#i don't have a fenced in back yard so it's just this side patch of grass.

[deadendtracks]

well absolutely fucked up my first attempt at bringing the cats outside in harnesses/leashes! it's much harder to introduce two of them to the concept than one. anyway no one escaped at least and we will try this much more slowly and one at a time. it was very traumatic, though.

[ozzgin]

Yandere! Edward Scissorhands x Reader

On her quest to make at least one sale for the day, Avon lady Peg cautiously steps into the eerie mansion of a known inventor. She soon learns that it has long been devoid of life, with the exception of Edward, a synthetic human creation left unfinished. She returns to the bright suburbs accompanied by the poor young man, earning the curious stares of the bystanders. Among the colorful houses, however, Edward spots a gloomy dwelling that the neighbors seem to avoid. Who is the mysterious occupant?

Winner of the Halloween Poll! A short gothic romance in the style of Tim Burton, where two outsiders find solace in each other.

[Horror Masterlist]

The light yellow car slows down as it reaches the driveway and the engine stops. Peg makes her way out and hurries over to the passenger side, keys dangling between her fingers. She helps Edward out once she sees him awkwardly shuffling in the seat, unsure of his next step.

"You'll love it here. I just know it."

The woman hastily closes the door behind the tall, peculiar visitor. She places a gentle hand on his back and guides him down the asphalted path. 

Edward's gaze briefly wanders further into the street. The houses are slithering along neatly, their vivid colors somewhat tiring to his unaccustomed eyes. Yet one of them sticks out. Strangely enough, it reminds him of home. A rusty iron fence surrounds the property, and patches of lush, unkempt vegetation creep through the bars. The walls are dark and crooked and the black tiled roof casts a shadow over the entire abode.  

"Who lives there?" The question escapes his lips almost unconsciously. 

Peg follows his gaze, eager to introduce the area to him. Once she settles on the source of his inquiry, her smile falters for a second.

"Oh, my. That's, well..." she lets out a forced laugh and encourages him to continue walking. "I'm glad you're already so curious, Edward dear. You'll get to know everyone soon, don't worry about it."

One more push and the guest has securely entered the house. As she prepares to twist the knob into a lock, she peeks out for the last time, surveying the surroundings with mild worry. A neighbor is walking their dog, whistling in the distance. As they approach the mysterious building, the animal begins to bark and the owner scurries to the other side of the street. 

"He's so...strange!" one housewife exclaims, sipping on her lemonade.

Joyce is biting the temple tips of her sunglasses as she carefully inspects the dark haired man, currently using his sharp, spear fingers as barbecue skewers. She's batting her long eyelashes, entranced. She does like her men on the enigmatic side. In fact, she might just have a word with him. She folds the sunglasses and hangs them by the collar of her low-cut blouse. Of course, she doesn't forget her famous ambrosia salad as she departs from the rest of the fidgeting women. 

"Ed, darling. You must try out my signature dish!" she daintily holds up a spoon and attempts to feed the pale newcomer. 

He cautiously opens his mouth, unsure of how else to respond to the gesture. He tries to find Peg within the crowd, hoping she'll give him a new task away from this uncomfortably touchy person. And as luck would have it, his savior has come to the rescue. Peg doesn't hesitate to pull Edward away, cheerfully mumbling a domestic excuse. 

Once freed from the shackles of awkward social interactions, the man tiptoes his way out of the yard and down the street. He doesn't like the constant murmur of people talking. He doesn't understand the jokes, the loud laughs, the complicit slaps on the back. He feels as if he's on the other side of a glass window, separated from an audience demanding cooperation despite him only being able to discern muffled, discontinued meaning. 

None of this was mentioned in the Etiquette book. Or perhaps it has always been there, and the Inventor never got to the specific chapter. Died lamentably before he could explain how one navigates neighborhood BBQ parties.

Edward's step is clumsy and he doesn't have a particular direction in mind. In his scattered daze he nearly trips over something and turns around apologetically. You're sitting on the ground, resting against the fence. The book you were reading is now thrown aside, as you're too busy massaging the ankle that just got kicked by the sudden intruder. You look up, ready to scold the responsible airhead, but your eyes stop on an eccentric feature that catches your attention. 

"What happened to your hands?"

You're a little embarrassed by your unexpected, tactless curiosity. The man seems entirely unfazed, however.

"They weren't finished. I'm incomplete."

"Hmm. Isn't everyone?" 

Edward considers the question and recalls the people he's met so far. Peg and her husband. Joyce. The children. 

"But they don't look unfinished. They have all the body parts."

You chuckle slightly at the literal observation. 

"Well, you can't check them on the inside, can you? Most people have missing parts. Or broken ones."

"Where would you get it fixed, then?" Edward is startled by this new discovery. 

"You learn to fix it yourself. Otherwise it just stays like that, maybe forever."

He lifts his hands and stares at them. Is he going to be like this forever, too? He hasn't pondered the concept of time much before Peg had found him. Yet now, 'forever' feels unsettling. 

"Do your hands bother you that much?"

Edward doesn't know how to reply. He wishes he could resemble everyone else, that much is true. Then people wouldn't stare. And they wouldn't be afraid. As he mulls over the right words, he suddenly becomes aware of his surroundings. It's the house he noticed earlier, when he first arrived here. Which means...

He examines the person before him. They, too, look complete. So why?

"Why does everyone avoid this place?" He remembers the gathering he just left. "You weren't at the neighborhood party either. I thought all neighbors will show up."

"I was never invited."

"Why?"

You shrug.

"You're also not currently attending, are you? Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"I took a break. It's too loud. Can I sit here?"

Before you can answer, he drops himself next to you with a thud. His fingers swish together as he adjusts his posture. 

"Oh, sorry, I forgot. What is your name? I'm Edward."

"Uhh... (Y/N)." You mutter, taken aback by his direct approach. What an odd fellow, you think to yourself.

"Nice to meet you, (Y/N)." As he scans your features again, he feels compelled to add, "You look rather pretty."

A faint blush takes over your face and you twirl your hair in an attempt to hide it. Is he mocking you? You genuinely can't read his intentions. 

"You don't look too bad yourself, Edward. I think the hands add to your charm." You eventually find the confidence to blurt it out, quickly following up with a laugh.

His heart tightens and he almost forgets about his hazardous extremities, having to stop himself from touching his now throbbing chest. He's never malfunctioned before. It doesn't feel like anything is wrong, either. Your comment, for some reason, made him very happy. 

(Y/N). Looking back to everything that happened, he's glad. Maybe he should thank Joyce next time he sees her. He wouldn't have met you otherwise. 

As the sun begins to set, you remind Edward that it's impolite to leave a party for too long. He protests, stating he prefers your company. As flattered as you are, you rephrase it as Peg being worried about his sudden disappearance and he feels bad enough to agree on his early retirement. On the condition he can hang out with you again. Once you guarantee a reunion, he makes his way back home. 

As he lays on Kim's bizarrely fluid mattress, tucked into the layered pastel sheets, Edward is overwhelmed by a strange, unfamiliar warmth. A wide, childish smile is plastered on his face and won't go away. Each time he closes his eyes to fall asleep, he pictures the encounter. (Y/N). It's a nice name, isn't it? He finds it particularly charming. He whispers it out loud in the dark room, as if making sure it's real. Reminding himself you're real. 

He can't properly explain it. It's the same thick window that stands between him and the world, but you're next to him. An outsider. A rejection. The idea that someone else out there shares his struggle has cleansed him of any longing for acceptance. Why bother with a sea of foreign, smudged faces? Peg becomes Joyce, and Joyce fades into Marge, and they all become a generic crowd of smiling pleasantries. It's a funny thing, being among humans. Once he left his old mansion behind, he realized how truly alone he had been. Still, being surrounded by people he could not comprehend made him feel even more lonely. That is the tragedy; sitting at the grand table, empty handed, unseen, unheard. Misunderstood. No one's fault, really. It just happens. But every now and then, if fate so allows, one might just find another starved attendant. With the same glint in their eyes, of someone not belonging. 

Oh, he can't wait to see you again.

It's unusually noisy outside for a late evening and you can't help but glance out the window. That's when you notice the roaring crowd, trampling in a hysterical march of unknown purpose. You have a bad feeling about it. The horned moon leers down at you like a bad omen and you quickly throw a jacket on, sprinting into the street. 

"What's this all about?" you shyly ask the nearest group. 

"Witch!" Esmeralda scowls at you with a pointing finger. 

Peg notices the commotion and runs towards you, completely disregarding the prophetic warnings of the woman. 

"Oh, (Y/N). It's Edward. They..." she sighs, frustrated. "I know I don't have the right to ask you this, but you're his friend. Could you please make sure he's alright?" Her voice is pleading and regretful. 

You nod without saying anything else. Before you turn to leave, you swiftly gesture to Esmeralda, raising your index fingers up and mimicking a devilish look. She gasps and throws her hands together in prayer.

It had to be done. 

Meanwhile, Edward has reached his old mansion and just now stopped in the entrance hall, panting anxiously. He feels nauseous and helpless. It's not that he's being chased by the enraged members of the neighborhood that alarms him. He cannot stand the possibility of not being in your presence ever again. How frightful, how agonizing! He claws at a nearby column in turmoil. 

It can't be, it won't happen. He'll tear his way through the masses if he has to. Oh, what a terrible thought. His Inventor would roll in the grave if he knew the violent ruminations that plague him right now. But if he has no other choice...Would he go as far as taking someone's life if it was for your sake? Well, technically speaking, his sake, really. He wants to see you. He needs to.

Panic slowly creeps through his body. The thoughts are piling up in an erratic hum and he can't find his focus again. He paces back and forth, attempting to recollect himself, but there's an urgency that drowns him in cold sweat. 

"Edward?"

The ringing stops. A switch has been flipped and he snaps his head in the direction of the voice. It's you. Completely spellbound, he extends his hand to touch your face, verifying whether you might be an illusion of his feverish desires instead. The blade pierces your skin, leaving a bright red trail behind. 

"I'm so sorry-" he cries out, realizing his act. 

You softly lower his hand with a reassuring smile. 

"It's just a small cut. Don't worry about it. I think we have more important matters at hand, won't you agree?" you joke as you nudge your head towards the window. 

"I spoke to the police officer on the way here, so we shouldn't have any surprise guests." 

You remove your jacket and throw it over some dusty furniture before climbing up the stairs. Halfway through you briefly stop and urge Edward to join you. He simply nods.

When the issue is settled and everything has been said and done, will you return to your miserable exile? Won't the neighbors become suspicious if you're frequently seen sneaking up the hill? Perhaps even the utmost secrecy won't prolong the visits much. 

And then what?

As he considers the potential scenarios, he becomes increasingly impatient. The joy of your return has been tainted by the impending doom of abandonment. He wishes you'd just stay with him here, forever. 

Once the conclusion has been reached, he lets out a quiet apology. Maybe to you, maybe to the beloved Inventor, maybe even to himself. He inserts a finger into the entrance lock and silently twists it. 

You must forgive him. Or at least try to understand him. He just loves you too much, (Y/N). Is it truly such a hideous crime? To want to keep you safe? If so, he will live with the guilt. But not without you. 

You're home. 

[sopebubbles]

Four

Master list

Synopsis: in a world where alphas, betas, and omegas live along side modern humans as second class citizens, you've fallen through the cracks of a society that wants to take everything wonderful from you. Luckily a timely encounter with the boys just might save your life.

Chapter summary: the boys learn several uncomfortable things about you.

Warnings: nothing? that I can think of. Y'all know this shit is sad, but the pack is so comforting.

Wc: 4.5k

"Where are you going?" Jimin asked when he opened his eyes to find you only a few steps from the door.

You froze before pivoting on your toes. "Sorry. I was trying not to wake you," you answered in a nearly inaudible voice.

Jimin stretched his neck as he sat up. "I wasn't really sleeping. What are you doing?"

You relaxed onto your heels and looked around in confusion, as though you weren't sure yourself. "I was just feeling suffocated in the room and wanted some air. I thought I could step out without bothering anyone since you were all sleeping."

He started to ask if you were leaving, but then he swallowed his words. "We can go out to the backyard if you want to walk around a little," he said instead.

You nodded as an answer and walked toward him.

"You'll want this," he told you when you came near, grabbing Yoongi's hoodie off the arm of the couch. He had changed into it when he got home from work several hours ago, and had taken the time to carefully scent it with all the alphas before casually leaving it downstairs, as if by mistake. But Jimin knew better. "It's chilly out tonight."

You took the sweatshirt he offered you. You sniffed it and tugged it on with less hesitation than he expected. Maybe you knew what Yoongi had predicted: some comforts you just needed. You were still just in someone's shorts, but he figured you wouldn't be out too long. The beta moved a pair of slides by the door in front of you to slip your feet into before he held the door open for you. You smiled so softly at him that he felt his heart stop, over the moon at how easily you accepted his gentle way of caring for you, and he returned a smile back.

There wasn't much in the square patch of the backyard. Jimin watched your figure as you walked down the three steps to the sidewalk leading to the back gate. To the left of the door, in the corner, was a table with several chairs sitting on a slab of concrete. The rest of the yard was just grass, not yet needing a cut as spring had only just started. Hobi had been begging Jin to make a proper patio for everyone to enjoy since Jimin joined the pack four years ago, but Jin kept insisting they would move into a bigger house soon. When they had bought the house shortly after Kookie became an established member of their small pack, with considerable assistance from their families, they hadn't imagined their numbers would more than double in size, at least not without any pups of their own. A bigger house would be nice, of course, but there was something cozy to Jimin about stuffing the just slightly too small house to the brim with love.

Jimin sat on the top step and leaned his elbows on his knees, and his eyes followed you as you skirted along the fence. He could see you were still a bit shaky on your legs, and you seemed to be focused on putting one foot directly in front of the other.

"Where are you from, Y/N?"

Your head snapped to look at him with wide, startled eyes, as if you'd forgotten he was there. You stared at him a moment before you said, "Sorry, I don't remember your name."

He smiled again, softly. "I'm Jimin."

You nodded and began to walk along the fence line again, ignoring his question, so he asked another. "How long have you lived in the city?"

"What makes you think I'm not from here?"

It was your accent, a slight drawl on your words that you'd never quite managed to eliminate. Jimin shrugged. "Just a hunch."

You turned the corner at the back of the yard so you faced the house and looked up at the dark windows behind which his pack slept soundly. "How do you know about True Life?" you asked, clearly not wanting to give him the control of the conversation.

You weren't going to answer his questions, but at least you were talking to him, so he didn't mind answering. "I work at a shelter for teens, so I know about all the shelters in the area."

Your mouth made a soundless 'oh' as you continued along the fence toward the house. Jimin wondered if you were aware you were marking their property or if it was subconscious. Maybe you were claiming their space as your own. Maybe you were trying to draw in other alphas with your scent. Maybe you just had no idea what you were doing.

"How long have you been there?" He asked when you didn't say anything.

"A couple weeks." You shrugged and added a moment later, "I lost my second job and couldn't pay my rent and now I don't know what I'm going to do."

"I can help you find a job." Jimin perked up at being able to make the offer. "I know places in town that have no problem hiring omegas and who offer heat leave."

"I don't need heat leave, as long as I can afford the good pills," you told him. "I just ran out this month."

"The ones they gave you can cause long-term infertility," Jimin told you.

You snorted. "I don't care about that. I'm not ever having kids. I just didn't take them because they make my stomach hurt so bad." Jimin nodded his head and went silent for a moment as you continued tracing a path at the edge of the grass. "Is that what you do then? You help people get jobs?" You asked as you turned around and went back the other way.

"I'm a social worker. I help people get the things they need. Whether that's a job or school…or a pack." Jimin saw your back stiffen at the word, a minor hiccup in your pacing before you resumed. "Would that be something I could help you with?"

You turned the corner to walk across the back perimeter again, hiding your face in shadow. "I don't need a pack," you said quietly but firmly.

"Living on your own in the city can be really hard. Making ends meet, taking care of yourself. There are all kinds of packs. Not all are together for mating. Sometimes a pack can just be friends who care about you. When Taehyung came to us, he wasn't looking for partners, but family."

You sighed heavily at his words. "Your pack seems nice enough, but not all packs are like that. Everyone acts like packs are something you have to have, but not all packs mean safety. Shitty people don't stop being shitty just because they're pack."

Jimin's breath caught in his chest. Of course, he knew most packs weren't as good as his. And he knew that there were plenty of bad people out there, even Lykos. But he didn't like to imagine what could have happened to you to bring out such bitterness in your voice.

"But I'm sure someone like you wouldn't understand that," he heard you mutter under your breath.

Behind him, Jimin could hear the front door open on the other side of the house. It had to be Jungkook coming home from his shift. He heard the thick clunk of boots where he took them off by the door, and then nothing as the other beta moved with practiced stealthiness around the otherwise silent house.

Jimin didn't take offense at your assumptions of him. It was obvious enough that you spoke from a place of pain, and that was something Jimin could easily understand, and even empathize with. He rubbed his palms together and gathered his thoughts before speaking.

"My parents died when I was ten. My mom was sap, my dad was a beta, so we never had a pack. We never even had a normal family. After the accident, I lived in a series of group homes. Some were fine. Some were worse than others, but the one nice thing was being surrounded by other people like me. I met lots of people who had it worse than me. Kids who had been adopted only to be sent back when their new family didn't want them. Others who got kicked out of the group home when they presented and couldn't control their instincts. I was lucky because I was able to go from there to college without having to navigate those years all on my own. But after I graduated it was really difficult for me to live alone. Through some friends, I found out about a…collective of sorts, where young Lykos lived together. They weren't a pack per se but they were able to help each other out in ways like a pack. Resource sharing, budgeting, physical closeness. Like I said, it wasn't a pack bond, not like what we have here, but it was better than being all alone."

You had stopped at the other side of the fence and stood with your back against the wooden planks. He waited for you to say something, but he didn't expect the words you spoke next. "I would've guessed a pack would've wanted someone like you very early on."

Jimin's face heated, and he was glad you couldn't see it in the dark. "I'm not sure what you mean by that." Although by your tone it sounded like a compliment.

"I just mean that you're attractive and pleasant to be around. And doesn't everyone want betas in their pack? You're supposed to be stable and reliable, right?" You tilted your head to the right when you asked in a very endearing gesture.

Jimin cleared his throat. He could still feel the blush on his cheeks. "I was a late bloomer. For a while I thought I might actually turn out to just be sap like my mother. To this day, my scent is still fainter than anyone I've ever known. So I guess I'm not as attractive as you think."

You snorted again and pushed away from the fence. "If I had been you, I would've just pretended I was normal. You could live a perfectly ordinary life. Not like us freaks." You mumbled the end but Jimin wouldn't ignore it.

"There's nothing abnormal or freaky about who you are. And anyone who told you otherwise is just plain wrong. I chose this life because it belongs to me. Anyone who has made you feel like being alone is better doesn't know what they're missing, whether sap or Lykos."

You stopped in your tracks away from him and to his surprise, you turned to walk toward him. "I was born to God-knows-who, and the first thing my mother did with me was throw me in the garbage. Literally. And instead of leaving me be, some idiots hauled me out of the dumpster and gave me to a family who wanted nothing but a slave and who threw me out as soon as I got my first heat. Being alone isn't a choice for me, Jimin. It's just what I am."

Without waiting for a response you walked past him up the steps and into the house, letting the screen door slam behind you, causing him to jump. Jimin hung his head in his hands, applying pressure to his temples as he considered what you had said and his own stupidity. He knew better than to assume he knew anyone's story, or to tell people what he thought they needed instead of asking first. But something about you prevented him from thinking professionally.

Jungkook came home tired as ever. No, more tired than he'd been all week. He and his partner had been the first responders to an absolutely horrific scene of a murder. Although he spent most of his shift holding the police line, being the lowest man on the totem pole, it hadn't left him unaffected. As he pulled his feet from his shoes, he wanted nothing more than to plant himself face first on the closest soft surface and sleep for a day. He struggled clumsily with the buttons of his shirt, yanking the bottom free from his trousers before he fumbled with his belt buckle. He couldn't bring himself to climb the stairs to the pack's nest, so he shuffled to the spare room and left his clothes in a pile at the foot of the bed he now slept in more often than not. He kneeled on the bed in nothing but his boxers to crawl his way to the middle and sank into the warm space. The smells that greeted him were different but familiar. Hobi's sweet brown sugar was there, but faintly, hiding behind a saccharine apple. Jungkook registered the difference on some level, maybe even knew it was wrong to be there, but the scents were so comforting he couldn't help but melt into them. He pulled your pillow to his face and covered himself with the single blanket before he quickly fell asleep.

A loud bang had his eyes popping open. Alert to danger but still half asleep. Had he slept for hours or seconds? Moments later the door to the room closed harshly and the edge of bed dipped before a body collided with his. And then a scream. Jungkook scrambled off the bed for the light switch, nearly falling when his legs tangled in the blanket. After they turned on, Jimin appeared, throwing the door open to see what was wrong. All three of you breathed heavily as you looked at one another.

"What are you doing here?" You half screeched before the betas could say a word.

"Fuck! God. Y/N, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." Jungkook sputtered, gasping. "I was just so exhausted that I forgot you were staying here. I sleep here a lot and I just…forgot."

Jungkook's chest caved in as he watched you shake in front of him. He had promised you safety and security, assured you that no one would bother you, but he was the first to trespass. Regret stole his words from his mouth, and you said nothing at all. He looked to Jimin for some kind of help, and luckily the other man was there to give it. He took Jungkook by the wrist and pulled him gently out of the room.

"Sorry, Y/N. Get some rest, and I'll check on you in the morning," he told you quietly. He reached for the light switch before closing the door.

"Leave it," you said, urgently, fearfully.

Jimin nodded and pulled the door shut. It clicked with finality.

"I'm sorry, hyung," Jungkook breathed out in the relative darkness of the hallway.

Jimin shushed him as he led the larger man to the living room. "Don't waste your breath apologizing to me, Kookie. It was an honest mistake. She's a little worked up, otherwise I'm sure she'd see that, too."

Jungkook stopped cold, making himself difficult to lead. "What happened? Why's she worked up?" He looked back over his shoulder toward your door.

"Jungkook, you look like you're going to keel over. Sit down for a minute," Jimin coaxed, guiding him to the couch. He sat and took the glass of water Jimin offered him, drinking without hesitation.

"Did something else happen?" he asked after draining the glass.

Jimin shrugged. "Not exactly. I don't know. We were just talking, and I might have said the wrong thing or at the wrong time. She just said some things…about herself." He sighed and reached out for Jungkook. Feeling the beta solidly beneath his hands always had a grounding effect. "Her troubles haven't started recently, Jungkook. I think maybe her whole life has been nothing but pain and trouble."

"I know," Jungkook said, sounding like he meant it concretely, not merely as a suspicion.

"Did you find something about her?"

Jungkook sagged against the couch and rubbed his face with his hands. "I did, but is it okay if we go through it tomorrow?"

Jimin smiled softly and ruffled his hair. "Of course, Kookie. I'll help you get upstairs so you can get some rest."

Jungkook yawned wide, stretching out his long arms. "I'll sleep here. You can go up."

"No, baby," Jimin shook his head.

"It's okay. I promise I won't bother her again."

"It's not about her, Kook. It's about you getting proper rest in the nest. Now."

Jungkook sighed. "I can't. I don't smell right after work. I don't want to ruin everyone's sleep."

Jimin's face crumpled. "Is that why you never come up anymore?" Jungkook nodded, eyes fixed on his knees. It's at least most of the truth. "Baby, no one cares. They'll get you smelling right in no time. C'mon, let's go."

Jimin pulled Jungkook like dead weight, but eventually got him to his feet. Jungkook was too tired to not let the smaller man bear his weight as they made their way up the stairs. When they got to the pack's bedroom, the door opened with a creak that Hoseok had been meaning to fix. The omega lifted his head from the bed in an attempt at alertness.

"Pup delivery," Jimin whispered, placing Jungkook gently on the edge of the nest. Hands from more than one person reached out to hold him and he was completely engulfed, snuggled in by his mates before Jimin closed the door once again.

Hobi could be nibbly in the morning. Jungkook had nearly forgotten about that. It had been a while since he had felt the omega's tongue lap at his scent gland, nudging him awake with his nose and gentle kisses.

"Morning, baby," Jungkook chuckled.

"Wakey, wakey," Hobi sang, though he was hardly awake himself, still feeling sleepy and far from ready to start the day.

"How did you sleep?" Jungkook asked conversationally as he carded his fingers through his omega's hair, keeping his voice low since he wasn't sure if the others were awake. The body on the other side of him—Yoongi probably—felt very still. Jungkook didn't know how he'd ended up in the middle of the nest, but he was pleased to be there.

Hoseok smiled against his shoulder. "So good, Kookie. I've missed you in the nest. I'll keep that girl here forever if it will make you sleep next to me every night."

Jungkook stiffened. Guilt for too many wrongs to count washed through him. But Hobi was quick to stroke a soothing hand down his chest. "I'm sorry," he choked out.

"Shh. I didn't say that to make you feel bad. I just love having you here. We've been together for so long that it doesn't feel quite right to have you missing. I feel like I wash the sheets twice as often because they don't smell the same without you," he chuckled. "But it's okay. I know you need space right now."

Jungkook pulled his mate tighter to him, inhaling the sweet scent from the top of his head. "I'll try not to be so distant. I know it isn't fair to you."

Hoseok shook his head. "I just want you to be happy, pup. But you don't seem very happy these days."

Yoongi shifted on his other side, wrapping an arm around his waist and nuzzling his other shoulder.

Jungkook hummed. "I'm happy right now."

"Now if only Jiminie were here this nest would be perfect," Hoseok mused.

"I'm here!" Jimin called from the hallway outside.

Hoseok lifted his head over Jungkook's chest. "Get your cute little butt in here then!"

Jimin didn't waste a second in following orders. He skipped to the bed where he was playfully pulled down to the mattress by a giggling Taehyung and squished into place between the alpha and Yoongi.

"Why were you out in the hallway, baby? Is everything okay downstairs?"

Jimin lifted himself up to hook his chin over Yoongi's shoulder. "Everything's…fine. I just missed you guys, and I thought I could do the job just as well from up here as down there," he admitted sheepishly.

"Was the door slamming and a scream last night real? Or did I dream about it?" Namjoon asked from the other side of the bed.

"Oh," Jungkook remembered. "I might have scared Y/N last night. On accident."

"After I made her upset, which is why she slammed the door," Jimin added.

Jin seemed suddenly aware, looking between the two betas with alert eyes. "How did you upset her?"

"I was trying to talk to her about the benefits of being in a pack. But I think I hit a nerve."

"How so?"

"She…she told me that she was abandoned as a newborn and adopted by saps who treated her horribly."

"And then I accidentally fell asleep in her bed and freaked her out."

Jin sat up, choosing for the moment to gloss over Jungkook's transgression to look at Jimin. "So she's basically always been alone?" Hoseok's hand found his, gripping him for comfort at such an unimaginable thought.

Jimin grimaced. "Not necessarily. Something she said last night stood out. I think she might have had a pack at one point. But based on what she said, it wasn't a good experience."

Hoseok tilted his head curiously. "What did she say?"

"She said bad people are still bad in packs, and packs aren't always safe," Jimin frowned.

Hoseok shuddered. "You might be onto something," Jungkook said.

Yoongi opened his eyes for the first time, though he'd been listening all along. "What did you find out?"

Jungkook cleared his throat but his voice came out nervously. "Before she came to this city, she served six months in a county jail in another state for solicitation."

"What?!" Several voices demanded, the whole nest suddenly in movement.

"A friend of mine who's on desk duty did some digging for me and found out she'd been arrested. In her testimony, she said that her alpha forced her to do it, but she pleaded guilty."

Hoseok thought he might actually throw up. He had heard stories on the news of omega sex workers before. Not just Lykos but even more often Sapiens would pay to have sex with omegas. But the thought that an alpha would do that to one they called their own chilled him to the bone.

Namjoon tugged his hands through his hair, his mind frantically trying to think of a way to make such an alpha pay for the crime. "Was the alpha arrested too?"

Jungkook shook his head. "She wouldn't give a name because she feared for her safety."

Jin's skin stretched painfully over his knuckles as he fisted the blanket. If his mother heard this she would use her family's considerable wealth and power to track down that alpha and make him suffer. Could he call in such a favor on your behalf?

Without a word, Taehyung got up and walked to the door.

"Tae, where are you going?" Jimin asked, anxious at the sudden loss of his mate.

"I don't want to hear anymore," Tae replied angrily.

"Sweetheart-"

"No. I don't want to hear any more about her from you. It feels wrong to know these things about her when she hasn't told me herself. It's an invasion of privacy and I won't listen."

"I'm sorry, Tae. I was just trying to figure out how we could help her," Jungkook defended himself.

Taehyung sighed, looking back at his lover. "I get that. And I want to help her, too. I just…ugh. I haven't even really seen her and I haven't gotten to talk to her. It feels weird for you to dig up information on her. It's like she's a character in a movie and not someone in our house. I don't know how to explain it but it makes me uncomfortable."

Jimin's heart melted. Taehyung's sensitive soul had a way of turning them all to mush. The beta slipped off the bed to wrap his arms around him. "Okay, alpha. No more digging, okay? Come back to bed. Don't be upset." Tae allowed himself to be pulled, always particularly sensitive to Jimin's coaxing. "Kookie won't do any more digging, right?" The maknae nodded. "Come back and let me cuddle you a little more, and then we can help Hobi get some breakfast going for her, okay?"

Taehyung followed Jimin back down into the nest with a pleased, boxy grin, wordlessly covering him with his body and nuzzling into his neck. While Jimin whispered sweet nothings into the youngest alpha's ear, the rest refocused their attention on Jungkook.

"Now, how did you end up in Y/N's nest?" Jin asked, appearing sterner than he ever was.

Jungkook blushed deeply. "I was an honest accident, hyung. I was just so tired and my feet carried me there. Jimin and Y/N were outside, so I didn't notice until she came back. Besides, it wasn't much of a nest. I usually sleep with more blankets than she had."

Hoseok frowned grumpily. He wondered if you would let him teach you. But it wasn't his most pressing issue in mind.

"What's wrong?" Jin asked, plucking a pouty lip.

Hobi turned to Jungkook once more. "I don't like that your first instinct is to go sleep in the other room." Jungkook opened his mouth to argue but Hobi wouldn't let him. "I know you have a long list of reasons why you do it, but I don't want to hear them. I don't care that you come home at 4 in the morning. You aren't bothering anyone. Do you think Jin and I sleep well knowing you're not here where you belong? I don't care if you come home smelling like the street and other people. I will make you smell like Jungkook again in no time. I'll make you smell like your pack. Unless you don't want your pack anymore. And if you're trying to pull away from us, then that's something we really need to talk about. Just be honest!"

A sad whine came from Jungkook's throat. Neither of them had expected those words to come out, though Hobi had been holding onto them for several weeks, only sharing them with Jin. "Hobi! I never want that. I never want to not be part of this pack. You're my home!" He whimpered, pulling the warm omega on top of him, forcing Yoongi to make way.

"Then act like it," Hobi mumbled into his chest.

"I will. I'll sleep here every night," he replied, holding his love close.

Hoseok smiled. At least that was one worry off the list.

A/n: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you thought in the comments and reblogs! They mean the world to me 💜

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[sokkastyles]

Soooo, life happened and I didn't get as much writing done as I wanted to get done. I don't have a finished fic to bring today but I do have a short sneak peek at what I've been working on for @zkmythicalcreaturesweek Day 2: Werewolves and Vampires. I plan to post the actual finished fic eventually.

Sort of loosely based on the videogame The Quarry.

As the evening grew long and cool, Katara followed Zuko up the hill, pausing when she spotted a patch of purple fireweed and kneeling down to snap off the stems, to use later. If she were with a group of campers, then she might have stopped to use this as a teaching moment, to talk about the old ways of her tribe, to discuss the plant’s uses and to thank the earth for its blessings. Fireweed meant life was returning to a place. When the flowers went to seed, it meant summer was finally over. They still had some time, yet.

Zuko stopped and turned to watch her.

"You know, I always envied the way everything was so sacred to you. I don't have that."

"Yeah, you do," she said, thinking of the way he looked during his xiaolin classes with the kids. How happy, like he'd forgotten the rest of the world existed. “The kids love you. That. That’s sacred. And you love them, too. And this place. That’s why you keep coming here.”

"Nah," Zuko shook his head. "I just had to get the fuck away from my dad's house. That's what those summers meant to me. Like an escape." He punctuated the last word by breaking an overhanging branch that obscured the path ahead and tossed it several yards into the trees.

Katara thought about the summer he didn't get away.

It was the summer after sixth grade, when the girls’ and boys’ cabins came together at dinner on the first night. Zuko was nowhere to be seen for the first time since she'd started coming here every summer since she’d been eight. She'd been glad, then, that she didn't have to deal with Zuko trying to compete with her in sparring and fencing and canoeing that summer. All summer free of his arrogant bragging and volatile temper.

Then the next summer he'd returned, more arrogant and angry than ever, with that scar on his face.

Katara looked away from him. "It's getting dark."

She wasn't sure when her feelings towards Zuko had started to change, when he'd stopped being competition, stopped being that bratty kid, and started being something else.

Neither of them were kids anymore, and seeing Zuko with the campers this morning had made that clear, too. Zuko was one of the rocks here at camp, one of the best councilors she'd ever met. He cared about the kids, and this place, no matter what he said.

She wondered, as she followed his retreating back down the path towards camp, if her feelings had something to do with guilt about that summer. She didn't know the details about the scar that covered most of the left side of his face, but she did know Zuko was telling the truth when he said his home life had been bad. That situation had gotten better, at least. Was it his uncle that he and his sister lived with now? She couldn’t really remember, and that was when she realized that she didn’t really know Zuko, not as well as she should.

Part of her still felt responsible for how much she had hated him when they were kids. Even though it didn't matter. Even though Zuko had clearly forgotten.

Ahead of her on the path, Zuko froze, his body poised perfectly still. "Did you hear that?" He said, almost like a whisper.

Katara could hear the faint rustling of branches as a light breeze tousled Zuko’s hair. The sounds of crickets, heralds for the coming night. Nothing else.

"N-" But then she did hear it. A long, low howl, somewhere in the distance.

[west-tokyo-incidents]

Paresse joins Oakclan

---

Silverclaw watched as the lanky tom came out of the little flap on the Twoleg Den. He was strange, for sure, but not unlike Sunshadow back in the clan. Born as a she-cat, but preferring to be called a tom. Something to do with his last owner always calling him a tom before she passed.

His current owner... well, he can see the lines of Paresse's ribs even from all the way across the yard... There's a reason clan life seems so nice to the kittypet.

The tom hops up onto the fence, already purring. They bump heads. It certainly isn't wise for Silverclaw to make these trips out, but the trip across the creek back would wash away his lover's scent. They spend the night together, he'll be exhausted come morning, but his apprentice won't suffer for it. She's practically a warrior already.

Silverclaw has taught Paresse how to hunt along the little patches of trees in the area, ways he can get himself food. Has taught him how to protect himself, especially with other stray toms who can't control themselves around an intact she-cat. Or... a cat who can have kits. He caught on very quickly. Very quickly. Not to mention he can move without rattling the bell on his collar. He's not perfect, he's yet to sneak up on him, but it's good.

He'd make a fantastic warrior. It's just a matter of convincing Whitestar and Shellclaw, his deputy, to take in a kittypet. He sighs.

Paresse flicks an ear, "What's wrong, Silver?"

The warrior smiles and starts to purr again, "Nothing, I'm just thinking. I want to bring you back to camp, but I have to--"

"Then let's go!"

Silverclaw's ears fold back a little, "I have to talk to the leader first. I have to make sure they won't just outright kill you...--"

"I won't let them. You taught me how to fight and --"

"Paresse, you've known how to fight for maybe three moons... these are cats that have been fighting for their lives for many times that..."

Paresse sighed and flopped his head onto Silverclaw's shoulder, "...Kia ran away from her owner. She still comes around to say hello every so often but... I'm so lonely..."

Silverclaw's ears fold back a little. He knows. By Starclan, he knows, "Heh, you'd have to be to seek the company of a tom like me, eh?" He starts to groom Paresse's side, trying not to think about how he can feel the individual bumps on the cat's spine.

---

The next morning there's a horrible screeching from the front of the camp. All the warriors bolt from their dens to see what the matter is. To see Firepelt dragging in the flurry of claws and fur of a strange cat. Hisses and growls erupt from all around the clan, queens chase their kits back into the nursery.

Silverclaw's heart is in his throat as he watches the scene unfold. It's Paresse that Firepelt unceremoniously drops in the center of the camp. He must have followed his scent back. He scrambles to his feet, his hind still bleeding from the fight. He stands his ground, tail a bottle-brush and his eyes wildly jumping from cat to cat. The bell on his collar is jingling madly with how he whips around to hiss at anyone who comes too close.

Whitestar, however, approaches without even acknowledging the hissing. He's an almost pure black, longhaired cat, save for the white blaze on his chest. He stands over Paresse as the tom makes himself small, but doesn't relent in growling.

"How did a lone kittypet manage to get so close to our camp, hm?"

Paresse licks his nose, "There's a lot of you and you stink." He spits, "It wasn't exactly hard once I got close."

"Why were you trying to find our camp?"

Paresse barely blinks, much less moves, "I want to join the clan. I want to fight with you."

"You're a kittypet. Surely you don't want to leave your Twoleg den and all your soft comforts..."

"My owner-- my twoleg doesn't feed me, and when he does it hurts my stomach. He yells at me. There aren't any other cats I can trust. There are no soft comforts."

Whitestar slowly starts circling him, "You're a kittypet." He spits, "I'm not sure what we can do with a she-cat who can't hunt or fight--"

"I can fight! And I'm not a she-cat, I'm a tom!" Paresse starts to stand up, his long legs trembling, but standing.

Whitestar glances to Firepelt, who is admittedly bleeding from a gash above one of his eyes. The large orange tom flicks an ear. Little more than that, but it's an acknowledgement that the kittypet can throw some claws.

"...Very well." But there's a cruel look in the leader's eye as his gaze passes over Silverclaw.

He knows.

He turns his back on the kittypet and walks over to an elderly ginger she cat. They speak briefly, but then the leader leaps up onto a root that juts out from The Heart Oak, "What is your name now, kittypet?"

"...Paresse."

"Paresse." The leader grimaces at how the foreign name rolls off his tongue, "Let all cats who can catch their own prey gather here, beneath the Heart Oak!" He announces, his voice a powerful boom across the small clearing.

Paresse looks hopefully around, but knows better than to let his eyes linger on Silverclaw. A meeting is called for this. He lets out a shaking sigh and sits down, looking hesitantly up at the leader.

"Spirits of StarClan, you know every cat by name. I ask you now to take away the name from the cat you see before you, for it no longer stands for what he is."

The now nameless cat swallows thickly, tail curling around his paws. There was a catch to this, there had to be. To be so easily accepted into the ranks.

"By my authority as Clan leader, and with the approval of our warrior ancestors, I give this cat a new name. From this moment on he will be known as Pinepaw."

Pinepaw's ear prick up. 'paw. Right. He was going to be an apprentice. That makes sense. It'll suck, being treated like a kitten for a while, but he'll prove himself--

"For him, I have chosen the role of medicine cat apprentice, since he will not be able to hunt nor fight, he will serve the clan by tending to the weak and sick and sharing tongues with our ancestors. Berrytail will be your mentor, and you will make the journey to the Dragon Stones on the next halfmoon."

Pinepaw's nostrils flared with anger. He can hunt! He can fight! But he swallowed his pride. Fine. If it meant he could get food in his belly and be with his mate without fear for either of them, then so be it. Besides... he always like plants anyways, right...? But there was a strange feeling in his gut. Something wasn't right here...

Still, he stood, and bowed his head, "Thank you."

A devilish smirk comes across the leader's face, "You are all dismissed." He jumps from his perch and slinks away.

Silverclaw's ears are folded to the side as he approaches the new medicine cat apprentice. Pinepaw immediately perks up, "I told you I'd be accepted in, I--"

"Hold your tongue!" Silverclaw hisses, "Let's not speak out here... Follow me." He nudges the new clan cat over to a corner of the clearing, out of range from the curious ears of cats Pinepaw didn't know.

"Silver, th-- er, Silverclaw, why do you look so upset? This means we can--"

"No, it doesn't, Pinepaw... Medicine... Medicine cats are forbidden from having mates... or kits..."

Pinepaw's ears dropped, along with his heart, "...oh."

"Whitestar probably knew. He's punishing both of us with this..."

"...so what?" Spite bubbled in Pinepaw's throat.

"What...?"

"We won't be able to be openly mates. But it'll be easier now. You won't have to sneak so far out of camp."

Silverclaw frowned deeply, but he can't say anything else, as the plump ginger she-cat that is Berrytail approaches.

"Well then, Pinepaw." She grumbles out, "I'm your mentor, then. Let's get you familiar with the territory and I'll give you some starters on what plants to avoid..." She gave Silverclaw a dirty look out of the corner of her eye, "You have patrol duty. Best not keep your deputy waiting."

Silverclaw nods and gives Pinepaw a small smile before turning to go rejoin the gathering dawn patrol group.

---

The rest of his day is spent trailing behind her, carrying various things too and fro, learning about deathberries and the many uses of moss and cobwebs. The bitter sting is still fresh in his mouth, but he tries to enjoy the work. He tries to get familiar with the other cats. He's only met a few, and most dislike him.

Save for the big orange maine coon he fought, it seems like.

"If it weren't for your collar, I would have taken you for a rogue! You fought like a fox!" His toothy grin is comforting as Berrytail shows him how to treat the very wounds he'd inflicted, "Don't listen to Whitestar about not being able to fight. Even medicine cats know how to fight and hunt. Hell, I'll help teach you myself!"

Pinepaw laughed softly, "Thank you, I'd appreciate it. Silverclaw offered help as well, earlier..."

"Ah, is that what he pulled you off to tell you? Huh! Here I thought he was threatening you. Meanest son of a fox I've ever met. Musta been impressed just like I was!" Firepelt laughed, a robust thing. It makes Pinepaw smile all the wider, "Say, speaking of your collar, you got one of those jingly things on it. How'd you sneak up on me, ah?"

"Oh." Pinepaw remembers the little bell and jingly little pieces of metal on his collar, "If I'm careful, I can walk without it making noise."

Berrytail interrupts them with a 'harumph!' and nudges Firepelt's side, "Alright, enough lollygagging. You two can chat when it's time to share tongues. You have guard duty to get back to."

Firepelt sighs and gets up, shaking his fur out, "Yeah, yep, I'm going. See you later, Pinepaw!"

Said tom sighs softly as the other leaves.

"I know."

"Huh?" Pinepaw looks up at Berrytail.

"About you and that warrior, Silverclaw. Caught him sneaking back in once." Her ear flicked, "And I know why Whitestar let you in."

"...to punish us."

"No, Pinepaw." She sighs, "Because he wants to keep an eye on you. As a medicine cat, our duties go beyond healing and nest making. We share tongues with our ancestors, Starclan. They give us advice and warnings... and visions and prophecies."

Pinepaw makes a face. He doesn't believe that. How can he believe that? Talking to dead cats? Getting prophetic visions?

"That's why he named you Pinepaw." Her ear flicked, "Many moons ago, I received a vision. A vision of our clan shrouded in darkness as the sun was snuffed out. Only weeks later, an eclipse darkened the skies. Whitestar's only daughter was born during it. She's not unlike you. She was born a tom and asks to be called a she-cat." Her eyes closed as she reminisced, "Soon after, I received another vision. One of a thin, pale cat with differently colored eyes, standing in a snow covered pine forest, with many cats laying dead around him and Whitestar dying at his feet."

Pinepaw just stares at her, half in awe, half in disbelief.

"He accepted you in because he believes he can save himself if he can control you. He made you medicine cat so that you can have no children who could fulfill the prophecy in your stead. I don't know if he knows about Silverclaw and you. But I know my leader. I've known him since he was a kit."

"...I'm angry at him, but I'd never... I want to be part of the clan, not destroy it!" Pinepaw stared at her, eyes wide, "Why would he do all that? Just because of some vision?"

"...You will know, when we share tongues with those who came before us. With Starclan. You will know our ancestors still watch over us more than any warrior or kit. Half-moon is but a few nights away."

[knullanon]

Yandere invincible Duplikate with a deaf civilian love interest

sorry this took so long, also I couldn't find a gid for her sorry

I Will Always Love You

words: 739

warnings: stalking, lmk if I missed any!

"So, what you're telling me is, is that you've got a new girlfriend?"

Kate scrolled through her phone, not even paying Rex any attention. "Not yet, but I know they like me."

Sputtering, Rex continued, "Oh, so you know? Then why not, I don't know, ask them to date you? Is it because you're bluffing?"

Kate looked at him before looking back to her phone. "Because I haven't had the time."

"Of course, keep telling yourself that, while you cry being single for the rest of your life."

Slamming the door, Kate continued on with her research. While yes, it would be considered something bad if you found out what she was doing, it wouldn't matter. She could always reveal the superhero personality and say it was for your own good.

She stopped at a photo of you, smiling, wearing some sunglasses at a beach. And then she saw who was with you.

From the tags in the caption, it seemed to be a school friend from highschool. Apparently there was a reunion between your classes, and you both managed to meet each other again.

She narrowed her eyes, mentally making a note of the colleagues name, before continuing on. Really, you didn't have much that would help her, but then again, she could always just do the easy way out:

Stalking.

Pulling out a laptop, she continued to think about you. When searching for your address, she didn't think about what the team would think, only what you would think. She had already made plans and excuses in case you ever found out about her little obsession, but she never thought that it would be such a big deal.

When she found it, she closed the laptop, put on a jacket, and headed out. Of course, she continued to think about you. She wondered if you were even at your house. She should really think about putting a tracker on you.

She turned the corner to your street and stopped mid-walk. Unlocking your door, carrying a few bags of groceries, was you. It was almost sunset, she had no idea why you would be out this late.

Hearing your door shut, she continued on, before she reached your neighbors yard. Quietly and quickly, she opened their little gate, and jumped the fence into your yard. She knew you liked your plants and checked on them frequently, so she avoided the little patches of grass that were obviously pointing out.

She sneaked past your kitchen window and living room window, to your bedroom window. She was barely able to hear your door open and close, before she heard you throw something on the bed.

You opened your closet, probably to get pajamas. Then she heard you walk out of your room.

She peeked in, only to see that the blinds were closed. But your window was open. Knowing she only had a few moments, she pushed out the screen window, and hoped in. She almost got tangled up in the blinds, but she managed. Opening them, and placing back the screen, before closing the blinds.

Looking for a place to hide, she spotted your closet. You had already closed it, and from the looks of it, you wouldn't be using it until the morning. She quickly slipped inside, and shut the door. Crouching on the floor, she let out a breath of relief before she heard you come back in. While she couldn't see anything, she heard you move something off the bed (your bag?) and flop onto it instead.

Afterward, it was simple silence. There was nothing to do, nothing to say, and Kate sat there while she waited. She could hear some movement once in a while, and she had to estimate it was about 2 hours before he heard you place something on the desk, flip over, and try to go to sleep. After another hour, she decided to take the risk: opening the closet door, she slipped out, before quietly shutting the door.

She waited a moment, before continuing on and made her way over to you.

She stood up when she reached your side of the bed, and lightly touched your face. She stood there for a moment, before she lowered herself to you. She could hear your breathing, and when you didn't move from your sleep, she smiled.

"I will always love you, and one day, you will do the same for me."

[muffinlance]

Hey Muffin, you don't mention the current end of the world here... I just wanted To make sure if you're ok ? In lockdown ? No loved ones sick ?

I guess I should probably respond to one of these, huh. Ahem:

Thank you to everyone expressing concerns and well wishes!

Status: stay-at-home orders in my area. Spousal Unit, I, and my immediate family are working from home and/or retired. (And my mom no joke used to bring back rather adorable smallpox posters from infectious disease conferences when I was a kid, so she's not one of those older people that needs to be convinced that this is serious.)

(This is not The Poster, but it was similar to this, I am so angry at my college self for throwing The Poster out it was so cute yet horrifying in its implications because it was legit for bioterrorist attacks, this is but a pale replica:)

[id: Color image of a zebra, with the classic doctor's "when you hear hoofbeats think of horses, not zebras mantra", overshadowed by much larger text reading "We Are All Zebras: How Rare Disease Is Shaping The Future of Healthcare". End id.]

So anyway, back to status report.

I'm a teacher, so doing the online learning thing. STEM teacher, so there's a lot of good online curriculums I've used before, I've got my kiddos doing game development. We're on day two of that and it's mostly working.

(Best human error so far: one of my students apparently does not understand what email is on a fundamental level. He needs to email our school tech support, and he keeps sending me screenshots of all the very-much-not-email programs that "don't work" when he tries. Child. Child you have a school Gmail account, I keep telling you to use your Gmail account, IMs are not email and chat clients are not email, use your email to send an email--)

Also my garden has All The New Rabbit Fencing (I love watching you in the yard you plant-murdering floofs, but I know you don't even like the strawberries so WHY ARE YOU BITING ALL THEIR LEAVES OFF THEN SPITTING THEM OUT ON THE GROUND. Nu-uh. Strawberry patch privileges REVOKED.)

And my fish tank is the cleanest it's ever been, LOOK at this tank, is this not CLEAN?

[id: Photo of a reef tank with bubble-tipped anemones and various coral, and two clown fish begging for food as they wiggle in front of the camera. End id.]

(Fish I JUST feed you stop making me look bad on the internet.)

My cat is largely confused as to why this weekend of people-are-home-all-hours is lasting a month. I gave him a Confusion Blankie to sit on next to me, that helps.

[id: Photo of cat on a chair pushed under a table. He is curled up on a fleece blanket, side-eyeing the camera. He is white with big black splotches and a foofy butt facing the camera. What a majestic beast. End id.]

Overall I'm in a good position but super concerned 'cause my mom's vulnerable due to age, my sis has asthma which I hear does not play nice with this virus, and I should probably at some point mention I'm super pregnant and guess what group of people tend to have complications with even regular coronaviruses? Nine months of a repressed immune system, yay! (F you too, nature. Don't make me rabbit fence you.)

(Due at the end of May which should be a FUN TIME to be in a hospital judging by the rate of spread in my area.)

Writing-wise, I work best when I'm doing All The Things so this sudden free time is actually terrible for me getting things done. Still figuring out how to manage my time so it's not suddenly 11PM and I did no writing where-did-the-day-go.

In conclusion: Worried but in a good position, certainty much better than many others (have I mentioned before that having stable finances is weird? It's super weird). Still trying to re-find my writing groove time management abilities. They're somewhere, I'll figure it out.

[bidoldaccount]

My new (but old) story!

Let’s take a walk:

1. The first chapter of this story has been sitting in my draft for years and a few days ago I was like “what good is a story in the drafts” ya know? Even if it’s not the best, someone outta see it. So I spend two days cranking out 18 chapters, just on a fucking roll. And I present the first chapter right here.

2. Ashton in this story is gender fluid. I am not gender fluid myself so I do not wish to offend or harm anyone with my writing so if you feel offended by it please, please let me know how I can fix it.

3. This is a GAY 5sos story. Hetero makes me ✨uncomfy✨ as I have recently discovered that I am a lesbian. Big shock. I know. Me too. Anyways, this story is lashton and malum so if you don’t like that, please pass it to someone who does.

4. The second chapter of this story is on Wattpad so if you want to read it I encourage you to hop on over there.

5. Enjoy 😌

Chapter One: Luke

The bench was cold beneath the sweater that luke had placed on top of it to cover the wet patches. Water was still trickling down from the trees, evidence of the rain that had been showering down just hours ago. Luke set his backpack on his feet so it wouldn't touch the wet ground. He dug around inside until he found his headphones, tugging on them a bit to get them untangled from his notebook. He zipped up his bag and looked up at the sky with a frown. It had been raining on and off for the past few days, casting a lazy, restless shadow over the school.

Luke stood up and tugged his backpack straps over his shoulders. He held onto the straps as he walked to the bus stop, plugging his headphones into his phone on the way there.

"Hey Luke!" Someone shouted just as he was about to put the second earbud into his ear. He turned around, his shoes squeaking slightly on the wet pavement. Behind him, there was a group of three boys and two girls, snickering to themselves as they stared over at Luke. The girls blindly giggled behind the three guys.

"Man, tell your mom to stop calling me. I thought the whole point was one night of fun," one of the boys smirked. Luke rolled his eyes as he turned back around, ignoring him and his snide comment.

"Does she have a card or something or do we just show up to the door with five bucks?"

“Come on man, you know she's not worth that much!"

"Ha! Right, maybe four? Three? How much for her to suck me off? Or would she do that for free?"

"She'd probably pay you!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Luke snapped, his cheeks red as he whipped around to face them.

"Oh damn, sorry Hemmings. Are you feeling left out? I'm not gay but you know Ashton would love to have you suck his dick." One of the guys was grabbing someone's shoulders then and wrapping his arm around the boys chest. At first glance Luke thought it was a girl, but upon further examination, Luke recognized the person.

Ashton Irwin was the only person that was genuinely open about their sexuality. Ashton was gender fluid, and judging by the checkered yellow and black skirt, black thigh highs, and shimmery lip gloss, she would be using feminine pronouns. Luke didn't know much about the schematics of gender fluidity, but he knows that he likes the way Ashton's not afraid to be themself.

"No, no, Ashy boy would love to get his mouth around him, wouldn't you Ash?" The boy with his arm around ashton squeezed a bit.

"Get off of me you asshole!" Ashton slipped from the boys grip easily, shoving hard at his chest. "You're a fucking prick!" She spat before storming away, her heavy boots thudding against the wet pavement. Luke rolled his eyes and started to climb onto the bus as the boys continued to throw insults at his expense. Luke dropped down into one of the bus seats, sinking a bit before the old cushion settled. He tuned out all of the other students piling on with music playing at a medium volume, only vaguely aware of someone sitting beside him. He stared out of the window, dotted with drops of rain and slightly foggy.

The bus was cold, but it was that type of cold that was also muggy to where you needed your jacket but your skin was always too warm. Luke leaned his head against the bus window as it started moving, slowly behind all of the other buses.

Just before they left the gate, Luke caught sight of Ashton again. She was sitting on a bench, typing furiously on her phone as her boot tapped incessantly against the ground. Luke couldn't peel his eyes away from her until she was physically out of sight. Her brow had been furrowed and her tan cheeks were flushed from the cold. Despite how angry she looked, she still looked incredibly beautiful, Luke could comfortably admit that to himself.

The bus ride was twenty minutes long and only a few kids got out at Luke's stop. Their neighborhood wasn't 90210 but it wasn't too shabby either. Two and three story houses with long driveways and high security fences. Luke walked thirty minutes away from the bus stop, the houses thinning out slightly the closer he got to the forest that lined the back of the neighborhood. His house was the last one on the block. It was a two story house, painted blue and half of the porch painted yellow. Luke dug his keys out from his backpack and unlocked the door quietly.

Immediate regret flooded through him when he half stepped inside. There was a point where you see some things so much that they just don't effect you anymore. Although most of those things are clowns, or spiders, or the dark, but none of those things are your mother on her knees for your neighbor, Mr Nelson.

Luke backed away and shut the door silently, banging his fist against his forehead. He walked around the side of the house, as he should have to begin with, and unlocked the gate. He secured the lock when he was through and walked a little further down into the yard.

There was a small cabin behind the house, standing at about 13 feet tall. Luke walked up 3 steps to stand on the porch, flipped through his keys, and unlocked the door. The entire cabin smelled like him, which settled something inside of his stomach. He dropped his backpack by the door and toed his shoes off beside it.

There was a record player in the middle of a tall bookshelf in the living room, filled to the brim with records. Luke picked out an Iron and Wine record and set it on the record player. He allowed the music to play at a low volume as he pulled his jacket off and collapsed onto the couch. It felt safe here. In his little cabin behind his house. His house where his mother was living up to the towns impression of her. His house where he hasn't slept in three years. He allowed Iron and Wine to wash away all of those thoughts and pushed him into sleep.

[risukki]

Shrapnel, Tessies newest mount!

I’ve for a long time now wanted to get myself a new horse in RDO and settled for a chocolate roan dutch warmblood. And he is huge compared to I’on :;) (and Tessie does 101% struggle to get up)

So here I go again on a ramble about my OC haha, can’t help it I love her to bits.

Name: Original name is unknown

Nickname: Shrapnel

Age: Hard to tell somewhere around 5-10 years

Height: 16.3hh / 170cm

Gender: Gelding

Overall temperament: Shrapnel is a calm and hard working horse. Always giving his best. He is a magnificent jumper and with his calm nature he rarely gets spooked. (I swear, trampling wolves like no problem!)

Bonus mini back story!

“This is why I told you we should’ve taken our horses with us here… with this amount of lawmen here we won’t even make it out of this area let alone the city!” hissed Tessie as she glared at the other men still breathing heavy after the resent chase down the busy streets of Saint Denis.

“What were you thinking? that we’d take the trolley?!” She continued glaring at the man in front of her.

“Okay okay, I get it, but on the positive we’re over halfway done with our job.” said Eddie, placing his hand on his satchel that held the documents they’d had gotten.

Tessie looked in disbelief at the man in front of her, fighting back the urge to slap the man as hard as humanly possible. She sighed and leaned back on the brickwall behind her.

“So what’s next?” she asked.

“We need to get these documents to this one feller, then we get outta here.” explained the man, Tessie nodded “Where?"

Tessie and the others split up heading down to the dockyard where they'd hand over the documents and book it out the City.

”Tessie I want you to stay outta this-” Eddie began before he got cut off by Tessie.

”Like hell I am, Eddie”

”Let me finish, I want you to get up somewhere and cover me and the others” Eddie explained placing his hand on Tessies shoulder shaking it firmly ”I trust you.”

Biting the inside of her cheeks she nodded and parted ways with the others again. She couldn't help but feel like something was going to go terribly wrong. The place was eerily quiet, too quiet.

Taking a few deep breaths she took out a box of ammunition and began loading her bolt action rifle.

Looking through the scope she watched as Eddie and the others headed into the fenced in area close to the docks. It was messy, with boxes, barrels, wagons and what not scattered everywhere perfect for hiding in. Closely following the interaction between the man and Eddie with her finger ready on the trigger. Everything seemed to be going well maybe it was just her who was stressing to much.

In a split second the dockyard had turned into a bloodbath. Yelling and the sound of gunfire echoed all around. More lawmen began showing up from all directions surrounding the area.

Tessie saw the other men try and flee out of the bloodbath that was happening on the yard. Lawmen everywhere surrounding the area making it close to impossible for them to escape.

Following the route some of them were taking she took down some of the lawmen providing them a way to escape. She could see them made a quick wave as they booked out of there. After she could no longer see the others of her gang she realised she hadn’t seen Eddie anywhere. A panic rose up within her.

Looking for a way to get quick down to the chaos her eyes landed on a unsuspecting lawman riding in front of her. Knocking out the unsuspecting lawman she dragged him down behind a building ripping of his blue woolen uniform jacket.

Struggling to get her foot in the stirrup she cursed. She got up she spurred the horse into a gallop down the alleyways looking for Eddie. She saw him take a left as she chased after him.

She halted the horse as she saw that he was in fact cornered by her.

”Tessie what are you doing here?! I told you to stay away!” Eddie hissed as he recognised the person in front of him. He had been sure it was a lawman and that he was going to die there on the spot.

”Shut up, and get up we don't have much time before they find us” Tessie hissed in response, she noticed Eddie holding his right arm with a pained expression. Even if he tried his best to mask it she knew, but decided to not comment on it in the moment.

…..

After a long ride through the swamps Tessie and Eddie decided to pitch up their tents and rest. Luckily the wound on Eddies arm wasn’t deep and he had managed to get to stop bleeding while riding.

“Whatcha gonna do about the horse?” asked Eddie gesturing to the gelding grazing on a fresh patch of grass next to both of them. Tessie looked at the horse, short trimmed mane and tail, good build, no doubt an expensive horse.

”I don't know, kinda wanna keep him” she replied.

”Tsk, everyone one would mistake you for a lawman, honestly I thought I was done for when you came. Intimidating sight” said Eddie rubbing his chin.

”Yeah, and you should've seen me struggle to get up too” chuckled Tessie meeting Eddies intense stare he looked like he wanted to say something.

”Mhm, you know, how should I put it” he began ”Thank you, I” searching for the right words he paused again before continuing ”I’m thankful to have you by my side. And on the behalf of the others you saved their skins as well. Thank you.”

Tessie sighed, swallowing the growing lump in her throat. She looked up at Eddie, her eyes watering through her blurry vision she wrapped her arms around Eddies firm body, letting out a quiet sob. Eddie held her close rubbing circles on her shoulder with his better arm. ”Shh, it’s alright.”

”Sorry, I’m acting like this, but what happened there, I don’t know how I could live with the fact that I couldn’t help you guys outta there…” she mumbled between sobs.

Her head was throbbing and her body was shivering not from the cold but the adrenaline wearing off.

”But you did and that’s what matters”

Tessie pulled away from Eddies embrace offering a weak smile, turning her head to the still unnamed gelding ”And thank you to you too” she thanked stroking the horses neck. It lifted its head looking at her and let out low snort.

”Shrapnel, do you think that’d suit him?” She asked turning her head to face Eddie who nodded.

I think I’m making them a thing, also english is not my native tongue, it felt nice to write something again. Haven’t done that in a long time, might write more, helps me to get my thoughts in order haha

[iloveanimalsmorethanhumans]

My son gets home, and he looks out into the yard, then at me, and back out to the yard.

"Did you run out of gas?" He asks, looking again at the lawnmower abandoned halfway through a perfect line in the grass. There's a patch of grass left near the trees, and the mower sits there, abandoned.

"There was a twig in my hair" I say simply. He looks at my now damp hair, clean and curling around my face.

"Okaaaay....." he says, a smile in his voice, hiding behind his lips.

I look away from him, my lips curling unbidden into a sheepish smile

"I thought it was a grasshopper" I say, my voice smaller than usual. Trying to hide the words behind my too short hair.

"Geez" he says, the smile is out now, shining and contagious and drawing my own wider.

I shrug. "It was hot anyway, and getting dark. The lightning bugs were coming out. I figured it was time to be done."

He shakes his head and chuckles.

"Uh huh." He says.

"It was a really big twig" I say defensively. And then we are laughing and everything is ok.

I remember thinking about something while I was mowing the lawn. I was composing some piece of poetry I think. It was a little dark and sardonic I seem to remember it had to do with keeping the neighbors secrets. I keep a patch of grass wild under the trees. I leave it there for the snakes and frogs and birds. The neighbor never bothers me about it because the patch of grass is separated by a fence, and his shed, where he keeps the junk. Random things that just sit there serving no purpose, at least not yet, but that neighbor is in a development, and they have an HOA, and I don't think they would like the junk there but it's behind his shed, and my wild patch of grass gives him an excuse. So we keep each other's secrets.

I live on the other side of the fence. There's no HOA. It's not a development with big fancy houses and rules and all the lawns the same length, and everything put neatly away. Sometimes I wonder if they envy my wild lawn and messy jumble by the shed. I can work on my car in the driveway and paint my house whatever color I want and nobody screams about property values and order and no junk behind the shed, and nowhere for snakes or frogs to call home.

I like my jungle, and my peace and quiet and my ugly red shutters. I like my own rules and letting the lawn go.

I like laughing with my son about imaginary grasshoppers.

I like my little unruly life.

[theweddingofthefoxes]

prompt: Fox!Hux, Hound!Kylo, what if not only Hux is a fox but Kylo is a spoiled dog in a good home. Hux eats his food, steals his toys and sleeps in his dog house? They are both shapeshifters they just don't know that about each other

(Credit where it’s due! @epiccuppycakes was instrumental in this drabble, and @heyitsemeraldorbs for all the fox stealing dog toy cuteness!)

How long had it been since Ren had taken his human form? Far longer than he’d expected. Interacting with humans was hard when they sense you’re a human who’s a little odd, but interacting with humans as a sad, needy dog was another story entirely. A family immediately took him in (he’d strategically waited on the porch of a well-to-do home while it was raining outside, shivering miserably) and before long, he decided there was no need at all to go back to any other sort of life at all. He was spoiled rotten here, given all the treats and toys he could imagine, and a huge yard to run around in. These people are insane, he’d thought, delighted, when they installed a doghouse in the backyard with its own heated blankets, nearly the size of shed. In return, he was well-behaved, and the people he lived with marveled at him, how he never seemed to chew on the furniture or track in mud. Sometimes he forgot what it was like to be human himself.

Then the fox showed up. 

The first time, a Saturday afternoon, the couple pointed it out. “Honey, look,” the husband told his wife. “Look! A fox is out there.”

“Oh my goodness,” the wide answered, peering over her husband’s shoulder, moving slow so the fox wouldn’t get spooked. “He’s playing with the dog toys.”

Every one of Ren’s hairs stood on end as he watched too–this little fox grabbing toys out of his doghouse and tossing them in the air, scattering them all over the yard, making a huge mess. Who did this creature think he was? Ren couldn’t help but let out a low growl, deep in his throat. 

“Don’t worry, the fox is just playing, boy,” the husband said. “Calm down.”

“If he steals one, we’ll get you a new one,” the wife added, and they laughed.

But it was the principle of the thing, Ren thought, fuming. Some intruder just waltzes into the yard and it’s perfectly fine just because he’s cute? Ren draped himself across the sofa, unhappy. When they let him out later that day, he gathered up all the scattered toys and meticulously returned them, one by one, to the little basket in his doghouse. Where they belonged.

Sunday, the couple always went to visit the wife’s mother in the next state over, so Ren was left to the yard with his good organic food and warm blanket and all those toys. Ren was napping in a patch of sunshine when a crunching noise made his ears prick up.

The fox was back, and eating out of his bowl.

Ren leapt to his feet, and wasted no time chasing off the intruder, but the fox was faster and easily wriggled under the fence, where he sat patiently, almost smiling, as Ren hollered and barked like a hellhound. When he’d finally accepted that there was nothing more he could do, he trotted back to the sunny spot for another nap, still listening intently for any further infringements on his food dish. None. He settled back to sleep.

But the fox was quiet and stealthy, and returned without him knowing, this time to make himself comfortable on Ren’s heated blanket. Ren let out a warning bark and the fox merely opened one eye, regarded him with nothing more than irritation, and then went back to sleep. Ren grabbed the fox by the scruff of its neck in his jaws and tossed him out of the doghouse. The fox shivered, fluffing out his tail, then busied himself with throwing one of Ren’s tennis balls across the yard, dancing and hopping.

It was maddening. No matter what Ren did, he couldn’t keep the fox away from his stuff, his toys, from the trash, from his food, from the blanket. The couple took videos and put them on YouTube and thought it was delightful. They even left out food specially for it! 

Ren had just about given up when something frightening happened.

Two men came into the yard while he was napping, talking to each other. “No, they’re always gone on Sundays,” one of them was saying. “We’ll get a lot for the dog.”

The other one was trying to get a muzzle on Ren, who was barking furiously, showing teeth, trying to bite, but in these rich neighborhoods, the other neighbors were so far apart and the yard so secluded that there was no guarantee anyone else knew what was going on. The only hope Ren had was to change back into his human form, but the men were armed, and he was worried that in their fear and shock they might still hurt him–and what if someone else saw–?

“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The men jolted as another stranger, a red-haired man, ran out from the other side of the yard, wearing black pants and a white shirt. “That’s my dog you’re trying to take–I’ve already called the police–”

The men abandoned their attempt, fleeing. Both the red-haired man and Ren were breathing hard, frightened. The smell of him was so familiar, though, he smelled like–

Ren’s eyes went wide.

“I’m sorry,” the man who had been a fox said. “You must think I’m–very strange. A strange creature. But I couldn’t let them take you. They would have hurt you, I’m sure. I–I won’t bother you anymore.”

“Wait.”

It was the fox’s turn to jolt when Ren took his own human form. “I didn’t know you were one, too,” he told the fox. “I thought you were…” He laughed, embarassed. “A nuisance. But you saved me.”

The fox smiled. “I am a nuisance. But. You’re welcome.”

“You should at least take a reward, for saving me,” Ren said. “Any of the toys you want, or–”

The fox did not want a toy, however. He leaned in and stole a kiss instead before transforming back and bounding off a few steps, then rolling onto his back playfully. Ren touched his lips, still reeling from everything that had just happened to him, before changing back as well. He wondered when the fox would choose to return.