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cicidarkarts · 1 year

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Hospice - 1: Death Bets

8-year-old Ominis Gaunt takes up residence in a Hospice Center with his terminally ill and abusive mother. Wanting to escape his impoverished life, he joins in on morbid Death Bets with other residents using his mind-reading abilities.

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Ominis Gaunt wasn't sure if he believed in things like karma or an eye for an eye. That said, it was hard to deny the cosmic judgment banging its gavel down upon his mother and her terminal illness. Perhaps, he thought, if she had been the mother she should've been all along—his best friend, his comfort, his self-esteem, and most of all his parent—she would still have many years of life left. Though blind, even Ominis could see that his mother had very little time left. No longer were her hurtful words as sharp, nor were steps as light and decisive. Her spitting rage developed into a haggard disdain, and her walk devolved into a lumbering shuffle.

He listened to that listless, bitter gait that day as the nurses showed him and his mother to her hospice room. His mother, of course, refused a wheelchair.

"I don't need that," she said, "I'm no invalid!" "Of course, Mrs. Gaunt."

The second nurse stuck close to Ominis as he used his cane to feel around the tiled floor. The nurse's presence was comforting, more so than other nurses. She smelled like flowers, and underneath that: babies with a hint of vomit, so he assumed she was a pediatric nurse. It was no wonder then that she would've been assigned to him as a scared little kid. Even at 8 years old, Ominis knew he was simply a child way in over his head. So he kept his wits about him as much as he could and listened to the nurse tell him where things were as they passed.

"That down there is the 3rd floor mess hall where you can go for free meals," she said. "And the bathroom is coming up on our right."

Ominis stayed quiet. Whenever he’d tried to open his mouth, he often heard his mother's voice at the back of his head. 'Shut up, boy', she'd say. So closed his mouth would stay.

"You better thank the nurse, boy," demanded his mother. "Show some respect."

Of course, Ominis knew the possibility of that reaction as well. His mother constantly gave him conflicting rules, so he always followed the most recent one.

"Yes, Mum," he said. He turned a bit to the nurse beside him. "Thank you, ma'am." "Sure thing, sweetie."

Finally, they came upon his mother's room. The moment they entered, his mother wanted this and that changed. The bed was too far in the corner, the sun was too bright in the windows—

"And someone needs to replace the towels in the bathroom. I'm allergic to polyester!"

She wasn't.

"Of course, Mrs. Gaunt, we'll get you cotton right away," said the far too tolerant nurse. She smelled of plastic IV bags, isopropyl alcohol, and saline. She must’ve been an efficient and experienced nurse, otherwise she'd never be able to handle his mother.

As the nurses helped get the room settled, Ominis took his opportunity to leave and explore. Farther down the hall, he heard people chatting. A cart rolled toward him so he kept to the side to avoid it.

"Hello, honey," greeted a nurse. "Hello, ma'am."

He felt about with his stick once she passed, curious of the noise. The closer he got, the more he smelled food, drink, IVs, and body odor. The voices cleared up. Men, older—maybe in their 50s or 60s—chatted with one another about a rather morbid topic.

"All right, place your bets, boys! Who's the lucky sumbitch that's gonna die next?" Another laughed. "This again? You think just cuz you won last time you're psychic or some shit?" "'Course Phil does, the man is senile!"

Laughter roared from the men. Ominis knew he was in the right room as he saw the lights grow brighter in his blind eyes—the only thing he could see—and the smells and sounds had landed right on top of him.

"Eh? Who's the blind kid?" "Ominis, sir." "‘Sir’, he says!"

They laughed at him. He didn't mind it. Ominis preferred to be polite and then mocked, than to be rude at all.

"What're you doing here, boy? This place is for grown-ups." "Richard," called one of the nurses. "Be nice. His mother is here." "Your mom, eh?" asked Richard. "Sorry to hear that, son." "Yeah," Phil agreed. "Why don't you pull up a chair? Join the party of people bored to tears. Ain't nuttin’ else to do around here." "Thank you," said Ominis.

The group continued chatting about their "death bets".

"I bet 20 bucks ol' Batty Betty is next." "Oh yeah?" Richard said. "Bet you it's Henry. He's an old coot what can barely get out of bed anymore. 25 on him."

Ominis knew no one's names, nor anything about their situations. But he knew how to turn the tables so the game would go in his favor.

At first, he rejected the idea. The morbid game was of no interest to him. Certainly, betting on people's deaths was an awful thing, he thought. Almost as awful as his poverty-stricken life. What money they had was spent on this hospice care. Once his mother died, he would be forced to live with his equally horrible and impoverished father.

He longed for something better. Oddly, he longed for his mother to have more comfort before death. Watching her waste away, even after all her vitriolic words, sent a shock through his heart and made sick settle on his stomach.

While Ominis didn't think he had much going for him, what he did have was the strange ability to read minds. The idea of searching through someone's thoughts without permission made his skin crawl. How utterly violating. And the minds of nurses or doctors, no less; people who don't share their grim thoughts with any patients—and not their children, either. Thoughts that Ominis felt sure would be full of macabre knowledge. But the bets were coming to a close, and he had to act now or never.

He heard the nurse from before sniffle and looked toward the sound. The impossible to define sense kicked in effortlessly, like flicking a switch.

'Those stupid bets,' the nurse thought, these words at the very top of her consciousness, 'they're just awful.' He dug a little deeper. 'Stephen is doing better—Henry still has another month or so, I'm sure, his heart disease is—Jerald is the real contender. He almost coded yesterday and his lips were turning blue. I'll be amazed if he makes it to the end of the week.'

"5 bucks on Jerald," Ominis said.

The room went silent. The air was so thick that it hitched Ominis' breath. But then the men burst out into rancorous cackles.

"I like ya, kid!" "Boy's got hutzpah!"

One of the men patted his back. Ominis simply smiled. In a way, he hoped he was wrong so he'd never want to play this game again.

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(This idea came to me in a dream. Probably going to be an extremely short fic, maybe 5 parts. Set in the Muggle world. Don't ask me why they're in America, idk, my dreaming brain said so :) Barely editing this, fuck you)

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willsimpforanyone · 3 years

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hello i saw that ur request are open so I’m here, good luck with the move in to uni as well! A magic!nurse!reader x yelena where Lena comes in and is bleeding still new to the team and goes to patch herself up until Reader drags Yelena to sit down and patches her up, kissing the spot where she was hurt and smiling at Yelena while Lena looks back in amazement and shock cause fuck she realizes she has feelings for Reader now LOL

tysm, i successfully moved into my house so we're doing okay lol

slight tw; mention of bullets and some detail about a wound, needle mention

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My doors burst open and three people stumbled in.

"She got shot in the side, she's lost maybe a pint of blood." Nat hoisted Yelena onto the stretcher stood by the side of the room, Wanda helping her.

I jumped up from my chair, grabbing some gauze and alcohol and pushing the other two away from Yelena. "Nat, grab the IV from over there. Wanda, I really need you to stop hovering slightly and go get the girl some water and a snack."

Wanda shot out the room and Nat grabbed the IV. I unzipped Yelena's jumpsuit thing, pulling it around her waist and leaving her in her undershirt. A bloom of blood stained the white of her clothes.

"Hey, 'Lena, we're gonna pull up the shirt and I'm gonna have to touch it, alright?"

I got a restrained whimper and gritting teeth, and I took it as a sign to continue. "Okay, I don't know you well enough to know the least amount of pain I can cause, so this is gonna be a bitch."

I placed my hand on her bullet wound, feeling the metal lodged in her torso. "Nat, hold her hand."

"No, I'm fi-"

"Yelena shut up, hold Nat's hand."

They held each other's hands.

The bullet shifted, my hand glowing green slightly as I dislodged it and yanked it out. I recieved a scream for my troubles. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry but I didn't want to prolong it and some people have an allergic reaction to the numbing."

I dropped the bullet onto the metal tray by my side, and returned my hand to her wound. "Keeping holding onto Nat."

The tissue knitted itself together under my touch. It wasn't perfect, but since Yelena had only been on the team a short while I hadn't got the chance to analyse her properly. I did the best I could without knowing her muscles.

It only took a few minutes until I allowed Yelena to let go of Nat's hand, and Wanda returned with water and some soup she'd made - bless the girl, she cooked when she was stressed. I banished both Wanda and Nat from the room so I could bandage her up, gauze pressed against the almost closed wound.

Without thinking, I pressed my fingers to my lips and tapped them on the bandages.

"Uh, doc? What was that?" Yelena's puzzled voice made me freeze. I just kissed it better. I kissed her bullet wound, her bullet wound, better. Slightly pointless, since I literally knotted her insides back together.

"Um, it, well it was, it was a kiss. Didn't your mom ever kiss your injuries better?"

She shrugged. "No."

Of course not, she didn't know her real mom, stupid question.

"Well, it's supposed to make you stop hurting."

"...okay." Yelena leant back on the bed, exhausted and pale, but with a strange wonder in her eyes. "Hey, thanks doc."

"You're welcome, but we're not done yet." I gently grasped her arm, turned it upwards and popped in the needle for the IV. She inhaled sharply through her teeth. "What, big strong ex-assassin can't take a needle without a fuss?" I teased.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly. "I may be strong but those things can kill you."

I winked. "Only if I wanted to, hun."

I connected a blood bag to the drip and situated it next to her. "Now, don't move until I say you can, otherwise you'll tear the drip out and lose the blood that you need."

"Okay doc, I'll stay." She lay there, panting slightly. Although I had to clean up the aftermath of three people barging in, I couldn't help feeling Yelena's gaze on me the whole time.

"Hey, doc?"

I cleared my throat. "Yeah?"

"If I got an injury somewhere else, would you kiss it better?"

I coughed and felt blood rushing to my cheeks. "Uh, if you wanted me to, then... I don't see why not?" The fact that I thought she was unbelievably cute had nothing to do with the fact that my heart rate had accelerated to 100bpm.

"So, theoretically..." I heard Yelena shifting to sit up, and I hurried over to her to make sure she didn't dislodge her IV. She paused her sentence to allow me to double-check everything, eyes never leaving my face. "...if I were to say I got punched in the face, right on my cheek, you'd kiss it better?"

My eyes finally met hers, and I saw the most adorable blush on the tough spy's cheeks.

Well, I wasn't going to tell her no, was I?

"...yes, 'Lena, I would kiss your cheek better."

Yelena didn't say anything more, she just pouted and poked at her cheek. The message was hardly subtle. I leant over and pressed my lips carefully to her skin.

Pulling back, I was met with a huge smile and slightly dopey eyes. I laughed. "Okay, you're very sweet, but seriously lie back down," I pushed her shoulders to get her to lay back on the bed again. "Your blood needs to move around your body, not stay in your face."

Obediently, she lay down and stared at the ceiling. The smile remained on her face. "Hey, doc?"

"You can use my name, you know."

"Doc, theoretically..."

I rolled my eyes but grinned. "Another hypothetical?"

"Shush!" She waved vaguely at me. "If I were to ask you out, what would you say?"

She... she wanted to ask me out?

"Hypothetically, I would say yes."

Her smile grew bigger. "Good to know, doc. Good to know."

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i'm sorry it's not exactly what you requested but i hope you enjoyed it!

thank you so much for requesting!

#yelena #yelena belove #yelena imagine #yelena belova imagine #yelena x reader #yelena fluff #avengers #marvel #black widow

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mcheang · 4 years

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Reflection

I am going to watch Mulan today!

Look at me

You may think you see

Who I really am

But you'll never know me

Everyone sees what they want to see. Marinette knows that better than everyone else around her. People see her and think great daughter, model class president, flawless hero, bully victim.

Every day

It's as if I play a part

Marinette hadn’t realized she was acting until she felt the weight on her shoulders for real. But it was true. Everyday, she swallowed down her protests and became the person everyone wanted to see.

Now I see

If I wear a mask

I can fool the world

But I cannot fool my heart

Who was she kidding? She hated being Caline’s model student! The class representative who had to tolerate Chloé and Lila, or face injustice.

She even had to forgive Chloé and Lila and hide her distaste of them as Ladybug, upholding the hero’s virtuous reputation. Inside, her heart was protesting how she still had to be perfect even while wearing a mask.

Who is that girl I see

Staring straight back at me?

Seriously. On the outside, Marinette looks the same. But she knows one thing. That is not the real her.

When will my reflection show

Who I am inside?

Who is she? A girl with fire kept hidden in her heart, because no one else will accept it.

I am now

In a world where I

Have to hide my heart

And what I believe in

Alya won’t believe her about Lila. Adrien and Ms Bustier are all for the high road. And she can’t risk exposing secret identities to Chat.

But somehow

I will show the world

What's inside my heart

Enough is enough. Marinette had to express herself or she would go mad.

And be loved for who I am

If her friends couldn’t accept her for who she really is, then they aren’t her friends after all. She needs friends with whom she can be herself. And at least her parents will always be on her side.

Must I pretend that I'm

Someone else for all time?

Hell no. Being a hero was a necessity, but she would be damned if she continued a charade for her civilian self.

When will my reflection show

Who I am inside?

Right now

There's a heart that must be

Free to fly

That burns with a need to know

The reason why

Why must we all conceal

What we think, how we feel?

Like suppressing feelings will stop akumas from coming. Like feigning forgiveness actually helps Chloé mature. And please, Lila’s influence has only grown from Marinette’s silence, and she’s using it to make Marinette look bad.

Must there be a secret me

I'm forced to hide?

Ok, Ladybug is fine.

I won't pretend that I'm

Someone else for all time

The masks have to come off at some time.

When will my reflection show

Who I am inside?

Marinette let her hair down. It was a small change, but it was a symbol that she was finally taking no more shit.

That day at school, Marinette calmly told Adrien she was exposing Lila with or without his approval. Surprisingly, Adrien didn’t protest. But he did ask how she would do it.

Marinette went to Alya and said she had evidence that Lila was a liar. She called Jagged right then and there and asked for confirmation about Lila’s claims.

Jagged: what kind of Jagged fan would actually believe that garbage? Do I look like someone who would own a kitten? Even if I weren’t allergic to fur, I would have tried to get a tiger, not a tabby.

Marinette: thanks for clearing that up Jagged. Now Alya, I’ve shown my evidence. Where is yours that Lila is Ladybug’s best friend? You did ask Ladybug for verification right? Otherwise, even Mr Ramier could have that claim, given the number of times he’s treated the heroes to ice cream.

Alya paled.

Lila wailed. “Why are you being so mean?”

Marinette: because I have had enough about listening to you go on and on, making up disabilities that you never back up with an MC. And for crying out loud, Max, how can a napkin ball gouge out your eye?!

Max sank down in shame.

Ms Bustier arrived to see the commotion. “What’s going on here?”

Lila: Marinette is being mean to me!

Alya, coming out of her shock, rises to Marinette’s defense: no, she was just waking us up! You’ve never had any evidence to back your tales.

Caline: alright. Let’s try to calm things down now. Marinette, you should know better than to raise a ruckus.

Marinette: it’s better to have things settled here and now instead of letting things simmer. Like what would Mrs Rossi say if her own daughter was truant for months because you didn’t check in with her properly?

Caline: ...that’s...that’s enough, young lady! To the principal’s office.

Marinette shrugged. “Sure. I can also report on how you left all the adult duties of field trip organisations and charity fundraising to me.”

Caline paled, but Marinette was already out the door.

Marinette felt good for venting. And she certainly tore into the principal for never disciplining Chloé. What would the media make of that? She is babysitting Nadja’s daughter tomorrow night. Maybe she should bring up the fact that their principal was not at the school most of the time, but outside being The Owl. That would certainly grab the school board’s attention. Especially considering how he reconstructed the principal office without proper permission.

The principal paled at the threat and promised to see Chloé disciplined.

Marinette wasn’t going to wait. She wanted discipline now. “Is the Owl really a Chicken?”

Damocles: I...I...

Marinette left the office satisfied as Damocles agreed to summon Caline to his office. She passed her teacher with a smug smile on her face.

Everyone stayed silent in class when Marinette returned, careful about triggering another salty comment from her.

When Caline returned, she was shaky. She had been suspended for not doing her job as a teacher. Principal Damocles was all for using her as a scapegoat. Today would be her last day. And as Chloé would inevitably be a bully again in an hour or 2, the blonde would receive her first detention. She can call her father all she likes, but Marinette will be ready with a whole list of people, including Aurore, ready to bring Chloe’s bullying nature to the spotlight. Ladybug would be sure to look for a new bee hero then.

And the principal called Mrs Rossi who arrived to pick up her daughter who was now suspended and grounded.

Lila and Chloé shrieked at Marinette for interfering. But Marinette had been Ladybug for a long time now. She wasn’t going to back down.

Marinette: someone has to stand up to you, and remind you the world does not revolve around you.

And sure there was an akuma. But Marinette was prepared. Good thing her mother taught her self-defense. She knocked the akuma flat on its back, before snatching the akumatized object to give to Ladybug.

When will my reflection show

Who I am inside?

When Marinette got home, she still didn’t recognise her reflection. But she was getting there. Today had been about venting and finally setting wrongs to rights. In time, people will see that Marinette has become a lot more honest and proud and stubborn, but she is also less submissive.

Is that who she really is?

Who is the real Marinette?

Someone who feels comfortable in her own skin.

#miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #ml fic #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #salty marinette #ml salt fic #lila salt #bustier salt #chloe salt #damocles salt #post onii chan

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aestheticsuwu · 3 years

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Crush Culture AU

Today was the worst day for a guy like him . Where love is in the air and it seems he's allergic because nobody wants to take an interest in a boy that is nerdy and never seems to know when to shut up . And it didn't help his sad love life when today is spent giving chocolates , stuffed animals , and cheesy cards .

Have you guys guess what day it is ?

Ding !! Ding !! ... Valentine's Day !

He dread every second of the day as he walked down the school hallway . Every turn he was faced with hormonal teenagers kissing their S.O. He picks up his pace to head to his friends hangout . Which consisted of Sam , Miguel , Robby , Chris , Aisha ,Tory , Mitch , and Eli and himself .

It was an unusual group , Sam and Tory didn't get along but both were friends with Aisha . Miguel and Robby would bicker and clash with the whole history of love triangle with Sam but they both tried to get along .

Miguel and Robby tried not to fight that often , After all they were being raised by Mr.Lawrence Along side with Mr. Larusso .

Somehow the the dynamic worked . Pulling out his phone as he receives a message from Sam reminding him of the gift for Robby . They all had decided to give something to the blonde , Robby had a rough year . With his mom going to rehab , Sam dating Miguel , and thinking his dad loves Miguel more . He sends her quick telling her he didn't forget .

Robby was gifted cards , candy , stuffed animals , their goal was achevied when the blond had a bashful smile carrying his gifts to each class including Miguels .

....... .......... .....

It was in his 3rd period , was when he had enough . Thats why once the teacher left he started speaking his distaste.

" Its not fair , why do people like me have to suffer while the rest live high off love . I will never find love , I'm gonna be stuck all alone and watch people live a happy life . I hate this day , i hate valentines day .

Whats wrong with me , Am i ugly ,nerdy or Am i unlikable ? "

" Demetri don't say that ! You won't end up alone . " Sam had quickly came to his defense putting a halt to her love gaze with Miguel. Robby and Miguel nodding their heads agreeing with Sam.

" Easy for you to say you have Miguel , everyone in our group has a love life . I bet right now Eli's with Moon trying to woo her so that leaves me to nothing . "

Looking at Sam, giving him a sad smile and Miguel giving him a sympathy smile as well.

He went back to sulking until a candy bar was in his eyesight .

" Here , Happy Valentine's " Robby says with a smile . Probably from the big pile of Cards and Candy that he had received .

" Great a pity gift "

" Its not a pity gift , it's mine now it's yours . Hey ! if you want I can kiss you to make you feel better . Or ...." Robby turns to Sam and Miguel with a mischievous look in his eyes . All three of them get up hug him and shouting , embarrasing him as other students start watching .

" Omg , no stop please , I take it back . I surrender !! "

" We love you Demetri ! " " Your the best ! "

" We wouldn't trade you for anything in the world ! " " We Love you !! "

...... ....... ...... ....... ....

Lunch was almost over and he was still ranting his hate about Valentine's and he didn't feel bad he was ruining the mood of everyone with their girlfriends and boyfriends. They had someone , and once he realised Eli was no where to be seen it only made him feel worse . It sucked having feelings for your best friend.

Vibration coming from his phone interuppted his train of thought and speech . A message from Eli ,

Meet me at the computer lab . Asap !!!!!

Arriving , Eli isn't in the room . Maybe the text wasn't for him . Right as he's about to leave he spots a teddy bear as the size of the computers . It hold a heart that said Will You Be Mine .

" So Will You Be Mine " Jumping from hearing Eli , he turns around to face him . He had a raised eyebrow with a smirk waiting for his answer .

" haha , is this for moon ? , let me just say it's cute . she'll probably be happy . "

Looking confused at Demetri, he thought his feeling was pretty clear for the latter . He took the teasing up a notch , he even told him last week , " he would hit that" when Dem was going on and on that was going to die a virgin . He loved the blush that appeared on the pale skin . Damn he was simping , If Sensei Lawrence was allowed to simp for Mr . Larusso, he can too .

" -ou , it's only fair . Guess I am the only one . And I mean who wouldn't want to date moon . She's perfect and pretty , I hope everything turns out well . You and Moon will make a great couple , I guess . I mean I wouldn't kno- "

Guess He had to Strike First, so that's what Hawk did , he pinned his friend and kissed those lips so he can shut up .

" I like you Dem, Only you and i really hope you feel the same because I have bunch of other cliche gifts for you today . So what do you say , Will You Be Mine ? "

" If I say yes , Will you manhandle me and kiss me like that again ? Cause the answer is a Yes . "

Laughing at his best frie- well now boyfriend , He kisses Demetri.

..... .... ....

Once school finish as the group of friends wait for the two missing boys to arrive . They quickly spot Demetri and Hawk holding hands and kissing each other while holding a teddy bear that somehow had a Mohawk.

" Guess he doesn't hate Valentines Day anymore ! "

Sidenote : @bdaviss I saved and used your icons ❤ Hope you don't mind . Guys I had this in my notes for awhile , I was waiting for Valentine's to come . Also Robby must be protected at all cost , hes my smol Angry bean . Sam is Demetris sister and no one can tell me otherwise . Crush Culture because why not , music video inspo for this . Also I love Canon Gray , might do a Heather Moodboard . Mentioned Lawrusso because in this world no one can live with out karate husbands . We know Johnny be simping for those Bambi eyes , shit i am too.

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5csbin · 4 years

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HAUNTED HOUSE !

HALLOWEEN TXT EDITION!

txt x neutral reader !

WARNING !: cursing! knifes! haunted house! JYP AND 6IX9INE!

a very crack and dumb one shot i made.

“MANE IF YALL DONT SHUT THE FUCK UP!” taehyun shouted as they were walking up to the line since everyone began to nag.

"this is why i wanted to go trick or treating instead." beomgyu pouted and folded his arms as he and the rest of the group waited in line to go inside of the haunted house.

well it was more like a haunted barn, where they would all get on a hayride and be driven throughout the barn and be spooked supposedly. "trick or treating?? how old are you again?" kai mocked him,

"no offense but i'm starting to think you were right when you said beomgyu was still mentally 9 years old because.. this is starting to get worrying. what 19 year old is trying go trick or treating?" yeonjun added in agreement, while taehyun shot him a dirty look for throwing shade at his best friend.

beomgyu’s first instinct was to scoot closer to (y/n), but he then fired off a clapback of his own. "the only thing that's worrying is that wig you're wearing, who the fuck are you even supposed to be? lord farquad on crack?" gyu fired back at yeonjun, who was now touching the short black bob on top of his head.

soobin couldn't help but laugh, even though it was his own boyfr- bestfriend getting flamed and soon, everybody else in the group let out laughter at gyu’s clapback. even taehyun, who couldn't stand beomgyu, was practically crying laughing at what was said.

"actually, i'm supposed to be dora," yeonjun replied, gesturing to his pink t shirt and bright orange jeans. "and soobin is.. well diego." he pulled soobin closer to him after saying that and kissed his forehead, before ruffling his blueberry curls a little.

"wait.. ain't dora and diego supposed to be cousins?" taehyun asked, his mouth curling in disgust, "i don't think that's positive..." kai added.

“cousin lovers.” (y/n) said making yeonjun smack their arm.

it was a wonder how they didn't annoy the others waiting in line for their ride, since they would fight every second. meanwhile as the group turn drew closer and closer, beomgyu found himself regretting agreeing to come here.

it was weird.. he loved horror movies, but he despised haunted houses because even though both were fake events, being in a haunted house was just so up close and personal you know?

if it wasn't for it being (y/n)'s birthday (lets just pretend ur birthday was on halloween.) beomgyu wouldn't have came, and he would have probably just stayed at home and took pictures of his costume for instagram before going over to hyunjin’s to watch scary movies.

(y/n) noticed that beomgyu looked uncomfortable amongst all of the roasts and jokes flying amongst the group and they decided to ask what was wrong.

"gyu, why do you look so sad? being sad is my job," (y/n) asked as the group continued to move up in the line. "i'm not sad," beomgyu answered. "i'm just nervous, i don't like haunted houses.. i had a really bad panic attack the last time i went to one, and i don't wanna have one and ruin your birthday or anything.. i probably should have just stayed my ass home."

"nah, you not going to ruin my birthday, you're my friend and i care about you... it won't be that scary, it's literally a haunted barn. you know what barns have? cows and chickens. now who's scared of cows and chickens? nobody. except blades of grass."

the little pep talk made gyu feel slightly calmer. "thanks," he replied, fumbling with the thick leather choker around his neck. "your costume is really cute by the way. i like the face paint."

"thanks, it was kai’s idea actually," they responded with a chipper edge to their voice. (y/n)' costume consisted of a sweatshirt and sweatpants with a skeleton printed on the front, and his face was made up to look like a skull.

after beomgyu was calm, he found himself overhearing a conversation between hueningkai, taehyun, and his knives.

"no tae, you can't bring your knives in here with you," hyuka shook his head as taehyun kept asking if he could run back to the car real quick and grab his knives "cmon kai, just in case a demon wanna try some shit"

"well.. can i get my ouija board?" tyun asked, his lips twisting into a devious smile. "i just wanna talk to the demons, it's halloween, and if it's any day i should be allowed to do this, it's today."

"ain't there no demons.. this is a barn. you wanna talk to demonic horses and shit?" yeonjun pokes in the conversation and raised an eyebrow.

"yes? of course i do, the fuck do you think i am?" taehyun whined, pointing to the devil horns on top of his head as the group finally made it to the front of the line and were waiting for the tractor to come back so that they could get on the hayride.

finally, after they all stood around and handed in their tickets to the clerk in front of the line, their tractor was ready, pulling along the hay covered cart as it came to a stop in front of the barn entrance, waiting for the group to board it.

"wait, hay? y'all ain't say there was going to be hay..." soobin complained, his skin already itching just by looking at all that hay. "y'all do know i'm allergic to hay right?"

"bitchhh, we been said it was a hayride involved," hueningkai snapped, "what you done caught the (y/n) disease where you forget everything every minutes or what?"

"aye i don't forget everything, i just be high," (y/n) cut in as they handed in their tickets to the clerk. "and i'm allergic to hay!" soobin cried out, scratching his forearm.

soobin actually is allergic to hay, but it wasn't something severe, he just got irritated by it and it caused his skin to rash up, not like his skin didn't already look as if it was full of rashes.

(that not true btw)

"oh well," hueningkai replied in a deadpan tone, shrugging. "guess you'll just die then."

after they've all handed in their tickets, everyone began to board the hay filled cart, with everyone obviously choosing to be closest to their besties.

when they got onto the cart. soobin was snuggled up to yeonjun, playing with his diego the explore backpack trying to ignore the itchy feeling the hay gave him.taehyun was resting his head on (y/n)’s shoulder, whining about his knifes, beomgyu was clinging onto kai for dear life, because he was still scared after all.

"i better not hear none of y'all screaming like no pussies after we get in here," yeonjun started after the tractor began to start up and drive them into the dark, cool barn. "how y'all gon be scared of demons when i'm taehyun a whole demon. y'all scared of him now?"

"actually, yes, i'm scared of him just a little bit," beomgyu answered, his tone groggy.

"considering he tried to kill me on multiple occasions and almost succeeded, yes yeonjun, i'm scared of taehyun and he make me fear for my life." soobin added on, slightly flinching at just saying the word taehyun.

"that was before i became positive," taehyun suddenly flashed soobin and beomgyu a toothy smile, "just like i'm positive that none of these demons or zombies or whatever the fuck is in this barn is gon' do shit to us."

"tae if you don't shut your ass up, there’s no demons in here, nor is there any zombies, they are paid actors. you wish you was in a horror movie so bad," hueningkai cut in, once again ruining tyun’s fun.

as of right now, nothing scary was going on. just the typical music playing throughout the barn, random screams, and plastic skeletons appearing out of nowhere. shit that made little kids be scared of, but anyone else wouldn't be phased. not even beomgyu was phased by what was going on, and he was the main one who was scared to come along.

but then.. things started to get more spooky. the people who were sitting on the edge would start to get grabbed and poked without warning, and people would come up on side of the cart out of nowhere and scream or otherwise bring attention to themselves, which would catch them off guard obviously, but shit like that was to be expected at a haunted house.. or in this case a haunted barn.

but soon though, things began to get downright creepy.

as they were sitting in the cart, slightly startled and caught off guard by the jumpscares, but not too shaken up, not even beomgyu was that scared, as he made sure to sit in the middle of the cart to avoid being randomly grabbed or touched by these strangers in costume, and it was just amusing to people like taehyun or (y/n), they weren't prepared for what started to happen next.

soon the music that sounded as if it was from a demonic nursery cut out mid note, and it was replaced by an old, gravely sounding voice that began to sing happy birthday very terribly and off key.

and they thought this was creepy, considering it was gus' birthday, but they considered it was a coincidence. "damn (n/n), they singing happy birthday to you, that's wild," yeonjun noticed, laughing at the 'coincidence'.

"see, i told y'all they’re really a skeleton, how else would they know that we're here for their birthday, hmm?" beomgyu added matter of factly causing the others to let out laughter.

so even though it was somewhat unsettling, it didn't become horrifying until the voice replaced "happy birthday to you," with "happy birthday (y/n)."

the place then became a chorus of "did yall hear that shit?" and "yeo what the fuck?!" after they noticed that, with (y/n) in particular being especially shook that there seemed to be a demon singing specifically to them, and their eyes went wide as the voice continued to serenade them, albeit poorly.

"see, this ain't it no more." soobin announced and hueningkai nodded in agreement. "h-how do they know it's (n/n)' birthday? much less who (y/n) is?" beomgyu asked as he held onto (y/n) even tighter than he was before. "i'm scared now."

"that's what we all want to know," yeonjun answered before reaching up to adjust his wig, before feeling nothing but his real hair tied back. he knew his wig didn't fall off or get snatched off, he had it secured with bobby pins, because it was one of his mother's wigs and he didn't want to lose it, but it had just completely disappeared.

"uh...my wig is gone," yeonjun announced and soobin just nodded. "same."

"no i mean it's for real gone... my dora or lord farquaad or whatever the fuck wig i was wearing earlier just.. disappeared into thin air." yeonjun continued to explain as he continued to search the surrounding area for it, just in case it fell out of his head but it was actually gone.

"see, i told y'all asses there were demons in here, but y'all didn’t wanna listen now y'all getting your shit taken, and demons are singing happy birthday to (y/n) and shit, and now y'all shocked," taehyun added with a huff.

"tyun, ain't no demons in here. if there were demons in here, they would do a lot worse than steal hats and wigs and sing happy birthday, believe that. they'd be torturing us psychologically, and- wait, where the fuck is my sheep hat?" hueningkai touched the top of his head, where his costume top was missing from, and now he was heated.

"yeah, we gotta get outta here."

more shit like that continued to happen with the voice continuing to reference them by name, and reference stuff that only people that know them would know, like soobin almost running someone over once, or yeonjun’s furry suit,and then, near the end of the ride, it all came together in the worst possible way.

a single echoing voice with a thick new york accent screaming "SCUUUUM GANGGGG!" followed by a laugh in the distance that sounded a lot like jyp’s laugh.

and in that moment, all of them literally hopped off of the cart and ran towards the exit.

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emachinescat · 3 years

Text

Mac + Cheese

A MacGyver Fan-Fiction

by @emachinescat

@febuwhump day 25 / alt. 8 - allergies

Summary: Mac struggles to readjust to civilian life after the army, so Jack surprises him with a furry friend to help him out. Unfortunately, Mac's allergic to dogs.

Characters: Mac, Jack, a dog named Cheese

Words: 5,343

TW: mentions of PTSD

Note: Okay, okay, so this might be more fluff than whump, but there is an allergic reaction, so it counts, right? :) This is another late Febuwhump entry, from when I got covid and couldn't finish it on time. Also, a quick note – it is never a good idea to buy a pet as a surprise for anyone. As Jack realizes in this story, pets are a commitment, living creatures, and a person really needs to be prepared for the responsibility of having a pet before getting one. So in no way is this story encouraging you to surprise someone with a dog. It's just meant to be cute. Okay, PSA over. :) Hope you enjoy the story!

Keep reading here, or on AO3!

If you enjoy, please consider liking, commenting, and/or re-blogging, and you can follow me for more content like this! :)

Mac hadn't had a proper night's sleep in over four weeks. He'd tell you otherwise if you asked, of course, but the evidence was overwhelming. Every day, MacGyver's face grew paler, the darkness under his eyes deepened, and the look in his eyes became more distant. Jack had seen this happen to many soldiers – hell, it had happened to him. This tour hadn't been as bad as some of the previous ones Jack had experienced, but in the past …

Well, suffice it to say that Jack Dalton knew a thing or two about PTSD.

And as ugly of a look as it had been on him, as it was on anyone else, nothing had prepared him for how much it would hurt to see it on his little burger buddy. Shoot, when Jack had signed up for another tour to keep an eye on the kid, it was to keep him safe in the Sandbox, but now that he was home, Jack felt like Mac was in just as much danger of losing himself here as he had been of losing his life in Afghanistan. That was part of the reason Jack had found a place in L.A. instead of going straight back home to Texas. That, and a potential job for the two of them he was investigating at the DXS, but ultimately, it wouldn't have mattered where the jobs were. Jack had already decided to locate himself wherever Mac was.

Jack had tried to help the best that he could. He'd been on call all hours of the night, had had Mac over at his place when the nightmares got too bad, had crashed at Mac's place whenever his roommate was out of town and Mac couldn't be alone. He'd tried to get Mac to talk many times, but one thing he'd learned about the kid was that although he could go on and on for hours about geek squad science stuff, he was a master at talking a lot without actually saying anything important. And he didn't talk about himself at all.

Jack knew there was a lot to unpack. Hell, Mac's C.O. had been killed in front of him. The kid had screamed awake from many a nightmare about that one. He'd nearly been killed multiple times, been under fire, disarmed over a hundred IEDs in a single day, had been through hell right alongside Jack in the Sandbox, and Jack sometimes had to remind himself that the kid was still, well, a kid. Fresh out of school, hadn't even finished college before joining the army. He'd seen more violence and bloodshed than most people twice his age. His skill set put him right there in the middle of the death and danger, a twenty-year-old bomb nerd with a glowing neon target on his back.

And now he was back home, and everything was different. Jack knew this because he had been here too, once, not because Mac talked about it. He understood exactly what his friend was going through – he was home, but home wasn't the same. He smiled when he spoke to his friends, his roommate, even Jack, sometimes, but the smile was hollow and so were his eyes. The nightmares followed him wherever he went and he couldn't adjust, and he kept all the turmoil to himself, not wanting to be a bother, not thinking he deserved sympathy or whatever help his friends wanted to give him.

Finally, Jack reached the point where he had no idea what to do. What had ultimately pulled him out of his own personal hell after the worst tour of his career had been a very good friend, but no one, not Jack, not Bozer, not Mac's childhood friend Penny, seemed able to penetrate the layers of protection that Mac had built up around himself.

Maybe, he thought, as he stared pensively at the computer screen, Mac needed a friend who didn't try to get him to talk at all, one who would just be there for him and listen and drool all over his hand and take dumps in his backyard. Maybe, Jack ventured, the light bulb going off in his brain at the ad for the Battle Buddy Foundation and their service dogs for vets, Mac needed a dog.

***

Bozer was out of town at some movie convention the next weekend, so Jack put his plan into motion. He hadn't had a chance to run it by Mac's oldest friend yet, but he knew that if a dog would help Mac, then Bozer wouldn't mind a new addition to the household. Bozer would just be in for a surprise when he got home.

It had taken a lot of trips to animal shelters to find just the right fit for his partner, but Jack had been determined. He'd tried the Battle Buddy Foundation, but since he wasn't looking for a service dog for himself, that had been a no-go. Plus, there were just so many hoops to jump through and qualifications to meet and interviews to be had, and Mac needed help now. So he had scoured shelters and rescues, looking for a dog of just the right size and temperament for his buddy. The next two weeks were going to be a trial basis, and if Mac and the pup clicked, Jack would seal the deal. If not, then there was already another interested party lined up for the adoption.

The dog's name was Cheese, and he was a four-year-old golden retriever mix who loved cuddles, thrived on attention and exercise, and even looked a little like Mac with his long, flowing blonde locks. Also, Jack couldn't get past how perfectly the names synced up – how could he pass up the possibility of Mac and Cheese?

***

As Jack had predicted, Mac fell in love with Cheese the moment he laid eyes on him.

"Jack!" Mac grinned, falling to one knee right in the middle of the sidewalk. "Who's this?" Jack let Cheese wag his little tail happily over to Mac and watched with rising excitement as the pooch immediately began nuzzling and licking a laughing Mac all over. He watched as Mac scratched Cheese's furry head, found the sweet spot behind the ears, and buried his hands in the fur around the dog's neck.

"This," Jack said, "is your new best friend."

Mac looked up from having his face licked off and narrowed his eyes. "What did you do to Bozer?"

Jack tried to act like he wasn't offended that Bozer had been Mac's go-to on the "best friend" front. "Nothing."

"Then are you leaving me?" Despite the joke, a bit of uncertainty had wormed its way into Mac's voice, and Jack could have kicked himself.

"No, man, I don't mean it like that! Cheese ain't replacing anybody, he's just the newest member of the family!"

A hesitant half-smile pulled at Mac's lips. "You got me a dog?" He cocked his head. Cheese mimicked him, ears flopping as his head tilted adorably to one side. "I'm sorry – did you say his name is Cheese?"

Jack nodded proudly.

Mac kept scratching Cheese behind the ears, but he stared at Jack suspiciously. "Did you name him that?"

Jack's nod turned into a vigorous shake. "No, that's what he was called at the shelter, man. It helped me pick him out for ya. It was like fate."

"Fate?" Mac looked like he really didn't want to know.

"Mac and Cheese, hoss."

"No," Mac said shortly. "Just… no."

***

Mac ended up keeping the name.

It wasn't that he liked the lame pun or anything, but Cheese had apparently been called Cheese for a long time and refused to respond to anything else. Mac wanted to call him Fibonacci, but one look into those big brown eyes that lit up when Mac said Cheese, and one glimpse of the way his tail flopped around excitedly at the sound of his name, made Mac change his mind. Cheese obviously liked being Cheese, and who was Mac to try to change him?

"Besides," Jack pointed out no less than five times on the day he introduced them, "Mac and Cheese belong together, man. Cheese without Mac is pretty good, I'll admit, but Mac without Cheese is just a noodle." He shook his head sadly, and Mac couldn't help but grin. "Just a limp noodle."

***

Cheese slept in the bed with Mac that night, curled up close beside him, warm and big and furry. Mac didn't have nightmares, mostly because he didn't sleep. He couldn't sleep. He could feel a cold coming on, and the persistent scratch in his throat kept him firmly tethered in that awful middle ground between waking and sleeping, where sleep is the most appealing thing you can imagine, but it is also the most unattainable. It would have been a thoroughly miserable night, except Cheese was wonderful company, and his soft snores, twitchy feet, and dog dreams were a balm to Mac's sleepless jitters.

Despite how much Mac loved Cheese already, he spent a large portion of the night thinking of reasons why it wasn't practical for him to have a dog. Bozer didn't know about Cheese, for one. Jack claimed that everything was fine, that Boze would be completely on board once he got home. But Mac didn't just want to spring a pet on his roommate. Having a dog was a huge responsibility, one that wouldn't affect just Mac, but anyone he lived with as well. Of course, there was the fact that Mac himself wasn't prepared to take care of a dog at all, either, even if Jack had taken it upon himself to buy half of PetSmart on his way back from the shelter. Mac felt like he could barely take care of himself half the time; what made him think that he could keep another creature alive and healthy?

Peña had died on his watch, after all. How long until his dog got hurt because of him?

It was at that thought that Mac realized he was spiraling into very dangerous thought patterns, and he only managed to drag himself away from them by distracting himself with the snuffling noises Cheese made while he slept and by feeling the soft warmth of his fur.

Maybe Jack was right – maybe a dog would do Mac some good.

Of course, there was the one problem that Mac found himself avoiding more earnestly the more attached he found himself growing to Cheese. It was perhaps the most glaring reason for not having a dog, but it was also the one Mac was determined to ignore at all costs, and yet he knew full well that he was not getting a cold as he had told himself when the symptoms first started. He recognized that tell-tale itch at the back of the throat and the heaviness of the head all too well, though he'd held out hope he'd grow out of it someday. The truth was in the sneezes, though, which started after midnight and only got more numerous and violent as the night progressed.

No, there had been a reason that Archimedes had been an outside dog. There was a reason Mac felt like he had a head cold coming on. And there was a reason that he should have told Jack no the second his friend had made it clear that Cheese was to be his dog.

Angus MacGyver was allergic to dogs.

***

Mac finally fell asleep around four in the morning, and woke up close to noon with a warm, furry head on his chest. The front of his t-shirt was soaked through – at first, he thought it was sweat, but as he gently extricated himself from underneath his new bed buddy, he quickly realized it was, in fact, drool. A great glob of it trailed from the puddle on Mac's chest up to Cheese's slightly parted mouth. Mac wrinkled his nose. "Gross," he whispered fondly, then shuffled into the bathroom to take a shower.

He felt like crap.

His nose and sinuses were packed, his head ached, his eyes stung, and when he stripped off his shirt, he noticed a red patch of welts where the drool had bled through. The second he laid eyes on the rash, the itching started, and it took every ounce of his training and willpower not to scratch. Instead, he turned the water on hot and scrubbed, but the itching didn't go away. The steam did clear his sinuses a bit, so he counted that as a win.

The click-clack of claws on tile announced that he had a visitor. Mac had left the bathroom door slightly cracked, and Cheese must have shoved his way in. Mac, in the middle of washing his hair, peeked around the shower curtain to see the dog sitting near the shower, his furry butt parked right on Mac's towel. Mac could have sworn the towel had been hanging up – Cheese must have pulled it down.

Cheese's tail started thumping against the floor as soon as Mac made his appearance, but the retriever scrambled to his feet, backed up a few panicked steps, and let out a tiny whine when he saw Mac's hair, covered in shampoo bubbles and sticking out at every angle. Mac couldn't help but chuckle at the dog's antics, but he did his best to smooth down his unfamiliar hair. "Hey, bud, it's just me, your old pal Mac!" When Cheese still looked uncertain, Mac ducked back under the water, rinsed the suds out, and poked his head back out. His hair was now soaked through and plastered to his head, but he must have looked more like himself, because Cheese skipped forward, let out a chipper bark, and turned a full circle before flopping back down onto the towel.

"You might just be the cutest dog I've ever met," Mac observed. With his stuffy nose, though, it sounded more like, You just bight be the cutest dog I'b eber met. He grimaced, coughed at a tickle building in his throat. "Too bad I can't breathe when you're around."

Mac finished his shower and trailed water across the floor on his quest to find a new towel since the last thing he needed was to rub himself down with more dog hair after Cheese had used his as a dog bed. Though he felt fairly miserable, he and his new friend passed a pleasant enough afternoon. Mac tried to make eggs and bacon. He ended up undercooking the eggs and burning the bacon. He was going to throw away the truly inedible bits, but Cheese blinked up at him with his big, sad eyes, and Mac couldn't resist. Cheese inhaled the extra crispy bacon bits that Mac sprinkled on top of his kibble, and then devoured the dog food like he'd never eaten before in his life and had no idea if he'd ever eat again. Watching Cheese eat reminded Mac semi-fondly of Jack at that cheap pizza place he'd dragged Mac to a few days after they got back home. Very messy, lots of gross chewing noises, but with so much joy and passion that Mac couldn't help but grin.

He took Cheese out to do his business, and the sight of the dog romping around in the grass almost made him forget how awful he felt. He did laugh, long and hard, when Cheese stumbled over his own front paws in a desperate bid to snap at a butterfly. The dog took the opportunity to flop over on his back and roll around heartily in the dirt. Mac stopped laughing when his chuckles turned to wheezes.

Mac had planned to tinker with his newest project in the garage to occupy his time, but after the failed breakfast, his appetite and last reserves of energy vanished, and, chest tight, skin itchy, eyes streaming, and sinuses stuffed, he flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. A rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond was on, and he didn't feel like changing the channel, so he slumped there, sick and itching and barely able to breathe, and half-watched a show he'd never really been too crazy about in the first place.

Jack came over a few hours later. He let himself in, as he had gotten in the habit of doing. He had a couple of paper grocery bags in his arms, and a huge grin on his face as he kicked the door open and crooned in a sickly-sweet baby voice, "Where's my new buddy? Where's my Cheesey Weezy?"

Cheese, who had been curled up on top of Mac's feet at the base of the couch, sprang to life at the sound of Jack's voice. He barked enthusiastically, clamored for the door, and knocked two picture frames off of the coffee table with his wildly wagging tail. Jack dropped the bags on the table – Mac heard the squeak of a dog toy from inside – and dropped to his knees. Cheese, like a pretty girl in a cheesy rom com, threw himself into Jack's open arms and, unlike most rom coms (at least that Mac had ever seen), proceeded to lick every inch of Jack's face with his sloppy, warm tongue. To his credit, Jack just squirmed and laughed at the dog's ministrations, clearly enjoying the attention. When he glanced over at Mac, though, Jack gently scooted Cheese away and got to his feet. He made his way over to Mac and looked down at him, brow furrowed.

"You look like hell."

"It's not so bad," Mac lied.

"Oh really?" Jack asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "It's 'dot' so bad, huh?"

Cheese trotted across the room with a flurry of clattering claws, and tried to jump into Mac's lap. Mac laughed, doing his best to protect himself from the clumsy paws of a dog who didn't know how big he actually was. "Down, boy! You're way too big to be a lap dog!"

Cheese didn't exactly listen, but paraded right over Mac, big paws digging painfully into his stomach and legs. The dog wedged himself in the small space between Mac and Jack, attempted to turn in a circle, realized he didn't have enough room, and then flopped down contentedly with his front half on Mac's lap and his rear end on Jack's.

"He's a heavy thing, ain't he?" Jack grinned, reaching over and giving Cheese a loving scratch between the ears. Cheese's tail went crazy with excitement. Jack chuckled and then returned his attention to Mac. "What's wrong with you, hoss? You got a cold or somethin'?"

Mac glanced down at the dog resting his head on his knee, caught a glimpse of sweet, innocent brown eyes blinking up at him, and decided against telling Jack the truth. As much as Jack adored Cheese, Mac knew that if he found out the truth, he'd insist that they find Cheese a new home. And although Mac didn't love the idea of living the rest of his life feeling like he had a constant head cold, the presence of the dog in his lap was so comforting, so warm and safe, that he didn't have the heart to give him up.

"Yeah," he fibbed. "Or something."

***

Later that afternoon, with a half-eaten box of pizza on the coffee table and Die Hard playing on the TV, Jack glanced over at his young companion, who had drifted off with Cheese snuggled up against his his side. The dog was sleeping too, the most adorable snores Jack had ever heard whistling out of the black button nose.

"A cold, huh?" Jack muttered, scooting a bit closer to his friend. Mac's response to Jack's questions earlier hadn't set right with him, but Jack hadn't pressed the issue then. Now, though, he pressed the back of his hand gently against Mac's forehead, freezing when Mac stirred, then relaxing when he stilled. No fever. Jack pulled back, then paused when he caught a glimpse of red peeking out from the collar of Mac's shirt. Frowning, Jack pulled back the collar just enough to confirm that what he was looking at was an angry rash.

"A cold, my ass," Jack groused. He was about to pull back when a peculiar sound caught his attention, something that he couldn't quite identify but that just felt wrong. He grabbed the remote, muted the movie, and listened closely. There! In the dead space between Cheese's snores, a strained, grumbling wheeze accompanied the rise and fall of MacGyver's reddened chest. "Oh, Mac," he muttered, putting two and two together. He could see the full picture now – he recognized the signs of a bad allergic reaction when he saw one. He couldn't be frustrated at Mac for lying to him, though, not when he could see, plain as day, the reason why Mac had pretended he had a cold. It lay there between them on the couch, golden fur and brown eyes and cold black nose and a tail that never quit.

"Oh, boy," Jack breathed. "What have I done?" Why the hell had he not thought to check to see if Mac had allergies before he'd gone and adopted him a damn dog? Jack vaguely remembered Mac talking about a dog he'd had as a kid, with a nerd name he couldn't remember, and supposed he'd just assumed allergies wouldn't be a problem. Clearly, he had been wrong.

"Okay, buddy," Jack said, waking Cheese up with a big kiss on the top of his head and a gentle nudge on the butt. "You're gonna have to get up now. I know, I know, you're comfy."

Once a disgruntled Cheese had clicked off to check his food bowl for the umpteenth time, Jack shook Mac awake.

It wasn't a violent awakening, like many had been since returning home, but Mac's eyes did snap open with a sense of urgency, and he stared blankly around at his surroundings like he didn't know where he was for several long moments. Then, finally, he locked eyes with Jack, took a deep, wheezing breath, and coughed. "Where's Cheese?"

Jack shot Mac a sympathetic smile. "I think he's stress eating 'cause I kicked him off the couch. Do animals do that?"

Mac shrugged miserably, seeming younger than Jack had ever seen him. The kid looked awful – his eyes were red and watery like he'd been crying, and his whole face had a concerning puffiness to it. With his raw, bright red nose, he could have been trying out for the part of Rudolph in a Christmas pageant. The rash was spreading, too; Jack could see it reaching up his neck. "Jack," he said in a resigned voice that was almost a whine.

Jack knew what was coming. "Yeah, bud?"

"I'm allergic to dogs."

Jack let out a rueful chuckle. "No kidding. Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?"

Mac blinked over at Jack with big, blue, swollen eyes. "You were so excited about the surprise. And I haven't had a pet since Archimedes, when I was a kid. Besides, back then, my allergies weren't so bad. I think they've gotten worse."

Jack sighed, ran a hand over his face, and said heavily. "You know you can't keep Cheese now, right?"

A great sadness bloomed in Mac's expression. "Jack… I love that dog."

"I know you do. And I'm so sorry, man, I shouldn't have tried to surprise you with a dog. I mean, that's a whole-ass commitment, and I didn't even ask Bozer if you had any allergies first! I was just…" He trailed off, not sure how much he wanted to say. Not sure how much Mac would want to hear. MacGyver had never been one to discuss emotions.

But Mac seemed to have caught on. He offered Jack a small smile. "You were trying to help, I know. I knew it from the moment you introduced me to Cheese." A weighted pause. "Jack, I… I know I haven't been easy to be around this past month. But I promise, I'm working on it. The nightmares are easing a little, and I–"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow your roll there, cowboy," Jack cut his friend off. "You think I got you a dog to make you easier to deal with? You're not a burden, Mac. You're just carryin' a lot of your own. But that's what I'm here for. To help." He swallowed, his mind wandering back to his own experiences after his worst tour. "I've been where you are. I know how difficult this transition is, and after everything you've seen, well, I – I guess I just thought you needed a friend to help you through it, that's all."

Mac frowned in confusion. "Jack… I already had a friend like that. You."

Jack twisted his hands together in a rare display of nervousness. "I… I just couldn't tell if I was doing enough. I felt helpless. And I read this article about therapy dogs, and you're basically a golden retriever yourself–"

A congested, startled laugh cut Jack off. "Excuse me? I'm basically a what?"

A genuine smile overtook the uncertainty on Jack's face. "Oh, you know. Blonde, big, innocent eyes. Loyal to a fault. Full of energy, easily distracted." He paused, felt a slight blush rise in his cheeks. "And a damn good companion."

Mac scratched the side of his face, deep in thought. He didn't speak for a few seconds. Then – "I… I genuinely don't know how to respond to that, Jack. I mean, you said some really great things, but you still called me a dog."

Jack grinned wolfishly. "At least I didn't call you a bitch."

Mac rolled his eyes. "Yeah, there's that."

A companionable silence, broken only by the sound of Mac's strained breaths and the messy slurp of a dog lapping up water in the background. Then Mac added uncomfortably, his long fingers fidgeting in his lap, "Thank you for always being there for me, man. And I do appreciate the gesture. I…" His eyes misted up, and this time, it wasn't from allergies. "I really, really wanted to keep Cheese."

Another pang of guilt twisted Jack's gut. He felt bad for Mac and for the dog that had already bonded with him. At least he knew that there was another interested party, that either way Cheese would go to a loving home. "I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, Mac. But if it helps, there's another interested family on the waiting list, if it didn't work out with you. They've got kids."

Mac nodded, but he still looked downcast.

"Hey, brother, before we deal with anything else, we need to get some drugs in you. You're wheezing pretty bad there."

Mac nodded, distractedly rubbing his chest. "Yeah, it's kind of hard to breathe."

Jack got up and walked to the bathroom, carefully stepping over Cheese who had fallen asleep in the middle of the hallway. He came back after rummaging through the medicine cabinet, armed with hydrocortisone, Benadryl, a glass of water, and a wet, warm cloth. Mac groaned when he saw the Benadryl. "I'm going to sleep for the rest of the evening," he complained.

"Yeah, well, you might get to breathe for the rest of the evening too," Jack shot back unsympathetically. He dropped two bright pink pills in Mac's reluctant palm and shoved the glass of water into his other hand. He made sure to watch closely to check that Mac didn't try to pull a fast one over on him, but the kid did actually swallow the Benadryl – a testament to how truly bad he felt. Then Jack instructed Mac to lie back and closed his eyes, and placed the warm cloth over his eyes and forehead. "I'm going to unbutton the top of your shirt, okay?" he warned, and Mac nodded sleepily. Jack undid the first few buttons, revealing the red, swollen rash beneath. "Geez, kid. You look like you got bit by a radioactive lobster." Mac snorted, but didn't dignify the joke with a further response. Jack gently spread the hydrocortisone cream across Mac's chest, rebuttoned the shirt, and stood back to admire his handiwork.

Mac was already asleep and snoring. Jack smiled indulgently at his friend, glad he was in for some uninterrupted, hopefully peaceful sleep. He also planned to keep a close watch on the kid over the next few hours, because if that rash or wheezing didn't get any better, Mac was going to a clinic for a steroid shot whether he wanted to or not.

Jack left Mac lying there and moved to the hallway, lowering himself to the floor next to Cheese. "Hey, bud," he said as the dog woke up, his tail already approaching the sound barrier. He gave the golden retriever a warm hug and got a few slimy kisses in return. "I'm sorry for putting you through this, you know," he said, petting the golden head in a show of comfort – for himself or the dog, he didn't know. "I was just trying to help my buddy. But I promise you, the family that you're going to is going to love you as much as Mac does." A pause, then a soft kiss on a furry head. "As much as I do." Thump, thump, thump went the tail. "Man," said Jack. "It really sucks this didn't work out. After all, who doesn't love Mac and Cheese?"

***

Mac and Jack dropped off Cheese at the shelter together the next day, Mac still sounding like he had a cold but looking more like himself overall. The family next in line to adopt the dog met them there, and the look in the little girl's eyes when she saw her new best friend was almost enough to outweigh the pain and guilt in Jack's heart.

Mac got down on one knee to say goodbye to his new buddy. Jack gave a nervous chuckle and tried to pull him up by the back of his shirt. "Mac," he hissed, "You're going to go into amphibian shock if you keep petting that dog."

"Anaphylactic," Mac corrected instantly. "And no, I'm not. I will, however, be taking more Benadryl when I get home." Then Mac proceeded to wrap his arms around Cheese's furry neck and bury his face in warm fur. Cheese wagged his tail and licked Mac's ears and neck and face when he resurfaced. Mac laughed jovially, and Jack grinned down on him, his worry fading at the joy he saw in his young friend. The laugh turned into a cough, then a sneeze, and Jack really did haul Mac up by his shirt. "Okay, hoss, that's enough." Mac pouted, but obeyed. His face was already looking like a tomato.

The little girl's mom stepped forward to take the leash, a sympathetic look in her eyes. She glanced over at her husband, a query in her gaze, and after a moment, he nodded. "Hey, listen," she said, reaching out and giving Mac a kind pat on the shoulder, "I'm really sorry you couldn't keep Cheese. But if your allergies can handle a visit every so often, maybe we can meet up in the park sometime, let you take him for a walk?"

Mac's miserable, beet-red face lit up with more than a terrible allergic reaction. His smile was infectious, and Jack found himself grinning like an idiot, too. "Yeah," Mac said. "I'd love that."

The woman smiled, then the family turned away, heading into the shelter to complete their paperwork. Jack nudged Mac in the side. "You ready for some Benadryl?"

"Actually," Mac said, and the wheeze had infected his voice. "I think a steroid shot might be in order."

Jack grimaced. "That bad, huh?"

Mac didn't answer, but the rash spoke for him.

"C'mon, ya limp noodle," Jack said, slinging his arm around Mac's shoulders and propelling his allergy-laden buddy toward the car. "Let's get you to a doctor."

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deadmomjokes · 7 years

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Hi there! I hope I'm not bothering you, but I wanted to know how to work at an animal shelter? What are the requirements? What does it entail? What is it like? What sort of jobs are there? Hope you have a nice day!

Not bothering at all!

It’s going to be different at every shelter, and it also depends on how the shelter is run. Some are run as a charity (501 c3), some are contracted NGOs (nongovernmental organizations), and some partner with city/county animal control to replace the ‘pound’ system that puts down unclaimed dogs. I work at the last kind, which I think is super great! It helps with the funding issue shelters often have, by having the county take care of things like the electric and water bills, some of the supplies, vet costs, etc. It doesn’t solve all of that, and we still love and rely on donations, but it helps us take in more animals. Plus, it keeps animals from getting put down just because nobody came to claim them. Instead, they go up for adoption! :)

I can’t speak on every point for all shelters, but I can speak for the one I work at, and so that’s how I’ll base my answers. There are a few constants in all shelters, and I’ll go over those too. This is gonna be a long post, so sorry to ramble on at ya, but I love my job and love talking about it!

Experience Necessary/ Requirements

For my interview, we went over my experience working with animals. For me, I’d volunteered with a shelter in the past, so it helped my credibility. I’ve also trained animals, and owned animals all my life. I have some minor experience in animal grooming and wound care, so that helps too. But the only official requirements for the position were: Willing to/able to clean lots of stuff (I’ve worked custodial in the past, so that helped), willing/able to lift up to 40lbs (tho I use this rarely), not afraid of animals (mainly cats and dogs, but also reptiles, birds, etc), some experience with pet animals, clean criminal check, and no allergies to pet animals.

In most shelters, those are going to be the main requirements. Some shelters may not have the criminal record thing, but due to our shelter working with the police system indirectly, and dealing with peoples’ information (to get your dog out, you have to show id), we have to have that requirement. But the necessities in a shelter environment are moderate physical strength, not fearing pet animals, not being allergic (you’d pretty much die if you are allergic), and being willing to get dirty. People with physical or mobility issues may be able to work the front desk, or work to help people coming through, but most shelter positions are very physical, as you may have to deal with dangerous animals.

Shelter positions/duties

Most of my position involves cleaning, and most shelter positions are going to be essentially cleaning jobs with animal interactions and other duties sprinkled in. Animals take a lot of cleaning when they’re kept in high numbers, and especially when kept indoors! Our cat kennels are made of stainless steel, and we have a vet-grade cleaner we use to eliminate the ammonia from the urine, and kill germs so they don’t get sick. They get their kennels cleaned every single day, and they get newspaper put in the bottom, a litter box, a blanket, a food dish, and a water dish. These also get cleaned or replaced daily.

Dogs stay in kennels with heated floors (so they don’t need a blanket; many dogs will shred blankets and/or eat them, so we just forgo the need except in cases of very small or old dogs). They are basically divided fences, giving the dog enough space to move and gently play. Our kennels have drains that run down the middle of the kennel and have covers so you can hose the poops right down the drain instead of having to go at it with a poop scooper. Some shelters use the poop scoop method, but the hose method is a lot quicker, safer, and more sanitary. There are sliding dividers in the kennels so you can put the dog on one side and hose down the empty area, then switch sides and do it again, this way the dog doesn’t chase the hose or get soaked. Dog kennels get cleaned with a disinfectant and detergent to make sure germs don’t grow or spread.

Then there’s dishes. We have to wash all food, water, and litter dishes, and it piles up fast. Then you have laundry--cat beds and cleaning rags, mostly, but also some towels or the occasional doggy bed. Sweeping, mopping, dusting, and disinfecting various surfaces are also involved. Lots and lots and lots of cleaning.

It’s not just cleaning, tho. Me and my coworkers who are also animal care attendants (that’s our official position title) feed and water all the animals when we clean the areas, and we watch for any signs of sickness. In cats, you’re looking for sneezing, coughing, nasal or eye discharge, vomiting, or drooling. In dogs it’s sneezing, coughing, runny/bloody stool, or repeated vomiting. We also give vaccines to all incoming animals (kennel cough for dogs, and a combo for cats), and our shelter is authorized for doing rabies vaccines at redemption or adoption. This is only done at a few shelters, as rabies vaccination is highly legally controlled, so it probably won’t be at many shelters. We also do pre-adoption checks on all animals getting adoption, where we check health markers to make sure they’re not visibly sick. We intake animals (do their basic paperwork, which varies by shelter, set up their kennel, feed them, take their picture, scan them for microchip, sex check them, etc). We also walk through the people looking for a lost pet. That last one will be unique to shelters like mine that replace the pound system.

There are other positions at our shelter. We have the front desk staff, who do all the paperwork, licensing, adoptions, and so on. They help with some cleaning and animal care, but that’s mostly on the animal care staff. The front desk staff deal with people mostly. They also do temperament testing on the animals to make sure they’re safe for adoption

Every shelter has their own positions and duties, but most shelters will need cleaning/feeding staff and desk staff, and that’s where most of the jobs are. Some, however, need communications/PR people, advertising people, community liasons, etc. (Our shelter combines those duties with the front desk people. We just don’t have the funding to separate the duties.) Every shelter is unique, so check descriptions carefully, and if you get an interview, ask questions!!!

What it’s like

There are great things about working in a shelter, and not so great things. The not so great things are probably obvious--lots of animals who are lost and sad and waiting for a forever home. (***VERY SAD ANIMAL THINGS CW, IF YOU DON’T WANNA READ ABOUT SAD ANIMAL THINGS SKIP TO THE NEXT “***”) It can drain you emotionally, especially when the same animals keep getting passed up for adoption and just stay there for ages. Sometimes animals don’t make it. As hard as we try to keep them all healthy, some animals get really sick while at the shelter--stress wrecks the immune system, not just in humans. Cats in particular are really vulnerable (which is why cat-cuddling volunteers are so vital!) They also refuse to eat or drink when very sick. So sometimes animals pass, and sometimes it takes a while and they start to suffer. It’s really hard to see that especially when you can’t do anything about it. Sometimes animals come in and they’re injured, and the vet can only do so much, or your funding for the month has run out and you can’t take him to the vet so you just do what you can. Sometimes people surrender their pets to you for many reasons, and it hurts to see them do it. Sometimes (for our shelter), animal control officers bring you animals that were killed, and you have to store the body for an owner to identify. Taking them back to id the body is the hardest part. Another really, really hard one is when (at our shelter) dangerous or suffering animals have to be euthanized. Not all shelters do that. Some are in areas where ‘rehab’ rescues come collect the dangerous ones and work to get them people-safe. Some just keep the animals forever, which is neither safe nor good for the animal. Our shelter is in an area without a rehab, so the dangerous ones have to be humanely euthanized. But the fact that it’s humane doesn’t make it any easier. I don’t do it, tho, so that’s good. It takes a lot of authorization, so none of us animal care staff are allowed to, and I’m glad for that. But it’s still really hard knowing.

(***SAD THINGS OVER***)

There are also great things. Seeing people find their pets is amazing! Seeing animals get adopted is the best! You also sometimes have time to cuddle kitties and walk a dog or two. And as you clean, you get to kind of play with the animals, sort of. But it’s amazing just knowing that you’re helping animals that would otherwise be living or getting hurt out on the street. It’s wonderful when you get to see an animal’s journey from coming in as a dirty, injured stray to a happy, clean, healthy animal going to a new forever home.

Note that I made that ‘not so great’ section longer than the great section. That doesn’t mean it’s more sad than not. I just want people considering shelter work to be prepared for the hard things that are involved, because they are very taxing, especially if you don’t know what you’re in for at first. You have to be prepared for awful things, or sad things will knock you down really hard.

Some other considerations: you’ll be dealing with scared, sometimes aggressive animals, so you have to be able to keep your cool. You have to follow your shelter protocols, or you or the animals might get hurt. You can’t skimp on regulations, or you risk injury or an outbreak of major disease among the animals. Shelters are a delicate balance, and one missed hand-washing could cause a whole row of cats to come down with feline distemper. You have to be willing to be meticulous.

How to land a shelter job

The first thing is knowing what shelters are in your area. Look them up, and get their contact information. Find out if they take volunteers. If they do, do it!! Volunteering with a shelter is an amazing way to get to know if it’s a good fit for you, and also to get an in with the shelter. It also looks great on a resume for if you move but still want to get into shelter business.

Don’t be afraid to ask where they would post if they ever have job openings. That’s your best way to find out if they’re hiring, or when they will be hiring. You can ask those questions! I stumbled upon my job by checking city/county job boards. Just keep an eye out.

I’m sorry that was such a long answer, it’s just something I’m super passionate about! If you have more or follow-up questions, let me know, and I’ll try to be more brief next time. :)

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13flowersandfoxes · 7 years

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I think you know what I'm gonna ask

I’m sorry this took me so long lmao

1. What is you middle name?Lynne 2. How old are you?20 3. When is your birthday?Nov 27 4. What is your zodiac sign?Sagittarius  5. What is your favorite color?Purple or green  6. What’s your lucky number?13 7. Do you have any pets?A dog and a cat 8. Where are you from?California  9. How tall are you?5'11 10. What shoe size are you?10 11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?… a lot 12. What was your last dream about?I don’t remember  13. What talents do you have?Sleeping, Netflix binges, makeup, forgetting to eat, watching friends  14. Are you psychic in any way?No. but I’ve been told I have very good intuition when it comes to people 15. Favorite song?Sea Green See Blue by jaymay or autumn falling by jaymay 16. Favorite movie?Pfft I dunno but I have a special place in my heart for ever after and kingsman  17. Who would be your ideal partner?Someone who is attentive, has good tastes, is fun to be with, and has patience for me.  18. Do you want children?Maybe. It’s something that intimidates me a lot.  19. Do you want a church wedding?Yes 20. Are you religious?Yes 21. Have you ever been to the hospital?Lmao yes 22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?Besides tickets and getting called on suicide watch shit no 23. Have you ever met any celebrities?Yeah 24. Baths or showers?Both 25. What color socks are you wearing?None 26. Have you ever been famous?Nope 27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?I’ve liked to think of it but I don’t think I could handle it lol 28. What type of music do you like?Rock and alternative primarily. I have weird tastes though lol people tend to be confused by my music in my car 29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?No 30. How many pillows do you sleep with?2 31. What position do you usually sleep in?My side 32. How big is your house?Medium? Lol 33. What do you typically have for breakfast?Nothing lol 34. Have you ever fired a gun?Yeah 35. Have you ever tried archery?Yeah 36. Favorite clean word?I dunno 37. Favorite swear word?Douche canoe or mother balls or fucking heck 38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?Who knows I was so far gone I can’t remember  39. Do you have any scars?Yeah plenty  40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?Yeah 41. Are you a good liar?Eh not really lol 42. Are you a good judge of character?I’m not sure. Sometimes I am and sometimes I’m not.  43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?A couple 44. Do you have a strong accent?If you think a typical western American accent is strong then okay. But i don’t sound southern or anything. Well some people have thought I was British randomly so I really don’t know what is with my accent  45. What is your favorite accent?Irish or Scottish can’t really go wrong.  46. What is your personality type?As far as Meyer Briggs infj. Otherwise who knows it’s just a mess of borderline  47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?Maybe like 80 dollars full price? Idk  48. Can you curl your tongue?Yeah 49. Are you an innie or an outie?No clue what this means 50. Left or right handed?Right 51. Are you scared of spiders?No but they best fuck off if they’re in my shower  52. Favorite food?I don’t know I love food. I really like burrito bowls though let’s say that.  53. Favorite foreign food?Mexican food  54. Are you a clean or messy person?Messy person converting to clean 55. Most used phrased?Lately I’ve been saying lmao a lot 56. Most used word?Fuck hahahaha 57. How long does it take for you to get ready?Depends. 5 minutes to two hours. Just depends on what I’m doing 58. Do you have much of an ego?No lol 59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?Both 60. Do you talk to yourself?Not really. To my cat yes 61. Do you sing to yourself?Yes.  62. Are you a good singer?Normally yes but I’m still partially deaf in my right ear so I feel tone deaf and I dunno anymore lol 63. Biggest Fear?Being alone/abandoned  64. Are you a gossip?No but I do appreciate knowing about drama lol 65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?Carol was pretty good. There’s a lot more though hahaha 66. Do you like long or short hair?On me long. I miss it 67. Can you name all 50 states of America?Probably  68. Favorite school subject?History  69. Extrovert or Introvert?Depends. I’m kinda in between but I lean more introvert  70. Have you ever been scuba diving?No 71. What makes you nervous?People lmao 72. Are you scared of the dark?Kinda. It’s a childhood fear I never quite got over 73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?If it’s my name then usually yes 74. Are you ticklish?…..  75. Have you ever started a rumor?Not that I can recall but nobody’s innocent  76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?Kinda yeah 77. Have you ever drank underage?No 78. Have you ever done drugs?No 79. Who was your first real crush?Dustin from kindergarten lmao 80. How many piercings do you have?Just my daiths 81. Can you roll your Rs?“Sometimes 😂 82. How fast can you type?Eh 83. How fast can you run?Eh 84. What color is your hair?Red 85. What color is your eyes?Green/hazel 86. What are you allergic to?Contacts and morphine  87. Do you keep a journal?I try to 88. What do your parents do?Engineering and retail 89. Do you like your age?I guess 90. What makes you angry?People 91. Do you like your own name?Yeah 92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?Yeah. F: Rose, Elizabeth, Billie or M: Rory, I forget what else hahaha 93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child?Girl. Not that I have anything against boys I just feel like I might have an easier time with a girl 94. What are you strengths????? 95. What are your weaknesses?Bed, Netflix, animals 96. How did you get your name?The road to Hana in Hawaii 97. Were your ancestors royalty??? 98. Do you have any scars?Yes 99. Color of your bedspread?Purple 100. Color of your room?Off white

#hana answers #asks

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