#OC Tao

[phoenixeclipse-lmkau]

if mk is adopted, that means reader has to choose to adopt mk, even knowing of all the risks of having someone born like the monkeys doesn't it? there isn't that i wanna say social? obligation to keep the kid, she could bring mk to someone else to raise and wash her hands off of it, but to adopt is to call him her son in spite of or perhaps because of the connection to the monkies. people are much more likely to raise kids they made than they randomly find, you know?

but if mk is bio kid, then there really isn't that struggle to choose, because there is already a blood bond to encourage reader to keep mk.

Yes Reader would have to choose to adopt Mk that is true. But I have an idea on how it would work. As I said she would have already been pregnant weather with Mk or with the twins. Who are the twins? Bao and Tao the little shadow and light monkies! I love these two so much!! Haven’t written much about them though.

Anyways when Reader finds the island she settles down in after finding out she is pregnant she spends several years in peace raising her children. She had traveled to a place that The Brotherhood never travels as they don’t think there is treasure of adventure there. It’s mostly human territories, except for the one island that Reader ends up on!

That being the dragon island (Don’t have a name for it) This is where she meets Ao Lie who takes a liking to her and helps her out along with his friends, Sandy, Mo, Pigsy and Tang! (This is more of a LMK than JTTW au btw)

So Reader has two Monkie demon children she is watching and taking care of when she finds Mk. A small child covered in dirt with dark brown fur, six lotus shaped ears and bright golden eyes. Or should I say Bao and Tao find him, at the age 5 years old they are very adventurous and find the cub who instantly starts following them around. Which they quickly decide to guide straight to their mother who immediately freaks out worried they kidnapped a poor child but soon finds out that’s not the case. (He hides his ears by pressing them together because everything is too loud for the poor baby - Reader finds out about his ears after she officially adopts him)

So when Reader meets Mk her own cubs are already very attached and don’t want to let him go. They debated letting Pigsy watch over him but because Pigsy is a traveling Merchant in this Au they decided against it. No one else in the village wants to watch the monkey child and the responsibility falls to Reader. Not only because no one else will do it but because she knows how to care for monkey cubs to a point (She’s not perfect but does everything she can with love and care)

Anyways what I’m trying to say is that Reader doesn’t HAVE to take in Mk but she does because she falls in love with the child. And what’s one more cub? (It’s a lot! He is as mischievous as his older brothers who like to get into trouble. Luckily Ao Lie likes to help them and his great granddaughter becomes fast friends with the monkey trio)

I hope this answered your question Anon! Thank you for your input! I love reading people’s opinions!

Prioritized this due to the poll! I hope I didn’t post it too late~

[zouzoru-comms-open]

Not a obey me fanart so I'm gonna be ignored :)

[amalasdraws]

100% of my personal art is self indulgent. I create for the process. It's my language. The words I found to convey my joy, my ache, my memories and wishes. It's poetry.

Ai could never. Why would I steal someone else's emotional language to express myself?

[furious-blueberry0]

Hala (30 y.o.) with ceremonial clothing from Duro

Inspired by Armenian clothing

Fun fact, as I said here, one of the most prominent beauty standards for Duros is the shape of the head, so they often wear turbans and add decorations to them, to make their head look bigger and rounder, especially during ceremonies.

[dashofmonsters]

Dreamers & Delusions- Pt. 2

Merman x Female Reader

"I'll have to go into hibernation if it gets too cold or if I can't find something to do. The acclimation program already knows about my kind and our issues with the cold so they have accommodations for winter," he explains.

"Well I hope it doesn't get too cold then, would be a bummer if I couldn't come see you," you smile at him.

Tao's eyes go wide for a second before he clears his throat, "Yes well it would indeed be a bummer... Especially since we have just decided to be friends."

"Right?" you beam.

You and Tao talk and talk almost to the point where it's just about silly things or what he's struggling with during his acclimation. You find out he's a very literal person who has issues the most with slang, metaphors, and emotes. He lives in a rental that's about a couple miles away from the beach and he usually walks to work or the local grocery store since he can't fit into normal vehicles.

After a little bit of work though you find out an even more endearing side to him, he likes to try his hand at cooking ever so often. Though he prefers his meat raw, he likes the idea of charring the outside and adding bits of flavor. He was a little embarrassed to admit it but you found out it's because his father was supposed to show him how to create a feast to impress a mate per tradition.

You didn't press as to why his father didn't teach him seeing he was already uncomfortable enough to admit it. So you decided to share a bit of something uncomfortable about yourself.

"My mom never taught me how to do a lot of basics that most parents are supposed to teach their kids. I had to watch a lot of how to videos and make myself look like an idiot if I messed up or didn't know something. A lot of people assumed I was stupid or had no common sense. I just didn't have a point of reference and I hated being ignorant but I was judged for my short comings and no one ever helped," you admit.

Tao nods and gives you his first, though very small, smile.

"Is that why you are forgetting things constantly?" he asks with the slightest smirk.

"Yeah...sure," you feel a bit embarrassed by his question, but you'll never confess that you 'forgot' those things just as an excuse to talk to him.

"I see, I will take that into account that due to your upbringing that you just don't think about these things and I will stop being annoyed by it," he nods.

"You were annoyed," now you feel a little hurt.

"Of course I was, but no more than I usually am," he shrugs.

"That doesn't sound fun," you grimace. "You can't just be annoyed all the time."

"I'm not annoyed when I'm at home," he says.

"Lucky," you laugh.

"Why? Are you unable to be at peace at home too?" he gives you a look of genuine concern then.

His number one thing seems to be peace. He's a no nonsense guy who just wants to go about his day with no hiccups. His life honestly seems perfect compared to your at times.

"Only when I'm sleeping or about to leave for work. Peace... that doesn't come easy to someone like me," you frown.

Tao studies you then as he drops to your eye level. You should feel super uncomfortable but for some reason you don't mind. He stares hard at your face and scans it until he nods.

"You do look very tired," he says.

You can't help but to laugh at his observation, "Tao, I'm going to let you in on a secret: I'm always tired."

"That is unhealthy," he scowls.

"Yup and there's nothing I can do about it," you shrug.

"Yes there is, you could go home and sleep," he says, almost ordering you to do so.

That's when you can't help but to crack up. It's horrible that this is how you cope, but it is.

"If I went home to sleep right now, my grandmother would give me an earful about being lazy," you laugh.

Tao doesn't laugh, he doesn't smile, doesn't do anything except stand up slowly and prowl over to you.

You shut up real quick thinking something is wrong until he picks you up. You yelp, being carried in one arm at his hip like a sack of rice.

"What are you doing?!" you squawk as you sway when he shifts to carry you princess style.

He doesn't say anything until he sets you down onto your tie dye towel.

"Rest, I'll make sure no one bothers you while you're here," he says.

You can't help but feel a mix of emotions then. Your eyes water a little but you swipe away any moisture before a tear falls.

"Thank you, that's probably the sweetest thing anyone has said to me in a long while," you smile at him.

And Tao in all his Taoness, just nods.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Tao really meant it when he said no one would bother you while you were on the beach.

The day after he said that, you had what was possibly the best beach nap you've ever had thanks to Tao brining you a beach chair with your name on it. Literally.

At first it felt weird that he'd go that far just for you to get a beach nap but you guessed it might be some cultural thing and as far as Tao said, you're his only friend. You thanked him and didn't think much of it until the day after that.

A group of teenagers were playing volleyball a little too roughly and one of the guys fumbled and the ball got you right on the head even though you did your best to dodge it. The boys tried to apologize but Tao gave them an earful about respect and being more spatially aware.

That too was normal for Tao though he was a bit harsher than usual. Unfortunately it got worse.

Yesterday was a blessed off day. No work, your grandmother was out thrifting to her heart's content, and all your bills had been paid. You were excited to head to the beach but that excitement was short lived.

The first thing you noticed was that your chair was pulled a little closer to the guard tower. Next was that Tao wasn't in the tower but leaning against the ladder like he was expecting some shit to hit the fan any second. And finally, the group of muscle hunks posing as they flexed for the cameras.

Apparently some magazine decided this spot was the perfect location for some weird gym rat protein powder ad photo shoot and to make matters worse, they tried to rope Tao into it.

Before you sat down though, Tao made a bit of a scene by scooting your chair even closer to the tower while making eye contact with one of the big buff dudes.

You told him he was being a bit extra to which he said he was only being cautious as they had been eyeing you since you started walking down the beach. You rolled your eyes, ready to tell him that there's no way they'd be interested in you until he thrusted a binder in your direction.

It was a detailed list of ingredients, dishes, and recipes commonly enjoyed by all saltwater merfolk with a few dishes his kind liked the most. You had almost forgot that he said he'd make this list for you so when he gave it to you, you almost cried.

You thanked him and started fanning through the pages and noticed his hand writing was especially nice on dishes that his people particularly enjoyed. You gave him a quick side eye and smiled.

These are probably his personal favorites, you think.

As you started to skim through the recipes with the neatest hand writing a shadow fell over you.

It was one of the buff guys.

He gave you the most generic social media fake ass grins ever and you couldn't help the eye roll. He started to introduce himself but was hardcore interrupted when Tao drove him into the ground like a fucking bull.

Tao and the buff guy started hashing it out until his bros came and peeled him away from the fight. It was the first time you really really saw Tao's teeth. Sharp and pointy like a shark's and then there was the spike like fins on his lower arms and legs. He looked like a mad dog ready to rip someone in half.

You heard one of the photographers comment on how territorial some of the fair folk can be with places or people they claim as their own.

If that was the case, then you guessed it might have to do with your friendship with Tao. If it wasn't, then he's about the get a stern talking to.

~~~~~~

"He was bothering you, I don't see why you're upset with me," Tao says after you lectured him about yesterday.

"I'm upset you dingbat because shit like that can get you sent back to your home realm! Do you think I want my friend to get deported over shit like that," you poke his arm, but it ends up being a jab.

Tao opens his mouth then closes it. He looks around a bit then let's out a long sigh "I'm sorry. I really don't know what's come over me. After I moved here, I didn't have my shoal. My sponsor checks on me maybe once every three months since he's been busy working with another merman who's been trying to get his pass here. I guess the loneliness drove me a bit crazy."

Now you feel bad for making him feel bad but you hope your gift will more than make up for it. You worked all morning long on it, double checking to make sure the meat was ready and perfect right before you left the house and that the sea greens were cooked and seasoned just right.

"Well moving past that, I brought you something," you take out the lunch box and show it to Tao.

He looks down right shocked as he goes to reach for it. He carefully removes the lid and his eyes stare hard at the contents.

"You made this... for me," his voice is soft and quiet and you can hear the pain behind it. He hesitates for a moment then takes a slice of the thin cut beef and pops it in his mouth. He closes his eyes and tilts his head back and swallows. He's quiet for a minute and you're afraid you messed up and he's too nice to tell you other wise.

"Tao if it's bad you can just tell me, I can take the criticism," you tell him, ready for the critical blow.

Instead he tilts his head back down and opens his eyes. The whites are now all black which makes his yellow irises pop even more so.

"My friend, if this was bad I would have spat it out," he grabs two more slices and then a few more practically stuffing his face like a kid who was caught with a bag of candy.

You watch as he eats everything, savoring every bite like he hasn't had a decent meal in ages. His harsh features soften as he takes the last bite and licks his fingers clean. For some reason you focus on him as he rolls the sauce off of his fingers and onto his tongue.

Bad lonely thoughts, Tao is our friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

"So was it good?" you ask, though you can probably guess the answer by the clean plate.

"If I was mermaid being offered a feast, I'd allow you the honor to continue courting me," he jokes.

"Oh what an honor," you laugh.

For the first time since you've met him he laughs back. You can't help but stare at him and feel a smile build up that hurts your cheeks.

"Thank you, really. I have tried and tried to create something that tastes like home but it was never quite right. It was either too salty or I over cooked the meat or the greens were under cooked somehow. This is pretty close to the flavors of my shoal. I didn't realize how much I missed this," he looks down at the empty lunch box with a mix of emotions.

Something in you feels for him. You haven't had a taste of home in forever but your problem is that you're pretty sure that it would make you physically sick instead of homesick. Home never felt like home, here didn't feel like home until you met Jessica and Tao.

Jessica made you her to die for pie for you birthday which you almost threw up from over drinking when she took you bar hopping for your birthday. Tao gave you an amazingly detailed binder of saltwater mer foods and recipes.

You can't think of anything better than food that brings all sorts of peoples together, human or the fair folk.

"Well, I can't do it all the time but I can at least make you a boxed lunch once a week, how does that sound," you smile at him.

"If it weren't for the fact that you're human and my friend I'd think you were trying to court me," he laughs. "But yes, that sounds good."

You play slap him and he laughs again.

~~~~~~~~~

"For the last time Jes, there's nothing romantic going on between Tao and I," you roll your eyes as Jessica gives you her biggest grin.

"Uh huh, sure girl. Maybe you don't see it that way, but guys don't risk getting deported for just friends and not just once. This is what, the second offence? He's lucky that he's, oh what did you say? A combination of a bookish mafia boss, the inspiration for the statues of deities and all around hotty mchot hot hot," she wriggles her brows at you before popping another slice of gum in her mouth.

You snort laugh, "I did not say that last one Jes."

"No, but you were thinking it," she raises a brow and twirls around till she's behind the counter.

"Listen, I can find him physically attractive and still not want more than a friendship. Plus he hasn't come onto me so I'm pretty sure he's not into me like that," you sigh and continue cleaning the table you just cleared.

Jessica hums something and clicks her tongue, "Girl you do know he's not human right? That he might have been coming onto you from the get go without you realizing it? Shoot for that matter he might not even realize it himself."

That has you curious now.

"What do you mean by that," you look over you shoulder to see Jes twirling a red curl.

"Oh you know, that the fair folk believe in fated mates and things like that," she gives you a cheesy grin and blushes a little.

You do know about the fated mates thing, it's one of the reasons a lot of fair folk, especially the guys, flocked to this realm in droves once the rift border opened up. With the fae it was pretty easy to tell once the bond clicked which wasn't always immediately. Their calm and calculated appearance would become wild and untamed. They would get quickly territorial and easily violent towards anyone who came close to their mate. A mark would usually show above the heart and a matching one would appear on their mate once their bond was consummated.

As for merman, no one had any idea what to look for since they just started coming this side as of a few years ago.

"Yes, I'm well aware about that. So what does that have to do with him not know if he's coming onto me," you ask.

"They know it deep down and act on it sometimes. They don't even realize they're courting you half the time or that they have this desire to want to be with you. It's hardcore ingrained into their DNA or something, I don't know. But it sounds to me that he is indeed into you. You're both just too oblivious to see it. Unlike Artek," Jes grins at the mention of her wild fae lover's name and sighs.

And suddenly her weird school girl crush behavior makes sense.

"Jes, did you and Artek.... Wait a sec, are you and-"

Jessica folds down her top just enough for you to see part of a swirling mark above her heart. She shakes in place with the goofiest smile you've ever seen on her.

"Just found out last night. Oh and he did not want to let me go," she places a hand on her forehead and feigns being scandalized. "But I have to go to work. He threatened to come in and tear Mikey a new one if he so much as thinks he can schedule me during my bond week," she give a vicious grin then.

The fae took about a week to celebrate their mate bond here, which was a much shorter version of their actual month long festivity of it. Mates were so rare on their side for some reason but here it was becoming as normal as two humans getting married. It just happened, but it was equally special if not more so.

Regardless, you were happy for Jes. Mikey tried to take everything from her in their divorce but got next to nothing after a detective brought in proof of his multiple affairs. That's why he's such an ass to her here.

"So, when's your bride feast huh? Gonna go all out," you turn to her and cross your arms.

Jessica goes into great detail about what she wants to do for the rest of the shift. That Artek has invited his large ass family this side to celebrate and that he's already started sourcing materials for their marriage bed. It was more than obvious that she's over the moon and can't get over the fact that she's found the one after years of dealing with a heartache.

Mikey tried to shut her down but several of the fair folk patrons snapped at him saying that it's a blessing that her and Artek found one another and he shouldn't discourage her happiness. His flustered face was priceless.

~~~~~

"Hey grandmama, I'm home," you shout as you slide your shoes off at the door.

Your grandmother's house is unusually quiet for this time of day when she's usually scrolling through her phone while listening to her soap operas. You look around and the livingroom is empty and so is the kitchen. You're about to call her when you see a note on the fridge saying Gayle has whisked her away for margaritas with the girls.

"Fuck me sideways and call me bob," you rake your fingers over your face in frustration. As much as you can't stand her normal antics you loath her when she's drunk. If you're lucky, Gayle will have her spend the night at her house until their hangovers wear off. If you weren't, there's a nice beach with your name on it.

Typically you'd go there after work but you're tired and you have the house to yourself right now. So you stretch and crack open the fridge and start preparing for a blissful night of snacking and binge watching some of your favorite shows.

~~~~

Hours pass and you get a text from Gayle that she's taking your grandmother home with her since she's had one too many and sends you a pic of your grandmother trying to put a dollar bill in a male strippers strap.

"Thanks for the mental scarring Gayle, just what I needed," you text back to her knowing she'll get the joke.

Gayle was a close family friend and was more like a grandmother to you than your biological one was at times. She was sweet and caring with a crazy sense of humor and infectious laughter. You sometimes wish you lived with her but she travels too much and she likes her alone time just as much as she like partying.

You squirm in your grandmother's recliner and grab a bag of chips getting ready for the next show until you hear a frantic knock at your door.

The bag flies out of your hand due to your shock reflex and you place a hand over your heart.

The knocking continues as you rush to the door to check through the peephole. You can't see nothing.

"Who is it?" you ask.

"It's me, are you ok," you hear Tao's voice.

You pause, not remembering if you ever told him where you live aside from the general direction. You slowly open the door and look up at him. He looks worried out of his mind.

"Tao, are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost buddy," you ask him.

His hair is all messed up and he's breathing fast and hard, trying to catch his breath and his tan skin looks like he worried himself sick.

"You didn't come to the beach today. You've been coming everyday except when it rains. I thought something happened," he frowns.

"Oh uh well, no I'm fine. My grandmother is out tonight so I thought I'd enjoy a night in since this rarely happens," you explain.

"I see, ok... That's good then. As long as you're alright," he nods and sighs as he leans against the top of the door frame.

A crack of thunder peels off in the distance causing Tao to flinch. He looks even more worried then.

"Sounds like rain," you comment.

"Yes, I... I should get going then, I don't want to accidentally transform back to my other form while walking home. It'd be very inconv-"

Before he finishes that thought lightning bursts through the sky and the little misting sprinkle turns into a torrential downpour.

Tao groans and looks resigned as he's about to turn to leave but you quickly stop him.

"Hey you can stay here for tonight if you want to wait out the rain," you tell him.

He looks to you like that's possibly the dumbest thing you could say.

"That sounds inappropriate," he glares at you. "Inviting an unmated male into your house is never wise."

"Tao we're friends and adults. I'm pretty sure I can trust you to keep your hands to yourself unless you've had ulterior motives from the get go," you cross your arms and stare up at him.

"It is still unwise," he nods, being firm.

"Oh so then you do have ulterior motives," you raise a brow.

"I never said that," he grimaces.

"Then there's no problem if you don't. Come on, get your ass in here," you open the door all the way and beckon him inside.

You hear him groan as he accepts his defeat while walking in. He struggles with the low ceiling, well low for him as he shuts the door.

"Is this your first time in a human house," you ask, leading him to the livingroom.

"Yes, it's very uh small and compact," he notes.

You get the compact part as your grandmother is a bit of a tidy hoarder, the small thing, that's probably due to his height.

"Well mi casa su casa. Well more like mi abuela's casa su casa, but still, make yourself at home," you say then try to offer him something warm to eat and drink.

Tao tries to deny any offers but you snap back saying it's rude to deny your hostess the honor of taking care of her guest. Tao eventually resigns and you bring him a warm cup of tea. As you go to the kitchen to make him something to eat he asks if he can watch you. You agree and start pulling ingredients left and right.

You get fully into the zone as you start preparing the food. You glance over at Tao ever so often just to see that he's fixated on your process. As you start cooking you notice the whites of his eyes turn black again. He sniffs the air and his pupils dilate.

"Want to try a bite," you offer him a piece and he takes it with no hesitation and scarfs it down. His nails which are sharp and pointed seem a bit longer and more pointier now. His expression looks more predatory than normal and some of his spikey fins have started protruding.

Guess that means he's really hungry.

"Give me just a few more minutes and dinner will be ready ok," you tell him as you continue on with his meal.

Tao just nods and stares daggers at pan. You feel like if you let him he'd lunge at it with reckless abandon and eat everything in record timing.

After a little bit you scoop the meat into a bowl and hand it to him. He looks at it and takes in a deep whiff before carefully grabbing a bite. He looks like he's holding back going ham on the food and you're wondering if he's trying not to scare you by going into some weird merman feeding frenzy.

"Hey if you need to eat however you want to eat, go ahead. I can just uh go into another room if you want some privacy or someth-"

Tao grabs a handful of the meat and stuffs his face with it. His pupils nearly engulf his irises making his eyes look pitch black. He tears into the strips of meat like a crazed hungry animal. The juices and sauce start dripping down his arms and you roll your eyes at the mess.

"I'm going to get you a towel, that stuff'll get sticky after a while," you say as you walk towards to laundry room.

Tao grunts and consumes some more meat.

As you get to the laundry room you smack yourself over the head for having another bout of terrible lonely girl thoughts.

Tao, smack.

Is, smack.

Just, smack.

A, smack.

Friend, smack.

You should not be even more attracted to him after that feeding frenzy trance thing he just went in and yet you can't stop thinking about it.

"God, does that mean I'm depraved," you question yourself. "Or does this just mean I'm weird and anything goes right now in my lonely haven't had sex in ages mind?"

Probably a bad mix of both...

You sigh and grab a towel and turn only to be met with a brick wall.

"Oh hey, are you done," you ask, praying that he didn't hear you questioning your sexual sanity.

He nods and cocks his head and points to the towel.

"Yeah, um here," you hand it to him and he slowly but carefully cleans himself off.

"So there's a guest bedroom in the back. Bed is probably a bit small for you even though it's a king size. It gets cold at night since my grandmother has the a/c on a schedule so I'll bring you some extra blankets," you tell him as you turn to go show him the room.

He quietly follows you and steps slowly into the room, smelling and inspecting it. You leave him be while you go grab a large comforter and a few throw blanket for him. When you come back he's already curled under the covers with his feet barely sticking out. As you go to lay another layer over him he snatches you and pulls you into the covers with him.

You flail about for a bit until you hear what you're pretty sure in a purr. You kick up the covers to see Tao asleep now and honest to gods purring. He pulls you in closer and just cuddles you. He's mentioned a few times that when someone gets cold that his shoal will form basically cuddle piles to stay warm. Maybe that's it and maybe he's also really homesick. He said he can never go back though...

"Just this once, jeeze. Not letting you go into a feeding frenzy next time I give you food," you snort laugh and try to relax against Mr. Brick wall.

Tao shifts a bit till he's holding you close enough that you can hear his heartbeat. He moves the covers and extra blankets back up and slowly drifts back to sleep.

You're a little jealous of how fast he can nod off but eventually you start dozing in and out.

He's probably going to flip the fuck out about this in the morning. Well, we'll deal with it then...

[cottoncandyclown123]

FNF CatFight x JTTW = MONKEY FIGHT

(This took me 5 hours, every thing hurts.. but it was worth it! 😎)

Hope you all like it!

[theaceofshovels]

Didn’t think I could go any lower than Ninjago

[maddeningtrash]

Happy lesbian visibility week!

[whitefox2k18]

My frist attempt to sketch Tao AKA The Destined One

I tried my best and as for the name Tao meaning "Peach"

I cant pick a good name to save my life

@blackknight-kai @s0rr3l @marcu-bug @dunanana

[solusbane]

[phoenixeclipse-lmkau]

Curious question here:

how would the warlords take it if alternatively, when reader first met them as cubs she was pregnant but even she didn't know that? Like how they would be before and after they developed feelings for her?

Or how would it be if after they get married and stuff when she gets sent back to her time line turns out she be pregnant with one of their child?

Ooh now this one is a fun one!

If she was pregnant beforehand, they would love the child immensely. While it wasn't theirs to begin with, they would have seen how much she loves it.

Though you better hope the father isn't in the picture because if he is... he might not be for much longer. Correction he would NOT be for much longer. The Monkey duo would go out of their way to make it look like an accident, but they will make sure that the father is dead. Of course, they'll be there to comfort you when the time comes.

And as this is a fictional world I believe there would be ways to pass on powers and such to others. They would give the child small bits of powers until they were able to use those powers well. So they would have a little mini Reader to care for as their own cub.

If the child is born before they start transferring power it would 100 percent chance the would be human. While if Reader was still pregnant when they began giving them power? There would be a chance for them to become a monkey demon/demoness. VERY SMALL CHANCE but a chance none the less.

Of course, they'll want to give the child a few siblings, too. Which means that the child would not at all have to fear for their life, they would have two warlords protecting them!

They want to take every chance to claim the child as theirs. Human or not, they are of your blood and are just so precious! So small and of adorable.

>>>

Now if Reader gets pregnant and goes home? Hehe I have quite a few ideas on how they would react to THAT!

First of all, the cub would probably absorb powers from both of them. Simply due to how strong their powers are, the cubs would be very strong. They would more than likely look much more like one of them than both of them, of course. She would love and support the cub with or without the help of her warlord husbands.

She would probably get sent back to the JTTW world before she has the child or children. But it would have been decades in the other world, while she would have only been gone a few months for her. Depending on when she returns definitely depends on how this is handled.

At the beginning of JTTW? She would probably ask Spirit for help (This is the only time she wouldn’t start the journey out with Tripitaka) Instead the pilgrims would probably find her while they’re traveling. They would meet her when the cubs are a few months or about a year old. Needless to say, Wukong and Macaque coo and love their cubs. (Setting aside their argument for a moment in their journey)

If it’s after JTTW and during the LMK part? Hehe~ Well that depends on which way I go with JTTW but~

If I go with the route of Mk being raised by the warlords (in which Mk was born from the stone egg and is technically Wukong's brother), then they would still love their cubs. It would make it easier for them to learn about Reader, and it would for sure make it far faster. Their curious nature would make sure of that.

In this route, Reader would have twins because I have the perfect cub ocs for this! Bao and Tao.

These two mischief causing twins are chaos incarnate (almost).

Both are born with six beautiful ears, Bao’s are shades of purple with the darkest shade on the top. While Tao has shades of red in his ears, with the darkest on the top.

Sun Bao is reckless and impulsive just like his dad. He likes to get into all kinds of trouble without much thought, he‘ll jump around and doesn’t know the definition of quiet. This boi is LOUD (Though not as loud as his younger sister is going to be), he will shout and yell all he wants without much thought until his brother pulls on his ear to shut him up. (Tao does this a LOT).

Even though Bao acts more like Wukong than Macaque he looks almost just like Macaque. He has pure white fur, a dark purple face mask and of course his six ears. The only thing he really inherited from Wukong other than his personality were his striking golden eyes, untainted from the Samaudi fire so they are pure gold.

Now Sun Tao on the other hand is the opposite of his brother. He is quiet, calm and likes to think things through before he causes havoc. He likes to plan how to play pranks on people and decide who based on the actions they make.

Tao has deep golden fur that covers his body, with the same dark red face mask as his dad and the six ears like Macaque. He also inherited his dad’s dark golden eyes, so some that don’t see his ears might actually mistake him for Wukong. (Which depending on his age, and if he’s known of WILL use this to his advantage… until Wukong hears and looks for the imposter)

I did use this post as an excuse to talk about my chaos twins didn’t I? Hehe~ Love these two. They are jokesters and love to see how many pranks they can play before someone finds them out. Which of course leads to their reveal.

Now when I say that they will make it easier for Wukong and Macaque to find Reader. This is for both if she is pregnant with them or if they are already born. While they have a hard time tracking Reader due to her being from another world… how can they not sense THEMSELVES!

Feeling the familiar magic makes it all the easier to track Reader down and capture her for themselves. The pure unbridled excitement and joy is exhilarating! They can’t wait for the little ones to come into the world. And if Reader thinks she can escape again? Well… she better think again.

Wukong and Macaque just better not do something stupid to get themselves trapped for whatever reason where they can’t get to Reader. But can SENSE their children. The devastation they would feel would be worse than under the mountain.

I hope you enjoyed the answer to this!! I have thought about this MANY times.

Comments, likes and reblogs are always wanted and appreciated! Thank you for all the love and the asks you send me!!

[abgemeldet]

this mission gived me joy idk why 🤣

i'm not very good in this, so i was proud of myself i did it right first try (even it..wasn't so hard 😟)

[amalasdraws]

Whose outfit is whose?

[furious-blueberry0]

Hala and her cousin Nar, at a festival on Duro

[dashofmonsters]

Dreamers & Delusions- Pt. 3

merman x female reader

You wake up feeling slightly smothered. You pry an eye open to be met with taut tan skin. You groan remembering what happened last night knowing damn well you'll have to really clean the kitchen since that sauce is probably stuck in that pot. That and you'll most likely have to calm Tao down.

You squirm just enough to dislodge yourself from Tao's arms only to see his face twist as his eyes flutter awake.

He stares at you blankly for a minute before he flies out of the bed like a scared cat, landing on his feet before falling on his ass with a hard thud. Tao stutters as he tries to apologize, his expression a mix of embarrassment, fear, and anger.

"Woah woah, hey! Everything's fine! You kind of blanked out last night while eating but nothing happened! You're good ok? Tao hey look at me, deep breaths man! Come on, it's fine," you try to calm him down while sitting next to him.

Tao scoots away and tries to catch his breath, "I, you asked me... You asked me to keep my hands to myself though. I-I-I still should be held accountable for-"

"Dude, that's just an expression for keeping your hands out of my pants. Like don't try to come onto me..." you wave your hand in a circle hoping he'd get it but nothing. "You know, sexually? Which you did not by the way. Cuddling can be platonic and that's all that happened right? So we're good!"

His brows furrow and he nods. He still doesn't seem convinced that he did nothing wrong as he balls up on himself.

"Really," you start, a bit more softer. "Nothing happened. I'm fine and to be honest, that was probably the best nights sleep I've had in forever. The purring was unexpected though."

You giggle but Tao buries his face in his hands looking like an embarrassed girl who just confessed to her crush.

"Oh come on man, I'm just trying to lighten the mood! I won't tell anyone that you can purr. I will take this bit of horrific terrible no good information to the grave ok? Just stop collapsing in on yourself like a black hole," you scootch to sit next to him and try to pry one of his arms away.

He loosens up and peers up over his arms at you, "Just for the love of the goddesses never mention the purring again. Ever, even between us. It's embarrassing even though it's normal, it's just not talked about."

Your heart flutters because he honest to god looks adorable being all embarrassed and you have to really really stop yourself from patting his head. Taking a deep breath you nod.

"Got it, cultural thing. Won't bring it up again, breakfast," you ask, quickly changing the subject.

Tao nods and awkwardly gets himself back into a standing position before helping you up. You look down the hall and across the way to the living room to make sure no one else is here. The likelihood that your grandmother would be back yet is slim but not entirely impossible.

When you see that the coast is clear you head to the kitchen with Tao in tow. He sticks close by, looking around concerned.

"You alright buddy?" you ask.

"I- I don't know, I don't really remember much from last night aside from running here and you inviting me inside and then things started to get blurry," he turns this way and that while sniffing the air trying to piece together what might have happened.

"Well you were practically drooling while I was on cooking, went into a feeding frenzy and then you were kind of like on auto pilot mode. What was that about," you walk him through what you remember and you hear a slap.

You look up at Tao who's large hand is covering his face.

"You saw me eat," he asks, sounding absolutely mortified.

"Yeah, no big deal though. You were hungry right? I was just happy that you were ok with my cooking. I would have tried it myself but medium rare chicken isn't quite safe for human consumption. Sauce was tasty though," you shrug.

Tao looks at you like you smacked him instead, "You weren't disgusted?"

"Should I have been? I mean the extra row of teeth was a surprise and all but I've seen worse. I work at a diner mind you and I've seen grown ass men eat mashed potatoes with their grubby unclean hands. Now that is gross," you cross your arms.

You've told Tao time and time again that you're pretty open minded when it comes to the cultural differences between you and he. It's taken quite a bit to convince him that he doesn't have to hide his arm and leg fins while working, no one cares. In fact, it gives him more edge and the kids take him more seriously.

Tao still looks distraught but he stands just a bit taller.

Right... the fair folk are about give and take. I guess that applies for some merfolk to.

"Fine, if you feel like you gotta do something to make up for last night, you can help me with the dishes. Is that fair," you point to the skillet and the variable dishes in different states of disgusting.

He straightens up real quick and gets to work. While he does that you work on breakfast. It's simple and nothing crazy like you made last night but it has Tao glancing over your shoulder ever so often. He asks what your making and what seasonings you're using.

Eventually the dishes are done and the both of you are comfortably eating breakfast while talking about food and cooking. He enjoys Mediterranean style cooking and isn't much into sweets except anything coffee flavored. He also loves sashimi but hates sushi. You did notice his favorite recipes don't include anything with nori.

"So are you planning on being a life guard full time or is it just while you're acclimating," you ask between bites of pancake.

Tao rolls his head back and groans, "I've tried to think of what I'd want to do but nothing translates well with the jobs I could have had in my shoal. Being a life guard was the closest option to what I could of been."

"I see, so limited job options for you people," you nod.

"More like limited to half breeds like myself," he sighs and looks down at his plate.

You don't press or ask what he means because you'd never pry, that was something he said he appreciated about you. You gave him the space and time to talk about things like he did with you now.

"My mother is from my birth shoal but my father well he was from a different and more smaller shoal. These," he points to the bands on his arms and to the black streaks in his hair. "These are proof that I'm not just of my mother's kind. I'm considered an outcast. I had one chance to stay in my shoal but I refused to take it and for that I was banished."

The pain in his voice is unbearable and heartbreaking. He must miss his family and to be banished from the only life you've ever know must hit hard.

"I couldn't do what they were asking," he continues, his voice choking. "My mother had lost both my father and my brother's father. Two mates!" He stops and looks up at you with wide eyes looking like he's in terrible horrible pain. "She lost them and I couldn't kill my own brother just to stay in that goddess forsaken shoal!"

Your heart stops for a moment and then you're on your feet walking towards him.

"I couldn't do it! And I-I don't even know why I'm telling you this just fo-"

You wrap your arms around him and give him the best hug that you can. You feel him stiffen for a second only for his body to go limp once you start patting his back.

"You're just feeling a lot, I get it. Let it all out man, I won't judge," you coo, still patting him.

Tao is still for a moment longer before pulling you in closer and quietly crying against you chest. You feel him shake as he lets what could be years and years of silent suffering go. His nails dig into your back and although it's a little uncomfortable you know that holding in that much hurt is more painful.

"I couldn't do it..." he mutters again and again, the feelings of loss overcoming him.

"I know, and you spared your mother such a horrible thing. She must know you're alright. Even though you're far apart she still loves you. You're brother will be her constant reminder of your bravery. You chose right. And I know sometimes the right things are the hard things believe me I know, but you did right and your mother knows it. She might not be here to say it so I will, I'm proud of you and lucky to have such a good friend," you say, comforting him as you now rub circles on his back.

Tao holds you tighter and you can hear the muffled cry he tries to hold back.

"Let it all out. I'm here for you," you continue to comfort him as he cries his heart out to you.

~~~~~

After a while Tao eventually calms down but passes out on the couch. You toss a blanket over him and check your phone.

"You grandmother is spending another night here. She raided my mini bar and got drunk off her ass. Enjoy your alone time, I know you need it," Gayle texted you thirty minutes ago.

You sigh in relief and tidy up the half eaten breakfast you and Tao had.

Deciding now is the perfect time to do nothing, you do just that and get back to being lazy. You stretch back out onto the recliner and scroll through your phone while Tao takes it power nap. It's a comfortable kind of quiet you've gotten used to.

A text pings and you check it real quick and frown.

"Jsut gettin out of teh rehanb an I thoubt I see how yor doin. Callme," your mother texts you.

You don't know how or why she has your new number but you never wanted to talk to her again. Or at the very least for a long long time. She was one of the few people who made living in your hometown a living hell. She was the town druggy and you were her daughter. You and your siblings were targeted for causing trouble even though you never caused any all for being her kids.

It got so bad that your brother went into inpatient therapy and your sister ran away. You haven't heard from her in six years. Your older brother tried his best but it was hard to take care of a group of kids when he was still in high school. He tried to take you and your younger brother away but got incarcerated for kidnapping.

After a few months in the county jail he was released but never came back until a couple years ago. He took your mom to court where you and your younger brother testified against your mom. She played the pitiful me and my hard life card and got away with a year in jail and one in rehab.

You consider calling her to cuss her out but decide it's not worth your time or effort. You roll your eyes and decide to let your silence speak for itself.

"You're upset, what's wrong," you hear Tao as he sits up with glorious bed hair and his eyes puffy and red.

"How can you tell," you set your phone down and glare.

Tao points to his nose, "I can smell emotions. Anger usually smells sharp and rotten like spoiled milk."

"Oh, well yeah. I am pissed but not at you. Just something... someone texted me and I don't want to talk to them. Ever," you cross your arms and look down.

Tao sits himself up right and folds the throw blanket. He doesn't press but waits to see if you'll continue or dismiss the subject.

"It was my mom," you start. "Her and I aren't on speaking terms. She ruined my life. My brothers, sister, and I suffered because she was always looking for that next high and we were know for being the druggy lady's kids. It sucked ass!"

He nods and walks over to you and sits back down and his eyes meet yours. Gently he takes your hand and starts rubbing circles on top of it with his thumb.

"And now she-she thinks she can just act like nothing happened! She's all like, 'I'm out of rehab, call me!'. Fuck. No," you tighten up but then feel yourself being tugged into Tao's arms as he gives you a great big bear hug.

He pats your back like you did for him and you feel yourself melting into a puddle of tears.

Tao doesn't speak but he doesn't need to. You know him doing this much is well, a lot. You eventually calm down though but he still holds you, tighter and tighter like he doesn't want to let go.

"My dad left when I was a like nine after he found out mom was getting some stuff from the other realm. She wasn't too into at first since it was hard to get ahold of but she got worse. The easier it was to get the more she got and she worse she was. For fucks sake I came home from school one day and she was hanging upside down midair with a nosebleed from hell! No one should have to grow up like that," you groan as you slump in Tao's arms.

He shakes and his hold on you tightens, "No, you shouldn't have had to have gone through that."

"All I wanted was a normal life! Is that too much to ask for," you pull back a little and look at Tao while tears continue to fall.

The whites of his eyes are black again and his expression is blank as he thumbs away a tear, "You are here now and far from the people who hurt you. Don't let them win by grieving over what they had done to you."

At that you nod, trying your hardest to stop crying because you know he's right. Things always got worse when you cried at what your bullies said or did.

"You're right," you sniffle and wipe your face with your sleeve.

Tao gives you a minute to collect yourself before helping you stand. You feel a little dizzy but relieved to have gotten that off your chest. You hadn't realized how much it had bothered you, how much it really had effected you until the past dug itself up out of the grave. It had been years since you last saw your mother. Her stay at rehab kept getting extended thanks to your brother, but now she's out and she has your number.

A shiver of fear runs up your spine but you try to keep yourself together. Tao pats your head and it's so odd and weird you can't help but to laugh.

"Thanks for hearing me out," you start. "I haven't gotten to vent about all that in years."

Tao looks down at you and nods, "You are my friend and you had done the same for me. I have not felt such relief myself in years. Thank you for that."

"So what do you want to do now? We had our feels fest and all," you laugh a little awkwardly, still not sure how to feel about what just happened.

Tao moves to the nearest window and peers outside and sighs, "It's still raining but not as bad. I should go home soon, I feel as if I might over stay my welcome."

"Nonsense, and besides my grandmother got stark drunk again so I get another free night! How about I teach you some more humany things," you grin at him.

He glares at you, "The last humany thing you taught me was human alcohol and it tasted like liquified rotten crab. I will politely pass."

You double over laughing as you remember his reaction to giving him his first sip of beer. You're not much of a beer drinker yourself but Jessica came with you that evening to check out Tao and well, you both got a little carried away. Tao took a sip and his face was priceless! It looked like he was eating sour candy while sipping rotten milk.

"I promise no human booze will be involved ok," you place your hand over your heart and give him your best puppy eyes.

His glaring continues, "None at all?"

"Not even a drop," you nod.

Tao looks outside again and groans, "Very well, I guess I could stand to learn more human concepts."

~~~~~

You decided to introduce Tao to some of your favorite cooking shows and the guy was practically glued to the TV. You hadn't expected it to go over as well as it did but he got enthralled.

Somewhere along the line you offered to cook again but this time he wanted to help. At first you thought it would be strange to work with him in the kitchen considered the height difference but it was the best time you've had cooking with anyone. Everything went fantastically smooth, from the prep work to the mixing and cooking. Neither of you said anything but knew what to do the second you said what you wanted to make. It was like a dance that ended in the most delicious rice dish you've ever made.

For the first time ever you saw Tao genuinely smile and it made you feel all sorts of things. His eyes, so strange compared to yours practically glowed. You admitted that he was attractive before but him smiling added a whole new level.

Tao notices you staring as he shovels a bite in his mouth, "Is something wrong?"

You blink and shake your head, "No, nothing. You just look happy."

His shoulders slump and he sighs, but he's still got a bit of that smile on his face. "I guess I feel a somewhat happy. I know I feel lighter, less weighed down by my past."

"Good food, good rest, and a good cry session tends to help. Followed by more rest and food," you smile.

"I do feel oddly better. I am lucky to have such a good friend then," Tao smiles at you and goes back to shoveling food into his mouth.

You feel like crying all over again from all these feelings.

~~~~~

After your late lunch, you end up passing out while Tao continues to watch cooking shows. You have no idea how long you're out for but you wake up in the guest room lovingly tucked into bed.

You smell something amazing and sit up and rub your eyes. You follow the sent of heaven to the kitchen and see Tao plating something that makes your mouth water.

"You were out for nearly seven hours," he comments.

You grumble an apology but notice he's not upset.

"You probably needed it like I did after I told you about my banishment. Here," he hands you a plate and fork.

Without hesitation you take a bite and do a happy food dance, "Oh my gods Tao! This is fucking amazing!"

You stab at the food and stuff your face, "Sho fricken good!"

And then for the first time ever you hear him laugh.

If his smile made you feel things his laugh sealed the deal. Yup, you have a certified grade A level one school girl crush on him. But that's it, he's still just your friend. Nothing more.

"Dude, whenever or whoever you decide to court is going to be one lucky lady! Fuck this is good!" you point at him with your fork before digging in again.

Tao's eye whites turn black again and you're starting to wonder if it's some weird thing to do with food. It's not an allergy because you learned the other day merfolk don't have those, they just get dry skin problems. You shrug it off since if it's not something he's mentioned or talked about then you probably shouldn't bring it up, like the purring.

"You think my cooking is good enough to win a mate," he asks you very seriously.

"Hell yeah, and if you get turned down it's not your fault. She obviously would lack any taste and thinks ramen noodles with mayo is better. Dude I would sell my soul to eat your cooking everyday," you tell him while laying waste to the last bits of food on your plate.

Tao blushes and nods as he gives you a strange look. You're probably imagining it you tell yourself because there's just no way a guy friend would look at you so intensely. You convince yourself it's just your silly little crush and get over it.

~~~~

After eating and watching more TV the both of you turn in for the night. Tao looked like he wanted to ask you to cuddle with him again but kept his mouth shut. It was for the best you tell yourself that he didn't ask since it would have only fed into your silly crush even more so.

When you both get up which was oddly at the same time you both eat a light breakfast. Tao notices the lack of rain and says a very fast but kind farewell. He said he's worried that the house he's renting might be in a bit of disrepair after that storm and zipped off.

You have to get ready for work anyway and would rather be gone before your grandmother comes back. You pack up your backpack you take to work and shimmy into your favorite light jacket and head out.

The diner your work at is a pleasant thirty minute walk away. It gives you time to get some fresh air and just not think about things. Unfortunately you can't stop fucking thinking about Tao.

The entire walk there you think about Tao and his stupid handsome smile. The entire morning shift you think about Tao and his stupid amazing laugh. The entire lunch break you think about Tao and his stupid awesome delicious food.

"It's not fucking fair," you grumble as you angrily clean off a booth in your section for the third time.

"I told you," Jessica gloats.

"It's just a stupid fucking crush dammit, it'll pass," you roll your eyes and slap the rag down.

"Yeah sure, you keep telling yourself that," Jes grins.

"Come on you're supposed to help me here," you beg as you slump your shoulders and pout.

Jes grabs you and gives you a hug, "Oh I know it's so hard baby girl, it's just a silly crush on a devastatingly handsome merman and you just can't control your feelings but it'll pass. He's just so nice and no guy has treated you so well and you're just so lonely."

Jessica pats your head and you slouch in her arms, "It's just a silly stupid crush right?"

"Of course it is," she shooshes you and pulls back. "Now chin up and kick ass today. We're getting off early and going drinking down at that horrible merman's beach so we can be his problems."

~~~~~

Jessica drove the both of you to Tao's beach where he was already hot on some sleezebags tail who was bothering some ladies.

"He seems busy, lets get fucked up and make matters worse," Jes grins.

"I just want a buzz and to forget that I have a crush on him," you swing your bag off your shoulder and glare at the beach chair you usually sit in.

"You're hanging with me today. I got an extra beach towel girl," she shows you her pack and starts laying everything out.

Tao is unusually busy today chasing after crazy kids and fishermen who keep getting a bit too drunk. You almost feel bad after you tip back your second wine cooler, almost.

The weird mushy crush feelings have been tampered down by the light buzz and all you want to do is go swimming now. You stand and stretch and head towards the water. You think you hear Tao call out to you but you're not really sure as you swim further out.

You suddenly see a large shark fin in front of you and kick towards it thinking it's Tao until your foot is met with rubbery skin. You quickly sober up and push away from the creature but you see the shark starting to surface as you try to swim away. You feel a hard tug on your arm thinking it's Tao only to be disappointed when you feel a hand grope your chest as they pull you closer.

You struggle out of their arms and turn to see the large shark before you. Your heart stops thinking that this is it until a large fist punches the shark in the face. The creep who had been holding you lets go and splashes as they swim away. You're too stunned to move and just float there as you watch Tao beat up a shark.

You hear him yell at you as he picks you up and swims back to the beach. You hear him tell people to get out of his way. You hear him threaten the man who copped a feel when you were trying to swim away from the shark. You hear him lecture Jes who apologizes to the both of you. You hear him lecture you as he sets you down on the beach chair and tells you not to move.

Jessica brings you some water that you drink and wraps you up her extra beach towel. You start to sob and she does the best to console you but it hurts. You did something stupid and now Tao is mad at you and you think he probably hates you.

She offers to bring you home but Tao tells her to leave you be and he'll escort you home once you're fully sober and his shift is over.

Jes doesn't argue and packs up her bag and leaves.

~~~~~~~~

Tao:

I don't understand why she ignored me when I told her there were sharks in the water. Is her hearing worsened when she drinks that human alcohol?

I should really push to getting those drinks banned from my beach. Humans act too strange when they drink it.

My strange human friend is asleep on the beach chair I bought her. Her eyes are puffy now and she's wrapped up in a towel her older friend Jessica brought her.

I might have been too hard on the both of them but I was angry. My friend put herself in grave danger and almost died because a human male tried to... I feel that rage again when I saw what he was doing. I wanted to rip him apart or let that shark eat him while I swam away with my friend.

Such violence does not pass in this world and would probably upset her.

I watch as the last family packs up their belongings and heads to their vehicle. I wait a few minutes and grab my shoulder bag and her backpack and sling the on.

My friend is in a deep sleep, probably still in shock about the shark... and the way I yelled at her.

She does not deal with being yelled at well and she even told me this but I couldn't help it. I almost lost her, my only friend. Without her, I have no shoal here.

I pause and realize that some part of me has accepted this human as one of my own. That must be why I am overly protective of her, she is all I have as family or friend.

With that resolve I carefully pick her up. She shifts in my arms and settles as I hold her close. She smells like the ocean and the flowers that decorate the small grocery store I frequent. It is a pleasant scent.

I walk her home and knock on the door. I am greeted by a small elderly woman with bouncy curls and large glasses. This must be her grandmother.

She sizes me up which makes me feel oddly small under her scrutinizing glare. I stand a bit taller and fix my posture as she nods and welcomes me inside. I feel like I should act like I haven't been here before as she escorts me to the room with the television. She asks me to lay down my friend on the couch that I napped on while here.

"So, how is it that you two know each other," her grandmother asks me, her eyes sizing me up once more.

"Are you her... boyfriend?" she raises her brows as she sits down on the reclining chair.

I am not quite sure what she is asking. I am a man not a boy but maybe that has to do with my gender. I am a male so that must qualify as the same thing right?

I nod, "Yes, I am."

The elderly woman smiles and places her hand on her heart, "Oh you have to tell me how you two met then."

And at her request I do.

~~~~~~~

You're in your bed when you wake up and still in your swim suit. You don't remember how you got home or anything but you do remember Tao and the beach and oh god!

You shoot up out of bed and run to shower off the beach and throw something on. You run past your grandmother who tried to ask you about something but you can't hear her.

Today is Tao's off day, you know that since he's always bringing you a print out of his schedule. You never go to the beach on his off days, you can't trust the other life guard like you can Tao.

So if not the beach...

Right, he said he's usually shopping for the week on his off day.

You make a beeline to the shopping center a mile away from your grandmother's house and book it.

You have to apologize to him today no matter what. As you come up to the stores you try the little grocery shop with flowers decorating the outside. The lady at the register welcomes you in and you give her a quick smile before someone tall catches you eyes.

You weave your way towards the back and catch him by the arm.

"Tao! Oh god, I am so so sorry about yesterday," you tell him as he turns to look at you.

He looks stunned for a moment and then of course he nods, "You were under the influence of that human beverage. Please be more cautious next time."

You feel a crazy amount of relief then and nearly cry, "So you're not mad at me? You don't hate me?"

Tao stiffens up and looks embarrassed for a moment, "No, of course not. I was mad but not at you. That poor excuse of a male who nearly got you killed is the one I was mad at. I could not hate you, I was just concerned for your well being and let my emotions get the better of me. And for that, I am sorry. You told me you shut down when you're yelled at and I... I will try to not do that again."

"Thank you for rescuing me too, I was being stupid because I was going through something and well yeah. I'm sorry for that too," you shrug.

"We both made mistakes," he says.

"Yeah, like that," you point down to what should be the most illegal thing in the whole wide world, socks and leather sandals. In fact as you look him over in his regular none life guard outfit he looks like someone's dad from the 90s. The fanny pack doesn't help.

And yet I'm still attracted to this hot mess express!

"What is wrong with my attire," he looks himself up and down.

"Nothing, just try not to ever wear socks and sandals again. It looks really silly ok," you crinkle your nose but smile.

"I see, thank you for the advice. So you are not upset with me for yelling at you," he asks with his own brand of puppy dog eyes.

"Nah, I'm over it. How about you, we good," you ask.

"The past is in the past, we both made errors and will learn from them," he nods.

"Yeah. Friends still?" you smile nervously.

"Of course," he agrees then raises a brow. "By the way, what is a boyfriend?"

"I guess you could say they're a male romantic partner that isn't quite serious but could be eventually. I guess you could say they're the only suitor allowed to court the female. Something like that I guess," you give him your best interpretation. "Why? Keep hearing it on the beach?"

"No... your grandmother asked me if that is what I was to you when I took you home last night," Tao looks away from your nervously.

There's some long awkward silence that hangs in there air between the both of you that just swing along with the garlic and peppers.

"Tao... What did you tell her," you ask, crossing your arms.

He inhales sharply.

"Tao," you ask again. "What did you tell my grandmother?"

"I uh... I said yes," he finally admits.

[cottoncandyclown123]

Here is the final one! These ones are the drawings without the texts (and bonus drawings as well!) Hope you all like it! Here is 1:

and 2: