#One flustered giraffe coming right up

[avatarmerida]

Something about the 6min clip of season 3 👀👀

ONE WEEK!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE???? I’m assuming this was a prompt because it prompted me because you know I’m manifesting Huntlow content 👀

———

Willow was obsessed with the camera Camila had given her. With their scrolls not functioning in the human realm, Willow wanted a way to show her dads everything they had been up to when they were finally reunited. So Camila had dug her husband’s old camera out of storage to give her the chance.

“It’s pretty old,” Camila said as she blew the dust off. “Nowadays, everything is fast and digital but I think vintage is making a comeback. I’m surprised to still works but it’s all yours mija.” Camila had said. Willow held the little black box like it was her greatest treasure and proceeded to bring it everywhere.

The adjustment had its ups and downs. It seemed that just when they felt one way, something turned everything around. When they’d be enjoying themselves at the mall, laughing and trying human food they’d remember their families on the Isles and feel guilty. When they were in the middle of worrying and feeling like things were hopeless, Gus would find something else amazing about the human world that would distract them and inspire them to try again. It was as though there was no right way to feel so they had no choice but to feel everything.

This was a chance that may never come again, they didnt know how things would play out. So they had to make the best of it and she wanted to remember it. Every part of it.

“The photos are in!” she announced as she entered the living room. Even thought the photos printed automatically, Willow liked to save them to show everyone when they were together so when she entered, everyone jumped from where they were sitting and crowded around Willow as she placed the envelope on the kitchen table. This had become their weekly routine, reliving the week through Willow’s lens, commenting on the moments she captured and picking their favorites.

“Oh, look! Here’s one of me when I got stuck inside the claw machine!” Said Gus, picking up the photo with glee. In the photo he was indeed hugging a giraffe plush that now rested beside his pillow. Camila was seen beside the machine, looking concerned and trying to figure out how to get him out. The claw hadn’t been able to grab the long neck and Gus decided to take matters into his own hands.

“And there’s the fireman cutting you out,” said Vee fondly.

“And there’s security escorting you off property and banning you from the store,” said Hunter.

“Aw, Eda would be so proud.” Luz said, wiping away a tear.

“Oh! Here’s me and Luz before we went on our first human realm date!” squealed Amity, admiring the photo. They were by the door preparing the leave and Willow had caught the moment when Luz had whispered something to Amity and she had thrown her head back laughing as Luz helped her put her coat on.

“Oh! So cute! That’s going on the fridge for sure!” Exclaimed Luz, holding the photo to her heart.

A few of the photos were posed, but most of them were candid action shots. Willow had a gift for spotting the perfect moment.

“Willow, why are so many of these of Hunter?” asked Amity, raising her eyebrow as she flipped through the stack.

“What do you mean? There’s pictures of everyone.” said Willow, confused.

“Yeah, but percentage wise they are mostly Hunter,” laughed Amity. “Look, here’s Hunter in your garden, here’s Hunter showing off his haircut, Hunter reading, Hunter putting away groceries, Hunter... watching a sunset?”

“I guess I spend a lot of time with Hunter,” Willow shrugged, not seeing the issue as Hunter attempted to hide his bright blush her words summoned.

“Yeah, you could open a Hunter gallery with all these,” teased Gus with a whistle. “I didn’t know you were so photogenic dude.”

“The Captain is simply a gifted photographer,” said Hunter, clearly flustered by the proof her attention. “She takes good photos of everything. I mean, here’s a stunning photo of the orchid she grew in the flower box outside, she found the perfect lighting even in the rain!”

“I can see you in the reflection of the window holding the umbrella over her,” said Gus, squinting at the image. He smiled at how happy he looked to be with her, helping her.

“Well I... didn’t want the camera to get wet,” he muttered as he pulled a photo from the pile of him and Flapjack, the Palisman sleeping happily atop his head as a Hunter wore a silly expression Willow had prompted him to make. He smiled at the memory of the day, as though the photo brought it back to life.

“He’s been smiling more,” said Willow plainly, looking at her photos. “It’s nice. I wanna remember it.”

“He’s been smiling more because you spend so much time with him,” said Gus quietly just to her.

“Well maybe that’s why I keep doing it,” she whispered back, wearing a smile of her own as she admired a photo of Hunter covered in mud as Vee and Gus sat on the ground, laughing beside him. In the background, Luz and Amity swayed in the rain. The photo was a little blurry and the exposure wasn’t great, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything.

———

Willow kept all the photos in a photo album for safe keeping, like a little comic documenting their time here. As she added the newest photos to the album, she noted that they were mostly of Hunter. She did want to gather evidence of his smile, but maybe the camera was a tiny excuse to explain why else she looked at him so much.

The others had gone back to their usual activities as she sat at the table admiring her work and writing the dates they were taken in the white portion on the bottom.

“You don’t have to keep wasting so much film on me,” a voice said sheepishly from the doorway. Willow looked up and saw Hunter leaning against the doorframe.

“I’m not wasting anything, “ she countered, motioning for him to sit beside her. “I like having picture of my friends to remind of good times when I’m sad. Look, I love this picture if you and Gus eating ice cream, you were so nice to give him yours when he dropped his. I might not have remembered it without a photo.”

She knew that was a lie as she passed him the picture of sitting beside Gus on the bench and handing him his cone. There was no way she’d ever forget how soft his voice got when he said “here” and gave his shoulders a squeeze as he proceeded to clean up the fallen treat. The way he didn’t think twice about helping Gus made Willow’s heart flip, how helping him was second nature. Willow knew Hunter didn’t think twice about this kind of thing, and didn’t do them for praise which is why it’s memory mattered even more.

“It reminds me how lucky I am to have such kind people in my life,” she said, but Hunter didn’t seem too convinced.

“It’s just that...I know that your families on the Isles wil appreciate the pictures to see what they’ve missed while you were away but... there’s no one who would want to have my picture.”

“What about Darius?”

“He... maybe,” Hunter admitted. “But even then he’d maybe want one or two at most, I’m sure mostly to criticize what I’m wearing. I don’t think he’d approve of my chosen human fashion.”

“Well then I’ll keep them.” she said simply.

“You? W-Why would you want p-pictures of m-me?”

“Because they’re nice pictures, why wouldn’t I want to keep them?” Willow laughed. “I like spending time with you and I like having these pictures to remember the time we spend together. Even though being here can be hard and scary sometimes, you’re always there when I need you. You make me laugh and you care about me and you’re sweet... but if you don’t want me to take your picture, I can stop-.”

“No! No, it’s not that at all,” he chuckled nervously. “I... don’t mind. You really are a great photographer so it’s a honor to be photographed by you.”

She laughed and brought her camera to her eye and snapped at photo of him, his chin resting on his fist as he stared at her with wide dopey eyes.

“Plus, I’m documenting the disappearance of the bags under your eyes,” she added playfully. “You can see the longer we’ve been here, the most rested you look. I think it’s important to commemorate , because you’re important to me.”

“Well... then,” said Hunter, reaching for the camera. “There’s one important thing you’re missing.” He mimicked her motions and snapped a picture of her. Af first she looked at him with confusion, the photo captured her looking up with bright, wide eyes. The second one she smiled for and titled her head. Hunter blushed from behind the camera, attempting not to go too crazy taking photos of Willow. “When you have enough for your dads... I’d like to have a photo of you too, if that’s alright.”

“I think we can arrange that,” she smiled smoothing out her braid. “C’mon, let’s take a picture together.”

She walked over to his seat and rested her chin on his shoulder and angled the camera up to take a selfie. She wasn’t sure how to position it, since when she took them on her scroll she could see the photo as it was being taken but now she had no idea if they were in frame. When the photo spit out the front, it was slightly crooked but the image was still risky clear. Willow looked at the camera making a peace sign and a wide smile, while Hunter’s eyes were glued to Willow, his cheeks red but his smile just as wide as hers.

“Uh, here maybe I can try taking it,” offered Hunter, making note to look at the camera this time. “My arm is longer.”

“Oh good idea,” said Willow handing him the camera and getting up to to look through the lens to make sure the angle was right. “Okay, perfect!”

“So I just press the button?” Asked Hunter as Willow took advantage of having her hands free and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, their faces much closer together this time.

“Yup! And then the flash will go off.”

Just as Hunter found the button Willow turned her face and pressed firm kiss against Hunter’s cheek. His eyes widened in surprise, and Willow smiled as she pictured his reaction. She could blame her impulsiveness on the aesthetic the photo demanded. Hunter remained frozen as Willow leaned forward to take the picture from the camera, and shook it gently.

“You know, you’re actually not supposed to shake it, but I’m too impatient,” she whispered to him with a wink. “Aw! Your face looks so cute, I’m definitely gonna frame this one.”

“You look lovely, Captain,” Hunter said lightly, admiring the photo. It reminded him of the picture they had taken with the Emerald Entrails and reminded him how thankful he was to have her in his life. “Do you think, uh, I could have a copy as well?”

“Well it only prints one copy, but we can take another one!” she said cheerily, setting the photo down carefully as she reassumed her position with her arms around him. He lifted the camera again and held his breath as he prepared to take the photo again. Willow tightened her grip and kissed his cheek again, holding the position and waiting for the flash. Dedicated to the art of photography, she was willing to keep her lips pressed against his face as long as it took to increase their chances of a perfect photo. But Hunter was so focused on her choice of pose, that he didn’t have any brain cells left to focus on actually taking the picture.

But something told him he wouldn’t need a photo to remember this moment forever.

[monstrousvoice]

Heyo! If you don’t write for Heket then please just ignore this one buuut…

What about nsfw Heket with an AFAB follower? I’m just saying, the opportunities with her tongues, power dynamic and size differences are right there 👀

Say she has a consort that gets easily flustered by how intimidating she can be to her other followers and her general grandiose, and she can absolutely tell.

And maybe she pulls them aside when she has a moment of peace to get a better look and taste of them.

Obedience is it's Own Reward

A/N: First off, I am so so sorry that it took so long to get this out! I had a crazy past month and writing had to be put on the back burner a teeny bit. But I finally finished this and I hope its what you wanted boo!

Fandom: Cult of the Lamb

Relationship: Bishop Heket X AFAB Reader

Tags: Smut, PWP, Oral Sex, Power Dynamics, Size Difference, Gag, Clothing used as a Gag, Slight Exhibitionism, Semi-Public Sex

Read on AO3!

Bishop Heket is truly a sight to behold. She towered over the subjects of Anura with nobility and confidence that left you awe-struck and reeling. You will never understand what you did to not only be graced with her presence, but to be invited to her bed on a near daily occurrence. 

All you were truly even aware of was that your Lord Bishop fancied you to some degree, and you couldn’t be happier. She stood tall and proud next to you, beautiful as ever, with an air of intimidation as she worked. With the season coming to an end the last crop had been harvested and brought to the temple. It was your Mistresses duty to inspect everything before it was shipped off to her sibling’s respective realms.

Lord Heket would never let her siblings be served anything less than pristine. She was so caring and sweet like that… “I don’t care, just get it done. However you have to .” She ordered, the giraffe follower before you both giving a hasty bow before scurrying off tail between their legs. After their departure her four red eyes caught you staring, a glimmer of amusement twinkling within.

“And what is it that has your attention so captivated my little firefly?” Dangerous teeth peaked from her grin as she lowered down closer to your smaller form. Embarrassed at being caught, you ducked your head and shifted from foot to foot.

“I…I apologize Mistress, I was just-it’s very p-pleasing to watch you work…” Her eyes narrow in response as her grin grows ever wider. A long, delicate claw comes close to lift your chin.

“Oh really pet? Hmhm, you are adorable when you get like this…So flustered and shy just because I asked you a question.” She purrs. Your hands grasp the cloth of your robe as you whimper at her teasing. 

“I just…enjoy the way you command so effortlessly…” “Oh? My commands you say?” Your eyes widen as you register how your own words sound.

“I-I mean-!” 

“Hush firefly.”

Your jaw snaps shut with a click. The claw under your chin traces ever so slowly along your cheek and down your throat as she hums.

“Such obedience…It should be rewarded I believe. Come.” She pulls away from you and stands to her full height, towering above you. With her usual grace and dominance she turns and leads you away from the various followers still working around you.

You…you had forgotten they were even there…

You try your best to hide your flustered face and ignore the knowing grins other followers give as you pass. It’s easier in the crowded hallways of the temple, followers parting for your beloved Mistress with no hesitation. Your mind is fixated on her words, the feeling of her stare burning you inside and out as she leaned in so close…

A reward, she had promised. The possibilities had your heart fluttering and heat pooling your lower tummy. You’re so lost in your lewd fantasies that the nudge in your side almost makes you stumble.

“H-huh?” You crane your neck up to meet four scarlet eyes staring down at you, hooded with lustful promise. You turn your gaze to the side to see a door being propped open by her hand, and realize she’s waiting for you to step through. You quickly do so, finding yourself in a temple storage room. 

A deafening ‘ thud ’ of the door behind you seals your fate.

Before you can even open your mouth to speak, Mistress Heket has her hands gripping your hips hard enough to bruise, pulling you into her warm chest. A claw tilts your head up again, but this time you’re met with a fat pink tongue pushing against your lips.

The surprise gasp you give is the opportunity it needs to squeeze inside and fill your wet and willing mouth. A groan leaves you as your eyes fall shut in pleasure. Dutifully you begin suckling the tender flesh pushing against the back of your throat. You feel your Mistresses gaze burning into you as she suddenly starts moving.

A sudden pressure is against your plush ass, and the part of your brain that has yet to turn to mush registers it as a supply box for you to sit on. This frees up Heket’s webbed hands so they can wander over your flesh sending sparks though the sensitive nerves along your body. 

Her claws are relentless in their teasing as she deepthroats you with her tongue - sides are caressed, breasts squeezed and nipples pulled, the only barrier being your flimsy robe. Her tongue suddenly leaves you with a ‘ slurp ’, and you gasp and gulp fresh air while you have the chance. One of your shaking hands lifts to wipe the drool collected on your chin as you meet Heket’s eyes.

“ Look at you… So beautiful and all mine to taste ~” She hisses, fangs bared in a four-way grin.

“ P-please- ” Is the pitiful response you give. 

It’s enough, Heket’s eyes lower towards your hips, where her claws slip under the hem of your robe and push the cloth up and away.

“Hold this up for me, pet.” She commands - and you obey.

You hold your robe bunched up under your armpits, the expanse of your tits and tummy on display for her roaming gaze. This isn’t your Mistresses goal however, as she only gives your breasts a quick squeeze before her hands land once more on your hips.

“ Open. ”

You suck in a harsh breath but do as ordered, parting your legs for her.

“Good girl. Such a perfect, good pet for me~” She praises you as her thumbs hook into the bands of your underwear and gently, slowly , pulls them down your legs. You turn your face away and squeeze your eyes shut as your leaking pussy is put on display for her. You feel your opening flutter under her gaze.

“P-please don’t-don’t look-” You whimper in embarrassment. 

“ Don’t look? Why dewdrop, why would I ever not? Such an adorable cunt should be savored, should be worshiped~ ” You mewl and wiggle in her hold, her words making your already hot blood burn all the warmer.

You peek an eye open at her chuckling to see her staring right at you, at the opening between your thighs with such hunger… One of her top eyes catches your gaze and quickly all four are pinned to yours. 

“While I do find your shyness adorable, I am not cruel. Wouldn’t you agree?” 

You give a tentative nod. What is she…?

“‘I’ll end your suffering sweet flower…by fucking you with my tongue till you can’t even remember your own name, much less any embarrassment~” You open your mouth to respond - to say what, you don’t know and never will because her tongue is on you. 

The noise you make is not one you think you’ve ever made before, and your Mistress laughs deep in her chest. Her tongue is pressing right against your folds, pressure against your opening and clit all in one stroke. With every swipe up more wetness is left behind, a combination of her own slick spit and cum leaking from your pulsing cunt.

You can only sit there and throw your head back as you cry out, your hands balling into fists around the cloth you still dutifully hold.

Suddenly she stops, and your head jerks down to her again, confusion all over your flustered face.

“Ah ah, pet. Can’t have you making so much noise. Don’t want anyone to see you like this , after all…”

Mortified, you realize she’s right, but your mind is too jumbled to think of a solution. Heket has one for you already you learn, as one hand leaves your bruised up hip. Suddenly cloth is pressing against your lips, and you belatedly realize…

It’s your own underwear.

Your wide eyes dart to hers, to the cloth, and back again to her. Heket simply smiles and raises two questioning eyebrows in unison. A whimper escapes your throat as you open your mouth and ever so gently, bite down on your own underwear.

Heket gives a ‘ tsk ’ and pushes the cloth roughly past your lips, her fingers pushing it down against your tongue and securing it deep in place.

Your pussy clenches hardand your hips buck, letting Mistress know exactly how much you enjoy such treatment. She rewards your enthusiastic response by putting her tongue back between your shaking thighs. Your keen of pleasure is muffled by your new gag, and your hips give another hard buck against her tongue.

“Okay firefly, I understand.” She growls, licking her lips. “I won’t tease you any longer.”

With those words the fat head of her tongue is pressing harder against your gushing opening, wiggling and spreading the tight muscles open. Her tongue slips inside with a wet, audible ‘ squelch ’ that has you gasping and arching your back. 

Your Mistress doesn't give you time to adjust, her tongue pushing deeper into your tight cunny, touching the opening of your womb in the most lewd kiss of your life. Your shaking thighs are desperately trying to close, to gain some relief from the onslaught of pleasure you feel as her tongue moves inside you, but Heket stops you.

Her hands migrate from your hips to wrapping around your thighs, holding the weak limbs open with no effort. She’s purring as she pulls her tongue out only to thrust back in, her grin best described as ‘blissfully smug’ as she makes you lose your mind. Thrusting in and out of your fluttering cunt over and over. 

You feel your release coiling low in your belly, right where Heket’s continues to press against your womb as you cry and moan against your gag. It snaps with a flourish, your hips lifting high off the box you sit on as you pull against the cloth you still hold. The seams of your robe strain against your pull as you cum hard on your Mistresses tongue.

She doesn’t pull it out of your spasming pussy, instead pushing it deep and staying there, wiggling the flexible muscle against your gummy walls. One hand moves from your thigh to rest at the top of your mound, her thumb idly starts rubbing your clit, and the scream you let out was sure to be heard by everyone despite your gag.

She keeps this up until your body falls limp from orgasm, your upper body falling back onto your box perch as your legs limply lay on Heket’s broad shoulders. She finally ends your overstimulating torment and pulls away. She gives a few last licks with her tongue to clean you up before once more staring at your still twitching opening. Her two thumbs hook into your lips and gently pull, giving her a perfect view of your gaping hole and engorged clit. 

“Ah, such a beautiful sight…look at how puffy and swollen your pretty cunt is~ Makes me want another taste…” She purrs, leaning forward to press a sweet kiss against your sensitive nub. Prompting another soft whimper from you.

“Time for that later I suppose. We really must get back.” 

You make a muffled noise against your gag, unwilling to move after…all that. Heket gives an amused huff and pulls your underwear from your mouth, stuffing the cloth into a pocket on her robe. She gathers you into her arms and tries to make you somewhat presentable as you snuggle into her chest. Her warm fingers comb through your tousled fur to smooth it out as you nestle into her embrace.

Her heart beat is so comforting…

“Rest my firefly, I will wake you if necessary.” Nestled in the crook of her elbow, you close your eyes and drift away.

[virgo-mess]

Kidnapper for Hire

Chapter Two pt 2

This may have been sitting in my word doc for some odd months now.... I may have kind of forgot it existed but uh, hey at least this chapter is complete... right? Even though it's criminally short, I'll quote the first half just so you know where we're at in this story! I'm really sorry I've been so inconsistent with my updates the two-week vacation definitely helped me sort out my thoughts. I may start doing this thing where any story can be updated at any time... which sounds incredibly chaotic but that's sort of where I'm at creatively right now. It's annoying as someone who enjoys being organized and productive, but I don't have that in me right now. I appreciate all the kind notes you guys sent on my last post ❤️. I've just been in a weird spot mentally lately; I'm hoping smaller updates more frequently will help. Hope you all enjoy even if it isn't much ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

TW: Mentions of murder, Reader is being held hostage, police corruption, Cash is sending mixed signals, but I think he's genuinely as confused as reader is, and I guess you could say the kiss boarders on dub con in this situation given the circumstances.

Kidnapper for Hire Chapter Two: Officer Giraffe

“Why don’t you lay your head on my lap, so you don’t hurt your neck, princess…” he said softly, looking at you expectantly with a soft smile gracing his lips. You glance at him apprehensively, pondering his suggestion with wide weary eyes...

“You look worn out, princess. Come on, it’s okay” he coaxed in a low almost seductive tone as he wrapped a strong arm around your waist, stroking your exposed navel with delicate calloused fingertips. You inhale sharply, feeling a shiver run down your spine at Cash brazenly tantalizing one of your erogenous zones with overtly lustful blue eyes.

“Come on Y/N, lay down for me” Cash coaxed again, the traffic light has gone through its color cycle about three times at this point illuminating the side of his face in soft colorful hues of yellow, red, and green. You sigh, ignoring your wave of arousal and the thick layer of sexual tension hanging in the air, you hesitantly sprawl across the truck bench seats and lay your head upon his muscular right thigh. It’s not like you really have a choice given your present circumstances though the thought of pushing his buttons was incredibly tempting to you right now.

“Good girl” he praised softly, still stroking your navel with gentle calloused fingertips, you find yourself clamping your thighs together to ease some of the pulsing throbs radiating through your clit as you stare up at him with rosy cheeks. “Now close your eyes, princess” he cooed with a smug, satisfied smirk on his face. You can’t help but roll your eyes as you glare up at him intensely, you begin to consider that his mock reluctance to hand you over was purely sexually motivated, you take this as confirmation that all the promises he just made were lies. You slap the back of his hand harder than necessary, scowling up at him through the dim lighting. Cash let out a deep sigh, staring down at you with a hard expression, you swear you see a hint of dejection flood through his eyes before he reluctantly moves his hand off of your stomach to grip the steering wheel.

“You hit me again and I’ll cuff those pretty little hands of yours right now instead of waiting until we get to where we’re going, sweetheart. Now go to sleep or the blindfold is going back on too” he snapped louder than necessary, your scowl vanishes almost immediately, and you find yourself repressing a whimper, feeling another shiver runs down your spine. Cash’s expression softens a bit, and you know your attempt to muffle your fearful whimper was unsuccessful.

“You’re awfully demanding, officer giraffe” you grumbled, turning your head to face the steering wheel, red faced and flustered by the frequent shifts in his demeanor. You know he’s just trying to beguile you into believing his fake promises to prevent the looming threats against your presently undesirable, semblance of a life from playing out. Still, you can’t help how your body almost instinctively relaxes against him or the way your eyelids grow heavier and heavier until eventually you can’t keep them open anymore. You close your eyes and listen to the way the truck tires roll over the pavement and the way your kidnapper cop breaths in and out above you. You hear him say something to you in a tone that’s so soft you think your brain must have made it up in that place between sleep and awake, the one Tinkerbell told Peter Pan about in those fleeting days of your youth.

“I’m sorry, y/n, I really am”

Cash’s POV

            Cash let out a long sigh as he watched your chest rise and fall delicately with the passing of another golden hued streetlamp. The soft rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance just over the sound of his truck tires rolling over the same stretch of pavement for about the fifteenth time in the last forty minutes or so. Though he’d been sure you were fast asleep a good twenty minutes ago, he had to be sure you couldn’t tell where he was taking you for your sake… and his. He had taken it upon himself to abandon the rental property in Atlantic City James Green had been most generous enough to gift him for your safe keeping over the next few weeks. Of course, Cash would have to find a way to explain away his sudden change of plans, but it seemed James didn’t care where or how he got you just as long as he got the job done. The why for all this was still a total mystery to him. The little conversation he had shared with you over the last few hours, a doe eyed beauty, all but solidified that nagging voice in the back of his head declaring your innocence in this imposing situation with one James Green. With it came that subtle feeling of guilt twisting in the deepest pits of his stomach which only seemed to worsen every time his cold blue eyes settled on your mess of curls sprawled out upon his lap.

            Another sigh escapes Cash’s lips as he pulls down a winding secluded driveway. His fingers leave your soft tendrils for the first time since you’d drifted off to sleep but assure himself it doesn’t mean anything as he pulls into a spacious three car garage. He throws the car in the park, turns the key in the ignition, letting the rumbling engine die down. The faint sound of rippling salt water and your soft shallow breaths fill the small stretch of silence as Cash takes a moment to sit with his thoughts. The dim glow of the overhead motion light pours through his tinted windows, and he finds himself just staring at you. The same way he had stared at you asleep through your small cottage window these last few weeks, silently observing you in all your anxious nighttime ruminations. You for once appeared more at peace asleep in your kidnapper’s lap than you had every night, he’d seen you curled up in your own bed. Cash had always thought the thin sheen of glittering sweat beading down your flushed skin was a symptom of the lack of air flow in your tiny cottage. Of course, now, he knew better, he’d witnessed all the tossing, all the turning, and all the under-eye bags though forced himself to think nothing of it for as long as he could.  “The prospect of a big pay day was far too great to pass up even for a pretty ingenue like you.”

Cash repeats this phrase in his head like a mantra when he finds it in him to push the truck door open and scoop your small frame into his arms. He treads up a few steps into a beach house foyer, through the living room and up the stairs to the lush master bedroom overlooking the ocean (so you can't tell where you are even if you wanted to). The words reel in his mind again as sets you the plush bed in the middle the room he'd set up for you earlier that week. One long, lone silver chain is already clasped securely to one of the canopy bed posts. Already meticulously measured out to reach the master bath off to the right, he fastens it to one of your ankles gently. Cash recons he could keep you here forever just like this if he so wished it.... and boy did he wish it...

[pagingdoctorbedlam]

20, 40, 41 surtr/gg ;)

Yeah, MY GIRLS!!! Thank you for requesting them~!

20. "Choose one song that perfectly describes their relationship." I Am Not Alone by Steam Powered Giraffe (the original version, sung by Upgrade!) Both of them were so alone, unsure of who they could be and the full depth of their powers! Both of them holding themselves back from the world...until they meet each other and realize they can actually rely on each other. They might be lost in their lives, but they can be lost together! And that helps both of them open up and come into their own...though they both feel most at peace with each other.

40. "Who has an insatiable appetite? And what does the other do to help?" Depends on how one defines appetite...because these gals have both held themselves back from a lot. In a way, they're both encouraging each other to explore and try things more. Right now it's babysteps, but... Of the two, I feel like Surtr is probably the more insatiable one? An all-consuming inferno, and one who can push her body so much farther than anyone else. Goldenglow helps her keep a handle on things, when it's safe to let go and when she needs to dial it back a notch.

41. "Which one would take their jacket it off and drape over the other one because they were visibly shivering?" Goldenglow with Surtr. Not that Surtr gets cold often, but she's very good at missing signal cues from her own body that sharp-eyed Goldenglow pays attention to. Half the time, the jacket is placed on her shoulders so gently that Surtr doesn't even realize it's there for a good long while...and which point she immediately gets flustered.

Thanks for sending me these questions! Full list here for more OTP asks!

[reshaepocan]

► Unzipping their clothes free and kissing their neck. S'nako and Isarmoix

Isarmoix was all bundled up in a thick jacket and scarf pulled over the lower half of his face. Sitting on a bench up in The Pillars   despite the chilly weather. It wasn't like he wasn't use to the climate, and he wanted to enjoy some fresh air while reading a few pages of his book.

Flipping over the page, he didn't even get through the next sentence before he felt a tug at his scarf. Looking over his shoulder, S'nako was behind him with that playful smirk. His cheeks turned red as he felt her lips against the back of his neck where his scarf was pulled loose. He looked at her with a flustered expression.

"I-I don't think this is the place for such affections, my dear." He spoke, not one that was very comfortable with showing affection out in public. He got flustered about it too easily.

"I don't see why not." S'nako responded with a smile, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Is there something you need... or want?"

Acts of Affection [Closed] | Thank you for the ask, @miqofluff!

[heartspiked]

smitten with you | mike wheeler

mike stood in the school's parking lot scratching his nose in an attempt to mask his annoyance. his friends had definitely stricken his last nerve as he waited patiently for the three idiots to finish their little snowball fight he did not want to be included in. as he stared at what little greenery there was left he noticed footsteps crunching closer and closer to him. he was relieved that he could finally get out of the cold. his eyes followed dustin as dashed right past him. just as he was about to speak his face was met by a stinging icy cold snowball that burned his eyes.

as mike blinked furiously he could hear the sound of loud laughter that felt embarrassing and he became flustered. his large fingers scooped up a giant snowball. “who threw that one?” all his friends stepped forward to reveal the culprit, the bookish and often sought-after girl. his cheeks became noticeably red to all including you. you held your hands behind your back in a mischievous way, this was a side of you mike never thought he would get to see.

the anger that mike previously possessed disappeared into thin air and his frown quickly grew into a smile. max elbowed dustin and doubled over in laughter, nearly tearing up,” his smile oh my god im scared.” mike ignored the redhead who had been bugging him ever since they met and set his gaze on you. his body language was much more playful now,” put your hands up and surrender.”

after an intense snowball battle that was sexually charged (mostly on mikes part) you found yourselves swinging side by side on the abandoned swingset you crossed your legs and held onto the cold chain. mike right next to you smiling like an idiot, on the inside of course. you hummed contently and swayed in the silence. your hands nearly numb as you watched the sun set so early. “a milkshake would be so good right now.” mikes ears quickly perked up,” we were actually thinking of going out to eat.. i know a great place if you want to come..” his words spilled like vomit. so desperate to meet your every demand even though it was odd to want a cold drink on such a freezing day.

your eyes lit up and your perfect lashes looked so much longer when your eyes crinkled into the cheery little smile you only gave when you checked out a new book from the library. (he knows you’re a sucker for teen romance and horror novels) you stand up from the cold swingset and make your way to the only path that was shoveled. “we better start walking if we’re going to make it before the sun sets.” your dainty hands fumbling with your coat buttons. your back towards him as you raised your leg warmers, your skirt hiking up to reveal your lack of underwear beneath your black see through tights. weren’t you cold?

giving michael an interesting view. “w-walk? i have a car.. it's the black one..” he quickly turned away he felt almost guilty to have caught a glance at your vulnerable area. his car was one of the only ones in the lot. you gasped in excitement,” no way.. i’ll race you there!” mike was taken by surprise as he found himself chasing you and winning by a longshot. you pouted and argued the only reason he won was because he had the legs of a giraffe and to which he denied insisting you were just short. with his car full he drove to the dinner that he’d never been to. (he may or may not have overheard his dad saying how he used to frequent the place as a teen... but he’s old as hell so how reliable could his opinion be?)

mike had an awfully hard time driving and it wasn't because dustin whined about not getting shotgun and you stupidly agreeing to swap places with him. mike stared at the rearview mirror every couple of seconds to ‘sneak’ glances at you. he felt his pants tighten as he watched you reapply your lip gloss in your compact mirror and take a glance at him back through the mirror for a split second. he nearly let go of the wheel. your perfectly plump lips forming a beautiful “o” he had only seen in his wettest dreams. his grip on the wheel tightened as he clenched his jaw. his knuckles white and burning. (if they can get any whiter lol)

in the diner, you ordered the group a booth, and mike immediately excused himself to use the bathroom in order to relief himself (in more ways that one) . mike couldn’t have gotten to the bathroom sooner he stared at his jeans in the mirror, they were so obviously stained. he figured he could play it off as a stain from the snow or a spot that hadn’t dried yet. his erection was too painful to ignore any longer and he had prepared himself for an all-time low. he locked himself in the large stall and practically ripped his jeans off and began stroking himself to the thought of you. the sight of your bare ass looking so good in your tights and your lips that he wanted to bite and leave scarring. he started stroking himself faster.

footsteps made their way to the bathroom as he tried his best to quietly get himself off to the girl that was only fifty feet away and that seemed so untouchable. the footsteps stopped in front of his stall and knocked loudly, “um it’s fucking busy! there are lots of mmm.. other stalls! fuckkk…” he whined and yelled simultaneously. the footsteps treaded away and he sighed in relief as he came all over himself. he panted and stood with his shaft out still clutching onto it, imagining it was you. your face burned into his head. he heard footsteps again but decided not to worry he was done.

the sound of a camera flashing above him scared him and he tucked himself back into his jeans and looked up to see you shaking the poloraoid. “w-what are you doing, (name)!” you gave him a sweet smile,” it’s so pretty and pink michael where have you been hiding him?”

tbc maybe 🧑🏽‍🚀 as always never edited but i’m gonna go back and redo my fics lmk if u liked this one !

[poisonouswritings]

M3 + Playing Games

Sometimes a bit of silliness does good for the heart

GN!Reader, fluff

Felix Escellun

Felix likes to pull things from the Void sometimes. That includes things from Earth. As you get better with magic he lets you help out. It's nice. You help him identify whatever he pulls out, and he tries to find familiar things to make you happy.

One day, he pulls out a box that's covered with big bold letters and bright colors. You'd recognize it anywhere.

Twister™

You immediately start opening up the box and setting it up, excitedly explaining the rules to Felix. At first he seems confused. Then a little flustered.

'MC, don't you think someone like Sage might be better suited for this?'

No! >:( Wanna play with the Goth! >:(

You wave his concerns away and finish setting up, then kick off your shoes and motion for him to do the same. He grumbles a bit but unlaces his boots and tucks them neatly under the table.

Stella immediately starts gnawing on his shoes. He tries to swat her away but she just picks one up in her little fangs and runs off.

You let him have the first spin. Left foot red. You go next. Right hand blue.

Left hand yellow.

Right foot green.

Right hand blue

Right hand red

On and on. Felix isn't exactly the most limber of the Starsworn, but he's got a competitive spirit so he won't be beaten down so easily!

Ooh you are all pressed up against him though and he's having a hard time focusing

Left foot yellow. You have to slide your leg between both of his. You're trying really hard not to laugh at how even the tips of his ears are pink

Right hand blue. His cheek is mushed against your thigh.

Left hand gr-

Felix yelps and loses balance. He flails to try and catch himself and ends up knocking you down too. With a big whoomf! you both wind up on the floor, you on top of Felix.

',,,,,o,,,,w,,,,,,,,'

Honestly he's not complaining about being under you tho

He pouts and blames it on 'his feeble body protesting'

But when you chuckle and kiss his cheek, that definitely brightens his mood

Anisa Anka

You've been trying to teach Anisa about Earth stuff. After all, if she's gonna come to Earth with you someday, she'll need to know what she's dealing with. And she looks so excited whenever you talk about Earth, whenever she learns something new. In fact she even keeps a notebook for her studies and observations. She gets you to draw (or try to draw) whatever the topic is. It's become a nice little field journal.

Point is, Anisa likes learning things about Earth.

So you suggest a memory game. Concentration. It's simple enough. One of you picks a topic and you go back and forth naming things that belong to it. Simple enough. The first thing you teach her is the song. You pick up a nearby rag to toss back and forth in time with your words.

'Con-cen-tra-tion, concentration is the key, keep-the-rhy-thym, keep the rhythm of the beat. Category is-!'

You end up holding the rag. You think about it for a moment before picking something you've been teaching Anisa a lot about; Earth animals. You try to stick to the ones you've told her about. Dog.

'Dolphin!' she chirps happily, her eyes going bright and excited

Alpaca

'Llama'

Giraffe

'Unicorn'

Unicorns aren't,,, she looks so proud of herself. You gotta let her have it.

Cat

And on and on.

The two of you are in an open field near her apartment. Technically you're supposed to be training.

But hey, you are! You're training your mental sharpness. That counts. Doesn't it?

Obviously you have an advantage. Anisa runs out of easy answers pretty fast, and soon she's spending several minutes in near complete silence as she tries to remember another one.

'Um... T...tiger?'

And then you immediately say leopard.

Anisa opens her mouth. Pauses. Closes her mouth.

'I still think dolphins would be the most exquisite,,'

You can't help but laugh at how earnest she sounds about it.

No, Annie, you still can't eat a dolphin.

But you promise to take her to sushi someday, and that makes her happy.

Sage Lesath

You know full and well that Sage cheats at cards. He's decent enough at it, at least when the people he's playing against are drunk. But today you've got something he can't cheat at. It's all for the sake of a bet that you're determined to win.

So you're playing Slapjack

The rules; you split the deck in half. You take turns putting a card down face-up. When the Jack appears, be the first one to slap it. That's it. You'll play until all four jacks are gone.

The two of you are sitting on your bed after a night at the tavern.

'There are plenty of other things we could be doing here ;)' You threaten to spray Sage with water. He snickers, tail flicking against your pillows.

You set down your first card, a two of hearts.

Game start!

The first jack comes on Sage's seventh card. You slap it just a half-second before he does. It's with a mischievous grin that you hold up your hard-won card. Your gloating smile makes him,, a little flustered.

The second jack comes three cards later on your turn, and Sage slaps it down. He uses the edge of the card to softly boop your nose.

It's tied. Anyone can win.

With each card that gets drawn, your focus sharpens a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more.

With each card that gets drawn, Sage snuggles down into your pillows even more, getting his fur all over them. He looks smug about it too.

The third jack comes out of nowhere from your hand. Sage nearly slaps your hand with how fast he claims it.

So 1-2. You have one more chance to win this.

The very next card you play is the fourth jack. You try to slap it but-

Sage lightly grabs your wrist with one hand and uses the other to tap the card.

Cheater! You throw your unused cards at him as he laughs, lacing his fingers with yours and squeezing your hand. Smarmy little bastard.

You lean down and very lightly nip at his wrist. He releases you with a flustered, startled chuckle.

You say that since he cheated, he loses. So now you get to style his hair however you want >:)

If his wagging tail is any indication, he really doesn't mind. So you settle down behind him, remind him not to bite you, and get to work on all the various long hair styles you've researched in your years as a cosplayer, talking to him about them a bit as you go along.

He invites you to pull his hair a little-

[simeonisalesbian]

i am literally on demon sisters brainrot because of you and i am not even mad about it haha my lesbian ass loves them 💞 can i please request some headcanons about the paws and claws event but with the demon sisters?

lesbian demon brainrot is real and it's also fatal😔 (the demon ladies are all my last brain cells can think about lmao)

Lucifer:

She takes full pride in the fact that she as complete control over her animal instincts

However when you mentioned that it was amazing how much control she seems to have compared to her sisters you couldn't help but notice her tail wagging behind her.

She also seemed to quietly growl anytime one her sisters got a bit out of hand

She also had a harder time than usual falling asleep. You joked that maybe she just needed to circle the bed a few times. You didn't get to snuggle that night

You did both figure out that maybe it was just her sensitive hearing keeping her up.

To fix this you kept her head on your chest and softly covered her ears. It was a bit awkward but seemed to do the trick.

Mammon:

did you think she stayed up late before?

Well turns out tigers are nocturnal.

So now you have to deal with her begging you to hang out with her at 3 a.m.

You have to tell her multiple times that you do not want to go swimming right now you just want to go to sleep

she will happily still hang out with you during the day.

Tigers can't purr and that fact alone convinced her she'd be safe from any embarrassing noises

Jokes on her cus tigers chuff instead. Which she quickly found out as you were petting her head.

Leviathan:

Giraffes are weird animals who knows anything about them?

Well you and Levi end up spending quite a bit of time together since your now the only prey creatures in the house

So what a time to learn about giraffes!

for instance those weird horn things are apparently called ossicones and they feel weird

They're just firm cartilage covered in skin. Levi says they're more sensitive than her actual horns.

That being said you should take this chance you fluster her a bunch.

Her tail also ends up slapping you occasionally

Not very often though. Only when your paying attention to one of her sisters instead of her

she swears she can't control it though

Satan:

Shes honestly living her best life. This is practically a dream come true if she's honest

Even if it wasn't on purpose being a cat is amazing, and since she already knew a bunch about cats and their mannerism she adjusted quite quickly

she has already pushed several of Lucifer's mugs off of the table at breakfast proceeding to blame it on her instincts

she does cuddle a bit more than usual. Not much but she really likes it when you scratch behind her ears

She's purring anytime she has physical contact with you. She'll get really flustered if you mention

You also managed to keep her occupied with a laser pointer for hours. Yes she knows she can't catch the red dot but instincts can't be fought that easily Mc.

Asmodeus:

You jokingly called her pooh bear one time and now she's trying to convince you it would be fine if she just walked around in a red crop top

she has pounced on you several times saying she's just giving you a bear hug

you honestly can't see much of an impact on how being a bear affects her honestly

Most bears are omnivores she even her diet didn't change all that much

she honestly just seems her same clingy self but now with bear jokes.

she does ask you to pet he ears a bunch simply because of how soft they are. if would be a shame not to touch them right?

Beelzebub:

shes constantly afraid she's going to hunt and eat you.

she flat out tried to hide in the kitchen just to keep herself occupied on not eating you.

Eventually though you convince her that you trust her enough to not eat you. She still keeps a some meat on hand when she's near you just in case though.

lions can't purr unfortunately. However beel does make up for it by humming when you rub her ears.

She wants you to know it feels really nice after all

Shes also pretty nocturnal but she normally takes midnight trips to the fridge so nothing really changed in that aspect

Belphegor:

if you make one more "what does the fox say" joke she'll punch you.

she has the softest fuckin tail and she's about to make it everyone's problem.

she'll occasionally swat you in the face with it just to see you struggle to not inhale her fur.

it's a really soft pillow though and she's more than happy to let you use it as such while you cuddle

she did manage to make several burrows in her blankets at somepoint and she will hide in them to get more sleep

she'll happily wag her tail whenever you pet her head when she's napping in your lap.

She'll say your crazy if you mention it when she wakes back up

[darkcitiesnluv]

IDOL BEOMGYU X STYLIST READER ( NO RULES Era: comeback show freeze outfits ) PART 2!

Pairing: Beomgyu x Fem Reader

Genre: smut, fluff at the end.

Warning: 18+, swear words.

1st part ⬇️

"lets start this fucking game already...." He groaned as he turns you around and kissed you passionately.

Beomgyu held your face with both hands as you try to reach for his soft long brown locks to pull on them. How much you wanted to pull his hair for the second time. Now you wish he could never cut it. The way Beomgyu kisses you with so much need, with so much hunger, makes you feel butterflies in your stomach again. It makes you feel as if you are very important to him, makes you feel that you two are not just two friends with benefits.

He bit down on your bottom lip making a small moan come out from you. You made eye contact with him and his eyes stare at yours with lust and..... something else but you can't tell what it is, however his gaze turn you on even more so you start to ran your hands around to his clothed body to feel him.

Beomgyu still looking at you, he caressed you as well, his hand on your right cheek going down to your right breast caressing it and squeezing it.

That squeeze made you moan his name and send a pleasurable feeling down to your core. Immediately Beomgyu took off the coat and your white shirt of you leaving you on your Victoria secret bra.

" why do you buy bras from that brand? Their too sexy I can't control myself seeing it on you" He whispered close to you admiring your chest with a sweet smirk. His eyes then looks at you. You chuckled and kiss him passionately as you decided to grab him down there. You palm him through his black pants feeling how hard he was for you. He groaned sexily between the kisses. You smirked and knee down to pull down his pants. Beomgyu look up at the ceiling with a mischievous smile, he knows what you're going to do, something his been dreaming about so many times.

" what a naughty girl you are Y/n~" he cooed softly as hands reach down softly to ran them through your hair. You felt relax when he did so, however you gotta focus on your mission to make him cum real good. You're not that type to stop someone from cumming, because you know how frustrating that is and you wouldn't personally want to go through it either. You're all about making the other person feel happy and specially good, meanwhile.....Beomgyu......his a little devil and loves teasing you soo.....

You put his thick length on your mouth savoring it completely, still rubbing your hands around the part it didn't fit in your pretty mouth. Beomgyu throw his head back and hissed while closing his beautiful big eyes. He was feeling too good.

" ahh~ Y/n~..... you're d-doing...ahh~ so w-well~" He breath out as his breaths started to get heavy and fast. He clutched his fingers on to your hair slightly because of how good he was feeling. You bobbed your head faster and sucked harder almost gagging, but it didn't matter because you want him to feel good.

" oh I'm about to-Ahhj~~" He moan out loud shooting everything down your throat.

" mmm~ baby you taste delicious" you chuckled. You pull up his boxer and pants up. You gave butterfly kisses all over his face down to his neck, helping him catch up his breath.

Beomgyu laughed as he held your face to kiss you passionately and slowly. " Now it's my turn......laid on the table" He order with a quiet serious voice and gaze. He pointed at the empty table that is leaning against the wall.

You got excited and obey. You sat on the table, your legs spread apart from each other still wearing your blue tight jeans and the black bra on. Your hair was down spread all over your shoulders. You gave him a seductive look and bit your bottom lip.

Beomgyu chuckled feeling fluster as he looked away while biting inside his lip. ' She's driving me crazy..' he thought then look back at you, as his black eyes scan your whole body sexily. ' god.... why is she so fucking beautiful....' He slowly walk towards you and stop between your legs. His hands snake around your torso to reach to unclip your bra from the back, leaving soft warm tiny kisses on your neck and shoulder. His fingers tickled behind your back and you held in your moans since your neck, shoulders and back are one of your most sensitive spots of your body.

He slowly takes your bra off and kisses you one more time. He reaches to massage and pinch your breast and nipples. " Ahhh~ oh MY-.... Gyu~ your hands are the best" you complimented between the kiss as he kissed you even harder and reach down to but a breast on his mouth. He sucked on your nipple while still looking at your dirty expressions. He sucked harder.

After he kissed down from your chest down to your stomach, he reach to pull down your pants and underwear. After the whole make out session and touches from his already had you extremely wet. " My baby girl is so eager to have my mouth fucking her....." He said as he puts his mouth and tongue on you. " Mmm~ Gyu, that feels good, go faster please.." You breath out as you held onto his hair already messing it up. Gyu added a finger, then another one, making you feel like your about to explode of pleasure.

" ahh~ yes!! Beomgyu! Yeah~! Ahhh yes- right there!" You screamed reaching your high. " No one does it better than you~!" Once again you complimented him boosting his confidence even more.

" I know..." He chuckled teasing you as he pulled away. You pull him up to you and kiss him passionately, wrapping your arms around his neck and your hands playing with his pretty hair. Gyu chuckled in your kisses and wrapped his arms around your waist. " How can you look soo tiny and innocent yet look so good.... and your good at sex..." You tease studying his handsome face still playing with his hair. " Beomgyu, I love you..." Without thinking you realize what you said and widen your eyes. Beomgyu looked at you with big eyes and a surprised look.

"neukkyeojyeo, nae meorin Daze Daze Daze

jungdoge ppajyeo Replay Play Play"

Suddenly his phone started ringing. You chuckled at the new ring tone he put on his phone. " Sorry babe that song has been stuck in head eb5er since it was released............hello Soobin-"

" WHERE THE FUCKITY ARE YOU! YEONJUN IS LITERALLY CRYING FOR YOU, TAE AND HUENINGKAI ARE PLANNING A HORRIBLE PRANK ON YOU, WHERE ARE YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SH-"

" Chill out giraffe boy, I'm with my girlfriend...." He smirked as he looked at you. You covered your mouth in shock.

" I'm with her releasing- I MEan reducing our problems! I'll be back in five minutes I promise!"

" YOU HAVE A WHA-" Beomgyu ended the call.

He swept away his imaginary sweat from his forehead and looked at you. " Y/n, I love you too, do you want to be mine?..... I've been crushing on you since the first time i saw you and after all the things you and I went through, I really catch feelings for you....." He said as he caressed your cheeks lovingly.

" Yes, i want to be yours, Beomgyu.... Finally get to have you all to myself my handsome teddy bear!" You hugged him and reach down to smack his butt earning laughs from him. " What are you saying! " He smack your naked butt as well. " Oooh! The felt good!" You tease and laughed.

" hurry up and change baby girl.....Imma go after you're done changing......also....." He said as help you change. " Let's keep this relationship a secret....at least for now......you understand right?...I really don't want my precious moas to know about us and you know what will happen if they do...." He said looking at you seriously and sad.

You smiled at him. " I understand..... we'll keep it a secret until you no longer want it to be ..." You kiss him one more time before letting him go.

He walked away but stop beside the door and look at you. " I know this is too fast but .....I love you..." He waved goodbye and ran away not letting you to tell him you love him back too.

@beomgyutxtmoa here it is!! 💕🔥✨

[sebsbrokentoe]

Supply Closet

masterlist

warnings: nothing, pure fluff, nosy Sam but we love him, nothing else i could think of. all mistakes are mine.

please like and reblog

word count: 1696

“What are you doing?” Sam eyed you curiously at the way you were hiding behind him, seeing as you were the same height as him, it was like a giraffe hiding behind another giraffe. 

“I’m looking for my dignity, can’t you see” You sarcastically replied to him as if it wasn’t obvious you were trying to hide from Bucky. 

You didn’t realise when you had a crush on Bucky, it just developed over the moments you had with each other. You both had gotten close over a few months. It started just as small glances when you passed each other in the hallway but then it became sneaking off in the kitchen talking about anything. Then it became more, you knew he had nightmares, which is why he came at any hour of the night to see you. You, on the other hand, just couldn’t sleep at night, you didn’t have nightmares or anything, you just couldn’t so instead you started to bake or cook whenever you couldn’t sleep. Tony had an unlimited amount of supplies so why not use them. You rarely shared your treats with anyone, so when you started offering them to Bucky and eventually making what he liked, you, along with the rest of the team put the pieces together, well everyone except Bucky. 

You tried to make your flirting obvious but every time you tried to flirt, you’d just make a fool of yourself and he’d laugh. Normally your flirting came naturally, especially with Bucky but you didn’t think he saw it that way. You were fine with things that way, you didn’t want to tell Bucky about your feelings in case you ruined your friendship, so you hid your feelings, horribly.

This time you decided to hide from Bucky because in your idiotic mind if you didn’t see him you wouldn’t have feelings for him. You swore you were smarter than that but not when it comes to Bucky. So now here you are, trying to hide behind Sam and doing a horrible amazing job. 

“Why the hell are you hiding from Barnes?” Sam stopped in the midst of his walk to turn around to talk to you.

“Don’t move he’ll see me, just keep moving and stop looking suspicious” You squatted behind him in case Bucky turned this way. 

“He’ll see us when we walk past him anyway and answer my question, why are you ignoring him?”  Seeing as your disguise wasn’t working, you quickly pulled Sam away in the opposite direction of Bucky, but he saw both of you and quickly misinterpreted the situation.

 Seeing as every time you ignored Bucky you would go to Sam, Bucky thought of the two of you becoming more than friends and he didn’t like how he felt about it. He was just bad at saying what he felt, especially when it came to his feelings for you. Normally he could talk about anything with you but he always felt flustered when it became about what he felt for you because you were special to him. When you came on the team and saw him around the compound, you didn’t hide from him and you weren’t scared of him either. You always greeted him with a smile on your face and since then instead of glaring at everyone who would give him a second glance he would give them a small smile as if your joy rubbed off on him. 

He didn’t even second guess himself when he started to talk to you about his nightmares. Every night, when he couldn’t sleep, he knew he would find you in the kitchen making something and just the sight of you standing in the kitchen with flour all over you was enough for him to calm down from whatever woke him up. So your conversations came naturally, there was no push to talk about anything and if it got awkward, you would quickly talk about something else, while Bucky listened to you. Bucky for the first time in a long time felt peace. Of course, he had Steve, but you were different, you didn’t know anything about him yet it felt like you knew each other for your entire lives. 

So when Bucky saw you heading off with Sam, he didn’t like what he felt. He didn’t want to come to conclusions but you’ve been acting weird lately. You haven’t been baking when he came into the kitchen at night, he never saw you around the common room anymore. He didn’t want to let anyone know, but he was worried, he was worried that he was losing you and he didn’t want to but he wasn’t one for a confrontation so he thought he’d try to forget about it for now. 

You successfully pulled Sam away from anywhere near Bucky and steered him towards a closet, not completely closing the door. To anyone else, it may seem like you were more than friends about to have a hot moment in the supply closet, but it wasn’t anything like that.

“Okay, you need to listen to me and don't interrupt me and I swear to God you better not tell anyone about this, got it?” Maybe you were overreacting but you’d rather not die of humiliation if everyone finds out that you have a crush on Bucky. It didn’t matter if they probably figured it out but both you and Bucky brushed the rumours, with the excuse that you were just friends and for a while you believed it, thinking that Bucky didn’t need to get in a relationship right now, so you never thought of it. But now, after all the time you two spent together, getting closer than others in the compound and the fact that he trusted you to talk about anything, you cherished that and part of you didn’t want to ruin the wonderful friendship you had. 

“Jeez woman alright, I won’t tell a soul that you’re in love with Barnes' “. That smirky ass held his hand up like he was being sworn in, almost laughing at you, but hiding it with a cough. 

“I’m not in love with him” You scoffed at that, even though he was right, but you didn’t want him to be right, because if he is, then if this got out to Bucky, you’ll be screwed and not in a good way.

He raised an eyebrow at your confession, not believing a word you said, but urges you to continue. 

“Okay, maybe I have feelings for him, but I can't let anyone know, especially Bucky. I don’t need my heart broken because I couldn't keep my mouth shut.”. You started to ramble not seeing what signals Sam was giving you, trying to ignore his distractions to continue your rant. 

“Hey um, maybe we should talk another time-” You interrupted him again, not understanding what he was h trying to do. 

“Stop interrupting me, I need to talk to someone about this and while you’re not my first choice, you’re here so shut up and listen” Before Sam could say anything, the door opened wider, with the last person you wanted to see behind it. Staring at Bucky with your mouth slightly opened, not saying a word, Sam slipped out between the two of you, not needed anymore. 

You tried to move but of course, you were having a dumb moment, which you had a lot around Bucky, but usually, you hid it better. Before you could say anything, Bucky closed the door behind him and walked closer to you and suddenly, the room seemed a hell of a lot smaller and jeez was it harm in there. He stopped right in front of you, which made it easy for him to hear your shaky breaths. 

“Why have you been ignoring me?” You were surprised, thinking Bucky would ask right away about what he heard between you and Sam, but you knew he wouldn’t understand your stupidity. So instead of beating around the bush, you decided to get to the point.

“I’m sorry, I just-, I was just being immature. I thought that I should stay away from you because I thought my feelings would get in the way and make you uncomfortable. I know you don’t like me like that so I didn’t want to tell you to mess up our friendship and I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you recently and I’m-”

Suddenly you were cut off by warm lips and you felt every emotion from that kiss. It was better than you could’ve ever imagined. He pulled back way too soon, showing that special smile that only a few have had the pleasure of seeing. You smiled back, the small curve on your lips turning into a full-on grin. 

“Do you need an explanation for that or do I need to do it again?” He said cheekily while holding your face with his large hands, both of you now laughing at his statement. 

“I don't think I quite got that, you may need to do it a few more times” You giggled again, linking your arms around his waist, pulling him closer to kiss him again, only this time being interrupted by cheering behind the door.

“Fucking finally” You knew that had to be Sam, who probably brought everyone else to see what was going to end up happening. 

“Shut up dickhead” Bucky yelled from your embrace, trying to sound stern, but you saw the small smile on his lips. 

I think we could finish this in the bedroom, don’t you think, I may still need help understanding what you meant” before you could even finish your sentence, you were lifted in the air, your legs latching around his waist, while he tried to get through the herd of ‘supporters’ outside the supply closet. Both of you were laughing, trying to get to the bedroom before someone followed you, knowing that someone definitely would.

“Remind me to tell F.R.I.D.A.Y not to let Sam near our room” You giggled in his neck, nodding slightly as he gripped your thighs more, leaving a small kiss on your temple. 

tags: @especially-obsessed​ | @leyannrae​ | @becca-e-barnes​ 

[yamalegacy]

some headcanons for some of my favourite tiny queens with a tall s/o. should be gn!reader unless i’ve accidentally missed something!

genre: general, fluff

characters: tsuyu, ochaco, mei, mina, mirko

cw: n/a

FROPPY ( asui tsuyu )

she may be a frog, but she will, without a doubt, turn into quite the clingy koala around you, sometimes you’re not sure if you have a girlfriend of a human-sized backpack

when winter comes, tsuyu just hides in your coat, yes, even when you’re already in your coat. anything to keep warm

her height has never been a problem to her, she’s just never minded because whatever her arms can’t reach her tongue can

height doesn’t matter much to her and she’ll act the same around you no matter how tall (or not) you are

if you have enough strength to handle her weight for a while, she will quite literally climb you like a tree and settle on your shoulders to get a better look at her surroundings on missions

tsuyu is the perfect pocket girlfriend and you can easily protect her by wrapping your arms around her. she just disappears in your embrace and also disappears in your clothes

smallest hoodie thief; she’ll wear your hoodies like dresses whenever she’s chilling at home, especially if you can’t be there with her because then she can still have a part of you and stay warm

URAVITY ( uraraka ochako )

ochaco is the perfect tiny teddy bear girlfriend to your tall teddy bear self. her tiny self melts your big heart with how precious she is

doesn’t matter what your chest looks like, if her face is right against it when you hug her, she will die inside and get flustered, but she might also be so embarrassed by how much she’s blushing that she won’t want to move away

just wrap your arms around her and rest your chin of the top of her head. she could fall asleep standing up when you do

she’s kind, caring and a bit motherly in nature, so the height difference can make it awkward for her to take care of you

as someone who doesn’t like to spend money on too many things, she will raid your closet and you don’t mind at all because she looks so adorable in your clothes that you can’t say anything

the first time she slept over at your place and had to borrow some of your clothes to sleep in, you both died. ochaco because she was wearing your things and you because well, ochaco is the prettiest girl ever

the sweater paws? so precious you could die! and it stops her from accidentally using her quirk

HATSUME MEI

is she really tiny? her personality and enthusiasm are so big that it really doesn’t feel like she is tiny. at all.

mei doesn’t hesitate to use her inventions babies to make the height difference between the two of you disappear

you can’t count on your fingers how many times the two of you have gotten hurt because things went awry with a levitation device or some crazy stilts to make her as tall as you

it’s okay tho, mei has years of experience when it comes to treating small wounds since she always gets hurt while working on her babies, and she’s straddle your lap to take care of any scrap on your face

mei loves to cuddle with you because you can lie down together and there’s just no need to think about breaking your neck and back to lean down

you love it because she lets you rest your head on her chest and you can listen to her heart beat. it’s very nice and comfortable. until she gets an idea out of nowhere and needs to get out of bed to work it out

mei actually genuinely enjoys when you hug her from behind and rest your chin on her shoulder or head when she’s working, she says it keeps her grounded

PINKY ( ashido mina )

mina is as playful as she is tiny, and that’s a whole lot

even if she’s the tiny one, she will be the one teasing you because you’re her favourite tree and her favourite giraffe

she probably won’t ever stop to ask you how the weather is up there, especially if it annoys you whenever she does

don’t tease her back by ignoring her and pretending that you can’t see her because she’s too small because she will absolutely just violently poke you in the ribs and it will hurt

mina will absolutely tackle you down so that she can kiss you, no hesitation, won’t care how you land

be ready to become her personal pillow/blanket/mattress depending on her mood because she will use your body for warmth and comfort

loves to go shopping with you because you can reach high shelves for her and she’s a lot of fun to be around so you don’t mind being her assistant when you go out together

you don’t have a wardrobe. it’s hers. don’t try to stop her it’s a lost cause. just hand over the clothes she wants.

MIRKO ( usagiyama rumi )

the definition of “i’ll strangle you” “can you even reach my neck?”

rumi does not stand for tall rights. fuck tall rights, because tall people suck and they shouldn’t ever be allowed to exist in the same room as her.

that being said, she loves you anyway and you should count yourself lucky

when she’s annoyed with you, she will absolutely just turn her back to you and shove her fluffy ears in your face to show you just how annoyed she is

she doesn’t realise that it doesn’t bother you anymore because whenever she gets sleepy and buries her face in your chest, her ears are in your face

rather than ask you to grab things for her on higher shelves, she will either use her quirk to jump or just use you as a step-stool jump on your back with no warning to get her hands on what she wants

will grab you by your collar and pull you down to kiss you

if she’s too tired to deal with the height difference, she’ll push you down on the couch and sit on your lap

rumi won’t hesitate to call you a giraffe if you call her bunny she actually likes when you call her bunny but would rather choke than admit it

[angelicamerlinbarnes]

Okay but like I feel like Diego is the kind of person to flirt with really bad pick-up lines and Klaus is just Not Having It

featuring: Diego being a flustered Mama's boy and Klaus being a disaster dumbass and the two of them being completely in love with each other anyway

DISCLAIMER: None of the pick-up lines are mine, but the responses and ensuing shenanigans are :)

(there's fifty of these so buckle up kids :) sorry not sorry <3)

seriously though some of these are really bad

#1: He A Snack

Diego: Baby, you belong in the vending machine because you’re a snack.

Klaus: Diego you know I’m claustrophobic.

Diego: Don’t you mean Klaus-trophobic??? *finger guns*

Klaus: *blinks*

Klaus: I want a divorce.

#2: I’m From Hell

Diego: Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?

Klaus: I’m a veteran addict and abuse victim who can see ghosts, Diego.

Klaus: Everything hurts.

#3: Animal Puns

Diego: *points to TV screen playing the Discovery Channel* Hey Klaus.

Diego: You’re my otter half.

Klaus: Diego those are meerkats.

#4: Stars

Diego: The stars are beautiful tonight.

Klaus: Yup.

Diego: You know who else is beautiful?

Klaus: Ben.

#5: Get Out Your Handcuffs Mister

Diego: You’re under arrest… for stealing my heart.

Klaus: Diego you got kicked out of the police academy like five years ago, just give up.

#6: Bad Boys

Diego: *leaning against the doorframe like a moron* So. I hear you like bad boys.

Klaus: Diego you cried because you accidentally stepped on a bee last week.

Diego: Well yeah but -

Klaus: You held a funeral for it. You made us all speak. You had Allison fly in from California. It was a fucking bee, Diego.

Diego: … I wear leather?

Klaus: So does every other kid who shops at Hot Topic. You’re not special.

#7: Prince Charming

Diego: Your knight in shining armor is here -

Klaus: One, that’s a turtleneck, not armor.

Klaus: Two, you’re covered in blood. That’s the opposite of shiny.

Klaus: Three, you smell like dead fish. Go take a shower.

#8: Chemistry

Diego: Did we have a class together? Because I could’ve sworn we had -

Klaus: Chemistry? Yup. Also English and math and foreign languages and history and like every other fucking thing because we grew up in the same sadistic boarding school, Diego.

#9: The Store Can’t Just Give Away Things For Free. That’s A Terrible Way To Run A Business.

Diego: I like your pants.

Klaus: Thanks. I got them out of a dumpster. And yes, you can have them 100% off.

Diego: *voice cracks* Really?

Klaus: No.

#10: Boyfriend Material

Diego: My jeans are made of -

Klaus: You’re wearing leather pants Diego.

Diego: Okay but -

Klaus: So they’re made of leather and they’re not fucking jeans.

#11: Digits

Diego: I lost my phone number. Can I have -

Klaus: None of us have phones, Diego.

Diego: I can… buy us some?

Klaus: Fine. I want my number to be 1-420-420-4201.

Diego: Baby no.

Klaus: *pulling out the puppy dog eyes* Pwetty pwease?

Diego: Fine, but mine’s gonna be 1-696-969-6969.

Klaus: I love you so much. Marry me. Have my babies.

#12: Love At First Sight

Diego: Do you believe in love at first sight or -

Klaus: If I did I’d have already fallen in love with a lot of hot ghosts.

Diego: - should I walk by again?

Klaus: You’ve been pacing for the past ten minutes, Gogo. I think if it was gonna happen it would’ve by now.

#13: You Have Fine Written All Over You

Diego: Are you a parking ticket? Cause -

Klaus: Diego I can’t drive.

#14: His Eyes Are Green Not Blue You Dipshit

Diego: Your eyes are an ocean, and I’m lost at sea.

Klaus: ... can’t you, like, hold your breath forever?

Diego: *blinks* Baby, I love you, but you’re ruining this with our childhood trauma.

Klaus: Well since you’ve refused therapy I just thought this was the next best option.

Diego: I take back what I said about loving you.

#15: Math Is Dumb And I Wish School Would Stop Teaching It

Diego: Are you a forty-five degree angle?

Klaus: Actually, because humans have non-linear body shapes, it’s impossible for their specific angles to be measured -

Diego: Are you high or have you been defiling Five’s books again?

Klaus: *blinks* Why can’t it be both?

Diego: *rethinking life decisions*

#16: Baby I’m All Yours

Diego: Do you have a name?

Klaus: Klaus.

Diego: Or can I call you mine?

Klaus: I mean I prefer “baby”, but sure.

Diego: *super wide eyes* Really?

Klaus: *melts into a puddle of glitter* Yeah, Gogo.

#17: (Not) Bookworms

Diego: Thank god I brought my library card. Cause I’m here to check you out.

Klaus: *through a mouthful of waffles* God isn’t real. We all die and rot beneath the earth to be eaten by maggots. There is no such thing as a higher power.

Klaus: *swallows waffles and takes a really loud slurp of an orange juice and chocolate milk combo*

Klaus: Oh, and the library’s closed for renovations til, like, Christmas so you’re outta luck, sorry.

Diego: I thought you met god? Little girl on a bicycle?

Klaus: Her? Nah, only Satan’s got that much sass. Plus, that wasn’t heaven.

Diego: And you know this how?

Klaus: *squishes Diego’s face with both hands* Think about it. Do you really think dear ol’ dad’s in heaven?

Diego: Can you let of my face please?

#18: Bad Move, Buddy

Diego: Are you a pre-historic fossil? Cause you’re my missing link.

Klaus:

Klaus:

Klaus:

Klaus: Did you just call me old?

Diego, backing out of the room slowly: What? No! No of course not! No, obviously no, absolutely not -

Klaus: *releases savage war cry*

Diego: *runs for his goddamn life*

#19: I Rate This 0/10

Diego: Are you from Tennessee? Cause you’re the only -

Klaus: I don’t know where I’m from. I’m an orphan.

Diego: Oh… I know, baby -

Klaus: And the piece of shit that adopted me lived in New York anyway. We’re in New York right now actually. Do you need a geography lesson? I think Pogo’s got a map -

Diego: Klaus.

#20: Oh Shit

Diego: If nothing lasts forever, will you be my nothing?

Klaus:

Klaus:

Klaus:

Klaus: *tears up* I’m nothing?

Diego: Oh no. No no no. No, baby, you’re not nothing, don’t cry, I’m so sorry, that’s not what I meant, baby - oh my god please don’t cry -

#21: You’ve Got Everything I’m Searching For

Diego: Is your name Google? Because -

Klaus: Diego. For the last time…

Klaus: My name is Kimberly Linda Aerealia Ulysses Saffron Hargreeves the Twenty-Fourth. I don’t know why I need to keep explaining this to you -

Diego, kissing him quiet: You’re my favorite person in the world, you know that?

#22: Don’t Make Bets You’ll Lose, Luther.

Diego: Luther bet me a hundred bucks I couldn’t talk to the prettiest person here. How do you wanna spend his money?

Klaus: Drugs.

Diego: Baby -

Klaus: *beams* Nah, I’m just kidding. Stuffed giraffes.

Diego: *grins* For Five?

Klaus: *nods* For Five.

Diego:

Klaus:

Diego: He’ll hate them.

Klaus: Exactly. Let’s go.

#23: Deja Vu

Diego: Have we met before?

Klaus: Yes. Obviously. Are you also high?

Diego: No -

Diego: Wait, you’re high?

Klaus:

Diego:

Klaus:

Diego:

Klaus: No?

#24: Such An Optimist

Diego: Are you a time traveller?

Klaus: No, that’s Five.

Diego: Cause I think you’re my future!

Klaus: *stares blankly*

Diego: No? Nothing? Nada?

Klaus: In the future we’re all dead dipshit.

Klaus: Because. Ya know.

Klaus: THERE’S A FUCKING APOCALYPSE COMING.

Diego:

Diego: Okay then.

#25: Please Go To The Hospital.

Diego: Are you my appendix? Cause my stomach’s fluttering and I think I should take you out.

Klaus:

Klaus: Did you drink water from the fish tank again?

Diego: *turning green* Luther dared me to okay???!!!!

#26: Suicidal Tendencies

Diego: Hey gorgeous -

Klaus: Let me guess. I should drop dead?

Diego: What?! No! Baby -

#27: Infinitely On The Naughty List (And Not The Good Kind Of Naughty List (If There Is One I’m Asexual I Don’t Know))

Diego: Are you Santa Klaus? Cause you make all my wishes come true.

Klaus:

Klaus:

Klaus:

Klaus: You have five seconds to run.

Diego: *already two streets away* Fucking shit -

#28: You Can’t Use That Every Time We Have An Argument, Tony.

Diego: Kiss me if I’m wrong, but dinosaurs still exist right?

Klaus: I mean, there’s one in the corner of our living room right now, so I guess?

Diego:

Diego:

Diego:

Diego: *squeaks* You - you can see dinosaur ghosts?

Klaus: I mean, there’s a chance that thing Ben’s petting is just a super deformed ostrich, but yeah, I think so.

Diego:

Diego:

Diego:

Diego: *tearing up* That’s so cool.

#29: A Whole New Kind Of Thirst Trap

Diego: I’m thirsty. But guess whose body is 75% water?

Diego: *smirks*

Klaus: *frowns*

Klaus: Hold on, I know this one…

Diego: Klaus -

Klaus: *snaps fingers* Oh, I know! Luther!

Diego: *horrified* What the fuck Klaus why the fuck would you say that -

#30: What A Tragedy

Diego: You must be a campfire. Because you’re super hot and I want s’more.

Klaus:

Klaus: Diego sweetheart, you’re allergic to marshmallows.

Diego: *tearing up* I know.

Klaus: You wanna hug, baby?

Diego: *crying* Yes please.

#31: That Can’t Be Allowed

Diego: Don’t tell me if you want me to take you out to dinner. Just smile for yes, or do a backflip/somersault/counter-spin gymnastics combination for no.

Klaus: *smirks*

Klaus: *does a triple flip and lands perfectly on the top of the bar counter*

Diego: *turns bright red* That was h-h-hot.

Klaus: *beams and jumps down into Diego’s arms bridal-style*

Klaus: *kisses his cheek* I know, baby.

#32: Merry Christmas

Diego: You’re the reason Santa started the Naughty List.

Klaus: *blinks*

Klaus: *pouts*

Klaus: No fair! He told me last week I was on the Nice List!

Diego: What? Klaus? What does that -

Diego: OH MY GOD KLAUS IS SANTA DEAD???!!!!

#33: I’ll Keep You Safe, Honey.

Diego: I lost my teddy bear. Will you sleep with me instead?

Klaus: *pulls out a stuffed tiger*

Klaus: He got lost in the kitchen. Don’t worry, I rescued him for you.

Diego: *takes soft tiger*

Diego: *voice cracks* Oh. Thanks.

Klaus: *kisses his forehead* You’re welcome, baby.

#34: Excuse Me?

Diego: The only thing your eyes haven’t told me is your name.

Klaus, internally: Shit. What if he finds out I stole like five of his knives and all of the cookies last week?

Klaus, externally: *blinks*

Klaus: Um… Stefonopolis?

#35: I Am Not Apologizing For This One

Diego: If you were a steak, you’d be well done.

Klaus: But I’m so unique…

Klaus: I talk to the dead, Diego.

Diego: Okay…?

Klaus: *smirks*

Klaus: So wouldn’t I be medium rare?

Ben: Ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

#36: Leonardo Da Vinci Was Arrested Multiple Times For Homosexual Activity.

Diego: Is this a museum? Cause you’re a work of art.

Klaus: *dancing to the soundtrack of High School Musical 3* Actually Five took me back to Italy once. Leonardo da Vinci and I had some fun.

Diego:

Diego: Oh my god. Seriously?

Diego: *looks up picture of Mona Lisa, now titled Mona Klausa*

Diego: How the fuck -

#37: Why Would You Say That Though

Diego: Am I sleepwalking? Cause I’ve only seen you in my dreams.

Klaus: *sitting on the counter and eating a donut in one bite* Are they dirty?

Luther: *chokes on a pickle*

Diego: Oh my god no -

Diego: Well sometimes -

Diego: I mean no of course not -

Luther: *praying to whoever’s up there to just kill him already*

#38: Be Safe Kids!

Diego: Can you hold this for me?

Klaus: Sweetie, you need to wash your hands.

#39: Apocalypse Averted!

Diego: If looks could kill, you’d be a weapon of mass destruction.

Klaus: *blinks*

Klaus: I thought that was Vanya.

Diego:

Diego, panicking: Holy shit Klaus you can’t just say things like that -

Vanya: *crying from laughter*

#40: Attractive

Diego: Do you swallow magnets? Because you’re -

Klaus: *shoves him up against the wall*

Klaus: How did you find out? Who told you? Was it Ben? I swear to god I’ll kill him -

Diego: *squeaks* What?

#41: First You’ve Gotta Propose Diego

Diego: Wouldn’t we look cute on a wedding cake together?

Klaus: Diego. Did you buy me a cake?

Diego:

Klaus:

Diego:

Klaus: I’m waiting.

Diego: Right sir yes sir right away sir -

#42: He May Not Be A Kitten But He Is As Soft As One

Diego: If I followed you home, would you keep me?

Klaus: I’m homeless, Diego.

Diego: What? You are? Oh no, baby - you can come stay with me?

Klaus: *looks up from Disney Princess coloring book and raises an eyebrow* Is your bed available?

Diego, blushing: Ye-yeah, b-ba-baby. Whe-whenever you-u w-want.

Klaus: *smiles*

Klaus: *takes Diego’s hand*

Klaus: Okay.

Diego: *dies a little bit inside (in a good way)*

#43: It’s Just You.

Diego: Is it hot in here or is it just you?

Klaus, blushing: I -

Five: DIEGO. THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE. NOW IS NOT THE TIME.

#44: ‘Scuse Me, Mate?

Diego: You know, penguins mate for life. Wanna be my penguin?

Klaus: Eh. I’ve always been more of an iguana man.

Diego:

Diego:

Diego:

Diego: What?

#45: You Look Like… Antonio Banderas With The Long Hair.

Diego: How’s the most beautiful person in the world doing today?

Klaus: *buried in a Vogue magazine* I don’t know I’m not Antonio Banderas.

#46: What The Fuck Klaus

Diego: Do you have a map? I keep getting lost in your eyes.

Klaus: *hands him a Candyland board* Here. I stole it from Pogo.

#47: You Dumbass

Diego: I hate my last name. Can I borrow yours?

Klaus:

Klaus:

Klaus:

Klaus: We have the same last name, Diego.

Diego: *blinks*

Diego: Fuck you’re right -

#48: Okay But Diego Would Make A Great Aladdin Though

Diego: I’m not a genie, but I can still make your dreams come true.

Klaus: *wrinkles his nose*

Klaus: You can get me a pink elephant with jaundice?

Diego: *blinks*

Diego: What the fuck Klaus -

#49: HELLO

Diego: Is that a knife or are you just happy to see me?

Klaus: I don’t just have random knives on me Diego, I’m not you.

Diego: So you are happy to see me?

Klaus: I mean you just interrupted a very riveting episode of Sesame Street, so… we’ll see.

#50: It’s Always Best To Start With The Truth.

Diego: I love you.

Klaus: *beams* That’s all you had to say, darling.

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (February 3/2021) - The Egg Fights Back

Some interesting new discoveries are made about the Crimson, as Karl time travels once more to an older time.

In the present, Puffy attempts to destroy the Crimson and makes a discovery of her own:

The Crimson can defend itself.

---

- Fundy has figured out how to create life! In the form of little clay figures shaped like people, named after his viewers.

- The mini goblins have their own AI and are going to be able to path-find. If they path-find and combine enough, they’ll be able to fight.

- He can also destroy the ones that misbehave with a special stick.

- In the future, the clay figures will be more advanced. Though chat suggests giving the clay figures the ability to commit arson, Fundy decides that probably wouldn’t be the best idea.

- Tubbo opens his mailbox and reads his letter from Tommy.

- Tubbo’s decided that his goal for today is copious amounts of murder, in which he kills anyone he comes across.

---

It’s time for Tales From the SMP: “The Masquerade!”

A group of rich people come together to party...or so they thought.

---

The cast:

Karl plays Karl (just Karl)

Techno plays Sir Billiam III

Ranboo plays the Butler

Fundy plays Oliver Arachtenstein Cumbucket

Bad plays Lord Sebastian

Sapnap plays James

Niki plays Liaria

Quackity plays Drew P. Weiner

---

- Karl walks up to the mansion and meets a piggy fellow named Sir Billiam III, who is hosting a masquerade ball for rich people 

- Billiam introduces Karl to his overworked butler. 

- Karl falls off the stairway and Billiam explains that this is why they have railings

- Billiam shows Karl around to the various bedrooms. The wither painting is Billiam’s favorite.

- Billiam continues to tour Karl around until they reach the ballroom. Billiam calls for the Butler to fetch some wine.

- Oliver arrives to the party. He is living in London and likes to smoke, and wears a giraffe mask.

- Lord Sebastian is next to arrive.

- Next is James, an old friend of Billiam’s. James is divorced, his family gone. James tosses Karl a bottle of wine.

- Liaria arrives

- Drew P. Weiner, who is naked, arrives. He thought it was a nudist party. Billiam is flustered and wants him gone.

- Billiam had another butler named Hubert, but he ran off and now Billiam can’t find him.

- They go to sit at the bar in the ballroom. Billiam tells the butler to feed Drew poison.

- They then head to the dance floor and hang out.

- Drew is sick and the rest of the guests scatter in fear.

- After failing to poison Drew, they go to play Duck Duck Goose on the carpet.

- The lights go dark and they scatter. When the regroup, Drew’s body is found in a secret room

- Billiam has built a few panic rooms of his own. They split to look for more.

- Suddenly, the lights dim again. 

- When they come back, they find Liaria’s body lying on the wine barrels, and Oliver almost drowns in the aquarium.

- They discuss, drink lots of milk, and find a new secret passageway leading from the barrels to the ballroom.

- Billiam and Karl suspect it might be Sebastian, who was inspecting the wine. They start to confront him, but the lights go out once more. Karl runs with Sebastian.

- Billiam is found outside and must be let back in. 

- Karl shows them where Sebastian died. Karl says it must’ve been Oliver, since he saw Oliver right when the lights turned on.

- Karl has the idea to pair up this night. Karl goes with Billiam as the lights turn off.

- The two of them crawl back up from a secret chamber and find Oliver standing right near James’ body. They question Oliver and the Butler, suspecting them both.

- They give the Butler temporary freedom of speech for thirty minutes.

- At the end of discussion, they still suspect Oliver, and assign him the Butler as a buddy. The lights go dark as Karl stays with Billiam again.

- Billiam shows Karl a panic room armed with defensive fireworks for extreme situations.

- The Butler tells them that Oliver had a heart attack. Karl and Billiam start running from him.

- Billiam leads Karl to a new hiding spot. A secret room behind a painting. It’s his favorite panic room...because it has the Egg.

- Billiam tells Karl that in his travels, he found this mansion. A breeding ground for this mysterious Egg. And in his spare time, Billiam feeds poor people to the Egg as nourishment.

The Egg did the killings.

It can persuade people to do what it wants.

- The Butler begins to glow, and chases Karl down. The noises of stabbing can be heard as the screen goes dark.

- Karl wakes up in a white castle. There’s a wither rose and a book, and his clothes are all white.

The book calls it the inbetween. A dimension connected to Karl’s powers, a home away from home.

He doesn’t get to choose when he time travels, or when he returns, but his body doesn’t have to deteriorate.

If he explores the castle of the inbetween, then perhaps he can find the key to not lose himself.

He has to maintain the library, move it to a new land, and get people to join him. But he can’t let anybody else know what the inbetween is.

Until next time.

- Karl wakes up in his library and begins to write. One of the books is missing.

---

- Puffy has heard rumors that Tommy broke a piece of the Egg and nothing bad happened. Can she do the same?

- She breaks off a piece and it damages her, taking away around three hearts of health. She’s shocked and immediately stops trying to destroy it.

- Ranboo logs on and is confused by where he is. The maps are gone.

- Puffy gets a Prime Suit and goes back.

- Puffy tries breaking a different piece and it almost kills her, doing six hearts of damage. Why did this not happen to Tommy? She doesn’t think she can damage the Egg at all, even with TNT. Every time she goes to break it, it hurts more. A third time and she might not survive...

- Ranboo heads off in a direction.

- Puffy wonders if the Egg chose to let Tommy have a piece of the Egg, if the Egg doesn’t want to hurt Tommy. Maybe it wants Tommy to have part of it.

- Puffy needs to get Techno to help before the Eggpire gets Techno on their side. She needs to do something about this immediately.

- Ranboo makes it home and decides to check on the Egg.

- Puffy writes in the Captain’s Log. She shouldn’t have attempted to break the Egg. There’s some sort of difference between her and Tommy.

She and Tommy both have lost friends and made sacrifices. She thought she could fix this all on her own, but she couldn’t. She doesn’t have another attempt. Each try hurts more and more. But why did the Egg choose to spare Tommy?

It’s time for blood for the Blood God. It’s time for Technoblade.

Next stream, Puffy will visit Technoblade.

- Ranboo explores the SMP and is pleased by the grass blocks in L’Targay.

- As Puffy finishes writing, Ranboo hops down into the spider spawner. He makes his way to the secret room.

- Puffy goes to see Foolish’s builds and then goes to get quartz.

- Ranboo sees the Egg, waiting for it to say something. It doesn’t, so he graffitis it instead.

- Ranboo heads back home.

- He thinks people are probably going to create countries again. It’s already happened with Snowchester. So Ranboo doesn’t want to be involved.

- Puffy works on building projects and Ranboo continues to get rich.

---

Upcoming Events:

- Tommy’s next visit with Dream

- Bad wants to visit Dream again in the future

- Tubbo’s possible visit with Dream

- Quackity’s possible visit with Dream

- Sapnap’s visit with Dream

- Puffy’s visit with Dream

- Ponk’s visit with Dream

- Punz’s visit with Dream

- Jack Manifold’s visit with Dream

- The Eggpire possibly speaking with Technoblade

- Puffy meeting with Technoblade

[jxeyhudson]

behold the hope county zoo au

decided to say fuck it and type this idea out. all my ramblings are below the cut

-Sam and Jess are big cat keepers. At first glance it seems like they hate each other, but they’re actually best friends. They both take their jobs really seriously and have a deep respect for the cats and are careful around them, but they also have close bonds with them and have a lot of trust that the cats won’t hurt them. Peaches is Jess’ favorite while Sam is besties with the tigers.

-Jacob and Eli work with the mammals in the North America section. Jacob’s focus is on the predators (Grizzly and polar bears, wolves, badgers, foxes, etc.) while Eli is on the others (moose, reindeer/elk, beavers, bats, river otters, bison, etc.). Cheeseburger is obviously the star of the North America section.

-Grace and Mary May are also mammal keepers but they work in the African section (so elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, antelopes, etc.). They don’t have specialties in the way Eli and Jacob do; they split the work evenly based on what needs to be done.

-Nick and Kim are bird keepers together (everything from parrots and toucans to flamingoes and ostriches to hawks and eagles). They met at work and just immediately hit it off, and they’ve been together ever since.

-John and Joseph are both reptile keepers. John works in the actual reptile house with the snakes and smaller lizards. He loves the snakes and is really passionate about showing people they don’t deserve the bad reputation they’ve got. Joseph works with the bigger reptiles around the zoo (crocodiles, alligators, tortoises, and komodo dragons). The two of them are pretty flexible and help each other out pretty often, though. It’s not unusual to find John with the crocs or Joseph with the snakes.

-Hurk and Adelaide are primate keepers (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, lemurs, etc.). I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one it just fits the vibe, you know?

-Sharky and Joey are the educators/tour guides. They’re like the super funny unexpected bestie combo of chaotic himbo and badass bisexual. Classes that take field trips to the zoo usually get divided up in half and split between the two of them and there is ALWAYS some kind of competition that Sharky and Joey start between their groups. 

-Earl is the head zookeeper. He trusts his keepers a lot and mostly just tries to provide support where they need it and do damage control when necessary.

-Virgil is the zoo’s owner, but he’s like an involved and hands on owner to the point he’s also just kind of become the curator. He likes knowing his employees and keeping up with how the animals are doing.

-Dutch is the zoo’s carpenter. He designs, builds, and maintains the habitats including all of the climbing structures, shelters, and large enrichment toys in them.

-Faith is the zoo’s botanist. She oversees all of the foliage in the habitats to make sure they’re safe and beneficial to the animals. She also maintains the butterfly garden and the greenhouse where they grow certain foods right there for the animals. Xander is supposed to be her intern but he’s always running off to see Adelaide.

-Staci is also an intern. He got handed off to Jacob basically and Jacob has begrudgingly come to like him. One time Staci stood too close to the fence of the wolf enclosure and had the back pocket of his pants ripped off when one of them tried to bite him on the ass. Jacob laughed so loud that people could hear him halfway across the zoo.

-Jerome is the head vet (I know Dr. Lindsey and Dr. Perkins are right there but consider: I don’t give a shit about them). Wheaty and Tracey are vet techs.

-Tammy is in charge of PR and marketing. And she’s a mega bitch about it, too. The no fun police, if you will.

-Other animals/sections are taken care of by minor/side characters like Merle, Zip, Wade and Dave, etc.

Bonus: -Sam has a massive crush on Joey and does not at all realize it is mutual. She’s constantly trying to show off for Joey. Joey has a lot of fun teasing her and flirting with her to watch her get all flustered. Sharky and Jess are secretly trying to team up to get them together. Less secretly are the children on tours for their field trip who see them flirt and yell shit like “Do you like like her?” all the time. That’s when it’s Joey’s turn to get flustered. -Boomer is the emotional support/companion dog for the cheetah. (For anyone who is unaware, cheetahs are prone to anxiety, so zoos often pair them up with a dog to provide support for them). -The three Inside Eden’s Gate friends (Alex, Hannah, & Sara) are general interns who help the keepers on a rotation basis. They have their favorite rotation slots, though. Hannah’s is with Jess and Sam with the big cats, Sara’s is the avians with the Ryes, and Alex’s is the Africa section with Mary May and Grace because he loves the gentle giants. -The Hope County Zoo is non-profit and very focused on conservation, education, and rehabilitation. The animals they have are all rescues that cannot be released back into the wild, rescues that will eventually be released back into the wild, or part of important breeding programs for vulnerable and endangered species.

theres a good chance i write this and/or start making a shit ton of content for it not even gonna lie to yall

[kuroosweakness]

hi lia!!! i’m back hehe~ i have some more kuroo headcanons/scenarios just for you !

if you guys went out to a fancy place where you wore uncomfy shoes/heels, he’d bring a pair of sneakers for you in the car to change into afterwards so you’re comfy

he seems like the typa guy who would like to lowkey match w his s/o, whether it be buying matching converse (like the same color omg) or matching bracelets ;;

ok so if he’s on his phone and lying down on his tummy, he’d love when you lie down on top of him to see what he’s looking at on his phone. he’d also take this comfy position as an opportunity to take cute selfies w your cheeks smushed together :,(( i wanna hug him so bad pls

you two would have this ongoing game of calling eachother increasingly weird nicknames. he’d call you over like “hey, come here kidney bean” and you’d respond w “gimme a sec, my lovely lamp post” and you’d even do this around your friends (and they’d be used to it pls) (other nicknames he’s used for you include: lava cake, shortcake, etc)

for pet names, i stand by the idea that he���d call you angel, precious, pretty, or sweetheart 🤤

he’d ask about your opinions for the littlest things like which socks and tie to wear to work (tetsu pls your socks don’t even show 😩) and he’d want to help you pick out your clothes too bc he thinks he’s incredibly fashionable lmaooo

he’s def the type of guy to cover any hard surfaces w his hand if you’re bending down to pick smth up so you don’t hit your head :(( what a sweetie!!!

if you two are visiting your family, he knows he has to tone down his pda :,) although it’s hard for him (bc he seems like a physical touch typa guy), he wants to be respectful around your parents. he’d hold your hand under the table, or keep his palm on your back, kiss you quickly on the top of your head, or hold on to your belt loops if he wants you close. your parents would find him so endearing and respectful <3

also speaking of visiting your family, i feel like kuroo would do his best to fit in and get along w everyone in your family. i think he yearns for the type of love that comes w being a part of a family since his home life as a kid wasn’t like the other kids. he’d play w your siblings and learn about their lives, talk to your parents like they’re his own, and internally vow to give his future kids a loving family :,)

if you come home in a bad mood or tired, he’d quietly come up to you and wrap you in a warm hug :( and then he’d massage your temples as you sit in front of him and tell him about your day. he’d also take this time to comb his fingers through your hair so you can relax

he’d try to get you flustered by bending down to listen to you when you’re talking >:( and it would work >:( but you get him back by quickly kissing him on the cheek, catching him by surprise >:)

my brain is only full of kuroo now :,) but i hope you enjoyed these, lia!!! and i’m so excited for sumi’s new plushies yayyy (the giraffes are so CUTE) i’m off to bed (hopefully i dream of kuroo so i can come back w more headcanons for you <3)

- [🧸anon]

OMG HI AGAIN your headcanons are also so good :' i love reading these >:(( so much

oh but he totally would :'( but before that, of course he'll have to do some teasing like "you sure you'll survive in those heels tonight?"

yes!! lowkey matching bracelets, shoes, rings, SOCKS. i just know he has a pair of lucky socks 👀

AWW squished cheeks selfies are way too cute :' laying on kuroo's back would be one of my favorite things to do ever

AHAHA THE NICKNAMES PLS "kidney bean" somehow, coming from him, it doesn't sound too bad :D lava cake and shortcake are so cute :'

yes 😌 and of course he'll have unqiue nicknames of your name that he made up :)

YES AHHH definitely picking out the ties and socks!! he likes to make his ties and socks match >:) and of course he'll do the model walk right after you help him pick his tie out

he's so sweet :(((( the way he'll always look out for you :'

YES YES toning down pda in front of family out of respect!! your headcanons are always so good >:( YES !! the little subtle touches~

pls our parents would adore him :'

YEAHH he'll definitely communicate with his s/o's family members like family of his own! his special bond with your parents and siblings :' he knows how to make himself completely irreplaceable >:)

:((((( why. is. he. so. perfect. and. where. can. i. get. him.

AHAHA PLS he'll be on the hunt to fluster you 24/7 and when you fluster him back, he'll be like (⋆////⋆) the whole rest of the hour

thanks to you, my brain is filled with him too :' OF COURSE I DID, i had so much fun reading these and thinking of more <33 hehe sumi's new plushies are ADORABLE. the giraffes aaaah, maybe she'll start having favorites 👀

i hope you dream of kuroo too so you can share them with me :'DD have a lovely rest of your day, 🧸 anon! <3

[fabulouspotatosister]

occupational hazard

summary: The best place to be when danger arises is by the Doctor’s side, but sometimes danger comes just by being at his side.

word count: 11, 934 (oof)

warnings: swearing, illness/poisoning, one character is kind of a creep

a/n: here it is.... finally.... the inaugural Long Fic for 11... i have “connections” (on ao3) for 13 and now i have this!! this took way too long to write because i kept getting distracted watching critical role, but now it’s finally done and i can... move on... anyway i hope you all enjoy!!

gif by: @dobrien

---

“…and this - should be Lobar Three!”

 The Doctor spreads his arms with a flourish as the TARDIS lands, its wheezing noise reverberating throughout the console room. The Doctor pirouettes around the console with the grace of a giraffe and slams down a lever – the TARDIS stills.

 A small laugh makes its way out of your mouth. “Should be?”

 “Yeah, should be. Moderate climate, beautiful mountain ranges, and gorgeous views thanks to its unique atmosphere,” the Doctor continues, dancing towards the doors. “Get ready for the sunrise of a lifetime!”

 He says it like a cheesy tour guide, flashing you one of his manic grins before he peeks his head out of the door.

 A beat of silence. You hear him groan, then he sticks his head back in.

 "Not Lobar Three," he says sheepishly, "Lobar Four. I missed."

 "You missed?" You dash away from the console to stand next to him and gently elbow his side. He mutters a soft "ow". "Oh, one day I'll learn how to drive the TARDIS, and you're going to be sorry."

 "Oi, don't diss the driver," the Doctor says indignantly, his mouth curling into a frown - though one that's probably more embarrassed than upset. It's fun to see the Doctor flustered, all frowns and furrowed brows, arms crossed over his chest. You decide to try again.

 You grin widely, moving closer into the Doctor's side. His mouth hangs open a little bit before he frowns again. "Maybe I should get try and get River to teach me, you've got her on speed dial right -"

 "No, no, no, you are not getting River involved in this," he grumbles. "And I do not have her on speed dial. At least it's inhabited. Come on!"

 The Doctor swings the doors open, and a bright white light spills through. Carefully, he steps out of the TARDIS, and you follow suit.

 You look around, your gaze travelling along smooth marble walls interrupted by framed portraits of wintry landscapes. Several green potted plants stand next to a stone desk. Right next to the empty desk is a shelf full of brochures - the Doctor shuts the doors behind him and runs to the self, plucking a brochure and flipping through it.

 "Doctor, where are we?" you whisper.

 The Doctor doesn't look up from his brochure. "Like I said, Lobar Four. Fourth planet in the Lobar system, very touristy, and also very cold, on account of it being farther from its system's sun -"

 You sigh, interrupting him. "No, I meant where exactly are we?"

 "That is a question I can answer."

 You turn your head towards a low, rumbling voice - your gaze focuses on a bear-like creature, standing on two feet, walking slowly towards you. Something about its presence is quite commanding, and you stand a little straighter. "Welcome, strangers, to the P'kone Mountain Resort. What is your business here?"

 "Hello!" the Doctor says cheerfully, stuffing his brochure into his jacket. "I'm the Doctor and this -" He pats your shoulders and you smile politely - "is my companion. We're just having a look around. Lovely resort. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. ...?"

 "The Doctor!" The creature's eyes widen, and he steps forward, bowing his head. The many chains on his suit strike each other and make jangling sounds. “I did not expect such an esteemed visitor to arrive. I am Merban, and the pleasure is all mine."

 "Oh, esteemed visitor?" The Doctor bows back, then glances at you - you fumble and bow awkwardly. If your bowing is offensive at all Merban doesn't say anything. "What's the occasion, Merban?"

 Merban straightens, folding his hands - paws? You'd have to count how many fingers he had - behind his back. His white fur almost makes him disappear into the white marble walls, but the many golden accents on his maroon suit shine under the lights. "We are having a political summit regarding our planet's trade. You may join us, if you like - dinner is just beginning."

 "Dinner?" you ask, then cringe at the way your voice echoes in the space. Merban nods slowly.

 "Yes, child," he says, a gentle smile spreading across his features. "We would be very humbled to be in your company."

 "Oh, his company, not mine," you laugh, gesturing to the Doctor.

 Merban frowns, tilting his head to the side. "No, your company is appreciated as well. We Lobarians have heard many stories about the Doctor and his companions. How they travel together, spreading kindness amongst the stars. You play a very integral role in those stories. We will honor you just as much as him."

 You feel your face grow warm. You glance at the Doctor and he smiles at you, a proud gleam in his eyes. "Oh. Well, uh - thank you," you manage, your voice small. "Yes, we'll join you. Please, lead the way."

 "Very well." With another polite nod, Merban turns on his heel and starts walking into the hallway behind him.

 "Honored? Me?" you gush, walking not too far behind Merban. You're only human, and although the Doctor's always said that humanity's brilliant, there's still a tiny part of you that jumps in joy at the praise. "They tell stories about you and I'm a part of them?"

 "We're a package deal, you and I." The Doctor shrugs, but there's still a smile playing on his lips. A package deal. Never one without the other. You soften at the thought. "Word gets around quickly. You get used to it."

 "Oh, I think I never will." You try to swallow a laugh, but it bubbles out of you anyway. "Spreading kindness amongst the stars is such high praise. I didn't think we were doing that."

 The hallway widens into a large room, and your breath catches in your throat. Intricately carved pillars curve upwards into a domed ceiling, leading to a shimmering centerpiece hanging in the middle of the room that seems to shift in the wind. Scattered around the room are circular tables, decorated with a silken cloth that reflect the lights beautifully. There are a few Lobarians at every table, all dressed in formal wear lined in gold, all of them prim and proper in their seats.

 "Friends and allies," Merban announces, "I proclaim the arrival of two very esteemed guests, the Doctor and his companion!"

 A bout of polite clapping spreads across the room before it quickly falls silent again. Merban leads you to a longer table set on a stage - a Lobarian with fluffy brown fur dressed in an azure suit quickly leaps up from his chair to greet you and the Doctor.

 "Hello!" he says brightly, taking your hand in his - five fingers, so not paws - and shaking it vigorously. "I'm Koramaz, it's so nice to finally meet you." He jerks his thumb behind him at another Lobarian with similarly colored fur, who rises from his seat to join Koramaz. "That's my assistant, Orvin. Why don't you say hello?"

 "Greetings." Orvin reaches out to take your hand, the faint gleam of a ring shining on one of his fingers. He presses his mouth against the back of your palm - you raise your eyebrows at him and he laughs, a low sound. "I'm sorry. Traditions travel far and wide across the cosmos. I was told about this human one. Did that offend you?"

 "N-no," you stutter out. The Doctor moves to stand behind you, placing his hands on your shoulders.

 "Lovely to meet you both," he says. You nearly miss him grumbling something under his breath.

 Merban settles into his seat. "If you are finished with your introductions, shall we begin?

 Koramaz smiles, his teeth bared. And they're sharp. "Of course, Merban. Shall we?"

 Merban offers that you sit beside him - Koramaz insists the same thing. In the end, you and the Doctor end up at the center of the table, with Koramaz on one side and Merban on the other. You watch as elegantly dressed Lobarians float into the room and begin handing dishes on silver platters to the guests, spinning around every table like the service is one big choreography.

 "So - about this political summit," the Doctor begins, leaning back into his chair and clasping his hands together, "what's going on? Why don't you fill me in on the details, Merban?"

 "Our planet is currently divided into two factions," Merban explains. He nods up at one of the servers politely as they set down a plate in front of him. "I am with the Protectionists. We wish to keep our planet's economy independent. That involves increasing restrictions and taxes on foreign exports."

 "And I," Koramaz starts, waving away a server, "am with the Expansionists. We want Lobar Four to be seen on the galactic stage! Opening our doors to foreign trade has to be the best way. Don't you agree with me, Orvin?"

 Orvin just hums in reply, the blue cloak resting on his shoulder swaying with the motion.

 It's only now that you notice how the room is divided in two - the ones wearing blue sitting on one side, and the ones wearing red sitting on the other. It's also only now that formality of the event hits you. The Doctor in his suit and bowtie fits right in, but you - you're in a shirt and pants. You reach up the grab the hem of your shirt, anxiously running your fingers over the fabric.

 "Preposterous," Merban mutters. "Lobar Four is not yet ready for that kind of progress."

 "If we're not ready now, then when will we be ready, Merban?" Koramaz counters. "Hmm? What do you say to that?"

 "Well, progress is subjective, when you really think about it," the Doctor says. "It all depends on what your goals are, and if your goals differ, then so does your idea of progress. I suppose that's what makes this so difficult."

 "Spoken like a true public speaker," you whisper, leaning in.

 The Doctor chuckles. "I was on Aristotle's debate team."

 Koramaz turns to face the Doctor, his eyes glinting. "Say, Doctor, why don't you put in a good word for us? Everyone here trusts you a lot, and I'm sure you agree with me. Opportunity for all, and all that."

 The Doctor smiles and shakes his head. "Sorry, I'm not really one for politics. The gossip can get a bit -" He grimaces slightly - "much. More of a negotiator. I don't really interfere."

 You snicker at that. Really?

 The Doctor narrows his eyes at you. Hush.

 "I'm sure you lot can come to a compromise," the Doctor says. Merban scoffs.

 "Compromise has no place in Koramaz's vocabulary," Merban says. Koramaz shrugs at that, raising his palms in the air. "The boy has a one-track mind, as the young ones say. I can only hope that these talks go peacefully."

 "Yes, we only want the best for our planet." Koramaz nods slowly. He glances at Orvin, his gaze hidden by his fur. "It's a shame you won't put your two cents in, Doctor. But rest assured, we'll come to a conclusion by the end of the night."

 A small tap on your shoulder makes you look up at one of the finely dressed servers. They carry a small tray filled with glasses of a rose-colored liquid. The server nods at you, then the drinks. "Would you like one?"

 "Sure, thanks." You reach up and take one of the glasses - the rose-colored liquid sparkles, and when you smell it, it does smell faintly of roses. "Is it alcoholic?"

 "It is a wine from our territory," Merban says, "a gift from my faction to Koramaz's for all of us to enjoy."

 Koramaz swirls his own glass of wine. "It's a wonderful gesture. What about you, Doctor? Will you drink?"

 The Doctor waves off a server, shaking his head, but he's got his own glass too. "Nah, I don't drink. But I do love to hold the glass in my hand, it makes me look cool."

 Your laughter is what sets the whole table off - Koramaz chortles, and even Merban gives a low chuckle. The Doctor smiles, proud, raising the glass like Gatsby at one of his parties. It's enough to make you laugh again, steadying your hand so you don't spill your drinks.

 You raise the glass to your lips and sip the wine - it tastes fizzy, and burns your throat when you swallow, but it isn't bad. The Doctor frowns like a disapproving parent, pointing his sonic at the glass. You raise your eyebrows at him as he skims over the readings.

 "What?" you say, lowering your glass.

 "I don't want you getting drunk, this is a diplomatic affair," the Doctor says quietly.

 "Okay, Mr. Grumpy Face. You're no fun." You take a big gulp of wine and then immediately regret it as it burns even harder in your throat, blazing a trail of fire all the way down to your stomach. You cough, your face twisting into a grimace. "Don't laugh."

 "'Course not," the Doctor says, laughing. "Are you okay?"

 "Fine!" you splutter. It still burns, and you pound your fist against your chest. "Ack. I shouldn't have done that. Don't go all 'I told you so' on me and tell me that the wine isn't safe for human consumption."

 "Oh, it isn't," the Doctor says nonchalantly. When you stare at him, your eyes going wide, he laughs. "Kidding! I'm kidding. Look at you, all panicked with your big eyes."

 You groan and the Doctor laughs again, louder this time. Your annoyance drops at the joyful sound and you smile, biting your lower lip. You're out of place in a super fancy alien dinner party, and yet the Doctor is still squarely by your side, his laugh like an anchor amongst all of the extraordinary things happening. You file that nice thought away for later, to admit to him in a more vulnerable moment.

 "And now, a dance," Merban announces, raising his glass, "to cement peace between our two factions. Koramaz, if you will?"

 "Of course." Koramaz rises and makes his way to the very center of the room - the guests dressed in blue all form a circle, and the guests dressed in red partner up with them.

 Orvin extends a hand to you. "Wait. Before you join the dance, I have a gift for you."

 He unclasps the pin that holds his shoulder cloak in place - it slides off his shoulder, the fabric shimmering in his hands - and throws it over your shoulder. He leans in close to pin it, his fur just tickling the skin of your neck. It looks a little strange, the beautiful piece hanging off of your casual clothes, but Orvin looks proud. "Perfect for a beauty like you."

 You smile shyly at him. "Thank -"

 "Yes, thank you very much," the Doctor says quickly. He shoots a polite smile in Orvin's direction before he practically drags you away. "You didn't have to say yes," he says, his grip tight around your wrist.

 "I didn't?" You pry your hand out of his grasp. The cloak sways as you move, cold like metal as it brushes against your arm. "It's a really nice cloak, though."

 The Doctor huffs. "It's finely-woven chainmail - the metal links are as tiny as thread. Makes it look just like normal cloth. Lobarian craftsmen do not mess about. Symbolic Lobarian attire, the one-shoulder cloak, common throughout the whole system."

 "Symbolic of what?" you ask. The Doctor sighs, his brows pinching together.

 "It's an old symbol, it doesn't matter." You shoot him a look, trying to give him your best puppy-dog eyes - the Doctor holds your gaze before he sighs again, deeper this time. "Oh, you - alright, it means you're unbound."

 "Unbound?"

 "Unmarried, without a partner, whatever you want to call it!" the Doctor says, his voice climbing higher. "Single. I don't know."

 You watch the Doctor, shoulders slumped as if in defeat, his hands thrown up in the air in frustration - if you didn't know any better, you'd say he looked a little -

 "Raise the music!" Koramaz bellows, and the music grows even louder. Everyone starts to sway, some joining hands, some pulling each other close.

 At Koramaz's announcement, the Doctor relaxes slightly. He extends his hand to you, bowing slightly like a proper gentleman - "Shall we dance?"

 "Aren't you a terrible dancer?" you ask, placing your hand in his.

 The Doctor smirks up at you, and your heart stutters in your chest. "You've never seen me waltz."

 You breathe out a laugh as the Doctor steps closer to you, your hand still clasped in his. You bring your free hand to his shoulder - the Doctor, not taking his eyes off you, lets his hand come to a rest on your waist.

 And oh, his eyes. Have you ever really looked at the Doctor before today? Like, really looked at him? Has his face always looked like that?

 He said you were unbound but you certainly don't feel that way - swaying with him, the Doctor feels like the only thing keeping your feet on the ground. You blink up at him, at his hair that just looks perfect for running your hands through and his eyes that seem to hold everything.

 You haven't been looking. Now you're looking and you really like what you see.

 You exhale through your mouth at the realization, and hope that the Doctor doesn't hear. He's humming along to the music, happy enough. "Doctor?" you ask, jumping a little at the way your voice comes out strained.

 The Doctor hums in response, a note of the song. You swallow. What's brought this on? Is it the alien wine you've just drunk? It probably is. Liquid courage. "Have I ever told you that I think you're really -"

 "Excuse me," a Lobarian next to you coughs, "you'll have to pass her along."

 You feel the Doctor's hand tense against your waist. "What?"

 "We're meant to dance with everyone," they explain. "The dance can't continue until you pass her along. Sorry."

 Something flickers across the Doctor's face, too quickly for you to figure out what it is. He lets go of you, pushing you gently away from him, and you think you catch him frowning as you're passed along.

 It's easy enough to engage in light conversation with the Lobarians who dance with you. Most of them are overwhelmed at your presence, others are adorably curious about human customs. They ask questions about climate and plants, some of them tilting their heads in confusion at the idea of a "summer". A few remind you too much of old economics teachers.

 You've just finished talking with a tall Lobarian woman when she spins you and passes you along to the one beside her - strong arms catch you, and you look up at Orvin's face.

 "My cloak suits you well," he rumbles, smiling.

 "It does," you say brightly. "Thank you, it's beautiful."

 Orvin hums, intertwining his fingers with yours. You jump at the intimacy of the action, but his hold is too tight for you to pull away from it. "Do you know what it means?"

 "Y-yeah, the Doctor explained it to me."

 "Then you must know what I think of you," Orvin says. His hand, once settled on your waist, starts drifting towards the small of your back - you shudder at the touch. "Do you know what it means when it is given to someone?"

 "No," you squeak out.

 Orvin's pulling you closer, your bodies nearly flush with one another. "From one unbound to another… I think you know what I mean."

 "I'm not sure I follow," you say, leaning away from Orvin's face, which was now very close to yours. His teeth are just as sharp as Koramaz's. "But I'm - I'm not unbound."

 "Well, you might not be - but maybe your partner isn't here." He leans in closer to you and you stiffen. To anyone watching, Orvin might as well be dipping you, but all you want to do is kick him and run away. "Why don't we have a little fun?" he whispers, his breath tickling your ear.

 There's something almost predatorial in Orvin's gaze that sends your poor heart into a frenzy. Sharp teeth and something sharp digging into your back. You squirm in his grasp, trying to find safety - the Doctor. You meet his gaze from across the room, and you have to blink at the intensity of his glare.

 Orvin can't see it, but the Doctor is burning holes into his back.

 "I'm not unbound," you repeat, trying to put a little fire in your voice. The Doctor's gaze flickers from Orvin to you and he shoots you a polite smile, but the look in his eyes hasn't gone. My anchor, you think. "The one I'm bound to is right behind you."

 Not entirely the truth, not entirely a lie either. Maybe it's a wish.

 A few seconds pass, the silence between you and Orvin heavy with tension. He turns his head to face the Doctor, and then he laughs. The sound sends shivers down your spine.

 "Alright," he finally says, "I assumed. I apologize."

 You'd better be sorry is the first thought that crosses your mind. Orvin shifts his hand away from the small of your back - a sharp pain pierces through your skin. You suck in a breath through your teeth.

 "You alright?" Orvin moves his hand back to your waist. "Are you hurt?"

 "I'm fine," you say. The pain is gone as fast as it came. "Probably just static."

 Orvin looks down at you curiously, but nods. He pulls back from you, getting ready to pass you to your next partner, and you spin, and spin, and, spin, and hang on, should you be spinning for this long or -

 "Woah, woah!"

 You're spinning. You're still spinning. Or is the room spinning? You blink slowly, your eyelids heavy. Maybe it's the wine, the one glass of Lobarian wine you had that's messing with your system. Maybe the Doctor was right, maybe it really wasn't good for humans. The room lurches forward - or maybe you do.

 "Hang on, I've got you."

 The Doctor. You're back in his arms, still swaying slowly to the music, which sounds so far away now. Has someone stuffed your ears with cotton? You lean forward and rest your head on his shoulder, pressing your forehead against his tweed jacket.

 "I saw you stumbling," the Doctor says, his voice quiet near your ear. "What's going on? Have you had too much to drink? I told you -"

 You groan, cutting him off, your stomach roiling. "I don't… feel good. I feel like..."

 You grip against the Doctor slackens, and you fall - the cold marble floor doesn't greet you. Instead, the Doctor's arms wrap around you before you can collide with the floor.

 You can faintly hear a gasp spread throughout the entire room. The music's stopped, too. You want to apologize for ruining everyone's fun, but all that comes out of your mouth is another weak groan. You squeeze your eyes shut, but the room's still tumbling. So dizzy...

 Koramaz's voice drifts in. "Oh, no. What's wrong? What's happened?"

 "I don't know, I need to find out first," the Doctor says. You feel him pull you closer, letting your head rest against his chest. The double beats of his heart join the pounding in your head. "She said she wasn't feeling well, why would she be not feeling well..."

 "There is an infirmary, in the hotel," Merban suggests. A furry hand pushes the hair away from your face. "She can be taken there until she is well again."

 "Right, since you all have great service." The Doctor's voice waver's ever so slightly. You reach out, your hand wrapping around one of his braces. "I'll go with her. I'll stay until she's better."

 Please, you try to say. It comes out like a strangled noise in the back of your throat instead, but the Doctor seems to understand. You feel his lips press against your hair. Don't leave.

 "No, Doctor," Koramaz says gently. "This could be really serious. There might be a criminal in our midst. We need you here, to answer some questions."

 Merban speaks up. "Koramaz, are you insinuating that -"

 "No, I'm just being thorough."

 "And if I won't?" Something dangerous plays at the edge of the Doctor's voice. His hold on you tightens.

 "Do not worry." Merban's voice is calm and steady. "Rest assured, your companion will be provided the best care that we have."

 Koramaz speaks again, and you feel yourself being moved, away from the Doctor - a whine bubbles out of your mouth, your hands still searching for where the Doctor is. No! "Orvin'll help take her to the infirmary. Won't you, Orvin?"

 Not this bastard again… "As you wish," Orvin says. He scoops you up and lifts you. Everything lurches at the motion, and you groan again, dizzy, confused, and maybe just a little bit scared.

 Their voices get farther and farther away, but even though all the nausea there's a thought, clear as day, nagging at you in the very back of your mind.

 "H-hang on," you mumble. "Guys, I don't think I'm drunk..."

 --

 The Doctor tries to swallow his jealousy as he watches Orvin walk away with your limp form in his arms. That's not what he's supposed to be feeling right now, but he can't help the ugly feeling that's snaked its way into his hearts.

 You'd looked radiant tonight. The sight of you in Orvin's cloak - although a little bit annoying - is something that he's sure is etched in his brain. You'd looked like royalty in the blue piece. He’s seen a lot of royalty, and they’re absolutely nothing compared to you. And you looking up at him, almost dreamily, face flushed with alcohol, is not something he'll forget.

 But he can't get the way you reached out for him out of his brain, either. The way you gripped one of his braces for dear life, the way your hands reached out blindly through your confusion, looking to him for comfort.

 Not jealous, he tries to convince himself, worried. He's better at that anyway.

 "What's going on?"

 "Let me see, let me see!"

 "They've just carted her off..."

 The Lobarians start muttering amongst themselves. After you'd fallen into his arms, they'd scattered, grouping back into their respective factions. The beautiful palette of reds and blues divided again. It's funny what fear does to a people.

 "Now, now, everyone, calm down," Merban says. "There is no need for panic. Fear and suspicion will only make our investigation harder."

 "Fear and suspicion?"

 "Merban's right, we need to stay as calm as we can -"

 "No, we need to start asking questions!"

 Murmuring spreads through both factions. The Doctor watches Merban, hands held out, trying to placate everyone - and Koramaz, shifting on his feet, mouth bared in what almost looks like a snarl, his sharp teeth reflecting the light and making him look even more vicious. He can sense it, Koramaz's anger, and he takes a careful step backward. The whole thing is a puddle of gasoline, and if Koramaz says anything, there will only be ashes left behind.

 "Now, have any of you here seen anything suspicious during tonight's proceedings? Anything at all?"

 Most of the Lobarians shake their heads, looking at each other with wide eyes. The Doctor's seen this before - classic political intrigue. Two factions with a rivalry. It's something he'd love to solve, if he wasn't dealing with the nagging worry slowly climbing up his throat.

 Suddenly, Koramaz snarls, pointing a finger at Merban. "If anything, you're the suspicious one!"

 A collective gasp. There it was. Now there was a fire.

 Merban raises his hands, shaking his head. "Koramaz - you must be mistaken. As I have said, we all need to stay calm, and -"

 "No, we aren't going to stay calm," Koramaz grumbles. "Who invited the Doctor and his companion to the dinner? Whose territory was that wine from? Hmm?"

 There's another gasp, and another wave of panicked muttering. Merban sighs. "Koramaz, please. Let us talk about this."

 "They're the ambassadors of the universe, well known through time and space!" Koramaz voice shakes with emotion, his entire body trembling. "You did this! You tried to poison a visitor - a potential ally in trade, an opportunity - to keep our planet independent! Your cruelty knows no bounds."

 "Koramaz - no -" Merban begins, but soon enough his voice is drowned out by the sound of yelling and fighting. "Koramaz!"

 "Doctor, look at him!" Koramaz shouts, glancing at the Doctor with wild eyes. "Don't you see how guilty he is?"

 The Doctor stays silent.

 "Everyone, are you feeling well? Have you had any of the wine?"

 "You bastards!"

 "We're just trying to help Lobar Four!"

 Koramaz goes still in the middle of the chaos. The Doctor narrows his eyes at him - narrows his eyes at the way he takes a deep breath in, adjusts his suit, and relaxes as soon as the first stone has been thrown. He storms off, disappearing into the throes of panicked and angry Lobarians.

 The Doctor moves to stand next to Merban. The Protectionist leader looks absolutely frazzled, his once pristine fur now sticking out at unnatural angles.

 "Merban," he says, and Merban jumps at the sound of his voice. "I'm sorry, you lot are really being quite noisy. I think I'll head back to my ship now, if that's alright with you."

 "No, Doctor, we -" Merban sighs, ragged. "I may need your help. You must be concerned for your companion. If you cooperate with us, I'm sure we can find a solution."

 Concerned is an understatement. "I'll be here," he says, placing a reassuring hand on Merban's shoulder. "But I won't be of any help while you're all squabbling. I'll stay out of your way until this all dies down."

 Merban relaxes ever so slightly, and the Doctor gives him a small smile. Slowly, he nods, placing his own hand on the Doctor's shoulder. Merban's touch is firm, but his gaze wavers. "Of course. Feel free to leave, Doctor - but do come back. We will let you know when we need you."

 "You're a good man, Merban," the Doctor replies. "Thank you."

 The Doctor waits until Merban lowers his hands, and watches him as he plunges into the crowd of arguing Lobarians, his deep voice rising above everyone else's.

 Good show, Doctor. Time to make your escape.

 He slips into another corridor as quietly as he can, the sounds of petty words being thrown at one another getting softer and softer. He walks towards the lobby, where the TARDIS is parked, anxious hands fidgeting to keep his mind off the first thing it drifts to - a worst case scenario.

 But of course, it does. The Doctor just doesn't want to bring those thoughts to the front of his mind.

 His worry is practically clawing out of his throat now. The Doctor fights it first. Merban had promised you'd be safe, but Koramaz - Koramaz hadn't made any promises. Only threats. He stops fighting his fear, his hands curling into fists.

 The Doctor turns on his heel and walks the other way.

 He thrusts his hand into his jacket, and with a soft cry of "a-ha!", pulls out a brochure. It's the same brochure he'd picked up when he landed - it's shiny, reflecting the light into his eyes, and also very informative, as all good brochures should be.

 He turns it over in his hands. Printed on the paper is a map of the hotel, a tiny glowing blip on the paper marking where he's standing.

 The Doctor opens his mouth to explain it to you, paper-thin optics with a built-in directional tracker, waiting for your excited response - then he falters. It's quiet. You're not going to respond because you aren't there, right by his side, where you should be.

 Problem number one. The rest, he can deal with later. Finding the area on the map labeled "Infirmary", he sets off in that direction first.

 The Doctor walks silently though the hallways, sonic screwdriver held up like a weapon. He won't boast about it, but Time Lords have better hearing than humans - not the best, but still quite good. He can still hear the distant sound of raised voices, but he tries to focus on something else. He tries to see if he can hear you, your voice, your breathing, your heartbeat, anything of yours that he can recognize.

 Nothing.

 He looks through the glass doors of the infirmary - and they're empty. He peers in further, and there's still no sign of you. None of the beds have a pillow out of place, and the staff inside are too busy tending to other people.

 Not jealous, not jealous, worried, starts to sound quite bad in the Doctor's head. Jealousy would have been better than this.

 The Doctor lifts the map to his face again, squinting at the tiny text printed onto it - Infirmary, Function Halls, Private Rooms. The private rooms don't look too far away from the infirmary. A guess won't hurt, the Doctor thinks.

 Then, close by - the sound of a clattering doorknob. And voices. Faint groaning.

 "Doctor..."

 Then a faraway thud, the sound of something soft falling to the floor. Like a body.

 Maybe this guess would hurt. The Doctor runs towards the source of the sound, one of the private rooms, and presses his ear against the door. What he hears next makes his heart twist painfully in his chest.

 It's you, it's your voice. It's too faint for him to make out any words. The Doctor grits his teeth as he presses his whole body against the door.

 It doesn't budge. He tries the doorknob - locked. Anger joins his repertoire of already jumbled emotions, setting his hearts alight with a white-hot anger that he hasn't felt in a very, very long time. He points his sonic at the doorknob, gripping it so tightly he can see his knuckles turn white - the door swings open and he very nearly drops the device.

 "Help," you mutter weakly, sprawled on the floor. "Help me."

 "No, no no no -" The Doctor drops to his knees beside you, sweeping the sonic over your body - the whirring noise makes you furrow your brows, and he apologizes under his breath. He has a feeling he's going to be doing a lot of that. He skims through the readings, his hearts pounding out of his chest at every point of data.

 He tucks his sonic back into his jacket and gently turns you over. You roll onto your back and groan, your arms hanging limp at your sides.

 "Hey," he murmurs, his vision going hazy. He blinks quickly. Not now.

 Slowly, he wraps his arms around your shivering form. You're shaking like a leaf in a storm, and you feel impossibly frail in his arms. A sob makes its way through your trembling lips, and the sound rips the Doctor's hearts in two.

 You had just been smiling, laughing, dancing with him minutes ago. Now you're sobbing in his arms. The Doctor swallows.

 "Doctor?" you mumble. You're looking into nowhere, your eyes glassy. "I need to - need to find the Doctor..."

 Now you were just being cruel. "It's me," the Doctor chokes out. He blinks the tears out of his eyes, again, but he can't stop the few that slip out. "I'm here, I'm right here. I'm so sorry."

 "Sorry?" Your cheeks are shiny. "Wha… what for?"

 This. Everything. The Doctor reaches out to wipe your tears - and he jerks his hand away. You're burning up, sweat beading on your forehead, your hair sticking to the damp skin. Even Orvin's chainmail cloak has absorbed some of the warmth.

 "Nothing," the Doctor whispers. He takes your face in his hands and presses a kiss to your forehead, even though heat is coming off you in waves. "I'm going to take you home, okay? You're going to be alright. I promise."

 "Home," you slur, your head lolling, "yeah, home sounds good."

 The Doctor doesn't like making promises. He's too afraid of what happens when he can't keep them, but he swears he'll fulfill this one. You lean into his touch and sigh, that one puff of breath scalding the skin of his hands.

 Your eyelids flutter as you head comes to rest on the Doctor's chest. Another round of shivers wracks your body, and the Doctor tightens his grasp on you.

 As gently as he can, he rises to his feet. The motion makes you whimper, and you curl up in his grasp. He sets his jaw and steps out of the room.

 You mumble things under your breath as the Doctor weaves through the hallways, making his way back to the TARDIS. Back home. He doesn't want to listen, because your delirious mumblings make his hearts hurt terribly, but he does catch a few. A few "sorry"s, a handful of "hurts", the occasional "ow", and "I tried to warn him".

 "Tried to warn me about what, sweetheart?" he coaxes when you mumble it for the third time. You blink up at him blearily, recognition flickering in your tired eyes.

 "M'not drunk," is your breathy response. "Didn't feel drunk. Felt sick. My back… hurts."

 "Your back?" the Doctor asks. You groan in reply, and when the Doctor jostles you experimentally that groan tapers off into a weak cry of pain. It's too much for his hearts. "Was it the wine? Do you think it was the wine?" he tries, following another lead.

 "My back," you insist weakly. "Dance… he was too close..."

 The TARDIS comes into view, and the Doctor quickens his pace. Just a few more steps and you'll be home, safe -

 Merban nearly runs into him. His jaw drops open at the sight of you hanging limply in the Doctor's arms. "Oh, goodness," he gasps, "what's happened to her?"

 "I don't know," the Doctor growls, the anger in his hearts a roaring fire. "How about you tell me why she wasn't in the infirmary? Or why she was all alone in a locked room with a raging fever?"

 "Doctor, I -" Merban stutters. "I was under the impression she was being cared for."

 "Well, your impression was wrong."

 Koramaz appears behind Merban, and his eyes widen in shock. He reaches out for you, and something in the Doctor snaps - he isn't allowed to get close to you like that, no one is! He steps back quickly, shielding you in his arms.

 "No, don't you touch her!" he snarls, suddenly much older and ancient and dangerous.

 Koramaz stops in his tracks. The Doctor glares at him, breathing heavily, watching as he stumbles backwards. There's a sick satisfaction building in him at the fear in their eyes - and the Doctor realizes that maybe, just this once, he doesn't mind being ancient. He doesn't mind being dangerous.

 But then you mutter something disjointedly, shift your frail body in his arms, and it's all wiped away like writing on the sand. The anger gone in just a moment, replaced by a fear that keeps him rooted to the floor.

 "Doctor, what are you doing?" Merban asks softly.

 The Doctor looks down at you. He's always scared, but not like this. Never like this.

 "I'm being selfish," he says, and he disappears into the TARDIS.

 --

 “Have you done it?”

 “I have.”

 “Good job.”

 Voices drift into your hearing. All you feel are sensations – incoherent and choppy, like someone had deleted entire minutes of your memory, scenes jumping from one to the other. Being scooped into someone’s arms, carried into the dark. Silken sheets brushing against freezing skin. Something thick and heavy being laid over you, suffocating you –

 “Make sure she isn’t found until later. You know the plan. You know what he needs to think.”

 The voices are familiar. Should you be alarmed? You feel like you should – but you can’t be. It’s too cold to feel anything else at all. There’s a soft click, and then laughter. Low laughter, laughter that’s too threatening to be kind. The sound sends shivers up your spine.

 A small part of your mind’s still awake, and its screaming at you to get the hell up. You roll, and twist - then you fall, and the bed disappears from underneath you. You’re weightless for a second before your elbow collides with the floor. You’re too tired to even cry out in pain.

 A thought pushes through your mind as you reach up at what looks like a doorknob – find the Doctor. He’s home, he’s safety, he’s everything. The doorknob rattles once, twice, nothing.

 “Doctor,” you manage, and then –

 Another voice drifts in. Warm and comforting. Soft against the sharp pain.

 “Hush, I’m here,” the voice says. Something cold presses onto your forehead. A bead of liquid trickles down your temple and disappears into your hair.

 “Where…?” You draw in a slow breath, your head lolling against a surprisingly warm pillow. You want to open your eyes – look upon your savior, as dramatic as that sounds. But your eyelids are so heavy, and you give up before you can even try.

 “It’s alright, you’re safe, you’re on the TARDIS.” This time it’s hands, a palm pressing against your forehead, gentle fingers pressing onto your neck, both of them blessedly cool. You sigh and lean into the touch.

 “Try to rest – you’re still burning up.” The hands retreat – then they come back, brushing against your cheek. The touch says a thousand words that you’re too tired to understand. “I need to figure out what they’ve put in you before…”

 Silence for a moment.

 “…I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”

 Darkness swallows you before you can say anything back.

 You come to consciousness like a computer waking up – every system flickering to life one by one. Touch comes first – you’re in a soft thing, a comfy thing, a bed. The faint hum of the TARDIS reaches your ears, low enough to be calming background noise. Sight is the last thing that comes to you as your eyes flutter open.

 This isn’t the medical bay. It’s missing the sterile white walls and clean lines you’re used to waking up to when your adventures go inevitably south – and this isn’t your room either. It’s big and barely decorated, and while most of the rooms on the TARDIS feel old, this one feels older than most.

 “You’re awake!”

 The Doctor comes into your vision. You notice three things – one, his jacket’s gone, the sleeves of his button-up rolled up to his elbows. Two, this bed you’re lying in? Huge. Three – the Doctor’s eyes are very, very red.

 “How are you feeling?” he asks.

 “Not – sure,” you reply, your voice hoarse. “Confused. How long have I been out?”

 The Doctor doesn’t answer that. He sits down on the bed instead, pulling your arm gently from under the blanket with a practiced ease. He rolls up your sleeve and peers at your forearm, his gaze steady and laser-focused on one spot on your arm.

 The Doctor’s mysterious, but sometimes he can be easy to read. It isn’t hard with his face – he doesn’t shy away from emotions, and even when he tries to, they slip out of the mask he tries so hard to maintain. There have been quiet nights on the TARDIS after those botched adventures, that have started with anger and ended in tears from the both of you.

 You flick your gaze from your arm to the Doctor’s face, and really look. Even through the thick haze that lays like fog on your mind, you can see his eyes, red-rimmed and sunken, and the way his jaw is tight and his shoulder are squared with a tension you’ve seen before.

 He must be angry, you think, angry that I’ve gotten hurt, somehow.

 “Good,” the Doctor finally says, looking up at you with a tired smile. “The antidote seems to be working – I made it with your blood, by the way, so if you feel a little lightheaded that’s on me.”

 But there isn’t any anger in his eyes. There’s no storm, no fire. Just… exhaustion, and maybe a hint of relief as he looks at your face.

 You must have missed it.

 “What happened?” Your mouth doesn’t form the words quite right, and you catch the way the Doctor’s lips curve up fondly.

 “You were poisoned,” he says, running a hand through his hair. It’s messier than it usually is, and his bowtie’s askew too. He turns away from you before you can reach up and fix it.

 “Poison?” you ask. You struggle to connect the dots in your head, your mind still running too slow for your liking. “Someone poisoned me?”

 “Not organic, not one you can buy either. Unprofessionally made, cobbled together in a back alley.” The Doctor’s gesticulating wildly now, moving his hands around in the air – without his jacket, he looks much smaller, and a little ridiculous. Then you wonder where his jacket is. “Something like this, you’re not looking for an easy kill – you’re just looking for results.”

 “Yeah, they got results,” you groan. Every part of your body aches, and trying to reach any thought is like swimming in an ocean of molasses. “They definitely got results.”

 You press your palms against the bed beneath you and push – and the world tilts at the movement, a sharp and sudden pain piercing through your lower back. You fall back against the mattress, the air leaving your lungs.

 The Doctor whirls around, and before you can blink his hands are frantically hovering over you. “What’s happened? What’s wrong?”

 “My – back,” you grit out, your head still spinning. “Ow.”

 The Doctor’s already wide eyes widen even more. His hands, once reaching out, pull back to rest against his chest, tightened into fists. “When I found you, you – you kept warning me about your back, telling me your back hurt, and I couldn’t look because I was too –”

 His voice breaks, and he trails off. He stares, eyes full of unshed tears, and swallows his words instead.

 “Never mind,” he says quietly, shaking his head. “Let me have a look.”

 Steady hands help you into a sitting position, even though the pain bares its sharp teeth every time you shift. You cling to the Doctor, fabric bunched up in your hands. He has to gently pry your grip open so he can move, and crouches behind you.

 Still lost in a haze of pain, you can only blink blearily into the distance. You barely feel the Doctor’s fingers slowly curling around the hem of your shirt, or the way hits your bare skin as he pulls it up slightly. But you do hear a sudden exhalation of breath, and the whir of the sonic as he passes it over your skin.

 After that – silence. Uncharacteristic silence, a silence that’s almost deafening as the Doctor skims through the readings.

 “What is it?” you venture.

 Another moment of silence. Then – “A puncture wound. So small you can barely see it.” The Doctor’s fingers brush over it, and you shudder. “It’s… an entryway. The source of the poison.”

 The Doctor moves, and then he’s right by your side again, gently pushing you back onto the bed. He’s sad, you can tell that much, but his eyes have a familiar storm brewing behind them. Just lying in wait to rip and tear into everything in its path. The smile on his lips does nothing to hide that.

 “Right. You –” He points at you, standing up – “should be getting some rest. I need to take care of things with the Lobarians – y’know, stuff. Diplomatic stuff. Important… stuff. I’ll be back.”

 Something in you stirs – not anger, because he doesn’t need it right now, worry – and your hand shoots out, weak fingers wrapping around the Doctor’s wrist. “Let me come with you.”

 “You’re supposed to be healing, not running off with me,” the Doctor says, his voice soft but admonishing, “It’ll be really boring, I promise -”

 “Isn’t that how this whole thing started?” Your grip tightens around his wrist. “Me running off with you.”

 The Doctor looks down. “I invited you.”

 “And I said yes,” you whisper. You tug gently, and he sits onto the bed with a soft thump. You know this Doctor – and right now he’s volatile. Letting him leave would be like a match to gasoline. “Listen, I don’t want you to do anything stupid.”

 Please stay goes unspoken. I care about you goes unspoken, and about a million other things too.

 The Doctor sighs, but there isn’t any edge there. “I can never say no to you, can I?”

 “Nope,” you say tiredly, popping the “p”. The Doctor laughs. Anything to make you stay.

 The Doctor settles into the bed beside you, and as if on cue, the lights dim. The TARDIS’s humming grows even softer, fading until all you can hear is the sound of the Doctor breathing beside you.

 “She’s being awfully nice,” the Doctor whispers beside you. “She’s spoiling you.”

 “She likes me,” you reply. “Jealous?”

 “Only a little bit.”

 You hum in response. The darkness is already lulling you back to sleep, but you shift and nuzzle into the Doctor’s side. You feel him go still against you, against the sudden affection, but you don’t let up – you cuddle closer to him, you ear close to his chest.

 You should be embarrassed. You’re probably embarrassed. But the relief you feel at getting the Doctor to stay by your side is clouding your judgement, and then there’s also the whole getting-poisoned-thing. You can imagine the look on the Doctor’s face – eyes wide, cheeks red, mouth parted like he can’t think of anything to say.

 But he loves surprising people. “A few days,” he says quietly.

 “What?” you mumble into his chest.

 “You were out for a few days.” The Doctor shifts, wraps an arm around you. “I’m answering your question.”

 “Oh.”

 Snuggled into his chest, you can hear the sound of his heartbeats. Their rhythm pulls you closer to sleep, and your eyes slip shut.

 Then you hear the Doctor sniff, feel his breathing hitch, and suddenly it’s your turn to go completely still against him.

 “I didn’t want to scare you,” he continues, sounding so impossibly small. “You were in and out of consciousness while I worked on the antidote. You -” A ragged sigh, then a soft whisper of your name - “you nearly died.”

 Fear grips your heart tightly, squeezing dangerously – partly because of the fear of dying without being aware of it at all, and mostly because of the fear that coats the Doctor’s every word. You would have left him all alone, and if the distant storm brewing in his eyes is any indication, he would have done something much worse than stupid.

 “I’m sorry,” is all you can say.

 “No, don’t be, don’t be,” the Doctor murmurs. His lips brush against the top your head, and he pulls you even closer to him. “Please don’t be sorry. You did nothing wrong. This is my fault.”

 “It’s not…” you begin, but the Doctor shushes you, and runs his fingers through your hair. Every motion pulls you deeper into sleep, and although you have a thousand things you want to say, you’re fading.

 The last thing you remember is a whispered apology.

 It's cold when you wake up again. You shift in the bed, trying to snuggle against something that should be behind you, but there isn't anything there. You blink the sleep out of your eyes and sluggishly reach out, letting your arm flop against the empty sheets, searching for warmth.

 Your eyes shoot open. Empty sheets.

 You turn your head to the side to find the spot beside you empty, the sheets smoothed out like a certain Time Lord had never even been there. Even your blanket's smoothed out, pulled over your shoulders and up to your chin like a parent would do.

 It shouldn't hurt, waking up alone. It always happened. The Doctor isn't yours - he's always moving, always running, and someone like that can't ever be tethered, especially not to you.

 But it does, and you find tears pricking at your eyes at the thought. If he can't be yours, then you can't be his either, and that means -

 "No, you listen to me!"

 You push yourself up. The pain in your back is still there, but it's a dull pain now, and certainly nothing compared to way your heart's started hammering in your chest.

 That's the Doctor's voice in the distance, loud and ringing and angry.

 You throw the blanket off your legs and climb off the bed. Your bare feet press against the cold wooden floor, and the chill sends another burst of clarity to your mind. He's out there, alone, and furious. Never a good combination for the Doctor, historically, you think, reaching up to rub your arms.

 Your gaze falls onto a crumpled pile of tweed fabric slung over one of the chairs. Picking it up, you run your hands over the fabric. It feels sentimental, doing that, like interacting with a memory. The things this must have seen...

 It's too big for you when you throw it over your shoulders, but it feels like him and smells like him, so it's enough. You wrap the Doctor's jacket tighter around yourself and stumble out of the room.

 The sound of arguing drifts down the TARDIS hallways, and it's hard to make the Doctor's voice out from all the overlapping voices. The Doctor was right, though - the TARDIS is kinder today, and the hallways don't wind as much as the usually do. It's a straight shot to the console room. The voices get louder as you get closer to the door.

 "Y'know, the funny thing about politicians is that they lie."

 "Doctor -" That's Koramaz - "you have to believe me; I would never lie to you!"

 "It's in your business to lie, part of the job description really. Why wasn't she in the medical bay? Why was the door to her room locked?" The Doctor's voice gets louder as he speaks. "If I didn't think so highly of you, I'd think you were trying to leave her for dead!"

 There's a sigh, and Merban speaks - "Your opinion of us shouldn't have to change, Doctor. Let's keep this amicable."

 "Amicable?" the Doctor asks, incredulous. "Ha! We'll see about amicable when I find out what you've really done - no one hurts the people I love and gets away with it!"

 Fuck. You run up to the doors and try the doorknobs - they're locked. Fuck!

 The Doctor's voice is dark, darker than you've ever heard it before, his words laced with an anger usually reserved for only the cruelest of beings. He knew he would leave, and he knew I'd follow him - the nerve of the man! Your sweaty hands slip against the metal doorknobs and you swear under your breath again. You press against the door, but it doesn't give.

 "Please," you beg, looking up at the TARDIS's engine. It hums lowly. "I know you're listening. Please, old girl, before he does anything he's going to -"

 The TARDIS doors swing open, a gust of wind pushes you out the doors and you stumble out of the ship and back into the P'kone Mountain Resort.

 "...regret."

 A wave of silence crashes over the room. Everyone stands frozen in time, still dressed in all their finery - Koramaz and Orvin standing side-by-side, hands raised in the air; Merban with an arm outstretched, held up protectively over the other Protectionists; and the Doctor, because he is the Doctor, standing proud in the middle of the room. Jacketless.

 The Doctor's head whips towards you and his gaze softens, his eyes raking over your form. "Are you okay? What are you doing up?"

 "I'm fine," you say, waving away his fussing hands. "What are you doing?"

 "I thought I told you to rest," he says. Something cold cuts through his voice, and you narrow your eyes at him.

 "I thought I told you to stay," you shoot back. The Doctor closes his mouth. You peer into his eyes, finding the fire that's infamous for, and counter it with your own. He shrinks against your glare.

 The room's still divided, glittering red against shining blue. The Lobarians whisper to one another, and while you can't catch what they're talking about, you can make a guess. Time to put on a show.

 Orvin steps forward from the crowd, wringing his hands together. "Are you well, now? We were so worried about you."

 The words drip out of his mouth, sickeningly sweet like honey. You remember the glint of his teeth when he smiled at you on the dancefloor, and the sharpness of his hand against your back. He was too close, much too close.

 Two can play at that game. You bare your teeth in a smile.

 "Thank you for your concern," you say sweetly, walking up to him. The Doctor reaches out, tries to stop you, but you shoot him another look. "Might I say, you're a wonderful dancer."

 "Oh, well, thank you," Orvin mutters. He swallows and clasps his hands together tightly in front of him. "So were you."

 "Yeah?" Your smile grows wider, and Orvin shudders. "You know, you're a great dancer, but a terrible fucking liar."

 You grab Orvin's clasped hands and pull, prying his hands apart. Your fingers dig into his wrists, nails carving crescents into his skin, and he yelps.

 "Didn't we get close, Orvin?" you ask, leaning closer to him. Orvin's breaths come in short puffs, and behind him Koramaz's eyes are wider than dinnerplates.

 Glinting on Orvin's left hand is a ring, golden and intricately carved, a shiny red jewel set into the top. The Doctor comes close, leaning down to look at his hands.

 "Ooh, nice ring," the Doctor says, peering at the ring, understanding dawning on his face. "College ring, class of 4320 at the University of Neloba - good school, I was a professor there for a cycle. But -"

 The Doctor turns towards you, gives you a quick smile, then shoves his hand down the pocket of his jacket. He pulls out his sonic screwdriver, and with a flourish, points it at Orvin's ring. He holds it upright to read the results - and something dark crosses over his face.

 "It's a match," he says quietly, "to the poison in your system - by the way, mind if I take a look?"

 Orvin opens his mouth to protest, and you twist his wrists upward, his palms facing the ceiling. He makes another pained noise.

 The Doctor pulls the ring off his finger and holds it up to the light. Gently, he presses against the red jewel - and on the bottom of the ring, a small needle pops out for just a second before it disappears again.

 "Ah," the Doctor says simply, gesturing to Orvin with the ring still held between his fingers. "What do we have here?"

 "Orvin, how could you!" Koramaz gasps, his voice shaking with every word. "My own assistant, doing something so dastardly -"

 "Oh, THAT'S ENOUGH!" the Doctor roars, throwing the ring to the floor. You jolt, and the whole room seems to shake at the sound of his voice, loud as a crack of thunder. "Stop lying, stop acting - just stop! Why did you do this?"

 Koramaz shakes slightly, exhales, then goes completely still. If the Doctor's fire, Koramaz is ice, reflected in the pristine blue of his clothing. The Expansionists, standing near him, look like an ocean ready to swallow the Doctor whole. Slowly, he smiles, and spreads his arms.

 "You're a warrior, Doctor," he says, shaking his head. "You've destroyed. Razed down everything in your path. Sometimes..." He glances at Merban - "that can help people."

 "Koramaz..." Merban's jaw is hanging open. He shakes his head slightly, his eyes wide and unbelieving. "I did not think you were capable of such things."

 "You didn't think at all, Merban."

 "Help you," the Doctor spits, glaring at Koramaz. His hands are balled into fists at his sides. "What, so you wanted to turn me against the Protectionists? Was that it?"

 "Your anger is a weapon, and one I intended to use." Koramaz smiles again, but it's thin. "I had no choice. Like Merban said, I don't believe in compromise."

 The Doctor stares, fire burning in his eyes. Shoulders tense, he starts walking slowly, stalking Koramaz until there's barely any space between them, until he's cornered, nose-to-nose with the Oncoming Storm. The Doctor almost dwarfs Koramaz, his glare boring holes into him.

 "Funny, because I'm starting to think that too," the Doctor growls, his jaw set. He looks down at Koramaz like a predator to prey, and for the first time, you see genuine fear in Koramaz's eyes.

 "Doctor," you call out. He doesn't seem to hear. He's the Oncoming Storm now, surrounded by a hurricane of his own making. "Doctor!"

 "My anger? A weapon?" The Doctor's voice is cold and sharp, like knives trailing against skin. "Do you want to find out why, Koramaz?"

 You know why - you know exactly why, from stories weaved across time and space - Koramaz trembles under the weight of all the Doctor's sins, and the Doctor doesn't need to add another name to his list.

 You have to fight it. You have to fight against the blustering winds of his fury, but you push through - and your hand wraps around his. The Doctor faces you, his eyes shining with an anger that isn't entirely human, and you do the only thing you can really do -

 Pull him from the edge. Smile, and squeeze his hand tight.

 "Don't" you whisper, and although what you really want to say is still left unspoken, in that split second, there's no one else in the room. Just you and the Doctor.

 You're his anchor now.

 "You had a choice," you tell Koramaz, still clutching the Doctor's hand. "You thought that if you hurt me, you could make the Doctor do something terrible. But he's better than that. He's a good man."

 You look up at the Doctor. He's staring at you, gazing, a mixture of pride and sadness in his big green eyes. His lower lip trembles.

 Deep breath. Only the truth, now. "I know him."

 You can hear the faint murmuring of the Lobarians, and before your eyes the colors shift - the red mixes into the blue, Protectionists and Expansionists talking with one another, hands on shoulders, offering comfort.

 "What do we do now?" one of them asks, their hands tightly gripping the front of their dress.

 "You sit down," you say, and stand a little straighter. They're all looking at you now. "Reconvene. Actually discuss things instead of plotting and scheming behind each other's backs. Be better, for the future of your people. That's what this was all about, wasn't it?"

 One Lobarian bows. Then another. Soon enough, all of the Lobarians in the room are bowing to you, a show of respect and reverence. Even Koramaz is bowing, his face cast to the floor.

 You glance at the Doctor, smiling. I learned that from you.

 He smiles back, gentle. I know.

 Merban lifts his head, still poised despite his ruffled appearance. His eyes are damp, sorrow swimming in them. "Koramaz will be dealt with as best as we can. I am truly sorry for what we have done."

 "Occupational hazard," you reply, bowing back to him. "Learn from this, won't you?"

 "We will try." Merban nods slowly, and a tear slips from his eye. "I'm sure you understand now."

 "Understand what?"

 "Why you are a part of the stories," Merban says, bowing once more. As you stare at the Lobarians, all bowing in a show of respect and reverence, you do now.

 You turn away from everyone and tug at the Doctor's hand, as gently as you can. The storm in his eyes ebbs, leaving behind a slight drizzle. "Let's go home, yeah?"

 "Home," the Doctor echoes. "Home sounds good."

 --

  The Doctor doesn't say a word for the whole trip home.

 He's quiet as he walks up to the console, pushing buttons and pressing levers without the manic energy that he usually has. It's disconcerting, but not surprising, and you settle for leaning against one of the railings as he works. The TARDIS stays kind, and takes off without even a shiver.

 You keep your eyes on him as he pilots - watching him push in coordinates, swinging screens around - but the tension hasn't left his body. He's still wound up, ready to snap at a moment's notice, so you stay quiet. There's no sound but the hum of the TARDIS's engines.  

 Your mind drifts just as the TARDIS does, the room swaying slightly underneath your feet. This is what it's like, travelling with the Doctor in his magical blue box, and you know not every adventure ends well. Not every story has a happy ending.

 What was another near-death experience? You practically lived off of them, thriving off of the rush that filled you when you escaped danger by just a hair. Running and laughing together. But this feels different, you think, still watching the Doctor walk slowly around the console, because something's changed.

 But what was it?

 You pull the sleeves of the Doctor's jacket. He hasn't asked for it back yet, and a small part of you hopes that he never does. It's incredibly comfortable, and the only warm thing in the cold space between the two of you.

 The Doctor's eyes are dark, and the dim TARDIS lights cast shadows over his youthful face. The ship's lights and sounds were a tell if you couldn't figure out how the Doctor was feeling, and now they were completely in sync, darkness against darkness.

 He brushes past you and slumps into one of the chairs, crossing his legs. He shuts his eyes, presses a hand against his forehead, and heaves out a shaky sigh.

 "Are you mad?" you ask, your voice just above a whisper. The Doctor snaps his head up to look at you and he looks so weary, so old and so tired.

 "Mad? Of course I'm mad," he says, the edge in his voice still there, but fading away. "I'm cross. Extremely. That doesn't usually happen."

 You swallow, still gazing at him. His stare is intense, and he hasn't really looked you in the eyes since you stepped back onto the TARDIS. "I mean, are you mad at me," you add softly.

 The Doctor's eyes widen a fraction, and he sits straighter in the chair. "No," he says, "no, not at you. Never at you. Why would you think that?"

 You're quiet. You're never this quiet. You shrug, and the Doctor's jacket nearly slips off your shoulders. You catch it before it can fall - you also catch the Doctor's eyes tracing your form, his gaze stuttering to a stop at the sight of you in his jacket.

 You shift against the railing, pulling his jacker tighter around your body. "You okay?"

 "'Course I am," the Doctor replies, obviously not. He looks deflated sitting in the chair, his form almost swallowed by the seat. "I'm the king of okay. I said I was never gonna use that title again. Ignore me."

 You give him a small smile, and he lights up a little bit. "No, you're not."

 The Doctor frowns at you. "I am."

 "You always lie," you tell him, raising your eyebrows.

 The Doctor sighs again, but it isn't exasperated or angry - just defeated. He stands up in one quick motion, his hair flopping with the movement, and moves to stand in front of you. He takes a deep breath, steadying himself, and gazes down at you.

 "I'm sorry," he says slowly, and the words echo in the room. He's standing close enough for him to reach out, but he doesn't - instead, he keeps his distance, his arms hanging loosely by his sides. "It's my fault you got hurt."

 "It isn't," you protest, but the Doctor shakes his head.

 "It is," he insists, and something like desperation colors his words. "They hurt you because of me. They knew how much I cared and they weren't afraid to use that."

 "It's not your fault." You reach out and take his hands, shaking your head. "Caring isn't a weakness, you know that better than anyone."

 The Doctor stays silent for a moment. He's still staring, unnaturally still despite the tears that threaten to spill out of his eyes.

 "I should take you home," he whispers hoarsely, trying to pull his hands away from yours.

 "No!" you blurt, and the Doctor goes still again. "No," you say again, softer, and intertwine his fingers with yours.  

 "I can't promise to keep you safe," the Doctor mutters.

 "You don't have to." One by one, you lace your fingers together. His hands are bigger than yours, and he practically covers your entire hands with his. He watches you do this, his lips slightly parted, eyes sparkling with what looks like… wonder? "I want to stay with you. I don't care how dangerous it is, or how many times I get hurt - it's worth it."

 And you mean it, every word. Every bruise, every scar – just something that comes with the life that you’ve chosen with him.

 You stand on your tiptoes - the Doctor laughs quietly and leans down his head. You press a kiss onto his forehead, pouring everything you want to say into it, and hope he understands.

 The Doctor straightens, standing taller. You frown up at him and fall back onto your feet. "You're so tall."

 "Regeneration's a lottery," he says, and a smile - a real one - spreads across his face, like a sunrise warming the cold evening air. And just like a sunrise, the TARDIS's lights grow brighter, her humming and trilling like a triumphant symphony. "You're wearing my jacket."

 "I am," you say. You're still very comfy in it, and the Doctor notices, because his lips curve up in a fond smile. "Does a Time Lord giving someone their jacket mean anything?"

 "Why do you ask?" the Doctor asks, pulling his hands away from yours to smooth down the front of the jacket.

 "Well, Orvin's cloak meant something. Does this mean something too?"

 The Doctor's face goes red, and you have to push down a childish giggle as he flounders.

 "The Lobarian courting cloak means a lot of things," he says, waving his hands around, "It's a symbol for the heart, the soul, the being of a Lobarian. Giving all of you to another."

 You raise an eyebrow at him. "But I took your jacket."

 The Doctor's eyes glitter. "...Well?"

 Now it's your turn for your face to burn - you pull at the sleeves again, biting your lower lip. Your heart does flips in your chest, and you don't try to stop it from going haywire.

 The Doctor, with another laugh, scoops you into his arms - he wraps his arms tightly around you, pressing his face into the crook of your shoulder, his whole body shuddering as he breathes a sigh of relief. You place your hands in his hair as he finally unwinds, relaxes, and lets go.

 "Keep it for now," the Doctor murmurs against your ear, "I've got spares."

 You stay there for a moment, just holding each other as the TARDIS sings around you.

 "I’m not leaving you," you breathe out. "Package deal, remember?"

 The Doctor doesn't say anything, just nuzzles closer, and it's enough of a reply for you.