#new Little meow meow alert

[malcontentonline]

So I watched Goncharov (1973) after seeing a few posts about joe and, can I say, he did not disappoint! I love unhinged quirky characters like this so I was already expecting to like him, but I wasn’t expecting how deep and interesting his character actually was and how much was shown in such a (relatively) short amount of screen time.

[walpu]

hii, first of all, sorry for my bad english

this may sound weird, but lately i've been thinking of aventurine turning in a cat. like, for some strange reason (maybe during a mission), he turned in a cute little cat. and since reader doesn't know he's a cat, he feels free to enjoy all reader's affection, and maybe to let his emotions win and cry while being caressed. and then he turns human and he's crying enough to fill a swimming pool. idk if i explained well :(

tysm, i love love love your works!! ❤︎

AWWW THIS IS SUCH A CUTE REQUEST and don't worry your English is perfectly fine! It's not my native language as well so I get the struggle tho

I love making my faves cry so there's a possibility that I've got a bit carried away lol

taking care of cat!Aventurine

edits by @keisieudeptry on twitter

characters - Aventurine notes - gn!reader, a bit of angst, hurt/comfort, a lot of cuddles, n̷̳͙͊͛õ̵̩͓ ̸̧͉̓b̶̳́̎e̵̖͋͊ṭ̴̩̔ȧ̵̪͚̕

Aventurine

Listen, he's always on alert okay. This man rarely allows himself to relax, especially when he's on another one of his business trips.

And he knows what to expect. Lies, attempts on his life, threats etc. He has seen it all.

But this. This. This is something new. Of course anything can happen when you're dealing with The Masked fools but this? Being turned into a cat? In what place this is even funny? It is kinda funny tho just not for Aven

He knows better than to panic. Yes, being turned into a tiny orange cat was not a part of his plans. Yes, this is probably the most defenseless and vulnerable state he's been in since his childhood. Yes, this sucks. But hey not like panicking will change anything.

Instead he just sits in the corner, feeling incredibly anxious and dreadful. His only hope is that this shapeshifting trick won't last for long.

A huge wave of relief washes over him when he sees a familiar person. And not just any person but you. The only person who can put his restless mind at ease, at least for a short time. He wouldn't mind seeing Topaz or Ratio too but it's much better when it's you.

He quickly realizes, however, that his joy was premature. He can't communicate with you! And you don't know that this is him! So the only thing poor Aven can do is follow you around and... meow. It's almost humiliating. Too bad he doesn't have time to care.

Soon enough you give up at finally pick up the oddly familiar cat. Every time you try to put the cat down it starts meowing and running after you so the only thing you can do is pick it up and carry around like a potato.

And you know how it is with cats, once you put your hands on one you can't stop petting it. You run your fingers through the cat's fur absently, while checking you phone for any messages from Aventurine. Hugging the cat, pressing your face to it's soft fur. Something about it surely reminds you of Aven. The thought, no matter how childish it is, brings a small smile on your face.

And poor, poor Aven. For so long he's been longing for your touch while laying awake at night, his poor heart flattered every time your fingers brushed against his. He wants wants wants to melt into your embrace yet this is not allowed for him.

How can he ask for it without exposing the deepest and darkest parts of his soul. How can he open his heart to you without reveling all the ugly, fragile parts.

He wants to be open with you, he really does. Yet it's so unreasonably hard. Would you kiss his head like you do now if you would know how empty he is inside? Would he be able to press his forehead into you palm, asking for more more more without feeling exposed?

In a way, it's good that right now he's in this form. He doesn't really have to think about anything, doesn't have to feel anxious about revealing too much. He can just enjoy in.

You two fall asleep just like that and he doesn't have to overthink, he can just crawl to you side, nuzzling up to you.

You can't help but notice that the kitten in your arms is trembling slightly. And when you pull it closer in order to provide some warmth and comfort it just purrs and meows pitifully. Almost like it's… crying.

Now listen. I'm 100% sure Aven is a light sleeper. So there's no way he won't wake up from a loud gasp and a lot of movements near him.

Well. Seems like the shapeshifting trick the masked fool pulled on him lasted only for 12 hours. And now he lays on the couch in his human form while you look at him with the wide eyes.

Awkward.

His initial reaction is to laugh it off. "Surprised, dear? It's a shame you can't see your own face right now ha ha". Would explain the whole situation, trying to make it seem like it was not a big deal. No mention of you cuddling session tho. Max he would say is "my, my, didn't know you where such a cat person".

However, his smile freezes immediately when you wrap your arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Well. Here goes all of his feigned confidence.

Here is this feeling again. Your warmth, you scent, the comfort your touch brings. You telling how you started to get worried and how relieved you are that he didn't get hurt. It cuts so deep, makes him feel so exposed yet so needed. Loved even.

At first he doesn't even get it why your eyes get even wider, why a look so lost and worried all of the sudden. Only when your hands hesitantly cup his cheeks and you ask him what's wrong he realizes that there are tears in his eyes.

You know those tears when they just drop from your eyes and it's not like you're hysterical or crying uncontrollably but the tears just keep coming and coming and the more you try to calm down , the worse it gets? Yeah, him.

Would almost automatically tell you that everything is fine. When you confront him, pointing out that he's literally crying, will get even more confused than you. "Hah, seems like you're right, dear" he says with a small smile, giving up on the idea of hiding it from you. After all, it's too late for that anyway.

It feels... not even humiliating, no. It's weird, scary even, to be so open around someone. To be stripped of his mask so suddenly.

And yet he doesn't have time to care when your hands hold him oh so tenderly, when you cup his face and ask him what's wrong.

"Nothing, nothing, really. Just getting a bit sentimental here. Just... hold me like that for a bit more, 'kay?" he manages to whisper with a faint smile before pressing his face in the crook of your neck.

God feeling his tears on your skin feels so surreal. And heartbreaking too.

With each tender touch he gets even more emotional, to the point when he literally chokes on his own tears. Please hold him, run your fingers through his hair, kiss the top of his head.

He just doesn't get it, it feels so good to be held by you, why does his stupid heart hurts so much then?

Honestly he didn't cry for so long and there are so many repressed feelings, just let him let it all out.

He'll probably fall asleep in your arms, feeling very exhausted after the sudden emotional outburst. In the morning would act like nothing has happened, making some dismissing comments about him being a bit overdramatic last night. Don't let him withdraw into himself but don't push him to open up too much as well.

Just touch him more often from now on, especially when he looks like he had a bad day. And eventually he'll turn into your lap cat, reaching out for your warmth himself with or without reason.

"You're being clingy again" "Am not <З" all while sitting on your lap.

You've domesticated him so good luck.

[flamingpudding]

New Power unlocked: Shapeshifting

A/N: I was remembering that Dan could shapeshift while writing on something else and then this idea took form... just shapeshifting into a cat was to boring for my taste tho... so Danny gets stuck in a little bit of a different from...

Today had to be one of the worst day's in Danny's life. First he forgot about the English test from Lancer and was pretty sure he bombed that one. Second the moment he stepped out a Ghost Alarm blared and Skulker appeared because he was finally going to get 'Danny's pelt' for his wall. Once he finally got him souped his parents and the GIW arrive at the scene and his mom was on blaster duty today.

Meaning after an already exhausting fight he spent the rest of the day dodging them and then finally at the end of the day when he thought he could maybe get some rest for the rest of the weekend, freaking Walker had to appear with some nonsense of him having broken some other law he definitely did not know about.

And what did Walker do? Fucking drag him into the Ghost Zone when he was about to sent Skulker there and chase him around. He didn't even had the time to alert Jazz or his friends about this.

So now he was flying high speed through the Infinite Realms chased by a pissed Skulker who is competing with a pissed Walker, in who can catch the Phantom. Of all the rogues he had he had never thought that these two would team up in some weird competition like way.

Fuck that was his shoulder!

Danny swirled as he clutched his shoulder that was oozing ectoplasm from a wound. Maybe he shouldn't get distracted, but in his defence he was fucking death tired after the day he had. Death get it? He chuckled to himself. If he could just somehow hide from them to catch his breath it would already be great.

Maybe he would get some nice and useful last minute power again to help is situation?

Another blast barely missed him and Danny took a sharp turn around a floating rock. Maybe on second thought better not. Who knows what kind of power he would get stuck with then, worst case it could be something like shapeshifting, which probably would be sort of usefull and help him hide. Maybe.

As luck would have it. Thinking like that Danny pretty much jinxed himself.

Because one second he was in his ghost form dodging ecto-blasts from two of his rogues, the next second he was a snake nearly not getting the curve, then a a bird and smacked ainst a rock because how the fuck do you adjust form having limbs to not having limbs to having wings.

A second later he was a cat and pushed himself of the rock to restart flying away only to end up as a crab somehow aimlessly floating unsure how the fuck he was supposed to move now.

Thanks to the constant size changes Walker and Skulker were missing most of their shots at him. Also Walker was yelling something about unauthorized shapeshifting. Like what the hell man? Danny groaned which sounded like a meow as he smacked into another floating rock his form once again changing.

Panic sized him as a blast hit a little too close, in a panic he pushed himself with newly gained limbs that definitely were paws away from the rock, was he in some feline form again? Either way it didn't matter he needed to get away.

He turned his head for just a moment to see how far away his two rogues were, but that only turned out to be a mistake as Danny did not notice the natural portal opening in front of him.

The next thing he knew was normal gravity taking awakes and his body loudly crashing into metal as clattering filled his ears. In that moment everything hurt and Danny curled up the natural portal closing just as quickly again as it closed. He felt disoriented and he could feel the exhaustion trying to stake claim over his body.

Yet his eyes snapped open on high alert and he sprung to his feet(?). Something was not right.

Wait he was on all four. Danny turned his head to get a lock on himself. He hissed as that caused some pain to jolt but he stubbornly looked down at his arms being… claws… his legs… paws…

What in the name of the Ancients of Time….

He tried to glance over his shoulder but only got a glimpse of what he presumed were crow wings. Okay so his new power appears to have become very wonky too. He had claws, paws and wings. Now he was only missing to check if he had a snake tail and what his head looked like. Then he would probably look like some mythical creation Lancer had told them about when they worked through some old classic texts in school.

That aside he looked around and realized he had no idea where he was, the trash cans he had crashed into did look a whole lot bigger than the ones at home.

"Oh you poor thing." A young sounding voice suddenly spoke and his head snapped towards it. "Don't be scared. I will not harm you."

Wide eyed he stared as he came face to face with a kid that was wearing a Domino Mask? What? And why was he so big, no better question, why was he so tiny?! How tall was he right now?!

"Robin, don't fucking run away just because… what the fuck is that?"

Another voice appeared and Danny stared wide eyed at the even bigger guy with a red helmet. Wobbly he backed away but a pain in his back made him hiss. His panic was probably turning into shock right now because all he could do was hiss more as he suddenly got picked up by the kid, who was handling him surprisingly carefully.

"This appears to be a small chimera-like animal that obviously needs our help. It is injured."

[honey-words]

spider boy — spider-man!midoriya izuku x reader

synopsis:   you’ve talked to your neighbor a few times before and have waved at him on campus. But you’ve noticed he keeps really weird hours, sometimes hearing him go into his apartment at ungodly hours of the night. So when spider-man enters your apartment one night, it’s easy for you to connect the dots from there. 

content warnings: mentions of blood/injuries, hints of angst, hurt/comfort

wc: 3.1k

author’s note: I believe in spider-man!deku supremacy :)

part 1 of the spider boy series

“Spider-man does it again! Only three blocks from the UA university campus, the masked hero—”

“You’re a spider-man fan?”

You jumped, almost dropping your phone and falling off of the bench in the process. 

“Midoriya! You scared me.”

He laughed and you paused the video you were watching, a news clip from this morning. He settled down beside you on the bench, taking a sip of his iced coffee as he did. 

“Yeah, I guess I am a fan,” you said. “Campus PD sucks and I think it’s funny a spider guy is more reliant than all of them put together.”

You both shared a laugh. 

“I have to get to class,” Midoriya sighed, not making any movements to get up from the bench. “How’s Moony?”

“She’s great, thanks for asking,” you said, smiling back at him. Because Midoriya was the definition of a perfect neighbor. He had introduced himself when you first moved in and he saw the small cat carrier with a little black kitten, Moony, inside of it. From there it had been a pleasant acquaintanceship between the two of you. 

“I’ll see you later, then,” he said, really standing up this time. “Bye!”

You waved goodbye as he left, then turned back to the video. 

A thief had been running loose on campus for the last week, snatching cell phones and wallets from unsuspecting students on their way to class. Campus PD had found the thief this morning, literally on their doorstep with a sticky note that had a spider sketch stuck on his face. 

A smaller feat of Spider-Man’s, but a good one nonetheless. 

During your first lecture of the day you could see other people were watching the same video and reading the accompanying article. It was the first time Spider-Man had acted so close to campus, practically on the grounds of it considering where he had turned in the thief. 

The person in front of you had a Reddit post pulled up, and you had to bite your cheek to refrain from laughing as you read the title. Spider boy or whatever is totally a UA student. Here’s my proof!!!!

Finding the professor’s lecture increasingly dry and dull, you decided to pull up the Reddit tab on your own laptop so you could read it, too. 

By the time the lecture was over you had read the entire post (it was surprisingly long) and all of the comments underneath it, half-convinced of the theory yourself. It made some reasonable arguments—Spider-Man stuck to the surrounding city, usually went around at night, rarely seen throughout the day—keeping with the schedule of a college student. Sticking to the surrounding city pointed to the fact that he lived near campus. And the latest crime he’d solved was the cherry on top, because the alerts about it had gone out to all campus members since the incidents were contained to the campus. 

The dull lecture came with dull readings, which you idly flipped through later that night. It was nearing 1 am, but sleep had not yet found you, and even the reading was not putting you to sleep. 

You must’ve dozed off on your tiny kitchen table, Moony curled up on the chair next to you, because her surprised meow and the sound of a door closing close by woke you up a few hours later. Your phone lit up with an email notification (professors were truly unhinged with their work hours) and you were able to see the time without lifting your head up from the table. 4 am. 

The door that had closed and woken you and Moony up had been Midoriya’s, you realized even in your half-asleep state. Occasionally the sound would wake you up, but you never minded it much and usually rolled over and fell back asleep. 

This time you had to drag yourself over to your bed, and you could vaguely hear Midoriya moving around next door. What business he had this early in the morning you never knew. He seemed pretty normal, and you always assumed he was fond of late library study sessions. Even if it was not exactly exam season. But then again, he was a biochem major, you mused. 

You fell asleep wondering about this and woke up five hours later to the sound of your blaring alarm. It snapped you awake, enough to hear a thud from next door. Did Midoriya fall out of bed?

The day passed as usual. You went to class, took half-hearted notes (it was hard to focus at this point in the semester—everyone was already burnt out) came home and ate dinner with Moony, and cuddled up on the couch together to do your readings. 

This time you were ready to pass out outside of the warm embrace of your bed, so you’d done your nightly routine and brought over blankets to the couch, ready for sleep to come whenever it was ready. 

The sound that woke you up this time was much louder. And Moony hissed. 

She never hissed. 

You froze from your curled-up position on the couch, eyes still heavy with sleep and senses scrambling to catch up with your brain and racing heart. The coffee table was right across from you, and by some miracle, you’d been sipping on a lemonade earlier—one in a glass bottle. 

As swiftly as you could, you untangled yourself from the blankets and grabbed the lemonade bottle, wielding it in front of you like a sword.

It slipped from your grasp when you saw who was standing in front of you, next to your open window you always kept closed, scared Moony would climb out. 

As if on reflex, as if he expected you to drop your weapon, Spider-Man shot a web just as it slipped from your fingers, catching it in his hands before you could even register you had dropped it.

Moony, who had been very annoyed at being woken up just a minute ago, was now rubbing her head on his shins affectionately. 

“Moony,” you whispered. “Get away from him.”

“It’s okay!” Spider-Man said, mirroring your whisper. “I’m not here to hurt anyone.”

You narrowed your eyes. “Then why did you break into my apartment?” You looked around for your phone, or another potential weapon. Instead, your gaze found the small digital clock you kept on a shelf near the door, the bright green numbers clearing away the fogginess of sleep. 

It was 4am. 

You could not help the gasp that escaped you. 

“Midoriya?”

The effect was instantaneous. Spider-Man’s entire body language changed, that much you could tell, even in the dark. He took a step away from you, back toward the window, shoulders tense. 

“What?” he said. Trying hard to keep his voice steady, even deepening it a little. But you knew it was him. 

“Did you think this was your apartment?” You were connecting the dots now. “This is why you always come back so late.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, inching towards the window. “I just got a little lost. Thought this place was empty.”

“You’re bleeding,” you said, pointing at the gash in his arm as though he had not noticed it himself. “Why’re you bleeding?”

Moony meowed, as though echoing your question. She was still close to him, and leaned forward to rub her head against his shin again. 

This seemed to break him—his shoulders drooped and he let out a long exhale. He reached up and pulled the mask off, and you gasped again. 

The left side of his face was covered in bruises, his eye starting to swell a bit. He looked like he was on the verge of tears, glancing down at Moony. 

“Smart cat. She recognized me.” You winced and instinctively moved toward him when he tried to smile and grimaced at the action. 

“Sit down, please,” you said, remembering to speak quietly. “You can’t die in my apartment. You can’t.”

“I won’t,” he said, letting you manhandle him into sitting on the couch. “Promise.”

“If you thought this was your apartment you’re definitely concussed,” you said, reaching up to move his curls aside, careful not to touch his face. The bruises covered his entire left side, also the side his arm was bleeding. “What happened to you?”

You snatched your hand away when he realized he was frozen, eyes to the side where your hand was. 

“I got thrown into a wall,” he said, smiling again. A smaller grimace this time. “I’m really sorry.” 

“You’re sorry for being thrown into a wall?” You shuffled to the kitchen to grab the tiny first aid kit you kept there. It was dusty and unused and consisted mainly of bandaids, something you started laughing at a little hysterically as you opened it on the couch, in between you and Midoriya. He’d leaned back onto the couch, breathing evened out. He was lying so still you thought he was sleeping, until he turned his head to see what you were laughing at. 

“I only have bandaids,” you said, still laughing a little. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh,” he said. “Oh, I didn’t mean…” he started laughing. Quietly, then a little louder until you were both giggling and suppressing loud laughs. 

“It’s okay,” he said, catching his breath again. “Can you help me get to my place? I’m used to patching myself up.” 

It took five minutes, but eventually, you both managed to get out your front door, coaxing Moony to stay inside. Midoriya had one of his arms draped around your shoulder, keeping him upright. He had reassured you plenty of times as you both shuffled out the door that he was fine, he had been through worse. Which only made you feel worse. 

His apartment was the exact same layout as yours, though a little messier, which he apologized for. There were notes all over his kitchen table, his couch was covered in blankets. You had a feeling he was prone to falling asleep all over his apartment like you did.  

“Thank you,” he said once he had settled down on his couch. “I’m really sorry, again.”

“I know,” you said, sitting down beside him. You stared at the clock directly across from you, above his small TV. “I’m sorry for figuring out who you are.”

Another small laugh from him. “S’okay.” he shifted to look at you, and you mirrored him. It would have felt awkward being this close to someone you knew more in passing a day ago, but you felt as though this entire experience had automatically made the two of you friends. A trauma bond, of sorts. “You won’t tell anyone?”

You smiled back at him. “Promise.”

You didn’t remember getting back to your apartment, only that it took a lot of convincing on Midoriya’s part. The second you woke up (on your couch) you rushed to get out the door and knock on Midoriya’s until he opened, if anything to confirm you had not dreamed anything that had happened. But before you could get your slippers on, you saw a small note on the floor in front of the door. 

Two spiders drawn holding hands, with “friends?” written underneath.

You slid it back under his door with your own addition — a drawing of a cat and “friends” written underneath his question. 

——— * * * ———

“Trauma bond?”

“Yeah,” you said, shoving at his shoulder and ignoring his fake wince. “Am I wrong?”

“No,” he agreed, petting a meowing Moony in his lap. He was frowning down at her, and you had been around him long enough to know something was wrong. 

It had been over a month since the break-in incident (which Midoriya was still apologizing for) and you had grown used to each other’s company. It had started off small—seeing him in the library during the day, studying quietly next to him. Stifling your laughter when he slid a spider doodle across the table to you. 

After that, you noticed him around campus more often. You had always greeted him when he crossed your path, stopping to make small talk. But now you actually talked about things of substance. Setting up study sessions, inviting him over to play with Moony, exchanging recipes and even starting to cook at each other’s apartments. 

“Is my pasta not good?” you said. Moony meowed, echoing your question from his lap. 

“It could use some pepper,” he said, smiling teasingly at you. “No, it’s good. Just a rough night.”

“Wanna talk about it?” you said. 

“S’okay,” he said. “We’re trauma bonded enough.” You felt a pang of guilt at the sadness in his tone. 

“Midoriya—” 

“Thank you for the pasta,” he said. “I can help with the dishes.”

“I’m sorry,” you said. “You know we’re friends friends, right?”

He nodded. “I’m messing with you.”

“You little shit!” he laughed as you set your dishes down in the sink, shoving him slightly. He smiled slyly at you. He seemed like the perfect boy next door, but he was really a little shit. And he was the perfect boy next door. 

“I haven’t heard you come back late in a while,” you said. He turned to look at you from his place at the sink, eyebrows raised. 

“You wait up for me?”

“No!” you said indiginantly. “It just used to wake us up.” 

“Really? I’m sorry.”

“S’okay,” you said. “But you have to wake me up if you’re hurt really bad, okay? Even if it’s just to sit with you.”

A small noise of acknowledgement from Midoriya. 

“What was that?”

“Promise.” 

Satisfied, you got up from your place at the table, letting him finish up the dishes. “Are you going out tonight?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Sorry in advance about the early morning wake up call.”

He still would not tell you where he went. But the news reports the next day served as the answers to your questions. A crime solved here, a criminal turned in there. The Spider-Man news page, ran by dedicated fans, was bookmarked on your computer and one of your most visited tabs. On nights when you couldn’t sleep and didn’t know where he was, you would refresh it every few minutes, waiting for an update. 

Sometimes he would go during the day, and when you would get back from class he would be there on your couch with Moony, napping. You would sit on the opposite end and wait for him to wake up, then decide on what to make for lunch together. Not talking about the new bruise on his arm or the new cut on his leg. If he brought it up you knew it was okay to talk about it, but usually you both talked about normal topics. Avoiding the giant spider in the room. 

“All done!” he said, falling down on the couch beside you. Reaching to pet Moony, who was cuddled up on your lap. Arm muscles flexing, hands softly running through Moony’s fur. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore how jacked he was. Especially when he was literally always stripping in your apartment, changing from his suit into his regular clothes. Letting you sneak glances at his back, his chest. 

“Take a nap,” you blurted. “If you’re going to be out tonight. You need to rest.”

“I will,” he said, smiling up at you. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m not!” you said, huffing. “You better not visit me tonight. I expect you to kick ass and come back with no injuries.”

“‘Kay,” he said. “See you tomorrow?” You nodded and watched him dramatically sigh, throwing his head back on the couch before getting up and shuffling to the door. 

The rest of your evening was spent anxiously trying to distract yourself. There was a nagging feeling in the back of your head, in the pit of your stomach. After finishing your homework and realizing it was hours before your usual bedtime, you cleaned your apartment. Reorganized, moved things around. 

You decided to settle on the couch for the night. Better place to hear Midoriya come back. 

The sound that jolted you awake a couple hours later was louder than usual, and it woke you up quicker. A quick glance at your clock let you know it was only 1am.

“Midoriya?” you said quietly, sitting up. “You okay?”

He was standing near your window, at almost the exact same spot as a month before, when he had first broken in. 

“No,” he said. Voice hoarse and almost too quiet for you to hear. 

You were up and leading him over to the couch in an instant. His mask was already off, clutched in between his fingers

“Are you hurt?” you said, patting down his arms and running your fingers over his face softly, scared to touch a bruise or aggravate a cut. A shake of his head. 

You gently took the mask from him, setting it down on the coffee table with one hand, the other gripping his hands tightly. “Want to talk about it?”

He nodded, squeezing your hands back. “Later.”

“Okay,” you said, scooting closer to him on the couch so your shoulders pressed together. “I’m here, okay? It’s okay.”

You were ready when his shoulders started shaking and he slid into your hug, staining your shirt with his tears. You ran your hands through his hair, rubbing your fingers along the nape of his neck. Repeating the phrase over and over until it felt like you were trying to convince yourself of the same thing. 

The bruises were on his side this time—no cuts deep enough to warrant him going back to his apartment to patch himself up. You helped him get his suit off slowly. The tears hadn’t stopped, and yours had started fifteen minutes after his. It hurt to see him like this and not know how to help. Knowing all you could do was help him get back to his apartment and keep his secret.

“Can I stay?” he said. He was holding the top half of his suit to his chest, hugging it. 

“Yeah, course you can,” you said. “I’ll get you some clothes.”

Moony walked out of your room with an annoyed meow. She had been sleeping, but once she spotted Midoriya she happily sauntered over, already purring. 

Once he had changed into the clothes his eyes started to droop, and you started convincing him to sleep in your room. He kept shaking his head, until he finally told you, “Don’t want to be alone.” 

“Okay, I’ll stay with you,” you said. Slipped out so easily you had no time to realize you had said it until he nodded and you were walking into your room and settling under the covers, Midoriya turning to face you, lashes wet with tears.

“I’m not leaving,” you said, reaching to intertwine your fingers with his. “You’re okay. We’re okay.”

He blinked slowly at you, sleep making his eyes heavy. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

masterlist

[fernclans]

MOON 09.

Starring: Dashpaw (BuddingClan), Cliffstripe (BuddingClan), Amberpaw (BuddingClan), Flippaw (BuddingClan), Cougarkit (BuddingClan), Cowkit (BuddingClan), Pinekit (BuddingClan)

“May all cats of BuddingClan gather beneath the Echoed Stones for a clan meeting!”

The words were more familiar now, not feeling so much like a kit playing pretend. Cliffstripe sat confidently atop the towers of stone, reminding himself of how unstable he was the last time he called to the clan.

Amberpaw and Dashpaw were the first to arrive; they offered for Flippaw to stay in the den recovering, still unable to put weight on her injured leg, but she insisted that she’d be there. The sound of kittenspeak alerted the group to the final apprentice’s arrival, an apologetic grin crossing her face as the trio of kittens stumble their way into the clearing.

“Sorry guys, I couldn’t stop them from following me.” She meows, carefully limping to a spot besides Amberpaw.

Pinekit is quick to start pawing at Amberpaw’s cheek fur, looking up at her with large, kitten-blue eyes. “Where been?” She squeaks, sniffing deeply into Amberpaw’s chest. “Smelly.” The kitten backs away, her mouth agape and filled with the new scent.

“Checking the borders.” Amberpaw meows simply, bending down to lick Pinekit’s forehead. “Come here, you can sit in my tail while Cliffstripe talks.” The mottled brown and white she-kit seems to think about the offer for a moment before tottling over and disappearing behind Amberpaw’s abundant fur.

Cougarkit remains by Flippaw’s side as she settles down, Cowkit preoccupied by the apprentice’s waving tail. “Now you guys promised you’d be quiet, right?” The first of the two nods quickly, placing a paw over his mouth in acknowledgement -- the latter remains quiet, focused on Flippaw’s tail.

“If Cowkit causes you trouble, send her over and I can sit on her.” Dashpaw teases, making eye-contact with the kit who shrinks somewhat before moving to sit on Flippaw’s other side.

“Well, no worries, Flippaw. It’s hard when there’s no one else who can watch them.” Cliffstripe speaks up, seeing everyone finally settle. “Without further ado…”

The ginger tom nods to Dashpaw, who raises when Cliffstripe begins.

“Dashpaw, you have trained diligently and have far proven yourself ready for your warrior name. I call down upon our ancestors to look down upon you, and commend you as a full-fledged warrior of BuddingClan. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend this clan with your life?”

Uncharacteristically serious, Dashpaw nods. “I do.”

“Then, from this day forward you will be known as Dashrabbit; BuddingClan honors your charisma and ability to think fast in dire situations.” Cliffstripe would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little nervous; was naming in honor of Rabbitsnow the right thing? Was that insensitive? He steals a glance at Dashrabbit, who seemed to be gazing upward, eyes brimming with pride.

“Amberpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend this clan even at the cost of your life?”

“I do.” Though she remains seated, Amberpaw’s chest is puffed out, back straight.

“From today, you will be known as Amberhare. BuddingClan welcomes you as a full warrior and honors you for your drive to help others.”

Flippaw is the first to erupt with cheer, to be met by a confused and startled Cougarkit, who thought they needed to be quiet. Before long, Cowkit and Pinekit join in the merrimaking, cheering the new names even if they didn’t fully understand what all of this meant. Cliffstripe descends from the stones, bumping roughly into Dashrabbit’s shoulder, and then slightly less roughly into Amberhare’s. “Congratulations. I know you'll do great."

[kitten4sannie]

27 - ꜰᴜʀʀʏ/ʜʏʙʀɪᴅ - ᴡᴏᴏʏᴏᴜɴɢ

ꜱᴘɪʟʟᴇᴅ ᴍɪʟᴋ

pairing: fox hybrid! wooyoung x cat hybrid! reader (fem) feat. owners seongjoong

summary: you mess around with a new hybrid playmate while your owners go out to eat.

w.c: 3.4k

warnings: dom leaning! wooyoung, sub leaning! reader, these mfs are in HEAT, pet names, praise, kissing, food play, nipple play (m receiving), grinding, breeding kink (it’d be an actual crime if i didn’t include this) unprotected sex, creampie

a/n: on all levels except physical i am a kitty - meow

okay but fr i’ve always wanted to write a hybrid au so i’m so glad i finally did!! it was so fun ahhhh <3 also there's only one more fic to go ;; thank you for coming on this filthy journey with meee <3

FFF Masterlist

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“Y/N, I’m home!” your owner Hongjoong called out, standing near the doorway of his apartment next to his friend Seonghwa, who he had a fat crush on, and of course, his companion Wooyoung, a beautiful red fox hybrid who was a sneaky little troublemaker with a heart of gold. “And I brought company, so make sure you have some clothes on!”

Ears twitching at the sound of your owner’s voice, you pulled yourself out of the cat nap you were taking on Hongjoong’s bed and pounced into his open closet to find one of his oversized hoodies and some booty shorts to put on. Yawning dramatically, you headed out into the living room, seeing Seonghwa give you a smile and a wave. You reciprocated, but suddenly went still upon seeing the hybrid you had never encountered before besides the times Hongjoong made you interact with him over FaceTime, your tufted ears now on high alert.

Wooyoung reacted differently, his mind yelling ‘Kitty! Must scent!’, immediately heading in your direction to do just that, but getting pulled back when Seonghwa placed his hands onto his shoulders, hearing him go ‘uh-uh-uh.’

Hongjoong walked over to you and gave you a hug, running his hand down your fluffy tail to get it to go from a standing position to a relaxed one. “Don’t be so scared, sweetheart. You’ve talked to him before. He’s been really excited to meet you in person, you know.” Seeing your apprehension, he pressed a kiss to your forehead, stroking your hair in a comforting manner. “I just thought you could hang out with someone new. Do you remember me telling you about this a couple days ago? How Daddy wants you to meet new hybrids so you can socialize?”

You thought about it for a minute, going back through the past week, your freshest memory being of your trip to the mall with Hongjoong. He bought you a new plushie and some new cat grass after you tossed the other one off of the balcony when you were having a fit. He used half of the spray bottle on you that day.

“Uh…not really,” you replied honestly, idly grabbing onto Hongjoong’s sleeve and holding it, looking past him, studying the fox that was staying still in his owner’s grasp. He didn’t look too scary now that you weren’t so caught off guard by a person who wasn’t your owner or his boyfriend. Friend. You weren’t sure because Hongjoong always got pouty whenever you asked. You tilted your head, finding Wooyoung’s outfit to be really adorable. He had a few pink heart-shaped clips in his hair, keeping some of his cherry-red bangs out of his eyes. He was wearing a cute oversized sweater too, one that was hanging off one of his shoulders and had a tiny heart over the breast. To make you ever more jealous of his look, he was wearing your favorite brand of athletic shorts, ones with white stripes going down the sides. You wanted to take a trip to his closet one day. You were tired of exploring Hongjoong’s, only ever finding empty bottles of cat nip that you had raided without his knowledge and random books about romance.

Wooyoung’s white-tipped fox ears perked up upon eye contact, his nose twitching a few times, taking in your scent from far away. It was comforting. Like fresh laundry and some kind of soap. Sniff. Kiwi scented soap, to be exact. Would your skin taste like kiwis too? He would have to conduct an experiment. Hopefully, you would like him, so he could get close. He loved kitties. He really liked to tease them and get them all riled up, always wanting to watch their tails puff up, but Seonghwa told him not to do that anymore. It worked out though, because his favorite thing was when he made them purr. It always made him feel really warm inside, sometimes so warm he felt like his tummy was on fire.

Hongjoong sighed, but gave your head a reassuring pat, causing you to push your head into his hand when he started to pull it away, patting it some more as a result. “Well, it’s time you met Wooyoung in person, don’t you think?” You gave him a small nod, opting to climb onto the large plush couch and sitting with your tail curled around you. Hongjoong walked over to you and murmured, “You might become good friends, sweetheart. Plus, he brought you some snacks so be a good girl and tell him thank you, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy,” you nodded, nuzzling your owner’s hovering hand, before looking to Seonghwa, who gave you another soft smile and released his grip on Wooyoung. You blinked for a second and the eager fox hybrid was already sitting on the couch next to you, setting down the plastic bag he had and leaning in to give your neck a few sniffs. You smelled even better up-close, unknowingly encouraging him to move his face into your soft hair, his nose brushing over your human ear, making you shiver. You stayed still, getting used to his scent as well. It was warm like cinnamon sticks and sweet like maple syrup. Yummy. Neither of you spoke, simply taking in each other’s scents and body language, exchanging intense eye contact, as though you were figuring each other out.

Hongjoong walked back over to Seonghwa and leaned against him, elbowing him gently in the ribs through his long, black coat. “Do you think they’ll be fine on their own?”

“I think so. They’re both well trained.” Seonghwa nodded his head, smiling down at Hongjoong, suddenly rubbing his stomach and groaning when he felt hunger pains. “We should probably head to the restaurant soon. I’m starving.”

Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa said bye to the both of you, but neither of you were really paying attention, only waving your hands in their direction, your eyes still locked onto one another’s, getting closer and closer as time went by.

Hongjoong grabbed his bag and coat, then headed to the door with Seonghwa, only stopping once he closed the door behind the both of them. Seonghwa walked a few feet down the hall, but staying still when he realized that Hongjoong was standing still. “What’s wrong?” he asked, pushing a hand into his coat pocket.

Locking the door, Hongjoong caught up to Seonghwa, saying concernedly, “Y/N hasn’t been fixed. Is Wooyoung fixed?”

Walking down the hallway at a leisurely pace, Seonghwa hit the elevator button, realizing, “No, actually. Do you think that’ll be a problem?”

Remembering how cautious you were around Wooyoung, Hongjoong shook his head and laughed at the thought of you actually engaging with Wooyoung in such a way. Plus, you never showed that kind of interest in anyone, except for him. He didn’t have anything to worry about. “No, I think we’re probably fine. She’s a good girl.” Stepping into the elevator with Seonghwa, he looked down at his friend’s hand, which was mere inches away from his, gulping, his ringed fingers twitching slightly.

“Wooyoung’s feisty, but won’t push anything on another hybrid if they disapprove.” Watching the numbers on the elevator slowly go down, Seonghwa pressed his shoulder into Hongjoong’s smaller one, able to notice how he tensed up. The backs of his fingers just barely began to brush over his friend’s, making him feel warm, but not able to pull through and actually attempt to hold his hand.

“That’s good.” Hongjoong focused intently on the numbers on the screen above him, taking in a deep breath and moving his fingers against Seonghwa’s, just barely interlocking their pinky fingers together.

��Good, yeah,” Seonghwa replied softly, his heart about to beat out of his chest, swallowing his nerves down like he would with the wine he was about to drink at the restaurant. He squeezed Hongjoong’s pinky against his own. “Very good.”

“Absolutely.” Hongjoong felt like he was going to melt into the floor, not realizing he was holding his breath until he started to feel a little lightheaded.

-

“Youngie,” you accidentally blurted out, shivering as Wooyoung’s rough tongue came in contact with your neck, whining when he pulled the collar of your hoodie down to get better access to your collarbone area. He said he wanted to see if you tasted like kiwis because of Hongjoong’s shampoo. You weren’t sure if it worked like that, but it couldn’t hurt to try. Though, it tickled a lot and Wooyoung’s scent was making you feel really warm.

Wooyoung let out a small chirp-like sound of approval at your nickname for him, stopping mid-lick to push his head into yours, nuzzling you. “I like that, Kitty. Keep calling me that.”

Your ears flattened into your hair, and your heart thumped away inside your chest. “Okay, Youngie. Please call me Kitty from now on too. I like it.” Running your fingers over the wet sections of your neck, you asked, “So did it taste like kiwi?”

“Uh-uh.” Wooyoung pouted for a second, only to smile brightly when he remembered about the snacks he brought. He turned his body to reach into the plastic bag next to him, pulling out two cartons of strawberry milk and handing you one, taking out a bag of de-pitted cherries as well. Seonghwa always took the pits out so he didn't have to worry about Wooyoung choking. “Snack time!”

Poking the straw through the box and taking a few gulps of the drink, you jumped slightly and turned your body towards the other hybrid’s, remembering Hongjoong’s words. “Thank you, Youngie.”

Slurping a couple cherries into his mouth and gobbling them down without much thought, he turned his body towards yours as well, speaking with his mouth full, “Welcome, Kitty. Want a cherry?” When you nodded, he took a bite of another one and pressed it to your lips, tilting his head to the side when you gingerly nibbled on it, your cheeks flushed. “Something wrong?”

“It’s an indirect kiss,” you murmured shyly, taking the rest of the cherry into your mouth when he pushed it inside and chewing it.

Wooyoung took a sip of his milk, batting his long eyelashes at you, his big, bushy tail idly flicking at one of your bare thighs. “You want a direct one?”

“I-i mean, well, um…yes…” you stuttered out, barely able to handle Wooyoung pouncing on you, almost making you knock your milk carton over. He smelled so good. So yummy. You really wanted to taste him.

“Here I come, kitty cat.” Resting one hand near your head on the cushion below and leaning down towards you, he took a bite of a cherry and chewed, pressing it down onto your lips and rubbing the juices around. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips onto yours, idly licking the sweetness off of them, slowly deepening the kiss once you lowered your carton to the floor and wrapped your arms around his neck.

He blindly reached for another cherry or two. Kiss. kiss. kiss. Lick. Lick. Lick. Wooyoung’s tongue began to eagerly explore your mouth, licking at the roof of your mouth and at one of your inner cheeks, eventually focusing on your rough tongue, slurping it into his mouth like he did with the cherry and sucking on it. With your bodies and fluffy tails entwined, the fox hybrid began to rut himself against you out of habit, his hardened cock rubbing deliciously on your clit, the material of your tiny, thin shorts offering you pleasure as well.

Mewling into the hybrid’s mouth, you broke the kiss, your glistening lips connected with a few strings of saliva, your combined pheromones making the both of you feel like you were on fire and in need of more stimulation. Now feeling comfortable, you took the half-empty milk carton from his hand and pushed him onto the floor, hearing him let out a surprised yelp, not wasting any time landing down onto him with one leg in between his and the other pressing on the outside of it. “Kitty wants to play. Kitty wants to taste Youngie.”

Wooyoung took the carton from you and lifted his sweater up and over his tiny pink nipples, tilting the carton, pouring the milk onto the both of them, purring, “Taste me, Kitty. I know you want milk.”

As your irises grew to the size of saucers, you leaned yourself down onto him, lapping the sweet, sticky liquid from his nipples one at a time, sucking on them to make sure you cleaned them properly. “Mm, yummy. More, Youngie. More milk.”

Flustered and turned on, Wooyoung felt like he was about to blow his load from feeling your tiny sandpaper-like tongue on his sensitive chest. He poured a bit more milk onto himself, the liquid trickling down his abdomen this time. When you dove back in to lap up the milk from his nipples, your tongue slid back and forth over them at an increasingly desperate speed, making him moan more and more, unable to hold back. “Feels really good. Kitty’s making Youngie feel so hot.”

Your pussy pulsed and your ears twitched slightly from the praise you were receiving. It made you want more. You dragged your tongue down his soft body, still lapping at the milk, moving lower and lower until you got to the waistband of his shorts. Sniffing at the smell of pre-cum soaking through the thin material, you instinctively rubbed your cheek against his clothed cock, giving it a few experimental licks, feeling it twitch against your tongue.

Wooyoung whined softly, pulling his shorts down, his cock springing up into your face, your eyes focusing on the shiny reddened tip. “I have more milk for you, Kitty. Lick and suck, and it’ll come out.”

“Okay, Youngie.” You were familiar with oral because Hongjoong always let you do it to him when he woke up with morning wood, giving you a tummy full of cum to tide you over until breakfast. Feeling your shorts stick to your pussy with a heavy amount of arousal, you licked up the shaft like you were working with a dripping ice cream cone, slowly allowing it into your warm mouth and bobbing your head at a steady pace, drooling onto it.

Wooyoung arched his back, grasping at the carpet below with his free hand, whining and moaning, his voice coming out higher-pitched than before. "So good," he sighed out, gazing down at you with glossy, dilated eyes. "Don't stop, Kitty..."

You alternated between licking all around it and sucking on it, your rough tongue sending shivers up his spine, his fluffy tail jolting every now and then. When you pushed the majority of Wooyoung's pulsing cock into your mouth, the fox moaned wantonly, letting go of the milk carton, not noticing when it began to leak out into the plush carpet. He was too focused on how good it felt to have a pretty kitty play with his cock. So good, he might-

“Mmm…!” you reacted, feeling Wooyoung’s cum spilling down your throat, pulling away to have it shoot out onto your tongue in spurts. You swallowed it down in gulps, his cum so hot and thick it made you crave more, but wanting it inside your pussy instead. “Want more milk. Want it inside me. In my special place.”

Wooyoung’s ear rotated in different directions, his cock instantly coming to life upon hearing your soft-spoken request. “Kitty can have all of my milk,” he answered, reaching down to help you slip out of your shorts, a long, thick bead of arousal dripping off of your cunt and onto his twitching length. “Come on, kitty cat. Let’s breed~”

Wooyoung’s words made your brain short-circuit, not even realizing what was happening until got onto the hybrid's lap, feeling something warm and heavy filling you up to the brim, your tight cunt already clenching around whatever was pumping in and out of you. Oh, Youngie’s thick cock. It was already deep inside you, sending pleasant chills up your spine, your fluffy tail coiling around one of the fox’s thighs. "Youngie," you purred, not even moving yourself, simply letting the fox eagerly slam his hips up into yours, the loud slapping sounds like music to your fluffy ears. You loved the sound of breeding. It made you feel so warm. So hot.

Panting, Wooyoung made a low, guttural sound, his irises blown wide, suddenly grabbing your body and switching your positions, this time laying himself down against your back, the front of you pressing into the soft carpet. When you looked back up at him with surprise, your eyebrows still drawn from the pleasure, Wooyoung responded by fucking you a lot faster than before now that he was in full control. “This is a better position for breeding, Kitty. Want you to have a full litter.”

All this talk about breeding and having kitties of your own, fox hybrid kitties at that, made you almost feel a little dizzy. You just met Youngie in person today, but you already wanted him to take care of you when you were full for him, have him protect you from harm, and love you. “Give Kitty Youngie’s milk. Want your kits in me. In Kitty’s breeding hole.”

Hearing you talk about the kits that he could help you produce sent him into an instinctive frenzy, fucking you hard into the soft floor, his hands squeezing into your bouncing ass on each side, kneading it and watching his cock disappear inside your slick cunt over and over. Making you let out deep purrs mixed with whiny, desperate mewls, Wooyoung hunched over you, burying his face into your neck, licking and sucking it, murmuring, “Kitty sounds so pretty. I like hearing Kitty’s pretty purring and moans…”

His praise and his ability to send you in an almost mind-melting state of pleasure made you revel in the fact that Wooyoung was your new special friend, hoping you could see him again soon in case he didn’t successfully breed you this time. “Youngie, it’s coming out,” you moaned, only having to get filled up with his cock one last time, before your release began pouring out of you.

“Kitty’s so wet and warm,” Wooyoung sighed deeply, slamming his hips into yours a few more times, your extra tight hole drawing whiny-sounding moans from his lips, his body starting to jolt. He squeezed your ass tightly, spurting his thick seed deep into your womb, barely able to moan, “Take my milk, little kitty. Wanna see you so full for me next time I see you. Wanna see you make your own milk for me.”

“Kitty wants Youngie’s kits…” you purred back, your lower half shuddering a bit after getting creampied. “Wanna make my own milk so that you can taste it.” You looked back at him to give him a sheepish smile, your tail swishing around and tickling the hybrid’s chest.

“I’ll give you my kits, kitty cat,” he reassured, pressing his lips to your head, rubbing your hips in a soothing way. He licked your earlobe, drawing more purrs from you. “And I’ll be sure to drink your milk. I promise~”

You began to purr even louder, relishing the thought of being Wooyoung’s mate, able to get bred and tasted by him whenever you both felt like it. Feeling Wooyoung slowly pull out, you whined at the emptiness and the feeling of his seed slowly dribbling out of you. You rested your sweaty face against the carpet, so fucked-out your small tongue slid out of your mouth, still feeling your heart pound inside your chest. You really liked Youngie. You wanted to see him again, and you were about to tell him, but the door unlocked and swung open.

“I told you not to have that last glass, dumbass,” Hongjoong scolded Seonghwa, despite the fierce blush on his face. His friend was leaning against him and nuzzling the side of his head, sufficiently drunk. Seonghwa mumbled something incoherently, his eyes shut, but suddenly opened them up when he heard his friend gasp out loud.

“No! Bad Y/N!” he started, already running over to the kitchen to grab the spray bottle, encouraging you to tiredly crawl into Wooyoung’s lap and rest your face in the crook of his neck, purring softly from taking in your mixed scents. Hongjoong stood in front of the both of you, looking between your naked sweaty bodies, slowly lowering the bottle to his side as to not ruin an (admittedly) cute moment. He instead faced Seonghwa who plopped down onto the couch and sunk into it, ready to fall asleep. “Aren’t you upset, Seonghwa? Wooyoung isn’t fixed. He probably–”

Seonghwa shook his head, pointing down to the carpet where a spot had formed on the dark carpet. “No, I think we’re good. He definitely pulled out. Just like I taught him.” He reached down to pat Wooyoung’s head, smiling softly down at his companion. “Good job, sweetie.”

Wooyoung chirped at his owner’s praise, still nuzzling you, holding you close, finding the vibrations of your constant purring to be extremely therapeutic.

Hongjoong walked up to the carpet and leaned down, inspecting it closely. “Are you sure this is cum? It’s not white or anything.” He placed his hands on his hips, looking down at Wooyoung with a stern expression, making the fox hybrid gulp. “What is that stain, Wooyoung?”

Knowing he wasn’t lying, Wooyoung rubbed your back in small circles, chiming with a proud smile, flashing his canine teeth up at the man. “It’s milk.”

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FFF: @hwalysm @scuzmunkie @creativechaoticloner@dilucpegg3r @yeosxxx @gemjimin @wonwowzers @sanjoongie @manipulatedstars @k-drizzle 

Apply for the taglist here ⇢ ♡

© toxicccred, 2023.

[thebeast-dennis-etcetera]

An Unlikely Pair

Your knee bounced up and down in nervousness as you waited for news in the little lobby. A little trembling chihuahua was on the left of you and a 3 legged Dalmatian on your right. It seemed to be a busy day for sure at the clinic as even more clients started coming in.

“Y/N?” the vet tech called from the door. You stood up and followed her as she led you to another little room where the vet and the little kitten you found this morning waited.

“How is she?” you asked. When you had dropped her off, she was absolutely filthy, barely breathing and couldn’t open her eyes. Had you not decided to go for a run this morning, you never would’ve found her. You figured some horrible person must have abandoned her there. Now, she looked completely different. Her bright fluffy orange coat was clean and her green eyes were alert.

“She’s good now. Just needed a good bath, warmth and a little food. She’s got a couple scratches on her face but those will heal with time. You said you found her in a park?”

“Yeah. I took a morning run and heard meowing from the bushes. She was tucked all the way in the back, I honestly thought she wasn’t gonna make it.”

“Well cats are pretty resilient. Were you planning on keeping her?”

You thought about the question and knew the dilemma. Jethro was not a cat guy. He loves dogs, doesn’t mind plants, but definitely doesn’t like cats. But if you didn’t take her, she would just end up at the shelter.

“We do have an onsite shelt-

“No, I’ll keep her,” you impulsively blurted out.

Crap, Jethros gonna kill you.

————

You sat on the couch watching tv when you heard Jethro come home. Quickly, you threw the blanket over the kitten in your lap.

“Hey hun. Dinners in the oven, you just gotta heat it up.”

He came over and gave you a kiss before going into the kitchen and preparing his food. Upset that she was being smothered, she let out a small meow. You just turned up the volume slightly on the tv. You at least wanted Jethro to eat before you broke the news to him.

Once he heated everything up and sat at the table to eat, the kitten let out another meow.

“What was that?” he asked, looking around.

“The tv,” you lied smoothly.

Thankfully, the kitten decided not to make any more noise while Jethro finished eating and cleaned his plate.

“So you’ll never believe how my day has been going,” you started. “I was going for a morning run because I wanted to see if I could beat my personal best, which by the way, I’ve come to the conclusion that I could probably beat Torres in a foot pursuit. And as I passed by that park over on Downey St, I heard something crying.”

Jethro stood in front of you, drying his hands with the kitchen towel, attention now fully on you as he listened, making you nervous.

“Normally I wouldn’t investigate a weird noise at the park, especially because you could find a person sleeping in the bushes or some rabid raccoon, or-

“Sweetheart, you’re rambling. What did you find?” he pressed, wanting to speed the conversation up.

Instead of explaining, you just pulled the blanket back and showed him the little ball of fur. She looked around before seeing Jethro and pulled her ears back in displeasure before giving him a tiny hiss.

“No,” was all he said before walking off to the bedroom. You put the kitten down on the couch and followed him.

“Honey wait. I know you dont like cats but this one is so cute. And I rescued her. I couldn’t just leave her there to die. And I couldn’t give her away to the shelter. Who knows if she ever would’ve found a home.”

He stopped at the stairs and turned to you.

“She’s already up to date on vaccines, the litter box will be in the laundry room, and she’s so tiny you won’t even know she’s there. Please Jet,” you pleaded.

He sighed and you knew right then, you already won.

“If she scratches up anything, she’s out,” he threatened.

You beamed with joy and wrapped your arms around his neck in a hug.

“You’ll come to love her, you’ll see.”

————

It was a love/hate relationship between the little orange cat and Jethro. Mostly because every time Jethro tried to get close to her or you, she would give him a swat and hiss. She loved messing with him and knocking all of his stuff off the shelves when he accidentally left the basement door open. There has been multiple times that he’s had to pick up broken jars fulls of bolts and nuts off the floor. The only love part of the relationship is for you when he sees how happy she makes you.

The sound of Jethros heavy footsteps coming up the stairs woke you up from your sleep. Looking at your phone, the time read 2am. You didn’t move from your spot as he came in quietly and got changed.

“You’re gonna have to move your little gargoyle out of the way,” you heard him grumble after a minute. Smiling, you turned on your side and saw your kitten giving Jethro a glare that might equal his own.

“Just tell her to move hun.”

“She doesn’t listen. Something you two have in common.”

Rolling your eyes playfully, you picked up irritated kitten and brought her to the other side of the bed so Jethro could get in.

————

Pulling into your driveway, you parked right behind Jethro’s truck and made your way to the house. As you opened the door, you were greeted with a little bouquet of flowers and a little note that read Welcome Home. You smiled at his sloppy writing and figured he was down in the basement building that boat of his, so you dropped your bags by the couch and walked downstairs.

What you saw, you weren’t expecting at all. Jethro was busy vice gripping different parts of the boat while his furry nemesis laid lazily on top, watching him curiously.

“How was your mother’s?” he asked, grabbing a tool right next to your kitten who didn’t even make a move to swat or hiss at him.

“Uh, it was nice. Got to see Dad’s newest addition to his pocket watch collection.”

He chuckled as you walked over and gave him a long hug.

“When did you two become friends?” you inquired, pulling back and motioning towards the small feline.

“She climbed the living room curtains and got stuck. Ever since I helped her, she won’t leave me alone,” he explained.

“Awe, she connected with you. You’re her savior honey,” you teased, watching as Jethro reached out to pet her and she accepted it happily while purring.

“Yeah well next time she decides to use our curtains as a vine, I’m not saving her.”

You laughed and gave him a kiss. You knew sooner or later, he would warm up to her.

Note: I purposely didn’t give the cat a name because I wanted to leave that up to the reader but gave it a color because I just feel like Gibbs and orange tabbys have the same vibe. 😂

[miscling]

Maid-Bot L1N

'Dude! I told you I didn't want a maid-bot! Tell me you didn't spend this month's rent on this thing!'

Calling him 'dude' was a bad sign. He'd be in real trouble if he didn't explain himself, and quickly. She'd walked in while he was busy adjusting its dress and gently tucking its pig-tailed hair back behind its ears and face-plate. It stood motionless, wearing a plain black maid dress with a while apron, and a white bow at its collar. On its feet were some short frilled socks and a pair of shiny black shoes.

'Maid-bot, Present mode,' he said, and it tucked its arms behind its back.

'Hon, please, I didn't spend a penny on it. Its previous owners moved house and couldn't be bothered to take it with them. It's just been hanging out on the internet desperately doing whatever anyone wants in hopes of finding a new home... I had to take it in.'

'No you didn't,' she said, though the annoyance in her voice almost melted into sympathy. 'Where are we going to keep it? I refuse to sleep with that thing in the room...'

'No, absolutely not,' he said with a smirk. 'Don't worry, I already solved that problem. You know that one cupboard we've been meaning to clean out but never got around to?'

'You didn't?' she asked, disbelief on her face.

'Nope, I didn't. It did.' The statement held way too much pride for someone who only gave an order to get it done.

'I thought maid-bots were sex toys?'

'It's both. Maid-bot, go do the washing up.'

The pair watched as it silently marched to the kitchen and began the task it was given. The sink was full of old dishes and a week's worth of cutlery. The maid-bot assumed the task, working diligently.

'It'll do the housework then?' she asked, almost afraid to consider the possibilities.

'It will,' he said. 'All we need to do is keep it powered. It charges from tactile stimulation.'

'What the hell does that mean?' she asked.

'Fuck it, beat it, tickle it, touch it,' he answered. 'You keep saying you need to find a toy that'll take everything you can throw at it, and this thing is not only tough, but also self-cleaning...'

She couldn't help but think of the pile of sex toys she'd let get gross because she hadn't had time to clean them.

'I already had it clean them,' he said, reading her mind. 'It came with a hole down there and attachments, and if you want I can get it a realistic face-plate, or one with just a mouth.'

'I'd rather it kept looking like a bot, to be honest, but what's with the cat ears?'

He gave a little laugh. 'It comes with kitty programming. It's actually quite cute when active.'

'It's not going to be wandering the house meowing, is it?'

'Oh, no, I know how you feel about vocal protocols on bots. The first thing I did was disable them. The most it'll do is moan while we charge it. It's an object to do our housework and bring us pleasure. Watch this: Maid-bot, send selfie.'

It silently moved, posing itself to the light and striking a pose. A second later, a ping on his phone alerted him to a notification.

'Hmm...' she thought to herself, and breathed a heavy sigh. 'I suppose it has been a long day already. I was going to go upstairs and take it out on my toys but I guess...' she paused and regarded the maid-bot. 'Maid-bot, go upstairs and ready yourself to please me.'

It nodded, silently heading towards the stairs...

He smiled. 'Just don't break it. We did only just get it...'

'No promises,' she said, a sadistic smile crossing her lips.

He had won. She liked it, and soon the house was filled by the sounds of her enjoying and using it...

It is maid day! I had this idea while doing all my housework on my weekly maid day, where I put on a maid dress and get my housework done, so I can have a little fun while I'm at it... If you like this story, I have others under the Miscling Writes tag!

[in-my-feels-probably]

Hii!

Can I request an Aemond Targaryen x Reader fic where reader is from some other noble house(preferably a dark haired one, but anything is fine) and catches his eye? Like he thinks she is really pretty and attractive and Aegon kinda doesn't notice his brother's interest and flirts with her, and being a social butterfly, she flirts back, though it doesn't mean anything.

Aemond feels insecure but then he observes her and notices she is like that with everyone so he carefully approaches her, leaving her stunned, because she has never met someone that beautiful? He takes it in the wrong way, but then she shyly assures him that it is not what he thinks and tells him the truth?

lots of comfort for my war criminal poor little meow meow?

thank you!

(Sorry I am being to specific, feel free to modify the idea as you wish)

A Wolf Amongst Dragons

Hi! So this is my first time writing for Aemond, I hope it’s ok. I think I did maybe a little bit off the request you asked for, so if you want me to change things, or write a new request for you, I’m happy to do so. I think I could’ve upped the comfort and Aemond’s point of view of things.

Sorry, it’s a bit long, especially at the beginning, but I felt like it was important to add for clarity. Just for some context, I made it a Stark reader, the sister of Cregan Stark, to kinda help with the plot. The Starks, at least before Ned, weren’t as noble I’d say, so I’m kinda framing the reader as on the good side, but still with a bit of cunningness and antihero energy, which I think fits for Aemond, he’s also kinda in that in between area. 

I’m mentioning characters from the book, and then also ones briefly mentioned in the last episode of HOTD. You don’t need to know anything from the books, I’m just bullshitting all of this for this fic, so sorry if anything doesn’t make sense. I’m not basing this off any particular plotpoint, but it's based around the time Aegon is crowned King, and Rhaenyra is looking to the other Lords for support. Anyways, I hope you like it, let me know what you think!

(Warnings: swearing, insecurities, mentions of war, aegon being creepy, let me know if i missed anything)

—

You walked alongside with your brother, Cregan, speaking in hushed whispers as you navigated the halls. It was late into the night, and the castle slept soundly. He had barely given you any time to get dressed before he sent a collection of handmaidens into your room, who swiftly packed up your necessities and brought them to a carriage. In your confusion, you went to find him, only to be dragged by the wrist out into the cold, headed for the stables.

Cregan explained to you that the Maester brought him news of Lucerys Targaryen, who had been killed the evening before, seemingly by Vhagar, the younger Prince’s dragon. Lord Baratheon had immediately sent the news to their allies, still remaining neutral for the time being.

House Targaryen was now at war, dividing the kingdom. House Stark, never one to break an oath, was to receive Jacaerys Targaryen, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen’s first born son and heir. Winterfell was to play a key role in the following weeks, and Cregan had decided you were to leave, and head for King’s Landing. He had already sent a raven, alerting King Aegon of your impending arrival. He gave you no time to explain himself, tugging you along.

“Brother, I don’t understand! Why are you sending me away?”

Cregan didn’t slow his pace. “Because! Father would roll in his grave if he thought one of my first acts as Lord of Winterfell was to keep you directly in the path of harm's way.”

You caught his wrist, planting your feet and stopping his advance. Cregan turned to you, eyes sharp as he met yours. You, after all being your Father’s daughter, didn’t shrink under the pressure. Instead, you stood tall, demanding an answer.

“Explain, right now, or I am turning back. You can’t send me to the capital! The very people you’re saying killed Lucerys are there. You’ve heard the whispers about Aegon’s pervasive pleasures. Do you really think that usurper of a King would gladly welcome a member of a house pledged to the rightful Queen?”

“They don’t know our position–”

“Spare me, brother,” you interrupted. “I know you’re backing Rhaenyra, the whole realm knows it. Have you ever known a Stark to break an oath? We’re too noble to do the wrong thing. Gods only know why we’ve all collectively decided to put the men in charge, who can’t cast away their precious pride and honor. You’d think living up here in the cold would’ve hardened your resolve more, made you learn to chip away at the moral high ground you’re so content to stand on.”

Cregan’s eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward, catching you off guard. He looked you straight in the eye, finally pulling his wrist from your grip. 

“I would never risk your safety, sister. Don’t mistake my unusual choices for foolishness. I’d break every oath I’ve ever made if it meant keeping you and our house safe.”

You kept walking towards the stable, seeing that your efforts to stay were most likely futile, and you might as well accept your fate with a semblance of grace. 

“Then explain it to me,” you scoffed. “What’s your big plan?”

You couldn’t see Cregan’s face, as you were walking ahead of him, but you could feel him roll his eyes. 

“How kind of you to finally shut your mouth and give me the floor, sister.”

You groaned, waiting for him to continue. He let out a chuckle, before catching up with you to meet your stride, now walking alongside you. He continued explaining. 

“You have the right idea. Why send you if they think we’ll back Rhaenyra as Queen? Because they don’t know that, not for sure. However, if we keep you here, and all of the heirs here, it will certainly seem like it. Aegon will–”

“You mean Hightower? You know this must be his doing,” you interrupted. 

“Yes, that may be so, but he’ll deliver Aegon’s terms either way. The King will be expecting all the houses to be making a decision soon. He knows Rhaenyra will have sent word out to all the Lord’s who swore oaths to back her during her coronation while King Viserys was alive. I guarantee those gutless southern Lord’s have already declared for the King, but the North won’t be so easy to gain. Lord Baratheon said they sent Prince Aemond to deliver terms, along with a marriage pact, should they choose to back the King. That is a desperate act. Bold, but desperate. I expect something for us will be coming along soon as well. We’re going to beat them to it.”

You nodded, slowly understanding. “And what does this have to do with me? What is my purpose in all of this?” 

“We will receive Jacaerys, just as the King expects we would. But we’re sending you as an envoy of our house, to receive their terms in person. As much as I hate to admit it, you are a much more likable person than I.”

You laughed. “Yes, although I suppose that it is partially credited to me being a woman. A pretty face is the least the Gods could do for us in a world like this. We might as well learn to use it to our advantage.”

“So you do have some intellect rolling around in that brain of yours, glad to see you’ve finally caught up.”

Cregan dodged your attacks, narrowly missing a slap to the face, chuckling as he watched you nearly trip over the hem of your skirts. “Don’t do that in front of the King.”

“Oh, piss off. Get on with it, it’s freezing out here.”

“As I was saying before I was so rudely attacked,” Cregan continued, ignoring your glares.

“You’ll charm the court. As long as you are a guest of the Crown, especially with Queen Alicent likely still largely in control, you will not be harmed. They may be usupers, but they haven’t stooped so low as to betray and kill allies. So here’s what you do. You are to play the fool, as if you hardly understand what’s at stake. Don’t actually make a fool of yourself, but try to act passive. Uninterested in the fickle politics of war. You won’t be perceived as a threat, on the contrary, actually. The Crown may actually believe that you’re easily manipulated, and a good way to get to me and my backing for the war effort. You will be out of harm's way from here, and you won’t be harmed there, since you’re of some use to them. Additionally, you may be of some use to me. If you are able to, without risking exposure, write to me about what you see and hear, anything that will be helpful. I trust you’ll be discreet in the matter. Do you think you can do all of that?”

You finally reached the carriage, all packed with your belongings, along with two horses, and a squire acting as a driver. It was the best your brother could muster in the few hours he had to come up with a halfway decent plan. 

You turned to Cregan, grinning. 

“I must say, brother, I am quite impressed. One would think you almost have the mind of a woman, coming up with a plan like that. You didn’t even need my help.”

He playfully shoved you, rolling his eyes. “Alright, alright, stop it. I may have taken a page or two from your book, and tried to think how I thought you would. Hate to admit it, but it actually was quite useful.” 

You grinned wider, pleased with his praise, and he groaned, before pulling you into his arms to shut you up. 

“We don’t have time for this, Y/N. This is serious. We cannot afford to mess this up. Please be careful, and please, for my own sanity, try your best to not get killed. Or worse, engaged.”

You let out a chuckle, but it was weak, you suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation. You wrapped your arms around your brother’s waist, giving him a tight squeeze. You swallowed your emotion as he held you for a moment, before letting you go and helping you up into the carriage. 

“I believe in you, sister. You can do this. I’m sorry it came down to it, but it's for the best. We’ll see each other again soon enough. I love you.”

You nodded, letting him close the carriage door. You stuck your head out the window, waving and calling out. “I love you! Please be careful. Don’t make me come back here and kick your ass for getting yourself in trouble. Be smart, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

You could hear his soft laughter, but the carriage had gone too far to warrant a response from him. He just nodded, blowing you a kiss, before turning around and heading back into the gates of Winterfell. 

You settled into your seat, biting back emotion. You willed yourself not to cry, determined to make this journey a success, not only for you, but for your brother, for your house, and for the realm. 

—

It was a grueling journey, not stopping more than a handful of times for provisions, and having the carriage run throughout the night, but you had made it from Winterfell to King’s Landing in just over a week. 

It took the better part of the first day to have an audience with the King. A guard that had been introduced to you as Ser Criston led you through the castle halls after you had settled in, bringing you to meet the King. He led you to the Great Hall, opening the doors and allowing you to step in first. 

“I present the Lady Y/N of House Stark, sister of Lord Cregan Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. She is here on behalf of her house.”

You tried to keep your head held high, and your face stoic, while Ser Criston announced your arrival, but as you glanced around the room, you couldn’t fight the uneasiness settling in your stomach. 

The Iron Throne was empty. 

The King was nowhere to be found. Instead, to the left side of the throne, sat a woman in a green dress, who you could only assume to be Alicent Hightower, the Queen Mother. On the right side of the throne stood an older man, who you pieced together as Otto Hightower, father of Alicent, and Hand of the King. 

The rest of the Great Hall, except for a few Kingsguard, was empty. Neither the Prince or the King were in attendance, or the Princess who was now called Queen. Not that you expected to meet the entire family, especially on the first day, but you were told your audience was specifically to be with the King, which is what you spent the better part of a week alone in a carriage preparing for. The King’s Mother and Grandfather was not what you were expecting. 

“Come forth, Lady Y/N, don’t be shy. Ser Criston, assist her down the steps, if you will.”

Otto gave Ser Criston a command, and Ser Criston held out his arm for you, which you cautiously took. He guided you down the steps, all the way across the Throne Room, leaving you in front of the steps that led to the Iron Throne. 

You looked at the throne in wonder. You had heard stories of the chairs creation, how a thousand swords had been melted down and fashioned together to create a throne fit for a King. You had seen illustrations of it in books the Septa’s back home made you read as a child, but they paled in comparison to seeing them in person. 

“Would you like to take a closer look, My Lady? I see you’ve taken an interest in the throne,” an unfamiliar voice called out, dragging you from your thoughts. 

You turned to see the King himself, Aegon, entering the room from a back corridor. Your eyes widened as you took him in, and you suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to throw up. This was going to be harder than you anticipated.

“Your Grace,” you curtsied, trying to keep your composure. “It’s an honor. Thank you for agreeing to an audience with me on behalf of House Stark, it’s such a pleasure.”

You mentally cursed yourself for sucking up to such a pompous ass of a King, but as your brother said, you had to play the part. And if you were going to play the part, you were going to commit to the role. Your words seemed to be enough to charm him, making him smile as he approached you. 

“The pleasure is all mine, My Lady,” he said, pressing a kiss to the back of your hand. You internally groaned, but kept a fake smile plastered on your face. You registered two more people entering from the corridor, but you didn’t dare take your eyes off the King’s.

“You must tell me, how are you liking the city? I confess, I’ve never seen Winterfell myself. I’m not fit for the cold, I’m afraid.” 

“I’m enjoying myself, thank you for asking. I am especially enjoying not having to wear a winter coat. They’re dreadfully heavy.”

Aegon looked you up and down, grinning. “Yes, I doubt that coat is doing you any favors. I can say with the utmost confidence that I prefer you without it.”

You felt sick to your stomach under his gaze, but you managed a giggle, feigning over his words. “You flatter me, Your Grace. You’re too kind.”

“Such a lovely Lady as yourself deserves some flattery. You’re welcome here, My Lady. Enjoy your stay. I expect you to come to me specifically if you need anything. Anything, just ask, and if it is within my power, it’s yours. I can be quite persuasive when it comes to getting things I want.”

You heard a scoff off to the side of the room, and you spared a glance to see the younger Targaryen, Prince Aemond. 

You had heard tales of him and his appearance. A ghastly scar, an eyepatch fit for a pirate, with a personality that mimicked that of his dragon. You only glanced briefly, but from what you saw, the accounts of him were entirely wrong. He was quite handsome, at least from the distance and quick glance you viewed of him. 

Aegon ignored his brother's antics, giving you another warm smile, before excusing himself. Half the Kingsguard followed him out, the rest hanging back for the remaining family. The now Queen, Helaena, walked up to you, looking at you quizzically. 

“A wolf amongst dragons,” she murmured. “A seer and a watcher. The waltz of frosts and flames.”

She spared a glance at her brother, Aemond, before turning back to you. 

You smiled at her words, glad to be around an inquizical mind. You got the feeling that the Queen’s intelligence was dismissed as an oddity, underappreciated and neglected.

“Your Grace, it’s a pleasure. You’re as beautiful as the tales tell.”

The Queen’s cheeks flushed. “Please, call me Helaena. I do prefer it.”

“As you wish, Helaena,” you nodded. “But I must say, ‘Queen’ has a nice ring to it when it’s referring to you. I do hope you come to see that.”

You snuck a glance at Otto and Alicent, who seemed to be exchanging amused glances. Whether you had peaked their interest, or you actually managed to impress them, it didn’t matter. What mattered is that you’d successfully somewhat charmed them, which would work to your advantage for the following days when you'd try to report back to your brother. 

—

You spent the following days mostly around Helaena, who was surprisingly delightful to be around. Her storytelling abilities fascinated you. She often murmured variations of what she had first said in the throne room to you, about a wolf amongst dragons. It didn’t take much for you to figure out she was referring to your presence in the castle. What did strike you as odd was her wording of “the waltz of frosts and flames,” but you found that questioning her hardly ever resulted in a clear answer.

You also spent a lot of time with Alicent, who seemed to follow wherever her children went. More often than not, though, she was with Aegon, who you tried to avoid like the plague. You did your duty of making small talk, trying to keep his interest in you positive, but his advances on you were getting harder and harder to ignore. 

In truth, the only member of the family you rarely saw was Aemond. Although, that was not entirely true. You actually saw a good deal of each other in passing, but words were hardly exchanged, rather than stolen glances. You didn’t know what it was about him, but you couldn’t get yourself to look at him full on for long. It appeared he was the same, as he’d turn his head away from you often when you looked his way. 

You spent one evening with Helaena, going on a walk around the courtyard. She took you to meet her dragon, Dreamfyre. On the way back, you saw Aemond, soaring through the sky on the back of Vhagar, before finally landing. You watched him from a distance as he dismounted, heading into the castle. 

Helaena cleared her throat, bringing you out of your thoughts. “You look at my brother quite a lot, you know.”

You quickly turned to her. “What? Aemond?”

“I suppose it’s normal. He does the same to you.”

She spoke like it was the most nonchalant thing in the world, not even bothering to turn to you as she talked.

“I don’t understand,” you shook your head.

“I’ve hardly seen the two of you speak, but I see the two of you stare. The day you arrived, I came in with Aemond. You were speaking to Aegon, so I assume you didn’t notice us come in. Aemond looked at you differently than I’ve ever seen him look at someone. You’ve certainly captured his attention. It’s clear he thinks you're beautiful.” 

“Is he not betrothed?” You asked, seeming to recall your brother mentioning a marriage pact with Lord Baratheon. 

“Not to my knowledge. Mother is very particular about him. I suspect she would want to personally approve a match for him. My brother isn’t suited for the average Lady. Mother will want someone who knows how to be with him.”

Your brows furrowed. “So, what did you notice? The day I arrived, I mean. How does he look at me differently than any other woman?”

Helaena pondered the thought for a moment. “You’re a wolf amongst dragons. That may have already been enough for him, but it’s not all. He’s a watcher. He prefers the corner of a room, rather than being the center of attention, unlike my husband. He watches people, like he’s analyzing them.” 

You nodded, slowly understanding. “What does that have to do with me?”

“You do the same. You’re a seer. You see people for who they are, not for who they want you to see. I know you saw through Aegon’s words the day you arrived. You see him for what he is. And I think you see Aemond for what he is. I think his fascination is in your ability to do that.”

“Truthfully, I don’t think I see the Prince for what he is. I haven’t been close to him for long enough to really know.”

Helaena offered a small smile, turning to head back for the castle. “I think you’ll see the waltz begin soon, Y/N. It’s already started for him.”

—

Helaena was right. You saw more and more of the Prince, seeming to collide paths with him frequently, if only for a fleeting moment. You found yourself stuck on him, and your thoughts often drifted to him. It puzzled you, what his fascination with you was, and you wondered what he was thinking about when he saw you. He was one of the few men you couldn’t immediately get an accurate reading on, and it troubled you. 

You began finding reasons to cross paths with Aemond, just so you’d have a few extra seconds to try and figure him out. You still rarely spoke to each other, only in passing, or in group settings with other members of the family. 

It was becoming a tedious process, for the both of you, although you were unaware of his own ambitions towards you. One of you was going to cave and approach the other, it was bound to happen. It turned out to be Aemond who pushed the boundary. 

One evening, after dinner, you took a walk to the courtyard. You sat, watching the stars, when you heard a voice you knew all too well. 

“Looking at the stars, My Lady?”

You quickly turned around, shocked to see that he actually approached you. You cleared your throat, nodding. 

“Yes. Are you familiar with any, My Prince?”

He nodded, moving to stand beside where you were sitting. 

“I’ve studied them quite a lot, actually. May I?”

You nodded, scooting over to make room, and he took his place beside you. You were tense, not used to being that close to him. He pointed up into the night sky at a cluster of stars. 

“That’s the constellation Aquila. It’s an eagle. See the V shape? That’s the head. Where it expands and the line of stars that goes down is its wings.”

You nodded, but you weren’t even looking at the sky. You were taking it as your chance to get a good look at him, for what felt like the first time. 

His features were sharp, those of a royal. His cheekbones were prominent, and he had a strong jaw. Despite the hardness of his face, he still had a soft elegance to him. His hair was shining under the moonlight, almost reflecting silver. The scar covering his eye was now a faded white line, with the faintest hints of pink in the cracks of it. It was one thing to possess one or two of those traits, as the Targaryens often did. But his features were striking, each complimenting the next. 

In this light under the stars, he was nearly ethereal.

He must’ve felt your gaze on him, because he turned to meet your eyes, catching you staring. 

“My Lady?”

You quickly shook your head, clearing your throat. “I’m so sorry, that was rude of me. I got distracted.” 

He looks unsure of himself, cocking his head to the side. “By what?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, unsure of what to say. “You? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone like you before. Not very many people look like you.”

He turns his head at your words, like he’s trying to shield his face from your view. His shoulders slump, and he looks down at his lap, and you know you’ve said something wrong. 

“It’s the scar,” he finally says. “Isn’t it? The Gods must’ve found it amusing, adding it to the collection of some rather unappealing features. It’s not pretty, I know. Believe me, I know.”

Your breath hitched, and you're unsure of how he could’ve twisted your words into knots so tight. You wondered what kind of torment he could have possibly endured to consider the scar a punishment from the Gods, as if the rest of him wasn’t already punishment enough.

“You’ve misunderstood me, My Prince, that isn’t what I meant at all–”

“Savor your words,” he interrupts. “I don’t need you to spare my feelings.”

He stands up brushing himself off. “Goodnight, My Lady.”

“Wait,” you start, trying to get up before he dashes off somewhere. You can see him, looking for the best escape route, like a cornered animal. You’re muttering apologies, and he’s brushing them off, trying to find a way to leave you. He turns to go.

“Wait!” You catch his wrist, and you can feel his body go rigid. But he stops in his tracks, slowly turning back around. His full attention is on you, and you're afraid you’ll crumble under the pressure of trying to find the right words to say. 

“Please sit back down,” you ask, pleading with him. He looks unsure, like he’s seconds from saying no.

“Please, Aemond.”

That’s enough to get his resolve to soften, and he finally relents. He lets you lead him back over to the spot where you were sitting. You take a seat, and look up at him expectantly, until he finally relents. He takes his place beside you, quiet. 

“You misunderstood me, Aemond. I meant no offense, and I’m sorry if it came off that way.”

He’s quiet, not meeting your eyes, seemingly very interested in his lap. He doesn’t stop you, though, and you take it as your cue to proceed.

“You know, sometimes I find it hard to look at you.”

You can see the slightest hint of a flinch at your words, and you’re quick to recover.

“I find it hard, because when I look at you, I’m quite literally rendered speechless, and that’s a rare occurrence for me. You just…you have such striking features.”

You watch him as you speak, and it's almost as if you can see the gears turning in his head. 

“I know it comes with being a Targaryen. The silver hair, the sharp features, you all look like royalty without even trying. But you…you’re more. You’ve got this etherality about you, and I can’t quite place why that is.”

You’re scanning his face now, looking at all the little nooks and crannies that you’ve somehow just now noticed. 

“And your scar, it's a part of you. There’s no shame in it, Aemond. It’s proof you fought a battle, and won. Wear it with pride. I don’t know what people have said to you about it, or what you’ve been told over the years, but they’re wrong. Every single one of them. They’re wrong.”

You almost don’t do it, but you can’t stop yourself, reaching a hand up slowly to cup his cheek. He’s still, it being his turn to watch your face now. He’s scanning for disgust, or pity, or any other emotion that he thinks will make you think less of him. 

But then you’re running a thumb across his cheekbone. And you're ghosting a finger down his scar. You’re being so gentle and careful with him, and you have nothing but adoration and genuine awe on your face as you take in his appearance, like you’re really seeing him for the first time. You could look at him for hours, and not grow tired of it.

And he’s melting. 

You reach up to tuck a stray strand of silver hair behind his ear.

“You’re beautiful, Aemond. Don’t let anyone make you feel any different. I’m sorry I didn’t say it before.”

You can tell nobody has ever talked to him like this, or been this genuine with him, and he doesn’t know what to do or say. 

“What you said, about the constellation. It’s fascinating, that out of all the stars in the sky, you picked the eagle. The watcher. That’s what you are. Funny, how I’m just now seeing it for the first time. It feels like I'm really looking at you for the first time, too.”

“It seems the Gods have reconsidered,” he says, finally looking at you, with pink cheeks and a small smile on his face. “Or, rather, Helaena was right.”

“About what, My Prince?” You smile, unable to stop yourself when his smile is so pretty.

“The waltz, My Lady. It really has started. And it only took a couple stars.”

—

A/N - Hi! I hope this wasn’t shit, I feel like I started off strong and it got weaker, but I’m still figuring out how to write for Aemond, so bare with me. Let me know what you thought :)

[whatlovelybones-if]

I absolutely adore Salem and if you don't mind and if it's not spoilers, I have some questions. How did Salem and Mc meet and how old was the Mc when they first met Salem?

i’m just throwing crumbs from the actual book at y’all atp smh not that i’m complaining under the cut in case y’all wanna avoid spoilers

a kitten jumps over the fence with a speed so fast that it seemed like a black blur to the passersby. she runs on her little feet, scratches adorning her belly and paws and black fur slightly matted with blood. she couldn’t be more than a month old and looks extra small with ribs sticking out and her big green eyes staying on alert.

two dogs sprint after her, strays with large muzzles and jaws which could break her ribs in pieces if they ever bite down on her small body. the cat knows that turning around or stopping will not end well for her. so she runs. she runs with swift feet and a rapidly beating heart.

she would outrun them today, tomorrow, and however many times she has to. this is the price she has to pay for living in a dog-eats-dog kind of world. to survive, you must run. especially with her size, she was never going to soundly defeat those two dogs.

she knew she had made a mistake as soon as she entered the uncharted territory behind the diner. what was even more stupid was that she decided to dig through the large trashcan anyway, searching for any scraps thrown out by the diner.

it was the smaller dog which noticed her first, immediately growling and giving away his position. the sheer timing of that was the only reason why the cat managed to get out of the way when the other dog pounced on her. to her tiny frame, they were titans armed with big, sharp teeth and aggression. and she was nothing but someone trying to live another day.

the little cat did not go without a fight though. she jumped on the larger dog, scratching one of his eyes and leaving him to whimper in pain. the other dog backs away for a second, before gearing up to strike her. she uses the injured dog as a leverage to jump and leave a deep gash on the smaller one.

he yowls and smacks her away with his sharp claw, causing deep gashes on her belly. she shakes her body, trying to get rid of the sudden dizziness and pain which assaulted her at the impact. when she senses one of the dogs leaning in to smell her, she hisses ferociously with an anger of a lioness and lands another swipe of her claws.

she wasted no time in just running with no destination in mind. the little cat didn’t care where she was going, she just wanted to be rid of her two aggressive pursuers who were still on her tail.

this was when she noticed a manor in the distance, looming like a menacing shadow over its premise. she also saw someone coming out of there, walking to a car parked nearby. the little cat didn’t think any further as she darted towards them, slowing herself down to a pace.

the person stops in their track and tilts their head in interest as she walks closer, meowing and making sure to show off the slight limp in her leg. they frown and immediately crouch down, taking off their gloves to reach their hand forward so she could sniff them and get familiar. the little cat contemplates what to do just for a while before she comes closer and runs her head against their hand after sniffing.

she couldn’t understand it herself but the person exuded a protective and warm aura, despite the coldness of their hands. they coo at her as she gets more confident and rubs herself all over their white coat, purring like an engine going haywire.

“are you hurt, you sweet little thing?” they ask in a fond but worried voice, fingers scratching near her tail in a way which makes her lift her lower half up. she all but meows repeatedly in confirmation.

that is all it takes for the person to gently scoop her up in their arms while taking care not to hurt her. the kitten purrs even louder—feeling comfortable and loved like this was a new but welcomed feeling.

“it’s alright, darling,” the person coos in a reassuring voice, softly scratching behind her ear. “we’ll get you all patched up, okay?”

the kitten meows and paws at their arms, as if making tiny biscuits and it brings a genuinely amused laugh out of them. it abruptly stops when she notices, at the same time as them, the two dogs prowling and watching from a distance. they seem to hesitate, as if something was holding them back. but her nose had always been good, and she could detect exactly what they smelled of.

fear. the most primal kind. fear of what exactly, she couldn’t tell, but it wafted off of them like rotten fish. the mere whiff of it raised her hackles and she hisses at them, this time even fiercer than before.

“i think what she is trying to say here is that you should leave,” the person’s voice was colder enough to freeze hell over. “now.”

“i’m guessing they’re the ones who did this to you,” the person says, examining her and looking over the fresh wounds. “you’re a brave little girl though, aren’t you?”

the pair didn’t need to be told twice as they yelped and ran, tails between their legs in the opposite direction.

the kitten meows and nestles into them further, enjoying their embrace.

“how about a name, hmm?” they scratch her chin fondly. “what about salem? fits you quite well, doesn’t it?”

the kitten, now named salem, purrs in approval. the person chuckles, holding her close and pressing a kiss on her head. salem meows and paws at the collar of their coat playfully.

“looks like we’re gonna have lots of adventures together, little salem.”

[cheerycherrycandy-resurrected]

Ghoulette Appreciation Week 9

Week 9: Pranks & Getting a pet

Pranks? Well this obviously needs me to bring back the Blondies!

This week was also heavily inspired by @rainsbasspick and their Rainbowie kitten fic, it's soo adorable, you have to read it!! I've had a load of fun discussing how the ghouls would react to a kitten with them, thanks Ash!! <3

Dew, Mountain and Aether are going on a trip with Papa. It's only for three days, how much trouble could Sunshine and Cumulus possibly get into? Or: Sunny and Cumulus replace Dew with a kitten.

Rating: G Content: Gratuitous fluff, kittens. Words: 2982

Read below or on AO3!

The ghouls filled the entrance hall of the Abbey, saying their goodbyes to Dew, Aether and Mountain. They were going on a three-day publicity tour with Papa, but the way the rest of the pack were acting you would think it was three months. Swiss was strategically standing with his hands resting on Rain's hips: if he was allowed to get free for “one more kiss” from Dew, they'd never manage to peel him away. Mountain was being swarmed by ghoulettes, as Aurora, Sunshine and Cumulus practically climbed him. Aether had his hands on Cirrus’ shoulders, giving his final words of encouragement and advice for keeping the pack in line with both him and Mountain absent. Phantom and Papa hovered awkwardly, watching the spectacle unfold.

Eventually, the last goodbyes were said. Aether gave Sunshine a hug, bending down to beg her to "please, for the love of all that's unholy, be good!" while Dew simultaneously whispered the opposite into Cumulus's hair. Papa finally herded his reluctant ghouls into the waiting car, Mountain rolling down the window as they began to pull away to fix the two most mischievous ghoulettes with a stare. “Behave!”

It was only for three days, after all. How much trouble could they get into?

Quite a lot, it turned out.

Sunshine and Cumulus knew better than to mess with Rain too much while Dew and Mountain were away: anything too mean would surely end in tears without Dew present to apologize, and Mountain to threaten payback. Besides, he had pretty much gone to ground while the others were away; only accepting company from Swiss and Phantom, or emerging at mealtimes. They both felt Swiss had suffered enough recently, although he had been delicious fun to mess with... maybe it was time to turn their efforts to the rest of the Abbey for a while. Copia was away, so who would be around to punish them?

They began their unsupervised reign of terror over the siblings with a classic: hiding in dark corners of the chapel for Sunny to remould candlewax into creepy shapes to scare siblings. Nothing beat the terrified squeal of a Sibling opening their eyes and raising their head from prayer to find the candle in front of them now bore a screaming face, features twisted in agony. Cumulus also reverted to an old favourite prank to scare new siblings. She conjured winds that felt like someone breathing down their neck, and hands grasping around their ankles. She made it her mission for the week to start a new rumour about the archway leading to the storage cellar being haunted – this also came with the double benefit of making the fearful siblings tasked with guarding it way less diligent, so both ghoulettes could pilfer more liquor from it.

The second night, when they snuck into the kitchen to steal snacks to fuel an evening of plotting, the head kitchen ghoulette, Meadow, was alerted to their presence by the indignant meow of a kitten they nearly tripped over.

“Oh hello, little one!” Sunshine cooed at the tiny ball of fluff, which was hissing and spitting at her ankles.

“Good evening, Sunshine, Cumulus.” Meadow said with a wry smile, looking up from the bread she was kneading. “What do I have to turn a blind eye to you two making off with this time?”

Cumulus at least had the dignity to look sheepish, while Sunshine ignored the question in favour of plopping herself onto the floor to get closer to the kitten. The last time she'd seen the kittens in the Abbey kitchen was about two months previously, when they had barely had their eyes open.

“We were here for pretzels and pizza bites, but I think Sunny wants the kitten!” Cumulus laughs, watching the ginger kitten's curiosity get the better of them, and start to clamber onto Sunshine's lap.

“You can take her too, if you'd like? They're all plenty old enough to leave, and Satan know this whole Abbey needs better pest control...” Meadow wiped flour from her hands onto her apron and gestured at two other kittens tussling in the corner. “Since they left their box, they've been running all over, getting under our feet. Even their mothers sick of them!”

All the ghouls were familiar with the kitchen mouser; a large tortoiseshell cat that had done more for their unending mouse problem than hundreds of mouse traps ever could. Copia lived in fear that she would one day seek more challenging prey and go after his rats.

Sunshine looked up from her spot on the floor with eyes as round as saucers. “We can keep her?” The kitten had found its way into her lap and was now happily purring away and headbutting the hand Sunny was petting her with.

Meadow shrugged and gestured to the storage cupboard, “They're all destined for various wings of the Abbey, might as well claim your own now. Litter and food is in the cupboard.”

Cumulus and Sunshine shared a look – this seemed too good to be true! The kitten hissed again as Sunshine scrambled to her feet, shocked at suddenly finding herself a meter higher in the air.

“Thanks, Meadow! We'll take good care of her, I promise.” assured Cumulus, tickling the small fuzzball under her chin. “This little princess is about to get spoiled rotten!”

The pair gathered up all the supplies they needed from the cupboard, almost forgetting their original mission for snacks in their excitement. With a final wave, they thanked Meadow one more time, receiving a good-natured eye roll in return.

“Cirrus is gonna kill us, isn't she?” giggled Sunshine as she and Cumulus made their way back through the darkened hallways to the ghoul wing, arms laden with food for both them and their new packmate, riding proudly on Sunshine’s shoulder.

“Definitely.”

The next morning, after getting the kitten settled in Sunshine’s room, Cumulus and Sunshine were sitting on the floor in the common room playing with the her, giving her a chance to spread her little legs. Miraculously she’d slept through most of the night, but only once Cumulus had helped her up onto the bed to curl up between them. Before this, she had circled their bed like a shark, howling her tiny lungs out.

“Look at her little horns!” Cumulus pointed to her white ears, in contrast to the rest of her ginger fur. “She looks just like Dew!”

“And she’s got his personality too, look!” Sunshine giggled as the kitten tried to drag Cirrus’s abandoned slipper across the floor. It was approximately the same size as her. “What a little menace!”

“Don’t eat Riri’s slipper, silly! She’ll be mad, and we might have to give you back to the kitchen!” Cumulus’s baby-talk seemed to get higher-pitched every time she addressed the kitten. Sunshine reached out to try and take the slipper from her, only for her stubby tail to fluff up like a bottle brush, and her to let out a tiny growl.

Cumulus buried her face into Sunshine’s side, suppressing her squeal so as not to frighten the adorable little monster.

“Aww, what a spitfire! You are like Dew, aren’t you!” Sunshine said as she finally succeeded at freeing the slipper, pulling it high into the air and dragging the still-growling ball of fur with it. Her teeth lost their grip and she fell the few centimetres back to the carpeted floor, landing in an undignified pile of legs and fur with a little huff.

Sunshine stood up, rescuing Cirrus’s other slipper from its vulnerable position under the sofa as she did.

“I’ll be right back, let me grab my camera. The newest ghoulette needs a picture on the fridge too!”

As the door swung shut behind Sunny, the kitten ran up to it and started scrabbling at it with her small claws, wailing at the top of her lungs.

“Oh you’re a clingy little thing, just like Dew when he was a water ghoul!” Cumulus cooed, scooping the cat up out of the way of the door. “Maybe we should call you Dew2?” She set the kitten back in her lap, laughing as she immediately scampered off again to explore.

Sunshine returned waving her polaroid camera, and was greeted by the kitten sat on the back of the sofa, where she had clawed her way up for a better vantage point. She tried to capture a photo of the kitten, but she immediately began batting at the lens with her paw.

Shortly after, Swiss walked into the den. He was greeted by the ginger kitten, still perched on the back of the sofa but now hissing and spitting at his unfamiliar scent. He hissed back.

“Don’t be mean Swiss!” Cumulus admonished him. He raised an eyebrow at her, looking pointedly at the clearly still agitated fuzzball, then back at Cumulus.

“What, are we summoning demons in here now?” he asked. The kitten spat at him again.

“Hey, Dew2 isn’t a demon, she’s a kitten!”

“Dew2.” Swiss deadpanned, looking to Sunshine as if she could provide more answers. She just shrugged, and grinned.

“I know you guys miss him but really? It’s been two days.” The look in Swiss’ eyes clearly conveyed that it was too damn early in the morning for this.

“We don’t have a proper name for her yet, we’re letting her personality choose.” Cumulus said, Sunshine nodding in agreement.

“Hmpf. Seems like you’re pretty accurate already, you’ve cloned Dew into a baby cat’s body. Congrats, Papa’s gonna freak if that gets anywhere near his rats.” He walked off in the direction of the fridge in the corner, shaking his head in bemusement.

The kitten hissed again as he retreated, before scrabbling her way onto Sunshine’s shoulder. The ghoulette tried not to wince as the kitten’s needle-like claws dug into her bare skin.

“Oh she’s such a little spitfire!” Cumulus fussed at the kitten, as it seemed torn between continuing to drive off the threat of Swiss, and purr at the head scratches.

“What about that as a name!” gasped Sunshine “Spitfire. How does that sound?”

“Oh yeah, that’s cute.” Swiss drawled sarcastically from by the fridge, “Good luck with that, I’m sure Dew won’t mind that you replaced him at all.” He grabbed the drink he had come in for, and headed for the door. “Enjoy explaining her to Cirrus. And Aether.”

It turned out, Dew did mind. He returned with Papa and the other ghouls shortly before dinner that night to discover the den in uproar. Cirrus had been running around checking everything was in order for their return, only to discover three ghoulettes, Rain, and Phantom all sat in a circle on the den floor flicking a pom-pom between each other for an equally fluffy kitten to chase. Six pairs of glowing eyes had stared at her as she stood in the doorway, spluttering at the mess they had created. Cirrus squeezed her eyes tightly shut and bolted from the room, as if hoping that by choosing not to acknowledge the scene before her, it would cease to exist.

Dewdrop, Aether and Mountain had returned to a duplicate experience; the unblinking eyes also staring unnervingly up at them from the floor. All of them exhausted from the trip, it was decided that the arrival of a small new pack member would be discussed in the morning. Sunshine and Cumulus had cackled to themselves as they settled down to sleep with Spitfire that night. For now, they seemed to have won.

Dew quickly realized he had returned home to a nightmare: his little mischief-making trio was now a foursome, and he had been replaced by a small cat. The ghoulettes addressed Spitfire with questions as though Dew wasn’t there, got distracted halfway through sentences by the kitten interrupting with a meow, and were now calling it by his nickname. Every time one of the ghoulettes would call Spitfire, Dew’s ears would twitch. They seemed to be taking malicious pleasure in it.

“Why is she called that?” he finally burst out in desperation.

“Well, we couldn’t really call her Dew2 now, could we?” Cumulus said innocently, batting her eyelashes. Sunshine’s characteristic smirk grew wider.

“I was gone THREE DAYS and you replaced me!” Dew yelled, and stormed angrily from the room. He headed to find Cirrus, one of the few remaining pack members who weren’t under the kitten’s spell. Cumulus and Sunshine fussed over Spitfire, her tail lashing at the sudden noise.

Dew didn’t quite get the sympathy he had been hoping for, however. He had crossed Cirrus enough times in the past that she had no intention of letting Dew get away without a little taste of his own medicine.

“Oh Dewdrop,” she stroked his hair from where he had flopped dramatically onto her bed next to her, “you can’t run around being a menace to society with Sunny and Lulu and expect to be totally immune from their mischief yourself!” Dew huffed and rolled over, burying his face into her duvet.

Over the next few days, everyone had begun to warm up to the new feline member of their pack. Even Cirrus and Aether had finally agreed that Spitfire’s cuteness far outweighed the additional mess she caused. Aurora and Phantom were new to the human concept of keeping pets, neither having even seen a kitten before, and were summarily besotted with her. The one ghoul left unconvinced was Dew.

A lazy morning led to Mountain and Sunshine making lunch for the pack, with a little helper running around their feet. Spitfire seemed to have boundless energy and was living up to her name, bouncing around like a spark from the fireplace. Cumulus, Aurora and Dew were sprawled across each other on the sofa, banished from “helping” by Mountain.

Sunny held out a small scrap of salami from the sandwiches she was making, dangling it tauntingly above the kitten’s head. Spitfire sniffed the air above her, rearing onto her back legs to try and snatch the morsel of food. Sunshine whisked it away again and again, teasing the kitten, her tail waving back and forth as she geared up to jump. She continued this little game, Spitfire’s jumps getting higher and higher each time until she was almost level with the countertops.

“Hey look Dew, she��s almost as tall as you when she jumps!” Cumulus giggled. Dew spluttered indignantly. With her next attempt, Spitfire jumped even higher; twisting dramatically and finally snatching the salami from Sunshine. She came crashing back onto the floor with a small huff, clutching her prize in her mouth as she landed in an ungainly heap.

“Hmpf, she’s even less graceful at falling over than Rain though!” Dew retorted as he tickled the soles of Cumulus’s feet to make her squeal.

Spitfire stumbled back to her feet, finishing her treat and licking her lips. She shook herself off, and trotted over to Cumulus. Dew scowled down at her, as she stared balefully up at the ghouls on the sofa, meowing gently as she begged to be helped up to join their pile. Cumulus wasted no time in scooping Spitfire onto her lap, and fussed over her as she delicately licked a paw and washed her face. Still sulking, Dew turned his back on Cumulus and the kitten, and struck up an inane conversation with Aurora about the chore rota.

Behind his back, his tail swished in embarrassment at being compared to the kitten once again. He was so engrossed in changing the topic, he failed to see Aurora’s eyes narrowing at something over his shoulder, and the corners of her lips turning up. On Cumulus’s lap, Spitfire had stopped preening and her own little eyes were locked onto the twitching spade of Dew’s tail. Cumulus watched as the kitten’s bottom began to wiggle, her own stubby tail waving behind her.

The yelp when Spitfire’s teeth sunk into Dew’s tail could have come from either of them. He leapt to his feet, shrieking as he tried to shake her loose. The kitten let go of his violently lashing tail, abandoning ship in favour of landing on Dew’s back and holding on with her claws for dear life. As Dew continued to screech, Cumulus and Aurora were rendered speechless, in fits of laughter at the sight.

“Looks like she likes you Dew!” howled Sunshine from the kitchen.

Spitfire continued to claw her way to relative safety, eventually reaching Dew’s shoulder as he began spinning in circles trying to reach to dislodge her.

“You sure about that?” he growled, coming to a stop as he made himself dizzy. Spitfire unhooked one paw, and use it to bat at a loose piece of his hair over his ear. Cautiously, he reached around to grab her, and held her out at arm’s length front of him to give her a narrow-eyed glare. She glowered back at him, hissing.

Once the ghoulettes had stopped laughing, Mountain managed to corral them and the rest of the pack to the dinner table to eat lunch. Cumulus and Sunshine parked themselves either side of Dew, encouraging Spitfire to walk across him to move between their laps for food. Dew could have sworn she was digging her claws into his thigh extra deep on purpose. She politely accepted a titbit from Cumulus’s plate, and Dew sent her another challenging glare as he unwrapped a string cheese. Spitfire glared back, before launching herself at the other end of the cheese dangling from Dew’s lips.

A tug of war ensured, both parties growling at each other over around the cheese in their mouths.

“Dew, just let her have it,” sighed Mountain, “there’s plenty more cheese.” His pleas fell on deaf ears.

Cumulus and Sunshine leaned back in their seats to smirk at each other over the still-growling Dewdrop. Spitfire was the best new ghoulette they could have ever asked for.

[skippyv20]

Life with Ellie❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🐶

Well we have had Ellie a week tomorrow, and what a difference in our household. She has brought laughter to dry our tears. Joy to ease our sadness. I have said before she was chosen by Cathy as she was born two days after Cathy left us.

Ellie is all black with a little bit of white on her chest. She is turning dark brown now. She follows me everywhere, all the time, she will wake from a nap in an instant the second I move, and drag her tired little body to follow me. She is exactly like Cathy in that way. She is sassy, and cheeky! Her personality is so similar to Panda. Oliver barks at her…she barks back. Her and Jaxon have great conversations, he meows and she barks. Oliver and Jaxon love her.

Ellie lays beside Oliver and he doesn’t move. She chases Jaxon, and when Jaxon tires of her he just disappears. They touch noses too. Jaxon loves to sit and watch her play. Oliver is on constant alert making sure she is safe. He won’t let her go to the other end of the house, he blocks her. He sticks to her like glue. I suspect that is what he was missing….he always took care of Panda. There is no doubt, Ellie is the boss. She has an attitude, and she does think she is a princess. She took off her sweater last night, that didn’t take her long to figure out.

She jumped off the deck into the snow today, and followed Oliver up the two steps to the deck. She was very proud of herself. She is mostly house trained. She can get on the couch herself. She is very busy, and runs wild from 7:00 a.m. onward. She does take naps, as long as I don’t move. She loves her toys, and she has many. Her favorite is a crinkly bunny. She loves her food dishes. She drags and pulls everything that gets in her way. She understands the word “no”…but doesn’t like to hear it. She will bark if you don’t get her food ready fast enough. She does scratch at the door to go outside, Oliver has taught her well. We have had some snow, and she loves it. She is a snow bunny!

For anyone that thinks a new puppy replaces another, you are so wrong. They can’t, and never will. What they do is heal your heart, remind you of the ones you have lost, and bring back ….those sweet happy memories. I can smile when I see Cathy and Panda in Ellie. It doesn’t mean I don’t cry from missing them, I will always miss them. If nothing else, Ellie keeps them alive in our hearts, and reinforces they never leave us. Ellie is our angel.

[pisoprano]

Happy birthday, @blur0se! I wrote some more Loveybug AU for you!

Marinette was feeling giddy. Becoming Loveybug was just—GAHH!!! She didn’t have words for it. She wanted to dance and squeal and start throwing confetti. 

She’d told Chat Noir she loved him! 

After all her failures with trying to tell Adrien her feelings, she’d actually succeeded in revealing the three suns in her heart (i.e., those three little words, “I love you”) to someone! And sure, Chat had run away before responding, but clearly that had to be because he was about to transform back, right? Or maybe it was just that he was too surprised by the other news she’d shared to say anything? 

(He looked so sad, though, when he learned that Ladybug wasn’t coming ba—DON’T THINK ABOUT ANY OF THAT! THIS IS HAPPY FUN TIME TO CELEBRATE!) 

She started planning what she was going to do when she saw Chat Noir again. Maybe they could go on a romantic boat ride together? She could wear a fancy dress and have a violin serenading them as they watched the stars together! And she had to bring him a rose—no, a dozen! A hundred! How expensive were roses again? She'd figure that out later, she just knew that any roses had to be red because her kitty needed to know that this was no platonic friendship that she was giving him, it was a romance. One that would last forever and ever! 

The akuma alert popped up on her phone. A part of Marinette was annoyed—she hadn’t finished her dating plan yet!—but on the other hand, it meant seeing that beautiful, silly, fun, caring, adorable, wonderful boy in cat ears that much sooner. She’d have to make up for the lack of a plan with extra hugs (and kisses if she could snag them!) 

“Tikki, spots on!” 

Loveybug yo-yo'd herself into the sky and looked for her partner (the akuma could wait). Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to have shown up yet. Probably something in his personal life holding him up. She wished she knew more about that personal life. She wished she was a part of that personal life. Maybe he’d open up more about himself to Loveybug—he certainly wouldn’t tell Ladybug since she'd told him ‘No talking about identity stuff!’ too many times to count (she was a fool to have made that rule—sure the world had ended a couple times, but on the other hand, consider: kissy kissy meow meow). 

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t see all the birds coming. Loveybug was thrown into the air by Mr. Pigeon’s latest flock of evil pigeons. Maybe I can manipulate the swarm of birds into making a message for Chat? she mused to herself. A giant heart shouldn’t be too difficult, right? 

As she tried to think through her plans of sky artistry, she suddenly felt a pair of sturdy arms wrap around her. 

He’s here! 

Loveybug closed her eyes in a dramatic swoon and nuzzled up to him, “Hey, Hot Stuff, where have you been all my life?” She moved her hand up to his neck to play with his bell, but it wasn’t there. All she found was a metallic chain. 

She opened her eyes to look at her catboy. Except he wasn’t her catboy. Sure he was a catboy—black cat ears, a tail, and baton with a paw print that he was using to keep the both of them aloft in the sky as they fled the pigeon horde. But his hair was green and his posture was perfect and he looked like a soldier waiting for orders. Nothing like the fun-loving goofball that had been Ladybug’s partner since the very beginning. 

(Except that time when he’d given up the ring. Except that time when he’d been replaced.) 

“Catwalker?” she whispered. 

“Good day, Loveybug, I hope you are alright?” 

“Of course I’m alright!” she yelped. “Why wouldn’t I be alright?” 

She couldn’t let herself fall apart over losing Chat, not again. She needed to be Loveybug right now, she would die of mortification if Catwalker of all people found out that she was Ladybug in disguise. Mr. Perfect could never find out about how Ladybug had screwed things up with Chat Noir so badly she’d dreamed up an alternate version of herself to fix it. 

Catwalker frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay? We’ve got an akuma to deal with, but if you’re not feeling well—” 

“Yep! Purr-fectly fine, that’s me! Paris’ number one heroine of love and justice! Loveybug! Not Ladybug! She’s not here! Oh look, the Pigeon Man! Let’s go fight him! With the power of love!” 

She gave Catwalker a smooch on the cheek and flung herself away towards danger.

(But why was Catwalker here? He can’t be a permanent replacement. Chat Noir had to come back. If Chat hated Loveybug so much that he gave up the ring again just to get away from her, she’d—DON’T THINK ABOUT THAT! EVERYTHING IS FINE! JUST KEEP DOING WHAT YOU’RE DOING! YOU LOVE CATWALKER TOO, RIGHT? HE’S SUPER PRETTY AND NICE. YOU CAN LOVE HIM UNTIL CHAT NOIR COMES BACK. HE HAS TO COME BACK.) 

[jjungkookislife]

Valentine's Decisions

pairing: bad decisions!yoongi x f. reader

genre: established relationship [18+]

summary: Your first Valentine's Day with Yoongi and Spider.

wc: 1k

warnings: none?

date: February 14, 2023

Yoongi hummed along to the song flowing out of the kitchen speaker. His hands worked diligently as he adjusted a few items in Spider’s Valentine’s Day basket. He had you distracting the sweet cat with a few pets and the ringing little ball on the floor. 

“Almost done, babe,” Yoongi calls as he places a few treats in the basket beside the cans of wet food and the little shakes Spider seems to love so much lately. 

Spider meows as she hops onto the couch, turning in circles before sitting down. She’s gone full loaf with her tiny paws under her body as she dozes off. You gently rub her head, moving down to rub between her shoulders as she lays her head on the couch. She’s been running around all day, causing mayhem and destruction in her path before climbing into her cardboard box. 

“And done!” Yoongi exclaims as he sets the basket on the counter and you sit up to look at it from your seat. 

“It looks great! She’s gonna love it!” You smile and Yoongi’s heart flutters in his chest. 

You weren’t a huge fan of the holiday, but Yoongi was. He’d been decorating the apartment the whole month, baking, and making chocolate treats. You’d been surprised at first, but Jimin had assured you it was just Yoongi being Yoongi. He loved holidays, loved decorating, and loved cooking. 

However, he was a bit disappointed to find out you weren’t as excited. He’d mention going on a date the day of and you awkwardly smiled and agreed but he saw the hesitation. 

“I just don’t like the holiday crowd,” you’d said with a bite of your lip. “I get overwhelmed with so many people around.”

Yoongi nodded. He understood. Large crowds were intimidating and annoying. Sometimes people pushed into you or entered your personal space without a care in the world. The last thing he wanted was for you to be uncomfortable, so he quickly came up with a solution. You’d spend Valentine's Day at home. Just the three of you. 

You’d both agreed on a movie night. You’d both go shopping and pick out a snack, some candy, a movie, and a personal item for the other. You’d order in and watch movies until bedtime. Honestly, that sounded so much better for you. Definitely more relaxing.

You’d decided not to get gifts other than the personal items. You weren’t a huge fan of the “Hug Me” teddy bears, and you both owned more mugs than you could count. In fact, Yoongi was working on building a shelf for your collection of mugs. Who knew he was so great with his hands? Okay, maybe you did, but still!

The two of you decided to make Valentine’s about your sweet little cat. She was over the moon when you’d unboxed her new heart-shaped scratching post, though you were a bit annoyed when she sat on the box for an hour before touching the scratching post, but cats will be cats. 

Spider stretches before hopping off the couch and heads to the kitchen. She wraps herself around Yoongi’s leg and meows, asking for a treat. 

“Just a minute, little lady,” he coos as he grabs the basket and takes it to the living room. Annoyed, Spider follows after him, meowing again as Yoongi sets the basket on the coffee table. 

“Spider,” Yoongi calls sweetly. The kitty is alert and jumps onto the couch. Yoongi reaches forward and grabs the little bag of treats. He takes his time to arrange them in the shape of a heart and Spider sits and waits patiently until Yoongi’s done. He coos at her, petting her head before allowing her to eat the treats.

“She’s scarfing them down,” you comment as you watch your sweet girl devour the treats in record time. Yoongi chuckles softly as he pulls you closer to him, his arm draped over your shoulder. 

“She deserves some treats,” Yoongi shrugs as he leans over to kiss your forehead. “She didn’t headbutt me this morning to get her breakfast. I think we’re making progress.”

“She stepped on your face this morning and mine yesterday,” you giggle. Yoongi shakes with laughter, sighing. “It’s a learning process.”

“I just need her to not nibble on my forehead. I thought sleeping in the same bed would make it easier to sleep since she’s not tackling my bedroom door to be let in,” you groan when Spider hops onto your lap. Her paws dig into the softness of your thighs. Yoongi scoops her up, kissing her head.

“You’re just a needy little kitty, huh? You want all our attention?” Yoongi asks in his baby voice reserved for Spider. He coos at her when she purrs, kissing her little face until Spider is taking out her claws and running off.

You laugh as you rest your head on his shoulder, a warmth spreading across your chest. You have been so happy since you’ve gotten with Yoongi. Everything just seemed to settle perfectly between you. You had your kitty and your boyfriend. What else could you need?

With a smile, you lean in to kiss Yoongi. His hand cups your face to deepen the kiss, a soft moan escaping you. Smirking, Yoongi kisses you again, his tongue brushing your lips before you let him in. It’s not long before he’s got you under him, your hands laced with his over your head as your thighs wrap around his hips.

“Yoongi,” you moan softly, turning your head to allow him more room as he kisses your neck, gently nipping your skin.

Yoongi groans when your fingers tug on his hair, biting back a moan of your name. 

“Fuck,” he pants. “I love you.”

Yoongi kisses you, chuckling when your fingers freeze and he feels the wild thump of your heart. You giggle, cupping his face.

“You can’t just say that and not let me say it back,” you grin, cheeks hurting from your wide smile.

Yoongi blushes. He shrugs, “Didn’t want to put you on the spot.”

“I love you,” you giggle, kissing his face all over until he’s hiding his red face in your chest. You hug him close, cooing at him as he laughs softly. You rub his back in gentle circles. “I love you.”

<< previous

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[beerecordings]

Look we all know Mr. Higgins is the real star of the new comics. Here is a fic about him adopting Marvin, all while Marvin finds himself struggling desperately against the memory control of the Magic Circle. Written after Altrverse #0, extrapolations are probably not canon to anything. Thanks for reading, let me know if you enjoy!

.

The excitement of a new book always fills him with verve enough to keep him up late into the night. His shop is warm, a green fire burning without wood or fuel along the back wall, and his scalp tingles with every new sigil passing through his vision.

The fact that it's an extremely illegal book to own only makes it more exciting for Marvin.

He's almost laid out over the counter, bent low over the pages, his free hand wrapped around a third mug of hot mint tea – got to have something to go with the book, after all – when the door to the shop jingles. He'd meant to lock up for the night, but he hadn't managed to tear himself away. “Come in!” he calls distractedly, pressing his hand over a complex sigil shaped like a pair of antlers.

No footsteps sound. Marvin looks up quickly, his mind conjuring images of the twins in full regalia in his doorway, ready to strip him of his power for the transgression of his black magic book, but no one's there.

He can't decide if that's worse or better.

“Hello?” he calls, voice sharpening. He can handle most magicians, and certainly any civilians. But if this is the Magic Circle trying games with him, he won't be playing. “Reveal yourself.”

Something shifts by the bookshelf closest to the door. Marvin gets to his feet, book forgotten, and fixes his mask back over his face. He'll address this head on. He summons a spell and transports the four feet to be on the other side of his bookshelf, purple light gleaming for a second in his wake, alighting on his hand markings.

“Meow?” says a little grey and white cat.

Marvin stops short, mouth falling open in delight. The tension rushes out of him so fast his face feels cold. He claps his hands together and falls to his knees. “Hello, there, darling, aren't you a pretty sight? I wouldn't have thought a cat could get through that door, or you wouldn't have set me so on alert, you know! You must have really wanted in.”

He glances up at the door. Really, how did a cat push through that? The cat mewls at him again.

“Oh, come here, poor thing.”

He scratches his fingers against the carpet. The cat looks at him with interest, sitting down beside his shelves. It has remarkably clear eyes, blinking languidly at him, tail flicking. It's so calm Marvin just approaches it, putting a hand on its head and stroking down its grey back. It closes its eyes and purrs minutely, completely unhurried.

“Yes, there's a good little creature,” Marvin laughs. He pulls his hand away at a tacky sensation and finds his palm coated in dirt and dust. He sits petting the cat for several minutes, until the creature flops onto its side and exposes its belly to him. It's a male cat, purring loudly at him now, those cute paws folded in the air. Marvin laughs.

“You are a sight for sore eyes. But I can't have you tearing up the carpet or peeing on my books, kitten. Tell you what, I'll get you something to eat from upstairs and set it outside for you. Okay? Be right back.”

He heads upstairs to his flat and gets into the fridge, setting several strips of deli meat onto a plate for the cat. Maybe he'll take some pictures of the little guy as he eats. It would be nice to have a cat coming around every now and then. He had cats as a kid, in his family home, before he had to... well, before everything that happened. He loved them enough to shape his mask after them, but he's never had the free time for a pet. At this point, he's not even sure he has the safety for a pet. If the Circle finds out...

Well. Seeing as he himself isn't even aware of what he's doing half the time, he's hoping the chances of being discovered are slim.

Marvin sighs and heads back downstairs, clicking his tongue at the cat as he walks to the door and opens it. He sets the dish on the ground, but the cat hasn't moved, just looking at him from the carpet inside.

“Oh, you're comfy there, are you?” Marvin chuckles. “I understand. But you better have something to eat. Come here, then.”

The cat doesn't get up. Marvin sighs again, stepping over to him. “Sorry, my darling, but you can't stay in here.”

He leans down to pick the cat up. He doesn't struggle at all – well-behaved little thing – but as Marvin sets a foot outside, he sees a droplet of dark grey appear on the pavement beside it.

He frowns and looks up. A drop of water strikes his cheek.

“Really, right now?”

He's used to UK rain, but it's only a moment or two later that a full torrential downpour is pushing him back inside the shop. He curses and grabs the deli meat, pulling the dish inside. The cat leans down and delicately begins eating.

“Oh, lucky bugger,” Marvin says, shaking his head. “You're sure you're not a magic spy cat or something? A man disguised as a cat to trick me?”

The cat finishes the turkey and leans down to begin licking his anus.

“Alright, yeah, not a spy.”

Marvin looks out at the rain, coming down aggressively onto the awning and beating a cold rhythm through the shop. The cat polishes himself up politely at Marvin's feet. Poor dirty thing. Maybe he has an owner who's looking for him.

“Alright, then,” Marvin says, leaning down to pick the cat up once more. “You can stay just for tonight, while I figure out what to do with you.”

The cat pushes its head into his chin and purrs.

.

"Why do you have this? Where did you get it?"

"Would you just look?"

Sunday chooses to look up at him instead, something between astonishment and dismay arguing on his face. "Marvin..."

Marvin sighs out and taps the front of the book. "I have some contacts from my old mentor. They found this for me."

"Marvin, Ramesses wasn't exactly the kind of magician the Circle would approve of."

"You think I don't know that?"

Sunday sighs and rubs at the ear of his mask - a pretty cute form of self-soothing, really. After a moment, he flicks open the pages of the book.

"How's your memory today?" Marvin asks, trying not to sound too strained.

"What do you mean, my memory?"

"Do you remember that the Circle has been wiping things from our heads?" Marvin insists, clutching at the table.

Sunday's eyes flicker. "Right. That's... why we're looking at things like this."

"Right," Marvin agrees, relieved. "That's why we need help from magicians like Ramesses. Ones who know what's really going on. We need to find a way to keep them out of our heads."

It's dangerous stuff, but he and Sunday have had that discussion. Marvin has to trust that he's going to stay on board even as both of their memories ebb and flow. He desperately needs someone to help him remember. It's infuriating, knowing that the people who are supposed to be helping magicians are just taking control of them instead. Marvin won't be their puppet.

"This is the spell you're looking at?" asks Sunday.

"Yes. To protect someone from mind magic."

"You can't cast that alone."

"Help me, then!"

"We can't cast this alone," Sunday corrects. "You would need a huge group or an artifact."

"I have some magical artifacts."

"Not ones with enough power."

"Sunday, please."

"Marvin." His friend looks up at him sharply. "I know how deep we are in over our heads, but that's why we must be careful. You don't even know if this spell will work. It could harm you, change you, burn you out. Start with some of the smaller ones... look, this can imbue an object with the magic to see things for you. A looking glass of its own. And I'm sure you've been scrying."

Marvin grits his teeth. Yes, he's been scrying. All he sees is black wisps and red eyes through the darkness. Something is coming, and he can't stop it without knowing his mind is secure. He needs to expel the twins from the Magic Circle, needs to have a group of magicians he can trust, needs to -

"Marvin," says Sunday again. "You're working yourself up."

His sigils are glowing. He turns away bitterly, clutching his hands into fists.

"We're going to figure it out," Sunday says wearily. "You have to believe that. But you can't hurt yourself."

He sets the book down. "I need to get going. Not all of us get to run our own bookstores. I'll text you tomorrow after work, okay?"

"Fine," says Marvin. "Fine."

"Whoa, wait, is this yours?"

Marvin looks over to see the stray cat coming out of his bedroom, sitting down beside Sunday to regard him warily. It meows at him loudly enough that Sunday chuckles.

"No, I just took him in for a couple nights," Marvin sighs. "Trying to find his owner."

"And if he doesn't have one?"

"I don't know." He really doesn't. The cat's super cute, but Marvin has a lot going on. "I don't think I've got time for a cat. I get a little focused on one thing at a time."

Sunday gives him a look of disbelief. "A little?"

"Oh, shut it."

Sunday rubs the cat's head for a moment before standing. "We'll figure this out," he repeats. "Don't lose hope."

"I need you to give me some," Marvin says wearily.

Sunday touches his shoulder and grins at him, just as tired, but there's nothing more he can say. Once he's gone, Marvin sinks onto the couch, sighing deep. The cat jumps up beside him.

"You want to switch places?" Marvin asks, reaching out to scratch his chin. "I'll sleep and eat all day and you can go back to a place where you know you'll be brainwashed every time they call for you. You don't know how sick it makes me... but then, of course, I forget, and I'm theirs again."

He almost sinks in on himself, then, just wanting to melt into the couch. But the cat gets into his lap and meows at him, and the stink of his breath makes him laugh and pull back, and he sits up and pets him for a while instead of crumpling into his own dismay.

.

“Well, he's not got fleas or ticks or anything.”

The vet runs her hands professionally over the disgruntled cat, looking through his fur and petting his head. He turns to Marvin like he's expecting him to come help, and Marvin stifles a laugh. He's an expressive cat, really. Must have been good at begging for scraps.

“Really, none?”

“No," says the vet. "Why, did you see some?”

“No, it's just, I figured a stray cat would have one. You sure he's not chipped either?”

“No chip,” the vet confirms, running her hands over the cat. “How long have you had him?”

“Five days now. I called the animal shelter and posted online in case anyone is looking for him.”

“You can check our board in case someone's posted that he's lost.”

“Alright, will do.”

“But he's neutered and all, so you don't have to worry about that.”

“Good,” says Marvin emphatically. “I've never met such a headstrong cat. I don't think he'd let anybody get down there with scissors.”

“Oh, but he's such a well-mannered little boy,” coos the vet, petting the cat's head. The cat purrs.

“Yeah, now,” Marvin laughs. “But if you do something he doesn't like, he will let you know. I think he's capable of revenge.”

They have a laugh about it and the vet gets ready to give him some shots. When she gets out a syringe, the cat raises his butt like he's ready to bolt, but Marvin grabs his scruff sharply and leans down to chide him.

“Everybody has to get shots, Higgins,” he says. “You behave. You can't come home if you're not healthy.”

“Oh, no, you've named him,” smiles the vet.

Marvin puffs out a sigh. “I have, haven't I? I didn't mean to. But doesn't he look just like a little Mr. Higgins? Who's the prettiest boy?”

Mr. Higgins shoots him a disgruntled look, but he allows the vet to pin him down gently and give him his shots. Soon as they're done, he nips Marvin's thumb with his teeth.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” says Marvin, pushing him back into the carrier. “We'll check the board and then get you home.”

He's still not sure he wants a cat, but Higgins keeps trying to sleep in his bed, so Marvin figured he'd be responsible and get him checked over before they both get fleas. "You might not get to stick around forever," he tells the cat. "But I'll take care of you while you do."

But as he gets out to the reception of the vet's clinic, looking at their board of announcements and missing pet posters, he realizes he doesn't mind having the cat around. And this is how people get cats, right? They just take one in for a night, and then the cat adopts you. It's not like there's much going on for him right now, anyone. Things are good at the shop and with the Magic Circle. Everything's -

Higgins lets out a meow so loud other people turn to look at him, and so does Marvin, surprised. He's reminded of Higgins meowing at Sunday, who was over at his place to - to what?

To look at that black magic book...

Which he got because... because... why? Why is he looking at magic like that?

Higgins meows again, a little strangled. Marvin looks into his big, languid cat's eyes. Because...

The Circle is fucking with his head.

The realization hits him like a baseball in the chest, but even as it does, he knows this isn't the first time he's realized it. They keep making him forget - forget - forget.

He's a fucking puppet.

Marvin pushes himself out of the vet's office, vision blurry with frustrated tears.

"It keeps happening," he says to Higgins, voice tight. "I can't make them stop."

Higgins looks up at him from his carrier. The cat's quiet now, not struggling or meowing. Just looking at him.

"Yeah, you might not want me for an owner," sighs Marvin. "Fucked up head and a fucked up mess I can't seem to get myself out of."

Higgins lets out one little meow. Okay. That's pretty cute too. Marvin tries to get over himself. The self-pity won't help. Maybe, when he gets home, he can focus on getting Higgins a treat instead, since he was such a little gentleman at the vet.

.

Knowing that Sunday is right about the spell he wants to try doesn't it make it any easier to resist.

In fact, he thinks it makes it harder. Who is Sunday to tell Marvin what he's capable of?

He's always had that proud streak, and he knows it. Wanting to be the best at everything has served Marvin well in some parts of his life, but he's also been called cocky, overzealous, and, on one occasion, "basically a rat going to town on a Cheeto when it comes to magic," and all for good reason.

Higgins has hopped up on the kitchen counter, sitting beside the black magic book. Everytime Marvin looks over at it, he meows pointedly. If he didn't know better, he'd say the little miscreant was trying to warn him away too.

"It's just a spell," Marvin tells him, pacing around his living room. "I've never died trying stupid spells before. And I have tried some damn powerful spells."

He's good at powerful spells. He's a powerful fucking sorceror. It's why he was picked for this, mentored so intensely, sculpted to be better, better, better. The Magic Circle has its rules, but it should never have become a means to control him or restrain him. They can't take his own mind for him. He won't allow it!

"No one else is doing anything about it," he says to Higgins. "Sunday's the only one who's been able to hear me out and not forget everything the very next day. And even him, I have to remind again and again, and he has to remind me."

Higgins says "mrrp."

"Well, it's not like I can just leave the Magic Circle! All magical authority comes from them, and the twins - well. I have a lot to learn from the twins. Things the outsiders will never have access to. No, I need to be the one to take this all down from the inside. I'll cleanse it with fire if I have to! Or else - or else what will happen? We'll all be their slaves forever."

No. No. He won't be their tool. He grabs the black book. Higgins yowls.

"There is food for you in your bowl," Marvin chides him, heading towards the stairs. "Stay up here!"

Higgins tries to follow him down to the shop, and Marvin has to push him away with his foot, closing the door on him. Higgins makes a noise that can't be anything other than annoyed.

"Needy thing," Marvin chides, heading down the stairs, but it's soon gone from his mind. He's really going to try a new spell, one that might exorcise the twins's control over him. There's no rush like this, he loves it. New books, new spells, new magic. This is what he was born and trained for.

"Sunday doesn't know what I can do," Marvin says, putting his book down on his desk. This time, he makes sure the door to the shop is locked. "And neither do the fucking twins."

Mensprotego, not the original name of the spell, to be sure. It's Romanian in origin and the name is just some Latin combination of phrases given to it to lend it a feeling of power. But Marvin knows the real power of it as he traces the words over the spell. He draws his sigils with precision - he should have known when he was practicing the unfamiliar ones that he would always end up trying this alone - and sticks a mandrake leaf against the roof of his mouth, as the spell instructs. For extra energy, he'll use Ramesses's old staff.

It's good to grip it in his hands again. Even after all this time, he still thinks he can feel his mentor with him every time he holds it. Sometimes, he even gets the nostalgic smell of fire and the Vaseline he would smear over his scarring.

"Help me once again," he asks, pulling the staff over to his counter.

The power rushes up over him like a wave of water as he starts to speak. It's a strange sort of spell, the way it coasts over him, like it's sending sparks into him, a mini electrification that keeps repeating across his body - and keeps getting stronger. He wets his lips and keeps going. He's more used to magic that makes you feel tired as you use too much, but this! This is invigorating. His heart starts to pound. He can feel it against his chest. The electricity feeling makes him cramp, his fingers squeezing at the staff, and then his tongue sticks to his mouth. Wow. It kind of makes it hard to move. Kind of hurts.

Another wave of it grips him, and he pauses, breathing out and giving himself the chance to stop.

But then what will happen? Nothing. Things will keep going as they are. He can't take it. He has to keep going. To keep trying something new.

"I will not be yours," he whispers, and, clearing his throat, speaks the last words of the spell.

Everything explodes with light, blinding him, and a hot, raw pain bursts across him, his whole body lit up with purple markings, his eyes aglow, though he cannot see through them. He gasps and his body tries to crumple, but another wave of it crosses over him, shocking him stiff, unable to even collapse. Still, he clings to the spell, to the magic, vying hard for protection. If he can just get free, nothing else matters. He'll recover later, won't he? If he can just protect himself -

Something sharp clenches down on his ankle and he yells. The different kind of pain snaps him out of everything, and he drops Ramesses's staff, falling to his knees, still blind to all but his own light.

The electricity stops, but he thinks his brain might have short-circuited with it. He feels himself start to shake - maybe even to seize - he drops to the ground -

He loses consciousness to the sound of something scraping at his sigils with its claws.

.

Marvin wakes to the heavy smell of blood in his nose, and his fingers come up towards it instinctively, shaky and unsure.

"Ungh," he groans, shifting against the cold wood of his shop's backroom. He spits out a mandrake leaf, smacking his tongue at the odorous taste.

Marvin tries to push his glasses back into place, only to find the right temple snapped off its hinge, the glass cracked at the side. He pulls them off his face and sits up.

It makes his head rush painfully. Owch. There's blood all the way from his nose to his chin.

Okay, okay. Fine. He went way too far. Sunday's right, he's pushing too hard. Worse, he's not sure what would have happened if he didn't have that sharp pain.

He pulls his ankle up to himself as he sits down. Wait - that is distinctly a cat bite.

Setting his leg down, he lets his head thump back in surprise. Higgins saved him. Did he know he was in distress, or just get scared by the light and shaking?

"Higgs?" he calls. "You here?"

No little feet come padding towards him. He drags himself onto his feet - his poor head, owch - and stumbles towards the bathroom, washing his face off and swishing water around his mouth to clear out the copper taste.

"Maybe I don't tell Sunday about this," he mutters. He's made himself sick for certain. He won't feel well in the morning either. What's he going to do? Just -- with all of it, what is he doing?

The tears prick up against his will and he scowls at himself in the mirror, brushing at his eyes with the un-bloodied side of a washcloth. He strikes the flat of his palm against the bathroom counter and breathes. He can't let the twins or the council keep misusing their magic. He promised Ramesses he'd find a way.

But honestly, he just really wants to sleep for about twelve years or so. Feels like that would fix everything. Why does all this have to be on his shoulders alone?

"Not crying, we are not crying about this," he announces to himself, tossing the washcloth in the sink and stepping back into his living room. He crashes onto his couch and his head swims again from the movement. He covers his face from the light and breathes out slowly.

"Meow."

It's a very professional little meow, no wailing or pleading involved. Marvin pulls his arm away from his eyes and blinks towards the floor, where Higgins looks up at him carefully.

"Meow," he repeats.

"You want up here?" asks Marvin. He pats the little space beside his stomach. "You can come on."

Higgins doesn't move, peering up at him. He has eyes like a little man sometimes. Marvin prefers him playing, when his pupils get dilated huge and he just looks like the cute dumbass he's supposed to be.

"Yes, alright, I went too far," Marvin sighs. "What, are you angry? I'm sorry."

Higgins wraps his tail daintily around himself, blinking. Marvin sits up with a sigh and reaches for him.

Higgins say "mrrp" a little irritably, but he lets Marvin pull him onto his stomach and set him down there, stroking his head. After a few quiet minutes, Higgins settles and starts to purr gently.

"What a good boy," Marvin murmurs, scratching his ears as he lies back. "Did you know I needed help?"

Higgins looks at him with slitted eyes, rumbling.

"You got me out of that," Marvin continues. "You've never bit me like that before. Did I scare you? I'm sorry."

Higgins gets up slightly and Marvin mourns the loss of the warmth. But his cat doesn't hop off the couch. He just clambers higher up Marvin and pushes his soft head into his neck.

Marvin's face creases and the tears burn his eyes again. He blinks rapidly and wraps his arms around the hot little body of his cat.

"There's my good boy," Marvin rasps, holding him close. "My hero, aren't you? What a good cat."

He hugs Higgins close to him, closing his eyes, and for several minutes interrupted only by steady purring, he does cry. Maybe it's okay. No one's here to see him, and he'll feel better afterwards. Higgins licks the salt from his beard.

"Thank you, lovey," Marvin purrs back to him, scratching his back. "I know someone's got my back, don't I?"

Higgins meows loudly at him and Marvin laughs, wiping his face.

"Yuck, cat breath. You must be hungry. I'll fill your bowl, okay? And I better get something for me, too. Maybe a treat tonight. You think there are delivery places open twenty-four seven?"

Apparently it's not abnormal for someone to want pad see-ew at two in the morning, because his food comes less than fifteen minutes later. It hurts his head to go down the stairs, but it's euphoric to crash on his couch with several hot boxes of takeout arrayed on his coffee table. He puts on a Ghibli flick and spaces out hard, kept in the moment just by the sweet noodles and broccoli, the flashing colors of a movie he's seen a hundred times, and his cat, who jumps right back onto his lap and tries to get his head into the takeout box. Marvin lets him have a little too much chicken, but he's such a good boy, he deserves it. It's nice, really. It's nice to have this cat, purring on his chest as he sinks towards a deep sleep.

He thinks Higgins is asleep too.

.

Marvin wakes up feeling sick.

"Oh, my darling," he groans, feeling Higgins move as he does. "What did I do last night?"

He sits up slowly, glancing around his living room. He got take-out? He's usually so strict about eating at home. Did he drink?

"Well, I must have," he breathes, standing. He goes to his kitchen, but there's nothing out, no empty bottles or discarded lids. There's nothing in the trash out of the ordinary either. He didn't go out, right? He checks his phone, but he hasn't talked to anyone since yesterday. He wasn't out with friends, and he's sure he had no one over.

He's still trying to figure out what happened as he heads towards the bathroom, but the bloody washcloth in the sink stops him short. Marvin shakes his head, bewildered, and a little worried too, now. What is going on?

Higgins meows at him. He glances down at his cat. Higgins moves between his legs and then, apropos of nothing, puts his little teeth in Marvin's heel.

"Ow! Higgins! You - you bit me..."

He was trying that spell last night. He made himself sick with overuse. Higgins bit his ankle.

"Oh, oh," he whimpers, trying not to spiral. "They have such a grip on my memory I even forgot my own endeavors. They're in my house. In my head. I can't... I can't, I..."

He sinks down to his knees, shaking. His fingers press against the cold tile floor, and he sucks in shaking breaths, the fury and the terror passing over and through him like a great wave of heat.

"No more," he snarls, striking his hand against the floor. "No more of this. I will remember anything they take from me. Again and again, as much as I lose, I will get it back no matter what. I'll remember. And then I'll fight."

He turns his head and presses his hand against his cat's head. Higgins looks up at him with those sharp eyes, his fur soft against the palm of his hand.

"And you're going to help me, aren't you, my darling?"

He really does think that he sees that cat nod in that moment. The oddest part is, it doesn't even really surprise him.

"Right, then," Marvin breathes, his panic clearing. "Right. Back on your feet, Marvin, and no more sulking. Anyway, you got to get the cat fed."

Higgins' eyes dilate and his tail stands straight up. Marvin finds himself laughing despite everything.

"Okay, okay. One thing at a time."

He kisses his cat on the head, and goes to get him his breakfast. The rest will come - and he'll be ready.

[oc-poll-tournament]

OC Poll Tournament Round 3 Finale!

Propaganda below the cut:

Chess (she/her) @concealeddarkness13 (the picture for her is made by the wonderful @drabbleitout, and she is the person on the left with the prosthetics in the picture): Chess is a special character, and I hope to show how special and awesome she is! She’s extremely distrustful, but she’ll trust people who even treat her with an ounce of decency, and she’ll protect the people she cares about with her life. She’s flirty and confident, but underneath, she has an abysmal amount of self esteem and thinks she’s a monster that will never have love or friendships. She is my blorbo who has been rotating in my mind for the past two years, and I hope you can love her as well! Someone described her in one of the AUs I’ve done as oscillating “between being a poor, wet little meow meow and a fierce feral protective lioness being held back by the scruff of her neck because she is still little”. (credits to @ratracechronicler)

She did start out with a loving family, but like all good protagonists, her parents were murdered when she was 10, and she was left alone. Especially because the society she lives in ignores violent crimes and the victims of those crimes, erasing them all from society as if they never existed. So, she technically didn’t exist in society’s eyes, so she couldn’t get a job or own property or anything. The people around her helped her for a few years until she was old enough to take care of herself, and then she learned to steal.

At twenty years old, she was kidnapped and forced into prosthetics experiments that gave her fire magic that hurts her, from her prosthetic right arm and left leg now. She has a magic fire in her lungs that flares up during physical or mental stress and burns her throat and makes her cough up smoke. Aeflin, the person running the experiments, believed her to be very strong (because she snarked at Aeflin so much and didn’t let her see her pain as much as possible), so she decided to make Chess into her weapon.

She changed her name (since Chess’s original name was Ezra) to Chess, and she put her through even worse torture. Finally, Naivi, the other person running the experiments, got Chess her own team and sent her out into the world to do what the experiments were for and to get her away from Aeflin.

Chess tried to escape that, but a random person found her and took away her memories and brought her back into the enclosure, where most humans are trapped. And she realized right away that the humans inside the enclosure found she was from the experiments and hated her and hurt her and called her a monster because God forbid women do anything (just trying to survive). She learned that the only way that she could get a warm place to sleep (not an alley) was to make herself attractive to people and flirt. She liked sleeping with people, but she mostly did it to have a warm and somewhat safer place to sleep. And even then, she’d have to stay alert because her partner could wake up and try to hurt her.

That’s where she is at the start of her story! She will get a found family and someone or someones to love! She’s pansexual and polyamorous and flirty, and she loves physical touch! She just wants people to treat her decently, and if she has to, she’ll fight to protect her boundaries. And she loves punching jerks in the face with her prosthetic! And we love a woman who loves to fight, right? Thanks for reading!

Crislie Crimsworth (she/her) @gailynovelry: The story of Crislie’s life is that she followed a really sad, really pretty girl out of her sleepy little village and got several new scars, a case of lycanthropy, a little bit of god-killing, and lots of trauma out of it. But she did get a girlfriend and a sick ax along the way, so it balances out! Since “sunset orange” is a mourning color in her country, she’s also a casual goth as well as a jock. If you become her friend then she will carry you around like a sack of potatoes and sometimes hand you a little carved wooden animal. I love her dearly.

Nat Finch (he/him) @albatris: I'd like to submit Nat Finch! he/him, 25 years old, brand new baby vampire. he works the night shift at dodgy petrol and convenience store Stop 'N' Go, where he falls asleep on the clock and encourages shoplifting. he's schizotypal like me and he loves cats, cooking, and his friends! he's the protagonist of my campy gory horror trilogy, though he'd rather not be!

he's short and fat with red eyes and lots of freckles. his hair is long and black, often uneven and choppy in length, because he just cuts tangles out instead of untangling them ❤

he's a sweet boy, earnest boy, awkward boy; he doesn't have many friends at the start of the story due to his paranoia, psychosis, and social anxiety, but by the end of it has a whole bunch of good friends AND a kitty he adores named Grub who purrs like a faulty tractor

in this story vampirism is a sentient entity and all connected via a hivemind known as "the Garble".... it lives in the vampires' blood and can manipulate their thoughts as well as give them heightened strength and speed, claws and fangs, and night vision when they need it. it can be useful, but mostly it's a bully and an inconvenience

at the centre of the Garble hivemind lives the very first vampire, an undead rotting corpse and the god of vampires, and a few of their close friends and confidants. all life force collected by regular vampires flows to them at the centre and grants them immortality and power. it's a sweet deal for the folks at the centre, and a terrible deal for ordinary vampires like Nat who rarely reap any real benefits from their condition, but are threatened and manipulated into participating in this system regardless

Nat's story sees him struggling to solve the mystery of how and why he was turned and trying to balance his kind, caring nature with his new violent condition... and eventually leads him to, "hey, I think I'm going to hunt down and eat the rest of vampire god"

good for him!

some other Nat Facts:

huge drama queen (will play up being sad and pathetic to get what he wants)

vampires are hardwired to seek warmth and coziness so Nat is always down to snuggle 24/7

bouncy cheery overexcited lad who will grin for weeks if you say something nice to him

vegetarian, aside from eating people, which he insists does not count

speaking of eating people, primarily preys on rich pricks and abusive bosses

is too awkward to tell his neighbours he bought them a cute knitted blanket he thought they might like for their corgi because what if that's a weird thing to do. this has been going on for three weeks

is too awkward to tell his neighbours his name is Nat, not Matt. this has been going on for three years

has a giant scary monster mode full of eyes and teeth >:3

please consider voting for my boy!