#my assumption is that statement fics are a thing and i cannot wait to read some

[readychilledwine]

here without you was so good until the end. you ruined it there.

*sigh* I've been waiting for this day and knew it was coming. As calmly as kindly as possible.

1) I can't ruin my brainchild. I wrote the fic. It ends EXACTLY how I, the author, wanted it to.

2) Instead of wasting your time and energy to comment or get on my page to send me an anon for a story you didn't like, scroll. Because this isn't constructive feedback, so as someone looking to improve my content, you've put me at a standstill.

3) if you're going to leave negative feedback, make it constructive and say it with your chest off anon so I can look at your blog and decide if I want to take advice based off your work. Or, message me exactly what you didn't like, so I, as the author, can explain my thought process to you, and you can help me better communicate that next time.

4) ✨️An explanation of the end of Here Without You✨️

If you haven't read my new angsty cheating Az x reader fic, here's a link. If you have and are upset over the ending, please read this, and then, if you still feel the need to comment, we can go from there.

I thought I had made it clear in the end that Azriel and reader are not back together, but working on their relationship so they can be a team co-parenting wise. I have reader explicitly saying that:

"This doesn't mean we're back together. It means we need to coparent for him while we work on things."

That statement is very cut and dry. No where it in does she say, "I forgive you," it in reality, and between the lines, says, "I appreciate your apology, but this is where my boundary is at right now, coparenting while we try to move forward."

Coparenting is a HARD relationship that requires sacrifice, communication, and as little animosity as possible. The ending also blantly says this:

You knew it would take time, that you two had many things to discuss first. This was a needed good start, though.

It is the beginning of them working on their relationship. A relationship is not strictly defined as a couple or marriage. I have a relationship with my parents, my child, my moots, and all of you. Her and Azriel's relationship at the end is coparents. That's it. And you cannot coparent well with someone you have issues with. Reader is being selfless for her child here.

I have had one person message me with their constructive feedback. Her issue was the bond being reopened, and as I explained in a comment, we know from SJM a rejected bond can drive both parties to madness. We have no clue what happens to fae from severed bonds, though. I have the reader opening it at the end because she is already showing signs of advanced PPD. She's opening it for the relief it brings. The last thing she as a single mom working on a coparenting plan needed was her, or Azriel, completely losing themselves or their minds.

I did not feel the need to explicitly explain that because when you're reading fanfiction, there is an assumption that you have literally context from the works it is based on, so me reminding you rejected bonds can cause madness shouldn't need to happen since it is a largely discussed topic in the books and the fandom. I also did not want any of you to feel I had dumbed down the context and hand fed it to you like you were incapable of understanding on your own.

I am sorry some of you did not like the ending, but I, as the author, stand by it. I feel I made it clear what was happening.

Tldr- azriel and reader are not romantically involved at the end. They are strictly coparents.

[legacysam]

It’s a day late for the fic challenge with @fieryfurniss, but it’s almost 3k instead of like... 500 so I think I’m okay with that. Completely unedited bc I am TIRED and I want to at least draft today’s fic before bed so I’m not TOO far behind. Anyway I have feelings about season 4 Martin, enjoy:

[SOUND OF SHUFFLING PAPERS]

MARTIN

Oh. Oh, hello. Suppose you’re all ready, aren’t you? Do you... I mean, we’re going to record the statements, it’s kind of what we do around here. You don’t have to keep turning up all spooky-like and turning yourselves on, we aren’t that bad at our jobs. I mean, not that performance reviews are... standard here, but still.

Do you just, do you enjoy it? Do you... I dunno, feed on this stuff? Eventually going to evolve into a, a boombox or something, like a tape recorder pokemon?

No. No, I suppose not. Probably for the best. Only just starting to get used to you at this size...

[CLEARS THROAT]

Alright, so. Martin Blackwood, assistant to Peter Lukas, Head of the Magnus Institute, recording statement #0070105. Statement of Marina Adamos, given first of May, 2007.

Statement begins.

MARTIN (STATEMENT)

It started in January, right after I got back from my parents’. Or, maybe a week or so after. Came back right after Christmas, it was just too much in that awful little house will the whole family there, all the nieces and nephews and my gran going on about why didn’t I have kids yet, all those people and since I’m the single one, I got the couch for the duration, might as well have booked a hotel really. In any case, got through the holiday, answered all the usual questions, took the dog for a lot of long walks, and got out of there as soon as I decently could.

I don’t mean to sound awful, I love my family, I do. I just get used to the quiet here, in my own place, and when we’re all together it’s a bit... overwhelming.

In any case, I was back in Exeter, getting good and settled in for the rest of winter. I’ve been writing my doctoral thesis, and I’d been at it for... god, must be four years now, four and a half maybe? And I finally got a grant to just sit down and write for a year. No teaching, no committees, just me and the thesis and field trips to a few of my favorite archives. Not this one, sorry. Don’t think I’d even heard of this one until last week.

Anyway, I suppose there was part of me that... I don’t know, maybe missed home? Had some lingering feelings about home, anyway, made my flat seem too empty to get proper work done, and I thought a change of scene might be helpful to get my gears going again after the break. There’s a cafe on the corner across from my flat, one of those that’s coffee during the day and wine and beer at night, can’t miss a chance at getting all the university students in for their various vices. Vices including poetry, apparently.

I didn’t know it was an open mic, obviously, or I never would have stepped foot in the place. Awful tradition, listening to nineteen-year-olds go on about being hopelessly in love as if anybody you date at that age is some grand romance. I almost preferred the angry feminist ones about getting felt up on the tube. I’d already dragged my notebooks over there, though, and in fairness the wine was really good, so I stayed. I had a table at the side, well out of mic-range, and once I got started working I could tune it out alright. I think the only thing that interrupted me was somebody asking if they could take one of the chairs from my table, which was great, actually. Kept anybody from being tempted to join me.

It was maybe an hour or two later that one of the readers got my attention. I still can’t figure out why. He was nothing special, just some nervous, chubby lad whose friends must’ve had to shove him up onstage, because he looked absolutely mortified being there. Though thinking back, I don’t remember seeing anybody he seemed to be with. Nobody cheering him on or anything. Dunno, maybe he was just braver than he looked.

I don’t remember much about the poem he read. It was long, I know that. But there was a bit in there that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. I don’t think I can forget it. He wasn’t looking at me when he read it, but it felt like he was standing at my table reading directly at me, like there was nobody else in the room, and not in a romantic way. In a really scary way, like when you accidentally make eye contact with somebody who’s been staring at you. But he was just looking at his notebook, and he said, “the winter snow that falls at night will cover us in purest white. The sun that comes at break of day will melt the snow and us away.”

It was spooky, I don’t think it fit with the rest of the poem, but I don’t remember any of that. Just those lines. I’m not a nervous sort of person, but I didn’t want to hear anymore, I just got up and left. I sat on my couch the rest of the night watching outside, waiting to see if it snowed. I don’t... I don’t remember seeing the guy leave the cafe, though. I don’t remember seeing anybody leave, but I must have fallen asleep at some point, so maybe that’s why.

I knew I’d been asleep because when I looked outside again, there was snow on the ground. A lot of it, and it was still snowing hard, and all I could think was “the winter snow that falls at night...” I could have strangled the guy, to be honest. Maybe if I’d seen him again I would have, or at least given him a piece of my mind about his creepy poetry.

Anyway I don’t know if it was his fault, what happened. Maybe it was all in my head from the start. That’s what anybody I tell seems to think, anyway. “Oh, poor Marina, the thesis pressure got to her. Such a shame.” Maybe it’s better if they think that.

I didn’t... I didn’t go out again until late the next day. It never got properly light, anyway, just that sort of glowy grey you get when street lights bounce off the snow and clouds. I stayed in and tried to work. It was... maybe 3 or 4 in the afternoon before I checked my phone. It was weird, normally I got loads of texts and things from my parents after I left from a visit, like they were trying to make it longer, you know? But I hadn’t gotten any. No missed calls, either. Everything was just... quiet. It didn’t worry me, I just figured with the snow people were taking a day off and curling up on the couch and not doing anything. I certainly wasn’t, kept reading the same passages over and over. That damn poem kept getting tangled up in them, I’d try to copy something out and find myself writing about snow and people melting.

Late in the afternoon I decided to go for a walk. Quit being a chicken about it and go out in the snow, see everything was normal and all that. And it was. I walked by houses and saw the lights on in the windows, shops were open with people behind the counters, just nobody shopping, really. It looked like I was the only one out, but that’s fair enough in a snowstorm, isn’t it?

So I went home and watched some reality cooking show until I fell asleep.

It was... different when I woke up. Still no messages on my phone. I was starting to think there was something wrong with it, so I opened up my contacts to call somebody and test it and... there was nothing. No contacts. No old messages. Just like as if the phone was brand new. I still know my dad’s number, of course, so I punched it in to call him but it just rang and rang, never went to voicemail. Mum’s too. It had to be broken, right? Factory reset or something, took it back to before it was programmed to make calls properly maybe? I told myself that anyway, though saying it now it sounds stupid.

I put the phone in my pocket and went to look out the window and... the snow was gone. I don’t mean it was melting, I mean it was sunny out and the street was dry. The sidewalks were dry. There wasn’t even any of that grey-yellow slush in the grass by the road, nothing. Like there hadn’t been any snow or rain or anything in days. And there was nobody out.

I told you, I don’t spook easily, I’m not nervous, but I was getting nervous then. Just a low level sort of adrenaline, I was not panicking, I was just... everything was weird and I still had that poem stuck in my head, and I wanted to make sure it was all just some fucked up coincidence, you know?

So I went to the cafe. It was the only thing I could think to do. I think I told myself I was going to borrow their phone, but I don’t think that was really the plan. I think I was looking for... evidence. Evidence of something.

There was nobody in the streets. Nobody. Not in cars, nobody in their yards. I couldn’t even see anyone through the windows. It was like everyone had left without me. Even the cafe, which should have been packed on a day like that, there was nobody. The door was unlocked and the lights were on, but I couldn’t find a single person. I tried to call my parents again. No answer.

I did find the open mic sign up from that night, though. They kept those in a binder by the register. I didn’t recognize any of the names, but I kept it anyway. You can have it, it just spooks me carrying it around, but I couldn’t think what else to do with it.

I don’t... I’m not sure I can properly explain how I felt in that moment. I stole a scone. Didn’t even think twice, just took it out of the case. Definitely tasted like it had been in there more than a day, but it didn’t really register with me. I sat in the window like that for ages, watching the street, just cold. I was thinking about how big whatever this was might be. Was I the only person left in Exeter? In Devon? Was it bigger than that? Had I missed an evacuation notice, was there some natural disaster coming? I’m not religious, but I had a school friend who was, and I wondered if maybe I was the only one terrible enough to be given a miss at the rapture. I was desperate to find something, some explanation, something sensible that would put the world back on track.

That was when I noticed the water in the street. Just a bit at the edge where something hadn’t drained properly, and it looked like it was moving. I went out to see, and it... Listen this is going to sound mad, and I’m sorry, but you’re just going to have to take my word for it that it’s true. It was... there were hands in the water. I don’t mean like physical hands, I mean it was as if people were standing over the water waving at it, and it just made waves of reflections of hands. It wasn’t trees, or clouds, or me, it was in the water. That was when I started to run.

I was in and out of shops, went in and out of people’s houses, through yards, everywhere I could think where people should be. I went to the university and opened every office and classroom door in the Washington Singer building. My advisor’s desk had a cup of tea on it, like she’d just stepped out, but it was stone cold and there was a ring above the tea like it had been sat there a while. She practically lives in that office. Something about that, that damn cup of tea, that broke me a little.

I didn’t know where to go. I sat on the steps outside and just watched the empty world. There were birds and things just like there always were, but there was no movement that could possibly be a person. No sound like a human voice. I think... I started to think about whether I ought to go home, barricade myself in and hope that people came back, or if it would be better to go looking. I didn’t have a car, but my landlady did. I knew where she kept her keys and everything. It wasn’t as if she was using it.

I laughed at that. I don’t know why, but I started laughing, sitting there all alone on campus, laughing at the idea of stealing my sweet old landlady’s car. I’d have to leave a note, I thought. She’d think she just forgot where she parked it and she’d go mad looking for it. If she came back. If that water...

I think I tried to ignore what I’d seen in the water, and the way the snow melted, and that damn poem. It was still in my mind, but I had closed off that part of it because it wasn’t helpful. It wasn’t helpful to think that maybe some stammering undergraduate with a terrible poem had somehow magicked the world into...whatever this was. I can’t remember how I locked it all away, but I remember walking down the street toward home just... muttering to myself. “No, no, no...” The kind of muttering that makes you look crazy to passersby. But of course there weren’t any. I could say whatever I liked and no one would know. I could stay in my flat for a week and no one would bother me to come out with them. I could ignore my phone and not miss any messages from my parents. They always worried if I took too long to answer them.

I yelled “FUCK” once, in the middle of one of the bigger intersections, just to see how loud I could be. It hurt my throat how loud I could scream.

I wonder if that was what did it, actually. Looking back, it was right after that that I saw the dog. I don’t know how that would make a difference, but it makes as much sense as anything. Just a glimpse, but I could see a tail and a trailing leash going around a corner a block away, and without thinking I started to follow.

I’d already done a lot of walking and running that day, but I think that was the fastest I’d ever gone in my life. All I could hear were my feet hitting the pavement, and then I started to hear the sound of tags on a collar. And then he was in sight, a big lab like my parents’, running full out, tail wagging like he was playing his favorite game. I didn’t think I could possibly catch him, but I kept going, because what choice did I have? I chased him through yards and parks and down empty streets, and when I finally got close enough, just as he was about to zig zag away again, I threw myself on the ground and got hold of the leash. I still have a scar from my elbow hitting the sidewalk.

It was... like when you unpause a movie and it’s not just that the world starts moving again, it’s like something that was just a picture becomes alive again. I heard a voice behind me, and a woman pulled up in a minivan thanking me for catching her dog, the kids were so upset when he got away from them. And then the kids were there, piling out of the van, and a lady came out of the house we were in front of and offered me a bandage for my arm. There was traffic again, I could hear music from a couple streets over. It was all back.

I didn’t go to the cafe again. I just... couldn’t. I couldn’t risk it. Whatever happened to me, wherever I was that day, I knew it all started there. I wasn’t going to give it a chance to get me again.

I don’t... I don’t know if this is helpful for you, I don’t really know what you do here aside from collect creepy stories, but I just. When I heard about you I felt like I should tell you my story, maybe get it off my hands. I’ve got things I want to do with my life, you know? Time to stop thinking about all this. Time to let it go.

Statement ends.

MARTIN

[LONG PAUSE]

The... the list from the cafe is here. It’s... I... yes. Yes, my name is on it and yes, I used to go read there, but this isn’t... I don’t recognize those lines, I didn’t write them. I didn’t... I wasn’t...

I think I need to talk to Peter about this. I don’t want to. If the Lonely was... I don’t think I want to know. I don’t want to have been... I dunno, destined for this. I don’t want any of it. I...

[DEEP BREATH]

I... I’ll ask Melanie if she can do the follow up on this one. I think she’ll understand.

End... end recording.

[novanekoma]

I miss you

pt 2: here

 ☼ I miss you

☼ tetsuro kuroo x reader

☼ song: Betty by Taylor Swift

☼ summary: main lyric of inspiration: I’m only seventeen, I don’t know anything, but I know I miss you

☼ status: ongoing, maybe? I have an idea of doing one from the reader’s pov, if anyone is interested

☼ genre: angst, teenage love,

☼ warnings: mentions of cheating, cursing, some slight suggestive themes, hints of cliché moments 

☼ word count: 3.1k

☼ disclaimer: haikyuu, the music and any other assets used in this fic, DO NOT belong to me, all credit goes to their respective owners

☼ A/N: So… as I was working on finishing the first part of always you, taylor swift released a new surprise album and I cannot get the song betty out of my head! it just squeezes my heart and is absolutely breathtaking. Especially when I found out that cardigan and august are linked to this song, I immediately got an idea for this fic and I was going back and forth between whether I wanted to write it about bakugo or kuroo, but in the end my main squeeze kuroo won. I hope if you take a chance and read this, that you enjoy it!

Also thank you to all the new followers! I appreciate everyone who has liked and reblogged always you ☼ I will have the first part up soon!

© novanekoma 2020

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

"God y/n, I don't know how it happened I- I-"

"Kuroo-"

"Please, you have to know I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry."

"I know you are, but right now, in this moment, it's just not enough."

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

           betty, I won’t make assumptions            about why you switched your homeroom, but            I think it’s cause of me

            Kuroo let out a small sigh, the ticking clock of the classroom echoing louder in his ears as each minute passed. The teacher droned on about something that he couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to, he was passing with flying colours anyway. Instead, his focus was on the empty desk by the window a row in front of him. A newly empty desk, one that had previously been filled by a certain someone. A memory of you sitting there, turning back to smile at him during class flashed in his mind.

            His hand slipped into his pocket to bring out the photo that had been by his side for the last couple months. The photo was slightly withered, his index finger moving to play with the crease forming at the bottom of the polaroid. A little caption scrawled underneath in your handwriting,  July 13th kuroo x y/n; you with an elated smile across your face as he pressed into your side, an arm thrown around your shoulder as he leaned in and gave you a sweet kiss on the cheek. He remembered the way you giggled and the pretty red blush that spread across your cheeks as he stole more kisses from you that day.

          betty, one time I was riding on my skateboard          when I passed your house            it’s like I couldn’t breathe

           The bell was what broke him from his thoughts, the piercing shriek that indicated that class was over, and thankfully so was the school day. Kuroo quickly packed up his things, carefully placing the photo back into his pocket, before slinging his bag over his shoulder. He tried to leave the class as quick as possible, being one of the first out of the classroom- and his breath caught in his throat once he made it into the hallway. His eyes quickly spotted you coming out of your new classroom, naturally being drawn to where you were. You were laughing at something one of your friends was saying as you exited the classroom, completely missing him, or ignoring him, as you continued down the hallway.

           you heard the rumors from Inez            you can’t believe a word she says           most times, but this time it was true           the worst thing that I ever did           was what I did to you

           His heart clenched as his eyes followed you, memories of you walking down that same hallway with your hand entwined with his as you planned your weekend together flashed through his mind, the little dimples on the apples of your cheeks deepening as you smiled at him was the image he was stuck on as you disappeared around the corner.

           Coming around that same corner was her, memories of secret meetings and tangled bedsheets bubbled up, God what an idiot he had been. He shook his head, hand clenched in anger as he thought back to where it all went wrong. Kuroo quickly turned on his heel before she noticed him and made a break for the gym where volleyball practice was being held.

           Shouts of, “Kuroo!” echoed as he walked into the gym, his team already beginning to warm up as he made his way toward the change rooms. He used to love this place, being here and practicing new plays with the team, but the gym was also where you two went to steal a moment alone together. Memories of stolen kisses and make out sessions locked in the storage room, sweet words and laughter rang through his mind as a familiar warmth that always came with thoughts of you spread through his very soul.

           betty, I know where it all went wrong            your favourite song was playing            I was nowhere to be found            I hate the crowds, you know that            plus, I saw you dance with him

           The memory that hit him the hardest was the moment he almost let you slip away, it happened here in the gym during one of the Nekoma vs. Karasuno practice games where their captain Daichi, started flirting with you. He could recall the exact moment he saw you two together, you were collecting a stray nekoma ball when Daichi caught your attention. Kuroo remembered the way he tensed when he saw the dimpled smile that was usually reserved for him being used on the brunette male as he made you laugh and stood closer to you than Kuroo was comfortable with. Kuroo ran a hand down his face, letting out a deep breath as he shoved open the door to the locker room.

           Tying his volleyball shoes up in the change room was Kenma, his best friend, who was surprisingly on time for practice. As Kuroo got ready for practice, the tactical pudding head scrutinized his best friend.

           “You’re still thinking about y/n.”

           It wasn’t a question, Kenma could already see it in Kuroo’s eyes. He knew his best friend like the back of his hand and there was a hidden anguish in Kuroo’s calculating gaze. The darker haired boy didn’t say anything, which only confirmed the blonde’s statement.

           Kenma sighed, blonde hair falling over his face as he stood, “You fucked up.”

           The older boy harshly put his gym shirt on as a glare was sent Kenma’s way, “I think I fucking know that,” Kuroo spit, not meaning to get so angry with his friend, but god he knew, he fucking knew how much he messed up. Every time he thought about it, all he wanted to do was rip his hair out in the frustration that came along with it.

           There was a moment of silence as the two stared at one another.

           “Now that you’ve processed it, what are you going to do about it?”

           Kuroo sighed, plopping down on one of the benches, his head falling back and hitting the wall behind him as his eyes closed.

           “What the fuck can I do? y/n won’t even look at me, let alone talk to me,” he muttered. Not that he could blame you, if the roles were reversed… he moved an arm to cover his eyes as his heart clenched again. He would not let the tears out here, not before he had to run practice.

           Kuroo felt movement beside him and looked only to confirm that Kenma came to sit next to him.

           “You fucked up, badly, but that doesn’t make you a bad person.”

           Kuroo laughed scathingly, “Then what kind of person does that make me?” he muttered sarcastically.

           “One that made a mistake,” Kenma started, “One that’s sorry. One that has learned from his huge fuck up, but is about to let the best thing that’s ever happened to him slip away because he's not willing to fight for them.”

           Kuroo didn’t answer, not willing to fight? After what I did, I don’t deserve to.

           Another beat of silence.

           “You know, y/n is throwing a party for all the third years, one last welcome back party since you’re all graduating. ”

           Kuroo peeked an eye out, but all he saw was the blonde boy leaving the change room.

           but if I showed up at your party            would you have me? would you want me?            would you tell to go fuck myself            or lead me to the garden?

           in the garden, would you trust me            if I told you it was just a summer thing?            I’m only seventeen, I don’t know anything            but I know I miss you

           The scheming captains thought’s began to circulate, what if… god there were so many. He shook his head, composing himself before leaving the change room; he just missed you so fucking much.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

           Lately, the walk home was always the worst for Kuroo, before you quit being the manager, (which he knew was his fault), this would be a walk you would take together. Kenma lagging behind as he usually did while playing a game as the two of you walked a little bit ahead, laughing and making jokes with one another as you walked hand in hand, stealing a kiss every so often as you paused to cross a street or wait for Kenma to catch up. The pure love and adoration that he would bask in, knowing you saw the same thing reflected in his own gaze.

           Of course, it had to be on this walk where things went wrong.

           I was walking home on broken cobblestones            just thinking of you when she pulled up like            a figment of my worst intention            she said “James, get in, let’s drive” those days turned into nights            slept next to her, but I dreamt of you all summer long

           A different set of lips moving in synch with his, a different pair of hands roaming his form as they tumbled in her sheets. Never going too far, just far enough. Lithe fingers running through his dark hair, tugging on the long strands, moaning his name as he peppered kisses along her neck, the bite marks he left on her skin as she left angry red scratches down his back. The guilt of what he was doing to you pushed further into his mind as she kissed down his chest, leaving her own marks to claim him as hers, even though he belonged to you.

           As he lay on his bed, Kuroo roughly wiped the tears that fell from his eyes. The picture of the two of you clutched to his chest as he stared up at the ceiling. Not stopping the thoughts that infiltrated his mind, the sinful things he did toher when he was supposed to be loving you. They tore it his heart bit by bit as he thought about all the times, each day he allowed himself to sink further into the betrayal. He was just as disgusted with himself now.

           Even with those thoughts, he fucking missed you. The memories he wanted to remember were the ones of you kissing his neck, pressing the sweetest kiss on the spot just under his ear, the one you knew drove him absolutely insane. His hands running down your form, memorizing every curve and dip of your body as you pressed closer to him, arms tightening around his neck as your lips moved in perfect chemistry. The way you would arch into him whenever he pressed a kiss to the center of your collarbone, leaving little love bites as he trailed the skin up to your neck

           Kuroo threw his arm over his eyes again, letting the tears slip out.

           He missed you so fucking much, he missed the way you laughed at his science jokes while you studied together, he missed the way you bit your lip in concentration as you tried to solve a problem and the way you would get so focused you barely processed what was happening around you. He missed the way you held out your hand from him whenever you walked somewhere together, the way your fingers fit perfectly with his. The way you turned red when you walked hand in hand to the gym for practice and the whole team would tease you, no matter how many times it happened. That pretty red blush spreading across your cheeks, your dimples deepening as you smiled up at him, only causing the teasing to get louder when he would lean down to kiss you, because you looked too damn cute not to.

           He missed the way you would cuddle up next to him as you watched movies, the reactions you had when certain scenes flashed across the screen. He missed how the two of you would play games together with Kenma, the way your brow furrowed whenever you tried to make a tarantula island, and the triumphant grin that graced your lips whenever you caught one, your eyes shining as they caught his, practically vibrating with happiness and excitement.

           He missed the way the two of you would just lay together, talking about everything and nothing all at once, you tucked into his side so perfectly as your hands lay together on his chest. Your head tucked under his neck as you talked about the future and all the thing you were going to be and do together. The way you kissed him sweetly and told him to get home safe, watching from your window until he disappeared down the street because you wanted to make sure he was okay walking home.

           A person who is going to let the best thing that’s ever happened to him slip away…  

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

           “You look fine.”  

           Kenma didn’t even look up as he continued to play a game on the switch, his dark eyes trained on the screen. Kuroo ran a hand through his hair, taking one last look in the mirror before looking at the blonde on his bed.

           Kuroo let out a breath, “I’m ready.”

           Was he really about to do this? Today was the day for the welcome back party, Yaku and Kai were already there. They sent text of encouragement and let him know there was a rumor going around that the Karasuno third years would also make an appearance.

           Kenma nodded his head, looking up from his game to meet Kuroo’s eyes, “Then get going.”

          betty, I’m here on your doorstep          and I planned it out for weeks now            but it’s finally sinkin’ in            betty, right now is the last time            I can dream about what happens when            you see my face again

           “Tetsu! Stop!” You were laughing as he brushed his fingers over your waist, tickling your sides and making tears of laughter stream down your face as you tried to push him off.

           “Sorry? Keep going? If you insist,” he teased, digging his hands into your sides even more, causing hysterical laughter to fall from your lips. Your stomach was hurting from laughing so much, your face pink with mirth as you reached up to place your hands on his chest in a weak attempt to push him off. The grin on his face matched yours and when you reached up and swiftly tugged his face forward, successfully stopping his tickling attempts in order to kiss the breath right out of you. Only for you to turn the tables and flip him onto his back.

           “I think I won that round,” you said, grinning proudly down at him as you straddled his waist, knees on either side of him.

           He laughed, “I don’t know kitten, from this position, I think I’m the real winner here,” moving his hands onto your waist and squeezing your hips as if that proved his point.

           Your face immediately went beet red and Kuroo took the time to memorize the expression on your face, the smile you had on despite the blush you were trying to control. He loved when you were flustered, that he could make you feel that way, you were the cutest thing…

           “Tetsu!”

           You laughed against his lips, his arms had snuck around and tugged you down towards him so he could kiss you again.

           “I love you Tetsu”

           “You have my entire heart y/n”

           Each step toward your house, each thought, each memory of you, fueled Kuroo’s resolve. Thoughts of you swirling in his mind, he knew he had to at least try, you meant more to him than he could describe.  

          the only thing I wanna do          is make it up to you

           God, he could imagine it now, the best possible outcome. Apologizing to you, grovelling, explaining and doing everything in his power to show how much he loved you, wanted you. He would do anything and everything in his power to show you that he wanted your forgiveness, that he would work every single day to get your trust back, to earn the right to call you his again. You were worth that, he knew that now more than anything.

           “Hey Tetsu,”

           He hummed his response, arm tightening his hold around your waist as you leaned back in his chest.

           “What do you want to do after graduation?”

           “As long as your there, I don’t care”

           You twisted to give him another dimpled smile, “Sap,” he could hear the love in your teasing tone.

           What he wouldn’t give to be able to go back.

           so I showed up at your party            yeah, I showed up at your party

           He could see your house coming into view, lights on and the faintest sound of music playing through the streets.

           yeah, I showed up at your party            will you have me? will you love me?

           His heart beat faster as he got closer, his mind racing at the thought of all the possibilities of what could happen. His feet carrying him up the path towards the familiar porch where he would kiss you goodbye until he could see you again.

           will you kiss me on the porch          in front of all your stupid friends?            if you kiss me will it be just like I dreamed it?            will it patch your broken wings?            I’m only seventeen, I don’t know anything            but I know I miss you

           His breath caught in his throat as he reached the door. This was it, there was no turning back. He took a moment to collect himself, breathing, ignoring the music and the people he could clearly hear on the other side of the door. Picturing your face on the other side of the door, running through his apology, again and again, practicing once more what he would say when he saw you. He reached a hand up and pressed the doorbell, the sound vibrating through his nervous form.

         standing in your cardigan          kissin’ in my car again          stopped at a streetlight          you know I miss you…

           “Kuroo?“

[vam9ire]

Lessons In Cooperation

Nygmobblepot Week 2017 Fics - Day 1 - Murder Husbands

Summary: Oswald and Edward confront a club owner who has been refusing to pay the fees of running a club under their protection, and things momentarily take a turn for the worse. 

Rating: T ( canon typical violence )

Words: 3,932

A/N: Happy nygmobblepot week! I was kind of stuck with this prompt for awhile, but I’m pretty happy with how this turned out, though it is kind of light on the nygmobblepot. 

“I assume you already know why we’re here. Is that a correct assumption, Mr. Stix?” Oswald asked in a tone that falsely portrayed pleasantness, paired appropriately with a forced grin across his features. While he spoke, he leaned forwards over Mr. Stix’ desk, propping his cane against the edge before proceeding to firmly plant both of his hands atop its polished surface. As he waited for the other man to reply, he shifted on his feet slightly and began to purposefully drum his fingers against the desk, just hard enough that it could be heard.

The deliberate tapping noise, and that Oswald was even touching his desk in the first place, clearly annoyed Mr. Stix and the man glared down at his hands, his jaw firmly set and features harsh, in order to avoid looking the mayor in the eyes. Before the silence could grow too long between them, the club owner finally tore his eyes away from Oswald’s hands to instead move up to his face. His lips slowly pulled into a smile that wasn’t very convincingly masking his displeased mood as he came up with a reply. “I don’t know, why don’t you jog my memory?”

The man was dodging the question, though that wasn’t at all very surprising to Oswald. He looked over his shoulder and to where Edward was standing just a few feet behind him, and it was clear that the chief of staff was just as unimpressed. The two had arrived at the nightclub just a few minutes earlier with the intention of shaking down the owner for a fairly large sum of money that he owed Oswald after refusing to pay him now that he had raised the taxes. He’d tried to be cooperative, having previously given Mr. Stix a generous payment extension date, but after that was missed without any word from the owner Oswald had decided, with Edward’s input, that it was time to take a more assertive approach. 

Now, the two men were standing in the large, and very gaudily decorated, office of the club’s owner. The only other person they had brought with them was one of Gabe’s gunmen, and though he was trusted, he seemed fairly inexperienced. With Butch gone and proven a traitor by Edward, and with Gabe busy with other tasks, they had decided to take their chances with only one backup man and to hope that Mr. Stix would be cooperative. After a few more seconds of silence, and Edward giving him a knowing look, Oswald turned his focus back to the club owner.

“Well,” Oswald began to answer, his fingers halting any movement and his voice momentarily louder than it needed to be, making the club owner wince slightly, “As I’m sure you’re aware, I raised the tax for all of the clubs in business along this street a month ago, and it seems like some people haven’t been paying that price.” His tone continued to read as benevolent as he explained, though there was a definite edge behind each word. He had left the statement open for the other man to then fill in the missing details, but when Mr. Stix didn’t say anything after a few moments, Oswald continued in a more tense tone. “You are one of these people. Now, I thought I’d be considerate and give you some time, but I’m sorry to say, that time has run out.”

“Uh-huh… And, how much money is it you’re expecting me to give you?” Mr. Stix leaned forwards slightly as he spoke up, moving his arms up onto his desk so he could intertwine his fingers and rest his chin casually atop them. His tone portrayed a feigned interest in the situation, though his attitude continued to express that he wasn’t taking any of this as seriously as he should be, and it was beginning to try at Oswald’s nerves.

Oswald exhaled a sigh through his nose and his forced expression of happiness fell noticeably as he made eye contact with the club owner again, making it clear that he was beginning to grow tired of the act the other man was attempting to execute. After a moment, Oswald removed his hands from atop Mr. Stix’ desk completely and grabbed his cane before he took a few steps back, gesturing Edward forwards with his free hand as he replied, his tone continuing to remain considerably pleasant for the moment. “Of course. Ed, would you mind giving him the numbers?”

“Not at all.” Edward answered immediately, his own voice also carrying a reasonably benevolent tone as he walked forwards from where he had been patiently standing throughout the conversation. He easily slipped past Oswald and approached club owner, lifting the briefcase that they had brought with them up and onto the polished desk so that the meeting could continue. It only took Edward a second to input the four-digit combination required to unlock the briefcase and then pull it open. In the briefcase there was only a stack of papers resting atop the protective foam lining it’s inside, which Edward removed and placed down on the desk in front of himself so he could quickly review the information printed upon each page.

“Alrighty, Mr. Stix, these papers pretty clearly lay out each benefit of the protections and support that you receive from Mayor Cobblepot, as well as all of the expenses required in order to continue receiving those benefits. Now, if you cannot—or do not wish to—continue paying for these services, we can arrange for that, though there will be a small fee because you didn’t give us any notice before the month began.” Edward flipped a few pages as he spoke, his tone genuinely casual as he skimmed over the details and agreements on each page, before he paused and cast a glance upwards towards the club owner in order to make sure he was still listening. Mr. Stix looked both bored and possibly annoyed with the conversation, but he was staring right at him, so Edward decided to trust that he had his attention. “Additionally, even if you do discontinue the protection services, you will still be expected to continue paying the base tax of running your club on this street, which you’ve failed to pay since the last raise.”

As he finished speaking, Edward took one last moment to flip through the papers and double check that he had gone over everything necessary, before he turned them around and, with a smile, he used one hand to slide the stack across the smooth surface of the desk until they were directly in front of Mr. Stix. He retracted his hand before he took a long step back, to stand directly beside Oswald. The two men watched Mr. Stix hesitate for a moment, directing his stare up to them, before he looked down to begin reading the papers. As he unclasped his hands so that he could look through every page, it was apparent he wasn’t taking the time to read everything, but he was still skimming fairly thoroughly over all of the numbers, and hopefully getting most of the important parts.

While waiting for Mr. Stix to finish reading over everything, Oswald shifted on his feet and turned his head slightly so he could look up at Edward. His chief of staff was currently fiddling with the position of his glasses upon the bridge of his nose with his left hand, while his right hand remained loose at his side. His eyes traveled over the room, seemingly studying everything within it. After another few seconds, Edward eventually caught Oswald staring at him, and he turned his attention onto the mayor, a small grin gracing his features as he let his hand fall down to mirror the other at his side. Oswald smiled back politely, and he considered whispering something to the other, before their attention was pulled back to the task at hand as Mr. Stix made an unhappy sound.

“Hmph. So, you think you can just waltz in here, in your pressed suit with some papers, and I’ll hand over everything you ask for?” Mr. Stix asked in an annoyed tone of voice as he audibly slapped his hand down over the papers, before he glared at Oswald and Edward. The club owner’s gaze remained steadily on the two of them as he fluidly moved his hand forwards, pushing the papers away from himself with enough force that they flew off of his desk and scattered all over the floor at their feet. “The only way you’re getting any of my money is if you take it from my cold dead hands, Penguin.”

Oswald’s grin fell from his face almost immediately as the club owner spoke, his expression morphing into one of obvious frustration. He inhaled deeply, the action causing his chest to puff up slightly as he shifted on his feet and gripped the head of his cane more tightly. The show of clear disrespect succeeded at digging under his skin and the only thing that kept him from completely losing his cool was the presence of Edward standing right beside him, mildly calming Oswald just by being near him. He shifted his jaw as he held his tongue from saying any of the hostile words that had immediately come to mind, and instead he turned to look at Edward again, taking in the similarly annoyed expression on his face. They briefly held eye contact with one another until Oswald turned back to Mr. Stix with his brows tightly pulled together and a smirk replacing his frown. “Oh, believe me, Mr. Stix, that can definitely be arranged.”

“Oh, it can, can it? And how do you plan on accomplishing that? I don’t feel like I’m gonna keel over anytime soon, if I’m being completely honest with you.” Mr. Stix’ response was delivered in a tone of voice that very clearly came across as arrogant and sarcastic. As he spoke, he leaned back in his chair more comfortably and he smirked right back at Oswald, doing nothing to help improve his quickly souring mood.

“Very well. You had your chance to be cooperative.” As Oswald spoke he gently tilted his head to one side and shifted slightly in place again, before he raised his free hand up and snapped his fingers sharply. Almost immediately, the gunman they had brought with them brought his gun up to aim it directly at the club owner in a threatening manner. Mr. Stix, however, only grinned back at them for a long moment of silence, before he broke out into laughter, causing Oswald’s smirk to fall from his face.

“You and glasses think that bringing one man in to wave a gun around is gonna scare me? You guys couldn’t take me down if I was blindfolded. When you took over for Fish, I knew it wouldn’t work out, but I thought I might as well give you a chance. At least play along with things until you got replaced. Now it seems like I have to do the honors.” Mr. Stix’ grin widened as he spoke, his mirth still carried through his tone with each syllable of every word. As he finished speaking, his hand slid across his desk until he briefly pressed the intercom button on his desk.

Before Oswald could even think to say anything else, the door behind them burst open, causing everyone’s attention to immediately move towards it. As the door banged back against the inside wall of the room, three of the club owner’s bouncers entered, each armed with guns. The first man who entered the office began to aim his gun and put his focus entirely on Oswald’s gunman, but their man’s trigger finger was luckily quicker, and the bouncer yelled as he fell back against the wall, where clumsily slumped to the floor, leaving a trail of blood running down the wall behind him. The bouncer coughed pitifully where he sat on the floor and he groaned as he fumbled with his gun in a sad attempt to aim it again. Oswald’s gunman took notice and quickly put another bullet right through the critically injured bouncer’s skull, though he was too distracted to even aim towards the other two bouncers who were now pointing their guns towards them.

“Oswald—“ Edward shouted his name suddenly and very loudly, the first one to speak since the situation had taken an unfortunate turn, and it successfully caught Oswald’s attention, but before Oswald could physically react, Edward’s hands were on him and he was tackled to the ground. Oswald had instinctively shut his eyes as he fell to the floor, and when he opened them he was looking right up into Edward’s own. Not any more than a second later, more gunfire broke out above them and their attention shifted away from one another and instead towards their gunman, who hadn’t taken cover.

The man stumbled aimlessly for a moment and it was immediately clear to both Edward and Oswald that he had been hit as he fell to the ground with a loud thud. From where they were on the floor, with Edward practically lying on top of Oswald and only holding himself up with his arms planted on either side of Oswald’s head, they were blocked from direct view of the bouncers by a large, ugly, leather couch. Additionally, it seemed as though the club owner was hiding under his own desk to avoid any stray bullets, so they had at least a few seconds to plan out their next move.

“Are you okay?” Edward quickly asked in a hushed tone as he looked back down at Oswald again, his glasses slightly askew from all of the sudden movement. As he spoke, Edward shifted on top of Oswald, and after a moment he had managed to successfully climb off of him. He positioned himself so that he was crouched low against the couch, and while he was carefully listening for any signs of the bouncers moving towards them, he kept his eyes on Oswald, who had flipped over onto his stomach so that he could push himself up into a sitting position. 

“I’m fine, Ed. Thank you.” Oswald replied in a rushed, equally quiet whisper, his tone also made unsteady as he tried to calm himself down. He couldn’t say that he had been expecting things to turn out this way, though at this point in his careers, both as the king of Gotham’s criminal underworld and as the city’s mayor, he supposed that a day gone by without having his life threatened could be considered boring. Regardless, he was just grateful that Edward was with him through most of it, seeing as he’d saved his life multiple times now. When he looked back at Edward, he nodded his head in a silent reply to Oswald as he moved his hand up to push his glasses all the way back up onto his nose, before dropping it back down to his thigh so he could carefully pull out his pistol.

Edward began to inch closer to the side of the couch with his gun held at the ready, and Oswald crept slowly towards the other end, after taking out his own gun. Neither had to verbally address their plan as they executed it; if they left cover at the same time they would have a better chance of catching the bouncers off guard, and hopefully buying themselves enough time to take them down. Once they were both in position and ready to go, Oswald was the one to give the signalling nod to Edward, and the two men sprung up from the floor, immediately shooting blindly in the general area that they assumed the bouncers would be. Over the noise of gunfire, there was unintelligible shouting as the bouncers tried to aim at them while simultaneously trying to avoid being shot.

Oswald’s eyes quickly focused on the guard closest to him, standing just a few feet away from the couch, and he jerked his gun towards him as he continued to fire. The man had been aiming for the couch, waiting for them to emerge from cover, but it was clear he hadn’t been ready and he was far too slow as he tried in vain to correct his aim. One bullet grazed the man’s shoulder, causing him to lose his grip on his gun, sending it clattering to the ground, and stumble back a step before two more bullets pierced his upper chest. Oswald’s aim was just a few inches from the man’s heart, but he had definitely punctured a lung, and it was more than enough damage to send the bouncer tumbling onto the floor in a slowly growing puddle of his own blood.

Once it was clear that the man wasn’t going to be getting up again, Oswald turned his head just in time to watch as the second bouncer similarly dropped to the ground after being shot several times in the chest, without even having much of a chance to react in any way other than screaming in surprise and pain. When Oswald then turned his attention to Edward, the other man was already looking at him, a confident grin on his face. Oswald returned the smile immediately and the two couldn’t help laughing with each other for a moment, adrenaline and excitement rushing through them after having seamlessly disposed of both bouncers.

“Now, I think we were in the middle of something,” Edward turned around, his gun held up and pointing at the ceiling, as he began to speak in a tone loud enough for the club owner to hear from where he was still hiding under his desk, “Weren’t we, Mr. Stix? Why don’t you come out so we can get this little business meeting all wrapped up?” Oswald followed Edward’s lead and the two walked right over to the desk, stopping just in front of it as they waited for some sort of response. After a few long moments of silence, Oswald made his impatience for the situation clear by aggressively kicking the front of the desk in order to elicit a reaction.

“Alright, alright, I get it!” Mr. Stix’s muffled voice proclaimed, before he slowly began to crawl out from beneath his desk. As he stood up, he carefully raised his hands into the air signalling his willingness to cooperate, his expression no longer smug or confident and instead fearful. He stuttered slightly as he spoke up again, pleading, “I swear, I’ll pay you whatever you want, Mr. Cobblepot. This was just a mistake, y’know? ”

“Oh, you’re right about this being a mistake. Go on and take a seat, sir.” Oswald continued to grin maliciously as he ordered the club owner around, and his widened eyes closely followed the now meek man as he hesitantly obeyed. Mr. Stix seemed as though he wanted to say something in response, but he thought better of it and instead silently looked between the two of them as he waited for Oswald to continue. “I hope that your little stunt was worth it while it lasted, because I’m not so positive I’d like to continue doing business with you. I’m sure you can understand.”

As he finished speaking, he quickly raised his gun upwards from where he had been holding it down by his hip, and he aimed it right at Mr. Stix’ head. The club owner immediately shrieked and jumped in his seat as he tried to protect himself by raising his arms up to cover his face, just as Oswald pulled the trigger twice. Instead of gunshots, however, the only sound produced were two metallic clicks as he attempted to fire from the empty clip. Oswald cursed under his breath as he continued to pull the trigger a few more times, just to make sure that it was truly empty, and his grin turned into a tight frown before he finally just tossed the gun to the floor. As it clattered against the ground, Mr. Stix flinched and warily let his arms fall from his face.

“Alright, excuse me. Change of plans.” Oswald, looked around for a second, before his eyes landed on Edward and his grin returned to his face. Edward extended his hand towards him and offered his own pistol, but he looked momentarily confused as Oswald’s hand wrapped around his own, instead of just taking the gun. Oswald gently guided his hand, and the gun, forwards until it was aimed right at Mr. Stix, Edward caught on to what he was doing and he smiled as he turned his gaze away from Oswald and back onto the club owner instead. As Mr. Stix began to beg for his life, Oswald ignored him and talked right over his pleas for mercy, “It’s too bad things couldn’t work out between us, but I think this is for the best anyways. Goodbye, Mr. Stix.”

Oswald punctuated his statement by squeezing Edward’s hand in his own, and Edward took it as a sign to shoot, so he pulled the trigger, just once. Mr. Stix was cut-off mid sentence by the bullet as it penetrated his forehead and went right through his skull, causing the former club owner to suddenly fall back against his chair, his arms falling limply to his sides. In the silence that followed the loud gunshot, the two men stood completely still for another minute, with Oswald’s hand still firmly holding Edward’s, and they stared at Mr. Stix’ body until Edward eventually cleared his throat.

“Oh, excuse me, Ed.” Oswald quickly let go of Edward’s hand, attempting to keep his tone even, though there was a slight edge of embarrassment. He had forgotten that he was still holding the other man’s hand, and could feel his cheeks warm slightly as he took a step away from Edward, trying not to make the other man uncomfortable. As Edward turned to face him, he smiled reassuringly as he replied. 

“No worries, Oswald. It’s just unfortunate that Mr. Stix was so uncooperative, his club usually brought in a lot of money.” Edward casually put his gun away again as he spoke, gesturing with his free hand towards the corpse of the club owner when he was mentioned. Even despite the danger they had just been through, Edward was still thinking about the specific purpose of the meeting, and it made Oswald’s grin grow wider in endearment for his best friend.

“It couldn’t be helped. I’m sure that I can arrange for a new, and more loyal, owner for the club before the month ends.” Oswald confidently assured Edward, who seemed to be satisfied with the response as he nodded curtly. the mayor took a second to readjust his suit, finally having a moment to make sure that he didn’t look too disheveled, before he got an idea and he voiced his suggestion as he ran a hand through his hair. “Now, Ed, why don’t we go get something for lunch?”

“That sounds like a perfect idea, Oswald.” Edward smiled sincerely as he answered, and he also took a second to flatten his own clothing. Other than this meeting, they hadn’t had any other things planned for the day that couldn’t be taken care of later on, and Edward was very willing to grab something to eat with Oswald after all of the excitement they had recently experienced. He gestured enthusiastically towards the door, before he continued jovially. “There’s a very nice Italian place just a few blocks away, if you’re in the mood.”

[randomwoohoo]

Nick: Previously on Zoomorphia!

Judy: Why use the word ‘morph’ anyway?

Nick: Cuz it sounds radical! We should try saying ‘It’s morphin’ time!’-

Judy: Not gonna happen. It’s too cheesy.

Nick: Said by a mammal who announces ‘Transform’ during transformation~

Judy: Shush! We are running out of time but we haven’t mentioned the previous chapter yet!

Nick: Well~ To put it simply, folks, fuzzy bun bun here always meddles in the attack of monsters called Savage, so Chief Buffalo gave us a disciplinary penalty. Still that wasn’t enough to stop Carrots from scouting and Bam! we found a Savage and beat it!

Judy: That’s too slipshod! Can’t just skip the Hybrid part! Gosh! We’re dragging this way too long.

Nick: It’s our first time. We’ll be good at it someday. Until then-

Nick & Judy: Now the chapter 2!

Thank you everyone for reading this fic. Please leave the comments. I would love to hear you thought. I will try to make this series active as possible.

Here’s Fanfiction.net link

.-.. . - .----. ... / -.-. --- -. - .. -. ..- .

“-got a report from SCU yesterday. A Savage showed up at Cliffside Asylum. A guard informed that fox and bunny cops also showed up even though it shouldn’t be possible since they both were supposed to be writing parking tickets in Downtown!... Abandoning your post, trespassing on restricted area, encountering Savage but didn’t contact SCU… correct me if my assumption is wrong.” Chief Bogo behind a table had summoned Senior Officer Judy Hopps and Senior Officer Nick Wilde to his office, narrating violations that duo had done the day before.

    They sat quietly opposite to their supervisor. Nick was rubbing the back of his neck while Judy froze like a kid in the principal’s office. The cape buffalo shut his eyes and deeply inhaled. “I thought so… Despite being among the best, you two are such troublemakers. I should punish ya right away-” The threat caused fox and rabbit ears stand erect. They was going to voice. “-but lucky for you, new cases keep coming, old cases haven’t been solved yet. Currently, we need you to handle more investigation of illegal possession of Night howlers that’s been increasing recently. I’m counting on experts in this particular kind of cases.”

“Noted, sir” The pair responded, Nick raising right paw in a salute. “Dismissed!” Bogo bawled.

    Nick and Judy exited the room. As a door closed, they let out a groan. “That was tense.” Loosening his tie, tod whispered loudly. The partner ambled down the stairs. “I prayed so hard for him not asking what we did when we faced Savage .” The doe hissed. “Thanks tod, those hustler skills enabled me to conceal secrets.” He whined, appreciating his past life. “The less mammals know the truth about Hybrid. The better it is.” She ratiocinated. They stepped on the first floor, strolling through the hallway.

“Judy! Nick!” An enthusiastic chubby cheetah hailed the duo from across the entrance. “Hello Jude! Miss me?” The silvery female voice greeted.

    Judy changed direction, rushing towards her friends. “Hi Benjamin. Mornin’ Jasmine! How are you? It’s been a while~” The bunny greeted back, hopping to wrap her arms around bengal tigress neck. By the way, the rabbit lied. She just met Jasmine Fangmeyer yesterday… in the SCU group, who targeted them. The tiger had been recruited in the Savage Control Unit ( SCU) since the team was first formed but it was good to see their intimate without field gears.

“Sup, Clawhauser, Fangmeyer.” Nick followed, rolling his sleeves up in order to get more casual.

    Jasmine held the doe, gently put her down before addressing the fox “Hey, Wilde.”

“Jasmine and I are gonna go get a lunch. Wanna come?” Cheetah invited them, which Judy promptly replied. “Sure! That would be lovely~”

    Frankly, both Nick and Judy had a rough start with their fellow officers. The partners were discriminated against, which is inevitable because of their species. Even Fangmeyer used to sneer at Judy, thinking she was just a bunny. Nevertheless, after years of cooperation, others came to respect them for who they are. The duo did not hold a grudge; thus, the friendships were born. Nowadays, they can call each other ‘friend’ confidently.

-.-. --- -- .-. .- -.. . ...

“It’s funny… ” Judy uttered, confusing her workmates. “What, Fluff?” Nick questioned. Four of them were eating at Savanna Central local diner’s outdoor table. Guys were sitting on the same side while ladies were taking the seats of opposite side. Felines were facing one another, so were the partners.

“These days, Midnicampum holicithias has become an illegal plant. One cannot possess exceeding a certain amount which depends on legal documents one owns according to their occupation.” the doe explained. Everybody knew this fact about Midnicampum holicithias or Night howlers. However, her friends still did not understand what the doe tried to convey. “What’s funny then?” Jasmine spoke out for the rest, poking her seafood salad with a fork.

“They used to be all over the place. My family grew them to keep bugs off the produce. After Night howler case and the new law created, many label this plant as a menace. My parents even gotta find a substitute.” the doe elucidated.

“At least, those scarecrows are getting more jobs.” The tod joked. “Y’know they’re for discouraging birds, not bugs right? Besides, they’re barely practical.” His partner delivered the requisite reality-check. Both made the feline fellows chortle.

    The mention of Night howlers jogged Clawhauser’s memory. “Oh! Please remind me to hand you the case file-” He was requesting when Fangmeyer interjected. “C’mon guys! It’s lunch break. Don’t bring up the work. Anyhow,  are there anybody seeing someone… special?” She grinned cheekily. The cheetah awkwardly smiled. “Do donuts count?” He quizzed. “Sorry, Ben. No.” Tigress gave the answer Benjamin expected. “Well, I might be too good at making friends, so...” He muttered. Nick contemplated his pal’s statement. “Got friendzoned huh? Poor thing~” Fox sympathized.

“What about you, Judy?” Clawhauser passed the baton to Judy to tackle peeps’ attention. “You’ve always been popular. Must be lots of mammals hitting on ya.” said Jasmine. Every eyes pinned on the rabbit opening her mouth. “Nah~ I’m too busy working. My off-time is terribly uncertain. It’s better to hang out with my partner. We usually get off work at the same time. Crashing at his apartment for sharing meals and movie night, spending time with him in general is quite pleasant… Did I say something wrong?” Judy’s words left two big cats goggling at her. Tod guffawed at how innocent the bunny was.

“I’m not paying for this! Food doesn’t deserve even half the price!” At nearby table, dark brown slim bull moose grumbled. A koala waitress was scared by bull’s manner. Cops who witnessed the scene were about to take an action, especially the rabbit. “Hold up, Carrots.” Nick halted her. Judy was on the verge of disputing but “Quiet! You’re disturbing others!” cow moose that sit with aggressive moose scolded her probable associate. The bull angrily walked off. The waitress was unsure what to do. “Just leave him. He’s always like this.” The cow beamed at the koala.

“See~?” Nick smirked, picking up a bug burger from his plate to take a bite. “Wow! Wilde, you know them?” The tiger agent inquired, which the fox officer boastfully quipped. “I know everybody~ like reading a book, except this unpredictable cute bunny.” He referred to Judy in the way that would trigger her. Everyone anticipated a protest from the doe.

“Hey Nick, what does bug burger taste like?” Rabbit sniffed the smell of meat patty wafting through the air. Since her partner started digging in his meal, she had been captivated by the scent and the predatory ways of eating, fangs chomping breads, lettuce leaves and minced insects.

“Hmm? Like chicken sandwich but greasier I guess.” He gave a straight answer. “And how am I supposed to know the chicken taste?” She jested, resulting in a snigger from the rest.

“Kinda weird that prey’s interested in predator’s diet, isn’t it?” Cheetah presumed. “Cuz she is an unpredictable bun bun.” Nick bantered, reaching to pat Judy’s head. “Nick, don’t! Your fingers are oily!” She tried to block his paw. Bet she doesn’t even notice… Clawhauser and Fangmeyer thought, recollecting the dating question.

    The scream together with roar attracted mammals’ attention in the area. The police officers recognized the noise. “Savage ! Evacuate!” Judy directed, pushing Nick’s paw away, hurriedly taking control of the situation. Moose Savage appeared from ally. The muscular feral purple capreoline went on a rampage.

“Officer- I mean- Agent Fangmeyer to dispatch! Savage !---” Jasmine radioed while helping Benjamin clear the area. She told SCU the location detail. It was ironically fortunate that many mammals were frightened to be outdoors. Therefore, evacuation was rather easy. “Okay, team should arrive soon. Ben and you two- Jude!” She was shocked to see her rabbit friend holding a gun which is useless against most Savages. Normal gun can only slow them down at best.

“We’ll buy you some time. Go!” The doe insisted. Tigress grouched for a moment. However, she decided to leave with cheetah eventually, having no weapon and knowing how determined Judy can be.

“Alone at last.” Nick licked his paw, cleaning the burger grease off. Judy put back the gun. They confronted Savage fearlessly. “Ready, partner?” She brought out the black device with the purple circle core, 45 degree angled silver syringe on the left and maroon handlebar on the right.

“Born ready.” He turned around then fled. “Hey! Wait! Where are you going?” The doe panicked. “Hiding! No way I gonna fall asleep defenseless in the middle of battlefield!” The racing tod vociferated. “Ya gotta be kidding me!” She shouted, bewaring of the monster.

    Moose Savage attacked bunny officer. She dodged its antlers, putting the device on her in order not to inconveniently grasp the arm-sized device. Device’s belt wrapped itself around her waist mechanically. She kept hopping, darting away and avoiding all the attacks, pretty out of breath. “Finally!” She cheerily exclaimed when she spotted Nick’s blood in her syringe, meaning he found a place to hide and had proceeded with transformation. She was going to transform but the monster was still hunting her. The rabbit dived off from getting gored then rolled on the ground. Sitting with knees up, she gazed at Savage which was aiming on her. As it was hurtling towards Judy, she pressed the syringe. “ INJECT ” The device spoke robotically. Then she spontaneously twisted the handle anticlockwise. “ IGNITE ” The transformation’s broiling purple mist explosion blew the monster away, revealing the bio-armored fusion between a fox and a rabbit, Hybrid, shiny full body metal-like exoskeletons in Nick’s hustler color scheme, rabbit ears, fox tail and two amethyst headlights for eyes.

“Save~” Nick swept Hybrid’s legs before standing up, uttering a baseball vocabulary, implying he made it in time. “What took you so long?” Judy griped.

    Moose Savage arose, shaking off a daze from the stream blast. It and Hybrid simultaneously ran into one another. The monster jumped whilst Hybrid slid under it. Nick and Judy elongated claws. Cupped paws thrust upward, the claws stabbing Savage ’s abdominal skin. It slumped down ignominiously. Hybrid sprung up, striking a fighting pose.

“Let’s end this quick. I don’t wanna waste lunch break.” Doe talked with tod. She approached the injured moose.

    Suddenly, something crashed Hybrid from the side. Hybrid fell over and rolled. Fox got up on knees to observe what had just hit him and bunny.... or just bunny with his mind also in her body. “Other Savage !” Both yelled. A drooling purple spiky haired wolverine Savage emerged out of the blue. Naturally, Savages had spread across Zootopia since one year ago. It was no surprise to see more of them unexpectedly showing up.

    The moose got back on hoofed feet. Savage s were cautiously circling around Hybrid , who retracted the claws while inspecting beasts’ motion. Two monsters rapidly charged at the armored mixed breed from both left and right. Paw pressed the syringe. “ ACTIVATE ” Afterwards, Savages should assail their single prey. However, the event turned out to be them colliding with each other.

“We’re here!” An exuberant male tone pronounced. Hybrid stood a step away, mockingly glaring at the tricked monsters.

    Fox and rabbit just activated the phenomenal ability. Deception and survival are essential hustler’s skills that Hybrid adopted and applied for a fight, which consequently created the instant movement technique capacitating Hybrid to move in a split second. That was why Nick and Judy can relocate from one place to another or effortlessly elude SCU, sardonically reminding Judy of the time when she first learned that Nick was a con-artist and she was fooled by Nick pointing other way then he disappeared around a corner when she turned back.

    Hybrid span to generate momentum, swinging right leg around circularly to slash Savages’ flesh with protracted foot claw. The wolverine bent away in due course, thereby receiving shallower wound than the moose which was flopping down due to lacerations, still it was not enough to finish off the monster.

    Wolverine Savage drew back. Hybrid hounded it. Fists, kicks and claws did not reach the target. It ducked every strike and not let its foe get close. Tod and doe ceased roughing up Savage or attempting leastwise.

“Keeping a distance, I see~ Clever girl~” Fox quoted a movie. “I think it’s a male, Nick.” Bunny analysed this wolverine’s figure being larger than average females. “Doo do doo doo DO Doo do doo doo-” He hummed the movie theme, making his partner roll her eyes.

    Judy twisted the handlebar clockwise. “ FORM SHIFT-POLICE ” The device vocalized, releasing a purple fog covering Hybrid whose armour emit steam from gaps synchronously. The purple core and the amethyst headlights brightened in brume. The duo as one thrashed left arm to clear the haze, unveiling the same flamingo red armored hybrid but with some alteration, navy police hat with gold ZPD logo added to the top of helmet, rabbit ears flat against the back of head, blue arms and torso, dark scale vest, black armlets on both forearms, dark blue lower half except red feet, grey knee pads.

“Hybrid Police form. Policed to meet you~” Nick introduced Hybrid ’s other form to Savage s. They had not taken action yet, providing the partners an opportunity. Tod pushed the syringe. “ ACTIVATE ” Nothing happened. “Where is it?” Doe asked. “It takes time to summon it. You should have known, Carrots.” He informed. “No! Now, we need a pistol! That’s reason I chose this form!” She vociferated. “How am I supposed to know what to activate!?” The fox claimed. “Get a clue!!” The rabbit hollered.

    Whilst the pair were bickering, wolverine Savage engaged them. “Oh fudge!” Nick blurted out as Judy warded off the monster. Paws smacked it time and time again to divert its dashes towards them. “It’s not working! Physical strength is obviously weaker than Hustler form.” She shoved the wolverine, comparing the current form’s branch of power to the previous form’s. Savage tried to hurt Hybrid once more. “Then use a lifeline~” He suggested. Doe accepted an advice by pressing the syringe. “ ACTIVATE ” Wolverine pounced on Hybrid. Its fangs and nails hit hard.

“Easy, mate~ Ya don’t wish-” Nick used an Australian accent seeing that Savage was a wolverine which sort of reminded him of Outback Island even if wolverines are not originated from this district. “-to ruin those perfect teeth, do ya?” Judy finished the sentence. The monster was obstructed by a chain, handcuffs on both ends. Hybrid tied Savage ’s arms and muzzle with the chain, holding handcuffs in left paw while right punch pummeled the beast’s face. Next, Hybrid leaped over the dazed wolverine and hurled it across the street.

The monster, slipping out of the chain, intuitively landed on feet. Hybrid steadily strode forward as Savage recoiled. Nonetheless, distance was no obstacle anymore. The chain was lengthened. Hybrid swung the weighted chain in a large circle over the head and then whipped the monster. Handcuff smashed into wolverine’s rear. Hybrid yanked the chain back and lashed the monster’s flank with other end. It was thrashed by handcuffs on both ends, unable to defend or escape.

    The moose Savage rose after it recuperated, scuffing front right hoof on road surface. It sprinted, intending to butt the armored cop.

    The moose cried. All of a sudden, a car ran into Savage ’s side before it could touch Hybrid . The duo paused beating wolverine to look around. Moose Savage overturned. “Right on time~Just as planned.” Nick bragged about the arrived vehicle he summoned earlier. It is a hatchback sports car, painted in black with white on the doors, having a pair of sirens at the top. “It was just a coincidence, wasn’t it?” Judy felt that her partner did not plan anything. The car luckily came at the most appropriate time, rescuing them from an assault.

    The wolverine seized a chance to flee, limping down the road when Hybrid turned back. “It’s getting away!” Tod changed the subject, ignoring doe’s doubt. She focused the hobbling monster and then push the syringe. “ ACTIVATE ” The handcuffs vanished. Thereafter, a pistol, suitable for rabbit, popped up. It is a black AutoMag with a purple cylinder-like extra part and an auburn grip. Hybrid grabbed it to shoot at wolverine. Six bullets were fired in a mere second. Wolverine Savage suffered from several gun holes, beyond a dozen, as it collapsed. Nick chuckled, twirling the gun.

“Let’s finish this for real. We still have the other one to deal with.” Judy span the cylinder, sparks flying out.

“Freeze, Hybrid !” The pair, interfered, averted their gaze from the monster. “You’re here at last! Please save us~” Nick mocked SCU troop. Judy even saw tiger gal pal, full gear set, among the agents.

“Drop your weapon!” Demanding, they parked their vehicles surrounding Hybrid , sports car and Savages. The moose one bounced back, scramming through encirclement.

“I would love to stay and sign autographs but I really mustache~” He punned. Hybrid got in the sports car. “Stop!” White stallion commanded. “Can you handle Savage lying over there? Thank you, bye~” Nick saluted. Meanwhile, Judy drove off to chase the moose. SCU mammals must make a way. “Wait!” The horse grunted. When other agents checked the riddled wolverine, it had already begun to evaporated, indicating it was dead. “Darn you, Hybrid!!” He cursed.

    In the meantime, moose Savage was bolting blindly in Savanna Central, pursued by black and white. The car drew alongside the monster. The driver’s window was slid down, which allow Hybrid to talk to Savage despite the fact that it probably would not understand.

“Why vamoose, mr. moose?”

“Bun bun just made a pun.” Tod cracked up. “Guess I’m infected with your habit.” Doe joshed. Their car outpaced the moose then drifted to cut in front of it. Hybrid braked the sports car, opening the door, aiming the pistol in her left paw at Savage while her right paw twisting the device’s handlebar anticlockwise. “ CRITICAL BREAK ” The gun fired a energy ball. It exploded like a firework. The burning lights curved to strike the monster.

    Moose Savage, crumpling, completely disintegrated. Nick pretended to blow away gun smoke from the barrel though there was no smoke and Hybrid cannot blow the air because of a helmet.

“Sweet cheese. We’ve driven pretty far off from where we left your body, huh?” Judy had just realized. “We shall meet up later then.” He proposed. “Ahh, see ya, Nick.” She agreed, pulling the syringe to draw her blood out. It was teleported as she detransformed.

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    Fox opened his eyes. Apparently, his mind was transferred back to his body. He moaned, experiencing fatigue.

“You’re awake.” Deep gravely voice uttered next to tod.

“Hang on...” Knackered, Nick pressed the syringe, injecting blood teleported from Judy. All weariness had gone at once. “Much better, thanks for the ride, Fin.” Tod expressed his gratitude to the driver. He was presently sitting on a passenger seat of the moving van, not leaning against a wall like the doe believed.

    Back before Hybrid transformation, Nick texted his former partner-in-crime, Finnick the fennec fox, to pick him up where he fell unconscious and give him a lift. “Did you coddle my body when I passed out?” Nick examined his physical body.

“I’m being more than a generous guy. I carried somebody almost twice my size, fatass.” Finnick beefed, glancing the belt bound around fox’s waist. “Seriously, man, that thing you’re wearing is unnerving.”

“You mean MidniDriver ?” Nick tapped the morpher, MidniDriver , the devices he used with his bunny partner to transform into Hybrid. “Yeah, midnight whatever. Anyways, what’s the plan?” Finnick wondered, concentrating on the road. “Just go to the place I sent you a location. I have an appointment with Tuck boy~” Nick mentioned Jim Tuck, the raccoon who intruded Cliffside Asylum… who also accepted fox cop’s help.

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