#i love the determined hen in the first photo

[hedgehog-moss]

Me this morning: Oh it's snowing! so that's why Pirlouit woke me up braying harder than usual, he finds no twigs to nibble on as he waits for breakfast

Me doing a quick head count of animals in the pasture: ... Ah. No. He was snitching

I have no explanations this time. Just, nothing. Usually when Pampe escapes I can quickly form a solid hypothesis, but all the gates are closed, I found no holes in the fence, and more importantly, no llama footprints except in front of the greenhouse where I found her ominously inspecting my baby cherry tree.

No tell-tale traces in the snow that would be evidence of jumping—it's like she materialised on the other side of the fence with the power of her mind. So I guess she can do that now.

I feel like Poldine is trying to give me a hint but I don't understand it. She can't have escaped here, Poldine! There are no holes and no traces! I even cleared this square metre of snow with my boot and there were no footprints in the mud below, either. (I don't know if Pampérigouste's new mind powers extend to predicting the weather so she can escape just before a snowfall, knowing it will cover her tracks.) (Maybe.)

Or maybe Poldine wasn't trying to help me solve the mystery, just telling her mum "hurry up, she won't give us breakfast as long as you're out." (It's true. No one gets to eat while Pampe is out, and I hope the other animals understand this and blame her for the delay.)

Pampe resents this psychological pressure and now plans to focus her llama mind powers on controlling me like a hay-carrying puppet.

[aoioozora]

Valentine

Content: Elias Walker x Daughter! Reader, good ol' daddy-daughter fluff, all wholesome Word count: 2.7k Note: People with daddy issues are gonna love this (I hope) lol. Enjoy!

Elias thought that having two boys was enough children but when Mama Walker wanted to have one more, he thought "well, why not make my wife happy?" and so they tried again.

Nine months later in the delivery room, the nurse announced gleefully that Mama Walker had given birth to a girl.

A girl!

Elias was pleasantly surprised. He thought he'd have another boy, but a girl... His mind was buzzing when the nurse brought the swaddled baby to him. He took the child in his arms, carefully holding her just like he did his two little boys who came before her. But holding her was different. It was a girl. A sweet little angel. He stared at the newborn with awe. A girl. He'd never considered what having a girl would be like. He was a guy's guy, rough and tough officer in the military. But now, he was face to face with a little girl; her tiny little face and her even tinier hands and feet, and her wail signifying life. His heart melted.

Mama Walker, in the hospital bed, wished she would have taken a photo of the sight.

He'd keep looking at his little baby girl every day from her first sight to her first steps to her first words. He doted on her like a mother hen, beaming at Mama Walker and their two sons at every milestone. Being a girl dad, he loved it more than he expected.

Watching you grow up was bittersweet. You'd cry about mean boys and girls in your class, and then worry about pimples and period stains and cramps, about your grades, about crushes that didn't like you back. It was a rollercoaster of emotions raising a little girl to become a young woman.

But the most painful thing for him to see was you sad or crying.

Valentine's day had come and both your elder brothers had left the house to go on dates with their girlfriends, leaving you at home lonely and sad. It was a huge blow to your esteem that no boy ever looked your way, and so you sat in your room, sulking and playing video games to distract yourself.

Elias had just walked out of your room after checking on you and he sighed heavily as he stepped downstairs, thinking of what he could do to cheer you up. He saw Mama Walker in the kitchen, taking care of some dishes. Pursing his lips, he called out,

"Honey, I'm going to the store for a bit. You want anything?"

Mama gave him a small list of things and he set out.

Not too long later, while you were now reading a romance novel in bed throwing yourself a pity-party, there was a knock on your door.

"Come in," you called out unenthusiastically.

"Open the door for me, will you?" came your dad's voice.

You lazily hauled yourself off your bed and opened the door. "What's up-"

Your words stopped in their tracks when you saw your dad right in front of you, suited up, his grey hair neatly combed, and holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He looked a little embarrassed, but determined.

"You wanna go on a date with me?" he asked, grinning widely.

Your jaw laxed as you stared at him. "What...?"

"It's Valentine's day," he replied, standing up straight and resisting the urge to cross his arms and shift his weight on one leg to hit the dad pose, "I want to take you out."

A smile broke your tired, sullen face. "Take me out?" you asked teasingly, poking his shoulder, "You're not talking about those training sessions where you take us out, are you?"

"No, no, not at all," he shook his head, chuckling. He was about to order you to get dressed but he cleared his throat and instead asked as he held the bouquet out to you, "So, what will it be? Do you want to go on a date with me?"

You accepted the flowers with an emphatic, "Yes!"

Elias headed downstairs to wait for you while you got dressed in your best outfit. He whispered to Mama that the plan had worked and she couldn't help but give her husband a big fat kiss for being the sweetest.

When you finally came downstairs, your mother gushed at how beautiful you looked. Elias stood up from the couch where he was seated, watching you descend; he was almost transported back to the 90s when he was dating your mother, for you looked so much like her.

"Dad?" you called, wondering why he looked so dazed.

He blinked, snapping back to reality. "Oh, sorry," he inhaled, smiling, "I was just thinking of how much you look like your mother," he explained, fondly looking at his wife, who smiled back at him. He turned back to you and stepped closer, held your face in his calloused hands and gave you a loving, fatherly kiss to your forehead, before putting his hands on your shoulders and exclaiming, "You look wonderful."

You could only smile and grin. Mama watched fondly, finding it funny how he roughhoused his sons but treated his daughter like she was gold. He had a soft spot for his boys, but an even softer spot for his girl. 

After taking a photo of both of you, Mama saw you and Elias at the door. "Have fun, both of you!" she called, smiling as she watched her husband escort their daughter to the car and open the door for her.

"See you soon, mom!" you waved. Your dad also waved at her and then drove off.

"So, where are you taking me?" you asked, grinning excitedly.

"Sit tight, darling. You'll see," he chuckled at your enthusiasm. "Consider this a date, but also consider this an example of what you should look for in a good man, do you understand?"

You nodded. He smiled at you and then turned to the road, sighing. "You're growing so fast..." he said in a tone that was bittersweet.

"Daaaad," you chide him playfully, "Come on, we're out here to have a good time, not a sad time."

He let out another chuckle. "Sorry, I just..." he looked at you again and pinched your cheek lightly, "You'll know when you're a parent yourself."

You rolled your eyes, smiling at how much he doted on you. Sitting back, you watched the lighted lamp posts fly past you and then glanced at your father, who was concentrating on the road. The brief silence was comfortable, and you felt so lucky to have a father like him. He had his shortcomings, but you knew he had your best interest in mind. And to see him go out of his way to take you out when he didn't have to just showed you how much he cared.

He soon pulled into a parking spot in front of a rather fancy looking restaurant. He stopped you from opening your door, and quickly got out of his seat to open it for you, just like a proper man should.

You smilingly got out and he held out his arm to you. You giggled as you slipped your hand into his arm. "You're going all out, aren't you?"

He nodded emphatically. "Of course. You must know how to identify a good man who will care for you," he began to lead the way to the restaurant, "And if he doesn't at least go out of his way to do little things like these, he's no good. Have some high standards."

You took mental note of his advice as he opened the door for you, gesturing you to enter first. It was wonderfully gratifying to you to experience this; you'd see him treat your mother the same way, and you longed for someone to do the same to you. Even if it was just your father for now, it made you beam as you entered.

Elias was relieved to see your change of mood. He led you to a table which he thought was the best ventilated, lighted, and had the best view of the outdoors, hoping it would make you happier. It did. You loved the window seats.

As both of you scoured through the menu, he said, "Get anything you like. Now, because I'm your dad, I'll buy you whatever you want from this menu, but remember, on an actual date with a guy who is paying for the meal, be considerate and never order the most expensive dish. Order something that would be reasonable." He paused, looking through the prices of the dishes, "Unless he's rich and insists on you getting something else." He gives you a playful wink.

You chuckled, nodding. After both of you had placed your orders, you sat back and asked, "Should the guy always pay for the meal on a date?"

He took a thoughtful sip from his glass of water. Letting out a sigh, he said, "Well, I was raised traditional, so I would say that the man should pay for the meal on a date, since he's the provider." He paused and crossed his arms pensively, "On my dates with your mother, I always paid, even if she insisted on paying sometimes. It didn't feel right to me, because I wanted to show her I could take care of her.” He then looked at you. “But times are changing. I hear that women want to pay for dates too. That should be something you decide with your future partner.”

Your meals soon came as the conversation continued over them. Your dad thoroughly enjoyed his medium-rare steak, veggies, and mashed potatoes, approvingly nodding and humming. When he saw you slowly getting through your meal, he asked, 

“Too much?”

You shook your head. 

“Another piece of advice,” he said, smiling widely, “choose a man who can finish your meal for you when you're full.”

You snorted. “Is that why mom married you?” 

He laughed. “Of course! Your mother has always been conscious about wasting food, so I reassured her by eating whatever she couldn’t eat. And besides, being in the army is a lot of work, so you need a lot of food anyway.”

After the meal and a lovely dessert, both of you headed out, arm in arm again. When he asked you where you wanted to go next, you told him that you wanted to go to the park.

“The park? Are you sure you don’t want to go to the mall and empty my wallet?” he asked teasingly as he strapped on his seatbelt.

You pouted at him and he laughed, remembering the same pout on you whenever he pulled your leg as a toddler. Nothing’s changed, he couldn’t help but think.

He drove you to the park. It was late in the evening, and there were only a few people lounging about and walking around within its confines, and so the two of you comfortably strolled around, enjoying the cool air. 

You made a beeline to the playground and situated yourself right on the swingset, looking at your dad with sparkling eyes, begging him to push you like he always did. 

“You’re a spoiled little brat, aren’t you?” he said with an affectionate scoff as he tramped on the sandy playground and stood behind you, grabbing the thick chains and pulling the swing back.

“That’s all your fault,” you answered with a cheeky smile.

He laughed. That was true. He doted on you and spoiled you rotten, all because you were the youngest and his little girl. He pushed you as hard as he could, and relished in your giggles as you swung high up in the air. 

He pushed again, smiling to himself. He was a Captain, commanded many soldiers with military strictness and nobody could move him; his word was law. But there were only two people in the world who had him all wrapped up around their little fingers: his wife and his daughter.

His mind turned him back to reality and he was still pushing you on the swing, and you were having the time of your life. He soon decided to ease up on the pushing, and then settled on the swing right next to yours, watching your swing lose momentum. 

“Thanks, dad,” you said with a grin, “That was fun!”

He smiled back fondly, watching you gently rocking yourself on the swing once it had slowed down completely. There was a moment of comfortable silence between both of you, until you looked up at him, taking in for a moment how weathered he looked under the harsh white lights of the park, reminding you of how long he’s lived.

“Dad?” you called.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think it’s weird that a grown girl like me still wants to play on the swings?” 

He chuckled. Grown girl. You were a teenager, still a little child to him. But he couldn’t deny that you were growing. It would only be a matter of a couple years before you became a young woman ready to tackle the world. He shifted slightly in his seat.

“I guess some people who are no fun would think it’s childish,” he answered, “But I don’t think so. I think it’s good to have and retain some childlikeness even as you grow up…”

His voice trailed off for a moment to think, and you didn’t interrupt him, sensing that he had more to say. He smiled.

“I know as a teenager, you tend to care about what other people think. But trust me, the sooner you forget to do that, the better. You’ll live life so much better that way.” 

“That feels so hard to do,” you shrugged, “It’s like… I feel so inferior because I’m not like the others… and even more so now that nobody asked me out on a date for Valentine’s day.” Your hands gripped the chains of the swing slightly, “Maybe the boys think I’m too childish, I don’t know.” 

He sighed and gently swung himself, using his feet to push against the ground. “The thing about teenagers, darling,” he began, “a lot of them care about appearing grown and mature, which is expected- they’re growing up, obviously. But what’s not obvious to them is that they’re still children. They will have some childish beliefs that they will eventually wean off.

“Remember, a real guy who truly loves you will not shame you for loving these “childish” things. Any man with real sense will understand that there’s a reason why you love the things you love, so don’t settle for less.

“And besides, I’d rather you grow up a little more before you date. I would not stand to see you dating any of these little, immature boys who would break your heart,” he huffed.

You playfully pouted. “You’re no fun, dad.”

He scoffed. “No fun because I’m looking out for you?”

Both of you shared a laugh, and you couldn’t help but feel so happy that you could safely confide in him and playfully jab at him without being judged or scolded. After a little more conversation, your dad looked at his watch. He slapped his knees and got off the swing with a grunt.

“Right then, I should take you back home before your curfew,” he said, holding out his hand to you, “Because a real man gets you back home at a reasonable hour without worrying your parents.” 

You chuckled, taking his hand. “You’re a real man.”

“That’s why your mom chose me,” he bragged, “Take notes.”

It made you giggle, thinking of how your mom would sometimes gush about her husband to you and your brothers, making the three of you roll your eyes and laugh. The years passing only made them love each other more and more, and you could not have asked for better parents than them. 

Arm in arm once again, he escorted you to the parking lot. As he got in the car after you and strapped on the seatbelt, he asked,

“How about we make this a tradition until you get yourself a boyfriend?”

You smiled widely. “Sure.” Your eyes lingered appreciatively on your father and you said, feeling a surge of affection for him, “I love you, dad.”

He beamed, a bright smile gracing his weathered face. Those words made all the effort and toil he took to raising you worth it. He ruffled your hair. 

“Love you too, kiddo.”

[tomriddleslove]

The pairing game is such a cute idea! Can you do me? I’m curious what vibes I give off lol

That’s me in my profile pic, but I have waist length black hair and brown eyes. My style is pretty basic, I’m a big lululemon girlie and I play tennis so think new style preppy (?) I was an English/political science major so I like reading and writing (obv) and also painting and drawing. :)

Anon off cause we die like men🫡

The way your pairing literally screamed at me through the screen is actually quite funny.

Pairing: Lorenzo Berkshire (ex playboy turned lover boy)

Lorenzo just gives off MAJOR popular boy energy. Like, ik we all headcannon the slytherin boy group to be popular but Lorenzo just really seals the deal.

Handsome, flirty, seems sweet but is actually lowk mean (at least in my opinion) and sporty. He’s every male lead ever.

When he first saw you, he thought he had you figured out straight away. He thought you’d be like all the other girls he dated, something to flaunt and show off. You were all that, one of the prettiest girls in hogwarts, but you didn’t let Lorenzo give you shit.

The first time he spoke to you, he sauntered over with that cocky grin and knew all he needed was a few words to charm you. What he didn’t expect was for you to give him a once over and dismiss him.

He was shocked but intrigued. No girl had ever passed up the Lorenzo Berkshire (did i mention he has a big ego?) so he was determined to make you his.

What started off as relentless pursuing turned to him falling madly in love with you. With everything you did. I wholeheartedly believe that the girl he loves is one who has a heart of gold, who is gentle (enough).

He stops being a prick the second he’s with you. His eyes soften when he sees you help a first year on the way to their lesson. His heart swells when he hears you laugh. Once a popular playboy, now a lovesick fool.

He brings flowers to your dorm every week. He always runs to your classes (he has your scheduled memorised) to carry your bag and walk you to your next class.

It’s one day, when you both have a free period and walk out onto the snowy quidditch fields, that he asks the question.

Holding your face tenderly in his hands, he kisses you as though you’re the most precious thing on earth when you agree to be his boyfriend.

There is no one prouder of you than him. I mean it when I say you have to stop him from throwing a party in the common room when you achieve the highest marks on the potions exam.

He dotes over you all the time. It’s rather funny to think the seemingly untouchable, unnaproachble Lorenzo Berkshire fusses over you like mother hen when you’re sick. He forces one of the boys to make you soup, the other to go out and grab you medication whilst he pesters madame pompfrey and checks on you every second.

The boys tease lorenzo, saying he’s now a changed man. His whore days are over, he’s become a massive softie (and will merely produce a photo of you from his wallet if any girl dares to try and talk to him.)

Super cute side note, once you doodled a silly little image of the two of you with little love hearts around the side and he keeps it on him at all times.

He has like a billion photos of you. Always snapping them when you���re not looking, and scrolling through them when he misses you.

He becomes an absolute goof with you. He seems judgy and mocking, but softens the second when he’s with you. He’s down HORRENDOUSLY

Nothing matters but you. Nothing matters when he’s with you. His favourite place on earth to be is in your arms, resting his head on your chest as you read your books. You gently card through his hair with one hand, and the soothing sound of your heartbeat lulls the lover boy to sleep.

[im-in-love-with-pizza-bites]

How to tie a tie

Chris Evans X Single-Mom!Reader

Summary: It took him a while but he won your son over.

Warnings: FLUFF maybe a little bit of angst

A/n: This took way too long to write. (Kept taking breaks from it)

You have a 14-year-old son, Henry, and have been raising him on your own since he was 7 years old and his father passed away. Since then you've met a new man and got married. You were thankful for Chris, he met Henry and immediately stepped up. The two of you met when Henry was 9. Henry has had a bit of a rocky relationship with his stepfather. He's grateful you found someone nice but he'd be perfectly fine if Chris left him be. That won't happen though, Chris was determined ever since he met your son to get him to like him. It has been difficult but it

Well, today was his first homecoming. He was dressed, and ready he just had one last thing he needed. His tie tied. You don't know how to, well you do but you're not gonna tell Henry that.

"Chris should he home any second so maybe he'll be able to teach you." You assured your son, fixing his suit.

"Do I have to ask him?" He asked making an annoyed face.

"Well you could got with it hanging down like this but that'd doesn't look too good." You shrugged. He groaned.

"Fine."

"Hey, I'm home! Did I miss Henry going to his dance!" Your husband shouted as you heard the front don't shut.

"No Chris just on time!" You responded. Unbeknownst to you and your son, Chris smiled before making his way into the bedroom.

"Looking good son." He smiled, though he knew Henry wasn't particularly fond of that nickname.

"Thank you... Uh, can you tie my tie for me?" Henry asked begrudgingly.

"Of course!" Chris smiled before helping him tie it.

———

Henry hesitantly walked out of his room, dress for one of Chris' movie premieres. Now he's 16 though he forgot how to tie his tie. His and Chris's relationship has gotten better they weren't close but they were closer. Chris was proud of himself for winning your son over, especially since you and Chris have since had a daughter, one-year-old Milly.

"Chris, could you tie my tie?" Henry asked sheepishly as he walked into yours and Chris' room where he saw Chris tying his own tie and you getting Milly dressed.

"Yeah, one second Champ." Chris smiled finishing his own tie.

"Hey, bubba." Henry cooed at his sister. You and Chris are the only people who know how much he loves his sister, none of his friends do.

"Okay look at me." Chris said. Henry turned to him. "You do-" Henry zoned out not hearing what Chris had been saying.

"And done." Chris said finishing the tie.

"Thank you!"

"Okay. I need a photo of my boys!" You smiled.

———

"Mom is everything set up?" Henry asked nervously as he walked into his younger brother's room where you were.

"Of course. Your legal name is now Henry Evans and that is what will be called when you walked down that stage. Have you told Chris yet?" You asked your oldest as you dressed his 2-year-old brother.

"Wouldn't be a surprise if I did." Henry laughed fixing his collar. "Do you think this was a good idea? Should I have told him?" He stressed.

"Hen he loves you like his own. Even with Leo and Millie your his kid okay? It makes sense you have his last name."

"But what about dad? Would he be mad I don't have his last name?"

"He'd just be happy you have a man to look up to. Now get that tie tied. We're running late." You shooed him away to finish dressing your younger kids.

"Chris?" Henry asked walking into you and your husband's bedroom. Henry had a hard time calling Chris dad around him. He felt he was his dad but he was still nervous about how he would react.

"Tie?" Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Henry said sheepishly.

"I'm not going be around forever to help you tie this you know," Chris said noticing Henry actually looking at the tie as he tied it. "And boom your ready. Look at you. All grown up and shit." He gave a saddened smile.

"Don't cry on me now old man." Henry laughed pushing him lightly.

"I wasn't crying." He scoffed. "Go help your mom with the younger kids I'm almost ready."

—

"Jacob Erickson." The announcer called, a young man walked across the stage. "Henry Evans." You began cheering as your son was walking across the stage.

"That's my son!" Chris screamed, you could hear those around you laughing. "Did you know he changed his last name?" He asked you quietly.

"Yeah."

"Wow." He chuckled down to where your son was sitting. They locked eyes.

Soon the ceremony was over and you were waiting outside for your baby. Chris had the biggest smile on his face.

"Hey... Chris. Hey mom." Henry smiled rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey, kiddo." Chris gave him a big hug. "Mr. Henry Evans." He laughed to himself mostly.

"I know that you can't adopt me because I'm an adult but now I have your last name."

"You are my son either way," Chris assured.

"I love you, dad."

Eleven years ago you never thought you'd be able to find a man who would love your son like his own. You are so glad you were wrong.

[urban-homesteading]

How to make money from a Mini Farm: a mini series

Due to the popularity of my post on how to make money from your mini farm, I’ve decided to go point by point and expand on each one

Selling eggs for eating

1) Hens only, roosters forbidden

If you selling eggs for consumption, they will be easiest to sell if they are unfertilized.  This is what the consumer market is used to, and some people are grossed out by eating what could become a chick. Though studies are unclear if eating fertilized eggs is any different than eating sterile eggs, some studies do show that there are more amino acids in fertilized eggs.  You could easily market your fertilized eggs as free roaming hens living a natural fulfilled life and sell these eggs to people who are willing to pay more for their eggs to come from happy hens.

2) Know your laws

Egg laws are different from state to state.  You’ll need to be sure to check the regulations for your particular area and comply with them.  You can see a comprehensive list of each states laws governing selling eggs on the National Egg Regulatory Officials website – NERO.

3) Keep track of how many eggs your hens produce

It’s good to have an average weekly egg count.  Knowing your average and your personal use will let you determine how many eggs you’ll have to sell each week. Traditionally, eggs are sold by the dozen or half dozen.

4) Packaging your eggs

You have a few options when it comes to packaging your eggs; but again be sure you comply with the regulations for your state.  First, you can put your eggs in containers similar to those you find in stores.  As an environmentally friendly blog, I recommend that you ask friends or family for egg cartons or post on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace requesting used, clean cartons.  You could also ask your buyers to bring their own containers and offer a discount if they do. 

5) What to call your eggs

When you are selling eggs you need to know egg terminology. Hens can be cage-free – still contained in a specific area.  Or free-range – given nearly limitless access to plants, bugs, dirt, etc.  Then you have to consider the feed offered. What about organic?  Soy free? You’ll need to decide where your eggs fit in.  Remember your hens are not free-ranging chickens just because they are not in a cage. The pricing of your eggs can vary a great deal, depending on the options you offer.

6) Pricing

In Phoenix, organic, free-range, soy-free eggs go for $7-$8 a dozen at the Farmer’s Market; and they sold out.  But you’ll need to do some market research.  Start with your local stores, farmer’s markets and then check ads on Craigslist or local Facebook groups.  Make sure you’re pricing with the market.

But remember if you’re offering a superior product you can charge more, but you’ll need to back that up with the reasoning.  People love to see where their food comes from.  Keep pictures of your hens and I encourage you to make a Facebook business page for your hens so that people can click through the photos and see that you’re not just all talk.  It helps to have a picture of their feed bag available so people can see the ingredients and quality.

7) Finding your customers

Start with those you know.  Put an offer out on your Facebook or Instagram with what you have available.  You might consider a Craigslist ad or putting up a flyer in a local community area. If you have a lot of eggs you might consider renting space at a local farmer’s market – but you will need to adjust your prices to cover your expenses.

8) Growing your business

So what do you do if selling eggs is taking off and your hens can’t keep up? Well you can limit your orders and keep a waiting list for future clients if someone decides to stop buying.  You can always consider adding girls to your flock – but weigh out the profit to expense and time for care.  Remember that although they have a reputation for being stupid, chickens are living creatures who feel happiness, fear, excitement, and sadness.  Make sure your hens are all well cared for before increasing your flock just for profit. If you are starting to get stretched thin, you can always set up hens with friends who would like eggs in payment for caring for a few chickens in their space; they get their set amount of eggs for the work and you get the rest to sell.

[evanoracronwell]

Life as he knew it

Chapter 3 - We're gonna be okay.

Buddie♥

"Baby girl, this is your new family. Everyone, meet my daughter."

Also on ao3 (3/?)

If you had asked Evan Buckley 24 hours ago if he had imagined his life would be like this, he would have laughed in your face and called you crazy.

However, here he was, marveling at how his apartment - his bachelor apartment - had become a place completely ready to receive a child.

Explaining everything to those he considered his family had been far more chaotic than Buck had imagined it would be.. Karen, Carla, and Maddie apparently knew all the curses in the dictionary, and they had no problem saying them all. Hen and Chim were silent for a few seconds - probably imagining that it was all a joke - and then joined Maddie and Karen.

Athena and Bobby acted exactly as Buck would have imagined. Surprised, and then congratulating him on the news, saving any further comments for later.

And then there was Eddie. Eddie said nothing. For a few seconds - infinite seconds, if you asked Buck - he just said nothing. And then he raised his hand in a gesture for everyone to shut up and looked at Buck, with those serene brown eyes, as if inside he was no longer furious and more agitated than a storm.

"What do you need, Buck? How can we help?"

"I need to buy everything I’ll need for my daughter. Make this place safe for a child, find a lawyer to analyze these documents and the others that I’ll be getting. Damn, I need to choose a name, because that woman wasn’t able to do even that..”

And that was how Maddie, Carla, and Karen went out shopping like three women on a mission.

"Here's my credit card, Maddie..." "How much can we spend ?!" "As much as necessary, everything my daughter will need, Maddie. Don't worry about money." "This credit card is from that account that..." "Yes” - he interrupted his sister in a low voice so that no one could hear them -” so don't worry about spending. Whatever she needs; I mean it"

Hen and Chim volunteered immediately to go shopping for everything needed to make the apartment baby-proof. And well, who’s better than two paramedics to guarantee it was done properly? 

Athena took the folder with the documents from Buck's hand, assuring him that she knew a child custody lawyer and would personally take those papers for him to review. Before Buck could even say anything, she had already walked out the door.

With that, only Eddie and Bobby remained.

Bobby, who went straight to the stove and started making something for Buck to eat, because he knew perfectly well that the men wouldn't have eaten yet and...

"You need to take care of yourself, kid, now more than ever."

And Eddie, who just put his hand on Buck's shoulder like he had when he had brought Chris after the tsunami, smiled as comfortably as possible, saying everything Buck needed to hear, without even saying a word.

"I'm here, Buck." "I have your back."

And now he was here, hours later with his apartment completely clean and safe for a baby. A crib installed next to his bed upstairs and a dresser full of baby clothes, everything needed to help with changing diapers, and a comfortable changing mat on top of the furniture. One side of his wardrobe had been completely emptied and now it contained diapers, more clothes (really, how many clothes did a baby need ?) And several other things that apparently a baby needed and that Buck hadn’t even known existed. His kitchen was like that too, cupboards full with baby cups, bottles, pacifiers, formula...

Because Buck was going to have a baby living with him in less than 24 hours. A baby... fuck.

"I still can't believe that I’m an aunt now! She is so beautiful Evan, just like you when you were a baby." Maddie sounded like she was three seconds away from bursting into tears

"Except for her hair; she has a shade of red that she got from her mother, mixed in with all that blondness."

"That woman is no mother."

"I know that, Karen. But what about my daughter? What am I going to tell her when she's old enough to ask?"

"The truth, Buck, you tell the truth. It will hurt like hell, but you need to be honest with her." Hen reached out to hold his hand for a few seconds.

"What matters now is that this little girl has you, Buck." Chimney smiled at his brother-in-law.”And she couldn't have wished for a better father."

"Damn, right. And when will the newest member of our clan join us?" Athena said in a happy and energetic tone, trying to change the mood of the conversation.

"The nurse said tomorrow; I need to prepare some documents that they need for the birth certificate."

"And a name"

"Yes, Maddie, and a name... I need to think of something."

"You’ll l find a perfect one for her, kid. I'm sure."

"Thanks, Bobby. I just... how am I going to do this? How am I going to be the father of a little girl? I have no idea what to do. I don't know how to take care of a child."

"Of course you know, Buck, you took care of Chris more times than I can count. You’re a natural. I don't know any child who doesn't gravitate towards you completely in adoration."

"This is different, Eddie; yes I am fun and great for spending a day with, playing with them and everything... but what about the rest ?!"

"Buck, dear, you’re being too hard on yourself."

"No, Athena, I'm being realistic. It's different."

"Okay, last week Chris had that stomach bug. He spent the whole night throwing up, tearful and angry. You knew I took an extra shift that night and offered to stay with him. Buck, you sat all night on the floor of his room, cleaned every time he vomited, bathed him and made him eat the soup that Pepa left for him, gave him the medicine at the right time, took care of him, and gave him all the attention and love he needed. You know exactly what to do Buck; you always knew.”

"Yes, but..."

"When Danny got that flu? You showed up at our house without us calling you. You took a plush of some cartoon that he liked at the time and a full meal for all of us because you knew we were going to be taking care of him and completely forgetting about ourselves, and then you spent hours with him watching all the cartoons he wanted just so that Karen and I could eat and get some rest. Eddie is right, Buck, if there is one person in this world who is prepared to become a father, it’s you.”

"Thanks, guys. I just... I don't know; I'm terrified."

"And it's okay to be scared, kid."

"But that's why you have us, Buckaroo, we’re here for everything you need."

"I know, Carla, which reminds me, I need to ask you if you know someone to refer me to as a nanny. Bobby got two weeks off from 118, but I'm going to need someone to look after her when I get back."

"Boy, you didn't just ask me that. Do you really think I'm going to refer someone else to you to take care of our little princess? Oh, no sir, I'll take care of that beauty myself."

"What? No, Carla, you already take care of Chris and..."

"We already talked." Eddie smiled.”Carla said that she can take care of them, no problem. And besides, Christopher is going to love helping."

"Oh, he's going to go all big brother with her."

"You bet!"

"Just take a deep breath, kid; you'll be just great, you'll see. And at the end of the day, you still have all of us ! We're all here to help you."

"Bobby is right, Evan. You’re going to be a great dad."

"Yeah...we're gonna be okay."

 Sometime later, when he was alone in his apartment, Buck ran to the bathroom to shower and get ready, looking forward to going back to the hospital and seeing his daughter again. He couldn't wait to bring her home with him the next morning. Having her in his arms again made Buck's heart grow two sizes, and if he cried with excitement when the nurse let him feed his daughter for the first time, well... who could blame him?

Leaving a hospital with his daughter in his arms was definitely not something Buck had imagined doing so soon in his life. But as he drove through the streets of Los Angeles with the adorable little girl, making all the cutest sounds while lying in the baby car seat, Buck was sure that if he could go back he would have done everything exactly the same.

Yes, he would still have gone to that bar days after removing the cast from his leg, determined not to stay home feeling sorry for himself after Ali had left. Yes, he would still have accepted Taylor Kelly's company even if he couldn't drink himself. Yes, he would still have had sex with her in the bathroom - again - in that bar.

Because all of that had taken him to this moment, driving to his apartment with his daughter in the backseat. Just the two of them, because...

"Yes, Maddie, I want to pick her up alone."

"Yes, Karen, you can wait for us here in my apartment to meet her. All of you can."

"I already chose a name, but no Eddie, I'm not going to tell you!"

So when he opened the door he found all his friends there just like the day before, with the addition of Michael, May and all of the other children. There were balloons all over the first floor and a banner hanging from the window welcoming "Baby Buckley". There was a huge cake on the counter, with an image of a stork. Everyone was waiting with a huge smile to meet his daughter.

Because Buck was not alone. He had his family there beside him to help him every step of the way.

"Oh my God, Buckaroo, she is so beautiful. That photo did not do justice to how gorgeous she is." Athena approached as soon as Buck entered the apartment.

"My niece is the most beautiful baby in the world."

Maddie stayed close to Athena so she could see her better, both with huge smiles and tears in their eyes.

"Baby girl, this is your new family. Everyone, meet my daughter." Buck smiled, raising his arm a little so that everyone could see the baby, whose eyes were wide and curious.”This is Isabella!"

Nobody in that apartment could resist falling completely in love with the new member of the 118 family. Everyone approached to see her better and praised how beautiful she was while Buck sat on the couch to be more comfortable and hold her better in his arms.

"Oh Buck, she really looks just like you."

"Look at this birthmark; so tiny!"

"She is so adorable, she makes me want to bite those cheeks."

"Oh my God, mom, are you and Bobby crying ?!"

May exclaimed so loudly that everyone turned to see Athena and Bobby, who really had tears in their eyes.

"Give me a break, May, this is our first granddaughter." Athena waved her hand in the air, returning to focus exclusively on the baby while Bobby was beside her,  nodding in agreement with his wife.

If Buck stopped breathing for a few seconds, no one seemed to notice; Athena had just called his daughter her granddaughter. His daughter. Granddaughter to Athena and Bobby. Of course, he had always seen Bobby as a father figure and consequently Athena as a mother figure, but knowing that the feeling was reciprocal really caught the fireman off guard.

The sound of crutches against the floor was enough to wake Buck out of his thoughts and make him smile as he saw Christopher approach, with Eddie beside him. Bobby and Athena smiled between them and then walked away leaving the three alone and went to the kitchen where everyone was preparing food for lunch.

"Chris has something he wanted to give to our new baby girl. Isn't that right, buddy?"

"Really, buddy? What do you have there?" Buck asked as he laid his daughter down in the baby nest bed beside him on the sofa.

"It's a gift for Isabella!"

With that beautiful smile that Chris always had, the boy handed the gift to Buck, who smiled even more as he took the package in his hands and opened it eagerly with both Eddie and Christopher’s eyes on him. Inside was the cutest little thing Buck had ever seen; it was a baby cow plush with little arms, and then in place of the body it was a shaggy, warm piece of fabric. Buck had no idea what it was, but he already loved it.

"It's a blankie or a security blanket. Chris had several of these when he was a baby, and it always made him sleep better." Eddie explained knowing that his friend didn't know what the gift was.

"This one was my favorite."

"Is this yours, buddy?"Buck asked, looking at Christopher with a puzzled expression, and when the boy nodded, stating that the plush was, in fact, his, Buck felt his eyes sting with tears. He looked at Eddie, who just smiled at his friend without saying anything.

"This is really nice of you, Chris; are you sure you want to give Bella your favorite blankie?"

"He protected me from monsters, Bucky, now he's going to protect Bella too. He was my best friend! Until you showed up."

"Oh buddy, you are my best friend too, did you know that ?! And I'm sure he will protect Bella just as he protected you."

"Do you think she'll like Moowie ?!”

“Moowie? You named him Moowie? Moowie the cow?”

“Yes, that's his name. Moowie. Do you think she'll like him?”

"Yes, I'm sure she will." He took the blankie to the baby, placing it right next to her. She looked at the plush with curiosity, then made a noise, apparently enthusiastic about the new toy.”See?! She loved her gift, buddy. I promise I will always keep it with her when she goes to sleep."

"To keep the monsters away!"

"Yes, buddy, to keep the monsters away."

Later, Christopher was sitting beside him on the sofa holding his daughter in his arms, with the biggest and most beautiful smile that Buck had ever seen on the boy's lips. Eddie was kneeling on the floor facing them, helping Chris to hold the baby while he played with Bella at the same time. All of his friends were around him, talking and laughing, like a big family.

Yes, Buck did not doubt that everything would be fine.

.

[marvelfansince08love]

“If this is your attempt at pushing me away, it won’t work” - Cordelia Goode x Reader

Word Count: 2724 

Pairing: Cordelia Goode x Reader

Prompt 30 - “If this is your attempt at pushing me away, it won’t work”

A/N: @regal-roni​ I hope you enjoy this love! Also, I’m apologising in advance because uhhh- hehe I may have made this angsty as fuck. Thanks @imnotasuperhero​ for giving me your angst approval and I’m sorry I made your heart squeeze. 

Warning: Hold onto your hearts people, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride! 

Tags; @waitingfortheendtocome​ @natasha-danvers​ @muted-stoneheart​ @saucy-sapphic​ @coconutlipss​ @witchxaf​

Also enjoy this foxxay gif that I do not own!

Prompt 30 

You met Cordelia at your coffee shop one late evening just before close. A figure dressed in black with the most blinding smile and bouncy golden locks rushing towards you. 

“Oh no! Are you closed?” She had asked, slightly out of breath. You could see the tiredness in her chocolate browns and the brush of a darker shade under her eyes indicating the lack of sleep. If you weren’t paying such close attention you probably wouldn’t have noticed due to her beautiful pearly whites; as she throws you another smile. 

“I’m afraid we are.” You confirm with some sympathy. This woman clearly needed a coffee or two. The now small frown and grimace on the strangers face makes you backtrack hating to see such an expression on a beautiful woman. She smiles her thanks and begins to turn away but before she can leave your brain caught up with itself. 

“But the pot is still brewing inside, if you would like a cup. On the house.” You rush out, not wanting this mysterious woman to leave. She turns back around and sighs in relief and whispers “Thank you, I’d love that.” before following you into the shop. One cup turned into three and before you knew it the night had gotten darker and the usual busy streets of New Orleans had grown quieter. . 

“Oh god, I’ve kept you from finishing. I’m so sorry please let me at least pay for the last cup.” She insisted, digging into her purse. You place a hand gently on top of hers pausing her search. 

“It’s okay, I much preferred the company over sleep anyway.” You reassure, with a teasing smirk. She bites her bottom lip softly as she eyed your hand.

“Okay, well at least let me pay for dinner. Tomorrow night?” She offers, copying your smirk. 

“Oh so forward, Ms.Goode. I could be in a very committed relationship for all you know.” You joke, watching her laugh loudly her hand landing on top of your own across the table. 

“Darling, if you were in a committed relationship. This spark between us wouldn’t be glowing as bright as it is in this very moment,” She states, confidently. Her fingers brushing lightly across your own making you blush at her statement, knowing how true it is. 

“So tomorrow night?” 

That was over a year ago and things had been getting better and better with each passing date and heated kiss. You had discovered during that first meeting that Cordelia runs the academy for gifted young witches across town as headmistress which you still tease her to this day for. 

“Oh do you have an office, headmistress. I’ve always wanted to have sex on a desk.” You’d teased her a few months back making her laugh and shake her head at your vulgar comment but you saw the lustful glint in her eyes. 

The dates had turned from dinner to late evening drinks to sleepovers at your apartment downtown whenever Cordelia could get away from the school for the night. However, whenever you mentioned staying over at the house while you lay next to each other in your large bed, Cordelia was quick to reject the idea and would change the subject. You knew about the school and its purpose, everyone did since Delia aired it all on television but you masked your hurt and put it down to having so many girls running around the school and with her being headmistress it didn’t give the right impression to have a woman sneaking out in the early hours. 

Some of the older girls knew about your relationship with their friend/supreme and would come by the shop most days for their daily coffee run, apparently teaching young witches everyday requires a lot of caffeine and they got to meet you, which in their opinion was bonus as it was nice to get to know the woman who’d been keeping their friend/supreme in a daydream with a secret smile on her face most days around the academy. 

“She just has this light glow around her whenever we mention you… it’s pretty gay if you ask me but whatever, you’re kinda cool so I guess it’s cute.” Madison had commented one day in the shop, fighting back a genuine smile. 

Over the last few weeks though, you started to feel that Cordelia had been avoiding you in some way. Your usual meet up twice a week at the coffee shop seemed to stop, the reasons valid as she did run a school after all but when the texts stopped or where the bear minimum and the other cup across from you grew colder after every passing minute you realised her not turning up wasn’t just because of her duty as headmistresses, she was avoiding you. That’s when you decided to show up at the academy, determined to speak to her in person and not through rushed phone calls. You approach the black gates cautiously, the aura around the building so strong you feel an overwhelming sense of power before even stepping foot onto the grounds. 

‘Maybe this was a bad idea.’ You doubt to yourself as the gates begin to open in front of you. 

You approach cautiously to the front door and knock, hoping that Cordelia answers. The door creaks open revealing one of the familiar faces that you’re used to seeing at the shop. Zoe stands by the door looking a little sheepish. 

“Oh, hi Y/N. Does Cordelia know you are here?” She asks, her eyes darting around looking at anything but you. You frown at her sheepish behaviour. Usually, Zoe is the first one to approach you at the shop with a welcoming smile. 

“Uh, hey Zoe! No, but I was hoping to speak with her, if she’s here?” You inform, trying to look over her slender shoulders into the hallway. Zoe begins to speak but the familiar voice of your lover beats her to it. 

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” Delia asks, as Zoe slips away back into the house. 

You take in her tired figure, her eyes no longer holding that sparkling glint. She tries to hide the wince as she leans heavily against the doorframe making you frown with worry. 

“I’m sorry for showing up unannounced, I just needed to see you. I’ve been worried about you and clearly I was right to be,” You murmur, eyeing her slouched posture as she keeps a protective hand across her waist. She smiles reassuringly at you, trying to ease your worry but you know her too well now to be so ignorant to her quiet suffering. 

“Delia, what’s wrong?” You question, leaving no room for protest. She shakes her head softly, again dismissing your concern. 

“It’s nothing, darling. I haven’t been feeling well, is all. I’m sorry to have worried you.” She brushes off, reaching her other hand out to brush against your cheek. Her teary eyes dart across your face, as if taking in every detail lingering to memorise every freckle, every lash.You lean into her touch, craving the contact from her. Your eyes lock with her honey browns, searching for answers to her behaviour but she remains silent for a moment her lips twitching into a small smile before leaning in closer. 

“How about a coffee?” She questions, removing her hand from your cheek and quickly wiping her own. “ I’m sure we have lots to discuss.” She states, stepping back into the house allowing you access. You step into the school and gape at the tall white walls full of aged paintings and grand staircase, wringing your fingers suddenly feeling inferior by the powerhouse that your lover runs. 

A soft hand wraps gently around your own stopping your nervous habits before pulling you further through the oddly quiet house. Her hand is tight around yours, as if needing it to anchor herself, but you decide not to ask about her health again knowing you won’t get the answer you are after, the truth.

“Where are all the girls today?” Cordelia smiles gently and side glances at your awe expression as you take in more of the mystery house. 

“A school trip with Myrtle and Queenie and some of the other girls like to use their free time shopping in the town centre. If you ask me, they just like to get out without me hovering over them.” She jokes, squeezing your hand to regain your attention from an old black and white photo showing a group of young witches. 

“Those girls adore you Delia, I’m sure it’s just teenage girls wanting some freedom on the weekend like every other teenager.” You comfort, smiling knowingly at her mother hen instincts and how protective she can be over her own. She bumps her shoulder lightly against yours for teasing her a little before pushing open a large door. 

“Is this your office?” You murmur,  looking around the large room with glass panelled windows behind a wooden desk. You raise your eyebrow at the desk eyeing Delia, who stands by a drinks cabinet, pouring the brown liquid into two whiskey glasses. She smirks at your subtle nod at the desk joke you made a few months back as you walk over to her, taking the offered glass before sitting on the long white plush sofa gestured to your right. Delia sits elegantly in the oval chair across from you, confusing you at her attempt to keep some distance. Her eyes follow your movements as you take your first sip of the brown liquid. 

“I want to apologise again for not messaging you, Y/N. I was being a coward by avoiding you and thinking it would work. I didn’t take into account your feelings and that was wrong of me.” She apologises, before taking a quick sip of her drink for dutch courage. You place yours onto the glass table that fills the gap between the two of you. 

“Cordelia, I’m not a child. If you wanted to stop this, you could have just said so instead of stringing me along. I really like you Delia, like a fucking lot actually. I thought we were going somewhere with this,” you confess, your voice quiet and full of doubt. Thoughts spiral in your mind, doubt creeping in as you come to the conclusion that Delia may not reciprocate those feelings. 

“I… Y/N, I like you a lot too. But I... I don’t think this is going to work. We are two very different people and not to mention your human.” She pauses as she processes her next words, her eyes full of sadness. “ I don’t think you realise just how fragile that makes you and I can’t always be around to protect you Y/N. So, I think we should end this before we get in too deep. I’m sorry darling.” Her chin trembles as she fights back her tears, her regal posture slouches as she leaves her chair and moves to crotch in front of you as you continue to stare at the white wall trying to collect your thoughts as tears fall freely. Her forehead rests softly against your knees as you blindly place your hands on top of her blonde locks. 

“You knew this from the beginning… Why did you bother pursuing me? Did you think it would be funny, see if you could get the boring ol’ human girl to fall in love with you?” You say, suddenly feeling angry by her words. She lifts her head back shocked by your accusation and stands abruptly making you copy her position, leaving you both standing off to one another. 

“You know that’s not true, Y/N. Don’t be so childish, I’m just trying to be realistic here. We tried and it didn’t work, why is this so hard for you to understand?” She spats, her hands gesturing wildly. “You know, you are just proving my point Y/N. You are so ignorant to everything around you, I’m the fucking supreme that comes with a lot of enemies and I can’t be concerned about you while also trying to protect the coven. I’m sorry you can’t seem to take this break up in a mature way.” She huffs.

“Why are you being like this?” You whisper, hands sagged to your side, defeated. 

“I’m being a realist, Y/N. Maybe you should try it sometime.” Her words are harsh, as she holds your gaze, no longer showing those sweet signs of affection. You hold her gaze a little longer hoping to see her falter and retract her hurtful words but nothing else is said, which leaves you with your answer. You laugh humorlessly before heading for the office door, your hand wraps around the door handle before pausing. 

“If this is your attempt at pushing me away, it won’t work.” You inform, loud enough for her to hear. 

“Y/N, I’m not..ugh.” The painful groan that fills the room makes you turn quickly towards the source of the sound as you watch in terror Cordelia hunching over in pain, holding her stomach area tightly. 

“Delia!” You launch forward ready to help her settle onto the long sofa you were previously sat on. 

“Hey hey, you're okay. That’s it breath for me Delia, that’s my girl.” You comfort, whispering softly while brushing wild strands of blonde hair from her now pale face. Her eyes glossy as she watches you move to fill a glass of water for her. You gently tip the water into her mouth while she holds onto your wrist delicately whispering her gratitude, you stay crouched in front of her keeping a close eye on her as you take away the now empty glass.

“What’s going on Delia, I want the truth this time.” You enforce, brows furrowed in worry. She drops your gaze as she plays with the rings on your fingers, collecting her thoughts. 

“When a new supreme raises the other must fall.” Her words full of strength and sorrow as free falling tears spill onto her pale cheeks. 

“I.. I don’t understand. You’ve only been supreme for what five years, you must have gotten it wrong... No, no this isn’t happening. We gotta talk to Myrtle, she’ll know different. You can’t die Lia you… you-” The soft hand placed on your cheeks stops your rambling, knowing eyes fall onto your own broken ones as silent tears fall between you both. 

“But we haven’t had enough time together,” you whisper weakly, leaning into her touch. The feeling of her skin against your own giving you the only comfort that’s available while Delia regains her strength from her dizzy spell. She smiles tearfully, brushing her thumb over the escaped tears. 

“Then let’s make the most of it, I don’t want to spend my last how many months on earth avoiding you and regretting it.” Her eyes full of thought as she processes her next thought. “Let’s go somewhere, anywhere. I’m just so tired of all these negative thoughts and feelings, I want to fill these months with good, happy memories, with you and my girls, but I understand if you want to let this go now to avoid the hurt later on...” She murmurs leaning her head into the cushion, her face turned towards your own, suddenly vulnerable. The sudden urge to protect her and give her everything she wants overwhelms your instincts, making you launch forward to capture her wet lips with your own in a silent promise. 

“I am going to make you the happiest woman, Cordelia Goode. I’m not going anywhere, you have me for as long as you are breathing and walking on this earth.” You vow against her salted lips. 

There are still so many things left unsaid but in this moment you are willing to savour your time with this woman and be with her, to remember every twitch of her nose, every sparkle in those brown eyes and most importantly, giving her every reason to smile that breathtaking smile until she can no longer bear it. Because Cordelia Goode deserves all the happiness in the word and if the world can no longer keep her in it, you will be damn sure to give her everything in it and more for as long as you walk on it with her. 

I’m sorry🙃x

[tagsecretsanta]

From @Psychoseal

to @avengedbiologist Secret santa does not won this fic, full credit to the author above

Scott is exhausted. Running his hand through his prematurely greying hair as he exits Thunderbird One, the only thing running through his mind is the thought of a long hot shower and the largest pot of coffee on the Island. 

All Scott has ever known in his life is responsibility. He doesn’t even remember the peaceful years before Virgil was born and his life flipped upside down. Before Virgil was born, he had a number of names. Sunshine, Sweetheart, Darling, Scooter are just a small sample. But then everything changed. And his name became “Scott don’t” “Scott don’t put the stickers on the baby. Scott don’t feed the baby your broccoli. Scott don’t climb the furniture.” 

But he learned to love Virgil, and by the time his youngest brother was born his new nickname was smother hen! 

Scott can even remember his first grey hair. He was nineteen and had just gotten witnessed his thirteen-year-old brother fall from the barn roof in a dare gone wrong. That first grey hair he named Gordon! 

Once he has escaped to the safety of his room, Scott quickly strips off his clothes before climbing under stream of fresh almost boiling water. He is so tired he doesn’t even realise that the water is dying his skin blue as he lathers shower gel into his hair, his eyes closed happily as the water helps him to relax. Finally. 

Flicking the water off, he strings a large fluffy towel around his hips. 

Then screams. 

A scream so loud it brings Grandma running up two flights of stairs from the kitchen and barging into his room. “Scott?” she gasps, struggling to catch her breath. The rolling pin she was using to make the pie crust still in the hand. “What happened?” 

“Gordon!” Scott growls. “Where is he?” 

“London with Lady Penelope on vacation and has been all week, I don’t think this is one of his” Grandma reminds him gently. 

“Never jump to conclusions Smurf” Virgil says having also heard the screams, and come running, stopping short when he spots his big brother and bursting into laughter. “Think, who have you annoyed recently, then follow the trail to the culprit” 

“Annoyed? I never annoy anyone” Scott splutters in protest. “I am going to borrow your bathroom to get rid of this ridiculous dye” 

“Sure Smurf just let me do something really important first” Virgil says, and before Scott has the time to run, Virgil snaps a photo of him and runs away laughing. 

“Grandma!” Scott protests, he can feel a new grey hair emerging. 

“Go and get a shower, I will have a word with Virgil” Grandma replies leaving him to his thoughts.

Scott’s thoughts are not pleasant, and involve drowning the responsible brother in boiling oil, or tarring and feathering them while he films their humiliation. Googling cruel and unusual punishment ideas once he is back to normal and hiding out in his own room, Scott smiles at some of the ideas and regrets the vote he lost to build an island jail for his wayward siblings. 

Lying back on his bed, his head resting on the pillow, Scott stares at the ceiling in the ever-increasing gloom of the early evening, but he doesn’t get up to put the light on, but he can’t sleep. The frustration with his brothers isn’t receding the longer he lies here. Revenge is the only thing he wants! 

*TB*

Gordon is back from leave the following morning. Carrying a bag full of gifts for his family. All neatly wrapped. 

“Where is everyone?” he asks Virgil who is the only one in the kitchen. 

Virgil doesn’t answer him while he focuses on draining his coffee instead. “Mmm, that is better! What did you ask Squid legs?” 

“Where is everyone?” Gordon repeats. Rolling his eyes and pouring himself a coffee.

“Alan and Scott are still in bed. You need to apologise to Scott. He didn’t think your prank was a good idea!” Virgil says. 

“What prank?” Gordon asks. His eyes wide and innocent.

“The dye in his shower head. How did you pull that off anyway? You weren’t even here” Virgil asks, he is impressed despite himself. If Gordon has evolved to pulling pranks remotely, then the whole island is doomed! 

“Oh that. I just gave Alan the instructions and told him where the joke kit is hidden. Alan is the guilty party, not me” Gordon insists.

“IT DOESN’T WORK LIKE THAT!” A voice booms from behind him, causing Gordon to startle and almost drop his coffee. 

“Smurf, hi” Virgil says, trying to dissipate the tension building between his two brothers. 

“I KNEW YOU HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS” Scott roars at Gordon.

Gordon rolls his eyes picks up one of Grandma’s scented candles and throws it at Scott’s head. “Lighten up Smurf” he says before running from the room, Scott on his heels determined more than ever to pound the brat! 

Gordon runs up the stairs and out the main doors to the pool.

“No running by the pool Fish” Scott shouts at him, that thing in his brain telling him to protect his younger brothers kicking in again. 

Gordon once again is one step ahead of him as he dives into the pool, and swims across to the other side, before climbing up and continuing to run down to the beach still pursued by Scott, who can’t outswim him and he knows he can’t break an important safety rule. Gordon is fast, but Scott is angry and determined, and he catches up to him, tackling him to the ground. 

“What on earth?” Jeff asks in exasperation. “Gordon you only had one job!” 

Gordon struggles under Scott’s weight, as his eldest brother is now sitting on his chest, pinning his shoulders to the ground with his arms. “I got him here didn’t I?” 

“Let him up Scott please” Jeff asks.

“What’s the magic word?” Scott asks Gordon. 

“Abracadabra” Gordon replies. 

“Scott” Jeff asks again.

And Scott knows that this is the best he can hope for as he rolls off his brother and allows him to stand. “Why are you here?” he asks his dad. “And what did you mean when you said you got me here?” he asks Gordon, now thoroughly confused by the whole matter. 

“Come with me, and you will find out” Jeff replies cryptically. 

Scott follows his father and brother along the sandy pathway leading to a small cove Gordon discovered during his first summer on the island, before he stops in his tracks at the scene in front of him. 

All his favourite people in one place. something that rarely happens in his family. His brothers, even John, are all sitting on the floor around the preparations for a bonfire, yet to be lit. 

“Scott come and sit down” Grandma calls him over. There is a smile on her face, as she pats a spare piece of sand next to her. Scott does as he is told, even though he is confused by what is happening. 

He hasn’t even noticed a large pile of gifts, all neatly wrapped nearby where Alan is sat chatting to Colonel Casey. 

“Why is everyone here?” he finally asks, unable to resist the temptation any longer. 

“I TOLD YOU HE FORGOT!” Gordon cries gleefully. 

“Forgot what?” Scott asks, racking his brains desperately for anything he might have missed. It definitely isn’t Christmas as the villa’s not been decorated. And it isn’t one of his brother’s birthdays as there is no way he would be allowed to forget those. Alan still drops gift hints for months before the big day.

“Hand it over John” Gordon says holding his hand out for his winnings. John reluctantly hands over a twenty dollar bill. 

“Will someone please tell me what the heck is going on?” Scott asks. Unable to take the laughter any longer. 

“What day is it?” Virgil asks, trying to help him out. 

“Erm Wednesday?” Scott replies. 

“It is Saturday Scott” Virgil replies rolling his eyes. “How about the month?” 

Scott knows this one. As it was Alan’s birthday recently. “March” Scott says this time confidently. 

“It’s April” Virgil says. 

“No it isn’t. Alan’s birthday was the other day” Scott insists. 

Virgil takes pity on his eldest brother. “Scott it’s the fourth of April. This is your birthday party!” 

“It can’t be. I would know if it was April already. Gordon is this an April fools’ joke?” Scott asks, turning his attention to Gordon, who is sitting on Lady Penelope’s lap while she hand feeds him grapes. “And can’t you do that in private?” 

“Nota April foolsh joke” Gordon confirms, his mouth full of half chewed grape.

“Ugh swallow first” Scott tells him disgusted, and still not convinced that it really is his birthday. 

“Scott, it really is April. And it really is your birthday. I am sorry I gave Gordon the job if getting you down to the beach, but happy birthday son” Jeff tells him. “We are worried about you though. You have been working far too hard recently. You missed Gordon’s April fools’ day prank because you were on Mars with Alan. it was a good one this year too” he adds.

“What did he do?” Scott asks. Remembering that this is Jeff’s first April fools’ since he got back from the Oort cloud. 

“Snuck into the GDF headquarters and left a notice on the board advising on a Chewbacca Roaring contest and to call my phone and leave a voicemail with their best effort and that I will judge them tomorrow. He even managed to set my phone to go straight to voicemail and put a message on it repeating the contest instructions.” Jeff tells him grinning. 

“And you found that funny?” Scott asks. 

“I did. And I have picked a winner already. Gordon will be paying the fifty-dollar reward though!” Jeff says. 

“Worth it” Gordon says with a shrug. “But Scott, seriously open your presents already!” 

Scott is still sceptical but he also knows that Colonel Casey and his father wouldn’t play a practical joke on him, maybe it really is his birthday.

Picking up the first gift from the pile. Scott knows without looking at it that this was wrapped by Gordon. It is wrapped in bright yellow paper and covered in so much tape he knows that it will take him hours to get in to! Sure enough the label reads “Yo scotty. Have fun getting into this. Love your favourite brother” 

“Hey look, he’s picked your gift Gords” Alan says with a grin, grabbing his phone and loading up the timing app. “Ready Scott?” he asks. 

“Ready for what?” Scott asks.

“Our party game; let’s see how long it takes you to get into the present. My guess is thirty-five minutes” Alan replies. 

Scott knows that he should play along, this has always been one of their favourite traditions. An invention of Gordon’s the first year he was old enough to wrap gifts. “Fine. Start the count” he says. 

“GO!” Alan calls. 

Scott tries to slide his nail under the tape but it is impossible. He can’t deny that Gordon is the master. Turning the badly wrapped gift over in his hands, looking for a way in Scott gets more and more frustrated as the minutes tick by, and starts to chew his way in, finally biting a hole through the tape and into the paper. 

“How long?” Gordon asks the official timekeeper.

“Six minutes, thirty-five seconds” Alan replies. “Dad and Colonel Casey have been eliminated from the game” 

“You all had bets?” Scott asks, he is laughing now though. Finally starting to relax.

“Of course” Jeff tells him. “We have been planning this for weeks” 

Scott is now working on making the hole bigger, sticking his thumb in and wriggling it about. the contents are confusing, as whatever is in here feels slimy. 

Pulling out a piece of still wet seaweed Scott is confused. “Seaweed?” he asks Gordon. 

Gordon grins at him. “Yep and there is something else in there too” 

Scott pulls out the rest of his gift. A book. 

“Stop the clock Al” Gordon says. 

“Eleven minutes, twenty-two seconds” Alan announces, checking the contest list for the closest. “Hey Virg, you won!” 

Virgil jumps up from the floor to do his victory dance, pumping his fist in the air and twirling around until he falls over his own feet. Picking himself up and spitting out sand, he turns to Scott. “What is the book Scott? I don’t think Gordon has ever even opened a book let alone bought one for someone else!” 

Scott examines the books cover. “1001 of the weirdest laws in the world” he realises that one of the pages is bookmarked. Opening the book Scott reads the highlighted passage “In New Hampshire, it is illegal to collect and carry away seaweed at the beach, but only at night.” 

“You didn’t?!” Scott asks, eyeing up his brother. “You went to New Hampshire in the middle of the night to get seaweed even though it is illegal?” 

Unrepentant, Gordon nods. “Yeah I even borrowed thunderbird one. Do you like it?” 

“Like it?!” Scott asks spluttering with laughter. “Only you Gords. Come here” 

Gordon scrambles to his feet from Lady Penelope’s lap and runs over to Scott, who grabs him by the waist and tackles him to the ground. “Of course I like it! Who doesn’t love gifts that have been gathered illegally?” 

The rest of Scott’s presents are more normal. A painting of Thunderbird One over the Island from Virgil, which will look great above his bed. “Thanks Virg. I love it” He says, now with genuine enthusiasm. 

“The cavern quest expansion pack” Scott says opening up his gift from Alan. 

“Yeah, I am going to need that back once you are done” Alan says. 

“Sure” Scott replies, handing it over. He does not have the time to play mindless video games. 

Alan rolls his eyes. “Scott. You have to play it first. Come and see me tomorrow and Kayo and I will teach you” 

“You know I don’t have the time” Scott reminds them. 

“You do, we cleared your schedule for the rest of the week. You are on vacation and we are going to teach you to have fun!” Alan insists.

“I know how to have fun” Scott insists. 

“Scott, your idea of fun is doing paperwork, nagging me and cleaning your room” Gordon tells him. 

Making the only decision that will allow him to keep his dignity, Scott ignores Gordon and goes back to his presents. This one is from Grandma and turns out to be vouchers for an evening out at his favourite restaurant. “Thanks Grandma, but can I leave Gordon and Alan here to eat your lasagne, they really like the way you leave it frozen in the middle but burn the top layer.” 

“Scoooooo-oooooott!” Gordon and Alan whinge in unison. 

“Call it big brother’s revenge!” Scott replies with a grin. 

Their pouting doesn’t last long as Scott unwraps his gift from his father. 

Shocked by the contents, Scott just stares at him. 

“Well?” Jeff asks.

“I can’t” Scott insists. “International Rescue needs me. They need me” 

Scott has been raising his younger brothers for so long, he has not had a proper vacation in years. But this states he can have a whole month away from all the worry and stress. 

“We can cope. The GDF are going to take care of some of the simple rescues. The hood and the Chaos Crew are all safely locked away in the newly rebuilt Hex prison. I don’t think they liked the irony of being locked up in a prison they blew up!” Jeff says. “It is okay to admit you need a break Scott” 

Scott can feel tears welling up in his eyes, and it his father who makes the first move, wrapping his arms around his eldest son, who has been so strong for so long. 

“We love you Scooter” Jeff says. “You have held this family together beautifully, but please let me help you” 

Scott nods. His head still buried on Jeff’s shoulder. 

“If I do, please don’t let Gordon have Thunderbird one!” Scott says, trying to inject some humour into the situation. 

“Oh I don’t know; he did a g-g-great job while you were on Mars. A-a-apart from the unauthorised t-t-trip to New Hampshire” Brains says.

“Oh don’t forget the drone he crashed into the Eiffel tower” John says. 

“And the flood in the hangar when he was trying to clean off the mud off after he had to rescue the three explorers from a mudslide in Italy” Virgil says.

“Stop it, or he will never agree to leave” Jeff says. 

“Where am I going to go?” Scott asks. 

“Anywhere you want son” Jeff replies. Still holding him in his embrace. “We can talk about it after the party. Now how about you open some more presents, then we can get the bonfire started and grill some breakfast” 

Scott doesn’t make an effort to move from Jeff’s side, but happily opens the rest of his presents. Finally realising that they are right, he has been so wrapped up in the problems of the world that he has been carrying that weight on his soul, and it is slowly crushing the life out of him. Maybe, just maybe he can take a vacation. 

*TB*

The party lasts all day, thank you to the organisational skills of his family there are no emergency call outs, as Eos is forwarding the calls to local authorities and the GDF. The sun is starting to set, but the party is still going strong. Gordon and Lady Penelope have disappeared somewhere more private, but everyone else is there.

Alan is in charge of the music. Having set up a playlist and letting it go.

“GUYS COME ON! THIS IS MY FAVOURITE” Alan calls when the introduction to his favourite some comes on. “LINE UP” 

No one moves as the opening lines of the macarena start up. 

Alan grabs Jeff’s hands and pulls him into a standing position. “Come on dad, pleeeeeeaaaaassssssse!” he begs, giving his father the wide doe eyed start that no one, not even the great Jeff Tracy. 

“Okay fine show me what to do” Jeff replies. 

“Great! Okay Scott, Virgil, John, Grandma, Kayo, Parker, Brains, Colonel Casey” Alan calls while he starts going through the movements of the dance.

Virgil is the first to join in. knowing that Alan needs this just as much as Scott does. Taking his phone, he tries to contact Gordon. A family macarena isn’t the same without the family fish. 

“Hey Virg, what’s up?” Gordon asks. 

“Where are you?” Virgil asks. 

“Thunderbird one with Pen” Gordon replies. 

“Please tell me you’re just giving her a tour” Virgil asks facepalming. 

“Sure” Gordon replies with a shrug.

“Anyway stop it, and get back to the beach, we are having a family dance off” Virgil says. 

“You know I am going to win right?” Gordon asks, ringing off without giving Virgil a response. Pulling his shirt back on, he helps Lady Penelope zip back up her dress before they hop down from the pilots seat and exit Scott’s plane before running hand in hand back to the beach. 

“The macarena?” Gordon says with a grin. “Put it back to the beginning Al” 

Alan skips the track back to the start, and Gordon takes centre stage. Wriggling his hips before jumping up into the air crying “HEY MACARENA!” every single time. 

Even Parker and Grandma join in. the move on to the cha cha slide and the YMCA before collapsing into a heap on the floor laughing. 

“What song next DJ Allie?” Kayo asks. Even she has relaxed, her hair no longer in its customary tight pony tail but falling loosely around her shoulders. 

Alan grins before jumping up to his feet and skipping over to his phone. 

“No way. This I draw the line too!” Kayo says as the opening to baby shark starts to blare through the speakers. 

“SCOTTY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO! Gordon starts. “SCOTTY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO” 

John is the first to join in. “SCOTTY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO” 

Jeff joins in too “SCOTTY SHARK!” 

Kayo groans, but she knows when she is defeated.  “VIRGY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO VIRGY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO VIRGY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO VIRGY SHARK!” 

This is the version of the song Jeff would sing to Alan and Gordon to get them to sleep after their mom died. It never got them to agree to go to sleep but became a family tradition along with their bedtime stories. 

“JOHNNY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO JOHNNY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO JOHNNY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO JOHNNY SHARK! 

Lady Penelope is looking at the boys and Jeff like she has never seen them before while they do the baby shark song dance like the madmen, she always suspected they are. But she can’t help but join in. 

“GORDY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO GORDY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO GORDY SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO GORDY SHARK!” 

“ALLIE SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO ALLIE SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO ALLIE SHARK DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO ALLIE SHARK!” 

Lady Penelope stops there she has no idea what will come next, as there is no way they will hunt prey! 

“TRAPPED IN A CAVE DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO TRAPPED IN A CAVE DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO TRAPPED IN A CAVE DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO TRAPPED IN A CAVE” 

“LET’S GO SAVE DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO LET’S GO SAVE DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO LET’S GO SAVE DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO LET’S GO SAVE!”

“SAFE AT LAST DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO SAFE AT LAST DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO SAFE AT LAST DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO SAFE AT LAST!” 

“You guys are too adorable” Lady Penelope says. 

Night has fully fallen now, and with it the boys’ inhibitions and dignity have evaporated with the daylight and they are now dancing their way through whatever song that comes on. Wild songs that see them dancing round the fire all holding hands and laughing. Slow songs which Lady Penelope and Gordon take centre stage for, dancing like their the only two people in the world. Fast songs they dance wildly too. 

“Is anyone going to bed?” Jeff asks, just after four o’clock. The fire is starting to die down now, and with it the temperature is dropping. He is starting to feel the chill in the air and he can tell by looking at Alan who is standing over the dying fire, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm that he is not the only one. 

No one protests, as they tiredly march back to the house, Scott and Virgil taking the time to make sure the fire is out. 

*TB*

“So, Gordy Shark” Lady Penelope says once they are alone in Gordon’s room. “Want round two of what we got up to in Thunderbird One?” 

Gordon grins before he strips his shirt off and jumps into the bed. 

*TB*

Scott leaves for his vacation the following afternoon, carrying one rucksack full of everything he is going to need for his trip, after forcing all four of his brother’s sign a contract that they will tell him immediately if he is needed. 

There is an immense feeling of relief as he gets settled in the cabin he has rented, looking out of the window at the sun glittered lake. This is the perfect place, miles away from civilisation and the problems he deals with every day. 

The only issue he faces here, is will he want to return to that chaos when his dream holiday is over?

[aerisahale]

Multitudes of Memory

@korrasami-valentine-exchange

Words: 5,032 Rating: T Summary: Asami remembers five of her favorite memories with Korra in the process of repainting their house, and then she makes a new one.

A crash from the entryway pulls Asami’s focus away from the metalwork of springs and cogs before her. Korra was a bit later than she had expected, but she has been keeping herself busy. Gently laying the half-finished work on her desk, Asami exits her home office.

Along the way to the living room, she is surprised to find herself with an armful of excitable Korra just on the other side of the threshold. Korra babbles about how sweet the cashier was as Asami pulls them both down the hall and into the living room, coming to stand side-by-side in a mirrored pose of hands-on-their-hips and looks of determination. Asami asks, “You still want to do this, right?”

Waggling her eyebrows, Korra says, “Of course. You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

“It was my idea!”

Korra puts her hands up in surrender. “I’m just saying it’s okay if you are.”

A grin slides onto the engineer’s face and she slaps a hand onto the pile of paint cans next to her with the same look of determination she wears after she has closed a particularly lucrative business deal. “No, let’s do this!”

Whooping with all the enthusiasm of a prospective retailer in a Future Industries factory, Korra is already dragging a chair out of the room, careful to avoid the pile of paint brushes, rollers, tape, and trays that must have crashed from whatever container Korra had originally brought them inside with. “I’ll start moving the furniture out of the room!”

“I’ll get the walls!” she shouts over the scraping of chair legs against hardwood that is too far gone to chastise her wife about picking things up instead of dragging.

Grabbing a nearby box that they had spent time assembling the night before, Asami starts pulling picture frames off the walls. Newspaper gets wrapped around each one before they get laid gently into the box. It is a repetitive process and she finds herself getting into the rhythm. It is only when her fingers brush the cool metal of a certain picture frame as her heart gives a thump against her chest, warmth of nostalgia takes hold, and she remembers the evening it was taken.

--

 Gentle but romantic piano music rises above the din of the restaurant as Asami tuck a strand of hair nervously behind her ear. Sitting alone makes her feel too conspicuous, already noticeable as the heir of Future Industries and the Sato holdings. Her fingers tap restlessly against the table, blunt fingernails tapping a beat against the table as the waiter brings her the glass of wine she asked for.

There are couples around her, dressed finely and sipping their own wine, nibbling on appetizers. The couple closest to her aren’t have a particularly scintillating conversation and she finds herself both nervous and bored. She suddenly wishes she had something better to do with her hands and presses a pattern into the stem of her glass, eyes roving over the restaurant as she waits.

Moments after, a commotion at the front begs her attention. She finds Korra dressed in a Water Tribe blue dress, arms bare, defined muscles on display for anyone to admire. When Korra greets her, she is breathy and it makes her wonder if it was nerves or if she genuinely ran here. Neither would surprise her. Asami hugs her and all of her own nerves from earlier melt away in the arms of the woman she loves. It never fails to amaze her how strong Korra’s simple presence can make her feel.

Reluctant to part, she knows she surprises Korra by holding on longer than would be normal. Korra’s arms tighten back around her and she takes a deep breath, sighing out against the other woman’s shoulder. They finally settle down at the table and begin perusing the menu, deciding to start with an appetizer of octopus fritters.

She asks Korra how her day has been, knows the other woman has been busy with politics. Korra along with Tenzin have been appointed as unofficial advisors in Zhu Li’s presidency and it has led to many long nights as they deal with various issues of running the Republic of United Nations. Asami herself had been a part of some of those nights as the unique blend of immigration and technological advancement in Republic City created as many problems as it solved.

Asami listens attentively until Korra shifts the conversation toward praising Asami for her latest invention allowing for faster, more efficient mail and package delivery after several rather large Spirit Vines had bottlenecked delivery by vehicle in several different areas. Glowing under the praise and reveling in how genuine Korra is as she delivers it, Asami is taken by surprise when someone other than their waiter approaches the table.

“May I take your picture for the Fire Ferret Times?” The camera is already in front of the speaker’s face.

Asami shares a silent conversation with Korra before they slide away from the table and wrap their arms around each other’s waist, heads leaned into each other. It is a short moment, and their meals arrived shortly after, but it still stands out as one of the best dates they had ever gone on.

 --

 The glow of the conversation that was interrupted still brightened their faces and the smiles they held were both genuine. The article that was run the next day about the parallels of finding balance in one’s personal lives to finding balance in the city, featuring Korra’s delicate balance of her duties as the Avatar and her individuality as a person was surprisingly well-written and was deserving of more credit than they had given the man on their drive home that night. There was a copy of it in a scrapbook on one of the shelves in Asami’s office.

Korra is back in the living room, giving Asami a questioning glance. She holds up the photo to her. “Remembering this night.”

“Spirits, you were gorgeous that night!” Taking the frame from Asami, Korra grins down at it. She looks thoughtful for a moment before she looks Asami up and down quite conspicuously and smirks. “Still are!”

Asami grabs the next photo as Korra wraps that one and places it in the box with the others Asami already wrapped. There are only a couple more photos and she runs a gentle finger down their wedding photo, the last to be placed in the box, taking extra care wrapping it. She places it gently on the top and closes the box, taking into the spot they had cleared out in the garage of their house.

“Asami!” Korra yells. “Look what I found!”

She is holding up a half burned red tablecloth and the sight of it catches Asami in surprise. A laugh bubbles up and bursts out. “I thought we threw that away!”

“Me too!” The Avatar is already grinning, but it grows wider as her eyes fly wide. “Wait! We got a bit, uh, distracted.”

“Oh, yeah!” Asami laughs as she hooks an arm around Korra’s waist and nuzzles her nose into her neck, eyes falling closed.

 --

 Varrick has been working on a secret project he only allowed Zhu Li to be privy to for months. When he comes to Asami, seeking to syphon off Future Industries private power grid, she had been understandably skeptical. She had even said no, at first, but several foiled theft attempts on Varrick’s part and a phone call from Zhu Li asking on her husband’s behalf, she had finally relented.

It had been a mistake.

Whatever the madman had done had shorted out half of the power grid for Republic City. It makes the rest of the day a frustrating one, fielding phone calls from her various factory managers, losses of product, and brainstorming with Zhu Li and Varrick about getting the grid back online. Eventually they call it a day and all Asami wants is to lose her troubles in her favorite dish at Kwong’s Cuisine but it is one of the many businesses affected by the power loss.

When she finally gets home, she is displeased to find she is out of power too. Her and Korra’s house laid on the dividing line of those who had been spared and those who were left without and it seems that her frustration was fated to continue. Familiarity allows her to hang her jacket up and throw the keys to the Satomobile in the bowl by the door.

“Korra?”

“Hey, baby. I heard you had a rough day. What do you need?” The woman in question walks out of the kitchen and pulls her wife into her arms.

“I need Varrick’s hairbrained ideas to stop effecting the entire city before he gets it right,” she growls out before realizing her tone and sighing, going boneless in Korra’s arms. “You’re not the one I’m mad at, I’m sorry. It was a rough day. How was your day?”

She tries to listen to Korra, she really does, but she gets distracted by the rumbling of her stomach. By the fourth growl, it is loud enough that Korra pauses mid-sentence to ask, “Have you eaten?”

“Spirits, no. I just wanted to go to Kwong’s but they were out of power too.”

“Lucky timing then because I ordered enough food to feed an army from Narook’s. I even got some of that artic hen you really like. I was about to go pick it up.”

“That sounds wonderful. I’m going to clean up as best I can without a shower but you can take the Satomobile. I don’t care if Kuvira is suddenly mounting a second invasion, I’m not going anywhere tonight.”

Pressing a kiss to her temple, Korra scoops the keys out of the dish Asami threw them into. “I’ll be back soon.”

Korra makes good on her promise and Asami is feeling much better when Korra comes through the door, both hands laden with bags of food that make Asami’s stomach growl all over again. She takes the bags from Korra’s hands and brings them to the table where she’s lit a couple candles for light. She lays the food out as Korra closes the door and takes her shoes off.

“Asami, this is so romantic!” Korra smiles.

Surprise registers as her eyebrows raise, a laugh bubbling up. “I hadn’t even realized. Our own candlelit dinner. Maybe today won’t end as badly as the rest of it was.”

Dinner passes quickly, more quickly for Asami than Korra. She has all but inhaled her food in her hunger, now describing all the atrocities the day had visited upon her as Korra finishes her meal at a more reasonable pace. Korra is howling in laughter as she recounts thwarting a particularly annoying theft attempt on Varrick’s part. After she’s finished and they both stop laughing, Asami wipes the tears from her eyes and glances around.

“We don’t have anything special for dessert but, I can grab a bottle of that dessert wine we brought home from that last trip to Ember Island.”

When she comes back, Korra has finished her plate of food, and Asami pours them both a glass of wine. As she sets it onto the table, the bottle knocks over one of the candles, the flame quickly catching on the fabric of the tablecloth it landed on. It takes them both by surprise but Korra is on her feet, quick to bend the water from a nearby vase onto the flames before the damage spreads further than the tablecloth.

“Thanks, Korra. I should have been paying more attention.”

“No harm done. You okay?” she asks, pulling Asami against her chest.

“It’s just been a frustrating day.”

“Perhaps I can help distract you from that?” Korra pleads with puppy-dog eyes to rival Naga at her sweetest.

“We should clean up,” she protests weakly, even though she already knows she wants it.

“It can wait until tomorrow.”

Asami lets herself be pulled into a kiss. It’s sweet and familiar as it soothes Asami’s frayed nerves. She presses a hand to the small or Korra’s back and pulls her body flush against her, kissing her for a moment longer. They stay lost in each other as they allow muscle memory to guide themselves to a more appropriate location.

 --

 “That night was far better than that day had been. At least Varrick restored power by the next day.” Asami laughs.

“Maybe we should keep a square of the tablecloth for the scrapbook?” Korra suggests. “We kept it all this time, apparently.”

“Good idea!”

Better to do it while it’s on her mind, Asami is quick to grab the scissors and the scrapbook from her office. As she is pulling the scrapbook down, another book tumbles from the bookshelf, pages flaring out as the spine hits the ground. It opens to a particular page and she is delighted at what she finds, so she picks that up and brings it with her as well.

She dances around the furniture Korra has shoved into the kitchen and sets everything on the counter. She calls Korra over, holding the contents of the book open on display. Korra’s eyes widen as she approaches.

“I remember this!” Korra says as she picks up the pressed blossom by the stem, twirling it in her fingers. Asami listens to Korra’s view of that night as she sets to cutting a good square out of the tablecloth, thinking about her own sequence of unfortunate events that evening.

 --

 There was a summit with the outlying Earth Kingdom provinces that had originally been resistant to joining the United Republic of Nations and Korra had taken their personal Satomobile with her to make the trip easier. The provinces in question were always peaceful in their resistance and their admiration of the way Korra and Zhu Li were handling the merging of the Spirit World and Republic City, a strong contrast to how Kuvira had demanded submission, had finally pushed them to reach out with an offer to make peace and finally formally join the United Republic of Nations.

Asami was already antsy since the night before since Korra was due home that day, a treaty having been signed the day before. She had received a garbled telephone call the day before that she was fairly certain she had heard correctly. She was certainly setting herself up for disappointment if Korra was delayed for some reason, because she could not contain her excitement after a week without her wife.

Borrowing a Future Industries Satomobile while her own Satomobile was absent for the week has been a small thing, but tonight is a nice, warm night and Asami wants to enjoy it with a walk. She takes a detour past a section of the city that had been particularly vocal about their displeasure with the Spirits and she wants to know if she can find a particular reason why.

The buildings are average as far as Republic City is concerned. The streets did not seem particularly crowded by vines, not anymore so than the rest of the city. A few apartments had been lost to the growth, but not enough to warrant the amount of complaints Zhu Li was receiving from this section. She made a mental note to look into the matter further, wanting to ask some locals questions. It was too late and too nice for that to be a venture for this evening.

It is too bright to really see the stars, but Asami definitely enjoys the cool breeze that cuts through the warm evening. There are not as many people as she would expect to find in the day, but the Friday evening has brought many people out of their homes for a night on the town. The street lamps cast a soothing glow across the buildings and people walking side by side, some hand in hand.

She had not been fruitful toward her originally intended investigation, but she did come upon a delightfully bright shop, bright colors popping in the lighting. It was bright enough to wash out the yellow of the street lamps and drew Asami in. Peeking at the floral arrangements on display outside the shop, she was startled by the hunched elderly woman who appeared at her elbow with a gravely greeting.

“What type of arrangement are you looking for, Ms…?” the woman asks, grinning like the cat that caught the canary. Asami is unsure if she was the canary, yet.

“Sato. Asami. They just caught my eye.”

“Oh, the Avatar’s wife, come! Come inside, I have the perfect arrangement.”

The floral scent inside the shop is strong. She is led to the back where a long counter where a pile of flowers lay, vases of different varieties angled behind the table to be grabbed easily. The old woman picks one last flower and places it in the center, the only one of its kind in the bunch, rolling it into a bouquet and tying the paper in place with a ribbon.

“What is this one?” Asami asks, pointing to the black and white flower in the center.

“Ah, that is the panda lily. It only grows in the Earth Kingdom, on the rim of volcanoes with certain soil and humidity conditions. Giving the panda lily to someone is a sign of great love. Quite ironic that I was just putting this together, don’t you think, Asami Sato?”

Deciding she is most certainly the canary, Asami is quick to agree and she paid the woman far more than the flowers were worth. A particular giddiness came over her as she carries them home. She had never bought flowers for Korra or anyone before. She had treated Korra to nice meals, jewelry, trinkets she built herself, but flowers felt sentimental in a way Asami did not often find herself.

By some stroke of luck, Korra is already home when she got there. Her wife is in the shower, so Asami searched through the storage closet in the garage for a spare vase to set the flowers in. The closet is a mess and several things fell out, narrowly avoided by dodging out of the way. It had taken fifteen minutes just to pack everything back into it after she found the vase she is looking for, but it is worth it to watch Korra’s tired eyes brighten at the sight of the flowers.

Watching Korra gently run her fingers over the petals of the panda lily, Asami recounted the story the elderly woman had told her. Korra listened intently, a smile growing on her face as she continued. By the end, Korra had drawn her into a tight embrace, arms encircling Asami while her face pressed into her neck. “Thank you, love.”

Asami held Korra tight against her. It had only been a week apart, but she had missed the closeness with her wife, the comfort she found with her arms around her. The solid presence of her made Asami feel like she could take on the world, had taken on the world with Korra by her side a time or two. Eventually, she began to feel the tremors running through Korra’s body and she pulled back, looking at her with all the concern she felt.

“Korra, what’s wrong?”

Turning her face away to rub at her eye with the sleeve of her shirt, her voice is steady when she says, “It’s nothing bad. It was just a very long week and I missed you very much. I’m a little overwhelmed.”

Korra reached out and touched the panda lily again. “I want to keep it. I want to remember what coming home feels like.”

 --

 Smiling sweetly, Asami gently plucks the panda lily from Korra’s fingers and presses it into the proper place in the scrapbook, and the red square of tablecloth finds a home a few pages before.  The scissors and scrapbook go back to their places in Asami’s office and she returns to tackle the living room with renewed interest.

Korra drags another chair out before tackling the couch. Asami asks if she wants help but the big, strong Avatar denies she needs it and Asami gets to laugh at her struggling to drag the big, overstuffed couch out while Asami herself drags a box that had been tucked behind it and forgotten about.

Opening the box, she finds the contents are random, seemingly thrown in there to clear space. She digs through it for a moment, before her fingers brush against a soft furred item that ignites her curiosity enough to seek it out. The stuffed animal she finds makes her smile.

 --

 The day starts with breakfast in bed, delivered to their door by the hotel staff. It is an Earth Kingdom specialty, oven-roasted pears stuffed with ice cream and crunchy sweet bread, a combination of flavors that Asami is certain she will never forget. She cannot help the moan that leaves her. Breakfast isn’t something she often indulges in and that makes it all the sweeter. “This is so good!”

She looks over at Korra to find the woman’s mouth stuffed full, cheeks bulging like a frog squirrel, and cannot help the giggles that overtake her. Judging by the empty plate held in her hands, the Avatar of legend has shoved the entirety of the breakfast into her mouth in one go. They do not get many moments like this back home when they are both busy, so her mirth grows to full on laughter when Korra tries to speak but it just comes out garbled.

After breakfast, they spend an hour lounging in the bathtub together, refilling it with hot water whenever the temperature drops too low. The scented oils and soaps that are provided are heavenly, and Asami takes the time to smell each one as Korra undresses to join her.

They talk about their future in a way they have not in a long time, politics, jobs, and life often too hectic to allow for the languid depth they find now. That they still have so much in common thrills the engineer and she wraps her arms around Korra. Asami holds her tightly, the warmth of Korra’s back against her front and the water surrounding them is relaxing. She presses slow, lazy kisses against Korra’s ear, neck, and shoulders.

They finish their bath and get ready to tour the city. They spend some time visiting each and every historical and art museums. Korra studies the displays that talk about Avatar Kyoshi. She knows Korra has fears about the future knowing she cannot access the memories and wisdom of her past lives, so she reminds her wife that she is not alone by lacing their fingers together, leaning into her side.

Korra leans back into her, still reading the aged documents that describe Kyoshi as a wise, long-lived woman who would do what was necessary to enact justice. It spoke of her victories over Tagaka to Xu Ping An and more. It was astounding how long she lived, trying to influence the justness of the world as best she could.

After they have visited every museum Ba Sing Se has to offer, Korra suggests they visit the zoo just outside the wall. It is not far from where they are but it is about time for them to stop and grab lunch, so they stop along the way. It is a Ba Sing Se specialty restaurant, with a bright green gem over the doorway that attracts Korra like a magpie to silver.

They are in the middle of ordering when Asami notices the head that peeks around the corner from the kitchen, and that is the only warning she gets before an older man is dragging the waitress down into a low bow beside him. He gushes to Korra and insists on burying them in far more food than they intended to order. Korra grins good-naturedly and is happy to get some extra food out of it. The owner hovers nearby, quick to jump into the conversation in any place that he can. Thankfully, the food is delicious and it only takes a few tries to get away from the chatty owner after they have finished and insisted paying for their meal.

The arching entryway of the zoo is taller than Asami by three times and she stares up at it before looking back down at the crowds of people roaming from exhibit to exhibit. There is a line to get into the park and it is warmer here than Asami is used to in Republic City so she unbuttons her blouse to bare her arms to the cool breeze that floats by.

A grin spreads across her lips when she catches Korra checking her out, not once but three separate occasions before they have even purchased their tickets. If it makes her stand a little straighter and hold her head a little higher, Korra does not say so, but the stuttering of the young man at the ticket counter does.

The first exhibit inside the park were platypus bear, being a favorite of the former monarchy of the Earth Kingdom. They thrived inside their private outdoor enclosure and Asami and Korra were both delighted to be able to get to see them.

Korra grabbed Asami’s hand and pulled her to the next exhibit, turtle seals, playing with each other in the shallow edge of the pool. Watching Korra’s eyes light up is the highlight of the trip so far for Asami. She sneaks away while her wife is distracted, finding a nearby vendor and buying a stuffed animal turtle seal. The delight on Korra’s face fills Asami’s heart to near bursting and she pulls her into a hug.

 --

 Turning the stuffed animal over in her hands, the same warmth of that moment makes her heart beat a little faster. She turns to show the animal to Korra when she comes back in from maneuvering the couch out into the kitchen. Korra’s grin turns sweet and she reaches out for it, giving it a gentle squeeze. “That was such a good day.”

Hefting the box up onto her hip, Asami holds it out for Korra to tuck the animal back into it and carries it out to the garage. They get the rest of the furniture moved into the kitchen and everything else packed into boxes in the garage. The stack of boxes is so much larger than Asami had originally thought it would be, but she had many years with Korra to accumulate things.

The empty living room felt weird so Asami is quick to grab the painter’s tape and start lining the trim and windowsills, Korra joining on the other half and they worked towards each other until they met in the middle, like they did in so many aspects of their lives.

Once the taping is done, they laid plastic to protect the hardwood from paint stains and then they set up a paint tray, each grabbing a paintbrush. One can of paint gets dragged over to the tray and the satisfying pop sends a thrill through Asami, excitement for the changes the new color is going to bring to their home sending goosebumps down her arms. It is an eggplant color that a part of Asami thought was the perfect amalgamation of their preferred wardrobe and an even better living room color.

They each grab a paintbrush and set to work filling in all the edges near the painter’s tape. It is tedious work and by the time Asami has reached the window in the center, Korra is already near her edge of it and she accidentally bumps into her.

“Hey!” Korra warns.

Asami’s eyebrow quirks. “I’ll show you ‘hey!’.”

Korra is clearly not expecting the hip check if the way she jolts sideways is anything to judge by. The flail of her arms as she tries to regain her balance has left a splotch of purple across Asami’s cheek that probably detracts from the indignant expression she is trying for. Asami grabs her own paintbrush and as soon as her eyes slide to the tray of paint, Korra is moving.

The race to be the first to the paint tray ends with Korra getting there first, but Asami pushes her forward so that her momentum carries her past it, jams her paintbrush into the paint and flings it at Korra who has just turned around to double back. Korra is quick to get her own paintbrush in the paint and flings a glob that splatters across the thigh of Asami’s pants, falling to land on her shoe

The ensuing fight leaves splatters of purple across not only the walls but the window, plastic, and both women. The laughter it causes is more than worth any trouble it may bring later and it had been a long time since they both fully abandoned adulthood for pure, innocent, but messy fun. Laying side-by-side, covered in paint, giggling with her wife is something she will cherish for a long time.

“Do you remember our first vacation together? When I went to the Spirit World for the first time?” Asami asks. Memories of neon spirits and tea with Iroh, the Dragon of the West, but most importantly Korra and their first kiss make her sigh happily. It did not take her long after that to know she was in love in a way she never had been before.

“How could I forget?”

“I never dreamed we would be where we are, almost two decades later. We’ve been through a lot together, haven’t we?”

“We have! It hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve come out stronger for the problems, I think.”

“Definitely.”

The day of reminiscing left her with the impression this would be a new memory she would remember for a long time. She considers getting a keepsake to commemorate the moment, but pushes it aside for a more appropriate time. Korra’s hand cups her jaw, pulling their lips together and Asami allows herself to get lost in it.  They had so many memories already, but Asami cannot wait for many, many more.

[xxpadfootxx]

🐾Bite Me! Part (2/3)🐾

Distraught couldn’t even begin to describe what Izuku was feeling. It had been two weeks since his encounter with Ochako in the woods and he felt like he was losing his mind. She had bolted from him when she had seen the wound on his arm, and even though Izuku had tried to run after her, her canine form had made her much faster than him even with his quirk activated, and he had lost her to the shadows of the forest.

Izuku paced his living room, running a hand through his hair as he tried to think of ways to contact her. He had no idea where she was, she hadn’t gone back to her house and she had managed to stay out of reach from the police officers who searched for her. Worry clawed at his heart and shredded his soul, the dark circles under his eyes and the sunken look on his face telling of his lack of sleep.

“Listen, Midoriya, I know you’re worried but there isn’t much more we can do,” Iida said softly from where he was sitting on the couch, his hands folded in his lap with his elbows braced on his knees.

“Yeah, I’ve had my agency sweep the entire city,” Todoroki said.

“And I’ve had every waterway patrolled,” Tsu said from where she was perched on the armrest of the couch, having arrived at Izuku’s home the minute she had heard what happened.

Izuku paused in his pacing and glanced at his friends. While most of Class 1-A had moved to different parts of the world to accomplish their own dreams, they had all remained close due to the strong bond they had developed during their years at U.A. Now, Izuku was more relieved than ever that he had remained close with his friends, knowing that he would not have made it through any of this without their help.

“I know,” Izuku muttered, resuming his pacing. “I’m just so anxious. I don’t know where she is or if she’s safe. You know how people in this society treat werewolves, I just got her back after thinking she had been shredded to pieces, I can’t lose her again.”

The room fell silent as the heroes assembled contemplated their predicament. All of them were beyond concerned for Ochako’s wellbeing, but none of them knew what to do anymore. None of them could distinctly remember her being good at stealth missions, but now it seemed like she was never going to be found, the days waning as the authorities already began to lose hope in their search.

“How is your bite wound doing, Midoriya?” Momo asked suddenly from her place beside Shouto, trying to distract from the somber mood.

Izuku lifted his arm and glared at the healing wound, irrationally angry at it for chasing away the love of his life.

“It’s fine. The doctors treated it and even told me I had come in soon enough for them to perform the necessary procedure to sterilize the venom and keep it from spreading any further into my body. They said I will be completely normal despite the bite.”

“So you won’t turn into a werewolf?” Tsu piped up curiously.

“Yeah, they said there is a small window of opportunity where they can stop the infection before it reaches the brain. It was a surprisingly quick procedure and since I'm already young and healthy, the venom took a lot longer to spread. I’m not a werewolf,” Izuku said.

“Well, that’s some good news!” Iida said with exaggerated enthusiasm, also trying to think of something other than the loss of their friend.

“Yeah, I guess,” Izuku mumbled, beginning to pace once more, scratching the hair at the base of his neck nervously. “I don’t care about the wound itself though, I just wish she hadn’t seen it.”

The others nodded and softly murmured their agreement. The conversation tapered off into silence once more. There was nothing more they could do. Absolutely nothing. Not until even the tiniest bit of information on her whereabouts showed up, they had done absolutely everything they could. Sighing, Izuku stopped pacing and turned to face his friends, who looked at him expectantly.

“Thank you all for being here, but it’s obvious we can’t do anything until the police turn up with information on her location so you guys can go home and get some rest, it’s getting late.”

“Are you sure, Midoriya, ribbit?” Tsu asked softly.

“Yeah, we want to be here for you as much as possible,” Iida said.

“Thank you, all of you, but you guys have done enough, please, go get some rest and try to relax a little until we get some more details, alright?” Izuku said.

His friends protested a little more but eventually gave in and left, patting his shoulders and encasing him in hugs before they left. Izuku shut the door behind them with a soft click and let out a shuddering sigh, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes for the fifth time that afternoon as the silence filled his home. He turned away from the door and shuffled over to his bed, collapsing on the comforter and slapping his arm over his eyes, trying to drift off into sleep. He knew it was hopeless to try to rest, but it gave him something to focus on, something to distract himself with.

A wry smile crept onto his face as he thought about what Ochako would tell him in this situation, her voice filling his head as he imagined her hovering over him like a mother hen, bashing him for not taking proper care of himself.

He turned on his side and crawled up to his pillow, trying to get more comfortable. When sleep continued to evade him, he opened his eyes and scanned the wall and his bedside table until they landed on the photo that was propped up against his lamp. It was an old photo, a photo of him, and Ochako from when they still went to U.A. Ochako had used her quirk on herself to make herself lighter and then sat on Izuku’s shoulders, allowing him to carry her around as he spun them and laughed. The picture had been sneakily taken by some of the girls in the dorm’s main living space, capturing a moment of pure joy with Izuku looking up at Ochako with a beaming smile while his adorable girlfriend laughed uncontrollably from his shoulders.

The sight of the photo brought more tears to Izuku’s eyes but he forced himself to focus on the happiness of the memory itself. Sure, it was harder than hell being left in the dark on Ochako’s location and safety, but she was alive. She was alive and mostly uninjured from what Izuku could tell despite the vivid image of her blood stained paws. She was alive and that was what mattered. She was strong, stronger than anyone else he knew, she would make it through this. Closing his eyes he allowed the memories of that happy moment in the dorms to wash over him and gently drag him to sleep, a deep determination settling in his heart. Ochako would make it. If anyone could deal with this situation and come out of it stronger than before, it would be his lover.

_____________________

Ochako leaned against the pillows on the old couch, a book propped up on her knees as she flipped through the pages, only half paying attention. Usually, she loved to read, but today there was so much on her mind she could barely take in more than a few words before she realized she had gone an entire page without understanding a single word. She grunted in frustration as she restarted a paragraph over again for the eighth time, her mind once again trailing off to images of Izuku and his warm smile. Her heart thundered in her chest and she scolded herself for her reactions to thoughts of him, her traitorous heart and body ignoring her brain’s constant pleas to forget about him.

Ochako was so busy trying to rein in her emotions she did not notice the figure leaning against the arch of the doorway, their arms crossed as they watched the girl.

“How long are you going to keep running from yourself?” The figure said after a moment, causing Ochako to jump off the couch in surprise and whirl around to look at him, a small dagger suddenly appearing in her hand seemingly out of nowhere.

“God damn it, Gouhin, you can’t scare me like that!” Ochako said, folding the small dagger into itself and slipping it back into her shorts pocket.

The figure, a tall burly man with graying hair, a goatee, and yellow eyes pushed off the wall and approached the gravity hero, his eyes narrowed.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Ochako glanced away, digging the toe of her shoe into the wooden flooring, her teeth lightly biting at her bottom lip.

“I don’t know, until I can forgive myself, I guess? I don’t know, Gouhin, why should I forgive myself in the first place? I could’ve killed my best friends.”

Gouhin moved to sit on the couch, his eyes never leaving Ochako as he analyzed her. He had met the young werewolf years ago, when her parents had been too afraid of her, even with the medicine, to keep her at home. He was a well-known werewolf, one who had learned to control himself more than any other, even without his medicine. He was known for taking in young werewolf pups and training them to control their hunger, to care for them, and accept them when society turned them away. He had instantly liked the sweet yet feisty little girl, finding himself impressed with her determination to become a hero despite her condition.

From what he knew, very very few werewolves ever became heroes, and when they did, they usually became sidekicks or mere assistants, used for sniffing out drug deals and locating hard to find criminals but never being able to do any actual fighting no matter what their quirk was. Ochako hadn’t wanted to conform to what society had in mind for her future and had happily accepted his training and guidance, her mind dead set on reaching her goal no matter what.

She had eventually learned enough to no longer need him anymore, but they had stayed in touch, ready for him to intervene if anything major happened. The pair had become very close, Gouhin becoming something of a guardian for her, oftentimes finding her when she ventured into the woods in her wolf form so that neither of them would be so lonely. He had been so proud when she had been accepted into U.A., and she had done an amazing job keeping her condition in check while attending the prestigious hero school, to the point where Gouhin idly wondered if she had finally surpassed him.

And then two weeks ago happened. Gouhin had offered to let Ochako stay at his small underground home in the middle of the woods until the heat died down, but he was tired of seeing his protege sitting around, depressed and lonely. He knew she had a wonderful boyfriend, had actually seen them together once or twice when neither of them had known he was there, watching as they ate together at a little cafe or sitting on the edge of his seat as he watched them fight villains together on his television. He had certainly missed the bubbly girl when she had stopped coming around to his house every weekend but this was not what he wanted. He missed seeing her bright smiles and the spark in her eye more than he missed having her around all the time. He wanted her to live her life but knew she would never do that while she thought of herself as a heartless monster.

“But you didn’t kill them,” Gouhin said genuinely. “You managed to control yourself, to force yourself away from your instincts, and protect your friends from what should have been instant death. You should be proud of yourself, Ochako.”

“Proud of myself?” Ochako spat bitterly, her eyes darkening as she remembered her encounter with her friends that fateful night in the woods. “I bit my boyfriend, Gouhin! I’ve completely ruined him! His whole life is going to be in shambles because of me! You know just as well as I do what we have to deal with every damn day and now I’ve just turned one of the most important people in my life into a monster! He is such a well-loved hero, what do you think people will think of him now when they find out what I’ve done to him? He might lose his ranking, hell, he might even have to back down as a pro-hero! Yeah, sure, I should be really fucking proud of myself.”

“You know that won’t happen, Ochako.”

“Really? Why should I not think something like that would happen? You’ve seen the werewolves who have been exposed and forced to back away from society. My dad almost lost his job and he isn’t even a werewolf! Just being connected to me almost forced my family to the streets, feeding on rats and living in a box. We aren’t humans according to this society, we are wild animals, beasts who deserve to be shunned and hunted. Look me in the eye and tell me honestly that Izuku won’t be ridiculed for what he has become?”

Gouhin sighed. He hated seeing Ochako like this. She was so young, with such a long, bright future ahead of her, and here she was, forced to consider how to survive in a world where nobody wanted her. In a world where she was hated and the odds were immediately stacked against her. He hated it because he knew that without this condition, she could be anything. She was the strongest young woman he knew, and it tore him apart to see her fighting off tears because she hated herself to the point of crippling despair. Her dejected, shaky sigh brought his attention back up to her face where he saw a few tears gleaming on her cheeks.

“It doesn’t matter anyway, maybe he will be able to get treatment for the bite. I hope he had enough sense to call an ambulance right after it happened, or one of his friends did, you know about the window of opportunity where they can sterilize the spread of the venom. I don’t want to get my hopes up but maybe he can still have a normal life,” Ochako said, looking up to meet Gouhin’s gentle gaze. “Will you tell me how he’s doing when you hear about it? I can only get so much from the television, and I don’t want anything to be overdramatized by the media.”

“Why are you asking me when you can just go up and check on him yourself?” Gouhin asked with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms again.

“Are you kidding? There’s no way he’ll want anything to do with me ever again! I can’t go near him, I just need to stay away, erase myself from his life. He will find someone who can genuinely be with him, someone who can give him what he deserves and help lift him up in life rather than drag him down. He will find a proper woman to call his wife someday. But he can’t do that if I’m lurking in the shadows, hovering over his life, I need to leave as soon as they stop searching for me, move to a place where he won’t be haunted by me anymore. A place where I can never hurt him ever again.”

Gouhin had to resist letting his jaw drop when she finished speaking, his eyes widening in surprise.

“That’s what you really think? You think the police are searching for you because you bit his arm? You think he hates you? Are you an idiot!?” Gouhin asks in shock, watching as Ochako’s eyes narrow on his in annoyance at the insults. “Listen, Ochako, because I’m only going to say this once. That poor, dutiful boyfriend of yours was the one that called the police, and not because he hated you, but because he is drowning in worry for you. I’ve seen the reports all over the city, watched that half and half hero send out his entire agency to find you. All of the waterways are being patrolled by the frog hero. All of them are looking for you because they miss you and they love you.”

Ochako knew Gouhin would never lie to her but she still found it hard to believe; that her friends would not be running for the hills after the friend they had had for years lied to them the entire time she knew them and then attacked them in the dead of night in the woods.

“And Izuku, man, I saw him the other day when he was out looking for you. That boy is so distraught over your disappearance. He still loves you more than anything, never stopped loving you. You may have bitten him, but he seemed physically healthy, and you did not kill him. You didn’t kill any of your friends. You are the first werewolf I have ever known to break free of your instincts without the use of your medication in the middle of a night with a full moon. You fought yourself to the point of breaking and you made it through. You are not a monster. You never were,” Gouhin continued, not giving her time to put herself down.

Ochako stared at her mentor, his yellow eyes piercing into her, reflecting only the truth in his sharp gaze. Ochako swallowed, hardly daring to believe it. Gouhin stood up from the couch and made his way over to his protege, resting his large, worn hands on her shoulders comfortingly.

“You were able to force yourself from your instincts because you love them, all of them more than you can express with words. But that Izuku Midoriya, he’s a special one. He’s your mate. Don’t push him or your true self away anymore. I understand why you think being separated from him would be best for him but I don’t want to see either of you suffer and I know in my heart that that boy would never forget you, no matter how hard he tries. He will always keep an eye out for you because he loves you in a way that is unique to you and him. Now stop fooling around and go get your man!” Gouhin said, pushing a giggling Ochako out his door.

Ochako grabbed onto his door handle and was about to leave when she turned around to face her guardian and mentor. She smiled brightly at him for the first time in weeks, her eyes finally starting to get that sparkle that he loved so much back in them.

“Thank you, Gouhin, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“It’s really no problem, kiddo,” Gouhin replied, tugging her into a warm embrace.

“Kiddo? I am an adult now you know, have been for a while.”

“I know, you grown-ass adult woman, but you will always be a little kiddo to me.”

Ochako laughed and punched him lightly in the shoulder.

“Goodbye Gouhin.”

“Goodbye Ochako.”

______________________

Another week had passed and Izuku was borderline hysterical. He was trying his best to keep it together, but he hadn’t even had a glimpse of her since that time in the woods and now he was doubting whether she was even still in Japan. He had no idea where she even would’ve gone to, her parents had been contacted and they had told him in concerned high-pitched tones that they had not seen her in months due to their work keeping them away from where Ochako was in the city. Their answer had made Izuku’s blood run cold, and he was getting close to just walking out into the woods to find another werewolf who might be able to help him even though he knew how stupid and dangerous that was.

Izuku groaned as he laid on his bed despite the bright sunshine that was pouring into his room through the slanted blinds. He had no energy to go anywhere or do anything. He had already been searching so much over the past few weeks that the police had asked him to take a break for his own health.

Rubbing his face with both hands, Izuku suppressed the urge to throw-up. He had managed to calm himself down every time he had panic attacks, reminding himself that she was alive, just missing. But as the weeks stretched longer and longer, he was starting to feel utterly hopeless. He was just about to drift off into a depressed, hazy form of light sleep when the click of his door being opened very quietly made his eyes fly open. Sitting up, Izuku quickly reached for his bedside table and rummaged around in the drawer until he had pulled out the small pocket knife he stored in there for emergencies.

Standing slowly, Izuku made his way to his bedroom door and leaned against the wall, his hand wrapped firmly around the door handle. He had no idea what to expect, if it was one of his friends they either would’ve knocked or announced themselves upon entry. He had given them all spare keys to his home but had told them to tell him when they were coming over to avoid just this situation.

Suddenly, his bedroom door knob rotated slowly in his hand and he backed away as the door swung open. Quickly leaping around the corner, Izuku prepared to confront the intruder when he stopped dead, Ochako’s shocked face filling his vision. He noticed her eyes dart down to the dagger in his hand nervously, and he managed to knock himself out of his reverie just long enough to have the sense to toss the knife to the floor hastily.

His whole body began to shake. Ochako was here. She was alive, and breathing and standing right in front of him. She looked normal, uninjured, maybe a little starved but otherwise healthy. Her eyes darted to the floor sheepishly and she shifted from foot to foot as he continued to gawk at her.

“H-Hey Izu-”

Ochako was cut off as Izuku suddenly launched himself at her, encircling her body, lifting her into his arms and spinning her in a circle, all while smiling and sobbing profusely. He held her so tightly against him, she was struggling to breathe, but she didn’t care as she hugged him back with equal force, nuzzling her face into his neck.

It felt so good to have her against him once more, her warmth soaking into his touch-starved skin, her breath fanning out across his neck and making his pulse beat so fast he was afraid it would short-circuit. Placing her back down on the ground, he grabbed her face in both of his hands and pulled her to him, sealing her lips with his in a searing kiss. Ochako squeaked with surprise before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back with equal passion, causing Izuku to groan.

When the two broke apart again they were panting and Izuku had to swipe his tongue along his swollen lips to sever the small string of saliva that still connected them. His chest was heaving and his heart was pounding against his sternum to the point where it was almost painful. He gently placed his hand on her chest, just over her heart, and closed his eyes at the feeling. Her heartbeat calmed him down and lifted the fog that had been settled over him ever since their breakup. He felt truly alive for the first time in weeks and he felt his spirit being revived as his eyes roved all over his girlfriend, checking to make sure she was alright and that this wasn’t some sick dream of his.

“H-How? Where? W-When? W-What?” Izuku desperately tried and failed to ask all of the questions that were crowding his brain. Ochako smiled and giggled breathlessly, sending a jolt of something electric down Izuku’s spine at the sound.

“Urm, if you sit on the bed with me, I’ll explain everything,” Ochako said nervously. Izuku nodded without a word and gently led her to his bed, pulling her down to sit on the end right beside him, his eyes trained on her face as she took a deep breath and began to answer all of his questions.

Izuku merely listened as Ochako told him about her run-in with a werewolf in the woods as a young child, her struggle through her childhood as the kids around her didn’t understand what was wrong but only knew that their parents hated the small gravity girl and alienated her. She told him about Gouhin, and how he helped her when her parents got overwhelmed. She told him about U.A., and how Aizawa and Nedzu knew but had not told anyone under specific requests from her and her parents. She explained how much of a better life she had at U.A., where she actually made friends and nobody was afraid of her. She even sheepishly explained how she almost rejected his confession to her because she was afraid he would hate her when he found out about her condition.

Izuku’s eyes widened but he did not interrupt, allowing her to continue to tell her story. She explained how much she grew to love him even more than she already did, how she was selfish and wanted him all for herself but knew it was for the best if they were apart, not wanting to inhibit his progress in life with her murderous physical condition. She apologized for dragging out their relationship for so long only to break it off, she just didn’t know how to handle the feelings coursing inside her.

Ochako told him about how she felt so guilty and distraught at the way she had treated him that she had completely forgotten to take her pills, only remembering when her transformation ripped through her at the last second. But it had been too late at that point. She explained how she went on a rampage, werewolves hate being in small spaces, and how the carnage found in her room was the result, her paws getting bloodied up from the amount of ripping and shattering she did. Ochako even lifted up her hands to let Izuku see where her hands had been bandaged from all of the cuts and gashes she carried on her once soft skin.

She finally ended her tale by telling him about her stay with Gouhin and how he was the one who convinced her to come back. When she finished, she bowed her head and allowed the silence to wash over her, her fingers fiddling with one another in her lap as she waited for his response. She didn’t know how he was going to react. He had every right to be furious with her after everything she put him through. Would he slap her? Would he tell her to get out and never come back? Would he hug her and never let go? No matter what he did, Ochako decided that she would let him do it, she deserved whatever came to her.

Ochako let out a small gasp when Izuku suddenly wrapped his arms around her and dragged her into his lap, cradling her form against him as he nuzzled her neck and pressed soft kisses up and down the column of her throat.

“You idiot,” Izuku whispered in between kisses, both his tears and his tongue wetting the soft skin of her neck. “You should’ve just told me, you wrestled with this all by yourself for so long when all you had to do was come to me. I meant what I said in the forest, you being a werewolf doesn’t change that, I love you. I always have and I always will. I just wish you had told me this so we could’ve dealt with it together before I had to suffer being without you.”

Ochako choked out a sob as she embraced him back, her fingers clenching onto his shoulder blades and her face pressing into his shoulder.

“I love you too, so much, Izuku, I’m so sorry I lied to you, about everything,” Ochako said, her voice muffled slightly by his shirt.

Izuku leaned back and kissed her again, his heart beating so furiously in his chest he idly wondered if it was going to burst from his chest and fly away. He felt a small sense of pride when her lips followed his for a second longer when he parted from her, the tiniest look of disappointment riding across her face.

Taking a deep breath, Izuku stood and made his way over to the sock drawer, thanking whatever gods there were that he hadn’t thrown it away. Digging around for a few moments, Izuku pulled out the little velvet box and covered it entirely with his palm, obscuring it from view.

“Izuku?” Ochako asked softly.

Izuku felt light and airy when she said his name but he shook his head slightly, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand. Moving back around so he was sitting in front of his girlfriend, Izuku settled down so he was sitting on both knees, trying not to arouse suspicion.

“Ochako Uraraka, ever since we met you have been by my side. We have grown together, fought together, loved together, learned together, and survived together. I love you so much my heart aches. You are the most gorgeous, amazing, talented, intelligent woman I’ve ever met. And I want you to understand that I will always feel this way about you, I will always love you, no matter what you look like or who you are. You have made my life so much better, I’ve never been so happy before. I love you so damn much, and we WILL get through this together, no matter what, okay?”

Ochako blushed at his impassioned speech as more tears cascaded down her cheeks, reaching out to grasp his hand. Izuku took her hand in his for a moment, rubbing his thumb over her bandages comfortingly before pulling away to Ochako’s confusion.

Smiling like an idiot, Izuku moved from sitting on both knees to raising one leg up so he was propped up on one knee.

“I’m sorry, I wanted to do this somewhere more romantic than this, but I know now that this is the time, if I wait any longer, I’m going to explode,” Izuku said just as Ochako raised her hands to cover her mouth. There was no way, was there?

Gathering his courage, Izuku pulled the little box around from where he had been hiding it behind his back, using his free hand to gently paw open the lid to reveal the glimmering infinite ring.

“No matter what happens, no matter the danger, no matter what life throws at us, I want to do it by your side. Please, Ochako Uraraka, will you marry me?”

Ochako was stunned with shock and pure unbridled joy. She couldn’t believe it, her fantastic boyfriend of four whole amazing years was sitting here proposing to her. She never would have guessed that the quirky little boy she had saved from tripping outside of U.A. before the entrance exam would be her future husband, but here he was, holding himself out to her. He knew what she was, he knew what she dealt with every day, and yet he was willing to take the risk of loving her.

“Urm, now might be a good time to say something,” Izuku said cheekily, the corner of his lips twitching with a nervous yet playful smile, his eyes sliding to the side anxiously.

Ochako snapped out of it and flung herself into his arms, knocking him to the ground with a loud squeal.

“I’m sorry, ‘Zuku, I was just a bit surprised that’s all. Yes, yes, I’ll marry you!” Ochako beamed at him, her bright, dazzling smile taking his breath away.

Izuku leaned up and claimed her lips in a heated kiss that she returned with enthusiasm, leaning on his elbows and bringing her body even closer to his.

He was still unsure about their future, and they still had a lot to talk about, but for now, he was happy to finally hold his future wife in his arms once more. Nothing else mattered. No matter what happened, he was never letting her go ever again. Werewolf or not, she was his life and nothing was going to change that. Ever.

[zojahc]

Do you have any tips on raising chickens????? I want to start a coop but I would like advice from someone with experience.

Raising as in from baby baby? Raising from chicks is actually surprisingly easy. I raised a handful of barnevelders from day old, my first batch of babes, in a set up that cost me around $30.

It’s legit a shallow tub with a desk lamp attached. The food itself cost me way more than the set up.

I’ve now upgraded to something bigger... a $7 tub from reject shop, as once the babies get bigger, they start jumping out.

This is there tub of shame. I only have one photo of it and it’s a mess.

Important things are food, don’t skimp, go with medicated chick feed and make sure you store it right.

I originally had two $17 desk lamps from Bunnings as my heat lamps, they do a good job for a smaller brood, I had 5 chicks in that pile. I now have a “mother hen heat pad” which I much prefer as they’re not under light 24/7 and there’s less fire risk.

Make sure the water can’t be stood in, as chicks get waterlogged quickly and will die of cold if they stay in water. They also like to throw water all over their bedding and will stink super fast. Speaking of bedding! Don’t use anything they’d be tempted to eat, like sand or grit. I use wood shavings and change it every few days.

I’d also recommend reading up on the breeds you’re after! Don’t go dropping into a local farm supply and grabbing browns and whites for $20, they’re usually mixed breeds from questionable/unethical places, and they can have some minor health problems that are usually small enough to be “not worth treating” before they’re sold. E.g Barbara has wonky, crooked toes- she was from one of those stores and that is an issue that comes from improper egg incubation. She’s also not the breed she was sold as. Like at all.

Good breeds are things like wynadottes or barnevelders, they’re friendly and decent layers. Aracaunas lay blue/green eggs depending on their parents but they can be a bit wild and flighty. I love orpingtons, but I’ve found they’re super fragile as chicks. There’s good resources like the chickenchick or backyardchickencoops who have articles about all the different breeds and their pros/cons.

There’s lots of groups/societies to get in contact with on Facebook, I have gotten most of my chickens from breeders I’ve found and chatted to through there. There’s usually ones local to your area, or you can have eggs shipped. Eggs are a lot of fun, I’ve never used an incubator I simply plop them under broody hens and leave them with mum. (Just make sure you mark which ones are fertile!) Broody hens are determined to hatch eggs, and will not move, lay, or even eat until they have done that job. They also get super mad.

I would love to leave them with mum the whole time but it’s very easy to lose chicks. I’ve had them taken by crows, by cats, even my own dogs (we stopped talking for a while after that) so they’ll stay safer in a brooder. If you do take them out, supervise them the whole time, and keep in mind that they’re likely to pick up parasites and might need worming or lice treatments, especially at they’re age because they’re so delicate.

So yeah! Research breeds and find one you love. I recommend barnevelders or vorwerks for friendly, well laying birds. Wyandotte’s are also great and they look very pretty but lay surprisingly small eggs. Aracaunas lay the novelty, coloured eggs, but need lots of handling. Get yourself a brooder, you need a lamp/heat source, food and water, and bedding. Get some chickies and plop them in there. Or alternatively get some eggies, but without a hen to raise them you’ll need an incubator and they can be very expensive. Then just keep an eye on your little bubs as they grow! I must warn you, be very prepared to lose some, they’re very fragile and sometimes they’re just not meant to be. It’s best to get two chicks for every one hen you would like. especially as you can get roosters! I had a batch of 7 and got 5 roosters...

There’s a handful of tricks for sexing babies at a young age too and I can help you with those when you get to it. But good luck with your chooks and you have to let me know how it all goes!

I have one cranky broody hen I’m thinking of putting some olive eggers eggs underneath, and raising some more babies soon. If you have any more questions let me know!!

[jackalopesao3]

Hello, would it be okay for me to request a match-up? I’m 5’8.5”, ENTJ, half-Gryffindor, half-Slytherin, and I’m usually the mother figure type of friend, having everything for emergencies. I’m quite competitive, passionate, determined, hard-working, and short-tempered(only on special occasions). I adore learning history, as well as new languages, and fun facts. Photography, dancing, exercising, reading, and drawing are some of my hobbies. I’m cat lover, but I adore loyalty in dogs. Thank you!

Hello @kuraxmasha !

I would match you with...

The first born, Lucifer!

The first thing he'd be attracted to would be your determination and hard-working nature. He appreciates those who work hard so that would catch his attention. He'd also like your competitive nature, as he too can be competitive.

Lucifer is the mother hen to his brothers. The two of you together would be prepared for any type of apocalypse possible!

Lucifer is also history buff so he would love to teach you the history of Devildom. He's also quite the dancer and could sweep you off your feet. He would love to see your photos and drawings. Expect him to hang up those photos and drawings as he'd be proud of your work.

When you have short-tempered moments, he'd be the one to hold you and calm you down.

Lucifer strikes me as a cat person but I could see him, like you, appreciating the loyalty of dogs.

The most important reason you'd match well with him is because with both of you being the motherly figure, you'd also make sure to take care of one another. Lucifer definitely knows what it feels like when you forget to take care of yourself and he would make sure it wouldn't happen to you.

[ducktracy]

130. let it be me (1936)

release date: may 2nd, 1936

series: merrie melodies

director: friz freleng

starring: bernice hansen (emily, hens)

this has an interesting backstory. bing crosby has actually SUED warner bros over 2 cartoons. it’s common knowledge that he’s at least sued over one cartoon, which is bingo crosbyana, also released in 1936. however, he also sued over this one too—and lost both. you’ll see why, but he sued over unflattering depictions of him. bing would be a common celebrity featured in many a cartoon, as well as fellow crooner frank sinatra. if i remember correctly, i had heard that he didn’t like his portrayal in frank tashlin’s iconic swooner crooner, the only porky cartoon to get nominated for an academy award. so, with that! crooner bingo has won the hearts of millions, including country bumpkin emily. emily’s husband isn’t too enthused when bingo and emily start hanging out with each other and get too close for comfort.

a gaggle of lovestruck hens crowd around the outside of a radio station, all trying to listen to the warbly strains of bingo crosby’s (as he’s not so subtly named in this cartoon) voice. sure enough, mr. bingo is recording the title song “let it be me”, cozying up to the microphone and putting on his shtick.

no hen is immune to bingo’s charming voice. a flock of adoring hens crowd around a radio, complete with a framed photograph of bingo on top, as if the radio is some sort of shrine to a feathery, crooner god. one hen in particular struggles to join in with the crowd, almost like a kitten trying to squeeze in with the rest of its litter to get some of its mothers milk.

elsewhere, a scene reused from i wish i had wings (and would again be tailored in wise quacks to fit daffy and his wife) has an adoring hen embracing her own personal photo of bingo while listening to the radio. her husband walks in, and quickly she hides the photo behind her back. the husband demands to see what it is she’s hiding, turning off the radio so she can give him her full attention. she eventually gives up and peeks out of her hands in giddy embarrassment as the husband ogles at the photo. to say the least, he isn’t too pleased—he throws the picture on the ground and stomps all over it for good measure, leaving her in tears. the plight that is bing crosby!

bingo wraps up his recording session, and struts outside of the radio shack, parting the waters that is his adoring fans. he tips his hat and tugs on his bow tie, bidding them a sly “good morning, girls.” the hens giggle and guffaw and blush in response, as if every single movement he makes is the funniest thing in the world. bingo meanders along his way, accompanied by a lovely underscore of “i wanna woo”, which would be prominently featured in the opening portion of porky’s romance. bingo, ever the charmer, coyly tosses his boutonnière to his fans, and a cock fight ensues as the hens tackle each other for the flower. an oldie but goodie for sure.

some nice juxtaposition: we fade out on the calm, cool, and collected bingo crosby and fade in on a hayseed, dopey farmer who is clearly the opposite in every which way of the former. he merrily struts along with a bouquet of handpicked flowers. he knocks on the door of a rural house, and out comes a quaint little country bumpkin hen. a precursor to the dopey voice kent rogers and later mel blanc would perform in their cartoons (very beaky buzzard-esque), the rooster guffaws “ah-i-i bought you some posies, emily,” dragging his feet around as he giggles while emily smells the bouquet. emily squeaks out a “thank you!” as the two yokels flirt together.

there’s a lovely undershot of a long, fancy, quite frankly intimidating orange car rolling down the dirt road. it’s none other than bingo, honking his many horns (each imitating his voice, giving a “booboobooboo”—a favorite to use amongst all WB directors with their interpretations of bing) to mark his arrival. emily cries “ooh, there’s mister bingo!” and drops her flowers as she rushes over to the end of the driveway, her husband obviously hurt.

bingo screeches to a halt at the front of their driveway. emily is tickled pink to see him, and her husband... not so much. bingo tips his hat and croons “good morning, my pretty maid.” she giggles and covers her face as bingo checks her out for a prolonged amount of time, evidently to his liking. a great visual as emily’s husband (i guess moreso boyfriend, but we’ve gone this far already so i’ll just keep it as husband loosely) literally turns green with envy, kicking the ground in aggravation. “how’d you like to go for a ride, baby, and i’ll show you the sights of the city?” a country bumpkin going out into the city—joy! emily eagerly accepts bingo’s invitation and hops right in his car. with that, the two speed off and the poor rooster is left to his own devices.

a very creative transition: fade out on the bewildered rooster. soon enough, the black screen is showered with balloons, confetti, and noise. fade in to a nightclub filled with rowdy patrons. emily and bingo are situated in the back, eagerly surveying their surroundings. bingo offers emily a glass of wine, but she refuses, shaking her head no. instead, bingo resorts to charming emily with a few “booboobooboo”s, and she’s wooed enough to take a sip. wow, what a lovely guy. just a great guy. regardless of bingo’s nefarious intentions, emily coughs and sputters after just one sip.

enter a curvaceous, beautiful turkey with an impressive fan. my first instinct was that she was a mae west caricature, at least by looks, but she appears to be french, and the mae west caricature would have played much heavily on her voice. a doppelgänger, perhaps! regardless, the singer launches into “i’ve got my eye on you”, and bingo is immediately taken with her. she approaches bingo and they flirt together, much to the chagrin of a neglected emily. she gives bingo’s sleeve a few haughty shakes, to which bingo motions at her to buzz off. thusly, emily breaks down into tears, bingo summoning a waiter to kick her out. what a charmer!

indeed, emily is booted onto the streets, bearing an imprint of a foot on her behind. “TIME STAGGERS ON” bellows a time card, and we’re transported to the wintry city streets. emily attempts to peddle some violets in the midst of the harsh storm, but receives no takers.

meanwhile, her hayseed rooster husband(?) paces around in his home anxiously. he sighs longingly at a framed portrait of emily, unable to discern what she sees in that stupid crooner. his thoughts are echoed as the radio broadcasts the vocals of mr. bingo himself, once again warbling “let it be me”. the rooster is furious and slams the radio to the ground, the radio giving a few last dying “booboobooboo”s.

time to take action. the rooster courageously wraps a scarf around his neck and prepares to brave the storm as he opens the door. however, the storm is much stronger than the rooster’s determination, the wind blowing him back through several doors in the household and out of the back door. instead, the rooster marches out into the streets from the back of his house. his march grows only more hurried and vitriolic as visions of bingo dance in his head—visions of wringing him by his spindly little neck.

the radio shack pops up in sight, and the rooster storms right in. bingo’s croons are put to a halt and are replaced by the sounds of offscreen, comical violence as the rooster pummels him behind closed doors. i wonder why on earth bing tried to sue them. hmmmmmm. the rooster takes care of his duty, but is hardly fulfilled. he treks glumly along in the snow, still longing for his dear emily.

he can only sulk as he treads on, ignoring the squeaky voice of some random woman selling violets on the street. he halts. sure enough, it’s his beloved emily, freezing her feathers off. he bellows “emily!” with outstretched arms, and emily happily responds “clem!” (clem kadiddlehopper?) as the lovebirds embrace.

time marches on, and our heroes now have a happy family. clem reads by the fire while emily knits, both watching adoringly as their chicks playfully cheep and chase each other, a fitting underscore of “home sweet home” furthering the coziness of the scene. relaxation is disturbed when one of the chicks begins to sing, sounding awfully similar to a familiar crooner as the chick gives out a few “booboobooboo”s. he’s quickly shut up as an offscreen book is hurled at his head. iris out.

i enjoyed this cartoon! friz’s cartoons are getting better and better, and this one made me smile. just knowing that bing tried to sue warner bros for this cartoon definitely adds to the appeal. it seems he wasn’t too great of a guy himself (which is a shame, i love his music), so this is almost cathartic. bernice hansen does a great job of voicing emily (like always), and whoever did the voices for bingo and clem also deserve recognition. lots of funny gags, such as clem turning green with envy and the bastard child at the end. i’d say go watch it! if anything, it’s worth watching knowing it sparked a lawsuit.

link!

[neshabeingchildish]

Poly Wanna? Ch. 10

Even though this is a rated M story with characters in the 27-29 age range, I understand and respect that there are kiddos here and have no intention of writing flat out graphic adult material. I’ve used a lot of mature language, but have hopefully not gone too far in this chapter, which has numerous dreams and situations that I tried not to make too explicit. Be prepared for a few shockers, but hopefully, the M didn’t go into some other higher letter!

I stopped tagging as many people. I heard that the tags weren’t really working well anyway, so I just started over on these tags with the people that I know are reading and if anybody else is, they can find it on my page. @adorkable-blackgirl @chenoahchantel @woahjusttakeiteasy-man (I hate this because it’s way too mature content for your eyes and I feel like I have to say that, but also feel like if I didn’t tag you, that’d be effed up, because you’ve read and reviewed every chapter!) @up-the-tube Anywhooo, if any of the 4 of y’all, or I guess I should say if Lizzie and Niah want me to PROMPTLY remove you after this update, I understand completely and I am SO SORRY FOR THIS. I tried to handle it hella different ways. Nothing went right. I know them first two just put up with ANTYTHING from me. 😅

Laughing Fits and Lucid Dreams

The movie watching went well. They wound up turning on some horror movies and Charlotte practically clung to Jasper the entire time. He loved that. She was so fearless, but whenever a horror movie was on, she would be worked up and a little bit terrified. Jasper fell to sleep first, probably because the past couple of days he hadn’t slept well at all. He had been awake and worried, then the three were awake all night and before the sun even set, he was passed out and draped around Charlotte. She tried to get up a few times, but he clung to her and groaned whenever she attempted. Poor thing. “I was pretty positive that between Jasper’s lack of sleep, my pulling and tugging his emotions in various directions and Henry and I arguing in front of him that he was not only exhausted (which I think is why he had a panic attack), but he was also scared and even in his sleep, his abandonment or rejection issues were flared up. I sent Henry to get my travel box of crystals from my room and I was determined to intercede on Jasper’s behalf, so that he’d be able to sleep well.”

Charlotte selected a rainbow moonstone, herkimer diamond and opal aura to set out. Henry didn’t mind if Jasper remained in his bed, but he recommended that Charlotte stay too. “If he wakes up in bed with me, and you’re not here, I don’t know how he’ll react to that.”

“Like I could get away, anyway. This boy is squeezing me like a python.” Jasper snuggled in even closer to her and held more tightly. 

Eventually, he did let go. He was asleep and Henry was out fighting crime, so Charlotte went back to the Man Cave to check up on him. Nobody told her she could, but being back in there had stirred something up in her. She went up there to sit at the control panel and see if she still “had it.” Spoiler alert, of course she did. No plot twist, though. She was surprised to see Henry return alone. Where the heck was Ray? Asleep? She shook her head. 

“You just keep exploring on your own, huh?” Henry asked.

“Who’s gonna stop me?” She asked back. He laughed and transformed into his regular clothes. “I started some work while I’m here. Thought about running some stuff past Schwoz, but he’s probably asleep.”

“Like you should be. I mean, I see that you’re dressed for it.”

“Well, yeah, but I’m in the middle of something right now,” she said and pointed to the screen. He couldn’t tell what she was supposedly in the middle of, so he just let her have her way and went to get himself something from the auto snacker.

Henry and Charlotte eventually went back up the elevator and checked on Jasper. He was still completely out. She was in her night clothes while in the Man Cave, so she simply slipped back into Henry’s bed with Jasper and he quickly resumed holding her closely, tightly. 

Jasper had this cuddle habit. He kinda groped you in his sleep. His hand cuffed her “gens” and his other arm was wrapped gently around her throat. It was a possessive hold that Henry remembered well. He went to get cleaned up and threw on a pair of boxers, stared at himself in the mirror for a while and wondered, was he ready to do this? Should he just grab some covers and take one of the several other beds in the house? Part of him knew that might be best for everybody. That part of him was thoughtful and considerate. It didn’t win. He climbed into his own bed and laid down next to Jasper, wrapped an arm around the two of them and felt Charlotte’s hand touch his, then intertwined their fingers. He didn’t know if that was conscious or not, but was scared that if he questioned it, even in a whisper, it would be too jarring and possibly make it weird. Jasper shifted a little and Henry took a deep breath, cuddled closer to him and let himself fall asleep.

.

Henry blew a bubble, then went up the tube. Charlotte was doing some interpretive dance in the living room, belly full with child, and music playing, accompanied by ethereal voices, in the background. There was a patch of grass beneath her bare feet, a real patch that he had made room for, for her. Jasper was nearby, playing the bongos with his hands and beatboxing. She wound up at his lap, he pushed the bongos aside and collected her into an embrace and kissed her. Henry backed away, giving them some space, or… maybe he was… getting smaller? He looked at the place, it was getting smaller, and eventually, it was no longer his house, but Jasper’s apartment. The grass was gone, the place was cozy and they were perfectly happy without him… And he realized that he’d shrunk so small that he vanished and everything went dark. 

Henry awoke with a start and glanced next to him. Jasper was awake, but cuddling Charlotte, who was asleep. “You okay?” He wondered. 

Henry nodded, “Bad dream.”

“Bad dream, or honest one? Char’s got the good dream crystals out,” he said and pointed a thumb. “I mean… they’re like in HD, Dude. I had amazing dreams. They didn’t all make sense, though. Mostly about… you…” He turned his gaze to Charlotte and rubbed her arms. “And of course, her. Thank God… What were you dreaming about?”

“You… The two of you… Just… like… I don’t know… You two have a connection. You’ve got this beautiful thing going on, and since I’ve been back in your lives, I’ve just kinda been making a mess of things. You’d probably be better just forgetting about me.”

“No doubt, but it’s a little late for that. You said that you love us… You’re going to have to tough out whatever that confession will mean for all of us.”

“Do you think that it does mean anything for all of us?” “I think that I woke up because I heard her say your name in her sleep. I think all three of us are experiencing a lot of feelings.”

“That’s because I stepped back into the picture. You and Charlotte could be on a patch of grass, expecting a baby, with her dancing a tribute to the moon goddess or something and you playing bongos and beatboxing, but instead, you’re sleeping in my bed, and none of us are getting any.”

“That was an oddly specific depiction, but add a cat and I’d say fairly accurate,” Jasper chuckled. Henry sighed. Jasper pointed to a slip of paper beneath the crystals. “I didn’t look to see what she wrote down, but whenever I ask her in the morning, I'll bet it'll be something about the three of us. Come here…" Henry came closer and Jasper shifted to allow Henry to cuddle up with Charlotte. He wanted this SO bad, but she hadn't really made him feel like it was okay. Then again, if she'd said his name in her sleep… Henry wrapped himself around her and moaned out a sigh. He was asleep again in no time. 

.

“Hey, Hen!” Charlotte cheered, come on! You’ve gotta get in here!” He looked over to where she and Jasper were inside of a photo booth. “When was the last time that we took a photo?” She asked, with a beaming smile and radiant skin. He rushed to get into the photo and they took several. They put their faces together, made silly expressions, shared a few kisses. 

Jasper cheered, “Win me something!” And Henry rushed to do so. He got him the biggest stuffed animal… though it was a sasquatch. “Yay! Bigfoot comes home with us!” Jasper celebrated as Henry handed him the huge plushy. 

“You guys wanna get on the ferris wheel?” Henry wondered. They didn’t look excited about that. “I’ll make it worth it, for both of you…” He told them. Their interests were piqued and they went for it. 

Whenever the ride first started, Henry’s hand began to move up Charlotte’s pretty little floral dress. She smiled and looked at Jasper who raised his eyebrows and licked his lips. Charlotte leaned back to slide her pelvis forward and Henry shifted to get on his knees. Jasper simply smiled and set his plushy aside, so that he didn’t miss anything. The next circle, it was his turn. But, Henry certainly couldn’t pull that off with him in his romper… Actually… Henry could! Jasper protested for a short moment that Henry might rip his “romphim,” but was silenced soon enough. As they got off of the ride, Charlotte took one of Henry’s hands and one of Jasper’s. “Let’s go home,” she said…

.

Charlotte woke up and looked at Henry, wrapped around her and shifted to see Jasper wrapped around him. She grabbed her paper from beneath her crystals and looked at it. “Please, allow us to see how it could be, if we got out of our own ways and did was what best for everybody. If we forgive, forget and move forward… I would like to see THAT dream…” She set it back down and went to the bathroom to pee, rub one out and refresh. Henry’s bathroom was even extravagant, though most of his things weren’t in there. Some necessities were in the cabinets and he had really good toilet paper and a very expensive looking bidet. She’d gotten one of those ones that you attach to the toilet whenever they lived together and kept upgrading it whenever she could over the years, but didn’t have a separate and sophisticated basin! 

She came back to the two men cuddled up and wondered how Henry wound up in the middle and if that meant that Jasper didn’t want her next to him. She had several dreams throughout her sleep, that she could remember very vividly. That last one though… it made the most sense and was the clearest, so she figured maybe that was the dream that she was meant to see.

The previous one wasn’t even a current VERSION of her! She looked like she was in college! In fact, she remembered that night that she had dreamed about…

Charlotte was stressed out, gathering a bunch of books to turn back into the library, dressed as a complete nerd, barely able to stay on her feet, with huge goggles atop her head and a messy bun in her hair, with poofy tendrils traveling away from her. As soon as she dropped the books into the deposit, she took a deep breath. She made it! She could go celebrate tonight! She stepped into the place, hair done, and transformed for a few hours into a little vixen, still kinda awkward, but in a delicious little package that reminded Jasper of a golden candy wrapper. He stared at her and she made eye contact with him, then smiled shyly and turned away. She went to find a seat, so that she could size up the room - figure out where the exits were in case of emergency, figure out where her vantage point would be for getting in and out of the bathroom, where she would most likely be more visible, or preferably, most likely not to.. And two guys came up to the table, simultaneously. One, the one that she’d seen earlier had asked if she wanted to dance. The other, a tall blond, asked her if he could buy her a drink. The two men turned to look at each other, challengingly, but then they look each other up and down, rushed towards each other and immediately began kissing. She had found it. The perfect seat.

That wasn’t exactly how it had happened in real life. She had gone out, gotten hit on by about a dozen old men, and went home drunk and depressed, remembering that she had been dumped by her ex and in turn lost her other ex, and she did more drinking when she got home. The dream was a nice little reimagining. 

She wondered what THEY were dreaming about, but shoved her way into the middle of them. They barely resisted her doing so and after she managed to squeeze in between them, both were facing her and laid hands or arms on her in some way or another. That was more like it. Who did they think they were, putting HER on the outside? But, now that she was in the middle with them groping and rested on her. Damn… she’d forgotten how sore she still was… and NOW, she was being poked at by TWO peckers. “Ugh. Good going, Charlotte,” she whispered to herself.

.

Jasper was on the dance floor, twerking. Charlotte, at the bar in a tailored suit and a hat dipped low over her eye. Feelgood walked into the place and several patrons paused to see if that was actually him, or if some person was simply going around dressed like him. He came up to the bar and immediately noticed the tiny stud checking him out. She told the bartender, “His drink’s on me,” then, she took a sip of hers, touching the liquid with her tongue, before her lips. He smiled at her and moved closer to thank her, but she put a single finger up to his lips to quiet him, even though she hadn’t glanced at him again since her initial power move. She was watching something, or rather, someone. He turned to see him, a sweaty, beautiful disaster. He understood completely why she didn’t want to be disturbed. 

After a while, the woman beckoned the dancing man with the curve of a perfectly manicured finger, her pinky, glistening with a pink diamond. He came over and she gathered him to herself by the buttcheeks, slapped him across one and kissed him on the ear, “Got you a present, Babe.” She turned him to face Mr. Feelgood. 

Jasper cheered, “I’m such a fan!”

Feelgood said, “I’ve only seen you for five minutes, and I’m a fan, now, as well.” Jasper blushed. 

The woman pressed close to Feelgood, beckoned him down to her, like she’d just done Jasper and he had no choice but to lean closer to her, because she had just commanded it. What was he supposed to do? Deny her? Their faces were joined at the nose and she said, softly, “You’d better not hurt him, or I’ll hurt you. Thank you for your service,” and planted a slow and painful kiss on his lips. The rest of it was a blur of body parts, touching, kissing, the flash of her camera…

Jasper woke up grinding against Charlotte and quickly stopped himself. These dreams were becoming a problem! But, Charlotte was back next to him and facing Henry… Actually, she was laying against Henry’s chest and his fingers were tangled up in her curls. Jasper moved in closer to her and rested his head in her curls and cuffed her to himself, without taking her off of Henry’s chest, because he didn’t wanna disturb her. But, he was also painfully aware of what that last dream had done inside of his shorts. He should probably deal with that? Naw, it’d go away in a while if he ignored it. Whenever it went down, he went back to sleep.He had a filthy, raunchy dream about them. 

It was mostly him speaking very aggressively to Henry and ordering him around, making an object of him and dominating him to serve he and Charlotte. To pleasure them at his command, and cleaning them up. But, with Charlotte, he was not only gentle, but docile, speaking to her as though she were a goddess that he was worshipping through these acts. She was divinity and Henry was a sacrifice. Something that he owned and was offering to her. And Henry was willing to be that to him, to her, for him, for them. But, she explained to him that Henry needed to be pleased and cleaned up to, and asked him nicely if he was willing to do that, for her. Of course, he was. And she collected both of them to her bosom and held their heads in her hands, stroking their hair. 

The situation in his shorts woke him up. UGH! I knew I should have taken care of this! He got up and went into the bathroom and just decided to take a cold shower, since he needed to clean himself up, anyway. He’d read that cold showers curbed libido and apparently, all of his dreams would be lascivious cesspools tonight. His daydream in the shower though was anything but. 

It was them going home together from an amusement park. Charlotte had honeycombs from the rooftop beehives that Henry put there specifically for her and she made them snacks of cheese, edible flowers, fruit, and those honeycombs. She gave the cat some homemade pate that she did herself. She played thunderstorm sounds accompanied by music, and lit candles all over. They talked for a while, laughing about nothing and everything, then kissed, then touched, then… Maybe his daydreams were tainted too. Maybe… this itch just needed to be scratched! Maybe… If they just did this, did it… Everything could just continue on and they didn’t have to think about it this hard anymore. Maybe, he was just hoping for a good excuse to climb back into that bed naked and just let or orchestrate something to happen! This cold shower was VERY uncomfortable and not the LEAST BIT helpful! He turned off the water and shivered as he dried off. Then realized/remembered that his shorts were in no condition to be put back on. He was going to get the towel and go get more, but whenever he was picking them up off of the floor, he heard the bathroom door open and he quickly turned and faced Henry, whose eyes went wide and directly to...well… the jewels. He turned away and covered his face, “Sorry, Dude. I’ll go use another bathroom,” Henry said.

“No, I was just about to go!” Jasper said and wrapped himself in a towel and rushed out, forgetting his shorts. Henry was going to tell him that he had, but when he picked them up, they were still… not wet, but clearly they’d been recently… altered. He chuckled to himself and flung them into his laundry hamper, disturbed that he had been tempted to give them a whiff. 

Whenever he finished using the bathroom and washing his face, he went back to the bedroom and Jasper and Charlotte were gone. Jasper had either woke her up to leave, or had picked her up and carried her out. Henry didn’t want to bother them, but he did want Jasper to know that it was okay and he wasn’t going to do anything because of what he’d seen. He went to check in Charlotte’s room and heard the two of them giggling. The door was cracked, so he peeked in and saw Jasper, releasing his towel and getting in bed, on top of her. He left, but he knew that there was no way that he could go to sleep now. He went back into his room and collected her stones and set them and her paper outside of her bedroom before going back into his own and locking the door. He turned down his lights, opened a bottle of wine from the bedroom wine cooler in his closet, and decided to do a late night wine workout, a bit of wine, a bit of workout to blow off some of his energy, then meditate and finish the wine and then, he might go back to sleep and just hide out in here until those two left… He heard a knock on the door and rolled his eyes. They must’ve left something.  

He opened the door and Char was in a thin little robe and Jasper was in a pair of boxers. “Yeah?”

“Sorry we took off. We had to handle something. Can we come back?” Charlotte asked. 

“Not if you’re bringing those damn crystals. I didn’t get ANY sleep!” Henry complained, but he was really glad that they came back and got out of the way of the door to let them in. Jasper wouldn’t look at him, so he stepped in front of him to make him at least reflexively do so. Jasper and he were face to face and Charlotte laughed, “Now kiss!” She said, playfully. Jasper leaned his head back, but then gave Henry a quick smack on the lips and sidestepped him to go back to the bed. Henry licked his lips. They tasted like Char. He smiled and blushed and asked, “Does anybody want a bottle of inexpensive wine?”

“I’ll take one.”

“I’ll take a couple,” Jasper said. Henry handed Charlotte a bottle and handed Jasper one white, one red.

“Hey… if you two lived here, what kinda stuff would you like to add or take away to or from the house?” Henry asked.

They began talking at the same time and Henry, after years of this, even though it had been a while, managed to hear every single word that they both said. A patch of indoor grass for yoga and meditation, rooftop beekeeping, a colossal sasquatch plushie… “Hey, wait… I had a dream that I won you one of those! I thought I made that up in my head. Are there colossal sasquatch plushies somewhere?”

“You won ME one?” Jasper asked in excitement. 

“Yeah! We went on the ferris wheel and I went down on both of you,” Henry said, laughing. 

“Oh!” Jasper didn’t know how else to reply. “Just throwing it out there, I guess.”

“Well, it’s obviously Char’s fault, because she’s the one who brought in the sex dream crystals.”

“I brought in crystals for dream clarity and recall. Nobody told you to think of going down on people on a ferris wheel. Don’t put this on those crystals.”

“I’m putting it on you!” Henry said. “You wore a chocolate skin tight dress all day, and a silky short set to bed, especting somebody to have decent thoughts.”

“ESPECTING?” Jasper repeated, laughing. “How much wine have YOU had?” 

“How much jizz did you have in your shorts when I found you naked in my bathroom?” Henry asked. 

“WHOA!” Charlotte said and her eyes widened. “You didn’t tell me that Henry saw you naked! Is… that why you needed a late night fix?”

“I needed that before the Henry incident. I took a shower, I wasn’t wrapped in a towel, and he came in to use the bathroom. I promptly covered myself and left.”

“And came to get me for a quickie,” Charlotte said.

“Which I needed BEFORE the cold shower I’d just taken, that didn’t work.”

“Relax. I barely saw anything. All I saw was his butt bent over and like 2.5 seconds of dingle. Are you shaving now?”

“I try to keep things orderly,” Jasper said.

“Good job.”

“Show us your stuff,” Charlotte said to Henry.

“Do what now?” Yeah, huh?” Henry and Jasper replied.

“He saw our dick and we should see his,” Charlotte said.

“Our?” Henry said. “You… You gotta… I don’t remember seeing YOUR…” 

She grabbed a handful of Jasper’s and confirmed, “This is OURS. Show us YOURS.”

“Ours is… awakened,” Jasper said quietly. She didn’t let go. Henry looked at Jasper, wondering if this was an honest request or demand. Jasper knew what his look meant. “I do believe that she means it,” he said. 

Henry laughed and stood up, “Fine. Okay…” He pulled down his pajama bottoms and reached for his boxers, “I mean… it’s just private parts under these. No… not any…”

“SHOW US YOUR DICK!” 

“OKAY!” Henry pulled his boxers down and Charlotte screamed and laughed. “Wow. You are a mean lady,” he said and pulled his shorts back up.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh. I just can’t believe you listened to me!” She laughed onto Jasper’s chest. Jasper hadn’t laughed. He’d looked right at it and it didn’t seem to be a laughing matter to him. “Nice landscaping. Is it flames?”

“It’s supposed to be a tulip,” Henry said, looking into his shorts. “I couldn’t do a daisy, but I’m definitely practicing.”

“It’s nice,” Jasper said, softly. 

“Yeah, Jasper’s jumped at the sight of it!” 

“You can’t drink anymore around Henry,” Jasper said and took her practically empty wine bottle. She gave him a threatening look, but he just kissed her on the nose and said, “So, I guess you’re not showing us anything?”

“You both know what it looks like,” she said. 

“Henry doesn’t. I doubt that you had the same thing going on when you two were together.”

“You’re right, I didn’t,” she said and smiled. But didn’t make any move to show anybody anything. Instead, she said, “So, Hen. I have a Bermuda Triangle piercing…” he gasped. “I get a Brazilian wax, front to back, but leave a patch of hair at the mons pubis, and it’s trimmed like an arrow pointing down, and above the arrow is a little Adinkra power of love symbol tattoo. My stuff is too much for your eyes to handle. You can’t even handle the description.” 

All he said was, “I don’t know what kinda tattoo you mean. I think you need to show me so I won’t be ignorant.”

“Google it,” she said and laughed. 

“How hot is it, Jasp?”

“Super hot. I mean, all of her is, but it's like… unf.” Henry undressed and Jasper and Charlotte watched, speechless. 

He got naked and said, “I’m going to bed like this. This is how I like to sleep and this is how I’m gonna sleep.” 

Charlotte said, “Aight, I’m head out…” And she and Jasper cackled, but she didn’t head out. 

Henry got up and asked, “Any more wine for anybody else?”

“You don’t think you’ve have enough, huh?” Jasper wondered. Henry came out with three bottles and passed them around. Charlotte set hers aside and Jasper opened his. 

“I’m going to sleep, so that I can get up and see the sunrise in a few hours. You two have fun. Be safe,” she said. 

“We’re not doing anything without you,” Henry said, opening the bottle. She fought a smile. “This is a… triad. So, sweet dreams,” he said and kissed her on the forehead… Like he wasn’t stark naked. 

“You… too…” She said and laid down. He dimmed the lights a little more and Jasper climbed under the covers and removed his shorts, as well. But, he was gonna finish this bottle and go to sleep. He didn’t know if he was trying to watch the sunrise. But, he hoped to at least get some sleep. Henry locked the door back, just in case Ray, Schwoz, or worse, PIPER, came through the place. He’d have a hell of a time explaining any of this. He was just figuring out himself what he wanted and needed.

[dansnaturepictures]

Species appreciation post: The blue butterflies I have ever seen: Holly, Common, Adonis, Small, Brown Argus, Northern Brown Argus, Silver-studded and Chalkhill

After I did my last two species appreciation posts for Peregrine and Sparrowhawk earlier in the year I found they were my 17th and 18th of these posts since I began them as content to fill some gaps on my social media in 2015. I then had the idea for my 20th of them to be on Hen Harrier posting on Hen Harrier Day in August 2020. All being well I shall still do that but due to Covid-19 there may not be a Hen Harrier Day as such as I know its often gatherings of people coming out in support of the bird that mark it so it may just have to be one about it around when Hen Harrier Day would have been. But to do that I needed to do a 19th species appreciation post and I decided it would be of a dragonfly or butterfly. These days having so much more time on my hands in the week and at weekends due to the pandemic is a perfect time to do one, albeit this one will post on a day I have produced photos still and quite a few actually. I thought to add to the daytime tweet theme I’m in the middle of where I post one of my past butterfly pictures each day I’d do a mega butterfly species appreciation post about the eight species I have seen from what is probably my favourite family of butterflies. As part of this I did an album on Facebook with one picture I’d taken of all 46 butterfly species I’ve ever seen on Tuesday so this post (whilst it can be enjoyed by Twitter friends too) serves to bring my series of butterfly reflection inspired by the early season ones emerging on mass over these weird and at times difficult days lately to my three main nature/photography social media accounts.

So the blues are a family of butterflies like no other for me. Three of them sit on my list of favourite butterflies, and one more on my B list of favourite butterflies. You could argue most of my very best butterfly pictures have been of these species. And whilst generally blue isn’t my favourite colour I always adore seeing insects of these divine and varied shades of this colour. I’ve had a relationship with this family of butterflies like no other. Below I go through each of the eight blues I’ve seen in my life, roughly in order of when they might emerge in a season, saying as always in these posts why I like them, a brief bit about my journey with them and say which of my past pictures in this photoset are of the species.

Holly Blue

Very often one of the first few butterflies you see in a year and certainly they should be the first blue butterfly in a year the Holly Blue is one I find a delightful early or mid-spring treat of a sight. Their often closed wing appearance makes them very distinctive and I find them charming. They’re not one of my favourite butterflies but I’ve perhaps had a more intimate relationship with them than other blues given that I have seen them in our garden and during working days often so they’re very graspable to see. I hope that might prove the case this year where the lockdown is going to put me seeing most other blues at risk. I took the first picture in this photoset of one at St. Catherine’s Hill on Easter Sunday 2019.

Common Blue

Another that, rarely for me given I have lots of families on my list of favourite animals where I like one of the most common and then some rarer, is not one of my favourite butterflies. I still look forward to seeing them each year though. The name and status of the species always to me makes me think it should be one of the early/all season butterflies like Holly Blue is. However seeing your first Common Blue in a year is always exciting as you know spring is well and truly rooted and you’re approaching the late spring butterflies. It steps up your butterfly season to a stage where summer is near which I look forward to every year. The second picture in this photoset shows one I was happy to see at Martin Down last year. Since I’ve had blues on my list of favourite butterflies and indulged in some rarer ones I’ve made an effort to try and notice and enjoy Common Blues more both locally over Lakeside the country park near our house and further afield and last year my best ever butterfly season shows that a lot.

Adonis Blue

Onto the first of the blues that is on my list of 11 favourite butterflies added to that in summer 2015 and the Adonis Blue is a star of a species. I think they’re in a different league entirely looks wise to Common Blue as the Adonis sports an exotic and sparkling glow. Its rich colour that as I always say makes it seem like something you would see in a tropical rainforest is one of my main drawing points to it as well its distinctive and striking markings. I adore this species. It came into my life in 2013 and since I have grown fonder of it by the season, its risen to the top as one of the butterflies I aspire to see most every year. Martin Down has been one of a few strongholds for them for me and I took the third picture in this photoset of one there last year.

Small Blue

A very cute little butterfly to find I always think, I also love the way they are marked and how distinctive they are. It’s a key spring one for me to see ever since I saw my first at Afton Down on the Isle of Wight in 2013 and a gem of a butterfly I always look forward to in years. Martin Down one of my butterfly paradises is again a big place for them. Last year I missed it there on an initial May visit but did see it on a trip there the late May bank holiday Saturday where I took the fourth picture in this photoset of it and as the main butterfly species seen that day as the year tick I really focused on it nicely.

Brown Argus

Not the most obvious of blues but still part of the family all the same Brown Argus is one I’ve had an interesting journey with. Seeing my first few from 2014 onwards I rather had my Mum showing me them and never really learned how to ID them. But one night in 2018 changed that all when I spotted one during a Big Butterfly Count in July over Lakeside after work. I needed to see it and one or two other species to level my then previous highest ever butterfly year list total in 2014 (I went on to do that and beat it in 2018 and I surpassed the figure I reached then again last year of course). I first of all thought it was a Small Blue the only thing comparable to it for size in my opinion blue butterfly wise but when I noticed the closed wing marking resembled that of the Common Blue not holly in the case of the small I had to rethink. Brown Argus sprang to mind but I had to be absolutely sure it was going to me a big moment and butterfly to notch up that year for me and I determined my instinct was right for that amazing moment for me. It was quite a big butterfly to see at my local site I never knew they were there, I did see one in 2019 during the butterfly count there twice though. Since that night in a hot summer in 2018 I became so used to them and what they looked like and my relationship with them got stronger and stronger. I took maybe my best photo of butterflies last year of this beautiful and quaint little species. I just found myself having a real desire for them and finding them so attractive from how they look to where you find them in nice grassy habitats and I added the species to my B list of favourite butterflies in March. I took the fifth picture in this photoset of one at Old Winchester Hill later on in 2018.

Northern Brown Argus

I’d scarcely heard of a Northern Brown Argus until we headed to Northumberland for our June holiday to go to the Farne Islands last year. I sort of took mentions of it from my Mum with a pinch of salt as we went around Northumberland not really covering the right habitat for it, but seeing lots of butterflies such as the beginning of the mass Painted Lady invasion last year and Wall Brown. But as we pondered what to do with a free day, our last day away, we thought it was rude to be so close and not to visit Scotland. So my Mum found St. Abb’s Head on the internet and as soon as I googled it that night and read it was a site that had Northern Brown Argus something flashed and flickered in hope in my mind. It took us a while when at St. Abb’s Head as we passed the area marked that they are in with the sun in and out, on the way back it was warmed up and we’d seen Small Copper and other butterflies. We went to the same spot in this big beauty spot and our luck was in as two people were bent over looking at something. They showed us the butterfly, it was the tiny Northern Brown Argus and this was one of my greatest butterfly and general moments last year and of all time. What an honour to see a rare and exceptional species as beautiful, fascinating and charming as its cousin to the south. I took the sixth picture in this photoset of it that day in June 2019.

Silver-studded Blue

Unlike chalkhill, adonis, small and Brown Argus which I first ever saw during the rapid expansion of our butterfly life list and list of places to see them in 2013 and 2014 silver-studded it part of an older breed of my butterflies having first seen them in the New Forest in 2011 and enjoying them the next summer too. Since Silver-studded has become one of my favourite butterflies being added to that list also in 2015. They have become not just something to look for on New Forest heaths on hot summer’s days but the very symbol of the feeling of wilderness and connection with nature that can be attained on both. I love their delicate markings and shade, their dinky size and they make me so proud to live near and regularly visit the New Forest. I have seen some in Wales too. I have taken some of my best photos of them over the years, the seventh and eighth of my pictures in this photoset of one at Deadman Hill in the New Forest in 2015 and nearby Turf Hill in 2016. The former was one of the winners for me in the 2015 New Forest National Park authority seasonal snaps competition a proud moment representing one of the forest’s best species.

Chalkhill Blue

If seeing the silver-studded has made me so proud of Hampshire’s New Forest then this species has made me proud of its chalky grassland in and around the South Downs area. It’s one that favours brilliant and distinct habitat. The chalkhill is also an absolute gem of a butterfly. It’s silky and milky shade of blue is a dream to watch, and I love its strong markings too. Definitely a butterfly I always look forward to trying to see most in a year. As I said I saw for my first ever at Stockbridge Down in 2013 and whilst it joined my list of favourite butterflies a year later than the other two blues in 2016 I took it to my heart more and more each year I was lucky enough to see one. I took the ninth picture in this photoset of one of my first at Stockbridge Down in 2013 and tenth of one of many I saw last summer at a few similar locations at Old Winchester Hill.