't eat much, and got him little half-portion meals. But then he ate none of it for anything fish-related. He only eats the chicken. Boy just likes his land animals, I suppose.

All three have started to learn timing in the schedule. Coco will come snuggle just before bed, Bond knows exactly when 5pm is for dinner and when the wife is set to get out of work, and Gia's pretty aware of her meal times. She'll kinda hover outside of the room starting around 6am for breakfast. I've had to rotate less demands in the morning for her. She doesn't like to approach for fear of getting picked up, so although she's used to it and calm, she doesn't like it. So I have to switch it up so she can't tell when it's going to happen. Which shouldn't be often, we just have a vet appointment in two weeks.

They're doing well. No major updates, but they are goofs.

#cat shenanigans #kitty gremlins

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mightyflamethrower · 1 year

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Once, years ago, Milltown was a fishing village and a lumber town. There was a tribe of Natives just outside the city limits. Years went by and the place changed and grew. It never lost that western waterfront feeling though. Salt water and trees and a college. That’s what I have heard. I wasn’t born until 2010. Lou emerged into the kitchen in her current fave outfit. She looked a little like a scarecrow. Extremely distressed jeans, no hem just shreds. One of dad’s hoodies with some kind of hoohah printed on it about a tractor company, over a plaid man’s shirt and all covered in one of Mom’s weird fleece jackets. Shoes were Keds. OK. She had jammed her curls into a scrunchie hair thing, had on some vintage shades and was ready to go. I don’t scare easily so I was fine with it. I had on my battle dress uniform. Jeans, no holes. A big grey sweatshirt and over that a pea coat, old white trainers. Hair up in a ponytail. I stuffed four of those pink boiled eggs in my pockets. Ready to roll. I locked the back door, pulled the kitchen curtains closed. I glanced around. Home. Hm. Home is where the heart was. My sister and I passed out the front door. I turned and locked the door. I felt like something was changing. I was not sure why. Just shutting the door felt almost final. It was still early in the day, like ten AM. Grey clouds covered the sky. It had been raining during the night. No surprises there. Our lawn was a shaggy mess. No one bothered with lawns anymore. Down the walk. Past the mailbox. We almost never get any mail, but I looked just to make sure. Nothing. Just as we walked out onto the narrow two lane asphalt the sun broke through the clouds, brilliantly, like it does when you are used to the dim light of morning around here. The whole road shone golden. Surely a good sign. Down the golden road we must travel. “Turn your face to the sun.” Two miles is not very far to walk. We passed by our old neighbor’s houses. I recited each name as we came across their places. Erickson’s white house. No one lives there now. Steele’s red house. One old lady is still living there with her dog. She stays home. People bring her supplies. A few more places where we didn’t remember who had lived there. Overgrown lawns. Huge bushes near the houses and unpruned roses surrounded the houses where once people had lived and worked. We passed the Gustafsons two story brick house. The fruit trees had not been tended to for several years. Did I know that it was a gloomy scene? Maybe not really. It was the new normal. Lou piped up, “Jen, there is a dog following us.” Glancing back, I saw that she was correct! There was quite a big dog on the road behind us. He was not familiar to me. He stopped about twenty feet away when we stopped. He appeared to be a German Shepherd mix, mixed with some other really big kind of dog. He had a black muzzle and tan body and one ear up and one ear down. We used to call those Indian dogs because you would see them around the Reservation. The dog sat on the pavement watching me. They sense who is the boss, right? I squatted down on one knee and called to him. “Hey, Buddy, come here…” I noticed that his sides were thin, and his fur looked a bit messy. “Want an egg, Buddy?” I coaxed. I pulled one out of my pocket and started to peel it for him. That got his attention in a big way. He stood and approached

slowly, tail waving. This was a big dog. He was taller than a regular German Shepherd. The pink eggshell bits lay scattered on the wet asphalt. The bright light of the sun was shining into his

very aware looking brown eyes. I was not fearful of this big dog at all. He came to me then and took the egg. He didn’t mind the shell that I hadn’t peeled off yet. He put it on the road surface, looked up at me, then carefully ate it. I peeled him another egg then. I guessed that his name was Buddy now. I guessed we had a friend for now. Lou walked over and stood with us and patted his head. I did too. He seemed to like the attention. “OK, Buddy”, I said. “We have to keep going.” Lou smiled then, like I had not seen her smile in quite a long time.

Hi This Is LouJen was strutting along up there like she was on a mission from God. She had these long spidery legs like a boy. Her ponytail was almost swinging in complete circles! That’s how crazy she was. The sun was in my eyes, and I was hungry. She always said I was fat. She treated me like I was retarded. I was not fat, I had a waist and looked more like a woman than she did. Ha. You can’t believe everything she tells you!

Someone had trained Buddy. I wished I knew his real name. I bet it wasn’t Buddy. Hopefully not King or Rex. He stayed right at my left side. Sometimes he would stuff his big black muzzle in my hand, reassuringly. Sometimes he would glance back to make sure that Lou was still back there. He would stop and I would stop, and we would wait for her to catch up. I knew she didn’t like walking very much. She was a tired looking small figure in funny clothes. I loved her so much. Except for Buddy, she was it, all I had. We had to cross a bridge over the river, and it was pretty steep. Our trip into Milltown was because we had to pick up our funny money. The State gives unemployed people a little money. It doesn’t look real. It comes in little books. To use a bill, you tear it out of the book. If there is change due, we get it in old coins. They were still in circulation. There isn’t any record keeping really. We weren’t important enough to keep track of much. They hand these out at the Post Office. Our names were on a list. We could buy a few things to carry home then. The river is cleaner than it used to be. There was no industry left making it dirty. It was about thirty feet down to the water. Looking over, we could see one guy fishing a little upstream. I was not sure that I would want to eat whatever he was catching. I waved; Lou smiled. We didn’t see many young guys. Now the sidewalk began. Power poles and streetlights. Stapled onto one of the power poles was large sheet of red paper with the word “NO” spray painted on it, in white. We looked at each other and laughed. NO, what? Might have had something to do with the news yesterday. Next, we noticed stenciled words on the sidewalks. Somebody had been making a trail of these stencils. They said “Follow Me” in more white spray paint. We started to look for them all the way to the Post Office. On every block, there were two or three of these stenciled messages. Things were starting to get interesting. Who did this? The Post Office was one street over from Main. I went in and gave our names, leaving Lou outside leaning on the window, watching the street, hanging out with Buddy. Walking back out, I carefully put our little books of funny money in the inside pocket of my pea coat. Some Kind of Shopping Lou was tired, I could see that. She was crouched down, resting, and leaning on Buddy who braced, sitting under the load. “Come on you two, we have to go to the so called store”

pBird (aka kabukinoir@tumblr)

More to come.

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shayanapraia · 1 month

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Week 8 (Amazon) Recap

Holy moly, what a trip. The Amazon was insane. I won’t be able to put it all in one post but I’ll summarize and leave it to the readers to ask further questions

So basically I flew to Manaus, which is a big, modern, 2 million person city in the center of the rainforest. I have a friend Lucas who is born and raised there (we met while he was on vacation in Salvador) so I spent the first day and a half with him. It was really cool to hear from a local person about how the Amazon region plays a part in their culture there. I assumed that people living in the city would be completely modernized and detached from indigenous roots, but actually they have very elegant bits of native culture within their city lives and they are very proud of amazonas. For example, Lucas said a typical Sunday for his family (like many families) is fishing in the river and then grilling their fish for a big family meal. He also knows a TON of fish species and plants, and I think that’s just a naturally ingrained part of their life there.

So Lucas convinced me to go on this day trip tour thing with him that takes you near the city and you visit a native tribe, go fishing, swim with the pink river dolphins, etc. I took one look and was like wtf this looks so touristy and cringe, but since I literally had an indigenous local friend wanting to go for his own personal interest, I thought ok well it must be legit. Well I thought it was super cringe and touristy. But Lucas said it made him emotional because he’s connecting to his “nature roots” LMAO so I really don’t know what to think

Lucas saying he’s “bored” after we literally saw a SLOTH because he’s “used to” seeing sloths all the time lmao

River dolphin, not in captivity but lowkey being exploited in my opinion

The native dance thing seemed really performative and kind of fake and commercialized, but Lucas said it’s real, so I really don’t know if I’m just being racist

Okay and THEN I went on a 4-day jungle trip. From Manaus it was a car, boat, longer car, longer boat to get there. The guide, Liel, has a little lodge that he has built on his family’s property that he runs with his wife and kids. There were also French and Spanish travelers there.

We spent the days doing different activities: rainforest walks for wildlife, lots of canoe rides, fishing, and visiting the community. We saw beautiful nature and wildlife but for me, the coolest part was seeing the lifestyle of the locals.

We were in a super rural 20-family community on the river where all of the people are native by blood but they are culturally Brazilian (aka they only speak Portuguese, they’re all Christian, don’t actively have any indigenous culture). There are zero streets, zero cars, bikes, or any land travel whatsoever. Only boats. Below are Liel’s kids getting on their “school bus” in the morning

Which raised soooo many questions for me…police, firefighters, postal service, population, education, food supply chains, etc??? Well, I got them all answered so if you are curious too, we can discuss

My favorite night was spent staying with another local native family, liel’s cousins. We helped them cook dinner and hung out with the kids. I learned to scale (?) and clean (?) fish for cooking, and we also harvested cassava root and herbs and sugar cane from their garden. Everything you plant just GROWS crazy there. We all became friends by the end and it was a sweet little goodbye

My other favorite part was spending a night living ~survival mode~ in the rainforest. The only food we brought was rice and eggs basically, so we had to hunt/fish if we wanted a substantial meal. We ate piranhas and I slayed fishing

Beauty all around all the time

Some of the wildlife we saw included: many many many birds that looked like they could come out of a David Attenborough movie, lots of butterflies, a monkey, some alligators, little frogs, a lot of river dolphins, spiders, tarantula piranhas obviously, giant ants, etc

Well, that concludes my Amazon time. It was very special for me but I’m so happy to be back in moderate temperatures, away from mosquitos, and in clean clothes. Eating non-fish related food. Back with my host fam. In 48 hours I’ll be on a flight back to the city of angels 👼 baby!

Amazon thorns

The most mosquitos I’ve ever seen in my life, relentless

So so so hot and sticky

I had this smell on me that was like a combo of my filth, sweat, mosquito repellant, and fish guts that I couldn’t get off until today

The French guy with me on the tour was annoying af

I missed my flight on the way home

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grillsadvisor · 2 years

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Fish: The Meat (Wood Pellet Grill)

Imagine a world where the taste of fresh seafood is never lost. A utopia for those who love it, and can't get enough. I grew up in Pacific Northwest where all kinds are readily available - from salmon to oysters or halibut steaks cooked on an open flame grill at your own beachside cabin retreat. The seven seas await you with these culinary creations that will make any day better than before, and if not then we've got some more pirate-themed activities waiting. The ocean is a great place to find seafood. With such diversity in the variety and flavor, I've been able to explore many different types from all over land or in air-conditioned environments where they're sold at local markets near me. My absolute favorites are those Cajun flavors you find along Louisiana's coastlines as well as Baja California’s south beach town Los Cabos.

Salmon

I've been cooking salmon on a pellet grill since grade school. While other kids were learning about skateboards and keyboards, I learned about cedar planks and alder smoke. I know a lot about salmon. Wild Pacific Northwest indigenous people were crazy for it and so are we! When you smoke your favorite fish recipe on our pellet grill, make sure to throw in some wood chips from trees that have been specially selected by an expert smoker just like me who knows how important this ingredient really is when creating delicious flavors like no other. I might be going overboard here with all my expertise but let’s face facts: fresh wild-caught versus farm-raised - there isn't much difference unless they're being kept refrigerated. Tips & Techniques The aromatic cedar plank is a great choice for smoking and barbecuing salmon. The cedar plank is so common today that you can find them at your local grocery store or even Walmart. Not only does this cooking technique allow the wood’s flavor and moisture to pass directly onto salmon, but it also helps prevent sticking. When grilling salmon, be sure to oil the grate beforehand. When you cook your fish on porcelain grates, the second time around it will stick and smell terrible. The salmon is best smoked after it has been cooked on the grill or in an oven. To get that delicious flavor, hit your fish with a flame and avoid overdoing it because this can cause flaking apart while cooking. A big spatula helps too especially when turning over pieces of meat so they don't stick together during the smoking process. Mayonnaise and Dijon mustard can help keep salmon moist. One of the most common ways to cook salmon is by applying a thin coat of mayonnaise or mustard before putting it in an oven. This will keep your dish from drying out and tasting weird.

Tuna

When I was working at the grocery store counter in college, everyone said that people only ate tuna out of a can. But one day someone came through my line with two beautiful pink steaks and they were so juicy. It turns out that all these years we've been missing out on delicious food because our minds didn't want us to spoil their image. The customer was a successful and knowledgeable man whom I respected. He explained to me how he planned on grilling his tuna steaks. That night, I bought my wife two steaks. The next morning we cooked up some delicious tuna — everything she expected and more. The next time I saw this customer, we traded stories. He told me how impressed he was by my ability to sear tuna steaks on a wood pellet smoker and actually bought the same one — from me. Tuna can be a delicious and healthy alternative to other types of seafood. However, the quality will depend on whether it's fresh or dried out - if you see any signs that your preferred brand has been frozen before being sold then avoid buying them as they won't taste nearly as good. Tips & Techniques If you're looking to add a smokey flavor, try reverse searing your tuna. I don’t smoke my tuna steaks longer than 30 minutes to avoid the fishy flavor. Dill is the perfect complement to seafood, especially tuna. Dill weed is a fantastic spice to have on hand, but it's best when used for flavoring tuna steaks. Apply some dill seeds onto your plate before serving the dish up in order to get every last bit of flavor. It is important not to overcook the fish. Tuna steaks are always a treat, but if you’re not careful they can go from impressive to cat food really fast. They're meant for eating just as sushi-grade tuna should be - err on the side of rarer meat when preparing your dish so that each person gets their own piece with juice.

Shrimp

When I think about seafood, shrimp always comes to mind. There are so many ways you can prepare it and not be disappointed in the taste. One way that stands out for me is how easy cooking them on a pellet grill is because they take less time than other types of fish or meats which makes our experience worth every second spent with this delicious food item on hand-held cuisine perfectionists like myself want everything all at once without too much hassle but still getting Their money's worth from each ingredient used during preparation. Whether you're a shrimp lover or not, the grill is an excellent way to cook up some of these little guys. If possible try and find fresh never frozen ones to be cooked properly with all their flavor intact instead of using small packages that may have been sitting on store shelves since before Christmas. Tips & Techniques Of all the ways to cook shrimp, I think my favorite is Cajun or Creole Louisiana-style. But there are many different types you can try out on your pellet grill. When you're a pitmaster, there are many different styles of barbecue to keep up with. You can never be bound by just one style or method though - experimentation makes us all better. Lemon is an excellent addition to shrimp. Squeeze the lemon in your cooking or after for an extra burst of freshness. Grill baskets are a great way to cook shrimp and other small food items. To cook your shrimp, pick one basket up and put it over a direct flame or straight on the grill.

Oysters

Growing up in the Mid-Valley, it was always tradition to have seafood on Christmas Eve. The three different styles of oysters would be pan-fried or smoked before being eaten on their own with some hot sauce for dipping - but not too much because then you get that burning sensation all over your mouth. I prefer cooking these little guys medium size; they're easy enough so as long as I don't overcook them, which happens easily, everything should come out just right regardless of what kind/size grill/smoker you use. Tips & Techniques I'll keep saying it until you listen, but the truth is a good pair of gloves will make your job so much easier. handling oysters on your grill can be tricky. You don't want to end up burning yourself or scalding yourself with hot shells, so use gloves. Peek at your oysters often, but quickly. If you want to avoid drying out the oysters, then keep an eye on them and make sure that they are closed tightly. You also need a lid for when it's time to cook up your meal. Speaking of needing your lid to be closed to cook, this may be the job for a smoker. The vertical pellet smoker is a great choice for people who want an easy and fast job. The window makes it much easier than other types of smokers, making this type ideal when you're in hurry or just have some time on your hands.

Editor’s Choice: Top-list grills

- The best pellet grill for the money - The best pellet grill & smoker combo - Best quality pellet grills with Wi-Fi - Best small pellet grills on 2022 Read the full article

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ftmbruce · 2 years

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my fish died and i feel like im way more upset than im like. Supposed to be. But i had him for like 6 years and hes grown so much and he kept getting bigger and i thought i was taking good care of him and knew i needed to be better the past couple weeks and now he's dead and if i had taken the extra time to fix something he wouldn't be and i feel like shit and i know its Just A Fish but fuck i really loved that fish! I took care of that fish for a long time! I wanted to take care of him for even longer

#sorry ig this is a vent post ew cringe but i am fucking sad ! and i have no one to talk to that doesnt think its stupid #pet death #animal death #he was a very pretty black angelfish with red eyes #his name was lucifer and i really fucking loved him.#he got really big because he ate any other fish we put in there #that was when we first got him so we stopped. trying to get him friends.#and we got a white angelfish i called gabriel for a while. like 2 years they were fine until luci snapped and ate him too. i cried #like a baby then too. and then he got EVEN bigger #mourning my cannibal angelfish

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redpandaramblings · 3 years

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A Matter of Admiration Alpha Gang Orca x Omega f!Reader

Hello Hello! Here is my very VERY late submission for the SFW portion of Spudcorner's Valentine Blood and Chocolate Collab. This was meant to be a two page drabble. 13 pages later it's a bit more than that. Regardless, I do hope you enjoy!

Sequel/Epilogue Here

Content Warnings- Omegaverse, SFW, Insecurities, Misunderstandings, Pining, Fluff, Lots of food mentioned, Kugo being very down on himself, very minor mention of blood and stitches needed.

“Really? Again?”

The large alpha seemed to shrink under your judgemental glare.

“I am sorry, Y/N. The fight got intense and it slipped off. Someone must have stepped on it.”

You sighed heavily, your gaze turning to the workbench where the shattered remains of your creation sat. This was your seventh attempt at outfitting Gang Orca with a communicator headset. It was dangerous for him to keep fishing for a handheld during the heat of battle. Unfortunately, his lack of outer ear made keeping a headset on him difficult. Shaking your head, you gave a small smile.

“Not your fault, Sakamata. We knew this was going to be tricky. Though at this rate I’m tempted to just glue a headset on you and call it a day.”

Kugo snorted, his posture relaxing. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I hate to see your hard work go to waste.”

“It’s not a waste if I learn something from it. This one lasted a couple weeks of normal patrol work, so that’s an improvement. We just need to figure out what was different about this fight. So, sit. Talk.”

Kugo shook his head with an amused huff. He admitted he had been slightly dubious when you had first come to his agency. He’d encountered many hero support workers claiming to specialize in mutation quirks that seemed to be looking for lab rats for their creations. However, you always listened to what he said, and made suggestions that would actually make his job easier. You made sure your support items not only were functional, but comfortable at well. If the few years you had worked for him, he was pleased to say you had become good friends.

“I can’t right now, Y/N. I need to get cleaned up, then complete my report before I forget the details. I’ll come back first thing tomorrow.” You frowned, tapping your foot. Kugo fought to keep a neutral expression. You’d never forgive him if you knew how much he enjoyed your expressions when you were annoyed.

“Alright. Fine. First thing tomorrow. But make sure you get some rest tonight, you’ve been working too hard lately!”

Sakamata waved a hand in answer as he walked out the workshop door. He’d try to follow your request, but a hero’s work is never done.

~~~~~

Gang Orca shuffled through the door to his agency with an aura of gloom about him. In the past five days, he had broken five more communicators, gotten into several serious fights, and had allowed a villain to escape. And that was just his work life. Some of his friends had set him up for a speed dating session. He didn’t blame them for trying, but it ended exactly how he knew it would. Most of the omegas who had been present were scared of him, and those that weren’t were clearly only interested in his pro hero paycheck. Kugo trudged toward his office, his thoughts gloomy. A man with a quirk like his would never have a normal courtship. It hurt sometimes. How nice it would be to come home to a sweet smelling omega. What wouldn’t he give to home filled with pups, and laughter and love? He sighed softly as he swung his door open. Such a life was not meant for him, so no point in even dreaming. On autopilot, he hung his coat on the coat rack, and turned to set his briefcase on his desk. However, the desk was already occupied. Kugo tilted his head as he stared at the object resting on his desk. It appeared to be a large bento box, wrapped in a rather feminine handkerchief, patterned with some sort of flowers. Kugo set his briefcase down on a chair before coming closer to investigate. Gingerly, he untied the knot, setting the cloth aside as he looked at the contents curiously.

First and most obviously, was the strawberry shaped sticky note attached to the top. “You looked like you had been having a rough week. I hope this can make it better!” The writing was… painstakingly cute. The “i”s were dotted with little hearts. Each letter having just a little bit of flourish, while still being legible.

Kugo hummed quietly to himself. Clearly this had been left on his desk by mistake. A bit awkward, considering his name was on the door, but there was no other explanation. He drummed his fingers on the desk as he considered his options. He could take a guess at who the bento was for. There were several popular alpha heroes working for him that got their share of gifts from admirers. The soft omegan scent coming from the handkerchief that had wrapped the bento was a solid clue the gift was likely meant for one of them. But really, there was no way to tell for sure who it was supposed to end up with, and he really didn’t want the hard work to go to waste. Yes. Best thing would be to eat the bento, and place the box in the break room with a note inside the box apologizing.

His course of action decided, Kugo opened the bento, quietly sucking a breath as he saw what was inside. There were sausages cut to look like little octopi. A large slab of teriyaki salmon. Rice balls shaped like teddy bear heads, complete with little seaweed faces. He tried to tamp down his delight at seeing over half of the bento was dedicated to tamagoyaki. While he lived up to his stereotype of loving fish, the egg dish was a secret favorite of his; something his mother had made for him whenever he had a bad day when he was growing up. The second layer of the bento had even more. Rice, vegetables, and surprisingly a small but adorable piece of cake. Kugo put the bento back together with a small smile on his face. Perhaps it wasn’t meant for him, but it had been a long time since he had been able to enjoy something like this- cute and homemade, clearly filled with a great deal of care. He couldn’t quite feel guilty as he looked forward to lunch. He could pretend, just this once, that a sweet smelling omega had put so much care into something for him.

~~~~~~

Later that day, when most of the day team had left, Kugo made his way to the common break room. He carefully cleaned out the bento box in the sink, setting it to the side to dry. He folded the handkerchief it had came in, and placed it next to the box before sighing. He was in the process of scribbling a brief apology note when he heard a cough. He glanced up to see y/n leaning against the doorway.

“You okay, chief? Thought your shift ended an hour ago.”

Kugo nodded as he placed his note on top of the handkerchief. “Yes, just had a few things I needed to wrap up. What about you? I know you were supposed to be done several hours ago now.”

You fidgeted, embarrassed, shrugging your shoulders as you glanced away. “Had an idea for how to improve a few items and, well, you know how I get when I have a project. But what have you got there? You never struck me as the homemade lunch type.”

It was Kugo’s turn to look uncomfortable as he shuffled from foot to foot. “It was left on my desk this morning by mistake. I had no way of knowing who it was actually meant for, and I didn’t want it going to waste, so I ate it.”

You frowned as you walked into the room, opening cupboards and starting to retrieve things to make tea. You held a mug up toward Kugo in a silent question, grabbing a second one when he nodded. You were quiet for a few moments, going through the motions. After a while you asked “How are you so sure it wasn’t for you?”

Kugo snorted, leaning back against the counter and gesturing at himself. “Omegas aren’t exactly lined up around the block. I don’t place high on the ‘heroes that look most like villains’ list every year for no reason. Some unfortunate omega got confused about whose office was whose. It’s a shame I couldn’t give it to whoever it was meant for, it was a beautifully crafted bento.” Kugo doesn’t mention the note. Kugo especially doesn’t mention the note had found its way into his desk drawer to save as a memory of how nice it had been to receive the bento, even if it was an accident.

You laughed, passing him a steaming cup of tea, made just how he liked. “Sakamata, don’t talk down about yourself like that. You’re big, strong, and prime alpha material. You’re one of the top heroes! And even more importantly, you’re a gentle kind man that any omega would be lucky to have. I’d bet good money that that bento absolutely was made just for you.”

“A nice thought, but I doubt it. You’ll see. In a few days I bet a bento will make its way to who it was meant for.”

~~~~~~

Kugo stood stock still in the doorway to his office. Sitting on his desk was another cloth wrapped package. Once was a mistake, clearly. But two days in a row? Why on Earth was there another bento on his desk? He approached the desk and slide the bento to him. He untied the scented fabric with care. A cat shaped note greeted him.

“I’m sorry if it wasn’t clear before, Sakamata. I wanted to make this for you because I admire you so much. I’m not always great at saying my feelings, so I hope my cooking says enough.”

This was… for him. The bentos… were for him? He sat in his chair, leaning his head against his hands as he regarded the innocent looking lunch. If it wasn’t a mistake, then what could it be? Probably a fortune hunting omega trying to get in his good graces, if he went off his past experience. Though usually those types of omegas were more likely to offer favors of a different sort. Kugo winced as another thought occurred to him. There was a good chance this omega pitied him. Ugly, intimidating, unmatable. Someone had seen him and decided he needed looking after because clearly he’d never get someone on his own. Yes. That had to be it. He should leave the bento in the break room and end this farce as soon as possible.

His mind made up, Kugo picked up the bundle to do exactly that. The subtle smell of the contents hit his sensitive nose, causing him to salivate. Tempura? Definitely egg. Well, it would be a shame to not even look inside to make sure.

Clearly just as much care had gone into this one as the last one. The rice balls were shaped like little cat heads, to match the note. An assortment of tempura seemed to be the main dish, cute cat shaped food picks stuck in some of them. There were even paw print shaped gummy candies for the dessert. Every inch of the lunch was absolutely adorable. And it was all done for him. There was no way Kugo could let it go to waste. It hurt to know it was a gift given out of pity, but maybe, just for a while, he could pretend there was someone out there who loved him like this. The omega would grow tired of this eventually. Until then, he’d let himself enjoy this.

~~~~~

It was surprising how easily this had become routine. Every day when Kugo walked into his office, there was a new bento waiting for him. And every day he’d unwrap the bento, indulging a brief moment in the cutely patterned handkerchiefs. Every bento was unique and cute. They seemed to show a good understanding of his tastes and preferences. It was a pleasant break on the quiet days and a welcome comfort on the rough days. Each day there was a sweet written note that Kugo gently stored in his desk drawer. It was perfect.

Until it wasn’t.

~~~~~~~

Kugo hated attending charity events. It wasn’t the charities, he always supported good causes. It wasn’t the dressing up, or the fancy atmosphere. It was the people. While a few of his friends were around somewhere, there were many many others who didn’t know him well. Others who were intimidated by his appearance. Others who apparently had no idea just how sharp his hearing was.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe Gang Orca is here.”

“I know! Well, I suppose he is a hero. Allegedly, anyway.”

“Did he come with anyone?”

“Of course not. I mean ew. Look at him. Can you imagine cosying up to that at the end of the day?”

“I know! And those teeth! If he tried to bond someone, he’d take their head clean off!”

“As if anyone would want to bond with that.”

“I don’t know. He’s in the top ten pretty often. He has to be loaded, right?”

“Would have to be a lot for me to even consider it.”

“It could be all the money and I still wouldn’t!”

“Oh don’t say that! Poor bastard can’t help he’s unmatable.”

Kugo walked away from the refreshment table as he tried to tune out the unkind comments and mocking laughter. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before. He knew full well what he looked like. He had had enough failed courting attempts to know exactly what omegas thought of him. But it still stung. Stung more than usual, actually. The daily bentos with their scented cloths and cute little notes had almost made him forget. The only omegas who were interested either pitied him, or wanted his money. He could never forget that.

~~~~~

What he could forget, apparently, was that the number two pro hero was scheduled to be at his office the morning after the charity gala. Kugo stifled a sigh when he saw the red winged hero waiting outside his agency’s door. Of course he’d have to deal with this on a day when he wasn’t in the best of moods. “Orca! My man, good to see you again!”

Kugo nodded as he held the door open. “Hawks.”

“Didn’t get a chance to talk to you at the party last night. You know how it is. Go to one of those things when you're single, and you get swarmed.”

Kugo gave a non committal grunt. No, he didn’t know. He just wanted this morning to be over with. He perked up slightly as he saw you hurrying down the hallway toward them. Hawks gave a low whistle. “Who's the babe?” Kugo half growled. “That is Miss Y/N. The support item engineer you allegedly came here to see. You will be respectful and refrain from flirting with my staff.”

Keigo held up his hands and laughed. “Hey now big guy, don’t mean any offense. Just saying you’re lucky to get to work with that every day.”

Kugo jerked his head in an abbreviated nod. You slowed down your quick walk as you got closer, not wanting to interrupt the heroes’s conversation. Kugo waved you closer. You smiled at him so brightly as you joined the group. Yes. He was lucky to work with a friend such as you. Kugo’s nerves started to cool a bit as he introduced you and the three of you began to make your way to his office. Hawk’s casual questions were more inquisitive than flirty, and Kugo knew from long experience just how much you enjoyed being able to talk in depth about your work. He was smiling by the time he opened the door to his office, ushering the two or you in. Hawk’s next words hit him like a bucket of cold water to the face.

“Dang! Either you got one hell of a cafeteria service at this agency, or Gang Orca has himself quite an admirer. Delivered right to your desk, pretty bold, man! That’s exactly why I keep my door locked. There’s only so much lunch a man can eat, am I right?”

The bento. He had forgotten about the stupid bento. There it sat, as always. The handkerchief was especially cute today, some sort of pattern with teddy bears hugging and kissing. Any other day, the sight would have calmed him. Any other day he would have sat down and quickly poked through to see what surprises lay inside that day, would have read the note meant just for him with a smile.

But today was different. Others were in his office. The number two hero, handsome and popular. His support engineer, pretty enough to probably have plenty of suitors of her own. And then there was him. Large. Scary. Consistently told he looks like a villain. Has never had a relationship that wasn’t pitying or profiteering. Kugo remembered the whispered remarks from the party. Usually he’d be able to brush off Hawks’s commentary. But today…

Kugo snarled, his scent agitated as he swept his arm across the desk, knocking the bento roughly into the trash. “They are a nuisance that need to cease! I’m so tired of some desperate piting omega shoving their unwanted, unneeded efforts at me! Enough is enough!” At the end his voice was raised to a shout. He was dimly aware of his nails digging deeply into his palms. Kugo leaned on the desk, breathing deeply as he tried to calm himself. He could hear the others shuffling behind him awkwardly.

“Come on,” You murmured and lightly tugged on Keigo’s sleeve. “How about I show you my lab and take some measurements before we get started.”

“Yeah. Um. Yeah.” Keigo allowed you to lead him away. You softly closed the door behind you. Kugo remained, hunched and breathing raggedly. It took him several minutes to calm down. It took him a few minutes beyond that to gather the nerve to make the trek down to the support lab. He slipped into the room as inconspicously as a man with his fram could manage. You were taking measurements off of Keigo and muttering to yourself as you tapped out notes on your tablet. Keigo noticed Kugo’s entrance and greeted him cautiously. “You good?” Kugo nodded. “I… apologize. It’s been a rather trying week, but I should have composed myself better.”

Keigo waved him off. “No worries, man, no worries. Y/n was just telling me she thinks that she’ll be able to rig up something for me that would help slow my fall in situations where my wings get damaged.”

You hummed an affirmative, taking a few more measurements before you started describing your process. Kugo couldn’t help but notice you didn’t look his way. You looked at the ground, at your tablet, at Keigo, but you were clearly avoiding Kugo’s gaze. He mentally winced as he settled onto an out of the way stool. It was rare for him to have that kind of emotional outburst. It probably could be heard even from outside his office. He’d make sure to apologize to you better when he got the chance. But for now, it was looking like it would be a long, awkward day. Goodie.

~~~~~

Kugo growled under his breath the next morning when he saw the cloth wrapped bundle sitting on his desk. Yesterday’s embarrassment was still fresh in his mind as he stalked forward. His thick fingers quickly untied the surprisingly unpatterned piece of fabric. There, under the cloth, on top of the box, was a note as there always was. Kugo’s anger was cooled by confusion when he saw it, however. The paper was a plain yellow post-it note. Instead of the painstakingly cute handwriting with the heart dotted “i’s, there was a clearly hasty scrawl.

“I’m sorry. I never meant to annoy you. This will be the last one.”

Kugo frowned, shifting in his seat. Clearly the bento maker had heard about his outburst from yesterday. That was… unfortunate. But perhaps for the best, since he had no way of directly telling them to cease their nonsense. Unconsciously, his hand balled up the handkerchief and as he had been doing for a while, he scented it.

The cloth had a slight smell of salt to it. Tears, Kugo realized uncomfortably. The smell of tears slightly diluted the normal soothing smell of whoever had carefully packaged these bentos. He had little appetite as he looked over what was there. Tempura. Salmon. Vegetables. A large portion of tamagoyaki. But the part that caused an uncomfortable weight to settle in his chest was the little red box, filled with slightly clumsy, clearly homemade chocolates. Kugo closed his eyes, sighing as he set the box to the side to wait for lunch. This was good. This was what he wanted, to be left alone instead of some kind hearted omega taking pity on him. He had lived a long time without homemade bentos and little notes. He certainly didn’t want the small offering of chocolates. When lunchtime came, he certainly didn’t linger over the food longer than usual, savoring each bite. He tried to tell himself that this was for the best. That this was what he wanted. He refused to think about why he tucked the handkerchief and the box of chocolates into his desk drawer instead of leaving them in the break room as usual.

The next day as Kugo opened his office door, he looked toward his desk out of habit; searching for the lunch that had been left. His chest gave an uncomfortable lurch when he found the desk was bare. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it. This was fine. This was what he wanted. The sooner he forgot about all this nonsense, the sooner things would return to normal. He settled into his chair and began sifting through the paperwork he had to deal with. No better way to take his mind off his troubling thoughts and distract the whine of his inner alpha. He was certain. Things would be back to normal soon.

Two weeks later, Kugo listlessly picked at the limp lettuce of the poor excuse of a salad that he had picked up at a convenience store. He sighed, putting the lid back on the barely touched meal resolving to throw it away when he next passed a garbage can. He didn’t like to admit it, but he missed the carefully planned meals. Wondering what cute surprise was going to be next. It was nice that someone thought he might enjoy seeing animal shaped onigiri and cheesecake flavored kit kats. His alpha whimpered when he thought about the contented omega scent that gently perfumed every handkerchief, except the last. But just as the note had said, he had received nothing since that last bento. His thoughts remained gloomy as he entered the agency, quickly making his way into his office, locking the door behind him. He knew better than to hope as he looked towards his desk. Bare, once again. Sighing heavily, he slumped into his chair. He gently pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk. Carefully nestled into it was the cleaned, empty bento box from the last meal, the small box of dwindling homemade chocolates, and that last precious handkerchief.

Kugo carefully removed the handkerchief. He brought the cloth to his nose, inhaling deeply. Stabbing pain shot through him as he realized the scent was barely there anymore. The faint scent of tears almost completely overpowering the last lingering trace of distressed omega. His hands clutched the fabric tightly, squeezing until he realized the stress he was putting on the fabric. He quickly placed it on the desk and tried in vain to smooth out the wrinkles. After a minute of fussing, he gently refolded it and placed it back in the drawer. Kugo stared at the contents, unblinking before slowly sliding the drawer closed. It was almost gone. Everything was almost gone. And he didn’t know how to get it back.

With a low growl, Kugo pushed himself up. Today was a rare day where he hoped for trouble on his patrol. A fight would certainly take his mind off things, and just maybe calm the whining alpha that echoed throughout his entire being.

~~~~

He really needed to be careful what he wished for. Kugo winced as he limped toward the support lab. He had gotten a fight alright. He had gotten three fights, a twisted ankle, and a once again smashed communication headset. It wasn’t his fault that he had gotten thrown backwards into a rather solid concrete wall. Y/N was going to kill him.

Kugo pushed the lab door open, stepping inside. His forehead creased in worry. The lab felt off. Wrong in a way he couldn’t immediately place a finger finger on. Well, he’d have to think about it later, he decided as he made his way to where you were sitting. You were at your workbench, tapping your pen on the table and staring at nothing when he settled down on the stool next to you. You glanced over as Kugo sat down, did a double take and let out a small noise of surprise.

“Sakamata! What happened to you?”

The large man shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “The usual. Villain didn’t behave exactly how I thought, and I paid for not being vigilant enough. Nothing too bad. Twisted ankle and roughed up a little. Unfortunately though…”

Sheepishly as a scolded schoolboy, Kugo pulled the shattered remains of his latest communicator out of his pocket and placed them on the workbench.

“Kugo!”

He couldn’t help but smile. He loved the times when you got worked up enough to call him by his first name. He watched as you gingerly sifted through the sad shattered remains.

“What did you do, hit it with a rock?!”

“Concrete wall, actually.”

You stilled before turning to look at Kugo, sharp and suspicious. “And I assume you were wearing it at the time?”

Kugo had the decency to look embarrassed as he nodded. Suddenly he was being fussed over, gentle hands touching his face and turning his head this way and that. An exclamation and curse left you when you found a large, sluggishly bleeding gash on the back of Kugo’s head.

“You! You Alpha!” You huffed as you started digging through the pockets of your lab coat. Kugo got a brief glimpse of colored fabric before the handkerchief was softly dabbing at his wound. Kugo hissed, only half listening as the scolding continued about how knot headed alphas needed to learn to go to the medical ward first before worrying about stupid replacable tech. He was brought back to the present when a hand, so much smaller than his own, grabbed his hand. You easily maneuvered him so that Kugo was now firmly holding the handkerchief over the cut. You hummed, satisfied for now.

“Now Sakamata, please hold that there until you can get medical to look at it. Doubt a hard headed man like you has a concussion, but might need stitches. I’m not exactly an expert. Don’t worry about the headset. I should be able to get a new one to you before my replacement takes over. And if not, I’ll be leaving some blueprints behind anyway.”

What?

“Replacement?”

You stilled, looking away from him. “Yeah. Yeah, sorry. I just… I never found the right time to tell you.” You fidgeted, rubbing your thumb over your knuckles. “I’m going to be going to America soon. I’ve gotten a good offer to work with a few heroes over there that need someone specialized in mutation supports. It would do a lot to boost my career…”

Kugo reached out, grabbing your hand, and stopping your nervous motions. He tried to find words in his stalling brain. “This is really sudden, Y/N.”

“Yeah. Sorry.” You wouldn’t meet his gaze.

He gently shook his head, giving your hand a squeeze. “Not scolding you. Just, is everything alright? Is something going on?”

You pulled away, digging your hands into your hair with a sigh. “You know me too well.”

Kugo gave half a smile. “I would hope so. I like to think we’re friends. Is there anything I can do? Are you in trouble in some way?”

You shook your head. “No. No, nothing like that. It’s kind of embarrassing. Just… A courtship that really didn’t turn out well. And I just… I could really use some time away to get my head back on straight. Eagle Pride’s office has mentioned wanting me to go over and collaborate with them for a while, and what better time than now?” Your laugh sounded bitter.

Kugo sat silent and stunned. He hadn’t known you were courting. Being courted? Honestly, he wasn’t even sure of your dynamic. If you weren’t beta, then you certainly hid your scent well. He cleared his throat before speaking hesitantly.

“I certainly won’t stop you if you truly wish to go. It is an excellent opportunity. Might be a step in having your own support company if you wish. And if not, you’re always welcome here, Y/n. You must know that.”

You give a small smile, finally looking him in the eye. His chest tightened when he saw tears there. “I know, Kugo. You’ve been nothing but kind to me. You’re a good friend for putting up with me.”

“There’s no putting up with. I enjoy your company, always.” Kugo reached out slowly, but you turned away and wiped your eyes with your sleeve. He frowned, placing his hand back in his lap. “And you sure you’re alright, Y/N? No one is threatening you, are they? Someone unsafe taken an interest in you?”

You snorted, “Nothing like that. And people think I’m the dramatic one. No. I just got rejected is all. I miscalculated. Thought they were interested, but they made it very clear they aren’t.”

“Then they’re an idiot.” The words escaped Kugo before he even realized what he was going to say. But it was true, he was sure. You were beautiful, kind, smart. Anyone would be beyond lucky to hold your interest. On the rare days he allowed himself to dream, he often thought he’d love to have someone like you as a mate. Someone who knew him well and cared for him as much as he cared for them. He felt pains in his chest and his eyes widened as realization hit him in the face like a wet mackerel. Oh. He was jealous. He was jealous of whoever it was that y/n had tried to court. And he was angry. Furious that some fool had rejected her. Hurt her. But he was glad she was still here. Yet she was going to leave. Going to leave him here alone. His thoughts swirled and tumbled, and he swayed slightly in his seat. And hand on his shoulder stilled him and he looked up into your concerned eyes.

“Hey, you’re not looking too good. You really should get to medical. Do you need me to help you?”

“No. No. I can make it down a few hallways, thank you though.”

Kugo stood, and tried to give back the cloth he had been pressing to his head. You pushed it back, gently scolding him. “I said leave it there until someone can look at it. If you insist on returning a silly old rag, you can wash it and give it back later.”

Kugo nodded and mumbled out a goodbye. He had a lot to think about as he slowly made his way to medical. So. He liked you. The more he thought about it, the clearer it seemed to him. He’d liked you for a while. Things were always easy with you. But now, you’re leaving. He couldn’t stop you, and wouldn’t even if he could. You clearly felt like you needed to go.

He was still ruminating on his thoughts as the doctor ushered him to a bed. He was poked and prodded. Kugo managed to mumble out what must have been coherent answers. In the end, he did end up needing a few stitches. And just like that, he found himself fixed up and back in his office. He snorted a laugh at the absurdity. How can a day like this somehow manage to be just another day? Kugo sat in his chair and twisted the cloth in his hands absently. He brought it to his nose and sniffed out of habit. Oh course, the scent of his own blood was the most dominant. But underneath that was the usual calming scent of omega. His shoulders relaxed as the tension ran out of him. He pulled that cloth away, idly looking at the pattern. It was cute. Floral. Reminded him of the cloth that the first bento had been…

Wait.

He hastily brought the handkerchief to his nose again. There was no mistaking it. He knew that smell. He had missed that smell for weeks. It was faint. But it absolutely was there. Omega, soft and sweet. Not any omega. His omega. His bento maker. His y/n.

Y/n.

Y/n who had seen him toss her courting gift in the trash, who thought he had completely rejected her, and who was moving to America.

Kugo was on his feet in an instant. He’d never made the trip to the support lab that quickly before. You jumped when the door flew open, hitting so harshly that the doorknob dented the wall.

“Sakamata! What?”

He dropped to his knees before you, arms wrapped tight around your waist and his head pressing against your stomach.

“Kugo?” You asked softly, hesitantly stroking along his fin. “Kugo, what’s wrong?”

“You’re the best thing life has ever given me. Please don’t leave. Please.”

You made a soft, wounded sound. You kneeled slowly, and took his face in your hands. Kugo leaned into your touch like a man who had been starved of affection his whole life. You stroked your thumbs over his cheeks.

“Kugo, I’m going to need you to speak plainly, so I’m sure I don’t misunderstand. What’s going on?”

His large hands came up, taking both your hands in his.

“I’m an idiot.”

You snorted and tilted your head, confused. He met your gaze as he continued.

“I’m an idiot and I love you.”

You inhaled sharply, looking at him in disbelief. He pulled the crumpled, bloodstained handkerchief from his pocket.

“I’m an idiot because I love you and yet I never even noticed that you loved me too. You showed me every day. You knew I like eggs just as much as fish. You cared enough to make them cute. You gave me extra sweets on days when I was working a double shift. I loved every bento you made me. I have every note saved. And I might be an idiot, but I’d be an even bigger idiot if I let you go without saying something. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, and I love you and please don’t go.”

“Kugo.” You smiled sadly. “I’m sorry. I already promised I’d go.”

Kugo inhaled a shaky breath, his eyes lowering to the floor.

“But,” you used your hands to lift his chin. His gaze snapped back to yours. “It’s just for six months. Six months, and then I’ll be right back here. With you.”

“With me?”

“Mmhmm.” You gave his nose a quick peck. “Always. You’re the best man I know. I don’t think there’s anyone else in the world for me.”

Kugo groaned and pulled you close, burying his face in your neck. From here, although it was very faint, he could smell your soothing scent. “You can’t say things like that and then tell me I can’t have you here for six months!”

You chuckled as you hugged him close. “Well, we have two weeks before I leave. We have a little time. And once I’m back? We’ll have all the time in the world.”

“Even that won’t be enough time to spend with you.”

“Dork.”

He hummed his agreement. “But it’s true. Eternity would be enough time to spend with you.” Before you could protest, he pulled you in for a gentle, but determined kiss.

#gang orca #gang orca x reader #kugo x reader #kugo sakamata #kugo sakamata x reader #Alpha gang orca #Alpha kugo #omegaverse #bnha omegaverse #reader insert #bnha reader insert #female reader #omega reader #omegaverse reader insert #collab piece

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samwilsonsbabymama · 3 years

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Late Nights

Pairing: Gray!Sam Wilson x Black Reader x Gray!Bucky Barnes (18+)

Summary: You meet Sam and Bucky on different days, but it seems as though they already know you.

Warnings: dub-con, maybe non-con, stalking, fingering,

Word Count: > 3,000

A/N: didn't I say I was done with gray!fics??? lol I wrote this one based off of @mariahthelioness29 's prompt (I can't find it lol). I hope yall like it. Big thanks to @megapeacelovemusic-blog for beta-ing this for me! I really appreciate it!!!

💖 Please let me know what you think by leaving feedback 💖

You walked up and down the aisles of the nearly empty store without a care in the world, as you checked off items on your list. Late-night grocery shopping was one of your favorite pastimes, especially when you couldn’t sleep.

You reached for the last item on your list, but just as your fingers brushed it, it was ripped from the shelf. You hadn’t noticed anyone else in the aisle you were in, so to say you were surprised was an understatement.

“I’m sorry,” the stranger said. “I didn’t see you there.”

You looked up at the stranger and froze; you had never seen a more handsome man before. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a sandy brown button-up over a fitted, reddish-brown shirt. Your eyes continued to slowly drag over his form, taking in his dark brown skin and plump lips. Your gaze lingered on the scar under his left eye for a second too long before you finally reached his twinkling brown eyes.

He cleared his throat, clearly amused that you had been checking him out.

“Hmm?” you asked, as you shook yourself from your ogling.

“I said,” he began, “‘I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.’”

“No,” you chuckled. “I should have been paying more attention.”

He smiled, and you could have sworn you felt the earth shift. The way his face lit up when he smiled at you made your heart rate speed up. Never before had a smile made you want to drop to your knees as fast as this one did.

He tilted the package towards you. “Here, take it. I have some at home.”

“Are you sure?” you asked as you reached out and took hold of the box.

“Yeah,” he replied as you put the food into your cart. “Are you new in town? I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”

You chuckled. “Yeah, well kinda,” you began, “I moved here about a year ago, I kinda keep to myself.”

The man chuckled softly. “I can understand that.” he stuck his hand out, “I’m Sam, I grew up here.” He waited for you to take his hand and when you did, he brought it up to his lips and kissed your knuckles.

Your jaw dropped when you felt his soft lips on your skin. You swallowed and choked out your name.

“Y/n,” he repeated when he pulled away and released your hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” you panted.

“Look,” Sam said before he licked his lips. “I know we just met, but something is telling me that I’m going to regret this if I don’t do it, so here goes. My sister Sarah is having a fish fry and I was wondering if you would like to come?”

You beamed at him. “Absolutely.” you reached for your phone and handed it to him after you unlocked it. “Here, drop call your phone and text me the details later.”

Sam took your phone and you smiled when you heard his ringtone.

“Great,” he smiled once more. “I’ll let you get back to your shopping and text you later, Y/n.”

You continued your shopping with a smile on your face after he walked away. Your elated mood carried you throughout the rest of your shopping trip.

The following day, after you had gotten some sleep, Sam texted you. The same feeling you had when you talked to him the night before resurfaced the moment you saw his name.

Hey, Y/n, it’s Sam. Here’s the info for the fish fry.

Hi, Sam! Thanks! I can’t wait.

A few minutes passed. You wanted to keep talking to him, but you couldn’t think of anything clever to say, so you sent the first thing that came to mind.

So, do you always shop so late at night?

Yeah, I like the quiet. Fewer people. What about you?

Either late at night or early in the morning for the same reasons.

This might be a little too forward, but next time we could go together.

That would be fun! I’ll let you know the next time I have to go on a late-night grocery run.

You two continued to talk throughout the day while you ran a few errands, and with each message, your excitement for the weekend grew. You couldn’t believe how lucky you were with finding such a catch. You were distracted by a text from Sam when you ran smack into a brick wall, or what you thought was a brick wall. You watched as your phone fell to the ground in slow motion and you cringed at the thought. But your phone never hit the ground, a gloved hand reached down and grabbed it just before it hit the ground.

“Thank you so much!” you cried as you reached for your phone.

“No worries, sweetheart,” a deep voice drawled.

Your heart lurched at his voice and your legs clenched. Once your phone was safely in your hands, you took a step back and bit your lip as you once again found yourself taking in the form of an attractive man.

This man reminded you of Sam because they had a similar build: thick thighs, broad shoulders, strong arms, and dazzling smile. But that’s where the similarities ended. The blue-eyed man in front of you wore a pair of dark wash jeans with a gray shirt underneath a leather jacket. He only wore one glove which made you quirk your eyebrow during your perusal but you didn’t say anything.

When your eyes landed back on his, his smile got bigger. “I’m Bucky,” he said.

“Y/n,” you said and smiled back at him. “I’m so sorry for running into you. I should have been paying attention.”

Bucky shook his head and laughed, “It’s all good, love. It’s not every day a beautiful girl falls into my arms.”

You felt your cheeks heat up. “I wouldn’t say all that,” you mumbled.

Bucky snorted. “I’ve been here for months and you, Miss Y/n, are the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

You rolled your eyes, “Thank you Bucky. Well, as nice as this is, I must get going. It was nice to meet you!” you gave him a small wave and began to walk away.

A few days passed, and you were getting ready to head over to the docks. You didn’t know the area well, so the night before, you had made a trip over so that you knew where you were going. The trip seemed easy enough so you weren’t too worried about getting lost.

As you were getting dressed, your stomach filled with butterflies at the thought of seeing Sam once again. You two had been texting and video chatting every day but you couldn’t wait to be in his presence again. You’d thought about Bucky as well, and part of you had wished that you had given him your number, but you weren’t too sad about it.

After checking yourself in the mirror once again, you headed out of the door and made your way to the docks. You found the gathering quickly, but you hesitated before you got out of your car. You sent Sam a quick text letting him know that you made it before you stepped out of your car.

You looked around at the faces on the docks and smiled as you greeted those around you. You always felt relaxed when you spent time around your people. You didn’t have to hide or pretend to be someone that you weren’t.

“There you are!” a familiar voice caught your attention and before you knew it Sam had pulled you into a hug.

When he embraced you, the scent of his cologne filled your nose and you relaxed into his arms. You inhaled deeply and sighed as Sam squeezed you tighter. You felt him bury his nose into your curls while you embraced. After a few moments, you both pulled away.

“Sorry about that,” he apologized.

“No worries.”

“Here, let me introduce you to everyone,” Sam said before he took hold of your hand and pulled you through the crowd. He introduced you to almost everyone in town, some people you’d already met but others you hadn’t had the opportunity to.

“And here’s my sister, Sarah, and my nephews, Cass and AJ,” Sam said and you waved.

“Hi, I’m Y/n,” you said and stuck your hand out for a handshake.

“Nope, we hug around here,” Sarah said just before she pulled you in for a hug.

You could hear Sam laughing beside you.

“We’re just waiting for the cake to get here,” Sarah said when she pulled back. “But the food is done so feel free to fix yourself a plate.”

You nodded your head before she walked away.

“Could I interest you in a drink?” you heard Sam say from beside you.

You nodded your head once again, “Water please.”

Sam chuckled. “Why don’t you go fix your plate while I get you something to drink.”

You watched Sam walk away before you started fixing your plate. You made sure to grab your favorite foods before you found a place to sit. You had already started eating when Sam returned with your drink.

“We didn’t have any water bottles left, so I hope lemonade is okay.” He handed you a cup, and you smiled at him as he took a seat next to you.

Conversation between you two flowed easily and you were having a good time talking to him and Sarah. Sam kept you laughing and entertained while you ate. You were listening to Sam tell a story when there was a commotion at the end of the docks. You watched as Cass and AJ sprinted from their spots at the table and weaved through the crowd. You looked over at Sam in question, but he was already standing and smiling at the newcomer.

“Hey, Y/n, I want you to meet someone,” Sam said as he outstretched his hand toward you. He pulled you out of your seat the moment your hand was in his and before you knew it, you two were weaving through the crowd once again.

Sam dropped your hand the moment you reached your destination and you peeked over his shoulder to see Cass and AJ play fighting with someone holding a cake. You laughed as the man dramatically dodged the young boys’ fists before setting the cake on the nearest table. You stayed put when Sam walked over to the newcomer with a huge smile on his face. Your stomach dropped to your knees when he took off his sunglasses.

“Bucky?” you whispered in disbelief. What were the chances that the two men you’d been dreaming about knew each other? Not only that, what were the chances that they were friends? And close friends at that. You stayed rooted in your spot as you watch the two men in front of you embrace each other. Your eyes darted around to find an escape but luck wasn’t on your side.

As you said his name, Bucky’s eyes landed on you and he froze. Sam noticed the shift in his stance and pulled back from him and followed his gaze. Sam pulled Bucky over to you with a smile on his face.

“Bucky, I’d like you to meet-”

“Y/n.” Bucky finished for him.

Sam paused and looked between the two of you, “Am I missing something?”

Bucky spoke first. “You remember that beautiful girl I told you about?”

Sam nodded before realization flashed in his eyes. “Well damn, Buck,” Sam chuckled and clapped Bucky on his back.

“Wait, what?” you asked. To say you were confused would be an understatement but the two ignored you.

The rest of the evening found you sandwiched between Bucky and Sam, and one of them was touching you at all times. Sam would caress your leg, or Bucky would twirl one of your braids. Sam would lean in close to whisper something in your ear while Bucky rubbed your back. Your senses were heightened and you were slightly overwhelmed. You needed to breathe.

You were glad when Sarah came over and distracted the two men for a second. It allowed you the chance to slip away, and you rushed into the nearest bathroom. It was small, but just the right size for you to hide in.

You stared at yourself in the mirror and caught your breath. Your head was still spinning when you heard a knock at the door. You waited a few seconds before you called out that you’d be right out, but the person on the other side didn’t listen. Before you knew it, Bucky was pushing himself into the small room and locking the door.

“Fuck, Y/n,” he said before crashing his lips against yours. You easily melted into his kiss, but a small part in the back of your brain caused you to pull back.

“Wait, Bucky,” you moaned. You felt his hand slip under your clothes.

“There’s no ‘wait'. I’ve waited long enough,” Bucky growled as he pushed two fingers inside of you.

You were floating. The feeling of Bucky's fingers inside of you felt like heaven. Your eye rolled to the back of your head as he fingered you. He used his other hand to prop your leg up onto the toilet so that he could fuck you deeper.

“Fucking following you around for months hoping that you’d notice me,” he growled into your neck as his fingers picked up speed. “Notice us. And then you go and notice Sam first? You let him win? Fuck you’re gripping me. Can’t wait to feel you wrapped around me.”

Your head began to swim as you caught onto his words.

“What?” you mumbled out. “You’ve been following me?”

“We both have,” he corrected you. “Sam’s been following you longer, ever since you moved here.”

You tried to push him off of you but the hold he had on you kept him rooted right where he was. His fingers began to move impossibly faster as he chuckled.

“I know you wanna cum, baby girl, don’t you?” Bucky grunted.

You shook your head but your breath hitched in your throat. You could feel your orgasm approaching. This was completely wrong but it felt so good.

“Cum on my fingers, baby, I know you can,” Bucky urged and with a few more strokes of his fingers, you came with a silent scream.

You felt Bucky remove his fingers from inside of you, and you watched as he stuck them in his mouth.

“Since you noticed Sam first,” Bucky said as he helped you right your clothes. “He gets to fuck this pretty pussy first, but I just needed a taste. Something to hold me over.” Bucky brushed back your hair and cupped your face with his hands before he kissed you again, deeper than the first time. The kiss lasted for a few minutes before he finally pulled away and he was gone before you could say anything else.

When you came to your senses, you looked at yourself in the mirror. “What the fuck?” you whispered. You needed to get out. You needed to get back home without anyone noticing. When you exited the bathroom, you were thankful that no one was around as you made your way to your car. But that thankfulness was short-lived when you spotted Sam standing at your drivers’ door.

You could see the smirk on his face from where you stood. You began to back away, but your progress was halted when you ran into a solid form.

“Do you think you’re getting away from us now that we’ve got you?” Bucky whispered from behind you. “I told you, we’ve waited too long to let you slip away, baby girl.” Bucky gently pushed you forward until you reached Sam. You refused to look in his eyes, something he found funny.

“I had imagined this going differently, y/n,” Sam said as he hooked his finger under your chin. “But as Bucky said, we’ve waited long enough.” Sam gripped the back of your neck and pressed his lips to yours and forced his tongue into your mouth. His lips were as soft as you had imagined and you were excited to feel them all over your body.

No. No, this was wrong. You didn’t want this. Or did you? Hadn’t this been what you had been dreaming about? Being taken by Sam and Bucky? Hadn’t you dreamed this actual scenario many times? Why would you deny what the Universe was gifting you?

Finally giving in, you threw your arms around Sam’s neck and allowed him to lift you up around his waist. He carried you away from your car and away from the dock. When you pulled away from his lips to catch your breath, you looked around and noticed you were heading towards his truck.

You watched as Bucky let down the back of Sam’s truck and hopped onto the bed before reaching out to you and helping you in. Sam followed the two of you, and he waited as you got comfortable. He had taken care to cover the cold metal with a thick comforter and some pillows.

“You ready for this dick, y/n?” Sam asked and you nodded your head.

“Y/n?” he called your name again.

“Y/n?” he said louder and he shook you this time.

Your eyes snapped open, and you tried catching your breath. You looked around the room and your gaze landed on the man who plagued your dreams.

“Sam,” you whispered once you calmed down.

“Another nightmare?” he asked as he pulled you on top of him.

You shook your head. “No, not this time. This one was different. It felt different. Real almost but I know it didn’t happen.” you couldn’t explain the feeling you had. It felt so real, you could feel everything, but you know Sam would never treat you like that.

Sam held you as you laid on top of him. His hands stroking your back trying to calm you down. When your breath finally deepened, and he was convinced that you were asleep, he reached for his phone and dialed out.

“Hey,” Sam spoke into the phone. “She’s starting to remember. I’m going to need something stronger.”

💖 Please let me know what you think by leaving feedback 💖

#dub-con fic #noncon fic #Gray!Sam Wilson x Black Reader x Gray!Bucky Barnes #Dark!Sam Wilson x Black Reader x Dark!Bucky Barnes #sam wilson x reader #bucky barnes x black reader #sam wilson x reader x bucky barnes #sam wilson imagine #bucky barnes imagine #sam wilson needs more love #maree writes

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bimsha · 3 years

Text

How They Propose You

Sano Manjiro /Mikey:

When Mikey took you to a grand restaurant instead of your usual street filled with street food, you were suspicious. You knew something must be up, but with Mikey, you never realized until it was the last minute. But the whole thing was fancy for both of you. Your eyes kept darting around all the beautifully dressed customers and the elegant waiters taking orders and rushing around. When the dessert came, you had let go of all your initial suspicions. The dessert was so good that you cleared the plate in mere seconds ignoring the very existence of your boyfriend. You looked up at him to compliment him for the grand dinner when you noticed the horrified expression of the blonde.

“Y/n, you ate the whole thing?”

“Yeah?” You answered, frowning. What’s the big deal?

“Oh my god” He said, now looking petrified for some reason. That expression was a first. He got up from his seat and rounded the table to get a clear look at your plate. At this point, you were being embarrassed. He crouched next to you, looking worried. “Do you feel weird or sick? Do you want to throw up? Should we go to a hospital?”

You sighed, "Mikey." You leaned closer to his ear so that the high class people wouldn't hear your beautiful language. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Y/n” He whispered back, “There was a ring in the dessert. I asked the waiter to put it in there.”

Your eyes widened in horror. “What?” You blurted out. You could care less about manners now. “You fed me a ring? Wait, I didn’t even know? I didn’t feel any different?”

“I was trying to propose!” Mikey countered, looking awfully sad. “I didn’t know you’d eat the ring too”

They had drawn a lot of attention. “Well, if there was a ring I should’ve felt it. I didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t there?” After a beat of silence you added, “Right?” But a corner of your mind was telling you there's actually a chance. You were a sucker for all those chocolate desserts. But a ring? No way… right?

Now you both were looking at each other with hopeless expressions thinking maybe Mikey would’ve killed you in the process of propsing and the murmurs were growing loud around you when a waiter walked in. They stopped right by their table, “Sir, I’m here to apologize. Our chef has mistakenly and forgot to put the ring on your dessert” He handed a surprised Mikey the ring, bowing deeply.

“Oh my god” Mikey sighed in relief, “I didn’t kill my girlfriend trying to propose her”

You sighed in relief, “I didn’t eat that thing. Thank god” When you started laughing, finding the whole thing funny, Mikey actually knelt on one knee. The whole restaurant was silent as he asked,

“Y/n, the love of my life, do you want to marry me?”

“Say yes” One of the guys screamed, “He didn’t feed you the ring. That man is worth it”

You flushed but offered your hand with a matching smile, “This is the best proposal ever”

Mikey rolled his eyes. “There goes my romantic dinner and proposal. But A for trying.”

You couldn’t tell anything otherwise else, because he deserved an A for trying.

Kazutora Hanemiya:

It was a cold winter morning and your boyfriend Kazu asked you to come to the park for an emergency. And there you were, rubbing your hands together trying to get rid of the coldness while waiting for your boyfriend to give him a good ass kicking for leaving you in the snow. You waited for a while, and instead of Kazutora, a little boy around seven appeared from the entrance and ran straight towards you. Something glistened in his hands. Then, he frowned, looking at you from head to toe. That’s when you realize he was actually holding onto a ring. Where did he get that? “Miss, would you like to marry me?” The youngster asked with so much determination that you almost laughed.

You were about to answer, when a familiar figure ran up to them. Kazutora didn’t pay any attention that you were there. He launched at the boy, trying to get the ring in his hand. “You little prick, I told you not to touch that! And she’s my girlfriend, back off”

You stared at them as they wrestled in the snow. Kazutora caught the little guy in a headlock and fished the ring out of his hands. “Got it!” He cheered.

“Uh Kazu? What’s going on here?”

He looked at you with an exasperated sigh. “This brat ruined everything. I had something to ask you.” He looked flustered, “But he stole-” He groaned, “Go back home.” He said to the boy. “I swear I’m going to buy you that whatever the shit you like”

The boy looked uncertain for a moment. He reached out his pinky, “Promise?”

Kazutora sighed, and sent the boy off. He stood up and dusted off the snow from his pants. You waited patiently when he went, “That’s my little cousin. He thought it would be funny to propose you.”

You laughed, “And why is that?”

Kazutora shrugged, fidgeting with the ring and looking at you. “Because I may or may not have been staring at your photo and practicing everything” He averted his gaze, abashed. “I had this all planned out. I’m going to ruin that brat!”

You shrugged, “I don’t know. I’m still here”

He looked at you earnestly and took a step close. “We’ve been through a lot together. I may not have been the best boyfriend to you but I really love you Y/N. I can’t imagine a life without you. Want to share your life with me for the rest of our lives?”

You offered your hand as a tear slipped down your cheek. “Of course” He slipped the ring to your finger with his own eyes sparkling with tears. You scowled.

“You’re not the one who’s supposed to cry!”

He grinned, leaning in and pecking your lips. “I’m just so happy you said yes” He said, picking you up and twirling you around. Both of you fell back to the snow, thinking about a lifetime of memories together.

Mitsuya Takashi:

You were casually sitting inside his work place, watching him designing another costume. Other times, you asked questions, but this time, you remained silent watching him work. There was a way Mitsuya worked when he was in here. He was graceful and confident. It was a sight to see. “Y/n” He called, taking your attention. “Can you come here for a sec?”

You frowned, but did as you were asked. When you reached him, he immediately started taking your measures, jotting down each. It was normal for him to make clothes for you but this was the first time he was doing it without asking about the design or showing you a picture. “What’s it?”

Mitsuya gestures at the mess of white cloth beside him. “An order came asking me to make a wedding dress, I took the measures for future use” He grinned, pulling out something from his pocket. You stared at the velvet box as he opened it. A ring glistening inside. “Y/n” His voice was smooth. He took a step closer.

You just watched him, surprised as he knelt on one knee. “I’ve always wanted a life with you. I’ve dreamed about it many times. Would you let my dreams come true and be my soulmate for the rest of my life?”

You said yes and watched as he slipped the gold band to your finger. “You literally took the measurement to my future wedding dress before asking? I’m gonna remember that Takashi?”

He stood up and pressed a kiss on your forehead. “Just had to set up the vibe.” He said, looking at the white cloth draped along the counter. “You’re going to look beautiful in a wedding dress. I should start working on it”

Baji Keisuke:

One thing you liked about Baji was that he said the weirdest shit sometimes. Like right now. Both of you had your own respected soda cans in your hands while he suddenly uttered, “You know, marrying is weird”

You huffed, “And that is because?”

“Like listen. Two people are like, okay we love each other. Let’s get the whole government involved and make it official so we can actually make babies and spend time together.” He scowled, taking a sip. “That’s just fucked up”

You hummed thoughtfully, “Now that you’ve said it, it does sound fucked up”

He put the soda can away and pulled out a silver band, looking at him with his serious look. “Should we get the government involved too?”

You looked at the ring, back at his face but decided to play along. “We should totally get the government involved in all our shit” When you offered your hand, he easily slipped the ring in. He reached down and kissed it, looking at you adoringly. “That was the most funniest, and the ridiculous proposal I have ever heard.”

Baji shrugged, wrapping one of his arms around your shoulder. “That was the best proposal, I know you think so too”

“Ridiculous doesn’t mean I don’t like it. You’re right, that’s the best proposal”

Bonus:

The two of you decided to announce your engagement to the rest of the gang. Baji confidently stood in front of them, your hand in his, holding onto tightly when he announced. “We’re going to get the government involved”

You cracked up, looking at the other’s expressions, they had no clue what was going on. Chifuyu actually looked like he understood. “Congratulations!” The younger said, beaming. "When is the wedding?”

The realization dawned upon them and soon they were all gasping for their breaths, calling out for water and literally dying on the floor.

Chifuyu Matsuno:

When Chifuyu asked whether you wanted to hang out at his place, it didn’t strike you as anything odd. You two often hung out at each other’s places when your parents were away. He usually kept the door unlocked and you walked in. It was the same that Sunday morning but after you walked in you realized that actually it was pretty weird. Your boyfriend was there, kneeling in front of his refrigerator. Hold up, was that a ring? Is he proposing the fridge? He looked really serious as he took a long breath, opening the box as if he was in a movie. You watched quietly, the moment was too golden to interrupt. He picked the gold band carefully out of the box and held it in front of the fridge. “Y/n, you’re amazing. You’re the best person I have ever met in my life” He was saying to the fridge, “It’s a miracle I found you. Do you want to be mine? Marry me, please?”

The fridge didn’t answer. OF COURSE. The problem would be if it actually answered. He looked satisfied with the practice. That’s when you decided to break it to him and actually clear your throat. The poor guy jumped out of his skin and stared at you horrified. His gaze shifting between the fridge and you. “Are you cheating on me? With that thing?”

He flushed, his ears going pink. “Y/n! Did you- I mean when did-” He groaned, flopping to the floor like a kicked puppy. “Everything’s ruined”

“I’m sorry” You tried, trying to suppress your laughter. “Let’s try again. We go back in time.”

He looked at you to see whether you’re joking and solemnly nodded. “You should be in the character”

You nodded, and closed the door. And this time, you knocked on the door. Your heart was pumping with excitement. Despite the fact you were supposed to act like you don’t know what's going to happen, you were thrilled. Chifuyu opened the door. Despite his defeated look earlier, he seemed to have gained back some of his courage. He didn’t wait until he let you in. He just knelt right there, holding up the ring. He looked a little bit too excited to get the whole speech out as he just blurted, “Please marry me?”

You laughed, “Of course!” He slipped the ring into your finger and stood. Before you could comment, he connected your lips, kissing you right there, with your hands stopped in mid air in surprise. He pulled back with a cocky grin.

“I added an extra surprise element”

You scoffed, “Never going to get over the fact your proposal speech to the fridge was better”

“You’re not going to let that go, are you?”

You grinned, “Never! I’m going to tell our grandchildren that his grandfather proposed to a fridge. The story must go on!”

He groaned, “You’re just mean” He pulled you in, closing the door behind you. “But I love you.”

You hummed with a smile, “I love you too, you big dork”

I don't know why I did this but I did this so get it. I might do some more later. This is fun (":

#propose #tr #tokyo revengers #Mikey #Sano Manjiro #Bimsha writes #Drabbles #oneshot #mitsuya hcs #Kazutora #Baji #Chifuyu #Kinda Crack #x you #xy/n #drabbles

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anime-alyssa · 4 years

Text

genshin boys valentine’s headcanons!

figured i’d be at least a little festive. these are kind of long so sorry sdkfsdfsd gonna put a read more. implied spice but not graphic - and i’m pretty sure i for once in my life kept it gender neutral so go me

these were kind of hard to do since i dont do hc’s really, i make fics and yall can for sure tell where i started to struggle skfsdfsd

they are also on ao3 so do not be alarmed

Diluc:

He’d be acting like he didn’t give a shit about valentine’s day but this mf is a softie

Thinking he didn’t care, you’d offer to just stay in for the day or something

Honestly as long as it was just the two of you, you don’t really care

“What? No, we’re going out to dinner. I already planned it.”

You were really surprised, since he hadn’t voiced an opinion on the holiday before

To him this year was different - you were married, so he assumes it should be a bigger deal

You dressed up in your favorite outfit and met him at Angel’s Share later that day and you swear you saw his jaw drop to the floor

He regained his composure before he could tease you about it, taking you to dinner as promised

He held your hand from across the table and listened to you ramble about whatever

You’d try to ask him things, but he’d shake you off, not wanting to talk about himself

Nothing was out of the ordinary, just a normal dinner

Until the walk home, when he pulled out a present for you

“I had this made for you.”

A necklace made out of a Crystal core, melted into the Pyro symbol like his vision

You started to get weepy as he put it on, pressing a kiss to your temple and wrapping his arms around your middle to embrace you

You turned back around to kiss him on the lips

After that he couldn’t get you home fast enough

You thanked the archons that everyone else at the WInery was home for the night

Namely because he fucked you right against the door once you got him

And on the reception desk

….. And the table

Kaeya:

Listen, this man dotes on you

We all know Kaeya is the romantic type to the max so this is his day

He wakes you up by kissing up your body and making you orgasm

After that, he has to go in and work for a little bit

You don’t really mind, he gave you a bag of Mora and told you to buy something nice because he’s taking you to Liyue for a few days

He plans on celebrating for days, apparently

“We have a lot to celebrate, don’t we? It’s been quite a year.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong about that

When you get to Liyue, immediately your taken out to dinner and told to order anything you wanted

You almost feel bad when you glance at the bill, saying it's not fair he did everything when it was supposed to be for both of you.

Later on that night, you and Kaeya walked around Liyue harbor together

“You didn’t have to do all this for me - really.”

He looked at you like you were crazy and smirked

“But I did.”

Imagine the look on your face when he got down on one knee

After you stopped crying, you somehow managed a yes

Once you get back to where you were staying, he was on you

Except now it’s time for you to show him how you feel

He doesn’t complain when you do

The reminder of your days in Liyue are spent in a similar fashion: eating and fucking

Childe:

He has it planned down to the second

When you woke up he was gone, making you upset

But when you walked out of the bedroom and saw the dozens of roses, all was forgiven

He left you a note, saying he’d be back shortly but to get ready to go out.

Once he was home, he found you and immediately embraced you

He was always one to shower you in compliments to begin with but today he was extra complimenting on everything about you

He planned the entire day around your favorite things to do, from going to the tea shop and to the bookstore

You tried to fit in something he liked to do, but he fought you

“I’m happy seeing you happy, you know that!”

God damn it, he made your heart melt

You got home that night and he cooked for you

And it was actually really, really good

He got you a few presents too, of course

Custom made jewelry, of course

You fell asleep on him that night, with his arms wrapped around you and your head on his chest

You had been cuddling for what felt like hours, exchanging loving kisses between conversation

You didn’t miss how he said he couldn’t wait till next year

Xiao:

Thinks that it’s incredibly dumb

“It’s a waste of time” he says

You get visibly sad, thinking now that you’re not gonna do anything for the whole day

You were gonna make him his favorite and everything, as a surprise

Now you’re just sad

Oh fuck oh fuck why are you upset red alert Xiao -

He asks Zhongli for advice, which isn’t any fucking good cause he tells him to show you how much he loves you

How the fuck does he do that?

He doesn’t know

He settles for trying to comfort you in his own way, cuddling with you and apologizing for being an ass

You accept, and offer to make Almond Tofu for the two of you, but he says he’ll make it instead

It isn’t very good, but the thought is what matters

He tried and that was enough for you

After dinner he gets very touchy

That damn Harbinger was with Zhongli, he mentioned this is also something women like

He wasn’t too keen to believe him, but the way you moaned just now made his dick twitch

The rest of the night he shows you just how much he really loves you

Albedo:

You didn’t think he knew that Valentine’s Day existed, honestly

Imagine your surprise when he woke you up with flowers, and saying he took the day off

…. But that you needed to go out for work first

You didn’t argue, he hardly ever took time off, so you’d go with him to get his supplies

Even if that meant you’d fucking freeze in Dragonspire

Once you got to his workstation in the mountain, he suggested a way to warm you up

Your heart skipped a beat, until he pulled out a warming potion

“What’s wrong? Drink it and you can be warm again.”

You drank it, and then explained what you had thought he meant

He laughed in your face, of course

“Don’t worry, that will come… after dinner.”

Now you were fidgeting with anticipation the rest of the damn night

(that was also something that didn’t happen to often, damn workaholic)

He started to notice at Angel’s Share, but you blamed it on the Dandelion Wine

He saw right through you, but of course made it up later that night

Right before you were about to go to sleep, you felt him slip something on your finger

It was a ring - obviously handmade. It glowed a pretty yellow color, much like his vision

“Happy Valentine’s, my love.”

Zhongli:

He doesn’t quite understand what the big deal is

“Why is there a day dedicated to love? I say it everyday, right?”

He thinks it's just a consumer-made holiday

Which it is, obviously

But god damn it you just want your boyfriend to treat you to fucking dinner

Even if it’s just Grilled Tiger Fish, that would suffice considering the former Archon never remembers his damn Mora

You thought you had died when he walked you into the finest restaurant in Liyue

You refused to order until you had proof he had Mora on him

He agreed with a laugh and showed you that he had plenty

He had arranged the table himself, apparently, moving both chairs next to each other

This was so he could hold you throughout the evening, make sure you were okay

And whisper raunchy things into your ear while you tried to watch the entertainment like everyone else

For someone who didn’t understand the hype he was feeding into it quite a bit

He may be ancient, but he still had game

By the time you were done, your thighs were red from you rubbing them together

You tried to make it into the bedroom, but he was quicker than you were

He called the rest of the night getting his Mora’s worth

Scaramouche:

“You’re kidding me? You care about that?”

You should have known that would be the reaction, honestly

After begging hard enough, he agrees to dinner

You claim he gave in, he claims he was going to do it anyway

(he gave in)

He spent almost the whole time irritated that everyone was lovey-dovey

“Scara, that’s how it is today. We look like the odd ones out.”

He couldn’t have any of that, so he moved his chair next to yours and ate with one arm around your shoulder the rest of the time

You dragged him around to do things that you saw other couples doing

You know, like holding hands and going for walks, eating some street food

Couple things

He was quiet for most of the night, humoring you

You saw a nice necklace that you wanted while you were walking, but was offput by the price

They wanted how much Mora for that?!

You were eating a snack when Scaramouche walked away, saying he’d be back

A few minutes later, he clasped the necklace around your neck

“I don’t want to hear it. Isn’t that the whole point of the holiday? Buying shit for your partner?”

You tried to tell him it wasn’t just that, but he shut you up with some kisses

When you got home, he shut you up with more than just kisses

“This is what I was looking forward to today.”

#diluc x reader #diluc ragnvindr x reader #kaeya x reader #kaeya alberich x reader #childe x reader #tartagila x reader #zhongli x reader #albedo x reader #scaramouche x reader #xiao x reader

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youvebeenlivingfictional · 4 years

Text

Odd Hours//Getting Even

Pairing: Marcus Pike x Reader Rating: T Warnings: Cursing; Fluff; slow burn but not nearly as slow as my usual slow burns. Notes: This is uh... I don’t know, I’ve had the idea kicking around in my head for a while. Also please excuse the film trivia. I will take any excuse to talk about The Man Who Came to Dinner. I couldn’t decide on which title would suit better so I named it both. Not beta-read. Summary: You’d never spoken to the your new neighbor before, just traded friendly waves… At the oddest times.

Your new neighbor looked very put together all of the time. Well… The couple of times that you’d seen him in passing. He was always in a suit, his tie was always straight, and his hair was always coiffed so neatly. You just assumed that he looked that good all the time. You’d seen him with a beard once, and then the next time you’d seen him, he was clean-shaven. He was gorgeous both ways, but that beard… Fuck, it had looked good. You’d never spoken to the guy before, just traded friendly waves… At the oddest times.

-- The first time you spoke to him was evidence of that. It was almost three in the morning. You’d just gotten off of work at one of your jobs at a bar. You stifled a yawn as you stepped off of the elevator and fished into your pocket for your keys. You managed to dislodge something on your way, but you didn’t notice. At least, not until you heard: “You dropped this.” You turned to see your neighbor holding out the foldable reusable bag you tended to keep in your pocket. “Oh!” You reached out, smiling, “Thank you-- I didn’t even notice.” “Sure,” He nodded, “We haven’t met, I’m in 5B.” “5A,” You jerked your thumb over your shoulder to your door. “Marcus Pike,” He held his hand out to you, and you shook it, giving him your name. “Long night?” You asked, and he chuckled, nodding. “Very.” The two of you linger for a moment longer before you nod over your shoulder, “I’ve got a couple of hungry cats to get to, so.” “Right,” Marcus nodded. “Nice to meet you.” “You, too.” You ducked into your apartment, shutting and locking the door behind yourself. You flicked the living room light on and tossed your keys into the bowl beside the door. You stepped further inside, smiling at the sight of your two Siamese cats, Princess and Pyewacket. They lifted their heads from where they were both lounging on the couch. “I met our neighbor,” You told them. Pyewacket got up, stretching before jumping off of the couch and following you into the kitchen. “Yes, he seemed very nice,” You answered the cat’s unasked question as you reached down, scratching his chin above the black moon and star patterned collar he had on. Princess slinked into the kitchen behind him, a matching pink collar around her neck. “And hello to you, too,” You murmured, “Let’s get you fed.” -- The next run-in was almost two weeks later. It was nearly noon, and you were coming off of your other job at a bookstore nearby. You ran into Marcus as he was leaving his apartment, and your brows rose. “Hi there,” he greeted, smiling. “Hey,” You shift your bag on your shoulder as you twirl your keys around your finger. “How are the cats?” You laughed a little, nodding, “They’re good. I won’t say they were happy to see me, but I fed them, so they tolerated my existence for another day.” You eyed his pristine-as-usual-suit. “Heading to work?” “Yeah, just came off of a late night. I actually just kinda...Came back to shower and change,” He absently swept his hand over his tie. “Oh, yikes,” Your brow furrowed, “What do you do?” “I work for the FBI, International Art Theft.” Your brows rose. “Wow.” “Surprised?”

“A little,” You admitted as you walked to your door, “I had my money on your being a lawyer.”

“Really?”

You lean back against your door, waving at him, “It was the suits.”

He chuckled, “I should get going-- as long as you don’t have any stolen art in there.”

“If I did, I wouldn’t tell you, now would I?” You teased, shooting him a wink, “Have a good day, Agent, and uh-- try to get some sleep at some point.”

It wasn’t every day that you got a knock on your door at two in the morning. Your hackles were immediately up, and you were quiet and careful as you crept toward your door. You peered through the peephole, frowning at the sight of Agent Pike-- And one of your cats. You hurriedly flicked your light on and opened the door. “Is, uh, this one of yours?”

“Pye,” You groaned, reaching out to take Pyewacket out of Marcus’ arms, “I’m sorry-- sometimes he slips out when I come in, and-- He’s such a weirdo, he always waits right out here.” You cuddled him close to your chest, smiling a little as Pyewacket pushed his head up against your chin. “Thank you,” You added, scratching Pye under the chin, “I hope he didn’t bug you.” “No, he was pretty friendly.” Your brows rose. That was rather unlike Pyewacket. “I’ll be honest, I was a little surprised to see you holding him-- Though that was more because, you know.” “It’s like two in the morning?” Marcus asked. You laughed, nodding. “Another late night for you, Agent?” “Slightly,” Marcus admitted before reaching out and scratching Pyewacket under the chin, “But I appreciated the welcoming committee.” You smiled, glancing down at the cat as Marcus’ fingers brushed yours. “Well, I’m glad Pye could be of assistance.” “‘Pye’?” Marcus repeated, leaning in your doorway, “Like the food?” “Oh, no. It’s short for Pyewacket,” You explained, shifting the cat in your arms. “Like in Bell, Book and Candle with uh-- Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart?” He asked. You blinked up at Marcus in surprise. “Uh… Yeah,” You nodded, and laughed, “Sorry, just-- Most people don’t know that.” “I’m a fan of classic movies. --Who’s this?” Marcus looked down.

You followed his gaze, laughing, “Someone that was feeling left out. That’s Princess,” You smiled. You took a little bit of a step back as Marcus crouched down to pet her. You were suddenly acutely aware that you were in your pajamas and Marcus was still very...very suited. You couldn’t help but grin as he cooed over Princess, though. “I’m not gonna lie, you strike me as a dog guy,” You admitted. “Oh,” Marcus scooped Princess up, cradling her against his chest, “I do like dogs, don’t get me wrong, but my grandmother had a cat-- big fluffy Persian named Chester.” You were quiet for a moment, watching Marcus and Princess before you glanced into your apartment. “Do um--” You hesitated, “Do you wanna come in for a drink or something?” Frankly, standing across from a cute guy as you each held one of your cats had to be the weirdest way you had ever asked a man into your place. But it wound up with you and Marcus on your couch with a beer each having a shockingly nice conversation. You didn’t keep him long - you could tell it had been a long night for him and you didn’t want to keep him late - not to mention you had come off of a shift at the bar and you were pretty tired yourself.

Pike was out of there by 2:45 (though you’d gotten his number in your phone and yours in his by 2:42). Pyewacket trotted after him to the door. Marcus gave him one last scratch under his chin, one last look at you before he murmured, “Goodnight.”

Smitten was not the word you would use. It was what you were, but you wouldn’t admit it. Hell, you barely knew the guy, had only met him a couple of times. But he seemed sweet-- and your cats liked him, that was a good sign.

You tried not to reflect on the fact that that thought made you sound like your Great-Aunt Cecily.

You held off on using Pike’s phone number for about two weeks. Then one night, around 10:30, in the middle of a William Powell marathon on TCM, Pyewacket jumped off of your couch and trotted over to the front door. You frowned, watching him and muttering, “What the fuck, dude?” before you heard the jingling of keys. You smiled when you realized why he’d gotten up - and went out on a limb as you pulled your phone out and texted Pike:

-Either you just got home or the ghosts in the hallway are bothering my cat again

You raised your phone, snapping a quick picture of Pyewacket at the door before sending it off. You glanced down at the lone messages in the chat before you closed it, tossing your phone onto the couch cushion beside you. It didn’t stay there long, though-- it buzzed a moment later.

5B: You’ve got a great alarm cat

5B: Just how often do the ghosts in the hallway bother Pyewacket?

5B: And how many ghosts are we talking?

-Like once a week, they’re very mean to him.

-And at least two ghosts, I’m convinced

You put your phone down, figuring that that would be the end of it. You were wrong. 5B: They bug Princess, too?

-Nope, they don’t dare. No one fucks with Princess

-How’s work?

5B: Busy. -Long day?

5B: Excruciatingly

-Sorry 😞

You winced, resting your head on your hand and considering. Why did you use an emoji? You raised your phone and snapped a picture of Princess where she was curled up on your lap.

-You could take Princess with you next time if it’ll help?

5B: Might take you up on that. I’d prefer not to be fucked with tomorrow

You smiled. -I’ll see what I can do about a leash

5B: Very kind of you

-Anytime

5B: Okay, I don’t wanna be weird, but I feel like almost every time I come in around dinner time, whatever you get or are making smells delicious

You looked down at your phone as it buzzed and chuckled, picking it up from where you’d left it on the counter.

-Not weird. Not to brag but I’m kinda the slow-cooker queen

You glanced at the slow-cooker, and the timer reading fifteen minutes left on the food you were making. It was a large batch - you’d wanted to have enough so that you could bring lunch to work at the bookstore. But there was enough to spare. You hesitated before texting,

-Hungry?

Marcus brought wine, and stayed for three hours. The two of you ate dinner, did the washing up, and wound up on your couch watching It Happened One Night. Conversation flowed over most of it - you’d both seen it several times. The movie gave the two of you the chance to watch and weave in and out of conversation and film trivia without pressure. Pye and Princess curled up on the couch between you like sleepy little chaperones.

By the time he left, the bottle of wine that he’d brought was empty, and he had cat hair all over his pant legs.

“Thanks for dinner,” He turned around to face you as he stopped in the hall.

“Sure,” You leaned in your doorway, tucking your hands into the pockets of your sweatpants.

“I’ll have to have you over sometime, make us even.”

Your stomach flipped at the offer and you nodded, “I’d like that.”

“What’s got you out so late?”

“Work.”

“I’m guessing it’s the bar and not the bookshop?” Marcus asked as he watched you slouch against the wall of the elevator. You smiled a little tiredly. “I see those sharp skills aren’t just reserved for art thieves, Agent Pike.” He chuckled as the two of you stepped off at your floor. “What about you?” You asked. “Grabbed drinks with the team after work. We closed a case.” “Congratulations,” You smiled, “What happened?”

“It’s a slightly long story,” Marcus shrugged, “...Would you like to come in and hear about it?” “Gimme half an hour to shower and feed the babies and I’ll be right over.” -- “...Shit.” “What?” You lifted your head from his shoulder. Considering the last two times Marcus had been to yours, you hadn’t had any reservations about going over to Marcus’ in your comfy clothes. You’d shuffled over in your slippers, and when Marcus had opened the door, you’d held up a bottle of white wine. He’d grinned and told you it would pair well with the grilled cheese he was planning on making for the two of you. Without the cats between you, you and Marcus had settled close together on the couch. As the late night wore into early morning, you’d wound up tucked into his side as you talked. “It’s almost four,” He chuckled, looking away from his watch. “Oh,” You yawned widely, “I should let you get to bed.” “I’m the boss, I can get in a little late.” You smiled, tipping your head up and finding him watching you. “You don’t seem the type to abuse that power,” You teased. “Long as it doesn’t become a habit.” “Mm-mm,” You shook your head a little bit and sat up, “I don’t wanna be a bad influence. I save that for Pye and Princess.” “Can I walk you home?” You laughed and nodded as you and Marcus got up from the couch. You missed the warmth of him as soon as you were up, and you were so tempted to turn back toward him and cuddle into his chest-- if only to warm back up. You chatted a little more on your way to the door, and you tried not to overthink the way Marcus put his hand on your lower back as he opened the door for you. -- “Can you recommend a good book?” You didn’t look away from what you’re shelving, but you couldn’t help the slight flurry of butterflies in your stomach at the question. “That depends on what you’re looking for.” “Oh...Maybe something on classic film.” “That’s gonna be two aisles that way,” You nodded over your shoulder, “Back wall.” “Could you show me?” “You really don’t have anything better to do today, Agent Pike?” You teased. There was a pause before you heard him drifting closer to you. He peered over your shoulder, his breath brushing against the shell of your ear as he murmured, “Well, I was hoping I could take you to lunch, if you’ve got time.” “You trying to even out our meal score?”

You glanced up as he leaned against the shelf beside you and met your eyes. “I’m trying to spend more time with you,” He admitted, “If you’re interested.” You lowered your eyes to the books you were shelving, unable to help the smile that grew on your lips at his bluntness. “I’m interested.”

Lunch ended with plans for Marcus to come over after your shift at the bar the following night. He dropped you back off at the bookstore and left you with a kiss on the corner of your mouth that you thought about for the rest of your shift. --

TCM was airing a Bette Davis marathon. By the time you got home, it was nearly 10:30. You showered, neatened up the apartment, cleaned as much cat hair off of the couch as you possibly could, and told Princess and Pyewacket to behave themselves. Princess blinked at you; Pyewacket flicked his tail. You texted Marcus that he could come over whenever he was ready, and there was a knock on the door ten minutes later. Marcus looked cozy in a way you hadn’t seen before - sweatpants and a t-shirt that accentuated his broad shoulders and strong arms. You stepped back and nodded him in, and grinned as he crouched down, immediately scooping up Pyewacket as he came over. --

“You know, Bette Davis wanted John Barrymore to play Whiteside,” You were cuddled against Marcus’ chest; his arm was curled around your shoulders, fingers skimming along the strap of your tank top, “But he was drinking so heavily he couldn’t remember his lines. They wound up going with Monty Wooley-- he played Whiteside on Broadway, too.” “Really?” Marcus’ question was mumbled against your temple. You nodded a little. “Mhm. Cary Grant was set to play the role at one point, but Davis was so against it that he withdrew.” “Something tells me you like this movie.” You laughed, reaching out and absently picking off a piece of cat hair off of his sweatpants. When you’d disposed of it, you rested your hand on his knee lightly, giving him a chance to shake it off. Marcus just gave your shoulder a squeeze, and you gave his knee one in turn.

The two of you watched The Man Who Came to Dinner and All About Eve. “I’m worried that I’m setting a dangerous precedent for your sleep pattern,” You sighed as the credits rolled. It was almost half past three. “Mm, don’t worry about me,” He murmured, nuzzling into your neck. You closed your eyes, shivering a little bit. “...Do you wanna stay over?” You offered, raising your hand and lightly running your fingers along Marcus’ arm. “I’d like that.” You could hear the smile in his voice. “C’mon,” You urged, patting his thigh and standing. “Should we clean up?” Marcus stood with you, looking at the empty popcorn bowl and discarded cans of beer on the coffee table. “Nah, we can deal with it in the morning,” You took hold of his hand, leading him back to your room. Marcus glanced back toward your cats, to where Princess and Pyewacket were still settled on the couch. “Do the cats sleep with you?” He asked. “Sometimes.” “They gonna be mad if I shut your door?” “They’ll get over it.”

-- It was your alarm that woke you up. You leaned across Marcus, mumbling your ‘sorry’s and shutting it off. Once you did, you leaned back down, resting your head on his shoulder and closing your eyes again. You smiled as his arm curled around your waist. “You need to go?” He mumbled. “No, just-- Forgot I had it set.” “Good.” You smiled, turning your head and nuzzling against his shoulder. “You sleep okay?” “Mhm,” He hummed, sliding his thumb along the hem of your shirt, “You should stay over at mine next time.” “So we’re even?” You blinked up at him as his fingers curled under your jaw, tipping your head up to look at him. “Things aren’t always about getting even,” He smiled sleepily down at you. “What’s it about then?” “...Why’d you ask me to stay over?” You hesitated before you pushed yourself up to lean over him, “I thought you’d look good in my bed. And whaddaya know? I was right.” Marcus laughed, using the arm wrapped around you to draw you against his chest. “You know what I’ve been thinking about?” He asked. “Mm?” “Kissing you.” Heat curls in your stomach, tingling and pleasant. “Something stopping you?” You asked. The hand on your jaw slipped down to rest on the back of your neck. His eyes darted between your eyes and your lips for a few moments before he leaned up, brushing his lips against yours. You felt that spark grow in your stomach, and you dipped your head a little closer, chasing the chaste touch. You shifted, leaning more heavily against him and resting your hand on his chest, fingers curling in the fabric of his shirt, hooking in his collar. When he pulled you closer and turned, settling you down on your back, you went easily, letting your thighs splay so that he could lay between them. You moaned quietly as your kisses became warmer, more insistent. You wrapped an arm around Marcus’ shoulders, sighing as he slipped a hand under your shirt. And then you heard a yowl at your door. You groaned quietly, dropping your head back as Marcus laughed, resting his forehead against your neck. “I told them to behave,” You whined. “Don't blame them, this is on me. I should’ve kissed you last night,” Marcus murmured against your throat. You shivered, chuckling a little. “I should feed them before they do something rude like continue to yell... or throw up in your shoes.” “Would they do that?” “Oh, god yeah. I love Princess, but she’s an asshole.” --

You reached down, setting Pye’s food dish down for him and scratching him behind the ears as he began to eat. Princess was already halfway through her food. You glanced over at your phone as it buzzed on the counter and grinned when you saw who it was.

❤️5B: How’s unpacking?

-Nearly finished. A couple of boxes left. Pye was sleeping on a stack, so I couldn’t touch it.

❤️5B: No worries, baby. On my way home. Need anything?

-Cat food and popcorn. Humphrey Boggart marathon starts at 8

❤️5B: Takeout?

-Nope, got dinner covered. ❤️5B: You’re my favorite. -Don’t let Pyewacket hear you saying that. ❤️5B: Favorite human.

-Better. Btw some couple moved in across the hall. I think they have a dog?

❤️5B: I’ll make sure Pye doesn’t get out when I come in

Tag list: @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo; @fantasticcopeaglepasta; @paintballkid711

#Marcus Pike x Reader #Marcus Pike x You #Marcus Pike/You #Marcus Pike/Reader #Marcus Pike Imagine #Odd Hours//Getting Even #Tumblr was doing WEIRD formatting things so i'm sorry if anything looks wonky??#Marcus Pike

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