#stop getting cats because they are “easier than dogs.”

[screamingviridianforest]

Dog hybrid Soap x Cat hybrid Ghost x Rabbit(bunny) hybrid reader

Lil bit of angst, not anything serious

By time Soap and Ghost get together is when they finally meet you. You're a sweet little recruit, smarter than smart. You pick up new skills scarily fast - being a belgian hare.

They've claimed you when they first saw you, though you have no idea. Ghost makes sure you get easier missions, his way of protecting you. He also always makes sure one of the 141 will be with you on said mission. Soap trains you, though he trains most recruits, but he's far more attentive to you. He takes time to break down more bomb disarming methods and makes sure you have perfect form when fighting.

It really shouldn't have been a surprise when you got sent on your first dangerous mission. It was supposed to be easy, just an intel run. The danger was the fact that it was a bomb factory. You were chosen because of your very alert temperment, you would be able to hear any hostiles coming.

You weren't supposed to be in the main fight, being a recruit and all, you were supposed to be a guide. Someone to make sure they didn't run into any hostiles in the way.

But of course everything went wrong.

They only saw you being wheeled into medical, unconscious. There was blood all over you, yours and others. You had rushed into the fray to protect a teammate and caught a stray bullet.

Well, it ricocheted off of you and into the nearby storage of bombs.

Everyone just barely made it out. Everyone covered in burns.

In the end, they ended up visiting your room while you were asleep more than anyone did while you were awake. You were ok, mostly minor burns from someone else protecting you. A broken bone or two.

Ghost immediately goes into overdrive after you recover, putting in way more effort to make sure you don't get hurt like that again.

Soap puts in more time training you, being harsher with it. Can't you see they're just worried?

It isn't until they find you passed out on the couch in the rec room, the one for everyone, not the 141 one, that they take a moment. You were fast asleep, chin tucked against your chest and ears folded down out of the way.

You looked so small.

So, Ghost gently lifts you up into his arms as Soap gently rearranges your limbs into a more comfortable position. Ghost can't stop the soft purr that rumbles forth and it just makes you curl into him more.

Once they get you to your room, they take a moment. Soap tucked you in real tight, and Ghost makes sure you have everything you'll need for tomorrow(phone plugged in, shoes by the edge of your bed, clothes set out).

Sure, you'll wake up tomorrow, confused, but ironically, you'll miss the soft purr that goes by your door with footsteps.

[jadedloverart]

Here's the thing about cats.

I see so many people talking about how they would like a dog but "cats are just easier" and I'm here to say that they are not???

They are complex, intelligent creatures, who have more independent mannerisms than dogs, so people tend to leave them to their own devices, but by nature of the dynamic between pet owner and pet, they cannot meet all of their needs on their own.

If anything, learning to communicate with cats takes MORE effort because building trust with a cat is not a given, nor is it commonly discussed. The necessity of that trust is undermined by so many pet owners, probably because they are harder to force into doing things than dogs are. (That, and the expression of their needs are far less overt than the communication of a dog's needs.)

This means that ensuring that a cat feels safe when learning to work with their owner, and that takes LOTS of time. It takes a commitment to listening to their needs.

Cats (arguably all pets) require autonomy to feel safe.

But they need to go outside.

They need to be taught consensual socialization with humans.

They need enrichment from their owner.

They need to be taught how to set boundaries. (Which requires their boundaries to be listened to first.)

They need to be taught, in safe environments first, how to accept invasive touch from the vet.

They, like their owners, need to learn how to communicate effectively, and the only way to teach them that in consensual ways requires time and effort.

Obviously (and if it's not obvious spend like 5 minutes of your time researching before deciding to take on the care of an entire life) it's fucked up to just allow your cat to freely roam the outdoors because it shortens their lifespans Considerably and wreacks havoc on the local ecosystem.

Which means IF YOU HAVE A CAT. You Need To Work With It so you can take it outside. Contrary to popular belief, cats can be trained to walk quite happily outside on a harness and lead; they can be worked with so they feel safe enough to sit in a little cat backpack so you can carry them outside.

They need to trust that if they want you to stop touching them you will. They need to trust that if you have to touch them when they don't want to be touched, that it will always, without fail, be for their own health and safety.

They can learn what "Yes" and "No" means to the same degree a toddler can understand those concepts. They can learn how to 'say' "yes" and "no".

But only if they are respected and listened to and worked with.

They aren't just extra roommates. They are a little creature under the care of their owner.

[timeisacephalopod]

I think it's very funny when dog people will be like "dogs are better than cats because they can be police dogs!" Service dogs are mentioned too by this Brand of dog person, which is all well and good for service dogs, but you're shitting on one animal by saying the abuse of the other by cops to brutalize PoC makes them the superior animal?

I think therapy for your dumbassery is probably easier than the logic jumps required to say something so stupid lmao

[wannabe-skinni-qween]

TW!! 111 harsh wl quotes

nothing tastes as good as skinny feels

eat for the body you want, not the body you have

it may be a difficult process, but quitting won't speed it up

fat lasts longer than flavour

a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips

stop rewarding yourself with food, you're not a dog

30 minute workout, or 30 extra pounds?

whatever your problem may be, the answer is not in the fridge

you can't out exercise a bad diet

an imperfect body reflects and imperfect person

hungry to bed, hungry to rise, makes a girl a smaller size

what you eat in private, you wear in public

suck it up and one day you wont have to suck it in

you get what you work for, not what you wish for

it's better to resist than to regret

if you eat what you've always eaten, you'll weigh what you've always weighed

eat wise to drop a size

junk food you've craved for an hour, or the body you've craved for a lifetime?

every time you feel like giving up, remember why you started

every taste adds to the waist

this month's choices are next month's body

don't stop when it hurts, stop when you're done

summer bodies are made in the winter

if you're tired of starting over, stop giving up

in two weeks you'll feel it. in four weeks you'll see it. in eight weeks you'll hear it

just because you don't read food labels doesn't mean the calories don't exist

if you don't see the calories on the label, you'll see them later on your hips

every time you say "fuck it, i don't care" and eat that cookie, there's a 100% chance you'll care later

your stomach isn't growling, it's applauding

don't stop until you're proud

someone busier than you is running right now

when you lose all excuses, you'll find results

one day or day one

use food as fuel, not therapy

if you can't handle the fat jokes, lose the weight

overeating is always a decision, nobody forces the food into your mouth

suffer the pain of discipline, or suffer the pain of regret

follow your plan, not your mood

do what is right, not what is easy

you can't expect to succeed if you only put in work on the days you feel like it

i'm not starving, i'm perfecting my emptiness

not eating light makes your clothes tight

sacrifice is giving up something good for something better

if it was easy, everybody would be thin

craving is only a feeling

skip dinner, wake up thinner

the difference between want and need is self control

a cat says "meow meow" a dog says "woof woof" a pig says "i'll start tomorrow"

it's easier to workout than to wake up every morning and not like what you see

hunger hurts, but starving works

don't give up what you want the most for what you want in the moment

you've come too far in life to take orders from a cookie

thin is beautiful, even thinner is perfection

a month from now you can either have a month's worth of progress or a month's worth of excuses why you didn't

if you can pinch it, you can lose it

eat to live, don't live to eat

you can never be too rich or too thin

perfection is reached not where there isn't anything to add, but when there isn't anything to take away

respect yourself, put down the fork

when you resist the pain of hungry, it means you're not a slave to your body

every time you say no to food, you say yes to thin

empty is pure, starving is the eure

it's the mind that makes the body

there is no try, there is only DO

pain is temporary, pride is forever

thinner is the winner

if you don't fight for the body you want, don't cry for the body you have

imagine having one life on this earth and you spend it as a fat fuck

would you rather be at the gym covered in sweat, or at the beach covered in clothes?

until you're being accused of having an ed, you have a couple more pounds to lose

"i'm so fat" you say, taking another bite

eating won't kill you, but not eating will make you thin

aren't you tired of making the same excuses over and over again?

i don't even think you need to wear oversized clothes, your amount of body fat is oversizing you enough

you'd look so much prettier 20 pounds lighter

you don't want to embarrass him do you? then lose weight

you already know what it tastes like, so why eat it again?

you're fat. i'd sugarcoat it but then you'd eat that too

you binged? that's ok! somebody has to be the fat friend

if you have a skinny friend just remember, they probably use you as fatspo

skinny privilege is real

your morning skinny is someone else's evening bloat

if you can find the time to eat, you can find the time to workout

food is made to provide you with energy, not to fucking entertain you

if you treat food like an addiction, you're destined to fail

junk food is not a reward, it's a punishment

work out for 1 hour and feel amazing for the next 23 hours

if you're tired of starting over, stop giving up

if you want it, work for it

somebody else's starting weight is your goal weight

stop being jealous of her body and start doing something about yours

the fact that you aren't where you want to be should be motivation enough

it's all fun and games until your jeans don't fit anymore

need motivation? just sit infront of the mirror naked

making excuses burns zero calories

don't let the weekend become your weak end

three months from now you will thank yourself

imagine the weight you are losing is going to the person you hate

do not use your stomach as a trash can

you are what you eat. eat shit. feel shit look shit. or, eat good. feel good. look good

make it happen girl, shock everyone

so you can sit down and still have a flat stomach

losing weight is hard. being fat is hard. choose your hard

no matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you're still way ahead of everyone who isn't trying

a little progress each day adds up to big results

if not now, then when?

you are what you eat, so don't be cheap, fast, easy or fake

look down at your plate and ask, "is this going to make me feel good?"

i am powerful enough to resist temptations

you're not hungry, you're just bored

look in the mirror. that's your competition

this took a long time so please enjoy xx

[rboooks]

The bakery is a front!...right? Part 3

Danny carefully finished the last details on a special order cake done by his newest and likely most crucial customer should the man like his pastries.

Bruce Wayne's butler was to arrive in twenty minutes for his youngest son's birthday cake. It was a staking tower and three smaller stacks, each depicting a cow on a farm, and a cat sleeping with a dog in the middle of a leap. Damian had asked for a cake that showed all his pets but was vegan.

It was an honestly fun order even if he didn't quite understand the special instructions.

"Damian's school friends mention a fun new "suger energy" coming from this bakery. I want him not to be seen as someone out of touch, so please make sure to add that in," Bruce Wayne said over the phone to a shocked Danny a week prior. If he got Wayne's attention, then soon his bakery would be the newest hot spot in Gotham!

It would be the perfect cover for bringing over more funds from his Ghost Vault and expanding. He could help many more people with employment without bringing the pesky IRS on his head for having unexplainable cash.

Sometimes doing everything by the book was a headache and a half, but if there was one thing Fentons knew how to do, was make their business significantly legal. How else would his parents file taxes for "ghost hunting?"

Handsome possible mate is near. Phantom purred in his mind while Danny spun the cake one last time to ensure everything was in order.

Sure enough Alvin appears at the kitchen door, not quite within the room, staring

. Danny has no problems with who is in his kitchen, but Andres insisted only kitchen staff needed to be back here. Apparently, they didn't have enough legroom to add more people, taking up unnecessary space.

And Andres had a strange urge to keep all their recipes a secret. It was not uncommon in Gotham for big corporations to send in spies and cause small businesses to go bankrupt when selling their secerts.

Danny, knows he's a good baker, has since he was a child. Even before his move, he could convince other ghosts Rogues to stop mid-fight for a snack break because his creations were tasty. While his original recipes falling into the hands of greedy rich men made him squirm, it was primarily due to someone taking credit for his work rather than any funds lost to them.

So after a while, he agreed to Andres' demands and promoted him to store manager. It was easier to have someone from Gotham run a Gotham shop. It left Danny with more time to bake and keep a eye on the community's recovery.

He was so happy to see that overdoses had gone down by nearly sixty percent since he opened. The homeless population had decreased by forty percent, and overall crime in his area had been a good twenty percent.

It was good to see how he was protecting his haunt.

"Danny" Alvin called after a moment. "Do you need help?"

Now, Alvin is a great guy, cute too but he couldn't decorate a cupcake to save his life. His bother was a better hand in the kitchen.

Bring him to our nessssstttt Phantom urged with a shocking wave of want, almost having Danny tumble over. Ugh, his mating season is getting out of hand.

He had seen Frostbite last week about it, but the yeti told him it was perfectly natural for ecto-beings. He would start to stabilize soon, and hopefully, Phantom would no longer be tripping over its tail to get a significant other and start a family.

His nesting problem only grew recently. Now Danny owned every building on the block- primarily due to the facilities being old businesses that went bankrupt years ago and made it super cheap after sitting there for years collecting dust. He had realized that kids didn't feel safe with adults, so a new building went up for homeless adults on his other side. Then he realized that they could benefit from a laundry place which happened to be one of the businesses that went under.

He got that remodeled and threw more goons into it. Scarecrow's old goons had gotten the word out that Danny paid well, gave excellent benefits, and working for him had the less likely chance of getting their face smashed in. Then a homeless kid asked Danny if he could borrow his bathroom because the temporary ones in the side buildings were small and cold, and the kid really missed splashing around in a tub instead of a shower. He realized he also needed to offer that. So one of the buildings was turned into a bathhouse, with rentable personal spa rooms for regular citizens. Now a community laundromat and bathhouse were open at all hours, helping stop the spread of diseases with good hygiene.

Of course, Danny had to make it seem like the money for all of this came from somewhere. He contacted Vlad, whose status as a billionaire made it easy to wire him the funds. When asked, Vlad would only mention trying to get into his step-kids good side.

He still had plenty of street kids doing bakery deliveries for him, but now he had more space to give them a actually apartment. He of course never ask for commitment and they never gave it to him.

He had a few families approach him to rest out the other buildings for business and he was excited to see different restaurants and cafes blooming to life around him. This whole street, once a dead sad thing, was becoming colorful because of him.

'I'm fine thank you Alvin" Danny says shooting the younger man a grin. Alvin face heats up and Phantom is practically beating its head against a wall. Screaming, crying as Alvin plays with bit of his hair at the bottom of his neck.

Danny swallows down the urge run his fingers through it, focusing on his human side as hard as he could.

"Is that the cake with the special ingredient? The one you send the street kids on deliverieswith?" Alvin asks after a moment pause.

"Sure is. Hopefully, we can get the Wayne's hooked on it. It'll be great for business." Danny smiles. There is a split second where Alvin's face tightens around the mouth like he's angry before it's gone.

"Yeah, I bet. Though with the help of Masters, we won't have to worry about funds for a while, right?"

Putting his tools in the sink to soak, the baker shrugs. "Vlad will help but only after he sees potential in something. The set up I have going got his attention cause of our special ingredient. He's dabbled with it before, you know? That's how he got rich"

Alvin jerks his head in his direction. "So he's an expert?"

"More than an expert. He's the main reason we have so much of this stuff to push. I wouldn't be able to get it on my own without his help," Danny says, absent minded. He's busy trying to beat Phantom back with a stick as his ghost side whines for a child of their own.

He's not going to date any of his employees. That's a weird power imbalance that Jazz would never approve of.

Maybe he should take some time away from the bakery for a while. Danny couldn't find true love if he was always working. He'll ask Tucker and Sam to come to some clubs or something. It could be fun.

I want a baby! Phantom sneered outrage that his demands have been ignored.

Soon Danny promised I'd eat two whole bagels later in the meantime.

"Masters is our leading supplier, and he just lets us manage his goods without instruction? Isn't that a bit unorthodox?

Danny blinks " I guess? Vlad's always done some unorthodox deals. His giving me complete control will likely keep him out of the picture once someone catches on. Gosh, sometimes I wish I got out of the family business as my sisters did, but one of us had done this, or our parents would be unbearable."

Alvin Draper looks sadden "Your parents pushed you into this life?"

"Raised me in it," Danny corrects "My dad and I made his special Fruge for the first time when I was three. Been hooked ever since."

Just then Peter is there looking horror stuck "Your old man got you hooked at age three?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you keep doing it then?"

"The baking? Well, it's ugh part of me now. I'll die of I stop- er die completely. "

Alvin snatched his hand to tug him close, and wow, he was stronger than he looked for a nineteen-year-old. Phantom woofs as the man practically lefts him off the floor to set him on the counter and stare into his eyes. "You don't have to live like this anymore. Let me help you. Let me protect you"

Both Danny and Phantom chock on their shared spit at the best flirting method anyone could use against a protective spirit.

The promise of protection was like someone whispering sweet nothings in his ear during love making.

"I got to go!" He screams jumping away from the brothers to run out of his own bakery in a panic.

Goodness. I need a vacation. Maybe my sisters would be down for some ectoplasm collecting in the Ghost Zone?

(Jason and Tim take the cake for Damian back to the cave, swearing when the test come back as a regular vegan cake. Had Tim stepped in too early and stop Danny from adding the drug?

Jason was angry that Danny was just another kid the adult around him failed. But now Danny was one of those adults, and it's killed him to admit it, but he would still shoot Danny in order to stop the cycle.

Bruce, after confirming the cake was delicate, shared a slice with his youngest, who adored the flavor. It was the best cake he's ever had. Such a waste of talent on crime.

At least the Bats had a new lead. Vlad Masters and his mysterious rise to wealth. They would get him and Danny off the streets.

Danny is miles away, fanning his blushing face as his sister demands more information of the cute baker boy that knew how to flirt with protection ghosts. )

( Part 1) (Part 2), (Part 4)

[juniperss]

Soft!Dallas Winston Headcanons

A/N: This was originally written on my main account a few years ago but I decided to move it here since I don't change this URL as often and it makes easier to find my writing! A/N 2: It's been a while since I wrote these so I'd like to think that I've improved somewhat since then!

Dally isn't new to winning girls over, how to get them to blush and feel like they swallowed a butterfly, but he is new to expressing genuine softness. It takes the right person to warm him up and get his tough exterior to melt and takes very little for that wall to be built back up.  It's foreign to him on so many levels that he's not sure if he's doing right so be prepared for him to fumble a bit (though he won't ever admit that he fumbled anything).

He's not really scared of PDA and actually takes a lot of pride in showing you off. Full on kisses, butt tap/slaps (feel free to return those btw), and wrapping his arm around your waist acts as both a warning/display that you are is his partner, but also allows him to keep you close by him. He tells you later into the relationship that having you next to him acts like an anchor, you keep that in mind now.

However softer forms of PDA do make him slightly uncomfortable such as temple kisses, holding hands, cuddling, etc. He likes (and needs) to maintain his “tough greaser” exterior and those softer moments don't go hand in hand with it. So if anyone besides the gang is around he's pretty guarded.

If you play with boy's hair he's going to die a little. At the end of the day when he plops down onto the couch at the Curtis's and leans his head onto the back of couch, you run your fingers through his locks you can physically feel him melt into the cushions. There's something about the tugging of his hair, your fingers scratching his scalp while listening to you talk to the guys makes him feel secure.

Dally is basically a cat in a sense; he's very selective in who he likes, really doesn't seek out affection and isn't super keen on showing that he likes it, but he's not going to complain if YOU are the one who initiates it. He might pretend to be annoyed if the gang teases him but does he pull away his hand away from yours as you lace your fingers together? Hell no!

While we're on the topic of hand holding.....this boy has soft hands? Even with the work he does and all the fights he gets into, he somehow manages to keep his hands softer than expected. They're strong though and usually covered with bruises and the occasional cuts he acquires from various fights and scrapes he finds himself in.

The first time you helped him take care of his cut up knuckles he couldn't stop watching you. You can bet your ass he was flirting with you the entire time you were gathering the disinfectant and band aides but the moment you actually took his one hand in both of yours he shut up and stared. Had that dumb puppy dog look in his eyes that you found incredibly distracting to the point you had to ask him to stop it (he won't let you ever live that down)

Really really realllllyyyyyy loves if you hold one of his hands in both of yours. He thinks it's cute? And no he doesn't know why.

Has and will fall asleep on you at any given moment if you are seated next to him. In the car regardless if the gang is there or if it's just the two of you, on the couch, on the floor, if you're tucked into the booth in an empty diner. Probably has dozed off while you two hung out at the junkyard one night

Is the type of boyfriend who climbs through your window instead of just knocking on your front door. He might claim it's because your parents don't like him (might be true), but he just likes the look on your face when you see him tapping on the glass.

Please for the love of god let this boy be the little spoon. Dally really is a loner and besides the gang he's been alone for quite a while. He's emotionally guarded and lacked the support he needed growing up to show that it's okay to talk about his emotions. So one his bad days he gets angry, doesn't really know how to express that other than getting into fights whether those are physical, verbal, or both. At the end of the bad day, once he's patched up and calmed down, he just wants to lay down with you and feel you wrap your arms around him and press your chest against his back.  

[rapz-rites]

Hearts

Damian Wayne x Reader

You and your soulmate can feel each other's heartbeat 

A/N: for @thesuperiorrobin btw I started writing this super late at night so it might not be the best but I hope you all like this

Word Count: 1.1k+

Warning(s): Barely proofread, loophole cursewords

You jolted up from your sleep. 4 times a week, 3 if you’re lucky. Like clockwork. Your soulmate's heart beats so fast, so hard, it wakes you up. You would think he was having a heart attack. 

You don’t know what your soulmate does that gets his heart beating so fast in the middle of the night. You found this whole heartbeat soulmate thing so stupid. Of all the things you and your soulmate had to share, a heartbeat, seriously?

On everyone’s 10th birthday, they start “sharing” their soulmate's heartbeat. It's not really sharing though, so you didn't understand why they explained it that way. Probably to romanticize it. 

You couldn’t go back to sleep until about 4am. But that didn’t matter because your alarm went off 2 hours later. You hated your life. Not only did you get no sleep because of your stupid soulmate but you had to get ready for school, a school filled with pompous a-holes. Luckily it was your last year and you only had a few more months left until you graduated.

~

You walk into class late, everyone looking up at you. Luckily for you, your teacher is nice enough to let it slide. 

“Hey” you said to the boy you usually sat by. His name was Damian, Damian Wayne. Yup. As in Billionaire “playboy” Bruce Wayne.

“What now L/N?” He asked. He looked up at you with an annoyed expression. Damn. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. 

“Do you think you could help me with number 5?” You looked at him with pleading eyes. “Pretty please.”

“Sure.” And he did. You didn’t really need help, you just wanted to bother and talk to Damian. 

The two of you were close acquaintances but not friends. He was you favorite pompous rich a-hole and you were one the most tolerable people at GA to Damian

After this class you were done. You were transferring books to and from your backpack when your best friend, Lienne, pulled up next to you. 

“What are you doing after school? Do you want to have a sleep-” If you didn’t stop her now it would turn into an investigation.

“I’m working at the clinic after school, but I can come over after and we can have a sleepover all you want,” you smiled at her.

“Ok. See you after work. Oh, and bring those chips I like please,” she says walking away. You chuckled at her.

You worked at a pet shop clinic. You loved it. You weren’t a people person, you were a pet person. I loved cats, dogs, and hamsters. Any domestic house pet you could get your hands on, you loved it. They were so much easier to deal with than people. 

You were peacefully playing with a hamster while it was quiet in the store. Suddenly 2 men rush in. You put the hamster back in its cage and turned to the 2 men. They both looked like they were freaking out.

“We need your help! Like it's an emergency,” the tall one said. He had jet black hair and a white streak at the front. Then the second one spoke up.

“It’s our brother's cat,” the other one said. He was shorter, maybe 5’10/11. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. He handed you an adorable little tuxedo cat. You couldn’t help but awe at it.

“Sure, what happened? Our vet is currently busy, but I can check him out and get him to see him as soon as possible.” you walked them into an exam room in the clinic. As you were assessing the cat, your boss walked in. 

“What's going on here?” He asked. You explained what happened and gave your assessment of the cat to your boss. He complimented you on your good work and took over. You were happy until you felt a strain on your heart. Something was wrong with your soulmate. It felt like he was having a panic attack or something. You went to the front of the store to sit down. You were trying to steady your heartbeat to cancel his out. But of course as you sat down, someone walked in. It was none other than Damian Wayne.

“Where’s Alfred? Where’s my cat?” he asked. You walked up to him to get his attention. You were holding onto his arm while he was looking around frantically.

“Your cat? Is he a tuxedo cat?” He immediately looked down at you. “You’ve seen Alfred? Where is he?”

“Your brothers brought him in,” you explained to him calmly. You were already trying to calm your soulmate’s heartbeat and now you have to calm a frantic billionaire son. He was spouting nonsense you didnt want to listen to while you ushered him to a chair.

“Listen Wayne,” you said, shutting him up. “Your brothers brought him in. I assessed him and the vet is now with him. He's going to be fine”

You could tell your words helped, but he was still anxious. It was kinda cute that he cared this much for a cat. One time you saw him roll his eyes at a school assembly about suicide. But he was still breathing heavily. At this point your heartbeat was calm but you could still feel your soulmate’s fast heart.

You took Damian’s hand and put it over your heart, and you did the same to him. That's when you felt it. People who already met their soulmates said once you know it's this indescribable, thrilling feeling. They were right. It was like time stopped and nothing else mattered. Your hearts synced and that's all you both felt. You both stared into each other’s eyes. You opened your mouth to speak but was interrupted. 

“Are we interrupting something?” The tall brother asked. You quickly moved back from Damian, putting your hands at your side.

“Yes”

“No”

You both spoke in unison. You looked at him, but he was glaring at his brothers.

“So what did Dr. Goldwin say?” you asked, smiling before it got awkward.

~

“OMG OMG OMG!” Lienne squealed, jumping around her room. “YOUR SOULMATE IS DAMIAN WAYNE.”

You weren’t surprised at her reaction when you told her. She always had a knack for the dramatics. As she was jumping around, spouting how beautiful your wedding was going to be, you got a text from your “future husband”.

Damian ☹️: Hello Y/N

                    Let’s go out on a date Saturday

                    Send me your address and I'll pick you up at 2pm

Y/N : I’d love to go out with you 😉

You’ll tell Lienne once she calms down. She's going to freak.

So… what do you think???

I’m working on request so plz don’t think I forgot abt those.

[celestiaras]

‧₊˚✧ ❛[ deal with the devils ]❜

ft. doppio dropscythe, kotoka torahime, ver vermillion, meloco kyoran, hex haywire (separate, mostly) x f! reader — xsoleil, nijisanji en

╰₊✧ looks like you landed yourself in debt to a student council member after a gamble, but instead of paying it off with cash, they decided that you’ll be their personal pet!┊2.1k words

contains: smut!! dom doppi, koto, ver, melo, hex & sub reader┊kakegurui au, dubcon, pet play (collars, leashes, pet names, melo & hex treat you like a cat), master/pet dynamic, embarrassment/humiliation, third parties can be seen as xsoleil doppi - possessive behavior, fingering, edging as punishment, maybe ooc koto - masturbation (reader), recording, sending the vid to a third party) ver - cockwarming & unprotected sex, public (in front of xsoleil) melo - sex toys under clothing (publicly, in front of a third party) hex - possessive behavior, thigh-riding

➤ author's note: kotoka singing deal with the devil… happy one year anniversary to my fav wave!! looking forward to write more content for them because they deserve it! (especially the girls smh)┊(karaoke stream link)

snickering from onlookers didn’t help your situation as you bit your lip to stop yourself from crying, staring down at the cards in horror with your face burning from embarrassment. the student council member across from you smirked in victory, enjoying the show of your once confident exterior crumbling and tears beginning to streak down your pretty face. you weren’t a bad opponent, you just second-guessed your own abilities too many times which caused them to catch your bluff. now, you owe millions to them as a result.

don’t be so worried, they have a deal for you! either you become a regular ‘mittens’ to be bullied and harassed by the entire student body while trying to earn money by gambling to get out of your shitty situation faster (which could spiral into more than you could handle if you lost, forcing you to be a pet for the rest of your life) or you can become their personal housepet until they deemed your debt paid off. all that it takes is a tight collar with their name engraved in it rather than the standard dog tags to seal the deal. it’s a choice with only one answer really, they’ve never opened this option to anyone else so you would be stupid not to pick this easier route, you lucky girl!

━━━ .°˖✧ doppio dropscythe ˚₊ ⊹

╰₊✧ as the duke of discipline, he also happens to be the one who’s also in charge of collecting debts from those who are long overdue or enforcing the life plans that are given out if the cash is never paid back. added with his past as a delinquent, he’s one of the scariest people in the school even if he insists that he could be much worse and that the students “don’t even know what scary is.” being his is added protection, you suppose. even as a designated housepet, you’re still exposed to getting terrorized by others because of your low status so having doppio’s name on your collar is enough to scare off anyone who thought of mocking you after your loss. even though usually he’s sweet toward you, his frightening side can show if you ever did something that displeased him. you could always try to be sneaky, but he has eyes and ears everywhere and always catches you,

his thumb pressed into the side of your stomach, holding you still so you could quit squirming in his grasp. your skirt was flipped upwards and your panties were merely pushed to the side, enabling him to brutally thrust his long fingers into your cunt. this was punishment, you already knew. he didn’t like the idea of you continuing to gamble to try and earn money to get out of your deal with him. did you really dislike being called his that much? or were you scared of him? he always tries his best to be kind towards you, but he guesses that seeing him threatening others daily doesn’t do much to ease your fears.

maybe finger-fucking you on a desk in an empty classroom doesn’t help either, but he needs to teach you a lesson in some way! you mewled as you felt him tease that spongy spot in you as he rotated his hand, causing you to unravel on the hardwood of the table. his palm rubbed against your clit and it was driving you insane, your cries becoming more and more pitched as you sensed your climax approaching. as melodic as you sounded right now, doppio couldn’t allow you to just yet and pulled back. he’ll repeat this as many times as it takes to discipline you because despite how it’s a vicious cycle for you, it’s an extremely fun one for him.

━━━ .°˖✧ kotoka torahime ˚₊ ⊹

╰₊✧ first things first, as kotoka’s housepet, you’re also her servant: expect to clean up her place of residence, cook for her using fresh ingredients, and remind her to shower consistently (sometimes you’ll even help her out and massage the shampoo into her scalp). she loves to dress you up in little revealing maid dresses while you do it too, taking dozens of candid photos to further clog up her already stuffed storage on her phone. she just adores dressing you up in different styles that she finds on pinterest and trying new makeup products on you in general.

╰₊✧ on that note, she absolutely spoils you nonstop and is willing to buy you whatever clothes you want as long as she’s the first person to see you wearing it! more than half of her posts on her socials are just selfies to show off how cute you are to her massive following, liking every single comment that expresses their envy on how they wished they had a doll like you to pamper.

the ring light positioned on the nightstand was the only light in the room, but it did a perfect job of illuminating your fingers languidly dancing around your clit while kotoka filmed the entire thing on her phone and complimented you for doing such a good job. it was such a sight to watch your essence drip onto the glittery fabric below, staining and ruining the new outfit she just bought for you. don’t worry about the dress, she’ll send it to dry-cleaning later or will even replace the entire thing altogether if needed!

shame has long been thrown out the window as you stared at her painted pink middle and ring fingers that were clipped shorter than the rest, imagining that it was her fingers pushing into you instead. compared to all of the other things she has you do for her amusement, masturbating in front of her while she’s recording is relatively mundane even though there’s a high chance she’ll post it on her private story for her friends to fawn over later. don’t think too much though, just focus on performing for the camera!

━━━ .°˖✧ ver vermillion ˚₊ ⊹

╰₊✧ think you’re let off easy because kaichou is the busiest and seemingly calmest of the bunch? think that kaichou won’t be as kinky as the others because of his position and how gentle he is? think again, you’re at a school full of people with mythic abilities who gamble as a form of status and put losers in leashes, how could anyone be exempt from the insanity? if anything, you should have seen it coming because it’s impossible for someone of his status in such an environment to be anything but a closeted freak.

you’re certain that your face is burning hotter than losing the gamble that got you in this situation, unable to look anywhere but the floor while you were nestled on the president’s cock in front of the other student council members. why he decided to do this is beyond you, but if it would work towards paying off your debt, you were willing to roll with it at the price of your dignity that was repeatedly being torn away from you. you felt incredibly self-conscious at the four pairs of eyes on you: doppio and kotoka merely peeking in a poor attempt to give you some privacy while meloco and hex were staring shamelessly with smirks, wondering if ver would ever let them take his cute pet for a spin.

whatever ver was talking about fell deaf to your ears, just filled with the mind-numbing pleasure of being stretched out by him. as uncomfortable as the whole thing felt, it wasn’t comparable to the feeling of orgasm beginning to bloom as you began to writhe for more stimulation. whenever you shifted and whined, however, he held your thighs still to stop you from moving about. he won’t give you what you want until everyone leaves the room, finally bending you over the table to fuck you until your legs are shaking.

━━━ .°˖✧ meloco kyoran ˚₊ ⊹

╰₊✧ meloco treats you like the prettiest persian kitty in her expensive handbag that would probably cost more than your place of residence, showing you off as her most darling arm candy. she even goes as far as to run her fingers through your hair and baby-talk you while squishing your cheeks like you were a real kitten. she especially does this when she makes you sit on her lap while she’s gambling, doting on you, and paying you more attention than her opponent with the bonus of pissing them off.

╰₊✧ she insists that it’s a form of affection, but you’re more than positive that she just gets off on embarrassing you in front of others. not like how a bully treats a victim when tripping them in the halls or dumping dirty mop on them, more like dragging some bedroom things into the light when you could prefer to keep it private… but anything to pay off your debt, right?

the short plaid uniform skirt was doing you no favors as you pressed your thighs together tightly in hopes of muffling the vibrations being sent to your core, standing behind meloco while she was seated and chatting with some friends. it was on the lowest level, but the bullet toy attached to your clit was making you go crazy. it’s been on since the conversation started, a time period that you long lost track of, desire continuing to bloom but she was purposely edging and it’s certainly better than climaxing in with people taking notice. you clenched your hands together and bit the inside of your mouth to prevent any sounds from escaping your lips, but failed and attracted the attention of another in the room.

you stuttered out that you were fine and adverted your eyes, hoping that their conversation would continue and take their attention off of you already. the exorcist looked at you with an amused smile and you watched in horror as she reached into her pocket for the controller, slowly increasing the speed of the vibrator. your hand shot up to cover your mouth and you ran out of the room, bolting to the nearest empty restroom stall and quickly removing the toy— accepting in defeat that you denied yourself ecstasy in the heat of the moment. it’s not until you left and ran into meloco did you realize that you disobeyed her orders to stay there until she was done, but from the excitement in her magenta eyes, you could tell that she was more than happy to punish you.

━━━ .°˖✧ hex haywire ˚₊ ⊹

╰₊✧ hex isn’t the student counselor for nothing, he’s fantastic at reading people and what their next move would be with just a look at their facial expressions— it would next to impossible to win a gamble against him unless you were wearing a mask. you knew all that and still accepted his challenge out of pride, but don’t feel too bad about it, it was impossible for you to win in the first place! let’s just say that just because he’s essentially an unpaid therapist doesn’t mean that he’s above manipulating situations to his advantage!

╰₊✧ with that in mind, he’s a rigger through and through so don’t be surprised that your debt keeps increasing for various reasons and the fact that the life plan you received requires you to marry him followed by starting a family in the future. it’s not that bad, now is it? would you rather have to marry some disgusting corrupted businessman who would only care for your body and never care for your well-being, or a handsome man who will treat you like a queen and coddle you with endless riches of your wildest imagination?

he tugged on the metal chain to pull you towards him, meeting your lips in the middle in a soft and slow kiss— encouraging you to keep grinding on his thigh. through your soaked panties, you were already leaving a wet spot on his pants and he chuckled at how you were allowing your instincts to take control of your hips so easily like it was second nature. your soft moans and hums were practically purring, almost letting him to visualize a faint outline of a fluffy tail swishing about and pointed ears atop your head.

you were so adorable when you were obedient like this, sitting pretty on his lap while accepting kiss after kiss from him. you tilted your head to the side to allow him access to the soft of your neck, taking in a breath when you felt your pulse rushing under the touch of his lips as he began to mark up your skin all across your collarbone. he’ll lie and cheat a thousand more times for moments like this. if it meant having you in his arms forever, he’ll never feel an ounce of guilt for trapping you with him for the rest of your mortal lives.

[ciciyup]

Volturi Guard (Felix and Demetri) X Fem! Human reader sunshine and great beauty.

Summary: You are their human partner and you have otherworldly beauty in addition to having a very happy and sweet personality, how would they be with you?

━━━━━━✧ 🦢 ✧━━━━━━

Demetri Volturi:

You were unreal, it couldn't be anything else. Even the first time he found you, that cloudy afternoon in Italy, he didn't know whether to be more surprised to see such beauty or to be surprised to have found you.

Even after going with Marcus and him taking their bonds of relationship for granted, even after you moved with him to Volterra, even after you were together, Demetri couldn't believe you were so ethereal.

You caught him off guard. Not in his hundreds of years did he believe that the day would come when someone special to him would come along, he hadn't given it that much importance until now, until you came along. He had seen the way Marcus looked when he remembered his former partner, the only time he seemed to be "alive", even the way the cruel Caius saw his wife seemed to be that deep and pure. Demetri could now understand what it felt like, what it felt like to find that person.

Being human, you seemed to be so perfect in everything you did that it was fascinating for him to watch you do even the smallest thing. He could see the sunrise in your eyes, hear your laughter forever, watch you sway back and forth in those cute summer dresses, you were the most precious thing he had ever owned.

It was something different, a breath of fresh air in that place, Demetri liked it. You were a different beauty, something he had never seen before. He was used to the women of the guard, so cold and seductive, but you were different, you were like a ray of sunshine in that darkness. You didn't have to try hard to look good, people seemed delighted to see you, nor did you have to try hard for a good comment or a nice outfit, your sweet personality did all the work and your face made anyone mesmerized by you.

It wasn't just because you were his soulmate, but the fact that you were as beautiful on the outside as you were on the inside. Others only saw you for your exterior, they were drawn to how you looked and, although that also happened to him, Demetri understood that there was more to you than just being a pretty face.

When a stray dog or cat passed by on the street you couldn't help but stop and get them food and take care of them while your soft hands touched their tender fur, when an elderly person was in trouble you were there to help without separating until you met your goal, when anyone was down you were always there with your cheerful smiles and kind compliments to make them feel better. Demetri watched all this and couldn't be more fascinated, more proud. So proud to have a partner like you.

Having a good rank in the guard made things easier, so he made sure from the first moment you moved to Volterra to give you the best, that's what he wanted. Sometimes leaving you impressed by his great memory and even the least significant thing for you, even if it was a silly thing, Demetri kept it in his mind.

As much as he would like you to be together, each other's personal space was important and he knew that, which is why he made sure to get you your own room, a nice, spacious one with big windows so it could be quite bright, all so you could decorate it to your liking later. He remembered how you had told him that your favorite part was the garden, which is why he made sure the room faced the garden when he opened the windows. It was all worth it if he saw your beautiful smile again. Although that didn't take away from the fact that you would see him walk through your door more than once a day.

Demetri wanted to be everything you had always dreamed of, he wanted to adore you and love you in every way and for you to know it. Being a gentleman and giving compliments were already a part of him, not as frequent before he met you, but they were, so now that you were with him he would let you know from the first hour of the morning how much you meant to him. Going on picnics with you somewhere away from other people and see you so dreamy when you see him skin shine in the sun was something he loved, as well as cuddling up to your chest at night and hearing your clear heartbeat, feeling your warm body.

He would make sure to let you know every moment how much he loved you, how important you were to him, because you were. He could almost feel as if his heart was beating again. It was because of you. He felt alive again. It was strange, but he loved the feeling, only if it was with you.

Felix Volturi

In all his centuries as a vampire he would never have imagined for a second that you would come into his life, thinking that he could find his special someone and be worthy of something as beautiful as you made him feel confused. He is supposed to be the executioner of the Volturi, he is someone reckless, no one wants to cross his path or have anything to do with him and Felix only wants to do his job in the guard and feed, so when you finally get to him the surprise is inexplicable.

You were the complete opposite of him, you were so gentle, so compassionate with the people around you, whether they were nice to you or not, you lived in the moment and tried to enjoy yourself without worries. So worried about him when he returned from some mission, so considerate. Felix believed that this was something of destiny, what a great move.

But he adored you, Felix loved it when you spent quality time with him chatting for hours about your lives, listening intently with shining eyes when you heard him talk about his life throughout the centuries, he adored cooking together even if the result with him wasn't the best if only he could hear your laughter again when you saw his dish, he adored that you didn't see him just as a guy with threatening brute force.

Seeing you smile was one of the best things he could have seen, if not the best. Your personality was a respite from all the cruelty that was the Volturi, it was something Felix admired, how you remained so positive and radiant despite knowing how things were there.

He couldn't stop looking at you. So sweet, you were so sweet that Felix could feel almost dizzy. He was with you, you were so wonderful, he adored you, there was no one else in his eyes. Every mission he was away from you on, he just wished it would end soon so he could get back into your arms, smell your rich fragrance of that soft cologne that Felix loved, and hear your voice.

When he had nothing to do, Felix really enjoyed staying with you doing whatever, no matter what, as long as you were there everything was like lying on a cloud. Seeing you frown when you focused too much on the movie that was playing was something he really liked, watching and studying your features. Surprising you with gifts like your favorite food, clothes he knew you liked but hadn't managed to get yet, pretty jewelry, whatever you liked, he wanted to give it to you.

Holding your hands was something fascinating, as common as it sounded, feeling the heat, feeling the blood run through your veins, seeing how his larger hand was able to cover yours so protectively, was something Felix would love. Maybe that's why after every mission he doesn't let go of your hand for a long time.

After so many centuries with people around him only being terrified of him, he didn't want to seem so intimidating to you, although he knew that didn't intimidate you, even so Felix could bring out his softer side, maybe also his more vulnerable side if he is confident enough and at the right time. It would be difficult for him to be too soft or romantic, don't get him wrong, he loves you very much, but it wasn't something he was given nor was he used to, so he could be, but to a certain point.

Even so, the things he usually liked the most were hugging you many times while he picks you up and spins you around the room, without a doubt that made him smile and laugh more than he ever had. Because when he was with you nothing could be better.

━━━━━━✧ 🦢 ✧━━━━━━

[xoxochb]

could you do a child of hades x leo valdez reader?? either headcanons or a fic idm!!

⋆·˚ ༘ * trying everything to get you laughing at me!!

warnings: none

pairing: leo valdez x gn child of hades

“okay how about this one: what does the skillet eat on its birthday?”

“I’m not sure, what does it eat?”

you were trying to sleep in, that was the plan, but when I certain son of hephaestus walked into your cabin at the crack of dawn (nine am) you were forced to forfeit your sleep to keep your boyfriend happy

he was telling you jokes, that’s what he wanted so badly that he just had to wake you up for, so now you sit on your bed with leo telling awful dad jokes

“pan-cakes” he says with a large grin

you shake your head slowly. he’s trying to make you laugh, you know because he won’t stop, and you haven’t laughed yet

but in truth, this was better than sleep, you liked listening to him talk, but you’d never tell him that

“alright…” he sighs “dogs can't operate MRI machines. but cats can (catscan)”

now it’s your turn to sigh, “I don’t like that one”

“I didn’t think you would to be honest” he thinks for a second before gasping “I’ve got it!”

“hit me” you say

“why are ghosts bad at deceiving?” he beams

“why?”

“because you can always see right through them”

you bite your lip to fight a smile, and you know that leo sees it because he goes in for another joke

“I’ve got another, you’ll love this one” he clears his throat before speaking “want to know how you make any salad into a caesar salad?”

“how?”

“stab it twenty-three times”

this one makes you laugh, and when you saw leo’s bright smile it made yours widen

“I’ve got one more, hear this: they say the surest way to a man’s heart is through the stomach, but I find going through the ribcage a lot easier”

at this point you’re gasping for air, and leo knows he’s succeeded in his mission to make you laugh. although he isn’t a fan of dark humor, he knew you loved it and he would do anything to hear your laugh

[charmedreincarnation]

Hello! How are you? I am very good for now. because after trying for over a year I switched to void state last night very easily! it was an incredibly amazing experience for me. I stumbled upon your account on tumblr a few days ago, I saw a lot of people have succeeded with the method you suggested! I felt so happy for them!

Now I will tell my own success story.

I used to be so obsessed with it that I was just procrastinating and "trying" to get into the void when I had so much work to do whenever I had free time.

Throughout this process, I always thought that I would not succeed and always went back to the beginning. I was very bad with everyone around me, I was constantly fighting and exposed to violence. In short, I was experiencing hell on this earth.

Months passed and I decided to focus on my life a little bit. I tried to think positively and convince myself how easy it was for me to manifest. But there was one very important thing that I forgot, all the evil forces in this hell were coming only on me, only me.

I spent the whole of last year and the first months of this year like a living dead...

But in these last few days, I have made a decision that will radically change my life. Before, I tried every method to enter void constantly, but something was not going well every time. So I decided that it would be easier and more useful to just assume that I woke up there, rather than making dozens of efforts to enter void 2 days ago.

THE DAY I FINALLY ENTERED THE VOID CONSCIOUSLY!

I didn't listen to the subliminal, I just did a 20-minute meditation, my wish to revisit life in more detail. At the end of the meditation, I said only one affirmation: I will wake up in void tonight.

I wasn't tired and very sleepy that night (these are usually what people think is necessary for a void).I just lay on my bed in my usual position and affirmed that I would wake up in void at night. After that I already went straight to sleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night, I didn't move. The sounds were so muffled, it's like you're listening to a song through a broken earpiece, that's how I heard it. I stayed like that for a few minutes, then the sounds suddenly stopped and I felt myself being pulled into the darkness. My heart was beating so fast, so I focused on calming myself. I couldn't feel my body anymore, as if someone was separating my soul from my body and floating it in a vacuum of space. That's when I realized that I really succeeded! And I calmed down for a while and then said my affirmations. I didn't make a special list, so I said it all one by one.

My manifests:

The face and body I dreamed of down to the smallest detail

My desired name, surname(i have two names in different languages)

My dream room and house with all the items on my Pinterest board(There were almost 50K pins on the board I mentioned...)

I overhauled my father as someone else entirely. With his nationality, zodiac sign, appearance, name.(I also added that he is a person who gets along perfectly with his 4 children and his wife!)

I made my mother younger in appearance, not in age, I also wished her a happy and peaceful life in every way.

As for our financial situation, my father is an extraordinarily wealthy businessman, we own the largest house and the most luxurious car in my city. We also have 4 modern apartments and 1 huge villa in another city! It does not end with these, we also have houses in America, France, England!

I also manifested new phone and other electronic gadgets.

We are 4 siblings in the family and we all get along very well, no hurtful words and no violence!

I have a private room for my unfinished clothes in my room and a very nice bathroom adjacent to my room!

I also manifested success in the lessons: no matter how long the paragraph is, it stays in my mind only once I read it and I never forget it! I do not have a single error in all the tests I have solved.

We have a total of 4 pets including 2 cats and a puppy and a husky dog. Our garden is huge, with a big swing, a covered area to sit in in the winter, and lots of lavender flowers, white roses!

By the way, I manifested that I have lived this life from the beginning, so our house is full of memories we have accumulated with my siblings and parents since childhood, our childhood photos everywhere, emotional diaries my mother wrote when she was pregnant.

I also manifested new friends to myself: one of them is famous (keep this part private lol), I wished to meet him since childhood. Apart from her, I also have a male friend who is our family friend and my best friend who lives with us.

That's all I wanted, I left everything else to my subconscious and my last sentence before leaving the void was "I will open my eyes to the life I dreamed of".

Finally, when I came out of the void, I heard my brother's voice, scolding me for turning off the air conditioner in my room and leaving it on until morning, and saying that he would be very upset if I got sick. (it did indeed come true more perfectly than I had imagined! )

The reason why I wrote my success story and the life I manifested at length is this: most people limit their desires and try to make do with less. Believe me, I was thinking the same way a month ago, thinking that living the life I wanted was unfair to the people in my life. But lately, thanks to what those people did to me, I realized that all this time I had been unfair to myself, not to them. After realizing this, I reminded myself that I only deserved the life of my dreams.

And now that I'm who I should be, I'm pretty happy with it. I can't thank you enough  my dear. The success stories you shared motivated me a lot and helped me take action.

I am so proud of you my love. I absolutely adore revision stories as well as the usage of intention which is my personal favorite method. No method is stronger than your will to have your desires. Thank you so much for sharing your story and I hope you continue to always live your best life <3

[thelampisaflashlight]

Thinkin' 'bout how maybe not all of the ghouls summoned by the church are capable of human speech, so even in their glamoured forms/vessels, they're either completely silent, or are making sounds at frequencies that human ears can't process.

There's also so many dialects of ghoulish, that some of the ghouls can't communicate verbally with each other either.

It's one of the reasons ghouls use signs or other physical gestures/body language to communicate, it's more universal and some motions get the point across easier than words could.

Like, okay, among cats and dogs, yawning can be seen as a sign of submission.

Like if an older animal doesn't want to play, and the younger one does, if they sense that, they might suddenly stop and lay down/yawn to say, "Okay, I understand, I will stop for now."

I feel like that's also how it works with ghouls.

Although sometimes it's the other way round in terms of what the yawn means.

Sometimes, if a ghoul who is seen as, like, a leader or has authority yawns, that's a sign that the other ghouls need to calm their shit, which is why some ghoul piles aren't just for cuddles and sleeping, sometimes it's because, "Well, Aether yawned, and now we're squishing against him, because we thought he wanted us to regroup. Turns out he was just sleepy and now here we are."

Ghoul code for, "That person is the boss" is basically whoever is at the center of the cuddle pile is charge.

...When Copia gets dragged into a cuddle pile, he sleeps on the edge because the middle gets too warm and he starts to sweat his ass off and feels like he's dying.

[umnitsa]

The Sailor's Knot

Summary: Thinking about what you lost throws you into a depression spiral. A handsome man brings you some help.

A/N: I had a dream and made it into a fanfic. This is written fully for myself and it's just two old people bonding over an old dog. <3 It's written from my experience with ADHD and I hope you guys enjoy it. Banner from @cafekitsune <3

Written with unholy eagerness and no proofreading!

Pairing: ADHD!Reader x Joel (Reader is also plus size, it just isn't an issue yet. Reader is about Joel's age.)

CW: Giant dog. Just that, this is very sweet and sad, in fact. Porn may come in later parts, because I enjoy it! <3

“So, what do you miss from before?”

The question took you by surprise as you raised your fork. You stopped, thinking of the zombie apocalypse, how life was and how happy you were for having reached Jackson. You shook your head, trying to avoid the bad feelings and memories from the early days of infection.

“To be honest? Dogs. Cats. Fuck, I miss house pets.” You sighed, looking at your friends. “I really enjoy the horses, but sometimes I wonder if we will ever be able to domesticate them again, I mean, the ones who were not spayed turned feral by now. And bred with wolves and wildcats.” You rambled away, and the people nodded around you. “Hell, I’d try if I ever knew how to do it. I mean, I know some about training dogs, but only the ones that are socialized from birth with humans… And cats… Damn, they chose to live with us, I never taught a cat to do one thing, just fed them and loved them.”

People nodded, smiling, and the older traded their memories with the younger as dinner continued. You felt it was a good way to keep history alive with these children. As you looked around, you tried to smile.

You missed your medicine too. It made life easier then, and it would make work damn easier now.

At least you could make yourself useful in the kitchen, and taking care of kids. You learned enough to help with the horses and the livestock, you learned to fix small things.

At least the community didn’t take your rambling as annoying. Most of them. And your distracted, wandering overactive mind, focused in all the wrong things at the wrong time, your bursts of weirdly philosophical irrelevant questions were seen as if you are a fae. An old soul. Someone disconnected from time and space, but useful and entertaining. You were a good storyteller and people enjoyed your silly performances and the comedy nights.

At least people know better than to get angry with you.

At least you found a way to survive.

You also missed books being widely available. And you missed all the stories that didn’t get to be told, drowned by natures own revenge. All the songs you didn’t get to hear, because they never existed. All the beautiful people that didn’t get to touch your heart acting, and singing, and performing.

You missed comedy. And the close proximity of a stranger in a crowded movie theater.

You missed the quiet inside your mind.

You felt two tears running through your cheeks. A hand heavily descended over your shoulder. You nodded, blindly. With a sad smile, you pat the person’s arm and stand up; you finish your food quickly, wash your plate and leave. They could take care of themselves for one day. ***

You loved Maria. And she really liked you back. She understood whenever you needed some time for yourself. She knew you would pay it back with work later.

That innocent question threw you into a wave of memories, and you had to ride your feelings by yourself. You felt glad you could.

The kids still came into your house to borrow books. With shy smiles, they quietly made their requests and politely asked how were you doing (as their parents asked them to do). You made an effort not to cry in front of them.

You were reading when you heard noise in front of your house. You opened the door, carelessly.

A man was standing in front of your house, with a giant dog in a makeshift leash.

You blinked, the surprise taking your ability to even process the moment.

“Found this fella in patrol.” The man’s voice was grave, almost a growl. “Thought you would like to meet him.”

The man was tall, his shoulders large. His hair unruly, more pepper than salt (probably looked like yours). He had round brown eyes, squashed by a frown. He had something heavy about him. An air of someone who had seen everything and the scars on his face alone are the only proof you need to believe it. You wondered how he would look laughing. His hawkish nose towered over thick, plush lips. You knew him.

Joel. He was ‘Tommy’s Brother’. And Tommy was ‘Maria’s Husband’.

The dog was immense, just like Joel. He looked like a german shepherd, with thick caramel fur blending into black, his ears floppy. You marveled looking at his massive frame, your heart tightening as you noticed a scar on his head, close to his eye, covered by the fur. The dog had the biggest, roundest dark eyes you’ve ever seen. He looked immensely dangerous, he could snap your hand off with his powerful jaws, but his eyes made him look gentle. The tip of his snout had a ring of white hair, silver peppering his snout gently. An old dog. Old like Joel, like you.

You approached, slowly, palms facing the dog, giving him time to get used to your presence. The dog leaned forward, sniffing your palms, huffing and shaking his giant head gently, floppy ears moving around his head. You kept your palm turned to the dog, who pressed his snout to your hand, watching you with his big eyes.

“He started following me out there.” Joel cocked his head. “Shared my hunt with him, and he slept around the fire. He’s well behaved. Think he lost his owner.”

“You should keep him.” You said softly, feeling into yourself to be generous. This dog was Joel’s luck and he should take him. It didn’t occur to you to ask him why he was bringing the dog, you weren’t even that close. “He’s a very handsome dangerous-looking gentleman. Like you.”

Joel blushed, a small smile on his face. He looked down and shook his head. You felt like he was saying something, you just couldn’t understand.

“I heard you the other day.” Joel held your hand and placed the leash in your hands. “I know…” Joel looked around awkwardly, like he was trying to piece a feeling into words. “I know this fella won’t fix things. I understand. But maybe he can bring our sunshine back.”

Joel nodded, looking into your eyes, and you could see his brown eyes peering into your soul, for one moment. It made you want to cry. You nodded, swallowing your feelings.

“Thank you.” You turned your eyes to the dog. He seemed to understand, sitting with his whole body pressed against your leg, up to your waist. His head heavily pressed against your hip, the dog waited patiently.

“Talked to Maria. It’s ok.” Joel cleaned his throat, clearing his voice. “You can keep him. Keep him inside, I’ll build the fence so you can have some space for him.” Joel shifted his weight from one leg to the other and got a fabric wrapped package from his pocket. He puts the package on your free hand. The dog raises his head, interested, which makes Joel chuckle. “Those are treats. He ate today, we just arrived, brought him right here.”

You nodded, smiling.

“We need to make sure he’s safe and you can help.” Joel nodded. “You can walk him in the leash, I’ve already asked Tommy to help us make a good one. Just for safety, I think he’s a good boy.”

You just watched as Joel offered his palm to the dog, then scratched behind his ear.

“He was really well behaved on the trail.” Joel said, softly, his fingers running through the dog’s fur. “I… I would like to visit. Play with him. Maybe help you. He was good company out there.”

“Of course!” You eagerly accepted, infinitely grateful for his gesture. You didn’t overthink why he brought you the dog, what did it mean that he saw your outburst. That would be for later. You just accepted, the dog’s eyes bringing you more joy than you could imagine. “You found him, you were the first friend he made around Jackson. Why shouldn’t you visit him?”

“I’ll be here in the morning. I’ll try and get him some hunt, then we can build the fence.” Joel nodded, stepping back. The dog sniffed the air, gently. Joel scratched the dog’s chin and stepped back, moving away from you.

“Thank you!” You shouted one last time, and he waved. The dog followed you inside. You locked the door, not wanting one of your frequent visitors to get scared with your new roommate, hid the treats in the cupboard, then placed a water bowl on the floor. The dog quietly watched you, sitting in the living room.

You finally sat, and the dog curled up against you, between your feet. He slept, leaving you to your tears as you caressed his scar.

[momotonescreaming]

STWG Daily Prompt: Reunions [Part One]

“I’m here to see Steve Harrington,” Tommy says, gripping the edge of the reception desk. The lady on duty looks up at him through cat eye glasses, permed hair falling into her face. He wonders if she can see how white his knuckles are, with how tightly he’s holding onto the desk. Anchoring himself.  Desperately trying to stop his shifting weight and tapping feet. His keys jingle in his pocket every time he moves.

He’s so close. Steve is in the same building as him. He’s hurt and Tommy doesn’t even know what’s wrong with Steve. Because he missed the fucking phone call and Steve didn’t say. He was under observation, he said, but that could mean anything. Tommy breathes, and wills himself to stay still. Keep all the horrible nerves inside his body until it’s all over.

The nurse is probably used to it — people looking like they’re in a rush, eager and anxious and feeling all sorts of ways. But that doesn’t mean he likes it. That doesn’t mean he wants her to see him like this. Tommy’s still wearing his sweatpants — the baggy grey Hawkins Phys Ed ones — and a worn navy blue t-shirt. Old, and stretched. One of the more comfortable things he owns. Steve can see him like this. That’s fine. He’s seen Tommy like this before, and it’s not like he can judge, laid up in hospital like he is.

Tommy’s deflecting.

“Perfect,” The nurse starts, grabbing a clipboard and a pen from somewhere on her desk. “I’ll just need you to fill in this visitor sign in sheet.”

It was easier than expected. It also eases the weight in his chest, just slightly. If he’s up for visitors, if it’s not restricted to family. He must be fine, then. Or at the very least — not as bad as he could be. Tommy will take it. At least for now, until he can see Steve.

His hands shake as he fills out the sheet, writes his full name with unsteady hands. Thomas Hagan. Adds in the rest, and doesn’t even care that his handwriting is half illegible. They’d be used to it, he thinks absently, as he adds in the date, the time, and the patient he’s visiting.

Steve Harrington.

He skims the rest of the sheet, looking at all the other names — of course he does — and there’s a pang in his chest as he sees that no one else has visited Steve. At least not recently.

He picks at his fingers while the nurse writes out a visitors pass — an orange bordered sticker she advises him to stick to his chest and not remove. Smoothing it down, his hands pressed up against his beating chest, the plastic a stark contrast against his soft shirt.

The nurse tells him where the room is before he can ask, which Tommy is thankful for. He doesn’t have to look like he’s ashamed, a bad friend, a dog with it’s tail between his legs as he asks where the hell Steve is. Absently thanking her, Tommy pushes away from the reception desk and heads further into the hospital. Shoes squeaking against the tiled floor. Through large swinging doors, down a corridor and to a dull metal elevator.

There’s a man there, some dude Tommy doesn’t recognise already waiting, button pushed. His heart thuds against his chest, against his ribs. It grows worse with every passing second. Swearing under his breath, Tommy storm off towards the stairs. Pushes the door open, ignoring the way it thuds against the wall,  and jogs up the stairs.

He couldn’t wait. He couldn’t. Not when Steve was so close. The anticipation itches under his skin, hot and burning, slowly spreading through his veins. He hasn’t seen his best friend in so long. Not that Steve would still call him that, after everything. A lump forms in Tommy’s throat.

The door slams as he reaches the top of the stairs, pushing it open. Ignoring the way the noise echoes down the hall. There’s no nurses or doctors around, it’s fine. It’s whatever. Tommy needs to get some of the anxiety out from under his skin before he loses it. Fucking screams down the hall.

His sneakers squeak with every step, as he moves in time with the ache of his beating heart. It’s not until he’s halfway down the hall that he realises that Steve could be asleep. They always give the patients the good shit. He could have come all that way, only to spend an afternoon staring at Steve’s sleeping form. It’d still be worth it.

Steve missed him, asked for him, and so he came.

He passes a phone, tucked away into a little alcove halfway down the hall. Looks at it as he passes. Was this the phone, then? That Steve rang him from. Curled into himself in the middle of the hall, desperately calling Tommy before the nurse caught him and sent him back to bed. It feels a little weird, but Tommy feels connected to Steve a little more in that moment. That the thread stringing between them is getting stronger.

Double checking the room number, Tommy stops outside a door in the middle of the hall. His hands hover over the handle and Tommy knows that if he hesitates, if he lingers outside the door, he’ll completely psyche himself out.

So he opens the door, and steps inside. The door closes behind him — quietly this time, Tommy makes sure of it. This isn’t just some random hallway, this is Steve’s room. He’s recovering and Tommy isn’t about to fuck it up.

There’s a person shaped lump in the bed, with a distinctive swoop of brown hair sticking out the top of the blankets. His breath hitches in his chest. He’d know that hair anywhere. Which feels a little silly to say, to think, but it’s true.

Tommy doesn’t know what to do. So he stands in the entrance to the room, staring down at the bed. It’s simple, plain in here. Pale walls, a lamp. A nondescript painting of some scenery. No cards, no flowers. Does no one else know he’s here? Is Tommy the only person who knows? Was Steve’s first thought to call Tommy?

He takes a shuddering breath, feels the way it shakes his lungs, rattles his ribcage. Steps towards an old armchair propped in the corner of the room, clad in the ugliest brown upholstery Tommy’s ever seen. His sneakers squeak against the floor again, and the lump in the bed winces.

His joints lock into place, muscles seizing, and Tommy feel stuck mid-stride. So he stands, and watches the blanket lump move as Steve sits up.  Blankets falling away off his shoulders — shitty hospital ones, they can’t be doing much to keep him warmth. Rumpling in a pile in his lap.

He looks like shit.

It fucking hurts to look at. He’s got wounds held together with medical tape, a bandage on his jaw. Face puffy and bruised and he’s wincing into himself. Hair greasy and starting to stick to his forehead. From grease or sweat, Tommy can’t quite tell. Neither are a good option. He knows how much his hair means to Steve.

Blinking slowly, swaying slightly even as he props himself up his pillows, Steve looks like staying awake is an ordeal. Like he’s swimming through molasses. Slowly looking around the room. He freezes as he locks eyes with Tommy. Because of course he does.

Eyes widening, mouth falling open. Steve looks completely caught out. “Tommy?”

“Got your message,” Tommy says with a shrug, trying to look casual. His traitorous heart starts thundering in his chest. He can feel every thud of it against his ribs, his racing heart, his palms start to sweat. The things Steve does to him. He’s finally in the same room as Steve — his best friend, his sort of everything — and Tommy doesn’t know how to feel.

He’s missed Steve.

[Part Three] [Part Four] [Part Five]

[m1ckeyb3rry]

── PEREGRINE // ONE

Series Synopsis: The ways that you and Seishiro Nagi fall together and fall apart over the years.

Chapter Synopsis: You wrap up your affairs before flying over to your hometown, where your best friend will soon have his wedding.

Series Masterlist

Pairing(s): Nagi x Reader, Kira x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 5.2k

Content Warnings: unhealthy relationships, cheating, non-linear narrative, probably ooc, angst, nagi is endgame, kira sucks, alternate universe, original characters

A/N: you know it’s a m1ckeyb3rry fic when the main love interest doesn’t even show up for the first few chapters…also please note this is NOT THE FIRST CHAPTER of the story there is a prologue before it!! which gives a lot of necessary background so you’re not (as) confused by the plot

divider credits: @/benkeibear

“Sora,” you cooed at your cat, your torso jammed beneath the bed as you tried to pull her out. “Dearest Sora, please don’t make this so difficult.”

“I told you you should’ve gotten rid of her when you had the chance,” Ryosuke said from where he was folding clothes to put in his suitcase. “Honestly, I don’t get why you insist on keeping her around. All she does is shit in the house and make problems.”

“She uses her litter box like a good girl, and she doesn’t cause trouble on purpose,” you said. “She’s an animal, not a person. She’s not capable of malicious intent.”

“Whatever. All I’m saying is that things would be a lot easier if you had just left her at the shelter when you moved in with me,” he said.

“I’ve had her for years,” you said, finally getting a grasp on her body and yanking her out in one swift move. “She’s a part of my family. I don’t know why you’re so determined to hate her.”

“She hates me, too!” he said. True to form, Sora hissed at him as you walked past, her ears flattening to show the disdain she had always held for him. “And you always take her side. It’s like you like her more than me!”

You rolled your eyes. “She’s a cat. You’re jealous of a cat.”

And you’re the one who’s cheating, anyways. You left this second part unsaid, because it wasn’t really relevant to the conversation, and besides, you had done such a good job at maintaining the facade of normalcy in your relationship that it would be a waste to break it just because he was annoying you.

That didn’t stop you from scowling at him when his back was turned, pressing a kiss atop Sora’s head and smiling when she purred at the show of affection — or was it because you were in the kitchen and near to her container of treats on the counter that she was so pleased?

“I’m not sure what to do with you,” you admitted, scratching under her chin with one hand and opening the jar with the other, offering her half of a treat as a consolation for having ripped her so uncaringly from her hiding place. She accepted it daintily, which meant that all was forgiven, and you stroked her in appreciation.

She was an enormous, fluffy white cat, closer in size to a small dog than anything. Her eyes were a wide, endless blue, hence why you had named her Sora, and her fur felt like cotton when you ran your hands through it. You had had her for almost as long as you had been in America, and you thought that there was almost no one in the entire vapid country who you loved more.

Normally, if you and Ryosuke had to go somewhere, you’d drop Sora off at Chigiri’s. She liked him well enough, and he was typically glad for the company, so it was a mutually beneficial deal. But of course, this time, Chigiri would also be away, as he was attending the same wedding that you and Ryosuke were, which meant that you were somewhat out of luck.

Sora dangled limply in your arms like a heap of rags as you paced about the kitchen, trying and failing to come up with someone who could take care of her while you were gone. Finally giving up when you realized that Chigiri had been right, you really did need more friends, you picked up your phone and called the man in question.

“Yo,” he said, answering almost immediately, though you could hear the shower running in the background, which meant he was either about to get into the bath or had gotten out for the express purpose of answering you. Either way, you decided not to hold him up with useless pleasantries.

“Hey, Chigiri,” you said. “I heard you’re going to Reo and May’s wedding?”

“Yeah, I’m between jobs again, so it’s not like I need to take off work or anything,” he said.

“Again?” you said, your resolve to have a quick conversation shattering almost immediately. The sound of water stopped, which meant that he, too, sensed the call was probably not going to be a short one.

“Tell me about it. I can only land short-term gigs at the moment,” he said.

“Maybe you should just move away from trying to coach entirely,” you suggested. “You were a marketing major, right? You could probably go corporate.”

“I know, but I don’t think I’m that desperate yet. I’m sure something or another will come along. The issue is that no high-level team wants a coach who hasn’t played in years, but those high-level gigs are the ones that are much steadier in terms of pay and schedule,” he said.

“I’d want you as a coach,” you said loyally. “If I was a soccer player.”

“You’d be a shitty soccer player. I don’t even think my coaching could change that fact,” he said.

“You’re so mean to me,” you said.

“Someone has to do it,” he said.

“And there I was, trying to support you,” you said. “On a more serious note, though, any team that doesn’t hire you just because of what happened back then is stupid.”

“Oh, I agree completely, but try telling them that. It’s all ‘sorry, but we want a coach that has a little more experience.’ I have experience! The only reason our school ever won games was because of me, even after I stopped being able to play myself. It’s not like that dumbass coach ever did anything for us beyond praising your peacock bastard fiancé,” he said

“Exactly,” you said, though you had no idea how true this was, as according to Ryosuke, he had been the one to carry the team to victory. The roles Chigiri might’ve had to play in their victories, if any, had always been omitted.

“Ugh, it’s fine. Like I said, I’m sure there’s some youth league that’ll take me on next season, so it’s okay. I’ll work it out, like I always do,”he said.

“Let me know if you need help at any point,” you said.

“Always,” he said.

“In the meantime, uh, I actually need your help,” you said.

“Right, I was wondering why you had called,” he said.

“The thing is that I don’t have anyone else I can leave Sora with, so I was going to pay one of my company’s interns to watch her while we’re gone,” you said.

“Aw, make sure you pick someone gentle. She’s very particular,” he said.

“You know, she is my cat,” you said.

“Just reminding you!” he said.

“I think I know who I’m going to ask already, so as long as he agrees to it, it’ll be fine,” you said.

“Okay, so what’s my place in all of this?” he said.

“Ryosuke and I have to go over a little earlier, since I’m the maid of honor, so I was wondering if you’d be alright with watching her until you have to leave?” you said.

“Why, because you don’t have to pay me?” he said.

“I can, if you want,” you said. “It’s just so she can be somewhere she’s comfortable, since she’s never met this kid before.”

“I was just joking, don’t worry about it. Drop her off whenever,” he said.

“You’re the best,” you said.

“Yup,” he agreed. “Now, I was kind of in the middle of something, so…”

“Oops, right, go enjoy your shower,” you said.

“Wait, how’d you know I was showering?”

Although there were several interns working for your company at any given time, you generally paid little attention to most of them. You were too busy with your own work and life to care about their struggles, so beyond giving them advice when they asked and helping them out when you didn’t have to go out of your way to, you didn’t interact with them much.

There was one boy, though, who had caught your eye. Something about his aloof personality and quiet demeanor reminded you of a person you had known back in high school, and you had unofficially adopted him, though you weren’t sure if he was exactly aware of this fact.

Actually, he was definitely unaware, considering the way he all but jumped out of his skin when you sat across from him in the lunchroom.

“Hey, Niko,” you said brightly. His dark hair covered his eyes, so you couldn’t read his reaction, but if you had to guess, it was probably panic. If you were in his place, that was what you’d be feeling, considering it wasn’t exactly typical of the regular employees to hang out with the students.

“Um, hello, Miss L/N,” he said, somehow managing to keep his voice level. “Am I in trouble or something?”

“No,” you said. “I just need you to do me a favor.”

He got out of his seat immediately, pulling out his phone from his pocket and opening the notes app. You furrowed your brow as he tapped his foot expectantly.

“Well? What’s your coffee order? And which shop do you want me to get it from? I accidentally went to Starbucks the other day to get a latte for the director and he freaked out about it,” he said.

“Oh! He thinks Starbucks makes their coffee too sweet, that’s probably why,” you said.

“I learned that the hard way,” he said.

“Yikes, I’m sure that was not a fun conversation,” you said. “But that’s unimportant. I don’t need coffee, and you don’t have to say yes to this or anything. I guess you can consider it to be more of a request from a friend — although I promise I will pay you!”

“Okay,” Niko said hesitantly.

“I’ll just lay it on you,” you said.

“Go ahead,” he said.

“I’m going abroad for a wedding soon, and I need someone to watch my cat,” you said. “She’s very well-behaved and friendly! Honestly, she’ll just sit with you on the couch the whole time, I’m sure. I’ll give you her food and everything, and like I said, I’ll pay you, so how about it?”

For the first time, he looked up at you, his hair falling out of his face and revealing bright, shimmering eyes. He clasped his hands together, a smile threatening to dawn upon his face, and then it was your turn to grow bewildered by the sudden switch in his personality.

“Yes!” he said. “I’d even do it for free, Miss L/N.”

“Woah, are you a cat enthusiast or something? And none of that; of course I’m going to pay, or else it’d just feel like I’m taking advantage of some poor intern,” you said.

“I really like them,” he said. “I’ve had one my whole life, but my house is a three hour drive from campus, so I haven’t gotten to see her much since graduating high school. I really miss hanging out with her, though, so it’ll be nice to have a cat around, even if it’s only for a little while.”

“Perfect!” you said, cheering internally at how well things had worked out. “She’ll be staying with a friend of mine, so if you’ll give me your number, I’ll send it to him so you can coordinate picking her up at some point.”

“Sure,” he said, giving you his phone so you could type his number into your own. “What’s your friend’s name?”

“Hyoma Chigiri,” you said. Niko’s jaw dropped.

“Hyoma Chigiri?” he whispered. “You’re friends with him?”

“Do you know him or something?” you said, handing him his phone back. Niko shook his head.

“Not personally, but I remember reading about what happened to him,” he said. “It’s one of the reasons my parents convinced me to stop playing soccer.”

“Ah, maybe don’t mention it around him,” you said. “He’s doing fine now, but he still doesn’t like talking about it.”

“That’s understandable,” Niko said. “My lips are sealed. I just can’t believe I’m going to have Hyoma Chigiri’s number in my phone!”

“Feel free to act like a fan all you want,” you said, after the initial strangeness of meeting someone still so obsessed with Chigiri had passed. “He really appreciates it when people praise him. Though, you probably shouldn’t spam him or anything.”

“I’ll be just as responsible with his phone number as I will with your cat. Thank you for entrusting me with this, Miss L/N! I promise I won’t let you down,” he said.

“I know you won’t,” you said. “And, to be fair, it’s not really a difficult task. Just sit at home and watch TV a lot and be kind with her; if you can do that, then Sora will be perfectly content.”

“That’s what I’d do anyways,” he said.

“Great,” you said. “Now I can feel even less like I’m taking advantage of some poor intern.”

“Thank you again for your faith in me!” he said when you reached your office, bowing at you as if you were some kind of sage master that had offered him a great opportunity for personal growth.

At least he was taking it seriously. You thanked whatever deity had intervened on your behalf that you had found the one person within a ten-mile radius who would care for Sora as well as you or Chigiri would.

Unlike Ryosuke, you barely packed anything but the most basic of items. This was because you knew full well that the minute you stepped foot on Japanese soil, you would be dragged into Reo’s arms, whereupon he would force you into his car and take you shopping at the closest luxury mall — on his card, of course. He was prone to such acts when it came to you, mostly because you were one of the first true friends he had ever had, and so he tended to spoil you as if you were his baby sister or something.

“How can you be sure that Reo’s going to get you everything you need?” Ryosuke said, eyeing the suitcase you lifted into the trunk of the car. “It’s been a pretty long time since you saw him last. He’s probably matured a ton since then — I mean, he’s getting married! What kind of wife would be okay with her husband doting on some random girl?”

“For one, I’m not some random girl; I’ve known May longer than Reo has, and I’m also the one who introduced them to one another. She knows there’s nothing between us, so there would be no reason for her to not be okay with it. Secondly, I’ve been friends with Reo for so long that he’s more like a weird cousin of mine than anything. The Mikages look after their own, and it just so happens that I am, by proxy, one of them. So I can be reasonably confident that it’ll work out in that way,” you said.

“Don’t you feel bad, then?” he said. “You’re using your best friend for his money.”

“You’re so determined to find fault with our relationship,” you said. “It’s not like that. Everyone has different ways to show affection for the people they care about. It just so happens that Reo’s so wealthy that that kind of thing is his own personal manner.”

Ryosuke scoffed, pressing the button to turn on the ignition and starting the car without another word, prompting a worried mewl from Sora, whose carrier was currently on your lap. You tapped the side to remind her that you were still there with her, and she quieted at that.

“Don’t forget that we have to go to Chigiri’s first,” you said.

“Yes, yes, we’ll stop by your lover’s house,” Ryosuke said. At your surprised expression, he laughed. “What? You’re always with him or at his place. Any normal person would suspect it.”

There were a million things you could say in response, but the least-inflammatory was a repetition of the same thing you had been telling him since the day the two of you got together.

“You know I’ve never been with anyone but you,” you said.

“Of course,” he said. “I guess that’s true. No matter how many people you sleep with now, you can never change the fact that I was the first.”

“Hm,” you said, staring out of the window and speaking to his reflection instead of facing him properly. “Don’t be crude.”

“Come on, it’s just us two. When else can we make these kinds of jokes?” he said.

“You didn’t seem like you were joking,” you noted.

“Y/N, I’m hurt. You thought I was being serious? I mean, did you really think that I believed for a second that anyone preferred that washed up princess’s company to mine?” he said, stalling the car in the driveway and grinning. “Tell him I said hi.”

“You and I both know that’ll accomplish nothing,” you said, slinging the bag of Sora’s things over your shoulder and gripping the handle of her carrier so tightly that your knuckles whitened. “I’ll be back soon. No point in missing our flight.”

“I’ll be here,” Ryosuke said, waving at you as he began to fiddle with the knobs on the car’s dashboard, evidently trying to decide whether he wanted the radio to play classical music or the latest episode of some talk show.

You rang the doorbell and then stepped back, knowing it might take Chigiri a second to get to the door depending on where in the house he was located. Luckily, he had been expecting your arrival, so by the time your arm began to grow numb from holding Sora’s carrier, he was opening the door and inviting you in.

“Thank you again for doing this,” you said, setting the carrier down with a thump and massaging your shoulder. Chigiri crouched gingerly, unzipping the opening to the carrier and allowing Sora to peek her head out. When she realized where she was, she bounded out, rubbing her head against Chigiri’s legs as he breathed out a laugh and rubbed her face with his hands.

“Don’t mention it,” he said. “It’s nice having someone else in the house. Less lonely.”

Your face softened, and if it weren’t for Ryosuke’s presence looming in the driveway, you’d have leaned over and hugged him. But as it was, your fiancé was waiting, and if you lingered for much longer, you risked missing your flight.

“You have Niko’s number?” you said.

“Yeah. He’s kind of a weird kid,” Chigiri said.

“What do you mean?” you said.

“He keeps telling me that he thinks I’m cool and that he can’t believe he’s texting me,” Chigiri said, a faint pink dusting his cheeks. “So strange.”

At this, you smiled, vowing to text Niko and thank him later. His admiration was exactly the boost Chigiri needed when he was so down on his luck, and though he was pretending like he found it odd, it was obvious he was pleased by the attention.

“As long as he can take care of Sora,” you said. Chigiri nodded in determination.

“I’m sure he can. He obviously has good taste in other things, so it stands to reason that he’d be the kind of person who could really look out for her in the way she’s used to,” he said.

“You would be the first to die in a horror movie,” you said. “Did you know that?”

“What? Why would you say such a thing?” he said.

“Never mind,” you said. “I should go. Ryosuke’s in the car, and our flight is soon.”

Chigiri wrinkled his nose, his whole delicate face crumpling at the mention of your fiancé.

“I thought something felt off about the property,” he said.

“You are so dramatic,” you said. “He says hi.”

“Tell him I said fuck off,” Chigiri said.

“I don’t think — actually, sure,” you said. “I’ll do that. See you at the wedding. And Sora, please be a good girl for Chigiri and Niko alike.”

“She will be,” Chigiri said affectionately. Sora had wriggled her way into his arms, and he stood while hugging her to his chest, ready to shut the door behind you. “See you, Y/N.”

You were reluctant to leave, because it would be so easy to stay and talk with Chigiri while playing with Sora, but you knew you had to. Even that knowledge, though, was hardly enough — it was simply the thought of seeing Reo and May again that made you take the next step, and the next, all of the way until you were back in the passenger seat of the car and Ryosuke was reversing the car down the driveway.

“So, how is my beloved teammate?” Ryosuke said. “Did he leave you with a message for me?”

“Yes,” you said. “He told me to tell you to fuck off.”

Ryosuke chuckled. “Sounds about right. He’s always been a petty son of a—”

“Ryosuke,” you sighed. “Do you really get any gain out of insulting the only friend I have left in this country?”

“It’s the same gain he gets out of insulting your fiancé!” he said.

“Which I always reprimand him for,” you said. “And also, he at least has something resembling a reason to resent you. When you do it, it just feels excessive.”

“You defend me to him?” he said.

“Obviously?” you said. “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“I suddenly feel very cheerful and optimistic,” he observed.

“What are you talking about?” you said. He waved you off.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “It was a personal musing. Think of it like an interjection from the narrator, except that in this case, the narrator and the protagonist are the same.”

“Okay,” you said. “Sure. If that’s what makes sense to you.”

The two of you spent the rest of the drive to the airport in relative silence. Ryosuke hummed along to whatever pop song came on the radio, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as he drove, and you texted your friends — mostly Reo and May, who had been anxiously waiting for your arrival since you had agreed to come at all.

When you had first started dating, you used to go on aimless drives for hours, talking about whatever crossed your mind. Not a second would go by without one of you speaking, but that kind of constant conversation wasn’t sustainable. Eventually, you both ran out of things to say, and so you began to spend more and more of your time together in silence. That was around the time that Ryosuke began to seek outside assistance in quelling the fire which was constantly blazing within him; whether it was a coincidence or a cause, you could not tell, but it remained that everything had happened at once and led to your relationship now being like this.

You always forgot how long the flight back to Japan was. It was the second reason you never visited, beyond the fact that there was hardly anything worth visiting in the first place — it was a day-long ordeal composed of arguing with the TSA agents, waiting in security lines, and of course the flight itself, which was only marginally bearable because Reo insisted on buying you first-class tickets.

You spent most of it dozing, the armrest between you and Ryosuke pushed up so you could lean your head against his chest as he watched a movie. In the haze of your sleep, you could feel his arm wrapping around your shoulders, his fingers idly stroking your cheek as if that were the natural outcome, as if there was no other place that they could come to rest. It was the easiest that things had ever been between you in some time, and subconsciously, you relished in it, in the soft scent of his cologne, in the warmth of pretending like you were loved by someone again.

Reo had told you, in no uncertain terms, to not even attempt going to the baggage claim. He had contacts in the airport who would take care of it, because of course he did, and so the only thing you and Ryosuke had to do was meet him and May at the gate. You stopped in the bathroom, mostly at your insistence, so that you could freshen yourself after the long flight, which had sapped you of most of your energy despite how much of it you had spent sleeping.

“Are you nervous?” Ryosuke said as you reached the door. He held both of your carry-on bags in his hands, an amused grin on his face as you all but vibrated with every step you took.

“Of course,” you said. “I haven’t seen them in so long, and I haven’t been back home in that same amount of time. I don’t know how it’s all changed. And what if it hasn’t? What if the only one who’s changed is me?”

“Only one way to find out,” he said, nudging you in the side. “Look who it is.”

Standing awkwardly by the metal barrier separating the airport from the street in front of it, surrounded by security guards that kept the rest of the crowds at bay, was Reo Mikage. He wore a pair of khaki shorts and a polo, sunglasses perched on his head as he checked the time on the — likely expensive — watch which he wore on his left wrist.

A grin split your face, your spirit rejuvenated as surely as if you had never been exhausted in the first place. Cupping your hands around your mouth to amplify your voice, you shouted out his name with glee.

“Reo!”

The boredom dropped from his expression immediately as his head snapped up, trying to determine the source of the noise. When he locked eyes with you, he beamed so brightly that you were all but blinded by it, and then you were both racing towards the opening in the barricade where you could finally meet.

You tossed your arms around his neck as soon as you could reach him, clinging onto him tightly, suddenly and unreasonably weepy at the fact that the two of you had finally been reunited. He did the same, squeezing you to the point that you thought you might burst from the pressure.

“I can’t believe you’re finally back,” he said, letting you go and holding you at an arm’s length so that he could look you over with a critical eye. “How have you been?”

“Good,” you said. “Where’s May?”

“She had to go to the bathroom,” he said. “She should be back in a couple of seconds, and she’ll probably be furious, too, considering she was really hoping she’d spot you first. I convinced her that it would be fine for her to take a moment to herself, and that it’d probably still be a bit of time before you arrived, but, uh, I guess it ended up being kind of an unfortunate coincidence in that sense.”

“What’s up, man? Congrats on the wedding,” Ryosuke said, finally catching up to you and offering Reo his hand. Reo glanced at it, and anyone who didn’t know him as well as you did wouldn’t have even noticed the way he hesitated before taking it and shaking it with the firm conviction of a businessman.

“Thanks, Kira,” he said. “You’ve been taking care of my best friend?”

“’Course I have been,” Ryosuke said, ruffling your hair. You did your best to force a laugh, not wanting Reo to have to concern himself with your wellbeing when he was about to be married. “You’ll be the one coming back to America for our wedding soon.”

“That so?” Reo said, raising an eyebrow at you. “I expect to be the first one invited to the wedding, then.”

“Was I the first one invited to yours?” you shot back.

“Er, I mean, not exactly…” Reo said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I had to tell Nagi first, since I wanted him to be my best man and had to give him adequate time to prepare for the hassle of the role.”

“Then I’ll invite May first, since she’ll naturally be my maid of honor,” you said, your stomach twisting at the mention of Nagi. “But you can be second, Reo.”

“That’s right!” a new voice said. “He had better be second, considering he sent me to the bathroom so that he could win our bet!”

And then there she was in front of you: Reo’s soon-to-be wife and your former roommate, May Ducat. Her thick brown hair was loose and wavy around her shoulders, and her peacock-feather eyes gleamed as she embraced you tightly.

“May,” you said. “It’s so good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you!” she said. “I miss you every day. Mostly because you were a much better roommate than this one. He snores.”

“Hey!” Reo said, gasping in offense. “I do not.”

You dug around in your pocket before solemnly presenting her with a box of breathe-right strips.

“I know,” you said. May clapped in delight, accepting them and then turning to hand them to Reo, who took them even as he protested that he definitely didn’t need them and how would Y/N even know if I snore, anyways?

“Congratulations, May,” Ryosuke said, offering her his hand as well. May glanced at but did not accept it, opting to smile frigidly instead.

“Thank you for coming,” she said. After a discomfiting pause, Ryosuke lowered his hand, brushing it off against his pants and clearing his throat.

“I couldn’t let Y/N come alone,” he said.

“Of course not,” she said.

“It’ll be my first time meeting her parents,” he said. At this, May gave you a sad look. Though you had never told her much, she had always harbored her suspicions, always been less fond of Ryosuke than she really ought to be, considering he was typically polite to her.

“I hope it goes well,” she said. Ever the diplomat, Reo was the first to break the ensuing silence, clearing his throat.

“Alright, then! I’ll have one of my drivers take you two to your hotel room, where your things will be waiting, and then tonight, we can show you around. Y/N, they just built a new mall where that park used to be, so we can go shopping there,” he said.

“They built a mall over the park?” you said, your eyes widening at the prospect. Reo nodded.

“Isn’t it great? It’s so much more convenient than the one we used to go to,” he said. You disguised your frown with a yawn.

“Right,” you said.

“Try not to sleep,” May advised. “It’ll help you break your jet lag if you just stay up for as long as you can.”

“We’ll do our best,” Ryosuke said. May gave him a measured look before nodding slightly, turning away to continue her conversation with Reo instead of risking further discussion with your fiancé.

The hotel you were staying in was only a few streets down from your childhood home, and as with all things Reo, it was excessively opulent. The shower itself was large enough to fit at least ten people, and you spent far longer in it than was really necessary, rinsing the grime of your journey off of yourself.

“Going to sleep already?” Ryosuke said when you crawled under the covers of the bed beside him. “May recommended we wait.”

“I know,” you said with a yawn. “I’m just going to lie down and close my eyes. I’m not actually going to sleep or anything.”

“Whatever you say,” he said, patting you on the head. “I’ll do the same, then.”

Before long, the both of you had passed out.

[normal-with-adhd-is-a-joke]

If you are a "disability advocate" be normal about emotional support animals. I am not asking. Do it.

The only time I ever see ESAs brought up by non-handlers in disability circles is to complain about them. Mainly, to complain about people who bring them into public spaces. This is fine, they're not supposed to be in public and it does cause issues for service animal handlers, but the problem is when the criticism extends to criticizing the concept of ESAs, which happens quite often. I've recently seen more disabled people and allies advocate for more restrictions on ESAs, or for them to stop being protected altogether, and I need to emphasize that this is an incredibly dangerous, ableist stance.

First and foremost, ESAs are a real thing in the U.S. If you're from outside the U.S. feel free to chime in about how they work where you're from, but I'm from the U.S. so I can only offer my experience. ESAs are recognized by the federal government under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The category that includes service animals and ESAs is called "assistance animals".

ESAs are not legally pets. They have fewer rights than service animals, but they have more rights than pets. ESAs are not subject to "no pet" rules in housing, nor are they subject to pet fees or pet security deposits. They are also generally exempt from breed and animal type restrictions. The law has some caveats about this like not causing undue financial stress to the housing provider or damage to the property. These rules also exist for physical accessibility (i.e. wheelchair accessibility), they're generally to protect against significant damage or alterations to the property without the permission of the housing provider. If the presence of an animal doesn't cause a health and safety risk, doesn't cause excessive damage to the property, and is necessary to afford a disabled person equal use of the property, then landlords and other housing organizations pretty much have to act like the ESA isn't there.

ESAs can be any animal. Most are dogs or cats but birds, rodents, snakes, pretty much any animal that's legal to own can be an ESA. Of course, just because it's legal doesn't mean it's ethical. Unfortunately, sometimes animals that can't reasonably be kept in a home by a private keeper, like primates and alligators, are claimed as ESAs. This is an obvious abuse of the system but it's difficult to prevent without harming legitimate handlers. In my opinion, focusing on tighter restrictions and more bans for exotic pets would do more for animal welfare than focusing on being weird about ESAs.

One of the common statements I see non-handlers make about ESAs is that they're just pets and don't serve any special purpose. This isn't the case. ESAs must help with at least one effect of a person's disability in order to qualify as an ESA. One of the main purposes of ESAs is suicide prevention. Keeping up spirits can be very difficult for people with mental and physical illnesses, we might sometimes feel that we're not contributing anything to the world, that things would be better off without us, or that the distress we experience isn't worth pushing through. Having an animal that relies on you gives a sense of importance and responsibility. If you die, your ESA will have to adjust to a new environment and go through the stress of change. There's also a possibility that they could be alone without care if no one realizes you're gone, which unfortunately does happen with people who live alone sometimes. ESAs also motivate us to care for ourselves. Many severely mentally ill people, as well as many physically disabled people, struggle to motivate ourselves to get out of bed and live life. It can be easier to do nothing than to deal with the pain and fatigue associated with moving around, even if our health suffers as a result. Caring for an animal requires us to get up and move around our living space, sometimes doing things for ourselves in the process. ESAs can also help encourage us to take medications, stay off of addictive substances, go to doctor's appointments, and do other things to stay healthy in order to be able to continue caring for our ESAs. Basically that Simpsons "do it for her" meme.

ESAs are disability aids. They're important. They keep disabled people alive and healthy. Questioning their right to legal protection is ableism.