#I even told him I would be down to own a poodle but no he wants a DOODLE

[wwerewwolves]

HELPPPP MY BOYFRIEND WANTS TO OWN A DOODLE.

[not-neverland06]

Broken Machinery

Pt. 3 (completed series)

Series masterlist

Connor RK800 x fem!reader

A/N: I can’t write parkour without thinking of Michael & Dwight in the office

Content Warnings: Cussing (duh), pigeon crap, Hank’s emotional constipation plus the detective’s, parkour!, weird attraction to ties on men

Word Count: 4.2k

Series Summary: You and your grumpy partner Anderson gain a new addition to the team. He’s supposed to be CyberLife’s best, but there’s something not quite right with his programming, and the problems seem to revolve around you.

“Oh come on, Hank! There’s literally a million nicer places to eat.” You crossed your arms and sank into your seat at the sight of Hank’s favorite ‘restaurant’ Chicken Feed. Slightly wincing at the still present ache in your ribs.

He turned around in his seat and scolded you like a child. “My car, my rules.”

You scoffed, “First, Connor takes my seat and now I don’t even get to eat lunch.” You were being childish, you knew that.

Still, it was beyond aggravating when Hank had stopped you from getting up front and let Connor in the passenger side. And now you were at your least favorite place to eat ever!

What the hell am I being punished for?

“If you weren’t acting like a brat, you could eat lunch. But, fine! Stay in the car! The fuck do I care?” Tears pricked your eyes at the last whispered comment.

It was hard, it was hard watching him become so distant to you. You used to be a lot closer, before everything happened.

Y/N’s eyes were watering and her heart rate was increasing. She was distressed by something, but Connor was unsure of what that was.

He looked out the window and scanned the food truck. “Is Lieutenant Anderson aware of the numerous health violations the owner has committed?”

You scooted your way to the door and whispered, “Why do you think I don’t want to eat here?” The door had slammed closed before he could answer.

RECONCILE WITH THE OFFICERS

Connor got out of the car and stood. After a scan of the environment he was directed in two different directions. You were standing at a table under an umbrella, hunched over and picking at your nails. Lieutenant Anderson was speaking to two known criminals.

“Like a fucking poodle,” Connor ignored Hank’s comment.

“Is everything okay, Y/N?” You seemed surprised that he had chosen to speak with you. “You seem… distressed.” You glanced briefly towards Hank, he appeared to be paying a bookie. “Is it your relationship with the Lieutenant?”

You smiled at Connor, “You know, you’re a bit too observant for your own good.” Connor stood across from you at the table.

“May I ask you a personal question, detective?”

You frowned at him, “I feel like you’re going to no matter what.” Connor nodded his head. He would, he needs you and the Lieutenant to get along better. Right now your interpersonal issues were getting in the way of his mission.

“Why does the Lieutenant make you so angry?”

You went back to picking at your cuticles. Your right thumb had a scab that told Connor this was a common habit for you. It wasn’t entirely harmful but he still felt the need to stop you as you picked at your skin. His hand reached out and gently separated yours.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY^

Your hand stayed in his, and he wasn’t sure if you were aware that you were squeezing it. You opened your mouth to say something, for some reason Connor felt the need to stop you. “Would you like to go get something to eat, detective?”

You quickly closed your mouth and gave Connor a strange look. You smiled at him, “Sure, I’d like that.” Your hand dropped from his and you began leading him down the sidewalk.

Unknowingly the hand you had held flexed by his side.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY^

“Are you in much pain, Y/N?” You waved off Connor’s question. You’d stopped by a 24/7 market and had picked up an ice pack and questionable veggie sandwich. It was either that or egg salad, you’d take your chances with the spinach.

Right now you were sitting outside on a bench holding the ice pack to your sore ribs. “It’s not too bad, I’ve had worse.” I want to lay down and cry somewhere, this hurts so bad.

Connor stopped moving for a moment and then spoke again, “I’m not seeing any cracked ribs or internal damage, they’re just bruised. I recommend you try not to overexert yourself.”

“So he’s a detective and a doctor, really giving Barbie a run for her money.” If androids could be sassy that’s the only way you’d describe Connors face right now. He’s frowning at you and brushing your hands away from the ice pack, holding it up for you so you can eat your food. You really hope he can’t tell how fast your heart is beating with how close he is, or notice the shake in your hands as you take a bite of the sandwich.

“I posses enough first aid skills to take care of my partners if they’re injured in the field.”

That’s actually helpful, Hank’s shit at patching you up. “That makes me happy, the only thing Hank knows how to do is slap a band-aid on a bullet wound and call it a day.” Connor frowns at you again, the little groove appearing between his brows once more. You’re tempted to reach out and soothe it with your thumb.

“That’s highly illogical and dangerous.”

You laughed at him, “It was a joke, Connor. Did those geniuses at CyberLife not program you with humor?”

“It wouldn’t be beneficial to my mission.”

Good lord. He takes everything way too seriously.

“Well maybe you should watch some stand-up or something. I need someone to understand me.” You weren’t being serious. But he seemed to think you were.

“I’ll take your recommendation into account.” You finished the rest of your lunch in relative silence, but there was an overwhelming tension surrounding the two of you. You were most likely projecting, you weren’t even sure androids could feel tension.

However, you felt like he was waiting to ask you something and you were sure whatever it was wasn’t going to be a pleasant topic for you. Connor didn’t seem to have a good grasp of boundaries or when to stop talking.

He waited until you finished your sandwich to take the ice pack off your chest. “You don’t want to ice it for too long, it will cause more harm.” He put the ice pack down and paused. You waited for him to say what he wanted to say, you definitely weren’t going to be the one to initiate whatever probing line of questions he was about to ask. Connor reaches up and fixes his tie before he turns towards you. His jaw is set and there’s a determined look on his face-

Dude! You have major issues. A tie! A tie is what gets you going now?

Lord I pray to you for forgiveness.

“I’ve looked into both yours and the Lieutenant’s personnel records-“

“Wait, what?” He’s undeterred by your interruption, but you’re a little freaked out that he can just dig around in your past.

“It seems that Lieutenant Anderson became your official legal guardian in 2023, when you were ten years old. You had been in the state’s care for two years before he caught your foster father dealing Red Ice and he-“

“Stop! Connor, stop. What the hell?” You’d already gotten your ass handed to you today, you sure as hell didn’t need Connor bringing this all up right now. You didn’t want to remember how Hank found you, or what a piece of shit your foster family had been.

You didn’t want to think about this at all. You could already feel the dread and anxiety swirling around and forming acid in your stomach. What you really didn’t need today was a panic attack.

“You have absolutely no right, no right, investigating me like that. And you especially don’t have the right to acquire sealed adoption papers. I know about my own past Connor, Hank made sure that no one else would be able to find out about it. Fuck, I cannot believe you!” You threw the rest of your sandwich away, knowing you wouldn’t be able to eat it, and got off the bench. You ignored the sound of Connor’s voice and the pain in your ribs as you stormed off.

Hank was waiting under an umbrella for the two of you. “Where’d you go?” Your adrenaline was slowly leaving you, you didn’t have the energy to fully answer him. Slumped on the table you shrugged your shoulders and wrapped an arm around your ribs. “Does it hurt a lot?”

A snarky response was on the tip of your tongue, you had to physically bite your tongue to hold it back. It wasn’t often that Hank would show genuine concern for you. “It’s not great, but I’ve had worse.” There was an awkward pause where the both of you were unsure how to continue. Conversations without any venom or hostility were few and far between lately. It was leaving you both feeling stiff and uncomfortable.

“You’re tough. . .” His hand hovered over your back before coming down a little too hard on it, you wheezed out at the impact. “You’ll be okay.”

You regretted the next words that came out as soon as it happened. “Thanks, dad.” The both of you tensed and you forced yourself to straighten immediately, ignoring the pain. Anxiety caused your chest to tighten and you opened your mouth to apologize. But you found that you couldn’t force the words out, frozen by the desire for him to act like everything was normal.

There was a primal desperation inside of you that yearned for him to just hug you, or tell you that he's sorry and everything will be okay. Anything, anything other than that god awful look he was giving you right now. The one that made you feel like a stranger. It was void of any connection he’d ever had with you.

Your mouth closed and you hunched back into yourself, trying and failing at getting your jacket to swallow you. You were still a little pissed off at Connor for being so invasive, but that feeling was greatly overruled by the gratefulness you felt at his sudden appearance.

You kept your head down, avoiding looking at either of them and distracting yourself by picking at the broken skin around your nails. You’d never been more desperate for a cigarette, even though you’d broken the habit years ago.

Connor almost reached out towards your hands to stop the unhealthy habit, but the look on Hank’s face stopped him. He was staring down at you with an emotion Connor was having trouble recognizing. Perhaps it was sadness, or just another complication of working with humans. You were proving to be much more inefficient than he’d like.

He turned his attention towards the sandwich in Hank’s hand. “Your meal contains 1.4 times the recommended daily intake of calories and twice the cholesterol level. You shouldn’t eat that.”

Hank shrugged, “You sound like Y/N, I keep telling her, ‘everybodys gotta die of something.’” He pointedly took a larger than necessary bite. If Connor had feelings he assumed he would be feeling frustrated right now. Having two partners with such a strange relationship was tedious enough, having one with no care for his health was proving to be a challenge in his mission.

Connor turned his attention back towards the two men by the food truck. Surely the Lieutenant would be interested in their illicit activities, “I don’t mean to alarm you Lieutenant but I think your friends are engaged in . . .” He lowered his voice, “illegal activities.”

“As long as they’re not hurting anybody, I dont bother ‘em.” The lieutenant's administration of the law was perplexing to Connor. Did he actually care about catching criminals? Or had he given up? His blatant disrespect towards his captain and his partner led Connor to believing the latter.

“This morning when we were chasing this deviants. Why didn’t you want me to cross the highway?”

Hank looked at Connor like he was malfunctioning. “‘Cause you could’ve been killed… And I don’t like filling out paperwork for damaged equipment.”

You snorted, the first noise you’d made since this conversation had started, but said nothing else. “Is there anything you’d like to know about me?”

Hank was quick to answer, “Hell no! Well, yeah, why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?” You lifted your head and glared at Hank, “Jesus, Hank.” Hank looked down at you and shrugged his shoulders, seemingly not understanding why you were angry.

“CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and voice were specifically designed to facilitate my integration.”

Hank nodded and Connor thought maybe he was finally warming up to him, “Well, they fucked up.”

“I think he’s cute.” Connor looked at you, from your hunched position he could see your eyes go wide and your body heat rising. Your heart had started beating dangerously fast and you looked faint. Hank was giving you a long look before he just shook his head, “I’m sure you do.” You ignored Hank and slouched further into yourself.

You cleared your throat and quickly looked up at Connor, before your eyes went back down to your hands. “Maybe you should tell us what you know about deviants.”

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY^

Connor blinked the message away. “We believe a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them emulating a human emotion.” Hank interrupted him, “In english please.”

Connor’s software quickly worked to give him a dialogue option more geared towards those of lower IQ’s. “They don’t really feel emotions, they just get overwhelmed by irrational instructions, which can lead to unpredictable behavior.”

“Emotions fuck everything up.” Your words were clearly only meant for yourself, but Connor had an auditory processor that was ten times more efficient than human hearing. You looked up at Connor, your eyes narrowed and your posture aggressively defensive. “You ever dealt with deviants before?”

He nodded, recalling the hostage situation, “A few months back… A deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl… I managed to save her.”

Your head tilted and your shoulders went slack. “And the deviant?”

“Destroyed at the scene.”

You lied to me Connor.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY^

“So, you’ve done your homework right, know everything there is to know about me?” Connor glanced towards you, you had stolen a fry from the Lieutenant and were making a point not to look at him.

“I know the both of you graduated top of your class, you became the youngest lieutenant in Detroit and Y/N followed in your footsteps becoming the youngest detective in the DPD. You, Lieutenant Anderson have received several disciplinary warnings in recent years and you spend a lot of time in bars.”

“Understatement of the year,” you shook your head and stole another fry.

“And you detective, have received several disciplinary warnings and citations for starting fights, especially with Detective Gavin Reed.”

You frowned and whispered, “Oh, look at me, I found a few files.” You raised your voice and glared at Connor, “Whoopdie-freaking-doo, you searched through our personnel files. You shouldn’t even have access to those.”

Hank ignored you, “So what’s your conclusion?”

“I know you’re both experienced officers, and I’d like to earn your trust. I’m sure if we all work together we can solve this case. But that requires the both of you to be civil with each other.” You opened your mouth, presumably to defend yourself but Connor stopped you. “I just got a report of a suspected deviant. It’s a few blocks away. We should go have a look.”

Hank stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and threw the box in the trash. You trailed behind the two, Connor got into the back seat before either you or Hank could stop him. He needs the two of you to get along, the most likely way for that to happen is to force you both to acknowledge the other.

You glared at him, “I guess I’ve got shotgun.”

“Connor, let’s go.” Connor’s eyes shot open at the gentle tug on his sleeve. Hank was already out of the elevator but you were standing in front of him, waiting for him to go your head tilted towards the entrance of the elevator.

“You run out of batteries or what?” Your hand left his wrist and he followed after you.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY^

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant, I was making a report to CyberLife.”

“That’s cool, you just close your eyes… and what?” Your head was tilted like his was when he had to recalibrate and choose a new approach.

“And I enter what you might call a ‘mind palace’ where I give my report to a CyberLIfe AI representative.”

“Damn, I wish my reports were that easy.”

Hank looked towards you, “What do we know about this guy?”

“Not much, just the information Connor gave us in the car.” Hank looked almost sheepish as he waited by the door of the apartment, you sighed. “You weren’t paying attention, were you?”

“What do you think?” His tone was incredibly bitchy.

“Don’t be a di-”

“A neighbor reported that he heard strange noises coming from this floor. Nobody’s supposed to be living here,” Connor stood from his examination of some feathers on the floor. “The neighbor said he saw a man hiding an LED under his cap.”

“Christ, if we have to investigate every time someone hears a strange noise, we’re gonna need more cops.” You nodded your agreement with Hank as you leaned against the wall. The tension from lunch had somewhat eased, but you still felt uncomfortable in your own skin around the other two. You just wanted to go home and take a warm bath and forget all about this afternoon.

Connor approached the door and knocked. When no one answered he looked to Hank for guidance, he just gave him a smug look and shrugged. He tried again, “Anybody home?” It was cute how he kept looking at Hank. You weren’t sure if he was looking for approval or assistance. “Open up! Detroit police!” And there’s that deep voice again, god it really did something for you. You tried to shift subtly in your spot and just kept picturing your old Barbie dolls. There’s nothing there, there is absolutely nothing there. He’s probably smooth like a Ken doll. Why would a police android need any nice bits? He wouldn’t, so get it together.

A noise in the apartment caught your attention. You stayed on your side of the door while Hank got in front, “Stay behind me.”

“Got it.” Hank looked at you, you pulled out your gun and gave him the go ahead. He busted through the door and you quickly followed behind, searching the area with your gun raised and briefly glancing into each room.

“Clear back here,” you waited for his voice.

“Same here.” You reached another door at the end of the hall and raised a hand to stop him, bouncing on your heels in excitement.

“Can I do it this time, please, please?” Hank gave you a long suffering sigh before he finally moved to the side and nodded. You braced yourself and kicked the door out of the frame-

“The fuck is this?!” You’ve never heard your voice that high before, but it was hard to focus on the embarrassing crack in your voice when you’re getting attacked by fucking pigeons!

By the time you’d managed to wave them all off you, Hank was doubled over laughing his ass off and Connor was brushing a feather off your shoulder. He offered you a hand up from where you’d fallen on your ass in shock.

You really wished he would stop doing that.

It’s the little things that are tricking your heart into believing that something more could come from this partnership. His help off a fence, stopping you from picking at your hands, the small touches to your back or shoulder when he passed you. You were lonely and desperate for any form of connection or love. The fact that you were even projecting that onto an android made shame boil in your stomach and a heavy feeling weigh on your shoulders.

When Hank had recovered from laughing at you he finally took notice of the emptiness of the apartment. “Looks like we’ve come for nothing, our man’s gone.”

“We should still look around, he might be back. At the very least see if he was even an android.” Hank doesn’t look too happy staying in the shit-covered apartment, but he keeps his grumbling to a minimum. You find a strange coded book in a hole in a wall. “Connor, do you understand any of this? Is it like… binary code or something?” You swear to god he actually scoffs at you.

“No, it’s some sort of codex, but it’s indecipherable.” You tell him to keep it, maybe he can figure out what to do with it. You’re getting a bit frustrated, the pigeons keep pecking at your hands and feet and it looks like whoever was living here is long gone. You give up on your search and go stand near an armchair, watching Connor slowly make his way around the apartment.

You let out a long breath and tap your feet impatiently. There’s a build up of anxiety and tension that makes you want to move, do something, anything other than just standing here watching Connor. He informs you there’s thirirum and LED in the bathroom, you couldn’t care less. Your neck feels strained from being hunched in irritation and anger all day. You pull your shoulders down and slowly rolling your neck around, you make the fatal mistake of looking up. Straight into the eyes of the deviant.

“Oh shit-”

Feet first into your already damaged ribs, the air slams out of you in a way that makes you feel like your lungs have collapsed. Your head has gone cold from how hard it reverberated off the ground. Your eyes are buzzing and you can vaguely see two shapes standing over you. One shoves the other, “What are you waiting for, catch it!” A rough hand moves under your shoulders and lifts you up.

“Y/N? Y/N?!” A groan slips out when those hands start shaking you. You blindly slap them away.

“Fuck off, you’re gonna give me a second concussion.” Hank helps you struggle to your feet, your arms gripping onto his forearms. You allow yourself five seconds to recover before you’re shoving off Hank and stumbling down the hall. You slam into the wall a couple of times, you can hear Hank shouting after you but you refuse to let him stop you, evading his reaching hands and shouts of warning. You throw yourself over a fallen cabinet and shove out the door. The light momentarily blinds you and then you see Connor chasing the deviant through a field of wheat and you’re off.

You’re only a couple of yards behind them and shocking yourself with how well you’re doing leaping on and off buildings. You shove your way through the workers blocking the greenhouses and leap over the plants on the table, making your way out of the greenhouse and heading towards the edge of the roof.

Your arms start circling frantically as you attempt to catch your balance. You can do this, you can so totally do this. That one gymnastics class you took when you were twelve was about to come in real handy. “Y/N, NO!” You back up and take a running leap, sliding down the glass ceiling and taking a rolling leap through the broken window.

“HOLY SHIT! WHOO!” You can’t stop yourself from raising your hands in victory and giving a celebratory jump into the air. How in the hell did I just do that? Your celebration is cut short by the sound of a crash.

Keep going

You're running through lavender, behind Connor and parkouring your way up a wall.

You ask yourself why you thought it was necessary to follow after him when you jump on a moving train. Then question changing jobs when you’re leaping off said train onto a fire escape. I better get a fucking raise for this shit.

Halfway through this little adventure you realized it would probably have been smarter to just let Connor go after him and take the long way round, but it was too late and the momentum was too much to stop.

The deviant catches you in a cornfield, body slams you like a linebacker and worsens whatever minor concussion you had into a major one. You can’t see for a couple of seconds as he drags you onto a roof.

“You can’t catch us both!” Connor whips around, there Rupert is standing, an arm's reach away from him. He’s standing on the ledge and in his hand is yours. The tips of your toes are barely grasping onto the ledge and your using both your arms to hold on as tight as possible to the deviant's arm. Your eyes are squeezed shut, your face has lost any color and he can see you trying as hard as possible to keep holding on. The only thing keeping you from being a puddle on the pavement is android strength.

Connor can hear Hank coming up the stairs, there’s only a 40% chance you might survive if he lets you fall.

You force one eye open, it’s all you can manage when you’re looking down at certain death. “Choose wisely.” Both eyes shoot open and you open your mouth to beg, plead, do anything to keep you alive and not be dropped right here and now.

Too late. He’s already pushed you back, you get a sense of deja vu as your arms circle around you wildly, reaching out for something to grab onto. For a moment you feel hope ignite in your chest, Connor is right in front of you and then he’s not.

You can’t see much else besides the blue sky as you fall.

end. — do not own the characters or the game Detroit: Become Human, but this writing is my own all rights reserved © not-neverland06 2023. do not copy, repost, translate & recommend elsewhere.

[snowalwayslandsontop]

@d2sejanus--plinth Coriolanus let himself into the Penthouse apartment, cursing silently when he felt the weight of the world remaining on his shoulders. Usually when he returned home, to their sanctuary, he would feel himself relaxing as soon as he closed the door behind him. But tonight was not going to be one of those nights, he had known that before even leaving the office. His meeting with Ravinstill was playing heavily on his mind and he had been left still dissecting his words and comments long after he had left the Presidents office. He had been working such long hours, most days not getting home until midnight. Games season was almost upon them. The Reaping Ceremony was less than a week away. Finishing touches were still being put on the arena but it was almost ready. Coriolanus had been overseeing all the work and his own plans coming to fruition, as well as keeping an eye on some of the unrest in the Districts. There always was some minor uprisings just before the Games were due to commence, tensions running high. There had been a few minor scuffles but nothing a few well placed bullets and a couple delayed food shipments wouldn't crush quickly. He had gone to see the President, for an update on both the Arena and the events that had been taking place across Panem. Ravinstill had been pleased, or at least Coriolanus had thought so until their meeting was drawing to a close. "I'll be hosting a viewing party for the Games first day. I'd like all spouses and partners to attend. I know that you'll be busy in the control room but Sejanus is more than welcome." Ravinstill had told him as they were wrapping up the meeting. "I believe Sejanus will be rostered on at the hospital on that day Sir." Coriolanus had paused as he was closing his folders and notebook. Sejanus always tried to keep busy during the Games. They were impossible to avoid, short of laying in a dark room until they were over. He never asked Sejanus to attend any of the events, although he had come last year to the Opening Ceremony for the Games. It had been his first year as Head Game Maker and even Sejanus had felt he should attend. To show everyone that he had a supportive partner. "I'm certain that he can take the day off Coriolanus. It's Game season." Ravinstills tone was firm and left no room for discussion. Coriolanus had looked up from his bag that he had busying himself with, seeing the look in the Presidents eyes. Pointed and unwavering. This was not a friendly invitation, extended to the man that most viewed as his spouse. This was mandatory and he knew there was a mild threat in there somewhere. Against him or Sejanus or perhaps both of them. He had been sensing the slight shift in the President lately towards him. Since taking over Gauls position, he had been becoming even more popular amongst the people of Panem and he was certain Ravinstill was starting to view him as a serious threat. He wasn't wrong. "Yes Sir. I'll make sure he's available and in attendance." Coriolanus had simply nodded, knowing he could not risk even hinting that Sejanus wouldn't be attending. He wished the President a good night before he had walked out of his office, feeling sick.

The feeling had not eased, even now that he was home. He'd left the office early, the first time in weeks. He knew Sejanus had been offering to take the later shifts at the hospital, with him away in the lead up to the Games. But he had worked the early shift so Coriolanus knew he'd likely find him somewhere, napping or curled up with a book somewhere. He just needed to see him. He slipped off his jacket and hung it up, placing his briefcase down as he heard footsteps clicking along the wooden hardboard floors. Not Sejanus yet but their Giant Poodle who had come to greet him. That gave him cause to smile as Maple pressed against his legs, clearly waiting for pats and cuddles. He gave a soft woof in greeting and Coriolanus leaned down to give him a scratch behind his ears. "Good evening to you Maple." He gave her some gentle scratches along her jaw, her tail wagging happily. She was always a delight to come home to. He had bought the dog for Sejanus shortly after he had become Head Game Maker. He had known the job would entail long hours and he had loathed the idea of Sejanus coming home to an empty apartment night after night. They had servants but he wanted someone to keep Sejanus company in his absence. "Please tell me that you have not been testing the taste of the couch pillows again. They taste exactly the same as the last ones you ate." he chuckled softly. It was impossible to be mad at him, not when he gave him the same puppy dog eyes that Sejanus gave him. Once Maple was satisfied that with amount of pats and scratches he had gotten, he went running back through the apartment, no doubt to wherever Sejanus was. Coriolanus followed his footsteps, finding Sejanus curled up on one of their oversized lounge chairs. He had fallen asleep, his book opened and resting in his lap. He enjoyed the sight for a few moments. He looked so peaceful and Coriolanus knew the news he was about to bring him would leave him anything but peaceful. Clearly Sejanus must have felt his gaze up upon him because he started to stir. His eyes were heavy as they opened, smiling and looking surprised when he saw Coriolanus standing across the room. "I just got home but I didn't want to disturb you." Coriolanus smiled softly at him, his heart still feeling heavy but a little lighter now.

[theoi-crow]

Hey there, hope you're doing well! This may be a little bit of a sensitive ask (tw pet death) so please feel free to ignore it, but I was wondering if there were any myths about what happens to our pets when they pass, and/or how to honor them. I was thinking of having a little mini altar for my dog, and to give dog treats as offerings, but I wasn't sure if that was proper. Thanks in advance!!

I'm so sorry for your loss…

The ancient Greeks and Romans loved their dogs a lot and although there aren't a lot of stories about dogs in ancient mythology, we've found a lot of graves and epithets written by grieving owners who had to bury their dogs. Here's an example of one:

"I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ago."

Here are the rest: (LINK)

Here's a bit more on how the ancient Greeks cherished and loved their dogs. Plato even called them the greatest philosophers because they knew the difference between good and bad people: (LINK)

"The dog was a companion, protector, and hunter for the Greeks and the spiked collar…was invented by the Greeks to protect the necks of their canine friends from wolves." Source: (LINK)

So as you can see, dogs were very important to the ancient Greeks and they memorialized their dogs too so it's okay to put him on your altar. It won't be disrespectful and the gods will understand.

Here are examples of what they'd often look like:

To talk a bit more about my own grieving experience as a Hellenic polytheist and grieving my dog I hope it's okay if I tell you a bit about my own little dog who I lost this past March:

Mourning a dog is so hard because their love for us is so sincere and pure. They love fiercely and protect us as much as they can even when they're so much smaller than whoever they are challenging (my dog was a tiny Maltese Poodle but boy did that dog loved to bark and try to protect me.)

His death came a lot earlier than we expected, he got early onset doggy dementia also known as canine cognitive decline, which is very similar to human dementia.

He began to forget who we were and his health took a nosedive a few months before he passed. We chose to put him down before he got to the final stage (seizures) because as someone who grew up taking care of someone with seizures, I knew he was going to be in excruciating pain. But because he also had dementia he didn't know who we were so I knew he'd be very scared and in excruciating pain with less than a year to live.

Two weeks before his final appointment he lived like a king. He ate all his favorite foods and treats, watched Hamilton everyday (his favorite character was George Washington) and we had the vet come to our apartment so he would be very comfortable since he hated going to the vet.

The Aftermath:

Mourning the loss of a loved one is hard and although we're all familiar with feeling sadness when we grieve, no one ever talks about the guilt and rage that might come over you during your grieving process.

I was angry at my gods

I didn't even know why, I just was. I was mad at them, myself, my spouse, my school, my neighbors, I just wanted to be left alone. But because I was angry at my gods, my Catholic guilt kicked in and I felt guilty for being angry with my gods. I was spiraling because I was trying not to be angry and trying so hard to be sad instead.

But that's when Apollo showed up and I had an honest conversation with him about the guilt behind how I was grieving:

He told me that anger is a natural part of the mourning period. Not everyone will grieve the same but being angry with your gods is normal because when we lose someone who we loved so much there will be a flood of emotions that we didn't know we would feel and forcing them to express in only a sad way keeps you from truly processing your grief. My anger was a part of my grieving process, and so was my confusion and denial of having lost my dog. This was all normal.

I was so overwhelmed with my feelings of rage, guilt, and shame that we left home for a week so I could be away from my altar, my gods and from finding the many dog bones my dog hid before passing.

I desperately needed a break from my gods and they understood.

They weren't upset with me. They knew how much my dog meant to me and how much I loved him, so we left and I was able to process my emotions outside of my home. Prior to this I never understood why people in shows and movies needed to go on a trip when they suffered a loss but after my dog passed I was overwhelmed with the desire to be in nature. To be with Gaia, to be with Demeter. (Two gods I don't normally work with but I desperately needed)

It's okay to go through your own grieving process as it comes. To accept your feelings as they are.

It's okay to feel angry when you're grieving. It's also okay to be angry at your gods because they understand you're grieving. And finally, it's okay to memorialize your dog in whatever way brings you the most comfort.

My dog's little box sits on my altar. He gets his treats and has an electric candle we make sure never turns off. I often mentally see him sitting on Ares' lap or playing fetch with Hermes. He hangs out with my gods and I know my gods don't hold my grieving process against me. They know losing a dog was hard for the ancient Greeks and it's still hard for their modern followers because losing someone who loves you so unconditionally and accepts you for who you truly are without judgment is the hardest thing to do. I wanted to share this with you so you can grieve freely and honor your dog in whatever form brings you the most comfort. The gods understand and they will grieve with you & be there for you.

I personally believe all dogs go straight to the Elysian Fields because dogs are our greatest heroes.

[angelasscribbles]

The De Facto Queen Chapter 2: Guilt

Series: The De Facto Queen

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Drake, Riley x Liam

Rating: Teen

Warnings for this chapter: Mild Language

Word Count: 2,266

A/N: I know chapter one was over 5k words. This is more in line with the average length of my chapters. But drop a note in the comments if you have a preference for longer or shorter chapters (just to satisfy my curiosity)

My other stuff: Master List.

Unity Tour, Day 2, Portavira (Evening/Night)

She was parted from Liam almost the moment they were out of the car. Landon whisked Liam away for something and she was set upon by Penelope, Max, and Hana for a puppy playdate.

Her work was never done it would seem. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed with Drake and decompress from this day, but those poodles were the way to Penelope’s heart, and therefore support, and she knew it.

With a public smile and an inward sigh, she fired off a quick text to Drake, “Waylaid by Penelope and poodles. There’s something we need to discuss. Meet me in my room in an hour?”

Technically they each had their own room, but she wasn’t planning on sleeping alone. It was a Cordonian custom not to put unmarried people in the same room, even engaged ones. Drake told her it was about respecting people’s independence and that even many married couples in Cordonia kept separate bedrooms. It was less about romance and more about individuals needing their own space. She understood and it made sense. But she was planning to snuggle up next to her man at every opportunity.

An hour later she found not just Drake but Liam waiting for her in her room.

“Ah, there you are!” Liam smiled at her as he tapped on his phone, “Hold on, I’m texting Max and Hana to meet us here as well.”

“Oh,” she left the door ajar so they wouldn’t have to knock, “if I had known, they could have just walked back with me. They were with me meeting Penelope’s poodles.”

“It’s okay,” Drake assured her as he took her in his arms, “they’re right down the hall.”

“Mm,” she agreed as her lips met his. She kissed him quickly and then stepped away, cognizant of Liam’s eyes on them. She turned to face him, “Why are you in my bedroom?”

He smiled serenely at her, “I was going to ask all of you to meet me. I called Drake first and he mentioned he was already meeting you here, so I decided I would come to you. Ah, here’s everyone else now.”

“We’re here!” Max called out as he sauntered through her bedroom door with Hana right behind him.

“I guess we can get this meeting started now,” Drake flopped down onto the bed, folding his arms behind his head, and crossing one leg over the other, “So, what’s up?”

Max and Hana both found chairs and then looked at Liam expectantly.

“Why is everyone here? Are we having a sleepover?” Riley quipped then her eyes widened as they darted from Drake to Liam. Earlier events with Liam made that joke hit differently and she flushed as she caught his eye.

Liam chuckled softly, “No such luck.”

No one but her seemed to read anything into that. Thankfully.

“Why are we all here?” she asked again.

“Right,” Liam snapped into business mode, “It’s about the match tomorrow. I wanted to update you all and ensure we’re all on the same page.”

Liam quickly ran through the information he had received from Landon in the hour since she had last seen him, and they discussed their plan of attack for the competition. She wondered if it was Landon’s idea, or Liam’s to put her on the same team as the king, and not her husband.

As if reading her mind, Liam said, “Landon and I thought it presents the most unified front if you and I, as Cordonia’s representatives are on the same team as Lady Penelope.”

Riley was the only member of the group that had never played so Hana offered to give her a quick crash course on techniques and strategy. She hesitated, her eyes going to Drake.

“That’s a great idea! I’ll come help!”

“Me too!” Max volunteered.

“I would join you, but I have a conference call with the Canadian prime minister in fifteen minutes,” Liam told her regretfully.

As they were leaving the room, Drake’s phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced down at the screen and then up at her, “Shit. It’s my mom, I forgot it’s Wednesday.”

She smiled affectionately at him as she reached up to tousle his hair, “Go on and answer it, Hana and Max can teach me what I need to know.”

“Are you sure?” he asked uncertainly.

“I’m sure, babe,” the fact that he never missed his mom’s weekly call was something she admired about him. It showed commitment to family.

“Okay,” he nodded as he swiped the call open. He knew that if he didn’t take it, she would just keep calling. And worrying about why he wasn’t answering.

“Love you,” she grinned at him as she waggled her fingers goodbye.

“Love you too,” he mouthed as he blew her a kiss.

She stepped through the door, pulled it shut behind her and then turned to find Liam still in the hall outside her room, “I thought you had a conference call.”

“I do, but I wanted to check in with you. You haven’t told him, have you?”

“Liam! Be quiet!” Her eyes widened and her head swung wildly around, her eyes searching the hallway.

“I sent Hana and Max on ahead,” he told her, “I’ll walk you out to the stables.”

A deep sigh of relief escaped her as she turned and walked with him, “No, I haven’t. That was the first time I’ve seen him since I last saw you. I got waylaid by poodles.”

Liam laughed, “You’ll have to tell me that story!”

“It’s not as exciting as it sounds,” she rolled her eyes with a smile.

“Oh, it sounds riveting!” He joked.

“Well, you know what scintillating company Penelope can be.”

“Indeed,” he snickered.

“Liam, thank you.”

Surprised struck through him, “For what?”

“Not saying anything to Drake about earlier. It should come from me.”

“Riley, it is not my intention to interfere with your relationship in any way. Tonight was a momentary lapse in judgment. I’d like to apologize again-“

“Liam, stop,” she placed a hand on his arm, “There’s nothing to apologize for. I kissed you as much as you kissed me.”

“Be that as it may, I instigated it, therefore I take full responsibility.” He stopped as they reached the edge of the polo field, “Well, here we are.”

He turned to face her as they stopped walking. Her hand was still resting on his arm. Their bodies were mere inches apart, bathed in moonlight, electricity snapping between them.

She felt self-conscious as she glanced over to where Hana and Max were waiting for her then back to Liam, “Don’t want to miss your conference call.”

“That I don’t,” he took her hand and lifted it to his mouth. His fingers burned her skin where they pressed into her palm, his lips sent electric jolts shooting from the back of her hand straight to her heart.

She felt like a traitor as Drake’s image swam before her eyes.

Liam stood up and released her hand, giving her a little bow, he told her, “Enjoy your lessons. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He pulled his eyes away from her, threw a quick wave to Hana and Max, and then turned and made his way back to the main house.

She watched him go, warmth and guilt flooding her in equal measure.

Part of her wanted to turn and run straight back to her room so that she could tell Drake everything right this minute. Part of her wanted to never tell him any of it. Instead, she drew in a fortifying breath, pulled her shoulders back, pasted a smile on her face, and made her way over to her friends.

“Everything okay?” Hana asked.

“Everything is fine,” Riley assured her.

“Hmmm.” Hana gave her a skeptical look but let it drop.

“Okay, let’s get this lesson moving!” Max handed her a mallet and the next two hours flew by in a haze. By the end of the night, she could play passably well.

“I don’t know about you two,” Max pulled his helmet off and shook his head, flinging sweat from his hair everywhere, “but I’m wiped! I’ll see you in the morning! Good job, Ri! You’ll knock ‘em dead tomorrow!”

“Thanks, Max, you’re the best!”

“I know!” He grinned at her before trotting his horse over to the side of the field where the horse’s handlers were waiting.

Hana nudged her horse abreast of Riley’s as they trailed a good bit behind the younger Beaumont. By the time they made it to the edge of the pitch, he was already gone.

“Okay, Max is gone now,” Hana dismounted and handed the horse over to one of the stable hands, “So spill. I know something is wrong. I can read it all over you!”

Riley rolled her eyes as she followed suit and dismounted. She had never been able to hide anything from Hana. It was occasionally annoying. But mostly she was grateful for the friendship they had fallen into so quickly and so easily.

She pulled off her helmet as she made her way to the seating area. Hana followed quietly behind her, giving her an expectant look as they sat. Riley glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear anything. The stable hands had led the horses off the field, and they were alone in the stands.

“Well?”

“Liam kissed me!”

“What? When?”

“Today! On the damn yacht!”

“And you told him he was out of line and to fuck all the way off, right?”

Riley ducked her head and then turned to glance back out over the polo field again.

Hana’s mouth fell open, “Riley? What happened?”

“I kissed him back, okay?”

“No, that is not okay! You’re engaged to Drake!”

“I know that!”

“Sorry, sorry! I know you know that but…shit, Riley! I knew you weren’t really over him! I told you that you moved on with Drake too fast!”

“I know! You were right! But I do love Drake! I love him, Hana, and I want to marry him!”

“Okay but…what are you going to do about Liam?”

“I mean….” Riley wiped a few errant tears from her cheeks, “He apologized for it and said it would never happen again.”

“And you believe that?”

Riley took a long time before answering, “I don’t know. I know he means it, but Hana, I swear to God, the tension between us is still there, and ignoring isn’t working. It just keeps getting stronger and I….I’m not sure I want it to never happen again!”

There, she said it.

“I mean you did sleep with him five minutes after turning down his proposal.”

“I did.”

“And you were pretty deeply in love with him.”

“I was.” Hot, wet tears welled up in her eyes.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Never be alone with him again,” she choked out with a half sob, half laugh.

“I’m not sure that’s realistic, but if that’s your plan, I suppose I can start shadowing you everywhere. You can make me your personal assistant and tell everyone that I’m overbearing, and you can’t get rid of me!”

Riley laughed through the tears, “That’s not remotely believable!”

“I guess not,” Hana patted her hand, “Are you going to tell Drake?”

“I have to, don’t I?”

“That’s entirely up to you. If it’s really never going to happen again, maybe it’s okay to just forget about it.”

“I don’t know…that feels dishonest. A lie of omission.”

“I agree. But of course, I’ll support whatever you decide.”

“You’re a good friend, Hana.”

“So are you. And you’re a good girlfriend too. Everyone can see how in love the two of you are. Don’t be so hard on yourself. People make mistakes and Liam doesn’t strike me as someone that’s easy to get over. Drake had a ringside seat for your entire relationship and the aftermath. I think he’ll understand.”

“I hope so. If the shoe were on the other foot, I’m not sure I’d be very understanding.”

“So, when are you going to tell him?”

“Right now,” she wiped her face with determination as she stood, “Tonight, as soon as I get back to my room!”

“All right. Come on, I’ll walk back with you,” Hana offered her hand, and Riley took it.

They parted ways at her bedroom door. Riley watched as Hana walked several doors down then turned and waved at her, before slipping into her own room.

Drake was lying on the bed, his phone still resting on his shoulder, snoring. She stifled a giggle. It wasn’t the first time he’d fallen asleep listening to his mother ramble about whatever drama was going on in her hometown. She gently removed the phone and plugged it into the charger on the bedside table.

She smiled at him softly with a shake of her head before heading into the bathroom to wash the dust from the polo field off her body and the stress of the day from her soul.

When she got out of the shower, she found Drake had stripped off his clothes, turned off the lights, and was under the covers, snoring. With a sigh that was equal parts dismay and relief, she dropped her towel on the floor, slid under the covers with him, and wrapped herself around him.

His hand went to hers where it lay across his abdomen and his body shifted slightly, pressing back into hers.

Tomorrow, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, I’ll tell him tomorrow.

[yourbestpalpercy]

Beginning to the fight in the au

Nick: “Woah, pretty cool animatronic, Percy. Hold long did it take you?” *Nick asked, approaching Percy Poodle*

Pal: “Hee~! At least a month..or two! Potentially longer. It has this awful habit of overheating sometimes but I’m working on fixing it! Also, it’s more of a mech suit than an animatronic! I know I won’t be singing to little kiddies with Percy Poodle here!”

Nick: “Why make it a dog then?” *Nick asked next with a small giggle, teasing Pal as he ruffled his hair.*

Pal: “Gah-! Nick, I told you I wasn’t a fan of that, it takes forever to comb into place,” *Pal takes off his head band and begins to brush his hair back into place. He then readjusts his head band before stepping up to Percy Poodle with a proud expression. Pal takes his claws and twists them in the light.* “I made it a dog because I feel like any other animal wouldn’t do. Not to mention the time it would take to make a human or one of those things in the old cartoons! Also. I prefer dogs,” *Pal chuckled, wiping off the claws and making sure they’re shiny.*

Nick: “Hrm…” *Nick notices how sharp the claws were on Percy’s paws along with the potential fire hazard that the fabric ears and tail would be.* “What’s with the sharp claws?”

Pal: “Huh? O-Oh! Uhm..” *Pal looks around for a reason,* “TamaLanki suggested in his own little language that I add them for cutting fruit. I did it just so he wouldn’t bother me about it. Oh! You remember the Tamas, right Nick?” *Pal asked, putting Percy’s arm back into place before inviting Nick over to his desk where 7, small tamagotchis sat.*

Nick: “I..think so but you’ll have to job my memory again, it’s been ages after all.”

Pal: *He picks up the first 4, leaving the other 3 deactivated.* “The other 3 are just more TamaRoachis. He doesn’t like being alone,” *Pal carefully sets the little electronics on the ground before activating each one with a gentle few taps.*

-All 4 wake up with their own little movements. TamaOpti reveals its tendrils and almost immediately threatens Nick with killing him (before Pal put an end to that). TamaLanki spreads out it’s long limbs and death curls Nick’s arm, gently monching his arm before Pal also put a stop to that. TamaBruti has a moment of panic (He doesn’t like new people) before charging into Nick’s leg while trying to hide. TamaRoachi chirps, looking around. It then buzzes before falling back into sleep mode, not today, sorry.*

Nick: *Nick laughs softly, holding each one gently.* “Gosh..I forgot how cute these little…tamagotchis(?) are. I think the Roach and Eyeball one are new though.”

Pal: “I named them TamaRoachi and TamaOpti respectively,” *Pal looked over at the Percy mech before rounding up the tamas and putting them back into Sleep Mode.* “Hey Nick. Could I get your help with something? I built a compartment into the Percy Poodle animatronic for a place to sit when controlling it. Unfortunately…I am really short. ‘Pocket Sized’ as you used to call me,” *Percy teased with a chortle, poking Nick.* “Think you could help me into Percy? Or at least reach the latch?” *Percy places the Tamas into a hatch in the back of the animatronic.*

Nick: *Nick looks over at the Percy animatronic.* “Are you sure you can even get in there?”

Pal: “Not without your help Nick! I lost the ladder!” *Pal smiled and took Nick’s hand before walking over to the mech.* “Come on, it’ll be fine!”

Nick: “I-I mean…” *Nick looks back over at the fabric tail and ears.* “…If you’re sure it’s safe…” *Nick approaches the mech before picking up Pal and lifting him up to the hatch.*

Pal: “Remember how we used to do it? Question, do you still have good balance?” *Pal asked, looking down at him*

Nick: “Oh no. P-Percy, I’m not sure-.”

Pal: *Pal cuts him off.* “According to my calculations of our ages and current weights, I should be able to stand on your shoulders and be able to get into my mech with 0 issues. If you help me of course!” *Pal winks with a smirk.*

Nick: “Ha…you’re not gonna stop suggesting into until I do, huh?”

Pal: “Nope! Minus well help me up now!” *Pal laughed proudly.*

Nick: “You are so needy,” *Nick chuckled before carefully balancing Pal on his shoulders* “You be carefully up there!”

Pal: “I am always careful!” *Pal reaches for the hatch, suddenly grumbling.* “Crap.”

Nick: “Oh no…what’s wrong?” *Nick asked.*

Pal: “Ehehe…I-I added tough to open latches on the opening the avoid anyone else going inside that wasn’t me,” *Pal looked embarrassed, looking back down at Nick.* “These things are gonna be the death of me…” *Pal began to fiddle and mess around with the latches, struggling to open them before the latch swung open, almost tipping Pal and Nick over when it aggressively flipped upward.*

(Side note: I know that the ref for Pal and Percy in my au shows the hatch with a downwards opening but I just bow realized at 3:43 am how impractical that is, so I’m having it open upwards)

Pal: *Pal covered his eyes, quivering before feeling Nick stabilize the two of them.*

Nick: “Percy? Are you alright? That latch opened rather quickly..”

Pal: *Pal gulps, quivering,* “Y-Yeah…I’m fine…” *Pal commands Nick to move forward now so Pal could sit down in his mech.* “…Hey Nick?” *Pal murmured as he climbed into the seat and began to start everything up.*

Nick: “Erm..” *Nick rubs his shoulders and looks up at Pal.* “Yeah?” *Admittedly, the mech looked rather intimidating from Nick’s point of view. Pal deadass built an 8 foot tall mech huh?*

Pal: “I just wanna say..thank you for being my idiotic, best, Pal…” *Pal smiled, his smile growing ominous along with his giggle as the hatch closed. The inside of the mech glowed a toxicating green glow as everything began to boot up in the mech.*

Nick: *Nick knew something was wrong by how Pal laughed like a mad scientist at this. He..never done that. Nick stepped back, getting anxious.*

Pal: *Pal grins, the glass lighting up with a cup minigame along with words and expressions.* “Haha! It worked! This is TRULY HAPPENING! Oh you. are. a. TRUE. FOOL, Nick! Thinking that this was just a normal get together! HA! Of course not..!” *Pal brought Percy’s fist down on Nick.*

Nick: *Nick barely manages to dodge it along with Pal’s swipes and even attempt of stomping him flat.*

Pal: *Pal smirks smugly,* “You’re fast Nick, I’ll give you that! But as all villains have said before. You can’t dodge forever…”

Nick: *Nick bolts out of the room during this explanation, beginning the bossfight.*

[mikazuki-juuichi]

Ballroom (Beastars fanfic --Miguno x Durham).

Third drabble I wrote while recovering. Hope you all ejoy!

*

H drabbles III: Ballroom.

By: Yawar.

Canon: Beastars fanfic.

**

It's hard running in fine moccassins. Durham knows his feet will resent it tomorrow. But if he doesn't make it in time he's gonna regret it all of today. And then before he knows it, here it is --Gulag, that small punk club that's easy to miss at first, tucked between two run-down apartment complexes. There's this small sign by the door advertising that tonight "The Carrions" are playing --that is Miguno's band. He takes just a minute to catch his breath. He's positive he's dressed all wrong for this place -- a coyote in his fancy borrowed grey suit and brown tie. Too bad!

**

"Guess who's Hikaru´s date for the next grand ball!" he had told the hyena playing guitar on the lower bunk bed, in his heart-patterned underpants.

"Hikaru?" said his best friend, Miguno. "That poodle girl from the gold district?"

"Fancy family! And you're looking at her next date!" Durham beamed. For all of five seconds. "I mean, she's no doubt slumming it, but--"

"All her curly fur," said Miguno, sincerely, as he climbed down from the bed. "Is not worth a single strand of yours."

"...why, thank you!" After a somewhat awkward pause, Durham added: "Huh, the real problem, though... is that I don't know how to dance. I mean not this kind of--"

"I can teach you. Hey, might be a fun project, even!"

**

In general, Durham did not have much luck dating. Maybe he just looked too rough or had too much of a reputation. Too unpolished, maybe a bit scary. Legosi 2.0 maybe.

The other boys in the dorm were so-so about it. Collot would date on and off. Voss and Jack were always preocupied with other stuff. Legosi was terrified of anything resembling dating.

Miguno, now, though. Dating did not seem to concern him at all. In everything else, he and Durham got along so well, were almost of one mind. They could talk for hours, hang out... enjoy each other's company. One way or another.

**

"And spin! Got it?"

"I still don't know if I'm playing the guy or the girl."

"The guy," said his lead. "Because you have your hand on my back. I'm holding your hand, yeah? Now, one more time! Step, step, spin!"

After only a few days using the dance room at the hours they knew it would be empty, Durham was amazed to discover how little he actually knew about dancing in general. How had he ever come to believe it was easy?

Still, he did get the gist of it, bit by clumsy bit. And then there was something so... sensual aobut it, so intimate. Whenever he got the steps right, he and Miguno felt fully in tune, moving as one. Would it feel like that with Hikaru, he sometimes wondered.

**

"The ball is when?"

"This saturday night, why?"

"Oh..." He saw Miguno's ears briefly go down, then right back up. "No, nothing! Just checking, really!"

But Durham recalled. "Wait. Saturday. Your band! The gig at the club, right?"

"Ah, it's not that big a deal..."

"...now your tail is down, too. Hey." He placed an arm around Miguno, drew him close. "It's unfortunate but you know I'll always attend every other gig. You know that, right?

"I do! I know. And I mean --this is important, of course! It's okay, really, it is!"

**

As it turned out, dancing with Hikaru did not feel quite so sensous, or intimate, or really much of anything at all. Less so once it dawned on him that she was mostly using him to tease another guy at the ball, some apparently popular German Shepherd who had brought a dreamy-eyed vixen as his own date. Yup. Slumming it with the big scary coyote. Yet again.

Coyotes, not so majestic nor impressive, except maybe in the eyes of--

...what was he doing here?

Between pieces, he excused himself to the restroom --and sneaked out.

Now, what was the name of that club and where was it?

**

The Carrions were just wrapping up the second number. He was in time after all, just about!!

He recognized the song. "Bloody loser". That ditty Miguno had written a couple months ago about a bleeding, bruised man who had just lost a match --but whom the lyrics described as beautiful.

Oh.

Wow.

How had Durham never realized who the song was about?

*

Miguno finished his rift, opened his eyes.

Could not believe what he was seeing. Durham, front and center, clapping. Cheering. Jumping up and down. Still in the borrowed suit!

*

Intermission. They ran to each other.

"What... how..?" said Miguno.

"Ball was a..." Durham began.

Another song began, different band.

Not at all a piece for slow dancing.

Durham offered his hand, had to shout to be heard. "May I?"

"I --thought you'd never ask!" But Miguno placed his hand on the small of Durham's back, just above the tail. "Only, mind if this time..?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Durham guffawed!

*

Coyote and hyena, two males slow-dancing together to a rock-punk ditty. One dressed for this place, one not. They look rather out of place --and could not care less. They are in their own private heaven.

**

END

**

[essential-existential]

The Road that Stretches Inexplicably

and you’re not sure you ever want to be romantic again--you can’t believe in it;

but you still miss having sex with her.

and you remember how she left her used tea bag in the sink so it would drain but you’d still have to throw it out later anyway;

and you remember how she forgot her textbook in your studio apartment after she left before you could really start the fight you wanted to fight for--how you sighed in resignation running down the stairs to return it to her--how her voice sounded then, crying, that she wasn’t good for anybody, how you felt the same but just never articulated it like that--how you should’ve hugged her regardless, but instead you did that thing you do when you don’t want to look in a mirror;

and you remember the detail in the binding of the vonnegut book you gifted her for her nineteenth birthday, the one she gave away and never reclaimed;

and you remember smoking a joint with her would-be roommate and telling her in the car how you were seeing some older hostess you worked with and how she said there were other people she knew doing the same;

and you remember the girl at the halloween party who gave you a sly look like she wanted something from you before saying ‘oh you’re waiting for your friend’ while the only reason you were there was in the bathroom;

and you remember how your now dead friend told you he saw her before getting on the train and asked how she was doing because you talked about her all the time;

and you remember the concerned and confused look that that old lady gave you at your great-uncle’s funeral when she asked what you went to school for and you told her earnestly it was for a girl, but really it was your idea first to go there and it had something to do with an old video of these guys eating a massive won-ton stuffed with fried rice downtown, and while you were visiting the city your mother nearly crashed the car with your family friends because the windshield was covered in ice as you returned from your first time in a climbing gym;

and you remember the incredulity on the face of your then best friend from marching band when you told him you were going to marry her, she was the most beautiful girl you’d ever seen and you didn’t care that he didn’t believe you because he hadn’t seen the poodle doodles she was capable of;

and you remember--vaguely--singing the song kanye made, before he grew unpopular, with her while blacking out and friends asked if you were okay before wobbling on the train as it raced to the next station;

and you remember the first time you held her hand in the forest in springtime, passing another new young couple who just turned fourteen who were also hand in hand but you can’t recall the scandal of how they started dating;

and you remember how she sounded when she sneezed into the vacuum of a quiet library and that no book had ever taught nor warned you that it’s possible to drown in affection;

and you remember dropping off the car at the mechanic who knew your father in middletown and having to ride your bike home for miles but you just had to make it longer by first going to the graves at fairview to see if you could find that old tree and the memory that no one could steal on your own;

and you remember being in that forest on a bike under the blaze of an august sun a week after your nineteenth with your friends when the immense dose of lysergic acid hit and how you recalled then that that’s where you learned michael jackson died and you felt all gravity spin and contort and it appeared as if your friends were suddenly miles ahead of you beyond a tunnel and the wave of nausea nearly ended you before you rode your bike all the way home;

and you remember your friends wondering why you wouldn’t move on but they had no idea what her eyes looked like in the sun or the rain, and couldn’t stomach the softness of her voice as it whispered, or even begin to contemplate the texture of her lips, or the hue of the world as she alters it with her words;

and you knew then that god himself will have to pry the bloodied love out of your cold heart with omnipotent hands and hypnotize you with a sacred lullaby before you put your dream to bed;

and you’re not sure you ever want to speak with her again, that it’s fruitless, but she might pass away tomorrow, what then? leave all you ever wanted to say, unsaid?

[the-berf]

As with all things, there has to be an ending, a conclusion of some kind. Sometimes it just takes years (even decades) for it to build and swell to bursting point. Carmy's panic was one such thing. Gnarly panic attacks which were more and more difficult to get under control, breathing problems, palpitations. It all culminated in an unfortunate incident that led to an ambulance being called and Carmy was rushed to hospital. Thankfully he wasn't dying. It was worse (in his eyes), he was having a major panic attack.

It was bad enough to be told that he wasn't having a heart attack (all he heard was that he wasn't seriously ill and was wasting precious time that could be spent with those actually in need). Even worse was that Sugar was there, listening, nodding along and talking about referrals. Carmy didn't need a referral. He didn't want to see anyone about anything. He wasn't dying so he was fine, suitably humiliated and embarrassed to have endured this whole fiasco.

Therapy doesn't do much other than give him some pretty labels that he doesn't much care for. Anxiety, depression, C-PTSD, they're all just words to him. He could say he was a purple elephant with enough conviction to make someone believe he believed it. Much like he could say "I love you" to his mother. Though, deep down, he knew he meant that on some level. He did love her. He also hated her.

What Carmy didn't expect was to be put on a list for a therapy dog. He bitched and grumbled about it but when the call came, he still went to meet the mutt, fully prepared to refuse it. She was called Milva, a poodle cross for minimal shedding and hypoallergenic, a harness declaring her a service dog around her chest. That evening Carmy laid on the sofa, Milva on the floor next to him, his fingers scratching through her fur.

While the kitchen was no place for a dog, Milva was happy to stay in the office, only trotting out when tension rose beyond usual levels in the kitchen. How she could tell the difference was a mystery to Carmy, if he was calling out orders rapid fire and under the usual stress of the kitchen, she stayed put. But the moment his stomach clenched horribly, his hands shook if he wasn't in motion, even the smallest of things irritated him, she was there. Nose first she'd make herself known, nudging against his hand or thigh until his attention was on her. Looking at her helped, then she'd give his fingers a lick. Carmy would have to go wash his hands but it meant he stepped away from the situation, could breathe through the surge of emotions. There were a lot fewer screaming matches as a result.

More importantly though, the times Carmy was out back, on his own and in his own world, Milva was there too. The first time Carmy looked at her, sitting and staring soulfully at him as he trembled through emotions he didn't have names for, he bit back a sob. Squirming closer, Milva had licked at his cheek and he laughed, pushing her away. It didn't deter her though. She was there the next time. And the next, in her little vest, working harder than most of the kitchen staff Carmy had encountered in his career. Tipping point came when, after aparticularly bad service, Carmy was sat in the rain, unable to even light a cigarette. A soft whine and a paw on his knee let him know Milva was there, as always. The lick to his cheek didn't garner the reaction of a laugh and being pushed away. Something in Carmy broke. He found himself clutching at her, face buried in the soft fur of her neck and sobbing. By the time he was all cried out they were both soaking wet, dripping and stinking like wet dogs. The kitchen had been cleaned up by the others and they traipsed through, leaving a trail of water.

After that, the office gained a comfortable dog bed rather than a blanket haphazardly thrown on the floor. Though he wasn't ready to admit it just yet, Carmy was also considering turning a corner of the dining area into a dog friendly area. For all the Milva had given him, he wanted to give a little back.

[jodilinbio]

I don’t remember my mother working until I was older, though I vaguely recall my parents owning a record store when I was very young. Also, when I was little, my father did some extermination work for my mom’s dad, who owned an extermination business.

During my teens, both parents traveled the state selling eyeglass frames to optometrists. They even traveled a bit in New Hampshire and Vermont.

In my early twenties, before they moved down to Florida, they owned a jewelry store in a mall. It was actually one of those carts set up in the center of the walkway between the rows of stores.

The pets we had growing up consisted of poodles, birds, and some rodents. I had gerbils and guinea pigs when I was older. We also had a rabbit for a while during my later childhood, as well as some hermit crabs.

The only thing I really remember my mother telling me about sex and boys was basically not to do anything more than kiss on the first date and to make sure the man I married was Jewish.

“But what if I fall in love with someone who isn’t Jewish?” I once asked her.

“You don’t let it happen,” she said.

As I grew older, I realized how silly that was. Like we can control who we’re attracted to or who we fall in love with any more than we can control our preferences for colors or flavors? Should it even matter who we fall in love with as long as we’re happy?

But I always preferred women over men, at least for the most part. So later on in life, when I was twenty-four, openly bi, and visiting my parents in Florida, my father told me not to tell anyone about my sexuality.

“Why?” I asked him. “Should I be ashamed of it? Because if someone I told had an issue with it, I wouldn’t want them in my life anyway.”

During my preteen years, I was often left at my aunt and uncle’s house with their two daughters, which wasn’t usually much fun. June was a bundle of nerves, and Ronnie, my mother’s brother, was a mean bully. This was probably why June was usually wound up and divorced him later on.

Cousins Lori and Lisa could sometimes be fun to hang out with, but sometimes they could be little terrors. Lori, who was a year older than me, liked to boss me around. I was closer to Lisa, who was a year younger.

For reasons still unknown to me, my uncle always seemed to harbor animosity towards me. I haven’t seen any of them since I was around twenty years old, and I can’t say I miss them.

Ronnie was definitely the worst, shoving me around when I didn’t move fast enough for his liking when we’d go out somewhere, and just being a bully in general. My sister Tammy did her own bullying too, and once bloodied my lip right in front of him. He just sat there staring at us dumbly, as if it was perfectly normal behavior.

I had mixed emotions about leaving Ronnie and June’s place when I stayed with them. While I looked forward to returning to my own bed and toys, I dreaded facing my mother’s wrath, which could be quite nerve-wracking, even scary. It was worse when Tammy was with me because I knew she would tell my mother all sorts of horrible things I supposedly said and did, most of which she made up. But Tammy was the oldest, and that meant she was the most believable, so I would certainly be punished if she decided to tell on me, whether the stories were true or not.

When I was around ten, the visits to their house stopped. I’m not sure why. Maybe Ronnie and June were tired of having me there, or maybe my parents were fighting with them. I know they had their fights with them, just like they did with my father’s brother and his wife. Someone was always fighting with someone in my family. Mom or Dad would beat up on Larry, who beat up on Tammy, who beat up on me. It was crazy, and I often wondered if there’d ever come a day when someone was killed.

The more I think about it as I write this, the more I believe they did have a falling out, and it was probably over an injury I received in the town’s high school gym. This seems to be around the time the visits stopped. During the summer when I was around ten, I spent most of the summer at their house, and Lori, Lisa, and I would ride our bikes to the high school for daytime activities. There were sports, crafts, swimming, etc. It was actually kind of fun.

I was a bit of a gymnast in those days, though I certainly preferred ice skating and roller skating. One day in the gym, I was doing a series of handsprings over the vault. On one particular handspring, I veered toward the side once my hands hit the vault and my feet were directly overhead. I ended up badly spraining my pinky finger. At first, I thought it was broken because of how swollen it was.

My less-than-sympathetic uncle did nothing about it, and this could very well have been why they stopped talking. When I later joined my parents at our summer cottage at the beach, Mom wasn’t too happy about it at all. She took me to a clinic right away, and they put a splint on my finger. So yeah, it probably was broken.

I always felt more uncomfortable when Lori and Lisa would come to stay with us versus when I stayed with them. There may have been Ronnie to deal with at their place, but at my place, there was my mother, who would often compare me to them (not in a good way) and give me the “Why can’t you be more like them?” spiel, making me feel like I wasn’t good enough as I was. It seemed I could never measure up to Lori and Lisa, no matter what I did.

My other uncle, Martin, who people called Marty, wasn’t much better. He was a mean bully too, and I doubt he’d have hesitated to kill me one day when I pissed him off by slamming the door in his face if I hadn’t frozen in fear.

“Open this door!” he demanded when I shut it on him when he came over looking for my parents, who weren’t home at the time. This was because of the way he and his wife treated me when I stayed with them at the campgrounds they camped at which I’ll get to later. So I opened the door and let him scream at me. Even his mother was scared. As I grew older, my fear turned to anger, so it’s lucky for both of us that I simply stood there and took his shit. Had I been like I am now, I’d have either gone to jail for kicking his ass, or he’d have gone to jail for kicking mine. I hope he would have anyway!

Even my father had an underlying macho stance despite being usually mellow, and I did see him slap my mother once when I was around eight. This memory has haunted me throughout the years. It’s even more disturbing to know that had my mother resisted after being slapped, he’d have probably beaten her right there in front of me, never caring how it might have traumatized me. After he slapped her, my mother tried to justify his behavior in a private one-on-one, assuring me it was only because of his heart issues. I was just a kid back then and believed anything I was told. However, as an adult, I know that this was a poor excuse for his actions and that if my mother had had any self-respect, she wouldn’t have made such lame excuses for him. Lots of people have health problems like he did, yet they don’t go around slapping their wives and traumatizing their children.

Marty’s wife, Ruth, could be sweet at times, but she was the phoniest person I ever met! She had a big mouth and loved to gossip, but so did the whole family. They had two kids, Polly and Philip though I didn’t see them very often.

[trsrina]

If its alright, may I request for maki? Maybe he's from a different class since he's younger than y/n and he tries to confess or something in a cute way? I hope that's okay to do but if you can't its understandable!🤗 (requested by @allysheart )

TUTOR &TEAM Maki

written in second person pov, gender neutral reader, high school au, fluff, reader is older than maki warning!! mentions of food. wc : 674 words

maki has looked forward to tuesdays ever since his first year at sunshine city high, when he first met you and you were introduced to him by your advisor as his student tutor.

“is this a new pen? where did you get it? it’s so pretty,” maki rambled on, interrupting your teaching and looking at the normal looking pen fascinatedly.

snatching the pen out of his hands, you ordered, “maki, focus, please.”

time flies by fast and now you were in your senior year meanwhile maki was in his junior year. though maki’s grades have already improved a lot ever since, he still insisted to be tutored by you with the excuse of ‘being afraid of going off track without you’.

it sounded like a bunch of bullshit to you but you just couldn’t refuse the bubbly boy who seemed to take a liking towards you.

“so do this exercise on your own and i’ll check it for you, i’m sure you’re capable of that, that’s pretty much all for today, you did a good job,” you passed his workbook back to him, handing him your pen that he was so amazed with just now, ruffling his hair like you were congratulating him for his good work.

“and what will i get if i complete this exercise?” he raises one of his eyebrows, looking at you with a dopey smile on his face.

“an exemption ticket from my scolding,” you reply to him with a monotonous tone, drained of energy after the long school day.

“i say you treat me to fried chicken after our tutor session if i make no mistake on this exercise,” maki smirks at you confidently.

“sure, as if that’s possible,” you lay back on your seat, crossing your arms, waiting for him to complete the exercise.

after a few minutes, maki was done, cheerfully yelling the words, “i’m done!” getting an angry shush from the librarian, him muttering an apology that she most likely couldn’t even hear.

“okay, are you sure? do you want to double-check your work?” you ask him, raising an eyebrow as if challenging him.

“yes, i’m very confident and how could i make a mistake when i have such a good tutor?” maki leaned closer towards you, propping his hands under his chin, looking into your eyes with a giddy grin.

“well okay mr star student,” you went on to check his work, 1st question, correct, 2nd question, correct… the sequence went on and on and soon you were on the last question. correct.

maki somehow managed to not make a single mistake. “hah! look! i told you i could do it!” maki excitedly stood up from his chair, jumping in place happily, earning another shush from the librarian, making him embarrassedly sit back down.

“then which fried chicken place do you wanna go to?” you started to pack up, getting ready to leave.

“actually, i have a small gift for you, you know for thanking you for tutoring me for all these years and i have a confession to make.”

maki’s sudden serious tone surprised you, you stopped what you were doing to listen to him attentively, looking forward to what he has to say.

“look, the reason i’ve been insisting you be my tutor is that i like you and i know you would be graduating soon so i’m taking my chance now, though you probably would reject me as those senior boys are probably way better than me but i hope you could accept my confession,” he spit out those words, handing you the little gift box he hid behind his back.

you were speechless, accepting his gift and opening it to see a cute keychain of a poodle, you’ve never felt so happy, you hugged maki in response.

“thank you, i like you too.”

maki was out of breath, shocked to know that you accepted his confession, he hugged you back.

releasing from the hug, you grab his hand to drag him out the library, “now, let’s go get fried chicken!”

uh yeah lol hi this is cool great idk what to say but yeah hope you enjoyed this pls like and reblog thank you

[alloftheimaginesblog]

let's dance {e.m}

Request: hi omg can request a story where the reader is really into the 50s. super girly and dresses the 50s part too. eddie is her friend and he climbs her window one day scaring her so she throws a stuffed animal at him but they end up slow dancing to In dreams by Roy Orbison, the song coming from a record player

Character: Eddie Munson x Female Reader

requested by anon

Eddie always had a habit of sneaking up on you when you least expected it. He would always pounce when you were at your locker or when you were walking down the halls, he'd even caught you outside your car. He loved to give you a fright, loved the way you would glare at him and playfully slap his arm as you told him off. He never did it to really scare you or for any malicious reason, he just liked your reactions and thought they were pretty funny.

So even though you knew that Eddie would always sneak up on you, you didn't expect him to sneak up on you from the comfort of your own bedroom. Usually if he was coming over, he'd call ahead or let you know at school if he wanted to swing by but he never just showed up unannounced... until tonight.

You'd been twirling around the room, listening to your record player that lay on the dresser, humming the song that played. You were listening to Roy Orbison, one of your favourite artists, as you spun around the room, humming and softly singing under your breath. It was pretty late at night so the music wasn't overly loud and you couldn't sing too much otherwise your parents would wake up.

You were so lost in the music that you didn't see the familiar curly haired boy who popped up outside your window, grinning. Eddie was going to knock on the glass when he realised that you were dancing around your room singing softly. He smiled while he watched you for a few seconds, it was pretty adorable, and then he slid the window upwards.

Your back was turned to the window so you hadn't noticed Eddie until you heard two heavy feet landing on the other side of your bedroom. Your body immediately went into fight or flight mode as you grabbed the closest thing to you, which happened to be a pink teddy bear, and spun around, chucking it at the intruder.

"What the- a teddy bear?!"

"Eddie?!"

He grinned you at you, "Hi."

"What the hell?!" You hissed, hand over your heart, "I thought you were a murderer!"

"For a while, the whole town did think I was a murderer... Besides, did you really think a teddy bear would save you?" He placed the teddy on the chest of drawers and looked at you with raised eyebrows.

You ignored him as you took a deep breath to get your heartrate to return to normal and it was Eddie who spoke next, "I like this," he grinned, finger waggling at your pink and purple love heart pyjamas, "makes a change from your usual 50s style. Though I do love your girly skirts and dresses you wear." You loved the 50s style of clothing, you'd obviously not grown up then but you had a lot of hand me down from your mother and your grandmother of some 50s style clothing. You loved it all, you loved the petticoats and the poodle skirts. Even though it was the mid eighties you liked the fifties fashion and that was okay. Some people would give you strange looks but you didn't care. You liked what you liked and you were unashamed.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" You hissed to Eddie who was smiling innocently at you.

He shrugged, floppy onto your bed, "I was bored," he groaned out as the bed squeaked from under him.

"You better not be loud because if I get grounded because of you again, I'll kill you."

Eddie laughed silently, "Oh, sweetheart, you'd miss me too much to kill me."

You rolled your eyes, "So why are you here?"

He propped himself up on his elbows, "I was bored and I wanted to come hang out. Sorry for not giving you a head's up but then I wouldn't have gotten to see your little talent show."

Your cheeks burned as you realised he'd seen you dancing about the room. Your head snapped away from him, "Stop making fun of me," you whined.

Eddie sat up, "Hey," he said, placing a gentle hand on your knee, "I'm not making fun of you, I promise." You looked at him, "Why would I make fun of my best friend? The one person who never judges me?" You smiled slightly.

Eddie stuck his hand out, "Let's dance," he announced, chest puffing out, "I'm not taking no for an answer!"

You eyed him with an expression that said 'seriously?' but you took his hand anyway, letting him pull you up.

The song changed as the record player crackled and In Dreams by Roy Orbison came on. You smiled as Eddie pulled you close to him, "I love this song," you murmured as your head rested on his shoulder. It was one of your favourites, you loved the oldies.

Eddie hummed in agreement, "Not as good as Metallica or Led Zeppelin but it's pretty good."

You rolled your eyes as you laughed slightly, "You're a pain in the ass, Munson." You murmured, "I thought I was gonna have a heart attack when you appeared!"

"Yeah but I'm your pain in the ass," he smiled, propping his chin atop your head, "you're stuck with me forever."

[depressedhatakekakashi]

🐩

Dog/poodle - Bull comforts baby kakashi

The crying has been none stop all night. No matter what Sakumo does little Kakashi simply won’t settle down.

It’s impossible to sleep with the noise. Although the other hounds had taken Sakumo’s advice and headed back to their domaine for some rest, Bull and Pakkun had stayed behind.

He hated the thought of leaving Hikari’s son to suffer alone, but he hated the thought of leaving Kakashi even more.

He was just a kid after all. Too small to understand what was wrong.

“Even I can’t get him to calm down,” Pakkun huffed as he trotted up to Bull and flopped down against his side. “Nothing I do helps.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” Leaning in, he nudged Pakkun with his nose. “You’re still his favorite.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” laying his head down on his paws, he sighed. “Though, even Sakumo seems to be having troubles.”

That much Bull could hear. No matter how many times Sakumo told Kakashi to shush, or assured him everything was alright, Kakashi continued to cry.

It was beginning to look like an all night issue. If Sakumo didn’t get to sleep soon he’d be in terrible shape for whatever mission he might receive when morning came.

“Well, i guess that’s it,” with a grunt Bull got to his feet and stretched his front paws out in front of himself. “I’ll give it a try.”

“Good luck.”

Trotting up to the bedroom, Bull stuck his head in. The scene that he was greeted with was worse than he expected.

Sakumo sat in the middle of the room with A bundle of blankets in his arms with a look in his eyes that Bull knew all too well.

The look he always got when he knew he was in over his head.

“That bad?” He asked, walking towards his summoner and flopping down on the floor beside him.

“Nothing will help,” Sakumo whispered. “I’ve tried singing, cuddling, walking, telling stories. Pakkun even tried cuddling up to him.”

All of that and the baby was still crying. A normally quiet, playful kid who rarely made a peep unless it was to squeal at his father for cuddling him too much.

He could understand why Sakumo was feeling overwhelmed.

“Set him down,” he instructed, patting the spot beside him. “I’ll give it a try.”

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t make me say it again,” he huffed, patting the ground once again. “Set him down.”

Taking the hint, Sakumo set his son down and gently tucked the blankets around him for better support. The entire time he did that Kakashi continued to cry. Wailing into the air to whoever would listen.

“There,” satisfied with his work, Sakumo sat back. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but I hope it works.”

Lifting his paw, Bull set it down over Kakashi’s tiny body. Just enough pressure on the tiny body for the baby to feel his paw.

Five seconds later, Kakashi quieted down and stared up at him with bright, cheerful eyes.

“How?”

“Sometimes a kid just needs someone different,” though he wasn’t sure that was actually the reason for Kakashi’s sudden silence. “And sometimes, his over worked, overtired father isn’t the one with the answers.”

“Mmm,” ignoring the jab, Sakumo chose to take his new found freedom and lay down against Bull’s side. A comfertable pullow for a man too tired to walk all the way to bed. “Wake me if he cries.”

“No.” They both knew Sakumo would jump awake at the smallest cry. The man was a bundle of anxiety when it came to his son.

“Fine,” settling into his spot, he reached out a hand and laid it over Kakashi’s stomach. The smallest hint of a smile stretching across his face when he felt his son’s stomach lifting with breath. “Good night, bull.”

“Goodnight,” laying his own head down, Bull positioned himself so his nose was right beside Kakashi’s head and watched as the little one slowly closed his eyes. Sleep finally winning the long fight and pulling him towards a land full of dreams. “And goodnight, little one.”

[aquagustd]

take me home - MYG | M

pairing: yoongi x reader

summary: you are completely infatuated with your neighbor, resident bad boy, but only you know how sweet he can be.

genre: fluff, slight angst

word count: 1.2K

warnings/tags: strong language, implied smut, badboy!yoongi, neighbor au

a/n: I am a sucker for soft, bad boy yoongi, insert *i'm bad boy* gif

↳part of the Serotonin Series

∞

You would watch him from the window, in awe of the way he carries himself. He had an effortless charm and swag that always made you run to the window every time you heard his car enter his driveway. Your mother would giggle and call you silly for being infatuated with resident bad boy, Min Yoongi.

Blonde hair combed back, you would watch the way he would lean down and kiss his grandmother, who was sitting on his parent’s porch, on her cheek and knuckles. Something no one else would even notice, making their minds up about him always being up to no good. He and his friends were popular at school but he was the one who always had your attention and your friends would laugh at you for thinking he would ever give a girl like you a second look.

They didn’t know him like you did. They didn’t see the way he would interact with his dog, Holly, you heard him call the toy poodle once. They didn’t see the way he would always hold his mother’s hand as he led her to the car to take her grocery shopping. And they certainly didn’t see the way he wept late in the evenings, on his front porch when his grandmother passed.

But he was still a bad boy. He started arguing frequently with his parents and even took up the habit of smoking, probably his own way of destressing.

One day you were brave enough to wave at him, but he didn’t wave back and that was enough to make your seventeen-year-old heart shatter.

Then one evening, your parents were invited for dinner at your neighbour’s house.

You took the chance to wear your best pink dress and did your hair and make-up in a way that you thought was red carpet worthy. Much to your dismay, he only arrived hours later and went straight for his room forgoing dinner. His mother called him back downstairs to say hello to the guests and he bowed politely. When his mother told him that you both go to the same high school, he answered with an I know.

To say you were thrilled would be an understatement, the guy you’ve been crushing on for years, knew who you were.

After that night he would greet you in the hallways and even offer you lemonade when he saw you sitting outside.

On your eighteenth birthday, he asked what you wanted as a gift and you answered with a simple ‘a kiss.’

And he went crazy on you, he said terrible things to you and called you ridiculous, so much that it made you run back inside your house and cry in your mother’s lap. She didn’t ask why, but later you found out that she was watching you two from the window, much to your chagrin.

Later that evening your mother had told you that someone was waiting for you downstairs.

Eyes still swollen from crying into your pillow, Yoongi sat in the lounge, leather jacket on and blonde hair swept to the side. He said he had his last birthday gift for you and with your parent’s permission, he drove and drove, far away from the small town you lived in. He noticed you started to get edgy and fidget in your seat, so he held your knee and said that you’re almost there.

You remember how fast your heart was beating when he held your knee the rest of the way.

He drove up a steep mountain and parked at the railed edge. Your eyes widened at the view. You could see the city lights twinkling from this side of the mountain and he chuckled at your expression.

He took your hand in his and placed a small box in your palm, telling you to open it later where you found out that it was a silver chain with a cute cat motif on it.

You gave him a tight hug and whispered a thank you in his ear.

When you pulled back, he ran his tongue along his lips and your eyes followed the action.

“Last gift.”

And he surged forward and captured your lips in a sweet kiss. You could feel the blood rush to your head and you thought you were going to faint.

He gave you the gummy smile you love so much when he pulled away from you, still holding your hand. And you sat like that for the rest of the night, in complete bliss.

-

The next few months were a blur. You and Yoongi weren’t dating but some nights, when you both wanted to escape from reality and the responsibilities of the world, he would take you up to the mountain and just talk.

There would be other cars parked at the edge, other lovers you assumed.

Sometimes you would engage in deep conversations, sometimes you would share kisses and sometimes your touches would get hungry.

‘Yoongi,’ you would giggle, ‘there are other people around.’

‘They can watch.’ He would reply.

And eventually, per your request, you had your first time with him. You won’t forget how gentle he was with you that night, the lingering kisses and touches, how he kissed away your tears.

You didn’t think you’d have your first time high up in a mountain, in the back seat of his beat down car no less. But it was with Yoongi, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

But it was all the calm before the storm, because one day, outside his porch, Yoongi had asked if you wanted to try a cigarette and you had shrugged. But that had to be the exact moment your father drove in from work.

He pulled you away from Yoongi and when he tried to defend you, your father told him to stay away from his daughter and he forbade you from ever seeing him again.

You begged and pleaded with your father that night to listen to what you had to say, that it wasn’t his fault. That you love Yoongi, he said you don’t know what love is and if Yoongi loved you back, he wouldn’t leave you to go to some music school in another far away city.

You were already accepted into business school in the city not too far from your hometown and were under the impression that Yoongi was going there too.

Later that night you asked your mother if you could sneak out and say one last goodbye to Yoongi. She had relented after a while and you showered her in kisses.

Yoongi was still sitting on his front porch and his eyes lit up when he saw you. You drove silently to the mountain and asked him why he lied to you about business school. He thought you would be mad at him for lying to you but you held his face and told him you’d rather hear the truth even if it pains you to. He told you all about his dream to become a successful producer and how he has to support his dream by himself without the help of his parents.

You told him that you would wait for him no matter how long he would take and shared teary smiles and kisses.

-

Here you are now, years later, at the same mountain ledge. You and Yoongi much older and wiser.

He, a successful rapper and producer. You, the CFO of a thriving business.

He tells you stories of his job as a producer and you joke that your corporate job is hardly as exciting as his. And once the laughter settles, you smile at each other because without words you both know.

You know that you can finally, finally have each other with no obstructions in the road to happiness.

-

a/n: i love yoongi :') let me know what you guys think!

masterlist here

[sir-subpar]

Fangs And Fur (Bf x Pico oneshot)

Werewolf Au. Because I want to. This was somewhat inspired by an animated short called "Dirty Paws"

*Warning: Swearing and Blood/Gore/Violence. (It's not that bad, but just in case)

Bf and Pico shared jokes and friendly banter as Pico walked Boyfriend home. It was dusk, just barely any sunlight illuminating the neighborhood. The two of them had just finished a dinner date, still laughing and flirting as they walked along the sidewalk on Bf's home street. Some of Boyfriend's neighbors were greeting the boys from their yards as the two passed by. 

Carol, whose house was directly to the left of Boyfriend's, was finishing up watering her yard when she saw her neighbor and his date. "Hey Boyfriend!" Carol greeted them happily. "Hi Carol! How are you?" Boyfriend replied, he and Pico stopping in front of her new painted fence to talk. "I'm good, just relaxing after putting in this darn fence. It took forever, but it's worth it though to keep my little Cocoa Puff safe." Carol gestured to her mini poodle, the little fuzzball had brown curly fur, hence the name Cocoa Puff. "You should probably get a fence too, Bf. There's been a lot more animal attacks happening lately." Carol warned, Bf and Pico shifted with unease. "Yeesh, has it been getting that bad?" The bluette asked nervously. "It's been really bad, Sunday's cat got attacked the other night. Poor little guy was really chewed up by some big animal.." "Oh no! Not Bubsy!" Bf had a soft spot for animals in general, even though he didn't have any pets of his own, he always loved animals. Pico, too, felt bad for the little cat. "Did the cat survive? How bad was it?" Pico asked, never having met Sunday or her cat Bubsy, Bf told him about them before. Sometimes Sunday would ask Bf to babysit her cat when she was on tour, he was really good with Bubsy. Carol gave a look of sympathy, knowing the cat's condition. "He's alive, but it's a long road to recovery." She said dejectedly. "I've been hearing that people are setting traps around here, so keep an eye out for those too. Okay?" "Will do, thanks Carol." Bf replied, Pico only nodded in response. "Anyway, moving on to lighter news.. Are you going to introduce me to your friend here?" Carol lightly teased, tilting her head in Pico's direction. "Oh yeah! Right. Carol, this is Pico!" Bf wrapped his arm around the redheaded man's shoulders, making Pico's face turn pink. A look of recognition flashed onto Carol's features. "Ooooh, so THIS is the boyfriend you're always talking about. It's nice to finally meet you Pico." Carol teased, holding out her hand. Pico felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment before shaking Carol's hand. It was flattering to know that Boyfriend talked about him. "Y-yeah. You too." 

Carol giggled a bit. "Alright, well I'll let you guys enjoy your evening. Have a good one!" Bf waved at her while he and Pico walked up to his porch. Bf held the door open for Pico, but he declined going inside. Bf of course took notice of this, as well as Pico's nervous demeanor.

 "Are you okay, Pico?" 

"Yeah.. I just- I should head home. I had a nice night. Let's go out again soon." Pico gave him a smile that was somewhat forced. "Oh… okay. Well, I'll call you tomorrow then." 

"Yeah, sounds good." Pico gave Bf a kiss on the cheek, then he left. Bf closed his door, he was a little disappointed, if he was honest. He had hoped Pico would stay the night, but it was Pico's choice. It wouldn't have been right to stop him. Bf just decided to chill instead. Sweets and videogames were the perfect cure for disappointment. 

…

Pico rushed home, the sun had already gone down, he didn't have much time. He felt bad. Not just for leaving an obviously dejected Boyfriend, but for being so secretive with him. But he didn't have time for that! He needed to get home and lock up. It was only a matter of time before the moon would show it's Damn face. He dashed down the street , finally getting to the cul de sac he lived on. He ran onto his porch, swinging open his door and slamming it behind him. Just in the nick of time. He collapsed on the floor. His transformation was already taking place. His breathing was heavy, he couldn't help but shout in agony as his body reconfigured itself into its new form. Before he was lost to the lycan curse, however, he had one last horrifying realization. 

He forgot to close the window.

…

It had been a couple of hours, Bf had changed into some comfy clothes and was watching tv on his couch. He couldn't help but think of Pico. It was weird how nervous he suddenly was. Pico had been fine all day, but suddenly he ran off after talking to Carol. Was he really that flustered? It didn't seem like it was a big deal. Surely it was something else, but what? Bf sighed, it wasn't really his business, but he wanted to know what was up. He decided to text Pico. 

Bf: Hey. I had a lot of fun at dinner :) I just wanna see if you're alright, you seemed off earlier. Everything ok?

Thirty minutes went by, and he got no response. 'Maybe he's already asleep?' Boyfriend thought, sure it wasn't super late, but it wasn't unusual for people to sleep at this hour. Boyfriend shut off the tv. Maybe he should just get some air. It was nice out. A nice warm summer night. A walk would do him some good. Sure he was basically in pajamas, with a mismatched t-shirt and sweatpants but who cares? He put his phone and keys in his pockets, and left the house for a walk. His neighborhood was fairly close to a nice wooded area. It wasn't really a forest, but there were wild animals around. Like coyotes and rabbits. He decided to hang out around the trees. He sat down on a stump that had once been a huge cottonwood tree, and he just listened to the noises around him. Crickets and other bugs were chirping and buzzing around. It was oddly serene.At least, it was. Until some rustling in the bushes caught his attention. 

He was startled, frightened even, but then he felt relieved once he realized it was a rabbit. Just a little rabbit. But his levity was short lived when noticed the rabbit was limping. He used his phone's flashlight to get a better look. The poor rabbit was barely able to move, its flesh had been ripped apart, blood soaking its fur, and one of its legs was missing. It trembled and struggled. Boyfriend's heart sank when the realization set in that the poor thing wasn't going to make it. It was suffering, and he hated to see animals suffer. He decided to try and comfort it. The rabbit collapsed, he gently brushed his fingers on its soft little head. The rabbit's breathing was still panicked, but it was too weak to do anything. He considered killing it to end its misery, but before he could, he heard snarling coming from the bush. He quickly shined the light on it, just in time to see the snout of a larger animal swiftly bite the rabbit. 

Bf jumped back in fear. The animal stalked out of the bushes that had hidden it, revealing a large orangish red wolf.  The rabbit, the wolf's prey, was still in its jaws. The small rodent fell limb as the wolf's fangs sunk into its body. Bf could hear the bones crack. It didn't take long for the wolf to completely devour the rodent. Bf froze. Should he run? Would the wolf want him? He couldn't help but tremble at the large beast before him. Then it looked at him. Its eye bore into his soul. Focused. It watched him intently. Bf stayed still. Maybe if he didn't make any sudden movements, it would move on. It approached him slowly, circling him. It then got closer, inspecting him with its nose. It seemed particularly drawn to his pocket. Bf slowly reached into his pocket, the wolf allowed it, watching him. Bf pulled out a small bag of chocolate chip cookies. He had forgotten that he put those there. The wolf's ears perked up a bit, and it tilted it's head. 

"Is this what you want?" The Wolf kept its eyes locked on the bag. "I'm not sure if you should have this, it has chocolate in it. Pretty sure dogs can't have that." The wolf growled, seeming to not take "no" as an answer. "Okay okay! Fine! They're yours!" Bf reached into the bag, then tossed a cookie at the wolf. The treat hit its nose before falling on the ground. The wolf appeared displeased with the assault on its nose, giving a huff before eating the cookie. "Well sorry, it's not my fault you're clumsy and didn't catch it." Bf said sarcastically. The wolf looked at him again, it wanted more treats. Bf tossed another cookie, this time aiming in front of the wolf so he didn't hit its nose again. The beast seemed content with that. So Bf kept doing it until he ran out. 

The canine's demeanor had thankfully shifted, it seemed more docile after being fed. Boyfriend had calmed down significantly, no longer fearing for his life. "Well, it was nice to meet you… wolf. I'm gonna go home. I've had enough excitement today." Bf turned away from the orange/red animal, trusting that it wouldn't pounce on him while his back was turned. As he walked away, he could hear two pairs of footsteps behind him. He looked back to confirm that the wolf was following him. When he stopped, the wolf halted, when he moved, the wolf followed. "I uh, think you should stay here. Where you live. I'm going home." Bf tried again to leave, the wolf followed him anyway. "No. You stay. I go." Bf tries using hand gestures to get the animal to listen, but to no avail. Bf picked up a stick and threw it. It didn't seem to interest the wolf, but the stick accidentally hit some small animal Bf hadn't noticed before. That got the wolf's attention. As the large mammal attacked the unfortunate stick receiver, Bf took the opportunity to run home. He managed to make it to his house and close the door. Bf leaned against the wood, sliding down till he hit the carpet. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. After he had calmed down, astonishment took over. He just fed a wolf. And he didn't die! He was like Snow White! Holy crap!

Bf eventually stood up and moved to the couch. Deciding that maybe he should relax for a bit. He started channel surfing on his TV, settling on a random cartoon that was on. He could feel his tense muscles relaxing a bit. He let out a sigh of relief. 

…

He had gotten through a few episodes when he heard something. Something outside.

*SCRATCH SCRATCH*

He muted the tv. No way. There's no way this was happening.

*SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH*

It followed him home. 

He could hear the clawing getting faster. Impatient. Instead of following common sense, he decided to open the door. His motion triggered porch light shone on the wolf's red/orange fur. It's white eyes bore into his soul again. Bf stepped aside, allowing the beast into his house. The wolf strutted in, immediately smelling anything and everything it could. It didn't seem aggressive, just curious. Bf filled a bowl with water and set it on the floor. Might as well hydrate his new houseguest. Eventually his fears dissipated. He went back to the couch, watching the wolf as it wandered around his living room. He watched the tv again, laying down across the sofa comfortably. 

And, before he could prepare for it, he was suddenly smothered by orange fur. The wolf had kept onto the sofa, laying on top of the blue haired man. He tried to push the wild dog off of him, but he couldn't budge it. This was his life now. He was a man-sized dog's couch cushion now. He didn't know wolves could get this big now that he thought about it. But it didn't matter. He was stuck. This was the predicament he was in. He gave up. The dog had won. Despite the animal's weight, he managed to fall asleep. It was warm and fluffy, so it wasn't so bad.

…

The rising sun peeked through the blinds, illuminating Bf's face, waking him up. He shifted a little, still feeling the warm mass on top of him. He yawned, his eyes still closed. He petted the wolf on top of him, his fingers gently brushing its soft skin- wait a second. His eyes shot open. 

"Pico!?" 

The man jolted awake after hearing his name. Pico looked at Bf with wide eyes. His face turned almost as red as Bf's signature hat. The two stared in silence for what felt like forever before Boyfriend broke it.

"You owe me an explanation."

"Can I borrow some clothes first?"

"Please do."

[kayssweetdreams]

Maestro Hiccups Part 19

"Purrla! There you are!" Cass cheered. Purrla picked up the flower girl and and nuzzled her against her cheek "You didn't tell me I had my own Catnip bush." She said, her voice playful. "Um...Actually Purr, this whole garden was an accident, a result of Balan's hiccups." Cass explained as Purrla put her down "Oh!...so no catnip bush?" She asked. The green haired girl giggled "Well, Maybe you can keep the bush...if you help us." She said cheekily. Purrla nodded before she spotted Leo, who had pulled out a harmonica and played a little tune on it. "Hiya Streetbeat! Why are you a cowboy?" She asked. Leo glared at her "Balan's hiccups did this too." He explained, putting the harmonica away "Well, what did ya need help with Time Doll?" The fat cat asked "Well, we were looking for a tree that has Wonder Fruit on it. But we can't find one...have you seen one?" Cass asked. Suddenly, a large blossoming tree with beautiful flowers and budding cherries appears. Fortie also appeared as he shook his head dizzily. "Fortie! There you are!" Purrla cheered. "Hi Purrla, I'm glad to see you...even if I just escaped a raging Yuri." He replied. Cass and Leo looked confused "What are you talking about? Yuri doesn't rage. Sure she drops a few tears, but she would never rage at people." Cass said. "Well she did at me. She pinned me against the tree and threatened that she'd end me if I didn't get the fruit..." He explained. All 3 of them looked worried, Yuri would never do that, so why did she do it now? "Well, maybe we should get some of that there fruit." Leo said, pulling out a lasso (from seemingly no where) and lassoed one of the cherries. Fortie however, onto the rope. "NO! I wanna keep the fruit!! It could turn golden again!!" He shouted. Leo tugged at the rope "C'mon Fortie! We can't lose no time, Let Go!" He shouted back. The two of them began to tug and pull at their sides of the rope like a game of Tug of war. Cass saw that the trunk of the tree was slowly starting to rot and dissappear. "Um...Leo?" The two of them kept pulling and tugging at the rope, hoping to get the upper hand, when the tree vanished again! And this time, with Leo! "LEO!! STREETBEAT!! WHERE DID YOU GO?!" Cass yelped as Purrla looked around for the tree and the cowboy. The world suddenly shook as the garden began to turn Random Colors and patterns. Purrla let out a heartbroken yelp at her now argyle catnip "MY CATNIP!! It's ruined!!" She sobbed. Cass went to comfort her "It's alright Purr...but maybe we should try and find Leo and Fortie...and fast...

Meanwhile, on the Isle of Tims...

Balan landed on the Isle, much to the fear of the Tims, and the dismay of Lance "Can't you hiccup somewhere far away? I've already had enough problems caused by you today." He said, as Balan hiccuped again, and made a 50's poodle skirt with a KosoKoso appear on him "Lance, I'm worried, they haven't come back and my cure must be hurried..." Balan said, hiccuping again, and causing a Disco outfit to appear on him, his gummy like dreadlocks turning into a big poofy afro. "Maybe I should find the fruit in my own...Wonderworld is the only home I've known." He said. Another hiccup erupted from him as a cotton candy cloud burst, and started to rain chocolate milk rain on them "NO! No, No leaving the Isle, Your cure is coming, even though it takes a while." Lance told him. "You may be in worry now, but it's not too late...good things happen to those who wait...

(A little Balan Fic I made, inspired by this! https://shadowqueen402.tumblr.com/post/691857479604305920/hi-could-you-please-write-a-fic-about-balan

Mei belongs to @sundove88

Rebecca belongs to @thehypercutstudios /@thehyperrequiem

Trisha Jane Belongs to @lovelyteng

I only own Kaylo)