#It's not even like we're adopting puppies

[fir3flytv]

JASON TODD didn't want a dog. He lived in an apartment with you, with one bedroom, a tiny kitchen and a living room that looked like the furniture decorated in it would fall apart at any moment.

But one day, he comes home to you, sleeping in your bed with a little bull mastiff puppy on his side of the bed. He stares at the dog for a few moments, before going to take off his Red Hood outfit, as though that would make the situation disappear. When he comes back, the dog was still there. Of course.

Gently, Jason shakes you awake, giving you a pointed look. "Got anything you want to share with me, babe?" He asks, eyes trailing down to the dog, still asleep on the bed. A sheepish smile crosses your face. "I can explain?" You say, though it comes out more like a question. "I was volunteering at the animal shelter and found him. He didn't like being with the other dogs in cage but they didn't have enough space to isolate him." "So you thought the best plan was to bring home a dog that can grow to be 150 pounds?" I scoffs lightly. "No, no! I'm fostering him. Just for a little bit," You say quickly. "I thought since he's still a puppy he would be adopted quickly, right? So we won't have to make space for when he gets that big." Jason lets out a soft sigh and pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead before speaking again. "You're too good," He murmurs softly. You smile up at him and return the kiss onto his cheek. After a few moments, Jason clears his throat and looks down at the puppy, still sprawled out onto his side of the bed. "So where am I going to sleep?" ... JASON TODD sucks at being a foster. He's terrible, horrible, even. If you were to look up 'How to not foster a dog', they would just show his face. It wasn't that he neglected the dog. He could never. He took him out on runs, fed him good food, washed him, played with him. Everything a dog owner could do. No, the reason Jason was so bad was because his first ever foster dog turned out to be a foster failure. Every time someone came by interested in adopting the puppy, Jason would be in your ear, whispering to you that it didn't seem like they knew what they were doing, or that the puppy wouldn't like living with them. Every. Single. Time.

It wasn't till the three month mark of fostering the pup, having moved to a more spacious apartment, that Jason popped the question.

"You know," He starts suddenly while the two of you were on the couch, eating Chinese take out with the dog resting on the floor nearby. "No one here seems to be right for Buster." Buster, his name for the dog. He's used it so much he actually started responding to it. "There's someone, I'm sure," You counter, taking a bite of your food. "I know there is," Jason counters. Just as you open your mouth to tell him that makes no sense, he cuts you off. "Us. We're right for Buster." "Think," He says, reaching out to grip your hand. "For three months, we've had him, we've moved with him. He has his spot in the bed, we've worked him into our schedule. He's happy. Why ruin that?" "So you want to adopt him?" You ask, making sure you understood just exactly what he was saying. It felt too good to be true. "Yeah, I do," He says with a small smile. As soon as he finishes speaking you practically lung at him, tackling him into a hug while whispering small 'thank you's. The action makes Buster jump up and want to join in on whatever is going on, leaping onto the couch and sniffing at the two of you, his massive head bumping you both. In that moment, Jason knew he made the right choice. This felt right. It felt good. It felt like home. You, him, and your giant dog.

[tpwk-formula1]

Could you please write a story where lando x reader have basically 'adopted' keegan (even tho he's like 3 yrs younger than them) and she hates whenever they make him do dangerous stuff

AN: SPECIAL EXTRA FLUFF POST!!!! (I know I said I wasn't gonna post a fluff this week but this came in and I got too excited so I quickly wrote it before work! NOT proof read!

OMG stop I absolutely love this idea!! I stopped writing a fic to get this one started! I did switch timelines just a big to make the story work so pretend the video on Quadrant where Keegan tried Karting for the first time happened after summer break!

TW: NONE

WC: 1.1K

Y/N POV

"Keegs, have you eaten anything today?" I ask walking up to him with the sandwich I had made for him before we had left for the yacht day.

"I had breakfast," he says softly knowing we had eaten over 6 hours ago and he had been outside all day in the sun.

"Keegan, you're an athlete stop being stupid," I laugh while tossing him the sandwich which he great fully took and started eating it.

"He's a grown man, love. Let him live," Lando tells me softly while approaching me from behind and taking me into his hold.

"You too Norris, sit down and eat," I say while passing him the second sandwich which has him groaning but instantly sitting next to Keegan and starts eating his sandwich.

"Whipped," I hear Max Fewtrell say from somewhere else on the yacht making me shake my head and threaten him with the last sandwich in hand.

"You and P are such moms," Max rolls his eyes while taking the food from me and sitting next to his best friend.

Over the last year or so the friendship between Lando and Keegan had grown from more than just a sponsored athlete to a truth friendship. When the younger boy started coming around it was almost instant that my motherly instincts kicked in with him.

I mean hell when he called us after winning gold at the Paris Olympics I hadn't stopped crying from podium. He still laughs about it and even pokes fun but he has also on multiple occasions expressed how thankful he to have Lando and I in his life.

Once the yacht day has come to an end we make our way back to the house we had rented for the week.

"We're going cliff jumping tomorrow, do you guys want to come?" Martin's friends asked the rest of us when we had made it back to the house.

"No," I instantly say a long with P while all the boys instantly say "yes" making me look directly at them.

"Have you all lost your damn mind? 1 of you is in contract for racing which mind you comes back in just a few weeks and the other just came off of Olympic gold, you need to be fucking careful," I start ranting while Martin starts laughing at the group dynamic not expecting anything less from us.

"It's fine, we'll be fine," Lando reassures me making me me shake my head.

"Get Zak's approval and then it's fine," I say with a smirk and a little shoulder shrug knowing his boss would lose his ever living mind if he found out his young driver is trying to do something so dangerous.

"Please! I promise we wont get hurt," Lando begs giving me his puppy dog eyes I have never been able to say no to, a long with Keegan behind him giving me the same look.

"Okay fine, but I swear to God if you get hurt," I say while pointing a finger before the two boys.

With that the broke out in bright smiles and Lando instantly took me into his arms and places a few kisses on my lips.

We're now coming to the end of our trip when Lando and I are relaxing in bed having some much needed downtime when a knock rings out through our room.

"Come in," I call out grabbing my bookmark and putting the book I was reading to the side.

When Keegan walks in he has a nervous expression written all over his face.

"What's wrong?" I ask sitting up a bit taller making Lando sit up a bit more noticing the serious expression written across the younger man's face.

"Can I ask for some advice?" Keegan says while walking into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Of course, you can sit on the bed," I say laughing a little when I noticed him awkwardly standing near the end of the bed.

"So I've been talking to this girl," Keegan starts while sitting on the bed.

"Aye! My man," Lando says excitedly while dapping Keegan up making his cheeks grow even redder.

"Well anyways, her name is Ella and we've been talking for awhile and I want to make it official but I'm nervous she might say no and I also need ideas on how to plan the perfect date to ask," Keegan admits making me smile. While it might have been Lando's first time hearing about about Ella, Keegan had already come to me about her and from what I had gathered he really liked her and she seemed really sweet.

After about an hour of planning the most perfect date for Keegan to take Ella on he thanked up both before leaving the room with a bright smile on his face.

"That's my son for real," Lando says laughing making me shake my head with a laugh falling from my lips.

"He's such an awesome kid," I reply back before cuddling closer into Lando's side.

"Did you pull the same move on Carlos when you where asking me out," I tease with a smirk on my face.

"Maybe," Lando admits with his cheeks reddening.

It's been a few weeks since summer break and we already have a week off from racing which means it's time to film for Quadrant and as we pull up to the track both Lando and Max have been suspiciously quiet about what we will be filming.

When we pull up to the track I see Keegan almost instantly making everything click for me.

"No! He is not about to hope in a kart without any training!" I say sternly making Max laugh and Lando turn and give me a reassuring smile.

"He's fine, he can drive a car, he can drive in a few circles on a kart," Lando says but it just makes me groan and throw my head back.

Lando did end up giving Keegan a small run down before filming and once he was in the first Kart I could already feel my stomach drop. He was going as fast as his car will allow him to go but you can see the difference between Lando's control of the Kart and his control but after the first lap he was able to adjust and already looked more comfortable.

As the karts got faster the more I go stressed. Keegan was clearly having an amazing time in the karts but my anxiety is going through the roof.

By the end of the video it is clear to all of us that Keegan loved every moment of it and even asked the next time he could drive one.

When the video was posted fan instantly clung to the fact that I was like a mom to Keegan. I mean an entire compilation was made where it was every moment I made a comment, face, or gasp throughout the short video making fans across F1 laugh at the endearing moments between friends.

------

Sorry it feels a bit rushed I just loved the idea and might even circle back around in the future and add to the story

[robertsfloyd]

puppies

carlos, your owner, brings home a new, excited, hybrid puppy. at first, you're scared of him, but there's something about lando you come to love

authors note: no bc this picture is so puppy boy lando coded! i love you, puppy boy lando

2nd authors note: i want a puppy so bad 😭😭

part two

"Easy, boy," you heard from your place in your fluffy, cosy dog bed. Curled around the bear you'd had since your owner first adopted you, you tried to ignore his voice as he talked. 

Talked. 

Talked to who? 

Your fluffy, pointed ears swivelled towards the door. Who was your owner talking to? You breathed in, tried to decipher the scent that filled your nose. 

Unfamiliar, you didn't recognise who you master was bringing to the bedroom door. A whimper left your lips as you backed away from the door, as you pressed yourself against the nearest wall. 

Another dog, you realised when the door handle began moving. 

The door opened as you darted forward to grab your bear and retreated to the wall. 

That smell, the gross smell of mutt, filled your nose as the door opened. "Puppy," your owner cooed as he stepped into the room. You whimpered, still hiding behind your bear. Maybe if you made yourself small enough, he wouldn't see you. 

The mutt your owner was holding onto darted forward. "Lando!" Your owner cried, scrambling to grab hold of the new dogs collar. 

He was on you in a second. His tail wagged so damn fast, it was like he was going to take flight. "HI, HELLO! MY NAME IS LANDO!" He shouted as he sniffed your face. He sniffed wherever he could reach while you sat there, tears streaming down your face as you whimpered. 

"No!" Your owner shouted as he ran into the room. "Lando! Down!" 

But Lando didn't back down, not until Carlos hooked his finger around Lando's collar. "Down, boy," he said and pulled Lando away. "Out," he said and threw lando out of the room. 

Even when the door shut, with Lando on the other side, you were still shaking like a leaf. "Oh, mi bebe," he whispered as he approached you slowly. 

Slowly, that was just what you needed. 

The smell of mutt was still there, but the scent of your owner filled your nose. Comforting. Exactly what you needed. Slowly, you released your bear and wrapped your arms around him. Several whimpers left your lips. "I'm sorry, Puppy," he whispered as his hand ran through your hair. Slow and gentle and Comforting. "I didn't know he was gonna do that." 

You wiped your eyes as the sniffles subsided. "You got another puppy," you muttered through your sniffles. "You weren't supposed to get another puppy." 

He shushed you as he rocked you. "I know," he said gently, petting your ears. "We're just taking care of him for Oscar. You remember Oscar, right?" 

You gave a nod and he let go of you. "Come out when you're ready, Pup," he mumbled and stood up. 

You wouldn't come out, not while that mutt was out there. You were a sweet thing, dignified. A lap dog, not crazy and energetic like the puppy boy your master had brought home. Why? Why would he bring him home? Why would he bring him into your space? 

"What're we gonna do, Teddy?" You asked the bear in your arms as you returned him to your bed. You curled around him and tried to return to your slumber. 

But you could hear him. So damn loud you knew the neighbours were going to complain. 

The thing that roused you from your bedroom was hunger. Your stomach rumbled and you released a whimper. Hungry, but unwilling to leave your bedroom. That mutt would probably be on you in moments, scaring the shit outta you.

But you were so damn hungry. 

Leaving Teddy in the safety of your bed, you carefully walked out of your room. Quietly, but your scent gave you away. 

The mutt raised his head, but your owner grabbed his collar. "Easy," Carlos said gently as you walked into the kitchen. 

Dinner waited on the table for you. You sat in front your food and began eating as you looked towards your owner and the new dog. 

Pretty brown curled and labradoodle ears. His curly tail thumped as he looked at you with pretty green eyes. Now that he wasn't lunging for you, you could appreciate him. 

You slipped from your seat and padded over. Breathing in, you could smell him. He had that same mutt smell you loved as you matured, as you went from pup to adult. 

"Hello, gorgeous," Carlos whispered as you sat near him, looking at him with your gorgeous puppy eyes. "This is Lando. He's gonna stay with us while Oscar is back in Australia." 

You pushed your hair behind your ear as you looked at the new dog. He was trying his best to be calm, to not panic you.  "Hi," you whispered and sat back on your heels. 

His curly tail wagged. 

You gave him your name, the name Carlos had given you when he adopted you from the rescue. 

"That's a pretty name," he replied quickly and risked taking a step closer. "Can I smell you?" 

It was an alarming request. Your instinct was to back away from him, to not let him get a taste of your scent, but you looked to your owner. "It's okay, Cosita," he said and let go of Lando's collar. 

He didn't rush over, didn't knock you to the floor in an attempt to sniff you. He was gentle as he moved your hair to the side and sniffed your neck. He breathed you in and released a whine. 

Shit, you smelled good. 

Your body reacted on its own, smelling him right back. Pressing your nose against his neck, you breathed him in. He smelled warm and comforting and smokey. Not like cigarette smoke, but like a cosy fire on a winters day. 

When he pulled away, you whimpered. You needed more of him, needed more of his warm touch against your skin.

He grinned and pulled you back against him. "I like your pointed ears," he mumbled and nuzzled his nose against your ears.

You reached for his own, reached for his curly ears. They were so soft, well groomed by his owner. Your fur, the fur on your ears and tail was well groomed, too. Brushed through carefully, but not as silky soft as Lando's.

His hands settled on your hips, holding you against him as you smelled him. Oh, it was intoxicating. You couldn't get enough of him. He wasn't that overexcited puppy that made you tremble, he was sweet and comfortable and he smelled good and oh god his fur was so damn soft.

Lando laid back and you settled on top of him. You nuzzled your face against his chest, nipping at his exposed throat.

"All right," Carlos said as he strode over. "That's enough."

He hooked his finger around your pretty pink collar and pulled you back. You whined but you allowed him to pull you against his chest.

You loved your owner, you really did. You couldn't help but nuzzle against him as he scratched at the base of your ears. "Go on, go and finish your dinner," he said and patted you on the bum, sending you towards the kitchen.

When you walked back into the kitchen, sat back at the table, Lando followed you. "You smell very good," he mumbled as you sat and began shovelling your food into your mouth.

You were more than happy to share. Lando had already finished the food Oscar had left with Carlos, the dinner provided for him, but he looked at you like he was starving. But he was a puppy in his twenties, he probably was starving.

You pushed your plate towards him, held your fork out to him. Lando held your hand steady as he ate from your fork. He would roll over and show you his belly if you asked him too. Nothing but your scent, your pretty face, and he was already weak for you.

Maybe if Oscar let Lando around female hybrids, maybe is Carlos let you around other hybrids in general, your reactions would have been more muted. But you were all over each other, and you couldn't help it. Neither of you could.

Later that night, Carlos tried to separate the both of you. You had your dog bed, where you laid with Teddy (your bear), and he set up somewhere in the living room for Lando to sleep. A door between you, keeping you away from each other.

It shouldn't have been a surprise that you found your way to each other. It was sweet, the way you propped Teddy up against the wall to make room for Lando. He curled up behind you, holding you as close as he could. A blanket was pulled over the both of you, keeping you warm. Although your body heat had that covered.

The both of you looked so damn sweet. Two puppies, curled up together. His curly tail was wrapped around your fluffy one, nose rubbing against your ears. His arms held you so tight.

Carlos couldn't bare to separate you.

Having Lando to stay had been filling him with so much stress. You didn't like other hybrids. You had been traumatised, growing up at the puppy farm, living at the hybrid adoption centre.

But you'd gotten on so damn well with Lando, it gave Carlos help. Maybe he could get another dog hybrid, someone to keep you company so that he could go to race weekends without putting you through the stress of coming with him.

Things were good with Oscar's mutt; Carlos should have realised it was going too good.

Too good, until everything went wrong.

authors note three: omg okay part two? where puppy lando can't stop fucking puppy reader? where he gets her pregnant? idk

[harrysfolklore]

growing family - verstappen!yn

pairing: verstappen!yn x boyfriend!charles, best fiend!oscar x verstappen!yn

verstappen!yn smau | masterlist | my patreon

You hummed along to the music coming from the speakers of your boyfriend's Monaco home as you stirred some pasta sauce for dinner.

Despite being to Monaco countless of times before, there was something different about being there with Charles for his home race week.

You enjoyed being alone in his apartment while he ran some errands or spent some time training, you felt at home and the company of Leo, the puppy you adopted together made everything better.

However, your time to yourself cooking dinner for you and your boyfriend was interrupted by your phone ringing.

oscar pastry 🥐 FaceTime Video

Frowning because you weren't quite expecting a call from your best friend, you answered.

"Hello mum," he said once his face popped up on screen.

"Mum?" you asked confused, "What are you even talking about?"

"Have you not seen twitter? I'm your kid now, Charles adopted me," he shrugged, "Where's my brother Leo?"

"Oscar are you drunk or something," you laughed at your best friend, "I haven't been on twitter since like, last year."

"Well log in, dumbass," he rolled his eyes and you flipped him off, "Hey! That's not the way to treat your son."

"Gosh stop saying that, we've been best friends since we were 15 it's weird," you shook your head as you opened the twitter app, luckily you weren't logged out because you certainly didn't remember your password.

And the first thing you saw pop up in your timeline was the banter between your boyfriend and your best friend.

"You guys are so annoying," you threw your head back in laughter as you read the tweets, "And you're both serious about it too."

"Of course, I'm a Leclerc-Verstappen now," he laughed along, "Shit, does that make Max my uncle?"

"It does," your eyes widened, "Are you sure you want that?"

"Well I wanted you guys to adopt me so you give me back the attention your boyfriend stole from me, I never consider Max would become my uncle," he teased, making you laugh.

"Come on pastry, we've talked about this," you gave him a serious look, "You'll always be my best friend and me being with Charles now would never change that."

"I know, I'm just messing around," a small smile played on his face, "You guys seem so happy and I love that for you."

As if on cue, you heard the front door open and your boyfriend's voice calling for you, Leo instantly barking and running to the door when he noticed his presence.

"Mon ange, I'm back," he said as he entered the kitchen, Leo cradled on his arm, "Missed you."

He pulled you closer y the waist and kissed the side of your head, making you smile and lean into him.

"Yikes, I didn't need to see that," Oscar's voice was heard from the phone screen, making you laugh.

"Oh hey son," Charles said to him, "How's my new favorite adopted child doing?"

"Hey dad, just calling to check in on my amazing parents and my little brother," he said, glancing at Leo who was now comfortably settled in Charles' arms.

"This is so weird, stop it," you cringed, making both of them laugh and Charles pull you to him again as you covered your face.

"We're a big happy family, mon amour. Ollie, Leo and now Oscar, the Leclerc-Verstappen family."

You smiled at him, pecking his lips a couple of times.

"Okay that's my cue, I don't want to see you guys making out," Oscar said shaking his head, "Good night, mum and dad, see you this weekend."

"Say bye to your brother too," Charles said, moving Leo closer to the camera.

"Bye Leo!"

As Oscar hung up, you couldn't help but laugh at the entire interaction, "So he's our son now?"

"Yes, and he seems to be enjoying it a lot," Charles chuckled, setting Leo down on the floor, "Who would've thought we'd have an adopted son before getting married or having our own kids?"

"Don't get any ideas, Leclerc," you playfully swatted his chest, "We're not adopting every one of my friends who jokes about it."

"Why not? We could build a whole team," Charles teased, wrapping his arms around you from behind and resting his chin on your shoulder and kissing it chastely, "We'd be the coolest family ever."

"It's your secret plan to make everyone on the grid your family? Dating Max's sister and now adopting Oscar, you're something else, Leclerc."

Charles laughed loudly at your words, throwing his head back and making you laugh along.

"Well, what can I say," he shrugged, "I'm charming and people love me."

"That you are," you smiled, kissing him gently.

That you are," you smiled, kissing him gently.

"Now, let me help with dinner," Charles offered, moving to the stove and checking the sauce. "It smells amazing, just like you."

"Smooth talker," you teased, handing him a spoon to stir. "Just make sure it doesn’t burn."

[woso-dreamzzz]

Pup's Halloween

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle x Child!Reader

Summary: The fourteenth of my Halloween-centric fics

Lucy loves her family.

Her parents. Her brother and sister. Her aunts and uncles and grandparents. All her cousins and everything in-between.

But she loves, most of all, this little family in Spain she has.

With Ona tucked under her arm in bed and the baby in their new bedroom just down the hall and the even more excitable child that she shares with Keira and Laura.

She loves Keira too, to an extent. Not that romantic love that surrounded them when you got adopted but still a deep love that comes with being co-parents to an excitable little girl that's up way too early to be healthy.

"Pup," Lucy groans, voice still thick with sleep and unbelievably groggy as she hears the familiar pitter-patter of feet on the carpeted floor," It's too early."

"No," You say," Mummy says when the clock says nine and five-zero. She says that's wakeup time."

"I'm not Mummy, Pup," Lucy reminds you," This isn't Mummy and Mama's house. It's Mum and Mami's house."

"With Baby Sibling, yes, I know. Still, wake up time. Pumpkin day."

Lucy's eyes crack open, lifting her head off the pillow and astounded by the way Ona's still fast asleep throughout this whole exchange.

"Why don't you just get into bed with us?" Lucy asks, weary and still heavy with sleep.

You point to the tv mounted on the wall. "Paw Patrol?"

"Mami's still asleep."

"I wake her."

Lucy fights back a groan. "No, Pup. We can watch Paw Patrol but it has to be low, alright? Mami deserves to sleep."

"Okay."

Lucy helps you into the middle of the bed, letting you drink from her water and turning on your favourite episode of Paw Patrol before you speak again.

"Baby Sibling awake too," You tell Lucy.

She screams into her pillow - her lay in well and truly forgotten.

By the time she gets back to the bedroom with the baby, you've successfully woken Ona who looks a little dazed and confused but happy nonetheless.

"And Mama take me climbing at rock wall with funny thing around my legs," You're telling Ona when Lucy comes back in.

"I told her not to wake you."

Ona laughs, bundling you closer as she raises her arms for the baby. "I have no problem being woken by Pup kisses."

You grin at her, showing off all your pearly whites before clambering over to Lucy to give her kisses too.

"Pumpkins now?"

"Later," Lucy corrects," Let's get through breakfast first."

The idea of pumpkin carving had originally been Keira's idea but it had only been in passing but you'd really taken to the idea, insisting that you actually get to do it with at least one of the couples.

At seeing the slight look of disgust on Laura's face at the idea of rummaging around in pumpkin guts, Ona offered up her and Lucy as the sacrifices.

Which is really the reason why Lucy's sat at her own kitchen table trying to dig a knife through the stubborn pumpkin sat in front of her.

The baby babbles happily in their highchair as Ona stands at the kitchen sink, supervising your hand washing.

"Do you need any help, Luce?" She asks.

"No!" Lucy insists," I've got this!"

She very much doesn't have this but Lucy isn't about to let a stupid pumpkin beat her.

Finally, after several desperate moments, she manages to cut through and breathes a sigh of relief as you come over, dressed in your puppy costume.

"Alright, Pup," Lucy says, hefting you up onto her lap," We're going to take this pen and draw what we want to cut out."

You take the pen, nodding seriously. "I draw puppy."

"No, Pup," Lucy says gently," It's Halloween. Remember those designs I showed you? Something like that."

Ona chuckles from her seat across the table with her own pumpkin.

"No," You say," I want puppy."

"I-"

"If she wants to draw a puppy then let her draw a puppy," Ona laughs," It'll make her happy."

"But I'm the one that has to cut it out."

"Then you'll make her happy," Ona says.

Lucy sighs again and you look up at her.

"Mum?"

"Alright, Pup," Lucy says," Let's find some pictures of a dogs on a pumpkin to get ideas, alright? Let's see if we can copy one down."

Ona, like Lucy predicted, finishes her pumpkin much quicker than you and her and you leave Lucy to cut out the picture in favour of watching Ona place a candle into her pumpkin, showing you the way it lights up the scary face she's cut out of it.

"Do you need any help?" Ona asks.

"No! I've got this!" Lucy insists as she gets through a particularly tricky curved area of your puppy drawing," I'm nearly done."

But it seems Lucy's version of nearly done is different to Ona's definition of nearly done because times passes and your baby sibling gets put to bed and you have your bath time.

"Mum," You call, toddling towards her in a different puppy onesie," Night-night."

"Night, Pup," Lucy says on autopilot, leaning down to drop a soft kiss to your crown," Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams!" You says back, slobbering all over Lucy's cheek in your own version of a night time kiss before hurrying back to Ona for your bedtime story and a glass of warm milk.

"Done!" Lucy announces, putting down her tools to triumphantly look around," I did it!"

"That's nice." Ona's head pops around the door frame. "But can you be a bit quieter? The kids are asleep."

[lee-laurent]

Home Away From Home -- Luke Hughes

Summary: Annika isn't gonna fall for the stupid hockey guy her parents are housing... right?

content: angst, implied smut but no explicit smut, some makeout scenes, fluff!!

wc: 8.9k

notes: i love this trope so here we are!! enjoy!!

Annika hadn't signed up for this.

She sat at the kitchen island, her arms crossed, watching her mom fuss over a plate of freshly baked cookies. George Thompson, her dad, was setting up the dining table with an enthusiasm that made her roll her eyes. The boys--twelve-year-old Alex and nine-year-old Flynn--were practically shaking with excitement.

"Do we really need cookies?" Annika asked, a touch of exasperation in her tone. "We're not adopting a puppy. He's just a guy. A hockey player, at that."

Andrea turned, a stern look on her face. "Annika, be polite. Luke is our guest. He's going to be a part of this family while he's here."

"Right," Annika muttered, "because this house isn't already crowded enough."

"Hey!" Alex piped up, shooting her a look of betrayal. "Luke Hughes is not just a guy. He's going to play for the Devils! He's super awesome!"

"Yeah!" Flynn added. "And he's way cooler than your boring boyfriend."

Annika groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "For the last time, Bryce and I broke up like three months ago."

"Probably cause he wasn't cool like a real NHL player!" Alex nodded.

Andrea shot the boys a warning glance but said nothing as she placed the plate of cookies at the centre of the table. "All I'm saying, Nick, is that this is a big adjustment for him too. He's young, he's new to Jersey, and he needs a supportive home environment. So please, try to make him feel welcome."

Nick refrained from commenting, though her skepticism must have been obvious, because her dad chuckled. "Come on, Nick. You might like the kid. Who knows?"

She doubted it. Sure, Luke Hughes was talented--she'd heard her brothers talk about him nonstop since her parents agreed to host him--but "some guy who skates for a living" didn't exactly sound like the type of perso she wanted to hang out with.

Still, when the doorbell rang, she couldn't help but feel a little curious.

~~

Luke hadn't expected to feel nervous.

But as he stood on the porch of the Thompsons' suburban house, duffle bag swung over one shoulder, his nerves hit him like a train. He rang the doorbell twice, the chime ringing out into the evening air.

The door swung open, and two kids stared up at him like he was a rockstar.

"Whoa," the older one--Alec or Alex, Luke couldn't remember--breathed. "You're really Luke Hughes."

Flynn just blinked, his jaw practically on the floor. "You're so tall," he finally said, wide-eyed.

Luke laughed awkwardly, glancing past the kids as an older man appeared in the doorway.

"You must be Luke," George said warmly, extending a hand. "Come on in, son. Welcome to our home."

"Thanks for having me," Luke said, stepping inside. The house smelled like cookies and furniture polish--cozy and warm, a sharp contrast to the hockey house he'd lived in the last two years.

The rest of the family came into view, and Luke felt the weight of their attention. A kind-looking woman who must've been Mrs. Thompson smiled warmly, and then his gaze landed on the girl standing behind her.

She was... unexpected.

Annika's arms were crossed, her expression unreadable. She didn't seem particularly thrilled to see him, though Luke couldn't tell if that was because of him or if she was just naturally unimpressed by life.

"This is Annika, our oldest," Andrea said, gesturing to her daughter.

Luke offered a hand. "Hi."

"Hey," Annika replied shortly, barely glancing at him before turning to her mom. "Can we eat now, or...?"

Luke's hand fell awkwardly to his side. Okay, then.

~~

Luke followed the Thompsons into the dining room, where the table was already set with a plate of cookies and some milk. He wasn't sure if it was meant to be welcoming or if they thought he was still ten years old, but the gesture was nice.

"Sit, sit!" Andrea said, waving him toward the table like he was royalty.

He slid into a chair, his bag at his feet. Across the table, the two boys continued to gape at him like he had two heads.

"Can I touch it?" Flynn blurted out, and Luke's eyebrows shot up.

"Your hockey stick," Alex clarified, giving his brother an exasperated shove.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Luke said, chuckling nervously. "I left it by the door. I can show you later."

"Awesome!" Flynn squealed.

Nick, leaning against the doorway with her arms still crossed, looked like she might die of secondhand embarrassment. Her blue eyes were narrowed in thinly veiled irritation.

"Boys, give him a minute to settle in," Andrea scolded softly. "Luke, you can call me Andrea, and that's my husband George." She gestured at her husband, who was helping himself to a cookie. "You've met the boys, Alex and Flynn."

"Yep," Luke said with a smile. "They're... enthusiastic."

"And Nick already introduced herself."

"Nick?" Luke tilted his head, confused.

Annika sighed as though she'd had to explain this a million times. "It's short for Annika. You know, like a nickname?"

"Oh. Got it."

Luke was quickly starting to realize that Annika wasn't the "warm and fuzzy" type.

"Nick's a student at Rutgers," George chimed in, as though sensing he needed to fill the silence. "She's studying communications. Smart kid, but she's a bit of a grump."

"Dad," Nick said sharply, though her cheeks flushed slightly pink.

"Don't mind her," George added with a conspiratorial grin. "She's just mad she doesn't have her bathroom all to herself anymore."

Nick shot Luke a look, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Sharing a bathroom? Great. This was going to be... interesting.

~~

By the time Luke hauled his duffle bag up the stairs, he was ready to crash. The Thompsons were nice--mostly--but the whirlwind of introductions had left him drained.

"This is you," George opened a door at the end of the hall. The room was small but tidy, with a twin bed, a desk, and a window overlooking the backyard.

"Thanks," Luke said, dropping his bag onto the bed.

"Bathroom's just down there to the left," George added. "Sorry in advance if Nick complains about you using it. She's not used to sharing."

Luke nodded, unsure how to respond. George clapped him on the back and left, leaving him alone to unpack.

"Just so we're clear," Nick showed up in the doorway. "I don't care if you're some big hotshot hockey player. It's still my house, and if you leave your gross hockey gear lying around, I will throw it out."

Luke blinked, caught off guard. "Uh... noted?"

"Good," she said, her tone sharp enough to cut steel. She started to leave, then paused, glancing over her shoulder. "And don't take forever in the bathroom. Some of us actually have places to be besides the hockey rink."

Before he could respond, she was gone, leaving Luke standing there with a pair of socks in his hands and the faintest trace of a smirk on his face.

She was definitely going to be a challenge.

~~

Nick woke up the next morning to the sound of running water and muffled thud from next door. Groaning, she rolled over and squinted at the clock on her nightstand. It was barely 6:30 a.m.

"Seriously?" she muttered, pushing the covers off.

Her first day sharing a bathroom with Luke was off to a fantastic start. Wrapping herself in her fluffy robe, she shuffled out of her room, only to nearly collide with Flynn, who was standing in the hallway, clutching his toothbrush.

"Is he still in there?" Nick asked, jerking her thumb toward the bathroom door.

"Yeah," Flynn said, his voice tinged with awe. "I think he's doing hockey stuff. Like stretches or whatever."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "In the bathroom?"

Flynn shrugged, and Nick let out an exasperated sigh. She banged on the door. "Hey, Hughes! Some of us need to use the bathroom too, you know!"

There was a brief pause before the door cracked open, revealing a very shirtless Luke. His hair was wet, beads of water clinging to his skin, and he held a towel loosely around his waist.

Nick froze.

"Uh... sorry?" Luke said, looking sheepish. "I didn't think anyone else would be up yet."

"Yeah, well," Nick snapped, forcing herself to look anywhere but at his chest, "you're not living in a bachelor pad, so maybe keep it moving."

"Right. Got it." He stepped aside, gesturing toward the sink to let her pass.

Nick brushed past him, her cheeks burning, and shut the door firmly behind her.

~~

When Nick made it to the kitchen, she was still fuming. Flynn and Alex were already seated at the table, shoveling cereal into their mouths like Luke sat across from them, wearing a hoodie and looking way too innocent.

"Morning," Andrea chirped, sliding a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Nick. "Sleep okay?"

"Would've been better if someone didn't turn the bathroom into his personal sauna," Nick muttered, shooting a pointed look at Luke.

To her annoyance, he just smirked. "I'll set an alarm for 6:29 next time. How's that?"

Alex snorted milk out of his nose, and Flynn started laughing so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Luke's funny," Flynn declared, as though it was groundbreaking news.

"Luke's annoying," Nick corrected, stabbing her eggs with a little more force than necessary.

Andrea sighed. "Annika, be nice. Luke, honey, make sure Annika has time in the bathroom too."

"Yes ma'am," Luke grinned.

Nick glared at him, but his smile only grew.

~~

Nick had classes at Rutgers until late afternoon, which was usually her excuse to escape the chaos of her house. Today, though, chaos seemed determined to follow her.

She was sitting at her favourite coffee shop near campus, trying to focus on a group project, when her phone buzzed with a text from Alex.

Alex (12:34 PM): Guess what??? Luke said he'd come to my game on Saturday!!!

Nick rolled her eyes but responded anyway.

Nick (12:35 PM): wow! cool, bud. tell him to pack an extra helmet in case you miss a slapshot

Her phone buzzed again almost immediately.

Alex (12:36PM): u r not funny

Nick smirked, but her amusement was short-lived. A voice behind her said, "You look like you're plotting someone's downfall."

She turned to see Luke standing there, hands shoved in the pocket of his hoodie, looking slightly out of place in the sea of students.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, frowning.

"Your mom said you had the extra car... and I need a lift to the rink."

Nick blinked. "So you walked here? Just Google how to walk to the rink."

Luke shrugged. "Figured you'd just let me borrow the car."

She sighed, grabbing her laptop and shoving it into her bag. "Fine. Come on."

~~

That evening, after dinner, the boys dragged Luke into the living room for a mini hockey practice. Flynn wore a devishly determined look as he tried (and failed) to get the puck past Luke, while Alex gave commentary.

Nick watched from the sofa, trying not to smile. It was hard to keep her guard up when Luke was crouched on the floor, pretending to dramatically miss a save just to make Flynn cheer.

"He's good to them," Andrea whispered, sitting down beside her.

Nick blinked, startled. "Huh?"

"Luke," Andrea said, nodding towards the game of floor-hockey. Luke had ruffled Flynn's hair, earning a high-pitched giggle, and Alex was laughing so hard he had to clutch his side.

"Yeah, I guess," Nick admitted reluctantly. She wasn't ready to admit that Luke might've been slightly, a tiny bit okay-ish.

~~

She wasn't sure when she started noticing the little things about Luke.

Maybe it was the way he always made time to answer Alex and Flynn's endless questions about hockey. Or how he seemed genuinely interested in her every meal her mom made.

Or maybe it was that he wasn't as cocky and annoying as she'd originally thought.

Not that she'd admit it.

Saturday morning found Nick sitting in the bleachers at Alex's hockey game, sipping a lukewarm coffee and trying to focus on anything other than Luke, who was perched on the edge of the bench next to Flynn.

"Think he'll embarass himself?" Luke asked, lowly enough that only Annika could hear.

"Alex?" Nick smirked. "Absolutely. He lives for the drama."

Luke laughed, and Nick hated how much the sound didn't make her cringe. He was wearing a Devils cap pulled backwards over his messy curls, a plain hoodie, and an easy smile. It was almost... attractive.

The game started, and Alex threw himself into it with the subtlety of a wrecking ball. He wasn't the most skilled player on the ice, but his enthusiasm was unmatched.

"Go, Alex!" Flynn shouted, nearly toppling over the edge of the bench.

Nick found herself glancing at Luke occasionally, surprised by how invested he looked. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, watching Alex like it was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

When Alex scored--a chaotic, scrappy goal that Nick was pretty sure only counted because the ref was feeling generous--Luke jumped up to his feet, clapping and cheering louder than anyone else.

"You act like it's the Olympics," Nick teased as he sat back down.

"What? That was awesome!" he said, still smiling like an idiot. "Kid's got guts."

Nick shook her head, but a smile tugged at her lips. She hadn't seen Alex light up like that in a long time.

The parking lot was full of parents chatting as they loaded their kids and gear into cars. Alex was still on cloud nine, his sweaty hair sticking to his forehead as he recounted his goal for the tenth time.

"And then I deked left, and the goalie totally fell for it!" Alex said, demonstrating with exaggerated movements.

"More like you tripped into the puck," Nick teased, ruffling his hair.

Alex scowled. "You weren't even paying attention!"

"I was," Luke cut in, slinging an arm around Alex's shoulders. "And I think it was a sick goal."

Alex beamed up at him, and Nick had to admit--grudgingly--that Luke's support was doing wonders for her brothers' confidence.

"Thanks, Luke," Alex said. "Maybe you could help me practice my shot sometime?"

"Yeah, anytime, dude," Luke said without hesitation.

Nick's mom appeared then, holding Alex's bag. "Luke, seems like you're fitting in just fine around here."

Nick rolled her eyes but didn't comment.

~~

Back at the house, Alex and Flynn insisted on replaying the game on the living room floor, complete with mini-sticks, a foam ball, and way too much shouting.

Nick sat, pretending to read while Luke crouched on the floor, acting as a goalie.

"Careful," Luke warned, blocking one of Flynn's shots. "I don't want to break another lamp."

"That was Alex's fault!" Flynn protested.

"Was not!" Alex shouted, aiming another shot.

Nick couldn't help but laugh as the foam ball ricocheted off the wall and into Luke's chest.

"Game over," Luke declard, collapsing dramatically onto the floor.

The boys groaned, but Nick was grateful for the silence as they finally trudged upstairs, still arguing about whose shot was better.

Luke sat up, running a hand through his hair. "Your brothers are intense."

"They're obsessed with you," Nick said, closing her book. "It's kind of nauseating."

"Jealous?"

"Of what? The chaos? No, thanks."

He stood, stretching, and Nick's eye flicked to the hem of his shirt, which rode up just enough to reveal a sliver of toned abs. She quickly looked away, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt.

"Good game today," she said, standing and heading toward the stairs before he could say anything else.

"Thanks," he called after her, and there was something in his voice that made her stomach flip.

~~

Nick paced back and forth in her room, her phone pressed to her ear as she tried to keep her voice down.

"I'm telling you, Mia," she whispered, "he's insufferable. Like, he doesn't do anything that bad, but the fact that he exists in my house is enough to drive me fucking insane."

On the other end of the line, Mia snorted. "Translation: You're fucking obsessed with him."

"What! No?" Nick flopped onto her bed, glaring at the ceiling. "I'm just... he's in my way. All the time. The bathroom thing? Unforgivable. And he's always around, charming my brothers and being all polite to my mom, and--it's annoying!"

"You're mad because he's polite?" Mia teased. "Wow, Nick, you're really reaching."

Nick groaned, throwing an arm over her face. "You don't get it. He's--ugh. He's just one of those guys, you know? All... awkwardly cute and unexpectedly funny and stupidly attractive--"

"Uh-huh," Mia interrupted, her voice laced with amusement. "Say that last part again?"

Nick sat up, her face heating. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Sure you didn't."

"Mia," Nick hissed, her eyes darting toward the door. "I'm serious. He's just--fine, okay? I'll admit it. He's hot. Like ridiculously, stupidly hot. But that doesn't mean I don't hate his guts."

"Hate his guts? You sure you don't just want him to rearrange yours?"

Nick groaned. "I can't stand you?"

"And yet here you are, calling me for emotional support about your hot hockey housemate," Mia said smugly. "What a tragedy."

"He's just... objectively attractive. I can hate someone and still recognize that they're good-looking. Those two things can coexist."

"Sure, Nick," Mia giggled. "Whatever you say."

Nick groaned, burying her face in her pillows.

Flynn crouched in the hallway, his ear pressed to the crack under Nick's door. Beside him, Alex knelt, covering his mouth so he didn't giggle too loudly.

"Did she just say Luke is hot?" Flynn whispered, eyes wide.

"She totally did," Alex grinned.

Flynn giggled. "We have to tell him!"

"Duh," Alex said, scrambling to his feet.

The boys darted down the stairs, giggling like they'd just discovered the best secret in the world.

Luke was sitting in the living room, flipping through channels on the TV, when they skidded to a stop in front of him.

"Luke!"

"You're not gonna believe this!"

Luke quirked an eyebrow, setting the remote down. "What's up, guys?"

"Nick thinks you're hot!" Flynn blurted out, unable to contain himself.

Luke blinked, caught completely off guard. "What?"

"She said it on the phone," Alex explained. "She was talking to her friend, and she said you're 'ridiculously, stupidly hot.'"

Flynn nodded eagerly. "She also said you're annoying, but mostly that you're hot."

Luke huffed out a laugh, leaning back against the couch. "She actually said that?"

"Yup!" Flynn said proudly.

Luke shook his head, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Alright. Thanks for the intel."

The boys high-fived and ran off, leaving Luke alone with his thoughts.

Ridiculously, stupidly hot, huh?

He filed that tidbit away, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. He didn't plan on using it right away--but when the right moment came, he'd be ready.

A few hours later, Nick came downstairs to grab a glass of water, grateful that the house was finally quiet. She froze when she saw Luke in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a glass in hand.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked casually.

"Nope," she said shortly, pouring herself some water.

As she turned to leave, she felt his eyes on her, and her steps faltered.

"What?" she snapped, glancing over her shoulder.

Luke shook his head, his expression unreadable. "Nothing. Just... interesting."

"What's interesting?"

"Nothing you'd want to admit," he said with a slight smirk, turning back to his drink.

Nick scowled, marching back upstairs, vowing to ignore whatever cryptic nonsense he was playing at. Behind her, Luke chuckled softly to himself, his smirk only growing.

~~

Annika was still determined to go about her life as if nothing had happened. Luke was still the irritating, too-hot-for-his-own-good hockey player who'd invaded her space. Nothing more.

But he wasn't making it easy.

It started small. Like how he suddenly seemed to be everywhere she was.

Case in point: the kitchen.

Nick had just finished a workout and was rummaging through the fridge for a bottle of water when Luke appeared, freshly showered and leaning against the kitchen island.

"Morning," he said, annoyingly chipper.

"Morning," she replied shortly, avoiding eye contact.

"Work out hard?" he asked, his gaze sweeping over her.

Nick's head snapped up. "What?"

"You're all flushed," he said innocently, taking a slow sip of his protein shake. "Maybe you overdid it."

Her cheeks heated further, and she hated that he'd noticed. "I'm fine," she said, grabbing her water and slamming the fridge shut.

Luke smirked, watching her retreat.

~

That weekend, Andrea sent Nick and Luke to pick up groceries. It was supposed to be a simple errand, but the tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Nick fiddled with the AUX, flipping through songs until Luke reached over and stilled her hand.

"Pick something already," he said, his fingers brushing hers.

The touch was brief but electric, and Nick pulled her hand back like she'd been burned.

"What's your problem?" she snapped.

Luke shrugged, trying to conceal his amusement. "No problem. You just seem... jumpy."

"I'm not jumpy," she said through gritted teeth.

"Okay?"

Nick gripped the phone a little tighter, silently cursing him and the stupid butterflies in her stomach.

~~

That evening, the family decided to have a movie night. Nick reluctantly joined, sinking into the sofa and snatching the bowl of popcorn.

Luke sat beside her, closer than necessary, his knee brushing against hers as he man-spread.

She stiffened, but he didn't move.

"Comfortable?" she asked, shooting him a pointed look.

"Very," he said innocently.

Andrea shushed them, and Nick tried to focus on the film. But every time Luke shifted, she was hyper-aware of the warmth of his thigh against hers.

Halfway through, he reached for the popcorn, knocking her arm with his.

"Do you mind?" she hissed under her breath.

"Not at all."

Nick gritted her teeth, determined to ignore him. But when the movie ended and she stood to leave, he softly caught her wrist.

"Hey," he said, locking eyes with her. "Relax. I'm just messing with you."

Her breath caught in her throat, and for a second, she couldn't look away.

"Whatever," she muttered, yanking her hand free and hurrying upstairs.

~~

Alex and Flynn barreled into the kitchen, sweaty and red-faced from playing street hockey.

"We crushed the neighbours!" Alex announced, dropping his stick and gloves on the floor.

Flynn followed suit, throwing himself onto one the barstools at the island. "Yeah, but Alex missed like ten open shots."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Guys," Nick interrupted. "Gear in the laundry room. Now."

The boys groaned but trudged off, muttering under their breath. A minute later, Luke strolled in, hair damp from a shower. He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and hopped to sit on the counter, watching Nick with his lopsided grin.

"You run a tight ship," he teased.

"Someone has to when my parents aren't home."

Before Luke could respond, the boys returned, still arguing.

"Whatever," Alex said, rolling his eyes. "At least I'm not as bad as Bryce."

Nick scowled, her stomach sinking. "What does Bryce have to do with anything?"

"Nothing," Flynn said, grabbing a cookie off the counter. "Just saying Alex is better than him at hockey."

Luke's brow furrowed, gaze flickering between Annika and the boys. "Who's Bryce?"

"No one," Nick glared at Alex.

"Her boyfriend," he said, completely ignoring her. "Well, ex-boyfriend. He was like super into hockey but I think he sucked. Nick used to help him with his stats for school."

Nick shot him another warning look. "Shut up, Alex."

Flynn, too young to realize the tension in the room, chimed in, "He coached Alex's team last year, but he's not as cool as you, Luke."

Annika could feel Luke's eyes on her and turned away, busying herself with wiping an already-clean counter. "Bryce is like... history. Can we drop it now?"

The boys shrugged, losing interest as they rushed off to play Xbox.

Luke lingered, arms crossed, watching her closely. "So... Bryce?"

Nick sighed, turning to face him. "It's not a big deal. We dated for a while. It didn't work out. End of story."

Luke nodded slowly, though his expression shifted slightly. "Sounds like a real winner."

Nick narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing... nothing. Just that he doesn't sound like much competition."

"Competition for what?"

He shrugged. "Relax, Annika."

"You're fucking insufferable," she mumbled, pushing past him and heading for the stairs.

~~

Luke was still thinking about Bryce.

He told himself it didn't matter, that it was none of his business, but the image of some guy hanging around Nick, talking hockey and being such an important part of her brothers' games, made his chest feel tight.

Jealousy wasn't a good look on him, but there it was, simmering just under the surface.

He was sprawled on the couch when Nick came downstairs again, her arms full of laundry. She stopped when she saw him, a guarded look on her face.

"Still brooding about Bryce?"

Luke smirked, trying to mask his annoyance. "Why would I brood about some guy I've never met?"

"Good question."

Her tone was casual, but the way she avoided his gaze told him she was more affected by their earlier conversation than she cared to admit.

She shook her head, going to walk past him. But just like the other night, he grabbed her wrist. "For the record, I don't think he deserved you."

Nick just stared at him, blinking slowly.

"Goodnight, Nick."

And with that, he got up and walked away, leaving a very confused Annika in his wake.

~~

The rain started in the late afternoon, a light drizzle that quickly turned into a full-on downpour.

By the time Nick got home from class, her sneakers were soaked, and her hair was plastered to her face. She shoved the door open with a grunt, muttering curses under her breath.

"Rough day?"

She startled, looking up to see Luke in the living room, also soaking wet, with his bag slung over his shoulder. He must've just gotten back from practice.

"Rain fucking sucks," she said shortly, kicking off her shoes and peeling off her wet socks and jacket.

"Not a fan of Jersey weather?"

"Not when I have to walk through it because someone took the car," she snarled, brushing past him on her way to the kitchen.

He followed, watching as she rummaged through a cabinet for a snack. "Where's the rest of your family?"

"Out," she said, grabbing a box of crackers. "My mom took the boys to the movies, and my dad's working late. Why?"

"Just curious."

Nick turned to look at him, but before she could reply, a sudden crack of thunder made the house shake. The lights flickered once, twice, and then everything went dark.

"You've got to be kidding me," she groaned, fumbling for her phone.

"Relax," Luke said, his voice steady. "It's just a power outage."

"No big deal for you, maybe," she muttered. "I've got work to do."

"Yeah? What kind of work?"

"The kind that requires electricity."

"Well, unless you can magically fix the power grid, I'd say you're stuck."

Nick rolled her eyes, but she couldn't ignore the flutter in her chest at the way his voice sounded in the dark--low and teasing, but with an edge she couldn't quite place.

"Great. Guess I'll just sit here and wait for the apocalypse."

"Or," Luke said, his voice closer now, "you could stop being so dramatic and light some candles."

Nick scowled, but another loud crack of thunder made her jump.

Luke laughed. "Scared of storms?"

"Of course not," she snapped, though her hands were trembling slightly.

"Right."

Nick shook her head, retreating to her bedroom, hoping to escape the weird tension that always settled between them. She lit a few candles, their warm glow casting flickering shadows on the walls, and tried to focus on her textbook.

But her thoughts kept drifting--to the storm, to the empty house, and to Luke.

She didn't even hear him knock.

"Hey," he said. "Mind if I hang out in here? It's kind of creepy downstairs."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "You're a professional hockey player, and you're scared of the dark?"

"Not scared. Just bored."

She sighed, gesturing for him to come in. He shut the door behind him and sat on the edge of her bed, his presence suddenly overwhelming in the small space.

For a while, they sat in silence, the sound of rain pounding against the windows filling the room.

"You're quiet," Luke said eventually.

"So are you."

He glanced at her, his eyes catching the candlelight in a way that made her stomach flip. "You've been weird around me lately."

"I'm always weird around you."

"Not like this," he whispered.

Her heart started thudding against her chest. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Nick."

She froze at the way he said her name--soft, almost pleading. When she finally looked at him, the intensity his gaze made her breath catch.

"Are we just gonna keep pretending this thing between us doesn't exist?"

"What thing?"

Luke huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. "You're really gonna make me say it?"

She didn't answer, and in the silence that followed, he got closer.

The air between them crackled, the storm outside quiet in comparison to the sound of her heart.

"I think about you... way more than I should."

Her breath hitched at his words, and he leaned in, his hand brushing hers.

"Nick," he whispered, his lips hovering just inches from hers. "Tell me to stop."

But she didn't.

Instead, she closed the distance, her mouth crashing against his in a messy kiss of spit and teeth.

His hands quickly found her waist, pulling her until they tumbled onto the bed. Hers found the curls at the nape of his neck. And outside, the storm faded into nothing.

~~

The storm had become nothing but a soft patter of rain against the windows. Nick lay across her bed, Luke's arm draped lazily across her waist as they caught their breath.

The room was warm and still dark, the flickering candlelight casting a soft glow over their bodies. Nick could feel the steady rise and fall of Luke's chest against her back, his skin sticky but still comforting against hers.

"You're sweaty," she mumbled, her voice muffled by the pillows.

Luke chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. "So are you."

She wrinkled her nose but didn't move, too content--and too tired--to care.

They lay there in comfortable silence for a while, the weight of what had just happened settling over them. It wasn't awkward, though. If anything, it felt... right.

Luke broke the silence. "You know, the candles really set the mood."

Nick snorted, turning her head to look at him. "Oh, totally. Very romantic."

"You don't think so?"

She rolled her eyes, biting her bottom lip. "Honestly? It might've been the most romantic sex I've ever had."

"High praise."

"Don't let it go to your head."

They fell quiet again, Nick tracing lazy circles on Luke's arm as his fingers skimmed along her hip.

"Can I tell you something?" Luke said suddenly.

"Sure."

"Your brothers... they told me."

"Told you what?"

"That you think I'm hot."

"They what?!"

"Yeah," Luke smirked, clearly enjoying her reaction. "Apparently, you were on the phone with your friend, and they overheard you saying I'm 'ridiculously, stupidly hot.'"

Nick stuffed her face in the pillows, groaning. "Oh my God. I'm gonna fucking kill them!"

"I mean," Luke continued, "I wasn't going to say anything, but now that we're here."

"Shut up."

He laughed, gently tugging her out of the pillows. "Hey, I'm flattered. Really."

"Don't be," she said, though the blush creeping up her neck betrayed her.

Luke leaned in, his lips brushing against her temple. "For the record, I think you're ridiculously, stupidly hot too. Still wanna kill your brothers?"

"Absolutely," she said, but her voice was lighter now, her cheeks still pink.

Although killing her brothers didn't really matter when she was laying in bed with Luke.

~~

Nick had no idea the thrill that sneaking around would give her.

There was something almost intoxicating about the stolen moments--the way Luke's touch would linger as he walked past her, the charged glances across the room, the whispered goodnights as they traded the bathroom.

It was dangerous and utterly addictive.

She hated how much she liked it.

Family dinners at the Thompsons were always chaotic (as were most things in their house). Andrea was bustling between the kitchen and the dining room, carrying plates of steaming food, while George tried to wrangle Alex and Flynn into their seats.

Luke sat across from Nick, his expression perfectly innocent as he buttered a piece of bread.

Nick didn't trust him for a second.

The meal started without incident--Andrea asking Luke about practice and an upcoming roadie, Flynn babbling about a school project, Alex loudly debating which NHL team had the best defence. Nick tried to focus on her food, keeping her gaze firmly away from the boy across the table.

Until she felt it.

A soft nudge against her ankle.

She froze, her fork halfway to her mouth, and glanced up. Luke's eyes were on his plate, the faintest hint of a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips.

Nick shifted her leg, but the nudge came again--this time more deliberate, slowly moving up her calf.

Her eyes narrowed.

Subtly, she kicked back.

Luke's smirk widened, but he didn't react otherwise, his foot pressing against hers in a way that made her stomach flip.

"Nick," Andrea said, snapping her out of the moment. "Pass the salad, please."

Annika blinked, her face burning as she shoved the salad bowl across the table.

"You okay?" her mom raised an eyebrow.

"Fine," Nick said quickly, glaring at Luke.

He looked up then, his smirk replaced with an innocent smile. "Everything alright, Nick?"

She wanted to throttle him.

Instead, she dropped her napkin on the floor, ducking under the table.

"What're you doing?" Alex asked as she crouched, fumbling for the napkin.

"Nothing," she muttered.

She grabbed the napkin--and Luke's ankle.

He jerked slightly, his leg pulling away, but she squeezed just hard enough to make her point before sitting back up.

"You sure everything's okay?" Andrea asked, her tone tinged with suspicion.

Nick forced a smile, her heart pounding. "Just peachy."

Across the table, Luke's smirk was back, but this time it was tinged with something darker--something that made Nick's breath catch in her throat.

~~

Later that evening, they weren't so lucky.

Andrea had sent the boys upstairs to clean their shared room while she and George tidied up the kitchen. Nick, seizing the opportunity, had slipped into Luke's room under the pretense of "helping him settle." As if he hadn't lived there for weeks.

Luke was waiting for her, his grin smug as he pulled her inside and shut the door.

"You're getting reckless," he teased, his hands sliding around her waist.

"You're the one who started it... and keeps tempting me," she shot back, her voice breathless as he backed her against the closet door.

"Is that so?"

Her lips found hers, and for a moment, she forgot all her worries--her parents, the risk, the fact that her brothers were just down the hall.

Until the footsteps started.

"Luke!"

Nick froze as Flynn's voice rang out.

"Shit," she whispered, shoving Luke back.

He stumbled slightly, but didn't stop smiling. "Relax."

The door burst open a second later, Flynn standing there with hockey stick in hand.

"There you are!" he exclaimed. "Alex and I want you too referee!"

Luke cleared his throat, stepping back even further from Nick. "Uh, yeah, for sure. Be right there."

Flynn squinted at his big sister. "What are you doing in here?"

"Helping him find something," she lied, her face burning.

Flynn shrugged. "Okay, whatever." He turned and darted back down the hall, yelling for Alex."

Nick let out a shaky breath, her head dropping back against the closet.

"That was close."

Luke chuckled, stepping closer again. "Too close?"

"Yes," she hissed, swatting his arm as he leaned in.

"You love it," he teased, his lips brushing her ear before pulling back. "I'll see you later."

And just like that, he was gone, leaving Nick to realize that she did, in fact, love it.

~~

The bathroom was filled with steam, despite the fan being on. The warm spray of the shower drowned out the storm that had started outside.

Nick leaned back against the cool tiled wall, her skin slick with water, as Luke pressed a line of soft kisses along her collarbone.

"This is so stupid," she mumbled, her hands sliding over his shoulders.

"Probably," he agreed, smirking as he pulled back to look at her. "But when have we ever done anything smart?"

"If we get caught--"

"We won't," he promised, pushing his lips against hers.

The sound of a knock at the bathroom door had them both pulling away.

"Luke?" Andrea's voice called from the other side of the door.

"Oh my God," Nick mouthed, her heart hammering inside her chest.

Luke held a hand up, silently telling her to stay silent, before clearing his throat. "Uh--yeah?"

"Have you seen Annika?" Andrea asked. "I thought she might be in her room, but she's not."

Luke shot Nick a panicked look, and she mimed strangling him, her lips forming "fix this."

"Uh, no," Luke said, scrambling for an excuse. "I think she said something about--uh--going for a walk?"

"A walk? In this weather?"

Luke winced, cursing himself for the lame excuse. "Yeah, she, uh...said she likes the rain. Said it's like refreshing or something?"

Nick buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

There was a long pause on the other side of the door, and Luke could practically feel Andrea's doubt seeping through the wood.

"Well, alright," she said finally, though her tone was still dubious. "Let me know if you see her, okay?"

"Will do," he said, waiting until he heard her footsteps retreating before turning to Nick.

She was doubled over with laughter now, her hands braced against the wall. "Refreshing?" she wheezed, still whispering. "That's the best you could come up with?"

Luke scowled. "You're welcome."

Nick pressed her chest against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Guess I should be grateful," she whispered, her lips brushing his ear. "You're quick on your feet when panicking."

"Yeah, well," his hands settled on her waist, "let's just hope your mom doesn't start asking more questions."

Nick smirked, leaning in to kiss him softly. "Guess we'll have to be more careful, huh?"

"Guess so."

~~

They'd barely recovered from their bathroom incident, but Luke seemed determined to push their luck even further.

They were standing in the kitchen, the rest of the family scattered--Andrea folding laundry upstairs, George in his office, and the boys glued to a hockey game on the TV.

Nick was just trying to make herself some tea, trying to ignore Luke's presence at the counter, when she felt him move closer.

"Relax," he wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning in his chin on her shoulder. "Nobody's around."

"Ugh, you're insane."

"Probably," he said.

"Luke, not here," she tried to escape his grasp, but his hockey training must've been paying off because he wouldn't budge.

"Why not?"

"Because we almost got caught earlier. You're pushing our luck. If someone walked i--"

Her words her cut off as he spun her around, her lips ghosting his. She crumbled instantly, her fingers gripping the counter as she kissed him back.

"Annika!"

"Fuck me," she groaned, jerking back so quickly she almost knocked the kettle over.

"Later," Luke retorted, earning a glare.

"What?" she called back.

"I need some help up here! Can you make your brothers' beds?"

"Uh--yeah! I'll be right there, Mom!" She pressed her palms against Luke's chest. "You're a bad influence."

He shrugged, moving to let her escape upstairs with her tea in hand, but not without giving her ass one last squeeze.

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

~~

Luke seemed determined to finish what they started in the shower, because he'd managed to be in the laundry room just as she was heading there to grab her mom a blanket.

"Are you fucking tracking me?"

"Just lucky timing."

"You're going to be the reason we get caught."

"Only if you scream," he teased, boosting her on top of the washing machine.

"Luke..."

"Relax," he pressed a kiss to her neck.

She really wanted to believe that they'd be in the clear down in the basement, but apparently her parents really wanted that spare blanket.

"Let's go, Nick! Chop, chop!" George shouted from the top of the stairs.

"Coming! Coming!"

"God, why is it so hard to get you alone?" Luke groaned.

"Welcome to my life."

~~

It was bound to happen sooner or later.

Nick knew their little game of sneaking around was risky, but she hadn't pushed it to stop. She blamed Luke entirely--his stupid smirk, his stupid face, the way he couldn't seem to ever keep his hands to himself.

But when the door to her bedroom flew open late one afternoon, she swore she had a heart attack.

"Annika!"

Her mom's voice was sharp, the shock in her tone unmistakable as she stood frozen in the doorway.

Nick and Luke jerked apart like they'd been electrocuted, the tangled sheets doing little to hide the situation.

"Mom!" Nick shrieked, her face going bright red as she scrambled to grab the blanket.

Andrea's eyes darted between them, her face covered in disbelief and mortification. "Luke?"

Luke, to his credit, managed a sheepish smile he sat up, adjusting his shirt and ruffling a hand through his hair. "Uh...hi, Andrea."

She blinked, her mouth opening and closing like she was trying to form words but she couldn't process what she was seeing.

"I--I'm gonna go see your father," she shook her head, backing out of the room and slamming the door shut behind her.

Nick groaned, burying her face in her hands. "We're so fucking dead."

Luke flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. "I told you to lock the door."

"Luke!"

"Yeah, this is... not ideal."

~~

The tension in the living room was palpable as Nick and Luke sat on the sofa, side by side, waiting for her parents to join them. The rest of the house was quiet for once--Alex and Flynn had been banished upstairs with strict instructions not to come down.

Andrea and George finally appeared, their expressions grim as they sat down across from the couple.

"Well," George began, clearing his throat. "This is, uh... unexpected."

Nick wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

Andrea crossed her arms, her gaze sharp as it landed on Luke. "I think we need to have a very serious conversation about boundaries."

Luke nodded quickly, the confidence he'd felt the last few days nowhere to be found. "Of course. Absolutely."

She turned to Nick, her tone just as firm. "Annika, you're an adult, and I understand that you're going to make your own decisions, but this is our home. And there are certain... expectations."

Nick groaned, slouching further into the couch. "Mom--"

"No," Andrea interrupted. "This is important. You're under our roof, and we expect you to be respectful of that."

George cleared his throat again, clearly uncomfortable. "What your mother is trying to say is, uh, we don't want anything... inappropriate happening here."

Nick buried her face in her hands, her voice muffled. "Can we not do this right now?"

"We absolutely need to do this right now," Andrea said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

She turned back to Luke. "We welcomed you into our home, Luke, and we expect you to behave like a gentleman. This... this cannot happen again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Luke said quickly, nodding so fervently it was a wonder his head didn't fall off.

"And that goes for you too, Annika," Andrea added, fixing her with a pointed look.

"I get it," she muttered, her face still hidden.

"Good," Andrea said, standing. "Because if I find you two in a... situation again, you're both going to regret it."

George stood as well, patting Luke awkwardly on the shoulder. "Just, uh, keep things... above board, okay?"

"Got it."

The parents left, leaving Nick and Luke in stunned silence.

After a long pause, Nick finally spoke, her voice still muffled by her hands. "I'm never leaving his house again."

"I don't know. I think that went pretty well," Luke let out a breathless laugh.

Nick finally dropped her hands to glare at him. "Pretty well? Are you kidding me?"

"Hey, at least your dad didn't kill me... or cut off my balls."

"You-- UGH!"

"If you say so."

~~

The shift in the house was obvious.

Andrea seemed to materialize whenever Luke and Annika were in the same room, her watchful gaze making Nick's skin crawl. George was less obvious but still lingered nearby, pretending to fiddle with the thermostat or check a sports score while clearly keeping tabs on them.

Even Alex and Flynn had picked up that something was wrong, their usual teasing replaced with curious glances and hushed whispering.

"Your mom's fucking scary," Luke said one evening, his voice low as he passed Nick in the hallway.

"You're telling me," she muttered, glancing over her shoulder to make sure nobody was around.

Luke smirked, leaning closer. "So... does this mean we're done?"

Nick frowned. "Done with what?"

"This," he gestured between them.

She hesitated, gnawing at her bottom lip. "I don't know. Do you really think it's worth getting caught again?"

Luke leaned against the wall, his grin softening into something more sincere. "Yeah. I do."

"You--"

"I'm insane, I know But I'm not ready to let this go. Are you?"

Her walls crumbled as he reached out, his fingers brushing against hers.

"Fine," she whispered. "But you have to keep it under wraps. I'm not dealing with my mom's wrath again."

"Deal."

~~

Keeping things under wraps was easier said than done.

Every interaction felt like a minefield, with Andrea constantly dissecting their every move.

Luke made it harder by being... well, Luke.

He would brush against her as he passed by. He'd lean in close to whisper something that wasn't remotely necessary.

It was maddening.

One night after dinner, they were in the kitchen, Nick washing dishes while Luke dried. Andrea was sitting at the table, her back to them, flipping through a magazine.

Luke bumped her hip with his, his voice low. "You're tense."

"Gee, I wonder why."

"She's not even looking," he grinned, reaching for a plate.

"She doesn't have to look. She knows everything."

"You're paranoid."

~~

Sitting in the backyard under the stars, finally having time together. Their hands were intertwined as they stared up at the sky.

"Is it really worth all the trouble?" Nick whispered.

"Of course it is," he replied, swinging their hands.

"Why?"

"Because I like you."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

Nick didn't respond, but the smile on her face told him all he needed to know.

~~

A quiet afternoon in the Thompson house was hard to come by. The boys were upstairs playing video games, Andrea and George watching a show in their room.

Nick and Luke were taking advantage, lounging on the sofa and watching a movie.

Well, trying to watch a movie.

Luke kept nudging her with his knee, a silent plea for attention that she ignored for as long as she could.

"What?" she paused the movie, turning to look at him.

"Nothing. Just... thinking."

"Dangerous," she teased, though her stomach fluttered at the way he was looking at her--soft yet serious.

"Nick," he said, his voice lower. "I've been thinking about this for a while now."

"Okay..."

"I want to make this official," he said, his hand finding hers. "I know we've been sneaking around and keeping things quiet, but I... really, really like you. And I want to do this for real."

"You're asking me to be your girlfriend?"

"Yeah... I guess I am."

Nick hesitated. She knew this was risky, that saying yes meant inviting even more complications into their already chaotic situation.

But as she looked at him--his goofy grin, the way his thumb brushed over her knuckles--she knew she couldn't say no.

"Okay. Let's do it."

Luke's grin grew, and before she could second-guess herself, he leaned in and kissed her.

"Ew!"

They sprang apart, Flynn stood in the doorway, his face scrunched in disgust.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at them.

Nick scrambled to her feet. "Flynn! Don't you knock?"

"This is the living room!" he retorted. "You can't kiss here!"

Luke cleared his throat, standing up and running a hand through his hair. "Uh, maybe we keep this between us, bud?"

"Why?"

Nick groaned. "Flynn--"

But he was already running toward the kitchen, yelling at the top of his lungs.

It didn't take long for Alex to join the chaos, and before Nick and Luke could figure out what to do, both boys were standing in front of their parents, firing off questions.

"If Luke and Annika get married, does that mean he gets to live here forever?" Flynn asked, his face alight with excitement.

"Wait, does this mean Luke is our brother now?" Alex added, his brow furrowed.

"Do you think Luke will take us to games since he's Annika's boyfriend?"

Andrea's eye widened, snapping to Nick and Luke, who were standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Annika," she said slowly, her tone suspiciously calm, "is there something you'd like to tell us?"

Nick opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She glanced at Luke, silently begging him to say anything, but he looked just as panicked.

"Well?"

Nick swallowed harshly. "It's not what it looks like--"

"It's exactly what it looks like," Flynn interrupted. "They were kissing on the couch!"

"Flynn!" Nick hissed.

Andrea sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as George rubbed the back of his neck.

"Annika," Andrea said firmly, "we talked about boundaries."

"I know! And we only kissed! We've been careful!"

"Careful? You were kissing in the living room!"

Flynn leaned over to Alex, whispering loudly. "Do you think they kiss a lot?"

Luke coughed, trying to stifle a laugh, but one sharp look from Andrea wiped the grin from his face.

"This isn't funny. We'll be having a conversation about this later."

"Great!" Nick threw her hands up.

~~

There they were, sat on the couch... again. Two angry parents in front of them like they'd just gotten in trouble for something stupid.

"Alright," Andrea said. "Start talking."

Nick glanced at Luke, who gave her a small, reassuring squeeze of the hand before she cleared her throat. "Look, I know this isn't ideal, but... Luke and I really like each other."

"Really like each other?"

Nick nodded, her voice steadier now. "Yes, and we've been trying to keep it low-key because we didn't want to make things weird for everyone else."

Andrea snorted. "Well, that worked out great."

"I know it's a lot to ask," Luke said, leaning forward. "But I care about Nick. A lot. And I don't want to mess up the trust you've shown me by letting me stay here, and I don't want to make things uncomfortable for your family. But I also don't want to pretend I don't... like Nick."

Her gaze softened slightly, though her expression remained guarded. She looked at George, who shrugged.

"They're adults," he said simply. "I'm not thrilled about it, but it's not like we can tell Nick who she can and can't date."

Andrea sighed, hands on her hips. "I guess that's true. But if this is going to continue, there are going to be rules."

Nick and Luke exchanged a quick glance, relief washing over them.

"Rules?" Nick asked cautiously.

"Yes, rules. First, no sleeping in each other's rooms. Doesn't matter if you're both adults, it's my house, that's my rule."

"Understood," Luke nodded.

"Second," she continued, "keep the PDA to a minimum. Especially in front of the boys. I don't need Alex and Flynn asking any more awkward questions."

"Agreed."

"Third...if I catch you breaking these rules, this arrangement is over. Got it?"

"Got it," they said in unison.

"Alright. As long as you respect the rules, I won't stand in your way."

"Thank you," Luke said sincerely.

"Don't screw this up, kid," George whispered to him as he left.

"I won't."

~~

A few months later, the whole Thompson family was packed into The Rock, cheering as the Devils faced off against the Pens.

Alex and Flynn were decked out in jerseys, cheering as loud as they could, while Andrea and George clapped politely whenever Luke's name was mentioned.

Nick sat by her brothers, trying (and failing) to hide her smile every time Luke skated by.

When he scored late in the first period, Flynn jumped out of his seat, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"THAT'S MY SISTER'S BOYFRIEND!"

Nick groaned, pulling her Hughes jersey over her red face as the people around them laughed.

But when Luke glanced at their section, his grin wide as he pointed toward her, she couldn't help but cheer just as loudly.

Because, for better or for worse, Luke was a large part of her life now. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

[owliellder]

Loving Takes Time

Leon Kennedy x afab Satyr Hybrid! Reader

MDNI 18+

Trigger Warning for the nature of the content

Description: Leon goes with Chris to just look at hybrids up for adoption, not really expecting to bring such a strange one home.

Warnings: Not proofread, Dub-Con, Unprotected Sex, Major Size Difference and 5-Year Age Difference, Leon is a PERVERT but he's still gentle 🫶

Tags: One-shot, Female Reader uses she/her, No use of y/n, Leon is 5'11", Reader is 4'0", Virgin Reader, Smut, Somnophilia, Picture Taking, Lactation, Fingering, Cunnilingus, Cowgirl Position, Belly Bulge, Dirty Talk, Ass Play

Words: 8.9k

Author's Note: Okay now I know this is a pretty strange/questionable one, but I've had this idea in my pocket for awhile and, once again, this is pure self-indulgence because if I could be ANYTHING in the world I would be a satyr 😭 They're the cutest little scampers!!!

Please forgive me for my transgressions 💔 I honestly felt so guilty writing this even though a lot of these tags reflect me (please don't hate me)

Cross-posted onto AO3

"I'm serious, we're just going to look!"

"Chris, 'just looking' always leads to either you or me getting something." Leon emphasized with hand quotes, giving Chris an incredulous look.

Both men were sitting in Chris' car that was parked in the relatively empty parking lot for the Hybrid Adoption Center. Leon had expressed *once* that he thought having a pet would be fun, but he knew a pet would be hard to manage with his field of work. He'd been partially aware of hybrids, yet he was less than convinced on the idea of having what was essentially a pet person.

"Look, I know. I get it-" "I don't wanna hear it. We're just here to look." Leon cut Chris off, waving his hand dismissively before opening the passenger door. "Even on the off chance I find one that I like, I'm in no way prepared to bring them home." He slid out of the car, Chris following suit. The older man followed Leon around the front of the car, shaking his head with a small chuckle. "Alright, alright.. Whatever you say, ya big grouch."

If Chris hadn't had to make an appointment to see the hybrids, then Leon would've found any excuse not to come. He did try, don't get him wrong, but Chris is notoriously persistent. A worm in his ear.

Once the two had made their way inside the adoption center, Chris confirmed his appointment to visit with the hybrids with a nice old lady who happily greeted them from the front desk. "There's still a couple in the back looking, but I'll let them know their time is up. Give me just a minute-" she quickly stood up and walked out from the front desk and into the back kennels.

Good. A little time to look around. Leon thought to himself with a small hum, moseying around the front room. He carefully looked at the various items; clothes, leashes, collars, bags of food, toys, treats, everything. He had a feeling that he was going to end up with some random puppy hybrid today, so it was worth it to look at all this ahead of time.

After only a few minutes, the old lady returned with the couple, nodding with a smile as they promised to come back once they'd made up their mind. Leon silently wishes Chris would give him the luxury of choice like they had.

"Leon! C'mon, let's go!" Chris happily exclaimed, only to be shushed by the lady. Apparently most of the hybrids are pretty sensitive to the sound as it echoes back in the kennels. At least the older man listened to someone here. "Lead the way." Leon held his hand up, letting Chris walk in front of him through the door to the kennels.

What they walked through were the puppy hybrids first, probably the most popular. And the noisiest. They were super excitable, which was undeniably cute, but at the end of the day Leon wasn't looking for a high-maintenance pet. He needed one with self-sustainability, and preferably one that wouldn't smother him either. The last thing he wants is to feel guilty every morning leaving for work. So a puppy hybrid? Out of the question.

Chris was quietly ooging out over every single hybrid they past, all the way through to the quieter kitty and bunny section. All cute, a cat hybrid seemed to be most aligned with what Leon wanted. None of them really caught his eye, though.

Near the end of their little walkthrough, Leon decided to look through the puppy kennels one last time, furrowing his brow when he noticed an empty kennel in the back. It being empty isn't what confused him, it was the kennel card still hanging on the chainlink fence that did it.

Making his way over, he carefully studied the card. No picture and a pretty vague description was provided. A... goat? They have a goat with the puppies back here? Reading on, he noticed that it said you were twenty-five years old, five years younger than he was. Guess you'd been there at the shelter for awhile too.

You weren't in the main kennel area, though. Probably hiding in the back. It was strange they had you with the puppies, they were so barky, but maybe they had no other place to put you? That's the most reasonable explanation.

Chris noticed Leon looking at the empty kennel with pursed lips, walking up behind him with crossed arms. "Out of everything here, you zero in on the kennel that has nothing in it?" Leon turned to face Chris, responding with a simple "... there's a goat in there" before going back to trying to see through the small square hole at the back of your kennel that led to the employee-only side, hoping to catch a glimpse of you.

"You're joking. A goat?" Chris raised an eyebrow, pushing Leon over to the side a bit so he could read your kennel card as well. "Aren't those for farms or something?"

"Yeah, I thought so too.." Leon hummed, crouching down next to Chris' legs as he continued to try and look through the hole. The old lady from the front desk soon made her way back to tell the two men that their time was almost up, only to find them studying your kennel.

"She's a shy one." She spoke up with a smile, alerting both men of her presence. "Hides when people come through the door, but she is easy to entice with a little snack?" The old lady noticed Leon seemed most interested and decided to bend down as best as she could to hand him a small peppermint candy.

"Okay..." Leon seemed a bit confused yet accepted the peppermint anyways, tossing it in his hand a couple times before slotting it through the fence. It didn't take long for you to appear, poking your head out through the square hole with your nose sniffing away. Perky goat ears and small curled horns, seemed standard enough.

It wasn't until you very cautiously stepped out, eyes on the three standing in front of her kennel that Leon seemed more interested than before. From your hips down you had fur, full blown goat legs that ended with the daintiest little hooves. He noticed your tail once it wagged a couple times at the scent of the peppermint. It made him crack a smile. Now that's interesting!

"Oh wow, she's..." Leon started to speak, his voice quickly trailing off as the suddenness must've started you. "Yes, she's a bit more 'animal' than the rest. The livestock usually are." The old lady seemed to know what he was going to say. It must be confusing to a lot of people.

"Small, too." Chris chimed in, arms still crossed as he looked down at you, watching you crouch low and stretch your arm to reach for the peppermint to avoid getting any closer to the chainlink fence.

"A pygmy goat. Regular goat hybrids tend to be a foot taller, but she's only about 4 feet. Very small little lady." The old lady chuckled softly, watching you scurry back through the hole to hide after successfully grabbing the peppermint. "I can take you into one of our meeting rooms if you'd like to get a better look?"

Before Leon could respond, Chris decided to just accept the offer for him, laughing as he watched the other man's face fall with annoyance. "Oh come on, don't be so sour." Chris firmly grabbed Leon's arm and hoisted him up from his crouched position before nudging his forward. "Lead the way, miss."

The colorfully painted walls of the meeting room were rather welcoming as both men wandered in. On the back wall sat a bench with some old cushions and blankets sitting on the seat. Chris took the liberty to sit down while Leon leaned against the wall next to it, grumbling quiet nonsense to himself.

The old lady excused herself to go retrieve you from your kennel, leaving Chris to poke fun at Leon for his sudden interest for only a moment before she returned with you on a lead.

She was right, you were small. "Alright, sugar, easy now." You were also very obviously nervous, hiding behind the elder woman's legs as she walked into the room with you. She gently pet the top of your head, fixing a few strands of your hair that got stuck wrapped around your tiny horns. "Just remember to move slow with her and you'll have the perfect little lap pet."

The old lady's voice was soft as she slowly made her way over to Chris, handing him the end of your lead as he nodded in agreement. You tried to follow the lady as she walked back out of the room only to be stopped by the lead, causing you to start whining with your ears pinned to the sides of your head as you stared at the now closed door.

"Hey," Leon was crouched down again, clicking his tongue to try and get your attention, "hey it's okay, she'll be back soon." You whipped your head around to look at him, freezing where you stood as you watched Leon reach a hand out. You sniffed the air a bit, staring both men down, almost as if you were sizing them up.

"Pretty cute, huh Leon?" Chris whispered. He was really laying it on thick and as much as Leon hated to admit it, you were growing on him. "Here, sit down on the bench and I'll give you her leash." As he spoke, Chris scooted to the side more to make room for the other man.

After carefully standing up to not scare you, he sat down on the bench next to Chris, taking the loop on the end of the lead as it was offered to him. Leon was a little nervous only because you were nervous, what if you bite?

It took some time, but with a lot of gentle coaxing and few extra peppermints provided by the old lady, you were soon standing in front of Leon's legs, chin resting on his knees as he scratched behind your left ear. During that time Leon had introduced himself to you, and though you didn't respond, your ears perking up to listen was enough confirmation that you heard him.

"You're breaking." Leon frowned at Chris' remark, eyes locked on your relaxed face. He could just barely see your fluffy tail wagging, moving his hand around to lift your head up as to scratch underneath your chin. The second he heard that happy little chitter from the back of your throat he knew it was over.

Chris gave a small 'oh' when he noticed Leon's smile forming. "You broke." The younger man only sighed in response, now using both hands to massage your furry ears. "I'll go get that lady." You jumped slightly when Chris suddenly stood, but Leon was quick to distract you with another peppermint.

The paperwork to take you home was relatively simple, thankfully. Leon took every recommendation from the elder lady about what items to buy, along with taking the blanket that was kept in your kennel. Something that already smelled like you would help ease you into a new home, or so he was told.

You were surprisingly easy on the ride home, both men staying quiet with the radio playing low just in case you panicked. Chris helped Leon set up all your stuff before bringing you inside, leading you over to where your blanket was laid out in the medium sized cage now set up in the corner of Leon's living room. You stayed in the cage as the men said their goodbyes, now left alone with Leon.

He gave you time to settle, only choosing to react to you once he noticed you quietly crawl out from the cage and begin surveying the living room from where he sat on the couch. "Hey there, little lamb."

His voice startled you slightly, making eye contact with him for a brief moment before offering him a shy smile. "Hi.." You whispered back in response, looking around as you slowly stepped over to Leon. He hadn't heard you speak until now, so this hopefully meant you were growing more relaxed around him.

"Quite the change." Leon hummed and you only nodded, looking off to the side as you rested your chin on one of his knees again. "It's a lot quieter here though, yeah?"

"Yeah..." Your voice was so sweet, even if just a whisper right now.

"Good." Leon cooed, reaching down to rub your ears. "How ya feeling?"

You shrugged, eyes still darting around the room even as they became lidded with the gentle caresses on your ears.

"What about a bath?" You looked back up into his eyes at the suggestion, eyebrows raising up. It had been awhile since you were given a bath..

Your reaction must've been enough as it prompted Leon to stand up, bending down a bit to hold onto your hand before leading you up the stairs and to the bathroom attached to his bedroom.

Luckily most of his living room and the bedrooms were carpeted, so he didn't have to worry about you slipping there. The tiled kitchen and bathrooms were another story as you immediately slipped with a yipe once stepping into the bathroom, furry legs shaking as you held yourself still as best as you could in an awkward half-splits position.

The man lifted your arm up above your head by your hand, lifting you up a bit in the process so you could reach the rug in front of the bathtub without anymore risk. "I gotcha, kiddo. Don't panic."

He kept one hand on the top of your head as a single to stay where you were while he turned the bathtub faucet on, plugging the drain once the water was warm enough. He was directed to buy a specific soap for you, so he used that to create some bubbles in the bath in hopes of giving you a little bit of fun.

You were carefully lifted up and into the water as soon as it was ready and the faucet was turned off, sighing softly at the warmth. You were always so anxious in the shelter which meant your muscles were always stiff. This was a nice change of pace.

"Wash off that shelter stink." Leon chuckled when you closed your eyes, sitting down on his legs before grabbing an empty cup to scoop and pour the soapy water over your head.

The attention you were receiving was unfamiliar, but definitely not unwelcome. His fingernails scratching your scalp was heavenly and you couldn't help but coo at the feeling.

"That good?" The man asked, smiling as you tilted your head towards his hands whenever he moved them.

"Mhm." You tilted your head back as he massaged his hands down your neck, using a clean washrag that he grabbed from underneath the sink not too long ago. He was able to get away with washing your whole upper body before asking you to stand up, offering his hand to you to use for balance. Along with the soap he bought for you, he also got a short bristled comb for your fur.

He kept his hand up for you, countering your pressure with a bit of his own so you felt steady while he began to lightly comb out the fur that started below your navel. What was once a dingy grey was now the cutest white fur on your belly and on the inside of your thighs, it was even on your butt and the underside of your tail.

While combing out your soggy fur, Leon had started to grow curious. All the other hybrids were just naked humans with a few specific animalistic features, yet your entire lower body was just goat.

He slowly spun you around at some point to comb your backside. "I need both my hands for this, love. Can you put your hands on the edge of the tub for me?"

You were reluctant to let go of his hand but agreed anyways, shakily placing your hands on the slippery white porcelain. It bent you over just slightly, which is what Leon needed to reach the rest of everything.

Unbeknownst to both you and Leon, your tail was quite sensitive at the base. He paused at the small gasp you let out when he grabbed your tail, giving you a worried look. "Are you okay? Did that hurt?"

"Uh-.. oh uh.. no it didn't hurt..." You weren't quite sure how to respond. That was a new feeling. It didn't hurt, though, that you knew.

Leon rationalized the reaction as him just startling you with the sudden grab. But then your tail wiggled faintly in his grasp as he slowly began to comb out your fur again, only leading him to wonder further.

He'd get the fur on the lower end of your legs last since you had to balance more for that, but right now he needed to worry about the thick patch of fur covering your genitals. Your little puckered hole was already on display for him which definitely didn't have him half-hard in his jeans since he had to lift your tail to comb the fur around it and you didn't seem too bothered by the exposure.

He let go of your tail, which stayed up, to pour another cup of water over your furry backside after noticing you begin to shiver, moving his hands lower to part the fur covering your pussy so he could comb that out as well. Unfortunately was a bit more tangled down there, probably due to the movement of your legs, and with it being denser fur, Leon had to take extra precaution when getting the tangles out.

He wasn't complaining though, your cute little pussy was definite eye-candy to the man. The bath was an easy excuse to touch it a bit, running the tip of his index finger through your folds a couple times before refocusing on detangling the fur around it. The little gasp you made mimicked the one you let out when he grabbed your tail. Interesting.

"Mr- uh.. Mr. Kennedy?" His eyes slowly drifted up to your face, noticing you were looking back at him from over your shoulder. "Don't worry, we're almost done, okay? You were pretty tangled down here, didn't wanna hurt ya."

Leon's words eased you some, finally letting your tail rest against your ass again as he moved down to the backs of your thighs. Not wanting to keep you in the cooling water much longer, the man hurried the rest of the bath up before rising you off with a detachable shower head.

It was amazing to him just how much water you held onto. He had to squeeze out the entirely of your legs, your tail, even your ears before he could wring out your hair. Seeing your perky nipples made it worth his while, however.

By now you were a shivering mess wrapped in two towels, standing on the rug as you would for sure slip on the tile when you were dripping water like this. Leon was so nice to you, setting up a small desktop space heater he had bought some years ago for you in front of your cage. He even carried you downstairs to the carpet.

The second the towels were taken from you, you immediately began to shake off the water, causing Leon to laugh.

"Hey, hey!" He held up the towels in front of his body as protection from your misting, laugh falling to a giggle when your tail vigorously wiggled. "Didn't know I took home a sprinkler system."

"Sorry-" You were still shaking off when you started to speak, so you waiting until you were done to continue talking. "Sorry, Mr. Kennedy. It's habit."

He folded the towel and draped it over his arm before patting your head. "Nah don't worry about it, sugar."

You leaned up into his touch, letting out a giggle of your own as he hooked a finger around the curl of your horn to move your head side to side playfully.

It was, again, surprising just how quickly you warmed up to the man. After you were mostly dried off from sitting in front of the small space heater, you started to follow Leon around as he moved about the house. Though you stopped on the edge of the carpet whenever he walked into the kitchen, he'll have to get some rugs for you, you were close behind him everywhere else.

Leon took a week off of work to allow you time to fully get to know your surroundings. He could more than afford the time off and it was nice to have a mini vacation away from work. Besides, you were fun to watch.

Just like he'd wanted, you were mostly self-sustainable, able to get your own food and go to the bathroom once he added rugs to tiled areas. He also bought a couple step-stools that had rails you could hold onto, one placed in the kitchen so you could move it about and the other in the master bathroom for you to reach the sink.

Leon did also buy a couple indoor cameras to keep an eye on you when he went back to work. You quickly learned where they were so you could ask him questions throughout the day seeing as he could talk through the camera back to you. You always made sure to ask if you could have a specific snack to eat, sometimes even telling him where you were going in the house if there wasn't a camera able to see you.

A few months in had lead to a very comfortable routine between you two; Leon would leave before you were awake, come home around 6-7pm, you would come running from wherever you were to hug his waist, he would make dinner while you two talked, the both of you would sit on the couch and watch a movie if it was a day he didn't come home exhausted, you and him would go to bed, and the cycle would repeat. At some point you even started sleeping in his bed with him, curling up towards the foot end of the bed next to his legs.

The weekends were spent going on walks to exercise your legs. You liked climbing and jumping around on big rocks, so hiking was always a good option. He also spent extra time cuddling you, massaging your little legs, playing with the split in your hooves, even experimenting with a gentle tug on your tail every so often. You always got so embarrassed with his teasing, it made him laugh.

When Leon had to leave for a mission, he would have Chris come and stay at his place. You didn't like this at first, it threw off the delicate balance between you and Leon, but just like with everything else, you settled after the first couple times he had to go on a mission. You were never told the nature of his missions, he didn't want you to worry or be upset if he never came back. This also kept you decently happy when he was away.

You really bonded with Leon and he bonded with you. How could he not? You were adorable.

As previously mentioned, you would always come running to greet him when he got home from work, which is why he was a little off-put not seeing you after getting home one day. It was the middle of the week and it had been a normal working day. You seemed alright on the cameras a few hours ago, having told him before he went on lunch that you were going to take a nap on his bed. It's been longer than your normal naps, so he was hoping you didn't get stuck somewhere and hurt yourself.

"I'm home, little lamb! Where are ya?" Leon yelled out, pausing to listen for any sign of movement before making his way back to his bedroom, but not before giving the guest bathroom and bedroom a quick glance on the way.

You had obviously been on his bed, given the sheets were all messed up, but where the hell were you?

It wasn't until he strode into his bathroom that he noticed his tall laundry basket was tipped over, some clothes pushed out the top which held the attached lid open a crack. He knelt down on one knee and knocked on the lid with his knuckle before lifting the lid up, eyes landing on you curled up in the bottom. Your eyes met his and you frowned, ears lowered as you turned your eyes down.

"Hey kiddo, what're ya doing in there?" Leon made sure his voice was anything but accusatory. "Did you get stuck?"

He glanced up a bit to make sure your horn wasn't hooked in one of the holes, and it wasn't.

"No..." You muttered, pulling one of his dirty shirts over your face. Oh now you were hiding from him, that won't do.

"C'mon, out with ya." His voice was gravelly as he lifted the lid up all the way and reached in, putting his hands under your armpits to pull you out along with the shirt you kept in front of your face. He held you so you were sitting on his forearm snuggled up to his stomach, reaching a hand up to pull the shirt away from you before tucking his other arm underneath your fluffy butt.

The position had you at eye level with him. He noticed your face was a little flushed, so he reached a hand back and pressed the back of it to your forehead. You didn't have a fever, that's good at least.

"You gonna tell me what's up?" Leon asked, scoffing playfully when you shook your head no and covered your face with your arms. "You'll be mad at me."

Leon's eyebrows furrowed with concern, carefully peeling your arms away from your face so you could look at him. "I would never get mad at you. You know that." He whispered, moving his hand around to support your back, thumbing rubbing soothingly at your skin.

It was true, he'd never gotten mad at you before. But this was different, you felt different. You were acting different and you didn't know why. You couldn't explain to him what was wrong even if you wanted to.

The dejected look that fell across your face as you averted your gaze was telling enough. He couldn't drag that information out of you, but he could hopefully make you feel better in the meantime.

Leon smiled and leaned forward to kiss your forehead, beginning the short walk back to the bed as he muttered against your skin. "Ya hungry? You've been back here awhile.."

He felt you nod, smiling as he gently placed you down on the bed. "Lay down and I'll bring you a snack. I'll even lay with you."

Your tummy fluttered at the idea of Leon cuddling with you, so you nodded again, much more enthusiastically this time. Your tail was wagging when he returned, quickly moving to press up to his side when he sat down next to you on the bed and handed you a sliced apple and some water.

It was little things like the laundry that Leon began to notice more and more over the next couple weeks. He would come home and have to go on what was essentially a hunt to find you because your cute ass was always hiding somewhere different; under his bed, in his closet, in the laundry basket again, and even right by the front door, somehow managing to pull down a couple of his jackets from the coat rack and make a little nest to curl up in.

Leon asked Chris about it one day at work while watching you pace around in the living room from one of the cameras, worried there was some lack of enrichment that he was somehow failing to provide. You were so happy before, but now you were right back to being the same anxious mess he saw at the adoption center all those months ago.

"You should call and ask that lady. She might know something." Chris shrugged, taking a sip from a can of soda. "I don't know much about goat hybrids, let alone females hybrids." He huffed out through his nose with a smile, but Leon only tightened his lips in response. Chris did have a point though, it could be something to do with your specific breed and gender.

Once Leon got home, he quickly found you with some of his dirty clothes under the bed again before giving the old lady at the adoption center at the call. The one thought he was avoiding was the possibility of you being sick to some degree. You were part prey animal, and those types of animals tended to hide their sickness. He learned this from trying to research what was wrong with you himself.

He stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind himself. You would sometimes skitter off to hide somewhere else after he'd already found you once that day, so he didn't want you disappearing while he was on the phone.

It was hard for Leon to explain over the phone what you'd been doing, but once he mentioned you making a nest out of his jackets did the lady know what the problem was. You were going into heat soon.

"Heat? The hell is that?" He scratched the side of his face, turning to look at the bedroom door to make sure it was still closed. Having that whole ordeal explained to him had him running a slow hand down the entirety of his face. Guess they can kick in for farm hybrids anywhere between 21-28 years old.

Of course. You were a girl. He really should've known all this when he first got you.

He had to help you manage it too. From what the lady said, you'd be a complete mess soon since you'd already been acting strange like that for a couple weeks now.

However, Leon wasn't completely opposed to the idea of *helping* you. In fact, he was a bit excited at the prospect of getting to explore you a bit more intimately. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he liked you. Liked you. Always so cute bounding around the house, snuggling up to him at night, giving him little pecks on his cheek when he picked you up. You were so hard to resist.

Not to mention that he couldn't keep his hands from straying whenever he helped you bathe. He would spread your pussy lips apart and use the excuse of making sure everything was clean to get a better view. Your little ass wasn't any safer with his thumb rubbing circles on it whenever he had to hold your tail up. You made the most precious noises when he touched you.

Alright, he could do this. Helping you with your heat seemed easy enough. All he needed to do was just take a week or two off of work again to tend to your needs. He definitely wasn't going to turn down getting to spend extra time with you. His little lamb.

About three days into his time off from work was when your heat fully started to kick in. You woke up in the middle of the panting, sweating, and restless, helping yourself out of the bed and down the stairs into the kitchen to drink some water. It helped for a short period, but when you woke up again, you were laying in a small wet puddle on the bed.

You started to cry because you thought you'd wet yourself, waking Leon in the process. He seemed confused, trying to make out what you were babbling about until you pulled the blankets back. Seeing the puddle made you cry more and Leon had to reassure you multiple times that everything was alright.

He sat up with his back up against the headboard and pulled you onto his lap, letting you weep into his bare chest. You were clearly a bit more emotional than usual, but Leon didn't mind, especially when he could feel a small wet spot forming on his boxers from you. He just whispered sweet nothings to you while rubbing your back, silently relishing in the feeling of your wet little cunt pressing on him.

Leon kept you up on his chest even once you calmed down, explaining your predicament the same way to you as the old lady had explained to him over the phone, faintly ghosting his fingers over the wet fur surrounding your crotch all the while.

He occasionally moved his hand around to pet and squeeze your fluffy ass cheeks, rub his thumb over your asshole again, or to stroke your tail, gauging your reactions. More emotional, even more sensitive.

You sighed and gasped at every touch, eyes having closed at some point during his explanation. Leon seemed to understand what was going on with you, so you didn't see much reason to worry. He'd make sure you were okay.

"You just need a little extra loving this week. That seem okay?" Leon hummed when you nodded, bringing his hand back down to part the fur covering your pussy. "Good. Who doesn't want some extra love, right?"

You jolted a bit when his index finger began to run up and down through your dripping folds, only relaxing again once his other hand came up to rub between your shoulder blades. "Easy, girl, easy..."

Your legs naturally parted further for him, tail staying lifted. "That feel good, little lamb?" Leon whispered, adding his middle finger to continue stroking your folds when you gave him a small moan in response.

"Yeah it does.. yeah..." A groan rumbled deep in Leon's chest, rubbing the tips of his fingers over your slit as slick consistently leaked from it. It had already started to drip down past your clit, saturating the fur on your stomach before eventually dripping onto his boxers, right above his bulge. It was wet from before, but feeling the new spot form was driving him insane.

Despite not being able to see it, the man spread your outer lips apart. He groaned when you whined and lifted your hips slightly, eyebrows furrowing again when your tail wagged a couple times.

"You like that?" Leon breathed out a low chuckle as he moved his fingers down to stroke your wet clit. "Like when Mr. Kennedy plays with you like this?"

"I-oh-.. yes, sir.." Leon paused to pull you up a bit further on his chest to kiss you, fingers quickly returning to massage your clit. You didn't quite know how to kiss back, so you just did your best to follow his lead. The kisses on your lips made you feel warmer than you already were.

His free hand had moved down your back to your tail, grabbing it firmly to so he could lightly tug on it. Your moans only increased in volume at that, panting with your lips still pressed on his. You were steadily leaking now, the combined feeling of his fingers on your clit while he stroked your tail causing you to gush. His fingers and the top of his palm were completely drenched.

"Such a good girl~..." Leon sighed, moving his fingers off your clit so he could pet the fur around your pussy. "You're so soft here, baby.."

You'd been blushing already, but his sweet words were only making it worse. Your pussy was aching now, hips jerking back subconsciously for his touch.

"Hmm? What is it, sugar?" He knew what you wanted, he just wanted to hear your delicate voice again. "P-please-.. keep playing with me, Mr. Kennedy..."

Oh, you were just darling. "Atta girl, using your big girl words.." Leon smirked, moving his index and middle fingers back to rub your clit. Your head was growing foggy now, face buried in the juncture of his neck to breathe in his scent. It was so strong there, musky and warm, reminded you of cinnamon.

He dipped his middle finger into your wet hole down to the first knuckle accompanied by a particularly rough tug to your tail, pulling a squeal from you in the process.

"I know, oh, I know~..." Leon cooed quietly into your right ear. His hot breath tickled, making your ear flick forward. "You're so tight, baby.. Squeezing around my big finger..."

He slowly sunk his finger into you further. Your legs were trembling on either side of his waist, small hands grasping onto his pecs as breathy moans and whimpers poured from your lips. Once he curled his finger, you came, whole body shaking as you let out a cry.

Such a pretty sight for Leon, watching you drool onto his chest, all dumb from just a finger. He could get used to this.

With lots of encouraging words and caresses to your tail he was eventually able to get two fingers into you, pumping them in and out of you, curling them every so often just to hear you whine for him.

The fullness was so new to you, and with the man filling your senses combined with the sensitivity your heat provided, it wasn't long before you were clamping down on his fingers again, cumming for the second time with a weak gasp that fell into whimpering and panting.

"There ya go.. easy, girl.." Leon moved his hand away from your tail to push your ear closer to his lips, kissing the soft inside as he whispered into it. He carefully removed his fingers from you to bring into his mouth, swapping his hands so the other was now flat on your lower back. Your slick tasted so sweet, like honey on his tongue. He'll be tasting more of that later.

He planted one last kiss to your lips before shifting down on the bed so he could lay back down, arms tightly wrapped around you as he rolled onto his side.

You fell asleep in no time, the sound of Leon's steady heartbeat soothing your fast one back to a regular pace.

You must've been feeling the effects of your heat come the next morning, considering you slept until the late afternoon. You just seemed more fatigued, totally understandable.

Before you'd woken up, Leon managed to do a bit more research of his own. He wanted to stay informed on how this whole heat thing would go, taking note of the various effects; hypersensitivity to touch and sound, fatigue, cravings, increased libido, lactation?, clinginess, flushed skin, and that excessive slick would last throughout the whole heat. Everything else would come and go in waves, apparently.

He was sitting on the couch, phone in his hands when you emerged from the bedroom, rubbing at your eyes with a small yawn. Without saying a word, you walked over and stood in front of his legs up. Leon could only smile as you crawled up onto his lap, pushing yourself underneath his arms.

You had your back flush against him, leaning your head back so it was resting between his pecs. Thankfully your horns were short enough that they didn't poke him.

Your furry legs were parted around his, arms hanging loosely at your sides with your tail tucked beneath your butt. There, you fell asleep again.

The man placed one hand on your leg to play with your soft fur, turning his attention back to his phone as he continued to read. Soon he was looking down at you, an idea in mind. He shook your leg a bit to see if you would wake up and you didn't even stir. Fantastic.

Smirking, Leon opened the camera on his phone and flipped it so it was front-facing. He'd gotten pictures of you in the past, usually more candid photos of you cuddling with him, but nothing like this.

He moved his hand from your leg to your crotch, parting the fur with his fingers to reveal your still dripping pussy. It was always nice to look at the cute pictures he'd gotten of you when he's at work or on a mission, so what's the harm in getting just a few more? He already knew he'd be missing this when he had to return to work.

Leon made sure to get the wet spot you were forming on his sweatpants in view, taking some pictures with and without his fingers caressing your glistening folds. He brought the phone up to give the photos a good look, smirk widening before bringing it back down to focus more on your breasts.

Lactation. They did seem a bit more pronounced than usual. Taking a simple video wouldn't hurt, right?

Once pressing record, Leon rubbed his free hand across your chest, gently massaging one breast at a time. He circled his index finger around one of your nipples before giving it an experimental pinch, his breath hitching when couple droplets of milk beaded from it. Oh wow.

He massaged the one breast a bit more firmly before moving to pinch your nipple again, groaning to himself as a few more droplets beaded and collected on his thumb.

Leon placed the phone down after ending the recording, hurriedly placing both hands on your breasts as he began to massage both of them a bit more firmly. Pinching both your nipples made you whimper in your sleep, though he barely registered it when his eyes were flooded with the sight of more milk droplets falling onto his fingers.

Jesus, thats amazing. He swallowed dryly, only continuing for a minute more until deciding to give your probably very sensitive breasts a break and let you sleep.

You woke up when Leon had to move you off of his lap, whining as you watched him stand up from the couch. "I'll be right back, little lamb." He shushed you, placing you on your side with your head on one of the plush decorative pillows. He needed to take care of his hard-on before he exploded and he can't really do that with your hot and wet little cunt pressing right on it.

The rest of the day was spent with Leon holding you up with one arm while he did chores, your head on his shoulder. You whined and complained and cried until he picked you up, wanting to stay as close as possible to the man.

Something about your heat must kick in at night because you were more awake after the sun had set, clinging to Leon like your life depended on it. You didn't understand, but something in you ached, you *needed* him. It was hard convey, so you just went back to whining and complaining as he got ready for bed.

"Baby, you gotta let me brush my teeth I-" he was cut off when you suddenly fondled him through his sweatpants. His scent was strong down here, you really liked it. The man spit into the sink before reaching down to place a firm hand atop your head. "Hey hey, careful with the equipment."

You giggled and wrapped your arms around his waist, the side of your face squished against his stomach with your tail wagging happily. He hummed and finished brushing his teeth. "Alright, go and hop in bed. Go on." He shooed you away with a playful grin, giving your ass a gentle smack when you turned to trot off.

Reaching around, you rubbed over the spot where he smacked your butt, looking over your shoulder at him for a brief moment. It made your tummy flutter like before.

You crawled into the bed and watched the bathroom door until Leon walked out, smile immediately returning as he walked over to his side of the bed. He got in next to you and sighed, laying with his arms behind his head. His eyes were closed but he could just tell you were leaning over him.

"What's up, love?" Leon hummed, peaking one eye open to look up at you. You weren't tired, you were achey. You can't sleep when you were achey. "D'ya need somethin'?"

You thought for a moment before nodding. "Yes-.. yeah.."

"Whaddya need then? You know how to use your words." Leon closed the one eye, a smug smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he felt you move to sit on his chest.

"Will you-... uh.. will you play with me again, Mr. Kennedy?" He could feel your tail wagging, soft white fur rubbing side to side across his skin.

He raised an eyebrow, yet his eyes remained closed. "Ask nicely, sugar."

You groaned, eyebrows furrowing with frustration. You wanted him to look at you but his eyes were closed, now he was making you repeat yourself. So mean. "Please, Mr. Kennedy..."

"Please what?" Leon's laugh only frustrated you more, tears threatening to spill from your eyes as you struggled to think. "Please play with me!"

Noticing your shaky tone, Leon opened one eye again, smirk falling to a kind smile. "Okay, alright, don't get your panties in a bunch."

"...my what?" You sniffled, blinking away your tears as he sat up onto his elbows. "Don't worry about it. Can you hop off for just a second, sweets?"

You nodded and slid off to the right, watching him shimmy off his sweatpants, left fully naked with a semi. He rolled onto his side and moved closer to you, pressing his hand to your chest to gently guide you to lay down.

"I'll play with ya real nice.." He grunted, watching your legs part for him as he slotted his head between them. He was craving the taste of that honey-sweet slick on his tongue, and after placing his left hand around the inside of your thigh, right hand spreading you open, he dove in.

Not wanting to waste a single second, he began to greedily lap at your folds, moaning in tandem with you as he swallowed every drop of slick you were oh so graciously offering to him. Your soft fur tickling his face was the last thing he was thinking about, tongue tracing every perfect inch of your cunt.

Your moans and gasps were music to his ears, chuckling into your cunt as he looked up to your face. So blissed out already. You'd be the death of him, though he'd die a happy man.

Leon wrapped his lips around your clit, swirling his tongue around it as he gently sucked. You were wiggling a lot, you needed to stay still.

Pulling away with a growl, he sat up on his knees and grabbed both your ankles with his hand. He lifted them up so your ass was lifted slightly from the bed before diving back down into your cunt. That was way better.

While his right hand held your legs up, his left hand wandered down to your puckered hole, occasionally dipping the tip of his thumb into it following a few circles around the rim. It was already wet enough from the mixture of your slick and his spit. Plus, it was right there just waiting to be toyed with.

His cock was throbbing for you, desperate to feel your tight, silky walls wrapped around him. He pulled his mouth away from you after a minute with a gravelly laugh, taking a moment to enjoy the sight of you with your legs held up, crossed at the ankles, along with your weeping pussy.

He was smart enough to leave his phone close by on the nightstand, so he was able to reach over and grab it without jostling you too much. This picture was going in his wallet, that's for sure.

"Mr. Kennedyyy..." you whined, weakly attempting to pull your legs from his grasp.

"Relax," Leon tapped the bottom of your hooves with his thumb before slowly letting your legs fall back to the bed. "Mr. Kennedy just wanted to savor the view."

He sat up against the headboard, patting his lap with a smile. It took you a second to recollect yourself enough to crawl onto him, Leon helping you by offering a hand for you to balance with.

"Perfect, riiiight there.." He sat you just right so his dick settled into the part in your fur that he made, then placing his hands on the point of your hips to begin leisurely grinding you down on him. The wet shlick from his dick gliding through your folds was absolutely divine. He had to keep himself from plunging into you.

"Pl-ease, sir..." you brokenly whined as his tip caught your clit, causing you to jerk your hips forward.

"No need to beg, my lamb. You'll get just what you need.." He moved one hand to grab your bicep to help keep you lifted up as he positioned his cock at your hole. "I'll be so careful, as gentle as I can..."

Your face contorted in a silent cry as he began to push you down onto him, rubbing soothing circles into your hips. "You're doing so well, sugar" He grunted, "my big, strong girl~.."

Leon was so careful, just like he promised you, giving you all the time you needed to adjust and stretch to his length. Your eyes were shut tight, ears pressed back against your head as you whimpered. He made you feel so full, it really did satisfied that achey feeling you had.

"God that's so hot.." The man whispered to himself, grabbing his phone again to take a picture of the obvious bulge in your tummy from his cock, putting his hand next to it for reference. He moved his hand over it and pressed gently, listening to your drawn out whimper.

"Oh I bet you're- fuck- just loving that, huh baby girl?" Leon growled at the feeling of your walls wrapped around him, slick started to leak down his shaft and to his balls.

Wanting to give you a bit more time, he started to grind you on him again. "Gah- noo, too- ngh~.. too full, Mr. Kennedy.."

"Yeah?" Leon purred, swiping his tongue across his bottom lip as he watched your face. "Too full?"

You nodded with a whimpered out "yes", hands clenched in fists at your sides, unsure of where to put them.

"But you're making Mr. Kennedy feel so good, sweetheart.." He barely lifted you up before letting you slide back down to the base, hands hovering close to your waist.

"...yeah..?" You panted, body starting tremble with adrenaline, nipples perked up. "Soooo good.." Leon responded, hunching over to pull one of your nipples into his mouth. Your hands flew to his arms, digging your nails into his skin as you gasped.

The man growled again at the taste of what little milk he got, furrowing his brow as he started to lift you up and down on his cock by holding onto your sides.

Your pussy squelched and dripped around his cock, dragging moan after moan from your beautiful lips. All he could do was focus on bouncing you now, leaning back to watch his cock disappear into your fur-covered cunt each time he dropped you down onto it.

He almost laughed when he saw your ears bouncing with you, but he didn't want to make you feel embarrassed. No, he'll save that for later when he shows Chris the pretty pictures and video he took of you.

Your walls quivered and clenched around him, tip bumping into your cervix, leaving him grunting as he neared his own high. Pulling out was going to be a difficult task, you cradled his cock so well.

He couldn't get you pregnant, right? No, surely not.

"Mr- ah! Mr. Kennedy..!" Your voice warbled, crying out for him as your tensed up with your orgasm.

"Oh shit.. yeah, yeahhhhh~..." Leon let out a strained groan as you tightened around him like a vice, rutting into you a few more times before spilling his load.

Most of it spilled out and around his cock since he continued to bounce you shallowly on it for a few seconds longer.

You breathed heavily as you tried to catch your breath, leaning forward to fall against his chest with a whine.

The two of you sat for awhile, Leon just soaking in the euphoria of it all. Soon, he delicately lifted you off and laid you next to him, brushing a couple stray strands of hair from your sweaty forehead.

He cleaned you off, but not before getting one last picture of your spent cunt dripping with his cum.

The man'll wait until tomorrow morning to get you in the shower with him. For now, he'll just pull you closer to him, pet the back of your hair while you sleep.

There's still about a week more of this heat of yours, then he'll have to head back to work. He'd stay home forever if it meant taking care of you.

Thinking back, that old lady from the adoption center was right. You did end up being the perfect little lap pet.

[jesswritesthat]

Tsukishima Kei: Dog Damn

Fandom: Haikyuu!! — [ Masterlist ]

Summary: ~1.8k, fluff

• Tsukishima and his canine give a whole new meaning to how dogs take after their owners.

Warnings: Timeskip spoilers, 2 curses

>>>>——————————>

There's that saying of how dogs take after their owners, it was one Tsukishima would always scoff at. Even when he found this yappy puppy alone in the rain for the second day in a row with only a cardboard box labelled 'Please Adopt Me' and reluctantly gave in.

That's how that dumb saying came to light, the fluffy thing growled and yapped at his older brother when he became annoying. When his Karasuno teammates heard about the adoption they wanted to meet the fellow, only for him to be particularly vocal around Hinata and Kageyama. Yamaguchi was probably one of the few the pup actually liked.

This enigma continued through to the Sendai Frogs, now bigger and older, his faithful companion reflected his feelings to individuals. Much like Tsukishima, the Shikoku grew to like individuals with time much like his owner, but there's always a fun exception. 

It came with a bark, one that was louder that most Keis' dog would express during their evening walk, and to his surprise it was directed toward you.

You who was merely writing the signage for the day outside of your coffee shop. Still you didn't seem startled, while crouching you attempted to beckon the offender over but he merely growled in reply. His master seemed to laugh however, pulling down his headphones with a smirk.

"Nice try, it won't work though."

"Is that a challenge?" You stood to meet the smug smirking blonde, the dog a little more settled as his master conversed.

"He's stubborn."

"Ah a hunting breed. What's his name?" Came your observation, tilting your head at the canine which only snorted in reply.

"Rekkusu."

You paused for a moment, no doubt the man in question had intended for the delivery to be cool, but the ongoing silence made him shift uncomfortably with brows furrowing.

"As in Tyrannosaurus Rex?" You'd expectantly noted, crossing your arms with a bemused expression.

"Yeah, and what about it?" Tsukishima shot back, a mild glare in place but you only dismissed his attitude with a smile.

"It's cool, suits the little guy."

"Little guy? I suppose your lack of perception means your customers get better value for money."

"Why do you think we're so popular? See you around Rekkusu-chan and owner!" With a smirk you waved politely, before entering the coffee shop.

The ‘All Dogs Welcome’ sign framed prominently in the window.

———

Now that you'd spoken, you noticed him nearly everyday, he followed the same route in the mornings and evenings with Rekkusu in tow. This morning you awaited his passing, racing out to stop him in his tracks with a greeting bark from the dog which left you glaring.

"Back for more?"

"I come baring gifts this time." Came your proud tone, placing a Puppuccino before the dog who arrogantly waited for you step back at least 4 paces prior to sniffing it much to the owners’ amusement.

"Wow, he really doesn't like you."

"Yet. He doesn't like me yet." You replied with renewed determination.

“I’m Tsukishima Kei, and I should probably know the name of the person trying so hard to win over my dog…”

“(L/n) (Y/n). Have a nice walk guys.” A soft smile graced your lips upon noticing Rekkusu eating the treat, a small victory you’d claim (though you hoped the blonde hadn’t noticed your fist pump when walking inside).

It was only when you returned from your break that afternoon did your happy mood get disgruntled, by yen sitting on the counter no less.

"Tips? What kind of arrog—"

"No not a tip! Some smug tall guy said it was payment." Yui quickly rushed to calm you with hands defensively waving in panic.

Only a brief second passed, looking to Yui with a deadpan gaze.

"Blonde?"

She nodded.

"Big dog?"

"Uh-huh." Yui curiously responded.

"Glasses?"

A hum of agreement.

"Dickhead."

"Yes! That's him!"

"No I mean, he's not a dickhead. He just didn't have to pay, I'm trying to win over his dog..."

"(L/n)-san, what?" Her previous excitement dwindled, her cause for concern now persisting.

"Nothing, nothing. Guess he's a kind person, but that doesn't mean the challenge ends here."

———

Much to Tsukishimas’ disinterest, it didn’t end. Despite the man only nodding in acknowledgement and diverting his gaze, you made a point to wave whenever you saw him. If you had the time you’d also come to greet Rekkusu who remained as hostile as ever - though you only need take two steps back for him to devour his treats now.

You even caught Tsukishima on one of his training runs, when he’d stopped to check his statistics you’d handed him a bottle of water without a word, just a knowing smile.

Then came a time you were actually on a break during one of your evening shifts, you were outside with a hot drink enjoying the autumn breeze when he’d awkwardly stood at your table. Rekkusu alerted you to their presence instantly, a solid bark in play but his masters’ demeanour was what perplexed you most.

“Would you mind if I joined you? I was going to get a coffee anyway…”

“Sure Tsukishima, do you want me to watch Rekkusu whilst you grab one?” Even if your request was a whimsical one, you were both offended and amused by the growl you received.

“He’s still y’know, stubborn.”

Nevertheless, the blonde rejoined your table with a coffee and pastry in hand - one he slid over to you.

“Uh, your colleagues said you liked this one. Dunno how you work with them though, they sure squeal a lot.”

“Huh they do? Well either way, I can’t accept this bu—“

“You told them not to let me pay for his treats anymore, but I owe you for them. You don’t have the option to refuse right now.” Kei had said it so bluntly that you couldn’t even argue, meekly accepting with another thanks.

You’d actually conversed with him then. You’d found out he was on the Sendai Frogs volleyball team and worked at the museum in the city. In exchange he’d learned about you and your coffee shop, and of course that he’d adopted Rekkusu during his third year of high school at Karasuno. By the end of your break, you felt closer in a way.

Rekkusu didn’t bark at you when they left.

———

From then it seemed whenever you’d seen the pair, Rekkusus’ barks seemed friendlier and his tail wagged upon seeing you. Occasionally he’d pull Tsukishima toward you as you knelt to offer a signature Puppiccino.

“I hate this.”

“I have successfully used the power of Pavlov~”

“It’s called bribery.” Tsuki mockingly interjected.

“Either way, I’m still winning this challenge.”

“Your self-issued challenge. This has nothing to do with me.”

“Luckily your approval doesn’t matter to me, only Rekkusus, isn’t that right boy?” Came your melodious tone, the canine barking excitedly.

“Traitor.” It was muttered begrudgingly, but you continued conversation regardless.

“Good luck with your new exhibition today, if you can please take a picture of it and show me!”

“Instead of making me come back here, would I be able to send it to you by phone?”

“My contact details?” The surprise was obvious, but Kei remained blunt and composed with his usual bit of sarcasm.

“Ideally yeah. Here’s mine.”

Yet, you’d spoken often enough to know about his workplace and vice versa, so you suppose this was the natural next step in friendship.

———

Tsukishima wouldn’t normally bring anyone along to your café but he’d reached a crossroads, a block that he couldn’t surpass without an old teammate it seemed.

“So… why are we here?”

“Because it allows dogs.” Tsukishima breathed, way too nonchalant for even him, which only left Yamaguchi asking further questions.

“Yes, but we’ve always gone for walks.”

“I just need you to see something…” The blonde seethed, holding the door open for his partner to enter.

“Ah hey Tsukishima, Rekkusu~” A gentle pat was given to the fluffy boy with a wagging tail, and only then did he happily whine at you.

“Hi (L/n), this is Yamaguchi. A friend from elementary school.”

The freckled man only waved at you with a bright smile, Tsukishima gave their order and the trio went to be seated.

“Nice to meet a friend of Tsuki.”

“…Tsuki?”

Tsukishima waited until you’d left, then turning his attention to his friend who understood the bewilderment. “So?”

“Rekkusu!” Tsukishima waited expectantly for Yamaguchi to finish. “They pet him… And he didn’t mind!”

“I know.”

“That’s really weird, have you known them long?” The shy man considered carefully, Tsuki flicking from Rekkusu to answer honestly.

“A month or more, I see them nearly everyday in passing but we’ve only spoken properly a few times.”

“Ah… Tsuki do you li—“

“No.”

“Right.” Yamaguchi radiated nonchalance, to the point Kei doubted his own denial, but his friend only looked to the pleased dog as if he portrayed Tsukishimas’ feelings better than the namesake.

“I have (L/n)s’ contact, maybe it’d be worth bringing them to the museum at some point?”

“Maybe, would a walk with Rekkusu be too committing?” Yamaguchi taunted.

“Shut up!”

———

Now you’d never have considered the museum to be daunting but when Tsukishima asked you to meet him here you accepted, currently queuing up for tickets.

“What are you doing (L/n)?”

“Uh- tickets? To get in?”

“Idiot, I work here and you’re my—“ He paused, fingers to the bridge of his nose. “You’re my guest, you can come in with me.”

With a flick of his ID, the two of you were allowed entry, you spent a majority of the day at the museum - Tsukishima particularly enthused when you’d reached the dinosaur exhibits and seemed to be an expert. Must be his specialty.

Another day you’d grabbed takeout coffee from your café and walked Rekkusu through the nearby park.

“Y’know, even though he’s quite standoffish, he’s a really good dog.”

“Yeah, I thought he’d mellow as he aged but he defied my expectations.” Kei admiringly answered, the two of you watching him catch his frisbee midair.

“Hm, Yamaguchi met him as a puppy right? And he’s known you for a while, is that why he calls you Tsuki?”

“Only he’s allowed to call me that.”

“I figured, you might as well call me (Y/n), that’s what my friends tend to do.” Even if you shrugged casually, you still noted the brief flush of colour tinting the blondes ears.

“You can call me Kei then. Fairs fair.”

“Kei huh? I’m honoured.”

“Shut up (Y/n).”

———

Now with these frequent outings to here, there, and everywhere, it came as no surprise when it turned into dating somewhere along the line. Once more, your coworkers squealed at the news - now you knew what Kei was talking about…

Nonetheless, even though it had taken quite a lot of time, Rekkusu had warmed to you as well. This time when Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were out walking his dog, the two weren’t shocked when Rekkusu barked and bounded up to your approaching figure. Basically tackling you the grassy ground as you went to greet him in return.

“He really loves (Y/n), doesn’t he?” Kei has spoken absentmindedly whilst overlooking the scene, a soft smile upon his features.

Yamaguchi stared also, flicking from you and Rekkusu to his best friend in quiet understanding.

“Well, they say Tsuki…” A knowing smile. “That dogs take after their owners.”

“I guess, this one time, they’re right.”

<——————————<<<<

[ Masterlist ]

[vettelsvee]

CLIFFORD AND EMILY | Sebastian Vettel

history series main masterlist | requests here!

ferrari sebastian vettel x race engineer girlfriend!reader

word count: 3195

summary: y/n tells seb that it would be a great present for his birthday to adopt a puppy, and they find the perfect one

warnings: fluff, fluff and more fluff. dad ferrari!seb as i can't get rid of him. based on 2018 season and narrated on seb's pov

a/n: once again, this is part of history series (coming soon as is being heavily edited) and translated by cele! changed my layout to my comfort people so are you like it? also, as always, i'll be waiting for your feedback, as well as comments and chats on that anon button please! and also, don't forget reblogs are truly appreciated guys! tysm <3

© VETTELSVEE (2024). please, do not steal, copy or translate my works. thanks for reading!

Normally, I didn't have trouble getting up in the mornings, especially during Grand Prix weekends, but today it had been incredibly hard to leave Y/N and Emily sleeping.

Maybe the problem was that today was my birthday, and, in part, we couldn't spend it like a normal family. I didn't mind working on such a special day, but it did bother me when I thought it was my first birthday with Emily.

Very reluctantly, I decided to start my day, trying not to let my bad mood consume me. As soon as I set foot on the floor, I adjusted the sheets to cover my girlfriend, taking the utmost care not to wake her. Nights with our daughter were exasperating, and I didn't know how Y/N managed to be at one hundred percent during team meetings, press conferences, free practice sessions, qualifying and the race, and especially the briefings and all the data analysis her job entailed.

I trained with Eddie for just an hour and a half. According to him, my birthday present was a less strict training session; even so, we ran a lap around the block where the hotel was located, and then we went straight to the gym.

At half-past seven in the morning, to my good fortune, he told me I could go back to my room to get ready for that Friday.

I entered as quickly as I could, being very careful because it was still quite early, and I assumed my girls would be resting. Deep down, I knew that wasn't going to be the case, so I wasn't surprised to see Y/N, still in her pyjamas, walking back and forth while breastfeeding Emily and trying to eat a piece of toast.

“God!” She quickly swallowed the bite and pretended she hadn't been eating. I couldn't help but laugh at how cute the scene seemed to me. “I'm so sorry, Seb. I had ordered breakfast to be brought up and ready for when you came, but I was so hungry and wasn't sure when Eddie would let you go today…”

I shook my head and approached her. I left a short kiss on her lips and then placed another on my daughter's forehead.

“Happy birthday, sunshine,” she said, wrapping her free arm around me. “How many birthdays have we spent together now? Eight?”

“Seven,” I corrected her, remembering we didn’t get to spend the 2008 one together. “And I hope there will be more because I'm not going to let you get rid of me anytime soon.”

“Do you really think I'm going to get rid of you so soon? In case you don't remember, we not only work together: we also share a house, a cat, a daughter, and we're going to have a dog…”

After that last part, Y/N let out a small scream and covered her mouth with her hand.

If I was the one who could keep secrets perfectly, Y/N Y/L/N was the complete opposite.

“What do you mean by a dog, Y/N?”

“Oh, well, I don't know… I must have mixed up some conversation I had with Aristella about Cherry,” her nerves were quite noticeable. “I got confused, and…”

“Y/N, I know you perfectly, and I know when you're lying to me. What did you mean by we’re going to have a dog?”

Given my insistence and, why not say it, the poker face I probably had, my girlfriend sighed. She placed Emily in the crib next to our bed and, while asking me to sit down and start having breakfast, took her mobile phone and immersed herself in it.

“Well, you see…” she began, sitting in front of me and taking a strawberry in her hands. “Since you adopted Vanilla as a surprise for me, I've been thinking that I would like to do the same for you, but between the chaotic 2013 we had and Emily's birth, I found it a bit impossible. It's also true that it's something I would like to discuss before doing it because it's a matter that depends not only on me but also on you,” she clarified.

“And that means…?”

“Forget it, Seb. It doesn't matter. I haven't told you anything, okay? Forget it.”

It bothered me to see her so indecisive, though it didn’t stop me from finding her idea quite endearing deep down. I knew she was nervous; the constant fiddling with the napkin and her flushed cheeks were proof of that.

“Do you want to adopt a dog?” I asked her, loud and clear.

“It’s not that I want to adopt a dog. Well, I do, but…” she sighed, stopped eating breakfast, and looked at me directly. “The thing is, I know you’d like to have a dog, and you’ve had that idea in your head for quite some time, so I thought that, only if you want, we could adopt one,” she finally explained.

“Do you want to wait until we get back home? If you want, we can talk to Michael and have him recommend…”

“No, no, not at all! I’ve already talked to Lewis about it, and he’s informed me,” she hastened to clarify. “Since I wanted to do all this, if possible, today, I asked him where he adopted Roscoe and Coco. I thought today was the perfect day for the adoption because it’s your birthday,” she repeated.

I nodded as I got up and headed towards Emily’s crib, who had started crying once more.

“I mean, all this is only if you want, of course,” Y/N spoke again. Before I could respond, she interrupted me once more. “But if you want, we can do it when we get back home. I don’t mind, except I wouldn’t have another birthday present to give you…”

Still holding the baby in my arms, I approached her and silenced her with a long, slow kiss, one I took my time with but received no complaints about, quite the opposite.

Y/N always went out of her way with gifts, even during times when her finances weren't the best. I much preferred her giving me something symbolic over an expensive whim.

So, the fact that she wanted to adopt a dog today, as my birthday present, made this thing I had wanted for so long even more special. Plus, thinking that Emily would grow up with the new member of the family made it a thousand times better.

“If my girl says it’s happening today, then we should follow her lead,” I finished saying. “What time do you think we’ll be done with everything we have to do today?”

[...]

“I hope there aren’t too many people, because if Britta finds out we’re doing all this without telling her…”

“Y/N, relax. If there’s any problem or anything, I’ll handle the press. Besides, it’s not like they don’t know me: remember I adopted Roscoe and Coco there, so they know me quite well.”

Lewis had decided to come with us to, according to him, ensure his friends received proper treatment. Deep down, I knew it was because he didn’t want to see Aristella, Britta’s niece and Y/N's best friend, hanging around Rosberg even while they were in the middle of their divorce process.

Hamilton’s concern for the girl wasn’t just something a friend would have, and I knew he was fully aware of that.

“Do you have something in mind, Seb?”

Lewis’s voice snapped me out of my trance.

“Sorry, what?”

“If you’ve thought of a name for the dog,” the dark-haired man spoke again. “I hope it’s something different from the usual. You know, the world has too many Tobys and all those common dog name variants.”

“If we’re talking about giving common names to pets, Seb is your guy,” Y/N spoke now, almost shouting. “When he adopted Vanilla just to get me to move in with him, he told me Garfield was a better name. Garfield, like the cartoon cat! If that’s not common…”

“What do you want to call an orange cat, Y/N? Vanilla? I remind you that you wanted to name her Cheeto…”

“Because she looked like a Cheeto and I thought it was a male!” she retorted. “Later, when I realised she was female and not so orange, I named her Vanilla.”

“Vanilla, I like it. It’s an… interesting name,” Lewis intervened. “Can I ask why you named her like that?”

“Y/N's favourite ice cream flavour is vanilla. That, and if you add the fact that cats are her favourite animal…” I answered in her place.

I saw Y/N's lips curve slightly in the rear-view mirror.

Then, she turned around and put a hand on my leg, stroking it.

“I hope you find the perfect name for the new family member, love. Even if it’s the same as every other dog in the world,” she said ironically.

After those words, I realised we had arrived at the shelter Lewis Hamilton seemed to admire so much.

The Brit, as he guided us towards what appeared to be the entrance, commented that we should be careful with Emily, not because the furry ones were aggressive, but because they got very excited when they had visitors, especially if they were children.

A dark-skinned woman with completely dark hair was at the door, as if she had been waiting for us for a while. Lewis gave her a hug and immediately introduced us.

“These are Sebastian Vettel, his girlfriend Y/N, and their daughter, Emily.”

She gave us a smile, and I saw she intended to shake our hands until she saw our little one. She approached to dote on her as soon as Y/N gave her permission with a glance. Emily’s laughter began to fill the room, and she started to move cheerfully in Y/N's arms.

“I’m so sorry for my lack of manners, but when I see such a beautiful baby like this little one…” the woman began to say, still playing with the child. Then, she cleared her throat and looked at both of us. “Nice to meet you, couple,” she finally shook our hands. “I’m Jade, and well, I’ve been a volunteer at this shelter since time immemorial, back in the prehistoric times.”

“Don’t say that, Jade! You look wonderful,” Lewis told her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t be so flattering, young man,” she chided him. “I appreciate all kinds of compliments for my age, but that’s not why we’re here. Well, tell me: if I’m not mistaken, and as your friend here has told me, you want to expand your family, right?”

Now she was looking intently at both of us. I nodded in response; at the same time, and by inertia, my right arm wrapped around my girlfriend’s waist, which made Emily start reaching out her little arms to come to me.

“Today is Seb’s birthday, and he’s been wanting to adopt a dog for quite some time,” my girlfriend explained.

“Oh, the adoption is a birthday gift!” Jade exclaimed, beginning to clap and approaching me quickly to give me a hug that I gladly accepted. “Happy birthday, dear! How old are you now?”

“Twenty-eight.”

“Oh, dear. If I could be that age again…”

I smiled at her response as Y/N handed me Emily, who had started babbling to come to me.

“A daddy’s girl, I see, huh?” Jade chimed in. Y/N was about to answer, but before she could even do so, the woman was already speaking again. “Well, since it’s your birthday, I think I have the perfect gift for you.”

Without saying anything more, the woman gestured for us to follow her, and we did. We passed through several areas with dogs of different ages roaming freely, who approached us to sniff and perhaps convince us to adopt them.

Lewis mentioned that some of them were related to Coco. I laughed at the supposed joke, which stopped being a joke when Jade confirmed it. Y/N lagged behind a few times because she stopped to play with the dogs that approached her, which were quite a few. Emily and I, however, kept a brisk pace, possibly eager to find out what the woman was talking about and why she was being so mysterious.

Finally, we arrived at a kind of room with less light than I expected and, to my surprise, full of what seemed to be soft little beds. On top of them, not only was there a dog lying down that seemed quite tired, but there were also several puppies nursing from her.

Jade indicated before we entered that we should remain silent.

“One of our dogs gave birth last night,” she told us. “I don’t want to give all her puppies up for adoption since I’d like at least one to stay with her, but considering that the puppies and you share a birthday, I’d be delighted if you adopted one of them.”

I opened my eyes wide and couldn’t say anything. Next to me, Y/N seemed to have reacted the same way I did.

Saying we were surprised would be an understatement.

“But… are you serious?” my girlfriend commented, still in surprise.

“Of course, dears!” the woman responded cheerfully. “The only issue, so to speak, though it’s not really a problem, is that it’ll take about a month and a half before you can take him home. You know, the separation process from the mother is crucial.”

“No problem, really. We’ll wait as long as it takes,” I finally spoke. “Besides, I think we have a break around that time, right?”

“Yes, about a month,” Lewis replied.

“We’ve already got our vacation destination, sunshine,” Y/N said to me, apparently much more excited than I was.

“Now, I need you to tell me something important: which one of them do you want to be your little girl’s new brother?”

Still holding Emily, Y/N and I carefully approached the puppies.

To our eyes, they all looked exactly the same. We couldn’t see their eyes, but I was almost convinced they would be similar to the colour of their fur, a light brown skin similar to beach sand. They were huddled together and didn’t seem to be doing anything other than trying to nurse for as long as possible.

“Do you know what breed or mix they are?” Y/N asked the lady with that characteristic curiosity of hers.

“If I remember correctly, their mother is a golden retriever and their father, a big labrador.”

My girlfriend thanked her, turning towards her and leaving Emily by herself for a moment. At that point, seemingly unaware that her mother wasn't watching her every move, the little one began to crawl towards the puppies. Instinctively, I quickly scooped her up in my arms to prevent her from doing so. However, she didn't seem to give up: she started kicking until, just like that, I brought her a little closer to the furry animals.

While Y/N and Lewis chatted with Jade, I remained seated on the floor next to my daughter, who seemed to have settled on a particular puppy. I tried shifting her gaze from side to side, attempting to get her to notice the rest of them, but it seemed the one farthest from its mother had caught her attention the most.

“I think Emily has chosen who’s going to be her adopted sibling, hasn’t she?” I remarked.

As soon as I said that, the three of them turned towards me, crouching down to my level. Emily was still engrossed with that little one and seemed to continue being so until we left.

“Have you chosen for Daddy, Emi?” Y/N asked, almost lying on the floor to join the game that Emily was playing with the one who seemed to be our new child. “Do you want this to be your new little brother? Or sister, of course.”

“He's a boy, actually,” Jade intervened. “And, if I’m honest and don't recall incorrectly, he’s the oldest of the whole litter.”

“Do you want to adopt this little one then, sunshine? Honestly, if you’re not convinced we can wait a bit…” Y/N whispered as if wanting it to be a secret between us.

“Clifford,” I suddenly blurted out.

They looked at me as if they had seen a ghost. Of course, I would act the same if someone dropped a name out of nowhere in a situation like this.

“I want to name him Clifford,” I clarified. “Remember the series about that big red dog you told me you watched with your sisters when they were little?” I asked my girlfriend, who nodded. “Well, if I remember correctly, you told me that the main character of the series, who was also the owner of the dog, was named Emily.”

“What’s that got to do with it, love?” she asked, curious. Did she really not know why I had suggested that name?

“Well, it just so happens that your daughter is named Emily and she seems to have chosen for us.”

Y/N’s eyes lit up and widened exaggeratedly. I swear I saw them get a little misty when she finally seemed to understand what I meant. Immediately, she stood up, took the baby in her arms, and began to talk to her while they played as if they were the only ones in the room.

“I guess I already have a birthday present, right?” I asked the redhead, standing beside her and giving her a kiss on the forehead and another to our daughter.

“Emily and Clifford…” she murmured. “I like it. I love it, actually.”

“Well, I hope that when we have the next baby, I can nail it in the same way.”

Jade, after the last sentence that I had just said, was left dumbfounded. Lewis, for his part, tried to turn a deaf ear and, instead, told me that they would be waiting for us at the entrance to do all the necessary paperwork, not without whispering to me in the least blatant way possible that he hoped that this would be my other birthday present.

Obviously, he deserved a well-deserved punch from Y/N.

“Are you already thinking about the next baby, love? Emily hasn’t even turned one yet!”

“I always think about the second baby, to be honest,” I replied. I was convinced, and I knew as well as she did that we had barely laid the foundations of our family. “A puppy brother for Emily is fine, but a human one would be a thousand times better. Don’t you think so?”

Y/N rolled her eyes and turned away, heading towards the shelter entrance. I quickly caught up with her, and her laughter filled my ears.

“If you're already thinking about our second baby, then we'll have to listen to Lewis and start practising tonight before dinner with my parents,” she suggested.

Her mischievous look infected me, and I couldn’t help but return it.

“As the birthday boy, I vote for squeezing in a free practice session before dinner with my parents tonight. How does that sound?”

“Whatever you wish, birthday boy,” she replied. “But I hope you come up with a good enough excuse for them not to suspect anything when we arrive late, and also when you ask if they can keep Emily overnight.”

[mylifeisfruk4ever]

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAN IS...

Lois wasn't the party type. Oh, don't get her wrong, she didn't hate Christmas, nor did she lock herself away at home plotting to ruin the holidays for others.

Simply, unlike others, she didn't decorate her house as if her life depended on it, nor did she go to the shops looking for the perfect gift.

Why stress? After so much effort, either the gift will be recycled because it wasn't liked or it will be forgotten in a corner gathering dust.

That's why she didn't waste time on it.

Too bad it wasn't like this for everyone.

“Loiss!” Clark tackled her in the cafeteria, in his best impression of a golden retriever, puppy dog ​​eyes that would make even the most hardened criminal feel remorseful. 

If Lex Luthor was still a criminal in front of those big eyes, it really meant that he wasn't human.

“What is it, Smallville? Do you have to go out early again and want someone to cover for you with Perry?” she asked as she went to sit down. By now she'd lost count of the lies s told Perry to cover up Clark's absences - not that it did much good, since Perry always knew, but it was funny to see the face he made - but hey, it helped Superman do his hero stuff , it was her community service!

“No, nothing like that…just…it's two weeks until Christmas, and Bruce and I…”

“Put on a sexy Santa suit, with a sign on the underwear that says UNWRAP ME, and you'll make him happy,” she replied, with the most serious expression she could muster. 

Clark blushed like a tomato, and his embarrassment was quite adorable. Hey, if you don't want to hear certain things, don't go to your ex and ask what your new partner would like to receive. Even though Lois was having a blast and it allowed her not to think about how the food at the Planet really sucked and made her want to become a vegetarian, much to her mother's delight. 

“I-It's not about Bruce!” he stuttered, trying to fix his glasses before they fell off. “We're going to spend Christmas together this year, and I…I want to give his kids some presents.”

Ah, the joys of dating a single parent. The anxiety of wanting to impress your partner's children and hoping that no one is a meta with death ray powers. Even though there was very little that could hurt Superman. 

Plus, Clark had the easy game: his boyfriend's kids knew who he was, and the oldest was a huge Superman fanboy. Really, he could give the kid one of his old signed t-shirt and it would make him happy. 

“Well, with three kids…”

“Five,” he corrected her, and she nearly spat out the water she was drinking.

She blurted out, “Bruce Wayne adopted two more kids and no one knows about it?!”

[asdfghjklmals]

THE PURRR-FECT APPROACH✩༶‧˚

GENRE + T/W: sfw, fluff. WORD COUNT: 2.0k words. TAGS: satoru gojo x fem!oc, boyfriend!gojo, established couple. adoptedkiddo! tsumiki.

SYNOPSIS: tsumiki wants to get a pet cat, so she devises a plan with satoru on how to ask oc gojo girlfriend for one. AUTHOR'S NOTE: i was inspired to write this after seeing this picture. REMINDER: if you want to imagine yourself in oc gojo girlfriend's character descriptions instead, please do!

“you want to get a cat?” satoru asked in surprise. his blue eyes peeking through his sunglasses to look at his 10 year old adopted daughter.

“yes! i promise i'll take care of it!” tsumiki said with her hands intertwined together tightly. “i will use my allowance to buy everything it needs! i’ll make sure to clean the litter box too!”

now, satoru gojo wasn’t one to say no. especially if tsumiki, his golden child, was asking. you already had two demon puppies in the house due to megumi's shikigami. the hurdle was getting you to agree on getting a cat too.

“you’re gonna have to ask (y/n). you know she makes the rules in this household.” satoru sarcastically said.

coming up with a plan, tsumiki asked her guardian, “gojo-sensei. can you like… sweeten her up a little bit? like buy her flowers or give her a big kiss before i ask? oh, how about you guys go shopping before i ask? (y/n) has been wanting to buy a new work bag, but she's been busy.”

satoru smiled at the fact that his adopted children could be so cunning and smart. but then again, they were raised by intelligent you and guileful him.

“gotcha.” he winked at the 10 year old. “what time does the boss come home today?” gojo looked at the family calendar on the kitchen wall.

you both had a routine down after work. today was your turn to assist megumi with his after school activities. megumi had a school book club that both you and satoru supervised. you also both took turns with jujutsu training at the high school dojo. it was satoru's day to be in charge of dinner.

“boss comes home at 6:30!” tsumiki sprinted back to satoru, who was sitting on the couch, arms hanging along the backrests. she jumped on the couch to sit next to him.

“why don’t we start dinner? so when (y/n) and megumi come home, they’ll be in a good mood.” the blue eyed sorcerer suggested. he knew that you and megumi would be annoyed if dinner wasn’t ready by the time they got home. he could hear your voice in his head scolding him, ‘why did you wait until we got home to start cooking?’

“oh, you’re right. those two get angry when they’re hungry.”

"i think that’s called hangry, sweetheart.” satoru chuckled as tsumiki went to the kitchen to open the fridge to start dinner.

later that evening

"we're home!" you called out as you and megumi took off your shoes in the foyer. megumi took off his backpack and sighed. you put down your work bag and ruffled his hair, your eyes hidden by a cheeky smile.

"looks like you got roughed up, kid." satoru teased from the kitchen as he saw a couple scrapes on megumi's knee and cheek.

"don't worry about it, (y/n) used her reversed cursed energy to heal me and we made sure to see shoko before we left." he avoided eye contact with him. megumi knew that jujutsu training would be difficult, especially when he was training with the two strongest sorcerers known to man.

"he did really well today." you reported to satoru as he walked towards you and gave you a welcome home kiss. he hugged you as he winked at megumi behind your back.

"what's for dinner?" megumi ignored satoru’s teasing and walked towards his sister. tsumiki happily replied, "katsu and curry."

tsumiki set the table for the four of you. at the little dining table, the seating arrangement was that satoru sat across from megumi, and next to you and tsumiki. megumi preferred to sit next to you anyways, and it was only right that the two guardians that were so in love with each other sat next to each other. (the real reason was that megumi threw his grape juice at satoru during dinner once, which hit his infinity, which means grape juice stained your expensive rug. so they weren't allowed to sit next to each other at dinner anymore.)

"tsumiki, how was your day today?" you asked as you cut into your katsu. satoru seemed like he wanted to say something.

"aren't you going to ask how my day was, babe?" satoru interrupted.

"you can wait." you glared at him. you liked to hear about the kids' day.

you smiled and winked at tsumiki as she got your que to continue, "it was good! we learned about cats today."

"that's great, sweetheart!" you nodded as you scooped a spoonful of curry and rice into your mouth.

"(y/n), tsumiki wants to get a cat." megumi flat out announced. you and satoru choked on your food, surprised but not surprised at megumi's straightforwardness. satoru cleared his throat and started laughing.

"why do you want to get a cat? we already have kuro and shiro." you wiped your mouth with a napkin, clearing your throat while looking at her.

"that's the reason why! megumi has not one, but two dogs... i want a pet too!"

now, you were all for fairness, and she did put up a good point. megumi could summon his demon dogs whenever he wanted and they kept him company. if tsumiki could watch satoru on his days off without getting into trouble, she was definitely responsible enough.

"please, (y/n), pretty please? i told gojo-sensei that i would pay for everything and clean the litter box." tsumiki got out of her chair to dash to your side, grabbing your hand to plead.

you bit your lip in hesitation and looked at satoru, he just smirked at you and nodded his head in approval. ultimately, it was up to you. "okay, sweetie. you have to keep up your end of the deal though."

tsumiki cheered and jumped up and down. she hugged you tightly. "thank you so much! you're the best, (y/n)! i promise i will!"

"satoru will take you first thing in the morning, now finish your dinner." you announced.

"hey! but it's my day off!" satoru complained as you looked at him smugly, blowing him a kiss.

the next day

during work, satoru teleported into your office. it used to scare you, but now you were used to it. you could sense that man's cursed energy from a million miles away.

"when's your break?" he asked while sitting on your desk, looking around in your office. he leaned over and looked at the picture frame on your desk, it was a picture of tsumiki and megumi on their first day of school, a couple months after you and satoru had taken them in. they were so small at the time.

"right now." you shut down your laptop and smiled at him. he walked over to you, intertwined your arms and gave you a kiss. he quickly clasped his hands together and you felt a huge whoooosh!

you closed your eyes and took a deep breath before you almost shot his face with a huge stream of water with your cursed technique. you grit your teeth and put your hand down because you knew it would only hit his infinity. he loved to do this.

"satoru gojo! why did you teleport us away from the school?!" you yelled at him.

he just laughed and pushed you into the pet store where tsumiki was looking at the kittens. "i thought it was only right that both of her guardians were here for this moment."

you rolled your eyes at him while you walked over to tsumiki, hand in hand. "i brought (y/n) so she wouldn't miss this. did you choose which one you wanted?" satoru asked the smiling girl.

"yeah, i want the white one with blue eyes!" she pointed through the glass.

the pet shop owner picked up the kitten and put it gently in tsumiki's arms. the kitten purred as you watched by satoru's side. you could feel yourself smiling again, forgetting that satoru just teleported you away from the school without your permission.

"can you make sure to add in everything a kitten needs?" satoru asked the pet shop owner, flashing his handsome smile, sunglasses sliding down his nose, showing his beautiful blue eyes. the shop owner nodded their head with a shy smile and made sure to grab everything tsumiki needed to be a responsible cat owner. you scoffed at his ridiculous ways of trying to charm people. it may or may not have worked on you when you were both in high school.

you looked at your watch, you had 2 minutes to be back at the school before principal yaga would chew you out for leaving work. "my break is over, satoru. you need to teleport me back to the school. tsumiki, i'll see you at home, sweetheart." you kissed the top of her head as she smiled with the kitten in her arms.

"so bossy..." satoru mumbled while he looked at you.

the two of you stepped outside, satoru drew his teleportation symbol into the ground around you. you grabbed his jaw roughly with your right hand to pull him in, you glared at him and kissed him goodbye before he flashed a shit-eating grin at you. he clasped his hands together to teleport you back to jujutsu high.

back at the apartment

"so, kiddo, whatcha gonna name your new cat?" satoru asked as he placed a big department store shopping bag on the ground next to all the cat supplies. tsumiki's new white kitten laid in her arms, purring.

"i'm naming it catoru!" she smiled brightly.

"are you naming your cat after silly ol' satoru gojo?" satoru asked with a huge smile on his face. him and catoru were twins after all, white-haired and blue-eyed.

EXTRA:

"you didn't use the card that's linked to the kids' bank account, did you?" you suspected as you and satoru watched from the couch. tsumiki and megumi admired catoru as it slept in it's little home scratch post. megumi's demon puppies were also watching the kitten curiously next to him, tails wagging furiously.

"not at all." satoru softly said as he brushed your hair behind your ear to sneak a kiss on your temple. he made sure he swiped his own card at the pet store.

whenever purchases were made for the kids, you and satoru would pay for things instead of using their financial aid money that satoru received from the school. they deserved to have whatever they wanted without the worry of finances, both you and satoru made sure of that. it wasn't like you needed the money since you both came from very well-off clans.

"i hope you do the same when we go shopping on sunday." you joked with him, gently slapping his chest.

he chuckled, "don't worry, baby. hey, tsumiki!"

tsumiki turned to look over at her guardians, her brown ponytail flowing in the air, "yes?" she replied.

"can you go get the thing?" satoru asked her sweetly with his eyebrows raised. she nodded her head and ran into her room to grab a shopping bag. satoru sat up from the couch, you looked at them with confusion on your face.

"this is for you, (y/n)!" tsumiki cheerfully handed you the shopping bag.

"you. did. not." you looked over at satoru excitedly. he had his signature shit-eating grin. it was one of your favorite smiles to see on his face.

"open it, babe." he urged you to look into the shopping bag. you squealed as the kids came over to see what you were freaking out about. you pulled out the designer bag that you had been wanting since the start of the new school year. it was your little personal tradition to get a new work bag every year, but you had been so busy with work that you haven't had the time to buy one.

your eyes were entranced by the black leather and gold designer emblem. you tried on the bag by putting it over your shoulder, playfully posing with it as satoru and tsumiki smiled brightly at you.

megumi looked at the bag and quietly said, "that's the bag she wanted? it's ug—" tsumiki shoved an elbow into his side and muttered, "shut up, (y/n) likes it."

© 2023 ASDFGHJKLMALS — ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PLEASE DO NOT COPY, TRANSLATE, OR REPOST MY WORK.

DIVIDERS PROVIDED BY @/ANLIAN-AISHANG

[wenclairfamily]

"Wednesday's Acceptance"

A Brand New Wednesday Addams Tale

"You enjoying digging up all the fake dead bodies I hid around the yard for you?"

"While the exhilaration of unearthing decaying flesh would have been more preferable… your birthday gift to me this year is indeed well appreciated."

*************************

*Cover Artwork by @emeriart

Links to the Full Story: Wattpad, Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net

-Or just click keep reading to see the full story immediately!

*************************

*Many Years Ago:

In the Addams Family mansion: a five year old Wednesday Addams was sitting in a black night gown next to her father Gomez, who was reading a book to her. As Gomez held the book in front of Wednesday, he had a big smile on his face as he said, "And then the wolf ate Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, and he lived happily ever after. The End! So... did you like that bed time story my little storm cloud?" A smiling Wednesday then said, "Oh yes father. It was such a wonderfully violent story. But... I still see there are more pages after the last one you read. Why is that?" Gomez looked a little nervous as he said, "Well... maybe we'll talk about what eventually happened to the poor hungry wolf when you're older."

Suddenly Wednesday's mother: Morticia walked into the bedroom and said, "Oh Wednesday. For your birthday party next week, are there any friends from school you want to invite over?" Then an excited Wednesday said, "Oh yes. I want to invite everyone from class here. I can't wait to show them around our house that's so nice and gloomy." Gomez however looked surprised as he said, "You want to invite your WHOLE class here my little death trap? Wouldn't you rather just spend your whole party throwing knives at me and your Uncle Fester, or try to poison your brother?" Then an excited Wednesday said, "Oh, no. I want to show all my classmates my guillotine, and my pet spider and scorpion." Before Gomez could say anything else, Morticia stepped forward as she happily said, "If that's what you want for your party Wednesday, that's what we'll do. Now good night my deadly daughter. Have sweet homicidal filled dreams tonight."

Gomez then stood up as he and Morticia stepped out of Wednesday's bedroom. Once they closed the door to the bedroom, a concerned Gomez said, "Tish, are you sure inviting all of Wednesday's classmates here is a good idea? I'm concerned they might be becoming a bad influence on her. They all wear clothes filled with so much... color. You know many people in my family have an allergic reaction when exposed to too many bright colors. What if Wednesday has inherited that gene?" Morticia however kept a calm demeanor as she said, "Nonsense Gomez. We live in a diverse world, and we must teach our children to be tolerant of other people, no matter how disturbingly bright their clothing is."

Gomez however still looked worried as he said, "You know I was never keen on sending our children to public school. They were doing so well in their voodoo doll making skills with Grandmama back when we only educated them here at home. I mean what's the point in having children if we're just supposed to send them away from us five days a week!? Plus, if little Wednesday starts spending too much with those unusual technicolor looking children at her school, pretty soon she'll be joining the girl scouts, adopting cute little puppies, or even worse... going to pop star music concerts!" Morticia chuckled a bit, and then calmly said, "Oh Gomez, you're just over-reacting. Like our little Wednesday would ever go to some pop star music concert filled with bright lights and loud noises..."

*The Future:

An adult Wednesday Addams stood with an angry glare as she was amongst many spectators at a crowded music concert. Standing next to Wednesday were her teenage daughters: Harmony and Ana as they excitedly and loudly sang, "Oh, I leave quite an impression! Five feet to be exact! You're wonderin' why half his clothes went missing! My body's where they're at!" Then Wednesday turned her head, and began to walk away as she angerly said, "I'm leaving." Then Ana suddenly grabbed Wednesday as she said, "Come on mother. The Sabrina Carpenter concert just got started!" Then an excited Harmony screamed, "Ooo! Here comes the chorus!" Then together with the singer on stage, both Harmony and Ana loudly screamed/sang: "Heard you're back together, and if that's true: you'll just have to taste me when he's kissin' you!" Wednesday meanwhile kept a straight face, as she angerly said, "When you both told me I was being brought to a place where there would be lots of screaming and shrieking, this isn't what I had in mind."

Ana then giggled, and said, "Come on mother. Everyone loves Sabrina Carpenter! She is my free pass!" Then a confused looking Harmony said, "Wait Ana. I thought you only preferred guys... and ghosts." Then Ana casually said, "Yeah, but... look at her! Even the straightest straight girl would go gay for Sabrina!" Then Wednesday reluctantly said, "She did indeed have quite the twisted sense of humor when we met during..." Then Harmony suddenly grabbed Wednesday out of excitement as she said, "Hold on mother! You met Sabrina Carpenter!? WHERE!? WHEN!?" Then Wednesday suddenly looked a bit nervous as she said, "I... well..." Then with a silly tone to her voice, Ana said, "Ooo. Are you gonna tell us that was you who kissed her in that Taste music video, and not Jenna Ortega?!"

Ana and Harmony laughed hard for a moment... but then the two noticed Wednesday was looking much more uncomfortable now, and starting to blush. Then with a very excited smile: Harmony said, "Oh my God! Was that actually you in that video!? Now the dark twisted tones of that music video make so much sense, and it explains where you disappeared off to last summer!" Then Ana began to clap her hands as she said, "Ha, ha! This is epic! Does mom know about this!?" Then Wednesday began to look very uncomfortable as she said, "Any special high paying tasks that I reluctantly agree to take on to pay for both of your college education expenses are made completely transparent with your mom... and also arranged by her... unfortunately. Now if you excuse me... I need a break from this hormonal driven insanity."

Then as Wednesday walked out of the concert, Ana turned her head and said, "Hold on. Where's Stormageddon the Conqueror? He was chilling right near me." Then Harmony pointed to the stage as she excitedly said, "Look!" Then on the concert stage: Sabrina Carpenter stopped singing as she said, "Oh, hey. Where did this cat come from?" Then Ana's cat appeared walking across the stage, and stopped right near Sabrina Carpenter's feet as he innocently said, "Rowr." Then Sabrina Carpenter picked up Ana's cat as she said, "Aww. You're a cute little guy. Wanna come back to my place tonight and have some fun?" Then Ana's cat looked very excited as he happily said, "Rowr!" Meanwhile, in the crowd: an impressed Ana said, "Dang Stormageddon the Conqueror, you are the ultimate playah!"

Meanwhile, Wednesday was walking out of the concert and slowly looking more relaxed as she distanced herself from the loud noises. However, just as Wednesday began to look more comfortable, her eyes caught a poster hanging on a nearby wall. The poster featured a blonde adult man in a suit smiling, with large words underneath his face that said: Vote Dalton Davis for Governor: The Man Who Will Cast Out the Outcasts. Horror and anger went across Wednesday's face as she took in the image of the poster. Then Wednesday quickly pulled the poster off the wall, tore it into many pieces, and then stormed away.

*Many Years Ago:

Young six year old Wednesday Addams was leading a group of children her age around her bedroom as she said, "And over here is my collection of Marie Antoinette dolls." Then one little girl in the group asked, "Why do all your dolls have no heads?" Then a smiling Wednesday said, "Because they all got their heads cut off in the French Revolution." Then suddenly a large pig walked into the bedroom. Many of the children looked surprised, as one boy asked, "What's that pig doing here!?" Then a sweet sounding Wednesday said, "Oh. That's me and my brother's 'Piggy Bank'. That little guy there eats up all our money, so we can use it later." Then one little girl in the group asked, "How do you get your coins back after feeding them to him?" Then little Wednesday, in a matter of fact way, simply said, "When Gradmama makes bacon sandwiches. Discovering coins as you're biting into them is so much fun."

Then one young blonde boy looked annoyed as he said, "Come on. You said there was gonna be a piñata with goodies in it at this party. Lets see it." Then Wednesday smiled as she said, "Don't worry Dalton. That's the next thing I was going to show you. Follow me." Wednesday then led the group of children into a dark empty room with only a spider shaped piñata hanging from the ceiling. The little boy Dalton looked excited as he said, "Now that's what I'm talking about! Bring on the goodies!" Wednesday then picked up a bat, as the living hand: Thing appeared. Thing quickly crawled up Wednesday's back as it held a blind fold between two of his fingers. Wednesday then put the blind fold over her eyes as Thing tied the blind fold behind her. Once she was completely blind folded, a smiling Wednesday said, "Thank you Thing."

Wednesday then began to use her bat to hit the piñata hard. As Wednesday kept whacking at the spider shaped piñata, all of the young children began to look excited as they yelled, "Candy! Candy! Candy!" However as Wednesday broke open the piñata, suddenly a swarm of spiders burst out of it. All of the children screamed as they began to run out of the room. However only Dalton stopped for a moment, as he angrily looked back at Wednesday while yelling, "You're a dirty rotten freak Wednesday! You and all you stinking outcasts should just go back to the mud-hole you belong in!" Then Dalton and the other kids ran out of the room, while a young Wednesday (who had spiders crawling all over her body) just stood looking very confused.

Morticia then walked into the room looking curious as she said, "I heard screaming, so I thought the party was going well. However... I don't see any of your friends. Where did they go?" Wednesday stood looking very confused as she said, "When I surprised them with spiders, they all ran away. Why is that mother?" A sympathetic Morticia then embraced Wednesday, hugging her closely as she said, "Oh, Wednesday... some people just don't appreciate a beautiful gift when it's given to them." Then as Wednesday looked at Morticia's face, she said, "Dalton said... I was a dirty rotten freak that belongs in a mud-hole. Is that true mother?" As Morticia looked at Wednesday with loving eyes, she warmly said, "Oh Wednesday. You're not a dirty rotten freak that belongs in a mud-hole... You're a dirty rotten gothic princess that rules all mud-holes." Wednesday began to smile as she hugged Morticia while saying, "Thank you mother."

*The Future:

An adult Wednesday sat next to Enid and other Nevermore Academy teachers at a staff meeting. As a female Nevermore Academy administrator stood before the teachers, she said, "And that concludes all our major talking points for this meeting. Oh, we have a group of new teachers starting this week. We're providing them large lunches every day around noon, so be sure to pop on by to the training room and introduce yourselves." A concerned and confused Wednesday then raised one eyebrow as she said, "Would you care to explain why we are giving brand new teachers extravagant meals every day during their week of training?" The school administrator looked a bit confused herself as she said, "It's just... a nice thing to do Mrs. Addams. It helps motivate our new staff to be their best."

Wednesday however began to look angry, and spoke in a harsh tone as she said, "How does rewarding teachers before they've done any real work make sense? New staff members shouldn't be given five star meals for just existing. They've gone from unemployment to getting a paycheck. That's the only reward they should be receiving, and nothing more. New staff members deserve the least ideal parking spaces, the smallest offices in the building to work from, being tasked with the most difficult to teach students, and should receive no perks whatsoever, which includes free meals. Staff members in any establishment should earn any type of special treatment or lavish benefits. If you create an environment where people are treated like they're special just for existing in the world, you're enabling them to do whatever they see fit; including harming whoever they see fit! Then the next thing you know, they'll be getting away with murder and be allowed to run for governor!"

Everyone in the room then began to look at Wednesday with confused looks on their faces. Wednesday then began to surprisingly look embarrassed and humiliated, as she stood up and said, "Excuse me." Wednesday then began to quickly walk out of the room, as Enid had a concerned look on her face.

*Many Years Ago:

Young six year old Wednesday Addams was walking down a sidewalk near an ice cream shop while holding a leash that was attached to her pet scorpion. As Wednesday walked, she looked down at her pet scorpion and smiled as she said, "Come on Nero. Just around the corner is a nice colony of ants you can subjugate over." Then suddenly Dalton and several other boys on bikes started to ride near Wednesday. As the boys looked at Wednesday, Dalton stopped on his bike as he said, "What kind of girl walks a scorpion?" The other boys snickered as they got off their bikes. Quickly, two of the boys grabbed Wednesday by the shoulders and arms and pushed her against a wall. As Wednesday was forced to let go of her leash, she said, "Oh no. Don't let Nero wander into the street. She's just a baby."

Dalton laughed as he said, "You call that scorpion a 'she'? That's an 'it'. Scorpions are just freaky little monsters; just like you Addams!" Then as the scorpion walked onto the road, a scared Wednesday said, "No. She's more than my pet. She's like a daughter to me. Don't let a car hit her." As Dalton and one of his friends got on their bikes, Dalton smirked while saying, "Oh, we'll make sure a 'car' doesn't hit it." Then Dalton and his friend rode their bikes towards the scorpion. Wednesday struggled to get free from the two boys that were pinning her against a wall, as she yelled, "NERO!" Then Dalton and his friend rode their bikes over the scorpion, instantly killing it.

The other two boys let go of Wednesday, as a horrified Wednesday fell to the ground with tears in her eyes. Dalton and his friends then rode off on their bikes laughing. Looking desperate, Wednesday jumped up and ran over to a nearby male police officer walking around the corner. Wednesday immediately pulled on the police officer's sleeve and said, "Officer! I need to report a murder!" The police officer looked puzzled as he said, "What? Who committed a murder!?" As her heart was racing, little Wednesday said, "It was Dalton Davis!" The police officer had a major look of disbelief go across his face as he said, "The governor's son? I doubt that. Who do you think he murdered?" Then Wednesday pointed to the remains of her pet scorpion on the road as she said, "My pet scorpion Nero!"

The police officer then chuckled as he said, "Oh, boys will be boys. Listen sweetie, you only cry 'murder' if a real person is killed. Also, don't be accusing the governor's son of wrong doing. You don't wanna get yourself in any trouble now." The police officer then smiled as he walked away. Little Wednesday meanwhile looked completely devastated as she walked towards the remains of her pet scorpion on the road. Wednesday then fell to her knees as tears were coming from her eyes. Wednesday closed her eyes, and then titled her head back as she shrieked in agony.

*The Future:

A crescent shaped moon shined in the early night sky, as an adult Wednesday walked into the back yard of her home looking frustrated. She then stepped into a partially dug up grave with a shovel. As Wednesday began to dig up the dirt from the grave using the shovel, she also began to slowly take deep breaths in and out. As time passed, the longer Wednesday digged, the calmer she started to become. As Wednesday's digging continued, Enid silently walked into the yard and moved towards Wednesday. As Wednesday continued to take deep breaths in and out while digging up the grave, Enid calmly sat on the grass near Wednesday and began to look at her phone for a moment. Then Enid slowly turned her head to look at Wednesday, while Wednesday slowly turned her head to look at Enid. With a warm sound to her voice, Enid said, "You enjoying digging up all the fake dead bodies I hid around the yard for you?" In the private setting of their yard, Wednesday showed her gratitude to her wife by presenting Enid a genuine small smile on her face as she said, "While the exhilaration of unearthing decaying flesh would have been more preferable... your birthday gift to me this year is indeed well appreciated."

As Wednesday went back to digging her hole, Enid put her phone away as she said, "You wanna talk about what's bothering you?" Wednesday then tilted her head down as she bitterly said, "Dalton Davis." Enid looked confused as she said, "The guy running for governor? What about him?" Then Wednesday began to dig deep into the dirt around her as she said, "The problem with him... is that he is the one that killed Nero when I was six years old." Enid's eyes widened with shock as she said, "Oh my God! Your pet scorpion? I... I had no idea you had history with him that far back." Then as Wednesday began to dig the dirt around her more quickly, she clenched the shovel tight as she said, "Indeed I did. Not only has he been bullying and spouting out hate speech towards outcasts my whole life, but he's been allowed to get away with murdering innocent pets and countless other crimes against the outcast community just because his father was a long time governor. Now that hateful bigot is about to become a governor himself, and get away with who knows how many more untold crimes. I just..."

Then suddenly Wednesday froze, as her hands began to shake, and a few tears began to come from her eyes. As the tears began to form in Wednesday's eyes, she kept her head turned away from Enid's gaze so that Enid couldn't see her tears. Enid then jumped into the hole Wednesday was digging in, stood behind Wednesday (without looking at her face), and then immediately hugged Wednesday from behind. Enid closed her eyes and hugged Wednesday lovingly, while Wednesday simply remained still as she closed her eyes as well. Then after a long moment, Wednesday wiped away her tears. Soon, Enid stepped away as Wednesday began to shovel at the ground again. However Wednesday quickly saw she had reached the coffin beneath her. As Wednesday opened up the coffin, a smirking Enid said, "So... wanna relieve some stress and make out in the coffin for awhile?" Wednesday then turned to look right into Enid's eyes as she said, "That... would be splendid."

*Many Years Ago:

Fifteen year old Wednesday Addams was being led into Nancy Reagan High School by her brother Pugsley. As Pugsley walked close to his sister, he made a little smile as he said, "It's so nice that you got transferred here Wednesday. We finally get to be at the same school again." Wednesday however kept a straight deadpan face as she said, "Considering I've tortured students at all of the other public schools in the county that you didn't already demolish with your explosives, it was inevitable." Then suddenly a teenage Dalton and his friends walked over to the two, as a smiling Dalton said, "Yo 'Pigsley'. Who's this? Is it your new girlfriend, or the owner of the farm you live on?" As Dalton's friends laughed, Pugsley looked annoyed but also scared as he said, "This is my sister." Suddenly Dalton's eyes widened with a smile on his face as he said, "Whoa! Yo guys! It's the freak girl! Remember her? Little Wednesday Addams is all grown up! Hey, you guys remember how this freak girl invited us to her crack house when we were kids, and how she used to have a pet scorpion? Man, that was so much fun when we ran over that thing back in the day."

Then Dalton and his friends began to laugh as they walked away. Wednesday suddenly looked very angry as she began to pull a concealed sword out of her umbrella while saying, "Excuse me Pugsley. This will only take two minutes." Then Pugsley looking scared, stopped Wednesday by grabbing her arm as he said, "Wait Wednesday. Dalton's dad is the governor. That means that anyone that messes with him or hurts him at school will get into super serious trouble, like going straight to jail, and I don't wanna see you go to jail Wednesday. No one else tortures me in the electric chair as good as you do." Wednesday looked very frustrated for a moment, but then relaxed slightly as she said, "Very well. Dalton shall be excused from my wrath... for now."

*The Future:

An adult Wednesday sat in her office at Nevermore Academy as she was looking at her laptop. On the laptop screen, a video was playing of adult Dalton who was standing in front of a crowd as he proclaimed, "Currently, we are having tax dollars being used to fund outcast healthcare. Tell me, do you want your tax dollars to be used to help sharpen a werewolf's claws or a vampire's teeth so they can attack your children? If elected, I will dismantle our state's Outcast Healthcare Act, and put control of the people's government back in the hands of true people!" Wednesday then angerly shut her laptop closed as rage filled her eyes.

Suddenly Enid stepped into the office as she said, "Guess what Wens-babe! I got a surprise for you. I just got the school administrators to approve for us to take a two week vacation starting right now!" Wednesday looked very surprised as she said, "You planned a vacation without telling me?" Enid then walked around the room, stood behind Wednesday, and then began to rub Wednesday's shoulders as she said, "I know we both agreed it's important for us to make plans like this together... but I really felt like you needed a break. I mean... you have been getting more stressed than usual." Wednesday then kept a serious deadpan look to her face as she said, "Enid, I have no need to go on an impromptu vacation right now. I am perfectly capable of dealing with the current level of stressful factors in my life."

Then suddenly both Wednesday and Enid heard the sound of an explosion. After a moment, Ana suddenly ran in the office covered in smoke. Ana coughed for a few seconds, and then said, "Sorry. That was my bad. Although you can't blame me for playing with active plutonium if the Mafia Mice from Minnesota are just gonna make it so easy to steal from." Then suddenly the loud sound of laser fire could be heard in the hallway. Ana glanced into the hallway, and then loudly yelled, "Aah! The Puppy Posse from Poland is trying to steal the secret formula we made! Quick Stormageddon the Conqueror, activate the candy canes!" Then Ana ran into the hallway, as the sound of loud puppies could be heard mixed with laser fire. Wednesday then immediately turned her head to look right at Enid as she said, "Now I'm ready to take a vacation."

*The Future:

Fifteen year old Wednesday Addams was walking through the main hallway of Nancy Reagan High School. Wednesday soon reached her locker, and upon opening it: she immediately saw Pugsley inside her locker tied up, with an apple stuffed in his mouth. Pugsley quickly fell to the ground. Wednesday then got down on her knees, pulled the apple out of Pugsley's mouth, and immediately said, "I want names." A scared looking Pugsley was on the verge of tears as he said, "I don't know who they were. Honest. It happened so fast." Wednesday then began to untie Pugsley as she said, "Pugsley, emotion equals weakness. Pull yourself together... now!"

However Wednesday's concentration stopped as she immediately had a vision from minutes ago featuring Dalton and his friends attacking Pugsley, and pushing him into the locker. As soon as Wednesday's vision finished, she saw a worried Pugsley looking up at her as he asked, "Are you okay?" Wednesday was silent for a moment... but then in a matter of fact tone said, "Leave this to me." A worried Pugsley then tried to sit up as he said, "Wednesday, what are you going to do?" Wednesday then looked straight at Pugsley, and with a calm deadpan face she said, "What I do best." Then Wednesday walked over to a nearby payphone that was still working in the school. Pugsley soon was able to stand up, and walked over near Wednesday so he could listen in on what she was about to say.

Wednesday immediately dialed a number, and soon heard a voice on the other line say, "Joe's Pet Store." With a deadly direct tone to her voice, Wednesday immediately said, "If you don't wish for your wife to find the pictures I took of you and your secret mistress at the Motel 6 last week, you will make a special delivery to the back door of the Nancy Reagan High School swimming pool within the next half hour." As Pugsley listened in on the conversation, he said, "Wednesday, are you sure you wanna do this?" Wednesday then glanced back at Pugsley, and with a practical tone to her voice she said, "Of course. The school swimming pool has the best acoustics in the building to enjoy the echoes of screaming." Then Wednesday focused back on her phone call as she said, "Now then Joe, here is what I want to see inside two bags that I'll be holding in less than 30 minutes..."

*The Future:

An adult Wednesday angerly walked into the lobby of an old hotel made mostly out of wood, where a young female adult was standing behind the counter. The young adult woman was looking at her phone, barely making eye contact with Wednesday as she said, "Are you checking out?" Then an angry looking Wednesday said, "Yes, with a refund; for this entire building is infested with insects all over the floors and walls." The young adult woman then took a good look at Wednesday as she said, "Why would you care? I thought outcasts like you enjoyed that kind of thing?" While Wednesday maintained a calm composure to most of her body, her face showed great frustration as she said, "That may be the case for me, but my wife has a great aversion towards them. Considering we have only been here for less than an hour, I demand a refund immediately."

The young adult woman turned her head away slightly, and went back to looking at her phone while saying, "You'll have to call the manager when she comes in tomorrow for that." Then Wednesday banged her hands on the counter as she said, "You introduced yourself as the manager when we first arrived. Now provide our refund now." The young adult woman still kept her eyes on her phone as she said, "Well, you gotta call Booking dot com for the refund." Then Wednesday leaned her face forward as she bitterly said, "You are the hotel manager. You are the only one that can provide a refund; not the booking agency!" The young adult woman still looked at her phone as she said, "Sorry. You have to call Booking dot com."

Wednesday began to breathe deeply as she held out her phone, and began to scroll through many photos showing insects all over the walls and floor of a hotel room. As Wednesday held the phone right near the young woman's face, she said, "Can you honestly say that these photos I took of the insect infested hotel room that me and my wife were assigned to are acceptable!?" The young adult woman was still looking at her phone as she simply said, "There are no insects in this hotel." Then Wednesday loudly pointed to her phone screen as she said, "They are literally in the pictures I took!" The young adult only barely looked at Wednesday for a second as she said, "There are no insects in this hotel."

Then Wednesday banged the counter with a fist, and then loudly said, "Give us the refund we deserve, or face the life threatening consequences of crossing one of the Addams lineage!" The young adult woman finally looked directly at Wednesday as she said, "Don't threaten me you freaking outcast! It's your kind that are taking all the good jobs from us hard working normal people! Once all the smart guys that wanna get rid of you outcasts win in the election, me and all us normal people will finally get to have good jobs and be rich! Also, I don't care if you attack me! If you do, you'll just be thrown in outcast jail where you belong!" Wednesday's breathing began to increase, as she angerly said, "If you believe putting people in power who unite their followers through hatred and fear of others shall make your life better: you are the one that is casting yourself out from reality! As for having you face life threatening consequences... I won't have to lift a finger..."

Suddenly the building began to shake. The young adult woman started to look scared as she said, "What's going on!?" Wednesday however stood very calmly as she said, "Perhaps if you weren't so busy looking at your phone, you would've already noticed." The young adult woman turned her head and saw millions of termites eating through the wooden walls of the hotel. The young adult woman screamed as she said, "Ahh! This place is infested!" Then Wednesday made a small smirk as she sarcastically said, "Well how can that be? You stated multiple times there are no insects in this hotel; which certainly means that a sanitary establishment of such high quality would've certainly used the proper types of insect repellents that ward off common bugs, carpenter ants, and mutant super powered termites that can eat through wood at one hundred thousand times the speed of their more common brethren."

As the room shook, the young adult woman dropped her phone as Wednesday began to casually walk out of the hotel. The young adult woman then turned her head as she said, "Where did my phone drop? Where is it? Where did it go!?" Then suddenly the wooden roof broke apart and began to fall down on the young adult woman. Then seconds after Wednesday left the building, the entire hotel came crashing down on the young adult woman as she screamed in pain.

Wednesday soon approached a black car that Enid was sitting in. Wednesday soon sat in the passenger's seat as she calmly said, "We will have to find sleeping accommodations elsewhere." Enid smirked as she said, "Well, I guess that lady had it coming considering the thousands of 1 star reviews that place had." Wednesday then turned to look directly at Enid as she said, "Wait. If you knew this hotel had such terrible ratings, then why did we come here?" Enid made a warm smile as she said, "Because you haven't been in the best mood lately, and I know torturing someone always livens your spirits." Wednesday then looked directly into Enid's eyes, and with gratitude she said, "Thank you Enid... although... sadly, torture hasn't always proven effective at improving my mood..."

*Many Years Ago:

Fifteen year old Wednesday Addams sat in a court room on the witness stand. She was sitting near an older male judge, while facing an older man who was standing near Dalton (who was sitting in a complete body cast). On the other side of the room watching her from afar was Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, and Lurch. The older man then stepped up as he said, "Your honor, as this state's governor: I must make it clear why I am taking time out of my busy schedule to take a short term return to my old career as an attorney. It is to ensure that the individual who nearly murdered my son face justice. But rather than explain and spell out all of the details as to what happened... I believe the school's security camera footage will do that on it's own quite nicely."

On a nearby television screen: security camera footage began to play of Wednesday walking into the high school swimming pool room. As many male teenagers were practicing their water polo skills in the pool, Wednesday approached the waters' edge. One of Dalton's friends noticed Wednesday nearby and said, "Yo Dalton, look. Pigsley's sister." Dalton then turned to look at Wednesday as he said, "Hey freak. This is a closed practice." Then Wednesday with a straight deadpan face said, "The only person who gets to torture my brother is me."

Then Wednesday suddenly revealed what she had just been hiding behind her back... two bags full of very hungry looking piranhas. Fear suddenly entered the eyes of Dalton and his friends as they immediately began swimming to the edge of the pool. Wednesday then immediately dropped the bags into the pool, and the school of piranha instantly swam at top speed towards the teenage boys. The sound of panic, whistles blowing, and teenagers swimming at top speed filled the large room, while a small smirk began to appear on Wednesday's face. Then within seconds: the sound of Dalton screaming could be heard as blood began to fill the pool, while Wednesday's face quickly began to show a large smile filled with incredible joy.

Back in the court room: the video footage stopped playing. Dalton's father then turned to look at Wednesday as he said, "So Miss Addams... what do you have to say to the inhumane actions you did against my son!?" The older judge then turned to look at Wednesday as he said, "Miss Addams, I don't usually do this, but I will remind you that you have the right to not have to answer such vague and indirect questions that could further incriminate yourself." Then Wednesday calmly said, "No. I wish to answer." Then Wednesday looked directly at Dalton's father with angry glaring eyes as she said, "I did what I had to governor, because you and your son's legacy of hate filled bigotry has lasted far too long. Someone had to end the lineage at some point." Meanwhile in a corner of the room: Gomez and Morticia held hands as Morticia said, "Oh my. Wednesday is likely going to jail for attempted murder." Gomez began to shed a few tears as he said, "I know Tish... and I've never been so proud of her."

*The Future:

An adult Wednesday sat in the passenger's seat of Enid's car looking out the window silently, while Enid was driving. As she drove, Enid took a few quick silent glances at Wednesday. Eventually Enid opened her mouth and said, "You doing okay there?" Wednesday glanced at Enid as she said, "Indeed, I am. There are simply many matters dwelling in my mind that I am finding difficulty losing focus on." Enid made a little sigh, and then said, "Yeah, I hear ya. A lot has changed in our family recently. We're no longer running a company we invested years into, Harmony is already attending college with Megan, and Ana is now dating a ghost... and that fact alone wakes me up at times with so many questions on how that is supposed to even work." Then Wednesday calmly said, "On the contrary, I am quite pleased with Ana's choice of mate. She's found someone that will have the ability to haunt her through spectral manifestations and affect her through dark supernatural means for the rest of her life. It's actually the most romantic thing I've ever heard of." Enid made a little smile as she said, "Okay then. So... what is on your mind?"

As Wednesday began to look out the car window again, she simply said, "Well... as much as I have great confidence in how well our children will evolve for the better in time... I have little confidence in the rest of the world evolving for the better as that happens. Ever since Dalton led his moronic followers in killing Nero when I was a child, I am constantly reminded that I live in a world that rejects myself and my family, and wishes for none of us to exist in it. It's not that I mind that on a basic level... in fact, in many ways I enjoy it. However, it's the fact that cruelty towards innocents and unjust hatred never stops continuing to grow in the world at large that bothers me. Despite all we've done to improve the quality of life for those in our community, despite how much time I spend teaching by example to others how to be strong, despite the fact that we've literally saved the Earth multiple times now... the world at large still treats me with the same level of disrespect I received on that fateful day of my childhood when the world didn't care about the loss of my pet... or the loss of my innocence... and while I can cope with continuing to experience that myself... at times I cannot cope with the fact that my children and the innocent at large must reside in this decaying reality we are forced to endure." Wednesday then sat completely silent as Enid (who was also silent) had a uncertain look on her face.

However, after a long moment passed, Enid finally spoke up as she said, "Wednesday, the world does indeed have a problem with hatred spreading. The fact that more and more leaders, including more leaders in government now, are uniting people based on unjust hatred, lies, and fear towards others is unforgivable. I mean, I get that everyone has different dreams and goals in life, and sometimes those come in conflict with the dreams and goals of others. However using lies and hate in an attempt to build the foundation of a seemingly better world is only causing the foundation of the future to be built from rot. But with all that being said... the power of love and acceptance is also spreading as well. As much as it feels like the haters are winning at times, history has always shown that people who unite others towards the goals of peace and making a better life for all: always have the much more longer lasting impact. We just have to believe that with every act of love we show to people, ever act of compassion, and every time we show strength in how we defend others and fight for justice: we are making the world a better place." Wednesday looked at Enid for a moment... and then looked back out the car window as she said, "A noble sentiment... however, my own personal history has shown that those filled with deep unjust hatred always seem to prevail..."

*Many Years Ago:

Fifteen year old Wednesday Addams sat in a small conference room facing Dalton's father, while Dalton (who was wearing a full body cast that covered everything but his head) was sitting in a wheelchair nearby. Dalton's father was chuckling as he said, "So let me get this straight Miss Addams. Not only have you, a teenage girl, chosen to represent yourself in court... but now you think you can make a deal with me? I'll have you know young lady, back when I was a prosecutor: I made deals with no one!" Then Wednesday kept a calm deadpan face as she said, "There's a first time for everything." Then Wednesday snapped her fingers twice. Suddenly the living hand: Thing quickly came into the room, and tossed a folder into Wednesday's hands. Dalton's father looked surprised at the sight of Thing, while a very calm Wednesday said, "Thank you Thing."

Then Wednesday opened up the folder, and showed several photos of Dalton kicking and punching students at school, along with pictures of Dalton pushing Pugsley into a locker. The eyes of Dalton's father widened, as a deadpan Wednesday said, "You're not the only one who has access the school's security camera footage. I have on tape more than fifty examples of Dalton harassing students at school without facing any consequences throughout the last year. I also had my 'handy assistant' here get copies of every 'generous check' you sent to the school over the last six months; the date of each check timed right around each occasion Dalton was caught on camera harming other students. Now then, you may the keys to my future Mister Davis. However if all this information I have here was to be leaked to the media, I would find myself with the keys to ending your political career permanently. So the only question is... do you value the rule of law, or your desire to maintain power more?"

Dalton's father sat angerly for a long moment... and then he finally said, "I can have all the felonies dropped, but you'll have to at least go to court mandated therapy. I can't just let you go completely free after everything the judge saw. However the one thing I won't negotiate on is: you never attend another school within sixty miles of this town again. In fact, unless you're coming to and from your parents' home, it's probably best if you never show your face anywhere in this town ever again." Wednesday kept a simple composure as she said, "Believe me when I say, I don't wish to see anyone in this town if possible for the rest of my days either. Your terms are acceptable.

Suddenly the door to the room opened, and Gomez and Morticia stuck their faces into the room, while Gomez asked, "How is everything going my little death trap?" Wednesday then stood up as she said, "We have reached an appropriate settlement. However I will need to be transferred to a new school far away from this dreadful town." Morticia and Gomez glanced at one another, as a smiling Morticia said, "I think we have some ideas." Then Pugsley suddenly walked into the room carrying a fish bowl full of piranhas as he said, "Are you going to jail Wednesday!?" Upon seeing the bowl of piranhas, Dalton's father stepped back fearfully as he said, "What are you doing with those!?" Then Pugsley, in a matter of fact tone, simply said, "These are my new emotional support animals. My sister gave them to me."

Meanwhile Wednesday got her belongings together as she simply said, "Come on. Lets go back to the court room." However as everyone else began to leave, an angry Dalton looked at Wednesday as he said, "You may have gotten out of jail Wednesday, but I still got what I wanted. I got another freaking outcast out of this town. Just make sure you don't trip on your slimy self while heading on the road out of town... because if you do, maybe someone will be decent enough to run over YOU." Wednesday's eyes widened as she looked at Dalton with great hatred in her eyes... and then after a long moment of silence, Wednesday slowly left the room.

*The Future:

An adult Wednesday was sitting in the passenger seat of Enid's car as Enid was driving. However as Wednesday looked out the window, she began to look a bit confused as she said, "Hold on. End, where are we?" Enid smirked as she said, "You should start learning how to use Google Maps Wens-babe. Although I'm guessing you're starting to realize that we've just entered a pretty familiar area... Westfield, New Jersey!" Wednesday's eyes widened with surprise as she said, "You've taken me to my childhood hometown!? I told you I had no interest in visiting my parents during our vacation." As Enid kept driving, she smirked as she said, "We're not going to your parents' place. We're going to check out downtown Westfield. We never went down there during all the times we've visited your parents before." Wednesday began to looked annoyed as she said, "I... what... when did... errrr."

Enid looked at Wednesday with concern as she said, "What's wrong Wens?" Wednesday sighed, and then said, "It's just... I haven't been to downtown Westfield since... the day Nero died. While I did go to a community center on the outskirts of town every Halloween for years, and would often spend many days around the cemetery at the edge of town... I've completely avoided going downtown since I was six. Even when I would go to and from my parents' house, I always made sure I traveled on a route that avoided going through town. There are simply too many painful memories there... and too many hateful and bigoted people that would prefer I never return." As Enid continued to drive, she simply said, "Well, I think it would be nice if you confronted your past Wednesday. Okay now, lets see. We're going past your parents' place on Cemetery Lane, and now we're turning onto Elm Street and heading towards downtown Westfield."

As Enid continued driving, Wednesday looked out the car window and saw the familiar sights of a town she had almost forgotten. However Enid started to slow the car down as a heavy amount of traffic was ahead of her at an intersection. Enid then parked the car on the side of the road, as Wednesday said, "Do you know why such heavy traffic is ahead of us?" Enid made a little smile as she said, "Hmm. Lets go see what's going on." Enid then led Wednesday to a nearby blocked off street where a large crowd of people were gathered. Suddenly Wednesday's eyes widened as she stood surprised at the sight of a large sign ahead of her that said: Addams Fest.

Suddenly, both Wednesday and Enid saw standing in the midst of the crowd was Gomez, Morticia, Harmony, and Ana. Ana then waved as she said, "There they are! Hey mother! Hey mom! Over here!" As Wednesday and Enid approached the four, a happy Gomez said, "There's my little storm cloud and her horrific wife! I'm so glad you two got my letter about this event." Wednesday however looked confused as she said, "What letter? What's going on here?" Enid smirked as she said, "I may have known about a little event happening that I didn't share with you..."

Suddenly a tall slender man in a suit approached Wednesday as he said, "Mrs. Addams, what an honor it is to meet you. I'm Mayor Charles, and might I say: thank you so much for being here. You are certainly our most honored guest on this historic day." Wednesday continued to look confused as she said, "Why would that be?" Morticia stepped towards Wednesday as she said, "Well, didn't you know Wednesday? Thanks to the best selling books based on your life, and the television program it inspired: Westfield has become quite the tourist destination now, bringing much commerce to the community. Combined with the fact that your father has donated and invested in so many small businesses in town over the years: popular opinion demanded that the town create a special day designed to celebrate our family."

Mayor Charles smiled as he said, "Indeed. The cemetery you used to spend many days at, and even the school swimming pool that you unleashed piranhas into are historical landmarks now. We're also using this event to spotlight the history of all notable outcasts that have lived in this area at one time or another, most notably the many witches that have lived in Westfield over the centuries, thanks to our new Outcast Museum that has just recently finished construction."

As Wednesday continued to look confused she said, "I don't understand what's happening here. This is the very town that wanted nothing to do with me." Then Enid held Wednesday's hand, and smiled as she said, "Well, it would seem that your hometown has actually changed for the better Wednesday, and it looks like your actions actually helped make that happen." Then Harmony put a hand on Wednesday's shoulder as she said, "You never needed to torture anyone mother to take away unjust hate and bigotry from the world. You just had to be yourself."

Then Ana grabbed Wednesday by the arm, and said, "Come on mother. You need to check out the town lake. They have a model there of Grandpa and Grandma's house, and they also have this cool rose garden right near it. They even made sure that every rose in the garden has had its' petals cut off. The town decided to call it the Nero Memorial Flower Garden." Wednesday's eyes suddenly widened as it looked like just a small amount of emotion and tears were beginning to form on her face. Suddenly Enid pulled Wednesday away as she said, "Come on Wens-babe. We have a festival to check out!" Then Wednesday and her family walked off into the festival dedicated to them...

THE END

...

Epilogue:

An adult Dalton stood before a large crowd of people as he said, "As your newly elected governor, I promise you that this fine state will finally be made a wonderful safe place for all true people again. Thank you!" A smiling Dalton then walked away from the crowd and into a building. Dalton walked down a hallway by himself, as he approached his new office. Dalton then opened the door to his office... and suddenly stopped in his tracks, standing wide eyed as he saw Wednesday Addams sitting at his desk. Fury and anger entered Dalton's face as he said, "Wednesday Addams! What the hell are you doing in my office!?" Wednesday then raised one eyebrow as she said, "Is that any way to speak to your 2pm appointment?" Dalton looked confused as he said, "You're the person my secretary set me up with that claimed to have important outcast related issues to speak about?"

Wednesday then stood up as she said, "Indeed. I also wish to speak to you about the expectations of your beginning term in office." Dalton then stepped towards Wednesday as he said, "Listen to me you psychopath! The era of outcast loving propaganda is over. The grown ups have finally taken control of the government, and your days are numbered! Face it Wednesday. You lost, and no pool of piranhas are gonna stop me this time." Wednesday then stepped towards Dalton, and glared directly at his face while saying, "On the contrary, I know exactly how your term in office is going to affect me; because I spent my entire childhood experiencing it. You and your supporters will harass me, spread lies about me, treat me like I don't deserve to exist, and try to fill my soul with endless darkness. However... my soul has been filled with darkness nearly my entire life. I've mastered living in a dark cruel world. You however Dalton, have no idea of what one such as yourself is about to experience."

An angry Dalton then made a fist as he said, "I know what this office gives me. Power over you demonic outcasts." Wednesday then began to very slowly circle an angry Dalton like a predatory animal, and with a determined face: Wednesday said, "You think gaining public office will gain you real power and control? Having control over one single branch of the government does not give you full control of people's minds. You will spend the next four years in complete misery; due to the fact that nothing you do can change the beliefs of those who oppose you, no matter how much hate and lies you spread. In addition, your endless tirade of hatred will never leave you feeling fulfilled enough, and your endless stream of misinformation will forever put you at odds with countless people questioning how your claims don't match reality, which you unfortunately still have to live in. You see Dalton... I don't have to torture you anymore. You got into politics. You're just torturing yourself now." Then Wednesday turned her back on Dalton and left the room.

Dalton stood where he was angry for a moment... until his female secretary, a reporter, and a camera man walked into the room. The secretary smiled as she said, "Your first TV interview as governor is ready sir." Dalton smiled as he said, "Thank you. Finally, a conversation that will be pleasant." However before anyone could sit down, the reporter glanced at a fish tank sitting in the corner of the room as she said, "Ooo. What a fascinating fish tank you got here. What's in there?" Dalton looked confused as he said, "Hold on. That fish tank wasn't in this office this morning." The secretary smiled as she said, "Oh. Those were delivered an hour ago as a gift to the governor. They're a rare breed of piranha that are now an endangered species." Dalton suddenly looked scared as he said, "Wait a minute. I..." The reporter however interrupted Dalton with a smile as they said, "Good to see you care about endangered species governor. Most people aren't as kind and thoughtful as you." Dalton then began to looked very annoyed, but tried to keep a smile on as he said, "Well... I just saw those creatures... and begrudgingly had to accept they were here to stay..."

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*THE NEXT NEW CHAPTER IS COMING IN TWO WEEKS! STAYED TUNED...

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Trivia:

-Addams Fest is a real celebration held in Westfield, New Jersey every October. The town in actuality is the hometown where Addams Family creator: Charles Addams grew up. While "Cemetery Lane" is a fictional street name that does not exist in Westfield; the other street mentioned in this chapter: "Elm Street" is actually the real life street where Charles Addams' childhood home, elementary school, and high school were located. A road that intersects with that street is where much of the outdoor Addams Fest activities do occur. While the daytime festival is more of a generic Halloween festival with activities mostly aimed at children, the town does indeed have many Addams Family related decorations and art around town every October.

-The "photographs" near the end of the chapter feature AI created images of the Wenclair Family mixed with REAL photos from Addams Fest 2024. The characters are AI generated, but the backgrounds and art work are 100 percent real.

-Some of Gomez' dialogue early in this chapter is similar to some of his dialogue from the first episode of the original 1964 Addams Family TV series: "The Addams Family Goes to School".

-The Sabrina Carpenter music video that's mentioned in this story is a real music video that actually did feature actress Jenna Ortega in it.

-The family pig featured briefly in one of the flashbacks of this story was originally featured in two episodes of the original Addams Family TV show: "Fester's Punctured Romance", and "Morticia Joins the Ladies League".

-Several moments from the flashbacks in this chapter are lifted directly from Wednesday Episode 1: "Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe", and from Chapter 25 of this series: "Aftermath".

-The plot point of Wednesday getting her piranhas from a pet store owner that she blackmailed (and the reason why she chose to attack Dalton in the swimming pool) was lifted from the Wednesday Season 1 novelization.

-Wednesday, Enid, and Harmony all reference in this chapter Ana's new ghostly boyfriend: Gerard. The three women were first made aware of Ana's relationship with Gerard at the end of the previous story in this series - Chapter 70: "A Girl and a Ghost".

-The idea of Pugsley getting at least one of the piranhas Wednesday used on Dalton to keep as a pet was lifted from the "I Am Wednesday" children's book.

-And finally... while working on this story: famous YouTube sensation: "Fake Ortega" made a reaction video to the Wenclair Family of this series, that can be seen here.

[ateez-himari]

[250115] WHITE FUR BABY

[NEW MESSAGES FROMM HIMARI]

[PM 3:16] My lovely roommates said that I could foster this little kitty for now! I found this poor baby abandoned under a bridge...but Mingi oppa was sulking before going to the airport because I was paying less attention to him ㅎㅎ

[PM 3:17] His name is Ayame! Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru were adopted relatively quickly, so hopefully he has that luck too. J-Hope oppa said he'll foster him while we're on tour so he's in good hands

[PM 3:17] They were all named after Fruit Basket characters, it's one of my favorite manga! Also I hope you like my outfit, I matched it with Ayame on purpose

[PM 3:18] ㅎㅎ He was sulking because I was playing with Ayame and he wanted to cuddle with me, but I said not now...he's very big but not very scary

[PM 3:18] Mingi oppa is exactly the way you see him! He's like a big attention needing puppy, and he knows he's strong, so he's always very careful with me. He's also very clumsy...even without my hearing aid I can hear him coming because he bumps into everything in everyone's dorms

[PM 3:19] ㅎㅎ I can't slip anything past you guys, you're asking me about work already. You could consider 'Blinded Red' as a very early pre-release since the album is far from finished...I'm still debating adding more tracks to it

[PM 3:20] Ahh the showcase...it was very hard to get through the EP since every single track on there is extremely personal. It was a lot heavier than just performing 'Shadow' on tour, but that's how I wanted to introduce my solo voice

[PM 3:21] I haven't had stage fright since debut, but seeing this many people in the audience was nerve-wracking, especially since the stage was going to feel very empty. There were also a lot of artists in the audience, which was even scarier. I felt very grateful to T.O.P sunbaenim for performing with me, I know it must have been scary for him as well...but it felt comforting to have someone who could understand the track standing with me, he has such a healing presence

[PM 3:22] No, I didn't really have time to rest afterwards unfortunately, the scheduling was thrown off slightly when the showcase was pushed back since I was in the hospital for some time

[PM 3:22] ㅎㅎ Everyone is sleeping right now, I was working on university homework but Mingi oppa keeps holding my hand when he wakes up

[PM 3:23] I have more schedules in Paris when we land so I think I might join the rest of them...it's almost too comfortable to keep my eyes open (I have Shiber on my lap)

[PM 3:23] I'll go nap now Tiny, see you when we land in France ♡ Love you so much, kisses!

Translated from Korean by Google

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 121 (Waiting For Word in Brindleton Bay)

To keep her mind off Conrad's risky trip to Sulani right before Love Day, Heather focused hard at work. She continued exchanging notes with her architect in Evergreen Harbour, forging ahead with plans to remodel her clinic in the spring.

After tending to sick pets with ease, she took time to chat with some of the locals in the lobby. J Huntington and his wife, Liberty, had brought in one of their cats, and J was interested in chatting with Heather about her experience working for Landgraab Corp. She looked at him with surprise.

"With George MIA, I set up a meeting with some suit from the city to talk about operating Bay Security through one of their subsidiaries. I'm just trying to do right by my guys."

Heather considered her advice carefully. As much as she had loathed working for Landgraab Corp. for personal and professional reasons, they seemed better in business than George Brindleton, at the very least. "I think what Landgraab Corp. might lack in the expertise needed to run a good clinic, they make up for with the money and protection your guys are probably looking for," she reasoned.

He thanked her before Kaori took Liberty and their cat into an exam room, and Heather turned her attention to Brant Hecking, a dog lover who had brought in two of his pups for a check-up.

"How are you and Brent doing?" she asked warmly. "And how's your son, Barrett?"

"He's doing amazing. Loves to wave. Even if he's met you a hundred times, he waves every time he sees you."

"Lavender loves hanging out with him at daycare. I can't thank Brent enough for watching her tonight. I'm running another spay-for-all promotion this week and working late every night. Hazel's visiting her girlfriend for Love Day...The timing of Conrad's work trip to Sulani isn't great."

"Don't sweat it! I hope he catches a bit of sun after the long winter we've had. Barrett loves Lavender, and we're happy to watch her anytime."

Heather forced a laugh. A bit of sun would be nice. Not that she needed a vacation, exactly, but she was annoyed that Conrad would likely miss Love Day, and annoyed at herself for caring at all. She'd never been flirty, and Love Day was just a corporate holiday, but he didn't even mention it when he called to say he was going to find Rafa.

He was understandably distracted, and they had more important things to worry about than Love Day. But that didn't mean she didn't want to spent the day with Conrad, regardless.

Instead, he was putting himself in danger for George Brindleton, and she could barely stand it.

She picked up her daughter from the Heckings after dark, thanking Brent for watching her wild toddler. "She was on her best behaviour for Barrett and me tonight," said Brent.

Watching Lavender and Barrett babble away together in the snow, Heather smiled. "You're all welcome over any time - all five dogs, too!"

(The Heckings adopted four dogs, at random, in addition to Rosie who they already had. None of the dogs are related to each other because of course I checked whether this was a puppy situation. It's not, they're just like Heather but MORE!)

She got home and made pancakes for dinner, and Ash set the table without being asked. She called Conrad but he didn't pick up, so she left a voicemail. "Hey it's me," she said, disguising the worry in her voice in front of the kids. "We're sitting down to dinner and I just wanted to check in and say I love you."

It bothered her that he hadn't called. She knew he was busy, but she hoped he would have by now. And then, just to add to her stress, they were surprised by a NAP inspector, who fined her for not having a recycler or a fabricator in support of the town's upcycling initiative.

Heather was frustrated - her dad had both growing up, and she always thought the clunky machines made too much noise - so she retreated to her beloved video games for a little bit of free time to relax while Ash watched TV and Lavender played with blocks.

Soon enough, that free time had turned into perfecting a mod for MySims!Go. Deep in concentration, Ash startled her after he'd gotten ready for bed.

"If you love video games, why are you always modding them?"

"After you've played a game for a while, modding can help keep it fun. It gives new goals to achieve in the game or just makes the graphics look better."

"If games get boring, why don't you design one?"

She laughed. "I don't think anyone could design a video game that wouldn't get boring eventually."

"Just make it thousands of levels so people can never beat it and they'll always play your game. I know I'd play any game you made, and my friends would, too!"

The logic of the eight-year-old genius was straightforward, and Heather smiled. She had more than enough on her plate these days, but the thought of designing a video game her son loved to play made her think seriously about the idea. If she even had an idea.

After playing with wild Lavender for a while before bed to tire her out, her daughter did her usual goodnight routine with the pets upstairs before Heather tucked both kids into bed.

She let Gord out one last time before locking up for the night. He was loving and friendly as always, but Heather could sense he was worried.

Gord probably sensed her fears, too, and they tried to comfort each other on the back patio before she headed inside. She checked her phone one last time with a nervous glance.

Conrad still hadn't checked in yet. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 2.1 Summary

Gen 1 Start | Gen 1 Summary

NOTE: I know Love Day is a default spring holiday in Sims 4 but I always move it to winter. I grew up in Canada and February is full-on wintertime, so I only know VDay as a dead-of-winter holiday! But spring is near in game (not in real life), and with this Love Day looking like a bust, I don't mind that we're kind of blowing through it while playing out Conrad's eventful trip to Sulani.

But oh if Heather knew Conrad was lying on the sand knocked out, she'd drop the kids off with someone and fly to Sulani herself. That's true love!

[galaxy-fleur]

I hope more dad leon questions are ok?

something something that's been on my mind, what if remake leon (after reaching early 30s ) suggest his s/o that they have a baby but she is reluctant and unsure about it?

while leon is craving for normalcy and an escape and his emotion got the better of him but she's afraid of not being able to do it or whether she'd be a good mum and the like

Hmm, I don't think that would be a big issue, honestly? If we take that you two assumedly have been together for a while now, it's not like you feeling hesitant about it would make him feel upset or angry with you. Yes, Leon wants a simpler, cozier life (if we're talking about a scenario of him actually having the opportunity to do that). He wants that with you, though. You're a team, and your thoughts and desires are not any less valuable than his own. I'd even say that he tends to neglect his needs sometimes.

So I can see this going two ways.

He either backpedals on the whole idea once he sees you're a bit uncomfortable and doesn't bring it back up for a while because he doesn't want to make you feel pressured, or... you two have a more open conversation about the whole thing. Granted, the first option will probably lead to the second one eventually, but still.

Having kids is scary and a lot of work. No matter how you have children. He wouldn't want you to go through with something so life-changing if you're not completely sure and eager. And if you're not, that's fine, too. He's willing to wait. To talk about it more, lay out your options and take it one step at a time instead of just jumping into this idea.

And if you'll never feel ready? Well, you'll just have to adopt a puppy. Or so he jokes while pressing a kiss to your forehead. Or perhaps a parrot. A big one. He heard those are technically like toddlers that never grow up. A perfect option. Plus, Sherry would love that.

Point is, he wouldn't want you to feel nervous of disappointing him or holding him back just because you're not as on board with it as he is. He wants a family with you because he loves you. He wants a future with you, whatever that may look like. If you'll want kids one day? Just know he'll be ecstatic to hear that. And if you don't? That means you two will get more time to spend together, with no distractions getting in the way. He'd be a damn fool to complain about that.

Either way, he will remind you that you are not alone in this. If you are just worried about not being a great parent, he'll reassure you that he'll be right there with you, every step of the way. Though the joys and the hurdles, the wins and losses. He wants it all, not just the good stuff. So you have nothing to worry about.

Adoption is always an option, too. If you are someone who headcanons his backstory as him losing his parents at a young age, that'll just makes the whole idea that much more heartwarming to think about.

[another-lost-mc]

you would love to adopt a pet of some kind, but mephistopheles isn't convinced.

pairing: mephistopheles x gn!reader

content: sfw. domestic fluff. mephisto's brother (unnamed) makes a brief appearance.

word count: 0.7k

a/n: inspired by this fanart and a true story. you can adapt this to your pet of choice. <3

Mephisto never wanted a pet. Not at first, anyway. You bring up the idea of adopting a small breed of puppy, or maybe a kitten—something that you can raise together, and it won't be too big even as an adult. He has all the typical excuses lined up and ready to go: it'll shed all over the bed and clothes, it'll scratch the furniture and stain the carpets.

He tries to hide his other insecurities that add to his hesitation: Lucifer or Satan will want to spend more time visiting you and your little animal, or you might pay less attention to him because of the creature. It's too overwhelming for him to think about, and no, his horses are not the same—not even close! They don't come inside and make a mess. They're noble, dignified animals. They're not pets.

The little back-and-forth goes on like that for a while. You drop the subject when you realize trying to debate with him about it is getting nowhere, and he foolishly thinks you've given up hope. He doesn't quite understand his own reservations, and he hates how disappointed you look every time a discussion about it ends in a stalemate. He doesn't like saying no to you, but for some reason, he can't bring himself to say yes, either.

One day you send him a message from your D.D.D. asking him to come to the gardens behind his family's estate. When he finds you, you're kneeling beside some night-blooming rose bushes along the property line, and in your lap, wrapped in your sweater, is a little—

"I found it under the bushes, but it's so small and dirty. Maybe it was abandoned?"

You're not above a little manipulation to twist his arm to get your way, but he knows that's not what this is. This is you—thoughtful, considerate, loving you—wearing your heart on your sleeve because you'll gladly set yourself on fire if it means helping someone or something keep warm.

"I'll have someone contact the veterinarian about what we can feed it. You can bring it inside for now," he warns you. His stubborn resolve wavers slightly when you swaddle the tiny creature and hold it close to your chest. "But we are absolutely not keeping it. We're simply going to care for it until we can find a suitable home."

You agree to his terms because he's more generous than you expected him to be, considering his stance on having pets. You care for the baby while he watches from a distance, and he stubbornly refuses your offers to feed or hold it. He watches patiently while you tuck the sleeping creature into the makeshift bed you've made in Mephisto's bedroom. He pretends to be asleep when you get up in the middle of the night to check on the animal, but the little one sleeps soundly in its bed after an evening of warm snuggles and proper food.

When you wake up the next morning, the basket you lined with your sweater and some old towels is empty, and your small animal friend is nowhere to be seen. You rush from Mephisto's room in a panic, pajama-clad and barefoot, eyes still crusty with sleep. You nearly trip over someone sitting at the top of the grand staircase and you recognize the gangly shape of Mephisto's brother. He doesn't seem to care that you nearly barreled over him—he's too busy giggling while he records something on his D.D.D.

"I can't find the baby, have you seen it?"

His brother points down the staircase and that's when you finally notice Mephisto. He's wearing his housecoat over his pajamas and he hasn't brushed his bedhead hair yet, and he's opening each door on the ground level and talking to...himself?

"...and this is father's study. The door should be closed if he's working, but I don't suggest coming in here unless he invites you in. He can be fickle with animals, you know. And next door is mother's office, and her window has a fantastic view of the stables—"

Mephisto turns his body slightly as he crosses the hall, and you finally notice the little canvas bag slung over his shoulder. The baby animal (the one he insisted you weren't keeping) is bundled up in a new blanket you've never seen before. It watches from inside the bag while Mephisto gives your pet the official tour of its new home, and you have to bite your lip to stop yourself from giggling too.

read more: mephistopheles masterlist | obey me! masterlist