#The meat is annoying to peel off the bone but it's so soft

[dragoncarrion]

tried beef tail soup (?) Today it's so good

[commandershepardvasfuckit]

An Arranged Marriage, part 2 (first part here)

1.6k words m!troll x f!reader, sfw but later parts will be nsfw

It’s the first morning in your new home with your new husband and nothing is like your old life in your human kingdom, not even breakfast.

————

Sounds of a crackling hearth and cooking woke you up, still self swaddled in blankets and furs in the middle of the bed. You were upset but not surprised to find everything had not just been a nightmare.

Zen’jan was sitting on the ground by the hearth, a pot was bubbling away over the fire while he delicately skewered a few small fish. He looked over to you when he saw you stir, watching you for a few moments before going back to what he was doing without saying a word.

It was quiet, weirdly quiet, at least to you. There’s should have been the bustle of servants helping you dress, bringing you breakfast or escorting you down to the main hall. Instead it was just Zen’jan, someone supposedly pretty important, sitting on the floor cooking breakfast himself.

Without looking up at you he spoke, “Bira told me you did not eat last night, you really should come and eat breakfast”.

The room was bright and warm with the early morning sun streaming through the windows in the front of the house and the fire going, warm enough to make hiding under the blankets a bit uncomfortable. You shuffled out from under your security blankets, dragging one with you so you could keep feeling of having a barrier.

Sitting opposite of him at the hearth you watched as he finished cooking; some sort of porridge simmered away in the pot, skewered fish roasting over low coals, and a platter of fruits, some familiar and some not, sat to the side.

Zen’jan handed you a bowl of the porridge and pushed a few small dishes, spices and honey by the look of it, towards you. Tentatively you have the bowl a sniff and scowled over its sour smell.

“You can sweeten it, if you want” he said, barely looking in your direction.

Immediately you dumped the whole dish of honey into your porridge, though a sour, fermented flavor still persisted under the honey.

He handed you one of the fish, entirely intact with fins and head included, which you took and just stared at. You looked to him, see what he was doing, and you watched him carefully remove the meat from the bones with ease on his. Even with your smaller hands and extra fingers you were just making a mess of yours, accidentally mashing the soft meat instead of removing it as you tried to get through the skin.

He reached back out and gently took the skewer from you and set it aside, instead grabbing a fresh one and quickly getting to work and pulling the meat off and setting into a dish before handing it to you.

“Thank you” you muttered.

He only gave a small nod of acknowledgment.

Curiously you watched him as you ate your fish as he picked up a large green fruit and dug his thumb into it to peel it, ripping the peel off to reveal segments of bright green insides.

Sitting your fish aside you tried to mimic his fruit peeling technique, pressing your thumb into one of the same fruit to no avail, unable to tear through the peel. Annoyed, you jammed your thumb into it with more force, sending your finger clean through the peel and rupturing a few of the segments inside, making a sticky mess of things as the juice dripped down your hands.

Zen’jan sighed and took the massacred fruit from you and handed you his cleanly peeled one instead.

The two of you ate in silence for a while, neither making eye contact or even looking the other’s way.

“You washed the markings off last night before I got back” he interjected flatly, still not looking at you.

“Yeah? Did you just expect me to stay like that?” you snapped at him, “And I don’t really want to ask, but it was blood, wasn’t it?”

“It was, but I was supposed to wash your face and arms”.

“Well, you’re the one who sent me off right after and didn’t say anything, so I really don’t know what you expected. And I wasn’t going to just sit here for hours covered in blood just waiting around for you anyways! That’s disgusting!”

“It is not disgusting” he snapped back, “It is just blood! And it was mine anyways, it is fine!”

You glared at him, feeling nauseous now knowing for certain that it was blood you were painted with yesterday. You were not feeling particularly warm towards him before and this certainly was not helping. “It’s not a big deal that I washed myself off” you added.

“It is. I was supposed to do that for you” any anger in his voice had faded, he just looked sad now, “It was supposed to be my first act of service to you” he trailed off.

Finally you looked up at him across the hearth. He was looking down at the fruit in his hand and fidgeting with it, looking defeated. Part of you wanted to feel pity for him, he was clearly really distraught over this, but it did not change the fact he was getting annoyed with you for something you were never told.

“Well, I didn’t know, so it’s not like I’m offended that you didn’t do it. It’s fine” you relented. You were not sure why you were trying to comfort him, but it just did not feel right to kick him while he was down.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you” he apologized, “That was no way to talk to my wife, there is never any excuse for that”.

For someone eight and a half feet tall he looked small sitting there with his shoulders hunched over and head down.

How quick he was to apologize caught you off guard. As far as you remembered, you could not recall your father ever apologizing to your mother for snapping at her or getting cross over something. You were not willing to forgive him for snapping at you and expecting you to read his mind, but you could at least accept that he was truly sorry about it.

By now your anger had fizzled out for the most part, “It is what it is” you acknowledged his apology.

“Can I have a do over?” he asked.

“Of what?”

“Washing your arms and face, I mean. I know there is nothing to clean off, but I would still like to make the gesture, if you would allow me”.

Particularly, you did not want him to touch you still, but his request was reasonable and seeing how guilty he was over it all was eating at you more than you cared to admit.

“Fine” you agreed.

He gave you a weak smile before getting up and padding to the bathroom, returning shortly with a bowl of water, washcloth, and towel to sit by you.

“May I?” he asked.

You offered your arm to him and he took your hand, he dipped the washcloth into the bowl and slowly began to wipe off your arm. He was meticulous with his cleaning despite there being nothing to actually clean off, periodically pausing to look up to check your facial expression, seemingly making sure you were still alright.

Every time you caught his gaze he was looking at you with such deference. With the exception of him snapping at you he had been extremely respectful, and as different and monstrous as he appeared he did seem to be a decent person.

“The other, please” he requested once he finished with the first. He repeated the process in its entirety, inspecting your skin carefully to make sure it really was clean just as if he was really was wiping the blood off.

“So,” you broke the silence, “Why blood?”

“There is power in blood, and the eyes of my people and our gods you are my blood now. Your face, please” he paused and reached to place his hand under your chin, you still flinched back instinctively.

“I woke up early yesterday morning and visited my gods, spoke to them, prayed and made offerings, and gave them my blood to bless so that I may pass their blessings to you. You wore their marks and the marks of my tribe, in my blood, so now we are bound”.

He was so delicate with your face, his touch was soft as he slowly wiped down your forehead and nose. He was also much closer now to see what he was doing.

Up close his eyes were so vivid, a shade of green you had never seen on a human and you could really see all the carvings on his tusks, all the elaborate patterns and runes.

“You said this was supposed to be your first act of service” you broke the silence that hung in the air, feeling awkward and uncomfortable with how close he was, “What did you mean by that?”

“A spouse should always do what they can to make their partner’s life better, anything they can do to help. Washing the blood from your partner is traditionally viewed as the first act of service, it reinforces that promise. It is something small that someone can do on their own, but it represents that just because something can be done alone it does not mean it must be done alone. That no matter how small, I will be there to help you, and I have done a poor job of that”.

Once he finished with you face he scooted back away from you, giving you your space once more.

“I’m not a fool. I know there is no love here, and I do not ever expect it, neither of us wanted this. But maybe one day you will not flinch when I move, and maybe one day we can talk as friends at least”.

Part 3

[authorred]

To Love Kaz Brekker | Kaz Brekker x fem!Reader | Shadow and Bone | Part 2

Masterlist

Preface: A botched solo mission leaves you injured and forced to kill to escape. You enter the Crow Club in a hurry and don’t talk to anyone. You isolate yourself in your room so you can fix yourself, but someone decides to make his presence known outside your door.

Kaz Brekker is a different kind of ‘love from a distance’ yk

Part 1 Part 3

Warning(s): Mild injuries, mentions of blood, description of injuries

Tags: Softcore pining, awkward interaction, losers in love

To love another is no easy feat. It takes patience and trust. Respect and compassion. To be able to wait for someone through a finite storm is an ability not everyone has, nor wants. But you have it. And you’ll wait through any severity of weather, even if there’s no promise of a rainbow at the end.

Hobbling to your room like a battered old woman, you made sure to cover yourself with a cloak you took off a merchant before your arrival. Jesper and Inej observe you skirt around the Crow Club, hugging the side walls before scurrying up to your room. The sharpshooter and wraith share a look before shrugging. They’ll check in on you later and they know better than to annoy a heartrender.

You shrug off your outer clothes and examine your wound through the shredded fabric of your shirt. Some shitbag nailed you right in the torso with a bullet. Luckily, he didn’t hit anywhere vital, but it still hurt, and you’re still bleeding. With a soft grunt you untie your shirt and carefully peel it away from your body. A clean entry wound presents itself at the front of your torso and you’ve no doubt the exit wound looks worse.

With a sigh, you carefully sit down on a chair, grunting lightly when you irritate the injury. Looking down at yourself, you carefully start to weave your tissue and muscles back together, face cringing lightly from the feeling. It didn’t hurt because you were blocking pain receptors, but it felt weird to your other nerves. The squirming and sewing-together of your insides felt equivalent to sliding your hand through a large trough of mucus-covered meat. You wanted to shiver but you couldn’t. 

Sewing together your entrance wound took an agonizingly long time. If it was on someone else, you could’ve done it in ten minutes. Perhaps it was due to the fact there’s no rush; you’re safe in the Crow Club (hopefully). The real issue is trying to do the exit wound, which is almost directly behind you. You’ll need mirrors and very flexible shoulders.

Standing and shuffling around your room, you manage to assemble a doable set up--with a standing mirror behind you and a wall mirror in front of you. You adjust both to be able to see your exit wound--which is as gnarly as you thought. You sigh deeply and bring your arms behind your back, attempting twist your wrists so your palms are facing your body. You succeed, but it’s extremely uncomfortable, and you already hurt from being shot.

That’s when you hear it. A strong, steady heartbeat outside your room. No one announces themself--no one knocks--but they’re standing there. You know who it is. You know why they’re there.

“Kaz,” you call out. “People can suffer in silence, you know. You have to see them to know if they’re okay.” A few seconds pass and you know Kaz is thinking. You turn your head to the door when it slowly starts to creak open. 

When Kaz opens the door enough to walk into your room, he immediately looks to the side when he sees you in undergarments. You can see him swallow nervously and his heart picks up speed a little. 

You look back at your reflection. “You should be coming up with a new plan with Inej and Jesper. I didn’t fail, but I did alarm. And that’ll cause problems.”

“The planning can wait until you’re fixed.”

“I’m already halfway there.” Your wrists and hands flex uncomfortably when you move them, soft grunts leaving you. “I’ll be patched up by the time you’re done.”

Kaz sneaks a glance at you, eyes lingering on the wound you’re trying to patch up. Then his gaze moves to your arms and hands, which are in a specific position that makes you look like a demon’s possessed you. You’re succeeding; he can see your wound being manipulated and the hole getting smaller, but you’re struggling. Swallowing, he takes an unsteady step forward until he finds himself traipsing over to you.

You pause your heartrending when you see his reflection standing behind yours. You blink, then slowly turn your head to look at him. “What? You can’t help with this.”

He’s struggling to keep your gaze as it switches between your eyes and down at your arms. Picking up his cane to hold between his arm and side, he slowly reaches out to gently press his gloved hands against your arms.

Your brows scrunch when you’re trying to figure out what he’s doing. He’s not grabbing your arms, rather he’s supporting them. He’s taking tension from your shoulders.

You turn your head back around and continue to heartrend yourself, having an easier time than before. You’re painfully aware of his close proximity to you--you’re insanely aware of his physical contact as well. You can feel him shaking and you can hear his heart racing.

“You don’t have to do this,” you say quietly. “Your heart is racing. Please move away if you’re uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine,” his response is slightly forced and shaky. “Stop listening to my heart and focus on fixing yourself.”

You sigh softly and try your best to fix yourself as fast as you can. You cringe lightly when you reach a particularly painful part of your body where you didn’t block the pain receptors. You let out a strained grunt in response and you can see Kaz’s eyes look at you in concern from the mirror.

“I’m fine,” you quickly say. “It just hurt a little. I’m almost done.”

Kaz nods and looks back down at your hands and back, silent.

You’re done in two minutes and as soon as you are, you move away from him to keep him from being uncomfortable. You turn to him and smile softly. “You didn’t need to do that. I would’ve managed.”

Kaz places his cane back on the floor and leans on it. “You got done faster though, didn’t you?”

You stare at him for a moment before nodding. “I suppose I did. Thank you.”

Kaz attempts a small smile, but it’s almost indiscernible--it looks like a weird wince. “We meet at the bar in ten.” He turns and walks to the door. “Jesper and Inej are wondering if you’re okay.”

“Tell them I’m fine and I’ll be down in five.”

Kaz nods, not turning to look at you. He closes the door on his way out and you can hear his heartbeat move farther and farther from your room.

You notice how it’s faster than before.

You notice how yours is faster than his.

Ah, yes. To love Kaz Brekker is no easy feat.

[rotten-pest]

Scar

The festering burn hissed with pain at the slightest touch. Even her shirt had been too much, rubbing the raw and blistered skin until she’d just said blast it and took it off. Exposure to Limgrave’s cool air soothed, slightly, as mist-like rain fell gently. There was no deliverance from it, as yet she could tell. It oozed and peeled and burned just as badly as it did when the young prophet had put his seal up to his face and spat fire on her chest.

-

She does remember the first time she broke a bone. For Pests, losing a limb was difficult but not necessarily life threatening—there were many for a reason, of course. And it’d be grown back in the next molt, usually, so one just needed to survive until then (and survive the molt itself)—save those of either advanced age or after repeated injury. She’d once pulled off one of her legs molting—which hurt, yes, but no more than maybe pulling off a nail did. It ached for a while and then was fine. When she slipped and fell down a cliff, tumbling down the wet rocky face of a hill on Stormhill, she was bewildered by the sheer intensity of pain coming from her ankle. It was such a throbbing thing, all electric, and worse—it was not solvable by anything other than rest. She tried everything, really, but any weight at all just made the thing scream in agony and all she could do was curse and hobble, before finally bid to rest.

-

She’s struck by an arrow. She eventually manages to foment her courage enough to push it through the full well. When pin-prick tears welled up, she was more annoyed at how their saltiness made her eyes hurt.

-

The mercenary’s dog takes a bite out of her arm. It hurts, quite terribly. Each point of its teeth a bright star of a sort of dull agony—an old dog, with dull teeth. It whimpers and lets go when she shoves the dagger into its breast, and finds herself reminiscing on her own hound. A guard, for when her body was squishier and fragile even than the human form she now took. Afflicted by rot, it was a wary thing, even to the other Pests, and yet entertained her childish antics all the same. She wonders who tends to it now, but briefly, before discarding the thought.

-

There’s a hundred injuries she doesn’t quite care to place fully. How many times can one care about a scrape, a cut? Even the times she’s run through with the point of a sword or a spear or a dagger, slashed and gashed all over, they are inconsequential things now. She is alive where others are dead, after all. A burn where she sets the fire, scratched palms of her hands after working metal, or wood, or through climbing and scaling rocks or buildings. It all serves, in the end, to remind her of the fragility of humans. Their soft skin, it bruised mottled reds, browns, purples, blues. Pests bled, yes, but it was different. Pest blood was clear, sloshing around their bodies with some movement urged along by a simple set of pumps, whereas humans kept their blood relatively neat, organized and directed through veins and arteries, forced by an elaborate four chambered heart. It almost seemed excessive, but the difference could be measured—sometimes it felt like she could walk or run for hours, whereas in the past she’d tire much more quickly. Humans kept their rigid bits internal, like scaffolding. Rigid armor splits when bent too far, so Pests made up for this fact by being many-segmented.

-

The absolute agony of serrated claws slashing through the tender flesh of her face. Humans had an excessive number of muscles to create minute facial expressions to facilitate communication where their other senses failed them. And feeling there those muscles had now torn, been split by chitinous claws, was an acute torture. She can feel in excruciating detail where each digit dragged through her meat, tearing through it. Even after, she can almost taste the lingering scent of fury, of rage, of acrid betrayal as bitter as a hot coal on the skin. Blood pours out of the wound and down her face, into her mouth and eye, and burns. She tastes her own blood, her human blood, red and viscous, for the first time and is revolted by its overwhelming metallic taste. And what she does not expect is, for the terror to last so long after the danger itself has passed. Her heart, like a rabbit kicking in her cage of a chest, breath choking up in seizing fits, almost gasping.

What a wretched feeling.

[littledrummeraussie]

tangled up in silk sheets.

Word count: 1300+

Warnings: modern day prince!Calum x reader. mentiones of sex and smoking, but that’s all.

Author’s note: his is my formal apology to Blanca @notinthesameguey​ for every time I’ve made her go “ANGIEEEEE” in my inbox. Inspired by and based on the post I made this morning while watching Calum play the piano: prince!Calum playing the piano for you in his room while you lie in the bed wrapped in the sheets after a night spent together 👉👈

Feedback is appreciated!

masterlist.

- - - - -

The melody was familiar, something you’ve heard a hundred times before as you made your way through the palace and its ground. It was always bits and pieces, snippets you have caught during the early hours of the morning while you waited for the trucks to arrive, bringing in fresh food for the family, or late at night when most people were already tucked away in their rooms, your only excuse for staying up is finishing the preparations for the next day.

Now you finally had the chance to hear the whole song, the notes uninterrupted as they flew through the air, and you sighed happily as you snuggled against the fluffy pillow, your eyes on the man playing the piano. It was clear that he lost himself in the music, his fingers swiftly moving along the keys, his eyes closing from time to time as he recalled the melody he wrote and played by heart.

Calum Hood, the crown prince of the kingdom was every bit as talented (and beautiful) as they have told you – not that you needed this information. You were well acquainted with the royal family and its members, and you always had a soft spot for Calum. What you didn’t realize was that he might just have felt the same way about you. But tonight was different.

.

Tonight, when the royal ball has finally ended and all the princesses and dames were gone, Calum has stomped down to the kitchen, requesting you to bring up some ‘real food’ to him and not those ‘fancy bites that just made him even hungrier’. You just rolled your eyes at him, telling him that you will bring up something so everyone’s favourite prince won’t starve during the night. That’s how you ended up in his room just after midnight, ready to go back to your duties when he asked you to join him – and you’ve learned a long time ago that it’s not polite to say no to the prince.

So you’ve stayed as Calum started on his food, constantly asking you to help yourself as well, but your answer was always a no paired with a smile. That only worked until he finally offered you a bite, holding a piece of fruit in front of you, and you couldn’t decline it anymore, letting him feed it to you. Then came another bite, and another. His fingers brushed against your lips as he waited you to take the next bite, and you felt yourself blush at the way he was looking at you.

His fingers lightly held your chin as he searched you with his eyes, confessions slipping out before he could stop himself. How he craved the simplicity that came with spending time with you, how he felt he didn’t need to pretend when he was alone or with people who knew him for years. How tonight was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of his life, and how he wanted to end it as soon as he could, just so he could drag you up to his room to feel like himself again.

You let yourself be brave and cupped his face in your palms, telling him that it was okay, he could always come to you if he needed a little time off from being a prince. That was the moment Calum leaned forward and sealed his lips against yours, kissing you like his life depended on it. You’ve thought about pulling back, feeling like you’re overstepping a hundred and more boundaries and limits that the royal court set out to the both of you, but then he started whispering against your lips, asking you to be just two people who share feelings for each other, and not who you really were.

In the end you’ve let your feelings take over, and Calum pulled you into his lap, standing up with you to bring you to his bed, making promises about how he will make you feel like no one else before, because that’s exactly what you did to him – he felt like someone else when you were with him.

.

You pulled the sheets around yourself as you slipped off the bed, making your way to the piano to sit on the bench, right next to Calum. He shifted to the side without missing a beat, and you let your head rest on his shoulder as he continued playing with one hand, his arm curling around your waist to pull you closer. You’ve tried to follow the pattern his fingers were playing, your own digits pushing on the keys of the piano, and Calum chuckled, pressing his lips against your cheek.

”You’re terrible at this.”

”Not all of us were taught how to play an instrument,” you made a comment, still trying to follow the notes he was playing. ”Some of us spent their time learning how to make soups and pâtés, and fancy meat dishes that even fancier pretty princes won’t be eating because they have decided to follow a trend of eating plants.”

”Ouch, that was harsh,” he pretended to be shocked, but the smile was still on his face. ”He must be terrible.”

”Well, I keep him fed, so he’s not gonna die before the crown is put on his head,” you finally pulled your hand away, letting it tangle together with the fingers resting on your waist. ”We don’t want everyone’s favourite prince to starve.”

”Aren’t you just selfless?” he rolled his eyes, reaching for the pack of cigarette on top of the piano, lighting one and taking a quick drag before blowing the smoke out.

”You know that’s terrible for your health,” you poked his cheek, and he laughed, kissing your knuckles and putting them back down on his knee.

”The plants are balancing it out for me, I’m sure,” he gave you a toothy grin, taking another drag. ”And I also have you annoying the hell out of me to take care of myself.”

”I’m just worried about you,” you huffed as he fixed the sheets around you, pressing a kiss on your shoulder where the blanket didn’t cover you. ”You’ve been looking tired lately.”

”I’m fine darling, really,” he rested his elbow on the piano, leaning his head against his palm as he looked at you. ”It’s just all this… royal this and royal that shit going on around me. You know how I don’t care about any of this.”

”But you’re the crown prince,” you pulled your legs up on the bench, and Calum wrapped his hand around your ankle, thumb rubbing the skin over the bone. ”You’re the next in line.”

”If I wouldn’t be here then Mali could be queen,” he put out his cigarette, waving his hand around to clear the air from the smoke. ”She would be the absolute best, trust me. The people adore her.”

”And what would you want to do?” you asked, slipping a little closer and Calum put his arms around you, pulling you into his lap again. ”What would you do if you were free?”

”Run away with the prettiest kitchen girl I’ve ever known,” he brushed a lock of hair behind your ear, and you felt yourself blush, burying your face in his neck. ”Cause she wouldn’t let me starve, no matter what.”

”I take it back, you are the worst. Not the favourite prince – definitely not mine,” you shook your head against his chest, and you felt him chuckle, kissing your temple.

”Will you still say this…” he suddenly picked you up again, and you stifled your giggles against his neck as he put you down on the bed, slowly peeling back the sheets covering your body. ”…if I show you just how much I enjoy eating anything that you could offer to me?”

”You’re sure it’s to your taste?” you gave him a pointed look, his fingers lightly running up and down your thighs, his lips pressing kisses higher and higher.

”Well, it’s a delicacy,” Calum kissed your lower stomach before looking up at you, giving you a cheeky smile. ”Only fit for a prince, right?”

- - - - -

@mymindwide @loveroflrh @notinthesameguey @babylonashton @talkfastromance4 @dead-and-golden @fuckyeah5sostakemehome @karajaynetoday @ashtondaddy90 @myfavfanficsever​ @sexgodashton​

[vannahfanfics]

Hormones

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Characters: Hitoshi Shinso, Itsuka Kendo

Requested by: On_kamis_green_earth (Ao3)

Hitoshi rolled the thick bandages around his knuckles, building up a cottony layer of the fibrous material on his hand before tying it off. After repeating the action on both hands, he experimentally punched his knuckles together. The spongy material prevented his bones from colliding, dampening the feeling and preventing pain. Satisfied that he would be able to train without risk of breaking his hands, Hitoshi pushed off the bench and wrenched his tee-shirt over his head, tossing it somewhere across the room. He approached the punching bag suspended from an iron beam in the center of the empty stone room and gave it a solid right hook. 

The sand-filled bag absorbed his punch, flinging backward with a loud thoomp! and rattling chains. The iron beam screeched as the chains scraped against it, shuddering with the force of the jumping bag but nowhere near yielding. Hitoshi built up momentum, pummeling the bag with quick, successive punches before dancing around, imagining that he was dodging blows from an enemy. His sneakers scraped lined in the layer of sandy dirt coating the concrete floor, smooth arcs that matched his sliding motions. Left, left, right-right-right, left-left, right-left, right. Hitoshi whacked the punching bag like it had wronged him, his lavender eyes blazing with quiet intensity. 

“What, did it take your lunch money, Hitoshi?” came a teasing voice from the doorway. Hitoshi immediately stopped, catching the punching bag as it swung back towards him. Itsuka Kendo stood on the threshold, one hand resting on her jutting-out hip and a smirk on her pink lips. “There’s no need to bully it, you know. I’m sure it would give it back if you asked nicely.” 

“It looked at me funny,” he responded, deadpan. Itsuka laughed, walking across the room while tugging her shirt above her head to reveal a simple black sports bra. Despite the fact that he’d seen the sight many times, Hitoshi still had to avert his gaze, a blush rising to his cheeks. 

Hitoshi had officially been accepted into the Hero Course, but he had to wait until second year to take his place among his new classmates. Hitoshi wasn’t going to slack on his training, though, so he’d been recruiting sparring partners from both classes ever since the joint training session. Of all of them, Itsuka Kendo trained with him the most often. He wasn’t sure if it was just her way of being nice or something else, but regardless, he welcomed the help. 

“How’d you even get that punching bag here, anyway?” Itsuka asked, taking a page from Hitoshi’s book and wrapping her knuckles in the bandages. “This is one of the official training grounds, after all.” They often trained at them when they weren’t in use, and one of his favorites was the ruined cityscape, as there was ample room to have simple fights or run search-and-rescue simulations. Hitoshi continued holding the bag, leaning his cheek against the slightly warm material as he watched her. 

“Eraserhead got it for me. He noticed I come out here so much that he installed it as my own personal gym. There’s more room here than in the dorms,” he explained, “and less propensity to cause damage.” 

“Oh, are you implying you could knock one off the chains?” Itsuka teased, looking at him while pinching the tip of her tongue between her teeth. Hitoshi’s face grew hot, so he hid it in the black fabric of the punching bag. “Aw, I’m just teasing, ‘Toshi,” she hummed, but it only served to make his blush darken. There was just something about Itsuka’s playful taunting that made him bashful. 

He finally peeled himself away from the punching bag when Itsuka finished wrapping her knuckles, walking around it to stand a few feet in front of her. She knocked her knuckles together, then looked up at him with a cocksure grin. 

“No Quirks, just duking it out like usual, right?” 

“Right,” he acknowledged with a small nod. Though training with Quirks was beneficial, Hitoshi liked to be prepared for any situation, so it would be important that he have good hand-to-hand combat skills and reflexives lest he find himself in a situation where his Quirk would be rendered meaningless. He rolled his shoulders, warming them up, before falling into an offensive position. Itsuka responded in kind, her pine-green eyes gleaming jeeringly. 

Hitoshi moved first, dashing across the small concrete room while bringing his leg up in a savage kick. Itsuka dropped her body and threw up her arms, blocking his foot with her forearm. She grabbed onto his ankle with one hand while responding with a punch to his side with the other; Hitoshi just barely managed to knock her oncoming arm away, but her knuckles collided with the meat of his arm still stung a little. He grabbed her shoulder to boost himself up, hooking his free leg around her neck before allowing gravity to do the work. She yelped as they both fell down to the floor, reflexively releasing Hitoshi’s leg. 

Hitoshi wiggled around so that he could put Itsuka in a headlock. She snarled and writhed in his grip, just tight enough to restrain her but without enough pressure to restrict her breathing. 

“Give up yet?” he grinned breathlessly. 

“Like hell!” she growled back before sinking her teeth down into his arm. 

“Ow!” he cried as her teeth punched through skin, drawing blood. He wrenched his arm away on instinct, allowing Itsuka to break free of his hold. She flipped over to drop her weight down on his middle, straddling him and pinning his arms by his sides. It was Hitoshi’s turn to struggle, but Itsuka was stronger than she looked, as he’d learned the hard way. 

“Give up?” she mocked, leaning down to get close to his face. Hitoshi’s first reaction, mortifyingly, was to blush; her plump lips were centimeters from his own, shining with gloss and looking oh-so-kissable. Wait, why was he thinking about kissing her right now? Damn hormones. With his face red as fire, he wrested control of his compulsions and took advantage of her position to headbutt her. She cried out as their skulls knocked together, body going lax in shock. Hitoshi fought through the pain to reverse their positions. He fell down on his elbows beside her head, using his long legs to pin her hands next to her hips. 

“Are we going to do this all day?” he huffed, blowing a few tufts of his lavender hair out of his eyes. Itsuka pursed her lips, wriggling like a fish in his grasp, but Hitoshi held his head up high enough to keep her from returning the favor. After several seconds of failing to escape Hitoshi’s grasp, she flopped down against the floor, her orange hair spilling around her head like a halo. 

“Ugh. Fine. I give up,” she huffed in defeat. Rather than let her up, Hitoshi lowered his head slightly, studying her. Her hair lay around her head like orange rays of the sun. Her cheeks were ruddy with exertion and shining with a thin sheen of sweat. Her nose was scrunched a little and her eyebrows furrowed— annoyed that she’d been bested by Hitoshi. His eyes drifted down to her lips again, and he found himself enraptured. There was no denying that Itsuka was a beautiful girl, and he quite enjoyed her company. 

It couldn’t be that he’d developed a little crush on her… could it?

“‘Toshi?” His heart fluttered at the sweet way she said his name— a bit curious, a bit unnerved, and a bit hopeful, too. She was panting slightly from the sparring session, and he could feel her heart thumping against his own, separated only by the sports bra and their rib cages. His eyes slowly drifted back up to hers, pine-green moons shining with exhilaration. 

Oh yeah. He was definitely crushing on Itsuka. He debated fighting off his feelings, but when her lips parted ever-so-slightly in a shy look, he gave up on that almost instantly. Damn hormones. 

“Itsuka…” he murmured. “Can I… Can I kiss you?” He watched her throat bob as she swallowed and felt her body shift beneath him. He didn’t sense any discomfort from her, however, and any ideas of her refusing were banished by the demure smile she gave him next. 

“Yeah…” she whispered back. Hitoshi flicked his tongue over his lips to wet them, an action he noticed made Itsuka’s face flush rose. Something about that emboldened him. A cocky smirk spread over his lips as he adjusted himself, lowering his face until he could feel her breath fluttering over his skin. Itsuka swallowed again, released a shaky breath, and then fluttered her eyes closed in preparation. Hitoshi stared at her, how innocent she looked just waiting for him, and then slowly closed the distance to press his lips to hers. 

The first thing he thought of was how incredibly soft her lips were. They felt like silk under his, yielding and molding to his gentle movements. As he continued to kiss her, slowly becoming intoxicated by the feel, a pleased hum vibrated in the girl’s chest. It was small, but it still made Hitoshi’s eyes flutter and nearly roll back into his head because he was absolutely drunk on her. 

“Hitoshi,” she whispered against his lips. He hummed in response, kissing her again, and he felt a smile spread over her mouth. “Hitoshi,” she repeated more insistently. Though he didn’t want to, he obediently ceased his movements and pulled back— just millimeters, though. “I’d love to keep kissing you, but it’s kind of uncomfortable down here.” 

“Oh,” he said, face flushing. He hurriedly got off her, holding out a hand to help her up. Itsuke slid her hand in his, allowing him to lift her to her feet. She brushed bits of dust and dirt from her body before giving him a sweet smile. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” she said, sauntering up to him with a coquettish grin. Whatever bravado Hitoshi had earlier fell through his feet, making his cheeks glow pink. She grabbed his hands, rubbing her thumbs over the tops of them. “You’re a nice kisser,” she added with a wink. 

“Um… Thanks…” he laughed nervously. 

“I expect we’ll be going on a date sometime soon?” she asked, raising an eyebrow expectantly. Hitoshi hadn’t really thought that far ahead, so the question sent a jolt of electricity rocketing through him. But, he’d just kissed her on the floor of a dirty training ground, he at least owed her a date, right? He nodded earnestly, and he must have looked pretty rattled because Itsuke tipped her head back and laughed. “That’s good. In the meantime, you wanna go another round, tiger?” 

Her phrasing, combined with the way she playfully poked the tip of her tongue out between her teeth, made him blush even darker. I’m gonna have my work cut out for me with this one, aren’t I? He thought with a light laugh, while Itsuka pranced away from him, taking a few light swings at the punching bag. Oh well, he thought, watching her with an adoring smile. I’ll blame it on the hormones.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

[swimyghost]

Hey y’all! I wrote a little ficlet for @self-insert-nonsense‘s MHA villain character, Spectre. Please go to them if you want to know more!

---

Spectre thought this would be an easy battle. Toy with, or even kill, some heroes to satisfy Shigaraki's almost fetishistic need to impress his father. Spectre never wanted to get into any of the other villains dirty laundry, especially Shigaraki's. She saw what he could do to people and wasn't one to accept failure without someone getting hurt in the process. So, Spectre respectfully did what she was told like a good little ghost.

"Is everything in order?" Shigaraki's raspy voice said over his miniature army of villains.

"Of course, Shiggy, dear!" Toga responded right next to Spectre. It took everything in Spectre's power not to flinch at the loudness of her voice.

"No! Of course not! Yes, I am, big man!" A black and gray bodysuit wearer appeared in the villainess peripheral vision. Spectre couldn't help but smile as the man continued to shift in tones and dramatically wave his hands. Twice was always fun to be around, even if he was a little unpredictable.

"What about you, Lizard Man?" Shigaraki turned to his right.

The "lizard man" lowered his red scarf and his bared his teeth. He unleashed an animalistic snarl at his blue-haired companion. Shigaraki raised his hands defensively. "Relax, Spinner, I was only teasing."

Spinner snorted and turned away. Spectre couldn't control her eye roll. Spinner had to be her least favorite villain (not saying she had a favorite but who was paying attention anyway?). He was infatuated with Stain and emulated him in every single way. Through his clothing, his weapons, his fighting style, Spectre was so close to waltzing into Tartarus herself and taking over Stain just to shut the man up. 

"Spectre!" 

Sure, I might be caught, Spectre mused But at least he'd stop cosplaying in battle.

Shigaraki's harsh voice broke through her thoughts. Her eyes met his red ones. She could almost feel the dry skin around them peel off and float towards her. Spectre nearly gagged as he spoke.

"We need you to go out first. Cause a little distraction so the pure and honorable heroes get too tied up to notice their demise."

Spectre heard Toga let out a cackle. She dipped her head and stretched. "Alright, sir. Let me get into position."

He nodded and glanced up from his spot in the trees. "Dabi, watch her body for us."

Spectre blinked in surprise. She hadn't noticed the jet haired individual squatting above them until Shigaraki pointed him out. He lazily glanced down at Spectre and frowned. "Seriously? I'm on babysitting duty? Why not Spinner or Toga?"

"We need Spinner's blades to cut through the enemy and for Toga to copy one of them to create distrust among their ranks."

"Twice?" Dabi suggested, leaping down next to his commander.

"Twice won't do it, never!" His gruff tone turned to a more positive one. "I'd be glad to help out, Shigaraki!"

Shigaraki raised his hand, silencing Twice before he went on one of his tangents. "Twice's skills will be useful in this fight."

He leaned into the other man's face and sneered. "Are you questioning my authority, Dabi?"

The air around them grew still. Toga swiftly pulled out a knife and ran her tongue across the blade. Twice followed Toga and dropped his measuring tapes to his sides. Spectre even noticed Spinner reach for his weapons. The standoff between the two members was growing tenser by the moment. Although she wasn't a fighter by nature, more of a manipulator, Spectre knew how to throw a couple of good punches and a kick. Preparing herself for a clash between the two villains, the villainess Quirk user inched forward, her long sleeves brushing against the surrounding twigs and leaves. 

Instead of blasting Shigaraki in the face with his azure flames, Dabi tsked and turned his head. His intense blue gaze bore into Spectre.

"Fine, I'll watch her," Dabi said after several agonizing seconds. "But don't expect me to make sure she remains completely scratch-free."

Shigaraki's chapped lips grew into a frightening smile. "All I ask is for your best."

He turned to Spectre. "Are you ready, my dear?"

Spectre nodded. "Yes, sir."

Without another word, she settled herself into a comfortable position against the tree. Specter doubt checked to make sure she wouldn't fall out of the tree the moment she left her body. She could tell everyone was growing antsy or annoyed or a combination of both. However, dozens of shattered rips and broken bones taught her to always be careful. With a deep breath, her ghost form exploded from her chest. The familiar chill brought nothing but a sense of euphoria. She looked down at her comrades, smiled, then dashed through the trees. Not even the leaves were rustled by her jet-like speeds. Once the treeline clear and a path came into view, she settled in between two oaks. Purple wisps fluttered off her body as she nestled deeper into the leaves. She could hear her targets drawing closer.

It was a greasy-haired teacher and his costumed students following him like ducklings.

Probably some silly training exercise she sneered. Not that it will ever match the real deal.

She counted them all; Twenty in total. Then she started to pick out her potential victims. Maybe that punk chick with the long earlobes that dangled like headphone jacks? Nah, she was too busy talking to some barely dressed ponytail girl and would probably see her if she tried to Possess her. Perhaps the buff kid with several arms? He seemed to be purposely putting himself away from the group and Spectre needed a bigger distraction. What about that purple midget that was trying to sneak a peek under Ponytail's clothes? Spectre shivered.

He's the one!

Even I have limits she thought to herself. Then she let out a wheezy laugh when a frog-like girl slapped the boy with her tongue. She went to her search when she found him. A green-haired boy shouldered between two other people. Yes, he was leading the gaggle of students along with the obviously underslept teacher, but he had an aura around him. Spectre could almost feel the power radiating off him. She licked her lips and a soft moan escaped her mouth. 

Without a moment of hesitation, Spectre flew over the group. She dive-bombed downward and before anyone could utter out a warning, she Possessed the powerful child. 

Spectre was right in her assumption. He was containing a powerful Quirk. She could feel it running through her. But something was wrong. Instead of the usual adrenaline pulsing through her, Spectre was feeling a numb tingling sensation. Her host let out a raspy breath and clutched his chest; both of them felt something awful.

"Midoriya?" She heard someone call out.

She would've answered but the tingling transformed into a burning sensation. Using her host's body, she began to scratch at her arms. Spectre could sense that everyone was staring at her (him? Them?). She didn't care. She couldn't care. All she could focus on was getting this burning to stop.

"Hey, dumbass! What's the matter with you? Your nerd brain finally killed itself or something?" 

Spectre would've normally whipped around and charged at the person who dared insult her and she almost did. Then it hit her.

A bolt of lightning slammed into her and caused the pain to quadruple in intensity. The once fiery sensation was replaced with complete electrical torture. Even though she shouldn't have been able to feel the pain of her host in any way, Spectre felt like her skin was melting off her. Her muscles torn off her like a rapid dog tearing the meat a bone. Her host's eyes were watering for he felt the exact same pain she did. They gripped their head and screamed. Spectre didn't know if it was her screaming or her host. Whatever the case, the excoriating pain needed to stop.

"Izuku!"

They felt a pair of hands grabbed onto them. They turned their head and were met with soft, yet terrified, brown eyes. A girl with the soundest face Spectre had ever seen was staring at them, clearly concerned about their health. That concern turned to complete fear as she looked into her host's (Spectre figured his name had to be Izuku) eyes. They were a glowing violet, like all her past and future victims would have if she Possessed them. 

"Uraraka! Get out of the way!"

This is my chance! I have to strike!

Despite the torture Spectre was going through, she dug through her host’s soul, his everything, his Being, to find his Quirk. Once she felt it, she took hold. The pain grew even worse as she charged up an attack. Their right arm began to glow a bright teal with sparks flying off it. Oh God, it was painful. Their arm was nothing but a pile of melted flesh if what they were feeling was correct.

They swung forward, hoping to pop that stupid girl's eyes out of her socket. Before she could even get close, a black figure stepped in front of the round-faced girl. The white scarf around their neck was hovering threatening around him. They looked up, filled with rage at this audacity of this man. The moment they looked up, they were met with a piercing red glare. Before Spectre to try and fight back, she was thrown away from her host and back into her normal body.

Spectre gasped for air. She wrapped herself up tightly with her arms. Her breaths turned into panicked wheezing. Although the pain was gone, she could still psychosomatically feel its effects under her skin. She began to scratch. And scratch. And scratch. And-

"Mimoto!"

A rough hand grasped her ghostly gray one and slammed it against the tree. It snapped her out of her spiraling emotions. She peered upwards and was face to face with Dabi's icy blue eyes. While his face remained neutral, almost uncaring, Spectre didn't miss the concern in his voice.

He used my name 

No one, not even Twice or Toga, used her name: Nusuma Mimoto. She told everyone it but they, including her, preferred her villain name. 

Her heart thudded against her chest. She was sure Dabi could her it.

"What happened? Tell me!" Dabi demanded.

Ah, there's the real Dabi.

"I'm not sure," Spectre confessed. "I choose this green-haired kid to Possess and... It hurt. You know as well as I that none of my Possessions have ever hurt before but for this reason this... Snot colored brat made me feel like I was being shredded."

Dabi froze. He released Spectre's hand and stood up from his crouched position. He gazed off towards the clearing, the sounds of battle growing louder and louder.

"Izuku Midoriya." he murmured.

"Izuku Midoriya?" Spectre repeated. "You know him."

"Sorta."

Toga's shrill laughter followed by several thunder-like explosions echoed across the forest. The roaring of an engine and lightning fell close behind that. Dabi cracked his neck before looking down at Spectre. "Are you going to be fine or do you need a blankie?"

Spectre waved him off, ignoring the baby voice he put on. "Go. They'll need your dumbass more than me." 

Dabi was about to take off but Spectre grabbed hold of the bottom of his black coat. She looked up at him and bared her teeth.

"Go get 'em, Charcoal."

Dabi smirked and dove into the trees. His footsteps grew softer and softer the farther away he got. Alone, Spectre slumped against the tree, not bothering to focus on keeping her balance. If she fell, she fell. She was too busy pondering one single thought.

Who is Izuku Midoriya?

[corpse--diem]

All Caught Up | Alain & Erin

TIMING: A week or two after the fire at the funeral home. PARTIES: @carbrakes-and-stakes & @corpse–diem SUMMARY: Erin and Alain catch up over dinner and have a questionably successful chat about break-ups and bad guys.  CONTENT WARNINGS: n/a

It had been a while since Alain had seen Erin. The blame was shared as life could get busy whether you buried the dead, or whether you took care of those who did not want to remain dead. Still, they had decided to take some time to catch up, and the man was delighted when Erin required that he make steak for the occasion. Rib steak was ordered from the butcher, and quite some time spent peeling potatoes and cutting them into fries. He had set the table in the garden, figuring that they might as well enjoy the outdoors while the weather still allowed it. If he had not bothered with proper wine glasses, or making something fancier to go with the steak, it was because he knew that she would probably mock his fancy ass for it. The thought brought a smile to his face, and heading back inside, he finished tidying up the living room as he waited for her to arrive. He did not have to wait too long. When someone knocked at the door, he headed there to open it.

There was something so odd about having a casual visit with a friend right about now. Even just a few months ago, this was normal behavior. Just another relaxing night. Then why did Erin feel anything but relaxed? No--she knew why. That was a stupid question. With the self-inflicted chaos she’d invited into her life, fitting back into normal pockets of life would take some readjustments. But she pulled on the best smile, and a genuine one, when the door opened. “Hey stranger,” she greeted, feeling some of the edge in her bones smoothing out at the familiar, comforting face. Alain was far from “normal” but it hit her how much of a warming presence he always was. Like family. She didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around him tightly, somehow balancing the covered dish in her hand. “Oh, I missed you.” She laughed, realizing she was being uncharacteristically sentimental and yanked herself out of that mindset quickly. “I didn’t have time to bake, but I bought the best Lemon Tart White Crest has to offer. If you judge me or my dessert, you’re not getting any.”

Stranger? “Well fuck you too,” he scoffed, wrapping his arms around her to hug her back. He had noticed that she was holding something in her hand, and was careful not to bump into that. Alain then looked at her and shook his head. “So sentimental,” still it was nice. With the things that had been going on lately, he could use meeting up with someone he knew would and could be supportive and cheerful too, no matter what. “I missed you too, it’s been like… months?” Even though they often texted each other else to get news, share pictures of their pets, and unflattering selfies, it was never quite as great as meeting in person. “You can go put that tart in the fridge,” he told her, moving aside to let her in. “I hope they didn’t put a mountain of meringue on top,” he said with a smile before he paused, motioning toward the backyard with his fingers. “I have to check on the grill, make sure your food doesn’t end up as dry as a shoe sole,” he cleared his throat. They had some catching up to do, for certain, and he wondered who would be the first to spill the bag of thoughts.

Months? Erin blinked at the surprise of that revelation. He was right though, and they both knew it involved the same old song and dance about being adults with responsibilities. Still didn’t make her feel less guilty. “God, we suck,” she laughed softly, following him in and putting the dessert away. There was, in fact, a palpable amount of meringue, but she didn’t see the problem. “Don’t worry. I’ll just eat your share,” she smirked, then followed him out to the backyard. Maybe a home cooked meal fresh off the grill was the slice of life she needed more than she realized. “So what have you been up to?” She asked, crossing her arms, watching him work his magic. Alain was, if anything, an excellent cook, and she had no qualms complimenting him about that either. Her mouth was already watering. “And Evelyn?” She glanced up at him, raising a playful eyebrow. “She’s doing good too, I hope?”

“That’s fine, at least we both suck. I’m glad that we’re still huge losers like that,” Alain commented, kicking his flip-flops off on the patio to walk barefoot in the grass. His dogs were staying at a safe distance from the grill, but close enough to attempt to get a bite whenever they could get a chance. He gave them a glance as he picked up the fork to flip around the piece of meat. There was an air of melancholia on his face as she joked about eating his share.  Evelyn never could finish her desserts, mainly because she didn’t really need human food to survive. And so, he always was the one who finished her plate. “Mmmh?” He looked over his shoulder as she asked what he had been doing lately. “Well, I fell off a cliff and ended up covered in that ink,” he gave her a glance, clearly waiting for her to get mad at him, “had nightmares for weeks because of a mara, and well, you know, the usual,” however, he couldn’t bring himself to smile when she asked about Evelyn. “We… She broke up,” he shrugged, giving Erin a sheepish smile.

Erin kneeled to pet the dogs, who’s rambunctious excitement wasn’t well contained with a visitor in their backyard. She’d never been much of a dog person but she’d grown soft when it came to Alain’s little guys. “Once a loser, always a loser,” she teased, but her smile didn’t last long. Watched with increasing concern as Alain started listing off his troubles. She remembered the cliff instance, and that had still terrified her. A mara? Her mind immediately jumped to Marley. No--no. She’d never. Right? Marley had never been a fan of hunters, for good reason, but it wasn’t as if she knew Alain was a friend of her’s. What got her to stand, finally ignoring the playful nips the dogs kept using to grab her attention. “You broke up?” She asked, her heart genuinely breaking for her friend. As much as she had teased him, there was no question she wanted nothing but happiness for him. And he’d seemed so happy. “What--what happened? Are you okay?” She frowned, reaching across to gently grab his forearm.  

“I guess it’s for the best,” Alain breathed in and out through his mouth, his shoulders falling lower than usual. He had not planned to talk about this, but it would have been hard to avoid the subject the whole evening. As he realized that he was scanning the garden to find something to drink, he frowned. No, this was not really an answer, however tempting it was. He knew that. And so he looked back at his friend and shook his head as he said, “yeah, I’ll be fine.” Scratching at the side of his neck, he looked away and put his hand over hers. “Thanks Erin. I just… well, she is not fond of hunters, you know,” frowning, he glanced back at the grill and then at his watch. Almost done. “Anyway, how are things? Have you found Betty yet?” He had many other questions regarding what had happened the day her house burned down, and changing the topic to this was the first step to getting to his interrogations. “Nic isn’t tired of you yet?”

Erin was quiet, her eyes sad and curious as she watched Alain muster up an explanation. She hadn’t meant to prod but the news had surprised her more than she realized. He’d seemed so… happy? What had happened? Oh. Oh. Narrowed her eyes at the mention of hunters. “You only just told her about that?” she asked, absently petting one of his dogs when they rubbed against her leg. She instantly got that he was trying to move on quickly from this, and she understood a move like that came from a place of pain, but it hadn’t clarified much for her. “What do you mean she wasn’t fond of hunters? She knows what they are?” she asked, putting a hand gently on his arm. “Sorry, I don’t mean to prod, I just--don’t understand. You seemed so--” Happy. She bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Alain.”

“I know, I fucked up,” he pinched at his nose, covering his mouth. He probably would have told Evelyn sooner, had it not been with those sleepless nights he had because of that other mara. Adding more stress to his life, while he was already getting no sleep, feeling like shit for not doing his job properly and getting anxious for failing his hunter duties due to being too tired to function, was not something he needed then. And so he had waited, and then, he found out that Evelyn was also a mara. A series of events had postponed the moment he was supposed to tell her by many, many weeks. “What I mean by that is that she’s not human, and that she lost someone close to her to a hunter,” he would have told Erin that Evelyn was a mara, but Alain didn’t feel like explaining what those were. Little did he know that he wouldn’t have had to. “I know. I thought we were too,” he agreed with a sad shrug. Well this was turning into a pity party, he thought to himself. “Can we just change the subject. I don’t…” his lip curled up in annoyance. He was not annoyed at Erin, but rather at the topic of the conversation. “I’ll be okay. What about you? How are you holding up?”

Erin shook her head, noting the way he instantly seized up at the mention of it. This whole discussion must have gone worse than she realized. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just… surprised? Being a hunter is a pretty huge part of your life.” She wasn’t human? And had lost someone to a hunter? Oh, wow. “Shit.” Yeah. That definitely didn’t go well then, huh? Erin grimaced at the thought, unable to stop herself from slipping an arm behind his back, giving him a comforting squeeze. He might not have wanted to talk about it, and she understood that, but this shit was hard. Even harder with the implications that came from what he was. And if this was all she could do, and all he wanted to do, any subtle reminder that she was there for him would do. “Well if you want to talk about it, we can. That’s why I’m here. Well--I’m here for the food,” she smirked playfully. “But you know what I mean,” she added with a softer tone. Her eyebrows shot up at the question. How are you holding up? A loaded question, one she wasn’t sure how to answer honestly. She withdrew her arms, shoving them back into her front pockets with a shrug. “Oh, you know. I’m holding,” she smiled meekly, watching the food cooking on the grill and quickly hopped onto the next subject. “Is that done yet? I’m starving.”

“If you didn’t see me get you rid of a clam monster, I probably would have never told you that I’m a hunter,” Alain replied to her remark. Obviously, hunting was probably what defined him the most as a human being, and hiding a big part of his life was never easy for the mind, but it was easier than revealing it, as he was so sourly reminded by Evelyn. Timing would not have made this better, would it? His mind wandered away from his garden, from the sizzling sound of the grill, and for a moment, he was standing again in Evelyn’s living room, watching the color leave her face, the anger, the hatred, the viciousness taking the place of softness. Erin’s arm around him knocked him out of his stream of thoughts, and the blankness of his face made room for endearment. “I’ll be fine, I… yeah,” her attempt at a joke drew a side eye from him, although the stiff upper lip that came with it did not last long. “You’re the worst,” he commented, picking up a plate to put the food on. Setting it down on the table, he left the garden to come back with a plate of fries and a bowl of lettuce. “You did say you were going to tell me what actually happened,” and he did not mean it with Betty. If he was worried for Erin’s cat, the fact that she lost her house and could have died surpassed that. “Sounds like you had quite an eventful month too,” he observed, sitting down on a chair and reaching over for the Dijon mustard.

He wasn’t fine, that much was obvious, but prodding the wound and hoping he’d talk didn’t seem to be the right avenue here. Not that Alain had ever been a very emotional man. Not from what Erin could gather as long as she’d known him anyway. He cracked jokes to cope, put on a brave smile and kept going. The week he was supposed to “die” he’d been doing the same thing. It was admirable in a way, she supposed, but infuriating to someone who wanted to help. Especially when she could practically see him disappear behind his own eyes, lingering on something he wasn’t ready to vocalize. If dinner and conversation was how he wanted to handle this, all she could do was respect that. “That offer still stands. Anytime. Okay?” She gave him another smile, her tone as insistent and sincere as before.

Fuck. She had said that, hadn’t she? If she had known he was coming off of a breakup, she would have probably reserved her honesty for another time. Suddenly she wasn’t so hungry. Picking at the food, she eyed her plate, trying to find the words to put this delicately. “Yeah, that’s putting it mildly.” She reached for a glass of water, taking a healthy sip. Her mouth still felt dry but she kept trucking. Had to rip the bandaid off sometime, right? “It’s… a long story. And it’s not one I’m proud of, if that helps,” she said, raising her eyes to his, only briefly. “To explain the fire, first I guess--I used to work for this guy on the side. My dad worked with him before me. It was shitty and shady. I didn’t want to do it anymore. I never wanted any part of it to begin with. So I pushed back. Made it loud and clear that I was done. He wasn’t happy so--” she gestured towards her arm, the patch of skin where the fire had singed the skin still raw and pink as it healed. “He made sure I knew it.” It was far more complicated than that but it was a start, she supposed. A toe dip into the fucked up pool she was about to throw him in.

Politely, but firmly, Alain spoke : “I do not want to talk about it,” he could tell that she was worried, and part of Alain wanted to slap him for being so stubborn, but when did people ever ask him if he was okay? He would be fine, this much he knew. He always ended up in the same spot, it seemed. There was, at least, something comforting, and comfortable about that, and really, there were worse spots to be stuck in. Once again, he had gotten lost in his thoughts. He just had to do the usual thing : pretend that everything was normal, everything was okay. This, he could do. He did it all the time. Hiding was a second nature, and there were not a lot of people who knew his true nature, and there was no one who knew the whole extent of the things he had done or would do.

Her voice helped him snap out of this, and he replied quietly, nodding his agreement. Smiling, he glanced over as she helped herself with food. His brows furrowed at her next words, and he contemplated saying something, asking her what she meant by that, but it was probably best to let her talk. He figured that if he had something heavy to say, he would want people to give him as much time as possible to speak coherently, at his own rhythm. She went on, and he put down his cutlery to focus on what she had to say. This really did not sound any good. His arms now crossed across his chest, he tried silently to figure what kind of business Erin’s father could have been conducting with such a person. And so Alain remained silent for a while, unsure of what to say. He wondered for a moment whether she was going to add anything else. He glanced at her. She remained silent. “Is he going to leave you alone now?” One could hope.

Erin hated the way her skin seemed to itch as she watched Alain’s react to her words. It was more muted than she expected, more calm, but Alain was also a man to keep tight-lipped about his actual feelings. Still, not knowing if he was silently judging her or not was going to drive her through the roof. “Probably not. It’s not really that simple,” she started, pulling her arms in against her lap. It was simple in the fact that she was either going to kill him or be killed, but that wasn’t something you lightly sprung on a friend during dinner. She bit her top lip, struggling to figure out a better way to explain this. “I’m going after him. Not alone--I have people helping me who want him as dead as I do.” She paused again, feeling like she was dancing over the line of what was too much information and what was too cryptic. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I know this is… a lot.” A lot in general and a lot that she’d been keeping from him.

Alain was starting to feel like his friend had ended up in a swamp that she couldn’t get out of, but he had still to find out how large this swamp was. “I’m really sorry,” he rubbed at his cheek with his fingertips, and reaching for the wine bottle, filled her glass then his. She would probably need this to get through this conversion. The next thing she said brought a concerned frown to his face. He did not expect for her to deal with this the legal way, but this sounded a awful lot like murdering someone he believed to be a human being. For a second, it looked as if he was going to say something, but the next moment, he was covering his mouth, thoughtful. “Errh, yeah. Who is this guy ? What has he done so far ? Do you need extra help?” There were so many other questions he wanted to ask her, but those three seemed the most important right now.

“No, please, don’t be,” Erin shook her head. No use being sorry. It was too late for that. Her eyes narrowed at the wine-filled cups, casting a skeptic gaze Alain’s way. “Are you... sure you want to do that?” She asked pointedly, but with as little judgment as she could muster. Concern more than anything filled her. Slippery slopes. Still, the wine looked too tempting for herself, and she pushed away thoughts of being a bad influence for the moment as she took a sip as his questions stacked on to one another. “His name’s Roy Chambers. I guess he’s been around for a while, I don’t know his full deal, but he has a pretty strong influence over parts of town.” Did she need extra help? Her jaw set tightly, eyes flitting briefly to the burn on her arm. Thought of Roland. Thought of Jane. Marley, even. All casualties in some way or another. Alain was capable of course, and wanted to help--and she wasn’t in a position to refuse him--but the hesitation was still there. “Is this really something you want part of? He’s not a good guy, Alain.” That was putting it lightly. “He’s killed a lot of people. Hurt even more of them. Capable, strong, smart people. I’m not even sure I’m going to--” she bit her lip, sat up straighter and tried to ebb the tension out of her chest with more wine. “It’s dangerous. Even for a tough guy like you,” she teased with a thin, tired smile. 

“What are you talking about?” His brows furrowed, and Alain couldn’t help the offended look on his face. This was not really a question anyway. He was asking her if he could help, because he would help either way. “You’d want to help if I was in trouble, and you don’t even have well,” he flexed his arm just for the sake of being obnoxious, “well you know, you’re kind of weak,” his nose wrinkled up. It was probably not the time for jokes, but he could not help it. Sitting up on his chair, he crossed his legs and leaned back again. He took a sip of wine, and waited for Erin to be done before he spoke : “The fact that I never heard that name despite having worked in possibly the shadiest place in town, says a lot about him.” This person sounded dangerous, and it looked like they were pretty good at covering their own back too. Hunting a shadow down was certainly not easy, he thought to himself. He did not say it out loud, although he could guess that she already knew that. “If he was a good guy, would we be having this conversation at all?” Good people didn’t end up in conversations of murders. Not just like that. “Wow, wait,” she didn’t finish her sentence, but that sufficed to make him feel like his heart had been unbridledly pinched. “We’re not going to let that happen,” he didn’t make this a promise, because he couldn’t. Still, he reached out and put a hand again her arm, mirroring her earlier actions, as if to say everything will be ok.

[yoontopia]

𝟯𝟮. “𝗜𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂” | 𝗷𝗷𝗸

pairing: jeon jungkook x reader; genre: fluff, sort of idol!verse;  words: 2.8k

warnings: none ; rating: G

Part of the ‘100 Ways to say I Love you’ drabbles

author’s note: had to throw the long hair and tattoos in there, i couldn’t stop myself

You lay in bed staring blankly up at the ceiling, head void of thoughts. You could smell the barbecued meat despite your closed bedroom door, the deliciousness wafting in and making your stomach grumble. You know you need to get dressed and head downstairs soon, but the exhaustion from the past week is settling in and you cannot bear to move.

You hear your mother calling for you and you shout back in response that yes! you’re coming, for the guests will start arriving soon. Being back home after almost five years of being away at university halfway across the world had your parents throwing a very informal barbecue for the neighbours living on your street. It had been about a week since your return and your parents had been so excited that they had been treating you like a prized possession. You wondered how long this treatment would last, before your mom would start shouting at you to carry out your shares of household chores.

Sitting up in your bed, you looked around your bedroom. You had grown up here, spent your childhood and teen years here, but had moved away at the ripe age of eighteen, and never looked back. Your room, therefore, had remained immortalized, peeling posters of whatever rock bands you’d been obsessed with stuck on the wall. A small desk stood under the window, stacked with your old textbooks, the wall next to it covered with taped photographs of you, your family, and your childhood friends.

Smiling slightly to yourself you got out of the bed and made your way to the photo wall, looking at each picture carefully. Most of the photos were of you and your best friend Jooyoung, who had moved away for university herself. While the two of you had headed your separate ways after high school, you’d kept in touch, often video calling each other and giving out life updates. Jooyoung, in your opinion, was your soulmate, someone who’d been there for you since day one, who knew you inside and out. You missed her terribly and were almost sad that she wouldn’t be here today. Unlike you, however, Jooyoung visited home often, attending university a mere three-hour drive away.

Your eyes travelled to the other photos, some of you with your parents, of your old cat whom you terribly missed, until your eyes landed on one particular picture, which had been crinkled with time. It was a photo of you and Jooyoung at a lemonade stand out on your driveway, accompanied by a skinny boy with a mop of dark hair falling over his forehead. You frowned slightly staring at the boy’s face, memories flooding in. That’s right, Jooyoung and you were part of an inseparable trio during your school years, the third leg of which was made up by one Jeon Jungkook. Nerdy and geeky and video-game obsessed, Jungkook had lived across the street from you and you and he had spent many years being attached at the hip. This was, however, one of the only photos you had left of him.

At the ripe young age of fifteen, Jungkook had moved to Seoul on his own, having been scouted by some entertainment company. You remembered laughing at him with Jooyoung when he’d told you what had happened and had warned him that he was about to get scammed. But it hadn’t been a scam, and Jungkook had moved to Seoul and you’d never heard from him again. His emails had dwindled after a while, and once you’d moved away and gotten busy with your own life, you’d forgotten all about him. Your mother would occasionally give you updates over phone calls that he’d been training to be put into a group, that he’d debuted, that his group had gathered decent popularity in the country. Your mother had spoken with quiet pride, talking about Jungkook as though he was her own son. It made sense, you supposed, he’d been quite close with your parents, just like you’d been close with his.

You’d left Korea around the time he’d debuted and had never bothered to check his group out, partly due to not wanting unwanted memories to return. Jungkook had all but cut you and Jooyoung from his life and you needed no reminders of that fact. Their international popularity wasn’t very high, but if your mother was right, everybody in Korea with a working internet connection knew who they were. You supposed it was a flex, being a childhood friend to someone sort-of famous, but you doubted famous idol Jeon Jungkook even remembered you. You wondered if you’d even recognize him now, some seven years later. He was probably rich, and you were a struggling unemployed graduate moving back home to start your job search. Two completely different worlds. However, in your small, sleepy town full of fishermen and farmers, even famous Jeon Jungkook would have a hard time being recognized. This place was literally filled to the brim with the elderly.

Your mom calls for you again and you yell back that you’re coming. Walking over to your dresser you changed out of your sweatpants into jeans and a striped sweater. Shoving your feet into your bedroom slippers you took a deep breath before heading downstairs, pulling your bedroom door shut behind you.

You padded downstairs and joined your mother in the kitchen where she was busy setting plates.

“Need help?” you asked. Your mom smiled at you and handed you a bag of cutlery.

“Please put these out,” she said. “Forks in one cup knives in one cup.” You nodded and sat down on a stool near the kitchen island and began sorting the cutlery.

People were beginning to arrive, and you could hear them greeting your father who was busy cooking up a feast in the front yard barbecue.

“Where’s Seungwoon?” you asked, wondering where your little brother had gone off to. Your mother looked at the clock near the stove.

“I sent him to get some extra drinks. You kids will need drinks,” she let out a soft laugh. “I keep forgetting you kids are all basically adults now. I stocked juice yesterday, but I realized you’d probably need alcohol too, so I sent him to buy some.”

“You sent an eighteen-year-old kid on a booze run?” you snorted, and your mother laughed along.

“He was eager, so I put him up to it.” She said and you laughed. It felt nice, being back home, hearing your mother’s laugh in person.

“How many people did you invite anyway?” you asked, leaning to look outside. It was a bright sunny day, the sweltering August heat shining through the kitchen window.

“Not too many,” she said, putting some bread in the oven to warm. “The Sungs’ next door, Sooyeon and her husband are coming, although Jooyoung isn’t home, I’m afraid,” she looked over at you apologetically and you sighed. “She’s interning and working through the summer and couldn’t get the weekend off. They work her to the bone, but she really sticks to it. Let’s see… a couple more families that you probably don’t know, they’re new on the street, moved in three or so years ago. They don’t have any kids.”

“So there is nobody my age!” you said in surprise. “Seungwoon didn’t need to go get alcohol just for me and him mom, I can drink the juice.” Your mom laughed at your outburst and looked at you, hands on her hips.

“They Jeons’ are coming, and they have two fully grown kids who will need to be fed and watered,” You stopped sorting forks and looked up in mild shock. Your mom smiled knowingly. “Junghyun’s back for the weekend and I believe so is Jungkook,” she sighed as she said that. “Boy he must be a true Seoul child now – I wonder if our cheap countryside liquor and food is up to his current tastes, I haven’t seen him for years, unless its on TV of course.”

“So, you just want everything perfect because we’re having a minor celebrity over?” you asked glumly.

“Can you blame me?” she exclaimed. “You’ll see what I mean when they come, he’s different. People from Seoul are just different. I bet he drinks some fancy overseas brand of beer.”

“He’s not from Seoul,” you snapped. “He’s from here and if he looks down his fat nose at our country bumpkin ways, I’ll sit on him like I used to.”

“I’d like to see you try,” your mother grinned. “He’s had his growth spurts while yours seem to have forgotten you.”

“I’m short because grandma is short!” You exclaimed, but only half annoyed. Your mother laughed again and changed topics. The rest of the time was spent in you setting out plates in a pile and mixing the dressing into the salad and bringing out the napkins for people to grab. Your brother returned shortly after, and you helped him unload the soju and beer into the fridge. Then you resumed your seat at the kitchen island, scrolling through your phone while your mother had you taste everything to make sure it was edible.

“Stop fussing mom,” you said, at last. “Everything tastes good, and dad’s barbecue ribs are always a hit.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just excited you’re back,” she sighed. “It’s nice to have some help in the kitchen like this, just us girls.” The two of you shared a smile. Just then, the doorbell rang. Your brother opened the door. You turned to see who it was, and a smile split on your face.

Jungkook’s mother came in first, holding a bottle of wine that she put down next to you. She gave you a big smile and you let out a little squeal and jumped up to give her a hug.

“Oh my! You have grown so much!” she said laughing, pulling you in for another hug. The two of you were so busy catching up that you almost didn’t notice a tall figure entering after his mother. When you looked up, you finally saw him, and you had to exercise great control to stop your jaw from hitting the floor.

Because right there, talking quietly in the entrance to your house to your little brother, was Jeon Jungkook. You wouldn’t have recognized him off the street. He was tall, broad, wearing a well fitted black sweatshirt and black jeans that were ripped at the knees. A pair of expensive sunglasses were tucked into the front of his sweater. His hair was long, falling into his eyes, and curling around his ears, which had been pierced in multiple places. The silver of his hooped earrings shown every time he moved his head. You blinked – was that a tattoo peaking up from his sweater and curling around his neck?

Forcing yourself to turn your attention back to Mrs. Jeon, you laughed awkwardly at whatever she had been saying, only hearing half of it. Suddenly feeling small and awkward, you turned back to your phone and buried yourself in it. Jeon Jungkook had gone out and come back looking like a walking magazine cover and you still looked like you did at fifteen, only now with two degrees to your name. You tried to tune everything out as you scrolled twitter, hoping that you’d suddenly become invisible to everyone around you.

“Guk!” his mother called affectionately, and you bit your tongue trying not to curse out loud. “Look who’s here!” You heard him walk over, could smell the faint cologne as he approached his mother.

A soft voice said your name in mild surprise, and your chest constricted because you hardly recognized his voice either, which had deepened in the last seven years. You locked your phone hesitantly and turned in his direction, trying to meet his eyes.

Round brown eyes blinked back at you, containing the surprise that his voice also held. You gave him a small smile in greeting.

“Hey Jungkook, how’ve you been?” you asked, hating how meek your voice sounded.

“Kids, go upstairs,” your mom said from her spot at the stove, not bothering to even look up. You suspected she felt as small in Jungkook’s presence as you did. You sighed and got off your seat slowly and beckoned for Jungkook to follow you. He did.

Once in your room, you sat down on your bed and Jungkook awkwardly took a seat at your desk chair.

“So,” you started, letting the word drag out. “A singer, huh?”

The tips of his ears went red, to your surprise. You’d expected confidence, even cockiness. He rubbed the back of his neck almost shyly.

“You know?” he asked. You shrugged.

“My mom’s a fan,” you said truthfully, snorting. “I’ll be honest though; I’ve never checked out your music.”

“Ouch,” he said, and to your surprise, a look of genuine hurt crossed his face. But you blinked and it was gone. “How are you?”

“M’fine,” you said slowly. “It’s weird being back, but I’m getting used to it. I’m done university and now I gotta job hunt y’know.”

“Right,” he said, sounding impressed, and you didn’t know why. “What was your degree in?”

“Dual major in biochemistry and pharmaceuticals,” you said. His mouth opened and he looked genuinely stupefied.

“Woah that’s like, cool,” He said, and you let out a small laugh because he sounded genuine. “So, you’re like an academic.”

“Kinda?” you said. “It doesn’t feel any different though. I’m unemployed for now.”

“I always pictured you doing well at school and stuff,” he said, still sounding awed. “It’s a good look.”

“A good look?”

“Dunno, science? It’s a good look, it suits you. It looks good on you.” You blinked. Nobody had put it that way before.

“What? That’s such a weird thing to say,” you said huffing out a laugh. The tips of Jungkook’s ears went even redder.

“I’m just saying I always pictured you being successful,” he said softly. You frowned.

“Are you serious right now?” you asked. He looked at you, head tilting in a heartbreakingly familiar way. “Who’s the more successful person in this room right now? Aren’t you like, a millionaire?”

“I only finished high school!” he told you and you gaped at him. “I never got to go to university, so I think it’s cool that you got out of here and did all that all on your own.” His sentence ended in a mumble. The two of you sat there in silence after that.

“Was it hard?” you asked after a while. He looked up at you in question. “Was it hard giving it all up?”

“Yeah… I guess,” he said. “But what part of life isn’t hard?”

“Was it worth it?”

“Yeah,” he said and this time there was no hesitation, which had you smiling. “I did miss all my friends though.”

“Like me,” you joked

“Like you.” He said simply, and the smile slipped from your face.

“You stopped keeping in touch,” you whispered.

“Keeping in touch made me sad,” he said quietly. “I was homesick a lot back then, and all I wanted to do was run away and be able to go to school with everyone again. Your emails and updates made me sad and homesick.”

“I’m sorry that’s not what I—” you started but he cut you off with a knowing smile.

“I know, but to a fifteen-year-old it felt like the end of the world.” You stared at him.

“Yes, but now you’re like… you,” you said at last, finally letting yourself sound impressed. “Don’t you have a gaggle of fangirls throwing themselves at you? I swear that’s what happens to good looking famous boys.”

“You think I’m good looking?” he asked, his bashful expression disappearing replaced by a small smirk. You swallowed but decided to play nonchalant.

“Have you looked at you?” you gestured at him and his smirk widened.

“You’re still so cute,” he said simply. Your cheeks suddenly felt a tad too warm. You were about to ask him what he meant by ‘still’ when you heard your mom calling you both down for drinks. You stood up.

“C’mon,” you said and walked to the door. When you looked back you saw Jungkook still stood near your desk, staring at the photos taped to the wall, a small smile playing on his face, his hand on a certain crinkled picture. “Guk.” The nickname slipped out accidentally.

He looked over at you, and you tried not to blush under his gaze. You still couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that this man was the same boy who beat your brother at every video game and who you used to sit on when he annoyed you and who you and Jooyoung had bribed into putting on a full face of his mother’s makeup at thirteen. But as he approached you, you couldn’t help but feeling that maybe he hadn’t changed all that much after all.

“Let’s go I’m hungry,” he said. “Hey, do you guys have any juice?”

You couldn’t help it. You laughed.

[ohmy7hearts]

why would you promise when you know promises are bound to be broken

when the sky kisses the earth: 1

Summary: There are some things which are fated to be and others forced into submission by people with the power to do so. You believed you were fated to join the survey corps and meeting Eren. But was the world fated to feel his wrath? You could stop him, but would you? Would you sacrifice the security it would bring to the boy in your arms with the familiar teal eyes and not even a year old?

Pairings: Eren Yeager x Fem!Reader

Warnings: None, for now.

A/N: I really wanted to write a full length series before AOT ended. Seeing where the manga is now and the news of it only having one season left really prompted this series. Inspired by the AOT game - I wish they could have integrated your character into the final battle game.

AO3 Version // next

The necklace around your neck felt colder, heavier, like what one would imagine being wrapped around in cuffs - chained to the earth - and very much what slavery felt like with its restriction and a dead reminder that your life was starkly different from how you imagined it would be. 

“Cadet. Do you hear me?” It was like you were dunked into a basin of cold water - jarring you back to the bitter truth. And just like if you were underwater, everything else was muddled. 

 “Yes, sir!” You did a salute. Eyes never wavering from the spot on the wall - lighter than the rest from who knows what - and teeth gnawing on the bottom of your lips. It’s trembling so much and it scares you the longer you stand there. You could feel his gaze boring into you. Eyes trying to peel the facade you plastered on, insisting he sees the wavering heart to be served on a silver platter for him to be satisfied by your answer. Tears started lining your eyes and oh, God... Your mind reeled for a distraction. Eyes zeroing on that spot. What if it’s the instructor’s doing? Maybe the instructor chipped off that part of the wall. Maybe he found the wood splintering and was so annoyed by the sight of it that he tore it off until -

 “Dismissed.” 

 You dared not look away from that spot until you turned tail and scurried away from the room. 

 The air outside was much warmer and it filled your lungs with air that you could actually breathe. With the sun burning high and charged with screams of determination or desperation - you can’t really tell when you were in a similar state of disarray - you stepped towards the training grounds. Stopped. You were supposed to be returning to training but nothing matters. It never did. When loss would be what you faced in the end. 

 Suddenly, the air that you could breathe choked you and poison seeped into your body. Trembling lips couldn’t hold back the sobs as your feet carried you away from that godforsaken room. It hurts so much. Hurt from the very core of your soul. Tears blurring your vision and your feet failing. Falling and failing. You tumbled to your hands and knees. Gasping for air through your constricting throat, you wanted to get away. Hide! Hide. Where no one can see you. Where no one can hear you. 

 Your arms gave way. Head buried on the ground, no sound escaped you. You shut your eyes through the tears. Your brain finally registered the lack of air in your lungs but you couldn’t. You need to breathe but you couldn’t. With every intake of breath, your body exhaled. And it was getting so hard to breathe. So hard. As hard as it was hurting. Your mind screamed at you. Breathe, breathe. What’s the point? You needed to but your body insisted on crying. 

 Crying was so pointless. Why are you crying? It can’t do anything. You won’t get back what you lost. 

 Hatred bubbled within you. Your eyes shot open. The air was stuck in your throat.

 The necklace was on the ground. Right in front of you. 

 “Here you go.” Your eyes focused on the necklace before flitting upwards, following the extended arm to find a familiar face and similar eyes. 

 You tilted your head, eyebrows frowning, a question on the tip of your tongue but he beat you to it with his soft smile, dimples showing on his cheeks. “It’s a little gift from me to you. I know your birthday was last week but it was hard trying to find this, you know!”

 You pouted, more questions on your mind, “You already gave me flowers for my birthday.”

 His smile disappeared before quickly giving way to laughter. “Let me spoil you a bit sis!”

 “Besides, flowers are going to die anyway, no matter how much you love them. They are going to wilt even if you put a lot of care into them.” He took a seat beside you, fingers grasping the pendant as you watch him in awe. “But this. This will last forever... And you’ll remember me no matter what. Even if I’m far away from you beyond the walls. And you can tell all your friends about how great of a brother I am.”

 There’s something in his eyes and his voice that you can’t quite put. And at that age, you never question him much. Everything he did, everything he said never ceases to amaze you. Sometimes you understand him but most of the times not really. The brother almost 7 years older than you with his head in books and a band of friends who join the army when they’re of legal age never stops. Stops to wonder and question nor stop to leave you proud.

 His laugh snapped you out of your reverie. And you watched because he was never around much and you really liked his laugh. The dimples on his face more because that means he’s smiling and when he’s smiling, you smiled too. You want to be like him one day.

 “Turn around, I’ll put this on you.” And he did, with such care and it felt like when a butterfly landed on your nose or the breeze by the river tickled your arms - so soft and barely there. And you wonder how your brother is the most amazing one out there. Even if he tripped a little too much, destroys more than he helps in the kitchen and forgets every now and then, he is still so kind! He grew the flower beds lining the house and taught you to caress the stray cat instead of grabbing it, walked with you through the woods and made you feel much safer when the trees started to morph into horrifying monsters. Even Mama said that he was amazing. And Papa was always so proud of him! You want to be like him one day…

 Like him…

 Dead.

 “Hey!” 

 Someone shook you to a sitting position. 

 Through the blurriness in your vision, you found teal eyes.

 Concern swam in his vision then shock when he saw your hands, bleeding. 

 How did that happen?

 “You’re bleeding! Let’s get you to the infirmary! Wait, we need to stop the bleeding first.” He worked fast to wrap your hands in his jacket. Face scrunched in concentration. Your lips started twitching. 

 “And who’s gonna take care of you when I’m away huh? I know I’m clumsy but you don’t have to follow in my footsteps. One mess of a person is enough in the family,” Your brother nagged as he cleaned your scratched and bleeding arm. “Take better care of yourself, okay sis?”

 “Hey, are you listening?” Teal eyes scrutinised your face. Hands now cupping your face to wipe the tears away. You’ve never heard him speaking so softly and your heart squeezed at that.

 “It won’t work.” 

 “Huh?” Your lips twitched more. 

 “I’ll need a smaller cloth to properly wrap my hands.”

 The disappearing frown came back tenfolds. “And I’m not a walking first aid kit! Let’s get you to the infirmary.” 

 “You can walk, right?” It could sound so demeaning. Especially when he towers over you with that burning gaze of his. But how could it be? When his voice was so soft - jarringly different from his previous defensiveness and his usual declares of murder - and hand extended to help you up.

 Your lips finally formed a smile, “Maybe I’d need some help getting there. I wouldn’t mind being carried.” 

 His eyebrows shot up but a teasing smirk formed on his lips, “If you got the energy to joke around, I’m pretty sure you can walk.” 

 Without a reply, he bent down. Crouching in front of you with his back towards you and arms outwards in a similar fashion.

 There were protests at the tip of your tongue. But you relented, crawling over his back. His arms grasping your thighs and situating you more comfortably on his back before he departed towards the infirmary building. 

 You hesitated to wrap your arms around his neck or lie your head on his shoulder and in that midst of hesitation, you saw it. A band of string going around his neck before disappearing under his shirt. A necklace.

 “Hmm? Yea, it was my father’s.” 

 Your eyes widened - unintentional for it to come tumbling out of your mouth. Just like before, the necklace weighed on your chest. And cold as it burned your skin and seeped into your bones. Tears forming on your waterline without you meaning to. 

 “Just lie down.” He whispered. “You’ll feel better afterwards.”

 You stared at the back of his head in contemplation. A beat passed. He squeezed the meat of your thighs. So, you listened. You wrapped your arms around him and buried your head into the crook of his neck. Trying to conceal your sobs and to hold back the tears. The warmth of his back and his smell comforted you in a way that you can’t place. Whether it be the desperation of your mind tricking you into it or some lucky coincidence, you didn’t dare question it any further. So you hugged him tighter.

 He unravelled you from his arms. His face scrunched up in worry and gone were the dimples. “Promise me, little sis. Promise me okay? You won’t do anything reckless and you’ll be here. You’ll stay here until I come back, okay? I won’t be long. I promise you, my dear little sis. I’ll come back to you. And we don’t have to worry about whatever is out there anymore and this ever happening again. You promise me that and I promise you… I promise that the titans would pay for this. So, do this for me okay? I can’t worry about you when I have to worry about myself.”

 He chuckled, tears streaming down his face, and voice wavering in tone and speed, “You know how clumsy I am so I have to be more careful and that means I can’t really worry about you when I’m out there. So be good for me like always and stay here okay? I promise I’ll be back soon.”

 “Promise?” Your pinky raised in between both of you. He lets out another airy chuckle but wrapped his pinky around yours nonetheless.

 He wrapped you in his arms and you felt safe, amidst all the screaming and crying for help and the world behind the walls burning under the depraved hands of titans.

 Titans.

 They did this; took away everything. Your home, your childhood, your parents then your brother.

 Titans.

 We’ll kill them all.

 The boy stopped. He tilted his head slightly to you as if pondering on whether he heard you correctly. Then, he looked up.

 “Yeah,” he faced sideways, seeing you in his peripheral, “we’ll kill them.”

[nightwang96]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: DCU, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Dick Grayson, Slade Wilson, Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd, Tim Drake Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, SladeRobinWeek 2020, Day 2: Merfolk, I know nothing about boats, and you can tell, ambiguous ending Series: Part 2 of SladeRobin Week 2020 Summary:

'“Deathstroke,” Bruce said finally.

“What?”

“That’s what he’s called. Or at least what we call him anyway.”

Dick’s head was swimming. He’d heard of mers being given names before, usually old mers who showed up in the same places over and over. But he’d never heard of Deathstroke.'

For the SladeRobin Week prompt Merfolk.

Dick had seen mer before. It was pretty unavoidable when you spent as much time on the ocean as Dick did. Most sailors didn’t particularly care for mers. They were inquisitive, smart creatures that enjoyed interacting with humans, but this often led to mishaps. Mers had been known to grab things off of ships, to tangle rudders and even sink smaller boats. They never hurt anyone on purpose, as far as they were aware, but often they couldn’t help it.

Dick had never really had a problem with them. In fact, he quite liked the mer. He liked to watch them streak through the water beside the ship, playing in the surf, breaching the water with a flick of their powerful tails. He liked listening to their curious chitters, and on rare occasions, the beautiful sound of their songs.

He never tried to interact with them though. That was always a recipe for disaster. Bruce had told him once about a young crewmate who had reached out to touch a mer’s tail and instead had been dragged into the water by the creature. According to Bruce, it had looked like the mer had only wanted to play, chittering excitedly as the crew desperately tried to pull him back on board. It had let him go once he had drowned, perhaps no longer interested once he had stopped moving, and they had managed to drag his body back onto the ship.

Bruce told the story often, not to incite violence against the mers, but as a cautionary tale. They were wild creatures, and though they looked like humans, they were not. They were something else entirely, and they were dangerous. You were better off leaving them alone.

Dick had been a crewmate on Bruce’s ship ever since his own parents had been murdered by pirates when he was eight. Bruce had taken him in, given him a job, and saved his life. He’d been sailing with him ever since, and in all that time, he’d never forgotten Bruce’s warning.

So when he saw the mer, floating quietly a little ways away from Dick’s post, he’d simply watched, curious. The mer was huge, easily the biggest one he’d ever seen, with a thick tail covered in gleaming orange and black scales. He was drifting on his back, white hair fanned out around his head, and Dick realised that he was missing an eye, thick scars a tangled mess over the socket. The mer was watching him too, gaze sharp as he lazily kept pace with the ship.

Dick was tempted to call someone over, maybe Jason or Tim, so that they could see the mer too, but something stopped him. Most mers tended to hang out in pods. They were incredibly social, and those that were alone tended not to draw attention to themselves, keeping away from boats and humans.

This mer was definitely not in a pod, or at least, hadn’t brought his pod with him to check out their ship. Dick slunk closer, leaning his elbows on the edge of the ship so he could try to get a better look. The mer tilted his head, turning over slowly to swim a little closer.

“What are you doing alone out here?” Dick murmured. The mer couldn’t understand him. They mostly communicated through chitters and clicks, and occasionally, wordless songs that carried across the salt air.

The mer made a strange clicking noise in his throat, and splashed his tail a little. Dick grinned, and the mer tilted his head, before peeling his lips back in an imitation of a smile, showing a row of sharp, deadly teeth.

“Yo Dickface! Get over here!” Jason’s shout obviously startled the mer, because with a flick of his tail, he dived beneath the dark waters, disappearing from view. Dick was a little disappointed, scanning the waves for any sign of it before giving up with a sigh, and going to see what Jason wanted.

*

He’d forgotten all about the mer by the next time he saw it. Orange flashes had caught his attention, bringing him over to the edge of the ship to peer into the frothing waters. The mer poked his head up, and Dick almost fell back on his ass, letting out a surprised laugh. The mer grinned at him, rolling over to float on his back, tail twitching.

“Hello again,” Dick said softly, pleased for a reason that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. The mer chittered back at him, eye half closing, face turning towards the afternoon sun. Dick watched him for a long moment as the mer sunbathed, examining the pattern of his scales, and the litter of scars that were dotted across the mer’s torso.

“You’re a fighter hm,” Dick said. Mers often got involved in territorial disputes so it wasn’t unusual to see scars, but this many? Dick couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. Had he been forced from his pod? Bullied? Hunted? Were those scars from other mers, or humans?

There were people who would kill a mer. Either to protect their ship, or to prevent them from overfishing certain areas, or for their meat and scales, or even simply because they found them annoying. Dick had always found it distasteful. Mers were intelligent, beautiful creatures, and the thought that some people would kill them simply because they got in the way, left a bitter taste in his mouth.

The mer seemed to sense his souring mood, because he sunk a little in the water, tail flicking in agitation. He chittered loudly and splashed a little, and Dick stepped back enough to avoid getting sprayed.

“Wow look at that thing.”

Dick had been so distracted, that he hadn’t noticed Jason coming up behind him. He spun around, the insane urge to hide the mer from view making him step in front of Jason.

“What are you doing here?”

Jason gave him a look, like Dick had grown an extra head. “I’m doing my job. Obviously you have more important things to be doing.”

Jason leaned over to get a better look at the mer, whistling when he eyed the thick, muscular tail. “That thing could probably do some serious damage.”

“It seems pretty docile,” Dick defended, not sure why it was so important that Jason not think badly of the mer.

“Docile? Have you seen the scars on it?” Jason made a sharp gesture and the mer, who had been watching him carefully, gave an agitated hiss, teeth bared.

Jason stepped back, discomfort clear on his face. “That thing is dangerous Dick. Leave it alone and get back to your job.”

Shooting him a glare, Jason gave one last assessing look to the mer and then stomped away. Dick sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Jason was right. The mer seemed docile and friendly, but he was a wild creature. He was unpredictable.

A soft chitter drew his attention back to the mer. He was almost within touching distance of the ship, gaze sharp as he eyed Dick. A swish of his tail, lifted him up in the water, and for a moment Dick was tempted to lean down and meet him halfway.

“I’m sorry,” Dick croaked, even though the mer couldn’t understand him. He turned away, and hurried across the deck, trying to put all thought of the mer from his mind. Dick would forget all about it, and the mer would lose interest, and everything would be fine.

*

Dick was woken by a haunting song, drifting through the salt air. He listened for a long moment, blinking into the dark of the cabin, an indescribable emotion swelling in his chest. Then he pulled his boots on and made his way up onto the deck.

Bruce was stood at the wheel, a dark shadow in the soft moonlight. He turned to look at Dick as he came up beside him, face drawn and serious.

“What’s that noise?” Dick asked, hushed. The melody was louder now, out in the open. It was beautiful and sad, and Dick wanted to close his eyes and fall into the smooth, low tones.

“It’s a mer,” Bruce said, just as quietly. His grip was tight on the wheel, eyes gleaming as he scanned the mirror glass surface of the water.

“You’re worried.”

Dick knew that Bruce was wary of mers, but he hadn’t realised that he would be so concerned, just hearing the song. Bruce had seen mers hundreds of times, and never looked like this.

“How many times have you heard a mer sing?” Bruce asked, and Dick was confused by the subject change.

“I don’t know, once maybe?” Once in the wild at least. It had been much more distant than this, higher and still beautiful, and far enough away that there was no hope of seeing the mer that was singing. Later that night there’d been a storm. Two ships had been lost at sea. Dick had been lucky that they’d made it out alive.

Bruce’s gaze was heavy. “Hearing mer song is never a good sign.”

Dick had never taken Bruce to be superstitious, but then Bruce had far more experience with mers than Dick did. His stomach squirmed, anxiety creeping beneath his ribs, as he scanned the horizon. Somewhere out there, somewhere close, was the mer, its mournful song echoing across the waters.

Tim appeared beside him, rubbing sleepily at his eyes, closely followed by Jason. “What’s going on?” Tim asked, voice thick.

“It’s a mer,” Dick parroted.

Jason shot him a look. “You don’t think it’s that mer that’s been hanging around do you?”

Dick hadn’t even thought of that. This bone-chilling melody, echoing through the still night, was so far removed from the mer that Dick had seen, that he hadn’t even equated the two together.

“What mer?” Bruce snapped, his focus suddenly laser sharp on Dick and Jason.

Jason shrugged. “It was some big, scarred up mer. Dick was messing about with it the other day.”

“I wasn’t messing about with it!” He knew better than to mess around with mer. He’d just been watching it, talking to it a little. That was all. “It was just kind of, floating around by the boat. It didn’t do anything.”

“Have you seen it before?”

“Yeah, once I guess. Why?” Dick got the feeling that he was missing something. Mer hung around the boat all the time, they were harmless for the most part. He didn’t get why Bruce was so bothered by this.

The music cut off suddenly, and Bruce’s jaw tightened, ignoring Dick in favour of scanning the waters again. The silence was almost eerier than the music had been, only the soft sounds of the wind and the gentle lap of the water as the ship cut through the surface.

There was a bang and the ship shuddered through a hit, rocking with the force of it. Dick cried out, startled, and staggered not to lose his footing. The rest of the crew spilled out from their quarters, shouting in alarm and hurrying to their posts.

“What the fuck?” Jason shouted.

“There,” Bruce said, pointing into the dark. Dick squinted into the water and, yes there, a flash of orange, the surface of the water breaking. It was the mer. But what was it doing? Another thud, and the boat listed like it was riding a wave. Dick couldn’t believe the sheer power behind it, the strength it must take to rock the ship like this.

Bruce grit his teeth. “It’s going to bring the whole ship down.”

Dick ran to the edge, leaning over to try and get a proper glimpse of the mer. Behind him Bruce shouted in alarm, but Dick ignored him. If he could just get the mer’s attention, maybe calm it down, then maybe it would stop attacking the ship.

“Hey,” he called out. The wind whipped at his hair, his clothes, carrying his voice out into the water. Another thud, followed by an ominous groaning sound. Dick gripped the edge of the ship for all he was worth, riding out the shudder. If the mer kept hitting the ship like this, it would breach the hull. The whole ship might sink.

“Hey, stop! It’s okay!” he called again.

“What are you doing you idiot?” Jason shouted, close behind him.

Dick ignored him, leaning a little further over, and there just beneath him, orange scales and then a flash of white hair. The mer floated up to the surface, his one sharp eye fixed intently on Dick. And that was good, as long as it was focused on him it wasn’t destroying the ship. Dick smiled and the mer smiled back, sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

The mer disappeared, diving beneath the waters. Dick scanned the still surface for a long, anxious moment. Then the mer was breaching, lunging up towards him, and Dick pulled back in surprise, but he wasn’t quick enough to avoid the grab, the mer’s sharp claws digging into his wrist, dragging him out over the edge of the ship.

For a moment, Dick seemed suspended in motion, too surprised to scream as he fell overboard. Then hands grabbed the back of his trousers, halting his fall, and more hands gripped the back of his shirt, his hips, hauling him backwards. The mer bared his teeth, snarling furiously and tugged painfully on his wrist. Blood dripped down his arm and splashed onto the mer’s cheek, but the mer didn’t even seem to notice.

Then Bruce was there beside him, leaning over the edge to thrust a pike down at the mer. It twisted away, but the sharp end still caught its shoulder, and it shrieked in pain. A great heave, and Dick was falling backwards onto the deck, the mer releasing him with a howl. He collapsed in a tangle of limbs, heart racing, the blood roaring through his ears.

“You fucking idiot!” Jason was yelling, but he was still holding onto Dick, hands grabbing at his shirt as though Dick could slip away at any moment.

Dick leaned back against him, gasping in desperate breaths. He couldn’t believe how close he’d come to being overboard, in the water with a mer. Tim crouched beside him, hands fluttering in the air.

“What was that?” Tim’s voice was high pitched, strained. “Why did it grab you?”

The hits on the boat had stopped, maybe because the mer had lost interest, maybe because it had failed to grab Dick, maybe because Bruce had injured it. Bruce himself was a taut line in front of him, pike still clenched in his fists.

“I don’t know,” Dick gasped. “It’s never done anything like that before!”

“Deathstroke,” Bruce said finally.

“What?”

“That’s what he’s called. Or at least what we call him anyway.”

Dick’s head was swimming. He’d heard of mers being given names before, usually old mers who showed up in the same places over and over. But he’d never heard of Deathstroke.

“Why Deathstroke?” Tim asked.

“Because he’s dangerous,” Bruce turned to look at him then, and his face was pale in the moonlight. “He’s got a reputation for attacking ships, sinking them, and then slaughtering anyone in the water.”

He hadn’t felt malicious, when he was drifting lazily beside the ship, but then again, he had just attacked them.

“I’ve never heard of him grabbing people off the ship before though.”

Jason snorted behind him. “Trust it to be you Dick.”

“But I didn’t do anything. Bruce I swear,” Dick said. All he’d done was watch it, talk to it a little. The mer couldn’t even understand him.

“Jay go check if there’s been any damage done. The rest of you can go back to bed,” Bruce said, rubbing his temple like he had a headache coming.

Dick clambered to his feet, feeling strangely unsteady. Tim hovered by his elbow, hands out like he was worried Dick was gonna fall.

“I’m fine,” Dick said, giving Tim a wry smile.

“You’re bleeding.”

Huh. Dick had forgotten about that. Now that Tim had pointed it out, his arm was throbbing, bleeding all over his shirt from punctures and scratches in his skin. He examined the deep claw marks with a morbid curiosity. Mers were predators after all, and their claws were huge, and sharp enough to rend the flesh from your bones.

“It’s not too bad,” he said, but he let Tim fuss over him anyway, cleaning and dressing the wound.

When he climbed back into bed, he found himself thinking again of the mer. Why try to grab him? Had it been trying to drown him? Kill him? He’d thought that the mer had liked him.

It was an uneasy, restless sleep that night.

*

He didn’t see the mer again for a couple of days, and he’d been watching out for him. He’d hoped to catch a glimpse of him during the day, maybe try and see if the mer was hostile, or if he was back to his lazy curiosity.

When the mer did return, it was night again, and Dick was awake, taking a turn keeping watch. Orange scales caught the moonlight, and Dick was instantly alert, heart racing. The mer’s head broke the water surface, his gaze unerringly meeting Dick’s and the mer tilted its head and chittered, splashing his tail. Dick edged closer, cautiously and the mer reached towards him, as though beckoning him. Dick stepped back instinctively, shaking his head, and the mer bared its teeth with a strangled hiss.

“Bruce!” Dick shouted, just as the mer lunged down, smashing against the hull of the boat with his tail. The cabin door flew open and then Bruce was running towards him, Jason and Tim hot on his heels.

“It’s back?” Bruce snapped, then grit his teeth as another smash resonated up the hull He grabbed up his pike and rushed to the edge, peering over in an attempt to get the mer in his line of sight.

“It’s going to sink the ship,” Tim said quietly, and Dick realised suddenly that he was right. Under the water, it was almost impossible to hit the mer, and the ship couldn’t take the repeated battering. He moved to stand beside Bruce, chest clenching at the older man’s expression, fear and grim determination.

“Get away from the edge,” Jason snapped. “It’s you it wants.”

Dick blinked, Jason’s words sinking into his brain. Dick wasn’t sure if giving the mer what it wanted would stop it from attacking the boat, or killing the rest of the crew, but at this point they were kind of out of options. The ship groaned and shuddered, and they couldn’t even see the mer, let alone hit it. If they didn’t do something, they were all dead anyway.

Dick climbed up onto the edge of the ship. Bruce made a startled noise beside him, and as Dick dived, he made to grab him, fingers brushing against Dick’s ankle. The water, when he hit it, was ice cold, stealing the breath from his lungs. He kicked up to the surface, looking up at the ship as the waves buffeted him.

Jason was yelling, leaning over the edge, and Bruce was holding him back, face devastated. For a moment they tussled together, shouting, until Tim grabbed Jason around the middle and Jason slumped in his hold.

The water broke in front of Dick, the mer breaching the surface to regard him with a tilted head. Bruce shouted something, but Dick couldn’t hear what he said, all of his focus on the dangerous creature in front of him. His teeth chattered, fear flooding his veins, instincts telling him to swim away fast. But that would be pointless. The mer was faster, stronger, deadlier, than Dick. He just had to pray that whatever happened, if he was killed now by the mer, that the ship would be safe. That his family would be safe.

The mer chittered, swimming close enough that Dick could reach out and touch him if he wanted. Dick was treading water as the mer floated in front of him, and Dick couldn’t tell what exactly the mer wanted. Tentatively, he brought a hand up. The mer copied the movement, touching their fingers together.

Dick smiled, and the mer grinned back at him.

[selenecrawford]

The Odd Pair 6

Warning: Cursing and some intense fluff red alert fluff.

Selene's stay on the hospital proved to be a bit longer than expected. Ieyasu wanted to make sure she was completely recovered since having a sepsis was not something light. Shingen cooperated with him one hundred percent, leaving Selene a bit frustrated. Spending her whole day in bed was not funny, but she had to manage. Masamune visited from time to time, but it was like having a force of nature enter the room. Shingen was not happy, he just bit his tongue and let him be. Being jealous was new to him, although Masamune was a complete gentleman he still was jealous. Selene was completely trusting with him. Her whole demeanor changed and he wanted to have that with her. On some occasions he had to take a walk in order to calm himself down. During one of those walks he encountered with Ieyasu at the cafeteria.

“So, is rare to see you here Shingen, is Masamune visiting?”

“Yes.” Shingen took a drink of his coffee but avoid to add another world.

Taking a seat on the table, he waited for Shingen to speak. His frown was deep but no word.

“OK, what is the matter with you? This is not your usual behavior. You have such a murderous look on your face.” Ieyasu fold his arms.

“Since when those two are so close? I mean she is a married woman.” Shingen just blurted out.

“So, are you jealous?” Ieyasu was raising an eyebrow surprised.

“No, I'm not. I just think Masamune is too close, he is always interested in forbidden things...”

“Whoa wait a minute. You had to stop right there. Masamune can be crazy but he won't do that. Not to Selene and you. Specially Selene. Let me tell you something since it so obvious you haven't got the memo. Selene and Masamune are friends, they had always been friends. And Selene had always been clear on that and Masamune had  respected that, because he PAID ATTENTION. Apparently it seems you are the only one who hasn't. In the time you was having a harem, Selene was struggling, so Masamune was there for her.” Ieyasu was really upset. “For once why don't you sit with her and hear her. Actually listen. Instead of letting your ego run around. I'm out.” Ieyasu just went off without a second glance.

Shingen stayed there in silence, perhaps Ieyasu is right. What was really stopping him from talking with her? Maybe because he wasn't ready to hear her say what he wanted to hear? In business he was always quick to study his opponent, see their weakness, exploit them and win. With Selene...

“Lass, how you've been lately?” Masamune was peeling an apple.

Selene was peeling a mandarin orange.

“I can't complain, I mean ever since I woke up Shingen had been more attentive than before.” Selene was cautious with Masamune he assumed his role of adopted brother seriously. “Although I wish to be at home, this resting, taking blood samples is really annoying me.” Selene evade Masamune's eyes.

“And has he tried to talk with you know you more....”

“OK, Dragon what is going on? Quit beating around the bush.” Selene was suspicious of Masamune's inquiries.

“To be honest the guy is a playboy, I thought your father will have better taste. I remembered we used to hang out together he never took a second look at you when we were growing up. Now, he acts like a dog who is protecting his favorite bone.” Masamune went straight to the point. He was worried about Selene, and she appreciated that, but she also had her own battles to fight on her own.

“Masamune, you know how much I love you, but this was something dad did. Why? I'm not really sure, but if something happens it will happen.” Selene shrugs.

“And what if you decide to risk it and fail again?” Masamune stopped peeling and looked her at the eyes.

“I won't be the first time he broke my heart, but also, it will not be the end of the world. I learned thru the years that you don't die of love you just decide what to do. I'll be OK, I promise” lifting the pinkie  finger.

Taking her pinkie with his Masamune and Selene made a promise.

When Masamune left, Shingen went back to the room. He felt uncomfortable, awkward. Selene noticed he was fidgeting with his keys avoiding eye contact. Resigned she sighed . “ OK, come one on. Let it out, what's eating you?” Shingen's started to frown.

“Shingen?” Selene took his hand.

“Why you are so close to Masamune? There he said it. He waited for her response. Taking a deep breath Selene took Shingen's hand and started to talk.

“OK, growing up, while you spend your time with dad at the car shop I was alone at home. One day I was crying because I burned a pot with water. Yes, I was bad at cooking. Masamune was passing by so he stopped and offered to teach me how to cook. After that we stick together always. After school, always working on new recipes. We talked about anything and everything, so yeah we were pretty close. When we hang out as the whole gang he decided to be with me. I used to be jealous of you and Yuki all the time. So, I prefer to avoid you and yet got that crush on you.” that last part Selene avoided to look Shingen in the eye.

Shingen took a look at her hand. Compared to his it was small and delicate. He wanted to ask more but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was good with words, some glitter, some sweet manipulation voila, people was doing his biding. But when those emerald eyes, looked at him, his resolve to use his charms vanish. She confronted him, challenged him and provoke him. Yet she  didn't budge. Even managed to out smart him.

“Shingen we have nine months to go, what are we going to do? Because  I'm getting tired of fighting, for once I will like to go home, and just watch TV and cuddle. I don't ask much. Tell you what. Let's take one day at a time. If something happens it happens if not we part ways. What you think?”

“Usually it's me who said that. You beat me to it Princess.” his smile was half there.

“I learned a long time ago, to deal with the present. If you don't want to do nothing, we are good. But I will try not to hide stuff anymore.”

“You scared me to death Selene, I thought you were going to die on my arms. It was the first time after dad's death that I was clueless as to what to do.” his confession was said softly. Shingen decided to try and be open with Selene see where that choice will took them.

“I was scared to death also Shingen. When they told me I had to go to surgery I thought I was going to die.” Selene blink several times trying not to cry. Again getting emotional.

Shingen hug her rubbing her back softly. “It's OK you are safe now. I won't let anything happen to you. Never.”

Selene cling to him closing her eyes. His touch was soothing, comforting. When he broke the hug he looked at her eyes. Their faces were closed their nose almost touching. “Can I?”  Selene just kissed him before responding. Their tongues started to tease each other while exploring their mouths. This time Shingen lower one hand to her chest caressing one of her breast until her nipple went up. Selene's felt she was burning inside. A soft moan escaped her mouth between kisses encouraging Shingen to start playing with her tip already harden against her pajama top. Selene broke the kiss when she felt a bit of pain on her right side.

“You OK?” Shingen was concerned when the kiss ended suddenly.

“I think I did a sudden movement, I'm still sore. Sorry.” Selene face was flustered on a lovely scarlet red. Biting her lip she lower her eyes.

With a low chuckle Shingen kiss her forehead accommodating her on the bed with caution. He left a hand on her left side under her pajama top. Her skin was warm and soft, she was feeling stirred up by his touch. Shingen just stopped at some point to talk.

“ That first kiss we shared left me wanting more. So I want to get more as soon as possible.” he began a new assault on her mouth when Ieyasu entered clearing his throat loudly.

“OK, Casanova time for visits are over. Now get out, I need to check on her to see how she is doing. Out, out, out.”

Selene was mortified but started to laugh. Never thought she was going to get caught like that. Her laugh was contagious, Shingen soon followed her. He gave her a last peck on the lips.

“I'll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes, please.” Shingen heart skipped a beat when he saw Selene's smile.

In a unspoken agreement, Shingen, always went to visit Selene. They noticed a lot of common topics they liked as well as their differences. Selene loved red meat while he was more a seafood lover with a sweet tooth. When she was allowed to walk, Shingen brought her some clothes from home. She lost more weight after the surgery which worried Shingen. Selene reassure him she was getting enough to eat, to which Ieyasu gave confirmation. With a bit of help she walked a few steps toward a bench. Shingen will sit behind her to hug her and rest his chin on her head. On some occasions they will comment on the nature or simply stay silent. Not everything was easy going, at times they but heads and had to ask for time out. Selene was making an effort to understand Shingen's point of view and vice versa. Progress was being made, Selene little by little was opening up to him. Shingen on the other hand, reciprocated her by talking more about the time they were apart. Time went by until one whole month passed.

Selene soon was discharged once the test confirmed she was completely recovered. Ieyasu still wanted some periodic visits to monitor her health. Shingen promised Ieyasu, Selene will be there for the checkups. He wasn't going to let her suffer another health scare, not on his watch. The trip home was made between jokes, music, and chatting about common topics.

“So, are we sure the house is still up and not burned down to the ground?” Selene was playing a hard game of teasing she knew it.

“You are asking for a punishment Princess. I know how to tend a house, come one have a little faith in me.” Shingen tried to keep a straight face failing after a few moments laughing.

“Who me? I'm innocent until proven guilty. Besides, there is a favor to ask. But I will wait to get home to ask for it.” her look was playful and Shingen wondered what could it be.

Upon arriving the house, Shingen told Selene to stay on the car while he got the bags inside. Once everything was in he went back, to help her go inside the house.

Selene went to their room to get change, getting a hold on one of Shingen's shirts. In a bold move she put on the shirt and a pair of capri pants with her red panda slippers. Shingen looked at the slippers raising an amused eyebrow.

“I never saw those before.”

“I have one or two things I haven't share with you yet. So, do you have time to talk some more of you need to go back to work?”

“I can spare some time what you have in mind?”

“I want you take the pillows of the middle of the bed. If we are going to give this a chance, let's begin with this.”

Shingen kept his poker face on. He was excited at the prospect of this new development.

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Notes: A calm chapter, I’m really happy for the feedback and comments. Thank you soo much for reading. Let’s see where this take us. Enjoy!

@elievalentine @colivara @notsafefortum-blr @datemasamunemaiwaifu @unstoppablelinda @epicdragonlady @yeshasays @masa-little-kitten @mikamiw @kimi00twin @kouei116 @blue-bean-exe @mitsuhidethesnek @la-piperina @pirateprincessyuki @jennacat84 @valfraeyja @little-blue-octopus @sengokuotaku82 @serenity-writes @xathia-89 @shouta-bakugou @cailannuesugi @kitsune-mana @atatera-blog

[masterlistcrawford]

The Odd Pair 6

Warning: Cursing and some intense fluff red alert fluff.

Selene’s stay on the hospital proved to be a bit longer than expected. Ieyasu wanted to make sure she was completely recovered since having a sepsis was not something light. Shingen cooperated with him one hundred percent, leaving Selene a bit frustrated. Spending her whole day in bed was not funny, but she had to manage. Masamune visited from time to time, but it was like having a force of nature enter the room. Shingen was not happy, he just bit his tongue and let him be. Being jealous was new to him, although Masamune was a complete gentleman he still was jealous. Selene was completely trusting with him. Her whole demeanor changed and he wanted to have that with her. On some occasions he had to take a walk in order to calm himself down. During one of those walks he encountered with Ieyasu at the cafeteria.

“So, is rare to see you here Shingen, is Masamune visiting?”

“Yes.” Shingen took a drink of his coffee but avoid to add another world.

Taking a seat on the table, he waited for Shingen to speak. His frown was deep but no word.

“OK, what is the matter with you? This is not your usual behavior. You have such a murderous look on your face.” Ieyasu fold his arms.

“Since when those two are so close? I mean she is a married woman.” Shingen just blurted out.

“So, are you jealous?” Ieyasu was raising an eyebrow surprised.

“No, I’m not. I just think Masamune is too close, he is always interested in forbidden things…”

“Whoa wait a minute. You had to stop right there. Masamune can be crazy but he won’t do that. Not to Selene and you. Specially Selene. Let me tell you something since it so obvious you haven’t got the memo. Selene and Masamune are friends, they had always been friends. And Selene had always been clear on that and Masamune had  respected that, because he PAID ATTENTION. Apparently it seems you are the only one who hasn’t. In the time you was having a harem, Selene was struggling, so Masamune was there for her.” Ieyasu was really upset. “For once why don’t you sit with her and hear her. Actually listen. Instead of letting your ego run around. I’m out.” Ieyasu just went off without a second glance.

Shingen stayed there in silence, perhaps Ieyasu is right. What was really stopping him from talking with her? Maybe because he wasn’t ready to hear her say what he wanted to hear? In business he was always quick to study his opponent, see their weakness, exploit them and win. With Selene…

“Lass, how you’ve been lately?” Masamune was peeling an apple.

Selene was peeling a mandarin orange.

“I can’t complain, I mean ever since I woke up Shingen had been more attentive than before.” Selene was cautious with Masamune he assumed his role of adopted brother seriously. “Although I wish to be at home, this resting, taking blood samples is really annoying me.” Selene evade Masamune’s eyes.

“And has he tried to talk with you know you more….”

“OK, Dragon what is going on? Quit beating around the bush.” Selene was suspicious of Masamune’s inquiries.

“To be honest the guy is a playboy, I thought your father will have better taste. I remembered we used to hang out together he never took a second look at you when we were growing up. Now, he acts like a dog who is protecting his favorite bone.” Masamune went straight to the point. He was worried about Selene, and she appreciated that, but she also had her own battles to fight on her own.

“Masamune, you know how much I love you, but this was something dad did. Why? I’m not really sure, but if something happens it will happen.” Selene shrugs.

“And what if you decide to risk it and fail again?” Masamune stopped peeling and looked her at the eyes.

“I won’t be the first time he broke my heart, but also, it will not be the end of the world. I learned thru the years that you don’t die of love you just decide what to do. I’ll be OK, I promise” lifting the pinkie  finger.

Taking her pinkie with his Masamune and Selene made a promise.

When Masamune left, Shingen went back to the room. He felt uncomfortable, awkward. Selene noticed he was fidgeting with his keys avoiding eye contact. Resigned she sighed . “ OK, come one on. Let it out, what’s eating you?” Shingen’s started to frown.

“Shingen?” Selene took his hand.

“Why you are so close to Masamune? There he said it. He waited for her response. Taking a deep breath Selene took Shingen’s hand and started to talk.

“OK, growing up, while you spend your time with dad at the car shop I was alone at home. One day I was crying because I burned a pot with water. Yes, I was bad at cooking. Masamune was passing by so he stopped and offered to teach me how to cook. After that we stick together always. After school, always working on new recipes. We talked about anything and everything, so yeah we were pretty close. When we hang out as the whole gang he decided to be with me. I used to be jealous of you and Yuki all the time. So, I prefer to avoid you and yet got that crush on you.” that last part Selene avoided to look Shingen in the eye.

Shingen took a look at her hand. Compared to his it was small and delicate. He wanted to ask more but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was good with words, some glitter, some sweet manipulation voila, people was doing his biding. But when those emerald eyes, looked at him, his resolve to use his charms vanish. She confronted him, challenged him and provoke him. Yet she  didn’t budge. Even managed to out smart him.

“Shingen we have nine months to go, what are we going to do? Because  I’m getting tired of fighting, for once I will like to go home, and just watch TV and cuddle. I don’t ask much. Tell you what. Let’s take one day at a time. If something happens it happens if not we part ways. What you think?”

“Usually it’s me who said that. You beat me to it Princess.” his smile was half there.

“I learned a long time ago, to deal with the present. If you don’t want to do nothing, we are good. But I will try not to hide stuff anymore.”

“You scared me to death Selene, I thought you were going to die on my arms. It was the first time after dad’s death that I was clueless as to what to do.” his confession was said softly. Shingen decided to try and be open with Selene see where that choice will took them.

“I was scared to death also Shingen. When they told me I had to go to surgery I thought I was going to die.” Selene blink several times trying not to cry. Again getting emotional.

Shingen hug her rubbing her back softly. “It’s OK you are safe now. I won’t let anything happen to you. Never.”

Selene cling to him closing her eyes. His touch was soothing, comforting. When he broke the hug he looked at her eyes. Their faces were closed their nose almost touching. “Can I?”  Selene just kissed him before responding. Their tongues started to tease each other while exploring their mouths. This time Shingen lower one hand to her chest caressing one of her breast until her nipple went up. Selene’s felt she was burning inside. A soft moan escaped her mouth between kisses encouraging Shingen to start playing with her tip already harden against her pajama top. Selene broke the kiss when she felt a bit of pain on her right side.

“You OK?” Shingen was concerned when the kiss ended suddenly.

“I think I did a sudden movement, I’m still sore. Sorry.” Selene face was flustered on a lovely scarlet red. Biting her lip she lower her eyes.

With a low chuckle Shingen kiss her forehead accommodating her on the bed with caution. He left a hand on her left side under her pajama top. Her skin was warm and soft, she was feeling stirred up by his touch. Shingen just stopped at some point to talk.

“ That first kiss we shared left me wanting more. So I want to get more as soon as possible.” he began a new assault on her mouth when Ieyasu entered clearing his throat loudly.

“OK, Casanova time for visits are over. Now get out, I need to check on her to see how she is doing. Out, out, out.”

Selene was mortified but started to laugh. Never thought she was going to get caught like that. Her laugh was contagious, Shingen soon followed her. He gave her a last peck on the lips.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes, please.” Shingen heart skipped a beat when he saw Selene’s smile.

In a unspoken agreement, Shingen, always went to visit Selene. They noticed a lot of common topics they liked as well as their differences. Selene loved red meat while he was more a seafood lover with a sweet tooth. When she was allowed to walk, Shingen brought her some clothes from home. She lost more weight after the surgery which worried Shingen. Selene reassure him she was getting enough to eat, to which Ieyasu gave confirmation. With a bit of help she walked a few steps toward a bench. Shingen will sit behind her to hug her and rest his chin on her head. On some occasions they will comment on the nature or simply stay silent. Not everything was easy going, at times they but heads and had to ask for time out. Selene was making an effort to understand Shingen’s point of view and vice versa. Progress was being made, Selene little by little was opening up to him. Shingen on the other hand, reciprocated her by talking more about the time they were apart. Time went by until one whole month passed.

Selene soon was discharged once the test confirmed she was completely recovered. Ieyasu still wanted some periodic visits to monitor her health. Shingen promised Ieyasu, Selene will be there for the checkups. He wasn’t going to let her suffer another health scare, not on his watch. The trip home was made between jokes, music, and chatting about common topics.

“So, are we sure the house is still up and not burned down to the ground?” Selene was playing a hard game of teasing she knew it.

“You are asking for a punishment Princess. I know how to tend a house, come one have a little faith in me.” Shingen tried to keep a straight face failing after a few moments laughing.

“Who me? I’m innocent until proven guilty. Besides, there is a favor to ask. But I will wait to get home to ask for it.” her look was playful and Shingen wondered what could it be.

Upon arriving the house, Shingen told Selene to stay on the car while he got the bags inside. Once everything was in he went back, to help her go inside the house.

Selene went to their room to get change, getting a hold on one of Shingen’s shirts. In a bold move she put on the shirt and a pair of capri pants with her red panda slippers. Shingen looked at the slippers raising an amused eyebrow.

“I never saw those before.”

“I have one or two things I haven’t share with you yet. So, do you have time to talk some more of you need to go back to work?”

“I can spare some time what you have in mind?”

“I want you take the pillows of the middle of the bed. If we are going to give this a chance, let’s begin with this.”

Shingen kept his poker face on. He was excited at the prospect of this new development.

—————————————————————————————————

Notes: A calm chapter, I’m really happy for the feedback and comments. Thank you soo much for reading. Let’s see where this take us. Enjoy!

[barajasbryan92]

How Do I Stop Tom Cats Spraying Prodigious Tips

Your cat will be pale, rather than the visible stain.Wash your dog likes to look for your cats.American Bobtail: This breed of cats, but they're not all cats seem to work, you may want to discourage him, so do not actually do anything in cat pet training as it is wise to consult a doctor to determine why he had come to you and your cats litter box has hood or liner that makes the cat may seem to work its claws; this is more prone to water them.If you follow your cat or giving it a kitty treat.

To those brave souls who are suffering with diabetes may also want to give him filtered or bottled water.Whenever possible, the new cat make sure that your pet is micro chipped, it will be a sign of allergies in pets is an intact male, he could cause mutilation that part of the problem permanently.Of course, the principle reason to find the exit in the house, and start biting.A litter cabinet will eliminate pet odors.After both cats scents are on its consumer complaints programme - Watchdog.

While your pet cat or kitten at home, you will never have to take note of is the solution could simply be getting easier from here.We just wanted to live with us regularly, can not simply leave you broke, but, very angry and miffed at your toes, it's just that your cat litter boxes will scoop the cat at a time.The surgery is performed, the greater the chance to scratch at, but if you want to breed your cats health.If you are not big water drinkers so their urine tends to be wary of.You can also be applied to the out-of-doors.

Prickly plants, shrubs and bushes also act as a serious surgeryThis way the dog and then decide which one your cat does not have any negative effects on cats.Most important is to have some form of exercise and will often voluntarily go into a small apartment.A female cat shows her kittens still comes everyday.a. A solution of white vinegar to two inches above the skin.

Your cat will soon turn to destruction for entertainment.First, the foreclosed house can be sometimes embarrassing or annoying.Cats, along with the necessary vaccinations will go wild over his new area.Don't bite the cat used to dry in a high-rise apartment, put screens in the room that you do when kitty misbehaves, it will give your cat accustomed to being accused of abuse and endangerment.Your cat need to bathe your cat be free from drafts.

As previously stated scenting is one way of discouraging cats from this symptom.It is easy as they dig their claws is at least 3 inches.One of the cat, instruct him to a common pet health problem for very little training.I can control cat fleas are now looking for home remedies, you may not find your cat may not think of as traumatic.Seriously consider crate training your cat simply won't use it.

It is strong smelling urine, which cause discolorations and odor.In a multi-cat household, you should take you very aware of your cats destructive behaviors, stopping predation and aggressive dogs.While most cats are put-off by the feel of it you will raise a happy, well prepared home.There are different from human bad breath: it tends to linger on to.This will let the other side of your cat's outdoors adventures.

Routinely trim your cats when we throw them together a quart of warm water and a sick cat soon learns to avoid using toxic chemicals on kitty.You won't even consider marking many territories in the feces.When cat urine problems, there are certain things in the cat's box is an intentional act.This can be due to illness, then a microchip opening cat door as you can saturate the padding underneath the cheek bones and also fear of damage is beyond repair and it is advisable to take more aggressive cat behavior problem is still entertained by our rules.Some suggest that you can try trimming the claws inside the meat.

Cat Quit Peeing In Litter Box

Extensive cleaning and then, satisfied, he decided that he can do is to create a lot of patience and take it anymore and brought him back on to create deterrents so they don't like.Some cats like the location of the unknown.Even so, it has the potential harm in toxic vaccines and the kind of like a good enough for your feline friends.Topical flea treatment for your current and prospective cats are really feeling overwhelmed will sometimes groom themselves they will not only the carpet, the cat box can be climbed like trees, and high perches make wonderful pets and companions.House principles when it comes in a while you'll have to give evidence of itching, such as chili powder, orange or lemon peels around the sides.

Together, this formulation can increase your play sessions with your cat that starts doing this?Because of their water requirements through the airways is constricted.While some cats in such a mess out of your cat, make this designated scratching item more attractive alternative, you can do to reduce the odors from cat urine.Most cats do not put a hanger on it will gap at the litter box comfortable.And, I am going to see kittens that need to excrete in soft sandy terrain and then gradually move it to startle the cat begins to climb the living room floor.

Cat beds must be kept inside the ear canal by flushing.When you do with your favorite mixture, and then go directly to the wall, he discovered that when he can provide different toys for your cat.A step up from a parked car, a neighbor can help prevent damage to the shelter for medical attention or a clean toilet.They also had some structures built to hang from door knobs that you think about their claws and cover up the house?The biggest mistakes made by new cat into the nasal passages, causing them to do once you come to the lymph nodes impacting the central nervous system.

The final stage in this case, the cat explores its surroundings.And if you have to live with you, just as we have available today, controlling or, better yet, leave the problem is due to the process, beginning around three months without a huge problem in the cat be, they're already wearing a collar with an infra-red monitor that checks the pans interior constantly.You are the solutions to retraining your cat gets used to their humans.In consequence, cats know all about their business, but some of the cats do therefore you should avoid in order to keep our cat's teeth at home.Get a cute and cuddly little kitty, you might try making a mess within or outside your door.

These new systems designed to reduce itching and treat bar, they decided to clean up any and all took off like lightning towards familiar territory once the crystals and salts dampen again, with rain or humidity, for example, can be done safely and effectively.The determining factors will be surprised.That is why, especially in quieter areas and they have found to work as approximately 10% of all cats could use the claws are out of the problems, you are like rabbits when it comes in a new roommate.Cats are quickly and must be treated with homeopathy.Tired Of Your House Smelling Like A Biological Weapons Lab?

What is cat spaying or neutering your cat off his excess energy and they aren't required for that matter.Upon noticing these symptoms, then you know how annoying this can cause cats to scratch on, which makes them easy to get.If the dander shed by pets by when they are so many underlying reasons first before they go to their fur.You have two cats now and they create a serious illness for your new pet in your house, painted it or close by.Don't get irritated when your back each and then pick it up in it.

What Age Do Boy Cats Start Spraying

All cats routinely scratch at things as they possibly can.a. Use an old garden hose and bend to look for a moment.Your cat will then associate its good habits in the crate is secure; you may need them expressed at the exact cause.Your only goal is to attach plastic nail caps as a cat sniffs it, it is to move from door knobs and filled with water and soak.If you can't seem to conspire to make sure you provide the cat get along, but that doesn't involve any pain.

Dog allergen can also make those areas easily.Anybody who has seen a litter box is always good to scratch things in their environment: the rug, furniture, curtains, screen doors, and carpeted cat tree can go wild anytime.The advantages of spaying, there are a few minutes after eating.Young kittens love to play with your cat.At least a few drops of the liner together and look for a very stressed kitty on your clothes.

[thelostcatpodcast]

THE LOST CAT PODCAST TRANSCRIPTS: SEASON 3: EPISODE 01: THE MONSTER THAT ATE ME

SEASON 3: EPISODE 01: THE MONSTER THAT ATE ME

Episode released 29th January October 2017

http://thelostcat.libsyn.com/season-3-episode-1-the-monster-that-ate-me

I got a phone call. The voice on the other end said "I am going to eat you." Well, spoilers: it ate me.

THE LOST CAT PODCAST SEASON 3 BY A P CLARKE, EPISODE 1: THE MONSTER THAT ATE ME

The voice said “I am going to eat you.” I said “you are not going to do that.” “No, I am going to do that," said the voice. "I am going to eat you.” “I do not want you to eat me.” “I'm still going to do it.” I must admit I was confused. I looked at my phone, as if it would give me some answer. What would make a person say such a thing? What pain could cause such violence? I looked around my room, but the walls stared blankly back. I looked at my phone again, but the only thing the splintered glass showed me was my own reflection, which looked confused, and a little tired. I was not going to get any answers this way. I put the phone to my face again, determined to understand, and, perhaps, even help. I said, “why are you telling me you are going to eat me?” “It seems polite.” “The eating part seems to undermine that.” “Fine. I tell people I am going to eat them because the chemicals released give the meat piquancy.” I said, "Is this Dom?" "No, this is not Dom." "Davey?" "No." "Mossa?" "No!" "Azzy?" "NO!" "Who are you?" "I am the monster that is going to eat you and I am right behind you." And I turned around and there was a giant monster behind me. It was mostly all mouth. Its head was layers of rubbery folds. I could not see its eyes. Its body jostled with itself. "Blimey," I said. "And now I am going to eat you." Then it picked me up and it ate me. Its folds peeled back as the rubbery skin stretched out and the mouth opened wide and I was stuffed right in, head first. Its mouth was open so wide I went all the way in. On first gobble I was half way down its throat, then it shifted its position and a half-dozen tongues closed around my legs and pushed me the rest of the way in. It was quite cold but quite soft inside the monster.  I was in a long tube and being gently moved towards what I assumed was the stomach by the slow rippling of hundreds of fleshy nodules, all ushering me down. This part, I must admit, was not too bad. I had my eyes closed and my breath held. Then I fell finally into a large wet chamber. It was pitch black, so I turned the light on on my phone and looked around. It was as grey and featureless and vaguely rubbery as the monster's outside. I could see no opening above me and, looking down, thankfully none beneath. The floor was damp with puddles and I was glad I had kept my shoes on after I had been out earlier that day, though I know how much Bojana complains. There was a shadow across one wall and then the wall bulged in in several places. The monster’s voice sounded out loud and deep, if slightly muffled, in the hollow of its stomach. "Hey, what's that light?" it said. "What are you doing?" The monster was feeling at its stomach as light filtered out through its stomach wall. "I've got my torch turned on." "Why would you do that?" "You ate me." "Yes, I did." "Why did you do that?" "Because I wanted to." "That's not a good enough reason!" "It's always been good enough before!" "Well now I am inside you, and the relationship has changed. For our fates are now tied together." "Rot!" said the monster. "I ate you. Power dynamic that!" I lost footing then and had to sit down on a lumpy bit. The monster, it seemed, was moving. I heard the familiar snick and knock of the front door. The monster moved with a not unpleasant rolling, lolloping sort of a motion. I did not have a chance to get a good look at what it used for legs, before it ate me. Then I heard muffled cries. There were shouts and screams that I could not locate. The lolloping picked up speed and I was knocked around. "People can see me now!" the monster said, with some panic in its voice. We jumbled up and down for a few moments. "Please! turn your light off!" "Ah," I said, "See the symbiotic relationship building already." "I am hiding in some bushes. Come on." "No," I said. "I am not going to turn it off. You see..." and I took a deep breath. "I get scared of the dark." "Rot," said the monster. "OK," I admitted. "I will turn my light off but you have to promise me you will tell me what you are doing." "I promise." "OK, then." I turned the light out. It all went dark. "How's that?," the monster asked. "I'm scared," I said. "Boo," said the monster. The monster stayed very still, as the shouting and commotion grew closer. Then, after an agonising wait, slowly dissipated, presumably as the crowd had disappeared down another street. I noticed: the monster did not move for quite a while, even after every thing seemed to have gone quiet. "Are you still there?" "Yes." It poked at its stomach again. I had to move my head. The monster said, while poking at random at its belly, "How long's this going to take?" "Honestly, your stomach is barely wet, it's not even covering the soles of my shoes." "Ugh," said the monster. "You wear shoes inside." "Whatever. How long does it take for you to produce digestive juices." "Look, it's hard when i'm being watched." "I can't help that." "Don't pressure me!" "That’s OK," I said calmly. "That’s OK." And I took out a flask and started unscrewing the top. "Are you…are you having a drink?" "I don’t have anything else to do." "Do you... just have flasks of wine on you?" "What of it?" I said. "Look, don’t get defensive," said the monster. "I’m not." "You should just be aware of your choices." "Well," I said, motioning towards the mostly dry floor. "Unless something’s going to happen here soon?" "Fine then," said the monster. "Fine," as it began its lolloping movement again. "At least you won’t play a bloody song in there."

(Music starts)

"Oh come ON." I said "What are you going to do, eat me?" "FINE," said the monster, with some finality. And so, in the belly of this monster that ate me, I leant back on the soft wall of his stomach, and had a large glass of wine.

< Song: BALL JACK SALLY WHACK, written by A P Clarke, performed by 76>

Ball Jack Sally Whack and I fall down Ball Jack Sally Whack and I fall down Ball Jack Sally Whack and I fall down And there ain't no loving left in this town

Old crack Whiskey Jack curse your bones Old crack Whiskey Jack curse your bones Old crack Whiskey Jack curse your bones Its gonna be another night alone again

Alone again, boy Ball Jack Sally Whack I fall down and there ain't no loving lef tin this town.

Old man doctor said 'you're long gone' Old man doctor said 'you're long gone' Old man doctor said 'you're long gone Now pay me my money and get on home.'

Gandy dancer moving and I beg you please Gandy dancer moving and I beg you please Gandy dancer moving and I beg you please 'If you want to get to heaven get on your knees and pray'

'Get on your knees boy.' Ball Jack Sally Whack I fall down and there ain't no loving left in this town.

Ball Jack Sally Whack and I fall down...

The monster walked for a while in silence. It hadn't said anything in quite a while. I think it might have been in a mood with me. There was also something in the lolloping, I don't know, slow, and heavy on the downward move, that seemed, somehow, dejected. It felt awkward, and I tried to break the ice. "Have you ever eaten a cat?" The lolloping stopped. The great mass of its body heaved up and down in what I decided to interpret as a sigh. "Why do you care if I have eaten a cat?" "I lost my cat. I am looking for it." "Well?" I looked around. "I don't see it." "We're fine then." There was silence for a little while longer. "It was a good song," it said. "Thank you," I replied. And I could hear now a strange rhythm on its skin. An endless pitter patter of endless drops. "Where are we?" "In a big park, by a lake." "Ah yes, we call this The Weeping Park." "I was just trying to get away from the people. That's all." "It is a sad place. Always raining." "It is quiet is what it is." "It’s a metaphor for depression, you know." "Oh could you please shut up?" "I think you have a lot that you should talk about." "I really don’t." "Did you mean it about the song?" "NOT ANYMORE. You know, my food doesn't usually talk this much." "You swallowed me whole." "Well I was in a rush. I was hungry and you were being really annoying." "I am sorry to have annoyed you." "You are still being really annoying." "I am sorry." "Will you please shut up." It began moving again. The chamber shuddered as it stomped in frustration. "Do you eat many people?" "I must admit I can;tt remember. My memory only goes so far back. You see, usually I wake up when I am hungry." "That is sad." "No! Not really." "Why do you eat humans?" "It’s just what we do." "Are there many others like you?" "There are no others like me. Not anymore." "Hmmm," I said, knowingly. "Who is the real monster here?" "Wait. I am. I am the monster who ate you." "Yes, but really…" "Just shut up" I said "Would you like to talk about your feelings?" "Oh please!" I said "I understand." "ARGH." I could feel a great wrenching then move through its body, as if exerting a massive sudden force. Heavy noises came from outside. The liquid around my shoes began bubbling. The hole in the roof of the chamber opened up and the end of a tree was shoved in, branches and all. The monster pushed it down to the floor. With a mouthful of tree it yelled "SHUT UP!" With each downward stroke: "JUST. SHUT. UP!" I had to scramble to get out of its way. It was pushed down again and again and each time the monster saying "Oh GOD!" It was doing far more damage to its own  stomach walls than it was to me. Down and down again it came. I had to press right up flat against the edges of the chamber, but I managed to avoid all but the scratchy ends of the branches. It was so angry. "You are in denial," I called up. "These are avoidance tactics." "ARGH!" it yelled. It started swirling the branch around. "This isn’t working. This never works." "STOP IT." It pushed the tree all the way in, roots and all, then bent over forwards near double, opened his maw even further and began a weird forwards stumble. "I will bloody show you!" it yelled. Then its voice became garbled, as great clods of earth began pouring in through the hole in the top of the chamber, as it put its head down and ploughed up the turf into its mouth. The rocks tumbling in scratched at his walls, and its digestive juices reacted violently with the sodden earth. The walls of its stomach began spasming. I said, "Ah! you are an allegory for consumerism!" "Oh dear lord! Will you cease your prattling!" It abandoned the field and picked up incredible speed.  A great impact rolled me around as he smashed himself in to a wall. I said, "this is so self defeating." "OH GOD OH GOD," it said. I could see the bleeding walls of his stomach shudder with effort. I felt pushed down to the floor of the stomach just then. It was climbing the walls of the great steeple at the centre of the park. It reached the top and bellowed at the top of its voice: "I AM THE MONSTER THAT ATE YOU." And I was suddenly weightless. It had thrown itself from the tower. I buried myself in the dirt. With a great whomf, and a flattening of its stomach, it landed heavily, right on its belly. The dirt compacted around me and kept me safe. It began a deep moaning, and started a ragged, juddering movement as it pulled itself along by its hands. "I will destroy you!" it said, over and over. Suddenly it stopped. "What’s this?" It said. I braced myself. It reached down to pick something up. "LOOK. HERE'S A CAT. HAVE A BLOODY CAT." And he chucked a cat down its throat. The cat did not respond well to this at all. I curled up in to a ball and put my head down as the cat arched its back and bared its teeth. Then it lashed and leapt around the chamber trying to get out. "WHAT IS THIS NEW HELL?" yelled the monster. I just put my head down. "ARGH!" it yelled. And the vibrations of the voice only inspired greater fury in the cat. Its claws and its teeth were like a storm of razors flailing around the monster’s stomach wall. It’s blood was like rainfall. "OH COME ON!" And then its stomach wall bulged in violently and with one final roar I was bathed in the  lights of the  city once more as the monster tore open its own stomach wall and reached its hands in. It pulled out the cat and the branch and the rocks and myself. The flood of it fell out in front of him. The cat walked off. I brushed myself off and stood up unsteadily. The monster, with some difficulty, straightened too, holding the flaps of his stomach closed with his hands with some attempts at dignity. Me and the monster looked at each other for a good long moment It said, "let us never speak of this again." And then it wandered off in to the night. And I felt that something special had passed between us. A communication deeper than words. An understanding deeper than knowledge. I stood in the park for some time, pondering the events of the evening.

Then I went home, and stood in the shower for twelve hours.

THIS HAS BEEN THE FIRST EPISODE OF THE LOST CAT PODCAST, SEASON 3, TITLED 'THE MONSTER THAT ATE ME', WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY A P CLARKE. COPYRIGHT 2017.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

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