#And let's face it: These two get themselves into quite a few Shenanigans

[tswwwit]

[About the ask where you said that dipper blurted out "I'm pregnant" To bill and his immediate response is panic]

Does this mean that bill has impregnated someone??? Or the other way around??

Bill's never sired or sprouted any offspring, and has no intention of doing so!

Dipper was pulling a prank, and it worked very well - because Bill's been around the block enough to not dismiss the supposedly 'impossible'.

[crescenthistory]

i hear searching for fluff. i raise you cat animagus reader and the animal politics that come with being a cat. oh that’s a glass of water you’ve placed on the counter? what a perfect place for my paw to go. they’re a total goodie two shoes but can never stop themselves from swatting at and generally terrorizing sirius, dog form or not. i’ve seen so many videos of woodland animals like stags befriending cats or stealing their food and everyone just being like “wdym i didn’t know they could do that”. reader starts slow blinking at people without realizing. i could go on for forever i would love to see shenanigans and hijinks

beautiful thoughts, i enjoyed all of them. i let them inspire me into a drabble situation of cat!reader terrorising sirius with reg (and rem) on her side. this is just pure chaos and silliness, thank you for the opportunity lovie<3

Words: 2.4k

Warnings: not proofread, fem!reader, no use of y/n but your cat form is called "whiskers", james and sirius pranked you mildly, you get revenge as a cat, you are only in cat form throughout this, sibling squabbles, super minor injuries (you put your claws in sirius), platonic physical affection, general chaos and fluff

Note: this is technically in the same universe as my other two (first, second) cat!animagus!reader fics with regulus, but can be read alone. it is more of a platonic!sirius x reader fic though, it focusses on the interactions between them + reg, rem and james

Sirius had been made aware by many a parent, professor and otherwise nosey adult, that actions had consequences. Which was all fine and dandy with him, the consequences were often the sole inspiration for his actions. 

This, however. This, they did not warn him about.

“Ow, ow, ow!” he hissed, trying to shake the feline creature off his shoulder. 

Just a few seconds ago, she had been innocently peering down on his textbook, front paws resting on his shoulders as she stood on the top of the sofa he was reclining against. That didn’t last long though, as her claws came out and dug in through the fine material of his shirt, seeking the pain and destruction this evil creature seemed to live off of.

Unaffected by his shaking, she elegantly climbed down his arm – claws still out and still using him as leverage – to plop onto the table before them with a soft prrt!

“Remus, your friend is hurting me,” Sirius sneered at his boyfriend who was sat in a grandfather chair beside him, flipping through a newspaper Sirius was quite certain was out of date.

The other boy hummed noncommittally. “Does she have reason to?” he asked without looking up from the paper.

“No!” Sirius exclaimed at the same time as Regulus said, “absolutely.”

He shot his brother a glare on the other side of the sofa. He was reading through a novel in pristine condition, only looking up to glance fondly at the menace currently parading around the coffee table. Sirius was growing miffed that none of his hangout companions were sparing him any attention.

“I haven’t done anything, and if I had the minx should be over it by now.” Sirius did his best to seem authoritative, but he had a tough crowd.

You hissed at him from where you were standing on the table. Regulus looked up at that with mirth swimming in his eyes despite his impassive facial expression.

“She seems to disagree, Pads,” Remus said nonchalantly. “She’s also been running around as Whiskers for the past few hours, which she only does when she is either really pleased and really upset.”

“And she’s not pleased,” Regulus added unhelpfully.

Sirius muttered something under his breath that amounted to “I wouldn’t be pleased either, if I had to be in a relationship with such a grump” to which he received a throw pillow to the face, another hiss and an admonishing “Pads”.

"It was just a little prank," Sirius defended himself. "It's quite literally what we do." He didn't feel the need to go into the specifics; this was a dog he wanted to bury yesterday. Or, well, cat.

"To no one's enjoyment but your own, I'm sure," Regulus huffed. "If she's bothered by it, that's entirely her right."

Sirius looked to Remus for some backing up, and when he found none, he let out another groan, collapsing further into the sofa in his evident despair.

He would have happily stayed there, bitching and moaning as he pleased, had it not been for the suspicious sounds coming from the coffee table.

There, he found that you had not looked away from him and were sitting disturbingly close to the little homework station he had sat up earlier to then promptly ignore – an open textbook, half-written essay, quill and unscrewed inkpot. The look in your eyes was one you had picked up from Remus in your early days together, full of mischief and tomfoolery. 

“Don’t you even dare–” Sirius managed to get out as he sat up in his seat and pointed a chiding finger at you, but the damage was done.

With what almost sounded like cat laughter – something most unknowing students would brush off because why would a cat laugh but Sirius knew all too well must be your joy at his expense – you knocked over his inkpot. The pot was almost full and the ink fell right on top of his essay and textbook. He let out a half-screech as he moved forward to correct the damage, but you walked straight into the pool of ink, ensuring you were spreading it further around his essay and the feather of his quill. 

Regulus let out an unrestrained bark of laughter as Sirius sank to the floor in front of you, blabbering anger, while Remus simply snorted as he shook his head, choosing not to get involved yet.

“You furry bastard!” Sirius called out as he picked up his parchment, trying to shake some of the excess ink off, only worsening its condition. “You absolute menace.”

Some of the ink he shook off got on your fur, adding to what was already coating your paws from dragging it around. You solved this in the only manner that made sense in cat-world – by launching yourself at Sirius, effectively doubling his screeches within the second.

“Oi! Oi!” Sirius kept calling as you hopped onto his chest, burying your claws into him so he couldn’t simply shake you off, ink smearing all over Sirius’ previously white shirt. The assault of a lifetime, if you asked him. “Azkaban! Azkaban for all of you!” he called when he saw Regulus doubling over with laughter on the opposite end of the sofa.

“Pads! What’s going on, mate?” James’ voice called as he came half-running over after spotting the commotion the second he entered the common room. 

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but upon James spotting the feline devil currently attempting to smear more of the ink across his being, he interrupted with a coo. 

“Oh, hi there little Whiskers!” James greeted, bending down to pick you up by the neck. In that James-Potter-way he simply peeled you off of Sirius and held you out before him, just far enough that the ink wouldn’t get on him. “What’s got you in such a tizzy, huh?” he asked, poking at you with his free hand which earned him a petulant hiss.

“The bloody puma destroyed my essay and leaped at me,” Sirius huffed as he clambered back up, ignoring how he sounded like a first year telling on a classmate to McGonagall.

“I believe she is seeking revenge from that little stunt you two pulled earlier,” Remus drawled from his seat, sharing a look with Regulus who rolled his eyes. They knew.

“Which is fully within her right, I must add,” Regulus said, ever the devoted boyfriend. Bloody lucky you. “And she’s not a puma, you wanker, you’re just scared of cats.”

“Slander! ‘M not!” Sirius defended himself, but James ignored him, turning his attention to the cat wriggling in his grip.

“Did we upset you, little kitten?” James asked so friendly you almost wouldn’t catch the teasing in his tone. “So sorry. Next time we’ll hex your tie a different colour. Robe too, yeah?”

Upon receiving another hiss from you and a lunge of your paw, James outright giggled and petted the top of your head carefully, neutralising you if for but a moment.

“How come she’s forgiving you right away? I have had my property destroyed and was lightly maimed in her quest for revenge!” Sirius shook his head in disapproval, attempting to stare you down. It wasn't turning out to be fruitful.

“Sirius, I have a question for you.” Regulus didn’t continue until Sirius reluctantly met his gaze. “Did you know – and be honest with me now – that you’re a wizard?”

Before Sirius could give him a snarky response, Regulus had waved his wand casually over the ink pools on the table and stains on his clothes, cleaning both up effectively as if nothing had happened. Then he gave Sirius a smug smile that made him want to turn into Padfoot and lunge at him – which probably wasn’t a good idea given there were other people in the room.

“Imbécile grossier,” Sirius muttered under his breath as he kicked a leg out at Regulus, intended more for effect than harm.

He received a “connard stupide” in return as Regulus dodged any further assault by getting up and walking over to James, who was now fully petting the rabid killer, whispering something about “please forgive me, it was just too funny not to”. Traitor. 

“Hey there, amour,” Regulus said as he picked you up out of James’ arms. “Are you regretting marrying into the family?”

You made a huffing sound, climbing out of his arms to settle along his shoulders, over his neck, were you could cuddle against him while still scowling at Sirius.

“You and me both, sister,” Remus mumbled half-heartedly. Sirius gasped at him with every theatrical bone in his body, earning him an eye roll and – at last – for Remus to abandon the paper to give him a quick smooch.

“I didn’t realise sister-in-laws were allowed to be as sibling-y as an actual sister,” James mused as he folded his arms to take in the scene before him. 

“She’s not,” Sirius argued, extracting another eye roll from Remus who patted his thigh placatingly. “Cats are just evil.”

“You could always confront her as Pads, you know, level the playing field,” James suggested.

“Absolutely not.” Regulus turned around so his body was shielding the cat on his shoulders from the three boys. “Not that I doubt she would win against your clumsy self any day, but let’s not even go there.”

Sirius and James barked a laugh that was disturbingly similar while Remus shook his head. “Don’t worry Reg, the less time I can spend around kittens, the better,” Sirius said briskly, feeling emboldened by James’ presence. 

You poked your head around Regulus’ neck at that, so that the two of you could share a look. It’s always peculiar for Sirius to see how much understanding seems to pass between you two, especially when in different forms altogether. It's not something he expected for his baby brother and he feels his heart warm at the display – which he promptly pushes down to focus on the war currently playing out in Gryffindor.

As if you two reached an agreement through just that look, you butted your head against Regulus’ cheek while he nodded. Carefully, he manoeuvred you into his arms and plopped you down on the armrest of Remus’ chair, and disappeared from sight to a secluded corner of the common room.

“What in Merlin’s name just happened?” Sirius mused out loud, exchanging bemused glances with James who plopped down beside him.

“Oh, I’m sure it was nothing good.” Remus smiled through his words as he freed one of his hands to scratch under your chin, causing you to purr and brush your feline body closer to his arm. Sirius would be remiss if he didn’t think the sight of pure love between you two wasn’t adorable, but to hells if he would admit it before you two reached a truce. 

Your purring was interrupted as you let out a soft prrt! for seemingly no apparent reason, and reached up to give Remus’ cheek a soft cat kiss – that made the boy’s face crinkle into a smile – before jumping down onto the floor. There, Sirius saw the reason for your joy and felt his heart drop in his chest.

“Oh, hi, Shadow,” Remus greeted the black cat that made a beeline for you on the floor, brushing his body against yours with soft purrs. “Come to join in on your brother’s torment?”

“Absolutely not–” Sirius started, but before he could get up and out of his seat, both cats had jumped up onto his legs and made their way to his lap. “What are you guys doing? Get off?!”

James was giggling once more beside him and Sirius had half a mind to throw the cats at him and run away. Though, he was beginning to doubt whether he would be able to as he saw the determination in Regulus’ eyes.

“I believe they’re making you eat your words, love.” The smile in Remus’ voice was so evident that had he not been as handsome as he was, Sirius would have smacked him.

His arms were frozen at his sides, hands hovering in the air, unsure of where to go as he watched the two cats settle down in his lap in horror. Your bodies were horizontal with his and flush against each other’s, becoming liquid in the cuddle puddle you were currently creating.

Sirius tried hissing at you to no avail as Regulus only slapped him with his paw in response. He tried shifting slightly to push you off, but you buried your claws through the fabric of his trousers – Sirius would give Remus a run for his money as the scarred one of the group after you were finished with him. He tried looking to James and Remus for help, but neither boy were willing as they took far too much enjoyment in the show. Remus at least pretended not to as he “read”, but James was fully angled towards him to see the events unfold, shoulders shaking with mirth. 

A sigh escaped Sirius as he accepted his fate. “I hate you lot,” he said decisively. “Each and every one of you.”

Regulus made a noise that sounded like it was in disagreement with his statement while Remus just hummed. James nodded his head as if to say “fair”.

You, however, picked your head up from where it was resting over Regulus’ and just stared at Sirius. Usually he felt like he could read you quite well in feline form, which he assumed was due to some skills of Padfoot’s transferring over, but right now you were impossible to understand. You held his gaze head on, almost as if you were studying him, but your breaths were coming so slowly you had to be calm, right? Though this forced proximity was clearly a form of punishment, you were growing comfortable. Was he forgiven?

His train of thought was interrupted as the staring competition you had for a few seconds was interrupted – by you blinking. Slowly. Keeping your gaze on him but fully closing your eyes intermittently.

A slow grin spread across Sirius’ face.

He didn’t know a lot about cats and he principally disliked them. But he did know what that meant.

“Yeah, yeah, princess,” he mumbled as his cheeks almost grew a bit red. “You too.”

[twistedwonderlandimaginesblog]

Hullo! May I ask for some fluffy headcanons for Malleus, Silver, Vil, and Epel sharing a kiss with their fem s/o during a movie night please? Thank you!

Epel Felmier:

Epel was excited to get to spend a little bit of free time with you even if there was a constant lingering thought in the back of his mind that if you spent too much time alone together you would realize you didn't want to be with a country bumpkin. The movie you picked had been about a small town and Epel was finding the comedy in it very real; this almost felt like it was filmed in his hometown with the people that he knew. He didn’t want to speak up but you can tell there’s been multiple times where he wanted to say something, which eventually led to you pausing the movie and telling him to spit it out. When he still hesitated you sensed it had something to do with his home life, leaning in to give him a quick peck on the lips as you confessed you wanted to know everything about him, even the parts he might not think you’d like. He opens up a little more after that, mumbling a few things here or there about people he knew who used to get into the exact same shenanigans.

Malleus Draconia: 

Malleus had left the movie choice up to you and when you came back to him with a dark romance, he wondered if you were trying to tell him something. You continued to play coy but felt yourself comfortably settle dup against Malleus for the entire duration, the star-crossed lovers in front of you from two very different worlds continuing to choose each other throughout each horrid circumstance they found themselves in. You can feel Malleus shifting restlessly as the two were torn apart, seeming very invested in the outcome of their relationship that was hanging in the balance due to interference from the ‘villains’ of the film. You took it upon yourself to turn his face toward yours, his eyebrow raised until you suddenly lean forward to press a kiss to his lips. He doesn’t show his surprise but he does become quite wrapped up in you, pulling you onto his lap (and as physically close as possible) as the movie continued on in the background. Needless to say, you didn’t get to watch the conclusion until the following day.

Silver: 

Silver is fighting to keep his eyes open, and you really don’t blame him. You’d chosen a classic movie about princes and princesses and noble knights, and while he was interested in it, it could never stop the sleeping curse that plagued him. It was partially your fault, you were too comfortable to be next to, too warm with a scent that was soothing to him, so he couldn’t help but let his guard down when you were around. His head is on your shoulder before the hour mark of the film and you can’t help but laugh, knowing you’d just let him rest as waking him up can be impossible. Seeing true loves kiss achieved in the movie gave you an idea, your eyes drifting to your sleeping beau; you gave him the gentlest kiss on the lips you could, pressure feather light to not actually disturb him. Silver’s eyes fluttered open and he gave you a half-lidded frown, apologizing for falling asleep on you yet again; you’re just happy that your kiss worked, keeping it in mind to test it again later.

Vil Schoenheit:

Vil is a little more focused on the movie than you but that was fine in your books, he looked exceedingly beautiful when he was concentrating, looking for the little details hidden in the background of the movie. When the dialogue started to become a bit heavy his gaze drifted to you, raising an eyebrow as he caught you staring at him; you thought he was going to tease you which, you were correct, but he offered a bit of a reward first. He tilted your chin up with a delicate finger and pressed his lips to yours, smiling as he told you to pay closer attention or you wouldn't fully appreciate the movie. He gets so lost in your eyes that he has to rewind back a minute or so to capture the rest of the characters conversation but he doesn't seem mad about it.

[wing-ed-thing]

Marriage Pact (Erwin x Reader) Part II

Synopsis: To the surprise of the cadets, Commander Erwin is married to more than just his work. Their curiosity brings up fond memories of your and Erwin’s early days in the scouts.

Word Count: 6.2k

Tags/Warnings: Language, No Reader Pronouns, Fluff, Marriage Pacts, 104th Cadet Corps Shenanigans

Part I Part II Part III Part IV

Notes: It's heeeeeeeeeereeeeeeee

He woke you up the morning of your expedition before the sun rose, gently shaking you awake where you had slouched over. It took a few blinks to remember where you were and the night of drinking, games, and stories you orchestrated the night prior. You sat up with a yawn, back cracking in the multiple places where your makeshift mat of seat cushions hadn’t been kind to you. Erwin knelt on one knee in front of you, his frame outlined in the dark blue hue of the early sky that trickled in through the tall windows. He spoke softly about getting everyone up to prepare to head out.

Hange remained curled up in your lap with their arms wrapped around your leg. 

Erwin’s cloak draped over your shoulders and enveloped your form. You wouldn’t even remember you were wearing it until you stopped by your quarters to change into your full uniform. Unable to catch him in the chaos of the expedition prep, you left it hanging up near his horse. 

He hadn’t even asked for it back, nor did he bring up your agreement from the night before.

***

“Like… the captain in the Garrison?” Eren chewed his bread thoughtfully, betraying an otherwise bored expression. Jean leaned forward to gauge everyone's expressions around the table. His face fell as everyone seemed to busy themselves with their mundane meals. Jean’s brows knitted together as a severe pout tugged at his lips.

“Yeah…?” He glanced at Eren, who didn’t meet his eye, before surveying the table again. He repeated your rank and name, stressing each syllable. Jean waved a palm in the air. “Hello? I thought you guys would be more invested in this.” A wave of silent hums and acute cringes spread throughout the gathered cadets. Jean sputtered, throwing his hands up in disbelief. “What?”

“I mean…” Armin started, staring off into the grains of the wooden table. “It makes some professional sense.”

“Armin—”

“Really, Armin?”

“Stop.”

The few low hisses circling around the table made Armin bow back toward his meal. Jean blinked, rubbing the back of his hand across his eyes, trying to convince himself that he wasn’t dreaming. 

“What is with you guys?” Jean exclaimed, slapping away Sasha’s hand, which was slowly creeping onto his plate. His mouth opened and closed as a croaking sound stalled in his throat. While everyone ate as usual, Bertholdt was unfortunate enough to meet Jean’s crazed expression. He gulped, quickly shoving a spoonful of stew in his mouth. “Really, Bertholdt?”

“Jean,” Reiner swiveled in his seat with a roll of his eyes and a heave of his shoulders. He breathed out a sigh, letting his spoon hit his plate. Reiner hand waved once assertively in the air in front of Jean’s face. “It’s just not believable.”

“The commander’s initials were literally on the bouquet.”

“No way is Erwin sending roses to a government office,” Eren interjected as if stating the obvious. He blew a few strands of his bangs away from his face, hardly looking at the rest of the group as he tried to play off his clearly piqued interest. “No way Erwin’s sending flowers at all.” 

“Damn, Jean, get a grip,” Connie muttered, elbowing Jean in the side. 

“Did I mention that his initials were on the card?” Jean swatted at Connie’s arm, the two briefly engaging in a battle of swats and slaps before Jean turned to the table with a determined fervor. He held one hand planted on Connie’s cheek, keeping himself out of range of Connie’s attempted slaps. “And they used to be section commanders together. There is quite literally a picture of them framed in the captain’s office.” He pointed confidently off in the vague direction of Garrison headquarters.

“There is?” Mikasa muttered, her forehead knitting together slightly as she cocked her head to the side. She pinched her chin between her fingers in thought. “Huh, I always just focused on the tea cart.”

“We all focus on the tea cart! And the snacks that are sometimes also there!” Reiner asserted, slapping the table, causing the dishes to clatter. He crossed his arms with a disappointed shake of his head. “Psh, everyone knows that. That’s why running paperwork to the Garrison is the best job you could get assigned. I’d fight a man to be able to sit in a cushy room drinking tea for an hour. It’s like getting a paid break to sit with a— a, uh—” He held his clenched fingers up to his lips as he searched for the word, nose scrunching. —“A wise tree.” Reiner’s hand opened emphatically to accent the phrase.

“I have fought a man for gopher duty!” Sasha barked, food still in her mouth. “And when I got there, I got extra sugar and that really expensive bruise ointment—”

— “Oh shit, really? That’s where you got that from?” Ymir blinked from the other end of the table. “That stuff is really nice.”

“And I got to keep it!”

Jean huffed, sitting straight to cross his arms with a stuck-up nose. 

“Look at the shelf on the opposite side of the desk the next time you’re there because I guarantee you that ointment was paid for by a commander’s salary.” He struck a fist into his opposite hand. His determination to be right had hardly been extinguished. 

“Let’s go now.”

Jean’s eyes snapped wide open. 

“What?” The others were already beginning to stand. Jean’s gaze darted to each of them as everyone began to gather their jackets and pick up their plates. A decision had apparently been made silently and without him. “You want to break into Garrison headquarters?”

Eren paused, his uniform jacket slung over his shoulder. He offered Jean an absentminded shrug.

“It’s not breaking in. We’re scouting. Surveying, if you will.” He left Jean alone at the cafeteria table to turn in his dishes. Jean noticed after a beat, immediately scooping up his dishware to follow the group.

“You’re kidding! I thought everyone wasn’t interested!”

***

A priest came to the Survey Corps hospital the morning after the expedition. You gathered a bouquet of flowers from a shrub in the courtyard for Murray and sat in attendance as she and Owens were married right there in the hospital. Wrapped up in bandages with missing limbs and bleeding wounds, they tearfully exchanged vows before succumbing to their injuries. You sat with them as a witness to their union until they were pronounced dead. 

Both of them served under your command, after all. You thought you owed it to them.

You would be given their death notices to sign off on a day later. 

You updated Murray’s certificate to “Owens” and sat at your desk, staring at the twin pages before you. Murray’s last name had been carefully blotted out in your correction, leaving her new name slightly bumpy. There were three spaces at the bottom labeled in smaller writing: one for the medical examiner’s signature (if applicable), one for the section commander, and one for the commander. The notice was written on quality paper, and from a quick glance, you would have guessed that the page was for an award rather than a certificate of death.

A light tapping broke you from your thoughts. Erwin stood in your doorframe. 

“Am I interrupting?” 

You almost jumped, face rising from where it had rested against your palm. A single, intense palpitation shot through your chest at the sight of him. He was as neat and put-together as always, from his combed bangs to his crisp uniform. You shook your head, beckoning him into your office. 

“Not at all.” 

He walked across the room, a small stack of papers in his hand wrapped in a neat string. 

“These are yours. They must’ve gotten mixed up.” You stood, staring at them with a quirk of your lip as you tried to hide your nervousness. You stared at the bundle of pages, doing nothing at all, before you decided to take them from his hand. 

“Oh, I haven’t even looked at these yet. Here, I probably have yours.” You set the compilation down to immediately sift through a larger stack of paperwork in the shallow wooden bin to the side of your desk. You felt like your hands were shaking, but Erwin didn’t seem to hold the same anxiety as you. Lingering patiently, Erwin glanced around your office as you consulted your collection of work to do.

You wondered if he remembered your conversation from the night before the last expedition. Hell, if it weren’t for Erwin’s cloak, you wouldn’t have been able to decipher whether your agreement was a dream. A part of you prayed that he hadn’t remembered— A marriage pact. What were you thinking?— but your instincts reluctantly told you that he not only remembered but could probably recall every word. 

You spared a single glance toward him as you rifled through your pages. Erwin caught your eye, offering you a slight, closed-lipped smile and a pleased raise of his thick eyebrows. You averted your attention with a newfound nervousness. 

You had no issue interacting with Erwin before. You were as close with him as you were with any other section commander and would have dared to consider him a friend. A good friend you’ve known for many years, he had your back on the battlefield and saved your life more times than you could count. He broke into that storage closet for your daft idea. That had to have meant something.

But he couldn’t have possibly been serious about your agreement. Of everyone you knew, Erwin sat near the bottom of the list of people you’d consider interested in marriage. Looking like he did, he had good chances of courting anyone he wanted. And yet, he agreed to marry you.

“They made it.”

“Hm?” You glanced up from your shuffling to follow Erwin’s gaze. He brushed the corner of one of the certificates, pulling it on the desk by the corner so that it sat at an angle. He cocked his head to read it better, then glanced back at you. “Oh.” You turned away as you continued your sifting. “Their injuries were terrible. They passed in the hospital yesterday—”

“But they made it.” Erwin never took his attention off you as he tapped Owens’ corrected name. Your heart twinged with guilt as you heaved a light sigh.

“I suppose they did,” you resigned, displacing a chunk of the pile on your desk chair. You blew at a strand of hair in your face before a realization hit you. Your lips formed a thin smile, and your forehead made the slightest wrinkle as you quirked your head to yourself, finally finding the files you were looking for. “I forgot I told you about that.”

“Forgot?”

You offered the bound pages across the width of your desk. The same colored string hung off them, the ends in a neat bow. Erwin’s bright blue irises held a certain seriousness in them. 

“Things have just been… busy.” You didn’t know what else to say. Erwin glanced off to the side momentarily, tucking the stack of pages under his arm.

“I see,” he said with a nod. You stood awkwardly, the files you had displaced on your seat. “Thank you for looking for these. I’m glad we could get it sorted.” Erwin turned to walk casually back out to the hall, only stopping when you called out his name.

“Erwin?” He turned, thick brows raised in attention. He pivoted on your area rug, and once you had his attention, you didn’t quite know what to do with it. You leaned forward with a hand on your desk, letting the moment pass as you searched for words. “Um— did you want some tea?” 

Erwin offered you a small, dimpled smile. 

“I’ll have to pass. I need to get these done.” He held up his handful of papers. It was an answer that made sense for two section commanders such as yourselves. You were coworkers. Perhaps you were even coworkers before you were friends. 

“Oh… yeah, of course,” you laughed nervously, watching the back of his head retreat into the hallway and down toward his office at the other end of the hall. You sank down to the floor in mortification. 

Great, now you’ve made it awkward.

***

It was a week full of paperwork, and you were officially one expedition down out of three. Three. What an oddly specific number. Between expeditions one and two sat the Military Ball, which was less about celebrating service members as advertised and more about political schmoozing and securing funds for the three military branches.

The entire headquarters was in a scurry to prepare, the rush to get the paperwork done and aesthetics in order starkly contrasted to the usual bustle and priorities of the Scout Regiment. It was an odd time to attend. While the Garrison and Military Police continued their business inside the walls, the Survey Corps reeled from your most recent expedition just a week prior. But in typical fashion for the Scouts, the world moved on. Having signed off on the death certificates for your fallen squad members days ago, it was in your best interest to rest your sights on the future, even if that meant attending a celebration in the wake of tragedy.

You scurried up the steps, making last-minute tucks and adjustments to your dress uniform. Always the one left to tie up loose ends, you insisted that everyone else go on without you. Being called back to the office to finish tasks wasn’t out of the question. Erwin once told you that the last full batch of section commanders had been called out of the Military Ball in the first hour for missing reports. 

You offered the greeting committee at the front a heartfelt salute, gesturing toward your credentials before they finally let you in. The ballroom was illuminated in a golden glow, highlighting the shiny, rich decor fitting for a grand venue in the Capital Mitras. You tried to hide your rushing, slowing your pace to offer polite smiles to the military personnel and politicians who lingered about enjoying their appetizers and complimentary aperitifs.

Hange had made their way deep into the room, their voice ringing out over the sea of chatter. From what you could tell, they had gathered quite a crowd of wealthy nobles excited to hear harrowing tales about the titans. They certainly chose the wrong soldier to prod about titan information. Not only would they be engaged in conversation for the entire night, but you wouldn’t be surprised if someone grew physically ill based on the level of detail Hange decided to spout. You pushed on, swiping a bubbling drink off a service tray and a small hors d'oeuvre off another as you scanned the bustling ballroom. 

It wasn’t hard to find Erwin. He stood tall next to a cocktail table outlined in a thick, white cloth. With a cocktail flute in one hand, he struggled at the knot in his bolo tie. 

“I see they're letting just anybody in here.” Erwin’s pretty blue irises flickered up as you approached, your snack quickly disappearing past your lips. 

“Same could go for you. Is that a non-standard issue No. 20 brown belt I see?” 

“Oh, shut up!” You hurried over, giddy like a schoolchild afraid of getting scolded by the headmaster. “Mine broke on expedition. I was hoping no one would notice.” You shook your head before placing your drink down on the table and wiping your fingers with your cocktail napkin. 

“You wore your dress uniform belt on expedition?” Erwin’s hands immediately fell away as you stepped forward to work at the tight knot the leather strings had been contorted into. You bobbed your head from side to side.

“My straps have gone to shit. I really need to order new ones, I just haven’t gotten around to it.” You dug your nail at the tough bundle of leather before withdrawing for a moment in disdain. You cocked your head to the side, holding the bunch in your fingers. “What the hell did you do to this?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” The tightest portion of the knot loosened. Your shoulders drooped as you let out a short breath of relief before continuing to unravel the knot.

 “I’m surprised they didn’t give you a hard time about credentials. I swear that one guy looked at me funny because my lapel wasn’t properly ironed.” The loop you were making steadily grew larger. With a few more strategic pulls, the center would open. 

“I was holding it in my hand when we came in, if you’d believe it.” You could feel his chuckle reverberate through his chest.

“I’m sure Shadis was thrilled by that.” The knot came undone, and you tugged at it until the leather strings sat kinky but otherwise untangled across his collarbone. You took to adjusting the entire tie so that the ends sat orderly and symmetrically with the clasp neatly in the middle. 

“I won’t tell if you won’t.” Erwin looped a finger through your thin belt, giving it a playful tug. You didn’t look away from your work for a second, all too aware of your close proximity. You avoided looking at his face as you stepped back, his bolo tie finally arranged at the center of his collar. 

“You’re sure in high spirits tonight,” you mused with a roll of your eyes. “Looking for the bottom of that bottomless champagne?”

“I can’t say I’ve started such a challenge,” Erwin said with a bounce of his brows, a smile creeping onto his lips. He clasped his hands behind his back as he surveyed the room. You picked your drink back up, swirling it in the glass with a shrug of your shoulders and a dip of your lip. You stared out into the crowd along with him.

You were content to stand with him, watching as people mingled around the room in a sea of uniforms, gowns, and suits. The members of the Survey Corps were the easiest to spot. Members of your squads grouped together, claiming their own territories amongst the circular dining tables. The prideful sported their dress uniforms, but it appeared that most were content to shed the Wings of Freedom for a night in exchange for their best formal attire. 

A part of you was relieved that the dress uniform was mandatory for all four section commanders. You hadn’t had anything too special in your closet anyway.

“Probably for the best. When things settle, I’m going to take a crack at Senator Montgomery.” 

“Are you now?” Erwin quirked a brow as he continued to look out into the distance. A serving tray traveled by with champagne, and Erwin took one. “Eager for a few more expeditions?” 

“He’s pretty agreeable after dinner,” you continued. You didn’t even hear him. “Not to mention that his children are fascinated with horses. I’ve been giving them lessons, and I take the youngest riding on the trail near the outskirts of Rose about once a month.” You took a sip of your bubbly, savoring the taste. Another group entered through the rich double doors. “It’s been our little arrangement for quite some time. I’m sure he won’t take much more convincing. Besides, I know you’re going for Edmonds.”

“You’re quite the detective.” Erwin offered a polite smile to a pair of politicians passing by before glancing back at you. “I expect no less from you. You’ve always been quite sharp when it comes to these things.”

“Please—” You shook your head, toying with the stem of your glass. —“Everyone knows Shadis wants you to bag the big one. Edmonds is tough, but you’re good with your words. I think you’ll have an in by the end of the night.”

“You give me too much credit.”

“You can play modest with Edmonds, but I know you better than to believe that.” You weren’t really thinking when you snorted, eyes trained on the familiar faces traveling across the ballroom. A small, sentimental smile played on your lips. You didn’t notice that either.

“Do you now?” You incidentally met his eye, and the simple act of doing so made your heart skip a beat. A light, curious glimmer glinted in his expression. You quickly glanced away, fiddling with your glass before bringing it to your lips. Erwin’s attention was still trained on you in your peripheral. 

“We’ve served for a long time,” you resigned with a sigh. The nervousness you had never felt with Erwin before continued to constrict your chest. You tried not to let it show. Erwin seemed to let the matter go, turning his attention forward again to your relief. 

“That we have…”

“Erwin? Erwin! AHH!” A woman’s voice carried over the crowd. A puff of strawberry blonde hair peaked out over the top of the bustling throng along with a single, dainty pale hand. You could see glimpses of her periodically jumped on her low flats to catch a glimpse of Erwin as she gradually made her way through the horde of people. “Excuse us. Sorry. Excuse us!” 

It didn’t take long for her to break through, and to your surprise, she tugged Nile Dok in tow. She was a beautiful woman with long, curly hair, the color of which complimented her deep mustard-colored gown. The fabric draped elegantly over her rounded stomach and her shoulders were decorated in light tulle. She dropped Nile’s sleeve as she stood in front of you and Erwin, stretching her arms out with a gleeful smile. Erwin graciously greeted her, letting her wrap her arms around his neck in a deep hug. She just about squeezed the air out of him.

“Erwin! Look at you! It’s been too long!” 

“Careful,” Nile warned apprehensively but did little to get involved.

At a loss for what to do, you made eye contact with the ever-serious Nile Dok, offering him a salute and a polite greeting.

“It’s good to see you, Captain Dok. You’re looking well.”

“The same could be said for you, Section Commander.” He nodded cordially. Your attention snapped back to Erwin at the sound of your name.

“I’d like to introduce you to my good friend, Marie Dok. You’re acquainted with her husband, Nile Dok.” He gestured toward the woman before you. “Marie, this is my colleague—” The way he spoke your name sounded like an afterthought, but Marie paid no mind. She smiled at you, holding open her arms again to pull you into a warm hug. 

“Oh—” You reciprocated her gesture when the momentary shock wore off. 

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Section Commander,” she oozed before pulling away. She smelled subtly of fresh flowers. 

“Please, no need to be so formal,” you insisted with a light laugh.

“The two of you are going to eat with us, aren’t you? We have more than enough room at our table,” Marie pressed on. She turned in search of Nile’s approval while you glanced toward Erwin. Nile spared a knowing look toward Marie and a sigh before joining yours and Erwin’s silent conversation. Not being a fan of the mental exchanges being had without her, Marie couldn’t help the pout that found her lips. “I know the three of you have to make the rounds, but at least come to our table for dinner. Just the dinner part.” She playfully nudged Nile’s arm before taking it in her own. “If the senators and commanders get to talk shop with you all night, I think I deserve at least some of your time.”

“I couldn’t intrude,” you attempted to politely decline. Marie continued to pout.

“Please—” She huffed with a certain informality refreshing in comparison to the setting. It almost made you laugh. “Military folk are so hard to pin down these days. Besides, any friend of Erwin’s is a friend of mine!” 

You finally relented, head stuck on that word “friend.”

***

Dinner that night was by no means cheap. Not only were the attendees given a choice of several dietary selections for the main course, but among the spread were prime cuts of beef, whole fowl, sides of decadent potatoes with gravy, and a mix of fresh greens unlike anything most Scout Regiment soldiers had ever seen. 

You tried to savor your meal, but more than half your plate was gone before you could blink. Glancing around, you were willing to bet that most Scouts had just about scarfed their portions down with gusto. The fresh, high-quality food was in stark contrast to your usual rations of bread and meat scraps, after all. Marie ate just as much as any soldier, using her clearly pregnant appearance to persuade the waitstaff to bring more food to the table. 

Two other military police officers joined you with their spouses, who wore high-quality formal attire. You had seen the officer’s faces around at some time or another— most certainly at last year’s Military Ball— but didn’t know them closely. Despite your unfamiliarity with most people at your table, everyone seemed well acquainted with Marie.

“Marie owns Mulligan’s. We met her as cadets way back when she was a server,” Erwin noted to you with a nostalgic nod. Even Nile’s serious demeanor melted some at the memory. 

“Really?” Your face lit up in recognition. A hotspot for military personel, the pub had been taken over by Military Police types in recent years. But even so, you held some fond memories of the place. Marie offered a humble nod. “You have a killer ale. What a small world.” “Feels smaller every day,” Marie sighed with a smile.

With dinner over, the chatter and mingling started up again. And just like in years past, officers and public figures alike began to drift from their tables in favor of chatting up the people they had intended to persuade since the beginning of the night. 

Erwin drifted, eager to bag a promising opportunity for the Scouts as Shadis’s most charming section commander. Someone came to talk shop with Nile the next instant, and soon, you were left at the table alone with Marie. 

“It’s that time, isn’t it?” she mused knowingly. You offered her a sheepish and reluctant quirk of your lip as you stood from your chair. 

“Unfortunately,” you said, straightening out your uniform. You glanced at Senator Montgomery out of your peripheral before returning to Marie. “Thank you for inviting me to your table. It was nice meeting you.” You offered her your hand, but she didn’t take it. 

Instead, Marie propped her elbow on the table, resting her cheek against her palm as she looked you over. The action lacked malice or severe judgment as she collected information to fuel her following words. Her lips parted with purpose.

“The two of you make quite the couple,” was all she said. 

You were taken aback as you thought about what she was saying. Your brow furrowed, along with a slight curl to your bottom lip. Marie tilted her chin downward with a slight arch to her light eyebrows as if to say what she implied was obvious. 

“I— um— we’re, uh…” The more you grasped for words, the harder it was to find them. You sighed, letting your chest deflate as you collected yourself. “We’re colleagues. The time we’ve served allows us to work well in a professional setting, as is the usual relationship between section commanders.”

Colleagues. That’s what Erwin had introduced you as.

“I see,” she hummed, staring off in another direction. You stood in front of your pushed-in chair, silently following her line of sight into the bustling ballroom. It was too crowded to make out what she was so fixated on. “You know, I’ve always subscribed to the phrase, ‘you can’t be a little bit pregnant!’” 

Marie let out a boisterous laugh as she stood out of her chair. You swiftly stepped over to help her as she cradled her rounded stomach with her left arm. She accepted your help but ultimately didn’t require much support. 

“Whoo!” Marie stretched a bit as she found her bearings. Her hands quickly found yours, giving you two firm taps to the back of your wrist. “I won’t keep you any longer. But if you see Nile milling around, would you do me a favor and send him back to me?”

You agreed, trying to center your thoughts on Senator Montgomery.

***

The deal was wrapped up in a snap. If anything, you considered that you included too much preamble before getting to the meat of your proposal. Senator Montgomery snapped it up without much further negotiation. He had always been very fond of you, so much so that you likely could have brought the issue up at the start of your lengthy conversation.

Senator Montgomery was a talker, and after he expressed his dedication to your proposal, you were swiftly whisked into a detailed conversation about his children. You were acquainted with all three of them, and the question took a sharp turn from politics to which one of his children was making the swiftest progress in their riding lessons? 

Having his children be trained by such a high-ranking officer in the Scouts was apparently quite the point of pride for the senator. For the rest of the night, he referred to you as a close family friend to other elite residents of Wall Sina. The senator made sure to gesture to your credentials as he did so. 

If that meant his continued support of the Scouts, the senator could call you anything he pleased. 

By the time you could excuse yourself, the festivities were already winding down. Dessert was already half-gone. You took another champagne flute to disappear onto the balcony with. 

You leaned against the white stone railing, breathing deeply before exhaling a steady stream of hot air. You took a sip of your drink, staring off at the lights of the city. Even at night, Sina was littered with warm streetlamps that grew less in number as the distance ran on. A dark sheet of night existed past the sloping city. The stars that littered the horizon marked where the wall stopped in its reach toward the sky. 

“Need a breather? How was Montgomery?” 

Erwin took his place next to you, leaning on his elbows to mirror your posture. You hadn’t even heard him approach. He scooted a little plate across the stone surface. The two dessert pastries wobbled, knocking against each other. He offered you a dessert fork, and you weren’t about to deny him.

You met his gaze, letting the exhaustion on your face show for the first time that night. Another labored breath vibrated the skin of your lips and you rolled your eyes with a shake of your head. The tips of your four fingers met your thumb, snapping your hand open and closed to mimic the loudmouthed chatter you endured. Erwin’s shoulders jumped— his version of a snort.

“That good, huh?”

“I mean, we have a deal, but damn—” You glanced behind you to ensure that you were truly alone. Erwin instinctually swiveled his head with you. —“I hope the Montgomerys aren’t planning to have more children.” Erwin hummed a chuckle, digging his fork into the dessert. A sheepish smile found your lips as you couldn’t help but chuckle along with him. “What about you? How was Edmonds?” 

Erwin’s fork action halted, and you laughed as he rubbed at his temples. 

“We have a meeting first thing Monday morning,” he breathed after a few moments of carefully choosing his words. You continued chipping away at your dessert. “Edmonds is a very thorough man.” Erwin shook his head, dismissing the rest of his words. 

“It was a full interrogation, huh?” you mused before taking another bite. 

“Mh-mhm.” Erwin placed his fork on the little plate, savoring the last of his pastry. He turned to lean his back against the railing you continued to rest on. His arms coiled over his chest. He continued to chew; he had wide chews. “By the way—” You didn’t know someone’s jaw could move like that with their mouth still closed, but that was none of your business. —“Sorry about Marie. She can get a bit excitable sometimes.” 

“Not at all. Dinner was nice. And Marie seems nice…” You set your fork down as you continued to stare out at Sina. You paused, hesitating for a moment. “She seems a bit—”

“Different compared to Nile?”

“Yeah.” 

The two of you let the moment pass. You traced the wall's outline in the distance, trying to keep track of how many stars hovered above the black mass. Erwin kept his sights on the ballroom, which cast a golden glow onto the balcony, stopping just short of the two of you. People were starting to trickle out, having had their fill. A decent portion of the attendees continued to chatter. The waitstaff were beginning to take away the dessert table. 

“We used to spend a lot of time together years ago,” Erwin continued out of the silence. You didn’t know how to respond. He continued again. “I think she just wants to remember how things were when we’re together like this. We don’t keep in touch, so she gets a bit overinvolved to make up for lost time.”

“That makes sense.”

You wanted to ask him. You wanted him to connect the dots for you so you could have another clue in deciphering what exactly the two of you were. But you held your tongue, and the night continued like all the previous Military Balls. You decided you didn’t need to ask him if Marie Dok was the woman he wanted to marry all those years ago. You already knew.

***

“Is this, like, illegal?”

“Shut up.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Hurry, please.” 

“You try picking a lock in the dark.” 

“Move aside and let me try.” 

“I got it,” Ymir gritted in the darkness. “Go fuck off over there and keep watch.” She pressed her ear to the door, feeling around the lock with her picks before finally hearing a satisfying click from the latch. With a single tug of the handle, the door quietly swung open. The former members of the 104th Cadet Corps filed into your office, quietly taking in the sights in the moonlight trickling through the window. 

“There it is,” Sasha whispered, practically foaming at the mouth as she immediately ran up to your tea cart. Connie, Christa, and Reiner followed on her heels, instantly picking up the teacups and other accoutrement on the top tray as the others scattered around the room. Mikasa closed the door behind her. 

“The picture’s right here.” Jean gingerly opened the cabinet of memorabilia. The cabinet gave the same resistance as the day before, giving way to reveal the items inside. Sure enough, the framed drawing sat in the same place next to your old Scout cloak. Those less interested in the tea cart gathered around as Jean took it in his hands. 

“I have never heard of a branch transfer,” Mikasa remarked, taking the ends of the cloak in her hands. The fabric felt stiff between her fingertips. 

“Maybe you have to transfer if your husband gets promoted to commander of your branch.” Jean rubbed his thumb over the glass where you and Erwin were depicted. The scene was a large outdoor fire where you and your old squadmates were illustrated in an artistic and detailed outline. You and Erwin sat to the right of the frame, smiling and talking. Yes, the figures were undoubtably the two of you. Jean passed the picture on in favor of looking for more evidence. 

“Why would someone give up the title of section commander to work for the Garrison?” Eren muttered a bit too seriously. Jean had to stop to blink a few times. He was kidding, right?

Jean continued his search, but you didn’t have much memorabilia from the early days. Besides the picture and your cloak, all that remained was your patch with your last expedition number and a few fancy documents littered with formal signatures. 

Something bounced to the floor in Jean’s peripheral. He bent down to retrieve it, leaving the doors of the cabinet ajar. Eren turned the frame over in his hand, inspecting the back of it before also leaning down. Jean clutched the squishy little knot in his hand just moments before his head collided with Eren’s. They both recoiled, only for Eren to knock his head again against the bottom of the cabinet, which had swung open. Slamming his head in the same spot, the picture frame went crashing to the ground. 

“Fuck! Dammit, Yeager!” 

Glass scattered across the floor, and everyone’s attention simultaneously shot toward the sound. The room froze. Jean gaped at the mess on the wood floor, slowly moving to make eye contact with Eren. But before either of them could say a word, the door to your office creaked open, and the light flickered on, illuminating the dark room.

You stood in the doorway, out of uniform and with a stack of files under your arm. You glanced across your office, forehead knitted as you processed the collective presence of the ten wide-eyed Survey Corps members. 

“What are you all doing here?”

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes: I love writing baby Reiner, I always give him the most banger lines. There will be a part III, which will hopefully be the final part. I just had a lot to set up and write and it wasn't logistically possible to fit it all in this part. If it doesn't fit in part III, I plan on dutifully writing a part IV.

For those who don't know, the phrase "you can't be a little bit pregnant" refers to dedicating all or nothing to a situation since the status of being pregnant is either that you are or that you aren't.

Notes: I’m happy to add people to the tag list, but requesting to be added without interacting with any part of this series outside of your tag request will result in a swift block

Part I Part II Part III Part IV

@goddessinsweats

[kitthepurplepotato]

Chapter 16 - A deep conversation

Summary: Deku’s worries float away with Rody’s surprise visit. Literally.

Izuku’s lips get loose after a few pints. (It was one single pint, but don’t tell him I told you that.)

Warnings: mentions of depression, really brief mention of suicide but I swear it’s a cute, fluffy chapter! 😂 also… alcohol. Drink responsibly. Don’t be a Deku.

First Chapter Master List

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

“Rody?!” Izuku shrieks, completely dumbfounded.

You can’t help but smile fondly as Rody hugs Izuku and starts muttering death threats into his ears.

“If you ever pull that shit again, I’ll come over on my helicopter and kill you myself, you fucking asshole. You understand, buddy?” Rody mumbles while Pino cries on Izuku’s shoulders, snuggling into his hair. Izuku was right. Rody has the most interesting quirk you’ve ever seen.

“I’m so happy to see you, buddy.” Izuku sniffs because that’s who he is; if an emotion is even a tiny bit stronger than his normal, he cries about it, positive or negative. Rody rolls his eyes, but Pino still cries a river. Honestly, this guy a perfect example of how different humans act in front of of others. It’s mesmerizing. And sad. “I have so much to tell you, oh my god! You know how I got a roommate thanks to Jirou? She’s so pretty and so sweet, Rody, I fell in love with her right away, she’s also a big fan of me and …”

“Izuku, I’m here. I can hear you.” You giggle as Izuku starts to blush aggressively. “Why don’t you have this conversation with him after eating something? You can have a cider or a beer in the garden?”

“What about you?” Izuku gives you his biggest puppy eyes. Rody laughs fondly at your shenanigans.

“Oh boy, you have it bad.”

“Oh boy, he really does.” You giggle to yourself with a slight blush on your face. “I need to finish my commissions, Izu. I’ve been neglecting it in the past few days.” Izuku looks so heartbroken; he’s little libs wobble, his eyes are full of tears and… fuck, you are way too weak against his puppy eyes. “Okay, I’ll leave you two alone for an hour, then I’ll join. But let’s eat first. Rody must be hungry.” You sigh as Izuku attacks you with kisses on your cheeks, because this guy has no shame.

“I guess I don’t need to ask how the rest of the story went.” Rody gives you a knowing smile. Izuku is abssolutely out of it, literally floating around from the happiness. Floating. Like, for real. By the time he makes it into the kitchen he head bumps into the ceiling.

“Wow, are you sure you are not in love with Rody? You haven’t kissed the ceiling before.” You tease your man who only moans, incapable of getting down by himself. “I’ll get the ladder, you keep him away from the window.”

“Yes, sir!” Rody smirks.

You have no idea what’s happening, but one thing is for sure; you haven’t laughed this much in your whole fucking life. You really thought Izuku can not surprise you anymore, but clearly, you have a long way to go before you actually get to know this man. Thank god you have your whole life to get to know him.

~•🥦•~

“So…” Izuku scratches his head awkwardly as he comes back from the bedroom. He decided to call his doctor, just in case. “Apparently, my floating might be the after effect of my meds. The ones I got for my mood.”

“So you got overexcited like those puppies who pee themselves when they see their owner?” Rody chimes in with a smirk on his face. You swear you heard his tummy rumble, but you decide not to mention it yet.

“Basically, yes. I got some meds to lift my mood but I didn’t really need to take them today but I took it out of habit, then… a lot of good things happened and… yeah.”

“Well, at least you didn’t pee yourself.” You tease, tapping the seat next to you with a fond smile. “Come on puppy, Rody is starving.” You giggle as Izuku puts his pretty little bum down on the seat. Rody is so fucking ready to eat it’s actually quite hilarious; you don’t need Pino’s help to know he will devour whatever you put in front of him, even if it tastes like shit (hopefully, it does not.)

Just as expected, Rody jumps on the food right as you pop the serving in from him; you brought a little bowl over for Pino as well, not entirely sure if she eats human food or not, but you definitely did not want her to feel left out. You also brought over some seeds Izuku kept for the birds in his garden, just in case.

“I hope you payed for your ride this time.” Izuku looks at his friend with suspicion. You have no idea why this is the first question that comes out of your boyfriend’s mouth, but there is probably a story behind it.

“Yes and no.” Rody answers honestly and you can see Izuku’s frown deepen at that. “Wait! Jesus, just because I haven’t payed for a bus ride doesn’t mean I’m going to sneak on a fucking plane! That’s actual crime, Izuku!”

“Not paying for a bus ride is also a crime, Rody!” Izuku retorts. At this point, you are just blinking at the two, utterly confused.

“I haven’t payed for the ride itself, because I was the pilot. Your bestie, Katsuki, was nice enough to let me park at your agency’s helipad.” Rody admits. “Some of my friends wanted to visit Japan anyway and as you know, I work at a private jet charter company, so… they chipped in. Every pilot is allowed to use the planes once a year for personal reasons, I usually use mine to take my siblings away from the city but after I heard what happened from Katsuki, I decided to come over.”

So he was worried. That’s so sweet!

“Why didn’t you bring Roro and Lala over?!” Izuku pouts. Rody only laughs at that.

“They have school. They are big enough now to stay alone for a week but I asked my girlfriend to stay over at our house, just in case. They are probably having the time of their lives without me.”

“Your girlfriend?!” Izuku shrieks, almost choking on his soup. You gave him a proper bowl this time because you didn’t want him to feel like a kid in front of his buddy but he still managed to look like one, so all your efforts were in vain.

“Yeah, uhm…” Rody and Pino’s face reddens. “She’s works at the company. Super cute. I had a crush on her since day one. Then we went out drinking together with the guys and uhm… yeah. It’s not too romantic but we haven’t left each other’s side since. Life is great, you know… and I can only thank you for that. You opened my eyes and made me realize I can live a proper life and get money in a respectful way. I wouldn’t be here without you, you know. So thank you. I will bring my siblings over next year. They also want to thank you.”

Needless to say, Izuku cries again. Then he floats. Everyone screams. Thankfully, you manage to grab him before the whole table flips.

~•🥦•~

“Life has been hectic. I don’t… I don’t know what’s going to happen, you know. With my career, I mean. I might lose my spot… hell, I probably will.” Izuku mutters, playing with the condensation on his almost empty glass.

Saying that Izuku is okay now is an overstatement. The last few weeks were terrible. Everything felt empty, like he’s only a shell, an empty vessel with needs and desires, but they all felt so distant, so fake, he had to force himself to actually eat and shower. It was a struggle to keep himself alive, especially in the first week. The pain was excruciating, being unable to move was frustrating the hell out of him and not even the hot bubble bath and the massive amount of medicine could soothe his troubled soul and broken body. He hurt the most important person in his life, daily, he made Sweet Pea cry every night; he could hear it sometimes, barely there but loud enough for him to notice during the sleepless nights. He has so much atoning to do, so much to make up for but he also needs to heal so he can save people again and it’s really hard to find the perfect middle ground. He’s so happy but he’s also not… it’s like he’s in the pink clouds, but with weights pulling his legs down and he needs to work hundred times harder with to stay up there while before it was easy as breathing. Izuku wants to be his old self, he really wants to; he misses his old, silly self, or to be exact, he misses when he didn’t feel dread after every laugh, thinking that be should be out on the field, fighting instead of having fun with his girlfriend. Izuku knows this is something every hero needs to go through at least once; All Might himself told him he also felt the same when he had to retire, this constant guilt and dread every time he dared to feel happy about something. It’s normal but it doesn’t make it easier to endure.

“Does she know?” Rody gives Izuku a sad smile.

“Of course. She also knows I’m genuinely happy when I’m with her, I’m glad we can have some time together, to finally talk about our future and get used to each other properly. We didn’t have time to do that you know.” Izuku sighs. “I could barely be home. All she’s done in the past few weeks was waiting for me to come home and see me for a few hours. I couldn’t ruin that time with talking about deep stuff, but now we can actually… talk. It doesn’t make it that much easier though. I can’t lift this glass with my other hand, you know. I’m aware of it and it’s killing me. I would be completely useless if it’s not for black whip. But then she looks at me like I’m the most perfect human being on this whole planet, her pretty eyes shining and… I almost believe it’s true. That this is temporary and I’ll be back to my old self in a heartbeat. It’s not the truth though. I’ll get my heart broken several times before I make my way back to being a hero… and I’m not ready for it. I’m not ready to give up on being the number one. I worked my ass off for it. I cried blood, I sweat blood, yet here I am, on the verge of loosing everything. It makes me question if it was worth it, leaving my mother alone in that house, leaving Sweet Pea alone for days, weeks, breaking her heart over and over because I couldn’t make it home.” Rody is about to say something but Izuku stops him. Rody stays quiet but he slowly moves the glass of cider away from him, even though it’s already almost empty. “I know I’m being stupid. I know this is all in my head. The vestiges tell me that every day. They were talking to me so much when I was in my deepest, darkest phase. Whispering into my ears, telling me I did well, telling me this is not the end. I know that. I know I’m going to work my ass off again and again to get back where I was, it just sucks that I need to.”

“It’s normal to be frustrated when life isn’t going the way you wanted it to.” Rody mutters. “It suck even more when you loose your path thanks to something you can’t control. I know, I’ve been there.” He sighs. “When I lost everything after my father disappeared and I had to take care of two kids when I was supposed to be enjoying my youth, I was really frustrated. It only got worse once I realized I can’t make any money legally thanks to my age. There was a point when I wanted to end it all because I didn’t see the point in fighting. I felt like every step I make just makes the situation worse. But then I thought about my siblings. I thought about their future and about how I can at least make sure they have a good life. Without me, they would’ve been taken away. That kept me going. Then I met you. This is not the end, Deku. Once you fall deep enough, it’s only up from there. That’s what I want you to remember when the hero ratings are out.”

“You are right. I’m being an idiot. I have a roof above my head, enough money in the bank to cover my absence, I have amazing friends, family and an amazing girlfriend.” Izuku admits. “My friends are amazing heroes who can cover for me. It’s not the end of the world.”

“You are an idiot, yes, but I would question your humanity if you wouldn’t have thoughts like that. You are not a robot. You are doing really good compared to your circumstances, but don’t let that stop you from feeling like shit sometimes. Let the frustration out. Don’t bottle it up. This is your one chance to be a real human being without any consequences. Enjoy it. Heal yourself. Let us help, we are here for you.”

Izuku can’t help the tears, and he doesn’t want to; he lets them out, salty streaks trailing down his cheeks as he cuddles into his friend, body shaking like a leaf.

“I’ll be fine, because you guys are with me.” He cries. He feels weirdly dizzy all of a sudden. Hm. Interesting. “I’ll be fine because I want to have fun with everyone. I want to live my life with no regrets. I’ll do my best so I can welcome Roro and Lala with a smile on my face. I’ll do my best, Rody. I will!”

While Rody is clearly laughing at Izuku’s sudden shenanigans, Pino is bawling together with him so Izuku knows he’s not actually being laughed at.

“Okay, sweetheart, you had way too much drink.” Sweet Pea comes into Izuku’s view, giggling with teary eyes. Did she hear him? Was he yelling?

“I’ll make you happy!” Izuku yells into Y/N’s face, because… well… because he can. “I’ll make you really-really happy! And I’ll marry you! We will have five kids! You hear me?”

“Three kids max, Izu. Now let’s put you to bed.”

“But I don’t wanna!!!!”

“Hm.” Rody snickers to himself. “Only two more to go, you clearly have one kid already.”

“HEY!!!!!!!!”

“Why are you yelling?” Y/N giggles.

“Because I will make you happy! Can we get that dog now? I’ll name him All Bark.” Both of them burst out laughing. Why is he being manhandled right now?! He’s completely fine! He can make his way towards the bedroom himself, thank you very much! Okay, maybe once he started crying the booze went into his head a tiny bit but he’ll get better in no time!

“Okay, sweetie, it’s bed time. Rody’s staying in my room today, you guys can chat some more in the morning! Rody needs to sleep, he had a long ride.”

That’s fair. Izuku can live with that.

“Okay…”

~•🥦•~

Secret Winter Cabin Trip! Sponsored by Rody

Eijirou: Hey everyone! Izuku’s friend from Otheon is in town and would like to invite you all to a special “winter wonderland” trip! It’s a 3 days trip, private plane and private cabins! Make yourselves free if you can!

Shouto: What’s the point if I can’t be the driver?

Eijirou: You can still call names and be in charge!

Amajiki-kun: Why am I here?

Eijirou: Because Izuku likes you and you never come out drinking! You can bring your support animal!

Katsuki: You are here because Eijirou’s been moaning about not seeing you for ages.

Mirio: I’m the support animal! And I’m in!

Iida: Sadly, I can’t make it this time! Send me photos, please!

Mina: Ahh, such a bummer! I also can’t make it 😭

Katsuki: Nah, not coming

Mina: LOL, good joke.

Katsuki: I know

Kyouka: Count me in!

Kaminari: Me and my buddy are coming too!

Shinsou: Well, apparently I’m coming, thanks for asking before you wrote that in the group chat you asshole

Momo: I’m coming! I’ll keep an eye on everyone!

Shouto: Wait… winter cabin? It’s not… winter?

Katsuki: I can’t believe it took 30 minutes for someone to question that part. My friends are fucking idiots.

Kaminari: OMGOMG Bakubro called us friends 😭

Katsuki: That was not the point, second hand Pikachu.

Amajiki-kun: I was too scared to mention that.

Eijirou: Don’t worry about the details. You’ll see! Bring warm clothes!

… Next Chapter!

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Potato ramble:

- Hey guys! I made a Ko-fi page just in case you guys would like to support me! Don’t worry, I’m not going to stop writing if I don’t get any donations nor will I start writing quicker if I do! (I literally can’t. I’m writing every day after work already 😂) I also don’t do prompts for money, so please don’t send me any on that site! I’ll make a proper post about this in the future! My main reason to do this is that I really wanted to start digital drawing this year but I ended spending my iPad money on getting my stupid laptop repaired so… every penny helps 😂

Click here if you want to check my page or donate! Thank you!

TL: @garfieldthomas @porusuniverse @stickygumchewer @sixxze @mily-moo @aei-sedai-moiraine @aymasakusa @katsuari @kenzie-deadly @shiviwrites07 @lukerycyja-reblogs @cloroxisadelectabletreat @coffeent @kisskissshutmydoor @bobcar1 @yazminetrahan @cringefan @ronimacaroni77 @themultifandomgirl @dangerousluv1 @emperatris-rinaka @shotos-angelic-whore @angelsdemonsmonsters @norvacaine @rei165 @unofficialmuilover @yao-ai @happydragonfrog @eeerreehhh @vinivave

[moldingtundra]

why sk8rclown (pilby x infected) is OTP 💥💥

Sooo you read the title, so you know what this post is gonna be about!

P.S this is MY personal opinion and if you ship anything else that’s fine! But for the 0.5 percent of ppl who are here for the rare pair I present to you the ultimate explanation on why this ship works so so well

without further ado let’s discuss why the non-bi pan cattipillar and the emo chic dude form the 2010’s would totally kiss!

Ok first of all; what is their dynamic and why does it work so well?

well that actually depends on how you see them, but in general, I think their base dynamic is the scared and soft introvert x outgoing extrovert, as clearly seen by their dialogue and personality documented in the wiki, it’s clear that this dynamic seems to fit best.

It even shows in their limited interactions with one another, yes, I know there’s only technically 3 interactions so far (subject to change in the future) BUT even then you can clearly see the chemistry that bounces off.

This and the other dynamic being old fashioned x high tech of some sorts, example:

Infected: "I c4nT wA1t tO r41Se My Fi5HinG Stat5!! B)"

"Golly.. fishing.. stat?

"That sounds confusing.."

Infected: "Th4t5 My aw3sOM3 Vid30 g4mE!!"

Infected: "I'm TrY1nG to G3t a G0lD3n TenCH!!"

"All those video games and whatnot has got me so confused.."

On top of that, their mindset is actually quite parallel with each other; infected is stuck in the 2010’s, while Pilby is stuck in their old fashioned ways (idk what time era though help)

plus, infected seems like the type of guy to really have a deep care for the ones he loves, with words of affirmation and physical presents and whatnot, and pilby, being a guy with little self esteem and belittles themselves, while also showing comfort in reassuring words, would definitely either get flustered at infecteds compliments or crash like a windows explorers page and go💥💥💥 /hj plus, I’d like to think that he’d get pilby flowers (despite his allergy) just to please them and see them smile super brightly (although pilby would immediately stare in horror at infecteds puffed up face (allergies ammiright)/jjjj

And then there’s my interpretations, obviously this ain’t gonna apply for everyone but I personally believe that infected is the type to show the most affection and also be the caring type while pilby is the two stud tall guy who is a nervous wreck and shrivels at the mention of going out to a party, LOL, ok but no seriously soft caring extrovert and scared little rat dynamic save me save me dynamic.

alright lh, that’s all I have for this section, onto the next!

I think the reason why pilby x infected always stuck out to me is just the thought of it, like wow! A 2010s emo chick and a clown! Sounds like something random but trust me, it works, think of it like the emo and bright pink chic dynamic, just with a few tweaks.

this and also my interpretations of the characters (Alr explained in the previous section) it’s just such a unique take, and I’m a fucking sucker for unique ship types.

heck even their designs actually compliment each other, pilby is soft and round, and infected is bright and bold.

Anyways, more ramblings uhm, I feel like infected, despite being the caring one, would also be reckless, often time getting into scuffs, which worries pilby and brings out his more firm and true side, like a wife having to deal with their husbands shenanigans. I feel like because of that pilby can take the opportunity to show their more truer side, the side that’s not always sad and sighing about their mama, the side that is happy for the little things in life and always takes the time to admire the surroundings, something that infected takes for granted sometimes due to their hyperactive and fast nature, and that alone, would teach infected to slow down as well, to take in the scenery around him sometimes, the warm sun, the falling leaves, the chirps of the birds, flying high into the clouds, setting off on an adventure, it’s the little things that count the most.

and in return, pilby would learn that not everything is all rainy clouds, that they sometimes does need a few push’s outside of their comfort zone to enjoy a few things. Maybe a little skating wouldn’t hurt (or will, depends if pilby falls when infected let’s them go) or saying hi to split every once in a while can actually lead to some funny conversations and thereafter, thoughtful moments to cherish for years to come possibly.

it’s an effect, they rub off each other, they stuck together and learned new things about and for their life, even if it’s little or silly, it’s worth everything to them, and it’s worth it because they have each other. When pilby is with infected, there’s nothing to worry, and when infected is with pilby, he can relax for once and actually chill, seeing the comfort of being simplistic.

And I think that’s fucking beautiful, I think that’s what struck me hard for this ship, it’s so loving and touching ai feel like I could cry just writing this. It’s truly the deep realizations that make these types of silly posts worth writing.

anyways im Uhhhhh getting TOO autistic here.and I have limited time, BUT THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK ON WHY SK8RCLOWN IS MY OTP AND MAYBE WHY U SHOULD SHIP THEM IDK I JUST REALLY WANTED TO RAMBLE ABOUT THE YAOI DUO. Anyways uhhh bye ^_^

[danizbunbunz]

☆ HOPES CALAMITY ASKS (3/4)

- AU AND ART BY @danizmomota -

TW/CW: Blood, Lots of Gore, Kidnapping, Graphic Injuries, (in the form of writing and imagery) Basic Danganronpa stuff. ((CW AT THE END FOR SLIGHT HORROR IMAGERY!))

Hi! It's Dani again! Today I'll be responding to old Asks/Inbox messages I've received! (and never answered.. :')) All of these asks will be anonymous as most of these asks date back A YEAR AGO, so just in case, nobody will be mentioned for the sake of privacy. But with that out of the way, let's get into the yapping!!

(if you happen to see your ask, and would like your ask to be taken down from this post, feel free to DM me for removal!)

"Question about the R.O.D. AU, Do all the remnants have their own personalized monokuma?"

Yes! Every remnant are given Monokuma's based off themselves. Their Monokuma counterparts are made to assist the remnants in any situation, however they are mainly dependent on the specific remnants job.

"Curious to see what a typical interaction would be between K:M and K:O lmao"

Oh sweetie, K:M* and K:O* wouldn't last even a minute with each other. Their rivalry (if you can even call it that..) is so violent, there were times where Junko and M:T* had to go out of their way to split them up, and deal with the aftermath of their shenanigans.

(*K:M: Kaito_Momota, *K:O: Kokichi_Ouma, *M:T: Mikan_Tsumiki)

"Yeah, it's me again. I don’t remember whether I asked about this or not, but...I have two options for a question for ROD!Yasuhiro:

1) What kind of relationship did he have with the same ROD!Gundham?

2) How did he feel about FF!Gundham?

At least that’s how I see it in my universes:

1) The first are Lord Tanaka and assistant Hiro;

2) The second are Hagakure, the kidnapper and victim of Gundham."

Implied Gundham X Yasuhiro, Shippers! rise up! ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊

1) Y:H* at first found G:T* very eccentric, and at the very least very loud and obnoxious. In fact he mainly disliked Gundham due to the fact that his animals were constantly running around and being disruptive. (Something Yasuhiro GREATLY dislikes.) However the more Yasuhiro teamed up with Gundham, he's actually quite reliable. Just, ignore his over the top personality and loud voice. Hell, he's actually not that bad of a fighting partner.

2) Yasuhiro found the Future Foundation very interesting. The fact that they're trying to save "Hope," yet with little to no people? Perhaps he'll consider them as worthy opponents. But Gundham specifically? He finds him quite interesting actually. They believe in similar things, and his hamsters *are* pretty cute..

3) If Junko made Gundham and Yasuhiro battle partners, it would take a while for Hiro to get used to Gundham's tactical plans, but Yasuhiro won't deny, his tactics of using animals as weapons are.. odd, yet intriguing.

4) Hypothetically, IF Gundham had kidnapped Yasuhiro, (Before Hiro was turned remnant) Gundham would most likely use his animals as torment Yasuhiro, and try to pry intel out of him. But if (somehow) Yasuhiro was able to resist Gundhams assault, perhaps he may consider him as an assistant, but any rebuttals would cost Hiro's life. (Then again he'd probably just turn him in to Junko anyway.)

(Y:H: Yasuhiro_Hagakure, G:T: Gundham Tanaka, FF: Future Foundation)

"Do you have a ROD design for everyone in class 78? If so, can we see them??"

Sadly I've only created two official designs for *Class 78, (Being Leon and Yasuhiro) HOWEVER I've had concepts for some more of the cast!

(*Class 78: Danganronpa, Trigger Happy Havoc (DV1))

"Why did Leon turn remnant?"

"I mean, why wouldn't he? I'm not gonna let the chance of one of Makoto's little "friends" to slip away... I mean, it wasn't MY fault that he fell down that pit and so HAPPENED to land into my trap! Hehe!~"

"can we see despair kokichi's face?"

Wellll here's the thing.. K:O's mask is physically ATTACHED to his face, It's main purpose is to cover up an accident that happened during the first few trials of giving Kokichi small bits of the Enhancement Drug... Long story short, he got into our dynamite supply..

Although, I don't think Kokichi's messed up face would be a nice image to see..

☆ Dani here again!! Thank you for waiting patienely, I've been procrastating A lot lately and school is tiring me out lol.. ૮(˶ㅠ︿ㅠ)ა SO I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE THAT THIS TOOK FOREVER!!! I'll be trying to work on more of my Danganronpa AU's, and hopefully I'll be adding some more of my artwork to these posts!

Thank you for reading ^_^ ☆

[pagerunner-j]

The Long Road Home: the story so far

All right: since it's been a while since I shared most of these, and I think a few have flown under the radar of some folks who might enjoy them, it is SELF-PROMOTION TIME.

The Long Road Home (the name of the fic series, as well as its first entry) is a set of Doctor Who stories about Tentoo, Rose, and the aftermath of Journey's End. Come for the romance and an exploration of their relationship; stay for alien mysteries, dangerous conspiracies, and adventures yet to come.

(Read: yes, I started with writing shameless fluff and then got walloped over the head with Plot(tm). These things happen.)

The individual stories include:

--

The Long Road Home (M, 24,564 words) Rose and Tentoo, getting to understand each other, trust each other, and eventually love each other, on the way home from Bad Wolf Bay.

Featuring a long-overdue family road trip, deleted scenes turning into essential plot, existential crises, asides from Jackie Tyler, the wrong Beatles, inappropriate ways to answer room service, and your author shamelessly abusing the limits of touch telepathy.

--

Understandings and Ultimatums (M, 6,808 words) An interlude following The Long Road Home, in which Rose and Tentoo, temporarily staying with Rose's parents, maybe start getting a little carried away with each other. And Pete's got a few words to say to the Doctor about it. Oops.

Featuring badly timed father-daughter check-ins, the Doctor continuing to come to terms with having a whole lot less a in his sexuality these days, a children's toy as a conversation starter, Rose getting alternately irritated and turned on by possessive men, and absolutely everybody complaining about London real estate. --

At the Threshold (T, 8,575 words) Rose and Tentoo find themselves facing a number of major life decisions. Some aren't quite yet decided upon, but some important ones are coming together at last.

Featuring the joys of house hunting, the tricky question of names, pointed motherly advice, Time Lord talents at work, gratuitous Shakespeare geekery, ongoing telepathy shenanigans, and life-changing phone calls happening at really inconvenient times. --

Four Ceremonies (T, 21,812 words) A home claimed, a seed planted, a commitment made, and promises spoken.

Rose and Tentoo on the road to marriage, and a few other, perhaps even more significant things.

--

Entanglements (M, 21,030 words) Rose and the Doctor may have found a good life together, but that doesn't mean all their worries--or their past traumas--have gone away quite yet.

In which the emotional rent comes due, some painful stories are revealed, risky levels of intimacy are reached, a good number of unsettling memories and dreams unfold, and Rose finds her way to the solution for a tricky problem with their TARDIS...but that might come with a certain cost, too, and it might not only be hers to pay.

Featuring Rose, Tentoo, and...well, Ten, too. --

Coming to Light (E, 6,588 words) All right, all right. Before we get down to main-plot business, let's let these two crazy kids, well, get down to business.

A Long Road Home interlude, in which Rose and Tentoo take that trip to Barcelona (the Pete's World version, anyway), discover the alien weirdness behind one of this city's strangest neighborhoods, and then, inspired by that day's escapades, make good on both the rating of the story and the verb choice in the title.

...hey, they're having a nice time on their holidays, who am I to argue.

--

The House Among the Briars (M, 22,388 words) Go big or never go home.

In which Rose and Tentoo finally discover the secret of the house where they've been living, but get stranded in separate dimensions in the process. To find their way back to each other, they have to confront parts of themselves that they might not want to have to accept. For the Doctor, it's the rage he's been warned about virtually ever since he first came to be. And for Rose, it's something even more dangerous, and a whole lot stranger.

Because it might be time for a certain bad wolf to come back out to play...

--

The Wolves in the Woods (T, 48,312 words) Rose and Tentoo have secrets. Torchwood has questions. Everything is about to come to a head one way or another, especially if the director of interdimensional research at Torchwood gets her way.

And Rose and the Doctor are going to have to figure out how to stop her, before she lays a claim on their growing TARDIS...or on the two of them themselves.

--

Within the Kaleidoscope (M, in progress, 47,206 words so far) Vignettes from Rose and Tentoo's lives as two life-changing events unfold: the growth of their new TARDIS, and Rose's unexpected pregnancy. These two things may end up linked in ways they didn't anticipate. And all the while, a larger alien mystery is slowly coming to light. Will be updated periodically.

Latest update (10/15): The Doctor and Rose get closer to truly starting up the TARDIS, but discover some critical data is still needed. With any luck, their new contacts at UNIT might be able to help...

[mademoisellekalopsia]

Knackered Yet Living (2): The Lounge

Everywhere, in any place, is spent solely themselves or with company. May one reminisce the placement of furniture and fixtures, from ceiling to the floor, every nook and cranny of a humble abode or workplace. Moments are then created, lived, remembered, scarred, and reflected. The group has their very own meeting spot, it is silly of them to claim it as their own, although not in a way it is treated as territorial space. Reason to this, it is not just an ordinary lounge for them, it is who's been in it that matters. || CONTENT WARNING || Presence of a Dog Pun Longing for/Sense of Belongingness Awful "Tongue Twister" Wording Social Interaction Struggles Work-Life Complications

The Creator is not blessed with writing skills but gave it a go to build short moments of their characters. Refrain reading if not favored.

Amidst the lunch break in the office, Olivia and Adam found themselves laughing and wheezing at something. They were by the lounge, their usual hangout spot, as if they claim it as their own since many of their colleagues find the group almost together in. These two are up to something, their subtle shenanigans together have no end for dog sake's.

"I can't…feel m-my…aah-ha-HAH!" Olivia clutching her torso, catching her breath until she spoke again.

"Slowly, Adam, slowly! You can't just say it quickly without practice! It's going to sound so wrong…and cursed!" She added.

"Why didn't…ooh-ho-hoo…why didn't I thought of this?" Adam is trying so hard to compose himself to give another go of what they were talking about.

"Okay, okay." Adam took a breather. "Grumpy…Gorgeous George-"

"Please, no," Olivia half-pleaded, sucking her lips in, suppressing a laugh if it happens again.

"Grumpy. Gorgeous. George. Grumpy, Gorgeous George, Grumpy…Gorgeous George, Grumpy…mmm…Gor-geous George, Grumpy Georgius-blugh-no! Gorgeous Gorge-GEORGE!" Adam corrected himself the last second only to resort to laughing again.

Olivia, on the other hand, was wheezing uncontrollably, her arm wrapped over her torso, head turned away from Adam with her mouth agape, expressing her wheezing expression.

"That's impossible! I keep mixing it up!" Adam complained, letting out a few laughs. "Breathe, Liv, breathe!" He added as he watches Olivia calm down.

"I can't with this…" Olivia sighed heavily as she relaxes on the sofa. After regaining her composure, she uttered, "Not a word about this, Adam. He might find it offensive."

"It's a fact though, he is quite how the tongue twister goes. That's creative, I'll say. It gets your tongue in knots." Adam chuckled at the thought.

As the two calmed down a bit, Delphine entered the lounge after visiting the pantry room, adjacent from the lounge, to wash and refill her water tumbler.

Adam looked over to Delphine, gesturing a hand to come over to them.

"Yes, yes, what is it?" Delphine spoke, drinking from her water tumbler. Judging from the expression of Olivia looking at Adam, it might be something Delphine may or may not want to find out.

"Del, hear this, Livy-" His mouth was covered, Olivia interfering as she intervened.

"No-no, shush you!"

But Adam, as he gently removes Olivia's hand down, just had to share it. "Liv has come up quite a tongue twister."

This made Delphine raise a brow. "Do I need to know this?"

"Yes." goes Adam.

"No!" goes Olivia.

"Just note, it is just harmless wording." Adam gave a heads-up disclaimer.

"Might not be!" Olivia begged to differ, but she was also curious how it would go if Delphine gave it a try.

"It LITERALLY describes him." Adam chuckled. "So, we all know our one and only grump of the group, George…"

"Yeah?" Delphine tilts her head in bemused,

"…he is both grumpy and gorgeous-"

"What?" Delphine intervened.

"Let me explain." Adam continued, "How about we put the 3G's together?"

"The 3…G's?

"Grumpy, Gorgeous George." Adam smirked.

Delphine sat down with a confused look on her face. "That's the tongue twister I assume? It sounds more like a nickname-"

"Try it." Adam already sucking his lips too, prepping himself.

Delphine thought about it. To be frank, it exactly describes their beloved Pembroke Welsh Corgi colleague. "Now, if I go for it, you're going burst out laughing, you're already suppressing it-"

"Ignore me!" Adam already suppressing a chuckle.

Delphine rolled her eyes, settling on giving it a go. "Grumpy…Gorgeous…George. Grumpy, Gorgeous George." She practiced slowly, her gaze leaning to the side. She then tried saying it a bit quicker.

"Grumpy, Gorgeous George. Grumpy, Gorgeous George. Grumpy…Ge-gooor-geous George. Grumpy, Georgius Gorge-" Delphine quickly covered her mouth at the realization. The two burst out laughing, toning it down a bit.

Delphine couldn't help but chuckle as well behind her hand. "That's not fair! It got caught at the back of my tongue. Come. On!" She scoffed a bit, a palm pressed on her forehead, just in disbelief with Olivia and Adam's shenanigans. "And why is this about Sir George?"

She shook her head as she calmed down and return to her proper breathing. ""Gorge," "George,"…that is messed up."

Adam spoke, "Right?! That's why its such a creative tongue twister! Sure, it exposes his overall character…but it fits him-"

"Fits who exactly, Adam?" George questioned.

"GAAAH!"

The trio exclaimed in unison as they turn their heads at George who, unexpectedly, appeared out of nowhere, when actually he just came from behind the archway where the lounge meets the hallway to another lounge. With his arms crossed and the grumpy expression etched on his face, finding the group surprised at him tells something has happened.

They dismiss the "tongue twister talk" and focused on other formal matters.

Transition to another moment in time while in the office. As the group settled in their hangout spot, it was particularly quiet. The three of them were minding their own business, not because of any dispute, just needed some peace and privacy with the presence of others. It happens at times and that is normal.

Until realizing they are just texting to one another even though they are at the lounge together. Exchanging important text messages, spilling the tea, possible venting amongst close peers pertaining them.

George would find his notification bar plagued with arrays of topics that he may or may not understand what is happening or relate to. He is not one to always be with the group, but he takes note of their presence together during lunch hours. It is not because he would rather be distant with the others, what the three initially thought of before, he is just a busy man.

"A busy man that needs to prioritize himself as well." Adam spoke. "You don't see him with a lunch bowl to feed himself around, not even in his office. I have to give a heart-to-heart speech just to encourage him to have some fill."

"We know you mean well, Adam," Delphine gathered their leftover litter for disposal, "But he'll have to manage that himself, no matter how many times you have to remind him. He'll get the message, we would hope that too."

Adam huffed, his head high and arms crossed. He knew the Pembroke in the office, George specifically. They would feel such a heavy lump in their chest to see others prioritizing work more than themselves, sometimes there is just no way to balance it out. As if work and life itself could run their part in one's life, just thinking about weighing it equally is giving quite a headache.

"How about we treat him a short visit? We have leftover donuts here." Olivia intervened; a box of few scrumptious donuts left to be eaten. "Since you are practically wanting to check on him."

She wrote a small note from a sticky notepad she always carries in her pockets. Such a girl scout. "Come now, before we miss him."

Olivia went on over to George's respective private office, Delphine and Adam following behind. The three of them reached the office space, peering by the frosted glass that would surely cast shadows on both sides. On the other side of the office though, George wasn't there. They must have missed him, heading off somewhere else in the building.

Adam pulled out his phone, "We'll leave it instead. But before that…" He took a simple snap of picture with the ladies before heading inside, placing the box down on the desk for George to have.

As George made his way back, returning to his office, that box caught his attention, not by surprise, just genuine confusion. He thought the three has something to do with it, and he thought right as he checked his phone, a recent message was sent to the group.

The photo they took, "Take it or take it," as the caption reads. George had nothing to say, but rolled his eyes at the Hound's wording.

One evening, when the night was deep and the fatigue overwhelmingly lingering, George passes by the lounge, where they often settled. The Pembroke was one of the few office workers who decided to stay for a bit and it is often consistent, it's true. It was late in the evening; he often does OT work. And every time, he would look at the lounge for a moment, before taking his leave.

In his mind, he remembered the conversations, interactions, and moments shared with his close colleagues. Usually, he does not care for socializing with others, expecting excessive immaturity, waste of time, and whatnot, especially in his past, but it was different. Why is that?

The others may not know it, but he genuinely finds their times together as something significant in his work life. He wouldn't want to change it nor have it gone in a different direction. He was there to, not only keep an eye on them, but also sink in every second in a way he, silently, connects with his fellow mates. How does his reserved, yet conscious presence made him lean for more of their interactions with one another?

His social levels are not doing him any favor though, but even so, despite his grumpiness giving messages of irritation, he is looking forward for, hopefully not too much, but more of those moments, at their usual and signature meeting spot.

No matter how many times he must deal with Olivia and Adam's shenanigans, Delphine and her banters with the others, and their shared care and worry for him, it is strange and he is not used to it; that would only mean, for him, that something from them had reeled him in, in a realized context. It only made him even more so grumpy about the odd behavior and essence of the group that has made him feel welcomed.

All taken place at the lounge in their office.

[poorlittleyaoyao]

I don't know if you know, but the irony of wnxg is that they don't share with each others past experiences. It's not extremely important, but sharing is part of a relationship?? It's lxc who says to wwx about how lwj suffered for their mother's death; it's always lxc who reveals to wwx how lwj got 33 strikes. Instead, not having others, lwj doesn't know nothing about wwx past, only few rumors. It's me, I am boring, but sharing things with your partner, is important?? How are they gonna comunicate with lxc in seclusion?

Obv that's my opinion and mxtx did do a great job! I am still there, two years after, screaming about jl, jc, wq and jgy! She had a lot of plot, so maybe she couldn’t explore the romance properly!

This is a good point that I hadn't considered! It made me reflect on how much characters reveal in general about their own stories outside of undergoing Empathy, and the answer is... not many! JGY notably reveals his own experiences under duress at Guanyin Temple, but he still doesn't talk about his life prior to being kicked down the stairs in any detail; the flashback showing his and MS's abuse in the brothel comes via WWX doing Empathy with Anxin's ghost. Other than that, all the major revelations one character are told by someone else. Off the top of my head, we have WN (and not WWX) revealing the core transfer, LXC (and not MY) revealing that MY was a double agent, and Bicao (and not Madame Qin, QS, or JGY) revealing that JGY and QS were half-siblings. And even the subjects of Empathy aren't telling their stories so much as letting WWX come along for a ride in their memories.

So on the one hand, this is an established trend in the novel. On the other hand, given the sheer amount of TIME we spend on Wangxian Romance Content, it's quite strange that our two leads tell each other so little about themselves! I would find Wangxian much more interesting if they replaced even just some of the repetitive "one character initiates physical intimacy when the other character won't remember it later" scenes with actual conversations about their experiences and who they are as people. It hits LWJ especially hard, I think, because at least we as an audience know what's going on with WWX since he's our viewpoint character. For LWJ, we're dependent on what WWX knows or observes, which is deliberately lacking.

I disagree that MXTX simply didn't have time/space to fit that in alongside everything else, because CQL manages to do silly hijinks and personal revelations in THE SAME SCENE. Episode 6 opens with LWJ catching the One Braincell Trio drinking together. WWX makes LWJ drink wine, and we get a mini version of goofy Drunji shenanigans... but WWX also learns about the Lan forehead ribbons (which will be relevant later in the same episode), and LWJ and WWX learn that both have lost their parents. LWJ doesn't elaborate beyond "I don't have a mother," but his sad, faraway little face makes plain how keenly he feels about it. WWX notices, and he confesses to LWJ that he can barely remember his parents beyond the fragmented memory of riding a donkey. (He also tells him about the dogs!)

It's a lovely little moment, and it's what first had me going "aww🥺" about the two of them. (Still does, honestly! I know I'm salty on here a lot, but I genuinely do love Drama Wangxian when I'm actively watching the show and am away from fandom; I only wish they'd been able to be expressly romantic with it.) I was definitely entertained by them speedrunning fanfic tropes in the Cloud Recesses episodes, but I would have tired of them if that was all their interactions were. That tiny bit of genuine bonding is what made me interested in learning more about them both and invested in seeing how their relationship developed.

And the entire sequence is just 5 minutes out of one 45-minute episode! It doesn't take much, and the written equivalent was something I sorely missed in the two volumes of the novel I read.

[edwardsparkleblood]

What Are We Now, if Anything at All

Fandom: Pirate101

Relationships: Catbeard/Ratbeard

Word count: 3,155

Rating: T (could maybe be considered G, but raised it up to T because kissing)

Tags: Gay, very gay, awkward moments + awkward kissing, pirates, circus shenanigans, love/hate relationship

Summary:

When a traveling circus comes to port regal, the crew comes up with a plan to swipe that circus' gold. Ratbeard and Catbeard are chosen to infiltrate the circus while disguised as performers, but they quickly find themselves in an awkward situation after making the other performers believe they are actually a married couple.

A/N: Written around pride month but only recently got around it posting it online. You can find my continued work on Ao3 under E_SparkleBlood

-

Ratbeard and Catbeard hurried across the grounds and ducked down near what they assumed were the circus' changing tents.

None of the circus performers were nearby, so that was good. Probably because they were in the middle of a performance right now. The sounds of drums and shouts from a wild event were coming from the much larger tent nearby.

Catbeard opened the bag he was carrying and quickly passed its contents over to Ratbeard, who looked like he was having second thoughts about putting on such funny looking attire. But he stepped inside one of the tents none-the-less.

Every couple months around this time, Port Regal hosts an extravagant traveling circus group, for it's moderately wealthy citizens. The circus group is well known, as is the amount of gold they are able to swindle out of the people of port regal. Especially among pirates. However, no pirate crew in the skyway would dare risk stealing from them as Port Regal is so often heavily guarded.

But one pirate crew is going to take that dare.

"Hurry up, Ratbeard. You big, lout." Catbeard whispered to himself. He peaked out from behind the corner to keep watch, and then ducked back down as 2 circus performers exited the large circus tent. The larger of the two was a tiger dressed as a clown with a red nose, and a frilly neck piece. The other, probably a knife thrower if Catbeard had to guess, just based one on all the knives attached to his leg, was a tall lanky wharf rat. They seemed to just be stretching and taking a smoke break. Thankfully, they didn't seem to have any intention on coming over here.

"I don't think it's gonna fit!" Ratbeard said from behind the curtains of the changing tent.

"Well make it fit." Catbeard replied.

Catbeard sat in the grass and let out a breath. Their mission was to infiltrate the circus and find whatever money box or safe the circus folk were keeping their gold in. The rest of the crew waited down by the docks for the perfect getaway. Catbeard wished so much he could have been down there instead, and that Bonnie Anne or Hawkulese had taken his spot instead. After a lot of arguing amongst the crew it was decided that a 2 man team would be the best way to pull the heist off, and that it would be Ratbeard and Catbeard who would be going under cover. This was decided because Ratbeard was the only one who could fit in the clown costume, and because Catbeard... Well, he pulled the short stick, so he was forced to tag along.

Catbeard and Ratbeard did not make for suitable partners. They butt heads more than anyone else in the crew. If their personalities had to be compared to anything, it would be that of oil and water. Which was a shame because visually Ratbeard was quite attractive, Catbeard thought. His handsome face couldn't be denied, but it just had to be contrasted by the most unattractive and quarrelsome personality.

Ratbeard emerged from the tent after just a few minutes, nervously clutching at the vibrant fabric of his waistband he walked. He struggled to keep it up as he waddled.

Seeing Ratbeard in full getup made the two realize pretty quickly that the attire suited more a court jester than a circus performer. But it was all they could get their hands on in time. The circus was only going to be in the port for one more evening, after all, so they had to hope nobody would pay them too much mind.

"Arr, this be a disaster in the making. I feel ridiculous." Ratbeard said.

Ratbeard really did look rather goofy, especially with the white and red makeup, and the black teardrop under where his left eye would be if he still had it. His costume was a riot of mismatched colors and his crusty old pirate hat that he's so attached to had even been replaced with a harlequin style hat with oversized bells. Although, the tights suited his round form quite well, Catbeard thought... When they weren't slipping off. He'd never say that out loud of course. It would give the rat too much self-esteem, and his ego was already grandiose enough.

"You LOOK ridiculous. But it won't be a disaster as long as you play your cards right" Catbeard said. He turned his body away. "Which does worry me. Have you ever played any cards right in your life?"

"Have at least some faith in me, why don't ya!!!" Ratbeard shouted. He immediately ducked his head down as the tiger and wharf rat turned their attention to the pair, and so he continued talking to Catbeard in a whisper. "If ye really think I can't pull it off, let's switch. The role of a fool is more fit for you than it is me."

Catbeard looked appalled that Ratbeard would even suggest such a thing.

"Those clashing colors? As if I'd ever be caught dead wearing that."

"Now what's going on of here? You two having a lil' scuffle or somethin'?" A gruff voice came from over Catbeard's shoulder.

Catbeard turned to see the tiger leaning against a pillar, and the wharf rat making his way over as well. Up close Catbeard could tell they would both look rather menacing if they weren't in such colorful attire.

"Uh, no, no. No dispute going on here. We're fine." Catbeard said, animating his hands a bit too much to be natural.

"What are you doing out here when the show's ago?" Asked the wharf rat. Then he turned his attention to Catbeard. "And you're not even in costume."

"Ah- ha! Just gettin' ready, I was! I had a new fit tailored for me and it took a bit longer to get done than it should have!" Ratbeard said. Then he turned to Catbeard, Catbeard heard Ratbeard gulp.

His heart was probably racing. Expecting Catbeard to come up with a quick cover story for himself. Ratbeard was about to open his mouth again, however before the rat could say anything, Catbeard stepped forward, his voice wavering with nervousness.

"I'm his husband!" Catbeard declared, surprising even himself with those words.

"Husband?!" Ratbeard shouted. His face was flushed with a tint of red.

"We're here to enjoy the circus together." Catbeard continued, placing his hand on his heart. "I mean- I wanted to come. I'm usually so busy you see, that I rarely get to see my dear... Norrington... at work." A bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. Ratbeard really didn't look like a Norrington, but it was the only name he could think to say.

The circus performers exchanged intrigued glances, seemingly accepting the explanation. Yet, they looked to Ratbeard, expecting some confirmation. Ratbeard had to act quickly to keep up the charade.

"'Tis true! He's my... hu-hu-husband!" Ratbeard mustered a blush and wrapped an arm around Catbeard's waist, and Catbeard was pulled uncomfortably close. "Been married for..."

"-For 3 years now. Today is our anniversary, in fact!" Catbeard interrupted, placing a hand on Ratbeard's chest. Ratbeard's eye twitched in annoyance at Catbeard adding more layers to this lie than necessary.

The circus performers grinned mischievously.

"Well, well, aren't you two just the sweetest couple!" the wharf rat of exclaimed

"I must say, it's not every day we see two guys so open about such a relationship. I almost don't even believe it. I wanna see how genuine this love of yours is." the tiger added with a chuckle.

Catbeard's eyes widened with apprehension, realizing where this was heading. Catbeard and Ratbeard exchanged desperate glances. Without giving himself time to overthink it, Ratbeard leaned in. Catbeard's heartbeat quickened then came to a sudden halt as Ratbeard pressed their lips together in a brief, chaste kiss.

It was meant to be a simple act, just a means to keep up the ruse, but Catbeard couldn't help but feel a jolt of... something. The was a warmness to said "something", and for a second the spiral itself and everything in it seemed to have frozen in place.

As Ratbeard pulled away, the spiral came to life ones more. Catbeard's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and surprise. The tiger nodded in approval, seemingly satisfied with their display of affection, and the wharf rat just laughed.

"Ah ha-ha, young love! You two are adorable together," the wharf rat commented with a knowing grin, wiping a tear away.

The tiger rustled the fur on Catbeard's head. "We're just messin' with ya. But keep that rat of yours close. One who can make a move like that without judgement is a real keeper."

The circus performers moved on and Ratbeard removed his hand from Catbeard's waist after realizing it still lingered there. Catbeard covered his face with his hands, his face was flushed, giving him a pink glow.

"I... wasn't thinking when I kissed ya. What I mean to say is I wasn't planning on it happenin'." Ratbeard stammered, his voice barely above a whisper as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"But it happened." Catbeard's voice came out muffled.

"It's yer fault! What were ye thinking just claimin' me as yer husband like that?!"

"I was nervous..." Catbeard's removed his hands from his face but immediately looked away, trying to hide his vulnerability.

"Well...," Ratbeard nudged at Catbeard's side and continue "Least ye got the best damn kiss ye could ever get in the spiral."

"Oh, please. I've rather kiss a bumbaloons backside!" Catbeard rolled his eyes.

But as Ratbeard walked forward to enter the much larger performance tent, Catbeard brought his hand up to his mouth. He felt a mix of relief and confusion. Relief of course that the awkward situation was over, and confusion over... Well, he couldn't quite explain it. A kind of emotion that he couldn't deny if he tried his hardest.

-

Catbeard and Ratbeard successfully made it into the circus tent. One kid who was with his mother pulled Ratbeard aside and asked him to juggle, which Ratbeard tried to do, but failed humorously. The kid was quite young though and laughed. Ratbeard stumbling over himself probably made for a more entertaining and memorable moment for the kid, than in Ratbeard had actually succeeded. Catbeard couldn't hold back a smile when Ratbeard even pushed himself to make a goofy face at the end. Now THAT was a sight to behold.

Catbeard grabbed Ratbeard by the arm before telling the mother and child pair that they must be off to get ready for the next performance. "Well, well, well, so you like children?" Catbeard asked.

Ratbeard grumbled. "Don't think too hard on it. The kid gave me stuff to throw in the air, so I did it."

"Well I think it's admirable. The great captain Ratbeard has at least one soft spot." Ratbeard no doubt thought Catbeard was just teasing him, but Catbeard was truly and genuinely surprised to find a quality in the rat that he liked.

"...The face you made was rather cute." Catbeard continued, but this time in such a tone to convey that he was just teasing now.

"Okay, okay, enough of this. We're done talking." Ratbeard said waving a hand, and using his other to pull his hat down over his eyes.

They were done talking, but only because they got to the back of the tent that held all sorts of things, from supplies for the performers, to lights, tools, and extra costumes. This is where the gold they collected from this evenings attendees will be located. Catbeard and Ratbeard split up. Ratbeard moving the heavier supplies around, and catbeard going through whatever box he could find.

Ratbeard scratched at his long beard. "Hey, I, uh..."

"Less talking, more looking." Catbeard said while sticking his head down into a tiny crawl space.

"I can do both ya know." Ratbeard said, heaving as he moved a large dresser and knocking it on it's side. So Ratbeard continued. "I wanted to... say... Well, I'm sorry okay? For just... kissin' you like that. Back there."

"Oh... Right." Did Ratbeard just show empathy? No way. Absolutely not. Catbeard must be imagining things. Discovering 2 positive qualities from RATBEARD in a single day, that's just un-heard of in the Spiral."

"Well, It wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be." Catbeard said, his back still turned to the other.

Ratbeard folded his arms and leaned on a colorful table.

"... So ye have imagined what it'd be like to kiss me?" Ratbeard smirked.

Catbeard choked on those words that weren't even his. He would be lying if he said no. Maybe he could just "Sure.". It's not like it'd be a declaration of undying love. There is a stark difference between lust and love after all. And Catbeard isn't so narcissistic that he'd play dumb and say the rat pirate wasn't at least somewhat attractive.

But there is also the underlying thought that was clouding Catbeard's mind. Was Ratbeard simply teasing or flirting? The tone in Ratbeard's voice was unique to say the least. There was something to it he's never quite heard of before, so he decided to play along. Come what may. That's what they say, right? Catbeard got to his feet and leaned against a cabinet, mirroring Ratbeard's posture.

"Perhaps... once or twice," Catbeard confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. His cheeks felt warm. "My mind has a habit of wandering into all sorts of hypothetical situations..."

A flicker of mischief danced in Ratbeard's eyes as he got up from the table and walked over to Catbeard.

"D-don't let it flatter yourself." Catbeard turned his head to the exit, as if planning an escape route, to run away in sheer embarrassment if it gets to be too much. "A pretty face means nothing when the one who wears it is so unpleasant to be around."

"Ye think I'm pretty?" Ratbeard asked.

He removed his goofy hat with the bells and tossed it in box full of other costumes and props, than wrapped his hands around Catbeard's waist and pulled him in close. Well, this solidified to Catbeard that he was indeed flirting, at least. His gaze met Ratbeard's.

"I also said you're unpleasant." Catbeard said.

"Aye, but also pretty?" Ratbeard asked once again.

Typical Ratbeard. List twenty problems you have with him and one redeeming quality, and he will focus only on the one till the end of days. So Catbeard gave in. "Yes... Pretty..." Catbeard said.

Ratbeard leaned in close, making it clear exactly what he wanted, but Catbeard was not about to be on the recieving end for the 2nd time today. This time it would be him making the move. Catbeard pushed himself forward, meeting Ratbeard halfway, who seemed taken aback at first. He took a step back, before going back in and letting their lips touch.

The wild sounds of the circus seemed to fade into the background and all Catbeard could pay attention to was the warmth of Ratbeard's lips. Ratbeard entwined his fingers, sealing Catbeard in the embrace and deepening the kiss, leaving Catbeard to bring his own hands up and caress Ratbeard's waist.

And then there was one more thing he started to feel. That same confusion from earlier in the day. The first time they kissed, this confusion swirled around in Catbeard's head. And so Catbeard chose to ignore it, after. To shut it down. But this time he had completely surrendered to it.

Finally breaking the kiss, Catbeard stared into ratbeard's emerald green eyes. Unsure of what to say, he chose not to say anything until Ratbeard spoke first.

"Better than a bumbaloons behind?" Ratbeard grinned.

Catbeard softly chuckled.

"It was better than the first time, I'll give you tha-" Catbeard cut himself off and pushed Ratbeard to the side before rushing over to one corner of the tent.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Ratbeard shouted, almost tripping. "Almost made me trip on me peg leg, ye did!"

Ratbeard was almost envious of whatever it was that was more important to Catbeard at this moment, but once his eyes caught what exactly Catbeard saw, he rushed over there too.

Catbeard pulled out a wooden box with red trimming, burried between colorful ribbon. With a knife Catbeard pulled out of his boot, he was easily able to break the rusty lock. H elifted it open to reveal quite a lot of gold. Probably a weeks worth of gold the circus had earned from their shows.

"Well, nice goin', Cap'n kitty! I think we have what we came for!" Ratbeard said. He took a handful of gold and flipped a coin in the air before shoving the handful into his pocket.

"What do you think you're doing?! Give that back, the gold is for the whole crew!" Catbeard shouted. He chased Ratbeard around in circles before Ratbeard playfully shoved him away, and this time it was Catbeard who almost tripped over himself.

"Ah come on. They won't be missin' just a couple pieces o' gold." Ratbeard shut the lid of the box with his hooked hand before giving a devilish look. "Besides, we're gonna be gettin' a room tonight, right? Somewhere fancy? Just the two of us, as celebration for a job well done? ...Preferably with thick walls?" That last bit was topped off with a sly wink.

Catbeard blushed. "That kiss earlier wasn't simply an attempt for you to get lucky for one night, was it?"

"Oh please, cap'n kitty. If anyone is lucky, it's you. Now let's get out o' this musty place. The crew is waitin."

Ratbeard turned and started to walk away, and Catbeard followed after shoving the box of coins into the bag that once held Ratbeard's jester attire.

Catbeard stared at Ratbeard's back. He wondered what they were now, if they were anything at all. He felt like not much had changed between them, but at the same time some kind of door opened, deep in his soul. Or perhaps heart would be a better word. They should talk about this, and they will. Catbeard will make sure of that. Catbeard lifted his head to catch himself falling behind and sped up to match Ratbeard's pace.

As they exited the tent the two performers gave them a wave and Catbeard waved back. He slung the bag over his shoulder and Instinctively, probably to keep up that little performance from earlier, grabbed hold of Ratbeard's hand. Ratbeard entwined his fingers around Catbeard's without skipping a beat, and then it dawned on him just how much larger larger Ratbeard's hands were compared to his own.

"Yer paw is pretty soft, y'know that?" Ratbeard said.

Yeah... They will definitely talk about this. Definitely. Catbeard cemented all these memories in his mind, ready to relive them when that talk comes. But it will have to be for another time.

[evereinefaust]

*.·:·.✧ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 ✧.·:·.*

[Y/n] always knew that in certain scenes in a film, actors would be harnessed with a cord to perform dangerous stunts or when their character floats or levitates. And it's no different from a certain trio in LOH. Yet, despite knowing the concept of using strings to lift actors, seeing it behind the scenes is still a different experience altogether. And for as curious as a person [Y/n] can be, she is excited to see how they manage to pull off Brandon, Nine, and Laphlaes' levitation pre-edit.

That's why she decided to hang around the studio set where green screens, lighting, and video cameras were arranged around. Fortunately for her, the production team allowed her to stay and watch, despite not being needed in the scene. It's not unusual for some people to find themselves fascinated by the technical work of the crew and their skills in handling the actors on set.

And she was fortunate enough to be at the company the same day as these three's shooting. They certainly aren't the only ones who needed to be filmed — there are other characters that needed the rigging equipment to pull out some of their skill animation such as Lyn. But, it just happens that the said pinkette wasn't present today. Nevertheless, she is still happy to witness these specific males in action.

"How much time before you want me out?" she asked the crew.

"You can stay here as long as you want," replied one of them who is the director. "But I'm telling you this now, please do behave yourself."

She had to smile at that. "I promise I'll behave, and it was nice of you to let me stay. It will certainly make my day!"

The director let out a breath, his face looking relieved. "Just please don't do anything funny while we're doing the shooting. And please keep your hands to yourself if you know what I mean."

And [Y/n] nodded in agreement. After all, everyone knew who they are dealing with here. Although in general, the [h/c]-tressed teen was a well-behaved sweetheart, there will be times that she will join in with pranks and shenanigans with her friends. It's not one or two she was caught red-handed, and often she would be scolded heavily by her older siblings or even Rouin, her manager. Though, of course, the higher-ups would let the kids have fun and run amok from time to time. And certainly, as long as [Y/n] didn't commit any grave mistakes that would endanger the company and her fellow actors, they would be lenient towards her mischievous behavior.

Her [e/c] hues watched as Brandon was strapped with a rope that was attached to an airframe. He was suspended a few feet up in the air and was being assisted to turn by the assistant. As soon as Brandon felt the rope getting taut, he turned to look at [Y/n] and waved at her. The young girl smiled, waving back without hesitations.

"I wonder how it feels like... So envious... If only my character can also levitate like theirs..."

The young girl knew nothing about the technicality of that stunt rig equipment, but seeing them in action nearby is a rare and fascinating experience for her. After a few minutes of Brandon being pulled by the cords left and right to practice his mobility, it was time to film his movements. The first thing that they're working on was his walking—floating—motion that will be used for the Unity Plaza. It was quite simple and his movement was elegant. 

Two cords that were attached to his hips were pulling him slightly forward, and two more were hanging above to stabilize him. The way it was done gave the impression that he was levitating in that direction with his upper body first, not just a stiff movement. Brandon went into circles for a few minutes, the different cameras around the set capturing his movement from many angles. After that, he did the same floating forward movement but much faster, and this time, his upper body was leaning a bit further than before, imitating a running form if done in mid-air.

"Are you enjoying yourself, [Y/n]?" a gentle voice suddenly spoke from beside her, making her jump and look away from Brandon to meet the owner of the voice.

It turned out to be Laphlaes. The redheaded adult elicited a small giggle, tucking a stray strand of scarlet behind his ear.

"Oh, Laphlaes! You startled me a bit..." she said, eyes widening for a moment before she turned her attention back to the ravenette man doing a simple pose on set. "Yeah, I'm actually having some fun watching Brandon dangle and do cool stuff like that."

"Mhm," Laphlaes hummed, observing the girl's [e/c] hues focused and interested. "I'm sure you will enjoy seeing us do our battle animations."

[Y/n] faced the man and grinned. "I'm sure I will! I would definitely look forward to seeing how it was done before and after the edit~"

After giving the girl a simple head pat, Laphlaes left her. [Y/n] assumed that he was going to pick up his son from the dressing room and get ready for their turn after Brandon finished filming his. It didn't take long for the said man to wrap up the first section of the filming — the animations needed for Unity Plaza. Since the movements required are simple enough and didn't need any technicality, the crew was able to record everything they need right away. 

Brandon was let down on the ground for a short while as the crew began arranging more things on set. [Y/n] watched all this from the sideline, trying her best not to interfere since the men were working so hard. Her curiosity about the process of filming was growing bigger every second that passed. She'd ask questions and offer comments here and there, but she was content enough just to observe from afar.

When it was done, she noticed something else present on the set — a chair-like object that was covered in blue. This made the cogs in [Y/n]'s head turn, as she had no idea what it was for. However, before she could speculate on it, the crew resumed the filming and Brandon was instructed to sit on the said object.

"Oh, so it's supposed to be a chair of sorts? Weird..."

A tired yawn escaped a certain girl's lips, wiping away the tears from the corner of her eyes. It was already around 5 in the afternoon when the crew wrapped up their filming session of the three for today. [Y/n] watched through the entire process devotedly, her eyes were filled with fascination, and didn't even leave the three males while they were recording. Despite not being well-versed in the area of filming and stunts, the girl was fortunate to have one of the crew entertain her the entire time.

Philip, one of the crew members, came up to her in the middle of Brandon's turn filming. He was the one [Y/n] was chatting with about the process of stunt rigging. He answered every question she has and explained the process of stunt rigs and how it works. Not only was the girl gets to enjoy free entertainment by watching Brandon, Nine, and Laphlaes's film, but she also gained new knowledge about this area of expertise.

The common equipment used for aerial stunts was the wires attached to an airframe to let their actors move. That, [Y/n] knew as basic. But other types of equipment such as a tuning fork, Robomoco arm, and parallelogram were something that the [h/c]ette had no idea about wasn't for Philip explaining to her about it. Of course, the crew didn't just use the wire rigs as their primary source of equipment for the film. They also used other devices that are appropriate to the idea and stunts that they wanted the actors to achieve. Needless to say, [Y/n] also gets to see the tuning fork and Robomoco arm in action.

Some of Nine's animation needed the tuning fork and Robomoco arm in addition to the wires, and to say that [Y/n] was amazed seeing those in real life was an understatement. She literally had sparkles in her [e/c] eyes when the huge equipment was being placed in set by the crew. Even Laphlaes and Brandon's animation needed the tuning fork to work on some of their movements.

Her gaze landed on Brandon sitting on the adjacent couch she was on, his eyes closed with his right elbow propped against the armrest and his left cheek resting against his fist. He was quietly resting, soft breathing escaping his slightly parted mouth. Then, she shifted towards the father-son duo in the dining area. Laphlaes was reading a book while Nine was sleeping with his head slumped against the table. A small smile emerged on her face, laying on a couch inside the lounge. 

"Great work, guys... Take your well-deserved rest."

She was glad that she decided to watch the behind-the-scenes, seeing that not only did she get entertained but also learned something. She was happy for the boys to get to experience floating, but a part of her was still envious that she didn't get to have a chance to experience those as well. Though, who knows, maybe in the future her wish will be fulfilled?

[white-eyed-girl]

ARTISTS COMPETING IN SANREMO 2023

Giorgia Articolo 31 Elodie Colapesce e Dimartino Ariete Modà Mara Sattei Leo Gassman Cugini di Campagna Mr. Rain Marco Mengoni Anna Oxa Tananai Paola & Chiara LDA Madame Gianluca Grignani Rosa Chemical Coma_Cose Levante Ultimo Lazza So, just like he got us accustomed to in these past few years, Amadeus dropped the bomb this morning lol This cast is awesome for more than one reason, so here's a couple of words on some of these names Giorgia is definitely one of the two biggest catches on here She debuted in Sanremo in 1994 among the newcomers, debuted in the Big section 1995 and won, then participated 2 more times, the last one being in 2001, where she was the runner-up behind Elisa And like Elisa, she is one of tose names that no one really expected to see compete ever again, but Elisa's second place last year definitely made way for a lot of "untouchables" to put themselves in the field again Someone says her voice is too cold and impersonal, maybe, maybe not, but she has one of the clearest and most precise voices in Italy From what I know she's quite reserved, doesn't show her face on tv much and apparently she's afraid of flying, so it was quite funny to watch a part of the ESC Italian fandom spend this morning throwing bets on how we're going to ship her to Liverpool if she wins and accepts to go lol The second biggest catch is hands down Anna Oxa, tangible proof that Amadeus is bulding a musical mafia almost more powerful than Maria's lol no but jokes aside, he's just so good at combining these line-ups where old and new glories clash and meet, and he succeeds to convince people where so many before him have failed :" Now, Anna Oxa is one of the most unique artists we have, and she's been uniqueing her way through the Italian music since the late 70's (she's already been in Eurovision too) She's...peculiar no doubt, and a bit susceptible as far as I know (her manager threatens to sue everyone who so much as looks weird at her lol), so I think you can get ready for some drama :" Go listen to her songs because she's great though Paola and Chiara were a sisterly duo who then decided to split up, but they were quite iconic during the late 90's and early 00's! They are a good nostalgia element, and so are Cugini di Campagna, a historical group who has been active since I think the 70's, but never participated in Sanremo before This being said, I am happy for a lot of the other names too, Marco Mengoni (whose songs I have always enjoyed honestly, he has had a very good post-X-Factor career imo), Madame, Elodie, Levante, Coma_Cose, and Ultimo too! He said he has matured since his shenanigans in 2019 and he's ready to try again Cool, cool Let's all give thanks to Ama, master of Sanremo hype

[healing-with-bunnie]

Family and the Holidays

It's officially November. A pretty dreaded time for those of us who have some kind family wounds. It doesn't matter if your family wounds are bone deep or skin deep, this is the worst time of year.

Personally, I have made the decision to be an orphan by choice. It was not an easy or fully wanted decision but one I have dreamed of since I was a child.

I have completely cut off my mother and my mother's side of the family. Something I always said I'd do when my Great aunt died. This year marks the second year since her passing.

My father's side of the family is also split into two, my grandfather's side who I don't know all that well and haven't seen since I was a younger teen. Then there's my grandmother's 'side' which is really not all that much extended family.

Due to issues with both of my parents I lost contact with them for a few years as well and mostly just had my grandmother.

This year my grandmother is finally going on the road trip she has always dreamed of across the country.

This would leave me without any of my own family to spend holidays with for the third year in a row. Sure my boyfriend's family is wonderful, and family is what you make of it but that doesn't always heal the wounds that come from being without those that you grew up being told were your family.

However I actually reconnected with my dad's cousin who I spent quite a bit of time with as a kid as he was close with my dad until the 'incident' two years ago that got my father cut off from the rest of the family.

My dad's cousin who has taken on kind of more or less an uncle role in my life has a son who is only a month younger than my own. and since neither of them have any other young child family members we have been getting them together every other week on my off weekends.

This year will be the first year I've done holidays with my own family since 2019. Due to covid, my mother's shenanigans, and my father's 'incident'. There are so many mixed feelings that come along with this.

But mostly, I'm exited to be with family. Family that doesn't make me feel horrible about myself, family that I actually enjoy being around. Family.

Of course I won't be forgetting those who have made themselves family during my lifetime. My best friend of ten years and her mother come to mind as well when I think of family that I've built along the way. I wouldn't be where I am now if it weren't her letting me stay at her home until I got back on my feet. She's really more of a sister than a friend.

Then of course there's my boyfriend's family. I've known them for a little over half a decade. They watched me grow from my early teen years, into a young mother, into a young woman. While my relationship with my boyfriend hasn't always been perfect we're doing better than ever and I am beyond grateful for him.

There is also my son. Who is always giving me chances to break generational trauma and curses. Being a mom so young has been incredibly challenging, one of the hardest battles I've ever had to face. But I am beyond thankful for that as well.

Even with everything that is going well for me, there are still so many other things I will be mourning this holiday season. The death of my auntie, who was the one person in my family I had felt closest to, she was my safe place. Losing her has been beyond hard to deal with. Somedays the grief hits me like a train, but I manage most days.

Of course there are my parents as well, I will be mourning them as I always do. But for the most part this season will probably be spent processing with my therapist all of the reasons why I stopped having relationships with them in the first place.

I don’t doubt there will be lots of hard feelings and crying involved with this holiday season. As there always are.

Xoxo Bunnie

Be kind to yourselves this season and always friends. Hoping you find some light during this dark period. I love you. I’m proud of you. Keep going.

[puddlescove]

Monster High: Voltage! Chronicles 1:

The Birth of Frankie Stein 

Summary: Monsters and “normies” (humans) have been sworn enemies for centuries, but a pair of mad scientists create a being who could possibly challenge the status quo. 

(Figured I finally do something with this AU for Halloween)

On the darkest of humid summer nights, during an electrifying storm, a young human was wandering through a seedy graveyard with her tiny goblin companion. It's rare to see a human/monster pair roaming around. For millions of years, humans have antagonized monsters into hiding away from normal society. While the monsters’ fear of extermination has morphed into resentment and feral aggression. So to find a human being comfortable enough to go grave robbing in the middle of the night with a goblin is quite the surprising scenario.

The two slit up to scan through the many stones in the yard, the goblin slowly becoming more and more frustrated as they keep failing to find the one grave they need. 

“Lucisha, we've been searching through this place for eons and you don't seem to be satisfied with any of our choices.” The human huffed. “Maybe we should focus on finding the right part after we bring them to life?”

The goblin stamps her foot in protest. “No! You know I can never leave a job half finished. It must be PERFECT!” 

“But we're both soaking wet. At this rate, even if we do find that part, we'll be too sick to even put them together.”

The human suddenly gets a look on her face as if she remembers something. “Maybe we could use that prosthetic.”

“A piece of plastic junk? Are you serious?!”

“That's all we have. And it's not plastic. The metallic material will be the perfect  conductor of electricity. Isn't that good enough?”

The goblin's brows furrowed. True, a metal limb would help it retain energy, but it would hinder its walking capabilities. It would be all clumsy! However, it seemed to be their only option at that point. The storm could end at any moment, plus she was getting cold.

“Fine. Let's just get back before the storm clears.”

They ran back to their car as fast as two people carrying a sack of body parts and rusty shovels could. Though the human did trust her pale green partner, she knew better than to let her get behind the wheel. They sped down the open road back to their humble hideout, an old abandoned hospital, thankfully avoiding any potential law enforcement. 

They drag their ill gotten materials to the smallest room at the end of the highest hallway. After setting up everything, they get to work. It took a lot of thread, blood, and drilling, but it was all worth it as their greatest creation slowly came together. Literally. As the human put the last few stitches on their arm, she began to think to herself about all of the potential shenanigans that they could both get up to. 

“Do you think that they would like baseball? I could see them being a star pitcher.”

“It doesn't matter what it's “into”, the goblin chuckles to herself “as long as it excels at whatever it does, I'll be satisfied.” 

The human blankley rolled her eyes at that. As the goblin hooked up the cables to the bolts, the two looked into the half open eye, then back at each other. The goblin gave one last thumbs up, receiving a confident nod back. They put their protective goggles on and the goblin tightly gripped the lever as they waited for the moment. 

One thunder strike… two thunder strikes… and… Now! The lightning flashed as the goblin flipped the switch, activating the lightning rods on the roof. The electricity crackled its way down to the generator and into the body. It was at high voltage. Too high voltage. It looked like it was going to explode!

And it did. A huge cloud of smoke blew out of the windows. Through the wheezing, the two looked up at the body. It didn't move. There was no pulse. Did it not work? The goblin leaned it closer to check for breathing, the two of them both holding their breath themselves. Suddenly, they heard a gasp. The heart rate monitor started beating.

“It's alive! Alive!” The goblin squeezed her partner in pure excitement as the human felt as if she would cry. The body began to move. The goblin shushed the human as they came to. They lazily opened their eyes, looking between the two. The goblin slowly took their hand in hers.

She spoke quietly and slowly. “Hello, I am Lucisha Stein. I am your mother. You are my child. I created you.” They stared for a second, then smiled. 

“Mom!” 

She had never felt so proud, their first word! They should have recorded this.

The human cleared her throat, wiped her own tears, and leaned in.

“Hi there. Uh, I guess I'm your other mom. I may be a human, but I don't want to hurt you. I hope you can love me as much as I have loved you from when we first found your heart.” 

They once again stared for a second, it must take a little time for them to process information. They smile again. 

“Mom! Two moms! I have two moms!” 

They were already speaking full sentences. They had done it. Together, a human and a monster created the perfect being. It took months, lots of blood, and even more arguing, but it was worth it. 

“Wait…” They paused for a second. “Who am I? What's my name?”

Crap. The goblin had been so focused on making this being exactly how she wanted, she forgot to come up with a name. Good thing that the human was there. 

“Franklin, After my brother. We'll call you Frankie for short.”  Frankie. They like that name. 

“My name is Frankie!”

To be continued…

[wolken-himmel]

In which Che'nya randomly appears during a Heartslabyul tea party with invisible kisses for (Y/n).

The attendees are shocked upon finding out that Che'nya and (Y/n) have been a couple for some time now — but before they can be confronted, Che'nya whiskers (Y/n) away.

Request by anon.

"I am quite pleased that you managed to make it to today's tea party, (Y/n). I hope the tea is to your liking. Ace had to brew it today after breaking the seventeenth rule: Do not scream loudly at three in the afternoon."

Riddle had a regal aura surrounding him as he sat on his chair with his legs crossed and back as straight as a board. His eyes were closed while he sipped on the dainty porcelain cup, from which soft fumes of steam rose. A satisfied sigh escaped his lips upon feeling the warm liquid stream down his throat.

You watched the dorm leader with a small smile on your lips, a little bit tense despite the wind that swept through the gazebo once in a while. Well, Ace and Cater seemed aloof to the tense mood, merely busying themselves with their phones and what-not. Deuce and Trey on the other hand stayed quiet and sipped on their cups a few times, following Riddle's example.

Once the sound of Riddle setting down his porcelain cup onto saucer reached your ears, you turned your attention to him and replied to his expectant gaze with a slightly sheepish smile. "The tea is very delicious!" you said while shooting him a grateful nod that made Riddle's cold gaze soften slightly. "Thanks once again for your invitation. I am— eh?"

Your muscles grew tense once you felt the strange sensation of something soft grazing your cheeks — as if someone was kissing you. Yet, when you tilted your head to the side, you found nothing but air beside you. You furrowed your eyebrows in alarm, and your friends seemed worried, too.

"(Y/n)," Trey called out, "are you alright?"

Riddle sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Did Ace do something with the tea... again?" he asked with an annoyed frown on his face, his cheeks gradually growing more and more red. The mood plummeted, and dread soon filled your minds at the realisation of Riddle being angry again. The dorm leader soon slammed his fists onto the table, sending some of the plates and cups flying but landing without anything being spilt. "I swear I'll have his head—!"

Ace gasped. "I didn't do nothing!" he yelled out and raised his arms into the air. "I swear on Deuce—"

"Excuse me?" Deuce narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Don't get me mixed up in your shenanigans again, Ace..."

As the two first-years began bickering while the dorm leader started screaming around, you grew increasingly distracted with the way you could feel a warm breath fanning over your ear. The hairs on the back of your neck stood upright, and you could barely focus on holding the porcelain cup in your trembling hand.

"I’ll love my (Y/n) fur-ever," someone finally whispered into your ear, giving you the final hint about whom the strange presence could be linked to.

Your muscles relaxing, you soon exhaled and rolled your eyes. "Che'nya! So it really is you!" you exclaimed, both amused and annoyed when he slowly grew visible to your eyes. First, it was his head that became visible, and you could see the mischievous grin on the cat-boy's face. "Tsk... I knew it wasn't the wind that was kissing my cheek..."

Che'nya giggled to himself and lowered himself into his lap to drape himself all over you, his long arms wrapped around your neck. "I’ve done that be-fur," he cooed and buried his nose in the crook of your neck.

You grumbled curses under your breath while playfully pushing him away from you. Che'nya let out a few whines that caused you to falter until you gave up and let him do as he pleased. "But not in front of the others—!" you cried out, embarrassed.

Deuce and Ace seemed to be the most surprised out of all five Heartslabyul students. Deuce's eyes were as wide as saucers, and Ace's jaw hung low. "When did—" the blue-haired boy stuttered out, his voice hoarse and full of disbelief. "When did Che'nya and (Y/n)—"

Ace seemed like he was on the verge of fainting. "I don't know," he asked with his voice shaky and breathy. "Did you know, Trey? Cater? Riddle? Anyone?"

Trey shook his head, but there was a faint smile evident on his lips. He seemed to be one of the few that were happy for his friend. "I wasn't aware, either," he said while innocently sipping on his cup.

Cater was busy snapping pictures of Che'nya sitting on your lap and shamelessly drinking from your porcelain cup — what a sight to behold, truly. Cater almost doubled over with laughter, to which you shot him a slightly exasperated glare. "And thus, the secret comes to light!" the third-year chimed innocently. Yet, he soon lowered his phone upon noticing his dorm leader's scowl. "Uh, guys... I think Riddle is exploding?"

Riddle jumped to his feet and slammed his fists against the table, causing everyone but the uninvited guest to flinch in surprise and horror. The scowl on his face had no effect on the cat-boy, much to his frustration. "Che'nya, what have I told you about coming here?!" Riddle yelled through clenched teeth. "And then you're harassing my guest, too?"

Your eyebrows furrowed, you shot the red-head a concerned and pleading look. "Hey— Riddle, calm down. Please."

"Yes, Riddle~" Che'nya cooed mischievously while keeping himself draped all over you. "Calm down."

By then, there was steam coming out ot Riddle's ears, accompanied by a high whistling tune that made your heart drop in worry. "Don't tell me what to do!" he screamed loudly, to the point where the flamingos jumped up and ran away, as did the hedgehogs curl up in alarm.

Trey shook his head in a disapproving way. "Che'nya..."

The culprit merely cackled and shot Trey a large smile, his eyes closed and his face pulled into a slightly frightening grin. You exhaled in exasperation while burying your face in your trembling hands.

"What can I say?" Che'nya purred slowly. As he spoke, his tail flickered against your legs, causing your cheeks to light up in embarrassment. "I love the chaos you guys have going around here. Over at RSA, it's always boring."

Deuce tilted his head to the side, slightly confused. "Uhm... thank you?"

Che'nya hummed and used the tense silence to gulp down the last droplets of the sweet tea in your cup, then slammed the cup onto its saucer. "Now anyway..." Without further ado, he rose to his feet in such an elegant and slow way that no one would have expected him to pick you up and make a run for it. "I came to whisker (Y/n) away! Goodbye!"

"Hey!" you yelled out while banging your fists against his chest, although your attempts clearly were half-hearted. "You can't just—"

The five Heartslabyul students watched in horror and surprise as the two of you disappeared behind the many rose bushes in the distance.

Deuce seemed to be the most confused out of all. "How— Why— When— What—"

The last thing the five heard of you was a frustrated scream followed by you yelling, "You’ve got to be kitten me!"