#Hazel the raccoon

[goatjamesaz]

[sapphybandit]

Gay critter wags excitedly to talk about her ideas & creative progress (she's shy but happy you're interested!)

[My 🦝sona Hazel by 🎨: @vonkarn ! Tysm for this, you really captured her energy and softness sososo well!]

[livwritesstuff]

The first pair of shoes Eddie purchased for himself when he started rebuilding the life he’d lost when his trailer was destroyed was a pair of Doc Martens.

They were new (well, not new – he’d still thrifted them, but they were barely worn, probably surrendered by some yuppie who liked the style but couldn’t handle the pain of breaking them in) and big and black and heavy with steel toes and thick woven laces.

Those boots went everywhere with him – navigating those first few years of recovering from all the trauma he’d suffered in ‘86, finally leaving Hawkins in 1990, his move to Washington in ’94 to live with Steve while he finished out his psych program, their joint move to Boston a couple years later, his first book release in ‘95 and his second in ‘99, not to mention all the countless big and small adventures that filled in all those gaps.

When Eddie and Steve’s daughter Moe was born in 2001, Eddie temporarily retired the boots.

There was a period during those first few years of her life when she was both very small and always underfoot, a combination that meant concerns about tripping on her were high enough without Eddie adding steel-toed boots larger than his kid into the mix.

So for a while, the boots sat on the floor in his and Steve’s closet collecting dust.

Then Moe got a little bit older and the boots started collecting other things.

“Ed, come look at this,” Steve snickers.

He’s in their closet, trying to tackle the cataclysmic mess that has accumulated over the last year and a half, because trivial things like cleaning had kind of taken the backseat the second they met Moe – as they should; Eddie maintains that there is literally nothing he’d rather do than spend time with his daughter, bar none. Alas she does need to nap sometimes, and he supposes that’s when all the other shit gets done.

He joins Steve in the closet to see that he's holding one of Eddie's Docs.

“Look what Moe did,” Steve continues, holding out the boot.

Eddie takes it, immediately noticing that it’s even heavier than usual. He peers inside to see that it’s filled to the brim with stuff – a small wooden car, a travel deodorant from his last trip to New York for work, a pair of socks, sunglasses, several loose bandaids, one of Steve’s combs, a roll of Smarties (it’s a wonder she didn’t eat them), a veritable cache of treasures in the eyes of their eighteen-month-old. 

The other boot is pretty much exactly the same.

“Oh my god,” Eddie beams, “She’s fucking incredible.”

“She’s inheriting your raccoon behavior," Steve replies with a wicked grin.

“Alright.”

[cameoutstruggling93]

I'm not a real adult.

[gutsybitsies]

Jason and Hazel team up to work perfectly together like a well oiled machine. The Greek demigods....well, they try not to kill each other.

[isitfurbait]

Are any characters from the game “Unhappy Raccoon” furrybait?

______

I think I have no choice but to say yes. They’re altogether a rather cute set of characters. I admire the dedication in this work.

[ohgollywhataday]

Golly what a day ask 14

Some new game that was thought up, but I don't think it'll catch on. Definitely not squirrel-friendly. -- Visit us and ask us on Tumblr! - One Ko-fi please! I’m taking Commissions! (Please visit my site for more art)

Posted using PostyBirb

[amaskofmyart]

That’s right bitchess, more Sonic stuff! >:^)

1: Yang lore! I mentioned it briefly before, but Yang is actually the reason he and Yin are homeless orphans - not on purpose of course! During a meltdown while being reprimanded by his parents the dormant fire abilities they didn’t know he had came to life in a fiery punch - since their home was made of nothing more than wood it didn’t take much to catch fire and crumble burning. As it collapsed a beam pinned Yang’s parents to the floor where they laid screaming for help but as a small child (like 6) he couldn’t do anything so he did the only thing he could think of. He found his sister and ran for it. He never told Yin what really happened, keeping her in the dark for most of their lives until much much later she finds out. But that’s a story for a difference piece of art 🤭🤭

2: A drawing of @creepylb ‘s oc Hazel! She’s the rat who ended up pretty much adopting Yin and Yang as a fellow street urchin. Teaching them the ways of street life and in the end just taking care of the, like an older sister. She’s hella gay for Blaze the Cat and a damn good pickpocket.

3: Ships~ Who doesn’t love ships (/)úwù(\)

4: Sonic looks… I don’t like how Sonic looks in this picture, but Shadow and Hannah look good so I gotta post it for them at least úwù

5: Another Oc! Introducing Molly the Mole, a secret resident on the mystical Angel Island. Having lived there since birth she finds Knuckles rather scary and is nervous if he ever catches her that she’ll be kicked from the island, from her home. Upon meeting Mighty (who lives on Angel Island with Ray in my world) she finds the Knuckles isn’t unreasonable, just protective!

6: Hannah just being in denial about her feelings for Sonic, justifying the fact she likes darker shades of blue only because it’s been her favorite since she was a kid (which may or may not actually be true) 🤭🤭

7: MORE SHIPS TEEHEE I CANT STOP WONT STOP

8: That one scene from There’s Something Wrong With Amy, that’s it.

9: A dope pic of Hannah and her weapon of choice (homemade brass knuckles) and the design for Anti-Clara! We call her C1, but she’s basically mostly a robot save for ten percent of her that is still organic so that she retains freewill - if she could however, she’d become completely robotic.

[teamleo1029]

Hazel: Everyone in the world has one fatal flaw. Except Frank, weirdly, he’s perfect. Frank: Wrong. My fatal flaw is how badly I want to domesticate a raccoon.

[c0ld0utside]

May i please request a merman (that has legs on land) that adopts a raccoon/possum hybrid kid

Went with the raccoon hybrid. I am so sorry these are taking me long.

Warnings: Mentions of family death, poaching(?, would people hunting mers count as that or??), mentions of dysfunctional family dynamics/abuse (not too in depth), technically kidnapping...all the fun yandere stuff.

Let's get into it.

-

Jupiter was a lonely, broken mess since he lost his pod. His mate, his parents, his siblings, his pup…gone. His tail was wounded terribly as well- to the point where using it felt like getting stabbed and cut all over again. He mostly just hid in a small hidden cove, eating the little fish that wandered in and the small hermit crabs he could snatch off the beach. It was his routine for days. Wake up, lie in the spot for hours, eat a little to get rid of the hunger pangs, lie back down, fall asleep. 

That is until one day he wakes up to the scene of a runty little racoon hybrid trying to catch a hermit crab. It’s a mess- the younger scrambling around and tripping over themself in the sand, pausing to look over at Jupiter to make sure he’s asleep. He quickly shuts his eyes, keeping them relaxed and letting out a deep sigh. Don’t mind me, fast asleep. Snoozing away…

He feels some sand land on him and flinches, but forces out a snort and shifts. Jupiter hears the little rascal giggle softly, then fall silent. Opening up and eye and peeking over his shoulder, he can see the crab making its way over to him. He doesn’t want to scare the pup- cub- but he doesn’t want them to starve, either.

Quick as a flash, he rolls over and snatches the hermit crab, ripping it out of it’s shell and offering it to the younger.

///

You let out a startled squeak at the movement, stumbling backward as the mer offers you the poor tiny crushed crab in his hand. In all honesty, you were just after it’s shell; A beautiful Murex that wasn’t too large or small. The mer frowns, red-brown fins lowering against the side of his head slightly. His scales reminded you of the dunes at sunrise and sunset- warm tones of red, orange and yellow with some brown. The mer chirps at you, starting to pull himself closer before freezing and backing into the water. …Okay. Strange. 

Confused hazel eyes stare at you, and he offers you the crab one more time. You shake your head, looking over at the shell instead. He seems to understand then and sinks deeper into the water. There’s a beat. Two. Then he moves forward again and offers you the shell. He’s like a wave- not knowing where he’s going or what he’s doing. Back and forth. Unsteady. 

“Thank you,” you say, the words coming out eager. You turn the shell around in your hands, thumb rubbing against the dull points and the rings. It’s a little yellow and pink from the sand and the salt. “It’s beautiful.”

The mer chirps at you again, expression softening in awe. Your ears flatten on your head and your tail twitches. “Can I help you?” Yes. You absolutely can. He just needs to get himself together first. 

His frills flare when you step away and he lets out a pleading sound, fingers digging into the wet sand. At first you think he’s hissing. Then he finally gets the words out. “Sssssstay,” he rasps, voice weak from lack of use. The actions have you retreating further when you finally notice the still-healing and scarring cuts on his tail.

Oh.

Maybe he’s asking for help? Well in that case, you just so happened to know about a certain coastal market that should have some ointments. “Wait here,” You tell the mer. “I’ll go get something that can help.” You scamper off to the markets and try to ignore the clicks the mer makes. 

The fastest way to the market is also the way that leaves you with the most scrapes and bruises. …You cut straight through the woods on a forgotten path and tumbled down a few short slopes, rolling right into the market. Ignoring the raised brows and looks you’re getting, you slip into the crowd and at least forty-five minutes later manage to lose the angry shopkeep with some ointment and a towel in hand. There was an awkward moment where you thought you got busted and played dead for a few seconds though you shove it into the back of your mind and press on. Right. Strange merman is more important. 

The trek back was exhausting to the point where you collapsed in the sand. Sand which was burning hot already…for some reason. You quickly scrambled back up with a yelp, running into the water to cool off your legs. Mere seconds later, the mer resurfaced, chirping urgently at you. “Agh-! Yeah, yeah, hi again.” You mutter as the mer moves closer to you. “I got you some stuff for your tail.” He takes the ointment you offer him and tilts his head at you before snatching the towel as well. “Hey! That was for me-”

You trail off as the mer crawls out of the water, quickly wrapping the towel around himself as he stands on wounded legs. Since when could merfolk do that? You had no idea. 

[...]

Months have passed since then and you find yourself returning to the cove, giving the mer (who’s name you’ve learned is Jupiter) some company. Most days it’s boring- helping him regain his voice and bringing him necessities. “Little one, please, you shouldn’t have to be doing this for me,” Jupiter murmurs as you set some clothes down on the beach. “And I already have clothes! This is too much.” He insists. “You can’t wear the same thing over and over again,” you point out. “And you need to practice walking. Now hurry up and get yourself dry so you can try those on.” Huffing a laugh at your bossiness, Jupiter drags himself onto the sand and grabs the towel. “[Name,]” he calls as he wraps it around his waist, “Do you have a family of your own?” You pause. You and your family had a complicated relationship. You all loved each other to some degree but physical and verbal disagreements along with weak, unstable bonds with your parents and siblings pushed you into leaving way earlier than most hybrids of your kind. You still had a nasty bite scar from your eldest sister. 

“Yeah. We don’t get along much, though.” You say, deciding on telling him everything and nothing. The sound of shifting fabric mixes with the lapping of the waves and the breeze in the trees. While you wait, you decide to look for shells again. “So you left?” He asks in disbelief. “Yeah. Shocking, am I right?” You reply, tail twitching in slight irritation. “But you’re so young,” Jupiter comments sadly, finishing getting dressed and pulling a shirt over his head.  “I’m not that young.” You scoff. “Then why are you so tiny?” He asks, tone so sweet it’s condescending. “Because hybrids of my species are small. Why are you so large underwater?” Jupiter hums. “Fair point. You can turn around now.” You shake your head. “Can’t, I think I just found a shell.” You pull a whelk out of the sand. “Scratch that. Definitely found a shell.”

“Oooh, that one’s nice.” Jupiter comments, peeking over your shoulder. He falls silent again. “Where did you put all of the other ones you found?” He asks. “There’s a harpy that I trade some of them to. I kept the ones I liked the most in a hollow but someone stole them.” You answer, making him frown. “It’s okay. I’m used to it.” You reassure, though he catches the smallest hint of bitterness in your tone. Which brings an idea into his head.

“I know a safe place for you to put them,” he offers, knowing exactly where to go. Jupiter had found a nice cave on the cliffside, one that was hard to leave unless you were a merfolk or an avian. That certainly caught your attention. “Show me.” Pleased by your eagerness, Jupiter helped you onto his back and swam off to the littoral cave. He didn’t mention that you would be staying there no matter what you said. It was a hard decision, yes, but you’ll understand in the end. Call him paranoid, but this world was so dangerous! Especially for a small thing like you. But it’ll be okay now, and he’s already made it all comfy and cozy. And it’s not like you’ll be staying there all day. That’d be cruel! No, no. He’ll take you out to go swimming and hiking and beach combing. Jupiter will even bring you back some books! Getting the hang of walking on land was the best thing he ever did in his opinion.

Now he can make his own little stall at the market. Now he can sell the shells you don’t want to keep for actual money, buy himself some fishing nets, and go on from there. What would you need the money for? No need to worry. Papa will take care of it all. He’ll buy you all the comforts you’d ever want.

[goatjamesaz]

Milk, cereal, combine

[sapphybandit]

Wanna say that again?

[🎨 : @twistcmyk ]

First time I got plus sized art of my gal Hazel and I LOVE how this piece came out!! 💖💖

[greenwitchcrafts]

February 2024 witch guide

Full moon: February 24th

New moon: February 9th

Sabbats: Imbolc-February 1st

February Snow Moon

Known as: Eagle Moon, Horning Moon, Solmonath Moon, Bear moon, Ice Moon, Wild Moon, Raccoon Moon, Big Winter Moon, Groundhog Moon, Quickening Moon, Storm Moon, Goose Moon, Hungry Moon & Red/Cleansing Moon

Element: Fire

Zodiac: Aquarius & Pisces

Nature spirits: House Faeries

Deities: Aphrodite, Brigid & Nut

Animals: Otter & Unicorn

Birds: Chickadee & Eagle

Trees: Cedar, laurel, myrtle & rowan

Herbs: Balm of Gilead, hyssop, myrrh, sage & spikenard

Flowers: Primrose

Scents: Heliotrope & wisteria

Stones: Amethyst, jasper, moonstone, obsidian, onyx , rose quartz, topaz & red zircon

Colors: Light blue & violet

Energy:  Astral travel, banishing, beginnings, breaking bad habits, creativity expressiveness, empowerment, energy working to the surface, fertility, forgiveness, freedom, friendships, future plans, growth, healing, problem solving, purification, responsibility & science

February’s full Moon is a “Micromoon” this year. Think of this term as the opposite of a “Supermoon.” It simply means that the full Moon is at its farthest point from Earth (not the nearest point).

The explanation behind February’s full Moon name is a fairly straightforward one: it’s known as the Snow Moon due to the typically heavy snowfall that occurs in February. On average, February is the United States’ snowiest month, according to data from the National Weather Service. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver, who had visited with the Naudowessie(Dakota), wrote that the name used for this period was the Snow Moon, “because more snow commonly falls during this month than any other in the winter.” 

Imbolc

Known as: Feast of Torches, Feast of Waxing Light, Oimele & Brigid's Day

Season: Winter

Symbols: Besoms, Brighid's crosses, candles, candle wheels, fertility symbols, fire, ploughs, priapic wands & white flowers

Colors: Black, brown, Earth tones, lavender, light green, orange, pink, red, white & yellow

Oils/Incense: Apricot, basil, bay, carnation, chamomile, cinnamon, dragon's blood, frankincense, heather, jasmine, myrrh, neroli, red sandalwood, sage, vanilla, violet & wisteria

Animals: Badger, cow, deer,groudhog, robin, sheep, snake, & swan

Mythical: Dragon

Stones: Amethyst, bloodstone, citrine, clear quartz, garnet, green tourmaline, hematite, iron, lodestone, onyx, red zircon, rose quartz, ruby, turquoise, yellow tourmaline

Food: Breads, chives, curries, dairy products, grains, garlic, herbal teas, honey cakes, lamb, muffins, onions, peppers, poppy seed cakes, pork, poultry, pumpkin seeds, raisins, scones, spiced wines & sunflower seeeds

Herbs/Plants: Angelica, ashleaf, balsam, basil, bay laurel, benzoin, blackberry, clover, coltsfoot, coriander, dragon's blood, garlic, heather, lemon, myrrh, rosemary, sage, vervain, wheat & witch hazel

Flowers: Celandine, chamomile, iris, rose hips, snowdrop, sunflower, tansy, violets, white flowers & yellow flowers

Goddesses: Anu, Aradia, Arianrhod, Artio, Athena, Branwen, Brigid, Danu, Februa, Gaia, Inanna, Juno, Selene, Sirona & Vesta

Gods: Aegus Mac Og, Bragi, Cupid, Dian Cecht, Dumuzi, Eros, Februus & Pax

Issues, Intentions & Powers: Activation/awakening, animals, beginnings, fertility, healing, hope, illumination, inspiration, light, pregnancy/childbirth, prophecy, transformation, well-being & youth

Spellwork: Air magick, banishings, candle spells, divination, fertility spells, prosperity & purification

Activities:

• Make & light white candles

• Clean/decorate your altar & consecrate your  altar tools

• Go on a walk in nature & look for signs of spring

• Make a Brigid's Cross

• Have a feast with your family/friends

• Give thanks & leave offerings to the Earth

• Set intentions, reflect & look deeper into your goals for spring

• Start a bonfire

• Find Imboloc prayers & devotionals that bid farewell to the winter months, honor the goddess Brigid, as well as seasonal blessings for your meals, hearth, & home.

• Pepare plans for your upcoming garden

• Craft a priapic wand

• Spend time with children celebrating Imbolc by making crafts & or baking

• Practice divination & fire scrying

• Draw a cleansing ritual bath for yourself

• Meditate, reflect & say your farewells to winter

• Cleanse & clean your house to prepare for spring

• Create a Brídeóg: a doll of Brigid made of straw

• Make Bride's bouquet satchets & exchange as symbols of good luck and fertility

• Set aside food & or drinks as an offering to Brigid to invite her in your home

Imbolc is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of spring. Most commonly it is held on January 31 – February 1, or halfway between the winter solstice & the spring equinox. The holiday is a festival of the hearth, home, a celebration of the lengthening days & the early signs of spring. 

The word "imbolc" means "in the belly" and refers to the pregnancy of ewes at this time of year. The term "oimelc" means ewe's milk. Around this time of year, many herd animals give birth to their first offspring of the year or are heavily pregnant & as a result, they are producing milk. This creation of life’s milk is a part of the symbolic hope for spring.

Imbolc is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and it is associated with important events in Irish mythology. It has been suggested that it was originally a pagan festival associated with the goddess Brigid and that it was Christianized as a festival of Saint Brigid, who herself is thought to be a Christianization of the goddess.

Some use Imbolc to celebrate the longer days which herald the return of Spring & The Goddess's recovery from giving birth to The Sun (The God) at Yule. The God & The Goddess are children symbolizing new life, new beginnings & new resurrections.

Related festivals:

• Groundhog Day-  Is a tradition observed in the United States & Canada on February 2 of every year. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day & sees its shadow, it will retreat to its den & winter will go on for six more weeks; if it does not see its shadow, spring will arrive early.

While the tradition remains popular in the 21st century, studies have found no consistent association between a groundhog seeing its shadow & the subsequent arrival time of spring-like weather.

•St. Brigid's Day- 1 February. It was originally Imbolc, the first day of spring in Irish tradition. Because Saint Brigid has been theorised as linked to the goddess Brigid, some associate the festival of Imbolc with the goddess. St. Brigid is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland. She is patroness of many things, including poetry, learning, healing, protection, blacksmithing, livestock & dairy production. In her honour, a perpetual fire was kept burning at Kildare for centuries.

A recent campaign successfully established her feast day as a national holiday in 2023.

• Chinese New Year- (February 10th) the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. In Chinese, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival,- marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season. Observances traditionally take place from Chinese New Year's Eve, the evening preceding the first day of the year, to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between January 21st & February 20th.

The Chinese New Year is associated with several myths and customs. The festival was traditionally a time to honour deities as well as ancestors. Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the New Year vary widely & the evening preceding the New Year's Day is frequently regarded as an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner.

It is also a tradition for every family to thoroughly clean their house, in order to sweep away any ill fortune & to make way for incoming good luck. Another custom is the decoration of windows & doors with red paper-cuts and couplets. Popular themes among these paper-cuts and couplets include good fortune or happiness, wealth & longevity. Other activities include lighting firecrackers  & giving money in red envelopes.

•  Candlemas- is a Christian feast day on February 2nd commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. It is based upon the account of the presentation of Jesus in Luke 2:22-40. 

While it is customary for Christians in some countries to remove their Christmas decorations on Twelfth Night, those in other Christian countries historically remove them after Candlemas.On Candlemas, many Christians also take their candles to their local church, where they are blessed and then used for the rest of the year.

•Setsubun- (February 3rd) Is the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan. The name literally means 'seasonal division', referring to the day just before the first day of spring.

Both Setsubun & Risshun are celebrated yearly as part of the Spring Festival (Haru matsuri ) in Japan. In its association with the Lunar New Year, Setsubun, though not the official New Year, was thought of as similar in its ritual & cultural associations of 'cleansing' the previous year as the beginning of the new season of spring. Setsubun was accompanied by a number of rituals & traditions held at various levels to drive away the previous year's bad fortunes & evil spirits for the year to come.

Other Celebrations:

• Lupercalia-

In ancient Rome, this festival was conducted annually on February 13th through 15th under the superintendence of a corporation of priests called Luperci. The origins of the festival are obscure, although the likely derivation of its name from lupus (Latin: “wolf”) has variously suggested connection with an ancient deity who protected herds from wolves and with the legendary she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus. As a fertility rite, the festival is also associated with the god Faunus.

to purify the city, promoting health & fertility.

Each Lupercalia began with the sacrifice by the Luperci of goats and a dog, after which two of the Luperci were led to the altar, their foreheads were touched with a bloody knife & the blood was wiped off with wool dipped in milk; the ritual required that the two young men laugh. The sacrificial feast followed, after which the Luperci cut thongs from the skins of the sacrificial animals & ran in two bands around the Palatine hill, striking with the thongs at any woman who came near them. A blow from the thong was supposed to render a woman fertile.

In 494 CE the Christian church under Pope Gelasius I forbade participation in the festival. Tradition holds that he appropriated the form of the rite as the Feast of the Purification (Candlemas), celebrated on February 2, but it is likely that the Christian feast was established in the previous century. It has also been alternately suggested that Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day, celebrated on February 14th, but the origin of that holiday was likely much later.

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Encyclopedia britannica

Llewellyn 2024 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

[cameoutstruggling93]

Trash panda wearing a trash panda! 🦝

[mackjlee9]

kay i'll take advantage of the hyperfixation bc i'm hyperfixated too 😋 this one is quite angsty? Depends on how you wanna do the end bc i'll leave it up to you

u see how in re6 chris asks leon if he will protect ada despite all the damage she did and he says yeah he is? What if instead of chris asking is leon's long term boyfriend since raccoon city?

like reader kinda knows he's still not over ada bc let's say reader went with him to rescue ashley in re4 and well, ada was there and shit.

so with that reader this time KNOWS leon is till not over ada no matter how much time has passed and he feels kinda betrayed bc they had a full ass relationship since raccoon city and it's been YEARS.

ending up to you ofc depending on how interested u are on writing this lmao. bye byee 💖

Ehe- I tried lol

Leon Kennedy x Male!Reader [Angst]

Maybe spoilers if you haven't played/watched re6?

Masterlist.

Resident Evil 6

(M/n) almost couldn't believe how awful this vacation was turning out to be.

From shooting the president to chasing after Ada herself, Helena could look at him with an apologetic look in her hazel eyes. (M/n) hasn't explicitly told her that he and Leon were dating, just said they were together on a vacation to relax and unwind a bit from their job on the D.S.O, but the situation had become worse than they initially thought.

And now Ada was involved? Well, when wasn't she honestly, that woman seemed to have some sort of GPS on Leon because she always showed up wherever he was, it was rather odd, still, he didn't question it, coincidences were pretty common in this kind of job.

Just look at it this way, they met with Sherry a while ago and now Chris was here too.

The three of them chased after Ada, Leon in front, and (M/n) right behind him, while Helena did her best to keep up behind them, but she was injured and she was struggling to keep up the pace. (M/n) stopped and made sure she was okay, before realizing how far Leon had run already.

"(M/n), go! I'll... I'll be fine, you go after her," she said gently pushing him away, and (M/n) hesitated for a moment, but Helena's reassuring smile helped him make up his mind.

He continued running after Leon, hearing two more foreign voices echo in the building, his eyes observing how Ada was cornered by two BSAA agents and as one of them pulled the trigger, Leon hit the gun away, immediately getting involved in a fight with the man. (M/n) arrived just in time to catch a stumbling Chris and prevent him from falling when Leon kicked his stomach hard enough to make him lose his balance.

Chris groaned from the pain, even when he was kicked over his bulletproof vest, Leon has always been known for having strong legs after all.

"Here," (M/n) mumbled while standing up and helping Chris get up from the ground, hearing him grunt a small 'thank you', all the while still being pointed by Leon with his pistol, "Leon-"

"Shut up," was all the blond said, making him swallow and nod, standing back whilst Chris and Leon started arguing. About Ada, and why she needed to die. (M/n) saw Leon clench his jaw, tightening his hold on the grip of his pistol, his cold blue eyes staring into Chris', "She's a key witness, we need her."

"A witness? She's the one that did all of this!" Chris replied, angry at what Ada had done, and probably at Leon for stopping him earlier.

"No, it wasn't her, it was Simmons, the National Security Advisor," (M/n) looked at them, hearing Helena's stumbling behind them and he helped her stand up. He wasn't sure what he was expecting the outcome of this discussion would be, but something told him he wasn't gonna like it.

"I lost all of my men because of that woman!" Chris yelled as he approached Leon, who kept a firm stance, not even blinking at his outburst.

"And I lost over seventy thousand people, including the president, because of Simmons!" He replied back with the same tone, followed by a deafening silence, the light of a chopper landing on them through the window.

Chris sighed and looked down, shaking his head before staring back at Leon, "She works for Neo-Umbrella, you know what that means?"

(M/n) watched as Leon sighed, "I do."

Glancing back and forth between the two of them, (M/n) took a deep breath, and took a step forward, slightly covering Chris with his body, he doesn't know what made him do it, maintaining eye contact with Leon's blue eyes, that remained cold and serious.

"After all she did to you, to me, to us... You're still gonna protect her, Leon?" The few seconds of silence that followed made his ears ring, the fact that he had to think about it let him know his answer.

Leon's stare hardened, seemingly unfazed by (M/n)'s words, not caring about the pain in his voice.

"I am."

(M/n) released a dry chuckle, turning around and walking away, "I was scared you were gonna say that," he mumbled as he left, finding another way to go downstairs. While he waited for them, he saw a flash of white, soon followed by Ada's body gracefully flying with her grappling hook.

They made eye contact for an instant before she ran away again, like she always did, never deviating from her mission.

He unzipped his pouch, his fingers wrapping around the velvet box, gripping it tightly as tears began gathering in his eyes. (M/n) had planned this vacation perfectly, wanting to make it special and memorable, after all, he and Leon had been in a relationship for 15 years... Or so he thought, because it seemed like he was the naive one who thought that way, when Leon was clearly smitten to Ada, after everything that happened... Everything he had done to make Leon happy...

(M/n) sighed and rubbed his temple before lowering his hand to grab his pistol, but before he could, he hit one of the pouches around his hips, his world freezing and breaking down piece by piece when he realized what he had kept safe there during this whole ordeal.

All of it had been wasted, maybe... Someone else would appreciate all his efforts?

But who? He has never loved anyone other than Leon, and it's not like he could simply move on to someone else, that wouldn't be fair to the other person.

(M/n) observed the black box in his hand, hearing the footsteps of Leon and Helena approaching his position, and he had to dry away the tears that had managed to run down his face, turning toward them with a hint of a smile, putting the box back and closing the zipper again.

"We have to keep going, let's go," he will figure out what to do when all of this is over, but right now, they had a job to do.

[faorism]

this sketch is inspired by the amazing amazing gift fic lock and key; music and lyrics which canon_is_relative wrote for me during the 2022 @leverage-secret-santa-exchange, which was in turn inspired by headcanons i had posted to tumblr and then here. i was immediately so blown away by the vividness of the story's description that i knew i had to draw it. it took half a year but here it is!

for those who want to just stay for this drawing, hazel is eliot's cecropia moth, jack is parker's raccoon, and t'pris is an eastern red bat. more about the verse can be found here on ao3. [img desc in alt text]