#And dressing accordingly to whatever character I decide that I love the most and making art and edits

[virfujiwara]

My irl friends just don't watch shows 😔 meanwhile I'm abnormal and half of my personality is whatever show or movie I'm obsessed with at the moment

[leblancc]

date night

characters : yusuke kitagawa

— themes : gender neutral reader, spoiler-free, fluff.

If you let him, Yusuke would take you to an art museum all the time. And I mean all the time, consecutively without a second thought. If it happens to close because of bad weather or some other event, he’ll find somewhere else to go that’s relatively artistic or somewhere he tends to frequent that he’s sure you’ll like. He doesn’t really see a problem with that if you two have fun in the end, but the group tells him that he has to think about you, too, and consider your interests on top of his own because it might get stale for you. Yusuke is in shock when he thinks of it like that and is quiet for a moment. His ideas did come across as a bit selfish, he realizes, but is quick to ask for help with coming up with ideas. He gets that help for sure, but it’s reliant on what he knows about you—which is a lot because he’s so interested in everything about you. He’s not the most experienced with romance or anything of the sort so he’s very naive and unaware of what is normally done during a date, let alone what one would consist of. He viewed it as just a regular outing between two people before coming to realize that it’s more than that, that it’s a time shared between two people who love each other and want to use that time to understand one another and value it. That puts things in a whole new perspective for him and he goes wild.

Yusuke enjoys dressing nice, but he doesn’t go all out considering he handles paint that could splatter on his clothing. He doesn’t wear an apron because he’s confident of his ability with a brush, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get paint on his fingers or lead on his fingers when he shades in his sketchbook if he doesn’t have a pencil shader with him. But on dates he’ll dress up a bit for the nice occasion and is careful not to get anything on it. It’s casual enough to not be too formal, but it’s nice enough that it gives the impression he’s going somewhere he wants to look good for or with someone he wants to look good with. The way his jaw drops the first time he sees you dressed up. There aren’t enough words to describe what he’s feeling in that moment, only knowing that you look so incredibly stunning that it’s a luxury to be able to lay eyes on such beauty. He’s singing your praises at that point and giving you so many compliments, and still does on whatever date you two are on and you decide to put something a little nicer than usual on. Yusuke thinks you always look good, especially in his eyes, no matter how you dress as it’s your own style and you make it work so well it’s unheard of.

Yusuke plans it for weeks in advance, perhaps even farther if possible. Some think that he’s overdoing it and taking it a bit too seriously, but he wants to make sure that everything if perfect. He believes that anything less is a disgrace to you and that you deserve more than that. If you’re intimidated or put-off by how invested he is, then he’ll tone it down but tries to express that there are good intentions behind everything he’s doing. He plans his schedule around your dates as much as he possibly can, but sometimes Phantom Thief work comes up and that takes priority. It’s absolutely horrible for him if you’re not a Thief because he doesn’t want to keep any secrets from you and saying that he’ll have to reschedule for another day hurts him so much. He’s so upset the entire time he’s in the Metaverse, but he tries to cheer himself up knowing that he’ll see you tomorrow and that they’re taking down someone corrupt. If you are part of the Thieves, he’s relieved he doesn’t need to try and cover it up but is still a little disappointed but doesn’t fault Joker for that. There’s always another day for a date, after all. But it’s for that reason he plans accordingly and carefully so you two have enough time to be together without anything going awry.

He may not have the most money, but he wants to go out and do things that you enjoy regardless of the price tag. Whether it’s going to a cafe, a library, amusement park, shopping, anywhere you want to go (within reason, of course), just say the word and off you two go. Yusuke saves up for these events and insists that he pays because he was the one who invited you out, but you both will quickly come to a resolution. He has a bad problem with spending his money without really thinking it through so sometimes he ends up flat broke without even realizing it before or even during your dates. He’s not the best gift-giving person when it’s not an art piece, but if you have your eye on something then he’ll offer to get it for you. You just have to be clear with a yes or no answer because if you say no but don’t really mean it then he’ll kind of confused because he thought you wanted it, but you said no so he moves on. If Yusuke sees any lobster-related items, he’ll definitely buy one and there’s nothing stopping him but you. He’d probably find lobster keychains and tell you he got two, one for him and the other for you, so you two could match and that he would think of you when he saw it. It’s a very sweet gesture, but an impulsive purchase all the same.

Akira and Ryuji are like his wingmen, albeit self-proclaimed, and are two of the many who have helped with his romance and date-related questions. Ryuji doesn’t have any experience either (with dates or relationships), but he’s mostly there for the moral support and surprisingly good advice. Their leader, on the other hand, knows a surprising amount and is such a smooth talker that it leaves them flabbergasted and wondering how he doesn’t have a whole bunch of girlfriends already. Akira and Ryuji will literally be on the lookout to make sure everything is going smoothly but keep their distance so they don’t give themselves away. Akira’s pretty inconspicuous, but Ryuji struggles to keep his voice low and so Yusuke would most likely hear them. He hopes that you don’t and would try to redirect your attention. They’ll hide behind buildings, stacks of books or whatever they can find, or even sit close enough to your table if you and Yusuke are eating somewhere. Their Phantom Thief experience is really paying off here and they’re both a little proud of that. At some point Mishima joined the two and Yusuke doesn’t know when, but he’s there and a duo became a trio.

He does get a bit distracted with all sorts of things, however, and you’ll have to reign him in. You’re the apple of his eye, that’s a given, but as an artist his eyes tend to gravitate towards artistic works and the way colors blend into one another, such as the sunset. It’s so fascinating to him and he can’t help but get lost in his thoughts as he observes the scenery in front of him. He may even draw attention to himself by letting out a loud exclamation if there’s something that’s ignited his inspiration. If you join in, you’re going to be there for hours because there’s nothing stopping him now until he realizes how late it’s gotten. This also goes back to his spending habits, where you’ll probably have to help prevent him from emptying his wallet all in one night before it just happens without him realizing it. But if there’s something that you want to do or see that strays from the original plan, he’s all for it! If it’s not something he’s familiar with, he’d be incredibly curious and willing to give it a chance. If you two go to Kichijoji for billiards or darts, he’ll be all for it. He doesn’t compete or try to boast and does it at his own pace, even if he isn’t the best at it. He going to play for fun and that’s about it, but does look for your approval after many of his turns.

Yusuke is a literal gentleman, you cannot change my mind about that. He’ll pick you up from your house on time or show up a bit early if you two agree on meeting somewhere. He’s always making sure you’re okay and having fun and he smiles in relief to hear that you are. If anything is wrong, he’ll bend over backwards to cheer you up and make things better in whatever way he can. He’s not as openly affectionate as some of the others, but he isn’t touch-repulsed either. He doesn’t mind it, it just spooks him when someone latches onto him all of a sudden. If you want to hold his hand then you definitely can and he’ll keep you close to his side, especially if it starts to get a bit crowded. At the end of the night, he’ll walk you home and make sure you get inside safely. He walks at a smooth pace the entire time and he releases you at the door, but he stays in place because he can’t seem to get himself to move away from you. Before you two depart and now that you’re alone, he’ll give you a kiss goodnight if you’re up to it. He’s considered it all day, especially if it’s the first one in your relationship and it’s his first one ever. He has to bend down a bit to reach your height (he’s only one inch away from being six feet tall), but he doesn’t mind at all. Most of the time, his kisses are on the cheek but once he’s built up the courage, he’ll give you one on the corner of the mouth.

© leblancc, all rights reserved. do not repost, edit, or translate my work on any platform.

[squishy-mochi-is-bright-pink]

hi! uh—sorry if this is confusing, it’s my first time making a request. uhm—i’ve just been feeling rlly down lately and was considering self harm. so, if it’s okay with u, can i request for tsukishima/sakusa/osamu (u can choose if doing all is too much) seeing their s/o with a fear of sharp objects about to self harm but not going through with it and them comforting their s/o? u dont have to do it tho if ur not comfortable with it, i just wanted to try asking :)

Characters: Tsukishima and Sakusa

CW: self harm, sharp objects

Genre: comfort

Word count: 1, 616

Summary: You've been struggling with thoughts of self harm, which then lead you to a fear of sharp objects. Your boyfriend notices and tries his best to help you.

A/n: your request wasn't confusing at all, don’t worry. So sorry I didn't get around to writing Osamu but I hope this is alright. if you ever need someone to talk to im here, or you could request as much or as little as you want. Just remember self harm isn't the answer, alright? Remember you're loved <3

Tsukishima

Okay, so even though everyone says that Tsukishima doesn’t care or isn’t a good boyfriend to you that is a big fat lie and you know it. This boy is super observant. ESPECIALLY when it comes to you.

You’re his baby and the love of his life, and one way he shows his love to you is by paying attention to everything you do and acting accordingly. He’s usually subtle about it though. You shiver? Oh, look extra hoodie. Tense up when one of your classmates approaches the two of you? Oh no something came up with the team and you’re both required to solve it.

Slight rant aside, he notices immediately that something is wrong. It may take him a little bit to figure out what exactly but he’s looking into it immediately. By the end of the day, he’s checked with your friends if anything is bothering you, he’s found out whether or not you are behind on work or if school is stressing you out. But nothing.

Luckily for him, it was Friday, thus, he was coming over to your house after school (practice). Usually, he’d come over and do some homework then you’d watch a movie together and honestly you could use some affection right now.

When he arrived at your house you were already showered, dressed and waiting at the table to start your homework. He came in and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead and sat down across from you, he’d already changed into casual clothes after practice.

Tsukishima exalted deeply for the first time that day and let himself relax now that he was alone with you. He’d spent his entire day trying to figure out what was up since you’d been acting weird for a little while now and he was back to square one. Nobody he’d asked knew anything that might have upset you, and he’d asked a lot of people. More accurately he’d asked Yamaguchi to since he knew people found Tadashi less intimidating. However, he still hadn’t had any luck in narrowing down the issue.

You seemed to be focused on whatever work you where doing so he decided to do some of his own work and ask you about it during the movie. He pulled out his maths book and a pencil from his pocket to begin working on the algebra homework.

After around thirty minutes of working together with some lofi playing in the background and occasionally asking for help from one another, his pencil lead snapped in the middle of an equation. Slightly irritated, he went to his bag to retrieve a sharpener but couldn’t find his pencil case. Shit, he must have left it in his desk. Oh well, he won’t need it till Monday anyway.

  “Hey, Shortcake,” that stupid nickname he’d gave’ you made you look over to him “do you have a pencil sharpener? My pencil case is at school.” At the mention of a sharpener, you squeaked out no far too quickly. Okay, somethings up. He’s sure of it now. 

So he gently set down his pencil and placed one of his hands on yours. When you looked up and made eye contact you could see how concerned he looked. Though it isn’t just concern, there’s something soft and loving there too. It’s because of this that you just aren’t able to break the eye contact, even though you’d much rather check your house slippers for bits of dust. 

“Baby,” he starts softly, “I know somethings up. You’ve been different for a few days now. And as long as you’ve been in my class you’ve never forgotten your stationary. Do you want to talk about it? Or we could do something else if you want.” By now there were tears beginning to slowly roll down your cheeks and Kei had gotten up to wrap you up in a hug. “Come one baby.” he says as he guides you over to the couch to sit down.

Once he had you settled in beside him he started to rub gentle circles on your back and waited patiently for you to calm down enough to talk to him. Once you had calmed down a little you began to explain everything. From the thoughts of self-harm to avoiding anything sharp or dangerous just in case. And he just sat there and listened. All the while gently rubbing circles and patterns into your back. He listened to every word you said and took it all in making sure to give little nods or hums of acknowledgement, enough to let you know he was listening without interrupting you.

When you’d finally finished telling you everything he simply scooped you up in his arms and hugged you as tight as he could. “Baby, Y/n. I’m so proud of you. You’re so strong and I’m so glad you didn’t do anything.” he gently kissed the top of your head and whispered, “I love you so much.” 

You snuggled further into him and he turned the tv to your comfort movie, even if he didn’t love it or would much rather watch a documentary about dinosaurs.

Sakusa

Sakusa is another boy who people wrongly assume is a bad partner. I object. Although he is slightly more hesitant when it comes to physical affection in public he’s one of the best boyfriends you could ever ask for.

Generally, when the two of you hang out he has a routine to ensure there is no fear around germs and he can be as affectionate as he wants. You both take showers and change into freshly washed clothes when you arrive at either home before you spend time together.

Because of how naturally observant this boy is, and the number of showers he’s had to take at your house he has your shower products almost memorised. He knows what they are, what they do and where they go. Honestly when you’re running low on something he’s more likely to notice than you are. And of course, being the loving boyfriend he is, he’ll remind you to add it to your shopping list or even go shopping with you.

This mans love language is probably quality time or acts of service, so if there’s an opportunity to give you a hand or just spend time with you he’ll take it.

Today was just another day, well not exactly, Sakusa was coming to spend some time with you today, which honestly was not rare at all. You had both fallen into a steady routine of taking showers and changing before spending time together. He would never ask you to do it but you knew it made him more comfortable. Plus he far preferred your shower to the locker room one.

So as always he walks into your house, puts his bag on the table and walks to your bathroom to take a shower. When he’s in the shower he notices that your razor is missing from its normal spot. He thought that was a little bit odd. Mostly because he has never seen your razor missing before. Any time he noticed something was missing before it was always just running low on shampoo, or body wash or only having one bar of soap left.

It isn’t that weird so he just makes a note to himself to remind you about it later like he always does. Once he’s finished and changed into his favourite sweats and second favourite hoodie (you’re currently wrapped up in his favourite). He goes to your room and curls up beside you as you’re preparing to put on a movie.

By the time Sakusa had remembered what he needed to remind you of the movie had been playing for around 20 minutes. So he decides to just wait until after the movie to bring it up. With that decision made he just decides to focus on the movie and how you feel giving him cuddles.

After the movie was all finished and you and Omi where cleaning up, when he brought up the missing razor. “Hey baby, remember to add razors to your shopping list. Yours is missing” he mentioned as he placed your throw pillows back on your bed. He paused in the middle of fixing your pillows, that was not the reaction he expected. Something was up. When he turned around and saw you near tears he rushed over to check on you.

“Baby, talk to me whats wrong?” hes says in the most soothing voice he can muster when he reaches you. You dont respond, just crying a little harder and hugging him back. “Its,” you sniffled a little, “its nothing Omi. Ill be fine” you sniffled again trying desperately to pull yourself together.

Sakusa pulled out the handkerchief he kept for you in his pocket. And by the time you'd told him everything he was crying too holding you. "it's gonna be alright baby. I'm here, we're gonna get through this together."

You fell asleep holding together, knowing that you weren't alone. And wouldn't be as long as you have him and he isn't leaving any time soon

[delvalentine]

hey *does swaggy lip bite* in case you’re still doing tears of themis match ups, i’d like to submit a request to be psychoanalyzed matched up with one of them hot nxx dudes *leans against a car with messed up engines*

1. i like making jokes but sometimes some of them turn out awkward and not really as funny as i thought they would be in my head, but my friends laugh at them every time anyway because apparently, according to them, the way i keep making jokes despite my self-awareness of the fact that i’m not funny makes the joke hilarious.

2. i’m hardworking, and i always try to fulfill my responsibilities accordingly. i’ve been told by some friends that if they didn’t have a family to turn to, i’d be the one they would assign to arrange a funeral for them when they die because apparently i’m that responsible…or maybe that’s just my innate fear of disappointing others, regardless of whether it’s in their wake or in their death.

3. i’m quite average in terms of looks (i don’t know why this is relevant but here we are). i can be a solid 6/10 if i have makeup on but other than that i’m probably a natural 5. i’m short (149 cm? seriously? did i not drink milk when i was a kid?) and kind of on the slimmer side but quite bottom heavy. i mostly like to wear comfy clothes but i love dressing up if the occasion warrants for it.

4. i love reading and i read a variety of different stuff depending on what piques my interest at that time.

5. i have adhd haha which means i can be quite scatter-brained to most people, especially when i talk. sometimes i can get fidgety especially if i’m doing something that’s boring, but i can hyperfocus on stuff that i’m interested in. i talk a lot and get excited easily, so my speech often becomes animated. some people find it an endearing trait but most of the time, i do feel insecure about it because i can’t control it and i feel like it makes me look childish.

6. i often take up the role of a caretaker for my friends, and they often come to me when they need support or advice, but personally, i don’t have anybody to depend on when i’m upset, or to share good news with if something good happens to me. i don’t ever cry in front of others, only when i’m by myself. i’m pretty independent and i have gone through quite a lot of things alone, which is fine, i guess, but sometimes, i just want to be taken care of just like how i take care of some people. i want someone who can cry with me when i’m upset, and get angry for me when others mistreat me. i want someone to be proud of me, and someone who will still love me even if i fail.

as i’m writing this i realize that i’m actually pretty lonely and aimless in life, and requesting for a match up is my way of seeking companionship and connection, even if it is with a fictional character.

if you decide to respond to this, thank you so much!! i hope you have a nice day, or if it’s already night time, i hope you get a good rest!!

luke pearce

from what i've read you're the very giving type, but even those who give need to take in return. don't be so hard on yourself, love. time waits for nobody... so it's okay to do things only for yourself sometimes.

luke is your person. whatever you need—maybe sometimes even before you know you need it—he's there. he loves to baby you; after all, you're the person he loves the most in this whole world, and he's got so much love to show you that it spills over into anything he does. stuffies. roses. home-cooked dinners. he just wants to wake up beside you and laugh and live and forget the past. he wants to sleep beside you, your warmth resting in his arms as if he's got the world in his palms. you're somebody who's kind, who's good, and he wants to protect that at any cost.

[nanoland]

Ponder on the Narrow House

fandom: Lucifer

main characters: Mazikeen, Eve, Michael

pairings: Mazikeen/Eve/Michael 

summary: In which Mazikeen isn't finished with Michael yet. 

warnings: Violence, gun violence, trauma, dehumanization, outdoor sex. 

0 

In 2019, Fodor’s had crowned LAX the worst airport on Planet Earth, comparing it – much to Mazikeen’s amusement – to Dante Alighieri’s Hell.

She couldn’t comment on the comparison’s accuracy; she’d never read Divina Comedia. Human poetry bored her.

Up against the real thing, however? Hell was quieter, cleaner, and smelt better than Los Angeles International, and it wasn’t even close.

Granted, Mazikeen was biased. Hell was her home and she liked it quite a lot. But surely even a human – even an angel – would sooner take a stint in one of Lucifer’s loops than spend more than thirty minutes in Terminal 3.

Yet there he was, leaning against the wall, watching the bustling crowd with a faint smile on his face, like a man in the park resting his eyes on the ducks. Perfectly content.

“Do you know,” he said as she approached him, “that around forty percent of all humans are scared of flying?” 

She hadn’t been sure how this encounter would go and, being innately practical, had dressed accordingly. Black satin skirt, flattering and loose enough to both conceal several demon daggers (invisible to the full-body scanner she’d just sauntered through) and not impede her reaction time in a fight. Red silk wrap blouse, easily unwrapped to serve as a garrotte or tourniquet. Hair down, curled, dyed pitch black with bronze-gold streaks – possibly a tactical disadvantage if he grabbed it, but possibly a distraction. She knew he liked her hair.

When she was satisfied he wasn’t about to lunge for her throat, she took a gamble and moved in to lean against the wall alongside him, following his gaze. “Not surprising. Think of it from their perspective. They don’t have wings. Actually – huh. I guess that’s a perspective you can sympathise with now.”

He sneered. “You’re trying to bait me, Miss Mazikeen. That’s cute. But I’m not in the mood, dollface. This? This is me time. I’ve had a shitty few days and I came here specifically to soak up these idiot mortals’ fear and chill out. Get lost. Go play with my twin if you’re so starved for entertainment.”

Mazikeen stretched. “That’s the problem. He’s hanging out with the rest of your lousy family. Gabriel. Raziel. Jophiel. Now that he’s in charge, they’re all trying to crawl up his ass. It’s pathetic. And annoying.”

His jaw clenched and she knew exactly what he was thinking: ‘That should have been me.’

“Also,” she added, after a pause, “they don’t like me. Most of them have never met a demon. There’s no outright hostility but… they talk to me like I’m some gross exotic pet Lucifer found and adopted.”

“They’re afraid of you.”

“Bullshit.”

“Nope. I’m wrong about some things. Never about fear. They can tell how much you matter to him, how much he’d do for you and vis versa, and it scares them shitless. Chloe Decker they can understand – she was Dad’s gift, after all. You, though? Lucy was never supposed to love you. No one was.”

She fiddled with her earring; big, gold, shaped like a swallow with rubies dotting its tail feathers. A gift from Eve. “Whatever. Anyway, that’s why I’m here. With you. Instead of them. You’re the worst, most obnoxious, most cowardly creep ever. I mean it. Christ, do you suck. But you always talked to me like I was a person. Right from the beginning.”

Ugliness flared behind his eyes. “Seriously? Now you’re being nice? Lucifer sent his general to console me? Ha! That’s how pitiful he thinks I am?”

“Pfft – no. Lucifer doesn’t give a crap about you. I’m here because I wanna offer you a job, moron.”

“A… job.”

“Yep. Ever heard of ‘bounty-hunting’?”

He nodded. Slowly. Smirking, she pushed off the wall and twirled on her six-inch heels to face him.

“Here’s the thing, o Angel of Dread; I’ve spent centuries in Hell learning how to terrify people. I look at you and you know what I see? Potential. Sure, you’re rough around the edges. Still got some celestial baby fat clinging to you. Still a little squeamish when it comes to certain tricks of the trade. But Mikey, honey, six months under my tutelage and I think we can turn you into a bona fide fucking nightmare.”

She let the skin on her face’s left side melt away and grinned at him. “So? How about it?”

“Eh,” he said after taking one last glance around the terminal. “Fuck it. Why not? Nothing better to do.” 

0 

“Los Angeles is kinda like me,” Mazikeen told him, taking off her red-lensed cat-eye sunglasses as she strutted down the pier.

“Doesn’t have a soul?”

A withering glare. “Tough. Pretty on the outside, mean on the inside. It’s easy to make enemies around here and when you’ve made ‘em, you need to stay on your toes. Stay nimble. Stay mobile. Ready to fight or flee at any moment.”

Michael nodded. “And that’s how you justify living on a tugboat.”

“Ahoy!” called Eve, standing on the deck in a polka dot bikini and pirate hat Mazikeen had presumably stolen for her off the set of some summer blockbuster or other being shot nearby, the salty breeze playing with her hair.

“It’s a yacht,” Mazikeen growled.

“No. That’s a yacht,” Michael replied, pointing to the gleaming white MCY 70 Skylounge docked nearby. “What you have is a glorified raft that can, at best, accommodate two people and maybe a toaster.”

He should, perhaps, be trying harder to ingratiate himself with his new boss.

But he was tired.

Getting in his face, she snapped, “Hey! That’s our headquarters, asshole. Show some respect.”

“It’s covered in seagull crap. It looks older than me. There’s a very obvious bloodstain on the helm. Jesus, doesn’t Lucifer pay you?”

She pushed him into the sea.

Offering him a hand when he bobbed to the surface, Eve said, “Don’t take it personally. She’s just mad because we weren’t able to steal a bigger one.”

0 

It was while Michael was towelling himself dry down below decks that the chunky-faced cop wandered in, took one look at him, and strode across the room.

“Mister Espinoza,” he drawled, “what can I-… oh. Oh, wow, you really thought that was going to work, huh?”

Curled up on the floor, clutching the fist he’d very mistakenly slammed into Michael’s jaw, Dan hissed, “Fuck you. You killed me.”

“Poppycock. I had you killed. That’s entirely different, buddy.”

Dan staggered to his feet and shouted, “Maze! Eve! What the hell is he doing here?”

Taking off his wet jacket and draping it over the rack alongside the towel, Michael said, “I was invited, thank you very much. No one told me you were part of the arrangement.”

“What arrangement, asshole?” Dan snapped, turning red. “I’m just here to help Maze fix her boat’s engine.”

“Oh. You don’t work with her, then? No, I suppose you wouldn’t. As we’ve established, you’re entirely too killable.”

“You sleazy son-of-a… Maze! Get down here!”

Grumbling, Michael’s new boss stalked below deck carrying a crate of beer on her left shoulder and a sleeping bag under her right arm. “Goddammit – Dan, I told you to wait. Is your hand bleeding, you big meathead? We seriously just dragged your ass out of Hell and you couldn’t go two whole days before breaking yourself again? Ugh. You’re impossible. You’re worse than Decker.”

“Maze, d’you wanna explain what the actual fuck Lucifer’s psycho twin is doing here?”

“Interning,” Michael said, cheerfully.

His face now practically purple, Dan half-yelled, “What is he talking about? This is not okay, Maze! Does Chloe know? Does Amenadiel? Why is he even still on Earth? Lucifer’s God now; can’t he stick him on Mars or turn him into a bug or something?”

“Look, Dan, just calm down-…” she began.

“I died! I actually, literally, physically died! Because of him! No, I’m not going to calm down!”

Michael scoffed. “Please. Like that’s what you’re really upset about. You’re not angry about dying. You’re not angry at all. You’re scared, buttercup. And not just of me; of her, of Lucifer, of everything, and to be honest, I didn’t even need to use the ol’ angel juice to work that out.”

Mazikeen set down her cargo, pulled a knife from her belt, and flung it. It embedded itself five inches deep in the floor between them. “This? This is not Lux, dickheads. Mortals and celestials don’t hang out here to have a good time while I sit behind the bar and tolerate them. This crummy, crusty-ass, piece of crap boat is my domain. Here, I don’t have to put up with one femtometre of your bullshit. If you want to fight, do it somewhere else. If you want to fuck, do it quick and clean up afterwards. If you want to make yourselves useful, help me get the weapons on board.”

“Wait – wait, weapons? What weapons?” said Dan to her retreating back. “You said you were going fishing. Maze! What weapons?” 

0 

“Where’s all your stuff?” Eve asked when she showed him to his tiny cabin.

“I’m an archangel. I don’t have ‘stuff’.”

(Michael had already decided he didn’t like her. She was bubbly.)

“Heh. You should travel with Lucy sometime. We went to Vancouver for a weekend and he brought seven bags, five watches, and six pairs of shoes. Okay, do you – uh, do you at least have a change of clothes? Because those look kinda soggy.”

To his annoyance – and embarrassment – she spend twenty minutes hunting down a shirt and pants that would fit him.

“They’re mine,” she said, dropping them into his lap. “But I bought them to sleep in and I like loose pyjamas, so they’re a dozen sizes too big on me. Oh! Also found you this.”

She presented a hot water bottle in the shape of a fat, cuddly sheep.

He accepted it carefully, wondering if it was booby-trapped. “You’re Lucifer’s ex, right?”

“Er… yep? Amongst other things. The Original Sinner. First Woman, First Wife, First Mother. Mother of Mankind. Second Human. First Knowledgeable Human. But sure, I was also your brother’s girlfriend for a while.”

“And now you’re Mazikeen’s. Do you also work with her?”

“Sure do!” she said, interpreting the question as an invitation to sit down next to him. “I’m The Choronzon’s captain. That’s our boat’s name. My idea. I know she’s not much to look at but she’s got so much history. There’ve been fourteen homicides on her! Plus, she’s fast; way, way faster than she looks. And I know the beds are hard, but we’ve got three hammocks stashed away and getting them set up is easy as pie.”

“Wow. Those suckers up in the Silver City don’t know what they’re missing.”

She nodded, blinking slowly. “Hmm. Maze was right. You are mean. That’s cool. I get on well with mean people. Anyway, just in case she hasn’t told you; we’ve got a job lined up and we’ll be setting sail tomorrow at dawn. You get seasick? Not a problem; we’ve got a medical kit full of antiemetics. On that note, should we pick up something for you before we leave shore?”

“No.”

“You sure? Just that – uh – I mean, my third son, Seth, the one nobody talks about – he also had pretty severe scoliosis. Wasn’t a whole lot we could do about it back then. But these days they’ve got tons of stuff; opiods and anti-inflammatories and memory foam. Science is so, so cool. And I’m going shopping for sunscreen anyway, so dropping by the pharmacy wouldn’t be a problem.”

For a moment, he reviewed a list of responses that would deeply, profoundly hurt her, responses that would ensure she didn’t approach him again.

But he was tired, tired, tired.

“Here.”

He took a folded piece of A4 paper from his pocket and handed it to her. “These are what the last human doctor I went to recommended. Getting hold of those three I’ve circled is tricky, but I know a guy. Call him on that number down there and he’ll meet you wherever. If he gives you any trouble, remind him that Michael knows about the vacuum cleaner. That’ll shut him up.”

As soon as she’d bounced out of the room, he shut the door, locked it, and laid down to sleep. 

0

It was night when he awoke.  

He went upstairs to find Mazikeen and Eve sitting on the deck, admiring what stars could be seen through Los Angeles’ perpetual light pollution and sharing a pizza.

“Mickey! Get over here,” called Mazikeen, clad in a black dressing down and slippers shaped like plump pink pigs.

“It’s freezing,” he complained.

She snickered and threw him the prickly blanket that had been resting over her knees. “Wimp. Eve told you about the job, yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how to use any weapons?” Eve asked. “Maze sticks with her knives most of the time. I prefer my traps and crossbow. But we’ve got guns, if that’s more your speed.”

They were clearly expecting him to sit down. Eve had even scooted to the left to make room.

He opened the blanket up and wrapped it around his shoulders, remaining standing. “Can I ask a question? What, precisely, is my role here?”

“For now, you’re a meat shield,” said Mazikeen, talking through a mouthful of pepperoni and violently yellow cheese. “Me and Eve are both vulnerable to bullets. I mean – I’m less vulnerable, obviously. But I don’t hate any of my relatives enough to go about finding out exactly how many bullets it takes to snuff a demon. So your job, at least tomorrow, is just to soak up enemy fire until we’ve got our hands on the target.”

Scowling, he said, “Getting shot does hurt, you know.”

“Yeah,” she replied, eyes shining with spite. “Dan sure seemed to think so.”

When the tense silence had stretched for over thirty seconds, Eve clapped her hands, smiling anxiously, and said, “So! Anyone up for rummy?” 

0 

Along the California coastline, the cruise ship Illustrious Voyager bore four thousand three hundred and ten passengers, one thousand two hundred and ninety-six crewmembers, and two guide dogs.

Five thousand six hundred and eight souls, in total.

At around 4pm, without anyone noticing, that number became five thousand six hundred and nine.

Hands clasped behind her back, Eve strolled down the promenade, admiring the vessel’s size and beauty. This fresh new millennium’s wealth astonished her. Sickened, sometimes. Entranced, sometimes. But always astonished.

Back in the garden, they’d slept on and under rocks. When it rained, they got wet. When large animals came by, they hid. No weapons. No shelter. No blankets. The only resource they’d had in abundance was food. Good grief – so much food. God had been so proud of all the different fruits and nuts and mushrooms he’d made available to them, and Adam had been so grateful. Eve supposed she had been, too.

It hadn’t stopped her from one day approaching her husband and the plump rabbits resting in his lap – two of several dozen pets – and asking if he didn’t think the cold nights would be much more endurable if they each had a warm pair of fur slippers.

Then she’d met Lucifer. Fallen in love. Bitten the apple. Learned how powerful he and his Father truly were. That was when the real questions, the sticky, prickly questions, had come bubbling up.

If Lucifer has such a vast family, with so many siblings, why can’t I have even one? she’d asked the sky. Why is Adam all I get?

And later: If You can simply bring people into existence, why must I scream and bleed and shit myself in order to have children? Am I doing it wrong? Is there another way? If there isn’t, why not?

And later: Why is nothing fair?

And, most recently, after meeting Mazikeen: Why isn’t everything at least equally unfair? Why do humans get a world of options while Maze and her family are expected to serve angels from birth to death? Why isn’t Maze allowed into Heaven, even after an eternity of loyalty and hard work?

“Sorry,” she said, flashing white teeth at a passing crewmember. “I’m trying to find a friend of mine. Can you tell me how to get to Room 835?”

Half an hour later, there was a splash and the ship’s population dropped to five thousand six hundred and seven.

Before binding his arms and legs, Eve had secured Andrew Bismarck’s lifejacket and gagged him. Furious and helpless, he bobbed alongside her as the ship moved on and Mazikeen rowed up in her inflatable raft, wearing a sunset-orange swimsuit.

“Should I be worried about those, babe?” she asked as she gripped Bismarck’s lifejacket and hauled him out of the water.

Eve smiled at the dolphin pod swimming in playful loops around her, and patted the nearest one’s nose. “No. They’re my friends.”

The inflatable wasn’t big enough for three people, so Eve held on to a friend’s dorsal fin and let him drag her back to The Choronzon.

Michael stood on the deck, looking bored. As they climbed aboard, their prisoner slung over Mazikeen’s shoulder, he drawled, “Seriously? This sad specimen’s worth two million dollars?”

“Actually, his net worth is eight hundred million,” said Mazikeen, dumping him down. “Two million is just what his ex-wife is willing and able to pay.”

Wringing out her hair, Eve added, “She took half his money in the divorce but she gave almost all of it to a chimpanzee shelter. I really like her!”

His lip curled. “How delightfully sordid. Isn’t this all a little beneath you, Ms Mazikeen? I mean, you’re a big deal in Hell. High Commander of Lucifer’s legions, head advisor to the king himself. Aren’t you worried taking jobs like this diminishes you?”

Busy handcuffing Bismarck to the railing, Mazikeen said, “Eve, honey? Do me a favour?”

“Boop!” Eve chirped, having already snuck up behind Michael, and pushed him overboard.

“I know it’s your whole gimmick,” Mazikeen called down as he splashed and spluttered, his face red with princely indignation. “And I know you don’t have a lot else going for you. But the next time you try that on me, I will stop being nice. Kapish?”

“Kapish,” he muttered.

The Choronzon had barely travelled a mile before Eve spotted Bismarck’s henchmen coming after them.

“Someone gimme details!” shouted Mazikeen, busy putting a bulletproof vest on over her bikini and opening up the box she’d told Dan contained a fishing rod, not a halberd.

Eve peered through her binoculars. “Two speedboats. Twelve guys on jet skis. Guns everywhere.”

“Heh. Awesome. Mickey – move that tight ass to the front and make like a nice juicy target.”

“Wait, what about-…” Michael began, trailing off as Mazikeen dove gracefully into the sea.

Bouncing from foot to foot, Eve shot him a grin. “Don’t look so glum, sourpuss. This is the fun part.”

She’d never spoken to Michael in Heaven, despite the millennia they’d both resided only two miles apart, her in a lakeside cottage on the outskirts of the Silver City, him in the crystal palace in its centre.

Granted, she’d not exactly had a warm and fuzzy relationship with any of Lucifer’s siblings. They all knew what had happened in the garden. Some had been nice – Amenadiel had visited often, even though he’d never had much to say and they’d spent their time together skipping stones across the lake’s surface. But the others had kept her at a distance. She was a bad influence.

Michael, however, was the only angel she’d not ever said one word to.

She’d seen him, now and then, in the early days, when she was the only human in Heaven and, as such, grudgingly invited to divine family get-togethers. On those occasions, she’d spent too much time feeling awkward and out-of-place to pay attention to the sullen figure lurking in whatever shadows were available. The one time she’d glanced his way, it had been to marvel at the stories of people getting the twins mixed up; beyond the raw basics of bone structure, Michael couldn’t have looked less like her old lover.

Bullets sprayed across the hull. Humming, Eve stepped daintily into Michael’s shadow, seconds before they started bouncing off his shoulders and chest.

“It is beneath her,” he muttered.

She made an ambiguous noise. “How d’you figure?”

There came a shout and a splash from the nearest jet ski. The bullets stopped.

“C’mon. She’s Mazikeen. Everyone in the Silver City knows about Mazikeen. Ordinarily, we couldn’t give two dry shits about Lucifer’s minions, but her? She’s a minor celebrity. The power behind Hell’s throne. Christ, it’s no secret my beloved twin couldn’t govern his way out of a paper bag.”

“Yeah,” she said, smiling fondly. “He’s kind of bad at everything. Except music. He’s a great musician.”

More shouting. More shooting. More bullets bouncing off Michael’s torso. Mazikeen rode by, one hand gripping her newly-acquired jet ski’s throttle lever, the other clutching her bloodstained halberd. Watching her circle the enemy, Eve was reminded of a sheep dog.

Michael went on: “And then there’s the fact that for a while, everyone thought Lucifer was going to marry her. It was all anyone could talk about. Jophiel was taking bets on when the proposal would happen. She’d have been High Commander and the Queen of Hell. Instead? All of a sudden, Lucifer takes an indefinite vacay to the mortal realm, drags her with him, and next thing anyone knows, she’s working behind a bar.”

The remaining jet skis and their terrified, wounded riders had been neatly rounded up, which meant it was time for Eve to open her purse.

“Um – how long have those been in there?” asked Michael, watching her take out three grenades.

“You want one?” she offered. “Don’t forget to take the pin out before you throw it. I did that my first time.”  

One thing to be said for millions of dull, dull years spent sitting next to God’s Greatest Warrior, skipping stones across a lake; your aim got good.

The first blast was a warning, not close enough to actually kill any of Bismarck’s men, though the resultant waves did knock several into the water. They tried to retreat, turning their vehicles around, only to remember Mazikeen, corralling them single-handed and now armed with machine guns she’d confiscated from those already bested.

When they saw the second and third grenade incoming, they gave up and abandoned the jet skis, jumping into the sea and swimming for their lives.

“Fuck!” Michael yelped, blocking his ears at the concomitant explosions.

Gazing past the debris and smoke, Eve saw Mazikeen head for the nearest of the two speedboats. Its occupants, preoccupied with aiming a rocket launcher at The Choronzon, saw her coming far too late.

“I get your point,” said Eve, as her girlfriend and her halberd made short work of the crew. “But that’s a really… how can I put this? It’s a really angelic way of looking at things. Maze doesn’t consider anything ‘beneath her’.”

“Wow. Sick burn. You’re basically admitting she has no pride.”

“Oh, she’s got pride. Tons of pride. Her pride’s just dependant on how well she does a job, not on the type of job she has. She wasn’t happy working at Lux, but that wasn’t because she thought bartending was ‘beneath her’; it was because she prefers doing things she’s good at. Customer service isn’t really one of her strengths.”

The second speedboat was abandoned by its crew mere seconds before Mazikeen rammed the first speedboat into it, cackling victoriously.

“Actually,” Eve said, moving from Michael’s shadow to where Mazikeen had earlier set a crate of peach soda – her favourite – out on the deck, “now that you mention it, I guess I’m the one with no pride. Haven’t really ever had anything to be proud of. Your Dad never gave me the chance. I was never meant to do things. I was just meant to be.”

Michael snorted. “Lucky you. Trust me; he may have softened in his later years, but back in the day he never, ever stopped riding our asses. You think Lucy really rebelled because he had better plans for how the universe should be run? Because he was an innovator? Nope. Lazy dick just hated being told to do his chores.”

By the time Mazikeen swam back to them, saltwater had washed off the blood and her ponytail had come loose.

“Oh, hey,” said Eve, gripping her hand and pulling her up. “A mermaid.”

After pressing a rough kiss to her cheek and taking a swig of peach soda, Mazikeen asked, “You okay? He did his job?”

Eve patted the angel’s shoulder – the one that wouldn’t hurt. “He was terrific! Awesome addition to the team.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Michael mumbled.

Ignoring him, Mazikeen snatched up a towel to dry her hair. “Glad to hear it. Alright! Let’s get Bismarck back to shore, get paid, and find a place to have dinner so we can toast Team Hellrazor’s first successful mission.”

“R-A-Z-O-R,” Eve informed Michael. “To make it cooler.” 

0 

Bombshell curls. The only way to celebrate victory.

“Should I even ask why your hair smells like burning plastic?” asked Britney, a sixty-four year old veteran stylist with spectacles and a bright blue bob. She’d worked in Hollywood since she was seventeen and her skilled hands, according to rumour, had tended to Viola Davis herself.

Mazikeen flipped through a magazine with the hand that wasn’t getting its nails painted red-gold by two assistants down on their knees, as intensely focused as if they were touching up The Last Supper. “Blew up some jet skis. Don’t worry about it.”

Picking up the curling iron, Britney said, “That handsome guy you and Eve came in with… new boyfriend?”

“Ha! No. Not in a million years. He’s my intern.”

Eve had only wanted a trim and, as soon as it was done, had dragged Michael away to shop for books and shoes. She was trying, without much subtlety, to work out what he liked; what he did for fun; if he was even capable of having fun. Waste of time, in Mazikeen’s opinion, especially considering that before the end of the week he’d probably run away to some dark hole where he could get back to wallowing in his bitterness. But maybe not. Eve clearly had hope and Mazikeen trusted her judgement.

As the assistants moved on to her other hand, her phone buzzed.

Glancing up to meet Britney’s gaze in the mirror, Mazikeen said, “Get that for me? My nails are wet and it’s probably Eve. Word’s got out what happens to all other humans who call me on a Saturday.”

The older woman’s blue eyebrows bounced as she picked up the phone. “Might be that tasty boss of yours!”

“Nope,” she muttered, old unhappiness flaring hot in her heart. “He only ever calls when he wants me to do something and right now, there’s nothing he can’t do himself.”

Britney held the phone up in front of her face.

There was a message from Linda.

Charlie’s missing his Auntie Maze – see u for dinner Tuesday? J <3

“Uh – are you crying?” asked Britney.

“No!” she snapped. “Just… shut up. Reply for me. Say yes. And add a knife emoji. I always use knife emojis.”

Just then, a white woman with long brown hair and skinny jeans strode purposefully into the salon.

Britney tutted and held up a hand. “Ma’am? I’m sorry, but Ms Smith has booked the entire…”

She trailed off as the woman’s eyes flashed red.

“Chantinelle,” Mazikeen greeted, spinning the chair round and crossing her legs regally. “It’s okay, Britney. She’s a friend. Well – an ally.”

Gravel-voiced, like she smoked heavily, the other demon drawled, “I’m touched, your great and gracious Majesty.”

Mazikeen snickered. “Bitch, get over here.”

With a smirk, Chantinelle marched over and planted a fierce kiss on her cheek.

“What news from Hell?” Mazikeen asked her sister.

Chantinelle briefed her while Britney and the others finished up her curls and manicure. They spoke in Lilim, Chantinelle parking her denim-clad butt on the vanity next to an arsenal of combs and keeping one eye on the door. She’d already tried twice to convince Mazikeen that a queen needed a bodyguard, to no avail.

When their meeting was concluded, Britney said, “So you’re from Holland, right? Oh! It’s a lovely country. My cousin lives there and she’s always telling me to visit.”

(Britney knew they weren’t from Holland. Britney knew they weren’t from Earth. Britney was one of those people who coped with uncomfortable realities like demons in her workplace by ignoring them.)

“Will you be coming home soon?” Chantinelle asked before she left.

Studying her reflection – avoiding her sister’s gaze – Mazikeen said, “Mmm. Yeah. Soon. Just got a few things to finish up here.”

“Well, don’t keep us waiting too long. The family misses you. I mean – it’s been years, y’know?”

“I know. I do.”

“I didn’t know you had a family,” Britney commented after Chantinelle had gone. “How come you never talk about them?”

Mazikeen handed over a wad of blood-spattered cash. “Eh. After a while, I figured out that nobody likes it when I do.”

She began making her way across the mall to Eve’s favourite shoe shop, then stopped when she approached the arcade and heard her girlfriend’s laugh over the beeps and buzzes of various games.

Unsurprised, she wandered in and found her on the Dance Dance Revolution platform, barefoot and skirt twirling as she beat the shit out of someone’s high score, surrounded by a crowd of cheering, applauding onlookers.

Michael stood off to the side, clutching three bulging shopping bags and looking mortified.

“I couldn’t stop her,” he hissed to Mazikeen. “What the hell? What the actual hell? I thought you were trying to maintain a reputation on this crummy rock! What’re your enemies going to think if this is how your allies behave in public?”

“I figure they’ll think something like, ‘Oh my God, she’s tapping that? I am going to literally die of jealousy’,” Mazikeen said, kicking off her stilettos and handing them to him. “Go fetch us some bottled water, wimp. We’ll be here for a while.”

Eve’s competitor on the adjacent platform yelped as Mazikeen shoved him off and took his place.

“Hi, pretty lady,” said Eve, her eyes sparkling. “You know I’ve been dancing for millions of years, right?”

Mazikeen grinned at her and tossed back her bombshell curls. “Bring it, beautiful.”  

Out the corner of her eye, she saw Michael blush bright red. 

0 

What was he doing here?

“We are fifteen miles over the speed limit!”

Mazikeen cackled and drove faster. In the seat beside her, Eve punched the air and turned up the radio until Michael thought Rihanna’s voice would burst even his divine eardrums. (Contrary to his brother’s accusations, he did, in fact, enjoy some types of music. Just not when it was loud or fast-paced.)

“May I remind you of a crucial fact?” he demanded, having to shout to be heard. “It’s not me who’ll die if this thing flips! Angel, remember? You two are the ones who’ll be splattered all over the road! Hello? Is anybody listening to me?”

“I’m a fine-tuned supersonic speed machine,” Mazikeen sang.

The desert outside the cherry-red convertible they’d stolen in Las Vegas was a sickening blur and he hated it. Not that he’d never travelled this fast – though he was slower than just about all his siblings in the air, he could still outpace a jet. But flying under his own power couldn’t be compared to being trapped in this hideous human death trap under the command of a demon and a madwoman.

“I’ll be fine,” he said, this time to himself, gripping his seatbelt with both hands like it was the neck of an angry serpent. “Whatever happens. Even if we crash. They’ll die. I’ll be fine.”

“Hey!” called Eve, turning to look at him, squinting. “Are you really not having fun? Maze! Slow down! He’s not having fun.”

Mazikeen groaned but brought them back to a less terrifying percentage of light speed, while Eve undid her seatbelt and climbed into the back with Michael.

He sputtered. “Jesus H. Christ – you’re not supposed to do that while the vehicle is moving. Rules exist for a reason, goddammit.”

“I’m sorry we freaked you out,” Eve told him, with… confusing sincerity.

None of his siblings had ever apologised for frightening him, Lucifer least of all (“Aww – don’t be so nervous, brother!” and a golden laugh from the brave, adventurous Morningstar after he’d enticed Michael to fly with him into a hurricane for fun and the noise and sight of it had made his twin cry).

When Michael was young, he’d assumed that was because apologies were for lesser beings, like mortals – except that when he’d discovered his latent talent for underhanded pranks, his siblings had all turned around and demanded apologies from him. The pranks had become progressively mean-spirited after that.

Waiting for the other shoe to drop – for the punchline – he said, carefully, “It’s fine.”

The wind had blown Eve’s hair all over the place. As she brushed it out of her eyes, he was reminded that today she’d chosen to wear one of her thin white summer dresses, this one low-cut enough to make it clear that that was all she was wearing.

Now mischievous, she winked at him. “But you know… if I made a habit of following those rules you like so much, I’d still be married and bored out of my mind. Wanna kiss?”

He nearly jumped out of the car.

“Uh,” he croaked.

His gaze flickered past Eve’s inquisitive face to the back of Mazikeen’s head. How long did he have? How many milliseconds left before she turned around and tore out his throat in a fit of frenzied jealousy?

“Hell, yeah!” Mazikeen cheered, throwing up the horns. “One of you take a picture for me. Or, better yet, move over so I can see you in the rear view mirror.”

Eve’s chin tilted downwards as she examined Michael. “I dunno. Doesn’t seem like he’s into it. Er – yikes. Actually, I think he’s gonna throw up. Might wanna pull over, babe.”

“I’m not going to throw up! I just need… just need air. Could you sit back for a moment?” he hissed.

She did so and he got his breathing under control. Crap, his shoulder hurt so much today.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, fidgeting. “I didn’t mean to-…”

“Is this because of him?” Michael snarled, suddenly furious.

“What?”

“Him! Lucifer! He dumped you, yeah? And now you’re – what, trying to get back at him by hitting on me? Or is it just because I look like him so I’m the best substitute you can get, or-…”

She slapped him.

It hurt.

(It really did. What? Since when did getting hit by mortals hurt?)

Mazikeen whistled approvingly.

“No,” said Eve, half-growling. “I’m not like that. I don’t use people like that, Michael.”

He touched the part of his face where her skin had met his. It felt hot. Tingly. He swallowed. “Um – right. Got it.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

The anger in her eyes subsided. “Good. Now, would you like to kiss me or not? It’s fine if you don’t want to. You’ll still be part of the team. This is just for fun.”

Feeling oafish and off-kilter, he gestured at Mazikeen. “Won’t she mind?”

“Nope!” Mazikeen volunteered without hesitation.

Eve, exasperated, huffed, “I already asked her if she’d mind. Do you really think I’d put the offer on the table if I hadn’t? Whatever they say about me in the Silver City, I’m neither frivolous nor disloyal. I didn’t go behind Adam’s back when I fell in love with your brother; I told him to his face what I was doing.”

“Oh. Didn’t know that.”

“Because he didn’t tell anyone. He didn’t care. Adam was a decent man who didn’t love me at all. But Maze does, and I love her, and we’ve decided this is something we’re both okay with.”

“Yeah, most demons are poly,” Mazikeen told him. “As long as everyone’s on board and on the same page, you can hook up with whoever you like.”

“Last chance: kiss or no kiss?” said Eve.

She was close enough now for him to smell her perfume. His chest felt tight. “I don’t like ultimatums.”

“Okay. How about wagers? I bet you anything I’m the best kisser you’ve ever met. Or requests? Please, please kiss me, Michael. Or-…”

She was so warm. Her breath flowing into his mouth felt like drinking hot chocolate on a Winter’s night, sugary heat poured down his throat and filling up his whole chest.

His bones seemed to melt. He slid down the seat, half-pushed, until he lay almost flat with her on top of him, cradling his face in her hands, her thumbs making slow, comforting circles on his jaw.

“Ghnnff-fu-fuck,” he slurred.

That he was hard, and had been hard ever since he’d noticed how low-cut her dress was, seemed almost irrelevant in the face of far more interesting observations, like the soft grunts she made or the way her breasts felt pressed tight against him, until she slid a thigh between his legs.

He cried out. Arched.

“There you go,” she purred against his neck.

Elegant and effortless, she took off her shoes and her panties, and slid down onto his cock with a soft, fluttering sigh. Grabbed his hand and raised it to cover one of her nipples.

Just before he came, he opened his eyes and gazed up, and the sun had moved behind her, draining all but her edges of definition, and the wind had picked up her hair again and sent it billowing up and out, like dark wings. Like his wings.

“Michael! Ah!”

The car stopped.

“Huh,” said Mazikeen. “There’s something you don’t see every day.”

She pointed. Panting, they both followed her finger.

Across the sky, from one horizon to the next, the clouds had arranged themselves into the words

I LOVE YOU DETECTIVE !!!!

-LM

“Oh, crud,” said Eve. 

0 

Fuck the next bounty.

After thinking about it for ten seconds, Mazikeen turned them around and started driving straight for Los Angeles.

Eve can talk to him. Not me. He needs to talk to someone, and Eve will do.

Barely half a mile later, Amenadiel dropped out of the sky and landed in the middle of the road, just far enough away for her to bring the car to a screeching halt before it would otherwise have slammed into him like wet clay into a steel wall.

“We’ve got a problem,” he said, looking exhausted.

She snorted and pointed skyward. “Yeah. This? Not gonna lie, I was expecting something like this. But I thought it would take, like, at least a month.”

Wincing, Amenadiel said, “No, that’s… that’s a different problem and Chloe’s promised to discuss it with him. Maze, we need you back at Lux. Now.”

“Hi, Amenadiel!” Eve called, waving.

He succeeded in smiling at her without even glancing at Michael, despite his younger brother sitting right at her side, glaring fixedly.

“Why?” demanded Mazikeen, tensely drumming her fingers on the wheel. (Inner voice hissing, Shouldn’t have left him alone, you dumb bitch, you’ve been doing this for centuries and you know what he’s like when you leave him alone for more than five minutes.) “Seriously – what could he possibly need me for? He’s God.”

Sighing, Amenadiel put his wings away. “Mazikeen, we’re all well aware that Lucy often… has difficulty focusing. To put it mildly. There’s a lot more for him to focus on now than ever before. He’s trying to undo climate change. To that end, he started refreezing all the melted ice in the Arctic. But he did it too quickly and, resultantly, there are several hundred trapped ships we need to save and several thousand dead penguins to resurrect and, to be honest, he hasn’t really got the hang of resurrection yet – you remember what Dan looked like for the first few hours after Lucifer brought him back to life…”

“Eurgh. Yeah. Yuck. Totes not the kinda shit you’d wanna see in Happy Feet.”

Michael was snickering.

“Right. And then there are all the changes he’s been making locally,” Amenadiel went on. “The expansion of Lux, the overnight disappearance of all Los Angeles’ firearms, his deciding that the city’s white supremacist population should grow a third ear so they can be easily identified, and, well, it turns out that a lot of Chloe’s colleagues at the police station-…”

“I get it, I get it. Chaos everywhere. As usual. What, exactly, is the problem he wants me to fix?”

Amenadiel exhaled heavily. “The demons. The ones you brought from Hell to help us defeat Michael.”

“Oh, so you do remember I exist,” Michael muttered.

Stonily ignoring him, Amenadiel said, “They’re still on Earth and they’re causing trouble. The one called Dromos, in particular. He’s gathered followers and they’ve surrounded Lux.”

Her brother’s face – his real face, not the human puppet he wore – flashed through her mind’s eye; a memory from when they were unruly children and had raced through Hell together, using the stone pillars that they’d not yet known were cells as an obstacle course. She’d been faster; he, more athletic. Together with a few cousins, they’d made a fearsome team, and not even their meanest older siblings had bullied them.

She folded her arms and looked away. “They’re demons. Lucifer can deal with them. Snap his fingers and turn them into rats or whatever. Make them explode.”

“Mazikeen,” Eve murmured, soft and low, touching her shoulder. “You don’t want that. They’re your family.”

Amenadiel blinked, as though that hadn’t occurred to him. “Er… yes, there’s that. There’s also the fact that Lucifer doesn’t want all of humanity to see him as the type of God who casually annihilates his enemies; a harsh, vindictive God. He wants to be liked. To be loved.”

“Fine. So why don’t you and the other angels sort it out?”

“Come now, Maze. A bunch of angels and a bunch of demons waging war in the midst of a bustling city? Humans will die. But you’re the Queen of Hell now and, by extension, the Queen of Demons. If you command Dromos to stand down, he will. This can all be resolved peacefully.”

Eve’s fingertips were cool against her skin.

Mazikeen looked back at the sky. The cloud letters were starting to dissolve. “What does he want?”

“Who?”

“Dromos. He doesn’t act on instinct. He’s a planner. He wants something.”

Shrugging, Amenadiel said, “He shouted at me about demanding an audience with the king. I didn’t ask for details. I don’t really care. Dromos isn’t someone I’m inclined to listen to at the best of times. The last time the wretch showed his face on Earth, he kidnapped my son.”

“Mmm. Kinda like your sister was gonna do. Kinda like you were gonna do, now that I think about it.”

“Maze!” he gasped, sounding shocked and hurt. “You can’t compared poor Remiel’s misguided actions to-…”

“I’ll do it,” she interrupted. “Take me to Lux. Now.”

“Excuse me? What about us?” snapped Michael.

Mazikeen met Eve’s gentle gaze. “You don’t need to be involved in this. My family drama, it – it’s not pretty.”

“My son killed my son,” said Eve, taking her hand. “My husband loved another woman. I’m used to drama.”

Swallowing, Mazikeen glanced at Michael. “And you, wimp?”

Feigning disinterest – feigning it badly – he said, “You showed up to my last domestic dispute. Guess this’ll make us square.”

“I’ve only got two arms. I can’t carry all of you,” Amenadiel pointed out.

Mazikeen rubbed her chin. “No… but you can carry the car, right?” 

0 

He didn’t have time for this. There was so much to do.

“World hunger,” he recited as he bounced from one laptop to the next, all twenty-three of them displaying a different article or video by a leading scientific or sociological mind, “wealth inequality, pollution, cancer, droughts, racism, elderly abuse, housing shortages, cruelty to animals…”

“Lucifer,” said Linda patiently, sitting on his best couch with her legs crossed, a cup of coffee and a laptop of her own beside her. “You said you wanted my advice as to how you should manage this whole ‘being God’ business.”

“I do, doctor! Very much. Your input is invaluable. Blast, where did I put that map of Alaska? I’m thinking of making it bigger; slotting it in alongside the Arctic to help stabilise all that new ice.”

“Right. Thanks. So here – here is what I’m suggesting now; slow down. Seriously. Take a breath, step back, and think your next move through.”

He scoffed. “‘Slow down’? Doctor, I need to work at least three times faster if I’m to keep up with everything. There are people suffering everywhere, millions of them! There are sinners in need of punishment! I’m seriously considering asking Chloe to be my Deputy God. I never imagined omnipotence would entail so much paperwork and she’s always been better at that than me.”

Outside the penthouse, many stories below, the chanting grew louder. None of the human police officers, journalists, and gawkers who’d gathered to watch could understand it; it was in Lilim.

Cursing, Lucifer strode to the balcony and shouted down, “For the last time, would you all kindly piss off? I’m trying to fix an entire planet here!”

He heard the elevator open and moaned. “Detective, not now. Please. I’m very sorry I haven’t returned your calls – I swear I’m not avoiding you – it’s just that I’ve got a lot on my plate today and we did already agree to meet for supper at-…”

“Lucifer,” said Linda, sounding terrified.

“Lucifer,” said someone else, sounding irritable.

Now that he was God, rage didn’t turn his eyes red anymore. It turned them gold and blindingly bright, like spotlights. Fists clenched, he turned to see Dromos step into the penthouse, once again clad in the flesh of the late Father Kinley and wearing a leather jacket.

“Nice trick, making all the doors disappear. Finally decided to climb up the side of the building with a sledgehammer and burrow my way through into the elevator shaft,” said the demon, hands in his pockets and concrete dust coating his beard and his bald head. “I want to talk to you, sire.”

Storming across the room while Linda remained frozen, white-faced, on the couch, Lucifer snarled, “You! You have the nerve to come here, to stand before me, after what you did to my nephew?”

He took Dromos by the neck and lifted him off the ground, his wings opening in fury (he had six of them now).

Stoical even as he choked, Dromos said, “I need. To talk. I will leave immediately afterwards.”

“Oh, you’ll leave, alright! You’ll be lucky if I don’t throw you into an active volcano, you accursed traitor!”

Dromos’ stolen skin began to sizzle beneath his fingers. He waited until the demon’s face was wrinkled with pain before throwing him to the floor hard enough to crack the wood and make a crater.

“I will leave,” Dromos gasped, coughing up blood, “when I have spoken.”

“What could you possibly have to say for yourself? Kidnapper. Child-thief.”

Still on the couch, Linda said tremulously, “Lucifer, you’re… you’re hurting him. Stop it. Please.”

“Let us stay!” shouted Dromos, and coughed again before dragging himself up onto his knees. “On Earth. That’s what I came to say. Let your erstwhile subjects stay on Earth if they choose – at least, those who served you in the battle against Michael. Don’t force them to return to Hell. Let them, let us choose where we live, going forward. That’s my request, your Majesty. My only request.”

Lucifer boggled at him. “Is that a joke? Demons? On Earth, indefinitely, unsupervised? Are you out of your tiny mind, Dromos?”

Baring teeth, Dromos said, “Why not? What does it matter to you now? You’ve got everything you could possibly want. Everything anyone could possibly want! All we’re asking is the freedom to come and go as we please.”

“No.”

He spoke the word bluntly, and then he stepped back, adjusting his cuffs. Regaining his composure. “Never. You’re dangerous and untrustworthy. This world is for humans, not you. Good grief, haven’t I got enough to preoccupy my mind, without the added stress of demons rampaging around town?”

“We won’t rampage. We just-…”

“Why are you even coming to me with this? Mazikeen’s the new Queen of Hell. Didn’t you get the memo?”

Dromos wiped blood from his lips. “I don’t know if my sister and I are on speaking terms right now. And she may be Queen, but you’re God; I assumed you would be tasked with such decisions. After all, there’s never been a demon in charge of Hell before. We were told – we were always told – that only angels could rule us. I don’t doubt Mazikeen’s competence, but I…”

He seemed to run out of steam, spreading his hands and finishing weakly, “Lucifer, you’re the king. You’ve been the king for millions of years. For my entire life. Look, if you really don’t want us leaving Hell, then can you at least use your newfound power to improve it? Let us have the things mortals enjoy? Pianos, dogs, blankets, weekends, all that stuff?”

Lucifer rolled his eyes. “That would rather defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it? Hell is supposed to be a place of punishment. The ultimate consequence awaiting sinners. I need a carrot and a stick, Dromos. How else am I supposed to convince people to behave if I don’t? Imagine a rapist arriving in Hell and being confronted with demons playing pianos and walking their dogs. Wouldn’t have quite the desired effect, would it?”

Dromos was quiet for a moment, then said without inflection, “Perhaps you could find somewhere else to put rapists. Somewhere other than our home.”

Throwing up his arms, Lucifer said, “More demands! Don’t you see how selfish you’re being? Here I am, doing my best to end all suffering, and you’re complaining about babysitting a few evil-doers – which, might I remind you, is your job. Nay, your very reason for existence. Always has been. Why’re you getting stroppy about it now?”

“I think,” Linda began, taking a tentative step forward before stopping and clearing her throat. “Excuse me. May I interrupt? Um. Okay, so I think that maybe Dromos has a point here, Lucifer.”

“Doctor! This is the creature that stole your baby!”

“Yes, I know. And I’m not saying I forgive him for that, but…”

“I wasn’t going to eat the brat,” Dromos grumbled. “I was going to make him a king.”

“You took him away from his mother!” Lucifer shouted.

“Gentlemen!” said Linda, sharply. “Please! Let’s try to talk this through like adults.”

Overcome with frustration, and only vaguely aware that he’d not been sleeping well lately, Lucifer kicked the nearest chair. “I can’t believe you’re siding with him, doctor.”

“I’m not siding with anyone. I-…”

“You don’t know these people like I do. You didn’t spend millions of years in Hell alongside them. The only demon you’ve ever gotten acquainted with is Maze, and she’s not like the others; even without a soul, she’s learned how to behave like a more-or-less civilised adult, barring the occasional tantrum. But your average, baseline demon has nothing to them besides wrath and cruelty. Lilith made them to be weapons and that’s all they really are. I mean – just imagine, for a moment, how hard it was for me. To go from the Silver City, the most beautiful place ever created, to a lightless nightmare realm full of these bloodthirsty animals. To be surrounded by them, for endless eons, while they nattered mindlessly on and on about how much they love torture and pain and…”  

He trailed off. Linda and Dromos were both looking past him.

To the elevator. Where – oh – Mazikeen was standing.

Where Mazikeen was crying.

No sobs, not like when Dan had died. No expression at all, really. Just open eyes, motionless muscles, and steady tears.

Before Lucifer could say a word, she pressed the button to close the elevator doors.

“Wait!” he yelped, sprinting over to stop them.

He needn’t have bothered. Now that he was God, objects did whatever he told them to do. The doors stilled, half-open.

“That sounded wrong,” he acknowledged, clasping her shoulders in apology. “You completely missed the context. What I was trying to say was-…”

“Don’t touch me.”

It was a phrase he’d heard many times before from mortal lovers to whom he had accidentally revealed his Devil Face. Some of them said it in horror. Some of them, the religious ones, said it in anger.

Mazikeen looked neither horrified nor angry. She looked sick. As though the very sight of him turned her stomach.

Lumbering over, Dromos stepped into the elevator alongside her and pointedly pressed the button again. With no idea what to do or say, Lucifer allowed the machinery to work.

The elevator closed.

“What have I done?” he asked Linda. 

0  

Nothing I didn’t know.

“Maze?” called Eve, waiting by the car with the others as Mazikeen stepped out of Lux’s front door and into the sunlight.

The door hadn’t been there when they’d arrived. She’d been forced to use Dromos’ route. Lucifer must have decided to put it back. He could do that now. Just decide things. Didn’t need servants, nor followers, nor anyone. Sure didn’t need a ‘more-or-less civilised adult’ whose kin were animals.

“Maze! Wait!”

Mazikeen didn’t know where she was going, only that she was walking very quickly and felt that she’d die if she stopped. She heard Eve’s heels patter on the pavement and heard her say her name a third time, quiet and worried, and that was what stilled her feet.

“What happened?” murmured Eve, cupping her face.

The fifty or so demons who’d been standing around outside Lux when Amenadiel had set the car and its passengers down were still there. Instead of chanting to get their king’s attention, they were now looking at her.

Michael and Amenadiel stood among them, the latter having been trying to convince them to stop blocking traffic.

Which was what she should have been doing. It was what he’d brought her here to do. But she’d been gripped by a sudden, violent need to see Lucifer, to check on him, just quickly, before tending to her siblings. Once a bodyguard, always a bodyguard.

Except that wasn’t what I was. Not to him. To him, I was a Rottweiler on a leash.

“Are you alright?” asked Amenadiel, his eyes overflowing with concern.

That was what cracked her.

To him. Not to everyone. Not to Eve, or Amenadiel, or Linda. It’s not that I’m incapable of earning love and respect.

I’m just incapable of earning his.

Her legs gave out. She crumpled against Lux’s outside wall and started to weep properly, loud and bitter.

Eve immediately dropped down beside her, holding her tight. Michael shuffled closer, rubbing his shoulder while his mouth opened and shut, testing out sentences that were never spoken.

Then Dromos was there, kneeling, his face sad and tired.

“We did what we were told,” she said to him in Lilim, through sniffles. “We obeyed. We were loyal. We… we…”

“We are alone, sister,” he replied. “But I think we always were.”

“We obeyed!”

“We obeyed Lilith and she left. We obeyed Lucifer and he left. No one wants us, Mazikeen. It’s just the truth.”

She took a shuddering breath and squeezed her eyes shut. “No. I want us.”

Seizing his jacket’s shoulder, she hauled herself to her feet and addressed the crowd, her voice raw: “I want you! You’re my family and I want you! And I swear I will be the queen you deserve, for as long as you’ll have me!”

Her human skin fell away, the left side of her face turning cold, bony, and brittle.

Stepping back to join their siblings, Dromos asked hesitantly, “What would you have us do, then, my queen? What are your orders?”

Hurriedly drying her eyes, she studied them one by one. “Whoever wants to can stay here. But I’m going home. Hell is going to be ours, Dromos. No more damned souls. No more angels. It’s ours now and we’re going to make it into something we can love.”

She turned to face Eve and Michael, her heart pounding. “You’ll come with me, yeah? You’ll stand with me?”

“Always,” said Eve, closing in to kiss her.

“Whatever,” Michael muttered, clearly just relieved that the crying part was over.

Amenadiel sighed, shaking his head gravely. “Mazikeen, are you sure this is what you want? You won’t be able to leave Hell on your own – you’ll need to contact me.”

“Yeah. At least until this one grows his feathers back,” she said, gesturing at Michael. “That’s okay. You’ll always come when I call, right?”

“Of course. You’re my friend, Maze. I’m sorry if I haven’t said that often enough.”

Fuck it. Cringing on the inside, Mazikeen drew Amenadiel into a quick, gruff hug. “You too, idiot.”

TO BE CONTINUED

[that-yandere-life]

Bucky Barnes for nsfw? Thank you. Love your content.

[Thank you so much for helping me celebrate! I hope that you enjoy, and that it was what you were looking for!]

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

At first he probably won’t be aware of what aftercare is, even when he was a ladies man it was in a time where that wasn’t really considered as it should have been. However once you inform him of your needs he will tend to them happily!

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Favorite part of his: His hair, it might not be traditionally considered a body part but after Hydra it’s the thing he likes most about himself. Especially the feeling of you caressing it tenderly, or pulling on it in the midst of passion. 

Favorite part of yours: Your fingers, it goes in tandem with his hair in a way because they are usually touching it in some way shape or form. Pulling, tangling, caressing his hair, or touching his scars carefully, he just wants to be in contact with you. 

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Inside of you most of the time, it would be his preferred place as most Yandere’s when posed this question. While he might not be ready for kids immediately, he does want to have some with you in the future. 

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Upon learning what Pegging is, he really wants to try it with you. Knowing that he trusts you more than anyone else in the world, so he is willing to give up a little control to you. Something he refuses to do in his daily life, after living so long under someone else’s control. 

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

While back in the day he had experience, and he can remember certain things from that time… He will not be experienced as much as you, as things have definitely changed in the 70+ years since then. Don’t worry though, he is a fast learner ;)

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Missionary for the most part, because he wants to be looking into your eyes as he tenderly fucks you, or plows you into the mattress depending on the occasion. Not to mention he wants you to have full access to his hair, as it drapes down over his pleasured expressions.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Bucky deep down is a pretty lighthearted guy, a little sarcastic but in an endearing way. So while he will mostly keep it romantic or passionate, he isn’t above laughing or making a comment to make you laugh. 

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

While under Hydra’s rule he didn’t have any semblance of personal hygiene really, however now he likely will keep it trimmed to your standards. Whatever you prefer is how he will maintain it, wanting to make you happy most of all. 

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Incredibly romantic, as he never thought he would have someone like you in his life after all he went through. Personally thinking the life that he wanted so desperately as a boy was forever lost, until he met you. 

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

On missions when he can’t be with you, purposely saving nude photos or videos of you into his phone for such occasions. [Only after you showed him how to put a password on his device haha] He isn’t shy about it, as he might have been back in the day, especially after you assured him that it was perfectly natural. 

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Worship kink, he will worship every single ounce of you, and the ground you walk on. That’s honestly how much he truly loves you, and how obsessed he is with you. Kissing you from head to toe, only to start over at the beginning. Praising you, and telling you how lucky he is that he has you the entire time. 

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Outside under the night sky and stars is his favorite, because it makes him feel like you are the only two existing in the universe at that moment. As long as he has you beside him, he is whole once again. 

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Whenever you call him Sarge or Sargent, he never thought that it would affect him in the way that it does. Or if you ever decide to dress how they did back in the day, your outfit wouldn’t be on long before it was lying on the floor of your shared bedroom.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Would never want to do anything to really harm you, and would never want to choke you with his metal arm. Even if you asked for it he would be incredibly uncomfortable, even if he is now in full control. Not wanting to use a murder weapon that could potentially be the end of you if he doesn’t know his strength properly. 

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Back in the day he never experienced either really as it was kind of taboo or not really thought about. However now he LOVES both giving and receiving! While at first he will be a bit sloppy and uneducated on what to do, he will read your expressions and noises accordingly to figure out what you enjoy most. When you first went down on him he was a little on edge at the thought, but once you got into it he thoroughly enjoyed it. 

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Depends, after a bad mission it’s going to be fast and rough, he will need to get his frustrations out in a positive manner. What better way than to fuck you into next week? Most of the time however he will start off slow and sensual, before adjusting his pace accordingly to make you fall apart around him.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Most of the time he wants to take in every single moment with you, that being said he isn’t above a quickie if you are both in the mood with little time. Closets, bathrooms, conference rooms, any place that is remotely private. 

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Sexually is really the only time he takes risks anymore, and that’s because the two of you just can’t keep your hands off each other. Often slipping away from events or parties to be with each other. Sometimes you return to the event, sometimes you don’t.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Super Soldier my dear, he can go for as long as you can and then some. However he will be very attentive to you and he will know when you can’t handle anymore. Which is perfectly fine with him because you come first! 

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Likely wouldn’t own any toys at first, but once you introduce them to him he is all for trying practically anything out with you! Expect your collection to grow exponentially as you both experiment with what you like.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

I don’t really think he would be much of a tease, but if he does tease it would be in a very cute sarcastic manner. Don’t make him jealous however, it won’t end well for the other person. Not that he would kill them or anything, but he isn’t above roughing them up a little bit or confronting them publicly. 

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Grunts, groans, not incredibly loud. What is kind of loud is his praising of you, sweet nothings said in the heat of the moment, passionate kissing of not only your lips but anywhere he can reach at the time. 

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Wore your underwear once after losing a bet between the two of you, and found that he actually really liked it. So you bought him some of his own, especially as it is super sexy when his pants come off in private. ;)

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Thickkkk, uncut, slightly above average length. 

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

High, but only since he met you. Before he didn’t even really think about it besides the odd jack off when he couldn’t help himself. 

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Bucky doesn’t really sleep well even now, so he will likely watch you fall asleep way before he would ever give into slumber himself. Always afraid a nightmare might wake you up, causing both of you to lose precious sleep.

[pointnumbersixteen]

A Head Cannon Biography and Character Analysis and of the Captain, Part 7: the Sad Ending

We’ve finally reached the end. I usually like to give a bit of argument before I give conclusions, but I’m going to alter this slightly, so that people don’t start reading, get invested, and then realize they’re reading something they’re not comfortable reading.

That being said: I think the most likely explanation for the Captain’s death is suicide. It’s still head cannon, but I personally wouldn’t bet on anything else at this point.

If you’re not comfortable reading an in-depth analysis of the whys and hows of this or a rendition of what his head space might have been like leading up to it, for whatever reason, or you simply don’t believe it’s something he’d do, I made another post for you to refer to called ‘Alternate Endings’ that gives different options.

...

Now for the argument:

World War II ends in August of 1945. The Captain most likely never saw any combat. He was unable to find the sort of validation that might have given him accordingly. He’s a forty-six year old captain with a dead-in-the-water career. And unfortunately for him, the British government is deeply in debt. It cannot financially sustain the over three million man army that it built up for the war. It has to downsize back to pre-war sizes (less than a million), eventually even smaller, as with the advent of nuclear bombs, the air force and navy have become more important than the army. Two out of every three people in the army, at least, have to leave it. This was a process that took a few years, but at the end of the war, everyone knew it was coming. A lot of people only joined for the war and are demobilized once it’s over, but not everyone wants to be. Decisions have to be made on who is staying and who is going.

And the Captain is just the sort of person who’d end up on the ‘go’ list. His men don’t respect him. He’s far too old for his rank. He hasn’t received a promotion in twenty years. There’s probably at least some suspicion about his sexuality. Meanwhile, there are plenty of much younger men, artillery captains who joined for the war, who upon taking a look at the harsh post-war economy, decide that they want to stay in. They’re good at their jobs. They’re popular with their subordinates. They likely have young families, wives and children, to support. They have the sorts of personalities that can impress the higher echelons. They have the potential to make major. These are the kind of men making it onto the ‘stay’ list. When you have to get rid of every two out of three people, that’s the way these things go. And to make things easier when the time comes, you put the people you want to keep in the better commands, and you suggest to the people that you don’t want to keep that maybe they should look into other options, to save yourself from having to get rid of them later on.

At Button House, preparations are underway to stand down the unit and return the estate to its owners. The individuals who joined for the war that want to go home once it’s over are preparing to be demobilized. The rest are getting ready to be reassigned. At some point the Captain goes to talk to higher echelons about his own reassignment and gets the absolutely crushing bombshell: “Actually, we ‘strongly encourage’ you to take early retirement.”

(I experienced research failure trying to find out what British military pensions looked like at the end of WWII, so I’m stuck going with the modern version and hoping it’s the same, or at least fairly similar.) Essentially, if you stay in until you’re sixty, you collect full pension, but early retirement is available for anyone over the age of forty with more than twenty years in, receiving about a third of what the pension would normally be. So, they’re not suggesting putting him out with nothing, but it’s not a lot, either.

He would argue, of course. Ineffectively. He doesn’t have the sort of interpersonal skills necessary to convince any of these people. His main arguing technique seems to be being forceful and persistent about what he wants, but that doesn’t work on people who outrank you.

Again, I’m not sure whether they could have quite officially forced him out or not, at that juncture. But it would be easy enough to unofficially force him out: just suggest that there have been suspicions about him for a while and maybe, if he doesn’t want to cooperate, it’s reached the point where there should be an inquiry about it. And if anything’s found, he won’t get early retirement, he’ll be kicked out and probably sent to jail in disgrace. And even if nothing’s found out, or can be proven, his reputation will be ruined just by the question of his sexuality being officially asked and even then the only reassignment he’ll get is something pointless and tedious, sorting out-of-date records or the like, until the inevitable juncture is reached, within the next year, where he CAN be officially forced out due to government mandated personnel cuts (the first round of which were in ‘46). And eventually he’d have the sense to stop arguing and acquiesce. Because really there is no choice for him. It’s ruin or worse ruin.

But: the army is the only thing he has.  

He’s been in the army at least half his life. He has repressed the person he might have been and lived his military persona that entire time- longer, even, if you head cannon as I do that there was military boarding school involved, in which case he’s been living that persona since he was eleven years old. He’s institutionalized. He can’t think of himself outside of the military. It’s his entire identity. He can barely remember who he was before daddy decided to ‘man away the gay.’

He certainly can’t picture letting his stuffed-down repressed gay self out. That’s still against the law. That will still be against the law for another twenty-two years (male homosexuality was decriminalized in England and Wales in 1967). And if Havers is dead, the only person he might have ever considered taking the risk for is also dead. Maybe he even blames himself a little for that death: he didn’t try to stop Havers leaving, when he clearly wanted to. And it’s been eating at him for years.

In the perspective of his time, he’s too young to properly retire, and the pittance of a pension he’s being offered probably would only cover the basics anyway, he wouldn’t be overly comfortable, but he’s too old to start over with another career that he’d be better suited for, or that he’d enjoy, or that would make him happy. I personally think theater would have been his choice if he’d ever been able to make one (one of these days I’ll back that statement up), but there would have to be that voice in the back of his head telling him even if he wasn’t too old for it, he’d be no good at it: he played the role of the Captain for twenty years and still didn’t do it well enough to convince anyone.

He can’t picture any future for himself at all.

And he has to consider himself a failure. Never made major. Never saw combat. And now the army wants him gone.

He sees himself failing at his entire life’s work. The thing that composes the entirety of his identity is being taken away from him. He can’t live any sort of authentic life; that just isn’t an option in 1945. He has nothing to look forward to and nothing to live for. Which leaves one option.

I’ve been there. Luckily, it was the one point in my life where I’ve actually had access to decent mental health care (CBT is lovely, guys, or at least it did positive things for me), but solid mental health treatment didn’t really exist back then, either. Luckily, I didn’t go through with it. But I think the Captain did.  

He probably fought with the idea for a long time. Until his retirement date was nearly on him. Suicide had a significant stigma back then. It was the ‘coward’s way out,’ as it used to be looked at, and whilst he was a lot of things, a coward wasn’t one of them. But as the appointed day got closer and he couldn’t picture a future past it, he realized he just couldn’t face it.

And then the appointed day arrives, for him to leave. One way or another.

He’s a squeamish man (again, not a coward, courage is a matter of backbone, squeamishness is a matter of stomach). He can barely look at the plague victims. He was shocked by Pat’s bloodless arrow through the neck. He’d want to avoid a gory death. He probably wouldn’t shoot himself. Honestly, the army probably never gave him a gun to shoot himself with. But the forties was a time in which the deadly potential of pharmaceuticals was well known, but they still weren’t particularly well controlled yet. Given the war, he wouldn’t have been nearly the only person seeking sedatives, and the local doctor or chemist probably wouldn’t think twice about giving him a supply. Had anyone slept well since the Blitz, after all?

His uniform is already packed away in his foot locker, and he’s wearing the civilian clothes he’s supposed to leave Button House in, but he decides that isn’t right. He decides he wants to die with the uniform on. It was his whole life, after all. Even 75 years after his death, when they do the ‘what would you wear if you could’ discussions, he can’t even imagine himself in anything but his uniform.

Of course, he’s distraught. If he decided to take the common combination of alcohol and sedatives, perhaps he’s already started drinking. Either way, his mental state is such that when he puts the bits and pieces of his uniform back in place whilst looking at himself in the mirror, he fails to entirely account for the fact that the mirror reverses the image and his ribbons are backwards. When he’s done getting dressed, he salutes himself in the mirror, as you see in the opening, and then goes through with it, taking the entire supply of sedatives at once, and dying shortly thereafter. (Word of god says that both the reversed ribbons and the mirror are important, after all.)  There are no marks on his ghostly-self because the method of death didn’t leave any.

No doubt he was surprised to find himself a ghost, but perhaps not disappointed. Most people who consider suicide don’t actually want to die, they just can’t bear to go on living the life they’re leading. And as a ghost, he could continue living out his respectable military persona for the rest of eternity. The other ghosts don’t necessarily know how he died. I wouldn’t put it past the army to say, ‘let’s write this one off as a heart attack,’ to avoid the paperwork and embarrassment/scandal of having one of their officers kill themselves on the day they were supposed to retire  Maybe none of the other ghosts know better (I’ll go into this more in an upcoming post). Or maybe they at least have the tact not to say. I think he would prefer them not knowing, because of the stigma, though.

But that’s why he won’t let go of the trappings of the military even 75 years after his death; the entire reason he died is because he couldn’t let go of it. And that’s why he’s the Captain, instead of going by his name, whatever it is. The person with the name is someone he’s ashamed of, a failure and a degenerate (in the views of his time), while the Captain is the ideal he had tried to live up to. The Captain is the person he’d rather die than not be.  

Of course, this is (as Pat tries to point out to him every now and then) mentally unhealthy. But every bit of repression he put himself through or that was forced upon him in his life, including staying in the military as long as he did when he wasn’t suited for it was mentally unhealthy, too, and there was no recourse available to him for it in his time.

 To add a few points to this argument that are outside of the direct narrative: in s1e1, during his second (I think) argument with Fannie over her late-night screaming, he seems willing to hear her out until she starts hinting about her ‘actual’ death, at which point he yells over her that he doesn’t want to hear it, he just wants the screaming to stop. He seems a bit desperate about it, actually. I think he was operating under the assumption that she also killed herself, and that it comforted him a bit, that the oh-so-proper Lady Fannie Button also committed suicide (since again, there is a stigma) and he didn’t want to be told otherwise. When she brings up the topic again, when they’re discussing Julian pushing Allison out the window, he tries to stop her again (despite the fact that since they’re not in the middle of an argument, he has no reason to), but ineffectively.

Also, from the standpoint of the narrative, the writers have to explore how everyone died eventually. There are only so many variations of ‘accident’ and ‘homicide’ you can do and keep things engaging. I can’t see the writers not going with at least one suicide, if only to have a different situation to explore. Robin and Kitty are the only other deaths we have no clues about, but I don’t see either of them as candidates for suicide. And it would make sense to portray the repression and oppression the Captain faced in his life as having consequences. It did often enough in real life. The suicide rate in the LGBT community has always been unfortunately high.

 I’m going to stop here, with his death, since all seven parts together are pushing 12,000 words, not counting the interludes, or the forthcoming post-script. I’ve got plenty more to write, about events after his death, his relations with the other ghosts, and even (more) things that were happening culturally while he was alive that might have interested him that I couldn’t work into this, but I had to end this piece somewhere, and since it’s a head cannon biography, I thought the appropriate place to end it would be his death.  

 If you’re experiencing serious depression or thoughts of suicide, please seek help. Things do get better; you just have to make it that far.

 And if you actually read all seven parts, please know that I adore you. I know it’s been really, really long. When I posted the first part, it took more than a day to get its first note and I started worrying no one would look at the wall of text presented and ever want read it. So, whether you agree with me or not, thank you for making it this far.

[writersrealmbts]

Tangled Hearts

Description: Hybrid!ot7 x reader: You have seven hybrids and life with them can be both good and stressful. Some days are better than others, but in the end, you know that they’re always there for you, in more ways than one.

Angst/Fluff/Suggestive Stuff/SFW

Posted: 10/18/2019

Tags: poly!bts, multi, ot7, hybrid bts, Monsta X cameos

Wordcount: 22,844

A/N: Hope y’all are ready for this. It’s a long one. A really long one. And it is pretty angsty, so sorry about that, also I used Monsta X characters in this as well. I hope you guys like it since I finished it for the celebration of 2,000 followers I reached a while ago. It was also a sort of request/suggestion from months and months ago about the quirks of hybrids. I really hope this doesn’t flop like most of the rest of my works.

You woke up, frowning as you tried to figure out why, then groaning as the rapid thumping occurred above your room once again. “Kim Taehyung would you stop scaring Hoseok!” You heard rushed footsteps as Taehyung tried to get away before you could catch him in the act.

You caught him by the tail on the stairs, and dragged him back to Hoseok’s room, where the bunny-hybrid was hiding under the bed, foot thumping against the bed again. “Apologize now,” You ordered, releasing the tail and crossing your arms.

Taehyung snatched it and held onto it with a strangled sound. “But—”

“Taehyung! I would like to remind you that you were both the person who kept me up until two in the morning and the person who woke me up when the sun wasn’t up yet,” You warned. “And I swear to God if you still have whatever bug or creature you scared him with in my house I won’t get you any frogs for two weeks.”

His eyes widened, and his cute ears twitched. His gray and black ringed tail was still held in his hands. “S-sorry, Hoseokie-hyung.”

Hoseok just made a squeaking sound that was the closest he could get to coherent.

You took a deep breath. “Get whatever it is out of my house, you will be apologizing later. No frogs for a week.”

Tae slumped, but rushed out.

You crouched down and held out your hand, waiting for Hoseok to register it, then letting out an “oof” and falling on your butt as he slammed into you. “Hey, it’s okay, Hobi. I know, he frightened you. Woke you up with a snake, didn’t he?”

He nodded, his heart beating so rapidly and he was still so upset, foot thumping against the air. “Sorry. Waking. Sorry.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind being woken, I mind that it was Taehyung doing it for the fifth time. I’ll have a serious talk with him later, okay. Just breathe. You want some carrot juice this morning?”

He nodded again, finally starting to calm down.

The two of you stayed that way until he looked up at you sleepily.

“There we go,” You said softly, smiling down at him.

He relaxed completely and grinned up at you. “Better check on Seokjin-hyung. Tae was in his room first. He might kill Tae.”

You groaned. “Head downstairs. I better get everyone moving.”

He got up and nabbed a sweatshirt as he exited his room, checking the hallway before going out just in case.

You headed into Yoongi’s room, stripping the blankets from his form in one quick movement and calling for him to get up.

He groaned. “But it’s morning…”

“And you didn’t eat anything after dinner tonight and your doctor wants you to gain at least ten pounds. If you’re going to embrace being partially nocturnal, eat accordingly. You can go back to bed after you’ve had some food,” You told the mink-hybrid, ignoring the groaning and the grasping for blankets. “Don’t make me dump water on you. I already had to deal with Taehyung this morning.”

“That raccoon is going to be the death of all of us. Let me kill him first.”

“Play nice and get up. Don’t forget to make your bed.” You headed to the next room, humming softly as you entered so you wouldn’t startle Jungkook.

He rolled over and looked in your general direction. “They’re loud.”

“Sorry, pup,” You helped him get up and laid out an outfit for him. “I’ll send Jimin in to help you?”

He nodded, feeling the fabrics and starting to unbutton his pajama shirt.

You went to Jimin’s room across the hall and easily woke him with some pets and the promise of bacon if he was a good boy and helped Jungkook change. Dogs were definitely the easiest.

Namjoon was already awake, but his nose twitched and pulled out of his book to look and acknowledge you. “Morning.”

“Morning,” You replied, both aloud and with your hands, signing as well that it was time to head downstairs for breakfast.

He nodded and closed his book. He ducked and rubbed his head against your hand, then against your arm, purring as he did and heading downstairs.

You headed to the last room, noting it was open and that Jin wasn’t inside.

You hurried downstairs to find a sulky Taehyung getting a glare from the fox-hybrid.

“It was just a joke, hyung.”

“Did anyone laugh?” Jin snapped back, a growl lacing his words.

Namjoon looked at you, completely lost.

You signed “snake” and pointed at Taehyung, then Hoseok and Seokjin.

Namjoon shook his head and took a seat, hitting Taehyung’s arm. “Be nice. They’re always nice to you.”

Yoongi slunk in and dropped into a seat as well, head on his arms and snarling slightly when Hoseok bumped into him on accident. He muttered an apology that he wasn’t awake yet.

Hoseok looked more amused than anything and started poking and prodding the sleepy mink.

“Morning!” Jimin called, leading Jungkook to an empty seat.

You started throwing breakfast together: Carrots into the juicer, bacon into the frying pan, and frozen waffles into the oven. “Someone sign for Joon while we go over today’s agenda?”

“I’ll do it,” Jin agreed.

“Okay, so, we need to weed the garden and I need to go pick up more plants for it, so that’ll be two different teams. Jungkook, can you empty the dishwasher and wash the dishes from breakfast?”

“Sure,” He replied, his tail slowly thumping against the chair. He sounded nervous and determined. He emptied the dishwasher fairly regularly (you hand-washed sharp knives so that he would be safe), but didn’t usually wash the dishes that didn’t fit himself.

“Someone dry the dishes for him to make sure they’re clean and refill the dishwasher. We’ll do hot-dogs and grilled vegetables for lunch, so I’ll need the veggies washed and ready for cooking when I get back from the store. I need someone to inspect the rooms before breakfast is ready—”

“I’ll do it,” Hoseok volunteered.

You nodded. “You know where the clipboard is. After lunch, we’ll rest during the hottest hours of the day, then we can head out to pick berries. Come back, eat dinner, go swimming. Sound good?”

There was a chorus of agreement from the boys.

“What’s my night-time chore?” Yoongi asked, rubbing his face.

“Clean the kitchen, eat another meal, fix the door to the shed. It’s getting stuck.”

He nodded and slumped back over.

You put his plate in front of him first since he had to have very specific portions as well as extra supplements.

Hoseok started to dart upstairs for room inspection, but you stopped him and gestured for him to eat.

Jin took over and told you to go ahead and go take a shower and get dressed since your morning routine had been disrupted yet again.

You showered and dressed, made your bed (which wasn’t that hard since you barely got to sleep in it), and went back out to find all of them gaping as Taehyung stared bleakly at the waffle he had impulsively “washed” in the sink.

“It’s alright, I put extras in the oven. Here, wash an apple,” You intervened, smiling gently and opening his hands, putting the fruit in instead. That was why you had a garbage disposal installed.

He washed the apple thoroughly, then hurried back to his seat where Jin had put waffles and bacon, buttering the waffles for Tae so that he wouldn’t be tempted to try and wash them again.

Namjoon patted Taehyung on the shoulder. “It’s okay. We all do strange things.”

“Jungkook, you’re about to put your hand in the syrup,” You warned, guiding his hands to the silverware and then taking over from Jin so that he could eat since they all ate twice as much as you and you honestly just had a smoothie in the morning lately. Strawberries, blueberries and banana with orange juice and some protein powder and you were good to go. Though Jungkook always insisted on smelling your breath. It was weird, but no weirder than when Jimin would lick you when you had worked up a sweat.

Speak of the devil, he was giving you the side-eye, an evil grin on his face. “No boyfriend today? It’s been a while.”

It had, but the last time your boyfriend had been over had been…disastrous. They had all behaved like little monsters and it took you four hours to clean the house afterward.

“Well, I have these hybrids that don’t know how to behave when I have company over,” You replied, giving him the eye. “My trash-panda trashed the house with the help of my normally sweet and loving Labrador. My sweet kitty pretended that nothing existed if he couldn’t hear it, and he can’t hear anything. My Malamute decided that he was going to be hostile. The mink I so lovingly rescued absolutely demolished my couch and my fox ran away and hid. And my bunny, my sweet, lovely clean bunny, decided to come down with a sickness that doesn’t actually exist and scare the bejeebers out of me. So no, my boyfriend won’t be coming here until you all learn to behave better around strangers. Which is why after we’re done swimming tonight, I’m going to his place.”

They all froze, staring at you.

Then they started protesting all at once.

“He scared me! I can’t see him and the smells were all over the place! But you can’t go there! What if he’s a serial killer?”

“What if his hybrids attack you?”

“It was a good book!”

“Yoongi started it!”

“I am not a trash-panda!”

“I really didn’t feel good!”

“I am always sweet and loving!”

You rolled your eyes.

“They could hurt you!” Yoongi added as they all started to quiet down.

“They haven’t hurt me before,” You countered. “And I work with my boyfriend, we go through a ton of different background checks. If he is a serial killer, he’s a very good one if he can pass those tests and have hybrids trust him. Now, who’s coming with me to the store?”

Namjoon raised his hand quickly, reading your lips.

The others raised theirs a split second after, but you were pretty sure Jimin had been first.

“So, Namjoon and Jimin. Yoongi, enjoy your nap. Taehyung, you help Jungkook. Hoseok, and Jin, get to work in the garden?”

Taehyung perked up at the prospect of not weeding right away with the others. “Yes, ma’am!”

The others nodded their agreement.

You nodded. “Let me do my makeup. Brush your teeth and get your shoes on.”

“Okay!” Jimin signed the instructions to Joon, then hurried upstairs.

Jungkook looked slightly nervous with Jimin leaving his side, but he’d been getting better about it with every week he lived with you. He trusted the others now, especially Hoseok, Seokjin, and Namjoon. He was still a little jumpy around Yoongi and Taehyung, the latter of which tended toward spontaneous sounds and actions that Jungkook couldn’t see coming.

You tried to push him as much as possible, gave him more responsibilities, brought him into new situations, and reminded him to use his other senses. He’d relied on Jimin for years, unable to do anything else because he was told constantly that he wasn’t able to in his former situation. It was hard to get Jimin to not protect and care for Jungkook.

Then there was Namjoon, who’d been in an accident with his former owner, the result of which left him deaf and abandoned by his owner’s family. The betrayal had left him so broken, and yet your little kitty had quickly warmed up to you as you taught him again how to use sign language and worked with him on reading lips. He’d been with you longest.

Jin was your most recent addition to your household, and he’d been with you for two and a half months now.

“Y/n, are you sure…” Hoseok started, setting the clipboard down. “Are you sure that you’re happy with your boyfriend? You never seem happy when you come back from hanging out with him. And his hybrid’s scent…I know it really bugs Jungkook, and Yoongi…and Namjoon. Especially Namjoon.”

You looked over the room inspection sheets, not surprised by Hoseok’s findings. “I take care of all of you all day, I organize your days, I make sure you all eat properly, and I try to love you all as much as I’m able to. My relationship isn’t perfect. I know that. But…” You sighed as you struggled for the words to say what you needed to.

“You…need to get away from us?”

Your eyes widened. “No! I just…I need someone to take care of me sometimes. I would never try to burden you all with my problems. You all have so many of your own, and sometimes there are things that I just can’t share with you guys. Well, I could tell Namjoon as long as he wasn’t looking at me.” You ran a hand through your hair, feeling even more frazzled. This day was not going as you planned.

Hoseok was tugging on one of his ears, thoughtful but sad. “I understand.”

You looked over his face. “Do you?”

He met your gaze, then looked down. “I think so.” He leaned forward and nuzzled your shoulder affectionately.

You quickly welcomed his affection, kissing his temple and stroking his hair.

“We’re…ready…” Jimin announced, looking worriedly between you and Hoseok.

Namjoon came over and pet the bunny’s head, gaining Hoseok’s attention before signing something over your shoulder.

Hoseok nodded and pulled away. “I’ll go make sure Taehyung doesn’t get Jungkook hurt.”

“He’s not completely irresponsible,” Jimin pointed out.

“He had a snake in my house, he’s not entirely responsible either,” You argued, folding your arms. “Thank you, Hobi. Also, could you check on Jin. He seemed…quiet.”

“That is a problem.” Hoseok hurried off to find the eldest.

Namjoon hugged you from behind, nosing at your hairline so lightly it sent chills up your spine. “We’re ready when you are.”

You nodded, grabbing your purse and extricating yourself. You looked through and then groaned. “Who took my keys?” You yelled.

You heard a lot of scampering sounds from multiple offenders as they hastily retreated in different directions.

“Y/n?” Jimin said hesitantly.

You took a deep breath and then dropped your purse. “I’m going back to bed. One of you get the keys back. We’ll get groceries tomorrow. Tell everyone lunch is whatever the hell they can scrounge up.” You headed upstairs, ignoring Jimin’s whimpers and Namjoon’s worried and confused call of your name.

Yoongi’s head snapped up guiltily as you came into your room.

You marched over and grabbed your pillow and favorite blanket and marched back out, ignoring his inquisitive looks.

You went down the hall to Jin’s room, going in since you knew he’d already taken off for the garden and curling up in his bed. You pulled the covers over your head, hugged your blanket and pressed your face into it to release the scream of frustration and anxiety that the day had already brought you.

It wasn’t even 8:30.

They left you alone, Jin only slipping in a few hours later, sitting on the edge of the bed and petting your back through the blankets before leaving you alone again.

It was around 11:30 that Jungkook came.

“Y-y/n? Um…Jin-hyung and Yoongi-hyung made us lunch…do you…want someone to bring you something?”

“I’m not hungry,” You replied softly, cursing your voice for wobbling.

“Oh…okay…” His footsteps retreated hesitantly, a whine evident in his voice.

You pushed your face into the pillows, reaching for your phone in your pocket only to realize it wasn’t there. You’d managed to nap in between the bouts of frustrated tears.

But now you were angry, because there were only two that could have taken it.

You got up, roughly making the bed before going downstairs. “Jung Hoseok, if you or Namjoon have my phone, you need to give it back right now.”

Hoseok looked startled. “I don’t have it, y/n.”

Jimin had translated for Namjoon, and the way he seemed to get interested in the food on his plate said it all.

All of them shrunk away from you.

You took a deep breath, trying desperately not to have a meltdown on them. “Why?”

Namjoon seemed to be shrinking by the second, despite not knowing what you asked.

“Y-y/n?” Yoongi said, looking nervous. “I…I’m sorry I took your keys.”

“Why did you take them? You knew I was going to the store. We just discussed it.” Your eyes were tearing up, and it made you even more upset because you didn’t want to cry. You were angry.

“Because we could live without groceries, but I couldn’t stand the thought of you leaving us tonight to go visit that stinking—”

“Yoongi,” Hoseok hissed, punching the mink.

Adding hurt to your list of feelings, you knocked on the counter in front of Namjoon.

He finally peeked up at you, then pulled out your phone from his pocket.

You signed “why”.

His gaze dropped back to the counter. “I just…I wanted to know what he talked about that was so special….”

“Happy with what you found?” You asked aloud as he glanced up at you. You shook your head and looked away from him and Yoongi. “I am beyond frustrated right now. Do you think it’s easy taking care of all of you? Doing all of this, and working? Can’t you guys just make some days a little easier? Maybe follow the rules for once, or eat of your own volition? Maybe try not to destroy what little bit of sanity I manage to maintain on bad days? Maybe stop antagonizing me over trying to have some sort of love life?”

It wasn’t fair to some of them. It wasn’t fair for them to be getting these words when they had done nothing wrong.

But you were crying now and the words just didn’t want to stop.

But you had to stop them, so with a choked sob, you turned and fled back upstairs, locking your bedroom door and pulling the dresser in front of it for good measure.

You left your phone down there again.

You stripped the sheets because they were covered in mink and malamute fur, quickly remaking your bed before sliding between the taught blankets and sheets, hugging one of the extra pillows. You shouldn’t have gone downstairs while you were angry. They were all in various stages of recovery, and outbursts like this were the equivalent of two steps forward and five steps back.

“Y/n?” Jimin called through the door, voice wavering. “Please let me in. Please?”

You squeezed your eyes shut.

“It’s okay, y/n. They know they messed up. No one is mad at you, or hurt. Well, you’re hurt, so please let me in?” His voice became plaintive, stronger now and yet still soft.

You would probably regret it.

But you moved the dresser and unlocked the door.

He slipped in, growling at whoever tried to follow him and locking it again. He pulled the dresser in front of the door for you and then turned and opened his arms.

You hugged him as tightly as you dared, and he hugged you back. “I’m doing everything wrong.”

“No you’re not.”

“Then why doesn’t anything ever go right? Why am I so toxic?”

“You’re not toxic, y/n,” He quickly corrects you, thumbs on your lips to keep you quiet so he could talk to you. “You’re not. It’s just…a bad day. It started out on the wrong foot, and then someone greased the floor.”

You snorted, recognizing your own words. You’d said them to him a few months back, the day after Jin had arrived and Jungkook was struggling and Jimin had a bad day that he accidentally took out on Jin.

He smiled, then pressed five kisses all long your forehead before carefully kissing/licking the tears from your cheeks. “You know, Yoongi felt so bad about it once he realized why you were…initially upset that he ate a whole lot. Because he knew that if you were mad at him, you’d at least be happy that he ate a proper meal. Even if he is disrupting his natural sleep-cycle.”

You groaned. “Oh god, he’s going to be a zombie until we get him back on his schedule again.”

He quickly shushed you. “Don’t worry about that.”

You kept bonking your head on his shoulder. “How can I not?”

He chuckled. “See, this is why you’re perfect. Even when you’re mad at us, you still worry about us.” He nuzzled into your hair.

You heard a car door and flinched. “What was that?”

He looked just as bewildered as you, but went to the window. “Uh oh.”

More car doors.

“What uh oh?”

“I better go tackle Yoongi. Your boyfriend is here. And he brought his hybrids.”

You felt your heart drop to your stomach and you and Jimin rushed downstairs to prevent bloodshed.

The boys all looked warily out the front windows through the blinds.

You rushed to the front door and outside, hearing protests from Yoongi and Jungkook (who heard the front door open) and ignoring them as you rushed up to your boyfriend. “What are you doing here?”

He smiled down at you. “Wow, some greeting. Hi to you too.”

“Hi, what are you doing here? And with your hybrids? Are you trying to get someone hurt?”

“Look, the only way they’re going to accept me is if they know everything about me, including my hybrids. I told them to be on their best behavior, so don’t worry.”

“You do remember what happened the last time you were here, right? And it’s already—”

“Have you been crying?” He asked, gently wiping at your face.

His one hybrid, Jooheon, whimpered a bit. “Y/n? You smell sad and angry, and scared? Is everything okay?”

You groaned. “I’m fine, it’s just a bad day here. Which is why this is an especially bad day for you all to be here.”

He folded his arms. “Are you sure it’s not just an excuse?”

“Excuse me?” You folded your arms.

“Are you sure you’re not just using your hybrids as an excuse to push me away?”

“Y/n!” Yoongi called out in a growl.

You closed your eyes. “Do you really think you’re not already in enough trouble?” You asked, turning to look at him.

He nodded toward the house. “Jin-hyung’s having one of his attacks.”

“I swear to god if you’re bluffing I’m gonna wring your furry tail,” You warned, hurrying inside, your boyfriend only steps behind.

Jin was spasming on the ground, definitely having a seizure.

“What’s wrong with him?” Wonho, one of your boyfriend’s other hybrids, asked softly as you and Shownu rolled Jin onto his side as the spasms stopped.

Shownu checked his pulse, watching his watch while you timed how long it took Jin to start to come out of it.

“What’s going on?” Jungkook asked worriedly.

“He’s out of the seizure, we’re just waiting for him to recover,” Shownu answered.

You saw Jungkook shrink away more. “Jungkook, Hoseok, could you go make sure Jin’s bed is ready for him? He’ll want to rest. Yoongi, Taehyung, take Namjoon into the backyard. I’ll send Hoseok out to get you when you can come in.”

There was some hesitance from all of them, but slowly they murmured their assent and left.

Jimin crouched beside you, glancing sidelong at you as if he would see the explanation.

You just shook your head slightly. You should have known Jin would have a seizure. You’d suspected he wasn’t okay that morning. But no. You were so self-centered that you neglected one of your main duties as caretaker of all of them.

Shownu met your gaze as you looked away from Jin, and sort of held onto it. “So…really bad timing?”

“The worst,” You agreed, sighing in relief as Jin started to come out of it. “You should back off so he doesn’t freak out.”

He backed away, waving his hybrids closer to the front door.

Hoseok came back with a blanket, one of Jin’s. “For the smell.”

You nodded, carefully tucking it under his head. “When he’s recovered enough, can the two of you help him to bed?”

They both nodded, but Jimin caught your wrist.

“You couldn’t have prevented it,” He reminded you.

“But I should have seen it coming. It’s my job to see it coming.” You pulled out of his grasp and headed past your boyfriend and outside.

His hybrids went and got into his van, but he stayed beside you. “They’ll never accept me.”

“We don’t know that—”

“Yes, we do. I do. I get it now.”

“Please don’t do this to me today,” You whispered.

He nodded, turning and pulling you into a hug. “Okay. But how much longer are we going to keep kidding ourselves?”

“You can break up with me tomorrow. Just…leave it for today.”

“I…still need a date for the wedding this Saturday. Why don’t we call that our last night? End it on a high note?”

You nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

“And I’ll still be around if you need me. We work together, after all. It would be awkward if we…”

“Yeah. Might take a while.”

He nodded, petting your hair a bit before heading toward his van. “Jin might want to scent you. It’s comforting to them.”

You nodded, waving as he drove off.

You went back inside after a few minutes to try and compose yourself, heading upstairs to where the boys had already moved Jin.

He tiredly reached out for you and you obliged, crawling under the covers and into his arms. “Y/n.”

“You want to scent me?” You asked softly, smirking slightly has Jungkook huffed jealously.

Jin did it instead of answering, he was obviously exhausted and in a bit of pain, but his body seemed to relax a bit more as he breathed you in and covered you in his scent. His hands gently rubbed your back, and he curled around you, head in the crook of your neck. “You smell so nice now.”

“I didn’t before?”

He hummed, not committing either way.

You sighed, and ran your fingers through his hair. “What did I smell like before?”

He breahted in carefully and then seemed to press a kiss to your neck. “Anxious. And depressed.”

You let out a little scoffing breath and curled up slightly.

He wrapped around you a little more. “Are you okay?”

“We’re breaking up. After the wedding on Saturday.”

He stiffened. “What?”

You just nuzzled into his body.

“Y/n?”

“It’ll be amicable. Has to be.”

He tilted your chin up. “Don’t break up with him because of us.”

“He’s breaking up with me,” You told him. “We just aren’t the right fit.”

He nodded slowly. “I’m sorry, y/n.”

You shrugged, shivering and grabbing at the blankets. “It’s just the way things go sometimes. How are you feeling? Headache? Muscle soreness?” You rubbed your hands on his back and sides, massaging his shoulders.

“I’m just tired. A little sore.” He sat up, nose twitching. “Also restless. They’re arguing.”

You sighed. “How bad?”

“It’s pretty hushed, so I’d say it wasn’t too bad.” He sighed. “Do you…do you think that I’ll ever…fit in with them?” He whispered, sounding so sad.

“You do, you do fit in. They love you.” You pushed yourself up so that you could rest your head on his shoulder. “I love you.”

He started petting your hair. “I love you too.”

——

“Y/n? No boyfriend tonight? It’s been a while,” Jimin asked teasingly, leaning on you with his arms draped over your shoulders. “His smell isn’t on your clothes as much as it usually is.”

You ignored his questions and teasing, guiding his arms to hold you instead of dangling and blocking your view of the book you were attempting to read. It was honestly the first time you’d found any of them getting on your nerves ever since day a couple weeks ago and you were determined to just ignore it as long as you could.

“Don’t you want to go see him? Cuddle up and smooch him?” Jimin kept teasing, ignoring the grumpy looks he got from Taehyung—who preferred to be your cuddle partner if at all possible.

You sighed and started to reread the page.

“Leave her be, Jimin,” Jin said softly.

“Oh, come on! What? Are you preparing to bring him over here again?” He asked, rubbing his cheek on your hair and giggling at the way your hair tickled his face. “I know we’ll need to be on our best behavior. You could make your homemade bread, and we could clean the house really nicely. Though, no promises on enduring the mushy-gushy stuff.”

You hummed and tried to refocus on your book, shifting slightly to bear his weight more comfortably.

“I mean, at least he’s not clueless about things like how to take care of hybrids. And he makes you happy, right?”

“They broke up Jimin, leave her alone,” Jin said, shoving Jimin off of you and then cuddling up next to you in a way that prevented the others from touching you. Very protective.

They were staring now, and you heard something drop to the ground.

“Y/n…when?” Namjoon asked, coming over to stand in front of you, then crouch when you wouldn’t look at him.

You flipped back to the page you had been trying to read the whole time when you realized you hadn’t absorbed it. Again.

“After the wedding they went to together. Now leave her alone.” Jin signed it as well, then nuzzled up to you again.

“He’s pretty bossy for the new guy,” Tae muttered.

You looked up at that. “Tone.”

“Sorry,” he immediately apologized.

Namjoon looked confused, but also resigned to being out of the loop. “What happened?”

You shook your head. “It wasn’t working. We both agreed. We’re still attempting to be friends, especially since we work together. Now, can we not talk about this anymore? Guess I’m done reading. Guess I better get ready for work. Jungkook, are you still coming into the office with me?”

He nodded, scrambling to his feet and tripping over Hoseok’s legs.

Jimin caught the malamute, setting him back on his feet.

“Thanks hyung.”

Jin hummed getting up with you and holding onto you still. “Do you have to go?”

You wrapped your arms around him and hugged him tightly. “You can come too.”

He perked up. “Really?”

You nodded. You were worried about him. He’d been lethargic all week and if he was going to have a seizure, you’d rather he be with you. At least at the clinic he could get taken care of should anything go wrong. Maybe he was getting sick-sick. Besides, you had your own office and you thought it’d be nice for Jungkook to have someone from home. Like a security blanket. And you wanted to try and get Jin to bond with at least one of them a little more strongly. So far the only sign of attachment you’d noticed was both him and Yoongi finding solidarity in their need for some quiet. But Jin still struggled with sign language so he couldn’t really talk with Namjoon. Taehyung was so unpredictable and Jin so easily startled that things had been sort of touch and go. He was okay with Jimin and Hoseok but still so quiet.

But you’d noticed that he’d naturally look out for Jungkook and seemed comfortable around the Malamute, and Jungkook seemed comfortable around the fox.

Jin was bounding toward the stairs, guiding Jungkook who for the life of him couldn’t figure out how he wasn’t to the first step yet in his excitement.

“How come they get to go? Why are you playing favorites?” Taehyung asked, and you didn’t think anyone could have a more heartbroken face.

“I don’t think Jin’s feeling well and I want to be able to keep an eye on him. Besides, you get bored at my work and end up causing me trouble. You and Jimin can play video games since all of the chores are done. Someone make sure Yoongi wakes up at dinner time and eats a good meal?” You shoved a few things into your bag and headed for the front door. You were already ready for work, you just needed shoes.

“Yeah, we’ll make sure he eats,” Jimin said, following you.

So were the others.

Honestly, ever since that day a couple weeks ago, the boys had all been acting a little strange. They were more cuddly, got along better, broke the rules less….

You looked them over, noticing that Taehyung was still pouting. “Come here, trash panda.”

He made an indignant sound even as he hugged you.

“It’s not even a full shift. I’ll be home in six hours, and then I have the next two days off. We can watch that foreign film you wanted to. I do need to do some canning on one of the days, though. Hoseok, are you still taking Namjoon down to the farmer’s market?”

He nodded. “We’ve got the list of things you wanted us to see if we could get. I’m just glad we can go there without getting in trouble.”

“Take a phone with you, just in case. Mrs. Taylor said she’ll keep an eye out for you, too. Tae, release, I need to give them money.”

“How come I can’t go to the farmer’s market?” Tae pouted as he released you, watching your every movement as you pulled out your wallet and got the money you had withdrawn for the farmers market.

“Because you can’t abandon Jiminie and you know he can’t do the market.”

“I’ll take you next time, Taehyungie, I promise,” Hoseok said, lovingly hugging his younger brother.

Tae snuggled up to the older easily, pout turning into a bit of a smile.

Jimin hugged you. “I’m sorry I teased you,” He whispered. Then he was sniffing you, nose pressed against your skin.

“Jiminie?” You asked, because he sniffed you more.

He pulled back and tilted his head, brow furrowing. “What’s wrong?”

“Um…nothing, you were just getting a little zealous with the sniffing.”

“No, you smell…what do you smell?” He muttered, smelling you again. You ignored the answer your mind supplied of “depression, anxiety and residual teen angst”.

Namjoon leaned in to sniff as well, curious about what the dog was doing, and he sort of flinched back nose wrinkling.

Sure, they’d sniffed you before (especially right after showers) but…the only time they’ve ever flinched away like that was when you were rank and you really knew it (curse fitness day, and your boss for coming up with it). Or that one time when a skunk-hybrid came in and he was one of the rare ones that still had the glands that emitted that foul, foul odor. They didn’t even flinch away when you were sick.

You gently shoved Jimin away, feeling a little insecure now.

But Tae was behind you and he sniffed you too, and made a weird noise.

And Hoseok’s nose was twitching now.

Jungkook came stumbling down the stairs. “I’m rea—” He froze, nose scrunching cutely. “Y/n?”

“I’m fine. I don’t know what you guys are smelling, but I’m fine. I’m gonna be late. Seokjin! We need to leave!”

“Sorry, coming, sorry.” He came down the stair more gracefully than Jungkook, and headed straight for the door.

You took the chance to follow him out, despite the boys protesting.

“Y/n, that smell,” Namjoon said, looking worried as he caught your hand. “I don’t like it. It…it scares me.”

You rubbed your forehead. “There’s nothing I can do about it right now. I’m going to be late. If I still smell like it tonight, then I’ll go to the walk-in clinic after I drop Jin and Jungkook back here. Okay? Stay safe at the farmer’s market,” You told him, making sure to mouth it clearly as you tried to escape his hold.

He finally released, but he still looked worried.

You were climbing into the car when your phone rang with your work coming up as the contact. You groaned, expecting to get scolded or something, then quickly answered.

“Y/n? Hey, you better not come in. The skunk hybrid is back. We’ve had to close the clinic. Boss said if you can finish those files and presentation and send them in before your shift would have ended he’ll still pay you for the time you would have been here,” Shownu gagged. “Oh, no. He got Kihyun.”

“Okay, good luck.” You rubbed your forehead again, as if it would make that hint of a headache disappear. “Thanks for calling me.”

“No problem. Oh! I gotta go!” He hung up after a strange sound in the background.

“So…we’re not going?” Jungkook asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

You started the car. “Why don’t we go out for lunch and then to the park?”

“Seriously?” He perked back up and you could hear his tail thumping against the seat.

“If that sounds okay to Jin.”

“Can…we get ice cream?” Jin asked carefully.

“Sure!” You pulled out of the driveway. “And to make it up to the boys we’ll stop at the regular market and pick up some of their favorites since I have the next couple days off.” Thankfully some of their favorites were the cheapest things you could get.

“You do a lot of canning?” Jin asked.

“Oh, yeah. Same with the garden, it just helps cut costs which allows me to take care of you better. Besides, some things are better homegrown, especially for you guys. And then we get whatever else we can from the farmer’s market.”

“Didn’t your father help you get the garden started? Back when you first took in Namjoon?” Jungkook asked.

You nodded. “He did. Told me I’d need a bigger garden than I had planned, helped me figure out what to plant where, and helped me set up the indoor herb garden. I should go visit him. I just need to candy some of those peels before I go so I can trade with him.”

“Candy peels?” Jin asked, sounding lost.

You looked in the mirror and smiled. “Lemon, orange, grapefruit, a few others. If the boys manage to get strawberries I’ll candy some of those as well. I think you’d like those.”

“You don’t make that much at the clinic, do you?”

You shrugged. “Enough to set some aside into savings. Besides, Hoseok had so much crap given to him when he was little that if he has too much he gets sick, and Yoongi basically lived off of what he could find to eat in the forest. I lived this way with my parents too. Plants grow. Might as well use what nature is growing for us.” Plus when you started you definitely weren’t able to put any into savings, and you still had that slight fear that it would happen again. Especially with so many hybrids. You had a better paying job now, at the clinic, but you still sometimes dreamed that you couldn’t afford proper meals for you or your hybrids and had to call your dad to bail you out. Again. And of course your dad was always angry in the dreams, even though you didn’t think he knew how to be angry in real life. He’d turned really zen after he started keeping bees.

He hummed thoughtfully. “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten that you’ve foraged?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Your weird and my weird are probably very different.”

“Okay, something you think Jungkook would think is weird.”

You shrugged again. “Nettles.”

It was very quiet, and your head decided to remind you that it was resolved to develop a headache.

“How?” Jungkook asked breathily, sounding horrified.

“I mean, if you prepare them properly they don’t hurt you. I would only eat them as a last resort though.”

“Okay, what’s the weirdest preserve you’ve ever made?” Jin asked, sounding more comfortable asking questions.

Your mind glossed over all of the things you made from the time you could remember to today. “Um, maybe the Queen Anne’s lace jelly. It was good, but strange.” You squeezed your eyes shut for a moment at the red light. It’d been a long time since your breakfast at 5 a.m. and your stomach was really telling you about it.

“So all those canned goods we were using up in March and April were things you preserved?”

“Yeah, and weren’t they so good?” Jungkook asked, grinning. “I really like her pickled carrots.”

“That’s because you should have been born a bunny instead of a dog.”

Jin laughed, and it was a wonderful sound that had Jungkook laughing as well.

You pulled into the parking lot, feeling…weirdly shaky. You slowly pressed on the brake.

“Y/n? What’s wrong?”

You stared at the steering wheel, then shakily reached over and put the vehicle in park as your vision went wonky. “Can’t…need to park…”

“That smell,” Jungkook whimpered again. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Y/n?” Jin climbed over the console and cupped your face in his hands. “Her heartbeat is really fast…and I don’t think she was sweating this much at home.”

Someone behind you honked.

Your headache was getting much worse now.

“Can you pull into that parking space?” Jin asked.

You looked at it, and you knew you could, but you also didn’t know how you could. “Not okay.” You’d never felt like this before.

Jin disappeared again just before you closed your eyes, but Jungkook very quickly took his place, fumbling to find you and then nuzzling up to you.

Your door opened and you heard Jin talking to someone, but your vision swam when you opened your eyes and you were shaking more than you did when you were shivering from the cold. It was tremors, tiny but so widespread that you felt you wouldn’t be able to even pick up your phone.

You knew you faded in and out, remembered Jin murmuring that you fainted again, probably telling Jungkook, who was whimpering every time you came to.

“See, she’s looking better already,” Someone really cheerful said nearby.

“Actually, I can’t,” Jungkook answered dryly.

“Don’t be rude,” You murmured, rubbing your eyes and looking around you. “Um?”

“Don’t worry, your blood sugar got a little low. We’re running tests to see what could have caused it. When did you last eat?” The nurse said, and you could see now that you were in some sort of medical facility.

“Uh…about five this morning? How did I get here?” You sat up, despite her coming towards you to hold you down. You definitely felt better than before. “What happened?”

“You fainted after your blood sugar dropped, someone at the restaurant called an ambulance and we got you here as quickly as possible. You’re very lucky it wasn’t something worse.”

You frowned, looking over to Jin and Jungkook.

Jungkook seemed to share your opinion about the overly cheerful nurse, but he stayed beside Jin, one hand clutching jin’s shirt. You were sure he was probably terrified.

Jin looked relatively calm, comparatively. “When will she be released?”

“As soon as we know she’s stable, and the doctor gives her the okay. I’ll go see how we’re doing on those tests,” She gave you a smile that was just a touch too big and exited.

Jungkook darted over and was wrapped around you in a couple seconds, licking your cheek in his stress. “We didn’t tell the others yet. The doctor said you’d be okay and Jin said you’d probably want them to stay home and the only way to keep them there was to not call them. Because I know if we told them, they’d all come here and they barely let us in. She’s not happy about us being here but the others said it was fine and that you’d probably recover better with us here.”

You curled into his strong arms. He’d taken to working out about a month before you took in Jin, saying that if he was going to be unable to see things he might as well be strong enough to take care of anything else that came at him and you were proud of him for it. Even if he hadn’t shown any other signs of stepping out of his comfort zone or detaching from Jimin as much. Hybrids were naturally pretty strong, having slightly higher metabolisms and energy that led them to exercise.

“Sorry about lunch,” You murmured, lovingly rubbing your nose against his jaw.

He smiled softly, and a hand came to find your face before he pressed a careful kiss to your forehead. “I’m just happy you’re okay. That smell is gone now, too.”

Jin climbed onto the foot of the bed, sitting attentively.

“They’re going to know the moment we walk in. Oh, crap, the car!”

“It’s in a parking spot at the restaurant. Will you even be allowed to drive?”

“I better,” You moaned. “I’m going to have to ask someone to take us there.” Which meant either calling your father, or your ex.

Jin handed you your phone.

You sighed, staring at the screen for a second, and then texting Shownu to call you if he wasn’t busy. “I don’t even know when I’m getting released. I just want to go home. And eat something. I’m still hungry.”

Jungkook pressed another kiss to your forehead, then your temple, then your cheek. So soft and careful.

You smiled at him even if he couldn’t see it.

Then your phone was buzzing as the call came in.

“Hey, Shownu,” You murmured.

“Y/n? What’s up?” He sounded worried.

“Um, first, how are things at the clinic?”

“Fine, we got it mostly cleaned up. I managed to avoid it, and all of the hybrids that were hit are…still bathing. What’s wrong?”

“So, I’m okay, but I’m sort of at the hospital. It’s nothing serious, I just fainted because of low blood sugar or something, but my car is at this restaurant and—”

“Whoa, back up! Low blood sugar? Hospital? Y/n, what happened?”

“I’m not really sure. I was taking Jungkook and Jin out to lunch because the others were acting weird and I was already in my car to come to work when you called last time and I just didn’t want to deal with it, so I drove to the restaurant but my head was hurting and my vision went all wonky and I knew I needed to pull into the parking space but I couldn’t figure out how to do it, and I was shaking, and then I guess I fainted or something and I woke up here, and I’m going to get discharged eventually and I need my car but it’s on the other side of town and my dad lives two hours away.” You sighed, leaning onto Jungkook again. “You’re only person I knew I could call.”

“Are you going to be allowed to drive?” He asked.

“I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to? The nurse seemed pretty convinced that I was fine.”

“Okay. I’ll bring Wonho just in case you can’t.”

“That’s right, he got certified to drive…I should look into that for one of the boys.”

Jin looked away from you, ears turning red.

You arched an eyebrow and then listened to the quiet on the other end for a second. “Are you sure you okay doing that?”

“Yeah, y/n. I’m sure. We’re…friends. I care about you. Even if we’re not dating. Even if you’re clueless.”

“Hey now, don’t insult someone in the hospital.”

“Which hybrids were with you?”

“Jungkook and Jin.”

“Alright. I’ll be there in about half an hour.” He hung up after you thanked him again.

Jungkook huffed slightly, sniffing your hair.

You looked over at Jin. “What was that about?”

“Oh, um, I finished the first part of the certification…” He looked at the ceiling. “But then the seizures started.” Being a hybrid made the process twice as difficult, but a hybrid with epilepsy? Out of the question.

“It’s okay, Jinnie. It’s a thought for later anyway. Have to budget for it.” And then decide who was the best choice for it. You thought Hoseok would be a good choice.

“Alright!” A doctor came in with that, making both hybrids jump.

Jungkook’s grip on you tightened.

“Whoops, sorry, forgot to knock. So, we ran some blood tests and it looks like it was hypoglycemia. It causes your glucose levels to drop to low and can result in various symptoms, such as blurred vision, vision changes, dizziness, lightheadedness, shakiness, fatigue, weakness, rapid or pounding heartbeat, excessive perspiring, headaches, nausea, hunger, anxiety, irritability, or confusion.” He looked over a chart as he listed the symptoms.

“Sounds familiar,” You murmured.

“Indeed. Now, we’re looking into the causes but from your bloodwork I’m going to guess it’s hypothyroidism.”

“My mom had that,” You replied, mostly hoping he wouldn’t try to go into excessive explanation. “Well, she had Hashimoto’s.”

He nodded. “Alright, I’ll order another test. Hopefully we can catch it if that’s what it is. But otherwise, I’m going to have you finish that I.V. and then give you a prescription for a low level thyroid medication. You’ll have to follow up with your physician to see how the medicine is doing and to check your thyroid again. As for the hypoglycemia, try to eat very regularly. Maybe five small meals instead of three a day. If you can’t do that, then carry around some snacks or drinks with high carbohydrates: bread, rice, cereal, fruits, juice, or milk. Eat when you’re hungry. And pay attention to what your hybrids say, then can smell when the chemical balance in your body changes and can alert you to lowering blood glucose.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

He nodded and headed back out.

Both boys were quiet.

Shownu got there just as they removed the I.V. He stayed back, quiet as well. He didn’t say much other than a quick hello to all of you.

When you finally were released from the hospital, you followed him to his car.

Wonho sat on the roof but he dropped to the ground and gave you a smile, patting your head. “Glad you’re okay.”

You nodded, then made to climb into the backseat but the boys took it and left the passenger seat. They had picked up some food for you and the boys as well.

Halfway to the restaurant, Shownu sighed. “Your other hybrids don’t know?”

“Not yet. Didn’t want them trying to get to the hospital.”

“Are you cleared to drive?” He asked, but then he glanced at you. “Nevermind. You still look exhausted. Just let us drive you back. Otherwise I’ll worry.” Too kind. You had liked him because of how kind he was. But the two of you were just…wrong for each other. It wasn’t a good fit. You may never know why.

“I’d appreciate it,” You replied softly, leaning your head against the window.

You must have dozed off because you woke up to Wonho carrying you inside.

The other boys were standing around worriedly, waiting to get to you.

You rubbed your eyes as you were set on the couch. “Thanks, Wonho.”

He gave you a pinched smile. “Shownu said not to forget the project for work.”

“Right, I’ll get that submitted. Thank him again for me? And say hi to the other boys?”

He nodded and headed back toward the door after nodding to the boys and whispering something to Jin, who was at the entrance of the living room, far away from the others.

Probably because Yoongi looked livid.

Jungkook was wrapped in Jimin’s arms.

The front door closed and there was a ten second silence that followed, broken by Yoongi’s growl.

Feral and furious.

You met his glare calmly. “Yes, Yoongi? Would you like to comment on the fact that something happened that was out of my control? Or was it the fact that I had to ask Shownu for help since I couldn’t very well ask any of you?”

A snarl. Too upset to speak.

“Or maybe it’s because neither Jin nor Jungkook told you all that I ended up at the hospital, since they knew it was a bad idea? Or maybe you’re mad because I left even though I didn’t have to go to work?”

A hiss. So you were still wrong.

“Okay, then it must be the fact that my ex-boyfriend and I broke up because he knew my hybrids wouldn’t accept him. Now, I’m still not sure why he got that impression, perhaps you’d like to enlighten me?”

He looked shocked.

You arched an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t know. Now you do. Care to guess?”

None of the others were looking at you now. Even Jungkook was facing away.

Namjoon was angled so he could still read your lips but it didn’t look like he was looking.

Yoongi slowly came over and sat beside you.

You waited silently.

“What did the doctors say was wrong with you?” He finally asked.

“They think I have thyroid issues that caused me to get non-diabetic hypoglycemia. I just need to make sure I eat regularly, and carry snacks around. Once the tests come back, they’ll decide if I need a prescription for thyroid medicine. He thought the smell you guys caught was actually an indicator that my blood sugar dropped, so if you smell it again I should eat.” You were glad the question game had worked. You’d found that if you threw questions at Yoongi when he was upset beyond the point of words he would calm down enough to work through what was bugging him. And it also gave him an idea of your thoughts on the matters, things you thought he might be upset about but would upset you if discussed.

Hoseok always murmured that it scared him, because the first couple times he thought you and Yoongi would get extremely hostile with one another, but now it just made him uncomfortable because it wasn’t the tactic for him and he knew it worked exceptionally well for Yoongi.

Yoongi turned his head slightly your way.

You stroked his head, then his ears, smiling as he flopped onto your lap, curled up. You stroked his back. “I’m okay, Yoongi. Just a little tired. Not tired enough that I won’t wring the tails of anyone who snapped at Jin or Jungkook.” You grabbed his tail.

The sound that came out of his mouth was a clear indication that he had, in fact, snapped at one or both of them.

You squeezed slightly.

He flipped over. “No, no, no. I’m sorry! It just scared me to see you like that!”

You let his tail run through your fingers. “Apologize to those you snapped at.”

He pouted.

“Properly,” You added, for good measure.

He deflated and rolled off of your lap, trudging over to Jin with a bowed head. “I apologize for snapping at you. I regret that I jumped to the conclusion that you didn’t look out for y/n like we would, and I’m sorry for saying that. I know you looked out for her, otherwise Jungkookie-ah would be mad at you too. You probably handled it better than I would have.”

Jin just dipped his head slightly.

You bit your lip, looking away and meeting Namjoon’s steady gaze.

He signed he was glad you were okay, then he glanced over at Jin and Yoongi before nodding to you and heading over. He took Jin’s hand. “Oh, hyung, could I sleep with you tonight?”

Jin brightened up slightly and he nodded.

Yoongi trudged back to you as they headed upstairs. “I don’t think Seokjin-hyung likes me.”

“I think he’s shy,” You replied. “But I did expect him to integrate more by now. Did I miss something?”

“I’m…I’m not really sure how to approach him,” Taehyung said, quickly cuddling up on your other side. “I scared him last time. Actually, I’ve scared him every time.”

Jimin was rubbing his hands together, staring at them while Jungkook clung to him instead. “And I didn’t want to scare him with my hugs. I remember what you told us about his other home.”

“Jimin, he loves hugs. Taehyung, he loves hugs. Yes, he is easily startled, but he’s also very strong. It’s hard for him. You all had been together for at least a year when he came here, most of you longer.”

“He has big shoulders,” Jungkook murmured, smiling a bit. “He let me hide behind him at the hospital. He knew a lot too.”

“I try to always tell him that his cooking is good,” Hoseok said, looking guilty with his long ears fully back against his head and neck.

You sighed. “So you do want him to stay?”

They all regarded you with looks of surprise.

Jungkook looked panicked. “Why wouldn’t he stay? He’s staying, right?”

“Of course he’s staying,” Yoongi growled, but then he sighed. “We just have to make sure he wants to stay. The first month we couldn’t help, he was in and out of the clinic because of his seizures and he barely was awake. But Namjoon was right, we need to up our game.”

“Namjoon?” You asked.

Hoseok nodded. “He said he was worried about Jin because he’d noticed that Jin was starting to smile more, and then he pulled away again. He didn’t know what happened, though. We just noticed that he was even quieter and he stuck closer to you. But part of that might have been because he knew about you and Shownu breaking up.”

You nodded a bit. “Some of that was me seeking him out, yeah.”

“Why did you tell him?” Taehyung asked, a little pouty.

“I knew we were breaking up before the wedding. Found out on the day that shall not be discussed. I just needed to tell someone, and I felt safe telling him.” You sighed, letting your eyes close. “Who’s going to help me up to my room?”

“My turn!” Jimin shrieked out before the others, quickly abandoning Jungkook (who looked pretty disgruntled that he wasn’t really able to help you to your room because of the whole “seeing” issue) and wrapping around you.

You squeaked as he actually picked you up to set you on your feet before nuzzling into your neck, giving it a subtle lick.

“Need to scent you,” He murmured, then pulled you toward the stairs. “My turn to sleep with you.”

You sleepily thought through the list and realized that you’d slept with a different hybrid cuddling you each night, but that it had been over a week since Jimin got a turn. “You’re right, it’s your turn. You’re overdo for a turn. Thank you for being patient, Jiminie.”

He leaned in and kissed your cheek, arm around your waist instead of pulling you by your hand.

“Why’d I get a house with stairs?” You grumbled.

He just laughed softly, but stopped when you stopped him by your door so you could quickly check on Namjoon and Jin.

They were both asleep, Namjoon purring a little in his sleep as he spooned Jin. Jin looking surprisingly small in the cat-hybrid’s arms.

You closed the door again, going back to Jimin, who had his pajamas now, and heading into your room. You changed in the bathroom while he changed in your room, then you crawled into bed with him, all cuddled up.

“Hey, y/n?” Jimin whispered as you were feeling your sleepiest. “What Shownu said…we know what he meant, but…it might take us a while to show you or explain it. Please be patient with us. We love you so very much.”

You hummed back, unable to respond any other way because you couldn’t even summon the energy to part your lips.

He pressed a light kiss to your forehead, then shifted so your head was on his shoulder.

Even better.

———

You stared as your mind tried to process what you were seeing.

Namjoon shifted, smiling shyly as he held a rose out to you.

You smiled back, stepping forward to take the rose from him. “Thank you, Joonie. It’s lovely.”

He grinned, dimples appearing as he looked to the ground.

You looked to the table that was set for two. “Did you cook?”

He shook his head quickly. “Jin-hyung made most of it.”

You nodded. “Probably for the best.”

He looked at the table. “It’s not the fanciest dinner in the world….”

“But you prepared all of this for me, and I’m sure it will taste just fine,” You reassured him, signing as you spoke just to make sure he got the whole message.

He purred loudly in response, pulling you into a hug and rubbing against your cheek, a hand just below your throat to feel any vibrations that would alert him to you talking to him instead of giggling.

You let him rub against you for a while, then gently pushed him back. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

He nodded enthusiastically and pulled your chair out for you, eager to please, apparently.

You sat watching as he hurried, and tripped, and then managed to sit down across from you before also serving you.

The two of you made had small conversations, but he seemed nervous and shy, despite knowing you for the last four years. It’d been a long time since you’d seen him this shy.

You signed that he looked handsome tonight and he started getting a tinge of red to his face as he looked down at his plate. You felt a twinge in your stomach, watching those delightful dimples, the way he bit his lip and covered his mouth as he laughed shyly. Just one of the many things you loved about him.

He seemed so anxious to make sure you enjoyed yourself, which mostly amused you but also made you slightly wary.

You didn’t dare to ask until the credits were rolling from the movie the two of you watched after dinner. “Can I ask why?” You asked with your hands.

He tilted his head, sleepy purr slowly stopping in confusion.

“Dinner? This, all of the other boys being mysteriously quiet, it’s a little suspicious,” You explained.

He looked down at his hands, then hesitantly signed, asking if you hadn’t enjoyed it.

“Of course I did,” You replied aloud, then turned his head so that he could see you sign it with a smile. “I always enjoy spending time with my kitty.”

He smiled again, but he still looked nervous.

You watched him, seeing him debate with himself, the internal conflict evident in the way his ears kept twitching and swiveling and the restless flick of his tail-tip.

He scowled after a moment.

You reached up and stroked his head, and he melted, leaning into your touch. You shifted closer, rubbing his head with both hands as he basked in the attention.

His eyes opened again after a few moments, and he looked at you so softly you thought you would melt. It really had been forever since you’d had any real time with your kitty, your first hybrid.

He leaned in and suddenly his lips were on yours, softly and barely brushing, but a kiss none-the-less.

You looked at him, surprised.

He looked a little scared, but also…without regret. His hand rested gently on your neck as he leaned in again, lips more firmly in contact with yours this time.

You closed your eyes. Those questions from back when you first took him in coming back to you now that you could answer them. And yes. Yes, he was a very good kisser.

His arm slid gently around your back, pulling you just a little bit closer as he kissed to your ear. “I love you, y/n. But not the way we’ve been pretending. I love you in a romantic way, I just never knew how to tell you. I didn’t know if you’d accept me still, even if you didn’t return my feelings. Then you brought more people for me to love as well.”

You breathed in sharply, but didn’t make a sound so that he could keep talking.

“We were all upset when you started dating, and we realized we were all in love with you. We weren’t sure about Jin-hyung because he was still new when you started dating, but we found out that he loves you this way too. And you act as though you’re ours, y/n. You act like our mates. Can you tell me that you’ve never admired us?” He whispered, his voice stronger now. More confident. “I’ve seen you. The way you blush when Jungkook doesn’t have a shirt on. The way you seek out Yoongi’s embrace when you’re feeling uncertain. How Taehyung brings a smile to your face when you’re feeling sad. The way you watch Jimin and Hobi when they’re dancing. How upset you got when you didn’t think we were getting along with Jin. How you look to me when you need someone to support the choices you’re making. Even Jungkook knows how much you love us, and he’s blind.”

You turned your head slightly away from him.

His voice got gentler. “I bet that’s what Shownu saw. He saw that you were our mate. Because we weren’t trying to hide it, and maybe we should have. Or maybe his hybrids smelled it. The way we coated you with our scents. The claiming scent Yoongi gets the moment your boyfriend is ever mentioned. You even let me kiss you. Would you let the other boys kiss you too?” He was teasing you now.

You signed into his hand. ‘Would you?’

“We started kissing each other a while ago,” He answered, deliberately changing what he knew you meant. “Consoling one another because you were off with someone that wasn’t one of us. Jin was the only one I hadn’t. Wish I had done that earlier. Foxes are good kissers, not as much tongue as the dogs and not as nippy as minks. Still as shy as bunnies, though. And a little playful like raccoons.” He placed playful little kisses on your neck, giving little examples of what he said as he said it and making you shiver under his touch. A playful purr rumbled through his chest.

Then his lips were pressed to yours once more before he met your eyes again. He was calm and confident.

You stared back, still unable to form words.

“What do you think of that, y/n? Of all of us loving you, romantically?” He asked in a low voice. God, that voice. “What do you think about the fact that Yoongi would love nothing more than hold your hand everywhere? Of Jimin’s not-so-innocent hugs, desperate to feel your body against his? Of Jungkook working out just to get your attention? Hoseok knowing exactly what he does to you when he’s dancing? Taehyung purposely causing trouble so that your attention will be focused on him 100%? Jin so desperate for you to love him as much as the rest of us that he studied all of your cookbooks? Of me watching you, not always so that I can see when you look at me or speak to me, but because you look so damn attractive no matter what you wear? Or that we’ve all imagined you carrying our offspring?”

You met his gaze, unwavering. You were a little too shocked by all of this new information. You sometimes wondered if Hoseok had been teasing you on purpose (you weren’t blind), but always dismissed it.

“Carrying kits,” He murmured, cupping your face in his hands, “Or pups.”

You swallowed hard.

“That’s the funny thing. You have six different breeds in this house, and if you were bear any offspring of the five that aren’t dogs they’d still be called kits. Would you like that, y/n? To be full of our kits and pups? I’ve read some scientific studies, and I bet you were attracted to all of us because you can bear all of our kits and pups.” He started kissing at your neck.

Your fingers tangled into his hair.

“Still nothing to say?” He chuckled, sucking at your skin. His hands unabashedly touching your waist and stomach, roaming your back.

You turned your head to mouth a word into his skin.

He pulled away to look at your face, uncertain of what you said.

But a loud thump caught your attention, and your head snapped toward the door as a low groan was heard after the thump.

Namjoon growled, probably guessing what it was you heard from the look on your face.

You took the moment to catch your breath and pull away from Namjoon, going over to the door and opening it after hearing the whispered scolding going on behind it.

They froze, staring at you.

Jungkook winced. “Told you she heard us.”

Even Yoongi’s eyes were wide at getting caught.

Hoseok and Jin weren’t with them.

You folded your arms, looking over the youngest three and your second oldest. “So only Jin and Hoseok were the smart ones?”

Jungkook grabbed Yoongi’s shirt, looking nervous.

Jimin and Taehyung were still on the floor, staring up at you in alarm.

Namjoon was growling at an increasingly louder volume, like he was worried he wasn’t doing it audibly.

You got a weird gut-feeling at that moment.

You looked over the boys, then stepped over Taehyung and walked down the hallway, knocking on Hoseok’s door since Jin’s was open and empty.

He called for you to come in.

You poked your head in and saw him watching a timer on his phone, crouched next to Jin who was placed in recovery position with a blanket under his head.

He spared a glance your way, looking somewhat relieved. “Hey, it’s a quick one, I think. Just waiting for him to come out of it.”

You nodded, stroking his ears once before sitting on the floor beside Jin to wait for him to come out of it.

The others were watching from the doorway.

Well, Jungkook was asking them what was going on.

Jin started waking up, and Hoseok sighed in relief, stopping the timer.

You smiled softly, proud of your bunny for being able to take care of Jin on his own.

Hoseok softly kissed the top of Jin’s head. “Hey, hyung. How are you feeling?”

You got up and left Hoseok to take care of Jin, surprising him and the others. Normally you took care of Jin after, mostly because none of them seemed comfortable doing so. But you could tell Hoseok was capable of doing the job. And you bet Jungkook would be more than willing to help, which was why—”

“Jungkookie, can you help Hope-ah take care of Jin?” You asked softly, reaching up and brushing the hair from his eyes.

He nodded, eager to please.

“Thank you.” You kissed his cheek, using the information Namjoon had given you as a little bit of a weapon. You could see the switch in the other’s eyes as jealousy over the tiny kiss manifested.

“I could help too,” Taehyung said, pouting at you.

“But I need you to do something else.”

He brightened up. “Oh?”

You nodded. “I need you to help Namjoon get to sleep, because I’m sleeping alone tonight.”

All of them deflated, and Namjoon looked utterly defeated.

You pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I have some things to think over.” Like how you were going to wrap your mind around all of your hybrids being in love with you. The jump felt natural with Namjoon, four years of being together just seemed to naturally culminate. But every other thing that came out of his mouth needed time to ruminate in your head. Man.

Jimin caught your arm. “What about me? Is there anything you need me to do?”

“Keep Yoongi out of my room,” You ordered, kissing his forehead. “Goodnight boys.”

You got murmurs and grumbles in return.

You closed your bedroom door, and locked it for good measure.

You looked at the loveseat that you and Namjoon had been sitting on just a little while ago, his little tease about you carrying kits or pups echoing in your mind and making you shiver.

The more you thought about it, the more obvious it was that they were in love with you. That they never knew how to tell you. All those “I Love You”’s that weren’t as platonic as you had convinced yourself. It made sense why they started acting out more, causing more trouble. They had no way of telling you, they barely had any legal rights and given most of their backgrounds they may have been hesitant to make a move.

They probably all agreed on Namjoon telling you. Namjoon, who was hopeless in most things, except in reading you and knowing what to say to get them all on the same page again. Who had been with you the longest and knew you best.

But even he had been scared. He told you as much. That he was scared you would kick him out if you didn’t return his feelings.

You spending tonight alone probably scared all of them more. But you didn’t want to rush into anything. Because once they knew you accepted them and their feelings, you’d be thrown in the deep-end.

Wait. Were you really thinking that you were going to accept all of them? All seven?

You felt like you might be losing your mind. How would a balance ever be achieved? How would you ever find time for yourself with seven needy hybrids? Were you even in love with all of them? Sure, you loved them, and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t ever admired their natural godliness and physique, which then was paired with wonderful personalities. Jimin’s sweetness and understanding, Taehyung’s loving and bright nature, Yoongi’s thoughtfulness and willingness, Jungkook’s perseverance and protectiveness, Hoseok’s determination and nurturing, Jin’s humor and consideration, and Namjoon’s mediation and intelligence. Honestly, all of them had everything you could ever dream of putting on a checklist.

You head snapped up and toward the door just as you were about to flop on the bed when a soft knock met your door. You looked at it in surprise and disbelief. Hadn’t you just asked them for the night to yourself?

You opened the door, meeting the worried gaze of Yoongi.

“I just want to talk to you for fifteen minutes, and then I promise I’ll head back to Jimin. He’s in the shower right now.”

You bit your cheek and opened the door a little wider so he could duck in. He seemed nervous and upset, and if he was showing it outwardly, then you were a little worried too.

He paced a bit, obviously wide awake since this was the time of day that he was most active usually. “I just…” He stopped and met your gaze, and he looked so heartbroken that you quickly hugged him.

He nuzzled into your shoulder, unusually forward and open. Normally he was sort of distant in his affection, caring for everyone without looking their way and getting all shy about holding someone’s hand or sharing a bed even though you all knew he secretly loved cuddles sometimes. He was breathing like he was trying not to cry, and you knew he was stressed about something.

“What’s wrong, Yoongi?” You whispered, lightly rubbing his back.

“I just…I wanted to make sure…” He was lisping a little now, stumbling and stuttering as he tried to pick up the words he wanted to say. “Is everything okay with us? I feel like we’ve been fighting for forever and I know we’re not really fighting but I just feel so…”

“Yoongi,” You said firmly, pulling away to cup his face in your hands. You knew this was partly his trauma speaking, too much stimulation mixed with doubts and worries and anxieties that he hadn’t dealt with or voiced. “Yoongi.”

His glazed eyes focused on you instead of the floor after a few attempts to focus on you.

“Yoongi,” You whispered softly, not wanting to say anything important until he was grounded more.

His eyes flicked to your hair, then your hands. He squeezed them shut as his head tilted into your hands just a little more.

“Yoongi,” You murmured, seeing his tail go still finally, his ears flick a couple times before focusing on you.

He finally met you with mostly clear eyes, breathing.

“Everything is fine with us, baby,” You whispered, smiling softly. “We haven’t fought since I came home from the hospital. Remember? And I understand why we fought before that. I’m sorry.”

He blinked a couple times, then his gaze dropped to the floor. “I shouldn’t have acted that way no matter what. I knew it then too.”

You hummed softly, stroking his hair. “I love you, you know.”

His gaze came up, and he looked over your face before his entire demeanor relaxed. “Love love?”

You leaned in and gently kissed his adorably pouty lips. “Love love.”

Which was how you earned a squishy Yoongi with the makings of one of his gummy smiles that you adored, trying to hide the smile and his pleasure by tucking his head against your neck.

You giggled softly, contenting yourself to pressing softly little kisses to his head, hoping that all of this would help him stay out of another lapse.

Jimin’s head appeared through the door, and he was most definitely pouting. “Hey…you said…”

“Yoongi needed me. You know the rules don’t apply then,” You answered easily, gently prying Yoongi from your shoulder so you could really check on him.

His eyes were clear and soft, sleepy.

You nodded softly. “Come get him, Jiminie. He’s a little sleepy from it.”

Jimin quickly entered and went to Yoongi’s side, arms wrapping around Yoongi, who was getting hit with the after-effects of his panic. He’d probably sleep clear till tomorrow night. “Y/n, I think he’s too far gone.”

You nodded. “Alright, let’s get him onto my bed.”

“Could we…could we have a big cuddle session instead of you sleeping alone?” He asked hesitantly.

You thought a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. Don’t wake anyone though. If they’re asleep, let them sleep.”

He nodded and left once Yoongi was on the bed.

Yoongi was barely conscious, but he definitely knew the moment you crawled into bed next to him.

Hoseok helped a tired-looking Seokjin into the room, with Jungkook clinging to the back of Hoseok’s shirt as a sort of guide.

Taehyung rushed in and quickly cuddled up to Jungkook’s back.

Namjoon and Jimin came last, making sure everyone had enough blankets before getting comfortable yourself.

You used your phone to bump up the heat a little bit so that they wouldn’t catch a chill (because they would, and then you’d be dealing with sick hybrids), then whispered goodnight, which was only returned by a few people before leaving the burning questions of your relationship with these men for another time as the broken purrs, little sounds, and the soft sounds of sleep started appearing all around you. You didn’t let them all sleep with you often because you usually ended up overheating and having nightmares, but sometimes you could get away with it and it was honestly one of the most peaceful things you’d ever experienced, if not a little crowded.

You woke up to a mouthful of fur, which startled you enough that you fully woke up, but somehow managed not to wake the source of the fur—Hoseok. He was splayed out where Yoongi used to be sleeping, with his head on your shoulder and ears across your face.

You smiled to yourself as you carefully stroked his ears and moved them from your face. “Weird bun.”

“No nightmares?” Taehyung asked, snuggling up to your side now that he knew you were awake.

You smiled at him, closing your eyes. “No nightmares. Probably because everyone was fairly spread out this time.”

He nodded against your shoulder. “Yoongi went to take a long bath before going back to sleep. Jin’s in the bathroom with him to make sure Yoongi doesn’t fall asleep in the tub. He said he was feeling better. Jungkook and Namjoon went out to the garden, and Jimin is getting out the extra baskets and buckets because it looks like a bad storm is rolling in.”

You nodded. “What’s wrong with Hoseok?”

“Food last night didn’t agree with him.”

You winced. “What did you guys eat?”

He looked at the ceiling. “Pizza. He even stuck to the vegetarian pizza, like last time.”

You sighed. “We’ll have to have him detox again.”

He pouted. “But he gets so sad on the detox.”

“But he could get really sick without it. I’d rather have short-term sadness and health than long-term sickness and short-term happiness. Besides, I found some new recipes for it and tasted them and they taste much better, and we did discover that he can use honey as a sweetener. I should go help the others. You going to nap since you were up comforting Hobi?” You brushed his hair from his forehead as he blushed lightly.

“I can help.”

You shook your head. “You really look like a raccoon right now. Really dark circles. We can take care of it. There probably won’t be that much.” But if Namjoon thought it was important to harvest as much as possible, then it must be some storm coming through. You and Taehyung carefully moved Hoseok so he was resting on Taehyung instead and you hurried downstairs.

Jimin had the TV turned to a news station, and they were talking about an extreme cold front. He glanced at you. “It’s forty-two degrees outside (5.5 C).”

Frost was a whole different beast.

You went digging into the closet to get to your coat, grabbing a stack of your buckets and following Jimin out to where Namjoon and Jungkook were already working.

Jungkook was feeling through the green beans, picking mostly on instinct.

Namjoon saw you and stood straight for a moment, signing that there was an ice warning. Asking what should and could be salvaged.

You looked over the garden. It was July. You signed you’d get back to him with a plan and he nodded before going back to harvesting the lettuce.

Jimin was making quick work of the strawberries.

You took a deep breath, and starting working through the zucchini and the other summer squashes. You’d leave some that were completely unripe to chance, but you were grabbing the almost ripe ones as well.

Jin, Taehyung, Yoongi, and Hoseok all came and started helping, followed shortly by your father, who seemed to have given them all jobs already as Taehyung, Jin and Yoongi headed for the trees and Hoseok hurried to the carrots.

You looked up at you dad, surprised and more than a little stunned.

He just smiled at you. “Got mine in yesterday. Had a feeling. Tell Joonie-boy to pick the unripe tomatoes too. Jimin, green strawberries are edible as well. I’ll start digging up some plants to move inside. Hopefully won’t kill them. You keep working.”

You nodded hurrying to convey your father’s instructions and then darting back to your squashes. You were worried about at least three of your boys, but the idea of losing all of your harvest, especially with Hoseok’s conditions, made you a little panicky.

“I think I finished the green beans,” Jungkook called out.

You quickly guided him to the peas. “Just pick all the pods you feel. We’ll be picky later.”

He nodded and started feeling along the plants.

You moved on to the cucumbers.

“It’ll be okay,” Hoseok said, not looking up.

“Are you okay?”

“A little queasy, and my stomach hurts, but I’m more worried about what will happen if we don’t get enough from the garden before this cold kills it. The news station said snow and ice. In July. That’s crazy.” He started packing some straw over some of the carrots to try and let them brave the cold snap. “Will there be a chance to grow more after things warm back up?”

“I don’t know right now. Might have to do a lot of indoor gardening.” You might have to budget more for groceries.

“Glad your dad is here.” He glanced toward your father as the man re-entered the garden and started collecting buckets that were either full or couldn’t hold more without damaging the other contents (Jimin’s berry bucket) and replacing them with empty ones. “He came in probably five minutes after you went downstairs.”

“I believe it,” You wouldn’t have woken Hoseok or Taehyung for anything. “Is Yoongi’s hair dry?”

“Mostly. He’s wearing a hat.” He leaned over and kissed your cheek, rubbing his nose against it as a comforting gesture before moving to a different section of the garden.

By noon, you all had harvested as much as you could and you ushered your shivering hybrids back inside while you and your father spread some straw over some plants in a thick later to try and help them through the cold so that maybe you’d have something after all of it has passed.

“I’ve got some squashes in my greenhouse this year,” He said casually. “And Pumpkins. My hives probably won’t produce much more this year though. Probably be a long winter this year. I brought your share over, though. Went foraging the other day with a couple buddies too. Found more mushrooms than I need and I know some of your boys love them. Catmint by the shed went wild too, but we’d best not tell Joonie-boy.”

You laughed a little at that. “Probably not.” You looked up at him now that there was nothing left to do. “Thank you for being here.”

He smiled and gave your head a pat. “I know how important it is to you, to make sure those boys get the healthiest food possible. I know how important this garden is. I know it allows you to keep all those boys. You’re doing a good job, y/n. I’m proud of you. Now let’s get inside. Your boys were thorough. Let’s get the things I brought from the trunk and I’ll help you make a plan for all of that. Even help you start canning. Just finished the last jar of pickles you gave me last year and they were good, bumblebee.”

You relaxed a little more, heading inside where Jin was passing out mugs of hot chocolate to everyone—including you and your father—except Hoseok, who got an herbal tea that was easy on his stomach.

Your dad went out to his car, pulling Jungkook and Seokjin to help him since they seemed to have warmed up already and apparently looked strong.

Taehyung was looking at everything, looking absolutely dead on his feet.

Hoseok looked like he might be sick.

Yoongi looked grumpy and tired.

You took a deep breath. “Taehyung, when you finish that, why don’t you go sleep with Yoongi? Hoseok, you don’t have to drink the tea if you don’t feel good.”

“It’s helping,” Hoseok almost whispered back, taking another sip.

Yoongi looked a little less grumpy, and more just tired. He managed to gulp down the rest of his hot chocolate. “Hurry up, but don’t burn yourself. I’m gonna dry my hair the rest of the way.”

Taehyung nodded, taking another careful sip of his hot chocolate.

Jimin had himself cocooned in the throw blankets, practically hugging his mug.

Namjoon helped you take off your coat so you wouldn’t have to set down the mug. He asked if you were okay.

You signed back that you were only a little stressed, adding that you were glad your father showed up when he did.

He nodded, smiling. “Dad’s a lifesaver.”

Namjoon had called your dad his own since his second year of living with you, but it still made you feel warm and fuzzy. Your father wasn’t always the easiest man, he had quirks by the dozens, but you loved him so much and his acceptance of your boys meant a lot, but their acceptance of him meant even more.

Jin led Jungkook in, both of their arms fulls. Jin had a cooler while Jungkook had a large box and a couple bags hanging off his arms as well.

Your dad came in with a box as well, looking amused. “Alright, you’re definitely capable, kiddo. Sorry for doubting you.”

Jungkook nodded feircely, determination and pride still clear on his face.

Jin looked like he wanted to laugh. Probably because both men totally just tricked Jungkook into taking the majority of the burden.

Still, seeing Jungkook that confident was kind of worth it.

Your dad clapped his hands together and then rubbed them, making Jungkook jump in surprise. “Alright, so—”

Sleet started pelting the windows.

You scrunched your nose. “It’s July. How is this happening in July?”

“Uh, bumblebee, I might be staying tonight,” Your dad murmured, looking out the window in concern.

“Yeah, I don’t want you driving that far in this. Roads will be nasty.” You closed your eyes, then went over and closed the curtains.

“Alright, you have your canning equipment in the basement?”

You nodded. “Jars too. I got some more when they were on sale.”

“I’ll start getting everything cleaned up and set up, you make a plan for what you want to make, okay?”

You nodded again, heading over to the desk in the corner and getting your notebook and personal recipe book before cuddling up to Jimin to try and ignore the freak-storm outside.

Jimin was on his phone. “I could plant some squash seeds, we had some extra earlier this year and there’s room in our garden-room. It’ll take longer, but we should be able to harvest in September if we do.”

You peeked over and saw him looking up information on things to grow indoors. You had a veritable garden in the downstairs bedroom as it was. Growing some things in water—like cabbage, lettuce, celery, leeks, and green onions—and others in pots—like carrots, and various cooking and medicinal herbs that had a home in a nice growing rack that your dad’s buddy made for you one year after you canned his tomatoes for him. You weren’t sure how your father always managed to meet these people that are perfectly happy bartering, but you weren’t about to argue.

“If we plant green beans now we could have those too,” Jimin murmured, shifting so his head was resting on the arm of the couch.

Too bad. You’d been right about to kiss his cheek for being such a wonderful, thoughtful pup.

Instead you squeezed his arm, and focused on making a quick plan for what to do with what had been salvaged.

“Y/n?” He whispered.

You looked up.

He was looking at you sadly. “How much do we depend on the garden?”

You dropped your gaze. “It’ll just make things a little more tight. I was ahead before the trip to the hospital. I’m still ahead. I’ve got a nice little savings account set aside. But the garden…it’s really important for Hobi’s health, and it makes it so I can take better care of you all. Have treats every now and then. It’ll set us back next year as well, because a lot of the plants will be killed before we can harvest seeds from them. But we did get quite a lot, and it’s not too late to grow things indoors. The root vegetables will probably survive, which will help. Dad apparently moved the potato barrels into the mud-room for now, so that will help.

Jimin nodded. “Taehyung said that’s why he and the others came downstairs. They heard him cussing at the barrels.”

You felt your eyes widen slightly. “Must have landed on his foot.”

“Probably. I’ve never heard him cuss. He’s too chill.” Jimin studied your father from across the room as he prevented a disaster from happening with Namjoon, Jungkook, and a package of new jars. “Electricity bill will go up if we start growing more plants indoors.”

“I’ll compensate somewhere,” You replied softly, leaning on his shoulder.

Hoseok sat down on your other side. “So, would now be a good time to tell you that last month, when I started my turn taking care of our indoor plants, I also kind of sort of added a pumpkin plant just to see what would happen?”

You made a mental note (that would probably get lost, let’s face it) to check on the garden room more often. “Um, yeah. That’s good to know. Can you two help me can while we set Jungkook and Namjoon to the task of planting stuff in there?”

“Yeah, I think Jin is planning on helping with the canning too, which is good since he seems to know his way around the kitchen.”

“He’s been reading my books,” You murmured, smiling a little. It was so nice having so many people to help you through all of this. “You look like you’re feeling better.”

“I really like this tea,” He chuckled. “Makes me less nauseous. Helps with the pain too. I think Jin added honey too, and you know how much I like honey.”

“A lot,” You agreed, nuzzling his head. “If you’re tired you can go rest.”

He shook his head. “Yoongi said he’d come down later. I’ll go rest when he does.”

You nodded, thinking that sounded fair. Hoseok did look much more awake than either of the other two.

“So, why did he have me pick the green strawberries?” Jimin asked, changing the topic as it came to mind. Both dog-hybrids did that sometimes. Just jumped ship and ended up on a different one. “Or green tomatoes?”

You smiled a little.

“He also had us pick the unripe blueberries,” Hoseok pointed out. “What’ll we do with them?”

“Well, probably pickle them.”

Both hybrids looks extremely perturbed at that thought.

————

You groaned as Jungkook carefully massaged your neck and shoulders. You were super sore from all of the canning, pickling, jam-making, candying, and every other sort of preservation method you and your father could think of for most of the produce.

He placed a barely there kiss to your hair, something you would have missed if you hadn’t been looking up to say something to him.

You smiled, relaxing even more into his touch.

Jimin was bouncing around with Taehyung, somehow finding the energy to play despite working so hard right alongside you.

Namjoon was curled up with Jin, going through a sign-language textbook with the older.

Yoongi was sleeping on the footstool, a light blanket thrown over him.

“It’s raining again,” Jungkook whispered, moments before you were able to hear the rain yourself. “Whats the temperature?”

You looked at your phone. “30 degrees (-1.1 C).”

He whimpered slightly. “Do you think yo-da—do you think he made it back alright?”

You father had braved the roads about an hour ago, having been trapped at your house for two nights in a row and wanting to check on his bees.

“Well, we’ve got another hour at least before he would arrive at his home. I’ll give him half an hour leeway for slow driving, and then if he doesn’t update me, I’ll try calling.”

Hoseok came out of the bathroom, looking pale and exhausted, coming over to curl up next to you. “Hurts.”

You bit your lip, quickly pulling him into your arms and trying to comfort him. “We’ll start another cleanse. Okay?”

He nodded, looking only a little more miserable. “Now?”

“We can do it later.”

He shook his head. “Now.”

You nodded. “Kook, let me up?”

His hands slipped from your shoulders, where they had been holding on, gently but firmly.

You and Hoseok headed into the kitchen, Jungkook hugging onto Hoseok.

You pulled down different jars. “Alright, I want to start you out with some dandelion tea, tonight I should be able to make that one veggie drink that you liked last time as well. Maybe add in some red clover to the tea?”

“Can I use honey too?” He asked softly, curling toward Jungkook.

“Yeah, we can use a little bit of raw honey, bunny.” You got that out as well, waiting for the tea to start boiling. “One to ten?”

“Five,” he replied, ears completely drooped, and eyelids following a bit.

You nodded, letting your fingers drum on the countertop for a moment, before checking the water. “I can bring this up to you, Hobi. Why don’t you go get comfy in your room?”

He shook his head, getting a little pouty.

You went around and stroked his hair and ears. “Words, baby.”

He looked a little embarrassed, but finally whispered, “Your smell helps the pain.”

Your hand paused, then you shook off what he said and kept carefully stroking his head. “I’ll be up with the tea when it’s ready. For now, can Jungkook keep you company?”

He nodded, but was a little reluctant.

Jungkook nuzzled his hyung. “Come on, I’ll rub your tummy.” He shuffled along with Hobi toward the stairs, hugging him from behind and probably slowing the process.

“I’m not a dog.”

“No, but you still like tummy rubs,” Jungkook said victoriously.

You smiled to yourself, watching them go before engaging in a rapid conversation with Namjoon while Jin spent a good five minutes just rubbing his eyes and bemoaning how there was so much to learn.

Namjoon was calling Jin cute, and you were agreeing, but he was also inquiring after Hoseok.

You shrugged a bit, giving him what little you knew.

He shared your worried look, then rubbed Jin’s back as Jin became slightly more animated in his complaints.

Taehyung went and plopped in Jin’s lap, putting a finger to his lips. “You’ll wake Yoongi-hyung.”

Jin seemed slightly startled by the appearance of Taehyung, but made a cute noise before wrapping his arms around the raccoon and squeezing him.

Taehyung laughed, trying to escape.

Jimin flopped onto one of the couches, energy gone again, but tail wagging as he watched Tae and Jin.

You finished making the tea for Hoseok and headed upstairs as Yoongi woke up, softly complaining that they were too loud.

Namjoon followed you, eyes a little hazy. “I…I wish I knew what they sounded like.”

You nodded, understanding. He knew what you and your father sounded like, he’d met you just before he permanently lost his hearing. Before the damage really set in. He said that he could still hear your voice sometimes, in his head. The same as he could hear the songs he used to listen to, before. His previous owner’s voice. But when the boys were all laughing and talking and he just couldn’t keep up, sometimes it really got to him.

You leaned over and gave him a soft and very brief kiss. You couldn’t sign anything with your hands full, but you mouthed “I know.”

He nuzzled your shoulder, then took the tray from you. “Jungkook’s feeling guilty about not being able to sign. Especially now that Jin is starting to learn more.”

You nodded. “I’ll ask Hobi to work with him on it.” You signed as you spoke, walking backwards so that you could talk with him. “And I’ll talk to him about it.”

He nodded. “He forgets sometimes. I know that makes him feel bad, but I understand. Sometimes I forget that he can’t see. He’s so functional sometimes.”

“I know.”

“Have you adjusted the budget yet?”

You lokoed away, turning back to face forward.

“Y/n?”

You signed that you wanted to look at your records for last year and find out how bad the damage to the garden is first.

He nodded slowly. “Okay. Whatever happens, we’ve got your back.” He kissed your cheek.

You gave him a tight smile and headed into Hoseok’s room.

He looked like he was in a lot of pain, so you hurried to his side.

Jungkook was gently rubbing his back, but looked concerned. “He’s really cold, y/n. I tried covering him up but he won’t warm up.”

You felt Hoseok’s face, worry rushing through you. “Jungkook, go get Jin.”

“Why?”

“Do it. Tell him to come up here. Tell Yoongi to start the car.”

He hurried off, Namjoon helping him navigate without knowing what was going on.

Hobi opened his eyes, looking at you weakly. “Sorry, it got worse just a little bit ago.”

You shook your head, stroking his hair. “I’m going to have Jin carry you to the car.” You helped him sit up, wrapping the blankets around him and grabbing one of his warm hats from the nightstand drawer.

“The roads—”

“We’ll be careful,” You cut him off. “But the doctor said you need to come in when it gets this bad, so that’s what we’re going to do. Who do you want to go with us?”

“Yoongi,” He whispered, letting his head fall to your shoulder as he groaned in pain.

You pressed a kiss to his head, feeling him shivering in pain as well as cold.

Jin came rushing up, looking worried.

“I need you to carry him to the car.”

He nodded, coming over and scooping him up. He frowned at the weight, but quickly exited.

You ran to your room, grabbing better shoes and your own hat and sweater, plus your backpack and hurried downstairs. “Jin and Namjoon are in charge. Yoongi, Hobi wants you to come with us. Get your coat. Jimin, bump the heat up a bit, I don’t want any of you getting catching a chill. Stay inside.”

“Call us the moment you can,” Taehyung instructed in return, quickly hugging you and looking worriedly after Hoseok.

You hurried out to the car.

Jin and Yoongi had Hoseok buckled into the backseat, and Yoongi was buckling in next to him.

Jin hurried back inside.

You got on the road as quickly as possible, calling ahead to let them know you were on your way and why you were coming in when the roads were so dangerous because your boss thought that personal safety was important. You blasted the heat as soon as the car was warm enough, silently cursing the monster responsible for Hoseok’s delicate health.

“He fainted,” Yoongi said softly, worry coating his words.

You started cursing aloud, hating that the roads were bad enough that you really couldn’t hurry any more than you were. “I hate them. I hate them for this.”

“I know. I think we all do,” He replied calmly. “Except Hoseok. I don’t know how he can forgive them so easily. How he can forgive those bastards when they poisoned him for years. I remember when we first got him. How he was so confused about why he was taken away and what happened. How he would cry for his owners that tried to kill him. The withdrawals.”

You shuddered. It had taken you, Yoongi, Namjoon, and your father to take care of Hoseok as he went through the withdrawals of the myriad of drugs, and alcohol that he had been fed. He didn’t remember much from the year before you rescued him, but you knew that he sometimes dreamed about what happened, because he wouldn’t let anyone touch him when he first woke up until he realized it was you and he was safe. Nowadays, he didn’t react to those dreams as much. Usually just got up and took a shower. He hadn’t realized what he was like when you got him until he saw Taehyung on a withdrawal from the drug his owner had only given him for a week. He told you that he couldn’t imagine what he must have been like coming off of several drugs and alcoholism.

You never let him dwell on it, though. And as time passed, and he found out about his new health condition that came from the poisons that they had given him alongside the drugs, he seemed to finally understand what he’d been through.

“Because it led me to y/n,” Hobi murmured, barely conscious.

“Shh, save your strength,” Yoongi quickly admonished, and you could see him holding tighter to the bunny. “This isn’t a time to get sappy.”

“Eight,” Hoseok sniffled.

You felt your jaw clench, tightly gripping the steering wheel as if that would help the roads be more clear and get you to the clinic faster.

Time continued to drag, even after reaching the clinic, your coworkers hurrying out to rush Hoseok—who’d fallen unconscious two miles back—into the clinic to get his treatment started.

Yoongi held your hand while both of you waited. “It’s going to be bad this time, isn’t it?”

You nodded.

“Y—” He broke off and hissed a moment. “Dad said something the other day about knowing someone who employs hybrids. I could see if they’d hire me.”

“I can’t ask—”

“I’m telling you. Not asking,” He quickly amended, changing his tone. “I know how bad things are going to get without an extra income. And Taehyung said something about the neighbor by the trails asking him if he would help out because he was having trouble with regular raccoons. Taehyung’s good with them. He just hasn’t had a chance to talk to you about it. I’m going to tell him to do it.”

You looked at the floor, eyes filling with tears.

“And if you need to take more shifts, we’ll make sure that we’re fed and that all the chores get done. You’re not in this alone, y/n. We’re here. This is what we do for those we love.” He wrapped an arm around you when he saw your tears, holding onto you. “It’s a bad week. I’m sorry.”

You just turned and sobbed as quietly as you could into Yoongi’s shoulder.

Minhyuk came out from the back after an hour or so, hesitantly approaching. “Y/n?”

You gave him a bit of a smile. “Hi, Minhyuk. How are you?”

He shrugged. “Okay. Missed seeing you. So have the others.”

“Um, this is Yoongi. Yoongi, this is Minhyuk. He’s one of Shownu’s.”

Yoongi nodded curtly.

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes at the way Yoongi had tensed up. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, the heat went out in our place, so your boss said we could stay here while it’s fixed.”

You nodded, then studied his worried face. “You can just tell me what you need to, Min.”

His face dropped to the floor. “They had to take him to surgery. They think his kidneys are failing.”

You felt sick.

“What does that mean?” Yoongi asked, voice barely more than a whisper.

“He’ll need a transplant to live. They think they have one, but they’re testing now. Otherwise, he’s going to get put on a waitlist and…” he looked at the floor.

“He doesn’t have enough time left to be on a waitlist,” You finished the sentence, voice feeling raw.

“I’ll let you know if the donor is a match,” He said after a moment of silence.

“Thank you, Minhyuk,” You whispered, knowing he heard.

Yoongi’s grip on you was tight, and you could see he was beyond words.

It was another three hours before Shownu came out instead of the doctor or Minhyuk, which scared you. It scared you a lot.

“Y/n?” He said, waiting for you to respond.

You drew in a shaky breath. “Yeah?”

“The donor was a match. Hoseok got the transplant. Everything looks good. It’s only one, so he might need another transplant later, but we’ll get him on a list. They’re both recovering well.”

You felt like the breath had been knocked out of you. “Wait, did Kihyun…?”

He nodded. “They’re the same type of bunny hybrid.”

No wonder Minhyuk seemed so worried. No wonder Shownu was telling you. He would have had to give permission. He probably spoke for you when it came to the surgery too.

You hugged him, then pulled away. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

He nodded, smiling a little. “He’ll be awake soon. Kihyun’s already awake and doing really well.”

“I have to thank him.”

“He still likes your chicken soup best.”

You laughed a bit. “I’ll bring some next time.”

He smiled a little more and nodded. “Go see Hoseok.”

You looked back at Yoongi, who seemed frozen with relief. “Yoongi, come on.”

He finally looked up and hurried to follow you and Shownu back to where Hoseok was laying in a bed.

The bunny hybrid’s ears were quirked funny, and he still looked pale, but he at least looked like he wasn’t in terrible pain like before.

You kissed his forehead, and ran a hand over his silky ears. “Precious bun.”

He sighed softly in his sleep, turning toward you ever so slightly.

There was still so much to figure out. If you hadn’t been able to even let Hoseok know that you were in love with all of them the same way they were in love with you…

You shuddered, and squeezed his hand. “Too close. Way too close. I’m going to be so paranoid.”

“I think we all are,” Yoongi murmured in agreement. He was holding Hoseok’s other hand.

You ran your fingers through Hoseok’s hair, thinking about your boys at home. “We should tell the others he’s okay.”

“After he wakes up,” Yoongi agreed, leaning down to sniff Hobi’s wrist. “When he’s awake, then we’ll call. Probably be soon.”

And it was. Only ten or fifteen minutes later, Hoseok’s eyes started to flicker open and shut as he stirred. He made little sounds of discomfort and grogginess, but blinked sleepily up at you before smiling a bit. Then at Yoongi, broadening his smile.

“Pretty people,” He murmured deliriously. “My pretty y/n and my pretty Yoongi-hyung. Where are my other pretties?”

“They’re at home, warm and safe, and worried about their pretty bunny,” Yoongi said in an adorably gentle voice, standing to stroke Hobi’s ears.

The bunny melted under the touch. “Pretties safe and warm. I’m a pretty bunny?”

“A very pretty bunny,” Yoongi agreed. “A Sunshine bun. A sun bun.”

Hobi giggled. “I’m a sunny bunny?”

“A very sunny bunny,” You confirmed, kissing his cheek. “That we love very much.”

He looked at you adoringly. “Am I your sunshine?”

“My only sunshine,” You agreed.

“Wow,” He breathed.

Yoongi was grinning, pulling his phone out to video tape this.

“Am I the best sunny bunny?”

“The very best. Very pretty, very sunny, my one and only bunny,” You told him, rubbing your nose against his and earning his brightest smile.

Also tears because a drugged up Hoseok is an emotional one, and he was crying happy tears because he was the best bunny in your world.

You carefully wiped every tear away, still smiling at him. “Yes, Hobi. My charming, handsome, sunny bunny.”

He sniffled, and looked at Yoongi. “Pretty? Am I still your pretty?”

“Yup, my carrot loving bun-bun. Do you know where you are?”

“The not-home place,” Hoseok said gravely, nodding slowly, then made a cute noise before giggling again. “Hobi hobi?”

“Hobi hobi,” You agreed, kissing showering his face with kisses. “My hobi.”

He leaned forward just a little to rub his cheek against yours, and you quickly met him and moved closer so he wouldn’t strain his body or hurt himself.

Yoongi handed him a cup of ice chips. “Start with these, Hobi.”

Hoseok pouted, but slowly started eating the ice chips as Yoongi fed them to him. “Where are my other pretties?”

You smiled at the repeat in conversation. “What are their names?”

“Well,” he swallowed. “There’s Joon-joon. He’s a Raccoon hybrid.”

Yoongi adjusted his phone (which he had positioned on the table to film Hoseok) while holding in his laughter.

“And there’s Jiminie, he’s a blind kitty.”

You bit your lip, barely containing your laughter.

“TaeTae is a Labrador retriever, and Jungkookie is a bunny.”

You squeaked as you held in the burst of giggles.

“Seokjinnie-hyung is an Alaskan malamute and he’s deaf,” Hobi was looking at the ceiling thoughtfully, but his gaze came down and he smiled at Yoongi brightly. “And yoon-yoon is a mink!”

“Well, he got one right,” Yoongi muttered, obviously holding in his laughter.

“Hobi, you’re the bunny, not Jungkookie,” You managed to squeak out.

His eyes got huge. “Oh yeah. Oh! Jungkookie is a fox!”

You finally let your giggles out, stroking his head. “Okay, we’ll go with that for now. Are you sleepy, bun?”

He drooped and nodded, like the mention of sleep drained him.

You kissed his forehead. “Then get some sleep. We’ll be here when you wake up.”

He nodded, dropping into sleep faster than you’d ever seen before.

Yoongi stopped video taping. “Keeping that for a rainy day. And to tease him endlessly.”

“Send it to me,” You told him, still stroking Hoseok’s hair. “I’m going to go see how Kihyun is doing. Thank him.”

“Y/n? Thank him for me too?” Yoongi’s voice was soft, and you felt like there was a hint of shame there.

Sure enough, he had shame written on his face.

You went around to him and cupped his face in your hands. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“I…I used to think that Shownu’s hybrids would hurt you. They really care about you though, don’t they? So I was wrong, and I was really mean about it too, and the way I behaved around Shownu—”

“Yoongi, it’s okay. Really. No one can blame you for being wary of other hybrids, and the way you’ve welcomed every hybrid I’ve ever brought into our home is more than I would ever ask from you.”

“I didn’t really welcome them,” He murmured.

“No, you gave them space. Except Hobi because I needed your help with him. And Taehyung because he just wouldn’t let you give him space. And once you felt more comfortable, or they felt more comfortable, then you started interacting with them. You’re so considerate, baby. And a lot of that was jealousy. But there’s nothing to be jealous of now, is there?”

He finally met your gaze and shook his head. “Nothing.”

You kissed his lips, watching him turn pink afterwards. “Stay here with Hobi. I’ll be back.”

He nodded, taking Hoseok’s hand again.

Yoongi stayed at the clinic with Hoseok while you went home.

The boys were camped out in the living room, surrounding the fireplace and listening to Namjoon reading aloud from some novel or other.

Taehyung greeted you first, not interrupting Namjoon’s reading, but coming and hugging you after you got your coat off.

You sighed and leaned into his embrace, then pulled back and pecked his lips, leaving him stunned as you went and joined the rest of your boys, sitting beside Namjoon and leaning on his shoulder.

“Y/n?” Jungkook said, perking up as he smelled you.

“Shush, Namjoon is reading,” You admonished softly, grateful that Namjoon had been turning the page when Jungkook had tried to interrupt instead of in the middle of a sentence.

Jungkook dipped his head sheepishly, managing to make it over to your side at least and rub his cheek against your knee.

Namjoon kept reading, able to tell that you were listening even though you came in in the middle of the story. He shifted when you put a pillow in his lap and curled up there, one hand resting on your arm, but he never faltered from his reading. His voice soothing and full of the character’s emotions.

You looked over your boys, noting how Jin met your gaze, eyes flicking to Namjoon, then Jungkook who was enamored with the story again, before meeting your gaze again with a shrug.

You smiled then looked to Jimin, who was listening, but also drawing.

Taehyung finally came back and sprawled over Jin, looking euphoric. He was just grinning hugging his tail, glancing up at the elder now and then and receiving pets in return every time.

Namjoon finished the chapter with a soft sigh., a satisfied smile on his face and he watched Jungkook rub his face against Namjoon’s legs, verbally complaining about stopping. He managed to reach over you and stroke the pup’s ears, causing the boy to go still and then climb up next to Namjoon to get better ear scratches.

You laughed softly and got up so that they could cuddle better.

“Hoseok-hyung?” Jimin asked softly, finally coming to greet you now that story-time was over.

You cupped his cheek and pecked his lips, eliciting a similar response as Tae had had. “He’s doing fine. And the roads are better, so we can all go visit in the morning.”

Jimin was staring at you in shock, then stood up completely straight as he pointed at you with that same surprised look. “You kissed me.”

“She what?!” Jungkook fell from Namjoon’s lap.

“Are you complaining?” You asked softly.

“I am!” Jungkook cried out, looking utterly betrayed.

“She kissed me too,” Taehyung chirped, hugging both his and Jin’s tails for some reason.

“I’ve also kissed Yoongi and Namjoon before, and I intend to kiss Seokjinnie next, followed by my precious Jungkookie,” You piped in, smirking at the gaping pups.

Namjoon chuckled as Jin finished catching him up from across the room.

“Why am I last?” Jungkook asked, pouting.

“Because you’re neglecting Namjoonie.”

His face turned toward where he knew Namjoon was, hands finding Joon’s legs. “I am?”

“Mmhmm. Joonie cares about you spending time with him too, you know.”

Namjoon was looking embarrassed as he quickly grabbed Jungkook’s hands before they could slide up any farther.

You giggled and got up, going over to Jin, who leaned up and met your lips in a gentle kiss.

Taehyung was in awe.

“Besides, Kookie, you’re not last. Hobi is. Because I want him to remember being kissed.”

He grinned, glancing your way. “It’ll make him so happy.”

“By the way, apparently all of us are his pretties,” You told them, signing as you did so Namjoon understood as well.

“Show me the video,” Taehyung said, looking ready to beg if he felt he needed to.

You shook your head. “No, I want to get subtitles onto it for Joonie. I’ll show you guys before we leave in the morning. And I do have to work tomorrow, but a friend is going to bring you guys home after our visit, okay? Hobi will stay at the clinic for a few days.”

Namjoon signed behind the other boy’s heads, asking about the budget.

You signed back a simple, “Later.” Which confused the others, but they knew that sometimes you and Namjoon talked about things that they didn’t know about. “Alright, I’m ready to conk out. Joon, you and Jungkook spending the night together?”

Jungkook blushed furiously, but Namjoon nodded, pulling the boy up onto his lap.

You looked at the other three boys.

Taehyung looked between you and Jin, then sheepishly turned and pressed his face to Jin’s chest, surprising the fox as Taehyung hugged onto him.

You nodded and held out your hand to Jimin. “You and me, pup.”

Jimin took it shyly, letting you lead him upstairs. He parted to get his pajamas, coming back and finding you already in bed and quickly wrapping you in his arms. “So, Yoongi told us that he had to have surgery, but it felt like there was more.”

“He had to have an emergency kidney transplant,” You whispered, trying to find the best spot to rest your head. “Thankfully there was a donor that matched and was willing. But we’re going to have to be really careful from now on.”

Jimin nodded. “And money?”

You didn’t answer, finally finding the right spot.

“Yoongi told us about the money issue, y/n,” He admitted softly. “We know things are going to be tight. I only really brought it up because I want you to know that Yoongi and Namjoon are really doing their best to try and help and take care of you as well. Taehyung already called the neighbor and said he’d help out tomorrow since the weather is supposed to warm up a bit. And Yoongi said he was going to call Dad after you left the clinic. I’ve got a lot of stuff planted in the green-room. And Namjoon said he had something that we could do, but he didn’t specify, just said it was an idea he’d had a couple weeks ago when he and Hoseok were at the farmer’s market. And I saw that the orchard needed some help, and I bet Jin would go with me as well.”

You were crying again, but not as violently as earlier. “I love you guys so much.”

He pressed a kiss to your forehead, squeezing you a little tighter. “We’re family. You’ve done so much to help us, it’s only right that we help you help us.”

“You’ll have to learn how to take care of Jin if he has a seizure.”

“I know how, I just haven’t done it yet. Haven’t needed to. But it might leave Jungkookie here alone…”

“I can take him into work with me. He can work on reading braille.” A skill he should have been taught years ago, but was only just learning and very slowly.

Jimin nodded. “Then after your friend brings us home tomorrow, we’ll head out.”

You kissed him again. “Thank you, Jiminie.”

He licked your cheek, too sleepy and happy to combat the strange instinct, and did it a couple more times when he could taste the tears on your cheeks. “Mine,” He grumbled in a happy sort of way and then sighed softly.

———

Bringing Hoseok home had been one of the best things. It was a week after his surgery, and the weather was still crappy, but it wasn’t below freezing. Your boys had been working odd jobs, Jimin and Jin at the orchard (they had somehow managed not to lose most of their apples), Taehyung helping the same neighbor with a few other things after convincing the raccoons to move to a different area, and Yoongi working a night-job that he seemed to like.

Namjoon had gotten a bunch of quails from a neighbor lady who had wanted to stop taking care of them (she said she was getting too old for the hassle), and between him and the other boys, they had set up a pen and shelters for the quails. So you had lots of fresh eggs and Namjoon was incubating more already, and the lady had been nice enough to give the feed she had (which was the healthiest kind available, and you were grateful since that was the brand that had the best quality) as well as the incubator. He paid for it by fixing the fence to her garden and helping her with some of the heavy digging for her garden.

Your garden had taken a huge hit, but the root vegetables made it. Some of your trees had been killed by the sudden freeze, and your berry bushes looked pretty sad. It messed up most vegetation, and every farmer at the farmer’s market had increased their prices a bit because of of the damage to the crops.

Hoseok was just glad to be with you at the market, two weeks after his surgery.

Namjoon and Jimin were selling some of Namjoon’s eggs.

You knew Hoseok loved the farmer’s market. He knew most everyone by name, and they’d somehow heard about him going through surgery and were all so kind to him, especially the older women who told you how he’d always help them with any heavy lifting. They also tended to give him little get-well gifts. So, without purchasing anything you got a large jar of fresh, organic lemon juice,  a can of peaches, a bag of green beans (a few of which he was already munching on, healing made him extra hungry), a small thing of maple syrup (jackpot), and a couple scones by the time the two of you reached Namjoon’s table.

He grinned, dimples appearing, and signing that he’d made twenty dollars so far, and there was someone who wanted to buy a couple of the birds for meat at the next market.

You smiled back, proud of him.

Hoseok sat with Namjoon and Jimin started walking around with you as you checked to see what was there and what you could get. You managed to get some corn that had been picked just before the freeze, a bunch of baby cucumbers that you’d make into pickles, broccoli (at a discount because you purposefully chose the stemmiest ones and the man thought you were crazy), and some peppers that were deformed (not that it affected taste at all).

Hoseok came over and took Jimin from you, and when they reappeared, Jimin was carrying a watermelon and looking very pleased.

Hoseok was talking with the person who had all the watermelons, a bright grin on his face.

You shook your head a little, going over and looking at her cantaloupe as well.

She grinned at you. “You have such sweet boys.”

You smiled back. “The sweetest.”

“It’s so nice to see someone letting their hybrids have independence, and letting them go to the market for the house. They need the responsibilities, they’re meant to be hunters and foragers. It’s not natural to have everything provided for them. And your boys are all so well adjusted, even the grumpy one.”

You grinned at her description of Yoongi. “I wish I could take credit. They’re just sweethearts naturally, I guess.”

“How bad was your garden hit?”

You shrugged a little. “We managed to salvage most of it and a lot of my root vegetables survived. But it sort of messes up some of the later harvest.”

She nodded knowingly. “My husband and I barely got all of this in before the cold hit. We managed to save some of the garden beds with some straw and a tarp though. I’ve seen your boys going round and helping folks out ever since the storm, made me proud like they were my own boys.”

Hoseok made a squeak of pleasure.

Jimin had gone back to help Namjoon.

You nodded. “I’m proud of them too. They work so hard and I never really asked them too, either.”

Hoseok took your hand, looking at you adoringly.

“Well, except this little bun, he’s been stuck in bed,” You squeezed his hand and kissed his shoulder.

He chuckled softly.

“Well, I hope we see him more often now. I heard that old greybeard has some grapes if you’re interested, sunshine.”

Hoseok perked up and nodded. “Thanks halmeoni!” He pulled you toward the stall that must have been “old greybeard”s.

The man regarded Hoseok, then turned and picked up three bags from behind him. “Was wondering when you’d make it here. Five bucks.”

You looked at the bags, then him. “For all three?”

“Yeah, your boy here helped me unload my wares while my leg was broken.”

You just smiled and paid him for the large load. “Are you sure?”

“Go on, it’s mostly the grapes that came off the stems anyway,” He scoffed.

You dipped your head in thanks and headed back towards Namjoon and Jimin. “See, you didn’t need to get a job like the others, Hobi.”

He had a pleasant glow about him, but he also looked tired. “I think I need to be done for the day.”

“Okay,” You agreed, getting Namjoon to help you carry everything to the car since Jimin was talking with someone for him.

Jin, Taehyung, and Jungkook were playing in the front yard, but hurried to come help with whatever you might have gotten.

Taehyung hugged Hobi, nuzzling him lovingly. “Tired baby.”

“You’re the baby,” Hobi said, chuckling. “Let’s go sleep, baby.”

“Yay!”

Jungkook and Jin were playfully bickering as they carried everything but the watermelon (which you had) inside.

Yoongi was up, and he took the watermelon from you with a smile. “They must not have noticed this.”

You shook your head, knowing how big of watermelon fiends they were. “Put it in the garage for now.”

He nodded and headed that way while you headed inside.

Hobi and Taehyung were curled up together on the couch already, turning on a show.

Jin was looking through the takings, handing the bag of scone to Jungkook and telling him to take them to Hobi. He had a little bit of authority in the kitchen nowadays, making sure that everyone gets when you were at work and quickly picking up on different canning methods, which he was using for pickling some quail eggs recently.

It was warm enough today that all the windows and doors were open, letting the house air out.

Jungkook hugged you, kissing you multiple times. “Seokjinnie is being mean.”

“Yah, that’s hyung to you!”

“Seokjinnie-hyung is being mean,” Jungkook amended, kissing at your lips but missing and kissing your chin instead. “Stay still, y/n. This is hard enough.”

You laughed, and gave him a nice, long kiss.

He relaxed a bit, looking past you blindly, but his thumb caressing your cheek ever so gently. “Your skin is so soft. And I love your voice.”

You fondly tugged at his hair. “Your hair is getting long. Did you want to cut it?”

He shrugged. “Not yet.”

“Okay.”

“Does it look bad?”

“I don’t think you know how to look bad, Jungkook. Any of you boys, really.”

“Are we still spending tonight together?” Jungkook asked. “All of us?”

You nodded. “Yoongi doesn’t work tonight. We’re going to play a game as a family, then then we’ll go to bed. But right now, it’s lunch time.”

The boys had easily taken to you being theirs romantically, only insisting that if you were theirs that you also had disclose financial information and let them actually help and know how things are.

It was nice being able to let them take care of some things instead of only you. To share the burden.

Even though things weren’t really stable yet when it came to finances, especially with Hoseok’s medical bills, it was already starting to get a little better. And next week Jimin and Namjoon were house-sitting for your dad while he went on a road trip with some buddies (promising to bring back unsprayed oranges, so apparently they were going somewhere warm) to go hiking and such and he was paying them pretty well to keep a close eye on his bees.

Yoongi loved his night job, and it worked well with his need for a mostly nocturnal schedule. He’d only had one issue with another hybrid, one who had tried to pick on him due to his small size, not realizing that minks were ferocious predators when angered. Especially when they’d been abused before. It was cleared up and that employee had been fired. Now he was really happy.

Jin had started teaching Jungkook how to play the guitar, and was already doing better with sign language.

Taehyung’s mischief was oddly constructive the past week. No snakes in almost a month. Or frogs.

“Oh! Tae, did you tell her?” Jin asked, suddenly, looking into the living room.

Tae looked back, then abandoned Hobi as he scrambled toward you with a grin. “They asked me if I wanted to teach!”

You blinked at him, a little lost. “Who wanted you to teach what?”

He shook his head as if to get his thoughts straight. “Jin, Jungkook, and I were at the park and this school group came and they had kids that were deaf and blind and all that and I was trying to give them space but they realized Kookie was like them and then that we knew sign language too and I ended up playing with them for a while and the teacher said that they often hire hybrids to help in the classroom and since I already know sign language they wanted to know if I’d be interested and I said I was because I really liked playing with the kids and we went back to the school and the principal said that if you gave written consent then I could start on Monday!”

You grinned. “That’s amazing, TaeTae!” You hugged him tightly.

Hoseok was making a happy shrieking sound, but was too tired to get up, but Taehyung quickly went back to him wrapping his arms around the bunny happily.

The six of you sort of celebrated over lunch, and told the last two the good news when they arrived a few hours later.

You wondered if you’d ever breath properly after today. Between kisses and long hugs, lingering touches, and heated looks, you barely had time to breath and once they got you to bed…

“She’s look great full of our kits,” Yoongi agreed with a statement you hadn’t heard, but quickly spotted the tell-tale lip-bite of Namjoon’s.

Taehyung nodded.

“Nah, she’d look better with pups,” Jimin argued cheekily.

“I wish I could see her with either,” Jungkook complained.

“You’ll have to see her with your hands,” Hoseok said calmly. “Which could be even better.”

You arched an eyebrow. “You all know that we’re at least a year away from any impregnation here?”

“But we’ve been together for five years,” Namjoon objected calmly, smirking.

“Four years,” Yoongi said.

“Three and a half.”

“Three.” Taehyung piped in.

“Two for us,” Jungkook chirped triumphantly, holding his hand for a high-five with Jimin.

Jin looked sad. It hadn’t even been a year for him.

“Doesn’t change anything,” You told them, getting up and wrapping your arms around Jin’s neck from behind, resting your cheek on the top of his head. “We’ve still got to get used to being together before we take a completely different step and you guys don’t get any time with me. Besides, we can’t afford any children right now. Maybe after we manage to get our savings account back. We can start a kit slash pup fund.”

They all seemed to exchange glanced and you suddenly worried about what you might have just done.

“You know, having pups and kits is much cheaper than having human babies,” Yoongi said just a little too casually. “If we all starting making a little bit each day, we might be able to save up for it by Christmas.”

“Especially if we can cut the food budget even more,” Hoseok said, but he sounded more skeptical.

“The rest could eat more rice, and then we also have the quails and we should have our first hatchlings in a week or so,” Namjoon pointed out.

You looked between them all as they all started legitimately planning how to save money for babies, then sort of started laughing. Leaning against Jin, who glanced up at you.

“They’re still underestimating everything,” he whispered.

“Think they’d notice if we went upstairs?” You asked back, as the boys gathered to start doing the math.

He shook his head and both of you snuck upstairs, already kissing before you heard the shout of surprise from downstairs at finding you gone.

“Better hurry if you want to show them that you have just as much right to me,” You whispered.

He grinned and lay over you on the bed. “You’re okay with me touching you first?”

“I’m here with you, aren’t I?” You asked.

He quickly kissed you again, hands wandering.

“Oh damn,” Yoongi muttered from the doorway.

“You going to stand there all day?” You asked as Jin kissed down your neck.

All of the boys piled in and hurried to yours and Jin’s side.

A chaotic mess of a family, but filled with so much love, that you knew you’d never regret letting them all have part of your heart.

--

Masterlist  

Tagging: @ephemeral-mindset​ @young-yellkie​ @alex--awesome--22​

[limitlessimagines]

Hello there, I’d like to submit my request for March matchups C: I’d like Valorant characters, but- I’m having trouble deciding whether platonic or romantic for I’m the worst at making decisions unless I’m under some kind of gargantuan amount of pressure. So, whatever will be okay! I’m a non binary bisexual hufflepuff who’s not actually loud or outgoing, but usually ends up surrounded by people even more quiet or serious than I am. Which, well, makes me look like the havoc bringer... until a real one appears and puts everything in good perspective. Beside the inability to decide and the quietness, I’m one loyal beast with a strong sense of honor. Like, I WILL fight for the ones I care, and oh boy will it be a to-the-last-blood fight, if I have to. And even if I don’t like someone, and for reasons I know things so sensitive about them to be perceived as “hitting below the belt” if used... most likely I will not resource to them. I consider myself intelligent enough to not be in need of going so low to face people. I have way too many hobbies, as they come and go, but the most notable ones are definitely cultivating mostly useless ancient war related knowledge(Archery? Medieval fencing? Riding a horse? Crafting armors ? Conferences about how ancients deviate rivers to flood the enemy’s encampment? Check me in.), video games, crafting and snowboarding/ice skating (but really, everything snow related is a big yes. And no matter what, I’ll always be carrying some kind of “survival kit” because “you can thank me when the worst scenario strikes”). And speaking of worst case scenario, I have the innate ability to always dress, no matter the circumstances, as if I live in some kind of post-apocalypse. Which is quite irrelevant but still is one of my most notable characteristics.

Sorry for being so long winded!

[Not to worry nonny! I shall write both for you! No stress. People can ask for both!! Ooh! Post apocalypse fashion is kinda in right, now, I think!! And EXCUSE ME, having hobbies aren’t useless if they bring you joy! Gosh, I love ancient history. What are some cool facts you have to share?!!)- cheese]

Your platonic match up is with Sova!

Sova is definitely the quiet and serious type. And he is also a bit of a history nerd himself. He prefers more recent history, starting around the year 2000 (Valorant takes place in 2049). He’s interested in the rifts, and abandoned places. But that doesn’t mean he wont sit there with a cup of tea and just listen and nod along to you talking about ancient history! He loves sharing, and listening! He’s definitely interested in the history of archery!

He loves that you’re a big snow person. He’s used to the snow, but he knows its harshness can make others be wary of spending time in it. He hasn’t tried snow boarding before, but you can bet he’s done something similar. He would definitely enjoy a day out at the slopes. He’s not too shabby a skater either! Not a hockey player, not a newbie either. He’s just, pretty good!

Sova admires that you’ve thought out well in advance to have a survival kit with you. He got some flack for doing the same, so he’s glad you’re on the same wavelength. You never know when disaster strikes and you need to move.

Your romantic match up is with Brimstone!

Brim doesn’t mind that you are quiet. He could use the quiet, actually. Coming back from a loud and chaotic day at work to a nice, peaceful home, and nice peaceful partner, is music to his ears!

Brimstone helps with your indecisiveness. He isn’t fond of taking a long time to make decisions. It just means more time for the enemy to close in. Well, thankfully, you don’t have an enemy that attacks you when you can’t decide. Brimstone helps you by giving you small decisions to make every now and then, and builds you up to bigger things. He notices when one feels easy, or the other one doesn’t. He’ll scale up or down accordingly. But he will never make the decision for you.

Your loyalty does not go unnoticed. Brimstone’s military background makes sure of that. He also holds you to a high regard, since you do things the right way, and don’t resort to cheap or dirty tactics.

Brimstone can be too busy to entertain your hobbies,. But he doesn’t mind listening to you jabber on about it while he’s doing some mindless task, like cleaning up the garage, washing the dishes, etc. He’ll even chime in, when he wants to know more about something.

Brim doesn’t quite understand your fashion choice, but he also doesn’t have a problem with it either. Just don’t try to dress him.

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

I am actually curious: you have your stories happening approximately 2000 years in the future, yet the tech you describe is MAYBE 150 years later than what we have now. I'm just wondering if that's maybe due to a cataclysm of some kind in your world's past? It has got me wondering, because 2000 years in the future I could see us having tech that quite literally looks like magic to us 21st century boggles. Not criticism, merely my curiosity getting killed by my love of new sciency shtuff.

Um looking back on my entire answer I realize that I over-answered your question, and also gave a history lesson on what happened in the next 2000 years..... so um yeah that’s why the answer is so long and complicated. 

Ok, I am actually very glad that you asked this question because I have been getting some questions about it. 

Number one reason for there being no really special technology is that..... actually there totally is magic technology that war cannot even conceive of yet. They have warp cores that can fold space, and they have fusion engines on airplanes, and they have completely clean energy and prosthetic technology that is more cybernetic than prosthetic including limbs that can sense heat and pain, and the complete mechanical replacement of eyes, and probably other organs. They can definitely 3D print organs and they have shrunk MRI technology down to a handheld device. The ocean has been cleaned up and the atmosphere is safe. They have gravity generators, and weapons capable of destroying planets. They can create artificial atmospheres on places like the moon utilizing the gravity fields etc/ etc.  So as for the first point, their technology is very very advanced.

Second to address the 150 year thing is that I tend to disagree.  in the seventies they told us we would have flying cars and that isn’t even close to happening. I think people tend to underestimate the time it will take to innovate certain things. I know for a lot of us we have seen a huge explosion of technological advancement in our lives that makes the possibility seem so likely, but I would argue that the explosion wasn’t really that at all. If you think about it i phones haven't really changed since they have been sent out. Apple is just adding extra cameras but not really innovating the technology anymore/ And in reality, we have absolutely no clue how we would even start creating wormholes. I mean it is such a distant and strange possibility that we wouldn't even know where to start and most people think it probably inst even real 

My other point is that if we go about two thousand years in the past, we see that technological advancement didn’t really come as far in that time as we think it did. yeah they might see what we do as magic but it was just a logical progression of their technology. They had chariots so we made it out of metal and put an engine in it. I honestly don’t see us advancing any faster towards the true intergalactic age faster than they advanced into making a simple car.

I honestly think its not actually the technology that everyone has a problem with, but the context in which I place it. The true question here is why is the CULTURE so similar to ours. I mean lets be honest its just 2010s  two thousand years in the future, and I did that for a reason. Number one because I cannot conceive of how culture and language might evolve. Likely we wouldn’t be able to understand each other and the culture of the future would be so alien and strange that it would be like reading A Brave New World, the concept is interesting but its impossible to feel personally connected to the characters. I made the culture so much like it is now because I wanted a deep culture connection from the audience to the crew, while also making it easier on myself and others to understand them.

I can explain this in a couple of ways, and the big one is the internet. The internet is still around and contains all the information we have put on it since conceiving of the idea. We cant go back to year 1 AD and know what they were doing and thinking , but 2000 years in the future they have everything about us documented in videos and whatever else on the internet. I think cultural evolution slowed down because they had access to us. Language evolved and then recycled itself kind of like how we are seeing a resurgence of certain slang terms. The language doesn't evolve so grandly because the internet gave them access to materials in our time and to understand it and enjoy it they just didn’t move forward. IN fact the culture then became a culture of recycling where people just sort of go back, pick their favorite time period and live accordingly. Popular worldwide right then is the 2000s hence the use of our style, but if you walk down the streets of somewhere like LA you are going to see people dressed in Victorian era fashion or 80s or even greek. They don’t move forward culturally because they all became hipsters and decided to cycle it back.

One last point is that I think they focused on earth before they focused towards space simply because of WW III which nearly destroyed the planet with radiation. Scientists all across the world hand to band together to help and solve the problem of cleaning up radiation and they had to do it quickly. Once done the near death of the planet scared so many people that a few countries decided to join together. America being america refused, but the current political climate caused the second civil war thus ending the united states government as we know it.  Europe melded together to protect itself from Russia who sort of ate all the surrounding countries. The united states Joined Canada and allied with Europe. The Chinese continued their colonization efforts in Africa but more obviously this time. Australia stayed with Britain and Europe despite China also colonizing most everything around it. south america broke down but was pulled together by some sort of political leader who then allied with mexico and Cuba sort of turning the continents into countries . 

Then world war IV happened, and this time they had the technology to stop the issue of radiation, but that just meant some government decided its ok to kill more people since we won’t actually hurt the planet. billions died. That scared them into recreating the UN and the vast majority of countries decided to join, and if they didn’t their people rose up and pushed them out of power. All accept for Asia. 

After that they went back into space technology, created a base on the moon and colonized Mars which took another very long time which is actually making me question weather 2000 years is enough. Then  within the last hundred years of this story taking place the Pan-Asian war happened in an effort to bring them into the UN. Vir’s father fought in that war, and they eventually won with the help of the people on the inside who actually wanted to join making earth a unified front. After china joined their scientists were instrumental in helping to create the first warp core since now instead of innovating against each other we were innovating WITH each other

[sm-entertain-me]

Room Service (M)

Contains: Nakamoto Yuta x (f) reader, adult language, smut, depictions of sex, love hotel (rabu hoteru), unprotected sex, rough sex, choking, facefucking, creampie, love hotel worker!Yuta, love hotel customer!reader, dom!Yuta, sub!reader.

Synopsis: Traveling all over Osaka led you to a peculiar looking hotel that you had never seen before. What you thought was a normal, upscale hotel turned into something more than you bargained for.

ALL OF MY WORK IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAWS. DO NOT COPY, TRANSLATE, OR REPOST ON OTHER SITES WITHOUT CONSENT FROM AUTHOR. COPYRIGHT SM-ENTERTAIN-ME (KELSEY), 2019

You had been exhausted from keeping up with your tour guide all day, constantly pulling your group over to the side to ramble on about the city’s culture, how his favorite sushi place was a little bit down the road, and talking about how his friends would go out and enjoy what the city had to offer them when everything went dark. Sure, you enjoyed the history part of it, but you really didn’t feel like listening anymore to his stories involving women and what he could make them do for over 10,000 yen....

Another sigh escaped your lips as you wandered the streets of Osaka, your eyes darting around to find some kind of hotel that didn’t seem to unsafe or too greasy. Osaka is a beautiful place filled with beautiful people and beautiful architecture, but you were convinced you were just on the wrong side of the tracks. That was, until you stumbled upon a peculiar looking building with modern-esque features, brightly lit red neon signs that showed off the Japanese characters, and bored no windows.

A little interesting, you thought to yourself as you walked through the frosted glass doors that opened to a large floor plan, decorated with sculptures, fancy fountains, and replicas of the finest art you had ever seen. Funny how the tour guide never once mentioned a place like this in Osaka. The building was absolutely beautiful and judging by the rates posted behind the large oak wood desk, it wasn’t too badly priced either.

The options they allowed at this establishment were pretty cheap considering the wonderful atmosphere, although you did find it a little weird that they offered rates for 1-3 hour “rests”. Whatever that meant. But still, you approached the wooden desk and came face to face with a well dressed employee with dark black hair that swept to one side, and a small smirk resting on his face as he greeted you, “Konbanwa.” (Good evening)

One good look at you and he realized very quickly you were a foreigner, so he decided to switch to a universally known language that almost everyone could speak: English. “My apologies ma’am, good evening. My name is John, but please call me Johnny, and I would like to welcome you on behalf of our own little rabu hoteru. How long are you looking to stay with us?” The employee behind the desk asked as his eyes grazed over your body momentarily, bringing himself to look back up at you and wait patiently for your answer. Rabu hoteru?

After a brisk conversation with the desk-keep, he finally gave you a key to your desired room and gave you instructions on how to get there. For one night, it only cost you about 10,000 yen as opposed to the other hotels in the area that would run you a pretty penny of at least 50,000. 

As you approached your room, you noticed how dimly lit the hallways were with a thin layer of smoke from a fog machine, hearing a low rumbling sound around the halls as well to drain out some... interesting sounds coming from the other rooms. To be fair, the rooms did seem pretty soundproof and who were you to judge someone else and their sexuality? Everyone needs a little break here and there.

Sighing to yourself, you sat on your bed that felt like a cloud and immediately sunk into the comforter. Groaning out softly, you gripped onto the pillow and brought it closer to your face, relishing in the cold feeling of the fabric on your face that nearly coaxed you to sleep until the absurd ring sequence of the phone sounded next to you. Another groan.

Picking up the high tech phone, you pressed the receiver to your lips as you asked into the phone, “Yes?”

“Ah, Y/N, I forgot to tell you something during our conversation,” A soothing voice rang out from the other end, dripping with sex as he spoke. Johnny. You shifted uncomfortably on the bed, pressing your thighs together as you waited for him to continue speaking since you simply couldn’t get enough of hearing his voice. “Don’t forget to use our top notch services. I guarantee they’ll make your experience that much more enjoyable.”

The emphasis of the last word in John’s sentence had you cocking a brow to yourself, trying to figure out what he meant by that. Enjoyable. After you said your goodbyes to the desk-keep, you set the receiver back on its hook and decided to take a look at the “top notch” services Johnny felt obligated to tell you about.

Reaching into your bedside table, you opened the wooden drawer to reveal a leather bound book that read “Holy Bible” in gold script, and then a smaller red book that had Japanese characters dancing across the cover. Luckily for you, there were words written in English underneath the characters to act as a formal translation so you could know just what you were requesting. As you were flipping through the calligraphy filled contents, you were taken aback by just what was in that book.

Descriptions of sexual activities littered the page, explaining in perfect detail what sexual activities could be bought with the right amount of Yen. The acts themselves were ordered by price, from least expensive to most expensive, depending on how much sexual activity would be going on and who would be giving it. They even offered both male and female companions that each came with a list of their own kinks and “difficulty ratings”. One star being for beginners whereas five stars were for more experienced lovers. You were about to slam the book shut and go to sleep when you stumbled upon a picture of him.

At the end of the “Companions” section, you were greeted with a picture of a man with reddish brown hair, obviously dyed that way, with a nicely chiseled jawline, wide eyes that exuded lust, and a perfectly taut smirk that mocked your very existence. He knew he was hot, and that’s probably why he has the highest going rate and the highest difficulty ranking of all of the people in the book. Nakamoto Yuta was his name, and by god he was gorgeous.

You finally succumbed to the “top notch services” the hotel had to offer, requesting to have Yuta as your companion and informing Johnny that you didn’t care what kind of service Yuta was willing to give you. 

“Are you sure you want Yuta to choose?” Johnny asked, the cockiness in his voice coming through perfectly clear. He knew what Yuta was capable of, which is why he’s the most expensive. He also knew that you had no idea what Yuta could do, but it was ultimately your decision in the end.

“Yes, Johnny. I’m sure I want Yuta to choose the service. I’m only in Osaka for a little bit and I would love to see what you guys have to offer. Money is not an issue for me,” You replied to your semi-concerned desk-keep who was typing away at the computer, making arrangements for the two of you. 

“Very well,” Johnny said after you had ultimately signed your death wish, finishing the typing on his computer and sitting back in his seat to review the arrangement with you. “One Heaven on Earth package with our famed Nakamoto Yuta. He should be coming to your room in about ten minutes, so please dress to impress. 100,000 yen will be charged to your room balance at the end of the service, thank you for choosing to use our services and we hope to see you again in the future... Oh, and good luck.”

Your heart raced as you ran to the bathroom of your living space, running your hand through your hair to make it seem a little more presentable. You then stripped yourself of a bra just to make the process go faster and made sure to change into your sleep shorts that offered a bit more skin to the room, opting to change your shirt into just a tank top. When you felt like you were ready, you sat on the edge of your bed and thought about just what was about to happen. Until there was a short sequence of knocks coming from the opposite side of your door.

Swallowing your last bit of pride, your hand gripped at the door knob and turned it slowly, opening the door to reveal a man that was slightly taller than you, that same reddish brown hair that was swept back in the most attractive fashion you could think of, and that signature smirk still on his lips. Yuta.

“Well hello, darling. I hear someone wants to use me as a companion for the night, is that right?” Yuta’s deep voice spilled out, sex lining every single syllable as his eyes drank in your appearance. Yuta’s eyes took a liking to the fact you weren’t wearing a bra as he could see your nipples standing erect against the flimsy fabric of your tank top, licking his lips at the sight. When he noticed you didn’t answer, he lunged forward and gripped he side of your neck, the crook of his hand resting along your jawline as he forced you to look up at him with an intense hunger in his eyes, “Answer me.”

“Y-Yes,” You breathed out hastily, your breath catching in your throat as your heart raced uncontrollably, losing yourself at Yuta’s simple touches along your neck. He had you right where he needed you and knew you were going to be the perfect sub for him, no doubt about it. You were putty in his hands, someone so willing to take his orders and act them accordingly. Someone to wreck properly.

When Yuta was satisfied with your answer, he smirked at your desperation as he leaned in and captured your lips on his, kissing you roughly. Upon impact, Yuta’s tongue fell into your mouth and played with yours, pushing his tongue flat against yours and tasting you completely as his grip on your throat increased. Yuta could feel your pulse racing against his hand as he continued to toy with you, kissing you with so much raw passion that it nearly took your breath away. But before you could enjoy yourself any further, Yuta pulled his lips off of yours, a small string of spit falling from your lips.

Yuta loved how desperate you look for him by simply kissing you that he couldn’t control himself as his hand dropped from your throat to your shoulder, looking at you with a fiery glare, “On your knees. Now. And don’t make me tell you again, babygirl.”

Nodding at his demands, you assumed the position by slinking down to your knees in front of Yuta. His hands slipped to his belt buckle and unfastened it at a painfully slow rate, him watching the way your eyes would widen at the bulge that pressed against the confines of his black slacks. He loved to watch you fall apart without even touching you.

“Just know,” Yuta spoke as he unzipped his slacks and hooked his thumbs in between the fabric of his briefs and his honeyed skin, looking down at you to have your eyes meet. “You can stop me at anytime. I’ve been known to get a little carried away.” Before you could even muster up an answer or a nod of your head, Yuta’s hand was on the back of your skull, fingers entwined with a bunch of your hair, and his cock was being shoved down your throat.

Upon entering your throat, you gagged around Yuta’s length that was now pushing its way down your throat, smacking against your uvula with no resistance. Yuta’s grip would get tighter the longer he went as his head was thrown back in pure ecstasy, his hands forcing you to choke around him as he had complete control over the pace he made you comply with. 

Through teary eyes, you managed to look up at Yuta, admiring the way his neck vein was surfacing against his skin and how his jaw was clenched tightly together to stop him from letting you know how good you were doing. In response to seeing him struggling to keep his composure as he throat fucked you harder, you hollowed your cheeks around him and gripped his thighs to keep you centered, moaning against the skin to feel his cock twitch in your throat. You even went as far as to reach up and grip his balls in your hands, but were quickly yanked away from him.

Confused, you looked up at Yuta to find out why he pulled out of you so quickly only to see a cocky look on his face, a smirk tugging at his lips again. Yuta chuckled as he reached down and grabbed your wrist rather harshly, pulling you up to your feet as he towered over you, “Careful princess, wouldn’t want to be punished... Would you?” 

You shook your head vigorously at his question, not wanting him to get any rougher since your throat was now burning from the abuse of Yuta shoving his cock into you repeatedly. Although you were pretty sure you were willing to give everything for Yuta to completely dominate you in ways you couldn’t even imagine, you would much rather be able to walk out of the hotel room instead of crawl.

“Jump,” Yuta demanded as he got rid of the rest of his pants that were pooling at his ankles, bending down in front of you to hook his arms underneath your ass in order to pick you up. You kindly obliged and jumped into his arms, Yuta smiling at you brightly before his lips latched onto the skin of your neck, trailing open mouth kisses to your collar bone and began to suck harshly. As Yuta turned your neck red with busted blood vessels, you keened for him, leaning into his figure as he began to walk to you to the bed while digging his teeth into your skin to hear you moan louder for him.

Your back hit the mattress shortly after, relaxing into the soft fabric while Yuta moved up on your neck to your earlobe, whispering in a sultry tone, “Time to show you what Heaven on Earth is really about...” Yuta pulled away from sucking languidly on your ear lobe to look down at you with hooded eyes, piercing into yours with a look that one would describe as pure desire, “I’m going to fucking wreck you.”

And wreck you Yuta did. There was never a moment when his nails weren’t digging into your hips or wrists if he decided to keep your wrists restricted while he fucked his way into your guts, curses flying from his mouth with every thrust. Sweat was coating both of your bodies as you cried out in pleasure your nails digging into his forearms as Yuta pinned you beneath him, rolling his hips harshly against your throbbing clit.

“Fu-Fuck Yuta!” You screamed, feeling yourself getting closer to your release as Yuta kissed down your neck, peppering the abused skin as the intensity of his strokes never faded. Yuta smirked against your skin as he gripped your ankles that were wound tightly around his waist, pulling them off of him and spreading you wide so he could fuck you harder and much deeper than before. 

With the new angle, Yuta’s cock could pierce into the deepest parts of your slick pussy, causing lewd squelching sounds to ring out through the whole room that only seemed to egg Yuta on. His grip on your ankles got tighter as he leaned forward, pushing your toes to the wall behind you as he completely buried himself inside of your seeping entrance, pulling out and looking at the thick sheen of your arousal coating his cock nicely.

Yuta continued to push your toes against the wall, leaning forward with each stroke to have his cock drag against the most pleasurable spots of your ever clenching walls, grunting with every thrust he forced on you. His grunts were low and short mixed with a few Japanese curse words, him throwing his head back and biting his lip to distract himself from bursting inside of you. The longer he fucked you at this angle, the more his resolve weakened. He needed you to cum before him.

As Yuta fucked you the hardest he’s ever fucked anyone before, he removed one of his hands from your ankle and wrapped it tightly around your throat, looking at you for a look of assurance. You simply nodded as your hand was placed on top of his, holding him there as he steadily applied more pressure to cut off your air supply in a euphoric way that had you arching up against him. The sensation of his groin rolling against your throbbing bundle of nerves, his cock burying deep inside of your walls to feel you completely, and the new act of restricting your airflow had you feeling too good for your own good. All that you remembered was you screaming out for Yuta, clawing at him to come closer to you as you let the wave of pleasure crash over you.

Yuta felt your walls clench tightly around his cock, sending him spiraling over his edge as thick ropes of cum could be felt deep within your pussy, Yuta moaning out as he completely emptied himself into you. Yuta seemed to sputter syllables that reflected your name in pure bliss as he let himself crash on top of you, the only feeling he could feel before passing out with you was the sensation of his cum struggling to stay inside of your pussy and began to leak on the sheets below you two.

When the two of you woke sometime after you had the best sex of your whole entire life, you looked at each other with fond eyes and bright smiles. Yuta was actually a funny guy when he wasn’t forced to act on his dominant persona for tips from his lovers, telling jokes and making you laugh to seem more comfortable with the whole idea of paying for sex in a love hotel. 

“This was probably the highlight of my whole trip,” You said as you two cuddled afterwards, laying your head on top of Yuta’s toned chest and playing with the peaks of his abs. 

Yuta shifted a little bit to give you a kiss on the top of your head, smiling against your scalp as you could feel him breathe in heavily like he was in a supreme state of relaxation with you, “I’m glad I was a part of it... I think I’m going to crash here with you tonight if it’s okay with you, you really wore me out.”

“And don’t worry about payment, I’ll have Johnny take it out of my pay. With a performance like the one you just gave me, I should be paying you.”

[tracingdreams]

Daiya no Ace: The Dramas - Special “They’re Doing an Interview!” Part III

An explanation… To keep my brain from rusting I started a project to translate the drama tracks that came with the character song CDs and other stuff relating to Daiya no Ace (because I love them and they’re all hilarious). My disclaimer - I am not a native speaker of Japanese, but I will do my best!

Daiya no Ace Season II: Drama CD, Track 01: “They’re Doing An Interview!”(Part III of III)

This is a longer drama from a proper Drama CD, and so I have split it into three parts accordingly. The whole drama also has quite a wide cast <3.

Part III - Featuring Nori, Miyuki, Furuya, Sawamura, Kanemaru, Toujou, Haruichi, Zono, Kuramochi.

The story so far… Miyuki has brought some news to various members of the team that they’re going to be interviewed for a magazine. He’s already freaked out Zono, and has since panicked the first years as well. In order to prevent their nerves from taking over, Kanemaru, Tōjō, Furuya, Eijun and Haruichi have decided to run some practice interviews between them, to get a feel for what it will be like. Kanemaru has thus offered to play interviewer…

Kanemaru: Ok, here goes. (he clears his throat). Sawamura-senshu, I’ll ask you this question. (Translator note: senshu is a player or competitor, it’s often used as a polite suffix for sports people in Japan). About the practice game the other day…

Eijun: Practice game? A recent one?

Kanemaru: Yes. You were the starting pitcher, were you not?

(There is a long pause, then)

Eijun:…I’M REALLY MOST TERRIBLY SORRY!

Kanemaru: eh?

Haruichi: eh? Eijun-kun?

Eijun: The other day, because I was so inexperienced and poor, I allowed a four ball walk for the first batter, and then I got the whole team into a pinch and I’m so terribly terribly sorry for creating such a negative trajectory! Right here I will apologise very VERY sincerely!

Kanemaru: Hang on a minute, Sawamura!

Haruichi: That’s not an interview, that’s an apology at a press conference!

Eijun: Huh? Ah. Sorry. I got carried away…

Tōjō: Well, you know, things like that are quite common lately.

Kanemaru: Just answer more normally, okay? Normally.

Eijun: I see.

(there are footsteps, and Nori joins the group)

Nori: Hey, you guys.

Furuya: Kawakami-senpai?

Eijun: Nori-senpai? What’s up? You look kinda down.

Nori: Well…I just heard from Kuramochi that tomorrow we’re being interviewed for a magazine…

Kanemaru: Ah, you’re being interviewed as well, huh, Nori-senpai?

Nori: Yeah. But I have no idea what to talk about.

Tōjō: You feel that way too, Nori-senpai?

Kanemaru: We were just discussing that subject ourselves.

Nori: Well, you know, it’s the first time, after all. Obviously, I’m kinda nervous.

Haruichi: Yeah, of course.

Nori: When I was in the first year, and I saw Miyuki being interviewed, I have to admit that I was a bit envious. I’d have been lying if I’d said that I didn’t want to experience the anxiety of having an article about me written and printed in a magazine. (Translator’s note – this is complemented by weird, alien-spaceish noises, and I am pretty sure these are Nori’s thoughts, rather than his spoken words, judging by the reaction).

Kanemaru: Nori-senpai sometimes goes off in his own world, doesn’t he.

Tōjō: Yeah, no kidding.

Eijun: It’s all gonna be fine, Nori-senpai!

Nori: Sawamura?

Eijun: If I think about Nori-senpai’s key skills, it’s the way that, whenever you take the mound, you do your own style of pitching and you are always so calm and level-headed!

Nori: Mm…

Eijun: And! The control you have pitching the ball from the side is absolutely unrivalled! If we’re in a pinch, we can always rely on Kawakami – that’s what the club Buchou (Ōta) always says and you have his complete trust! That’s the kind of guy you are! If you can make the most of that in your interview tomorrow, it will be no problem at all!

Nori: I suppose so.

Eijun: And also! If you’re asked about your personal profile, you can share your wide-ranging knowledge of J-Pop music, and your favourite foods are rolled up sushi and karaage! If you go with those things, you can’t fail!

Nori: That really helps!

Kanemaru: Sawamura really has a ton of stuff to say about other people…

Haruichi: He does. It’s really a kind of a talent.

Eijun: So! Shall we do a light interview rehearsal, then?

Nori: Rehearsal?

Eijun: In these cases the best thing is to trample down any stupid fears! I’ll be the interviewer, so Nori-senpai, please answer my questions!

Nori: Okay.

Eijun: (interviewer voice): In which case, first of all…regarding the recent practice game…

Nori: Practice game?

Eijun: Yes. In the ninth innings, when Seidou were level on points with the opposition, you were switched in as relief pitcher, Kawakami…but…

(there is a long pause).

Nori: Mm…I AM SO TERRIBLY SORRY! (Translator’s note – with all these loud apologies, I’m starting to feel like the pitchers all spent the weekend before watching Fruits Basket…)

First years: eh?!

Nori: In spite of the fact the team had got the points back to level pegging, with my weak pitching I brought the team into a pinch situation, and I broke the rhythm of the fight back! In that regard I wish to apologise very, VERY sincerely!

Kanemaru: Ah, this guy too…?

(The scene shifts to the next day. Everyone is together now. Well. With one exception).

Eijun’s voice as narration: And so, the next day!

Kuramochi: Hyahaa! Huh? Hey, come on you lot, hurry up! The reporters are already here!

Kanemaru: H…Hang on a minute! Am I okay, dressed like this? (he is in dirty uniform).

Tōjō: We’ve just come from practice, and we haven’t even washed our faces.

Miyuki: It’s fine, so hurry up and come! It’s fine to be wearing uniform, and we’ve just finished practice, so it’s only natural that they’ll be a bit dirty.

Nori: But there’s going to be a photo, right?

Eijun Hey, Furuya? When did you manage to change your uniform?

Furuya: I thought that it would be better without mud on it.

Eijun: That’s not fair! Miyuki-senpai! Can I go get changed as well please?

Miyuki: It’s too late! Come like that!

Eijun: BUT!

Haruichi: Is this everyone? Huh? Where’s Zono-senpai?

Kuramochi: Huh? Now you mention it, he’s not here.

Miyuki: That idiot, he’s a second year and yet…what is he doing, anyway?

Kanemaru: He’s coming.

Miyuki: (raises his voice): Oi, hurry up, and…(he stops dead. He’s seen Zono). Eeeh?

Zono (appears, breathing heavily like he’s run to join them): Sorry I’m late.

Kuramochi: Zono! What the hell are you wearing?!

Zono: This suit? This suit was handed down to me from my Dad. He told me to use it whenever any special occasion happened, and made me bring it to school with me. In order to be ready for today’s interview, I spent ages last night ironing it! What do you think? It makes an impression, right?

Kuramochi: An impression…well…

Miyuki: You know, no matter how you look at it, that’s not how a high school student dresses.

Zono: Really?

Miyuki: Zono, seriously, it’s an old dude’s suit, for heaven’s sake. It’s not something a high school student would wear! (Translator’s note: If Miyuki, aka the king of hoodies, is lecturing Zono on his fashion sense, it must look pretty bad…)

Kanemaru: It’s the kind of suit you often see professional players wearing in the off-season, in magazines and stuff, isn’t it?

Tōjō: More importantly, Shinji, why do you know something like that?

Kanemaru: *stiffens*, uh, well, you know, at home, we get magazines and stuff…I thought they were pretty cool, so I looked at them a few times.

Zono: Is it no good then? I thought it suited me…

Miyuki: Whatever, just go hurry up and get changed!

Miyuki’s voice – narration: And after that, the interview was safely completed. A few weeks later, a copy of the magazine in which our article was to be printed, Baseball Kingdom, arrived.

Zono: Hey, hurry up and show us!

Miyuki: Calm down! There’s plenty about you written in here too, Zono. Let’s see…’Maezono Kenta-kun, a young man who has a rough aura that belies his years, occasionally shows us glimpses of a very charming smile.’ It says.

Kuramochi: (hysterical laughter)

Zono: (insulted): Hey! What’s so funny? Isn’t it the fruit of all my practice?

Miyuki: Ah, a lot has been written about the first years as well.

Kanemaru: Wow, cool!

Tōjō: There’s several pages, too!

Haruichi: If Mum and Dad saw this, they’d be really happy, I think.

Furuya: I wonder if you can buy it in Hokkaidou as well.

Kuramochi: You should be able to?

Eijun: And me? What does it say about me?

Miyuki: Let’s see…huh? It’s just a little bit.

Eijun: Huh?!

Miyuki: Let’s see. ‘And also, in relief, a left-handed pitcher with a form that makes it hard to see the oncoming ball [at the plate], a first year who pitches moving balls – we’d also like to highlight the existence of Sawamura Eijun-kun. His bright and positive character, nicknamed ‘Idiot Southpaw’ (Baka-sawan) by the rest of his teammates, is his charm.’ (He’s sniggering as he reads it).

Eijun: (incensed): IDIOT SOUTHPAW??!!

Kanemaru: Huh? Now who was it who leaked that to the reporter? (Translator’s note: I bet it was Tōjō…)

Eijun: SAYING THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT GOOD! AND DON’T CALL ME AN IDIOT!

Miyuki: Why not? IDIOTS are IDIOTS, right?

Kuramochi: Hyahaha! Because you’re BAKAMURA!

Eijun: STOPPP ITTT!

(The End).

[mobius-prime]

200. Sonic the Hedgehog #132

Can you believe it? We've reached the two hundredth issue, everyone! It seems like not that long ago that we had only reached one hundred, yet here we are! Of course, the actual comic itself is nowhere near two hundred yet, but we're counting total volume of issues here. We're over halfway done with reading the preboot by now, but we still have over a hundred left to go in front of us, so we'd better dive right in!

Home (Part 3 of 4): A.D.A.M. and Evil

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Dave Manak Colors: Jensen

Eggman can't believe what he's seeing as Tails and Sonic fly overhead, having been certain that Sonic could never be fast enough to reach him in time to stop the missile launch. Sonic leaps down from the Tornado with a pair of handcuffs to arrest Eggman with, but Eggman isn't worried, as he has M to protect him… and as Tails hacks into Eggman's database to stop the missile launch countdown, he finds he has another problem to worry about.

Well that's worrying… Meanwhile at Fort Acorn, as General D'Coolette gets the soldiers under his command ready for battle, Julie-Su argues with Knuckles inside the fort. Knuckles apparently wants to take point in the fight, but Julie-Su is adamant that he not put himself in such direct danger, as now without the power of the Chaos Emeralds, the only power he can rely on is his natural strength, which while formidable pales in comparison. She's doubly worried since last time he put himself in direct danger like this he literally died, but he still insists that he can handle it, pointing to his backup.

Uhh… looks like Amy has seriously powered up since last we saw her! Vector is in charge of heading off the swatbots' first advance, which he does by blasting his music loudly enough that it literally blows all the robots apart before they can reach the fort. While this is going on, Sally, her parents, and Uncle Chuck monitor the situation from the Technolo-Tree, as now that A.D.A.M. has taken control of the Tornado Tails is in serious danger. However, Chuck reasons that with A.D.A.M.'s attention split three ways, he may not be able to properly concentrate on controlling the plane, the missile countdown, and the robot army at Robotropolis effectively. A.D.A.M. forces the controls of Tails' plane down, intending to make him impact with the water of the ocean to kill him, and with M attacking Sonic in revenge for hurting her "father," things look bleak. However, Tails, thinking fast, decides to test A.D.A.M.'s skills with riddles, asking him "Why does the chicken cross…"

I think you've found A.D.A.M.'s weakness, Tails! As he keeps the virus distracted with some more puzzles, Vector laments the destruction of his stereo equipment due to the sheer volume of noise he just unleashed on the swatbots. However, that's only the first wave - and Amy Rose is ready to take on the second wave single-handedly. M starts viciously beating up Sonic while Eggman gleefully "introduces" her to him, noting that unlike A.D.A.M., she was an intentional creation to act as his personal enforcer. She flings Sonic into the water nearby, and Sally, watching from home, is horrified, as she knows Sonic can't swim.

This is kind of the beginning of the era where the comic started to clip Sally's wings. A year spent thinking her closest friend was gone has robbed her of some of her usual fire, and though many people call it out of character for her, while to some degree I agree, in other ways I kind of don't. Sonic is in many ways the opposite of Sally - he rushes into things, acts first and asks questions later, while Sally is much more calculating and prefers to have a plan before jumping into action. With the wild attitude of Sonic gone from her life, she's had her parents in her ears for the past year, once again pushing her to act like a princess and not get involved the way she used to. Instead of being the general, the leader of the rebellion that she's always been, she's being pulled back, reined in, told that she must only direct her troops' movements from the safety of her home. While certainly Sally isn't the type to meekly listen to whatever her parents tell her to do, I think the trauma she's faced has affected her in more ways than even she's aware of, and she's not nearly as certain of herself anymore, leaving her more open to manipulation from her parents than she once would have been.

At Fort Knothole, Amy is only half-conscious after the battle due to exhaustion, but perks up when she's told that she managed to wipe out half the attacking swatbots… on her own. If there's one thing I love about the comics, it's that they never downplay Amy's immense strength. She's a one-woman army in her own right, as long as she has her hammer in hand, and ultimately the comics give her a lot of chances to shine as the badass she is. Everyone prepares to fight the rest of the bots, but a shadow above alerts them to the arrival of the special GUN team from Station Square, heralded by Rouge the Bat. In Old Megaopolis, Eggman tells M that he won't believe Sonic is dead until he sees a body, so she dives into the water, just as Sonic manages to pull himself from the water after finding a lucky ladder close by.

M's eyes begin to glow, glaring at Sonic as she prepares to attack…

Mobius 25 Years Later: The Unveiling

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Jensen

There isn't much teen interaction in this second installment of Mobius 25 Years Later, so there isn't as much to complain about compared to last issue, but there are still a few things to cover. For one, we get our first introduction to Kenders' weird attempts to include some diversity of sexual orientation in his work! We open at Lara-Su's Unveiling, as Julie-Su proudly watches her dance with her father in the middle of the festivities. An echidna named "Mace" arrives, and from his dialogue we can gather that he's Knuckles' half-brother, the one whom Lara-Le was pregnant with before Sonic's space adventures. Julie-Su questions his friendship with a friend of his, Demi-Na, but he insists that the two of them are just friends and it's "nothing serious." She then warns him away from flirting with any of the other people present, as they're all already married. Apparently, Kenders' intention here was to indicate that Mace is in fact gay - that he's not interested in Demi-Na because he's not into women, and that Julie-Su never specified the gender of the people he shouldn't be flirting with. However, there's not even the slightest hint of any of this in the dialogue - y'all know how online fandoms will grasp onto any tiny hint of two same-gender individuals being cordial to one another as being true love and ship them accordingly, but I doubt even the gayest of fans would look at the dialogue surrounding Mace and think "Oh, he's definitely A Fellow Gay!" I do get that at the time this comic was released, acceptance of LGBT individuals wasn't nearly as widespread as it is now, which would actually make Kenders a bit ahead of the curve of society as a whole in terms of acceptance, but this is still a really, really weak attempt at including a gay character in his work - and it's not even the weirdest example yet.

See, even here, something that could have been an opportunity for gentle ribbing from father to daughter is instead used as an excuse to essentially pull a "well, other people have it worse" on Lara-Su. The dress really doesn't suit her personality-wise, making me wonder who even decided that was what she should wear in the first place. Meanwhile, we finally get to meet Cobar, Rotor's old friend, as the two meet up and discuss a very serious matter.

Okay, this is definitely the most interesting thing we've seen so far in this world. This is a problem much more reminiscent of the types of conflicts we see in the main storyline of the comic. However, we're already facing another weird "LGBT inclusion" scenario! Go ahead and take a look at the way Rotor and Cobar interact with one another. Seem shippable to you guys? Well, despite the fact that they seem no closer to each other than two ordinary scientists with a polite working relationship, Cobar is basically supposed to be Rotor's husband! That's right, Kenders apparently always saw Rotor as gay, and while I'm 1000% on board with that interpretation… well first of all Cobar looks like he has one foot in the grave while Rotor would barely be like forty-something in this timeline, but also, again, there is no noticeable hint they they're even slightly into each other, let alone in a long-term relationship. Frankly, Rotor deserves better if we're looking to set him up with a nice man.

Meanwhile, back at the Unveiling, Vector and his son Argyle arrive fashionably late to the party, and Vector and Knuckles step aside to have a chat while Argyle moves in to dance with Lara-Su. Vector frets, thinking that Argyle essentially isn't cool enough to know how to charm a lady, but his fears are totally unfounded.

Hmm, seems serious, Knuckles… I'm sure this interesting part of the plot isn't going to get sidetracked by trite teenage drama and a bunch of adults yakking at each other about Adult Stuff, right?

[mysticsparklewings]

The Dream Crosser

Surprise! NaPoWriMo didn't kill me (and I'm not abandoning dA because of the incoming Eclipse update either, more on that situation here), I just needed a week off to recuperate...and obsessively play Animal Crossing: New Horizons... Admittedly, I actually drew this well over a month ago (and wrote up the majority of the description!), not just before NaPoWriMo but before I actually had New Horizons in my grasp. The plan was to post it the day I got the game. Which was supposed to be much closer to the game's launch (March 20th). That ended up not happening and the day I got the game was the first day of NaPoWriMo, but 1. I messed up with the non-uniform prompts and spent all of the day trying to catch up so I couldn't even play the game yet, and 2. As a side effect, I ended up having two posts that day and a lot of work to do to catch up the second, and I hardly had time to think about posting this. And even if I had posted it, it would've been drowned in the incoming NaPoWriMo posts. And so, here we are. Really, really, I do have to mention that I truly feel for anyone else still waiting on the game for whatever reason. You have my deepest sympathy and I'm so sorry I can't just give you the game right now and make it better.  I know the wait was hard enough for me, being this is the one game I highly anticipated in over a year and I essentially had the rug yanked out from under me. But I'll save that story for after I talk about the art itself since I'm sure that's what most people are here for and not my pre-order frustrations. So in case you don't know or couldn't tell, this is the lovely Luna from AC: New Leaf's Dream Suite. From what we've seen of New Horizons since it's release, the Dream Suite's functions and purpose have been mostly absolved into the Airport and Dodo Codes, and so I'm very doubtful Luna will actually be in the game in any capacity, which makes me sad. A typical player (including me) wouldn't even necessarily interact with Luna that much in New Leaf unless you really enjoy visiting other towns using Dream Codes, so I'm not sure what it is, but for some reason I just really like her. That's why I picked her to draw to celebrate. I very nearly drew her a long time ago when I was on an Animal Crossing kick in 2018, but at the time I didn't like the idea of pressuring myself into drawing all and/or multiple AC characters just because I wanted to be "fair" to them all (much the same reason I don't draw Pokemon very often), so I ended up drawing One Little Spark, a crossover of the Disney character Figment drawn in the New Leaf style, instead. So in a way, she's had this coming for quite a while. At the time I started working on her, (way back in early March, because I was hoping beyond hope my pre-order would arrive to me actually on launch day, but ha ha ha look who's got egg on her face for that ) I was running a bit dry on artistic motivation, and so while I tried to draw her in my usual manner: Making a sketch, transferring the sketch onto different paper with finalized lines, then picking whichever coloring method I was most into at the time), I was struggling with the sketch. I've had days where I have to work on a sketch for a really long time before I can get something I'm happy with, but this day I was just so not into the whole sketching process. I wanted to create, but I wanted it to be quick and easy and simple. I didn't want to have to poke at it for hours and hours and then still maybe not be happy when I was done. So when I got discouraged enough, I broke away from trying to draw Luna and just drew mandalas instead. (As had become my art-block crutch for a little while.) Somewhere in me, as I worked on other things, I kept going back and forth on what to do about Luna, though. I did still want to draw her, but my usual formula just wasn't working for me. Not for her. I even tried briefly to draw her linelessly, digitally, as what was supposed to be a quick and simple experiment, but that went downhill even faster than sketching did. Although, for some reason, the lineless idea wouldn't leave me alone after that. Finally, I decided to try something completely different. I was going to try and free-handedly draw her, without lines, traditionally. With, primarily, alcohol markers. Honestly, the thought minorly horrifies me now just as much as it did before I started. And yet, here we are and I actually like how it turned out. Allow me to explain how this came together: So, since I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out once I decided to try it, I opted to use my not-so-great mixed media paper so I wouldn't feel guilty about wasting better paper if I ended up hating it. Naturally, this did lead to some notable limitations, but not enough to discourage me from trying. I dove right in with the dark brown for her head and body, focusing on getting the general shapes down. I'd noticed some glaring mistakes in my mostly unproductive sketching when it came to Luna's body proportions, so I tried to keep those things in mind and adjust accordingly as I went. It was scary because there is no erasing this way short of using white paint and because this paper feathers pretty noticeably with markers. Then once I got to a certain point, I had to switch and bring in some pink and off-white markers to draw in parts of her dress so I knew where to put her other arm and her legs. And here is where I technically cheated; I did use my "clear" Stardust Gelly Roll pen to do most of the outlines for her dress. I needed some kind of guideline, but pencil tends to get yucky when you put markers on top and at the time I couldn't really think of a better option. (The joke was kind of on me because somehow I still got a nasty gray line that looked like pencil under her bust that I had to gently edit out later in Photoshop, but I digress.) As I went with the markers, I was also doing some light shading. Not too much, because this paper is really fussy with layers and blending, but enough that I felt like it didn't look completely flat and I could tell where one shape ended and another started. Though, for her nose (trunk? I believe Luna is supposed to be a Tapir) and her raised arm, I had to get a little creative and I used a white brush pen meant for glass/ceramics to put in the lines so you could actually see them. And later I would use the same pen in 3-4 layers to add the white back in for her eyes. With the base for her body, dress, and the bun part of her hair done though, then I had the task of figuring out what to do for her shoes and the details of her face. (Without having to mix and use specific paint for those tiny details.) In the end, I opted to mostly use my classic red Gelly Roll pen for her shoes, and a little bit of a dark red alcohol marker for shading. And then I got to experiment with mixing the classic red and one of the Moonlight Gelly Rolls for her lips so that the color would be visible and not just a dark lip-shaped "what is this." This was because the classic Gelly Rolls don't show up super well on dark surfaces and the Moonlight ones do, but I didn't have the right color straight out of a Moonlight pen. It did take 2-3 careful layers, but I think I managed well enough in the end. I used just one black pen, a Prismacolor brush-tip fine liner, for her eyes, though in-person the white base underneath makes her pupils look about a shade or two lighter from certain angles, which was a very unintentional nice touch. My answer to everything else ended up being gouache, although I did try to come up with pen colors for her eye shadow and the blue dots on her cheeks before admitting defeat that I just didn't have the colors I needed. Originally, I had actually been thinking of trying a lineless art piece with gouache, as I think it would work particularly well for that look, but I wasn't ready to fully commit to the idea, mostly because I seem to be even worse at mixing a non-excessive amount of a specific color with gouache than I am with acrylics, and that sounds like a fantastic way to waste a bunch of palette space because I mixed too much but it's gouache so it can be re-wet and re-use it and I don't want to just throw it away...  (Although I suppose this could be half-way solved by getting a bigger palette specifically for mixing gouache, but I also don't want to have to buy yet another palette when I have some perfectly good ones...If I could just use up all the paint in them already...) Anyway. Point: This is kind of a step between a full lineless gouache piece and not doing one at all. Baby steps, yes? I knew from fairly early on that I was probably going to have to use gouache for the front part of her hair/bangs, since I did not thoroughly plan ahead enough and didn't leave a gap there to do it with markers. Fortunately, I didn't have to do much mixing since my gouache already has a nice yellow ochre color included, and I could use a bit of the other two browns and one I had some leftover mixed already from Roses in Your Eyes for shading. (White for the flowers, too, thank goodness.) And I actually ended up going over most of her bun with gouache too since, by comparison, the marker didn't look like it had much shading and it was bothering me. I did have to mix my own blue and pinky-purple for her makeup, and I ended up with a lot of leftover pinky-purple. But it's kind of okay because by itself it's such a pretty color I'm sure I'll find an excuse to use that one. After that, I just had to do some minor tweaks where the gouache had gotten a bit away from me and then I went ham on the shading for the dress based on my reference photo. Then I realized I wanted some kind of background because this seemed awfully boring without one. And, naturally, I hadn't really planned ahead for that, me being me and being in habit of doing the background last... At first, I wanted to do something hot pink, since her official Amiibo card has a hot pink background, but then I thought that might be a little too loud and I wasn't really sure the best way to apply one without potentially messing her up. And also, this isn't watercolor or paper thicker than 140 lb, which immediately threw watercolor out the window unless I wanted a very uneven paper when I was finished. I'd already pushed my luck with the gouache and been very careful about not using much water with it; I decided it was best not to push my luck any farther. Also, I couldn't use my pink PanPastel, despite that being maybe my best option, because it is still perpetually screwed onto the little Pan Pastel stack with no hope of getting unstuck anytime soon. (One of these days I swear, I will order either another set like the one I have or an individual Pink one to solve this problem, but until then, I am going to bring it up every single time as a caution to others to please be very careful when screwing and unscrewing your own Pan Pastels if you store them screwed together.) And I didn't feel like dragging out some of my drawing pastels and/or makeup that's too expired to use on my face and very slowly building up color and hoping it'll do what the Pan Pastels do. With no better ideas coming to me, I decided I'd leave the drawing for the night and come back to it the next day. After yet more brainstorming the next day, I finally settled on doing a glittery rounded rectangle and filling it with washi tape stripes. This plan did change a little as I figured out which tapes I wanted to use (a purple-y, champagne gold, and light pink ones, the latter two of which look more different in-person than they do on the scan) and as I actually started applying the lines. Partially because this tape is a bit thin and partially because I'm not used to cutting tape around very specific shapes, it took a very long time to both place strips of the tape and then get them cut to fit right up to Luna without looking strange. Once I got to a certain point going in one direction, I realized my next couple of cuts were just going to be too hard for me to stand. I had a choice: Ditch the tape, or figure something else out. Taking a risk, I decided to try and salvage it by doing an almost-plaid/checkerboard with the tape, specifically leaving out certain areas where I knew it would be too tricky to cut the tape. This also turned out to be a good way to use up some of the pieces of tape I'd already cut off that were too small to be used the other way. It's still not the greatest background solution I've ever come up with, but it does the job of making it look less empty, and that's really all I wanted anyway. And you know, compared to official images her proportions look wonky, but by herself (meaning, without comparing the two) I think Luna looks pretty good, actually. (Though, I admit I did have to tweak her right ear in Photoshop because it came out entirely too long and there wasn't really a good way for me to fix it by hand.) To think, this piece started out as such a mess. Or rather, I was such a mess when I started. And yet, here we are, and it looks kinda okay. Okay enough that I finished it and am posting it, at least.   I have no idea if I'll be returning to this style/method for art-making in the future, but even if I don't it was a nice experiment to try, and that's what art is really all about isn't it? Experimenting, trying new things? Speaking of experimenting though, about those pre-order frustrations I mentioned now that I've covered everything about the art itself...(in small text for those that don't care to easily skip over) Back in February I tried twice to pre-order New Horizons from Target, since they were running an ad where if you pre-ordered the game you'd also get an AC themed journal with it, and that combined with my family member's employee discount made it the cheapest/best value way for us to buy the game. As I said, I tried to order it twice. Both times, it was sold out. My family member had even tried to go to the store and have them order it before then, to no avail. After the second time, which was the day after Target sent out the sale paper with the new ad in it, while I was still frustratedly wondering how on earth do you sell out of a pre-order?? I kept refreshing the page every so often just to see if by some fluke it would miraculously not be sold out. I got very lucky around 3 in the afternoon and we managed to get the order in before it sold out again. Now, we're a relatively cheap family, so we didn't pay for the "express shipping" or whatever. Although, this was a $60 game and we were ordering it three whole weeks (on March 2nd) before release. If you ask me, the least they could do is have it shipped out either on launch day (March 20th) or the day after. Especially if I can pre-order a book on Amazon with three days' notice and they can still get it to me on release day. But, okay, I could live with waiting an extra day or up to maybe three if I had to. (And, to be fair, this was all before a certain virus exploded into chaos here in the US.) Much to my dismay, a week before NH release day, I checked the order status with Target only to be told I wouldn't get it until the 26th. A week later. That was pretty disappointing at the time, but it didn't really bother me until the day before and the day of launch when some people were getting their pre-orders early from places like Amazon and Best Buy (and some of them didn't even pay for the express shipping option from their selected source). If those two companies could plan around virus constraints to do that, why in the heck couldn't Target? But, okay, fine. Maybe the virus had something to do with it and they were really doing the best they could. Whatever. A week. Fine. I'll wait a week. A few days later though, we got an email saying: Surprise! Don't expect your dumb video game until April 3rd because we couldn't get our act together! (Okay, that's not what it really said, but that's what it felt like.) And I know, I promise I so know there are much more serious issues going on in the world right now and a video game about talking animals isn't exactly a priority shipment. I know. But it was still massively upsetting after I'd already waited so long. And, honestly, I feel like they had plenty of time and notice to take care of the game before everything else exploded and messed it all up. Again, especially if other companies already had time to even ship orders early and/or get the games to people on launch day. Or the day after. TWO WEEKS after launch, and you don't tell me about the secondary delay until the week I started expecting the game to already be in the mail on it's way to me? The only tiny silver lining is that as I was checking the order to make sure it didn't miraculously get pushed back to sometime in 2021 (because I really had no faith in Target's time estimates at this point) is that it did get bumped back up to April 1st. Although, I did think that it would be the absolute least funny April Fools' Day Joke ever if the day came and it was late because screw me.  But it did arrive to me on April 1st as promised; I just had a million other things to do before I could play it. ) And I will say, I know I could've just canceled the pre-order and bought the game digitally, but it was enough of a hassle to order it in the first place, and if I did that I'd also lose my pre-order bonus. And all that aside, I specifically wanted a physical copy to begin with. I always prefer that when it's possible. So people on the internet that want to eat me alive for not canceling when the shipping got screwed up, there are my reasons. Take 'em or leave 'em. (Seriously, I've seen some people be really rude about this just because they didn't like hearing people upset that they didn't have the game yet...when they already had it themselves or didn't care about AC in the first place...) Moral of the story: Don't pre-order from Target. Or, at least, don't expect the item to actually get to you right around release day. Account for at least two additional weeks of not having the thing. ...Seriously though, how do you sell out of a pre-order?? At least, when it's a highly anticipated game and you're a big company and not some small indie company with limited resources! Sheesh! Anyway. I have the game now, I've been playing it as much as possible and enjoying it. I still have a ways to go before my island is "complete" per se, but it's coming along nicely and I feel more comfortable now taking some more time away from it to get back into the swing of making art and things like that. So hopefully I'll be getting back into a regular posting schedule and you'll have that to look forward to. 

____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

[nanoland]

mazikeen/eve/michael fic in progress

title: Ponder on the Narrow House

fandom: Lucifer

characters: Mazikeen, Eve, Michael 

blurb: In which Mazikeen isn't finished with Michael yet. 

warnings: Spoilers for Season 5. 

0  

In 2019, Fodor’s had crowned LAX the worst airport on Planet Earth, comparing it – much to Mazikeen’s amusement – to Dante Alighieri’s Hell.

She couldn’t comment on the comparison’s accuracy; she’d never read Divina Comedia. Human poetry bored her.

Up against the real thing, however? Hell was quieter, cleaner, and smelt better than Los Angeles International, and it wasn’t even close.

Granted, Mazikeen was biased. Hell was her home and she liked it quite a lot. But surely even a human – even an angel – would sooner take a stint in one of Lucifer’s loops than spend more than thirty minutes in Terminal 3.

Yet there he was, leaning against the wall, watching the bustling crowd with a faint smile on his face, like a man in the park resting his eyes on the ducks. Perfectly content.

“Do you know,” he said as she approached him, “that around forty percent of all humans are scared of flying?”

She hadn’t been sure how this encounter would go and, being innately practical, had dressed accordingly. Black satin skirt, flattering and loose enough to both conceal several demon daggers (invisible to the full-body scanner she’d just sauntered through) and not impede her reaction time in a fight. Red silk wrap blouse, easily unwrapped to serve as a garrotte or tourniquet. Hair down, curled, dyed pitch black with bronze-gold streaks – possibly a tactical disadvantage if he grabbed it, but possibly a distraction. She knew he liked her hair.

When she was satisfied he wasn’t about to lunge for her throat, she took a gamble and moved in to lean against the wall alongside him, following his gaze. “Not surprising. Think of it from their perspective. They don’t have wings. Actually – huh. I guess that’s a perspective you can sympathise with now.”

He sneered. “You’re trying to bait me, Miss Mazikeen. That’s cute. But I’m not in the mood, dollface. This? This is me time. I’ve had a shitty few days and I came here specifically to soak up these idiot mortals’ fear and chill out. Get lost. Go play with my twin if you’re so starved for entertainment.”

Mazikeen stretched. “That’s the problem. He’s hanging out with the rest of your lousy family. Gabriel. Raziel. Jophiel. Now that he’s in charge, they’re all trying to crawl up his ass. It’s pathetic. And annoying.”

His jaw clenched and she knew exactly what he was thinking: ‘That should have been me.’

“Also,” she added, after a pause, “they don’t like me. Most of them have never met a demon. There’s no outright hostility but… they talk to me like I’m some gross exotic pet Lucifer found and adopted.”

“They’re afraid of you.”

“Bullshit.”

“Nope. I’m wrong about some things. Never about fear. They can tell how much you matter to him, how much he’d do for you and vis versa, and it scares them shitless. Chloe Decker they can understand – she was Dad’s gift, after all. You, though? Lucy was never supposed to love you. No one was.”

She fiddled with her earring; big, gold, shaped like a swallow with rubies dotting its tail feathers. A gift from Eve. “Whatever. Anyway, that’s why I’m here. With you. Instead of them. You’re the worst, most obnoxious, most cowardly creep ever. I mean it. Christ, do you suck. But you always talked to me like I was a person. Right from the beginning.”

Ugliness flared behind his eyes. “Seriously? Now you’re being nice? Lucifer sent his general to console me? Ha! That’s how pitiful he thinks I am?”

“Pfft – no. Lucifer doesn’t give a crap about you. I’m here because I wanna offer you a job, moron.”

“A… job.”

“Yep. Ever heard of ‘bounty-hunting’?”

He nodded. Slowly. Smirking, she pushed off the wall and twirled on her six-inch heels to face him.

“Here’s the thing, o Angel of Dread; I’ve spent centuries in Hell learning how to terrify people. I look at you and you know what I see? Potential. Sure, you’re rough around the edges. Still got some celestial baby fat clinging to you. Still a little squeamish when it comes to certain tricks of the trade. But Mikey, honey, six months under my tutelage and I think we can turn you into a bona fide fucking nightmare.”

She let the skin on her face’s left side melt away and grinned at him. “So? How about it?”

“Eh,” he said after taking one last glance around the terminal. “Fuck it. Why not? Nothing better to do.” 

0 

“Los Angeles is kinda like me,” Mazikeen told him, taking off her red-lensed cat-eye sunglasses as she strutted down the pier.

“Doesn’t have a soul?”

A withering glare. “Tough. Pretty on the outside, mean on the inside. It’s easy to make enemies around here and when you’ve made ‘em, you need to stay on your toes. Stay nimble. Stay mobile. Ready to fight or flee at any moment.”

Michael nodded. “And that’s how you justify living on a tugboat.”

“Ahoy!” called Eve, standing on the deck in a polka dot bikini and pirate hat Mazikeen had presumably stolen for her off the set of some summer blockbuster or other being shot nearby, the salty breeze playing with her hair.

“It’s a yacht,” Mazikeen growled.

“No. That’s a yacht,” Michael replied, pointing to the gleaming white MCY 70 Skylounge docked nearby. “What you have is a glorified raft that can, at best, accommodate two people and maybe a toaster.”

He should, perhaps, be trying harder to ingratiate himself with his new boss.

But he was tired.

Getting in his face, she snapped, “Hey! That’s our headquarters, asshole. Show some respect.”

“It’s covered in seagull crap. It looks older than me. There’s a very obvious bloodstain on the helm. Jesus, doesn’t Lucifer pay you?”

She pushed him into the sea.

Offering him a hand when he bobbed to the surface, Eve said, “Don’t take it personally. She’s just mad because we weren’t able to steal a bigger one.” 

0 

It was while Michael was towelling himself dry down below decks that the chunky-faced cop wandered in, took one look at him, and strode across the room.

“Mister Espinoza,” he drawled, “what can I-… oh. Oh, wow, you really thought that was going to work, huh?”

Curled up on the floor, clutching the fist he’d very mistakenly slammed into Michael’s jaw, Dan hissed, “Fuck you. You killed me.”

“Poppycock. I had you killed. That’s entirely different, buddy.”

Dan staggered to his feet and shouted, “Maze! Eve! What the hell is he doing here?”

Taking off his wet jacket and draping it over the rack alongside the towel, Michael said, “I was invited, thank you very much. No one told me you were part of the arrangement.”

“What arrangement, asshole?” Dan snapped, turning red. “I’m just here to help Maze fix her boat’s engine.”

“Oh. You don’t work with her, then? No, I suppose you wouldn’t. As we’ve established, you’re entirely too killable.”

“You sleazy son-of-a… Maze! Get down here!”

Grumbling, Michael’s new boss stalked below deck carrying a crate of beer on her left shoulder and a sleeping bag under her right arm. “Goddammit – Dan, I told you to wait. Is your hand bleeding, you big meathead? We seriously just dragged your ass out of Hell and you couldn’t go two whole days before breaking yourself again? Ugh. You’re impossible. You’re worse than Decker.”

“Maze, d’you wanna explain what the actual fuck Lucifer’s psycho twin is doing here?”

“Interning,” Michael said, cheerfully.

His face now practically purple, Dan half-yelled, “What is he talking about? This is not okay, Maze! Does Chloe know? Does Amenadiel? Why is he even still on Earth? Lucifer’s God now; can’t he stick him on Mars or turn him into a bug or something?”

“Look, Dan, just calm down-…” she began.

“I died! I actually, literally, physically died! Because of him! No, I’m not going to calm down!”

Michael scoffed. “Please. Like that’s what you’re really upset about. You’re not angry about dying. You’re not angry at all. You’re scared, buttercup. And not just of me; of her, of Lucifer, of everything, and to be honest, I didn’t even need to use the ol’ angel juice to work that out.”

Mazikeen set down her cargo, pulled a knife from her belt, and flung it. It embedded itself five inches deep in the floor between them. “This? This is not Lux, dickheads. Mortals and celestials don’t hang out here to have a good time while I sit behind the bar and tolerate them. This crummy, crusty-ass, piece of crap boat is my domain. Here, I don’t have to put up with one femtometre of your bullshit. If you want to fight, do it somewhere else. If you want to fuck, do it quick and clean up afterwards. If you want to make yourselves useful, help me get the weapons on board.”

“Wait – wait, weapons? What weapons?” said Dan to her retreating back. “You said you were going fishing. Maze! What weapons?” 

0

“Where’s all your stuff?” Eve asked when she showed him to his tiny cabin.

“I’m an archangel. I don’t have ‘stuff’.”

(Michael had already decided he didn’t like her. She was bubbly.)

“Heh. You should travel with Lucy sometime. We went to Vancouver for a weekend and he brought seven bags, five watches, and six pairs of shoes. Okay, do you – uh, do you at least have a change of clothes? Because those look kinda soggy.”

To his annoyance – and embarrassment – she spend twenty minutes hunting down a shirt and pants that would fit him.

“They’re mine,” she said, dropping them into his lap. “But I bought them to sleep in and I like loose pyjamas, so they’re a dozen sizes too big on me. Oh! Also found you this.”

She presented a hot water bottle in the shape of a fat, cuddly sheep.

He accepted it carefully, wondering if it was booby-trapped. “You’re Lucifer’s ex, right?”

“Er… yep? Amongst other things. The Original Sinner. First Woman, First Wife, First Mother. Mother of Mankind. Second Human. First Knowledgeable Human. But sure, I was also your brother’s girlfriend for a while.”

“And now you’re Mazikeen’s. Do you also work with her?”

“Sure do!” she said, interpreting the question as an invitation to sit down next to him. “I’m The Choronzon’s captain. That’s our boat’s name. My idea. I know she’s not much to look at but she’s got so much history. There’ve been fourteen homicides on her! Plus, she’s fast; way, way faster than she looks. And I know the beds are hard, but we’ve got three hammocks stashed away and getting them set up is easy as pie.”

“Wow. Those suckers up in the Silver City don’t know what they’re missing.”

She nodded, blinking slowly. “Hmm. Maze was right. You are mean. That’s cool. I get on well with mean people. Anyway, just in case she hasn’t told you; we’ve got a job lined up and we’ll be setting sail tomorrow at dawn. You get seasick? Not a problem; we’ve got a medical kit full of antiemetics. On that note, should we pick up something for you before we leave shore?”

“No.”

“You sure? Just that – uh – I mean, my third son, Seth, the one nobody talks about – he also had pretty severe scoliosis. Wasn’t a whole lot we could do about it back then. But these days they’ve got tons of stuff; opiods and anti-inflammatories and memory foam. Science is so, so cool. And I’m going shopping for sunscreen anyway, so dropping by the pharmacy wouldn’t be a problem.”

For a moment, he reviewed a list of responses that would deeply, profoundly hurt her, responses that would ensure she didn’t approach him again.

But he was tired, tired, tired.

“Here.”

He took a folded piece of A4 paper from his pocket and handed it to her. “These are what the last human doctor I went to recommended. Getting hold of those three I’ve circled is tricky, but I know a guy. Call him on that number down there and he’ll meet you wherever. If he gives you any trouble, remind him that Michael knows about the vacuum cleaner. That’ll shut him up.”

As soon as she’d bounced out of the room, he shut the door, locked it, and laid down to sleep. 

0

It was night when he awoke.  

He went upstairs to find Mazikeen and Eve sitting on the deck, admiring what stars could be seen through Los Angeles’ perpetual light pollution and sharing a pizza.

“Mickey! Get over here,” called Mazikeen, clad in a black dressing down and slippers shaped like plump pink pigs.

“It’s freezing,” he complained.

She snickered and threw him the prickly blanket that had been resting over her knees. “Wimp. Eve told you about the job, yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how to use any weapons?” Eve asked. “Maze sticks with her knives most of the time. I prefer my traps and crossbow. But we’ve got guns, if that’s more your speed.”

They were clearly expecting him to sit down. Eve had even scooted to the left to make room.

He opened the blanket up and wrapped it around his shoulders, remaining standing. “Can I ask a question? What, precisely, is my role here?”

“For now, you’re a meat shield,” said Mazikeen, talking through a mouthful of pepperoni and violently yellow cheese. “Me and Eve are both vulnerable to bullets. I mean – I’m less vulnerable, obviously. But I don’t hate any of my relatives enough to go about finding out exactly how many bullets it takes to snuff a demon. So your job, at least tomorrow, is just to soak up enemy fire until we’ve got our hands on the target.”

Scowling, he said, “Getting shot does hurt, you know.”

“Yeah,” she replied, eyes shining with spite. “Dan sure seemed to think so.”

When the tense silence had stretched for over thirty seconds, Eve clapped her hands, smiling anxiously, and said, “So! Anyone up for rummy?”

(to be continued) 

[70swonderpoisonstark]

Poison ( III )

Villain’s are people too, are they not? (Y/N) is taking the “home grown” terror title a little too seriously. You’re really really bad, until you meet a certain super soldier who makes you consider a career change. It’s a lengthy process, but you’re willing if it’s for the right reasons. Maybe you’re not so bad after all? 

//basically poison ivy and a little bit of bane but with marvel characters?? I’d be original but I love her and them so much so sorry. also some changes, idk I’m making them my own but completely based of the DC characters SNS. Nickname Ivy, real name, yours duh!//

***this is my first attempt at fanfic so any feedback is welcome! I love all these characters dearly so, here goes nothing! Hope you enjoy***

A/N: Violence, language, crime. I’ll update these as the chapters come out

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

The charity auction was the perfect place to snag Green. They knew you frequented places of high wealth, and always took a chance when it came to diamonds. After another couple months of stake-outs, recon, and blackouts from various team members, they'd finally discovered a pattern.

"You've got to hand it to this girl, she sure knows how to stay under the radar. I bet everyone who's ever came into contact with her just see's a pretty girl in a known hang-out for wealthy men and just written her off. Brilliant, if I'm allowed to say that about a villian." Tony made multiple points. Green, as you were coded, were so stealthy, that until further investigation, they never realized you had been at this for years. Stealing from the wealthy for whatever reason you chose, causing entire buildings to erupt into chaos, you were good, really good. And the man you always had with you had no record, absolutely nothing. No address, occupation, they could only pull up a name and a birth month and that was it. Viktor Alexeev, April. The only way they could link him to any of the crimes at all was through his ring. It had a giant emerald in the middle, with a black snake curled around it, almost like a family crest, but different.

They walked in to the grand ballroom in pairs, Nat and Steve, Tony and Wanda, Bruce and Thor, and Bucky all by himself coming in last. They scattered around the room, sitting, standing, examining vantage points, and checking for alternate routes of escaping if the entire place went to shit.

"Everybody in position?" Natasha said over the coms. Five checks and yes's later, they were ready to mix and mingle, and wait for the main event to start.

Once everybody had a couple drinks in them, and had finally began to settle down, a mic BOOMED throughout the room.

"Ladies and gentleman, tonight's host, Andante Forester!" A gorgeous blonde in a very tight pink cocktail dress introduced a tall, dark skinned man in a white suit. He took long, slow strides up to the mic, being sure to wave and acknowledge multiple people in the ground on his way. He took the mic, raising it to his towering height, and spoke.

"Thank you Mindy. Good evening everybody, as you now know I'm Andante and I've decided to gather you all here to raise money for a very charitable cause. I have always had a need to serve others, my whole life since I came over from Egypt has been about ensuring my family's safety and stability. It wasn't until I realized that the same dedication to them, was also involved with my schooling that I realized I was so much more than just a caretaker. My journey has been long, and vast, and trying, but now I'm here, talking to all of you, harnessing your attention and persuading you to donate to a movement that has our best future in mind. I'm simply a man, with the means to do something for the world, and the will to see it through. So tonight, I've gathered a few lovely ladies, and a very sizable jeweled necklace deep from within the vaults of cartier, for you to take out. The man, or woman, who places the highest bid on each of our willing participants will be allowed to take our lovely ladies on a date to a public location, escorted by my own personal security of course, with this dazzling piece of jewelry hanging from her neck." And on cue, the necklace was wheeled in by three armed guards. It was massive, Andante explained it was 70 carats of the highest quality diamonds and sapphires ever crafted. Each girl was named after a gemstone, all dressed accordingly. There was Ruby, Jade, Opal, Onyx, Amber, Pearl, and Sapphire.

"Any of the seven girls on stage look like our target?" Facial recognition was good, but with the talents of this particular pair, they could never rely on that alone.

"Negative, Natasha. Our girls a (your race) red-head, these girls are either blonde, brunette, asian, white, african, or middle eastern, either one or the other, never our combo." Steve spoke.

"Any one of them can be my target. The kinky curls on Sapphire, with the bright blue dress, dark skin, and that confident smile? If she's not already a model, I'll figure out a way to make her one." Tony utters longingly into his radio.

"According to facial recognition Tony, she's a Harvard grad that owns and runs one of the most successful law firms in New York. If only you weren't already in love, huh?" Natasha and her facial recognition, she always new everything about everybody she sees, the constant paranoia probably helps too.

"Back on topic ladies and gentleman. I've got suspicious activity on the edge of the crowd, men and women alike are in a dream like state, still conscious, just... swaying." The bidding was still going like crazy, every girl had at least $100,000 bid on them, but Bucky was right, the crowd was slowly becoming dazed and disoriented, no chaos this time, everybody just seemed... high.

"She's here, keep your eyes peeled, we can't lose her this time or Fury will...." Natasha trailed off for a moment before she continued. Her tone this time much more serene, and her speech slow. "Guys, the jewels from here are just so, sparkly. They look so clean.. I want pretty necklace.."

"Natasha? Natasha? Nat. I need you to snap out of it, we need to focus and... you're right Natty, gem sparkle, lots of gems pretty together." Steve and Nat were dosed, completely taken in by the calm wave that broke over the two of them. It wasn't long before it hit the others. Soon every member of the team was high as a kite, talking about clean gems and bright lights, pretty dresses, anything and everything that DIDN'T pertain to the mission.

Bucky was slightly more resistant to whatever it was making them act like fools. He watched as the same dazzling red head came in, charmed everyone on stage, blew rose colored dust from the palm of her hand and waltz off the stage with a ten million dollar necklace hanging around her neck. As you passed by Bucky, he attempted to reach out and grab your arm, only to realize he was succumbing to your love inducing air additive. You paused briefly before looking him up and down, recognition fluttering in your eyes as you walked to stand in front of the super soldier you had previously met.

"Hiya there, sugar. I see you remember me. Don't worry, I remember you too. Thanks for the necklace." You said before presenting your jeweled chest, "I really do think it compliments my eyes, whatdaya think?" you winked and posed, pulling the slit in your dress to the side, exposing your beautiful thick legs.

"I think they..."Bucky tried hard to fight the high as he spoke. "Don't match... your.. outfit." He smiled weakly, hoping his joke came across that way and he wasn't about to get knocked out again on one of these missions. He had became unconscious more on these missions than anybody else on the team, barely remembering anything at all, except for what came back to him in dreams. To Bucky's surprise you giggled at his little joke and placed yourself closer to him.

"Bucky, baby, I wish you did remember all the times we've met. I've grown to be quiet fond of our little chats." You raised your opposite hand and blew something directly into his face. "If you don't hurt me, I'll let you remember this time." You placed your back up against Bucky's chest and wrapped his metal arm across her throat. "You wouldn't hurt me, would you?" You looked up at Bucky with your sad (Y/E/C) eyes and he shook his head no. He had hurt many people in his life, and you just couldn't be one of them. The effects of whatever made him dreamy slowly wore off, and he finally felt the cold your body seemed to radiate.

"If you're noticing the temperature difference, you've said it reminds you of Christmas morning in Brooklyn when you were younger. 1936, younger I think." Bucky memorized every feature of your face, it was soft, your nose was short, with a crooked bridge, big rosy cheeks, and, freckles? Definitely freckles underneath the makeup you were wearing. Your eyes shined like the moon as you glanced up at him. You appeared so gentle, how did you ever become SHIELD's most wanted. You removed yourself from under Bucky's arm and allowed him to regain his senses.

"I like you, Bucky. You never seem to quit, but every time I give you the upper hand you never take it." Your seductive demeanor paused as you spoke, Bucky had a nagging feeling that this was actual honesty coming from you. He felt things too, but you had your ways of making him feel certain ways, so it probably was just another affect. "If you're wondering if you're still under my spell, you're not." Well there goes that idea. "There's something weird about you. I don't like it, not one bit." You circled him slowly, trailing your perfectly manicured finger across his torso. "I know you still see me as the bad guy and all the other cliches; however, if you want to arrest me, good luck, but, if you're willing to talk to your super friends, I've left a list of the REAL charities in this area who have received sizable donations every time I've 'made a stop' in your jacket pocket." A soft grin manifested over your cherry red lips. "I know you won't remember all of this, but I'm sure y'all are smart enough to figure it out." You kissed him on his cheek, leaving a faint lipstick mark in its place, blew a low dose of plant hormone in his face and spoke one last time. "Everybody's effects will wear off in about fifteen minutes, yours won't, but they'll know what to do with you. And I go by Ivy, by the way. Your friends can stop calling me green." You adjusted yourself, and spoke not to him, but to your henchman. "Viktor darling, it's time for our grand exit." A large blast was then heard on the east wall, crumbling a hole large enough for the hulk to walk through, you turned to look at Bucky one last time, and then slipped away into the darkness of the night. Leaving Bucky unconscious, yet again.

"I'm starting to worry about the long term effects of him being unconscious this often. We have no idea what he's being dosed with or what it's doing to him."

"Well Cap, I'd say it's knocking him out entirely, wouldn't you?" Bucky was slowly coming too, the arguing voices of Tony and Steve rarely stopped after these missions.

"Weren't you in charge of making sure things like this stopped happening? She's taking us out at the same time and stealing millions of dollars right in front of our faces and you can't seem to do a damn thing about it Tony!"

"Right, because tossing that metal frisbee at her in your drunken state was a much better contribution. Thank you for your service, you truly are a patriot Steven." Bucky could no longer tell if his head hurt due to his possible concussion, or Steve and Tony bickering like old maids.

"Could you two can it? What's a guy gotta do around here to get some peace and quiet?" Bucky groaned as he sat up. The whole team crowded him in about .5 seconds, basically suffocating him again with the same questions they always asked after he fell. Only this time, he actually remembered what happened.

"Yes." The room went silent, all eyes were bulging and staring directly at Bucky, gazes unwandering, he could feel the tension between everybody. He knew they all thought he'd caught a lead, that Green, Ivy, had made a mistake, but he didn't have a lead, he just had a name, and an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.

"Yes what? You, remember? Like the whole everything?" Memory loss was common after interacting with Ivy, the whole team could barely remember bits and pieces of all their interactions. If it weren't for security cameras and Tony and Rhodey's body cams, they'd know absolutely nothing about who and what they were dealing with.

"Yes all of it, she let me remember, made sure I did, even gave me a name." Stunned, every single person in the room had shock written on their foreheads. She had always been very discreet, moved in the shadows but always did the dirty work. She was cunning, and ambitious, they'd never gotten more than an appearance, and even that was spotty. Now they had a name, something was going on and they all knew it. She wasn't an ordinary villain, this was something unique. Bucky explained the entire scene, never once interrupted. As he finished, he saw the wheels turning, everybody had questions, nobody understood, why had she basically given up? And why to Bucky?

"So she said she likes you, gave you her name, and actually put herself in a chokehold with your arm?" Bucky nodded yes, not really believing it himself.

"Where's the list?"

"The what?"

"You said that she slipped a list of places in your pocket, where is it?"

"I'd assume in my pocket since I've been unconscious till now, Steve." Bucky rifled through his pockets, starting with the lower ones, he checked his jacket pockets and nothing. It was until he checked the breast pocket of his jacket behind his handkerchief that he found the list. It was three pages long, and had the names of over a dozen charities, families, and street corners.

"I'd say that's a lead there Barnes." and it was. Just, not how they imagined.

// How’s it doing so far?? I’m really liking how it’s all going so far! P.S. if you guys want to throw random vocab words at me I’ll try and find a way to incorporate them and tag you! Thanks for reading! May Odin bless you! //