#it was a stuffed animal squirrel that they put their glasses on

[oyesteryells]

reblog if you want this squirrel in your bed tonight

[docochocart]

DOCORONPA R

CHAPTER THREE

[ daily life ]

Drummer stirred in her bunk, the horrors she'd just witnessed at the trial burned into her psyche. She clearly wasn't alone in this, as not a word had been spoken between any of the girls since they'd returned.

While the other girls slowly petered off to sleep, Drummer wasn't so fortunate. Her mind began to spiral as the hours passed. While the reoccurring image of the gore from that night's trial seemed to interrupt every thought, she found herself returning to a single question:

What was with that pig?

An animal like that would be unusual in any woodland setting, let alone somewhere with as tight of security as these campgrounds. This anxiety compiled as Drummer contemplated on what other animals she'd seen on her trip so far. Absolutely none.

Not a deer, bird, fish, squirrel, or even cockroach could be found within the campgrounds. Their only living company was the occasional fly or mosquito.

So why the pi-

Drummer's anxiety spiral was finally put to a halt with the slow, creaking opening of the cabin door.

She tensed up, thinking of alerting her cabin-mates of the potential intruder. Before she could, a familiar silhouette stood in the cabin doorway.

Marine Biologist anxiously creeped toward Drummer, who she clearly presumed was asleep. Drummer slowly sat forward, shocking Marine Biologist. There was nobody she wanted to see more.

The two girls silently exitted the cabin for a late night chat.

Marine Biologist was fret with anxiety the entire time they spoke behind the cabin, constantly checking over her shoulder and lowering her already shaking voice.

She spared no time addressing why she'd come here this late at night: Ice Skater.

Drummer bit her tongue as Marine Biologist began rambling about how she'd grown to fear the power-hungry athlete. This was all sparked by what she'd seen the night of the murder.

That night, Ice Skater had suspiciously left their cabin very late into night. Marine Biologist had woken up after a nightmare late into the night, thinking to leave for a midnight snack.

Upon getting up from her bunk, she quickly noticed that Ice Skater had already left the cabin. Fearing the worst, Marine Biologist left for the craft hall where she would also not locate Ice Skater.

She cautiously returned to her cabin, quietly waiting for her dearest cabin-mate to return. After nearly an hour, she did.

Marine Biologist laid still in her bed, feigning sleep. She watched silently as Ice Skater quietly re-entered her top bunk. She never questioned Ice Skater on this, unsurprisingly.

After explaining all this at break-neck speed, Marine Biologist sheepishly asked for Drummer's opinion on the situation.

Drummer didn't know how to respond, knowing how attached Marine Biologist had become to Ice Skater. All she could really muster was to tell Marine Biologist to "be careful."

Clearly disappointed in this response, Marine Biologist awkwardly hurried the end of their discussion and rushed back to her cabin.

Drummer spent the rest of the night kicking herself for not being more bold when she'd had that chance. After an hour of seething, Drummer finally caught some shut eye.

...

*CRASH*

*BANG*

*CRASH*

Drummer, along with the rest of the camp, was awoken to a chorus of shattering glass and general destruction outside.

Hurrying outside to witness this carnage, the cast was met with the image an enraged Rebel stomping around the craft hall. He brutishly picked up and tossed rocks toward the building, shattering panes of glass upon impact.

Before any of his fellow campers could confront him on this childish display, MonoMaton beat them to the punch. The stuffed sheep was angrily tailing behind the deranged man.

"Stop! Destruction of camp property is strictly against the rules!"

The sheep repeated this add nauseam until every remaining camper had gathered around this strange scene. Finally, Rebel spoke:

"So... What you gonna do about it, sheep?"

The overconfident delinquent leaned down toward the stuffed sheep, extending a finger to the plush's forehead as he barked:

"You gonna stop me? Could you even do something like that?"

The cast watched on baited breath for MonoMaton's response to this challenge, relieved to see that their captor seemed to back down from this.

The sheep turned to bargaining and begging with Rebel, who returned to ignoring the sheep and tossing stones.

Cowboy began to step forward to address the situation, rolling up his sleeves. He didn't make it far before a cloying Welder extended a twiggy arm to hold him back. Cowboy abstained, letting Rebel continue.

After a few more minutes of needless destruction, Rebel finally addressed the group:

"We're not the ones here with rules to obey. This thing can't hurt us, so what's stoppin us from ruining this shit?"

Following his statement, Rebel stomped into the craft hall for another terribly awkward breakfast. The slowly group joined him, all still stunned by the display they'd just seen.

...

Following the off-kilter start to their day, the girls found themselves at their usual spot: the dock. Unlike usual however, they were joined by Ghost Hunter.

The boy had shyly approached the girls during breakfast, still in shambles about what had happened to Daredevil. They decided they would make it their mission to cheer up the distraught man, or at the very least distract him.

Keeping to their promise, the four spent the morning together out on the dock. They kept the subjects light, mostly poking fun at their fellow campers and situation.

For the first time in a while, the girls found themselves distracted from their situation as well. While Ghost Hunter was still reserved, it was clear this casual companionship was cheering him up as well.

The dread looming above their heads had been lifted for the time being, but they could never be sure of how long this grace period would last.

...

Surprisingly, the cast made it an entire week without any major incidents. Everything had seemed to finally set into place around the camp.

The girls had spent the week avoiding their situation with their new friend Ghost Hunter. Bartender and Sailor continued their tirade on a low simmer while Welder and Streamer continued trying to stoke the flames. Cowboy continued patrolling the spot as an omnipresent protector while Ice Skater and Marine Biologist continued their antisocial norm.

The most major update would be Rebel, who had begun skipping "mandatory" meals at the beginning of the week. This quickly escalated to Rebel seemingly disappearing entirely. By the end of the week nobody had seen him in what felt like days. He didn't even sleep in his cabin.

After a week, Rebel's actions would finally catch up with the rest of the cast.

*WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*

Blaring sirens from what felt like all sides awoke the camp. Nothing like this had happened yet. All previous announcements had been done through MonoMaton's cutesy voice calmly instructing the campers. This was what seemed like several tornado sirens playing over one another.

It took less than 30 seconds for everyone, except Rebel, to gather outside, the unbearable sound covering the entire camp. MonoMaton stood at the entrance of the craft hall, motioning the group inside.

After everyone, barring Rebel, had entered the craft hall and taken a seat the blaring sirens finally stopped. MonoMaton took the center of the room to speak:

"As you may have noticed, one of our campers has been very... disobedient as of late. And unfortunately for you all, I am one for collective punishment."

With the doors shut behind him and all window damages repaired from last week's incident, MonoMaton invited his brethren to join the party.

Two MonoMaton's stepped in from the back entrance of the craft hall holding what looked like oversized, dystopian crop dusters.

Before the anyone could spring into action, a strange mist began pouring from the machines. By the time the cast had risen to their feet, the room had already begun to fill with this smog.

"You're going on a field trip-"

...

Drummer's eyes snapped open, revealing a completely unfamiliar ceiling. The jagged wooden slabs of Social Star's bunk no longer covering her view, Drummer was looking at equally weathered planks much farther above.

Turning to her right, she found her only roommate still comatose in her new bed. Bartender laid a tangled mess in front of the green and white paisley wall paper peeling from the wall behind her. A single window lit this oddly serene view.

Drummer had no time to enjoy this beauty, panic completely overtaking her. She laid paralyzed for what felt like an eternity, waiting for something terrible to force her to rise from this new, uncomfortable bedding.

This cosmic relief never came, Bartender continued snoring as Drummer slowly rose to meet this strange, new environment.

She creaked open the ornate, bedroom door to find herself in a massive room with similar stylings. With a look to her right, she could see several more doors lining the splintering walls. She peered over the railing only to find what looked like an abandoned saloon on the lower level.

After inspecting the room, Drummer paused. She didn't want to traverse this foreign environment alone, even if it meant doing it with someone she loathed.

Turning back, Drummer found herself making eye contact with a freshly awake Bartender. Before Drummer could let out a word Bartender began to shriek.

"Where the fuck are we? Where the fuck are we?"

Bartender repeated this shriek at an ear splitting decibel, jumping from the bed onto shaking legs. Drummer stepped forward to try and subdue this episode, but Bartender had already sprinted toward the window for a view. This only sent her into a deeper spiral.

Drummer met her hysterical roommate by the window and almost found herself joining in the panic with what she saw:

Pigs. Dozens of overgrown, unnatural looking pigs laid just meters behind their new window.

Before Drummer could fall into a spiral of her own, a deep roar shook the walls of the building.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?"

Sailors voice carried through the walls, surely waking up any campers still left comatose after Bartender's shrieking. Soon enough, there was a chorus of screams as everyone came to.

In less than a minute, the whole cast, barring one, was gathered in their new shared Foyer. Rebel was still suspiciously missing from the group.

The panic of the situation kept the students from fully taking in their new, western surroundings. Cowboy and Sailor spared no time in leading the group outside of this new strange building.

Upon stepping outside, a foul smell hit the cast. In front of them lay a wide sprawling field, pens of unusual looking farm animals filling most of this dead space.

Dirt roads crawled through these entrapments, leading way to more decrepit buildings in the distance. The old western farm town theme was completed deep into the background.

Even further out, the same fence that held them captive before still stood tall. Familiar pine trees could be seen just behind the fence, hinting to the cast how close they still were to camp.

Turning around, the building they'd left was marked with a massive 'HOTEL' in chipping white paint over splintering gray planks. Not very inviting.

Cowboy addressed the still panicked group, assuring that if they all kept calm this situation wouldn't get the best of them.

Before he could finish his motivational speech, Streamers grating voice cut through his words:

"Yo chat, check out the dick extdender."

All heads spun, eyes landing on a souped up white pick up truck parked just behind the hotel. The vehicle clearly had some wear and tear, the bottom of the cabin painted with layered mud.

The group sprinted over to investigate the abandoned car, only to be met with an empty gas meter. They quickly scavenged the truck for keys or any way of starting it, no luck.

Cowboy regained the groups attention, demanding that they set out to explore their new environment and locate Rebel. With no debate from the cast, they set off to do just that.

...

After 30 minutes, they'd covered a decent amount of ground.

Following the makeshift trail, they'd discovered the mysterious buildings in the distance to be an abandoned shooting range, pageant hall, and an old western saloon.

They briefly investigated each building, finding nothing of note in each. The highlight of the 3 buildings was the mechanical bull located toward the back of the saloon.

While Welder and Sailor both urged the group to stop for a drink at the oddly charming shanty-town bar, Cowboy forced them to push forward down the trail.

After a few more minutes, they finally reached the mysterious, towering silos. A small decrepit shed was plotted just behind the massive structures, the group opted to investigate this first.

To their chagrin, this shed seemed to be an armory of sorts. A mix of vaguely threatening gardening tools were laced with an assortment of outright weapons.

Cowboy led them inside with caution. He carefully poked around the rusting metal drawers, quickly coming across a very concerning piece of weaponry.

Cowboy slowly raised a lone pistol out of the drawer, the crowd gasping.

Before any debate, Cowboy asserted to the room that he would keep the weapon on his person for the "safety of the group".

Ice Skater began speaking up to contest this assertion, but was quickly interrupted with an excited cry from Welder:

"GASOLINE!"

The crowds attention turned to a small stockpile of red gasoline canisters. Cowboy continued his orders while subtly tucking the pistol in his back pocket:

"Everyone grab a canister, we may be able to find a way to start the truck."

...

Gathering back under the silos, Cowboy began doling out tasks for the group. The stress of their relocation had clearly gotten to him, as he'd never been this authoritaria-

*Boop!*

A black, fluffy slipper plopped onto Cowboys head from above, interrupting his demanding speech. All heads rose to see where this mysterious footwear had come from.

"Yo! What are you lot doin' out here?"

Rebel's raspy voice carried all the way down the massive, metal wall as he sat atop the silo. Even from this distance distain could be made out in his twisted expression.

Before a clearly perturbed Cowboy could answer Rebel's question, a familiar, sickeningly sweet voice chimed into the conversation:

"You already know why, silly!"

Seemingly appearing out of nowhere behind the cast, MonoMaton had joined the crew in their new location.

Ignoring the barrage of questions immediately being levied at him by the confused campers, MonoMaton continued:

"I'm not usually one for collective punishment, but it is really fun when I get to do it. You all can thank that imbecile up there for your field trip."

Ice Skater moved sharply toward their plush captor:

"So he did escape?"

MonoMaton stared silently into her unyielding scowl, calmly gesturing to the massive fence that still imprisoned them:

"Is this what you'd consider an escape?"

...

The sudden shift of environment clearly had shocked the cast back into a more passive state. Three days had passed in their new location with nearly no conflict.

This trip to the farm had almost began to feel like a strange vacation of sorts. Everybody had by and large stayed with their pre-existing cliques, spending their time scattered across the worn-down, Western environment.

Even Bartender and Ice Skater had seemingly shelved their hatred for one another, at least for the time being. It felt as if everyone was treating this as a fresh start of sorts.

The only tangible tension through this time was between an overbearing Cowboy and a flippant Rebel. While the rest of the group had taken to Cowboy as a self imposed leader, Rebel predictably rejected this authority.

Whenever Rebel was present, Cowboy could be sure that his assertions wouldn't go uncontested. It was clear by their third day that this was getting under cowboys skin. Still, their leader bit his tongue, knowing that a show of force wouldn't help anything.

Even with this conflict boiling under them, no real fight had broken out amongst the cast in half a week. This was a big accomplishment for them considering the past two weeks they'd endured. MonoMaton, however, wasn't content with this new found cast harmony.

...

*WAAAAAAAAAAA*

Drummer shot up, her eyes snapping wide and into focus as the wail of a siren filled the air from all sides. A disgruntled voice groaned to her left:

"What the fuck now?"

Drummer fixed her foggy eyes on a half-awake Bartender, who'd also been rudely awoken by this siren. With little discussion, the two made their way out of their room to see why they'd been awakened so harshly.

After two minutes of unyielding sirens, nearly the entire cast had gathered in the foyer. MonoMaton was plotted in front of the exit, silently waiting for everybody to gather.

Suddenly, the alarms stopped. MonoMaton slowly scanned the room:

"I see we're still missing somebody! Let's fix that."

The cast's heads spun, looking to see who was missing from the room. It took a moment for Drummer to realize it was Rebel, as they'd grown used to his absence by now.

After a few seconds of murmuring from the cast, MonoMaton stepped away from the door. A raspy scream could be heard slowly approaching the entrance.

*BOOM!*

This scream reached full volume as the doors swung open, a struggling Rebel being forcibly transported by six gleeful MonoMatons.

They unceremoniously plopped his writhing body on the floor, before joining their brethren in blocking the door. Before Rebel could pipe up, MonoMaton began his announcement.

"It's been gettin a little chummy here as of late. But I reckon most of you aren't being honest with how you feel about your peers..."

Rebel began his attempt to interrupt this announcement, quickly thwarted by several MonoMaton's dogpiling his head. MonoMaton continued speaking over his muffled rebellion.

"We're holding a popularity contest for you lot, and participation is mandatory."

Drummer felt a small wave of relief, as she'd been expecting much worse. A popularity contest, how bad could it be?

MonoMaton continued:

"There will be 5 categories to fill, each winner will receive a very, very useful prize. These categories will be: Class Clown, Local Hunk, Beauty Queen, Perfect Victim and Total Killer! And once again, participation will be mandatory!"

The last two categories confirmed that this pageant was meant as a motive to kill, or at the very least drive up tension amongst the cast.

"We will also need a host to announce all of our winners, any volunteers?"

Without a beat, Cowboy stepped forward to meet the call:

"I'll do it."

With no debate from the room, Cowboy was immediately selected as host for the event.

MonoMaton continued speaking with glee:

"Wonderful! With that decided, voting will be held tomorrow morning and the award ceremony will be held tomorrow evening in the Pageant Hall. Happy voting everybody!"

And with that, all seven MonoMatons swiftly exited the hotel, leaving the cast to mull over what had just been announced.

Bartender was the first to leave, followed by her overgrown lapdog, Sailor. She stared daggers into the crowd as she left, simply stating.

"I know how I'm voting."

...

Drummer, Social Star, Personal Trainer and Ghost Hunter spent their afternoon wandering the farm's many dirt trails as usual.

Though tensions were high again, the group did a good job of distracting themselves from tomorrow nights event. None of the four made any mention of it as they enjoyed one last peaceful afternoon.

After an hour or so of wandering, they could see Cowboy and Welder approaching them from a distance.

Once they'd reached them, the two spoke with a fervor, urging the four to vote them for the victim and killer categories. The two believed that if they took the fall in these categories, the cast could avoid another potential murder.

The group cautiously agreed to these terms, after which Cowboy and Welder swiftly continued down the trail to campaign to more campers.

As they walked away, Drummer recalled the mention of prizes being distributed for each category. She questioned to herself whether Cowboy and Welder's intentions were pure when volunteering for these categories.

She kept these concerns to herself, not wanting to cause a stir in the group and soil their nice afternoon.

The four continued on walking in a daydreaming denial of what was to come.

...

The next morning, the cast was once again awoken to the sounds of sirens from all sides. This time it lacked the punch of surprise, as the cast barely seemed phased as they once again entered the foyer.

To their surprise, the room had been completely redecorated overnight. Red white and blue streamers lined the walls, cheap paper stars dangled from the ceiling and ballot boxes were dotted around haphazardly.

Once again, the cast was made to wait for an apprehended Rebel to be brought to them. After that struggle was finished, voting commenced.

It didn't take long for nearly every camper to cast their ballots, Rebel unsurprisingly taking the longest of the cast to vote. After a struggle that lasted several embarrassing minutes, Rebel's forced vote was finally cast.

MonoMaton once again took center stage:

"Thank you, everybody, for your enthusiastic participation! Our awards ceremony will be held tonight at 5 o'clock sharp, don't be late!"

...

Again, Drummer and her friends spent their afternoon trying their best to ignore their grim situation. And once again, they would be rudely interrupted by a peer's agenda.

Rebel stomped his way over the group, Social Star already rolling her eyes at the drama they were clearly about to be dragged into.

Before he'd even reached them he began barking their way:

"We ain't doin no fuckin' pageant tonight, you got that?"

Social Star stepped forward to meet his gaze, calmly bur firmly responding that they weren't gonna be collectively punished for his treason again. She made it clear that they would be in attendance no matter what he said.

Rebel ignored her, continuing his tirade on how submitting to MonoMaton's will here would quickly lead to more bloodshed, but the group wasn't having it.

This time PT, stepped up, placing a hand on Social Star's shoulder and backing her up:

"We don't want any part in your bullshit, bozo."

Rebel glared down the group, taking pause while making eye contact with a silent Drummer:

"Suit yourself then."

The disgruntled man continued down the trail, cursing to himself as he stumbled. Drummer watched as he walked, fearing that this "bozo" may have a point.

...

After what felt like a no time, it was 4:45 and the cast had begun gathering outside the Pageant Hall. They waited in silence for everybody to arrive, assuming Rebel would require another kidnapping to be in attendance.

Streamer spoke up to break the tension, jokingly asking the room if she was more of a shoo-win for Beauty Queen or Local Hunk. Only Welder blessed her with a chuckle.

To their shock, 5 minutes before their set time, Rebel angrily stomped into eye shot. As he approached the group, Streamer spoke up again:

"Funny seeing you here."

Rebel grumpily made his way to the massive pageant hall entrance, dodging eye contact from all of his judgmental peers:

"Shut the fuck up."

Clearly his attempt to sabotage this event had failed miserably. He began furiously pounding the door, startling many of his fellow campers. He roared inside the rotting wooden walls.

"We're here you little piece of shit, let's just get this over with."

And with that, the massive double doors swung open to reveal a smiling MonoMaton standing on a humble stage. Flickering spotlights lit the faint purple curtain that fell behind him:

"Awww, what a nice surprise! Everybody's here!"

...

It took no time for Cowboy to take his place on stage, plotting himself just above the x that had been marked for him. The vintage spotlights obscured his view of the crowd just in front of him as MonoMaton handed him cards to read off of:

"Uh, Hello campers? I applaud you all for joining us today..."

He took pause while staring down at the cue card, his brow folding as he tossed the first aside. Then the second.

Clearly not wanting to prolong this dreadful event, Cowboy skipped through MonoMaton's prepared cards until finally reaching the first winner:

"Ah, there we are. The winner of Class Clown is... Streamer."

Streamer shrieked from the audience, clearly too excited about this award. She stormed the stage in a rush of excitement, being quelled by a stoic Cowboy guiding her to her place on stage.

She addressed the Pageant Hall with an ironic tone:

"Thank you all so SO much for this award. It just... means so much you know? For a little gal like me, it's like... You like me, you really li-"

Cowboy cut her off with a firm hand on the shoulder once again guiding her, this time off the stage. She continued her ramblings of false gratitude as she left the stage, silently being handed a mysterious goody bag from MonoMaton.

After flipping through a few more cards, Cowboy continued:

"Ok. Our winner of Local Hunk goes to... Sailor."

The entire cast jumped following the inhuman roar that Sailor emitted. The drunken giant got himself red in the face with celebratory screaming before even reaching the stage.

This behaviour continued on stage, not a single english word was uttered from the man as he screeched and flexed in celebration of this non-victory.

It took a couple good tugs of the arm from Cowboy to quell the giant enough to get him off stage, where he was handed his mysterious prize as well.

Trying his best absolute to keep things moving through the chaos, a visibly annoyed Cowboy continued:

"Beauty Queen winner is Social Media Star."

The first camper to accept her award graciously, Social Star took the stage with a demure posture.

She humbly thanked the room for this award, clearly a little flattered by the praise.

*CRASH*

*THUD*

*Ding Dong*

"A body has been discovered!"

[beyondtheseaofstars]

give me ALL of your atom headcannons.

yeah, you heard me right. ALL OF THEM

Haha...pulls out an entire google docs

Now, these are the only ones I'll be sharing because yk so enjoy:

Brystal Evergreen

– She's bisexual :))

– Her wand reminds her a lot of Madame Weatherberry. (Don't tell me Brystal didn't see her as a mother figure.)

– Bubbles are very connected to her childhood, it's like an important symbol to her.

– She’s a sentimental person. The small little gifts her friends make for her are kept in a special area and she makes sure they're kept safe.

(A couple of these headcannons are from other folks but yk.)

Lucy Goose

– She definitely likes theatre and musicals. She's memorized the entire lyrics to all of her favorite musicals.

– She just yells extremely random words (or just screams) whenever she feels like it (which is a lot) because it's funny to her.

– She’s a heavy sleeper. If by any chance her friends were unfortunate enough to sleep next to her, they’d either fall off the bed or get their blanket yanked away from them.

– She’s also the type of person to fall off her bed (or hammock) and still be asleep, maybe even the person who sleeps through earthquakes and stuff.

–Occasionally, she bonks people in the head with a tuba to "knock some sense into them". Her friends may be against it, but according to her, it works.

Emerelda Stone

– She’s nearsighted and actually has a pair of emerald framed glasses with her, though most of the time she wears contacts instead.

(just one for Emerelda? yep, sorry-)

Xanthous Hayfield (can't find yellow 😭)

– Whenever he's lost in thought, he'll pace around.

– He has a pet cat! Lucy is the one who gave it to him.

– He likes flowers too! He often gives little flower crowns and metal dolls as gifts to his friends because he’s wholesome, except they aren’t that well-made at all. They’d have to put an enchantment on it to keep it from breaking. (They still appreciate the gesture though.)

– He really likes small critters like squirrels, frogs, lizards, bunnies, and mice.

Tangerina Turkin

– If angered (and she can get angered very easily), she will do absolutely anything to show her anger to them. She’s a very petty person.

– She's that person who's like "oh, you made that? 😒" then proceed to treasure it forever.

Skylene Lavenders

– Her favorite animal is a duck. I’m not going to explain. It’s just duck.

– The floor/pool in her room is decorated to look like a really nice aquarium. She has plenty of small fishes who live there that she keeps as pets. They all have names and stories too.

– She has a “little” pet shark that also lives in her room and it’s surprisingly very friendly. She just hangs out with him whenever she’s bored.

– She’s a crafty person, not the most skilled, but it’s something. She likes messing around with glue, colors, sticks, strings, and glitter, making a DIY craft for each of her friends and fishes.

– She has a large stuffed animal collection that she and Xanthous are building together.

– She usually goes and excitedly talks or rants about something to (mainly) Tangerina even though she knows or has heard about it already.

Elrik Elderwood

– He likes to carry Xanthous for fun sometimes, akin to how he did when they first met. He goes into the room and just picks him up because he can.

– He does some trolling with Lucy from time to time, mainly to the demons and the Fairy Council.

General

– They made little rainbow friendship bracelets for all of them to wear. Even during and after the events of The Land of Stories series, they still have those bracelets and wear them all the time.

– They all have a book-reading sleepover in Brystal’s room every weekend.

– The Fairy Council have a special little place in the woods somewhere near the academy where they unwind and de-stress whenever they're overwhelmed. (They still do this in TLOS.)

[zorb-petre]

Brief Guide to Being an Alien Pet Regressor 👽🛸🐶

What is an alien pet regressor? An alien pet regressor is someone who, instead of being an earth pet like a bunny or kitten, is an extraterrestrial animal! Think the type of pet an alien might keep. Alien pet regressors can be of any breed or type. Some are fuzzy, some have scales or tentacles, some are big, some small, some hyper intelligent, others smooth brained, some energetic and some calm. It’s up to the regressor!

Snacks and activities under the cut!! ;3

What activities can an alien pet regressor do? Some of these are space/alien themed activities, and some of these depend on what your pet species is like :3

Crawl, slither, scuttle, walk on your toes, or jump around the house!

Pretend you have the ability to walk up walls or pretend you are walking on the ceiling

Go for a low-gravity walk by slowly jump-stepping around

Chitter in an alien language

Do tricks like sit, stay, lie down, roll over

Play Simon says to practice being an obedient pet

If your pet species is hyper-intelligent, color simple space coloring pages, do a space-themed puzzle, watch a space or alien movie, read a book about space (a children’s book or a longer sci-fi or science nonfiction piece depending on your species’ intelligence), learn space facts, or make drawings of your planet, owner, or pet self

Pretend to chase after space-pests the way a human pet might go after a mouse or squirrel

Imagine your bed is a spaceship

Take a shower or bath and pretend you are at the groomers

Listen to galaxy or space themed instrumentals or playlists, or listen to spaceship ambience

Make a crater out of blankets and take a nap in it

Go stargazing and pretend you’re floating through space

Cosplay as your alien pet self or wear a comfy pet self inspired outfit

Watch or make space themed mood boards or stim boards

If your pet species forages, forage around the house for toys and stuffed animals

If your pet species has sharp teeth, chew chew chew! Of your pet species is strong, play tug of war

If your pet species has paws, put ankle socks on your hands and feet. If your pet species has tentacles, put knee length socks on your hands and feet. If your pet species slithers on a tail, wrap a blanket around your legs and feet (be safe!!)

If your pet species is a hunter, hide stuffed animals around the house as prey and sniff them out

Go for a walk outside and imagine everything you see is strange and alien

Alien Pet Regressor Snack Ideas

Again, some of these are space/alien themed, and some of these depend on what species your pet self is

Space themed cheesy crackers (e.g. spaceship shaped cheese crackers)

Moon pies

Space ice cream (the freeze dried stuff astronauts eat!)

Dehydrated (aka astronaut) fruits like strawberries or mango

Is your alien species a carnivore? Try slim Jim’s, pigs in a blanket, lunch meat like salami or ham, or yummy tuna

Is your alien species a herbivore? Try a delicious fruit salad

If you’re familiar with the show Resident Alien, consider a tall glass of milk

If your alien species eats humans, try gingerbread cookies or other people-shaped snacks 🤭

[girls-and-honey]

oooh what are your top 3 animals? hope ur weekend is going okay ✨

hmmm okay this is something that could literally change every time I answer it but right now my top 3 animals are (in no particular order):

squirrel! there's one specific squirrel that comes up to the sliding door in my office around 10 and 3:30 every day and just does his squirrel thing and sometimes puts his paws on the glass to look into the room (I think that's what he's doing) and sometimes I go up and look back at him lol. so we're kind of friends now I guess

squids, very cool and cute looking both irl and in cartoonized art forms. also delicious

aaand... elephants, most of my stuffed animals have been elephants and they've brought me a lot of comfort in the past

my weekend is going okay, definitely better now than earlier <3 and I thought it was sunday for most of the day so I get more weekend tomorrow which is a nice bonus

sleepover night!

[dreamescapeswriting]

The Cable Car ~ Han Jisung [Request]

↬↬↬Word Count: 2.4K

↬↬↬Genre: Fluffy!!!

↬↬↬Pairing: Han Jisung x GenderNeutral!Reader

↬↬↬A/N: I hope this is alright for you my love!! I know it says cable cart in this but that’s just what me and my friends call them 😭😂

This was going to be your first date with Jisung and you were nervous about it, it was the first time you were finally going to get to go out. He'd asked you to go out on a date with him right before comeback season started and now everything was calming down it was finally time.

"I have rules," Hyunjin said as he paced around in front of you and Hyunjin, he had his hands behind his back while he looked at you both. The joys of having Hyunjin as a brother was how over-protective of you he was. Jisung had gone to him first before he even thought of asking you out, he never wanted to do anything to upset Hyunjin and you never would have agreed if Hyunjin hadn't said it would be fine. All of the boys knew about the crushes you had on one another, it had been obvious from the moment you and Jisung first met. You were both incredibly nervous around one another, would barely mutter a word in the other one's direction until Felix finally sat you down and made you talk about something you could bond over. From there it grew into a strong friendship until neither of you could hold back the feelings you had for one another.

"I want you home no later than 10:30 pm, there is to be no funny business, no kissing, no holding hands, no making out-" He turned to look at you while he continued listing off everything Jisung and you were and weren't allowed to do making you giggle.

"Hyunjin he'll have me home in time-" He stared at you wondering what you were talking about,

"No. I mean you. You will have him home by 10:30." Your mouth began to open and close like a fish and he smirked, hugging Jisung and dramatically acting as though it would ever be the last time he was ever going to see him.

"Remember when you used to hate one another? Simpler times." You said jokingly standing up from the dorm living room sofa and grabbing your bag. It was pitch black outside thanks to the Autumnal time of year but it was perfect, Jisung was wearing a black hoodie, baseball cap and a mask to hide himself while you wore one of Hyunjin's hoodies, jeans and a mask.

"Can we go, I want to get on some of the rides before they realise that Jisung is too short." You whined out jokingly taking Jisung by the hand, his cheeks turned a bright red colour and you began pulling him towards the front door of the dorms. Wanting to get away from your brother as fast as humanly possible right now,

"Come on Sungie." You giggled, the nickname was something you'd given him back when you tried to be friends but it just stuck with you.

"Are we still going to follow them?" Jeongin asked once you and Jisung were both out of the dorms, the fake smile that Hyunjin had plastered across his face faded and he nodded looking around for his coat to change into.

"Of course," You were still his sibling at the end of the day, sure he was going to tease you and Jisung for dating but he was still going to be the over-protective brother he was meant to be, just because you were dating someone he liked didn't mean he dropped all of that. If anything it doubled because he had to make sure nothing was ruined between his friendship and your love life.

The night had been going amazing, so far he'd won you a giant teddy which was now sitting in the car that had brought you to the amusement park that Jisung had brought you along to.

"Oh what about I win you something," You suggested as you reached another game where there were some cute squirrel plushies up for the win. Jisung unlinked your hands together,

"Sure but do you think you can manage that thing looks-" He was going to say quite heavy but you lifted the huge mallet with ease, he shut his mouth and watched in 'awe' as you rang the bell within your first attempt of whacking it hard enough to win.

"And the pretty couple win!" You whispered into the teller's ear which stuffed animal you wanted and turned back to Jisung with a smile on your face, he could tell how big the smile was even through the mask you were wearing. It spread a warm feeling through his h=whole body just watching you be this happy with him, he never thought within a million years that this would happen with you,

"Jisung meet Jisung." You whispered holding up the squirrel to Jisung's nose and smiling as he took him into his hands,

"I shall cherish him forever." He placed him into the small bag he had on his side and you began walking once again.

His hand natural linked with yours in the cold weather and you tried not to act as though the small interaction hadn't just made your heartbeat 10 times its normal speed and send static waves throughout your entire body,

"What if we rode up to the top of the mountains, I heard a couple say there was a restaurant up there." Jisung felt his whole world come to a standstill, he'd done well so fair to deter you from getting on any majorly huge rides sticking to simpler things like the sings, merry-go-round and a bumper car ride but to get up to the mountains there was a huge cable car ride you had to go on to get up and come back down on. He could feel his heart racing and thumping against his chest at the thought of getting into the cart with you but one small squeeze of your hand and it felt like it gave him the confidence to do anything. He didn't want to be afraid in front of you so he smiled nodding his head and acting as though the mere thought of getting into the cable cart wasn't making his legs shake and feel like jelly.

"We should get going, we might be able to get our own cart if we're quick enough." He smiled as you suggested that pulling him in the direction of the carts that were all going up one by one. Occasionally being filled by four or more people while some filled with only two, two young and in love couples.

"Where are they taking Jisung?" Jeongin asked as he tried to swallow the food he was eating, he was supposed to be the one in charge of making sure Jisung was keeping his hands to himself but so far he hadn't done a good job so Hyunjin took over that job as well as making sure you weren't being spotted by fans.

"Oh god," Hyunjin started laughing while rushing over with Jeongin towards you and Jisung, watching as you stepped into one of the cable carts.

"He's terrified of heights why would he just willingly get on that?" Jeongin was out of the loop but Hyunjin knew why and it only made everything all the more funnier to him, he hadn't expected Jisung to go this far with it. He'd expected him to give up and admit how scared of heights he was right before you both got on the ride but it was too late, the cart was on the move and Hyunjin and Jeongin got into the next cart directly behind yours to watch everything unfold before them.

The view from the cart was impeccable but Jisung had his eyes on your hands the whole time, he couldn't afford to look out of the glass windows and gaze around because he was terrified, he'd done well to keep everything inside so far. But on the inside he was screaming at himself for even allowing himself to get on the ride, you, on the other hand, looked calm and collected as you gazed around at the city lights. You could see almost everything from up here, the amusement park looked so small from up here, except for the rollercoasters that were all taller than the cart ride anyway,

"Don't you think its-" You stopped midsentence when the cart shook, your grip on Jisung's hand tightened and he thanked God that it did since his tightened on you. At least he could play it off that he was comforting you in a way and not that he was scared,

"W-What happened?" Your voice came out shakey as the cart you were sitting in stopped in the air, not moving along the cables, you glanced at the other carts to see all of them had frozen in place as well.

"I think it's stuck," His voice came out shakey as well but he tried to keep his cool, he could already tell you were scared and if he let on for even a second he was worried it could have freaked you out as well.

"Excuse us, everyone, we're experiencing a technical glitch in our cable systems. We promise to have you moving in a couple of moments, please sit back and look at the view." A robotic voice sounded through the sound system and you moved closer to Jisung who in return wrapped his arm around your shoulders as if it would help you if the cable cart was to fall suddenly.

"I...I should have suggested this," You whimpered suddenly feeling afraid of how small everything looked below you, Jisung tipped your chin up to look at him.

"Look at me, not down there okay. That's the last thing you want to do." You nodded in agreement with him before a frown formed on your face,

"How do you know-"

"petrified of heights," He swallowed the lump in his throat, there was no use hiding how scared he was from you if you were going to be stuck up there together for a while.

"But-"

"I just thought that if you wanted to ride them, it would be over as quickly as I got on and I wouldn't have to deal with it...I didn't think I would get stuck on the cart." He mumbled looking at you and nowhere else, he didn't want to risk looking away from you. You were the only thing that was stopping him from screaming out in fear, you seemed to anchor him down and make him feel slightly calm about being stuck up there.

"No-," You stopped yourself thinking about what he'd just said, he'd risked his fear for you. Facing his fear just so he could make you happy, it made you feel warm inside and sent your head into a frenzy thinking about him doing something like that for you. Something that would seem so small to everyone else but to you it put everything into perspective.  

"Jisung that's one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me." You breathed looking at him as he frowned, he tilted his head to the side wondering why that had been the sweetest. You were one of the most amazing people he'd ever met, surely you'd had loads of people doing nice things for you all of the time. His mind went into hyperdrive when you leant forward flickering your eyes closed, he closed his and moved closer until your lips finally touched. His lips were soft and smooth on top of yours as you kissed sweetly, it was slow and neither of you knew what you were doing. His hand moved up to cup your cheek slowly building up courage with you and moving closer to you, his tongue slipped across your bottom lip asking for entrance which you gladly gave him. The kiss made you feel like you were floating - that also could have been the cable cart that was shifting in the sudden breeze but for a moment that had been forgotten. The only thing that mattered was the way Jisung was holding you, running his thumb along your smooth skin.

You pulled apart and shyly smiled at one another for a second, the kiss tasted like the candy floss you'd both been eating earlier but it made your head spin so fast you thought you were going to faint.

"Whoa," You whispered your voice coming out a little hoarse from the kiss you had shared, he nervously chuckled taking your hand in his as you sat there in silence for a couple of seconds. Just taking everything in that had just happened, realising that you'd both experienced the same feeling together, that everything seemed better now you'd kissed. You felt loved even if it was too soon to use that word, everything just felt brighter and better with him right there.

"This was Hyunjin's idea by the way," You whispered two minutes later when you still hadn't moved in the cart. Your head was resting on his shoulder while he played with your fingers, just wiggling them around, bending them and running his fingers through them.

"What was?" He hummed looking at you while he placed a small kiss on the top of your head,

"The amusement park, he said to suggest it to you because you loved this sort of thing." Jisung boiled up with anger for your brother, not the anger that used to boil up when he saw him but the kind that made him want to lash out a kill him in a brotherly-love way.

"Two minutes," Jisung said reaching into his hoodie to pull out his phone, he dialled your brother's number and was surprised when he picked up almost instantly,

"You're dead when I get in-"

"This is I.N," Jeongin spoke into the phone,

"We're behind you on the cable cart and Hyunjin is in the process of freaking out about the heights and kiss you just had." Yelling could be heard from down the other end of the phone and you smirked turning around in your seat to see Hyunjin clutching onto Jeongin who was calmly biting into a hot dog while holding the phone up to his ear.

"This is karma you know Hyunjin," You spoke down the phone to your brother laughing as you watched him shaking his head before the cable cart shook into action.

"Dead meat," Jisung warned locking his phone and wrapping his arm around your shoulders again, feeling calmer now that you were on the move and finally going to get back onto flat ground.

Tagline: 

@writingdreamsnottragedies @snowy-meowl @jooniesdarlingdimples @kneel-begyourpardon @yunhoesss​

[batfam-rewrites]

Batfam During Quarantine: Happy Holiday’s

December 1

Duke: So, what weird traditions do you have for Christmas.

Stephanie: What makes you think we have weird traditions?

Duke: Please, at this point you all are so predictable, I can tell you all what you’re gunna to do on Christmas Day. Dick text everyone he knows that celebrates Christmas Merry Christmas,

Dick: Why shouldn’t I?

Duke: Jason is gunna bitch about all of his presents or tune us out or both, Tim is gunna sleep through most of it because he’ll be up all night wrapping presents, Steph will spend most of the day on social media, Barbara and Dick will get very cozy on the couch probably reading something, and Damian will wake everyone up by jumping on the bed screaming, 

Barbara: Sounds about right!

Cassandra: What about us?

Duke: You guys are just about as new as I am to this family so I’m not to sure.

Harper: So there is some weird tradition?

Dick: Nothing too weird, just an advent calendar.

Tim: But with movies, so for example the first day could be Home Alone, the next day could be Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, then the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, then Home Alone 3...

Cassandra: I’m assuming Home Alone 4 is in there somewhere?

Stephanie: No, fuck that movie!

Cassandra: Damn, just assuming! Don’t get so judgmental.

Jason: The only movie that is consistently.....

Dick: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, don’t ruin the surprise, Jaybird!

Jason: Whatever, you’ll love the movie. It’s funny as hell.

Duke and Cassandra: Coolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcool.

December 6

At a mall in Central City

Dick: *grabs a large stuffed animal unicorn and walks with Wally towards Jason, Victor, Roy, and Donna This is Fred.* He’s coming with us. 

Donna: Dick, what is this?

Dick: You didn’t hear it from me but *whispers loudly* Fred is a secret agent. He’s here to save all unicorn kind.

Roy: *stiffles a laugh*

Wally: *laughs loudly*

Victor: Why do you need a unicorn? You’re not a child! 

Dick: It’s for Dami. And Fred is a secret agent.

Roy: Uhh no he’s......

Dick: *throws Fred at Roy* Sneak attack!

Roy: Hey!

Donna: You don’t get the unicorn back until we get to the car!

Dick: No fair! *spots the pet store across the way* OOOOO, PUPPIES! *jumps on Jason’s back* Piggy back ride.

Jason: No! *throws Dick off his back*

Victor: Jason, what is up with Dick today?

Jason: No idea.

Dick and Wally: *starts hopping like a frog around the store*

December 10

Damian: HAPPY HANUKKAH, SUCKAS!!!

Bruce: Settle down Damian.

Damian: NEVER!!!!!

Bruce: Okay, we’ll see you guys soon, we’ll be at Kane Manor. Alfred is in charge.

Dick: Why not me! I’m responsible!

Bruce: No you’re not.

Dick: I am too!!!

Barbara: Really? What about last night?

——

Nightwing: Hey, Babs, check this out! *jumps off the roof of a building* YEAH I’M FREEEEEEEE! FREE FAAALLLLLIIIN’! fires his grappling hook across the street

——

Dick: So? That proves nothing!

Selina: *whispers to Damian* Get to the car.

Damian: *starts leaving*

Bruce: Goodbye everyone see you in eight days! *backs away slowly* ALFREDS IN CHARGE!!! *running to the garage*

December 13

Jason: *to Stephanie, Tim, Cassandra, Harper, and Cullen* Okay, everyone hold on!

Barbara: What’s going on?

Jason: We’re sledding down the stairs.

Barbara: Without me! Someone make room! Let’s go!

They sled down the stairs landing outside.

Dick: I’M GOING NEXT!!!!

December 15

Damian: Can I light the candle tonight?

Bruce: I don’t think that would be safe enough. Maybe next year.

Damian: You let me roam the streets of America’s hell hole dressed with a target on my chest, how would lighting a candle be MUCH WORSE THEN THAT?

Bruce: You can’t be trusted with fire! Last time I tried to let you light Dick’s birthday candles you set the table in fire!

Kate: Shit Damian! I thought you were getting better.

Damian: I’M TRYING! NOW GIMME THE LIGHTER OR ELSE I’LL SLIT YOUR THROATS!

December 19

Tim: *walks in the back door* We got the tree!

Jason: *runs down the stairs* Lets see it!

Damian, Cassandra, Dick, and Barbara run down stairs to see the tree and stare at it.

Dick: Ummm.... Tim, Steph, did you guys think of how the tree would fit into our house?

Stephanie: Well you said to get a cheap one and we did! We got it for free!

Damian: And where did you get it? The woods?

Tim: How did you know?

Dick: Okay, we’ll find somewhere to place this one and get a new one to decorate tomorrow.

Tim and Stephanie: Okay.

Three squirrels jumps out of the tree.

Damian: SQUIRREL!!!

Dick: Don’t touch it!

Jason: Let it bite you!

Barbara: *elbows Jason in the side* Jason, shut up!

December 20

Bruce: Can someone hand over the Joker ornament?

Dick: *hands over the ornament* 

Jason: That ornament is the bomb!

Everyone: Oh my god!

Jason: Look, I’m just saying I would definitely not break that one with a crowbar!

Dick: Shut up Jason!

Barbara: You’re not the only one to have been traumatized by the Joker, Jason!

Jason: Yeah, but I’m the only one the Joker killed.

Harper: Why do you even have ornaments of your villians, Bruce!

Stephanie: Oh, I got this one! Because the trophies in the Bat-cave aren’t enough!

Jason: *high fives Stephanie*

Bruce: It’s because I like to remember those who are not spending the holidays in the most ideal place.

Jason: So you are capable of emotion! I never knew!

Alfred: *hits Jason on the head*

Dick: Awww, this is a cute one *holds up an ornament of Bruce and Selina kissing in their costumes*

Selina: I’ll hang that one up! *reaches for it and places it on the tree* Do you remember that one Bruce?

Bruce: Yeah, that was when we first started working together. *both of them kiss*

Damian: I CAUGHT THE SQUIRRELS!!!

Dick: No!

Barbara: Put it outside!

Damian: I’m going to adopt it!

Alfred: No your not!

Bruce: Set it free!

Jason: *takes the squirrels and throws them outside* 

Harper: Problem solved.

Damian: NOOOO! MY BABIES! *runs to the door*

Dick: *puts a hand on Damian’s shoulder* It’s for the best.

Christmas Eve

Jason: Yippee Ki Yay motherfuckers!

Harper: So we’re watching Die Hard?

Jason: Fuck yeah! And then The Ref!

Duke: Oh! That is a great movie!

Tim: Damn it! You all weren’t supposed to know the movie!

Harper: We still haven’t seen it! Sounds interesting!

Tim: Yeah but now the reaction is going to be underwhelming.

Dick: I don’t know. I’d probably just be whelmed.

Jason: NO! *jumps towards Dick and wrestles him* I...hate...your...use...of....those.....words.

Dick: Get off me!

Bruce: Jason! Get off of your brother!

Jason: Fuck you!

Alfred: *grabs Jason’s ear* 

Jason: Ouchie! Alfred!!!

Alfred: I’ve frankly had enough of your swearing today Jason! Go to your room and don’t come down until it is time to grab your wrapping paper for the presents you bought!

Jason: *stomps towards his room* I’m fucking....

Alfred: STOP SWEARING OR ELSE I WILL WASH YOUR MOUTH OUT WITH SOAP! AND STOP STOMPING!! IF YOU’RE GOING TO ACT LIKE A CHILD THEN I’LL TREAT YOU LIKE ONE!!!

Bruce: Thank you, Alfred!

Alfred: Not a problem Master Bruce.

Later that night

Harper: Omg, this movie is hilarious!!!

Cullen: How have we never seen this before?

Damian: HOW DARE YOU SHELTER ME FROM WATCHING THIS! THIS IS THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE I’VE SEEN!

Bruce: I am regretting not having Damian wait a year. Am I a bad parent?

Tim and Stephanie: Yes.

Cassandra: Hey Dick, when do we get to open presents?

Dick: I’m not saying it.

Cassandra: Babs?

Barbara: Nope!

Cassandra: Jason?

Jason: WHAT!

Cassandra: When are we going to open presents?

Dick: Jason, don’t do it!

Jason: Presents? Is that what you said? Presents? We'll open them when we get there. No, in fact, I'll save you the trouble. Your present is a giant fucking cannon. And you're gonna crawl in it. Then I'm gonna get 2 pounds of gunpowder and I'm gonna shoot you right out of Jersey! And then I'm gonna drive to Jersey, and pick up all the parts of your body and put them in a plastic bag. Then I'm gonna drive to my house with you in the bag and toss you into the fireplace. I'm gonna get my glass of whiskey and watch the Charlie Brown Special with your ashes burning IN MY FUCKING HOUSE! AGH!

Alfred: *runs in with a bar of soap and shoves it in Jason’s mouth* WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT THAT MOUTH!!!!

Christmas Day

Damian: *jumps out of bed and runs to Bruce’s and Selina’s room* YOU GUYS DRESSED! 

Selina: Ehhh....

Damian: *opens the door and jumps on the bed* COME ON IT’S TIME TO OPEN PRESENTS!!!!

Dick: *walking by* Damian, what do you think you’re doing?

Damian: PRESENTS!!!

Dick: *stares at Damian* Presents. 

Damian: *locks eyes with Dick*

Dick: Presents! Babs, come here!

Barbara: *walks over* What’s up?

Dick: Presents.

Barbara: Presents!!

Dick: PRESENTS!!!!! *lifts up Damian and they run downstairs to look at their presents*

Jason: Can you basic bitches keep it down? I’m trying to sleep.

Damian: *grabs one of Jason’s presents* this feels like it won’t break! *throws the present at Jason’s door*

Jason: *catches the present and opens it* AWESOME! A BOOK OF H.P. LOVECRAFT’S STORIES!!!

Dick: How is Jason such a nerd?

Barbara: *shrugs her shoulders*

Tim: PRESENTS!!!! *runs down the stairs*

Stephanie: LET’S GO SUCKAS!!!!! *runs down the stairs*

Duke: *to Bruce* Is it always like this?

Bruce: *sipping coffee* I wish I can say no.

Harper: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! *runs into the fray* Where’s my presents ass-hats!

New Years Eve

Everyone: 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Happy New Year!

Dick: *kisses Barbara*

Stephanie: *kisses Tim*

Bruce: *kisses Selina*

Jason: *turns to look for some one* Oh, that’s right, I have no one.

Harper: *raises his glass of grape juice* Here’s to hopefully a better year!

Everyone: Cheers!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a safe and wonderful holiday! this month. Sorry if there are any errors. Much like the last one this was a bit last minute! Let’s hope that 2021 will be a much better year than 2020!

[creepy-carrion]

Shut Eye

Ticci Toby x reader

You're planning on having a movie night, but your marathon is interrupted when Toby shows up at your window, drenched in blood and not acting like himself. You decide you need to take action.

x

It was supposed to be a calm night. No deadlines on your mind, no upcoming large assignments, nothing. But dating Toby meant your schedule could get messy, sometimes without warning.

 You’d been getting ready for bed, laptop set up on your bed so you could just watch Netflix until 3 AM before hopefully passing out. You were buried beneath a mountain of blankets, three pillows supporting your head and you had one of the stuffed animals Tobs’ had gifted you clamped under your arm. However, you didn’t get very far. Before the second act of your first movie could even start, you were distracted by a slapping noise at the window.

 At first, you’d ignored it, figuring it was perhaps just a stick that had been knocked against your window by the wind, but the noise persisted. It was starting to unsettle you. Especially when the noise started being followed by squeaking sounds. Almost as if someone was cleaning your window, but somehow you doubted that was the case.

 Part of your boyfriend being some sort of serial killer in cahoots with a tall Lovecraftian being comforted you. Whenever the two of you were out after midnight and some scum would whistle or bark lewd comments at you, Toby’s death-glares would shut them up in a fraction of a second. No sane man would fuck with a guy with an aura as dark as his whenever someone tried to get to you.

 But the stories he’d share with you about the guys he worked with also made you a little paranoid. All it had proven to you was how easily these guys could sneak into your house whenever they pleased, and how easily they could slit your throat if they simply desired to do so.

 After five minutes of just staring at your closed blinds, eyes wide like saucers and face partially hidden behind your sheets, you swallowed and dragged your shaky legs out of bed. If whatever was out your window wanted to kill you, it probably would have done so already. You could at least check what was out there, fuck, maybe it was a dying squirrel, or… something…

 Grabbing an old umbrella to feel at least a little more armed, you slowly walked towards your window, sharp end of your makeshift weapon pointed at the source of the noise. Slowly, you poked the umbrella between the two curtains, pushing them aside.

 A blood-curdling scream erupted from your throat at the sight of the bloodied hand pressed against the glass.

 You fell back onto your butt, kicking at nothing as you instinctively tried to create some distance between yourself and the bloodied claw. For a moment, you froze, and just barely, you could catch a glimpse of orange through the small opening between your curtains. Within a second, your fear was replaced with anger.

 “What the fuck, Toby?!”

 You scrambled to your feet, stomping back towards your boyfriend and ripping the curtains open. “That isn’t fucking funny! You know I get paranoid when it gets dark! Do you know how a doorbell works?!” But Toby wasn’t laughing. In fact, there wasn’t a glimpse of emotion to be found in his eyes. None at all.

 Your expression turned to a more questioning one, as you just took in his form. He was covered in blood, almost like a dog that had been rolling around in a mud puddle. His sweater was absolutely drenched, you could tell he had attempted to wipe some off his goggles and hadn’t exactly succeeded, even some of his hair stuck together because of the dried up, crusty blood.

 “Toby?” Your voice was hesitant as you moved to open the window, licking your lips nervously. This wasn’t normal, not even for Toby. Toby killed efficiently and quickly, and even if his jobs got a little messy, this was not normal. And his expressionless gaze fixed upon your form was starting to unsettle you.

 Even after you’d opened the window for him so he could enter, he didn’t move a muscle, aside from his signature rough twitches. You stared right back into his unblinking eyes, looking for any type of reaction, before deciding you would need to do something. Whatever was going on, Toby was not in a right state of mind. Why he had found his way to your house was a mystery, but you figured he needed you.

 Slowly, you started leaning forwards, not once breaking eye-contact with him. “I’m going to grab you, okay? And I’ll help you get inside.” You quietly told him, before wrapping your fingers around his wrist. He flinched, visibly, but didn’t do anything else. You stopped for a moment to see if he would move away, but he didn’t. So, you placed his hand onto your shoulder for support, gently tugging at his sweater to get him to move. And Toby just complied, moving along with whatever you wanted him to do.

 Pretty soon he was inside your room, now bleeding a puddle onto your precious carpet. Yeesh. Whatever he had been doing, it couldn’t have been long ago. And still, he only stared at you, still no expression hinting to what he was feeling.

 “What happened, bud?” No reply. “You usually come back a little bit, you know, cleaner.” His tongue clicked, but no response. “Do you want to take a shower? Clean yourself up?” Still nothing.

 This pretty much confirmed your suspicions. Toby wouldn’t carry on with a prank for this long, at least not with you. You’d need to take matters into your own hand. Every matter. And thus, you grabbed his hand, feeling his fingers entwine with yours as you started leading him towards your bathroom. It was good he’d shown at least some response to everything.

 As you waited for the shower water to get warm, which could usually take a minute, you turned back around before realizing you would have to undress him yourself. You bit the inside of your cheek, staring at his bloodied hoodie. It wasn’t like you were dreading having to see him naked, you’d seen each other naked before, it was just… how the hell were you going to get this barely cooperating dude out of his clothes? He could barely haul his ass through your window.

 “Please, work with me, hun…” you muttered, as you took his goggles off and put them in the sink. You started filling the sink with water, rummaging through the cupboard below to see if you could find any laundry detergent you could add to it. You reached to the back, feeling around, before finding the bright blue bottle. You pulled your head back out of the cupboard, surprised to find Toby tugging at his mouthguard to pull it over his head.

 At the sight of him moving his limbs in response to anything you’d said, you felt the tense feeling in your shoulder subside a little. Clearly, Toby was still out of it, but he was at the very least responding. Aside from this saving you the hassle of pulling his clothes off his limp body while he just stared you down, it also meant whatever was going on was getting a little better.

 Soon everything he had been wearing was left to soak in the sink, and the room was finally starting to fill with steam. “Go on then.” you tried encouraging him quietly, but Tobs had gone back to just staring at you. Sighing, you averted your gaze. Great, were you going to have to shove him in there?

 Another click from his tongue made you look up at him, and it was then that you noticed his eyes weren’t nearly as empty as they had been a few minutes ago. He looked at you almost with expectation, and it didn’t take very long for you to understand what he wanted you to do. With a small grin now tugging at your lips, you tugged at your pajama pants. Soon your form was just as nude as his, and you stepped into the shower, beckoning for him to follow.

 Once you were both in the cramped shower, you just decided to focus on getting Toby clean. I mean, yeah, you’d always think he looks cute, but right now he was absolutely filthy. The brightly colored blood had already started to wash off his body, but his hair was still absolutely covered in the crusty substance.

 You squirted some shampoo onto the palm of your hand and started to massage it into your boyfriend’s scalp. You carefully avoided getting any in his mouth through the gaping hole in his cheek, and you just smiled softly at him as you tried to get him to relax. He twitched a few times (almost accidentally hitting you in the process), before he hesitantly moved his hands up.

 You paused for a moment, watching his eyes dart between yours and your waist, before he gently rested his hands on your hips. The two of you just stood there for a moment, as he started to rub his thumb in circles over your soft skin.

 “Continue… Please…” It was the first thing he had said all night. His voice was weak, he could barely croak out a single word, but again, it was something. You just nodded, continuing to rub the shampoo into his hair as his hands started moving up your sides. He carefully avoided touching any of your more private parts, moving his hands up and down before resting them on the back of your shoulders.

 Slowly and gently, as if you were made of glass, he pulled your frame against his. You froze, dropping your hands to rest on his shoulders instead. Carefully, he pressed his lips to your forehead, taking in a few deep breaths as he squeezed your body gently. You could taste the soapy water on your lips as the shampoo washed out of his hair onto both of your faces.

 You just remained like that for god knows how long, until the water had gone from murky to clear and your fingers had those little wrinkles on them. You squeezed his shoulders gently and he pulled his head back in response, rubbing his tired eyes. You turned the shower off and got out, first drying yourself off quickly before grabbing a towel for Toby as well. Trusting he could dry himself off now, you just pushed the towel into his arms before quickly slipping back into your pajamas before speeding back to your room.

 Since he was over pretty much every week, Toby had left some clothes at your place just in case he’d want to slip into something more comfortable. You were really grateful he’d thought of that right about now. You grabbed some underwear, an old gray hoodie and a pair of sweatpants that had been washed half to death before heading back to the bathroom.

 Toby had dried himself off in the meantime and was patiently waiting for you, rocking back and forth with his head occasionally snapping to the side. He noticed you reentering the room and smiled softly at you, gently taking the clothes from you. You pressed a small peck to his lips before retreating to your room.

 You unceremoniously kicked the mountain of snacks you’d gathered for your movie night under the bed and threw your laptop onto your desk (hopefully not too harshly). Lastly, you removed several layers of blankets and turned on a fan so poor Tobs wouldn’t die of a febrile seizure in your bed, before crawling back into your warm nest.

 Soon after, Toby entered your bedroom in his fresh clothes and joined you, immediately wrapping his arms around you. His face disappeared into the crook of your neck, his damp hair tickling your skin. You sighed, letting out a small chuckle as you started playing with his wet locks.

 “You feeling okay, babe...?” you muttered softly, closing your eyes. You felt his body twitch for a moment. “Mmm…” he hummed, babbling some quiet nonsense against your neck before quieting down. You waited for what seemed like an hour, feeling his tics slowly subside as he sunk into a deeper sleep. You just watched him, tucking strands of hair behind his ear, before drifting off yourself with his arms wrapped around you.

 No matter what happened, he was still your Toby, and all you wanted was for him to hold you, to forget the world with you. That was all you wanted.

[theherooftime00]

Hello guys, gals and non-binary pals. My name is Link. I am not here to take away your space to express yourself. I am not here to attack anyone. I simply want to shine a small amount of light on a dark situation. Here are 146 things you can do instead of something potentially harmful.

1.  Exercise.

2.  Put on fake tattoos.

3.  Draw on yourself with washable red marker-then take a shower and wash away your pain.

4. Scribble on sheets of paper.

5.  Write poetry.

6.  Cuddle with a stuffed toy.

7.  Be with other people.

8.  Watch a favorite TV show.

9.  Post on web boards or try answering other people's posts.

10, Think about how "I DON'T WANT SCARS FOR SUMMER!!"

11.  Paint your nails a new color.

12.  Go out to see a movie.

13.  Eating something you can't resist.

14. Do your school work.

15.  Write a letter to someone but never send it.

16. Go into chat rooms to talk.

17.  Call a friend and ask them to come hang out.

18.  Play a musical instrument.

19.  Sing.

20.  Look up at the sky, and  find the moon.  Study it.

21.  Make your own list of things to do instead of S.I.

22.  Buy a punching  bag (with gloves) Name it.  Then, have a visit with Bob when you need to.

23.  Snap a rubber band  (hair band) on your wrist.

24.  Cover yourself with band-aids where you want to cut.

25.  Go to the zoo and rename the animals.

26.  Let yourself cry, even if it is hard.

27.  Sleep,  only if you are tired.

28.  Do the exact opposite of what you really want to do.

29.  Play with a pet.

30.  Smile to at least 5 people.

31.  Re-organize and label your linen closet.

32.  Go out and perform one act of kindness.

33. Have a pillow fight with a wall.

34.  Knit a scarf.

35.  Read a good book.

36. Dress up very glamorous, with makeup to match.

37.  Color your hair.

38.  Listen to music (non-triggering)

39.  Watch a candle burn, but no playing with flames or hot wax.   Blow it out when you leave the room.

40.  Find someone else you can help.  Do volunteer work.

41.  Meditate.  Track your breathing.

42.  Call up an old friend and catch up.

43.  Work on a website or start a new one.

44.  Have a vivid fantasy love affair with a celebrity.

45.  Go somewhere very public.

46.  Bake cookies or another favorite food you like.

​47.  Alphabetize your CD's.

48.  Chew gum.

49.  Buy a henna tattoo kit.

50.  Paint or draw.

51. Rip paper into really small pieces.

52.  Give someone a Hug.

53.  Write a  letters or emails.

54.  Talk to yourself, and put it on tape.

55. Hug a pillow.

56.  Hyper-focus on something like a rock.

57.  Finger-paint.

58.  Scream as loud as you want.

59.  Dance.

60.  Make hot chocolate.

61.  Pop bubble wrap.

62.  Play with play dough.

63.  Count to 100.

64.  Build a pillow fort.

65.  Blow up a balloon and pop it.

66.  Hug yourself.

67.  Write yourself an "I love myself because" letter and keep it.  Read it when you feel down.

68.  Read things in a different language.

69.  Go for a nice long drive, walk, or jog.

70.  Complete something you have been putting off.

71.  Drink a cup of herbal tea.

72.  Fold paper and invent a new origami shape.

73.  Write your memoirs.

74.  Build something.

75.  Take up archery.  

76.  Go rock climbing.

77.  Take up a new hobby you always dreamed of.

78.  Organize bills, receipts, etc.

79.  Cook a meal.

80.  Go out for ice cream.

81.  Buy a stuffed animal.

82.  Look at pretty things-like flowers or art work.

83.  Create something.

84.  Pray or read the Bible.

85.  Throw socks against the wall.

86.  Make a list of blessings in your life.

87.  Go to a friend's house and open up.

88.  Take up fencing.

89.  Watch an old comedy movie.

90.  Call your therapist or make an appointment with one.

91.  Talk to someone close to you that you trust.

92.  Throw a temper tantrum.

93.  Ride a bicycle.

94.  Polish silver or jewelry.

95,  Start a garden or water your house plants.

96.  Re-arrange a room.

97.  Feed the ducks, birds, or squirrels.

98.  Draw on the walls-or paint with watercolors if you don't want permanence.

99. Play with face paint.

100.  Play jacks or pick up sticks.

101. Color with crayons.

​102.  Memorize a song and sing it.  Then, reflect on it's message.

103.  Put on boots and stomp.

104.  Stretch.

105.  Find a butterfly  and catch it.

106.  Watch fish.

107.  Come up with baby names even if you aren't expecting.

108.  Go to a public place and people watch.

109.  Make a CD of your favorite songs.

110.  Name all of your stuffed animals.

111.  Go shopping.

112.  Get into your PJ's and just veg.

113.  Buy cheap teddy bears and take your anger out on them

114.  Throw everything on the ground except glass.

115.  Go to a loud concert (Make sure it doesn't trigger you)

116.  Think about your ideal life.  What do you have to do to get there?

117.  Plan your someday wedding day or upcoming prom.

118.  Hunt for stuff on Ebay or Amazon

119.  Alphabetize your books and magazines.

120.  Hunt for your perfect home in the paper or online.

121.  Take up Tai Chi.

122.  Try to make as many words as possible out of your full name.

123.  Count ceiling tiles or lights.

124.  Go to the grocery store and buy yourself some flowers.

125.  Search for ridiculous things on the web.

126.  Google yourself.

127.  Color co-ordinate your wardrobe.

128.  Do a home tan on yourself.

129.  Take a hot bath and "be" in the moment.

130.  Sort all you photographs.

131.  Give yourself a pedicure.

132.  Color or scribble over pretty women in magazines.

133.  Plan a dinner party with menus and guest list, then carry it out.

134.  Go through all your old stuff, and donate to Good Will.

135.  Take a walk in the woods and breathe the fresh air.

136.  Start a mood journal and write in it every day.  Do patterns surface?  Track your triggers.

137.  Buy yourself some toys and play like you are 5 years old again!

138.  Start to collect some thing.

139.  Take up kick-boxing.

140.  Read a magazine or newspaper.

141.  Sew something.

142.  Buy a stuffed animal.

143.  Take your own dog, or a friend's dog for a walk.

144.  Call 1-800-DONT CUT

145.  Call 1-800-THERAPIST

146.  Read through this list again.

[inkribbon796]

Days of Childhood

~::~ 10 Years Ago ~::~

Summary: 5+1, Visitation Day. Yancy palling around with his family. All taking place within the same week.

A/N: Bim and Yan are currently 21, making Yancy and Kay 22, and Illinois and Arthur 23. Meaning that here they are 11, 12, and 13 respectively.

5. Arthur- Bugs Alive:

“Come on, hurry up,” Arthur called out, his notebook clutched to his chest as he ran off, Yancy was struggling to keep up with all the rocks and tree roots.

The two boys were running around the spooky woods surrounding the Manor. No wild animals, except for insects and rats, could be found. Normally people who entered the woods became lost and died. Dark took great pains to hide the skeletons that could be found within the unhallowed woods.

Yancy only caught up when the young Author had stopped at a fallen tree that was covered in mushrooms and other fungi, moss covering the rotting wood in sickly patches. He looked giddy and excited, holding a large jar along with his notebook.

In later retellings, Yancy would admit to this being a huge red flag.

“There you are slowpoke,” Arthur shoved the jar into Yancy’s hands. “I need some bugs so I can study them for my stories.”

Unsuspecting, Yancy smiled, “Can I look at them too?”

The young author shrugged, “Sure, whatever.”

“Did you hear?” Arthur started, smiling mischievously, cracking his notebook open. “Dark gave me a nickname, like the kind his network have.”

“I thought we weren’t allowed to join,” Yancy reminded in confusion.

“Well I’ve got one, that means I’m better than Illy,” with a couple quick words, the entire tree trunk violently flipped over, exposing dozens of types of teaming insects out in the open. “No one else here has one but me.”

Yancy frowned at the snide look on his older adopted brother’s face, “Bim goes by Junior.”

“He doesn’t count,” Arthur snapped angrily, and ripped the jar away and started scooping up insects, uncaring if they crawled over his hands to get away from him. “Wil gave him that.

“So what’s your nickname then?” Yancy asked.

“Dark calls me “his little Author” neat huh?” Arthur smiled proudly as he screwed the cap on and smiled at the jar.

“Yeah,” Yancy leaned in to look at the bugs. “So where are you going to hide them? Dark’ll get mad if you bring them into the house.”

Arthur wrote another couple of words and his bat appeared at his feet, a smile on his face, “What do yah mean, Yanc?”

Yancy scurried back with his hands as Arthur brought the bat onto the jar, crushing many insects as others frantically tried to escape. The young author crushed one trying to flee, bringing up his notebook and making sure they all froze in place. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Sick to his stomach, Yancy tried to scoop up some of the insects, the little crawlers freed from Arthur’s powers when they touched his hand, and he flung them into the safety of the bushes.

“Hey, they’re mine!” Arthur shouted. “Don’t throw them away.”

“Run little bugs,” Yancy scooped up some beetles and a worm and threw them into the bushes.

With a couple flourishes of his wrist, an equal number of bugs that Yancy had saved, exploded. “I can kill them faster than you can take them.”

Yancy stuck out his tongue, scooping up another beetle, “You can’t stop me!

Their game continued, Yancy running back to the Manor with a bloody nose and Arthur more than a bit scratched up.

4. Illinois- Heroes and Villains:

Inside the Manor there were two young boys running around the house, one as, and the other who was in a kid’s brown fedora that tended to fall over his eyes was 13.

“Stop running,” Illinois yelled at Yancy. “You’re the hero, you’re supposed to chase me.”

“Youse always play the villain, I’s want a turn,” Yancy yelled back at him and tripped over the rug, crashing hard on the ground.

“Oww,” Yancy grumbled as Illinois jumped onto him and started tying up his feet.

“Gotcha!” Illinois cheered, “now it’s . . .”

The older boy paused for a bit, “You okay.”

“Yeah it just hurts,” he complained.

“Oh,” Illinois stopped and finished tying him up, grabbing a blanket that had been left on the couch. “You can be the villain for a little bit long if you want.”

“Youse gonna ta drag me ta jail?” Yancy asked, smiling and giggling when Illinois rolled him onto the blanket.

Illinois grabbed the blanket and began dragging it towards, “You’re going to jail for stealing a candy bar!”

“No!” Yancy yelled overdramatically.

Illinois picked up a corner of the blanket and began dragging him towards the nearest closet. They passed Dark who was outside his office and looking at them, unimpressed.

“You two aren’t playing that game again are you?” He asked.

Illinois adjusted his hat so it wasn’t over his eyes, “Yes?”

Dark groaned, “Play that outside, you’re going to break something.”

“OK, Dad,” both Yancy and Illinois agreed and Illinois began dragging Yancy and the blanket towards the door.

Because both of them were turned away they missed the scared look on Dark’s face at the title they’d give him. Fear that quickly gave way to a colder mask. “It’s Dark.”

Both the boys frowned,, correcting themselves before Illinois finished dragging Yancy onto the back patio and then carried him down the stairs to the lawn where he grabbed a couple croquet pins and made a little small fence around him. Both boys unaware that Dark was watching them from the balcony

“There,” Illinois said proudly, hands resting on his hips. “I won.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yancy complained. “Whatever. Untie me already.”

Illinois tapped his chin, “Nah, untie yourself.”

“Noisy!” Yancy yelled. “Get back here!”

Then Yancy noticed a danger sticking out of the ground. Quickly Yancy rolled over and grabbed the knife and began cutting himself free.

“Hey!” Illinois began racing for the patio stairwell door as Yancy finished cutting himself free. Since the knots were tied by a thirteen-year-old and Illinois hadn’t actually meant to keep him trapped indefinitely, it didn’t take long.

However, now Yancy was chasing Illinois around with a knife in his hand as the boys ran up the stairs. Dark quickly snatched the knife out of his hand the first chance he got.

“Dark, he cheated!” Illinois called out.

The Entity was just sipping from his coffee cup as the two boys raced around him. “You’re the villain now, get away from him.”

Yancy and Illinois kept running around the backyard until they got exhausted and Dark brought them inside for a nap and a snack.

3. Kay- The King of the Squirrels:

Kay was arranging some of the stuffed animals he owned into a pile. The young boy had a red blanket tied around his neck. Dark and King were in a bit of an arms race. King always asked for a pet, every birthday, Christmas, and Thursday. Dark, sick and tired of always saying a two-letter word over and over again bet he could find any stuffed animal and if he was ever unable to, Kay could have that animal as a pet.

It was bet Dark had yet to lose, which led to an arms race of Kay finding different names for animals, and a very extensive stuffed animal collection.

Yancy jumped out of the pile, and raised a stuffed platypus above his head, “Found it!”

“Uh, they don’t hunt squirrels,” Kay reminded him.

“What do they eat then?” Yancy asked, trying to get out of the pile without knocking the whole thing over.

“Bugs, worms,” Kay shrugged and grabbed a leopard plushie. “Here, cats can eat squirrels.”

“But I’s like the platty-pus,” Yancy complained.

“Bring them both,” Kay shrugged, and Yancy took the leopard and held both of them in his arms in a warm hug.

Out of all of his siblings, Yancy liked spending time with Illy, but he always thought Kay was the nicest. The boys ran outside, to where Kay had hidden some of his favorite stuffed animals, his squirrels, up into a tree towards the edge of the tree line into the creepy forest. Wil had magicked them all up a treehouse. Dark had been less than impressed, only agreeing to keep the kids’ new “wooden death trap” when Wil demonstrated its sturdiness by getting up and jumping up and down on the thing and not fall through the wood.

King usually spent all his time up in the treehouse. And Yancy waited at the bottom until he could throw the toys up and climb up.

The afternoon was spent peacefully playing with the stuffed animals.

2. Bim- Starlight, Starbright:

Yancy and Bim were out on the front lawn, sneaking out late at night to catch fireflies. Normally Dark let them stay up late all summer collecting bugs and sleeping in the backyard. But for the last few days he’d been keeping them all inside, constantly watching them any time they went near the backyard. He promised them that whatever was lurking around the area would be gone soon and they could go back to enjoying the stars and bugs.

And if Yancy heard Dark screaming and fighting something in what he was pretty sure was a dead, haunted forest, the young boy was too nervous to talk about it with anyone else.

Bim jumped, his glasses almost falling off his face. He caught another firefly in his hands, cupping his hands around it, “Yes!”

Yancy was catching another firefly and carefully putting it in a jar where there were already a dozen fireflies buzzing around inside. After the fiasco with Arthur, he kept a tight grip on the insect jar, even though Bim had never ruthlessly tortured insects before.

The two boys kept putting little lightning bugs into their jar until Bim was finally satisfied. “Yeah, look at them,” Bim cheered. “Aren’t they cool, their little butts glow.”

“Yeah, ain’t they something,” Yancy agreed, before noticing that the fireflies were disappearing from their backyard, as if they were being chased. “I’s think Dark’s comin’ we should get inside.”

Bim frowned, “I didn’t even get my wish.”

“We’ll make it inside, come on,” Yancy began running inside, both boys missing the slowly gathering black mist that was in the treeline as the two boys raced inside and up into Bim’s bedroom. Only then did they giggle a little bit in the darkness, the only light was from the little bugs in their jar.

“Let me make the first one,” Bim reached for the jar.

“No, you’ll let them all go,” Yancy reminded, holding the jar away from him. “Come on, I’s never get the first one.”

He pouted, folding his arms like Wil tended to do, “Come on.”

Yancy moved over to Bim’s window and began to open it as Bim swiped the jar and grabbed one of the bugs, pinning it to his hand with his almost invisible aura. Yancy lunged for the jar to close it, but two glowing bugs escaped through the window. “Hey!”

“I want to be just like Daddy when I grown up,” Bim wished, blowing gently on the insect and allowing it to fly off.

Yancy was carefully getting another lightning bug on his own finger so he could make his own wish: “I’s wanna be a good person.”

Bim scoffed at that, but only ordered, “Give me another bug, I’ve got more wishes to make.”

Glaring at him, Yancy fought over the fireflies until they were all gone and Bim closed the window, all their troubles safely locked out of Manor.

1. Yan- Teddy Bear Picnic:

Yancy was sitting out in the back lawn with Yan, a little table between them and as many chairs as the little table could fit with a teddy on each chair. Each bear had on a bow tie and a frilly hat and a full tea party in front of them.

Yan was in a nice little red dress while Yancy was in a bow tie,

Two of the bears belonged to Yan and Yancy respectively, and the other three were politely and quietly “borrowed” from Kay’s collection.

Yan kicked her feet a little bit as she poured tea for the bear next to her.

“Why do you always give tea to her first?” Yancy complained.

“Because Ms. Talia is a lady,” Yan said.

“Youse been sittings’ there pouring her tea fer ferever,” Yancy reminded.

Then suddenly the whole table jolted, Yan and Yancy froze and leaned away from the table, Yan gasping in horror as her hard work was mostly tossed to the floor.

“Rawr! Rawr!” Artie began growling excitedly as he moved underneath the same tablecloth.

“Artie!” Yan got up and stomped her feet angrily. “You wrecked my tea party!”

“I’m not Artie,” Arthur said. “I’m a sea monster.”

“There’s no sea monsters at tea parties,” Yancy reminded sharply.

Arthur frowned, “Then you’re having a lousy tea party.”

“No,” Yan spat. “I don’t want sea monsters at my tea party!”

The young author frowned, before growing a bit and running off with the table cloth.

A chase ensued on the back lawn, the two kids chasing their older brother until they could rip the cloth away and slowly start rebuilding their little tea party. With Artie the sea monster in sea monster jail until the end of the tea party.

+1. Dark and Wil- Bruised Egos and Bloodied Knuckles:

It began simply enough. Arthur had brought a rat into the house, and Kay had been excited. A secret little pet to hide from Dark for a while.

Kay named him Pretzel.

The poor creature barely lasted an hour. It was in debate for the rest of Arthur’s existence on what had happened to the rodent. Whether he was jealous of the rat spending more time with Kay, or he simply got bored of it.

Either way when Kay snuck off to check on Pretzel, the rat was gone with only a couple specks of blood on the floor of its cage.

He angrily went to confront Arthur, who was watching a show with Wil and the other kids. Arthur feigned ignorance and Yancy jumped Arthur for killing another creature, trying to separate him from his notebook and hold him down.

The fight resulted in Arthur getting a black eye, Kay getting some scratches to the face, and Yancy getting one of the last of his baby teeth getting literally kicked out of his skull.

Wil was trying to separate the three boys with his aura, and looked relieved when Dark ran in and grabbed Arthur, the two porting over to the young boy’s room.

With Arthur gone Kay finally stopped fighting and just started crying, Yancy crying a bit at how upset he was.

Yancy was given a lollipop as Kay spoke through his tears. “He killed my rat, he killed Pretzel.”

“There, there,” Wilford waved another lollipop into his hand and did a little magic trick. “You’ll see Pretzel again. He didn’t die.”

“Wil!” Dark walked in, looking unhappy. “Don’t make it worse.”

“Kaylor if you wanted another rat toy I could have given it to you,” Dark reprimanded, summoning up a little rat plushie in his hands and holding it out to the boy. “You shouldn’t be fighting with Arthur over a rat.”

Kay glared at the toy and pushed it away, “I don’t want a toy, I want Pretzel.”

Dark took a deep, audible breath, and handed Yancy the toy instead. “We can’t have a pet, and this is why. Be lucky you got as long as you did with the thing.”

“Pretzel,” Yancy corrected.

Rolling his eyes, Dark corrected, “Pretzel, fine. Be lucky you got any time with Pretzel. No one in the house can control themselves, and any other pet will not last. Hopefully Pretzel escaped on his own.”

Dark picked Yancy up with his aura, setting the boys side-by-side as he talked to them. “Just imagine that Pretzel escaped and is living with the other rats. If that makes you feel better.”

Kay nodded and Dark smiled as he dried Kay’s eyes, “I’m sorry we can’t have the pet you want, and maybe one day you’ll get to actually own a pet.”

Giving a small smile, Dark smiled back and smooth out Kay’s slight curly hair.

Then he turned to Yancy, “As for you.”

“What?” Yancy argued back.

“What were you thinking?” Dark demanded.

“Artie killed Pretzel an’ might use his book ta hurt Kay,” Yancy accused.

“How do you know he killed it?” Dark quizzed.

“Because he smashed a jar a bugs an’ he hit me,” Yancy answered as Dark just stoically stared at him.

When Yancy finished, Dark summoned up his favorite candy bar and held it up in front of the young boy.

“Listen to me, Yancy, you need to always protect your siblings, even if sometimes you have to protect them from each other.” Dark had the softest look in his eyes that Yancy had ever seen. When Yancy reached for the candy bar, Dark’s looked hardened and he pulled it away.

“This isn’t a free license to beat up on your brother, do you understand me?” Dark demanded.

“Yes,” Yancy replied earnestly.

Dark smiled and gave him the candy bar. Turning back to Will he said, “Well hopefully Arthur’s calmed down a bit. Can’t leave him in his room all day.”

Dark ripped open a portal in the Void and walked through it, leaving Wil to take the kids back to the living room where then TV was waiting for them.

[charlemange1]

The Last True Man- chapter 1/11

A crossover of Mary Shelley’s novels Frankenstein and The Last Man. Because TLM is an awesome pandemic novel and deserves more love!

Summary: A deadly plague has left Lionel Verney miserable as the last man on earth. Then he discovers a flier warning of an 8ft monster and decides to hunt the creature and reclaim the dominion mankind once held. But can he truly call himself the last man while abandoning everything that made humans human?

“I wandered lonely as a cloud,

That floats on high o'er vales and hills…”

--William Wordsworth

Ice had brought the once-great fountains of Rome to a standstill. A dusting of fresh snow cloaked the quiet streets in a white blanket, disturbed only by the hoof prints of horses picking their way past the overturned coaches that had once restrained them. Off the street, the towering doors of St. Peter's Basilica stood ajar to welcome the white flakes that blew in tiny circles across the cracked tile. I saw little reason to shut the dancing flecks out—today was a celebration!

“To a new year!” My voice echoed off the marble saint statues as I raised a crystal glass to the golden ceiling. Nearly tripping over my embroidered cloak, I ran across the cleared church to where my sweet Idris was shooing little Evelyn away from a flask of Rome’s finest wine.

“Idris, I fear we’ve raised a thief!” I chuckled, pushing the drink away from my son’s stubby fingers. I ruffled his hair and the curls tickled my palm. “Did Alfred put you up to this?”

I held my laughter as my other son’s head disappeared behind the towering statue of Saint Longinus. “Careful now, that monument was designed by mankind’s greatest minds!”

Taking Idris by the hand, we danced around the splotches of winter sun on the decorative tiles. Just as we’d done at Windsor Castle before evacuees fleeing the plague had crowded the rooms. I forced the image of their jutting ribs and dull eyes from my mind.

“And you’ll be baking mince pie this year, of course!” I forced a smile. “It is tradition after all! Clara loves them. Adrian too!” I guided Idris across the tile to where Adrian sat in a prince’s gown embedded with emeralds, laughing with my sister Perdita. Her eyes—once dulled from grief—had brightened. She adored the ruffly pink dress I had found for her. They all did. For my family, I would scour every continent if it brought a smile to their blue lips.

My head lifted to the ceiling in ecstasy. The golden walls and paintings blended in a whirlwind. We swung faster and faster, my laughter floating to the rafters to make up for the other's silence. I laughed and laughed.

And laughed.

My knees hit the tile and Idris clanged beside me before rolling into the shadows. The remaining suits and dresses I had hung on wireframes loomed above me. Never to be worn by man or woman or son or wife or friend again. The laugher turned to sobs.

“To 2100—the last year of the world!”

The candlelight gave the saint’s chiseled faces an imitation of life. It was too much, and my palms pressed against the lakes forming in each eye. A low whine came from my left as a warm tongue licked the frozen tears from my cheeks. My hands fumbled around until locating the shaggy fur and pulling the dog close.

“What are we to do, Bysshe?” I sobbed into the sheepdog’s warm pelt. “No one has entered Rome. None will ever come. I thought the knowledge stored here would sustain me as it did when Adrian introduced me to the finer aspects of society, but what use is studying the history of a dead race? Why walk through streets crowded with sculptures and theaters reduced to sheltering wild beasts?” I glared at the wireframe dressed in a prince’s clothing.

“Adrian, why did you pluck me from a life of savageness and show me what living could be only to die and leave me alone? Why couldn’t I have perished as a stubborn loner in the countryside instead of wandering through these marble and gold skeletons of humanity?”

The Adrian-frame remained silent. Bysshe whined again, and my voice softened. “No, you’re right, Bysshe. 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.' I cherish the memories of those far more deserving of life than I.”

But memories were all they were. I thought of Adrian extending his hand to me on our first meeting. I had been crouching bloodied and wounded against an oak—a feral animal sustained by spite. He had looked past my hatred with the faith I could be saved from myself. Suddenly my patheticness dawned on me. This display of misery would achieve nothing. Adrian never stopped believing in the good of humanity. As the final remnant of our species, that legacy lived on through me alone.

“Bysshe, we’re leaving.” Standing, my gaze swept over the empty evening gowns and suits I’d so carefully positioned around the church. I turned toward the entrance. Purpose made each step firm on the tile, sending a strong clack through the halls.

“Fate has spared me alone, so I shall live.”

*

The preparations for my exodus were swift. I found a rowboat in decent shape tethered to the docks and a surplus of Indian corn stockpiled behind the stage of a dark theater. The gnawed bones of the ill-fated owner gave no complaint as I hauled the jars away.

Having secured transportation and food, I entered the library for more relics. The titles told me what was fiction, history, and societal critiques, but what did the written word mean to the termite seeking a meal? Though the libraries of the world were thrown open to me, I could not leave Rome’s archives to nature’s destruction. They were the sole link connecting me to the recollections of my ill-fated species. I stuffed my satchel until the flap couldn’t be fastened and departed.

Outside, Bysshe abandoned a squirrel he had cornered up an overgrown pine and joined me for a final pass down the empty streets. We reached the docks in good time, where a large fishery towered above us. It was likely visible for miles on the open sea. Something twisted within me. Placing my satchel beside Bysshe, I ordered him to stay and rushed back into the city.

*

The small rowboat bobbed in the waves. My final moments in Rome had been rash. Childish, even. Yet some part of me still clung fervently to hope. My painted message in every language I could cram on the fishery’s wall faded as we drifted into unknown waters.

Survivor!

You are not alone!

Sail south along the coast, and you shall find the tiny bark,

freighted with Lionel Verney—the LAST MAN.

[softjeon]

A place to belong

• Pairing: Jimin x Bobcat!Namjoon • Genre: Fluff and a bit of crack, cause Namjoon...you’ll see. | Hybrid!AU • Words: 12k | AO3 • Disclaimer: none

written with @cassiavioletblue​

↳  He wasn’t good with this. But he wanted to be. Because Jimin was lonely and he was lost and so maybe they could make it work so that both of them would get a little taste of happiness. 

He shivered at the cold bit at him on this grey morning. The wet snow was dragging down the branches of the pines, every step of his leaving a mark and giving away where he was going. The bathrobe was tied tightly around his waist as he hurried further towards the bushes, with a bag in one hand and a water jug in his other. Every morning, it was the same routine: Jimin filled the bowl up again with two or three cups of bird feed and filled the other with some water. He never left a morning out. It was just part of his getting ready in the morning. Just as much as the freezing was. The more he was excited for his hot shower after. 

Sometimes, when Jimin was lucky, there was even a little squirrel already awaiting him. Looking up at him patiently, waiting for him to spread the feed around a little more. He usually threw some of the bird feed under the bushes. For the shy ones, Jimin always told Yoongi who teased him about his unusual routine. Most animals though didn’t come out until he was gone, and he could only see them from the kitchen window sometimes. 

Jimin was about to scoop the first cup, when his eyes widened. The bowls were emptied. As if someone had licked them completely clean. Usually, there was always something left, a few scoops of corn or peanuts because Jimin was really generous and filling it up every day. But it was never been emptied before. Looking over his shoulder, Jimin narrowed his eyes as he tried to see if there maybe was a bigger animal around. Or maybe more birds and squirrels were seeking shelter? Or other animals? Deers? His heart ached at the thought and took a few more scoops this time, filling the bowl to the rim quickly.

“There you go,” Jimin whispered, before he hurried back into the warmth of his living room again. He needed to get ready for work. 

❄️...❄️

He would have never thought that he was happy about bird food, but he had been so excited to find it he had stuffed his face before realizing that not all the sunflower seeds had been peeled. Coughing up sunflower seed shells wasn’t a nice feeling - but he had different problems right now. He felt almost a little guilty for stealing the bird’s food but luckily there were a few houses around that had started to offer food for winter birds now that the temperature had dropped so significantly. He just normally couldn’t get there. He moaned in delight when he saw that whoever was feeding the birds at this place had actually sprinkled a few nuts in between. 

Walnuts, peanuts, something that would make him feel even more full. With cold hands he tried to grab as many nuts as he could making sure to leave some seeds behind to not make it too obvious that someone else had been busy eating the food - but his stomach growled and he felt lightheaded already so in the end he just gave in and took the whole plate again, stuffing everything into his pockets. Who knew when the owner would come home or a neighbor or whoever else had access to this garden. If he was lucky he could stay close and maybe take some food from here again. 

❄️…❄️

It was always the same routine. He put the key into the lock, turned it twice to lock the door and then turned on the light before plopping down onto the couch tiredly. Those long shifts really took a toll on him, especially in winter. Jimin turned to look outside, but he couldn’t see anything but his own reflection. It was already dark and there was more snow falling.

Jimin sighed deeply, when he finally could manage to get himself up from the couch and took the scarf from the drawer to wrap it around his neck to keep the cold out. At least for a little bit, while he would hurry down the little path to the shed where he stored the wood for the chimney. A nice warm fire was what he needed, he thought. Jimin was already halfway there, arms wrapped around his body, trying to ignore how cold it was when he noticed the plate by the feeding place being tossed over.

“Huh?” Jimin stopped dead in his tracks and cocked his head aside, carefully getting closer to where he had placed the food this morning. “Are you really that hungry?” Jimin asked to no one in particular and then laughed. “Oh well, then I might get you some more, right?” Carefully he turned around and rushed back to his home to get the bucket filled with the seeds. 

❄️…❄️

All those nuts and seeds had given him a stomachache after not having eaten for a little while, but he figured he would be fine if he just ate a little slower this time. He had found a place in a small barn nearby. Someone had locked the door with chains to make sure that no one could get in even though the chains whereby far the newest thing about the whole thing. The wood was dark and old and there must have been paint before even though you could only guess it from a few spots where it was peeling and coming off in flakes. Namjoon didn’t give up easy (or else he wouldn’t be still here) so he had rounded the barn, trying to find another way inside. In the end it had been incredibly easy. He only had to climb the next tree and then reach for the window. There was nothing to cover them properly and the windowpane wasn’t even fully made of glass just some shards and some kind of plastic behind it. Apparently someone had smashed the window and the barn owner had only halfheartedly fixed it. Namjoon could slip into it despite the darkness (he could be quiet but even he didn’t dare to climb trees in broad daylight.) Inside it was dry and the last bit of tension left his body when he saw the dust lingering everywhere. No one had been inside of here in a long time. He was safe - for a while.

❄️…❄️

Jimin was about to head out in the wintery cold again, when he saw the apples in his basket. Honestly, he didn’t know why he bought them anyways. It was just because they looked great in the bowl, but every morning he forgot to take one to work with him and then he didn’t eat them and usually threw them away when they got old. In a quick decision, he picked two of them and put them into the basket and slid the glass door open again. The cold immediately rushed in and let him shiver, but he was determined.

“I got you some apple, too.” Jimin was talking again, not really caring if someone would call him crazy. But maybe there was a family of hedgehogs or squirrels that needed more food than what he had brought before. “I’m not sure if you like them or not, but if you do you can have them. I don’t really eat them anyways and you must be very hungry.” He scooped up a few cups again, filling the plate and then put the apples down. 

❄️…❄️

Namjoon was thankful for his new place, it almost resembled a home. He had a roof over his head, and he could eat regularly - even if it was just bird food. He wondered why the person who was feeding the birds did just refill the plated. Surely he must have noticed by now that something was off. But instead of hiding the plates or keeping an eye on them he just put more food there. Nonetheless Namjoon was extra careful, just to be sure, so he closed his eyes again, letting time pass. As he was mostly out at night and sleeping throughout the day it took him a while until he saw who lived in the house that belonged to the garden where he got his meals from. He had just woken up when his ears turned at a strange sound. 

Rubbing his eyes, he took a peak between the wooden slats that the barn was made of and froze in his position. There was a human right across the street from him, pulling a trash can right behind him. It looked heavy and Namjoon wondered if there was something inside that was still edible. Hopefully he could take a look before the garbage collection would take it with them. He had found tasty things in garbage cans before, especially if he had been lucky enough to get one that the supermarkets used. Unfortunately, those were always more secured and in open places with lots of light to scare off “dumpster divers”. He had still tried a few times but after he had been almost caught twice he deemed the risk too high. He had no idea what they would do to him if they caught him and realized to whom he had belonged. He rather ate bird food than risk finding it out.

❄️…❄️ 

Jimin rubbed his eyes together, pushing the trashcan at the side of the street. Blowing into his hands, he tried to warm them as he head back to his door. He had refilled the food every morning and sometimes even at night, wondering who was so hungry. Some evenings, Jimin had stood by the window with the lights being out in his apartment to see if he could spot a few of them - but there were only squirrels and a few small birds happily chiming in on the food. And yet, the next morning everything was gone again from the plate and he found it empty. In the end, Jimin bought a new pack of bird feed just this morning, because the other was already empty and added some apples into his cart. Usually Jimin didn’t have to buy a new one all winter, but normally there wasn’t as much hungry animals around. It wasn’t like he lived near a forest or something. 

Careful not to slip on the wet snow, Jimin walked back inside, yearning for a warm cup of cocoa. He was just about to fill his favorite mug with some milk, when he noticed out of the corner of his eyes that he had completely forgotten to take out the kitchen bag as well. With a sigh, Jimin gazed out of the window, letting out a whine when he saw the snowflakes falling. For a moment he hesitated, whether he should just bring it out the next the morning and just leave it be, trying to ignore the fact that usually the garbage trucks came pretty early and he usually was still asleep. Jimin groaned and took the bag out of its container, before he headed out of the door again.  

Namjoon had waited for a little while after the human had left the street and went back into his home but he was too curious and too restless to wait for longer so he sneaked out of the barn shortly after even though he knew he should wait until everyone was certainly asleep. Looking left and right he slowly crossed the street, ducking behind everything that could hide him a little bit, but it wasn’t necessary no one was out in the cold. Carefully Namjoon opened the lid of the trash can and sniffed. There was the smell of decay and something moldy, but he had expected that. People were so spoilt with food that they put stuff in the trash that was still edible. Namjoon didn’t mind mealy apples or old food. You could soak hardened bread or cut off parts that were burnt or musty. He would surely get a nice meal tonight! 

Jimin was about to close the door behind him, trying to keep the cold from creeping when he saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. A sound like someone roaming around in his trash made him jump around, holding onto the bag as he stared into a pair of gleaming eyes – not longer than a second. 

Namjoon had just managed to get hold of a half-eaten chicken wing when he heard the door open. He froze, heart beating so loud that he could hear it in his ears. He was out in the open here - and running towards the barn might give away his hiding spot too! He was hesitating long enough for the human to come within sight and Namjoon lost it. 

He hissed, a sound that wasn’t that dangerous anymore because the fear that washed over him like a wave choked him off. With the chicken wing in hand he ran, blindly and carelessly running into the next bushes because he needed to get away now before the human could call the animal service. 

Jimin froze on the spot, eyes wide as he stared at the spot where the animal had gotten out of sight for him. Only now did he get out of his stupor, letting the bag fall and hurry towards the trashcan to close the lid again. Jimin looked over his shoulder, breathing heavily as his heart was beating fast. He gulped hard, eyes flickering around to spot the animal – or whatever it had been. Either way it wasn’t a squirrel, or a bird and it was definitely bigger than a dog. Jimin stood there for what felt like an eternity until his feet felt like frozen blocks. “I’m sorry I scared you,” Jimin took a step closer to the bushes, where he had last seen the intruder and came to a halt there. He waited, listening closely for any sounds, before he retreated slowly again. The animal was gone.

❄️…❄️ 

Namjoon had been running for about twenty minutes before he dared to stop. his breath came in harsh pants and his throat felt sore because the cold night air had roughed it up. He had messed it up, he had been too greedy. he should make sure to find a new spot to sleep now in case the human would go searching around or tell people or call the animal service after all. He needed to be sure that no one knew where he was. Namjoon shivered in the cold. The snowflakes were landing gently on his form, wetting his hair and soaking his clothes. He was still holding onto the chicken wing so he crouched down behind some bushes to eat it before it would freeze into a block of ice.

❄️…❄️ 

Jimin stood by the window, trying to spot whatever he had seen and hissed at him only hours ago, but it was still quiet. There was nothing, but the leaves moving with the wind and the snow that was falling slowly. The temperatures would drop even more tonight and Jimin bit his lip, worrying and replaying the moment he had seen the shadow when he gasped, and his eyes widened. 

“Hybrid,” Jimin turned on his heel quick, his heart racing fast as he reached for the blanket from his couch and then ran into the kitchen again to get a thermos. “Of course,” He was mumbling to himself, putting one by one together. There was only one animal that could reach into his trash, hiss at him and then run away on two legs. One that wasn’t entirely animal in his being. Jimin had seen a few hybrids before, but usually only someone rich enough to be able to afford one could buy one or get a hybrid from the shelter to take care of.  

Not really caring about putting on shoes, Jimin stepped out on the snow, soaking his socks - but he ignored it as he rushed to the bird’s feed and put the blanket there and the thermos that was filled with hot tea. He was only hoping that the other would find his way back and that he hadn’t scared him off completely. 

❄️…❄️ 

Namjoon was cowering in the bushes for a while, half expecting someone with a stick chasing him out and he had seen people use electric shock devices as well. He was frozen in place because if he ran now he would be out in the open. Every car, every late night walker would see him, and he was too dirty, too weird to not let people notice. However, he couldn’t stay here, now that the human had gotten a look he needed to get away as soon as possible. He should climb into the barn one last time and take everything that would warm him. He had felt bad for stealing in the beginning, but he was too close to purest survival to really care anymore. He would get up and get the stuff right now! Or maybe.. maybe he would do it in a few seconds, just too be sure… or maybe a few seconds longer, until the light behind the windows would have gone out. 

The fear of being discovered and the cold literally freezing him were holding him in place and so he waited... and waited until his limbs were shaking and his lips were turning blue. His bod was getting numb from the cold and he knew that it was starting to get dangerous, but he didn’t dare to move, still, even though he knew he should. 

When the door opened again, and the human came out he flinched so hard he almost fell over. He tried to mobilize his cold limbs enough to run when he saw that the other was carrying blankets and a bottle. He watched in surprise as the human placed all of it at the bird feeding station and then went back inside as if… as if he had been leaving those things for him! Surely it must be a trap!

Jimin closed the door again, waiting for a moment as he looked outside before finally turning around and turning off the light. He didn’t want the hybrid to be scared that he would come out or still be there and watch him. So, instead Jimin walked to his kitchen and made himself some tea as well. He slipped out of his wet socks, throwing them somewhere, where he could fetch them later, when he saw a shadow scur over the new fallen snow and towards the bird feed. 

Namjoon had kept in his place, sitting and waiting for the other to jump out or get the blankets back inside because Namjoon wouldn’t take them. However, nothing had happened. Even the light at the house went out. So, the human either used some night watch goggles to still watch him or some kind of camera. It must be that. Who would freely give out blankets and water? He might have been kind with the bird food before, but he knew now that Namjoon wasn’t some stray animal or else he wouldn’t have left a bottle. This had to be a trap. No one was stupid enough to take care of a stray hybrid. And yet the later it got and the less he could feel his limbs Namjoon’s willpower melted away until all he could think about was the blankets. He needed to move, he needed to get warm. He might die from hypothermia if he stayed in the bushes and even if it was a trap and they got him he might survive the night and then.. he might be able to run away again…

Crouched down he started to inch closer, trying to stay under the radar but he wasn’t graceful or moving fluidly, he was too cold for that. When he finally reached the blankets, they felt stiff and cold as well but when he threw them over his shoulders it got instantly warmer and then he discovered that the bottle wasn’t filled with water, it was tea, hot, delicious tea and he gulped down as much as he could stomach.

Jimin couldn’t see much but the shadow, but the smile on his lips grew even wider when he saw that the hybrid was enjoying his gift and that he hadn’t run away. A little hastily, but he still did, and he promised to himself to do the same again the next day. But for now, he hoped it was enough to sleep through the night – for both of them.

❄️…❄️

When Jimin’s alarm made him jerk up again and he sleepily shuffled through his living room the next morning, he almost oversaw it. When his eyes fell on the grey thermos that stood right in front of his door he couldn’t believe it: the hybrid had brought it back to him.

He instantly walked over, tying his robe a little tighter around his waist before opening the door. Jimin shivered from the cold. It had snowed again, and the human wondered how close the hybrid must be. Taking the thermos, he closed the door again and did the same routine as last night again. Jimin took the thermos that was filled with hot tea again, some apples and vegetables he still had in his fridge and placed them right outside his door again.

“Don’t worry,” Jimin spoke a little louder, hoping that his neighbors wouldn’t see him and wonder who he was talking to at the ass crack of dawn. “I’ll be gone to work soon. You’ll see my car there will be gone so you can come here freely.” Jimin looked around, trying to spot a movement. “If…if you need more blankets, maybe you can give me a sign…just…” He took the lid off the thermos, “Just place it next to it so I know you need more blankets, okay?” Jimin waited for a moment, then put the lid back and got up.

Namjoon’s had a good night's sleep in the barn with the new blankets and a stomach full of warm tea. He had curled up tightly, hiding completely under the blankets to keep warmer and also to stay hidden in case anyway took a look into the barn. He woke up when Jimin placed the food to the bird feeding place, but he was only conscious enough to get the last part because it took him a while to get up and listen in. He was a little wary that the human didn’t seem to mind but he had kind of reach out to him in a way. Putting the thermos back on the other’s stairs had been the only way to tell him that he appreciated the gift as he had nothing else to give in return. Apparently though it had been enough for the human to continue to feed him with even more food than before. He couldn’t wait for the other to be gone to get the food. It was so much that he would been able to store some of it away for tomorrow - or a bad day when the other would stop feeding him for free. 

❄️…❄️ 

Jimin had no clue that Namjoon was hiding in the barn at the end of his garden. It was overgrown, old and rusty and Jimin was always just waiting for it to crash down one day. He’d never used it. He wasn’t good with his garden anyways and usually, when spring came he let someone else take care of it.  

The human had bought a few more things at the store after work, excited to feed his little new neighbor. Somehow it gave him something to do, while usually his nights had been pretty boring as all he did was go to work, come back and watch tv. His house was too big for him, but it was all he had and Jimin was proud of it. But now, with his new routine, it felt a little easier to get up in the morning and to come home again – as if someone was waiting for him. Jimin kept talking to the hybrid, even though he couldn’t see him, placing all kinds of new things he bought outside and some tea, hoping that it would get him through the winter. Even if he had to do it every day – and of course Jimin didn’t stop feeding the birds, too.  

“This is a new tea I bought. I’m not sure if it will taste good but you would have to tell me.” Jimin laughed as he placed the thermos down again, realizing he had forgotten the food. “Oh! I’ll be back in a second!” 

It had become a habit for Namjoon, and a dangerous one at that. Because instead of waiting until he was absolutely certain that Jimin was gone Namjoon came out of his hiding spot sooner sometimes. Jimin never turned around or came back. So, he was about to climb down the tree that he used to get in and out of the barn when he saw that Jimin was on his way back to the feeding place, food in hand. Namjoon froze, holding his breath as if that would help him. He was pretty sure Jimin wouldn’t overlook a fully grown hybrid hanging in the tree next to the feeding place - although he hadn’t seen him yet. He felt hot and cold all over, waiting for it to happen.

Jimin was so immersed in his task, that he didn’t see Namjoon at all, placing the food down as he kept on talking. “It’s just a bit of rice and vegetables. I hope you like it.” He was about to turn around, when Jimin saw something move out of the corner of his eyes. Carefully, he turned around, eyes wide as his gaze followed up to see who was lurking around on the tree, when he met another pair of eyes. Their eye contact was cut off roughly though, when the hybrid jumped down, crouching to cushion the fall. Jimin squealed in surprise, jumping back but he wasn’t scared. He stood in awe, mouth agape as he stared at the hybrid in front of him. 

Namjoon almost managed to stay hidden to the other when his leg started cramping from the uncomfortable position. He moved, just slightly - and the other looked up at him. Without thinking Namjoon jumped down, not wanting to hang there like a fruit to be plucked. They were staring at each other, Namjoons light amber eyes meeting the dark browns of the human - who seemed a little intimidated by his size. Or maybe he had expected something cute like a cat or a bunny and was now shocked when being faced with a predator.

Jimin’s heart skipped a beat, a motion that it hadn’t done it a while and surprised him so much that it made him gasp for air. He gulped, looking up at the hybrid that stood tall in front of him and was…

“Handsome,” Jimin whispered the words out loud, only realizing then what he had said. His eyes widened and cheeks blushed vividly red. “I mean…” He tried to think of something quick, but there was nothing witty he could think of an instead Jimin reached for the pot of rice and held it out for the hybrid. “F-for you. You’re the one living in my garden, right?”

“Wh..what?” Of everything the other could have said this was the farthest away from what he had expected. Had he really just been called handsome? Or did he jump down from that tree too fast and had gotten himself dizzy? He cautiously reached out his hands to take the rice. It was a full pot, a day’s worth of food and Namjoon wondered why the other was giving so freely when he couldn’t get something back in return. “Yeah that’s.. that’s me. Thank you for.. all the food. And blankets. And.. and the tea.” His voice sounded strange to his own ears. He hadn’t talked to anyone in a while. They were quiet again for a little while both of them too wary and too awkward to talk until Namjoon quietly dared to ask what had been bothering him since it had been obvious Jimin knew he was close. “Why... haven’t you called the animal services. Or the police? Do you want... my fur?”

“Your fur? What do I want with it and why should I? You haven’t been bothering me.” Jimin smiled honestly at the hybrid, “It gave me a nice routine as well, makes waking up in the morning a little easier if you know something might be waiting for you to refill.” He bit his lip, trying not to overwhelm the other. Jimin was still surprised at his sudden appearance, when the last couple of days he hadn’t even seen a shadow. “Also, do you think I look like a fur coat owner?” He made a face of disgust, “That’s just cruel.”

Namjoon cocked his head, giving the other a thorough once over. He hadn’t been that close to the other before. He looked… young, with a soft face and kind eyes. His words however spoke of loneliness and Namjoon was confused. “So, you live entirely alone?” He had been sure that someone else would visit that house, maybe coming back from holidays but no one had been visiting Jimin at all since Namjoon had stayed in the barn. “Routine, that’s it? You’re spending all that time and money and food and effort on me just to give you routine?” His brows furrowed. “Surely you must want something in return.” There wasn’t a certain ‘look’ to fur lovers, but they’d look at Namjoon differently than Jimin did. He wasn’t fixated on his presenting animal traits he looked into his eyes. Like he was a person.

Jimin shook his head again. “I saw you were hungry and figured you must be cold. I wasn’t even sure if you still were close or if I chased you away. I was just happy to see you alive and enjoy the tea, honestly. You really don’t have to be afraid of me. I have absolutely no use for your fur.” He smiled softly at the hybrid, wrapping himself a little closer in his jacket. This year’s winter was extremely cold and Jimin could tell from the hybrid’s clothes that he wasn’t wearing much to protect him from it. “If you want, you can come inside. I have a fireplace where you can warm yourself up and I can make you some soup.”  

“You want me to come inside? Into your home? To eat soup?” Namjoon repeated, getting more and more wary. This didn’t make any sense. He had been hunted by humans, had been owned and treated like a piece of furniture and he had seen, heard and read about wild hybrids being caught and killed off if they didn’t have someone who claimed ownership over them, simply because they were ‘dangerous’. He had been on the run for weeks, scared to be seen by anyone because of that. And there he was now, standing in front of a human who had fed him, cared for him and who offered him, a predatory hybrid, some soup inside of the house. Was that man an adrenaline Junkie searching for a high through danger? Or did he underestimate him and wanted to keep him like an exotic pet that he could use for entertainment and show off to others? 

“In case this is some kind of trap I’m warning you; I didn’t have my teeth filed nor have been declawed. I can do just as much damage as the animal that’s part of me.” 

Jimin simply nodded at that. He couldn’t help it though; his heart was beating just a little faster. The hybrid in front of him was predatory, he should be careful - but at the same time something told him that he wouldn’t hurt him. “Only if you want to. You can also just take the tea again,” Jimin pointed at the thermos before turning around. “Don’t leave the door open for too long or else all the heat will escape.” With that he slid the living room door open, smiling at the hybrid over his shoulder, before he went in and prepared the fireplace.  

Namjoon was surprised by the youngers nonchalance and despite better knowledge it intrigued him to see what the other had in store for him. He hadn’t had to fight and defend himself with teeth and claws for a while now, but he figured if necessary he would be able to use it without hesitation. Besides he had won against bigger and scarier people than this soft, kind-eyed human. And who could say no to hot soup on a cold winter's day? Definitely not him. Carefully and with a slightly tense stance he went after the other, leaving the door open behind him, just to be sure…

Jimin rubbed his hands together and held them against the heat that was now coming from the fireplace. “Do you rather want a chicken soup? I still have some. It just would take a little longer to prepare the meat.” He asked, when Namjoon was still standing at the door, hesitating to come in fully. Jimin’s living room was wide and the open kitchen, made it look even bigger. A grey couch stood in the middle with a few splashes of color from the cushion that were spread all around brightening it up. “You can feel at home…,” Jimin hesitated, his eyes widened when he realized he didn’t know the strangers name, yet. “I am so sorry. I guess I was so surprised to see you, but I am Jimin.” He took a step closer to the hybrid and held out his hand with the brightest smile. 

Was this a trick question? Of course, he would love to get some chicken soup. He started salivating at the mentioning of meat alone and his stomach cramped in anticipation. He couldn’t remember when had been the last time that he had gotten something like meat. If he didn’t count that canned dog food that they had given all the animals from the private zoo when they had taken them in then it must have been when his owner was still alive. So, months ago. He was so lost in thoughts and remembrance that it surprised him when Jimin held out his hand and he jumped back, instinctively baring his fangs. When he realized that Jimin had just tried to shake his hand he blushed, reaching out to shake his hand as expected.

“I’m...” He hesitated for a second. How high was the chance that they had broadcasted his name during the all-points bulletin? They normally concentrated on their looks, their history, how dangerous they were. He had never heard a name. Those weren’t important to humans. “My name is Namjoon.” He finally answered honestly, hoping he wasn’t making a grave mistake right now.

Jimin bit his lip. He couldn’t hide the excitement that he felt, how intrigued he was by the beautiful man standing in front of him. Namjoon’s ears twitched, when he gazed up at them and Jimin scrunched his nose in a cute manner, still holding onto his hand. “Do you want to help me or rather want to rest in front of the fire, Namjoon?” 

“I’d like to help you if that's okay.” Which wasn’t a lie exactly. However, telling Jimin that he wouldn’t be able to rest anyway if he knew that Jimin was in the kitchen where there were knives as well as a telephone to call back up wouldn’t be that ‘polite’. So, he rather kept an eye on him while pretending to be all friendly and helpful. Not that he wasn’t he just didn’t knew the other well enough to let go of his wariness.

Jimin finally let go off his hand, feeling a little tingle at his spine when he did. He really needed to go out with friends more, Jimin thought to himself. “Here, you can prepare the meat if you want.” Jimin opened the fridge and offered Namjoon a package, before pointing at some kitchen shelves. “You can find seasoning over there and a pot down in the counter.” It was a nice feeling to not just cook for himself, but to prepare the meal together – almost as if they were friends already. Jimin couldn’t help but scrunch up his nose, when he saw the tail swinging back and forth softly when Namjoon turned his back on him. 

Namjoon opened the fridge and had to squint his eyes at the bright light. When his sensitive eyes got used to the brightness he was stunned into silence for a moment. There where so many kinds of food - and enough of it to life off it for a week. A wild instinctual thought passed through him that told him to grab as much food as he could and then run to a secure place where he could prepare a nest and stay safe and warm. However, he knew better than to trust his instincts here. There was no way he would survive in the city, during the cold, harsh winter even with an arm full of food. He didn’t need to ask where the chicken was he could smell it right away. When he took out the package the juicy meet pressed against his fingers and he let out a soft, appreciative sigh. 

Jimin let Namjoon chose whatever he wanted in his soup and began to prepare the utensils, placing them down at the counter. He waited for the hybrid to bring everything over and started cutting the vegetables. “How long have you been out there, Namjoon? If I am allowed to ask,” Jimin looked at the other, wanting to make sure he knew he could refuse to answer if it made him feel uncomfortable. “Have you always been just out there or?”

After bringing over the chicken he hastily licked his fingers, turning half away from Jimin so the other couldn’t see how greedy he was. It tasted heavenly and he couldn’t wait to finally get his teeth into the meat as well. Namjoon stayed close, watching Jimin handling the knife and washing some vegetables instead to have something to do. He was pretty sure the other didn’t want him cutting stuff as well. “I’ve been in your area for about… three weeks now I guess.” Which was completely true. Jimin didn’t have to know that he had roamed through other parts of the cities as well. “No, I haven’t always lived like that.” He kept his answers short, nothing to make Jimin recognize who he was in case he had watched any news about missing hybrids. “How about you? Have you always lived here?” If he kept the other busy then maybe he wouldn’t ask too many questions.

“Me neither,” Jimin continued and gave the knife over to Namjoon, before he started pouring in the vegetables into the soup. “This house is quite big for just one person, right?” He sighed, “I bought it with…with someone a few years ago but that person never moved in.” A weak smile pulled at his lips, “So, I’m alone. You don’t really have to be scared of anyone coming. Most of my friends live closer to the city.”

“Well I’ve learned that one cruel person can be enough...” He answered back under his breath without meaning to. At Jimin’s face he quickly bowed his head. “I’m sorry. You’ve been nothing but nice to me. And if you’re really as kind as you were to me until now then I want to apologize and say… thank you. For the food, for the warmth and the.. the kindness. It’s just...” He bit his lip and then decided to be blunt, “You are the first person I met that hasn’t any ulterior motives. At least none that I can see. And it makes me utterly nervous because if I’m wrong and you are not who you pretend to be then… I don’t want to end up as some trophy, dead, in a private museum of some sort. Or in one of the illegal fighting areas. Or as some sex slave in your basement.”

Jimin stood speechless for a moment, eyes on Namjoon as he spoke so honest from his heart and telling him his concerns. He stopped what he was doing, resisting the urge to reach out for the hybrid and hug him tight. “I see that humans have hurt you a lot, but I won’t. You’re the one with the knife right now and you’re a predator, right? One that is much taller than me.” Jimin leaned against the kitchen counter, “I don’t think you need to be the one being worried here. And if you need to know it: I voted for hybrid rights.” He nodded proudly, “A friend of mine is actually very well-spoken about the issue. I try and support him as much as I can but I’m not really the speaker kind of person.” Holding out his hand, Jimin motioned for the chicken. “Do you want me to put it in?”

Namjoon looked at Jimin without blinking, scanning every word, every gesture with his unwavering gaze. If Jimin was a liar then he was a damn good one because as far as Namjoon could tell the other really meant what he said. If only he could lean in and sniff the other, a scent could say so much about a person, but he knew that humans didn’t sniff each other, and he didn’t want to startle his benefactor. He nodded as answer to the chicken question, wondering why Jimin was so careful to include him in the meal preparations.

Jimin began to stir the pot, adding a few more seasonings, before giving it over to Namjoon again. In the meantime, he prepared something to drink and brought it all over to the coffee table. “I don’t want to be rude, but…” Jimin chuckled, when he pointed at Namjoon’s dirty clothes, “Do you maybe want to take a shower while this cooks? I can give you a few clothes as well and put these into the washing machine. I won’t move until you’re back, I promise. The bathroom is right down the hallway. You can just take a towel from the shelves and use my shampoo. I don’t mind.”

“A shower…” Namjoon repeated dumbfoundedly. He had almost forgotten how it was to stand under a spray of warm water. “Thank you I’d appreciate that.” He walked down the hallway slowly, ears twitching to see if Jimin really stayed where he said he would. When he didn’t hear anything he carefully stepped into the bathroom. There were tiles on the floor and the cold made him stop for a second. Then he locked the door and undressed. It was strange, the moment he got out of his clothes he really felt how filthy they were. As long as they had been on his body he hadn’t mind but now with the prospect of clean, warm water and new clothes he shuddered at how stiff and dirty they were. In the shower it took him awhile to find out how it worked, and he hissed in shock when the water started cold instead of warm but then he closed his eyes and just relaxed. It was wonderfully warm and relaxing and Namjoon almost purred with joy. 

When he had stepped out of the shower Namjoon had felt like a whole new person. He was a little embarrassed that even though he had scrubbed himself clean the towel still got a little dirty from drying himself up and some lose fur that the water didn’t get rid of. As he didn’t want to step back into his dirty clothes he wrapped the furry towel around his waist and then walked out, tail swinging comfortably. There were no new clothes around, so he was about to ask Jimin where he had put the one he had promised. The other was still busy preparing the table and as Namjoon didn’t want to interrupt him he stayed where he was, waiting for Jimin to get aware of his presence. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a drop of water running over his shoulder and without thinking he licked it off. It was that moment that Jimin turned and Namjoon froze with his tongue out, like an actual cat cleaning itself.

Jimin had been busy preparing their meal until it was finished, not even minding that a stranger was in his house right now. It felt good not to be alone for once. With his mind being so at ease, Jimin began to sing to himself softly, while he was moving around in the kitchen. He was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn’t hear when the water stopped running or the bathroom door opened again. So, he hadn’t expected Namjoon to be right behind him again, standing in his living room like the Greek-hybrid god that he was. Jimin had maybe told Namjoon that he would give him clothes, but in his haste to finish the food, he had forgotten to give him some, leading him to stare at a very naked chest right now. Jimin gasped, eyes fixated on Namjoon’s sculpted chest.

He just kept staring at him. His mind was blank. Heart beating fast and somehow he felt a little dizzy. Licking over his lips slowly, Jimin gulped and his gaze wandered down again. Maybe he should get something to drink, feeling a little thirsty. He coughed awkwardly, trying to get out of his stance, when it just blurted out of him, realizing a bit too late that his thoughts and what he said didn’t add up: “And you worry about me. With those muscles you could easily bend me over.” His eyes widened in shook, “Break me. My bones, I mean. You could break me in half.” Jimin let out a quiet whine, cheeks flaming red as he turned around to hastily stir the pot. “M-my bedroom is upstairs. I mean…there’s my closet. Just take what you need.”

Namjoon wasn’t stupid; he had seen Jimin’s look and had recognized how his pupils had dilated. His muscles tensed again. “Are you sure you’re not trying something? Forgetting my clothes on purpose? Is that what you’re after? Fucking a hybrid?”

He latched onto the first thing that seemed to explain Jimin’s kindness. People were mostly after money. And the rest of them were after sex or similar entertainment.

“I have to warn you, though. You know that cat penises are barbed? Mine is just like that. I would hurt you in a way you’d never recover from. And if you’re trying to drug and rape me you have no idea how much strength I have, I’d go feral before you would even get to undress me!” He was totally bullshitting, not about the cat penis stuff, that one was true, but his private parts were entirely human. He held onto the towel more tightly to make sure it couldn’t fall and call out his bluff. His stomach started cramping again, this time not because of food but because of nerves. He could feel cold sweat on his now warm skin at the thought of having been so naive to take a shower like that without any precautions.

“No!“ Jimin felt like his heart dropped. “I am so sorry I made you feel uncomfortable. It is really not what I was trying...I just...was.“ He sighed, rubbing over his face in a desperate manner. Leave it to Jimin to fuck it all over in a matter of seconds. “You're really handsome, Namjoon. And I am really sorry. I am so embarrassed.“ He bit his lip and averted his gaze, feeling so out of place right now. He would never hurt someone like that but of course he had to stumble over his own stupidity. “The soup will be finished in a bit. I'll get you some clothes, then you can eat.“ He tried a smile and carefully got around the couch to get to the hallway without making the other uncomfortable. He had prepared everything anyways. The fire was lit, the table was set, and he had even placed a few cushions and blankets where Namjoon could sit to feel more comfortable. “I won't bother you. You can eat and warm yourself up here, just like I promised.“

Jimin reacted so shocked, almost hurt that Namjoon felt bad for entirely different reasons now. He had wiped the smile off the younger’s face so permanently that it felt like there was something wrong. He had jumped to conclusions just by one look and instead of being flattered, fear and his bitter past had clouded his judgement. He stood there, waiting for Jimin to return with his clothes. The other couldn’t even look at him anymore, probably too worried that Namjoon would misunderstand again and gave him the clothes before trying to turn away. Namjoon quickly held him back. “I’m sorry.” His voice was soft, apologetic and laced with shame. “I didn’t want to… to ruin this. I knew you were looking forward to the company, weren’t you? I’ll try to be a little more trusting, okay? I just have one condition before. Can I..” He cleared his throat “Would you let me sniff you?”

“It was my fault, please don't apologize. I told you I'm not a good speaker. It won't happen again.“ Jimin's voice sounded quiet and unsure, but he nodded at Namjoon's request anyways. 

Namjoon kept his grip on Jimin’s elbow light but secure as he leaned in. Closing his eyes, he pressed his nose against Jimin’s pulse point where the skin was thin and delicate and Jimin’s natural scent was strongest. The hybrid inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a second to savor the scent like a sommelier would savior a special kind of wine that he had the opportunity to taste for the first time. Jimin smelled sweet and a little spicy, like licorice root and aniseed. It was warm and comforting and Namjoon liked it immediately.

“So… he brought a little distance between them, just a few inches before pushing a little, “You think I’m handsome?” Jimin’s cheeks blushed but there were no edges to his smell, no bitterness or wrongness that indicated that Jimin was planning to be reckless or greedy or cruel. Just a little tinge of acridness that came from shame. “Don’t worry, it’s okay. I think you’re quite good looking too. For a human.”

Jimin had to admit that he liked it way too much already, the feel of his whiskers tickling him and how he leaned into him. He took a deep breath to recollect himself. “T-thank you,” Jimin said quietly, still feeling a tad awkward how their nice “getting to know each other” had been ruined by him and Namjoon’s penis talk.

He shifted, looking up at him, because the hybrid was still holding onto him as if he was waiting for something. “I...I’ll finish the soup.” He hastily spoke up and turned on his heel, shuffling back into the kitchen, where he could finally escape the hybrid’s gaze. Jimin left Namjoon the space while getting ready and dressed again (thank god, Jimin loved oversize clothing), while he himself got lost in his thoughts. He really needed to watch his mouth and yet, he couldn’t help it. Sometimes he felt like his mouth and brain were wired wrongly. It happened one too many times that the wrong things came out, although they were true. Jimin looked over his shoulder to where Namjoon got comfortable on the floor, fluffing up a cushion. He had seen humans being in relationships with hybrids before, but it was still not as accepted as it should be, because most people held hybrids as a pet or an assistant for cleaning or whatever work they needed them for. Jimin thought it was just slavery, nothing else - because sometimes they didn’t even pay them. Then he thought about Yoongi, who had gotten Jungkook from a shelter. A pika hybrid, that Jimin loved dearly and loved to visit as much as he could. They loved each other and Jimin had never minded it, despite their differences it was the perfect arrangement for them. And Yoongi was the safest place for Jungkook to be. He smiled as he thought of the pairing, making a mental note to call them soon. Jimin took the plates and carefully walked over to where Namjoon was waiting, placing the one with the most chicken in it right in front of the hybrid. Keeping a bit of distance between them, Jimin sat on the couch, hoping that Namjoon didn’t feel threatened again. 

Namjoon’ gaze was fixated on the plate, so he saw a little too late that Jimin was walking away with his own plate in hand. Apparently the younger was trying to stick to what he had told him, about giving him space. Namjoon looked at the chicken again, then at Jimin and then sighed deeply. As delicious as his food might smell he wouldn’t be able to enjoy it with a guilty conscious. “I’m sorry I reacted so harshly. Please don’t keep your distance like that. I’m over it. You’re not a bad person - or at least you don’t have any bad intentions towards me, and I’d be really surprised if you’d be hiding some dark secrets behind those soft eyes. You don't look the type. And now that I know for sure… look, it was a knee jerk reaction. I was in survival mode for so long I think I have to re-learn how to properly socialize again. I would appreciate it if we can just forgot what I said ten minutes ago and pretend it never happened. Okay?” In an attempt to lighten the mood and bring back the others smile he added jokingly, “Or are you scared I’ll steal your food? If yes I can tell you that a couch won’t keep me, so you better come here so you don’t get scratches on your nice leather.”

Jimin looked a little confused at first, but the warmth that spread through him at the prospect of Namjoon forgiving him was making him smile again. “So, you’re not mad anymore?” He asked just to be sure, waiting until Namjoon nodded. Jimin came closer again, sitting down right by the fire with the hybrid. He watched the other dive into the food hungrily and took a spoonful himself, humming at the taste. Jimin was only halfway done, when Namjoon was already asking for a second plate. He just shrugged his shoulders and told him that they didn’t make a full pot of chicken soup for nothing. It made Jimin smile to see Namjoon so happy as he jumped up to get more, and seeing the hybrid relax a little more in his presence. “Why did you have to be in survival mode?” Jimin asked after a while, curious to know more about the soft-looking bobcat. “You said you’ve been outside for three weeks?”

The chicken was heavenly and Namjoon moaned in delight. He had to fight hard against his instinct to swallow it all down as quickly as possible so he chew very carefully to make sure he wouldn’t get sick and could savor the taste as long as possible. “I wasn’t mad at you. I was just…scared. If anything, I should be flattered that you think I’m attractive it’s just been my fear warping it into something negative because of what…what I’ve heard. Or seen. I know now that you’re harmless. My nose doesn’t lie. You can’t hide your smell unless you’re wearing cologne or perfume to cover it and you’re not wearing any. So... it’s fine. For whatever reason you’re really just a nice person caring for others without wanting anything back. I still need to wrap my head around that, but I’ll manage. And I’m sure it’ll sink in quicker if I could get.. another plate of soup...maybe?” He gave Jimin a careful smile, hoping the other wouldn’t be offended by his greediness. While Jimin filled his plate again he decided that some honesty was the least he could give to pay the other back. “Well I said I was three weeks in your neighbourhood not out in total. Believe me though even three weeks outside in the cold would make you go into survival mode. I.. didn’t have any food before you. I had to try and get what was left on apple trees or private trash cans. The supermarket ones are too out the open to be safe. And.. you know that if a hybrid gets caught that they are locked up? And... that might even be better than freezing to death in the streets but... there’s... I should... the police is looking for me. I’m not some cute little house cat or soft purebred bunny to be petted and shown off. I think... I’m... I’m pretty sure they would put me down if they got their hands on me.” His hand started to tremble when he remembered their hands on him, the metal collar cold on his neck as they tried to lock it and the sheer, cold, pure fear that ran through his veins like ice because he knew that he would be helpless if they managed to pull through, that they could shock him or render him unconscious or simply kill him just by pressing a button.

A shiver ran down his spine and Jimin blinked at Namjoon, feeling absolutely speechless. Even though he had heard about the cruelty against some hybrids before, he still couldn’t imagine it and seeing his hybrid being affected like this, trying to make it through the cold winter without freezing to death.  

“You can stay here.” The words were out quickly, before Jimin could even think about them - but he didn’t regret it. “You can stay in my home. I got enough room and if you’re inside...at least for the winter, you’ll survive. No one can find you here.” He felt a little breathless, as his heartbeat quickened at the thought of hiding away a hybrid and going against the law like that.  

Namjoon whipped around, staring at Jimin in total disbelief. “W...what? You want me to.. what?” He blinked, thinking he might have misheard. It was one thing to feed someone soup but letting him stay here for the winter? If someone noticed, if someone called the police then Jimin would be in trouble just as much because hiding a police-wanted predator wouldn’t be taken lightly. Nonetheless hope bloomed in his chest and the thought of having a bed and warmth and food without having to worry about how he would make the next day or survive until next week had him tearing up against his will. “You… you would do that? For real?” He turned his head away in shame as the first few tears begin to fall. “You’re not.. toying with me, are you?” What was worse than being hopeless was being teased with what you were so dearly longing for just for it to be taken away when you reached out for it. 

Jimin gasped quietly, when he saw the tears in his eyes and shifted closer to him. Very slowly and with shaking hands, Jimin reached out for him, cupping his cheek lightly to make him look up. “I would, yes,” Jimin smiled, soothing over his cheek to wipe away a tear, “You can take the time and figure out what you want. I can help you with anything you need then. But promise me a little something, will you. Just keep your head low and be careful. My neighbors know it’s just me living here and if they see someone running around in my house while I’m at work…” He sighed, “I want you to be safe and you deserve a warm place to sleep.” 

Namjoon leaned in a little more until he could feel Jimin’s warmth. He hadn’t been that close to someone in a while but Jimin’s hands on him felt so nice and comforting and he wanted to say thank you, but he wasn’t sure he would find enough words for it. He rubbed his head against Jimin’s shoulder like the big cat he was before pulling the younger into a hesitant hug. He wasn’t good with this. But he wanted to be. 

Because Jimin was lonely and he was lost and so maybe they could make it work so that both of them would get a little taste of happiness. 

They stayed like this for a little while until Namjoon trusted his voice again. “I would have licked you out of gratefulness, but I fear it would have made you smell like chicken soup, so I’ll do it another time when I didn’t had dinner right before.” 

Jimin was surprised at the sudden intimacy, but he slowly wrapped his arms around the hybrid, carefully holding him close while he was hiding against his shoulder. He laughed at what Namjoon said, scratching him behind his ears out of instincts - just like he always did it when Jungkook visited. “This hug is nice as well,” The human pulled back lightly and wiped over Namjoon’s cheeks, careful not to hurt his whiskers. “What kind of bed do you need to feel comfortable to sleep?” Jimin asked and chuckled, “Will be the couch enough for now? I can get some more blankets if you like to build yourself something comfortable. I’m not really sure what your kind likes.” 

A pleasant shiver run through him when Jimin scratched his ears like that. They were very sensitive and so it was easy to get a reaction out of him whenever they were touched. He laughed, low and rumbly at Jimin’s question. “I’ve slept on the floor most of the time. I can basically sleep anywhere. Haven’t you seen videos about cats? No matter how strange the place or situation, we can fall asleep there. So, you don’t have to worry, give me a cushion and a blanket if you have one to spare and I’ll be happy.” 

"So, Yoongi is a cat," Jimin mumbled to himself, chuckling at the thought of his friend being able to sleep basically anywhere - just like a cat. Jimin got up and took the plates with him to put them into the dishwasher, after that he walked upstairs to get a few more cushions and blankets out of the box by his bed where he had stored the extra sheets. His heart ached painfully at the thought of who they were meant to be for, but he quickly shook himself out of it and brought them to Namjoon. 

"Do you think that will be enough to get comfortable," Jimin was barely able to peak over the amount of fluffiness in his arms. 

“If I don’t choke under their fluffiness then yes, I’ll sleep most comfortably,” Namjoon answered with a laugh and then cocked his head. “Does this mean you’re going to sleep already?” It was dark outside, but he wasn’t feeling tired at all, there were still too many emotions inside of him. He felt like someone had given him (and his opinion on humans) a good shake. When he took the blankets from Jimin he froze in place, burying his nose in them to find out what exactly was smelling so strange about them. When he raised his head, his eyebrows were furrowed. “Did you have a hybrid before me living with you?” 

"Huh?" Jimin stood clueless for a moment before he caught up to what Namjoon said. "Oh, it's probably Jungkook that you smell. He loves playing with blankets when he visits me." He was getting a little nervous, hoping that Namjoon wasn't fearing him again or thought he was lying. "He is with a close friend of mine: Yoongi. When they got time and visit me, we always build blanket forts together. He is a pika, so he loves to be all fluffed up." Jimin laughed at the fond memory that came back to him, "Once Yoongi told me how he stacked hay and flowers in their bed, and he came back home to Jungkook being happy about keeping them warm in winter. Yoongi had to buy a new mattress, because the other was ruined." He shrugged his shoulders, "Well, he could have gotten it cleaned but he is too lazy for this. Now he hangs up little flowers on the wall, so Jungkook can still feel like he's cuddled up in hayflowers." 

Namjoon nodded absentmindedly. He had been torn between thinking he was smelling a bunny and a hamster so a pika made perfect sense. However the rest of Jimin’s speech confused him properly. “You mean Yoongi lets his hybrid run around unattended? Like… he’s not kept in a cage? And they are… sharing a bedroom? Together?” Whenever one of them had been let out of their cages in his owners private zoo there had always been a leash or harness put on them. He was getting dizzy thinking about what Jimin had just told him because it sounded almost as if… 

“Are they together?” He looked at Jimin totally dumbfounded. 

"They love each other, yes. Wouldn't that be weird if you let your partner be in a cage? Well, I mean whatever suits you best but...," Jimin started to fluff up a few cushions, placing them onto the couch, "They are happily together. If you want to, I can introduce you to them one day. I know it's still not widely accepted a human-hybrid relationship but... if it's love then why question it? I don't think love really cares about how you look like or what kind of race you are. And when you see them, you will notice it, too." Jimin's eyes began to shine as he talked more and more about the relationship between them. He was just so fond of them, aching to have a love like that one day.  

“Love?” It sounded strange speaking it aloud while Jimin seemed to be totally fine with it Namjoon had a hard time imagining it. Humans being nice to a hybrid out of pity for their situation had been confusing enough but hearing that there were people having relationships with their ‘pets’ was entirely new to him. “So Jungkook.. loves him back. He’s not..” He didn’t want to speak it out after the mess he had created before when he had implied that Jimin was trying to take advantage of him. He didn’t judge hybrids for sleeping with humans to stay alive. They all did what they had to keep breathing. Though a pika making a nest in a humans bedroom, that didn’t sound like abuse to him. Rather like comfort, like living together. “And you.. you think you could do that too? Love a hybrid?” He shook his head, “You’re a strange human, Jimin.” 

"And you're a strange hybrid," Jimin raised an eyebrow cheekily, before he turned a little more serious and took the blankets out of Namjoon's arms to place them down. The hybrid had been standing there, speechless, for a while now without moving. 

"I've been hurt by humans just like you." He said and folded the blanket nicely, before sitting down and motioning for Namjoon to do the same. "Why do you think I live alone in a big house like this? Does it look like it was supposed to be a single-apartment? But I don't know, Namjoon. If I fall in love, I will - no matter what the other person's features may be like. In the end, does it really matter?" He pulled his legs in to sit a little more comfortably. "So, do you think you could ever love a human?" 

“Well at least you haven’t been raised in a cage. Or kept on a leash and shown off to other people like some kind of pet. I was still lucky though that my owner liked what was dangerous about me, so I wasn’t declawed or anything. And that he saw us as animals not worthy to entertain him in his bedroom.” He wasn’t sure why it spilled out of him so easily now when he never had talked to anyone about it before. Probably because he wanted Jimin to understand why he acted while he did and why learning all those new things came as a such a surprise to him. “I’m still sorry for you. No one should leave alone or get his heart broken. Especially not someone as nice as you.” He shrugged his shoulders at Jimin’s question. “If you had asked me a few days ago I would ´have answered with ‘No’, but considering that apparently not all humans are cruel, hateful creatures I guess I might? I’m just not really sure how it would work.” 

"I am sorry, I didn't want to brush your experience off as it was the same than my own hurt. I can't even imagine the pain you must have been through and I am so sorry this happened to you. I really am. It's the least I can give back to you, from what they stole to you to give you a place to feel home now." Jimin pulled a little at one of the blankets to push his feet under it to keep them warm. "What do you mean? How love works?" He shifted a little closer to Namjoon until he could reach him, "You don't have to understand it, just feel it when it happens." He pointed at the hybrid's chest, right where his heart was and placed his hand there. "You'll feel it in your heart, here. Like a pull maybe and it will pump like crazy when that someone is close. Maybe you also feel shivers and just the deep need to be close to them and care for them, more than you would for yourself. Maybe your hybrid instincts will go crazy too?" Jimin smiled brightly, "Like being very protected." He pulled his hand back, when he got reminded about what Namjoon told him earlier though and quickly added, "Though your sexual needs...with a human and your..." He bit his lip, "That could be complicated, I guess." 

Namjoon blushed deeply when Jimin reminded him of his lie. “Oh, you mean…uhm, no, that wouldn’t be a problem I just... I lied to protect myself. I’m 100% human down there. Not that it matters I mean… I was talking about the love itself. It’s supposed to be built on trust and affection and closeness and all that and I guess I’m a little bad at that as I didn’t have any experience yet. I probably wouldn’t be a good partner. And… I don’t know it feels a little strange to think about being with someone. Letting someone so close to your heart...” He swallowed hard as a wave of longing hit him. He had dreamt about not being alone in the zoo of course where technically he hadn’t been alone with all those other hybrids around, but they had all been too scared or traumatized to form any kind of bonding. And when he had escaped after his owners death finding love hadn’t been exactly on top of his priority list. But now, sitting with Jimin and talking about it he realized that it was something that he definitely wanted. His voice sounded shy and vulnerable when he asked, quietly, as if it was a sacrilege to voice that thought, “You think someone could love me? Just…like I am?”  

“Absolutely,” It came out in a whisper and so easily over his lips as he got lost in the hybrid’s eyes that were full of hope, shining like a thousand stars. “You’ll see,” Jimin pushed a string of hair out of Namjoon’s face, softly soothing over his ears. “From what I’ve gotten to know about you until now, I know you’re a catch. Definitely. And you’ll be happy, I promise.”  

It took him by surprise how much adoration he saw in Jimin’s eyes. They were basically strangers and yet Jimin’s heart was big enough to find room for him. Somehow it didn’t seem that impossible to find happiness and love with Jimin by his side. 

“Yeah, I might,” He answered before leaning in and finally giving Jimin the cat kiss he deserved.

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you enjoyed our second little Winter Story this year! And we hope you enjoyed all of our fics that we posted this year! Cat and I are already working hard to give you even more next year :) Thank you for being such kind and lovely readers! Every comment, every heart or Kudos or Like and Reblog made our day! Thank you for supporting me and Cat. THANK YOU!

Subscribed: @jeonsdear​ @starlightstae​ @p-ixelite @lissachan504​ @wise-bts-collector​ @nochuukookie​ @h-e-l-p-m-e-p-l-e-a-s-e @hisheartsmile​ @absque-nocte​ @violetrose120​ @fusselkuchen​ @gelsavitichi​ @minsugasnerd​ @yoonqiful​ @thenameoftherain​ @tobi-love​ @banaani-mins​ @writeasifwordsarepaintbrushes​ @lissachan504​ @nomimits7​ @laur-zipan​ @mytokyos​ @ksjinandtonic​ @eenabannana-blog​ @vannilacake​ @aden2610​ @dirkstrider98​ @yesiamhangry​ @miss-understand-ing @eufori4a​ @yuusilverscar​ @cookied-dreams @beautyindiversity​ @smitssharon02​ @awjiminie​ @chimknj​ @dancelinestan @whatarelarryfeels @hinikkihere @dayonyl​ @an-artist-confession​ @hungline​

↳ If you want to be tagged in new updates you can now sign up in my subscription list here

[the-duke-of-deodorant]

Finding Thomas -Part 1-

Summary: When 6 year old Thomas disappears, his two favorite toys, his guardian angel, and the monster in the closet set out to find and save him 

Ships: Platonic LAMP, with extra platonic Royality and Analogical Characters: Character Thomas, Patton, Roman, Logan, Virgil

Genre: (mostly) Fluff, toy sides 

Warnings (for the whole story): Sad Patton™️(with friends to comfort him), sad Roman, sides are scared of Virgil at first cuz he’s a “monster” but they start to get along, not beta read so typos

Word count: 1426

(based off this prompt)

Roman was off in his own world on the other side of that small door, leaving Patton and Logan alone in Thomas’ bedroom until he got home from school. Patton always wondered what Roman’s fantasy world was like. Logan must think about it too, but he didn’t seem to care about it as much. Patton was too scared to wander through that door anyway. It made Roman happy, that’s what mattered. Even if the rest of them didn’t understand it. 

Patton did everything he could to pass these times. He talked to Logan, bounced on the bed, talked to the other stuffed animals- although he was the only one besides Roman that was animate. He imagined one day one of them would wake up and come alive like he was. The new toy would want to be his friend. But Patton didn’t have much to complain about. He had Thomas and Roman and Logan and that’s all the friends he needed. He had known Thomas all his life. He was the first stuffed animal that Thomas had gotten when he was just a baby, and he never left his side. 

Patton was about the same size as Thomas when he was a baby. He was a big teddy bear with dark brown fur and a light brown sweater that him look like a different colored Winnie The Pooh. Golden glasses made of wire were attached to his ears and nose that didn’t have any glass in the lenses unlike Logan’s. 

Most of the time Patton wore his sweater around his shoulders like a cape. Something Roman suggested when the two of them were pretend battling monsters and Patton wanted to be a superhero with Roman. Roman was an acrobat, he climbed stacks of books and flipped off them, landing perfectly each time. Roman was really fast, which was the one power Roman and Patton both shared. Patton could run fast and reach high things since he was bigger than Roman, and he could lift heavy things like books and rocks. Neither of them had real powers, but Logan didn’t want to tell them that. He was the only one that knew both toys could move to begin with. 

Roman came about a year or two after he did. Roman was a small human looking doll a few inches shorter than Pat, made of soft fabric and hair made of brown and purple yarn. He dressed like a prince, because that’s what he was designed to be. He wore a soft white shirt with a red ribbon over his chest and tall boots made of leather. In his belt loop there was a tiny plastic sword he carried with him all the time, and didn’t go anywhere without it. When he got excited he liked to take out the sword and pretended to battle with it, climbing desk items and jumping off them to defeat the imaginary villain until he tired himself out and crashed on the ground.

He promised if anything happened to Patton or the others he would rescue them. He would be their knight in shining armor. Patton smiled at that memory.

Logan was a bit different. He was there before Patton was, which couldn’t be that long since Thomas was just born then. He was an adult human, dressed like a businessman, that looked like someone that would hang out with Thomas’ parents or teacher. He probably would if he wasn’t see-through. He didn’t talk at all at first, he just sat quietly and observed Thomas’ adventures, and eventually started talking to Thomas without acknowledging any of the others. When he wasn’t following Thomas he was sitting at his small desk writing in a ghost notebook that was only for him. Once he started talking to the toys he told Patton it was to keep track of Thomas’ adventures. How much Thomas played, ate, slept, and it kept track of when he got in trouble and ways to avoid it in the future. Like Roman’s door, the notebook was something that was none of Patton’s business, so he left it at that. That’s what made Logan happy. 

Logan later explained that he was Thomas’s guardian angel, and writing in that notebook was part of his job. It was Logan’s job to protect him, Roman’s job to play with him and keep him entertained when he didn’t have other friends to play with, and Patton’s job to keep him happy and calm. It was Patton’s job to comfort him, and share hugs when he was too scared to sleep at night. It was the best job a bear could wish for. 

What scared Thomas most at night was the monster in the closet. No one has seen them except Roman, but everyone knew he was there. Logan had Thomas ask his parents to put a night light in there so the monster would be too scared to come out. Roman described a big monster, with sharp teeth and horns and bat wings. Roman was too small to defeat that monster on his own, so he ran away. No one knew his name, so everyone called him The Monster. Patton would always be there to protect Thomas from The Monster. 

Patton hated waiting for Thomas to get home. He could be patient for his friend to return, but only for so long. Thomas got home at 4:15, so he should be home any minute now. Patton looked out the window waiting for the bus to be parked outside his driveway with kids stepping out of it- one of those kids being Thomas. When that happened he would run to the bed where he last left Patton then lay down and freeze. He couldn’t move around Thomas, but he wished he could. If toys on TV could then Patton should be able to as well, but it didn’t work like that. Patton and Roman both had to stay still when people were around. 

The bus came, and kids started stepping off, but Thomas didn’t. Patton scanned the group of toddlers looking for his friend. There was the kid that screamed too loud, the curly haired girl, the red head boy, even the girl that Thomas usually walked home with, but no Thomas. Patton wanted to scream in confusion and frustration. This didn’t make any sense. 

Patton ran over to the bedroom door and jumped to reach the doorknob, then climbed the dresser to do the same thing but with a better chance of reaching it. Maybe Thomas was already home. Maybe he had to see the doctor during school and couldn’t ride the bus home. But then he would have taken Patton with him. That didn’t make any sense. 

With no luck of opening the door he ran over to the door between Thomas’ bedroom and Roman’s imagination to get Roman’s attention. Roman could know what to do. Before he could reach the door Logan rested his hand on Patton’s shoulder to try and calm him down. 

“Patton!” Patton stopped trying to run. “Patton, what’s wrong?” 

Logan’s voice was calming. So much that it made all of Patton’s panic go away and left him trying to catch his breath from all the running and jumping. 

“Thomas… Thomas is gone. He’s not on the bus.” 

That wasn’t in Logan’s planner. According to the notebook Thomas should be on the bus ready to come home with a snack waiting for him in the kitchen. 

“Oh…” 

“Thomas is gone!” Patton yelled again. “We need to find Roman and go and look for him.” 

“Slow down…” Logan crouched down to as close to Patton’s level as he could get. “When was the last time you saw him?” 

“Umm, this morning. When he was getting ready for school. He got on the bus.” 

“Okay…” Logan was in deep thought now, trying to figure out what to do. “Let’s find Roman. We can work this out but we have to stay calm, okay?” 

Patton nodded, then went over to Roman’s door to find him. Patton had to squeeze to fit through the dollhouse size hole to get through, but once he made it he found all of the work was worth it. Roman’s world was beautiful. Tall trees surrounded him each of them with birds and squirrels and other woodland creatures. There was a long path with red tiles leading up to the door he just came though, but he didn’t find Roman on that path. Patton started down the road to find him friend and tell him what was happening.

Taglist: @winterrs-child​ @remusthedukeofdeodorant​ @thecatchat​ @stop-it-anxiety​ @znikitrash​ @awkwardandanxiousfander​ @nowletmeseeyourkezzhands​ @prox-xima​ @artist-of-insanity @hela-daughter-of-loki​ @arcticfrostdoesthings​ @yalltookmyurlideas​

[shadowofthelamp]

Needle and Thread

Oh yeah, I didn’t post this here. So, for my LGBT lit summer class one of the options for our project was a short story, so I wrote a human au Tulix thing. The teacher said she liked the ‘creative names’, pffft.)

Wordcount: 4000

Warnings: Mentions of dead animals/dissection

It started with a dead squirrel, a swiss army knife, and a bag of mints.

Tulip Bennett had only just begun going to East Side Middle School since her old foster home had belonged to the district across town. When she was adopted, she got a new house and a new dad, but also a new school, new people to deal with- and folded under that, new school weirdos.

“Look, I don’t know if anyone’s told you yet.” It had been conferred on her in harsh whispers- the harshest that could come from a fellow sixth-grader, one named Samantha in hot pink and pigtails. “Stay away from Nebula, the girl with the overalls.”

“Nebula? That’s a cool name.”

“Trust me, the girl it comes with isn’t. Her family is weird- the mom always walks around in a lab coat that’s got something red on the bottom half, and the dad killed somebody once!”

“Killed somebody?”

“That’s what Dave says!” And her tone left no argument- what Dave said must be law, to the twelve-year-olds that had been dwelling in these halls years before she had. “Just keep away if you don’t wanna get hurt.” 

Tulip had nodded and gone about the next week or so getting only glances of the girl at lunch where she usually had her thick glasses buried in a thick book. From a distance, she just kind of seemed… like a nerd. Which wasn’t intimidating. She kind of wore black a lot, sure, but that wasn’t much. Tulip didn’t see why everyone seemed so scared of her. If there was one thing she was good at, though, it was floating around to plug herself into different groups. Her pastel dress, round shape, fluffy red hair, and quiet demeanor were camouflage, allowing her to slip in and ask questions in a soft way that usually got answered.

“Why don’t people like her?” 

“She brought a bunch of live beetles into class last year. One got on my arm and she started yelling at me when I pushed it off. Like it mattered if I squashed a bug.”

“Have you seen those gloves she wears? They’ve got blood on them!”

“Look, she’s tearing something open right now!” At that, Tulip turned, squinting. Sure enough, there was a blueish huddle on the corner of the playground. Her hair was bundled up in a bun that resembled a haystack atop her head. 

She kind of looked like Alex had at the house before last, the boy who used to eat worms, and he was actually nice when she got to know him, so Tulip brushed her skirt and made a decision. 

“I’m going to talk to her.”

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“Mhm, but I’m gonna say hi. If she’s mean, I’ll leave.” It seemed like a fine plan to her, even as the other girls called out in protest. 

“She’s just going to stab you!”

“You don’t know what you’re doing!”

Tulip tuned them all out, crossing the blacktop like it was an ancient battleground from the games Eliza had played at the table in the Grant house. Tulip had liked the little blue fairy figure and took a moment to pretend now, borrowing her bravery. After all, she’d been at the school a week already and had managed only to float around on the outskirts of tightly-knit friend groups, a lone tumbleweed in this middle-school desert. If she was a floater, Nebula was in another galaxy, and that just wouldn’t do. If she was mean, then Tulip could always just leave her be. She didn’t like judging books by their covers, especially when those covers had gooey-sweet chocolatey insides the way some of her foster siblings had.

Besides, she was skinny enough to look like she’d snap like a twig, so she couldn’t be that bad compared to Tulip’s few self-defense classes at the mall. She’d already dug her small ziplock baggies of mints out by the time she reached Nebula and put on a winning smile. “Hi there.”

“Huh?” Nebula turned, eyes huge and buggy under her glasses with a color that kind of looked like the glow-in-the-dark star stickers Tulip’s dad had put up on her ceiling. The glasses themselves were… what were they called, cat eyes? They kind of gave her the look of an inquisitive alien. Now that she was up this close, Tulip could see a little piece of purple plastic settled inside her left ear. She raised an eyebrow. “Who’re you?”

“I’m Tulip. I’m new here.”

Nebula squinted. “Hi, Tulip. I like your name.”

She beamed. “Thank you! Do you like flowers?”

“Uh-huh. I’ve got a big garden back home, and I bury the bodies in it.”

Tulip’s beaming dropped a few watts, and her smile fell for a moment before she forced it wider again. “The… bodies?”

Nebula scooted over, revealing- oh, oh, that was gross. She had a knife in one plastic-gloved hand, the blade splattered with deep red, and the fingers of her other gloved hand were deep in the guts of a gnat-swarmed dead squirrel. “Like these. They’re all over once you know where to look, and it helps the soil grow stuff better.” She smiled, a surprisingly genuine one. “That’s what Papa says, and I’ve seen it works.”

“You… kill squirrels for-“

“Psh, I don’t kill them.” Nebula waved the knife. “I find them. Usually, some other animal killed ‘em.” She pointed at the squirrel’s skull with the point of the knife. “This one? Probably a cat, it has teeth marks in the crushed skull. Last week someone got a rabbit with a BB gun but just left it to die.” She clicked her tongue. “I don’t know why they let them suffer like that.”

“You like dead animals… to feed your plants?” Tulip asked, still not willing to get any closer. 

Nebula nodded. “Uh-huh. I mean, I like knowing how stuff works in general but- you ever seen the Lion King? Circle of life, big loud musical number?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s like that.” She lifted the squirrel up. “The squirrel eats the plants, then the plants eat the squirrel.”

That… made a sort of sense, if she thought about it. “Everybody seems scared of you.”

“Everybody seems like a wuss,” Nebula said with a shrug. “Who needs them?” She grinned again. “I like you, though. You haven’t run away yet.”

“Yet?”

“Most people do. I’m used to it.” 

Tulip took a deep breath and sat down next to her, holding out her bag of mints. “Well, that’s no way to go through life.”

Her smile dropped a little. “Huh?”

“Tell me about your plants.”

“You- want to listen to me?” Her voice cracked slightly, and Tulip could hear something pained behind it, a kicked kitten that had grown claws. She’d heard it before in kids who were about to age out, who were used to being pushed aside. 

“I do.”

Nebula lit up like a supernova and snatched the bag, stripping off her glove to grab a mint. 

__________

It had come easier, after that. Nebula talked fast and thought even faster, with a laugh that tickled Tulip up her spine and back down again. It didn’t sound like bells or a piano or any of the other pretty ways she’d heard laughs described, it was like a needle. Quick, sharp, and liable to puncture passerby but help repair a bad day if she only threaded it first. 

Over the days, she got to talking about her parents. They weren’t crazy, her mom was a butcher and her dad did experiments on animals for medicine. Tulip didn’t care much for that, but it was a far cry from murderers. Tulip’s dad was just an accountant.

“Hey, did I ever tell you what I did to Andrew?” She adjusted her glasses, shoving them up the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were so big behind them, like a galaxy all their own. 

“No, you haven’t.” Tulip sipped at her milk as she watched a beetle crawl up Nebula’s braid. She’d probably let it go come 3:15, but for now, Nebula just let it scurry up and burrow down in her hair like it belonged there. 

“Oh, man, I should have. So, he was making fun of my parents, right? Saying they’re ‘mad scientists’ and ‘I’m a freak’ and ‘where’s your witch hat’ and all that. Not very creative stuff. Well, I’ve got a bunch of beetle shells that I use for art at home, so I dunked one in glow-in-the-dark paint and stuffed it in his locker, with a note that said ‘with hate, from Nebula’.” She snickered. “He still thinks I’m a witch, and that was in third grade.”

“And you didn’t hurt him, right?”

Nebula waved a careless hand. “Pssh, of course not. It’s a lot more effective to creep people out over actually hurting them.”

Tulip chewed on her ham sandwich thoughtfully, hearing the lettuce crunch between her teeth. “Is there a… a reason you want to creep people out?”

“If everyone thinks I’m a freak, more time to do what I want, right?” She picked at her jello, watching it wobble and shake on the tray. “I don’t get a choice in how people see me, so I might as well give them what they want. It’s fun being the weirdo, sometimes.”

Tulip just blinked at that. “But why?”

“Why not?” Nebula countered. “You want to spend your life chasing after people who don’t really care about you?” She lifted her fork, shoving the gelatin into her mouth before shifting it over to her cheek, pointing the tines at Tulip. “I’ve seen how you float around like a ghost. You’re checked out of your own life because you’re so afraid someone won’t like you that you don’t get close enough to anyone that might.” She swallowed the dessert in her cheek, letting it settle as she stared.

“Isn’t it lonely, refusing to ever bend a little?” Tulip countered after a moment’s thought. Nebula gnawed on the inside of her mouth before sighing.

“Agree to disagree, Tutu. Agree to disagree.”

Sixth grade passed in a blur, with Nebula tugging her away during breaks to show her whatever new thing she was invested in that day. She slowly dialed back on showing off the dead animals when Tulip admitted they made her queasy and started talking about her plants, or her insects while they were still alive. She was the only person that Tulip had ever seen let a wasp crawl over the back of her hand without getting stung. 

That summer, they stomped around the bog behind the gas station, peat soaking their ankles as they captured frogs and let them go again after taking pictures. One of the girls from her scout troop invited her to a dance where they might see boys, but it just didn’t sound appealing to Tulip when she could swing Nebula around to creaky old songs from her dad’s record player, with her newly-made dresses spiraling around her knees. In July, Tulip began to sew in earnest- she’d liked piecing together odd arrangements of clothes from the thrift store before, but… 

‘Why are you wearing a Halloween costume?’

‘Spirit week with ‘ugly clothes day’ was last week, Bennett.’

It was easier to just go with simple dresses from the store. 

When Nebula had gotten a look at her closet, she’d immediately dug out the frankensteined skirts and haphazardly sewn tops and laughed. Tulip had been about to slam the door shut when she held one up.

“These are great! Why don’t you ever wear them?”

“Huh?”

She spun on her butt to hold the shirt up, owl-eyes squinting to superimpose it over Tulip’s body. “Not that I don’t like your pastels, they fit you, but these are so much more fun. Did you make them?”

“Well-”

“If they’re from some auntie that you feel like you can’t throw away, that’s fine. I just think they’re neat.”

“I thought you didn’t like girl’s clothes.”

“I don’t. That doesn’t mean I can’t tell what would look good on you.” Her cheeks darkened for a moment, and she shoved the shirt into Tulip’s hands. “Come on, I want to see you in it.”

“Neb…”

“You can’t just hide from me that you’re good at making stuff like this, I’m your best friend. It’s against the law,” Nebula declared.

“Like you care about the ‘law’,” Tulip snorted, but allowed herself to be pushed into the closet. It was easy enough to slide her shirt over her head, but… she fussed with the buttons on the old shirt. This was a bad idea. She tried to do it up, but it didn’t fit- her soft body oozed from the bottom, having gained some weight since she’d created the shirt years ago. She pulled it open again, looking around in the light from the slats. Freckles dotted her belly, and she felt almost like a puppet inhabiting her own milky skin. Her fingers fussed with the handmade shell necklace that rested just above her sternum before she pulled the shirt back off, grabbing the one she’d been wearing before and a vest she’d made with stretchier material. It was still tight, but not annoyingly so, and she knocked for Nebula to open the door.

When she did, the other girl grinned. “See? Told you.” A gloved thumb pointed lazily to the wall-mounted mirror, and Tulip twirled. It hugged her form, but in a way that felt… nice. She must have made it big- maybe for an older sister at the last house.

Nebula jokingly blew a kiss. “You’ll be the belle of the middle-school ball.”

Tulip bumped her with her hip, but her cheeks dotted pink.

After that, often when they met after school, Tulip would sew while Nebula talked, the machine doing the chattering for her on her desk, Sometimes, the needle had to be poised between her fingers when she needed a more delicate touch. Once, Nebula even asked her to show her how to sew- she was making taxidermied animals and ‘wanted to see if I could copy your steady hands’. It ended up a bit of a mess, but Nebula put it up on her bedside table anyway. She liked imperfection and just patted the little squirrel’s head with its corkscrewed eyes. “Besides, it’s more memorable this way.” She offered to make Tulip a mouse to watch her sew if she found any, and Tulip found herself agreeing.

In seventh grade, Tulip had started to drag her to her girl scout meetings, to try and make friends. Some of the other girls still shied away, but if quiet little Bennett liked her and had gone this long without getting a scalpel through her brain, maybe she wasn’t that bad. She lit up when they mentioned they were working on a gardening badge and offered them her assistance. 

They learned that it was best to talk on her right side because her hearing aid on the left didn’t always work, and her needle-sharp laugh melted with the new acquaintances like gallium- just as bright, but not as pointed. In fact, when she dug in the dirt with the other girls, overalls smeared with soil and flowers surrounding her wrists, the hard edges that made her smile a smirk began to melt too.

Eighth grade came and went, and the night before high school, they were doodling on opposite pages of Tulip’s big sketchbook, laid out on the floor. “I just feel like… everything’s changing,” Tulip muttered. 

“It doesn’t have to,” Nebula said, chewing on her pencil with brace-clad teeth. “You’ve still got me, and you’ve still got the scouts that haven’t dropped out, and I’ve got you.”

Tulip rolled over. She was wearing one of her favorite shirts-- Neb had picked out the fabric, with a pattern of stars that rounded her stomach in a way that made her feel big in a good way, like the whole universe lay underneath her skin. “How much?”

“Huh?”

“How much do I have you?”

Nebula turned, bouncing her foot on the ground. “C’mon, I’m not good with the mushy stuff…”

Tulip scooted a little closer. “You’re my best friend, Neb.” She set a hand on Nebula’s cheek, rubbing a smudge of dirt with her thumb, and felt the thin cheekbones heat up underneath her. 

“You’re… you’re mine too,” Nebula muttered. “I feel… comfortable. With you. Cozy. Is that weird? You’re a very cozy person, and you managed to get me other people to talk with me, which is a feat let me tell you-”

Tulip kissed her. She could taste the root-beer flavored chapstick, and the feel slight indent of her braces, and Nebula’s gangly limbs just starting to grow into themselves folded into her lap like a fawn’s.

Nebula pulled back, adjusting her glasses that had tilted askew, but the smile on her face was wide enough to reach the stars before she leaned in again and the world melted around them, nothing but the rich scent of soil and copper that clung to Nebula’s clothes and the sweet strawberry perfume that dusted Tulip, and everything felt like tying off the final stitch on a perfect project. 

[antiloveenergy]

Obey Me! MC Introduction—Ava.

MC Character Sheet idea — courtesy of @luciferasmr ♡ thank u sm!

i have many depictions of her but i chose this one. courtesy of picrew.

Name: Aveline Mille-Feuille de Poivre et Cornelia

Nickname (if any): Ava (pronounced ah-VA. she’s the type to correct you every time.) 

Age: 19

Height: 5′4

Weight: ~130 lbs

Race: Human 

Gender: Female

Birthday: 1st February

Star Sign: Aquarius

Hair color: Ivory/Light blonde

Eye color: Lilac

Skin tone: Pale white

Which sin are they like?

1. Pride

2. Greed

3. Gluttony

4. Wrath

5. Lust

6. Sloth

7. Envy

Personality Traits: Ava is a mild-mannered and soft-spoken girl. I like to think she is the traditional Aquarian. She prides herself in being intelligent and having the ability to view things objectively. She comes off a little frosty, sporting a bored facial expression and preferring to let her friends do the talking for her. However, she is very friendly and honest to a fault. Ava is also very sensitive, even though she never likes to show her feelings. When she is comfortable with you, you’ll notice how eccentric she actually is. 

Background: Ava was born in Paris, France, in a (fictional) 21st Arrondissement known as Royaume—meaning realm, in French. This district separates magic from non-magic humans. She was born to a family of noble sorcerers, the Mille-Feuille family. (ENG pron. meal-foy) She recently graduated from the Young Sorcerers Academy, a distinguished wizarding school within Paris. Although she is an Honors graduate, she is considered a Rookie Sorcerer and must continue her studies outside of school. This is a firm expectation of her mother, who emphasizes that her magic sophistication is more important than anything else in her life. Ava develops a hidden resentment for her mother because of her lack of freedom. 

Why were they chosen for Devildom?: I like to think her “kidnapping” to the Devildom was for her sake. Not only does she get to experience a world outside the “realm” of the magical district, she also has the opportunity to study demonic dark arts and form alliances with the most powerful demons in the Devildom. Maybe that will shut her doting mother up, no?  

Hobbies: Ava has a keen interest in sewing and embroidery, as well as fashion. Designing, couture, modelling, the whole nine. She’s French, so it’s inevitable that her modish style would be influenced by what she sees in her world every day. She also likes to collect jewelry and stuffed animals. 

Likes: Accessories of Sanrio characters (& other copyrighted animal friends), chemistry, truffles, thigh high boots. 

Dislikes: Being told what to do, people disagreeing with her, the food of the Devildom. 

Appearance

Casual Clothing: Ava’s everyday clothing is usually a white or black fitted turtleneck. This is paired with a denim or black bodycon skirt and thigh high boots. This simple outfit is paired with a pendant, bracelet and a hairpin.  Although she does have plenty of clothes, being in the Devildom limits her selection of wardrobe. 

Top: ♡ , ☾

Bottoms: ♡ , ☾

Shoes: ♡, ☾

Accessories (if any): ♡, ☾, ☆, ♢

Glasses?: She does not need reading glasses

Uniform: So when Ava first received her RAD uniform, she thought it was ugly. It was the typical uniform with trousers and the coat, you know the drill. When she requested to alter her uniform, Lucifer almost objected to it but Lord Diavolo didn’t seem to mind, as long as the adornishments of the blazer weren’t manipulated. 

Any alterations to their uniform? If so, what?: She decided to elongate the coat and put some light padding underneath to emulate a dress. She also cinched it to fit more tight on her waistline. It reached to her mid-thighs, and maintained its proper buttons and things. With the trousers, she cut them by leg and constructed them into knee-high boots. The process was lengthy (and expensive), but it was done. She pairs this fit with a white frilly blouse underneath the blazer-dress.

Family

Mother: Lady Cornelia Savarin (neé Mille-Feuille), a noble sorcerer and the eldest of the 5 Mille-Feuille daughters. Her appearance is icy, with long ash grey hair paired with sharp baby blue eyes. She seems to never smile. Very bourgie and exudes royal energy 24/7. Cornelia loves her daughter dearly, but she wants to mold her into the woman she grew up to be: Powerful, well-respected, etc.

Father: Duke Poivre Savarin. He was born to a neighboring family of sorcerers. Messy blonde hair and lavender eye color—where Ava gets her looks from. These days, he has abandoned his magic and is currently on a 100-acre farm in the South of France. Ava still has no idea as to why he chose to ditch his life in Royaume. Rumor has it that he committed wrongful acts and fled, others speculate that the Mille-Feuille family disowned him as an in-law. Maybe he just wants to raise cows and chickens. Nonetheless, Ava keeps some contact with her father. 

Siblings (if any): None. 

Pets?: Ava owns a chinchilla named Bisou, which she obtained while in the Devildom. Satan was the one who brought her and suggested she get a chinchilla. (Lucifer may not approve of having a pet in the house, while also having a massive three-headed hellhound...)

How many friends does your MC have?: While her stay at RAD, she became friends with three low-ranking demon girls: Cléo (ex-human), Bianca (a succubus) and Lolita (a divination witch). 

Ava and Cléo have met previously when the latter attended the same school as Ava. However, Cléo’s destructive tendencies got her banished into Hell indefinitely. (long story short she committed domestic terrorism by releasing demonic spirits into the city and possessing a shit ton of people.) 

Past relationships: N/A

Has your MC had a relationship before?: As a child she may have had a boyfriend, but that barely counts, right?

Have they been in love?: Nope. Whenever she does though, she will go insane. 

How easy do they gain crushes?: Not very easy, to be honest. She tends to be impersonal to people she is not friends with. In a crush, Ava typically keeps people at a distance, especially if she finds herself ‘feeling different’ when she’s around them. 

Do they believe in love?: She absolutely believes in love, especially monogamous love. She takes it extremely seriously, making any romantic relationship she finds herself in a slow-pacing one. “The strength of your heart compromises the one of your mind, so why would you give your heart so easy?” she would say.

What’s their type? A confident, intelligent person. Someone that can stimulate her mentally and provide her with devotion. Someone adventurous and sporadic, who is willing to show her a different side to them. 

Sexuality: Ava is heterosexual but she came to the conclusion that women provide more emotional comfort. 

Which one of the 7 brothers does your MC like the most? okay this is hard one. it’s a tie between Asmodeus and Satan. 

Why? Asmodeus, because she got along with him first. They have shared values in beauty and fashion, so it was easy for them to find common ground. She can show off her hobbies and have Asmo be receptive to it. Satan, because they’re both Intellectuals™ and can have a good debate with their big juicy brains. She also likes to compete with him to see who receives the better marks in school. 

What traits do they look for in a partner? Dignified, loyal, smart, soft-hearted, sincere, masculine, and protective. 

General

Favorite food: Chocolate covered anything. Berries, nuts, lizards, beetles, anything! She also loves anything with cheese on it. 

Least favorite: Chips. Too salty.

Favorite topic in school: Science and Magic Studies

Least favorite topic: English 

Favorite color: White

Least favorite color: Red

Do they like to be sociable or are they more of a recluse? Ava’s more introverted, but she finds herself to be more sociable in a group.

Favorite movie genre? Fantasy 

Do they read a lot or no? Yes, if you count spellbooks and magazines!

Favorite animal: Rodents (i.e, chinchillas, squirrels and ferrets etc.)

Favorite genre of music: She likes French pop from the 60s. This is her favorite song. ♡ she also likes R&B and some rap, introduced by her friends.

Least favorite genre: Acoustics. She prefers the electric guitar over the wooden ones. 

Do they like sweets? Yes! The namesake of her last name is a popular dessert, so it’s no doubt that she loves anything pastry and sugary. 

Do they like spicy food? Not as much as she likes sweets. She does like red pepper flakes in the inedible Devildom cuisine, if the taste calls for it.

Do they like school? Ava is a dork so she loves school. When she found out she was returning to an academy, she wasn’t that upset about it. This gave her an opportunity to learn more, outperform her peers, and go back to the school atmosphere.

Pet peeves: When people don’t match their clothes, when people question her, anything that she cannot put logical reasoning to, and clutter. 

[veridium]

the dark side of your room

hey, it’s an All Time Low song for the College AU Update!! Woo!

Time for some more queer fluff and anxiety, what I do best!

masterpost // last chapter 

--

Olivia: Hey, still down for me to come over in an hour?

Cassandra: Yeah, I’m just running errands. I will be back but I might hop in the shower. I’ll leave a key under the mat.

Olivia: Ohhh, a key...we’re getting heavy.

Cassandra: Don’t get cocky.

This must be like what people who are ‘Superb Owl’ fans experience the week leading up to the big sports game they all watch. Day after day, since the one when she asked her to come to the party it gets harder to breathe. It might also be from the surmounting happiness that she is in no way used to, that is nevertheless overwhelming. She can’t do what she usually does and hideout in Ellinor’s company, because she is just as nervous as she is -- if not more. Poor Ellinor. Their conversation by the soccer field is still fresh in her mind even two days after. Now, it’s Friday, making it 24 hours until it all goes down.

Whatever ‘it all’ is, remains to be seen.

Speak of the devil. She catches a familiar, similarly petite figure walking past her open doorway while she’s finishing up getting ready for the night. 

“Hey!” she peers out the doorway to see Ellinor fumbling with keys sluggishly, backpack on her shoulder. “Everything okay?”

Ellinor glances briefly. “Yep! All good.”

“You sure?”

“...Are you?”

Olivia strolls out into the hall and to her, all the while Ellinor finds her key and slides it into the lock. She stops short of twisting it, mouth tight with bated breath behind it, so it seems. In return, Liv grins in order to provide some form of comfort. 

“At least our costumes look hot.”

“They do. They really do.”

“...Ugh, I’m so worried Dorian is going to make Cassandra want to punch him or something--”

“And if the lesbians scare the shit out of Cullen, I’m gonna--”

“Oh God, Cullen and gays...Cullen and the leftist kombucha hipsters?! Do we even know--”

“We don’t! That’s what I’m saying! And isn’t this Cassandra’s first real thing, going out with a girl?”

Olivia bites her lip. Fuck. She’s right. “Oh no. I’m taking her to the lion’s den right off the bat. Oh my God, why didn’t I think of this. I should have called for brunch like normal queer people do. The fuck is wrong with me?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know the gay agenda protocol for this, you never gave me a copy!”

“You aren’t supposed to have one, Ellinor, it’s not a Reader’s Digest.”

“Pfft,” Ellinor leans unto her hip and rolls her eyes. “Fine. Figure out the heirosapphics all on your own, then.”

Olivia pouts. “You stole that joke from me,” she grumbles, before brushing hair out of her eyes. “I have to get going, I’m supposed to be at Cassandra’s in like...whatever amount of minutes is left. I don’t know.” She pulls out her phone to check the time. Fifteen minutes, to be exact.

“Well then go on, get out of here,” Ellinor shoos, “I got plans too, anyway.”

“With C--”

“Yes, with him! Who else, the Pope?”

Olivia shrugs and dances off back on her toes towards her door. “Touchy Ducky!”

“I hate when you call me th--” the rest of Ellinor’s avarice is cut off by the door shutting. Yeah, yeah, she hates being called a touchy ducky. Which means, naturally, Olivia will have to tell it to Cullen and say she loves it, because pranks are healthy for any sustainable friendship. She giggle-snorts all by herself and searches around for her pair of sneakers she tossed somewhere earlier in the week, the perfect casual cap-off to her black leggings and tank top. Whatever tomorrow night turns out to be, at least she has tonight.

--

Only five minutes late, Olivia makes use of the key hiding for her when knocking doesn’t work. When she enters, the holiest of smells -- Italian spices that promise carbs -- greets her first. The kitchen is lit up, and on the stove is a big pasta pot that seems to sing to her. She follows the aroma over to it and finds steaming spaghetti, sauce, meat balls, large forked serving spoon and all. Beside it are two small bowls, and only two. Was Cullen not around? Eh, figures, if Ellinor said they had plans.

That means Cassandra made this. Cassandra made this for her. God, it’s been too long since she had any close associates who knew their way around a kitchen. Ellinor is a walking bio-hazard, Theia knows every order-in number in the city, and Josephine...well, she probably cooks, but she just doesn’t brag about it.

A whine gets caught in her throat -- the kind of “aw” one she makes at puppies in the mall and kids in the park. This is so sweet.

She drops her shoulder bag on the small dining table and lets herself wander. One slow loop around the coffee table, absentmindedly observing all the furniture. Sounds of a shower echo from the other side of the suite, and the mystery is solved just as to where Cassandra is. She must have gotten right into cooking and forgotten to shower when she got home.

Olivia comes to a halt at the mouth of the dark hallway and peeks with growing curiosity...

She’s been down to Cullen’s side, during the infamous occasion she went a bit Rutherferal, but that’s long in the past. Okay, a week, but the past is the past. Cassandra’s, on the other hand, is like some mystical Narnia closet. No one’s been in, and no one’s gotten out as far as she knows. The first time she slept over it was implicitly clear the living room was where she was invited and nowhere else.

What’s so mysterious about a dorm suite bedroom, anyway? What, is she hiding two twin beds down there put together to make a queen? The more she speculates, the more her feet inch closer and closer to the mostly-shut door. The light from the other side almost adds to the temptation. Liv, don’t, this is so weird. Yet, she keeps going, all the way until she reaches the door. She looks back down the other end, silent as sin: the shower is still going. So, against all logic in her head saying ‘stay in your lane,’ she pushes the door open. Expecting the worst, like in that Fifty Shades bullshit film.

The first thing to hit, again, is the smell -- it’s not spaghetti. Lavender? Lavender. In the corner on a desk a diffuser is on, spouting steam into the air. It invites her in like a shiny thing would to a squirrel, and in the process, the rest of the space becomes unfolds: A made bed with navy blue comforter and pillow cases, a stuffed bear against the throw pillow -- wait a minute, she has a stuffed bear? Yes, a stuffed bear with a button nose and all. Is that what she doesn’t want anyone seeing? Just a stuffed animal? I have five under my bed alone...

On the wall facing the door the curtains are pulled but the window is shut, and the floor is completely clean. The laundry basket by the door is almost empty, holding nothing but a t-shirt and a few socks. Up on the wall lining her bed there are origami stars and shapes taped all over, some making what look like constellations. They’re beautifully meticulous, just like Cassandra.

Nothing surprises her more than what she finds in and around her corner desk on the right, diagonal to her bed. Standard dorm honey-colored wood and red upholstery on the chair. Her laptop squarely centered, with a cup of pens and pencils off to the side. Books stacked neatly all around. On the attached shelf above it all are pictures with black frames, all shorter than the gold, silver, and blue trophy for some sport or another.

The pictures, though: that is what draws her in even more. From left to right there are four, total: the first shows two adults smiling with two kids: a boy, standing in front of the man holding onto his arm across his chest, and the other, a girl, held on the woman’s hip. She’s wearing a pale pink babydoll dress, she can’t be any other than six by the look of her baby face and twisted pair of buns in her long, dark hair.

Is that her? Wait, shit, then this must be her family.

The next picture provides more answers: the same adult couple, only the kids are older. The teenage boy is holding a soccer ball against his hip, and he has his hand on his Mother’s shoulder. They’re at the park, or somewhere green, and Cassandra is sitting on the blanket hugging her knees in a similar fashion as she did when she and Olivia lounged on the field. No baby pink anything in sight, though, just grey basketball shorts and a shirt, both a little big on her. The third is one of her and the boy again, her on his back riding piggyback and smiling such a joyous smile, it looks as if she was about to burst. Cheesy, and Cassandra is never cheesy. It’s heartwarming, the way the boy is looking at her from his periphery, chest puffed with pride.

The fourth and final one, though, is just him. He’s much older, and the picture is weathered even with the glass shielding it. As if it spend years just by itself, stashed or crammed somewhere, before finally being framed. The shot is off-center, tilted at an angle that cuts off the top of his head, making the shot look clumsy. He’s leaning against a car front, arms crossed and strong. The washed out lighting, like it was taken by a disposable camera, makes everything seem too bright: except for him, his smile, and his car.

He looks so nice. Why does she never talk ab--

“What are you doing?”

Olivia flinches like a cat struck by lightning, whirling around with her hands linking up behind her. She had been leaning over, soaking up every last inch of detail, but to the outside eye she simply looked nosy.

“I! Ah!” she struggles, “I’m...I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

Cassandra shows no sign of intended placation. “You didn’t mean to, but you did.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck. I fucked up. “I did, b-but, I’m sorry. I just wanted...I think I was just…”

She tosses her clothes several feet into the hamper. “Just what? Going into someone’s room without asking or telling them?”

Olivia blushes and looks away, suddenly aware that she’s standing there with nothing but a blue towel on her and skin still damp from the shower. If there was a God, he would smite her this instant from her foolishness.

“Cassandra, I’m sorry,” she can’t say it enough, “I just--”

“Can you at least let me get clothes on?” Her tone is straight-and-narrow, and Olivia can’t quite discern whether she is deeply pissed or deeply understanding. She knows what she sounds like when she’s losing her cool, and it’s not anything like this. It’s unnerving, to say the least. Though, the guilt leads her to vacate the room without so much as a word, shoulders hunched and arms crossed as she skims past her.

The door shuts, leaving her to think about what she did. And boy, does she: making a slow death-march to the couch where she sits smack-dab in the middle. Every half-second feels like an hour, her knee anxiously bobbing. Her arms haven’t left her chest, and her lungs feel like kiddy pools for air.

Then, at last, Cassandra re-emerges. She’s wearing shorts, a black, slim hoodie, and a frown. Rather than join her on the couch she leans against the corner of the hallway wall and folds her own arms, phone in her hand. Olivia gets the courage to meet her eyes, and when she does, she’s reminded of how fatal ‘disappointment’ can feel.

“Well, I’m waiting,” Cassandra says flatly.

“Waiting for...for what?”

“For an explanation as to why you were nosing around my bedroom.”

“I was...um, the thing is, I couldn’t find forks in the--”

“Olivia Sinclair.”

Liv swallows and curls her legs up against her, hands hooking under her thighs. Humor won’t save her this time. “I don’t know! I just...the door was open, and for some reason, I just kept going and going until I was hip-deep and I just...didn’t think...well, fuck, okay, I didn’t think. That’s what happened. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again, just please, don’t…” she’s spiraling into nervousness and it makes her words start to blur into one another. The sound of pleading, the kind that comes from someone who’s grown up being corrected too harshly for her age. “Please, I didn’t mean to...t-to...ugh, shit.”

Cassandra’s stoic, but just as Olivia is about to break from the tension it causes, she sighs through her nose and rolls her eyes, chin lifting towards the ceiling as she does so. “At least you’re bad at lying.”

“I know I c--h-hey! I’m not...I…” as she grumbles, she only vindicates Cassandra’s opinion, and elects to shut her mouth rather than dig the hole any deeper.

“Mhm,” Cassandra hums, moving away from the wall. The way her hips sway, like she has the upper hand and most of the battlefield already won, is both attractive and disconcerting. She comes to the side of the coffee table closest to the couch, sitting down on it directly in front of her. It’s so close, she has to keep a knee on either side of Olivia’s legs, but she makes do.

“I don’t like people invading my space,” she says as she settles in, very matter-of-fact.

Olivia is stiller than a grave casket, and stays that way. “Mhm...”

Cassandra smirks drily. “If you know, then why did you do it?”

“Because I didn’t think...”

“You weren’t thinking? You sure about that?” Her stare focuses, as if she has the power to break glass with it alone; only, Olivia is the one to crack.

“I...guess I just wanted to know about you. Maybe I thought your room would...satiate my curiosity.”

Cassandra raises a brow. “Ah, so there’s the answer.”

Olivia wants to leap out the window for a cold breeze. Or escape...kill two birds with one stone, as it were. No one likes their space to be invaded. Why did I do it? That’s such a no-go. God dammit.

“I guess I just wondered.”

“Wondered?”

“About your background. Your...childhood...and your interests…”

“Snooping is a great tactic...if it’s a matter of national security.”

Olivia huffs through her nose. “Oh, yeah, okay, technically that is correct. But...but…”

“But what, Liv? Are you suddenly scared of me?”

No. No, no, no. “No, it’s just!” She stops herself before she is definitely in yelling territory for no good reason. “I’m just nervous about everything, all the time, and sometimes it’s weird. I overthink even when I do impulsive things like go in someone’s room and look at their family pictures and gawk at their teddy bear and their fancy oil diffuser and yes, okay, I gawked. I admit it. It was all gawk….just...gawk-able...fuck, is that even a word? Fuck…” she whispers the last expletive as she leans forward onto her lap, putting her face in her hands. The solace she finds from Cassandra’s discerning capabilities only goes so far, though.

Then, in the self-induced darkness, she hears Cassandra chuckle, low and warm despite the conflict. It’s almost unbelievable, until it’s followed up by the sensation of hands holding onto her forearms and lips pressing to the top of her head. That makes it definitely unbelievable. A lingering kiss, before her hands move up to Olivia’s shoulders and start to rub nice and slow.

“I was only looking for an apology, not to put you to the guillotine.”

“I apologized like five times in one breath, though,” Olivia replies as she lifts her eyes out from her palms.

“Yeah, but you panicked.”

“I did.”

“I was looking for more of a calm, collected, sophisticated apology. Maybe even slightly poetic. Rhyme optional.”

Olivia’s mortification is olympic swimming pool levels, but even then, she finds she cannot escape the desire to giggle at her humor when it shows. It’s both kind-hearted and measured. Her hands go to her lap and she sits up more, chin still tucked from bashfulness.

“I can’t rhyme for shit, but...I can do sophisticated.”

Cassandra grins. “I’ll take it.”

Olivia takes a deep breath, mostly for herself and her still racing heartbeat. “I’m sorry I went into your space uninvited. I should have asked, and communicated, and respected your boundaries. I will take care to do that from now on.” The few seconds of ‘deliberation’ are more than enough on what remains of her nerves.

Luckily, Cassandra ends the anguish with a soft smile. “Very impressive. I don’t forgive you, but it’s impre--”

“What!?”

Cassandra bursts into a laugh, leaning back as she puts her fingers to her mouth. “I’m sor-rry, I couldn’t h...help--”

“You could help it, Pentaghast,” Olivia smiles, and takes it upon herself to push Cassandra the rest of the way down by her shoulders until she’s laying flat and expectant. Rather than do as she did in the field and make it interesting, she jumps off the couch and jogs to the kitchen.

“Kiss my ass, I’m getting pasta!”

“Hey!” Cass jumps up,  “do I not get any appreciation as the cook?”

“No! Psh, you must be new here.” Olivia grabs a bowl and takes hold of the serving spoon.

“Oh am I?”

“Yep! Fresh mea-yAGH!” She shrieks as Cassandra’s hands rush around Olivia’s sides so quick they tickle her, cutting her off in her triumph. She giggles and curls against her hold, dropping the thankfully hardy bowl onto the stove while the spoon remains in a death grip. It’s not enough calamity to distract her from the silly awe she’s in, being like this. And Cassandra just rests her chin on her shoulder and chuckles along. Her strength nearly picks Olivia clean up off the kitchen tile.

“Stoopp! Let me!--” Olivia gets out in between laughs, “let me eat, woman!”

“Woman!? Is that all I am to you?!”

Olivia tries to wiggle free, but it’s a lost cause. “Yes! Ugh!” she huffs as Cassandra inches them both away from the stovetop, “A heartless, tormenting, merciless woman!” She finally pivots around to face her, arms bracing against her shoulders. Cassandra is smiling so big and bright...just like the way she did in the picture. Her arms stretch up straight until they wrap around her neck loosely, and Cassandra only glows more. Their laughs simmer down into tired, but wonderful giggling, and Olivia feels nothing but the urge to keep her this way.

“But...you’re my woman.”

“Yeah?” Cassandra mutters back as their faces draw nearer, her hands travel low down Olivia’s back.

Olivia makes a ‘tsk’ sound with her tongue. “Yeah, but...only part time.”

Gullible if only for a moment, she catches on. “...Ugh. Ok, I deserve that.” They move together as she pushes Olivia back against the edge of the counter.

Olivia gasps and giggles more. “Is this the way you’re gonna try to dance with me tomorrow night? All nice and close, then bumper cars?” Olivia teases, tongue sticking out for added effect.

“Tomorrow night?”

“Yeah, tomorrow night. The party..?”

Cassandra pauses and grins, but loses exuberance. She rubs Olivia’s arm lovingly before breaking from her. Her side-step brings her to the stove, where she picks back up the bowl Olivia dropped, and the spoon she surrendered; the pot needs stirring, apparently.

“Cass?” Olivia asks, feeling a bit left to hang, her hands going behind her and resting on the counter.

“Hm?”

“Is...everything alright?”

Cassandra nods, eyes still on her very important stirring. “I’m just hungry. Running you down must have reinspired my appetite.”

Olivia lowers a brow. “Uh-huh.” Her skepticism is either undetected or ignored, though, as Cassandra spoons the first generous spoonful into the bowl and hands it to her. Once it’s taken off her hands she goes to the second, and is equally as unceremonious with her own serving. Olivia stares down at the amazing looking meal in her hands but can’t seem to just enjoy it. Is she trying to ditch out? Is this a ditch-out attitude? Ugh, she does hate it. She’s just going for--

Cassandra hands her a fork. “I was thinking we could all ride together. I know how to drive Cullen’s car, anyways.”

“I mean, sure, but that means you’d have to…” it’s a wonder it takes her so long to figure it out, but when she does, the sentence doesn’t need finishing.

“Yeah, but that’s fine. I wasn’t planning on it, anyway,” Cassandra seems to read her thoughts anyways, and begins twirling the first bite of noodles around her fork.

“Okay. I just...I dunno, I thought you might want to since you did at Rylen’s…”

Cassandra shrugs, and leans her hip against the stove. Her forkful suspended in the air. “Yeah, but, that’s Rylen’s.”

Olivia scoffs, and begins forking around for a meatball to take a bit out of. “That place isn’t exactly child safety approved. What’s the difference?”

Cassandra swallows and tucks an ankle behind the other. “The difference is I don’t want to be drinking when I meet all your friends at once.”

“Oh, come on, it won’t be that bad. I mean, I went whiskey-hunting up in the cupboards the first...time…” crap, this isn’t a shining example. “You know, nevermind.” She shoves her first bite into her mouth to help ignore the sound of Cassandra’s smug chuckling. At first, she’s pressed, but then she looks down again in amazement.

“What the fuck? Cassandra, this is so good,” she mumbles with a full mouth, preparing another forkful, “oh my God.”

“Have you never had spaghetti before?”

“Ugh! Yes, I have! That’s not…” she forks it into her mouth some more, reckless abandon and starvation taking over. “Holy shit.”

Cassandra smiles and keeps modestly twisting and preparing her mature, normal person serving. “Here I was worrying I wouldn’t compare to your standards.”

“What, am I Rachael Ray all of a sudden?”

“By the way Ellinor looks at you in reverent fear while you explain how you get your onions diced so fine, I’d say it’s a strong possibility.”

“It’s just the way you hold the kn--you know what, I’m gonna just…” Olivia shakes her head, wiping her dirty mouth on her wrist. “Did you just know how to do this?”

“No way, I learned a long time ago. It’s one of the few things I can cook off memory.”

Olivia eyes her as she takes another bite. She wants to ask where, or who, did. Someone, at some point, had to have taught her -- and maybe there’s a story. A funny story, or a cheesy one. It doesn’t matter what kind, as long as it is one that could help her discover more about what makes her tick. Olivia’s never wanted to know every crumb of a person like this before like she does now, for her.

“Hm. Good to know, but I think I wanna know if you got the better bowl.”

Cassandra peers up, nonplussed. “What? But, it’s the same dish…”

Olivia draws herself in, step by devious step. “You sure? ‘Cause I think I gotta do a quality check.”

“Really.”

“Yeah. This is a democracy, right?”

Cassandra snorts, twisting another forkful just as Olivia is about to collide with her. She holds it out carefully, bowl underneath for insurance. “You are ridiculous.”

“Mhm,” Olivia repeats, before she takes the bite with glee.

“And this is a democratic-republic, woman.”

“...Woman?” she asks, but with her mouth full, it sounds more like ‘wuhmin.’

They link eyes, and Cassandra shakes her head slow. “You heard me.”

Olivia swallows, wiping the corners of her mouth and proper, before she sets down her bowl off to the side. She does the same with Cassandra’s, so that it can rest beside hers.

“Say that to my face,” she dares, pitting her torso against hers.

In return, Cassandra tilts her head, hand wrapping around her. “I just did. That was kind of the point.”

“You really don’t know how to play along with things without critique, do you?”

“I just don’t like double-standards.”

Their mouths veer in close as Olivia’s hands slide up her Cassandra’s arms. “You don’t like a lot of things.”

“No, but I like you.”

Olivia’s eyes widen. “Oh? Prove it.”

That’s the kind of thing you say right before you get kissed so well the world could end around your feet and you wouldn’t care: which is exactly why she said it. And the competitive look in Cassandra’s eye doesn’t disprove it. But just as she’s about to make her move, a ruckus erupts on the door. Out of nowhere Cassandra’s hold turns from casual to protective, and she whirls around to face the corner where the door is shaking from what sounds like hooves rather than fists. It isn’t long until the perpetrators are identified.

“Cass! I really gotta pee, help a guy out!”

“Yeah, Cass!! wake up, grandma!”

“Answer the group chat!!”

Three voices, all somewhat slurred, and definitely gregarious. Cassandra’s shoulders release and she moans in disgust, letting go of Olivia and marching towards the door to save it before the hinges break. She opens the door wide and fast, and two of the three stumble in while she stands by.

The boys make various ‘woah’ sounds as they collect themselves. Olivia recognizes one of them, the guy who opened the door at Rylen’s party. Which means he must be Rylen, of course. The other has a fresh undercut and is wearing a white v-neck and jeans, too well-dressed for a jock she’d think. The cloud of Axe-smelling odor overtakes the room and makes Olivia’s nose itch.

“What have I told you all about coming over on the weekends?” Cassandra asks, indignant. 

They all straighten up. The third of them, a woman with brown hair tied back and wearing jean shorts and a sports bra underneath a flannel, walks in with keys in-hand. “You said...uh...call?”

“Yes. That is exactly what I said.”

“We’re just stopping by! We cut through campus on the way home. A break was in order.” She glides on through between the two others, immediately spotting Olivia standing with a thoughtless bitch face on. Or, she must be, because she stops dead in her tracks, and even backs up.

“Woah, dude, I’m sorry,” she puts his hands up, “I didn’t know--”

“Hey! You’re Ellinor’s friend!” Rylen manages to collect himself. He shoots a look at Cassandra and smiles big, “wait...what are you two doing wi--”

“You said you had to use the bathroom,” Cass is quick to usurp, still glaring.

Rylen’s happy-go-lucky act subsides, and he keeps his head down as he walks off out towards the hall. He gives a “Yes, Ma’am,” before disappearing completely.

“Sorry, Cass,” the one in jeans says as he pulls out a chair and sits sideways. “We haven’t been...uh...well, we’ve had a few.” He whisper yells it like he’s trying to tell a secret across a room. Oh boy.

“I couldn’t tell,” she replied, shutting the door and going to the cabinet. “You need water?”

“Nah!”

“Uh huh, okay,” she takes a couple plastic cups out and goes to the sink.

While she is busy filling them with tap water, Olivia is still there like a Greek statue, unsure of what to do. Jocks in close proximity like this feels...odd. Like they’re just as apt to sniff her hair as shake her hand; or maybe that’s just her snobbery. She takes hold of her elbow and slides herself up on top the counter to the right of the stove, reminiscent of her climbing escapade at Rylen’s house, only now she’s just trying to keep out of the way rather than day drink.

The seated guy’s gaze flickers over to her, as if he just now realizes she’s there, watching. “Hey, I’m Krem. I don’t think we’ve ever met,” he waves.

She nods once, and manages a grin. “Hello.”

“So your name is Hello? Is it a f-family name?” he gurgles out the last half, unable to keep himself from chuckling while the other stands wide and joins in. Oh great, they’re both laughing at her, and she’s only said one word. Can she phone a friend? Surely Ellinor knows what to do.

“Krem, cut it out,” Cassandra hands them both their cups. “This is Olivia. Olivia, these are some of my teammates, Krem and Lysette. You already know the brute using too much of our soap in the bathroom.” She returns to Olivia’s side and places her hand on the stove handle where a clean towel hangs.

Olivia side-eyes her, before the staring from both of them provokes a response. “Nice to meet you all.”

“Cass, is this the girl you--”

“Not a word, Lys.”

“...Right,” Lysette answers, rolling her lips shut and looking off to the side. “Well, good to meet you finally. We see you on the field with Ellinor all the time!”

“Yeah, we...we do that,” Olivia shrugs, but it comes off a little mechanical in her attempt to be approachable.

Krem finishes a gulp of water. “I think we had a class together. Was it anthropology…?”

“Oh, hah, no it couldn’t have, I haven’t taken any anthro classes here.”

“...Oh! Gotcha. Hm. I wonder who that blonde was then…”

“There are quite a few of us around. We have a local chapter established. We call ourselves “The Bleach Bunnies.””

They both laugh, a bit uncoordinated, but they laugh. Cass shoots her a grin, but in her Captain persona, she can’t shake her vigilance for her inebriated peers. A door opens from out in the hall, and heavy feet track on the carpet towards where they are all congregated.

“So, Liv,” Rylen dusts his hopefully freshly washed hands off, “you have eyes for our Master and Commander, here?”

Cassandra growls. “Rylen.”

“No, no, Cass! This is tradition--”

“Since when is it ‘tradition’?”

“Since uh, 2003! Approxim-manly!” He waves a hand dismissively, and Cassandra rolls her eyes and snorts with frustration. “Now, look. You’ve let Cullen get all the action from us even though  you’ve been having a little escapowerade all on your own.”

“Esca...power..?” Olivia tilts her head and looks to Cass for answers, but she’s above trying to figure out the linguistics of the situations. The scene from Finding Nemo where Marlin yells ‘it’s like he’s trying to speak to me, I know it!’ comes to mind.

“You know, a randall-view--”

“Okay, okay,” Krem saves his friend from further butchering the English and now French language, “I think she gets it, dude.”

“Alright, fine! But she has to do the thing!”

“What thing?” Lysette asks, folding her arms against her leather bomber jacket.

“She has to do a shot!”

Do jocks just test each other for every little rite of passage with shots? Is that all there is to their courage? Jesus Christ. Olivia waits for him to say something, anything, to clue in that he’s joking. Or that he’s wrong. But he just stands there, t-shirt, khakis, crocs and all, hands sliding into his pockets and chest puffed out like he’s the big ol’ man of the house.

“Rylen, I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Olivia says calmly.

“Oh? You think yourself above the rules?”

“No, I think myself already indebted to you in the amount of half a bottle of whiskey, the one I nabbed out your cupboard about…two? Three? Weekends ago. I prepaid my hazing process.”

They all go quiet, eyes and mouths agape at varying degrees. Even Cassandra has teeny bit of a wince on her lips. 

Rylen, now rebuffed, blinks like that white guy gif. “Uh...oh. Indeb-ted.”

“Yeah.”

“Uh...that would...yeah that would do it. Wait, but, I thought Elli--”

“She had the rest of it, but she shared that with Cullen. I alone took down the first half.”

“But...but you’re tiny.”

Cassandra scowls while the others try not to giggle. Olivia only shrugs a second time, and picks up her bowl of spaghetti and brings it to her lap.

“What can I say: the shorter the woman, the closer to hell, Rylen.” A bit more comfortable, she lifts the fork of noodles to her lips. For some reason the other two start to making low noises of ‘oohs!’ and ‘uhh!” which seems to mean they approve? Or are at least entertained. It occurs to her that this must mean she bested him.

“Good one, Olive,” Krem remarks, so cheerful that she doesn’t have the heart to correct him on her name.

“I think that is answer enough,” Cassandra agrees, shifting her weight onto her feet. “I think you all should get going, it looks like the night’s just begun for you.”

“Ah, yeah, shit,” Rylen shakes his shoulders and saunters with that wide machismo walk, sizing Olivia up some more in his inebriated state, before he ushers them all with him. It all happens as quickly and rumbly as it began, and they stampede back from whence they came with much less fuss. A symphony of “Later, Cass!” and “Sorry, Cass!” with one “See ya, Olive!” as the cherry on top of a socially-awkward sundae. At last the door shuts, swiftly locks, and the quiet is welcomed back into the room. The nice, sober quiet.

Cassandra comes back, palms pressed to her thighs before she uses them to rub her face with a little exasperation. “Ugh. That won’t be the end of it.”

“Do they come around often?”

“More during the season, but...now it’s playoffs, so I don’t know. Rylen’s place tends to be headquarters, but sometimes...they just...ugh.” She elects to stand in the middle of the tile floor and fold her arms. She still looks a bit anxious, trying to decompress from the rush of events. Olivia can’t help but fixate on it while slicing a meatball that’s too big for one bite. Did that actually scare her?  

“Hey,” she holds up the forked half and offers it, and takes on her best ‘Rylen’ voice, “I think you need more meat, bro.”

Cassandra rolls her eyes and grins with dread. “Don’t even start.”

“Bro, come on, get that protein. How else are you supposed to get--”

“No one ever says ‘get that protein,’” she chuckles and walks to her, and Olivia spreads her knees to invite her in; something she happily plays along with. All trapped in her hold, Olivia feeds her the sacred bite, and tries not to burst into giggles again.

“Do you still need your proof of my affection for you?” Cassandra inquires, wiping the corner of her mouth and then resting her hands on Olivia’s thighs.

There’s the penchant to continue the jest and say no: put up a fight and see where it gets her. Olivia is always ready for more playful fighting. But what can you say to a woman who was ready to deploy herself as a human shield against the unknown forces on the other side of a burgeoning door?

“I think I’m good.” She sets down her meal in favor of the rim of Cass’s hood and brings her in even closer.

“Are you sure? Because I did have a plan of action.”

“A plan?” she says hushed, “and what is this plan, exactly?”

“Uh...debating over whether to watch Titanic or Love, Actually. Then debating over the acting abilities of either cast. Then...more debate about the historical accuracies and politics that you will inevitably bring up when a male character is awful or another character is racist--”

“Or classist. You forgot classist. I hate that shit.”

“Yes. Classist.”

“Yeah.” Her smile widens, and she knocks noses with her playfully. “I suppose that all could be evidence to further support your claim. I can oblige. We should get started though, it’s already kinda late and I might have forgotten my ID to get into my dorm after 10...again...because I’m a dumbass.”

“Or you could just not go home.”

Olivia’s stomach erupts into butterflies drenched in pasta sauce and garlic seasoning, so much so her back arches like she’s being secretly zapped up with electricity. “I...could also do that.”

“What, you don’t want to?”

“No, I do, I guess I’m just...nevermind. I’m down!”

She smiles again. “Okay, good.”

“On one condition.”

Cassandra blinks and stops just as they are about to kiss. “Hm?”

“Only...if we do the thing I wanted to do the first night I stayed over.”

“You...you still want to make a pillow fort?”

Her shoulders bunch up in pre-eminent glee. “Yeeaaah.”

Cassandra sighs, but it doesn’t sound completely out of patience. “Alright, fine, you drive a hard bargain.”

More butterflies. More spaghetti butterflies. I can’t wait to brag about this to Ellinor, she’s gonna be so jealous. Yeah Cullen can eat two burgers in five minutes flat but can he say that he made a pillow fort?!  Can anyone? This is some next-level shit. They kiss to seal the deal, and to her delight, she tastes like marinara.