#ADORABLE!!! CUTE AGGRESSION ALERT!!! I NEED TO THROW THEM AGAINST THE WALL AS HARD AS POSSIBLE (i would never do that

[necrontyrmaster]

And if you pick him up by one of his wings, it’s just kinky. 😈

I just HAD to draw this with TFP Starscream.

I literally cannot express how ADORABLE I find Starscream. In almost EVERY version.

(blank template under cut, if you want it)

[glowingbadger]

Hey, strange ask, but that ask that compared Dimitri to a retriever inspired me to request either headcannons or a drabble of Dima magically being turned into a dog but his S/O doesn’t realize it’s him but he still follows them around and is super protective of them and hijinks ensues.

Y'know what, Friend Anon? This is fucking adorable.

This really ended up as more 'fluff' than 'hijinks' lol but I had fun with it, so there you are~

SFW - Gender Neutral Reader

What to make of this situation. Not only are you completely unable to track down Dimitri, but when you go to check his quarters, one of the monastery dogs has gotten into his room and is making an absolute scene. He's a lovely golden color, with blue eyes the likes of which you've never seen on a dog, and the moment you enter the room, he bounds up to you and circles around your feet until you're practically dizzy.

"Woah, hey there! How in the world did you get in here I wonder..." you mutter as you lower a hand to pat his head, "Have you seen Dimitri around, buddy? I can't seem to find him anywhere..."

Having only taken a moment to nudge his head into your touch, he rapidly becomes alert once more and begins an absolute fit of barking. At this rate, he'll disrupt the whole monastery.

"Hey, hey! No need for that, sshhhh, come on, everything's okay-" you try to soothe him, speaking softly as you kneel down to pat his head. He whines softly, but his tail is twitching back and forth just a little, so he must be at least a little comfortable with you. "Listen," you say, standing upright and straightening your clothes, "If you can behave, you can come with me while I look for Dimitri, okay?"

He barks once, and comes to stand directly beside you, almost throwing you off balance. You smile and scratch his ear for a moment, glad to have a companion on your quest.

And it quickly becomes evident that your companion took this quest very seriously indeed. On your way out of the dorms, you see a shock of red hair ahead, and wave down Sylvain to ask for any leads.

"Hey- I haven't been able to find Dimitri all day, have you seen him?"

"Hm? Not recently, sorry to say. Who's your friend?" he says with a smile at the dog beside you, "What a cutie! No comparison to you though, of course."

You slide past that last bit and say,

"Yeah, he was in Dimitri's room when I went to check for him, and he's just kind of... fond of me, I guess?"

"And who could blame him?" Sylvain says, smirking as he leans against the wall beside you, "Say, if you're still looking for Dimitri, why don't we go look for him together in town-"

He doesn't get to finish his suggestion- your canine ally is on him in a second. Up on his hind legs, he jumps against Sylvain, nearly winding him and sending him stumbling back a couple steps. The dog barks and snarls relentlessly, even as you do your best to calm him.

"Sorry, Sylvain! I- I think I should just keep going for now- thanks anyway!"

"Yup- yeah, no problem," he replies, doing his best to regain his easy smile, "Man, your new friend is a protective guy, huh. Take care of Y/N for me, alright?" he tells the dog as you two part.

It's not long before you run into Ingrid on her way out of the dining hall, an admittedly delicious looking meat skewer in hand. The dog trots ahead of you and barks to her- though not aggressively, so you figure she must have made a good impression on him somehow. Once again, you ask about Dimitri, and once again, you have no luck. Ingrid does slide a piece of beef off of the skewer in her hand and hold it out to the dog. He glances back at you. You nod, as if to tell him it's okay, and yet he looks hesitant. With some goading from both you and Ingrid, he very carefully takes the meat from her hand between his front teeth, then chews at it slowly.

"What a strange dog," Ingrid says with a furrowed brow, "I've never seen one so... reticent about food."

"Yeah, he's an odd one," you muse as he finishes his treat, "He's a good boy though, so it's nice having him along."

Maybe all he understood were the words "good boy," but regardless, his tail is now wagging so fast it seems to blur before your eyes.

You bid Ingrid farewell, and continue on your search.

By the time you think to check with Dedue, you've spent an embarrassingly large portion of your day aimlessly wandering and questioning guards and knights. Frankly, he should have been your first guess. Meanwhile, your canine friend has become a comfortable fixture in your day. You find yourself mindlessly chatting with him, and maybe it's just because he recognizes that you're speaking, but he tends to bark back in reply. But when you finally muse aloud that you ought to check in with Dedue, the dog circles you, letting out excited little yelps and barks.

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" you say with a laugh, and head towards the greenhouse side by side with your companion.

And yet, you're not expecting the darkened expression that crosses Dedue's face when you explain that you've lost Dimitri. Sure, you could understand a bit of concern- you're plenty concerned, and the longer this goes on, the more you worry that this could be a serious matter beyond a mere missed connection. But Dedue's voice and bearing are grave as he sets down a watering can and says,

"His highness had offered to help some of the magic students this morning. If anything has befallen him as a result of this..." he trails off, but the malice in his eyes is plain to see. Only the dog whimpering beside you breaks the uncomfortable silence that follows. He pads forward and nudges Dedue's hand with his snout. This small gesture seems to lighten his expression just the slightest bit- but it's something. Dedue sighs and looks to you again,

"I will help you search for him. You continue to look throughout the monastery grounds, and I will check likely classrooms and inquire among the mages. We will cover more ground this way."

You nod, but your canine friend seems agitated. Perhaps it's only Dedue's sullen mood- this does seem like a uniquely empathetic dog, after all. You pat his head gently and say,

"Well, let's try to think of anywhere we might've missed."

You say that, but reflecting on it, it's hard to imagine anywhere you haven't checked and re-checked. You'd done well to bolster your mood thus far, but the more time goes on, the more insidious anxiety starts to take root in your heart. Absently scratching at the dog's furry ears, you let out a sigh, which he seems to respond to by whining softly and nuzzling his face against you.

"I know, I'm sorry, I just... what if something's happened to him?" You say softly, barely more than a whisper.

You're merely wandering at this point, letting your feet aimlessly take you where they will. Eventually, you've found yourself at the training ground, and figure you may as well check here again. Unsurprisingly, Felix is here, among a small handful of other knights and soldiers. Careful to skirt around the edge of the grounds and not get in anyone's way, you approach him, and do your best to greet him cheerfully. Felix huffs and sheathes his sword, wiping sweat from his brow as he scrutinizes your expression.

"You look like a mess." he says, blunt as ever, though you know this is his way of expressing concern.

"Yeah, I- I can't find Dimitri anywhere- I feel like I've looked everywhere twice by now, and no one's seen him since morning, and-" you can't help rambling a bit, a hint of a crack in the back of your throat, "I just couldn't forgive myself if something happened to him- so..."

"I haven't seen him, if that's what you're getting at," Felix says with a hand on his hip. Then, he sighs at your crestfallen expression, "Cut it out, will you? You look ridiculous when you sulk like that. And if the Boar sees you like this, I'll have to watch him sulking too."

You manage an awkward half-smile,

"You're right- thanks, Felix."

You hear your name from across the plaza and turn to see Dedue with Annette in tow. As you turn to meet them, you could swear you hear Felix say something to the dog that trails a few feet behind you. While you're none the wiser, he mutters,

"If you're planning to hang around Y/N all day, you'd better look out for them, got it? They look more like a lost puppy than you do. That stupid Boar had better show up soon."

The dog gives a soft little whine, and gently nuzzles Felix's hand. With an exasperated sigh and a roll of his eyes, Felix in turn scratches at his neck, his expression softening just slightly.

Then, those golden ears perk up at your voice,

"Dimitri?!"

He turns and immediately bounds towards you, jumping up and licking at your face with his tail wagging at full speed. You laugh and ruffle his fuzzy head, then turn back to Annette and say,

"Well, he responds to it, so maybe you're right! But... you're sure the only thing we can do is wait for it to wear off?"

"I'm afraid so..." she replies, coming to stand beside you, "Say, Dimitri- if this is really you, could you please walk in a circle around me and then Dedue, then come back and stand in front of Y/N?"

He follows her request without question. Her instructions are far too complex to follow without extensive training, and with no gestures or encouragement to guide him, it seems almost certain that this dog is in fact your lovely Dimitri. You're eyes burn with the threat of tears, and it only now occurs to you how worried you'd been all day.

"Well, Dimitri, it seems we've had quite a day together," you say fondly, kneeling down to wrap your arms around him, "You make a really cute dog, but I think you'll be cuter when that magic wears off- so come back soon, okay?"

[round1addict01]

My experience on Apex Legends Mains:

This is just my experience, I can't speak for everyone since people have different experiences and opinions towards certain mains. This is for laughs and fun. Nothing serious and just stupid thoughts. Will go by alphabetical order!

Bangalore:

Really aggressive and quick to run in. Pretty good aim and for some reason the first one to be shot at. I hear her voice saying she's been hit at multiple times before anyone else. Sometimes can't wait for the team to catch up and end up being downed fairly quickly. Uses smokes for the rez but they do it at the wrong place. Forget that they are in the open when rezzing. Pretty slippery to kill due to their passive. Uses their Ultimate anywhere... even when the enemy team can easily go indoors... Overall, they're pretty solid teammates.

Bloodhound:

These feral people I swear to god-. A wild card when teamed up with. Unpredictable and most of the time exceed expectations. Will use Beast of the Hunt when the fight starts but the fight lasts 20s. *HEAVY BREATHING*. Uses scan on places that are empty just in case but then alerts people nearby. Wants to land in densely populated areas. I enjoy their company and they're pretty good at what they work with.

Caustic:

The one teammate who will block entrances with their gas traps. Hell breaks loose when there's 2 in a fight. Teammates are annoyed at them when in an enclosed space. Second most often to rage quit. Will stick traps onto the trident as the one driving will have to cross their fingers that no one shoots them. Will miss their ultimate, no where close to the enemies. Satisfying to play as and a piece of shit to play against. Ironically the most serious legend has the most hilarious moments.

Crypto:

This bad boy... is covered in traps or punched by teammates to a new location for laughs. Underrated. Super helpful but no one notices him. Teammates flock around him and t-bag until he gets back. Will most likely be around Mirage mains for the banter. Will hide behind a rock instead of being inside a building. Hearing the "wrrrrr" of his drone induces anxiety. They know this and try to mess with you. Shooting the drone and failing always gives them the ">:3". Please give these mains the attention they deserve.

Gibraltar:

I love them. They can slam my back and I'd thank them. That being said... they need to be more aware of their surroundings. They have really awful timing when it comes to rezzing. Sometimes forget that his shield is not as invincible and can be passed through. Dies while rezzing. The most protective and supportive teammate. Also really friendly. Praise them because they will die for you. *small smooch to the cheek for gibby mains*

Horizon:

"We can all use a pick me up" heard 99.999% of the match. Love to be on the high ground. Really pleasant to listen to her voice. Seen most often in teams now. Experimenting new strategies. People are still getting used to her so not much to say at the moment. Sweet people with the will to help teammates.

Lifeline:

Tries their best to be helpful but their kit is used poorly. Uses the shield from D.O.C. to fight instead of finding cover to help rez. Speaking of rez, the one being rezzed will be downed again and again until the enemy finally puts down their misery. Will lose the fight when the rez isn't finished and the person gets killed. Most likely to get pissed when another teammate rezzes downed players. Healing during a fight will result in being found and getting blasted with bullets. Will complain when they don't get the loot. Asks for the loot you have so they can later die with it.

Loba:

Queen of getting away. Bracelet is loud enough to attract enemies and they're not aware of this sometimes. Once the black market open you gotta look all areas just in case an enemy team sees or hears the outline. Will open black market 90% of the match no matter where they are. Never deactivates their black market. I have never ever seen it happen. Revenant and Bangalore mains will most likely be teamed up with her. Really helpful teammates and generous when it comes to loot.

Mirage:

These people absolutely adore his humor and banter with everyone. Will use the riding skydive emote the most. Bamboozles actually trick you and you realize how dumb you can be. Makes people waste their bullets and revel in this fact. Rezzing is very nice.... until you hear footsteps then it's extreme anxiety. Has meme potential in anything. Will try to use their ultimate to escape but will eventually be shot at. Half of the fakes run into walls or objects which will have the enemy team look directly at the real one. Goofy and fun to be around but anxiety goes straight up when they're trying to rez.

Octane:

Speedy bois. Hella hard to hit and never stop running. Try their hardest to get teammate banners. Cheer on these devil babies, they do so much. Slurps and throw up loot all in one go. *90's racing music in the background*. Unfortunately abandons their team behind when 1 person is downed. Can't stay indoors for long and keeps moving destinations. Cannot drive the titan for their life and crash land near edges of maps. Makes me grip the mouse and keyboard when they're driving.

Pathfinder:

Will use their grappling hook and either fly over their initial stop or be stuck under the building. I'm the one stuck under the buildings. Hella good at snipers and aerial shots. Is that one main who'd swing into action all cool but will crash face first into a building. Zip lines to fights and gets downed first. Gets impatient when groups don't show up and quit. 2nd most salty people in voice chat. Pretty good for rezzing and retreats. It's over when they have high ground.

Rampart:

Ballistic players who don't know how to chill. Gets the most attention with Shiela but also has their shields at all angles when a fight happens. Prepared for a gun fight at all times. Pair up with trap mains and create so much chaos. Will likely get pissed if teammates don't stay behind shield and get downed. Also underrated af. Shield get left all over the map and turns the fight around if the enemy uses it. Honestly need more Rampart in my life.

Revenant:

Guilty of playing him for his voice. I'm calling myself out here but I'll be damned if I don't drag the rest of the fandom down with me. Will keep climbing up to impossible heights until they get in the perfect spot. Crawly bois, sneaky af. Will forget to use their totem before a fight. This also is the case with their tactical. Throws themselves in the most populated areas as jump master. Pings loot for teammates. Ironic that the character is awful to other people but the mains are really nice people. Love to annoy Lobas and piss off everyone else if their teammates are trash.

Wattson:

Do not be fooled by their cute personalities and awesome skins. They are the most devilish mains. Will do the 90's anime laugh in your face as you get electrocuted. Anger them and the last thing you'll see is a finisher. Will put their Tesla in an open field and get it destroyed in seconds. FENCES EVERYWHERE. You'll try to protect them until you see that they've already won a 1v2-3 fight. Will kill in cold blood if you destroy a fence. Disposes your body by finishing you. Actually scary. The personification of ":)".

Wraith:

2 opposite spectrums. Either a noob or a 1000+ veteran. 1000+ veterans think they are privileged to own the best loot. Will voice chat just to complain and diss on your playstyle. Barely a team player and go off on their own just to die and get angry that "you're trash at the game". Very rarely will be cooperative to win a game. Noobs will have no clue and will follow you around like a lost child. T-bag moments. Will have you be the initiator of everything because the other teammate will just follow along too. Average Wraith players are the most chill players and don't say much but do a lot with their actions.

If I fucked up anyone's expectations then I'm sorry. This list is pretty stupid but if anyone else related to this or has anything else to add then put it in tags or messages!

Thanks for reading my opinions and please stay hydrated, unclench your jaw, don't send hate comments, and get some rest!

[nyxysabyss]

LEVEL HORIZON; YEAR THREE 4/9; Deviation

Chapter 21!

Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. ~Michael Jordan

 A raven comes for Kuroo the following morning bearing two words.

“Tavern and Nightfall? What’s that mean?” Ryuunosuke Tanaka grumbles with a scowl.

“An informant. His information is reliable and will be invaluable if we want to get a clear picture of what we might be up against.”

Somehow, Ryuu isn’t surprised that the black cat has such connections or that he’s been contacting them. Actually, he’s grateful for the cat’s networking skills; the bald crow has become more and more invested in rescuing Hinata’s sister from whatever mess she’s caught up in. The kid was, frankly, adorable. If you could get her over her initial misgivings and nervousness, the girl turned into this bubbly, happy child on the border of adolescence with expressive almond eyes that light up with excitement and fire.

Ryuu couldn’t help but think she was even more colorful than Hinata with how she could get aggressively stubborn, and could go on a full offensive where his former unit mate was usually more confrontation averse. If Hinata was the sun, warm and shining, Natsu was fire itself, blazing and brilliant. Being around Hinata felt like coming home; being around Natsu felt like the journey there.

So many of her antics were hilarious and cute at the same time that Ryuu sorely wishes Noya were here; they’d have had so much fun with this kid.

She’d woken last night after a good half hour in Kuroo’s arms and launched herself out of his lap and tackled Hinata across the table. He distinctly remembers Daichi swiftly snatching up his and Suga’s cups out of her way in her rush to get to her brother, where she sat for several moments attempting a conspiracy with him in their goofy foreign language that sounded like they had honey in their mouths. Hinata had had to try several different words, much to her amusement, before they had both turned and vaulted back over the table and set upon Ryuu with enough force that he was knocked to the floor.

“Oi, what the—”

“Language, Tanaka.” Suga had said with a grin even as he’d allowed himself to be manhandled by Hinata just to be sure that he wouldn’t accidently whack the other child who’d attacked him.

When Hinata had him pinned to the floor on his stomach, Natsu had sprawled across his shoulders and reached for his head. When he’d felt little hands run over the fuzz that was starting to grow back in followed by a shrill giggle, he’d scowled.

“Oi. This ain’t a petting zoo, you brats.” He’d groused and everyone had laughed— even Kageyama’s deep chuckle had joined Hinata’s chiming cackle.

The tittering coming from the little girl on his back had tugged his grimace into a grin and he’d rolled to the side and promptly reversed the power standing and snagged both Hinata’s arms in one of his so he could grab at the wiry little girl. She’d squealed and leapt out of range only to run right into Kageyama who’d caught her up and promptly suspended her upside down by one foot with a devious smirk.

The normally reserved crow joining in had been a pleasant surprise, and Ryuu had grinned wolfishly as the black-haired setter had held her out within easy reach, her little wings beating madly and her hysterical screeches filling the room. Ryuu had deftly evaded her thrashing wings and arms to run fingers across her belly, laughing as she’d scrunched herself up and squirmed helplessly.

“Oi, Sawamura.” Kageyama had murmured drawing Daichi’s attention where he was just standing with a drink in hand.

The black-haired crow had adeptly tossed the girl toward him and he’d scrambled to get rid of the glass and stretch his arms out to catch a very discombobulated little redhead who still laughed nonstop, earning a sharp gasp from Suga.

“Kageyama! You don’t throw children!”

“She ain’t a child, Sugamomma, she’s a kid. They bounce pretty good.” Kuroo had said with a chuckle and Hinata had collapsed in bright peals of hilarity making his leveler smile.

She’d stayed quite some time— longer than she had any other day so far, and Natsu had nearly worn herself out again by the time she’d gone home for the night. When she returns today, she’s just as buoyant and bouncy as ever. They’ve wound up back at the glass maker’s shop, Natsu sitting comfortably up on his shoulders.

It hadn’t been Ryuu’s plan since he’d already picked up the mitsudomoe pin for his sister and an extra piece for the girl on his shoulders, but Hinata had drawn back to it this time, musing on a gift for Momma Yu. As they peruse the glass maker’s shelves, Natsu takes a swing at the black head of hair right next to him, but Kageyama is as alert as ever; he dodges and Ryuu’s own head is jerked sideways as she grabs on to maintain her balance.

He understands now why everyone else had turned her down for the shoulder ride: anyone with hair would likely have a bald patch or five after this game. He latches onto one of her ankles to steady her and turns to eye her over his shoulder with a scowl.

“Easy on the neck, Munchkin. I have to use that yet.” He grumbles, Kuroo’s nickname having already gained traction.

“Baldy?” She says brightly and Tanaka’s frigid glare cuts to the damn black cat where he smirks at the corner of the stall, knowing exactly where she picked up that name, too.

Stupid feline.

“What?” He mutters sullenly.

“What’s munchkin?”

Ah, here we go.

“It’s what you are.” He says.

“Am not.”

“You are.”

“No, am not.”

“You are, you are, you are.” He says, his mouth pulling back into a grin.

“No, you are.”

“I’m too big to be a munchkin. And I don’t have orange hair. Or pigtails.” He says.

“What do you think you are doing, kid?” A voice breaks across them and Natsu goes rigid on his shoulders.

As they turn as one to find the speaker, the little girl jolts and promptly scrambles off of him as if he’d just zapped her. It alarms him for a moment and he reaches out to catch her arm and make sure she doesn’t overbalance and hurt herself on the drop down. As soon as she’s on the ground, she’s pulling out of his grasp frantically and Ryuu finally looks up to see the new face.

His blood chills as he realizes what the person in front of him is.

His nose lacks prominence and his ears are almost flush against his skull, but for the most part he’d seem completely normal… if it weren’t for his eyes. Vertical slit pupils split golden irises in very circular sockets and Ryuu knows without a doubt what this man is: snake.

Natsu nervously says something to the man as she pads quickly toward him; the bald crow thinks it sounds like a groveling apology. The snake glances up at them with a genial smile that makes Ryuu’s feathers prickle.

“We’ve been wondering what’s been keeping her in the afternoons. My apologies for the hassle she’s caused.” He says and Ryuu has to give Daichi mad props for his casual composure when he answers as naturally as if he saw this guy every day.

“Not at all. She’s an excellent kid with impeccable manners.” He says with a smile. The snake grins.

“That she is, but she also knows better.”

Ryuu finds Natsu hunched behind the snake, her gaze fixed on the ground and her expression frozen. The man holds a hand out to her.

“Come on pipsqueak. Time to go home.” The little girl automatically reaches up and takes the hand without hesitation and Ryuu wants to argue, but Hinata beats him to it.

“Her name’s Natsu.” He says flatly, his gaze snapping with intense focus. The snake turns back to look at him.

“Not when she’s in trouble, it’s not. She knows not to talk to strangers. You might all be upstanding people, but not everyone will be so benign.” He says with a hard edge— a touch of warning despite that smile that is still firmly fixed in place. Natsu watches them with wide eyes and sucks in a breath when Hinata takes a bold step forward.

“She’s m—”

“Non!” She yelps and Hinata freezes. They’ve been around her enough the last few days that even Ryuu knows what that means.

“Yo ap fè ou mal! Mouri!” She rattles off, and though he doesn’t catch any of the first part, he remembers that last word as one of the first from their initial meeting.

“Ou pral mouri!”

“Cripes, kid, what’s your deal?” The snake scolds and she jumps. Ryuu glances at the others.

Daichi and Suga watch her with surprise, Kageyama with zero expression, Kuroo with an unreadable look and Kenma just behind him with wide eyes. But the one that gets Ryuu is Hinata. The older redhead sibling stares at her, his mouth still open and too late, Ryuu realizes his reaction is too unusual, and the snake notices as well.

“Wait…” He says curiously, taking a step back in their direction. “Can you guys understand her?” Hinata jolts, but it’s Ryuu who leaps for the reins on this one. They need to keep this encounter as short as possible so they can find a chance to regroup.

“No, we’ve been wondering about that ourselves. What language is that?” He asks and he catches Hinata look askance at him.

Be chill, you little shit. He wants to growl as the snake shrugs.

“Beats me. We’ve been trying to figure that out for centuries.”

“Bummer. Well, take care. We will see you round Munchkin.” He says, finding her large frightened almond eyes with his trademark grimacing grin. “Promise.”

The snake nods with a smirk and turns away with Natsu’s wrist still firmly wrapped in his hand, the little girl putting up no fuss as he leads her away. But every time she glances back at them, her wide-eyed expression tugs at Ryuu’s gut and it’s all he can do to keep his feet rooted to the ground and not follow.

But that’s too tall an order for her brother. The snake and small avian songbird are nearly to the edge of town when the redhead stalks past him, his steps stiff.

“Hinata—” His leveler says, but a large hand that isn’t Kageyama’s closes on his collar and roughly drags him backward. Hinata turns blazing eyes up at Kuroo as he tugs him along by his shirt.

“Let me go.”

“No.” Kuroo says bluntly, his strides never faltering as he in no uncertain terms, ushers the redhead between a couple buildings. And it’s strange for the cat to be so short; given the circumstance, he seems the most level and everyone drifts after them.

“Fucking cat, I said let me go.” Hinata growls and Ryuu knows by the profanity that he’s irate even as he follows the pull of his shirt with deceptive calmness.

The cat yanks on him and pins him up against a wall, his face its own mask of fury. Kageyama moves ahead of him, reaching for Kuroo, but Daichi catches his sleeve with a shake of his head.

“And I said no.” Kuroo says lowly. Hinata’s feet are off the ground, his hands gripping Kuroo’s arm, but his blazing almond gaze never leaves the cat’s uneven gold one.

“That’s my sister.” Kuroo scoffs in the face of the Hinata’s impressively manic expression that would make any of the rest of them uneasy.

“Listen, Shrimp, and listen well. I protect me and mine. You are mine. Your sister is yours.” He says. Hinata’s mouth opens to say something, but Kuroo jerks a finger sharply in front of Hinata’s face.

“She’s yours. That makes her mine, too. I never intended to leave without her.” He growls. Hinata’s brow twitches, and then he blinks as it registers and his forehead smooths with surprise.

“You didn’t?”

“No. Now I need you to use your head. These guys are awful people. They will do to you feathered bastards what his father did to my clan.” He says, pointing to Kageyama without even looking at the crow setter.

“You’ll be an exception though; your red hair marks you as something foreign. If they capture you, they’ll enslave you, and ship you overseas to sell to the highest bidder. You probably won’t make the boat trip though, because him?”

Another jab in Kageyama’s direction.

“He’s a crow. They are a nothing special around here and once they are done torturing him, they will kill him, which means you die, too. Not enough of a picture for you? How about your sister.” He murmurs, dropping the redhead back to the ground so he’s on his own two feet once more, but Kuroo’s hand stays firmly fisted in his shirt, insurance in case he decides to do something stupid.

“She was grounded in such a way as to still appear like she wasn’t. That means she’s more valuable to them the more ‘complete’ she is, otherwise they’d have hacked her wings at the main joint. They want her to maintain the appearance of an ‘unspoiled’ and perfect avian while still having a way to control her. If you still have trouble figuring out why, let me spell it out for you. They’ve been ‘taking care’ of her for centuries until she’s old enough to sell as an exotic to some harem house or lordling. That is how snakes operate. You’re actually quite lucky she’s still here after all this time.” He says in a frosty monotone voice.

Ryuu feels his own gut drop as he listens to Kuroo speak. There’s no banter or levity in his tone, his even drawl more than enough to tell them all that these aren’t just stories, but straight and brutal facts. But the black cat is continuing before anyone can offer any input.

“All that aside, I will remind you that they are snakes. They do not need to see or hear you in order to know you’re there, you just need to be close enough. You can’t just blindly rush in here without a good plan; that will get us all killed. The only way to take a snake nest is with surprise and numbers. We might have surprise, but we don’t have numbers, so you better have a damn good plan if you want us all to survive.” He says finally releasing the wide-eyed redhead.

“So tell me Shrimp, how exactly were you thinking of rescuing your sister? And if you say you were going to ‘wing it’, your leveler will have full license to hit me, because I’m going to clock you.” He finishes with a scowl.

Hinata stares up at him for a long moment, his jaw hanging loosely before his almond eyes find the ground self-consciously.

“I… I didn’t have one.” Kuroo scoffs, his hand sliding up around the back of his neck.

“Didn’t think so.” The cat’s dark tone makes Ryuu think he’s seriously trying to keep taking that swing.

“So what do we do?” Hinata asks subdued.

“We were the targets in their game. Natsu was just bait.” The cat says sullenly.

“Then this is the trap.” Daichi says with surprise and Kuroo’s head lolls in his direction.

“Very good, Sawamura. Their end goal would be to get us to follow Natsu to a set location so they can surround us. But, I have no intention of playing into their hands.”

“We can all fight, so what’s the issue?” Ryuu asks with a frown, drawing the black cat’s salty gaze.

“The issue is that we are on top of one the biggest snake nests in the northern provinces. I haven’t been able to get a reliable fix on their numbers; I’ve heard anywhere from three to four hundred snakes are holed up there. Unless you all have it in you to take out between thirty to fifty guys, that’s a massive hurdle.”

Oh. I suppose that complicates things just a bit.

“What about Natsu?” The thrush asks uncertainly.

“Like I said before, she’s valuable to them. They won’t irrevocably harm an asset unless backed into a corner, so she will be fine for the moment. The greater worry would be that they move her and we lose track of her, but I don’t think that will happen either. The snake was far too confident which means they don’t see us as a threat.”

“So we are just going to leave her there?” Hinata asks with a hard set to his jaw.

“No, we’ll get her out. It’s just not going to be on their terms.”

“You have a plan then?” Ryuu asks.

“I have an idea, but it’s going to take patience from you,” Kuroo says with a pointed look at Hinata, “and a lot of faith from everyone else that I know what I’m doing. I’ve dealt with snakes before.”

“So what do we need to do?” Daichi asks.

“Right now, we are flying blind; we won’t have a chance without some solid information. First thing is to connect with my contact at the tavern tonight. If we’re lucky, he’ll show up.”

  Level Pair ; Chapter 1; Chapter 20; Chapter 22

A/N:  So, Natsu has been disobedient, and Hinata is impulsive. It's a weekend and I'm late tonight, sorry guys. I didn't get home till 7 today, and this is still pretty rough, so I apologize if there are errors.

Thank you for reading, and have a stellar evening, ya'll!

[myirlnameiscloud]

I just HAD to draw this with TFP Starscream.

I literally cannot express how ADORABLE I find Starscream. In almost EVERY version.

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