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setaripendragon · 5 months ago

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People are also leaving thought-provoking stuff in the comments, which imo is a terrible format to have a conversation, so I'm just gonna c+p it into here ^^"

@nightlight-stardust-and-rain said:

Okay but daemons are made of Dust after all. What if they biologically don't behave like the actual animal? Like…. They're souls mimicking animals right? They have the shape of a particular animal, but a dog deamon isn't a dog, it's a demon. So maybe they're not as restricted as the actual animals are? Like the shark one, maybe they don't need to move to stay alive. What if the daemon takes the form of an animal they don't know much about? Again with the shark, but-

-what if the daemon taking the form of a shark doesn't KNOW that sharks must keep moving? Do they still have to move? Do they have the instincts of a shark that tells them to not stay still? Do they even have animal instincts at all?

Oh, that's a good question. I think general consensus is that daemons don't need to eat, right? At least, that's an assumption I've been making, and I've seen it in fic. They usually can eat, but don't need to to live because, like you say, they're made of Dust, not flesh.

So I think it'd be safe to say that a daemon isn't going to die if it can't breathe, so no, the shark daemon wouldn't literally have to keep swimming or die. The symbolism would still be there, though. It has interesting implications on fish daemons, though, because that would also imply that they wouldn't die in the air, either.

They'd still be uncomfortable re movement and getting about, though, because daemons are generally limited by the... physicality of the shape they're using. Birds can fly, but a weasel daemon can't fly like a chinese dragon. So anything large, like a shark or a dolphin simply wouldn't be able to live on land simply for practical issues like mobility, while smaller fish would have to be carried by their person.

The instincts are another really interesting question. I think they'd probably have some... animal behaviours. Like bird daemons would probably preen themselves, and wolf daemons' hackles would go up if they were scared or angry. But instincts is such a broad category that I think it'd be really hard to say yes or no definitively.

@sword-bunny said:

There was canonically a dude with a dolphin daemon, and I don't think daemons need to breathe considering they aren't technically alive. They certainly don't need to eat, otherwise could you imagine the lengths Lyra's father would have to go to? Iirc it costs zoos about 100$ a DAY to feed one snow leopard

Ah-ha! I was right about the not eating thing! So yeah, I think we can agree that a daemon with a water-breathing form wouldn't actually be water-breathing itself. Which is awesome, and also has implications for other environmental factors. Like, does a frog daemon need to be kept wet? Would a slug daemon avoid salt? Do long-haired cat and dog daemons need brushing?

Because even if they are, as nightlight said, made of dust, they are still physical creatures. They might be maintained by their connection to their person, but they do physically exist in the world, and they can be hurt enough to die and take their human with them, so even if they can't starve or suffocate, could they dessicate? Does a fish daemon need to be submerged in water not because it can't breathe, but because drying out might kill it?

...Actually, now I'm thinking about it, I'm less sure that a daemon doesn't actually need to breathe. After all, given that this is daemons, the symbology is pretty important, and symbolically, eating is the thing that sustains the body, and breathing is the thing that sustains the soul. So perhaps daemons do need to breathe because made of dust or not, they are physical beings, they're just also manifestations of the soul.

@theplushfrog said:

I've read a few AtlA daemon fanfics where the waterbender tribes had a lot of aquatic daemons to the point that they had a guard patrol specifically to watch out for children/teens whose daemons had settled and they were now stuck outside in the cold by the water. I always thought that was an interesting way to handle that.

I've also reach fics of insect daemons being kept in like clear box jewelry, so they wouldn't get accidentally squished in crowds or etc.

I like to think that any animal with an archetype among humans, alongside the other points OP pointed out, are candidates for daemons, but worlds like Lyra's where the daemons are physically present, have extra archetypes that deal with the struggle of having a daemon bound to the water or fragile like a bug, regardless of the archetypes our world has for those creatures. So a shark daemon might be ambitious, but also stuck from issues of their own making?

Oh, I really like that AtLA worldbuilding! It's also interesting to consider how a culture might adapt if they do end up with a lot of aquatic daemons. Like, do the Water Tribes speicifcally build their villages/cities along the edge of the perma-ice in long, thin strips instead of round clusters, so that people with aquatic daemons can always stay near the water? Or would, say, people in the Foggy Swamp build one-level houses on stilts over the water so that aquatic daemons could always be right beneath their person. And do those houses have a lot of gaps in the flooring so that the daemons never feel shut out?

I've seen fics with the idea of special containers for the more delicate or small daemons, too, and it's part of what makes me think that maybe daemons do need to breathe, because... Daemons can be squished. Daemons can, cannonically, be hurt badly enough to kill their person. And if little daemons have to worry about getting accidentally squished, then... couldn't bigger daemons also get accidentally squished by something comparitively bigger. If, say, a daemon gets crushed in a landslide, that ought to kill them and their person just as surely as if an ant daemon got stepped on.

So, then, where's the line? Where do daemons stop being physical beings and start being manifestations of the soul? It's not intent, because accidental squishing can occur. So incidental environmental factors are also a danger. But they don't need to eat, which would kill a normal animal if it went on long enough. Is it the duration? If it's something that kills instantly, it'll kill a daemon, but not if it's something that would take time? That would rule out things like suffocation or drying out.

But there's also the symbolism inherent in neglecting your daemon. If you don't take care of your soul, surely that is a kind of damage. It might not be able to kill you outright, but would the appearance of your daemon reflect that? Shiny glossy coats on furry daemons that are well-loved, matted dirty fur on daemons who're neglected? Healthy wet amphibious daemons vs drying out shrivelled up ones?

The notion of daemons having symbolism attached to them that revolves specifically around the bonuses or drawbacks of having to live with that daemon is excellent. To use the Water Tribes example again, would aquatic daemons be revered, because of the connection to the ocean, but also seen as... perhaps representing people who're bound by a sort of... religious duty?

So I'm still on this daemon AU kick, and I can't stop thinking.

What are the limits?

It's generally accepted that a daemon is an animal representation of the soul, right? So, you know, we've got birds and mammals and reptiles and insects.

But what about fish?

Obviously there's an issue here of, you know, environment, and if your soul literally can't survive in the air while you literally can't survive in the water, there's a problem.

But, hey, if it's small enough, you could have a little fishbowl for your daemon to live in. Hamster ball, but filled with water, rolling along at your heels. Fishtank on wheels that get tricked out like dudebros soup up their car. And maybe, if you're from a particularly sea-faring culture/lifestyle a water-bound mammal like a dolphin or an orca could make sense. And then there's things like sharks, which have so much symbolism attached to them that it seems a real shame to have to rule them out. (Someone who's particularly driven or ambitious having a daemon that would literally die if it stopped moving is a bit of symbolism I'm going a bit feral for, tbh.)

I think we have to rule out the deep sea creatures, unfortunately. Fishbowls and/or living on a boat wouldn't really solve the problem of pressure, and someone with a blobfish daemon would, uh... be in trouble.

And if we're talking about things that can't survive in the same atmosphere as humans, what about internal parasites? Like flatworms. I think it's safe to say that having your daemon parasitizing your intestine kind of defeats the purpose of having an external manifestation of your soul, but... There are species of flatworm that aren't parasites, so... do we just rule out all flatworms, or are the non-parasitic ones okay?

And speaking of flatworms, what about size? I've read some fun stories that deal with the issues that might come from having, say, an elephant daemon. It's not quite as dramatic as the issues of having an aquatic daemon, but actually, similar adjustments would have to be made to your living situation to cope. But, of course, it could be done and I don't think anyone's trying to rule out animals on account of how big they are, but I think it's safe to say that microscopic daemons are out for the same reason that internal parasites have to be.

There's a nice solid rule I can settle on; a daemon has to be a visible animal.

And, in point of fact, I think it's safe to say it has to be an animal. We can rule out trees and plants and even fungi.

So what about coral?

It's an animal, and if we are allowing for some aquatic daemons, then should coral be an option? Or are its vibes too plant-like to qualify? Do we rule out sessile animals like we ruled out microscopic ones? As much as I find the idea of a coral daemon absolutely hilarious, I am going to come down on the side of animals that are too much like plants are a no.

So a daemon has to be a visible, mobile animal.

But what about the ones that only move very slowly? I don't think we're ruling out sloths, but in the continuing vein of torturing myself considering various aquatic daemons, there's starfish and sea urchins and hell, even most bivalves can move at least a little, right? (Correct me if I'm wrong, I haven't done that research yet.) And there's a lot of fun symbolsim to be had, there, I think.

And what about extinct creatures?

I think it's safe to say that mythical creatures are a no-go, unless this is a 'verse where those animals are real, (oh, boy wouldn't that confuse people in a world like HP where most people think dragons and unicorns aren't real, but people still wander around with dragon and unicorn daemons) so we can ammend our rule to visible, mobile, real animals, but could we go so far as extant?

If yes, that would have interesting world-building implications. Where's the cut-off point? Can we rule out dinosaurs because we don't/didn't have enough information for a daemon to settle into a form that wouldn't be technically mythical? But then, what about animals that go extinct within human history? What about all the people who had mammoth daemons or dodo daemons as those animals were dying out.

Would conservationists study daemon statistics to see if an animal has really gone extinct? Would an animal's extinct status get over-turned when a kid's daemon settled into that form? Honestly, I like this enough that I've convinced myself that, at least barring some very unique circumstances, extinct animals are not allowed.

So, it has to be a visible, mobile, extant animal. That can exist in proximity to humans.

Oh, and should probably add; visible, mobile, extant, and non-sapient.

You can't have a human daemon, or an elf or a dwarf or a fairy daemon even if they exist in that world, and if this is a 'verse with dragons who're more than just exotic magical animals, you can't have a dragon daemon. (Obviously, if your fairies are more like magical bugs than tiny people, then fairies would be a valid daemon.)

...I'm still on the fence about whether a daemon should have to be air-breathing or not. That kind of rule would still leave marine mammals available for the fun world-building of how people adapt to that kind of handicap. (...Do you think people with aquatic daemons would be considered disabled? Oooh, what about people with really big daemons? I mean, presuming such a thing is comparatively rare, people probably wouldn't be building schools with a mind to allowing elephants or giraffes to wander the corridors.)

Disclaimer! This is for my own creative process, and not intended to limit anyone else's creative flair. And, honestly, I'd love to hear other people's takes on what does and doesn't qualify for a daemon.

#daemon AU #I can understand why philip pullman said 'don't think about it too hard'#so many questions! so few answers...

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hauerhoetime · 2 years ago

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Late Night Meeting

Keigo Takami x Reader

Summary: keigo comes to visit you after work and you're in a very affectionate mood.

Keigo Takami's POV:

I finally finished work for the night well after dark. I'm sick of getting off of work this late, I would rather be at home or with Y/n.

Y/n. Y/n, Y/n, Y/n. They are something else.They are a little spitfire. They won't back down from me and I like that about them.

I'm actually on my way to the restaurant they work at right now. I fly to the restaurant every day after I get off work just to visit. They take me in and feed me a warm meal. They make me feel sane.

The restaurant came into view and my speed increased. As I got closer however I saw something that made me stop in my tracks…well stop in my flight path. The lights are out. "Shit" I whispered to myself as I looked at the dark windows. I didn't know it was that late when I got off of work. Lights out doors closed. "I hope their windows open" I smile to myself as I turn around in the sky and fly in a different direction.

I flew as fast as my wings would allow as I flew towards their apartment. I hope that their window is open so I can see them before I go home tonight. I just want to see them. I again see a building come into view where I hope to see them. That's it, the window. open.

Before I entered their home through the window I looked in. When I looked in I saw a living room that has become very familiar to me. Green walls and many plants as a cat runs around the room. That's when my eyes landed on the red couch. There they are. Y/n was asleep on the couch cuddled up with a hoodie that I lent them a few weeks ago so they wouldn't freeze on their walk home.

I knock on the window frame causing them to start to wake "Am I intruding pretty bird?" I say just above a whisper so I don't startle them.

"No bird brain. I was waiting for you" they rubbed their eyes before continuing "You didn't show up at the restaurant so I knew you would stop by."

"You could have gone to bed sweetheart. You could have closed the window and I would have known" I say as I climb into the window and walk up to them.

"I wanted to wait," they mumbled. They were still tired and holding onto the hoodie, honestly it was adorable.

I placed my hand on their cheek, gently rubbing it with my thumb. "Awe did you want to see me" I teased them with a smile.

"Maybe" they closed their eyes as they leaned into my hand. They must be really tired, normally they would have slapped my hand away flustered. I took my hand away from their face (don't think I didn't notice their little pout as I did so) and I gently took the hoodie from their arms. "Heyyy" Y/n almost whined.

"Just give me a second pretty bird. I'm not taking it back" I smiled as I adjusted it to be right side out. Once I finished this task I leaned closer to them before gently pulling it down over their head. "Come on, put your arms in" I watch them continue to put the hoodie on. "There ya go. Better princess?"

"Mhhm" they hummed with a slight smile as they stood up. "Can I hug you?" They asked, looking at the floor. They have never asked for a hug. It honestly took me a second to understand what they asked me.

I raised my arms and pulled them in close to my chest. They wrapped their arms around my waist and tucked their face in the crook of my neck. "you don't have to ask Y/n. You never have to ask," I whispered. I felt their arms tighten around me. Why were they acting like this? Did something happen? Are they okay? "Hey did something happen?"

"no...if I'm being honest I just missed you. I miss you" they whispered.

"I missed you too sweetheart...what would you say if I asked to sleep on your couch?" I smirked looking down at them.

"Oh shut it bird brain if you're staying you'll sleep on the bed"

"Well what about you pretty bird?"

"Your choice"

"Come on" I smile as I pick them up.

Y/n's POV:

He picked me up, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist and move my arms to be around his neck. He is holding me oh god I thought to myself. You see I've always had feelings for Keigo but I can't really read if he has feelings for me or not. Sure he's flirting but he's like that with everyone isn't he?

He carried me into my room after turning off the lamp in the living room. "Watch your head princess" he says just above a whisper as he walks through the door frame. I cuddle closer into him as he carries me and I take this time to enjoy the moment. The man I found myself falling for is here carrying me to bed and being oh so gentle.

"Keigo?" I found myself whispering without thinking.

"Yes pretty bird?" He asked in response as he laid me on my bed.

"You are being so gentle" as I speak, I look into his eyes. His eyes get prettier every time I see them.

"You deserve to be treated with care. I want to treat you right sweetheart…Y/n. Want to make you happy…" his words were quiet, I almost couldn't hear them. The way he said my name was so quiet and breathy. He had a look in his eyes I've never seen before. What was it?

"You do make me happy Keigo" I whispered back. He still was leaning over me, he was still holding me in his arms, he hadn't let go of me yet.

"You make me happy too Y/n...my pretty bird" He smiled at me.

That's when I did it. The one thing I never thought I would have the guts to do. I sat up and kissed him.

He reacted almost instantly. He held me closer and kissed back gently as if I would break. We kissed for a moment or two. Moments I will never forget. Moments that took my breath away.

"Should I say I'm sorry?" I ask quietly still close to his face.

"For kissing me? Never sweetheart."

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mossybee-exe · 3 years ago

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A Day In Life|Rody x Reader

A/N: Y'ALL KNEW IT WAS COMING! THIS MAN IS TOO AMAZING TO NOT MAKE ONE AND THERE ARE BASICALLY NONE! So here!

Also, slight spoilers for the new movie

Sum: You get approached and assaulted by a man as you're on your way back to your home. Being quirkless, you had no way to defend yourself! But luckily, a boy your age comes to your rescue.

You were speed walking back down the street to your house. Or, more like trailer.

You only ran to the nearby grocery store to buy some more cat food for Socks because you didn't know you were out of cat food!

But then you got held up in the grocery line and now it's practically dark out! Now you're hungry and tired and just want to get home, feed you and your cat, before snuggling together on the pull out couch.

That's the normal day of living in the quote on quote "slums."

On your way back, this man stops you. "Hey there pretty person~ What you doing out here all by yourself?" The man asks, a bit older than you with a yellowed toothy smile.

He also reeked of smoking and alcohol and just looked like a very dirty and shifty man.

"I'm just trying to get home." You bluntly tell him, showing him a face of disgust to let him know you're uninterested as you pushed past him and sped up your walking speed?

But this guy just can't seem to take a hint.

"Aw don't be like that! Stay a while!" The man says, grabbing your wrist. "I must be going!" You yell and yank your wrist free but he grabs you and pins you against the wall.

"You don't talk like that to me, little lady!" The man rasps. You try kicking and squirming to get free but without a quirk, your basically hopeless.

"SOME ONE HELP-" You shout but he covers your mouth. "No one is around to help you! Not even pathetic heroes!" The man tells you.

He wasn't wrong. Since you live in a not so known place, the crime is somewhat high and the heroes kind of forget people even live there. Although no big time villains. Just thieves, drug dealers, thugs, etc.

But that's when someone pulls the man off you. "Relax man! You don't wanna hurt them now, do you?" A boy around your age tells the man. He now stood in between you and the man protectively.

"But she-" The man begins but the boy cuts him off. "Will you take this and leave her alone?" He asks, pulling a beer can out of his pocket and holding it out to the man.

"Sure! Thanks!" The man says before walking off. You were honestly surprised he was so calm when facing the creepy man!

The boy then turns to you. "You okay? He didn't hurt you or anything did he?" The boy ask. "No, I'm fine. Thank you so much though!" You tell him and he just shrugs.

"It's no big deal! Just wanted to make sure you're okay. But you should get home." He tells you. "I know! I was on my way there, but it's still pretty far up the hill." You reply, pointing at it.

"Well then, I'll walk you the rest of the way!" He offers. "Oh you don't have to!"

"I insist!"

And with that, this boy who you never met before was now walking you home to make sure you'd be safe!

"Oh by the way, what's your name?" He asks.

"I'm Y/N L/N. You?"

"Rody Soul."

That's when a small pink bird pops out of his brown jacket and starts chirping and flying around you. "Sorry about that! That's Pino! She gets uh a little excited when meeting new people!" Rody says, grabbing her away from you.

"Aw, she's adorable!!" You exclaim. "Oh, thanks." He replies as Pino rests on his shoulder.

You soon get back to your trailer. "Thank you again Rody for waking me! Sorry it was so far away." You apologize. "Don't be. My house isn't far from here anyway!" Rody reassures you.

Pino then flies towards you and snuggles against your cheek while chirping, making you giggle. "Hehe u-uh that's enough Pino!" He says grabbing her again.

"Anyway see ya around!" He says waving as he walked back down the hill.

"Bye!" You call out before heading inside, a light blush dusting your face.

#mha #bnha #mha reader insert #fluff #mha rody #rody soul #mha rody soul #bnha rody #mha world heroes mission #world heroes mission #mha rody x reader #rody x reader #catacomb

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scorpionyx9621 · 3 years ago

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The Bat Family as things I have done IRL that just radiate Chaos:

Dick: Sign up for OT immediately after a red-eye flight to the east coast because my boss asked me really nicely and I've only learned how to say no after this happened. Proceed to pass out during my actual night shift. Still didn't get in trouble for sleeping on the job.

Jason: Take my government stimulus money, move out to the west coast from Washington D.C. do the drive all by myself and have the time of my life. Immediately gets homesick the morning I woke up in Seattle and dropped $700 on plane tickets back home. Proceeds to have one of the worst holidays of my life and have my flight get delayed 7 hours flying back to Seattle. Regrets ever spending the $700.

Duke: Starts writing fanfiction as a gift for a friend for dragging me down into Batfam Hell. Turns out to actually be okay at it and makes it a genuine hobby. Gets writers anxiety regardless but still writes and genuinely enjoys it and wishes they could do more.

Cassandra: Take Chinese for a semester because it's 6 credits and I needed 6 language credits to graduate. Get a 25/100 on the first test. Turn out to be absolutely abysmal at learning new languages but busts my ass and cry every night because Chinese is really freaking hard to learn. End up passing the class with an A-.

Barbara: Working at the front desk of a building I was an RA of at 6am. Watch as one of my residents who's rushing the biggest most infamous fraternity on campus walk back in shirtless covered head to toe in honey and maple syrup. Take one look at him as he tries to explain but I just tell him to take a shower and go to bed. Said resident proceeds to do that and thanks me for not asking questions.

Bruce: Stay up until 4 AM at least 4 times a week plotting on ways to take down my floor buddy as an RA who had been stalking and harassing me only to find out he got himself fired for SH'ing residents. Also getting my then best friend who also was an RA the next year randomly assigned to said asshole former co-worker when they tried interviewing for the same position (like an idiot) and said former friend blows the whistle on him and his behavior. Literally bringing in upwards of 8 RA's all in agrence to do whatever it takes to make sure this guy never gets hired in our department again.

Tim: Pull an all-nighter to finish an East Asian Politics Paper, give a presentation on radar remote sensing, take an exam on advanced statistics, do a full-overnight work shift and do a desk shift the next morning and the following day go to an international student party, black-out, come to in my dorm room and proceed to get violent food poisoning/my liver temporarily gave up on me after not sleeping for 55 hours then going to a college party.

Stephanie: Make it a daily goal of my 9-5 office job full of disgusting and toxic east-coast work culture to make my direct supervisor flip me the bird at least once a day. Proceed to go on a 10 month streak of actually succeeding in saying/doing something so cheesy/corny but still not within the realms of getting me in trouble enough so he just flips me off. At least once a shift.

Alfred: Adopt 4 freshmen all rushing the most notorious fraternity on campus and basically just act as their disappointed father from a distance. Teaching them valuable life lessons like yes, you should wash your sheets at bare minimum every two-four weeks. Feeding them spare cookies from the dining hall, giving them my extra laundry swipes, etc, Knowing full well I can do nothing to stop them from their debauchery. All I can do is attempt to assure they don't kill themselves.

Damian: In an act of absolute senioritis. Proceed to skip a bonus assignment for a final that would have taken me from a B+ to an A all because my former best friend had found a cat roaming around the student apartments and we proceed to spend the night trying to trap the cat. We succeeded and now said cat is in the loving home with my friend even though we no longer are friends.

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wondersofdreaming · 4 years ago

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Third time’s the charm

Characters: Henry Cavill x 3rd person female reader (the reader in this story has been described as someone with long brown hair, hazel eyes and not very tall)

Word count: 1.705

Warnings: Fluff. Insecurity. Doubt. Chasing. Jumping.

Author’s note: Thank you @radaofrivia for your guidance and your help <3

Go read her stories right here: Rada’s masterlist

Sentences in square brackets are Kal’s thoughts. Sentences in italics are Henry’s thoughts.

I do not own any characters in this short story, except the reader who is a figment of my imagination.

MASTERLIST

Feedback is appreciated.

It was a lovely day. The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky. Not a cloud present. The birds were chirping in the trees, and people were chatting away around him.

His hulking size of a fluffball dog was trotting happily beside him. Kal’s long tongue was sticking out between his sharp fangs, panting and drooling all over the uneven pathway.

He watched as a couple walked past him. They were smiling, and the woman was laughing at a joke her boyfriend had just cracked. It made him long for a special someone in his life he could crack jokes to, a someone who would laugh at his sense of humour, someone with a genuine laugh.

Henry filled his nostrils with the fresh air. He felt the vibrations of children's laughter through the ground. His heart was yearning to hear the giggles of his own flesh and blood, and it clouded his already saddened mind.

He hadn’t noticed that Kal had been sniffing the ground. His ears perked with interest as his nose found a scent that made his mouth water. Kal galloped across the park without warning, making Henry lose his grasp on the leash.

[Something smells yummy!]

“Kal!” Henry yelled at the black and white dog, but it was too late. Kal was already out of sight, following his nose to whatever had caught his attention. Henry wandered around the park. His heart was beating so fast it felt as if it would jump out of his chest. A million scenarios ran through his mind: What if something happened to Kal? What if someone dog-napped Kal? What if Kal hurt someone?

Henry searched all over the park but to no avail until he heard a loud scream coming from behind a group of trees. Shit!

The run towards where the scream came from felt as if it took forever. Time was standing still as he neared the trees. He first noticed the bushy tail, then the rest of Kal’s body, standing atop a woman who was loving up all the licks Kal was giving her. She managed to push the large dog off her body, while her delicate hands were giving him scritches all over his fluffy fur coat.

“You’re such a good boy,” he heard her sweet silvery voice say, then a bark came from his wayward dog.

[Yes, Kal is a good booooy… oh yeah, right there. More scritches!]

Henry let out a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding in since Kal went missing. Thank god!

“Kal!” Henry yelled over the sound of giggles coming from the woman. He started walking towards them but stopped in his tracks like a deer in headlights when the woman looked up. Her hazel eyes shone with excitement, and the grin on her perfectly succulent lips made his heart skip a beat. Henry felt like he had been struck by lightning, suddenly unable to move as he watched the dark-haired angel stand. She dusted off the dirt from her jeans and walked towards him. She seemed unharmed even after having been hammered by Kal, who probably weighed more than she did.

“You must be this dog’s owner. He really scared me, when he suddenly jumped on my back,” she giggled a melodious sound.

Henry’s brain finally started working again, the gears turning behind his eyes as he was processing what she had just told him. Kal; his sweet mild-tempered fluffball, who wouldn’t hurt a fly; had jumped on this woman’s back, and yet she was still smiling and loving up the bear without being afraid. It didn’t seem she knew who he was, as he didn’t see the recognition sparkle in her eyes.

“I am so sorry that he jumped on your back, he normally doesn’t do that, I don’t know what came over him,” Henry knew he was babbling, he knew he needed to shut his mouth, but the words kept vomiting out between his lips.

“It’s okay. I wasn’t that scared. Besides, he is such a sweet dog, I don’t mind being jumbled,” she looked into his eyes, and his heart did a somersault as she smiled again.

“Be a good boy for your owner, Kal,” she told the bear, and then she was gone.

Henry was standing cemented to the place. He didn’t know what had just happened. Kal barked at him, his tongue dangling from between his lips; he was smiling.

“Well Kal, you sure do have great taste in women, but you should stick to the four-legged kind,” Henry reprimanded him softly. Kal wasn’t happy. There was a reason why he had gone rogue and run away from Henry. So, before Henry could pick up the leash, Kal darted through the bushes to find the mystery woman. Not again!

[But I didn’t get to know what smelled so good!]

Henry, having gotten out of his trance, followed his dog once again. Why was his dog so keen on pursuing that woman? It was starting to annoy him. Panic was beginning to make itself comfortable in his brain, what if the woman had something that would make Kal follow her on purpose? What if she was pretending not to know him, so she could steal his dog and ask for an insane ransom?

He rounded a corner just in time to see Kal jump on the brown-haired beauty, again.

“Oh, it’s you again, Kal,” she said with amusement hinting in her voice. Kal barked and went to sniff her jacket, burying his snout deep in her right pocket. He came back out with a bag of peanut butter cookies between his teeth.

[TREATS!]

“Kal! Stop! You pig, what are you doing?” Henry raised his voice sternly at his furry friend. He grabbed Kal’s collar and pulled him away from the lady, making Kal drop the bag of biscuits to the ground. Kal lunged forward, which made Henry think he was going to jump the woman again, so he moved between Kal and the lady, and gave his companion a hard stare, as to say not happening, pal.

“So that is what you were after all along,” she said and picked up the bag.

“I am so sorry, miss, are you alright?” Henry asked while jogging towards the two. She gave him an amused smile.

“I’m fine. He didn’t scare me as much this time. Apparently, he just wants some doggie biscuits. May I give him some? They’re homemade and don't contain anything that could harm a dog.”

“Oh, yes, of course, but he shouldn’t be rewarded for leaping on other people. I swear, he has been trained not to do that,” Henry was rambling again. He was spewing out nonsense while the gorgeous woman was telling Kal to sit before she rewarded him for listening. She even asked him to give her paw, which Kal did immediately, a rare thing as he only wants to listen when he’s in the mood, kind of like a cat. She is way too nice to want to abduct Kal.

“Good boy, Kal.”

[Miss with the treats is super nice. Hey human, can we take her home with us?]

“You said those were homemade, did you make them?” Henry asked.

“Oh, yes. I have a dog myself who is a picky eater. I’ve tried all kinds of doggie treats, but she would spit them out. I had no choice but to experiment on how to make dog biscuits,” the woman told him while she gestured for Kal to lie down, which he obeyed instantly.

“And does she like the homemade treats?”

“She gobbles them down like I didn’t feed her for a week. She’s becoming quite the diva.”

They talked a bit more about her dog, who was a rescue labradoodle, and about how it had changed her look on store-bought dog treats. It was healthier to make them yourselves, and people in her neighbourhood, who had dogs, had been asking if she would sell the biscuits to them. She had then started her own one-man company, making dog treats, and her most popular item was the peanut butter cookies. They were shaped like the femur bone, which was the most popular form for dog treats.

“I’m Henry by the way, may I ask what your name is?” Henry asked her carefully. She smiled brightly at him, and it chased all the dark thoughts he had earlier away from his mind. She told him her name, which was elegant and so fitting a person like her. He had been expecting the penny to drop when he mentioned his name, but she was oblivious as to who he was, which in turn made his heart leap with joy inside behind his chest.

She looked at her wristwatch and gasped.

[Oh boy…]

“Crap, I have to pick up my dog soon. It was nice talking to you, and please don’t let this beautiful boy out of your sight,” a chuckled left her lips as she walked away once again.

Kal licked his mouth for the crumbs that might have gotten stuck on the fur around his snout. He then looked up at Henry with an annoyed look.

“What?” Henry asked with a sigh. Kal tilted his head to the right. “I can’t just jump on her like you do and then ask for her phone number, that would just scare her away.”

Kal looked towards the woman, who was getting further and further away from them. He then let out a bark, and with a waggle of his puffy tail, he demanded that Henry make a choice before it was too late.

[You’re blowing it, human!]

Henry sighed and crouched down.

“What should I do?” he asked the bear-like dog. Kal tilted his head to the side, looking at Henry as if he was crazy.

[Marry her! I want more treats!]

“You like her as well, don’t you, bear?”

Kal stood and bumped his head to Henry’s back, as to tell him to start moving, which made the human mountain chuckle, getting the hint from his dog. He released Kal from the leash and whispered: “Go get her.”

Kal licked his master’s face and darted towards the woman with the gorgeous brown curls.

#Henry Cavill #This man #I need a drink #Fanfiction #Henry Cavill x reader #Henry Cavill x female reader #Henry x reader #Henry x female reader #Third time's the charm #My story #Short story

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farfrompleasant · 3 years ago

Note

Happy Freyja Friday!!!

I did a bit of research on my own cos I was Baffled by this water sitch and, according to my research... They're just ALL divas?!

One website had it at 54% of owners survey have NEVER seen their beardie drink from the water bowl provided 😭 that is WILD (technically it's captivity 😅 but it's bewildering lol) also I saw another thing that's very dog/cat-like which is the pinch test for dehydration but I'm thinking that beardies are 100% leagues more high maintenance!!! (Or I'm just a terrible dog owner 🤫)

My dogs also do NOT enjoy baths but at least they'll nervously drink from the shower head 🤣 so I don't have to worry about them being dehydrated

Interesting, is the bump super noticeable in person just because of the asymmetry or does it actually protrude a lot? Anyway she obviously pulls it off completely and is utterly unbothered so that's all good news

Okay I'm getting pretty hyped about seeing Freyja's sassy ass "no ma'am!"/"not today, Satan!" It's gonna be glorious. That said I still wish you speedy and continual success in taking her out. I think you're right she Would enjoy it were it not for FEAR and animals can get acclimated to a lot of varied surroundings + you're very attentive/attuned to her needs so I fully believe this will go well for you guys!

Okay so change shape (pancake) when happy and secure, and change color/visual texture (dark dots) when alert and alarmed, dang, what Can't miss thing do?!

Unsolicited pics 🥰

(squirrel patrol squad)

Happy Freyja Friday!!

Awaw is that Wallace or Keller 👀 omg they’re sooo cute😂 it’s something about them, you know? 🥰

The issue with the water thing is that Beardies cannot see still water, so that makes it a pain. And there’s no guarantee that even if I were to feed it to her would she drink it 😭 but it is definitely a diva thing!!! Omg she will just sit there as if I’m not trying to help her— like what kinda damsel is she? 😂

Beardies are actually recommended for beginner reptile owners and are very low maintenance; it’s just the unconventional aspect that makes it seem like a lot 😅 dogs and cats are much more work, my friend and you’re doing such a great job as they look equally happy and healthy c:

It doesn’t protrude all that much but yeah, the asymmetry is there. I’m just glad that I’m no way is she disabled due to her short introduction to metabolic bone disease… when I see other beardies, I just want to cry with how painful it looks… not to mention how it hinders their way of life.

Freyja does that too… sometimes. But if she’s enjoying her bath, she will 100% try to go to sleep while half of her body is immersed in warm water 😭

I hope so, but I have been seeing a bit of progress. She can be out with me for about two minutes before she starts to freak out. I blame it on living near an airport honestly… planes and cars really doesn’t help when she’s initially on alert because of bird chirping :/

The only thing she can’t do is fly but that hardly stops her from trying 🤣

Also, I’ve managed to make gifs out of her gait and her having a mealworm; you have been warned! lolol

#I hope you’ll enjoy the gifs #I was too caught up at work which made such a delay in our Freyja Friday #surprisingly I managed to get her shaking her head 🤣#now you can see the diva in action 😭#freyja friday #badatwritingstuff💓#farfrompleasant

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jaskier-cult · 4 years ago

Text

what the fuck is wrong with you

Julian Alfred Pankratz, a small noble boy of Lettenhove, runs away from his lessons to play in the woods, because he would much rather prefer being bare-footed and climbing among the trees than being in some stuffy room learning about assholes who killed their people and then themselves. And, out in the woods, he finds an egg.

He gets excited because he learned about eggs before, and they always hatch into cute little birds. And this egg is really big, so that means this is going to be a really cute bird.

That was logical, right?

The bigger the egg, the cuter the bird?

What he doesn’t know is that it is a griffin egg – not just a griffin, but an arch-griffin egg – that was orphaned by a witcher who killed the griffin and cleared out the nest, but missed this egg, which had rolled away and stayed hidden.

Julian only sees one option, and it’s to carry the egg home so he can care for it and wait for the baby bird to hatch. Because what else would he do?

<><><><>

He’s in his room when it hatches, and eww – the baby bird is covered in slime and mucus and whatever else had been packed inside the egg, and this is definitely not cute, what were his mentors talking about – but then the baby screeches and rolls around, blind and weak, and its behaviour is cute and Julian’s heart absolutely melts.

The baby is promptly named Alfie, and Julian uses towels and cloth to clean off the baby, and he scrunches up his nose in confusion, because this is a really weird looking bird.

And ugly.

But ugly as in cute.

So, Julian shrugs and showers the baby in coos and praise and love.

He hides it from his parents and house staff, keeping Alfie hidden under his bed whenever someone comes in his room.

She’s so smart, too, as young as she is. She listens so well to Julian, like a trained hound, and she loves curling up with Julian at night at the foot of his bed. To make sure she doesn’t starve, he feeds Alfie leftover scraps from the kitchen, and finds that she really likes meats. Specifically raw meats. Which makes sense because she’s a bird, right? Birds are omnivores, right?

It’s not until the next week that Julian learns about griffins when he hears servants in the manor talking about the contract the witcher took, and something clicks in his head, and he’s like, “oh, so that’s why it looked like a weird bird. Because it’s a weird bird monster.”

He brings the baby, who is growing really big, too big to fit under his bed now – which he now knows is a griffin – outside again and plays with it and gets so proud and excited when Alfie starts to flap her wings and glide, jumping from high places and chasing after Julian. Alfie is really affectionate and likes to nuzzle and press against Julian like a cat. She even responds to her name, the clever little thing, but only when Julian calls it.

She also hunts down small rodents all on her own, and even though Julian thinks the raw meat and the blood is kind of disgusting, he still praises her for her hunting skills.

And she loves praise, and she’ll preen and puff her chest out whenever Julian showers her with love.

Alfie becomes protective over her human, and anytime Julian wanders into the woods with someone else, he quickly has to steer the other person away, lest Alfie mistake them for a danger to her Julian. Years after finding her, Alfie even once mauled a man who tried to rape Julian in the woods, when he was only fourteen, and Julian had never loved Alfie so much before. Immediately after, Alfie sniffed and tried to lick the blood off Julian, making high pitched whining and keening noises, like an overgrown puppy, worried that Julian was hurt. Julian gave her so much praise and coos that day, and he even brought back the best cuts of his dinner for her to enjoy.

Within a few months of bringing her outside to stay, the griffin grows to full size, and has the power and strength to kill ten men without blinking.

She’s still cute when she rolls over for Julian to give her belly rubs.

<><><><>

Imagine Geralt’s surprise and exasperation to learn that the hopeless, painfully vulnerable and naïve bard who followed him, has a massive arch-griffin as a pet.

Certainly not him, who is attacked promptly after punching said bard.

<><><><>

“Wait!” Jaskier choked out, still out of breath from being sucker-punched. “Don’t hurt her! Please!”

Geralt ignored the bard, tucking and rolling to avoid a swipe of massive razor-sharp claws. He brings his sword up, but the griffin jumps back, cleverer than most of its kin, and hisses at him, strangely subdued for a normally aggressive monster. It was weird, the way it kept glancing around and back at the bard, like it didn’t want to fight and wanted to fly away. And Geralt usually would have let it go, if not for the fact that it was between him and the bard and posed a danger.

He signed Aard, and the griffin was pushed back, shrieking as it crashed painfully into a tree.

Geralt brought his sword down to meet it, but then he was being body-checked by the bard, being thrown with unexpected strength.

“What the fuck –”

Then the bard stumbled and put his body in the way. “Stop!”

“Get out of the way, bard,” the witcher growled.

“No, you can punch me all you want, but I won’t let you hurt Alfie! She was only trying to protect me!”

The witcher had to blink to ensure he wasn’t hallucinating.

Then the bard spun around and was running over to the arch-griffin, absolutely and painfully no sense of self-preservation in sight. And then, he fucking cuddled up to the monster.

“Oh, baby, are you okay?” He asked in a high-pitched, soft voice, as if talking to a kitten.

That was definitely not a kitten. The furthest thing from it.

Then the griffin moved, and Geralt was ready to watch the bard’s head be chomped off, when the griffin nuzzled into his chest in what could be called an affectionate manner.

Geralt blinked.

The griffin fucking what?

<><><><>

It was unsettling to travel with an arch-griffin. It was even more unsettling to see it act like a tame overgrown puppy to a painfully naïve bard, who showered it unconditionally with love, kisses, and praise, near constantly. Jaskier would stroke and pet the griffin whenever he liked, and would fucking climb on its back to ride, and the damned griffin let him.

“Oh, you’re so beautiful! You’re so cute, such a good girl!” Jaskier crooned. “Yes, you are! So majestic! Geralt, isn’t she the cutest thing you’ve ever seen!”

Geralt wouldn’t exactly call an arch-griffin cute.

<><><><>

“What the fuck is wrong with you,” Lambert said, two seconds into meeting the bard.

The fucking arch-griffin chirped affectionately and nuzzled into the bard.

#the witcher #eventually geraskier #because alfie adopts geralt too #arch griffin #griffin #pet monster #jaskier #geralt #we stan jaskier #feral jaskier #and jaskier is obviously not human in this but i'm not tagging it because it isn't featured #and i wouldn't want to trick anyone #the name is a work in progress #basically the rest of the Continent is questioning jaskier's sanity #because who has a pet griffin #the witcher fanfiction #the witcher fanfic #jaskier centric #jaskier fanfic

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canvas-the-florist · 3 years ago

Text

The Store Doesn’t Have Butter

Ship: Romantic Moceit, Platonic DLAMPR (they’re all just friends, y’know?)

Warnings: Temporary main character death, blood (not in detail), swearing, vague jokes about sex, guns, injuries, suffocation mention, car accident, depictions of a depressive episode, food, there is a lot of death in this one folks be safe :)

Summary: Patton’s just having a day filled with surprises and mishaps! But he won’t let that stop him from having a good time.

Word Count: 10.4K

Patton wakes up to a happy song playing on his phone and his husband asleep next to him. He stopped the alarm, sitting up and stretching. Janus mumbled and turned to his side to look up at Patton tiredly. Patton greeted him with a smile and a kiss on the forehead, going to get out of bed to start the day. Janus grabbed his arm softly, almost complaining incoherently.

“We do this every morning, love. Can’t I just go make breakfast without you fussing about?” He asked as he reached for his glasses with his free hand and put them on.

Janus let go of Patton, squinting his eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He sat up, letting the blankets fall off his chest and onto his lap. “We have never had this conversation before.”

“Sure, Jan.” With one last kiss on the cheek, Patton sat up and got dressed. Janus slowly followed suit. Patton brushed out his curls and grabbed his head of hair to get a short ponytail. The shorter hairs would fall out, which Janus would call adorable, but it annoyed Patton greatly. The compromise was a few brightly colored barrettes. Janus fixed up his own hair beside him. “Dang Janus, I think we look pretty good today!”

Janus raised an eyebrow with a smirk. “Yes, sure. Very fetching.” He looked like he wanted to say more but was cut off by an alarm on his watch. Janus put on his hat and walked out to the front door. “I must be off dear! If I don’t return by seven, assume that I have been kidnapped by my horrible fellow employees.”

Patton leaned against the wall next to the door. “Don’t be mean! It can’t be that bad to work with Roman and Logan, can it?”

His eyes turned dark from whatever he had experienced. “It really can.” Janus lightened up and opened the door. “Well, goodbye Patton! Remember to buy butter!”

The door closed and Patton was left with his own devices. He started by watering the plants, feeding the cat, feeding the turtle, drinking a glass of water, and feeding that murder of crows that started following the couple around a few months ago. Patton sat down on the concrete of the patio in the backyard. A few crows dropped random shiny things before flying off. He watched for a moment before picking them up, hoping to make an interesting necklace from them. Patton dropped them in a small plastic bag before moving to other things he needed to do. He didn’t have work on Mondays, so that’s when he preferred to do groceries and other errands.

It was slightly windy out, causing Patton’s cardigan to drift updraft. He gave the world a smile before walking around. A plane went by, supposedly going down towards the airport. He saw a woman chasing a dog with a leash running wild and helped her out. A group of kids were walking to school. And then he reached the grocery store. Patton went in only needing four things: Butter, bread, eggs, and bagels. He left with seven. They were out of butter too. Walking out, the wind seemed to have simmered down which he was very grateful for.

The walk back was always more frustrating. People were going to their jobs or having a day out with their families. Which meant doing the ten minute walk home with easily squishable foods was a lot more difficult. Patton was humming a song to himself when a biker collided with him, dropping the food.

“Ah, sorry man!” The person apologized.

“It’s okay!” Patton reassured, helping them up. “It’s just food. Are you alright though? That was quite the fall!”

“Oh- yeah! That was nothing.” They grabbed their bike. “Sorry about the eggs though. Have a good one!”

“You too!” Patton looked down at the food. The breads would be fine but half of the eggs had cracked and spilled over everything. He took out the carton and threw it away in the nearest trash can he could find before heading home. The cat lovingly named, Ladle, mewed at him loudly begging for attention. Janus didn’t want Ladle at first, insisting that Patton’s cat allergy was something important, but she quickly made him love her. Patton gave her a few scratches under her chin before sitting down on the couch. Ladle jumped up next to him before making her way to sleep on the windowsill. “Gosh Ladle, today has been an ordeal!”

She ignored him but he didn’t really mind. Talking to her was really just a thing for himself. Patton took a breath and decided to make lunch. Despite knowing that Janus’s lunch break wasn’t actually two hours long, Patton knew he would be on the bar stool for that duration before returning to work late. The door opened up and Patton finished making the second sandwich. Just on time.

“Hey dear! You really need to stop skipping work for-” Patton stopped as he looked up. “Oh, Roman! I didn’t expect to see you here…”

The man was covered in blood and seemed shell shocked. Roman looked over at Patton who was taking off his apron and getting a rag wet under the sink. “Pat… I’m so sorry.” Patton’s face fell before he continued but blinked away any fear and started cleaning up Roman’s face. “Logan and I, we tried to stop what happened but… Janus died.”

Patton clenched his fist around the rag and put it to his side, dropping it to the floor. He took a breath in but it broke as he felt his face warm under tears. Ladle meowed loudly in concern but Patton ignored it. Roman sat him down on the couch and hugged him. The rest of the day was a blur. He vaguely remembered letting Roman borrow some of his clothes so he could shower and clean up. Patton spent the rest of the day with a cat on his chest and the cucumber sandwiches completely forgotten.

Eventually Roman got Patton to drink some water and left him alone in the dark. Patton stared up at the ceiling. He wasn’t crying anymore, but his face left evidence of his sobbing. None of it felt real. It was supposed to be fine. But the problems kept coming. Ladle jumped off his chest and he made his way to the bed. The bed sheets were still messy from that morning. Patton collapsed down on his husband’s side of the bed and surrounded himself with the comforter. The wind was almost completely gone so the only sounds outside were people’s dogs and a few birds. He turned to lay on his back and fell asleep.

Patton wakes up to a happy song playing on his phone and his husband asleep next to him. He gasps and shoots upward with a start. Breathing heavily, Patton grabbed Janus’s arm and checked to see if he was real. Janus let out a noise of complaint and pulled the blanket over his head. Patton took in a deep breath and smiled through his tears. Just a nightmare.

“We can’t do this every morning, love. Let’s go get some breakfast, okay?” Patton put on his glasses and Janus sat up, letting the blankets fall from his head to his lap.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Janus stated sarcastically. “We’ve never had this conversation before.” Patton blinked in confusion but let it slide.

“Whatever you say, Janus.” His voice hurt from the crying. Patton gave his husband a kiss on the cheek and got out of bed to get ready for the day. He did his hair in a short ponytail and put in the barrettes to get the small curls out of his face. Janus fixed up his hair beside him. Patton couldn’t shake the dream however much he wanted to. “Janus? Do you ever get bad dreams about me… getting hurt?”

Janus looked at him curiously. “How hurt are you talking about?”

“I-” Patton was cut off by the alarm on Janus’s watch. He put on his hat but looked back at Patton with concern. He gave a smile. “Go to your job, we can talk at… lunch.”

They both walked to the front door. Janus kissed Patton briefly. “Okay, dear. If I don’t return by seven, assume that I have been kidnapped by my horrible fellow employees.”

“Hey!” Patton said, ignoring the feeling of déjà vu. “Be nice and be safe. Roman and Logan aren’t that bad.”

His eyes turned dark from whatever he had experienced. “It really can.” Janus lightened up and opened the door. “Well, goodbye Patton! Remember to buy butter!” The door slammed and Patton already knew that the grocery store probably didn’t have butter. He didn’t know why he suspected that but took a deep breath. Patton had things to do today that wasn’t about moping.

He started by watering the plants, feeding the cat, feeding the turtle, drinking a glass of water, and feeding that murder of crows that started following the couple around a few months ago. Patton sat down on the concrete of the patio in the backyard. A few crows looked at him and called in concern before dropping off shiny objects and flying away. He watched for a moment, confused, before picking them up. Patton dropped them in a small plastic bag before moving to other things he needed to do. It was time to do errands but he wasn’t sure that it was going to go well. It was windy outside and at the moment people were heading to their jobs and school so the world was going to be really busy. But he did anyway, like he needed to prove something to himself.

It was slightly windy out, causing Patton’s cardigan to drift updraft. A plane went by, supposedly going down towards the airport. He saw a woman chasing a dog with a leash running wild and helped her out after a second of confusion. A group of kids were walking to school. There wasn’t any butter and he shouldn’t have expected it there. Patton stared at the empty space before buying the other things he needed: eggs, bread, and bagels.

Patton looked around with caution as he walked back, carefully weaving between families and people down the street. He was halfway home when he heard the bike. Patton turned and saw someone about to run into him so he took a step back and tumbled into the grass, hearing the eggs break and scatter. The biker stopped and helped him up.

“Ah, sorry man!” The person apologized.

“It’s… It’s okay! Are you okay?” Patton asked.

The biker looked at them quizzically. “What?”

Right, they were fine. Patton gave a smile. “Oh never mind. Have a good day!”

The biker got back on their bike. “Sorry about the eggs. Have a good one!” They zoomed past him and Patton blinked away all his thoughts, forgetting to respond. This didn’t just feel like déjà vu. He finished walking home and put away the bread and bagels.

Ladle meowed for attention and curled around Patton’s shoulders. He pet her idly as he went to sit down at the couch. It was almost time for lunch. Patton thought back to the dream and took in a shaky breath. He had to make sure. With a moment’s hesitation, he called Janus’s burner phone. Patton knew that Janus said to stop spamming him with pictures of Ladle to his burner, because it could be bad and they could be caught with whatever illegal thing he was doing… But Patton needed to know. To warn him something was about to happen.. Probably.

“Patton? Why did you call me? You know that you can’t just-”

“Janus, something bad is going to happen. You need to be safe or hide or stop whatever you’re doing!” Patton was trying to stay calm but he kept remembering Roman’s expression and crumbling to the floor. He didn’t even know what happened.

He heard Janus say something incoherent to someone else on the other end of the line before responding directly. “You’re not normally like this Patton. Why am I in danger, exactly?”

The only issue with that was that Patton didn’t know the answer to the question. This would be so much easier if Patton knew what the fuck was going on. He felt his throat dry as tears welled up. “I… You just are. Please.”

“Okay, dear. I’ll be there so-” Janus was cut off by his own screaming. Patton stood up suddenly, yelling Janus’s name and got no response. The line went dead after a minute. He threw his phone at the wall, causing Ladle to jump off his shoulders and he stared at the hole he just created. It got blurrier the more he cried. Patton heard the door open with a bloody Roman who looked just as bad as Patton remembered from the dream, if it even was one.

Roman sat on the floor next to him and gave him a hug. “I’m so sorry, Patton, I’m so sorry.” This mantra was repeated for hours before silence fell between the two of them. The room darken around them and Patton finally got up and ushered Roman to the bathroom to clean off the blood and take a shower. He got out in Patton’s oversized clothes and watched Patton as he cleaned up the floor. “Do… you need to be alone right now or should I stay with you?”

The silence was filled by the chirping of birds and people’s dogs. Patton shook his head. “Please don’t leave me alone right now.” His voice was small but he wasn’t sure how much he was actually feeling at the moment. Roman and Patton decided to sleep on the couch together with Ladle nestled by Patton’s stomach. Their backs would kill them tomorrow but that wouldn’t matter. Janus died. Patton looked at Roman’s head before taking off his glasses and closing his eyes, hoping he wouldn’t dream.

Patton wakes up to a happy song playing on his phone and his husband asleep next to him. He opened his eyes tiredly, not bothering to stop the alarm. He looked over to Janus and frowned. He finally understood what was happening, and Patton was pretty sure that he hated the answer. With a sigh he turned off the alarm and decided full heartedly that he was not going to let Janus die today, however many todays that would take.

He grabbed Janus’s arm and pulled him into a hug. Okay, he would save his husband after getting a little support. Janus flickered open his eyes in confusion but hugged back. They stayed there for a while before Patton let go to sit up and put on his glasses.

“As much as I love your affection, this seems a bit early in the morning, even for you.” Janus pointed out. Patton kept putting on his clothes, half ignoring Janus, just trying to concoct a plan that would save him. Janus got off the bed and went in front of him as he finished putting on his shirt. “Patton. What is happening today?”

Patton looked at him with a determined smile and fear in his eyes. “You’re going to go to work and I’m going to take care of all the things here. Now go! We need to get ready for the day.”

Janus complied, pretending to shrug off Patton’s demeanor and put on his clothes. Patton did up his hair in a short ponytail and 4 colorful barrettes to hide the short curly hairs that were left. Janus barely finished his hair as his watch beeped. He gave Patton a kiss on the cheek before saying, “I must be off dear! If I don’t return by seven, assume that I have been kidnapped by my horrible fellow employees.”

“Yeah, mhm, don’t be rude to them. Be safe!” Patton responded walking out to the front doorway.

Janus gave a look but opened the door. “Well, goodbye Patton! Remember to buy butter!” The door closed and Patton took out his phone to text Remus. He needed a car and someone who wouldn’t ask questions. Remus was good at both of those. As he awaited the reply he quickly went through all his chores including feeding several animals and watering the plants. Remus sent back a reply with many curses and agreed to it. Wonderful.

With that a plan was in action! Follow husband to work and find out how he keeps dying and prevent it! Easy. Patton heard a loud car horn sound repeatedly outside his house and immediately knew that Remus had arrived. He walked outside, wearing his cardigan on his arms instead of around his shoulders to show that he was serious about it. Remus smiled and moved to the passenger seat instead of getting out completely.

“Uh, Remus?” Patton got into the driver’s seat and looked at his friend awkwardly. “I thought I mentioned wanting to do this alone?”

Remus put on his seat belt. “You did, but I’m ignoring you, fuckface! Whatever the fuck you’re doing seems like a fun time and I am extremely bored.” Patton scrunched his nose and pushed up his glasses before starting the car. He knew exactly how Remus was when he was bored and wasn’t a fan of dealing with it. Perhaps someone who kind of knew Janus’s line of work could be helpful. They started driving after Patton set up a GPS route to the workplace. Remus looked at it and back at him. “We’re visiting J-anus and my brother? OH! Are you going to prank them?! It’d be so exciting to set the entire building on fire!”

Patton’s hands tightened on the wheel and glanced at his friend. “No, you know I don’t condone killing people with arson. We’re here to hopefully prevent something that’s going to happen.”

“What’s going to happen? Murder without arson?”

He stopped at a stop sign before making a left turn. Patton shrugged as he corrected the wheel. “I don’t actually know. That’s what I’m going to find out though.” It couldn’t hurt to be honest with Remus, seeing as he didn’t know if the next day was even going to exist in the first place. With a few gross conversations that led to vague responses from Patton, the two finally reached their destination. To find out what the fuck was going to happen to Janus. They walked up to the front building, Patton had a smile on his face that was apparently intimidating according to the reaction of the receptionist. “Hi, sorry to disturb you I was just wondering if Janus Lyre-Hart is in the office today? I’m his husband.”

“Sorry sir... He’s, he’s not actually here today? He was sent on a field mission with two others to deal with an issue with the company.” She stated nervously.

“Where did they go?” Remus asked with more seriousness than Patton had heard in several years. They were told the location and drove there together. Remus had seemed to gage the seriousness of the situation and adjusted SOME of his actions accordingly. “Do you think you’re going to find their entrails all over here or something?” Some actions.

Patton sighed and slammed the car door shut, looking around the place. Just a bunch of buildings. The place seemed completely normal. He noticed a few crows over an old blue wooden bar that didn’t appear significant. Patton started walking towards it and Remus followed, taking huge steps to keep up. The door creaked open and a few of the birds flew away. Patton peaked in and Remus knelt over to peak through underneath Patton’s head. The place was empty. The two stepped in.

“This isn’t as planned out as I’d like.” Patton said, even though his real thoughts were ‘I can try again tomorrow anyway’. Remus walked around, kicking over an empty trash can. It fell over making a loud sound against the floor. Patton flinched but noticed something weird with the floorboards. He kneeled down. “Huh. Hey Remus? I think we just found a trapdoor.”

“Then let’s open it!” Remus exclaimed, and he slammed his fingers around the corners, pulling up. Patton bit a protest and helped. The door lifted and slammed down on, the force of which made a wave of dust fly up. Patton coughed before looking down. There was a metal ladder on one of the walls, small rectangular slots lined up evenly all the way down to the bottom of the tunnel; it was much lower down than he expected. Remus shoved past Patton and started climbing down. He looked back up. “Come on! I wanna see what’s down here! Like a sex dungeon or just a dungeon dungeon! With worms!”

The two reached the bottom and walked until they reached a point with two turns they could go. Remus mentioned splitting up but Patton thought that it was a bad idea. So instead, the two made a right turn right into Logan, Roman, and Janus running rapidly.

“We have to go!” Roman exclaimed, grabbing Remus and Patton. They all turned and started running through to the left turn. Patton tried to look back but Logan kept his head forward. They eventually got out of the tunnels in a different exit. Janus shoved everyone into the car while Logan started the engine. Patton put on his seat belt quietly. Roman turned to look at them from the passenger seat. “What the hell are you guys doing here?!”

“Looking for you shitheads!” Remus exclaimed. “Patton said that something bad was going to happen!”

Janus looked out the window of the speeding car and grimaced. He got out a gun and Patton fought himself to keep his eyes open. It was almost lunch time, it was almost time. “They’re tailing us, Logan!” Janus turned to Patton with softness in his eyes, and his tone became more controlled. “Why do you think something bad is going to happen?”

“Does this not count as bad to you, Janus?!” Patton exclaimed, Remus pushed his back down as a bullet hit the back window. Janus looked at the glass and shrugged. Patton groaned and leaned back on Remus’s shoulder before giving a glance to the back window. There were a few nicely dressed people with guns and were shooting sporadically at the car. “Seriously?! Jan, I can’t explain what’s going to happen because I wasn’t here originally but you have to be careful!”

“I am doing my best to be safe dear, but I also need to do my job.” Janus said coldly before opening the window and shooting back. Logan made a swift turn and Patton grabbed Remus’s hand for comfort. He felt scared and angry at the same time. Janus needed to trust him on this but only Patton even knew what was going on. Next thing he knew, Roman’s arm got shot. He screamed, dropping his weapon out the car window and leaned back on his seat. Patton didn’t see a gun wound in the dreams, so this happened because of the changes he made. The guilt didn’t have time to sink in when one of the bullets hit the car wheels. Logan cursed under his breath as the car swerved and narrowly avoided a tree; it instead flipped on its side. Patton swallowed an ongoing panic in order to unbuckle his seat belt and helped Remus and Janus out of the car. Logan and Roman got caught up with the airbags. Logan quickly unbuckled and maneuvered his way out.

Patton coughed and looked at the car. “So… what now? How do we get Roman out of there?”

“Well, we can’t move him because if he broke something that could ruin his vital organs or bones permanently.” Logan hummed, nonchalantly pulling Remus back from the car. “I think that the best thing we can do now is leave immediately.”

Remus pulled back from Logan’s grasp sharply. “And just leave him here? He could die!”

“We could also die, Remus!” Janus cut in, shaking. Patton froze up, staring at the door. He had a feeling it was already too late. Janus kept yelling, the cars started arriving and the gunshots got louder. But he couldn’t turn his eyes away from the car. It was on its side and even though Patton couldn’t see him, he imagined Roman’s pain. He couldn’t move. “-Atton! You have to get up! Patton! I’m not looping you into this!”

The others had run off, leaving Roman in the car, but Janus was dragging Patton as he blinked back into hearing others again. But it was too late, Patton heard Janus cry out and looked up to him with concern. “Janus? Are you okay?”

He shook his head, tears welling up and Janus hugged him. Patton looked down and saw blood seeping into his shirt. He looked up at his husband and smiled. “I’ll be okay! I’ll be better next time. You’ll be okay next time!” The light sky hurt so he closed his eyes. He felt Janus’s arms trembling around him and wanted to comfort him. But Patton felt like he was turning into static. “Next time will be better, I promise.”

Patton woke up to the same cheerful song on his phone, tired but ready to try again. He sat up and examined his chest. It looked normal and his breathing wasn’t hindered anymore but his brain wanted to believe he was in pain. Patton looked over at Janus, who was breathing normally too. He wasn’t even crying. Janus was okay, Roman was okay, he was okay. Right? If Patton just learned how to do better this time everything would turn out fine. So, he decided not to wake up Janus. Patton closed the blinds on the window and slipped back into bed and cuddled into Janus’s side. Even if his husband did wake up, he tended not to care about following what his job wanted him to do anyways. Whatever that job actually was.

Time passed and eventually Janus did leave. Patton tried to come with him but it didn’t work. And Patton wouldn’t consider himself as stubborn as Janus was. So he let him leave and got on his bicycle to follow him. Patton had visited one of the work locations before, for a potluck or Halloween party usually set up by Roman. It was a secretive place but loved to pretend it was just a normal business.

He walked in and saw Virgil. Which was a bit unusual, seeing as he didn’t actually work with the others either. Not like Patton had much room to judge if he liked to judge. He gave a smile and waved. “Hey, kiddo! What are you up to?”

Virgil waved awkwardly as he walked over, his other hand in his hoodie. “Sup, Pat. Logan wanted to ask something from me I guess? He was being vague about this place, as always, but I just finished. Why are you here?”

He hated lying and Virgil hated being lied to. Patton wasn’t exactly sure how to explain his situation without sounding like he was joking or really sleep deprived. He gave a glance to the receptionist and looked back at his friend. “I don’t really know what I’m doing here. But I am having quite a long day, if you want to talk about it over ice cream with me?”

Patton internally high fived himself for his wonderful pun that no one would get but him.

...

“So, we’re stuck in a loop and every time Janus dies when you don’t do anything but Roman died when you tried to mess with it?” Patton nodded nervously. Virgil thought it through while taking a bite of ice cream from his paper bowl. “That sounds like a personal hell if I’ve ever heard one. Especially for you. But from what you’ve said, the loop will probably end when you manage to save everyone. I’m not sure how exactly you’ll do that but I could help out.”

“You… aren’t freaking out as much as I thought you would.” Patton knew that wasn’t phrased as well as he wanted to, but he was curious about how Virgil felt about everything going on.”

Virgil put down the plastic spoon and made eye contact with Patton. He noticed just how shaky the man was. “Oh I’m absolutely panicking right now, but it’s probably better to deal with it when tomorrow comes or something. Nothing matters right now and that is terrifying to think about. My actions are actually useless. It’s not like I’ll remember what happened right now anyway, right?”

He shook his head. “So far I think I’m the only one who knows about it.” Patton decided he’d just not tell Virgil in the next loop, he didn’t see his dark strange son daily so that wasn’t an issue. Patton didn’t want to give Virgil a panic attack every single time they talked on this day. “What should I do about it? I’ve tried coming to help, or preventing it from happening, or doing nothing, but I’m still here.” Alone.

“Well, putting my pessimism aside for a moment,” Virgil started. “You could tell Janus, Roman, and Logan about what’s happening so they can avoid doing this specific job or whatever until they have a better fleshed out plan. Or… I don’t know, figure out what they’re doing and get to it first.” He opened his mouth before closing it again, and Patton guessed that he probably had another idea that would be upsetting to hear.

Patton leaned forward. “What’s the last one, Virgil?”

“Nothing!” Virgil exclaimed. He calmed down, letting go of the ice cream bowl. “It’s just that maybe you’re supposed to… accepthisdeathandworkthroughthegrief- I don’t know it’s stupid!”

“Oh…” Virgil looked away with his arms crossed. Patton looked down at his now melted ice cream. Roman would be at his house by now but he wasn’t quite sure that it mattered. He looked back up at Virgil, trying not to cry. “I mean I can try out the other things first, right? I really don’t want anyone I love to die if I can prevent it somehow.”

“I know, Pat.” No, you don’t, Patton thought bitterly. He felt guilty but he knew he stood by his thinking no matter how rude it was.

The next time he tried to just wake up earlier, which worked just as well as you would expect. So he called Roman as soon as he woke up instead and told him everything. “So that’s why you shouldn’t do anything about whatever the hell you found earlier today. It’s doomed to fail, and I believe in you kiddo but this absolutely isn’t going to work.”

There was a sigh from the other side of the screen. “Patton, you had a weird dream about a time loop? It happens sometimes, Padre. Janus and I aren’t going to die. Remus doesn’t even work here and you don’t even know where we’re going-”

“Yes I do Roman!” He fought back. One of Virgil’s suggestions was to figure out what the others were doing and to prevent it or solve it before the others did. Patton needed to gather information for that to even work though. “You’re going to an old abandoned blue building that used to be a bar! There’s at least two entrances to the tunnels underneath it and you had a direct route about a mile away from the bar.” Patton sighed, it was hard convincing people about this much of a reach. So, it was time for a different approach. “Look, maybe it is a weird dream but it’s not nothing. Can you at least tell me what you found so I know that you guys are going to be okay?”

He hummed, contemplating for a moment before sighing. “I can’t do that, Patton. Logan and Janus are already on my case about so many things I’m not adding another to the list. We’re going to be okay today, I promise that.” Patton clenched his phone as his friend kept talking. “I’ll visit you after we’re done today! Does that sound good, padre?”

“It sounds great Roman, see you..” Patton responded, ending the call.

True to his word, Patton did hear the door creak open. Roman cried into his arms while Patton just considered what he could do next.

“Logan, is there ANY way you could do what you’re doing today later?” Patton asked, while Remus was walking through the office idly. Logan gave him a confused look as if to indicate that he wanted more information. “I’m going to be straightforward here-”

“Good luck attempting that.” Remus cut in. Logan and Patton stared at him for a moment. He shrugged. “Just saying. Keep talking about your psychic powers or whatever.”

“I’m going to be CLEAR about this.” Patton mended. “Whatever happens at your job today will end with Janus being shot and killed. I can’t really explain why, but you need to do this tomorrow, or plan something. I don’t know! This is really dangerous and I want everyone to be okay.”

There was a moment of silence between the three of them. Logan sat in his seat, thinking everything over while Remus had paused reorganizing the bookshelf to spell ‘penis’ with the first letters of the book titles. It was so silent that Patton could hear the shuffling of people walking through the halls, and the caws of birds that suspiciously sounded like crows. He took a breath and looked at the ceiling to keep himself from crying. Patton knew that he looked like a mess. He was wearing his cardigan instead of around his shoulders and he was so focused on leaving as fast as possible that his hair was completely neglected.

Logan cleared his throat. “It would be unwise for us to completely postpone our mission today.” Patton sniffed and Logan continued through seemingly unaffected. “But I suppose it would be wise to make sure we have bulletproof vests and show up more inconspicuously than we previously planned.”

“Thank you, Lo.” Patton’s voice was quiet, like a sudden breeze could shatter it.

Patton and Remus were ushered out. Remus suggested they go out to sushi to wait and see how it went. There was a place close by and Remus enjoyed eating raw meats. This was a type of food the two frequently compromised on. The drive was quiet if you tuned out whatever loud artist Remus played in his car. Patton didn’t know them but did know that they swore way more than he would normally listen to.

When the car stopped Patton didn’t move or do anything. Remus reminded him to unbuckle and get out of the car before he locked him in. He talked about not wanting his best friend to suffocate without any air and getting trapped by the safety lock completely and having to resort to eating his arm. No matter how grotesque his metaphors were, Patton appreciated knowing that Remus was there for him. He took everything Patton said in stride, not mocking or belittling him. He wasn’t a serious man and he didn’t have to be. Remus was passionate and would do anything for the people he cared about, regardless of how dangerous. Which was exactly why he had to make sure Remus and everyone else survived to some sort of future that didn’t exist yet.

The two picked up their sushi and ate there. Well, Remus did. Patton picked at his a little while listening to the ambient noises of the restaurant. “Do you think they’re going to be okay today?”

“I have no fucking clue.” Remus said. He paused to drink some of the soy sauce from the bottle. “But they stand a better chance with you fighting for them to finally use all those brain cells they’re hogging. I mean, do you hear that they weren’t even planning on wearing bullet proof vests? Do they want to become rag dolls at the end of this?”

Patton snorted, tears brimming his eyes. “I guess I really ragged on Logan, huh?”

Remus took all of Patton’s sushi in his hands and smooshed them together before eating the entire thing. With the food gone it was finally time to leave. When they arrived at the house there was already a car there. Roman’s car. Patton ran into the house to see Roman on the ground, looking very bruised with his hands covered in blood.

“What happened?” He demanded.

“Patton?” Roman asked weakly, looking up at him. “Patton! I’m so sorry, Logan and I, we tried to stop what happened but… Janus died.”

His mind was racing, hearing Remus close the door behind him but he ignored it. “How?”

“He was… umm, stabbed to death. Are you okay?”

Roman’s question was ignored. Patton sat down at the table, turned away from the twins. Stabbed. Not shot. Of course they had multiple types of weapons on them. That was an oversight he couldn’t do again. He’d find a way to save them. They can bring their own guns or knives or they could be warned about what their enemies had prepared for them. Patton’s heart was racing as his hands gripped his head. He’d know what to do.

Patton watched expectedly as Roman walked into the door. “They beat Janus to death.”

Logan went into Patton’s house holding tightly onto his bleeding leg, with his other arm against the wall to keep his balance. The two made eye contact. “Roman and Janus died when they shot the tires of the car and it crashed. I’m the only one who made it.”

“Janus was shot.”

“We just couldn’t save Logan I’m so sorry-”

“Roman was kidnapped and used against us. Janus thought they were bluffing about killing him but then they did.”

Janus died. Logan died. They all died and somehow Virgil found out before him. Roman and Janus died. Logan and Janus died. Janus died. Patton was pulling his hair out. Every time he woke up he had darker eye bags than the last time. He didn’t bother to watch as yet another one of his friends limped through the door at 3 PM on a sunny day ready to announce a tragedy.

“Patton-”

“Who died?” He asked, cutting him off. Patton looked up to see Janus. There was blood coming from his nose that was ignored and drying over his skin. It wasn’t a very common version of this day. He showed up sometimes but Janus was very frequently the one dead. “I already know someone got murdered, Jan. Please just tell me how so I can avoid it next time.”

“What? Next time-” Janus sputtered, shaking his head before looking at Patton. “What the fuck does that mean?! Roman got suffocated to death- why… Do you know what happened? Patton, what’s going on?”

A question so simple with a very difficult answer. Patton stood up to help Janus walk to a chair. Roman. Strangled. How could he warn them about that next time? Janus was talking as Patton continued to walk around the kitchen but he wasn’t listening. He wet a towel and started cleaning up Janus’s face. Janus shut up and Patton gave a tight lipped smile. “I know you aren’t going to believe me but you, Logan, and Roman have been dying every single day for me and I’m trying to make sure you’re all okay in the end. So, next time I’ll tell Logan about things to avoid doing that didn’t work out this specific time. As long as I mess with the timeline something different will happen. One of these days will turn out okay.”

Unless they don’t. Unless he really just has to accept it like Virgil said.

“So you’ve just been handed the world’s most traumatizing time loop?” Janus asked. Patton removed the bloody paper towel and threw it in the trash can. He nodded. “How long have you been stuck here? Just knowing that one of us dies?”

“I don’t know.” Patton answered honestly. He spent so much effort trying to save his friends he hadn’t bothered to keep track of time. Janus rested his hand on Patton’s arm for the littlest amount of comfort. Patton looked up at him with a sad smile, tears brimming his eyes. “What do I do? I can’t get you to stop, you won’t let me come with you, and I don’t want anyone to be hurt anymore.”

They both looked so hurt. Janus had bruises setting in just about everywhere and he winced whenever he made a movement too big or too fast. Patton just looked tired. So incredibly tired, as if he had woken up after a fitful night sleep decades ago and never went back to bed. Janus tried to say something but stopped himself. There was no clear cut answer. Why would there be? It was like he had said earlier, the world’s most traumatizing time loop and Patton was the only one with a ticket to the ride. How do you stop something that’s only goal is to make you suffer? He thought about what Virgil said and grimaced.

Patton fell into Janus’s lap and sobbed. This wasn’t fair, none of it was! And Virgil had to be right about everything. He had to let his husband die. Patton whispered his apologies over and over until he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t figure out a way to save him; perhaps there wasn’t a way to save him at all.

Patton wakes up to a happy song playing on his phone and his husband asleep next to him. He didn’t stop the alarm, he didn’t do anything. Janus woke up with a yawn, only to see Patton staring blankly at the ceiling above him. The world felt devoid of life, like the more Patton looked, the world would pause before draining away before him. Janus gave him a shake, asking if he was okay, but Patton didn’t answer. It was no use. Nothing he did would work in the end anyways. Why try? Janus seemed more worried, not a common look on him. Patton looked him over and gave a smile. Would this be the last time he’d see him?

“Are you okay?” He asked, when Patton finally sat up. Patton gave him a hug and let go of it before he wouldn’t be able to. “Patton, do you need me to stay with you?”

“No, I’m okay.” The lie was breathed to life almost hesitantly. His voice felt raspy. Patton knew that this was the right thing to do, but it hurt so much. Why did it have to hurt so much? “Just, just go to work and I’ll be alright.”

So Janus did, and Patton was alright. Janus wasn’t. When Roman came to tell him of the news, Patton was still in bed on his husband’s side. Roman stayed after taking a shower, but his attempts to help were in vain. The world was draining away and there was nothing that could stop it. Roman was sleeping on the floor, holding Patton’s hand.

It kept repeating. Making Patton live the pain every single day, which wasn’t fair. He still cried when Roman would tell him that Janus died. He still made sure that Roman got cleaned up, but nothing changed. Patton couldn’t make it to yesterday, despite trying so hard to move on. Eventually he decided to keep up the routine he would normally have, trying to show the world that he was going to be okay, but that didn’t work either.

Nothing did.

He watered the plants, fed the cat and the turtle, had a glass of water, and hung out with that murder of crows that started following the couple around a few months ago. Patton threw some food at the ground in front of them before sitting down on the patio. He wasn’t really sure what to do. Going to the store probably wouldn’t be helpful, unless he managed to avoid the biker eventually. Janus was already at work and in danger already. Patton sighed and fell to his back. A crow cawed at him.

“What should I do?” He dragged his hands over his face. None of the birds responded, outside of the one that hopped onto his calf. Patton decided that was a sign to go grocery shopping, despite knowing they wouldn’t have all that’s on the list.

It was slightly windy out, causing Patton’s cardigan to drift updraft. A plane went by, supposedly going down towards the airport. He saw a woman chasing a dog with a leash running wild and helped her out. A group of kids were walking to school. And then he reached the grocery store. Patton went in only needing four things: Butter, bread, eggs, and bagels. He already knew they didn’t have butter, but put the rest in the shopping basket. Patton’s hand hovered over Janus’s favorite candy. He blinked slowly, taking a deep breath in and out, before throwing it into the basket. It wasn’t a horrible thing to indulge anyways.

Walking out, the wind had calmed down. He carefully carried his bags, skillfully dodging out of the way of the biker for the first time. Patton stopped walking to watch the person continue on, not knowing about the collision that had occurred between them before. The rest of the way was uneventful. He put away the groceries and decided to make something for Roman when he was going to stop by.

He made some sort of water based soup, Patton wasn’t sure which because he grabbed the one closest to him, only checking the label to make sure it wasn’t cream based. Last time he hadn’t, Roman got really sick. Just as Patton had finished, the door opened. He didn’t say anything and instead got a rag from a cupboard and turned on the hot water.

Roman limped in and leaned against the wall. “Pat, I’m so sorry.” Patton nodded silently, running the rag underneath the sink and started cleaning up the blood on Roman’s face. “Logan and I, we tried to stop what happened but… Janus died.”

Patton’s heart pinged in guilt, still feeling like he could do something. He took the rag off Roman’s face. “Yeah, I know. How about you go take a shower, Roman. You can borrow my clothes for tonight.” Roman had a confused expression but seemed too out of it to say anything. Patton took out some of his clothes, not able to go through Janus’s shirts. He set it outside the bathroom door and spent the rest of his time petting Ladle idly. None of this felt right.

It couldn’t be the right way to go about this, seeing as he awoke again with Janus next to him so many times after. But Patton didn’t know what he COULD do. He stood up a bit too quickly but ignored it. Patton decided he’d finally start putting up his hair again. Not that anyone would know how long he hadn’t bothered to but himself. It would just help. He put in the barrettes and stared at himself in the mirror for a few seconds. Sighing, Patton tied the cardigan to finish his look. Janus walked into the bathroom, brushing his incredibly long hair. He was dressed for work but had yet to grab his hat.

“Hey love, can we talk before you go to work?” Patton asked. Usually he’d be nervous about Janus misinterpreting his tone but currently things like that haven’t really mattered to him.

“Well that’s not ominous at all.” Janus replied as he nodded. He put his hair in a bun and put his hat on top. There was a strip of hair loose, highlighting the scarred side of the man’s face. The two walked to the living room. Upon seeing them, Ladle jumped off the couch and ran into the bedroom presumably to hide under something. “What did you need to talk about?”

Patton took a breath, taking in all the ways this conversation has been messed up before. “You can’t go to work today. I know what you’re going to say-”

“This day is really important,” Janus interjected while Patton said it at the same time as him with a sense of boredom. Janus narrowed his eyes. “Have you been hanging out with Remus more often? There’s no way you were able to copycat that well without practice.”

“Yeah, I guess you could call it practice if you wanted to.” Patton chuckled to himself. “But we’re getting distracted. If any of you guys, including Roman and Logan, go do the thing you need to do today you will die. It won’t be pleasant, and it will happen no matter how many precautions you decide to take. So please, take the day to plan this out better or something. But you can’t risk anything.”

Janus was very taken back but scoffed, to hide the fact he was worried. Patton knew that he wasn’t just going to give in without good reason to. He didn’t want to pull the ‘time loop’ card if he didn’t have to. If he could just move onto tomorrow with no one knowing what had happened he would be satisfied. “We are always careful, Patton. Why do you think today’s going to be any different? We haven’t died yet!”

“But you will! I don’t THINK today’s going to be different, I. KNOW. SO.” Patton was trying to stay as calm as possible, but it really sucked to do that. “If you want me to explain, I can, but it would be so much better for you just to trust me. Please.”

“Patton. I want to know what’s going on. Are you being threatened or something? Why do you believe we’re going to be hurt?” Janus asked.

He took a deep breath, Patton’s heart was breaking faster than his patience. “I’m not being threatened, Janus. I’m stuck. I’m stuck watching you die every single day, only learning when Roman comes into our house at 3 PM when I expected you to sneak out of your work place to eat food with me. And I can’t do anything about it or someone else I care about dies! So I’m stuck! Stuck knowing that it’s going to be windy today, that a biker will break the eggs I bought at the grocery store, and that I got other things there to compensate for the fact that the store doesn’t have butter!” His voice broke as he looked at Janus after he ranted loudly. “I’ve been on this day that it’s easier to focus on my small inconveniences instead of the fact that my husband dies today and I can’t do anything.”

Janus walked over to him, giving Patton a hug. Patton didn’t hug back but put his head on his chest. Everything was silent between the two of them. Janus rubbed circles into Patton’s back. Neither of them were crying. Patton had run out of tears for a long time, and Janus didn’t know enough to understand how horrible the situation was. After a few minutes, Patton pulled back. Janus looked at him, with undivided attention.

“Will you tell the others that the plan today has changed?” He asked. “I can’t let you go into danger. Not when I can do something about it.”

“At this point it would be stupid of me not to. Want to come with to make sure none of the other’s fuck up this day?” Janus suggested, Patton gave a weak smile. “I’ll work hard to not die today by planning ahead and having common sense. It might be quite difficult if your rants suggest anything.”

“Hey,” Patton interjected softly. “You have common sense! I’m not exactly sure how you die but you probably try very hard not to do it. Don’t degrade your worth, Janus.” It was ironic, seeing as how much Janus promoted taking care of yourself and your own self worth in general. Patton tried to get his normal energy but it fell short. He almost literally fell too, but Janus caught him and stood him back up. “I’ll… physically fight you.”

“Of course you will, let’s go tell the other’s okay?”

…

Patton watched as his friends huddled around Logan’s desk coming up with some sort of game plan. He was trying to listen but his exhaustion caught up to him and he mainly focused on staying awake. Roman gave him a concerned look before he kept talking. Clearly, the three were talking about him. The whole reason this was happening was because of Patton. He let Janus argue his points and kept his attention on staring at the small things on Logan’s bookshelf. It was uniform, organized by the author's last name. The only deviation being the small nick knacks and items that the other’s gave him over the years. Patton smiled, even though Logan didn’t see the purpose of the small toys, he still kept them. Things like this reminded Patton how much he loved his friends.

“Okay, what dangers are there that we aren’t prepared for?” Logan asked.

Janus thought for a moment, and looked at Patton. He just barely started listening again. “I wouldn’t really know. What about you, Patton?”

He looked up seeing all of them looking directly back. Patton took a breath. “Well, they have a whole range of weapons. If you aren’t immediately shot and manage to get into the car they’re going to shoot the tires. You could be strangled, hurt in the car wreck, manipulated into a situation where you could put someone else at risk…” Patton trailed off awkwardly. Logan, Roman, and Janus all made eye contact for a brief moment. Patton liked to imagine they could all talk to each other telepathically, even though Logan didn’t think that was logical.

“This seems like a lot,” Roman commented. “Are you sure that you’re not just overthinking every single thing that can go wrong? That sounds more like Virgil’s thing if we’re being real-”

Logan looked at him, confused. “Of course we’re being real, but I don’t see what that has to do with it.” Janus looked like he wanted to cut in but decided not to say anything, simply clearing his throat instead. “Roman the entire point of our job is to make sure we’re prepared for any given situation, why is that a problem?”

“Well, uh, it just-” Roman sputtered through his sentence. “Without taking chances and trying to plan everything out we’re not going to get anything done! How can we be expected to save anyone from danger if we spend all day just thinking about what COULD happen?”

“Without planning at all we’re not going to be able to save ourselves!” Janus argued back. “And if we die that’s not going to do anyone any good.”

He looked over at Patton with a small smile, signalling that he was going to stand up for his side of the argument, which was comforting. Janus was a very persuasive person. But in the end, Patton didn’t care what conclusion they went to as long as they lasted to the end of the day. Logan looked between his two coworkers and friends, sighing. “Well clearly we need a healthy balance instead. If we put too much weight on taking risks or preparing, it won’t be productive either way.”

“So…” Roman started. “Yerkes-Dodson curve again?”

Logan looked at him, unimpressed. “Yes, the Yerkes-Dodson curve again.”

He didn’t really understand what that was referencing, but Patton decided to speak up again. “So you’re going to spend the rest of the day coming up with a flexible but concrete plan for tomorrow?”

“That does sound like the consensus.” Janus shrugged. No one else argued.

By the time the three were done planning, Patton had fallen asleep on the chair he was on. Janus gently picked up his husband on his back. Patton’s arms fell loosely around his neck as he was coming out of unconsciousness. The car ride was quiet, and they reached home. Janus waved to Remus before heading inside, helping Patton follow along.

It was 6 PM. The longest that anyone had lived on that day. Patton was suddenly awake when he realized that. His grip on Janus’s shirt tightened significantly. But the two still didn’t say anything. Patton took out his barrettes and ponytail. He shook out his hair, looking at himself in the mirror again as he took off the cardigan. Janus was making a quick dinner for the two of them. Patton had to keep reminding himself that Janus was still there, still alive. He almost believed that something would keep going wrong, and that wouldn’t be fair. None of it seemed fair though, so it was possible. Patton gave himself a nod. “It’s going to be okay.”

After they ate, Janus and Patton got into pajamas. They laid on top of the blankets, holding hands despite facing opposite ways. Janus cleared his throat. “What are you going to do if today repeats again, Patton?”

“I don’t know.” He answered honestly. “I mean obviously I’ll try to keep you all alive but I’m going to try different things. This is the closest I’ve ever gotten. I keep thinking that you’ll die in front of me or that Roman and Logan already died and I just don’t yet. Virgil suggested that I might just have to accept the fact that you’re going to die. I certainly don’t want that to be true.”

Janus nodded solemnly. “I mean I guess it’s finally been proven that I can die now.”

Patton hit him softly with his free hand. “No jokes! This is a serious time, we gotta be serious.” Janus gave him a look, some mix between mock offended and trying desperately not to laugh. “JAn! Stop trying to make me laugh- no stop poking my face- I’m trying to have a conversation with you-” He was cut off by his own laughter, followed by his husband’s laughter. Patton’s laugh turned into crying. The two sat up. “You’ll be okay, right Jan? I don’t want this to be the last time we joke around like this. I’ll miss you so much.”

There was a pause, and then Janus cradled Patton’s check with one of his hands. “You’re strong, Patton. If anyone had the moral capability to save everyone repeatedly, it would be you. Then again, I’ll ask you to consider taking up a therapist when you do get out of the time loop, regardless of the end result.”

“Fair enough.” Patton allowed Janus to pull him into a kiss. It was short. When they pulled away Patton pulled them into a hug. “Can you stay up with me until twelve? I want to make sure that tomorrow will actually come.”

“Of course, dear.”

Time passed. Patton and Janus mostly just bothered Ladle when she went into the room, talked about things that didn’t matter, and kept each other company. Patton checked the clock on the bedside table and his phone with basically every free thought he had. Janus tried to distract him with a movie playing on his laptop, but his hand remained on his phone. They finished the movie when it turned 11 PM.

“So, should we play another movie or just scroll on our phones or something?” Janus asked. Patton hummed for a moment, giving a look. Janus narrowed his eyebrows, feigning suspicion. “Oh, you want to do a special thing don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Patton relented. “Something simple though! I haven’t made any of the loops, so it’s been awhile for me. Please? If we start now we might be able to finish before midnight!”

So they made cookies. Despite being on a time limit, the two spent plenty of it messing around. Janus ate some of the cookie dough after the chocolate chips were put in despite Patton’s insistence not to. But after a very small amount of convincing, Patton ate cookie dough as well. Janus put in the first batch of cookies at about 11:47. So maybe they should have rushed just a little bit more. Patton looked at Janus, with innocence in his expression but mischievousness in his heart. “Looks like we’re in a real time crunch now, huh?”

“Patton. We have been married for three years and four months but I’m willing to end it there if you continue to keep doing this to me.” If someone who didn’t know Janus heard him say that, they would’ve believed that he was being completely honest. Patton though, just laughed proudly. Janus sat on the floor, across from the oven, watching the cookies and pretending not to pay attention to Patton.

“Come on, Jan!” Patton exclaimed, shaking his shoulders. “If this really is the last of the time loop I got to end with a sweet pun!”

Before there could be any more arguments, or god forbid, puns the timer went off and the first batch of cookies were done. Patton took out the tray as Janus put in the next one. The two checked the time. 11:58. Janus lifted the cookie. “Looks like there’s no time to let it cool. I want to have at least one cookie if the day is going to reset anyways.”

“Well, I guess just this once, it’s okay.” Patton said, picking up his own cookie. He looked at the clock to see they only had one minute left. Patton made eye contact with Janus. “If this day repeats, I just want you to know that I’ll never stop until I save you.”

“I know.” and they both took bites into the cookies.

Patton looked at the clock after a moment. He chewed and swallowed the cookie, seeing that it was 12 AM. Patton looked quickly back at Janus, who was there and alive. Janus put down his cookie just as he was enveloped in a hug. Patton was crying already, holding onto him like he was going to disappear at any moment. “You’re alive! You’re alive… It’s finally over. I’m not stuck anymore.”

He cried into Janus’s shoulder, finally breathing in a new today.

Taglist: @rosalynravenclaw16 @genderkwerfirebird @littlefufu10 @hailcap85 @infawrit10 @dontask25 @shinekittenace @reginaofdoctorwho @harmonydiaries @tomori-outtit @wundergirllovesyou @you-gay-bitch @tradernate @vinnievinvibing @gender-guts @the-dead-and-the-decaying @qtkittencorn @elsecaller617 @made-of-love-and-loneliness @venus-virgil77 @sablesides @mainfor-theo @inge-nine @drunk-logan-cursed-facts @pastelpatton @gay-artist-626 @ace-ace-in-yo-face @lemonlinelights @mk-wastebin @kayte-wren @jaunssanders @asdfghjklicia

#sander sides #emile writes #writing #moceit #moceit timeloop au #patton sanders #janus sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #remus sanders #long post #fake shitpost #that took about 52 days total #apparently #idk that's just how long it's been since the first post about it #anyways if i need to add more content warnings please tell me

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lixis-sin-cauldron · 4 years ago

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The Princess and The Hawk [Hawks | Keigo Takami] Pt. 1

Part Two: Available Here Rating: Explicit 18+ content MINORS DNI. Pairing: Keigo Takami (Hawks) X fem!reader Word Count: 6.9k Kinks and Warnings: Animal Violence, Blood

Summary: A dull routine, every day like the last. You're comfortable, if a little lonely. Who knew a simple walk home could change so much? Can also be read on Ao3 here: The Princess and The Hawk Big thank you to my lovely beta reader @lilleeboi

Passing through the park to get home after work was your main way to de-stress after dealing with customers all day, the time of day left the area fairly empty and the fall air carried the wonderful scents of the season that wafted through the trees and flowers. Normally, it was the most calming part of your day. Normally.

Today, you were startled out of your calm daze by the screeching and hissing of two animals going at each other. Your eyes snapped toward the source of the noise, a twisting ball of fur a few meters ahead, beside the park walkway. Correction: a twisting ball of fur and feathers.

A large grey tabby had somehow been able to snag a very large brown bird that was currently doing its best to fend the feline off as it tried going for the bird’s throat, its talons pushing against the cat’s stomach, a smear of red in the fur where it pressed.

Nature is intense, you thought.

You knew better than to interrupt, they were both wild animals, predators that killed to feed and survive, you had no right to push your human views onto the fight. Wanting to return to your calm mindset, you hurried by the unsettling sight, willing your shaky legs forward. You didn't want to think of the fate that awaited the loser.

As the scuffle disappeared out of sight behind you, you heard a hoarse squawk that felt as if it was directed at you. Involuntarily, you turned to see the cat had gained the upper hand. It had pinned the bird on its stomach and was about to clamp down its jaw on the nape of its neck in a killing blow.

Your eyes met the bird’s, a striking golden-brown, and it seemed to be crying for help with its stare.

Forgoing your previous judgment – unable to ignore the desperate plea – you rushed towards the pair, slipped your purse off, and swung it with full force. It connected cleanly against the tabby just before it was able to land its killing blow. It tumbled backward, and after rolling for a moment, righted itself and turned towards you and its stolen prey. It stared you down, hissing deeply, then wincing. It let loose another deep hiss before retreating.

Heart pounding, you took a deep breath and looked at the bird that you had saved, almost positive it wouldn’t be there – having flown off when it was freed. However, there it remained, resting in the grass, its chest heaving just like yours.

“Oh geez,” Taking to your knees you hovered hands over the wounded avian, unsure of what to do. “Please don’t die.”

The bird shifted, trying to stand and move its wings, as if in response to your plea to prove it was fine. However, as it stretched its left-wing it flinched, wobbled for a moment, and collapsed back to the dirt.

You whimpered, unsure of what to do. It was clearly hurt, if you left it alone there was a good chance it would be attacked again or just die of its wounds anyway.

Ugh, why did I do that? There was no point in intervening, it’s going to die either way.

The bird still heaved, giving you a sideways stare. It seemed to study you with its gaze and tried moving again, letting out a cry as it did. Your heart gave a pang at the sight; it clearly wanted to live. How could you just leave it after stepping in?

“Do-don’t move,” you stuttered, reaching forward, “I’ll bring you to a vet, they’ll help you.”

Surprisingly, the bird gave no resistance to your touch. When you found trouble grasping it, especially while trying not to hurt it in the process, you peeled off your light jacket and gently wrapped the fowl in that. Once sure you had a hold that didn’t cause further damage, you raced off in the direction of the nearest animal clinic you could find.

“He’s pretty beat up, but nothing life-threatening,” The Veterinary nurse explained, softly running a thumb over the bird’s crown, its plumage fluttering at the touch. “We cleaned the cuts and the left-wing has a small hairline fracture. It’s been properly set but will need at least 2 to 3 weeks to fully heal, so we wrapped the wing so it can’t move. You’ll need to-”

“Wait, me? Why do I have to?” you were glad to hear the animal would be okay, but you were alarmed to hear they expect you to take care of it.

They looked at you in surprise, “Isn’t he yours?”

“No!” You waved your hands frantically, “I found it being attacked and just… stepped in. I don’t even know what breed it- err, he is. Let alone how to care for him.”

“That’s surprising, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an exotic bird just randomly being found like that.”

“Exotic?”

“Yes, this handsome man is a Red-Tailed Hawk. They’re a North American bird. For it to be in Japan that means it was brought here and must have an owner, so I just assumed that was you.”

“O-oh.” You can’t say you were that surprised at the revelation, you had never seen a bird that looked like the hawk. A closer examination showed that it wasn’t just brown, but a beautiful mix of dark brown, white, and tan. Along with strikingly red tail feathers that you had been sure at the time was blood.

“This one seems very special too, normally the tail feathers are more of a cinnamon-red.” The nurse provided, seeming to have followed your thought process, “He’s very well cared for and in amazing shape, aside from the scuffle. If he hadn’t been grounded due to the wing, I doubt that cat would have ever touched him or stood a chance if it had been able to.”

“The cat didn’t do that?”

“The fracture is very clean; an animal’s bite would have crushed the bone.”

“Oh, that’s good… I guess?” you studied the hawk, resting in a box filled with a plush towel that the clinic had provided, he was perfectly calm under the expert’s touch. You were sure the calm state was in part of the fact he was full of painkillers at the moment, but you had an urge to follow the example and pet the resting creature yourself. You held back though, instead returning to your original topic, “Uh, as I said, he’s not mine so are… you guys able to take him since he’s a lost pet?”

Their strokes of the feather head ceased, instead rising up to scratch their forehead, “Sometimes we do that, sure, but right now we’re a little full plus it normally best for a bird sanctuary to take them but in this case….”

“In this case…?”

“They’re trained and equipped to handle local wildlife and such. With this being an exotic breed, they wouldn’t take it in due to the trouble it could cause.”

“So… what does that mean for him? You said it would take a few weeks for the wing to heal, so he can’t fly and as a pet, he may not survive even if he could fly.” You had an idea of where the conversation was heading but you really hoped you were wrong.

“There are a few places I could check to see if they could take him in while they searched for the owner, but with how late it is I’d have to wait until tomorrow to contact them and they may not be able to take him right away even if they could…”

You sighed, “Would it be… hard to take care of him for a few days?”

The nurse beamed, happy to hear you volunteering, “Given his condition, no, not really,” They picked up a bag that had been sitting on the table beside the bird’s box and pulled out the contents. “The pain medication would keep him mellow for the most part, so even if he wasn’t such a gentleman,” They preened at the bird, commenting on how composed he had been during the whole ordeal. “You wouldn’t have much trouble handling him. You just need to apply this one orally every twice a day and this one on the cuts—”

You struggled into your apartment, the box in your arms, and your keys fighting for dominance as you unlocked the door. The keys lost and fumbled to the ground as the door teetered open.

“Fuckbucket," you cursed.

Leaving them on the ground, you carried the precious cargo past your couch and to the dining room table at the far edge of the small apartment and set it down as carefully as possible. The hawk had fallen asleep during your travel home and you were very keen to keep it that way.

After ensuring he wasn’t going to wake, you returned to the entrance and retrieved your keys as well as the shopping bag that rested next to the doorway.

While the clinic had been happy to give advice on how to care for the bird, and even charging just the cost of the visit and nothing else – you’d still had to call a ride-share to take the bird home and even stop at a pet store to purchase things to help care for him. Since it wasn’t like you actually owned anything to use while he lived with you.

A big piece of advice to make a safe space for the hawk to rest since you wouldn’t have a cage to place it in, free-roaming was the preferred option if it felt well enough to move around. They also provided a contact line to call if he suddenly became violent. While the wounded wing was wrapped, he couldn’t fly but the talons and beak could still cause damage if you weren’t careful. They would contact you as well once they had a place for him to go while the owner was being looked for.

Stretching with an exhausted sigh, your gaze returned to the box and found the hawk now awake and his head now resting on the edge watching you with glazed eyes.

“Uh, hi,” You blinked, wondering why you had just greeted an animal. Though he definitely didn’t feel like an animal when you locked eyes with him. You had a disconcerting feeling when he looked at you like he was analyzing you.

He let out a weak squawk in reply to the greeting.

“Right…” you decided to just go with it, picking up the purchased items you approached the table cautiously and started setting up an area next to the box with feed and water, “So, you’ll be staying with me for a bit, just while you heal and we find your home.”

He ruffled his feathers as the word ‘home’. You weren’t sure how to take that if it even meant anything to start with.

“So, if you can… I don’t know, not cause too much trouble, that would be great. Think you can do that for me, buddy?” You asked, holding out a hesitant hand to him, curled so the back of your fingers were present.

He stared at the extended appendage and you were sure he was going to bite you, but he leaned forward and rubbed his cheek against your knuckles.

Your heart fluttered, a smile blossoming across your face at the sight. He suddenly seemed a lot less frightening to you; realizing that he was tired and sore, and maybe even thankful to have a safe place after what he had experienced.

He withdrew his touch and curled in the box, head under his free wing and only a moment later, gentle snoring could be heard."

Wish I could fall asleep that fast. You snorted, laughing at the idea of envying a drugged-up fowl.

The concept of sleep did appeal very strongly after the evening you’d had; so, you ate a quick dinner, showered, and slipped into your bed, leaving the door ajar in case you needed to access the living/dining space quickly.

Your oversized t-shirt hung off your shoulder loosely, your underwear peeking out from underneath as your arms stretched above your head while walking into your tiny kitchen. After withdrawing a bottle of water from the fridge, you lazily looked around your home as you sipped it. You sputtered as your eyes fell upon the box resting on the table, coughing harshly as you forced the water from your lungs, having forgotten the previous day’s events in your sleepy state.

The box was tipped over sideways, the towel in a bundle on the table.

“No, no, no,” you chanted, rushing over and looking around for the wounded animal, “Where-” the words caught as the towel squirmed, the dark brown hawk head popping out from beneath it. “Oh, thank god.”

You were wide awake now.

“You scared the living hell out of me, buddy,” you reached forward and ran a knuckle across his crown, enjoying the softness. You leaned over, reaching eye level with him, “You have a nightmare or something?” You cooed.

You noticed his eyes drift, losing connection with yours, and move downwards, his head giving a tilt as they settled. You followed his gaze and realized you were giving the bird a clear view right down your shirt, where you were currently braless. You reacted instantly, straightening yourself and holding the shirt close to your bosom with a flushed face.

It’s a bird! you reminded yourself, He was probably just reacting to the fabric moving. He’s probably hungry. I need to give him his medicine, too.

Calming your nerves, you retrieved the small bag with medication. “Hey, buddy, you probably don’t feel great right? This will help numb that pain. You mind letting me put this in your mouth?” You held a syringe up, filled with a paste, and capped with a rubber tip that you could slide into his beak.

He seemed to glower at the suggestion, and you were starting to dread having to force his beak open when he shoved the towel off his back and stood up wobbling.

“Wow, you’re very clever, aren’t you? ” you exclaimed.

He huffed at the praise, parting his beak marginally to allow the tip to slide in. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, you carefully slid the syringe tip into his mouth and pushed the plunger just enough to provide the proper dose as you had been instructed.

The hawk reacted negatively, chomping his beak and twisting his head, evidently not enjoying the taste of the medicine. He strode over the water bowl resting on the tabletop and dunked his beak into the water, small bubbles rolling the surface as he guzzled down the liquid.

The sight was so shocking, you couldn’t help but start laughing, your chest heaved as you gasped for air between your cackles.

The hawk, having finished his drink, seemed unimpressed with your reaction.

“Oh, come on,” you chided after regaining your composure. “That was hilarious. Geez, I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard. Thanks for that, buddy.”

He shook, his feathers fluffing, then turned and pushed himself back under the towel, clearly unamused.

“Aw, baby’s embarrassed.” You cooed with another chuckle before returning to the kitchen and fixing yourself some breakfast. Once you’d eaten you returned to him to refill the water bowl he had downed and finally noticed that the bowl with the bird feed had been overturned at some point, most likely when he had flipped the box during the night.

“Can you not make a mess of the apartment?” You nagged, cleaning the mess, and refilling the bowl. He gave no reaction, his bright red tail the only visible part sticking out from under the towel. You gently poked the protruding feathers, feeling him lurch in surprise at the touch, “Hey, make sure you eat, you’ll feel horrible with no food in your stomach.”

The hawk rolled under the towel, sticking his head out to glower at the bowl and then you.

“Someone’s in a foul mood,” You blinked, then grinned. “Pun not intended.”

You could swear he rolled his eyes.

Just as you were about to comment on the action, your phone alarm went off. You groaned, “Time for work,” You studied the bird and the sideways box. “They said free roaming would be best since I don’t have a pen or cage big enough for you…” You shifted a dining room chair so it was angled against the table. “If, uh, you want to get down just use this instead of trying to fly… okay?”

His reply was crawling back under the towel, making sure to be completely hidden this time.

Still talking to a bird.

You grumbled something nonsensical, then returned to your room to change your clothes. Once ready to go, you padded towards your door, pulling your hair into a ponytail and glanced at the lump under the towel, and wondered if you should try and call off instead. You decided against it, knowing there was little you could change by staying home.

“I’ll… be back before you need more meds,” you called out. No reaction. You sighed, wondering why you felt like there would be, and exited your home.

You were more than relieved when you returned home and found it in the same condition you had left it that morning. In fact, you realized as you checked for damages, it seemed as if the bird hadn’t moved the entire time you’d been at work. You trailed over to the table and saw that he was where you had left him, snoozing away under the towel, his beak barely protruding.

“I’m home,” you said softly, running a fingertip over the exposed beak.

He let out a soft cooing sound at the touch, wiggling enough to expose his head and look at you with his intense golden eyes.

“Hey, buddy.”

Another coo with a head tilt so he rested on his cheek as he stared, seeming somewhat dazed.

“You okay?” you asked worriedly, he had been more responsive until now. You were about to call the clinic when you saw that the feed bowl had not been touched at all, no dip in the seed to indicate that he had moved anything within. “You haven’t eaten at all?” you declared, picking up the bowl. “I told you-” you paused and sighed, wondering once again why you spoke to an animal like he understood you.

“Do you not like this brand or blend or something?” you muttered. You pulled out your phone to see what type of bird feed was best for him. You realized something unfortunate. Voles, rats, rabbits… “I bought the wrong type of food.” You groaned. You had been in such a rush to get back to the rideshare you had just grabbed the recommended bag of bird feed, not even thinking to make sure that your new roommate could actually eat it.

You didn’t really have any prey type meat just lying around your kitchen. He needed to eat something.

“Ugh, maybe I can mix some… gravy or something into the seed. Maybe that will work for him until I can get something better.” You left the avian to stride over to the kitchen, opening the fridge in search of an additive to spur the bird’s appetite since, according to Google, he could eat the seed if he had to, but was just choosing not to.

Before you had really started your search the hawk let out a low screech, pulling your attention back to him. Your head snapped over in reaction, surprised to see him standing on the table and eyeballing you, giving a strong feeling of a hunter studying its prey.

“Uh, what’s up, buddy?” you asked nervously.

He shifted his weight between his feet for a few moments before dipping his head down and hooking his beak around the brim of the metal feed bowl. Once gripped, he raised his head, bringing the bowl with and held it in the air for a second while he fought to keep balance at the sudden weight. You were about to call out for him to stop, in case he got hurt, when he thrust his head downwards and released the bowl.

The bowl bounced off the tabletop and tumbled to the floor, spinning. Feed flew all around him, covering the table and floor.

Stunned, you didn’t move, the apartment filled with the sounds of the bowl spinning in place before settling with a dull clunk. The hawk arched his back and let out a defiant squawk at you, finalizing the production you’d just witnessed.

You blinked, processing what had just occurred before standing up, furious, “Are you serious?” you snapped at the proud bird. “You – that – I said don’t make – I don’t even- Okay!” You shouted, unable to process your thoughts, “I get it, you don’t want the damn seed but what the fuck. I have to clean all this up! That- you-”

I’m shouting a bird.

You sighed, cupping your face in your hands and letting out a long groan. What the hell was wrong with this bird, you had never met an animal that was so damn- you didn’t even know how to describe it.

“Let me see what I have,” you hissed at the fowl, wondering if hawk tasted like chicken.

Hm, chicken...

You returned to your excavation of the fridge and found the pack of chicken breasts you had intended to cook the night before when you had been planning to be home earlier and not as tired as you ended up being.

Guess I can make this tonight and share some with him. Not that you found him worthy of this type of treat at the moment.

“Wait… Can hawks eat chicken? Isn’t that like-” your sentence was interrupted by the bird giving a squawk, he was shifting his weight between his feet again but more in an excited dance than a show as before. “What? You like chicken?”

Another squawk.

“Fine.” Ripping the package open, pulling one breast out, and to your cutting board. A few minutes later you set down a bowl of the raw meat in front of him, cut into bite-sized cubes for easier consumption.

He stared at the bowl, suddenly seeming reluctant.

“Oh, what now?” You groaned, pitching your brow.

Fluffing his feathers and looking at you, his gaze shifted to behind you back towards the kitchen.

“What, you want more?”

He huffed and bowed his head, though that lasted only a moment before he held it high again and had a confident look as if having set his mind to something. Wobbling, he padded to the edge of the table and hooked his beak into the dining chair you had set up that morning for him and started climbing down it.

You found the process fascinating, surprised by his sudden burst of energy. Stepping out of the way, you watched as he landed on the tiled floor, starting his way to the kitchen by hopping and tapping along while doing his best to keep balance. He reached the middle of the area and stood in front of the oven. He was panting, having worn himself out with the exercise. However, he wasn’t done, clearly wanting to strike home just what he was thinking, as he bent his head forward and tapped his forehead against the metal appliance, repeating the gesture softly a few times before stopping and resting it there, turning to look at you to ensure you were watching and understood.

“I’m guessing that means you want it cooked.”

The confirmation seemed to be correct, as he gave a weak note in reply and slid to the floor, exhausted by his show; he landed softly on his back, feet in air.

You stepped up to him and bent down, gently brushing the plumage of his stomach, “You are the most spoiled pet I have ever seen. Fine, I’ll cook the damn chicken. Don’t expect anything fancy, though.”

He only let out a long exhale in reply.

You returned the tired bird to the table, grabbed the bowl of chicken cubes, and began once again to prepare the request. A quick check on the phone and you decided to just boil the meat, not adding any spices or extras since that could hurt his stomach. You also did a double-check and removed any excess fat, noting that also wasn’t great for him

While the cubes boiled, you made yourself your own meal, a mouthwatering bowl of katsu over rice.

You set the boiled meat down in front of the starving avian. “Happy?” You sighed, hoping he would finally eat something.

He huffed at the bowl, as if contemplating how to also toss it in a showy fashion, then bent his head and took a cube. He chomped down on it and shivered. Pausing for a moment, he tilted his head in contemplation then bent again to grab another.

“Glad to see it’s good enough for your refined palate.”

Grabbing your own meal, you plopped down at the table opposite the bird and started eating while browsing your phone. You were only a few bites in when you noticed the hawk leaning over you, staring at the bowl.

“Noooo. No!” you pulled the bowl close to your chest, “You have your chicken, this is mine! And fried foods are bad for birds.”

He fluffed, giving you what you could only describe as puppy dog eyes.

How???

You grumbled, “One bite, one!” You pinched a piece of katsu with your chopsticks, making a small bird-sized piece, and lifted the morsel for the bird to take. He did so eagerly, snatching the piece and sliding it down his throat.

He let out a contented coo.

“Glad you like it- No,” you snapped as he started giving the same look once again. “I said one, and I meant it! I’m in charge here, mister!”

He seemed to relent, his shoulders slumping then he tilted his head again, a contemplative look in his eyes.

“Wha- Uh.” Your voice caught as he slipped off the table into your lap and pressed himself into your chest, nuzzling you. You held back a squeal of delight at the surprising cuteness of the hawk while holding your food in the air with one hand. “That’s a dirty move and I refuse-”

He cooed, looking up at you with big eyes.

“One more.”

He gave a rumbling sound of happiness as he downed the next piece, continuing to snuggle you.

You set the bowl down and gave your full attention to the large bird, amazed at how affectionate he was. You ran your fingers through his feathers, finding soft down. You lost yourself to the petting; he seemingly enjoyed the pampering. You were unsure how, but you were now at the injured fowl’s mercy.

Both of you jumped as your phone went off in your pocket, interrupting the cuddle session. Holding him still, you retrieved it and answered quickly.

“Hello?”

“Hi, there! This is y/n?”

“Uh, yeah… this is?”

“I’m calling from the animal clinic! You brought the lovely red-tail hawk in yesterday?”

“Oh! Yeah, sorry I didn’t expect you to call so soon!”

“No worries! Hope I’m not bothering. Are you okay to talk?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

“Great! I wanted to let you know that one of the rescue centers we work with is able to take the darling in. They can have someone swing by ASAP if you like.”

“Oh, already?” you eyed the animal resting in your arm.

“Is that a problem?”

“No, I just- I thought it would take a few days.”

“…would you prefer to have their number? That way when you’re… ready, you can call them, and they can come by?”

You pursed your lips, suddenly unsure of yourself. You were in no position to have a pet, especially a predator… yet you found yourself reluctant to let him go. In the short time he had been there, you had laughed and smiled more than you had for a while. It was a welcome disruption to your dull life.

“Yeah… I’d like that.”

They let out a small chuckle, “Sure thing. I’ll let them know. They’ve also posted a bulletin about him, to help track down the owner.”

“Oh, that’s great. I hope they get found, he’s very… special. I’m sure he’s missed.”

“I’m glad to hear he’s doing well! Please feel free to reach out to us or the center if you have any questions or trouble.”

“Will do… thanks.”

Great. Just great. You sighed as you hung up and studied the bird nestled against your breast.

“Welp, I’m crazy. You’re stuck with me for a bit longer, hope you’re okay with that, buddy.”

He nuzzled further into you as if saying thanks for letting him stay.

“Guess if… you’re staying I should give you a name?”

He straightened at that and locked eyes, staring you down fiercely. Clearly, he found the matter very important.

You gave a nervous chuckle, “Don’t have high hopes there, I’m far from great at naming things, bud.” you paused, considering your statement. “Actually, I think I’ve already named you. How does ‘Buddy’ sound?”

He made a disgruntled noise but proceeded to bury himself back into your chest, nuzzling the fabric of your shirt, springing faintly against the fat of your breasts.

“Welp, best you get… Speaking of you getting things, you’re due for your next batch of meds.”

He was less than pleased with the reminder of the foul-tasting substance.

The following morning you woke not to your alarm, but with a start to the sound of someone talking in your living room, the sound seeping in through the ajar door. Your heart raced with panic as you attempted to make sense of the sound. Slipping from the bed and grabbing the wooden bat you kept at your bedside for such events, you approached the door, glancing around the frame to see who dared to enter your abode. Mind whirling, you expected to see masked figures looting your home or-

Buddy! The bird had been asleep on the table when you had gone to bed. What if they hurt him during their looting!

Forgoing your own safety, you rushed out into the open area, only lit by the dim morning sun through the shaded balcony glass door. You reached the couch, brandishing the bat, ready to swing in a moment’s notice. Surveying the room, you found the source of the talking – the television.

Buddy was perched on the couch, the remote next to him, staring at the television. It was on a news channel, going over the latest hero and villain activities.

“What the hell!” you screeched, lowering the bat.

The bird’s head snapped towards you, having not heard your approach. He reacted at your appearance, flapping his free wing and giving a surprised cry.

“You scared the living hell out of me - again! Stop doing that, my heart can only take so much!” You reached for the remote. “How the hell did you even turn that on? I was sure I left it on the ta-” you cut off, reeling your hand back as Buddy jumped atop the device, blocking you from it.

You blinked, confused, “Are… you watching that?”

He squawked in confirmation.

“You are not a normal bird.”

He seemed happy at your realization, fluffing his feathers and stepping off the remote, laying down next to it, and returning his gaze to the screen.

“Whatever, I’m up now. Guess I’ll make breakfast.”

He gave an excited chirp at the suggestion.

“Yeah, yeah. Yours too.”

You joined the fowl on the couch while you ate, giving him another bowl of boiled meat – which he ate disgruntledly.

“I’ll have to swing by the store after work, see how much discount meat I can get you… wonder if the pet store will take back a barely used bag of feed…”

You were already getting used to speaking to the bird, speaking aloud your random thoughts as you went about your morning routine. Cleaning up, giving him his meds, prepping his food and water for while you were gone. You were enjoying the addition he was adding to your day and being able to talk to someone as well – especially since he did provide a type of reply. You enjoyed it so much so that you were reluctant when your alarm for work went off.

“Back to the grind,” you sighed, trudging to your bedroom closet to change out of your nightshirt. “ Was a bit chilly yesterday, should get my spare jacket.” You hadn’t gotten a chance to wash the one from the night you saved Buddy, and you weren’t eager to use a bloody jacket. You spotted the spare folded on the closet shelf, resting under a box.

You pulled the clothing free while doing your best to keep the box in place – your best wasn’t good enough, since just as you were sure it was free, it snagged, and the box joined in the escapade. You tumbled to the ground as the object hit you, its contents partially falling out onto you and the floor.

“Owww,” you whined, rubbing your butt. After regaining yourself, you examined the mess you had created and instantly regretted trying to retrieve the spare jacket, your eyes tearing up at the box’s contents.

It was just a random assortment of objects, all-male ordinated – a razor, a pair of jeans and two t-shirts, a hairbrush, some socks, and other miscellaneous items.

“Dammit…” you mumbled, trying to hold back sobs. With everything that had happened the past two days you had actually forgotten the damn thing was in your closet for the first time in months.

Your self-pity was interrupted as you felt something soft press against your arm. You looked over and saw Buddy standing beside you looking concerned, the sound from the tumble must have drawn him into your room to check on you.

“I’m okay… I’m not crying ‘cause I’m hurt. Promise,” you inhaled deeply, trying to steady your nerves, and started collecting the fallen items back into the box. “It’s a bit silly to cry over.”

He tilted his head in question.

“It’s just some stuff my ex left behind. I should just burn it…” Maybe because you were so used to just saying whatever you wanted to the hawk, you kept following the train wreck of your thoughts, “He cheated on me but somehow worked it to him being the one to break up when I confronted him. I should be glad he’s gone but… here I am, pining over some asshole and his discarded laundry.” Despite your best effort, you started sobbing, “How pathetic am I-”

Buddy pressed into your arm once again, cutting the tirade, and gave a small coo.

You pulled the bird into your arms, holding him close and pressing your face into him, your tears rolling over the water-proof feathers. You stayed like that for a time, buddy not even trying to pull from your embrace. You let him slip from you, your sobs dying away. You felt tired and wanted to crawl back in bed, but work was waiting.

“Thanks.” You mumbled, rubbing Buddy’s cheek. You finished gathering the items, stood, and stared at the box.

Just throw it away.

Your grip trembled as you held it.

Get rid of it.

You slid the box back onto the shelf.

“Don’t look at me like that,” you murmured, glancing away from the concerned hawk.

Time slipped by after that, a new routine being built around your new roommate. You had moments of conflict due to his strange personality, but overall, you enjoyed having him in your home. Even with the dip into your finances that he caused, between meat and clinic visits. Another interesting addition to your day was how your mornings always had a little surprise from him. Mainly him doing something to jolt you awake since he seemed to be a very early riser.

This morning, however, had one of your preferred surprises, your eyelids felt heavy as your brain booted up and registered the light snoring that was taking place next to you. You blinked, looking around for the source, and found the fowl resting next to you, on his back feet in the air and head lolling, on an open pillow.

Giving a sheepish grin, you watched him for a bit, seeing him twitch in his sleep. You had come to terms with his abnormal behavior, your research into the breed showing he did not act like other red-tails or even just other birds in general.

“Buddy,” you purred, reaching over and shaking a talon lightly.

His eyes popped open and then blinked slowly, fighting away his own sleepiness. He turned over and quivered, his feathers fluffing and head jerking.

“Morning.” You giggled, enjoying the show, before turning in the bed and burying your face into the pillow, reluctant to get up. Looking back at him, you saw him observing you intently. Just another thing you’d gotten used to, the way he seemed to examine you up and down with a focused gaze randomly.

You gave a smirk, peering back through your messy hair before pushing yourself up to sit on your knees and stretching your arms up above your head, your joints popping satisfactorily. As always with your nightshirt, it raised with the motion, exposing your thighs to view.

Buddy rolled as you stretched, your movement causing him to be displaced from his resting place, his head landing softly against those thighs as they cushioned the tumble.

“That wasn’t convincing at all,” you laughed, tugging the shirt to the side to lock eyes with the endearing avian. He was very affectionate, finding any way he found to cuddle with you when possible. With a yawn, you checked your phone for the time and saw a reminder on the lock screen. “Oh right! We better get ready; we have the vet appointment today. Your wing should be all healed up!”

As always, the hawk gave a human-like reaction, quickly straightening himself and giving an excited shriek at the announcement.

Buddy wouldn’t stop extending his freed wing as he rested on the perch at the front desk while you signed the paperwork for the visit.

“Calm down, you,” you laughed, glad to see him so happy.

“So, you really plan to keep him?” The nurse asked, grinning at the sight of the overjoyed bird as well.

“I mean… his owner hasn’t been found and he’s not a wild bird. I’ve gotten used to him, so it just seemed best?”

“I think it’s great. He’s lucky you found him. Uh, do you have a leash?”

Buddy flapped and shrieked in disapproval at the remark.

“I saw bird leashes were a thing, but he’s so well behaved I wasn’t sure I should get one?”

“I get your reasoning, but he could fly off, he’s already gotten lost and in trouble once.”

“That’s true…” you looked Buddy over, seeing his hunched shoulders, “Do I need to leash you, bud?”

With a quick flap, he glided off the perch and onto your shoulder, being careful not to cut you with his talons as he steadied himself.

“Wow, you have him wrapped around your finger.”

“I think we’ll be okay.” You decided, scratching Buddy’s chin.

Finishing off the paperwork you exited the clinic, the hawk still perched on your shoulder, sure you were an interesting sight for those you passed. You walked with an eye on your phone, swiping through various avian products.

“We should get you proper stuff, perches, and such, for the apartment. We’ve been making do with the makeshift setup, but now that you’re staying we should-”

He shifted harshly, drawing your attention to him. He was staring intensely down the street, where a store had various televisions on display in a window, an assortment of shows airing with captions turning on. You sighed and approached the display, knowing the bird’s inclination for news. Sure enough, his preferred channel was airing on one of the displays.

“Just for a minute, okay?” you stated, returning to your shopping as he stared at the moving pictures. You kept your word and started to move shortly after, but Buddy gave a loud shriek in protest when you did so, his eyes still focused on the display. “Hey, what’s gotten into you?” You looked at the screen, finally paying attention to the content.

“-the villain has been in a coma since the intense battle with Hawks, so he has yet to be able to answer any questioning as to the whereabouts of the missing number two hero and the other heroes that disappeared-”

You let out a surprised hiss as you felt Buddy’s talons dig into your shoulder, it didn’t hurt thanks to the padding of your coat, but it caught you off guard after how careful he always was. However, before you could reprimand the action, he launched himself and flapped his wings quickly, taking off into the air.

You stared at the hawk as he soared, at first impressed by the way he moved so easily after just getting the wrapping removed, then distraught as you saw him continue to fly away.

“…Buddy?”

——Tag List ——

(Please check this post if you would like to be included!)

@thisisthehardestthing @cheeriecherry @mindninjax

#hawks #keigo takami #hawks bnha #hawks x reader #mha #bnha #part one #tw: animal violence #tw: blood #just story in this one #the smut will come I promise #my sister is a bird person #she helped me with this #humor #the princess and the hawk

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