#-whispers- i love gay reptiles | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

alilbihh · 5 years ago

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hocus pocus — 3

masterlist previous part next part

pairing: maknae line x reader

summary: jungkook wags his tail and his eyes look like truffles. jimin drinks blood out of juice boxes and bendy straws and tries to wink but ends up blinking both his eyes closed. taehyung likes the ocean and all kinds of art and apologizes to rocks. you don’t know if they want to take you out the date way or the assassination way and somehow you think it’s both.

genre: werewolf!jungkook, vampire!jimin, hybrid!taehyung, witch!reader; humor (??); poly!au (in the future!)

words: 14k

There’s a caw by your window, a fluttering of feathers. A knock on the glass. You lift your head warily, eyes squinted, still stuck in a sort of dissociative post-morning state. One, two.. Eight. There are eight crows outside your window.

Crows are often seen as bad luck, omens of death - but people forget they could mean good news. Upcoming wealth. New beginnings.

You watch them for a long while, still under the comforting weight of your quilt, until there’s a sound and the flock flies away with a flourish.

There are eight crows by your window. A sign of a life altering experience soon to cross your path.

You close your eyes and burrow deeper into your pillow.

You think you fall in love the same way you fell into Petz. Accidentally and while making a fool of yourself.

Namjoon comes running over, phone in hand. He frowns. “Did you just trip and I didn’t see? Dammit. This is what happens when I volunteer to take cute pictures of puppies for Jin-hyung. Do it again.”

“I will not.” You say as you right yourself, walking inside the pet store properly this time. Namjoon steps inside behind you, cleaning his shoes over the carpet for more time than necessary.

The pet store is large and cozy and has puppies. It’s everything you expected but you’re still caught by surprise. Namjoon looks around in wonder, only really here under the pretense of wanting a fish but when you turn he’s cooing at a barking labrador, his hands and cheek pressed to the glass.

“Do you think Kimbap would mind if we got a dog?”

Your brows furrow, watching the labrador from beside Namjoon. The dog paws at the glass, and Namjoon boops at where its nose is.

“Kimbap is a cat.”

“He is.” Is all Namjoon says and that’s that.

You leave him to his fantasies as you walk around, not a worker in sight. No one in sight, really. By now you’d expected to be jumped by someone with a Petz logo on their shirt and convinced to buy an entire alpaca farm and multiple chew toys for a dog you don’t even have, but it’s completely void of people.

You pass by puppy cages and reptile tanks and find the fish, too, before you find a single person. You wonder if you came to the wrong pet store. Jimin said he volunteers here, but maybe it’s another Petz entirely. You suddenly hear a commotion somewhere in the back rooms, so you head there, hoping to find someone.

And you do find someone. His back is facing you and there’s no logo on his shirt but there are, like, three to four kittens clinging to his arms, so he’s either thinking of adopting all of them or you’re witnessing the beginning of an abduction.

The kittens are clutching at his arms and emitting tiny meows as he sets them into their little cat houses, muttering something to them but you can’t make out the soft words and you’re distantly aware you’re staring. Not just at the kitten’s heads poking out through the arms but at like- the actual arms. They’re tanned and muscular and have kittens on them. This is just devastating.

He looks up and straightens and it’s three seconds before he turns to you that you notice the antlers on his head and the boxy smile. Oh no.

The boy suddenly stands as straight as a board as his eyes meet yours. His hair is as blue as the ocean he loves so much. There’s a streak of kohl over his lashes that’s a bit smudged on one side, as though he forgot about it and wiped his eye.

There’s only one kitten on his arm now, black fur tipped with brown and almost dozing off, all curled up and comfy. He raises its paw in a little wave. “Hi.”

You don’t know what to do. He doesn’t mention that he knows you, doesn’t even look too surprised, only smiles like this was inevitable. It makes you smile, too. “Hi.”

“Are you here to adopt?” He says- Taehyung says, your mind supplies even though you didn’t ask it to- tickling at the kitten’s tummy as he does, “A kitten, maybe?”

No you are not, you’re definitely not. "Um. Maybe,“ you answer, stepping in closer.

Taehyung stares at the kitten cradled in his chest for a little while longer before turning, gingerly placing it with the rest. He brushes a finger lightly over its head before stepping back and you’re now absolutely devastated.

The boy bites at his lower lip, considering you with narrowed eyes. "A reptile, maybe..” He mutters, more to himself than anything. “Come!”

He takes your hand, quick and excited but soft as he tangles his fingers between yours. Good god.

The deer hybrid leads you to the reptile tanks, pauses by one, tap tap taps at the glass and you both watch as one of its inhabitants comes padding out with surprising agility.

“That’s Guac! She’s a bearded dragon and is also very much pregnant. Me and Jiminie consider stealing her every day.”

You laugh, staring at the reptile’s beady eyes as she blinks, one eye then the other. “She’s pregnant?” Guac doesn’t look at all pregnant at first glance, but there’s a slight bump on her stomach that you have to squint to even notice.

“I was surprised too! She was alone in her enclosure and we still have no idea how the dude got in there to impregnate her. Kookie said something about horniness surpassing all boundaries, but, well. I have no comment on that.”

“He is a menace I am so sorry.” You say but you’re laughing and it makes him laugh, too. “You know Guk?”

Taehyung makes a soft sound as he opens the enclosure, like a hum and a yeah all rolled into one. You watch as he picks up Guac as he would the kittens, soft and gentle and fond. You think he’s like that with everything. You think you’re looking at him like that, too. “Kook visits every so often. He’s cute and funny and has a boopable nose and gave me a rock. Oh!” He startles, raises a hand over his mouth. “Not a rock. Sorry. Crystal,” he corrects.

He’s rocking the bearded dragon softly like he would a baby, bouncing it lightly in his arms. Guac doesn’t seem to mind. You’re fully endeared.

“Did Guk tell you that?” You tickle under Guac’s chin and it makes Taehyung giggle.

“Yeah,” he smiles, bordering on fond. Kisses Guac’s head before placing her back in the tank, watching as she scampers back to the little cave by the corner. Too fast for a pregnant lady, you think, but who are you to judge. “He talks about you a lot, you know,” He whispers, like you’re being let in on a secret. Turns to you with an expression you can’t quite decipher.

You don’t know what to say to that and you don’t want to regret it if you do, so you only nod.

There’s a shout and Taehyung’s head jerks up, smiles something wide and giddy, spots Jimin before even you do. He dashes past you before he’s jumping half on Jimin, tugging him towards you, and then jumping half on you too for no reason except maybe that he can, pulls Jimin in for a soft kiss that goes long and flushes both their cheeks and leaves them both breathless and giggly and there it is-

a little pang.

You scratch at your chest, look around, spot Namjoon idling by the tanks where a school of fish whiz by. Namjoon’s a doctor. A sorta-doctor. An actual witch. A little bit of a seer, if he thinks hard. He knows cardiac arrest and medicine and sickness symptoms and the like. He’ll know you’re dying.

Or he’ll catch you staring, turn, and send suggestive eyebrow raises before scampering back towards the puppy section. Great. Amazing.

“You look happy,” Is all Yoongi says as you slam your stack of books onto the table, sitting opposite him with a huff. He looks soft today, an earring shining from the peak of one pointed ear.

He’s joking, he has to be. Your clothes are a wrinkly mess and your hair’s disheveled and you think you need, like, a mint. Maybe two. But he’s looking at you like he knows something that you don’t. So you don’t say anything, only blow a few raspberries in his direction.

You open a spell book, skimming through it with hasty eyes. The photographic memory potion would be really useful right now, its side effects maybe even more.

“Don’t you have finals soon?” Namjoon mutters beside you, and you look up with a start because you hadn’t even seen him get here.

When did he get here. “When did you get here?” You ask out loud.

“I was always here,” is all he says. You think you’re in a fever dream but you’re not too sure.

“Huh,” You breathe out, looking into the distance.

You look back down at your book. Phoenix feathers, lemon, dragon liver… Dirt? Graveyard dirt? Where are you supposed to get graveyard dirt?

“Namjoon. Joonie. Buddy ole pal.” Looking up at the man from beneath your lashes, you flutter them a bit for a better effect. The man, very much gay and very much in a committed relationship, doesn’t really look amused. “Do you wanna go to a graveyard with me?”

Yoongi looks up with a start, “Oh shit, who are we killing? Who are we burying?”

“What? No one, you absolute heathen. I need it for a potion. Witchipedia says so.”

“It’s not a reliable source,” Namjoon exclaims with a frown. “I gave up on it after it made me burn my frying pan.”

“How does one burn a frying pan,” You deadpan. The man shrugs.

It’s as you’re flipping through pages absentmindedly that your thoughts stray to your dinner not-date. Should you bring drinks? You should probably bring drinks. You wonder what kind of drinks they like.

“Should I bring drinks?” You mutter out loud. The duo’s heads turn towards you.

“For your dinner date?” Namjoon grins, and of course Yoongi told him. You glare at the faerie, and he smiles cheekily. Namjoon continues when you don’t bother correcting him, “You should buy wine. It’s a sexy drink.”

“Namjoon!” You exclaim, horrified. He giggles a bit sporadically. Yoongi just keeps smiling at you, just a bit too close to looking fond.

Faeries can sense auras better, even, than witches. Faeries can see it with only a glance, blues or reds or pinks hovering just over your form. Pinks can be admiration, confidence, love. Yellows can be envy, lust, cruelty. Wine red means only one thing; a red, ugly fury. It’s Yoongi’s least favorite color.

You can’t imagine what it’s like to see an overwhelming amount of colors every day against your will, but Yoongi likes to joke that there’s at least a little color to his life.

Witches are different. Witches sense auras completely based on a whim, a hunch. Sometimes you walk past a complete stranger and are keenly aware of what they’re feeling - and sometimes when Jungkook laughs too hard you taste something akin to cherries, hidden just under your tongue.

Yoongi’s a bit like mangoes. Hoseok is a little bit of everything, a little bit of cinnamon here and a little bit of blueberries there. Jin is a bit like cookie dough and Namjoon is a lot like chamomile tea. Jimin -

Jimin is sweet. Something sweet you can’t quite describe. Like sweaters straight out the dryer and the first spring morning where there’s no frost, only dew. You wonder what Taehyung’s happiness would taste like, wonder if it’s just as sweet.

“Your aura’s pink.” Yoongi mutters with a knowing smile, lips curled just the slightest bit. You slam your book closed with more force than necessary, and he laughs heartily as all the blood rushes to your cheeks.

“No it’s not shut up.” You grab a random book you’d separated and hide underneath it, hoping your cheeks aren’t as pink as your aura.

It’s a while later that you find the solution, only after reading through multiple ingredient guides (including the advantages of using dirt), three books for safe potion usage and two potion textbooks. It’s nestled under a glossary for everyday ingredients, and the pages are printed in the obnoxiously indecipherable cursive that witches tend to use.

Namjoon is long gone, carrying with him a stack of books that go past his head and nearly tower over his form. Hoseok appeared seemingly out of thin air, sat between you and Yoongi and flip, flip, flipping through his book, not quite reading like he’s supposed to but it’s okay. He doesn’t read a lot, just tends to learn in that intuitive way of his.

Hoseok laughs heartily at something Yoongi says and hops excitedly in his seat, the pixie perched on his shoulder squealing and gripping onto his shirt sleeve helplessly. He turns, coos, plucks a petal from the posy of daisies in the vase on the center of the table, delicately offers it with pouted lips. The pixie playfully nips at his thumb before snatching the petal from between his offering fingers and taking a bite– tiny hands smaller, even, than the size of his thumbnail.

The merman laughs and you’re absolutely enamored. With what, you don’t know. Maybe with how easy it was for them despite their difference in size, despite their lack of communication. It continually amazes you how important words can be and how at times they’re not needed at all.

The liquor store is big and intimidating and has one too many wines.

“You looking for something specific?” the lady behind the counter asks. She has soft eyes and her hair’s tied in a bun.

“Uh, wine, I guess.” You stammer.

“Can’t pick?” She’s rearranging the bottles on display behind her as she speaks over her shoulder, the glasses clinking together almost melodically. “Any special occasion?”

“Um.” You pause. “No?”

She quirks a brow.

You feel all the blood rush to your cheeks as you elaborate, “It’s for my familiar’s friends, that I guess are also my friends now, and I wasn’t going to bring anything but my other friend said I should bring wine, and I don’t want to look like a complete scrub in front of them but I don’t know anything about wine so I guess I am. A complete scrub.”

The lady laughs and you guess that your moment of oversharing is the moment you blacklist the liquor store and everything it stands for.

“What about sparkling wine?” She offers. She continues at your confused blinks, “It has bubbles.”

“Um. Sure. I mean. I like bubbles.”

So you show her your ID and pay for your wine and she packs it neatly into a bag. “Good luck with your familiar’s friends,” she says with an almost knowing smile as she hands the wine over, and you just nod because you don’t trust your voice not to squeak at that.

It’s another day. The day. You blink slowly awake and when you look outside your window it’s still dark out and you think you can feel Jungkook somewhere nearby, probably lying restless in his room.

You blink. The crow outside your window blinks back. There are nine crows outside this time, sitting around and staring as if they’re waiting for you to notice them. Nine crows. Positive recognition.

You groan and squeeze your eyes closed so hard you see colors.

(Love. Nine crows could also mean love).

You look at the door number. Then back down at the address on your phone. Then back up at the door. Down again.

Jungkook groans from beside you, tail flicking in slight irritation behind him. Or maybe it’s nervousness. Maybe even excitement. “Can’t we go in already?” He groans, crossing his arms over his chest.

You nod and nod and nod but don’t do anything. Jungkook uncrosses his arms at that, sighs, pats your head fondly but you swat his hand away anyway. “Are you nervous?” He asks, his hands combing through your hair now and you let him. You nod. “Well we can’t stay out here forever, you know.”

“We can try.”

Your familiar shakes his head, “What’s the point of that?” You grunt but don’t shift your gaze from the door. “I’m gonna ring the doorbell now, okay?”

You wonder when the tables turned. When it was you that was nervously skirting around them, when Jungkook was the one confident enough to get close.

You nod because there’s no point in delaying it, anyway. No point in you getting nervous, either.

Jungkook rings the doorbell and you look down at your shoes when you hear approaching footsteps, like they were just by the door and waiting. Their doormat says "enter if you dare" and has a little skeleton on the bottom. You stifle a laugh.

The door swings open and Jimin’s head pops out first, smiles at you both, opens the door wider. “Hello, hello!”

Jungkook greets him first, only smiling before handing over the bag in his hand. While you (read: Namjoon) had the idea of bringing wine, Jungkook wanted to bring juice, so he did.

“We brought stuff!” He smiles, and you hand the bag of wine over as if on cue.

“Wine!” Jimin cheers, quickly followed by footsteps and “juice!” from Taehyung.

You slip off your shoes and hang your coat by the wall hook, stare at a mustard colored peacoat and wonder whose it is.

The floorboards creak as you pad farther inside and you like that, the creaking - it means the place is old and lived in and you like old and lived in places.

Then there’s this rush of vanilla and strawberries and warmth and then the shyest boldest most beautiful boy half in your arms tugging you in whispering

hello, hi, Y/n, c'mere, it’s nice to see you again! sorry for the mess, Y/n, wait how did that get on the ceiling Y/n, Y/n.

Smiles this smile so big it hurts, cracks something big across your heart.

You’re dragged into their kitchen and Jimin is there, Jungkook close by sipping on something warm in his cup. Jimin is watching him, smiling something small and giddy, playing with the long earrings dangling from Jungkook’s ear. Jungkook flushes.

You thought you were ready for this softness. Early this morning you’d drank a soothing potion mixed with some sugar– you even bathed in lavender and rose water and a bit of neroli, just to soothe some smaller nerves. Standing here, you think it didn’t do much of a difference. You’re feeling everything all at once.

“Rule number one is that you have to ask Tannie if you can sit on the couch. I don’t have a rule number two because I haven’t thought that far, but please regard rule number one with utmost respect.” Taehyung exclaims with exaggerated hand gestures just as the dog in question trots towards you, angry eyebrows sizing you up despite his size. You feel very much intimidated.

Everything is great. Yeontan sometimes lets you sit on the couch and Jimin and Jungkook are laughing and Taehyung is telling you of this strange dream he had and of this strange album he listened to and of this art museum he went to that was absolutely terrible. Jimin interjects to agree that it was, in fact, terrible, the kind of museum where everyone’s a snob and thinks that art has to look and be a certain way.

Then when Jimin and Jungkook disappear somewhere Taehyung appears beside you, asking if he can take you somewhere, tangling your fingers together just as gently, as if to say you can let go if you want, you can say no if you want. But you do want it, so you let him tug you into their hallway.

His and Jimin’s shared bedroom isn’t particularly big, but it’s soft and smells like them. Almost but not quite like sugar and strawberries and lavender. There’s a cactus on one of their nightstands by the corner, a little bow on its pot, sitting by an over-filled vase of sunflowers. There are dried flowers by window ledges and framed prints and hanging by their headboard.

You’re both sitting in a corner, sharing earbuds, flipping through a poetry book you’d recognized the second he picked it up. The one Jimin bought from you that must have been for Taehyung. You smile at the thought.

“They don’t know we’re here,” Taehyung says suddenly with a giggle, tapping his feet to the song in his earbuds a bit out of rhythm. He says it like you’re sharing a secret. You find yourself grinning.

Then Jimin comes stumbling in, Jungkook not far behind, both of them giggling and tripping over their feet as if drunk but they’re not, they’re just giddy and excited and maybe a little bit in love.

Jimin looks over at you two in the corner and you freeze. You freeze but you don’t know why, feel as if you’ve been caught but that’s not right, you and Taehyung weren’t doing anything, there’s no reason to feel as if you should apologize.

Yet you feel an apology on the tip of your tongue, even if Jimin and Jungkook’s faces are—aren't—

“There you two are,” Jimin says, nothing short of fond.

Jungkook behind him grins, pads over to plop his head on your lap. Jimin follows, bending down to press a kiss to the crown of both your and Taehyung’s heads before sitting in front of you three and you feel—

You feel warm. Loved. Safe. Sandwiched from both sides, Taehyung curling in closer, Jungkook’s hair tickling the exposed skin of your leg, Jimin taking a hold of your hands, teasingly pressing a few kisses to the back of it.

You play games after that and argue for over ten minutes on which movie to watch. There’s only the living room and it’s already a small space to start, so you all end up pressed together on the couch, but no one seems to mind. You get winks whenever you meet someone’s eye and everything is warm and makes you feel sleepy. You feel adored and cared for and think your worlds are colliding in the most wonderful of ways.

Except sometimes you feel as if you’re intruding, as if you shouldn’t be there at all. It’s hard to think otherwise, with them being in love and whatnot. But it’s unfair, unfair to think that you’re being left out when there’s nothing to be left out of, so you sit and try to convince yourself that these almost-feelings are thoughts of

wow, what a kind bunch of people I know, how lucky I am to have them in my life, what a great group of friends this is.

“Are you feeling okay?” Namjoon asks the second you walk inside his shop. You don’t remember walking here, don’t remember at all. “Because everything suddenly tastes icky and I literally just ate some of Jin-hyung’s lemon pie so you better get happy quick.”

The inside of the store still smells of sage and rosemary and butter cookies, and there are still objects lying around in places they shouldn’t. Namjoon picks up a copy of Alice in Wonderland that appeared on his desk this morning and tucks it away neatly between the shelves and shelves of other books. You wonder how he finds space for it.

There are no light switches anywhere, no bulbs hanging overhead. But there’s a fire crackling by the fireplace that never seems to go out, and there are lanterns floating just the tiniest bit, hovering just above the tables, burning with green alchemical fire and tinting everything a warm emerald color. The lanterns seem to stick a bit closer to whoever is nearby.

The interior is surprisingly lush, probably (definitely) courtesy of Jin. Carpets are layered one over another. There are heavy wooden tables and chairs, vines curling around their legs, their stems a vivid green. There is nowhere to sit that doesn’t seem to be crawling with plants.

You laugh and he smiles but there’s still a pinch of worry somewhere in his eyes, in the crease between his brows - just more on the edges now. “m'fine, Joon,” You say, then immediately want to swallow your words back in. You don’t want to give such an answer, not to Namjoon. "At least, I will be.“ you add.

The witch is about to interject just as Jin walks in, Kimbap striding behind him with his tail just as high as his head. "Joon-ah, the chimney smoke is blowing south.”

Namjoon nods, like there’s more to the phrase than just the direction the smoke is blowing. He stands up, and you have no choice but to follow. “I’ll deal with it later, hyung. Y/n-ah, do you wanna join us for pie?” And so you do.

You’re at a pleasant level of tired, the kind in which everything is just a bit funnier than usual, where walking feels like you’re wading through knee-deep water. Jin slices you some of his lemon pie in a piece that ends up breaking apart, and he releases a gut wrenching scream when some of it falls onto his jeans that has you and Namjoon laughing so hard you see colored spots.

“So what’s got you in such a mood?” Seokjin asks as he shoves a forkful of pie into his mouth that’s way bigger than necessary, the man barely even managing to chew it. He’s wearing shorts now.

“It’s her failing love life, hyung, keep with the program.” You flick Namjoon on the forehead at that and he laughs, quick and sharp. He tries to hide it but his smile keeps slipping.

“No it is not.”

“Lies, your shoulders are all scrunched up.” Jin points out through a mouthful of pie, and it’s then you notice your shoulders bunched up into an irritable shrug. You try to relax but it’s too late.

“Did they say something to you?”

“No!” You’re quick to say. “No. They didn’t say anything to me.”

Namjoon and Jin look at you, then look at each other. Squint. There’s a second of silence, and then a quiet, “Let’s curse them.”

“What!” You snap.

“Not a malicious curse! Just a tiny one.” Namjoon nods, proud of himself.

“May their phones run out of battery quicker.”

“May their socks always step into puddles.”

“May they forget a family member’s birthday.”

“Oh, that’s a little mean,” Namjoon frowns.

Jin looks sheepish. “Was it too mean?” He pauses, rubbing a hand over his chin, wings fluttering a bit. "May they burn their toast more often?“

A smile, and they high five. Namjoon sits up, his chair scraping backwards. "I need, like, five candles. And hyssop. Hyung, do we have hyssop?”

You watch these two adult men scramble around their own house with narrowed eyes. “Guys! I don’t want to curse anyone! They didn’t do anything, really!”

Namjoon turns, candle in hand as he sighs, places it back in its shelf. He walks back towards you, places a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Are you sure? You can tell us, you know. We’re here to help.”

“I know.” Is all you say, and you do. You do know. They’re always trying to help, always are. “Thank you. I just need to sort my feelings through, I think.” Namjoon is frowning but nods, pinches your cheek, laughs at your squeal.

Jin walks in, dry bay leaf in hand. “So we don’t need this?”

“No.” You deadpan. His shoulders slump, and you laugh when he trudges back out the way he came.

Everything seems a bit off, a bit odd - like the universe shifted one centimeter to the right, everything off kilter.

Jimin picks you up after your afternoon classes that day, arms crossed and leaning against a wall like they do in all those books and movies and dramas. He’s wearing skinny jeans and fake glasses. It’s kinda unfair that people like him exist, people that can see without any visual aid whatsoever.

He smiles when you reach him, ruffles your hair, kisses your nose - the very tip of it, lips barely even grazing your skin.

“Hi, hello,” he says, grins, pinches your arm like it’ll distract you from his own embarrassment, laughs when it works.

The vampire takes your hand, tangles his fingers with yours, swings your intertwined hands softly.

“Taehyung’s making pasta,” Jimin says, pauses, “well, Taehyung's watching the pasta, actually,” he corrects with a chuckle.

“Am I invited to your pasta endeavors?”

“Do you want to be? You’re going to have to spend, like, hours with us.” His tone makes it sound like it’s the most terrible thing but his smile says otherwise. The breeze is teasing him, fluffing his hair like a baby chick.

“Oh no. Oh no, not hours.”

“Hours.” He says dramatically, giggles– really giggles, even though he’s vehemently opposed to the term whenever you bring it up.

Jimin is charming, haphazard all around the edges kind of charming. He smiles a lot, smiles at everyone, smiles like he has an infinite number of them to offer when you have, like, seven in a day at most. He smiles at the ice cream vendor and at the bulgogi vendor across from it. He smiles at the stray cats in alleyways and apologizes when he nearly bumps into a trashcan. Smiles at you, too.

“We’re home!” Jimin yells out when you both arrive, his fangs poking out through his smile and you know he must be talking to Taehyung but for a second it really feels like you’re home. Not because of their home, exactly, even with the streaks of paint on the ceiling and sprawled out video games on the floor and a bonsai on the windowsill that you just know is Taehyung’s, but just because of–

them.

And it all feels like so much.

You’re all watching Ponyo like Jungkook wanted to so much and him and Jimin are half asleep on the futon just below the couch, all curled into each other and warm and comfortable.

(You try to cover them with a blanket like they do in every romance ever known to man, but Jungkook immediately kicks it off with a might you’ve never seen before, and you blankly watch it flop to the floor. Taehyung muffles his laugh as much as he can manage).

Taehyung shifts closer to you somewhere between the credits rolling and Jungkook’s particularly loud snore, and something about his hesitation and the little smile almost makes you coo.

You don’t comment, simply crawl closer to Taehyung on the couch. He shifts so he’s closer and his antlers just barely graze over the armrest before he settles, nuzzling into the throw pillow. He smells like Jimin’s body wash and shampoo; citrus mixed with something boyish, something like honeysuckle and cedarwood, something that just might be Taehyung.

“Is this okay?” he mutters sheepishly, his hand grazing over yours as he shifts, shifts, shifts positions.

You swat at the couch a bit before finding the bare skin of his arm. His inner elbow, most likely. You tap twice, not willing to speak, not willing to break the sweet sweet cotton candy of this moment.

A moment of silence goes by. A quiet one. Quiet moments with Taehyung are nice, like there’s nothing needed to be said, no need to fill the silence. It’s quiet in a loud way, a thousand words to say and not a single one good enough to be put into words. But it’s nice, even though it shouldn’t need to be.

Taehyung suddenly turns, takes his phone from the nightstand, unplugs the charger from it before turning, settling, squinting at the screen’s brightness. You laugh, a breathless thing, and he smiles.

He type type types before pausing, glancing at you from beneath his lashes. You’re so close you can count the number of eyelashes he has, the number of freckles, the little mole by his nose and his bottom lip that would look unnecessary on anyone else but on him it’s just right.

He hands the phone over. Taehyung does this sometimes, tells you things through the phone despite how close you might be, says it helps him think his words through, helps him not say things he’ll regret.

There’s something on my mind, the phone says, short and simple, and for a second you think that this is it, he noticed your sticky feelings, they all did, you messed up. Either in many little ways and one big way or many big ways and one little way, you don’t know. He’s here to be mature about it, here to say

stop looking at my boyfriend like that please

and the worst part is that they have every right to.

Because you don’t have a right to think of Jimin’s boyfriend like this, you don’t have a right to think of Taehyung’s boyfriend like this, that you don’t have a right to think of Jungkook like this- sweet Jungkook in love with them both.

Your mouth is dry and tastes like salt as you curl up, type tell me? before handing the phone over. You just hope they don’t hate you. You wouldn’t be able to handle them hating you.

Sometimes you think there’s something wrong with you, to think like this, to think of all three of them like this. That maybe you’re doing this wrong, doing something wrong. You googled it once, just to see - and some of what you saw hurt, hurt a lot. A lot of people, a lot of what you saw said that you can’t love more than one person, that you can only fully give your heart to one person. But that’s not right, you don’t believe that one bit, don’t want to believe that, because there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just love, and there’s nothing wrong with love.

Jimin and Taehyung and Jungkook are so gentle with their love for each other, all this patiently impatient love, their sweet tangle of fingers and gentle smiles. Jimin and Taehyung with their lingering kisses that shouldn’t linger because they’re fifteen minutes late for class. The two on either side of Jungkook on the couch, one messing with his hair and the other falling asleep on his shoulder and you love it. Love them together.

And you don’t know what to do with this not-jealousy, with this almost-jealousy, with this-

love.

You watch Taehyung’s fingers move as he types, pauses, deletes. You think it’s better this way. To end things before the sticky feelings clogging at your insides spreads until it hurts too much to hide.

He hands the phone over. You hope your fingers aren’t shaking. I think I’m sad is all it says. You feel relieved even though you know you shouldn’t.

do you wanna talk about it?

His hands clumsily brush against yours as he takes the phone from you.

could u talk out loud? if you don’t mind? i like ur voice.

“okay,” you whisper, feeling small and warm in all the right ways, and he laughs that ehehe laugh.

He motions for you to get closer. You comply, curling in closer to read over his arm as he writes. sry my spellign sucks, i’m bad even tho i need to know how 2 communicate

“You used both the number two and the word two in that one sentence,” you exclaim with a muffled laugh, mindful of the still sleeping Jimin and Jungkook, and you feel him smile before he even does, big and unreserved and then you feel it, the little pang in your chest, warmth warmth warmth spreading through your veins.

i think i like many someones, but i don’t know how to tell them!!!! this is then followed by a stream of emojis, only some of them resembling anger. You almost snort at the sight of a weirdly placed clown emoji and a little gray haired grandma.

There’s a moment of silence as you think of what to say that you won’t regret later. “I think you need to tell them,” you continue right as Taehyung starts typing a drawn out nooo, “They won’t treat you any differently, honey boy.”

Taehyung visibly recoils, shivers, takes a hold of your hand and types with his other, dont use logic ur mortal rules do not apply 2 me, he writes, only erases it when you’re done laughing, types again with shaky fingers, how do u know that?

You inhale a shaky breath. “Because if they really love you, romantically or not, they’ll want to see you healthy and happy regardless of whether they reciprocate your feelings.” You pause. "Which I’m sure they do.“ You attempt a knowing smile at him but he doesn’t get it, only stares blankly at the screen, thumb still tracing patterns on your skin.

im scared

You wriggle forward so that your brows are pressed together with his. He shivers. "You shouldn’t be. People that are meant to find each other will, remember? So people that are meant to stay with each other will, too.”

Silence. Taehyung stays still and for a moment you think you messed up, gave too much away, but then he leans down and presses his lips to your temple. Almost kissing you but not quite. “Thank you.” he murmurs against your skin, “Goodnight, baby doll.”

His head plops onto the throw pillow before he pauses, sits upright to lean dangerously close before nuzzling his head into your shoulder, hiding his face in the pillow quick. Scenting, you consider, then dismiss the thought.

You can’t see his face but there’s a faint taste of strawberries on your tongue. Ah, you think offhandedly. So that’s what his happiness tastes like.

You stay wound up in each other even as the heat is sweltering, and you wake up on a bed with Jimin pressed behind you and his legs tangled with yours and Jungkook somewhere between you and Taehyung, his cheek pressed to your collarbones and snores loud enough to reach the heavens and it all feels a little disorienting. Just a little bit too right.

You hope things with Jungkook will go well.

Even when you wake up before the sun, it’s warm.

Everything is warm, feels like lavender and rosemary and something soft all around. You think you can taste cherries and strawberries and something sweet, everything sweet.

And then you open your eyes and it all makes sense. Because that’s just how Jungkook and Jimin and Taehyung are, soft and sweet and floral until all the edges are safe enough to press against, all sugar spun words and sugar spun smiles. It makes you long for it, long for their sugar scrubbed lips against your skin.

But that’s not right, it’s not right to think that, so you steel yourself and peel open an eye and think that it’s best to get it over with quickly, like jumping into cold water. It hurts less that way, you learned.

“Guk,” You mutter first, softly, the man stirring only slightly beneath you. He turns and nestles his head deeper into your neck, his lips dragging a bit over the skin and you shudder because you can’t help it. “Kook,” you repeat but it’s even softer, your hands combing through his hair.

He hums a bit, and Taehyung shifts from behind him. The man opens his eyes in a sort of dissociative state but he still smiles, eyes meeting yours over Jungkook’s head, and you both share a knowing kind of smile, like you’re being let in on a secret. Jimin shifts from behind you, his touch cold in a way all vampires�� are, but oddly warm as his arms tighten around your middle, nose nuzzling the back of your neck.

You close your eyes and sleep a bit longer. You allow yourself just that. It’ll be the last time, you tell yourself, even though you’ve said that for way too long already.

When you wake again, it’s just you and Jungkook. Unsurprising, since Jungkook is the one that sleeps in the most, sleeps whenever he finds the chance. You look at the time, the clock blinking 10:36. You realize you’re not on the couch anymore, that someone must have moved you while you were sleeping. Heart aching at the thought that you must have been a bother.

You just lay there for a while in thought, reverting between looking at the ceiling and looking at Jungkook. The little constellation of freckles and blemishes on the apple of his cheeks. His cupid’s bow. The tangle of his eyelashes.

Laughter trickles through the closed door, bouncing around and fitting itself into all the corners and crevices, soft and warm and sweet. That’s the thing about them. You hear their voices, their laughter, and it burrows itself somewhere in your chest and makes itself at home and you don’t think you’ll ever get it out. You find trails of their laughter everywhere, find it when you open cabinets and it comes tumbling out, find trails of their smiles under cushions and fogging up all your mirrors.

You brush away Jungkook’s hair with your palm, lightly press your lips to his forehead in an almost-kiss. You think he shivers, but you were busy untangling your legs from his so you can’t be too sure.

When you close the door softly behind you and pad further into their apartment, you hear a noise of exasperation by the couch.

“The creature has risen,” Jimin remarks ominously.

“Amen.” Taehyung says, feigning surprise when you turn to look at him.

“You all suck,” you say and watch as they burst into a fit of giggles, your heart dangerously warm. “Sorry for staying over, I wasn’t planning to.”

“No, no, no,” Taehyung’s the first to reassure, gesturing for you to come closer. You comply, standing hesitantly by the back of the couch, and he turns to take your hands into his, his thumb drawing circles onto the back of it. You almost shiver. “S'okay, not your fault. And it’s nice having you here.”

You don’t comment. Try not to stare at his hands tangled in yours, try not to think of how warm he is. “Guk’s still sleeping,” you start, if only as a distraction, "I would wake him, but I don’t have the willpower.“

Jimin bursts from the couch, muttering an excited mantra of "I’ll do it!" as he does so. He almost passes you by but pauses, presses a kiss to your temple and a hand trailing softly down your arm and then— "Good morning, my little love.” before he disappears down the hallway. You try to steel your expression into something less soft and fond but when you turn Taehyung’s looking at you like he caught you in the act, his eyes and smile all giddy and warm. You look away quick, speed walking into the kitchen.

Their kitchen is a normal kitchen by all means, nothing overly exciting there. But when you turn there’s a teapot with a little cartoon bear and their oven mitts have polka dots on them and there are reminders glued to the fridge with little magnets that look like cats.

Dance practice at 2!, one says in cute cursive handwriting; Buy pickles at the grocery store!!! the other says covered in scrawls and doodles and too many exclamation points. You remember last night, remember the way Taehyung texts and just know it’s him, and feel hopelessly endeared.

The man in question suddenly trudges into the kitchen, and you try to purse your lips to keep yourself from smiling even as he pats your head and grabs a carton of juice from out the fridge. You catch a glimpse of several bags of blood in there and wonder what Jimin is up to with Jungkook. Jungkook’s sleepy noises and pursed lips and puffy eyes. Jimin sitting on the edge of the bed, combing through the werewolf's hair and looking down at him with a smile. Good god.

Taehyung grabs your wrist and leads you toward a cabinet, grip hopelessly soft. He opens it, takes out a mug with a printing of a dolphin jumping out the water. There are too many colors and it kinda looks like a Picasso painting. “Jiminie bought it for me from the last time he visited his family back in Busan. It’s the ugliest mug we own and also my favorite.”

He places it on the counter, pours juice into it as you laugh. The hybrid reaches to grab another mug, hands you one with a smiling Cinderella on it. “Thank you,” you mutter, soft.

He lunges forward abruptly, and there’s a smack on the center of your forehead when his lips meet your skin. He pulls away just as quick, shuffling away with his mug, but it’s still warm where he kissed you.

God. You’re so far gone.

You steel yourself as you approach Taehyung. He’s sitting on the far end of the table, pouring cereal into a bowl. You laugh lightly, going to sit opposite him, but he pulls you by the sleeve of your shirt to sit beside him, so you comply with a laugh.

There’s silence as you sip on your drink and as he eats his cereal. Then suddenly you mutter, just for the heck of it, "What’s your favorite color?“

The boy looks up, blinks, and you’re suddenly reminded of why you called him honey boy in the first place. He’s so, so pretty. "Hm?” he hums at first, chewing slowly at his cereal. “It, uh. Starts with a b and ends with a loo.”

“Ah.” You nod, “I like purple, too.”

Taehyung laughs, quick and sharp, then covers his mouth with a hand because otherwise he’d spit cereal all over the counter. You grin in delight because how could you not?

“Not funny,” The hybrid mutters after the laughter stops. He tries to keep a poker face but his smile keeps slipping.

“You laughed, though.” You point out but he doesn’t say anything, moves the cereal box between you both so you don’t see his face. You laugh.

It’s quiet again after that. A nice quiet. Like the ones you experience with family members and friends, people you’ve known your whole life. You haven’t known Taehyung your whole life - haven’t known him for much time at all, actually. You’d like to, though. Like to know where he’s most ticklish, what makes his brows furrow, what makes him laugh so hard he’s in tears and has everything tasting like strawberries.

“Hey, Taehyung?” You speak up for the first time in a while, Yeontan’s tail tickling your legs from under the table. He hums for you to continue, so you do, “Is it Jimin that dances?”

Taehyung’s expression contorts into so much open admiration your heart kinda aches a bit. “Yeah,” he says a bit breathlessly, “He’s really good at it, too. So pretty.”

“Oh.” You nod, because it makes sense. He’s graceful and slim and his legs are a bit too muscular, but you thought that had something to do with him being a vampire. Protein and all that. “I can imagine,” you say because you really can.

Taehyung nod nod nods and it’s then that the wood creaks, and you turn to find Jimin standing nearby, like a hell-beast you summon using words of praise. Jungkook is standing behind him, and you look down and see their hands intertwined and Jungkook’s face a bit flushed.

“They’re cute,” you hear Taehyung mutter, and you nod because it’s true. They’re good for each other. And if the way Taehyung stands up and throws himself on top of both of them says anything, all of them erupting into giggles and everything tasting sweet - he’s good for them, too. They all are. So good.

“Noona!” You blink blink blink and look up and Jungkook must have materialized beside you or something because he definitely wasn’t there before. “Jimin-hyung is complaining that Tae-hyung only fed you juice so now he’s making food! Don’t worry, it’s not some lame cereal or anything.”

You nod and he nods back. Ruffles your hair. Doesn’t kiss the crown of your head like he does sometimes, on some mornings where he’s cold and soft and half-asleep.

Jungkook coaxes you out the chair and leads you to the stove where Jimin is making eggs. Taehyung is there, too, and your familiar suddenly lets go of your hand just to burst into a sprint and slap the hybrid’s butt, says something about him having a perky bum before Taehyung is chasing him around the table while Jimin is laughing and you’re laughing and it’s a mess.

It all kinda feels like true love.

You really want it to be.

You’re in an aquarium. You’re not usually in aquariums, not without company, not with the children chasing each other around and the occasional happy couple that walks by to stare at an octopus or something. The things people do for love.

“I wanna be a marine biologist,” Hoseok says, chewing on a shrimp cracker. He’s wearing swim trunks and a navy blue shirt with a little fish on his chest. The gills on his neck are swaying softly. "I get to see fish and maybe show them to little kids sometimes. Oh, and swim in the big tanks after hours.“

"You can do that?”

He turns to you, something knowing glinting in his eyes. “Nope.” He says, popping another cracker into his mouth.

“Do all mermaids like to swim?” You ask, turning to him expectantly. He offers you a cracker from his little packet and you politely decline.

“Not really,” he hums in thought. “Some just prefer the land, ya know? I’d like to think their soul will always be tied to the ocean, though.”

You hum. “Yeah. I like the way you put it.” Is all you say. When you turn to look at him, he’s smiling.

Hoseok lets you look over his shoulder as he shows you pictures of him with his tail, blushes a pink just as bright as his tail when you compliment him. He pauses at a picture of him with purple seashells over his chest like Ariel, bursts into laughter with you.

You appreciate it. Appreciate that he’s not asking why you’re really here, sulking at a school of trouts.

“Hoseok-ah,” you say, pause when he hums in acknowledgement. He doesn’t push, just waits. His hair’s a bit wet, you notice. Smells a bit like chlorine and something soft. He’s shining with pixie dust and something else. “Um. At what point did you know you were in love with Yoongs?”

His whole body melts, human fondue. “It wasn't really a big revelation. At one point I just made a face at him and watched him laugh then thought ‘oh shit, do I love him' then I couldn’t unthink it, couldn’t undo it.” You watch as everything about him instantly melts with his smile. It was just the tiniest bit of tension, so small you couldn’t even notice it until it wasn’t there, that’s what melts away.

“Huh.” Is all you say, because there’s nothing you could say to that. “Then what made you tell him?”

“Red bull,” He says, laughs, “And tears, too. Can’t forget about those,” He looks at you and softens, looking impossibly honest. “And the thought that maybe I’d regret it if I kept it to myself.”

The mermaid turns and watches the same school of trouts pass by with you. Doesn’t say anything until you hear a gasp and he says all too loudly, “Holy shit that dude totally just winked at me.”

And you laugh, slapping lightly at his shoulder, “It’s a fish, they can’t even blink.”

“I swear that one just did.”

“They don’t even have eyelids!”

And maybe things are just a little more okay.

It’s another day. Another day that feels like an early morning but it really isn’t. A time of day in which the air is not yet cooled by autumn and the sun lines the side of your face lovingly.

Except the curtains are drawn and the air conditioner is at full blast, and Jungkook is napping on your bed when it’s five in the afternoon and his own bed is, like, down the hall.

“Guk,” you whisper, spot a blob of blankets that must be Jungkook and only a nose sticking out of it, as if he were under the covers until recently but had to get out for some air. You’re so fond. “Gukkie. Time to get up.”

You try to gently shake him awake but he only groans, trying to shuffle away from you on the bed. Breathing out a chuckle, you place the drink in your hand onto the bedside table before plopping yourself completely on top of him, hear it when he lets out a low oof.

He whispers a mantra of drawn out noo's under his breath before you see his head pop out, chin propped over the blankets as he watches you with his brows furrowed. You laugh in delight, catch it when he purses his lips to fight back a smile.

“What’s that smell?” The werewolf asks, voice low and groggy from sleep, his arms bursting from out of the covers to wrap themselves around your middle. You shuffle from on top of him until your cheek is laying on his chest, warm and comfortable, feel it whenever he draws in a breath, the rise and fall of his chest.

“Potion,” your voice is muffled from where your cheek is laying on his collarbone, but you know he hears you when you feel rather than see his face scrunch up in adorable disgust. You continue before he can voice his concerns, "But! It’s sweet. I put in some honey and a chocolate bar and some maple syrup. The syrup needed a little more persuasion to dissolve but a little flirting did the trick, I think.“

"Sounds like it tastes very sweet,” Jungkook says with a toothy grin, sitting up without letting go of you so you’re forced to sit up, too. You watch as he slowly moves to grab his drink, other arm resting on your hip, as if to stop you from moving, to keep you close. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking. “What’s it for? I don’t know what Tae-hyung told you, but I don’t have bowel problems, I swear.”

You laugh, tucking the comment away for another time. “Nothing like that, I think. It’s just warm.”

He hums, blowing ripples in his cup as steam wafts upwards and around. You watch-- feel – as he sips at his cup, as he shudders a bit when the warmth flows through his veins, as he presses the cup to his chest with half-lidded eyes, breathes out a little sigh.

You get up before you can stare any longer. You almost do, shuffling back and untangling your legs from his, but Jungkook startles and stops you with a hand lightly gripping your arm.

“Dinner- Guk, I gotta make dinner-” You say but it’s only to convince yourself, only to stop yourself from getting closer— but it hasn’t worked before and it isn’t working now.

Jungkook drags you back to bed, grip hopelessly gentle, as if to say you can go, you can leave if you want—but you don’t, you never do, so you let yourself be dragged; helpless for him, for this pretty boy in your bed.

His legs are around your waist and pulling you closer and you want this, you want this but you don’t want to want this, don’t know how to get closer without the words spilling—I like you I like you, like you so much, liked you for ages.

A chin is propped over your head, both his hands resting on your hips. The silence sticks, gentle with sleep and afternoon fog.

“Noona,” he murmurs, and you hadn’t realized when he started rocking you gently back and forth. “Noona, s'okay, right?”

You hum but it sounds distant, like you hadn’t said anything at all. It’s a pretty dream, you decide. It’s a pretty dream and you’ll sit here while Jungkook tells you pretty things.

His hands are trailing up and down your arms and you shudder, feel each individual line, and it’s skin that will never be the same now that it remembers what Jungkook’s touch feels like. It’s too much. Not enough.

(Jungkook had kissed you once before, back when you were both tipsy on secrets and laughter and a bottle of wine, alcohol no longer in any of your systems but you were both pretending it was. He'd leaned over, unthinking, when you’d laughed at something he said, had pressed both your lips together. You hadn’t reacted at first, were still for enough time to make him reconsider, make him recoil back, but then you were slipping your hands into his hair and tugging him back and he’d kissed you again, softly, soft enough to make you ache for it for weeks afterwards, like a bruise that wouldn’t heal.

“Guk,” you’d started the next day, finding him hunched over the couch, “could we talk, maybe-” but he’d cut you off cheerily, much too cheerily, “it’s okay, noona, I get it, it’s fine it’s fine it’s fine—”)

“Shit,” Jungkook says, sounding pained, almost. You look up at him but he’s already looking. He’s close. So close. Not close enough. “This is okay, right?”

You nod, not sure what he’s asking about but sure that it’s okay. With Jungkook, it always is.

He makes a soft little sound, like a hum and a growl and a sigh all mixed into one. It burrows somewhere in your chest and you don’t think you’ll ever get it out.

You’re not sure when the dam breaks. Not sure who moves first. But at some point you both do, meeting in the middle, angle off, teeth clicking. You kinda want to break it off just to laugh, just to blink and make sure this is all real, but Jungkook’s hands move to cup both your cheeks and keep you in place and then

then you’re kissing.

He doesn’t taste salty with wine. He tastes of lip balm and something sugary sweet. Just like you remember. Just like you dream of, sometimes. You think of this and smile so hard your cheeks ache and feel him smile back. It should be an awkward kiss, if anything- practically all teeth- but it isn’t, it’s nice, gentle.

Jungkook pulls back to breathe, to mutter something that sounds like oh, god, before he’s swaying back, back to you, pulling you close, impossibly close. He presses his lips to yours again and again and again—eyes shy and determined, lips careful and caring.

You pull back and Jungkook growls, something raw and oddly feral, but when you look up at him, startled, he looks equally surprised. "I swear that wasn’t on purpose.“ He sounds a bit out of breath. His too long bangs brush against his eyelashes and there’s a little bit of stubble on his chin. You laugh and kiss him there, right on his chin, hear it when he makes a soft little thing that sounds like a sigh. You wonder how many more sounds you can get out of him, how many more sighs you can steal from his lips and eat like summer cherries.

He does taste like that, though, you think. He tastes like cherries. Like happiness.

Jungkook gets closer still, whispers a breath against your lips, this is okay, right? this is okay? and you feel it even without words, feel it in the gentle press of his lips to yours. Feel it even when it’s not gentle, when it’s something deeper and hungry, sweeter and messier and open. It’s embarrassing how easy you say yes each time, but he doesn’t comment. Only smiles. Swallows the embarrassing sounds you make.

There’s a gentle press of a tongue to the seam of your mouth, to your bottom lip, let me in, it says, let me in, if you want. And you do, you do want it, so you let him, feel as he melts and sighs and sinks into you deeper still. He’s so pretty. You say so, when you both part, watch as he blushes the same color as the cherries he tastes like.

You don’t realize when you’re being set down softly on a pillow, Jungkook hovering over you, pressing kisses from the apple of your cheeks down to your jaw down to your collarbones. So beautiful, he murmurs, suddenly shy, and it makes you both smile and you can’t come back from this. Can you come back from this?

Dark eyes meet yours when you look up, round as truffles. Jungkook smiles a toothy grin, something giddy in his eyes that widens when you smile back. Then he’s leaning down and kissing you so softly it melts you down to your bones. You can’t come back from this.

You want this. You want to kiss him until he’s trembling and his bangs are sticking to his forehead. You want to hold his hand when he’s sad and have your hand held when you’re sad and sometimes hold hands just because. You want to have baths, sexy ones sometimes, with candles.

But you also want early mornings. You want to wake up to the sound of keyboards and Jungkook ushering you out of bed, noona let me help, noona look at what I made, noona let’s go outside, noona, noona, noona.

You want Jimin and Taehyung. You want to make them smile, want them to make you smile, want to wake up to their smiles. You want to give them presents and watch their faces contort into gentle surprise. Want to hang ornaments on Taehyung’s antlers and watch him smile when they jingle.

You can’t come back from this.

"Wait,” you gasp, “wait, wait, wait.”

Jungkook sits up so fast he looks dizzy. “Noona?” His voice sounds small and panicked. He comes to when you sit up, too, shuffling away from you quick, “Oh god. Oh god, I—I’m sorry, I don't—Oh, oh god.”

He tries to get out of bed but you grab him quick, “Wait, don't—don’t go. Just give me a second,” you’re breathing too quick. You breathe more slow, the way Jimin taught you how; three seconds in and three seconds out. “Just… give me a second.”

Jungkook looks up then down then up again. “Okay.” He sits back. Not close like before. There’s still a bit of panic in his eyes, just more on the edges now.

He holds his hand out to you wordlessly, looking down at the sheets. You accept the offer, intertwining your hands softly.

“You don’t, like, owe me an explanation or anything,” he speaks quick, “we don't—have to do anything,” he grimaces, "obviously. We obviously don’t have to do anything. If you wanted to before but don’t want it anymore, that’s fine, that’s fine too—"

“Guk,” You interject softly. He’s breathing too quick, too. “I want to do those things with you—I do, I really do. Wanted to for some time,” he’s looking at you now, and you try not to flush but fail miserably. “I just—wanted to get some things straight, and thought, um. WWND, you know?”

Jungkook smiles, the curl of his lips slow. “…What Would Namjoon Do?”

“Exactly!” You huff. There’s more to be said but you’re both smiling, so maybe that’s something.

“Um,” The werewolf says as the silence drags on, ears drooped against his head, “I’m still confused maybe a little.”

“Sorry,” you murmur, “I just need to know of, like. Feelings that may or may not be happening.”

“Feelings.” He mutters softly. His thumb is rubbing circles on the back of your hand. Looks at you shyly. “I like you,” he says all too easily—looks relieved at saying it, too, like the words have been waiting a long time to get out. “Those are my feelings.”

His words spread to the pit of your stomach, heavy and sweet, like how honey seeps into tea. It’s so fast. Everything is happening so fast you can’t wrap your head around anything. “Me?” you breathe in and breathe out quick. “You like me?”

Jungkook nods and nods again, hair bobbing with the movement. He shuffles a bit closer, hesitates, shuffles further away.

“Hey, no,” you almost coo, pull him so he can get closer and he does. “I like you, too. Liked you for ages.”

“Yeah?” He smiles slow, something big and giddy, teeth and all, shuffles closer still, “Yeah?” He asks again, almost nonsensically, not sure what he’s trying to confirm.

You smile just as big. “Yeah.”

Then Jungkook melts, turns to mush, shoulders drooping, “Oh, thank god. I just went through, like, nine stages of grief over our friendship that I thought I’d just ruined by making out with you.”

“Five—” you manage through your laughter, “Five- There are only five stages, Guk-ah.”

“Oh my god,” He looks at you, unimpressed, “I had, like, extra ones. I was that distressed. I like you so much.”

There’s silence and you both settle, let today’s events sit and simmer for a bit. It still feels unreal. Jungkook’s hand is still in yours, tethering you back to earth, and you feel the calluses of his skin as he trails nonsensical patterns on your hand.

“But,” you stutter when the silence drags for too long, “But I thought you were in love with Jimin and Taehyung?” You sound too vulnerable, you think. Too small.

“I am. I am,” He breathes in too quick, too sharp, breathes it out shakily, “but before I fell for them, I fell for you. It was always you.”

You want to say something, want to interject; and you’re about to, lips parted and everything, "But—"

You startle at the high pitched squeal Jungkook suddenly emits. He’s staring at his hands now, uses his free one to tug at his hair. “The hyungs! We planned to all talk together—Shit, dammit. Argh.”

You blink. “What.”

“Um!” He turns towards you resolutely. He lets go of your hand, regrets it, reaches back for it. “There are words that need to be said but I can't say them. Yet. And—” He makes another noise of frustration. “I wanna do this right. Will you let me do this right?”

You don’t know what he means by that. You’re still half expecting to wake up, to realize this is all a dream. It wouldn’t be the first time. Wouldn’t be the last, either.

You let yourself daydream sometimes, tell yourself it will ease the hurt. It never does, never eases, but you let yourself do it anyway. It’s all three of them in your daydreams. All three of them in this pretty world you created, in this little house where all four of you could wake up surrounded by warmth and everything is safe and soft enough to press against.

So you don’t know what to do. Don’t know what there is to do right. But you agree because it’s Jungkook, and you trust Jungkook, and sometimes he knows more than he lets on. “Okay.” you murmur.

You stay wound up in each other like it never happened, speaking softly to each other, Jungkook occasionally wrestling you for the blankets. You don’t talk about anything specific, just tiny things; that’s when I knew, that’s when I realized, that’s when I hoped. Sometimes Jungkook holds your hand while he talks and sometimes he doesn’t but that’s okay, too. When he lets go it’s cold but a sort of gentle one, makes you think,

look, look at how warm you can be.

There are still things to talk about but it’s fine. You have tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and so forth. For now, you’ll stay here where everything tastes like sugar. Spun-sweet.

That day didn’t come.

It’s been tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and even the day after that. Three days of you and Jungkook toeing around each other, three days of seemingly eternal suffering, only three days and now you’re in another person’s home sipping on another person’s cup of juice.

“Hey!” Namjoon frowns even as you give the cup back with a sheepish smile.

“Sorry.” You say, not apologetic in the slightest and he knows it, too.

There’s a month and a half left until Jin and Namjoon’s anniversary and they’ve both consequently used it as an excuse to bring everyone together. Again. Jin had said something about making use of our youth, even baked a cake and everything, and him and Hoseok are currently in the kitchen decorating it. Or, at least, they were.

“Jin-hyung, I think we failed a bit.”

“We? We? Oh no, you’ve got it all wrong! There is no we! What is this blasphemy! Where is your sense of propriety!” Seokjin shrieks while flailing one of those icing bags, and Hoseok ducks just in time to avoid getting nailed in the head by it, cackling loudly.

Yoongi intervenes, stepping between them, looks down at the cake and promptly bursts out laughing.

You follow and laugh lightly at what you see.

It’s a round vanilla cake and on top — written all too messily — are some almost indistinguishable handwriting written with some kind of blue paste. It says “happy anniversary na" then, as the space obviously wasn’t enough, the mjin is squeezed in at the side.

Namjoon doesn’t seem to mind and you all know Seokjin is only pretending to be annoyed, so you shuffle through the cabinets and hand Hoseok the single candle you’d found, watch as he sticks it in on the top. An act of redemption, on his part.

You all squeeze out of the kitchen after Yoongi as he carries the cake into the living room, sets it down onto the dining table. You feel oddly proud. Or maybe you’re just feeling what they’re feeling, simmering a bit in the pit of your stomach.

You all gather around on the couch where Jin pops a musical Hoseok had recommended into the TV. You somehow fall asleep somewhere between him dancing along with the characters and Namjoon belting out the lyrics and wake to a little bit of drool trickling down your chin and a bit onto someone’s shoulder.

You sit up with half-lidded eyes. Pat the person’s arm in sympathy for them, hear a deep chuckle in response and then — and then—

And then you look up and it’s Taehyung. Taehyung, whom you hadn’t even seen walk inside. Taehyung, who willingly sat next to you and let you sleep on his shoulder.

You drooled on him.

Drooled.

You stand up quick and panicked and try to mask it by wiping off your clothes and strolling into the kitchen like it never happened. You kinda either feel like questioning all your life decisions up to this point or letting out a long-winded shriek and you don’t know which to do first.

The latter option will be first, you think as Taehyung follows you into the kitchen.

"Um,” he mutters at first, clutching at the hem of his sweater. It’s beige and has a little chicken on the top right corner and is a pinch too short on him. You briefly wonder if it’s Jimin’s. “Hello.”

You blink and your tongue is suddenly ten times too big in your mouth. “Hi.”

“There’s icing on your shirt.” He grins.

You look down and there really is. You hadn’t even eaten cake, there was no way for it to get there. “There is.” you agree.

He hums. You hum back. Sometimes people associate your social failures with the fact that you’re a witch, and although you’re mildly offended, you mostly just like to roll with it.

The air’s a bit tense and you wish you could just go back to when talking was easy, when you’d ask where he got his belt and it would release the floodgates — that the belt was, in fact, a tie, of which he painted over to mimic the colors of Van Gogh's Starry Night. Which he then said is how he wanted to paint his wall, paint the wine shelves he’d keep beside his bed for when he wants to classily watch anime. He has big dreams. Makes your heart hurt.

Today, Taehyung’s eyes are painted a brighter color than usual. Makes your heart hurt, too.

He has nice eyebrows. You say so out loud, and he laughs. “Thank you. You have nice eyebrows, too.”

What is this. What is happening. Why are you complimenting each other’s eyebrows. “Um,” you start, “what’s up?”

“Oh!” He says, as if he’d just now remembered. “I just wanted some, um.” He grabs a cup out the drawer, one that’s red and made of plastic, not cute like the ones he has at home, the ones he’s so fond of. “I just wanted some punch.”

Taehyung pours some grapefruit punch into his cup, pale-pink in color. “You should dye your hair that color,” you start, almost regret it when he turns to look at you, but he looks curious so you continue, “it’d look nice on you.”

His cheeks are that color, you think. Pale-pink. “Yeah.” He says and that’s that.

You two walk back and the credits are rolling and everyone’s spread around separately. Jimin’s here too, you notice, see him laughing in a corner with Hoseok. Convince yourself it’s not you he’s looking at when you pass him by.

You and Taehyung end up sat together on the couch, curling in close. This is nice, you think, startle when he turns to face you. “What’s nice?”

“Uh,” you panic and hurry to elaborate, “being close, I guess. With someone. S'nice.”

For a second you think he might laugh but he only turns, considering. His arm is around you, hanging loosely over your waist. You feel cocooned and safe despite yourself.

“Do you want that?” You face him but he isn’t looking at you, only looking ahead intently as if deep in thought. “Do you want someone to be close with?” His eyes are open and soft and somewhat unsure.

You can’t help but bark out a laugh. Taehyung turns, frowns. “Do I?”

“What do you mean?” He murmurs, and your smile droops at how hesitant he sounds.

“What do you mean?” you retort, brows furrowing.

Jimin pads over just then, as if sensing the slight commotion. You half expect him to ask what’s going on, half expect yourself not to know how to answer because what is going on?— but he doesn’t, doesn’t do that, only sits on your other side, places a hand on your knee.

“This, see, you do this,” you start, gesturing to Taehyung’s arm over your waist, to Jimin’s hand on your knee and his hand on your back, thumbnails dragging softly over your spine. “But it’s not real, I know it isn’t.”

Taehyung’s looking at you a bit too intently. Jimin is, too, his eyes glinting gold. You see the surprise cross both their faces.

“Who says it isn’t real?” Taehyung says with a frown.

“Y/n, love, we like you.” Jimin adds, voice hushed as if he’s telling a secret.

“..I know,” you start, brows furrowed in confusion. You know they like you, at least a little bit, otherwise they wouldn’t have invited you over to their home so many times. Then why are they looking at you like that? “I mean, I like you, too.”

“Baby, what Jiminie means is that we’ve been trying to court you for, like, two months.”

Your mouth is dry. You try to swallow once, twice, taste salt and feel your throat get icky.

“Should we settle this at home?” Jimin asks, more to Taehyung than to you but you answer anyway,

“No! No. I just—need some air.”

Outside is a bit cold and Namjoon’s windowsill has too many potted plants he most likely can’t care for and the sky is softly settling, clouds hanging gently overhead. You look up and Taehyung’s face is a bit blurry but his antlers are easy to spot. They make him look taller, softer. Sometimes when you’re talking his ears flicker towards you and that’s when you know he’s listening even without saying anything at all.

Right now, he’s shifting from foot to foot as if he’s uncomfortable in his own skin. But that’s not right, Taehyung’s not one to be uncomfortable in his own skin, so this gentle rocking of his makes you feel strange. Seasick, almost.

Everything seems sort of suspended, like the world is hanging by a drop of nectar, waiting.

“Let’s talk, my little love.”

You almost startle at the term. Jimin looks proud at having said it, too, pretty grin and all. You need to focus. “Okay.” You nod. Taehyung gestures for you to continue, so you do, “You said you were, um. You were courting me?”

Taehyung nods. “Yes.” He says with so much confidence your heart kinda ached a bit.

“So.. what does that mean?”

“It means we want to date you.” Jimin’s the one to say, a nervous but firm whisper.

The silence drags on like a lip being dragged through teeth, slow and deliberate. Your organs feel wobbly inside. They’re doing that thing where they communicate with their eyebrows. They all have impossibly expressive eyebrows.

You feel the immense need to sit down, so you do. You sink to your knees and they’re reaching out quick, ready to console, but freeze when you let out a long-winded shriek. “WHAT?" you sputter, ”WHY?“

"Why?” Jimin says, hums, considering. “Because we like you. Maybe not love yet. But we’d like to,” he crouches so you’re both face-to-face, smiles soft, “we’d like to love you. If you let us.”

“But—” you feel the need to say something, but don’t know what. “But Jungkook?”

“Baby,” Taehyung’s crouching now, too, almost taking a hold of your hand but stopping himself, “we talk about this, like, every wednesday.”

“What? It’s, like, a reunion sort of thing?” You sputter, mouth agape.

Jimin huffs out a small laugh, almost of disbelief, slapping lightly at Taehyung’s shoulder, “No, no, Taehyung-ssi here doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Taehyung tries to look serious, fails, and Jimin is smiling when he turns back to look at you. “We talk about it at least once a week, though.”

You still feel the need to say something but you feel like you’re running out of things to say. “But you’re all,” you run out of words then, gesture wildly at them from top to bottom.

Taehyung looks delighted. Jimin waits for you to elaborate, bites at his bottom lip when you don’t, asks tentatively, “…Yes?”

“You’re all— so pretty.” You mutter, exhausted. “And nice. And funny. And I’m just—” your arms drop to your sides.

“Little love,” Jimin’s the one to say, the one to get close, not afraid to get his clothes dirty as he shuffles towards you, “you’re also absolutely pretty, and nice, and funny, and beautiful.”

“I am?”

They grin. “You are.”

“Oh.”

The three want to date you. The three have wanted to date you for a while. The three are pretty and kind and make you feel seen, think you're pretty and kind, care enough to talk about it at least once a week and it all feels a bit unreal.

Your throat goes tight. You pick at your nail beds. Feel your blood pump the wrong way, its gentle waltz out seemingly of rhythm, one, two, three, one, two—what goes next?

“I–okay. Okay,” you stand up quick, rub some dirt off your knees, see Jimin point at them and giggle a bit. “Can we tell Jungkook? Do you wanna tell him now? I just. Don’t want him to feel left out.”

Jimin coos, takes a hold of your hand, kisses your temple after a second like he couldn’t help it. You think you hear Taehyung laugh from behind you.

They walk you home and you let them inside, their hands lingering on your back and on your shoulder, and Jungkook sputters when he sees you three, sitting up from the couch with a start. “Huh?” Is all he says.

“Hello!” Taehyung says with the biggest grin before getting straight to the point, "We confessed!“

"Y/n said yes!” Jimin adds, equally giddy.

“I’m a little drunk on punch!” You say, “But I still want to date you!”

Jungkook looks like a gaping fish for a second before there’s a twitch of his lips and then he’s smiling, slow and deliberate, pretty pretty pretty. He stands, pads over slowly and then quick, knocking the breath out of you, his arms tight. The rest join in and you’re all laughing and you’re all hugging and it feels like the beginning of something.

I want to be with you all,

then they’re all on you, soft and sweet, and

are you sure, and liked you for so long and are you super sure, don’t you need time to think, don’t you need more time to think, and smell so nice, you smell so nice, wait is that weird, and noona and little love and baby doll and—

they taste like love, like could-be love, and they feel like

y/n

home.

Jungkook’s planting tangerines in your backyard, spurred on by Jimin’s love for them. Taehyung’s there too, energetic and wild in a way only Taehyung can be, but gentle when he volunteers to fill up the watering can, patting and smoothing at the humid soil. He dyed his hair again. It’s the color of pink hyacinths now, the color of the punch he’d drank — pale-pink.

You’ve grown even more fond of your store. Or maybe you’ve grown more fond of what’s inside. Who’s inside. You like how it smells like licorice tea now, how Jimin always opens the windows to let the warm spring breeze inside, the vines and buds and flowers spilling inside like overeager children. You like the music that Taehyung plays on the speakers, jazz and Kehlani and the occasional Girl’s Generation. You like how your sheets always smell a bit like Jungkook.

Yoongi’s staring at you. He stares at a lot of people, but he’s been staring at you the most these days. You tear your gaze from the window, raising a brow at him as he occupies the entirety of the love seat in the corner that’s actually meant for two people. “Why’re you looking at me?”

“Ah.” Is all he says at first. You wait for some sort of sheepish smile, but it never comes. “Your aura. It's prettier these days.”

“Oh.” You blink. “What color is it?”

He turns, gaze shifting to the window you’d just been looking out of. You stare, too. Taehyung looks up just then, waves at you, a streak of dirt on his cheek. You smile lightly, wave back with the same amount of enthusiasm. When you look at Yoongi again, he’s already looking at you.

“You know when the sun is just about to set, and the sky is a mix of pinks and blues and oranges?” He smiles, a soft thing, and stands up. Touches lightly at an invisible barrier around you that’s not at all invisible to him. "That’s what it looks like. Like the gold of the sunset.“

a/n: here it is folks!! i didn’t like some of the scenes but i tried my best. some parts didn’t fit well here so i had to rearrange them a lot, and others i fit into the epilogue!! hope you enjoyed! spaced out is next i swear

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dangerouscommiesubversive · 4 years ago

Note

Ikari Gai (with background ot6?), X

X is for xenophile

“Well, see, I’m writing a book,” Gai says cheerfully, “and I’m trying to pull together material for a section on non-human Sentai. I was just thinking one chapter, but I’m realizing I might have to divide it up, you know, one chapter for robots and androids and another one for organic lifeforms. I’d been hoping to get in touch with you two and the other Kyuurangers for an interview.”

The thieves both nod, Naaga solemnly, Balance with more energy--his earrings swing merrily, catching the light from the diner windows and sending a gleam throughout the entire restaurant. “Good idea! And you can do an extra chapter just for me, since I’m not any of those other things.”

Gai’s notebook is already out. “And an extra chapter for--wait, really?”

“Mechanical lifeform, baby!”

“Really? What does that mean, exactly?”

“Means I’m like a mammal, but I’m not all gooey on the inside. Way sexier. Made things real complicated with this reptile, though.”

Gai’s about to ask what Balance means by that, but then notices that Naaga is blushing (a rather attractive shade of blue, which is interesting) and thinks better of it.

“He just got the hang of being embarrassed last week,” Balance says in a carrying stage whisper, “so I gotta make sure he’s got plenty of opportunities to practice.” Which is followed by a soft thunk under the table that Gai assumes, from the pleased look that suddenly transforms the blue blush, is the sound of Naaga’s foot connecting with Balance’s ankle.

Instead of commenting further on Balance’s indiscretions, what Naaga says is, “The servers have arrived.”

At the next booth, Luka and Ahim have already received an enormous milkshake, which they’re happily drinking with two straws, and Marvelous reaches back across the top of the seats to squeeze Gai’s shoulder before saying, to the woman waiting for their order, “I’d like all of the bacon and eggs that you have.”

“So...the king-size plate?”

“No, that’s only some of it, I’d like all of it. And also a plate of the Leonian extra-hot curry rice.”

"He'd also like a green vegetable," Doc adds quietly.

"What? No, I wouldn't."

"Yes, you would." And to the server, as on his other side Joe audibly tries not to laugh, "It can be covered in butter, though, that's all right."

“--and besides the sand, could I get, like, a cup of used fryer oil?” Balance is saying to their server, whose name tag reads “VAL” and who’s taking notes on her little tablet with a look of resignation but not surprise. “Especially if it’s been used for some kind of potato thing. Yeah, that’d be perfect, cup of used oil from the fried potatoes and some really fine white sand with lots of silicates.”

Their server nods. “I can do that. And you?” to Naaga.

“I would like a glass of room-temperature water, a grilled cheese sandwich, and three raw eggs, please.”

“Sounds good, although you might have to arm-wrestle your friend in the red coat for the eggs. What about you, hon?”

Gai blinks. “Um, I just want a cheeseburger with everything? And a glass of milk, please.”

“...milk? Really?”

“Yes?”

The server blinks. “Whatever you say, honey. One cheeseburger with everything and a glass of milk.”

Once she’s headed back to the kitchen, Naaga turns back to Gai and says, “The Kyuurangers in general may warrant a chapter of their own, since there are twelve of us and only two are human.”

Gai frowns. “You know, that’s a really good point, you guys are pretty unusual even for modern Sentai. Actually, I’ve also been meaning to ask, I think the last time we heard from Stinger he mentioned that you have an interesting powered-up form, would you be willing to tell me a little bit about it?”

“Hebitsukai Metal?” Naaga doesn’t exactly blink, he never does, but a clear membrane does slip down over his eyes momentarily, which seems to indicate surprise in a similar way. “Is that of interest?”

“Yeah! I’d love to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

“Did someone tell you that we don’t love to talk about ourselves? Because if they did, I want them taken out and shot immediately. Thanks!” Balance accepts a large cup of fryer oil from the server with a jingly nod. “The BN Thieves love to talk about ourselves.”

Joe looks up from his own milkshake at the other Gokaigers and says, “I think we’re going to be here for a while, if what I’m hearing is right.”

Marvelous shrugs. “No problem. More time to eat.”

#ikari gai #naaga rei #kyuranger balance #fanfiction #anonamouse #also other gokaigers in background

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rosedavid · 5 years ago

Text

Nowhere I’d Rather Be

Check out my other fics here!

It’s been three weeks. Three weeks since Andi’s party, three weeks since TJ and Cyrus subtly confessed their feelings for one another, and three weeks since they interlaced their fingers together with exhilarated grins. In that moment, TJ remembers how all his jumbled, never-ending thoughts and worries about the future got momentarily pushed to the side so he could focus on one single thing: the boy holding his hand. Cyrus.

Three weeks later, and the giddy feeling that blossoms inside TJ’ s chest when he thinks about Cyrus still hasn’t faded. He supposes that’s a good sign, as the feeling continues to prove how crazy he is about the boy. There’s also a significant downside to TJ’s constant racing heart, sweaty palms, and flushed cheeks; he’s terrified. Relationships in general are new to TJ, let alone a relationship with a boy who also happens to be one of his best friends. He doesn’t want to screw this up because not only does he really likes Cyrus, but because he knows that Cyrus deserves the world and more. TJ doesn’t want to be a disappointment.

Despite all of Cyrus’s reassurances, TJ still feels guilty about taking their relationship so slow. They haven’t done much besides occasionally hold hands in private, linger longer than usual during hugs, and send soft smiles at each other. Even though it seems like it’s enough for Cyrus, TJ notices the longing look he gets while watching Buffy and Marty be all coupley together in public. And the worst part is that TJ wants nothing more than to be just like that. He wants to be able to lock hands in the halls. He wants to drape an arm casually around Cyrus during lunch. He wants to kiss him goodbye at the end of the day.

But then the fear drops in. Sometimes, it arrives because he spots Kira wandering through the halls one day. Other days, it might be an offhanded comment he hears. A lot of days, though, TJ has no idea where this terror originates from, and that’s what scares him the most.

Today, TJ is determined. He’s going to take Cyrus out on a proper date. No staying in watching movies. TJ wants to give Cyrus the most memorable date of his life. He wants to see Cyrus’s nose scrunch up when he gets really excited and his hands flail about at an even faster pace. He wants to hold Cyrus’s hand the entire time and never let go.

He has the perfect date planned. He’s going to take Cyrus to a reptile sanctuary, where Cyrus can see all of his favorite lizards he always rambles on about as well as know that they will be released later because he knows how much Cyrus hates seeing animals in cages.

So, this brings them to the car. TJ sits with Cyrus in the backseat while his mother drives. Cyrus can’t sit still. He constantly shifts his legs and taps his fingers on the armrests with a curious expression on his face.

“Is it The Spoon?” Cyrus wonders.

TJ shakes his head, “We always go there!”

“The movies?”

“Nope.”

“A football game?”

TJ stares at him incredulously. “You really think I’d make you suffer through an entire football game?”

“I hoped not, but I had to make sure!” Cyrus defends.

Laughing, TJ almost reaches over to grab his hand but decides against it last minute. His mother may know that he’s gay now, but she doesn’t officially know he’s dating Cyrus (although she definitely suspects it). Not only does TJ want to avoid outing Cyrus to his mother, but he also worries about Cyrus’s reaction. What if he doesn’t want to hold TJ’s hand? What if he thinks it’s super gross that TJ’s hand is so sweaty?

What if’s have always been TJ’s enemy, but they’ve been especially detrimental to him recently. He just wants to be able to be Cyrus’s boyfriend without worrying about what others may think. He wants to be able to give Cyrus everything he deserves but worries that he’ll never be able to do that. He worries that he’s holding Cyrus back from happiness.

But he has to make today different. He has to push those worries aside again and take a risk, just like that night on the bench with their hands inching closer while he held his breath.

When they arrive at the reptile sanctuary, a beam lights up Cyrus’s entire face. His joy is contagious, causing TJ to smile himself. Cyrus looks at him in hopeful confirmation.

“A reptile sanctuary?” Cyrus squeals. “I didn’t even know they had one this close by!”

“So you like it then?” TJ asks, ducking his head.

“I love it!”

With a promise of picking them up in an hour and half, TJ’s mother drives off and leaves them alone. They walk up toward the entrance to pay the donation fee before getting inside. The instant they head in and Cyrus spots the first reptile, he practically runs over to get a closer look. Even though TJ is honestly kind of terrified of reptiles, dealing with seeing them is worth it as long as he can see the excitement on Cyrus’s face.

He looks adorable standing on his tiptoes to get a better look into the large, open area. Flecks of gold sparkle in his dark eyes every so often. He spews out the most random facts, yet TJ has never found something so interesting. Of course, if he occasionally zones out to focus on Cyrus’s lips, could anyone blame him?

As they walk through different areas of the sanctuary, TJ becomes hyperaware of how close together their hands are to touching. If he just adjusted his position a little, he could strategically brush his hand with Cyrus’s--

“Cyrus?!” A feminine voice calls out in surprise.

“Iris!”

TJ yanks his hand away like he’s been burned. At his side, a flash of disappointment crosses Cyrus’s face, but it’s gone as soon is it arrives.

In front of them, a girl with short brown hair and a cheery smile waves enthusasitcally. Cyrus waves back, sporting a similar face. She comes over to them, giving Cyrus a quick hug.

“It’s been so long!” Iris comments, looking up at him. “You’ve gotten so tall!”

“And you cut your hair. It looks great!” Cyrus notices.

“Thanks! Fancy seeing you here, fellow lizard lover!”

“I know, this place is amazing! I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”

Abruptly, TJ clears his throat, catching both of their attention. Iris smiles politely at him.

“Oh, this is TJ!” Cyrus introduces. “TJ, Iris. TJ is my bo--best friend. My best friend. He’s actually the one who discovered this place.”

Man, does that correction hurt to hear. TJ feels awful. Cyrus has to lie to his friends about them just because TJ is scared. He hates this.

“Nice to meet you TJ.”

He nods, “You too. So how do you two know each other?”

Despite the hot sun blaring down on them, Cyrus visibly pales. Iris doesn’t seem quite as taken aback, but she tucks her hair behind her ear before stammering out an awkward explanation.

“We used to date,” Iris says.

Of course Cyrus has dated someone. How could he not have? After all, not only is he adorable, but he has a great personality and a kind heart. And this girl seems super great, as far as TJ can tell. Cyrus deserves someone who is actually willing to admit how they feel about each other.

“But that was a long time ago,” Cyrus adds on hurridly, sneaking a glance at TJ.

TJ supposes he should be jealous of Iris. Maybe at first he is, but afterwards just comes a sense of guilt and regret. He doesn’t want to make Cyrus feel like he’s being put in an awkward position. Just the other day, Cyrus’s mom (who he’s also out to) asked Cyrus if he’s dating anyone. Again, Cyrus was forced to lie on TJ’s behalf.

“Oh,” TJ replies, not sure what else to say.

“Well, I think Teej and I are gonna finish up here. It was great seeing you again, though!”

Iris smiles, “You too! We’ll have to catch up some time.”

“For sure.”

When she walks away, Cyrus turns toward him, concern knitting his brow. TJ sighs, dropping his shoulders.

“TJ? Are you alright?” he wonders. “I know that was probably super awkward for you.”

“No, it’s fine,” TJ promises. “She seemed really cool. I just...I feel bad.”

Cyrus tugs him over to a nearby bench, and TJ almost laughs out loud at the irony. They sit together, knees knocking against one another. The position they’re in reminds TJ so much of that night that he has to swallow back his emotions to keep himself in check.

“Why do you feel bad?” Cyrus asks in a whisper.

TJ shrugs. “It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid if it’s something that’s affecting you negatively.”

TJ picks at a string on his shirt, avoiding eye contact.

“I feel like I’m holding you back.”

“Why would you think that, Teej?”

He glances up to see Cyrus reach for his hand. Before he can, though, a shadow of a family walks past, and Cyrus tugs his hand back.

“See, that’s why!” TJ explains. “I want to be open with our relationship so badly. I want to hold hands in public and hug and kiss, but I just can’t. I’m so scared, Cyrus. But I can tell that you’re ready, and I’m just not, and I hate it because you deserve much better-”

“Hey,” Cyrus shushes. “It’s okay. I’m okay with this. I don’t care if we’re taking things slow. I care about you being comfortable, and if you’re not ready to be public or to kiss, then I’m not either.”

“But-”

“Thelonious Jagger Kippen, you are not holding me back. I like you, and I’m going to stay with you, even if we go public for another year.”

TJ feels his eyes begin to water. “You really mean that?”

“Of course I do. I’ll always be here for you, I promise.”

He holds out a pinky, causing TJ to smirk. There’s many reasons he likes Cyrus, but quirks such as these just make him fall harder. He intertwines his pinky with Cyrus’s, shaking them once.

“That’s legally binding,” Cyrus declares, “so now you’re stuck with me.”

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

#tyrus #tyrus fanfiction #andi mack #andi mack fanfic #tj kippen #cyrus goodman #internalized homophobia #fluff #angst #insecurities #tyrus fic #fanfiction

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cruesins · 5 years ago

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FINALLY , these are some little somethings ! if you’d like to plot with either of these muses , please hit that like button ( don’t forget to check the connection’y thingies plz ) i’m not good with discord so i apologize for taking so long to respond to messages . happy day~ ( deni , she/her , gmt+9 , disc : gay fairy#6371 )

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐍

† ◞ 𝚒'𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 , 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 ; that there is ONYX SEO , notorious for being ( materialistic ) and ( temperamental ) , but there are times when he can be ( individualistic ) and ( optimistic ) . i’ve heard that he could pass as a KIM TAEHYUNG doppelganger , but i don’t see it . the ( twenty four ) year - old demi male ( witch ) has been in town for ( a year ) and they are a ( cashier at one man’s treasure ) affiliated with ( the blackwood coven ) . they tend to spark images of skyline views from a water tower , popped bubblegum & the feathered , frayed edges of well-loved tarot cards .

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲.

onyx swore when he moved to town a year ago that things would be different . he’d handle his deceased grandparents’ affairs for his mother , join a nice little coven , and most importantly : stay out of trouble . after That Day in jeonju , some peace and quiet in a podunk town was just what he needed . months have passed with few issues and onyx is basically a kept young man with a full-time job , a trailer to call home , and coven mates to call mentors as he learns to temper his ill-behaving , wild magic . recent discoveries in the creaking bones of his grandparents’ home re-awaken a curiosity about the power running through his blood , and this time , the cards he lives his life by promise a different ending .

𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬.

date of birth. january 29th , 1996 ∕ sun sign. aquarius ∕ moon sign. taurus ∕ chinese zodiac. rat ∕ character alignment. chaotic neutral ∕ personality type. enfp ∕ temperament. sanguine ∕ hometown. jeonju , korea ∕ sexual attraction. pansexual ∕ romantic attraction. panromantic ∕ home. huntington trailer park ∕ haunts. the swimming hole , lafayette cemetary , the scoop , big slice , wickery forest

personality. curious , naive , rebellious and intuitive . onyx grew up placing a lot of trust in his coven leaders and mentors , but has grown and more and more excited about the prospect of pushing his magical abilities to their limits . he trusts himself most of all , follows his gut and the way the world whispers to him no matter what others say ( and now those whispers say more , more , more ) he’s intrigued by other people and supernaturals . messy ------ impulsive , slightly erratic in the way he handles things . he’s made messes before and he’s bound to do so again . generous and compassionate , but confident to the point of vanity .

an elemental witch with ancestral legacies

came to town to handle his grandparents’ estate after they passed . they were estranged from his mother , so he’s learning a bit of familial history . they were ancestral witches , but fell out of the coven after dealing with demons to enhance their powers ( connections : demons , person who bought very recently bought their house / is buying their house now , townsfolk who knew them around town as the weirdos who went Hella Weird as they grew older )

very much tied to the earth , but is Tempted by the power ancestral magic promises . will discover a tome , spells , and more from his grandparents’ home that heighten that urge to explore magic ( connections : “guinea pigs” , a best friend / confidante , coven members who sense his distancing , tempters , clients for divination / herbal magic )

currently lives at huntington trailer park . big into plants and reptiles . spends a lot of time at the swimming hole , in the cemetery and anywhere that sells cheap food ( special notes : vegan , wears vintage only . talks to furniture and incredibly sensitive to changes in the weather and atmosphere ) makes herb-infused candles and tattoos temporary protective runes for extra cash . always has a tarot deck with him . ( connections : friends , neighbors , clients who either trust his witchcraft and those who just think they’re amusing him , fellow supernatural enthusiasts )

pulled a bill gates and dropped out of witch college , felt like learned more through personal trial and error . ( connections : more “bookish” witches , fellow coven mates , other witches he vibes with , “bad” influences )

wanted arcs : destruction , exploration , finding stability

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐓

† ◞ 𝚒'𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 , 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 ; that there is LILITH , notorious for being ( judgmental ) and ( aloof ) , but there are times when she can be ( maternal ) and ( generous ) . i’ve heard that she could pass as a MICHELLE PFEIFFER doppelganger , but i don’t see it . the ( unknown / sixty ) year - old demi female ( demon ) has been in town for ( three years ) and they are a ( principal at watermount middle school ) affiliated with ( lucifer ) . they tend to spark images of crushed velvet and dark lace , freshly rolled cigarettes , blood red is the new black .

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲.

cw : depression’y , kind of ??

immortality isn’t so heavy . days bleed into decades which bleed into centuries . maybe lilith’s known it all along , but she’s finally starting to look up and notice how the world’s passing them all by . after losing children and lovers , she’s settled in watermount in search of a peace of mind . she doesn’t know whether it’s the body she’s chosen to live in or what , but she’s just now starting to imagine what eternity may feel like ------ bleary , bland nothingness . same cycles every century . always the same problems , always the wrong answers . it hasn’t fucked with her groove before , so why now ? believing a taste of her old comrades may help awaken the desire to exist again , lilith’s settled in this small , creepy town and is hoping --- hoping --- the foggy streets will cure her of the blues .

𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬.

date of birth. unknown ∕ sun sign. unknown ∕ moon sign. unknown ∕ chinese zodiac. unknown ∕ character alignment. lawful evil ∕ personality type. enfp ∕ temperament. choleric ∕ hometown. depths of hell ∕ sexual attraction. pansexual ∕ romantic attraction. panromantic ∕ home. the village ∕ haunts. the town square , cafe on main , crimson , moonlight salon

personality. angry , weary , protective and territorial . whiskey grandmother energy . spent centuries as a young little sprite doing her thing and now she just wants to chill for a while . falls in love incredibly easy with innocent faces and is drawn to youthful energies . not a fan of noise or showy things , most comfortable taking naps in her home with her array of stray cats and house guests . plays favorites without a doubt . oddly competitive . loves being pampered . a little lazy , lethargy heavy in the bones . clicks her tongue disapprovingly a lot and has mastered The Stare . hates and loves people and thinks everyone’s an idiot . antagonistic as hell towards holier-than-thous . doesn’t have time for your shit and your problems .

lilith is actually a very good principal —— though somewhat disorganized , she’s managed to corral ( scare ) test scores up by 30% overall the past few years . she has the PTA in the palm of her hand and attends all of the after-school events ( though she’s likely to be spotted in heavy sunglasses in the smoking section ) ( connections : old students , current students , parents around town , fundraiser attendees and coordinators )

lives in a “haunted” old victorian . heavy drapes , wrought-iron fences , overgrown vines , close to a cemetery and with furniture that’s mostly covered in dust protectors . despite the taboo appearance , it’s a known safe place for runaways or misfit children who need a place to stay , regardless of affiliation ( connections : former house guests , current house guests , young demons she’s --- gruffly --- keeping an eye on , neighbors )

can change her appearance at will to look younger . normally does at clubs because its’ easier on the ears and eyes , but sometimes she just does it just Because ( connections : past lovers --- in this life and in the past --- her own demonic spawn , catfishes )

disappears back into hell when she’s in mourning , and she’s incredibly protective over her children ( even the ones she doesn’t like ) ( connections : hunters , Too Curious Humans , angels and nephilim ) she despises the angelic taint and curses heaven for all the pain they’ve caused her and her kind since creation .

wanted arcs : healing , empowerment , crusade

#hell.intro

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allthephils · 6 years ago

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Repose

Rated M (angst, sleeping beauty au, mentions of sex, adult themes

Word count: 2626/42677

Read on AO3

Chapter 15

The drive to Windsor castle felt something like the first time Louise drove Phil there. Fear and uncertainty had brought tension then but now it was magnified. Now, Phil knew what was at stake. He also knew he wasn’t wanted there and that he may have a fight ahead of him much more daunting than the fight to get in had been. Phil has never been much of a fighter, always more likely to walk away, turn the other cheek. Now he hoped against hope for a fight because a fight meant Dan was ok, that there’s something to fight for. The alternative was unthinkable. His stomach turned when he thought of how easily he had let Dan get away all those years ago. Everything could have been different if he had simply had the courage to speak up, say the words, hold on tighter. That wasn’t a mistake he was going to make again. He had let himself consider the worst case scenario, he’d fallen apart, gotten it out of his system, and now he was going to stand up and be what Dan needed him to be.

Walking up the path to the castle gate, the scene was so different from the first time. There was a small group of protesters and an even smaller gaggle of women waiting on the lawn. A large steel grate had been pulled closed at the gate that lead to the entrance to Dan’s operating theatre and there was only one guard standing in the center of the walk. It was obvious the excitement had passed, the royal family had succeeded at appeasing the public.

Phil and Louise walked in the grass toward the protesters, hoping the single guard wouldn’t notice Phil. The idea that he could be seen as a threat was ridiculous but Phil couldn’t imagine the stories Walter must be telling. Phil had to be careful. He didn’t want to risk being carted away before he was able to see Dan. Cautiously, Louise approached the gate with Phil a few feet behind. Inside, near the door that would lead to the Prince, stood Dennis.

Louise ran back to Phil, whisper shouting, “It’s that guard, the one you know. Phil, he must be ok. Why would they guard an empty room? He must still be in there.”

“He’s still in there, I feel it. But that doesn’t mean he’s ok.” Phil said, his eyes searching for some comfort in Louise’s hopeful expression. “I’m going to go talk to him. Stay close.”

Phil’s hands gripped the bars of the steel grate that stood between him and what he now realized was his future. Dennis look up and sighed heavily, scrubbing his hands over his face in frustration. He walked to Phil and spoke, low enough so that no one else could hear.

“Phil. Buddy, you know my hands are tied here. There’s nothing I can do. Prince Walter would put me away for treason. He’s been very clear.”

“Did you deliver that box, Dennis?” Phil asked. Dennis said nothing but returned to his post by the door. “Tell Walter I’m here, Dennis. Let me see him. We can work something out.”

Dennis stared forward, unflinching. “You don’t want to see Walter, Phil. Trust me, you don’t.”

“Tell me he’s ok, Dennis. Or at least tell me he’s alive.” Phil was starting to panic.

Dennis said, “he’s alive,” and cast a sideways glance at Phil that sent a chill up his spine.

“Oh my god. I need to see him. Dennis please.”

Dennis’ brow creased, he shifted on his feet and swallowed, struggling to maintain the role he played in spite of the vulnerability Phil brought. Nothing was more frightening than seeing concern on Dennis’ face. Phil turned to Louise and she rushed over.

“Louise, are you logged in to my Instagram?”

“I am.”

“Ok, we’re gonna do this. 15 seconds at a time.” His heart beat out of his chest.

Louise’s eyes grew wide and she held the hand of her best friend in the world. “Philip, are you absolutely one hundred percent sure about this? Have you thought through all the consequences?”

“Yes I am and no I haven’t. There’s no more time, Lou. You ready?” Phil stood, his back to the gate and Louise held up the phone. She pointed to Phil and he began.

“Hey guys. I’ve got some really important news to share and not a lot of time. I’m going to need your help. You guys were right about some things so yeah, good job figuring it out I guess. First of all, I’m gay. Yay.” Phil held his hands up and shimmied them just as Louise held up her hand to stop. He looked back at Dennis who just stood, looking forward, pretending not to notice what was going on right in front of him.

“OK it’s up, that’ll bring em in.” Louise shook her head and held the phone up again. “Keep going.”

“I know I’ve been a little MIA these days and that none of you were fooled by my cryptic tweets. I have been at Windsor Castle. With Dan, Prince Daniel. And yes, I’m in love with him.”

Louise held up a hand again and jumped up and down a little bit as she hit the button to post the story. For the third time, she held the phone up. Phil was sweating, he heaved in a breath.

“He’s been doing much better since I’ve been here but now our future king and the man I love is in real jeopardy because his father, Prince Walter, has decided I am no longer welcome.”

Once more, stop, post, deep breath, go.

“So I’m hoping you guys could help me out. Maybe if we get enough of you here, they’ll at least let me speak to someone. I don’t know if it will work but I have to try. We can’t just do nothing. He needs us. If you’re anywhere near Windsor castle, please.”

Louise put her phone away and walked to Phil, hugging him close. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I don’t know, Lou. I just outed the future king of England. I think I’m fucked.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Phil leaned on the counter, happily munching tiny marshmallows as he watched his mum bake. He missed Dan, more than he’d ever missed anything, but he was happy to be with his family. The last time he was here, he would have called it home. Even with his own London apartment, home was always wherever his family was. That was all different now. Now, home was wherever Dan was. His little apartment felt warm and safe and perfect when Dan was there. Still, he was glad to be chatting with his mum, getting all the latest gossip on the Lesters. A cousin got engaged, an aunt needed to have gall bladder surgery, and uncle Frederic’s exotic pet collection has gotten him in trouble. His wife has promised to leave him if he brings home one more reptile or hissing cockroach.

Phil heard the front door open, the cold air rushing in and chilling the house all the way to the kitchen. Martin and Cornelia shuffled in together, pulling off coats, and hugging Nigel before making their way to the kitchen to get the big affection form Catherine. Phil waited his turn, smiling around cheeks stuffed with sweets. Finally, Martin came over and punched him in the arm before pulling him into a hug.

“Where the hell have you been? I feel like I have to watch your videos just to see my little brother!” Martin admonished lovingly.

“Ug, You sound like Louise. I’ve just been busy.” Phil stood away from the counter and moved toward Cornelia, who opened her arms and hugged Phil just like a big sister would.

“Hello Phil. You look well! How have you been?” She asked as she pulled him in.

“I’m really good, Corn.” Phil said, quietly while still in the embrace. Cornelia had a way of softening Phil, breaking down any barriers he might have. She pulled away, hands on Phil’s shoulders, and looked him in the eye. She grinned and cocked her head a bit.

“Hmm.”

“What?” Phil said, already blushing.

“You look different.” Cornelia said, plainly. “You are positively glowing.”

Phil laughed nervously and looked at the ground. “I’m just rosy from the cold.”

“Bullshit.” Cornelia smiled wide and kissed Phil’s nose, leaving behind a spot of lipstick.

Catherine grabbed a dish towel and wiped at the spot without missing a beat. “You do look happy, love. And healthy. Glowing is a perfect way to describe it.”

Phil felt like he was being ganged up on by the sweetest mob who ever lived.

Martyn had plopped down at the kitchen table and was eating a biscuit from a plate at the center. He looked at Phil intently. “I know what’s up. He’s getting some.” He kept eating through his smirk and Phil groaned, turning away to busy himself making tea for everyone. He wanted to run away but he knew they’d just follow him. The Lesters are a relentless bunch.

“Oh Martyn.” Catherine shook her head. “Be nice.” She slid the pan of cakes into the oven, and wiped her hands on her apron. “Though I was wondering…”

Cornelia’s musical laughter gave Phil a moment to think, to muster up his courage.

“Ok, yeah, I’ve been seeing someone. Someone I really like.” Phil was on the verge of giggling but he fought to suppress that impulse.

Cornelia beamed, “Aw Philly. Look at you! I’m so happy for you!”

Phil’s mum took her cup of tea and sat at the table so now they all sat, staring at Phil, his judge and jury, sipping their tea in a perfect metaphor. They wanted details.

“What’s her name?” Catherine asked, her tone genuinely kind and curious.

Martyn rolled his eyes. “Mum, Come on, Phil hasn’t a girlfriend since before Uni.”

“Sorry, sorry. It’s habit. What’s his name? Tell me about this boy who’s captured my son’s heart.”

Phil smiled, she always knew how to make him feel accepted, even when she screwed up.

“It’s ok, mum. His name is…” Phil hesitated, not sure how to answer that question. He breathed deep, took a sip of tea, and answered, “Dan, his name is Dan.”

“Ooh!” Catherine cried. “Like Prince Daniel. Is he as handsome as the Prince?”

“More so.” Phil said. It was true. His Dan, the Dan he held and kissed and laughed with and loved, was far more beautiful than his public persona. Prince Daniel was just a facade but Dan was real, so very real. “It’s a little scary though.” He sat down with the rest of them, grabbing a biscuit to dunk into his tea.

“That’s my cue.” Martyn stood up fisting a handful of treats and went to talk with Nigel about Football or the weather or something that made him less uncomfortable than what was about to go down in the kitchen.

“Coward.” Cornelia called after him.

“I don’t deny that!” Martyn called back.

Cornelia reached across the table to squeeze Phil’s hand. “Why is it scary, Phil?”

“I just like him so much. We just met in September. And he’s only 18, we’re so young, you know? But I feel like, I don’t know.” Phil was looking down into his tea but he raised his eyes to catch his mother’s, needing to read what she might be thinking. “I love him, mum. I loved him from the moment I kissed him. It was only our second date. Is that stupid? Is that crazy?” Phil chewed on his cuticle, nervous, afraid the answer would be yes, it’s stupid and crazy and immature. Pull yourself together Phil.

“Phil, love is never stupid.” Cornelia said, “And any love worth having is crazy at the beginning.” She sat back and sipped, ready to soak in whatever Catherine was about to say. Catherine did not disappoint.

“Cornelia’s right. God, your father and I were insatiable when we met. From the very start, I couldn’t keep my hands off of him.”

“Woah, mum, gross.”

“Sorry, sorry. My point is, sometimes you just know. And it feels too fast and too much but it’s not up to you. Love just comes and you have to be brave enough to grab on and hold it.”

“I haven’t said it yet. He has, but I’ve sort of avoided it.” Phil sighed, “Do you think I should tell him?”

Catherine put another biscuit in front of Phil. “I think you should tell him when you are sure and it’s bursting out of you. When your heart is beating so loud, you can’t think of any other words, that’s when you should tell him.”

Cornelia asked, “When did Nigel tell you?”

“I think it was our third date.”

“And you said it back?” Cornelia said, in awe.

“Oh lord no! I thought he was off his rocker.” Catherine laughed heartily. “But I did say it eventually, months later.”

“Poor Dad.” Phil paused and took a deep breath. “I’m scared if I let myself love him, he’ll go off to Uni and then, I don’t know.”

“Sweetheart, trust me. Love is painful whether it lasts 2 weeks or 2 decades. That’s why you have to be brave. Ask yourself if the fear you feel is worth not having him in your life. Would you rather just lose him now so you don’t have to lose him later?”

“No. No, mum, I can't lose him now. It hurts to even think that.”

“It sounds like you already know the answer, Phil.” Cornelia said. “I just want to know if he is worthy of my Philly. Are you happy when you’re with him?”

“So happy.”

“Does he treat you with kindness and respect?”

“Yes Corn, of course.”

“And does he make your toes curl?” Cornelia slurped her tea, glancing up at Phil over her cup. Catherine laughed and stood to clear up as Phil crumbled, covering his face with his hands. He peaked through his fingers at Cornelia, knowing his mum was looking the other way, and nodded. She held her tea up in a mock toast and giggled.

“You know what I always say, Phil.” Catherine interjected. “If he keeps you warm, then he’s a keeper.”

“Isn’t that for picking out a coat?”

“It applies here too, dear.” Catherine went back to baking and Phil sat in happy silence with Cornelia. Some of the weight had lifted, he felt understood, supported. The weight that remained was uncertainty in what the future held. Phil’s mum is a wise woman though and he knew that. He promised himself he’d tell Dan he loved him when they got home. In reality, he knew he’d made it clear but he also knew that those words matter.

Slipping into a sugar coma, Phil excused himself to have a quick lay down before dinner. Really, he just wanted to text Dan in private, though he realized he probably wouldn’t get a response.

Phil: Hey. I miss you already. My family says I’m glowing. It’s because of you. I hope you get to spend lots of time with Adrian and eat all the mince pies. Come to think of it, maybe you could smuggle a few out for me.

Dan: Phil! I miss you already too. I’ll start hoarding mince pies immediately.

Phil: Yay!

Dan: If you text during the day, I might not be able to respond.

Phil: I know, I get it

Dan: But please text anyway. I need to know you are out there. And that you are mine.

Phil: Ok, I will. And I am.

Dan: I have to go join everyone for tea. I love you.

#phanfic #phan #phanfiction #Sleeping Beauty AU #wip

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gemvictorfromtheponyverse · 8 years ago

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Love at First Lizard Chapter 2

Finally! Chapter 2 of mine and wonderful @green-love-paternoster gay masterpiece!

Chapter 1 of this Vastra/Jenny Vet AU can be found here: https://gemvictorfromtheponyverse.tumblr.com/post/159010298794/love-at-first-lizard-chapter-one

Credit goes to always lovely @kelticscribe for helping with the Scottish translations in this chapter! ❤

And as promised, here is Chapter 2:

The clock on the kitchen wall indicated that it was currently 8:30 in the morning. Vastra stood there leaning forward on the kitchen counter, already dressed in her regular casual weekend attire, consisting of a simple short-sleeved white button-up shirt, faded gray skinny jeans that accentuated the fine shapely curves of her legs, and black calf-length leather boots. Her favorite studded black leather jacket and plaid scarf were both hung on the back of a nearby chair.

A cold, half-empty cup of green tea was laid on the table beside Vastra’s green, purple, and yellow motorcycle helmet, adorned with three large reptilian-like crests that protruded from the surface. The cup was labeled with the words, “Looney Lizard Lady”, written in a swirly childish font; It had been a gift from her friend and fellow veterinarian, John Smith, at a company Christmas party two years ago. While Vastra had outwardly rolled her eyes at his constant teasing about her so-called affinity with reptiles, she was nonetheless genuinely grateful for his friendship.

It was an extremely rare phenomenon to see the anti-morning Scottish woman awake so early on a Sunday morning when she had no work, yet here she was anyway, nervously fumbling with her phone as she stared at a certain number glowing on her contact list. Strangely enough, she hasn’t been able to sleep properly within the past five days and deep down inside her mind, she knew that it had something to do with a particular young girl whose pet lizard she helped to treat several days prior that week. Watching the girl–Jenny–leave the clinic, Vastra felt as if the whole weight of the world had come crashing down upon her, and she had to resist the urge to go running out after her. Ever since that fateful Wednesday, Vastra has found it to be utterly impossible to focus on anything else because of this accursed beautiful girl, who seemed to haunt her mind without any rest during her every waking hour. The powerful tingling sensation she had felt that day still lingered on her hand where Jenny touched it, an enduring reminder of the profound connection they had shared together. Vastra would mentally replay the episode of Jenny’s visit over and over again, allowing her to fully memorize all of Jenny’s physical details including her enchanting brown eyes, her blindingly bright smile, the little beauty mark located near her left upper lip, the lovely roundness of her face, and the way the light reflected brilliantly off of her dark brown hair. Never in her life did she thought that a creature so divinely magnificent and perfect could even exist on earth.To make matters worse, her infatuation with Jenny was actually the worst kept secret among her other co-workers at the clinic, who would often catch her daydreaming in her office with a spaced-out expression on her face. Whenever she heard someone come in through the front door, Vastra would immediately rush into the reception room with the hope that it was Jenny, only to be severely disappointed each time. It was as if the girl had somehow cast a spell on her, effectively captivating her entire body, heart, and soul, from which Vastra struggled strenuously to break free.Vastra tried her damn hardest to hide her feelings and act like everything was normal by being her usual condescendingly grumpy self, but she knew that it was a completely futile effort on her part. Nothing she do or say could stop John and Clara from continuing their bets and whispering gossips behind her back; For once, however, John and Clara also expressed a benign sense of pity towards Vastra, because they could clearly see just how much Jenny means to her. Although the two of them might be total assholes and drive Vastra crazy sometimes, they were still able to rally at their friend’s side whenever she needed some extra support.

The only small consolation was that Vastra had fortunately managed to get Jenny’s phone number before she left. She honestly had no idea what to do next with that information, which now led her to this present situation of contemplating the pros and cons of calling Jenny that Sunday. A flurry of doubts and contradictions swirled around in her mind: What if she’s busy? What if she doesn’t pick up? What if she thinks I’m a stalker? What if she secretly hates my guts? What if she changed her identity and fled the country???

Suddenly overwhelmed by all the negatively discouraging voices in her head, Vastra angrily shoved her phone away across the table before hiding her face behind her hands in utter exasperation. Vastra felt like a coward and a fool to think that she could just talk to Jenny when even the mere sound of her name was enough to give her a goddamn heart attack. The chances that Jenny would view Vastra as anything more than “the looney veterinarian lady who looked at my lizard”, nevermind sharing the same romantic feelings for her, was far less than one in a billion. Bloody hell, she doesn’t even know if Jenny swings that way for God’s sake! Therefore, it soon dawned on Vastra that perhaps she had made a terribly grave mistake in regards to this whole Jenny debacle.

Then unexpectedly, there was another voice that called out to Vastra from the very deep recesses of her subconsciousness. It sounded rather familiar, and as Vastra continued to concentrate on the voice, she eventually recognized it to be her father’s voice! Her father’s voice was trying to remind her of an important piece of advice that he once gave her long ago, when she was just a wee lass back in Scotland: Love works in mysterious ways, my darling daughter. The best thing to do is simply follow your heart and seize the opportunity right in front of you, lest you miss out on something that can grant you a lifetime of happiness.

Vastra couldn’t help the small, bittersweet smile that crept upon her lips; Good old Papa was still looking out for her even after all these years, she mused. Vastra’s father had always been an incredibly wise man, and she really didn’t want to disappoint him by letting this golden opportunity slip away so easily. Fueled by a newfound surge of fearlessness, Vastra quickly retrieved her phone and proceeded to hit the call button on her phone.This was it, there was no going back from here. The shallow rhythm of her breathing and incessant pounding of her heart filled Vastra’s ears, as she anxiously waited for Jenny to answer at any second. Her foot tapped vigorously along to the ringing tune playing on the other side of the line.

“Hello? Who am I talking to? Hold on” After a few moments, a tired sounding voice spoke up on the other side, falling quiet for a little while before picking up once more. “Sorry Miss McIntosh. Had to check the caller ID. So, how can I help you?” Vastra could almost hear Jenny smiling on the other line, waiting for an answer.

Vastra really hoped that the heavy, relieved sigh that escaped from between her lips wasn’t noticeable to Jenny on the other end of the line. Step one accomplished! God, how absolutely wonderful did it felt to finally hear the sweetly angelic music that was Jenny’s voice again.

The sheer fact that Jenny even picked up momentarily stunned Vastra, who started to speak but hesitated. Vastra had to rack her brain to find a valid response, and uncharacteristically stammered when she said, “Uhh…err…um….H-Hello, Miss Flint, yes it is I, Miss McIntosh, the vet from the clinic in case you don’t remember me. I was just calling you to ask if um….if you’re having a good morning today?”

Vastra’s entire face cringed as soon as she uttered those words. Ugh, you stupid, stupid idiot! Are you trying to make it sound so bloody fucking obvious?!

“Oh. Yes I am having a good morning. I’m sorry I was a little slow earlier, I’m normally an earlier riser. Unfortunately I have not been sleeping very well lately, so I’ve been trying to catch up on lost sleep when I’m not working weekends.” There was a short pause, and then Jenny spoke once more. “And you ? Are you having a good morning?”

“Splendid!” Replied Vastra, sounding a little too enthusiastic than she intended, causing her to wince yet again. Bloody hell, woman, pull yourself together already! “Errr, what I mean,um, is that it’s truly splendid to hear you are doing well this morning. Despite the fact that you’ve been unable to sleep much lately, of course, which I am sincerely sorry about. Although, I do appreciate your kindness in asking me how I am….my morning is also good, thank you. Dare I say, maybe even better now that I’ve finally managed to make your acquaintance.” Vastra unconsciously bit her lip, though she was barely able to prevent a silly, indulgent schoolgirl smile from breaking out across her face. She then realized that she had been rambling unnecessarily, and decided to quickly get on with business by saying, “Well then, Miss Flint, perhaps it would be best if I get straight to the point with you. It was my intention to call you this weekend to ask about Greeny, and I just wanted to be sure that I got the right number. So, how is Greeny faring since your visit to the clinic?”

“Oh, Greeny. Yes…my pet lizard…” Once more Jenny trailed off, before quickly picking up again. “Yes. Sorry, tired. Me brain is being stupid. Greeny is doing better than ever. Your tips about the heat lamp was just what Greeny needed, it seems. I haven’t had time to pick up any more plants for him but it’s definitely on my to-do list. If you want to….and only if you want to….then maybe you could come over and see for yourself?”

Vastra very nearly dropped her phone when Jenny said that, and her hand instinctively tightened its grip on the phone with enough force to break it in half.

“P-Pardon?” Gasped a highly bewildered Vastra, who felt her pulse rate increased dramatically due to the shock caused by Jenny’s words. “Can you repeat that, please?”

Vastra was entirely convinced that her ears must be deceiving her, as she believed that there was no possible way Jenny could have mean what she thought she meant.

“Uh…I just…maybe it was stupid. I understand if you’re too busy and everything, but I just thought maybe you’d like to come over and see how Greeny is doing?” Jenny stumbled over her words and Vastra couldn’t help but think she sounded almost hopeful.

It took a while for Jenny’s words to sink into Vastra’s brain, leading her to reply with,“Oh….Oh! Please forgive my uh confusion, Miss Flint, it’s just that no client has ever invited me to their home like that before. Though if you insist, I suppose that I can make time in my schedule to come over and check on Greeny. You’re lucky that I don’t have to work on Sundays.” Vastra silently pumped her fist in the air at how well she handled that response. Her glee was short lived, nonetheless, for she then realized that she have absolutely no knowledge about Jenny’s place of residence. “Err….however, I’m afraid that I don’t have a single idea as to where you live. An address would be most helpful, if you are willing to provide me with one.”

“Oh…uh…yes I’m sorry if it’s a bother. I normally work on Sundays, but today I don’t, so I thought it’d be a good idea. Greeny could benefit from it, and I’d know that he really is doing better.” She paused to catch her breath.. “Oh! And my address, it’s 222 Great Portland Street, the Armitage Apartment buildings. It’s close to Hyde Park near the River Thames.”

Meanwhile, Vastra had ran to her bedroom drawer and frantically searched around for a notepad and pen. She carefully wrote down the address as Jenny spoke before reassuring her,“Trust me, Miss Flint, this is honestly no trouble to me at all whatsoever. In fact…,”Vastra paused to consult the watch on her wrist, “…would it be okay with you if I come over now, since I am free this morning?”

“Oh yes…absolutely.” Jenny sounded just the tiniest bit hesitant as she spoke. “I’m just fixing some things in my apartment, but you can come over whenever.”

“Excellent! I shall indeed be there shortly, Miss Flint. It’s been a real pleasure talking to you again….goodbye for now!” Thus, with that final farewell, Vastra abruptly hung up the call.

Vastra tucked her phone away into her jean pocket and leaned heavily against the drawer at her back as she tried to regain her breath after talking with Jenny. That phone call could have been a huge utter disaster, but miraculously she was somehow able to pull it off…..albeit barely. God knows that every inch of her body was on fire the entire time, and she felt as though her heart was going to burst out of her chest just from that one simple interaction. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever expected Jenny to suggest that she make a personal visit to her actual home . Damn it, if she can’t even handle a little phone call with Jenny, then how the hell will she be capable of physically seeing the girl face-to-face at her home without totally self destructing on the spot! She was going to fuck up so badly in front of Jenny for sure, and the thought of that really frightened her more than anything. Vastra was beginning to consider potential excuses that she can use in order to not go, but all of them instantly disappeared when she caught sight of Jenny’s address that she had written on a notepad. Her eyebrows became scrunched upon her forehead and she bit her lip, a wave of guilt washing over her as she knew that Jenny was looking forward to their meeting later. Vastra soon found herself painfully torn between growing a spine and going to Jenny’s home anyways despite the risks, or breaking her promise to Jenny like a lily-livered chicken; She wanted to cry out in frustration due to the raging internal conflict that was threatening to effectively tear her apart. Why must this godforsaken girl suddenly walk into her life and completely complicate everything! It was during this dark hour, that salvation then came to Vastra in the form of her father’s disembodied voice once again.

…..Follow your heart and seize the opportunity right in front of you…..

Those words ignited a fiery spark of courage within Vastra’s heart, as she became firmly determined to seize the opportunity right in front of her, just like her father had taught her. Life was too short to waste on worrying over frivolous doubts, and this could be her only chance of at least starting something deeper with Jenny. She would never be able to forgive herself if she had simply let her fears scare her out of pursuing a relationship that could change her life forever. Deciding that there was no time to lose, Vastra immediately went to grab her leather jacket, scarf, motorcycle helmet, and keys, before exiting her house to approach the motorcycle parked beside the sidewalk. Her resolve was strong as steel and absolutely nothing could break it now. The Scottish woman could soon be seen zooming down the street, as she was embarked on a personally sacred mission to heal a lizard and get the girl.

—-

Hanging up the phone, Jenny felt as though she could hardly breath. She couldn’t believe that she just had invited her pet lizard’s extremely hot veterinarian to come into her home and take a look at said lizard. In her home , where she could observe all of her attractive Scottish glory. Even though she hoped she had sounded collected on the phone, calm and collected was the last thing she was feeling, and she was quite sure that she would explode from pure, untempered desire lest she moved right that minute. She had to get her apartment ready and properly presentable for Vastra, because a good first impression was extremely crucial in this situation.

Quickly, she got up on her feet, trying to gather everything that was out of place and putting them back as sufficiently as she could while still keeping some efficiency. She had been meaning to spend the day cleaning up the apartment anyway, because she hated when it got too dirty, but now she only had an hour, two at most, to do a day’s worth of work. Fortunately, if there was anything Jenny could do adequately, it was cleaning. Her first priority were the tea cups;She searched out all the abandoned tea cups in the house, picking them up from bookshelves and the coffee table and the floor, everywhere she’d abandoned them, before carrying them to the dishwasher, and putting them in there until it was filled.

When she was done with the cups, the books came next. As much as Jenny liked to drink tea, she also enjoyed reading, and therefor, there were books laying everywhere as well. With the speed of a seasoned professional, she picked up one paperback after another, gathering them in her arms and lining them back in the bookshelves. She made sure they were put back in a correctly organized order, and once she was done, she smiled at her handiwork.

Cleaning her apartment always felt great, and it was even better now that she’d done it in record time, too. More importantly, it felt reassuring to know that Vastra would be coming into a clean, neatly organised apartment. Standing there, looking at her beautifully spotless apartment, she suddenly wondered what she should do next. Lifting her arm a little, she caught onto how much her armpit smelled, and decided that she definitely need to take a shower next. Just like her apartment couldn’t be dirty, she herself couldn’t be smelling like a trash can.

Swiftly, she made a beeline for the bathroom, plucking some new clothes out of the drawer with care as she once more thought about Vastra, the gorgeous veterinarian visiting her apartment later. Still completely immersed in her romantic daydreaming, she retrieved a short black skirt and cute white top that might be slightly too tight, before popping into the shower to make herself as clean and sweet smelling as possible.Ten minutes later, Jenny came out of the shower, a towel wrapped tightly around her freshly moist body as she made her way over to her bedroom to get dressed.

Passing by the window, she suddenly caught sight of someone coming down the road on a motorbike. The person driving the vehicle was wearing a frankly ridiculous looking helmet with some kind of lizard-like crests on the top in the most obtrusive colours. Jenny was absolutely positive that such a helmet could even be seen from all the way up in outer space!

Jenny was still laughing about the truly quite flamboyant headgear, when the mysterious rider, to Jenny’s great surprise, stopped outside her apartment. More interested than before, Jenny kept looking as the rider jumped off the motorcycle and removed the helmet and goggles, and….Jenny almost fainted dead in her towel as she then saw that it was Vastra who was the unknown rider. For God’s sake, why can’t this woman just give her a fucking break for once already!

Feeling suddenly panicked, heart caught in her throat as she tried to process the fact that Vastra had a motorcycle and a leather jacket, and was on her way up to her apartment, Jenny rushed to find her clothes and put them on. After blindly fumbling around, entirely unfocused, for at least five minutesl she finally got hold of the skirt and top and put them on, getting dressed just in time to hear the doorbell ringing out in the hallway. Not thinking about anything else but Vastra standing in a leather jacket outside her door, Jenny hurriedly ran across the apartment, almost ripping the door off its hinges in her rush to open it, just a little too excited finally see Vastra again.

Vastra stood in the hallway, hand raised as if she was about to knock on the door, and carrying a small plastic bag in her other hand. All of her earlier bravado seemingly vanished into thin air when she caught sight of Jenny after she had opened the door. She suddenly couldn’t breath as her eyes tried to refocus themselves on the mind-boggling vision that was Jenny, dressed in a form-fitting white tank top that revealed just the right amount of cleavage, a black mini skirt, and thick strands of dripping wet hair hanging down her head. Vastra could feel the lingering steam of the shower practically radiating off of Jenny’s body, which now floated towards her face, hitting her head-on like a sensually humid tropical breeze. Her lips were impossibly dry, prompting her to quickly lavish them with her tongue. Even though the temperature outside had been rather chilly, Vastra found herself getting increasingly hotter with every passing second that she remained staring at Jenny, and she was certain that she was going to end up spontaneously combusting anytime soon. Vastra also noticed the innocently welcoming smile that appeared on Jenny’s face, causing her to wonder if Jenny was somehow aware of the bewitching effects she had on her by wearing such an outfit. Her hair, her cleavage, her curves, her legs…..Jenny was clearly a walking embodiment of lustful temptation and poor, gay Vastra didn’t stood a chance against her. Goddamn it, just when she thought that she had everything under control, Jenny had to come along and throw one hell of a curveball at her! So utterly dumbstruck was Vastra, that she even forgot the words to speak and the ability to move her body. The only thing that her brain could think about was Jenny, who definitely was going to be the death of her as she knew it. Oh, what a strangely idyllic way to die that would be.

Jenny watched as Vastra stood before her, a tingling sensation gathering in her stomach as she admired the smooth, shiny leather encasing Vastra’s upper body. It was so different from what she had worn at the clinic, and Jenny found herself to be intrigued by this new side of Vastra that she wasn’t previously familiar with. She also had never seen anyone who looked that ravishing in a leather jacket, making the normal appeal of leather clothing even stronger. Still, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander a bit trying to imagine what she would look like underneath the smooth, shiny leather. She imagined hard muscles first, then she imagined spider thin, delicate limbs, and lastly she imagined what it might feel like to cup her hands around Vastra’s full round breasts, carefully squeezing the smooth flesh in her hands and enjoying Vastra’s reaction. Quickly dragging herself out of her fantasy, she realised that Vastra was still waiting for her to say something.

“Miss McIntosh!” She smiled, stepping out of the way so that Vastra could come inside. “Come in. It’s good to see that you could come so soon. I do hope it’s not a bother.”

There was no response from Vastra, who merely continued to stand there with a faraway expression fixed on her face.

“Uh, Miss McIntosh? Ma’am?” Carefully, Jenny prodded a finger into Vastra’s side, in an attempt to get her attention. “Are you alright?”

Her prodding seemed to work a little too well, as it startled Vastra and she began to blurt out, “I LOVE YO….oouuuuur wallpaper….that you have here, in your home!” Very narrowly dodging a bullet there, Vastra finally managed to reboot her legs and swiftly stepped into Jenny’s main living room.

Giving Vastra a slightly odd look, Jenny allowed herself to look at her dark blue wallpapers, too. She’d never given them much thought, but she supposed they could be worse. “Thanks. Though honestly, they’ve looked like that since I moved in. I meant to maybe change them someday, but they don’t really bother me and…well, I haven’t had enough time, I suppose.” She shrugged. She really did not care much about her wallpapers.

“They look perfectly fine to me, and this particular shade of blue does seem to bring everything together….,” remarked Vastra, observing the wallpaper for a while longer before ultimately forcing herself to turn back towards Jenny. Trying to ignore the deafening sound of her inner terrified screaming, Vastra flashed Jenny her most genial smile and said, “Well then, aren’t you looking rather properly rested this morning, Miss Flint. I can clearly see that you have quite an attractive, sunny complexion about you.”

Hearing the compliment, Jenny’s entire being lit up like a christmas tree, a big smile on her face as she followed Vastra inside, closing the door behind her. “Thank you! It is very nice of you to say that. Really, I’m glad you think I look better than I actually feel. So…um, what should we do now? Want some tea or coffee? You can put away your jacket if you want to.” She continued to smile, still entirely smittened by Vastra complimenting her complexion and feeling extremely happy as she gestured to the coat rack.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious about her appearance, Vastra nervously tugged at the collar of her leather jacket while switching her gaze in between Jenny and the coat rack. Although she was genuinely flattered by Jenny’s warm hospitality, Vastra couldn’t help but be afraid of what she might think about the tattoos on her arms. Vastra knew that tattoos were a huge turn off for some people, and she wasn’t willing to take that risk just yet, in case Jenny was one of them.

Vastra mentally concluded that the only logical thing for her to do in this situation, was to remain calm, check on Greeny, and leave as quickly as possible to help minimize the probability of her potentially embarrassing herself in front of Jenny. “Err, no thank you, Miss Flint, I’m actually not that thirsty at the moment,”declined Vastra graciously, despite her mouth being noticeably parched as a sun baked dessert in the middle of summer whenever she looked at Jenny. “I assume that you have many plans that you’d want to fulfill this Sunday, yes? Therefore, would you be so kind as to show me where Greeny is? I certainly do not wish to take up too much of your time with this visit today.”

Jenny tried not to show how disappointed she felt as Vastra brushed aside her suggestions, before affirmatively nodding. “Of course. I…ah, yes,Greeny is over here.” Deliberately, she crossed the living room until she was standing by the wall, bending down to retrieve greeny’s cage from the floor. “Where do you want me to put him? Somewhere here or in the kitchen?”

Vastra then peered into Jenny’s kitchen through the entrance located on the left side of the room, and was able to catch a glimpse of a pristine marble countertop. That instantly triggered a series of remarkably vivid images to flick across Vastra’s eyes; Coincidentally, all of them appeared to feature the same marble countertop upon which Jenny was sitting, still wearing her tank top and skirt, her legs wrapped tightly around Vastra’s waist as the two of them ravished each other’s mouths in a sexually passionate embrace. Witnessing those explicitly carnal visual representations of her own deepest, secretive, forbidden desires towards a particular female client was a profoundly alarming experience for Vastra, who felt as though her whole body was being consumed by a ruthless whirlwind of pure hellfire. This was definitely not the appropriate time, or place to be fantasizing about jumping your client’s bones, especially if said client is standing directly in front of you, which only makes it a thousand times worse! Vastra was at least fortunate that Jenny wasn’t a professional psychic mind reader or anything, because she would totally die from mortification if she could somehow see the things that are happening inside her head. Vastra was desperate to find some kind of cerebral off switch that could stop these unwanted thoughts from invading her psyche, but there seemed to be absolutely no end in sight to this annoyingly persistent problem. She remained determined anyways, however, and continued to push herself until she was finally able to break free of that accursed illusion using sheer willpower.

Praying fervently that her inner shame wasn’t too visible, Vastra returned her full attention back onto Jenny and answered with, “The living room is fine, we don’t have to go anywhere else. There is already a table in here and that’s all I really need to be able to work with Greeny.”

Vastra had, indeed, made it a main priority to stay far away from the kitchen as possible, in order to prevent herself from getting entangled among such troublesome hallucinations like that ever again.

“Oh, good. Yes, that sounds good indeed.” Smiling, Jenny quickly put the cage down on the table, opening the door. “And again, thank you for taking time to come by and check on Greeny, Miss McIntosh. It really is awfully nice of you.”

“Really, Miss Flint, you don’t have to keep thanking me for simply doing my job. I am merely following the ancient sacred Veterinarian’s Code of Honor to always help an animal in pain, wherever they may be,” Vastra joked lightheartedly as she approached the coffee table, carefully making sure that there was an ample amount of space in between Jenny and herself. “Additionally, I must also admit that have been missing yo…. Greeny an awful lot lately. I’m truly delighted to be here in your humble abode, so that I can see how my special little green boy is recovering.” She abruptly diverted her gaze towards Greeny’s cage, utterly relieved to have something else to look at instead of Jenny.

“Great! I’m sure Greeny missed you too…Uh…” Jenny’s eyes moved around the room, searching for something to focus on that was not Vastra’s stunningly attractive face and lethal smile. “What’s in the plastic bag?” She gestured to the generic plastic bag she just noticed that Vastra was carrying.

Vastra merely blinked and tilted her head to the side.“What plastic bag?” She asked, momentarily confused before remembering the thing she was holding in her hand, “Oh….yes, of course, it’s uhh….just a little gift that I picked up on my way here.” Vastra was smiling rather bashfully as she proceeded to reveal the content of her bag with great flourish. “It’s a traditional mini Japanese bonsai tree, for Greeny. I have one of my own at home, and thought that maybe you’d like to put it in his cage as decoration.” Even then, Vastra still kept her eyes on the tree and nervously bit her lip while she anticipated Jenny’s reaction.

Jenny nodded slowly, smiling. “Oh. Yes, uh….thanks! I had meant to buy some new plants but I haven’t really had any time…or money…to do it yet. Thanks.” She blushed, ducking her head and looking away.

Glancing at Jenny, Vastra was able to catch a brief glimpse of Jenny’s pretty, cute blushing face, which was more than enough to make her heart stop altogether for several dreamlike seconds. At this particular point, Vastra was almost entirely convinced that Jenny was no ordinary human girl, but must really be a divine angel who had somehow fallen down to earth. There was simply no other explanation as to how someone could ever be so beautiful, pure, and marvelous as Jenny is in her eyes.

“You’re, uhh, very welcome, Miss Flint. Do you want to take the tree yourself, or should I put it down somewhere?” Questioned Vastra, sounding slightly uncertain with the bonsai tree still in her hands.

Smiling and feeling acutely embarrassed, Jenny immediately reached out for the plant. “I suppose I don’t mind taking it off your hands for you. I’ll just…” Carefully, she went in to grab it, but at the same time Vastra suddenly moved slightly to the side and instead of taking the tree, she hit Vastra squarely in the face with her hand, barely catching the tree as Vastra dropped it before stumbling backwards, clutching her face with her hands while her glasses were sent flying to the floor by the accidental punch.

“Oh my god! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just…oh my god!” Jenny couldn’t even process what she’d done, backing away slowly with the tree clutched in her hands, eyes wide in horror. She could barely believe that her chronically clumsy tendencies had caused her to K.O. the most sexy person in existence by mistake.

The Scottish woman kept reeling backwards until she hit a wall, causing several of the hung paintings to rattle a bit. Vastra released a rather snake-like hiss as she felt the stinging pain spreading across her face from where Jenny had smacked her. Though as tremendously embarrassing as that may be, Vastra still couldn’t bear to hear Jenny blaming herself for something that was truly an accident.

Putting on a brave front, Vastra gradually lowered her hands away from her face and tried to re-establish a stable, composed demeanor. “Oh dear….hehe, that’s quite a strong right hook you got there, Miss Flint,” Spoke Vastra with a humorous tone in an attempt to make light of the situation, while completely disregarding the blood that is oozing out of her nose. “I think I understand why Scotland Yard hired you now…..such bountiful raw power, contained within such a small person. It’s fine, Miss Flint, I’m OK, really, I forgive you.” Vastra gave Jenny her best and most reassuring smile to show her that everything was alright.

Looking doubtfully at Vastra, Jenny said nothing but quickly pulled out a tissue from the box she kept on the coffee table and gave it to Vastra. As soon as Vastra accepted the offered tissue, Jenny then went for the glasses next. She had noticed them falling off Vastra’s face, and now she went to retrieve them, bending over to pick them off the floor.

Having a perfectly good view from where she stood, Vastra’s eyes practically popped of their sockets and her jaw very nearly dropped to the floor at the sight of Jenny’s skirt riding up her rear to reveal a rather provocative glimpse of her silk panties underneath.

As Jenny stretched out to grab them, she noticed to her amusement that there were tiny lizards printed on the glasses. Smiling to herself, she quickly picked them up and stood upright again. “Right. I got your glasses, and I really am so sorry . I can’t even hit that hard!”

“Well considering that my nose is now bleeding, I’d beg to differ on that” replied Vastra without the slightest hint of anger, as she tore off the tissue into smaller pieces and stuffed them up into her nostrils. She was absolutely certain that she was going to die of blood loss by the end of that visit.

“Right. Again, I’m very sorry.” Stepping forward, Jenny carefully tried to put the glasses back on Vastra’s face, her breath catching as she saw the brilliant blue eyes looking directly back at her. They were incredibly beautiful, deep puddles of glittering oceans bringing to life an equally brilliant mind. God, she could easily get lost in them forever and never come back, thought Jenny. As she finished putting the glasses in place, Jenny put her arms back at her sides, carefully taking a step back and suddenly realising how extremely close she had been - and still were - to Vastra.That the Scottish woman had even let her in that close surprised her, and she couldn’t help the blush tinging her cheeks as she realised that she had in fact, invaded the woman’s personal space without even asking for permission.

Taking another step back, her blush deepened, and so did the embarrassment. “I’m sorry. Again. I….you…your eyes are…blue. I like blue. Not blue like my walls but, better blue. Perfect blue . Amazing ocean blue. Really, really blue of the prettiest blue kind.”

Vastra swore that the entire world had stopped spinning in that moment, freezing time in place as Jenny slid her glasses back onto her face with such genuine care and tenderness. Her eyes briefly fluttered shut and she allowed herself to inhale a whiff of Jenny’s sweet smelling peach shampoo that sent all of her senses into overdrive with euphoria. A very small, inappropriate part of her even wondered whether or not Jenny would taste as delicious as she smells. Alas, Vastra had to keep her utter disappointment hidden when Jenny abruptly moved away from her area of range, appearing immensely apologetic for some reason which she couldn’t figure out. Vastra missed being so close in proximity with Jenny, but her dismay was instantly replaced by surprise when Jenny complimented her eyes, albeit in a fairly awkward and drawn out way.

Now it was Vastra’s turn to blush as she nervously adjusted her glasses, scrunched her nose, and bowed her head to avoid the other woman’s gaze. “I….uhh…thank you, how very kind of you to say that,” said a highly flustered Vastra, a shy elated smile forming upon her lips. “Yes, my eyes are indeed blue. I’ve had them since I was born….but nobody has ever seemed to appreciate them like you do.”

“Nobody has ever appreciated me like you do.” Jenny replied, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them, regardlessly not being able to hold back her smile.

“Excuse my forwardness, but I do find that hard to believe,” Vastra responded softly, lifting her head up to lock shining blue eyes with Jenny’s chocolate brown ones. There was a period of inaction where the two of them merely smiled at each other in a sort of intimate silence, before Vastra decided to break it by saying, “Well then, let not this minor setback prevent us from getting on with the task at hand, shall we?”

Thus pushing aside that trivial incident of unintentional violence, Vastra promptly approached the front of Greeny’s cage and proceeded to gently coax him out of his home. As soon as Vastra first saw that little scaly lizard’s head peeking out from the cage, she could already tell that Greeny had been recovering far better than when she examined him at the clinic. His scales appeared to be more colorful, his movements more fluid, his eyes wide open, and there was even a tiny contented smile on his face. Vastra’s smile grew wider when she heard Greeny emit a high-pitched crooning noise as a way of greeting her. Apparently, there wasn’t going to be much that Vastra will have to check on Greeny and she was glad for it.

Jenny watched Vastra tending to Greeny intently, praying that her little lizard was doing alright. Careful not to come too close, she approached the both of them slowly. “I do think he should be doing quite fine now, seeing as I took your advise. He’s seemed to be more energetic lately, but I don’t really know. What do you think? Is there something else I should do?” She bit her lip a little, trying not to sound all worried, thought to be honest, she feared what Vastra might say.

Several long, agonizing minutes passed before Vastra turned to look at Jenny and said,”Congratulations, Miss Flint, your pet lizard here does appear to be in excellent shape from what I can see. I hope that my diagnostic will help to put your mind at ease about Greeny’s wellbeing. Trust me, he is perfectly healthy and lizardy as ever, so I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you.” With that final verdict, Vastra then returned Greeny back into the safe, warm, cozy vicinity of his cage and recast her gaze over to Jenny. “Any more questions that you want to ask me?”

Upon hearing Vastra’s question, Jenny had to bite her lip hard to not let something lewd, or incredibly inappropriate, out of her mouth. Finally, after standing around and chewing her lip longer than she ought to, she then asked, “Can you stay for some coffee, or tea if you prefer, and pastries? I’ve got some cookies I baked just the other week in the kitchen. It could be my way of thanking you for coming here and looking at Greeny.” She smiled, and before Vastra could protest, she added. “Please? I would feel so much better if I gave something in return.” She made puppy dog eyes, and hoped so badly that Vastra would not go. She was not ready to let this goddess of a woman walk out of her apartment just yet.

Those accursed puppy dog eyes seemed to have put a dent in Vastra’s initial plan for a hasty escape out of the apartment. Any argument against Jenny’s invitation to stay that Vastra possessed instantly melted away into those enticingly warm brown eyes that look as though they could pierce right through her very soul. Secretly, though, Vastra’s heart was deeply touched by the fact that Jenny actually desired her company, and was fighting so hard for the chance to show Vastra her gratitude. It was exactly this type of caring nature and moxy that kept pulling Vastra further and further in love towards this utterly majestic young woman. How could she possibly bring herself to deny Jenny this one innocent request, when she knew that it would certainly break the poor girl’s heart if she said no? What’s the harm in hanging around for a little bit of complimentary coffee and cookies? Just play it cool and everything will be fine, right?

Feeling all of her resolve rapidly slipping from her grasp, Vastra finally managed to crack open a slight friendly smile and nodded in agreement. “Fine, you win! But only because I’m feeling rather famished, and your offer of cookies does sound simply too good to refuse,”spoke Vastra cheerfully, even topping it off with a fairly flirtatious wink to boot.

Vastra then walked around the coffee table in order to reach the sofa, where she began to remove her leather jacket and scarf. Vastra didn’t really thought much about what she was doing, until she heard an audibly shocked gasp coming from Jenny. That alone was enough to make Vastra stop, her entire body becoming tense, as she squeezed her eyes shut and mentally reprimanded herself for acting so carelessly in Jenny’s home.

As Vastra sat down on the couch, she finally pulled off her scarf and that incredible, sexy leather jacket that she had arrived in. Taking almost too much pleasure in watching her pull off the smooth leather from her shoulders and sliding her well-toned arms out of the sleeves, Jenny simply couldn’t withhold her gasp as she saw what Vastra was hiding underneath. The entire length of Vastra’s gorgeous , breathtakingly lean and slender arms were covered in stylistic black and green snake tattoos. Jenny followed them with her eyes, greedily taking in every little detail of the extensive, beautifully designed snake tattoo. It went all the way up to Vastra’s firm shoulders, some of her brown hair just barely reaching down long enough to lay across the very top of it, before mysteriously disappearing into her shirt and perhaps continuing underneath. While Jenny did not envision Vastra to be the kind of person to be covered in tattoos, she could not say that she disliked what she was seeing, and she kept smiling as Vastra made herself comfortable on the couch.

This woman was not only hot, she was on goddamn scorching fire!

Suddenly feeling terribly naked without her jacket and with her ink clad arms now on full display for Jenny to see, Vastra blushed bright tomato red as she shifted quite uneasily in her seat. Not wanting Jenny to think that there was anything wrong, however, Vastra then implemented a deliberate demonstration of swagger by stretching her muscular arms high above her head, before bringing them down to rest upon her neatly crossed legs. Hands clasped deftly against her knee, Vastra couldn’t resist leaning slightly forward so that she could hungrily devour Jenny’s most peculiarly risque attire with her keen eyes once again.

“Well then….is the lovely hostess not going to provide the promised coffee and cookies for her guest?” Inquired Vastra with a thickly alluring Scottish accent seeping through her tone, and one dark eyebrow raised elegantly on her forehead.

Jenny truly thought that she would faint on the spot. For a moment, she felt everything swim before her eyes and it felt as though all the air had left her lungs, but thankfully she soon managed to collect herself. It would have been terribly embarrassing if she did pass out, just because this goddess of a woman removed her jacket. Nodding, she quickly set off towards the kitchen, disappearing through the doorway before Vastra could say anything.

“Coming right up! Do you want sugar or cream?” She called out once she’d reached the kitchen, thankful to be out of sight as her cheeks kept heating up like two buns fresh out of the oven. “Also, are you allergic to nuts?” The last thing was an afterthought, because as she reached for the cookie jar she realised, she didn’t know and she always used nuts in her cookies, because she liked it that way herself. Almost frantically, she tried to look for something else to server her guest as she waited for the answer, preparing for the worst.

“Just a dash of sugar and cream is how I usually prefer my coffee,” responded Vastra, who could hear Jenny moving around inside the kitchen due to her rather abnormally sharp sense of hearing. “I am not allergic to any nuts, but my body is badly affected by chocolate!”

Vastra truly didn’t mind waiting for Jenny, and she was able to occupy herself with observing the surrounding area that was Jenny’s living room. The room was considerably smaller than your average house, yet still relatively comfortable, noted Vastra as her eyes swept across the modest sized television set, framed paintings, bookshelves ladened with an impressive quantity of reading material, and a few colorful priceless vases among other things. What really struck Vastra the most was how impeccably clean and well-kept everything was, as far as she could see at least; It was such a stark contrast when compared to Vastra’s own junkyard of a house, which made it nearly impossible to tell where clutter ends and civilization begins. As domestically challenged as Vastra was, she would always attribute it to her busy working schedule at the clinic which left her with very little time to get her home in order. The best that she could do was a little dusting here, a bit of sweeping there, and a whole lot of shoving things into a closet to be forgotten about forever. Though to be honest, it never actually bothered Vastra as much as it would other people knowing that her house will never be as neat as Jenny’s, mainly because she’s already gotten so used to its constantly chaotic state by now.

“Coffee’s here!” Jenny announced cheerfully as she came out the kitchen with the tray, coffee, cookies, sugar and cream loaded onto it, as well as a cup of tea for herself. “I hope they will be satisfactory.” She bit her lip, hoping Vastra would be satisfied by the coffee and cookies. She could already feel her cheeks heating from the disappointment and embarrassment if Vastra were to dislike any of the food or beverages.

Little did Jenny know, however, that the tray of freshly baked treats and coffee weren’t the only things that Vastra was drooling over.

Vastra watched with substantial interest as Jenny placed the tray of refreshments down on the table in front of her, and uplifted her face to smile graciously at her generous hostess. The Scottish woman had always possessed an uncanny ability to accurately detect even the slightest quirk in someone’s body language, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that she was able to pick up on Jenny’s nervously restless aura. Vastra was intensely curious as to the reason for Jenny’s apparent anxiousness, but figured that would be best if she didn’t say anything about it.

Instead, Vastra simply went ahead and picked up a delectable looking cookie from the tray, before taking a tentative bite off of it. “Mmmm…..how exquisitely scrumptious, and I especially liked the delightful crunch of the nuts you added,”commented Vastra, seemingly pleased, whose tongue then briefly flicked out to wipe some crumbs off her lip. “You really ought to consider becoming a baker, because I can happily eat these for the rest of my life.”

That was soon followed by Vastra picking up the cup of coffee, it’s powerfully rich aroma filling her nostrils despite being clogged with blood, and bringing it towards her mouth for a sip, which also elicited the same positive reaction from Vastra.

Jenny watched attentively as Vastra tried the cookies and coffee. To her utter delight, the woman seemed to enjoy both of them, even going as far as to compliment her cookies. Once she felt safe that everything was satisfactory, she carefully sat down on the other end of the sofa, grabbing her cup of tea in both hands and trying to think up something to say. Her eyes scanned Vastra’s body, her gaze continuously being drawn to the green and black tattoos on her arms, still as fascinating as the first time she saw them. “So…” She said tentatively, pausing to sip on her tea. “It is some very nice tattoos you got on your arms. I like the design.”

Vastra abruptly stopped and instantly swiveled her head to look at Jenny, being utterly astonished that Jenny just actually complimented her tattoos.

Gradually, her face then lit up with a brilliantly bright smile, as she could hardly contain her excitement, and said, “Oh thank you, Miss Flint, how very kind of you to say so! I chose this particular design, because I wanted something to help me remember my ancestral Celtic roots while I’m down here in London.” Vastra’s smile continued to broaden even more when a most splendid idea struck her mind. “Also, if you like what you’re seeing on my arms, I have another tattoo on my back which I am especially proud of. Here…I‘ll show you!”

Without giving Jenny a chance to reply, Vastra eagerly pulled out her phone from her pocket and found a picture of herself flexing shirtless while facing away from the camera to showcase the large, intricately detailed tattoo that occupied nearly her entire backside.

The tattoo was absolutely stunning, as it depicts two swords crossing a shield bearing the noble McIntosh clan name, and strewn with vines of wildflowers.

Jenny started at the photo, politely trying to focus on the beautiful, intricate tattoo rather than the amount of bare skin Vastra was revealing in the photo and her strong, flexing arms. “That’s an absolutely amazing tattoo.” Jenny said softly. She didn’t know much about tattooing, but with a highly detailed and creative design being worn by such a gorgeous Scottish woman, Jenny truly felt like she’d fallen in love with the tattoo.

Now suddenly aware of the fact that she has just showed Jenny a very personal and half naked picture out of sheer impulsiveness, Vastra could feel her face blushing a fiery crimson for what would be the billionth time in that day alone. “Err…thank you, I’m really glad that you think so,”replied Vastra, who couldn’t help sounding somewhat bashful. “Yes, my tattoos are amazing indeed, because they hold such a great amount of personal significance to me. They’re a permanently important part of who I am, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

Jenny merely nodded and smiled understandably at Vastra, trying to absorb every single one of Vastra’s words as the Scottish woman was practically baring her soul to her.

It was in that moment that Vastra’s phone suddenly started ringing, which caused the both of them to jump a little in surprise.

“Oh God, it’s my sister calling me,” muttered Vastra as she checked the caller ID before returning her attention back to Jenny. “I’m so sorry if this might be an inconvenience, but um….would you mind if I answer this call real quick?”

Jenny smiled reassuringly, nodding. “If you need to, then sure go ahead.” She thought of her own family, and how she’d never in a million years would have answered a single call from any of them. Ever. But, she guessed not everyone’s situation looked like hers.

Giving Jenny one quick grateful glance, Vastra then pressed the button to answer the call and brought her phone up against her ear. “Hello, Lanah? What are you calling me for this time? Is it your dog, did he eat one of your earrings again?” It was hard for Vastra to keep her tone free of any annoyance that she felt at being interrupted in the middle of her meeting with Jenny.

“Hello to you too, dear sister. How nice to hear you think I only call if something has happened, it does make me feel so very appreciated.” Lanah mocked, her voice overly happy as she spoke.

The Scottish woman groaned internally, but was also secretly excited to talk to her beloved sister again. Resuming with their naturally well rehearsed banter, Vastra said, “So I’m assuming that your dog is OK then? I still remember how poor Capaldi couldn’t eat for a month because of that stupid diamond earing tearing through his digestive intestines. I swear, your insatiable appetite for fine precious jewelry is going to be the death of him!”

“Yes, he is perfectly diamond-free, for your your information. Jesus Christ, that was ONE time! Besides, I do recall you letting your friend feed Billy chocolate last time I let you babysit him!”

“Well, do you think that I don’t regret making that mistake,” snapped Vastra in response, before speaking more collectedly, “ Ahem, anyway…..the past is in the past, so I suggest that you just get straight to the point already.”

“Fine. I can tell you what I want, and I assure you, I will be much straighter than you.” She paused, letting Vastra realise what she just said, before continuing. “Billy wanted to talk to his favourite aunt, who ironically nearly killed him.”

From the sidelines, Jenny watched anxiously as Vastra spoke to her sister on the phone, always ready to come to her help if she looked as though she needed support. At one point, Vastra snapped, the conversation seemingly having turned south, and Jenny was very close to asking if she wanted her to give her an excuse to hang up, but the situation calmed down and Jenny stepped back. Still, as she saw Vastra glance in her direction, she couldn’t help but whisper, ‘Is everything okay?’, worried that Vastra might be caught up in a situation she found uncomfortable.

Vastra could only smile lightly at Jenny to indicate that there was nothing to worry about, and proceeded to reply with, “I can’t say that I’m the least bit surprised, since it’s a scientifically proven fact that every family should have a cool lesbian aunt to keep things interesting.”

At hearing Vastra openly admit that she was a lesbian, Jenny almost couldn’t hold back a gasp that threatened to escape her lips. Of course, she did have her ideas and suspicions, and she had been desperately hoping that it would be the case, but to actually hear it being confirmed took her completely by surprise.

“As long as ‘interesting’ doesn’t mean deadly, I can possibly agree.” Lanah said fondly. “Either way, I’m putting on Billy now. He’s been tugging at my dress for the past half-hour and it’s getting a bit annoying.”

Immediately after she said that, the line went momentarily silent as Lanah passed on the phone to Billy, and before Vastra could even prepare herself, her ears were suddenly bombarded by the voice of a highly overenthusiastic four year old boy.

“Aunty Vasha! Aunty Vasha! It’s me, Billy!” Shouted Billy from the other side of the line without any repercussions whatsoever. “I wanted Mommy to call you because I love the toy racecar you sent me for my birthday! I like to play with it because it’s super fast and it goes zoom zoom and sometimes Capaldi will chase it! When I grow up I will have a real racecar and we will go on awesome adventures together! Maybe I’ll have a flying car that can take us up to the moon!”

There was a broad doting smile spread across Vastra’s face as she happily listened to her adorable nephew’s passionate gushing about his new toy racecar. It was then that she fully realized just how much she missed her family back home in Scotland, who she would see only a few times each year for holidays and whatnot. Since she clearly lacked any children of her own, Vastra was able to compensate for it by loving all of her sibling’s children and spoiling them rotten, including Billy. Billy’s rapidly spoken words helped to draw out old distant memories from the very deep recesses of Vastra’s mind, allowing her to relive all those wonderful times that they had together. Vastra was immensely thankful to at least have this one little connection with her family, and she hoped that it would never end.

When Billy finally paused to take a breath, Vastra promptly took advantage of it to say, “Ah, yes hello there, Silly Billy, nothing ever makes me happier than getting a call from my most favorite nephew! I’m so glad to hear that your crazy wild imagination still hasn’t changed. It sure seems like you were able to put it to good use while playing with your race car.”

“Thank you a lot, Aunty Vasha! I don’t care what Mommy says, you are the greatest, awesomest aunty ever!” Proclaimed Billy zealously, which touched Vastra’s heart in a profoundly meaningful way.

From the couch, Jenny kept observing Vastra in curious silence. She’d said she was fine, but it didn’t help Jenny’s worries much. What did, however, was when she saw Vastra breaking into a huge grin, her whole face practically glowing as she listened to someone chatting energetically on the other end. Seeing Vastra so happy and at ease made Jenny happy, too, and she couldn’t help the small smile resting upon her lips. It was wonderful and amazing to see someone so joyful and content and absolutely at ease in a conversation with family. For Vastra, family was clearly people she cared for and loved, and somehow that made Jenny feel both glad and also sad, because while it felt blissful watching someone else experiencing it this way, it was not something she would ever have.

As soon as Billy was done talking, the line went quiet for a moment, and then the voice of Vastra’s sister picked up once more. “That’s enough Billy, time for us grown-ups to talk again. Thanks for listening to him, Vastra. He’s been going on and on about how he wanted to talk to you all morning, and you know he gets cranky when he wants something.”

“Hmmm….well, I do certainly wonder who he got that from,” Vastra mockingly questioned while stroking her chin, a massive smile still plastered onto her face. “It’s really no problem, Lanah, because I find it quite sweet that Billy wanted to call and thank me for his present. Honestly, I was beginning to worry that he had forgotten all about me. So just out of curiosity….how is the rest of the family doing,” Vastra asked carefully as she bit her lip, craving for more information regarding her the status of her family.

Most importantly, she needed to know if they had been able to recover from her father’s tragic death due to cancer five years ago, because God knows she definitely hasn’t.

After Vastra’s question, there was a short pause on the other end, and she could hear her sister saying something to her son, before she began to reply with, “Well…I guess it’s okay overall. Most of us are doing pretty well, some are in a bit of a low period at the moment but hopefully they’ll be feeling better soon. We miss you, though. Honestly, it would be so nice if we could see you a little more often.”

A biting sensation of guilt stung within Vastra’s heart upon hearing her sister’s downhearted statement, and she shakily spoke, “You know very well I that want that more than anything…. and I would do so, in a heartbeat, if only my schedule would allow it. It’s just that….it’s hard, you know, going back there….and remembering all those things.” Vastra’s voice was barely above a whisper by the time she finished speaking, a tell-tale sign that her emotions were threatening to overwhelm her.

The day that Vastra’s father died was not something she liked to think about often, even going so far as to block it out of her mind completely. His untimely death dealt an enormously heavy blow on everyone in the family, and each of them had their own ways of coping with the aftermath of that terrible event. Immediately after graduating from vet school, Vastra moved down to London because she simply couldn’t bear to stay in Scotland any longer. Really, she was trying to run away from the past where her father still dwelled while his spirit continued to haunt her in the present. A small part of Vastra always knew that it was selfish and cowardly of her to leave her grieving family behind instead of remaining with them during their darkest hour. She never had much trouble suppressing those echoing doubts in the back of her head until now, as talking to Lanah for the last thirty minutes was causing all of her old, painstakingly hidden grief and regret to resurface again. Vastra’s entire body was trembling at this point, and she could feel herself being dangerously close to bursting out in tears, though Jenny’s presence was the only thing that encouraged Vastra to maintain her composure, because it would be most utterly lame if she randomly started crying in front of her crush. No, there will be enough time to have an emotional breakdown later, but in this current moment she must put on a brave face for Jenny.

On the other end of the phone, a deep sigh could be heard, and then Vastra’s sister said,. “I know, Vastra. I’m not accusing you of anything, Little Extra. I’m just saying we miss you, that’s all.”

Still sitting and waiting for the call to end, Jenny could tell that things were getting tense as Vastra suddenly started shuddering, and she decided that perhaps it would be best if she gave her some time alone.

With the efficiency of someone who had their fair share of working in coffee shops, Jenny quickly started gathering the cups and half empty plate of biscuits, piling them up atop each other on the tray that she’d brought with her to the living room.Once she was done, she stood up, taking the tray in her arms and began setting off towards the kitchen. However, as she left, she took one last glance over her shoulder at Vastra, thus neglecting to see where she was going, and tripped on the threshold.Feet hitting against solid wood, Jenny’s entire body was sent crashing to the floor, the tray flying out of her hands, porcelain breaking into a million pieces as they landed upon the floor along with Jenny.

“Fucking bloody hell!” The swear words slipped past her lips as she tried desperately to readjust her bruised and aching body, swearing even more as she realised how much ruined china there was spread out everywhere. “Fucking shit!”

The collective commotion of shattering china and an angrily cursing Cockney woman instantly pulled Vastra away from the phone call, her eyes growing wide with shocked concern at the sight of Jenny’s disastrous wipeout. “Oh dear Lord….are you alright, Jenny?” Blurted Vastra, momentarily forgetting that her sister was also listening on the line.

“ Jenny ? Who are you calling Jenny ?!” Lanah hadn’t been aware that someone else was in the room with Vastra, but then something clicked in her mind and she sang, “Vaaaastra, are you at your girlfriend’s house? Someone named Jenny? Why didn’t you tell me! Finally, someone to take care of your sorry, egotistical arse!” Her voice was gleeful and humorous, and Vastra could imagine her smug smile as she spoke.

Vastra hissed sharply into the phone in retaliation before abandoning her phone altogether on the sofa as she quickly ran to Jenny’s side. “Jenny, oh my God, are you hurt anywhere? Bloody Christ, there’s a lot of broken china over here! Let me uhh help you uhh…..”

It was then that Vastra’s eyes made the mistake of landing on Jenny’s enticing cleavage visibly peeking through her shirt, with only a few inches in between the two of them, and that caused her to swallow hard as her entire bodily system effectively malfunctioned.

“Excuse me.” Jenny said, slightly embarrassed as she caught on to Vastra’s sideway glance down at her cleavage. “Can you please help me up a little? I’d really like to get away from this spot without cutting my hands and feet on all this china.”

“Huh? Oh, yes….the china, of course….sorry,” Vastra rapidly blinked, summoning all of her willpower in order to tear her gaze away from Jenny’s bosom, and generously stretched out her hand for Jenny to take. There was no way to prevent the deep embarrassment that she felt at being caught ogling by the other woman from exploding into varying shades of red across her face. “Pray tell, how in the world did this happen anyway?”

At this, Jenny blushed and immediately became red in the face, awkwardly trying to form a coherent reply that wouldn’t directly reveal she’d been listening in on the phone call. “I…well, you seemed a little upset so I thought I’d….I’d take out the dishes and give you some time to yourself. But then I just…..I looked back at you as I left and hit the threshold.” Finishing her explanation, Jenny held tightly onto Vastra’s offered hand as she ungracefully jumped over the broken porcelain, landing on the floor next to Vastra.

As soon as she did that, Vastra instinctively scooted a few inches away from Jenny, in an attempt to prevent herself from getting too lightheaded while in Jenny’s intoxicating presence. She could have sworn that that she felt an invisible electricity crackling in the air between their hands as she hastily retracted her own, just like when they first met at the clinic. A faint, yet hopeful voice in the back of Vastra’s mind told her that it might be a sign from the universe, that perhaps she might actually have a chance with Jenny who was totally far out of her league. Sobering up again, Vastra immediately dismissed those thoughts as mere wishful thinking, and tilted her head slightly aside while her eyes fixed themselves upon Jenny with the suspicion that she had been eavesdropping on her private conversation. Not that Vastra could hardly hold her at fault, of course.

So without any hint of accusation in her tone, and a gentle smile forming on her lips, Vastra responded with, “You really ought to be more careful, Miss Flint. Although, I can honestly say that this isn’t the very first time somebody had an accident due to my rather distracting tattoos.” Her gaze then flicked over to all the fractured pieces of china, causing her expression to grimace as she spoke, “I’m awfully sorry about your china….I truly am. Will you allow me to assist you in cleaning up this mess? It’s the least I can do, after you’ve shown me such a generous amount to hospitality.”

Upon hearing her first remark, Jenny blushed even more, the redness on her cheeks deepening. As she came to the second part of the sentence, Jenny felt so embarrassed and uncomfortable that she wanted nothing more than for Vastra to leave, to take her things and walk away and never come back so that maybe Jenny could just forget her and move on. Her heart obviously disagreed, however and instead of telling her to go, she found herself nodding in acceptance to her offer. “Yes, please, hat would be very welcomed.” She said, biting her lip hard at how much of an idiot she must look like, and quickly started gathering shards, just to have something - anything - to do.

Vastra’s brows furrowed in confusion, as something about what Jenny said felt kind of…. forced to her, but it wasn’t long before she, too, dropped down onto her knees and began to carefully collect the sharp fragments into her hand. There was only a cold and empty silence as the two of them continued to clear the floor of broken china for what seemed like an entire eternity, each trying desperately to avoid looking at the other. Then by accident, while they were both too deeply caught up within their own contemplation, their hands touched yet again on the last piece of china. That simple incident served as a catalyst that sent powerful trails of sparks burning up the length of their arms until they ultimately reached their hearts and set them aflame with the intensity of a thousand blazing suns. Neither Jenny nor Vastra could comprehend why it must always happen this way, but at the same time it was also getting increasingly more difficult for them to ignore their passionate mutual attraction to each other. Completely aware of all the risks that came with it, both Jenny and Vastra simultaneously lifted their heads so that their eyes became firmly locked, bright blue staring into rich brown. Every single trace of the outside world gradually faded away until nothing else remained except for the two of them, utterly alone with the deafening sound of their seismic heartbeats. Vastra subconsciously licked her lips and stole a tentatively quick glimpse of Jenny’s perfectly kissable mouth, a sudden erotic shiver shooting up her spine when she noticed Jenny mirroring her actions as well. There was a distinctly apparent change among the atmosphere that surrounded them, filling it to the very brim with a heavy and undeniable sexual tension which radiated off of Jenny and Vastra themselves. Slowly, their faces started moving forward inch by inch in order to close the gap between them, though neither was fully capable of registering it, as if there was some unseen mystical power that was pulling them together, whether they knew it or not.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Vastra’s ears perked up to an all too familiar voice that started shouting from the sofa. “Vastra? Extra, where the hell did you go?! Don’t tell me you seriously dropped the phone without hanging up to go get some from that girl of yours!” Lanah called out from the phone speaker, utter amusement and irritation mixing within her tone.

Thus, the mysterious trance that was holding Vastra and Jenny captive had been broken. They blinked rather absentmindedly, as if just waking up from a long slumber, both entirely unsure about what was happening in that particular moment. Then witnessing that their hands were still in the same position, they immediately separated them with impossibly lightning quick reflexes, the final china piece being claimed by Vastra. Nonetheless, the overwhelming heat of the carnal fire that had consumed them earlier refused to go away, but continued to rage within them ever so strongly. Their eyes strictly fixated onto the floor, neither of them could find any words to say, for fear of escalating the already stressful situation even more. Therefore, they decided to simply keep their mouths shut, and wordlessly rose up from the floor before walking over to the trashcan in Jenny’s kitchen where they cautiously disposed all of the damaged china fragments.

Once that was taken care of, Vastra immediately sprinted back into the living room to pick up her phone, and resumed the call saying, “ Ha ha ha ….very funny, Lanah. If you really must know, I’m with a client right now, another lizard case as you can probably guess. So I would highly appreciate it if you can kindly stop spouting shit out of your ass hole, and let me do my job.” Vastra was definitely in no mood to tolerate her older sister’s inappropriate remarks, but she also knew that Lanah was fully capable of enduring her verbal abuses after all those years.

“Well, excuse me! You’re not exactly notoriously known for going out of your way to visit patients in their homes, especially not on weekends! On the other hand, what you are notoriously known for is being insanely, ridiculously, EXTRA gay ! But whatever, blame a woman for trying to make some logical conclusions, it’s fine I don’t care. Either way, I don’t have time to stay talking to you much longer so I’m hanging up now. Goodbye, Vastra!” Immediately, the line went dead as Lanah hung up.

Inwardly relieved that the call was finally over with, Vastra sighed deeply as she placed her phone back into her pocket.

“Hey, Vastra. Are you…are you okay?” Carefully, Jenny approached Vastra, putting a hand on her arm. It was quite obvious that the lengthy phone call had drained Vastra, and she wanted to make sure that she was okay. “I’m here for you if…if you need to talk.”

It required every bit of Vastra’s willpower not to jump off the sofa when she felt Jenny’s delicate hand on her arm. Eventually turning around to face Jenny directly, Vastra tried to act like nothing was wrong as she said, “Thank you, Je–Miss Flint– but I assure you, everything is perfectly well with me. It’s just that, my sister….she enjoys pushing my buttons way too much sometimes.” Vastra chuckled nervously, a wry smile gracing her countenance. “Yes, she can often be a royal pain in the neck, but I still love her anyway.”

Vastra had intentionally stopped herself from addressing Jenny by her first name, because the phone call with Lanah made her self-conscious of the fact that she was getting a little too friendly with Jenny, and that she needed to reestablish some kind of professional formality asap.

While Jenny felt a bit hurt that Vastra refused to use her first name, she kept smiling peacefully, squeezing Vastras arm. “I understand. You are very lucky to have people who do care for you, even if they sometimes drive you crazy. They still love you.” Her smile felt less real with every passing second because seeing the way Vastra and her family worked, made Jenny’s heart ache. She badly longed to have a life and a family like that herself, too, but it was and always will be an unreachable dream, and she knew that. It had never been a possibility. “A lot of people have it much worse.”

Vastra was able to detect a trace of bitter melancholy in Jenny’s tone, which led her to gently lay her hand on Jenny’s knee and asked, “Pardon me if this sounds intrusive, but I’m under the impression that perhaps you don’t get along with your family?”

That was an extremely risky move on Vastra’s part and she mentally kicked herself for prying into the personal life of this woman who she barely even knows. On the other hand, however, Jenny seemed to be so sad and miserable that Vastra just couldn’t help giving her heart out to her in sympathy. There was really nothing that she could do except waiting anxiously with bated breath for Jenny’s response

Upon hearing Vastra’s inquiry, Jenny almost dissolved straight into tears. Her arms wrapped tightly around her own shivering body and she nodded. “My mom is dead. My siblings are God knows where, I haven’t heard from any of them in years, and my dad would probably try to kill me if I ever got close to him again.” At the end she was openly sobbing, unable to keep it all back as it came rushing out against her will, hot tears splattered on her cheeks. “There is not a single person who cares about me. I don’t have anyone who I can truly call ‘my family’ in this world” She knew it sounded pathetic and attention seeking from her side, but Jenny couldn’t help it. Once the dam had been breached, the flood of emotions could not be stopped no matter how hard she tried.

Oh dear….Oh God….Why is this happening….I shouldn’t have done that….Bloody hell I am such a fucking idiot!

Needless to say, Vastra was in full blown panic mode as she realized that she had unwittingly opened Pandora’s box. It’s rather obvious that she has brought this upon herself, because she just had to cross the line and make Jenny talk about a severely sensitive topic instead of minding her own damn business. So as a result of that, Vastra was now absolutely stuck in a most awkward situation with Jenny literally crying an entire river beside her, and there seemed to be nothing she could do to fix it. The real truth is that Vastra has always been the worst at trying to comfort people, especially when they are leaking an excessive amount of salty liquid out of their eyeballs, and would be more likely to distance herself away from them. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that her heart wasn’t actually breaking into a million pieces with every single choking sob that escaped from Jenny’s lips before falling on her ears. Vastra seriously hated seeing Jenny in so much pain and suffering, which she had ultimately concluded as somehow being caused by Jenny’s family. It was strikingly clear to Vastra that Jenny was carrying a lot of heavy, unresolved emotional baggage, and she very desperately wanted to help Jenny in any way she can, but her whole body was currently in a state of complete shock. Vastra was immensely determined to do at least something–anything–and began summoning all of her energy in order to regain her physical functionality.

Miraculously, Vastra’s efforts soon paid off as she was then able to slowly stretch her arm out towards Jenny and started to lightly pat her on the shoulder.

“Err there, there, Miss Flint….everything is going to be alright,”Vastra reassured fumblingly, wincing at how weak that sounded while trying to wrack her brain for more things to say. When she couldn’t find anything that she considered to be adequate enough, Vastra merely sighed and said, “Oh, who am I bloody kidding? Nothing is right about this whatsoever, and it’s all my damn fault! It was a stupid mistake on my part to just drop that question onto you out of nowhere. I really should have stayed in my lane. God, I’m such a fucking daft, insensitive fool!” There was a prolonged pause as Vastra suddenly fell silent, guilt and remorse weighing down heavily against her heart like lead. “I am so, so terribly sorry, Miss Flint….I now realize that it was inexcusable of me to overstepped my boundaries….and I completely understand if you want me to leave.”

Somehow, the thought of Vastra leaving, of Jenny having chased her away because she could not keep her damn mouth shut about things she knew no one cared about, felt even worse to Jenny than the agonizing torment of her mortal soul. Her stomach twisted,and even more tears came pouring down her face, and before she knew what she was doing, she wrapped her arms tightly around Vastra, hugging her and sobbing into her firmly solid chest. “No, please don’t go….I’m…I’m sorry. I…I know I shouldn’t….I’m sorry for being like this.” There was not much else that Jenny could say, still shamelessly clinging onto Vastra for dear life and crying her eyes out.

Vastra was caught completely by surprise when the woman of her dreams suddenly threw herself at her, for lack of a better term, and was refusing to let her go anytime soon. While Vastra was utterly afraid that she might mess things up even more if she made just one wrong move, she also felt a sort of newfound maternal instinct kicking into her system as she simply couldn’t bear to hear Jenny apologizing for something that wasn’t her fault. Eventually deciding to throw all caution into the wind, Vastra carefully encircled her own arms around Jenny’s small trembling frame, propriety be damned! She then proceeded to rub soothing circles upon Jenny’s back, while quietly whispering sweet words of comfort into her ear, because God knows the poor girl definitely deserved nothing less than to be treated with utmost compassion and kindness as she continued to thoroughly soak Vastra’s shirt with her tears of anguish. They remained together in that position for an indefinite amount of time, which didn’t really bother Vastra one bit because she was perfectly willing to wait for as long as Jenny needed.

Finally, Jenny’s tears started to abate after she had all but cried herself dry, embarrassment quickly claiming her and putting her cheeks on fire as she separated from Vastra, scooting to the other end of the sofa and giving her some extra space after having clung to her shamelessly for what felt like hours. Carefully, she dabbed the edge of her tank top against her cheeks, trying to remove the leftover tears and attempting a wobbly smile. “Sorry.” She said, her voice not quite as steady as she’d like it to be. “I don’t talk about my family often, for obvious reasons. I prefer to just bury it all in the back of my head and forget.” She gave a shallow laughter, but it was lifeless and not particularly funny and she decided to just shut up instead.

Vastra would have pouted in disappointment when Jenny abruptly broke their tight embrace, and hastily retreated back to the other side of the couch, but luckily she was able to school her features into appearing strictly normal. Already did she missed the warm weight of Jenny’s body pressed against her own and the special intimacy of having her arms wrapped around the petite woman; It was as if a large piece of her heart had been taken away along with Jenny, which left her feeling utterly hollow and incomplete.

Vastra’s eyes simply couldn’t resist dropping down to look at the exposed skin on Jenny’s stomach as she lifted up the fringe of her tank top, but she still made sure to instantly revert her gaze so that she wouldn’t be caught like last time.

“It would seem that is much easier said than done, I’m afraid,” replied Vastra wistfully, returning with a rather strained smile of her own. She could sense that the atmosphere of the room has changed drastically yet again, and she didn’t like the way it somehow made all of her hair stand up on end. There was a tense pause before she continued to speak, “That was quite an impressive emotional catharsis you had, Miss Flint. How are you feeling now?”

Wincing a little at the thought if what she had just done, Jenny nodded. “A bit better, thanks. Actually, a lot better. Don’t think I’ve told anyone that much about my family since I was a teenager. Hope it wasn’t too embarrassing for you.” She purposely looked away from Vastra as she said the last part, but she didn’t feel quite as ashamed as earlier.

A wave of regret washed over Vastra when she saw Jenny did that, as she had to fight the persistent urge to grab Jenny’s face and force her to look directly at her. “Believe me, Miss Flint, I did not find it to be the least bit embarrassing….as long as it doesn’t bother you to disclose the private details of your life to a foolish, meddlesome stranger, of course, “Vastra responded reassuringly, while also including a sharp jab at herself for starting this in the first place.

Jenny frowned a little at this, and quickly shook her head. “You’re not a meddlesome stranger. You’re someone I trust.” She said sincerely, looking up at Vastra, their eyes meeting. “Besides, maybe it isn’t so healthy to hide your problems and wish they’ll go away for most of your adult life. It certainly doesn’t seem to have done me any good.” She frowned again, uncertain. She thought of the phone call with Vastra and her sister she listened in on, and knew that Vastra was trying to forget things as well.

“Mmmm well, I actually have several people in mine who would love to disagree with you on that,” Vastra responded in a more lighthearted tone, desperately attempting to decrease the negative aura that was surrounding them. Then thoughtfully stroking her chin out of habit, she asked, “Have you ever considered keeping a diary or journal, Miss Flint? You are absolutely right about it not being healthy to permanently suppress your feelings, but perhaps it would be helpful for you to write them down somewhere? Get them off of your chest?”

Oh, there was actually so much more that Vastra wanted to get off Jenny’s chest.

Vastra could still remember all the diaries she had kept when she was younger, and the freedom that they gave her to express herself without any restrictions within those countless blank pages.

Jenny giggled. She didn’t quite know why, but she definitely giggled. “That might have been a good idea.” She admitted slowly, the ‘but’ resting at the tip of her tongue. “But I’m rather daft. Never really thought I was very good with words, and reading,and writing. I can, of course, especially if I take lots of time like I do at work, but it’s a slow process. I really don’t think it’d be helpful, in my case..” She gave Vastra a sheepish look, feeling a little mean for turning down her advice. She did like the idea, but it didn’t feel quite right for her.

Vastra only nodded understandably, an objectively cordial smile plastered on her face as she said, “Ah, yes, I should have known that it wouldn’t necessarily work for everybody. It was just a suggestion, however, and there’s nothing that says you have to abide by it.” Biting her lip, Vastra lowered her gaze down to the floor, as she was struggling to contain this one particular question that’s been bugging her brain during the past hour. That proved to be too difficult though, and Vastra couldn’t stop her mouth from suddenly uttering, “Why do you think that your father is going to kill you?”

Ughh, what is fucking wrong with you?! When will you ever learn from your mistakes, for God’s sake! Vastra was very angry at herself for lacking better self-control, and blurting out yet another absurdly intrusive question. Although she was genuinely concerned and intrigued when Jenny mentioned something about her father killing her, Vastra had vowed to try her damn hardest not to let it escape from the mental confines of her mind. Therefore, having totally failed in that, Vastra immediately braced herself in anticipation for what she thought would be a repeat of Jenny’s earlier reaction.

“Oh” It was the first thing that came to mind as Jenny heard Vastra’s question, a simple ‘oh’ of surprise. Surprise that Vastra had actually noticed her quite offhanded comment about her father, and surprise that Vastra cared to investigate it further. As the surprise passed, Jenny felt as though there was not much left to say at all. Had she been asked earlier she might have cried, or screamed or even run for it, but now, she felt as stoic and gray as a stone, entirely void of all emotional attachment to the question. “Well, my father, he’s…he doesn’t like people who don’t obey the Bible. Who, for example, are attracted to the same sex. It’s a sin and I…well…I’m a sinner. He caught me kissing a girl and after that I didn’t have much of a choice. If they’re sinners, killing one’s child is entirely justified.” It was honestly unbelieveable that , Vastra had managed squeezed out yet another thing Jenny never talked about. It wasn’t that she was ashamed that her family for being extremely conservative, but it felt wrong to mention it when she herself couldn’t fill their standards of decency.

At first, there appeared to be no hint of a visible reaction from Vastra, because she had been struck absolutely speechless after listening to Jenny’s heartbreaking testimony. It was the same old story that she had heard from many other people in the LGBT social circles that she usually hung around, but this time with Jenny it’s somehow different because within seconds, a mighty and overwhelming inferno of righteous fury was ignited in Vastra. While she herself was fortunate enough to come out to a remarkably supportive family, just the thought of there being parents who, for some bullshit reason or another, simply cannot accept the fact that their children love the same gender, and would even go so far as to kill them, never failed to make Vastra’s blood boil hotly with anger. The way Jenny had described her father, how he had abused her solely for her sexual orientation sounded utterly barbaric to Vastra, as she found herself becoming increasingly protective of Jenny. She also imagined what it would be like to run down that bloody homophobic bastard with her motorcycle as a rightful punishment for all the damage he had inflicted against Jenny. No doubt she would have derived a most immense amount of satisfaction from it.

Vastra soon pulled herself out of her revenge fantasies, and impulsively reached over to hold Jenny’s hand in hers, before speaking bluntly, “No, don’t you ever berate yourself as a sinner like that again! I won’t stand for it! Forget everything that your asshole father said because you are definitely not a sinner! You, Miss Flint, are such a kind, beautiful, intelligent, honest, diligent, strong, and overall extraordinary individual as I have come to known throughout the course of my visit here. Your sexual preference for the fairer sex should not negate all of these positive qualities, nor should you be ashamed of being the way you are. So if your despicable bigot of a father refuse to understand that, then you might as well consider him dead to you, because I would bury him twenty feet underground if given the chance.” Vastra paused to catch her breath, her serious demeanor melting away to offer Jenny a softly compassionate smile as she concluded with, “Please trust me when I say, that even though your family may have forsaken you, I myself will always believe in you no matter what. You are worth so much more than you realize, Jenny Flint.”

The doubtless sincerity of Vastra’s words seemed to drip thick from her lips like luscious honey, which Jenny desperately longed to taste.

Jenny was entirely floored.

The effort of Vastra to show her love and appreciation and try to make up for the heaviness of her past had her stunned, shocked and overwhelmed with pure joy at the tremendous amount of care that Vastra dedicated to her. Even when young and still with a family, she hadn’t been very noticeable. A middle child among eight - too many mouths to be fed and too many expenses to be payed in the eyes of her parents - Jenny had been used to nearly not existing in the eyes of most. She was just another one , another student at the same school as four siblings before her and another pair of shoes that needed replacing when her father hadn’t had a job for weeks. Another young woman with lacking education searching for any job she could get in an effort to survive. The kind of care and kindness and love Vastra offered was something totally new. With Vastra, Jenny felt like the star of a play standing on a stage, everyone’s eyes focused solely on her. It made her heart soar and she lit up like a christmas tree at the thought.

“Thank you. Really, thank you. I…there has never been anyone showing me this much attention before, if I am to be honest. As a middle kid among eight, I….I’ve always been used to being forgotten. Well, until I do something wrong, that is, but that’s not the kind of attention you want.” She smiled, her broadest and happiest. “Thanks for caring, Vastra. For making me feel so very appreciated. You are special, too, and I’m so happy that I met you.”

Vastra couldn’t bring herself to say anything, because there was no words that could adequately describe Jenny’s radiant beauty in that moment when she is smiling and gay. It was a thrilling sensation for Vastra to be the one who could turn Jenny’s entire perspective around and help her to see the light that shines within her. There was truly nothing that she desired more than for Jenny to find the courage to love herself as perfect as she already was. She didn’t care about Jenny’s shitty childhood or her terrible abusive father, because none of that mattered anymore as she was determined to guide Jenny in moving forward from her unhappy past. Vastra’s heart was practically overflowing with pure, unconditional love towards Jenny, and even though it seemed highly unlikely that she would ever share her same romantic feelings, Vastra will never stop wanting the best of everything for Jenny.

Once she was able to recover her tongue again, Vastra gently squeezed Jenny’s hand and began to say, “Well, who else is going to to care for you if I don’’t? Really, Jenny, I promise that you will have a family of your own someday, a new and even better one. You already have Greeny….and I….I lo-”

Just as vastra was about to utter some of the most important words in her entire life, the sound of police sirens interrupted her, the noise coming from the kitchen and making itself heard all the way to the living room.

As if on cue, Jenny jumped up from her seat and ran off to the kitchen. After a while, the noise died out and she came back into the living room, her phone pressed to her ear, urgently talking to someone.

Glancing at Vastra, she whispered. “It is from work.” Before going back to talking to the person on the other end. “You know I don’t have weekend shifts this month, Jack! And yes, I am in the middle of something, too! So I’m not going to just give it up unless…wait, seriously? Oh my god! Why didn’t you say so? I’ll be there soon, bye.” Jenny hung up the phone, stress and mild panic clear on her face.

Whatever that was said in the conversation between that person and Jenny made Vastra considerably concerned, but also slightly piqued her curiosity.

“Jenny, you don’t look so well….what’s wrong? Who was that calling you?” Inquired Vastra eagerly, as she began to stand up with the intention of walking over to Jenny.

Glancing over at Vastra, and almost looking as though she just noticed she was there, Jenny frowned. “That was Jack, from work. He’s in charge of arranging all of our schedules and…he needs me to come in and work extra today. A sort of… thing happened and they need everyone they can get as soon as possible.”

Vastra arched an inquisitive eyebrow at that and said, “ Oh ….yes, I figured that it must be something serious if Scotland Yard is calling you on your day off.” She awkwardly fidgeted in her seat, uncertain on what to do next. “Anyway….I would seem that I’ve overstayed my welcome in your home. Perhaps you’d like me to leave now, so that you can get ready for work?”

An unspoken question hung in the air as Vastra and Jenny merely gazed at each other from across the room. Vastra really didn’t want to leave Jenny, who she’d fallen so incredibly hard for, or the enchantingly serene paradise consisting of just the two of them inside her apartment together. Being with Jenny had made her forget that all good things must come to an end eventually, and that she was completely powerless to prevent it.

Jenny glanced between the phone still in her hand and Vastra, a slightly guilty look on her face. She didn’t want this to end, but she felt as though she didn’t have a choice. It was extremely urgent, and she had promised Jack to come as soon as possible. “Look, I’m really sorry to have to throw you out like this, but there’s sort of a crisis going on, and I really need to get changed and get there! But we can still see each other at another time, yes?” Jenny smiled, nearly bursting at the seams with hopefulness.

Afraid that her voice might crack if she gave a verbal response, Vastra simply opted for a wry, bittersweet smile and nodded in understanding. She wordlessly retrieved her leather jacket to put it back on, hiding away her glorious arm tattoos from the view of mortal eyes once again. She then stood up before proceeding to swiftly walk towards the door, and Jenny followed suit to see her out. Jenny reached the door first and politely held it open for Vastra to go through. The Scottish woman already had one foot out the doorway when she suddenly paused, standing there like a statue as she contemplated something.

Then catching Jenny off guard, Vastra turned around and used one hand to cradle Jenny’s chin as she leaned over to plant a softly chaste kiss atop her forehead. “ Ceòthach mhadainn dh'fhaodadh a bhith latha soilleir….that’s Scottish for, ‘a misty morning may become a clear day’,” whispered Vastra as she slowly pulled away, capturing Jenny’s eyes with her own, which were full of undisclosed desires and passion. “Farewell, dear Jenny Flint, and thank you for a most splendidly memorable afternoon.”

Vastra allowed her hand to linger underneath Jenny’s chin in a rather seductive manner for several more tantalizing moments, before she abruptly spun around on her heel and marched right out of the apartment without so much as a backwards glance.

Jenny stood where Vastra left her, frozen in place, her eyes fixed on the doorway through which the unbelievably remarkable woman had just departed. Slowly, her eyes closed, her hand travelling all the way to her forehead and touching the spot where Vastra’s lips had touched it. Before her mind’s eye, Jenny could see Vastra’s beautiful lips resting on her pale skin, cool and slightly moist against her heated skin. She imagined those sweet lips traveling down her body and touching all of her. She wished to have her own lips on Vastra’s body, too, and though she knew it would probably never come true she couldn’t help but let herself get caught up in that dream for a while. A pleasant tingly warmth spread throughout her body and she smiled.

When she opened her eyes again, Jenny realised that she had spent all too much time dreaming about the most lovely scenarios with Vastra’s beautiful lips grazing her skin and her own lips kissing Vastra’s perfect face, and she quickly decided that she needed to get moving. The smile, however stayed on her face, just as the warm feeling in her chest remained there, and she kept the fantasies of her and Vastra and all that she could be with that gorgeous woman in the back of her mind for her to continue enjoying while she got dressed for work.

A misty morning may indeed become a clear day.

The golden sun hung high in the sky when Vastra emerged from the apartment complex, casting its far reaching rays upon her entire body as a kind of purifying blessing. She took several steps outside until she was approximately three feet away from the building, and only then did she finally permit herself to look back up at Jenny’s window. Vastra couldn’t resist reminiscing about the countless blissful hours that she had spent with Jenny; What had originally started as a simple veterinarian house visit to examine a client’s pet lizard, somehow gradually turned into one hell of a roller coaster ride with its numerous dramatic up and down points. Indeed, it was quite a perplexing paradox, because while Vastra found it considerably difficult to be confined in the same general area as Jenny due to her severe infatuation with the girl, she was also able to genuinely enjoy Jenny’s hospitable company nonetheless. Vastra thanked God that she was fortunate enough to bask in the magnificent aura of Jenny’s divine presence, witness her uniquely striking beauty up close with her own eyes, and engage in sociable conversation with Jenny as if they were old friends, rather than formal strangers. By the end of her tenure in Jenny’s home, Vastra truly felt like the two of them have learned so much about each other after sharing very intimate things from the deepest bottom of their souls, which helped them to form an even stronger and more meaningful connection than ever before. Never in her life did Vastra predict that she would be able to fully open herself to someone, or that a single person could have such a profound impact on her heart. Out of all the people in the world, Jenny was like a precious diamond among the rough, a cool oasis in the middle of a desert, a miraculous breeze of fresh air flowing into her lungs. Nobody else was even remotely worthy of being compared to Jenny, whose extraordinary celestial status uplifted her high above the rest of mankind in Vastra’s eyes.Everything that happened in the apartment served to confirm Vastra’s underlying belief that the feelings she harbored for Jenny weren’t just a mere crush, but undeniably true and honest love that consumed her entire being. Whether Jenny would ever reciprocate her romantic inclinations was a whole different matter, however, and there seemed to be little that Vastra could do to soothe the unbearable pain of falling for a perfect girl who she can never have. At least she could still find slight comfort in the fact that she actually got to hold Jenny in her arms, and earned her invaluable trust as a friend, which she concluded was better than nothing. Vastra’s mind continued to wander further as she remembered how conflicted she had been at the beginning, trying to decide between bravery and cowardice when Jenny first asked her to come over. Ultimately, Vastra was glad that she chose to follow her heart, because it had led her to the possibility of obtaining something much greater with Jenny.

Finally pulling herself out of her inner musings, Vastra glanced down to look at her watch.

The time was just nearing 12 PM.

Therefore, the day was still young, leaving plenty of room for an impromptu Sunday adventure. A delighted smile unconsciously spread across Vastra’s face, as she stuffed her hands into her pockets and leisurely walked the rest of the way towards her motorcycle. Once clad in her protective helmet and goggles, Vastra didn’t hesitate to rev up the motorcycle before it launched itself roaring down the road at maximum hyperspeed.

———————————————————————–

Tag/Update list (DM me to be added):

@kelticscribe @zaridaxe @antiveninn @dorvanie

#vastra and jenny #dw femslash #madame vastra #jenny flint #paternoster gang

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a-mess-with-no-finesse · 7 years ago

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So @mariah-dont-carey tagged me to answer all of these but tumblr blocked the post from my innocent eyes

1. describe your idea of a perfect date

Honestly im a sappy bastard and would love to go stargazing for a date

2. whats your “type”

I don’t understand “types” but i guess dorks/anybody i can just have a good laugh with

3. do you want kids?

I absolutely adore kids, and ideally I want lots of kids (okay maybe not a lot but they’re adorable) but if i dont have kids it wont kill me. I’ll be the coolest aunt and I’ll hopefully be a teacher one day

4. if you do, will you adopt or use some other form of child birth?

I don’t have a preference. It doesn’t matter how the kid ends up being my child.

5. describe the cutest date you’ve ever been on

Playing foosball (and kicking her ass at it btw) at a Pizzeria in my hometown

6. describe your experience having sex for the first time (were you nervous? or was it easy peasy?)

....I haven’t even kissed anyone I don’t know how to be a person I can barely keep my shit together while making eye contact so I imagine my first time will be a mess but meh maybe it’ll be a good mess

7. are you a morning time gay or night time gay?

Let’s see. It’s 2am. So I’d say its a pretty good bet to say I’m a night time gay.

8. opinion on nap dates?

Fuck yeah give me all the nap dates

9. opinion on brown eyes?

I have brown eyes and I call my eyes turd orbs. However, on other people i like them.

10. dog gay or cat gay?

i can’t decide i love them both

11. would you ever date someone who owned rodents or reptiles?

Considering I am someone who owns a bearded dragon and have owned an adorable bald rat, yes I absolutely would date them.

12. whats a turn off you look for before you start officially dating someone

how they treat other people/strangers, or if our humor/energies don’t mesh because awkward painful interactions are unbearable

13. what is a misconception you had about lgb people before you realized you were one?

well i didn’t know what gay meant I thought it was just an insult so when i did find out what it was i had very negative assumptions because of the conditioned response i developed

14. what is a piece of advice you would give to your younger self

who gives a fuck what people think of you, speak up, be openly excited and dorky, and don’t be scared to be different. Never let someone tear down your happiness

15. (if attracted to more than one gender) do you have different “types” for different genders?

16. who is an ex you regret?

um none it was an experience that was necessary and I don’t regret it. guys i’m a baby gay.

17. night club gay or cafe gay?

definitely a cafe gay. over stimulation is not my kind of fun

18. who is one person you would “go straight” for

hmm let me think oh yeah none

19. video game gay, book gay, or movie gay?

video game/book gay

20. favourite gay ship (canon or not)

Clarke and Lexa

21. favourite gay youtuber

Rose and Rosie

22. have you ever unknowingly asked out a straight person?

no because i’ve asked out one person

23. have you ever been in love?

yes

24. have you ever been heartbroken?

i break my own heart so sure

25. how do you determine if you want to be them or be with someone

do i look like i know whats going on in my head? because i never know what im feeling so no i dont determine shit for shit

26. favourite lgb musician/band

Hayley Kiyoko

27. what is a piece of advice you have for young / baby gays

take your time figuring yourself out dont rush it dont force anything just be okay with being patient and putting that puzzle together itll be okay

28. are you out? if so how did you come out

yes, but apparently its still a surprise to some people. I came out to my friends verbally or text. I sent my mom the coming out song by ally hills and i texted the rest of my family.

29. what is the most uncomfortable / strange coming out experience you have

This isn’t uncomfy but funny. my friend Simon stole my phone and was on my snapchat story recording himself whispering repetitively “Payton’s gay” and in the background I yelled “That would be correct you dork.” Before I knew I was gay he used to text my mom that I was, and now he texts her that im straight.

30. what is a piece of advice for people who may not be in a safe place to express their sexuality

It gets better. We have a tough skin. We will persist. You will persist.

#ask game #this is such a long fucking ask thing #brady why why why why would you make me do all #anyways murder me

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weeping-lion · 8 years ago

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For the: Gay Ask Game (Gays Only)

(Whoops, I’m Bisexual; but that’s okie I hope.

1.) Question One: Describe your idea of a perfect type of date.

1.) My Response: Mmm... this one is challenging for some reason, I can’t seem to identify. -But, my ideal date would probably be getting frozen-yogurt or ice-cream and getting to know each other more. Hahaha, sorry I’m boring. *Sweats*

2.) Question Two: What’s your “type?”

2.) My Response: Honestly, I don’t care if your attractive or not. What I DO look for in a significant other though, is your personality. -And we must have a close- bond. I have major trust issues, that’s why. :,0

3.) Question Three: Do you want kids?

3.) My Response: Depends, I’m still highly young to have any kids. -But, I might think about having just one in the future. If it’s a male I would name him: James or Alexander. The reasons are because of James Monroe and Alexander Hamilton. If it’s a female, I’d name her: Amelie or Pauline. I don’t know why but I those female names appeal to me. -But, what’s most likely to happen is that I’m just going to adopt myriads of cats and kittens and name them after historical figures. Heh... :)

4.) Question Four: If you do, will you adopt them or use some form of child birth?

4.) My Response: I’d use some form of child birth perhaps. :V

5.) Question Five: Describe the cutest date you’ve ever been on.

5.) My Response: I had never been on a date and even if I had, there are greater chances of it being more of an awkward date than cute one. Hahaha...

6.) Question Six: Describe your first time having sex. (Were you nervous? Or was it peasy?)

6.) My Response: I’m sort of too young to be having sex. :))))

7.) Question Seven: Are you a morning-time gay or a night-time gay?

7.) My Response: I’M AN ALL-TIME GAY! (Is actually Bisexual)

8.) Question Eight: Opinion on nap-date?

8.) My Response: I had to search up the definition, haha shun me. :) It sounds cute; but that’s my opinion. *sips tea* Wow, @sonofhistory see what you’re doing to me? Haha, just kidding. Love ya-

9.) Question Nine: Opinon on brown eyes?

9.) My Response: I like them a lot! Especially when they are extremely light because, I feel as if they are filled with a slight bit more enthusiasm. I don’t know why though.

10.) Question Ten: Dog-gay or Cat-gay?

10.) My Response: Obviously, Cat-Gay. Whomever disagrees clearly has no idea what they are talking about.

11.) Question Eleven: Would you ever date someone whom owned rodents or reptiles?

11.) My Response: YES! I LOVE REPTILES AND RODENTS- <3

12.) Question Twelve: What’s a turn-off you look for before, you start dating someone?

12.) My Response: I don’t really know, heh.

13.) Question Thirteen: What’s a misconception you had about the LBGTQ+ community before, you realized you were one?

13.) My Response: Probably, “Oh, you can’t like girls and guys! That’s disgusting and just means you’re sexually-confused!” I had a very religious aunt whom taught me that. I’m so proud to say I’m not like that anymore. :)

14.) Question Fourteen: What is a piece of advice you’d give to your younger-self?

14.) My Response: DO YOUR HOMEWORK. *Violently throws backpack at younger-self.*

15.) Question Fifteen: (If your attracted to more than one gender) Do you have different “types” for gender?

15.) My Response: I care mainly about personality and how strongly close of a bond we have. -But, I will not date someone whom acts too masculine. Sorry, not sorry.

16.) Question Sixteen: Who is an ex you regret?

16.) My Response: (Face full of rage but in a calm voice) I’m too young to be dating. :))))))

17.) Question Seventeen: Night-club-Gay or Cafe-Gay?

17.) My Response: I’m more of a Cafe-Gay. I like my caffeine drinks. :>

18.) Question Eighteen: Whom is a person you would “go straight” for?

18.) My Response: Hahahaha, I’m Bisexual. -But if I were Gay (Heh, Avenue Q Reference) I’d go “straight” for~ *takes out list of people* Phillipa Soo, Renne GoldsBerry, Jasmine Cephas Jones, ALL THE FEMALES IN “HAMILTON”, Marlyn Monroe, Sally Hemming, Theodosia Burr, and a lot more.

19.) Question Nineteen: Video-Game-Gay, Book-Gay or Movie-Gay?

19.) My Response: BOOK-GAY! *THROWS WARRIOR CAT BOOKS AT YOU-*

20.) Question 20: Favorite gay ship? (Canon or not)

20.) My Response: I have so many good gay ships; but out of all of them..... (Whispers) Jamilton....

21.) Question 21: Favorite Gay Youtuber?

21.) My Response: I was about to type “MILESCHRONICLES, DUH?) But they’re transgender so, it would be Danisnotonfire. THIS IS A JOKE, I SWEAR.

22.) Question 22: Have you ever unknowingly asked out a straight person?

22.) My Response: Nope! -But that would be extremely embarrassing!

23.) Question 23: Have you ever been in love?

23.) My Response: I have a huge crush on this tall, blonde female, currently. -AND I HATE MYSELF FOR IT.

24.) Question 24: Have you ever been heart-broken?

24.) My Response: Romantically Speaking, No. -But if not, yes plenty of time. *cri*

25.) Question 25: How do you determine you want to be them or be with someone?

25.) My Response: Happens naturally, really. Well in my experience.

26.) Favorite LBGTQ+ Band/Musican?

26.) My Response: I have too much.

27.) Question 27: What is a piece of advice you have for young/baby gays?

27.) My Response: I’m a baby gay too, so my advice isn’t going to be the best. Advice: Don’t be afraid, to explore with your gender and sexuality. :)

28.) Question 28: Are you out? If so how did you come out?

28.) I’m only out to specific types of friends and my mom (But, I told my mom I’m only Transgender.). I literally told them,” Umm, so I’m Bisexual.”

29.) What was your most awkward/uncomfortable coming out experience?

29.) My Response: WHEN I CAME OUT TO MY MOM AS TRANSGENDER. HOLY FUC K-

30.) What is a piece of advice for people whom may not be in a place where they can freely express their sexuality?

30.) My Response: Umm *Sweating Intensifies* Advice: Hang in there, things get better. :)

#lbgtqia #lbgtpride #Lesbians #Bisexuals #Gay #Homosexual #transgender #queer #pansexual #asexual #all sexualities pretty much lol #im gay and tired #fuck me gently with a chainsaw #: ) kill me

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tokyoteddywolf · 8 years ago

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Vet AU Headcanons!

little headcanons that i thought of for the Vet AU i’m writing :)

Send me some if i’ve missed anything, and i’ll think them over and confirm them or not if i like them! anyway, have some Vet AU headcanons starring our lovely Yurio!

(this is the most i’ve written in a long time, and i write really fast, so sorry for any spelling mistakes. Imagine, an American not spelling correctly!)

Vet AU Headcanons-

-In this au, Yuri is about 21 or so.

-Viktor and Yuuri met when Mari brought Yuuri in to start training to be a therapy dog for the baby animals, and needed to borrow Viktor for a bit to show Yuuri how therapy dogs act. Viktor completely threw that out the window when he saw Yuuri, and affixed himself to the younger dog.

-Yuuri was extremely shy when he first came to train at the hospital, but Viktor and the other animals are helping him out of his shell.

-Mari got Yuuri from a shelter after the poor baby had been abused and was on death row. She didn't want the poor thing to die without ever knowing what a real family was like, and adopted him on the spot. It took Yuuri a little while to warm up to her, but he now regards her as his savior.

-Yurio has this sort of aura that animals really like, as he was always the best at taming stray cats from the neighborhood. This sort of gave him the nickname “The Cat Whisperer” during his school years.

-Viktor is a therapy dog for other, older and larger animals. He's the best at calming and reassuring other pets that the hospital isn't a bad place.

-Yuuri is in training to handle younger, baby animals when they visit the hospital. He still tends to panic when they start yelping or yowling about being scared. But, he's like a giant mama bear, and tends to be protective over the small animals.

-Yuuri once fell asleep watching the new birds a pet shop had sent over to be checked and vaccinated, and Dr. Lilia found him covered in baby parakeets, looking extremely comfortable on the Shiba Inu's fluffy fur.

- okay, so the breeds of all the animals, in case you didn't know, are as follows-

Viktor: silver short furred (it got trimmed by Yuuko) Husky with blue eyes, dog. Hyper af, but calm and serious when needed, as per his training under Mari.

Yuuri: Black and tan Shiba Inu with chocolate eyes, very fluffy, dog. Shy, skittish, but getting more confident during his hospital training.

Mila: ginger ussuri which is a type of Russian feline. Mila's fur is reddish with black stripes and spots, and greenish blue eyes (bc I can't tell if ussuri's have blue eyes, they all look green.) Houdini of cats, usually breaks out of her cage when bored, which is most of the time. She's stuck at the hospital due to her owner having gotten into an accident, and won't be home for a few months, so the hospital is keeping Mila around until her owner is better.

Chris: Golden Maine Coon, with chocolate eyes. He has unusually slightly curly fur, usually trimmed. He's also slimmer than a normal Coon, which makes Dr. Yakov think he might have smaller cat genes mixed in. Mind you, Maine Coons grow to be really fricking huge, so everyone really hopes the small cat genes in Chris win out. Though, the bigger they are, the more to cuddle, right? He loves to rub himself against people, as he is a very affectionate kitty.

Sara and Michele/Mickey: Black kites, which are a type of bird of prey. Some of Russia is still wild, so people like to use birds to hunt. (This is probably not true, but i'm a little lazy at the moment and don't feel like looking this up.) These two birds grew up together, and are pretty much inseparable. Sara is more vocal about things than Mickey, though.

JJ: he's a fucking peacock, okay. Born and raised in Canada, perfectly tame but a bit of an asshole. Loves to preen and show off. His owner is Isabella, and she is rich as hell, and spoils JJ like crazy.

Emil: Very, VERY affectionate Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. (apparently these dogs are still considered a new breed.) but they are pretty and fluffy and blue eyed and aaaaaaaaa just look them up when you can-

Minami- people joke about him being a chicken nugget, so I made him a wild red tailed hawk chick. Yuuri found him hopping around the training yard a few months ago, and the tiny chick imprinted itself on the fluffy dog, and now follows him around a lot. He also helps keep an eye on the pups and kits of the Nursery, which is a relief for Yuuri. Minami is still learning how to fly though, and sometimes gets lessons from Sara and Mickey when they come in from getting injured during hunting season. To make sure nobody freaks out over him, Dr. Lilia dyed a patch of feathers on Minami's head to a bright red that meant that he's a tame part of the hospital, and that he's perfectly safe to admire.

Leo: Golden Retriever puppy. Because I can't think of anything else :')

Guang-Hong: Tibetan Spaniel because have you seen how smol and cute they are-

Georgi: Russian Blue. He isn't pure Russian Blue, so he has black fur. He was abandoned by his old owner, Anya, and the other shelters can't take him in, so he's staying at the hospital for now. It says that Russian Blues get very attached to their owners, so I figured that this was perfect for him. Yuri is thinking about taking him in once he gets over Anya. The poor kitty was really attached to her, so when he was abandoned he stopped eating due to depression. He's getting better thanks to Mila, Chris and Yuuri's help. Viktor is busy with other patients in the kennel area, but he stops by when he can.

Phichit: Thai Ridgeback, tan. He loves to chew on wires and devices, so he usually ends up in the hospital for shards of glass or wires in his gums or mild electrocution. You'd think he'd learn, but no. Sometimes he does it on purpose just to see Yuuri. The two dogs grew close during Yuuri's first few weeks at Mari's house, as Celestino (Phichit's owner in this AU) used to live next to Mari for several years until he had to move across town for his new job. Phichit was the first to get Yuuri to open up more, and feel safe at Mila's place. The two are best friends, of course, though Celestino is a little ticked every time he finds the house phone chewed up, or a heating blanket.

If I missed anyone, pls let me know~

-Otabek is a mechanic, and Yuri's roommate of 2 years. They met when Yuri's bike broke down and needed a ride home, while Otabek got kicked out of his house by his parents who, “Love him, but can't stand the smell of motor grease and oil smears all over the house, accidental or not.” Otabek gave Yuri ride to his house on his motorcycle, and Yuri offered him a place to spend the night as a return favor. He learned the next morning that Otabek didn't have anywhere to stay, and as they had bonded as friends the night before (over watching some comedy drama and vocalizing opinions over the characters), he decided that as long as Otabek paid half the rent, he could stay. Yuri doesn't mind the smell of oil, either, since it reminds him of his grandpa's car.

- Viktor and Yuuri are indeed, gay dogs, and they love each other thank you very much. Viktor visits Yuuri in the nursery as often as possible, and loves helping Yuuri with the baby animals there.

- Minami is protective over his “Mama Yuuri”, but has accepted Viktor as his adopted dad.

- The animals all really care for Yuri, and worry when he isn't around. Yuri secretly cares a lot about them too, even if he won't admit it.

- Yuuko is a pet groomer that trims and cleans animals that need to be cared for immediately, and isn't squeamish over blood due to her job involving washing off blood mixed with dirt every time an emergency is brought in.

-The triplets often volunteer at the pet hospital, usually doing tasks like cleaning kennels or feeding the animals.

-the hospital is big enough to rival an actual human hospital, with separate areas each the size of a house for the various animals they care for there. There's a separate building area for emergencies, while the main building is for things like check-ups and overnight stay areas (again, the size of a family house), while everything is separated according to species, like the bird treatment area, the canine area, the feline area, and the reptile area.

-The resident snake of the reptile area is called Jake, and he's the oldest occupant of the hospital due to his digestion issues. Yuri thinks he's pretty cool, for a snake.

- Yuri's field specializes in medium pet animals, like cats, dogs, and other domestic medium sized pets that I can't think of at the moment. He remembers the day he had to treat a pig, and boy wasn't that an adventure.

- Otabek works at a mechanic shop a mile away from where he and Yuri live, and builds custom motorcycles and repairs cars and other machines there. He often takes the custom build blueprints home to discuss with Yuri, as a fresh mind is always helpful with new ideas.

-send me headcanons for this AU! I'd be glad to incorporate them into the little fics I make from it! I might discuss them over with you first though, in case I'm not sure if they fit in the AU or not. :)

#headcanons #vet au #yuri plisetsky #skate crew #yuri on ice #every skater in yoi #yoi #this is fun to write #longest post i've ever made

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stilesderekscottissacandme · 6 years ago

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Frenemy

"What do we do now?" I asked as Stiles slammed on the brakes, right before going over the spikes that would have popped the tires of his precious jeep. Scott jumped out of the car and ran in the direction of Derek's scent. We were following Derek and Jackson after Jackson took of away from our house. Now, not only Derek, but Scott is on foot. Scott texted me where he was after a few minutes and we found a different course.

"Holy cr -" Scott said as we ran up behind him.

" Wha - sorry, I'm sorry." Stiles said, I rolled my eyes. Scott's the one with super hearing. He should have heard us.

" Did you see where he went?" I asked.

"I lost him." Scott said. I ran a hand through my hair.

"What? You couldn't catch his scent?" Stiles asked.

"I don't think he has one." Great, not only is Jackson a walking snake going around killing everyone, but he also has the ability to hide his scent..

"All right, any clue where he's going?" Stiles asked.

"To kill someone."I said.

"Ah. That explains the claws, and the fangs, and all that. Good. Makes perfect sense now." Stiles said with more sarcasm than usual, I shot him a look that was a mix of annoyance and sass. "What? Alex, come on. I'm 147 pounds of pale skin and fragile bone, okay? Sarcasm is my only defense." Stiles said. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Just help me find it." Scott said. I turned my attention back to him.

"Not "it." Jackson. It's Jackson." I said.

"Yeah, I know. I - I know." Scott said. He had told me and Stiles on the way to find Jackson that Derek had given him the bite after he became Alpha. Scott and I think that the only reason he did was because the bite either kills you, or changes you, and Derek was hoping it would kill him.

"All right, but does he know that? Did anybody else see him back at your house?" Stiles asked.

"I mean, I don't think so, but he already passed Derek's test anyway." I said, Scott looked at me with desperation.

"Yeah, but that's just the thing. How did he pass the test?" Scott asked.

"I don't know." I said.

"Maybe it's like an either - or thing. I mean, Derek said that a snake can't be poisoned by its own venom, right? When's the kanima not the kanima?" Stiles said, it sorta made sense but how doesn't Jackson remember running around in the middle of the night killing people?

"When it's Jackson." Scott said. I had my attention on something else.

"Uh - guys..See that?" I said pointing to the tail that was going inside of the building. I didn't even know where we were to be honest.

"He's inside." Scott said.

"What's he gonna do in there?" Stiles asked. I converted my attention to the line of people, but only recognized one. Danny.

"I know who he's after." Scott said.

"What, how? How? Did you smell something?" Stiles asked and I shot him a glare that probably would have killed him.

"Armani." Scott said as I walked to the back door and tried opening it.

"Aw, come on. All right, maybe there's, like, a, uh - like, a window we could climb through, or some kind of - Handle that we could rip off with supernatural strength. How'd I not think of that one?" I said as I dropped the handle Scott had put in my hand. We walked in and I instantly felt out of place.

"Guys.. everyone in here's a dude. I think we're in a gay club." I said as I looked around. There was a strobe light and everyone was dancing.

"Man, nothing gets past those adorable eyes, huh, Alex?" Stiles said and I felt my cheeks turn a bright red.We sat down at the bar and looked around.

"Three beers." Said Stiles to the bartender, I smacked him in the shoulder and went to apologize to the bartender but couldn't get passed the look on his face. After all I was he only girl in here....

"IDs." He asked and the two boys actually handed him their ID.'s. "How 'bout two cokes? And miss, you know this is a gay bar right?" He said and I went pink again. I nodded and gestured to Scott who just looked at me with big eyes. "I see.." He said with a smile.

"Rum and coke? Sure." Stiles said I smacked him again. "Coke's fine, actually. I'm driving anyway." He said and I smiled. A few minutes later we got out drinks.

"That one's paid for." The waiter said and gestured to a guy across the bar who waved at Stiles.

"Oh, shut up." Stiles said. I laughed.

"I didn't say anything." I said while holding my hands up.

"Yeah, well, your face did. Hey, I found Danny." Stiles said. I followed his eyes to Danny who was dancing with some guy. Then I followed Scott's to Jackson who was climbing the ceiling rafters just above Danny.

"I found Jackson." Scott and I said at the same time.

"We'll get Danny." I said to Scott.

"What're you gonna do?" Stiles asked Scott who flashed his golden eyes and claws. " Works for me."

"Danny! Danny! Danny." Stiles and I took turns yelling for him. The strobe light and the pushing of people made me get as close to Stiles as possible. I noticed things get bad when people around us started dropping to the ground. I may not be a Guardian anymore, but it's still part of who I am. So I grabbed my boyfriend and pulled him away from the mess.

"Jackson! No, don't!" I heard Scott yell and I watched in fear as Derek slashed Jackson throat. Everyone started screaming and running. I followed Scott outside and we both followed a trail of blood that was from Jackson. It lead us to and all natural Jackson. Oh god, I may be a teenager but I will never get used to seeing penis...I thought that Jackson might have been dead from the amount of blood around his neck, but he coughed a few times and Scott and I leaned over him. I looked up to see Stiles standing above us with big eyes.

"What do we do with him now?" I asked. Scott carried him over to Stiles jeep, and much to my dismay, I had to sit in the back of the jeep with Jackson laying on me. I will never get over it, I felt physically sick. Stiles had to talk to his dad and Sheriff kept looking over at us. Jackson began to stir and I stared at Scott with big eyes.

"Scott! Help! He's grabbing my tit!" I all but yelled.

"What's, what's going on?" Jackson asked. He had a jacket wrapped around him but it didn't cover his waist.

"Jackson, be quiet." I hissed. He seemed dazed. I glared at Scott.

"What's happening?" Jackson asked.

"Scott! Do something!" I whispered.

"Jackson, I'm sorry but-" Scott said before punching him in the face. Jackson fell, motionlessly onto my lap. This was the most uncomfortable thing I'd ever been through. I mean, I didn't know that penises even got that big, and now one was close to me, almost touching my thigh.

"Scott.." I whined. "I've never really been this close to a ..Uh..Uhm...Ya know..Thing before...well not willingly..But that's no the point." I Said, Scott looked back at me with a face that all but said. ' Hey, I'm sorry that a male genitalia is close to you, but this is quite amusing.' After Stiles got back in the car, we went over ideas of where to keep Jackson.

"Uh, what about your house?" Stiles asked, I shook my head but let Scott answer.

"Not with my mom there. We need to take him somewhere where we can hold him long enough to figure out what to do with him. Or long enough to convince him he's dangerous." Scott said.

"I still say we just kill him." This was about the 3rd time he's said this. I grunted as Jackson stirred again.

"We're not killing him." I said.

"God, fu- Okay, okay. I got an idea." Stiles said, oh god, this can't be good.

"Does it involve breaking the law?" I asked.

"By now, don't you think that's a given?" Stiles said. I rolled my eyes. Greeeaaat.

"I was just trying to be optimistic." I said. "Now, let's go. I'm uncomfortable." I added. Stiles and Scott both looked back at me with apologetic eyes.

"Don't bother, and alright...Let's go." Stiles said. Within the hour, we were out at the Beacon Hills reserve with a stolen police escort van thing. It was a white van with steel insides and benches, and handcuffs. Scott had left to go do who knows what..

"Stiles! Blackridge! I'm gonna kill you!" Jackson yelled while Stiles and I were talking outside by a tree.

"Okay, I bought you some foo -" Stiles said as I closed the back door of the van.

"Let me out now!" Jackson yelled, cutting Stiles off

"You know, I put those pants on you, all right, buddy? One leg at a time. Being all up - close and personal with your junk wasn't exactly a highlight of my day. So don't think this is fun for me either. You know we're actually doing you a favor?" Stiles said to Jackson, honestly I couldn't even feel bad for him.

"This is doing me a favor?" Jackson said, pulling at the chains around his wrists.

"Yes. You're - you're killing people. To death. Yeah. And until we can figure out how to stop you, you're gonna stay in here. I'm sorry." I said, rolling my eyes.. I was losing my patience.

"Now - you want the ham and cheese, or the turkey club?" Stiles asked.

"You actually think my parents won't be looking for me?" Jackson asked ignoring Stiles.

"Uh, well - not if they don't think anything's wrong. Yeah." Stiles said, holding up the phone he'd snagged from Jackson. We spent over an hour trying to talk Jackson into believing us, but he's too stubborn for that.

"Scales? Like a fish." Jackson asked. I rolled my eyes.

"No, more like a reptile. Um, and, uh, your claws have this liquid that paralyzes people, and you have a tail." Stiles said.

"I have a tail?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah, you have a tail." I said, I was getting very irritated at this point.

"Mm. Does it do anything?" Jackson asked with a hint of fake interest.

"No, not that I know of." Stiles said.

"Can I use it to strangle you?" Jackson asked, I rolled my eyes for the thousandth time.

"Yeah, you still don't believe us. All right. The night of the semi - final game, what did you do right after?" I asked.

"I went home."

"Are you sure about that?" Stiles asked.

"Yes, you idiot. What the hell else would I do?"

"You attacked me and Derek at the school, and you trapped us in the pool. You also killed a mechanic - right in front of us, by the way. That was lovely. And one of Argent's hunters. Oh, and last night, you tried to kill Danny." I said, I was losing my cool.

"Why would I want to kill my best friend?" Jackson asked.

"Well, that's what Scott's out trying to figure out right now." Stiles said.

"Mm. Well, maybe, he should be trying to figure out is how he's going to pay for a lawyer when I prosecute your asses all the way to jail!" Jackson yelled, Stiles recoiled a little bit, but I stood my ground. If I can hold my ground to a crazed Alpha, then I can hold my ground with Jackson.

"All right, well, tell me this. On the night of the first full moon, what happened?" I asked. Glaring at Jackson with the deepest hate.

"Nothing. Nothing happened." He said as he slumped back against the van. A few minutes passed and the stale silence that had filled the van was ended by two knocks on the back door. The door flung open and there stood Allison's pale figure.

"Oh, my God." Stiles yelled, causing me to jump. Allison gestured for us to follow her outside.

"They know." She said. I looked at her with wide eyes. They cant. They can't know. If they do we are so beyond fucked.

"What?" Stiles asked, running a hand through his hair.

"They know Jackson's missing." Allison said. I cringed at the words that flooded my ears. And I thought that life in Beacon Hills couldn't get any worse.

"No, they can't. I've been texting his parents since last night. They don't have a clue." Stiles said. I thought about all the possibilities of how we screwed we were.

"My grandfather told me his parents went to the police. They know." Allison said. I knew they'd end up piecing it together eventually. But this soon?

"Oh -" Stiles said.

" All available units proceed to Beacon Hills Preserve as instructed. Proceed with caution until Sheriff Stilinski's arrival. Proceed with caution." I heard the voice from the radio in the van say. My heart dropped as I threw the phone that we had taken from Jackson. We all got into the van and drove off

"Where are we going?" Allison and I asked at the same time.

"Somewhere very far from that phone." Stiles said. We ended up meeting up with Scott.

"If Jackson doesn't remember being the kanima, he's definitely not gonna remember stealing Danny's tablet." Scott said. I couldn't help but think that Jackson wasn't the one who took the tablet. It was just a gut feeling.

"Why would he steal the thing if he doesn't even know what's on it?" Stiles asked.

"What if someone else took it?" I said. It was the only thing I could think of. Because why would the kanima take the tablet with the video of him changing?

"Then somebody else knows what he is.

"Uh, which could mean someone's protecting him." Stiles said. He could be right.

"Like the bestiary says, "the kanima seeks a friend," right?" Allison said.

"Okay, hold on. So, somebody watches Jackson make a video of himself turning into the kanima, and then just erases part of it so he wouldn't know? I mean, who would do that?" I asked. It seems that even with out my supernatural powers I'm still smarter.

"Somebody who wanted to protect him?" Allison asked. I glanced back to the van. Why would someone want to protect a killer?

"There's something else. You said the only thing you found online about the kanima is that it goes after murderers. What if that's actually true?" Scott asked. I mean, it doesn't seem very far fetched.

"No, it can't be. Tried to kill all of us, remember? I don't know about you two, but I haven't murdered anybody lately." Stiles said. I just shrugged. It could have killed us, but it didn't.

"But I - I don't think that it was actually trying to kill us. Remember when we were at Isaac's the first time, it just went right by us, didn't it?" Scott said, directing the question to Allison.

"You're right, it just ran off." She said.

"And it didn't kill you in the mechanic's garage." Scott said to Stiles and I.

"Well, yeah, but it tried to kill Alex and Derek in the pool." Stiles said. I couldn't agree with him though.

"Did it?" I asked. "I mean, it had every chance to kill us but it didnt." I added.

"It would've. It was waiting for you to come out." Stiles added. I shook my head.

"What if it was trying to keep you in?" Scott asked.

"Why do I feel so violated all of a sudden?" Stiles asked, he wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Because there's something else going on. We don't know what it is. We don't know anything about what's going on with Jackson, or why someone's protecting him." I said.

"Know thy enemy." Just something my grandfather said." Allison said. She had this look in her eyes. Like she wanted to understand what it meant.

"All right, I got it. Kill Jackson. Problem solved." Stiles said. I rolled my eyes.

"He risked his life for us. Against Peter, you remember that?" Scott said.

"Yes, but what did we just find out? He got the bite from Derek. It's funny how he just got exactly what he wanted by supposedly risking his life for us, it's funny." Stiles said. I couldn't help but agree, he was right. Jackson did get exactly what he wanted. But that doesn't mean he should die.

"Yeah, it doesn't mean he's not still worth saving." I said. No matter if I am human or not, I am still a Guardian. I am still the one who protects the supernatural world. Killer or not.

"It's always something with him, though." Stiles said.

"He doesn't know what he's doing." I said. I am not going to let Jackson die at the hands of my friends.

"So what?" Stiles said. I rolled my eyes.

"So, I didn't either. You remember when I almost killed you and Alex? I had someone to stop me. He has nobody." Scott said. He had a point, not only does Jackson not know what he's doing but on top of that...he doesn't have a guiding hand.

"That's his own fault." Stiles said. I glared at him.

"Doesn't matter. If we can save him, we have to try." I said. I was putting my foot down on this one, even with the darkness screaming at me that I was useless. Stiles and I walked off to go and talk, while Scott and Allison talked as well..

"Stiles, I need to talk to you about us. And before you say anything I want you to know that I love you. With all of my heart. You mean more to me than anyone else..but Stiles, I have this darkness in my mind, ever since formal night, ever since Peter bit me, I'm not myself. I need to find out how I'm going o get through this, and I don't think that I can be in a relationship right now." I said. I had to tell him, and I know that it wasn't really the right time to do it, but if I was right, the darkness was going to push me to do something. I searched Stiles' eyes for some kind of sign, some kind of emotion, but what I saw made my heart drop. In Stiles' caramel brown eyes, were flecks of gold and grey. How hadn't I noticed that before.

"It's okay, Alex. I knew it was coming, and I understand. I've noticed that you have been distant since that night. I understand that you need time to accept this, and I am willing to wait for you." Stiles said, his voice causing me to jump. I looked into his eyes, with tears in my own. I wrapped my arms around him and took in his cinnamon smell. I pulled back and looked into his eyes, planting a soft kiss on his lips. I looked back to the van and my stomach dropped. The back door was hanging by it's hinges and Jackson was gone.

"Stiles.." I said pointing to the vacant van. "We'll continue this talk on a more appropriate time." I said as I walked over to Scott.

"You guys might wanna come take a look at this." Stiles said to Allison and Scott who seemed to be having a moment. They followed us over to the van, and Allison's face became warped with anxiety and fear.

"I have to tell my father." She said. Stiles ran a hand over his

"He's going to kill someone. Okay, tell him. Tell him everything." Scott said. It was a big decision, telling Chris Argent, meant that Allison would tell her father that she and Scott had been secretly seeing each other behind his back...which could result in the death of one of my bestfriends.

"Scott, I gotta tell mine too." Stiles said. My eyes grew wide as I processed what was going on. Sheriff Stilinski...knowing about the monsters that haunt Beacon Hills at night?

"This is all my fault." Scott and I said at the same time.

"It's not. But we have to tell them. We're just a bunch of teenagers. We can't handle this." Allison said. I glanced from Allison to Scott and then to Stiles.

"You're right." Scott said. I was still staring at Stiles, memerizig his face. The way his jaw tensed when he was thinking. The veins that ever so slightly showed through his pale skin. The moles that scattered the left side of his jaw. His caramel eyes, with galaxy like flecks of gold and grey, you vould probably even call it siver. The arch of his nose, the way his hair stood up in all the right places. The way his lips curved at the ends when he realized I was staring at him, the way his face went pink and the tops of his ears red.

"How you gonna make your dad believe all this?" Allison asked causing me to jump. I converted my eyes back to my feet.

"I don't know." Stiles said, I didn't even have to look at him to know he'd run his hand from his mouth to the back of his head.

"He'll believe me." Scott said, flashing his amber eyes. I decided to go with Allison, to try and translate the bestiary, and tell Chris about Jackson. When we got to her house we went up to her room first, a figure sitting in her bedroom chair scared us.

"You scared the hell outta me!" I yelled.

"I've been sitting here for an hour, waiting for you." Lydia said, she didn't seem like her snotty self. She seemed almost...broken.

"We can't hang out right now, Lydia." Allis said.

"I don't need anyone to hang out with. I need someone to talk to." Lydia said in a sassy way, although I could hear the desperation in her voice.

"I - I understand that it's important, but if it can just wait -" Allison tried but was cut off by Lydia.

"Why is everyone always telling me to wait? Why can't anyone have "right now" available?" She asked.

"Because you can't have everything right now. You know what we need? We need someone to translate five pages of archaic Latin. Obviously, that's not gonna happen anytime soon." I said. Lydia had this look on her face as she rolled her eyes.

"I know archaic Latin." She said. Allison and I glanced at each other with wide eyes.

"You know archaic Latin?" Allison asked.

"I got bored with classical Latin." Lydia said and my jaw fell. It was my turn to ask a question.

"Just how smart are you?"

"Just show me the pages." Lydia said. We handed her the tablet that we had downloaded the bestiary onto and she began reading. I couldn't get my mind off of Stiles. He seemed so utterly okay with my breaking up with him. I wasn't expecing My first break up to be so mutual. Maybe it was for the best though. After about 30 minutes we started asking Lydia to tell us what it said.

"Are you sure? Ms. Morrell said that word means "friend." "The Kanima seeks a friend." I asked.

"She was wrong. It means "master." Lydia said filing her nails.

"The Kanima seeks a master." I said, trying to process this new information as best as I could.

"Why? Is that important?" Lydia asked in confusion.

"Yeah. Someone's not protecting him." Allison said...

"Someone's controlling him." I finished. Some one is controlling Jackson , telling him who to kill. Oh god...this changes everything.

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