#though i picked mine up from the parakeet we had when i was in middle school | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jessikahathaway · 6 years

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Cold Chinese Part I

Oh hey, I’m updating again before a four month hiatus?

This is just a little two part series I wanted to get out. I’ve been working on it for a while and just thought that maybe I’d like it better in two parts.

But, please enjoy this story.

ISSA RIDE LEGGO.

As per usual, pic ain’t mine.

Pairing: Seokjin x Reader x Jungkook

Words: 7,823

Genre: Sexuality Exploration, Slight Crack, Smut (Oral; male receiving), romance if you squint till you’re blind.

Summary: Jin and you had been friends for a while. Nothing was asking too much, until Jin asks you for a favor. But, how were you to know it was to fuck his boyfriend?

Honestly, you knew something was wrong when your long time friend Seokjin asked you to a meal... Where he would be paying...

You sat down in the nice cafe at around 10:00 in the morning on a bleak Sunday. You watched the outside as cars passed and rain trickled down the window. Days like today made you really wish your extentric friend hadn’t practically demanded he meet with you for coffee. Which he said coffee but there were muffins in that display case that were going in your stomach whether it was from his pocket or not.

The jingling of the front door bell brought your eyes forward, and you couldn’t help the giddy smile that took over. Jin was there, dressed head to toe in the most comfortable yet chic outfit you’d ever seen. Of course this lil fuck would be looking incredible so early.

Standing up you made your way over before smiling and wrapping Jin in your arms. “It’s so good to see you,” you gushed. Holding onto him you took a deep breath in, smelling his cologne. Jin always smelt so good. Like he’d just gotten done sampling the finest of male scents before coming to hang out.

“It’s good to see you too, you’re really growing up.” He admired your frame and how you were filling out your proportions nicely.

“Nah, I’m just getting thicker for winter. Safety precautions,” you stated, feeling slightly self conscious about your tummy and thighs being slightly bigger than the last time the two of you saw each other.

“You know I like you softer, makes you better for hugging,” he laughed, keeping you trapped in his arms. You blushed and looked at the baristas who were simply grinning at your display of affection.

“If you aren’t careful they’ll think we’re together, wouldn’t want that getting back to your boyfriend there,” you teased. Jin released you as you went towards the front to order your coffee and food.

“Can I please have a white chocolate mocha with two extra shots and coconut milk?” you asked.

“Certainly, what size?” You flushed, knowing that you shouldn’t get the Venti, it was really a lot of calories for right now and since you were heading into winter without excersi-

“She wants a Venti. I’ll have the same with whole milk instead though,” Jin smiled, pulling out his wallet. “Did you want something to eat? Those muffins are tempting me in ways that should be illegal,” Jin commented. He sent you a wink before selecting the carrot cake one with cream cheese frosting and the double chocolate.

“Jinnnn~” you complained as you sat down at your table.

“Yes, you’re welcome from saving you from your indecision,” he teased. You frowned before picking up your drink and savoring the beautiful caffeinated craft.

“Why are you bribing me, Seokjin?” you asked, not looking up from your coffee.

The classic sputtering sound made you grin. You were right, he did want something from you.

“How dare you assume that I only called you to this meeting of great minds-”

“Of a great mind and a slightly above average mind,” you corrected.

“Don’t sell yourself short.” You rolled your eyes. “Anyways, I hate for you to assume that I only call upon you when I need you, but, I have found myself in a smidge of a predicament,” he bites his lip.

“Careful Jin, I’m practically broke,” you reminded,

“No no, dear, nothing like that. I’d never,” he said firm. “Actually, I have a small favor to ask of you,” he tested.

“What kind of favor requires payment upfront?” you asked, lifting your coffee to your eyes. It was bribery coffee... But that didn’t make you enjoy it any less... For now.

“Well my dearest Y/N, you know my boyfriend-like relationship I’ve had for a while?” he quizzed.

“Yeah, of course. You talk about him a lot. He sounds sweet,” you smile. “I have to meet him one of these days.”

When Jin didn’t answer with his usual gushing of, ‘Absolutely!’ ‘Please? He’s going to love you!’, fear settled into your stomach. Looking up from your muffin you found Seokjin’s eyes to be scarily serious.

“What’s with the Cat looking at a Parakeet glare you’re giving me right now? Freaking me out dude,” you said, shifting in your seat uncomfortably.

“His name is Jungkook,” he said.

“S’cute,” you slurred, almost dribbling coffee down your chin.

“He’s gay,” Jin added.

“I figured as much,” you responded.

“But,” Jin said, pushing all the plates and cups aside. “I’d like for him to try pussy once before he dies if he’s up to it.”

It was a shame, you really liked the sweater he was wearing too. The barista’s heads rose in alarm at the sound of your intense coughing as Jin tried to shush you.

After a few moments a cup of water was placed down next to you, a worried looking girl behind it. “Please be careful, miss. The drinks are hot,” she offered before walking back behind the counter. You gulped some of the cold liquid and tried to find relief while you also gave Jin a watery grimace.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, pouting.

“Don’t look at me at all. In fact, don’t talk to me either,” you warned, wiping your mouth and trying to salvage the muffin you soaked.

Jin was quiet as you cleaned up, finished your water and refocused on the prior statement.

“What in the actual fuck are you talking about, Jin?” Your tone was soft but the incredulity behind it was clear as a bell.

“Remember when we were in our late teens and were incredibly horny and just wanted to shag something to get it out of our system?”

You quickly blushed at the memory. You and Jin were a couple years apart to begin with, but you had grown up around and knowing of each other. So, when you both found yourselves at the same party, too much alcohol running through your systems one thing led to another and you kinda fucked.

“We don’t talk about that night Jin, remember it was-”

“You’re first time I know,” he said. “I remember it well.” He winked, unintentionally sending a shock of warmth through you.

“You could barely remember your name the next morning, I’m sure you don’t remember taking my virginity,” you sneered.

“How could I forget such a tight pussy?” His crude words made your face hot and you fanned yourself with a napkin to try to distract from the incredibly inappropriate conversation.

“I remember it Jin, what about it?” Jin smiled before taking your hand in his.

“I want you to be Jungkook’s first girl,” he pleaded. You gaped at him, wondering what in the fuck had gotten into the man in front of you.

“Jin, you can’t just decide if I’m going to be Jungkook’s first girl, what if he doesn’t find me attractive? Do I need to remind you that your partner is gay? Of the homosexual persuasion. Anti Vagina Club that meets in the middle?” you said, taking your fingers and poking at them to mimic male on male sword fighting.

“Really, Y/N? That’s how you’re choosing to mime that?”

“I failed drama class.”

“Anyways, I’ve been watching Jungkook recently and he seems to be interested in females, at least a little bit. The boy saw Yerin dancing and practically begged me to fuck him into the mattress later that night.”

“So he even bottoms? Dude, how do you think he’s going to have sex with a woman?”

“I’d be there to help him, of course,” he said as if you were stupid.

“Absolutely not,” you crossed your arms.

“What? But he’s my boyfriend, don’t want your magic cunt stealing him from me,” he pouted.

“Jin!” you scolded, raising an eyebrow. He seemed to get the hint and cleared his throat.

“Listen, I really think he’d like it. Fuck, I was certain I was gay until I fell into bed with you! After you I came to realize that, sexuality is such a gray area. You can have a general idea of what you like, but forcing yourself to only look at one gender, one space of the plane... It feels too restrictive for me. That’s why I just like seeing who I vibe with. I’m pretty sure if Jungkook got his hands on you, he’d lose it.” Jin smiled.

He was really serious. He really wanted you to fuck his boyfriend... And he wanted to watch. You’d had sex since Jin, but it was all kind of uneventful and sort of boring. You could count on one hand how many people you’d had in the years since the tryst with Jin.

“D-Do you really have to watch?” you asked, rubbing your shoulder and looking towards the windows. Far too embarrassed to look him dead in the eyes.

“I mean if you wouldn't be comfortable with me joining in then no, but Jungkook is always begging for a threesome. However, those are generally with him being the sub and-”

“Great, great, thank you for that,” you complained, rubbing your forehead.

“Listen, Y/N. There’s a party tomorrow night and I want to introduce you to Jungkook. We’ll test the waters, see how you both feel about it, and we’ll go from there. Sound good?”

You rubbed your elbow and nodded slowly. “Yeah, I would be okay with that,” you said.

“Are you sure?” Jin held your hand.

“Yes Jin, I would be okay with that.” He smiled brightly before bringing you in for a delicate embrace.

What had you just agreed to?

* * *

The next night you sat in your living room staring at two dresses with a critical eye. Did you go for your dark burgundy one that shifted to a light purple in the right lighting? It was skin tight, but you weren’t exactly feeling that adventurous tonight.

Jin said tonight was for seeing if either of you were interested. Feeling each other out. Your cheeks flushed at the thought. You’d never even seen a picture of the man in question. Although, if Seokjin was fucking him then he was no doubt gorgeous...

You decided on your shorts and long sleeve black shirt. A choker was put around your neck and simple make up was done. You sighed, looking at yourself in the mirror.

You really had no idea why Jin was set on you being the one to give Jungkook his first ride in a vagina... but you could help but feel moderately inadequate. You weren’t skinny, nor were you athletic. You liked foods that were bad for you and had a nasty caffeine habit...

A knock came from your door. Was Seokjin here?

Heading towards the sound, you opened your front door to see Jin standing with a gorgeous man at his side. “Y/N!” Jin yelled before engulfing you in his arms. You huffed from his attack, giving who you assumed Jungkook a smile before Jin decided to throw you around, making your shorts ride up slightly.

“Jin, my shorts,” You whined.

“Sorry sorry,” he apologized. You straightened yourself out before offering your hand to Jungkook. Jin rolled his eyes before shoving you towards the male.

“Oof!” You gasped as your hit his solid brick chest. This boys was made of muscle. Jesus fuck...

“Y/N, this is Jungkook,” Jin said from behind you.

“It’s a pleasure,” Jungkook said. He helped pull you away from his chest.

“The pleasure is mine,” you said with a soft smile. Jin came up and wrapped his arm around your shoulder.

“You guys ready to party?!” Jin squealed. You rolled your eyes before shoving his arm off your shoulder.

“Smothering me,” you whined. “I’m in it for the booze,” you stated.

“You will dance with me before the end of the night,” Jin warned.

“I might need to be pass out drunk then,” you said. A soft giggle echoed through the air. You turned to see Jungkook giving you both a soft smile.

“Hyung was right,” Jungkook said.

“Hmm?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re really funny,” he said. You flushed and grinned.

“You’re just as cute as he said. Maybe more so,” you winked. Jungkook bit his lip before Jin interrupted.

“Let’s go, I don’t wanna have to park three streets over.”

Jin lead the two of you to his pick up truck. The one that legit has two seats. You scowled. “Kim Seokjin, why did you bring the only vehicle you own that has less than three seats?” You questioned.

“Oh sorry, Namjoon borrowed my car to head home for the weekend. So, truckie here was all I had,” he lied. You sighed and rubbed your forehead.

“You realize it’s illegal for me to sit in the back right?”

“Who said I was going to have you sit in the back? You can sit on Jungkook’s lap.” Jin shrugged.

“Jin,” you started.

“It’s alright,” Jungkook said, heading towards the truck and climbing in.

“He seems to like you,” Jin whispered before going for the drivers side. You blushed before following in Jins wake.

Jungkook was already buckling himself in as you cautiously came forward and looked at Jungkook with hesitance. He adjusted himself and looked at you expectantly. “You can sit down, I don’t mind,” he smiled.

“Jungkook I don’t know I’m really heavy and I don’t want-”

“It’s fine, Y/N, I’m tough.” You nodded and tried to keep your blush under control.

“Pardon me,” you excused. Climbing into the truck you settled into Jungkook’s lap. Jin buckled himself and adjusted the steering wheel.

“Jungkook, if you don’t hold onto her she’s going to fall into the dash,” he teased. You were about to retort when you felt Jungkook’s arms wind around your waist.

“Yes, hyung, I’ll make sure she doesn’t get hurt,” he promised. You licked your lips at the sensation of his strong arms encircling you. Jin looked at you for a second, sending you a quick wink.

“Off we go then!”

Jin hit the gas pedal and you were pressed into his lover’s chest in such a way that made your blood run hot in your veins. Jungkook’s hand was resting right above your hip bone and it made your body shudder with pleasure.

It almost made you feel guilty knowing that you were going to try to seduce this sweetheart... But, if he truly didn’t want to engage in that sort of activity with you, then it was just going to be moderately heart wrenching. Just looking at this guy you knew that he was your type.

Soft cheeks, sculpted jaw... Perfect skin, save for a few red spots that were probably faded acne. And who didn’t get a pimple once in a while? His brown eyes made your heart ache, like they were so full of life and curiosity.

It made you want to watch them light up as you undressed yourself before him. You wanted those adorable brown eyes to be raking over your body with abandon. Hungrily absorbing every inch of your naked skin as he would finally discover the one area on your body he’d never seen in perso-

“Am I uncomfortable or something? Do you need to adjust a little bit?” Jungkook asked, bringing you out of your depraved daydream.

“Oh, no, just... shorts are really short, fabric is kinda pinching a bit,” you excused away. Jin scoffed under his breath, barely hiding his obvious amusement at your pitiful lie.

“Maybe if you just took off the shorts all of your problems would be solved,” Jin suggested, putting his blinker on.

“Jin!” you yelped. Scandalized.

“Hyung tells me you two have been friends for a while.” Jungkook attempted some small talk. Grateful for a distraction from Jin’s not-so-subtle pushes towards intimacy, you accepted.

“Yeah, Jin and I have been friends since around senior year in highschool,” you acknowledged. “I knew him when he had really bad back-ne.”

Jin almost drove off the road.

“You take that lie back right now!”

“I’m not saying you have it now! Jesus, plus I think I was the only one to see your bare back for the first two years out of highschool,” you laughed.

“I like your back, hyung,” Jungkook soothed, rubbing his lover’s shoulder.

“At least somebody in this car appreciates fine beauty,” Jin dramatically sighed.

“I appreciate it too,” you confirmed, turning to look at Jungkook. “I’m appreciating it right now.”

Jungkook blushed and looked out the window, keeping his touch on your body feather-light. Pride filled your stomach at the fact that you had lifted that reaction from the beautiful boy.

The rest of the ride was spent reminiscing with Jin about late night drives out in the country, blaring the most obscene music that no doubt had corrupted some cows. Jungkook was quiet, but he pitched in a witty one liner every now and again.

You began to realize why Jin was really into Jungkook. He was so sweet and would send him endearing looks across the vehicle. And the fact that Jin’s constant self praise was tolerated by somebody was impressive. You loved the guy, but while losing your virginity he cried out his own name after finishing. Hopefully, that action was also quelled by Jungkook.

Sitting on Jungkook’s lap made your heart race. Everytime Jin hit a bump, your rump hit Jungkook’s front. Jungkook was nothing if not respectful. It kinda bummed you out if you were honest. You wanted to feel Jungkook’s hand wander a little lower than what was proper. You wanted his hand to slip into your no doubt damp panties as his lover drove his car.

Pulling up to the party, you were reminded heavily of why you didn’t like these affairs.

Too. Many. People.

Jin parked his car and got out, watching as you delicately slid off of Jungkook’s lap. When Jin came around to place his hand on the small of Jungkook’s back, you couldn’t help but feel a little unincluded. He’d invited you to try to get with his boyfriend after all...

The music was blaring when you walked in, almost overwhelmingly so. The kitchen was full of people doing shots and making poor decisions, as well as someone you recognized.

“Jimin!” you smiled, making your way over to a former tablemate of yours from Anthropology 101. His head turned and an effortless smile took over his features.

“Y/N!” he said, coming towards you. Jungkook and Jin held back, waiting for your introduction.

Jimin smelt incredible as he pulled you into a hug. His arms were warm and it made you miss the contact of another human that wasn’t doing it to be friendly. The underlying sexual tension from the semester still alive in well.

“You look incredible,” he complimented. HIs eyes wandered down to your legs and then made their way behind you to greet your companions for the night. “I’m being rude. Hi, I’m Jimin.”

Jin reached forward and gave his hand a shake and a soft smile. “I’m Jin, friend of Y/N. This is my partner, Jungkook,” he smiled, proudly showing off his lover to Jimin. Jungkook came forward and shook the older man's hand with a firm grip.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, keeping his face neutral.

“Same here,” Jimin agreed easily.

“How do you know, Y/N?” Jin asked.

“Ah,” you responded. “Jimin and I had Anthro 101 together. Mr. Kang was such a hardass, but we managed.” Jimin’s bell like laughter came through your ears.

“No doubt, if it wasn’t for Y/N I wouldn’t have passed. I owe you for that, don’t forget. But, there’s plenty of booze, music, food and people to get your fill of. So, enjoy. And, Y/N?” You turned to face Jimin, getting a soft peck on the cheek in return. “Save a dance for me, yeah?” You flushed and nodded, mimicking Jimin’s smile.

With a final nod to Jin and Jungkook, Jimin headed into the crowd of people. Swallowed up by the sea of grinding that was happening on the dance floor.

“He seems to like you,” Jin said. Knocking your shoulder with his you scoffed.

“Doubtful, Jin. He’s distracted by my obviously incredible legs,” you boasted. Jin laughed and placed a playful swat on your upper thigh.

“Hyung-”

“Jin-hyung?” A deep voice shouted over the innocuous bass. Turning his head Jin’s face erupted in a smile. “Namjoon!”

A silver haired beauty approached, wrapping Jin in a comfortable hug. “Never thought I’d see you again,” Namjoon stated.

“Neither did I man! What are you doing back from the States?” Jin asked.

“Missed it here, wanted to be home for a while before I started another stretch of producing,” he explained. You and Jungkook stood awkwardly behind him as he went on and on about his life.

“Hang on Joon, let me introduce you to my friends here,” Jin commented.

“Oh, shit, sorry. I’m Namjoon,” he introduced, reaching for your hand then Jungkook’s.

“Y/N,” you smiled.

“Jungkook,” he nodded.

“Hey, Jin. I know it’s a bit rude of me to ask for your company, but I’ve got some friends I’d love for you to meet outside,” Namjoon asked, raising a brow. If they were outside they were probably smoking. Something you definitely couldn’t partake in. “Of course you both are welcome to come with.”

“Ah, she can’t,” Jin said. Saving you the millionth explanation, he continued. “She’s allergic to cigarette and pot dude.”

“Oh, fuck... Well then I guess, I-uh,” Namjoon floundered.

“It’s alright, I’ll get a drink and hang out in here,” you said, sensing Namjoon’s disappointment.

“No no, don’t let me ruin your guy’s night-”

“Well, I came with two lovely people tonight. No doubt they can keep each other company while we go outside and catch up?” Jin suggested, looking as if he was pleading with the two of you.

“I don’t mind,” you said.

“Yeah, come on Y/N, let’s get a drink,” Jungkook smiled. “Bye hyung, nice to meet you Namjoon!” Jungkook said, taking your wrist and leading you towards the kitchen.

You both found a secluded section of the kitchen that had a bottle of Vodka being passed between you both.

“Are you okay with sitting in here with me? You don’t have to,” you said. Jungkook shook his head.

“Nah, smoking hasn’t ever been my thing. Hyung doesn’t do it, but it doesn’t bother him either. But I’ve never heard of someone being allergic to it before, that must be hard,” he conversed.

“Well, I have a sort of salve that I can put on in the morning to keep unavoidable exposure bearable. But if someone blows it right into my face then I go into an asthmatic fit and get hives. It’s not a good look, but Jin seemed excited to see him... So I wanted him to have some fun. And, this way, we can get to know each other.”

“There’s perks to everything,” Jungkook smiled.

‘See how you both feel...’

Jin’s words echo in your mind. You also had a mission tonight. To see if Jungkook would be interested in being physical with you. Your mind was made up, you wanted to have sex with him. But it all came down to his consent and what he was comfortable with.

Looking towards the crowd of people dancing, a sensual song came over the surround sound. Your eyebrows lifted in interest. “Do you want to dance?” you asked, looking towards him.

Jungkook shrugged. “I mean, yeah I guess.”

Placing the vodka bottle on the counter, you took Jungkook’s hand and lead him towards the floor. Couples bumped into you and gave you dirty looks before becoming absorbed in one another again. You made it to a more open space towards the back window where you could see Jin outside talking with Namjoon and a bunch of people in a circle smoking.

“How do you wanna-”

“We can do this.” Jungkook said, wrapping his hands around your waist and making you put your hands across his shoulders.

Gently swaying to the seductive chords made your body thrum with excitement. Jungkook’s hands were frozen in their spot and it frustrated you. You wish he would just put his hands on you already...

But, you kept yourself contained. If he was comfortable, he’d make the move. However, the vodka was running rampant in your mind and Jungkook was a beautiful specimen of the opposing sex. You kept your eyes trained on his face as the two of you swayed to the music. Without giving it much attention your sight wandered outside.

Jin was standing there, staring at the two of you with an eyebrow raised. He seemed to be daring you.

‘I bet you won’t.’

As if God was listening, the song changed and a dirtier, more raunchy song blasted through the speakers. Jungkook flushed and you could feel his grip tighten on your sides.

Partners turned around and respectively began to grind on each other. One couple was even swapping spit in the opposite corner to you and Jungkook. He swallowed thick and you saw his discomfort. “Did you want to stop?” You asked, bringing your hands down from his neck.

Jungkook sighed. “I dunno, parties aren’t nearly as fun when you’re sober,” Jungkook complained.

“You’re so cute,” you said aloud. Jungkook's eyebrows shot up. You realized your mistake. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” you apologized. When he didn’t answer you chanced a look at his face.

He had the sweetest smile painted on his perfect lips. “Hyung was right, you really are a great person.”

You floundered. The genuine compliment there you off your seductive game. Horrendously sober you had to think of a response. “Thanks.”

Great fucking answer...

The crowd started getting closer to you and Jungkook, making you a little woozy. Gripping onto Jungkook's hand you swallowed hard.

“You okay?” He asked, sensing your distress.

“Yeah, just, lots of people,” you whispered.

“If you don’t like crowds then a party was a bad plan, especially a dance floor at a party,” Jungkook stated.

“Let’s dance it’ll help me keep my mind off of it,” you declared.

“Sure-” You backed yourself up against his body after one couple got a little too close for comfort. “Oh...”

You turned your head to find Jungkook against the wall and your ass fitted right against the dip of his pelvis. You blushed, but stayed there. Jungkook had a dreamy expression on his face. As if he were confused yet not upset.

“Can I grind on you?” You asked, bringing his hands to your hips. Jungkook bit his lip and seemed to think about it.

“I-I guess? Um, never been grinded on, always been the grinder,” he joked breathlessly.

“Oh, my treat then,” you smiled before pulling him off the wall and beginning to move your hips with the beat. Jungkook kept his pace slow, bending his knees slightly so you were more so sitting on his lap while wiggling your hips. Jungkook wrapped one arm around your waist and pulled you closer to his front.

You were going to say something when you noticed... he was competing with the other couples.

He wanted the two of you to look the best on the dance floor. The thought of it made you want to laugh. It was such a childish competition... but it made your blood boil knowing he wanted to keep going. That he enjoyed being against your body, even if it was just a little bit. Jungkook’s arms tightened around your body and brought you in closer.

Your head lulled back against his shoulder, fitting against the dip of his neck comfortably. Jungkook moved his hands to your stomach, pushing his hands against your soft skin. You squealed and gripped his palms, making him released the tender flesh there.

“You’re really soft,” Jungkook murmured against your head. You flushed, biting your lip and rolled your hips to the sway of the music.

“Mm, you’re a good dancer,” you complimented.

“I have a great partner,” he said easily. You chuckled when you felt something a little different on your lower back. It wasn’t hard per se, it was more of just a poke that you were aware of. Maybe his zipper was a little loose.

“Jungkook, you might want to fix your zipper it’s digging into my back,” you said. Jungkook nodded and moved away to fix his pants when you saw all the color drain from his face. Concern flashed through your body as you held his head in your hands. “Are you alright? Did you drink too much?”

Almost ripping your hands away from his face, he stared at you with scared eyes before running off of the dance floor. You watched as he ran and disappeared into the crowd.

Confusion wrapped around your mind.

Until it hit you.

Jungkook was hard.

The uncomfortable sensation in your shorts confirmed your issue as well.

You were wet, and you really were considering that threesome now...

* * *

The morning after the party Jin messaged you.

JINGLE: Heyoooo!

You: Excuse, I was still sleeping.

JINGLE: Sorry beetch, but just wanted to thank you for riling Jungkook up so bad last night. Boy couldn’t get enough.

You: Brb, gonna drink an entire gallon of bleach.

JINGLE: But seriously, Y/N. I could’ve sworn when he fell asleep after, like, round four or something? He mumbled something that sounded like your name.

You: ....

JINGLE: I saw you two dancing. Ya nasty kids were getting down hard, and y’know, Jungkook got hard too.

You: JIN!

JINGLE: I’m just being honest. Did you feel anything with him last night?

You: I mean, he’s cute...

JINGLE: Did you get wet while you were grinding on him?

You: I’m not having this conversation.

JINGLE: So that’s a yes.

You: OK, but he ran off once he figured out he was hard. He literally looked like he saw a ghost and then bolted. Boy fucking dipped.

JINGLE: I remember being terrified when I woke up the morning after sleeping with you! When you realize that you aren’t certain of something that is already so up in the air to begin with, you sort of spiral into your own thoughts. He just needs some time.

You: Do you think he’ll be alright?

JINGLE: I think he’ll be fine. Just gotta think it out, maybe jerk it a few times to some straight porn.

You: I’m done with this conversation.

JINGLE: Would you be okay with us coming over next week sometime? I don’t want him to think that you hate him. Knowing Kookie he’ll blame himself for running out on you last night.

You: Yeah, and then I had to sit on your nasty lap the whole way home.

JINGLE: EXcUSe mE? MY LAP IS PRIME REAL ESTATE I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW!!

You: There was a housing crash, srry.

JINGLE: Fuck you.

You: You wish.

JINGLE: Actually wanna set you up with my boyfriend.

You: I’m gonna leave you on R if you don’t stop motherfucker.

JINGLE: That’s a new kink.

JINGLE: Wait, holy shit you were serious?

JINGLE: Y/N, are we good to come over next week thought?

JINGLE: Y/N I’m serious.

JINGLE: I’m assuming your silence is a yes, so see you like Thursday night.

* * *

You worked your normal week and found that your boss had graced you with the glorious two days in a row off.

Maybe his new wife was going to make him less of an asshole.

But you had those hopes with the last seven. Lucky number eight?

You got out of your shower after work Wednesday night and stepped into your fogged up bathroom. Reaching for your towel you heard a knock come to your front door.

Oh fuck! Did chinese get here early?

Fuck nuggets.

Maybe if you showed up in your towel you’d get a discount or something. Saying like you didn’t have an extra pocket to hold the cash in...

Creeping out you grabbed a twenty and headed towards the entryway. Opening the door instead of a teenage delivery boy you found a very tired looking Jungkook and an excited Jin standing behind him.

“Hi Y/N-whoa, did you pre plan this for us?” Jin said, licking his lips. You shrieked and slammed the door in their faces.

“WHAT THE FUCK IT ISN’T THURSDAY!” you yelled.

“IT’LL BE THURSDAY IN ABOUT FIVE HOURS CUT ME SOME SLACK, YEAH?”

A few aggressive knocks came from your door and you rolled your eyes, opening the door again. “I don’t want any,” you said.

“Too bad, it’s a two for one special,” Jin grinned. You smiled at the sleepy Jungkook and got a shy grin in return.

“I’ll take the sleepy one for full price, the loud obnoxious one can fuck right off,” you snorted. Jin made a sound of offense before you turned to let them come in.

You went to your room and pulled on some comfortable clothes, next brushing your hair before heading out into the living room with your wet hair framing your face. You found Jin sitting on your couch playing on his phone with Jungkook laying in his lap. You sat down next to Jin and leaned your head on his shoulder, gazing at his memes.

“Bruh, that flaming Kermit meme is my mental state at all times,” you laughed. Jin chuckled and agreed.

Soon you felt your phone vibrating. Picking it up it was the chinese place that you’d ordered your food from.

Apparently their only delivery vehicle had broken down and they were taking half of the price off the meal if you were still interested in coming to pick it up.

“Oh fuck me,” you groaned, resting your head back on the couch.

“Spread your legs then,” Jin answered. You punched his shoulder before throwing your phone on the couch.

“God damn it, my craving for mediocre chinese food can’t be quenched tonight,” you sighed dramatically.

“And why not?” Jin questioned, running his fingers through Jungkook’s hair in a way that made your heart melt.

“Their delivery vehicle broke down and now if you still want your food you have to go pick it up,” you groaned.

“That’s bullshit,” Jin commented.

“Eh, it’s half off but-”

“Wait what the fuck? And you’re not going to go get it?”

“That chinese place is near that fucking intersection that literally fucks you in the ass with no lube and then spits on your mom. No food is worth that kind of pain for me,” you stated firm.

“Then I’ll go get it,” Jin said, already moving to stand up. Jungkook made a whimper of displeasure at being jostled.

“But he’s sleeping Jin, just let the boy sleep,” you scolded.

“Here, scoot closer,” Jin said, pulling you further in.

“H-huh? Why?” you asked. The warmth of his thigh made your head go a little dizzy.

“Here, you just let him sleep on your lap and then I’ll go get the food. Jungkook had a tough day at work today and he’s tired, so you can be his pillow while I’m gone. I’ll even pick up some dumplings as compensation for your thigh going numb,” Jin pleaded.

“Fine fine, yeah, knock yourself out,” you said. Pushing your way in Jin successfully deposited Jungkook in your lap. He gripped your hip and pulled you closer, resting his head dangerously close to your crotch. Jin smiled down at the two of you.

“You look so cute,” he grinned.

“Shut up and get me dumplings before I get mad,” you warned. Jin smiled and headed towards the door.

“I’ll probably be a while, it’s club hopping time at this hour.”

“You’re a brave soul,” you commented.

“Have some fun while I’m gone.” He winked and headed out the door, leaving you with his boyfriend sleeping in your lap.

Grabbing your phone you decided that you would just scroll through tumblr or instagram, finding amusement in the cute dog pictures and cats being startled by various vegetables.

You felt Jungkook shift every once in a while, so you started running your fingers through his hair to ease his fit. He seemed to relax after that.

Time moved rather slow as you waiting for Jin to return. Your stomach wanted food, but Jungkook was sleeping peacefully on your thighs. The Doritos you had sitting on your counter mocked you.

“Mmm,” Jungkook hummed in his sleep. You smiled and continued to play with his hair. A soft whine came from his lips and you watched as he wrapped his arms around your waist. You huffed as his strength pulled the air from your lungs. Also making your empty stomach pissy.

“Jungkook,” you started. However before you could continue Jungkook lifted his face from your lap and buried it in your stomach, forcing you to lie back on the couch. You tried to wriggle away, but to no avail. The boy was like steel bars around you body.

Even though the shift made your heart race, you continued your phone game. You texted Jin and pleaded for him to hurry up.

He merely responded that traffic was stupid but $2 gyoza was worth every penny.

Setting your phone down you felt the familiar pressure in your crotch. You had to pee. Looking down at Jungkook fast asleep on your stomach, you felt uncertainty bubble up.

Surely Jin wouldn’t be too long, and then Jungkook will get up for Chinese anyways...

Right?

Ten minutes later you were certain your bladder was going to make you regret being born. But just as your were about to get up and throw Jungkook on the floor, his head came up off your stomach pudge.

“Y/N? Where’s Hyung?” His voice was so soft it made your teeth hurt.

“Out getting food, traffic is really bad so he might be a while,” you explained. Jungkook blushes when he saw where he was.

“Sorry, I cuddle when I sleep.” You smiled and patted his cheek.

“It’s alright Kook, no harm no foul. But I need to use the restroom, one second.”

You hustled to the bathroom just in time and felt a wave of relief. You pulled your panties back up to feel a harsh cold touching your heated center.

You were wet.

Upon further inspection, you were incredibly wet. Like, needed to be sorted out wet.

You flushed and hurried to clean yourself up to the best of your ability before going towards the sink and washing your hands.

When you opened the door you found Jungkook leaning against the back of the couch, resting his eyes. Was he asleep again?

“Jungkook?” you asked, approaching him carefully. carefully. He appeared so peaceful, as if he had no care in the world. You smiled as you stood before him. His lips stood out to you, plump and pink in the dimming light of your apartment.

When you examined his skin you found there to be no flaws, just two cute moles dotting his rounded face. You bit your lip as you found yourself wanting to get closer, to be closer.

Jungkook’s breathing was soft against your face...

“Noona?” He asked, his eyes peering into yours.

You then realized how close to him you actually were. Perhaps an inch and a half away from his face. You flushed and tried not to make an unattractive sound and bail.

“Sorry,” you breathed, but you didn’t move away.

“Noona... I...”

You licked your lips, flashing him a sign of your desire to plant a kiss right on his pouting lips.

“Jungkook we’re the same age,” you said softly.

“But do you mind if I call you Noona?” He asked.

“I didn’t mind earlier,” you said.

“Noona,” he started. “The other night, Hyung and I were having sex.”

You bit your lip and tried not to imagine Jungkook, bent over and pleading for Jin’s cock. The momentary thought had you clenching your thighs together again.

“Jungkook,” you whispered.

“Hyung was fucking me so hard... but all I could think about was you... kissing you, and you sucking my dick while Hyung fucks me,” he panted. You felt a shiver of pleasure go down your spine.

However, you still hesitated.

Even if Jungkook was interested in you, Jin was his boyfriend. And Jin mentioned that he wanted to be there if the two of you had sex. Although the idea made you uneasy at first, right now you wanted to watch Jin fuck the younger male hard as his face was buried between your thighs. Should you wait for Jin to get back so you all can discuss this? Everything was going rather fast and it made your stomach flutter with nerves.

“I-I don’t know what you-”

“Can I kiss you Noona?” Jungkook asked, staring at your lips. “Your lips look so pretty and pink... So soft, I just want to kiss you so badly,” he whispered.

Hearing these compliments you bit your lip without realizing it. Jungkook found this undeniably alluring. You pulled at your flesh with your teeth and you then understood how desperately you wanting him to kiss you.

“Just a peck... Nothing more than that,” you compromised.

Jungkook wasted no time swallowing your lips with his own. You tried to keep your mind straight while his lips moved against yours.

Pulling back you gasped against his moist mouth. Jungkook moves to kiss you once more, but you placed your hand on his chest.

“I said a peck,” you warned. Jungkook huffed in displeasure.

“Your lips taste so good, please let me taste more,” he begged.

You frowned and tried to reason with yourself. Jungkook was in a relationship and even though his partner already spoke to you... you still couldn’t bring yourself to do it.

“J-Jungkook I can’t,” you whispered.

“Is it because of Hyung?” He asked.

You nodded sheepishly. “It feels wrong when you’re with him. If we talked about it maybe-“

“I’ll call him,” Jungkook said. You made an ugly squeak while he stood up.

“B-b-b-but Jungkook hang on!” You yelled, chasing after him.

“Hyung~” Jungkook’s voice echoed through the house.

“Please Jungkook!”

“I want to kiss Noona is that alright?”

You almost collapsed in embarrassment. The boy was learning things from Jin. You’d have to talk with him about that.

“I’ll be good to her till you get back.”

Hold up.

Till he got back? The fuck did that mean?

“Noona~” Jungkook sang. You bit your lip as he approached you like a panther.

“Y-yes Jungkook?” You answered.

“Hyung said it was okay for us to play, if you want to,” he smirked.

Your foot caught on the edge of the rug and you you sent falling backwards. Hitting the fabric of your couch you noticed your position. Your one leg hooked over the arm of the couch and the other landing against the soft cushions.

Jungkook stated at you before falling to his knees and crawling forward. “Noona, we don’t have to play if you don’t want. But the way you look right now, I’m already so hard,” he whined.

Biting your lip, you thought of the young man coming towards you. Jin did say he was comfortable with the proceedings. And you were in desperate need of sorting out. And looking at Jungkook right now, made you even more desperate.

“I-I want to play,” you consented. Jungkook smiled and crawled between your thighs, moving up to capture your lips. You wrapped your arms around his neck and brought him closer to your frame.

Jungkooks kisses were so needy and deep it made your head spin. You’d never been kissed with such enthusiasm before. “Noona, your mouth feels so good,” Jungkook whined.

A sharp grind into the couch made your body flush with heat. Jungkook climbed up and pushed you back onto the cushions. You bit your lip as he looked down at your body beneath his.

“God I could just devour you,” he moaned, licking a stripe from the hollow of your throat to your chin. You whimpered at the action, making your thighs clench together painfully.

“Hurry,” you pleaded.

“What do you need, Noona?” Jungkook whispered. You looked down and saw Jungkook’s pants tightening over his groin. Your mouth watered at the thought of his cock on your tongue.

“Let me suck you off,” you begged.

Jungkook blushes and bit his lip. “I-i can’t remember the last time I had someone suck my dick,” Jungkook smirked. “You want my cock in your mouth?”

“Yes, yes please let me taste you,” you pleaded.

“Get on your knees,” Jungkook smiled.

Flying out from underneath him you got on the floor. Jungkook sat down on the couch and pulled his zipper down. You were practically humming with desire for him.

It felt like an eternity before Jungkook brought his throbbing cock out before you. Licking your lips you reached forward and took the hot member in your fist. Jungkook hissed and rested his head on the back of the couch.

Watching a bead of precum move down his shaft you quickly licked it up. You smirked as Jungkook tensed at the sensation. Jungkook didn’t strike you as an intense bottom or a dominant top. But Jin more than likely did a majority of the fucking in their relationship.

So, being able to pleasure him in this way made your heart flutter in your chest.

Taking his length in your hand you leaned over his cock and let a string of hot spit dribble over his throbbing tip. Jungkook arched into your touch, keening at your attention. You bit your lip and began pumping your hand up and down.

“Mmm, fuck that feels so good,” he groaned. The compliment made you flush, and struck a chord within you to work harder. Making you want his cum so badly.

Your panties were stuck to your center uncomfortably. You shifted in your seat and Jungkook took notice.

“Are you wet? You should run your fingers over your pretty pussy just to see how wet you are,” he purred.

Obeying, you slowly eased your hands in you pajama bottoms. Jungkook watched with bated breath as you found your drenched folds.

“I’m soaking,” You whimpered, rubbing your fingers over the heated skin of your arousal.

“Are you? Then let me-”

“Yah! Get out here before the fucking food gets-oh...”

Fuck...

655 notes · View notes

ikesenhell · 6 years

Text

Deep Waters

You can find all other IkeSen works of mine here. NOTE: A conversation with @a-shout-to-the-void very pointedly inspired me; she made a statement about how Shingen is like an elder brother that you need to push in a pool, and, well... yes. Agreed. So here we go. There’s very lightly implied family abuse, and a lot of sickness/illness related content.

He’d always stood out one way or another. In middle school, he’d been talkative and charming in a way all the other boys weren’t, discovering girls long before his peers got the idea to be kind to them. High school, he grew taller than everyone else so quickly that one day, all of his pants were shorts. Typical Shingen: always making himself the center of attention, whether he asked for it or not.

“You can stop showboating, you know.” Yukimura groused around a bottle of hard cider. They lounged at the poolside, languishing like snakes in the shade. Ripples of heat shimmered on the concrete, but none of them had thought to bring swimsuits. It was one of those lazy summer days, the last one before they all went to college, and she paced around the length of the pool, dipping her feet in as she walked.

“Showboating. Me?” Shingen grinned at his friend, finishing up an Instagram post. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you mean, Yuki.”

“The way you’re posing for photos.”

The redhead opened his eyes in mock surprise. “Me? Posing? No, Yuki. I’m simply presenting my best side for the ladies who’ve so graced me by glancing at my page.”

“Allow me to translate.” Sasuke cleared his throat, his transition glasses dark as he sipped on his root beer. He hadn’t said as much, but they all got that he wanted to save his first drink until it was legal. “You know I--as the one and only Shingen Takeda--had to do it to ‘em.”

Kenshin swatted at his friend with his fan. “It’s too hot for your tomfoolery, Shingen. It’ll be your fault if Sasuke breaks out more memes.”

“Tough crowd.” But Shingen was utterly unphased. Instead he rose and stretched, joining her at the edge of the pool and wrapping an arm over her shoulder.

“Shingen,” she whined. “It’s too hot for that.”

She knew a half-second before that he was taking the chance. A sly grin rising to his lips, he calmly answered, “I’m sorry. Do I need to leave so you can cool off?”

Just as calmly, she took a handful of his shirt and shoved him into the pool.

“Shit!” Yukimura sprung backward to preserve his phone. The wave slapped the glasses straight off Sasuke’s face and sprayed Kenshin, who glared between dripping strands of hair. But Shingen surfaced grinning.

“You’re lucky my phone is waterproof.” He set it on the poolside anyway. “You wound me. My confidence was betrayed. That means this is war.”

“If you think you can pull the same trick on me, then you’re wrong.”

“I wasn’t thinking that.” Shingen trudged from the water, wringing out his shirt fruitlessly before casting it aside altogether. It was so, so hard to think of Shingen as the middle schooler she’d known when she could see the hard ridges of muscle laid out before her. Maybe it was his flirty nature. Maybe it was that he’d cared for himself for the last few years, bouncing between Kenshin, Yuki, and Sasuke’s couches rather than return home to his bad home life. Still, she held fast, backing up as he advanced. “Yuki?”

“Oh no you don’t!”

It was too late. Yuki tackled her from behind, Shingen barreling into the two of them, and they all three went flying into the deep end of the pool. She surfaced in Shingen’s arms, swatting him around the shoulders.

“You ass!”

“Agreed.” Kenshin sourly rubbed back his hair, eyes like a death laser on the redhead. “You got me soaked.”

“Don’t look at me like that.” Shingen propped her between the two of them. Not that she did much good as a shield; he was broader than her in every possible way. “And you can’t be mean to the Princess, here. Look at this Goddess’ face.”

“Don’t bring me into this!”

“Well.” Sasuke sighed and set his glasses down on the pool table. “I suppose that means that this is war for us, too, Kenshin.”

“It most certainly is.”

“Bring it on, you fucks!” Yuki brandished a pool noodle at them, slapping it ineffectively as Sasuke dove in.

Sophomore year of college. Her cell phone rang while she lingered in her dorm. It was Sasuke, so she picked up.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Hello. Have you seen Shingen lately?”

Shingen? She was the only one that went to college with him. They shared Art History together, but he hadn’t been in a week, which was strange. He usually sailed in and snagged the seat by her, winking at the other women and text-flirting on tinder through the whole thing. “No. He didn’t answer my texts, either. He sick or something?”

“That’s why I was asking. He’s still posting on Instagram.”

Of course he was. She put Sasuke on mute and checked the app. Sure enough, he was posting all kinds of selfies, but... “Aren’t these from like, last year?”

“And he’s passing them off as from now? Yes. That’s why I called to ask.”

Huh. Well, his dorm was only two floors down. She shrugged. “I’ll go down and check, though if Yuki hasn’t already shown up to shake him, then I don’t know what world I’ve wandered in to.”

She knocked on the door and his roommate answered--a lean guy who played on the soccer team. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember his name. “Hey. Shingen there?”

The roommate just cocked his brow. “Nah. I thought he went off to stay the night at some girl’s house or something. You haven’t heard from him?”

“No. When’d he go missing?”

“Like... last Friday?”

Four days ago. Brain spinning, she texted Yuki, Kenshin, and Sasuke a simple I can’t find him.

Shingen sailed into Art History on Thursday, taking the seat by her with all his characteristic dramatic flair.

“Seat taken, little Goddess?”

She just glared at him from under her eyebrows. “Th’fuck have you been? We’ve all been worried as fuck.”

“I noticed.” His smile was quiet and muted, which boded ill. Waving his phone at her, he continued. “Sorry. I was a bit caught up. You know how it is.”

“I don’t know. Do I? You gonna scare us like that again?”

For the briefest second she caught a hint of something like worry in his expression. It was the fleeting honesty of a man feeling trapped. Just as quickly, he grinned at her. “I don’t know. Do I get rewarded if I don’t?”

“Yeah, by Yuki and I not beating the fuck out of you.”

He just winked at her. Against her wishes, her stupid heart thumped heavy in response.

Next month he went missing again. This time, Sasuke was ready for it.

“Alright.” The connection in the dorms wasn’t great, but the video chat held nonetheless. Sasuke shoved his glasses up his nose and resumed typing. “I’ll just switch on the tracker and you can go hunt him down.”

“Isn’t that like... spying?”

“No,” Kenshin snapped on the other line, not caring enough to keep himself properly in video frame. It looked like he was cleaning his knife collection. “It’s aggressive measures to make sure he doesn’t do something stupid.”

“I mean, Shingen does tons of stupid shit,” Yuki groused. “Anyway, is it turned on, Sasuke?”

“Yes. Let me just remote into her computer and upload the app.”

She followed the location downtown, navigating the patchwork maze of streets. The fall air was chilly now. Leaves skittered around her ankles as she rounded the corner to the last stop and--

Came face to face with the hospital.

No way. This had to be a mistake. She checked the tracker twice, wracking her brain. Shingen seemed fine when he came to class. His color was good, he sounded fine... maybe it was a mental health issue? Her anxiety surged. Taking a stabilizing breath, she walked for the door--only to bump into the man himself.

“Shingen?”

He faltered, staring at her as if she’d dropped from the sky. It was the first time she’d taken him by surprise in years, probably. Just as quickly, he composed himself. “Oh, if a Goddess herself didn’t come to walk with me. Was it fate that you arrived here?”

“What are you doing at the hospital?”

“Me? Visiting family.” Calm as could be, he tucked his hand in his pants pocket and looped an arm through hers. “Aunt. She’s in hospice.”

“I didn’t know you talked to any of your family anymore.” He smelled nice. The blend of crisp wind, his grey wool coat, the lingering aroma of his shampoo, and a distant campfire swirled together all at once. “I thought you’d been out of contact for years.”

“Ah, my aunt isn’t bad.” Shingen didn’t elaborate. “But anyway, she wanted someone to keep her company for a while, so I came and stayed a bit, went to her house and babysat her parakeets. You know.”

It did sound like Shingen to disappear in the name of helping someone. “Couldn’t you have--you know--let us know rather than worrying us all?”

“You know Yuki. He’d want to leap to my defense, tell me to stop seeing family members and all that.” A pause. “Princess--would you promise me something?”

“What’s that?”

And he turned to face her. All the charming glitter in his eyes was gone. Shingen was rarely serious--and when he was, it was never good. “Can you promise me not to tell the others about this?”

“What?” What was going on? “Shingen, why the hell would they care?”

“I just don’t want to hear about it. Please. Tell them anything. Just don’t tell them about this whole thing.” He paused. “Tell them you found me at some girl’s house.”

“Like that one time we couldn’t find you around Halloween, and Yuki went looking and walked in on you banging some chick on the couch?”

Shingen snickered and winked at her. “That’s the spirit.”

“I can’t just lie to them.”

“Why not? Kenshin will accept it. Yuki will accept it. Sasuke might not, but he also won’t press it, and he’s too far away to do his typical ninja act. Just--I just don’t want to rehash the same old conversation with Yuki. Please?”

A crumpled leaf caught in his hair. Reaching on her tiptoes, she brushed it from him, only for it to fall to pieces in her hand. Talk about a bad sign.

“Alright,” she agreed at last. “Fine.”

He flashed a grin at her and kissed her hands. All the blood in her rushed to her cheeks in reply. “Thank you, my Goddess.”

“You have to stop calling me that.”

Shingen laughed, deep and rich, and took her arm in his again. As they walked, she leaned into the solid wall of his muscle, quietly wondering if he’d ever thought to build a gate past his exterior at all.

It was Finals Week when it all fell apart.

Half of the student body was already gone. All she had left was the Art History final--the very last exam scheduled on the whole week, naturally. All was quiet. Outside, tiny flakes of snow danced through the alleyways and sidewalks of the city.

And someone hammered on her door.

“Hold up!” She was only wearing PJ pants and a thin bralette. Flinging on a hoodie, she zipped it up and opened the door to see Shingen hanging in the doorway.

Or--not hanging, really. Bracing. His skin was pale, eyes wide, hands flexing frantically. It took her a half second to snatch up her keys. “Are you okay?”

“Could you--” He paused to smile. As if that would help! “Could you take me to the hospital, maybe?”

No more questions. She wrapped his arm around her shoulder and half-carried him from the dorm. They only stopped once for him to throw up hard on the sidewalk. It was bright red.

“Fuck! Shingen--”

“Sorry,” he wheezed.

“Shut up. Don’t apologize.”

Somehow she got him into the car, racing them to the hospital as quickly as the snow-slick streets would allow (and with a very liberal interpretation of acceptable driving laws). Even then, by the time they arrived at the emergency room, he was deathly pale.

“Sorry,” he half-laughed again, the sound strained and nervous. “Sorry, this is all very--”

“Shut the fuck up, Shingen.” She didn’t bother getting him out of the car. Instead she sprinted inside and fetched a nurse. One look at his condition, and she called for a stretcher.

It was bad.

She lingered outside of the room for hours. A doctor came and gave her a diagnosis, treatment options, the... possibilities. “He doesn’t look great. There’s a chance he might not even make it. He named you as his medical advocate should he not be able to make choices.”

“Is--” Fuck. She rubbed the sleeve of her hoodie against her eyes, willing herself not to cry. God, she looked awful, too. “Sorry. Can I see him?”

“Yeah. He’s about to go into surgery. They’re prepping him now.”

Shingen was hooked up to more wires than she’d ever seen in her life. A nurse just finished delivering what looked like another shot just as she entered, the arrhythmic beating of his heart loud in the cold room. He tried to smile at her.

“Oh, look,” he teased, his voice croaking. “A Goddess has graced me.”

“Shut up.” Hot tears stung at her eyes, but she squinted them away. “Shingen--”

But his smile faded. With more tenderness than she’d ever seen, he reached out and took her hand. God, she felt tiny next to him. She always had, but now--even now--especially now, with their palms matched up, she could see just how small she was in comparison. His grip was weak, so she tightened her grasp on him to compensate.

“Princess,” he managed. “Don’t tell them.”

“You stupid fuck. I’m going to.”

“Don’t. I can’t do that to them.” He tried to reach across him to take her other hand, but it took so much visible effort that she just pushed him back down. “I can’t. Kenshin and Yuki and Sasuke have already done so much for me. They let me live with them. They’ve worried about me. I can’t burden them with this, too. I can’t stand burdening you with it.”

“You’re not burdening me.” What an idiot. She blinked at him, willing herself to be strong for the stupid, mule-stubborn, intelligent, handsome, charming man in front of her. “I want to be worried about you. I want to be here for you. Can’t you just let your friends love you?”

A sad smile slipped across his mouth, and though he said nothing, it whispered, I don’t know.

She stayed at the hospital that night. It was freezing cold, and Shingen kept shivering, so she braved the snow outside and bought two blankets from a CVS. One had cats all over it, the other one planets.

“Here.” She draped the cat blanket over him, tucking it in tight around his legs and arms. “Cause I know you just love pussy.”

Shingen tried to keep down the laughter, but it was no use. Eventually he lapsed into coughing, dabbing a tissue to his mouth. “And you’ve got me all wrapped up like this. I feel like a cat burrito--a purrito.”

“I swear to God, Shingen. I’ll just leave you here.”

“Please no, my goddess.” He meekly wrapped his fingers with hers again. “Whatever you wish, so long as you stay.”

Silence draped between them, their hands entwined, the faint beep of the monitors a discordant beat with her heart. And then--oh. She’d read so many books about falling in love that she’d expected that moment; a surge like a tidal wave yanking her under, the spark of a flame, the blast of a roaring fire running through her body. Apparently not. And maybe it wasn’t love, exactly, not yet. Still. In her heart she could feel the first blast of air as she tipped over the edge of a cliff, and she wondered when it was that she’d taken the step forward to begin with.

Where have you been? Sasuke texted her. You haven’t been showing up for our video chats.

She didn’t get the chance to answer until after she’d helped Shingen back from the bathroom. He’d refused to let her help him with the blood still flecking his mouth, using her phone camera instead to help him clean himself.

Sorry. Exams week is kicking my ass.

That’s fine. Have you seen Shingen? He hasn’t shown up either.

For a long, long time, she stared at that text, wondering the best course of action.

“Everything okay?” Shingen asked, as if he weren’t the one bedridden. “You seem deep in thought.”

“Yeah.” She tucked the phone away and propped his pillow up behind him. “That good?”

“Perfect.” For what felt like the millionth time, he wrapped his hand around hers again. Had he ever held her hand before this week? “Can I ask you something?”

“Hit me.”

“I think I’ll pass on that and just ask the question, thank you.”

“Shingen.”

He grinned cheekily and kept going. “Aren’t you planning on going back to your dorms at some point here? I don’t want to keep you away from your room on my account. You’ve got exams.”

“Yeah, it’s just for art history. Besides. Has it ever occurred to you that I’d want to be here?”

With a gesture, he answered, “This isn’t exactly an interesting place.”

“I’m not exactly an interesting person.”

For one rare, rare moment, his smile faded. Ever since his surgery he’d recovered a tiny bit of strength, and in the moment, it felt like he used it all to clench tighter around her hand. “I find you interesting.”

Flattery will get you nowhere, she wanted to say, but something in his stare arrested her. Instead they stood there staring at one another. His dark eyes swirled with a thousand unspoken thoughts, like the thrum of his heartbeat that she could hear around them hummed there, too.

“Well.” That was all she could think to say. Her throat was dry, so she separated from him and fished up a bottle of water. “Yeah, so, I’m not gonna leave you here alone.”

“Is it because of my dashingly good looks?” He teased. She just rolled her eyes and swatted at his shoulder.

That night as she curled up in the armchair to sleep, she watched Shingen toss and turn, his eyes unfocused and open. No doubt he was in pain. Without a word, she got up and slipped into the bed with him.

“Princess?” He asked, wrapping his free arm around her regardless. “What are you doing?”

“You looked cold,” she lied, resting her head on his chest. “Is this comfortable?”

For a long, long time he was quiet. At last he leaned his cheek against her head. The soft huff of his breath tickled her brows, his thumb rolling in wide circles against her arm.

“Yes,” he answered, low and certain. He still smelled good. How the hell could someone be brought so low, so sick, left for so long in a hospital, and still look and smell the way he did? Her heart thumped painfully in her chest as he nuzzled his nose into her scalp. “And you?”

“I’m where I want to be.”

“Mmm.” She felt his smile rather than saw it. “How funny. I was thinking the same thing.”

Okay, seriously. What the fuck is going on.

She stared at the text from Yuki and wondered how much longer she could keep up the avoidance game. Shingen wasn’t due for release from the hospital until at least next week, which was well into when the other three were back on break. Doubtless they’d want to get together, which posed an... interesting problem. That, and this wasn’t the kind of thing he could just play off. As much as Shingen tried to hide it, the physical stress showed.

Besides--he was in his second surgery at that exact moment. She wasn’t in much of a mood to keep the secret.

Some shit. I can’t exactly talk about it yet. I’m sorry for avoiding you guys about it. I promise I’ll come clean soon.

A long moment. Yuki copied in Kenshin and Sasuke on the next one.

Uh, no. We come clean now.

They discharged him on a Wednesday. He couldn’t walk without a cane, but he was walking, and that was an improvement. Gently she guided him into her car and they puttered down the slick, poorly-plowed streets.

“We aren’t heading toward your apartment,” he noted.

“No,” she agreed. “We aren’t.”

Shingen just smiled that quiet smile of his. “You told on me, didn’t you?”

“You bet your ass I did. What were you gonna do--tell Yuki you’d fucked someone too hard and thrown out your back or something?”

He laughed only a minute before it lapsed into coughs. “I was thinking more along the lines of being evasive until he gave up. He does eventually.”

“Yeah. Not this time.”

They pulled up in the driveway to Kenshin’s house. Almost immediately they were swarmed by the others, their doors being flung open.

“You fucking jackass--”

“Now now, Yuki,” Shingen placated, struggling from the car with his cane. “That’s not the way to talk to your elder.”

“Shingen.” Kenshin lingered on the porch, eyes flinty. “Welcome back. Now I’m going to kill you for evading us.”

“Good to know. If you’d do the honors rather quickly, that would be nice.”

As a unit they got him into his old, second-hand room. In years past they’d gathered on the couch in the living room, being noisy and rambunctious until Kenshin’s mother had come in to straighten them out, but now they moved all the Christmas decorations upstairs and made short work of livening up the room. Shingen set his mouth in a line, his eyes shimmering, and his friends did their best to pretend they didn’t see. Late into the night they all rolled around on the mattress, laughing and drinking and unwrapping presents until Kenshin’s mom poked her head in and shushed them.

“It’s four in the morning,” she whispered. “Go to sleep.”

Twenty and up they all were, but they obediently opened the adjoining bonus room door, unrolling futons and sleeping bags. Kenshin eschewed his room to sleep on the floor with his friends, offering the battered plaid couch to her. Lights out. The rooms dipped into a hazy blue dark, snow outside catching the faint street lamps and reflecting in dreamy patterns on the ceiling. One by one, gentle snores encircled her.

But she couldn’t sleep.

“Princess?”

And apparently she wasn’t the only one.

Silently she slipped from the couch, pattering into Shingen’s room. He’d cast off his shirt, PJ pants riding low. She did her best to ignore the muscular dip of his hip down, down, down.

“Hey, Goddess.” He smiled brilliantly in the dark, brushing back the blanket. “I’ve a question for you.”

“Hit me.”

“I’d rather not.”

“You fucker.”

His laughter was gentle, but then it dipped into seriousness, his eyes bright and vulnerable in the light. “I don’t suppose our napping together in the hospital was a fluke?”

There were no heart monitors here, but she swore she could hear her own pulse beep beep beeping right before a momentary flatline. What was she supposed to say?

“No.” She swallowed. “No. It wasn’t.”

He lifted his chin, offering a tender smile. “Then I don’t suppose you’d like to come and join me now?”

“Yuki and Sasuke and Kenshin will see, you know.”

And Shingen paused at that a long, long time. She watched the thought roll over and over in his mind, but at the end of it, he just brushed the blanket back further. “If you’d rather not for that reason, then I’d understand. But I’m still game.”

Settling onto the mattress, she just crossed her legs and grinned playfully. “I dunno, Shingen. Aren’t there some of your girlfriends on campus that you’d rather cuddle?”

His smile vanished. Shuffling his hand backward over the nightstand, he flipped on his phone for the first time since they’d gone to the hospital. Almost immediately, it began vibrating off the hook--unread messages, missed calls, notifications--but he ignored that and swiped into the app menu, selecting every single messenger and dating app.

“Shingen?” She asked, uncertain.

“Hold on.” One by one, he flipped them open. Deactivated. Deactivated. Deactivated. His messages to other people were almost singularly populated with a mass copy-paste from him, dated a month ago: I hope there’s no hard feelings. Just not in the same place in my life anymore. I wish you all the best.

“Shingen,” she repeated, her pulse hammering out of control. “I was just teasing you. And--and why?”

“Cause.” He turned the phone back off and set it on the bedside table. “I had a come to Jesus moment that day you and I walked back from the hospital.”

“You mean the day you lied to me?”

“Okay, yes. That too. I apologize, sincerely. I didn’t want you to worry about me.” He flopped over onto his side, soft whorls of red hair like licking flame on the pillowcase. In the half-light, she could see teenage Shingen again: so full of smiles and light, always hiding his feelings, always shielding his friends from his pain. Reverently he tip-toed his fingertips over the knuckles of her bare hand. “But we were standing there outside, and you gave me this look when you were getting that leaf out of my hair, and I kind of realized that...” And he paused. “That I couldn’t kiss anyone and not think of you, right then. Because I wanted to kiss you.”

Silently she wriggled her feet under the blankets, shimmying up to him. He shot her a questioning look but accepted it anyway, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Just because I deleted them doesn’t mean you owe me anything, by the way. I don’t want you to feel like--”

“Shingen?” She tapped her fingertips over his mouth. “How’s the view from that hole you’re digging?”

He snickered against her hand. “If all I can see from it is you, then it’s a wonderful view indeed.”

“Flatterer.”

He didn’t deny it. Quietly he brushed his thumb over her forehead, easing the strands of hair from her eyes, and leaned in. Oh. He caught her lower lip between his and pulled on it ever so gently before sealing her completely. She’d imagined what it might be like before, but she’d never thought it would be so stable. Between the solid wall of his chest and his sturdy embrace and the careful, sweet pressure of his mouth, she wondered what might happen if she just melted into him.

“Princess,” he murmured, nuzzling his nose against her cheek. “I don’t know if you wanna think about this just yet, but I’m kind of sweet on you. So maybe--if you want to think about it for a little bit--I’d like to take you on a few dates.”

“Is this the first one, then? In your bed? A bit forward, isn’t it?”

But they both chuckled. This time she let herself slip further into his arms, held fast and gentle all at once, and he kissed her forehead.

“If you want it to be.”

“Mmm. I’ll think about it.”

He curled his hand through her hair and pet it, the silence falling thick around them. Outside, the snow began to fall once more.

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rococodeco · 5 years

Text

May 25 - Blog a day

Pet photos and stories. Childhood pets. Favorite pet. Current pet. All the animals.

Pets in chronological order. (No pictures, I’m sorry, I don’t have any)

Robin - cat who was a kitten when I was born. She never like me very much. We lived next door to a cat named Mouse. They were buds.

Daphne - my sister’s guinea pig. I had a Beatrix Potter book about guinea pigs (Apple Dumplings I think) that I gave her to read. She ate it.

Chiquita and Woodstock - a pair of parakeets, Chiquita was green, Woodstock was blue. My mom put their cages out on the patio one summer day and Robin and Mouse tried to get them. Chiquita escaped. Woodstock lived for a few more years but died one summer from the heat.

Lassie - a guinea pig who the first pet that was mine, I named him after Lassie the dog. Yes, him. My parents were okay with me naming a boy guinea pig Lassie. He lived for a very long time for a guinea pig. He was quiet, hardly ever whistled. He loved fresh veggies and grass. We would take him outside to graze in the summer. One time he escaped into the overgrown garden. We found him a week later inside a tunnel he wove out of grass.

Oreo - my buddy. I found him hiding in our garden one day. I bribed him with Kraft singles and bologna to be my friend. He’s a little stray cat who chose us as his family. It was years before he was comfortable coming into the house. But he came with us every time we moved. We lived for a while at my Grandma’s house. She was generally anti-pet but Oreo won her over. When we moved, he would always come out to say hi to Grandma when she visited (fuck those people who say cats don’t recognize people, Oreo even knew which car Grandma drove). He loved pets and attention. He would climb on top of my book so I would pay attention to him instead of reading. When I was 14 our neighbors woke us early one morning to tell us he had been attacked by dog that got out of his yard and animal control came to get him. Oreo was the sweetest cat, but he was also a tough tomcat who did not take shit from dogs. I’d seen him scare dogs away over the years. This dog wasn’t intimidated. For some reason I do not understand, my mom told me it was my responsibility to find out what animal control did with him. I didn’t know where to start and was too scared to make cold calls. My sister made the calls when she got home from her honeymoon and we learned that he was put down because the dog had punctured his lungs. He was the best boy and deserved so much better than he got.

Ody - One day my dad showed up in the middle of the day with a tiny terrified kitten. He handed the kitten to me and went back to work. Our parents hadn’t told us that the shop cat (named Wingnut) at his work had kittens and one was coming home. The terrified kitten proved to be pretty curious and adventurous so I named him Odysseus but we always called him Ody. He and I were inseparable when he was a kitten. He’d sleep in my bed, come into the bathroom with me while I brushed my teeth. I’d give him breakfast and make my own. He always finished eating first and come sit on my lap and beg for some of my cereal. Then he’d follow me around all day, even following me down the street when I’d walk to the library (though he usually gave up by the time we got to the corner). When he was a kitten, he thought he was a little human. He wanted to eat whatever I was eating. He would put his head on pillows when he napped. My parents weren’t responsible pet owners and did not get him neutered. He started wandering and fighting and fucking. He wasn’t as sweet as he was when he was a kitten. My dad and I both got bit when we bothered him too much (our fault, he gave us plenty of warning by growling) and he bit hard. He started disappearing for days at a time. There were times we thought we’d never see him again. He was eventually neutered around the age of 8 when he went to the vet for an abscessed tooth. He turned into a chill and lazy cat who just wanted to hang out at home. A couple years later he moved to the mountains with my parents and became a total indoor cat. And gained a ton of weight. He lived out his last years so spoiled by my mom. I miss that cat. He’s been showing up in my dreams lately.

Katie - My little sister dreamed for a long time of owning a cat named Katie the Calico Kitten. Someone in the neighborhood was giving away kittens so I took my sister to see them. Sure enough, there was a fluffy little calico kitten. Our older sister took two of the other kittens named Sophie and Cricket. Ody was definitely the father of Cricket, her pattern matched his exactly. 50/50 whether he was Katie’s father, but he really took to her when we brought her home. He would give her baths and nap with her. It was so sweet and unexpected. She climbed the tree in our backyard and realized she didn’t know how to get down. She panicked and kept climbing higher and higher until she fell out of the tree. She fell probably 40 feet. She seemed shaken up but otherwise okay after the fall so my parents didn’t take her to the vet. But after the fall she really didn’t like people to pick her up or touch her outside of head scratches. She really liked to be with people, she would follow whoever was home around the house, but she didn’t want pets or attention. She was also such a cranky cat. She hated strangers. She was also hilarious. She would knock her food across the kitchen floor and hunt it. She would mix up her water with her paw before drinking. She was floofy and cute. When she got really excited chasing after string or other cat toys she would run face first into furniture. She was fascinated with the raccoons that started passing through our yard. She always wanted to go outside when they were around. We kept her in because raccoons can be real dicks. She disappeared one day when my mom let her out of the house extra early. I searched all over for her (this was after college, before I had a job so I was home all day). When my siblings came home from high school we made posters and put them all over the neighborhood. There was no sign of Katie, who liked to go outside, but never left the yard. Either she ran off with a raccoon in some sort of Romeo and Juliet love story or a fox got her. We’ll never know.

I haven’t had pets as an adult. But I will get cats again some day.

EDIT: 3 days later and I remembered I forgot Bugs, a huge lop with floppy ears. He was a dick. He was my uncle’s step-kids’ pet but my uncle is also a dick and gave all their pets away when he married their mom. We got Bugs. (See grandma being anti-pet above, more than any of her kids, this uncle absorbed all her neuroses and turned them into cruelty.) Bugs was a total horndog. We had 4 or 5 locks around the door on his coop because he was constantly trying to escape to mate with the cottontails in our neighborhood. He raped poor Oreo once. We would let him out to graze in the backyard along with Lassie. He would thank you by kicking manically until your legs were full of scratches as you tried to put him back in his coop. In the winter we put his cage under carport in the front yard to protect him from snow/make it easier to feed him. The door was up against the wall so he couldn’t escape, because he kept trying to push through the quadruple locked door. One snowy morning we woke up to find the cage pulled away from the wall and dog and bunny prints in the yard. Some dogs pulled his cage away from the wall and he got out. We never saw him again.

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askdawnandvern · 7 years

Text

A Lamb Among Wolves: Ch 18

his is quite possibly the longest chapter I've ever written. Longer than anything in "The Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether" and any of the chapters in this story as of yet. Initially it was supposed to be combined with the previous chapter, but once how saw how long it was getting I had to break it up. Even this is pushing it at 25 pages, but I felt it couldn't be split up anywhere else. This chapter had a bit of last minute tweaking done with some help from my Patreons, so that it felt more natural and realistic. I really have to thank them for their help, and continue to support me as I write this and create other stuff. If you are interested in early access stuff and being part of out little book club, you can check out my patreon. Every little bit helps keep the stories and art coming!

(If you are interested in commissions, contact via PM for pricing and availability.)

https://www.patreon.com/wastedtimeee

-WT

-------------------------------

Chapter Eighteen: Of Old Flames and Funnel Cakes

Stress, fear, anxiety and woe. Since Vernon had arrived at his family home just two days ago those feelings had never strayed too far away from him. It had managed to make the relatively short time spent at the Hunter Ranch feel like an eternity. For every little glimmer of hope, every ounce of promise, for every little bit of joy, there managed to be something that came along and ripped it away from him. His Father's attitude, Yuri's crude and tasteless sense of 'humor', Zach agreeing with Dorian about the couple staying away from the fair. All of it had been twisting the wolf's insides further and further. Each act adding to the growing sense of dread and misery in the wolf faster than the rest of his more accepting family members could ease it. But finally, for the first time since he had arrived in the North Meadowlands, Vernon was actually having great time.

It had been hours now since he and Dawn had first set out with the goal of making their date at the fair the best it could possible be. The sun had shifted from the edge of the horizon to far overhead, their shadows tapering to little more than a concentrated blot beneath their feet. Despite the intensity of the noon day rays against Vernon's fur, the wolf could feel a wavering in its strength. The warmth of the summer sun finally beginning to wither away before the growing chill of the autumn air. It struggled against the cool breeze, at least keeping it warm enough not to need a jacket, but thankfully beaten down enough by the cool air to keep the fair grounds from being stifling.

From her perch atop the wolf's shoulders, Dawn had lead the charge in the couple's desperate need for fun and relief from the family reunion. The ewe was unusually exuberant, excitement lacing her every statement as the couple began to meander through the crowds of mammals. Her rising excitement had the wolf grinning stupidly in mere seconds after she had started. It became clear very quickly to Vernon that the sheep hadn't been to anything like a fair or amusement park in ages. It shone in her childlike wonder and glee as she stared in awe at the variety of attractions. Much like the excitable fox who had left for the rides just before them, the ewe was pointing from ride to ride as she struggled to settle on what to go on first. Each decisive and final choice turning on a dime as she spotted yet another new ride she hadn't seen.

It was Vernon who ultimately became the deciding factor of their first ride together. Dawn had been in the middle of listing off several different choices before she evidently remembered that she was with someone. Vernon stifled a laugh as Dawn suddenly froze mid sentence, glancing down at the wolf she had been clutching on to so tightly.

"V-vernon I'm so sorry." The ewe began to blush. "I was so overwhelmed by all the rides I didn't even think to a-ask you."

Vernon flashed her a warm smirk. After such a hard start to the day, nothing could make the wolf feel better than seeing his mate brimming with excitement and joy.

"W-what do you think we should ride?" Dawn asked, squeezing his shoulders a bit as she leaned further over his head.

"Welp..." Vernon scratched his chin. "Since I was a little pup, every year when the fair came around the first thing I'd ride was the merry go round." The wolf shrugged slightly, causing the ewe seated on his shoulders to rise and fall with his motion. "I guess it sort of became a tradition of mine."

"Well then, no sense in breaking tradition." Dawn smiled widely.

Turning her attention back to the fair around her, the ewe stabbed a finger in the direction of the ride.

"Onward, my valiant Puppy!" Dawn giggled as she spoke, squeezing his shoulder tightly with her one hoof still holding on.

The line for the ride was short, which Vernon had expected. It was never the most popular ride in the fair, but it still was one of his favorites. As they entered the ride the Vernon found himself overwhelmed with the sudden feeling of nostalgia as he spied over the various seats. The finely polished and colorful exotic birds looked as though they hadn't aged since his childhood. Cockatoos, parrots, parakeets and even a massive toucan pulling a chariot made for an amazing display of bright and tantalizing colors, which only became more entrancing as the ride was in motion. Vernon stopped briefly as he passed a familiar old macaw with a chip in it's beak, gently rubbing a paw across its smooth surface as memories came flooding back.

The wolf had neglected to tell Dawn how such a gentle, slow paced ride became the favorite of a young, excitable wolf pup. But the last thing Vernon wanted to do was ruin the mood they had just struggled to get back into by bringing up painful memories. Yet as he glanced into the shining eye of the old macaw he couldn't help but recall his countless rides on its back. How many times he held his paws tightly around it's neck, staring up at the sky and wishing the old bird would take off into it. Flying the young wolf away from his troubles. Away from losing Dawn, away from his anger at the world, away from all of it. The wolf shook his head as he drew his paw back from the bird, worried that lingering any longer would prompt his mate to question why. Those memories were long gone, and now his ewe was back. It wasn't worth ruining the date to mourn what could have been.

Naturally Vernon opted for the chariot, the only double-seater on the ride, and the perfect place to enjoy the experience with Dawn. The wolf made a dash for the seat, fearful that another fairgoer would nab it despite the lack of riders. Once he had staked his claim, he eased the ewe off of his shoulders and onto the seat before taking a spot next to her.

He watched the ewe put her hooves on her knees, leaning forward as she waited excitedly for the ride to begin. Vernon in turn simply leaned back against the hard wood of the seat back, leaning one of his arms on the side edge of the chariot as he watched her. The wolf couldn't help but admire her sheer joy. She was clearly putting in the effort of forgetting everything in favor of just having a good time, and if she had any lingering thoughts or doubts, it certainly wasn’t showing.

As the ride jolted to a start, he watched the sheep jump slightly in surprise and couldn't help but chuckle. Dawn flashed the wolf a dour frown.

"What?" She asked.

Vernon shook his head dismissively. "Nothin' Darlin'."

The ewe leaned back as the ride began to pick up speed, but her eyes remained on the wolf.

"C'mon Vernon, what?" This time a giggle escaped at the end of her sentence.

"Yer just so darn adorable. I can barely stand it." The wolf said, a goofy grin crawling across his face.

"VeeEERNoooOOON!" Dawn whined, giving the wolf a playful slap.

"Yer only making it worse." The wolf chuckled.

"So are you!" Dawn blushed, placing her hooves over her muzzle. The ewe slid slightly away from Vernon as she eyed the wolf warily. "Y-you don't smell it do you?"

Vernon crooked an eyebrow. "The pheromones or the-?"

"Yes, my pheromones." Dawn replied.

Vernon leaned near the sheep, taking a good hard whiff of the air around her. It was there, sure. But it was barely noticeable over the fading scent of his Mother's perfume.

"Perfume's doing its job." Vernon stated.

"G-good." Dawn gave a shaky reply as she placed her hooves back on the seating. She was quiet for a moment as Vernon kept watching her. Clearly there was more on her mind.

"A-and the perfume isn't too b-bad now?" Dawn asked timidly, twiddling her hooves nervously as she spoke.

Vernon chuckled, but instead of giving her a reply the wolf simply pulled her close to his side. The ewe resisted for a moment, but in the end she gave in, allowing herself to lean against his chest as the ride continued to whirl around them. Once Vernon heard her let out a contented sigh, the wolf slacked his grip, allowing his arm to hang loosely against her.

"This answer yer question Honey Lamb?" Vernon asked.

He felt the sheep nod affirmatively against his side, placing a hoof on his chest as she continued to lean against him.

"Good." Vernon rubbed Dawn's shoulder gently. "Now let's just enjoy ourselves."

The rest of the morning would go more or less the same, the ewe only seeming to worry about her scent more than anything else. Her pheromones had spiked a few times as they moved from ride to ride, but it had managed to be nothing the wolf couldn't endure. And as the day progressed the wolf could feel himself growing more and more at ease. His stress, his doubts, all of them were rapidly falling away as he enjoyed being with the one he loved, the two just having mindless fun as they experienced the excitement of the fair together. The teacups, the spinning swings, the funhouse, the bumper cars, with each attraction the wolf’s troubles felt more and more distant. The misery the weekend had been causing him become more and more obscured as his date reinforced and strengthened the whole reason he had come to the reunion in the first place, to simply show Dawn a good time. And with every smile, giggle, and hug from the petite ewe, the wolf’s heart swelled with love.

Now that lunch had rolled around the wolf was practically back to his old self, strolling lazily across the fair grounds with Dawn holding his paw tightly as they walked together. The only thing left nagging him was the lingering embarrassment of accidentally taking a bite out of Dawn’s hair instead of the cotton candy they had bought to split. He made the mistake of not looking down when she had held the staff of spun sugar up for him, instead staring off at the next attraction he had his heart set on riding with his date.

Vernon let out another quiet whine as the memory replayed in his head.

“Vernon stop.” The wolf turned his attention to the small sheep at his side.

“What?” Vernon asked.

“You’re still thinking about the cotton candy.” Dawn eyelids drooped as she stared at him.

The wolf scratched the back of his head, flashing an uneasy smile.

“You could tell huh?” Vernon muttered.

“Vernon. It’s fine.” Dawn laughed, running a hoof through the fluffy mane that Vernon had coined her nickname from before placing it against her hip. “You barely bit into it before you realized what was wrong. You didn’t even pull any wool out.” Dawn let out a sigh. “Trust me, it’s not the first time someone tried to eat my wool.” Dawn let out a sigh.

Vernon eyed the ewe curiously. “Oh really?”

The ewe blushed slightly, letting out an awkward cough.

“W-well you know, college.” Dawn murmured. “A lot of mammals experimented with hallucinogens and stuff. Yellow lichen gum was a big hit on campus.” Dawn place her hoof over her face. “So when you have a mare for a roommate who’s very into hallucinogens, you find yourself waking up to a horse slobbering on your head a fairly often.” Dawn sighed.

Vernon let out a barking laugh.

“You can’t be serious!” The wolf choked through his laughter.

The ewe let out an exasperated sigh. “At least cotton candy was actually involved this time around.”

The wolf smirked. “And in my defense, they did go out of their way to make it look like you.”

“Oh yeah.” Dawn laughed. “There’s something very comforting about a cotton candy stand run by coyotes who craft the cotton candy to look like cartoon sheep heads.” The ewe shook her head. “I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that I was eating a crude replica of my own head, or you were.”

Vernon flashed the ewe a half lidded stare, a mischievous grin crossing his muzzle.

“Well, I do love to eat you Honey Lamb.” Vernon chuckled. “Granted it ain’t exactly the same thing, but it certainly is tasty.”

Vernon had barely finished his statement before Dawn abruptly released her tight grip on his paw. Blushing intensely, the ewe took a few steps away from the wolf, clasping her hooves over her muzzle.

“VERNON!” She hissed, her tone was stern but it wavered, the lamb clearly attempting to keep from laughing. “You are KILLING me! I can’t take this today!”

Vernon let out a soft chuckle. “Sorry Mutton Chop, I keep forgetting.”

The ewe wiped a hoof across her brow, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“At least that means the perfume is doing its job.” Dawn sighed. “But that doesn’t make it any easier for me! You have to cut down on the flirting.”

Vernon placed his paws in his pockets, looking down at the worn dirt path beneath his feet. The wolf idly kicked a small stone, glancing back at Dawn occasionally with a pair of wide, sorrowful eyes. It was all an act of course; the wolf wasn’t quite done teasing his mate. But he knew his weaponized ‘Puppy Eyes’ were the best in his arsenal when it came to flustering Dawn.

“Oh Puppy no!” Dawn immediately scolded. "Don't you give me that look!"

“I-I’m sorry Floofs, I-“ Vernon suppressed the urge to smirk, holding steadfast in his mock frown.” I just love ya so much, I can’t help myself sometimes.”

“You already have me!” Dawn chuckled. “You don’t have to flirt anymore!”

Vernon broke his sad façade for a moment, flashing the ewe a brief smirk.

“Where’s the fun in that?” The wolf replied.

“OHH!” Dawn huffed. “ Mean, MEAN wolf!"

Vernon slipped back into his dejected stance, making his eyes as wide a he could and feigning a sniffle.

"A-aw, now ya gone and hurt me Dawn." Vernon whimpered. "Cut me deep."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the ewe's frustrated face, but he could also see a hint of worry, part of her clearly wasn't sure if she had really hurt him, and Vernon was ready to continue to play on it to get one up on her.

"V-vernon!" She stammered. "S-stop, please!"

"I just wanted to have a good time with ya." Vernon whimpered. "Now I got ya scolding me for showin' ya how much I love ya."

"Y-you are still toying with me aren't you?" Dawn sputtered. Vernon could tell her resolve was weakening.

Vernon slackened his stance further, his ears flattening against his head as he stared back at the ewe.

Dawn's own protective stance seemed to shrink, and her muzzle twisted into a worried frown.

"Oh...oh Vernon." She murmured. "I-I'm sorry. I am, really." The ewe took a careful step closer, all the while the wolf kept up his sorrowful act, waiting for the chance to strike.

"I love your flirting, r-really." She continued. "I mean I love when w-we flirt together. B-but you have to understand why that's n-not so easy to deal with today."

Of course Vernon knew better, he had some idea what the 'itch' was like. But the opportunity to tease was simply too good to pass up. If they had been back in Zootopia, the little problem with Dawn's pheromones would have been something they would have been able to deal with swiftly, several times in one evening. The wolf would have been eager to make sure his ewe spent the week walking funny rather then frustratingly stewing in her own wool. And, as much of a risk as it was just getting too strong a whiff of her scent, another part of Vernon was compelled to drink deeply of it. The intoxicating aroma of Dawn's natural scent was something the wolf had become addicted to, and he had never smelled it as strongly as it had been that morning. He knew it was wrong, that it would be torture for the both of them, but his need of that familiar flowery and fruity scent he had grown to love was getting the best of him.

The wolf gave a somber nod, keeping his attention mostly to the ground as the ewe took another cautious step toward him. Glancing up at the timid ewe, Vernon turned up the heat by adding a quivering pout to his deadly Puppy eyes. It was nearly time to strike, he just needed her to fully let her guard down.

"Oh Vernon, please." Dawn sighed, opening her arms wide as she gestured the wolf toward her. "I'm sorry."

The wolf dropped his false pout in favor of a devious smile as he sprung his trap. Lurching forward, the wolf snapped the ewe up into his arms and pulled her tightly against his chest. He had taken her by surprise so well she hadn't even fully registered what was going on until she was firmly pressed against his plaid shirt.

"V-Vernon! WHA-NO!" The ewe sputtered, squirming wildly as the wolf held her tightly. With his prey properly restrained, he was free to torture her just a little bit more, even though in a way it was torture for the both of them. Vernon placed his muzzle firmly against the poof of her wool, burying it all the way through to Dawn's scalp.

"Y'know that wool was surprisingly tasty. I may need a few more nips!" Vernon laughed.

"NOOoooOOO!" Dawn whined, still frantically wriggling as Vernon began to plant kisses all over the top of her head. With each quick, tiny peck the wolf could hear a giggle force it's way through Dawn's protests. Eventually the ewe gave up on fighting to get free, and Vernon could feel her hooves pushing against his neck as the wolf continued his assault. She was desperately trying to push him back, but she didn't stand a chance. The wolf had no plans of letting her go until he was good and ready. Another few playful kisses and the wolf got a slight whiff of what he was searching for, that familiar aroma just barely rising over the withering scent of his Mother's perfume. Vernon took a deep breath as he moved in for another kiss, closing his eyes as he relished in the smell for a moment.

However, his trajectory had been slightly off, and in the haze of the ewe's delicious odor, the wolf had sort of forgotten exactly what he was doing. It was only when his teeth found a soft, playful purchase on the rim of one of the ewe's ears did Dawn manage to drag him out of his growing cloudy, dream-like state.

"V-Vernon." The wolf felt one of Dawn's hooves paw at his chest feebly. Her voice had shifted from playfully irritance, to worrying, to an almost pleaful tone. And simultaneously, as her wilted plea reached the wolf's ears, he was hit was a powerful blast of pheromones. It was enough to make the wolf reel back slightly, shocked by just how potent he had managed to make it with such little effort. Either the perfume was rapidly losing strength, or he just hadn't managed to get her that riled up all morning.

Vernon quickly placed the ewe down, and Dawn quickly darted a few steps away from him. Dawn was blushing furiously, but Vernon knew he was looking just as bad.

The wolf scratched the back of his head, letting out an awkward cough as he tried to distract himself by staring at the nearest ride or stand he could find.

"S-sorry Darlin'." Vern muttered. "I-uh..."

He suddenly felt the ewe's hooves push at his waist, causing him to stumble back slightly. Dawn was glaring at him, cheeks flushed with red and puffed out in annoyance.

"I'm going to remember this!" She hissed. " I'm going to get you back later, I swear!" Dawn pouted.

Vernon couldn't help but laugh, it was clear he had embarrassed her. But her stern scolding carried with it a hint of vague playfulness, as if whatever evil scheme she was cooking up she was anticipating with glee.

"D-don't worry about that too much Honey Lamb." Vernon sighed. "Trust me, that was more painful for me t-than I thought it would be." The wolf let out a weak, faltering chuckle.

Dawn stabbed finger into the wolf's chest poking him several times.

"Oh no, that's not enough!" She huffed. "We're in public!" The sheep said, glancing over her shoulders warily. Placing a paw to her muzzle, she lowered her tone to a whisper. "I don't need all the rams here knowing I'm in season!" Dawn whined quietly. "I-It's...personal."

Vernon nodded meekly.

"I-I'm real sorry Floofs." Vernon said, leaning down to Dawn's level. The wolf had to stop himself from placing his paws on her shoulders. The last thing he wanted to do was possibly make it worse.

"I-it's okay." Dawn mumbled, twisting a hoof awkwardly into the dirt. "I-I'm not mad, I'm just embarrassed."

The wolf nodded solemnly.

" I didn't really think about the other mammals pickin' up on that smell before. I promise I'll try to hold back on the flirting and the huggin' and stuff." Vernon said, offering a weak smile.

"W-well." Dawn twiddled her hooves nervously. "D-don't hold back too much okay?"

Vernon chuckled. "Alright Honey Lamb, you got it."

As the wolf rose to his feet, he felt the ewe give him another light shove.

"I'm still going to get you back though!" Dawn whined.

Vernon let out a loud barking laugh. "Alright, alright, you'll get your shot. I've still got a lot planned out today."

"On top of all this?" Dawn asked. "We've already covered half the fair!"

"And I intend to cover the other half." Vernon replied, flashing Dawn a wide grin. "I'm going to make sure we at least get around to the tunnel of love today."

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Dawn yelped before clasping a hoof over her muzzle in surprise of herself. "T-there's no way I can do that right now. I'm feeling so-"

Vernon placed his paws out protectively. "Easy, easy there Floofs. Not right now of course." The wolf chuckled. " Gotta let ya cool down a bit first."

"But Vernon, are you sure it's really a good id-?"

"Dawn we ain't bunnies." Vernon replied. "We ain't gonna come out of that tunnel with twenty kids. The perfume is working well enough, and I'd like to think you feel I got some sense of self control."

The ewe gave a slow, wary nod.

"O-okay..." Dawn relented. "B-but way later. Like at the end of the day."

"You got it." Vernon affirmed.

As the wolf started to make his way back into the crowd, he felt Dawn's hoof find his paw again.

"S-so is that everything?" Dawn asked.

"Heck no." Vernon said, his voice practically singing with excitement. "When were finished at the fair, you and me are gonna have a nice, quiet picnic in the fields back home. Just the two of us."

"R-really? You planned that too?" Dawn pressed.

"Yeah, I already set aside a little care package of pies and other stuff at the house. I bet you were wondering why we hadn't had any of Ma's free food yet?" Vernon grinned down at the ewe.

"Actually I did find it odd you insisted we split cotton candy and funnel cakes for lunch. I mean that's barely food." Dawn tutted.

"Yep, all part of my master plan." Vernon beamed. "I'll make the hot corn right out there, and we'll have pie and all sorts of other goodies. Then we can watch the stars come out, just like I used to when I was a Pup."

"Oh Vernon." Dawn cooed. "T-that sounds wonderful. You planned all this out ahead of time?"

Vernon's grin just grew wider. "About a week before we had the trip pinned down Floofs. I'm going to make this the best weekend of our lives, family or not."

The wolf's eyelids drooped slightly as a mischievous smile returned to his muzzle.

"And you can get me back all you want when we're out there." The wolf cooed. "And if you get a little frisky, well we can take care of that too my little Honey Lamb."

"VEEERNOOON!" Dawn whined, the blush returning to her muzzle as she playfully slapped at him. Vernon couldn't help but chuckle to himself, it was far to easy to fluster the lamb. And it was something he was sure he'd never get tired of.

"Wait Vernon!?" A voice rang out, a familiar voice that reflexively caused Vernon's ears to sag and his muzzle to twist into a sharp grimace.

"Vernon Hunter!? OH EM GOODNESS! I can't BELIEVE THIS!" No, it couldn't be. She couldn't be here. Vernon felt a hard lump form in his throat.

'She moved away.' Vernon thought to himself. 'Zach told me she moved far away!' The wolf was frozen stock still, his body fighting to turn in the direction the call had come from, but his mind too fearful to confirm his suspicions.

"Yoo-hoo? You go deaf Scrappy?" There it was, the last painful bit of confirmation the wolf needed to know exactly who was calling out to him. That nickname had been exclusively used by only one wolf in his entire life, tied up neatly with a chunk of his past that the wolf had tried so desperately to forget. Vernon cursed silently to himself as he turned to face the music.

The wolf kept his gaze low, first eyeing the now very confused looking ewe by his side. But as he dragged his sight-line up he eventually met the gaze of the one other wolf aside from Yuri he could have happily gone the rest of his life without ever seeing again. His ex-mate from High School, Anabelle Windpaw.

It was almost surprising how little the red wolf had changed since he had seen her last. While the couple had long since broken up by the end of high school, she continued to make herself a presence in Vernon's life right up until graduation. Each tedious and irritating encounter went more or less the same. The she-wolf would 'randomly' run into Vernon when she happened to be with her newest boy toy. She would flaunt his prowess and superiority while simultaneously belittling Vernon's weakness and overall failure to keep her. At least that how she liked to tell it, whether you wanted to hear it or not.

Despite getting slightly taller, the fiery red and creamy tan fur was still just as he remembered it. The same went for the several garish 'traditional' Canidean feather earrings the she-wolf had strewn about her ears. She even still wore the same faded red vinyl jacket, with the same patches and runes related to 'native wolf' culture that Vernon was certain she didn't know the actual meaning of. Of course her outfit wasn't complete without her professionally 'worn' clothing. Her faded blue jeans with precision tears made by mechanized hands, and a tee-shirt that simply said 'wolf pack' made to look as though it had been through several hundred washes, although the wolfess had probably bought it yesterday. She had always called the style 'distressed', which to Vernon translated to 'clothing that looks like it would be in a thrift shop, but sold for three times the price.'

But the thing that really made the wolf feel as though he was staring directly into his own past, that made his stomach lurch, was that same smug and self-righteous grin she always wore. Her green eyes gleaming with mischief despite conveying a half lidded disinterest. In that moment, Vernon felt like he was in High School all over again.

"Ana." Vernon grumbled through clenched teeth.

The she-wolf let out a laugh.

"What are the odds I'd run into you of all mammals out here!" She grinned. "Last I heard you ran off to Zootopia with your tail between your legs because you couldn't cut it as a cop."

The second sentence out of her mouth, that had to be a new record for the she-wolf. Usually she at least tried to keep up the pretense of a casual conversation for a few minutes before starting to tear into him. It was clear she had been honing her skills with time. Vernon let out a harsh sigh before turning on the sarcastic pleasantries.

"Ana, and here I thought you had become a professional drifter, moving from town to town to find the biggest, toughest wolf you could to suck dry before dumping him for the next hapless sap." The wolf retorted, flashing a fake smile.

Ana simply chuckled in response.

"Those of us who are proud of our heritage call that being nomadic. It's in a wolf's blood. Not that I'd expect you to know anything about that." The she-wolf returned the false smile in kind. "Of course there's always something that draws us back home I suppose."

Before Vernon could fire off another biting comment, Ana cut him off.

"Oh, oh! I have to introduce you to my mate!" Ana said, turning to the crowd behind her.

"Ken, Ken Darling, come here! There is someone you have to meet!" She cooed.

There were roughly three or four wolves in the crowd behind her, but naturally the largest wolf was the one who stepped forward. His fur was pitch black, obscuring most of the features of his form while causing his green eyes and gleaming white fangs to stand out like stars against the night sky. Unlike Ana, this wolf was dressed to the nines, wearing a sleek grey suit and deep green tie. It appeared immaculately maintained and tailor fit, so much so that even Xavier's classiest attire would make him look like a pauper by comparison.

As the wolf casually approached the group, it became apparent that the wolf was even slightly taller than him, perhaps by one or two inches, and his shoulders just as wide as Vernon's. Everything about Ken's appearance made it perfectly clear why Ana chose him. He was an 'Alpha', and the aura around him practically screamed it from the heavens themselves.

"Vernon, this is Kendrick Loupon." Ana beamed, patting the wolf's broad chest gently as she leaned against it. "He's the Assistant Representative of the entirety of the Meadowlands. He works directly under Representative Damon Ruddy!" Looking up at the dark black wolf, Ana's smile was practically childlike. "He's a big mammal in the Meadowlands Community. Probably bigger than your old 'Mam."

Vernon sneered. The wolf had always been fine with Ana's usual superiority shtick, but when she brought his folks into the conversation it always got his hackles up.

Ana turned her attention back to Vernon, her smile twisting into a more venomous sneer.

"And Ken Darling, this is Vernon Hunter. It's probably quite hard to believe, but he was my mate back in High School. You know, before I discovered what true 'Alpha' wolves were like." Ana tutted. "He was lucky to have me for as long as he did."

"Ha, ha, ha." Vernon stated sarcastically. "Lucky is one interpretation, but I personally think 'cursed' is more appropriate wouldn't you say?"

Ken let out a deep throaty chuckle, extending a paw out to Vernon, but Ana caught his arm mid-way, pulling it back toward him.

"Oh Ken don't!" Ana laughed. " I'm pretty sure failure is contagious Darling. We don't need Vernon's weakness tainting someone of your stature."

Vernon let out a quiet growl as the large wolf eyed his mouthy mate with slight confusion.

"S-She's the ex you were talking about on the train?" Vernon heard Dawn whisper as she tugged at his paw.

"Unfortunately." Vernon muttered, briefly frowning down at the ewe.

"O-oh Mutton chops." Came her nearly inaudible reply.

Ana seemingly hadn't noticed their little exchanged, she was too focused on the story she was preparing to tell. Vernon had of course heard it all before, he imagined that the wolfess had it boiled down to bullet points by now, ready to prattle it off to her newest mate as her cautionary tale of choice.

"Oh wow, it's all coming right back." Ana cooed. " I can't tell you how many times old Scrappy over there failed to stick up for his mate and be a proper wolf."

"Scrappy?" Ken asked.

"That's was one of the nicknames I gave him." Ana flashed a smug grin Vernon's way. "Well, that's the most polite one anyway."

Vernon balled his free fist tightly as Ana let out another laugh.

"But I called him Scrappy because he lost most of the fights he got into. I swear, he was absolutely terrible in a brawl." Ana mused.

"That's because you got me into those fights." Vernon grumbled. "Very unnecessary fights. With mammals way larger than I was."

Ana dismissed his objections with a wave of her paw. "Oh please Vernon, it's not my fault you were such a coward you didn't want to stand up for me when other mammals had wronged me."

"Yeah, let's share some examples shall we?" Vernon growled. "How many times did you insult someone because they 'looked at you wrong', or how you 'heard they might of said something about you' when they never even met you." The wolf shook his head. "You never let anything go, and would goad mammals into a frenzy just to sic me on them. Yeah, but they wronged you."

"AHH!" Ana squealed with delight. "I just remembered that time with that brown bear. The look on your face when he had his jaw wrapped around you neck was absolutely priceless!"

Vernon uneasily groped at his throat as the memory came back to him. The wolf had never forgotten the feel of the angry bears incisors on his throat, the pressure of the teeth against his jugular.

"And surprise, surprise, you lost that one too." Ana teased.

"I also cut a scar across the poor fella's eye." Vernon grimaced. "He's still got that because of me, and I hate myself for it."

"Pft...so you gave him a scar. Big deal." Ana mocked.

"Nah, 'course it's no big deal." Vernon grumbled. " Would have been better if I killed him right? More 'Alpha'? More like a real wolf would have done?"

"Well, nothing says Alpha quite like a wolf whose spent some time in prison." Ana let out another long laugh before trailing of into a contented sigh.

"Just seeing you reminds me of how foolish I was when I was younger." Ana shook her head dismissively. " I was so naive when it came to picking wolves that were 'pack leader' material. So many disappointments, so many failures." The she-wolf glared at Vernon briefly before turning her attention back to Ken. "It took a wolf like Ken to show me what it means to be a true 'Alpha'." Ana cooed, gently pawing at Ken's chest appreciatively. The large wolf squirmed slightly, seemingly uncomfortable with the attention. Perhaps it came off a little too lurid for a public display.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Vernon spat, eager to push the conversation by as fast as possible.

Ana scoffed, rolling her eyes as she clutched back up against the towering wolf next to her.

"Oh, well if you must know. Ken has to be here because of his position in the community. He and Damon are going to be presiding over several very important Harvest Festival ceremonies and so he decided to take me along and turn it into a little date!" Ana cooed, patting Ken's chest gently.

"Yeah, I'd love to be wearing casuals right now." Ken said, scratching the back of his neck. "But technically I'm on official government business, at least part time, so I need to look the part." The wolf gently tugged at the collar of his suit. "To be honest it's a little stif-"

"He's also going to be presiding over several traditional Canidean wolf pack rites for the local native community." Ana cut the large wolf off, continuing her pitch.

"Did you know Ken is half native grey wolf? It's true, his Mother was part of a tribe on the West Coast before she moved to Zootopia." She smiled broadly. "He is very in touch with his cultural roots, and Ms. Loupon instilled a deep respect in him for our ancestors cultural practices."

"W-well I mean not all of them ar-"

"Yes, my mate truly is a perfect balance of a modern wolf, and a proud native warrior. A real Alpha male. A true Canidean wolf." Ana sighed dreamily before turning her attention back to Vernon. Her eyelids drooped as the smug grin returned to her muzzle. "Which is more than I could say for some of us here."

Vernon chuckled, surprised at just how thick the she-wolf was laying out her endless praises of the large, dark wolf. The wolf imagined it had been a long time since she had a good outlet to dump her insecurities on, and his presence gave her the perfect opportunity.

"Oh yeah." The wolf shook his head. "That's right, if I remember correctly the last native wolf in your family line was your great-great grandmother. So that would make you the least native mammal here by default."

That was the first time Vernon saw Ana's smug facade drop slightly. The wolfess grimaced briefly before turning her nose up at the wolf.

Satisfied he had hit his mark, Vernon continued. "Even so, not like that kind of thing was ever a big deal to me. Native, non-native, we're all wolves." It was an olive branch, one Vernon was sure that would ultimately be wasted. But at least he was attempting to turn the tone of the conversation to something less bitter and spiteful.

"Spoken like a true omega wolf." As expected, Ana was quick to toss that branch aside. "I swear if your family respected anything about their roots you would have been kicked out of your pack a long time ago."

Ana's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. "Oh, is that why you're here? To plead with your Father to let you back into the family? To give you your name back? Are you just Vernon 'No last name given' now? Oh that wou-"

"W-what is your problem!?"

The sudden statement startled the wolf, but not because what was said, but rather who had said it. Looking down, the wolf found that Dawn had stepped forward slightly while still clasping his paw. Her other hoof was balled into a tight fist that matched his own. Ana seemed confused before discovering the voice had come from below her line of sight.

"E-excuse me?" Ana sputtered.

"Y-you heard me!" Dawn's voice waivered slightly, but ultimately remained stern.

"Why did you even bother us? It's clear you don't like Vernon so what was the point?" Dawn released her grip on Vernon's paw, taking another step toward the she-wolf. The ewe stood firm, her fists clenched as Vernon watched.

"Do you honestly have nothing better to do?" Dawn continued, her voice rising slightly. "Are y-you so childish that you need to validate yourself by seeking out a mammal you dated in High School just to put him down?"

The ewe pointed a finger at the bewildered she-wolf. "What was that, more than ten years ago? And your dwelling on it like it was yesterday? Is there nothing more going on in your life?"

The she-wolf was silent, merely blinking at the ewe in shock. It was clear Dawn had caught her off guard. But the lamb also managed to catch Vernon off guard as well. Dawn had made great strides in finding her own voice since the 'Zootopia's Last Night' affair. It was a change the wolf could see growing in her with each passing day. The way she carried herself, holding her head a bit higher than she used to. Standing up for herself more often. Vernon assumed that the close call she had suffered that week in the hospital had fundamentally changed her, like many others who have had close brushes with death.

However it was still surprising to the wolf to see the timid little ewe so boldly stand up to Ana, and it caused Vernon's heart to swell with pride and love. The wolf soon found himself returning the smug smile the same she-wolf had been previously wearing.

Ana tried to laugh, but a few coughs choked through it. It was clear the wolfess had lost some of her stride with Dawn's unexpected interjection.

"A-and what's this supposed to be?" Ana stuttered slightly as she gestured to the petite ewe. " Did I judge you too soon Scrappy? Is that a snack for later?"

Vernon crossed his arms, letting off a derisive huff.

"Heck no, that's vile." Vernon sneered.

Vernon watched as the she-wolf crouched down to Dawn's level, leaning close to the little sheep.

"You know another great thing Canidean wolves had right you little grazer?" Ana sneered, her eyes flicking between Dawn and Vernon as she spoke. " That the only use for a sheep was for clothing and food."

"Hey now-" Ken tried to interject, but Ana was on a roll.

"You know, I've been all over North Mammalia, and met all sorts of REAL native wolves." Ana hissed at Dawn. " I've even been to a few communes, waaaAAAaaay up north where they still see sheep as a hearty meal." Ana grinned broadly, leaning practically muzzle to muzzle with Dawn. Vernon couldn't see Dawn's reaction, but her legs were beginning to tremble. Whatever resolve the ewe had was being pushed to it's limit. "Once or twice, I've even had the pleasure of partaking in one of their traditional hunts, and the thrill of biting into a real rack of MUTTON!"

As she spat out the word mutton, she lunged forward causing Dawn to stagger backward slightly. Dawn looked back at Vernon fearfully for a moment, but rather than run back to his side she returned to her defiant stance.

"Ana please!" Ken raised his voice slightly, his eyes shifting across the various fair-goers. Vernon had nearly forgot about them in the heat of rising altercation, but it seemed they had yet to draw any attention from the passers by. "This is the Meadowlands Darling, please don't uses words like that around my constituants."

Ana let out a derisive snort as she eyed Ken briefly. Still Ana seemed pleased enough with the reaction she drew out of the sheep, the smug grin returning to her face. The she-wolf returned to her feet, taking her place back at Ken's side.

"Honestly it was a beautiful ritual, it's a shame more wolves don't honor their roots like that. Such a proud and visceral tradition ." Ana chuckled.

"Well native wolves had a lot of stupid traditions." Vernon chuckled. "That's why all those tribes have practically died out. In another fifty years or so those die hard packs will be nothing more then a black mark in the history books."

"Not with wolves like me keeping the culture alive." Ana sneered. "I'll make sure it lives on in my pups."

Vernon scoffed, shaking his head in dismissal.

"So I take it he's your body guard then?" Ana ignored him, turning her attention back to Dawn. "Otherwise I can't imagine you'd have the gall to talk to me like-"

"She's my mate." Vernon said firmly, stepping to the ewe's side and grasping her hoof again. The wolf squeezed it tightly, flashing Dawn a soft smile. Dawn had done enough fighting on her own for his sake. The wolf felt it was time to step up.

The ewe looked back at him in shock, at least at first. It only took seconds for tears to start flowing from the corners of her eyes.

"V-vernon." She murmured.

"W-wh-what?" Ana's eyes flew open, blinking rapidly. "I-I'm sorry, w-what was that?" The she-wolf stumbled over her words.

Vernon took a deep breath, puffing his chest out proudly. Dawn was his, and he wasn't ashamed to make it clear.

"This is Dawn Bellwether, and she's my mate." The wolf stated confidently.

Ana simply seemed to freeze, eyes wide in disbelief as to what she had heard. But behind her eyes Vernon could see a hint of glee. A shine like the one a pup gets on the early Yule morning, looking over the mound of presents that had been left the night before. It was as if the information had simply over stimulated her, shut down her ability to process it, and the reaction was waiting for her to come back online.

Suddenly the she-wolf reeled back, letting out the most uproarious and boisterous laugh Vernon had ever heard from her. She placed a paw over her eyes as she continued to laugh like maniac, reeling back and forth as she continued to cackle. As her laugh grew louder and louder, Vernon could see a crowd beginning to draw around them The fairgoers had all stopped dead in their tracks, now looking intently at the scene before them.

With another hard reel back, Ana's laugh turned into a howl. And it didn't take long for some of the other wolves in the fair to join in. Vernon could hear them piping up from all over the carnival. Surprisingly, Kendrick kept silent. It was clear that like Vernon, the wolf had trained himself to suppress the urge to howl. Instead he seemed to become increasingly flustered.

With that last howl, the she-wolf fell into a crouch, clawing desperately at her chest as tried to catch her breath.

"Wait, Dawn Bellwether?" Kendrick asked. Seemingly trying to change the subject away from the scene Ana was trying to create.

"Y-yes?" Dawn muttered weakly.

"Ah, I was a big fan of your political career!" Ken said, clapping his paws together. "I followed it really closely up until...um...well you know."

"O-oh..." Dawn murmured, twisting a hoof awkwardly into the dirt.

"But I have to say, the laws you helped get passed for the city wer-"

The wolf was unable to finish his sentence before Ana slammed into his side, a laugh escaping through her labored breath as she struggled to keep from collapsing.

"OH THIS IS TOO PERFECT!" Ana practically sang. "VERNON HUNTER! THE WEAK OMEGA WHO COULD'T KEEP A REAL SHE-WOLF SATISFIED IS A DIRTY PREY CHASER!" Ana let out another howl of laughter. "AND NOT JUST ANY PREY, BUT A SHEEP!"

"Ana, calm down, you're stirring up the other wo-"

The wolfess gave her mate a playful elbow to the rib.

"AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF, SHE'S AN EX-CON!" Ana wheezed. "SHE WAS GOING TO WIPE OUT ALL THE PREDATORS IN THE CITY REMEMBER!? WHAT, DID YOU FORGET THAT SCRAPPY!?" The wolfess pawed at her increasingly uncomfortable looking mate.

The she wolf began to wipe tears from her eyes as she continued to choke out laughter. "OR DO YOU LIKE THAT? BEING SUBORDINATE TO SOME GRAZER WHO LOOKS AT YOU LIKE YOU'RE THE LESSER MAMMAL?"

"ANA! These are my constit-" Ken reached out a paw, but the she-wolf pushed him away. Ana strolled up to Vernon, putting her face right up to his as she tried to suppress her laughing fit.

"Does she hit you? Huh?" She continued. "Do you tell your co-workers you got a black eye from 'falling down the stairs'?" Ana grinned evilly. "Or do you like letting her own you because you're so weak? So lowly? Such an omega that not even a female of your own species would put up with you?"

The she-wolf turned to the crowd, holding her paws out as if beckoning them to join in her spectacle.

"WHAT A FREAKSHOW! A SHEEP AND A WOLF!" Ana let out another howling laugh. "HOW DISGUSTING! HOW UNNATURAL!" Ana shot a glare at the couple. "It's just plain wrong."

With that Ana turned back to Ken, proudly strolling back toward the now flustered looking black wolf. However, stopped mid-way, turning her head back to glance at the pair.

"But I suppose it makes sense." Ana chuckled darkly. "Two broken, twisted, sick freaks with no one else to turn to. A weak willed, soft, miserable excuse for a wolf. An omega in every sense of the word. And a fragile, tiny little sheep who spent her life playing second fiddle to everyone and couldn't even get her petty little revenge plan right. Who's praying that everyone will forget what she did the first time around because of what she did a few months ago." Ana scoffed. "And they won't, by the way."

"You know what you problem is Ana?" Vernon said coolly. The wolf gingerly released Dawn's hoof from his grip, marching back toward the now smugly smiling she wolf. Vernon had enough. In the past he had been more than willing to simply let Ana tire herself. To continue to lob insults until she grew bored and left. It was pointless to stoop to her level. But with all those times Vernon had been alone, and wasn't compelled to argue pointlessly with the nasty she-wolf. He knew she was wrong, and nothing he could say was going to change that, so it had never been worth his time to protest. Seeing her again after all this time had thrown him right back into his High School mindset, and he had been ready to let it play out the same way.

But then Dawn spoke up, stood up for him in the face of Ana's insults and put-downs. Dawn reminded him that he wasn't in high school anymore, that things were no longer the same, and that someone was looking out for him. And it was his time to defend his mate just as she had for him, to say all the things he had always wanted to tell the nasty she-wolf that he never thought he'd get the chance to say. That was, until now.

"You're scared of anyone knowing who you really are." Vernon spat.

Ana raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Pft...what?"

"Look at you." Vernon continued. " All this native wolf pride bullcrap. The last name 'Windpaw'?" Vernon scoffed. "Any mammal with a lick of knowledge about native wolves knows that no actual tribe would recognize you, right? Because wolves that get kicked out, or choose to leave their packs don't get to keep their pack name."

Ana's grin faltered slightly, eyes widening in shock.

"W-what?"

"We both know the only reason yer great-great grandma came to Zootopia was because she was an omega, just like my grandma." Vernon spat. " They left because they hated native wolf tradition, they hated what it represented. Just like every other native wolf that moved out here. They were happy to take their husbands name because they didn't want anything to do with where they came from, but they also had no last names to replace!" Vernon sneered.

"You may have found out what your grandma's old pack name was, but to any actual native wolf tribe, they'd never accept you, especially the actual Windpaws if they are still even around. As soon as anyone found out you were from Zootopia, they'd know why." Vernon gestured to the she wolf.

Ana was frowning now, her ears completely flattened against her head.

"Hell, you don't even know any actual native wolf howl-speak do you? Aside from the curse words." Vernon spat. "Or has that changed since I saw you last? The gods know you weren't a big reader."

"I-I-I-" Ana stammered, clearly unable to think of a good snide reply. Rather than give her the opening, Vernon pressed on.

"But you needed to be unique, to have an edge right?" Vernon turned his back the the she-wolf as he started pacing. "Otherwise you had nothing else that made you different from the other wolfess' in our school. " Vernon pinched the bridge of his muzzle. "So you embraced the Native Wolf in your blood line for better or for worse. It was something, anything you could grasp at to help you stand out."

By now Ana appeared to be shrinking slightly, slinking deeper into her boyfriends side.

"So you gleaned all the most basic knowledge about Native Wolf cultural and crafted this tough, wild persona around that tiny element in your families history, because you had absolutely nothing else to offer anyone." Vernon stomped back towards Ana, stabbing a finger at her. The she wolf recoiled slightly, as if she had expected Vernon swing at her.

"And it made you insecure. So desperate to be liked and validated that you put down everyone around you to build yourself up, to stroke you ego. And when you had a mate, you constantly put them to the test to prove they cared about you. Because you needed to be sure, you needed constant reinforcement that you were loved. And it was never enough." Vernon was beginning to smile as he watched Ana cowering. The weight of the days earlier pressures were suddenly all rising to the surface. Flowing out of him like a waterfall as he unloaded the days baggage in one rant focused at the cruel red wolf.

"And that's why your back right? Why you came back to Zootopia?" Vernon mused, scratching his chin. "You never went to any communes, or at least you were never allowed to stay at them. Because of who you really were."

"Th-that's not true!" Ana hissed. Her voice waivered, the wolf's words were obviously hitting her sore spot.

"So YOU came back to Zootopia with YOUR tail between your legs. And kept up your old persona because at this point it was really all you had. Because you are empty." Vernon spat. "You are an empty, hollow shell of a wolfess who clings to the faded image of old wolf traditions because without them you have nothing else."

Vernon turned to engage the crowd, spreading his arms out in a similar fashion that Ana had before.

"And me? Well I get the heat because I'm the first one. The one you were the most open with. The one who knows all of your secrets. The ones you hoped I'd never repeat if you kept putting me down. If you brow beat me into shamed silence."

With that Vernon strolled over to Dawn. Taking hold of her hoof with a firm grasp the wolf pulled her forward slightly. With a nod, Dawn and Vernon stood their ground at each other's side. Her touch emboldening Vernon's resolve, the look of determination in her eyes pressing the wolf onward.

"Look at us Ana!" Vernon snarled, gesturing at himself and the ewe.

"Think whatever you want, but she's my soul mate!" Vernon barked.

"And he's mine!" Dawn added, seemingly trying to be as loud as she could.

"We have each other." Vernon smiled. "And one day your going to run out of mates to use up and find yourself all alone. An embittered old she-wolf without a family or friends, without pups of her own, because you drove them all away."

Vernon let out a hard sigh as the scene fell silent. Ana looked like she was nearly going to faint, but Vernon still had one last thing to say. The grin on his muzzle widened as he prepared his final statement, knowing it would leave the she-wolf devastated.

"Because you're an Omega on the inside Ana Millfang." Vernon said coldly. "And you always have been."

Ana's eyes went wide in what Vernon could only describe as sheer terror.

"Y-you-You." Ana choked. "R-remembered my-"

"Your real last name." Vernon said, a smug grin creeping across his face.

At that moment Ana began to shudder, and Vernon watched as the flesh beneath her fur went through several shades of red as the shock turned to pure rage. She hadn't seen that coming, she had never expected the wolf to stand against her, much less actually tell the truth about her. The bits he had learned before she had made her full transformation into the self described alpha female she now was. Her cheeks swelled as she began to sputter a rebuttal.

"WHY Y-Y-I, I-" She snarled, glaring daggers at the couple. "I'M GO-"

Ana shook her head briskly before switching her stare to the towering wolf next to her. Her eyes were so focused on Ken it looked as though her vision alone could cut through the wolf's flesh.

"WELL!" Ana hissed.

"W-well what?" Ken stuttered.

Ana slapped a paw hard enough against his chest for the whole crowd to hear. It echoed over the silent fairground as Ken winced.

"STAND UP FOR YOUR MATE! BURY HIM!" Ana frantically gestured toward Vernon.

Ken pulled at his collar.

"Ana, I'm a politician.' the wolf coughed, adjusting his tie as he seemed to compose himself. "I'm not the type of mammal who gets into fist fights. It's bad for my public image."

Ana gave the wolf another hard slap, causing him to wince. "THEN WHY AM I EVEN WITH YOU!?" The she wolf hissed.

Ken looked down at the wolfess in annoyance. It was slight, but Vernon could see it in his eyes. The large wolf let out a sigh.

Ken pulled away from the she-wolf and walked toward the couple. As he approached he seemed to swell his chest, an obvious attempt at intimidation. Ken loomed over them, an imposing aura flowing off him despite keeping a calm and pleasant look to his face.

"Vernon Hunter, right?" Ken spoke quietly.

"Yes." Vernon said with a growl.

"Good, good." Ken muttered. "I'm sorry to say this isn't the end of this my friend."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The wolf hissed.

Ken looked over his shoulder briefly, letting out another sigh before turning back to the couple. "You'll see soon enough Mr. Hunter. You'll see."

With that, Ken turned to the crowd of fair goers, raising and lowering his arms as if signaling the crowd to simmer down.

"I'm sorry for that little ahem...." The large wolf glanced over at his mate, who simply turned her head away from him, letting out an annoyed huff. "Disruption. But please, go back to enjoying the fair. I apologize if my mate said anything out of turn, it's been a stressful day for the two of us."

With that, Ken glanced back at Vernon. For a brief moment the wolf felt another lump form in his throat, the sudden fear of Ken trying to sic the crowd on the two of them rising in his mind. But instead the official turned back to the crowd and calmly continued.

"Her remarks toward sheep folk were completely off base, and I do not support them. And I assure you we will be discussing this later." Ken glared at his mate, earning yet another huff.

"Anyway, please enjoy the fair." Ken concluded, before making his way back toward Ana, extending an arm to her as he passed. Ana however, pushed it away, keeping a few feet from the wolf official. Clearly his little public apology had pleased everyone but her. Letting out a sigh of defeat, the wolf strode forward. Ana gave on last glare back at Dawn and Vernon, turning her nose up before following behind Ken as the pair walked into the crowd and disappeared.

Vernon stood tall, still clutching Dawn's hoof tightly in his paw as he let out a relieved sigh. He had done it, he had finally told Ana off and mam' had it felt good. It certainly had taken the edge off the anxiety and misery that Vernon had built up from earlier in the day. But his brief elation was short lived as he looked down at the worried looking ewe next to him. She seemed to quiver as she latched on to Vernon's arm completely, looking up at him with tear filled eyes.

"O-Oh Vernon." Dawn sobbed. "W-what are we going to do now?"

"W-what? What's wrong Honey Lamb? We told her off. We-"

Dawn shook her head briskly, wiping her eyes against his arm.

"D-Didn't you hear what Loupon said?" Dawn stammered.

"Oh that?" Vernon chuckled. "It's fine Darling. He's got nothing."

"B-but Vernon!" Dawn pleaded. "He's a politician! I k-know politicians! H-he might have connections Vernon!" The ewe wept.

"Aw please." Vernon smirked. "What's the worst he could do to us?"

#Zootopia #dawn bellwether #Assistant Mayor Bellwether #fanfiction #furry #OC #fan character #wasted time #romance #Drama #comedy

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