#a wild bae appears

[tracksuitlesbian]

[17020]

# I HEART PUBLIC RELATIONS (2)

in order to your boost your popularity as a lifestyle influencer, your manager decides to partner up with anri teieri and jinpachi ego, for a pr stunt with a man from one of japan's most famous content houses: BLUE LOCK.

the rules are simple: choose a man, post three videos together a week, post an (undisclosed) ad weekly, and interact with each other on social media. ooh! don't forget! the more chemistry between you two, the better.

STARRING . . . reo mikage, nagi seishiro, tabito karasu, yo hiori. fem reader!

CANDIDATE 5 — REO MIKAGE

USER: MIKAGE FOLLOWERS: 1.1M (100k were bought) CATEGORY: LIFESTYLE/FOOD

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

you knew you were in for a wild ride once you stepped into the house and saw none other than the heir of mikage corp standing there, pointing his finger at you and stating "she looks pretty! i'd like to work with her." as if he was the one who got to choose. nonetheless, you agreed to work with reo as he seemed like a pretty loaded interesting guy.

turns out, reo is very sweet. the first tiktok you filmed with him was for his account, in which he offered to take you on a shopping spree, with him and you making silly outfits for one another (just casually picking the ugliest clothes in gucci??) and then trying them on in the dressing room. you were filming a vlog for your account too, and you were surprised when reo surprised you with a very stylish outfit for you and him, to "go catch some dinner tomorrow." wow mikage, very smooth. comments went insane because 1. who are you? new friend? untold lore? 2. you are drop dead gorgeous even in the trash outfits that reo picked for you? and 3. please be in more of reo's videos!!

the second tiktok was a dance trend, the da' dip dance. it was done in very uncomfortable clothes, which were the ones reo bought the day before. it was funny to see reo dancing in a suit and tie, and you with a floor-length gown, in the content house. nagi appeared in the background as he was in the kitchen, which caught the attention of viewers. you posted the same dance, except it was filmed inside the restaurant, because with reo mikage, there is no such thing as shame. he cleared the restaurant out anyway because he wanted privacy, though, so the only preying eyes were those of the servers. reo was visibly flushed in the video, and his excuse was the poor lighting of the restaurant. girl that restaurant had better lighting than a photography studio you are not fooling anyone.

the last tiktok you filmed with him was... a food review! reo's comments are always flooded with "oh my god when does this guy ever eat peasant food", so you listened and brought him some of your favorite fast foods for him to try. wingstop is the biggest hit as of now, so you ordered some wings and tenders through a delivery app for him to give an honest review. people loved your video, as they felt they could connect with you and reo over something so mundane. viewers commented on the fact that you and reo looked like and acted like a married couple, which ended up boosting both your accounts even more.

(UN)DISCLOSED AD . . . HELLO FRESH!

we know that reo's meals since he joined the content house were all takeout from fancy restaurants. so when he got approached by hello fresh for a partnership, he agreed in a heartbeat. he made a video with you, the two of you preparing a nice, healthy dinner with the package from hello fresh, captioning the video "date night at home!" with clips of him behind you helping you cut some vegetables, making juice standing next to one another, and hands brushing every so often. fans were amused that reo finally opted for something other than takeout, instead preferring to spend quality time with you by cooking.

"Baya doesn't cook for me anymore, so me and bae always count on @.hellofresh #hellofreshpartner #ad"

THE VIEWS SKYROCKETED! BECAUSE . . .

because reo's lifestyle is extremely lavish, and you were one of the few who got to experience it to the fullest. reo looked like a lovesick puppy around you, and it wasn't hard to notice. he spoiled you rotten, and people could tell due to how your room slowly became flooded with designer after the first week of filming with reo. lovebombing much? the stunt was marvelous, with each of you gaining around 500k followers from it. to celebrate, reo booked a villa in marbella for the two of you to unwind and relax, wanting time for the two of you to get to know one another. plus, more content for the socials!

CANDIDATE 6 — SEISHIRO NAGI

USER: NAGI (reo bought it for him) FOLLOWERS: 940k CATEGORY: GAMING/LIFESTYLE(?)

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

the reason nagi actually went viral is interesting, which is why your management team chose him for you. he went viral because he was in reo's video in the background, and people began to fawn over the shy giant on their screen. he started streaming on twitch and also posting a few tiktoks, which gave him a boost on his overall social media presence. his management came into contact with yours for the stunt because they desperately wanted him to reach 1 million followers.

the first tiktok you filmed on his account was entirely on accident. you were going to film a vlog with him at the house as he didn't want to leave the house at all that day. he pressed record on his phone, and accidentally cut the video way too short. in the frame were you and him, with him saying "um, is this thing on?" and you trying to fix the framing of the camera, "nagi, can you move the cam—" and the video got posted instead of being saved as a funny draft. people were confused as to why that was posted, but it got around 10 million views. fans wanted to know who you were, and they were going to find out soon.

the second tiktok you filmed was for your account, with you preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner as the "private chef of a famous lazy influencer", it didn't take long for people to put two and two together, seeing nagi in the background and making the video go viral. fans were happy that nagi was finally eating something healthy, and they loved the way in which you laughed at his sleepy self wandering around the kitchen, and also adoring his cute reactions to your food.

for the last tiktok, you gathered clips from nagi's stream, in which you and him played dress to impress. he had bought the two of you vip before filming, which made the competition between you two even funnier. nagi's outfits were absolutely horrendous, with the comments begging you to help him out. he agreed, saying that "i mean, y/n's beautiful and she's got great taste, so she needs to help me out." people did not know what your beauty had to do with your taste in fashion, and came to the conclusion that nagi was beginning to harvest feelings for you. he was way too blunt for his own good.

(UN)DISCLOSED AD . . . CELSIUS!

nagi got reached out to by celsius, as his brand as a gamer required him to constantly be sipping on energy drinks. he filmed the ad with you, as the video focused on you and him sitting next to one another, his head on top of yours. nagi took a sip of the celsius can and then passed on to you, with you doing the same. nagi was too lazy to come up with his own caption, so he copied and pasted one of the many which celsius sent him as an idea. people noticed right away because 1. seishiro nagi does not use caps. 2. seishiro nagi does not use emojis. 3. seishiro nagi does not add captions to his tiktoks. people laughed at his laziness, and saw how he genuinely smiled in the ad by sharing his drink with you. there was a ship name created, and the tag started trending...

You KNOW it's serious when you share a Celsius... 😘❤️👀 @.celsiusuk #Celsiuspartner

THE VIEWS SKYROCKETED! BECAUSE . . .

because nagi smiled whenever he was with you. he started being less aloof in his videos and streams, which caught the attention of the public. they started to wonder what kind of drug you were, because you had nagi HOOKED. he was looking only at you on every video you filmed with him, and he looked for every excuse possible for him to be close to you. it was like watching a little kid fall in love, and you both gained 300k followers from it. when he hit one million followers, you decided to throw a mini surprise for him in his room, and when the video was posted, people saw that for the first time, seishiro nagi willingly threw himself at someone with a biiiig bear hug.

CANDIDATE 7 — TABITO KARASU

USER: OSAKASSASSIN FOLLOWERS: 760k CATEGORY: PSYCHOLOGY/LIFESTYLE

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

when you entered the house and saw none other than tiktok's clown psychologist tabito karasu, you held in your laugh. yes, he loved to analyze people, but that ended up combining with thirst traps and becoming his social media personality. once you got to know him when planning, you realized he wasn't that bad at all.

of course, the first thing karasu suggested you do was a mini series of "advice on how to get a girl" in which he explains the most basic advice on how to ask someone on a date. i wouldn't be surprised if his fanbase were children aspiring to be him, but anywho. he starts off by filming a "so you know how i'm always preaching about how to treat a woman right? we're gonna put it to the test" and proceeds to take you on the best date of your life. he surprises you with flowers, drives you to a nice restaurant, pays for your dinner, takes you for ice cream, and the high and mighty tabito karasu lets you win at every game in the arcade he drags you to. the end of the tiktok contains a screenshot of your text saying "i'd go out with you again :)" and the fans went off in the comments. he didn't show your face, but he did mention that he helped take pictures of you with the plushie he won for you at the arcade.

the second tiktok was on your account, which was an aesthetic video of "come to the arcade with me!" and included clips of the date without seeing karasu. except for the fact that there was a clip of you and the plushie, to which people asked "who took the picture???" your response? "the worker! :)" and all of a sudden people were commenting on karasu's tiktok "yo you working in an arcade now???" and "did you take @.yn out on a date???" yeahhh. you posted on your instagram with the plushie, and also a pic of two ice cream cones, with the caption "late nights" and karasu was tagged at the very end. there were more than 100k comments on your post, gushing about how the two of you seemed like a cute couple.

the final tiktok was a dance trend, filmed at your home (karasu insisted, because "the house is too crowded, and it would ruin the tiktok" ok pretty boy). it was the dumb dick dance, and what karasu didn't expect was for you to not do the dance and hit him straight in the nutsack instead. karasu fell to the floor and people thought it was so funny that the king of rizz got absolutely owned by his date. some people strted commenting "deserved omg i can't stand the guy" to which you replied "well now he can't stand either!!!" you became an icon in the eyes of the public. congratulations.

(UN)DISCLOSED AD . . . POPPI!

another drink guy! karasu partnered up with poppi's healthy sodas because sodas magically cure depression. don't ask me! ask dr karasu. his ad for poppi included a fridge restock, with the whole upper shelf of the fridge being different poppi flavors, as "my girl likes sodas, so i wanna make sure she gets the best of the best. stay healthy, choose poppi." queue the montage of you and him being happy drinking doc pop and the comments saying "for fucks sake just buy regular dr pepper.... cute tiktok i suppose." people were divided, as some said to buy regular coke, and some said the lovesick look you had while filming made them accidentally buy 500 poppi cans.

cleanse your gut, cleanse your mind ✨ @.poppi #poppipartner

THE VIEWS SKYROCKETED! BECAUSE . . .

because karasu is one flirty hoe. he was constantly referring to you as the 'baddie' on his videos, and always having his arm around you. people pointed out that since being with you online, he stopped posting thirst traps, and when asked why, he simply answered "those are for my girl now :)" this man was in too deep he cleared the roster. he cleared his online bench. for a stunt? mhhhmm. you both gained around 100k followers, as your fanbases already knew one another. it was bound to happen. karasu asked you to be his girlfriend around a month after the stunt, and you knew it was coming due to the change in his content from "how to get every girl" to "how to get THE girl". the internet knew something was up when he suddenly started posting "how to be a good boyfriend" cheers to the newlyweds!

CANDIDATE 8 — YO HIORI

USER: HIORIYOOH FOLLOWERS: 1.3M CATEGORY: GAMING/TECH

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

you didn't even have to go inside the house, as hiori had sent you a dm about a potential collab due to his management team and yours coming to contact with one another. you did a stream playing dress to impress, in which hiori commented "let's play together sometime! check your dm :-)" (written by karasu, sent by karasu) and you agreed to his invite to play roblox together.

hiori isn't on tiktok much, so the first tiktok you did was a promo for his livestream, in which you and him decided to play chained together. it was funny to see hiori and you yell and struggle, eventually giving up on the game and ordering takeout while on live, and just becoming a regular hangout. hiori showed a side of himself no one expected him to have—a sociable, extroverted side of himself, as you were so easy to talk to according to him. he was all giggles and smiles with you, which is why he ordered takeout as an excuse to spend more time with you. hiori ended the live and continued getting to know you, with his social media being confused as to why he decided to stop the live so suddenly, with the words "HIORI", "LIVE", "Y/N", "SIMP", and "STOP" trending on x.

the second tiktok filmed was on your account, which was a comic con vlog. hiori was invited as he was a streamer, and he took you with him as his plus one. he asked to cosplay with you, with him being link and asking you to be zelda. cosplay was actually a big word, as you did inspired outfits, but they were obvious enough for everyone to know who you were. which inspired lots of fan pictures, with hiori fan accounts posting them and being like "the couple is at comic con!!!" and starting huge threads on every interaction you two had. the pictures fans took all focused on one thing: hiori's reactions when speaking with you. all smiles by the way. who is this man???

the final tiktok was for your account, and you planned this along with nanase and isagi. you went to the house as hiori had invited you to film both of you playing league of legends before the second part of arcane came out. you and the boys stood outside of hiori's room, knocking the door. once hiori opened it, isagi threw a bouquet towards hiori, with you catching it before it hit him. you couldn't even ask if he was alright, as you got so lost in his eyes. so did he. it went viral. hiori was a whole tomato umemiya could have easily planted in his garden. hiori was definitely shocked and flustered while you filmed content for his socials, causing the internet to make youtube compilations of every time hiori smiled or blushed at the sight of you. millions of views.... millions.

(UN)DISCLOSED AD . . . RAID SHADOW LEGENDS!

there's no surprised he partnered up with raid, as most youtubers do. in order to do the ad, though, he made a SKIT. those typical, drew gooden-esque skits in order to introduce the ad in his video with you, with you participating with him, and even playing raid shadow legends alongside him. since it was a video, there was a clear indication that this was an ad, and people noticed how. again. you were the first person who brought him out of his shell to do a small skit for an ad. fans adored how you and him held in your laughs while filming, and even showed the bloopers for the ad at the end. in the bloopers, though, while you were in frame playing raid, hiori whispered that "you look real pretty here, y/n." he didn't edit his videos because he has an editing team, so when the video was published he noticed that fans could hear his off-screen commentary loud and clear. oops! someone fire the editing team real quick.

"you look real pretty here, y/n—anyway um, okay—look at the screen on your phone, then at the camera and say 'this video is sponsored by raid shadow legends" "this video is sponsored by raid shadow LEGENDS 💜" "how did you do that—"

THE VIEWS SKYROCKETED! BECAUSE . . .

hiori is an absolute sweetheart, whose face went beet red whenever you complimented him in every video. like isagi, mans is shy, give him a break, okay? whether it was your hands brushing against one another, or shoulders bumping while filming, you could see hiori tense up and have his face on fire from how hot it was. his eyes never left your figure if they weren't on the screen in front of him, which said a lot to his og fans. they witnessed a change in hiori, for the better! thanks to you, hiori started to bloom. due to this stunt, both of you gained almost 1 million followers, as the slow-burn was that interesting. hiori gained the balls to ask you out after that. people suspected that perhaps you were dating, but you always said you were really good friends. around five months later, the cat came out of the bag as there were pictures of you two leaving the same apartment, to which you had to clear the air. you had moved into hiori's apartment two months ago.

taglist (open, yippee!): @kaiser1ns @stunies @ryescapades @nyxypoo @littleplantfreak @heartkaji @maruflix @phinbie @vinomino @kunitsyn

[otomiyaa]

Better Setter!

BokuAkaKuroKen

[Fic Reupload] - Posting this oldie requested by anon, thanks to @wertzunge who still had it! I'd forgotten how wild this one is.....

Summary: A very crazy situation from Kenma’s point of view; Bokuto and Kuroo suddenly feel very determined to prove to each other that their setters - boyfriends - are more ticklish than the other. Things escalate, not just a little. (Also on AO3)

Word Count: 2.2K

“Look look look! And I go baaamm!” Kenma and Akaashi both exchanged tired glances when they heard Bokuto’s loud voice again. Who thought it was a smart idea to get together at Kuroo’s place and watch the recording of their latest Nekoma vs. Fukurodani match? Not them.

“HA! No that, your look was priceless when I almost smashed the ball into your face!”

Yeah. The game result was a draw, and since it was a simple practice match their coaches did not see the point in dragging it much longer to determine a winner. A draw. Draw! Of course that didn’t satisfy the dork captain duo in the least, and both Kenma and Akaashi ended up getting dragged along so that the captains could ‘see on their own who had won the match’.

“That point wasn’t a point!” Bokuto protested. Both of them sat glued to the screen while Kenma and Akaashi lounged on the big couch, each on one side. Kenma playing his games as always, and Akaashi lazily reading the news on his phone app.

“It was,” Akaashi said, and Kenma nodded, both of them intelligent enough to just be able to hear which part of the match they were at.

“Shut up Akaashi! God - look look! Isn’t Akaashi and my teamwork the greatest?” Bokuto’s snarl at Akaashi was instantly forgotten, and Kenma couldn’t help but snort at this. This couple was so cute.

“Nothing like what Kenma and I are doing. Here, look at that. He’s the best setter ever,” Kuroo said, and Kenma felt a subtle blush heat up his cheeks.

“Pardon me? I am 200% certain Akaashi’s the best setter.” Oh no. Was this really going where they thought this was going? Akaashi and Kenma exchanged glances again and both sighed. Here goes.

“No, Kenma is a much better setter. No offense, Akaashi,” Kuroo continued. It was Bokuto who took offense though, and he suddenly stood and shouted through the noises that came from the recording.

“Akaashi is the best! And he is also the sexiest cutest and most handsome setter in the world!” 

“That’s not relevant Bokuto, but since we’re at it, have you ever seen Kenma’s smooth and silky skin? He is what you could call sexy. Nothing can beat that.” Talk about relevance! Kenma blushed like crazy and could see Akaashi was doing the same.

“Hohoho. Then you haven’t felt what Akaashi’s skin is like. I just have to…” Bokuto made a long swiping move with his finger into the air and closed his eyes with a dreamy smile “…do thiiiis and his skin feels so soft and smooth under my touch, and he’ll even share his angelic laugh because you see. Akaashi is very sensitive,” Bokuto continued as if he was promoting something in a commercial video, and Kenma felt embarrassed for Akaashi.

Poor Akaashi, why were they…

“Sensitive? You should see how ticklish Kenma is man! His laughter will make you pregnant!” Kenma’s face exploded. No fucking way did he say that!

“Kuroo!” he finally yelled, lowering his game and glaring at him while he breathed heavily.

Big mistake, since the two only now seemed to realize their bae’s were in the same room, and the smirks that appeared on their faces were anything but reassuring.

“What are they…” Akaashi mumbled, slowly lowering his phone as well.

“You dare say ‘ticklish’ without telling me Akaashi is the champion at being tickled?” Bokuto asked, slowly rising on his feet and walking over to where the setters were sitting.

“Why not let me demonstrate it then?” Kuroo asked, and Kenma swallowed as they started to circle around them. Oh no.

Both he and Akaashi ended up overwhelmed by the situation and jumped up from the couch, but before they could even flee they both got pulled back down onto the couch, each of them on a captain’s lap, opposite each other with Kuroo and Kenma sitting on the corner part of the seat, and Bokuto with Akaashi facing them and only inches away. 

Both victims’ eyes made contact with each other and they trembled in anticipation.

“Bokuto, let me go…” Akaashi told his boyfriend calmly, and Kenma could see him squirm uncomfortably, but Bokuto pulled him tighter against his chest and trapped him with his arms.

“Heh Bokuto. What do you say, shall I show you my Kenma’s the most ticklish setter in the world?” Kuroo asked as Akaashi’s plea was ignored. He circled his arms around Kenma and pulled him closer onto his lap while he nuzzled the back of his head.

“K-Kuroo! This is silly! Don’t-” Kenma gulped when he noticed the way Bokuto moved his hands under Akaashi’s shirt, moving it up over his chest and making the latter squirm.

“Nothing matches how sexy and charming Akaashi is when I do this, Kuroo dear,” Bokuto lectured, and he made a claw of his hand and wiggled his fingers down Akaashi’s chest and toned tummy.

“HAahh!” Akaashi arched into Bokuto and threw his head back, his hand quickly shooting up to cover his mouth.

“Oh but watch this then.” Kenma was unprepared for when his own assault began. Kuroo wiggled his fingers up his sides and instantly went for those oversensitive spots in the hollows of his arms.

“Kuroooaaahh!” Kenma yelped, jumping suddenly in Kuroo’s lap but unable to escape his clutches.

Kuroo pulled him closer against his chest and Kenma’s mouth opened wide when he felt the demanding fingers ask for more.

“Ahaha nohoho s-stop it! Why are you doooh-aahaha wait!” Kenma gasped when his shirt was also moved all the way up as well, half-stripping him right before the eyes of Bokuto and a laughing Akaashi.

Kenma thrashed and bucked against Kuroo who continued to drill his fingers into his armpits, thumbs prodding and index fingers wiggling mischievously in a way that made him want to scream.

“STAhahap! Kuroo you know I’m - aahaha nohoho!”

It was embarrassing, very embarrassing to be tickled like this and actually witness how Akaashi was suffering from the same, and Kenma had to admit Bokuto was right about how sexy and charming he looked. There was just something about watching him laugh like that in such a helpless state, and it made his own heart flutter.

He’d probably enjoyed this immensely if it wasn’t for himself being tickled into a puddle of embarrassing laughs and tears. What was remarkable about Akaashi was how he was barely struggling at all, and that while Kenma was thrashing about like a wild animal and being totally uncharming unlike the ticklish guy in front of him…

From his point of view, Bokuto was winning this game with golden prizes.

“Your Kenma’s a wild one eh?” Bokuto asked as if he was reading Kenma’s mind, and Kenma automatically sucked in his own stomach when he saw the way Bokuto made a surprise claw-move at Akaashi’s stomach, making the exhausted guy choke on a laugh and mewl adorably.

“I know, right? You gotta know how to handle the wild kittens,” Kuroo said proudly, and without warning Kenma’s waist and sides were next to fall victim to some devious squeezing hands.

“FHAaha! Nohohho!”

He kicked his legs and threw his head around, his blond hair flying all over the place, while Akaashi was merely squirming charmingly and laughing at Bokuto’s equally assaulting fingers.

“Can I try?” Bokuto asked, and Kenma’s eyes snapped open. 

“Sure.” Wait wha- 

“Waahhh!” He squeaked when suddenly he and Akaashi were each thrown towards the other as both devil captains switched partners. Before he could comprehend what was going on, his arm was in a steady grip and Bokuto pulled him onto his lap.

“Heyheyheyyy Kenma, so how ticklish are you really? Why not show uncle Bo!” Kenma’s eyes opened wide when he felt Bokuto’s clawing hands he’d seen on Akaashi’s body earlier do the same to him; huge hands grabbed his sides and ribs and fingers wiggled in a rougher way than Kuroo would do.

“Shihihit no p-plehehease!” He struggled and thrashed and ended up flipping on his stomach so he was hanging over Bokuto’s lap.

“Wild he is, indeed,” Bokuto judged, and he proceeded to attack Kenma’s sides and hips with quick spidering fingers and squeezing movements that had Kenma buck like a wild animal on his lap.

“HEhehe K-Kuroohohoho hehehelp!” he laughed, tears pricking in his eyes and his breath running short. This was different. He was used to Kuroo’s tickles, not Bokuto’s and somehow this was even harder to deal with. And that said a lot.

“How are you so calm? Ah coochie coochieee coo!” Kuroo was having full attention for Akaashi who was squirming in his lap now, snorting, laughing and giggling at his mercy.

“P-Plehease Kuroo dohohon’t!” Akaashi laughed, and he gulped when Kuroo suddenly threw him onto the couch and pounced on top of him.

“Come on, laugh for me Akaashi!” Kuroo sang, and from his position on Bokuto’s lap Kenma could see how Kuroo released his worst tickle monster powers on the poor Fukurodani setter.

“AHah! NOT Thehehre!” After wondering where Kuroo was tickling him to get Akaashi that hysterical, Kenma was suddenly a lot more worried about his own situation when Bokuto moved his hands down and gripped the sensitive flesh of his inner thighs.

“Gahhh oh nohoho pf-plehease! C-Can’t breheeathe!” Kenma warned through his wheezy laughter and giggles. Bokuto had the energy he feared he would have in a situation like this. Merciless tickling, a loud voice that told him playful taunting words, and on the background Kuroo’s voice that did just the same while Akaashi laughed just as loud.

This situation couldn’t get any crazier.

“Stoohohohp!” Kenma’s laughter had turned very whiney when Bokuto switched to tickling his sides and ribs again while his loud mouth blew raspberries on his bare back, down his spine, lower back and sometimes partially on his side.

“Eeeheheek!” Kenma squeaked, his legs kicking weakly and arms making one final flailing move before he felt his body go limp under Bokuto’s touch. The lips on his skin sent tingles and chills through his entire body all at once, and he gasped tiredly and giggled when he felt the tickling slowly come to its end.

“I have to say, Kenma is very ticklish and he’s a real cutie. You were right,” Bokuto said, and Kenma blushed when he felt how he was wrapped in a couple of strong muscled arms and cuddled against Bokuto’s chest.

“K-Kurooo…” he whined, but he didn’t struggle, feeling rather comfy in his boyfriend’s buddy’s arms. His eyes found Kuroo’s who was snuggling a very tickle-tired Akaashi closely, and the smirk on his face reassured him that this was going to be just fine.

“And I am amazed about Akaashi. He’s a lot better than I expected,” Kuroo said as if he was talking about sports rather than a person getting tickled, and Kenma was surprised how good his boyfriend and Akaashi looked together like that. 

“So, it’s a draw again?” Bokuto asked, and Kenma felt tingles from his breath against his neck, and he scrunched up his shoulders.

“Yes. Let’s call it a draw.” And then it was proved that the situation could definitely get crazier than it already was.

Kenma felt how Bokuto hugged him closer when Kuroo and Akaashi joined them on their side of the couch, and he felt lips kiss his own sweetly and passionately. His head was still a little cloudy and his eyes still teary from the tickling, and only after opening his eyes he noticed he had been kissing Akaashi.

“Heh. How’s that?” Bokuto asked, watching Kenma snuggle closer to his own setter, and Kenma blushed. After witnessing Akaashi getting tickled like that in front of his eyes, kissing him had definitely been on his guilty mind. But…

“Kuroo will…” Kenma started, shyly watching his boyfriend and seeking consent, but Kuroo grabbed him closer and kissed him as well “…absolutely kill you,” Kuroo finished for him with a sinister wink, and Kenma could barely even blink when Kuroo started to tickle him mercilessly again.

“K-Kurohaaa-hmph!” Yes, that was Bokuto kissing him while Kuroo tickled him to pieces and suddenly Akaashi was joining in by nuzzling Kenma’s stomach.

“Gahaha-Guuys! Wahahaait!” It was probably because he was the smallest that they ended up teaming up on him, even Akaashi whose cheeks were still adorably flushed from his earlier predicament.

“Meheh-Mercy!” Kenma gasped when Bokuto and Kuroo took turns in blowing raspberries on his tummy. He then ended up kissing someone again, and he honestly thought he could recognize Kuroo’s kissing style in there. 

It was as if he had gotten drunk, not from alcohol but from getting tickled too much, and no matter how stupid and crazy it would seem, it was how in the end Bokuto and Akaashi practically joined his relationship with Kuroo. 

Now with suddenly two boyfriends more, Kenma could only chuckle in delight at the funny thought that Bokuto and Kuroo had never come to an agreement about who was a better setter. Looked like they were meant to play for a draw at all times, which was, of course, not necessarily a bad thing!

[cherr-22]

TNGDH 40

The carriage ran without rest.

The barren land of the North had more areas untouched by human hands than there were that were touched.

The road was barely wide enough for the carriage to pass. If it turned to the side a little, the wheels would get caught in the wild vines or bushes.

That was why the carriage moved rather slowly. And the ground was so uneven that if the wheel hit a rock, my butt literally lifted off from the seat.

“……Hup.”

Damn it, motion sickness.

I never felt motion sickness as Bae Soohyun. Is it because I’m just not suited for riding horses? How is it that I’m always feeling sick whenever I ride one?

I leaned against the wall with a pale face, then rolled my eyes towards the main sitting across from me.

Even when the ceiling and floor was shaking, Kyle was steadfastly processing documents. It was as if he was sitting in a separate space than me.

As if I was sitting on top of a moving tortoise while he was on the flat ground.

“……Do you not get motion sickness?”

I couldn’t contain my curiosity and asked. After going through a few more documents, he raised his head and looked at me.

“Not at all. Is it very bad?”

“……I feel like I’m dying.”

“You should sleep.”

“…….”

Of course, I wanted to sleep. I would rather faint and ask them to wake me up when we arrive at the palace. But I couldn’t do that. I didn’t have enough time left for ‘Summon’.

It would take three days to get from here to the palace, but I only had two hours each day for ‘Summon’. Not even half a day would pass before I end up turning into a hamster. I’ve been surviving until now by eating the store-bought cookies.

I rolled my eyes and glared at the system window next to me. 3 hours and 30 minutes before ‘Summon’ was canceled.

“No……. it’s alright.”

“There’s a village close by. I’ll wake you up when we arrive, so take a nap for now.”

“Ughhhh…….”

I wanted to be a bit more stubborn and stay up, but I didn’t have the stamina to do so.

I crossed my arms above the hamster house and leaned against them. I called the system quietly. Hey, come out.

[_:(´ཀ`」∠):_ ]

“…….”

……You also get motion sickness?

Is that even possible?

I stared at the emote for a moment with a puzzled expression on my face, then closed my eyes as the carriage started shaking once more.

‘Hey…… system……. sound out an alarm for me after two hours. Please…….’

At this rate, I’ll really die of motion sickness before I could even do anything.

After sending out a nodding emote, a 2 hour timer appeared mid-air. As the time ticked away, I took out the [Emergency Toffee Nut Candy] out of my inventory and put it in my mouth.

I didn’t know if anything would happen, but I wanted a temporary measure. I didn’t want Kyle breaking into the hamster house while I was asleep.

The hard and sweet candy melted in my mouth. I felt the sweetness of caramel syrup melting into syrup and went to sleep.

In my fading consciousness, I felt the wind blowing through my hair.

Hopefully, when I wake up, I’ll be at the village……

*

Beep beep beep beep―.

A familiar sound rang in my head.

As I continued to ignore the constant beeping noise, it began to change into different variations. After an intense vibration, I even heard an obnoxious voice saying “good morning”.

‘Let me sleep for 10 more minutes……. no, 5 minutes…….’

I frowned and turned my head the opposite direction of where the noise was coming from. I found a more comfortable position to sleep in. Yes. If I could sleep just a bit more like this…….

Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine.

I raised my head in shock. When I opened my eyes and looked straight ahead, I saw Kyle just a few centimeters away from my face.

“Wha…… wha, wha- what is it?”

My words came out like a broken radio.

I reflexively moved away and held onto the hamster house tighter. Kyle watched me quietly and opened his mouth to speak.

“You seemed to sleep uncomfortably, so I was going to put it down.”

His eyes landed on the hamster house I was holding.

Wrong. What’s uncomfortable isn’t the hamster house but the carriage.

“I’m quite alright. More importantly…… we stopped?”

The carriage was no longer shaking.

I looked out the window. People were out gathering themselves into groups of twos and threes.

“We thought it would be best to rest for a bit, so we stopped momentarily. There were quite a few servants besides you who got motion sickness.”

“It’s more incredible that you don’t get motion sickness…….”

“……If you’ve woken up, let’s go out.”

I sighed in relief and nodded. As I slowly pushed myself off while hugging onto the hamster house, Kyle reached out his hand again.

“You cannot!”

“…….”

Before he could say anything, I quickly got off the carriage.

Since we got further away from the castle, I felt an unfamiliar spring breeze blowing. Of course, when I looked around, it was still covered in snow.

‘More importantly…….’

The strange feeling I felt earlier seemed to be from the effect of the toffee nut candy.

Even if there was a ghost behind my back, I wouldn’t have felt this way. Aside from being surprised, it felt rather unpleasant. No wonder they gave 5 candies for 0.5 Miracle Points…… the remaining 4 shall remain unused forever.

“I guess I’ll have to start making a move.”

It was impossible to keep eating cookies and holding onto the hamster house.

At this rate, my Miracle Points would run out dry and I would turn into a hamster inside the carriage.

Then, all the trust I gained until now would shatter to pieces……

‘They would definitely think it’s magic.’

And would think I lied to them.

From Kyle’s point of view, it’s natural that he would think that way. A person turned into a hamster. What reason would there be besides magic? Actually, I don’t know if even magic could even transform people into hamsters.

On top of that, he met me as both Cashew and Shu. He could think that I was trying to use him. He wouldn’t believe me if I say that that’s not the case. After all, the evidence would all be right in front of his eyes.

I inspected my surroundings. I must find a way out of here and transform back into a hamster.

“The village is pretty close from here, right?”

“That’s right. It was half destroyed after being attacked by demonic beasts in the past, but it has been recovering well lately.”

“It must’ve been due to His Highness Kyle’s efforts.”

“Yes. He’s truly an amazing person.”

I perked my ears as I listened to their conversation.

A village. And one that’s been attacked by a demonic beast at that?

Just then, a brilliant idea popped into my mind. I walked up to them to join their conversation.

“It’s good to hear that the village recovered. I haven’t heard any news about it after losing all my family members.”

“Family? Is your hometown that village?”

“Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve left.”

“When you said you lost your family…….”

“It’s a long story. An unlucky accident. ……No one would be there to welcome me, but I still want to visit my old home. I want to greet my parents and walk around to relieve my memories.”

“Then…….”

“If you tell His Highness, he would definitely help you!”

“Definitely! You know how His Highness is!”

The eyes of the servants sparkled.

I glanced over to Kyle. He was talking with a knight and was too preoccupied to look over me.

The servants stuffed snacks into my mouth, stuffed them into my pockets, and stacked them on top of the hamster house. Holding them all, I got back into the carriage. In that time, Kyle must’ve finished speaking with the knight and got back onto the carriage too.

“What are all those?”

“Snacks. Would you like some?”

He sat across from me and only laughed.

He’s been like this once in a while. He would just look at me and laugh with no reason. And when I would turn towards him, our eyes would meet right away.

‘……Makes me feel a little embarrassed.’

I avoided eye contact and opened the package filled with biscuits. I offered a piece to Kyle.

Just when I thought Kyle would accept the biscuit, he leaned over and bit it. Use your hands will you? Grab it with your hands.

“Does it taste better to eat it from my hands?”

“Very.”

“…Eat well”

The carriage began to move again. The horses must’ve rested well, because the carriage ran fast despite the rough road.

Thus, I felt like dying once again.

Watching me grow pale, Kyle offered me his laps. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to tell if I’m still on Earth or the afterlife once we reach the village.

I wondered how much further we had to go.

When I started to think the ride would never end, the carriage began to slow down its pace.

“Ahhhhhhh…….”

I got down the carriage while making a zombie-like groan. In front of me was a village.

‘It’s a lot larger than I thought.’

I heard it was half destroyed due to the attack, but besides a few collapsed buildings, it looked not much different than the Blake estate. It was a little smaller, but it was still quite lively.

After confirming that all the servants and knights were present, they took a 10 minute break and said they will start moving again. It seemed the palace was still quite a long way off, so they wanted to hurry.

Upon hearing that, I raised my hand. Everyone’s gaze turned towards me.

“I will stay here for a bit.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is my hometown. Since I’m here, I want to look around.”

“I cannot allow that for whatever reasons.”

“Please don’t worry. I’ll follow after…….”

“He said it’s his hometown, Your Highness!”

One maid shouted out loud.

“That’s right. His family all passed away and somehow ended up in the Blake estate. Look how scrawny he is! It must’ve been tough to travel all the way to the estate.?”

“He doesn’t talk about himself, and yet he brought up about his hometown. It must’ve been on his mind a lot.”

Everyone began to speak up for me. Some said I was too pitiful. Few argued that I could catch up with a single horse and a map.

As long as you weren’t a combatant, it seemed that stopping by your hometown was somewhat acceptable.

Kyle looked reluctant but eventually nodded with a sigh.

“Shu.”

He held out a heavy-looking bag in front of me. I struggled to accept it with the hamster house in my hands, so he put it on top of the cage.

“With this amount of money, you could catch the best carriage in this village. Don’t hesitate to use it all.”

“……Thank you.”

“Will you…… really be alright alone?”

It was a voice filled with concern. I kept my mouth closed for a moment, then mumbled awkwardly while avoiding his gaze.

“I’m not a child. Since it’s been a while since I’ve been here, I want to see everyone. My family.”

“Alright.”

His held my cheek and the nape of my neck with his hand. The leather tickled my skin, and I slowly walked away as if I was feeling a little regretful.

I unconsciously opened my mouth. I didn’t want to make anymore promises, but it felt like I had to at the moment.

“I will follow after you soon.”

So, please go first and wait for me.

Kyle smiled. I turned my head around slightly and our eyes met again. It was as if he had never taken his eyes off me.

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[divinelolita]

Hey omg ive been reading your storys and i cant stop ther all so good omg anyway can you make a fic with male reader x tom and bill. Basically we are bill and toms celebrity crush evry scene they were little like 2005 and like in 2006/2007

And like we reach out to them and ask if they wanna make a collaboration (like a song together) and every one from tokio hotel is excited to be working with us but tom and bill are like freaking out wean they see us infrot of them

KAULITZ TWINS X MALE READER

hii bae! I loved this request <3 I went off track near the end so pls forgive me 😋

For as long as Tom and Bill could remember, they had always liked M/N. I mean, who wouldn't? He was funny, handsome, and kind. At first they thought it was just admiration, but they found out that they had a true crush on this celebrity. The twins found this a bit strange though, as they almost never liked the same person at the same time. The two of them just couldn't stop loving M/N though, as much as they tried to. 

Georg and Gustav would sometimes tease the brothers about this, though. And today just so happend to be one of those days.

 "Seriously though, who's gonna walk down the isle with the dress?" Georg teased as he tossed a cracker into his mouth, Gustav giggling beside him. Bill just rolled his eyes and ignored the two as he sipped his coke. "Bill definitely has the legs for it." Gustav muttered, making Tom snort and Bill throw his can of soda at the blonde. Gustav yelped, flinching as the can missed him by a centimeter. "Oh,fuck you!" Bill sneered, although his cheeks flushed red. 

The tour bus door opened as Jost walked it. Everybody quickly fixed their posture and stopped goofing off, although they felt less tense as they saw Jost smile. "Well kids," he began, making Georg scoff before clearing his throat as Tom shot him a piercing look. Hey it wasn't his fault- Georg was 19, he wasn't a kid anymore! "Good news. We have just recently gotten a collaboration request from somebody. I'm sure you guys will be excited when-" Jost was cut off by Tom, who excitedly exclaimed "Avril?!". Gustav chortled quietly, his smiling dropping as quick as it appeared when he received a stern look from Jost. Bill gave a little smile to Jost, excited to see who he would make music with. 

"... No. I was going to say the collab was 'gonna be with M/N." The twins smiles fell quickly, a look of disbelief and excited in their eyes. "I...M/N? Like.. M/N L/N?" Bill coughed. All it took was a nod from Jost and the tour bus went wild. Georg whooped out loud, Gustav started to laugh, and the twins talked non stop. "Really?!" "We're gonna work with M/N?" "AHHHHHHH I CAN'T WAIT!" Bill and Tom squealed like little girls seeing puppies. Jost shushed them, the tour bus going silent apart from the little giggles from all members. 

"Hush, you sound like toddlers." Jost scolded, but he was smiling brightly himself. "But yes, we will be working with him." Georg quirked an eyebrow, looking at Jost expectantly. "Is he coming to our studio or..?" he questioned, glancing at Gustav to see if he knew. "Don't look at me you dumbass." Gustav muttered, rolling his eyes. "Yes. He should be at our studio.. in two days." When Jost said that Tom let out a small gasp. "T-two days? Really?" 

"Mmmhhmm." Jost concluded. "Now, M/N wanted to see if you guys wanted to......" 

-TWO DAYS LATER 😱😱-

Bil groaned as he looked in the mirror. Although he wasnt going out to brunch or photoshoots he had still did his makeup, yet he was too lazy to do his hair so it layed over his shoulders. Tom came in behind him, pushing him lightly to the side so he could get his toothbrush to brush his teeth. "Tom.. Are you nervous?" Bill asked, sitting on the closed toilet seat. Tom took a second before responding, brushing his teeth fast before he spat into the sink, washing out his mouth. 

"I'm always nervous before studio days, Billy. " He responded, going to wash his face with the soap. Bill groaned, throwing his head back dramatically. "Nooo Tom.. I meant about M/N being here." Bill pouted, elbows resting on his kneecaps as he rested his chin upon his hands. Tom shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Ehhh I guess so. But I'm not too worried, you?" Tom asked, adjusting his baggy shirt. Bill bit his lip," Aggh, I don't know! I think I am but I just-" Bill began, but he was cut off as Gustav banged on the door.       " Hurry the fuck up I gotta piss dude! ". Tom giggled as he opened the door, letting Bill out before himself. He gave his little brother a small smile. "C'mon, Bill. Don't worry about it. Everything will be okay." Bill softly smiled back. "Yeah.. Yeah." Bill nodded, "I'm okay." 

-at the studio-

Bill paced back and forth, humming Monsoon under his breath. Georg was adjusting his bass as Gustav played a few beats on his drums. Tom has his headphones plugged into his phone, listening to God knows what. It was mostly silent until they heard a few knocks on the door, Jost going to open it with a smile on his face. When he opened it, it was indeed M/N in all his glory. He smiled at Jost before smiling at all the band members, putting his coat on the cost rack in the corner. Georg smiled and introduced himself, going to shake M/N's hand as Gustav greeted him. Bill felt his legs to wobbly and Tom felt like he didn't have any more air in him. 

Bill had paused his pacing next to Tom, as Tom grabbed onto Bills elbow lightly. Bill smiled at Tom, excitement pulsing in his veins. He didn't even realise M/N was behind him. "Hey, Bill and Tom! What's up?" he greeted politely, holding out his hand. Bill turned around, his face red. He started at M/N for a second before he put a smile on his face and shook M/N's hand, his hand feeling limp as M/N held a firm grip. "Ah! It's so nice to finally meet you." Bill said with what he hoped was confidence. The (color) haired boy then turned to Tom and held his hand out, Tom gulping before taking it and smiling up at him." Hey, M/N..!" he greeted, his tounge playing with his lip ring. He shuddered slightly when M/N winked at him before retracting his hand. 

When they all decided it was time to discuss ideas, the G's came over and sat to the right of Tom. M/N took a seat between the twins, making them both blush and get flustered. M/N began to speak.  "Ah okay, well I was thinking about doing this because....." 

(you can like make up a song the made cuz I'm not writing allat 🙏🙏😍)

"Wow.." Tom said as M/N came to a conclusion. He really did like M/N's ideas as did the rest of the band. Gustav and Georg had even added a few of their ideas, which went with the theme of the song perfectly. M/N began to speak about different intros they could start with, but Bill lost track as M/N's hand brushed against his own. He felt like he had been electrocuted but..in a good way? He wanted it to happen again and again. He felt himself shuffle slightly closer to M/N, trying to disguise it under wanted to hear M/N more clearly. He nearly died when M/N smirked at him and asked his own opinion about the song. 

"I uh.. I think it sounds great so far! Really, it's perfect." Bill babbled, feeling himself grow more red. The two G's giggled under their breath. "I'm glad you think so!" M/N smiled at him. 

When everybody got set up, they began the rough draft. It actually turned out good, but redoing the song 3 times in a row definitely burned it into Tom's mind. Tom groaned after the 4th time, cracking his neck as he rubbed it. "Awhh, fuck man. My neck is killing me." Georg rolled his eyes, knowing that he too was bent over his guitar and he didn't feel any pain. M/N glanced over at Tom, laughing softly to himself as he reached over and began to dig into his shoulders and neck. Even though it would have hurt Tom normally, he felt himself lean into the touch as he flushed pink. 

He forced himself to hold back a small whimper when M/N hit a particularly sensitive spot, biting his bottom lip preventing himself from making noise. He blushed harder as he heard M/N chuckle as he looked at the dreadhead. 

-Later in the break room-

They all sat on couches in the break room, Bill smoking a cig as he was seated next to M/N, Tom on Bills  left. The G's sat infront of them, holding back laughs as he saw how jittery the twins were. Georg finished his water, going to get up to throw it out and get another. Gustav followed, giggling as he whispered something to Georg that made him snort and nearly choke on his own spit. 

So it was just the twins and M/N, yay! Bill continued smoking his cigarette as he leaned onchis brother, Tom humming the best of their new song lowly as he shook his leg. M/N looked between the two of them, smirking slightly. "So.. Y'all trying to grab lunch?" M/N asked, looking at the two of them. He noted how they both went flushed and hesitated before agreeing "Yeah!"they said in union, smiling softly at the celebrity. 

They landed at some Italian restaurant, ordering a pizza. (if u don't like pizza sorry 😴) M/N took a bitevas he realised that the twins would glance at him every few seconds, taking bites of their own food. "Mmhh? Is there something on my face..?" M/N jokingly said, holding back a giggle as he watched how surprised and flustered the boys looked. The two apologized as they blushed, looking down at their food. "Y'know, you guys are pretty bad at masking your feelings."

Tom nearly spat out his water as Bill looked at M/N with a scared expression.  "I-..what do you mean?" Bill started as he stuttered, Tom being quiet trying to recover from choking. M/N shrugged, taking a sip of his water. "I mean, I can tell you guys like me." M/N nearly laughed as he watched Tom's jaw drop and Bill blink rapidly. He spoke again before the twins could get a chance. "Really though, I don't care. You guys are cute anyways." He continued, taking another bite of his pizza as he grabbed another slice "Cute?" Tom repeated, smiling slightly. 

M/N chuckled to himself "Ehhh.. Ive liked you guys since.. He looked up as he pondered." 2006..?" ( it can be like 2007-2008 👍) Bill cocked his head to the side "You've liked us.. Both?" he muttered, feeling his palms get sweaty. "Yeah. I mean, who wouldn't?" It was really shocking Tom that M/N could speak like this with confidence, not being nervous about his feelings. "So... Now what?" Tom asked, spinning his ring on his finger. M/N raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Hmm, I dunno. I mean, you like me and I like you both.." Bills mouth opened and closed a few times before speaking. 

"Do you have to like,.. Pick?" He began, looking worried as he glanced at Tom. "I don't care if you and Tom date." Tom shook his head, about to say that M/N and Bill could date, before M/N spoke with a calm and easy tone. "It's easy. I date you both." Tom blinked s few times as Bill looked at M/N with curiosity. "... You can do that..?" he asked silently, biting his lip. Tom followed up, "What about like..jealously and that shit?" 

M/N smiled softly at both of them, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I mean obviously we'd talk about boundaries and jealously and communication." Bill nodded slightly, looking over at Tom. "I'm okay if your okay with it." Bill said, patting Tom's shoulder gently. Tom seemed to think about it for a few more seconds before he glanced at his brother and then at you, smiling. "I'm fine with it." 

"How much you wanna bet Bill will go down the isle in the dress?" They heard muttered behind them. Bills face scrunched as he turned, revealing the G's giggling. 

[fizzingwizard]

Just came across a post and started to respond to it... Then had a look at OP's blog and it's an entire dump of similarly themed posts. You don't win with those people, sooooo I'm not gonna try. But I'm still gonna yap!

Nightcrawler fans have NOT been wanting Nightcrawler and Mystique to have a lovely relationship with holiday pie baking and matching family PJs for, y'know, literal decades. We've been wanting Nightcrawler and Mystique to have DEVELOPMENT, for the many many MANY dropped storylines involving their nonexistent bond over the years to stop fizzling out into the ether. Wanting good storytelling =/= wanting holiday pie baking. And, if anyone wants Mystique, Nightcrawler, and Rogue (plus Destiny) to spend quality time baking holiday pies together, it's Claremont lol.

It's wild, as a loooong time Crawler fan, to see us portrayed as having been begging for this happy healthy domestic bliss... I know there have got to be those fans who like it (the angry bloggers must be reacting to something!) but I just have no idea where they are. The nicest I ever see in the forums I hang out in is a willingness to see where the retcon takes us, as long as it takes us some place worthwhile. With a healthy dose of "that's pretty unlikely, however."

On the other hand, I guess all the fuss means our boy has finally made it? People are angry about him and consider him overexposed... heck yes bae you're famous now! lol. It's especially funny when the fans who are annoyed about it are fans of way more overexposed characters. I'm not arguing he's gotten undue attention though - and I hope Nightcrawler emerges from the fumes of fame with as few burns as possible. I honestly didn't think Marvel would keep pushing him after Krakoa. This Origins thing shocked me good.

While there's a lot of stuff about it I straight up don't like or am lukewarm about regarding the new Origins, one that surprises me a bit is seeing comments here on Tumblr where some fans don't appear to realize how long Margali's been a morally gray character. At least since the 90s, if not earlier. Nightcrawler's idyllic circus childhood, however, has gone pretty untainted by new writers, so I get that people aren't into that changing. To me, as long as Kurt felt that he was safe and loved while growing up, it matters less what Margali really felt.

I still wish Marvel would just stop touching things though. Write good stories going forward, don't edit perfectly fine ones from the past...

[skzoologist]

Unfamiliarity [four]

word count: ~13, 2k

genre: Hybrid AU, no pairings

warnings: panic attacks, heavy signs of PTSD, even heavier hints of being experimented at, past abuse, occasional curse words, hurt/comfort, the inability to recognise and process emotions well, fear of doctors and needles

summary: Bae was making good progress at healing, but then the others decided to house another trauma-magnet.

a/n: Hey-ho! I SO BADLY wanted to post it on Han day, because he finally appears in it, but I was late like, 8 minutes. I am devastated. But at least it still makes sense to read on Felix day, because he channels his babygirl energy in this chapter dangerously well. As promised, here is an even longer chapter, as compensation for disappearing last time, I hope you'll enjoy. At this rate I won't even hit 10 chapters, the story will end because I keep posting over 10k word long chapters...

Please let me know if I left a warning or anything out, I will add it in! Reblogs, likes and feedback are greatly appreciated!

!This is just fiction, my interpretation of Stray Kids. By no means is this how they are and how they behave in real life!

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“Aagh, the female lead is so stupid! How can she not see he loves her?! It’s painfully obvious!”

I nodded at the raging feline next to me, my arm stolen to be held by him as usual, the motion not even surprising me anymore. Although I did hush him a bit, not wanting to wake anyone up with our late-night program. We usually did it after the human had gone into their room, so I could safely come out of my den without running into them.

Originally, everyone sat together on this sofa, but as the night kept going on and it became later and later, they left one by one, leaving only me and Jin sitting here. Neither of us had a normal sleeping routine, so it wasn’t unusual, really. There were times when the others woke up, only to find us still watching the TV, Jin ranting about something that happened and me silently nodding along, commenting occasionally.

Today seemed to be like that as well, the room slowly brightening around us, our faces not illuminated only by the artificial light of the TV anymore.

It was Lino who joined us first; he usually woke up early to prepare a few things in the kitchen so he could use them to cook breakfast and later lunch with. It never took him too long, his form draped over ours not long after. Being a feline, this usually meant we were his pillows as well; he liked taking short naps throughout the day wherever he deemed it comfortable to do so.

Binnie was usually the next to wake, but only because he went out to train. He would not return for an hour or so, his sweat-drenched form usually disappearing down the halls quickly for a shower.

That was why Channie joined us before him most of the time, Lixie snoring away in one of the rooms peacefully still. Sometimes, they switched up the orders they arrived in; rarely Channie even stayed up with me and Jin when his insomnia acted up. But no matter when, the wolf would always worm his way between my and the felines’ cuddling form. A lot of the time it meant picking someone up and plopping them in his lap; today it was Lino’s turn it seemed.

Lixie’s footsteps reached my ears right as Binnie closed the bathroom door, my attention from Jin’s rant stolen.

“The male lead is just as stupid as the female lead, it’s like they were made for each other. How can she not see the sacred dagger is with him? And how can he not see she is the reincarnation he had been searching for?!” - the agitated leopard half-shouted, making wild gestures with his free hand and tail. “Good mornin’. Another all-nighter?” - Lixie’s even deeper morning voice greeted us and we confirmed his suspicion after greeting him back.

The sleepy snow leopard didn’t even need an invitation to join us, he immediately circled around the sofa and plopped next to the animatedly talking feline. Soon after the little pika sat with us as well, making the pack complete and content; his fresh citrus scent mixing with the bountiful forest’s, calming my nerves slightly, something I appreciated.

Because for the past episode or two, Channie and Lino had been stealing glances at me, their forms strangely tense.

I knew why, of course I did.

It was around the time I would go back to my den, to avoid running into the last inhabitant of the house.

I simply ignored their gazes, my eyes focused on the TV and Jin’s hold on my arm. Lino had his feet draped over my lap too and I gently squeezed one of his calves, hoping it would ease his mind just a bit.

It didn’t take long for the others to catch on too, all except Jin, who was way too engrossed in his TV show. Glances were thrown back and forth, bodies agitatedly shifting around in place. The notion did nothing to help with my own nerves, causing me to gently push Lino’s feet away and drag the drama-loving leopard into my lap. He didn’t protest much, just a surprised little sound leaving his lips before settling into my hold, quiet purrs reverberating in his chest soon after. I nuzzled into his neck, the scent of charcoal and paint familiar and soothing; that underlying cleanness almost non-existent by now.

I could feel his calm pulse, the blood leisurely pumping through his veins. It had a nice rhythm to it; the vein throbbing thrice, no, twice every second.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

One.

Two.

Three.

Stop.

The newly appeared footsteps halted, their owner frozen behind the couch somewhere.

Then they picked up again, softer, quieter.

I gently squeezed the now still feline in my arms, eyes slowly opening to look up from his shoulder, only to be met with the gaze of the human. I nodded at them, gaining a nod back in return. The atmosphere warmed up instantly, everyone around us heaving out a silent breath, as if they forgot how to breathe previously. I simply flicked one of my ears, not fully understanding the reason for their behaviour.

“Ah, good morning, Jisoo-ya. Sleep well?” - Channie’s voice broke the veil of silence, pushing the attention onto the human alone. “Mh, yes, thank you. What about you guys?” - the human answered back, his voice on the deeper side of the spectrum compared to the average human. “We did, except these two idiots -Lino pointed at us-. You’re off to work, right? Breakfast is on the table, eat well before leaving.” - the cat answered him, voice stern as the human just airily laughed and scratched at his neck.

The human thanked Lino and left for the kitchen, his lanky form leaving us to pay attention to the TV show once more.

It was quiet between us.

The male in the kitchen didn’t seem threatening at first glance, really. He had relatively short brown hair that turned golden under the sun, dark pools for eyes that seemed suspiciously warm, and a tall stature, but he always stood in a way to not seem threatening; his form was always open, never guarded. His scent was weird too, just like everything else about him: freshly cut grass with an underlying hint of sweetness.

He didn’t look at me weirdly either after the initial surprise and shock of seeing me still here, he simply acknowledged my presence and talked to the others. No side-glances in my direction, or pitying looks, nothing. He looked at me the way he looked at everyone else, and that scared me to my marrow.

Because he looked at them with so much adoration and love, it hurt.

I nuzzled into Jin’s neck instead, feeling that calming rhythm once more instead. He curled his tail stronger around my right leg in response, body completely lax in my hold. It drew out an elated growl from my throat, only for it to collide with his own happy purrs. Or should I say two separate purring sounds? Because Lixie decided to join in too, his body completely pressed into my side. I pressed my nose into his neck too, cavity-inducing sweetness flooding my senses immediately. He craned his neck further to the side, granting me better access as I nuzzled into him even more.

A kick to my leg on the other side interrupted me.

“Yah, get a room you three, jesus.” - Lino shouted, a playful smirk sitting on his lips.

I merely glared back at him, until I realised what his words meant. My ears and cheeks instantly gained a red colour, embarrassment flooding my veins as I released Jin from my hold, leaning back from the felines as much as I could.

W-we didn’t-...I wasn’t–

“Minho, you interrupted their bonding time, you menace!” - Channie laughed as he playfully slapped the sly cat, who was laughing so hard he almost fell off the couch altogether. “B-but the look on his f-face, haha. It was worth it, oh my god. Even you can’t deny that, Chan hyung.” “Ah, well…   Cough   Of course we know you guys weren’t doing…that…   Sigh   I swear to god Lee Know, if you traumatised Bae with this so much he will never try to bond with us ever again, you will change rooms with Felix and bunk with me.” “NooooOOOoooO, anything but that! Let me gooo, you old man!”

“What’s happening here?” - Binnie suddenly asked, his form standing in front of the couch, observing the wrestling duo on the floor.

We merely shrugged, my eyes wandering away as I was still completely embarrassed.

“So you don’t know why you’re so red then, hmm, Bae hyung?” - he sang in a higher pitched voice, merely causing my blush to deepen. “Minho hyung teased him, saying we needed to ‘get a room’ for ourselves. Now he won’t look at us, or even touch us, look.” - Lixie explained, his hand nearing mine, but I hastily pulled it towards my chest, whole body scooting away from them -as much as it could with Jin still in my lap-. “Tch, he’s just jealous, don’t listen to him.” “I’m not! Yah, sToP–” “Yes he is. Now come here.”

With that, the little pika plopped right next to me, cornering me in with the two felines. Channie and Lino were still tangled up on the floor, the wolf having that menace of a cat in his hold. I simply froze up, not seeing any way I could escape from this.

Binnie just laid his head on my shoulder, careful to not put his entire weight on top of me.

“Oh yea, Changbinnie hyung, where were you?” - Lixie asked, his hands finding one of mine and gingerly massaging it, no matter how much I tried to wiggle out of his hold. “Ah, since you all were too busy, I said bye to Jisoo-ya. Helped him with his bags too.” - he casually replied, never once taking his head off of my shoulder. “What! He left already?! I wanted to say bye too…” “Ah, me too…” - Jin commented, worming his way back into my lap properly. “Well, we can all greet him when he gets home, how about that instead?” - butted in Channie, having finally finished wrestling with the sly cat.

I just silently watched as they happily made plans, their love for this human apparent. How could they trust him so easily? It made no sense to me, at all.

“Alright, let’s go and eat breakfast now, otherwise none of you will get lunch later. No, don’t look at me like that Hyunjin, off you go now. That episode of your drama can wait for you after you get back.” - Lino sternly said, ushering us away from the couch towards the kitchen.

While we all sat down around the table, he took out bowls from the fridge and some the microwave -its sound still unpleasant- and placed them in the middle of the table. Their contents all differed, so you could pick and choose from the ones you liked. I gathered some meat and rice with my sticks, not in the mood for vegetables at the moment. 

Although the second I took my eyes off my plate, pieces of food appeared on it: some egg, steamed vegetables, things like that. When I looked to my left and right, the obvious culprits just giggled and continued stuffing their faces with the contents of their own bowls. As if their tails weren’t contently swaying behind them, these dummies.

They did this a lot, actually, placing food pieces on my plate. With the others, they bickered over it, stealing each others’ food as if their life depended on it, but with me, it was the total opposite. And when I tried to give them back, they shot me down so fast, I could only blink in response. So with a silent sigh, I ate everything on my plate, even as the portion nearly doubled in size.

“Alright, who wants to play some Monopoly?” - Lixie asked after we all finished, used bowls and sticks now clean and drying.

The others immediately perked up, fighting spirit burning in their eyes. The snow leopard raced to get the mentioned game, the others bounding over towards the couch, pushing things around so we could all sit at the table in the middle comfortably. I sat down with them, the game now being unboxed on the table.

“I wanna be the boot.” - I muttered while snatching the aforementioned figure, excited to play the game after many years.

“Huh?”

I looked up, only to be met with confused gazes. I tilted my head at them, ears flopping around with the motion.

“Don’t you need to choose one to play? I always liked this one. Ah, you wanted it?” - I asked, offering the metal figure to them.

Silence greeted me back, making my eyebrows only draw closer towards each other.

“Ah, uh, no, baby, you can have the boot. Then, everyone knows how to play I assume? Bae, Hyunjin?” - Channie finally answered with a pointed stare at the others, me and Jin nodding at the question directed towards us.

And thus, the long and arduous journey of us playing Monopoly started.

By the end, there was money thrown everywhere, the board was flipped upside down -courtesy of Lixie, who was crying on the floor under the table-. Lino was minutes away from murdering a very boastful Hyunjin -who had somehow won, even though he almost went bankrupt several times-, had a very tired looking Channie not held the cat back. Changbin simply gave up playing halfway, pouting and stuffing his face with snacks while watching us from the couch. And I was just a silent spectator of it all, because I was in jail 90% of the game.

Or, you know, some regular, fun Monopoly times.

I sighed in amusement, silently picking up the thrown away game pieces from the floor -some of them were even near the stairs and the kitchen, impressive-. The figures and little house pieces went into one hand, the paper money and cards into the other. Once my hands were full, I crawled back towards where I originally sat and placed everything down, turning around to gather more. This cycle needed to be done a few times before I collected them all, then I started assorting the money and cards out. Same coloured ones went into the same pile, and soon enough, I was done and ready to put them all away into the box.

By the time the others stopped their shenanigans, I was done packing up the game completely, now sitting next to a sulking Lixie and caressing his forehead. He hit his head on the table when he tried to sit up, the spot slightly red and angry. With how many times this had happened, you would think he did something unforgivable against these pieces of wood.

“Lix, look here.” - the wolf said, his fingers swiftly putting a bandaid onto the leopard’s forehead. “Be more careful mate, I’m afraid you’ll get permanent brain damage at this rate.” “Oi, it ain’t that bad.” “Felix, last week you hit your head so hard, there was a bump on it for several days.” - Binnie commented, earning a glare from the injured feline. “Oh come on…” “Hey, at least you can join Bae in the clumsy club.” - it was Lino this time, earning both of our glares as a reward.

Had Jin not stopped me from getting up, I would have pounced on that kitty cat.

Realising how late it had gotten, Lino went to make lunch, everyone else piling on top of the couch, Channie joining them after putting away the board game. I sat with them as well, although a bit further away this time, having had enough physical contact for a while. 

“Wait, Bae hyung, you’re not helping Minho hyung this time?” - Lixie sweetly asked from Binnie’s hold.

I merely shook my head in response, still not over the cat’s teasing comment.

“Hang on, baby, are you pouting?” “No.” - I said but as I looked away, my eyes locked with the working feline’s in the kitchen, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Oh he definitely is!” - he shouted, making my ears burn in embarrassment.

I could only cover my face with my hands to hide, pulling my tail up to it as well for maximum coverage.

What was with them and making me absolutely and completely flustered lately?

Channie only giggled at my reaction, saying something along the lines of ‘shy baby’, Lixie and Binnie joining him. Jin wasn’t far behind, quickly realising he liked seeing me like this as well, much to my demise.

Weighing my choices, I immediately realised staying in the living room was to my disadvantage, so I hastily stood up -wobbling and almost hitting the arm of the couch on my way- and went into the kitchen. Dealing with one sly cat was still easier than dealing with four teasing hybrids.

"Look who showed up." - he greeted me, mischief flashing in his eyes.

I only glanced in his direction as a response, too tired to do anything else. As if sensing it, he stopped with the comments and teasing, peacefully telling me what to do in the kitchen.

We started gaining a certain rhythm the past few weeks, one we easily fell back into. 

Thanks to it, the food was done in no time, the table ready and made. We quickly called the others to eat, lunch going much like how breakfast did. Maybe there was a bit more bickering than usual, everyone still feeling the effects of that Monopoly game, but nothing too tragic happened.

Soon enough we were on that sofa again, a sappy romance movie playing on the TV, like it usually did. I swear, if it wasn't Jin's series, then it was some kind of random, romance movie. Nothing else.

Its story was bland, not too bad, but not that good either. My interest quickly diminished, not helping the sudden feeling of exhaustion that swept over me. Not having slept for the night finally caught up to me, pulling my eyelids closed even as I fought against it.

But I couldn't win, sleep taking over me, head lolling onto the back of the couch.

-.-

Soft murmurs woke me up, the voices hushed and soft around me.

“Hyung, you knew this was coming sooner or later, we have to tell him.” “I know, I know, but…” “Chan hyung, it’s gonna be alright. He’s not as fragile as you think.”

The wolf merely sighed, as if the weight of the world sat upon his shoulders. I raised an arm to rub at my eyes before opening them, seeing everyone gathered together a small distance away from me. A quick stretch later I gazed up at them with a tilted head, not understanding, nor liking how tense they all seemed as they slowly approached me.

“Baby, you know how you’re part of our pack, right?” - Channie asked, his hands gingerly taking mine into their hold.

I nodded back with uncertainty, because even though I had a hard time wrapping my head around it, they always made sure I knew. I had no idea why they decided to accept me, the concept foreign to me, but every single time I thought about it, warmth spread through my veins.

It still felt like a lie to me.

“And because you are, we value your opinion too. So… how would you feel about a potential new pack member?”

A new… what now?

I glanced at Jin, the latest addition to the pack. It felt natural to have him around by now, his presence soothing, if not chaotic at times with his dramatic personality.

But it wasn’t always like that.

It pained me to remember the days we avoided the other, how he flinched whenever our gazes met. The way my body tensed up even against my will whenever I caught a whiff of his scent, how it reminded me of times I wished I could forget.

What if the other hybrid would react like that as well?

As if sensing my spiralling thoughts, the wolf gently squeezed my hands.

“Jisoo-ssi met a hybrid in the rehabilitation centre. We already met him one by one, but we don’t want to continue with things until we know you’re fine with it. He’s a sweet little squirrel hybrid, timid for sure, but he would never judge you, if that’s what you’re afraid of.” “Mhm, you don’t have to be scared of that, Bae hyung. He doesn’t care about how you look like, or what you smell like. Right, Hyunjinnie?” - Lixie added in as he sat down on my other side, the taller leopard humming in response. “He likes to eat and he’s not afraid of this house cat. What more proof do you need?” “What’s that supposed to mean, you little pika?” “Nothing!” “Guys, not now.”

The two immediately shut up at the wolf’s warning, only continuing to glare at each other.

“Will…you guys come too?” - my voice was quiet, unsure if I had the right to ask this of them. “Of course we will! As a matter of fact, we were thinking that we could visit him right now, if ya wanted to. Jisoo-ssi’s already there, waiting for our answer.” - Channie enthusiastically answered, his hand ruffling my hair aggressively.

Everyone started excitedly rushing around the place, each going to their rooms to get ready as fast as they could. I followed their example, walking up towards my room to change into a different set of loose pants and a hoodie. Maybe I could wear that red one? Or maybe that black one, with the thumb holes?

After a few minutes of thinking, I settled on the comforting black hoodie that now draped over my tall form, ready to depart.

Arriving back at the living room, mostly everyone was there, except Jin, who was still unable to decide between two shirts. Lixie just rolled his eyes and went to help him, the pair arriving back not even a minute later. Soon we were walking towards the car after getting our shoes on -such an uncomfortable thing, really-, and off we went towards that centre thing, sadly only after the wolf put that dreaded collar on me.

-.-

Fitted with a hat and a mask once more, I stepped out of the vehicle, only to have my arm immediately snatched by Lino. He didn’t even spare me a glance, just started walking towards the entrance of the building once everyone was ready to go. 

And holy shit, there were a lot of people inside.

Everything hit me at once: the cacophony of smells, the rushing form of humans and hybrids, the sounds that bled together in disharmony.

It was all too much, my body already protesting and begging me to turn around and run away; to just shut down silently in a corner, surrounded by walls.

“Come on, this way baby.” - rang Channie’s soothing voice through my ears over the chaos, grounding my overwhelmed self.

His warm hand gently pushed on my rigid back, urging me forward along with the two hybrids holding my hands; they led me through the sea of people, their human now standing before us in a much less crowded space. 

“Everyone okay, nothing happened while coming here?” - the tall human said -he was taller than even Hyunjin, i noticed-, worried eyes sweeping over all our forms.  “No, no, we’re okay, no need to worry.” - the wolf replied, his hand still resting between my shoulder blades. “You’re always such a worrywart, Chan hyung has driven a lot of times before, have some faith in him.” - Lixie butted in, swinging our conjoined hands quite happily. “Yea, besides, we’re not children!” - at Changbin’s comment, the human levelled at him a stare so cold, the words froze into his shrinking form.

They all just laughed at his misery, some even doubling over and wheezing for air.

“Now that you all laughed yourselves out, kids, let’s go before we grow old just standing here. Wouldn’t wanna worry our little squirrel either, now would we?” - the human sent a wide smile at us and walked away, his steps seemingly confident in their path.

The walls along our journey were colourful, vibrant, hand-painted symbols and figures cluttering their forms. The overhead lights were warm, not too bright, but not too dim either; my eyes quickly adjusted to them without the need to squint or blink excessively. The air was fresh, a slight breeze pushing past our walking forms, carrying along the confusing mess of scents.

I… didn’t expect this.

Where was the white, the dull walls, the blindingly bright cold light, the stuffy, clean air? The quiet, neverending halls, the thick doors? 

Where was it all?

“...ople can enter, 4 of you will have to stay behind, sorry.” - a different human’s voice slowly registered in my mind, body immediately going fully rigid once more.

When did this one appear?

“Oh, it’s alright, I’ll stay behind with Hyunjin, Felix and Changbin hyung. You three can go in, how about that?” - their human answered, his gaze landing on us.

Channie and Minho responded, a squeeze on my hand and a little push on my back was all I got before I was ushered into a small room, the only occupant already up and walking around nervously. Lino squeezed my hand once more before letting go and joining the unknown hybrid, the two interacting as if they were long lost friends. My presence was momentarily forgotten by the duo, something I used to my advantage in observing this new place and hybrid.

The air was filled with the salty smell of the ocean, as if it was trying to drag me down and drown me in its depths. I didn’t need to take a deeper breath to feel it, my sensitive nose able to feel it even with the smallest intake of air; just the thought alone made my stomach roll violently. The source of the smell was the jumpy little squirrel; small little ears peeking from his mop of dark brown hair, a bushy tail curled up behind him. They all shared light colours, like grey and white, immediately tickling me strangely.

Usually squirrels were some type of brown or red coloured, maybe even black. But he had a different colour scheme, one that for some reason didn’t sit well with me. One that was slightly familiar, but not fully? It was weird, really weird.

Before I could dwell on it more, the wolf -who i had forgotten about in all honesty- led me to a chair, wordlessly telling me to sit down. I abided, even though we were closer to the two conversing hybrids now as a result, causing my body to shudder. I wasn’t paying attention to their conversation, but a whisper of ‘Is he okay?’ hit my ears, causing my brows to furrow. Was the squirrel talking about me?

“Baby, I’ll get you some water, stay here, I’ll be right back.” “N-no, don’t–” - I tried to say, but why did my voice waver and shake so much?

Oh… my whole body was shaking.

“Jisung-ssi, can we move some of your things from a corner of the room? Preferably one that has the least of your scent.” “Y-yea, uh, l-lemme help, here.”

There was some shuffling and moving around as I desperately clung to Channie, his familiar scent my last line of defence before I completely gave up and emptied my stomach then and there. He held me close, hand rubbing little circles into my shoulder, providing me the minimum of comfort he could.

Why was this happening to me? Again?

Was I so weak that being in a new place caused me to crumble and become undone so easily? Was I really?

I hated this so much. So, so much.

“Alright baby, I’m gonna pick you up, is that alright?” - his gentle voice asked and I merely nodded, too busy trying to control my body and not appear any weaker in front of them, if that was even possible.

True to his words, he picked me up, my body gingerly placed in an empty corner of the room, the walls feeling nice and cool as I pressed into them for more. In that chase of the calming cold, I let my head fall back with closed eyes, no doubt messing up the hat that sat upon it. But I really did not care about that at the moment, not at all, that was the least of my worries.

Feeling that the walls had more or less warmed up thanks to my feverish skin, I let my head fall onto my knees that were pulled close to my chest, the position slightly helping me with my nausea.

“Bae, can you hear me?” - Lino’s voice reached my ears, a hum leaving my lips as a response.

“Baby, do you want to leave the room?” “Nno… outside worse… nausea” - I somehow gritted out and opened my eyes, not feeling the room spinning anymore.

Worried gazes and scents greeted me back, only causing my ears to push into my head under the hat even more in guilt.

“Sorry, am good now.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, baby, you did nothing wrong. Do you need anything to make you feel better?”

I merely shook my head as an answer, the guilt not dissipating in the slightest.

I felt like a burden, always needing some type of care and special attention. They couldn’t go out with me and not worry, someone always having to be by my side and literally hold my hand.

It was frustrating.

I was frustrated with myself.

“Y-you know, it always helps me to cuddle with a plushie after an episode. The bigger, fluffier, better smelling, the better. I would lend you one, but that would be uh… quite counterproductive, dontcha think?” - the squirrel quietly said, his far away sitting form almost in the middle of the room; his comment made a sweetly mellow smelling hoodie appear in my arms, my appendages gathering the fabric together in a ball and cuddling it.

“Counting my breathing and tapping to it also helps. Sometimes it gives nice ideas for songs too, heh.” - and he was right, silently following my breathing did smooth it out a bit.

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath of the hoodie in my arms, I could feel my pulse calming and the knot in my stomach slightly unwinding. It wouldn’t become completely undone, no, not when I was not in my den, my home, but being in this room was still a much better choice than being out in that busy hallway.

Opening my eyes once more, I inhaled that comforting scent yet again and looked at the owner of the hoodie. His expression softened out, eyes slightly crinkling up in happiness. His scent sweetened, taking me to that flower field I loved so much.

And that field was surrounded by the vast forest, moss and other creatures abundant in it. It felt freeing, something I desperately needed in this closed off building. And Chan gave it to me, his dimples peeking out as a reward when I glanced at him.

My chest felt lighter, the room becoming brighter.

But through it all, the underlying smell of salt and wind and rain remained there.

Glancing at the last occupant of the room, my eyes met with the squirrel’s, his dark ones lighting up in response. He smiled, lips turning heart-shaped and I just didn’t understand.

Why was he so happy? Was it because I looked at him?

Why?

I could only tilt my head in confusion before nodding at him from behind the hoodie in my arms, thankful for his advice. He let out a breath he held, his form sagging as he laid down on the floor. The other two next to me lightly laughed at his reaction, their forms sagging a bit too and sitting down heavily on the floor from their crouched position.

I had no idea what was happening, but they smelled fine and they were laughing and smiling, so I guessed it was okay. Even though it made no sense to me.

“Bae, you sure ya don’t need anything?” - Chan asked once more, Lino looking at me as well.

I just shook my head, but then realised something.

“Go, calm the others down. They smell panicked. Worried.” - I grated out, my throat still clogged up and voice raspy.

I didn’t need to tell them twice, Chan was out the door in an instant, his surprise from my statement wearing off quickly. I could hear them through the wall, my worry proven to be right. As Chan was speaking, their scents slowly turned back to their normal state, becoming less sour and tainted.

It allowed me to let out a sigh of relief, my brows letting up a little.

“Bae, did you smell them?” - Lino’s soft voice cut through the silence, gathering my attention immediately. “Mhm.” “I’m always amazed by how impressive that nose of yours is. We couldn’t, not even Chan. And he’s the pack leader.”

Ah, so that was why the wolf looked so surprised initially. I nodded back at the cat back slowly, unsure what to make of this. But before I could think more on the matter, the smell of sand and sun picked up, the little squirrel in the centre of my attention.

“Ah, s-sorry, I just wanted to stand up and stretch a bit. I won’t go closer, promise!” - the herbivore quickly added in, his arms flailing around in panic.

I gently shook my head in response, silently telling him that it was fine. I could handle the smells for now, Lino’s hoodie strong enough to deter them until I could fight them off by myself. But if that skittish boy made himself panic even more, causing his smell to become the epitome of salt and storm, I would probably empty my stomach sooner rather than later.

So I looked next to me, at the sitting form of our cat, and I made sure to look into his eyes, then look back at the squirrel a few times. His eyebrows furrowed, mouthing an ‘Are you sure?’, but I nodded at him firmly.

With a last squeeze of my arm, he stood up and went to the squirrel, dragging him to the bed in a half-hug. They plopped onto it with a force, only thanks to Lino.

“E-eh? But, but the wolf, he-” “Will be fine, Han. He asked me to come to you. See? No need to be afraid. Told you he will like you.”

They whispered back and forth, probably thinking I couldn’t hear them. But I could, my ears flicking once or twice in response, messing up the hat even further. Their conversation went away from me quickly though, venturing into the territory of everyday topics and similar interests. I tuned them out soon after I realised that, not wanting to eavesdrop.

There was no need for that now.

The door opening stole my attention, my head craning to the side to see the wolf creeping in, quickly shutting the door gently after he squeezed himself through. His face lit up when he saw I was already watching him, those dimples of his apparent.

“Hiii baby, how’re you doin’?” - he sang out as he sat back next to me, the lush forest back with full force in my senses.

Before I could even hum in response, he playfully glared at me, making me huff.

“Fine.” - I replied instead vocally, not happy about the situation. “Good job baby. Brought you some water, in case you actually needed it.”

I thanked him quietly and took the offered bottle, my limbs aching from the sudden movement. The joints groaned and popped, my muscles tensed and relaxed. My position suddenly felt uncomfortable, everything ached and protested. Still, I took the bottle and with a satisfying pop, it was open, the contents downed in a matter of seconds.

Licking my lips to catch an escaping droplet, I wiped my face with the sleeve of my own hoodie and put down the now empty bottle onto the ground. I felt fine enough, my stomach not rolling in waves of nausea, so I gently stood up and watched the two on the bed cuddle and talk.

“You can join them, ya kno’.” - Chan’s whisper entered my ears, his form next to me as he gently grabbed my shoulders.

I glanced at him, then back at the two.

“Or ya can stay here. It’s fine.”

With a squeeze, he finished what he wanted to say and grabbed the empty water bottle, going to the little trash can on the other side of the room to dispose of it.

But I stayed in my spot.

The two hybrids seemed to be absorbed in their own world, their scents happy and content. Their eyes shined in the other’s presence, their smiles just a bit brighter.

When they caught me staring, they directed those smiles at me, the squirrel even shyly waving in my direction. My eyes widened in surprise, but I tried to wave back, my hand half-raised and stiff. They both laughed at that, but no malice was in it. No, the sound was light as it rang through the air, as if we were home in our den, the pack together and having fun.

A knock broke the serene atmosphere.

Their human peeked his head in, searching for Chan and looking at him with an apologetic expression as he whispered a ‘We need to go, sorry.’ to him. The wolf nodded back, then the door closed again and we were alone in the heavy atmosphere.

I watched as Lino said goodbye to the little herbivore, the latter looking really sad. But the cat ruffled his hair and promised him that he would come back soon, improving the mood a little.

The wolf was next, playfully tousling the squirrel’s hair as well, promising him the same thing. With a final hug, they were done, all eyes set on me.

I waved at the little hybrid, slightly dreading going out to the hallways again. He waved back with a small smile, something sad hidden on his face.

The other two hybrids walked to the door, looking at me expectantly to join them.

And yet, I didn’t.

No, I looked back at the sad little boy on the bed and walked up to him, fidgeting slightly in my spot once I reached him. He looked up at me, eyes wide and glistening.

“Can I… Can I ask for something of yours?” - my voice was so quiet, it was a miracle he heard it at all. “Oh uh, of course, what would you like?” - he quickly answered after he got over his surprise, expression brightening.

“Just. Just something that has your scent on it.” - I muttered out, embarrassed of my request.

His whole face lit up after a few seconds, quickly standing up and scrambling around for something to give me. Eventually he settled on a big plushie, just the right size for cuddling. He shyly extended it towards me, and I took it, equally embarrassed. I was sure my cheeks were gradually heating up with every second, and gosh did I not want the others to see it. I wouldn’t be able to escape their teasing…

Hugging it to my chest in my arms, the smell of sunshine and salt hit me, along with the scent of mellow flowers. Only then did I realise I was still clutching onto Lino’s hoodie as if it was my lifeline, my knuckles white from the force. I quickly relaxed my hold, nodding in thanks to the little herbivore and taking a last glance at his now much brighter expression as he waved at us.

The door closed and the chaotic arrangement of smells was back, making me lean down and bury my nose into Lino’s hoodie that was draped partly over the plushie. Looking up afterwards, I was met with the playful look on Lino and Chan’s faces, and the surprised and somehow betrayed look on everyone else’s.

I tilted my head at that, not sure why they looked at me like that. Their human merely chuckled, pushing Lix into my direction. That broke the boy out of his stupor, quickly coming up to me and looking into my eyes with his own sparkling ones.

“Is that Jisung’s? Is that plushie Jisung’s, Hyung? Is it?” - he rambled out and I lightly nodded at that, holding it out for him to take if he wanted to.

The boy snatched it quickly, looking at it and back up at me in disbelief.

“Channie hyung, are ya sure Bae hyung is fine? He didn’t hit his head or… he didn’t get any permanent side effects or anything…?” “I can assure you Lixie, that is the Bae you’ve known from the beginning.” - the wolf answered back, a playful lilt in his voice.

Lix looked at the cat next, disbelief still evident on his face. But Lino merely nodded, amused by the whole shenanigans in front of him. A hand was suddenly on my forehead, my out of place hat not helping in blocking it.

“You don’t feel hot either. That can only mean one thing: Hyung, you betrayed us! You like him more than us!” - there went Jin with his theatrics, looking hurt.

I quickly learned that he was just faking it, his scent easily betraying his true mood. And he was just mildly annoyed, if at all. But behind his tall form was a pouting little pika, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his lower lip jutting out. He was half turned away from me, his usually fresh scent a bit too sour.

Was he… was he actually hurt by my actions?

He kept glancing at me and away, but as he saw my expression he suddenly walked in front of me and hugged me, his face smushed into my chest.

“Stupid Bae hyung, I’m not actually angry at you. But I do require cuddles from you when we get home! As payback!” - his voice was loud, even muffled. “Hey, me too!” - Lix butted in, quickly catching up to the situation. “Me three!” - Jin shouted in as well, making me start to dread going home. “Yah, don’t leave us out! Right, Minho?” - Chan said as he giggled, Lino sighing because he knew he couldn’t back out of this one.

And that cat enjoyed it anyway, he just denied it. I could tell.

Glancing over their forms, my eyes reached their human’s, his expression gentle and warm. When he noticed I was watching him, his smile widened a tad bit before he looked away, telling the others that it was time to go home. They whined a bit, but eventually started following the human, Lix taking his hand and swinging it around happily. This drew a laugh out of the human, but his grip only tightened on the feline’s small hand. The excited feline’s scent sweetened impossibly, his happiness apparent to everyone around them.

Changbin went to the other side of the human, chatting with the two, a big smile on his face. He hooked his little pinky together with the human’s, the latter quickly accepting it without hesitation. The herbivore’s scent was the freshest I had ever felt, the citrus mixing with the candy and happily wafting through the air.

That was when I’d truly realised just how important that human was to them.

My eyes drifted to that familiar hand holding mine, the motion feeling a bit wrong now. Would they leave me if I disliked their human? Would they force me out, just because of that? What would they do if I accidentally attacked him when I wasn’t myself? When the terrors of my past choked the life out of me?

What would they do then?

As if sensing my thoughts, I felt a small squeeze on my hand. Looking up, I saw that he wasn’t looking at me, no, he was invested in talking with the other three in front of us, but the way his grip subtly tightened felt good. It felt comforting, as if I was needed.

Looking to my other side, where my other arm was clutched at, I saw Jin. His hold was gentle, careful to not twist the hoodie out of my hold against my chest. He occasionally ran his thumb over my arm, going back and forth in a soothing motion. Maybe he did it unconsciously, or maybe he didn’t, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

Glancing slightly behind me, I was met with Chan, the plushie I got from the little squirrel under one of his arms -why and how it ended up with him, i had no idea-. He smiled at me brightly, his dimples fully on display. It eased the knot in my chest, his expression softening. His hand reached towards my head, fixing my hat and brushing a few stray strands of hair out of my face. His eyes roamed over my form and with a satisfied hum, he turned towards the others and told them we were ready to go.

When did we stop and for how long had we been standing there, I had not the slightest idea.

I only blinked at them as I was tugged away by my arms, soon sitting in that hateful car and speeding off towards home.

-.-.-

The next few days after our visit to the little squirrel went by uneventfully. Mostly.

I spent my days in the presence of others, like I usually did. I watched his shows with Jin, providing him company. I cooked with Lino, even though he teased me and for some reason seemed really interested in my bottom. Changbin and Felix usually stole me away from the others for cuddles, sometimes even at night. And Chan…

Well, Chan felt stressed.

His scent was off, the forest drowning in rain and the roots rotting. I could feel it immediately, the smell hitting me after he disappeared to talk with the human. And I suspected he knew it too, because he had been avoiding me as much as he could. No more was the cuddly, giggly wolf, there was only an awkward, colder version in its place.

I hated it.

So the next time I caught a glance of the human -because Channie shut himself in a room-, I decided to take action. Carefully extracting the sleeping snow leopard off my form, I hastily strode towards the kitchen where my target resided. He was getting himself a cup of water, but he must not have heard me, because as he turned around, he almost immediately dropped it.

“Jesus christ, you fucking scared me.” - he whispered out, a hand clutching his chest in panic.

I apologised, my ears lowering towards my head in guilt. It was never my intention to scare him, I just wanted to talk, nothing else.

“Don’t worry, I’m just a scaredy cat. The others like to tease me for it actually.” - he chuckled out, waving his hand in the air in a dismissive manner, causing me to relax a bit.

“So, what brings you here?”

I looked at him as he was watching me, sipping on his drink and waiting for my reply patiently. He didn’t seem annoyed or angry, his faint scent still the same, giving me enough courage to actually ask him what I had wanted to.

“3 days ago, what did you talk about with Chan?”

He lowered his cup, his expression dimming immediately. His eyes had a sad glint in them, even though his lips were slightly curled up.

“So you noticed, huh? Agh, Channie hyung, you always make stupid decisions when trying to protect others. Come, I’ll tell you.” - he grunted out, a hand messing up his hair in stress.

I raised an eyebrow, not understanding why we needed to change rooms, but followed him nonetheless.

His smaller form led the way into one of the boys’ rooms, hand still messing with his hair, all the while muttering light profanities at the wolf and the situation. It was a bit amusing, to be quite honest, because he wasn’t truly angry. No, he still smelled like cut grass next to a candy shop, even if it was a bit sour now, as if the shop closed for the day.

“  Sigh  The reason why he’s avoiding you is because some problems came up… regarding you. No, no, not with you, just about you! Don’t look like a kicked puppy, please!” - he said as he leaned against the door, arms frantically flailing around at the end.

Before I really had any chance to think about what he said and start thinking how they might be planning on getting rid of me, he continued.

“Remember when you were out clothes shopping with the boys? Apparently you caught the eye of a few people, desperate to learn more about you and your species. They’ve gone so far as to approach me about buying you when we went to visit Ji. The fucking gall of those people. Had Hyune and the others not been there, I would have punched them in the face straight up. That’s what we’ve been working on, just me and Chan. But they’re really persistent, no matter what we do, they keep making a scene on the internet. It’s giving me a headache, in all honesty. Chan’s avoiding you because he didn’t want you to know, to worry and potentially have an attack. You already have enough on your plate, he didn’t want to add more onto it.”

The human, no, Jisoo rambled on, massaging his head in frustration and exhaustion. Now that I paid more attention, there were dark circles under his eyes, his skin was even paler than usual and his voice quiet, borderline whispering.

I felt…conflicted, weird.

He… he’s been protecting me this whole time, and I was afraid he was planning on doing the exact opposite of that. Just the thought made me push my ears into my head, tail lifeless and between my legs. My lips curved slightly downwards, my chest feeling heavy with emotions.

He did all that, even though…

“Bae hyung?”

Even though he probably knew what I had done. What I had been running from all this time.

“Hey, do you need me to call one of them here for you? Just sit down, please.”

It hurt.

“You knew all this time, didn’t you?” - my voice whispered out, eyes cast downwards and hands clutching my hoodie. “Knew what?” - he asked back, voice now impossibly soft. “You never asked questions. Not about my species, my presence in this house, your house, and not about my previous owners. Even though you must have gotten access to my files after the checkup.”

His legs entered my downcast vision, a hand slowly reaching towards mine. I could have stepped away at any given chance, but… I didn’t. No, I simply stood there, letting him take one of my hands into his, allowing him to gently cradle it.

“I do.”

He didn’t say anything more. No, he just stood there in silence, holding my hand and drawing shapes in it as my vision blurred and lower lip wobbled.

Jisoo said nothing as he allowed me, a murderer, to silently cry in the room, giving me comfort I didn’t deserve.

-.-

After that fateful day, Jisoo must have told Chan about what happened, because the wolf just stopped avoiding me completely. He greeted me with an apologetic smile, allowing me to wrestle him into my lap with a huff.

Fucking idiot, worrying me and the others.

Because while they knew about the situation, what he’s been dealing with, they were still incredibly worried and wanted to help. Help, that finally wasn’t rejected by him, lightening up the atmosphere immediately.

So as we were just sitting on the living room’s couch, Channie in my lap as I completely engulfed his giggling form, he and the others were talking about possible solutions for the thorn in their side. I didn’t understand a lot of it, only some computer-related words making sense to me.

“What if we just dox them?” “Felix, we can’t just do that!” - Chan immediately shot down the idea, causing the others to groan in protest.

I just sighed and buried my head into his neck, unwanted wisps of past conversations and scenarios popping into my head. Back when I wasn’t like this, when I had a stable job and a clear future.

“Just let them be.”

Getting no response, I looked up from my hiding place and was met with surprised and confused expressions.

“Baby, we can’t just do that. It’s your life on the line.” “Yeah, what makes you say that?” - Felix asked me, his brows furrowed and lips slightly jutted out in a pout.

I sighed out at what the two said, tired of this already.

“My face and ears were hidden, right? Then it’s fine, they can’t recognise me. Besides, if you really won’t sell me, they’ll give up eventually, just keep rejecting them.” - I replied, head laying on Channie’s shoulder as a wave of exhaustion hit me. “Oh my god, I’ve never heard him speak so much.” - Lino added in, a genuine shocked expression sitting on his face along with the others’.

I furrowed my brows at that, rolling my eyes in response. First I didn’t speak enough, then I spoke too much.

“Good job baby, I’m so proud of ya!” - the wolf giggled out as he wriggled in my hold, reversing it even against my protests.

Eventually I accepted my fate, laying in his arms as he cooed at me. Although that proved to be the wrong decision, as the others came to their senses and piled on top of me. Even that menace of a cat, only to slap my bottom and earn a strangled sound out of me. I couldn’t retaliate or stop him even if I wanted to, Channie and the others basically held me down as they snuggled into me, as if they wanted to crawl into my skin.

Needless to say, the felines started purring immediately in the cuddle pile, while Channie let out elated growls and Binnie just happily absorbed it all, occasionally giving out his own short, high-pitched chirps. Their scents enveloped me, allowing me to take a moment and walk in my favourite place and relax.

My eyes crinkled as I saw the trees were now enveloped in sunlight, the rot in their roots now nowhere to be found. Even though the wind sometimes picked up, it was quickly balanced out by the scent of sugar and citrus it carried along. They danced around in the air as I ran, following a path that I took so many times that I knew it by heart, just to arrive in that flower field with an easel in the middle. The flowers were still mellow, their colour faint and pastel. But they were constantly there, livening up the place with their presence. The easel had a canvas on it, paint tubes sitting on the little shelf at the bottom. The white fabric had splotches of colour, all different, yet harmonising perfectly.

It was my safe haven.

The thought wasn’t scary anymore, I was happy that I had a place I could call my own. To call people my own.

No, I wasn’t afraid of that, not anymore. Only the thought of what I would sacrifice for them froze the blood in my veins.

Because deep down, I already knew the answer.

-.-

When I awoke, I found myself on the couch, a blanket draped over my form. The room was plunged into darkness, only the soft light of the moon illuminating the furniture.

I was alone, the warmth of the others having lost disappeared, yet the blanket still smelled strongly of them.

Slowly sitting up, my joints cracked and popped, making a satisfied sigh leave my form. I draped the blanket over my shoulders, its scent giving me a sense of comfort. As I silently padded over to the kitchen -my throat was absolutely parched-, I thought over what to do.

Sleep eluded me the moment I opened my eyes, having slept over most of the afternoon, so that was out of the question. Watching something on the TV was also in a similar situation, because I was afraid it would wake someone up accidentally. And also because they still wouldn’t let me use the remote by myself. I had no idea why.

But then a ray of moonlight caught my eye, its faint, bluish shine drawing my gaze to its source. The moon looked alluring, its form full and radiant.

Not even a minute later I found myself on the patio, sitting down on the small stairs that led to the lush grass and laying against the railing next to me.

It was peaceful, something I never really had the chance to just… admire. To take a moment, sit down and relax, enjoy what was around me.

Living on the streets was stressful.

But now, I didn’t have to worry about that anymore, something still hard to believe. The others worked hard everyday to drill it into my head, so it wasn’t a foreign concept anymore, but still.

I could just sit down and gaze at the moon whenever I wanted to, not needing to look over my shoulder every second. So I did exactly that, letting my mind wander around from topic to topic, creating new worlds and stories.

I didn’t even know how long I had been sitting there, until the scent of charcoal and paint caught my attention, the sound of footsteps soon following. My ears flicked in response, my body still relaxed, knowing it was just Jin and I was safe.

He soundlessly sat down onto a chair behind me, granting me a silent companion for the night. I didn’t mind, his presence soothing on the cold night, thankful that he didn’t cuddle up to me. I hit my limit for the day with that last one.

As I was connecting the stars in my mind, creating different shapes, the sound of graphite on paper hit my ears, soft strokes leaving a trail on the paper. It wasn’t hard to guess that Jin was the source, probably sketching something out as inspiration hit him.

His scent was strong, as if he himself was turning into a work of art, an obvious sign of his elated mood. It drew a small smile on my face, my tail swishing a few times lazily on the wooden boards.

That was how we spent our time, me, silently gazing at the sky and the slowly rising sun, him, silently sketching. We existed in each other’s presence, taking a break from the chaos that the group usually brought with itself.

But even the most tranquil of times had to be broken, as the sun had completely risen and woken the others up, based on the soft taps of socked feet I started hearing.

“Come on Dal hyung, let’s go greet the others.” - Jin suggested, making me stand up and follow him out, his little dimples peeking out as he smiled at me brightly.

I didn’t even question the name he used, his smile was way too cute to possibly ruin.

“Oh, good morning. How was your night?” - surprisingly Jisoo asked, surprised at our forms coming in from the backyard. “Morning! It was good, we were stargazing the whole night.” - Jin answered for us as I just nodded in response. “Sounds good boys. Little reminder that we’ll be picking up Ji to foster today, so don’t be late please. And Bae hyung, don’t forget your appointment. Bring anything comforting with you for it, but the doc needs to check if your injuries are properly healed. Have fun, I’ll see you guys later.” - with a headpat for Jin and a smile for me, he dashed out the door, seemingly in a hurry.

The others heard it and hurried to say goodbye to him, either in the form of a hug or a headpat. Felix even almost fell down, he was so determined to get that hug in. I almost laughed at him, almost.

Knowing that I couldn’t escape that visit because of the doctor, I headed up to my den and gathered a few things up. First was the squirrel’s plushie, placed away on the table, so it wouldn’t have any other scent sticking to it too much. I didn’t want to bring it with me, but I needed to smell it, so I wouldn’t get immediately overwhelmed by the herbivore himself. But that was why I asked for the plushie in the first place, to get used to his scent and not have an accident like with Jin. And it worked, the salt and sun wasn’t tainted by the smell of rotting seaweed and fish. It was very faint, so I was satisfied.

Secondly, I laid out my comfort hoodie that was stashed away in a box. I put it there because it was scented by everyone and I was afraid it would disappear if I left it with my other clothes. But the more I thought about that visit, the more nervous I became, so I opted to just put the clothing on instead, letting its big form engulf me.

It only took one sniff for my shoulders to start relaxing, my thoughts straying away from those darker places.

Grabbing the round plushie -it was a white rabbit, extremely soft and plush-, I went out of my room to join the others, knowing it was time for breakfast soon and Lino would barge into my den no problem.

The moment they saw me, everyone greeted me, Lix waddling up to me and making grabby hands, eyes still full of sleep and dreams. I sighed lightly, a small smile on my face as I knew what this meant already, witnessing him doing it to the others plenty of times. He just never asked me of this.

I threw the plushie onto the couch, my arms now empty and already lifting up the feline, placing him onto my hips. His limbs instantly latched onto me, purrs erupting from his chest as he nuzzled into my neck. I pat his back a few times, going to join the others as I greeted them with a little nod.

“Damn, I’m jealous.”

Bin?

“Yah, me too.”

Channie??

“Me three.”

Jin???

“We can eat snow leopard steak tonight.”

Lino?!???!

I couldn’t help, but step back and shield the already sleeping boy in my arms, horrified eyes fixated on the feline brandishing a knife. He quickly put it down, striding towards me with raised and open hands.

“I was joking, just joking, jagi. Go and sit at the table with the others, breakfast will be done soon, okay?” - he apologetically whispered out, tucking a strand of hair away from my face. 

I nodded, cheeks heated as I silently took my seat with the little feline in my hold.

“Lix, hey, Lixie, wake up.” - I tried to gently nudge him awake, but he only groaned and buried his face deeper into my chest, earning a sigh from me.

I knew how he got in the early morning, I witnessed it a few times already after all. He was basically stuck to you, as if you were his personal radiator.

So I simply wrestled his limbs off of me -with great force, even though he was still half asleep- and turned him around in my lap, so he was facing the table as well.

The others just gaped at us, mainly me, as the boy in my lap just widely blinked up at me before a bright smile broke out on his freckled cheeks.

“Okay so you just need to make grabby hands at him. Now we know the strategy.” - the wolf said, as if it was the most normal thing to blurt out. “Didn’t think it would be this easy, but here we are. I wanna be the next.” “That’s unfair, Hyunjin, I wanted to be!” - Binnie shouted out, making me slightly startle from the volume. “You were too slow, get fucked.” “Hey! Language!” “Oh come on Chan, just shut up and eat. You two as well.” - Lino exclaimed with a pointed look, having finished with bringing out the food.

I was already busy with filling up my plate, all with things that Lix liked and made his eyes sparkle. It drew a little chuckle out of me, because I basically had to feed him, seeing as he refused to eat on his own. Every bite earned a delighted hum from him, his tail happily curling around in the air.

Being so absorbed in feeding him and watching his reactions, I had forgotten to eat, thus I found myself face-to-face with a piece of food. It was Lino, something that didn’t surprise me, because he did this a lot. It was his silent way of taking care of the other, so I accepted the food with no complaints. His scent sweetened, earning a little hum from me.

“Look, Dal hyung’s tail is wagging so much. I’ve never seen it like that before.” - Bin whispered to Channie, the two’s eyes trained on my form.

I instantly looked behind and sure enough, he was right. Blood rushed to my cheeks, my tail stilling as I willed it to do so and fed Lixie the last of his food. He leaned against me, content purrs never stopping leaving his chest. I slightly tightened my hold on his waist, my other arm collecting food for myself. Even though Lino fed me -and the others a bit too, even though they were jealous-, I was still hungry.

“Babyyy, why did you stop? It was sooo cute!” - Channie whined, deepening the blush on my cheeks. “You’re going to turn him into a tomato at this rate, Chan hyung.” - Jin butted in, snickering. “Oh as if you aren’t part of this!” “You’re damn right I am.” “Lix, you can borrow that sweater I never let you have if you let me have your place.” - Binnie took the chance while the other two bickered. “Deal.”

That was how I found myself with a pika stuck to me on the couch after we all finished eating, the small herbivore not letting me go even when I went to get some water from the kitchen. No, he was just like Lixie, while Channie and Jin pouted on the other end of the couch. Lino just watched it with amusement in his eyes, taking some pictures for future blackmail against all of us.

I just let it happen at that point, ready to accept that I would not be left alone for the rest of the day.

And I was right, because when I went to help Lino in the kitchen with lunch, I had to do so with a pika stuck to my torso. I managed, but thanks to that I couldn’t dodge all of Lino’s slaps, his satisfied chuckles still ringing in my ears.

They would be the death of me, I was certain.

I was only let go when it was time to go, my mind having forgotten about that due to all the shenanigans that had happened. My pulse immediately picked up slightly, only rising while I went and changed my pants into something else that I could wear outside.

The collar I had to wear didn’t help.

-.-

Once again I found myself standing before that hybrid rehabilitation centre, fitted with a mask and a hat, one of my hands held by Lino.

In we went as a group, the young ones leading the way, while Chan brought up the back. It was the usual setup, me in the centre somewhere, supported and comforted by everyone’s presence. My stomach was rolling from the presence of people and all the smell, the thought of what was going to happen soon not helping the slightest.

But I followed them silently, obediently. I had no choice, but to.

“Did anything happen while I was away?” - Jisoo asked, his eyes looking over our forms critically and meticulously. “Dal hyung cheated on me!” - I could only stare with wide eyes at Jin, caught by surprise, while the human just laughed. “And how did that happen, Hyunjin hyung?” “First of all, if you call me so formally once more, I will have revenge. Second of all, he cuddled AND fed Felix! Then he cuddled Changbin! Can you believe that??” “Sorry, sorry, it just feels wrong to not call you guys like this. Forgive me Hyune.” - Jisoo laughed, bending over to gasp for air as the others laughed with him, Jin’s theatrics amusing them.

Not me though, I would have ran away and dug myself a grave had Lino not been holding my hand so tight, his knuckles were turning white.

After everyone calmed down and teased me until I swore my ears were red under my hat, the human asked me something weird.

“And Bae hyung, how do you like the name Hyune came up with?” - his eyes were warm and held no malice, only some teasing lights could be seen shining in them.

Ah, so Jin really did give it to me.

I merely smiled, eyes turning into crescents as I looked at the floor, not giving them a verbal response. But they knew, they could tell what my answer was. I felt it.

“Alright, I’ll get the papers done then. Let’s go, before they usher us out for lazing around and being in the way.” - Jisoo instructed lightheartedly, leading the way down a hallway.

We took different turns than last time, but the place remained the same; colourful walls illuminated by warm lights, fresh air being let in by huge windows littered on them. It allowed me to stay relaxed just enough to not bolt, my shoulders hunched as I squeezed Lino’s hand for reassurance. He responded every single time, not late even by a second.

“Baby, do you want someone to go in with you?” - Channie asked, his voice low and soothing.

I instantly nodded, hesitantly grabbing onto his shirt. He smiled, taking that hand in his and rubbing over my knuckles gently. He talked to the others for a bit, but I zoned out as I was focusing on my breathing, trying to not let my body shake and panic consume me.

It would be fine, it was just a quick checkup, nothing more.

“Ah, Bae-ssi, there you are. I assume you arrived fine?” - the doctor greeted me enthusiastically, but his eyes drifted towards my companion as the question left his lips. “We did, don’t worry, doctor. Thank you for accepting us.” - the wolf replied, bowing. “Oh come on Chan-ssi, I keep telling you not to be so uptight, but you’re so stubborn. I’m just doing my job, nothing special. This treatment should be the norm, so shush. Now, Bae-ssi, please sit down with your back facing me and pull up your hoodie.”

I did as the human instructed, Channie’s form in front of me as my eyes were cast down towards the floor, his hands massaging my shoulders. I felt some light touches along my back and heard the human hum sometimes, but nothing else happened. Then he asked me to face him, his hands now hovering near my head.

Thankfully he only touched me if it was purely necessary, the wolf behind me helping him with getting my hair out the way most of the time. I was grateful for that, the knot in my stomach not tightening more thanks to his actions.

“Alright, I can happily announce that you’re completely healed, only the faintest of scars remaining in some places. You wouldn’t even notice them if you didn’t know they were there. Really, Bae-ssi, your healing factor is amazing. Now, any discomfort, pain or anything that I should know about? Have you been alright?” - the human said in a cheerful voice, his chair rolling along the floor as he was searching around for something on his desk.

I hummed in denial, after all, I felt completely fine. Even my throat seemed to have recovered, speech not painful anymore. I still preferred non-verbal communication, much to the dismay of the others.

The human hummed in reply, accepting my answer. But then my vision directed upwards, my eyes staring into Channie’s. He smiled at me, his eyes warm nebulas I could get lost in and I almost did as his thumbs gently went back and forth on my skin.

I heard the wheels on the human’s chair squeak as he rolled back over, but the wolf didn’t let go of my head to let me look. Not even as my sleeve was rolled up, no, his hold on me was firm as he changed position and came to my other side in front of me, pushing my head into his abdomen.

That left a weird feeling in my chest, my heart starting to hammer in its little cage.

And then I felt a stinging sensation in my arm.

My body immediately tensed up, hands flying towards him, desperately trying to push him away by gripping onto his hoodie, even as he tightened his grip on me. But I couldn’t win against him, not when one of my hands was held in place, another sting following the previous one.

My mind was spiralling, taking me back to places I didn’t want to ever go back to.

The fabric on my back was suddenly too thin, as if nothing was there, leaving me feeling vulnerable and exposed. Feeling the clean air on my skin always meant one thing, the thing I despised the most. I desperately wanted to get out, to push my back against the wall or run away, but they always caught me.

Not my back, please, anything but–

“ –by, baby, you’re okay. It’s over, you’re here with me. Take deep breaths with me, just like I taught you. In, then out. Yes, like that, good job! In, and then, out.” - Channie’s voice entered my ears, drowning out the screams I had heard in my head.

His scent was strong, the dirt and moss overpowering my senses as the picture of white walls and cold lights disintegrated, replaced by darkness as my face was still smushed into his hoodie. A hand was gently carding through my hair, his lips murmuring comforting nothings into my ears. I flicked them in response, my tail swishing once.

I was alright.

In a few short seconds we were out, Channie thanking the human, the latter only smiling and waving at us. I didn’t do much, I only remembered holding the wolf’s hand, following him out the door and towards the others, who smelled a bit worried seeing us.

“What happened?” - it was their human, Jisoo, who asked what was on all their minds. “What we feared was true… The doctor gave him a slight dose of something to help him relax, that’s why he’s a bit out of it now.” - Channie’s hand never left mine, his thumb only stroking gently over my knuckles.

Immediately the others surrounded me, worry oozing out of their every pore. It saddened me, how their scents were sour, the flowers trampled over and the easel knocked over. With every inhale I felt it, my heart cracking in response.

My body finally responded to my calls, letting out a low growl and a whine, letting them know it was okay. They responded within the same heartbeat, chirps and growls entering my ears. Their scents let up a bit, satisfied for now after hearing me.

And I was fine, until I remembered my back was still wide open, the thought itching me wrong.

Thus I walked in front of Jin and picked him up on my back, a surprised yelp leaving his lips in response. He latched onto me, confused, but letting me do my own thing. The others were similar, but they let it go with a small laugh.

I felt safer this way, something primal inside me satisfied for now.

“Alright, we’re here. Let’s take Ji home, even if only for a few weeks, shall we?” - Jisoo said, a smile as he looked at us before opening the door.

The scent of the ocean hit me, my eyes greeted with an excited little squirrel. He bounded over to us, the clothes on him a bit too big for his stature as they practically consumed him alive. His lips were in that heart-shaped smile, his hand waving excitedly as he went over to hug practically everyone. When he was coming towards me, Jin hopped off my back quickly, making me confused and a bit hurt.

“Woah, are you okay? Your pupils are wide open.” - the squirrel rambled out, his eyes wide as they stared into mine.

I blinked and looked away, nodding as I turned towards Jin, wanting an explanation. Instead I felt a weight hit my back, my arms quickly flying up to support the little herbivore that practically flew onto my back. The others panicked, ready to catch him in case I threw him off or anything, but…

I didn’t.

His presence was fine, surprisingly familiar. There was a connection between us, one that reminded me of Jin.

And as he leaned onto my shoulder, our cheeks touching, I finally realised why.

He had that extremely faint smell of clean and antiseptic, making me realise why his colours struck me weirdly. He was like me and Jin, well, like one of us, making my lips curve downwards.

I was hoping I was wrong. I was so, so hopeful…

And yet, here we were, walking through colourful hallways as I was carrying him on my back, silently listening to him and the others converse. They chatted as if it was normal, as if somehow this little squirrel had been the part of the pack all along. They immediately clicked, like puzzle pieces of the same picture.

“How can you guys not be on him all the time? He smells like hot cocoa you drink on a snowy winter day in front of a fireplace, all cosy and bundled up.” “That’s the thing, we are. You just need to use your puppy eyes on Bae and you’ve already won.” - Binnie answered the squirrel’s question, making me whip my head towards him.

They were talking about me AND outing me right under my nose??

“Hey, look, we’re right.” “No more snacks for you.” - I answered the pika, making him whine and fruitlessly beg me to change my mind.

Amidst all that, I smelled a human rushing towards us, its footsteps echoing down the hall. I let out a growl, my stance wide and ready in case of anything. The others immediately quieted down, standing next to or behind me, alert.

Just as it was about to touch Jisoo, I growled once more, the sound frightening the poor thing.

“Uh, s-sorry, but Jisoo-yah, I’ve been looking for you. I know you already have like six hybrids and you just took one in to foster, but I am BEGGING you, take this one puppy with you. He’s constantly causing trouble, pranking us and I’m losing my mind!”

Sorry, what now?

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅⋅•⋅⋅⋅•∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

next chapter

[rumbelleshowdown]

-

Author: sourcherryjam Group: E Prompts:  Feverish dreams.  "At your service, Milady."  Renew.

-

Fever Dreams

A passive sense of worry for her master lived under Belle’s skin at all times. Worry for his safety, worry for his soul, worry for whatever it was that kept him spinning to forget—the usual anxieties from caring about a person who went off to do dangerous things. She’d worried over Gaston, and she didn’t even have the blush of feeling for him that had grown for Rumpelstiltskin. 

When he came home one evening, limped to his tower, and locked himself in, nothing changed—Rumpelstiltskin could heal, after all—but when a note appeared on the tea tray as she prepared it, she froze.

Rumpelstiltskin did not send notes from his tower.

Nearly chipping the rest of the cups, she snatched up the note. Instead of his looping calligraphy, it contained four hastily scratched words: Belle, renew the candles.

“Renew the candles?” She spun around, no idea which candles he might mean. The castle had candles everywhere. Did he want fresh candles in his tower? 

Hoping this was not some magical instruction she’d never understand, she filled a basket with every candle she could find and raced up the stairs. Maybe if she brought a variety, one of them would be correct.

She knocked on the door. “Rumpelstiltskin! I have your candles!”

No answer. Had he disappeared? 

“Rumpelstiltskin!”

She called his name and banged on the door three more times and then, gathering her skirts and her courage, she threw it open. 

The tower was empty save for a ring of five burning candles. She stepped closer. Perhaps those were what she was meant to renew? But how? And none of the candles she’d brought matched the purple wax. No other candles in the dark castle smelled like rosemary.

“Candles,” croaked a voice, and Belle screamed, dropping her basket. Rumpelstiltskin lay in the corner, propped up like a rag doll—now with one eye half-open in bleary annoyance.

“Rumpelstiltskin!” Belle pressed a hand to her fluttering heart.

“Are you daft?” 

Belle pursed her lips. He had no voice, but he was still himself. That, if nothing else, was a relief. 

“What’s happened?” she asked. 

“Renew. Candles. Hurry up.”

She could have wept. “What does that mean, you insufferable man?” she muttered, blushing when he chortled. He didn’t give any further instruction, though, so she headed to examine the candles. They burned evenly, and as Belle moved closer to determine the order in which they’d been lit, she was drawn into the glow. Hardly knowing what had come over her, she reached toward the closest flame, flickering a brilliant rainbow of oranges and blues, and touched it.

She hissed at the burn, but couldn’t stop herself reaching for it again, sure that if she could get past the heat, she would find a gem.

“Belle!” 

She snapped out of it, seeing now the ring of candles, her two burnt fingertips, the normal flames.

“Sorry, I don’t—” The flames enticed her again, and she burnt a third finger before she closed her eyes, shaking her head. 

What did he mean by renew? He didn’t say to change them. What did one do when one renewed something? A renewed vow meant to vow again, the same. Maybe she was meant to light them again? 

But if she opened her eyes, she’d surely be hypnotized. 

“Hurry, he’s almost gone!”

She opened her eyes, spinning around to avoid the flames. “Who?”

“Bae, damn you!”

What did any of this mean? What had she done to deserve his damnation? She strode over to him, and he didn’t acknowledge her, just jerked his head like a string had pulled it. She touched a hand to his forehead, then yanked it away. He was burning up.

“You have a fever, you fool,” she said. “Are these candles even important, or have you sent me on a wild goose chase?” 

“Belle, please.” He cracked an eye again. “The candles.” 

“What about the candles?” Had his damn you even been for her? Who else was he seeing? 

“Candles?” His eyes snapped open, and this time, she could see he was alert. She had been so startled to hear him before, she hadn’t even stopped to consider whether he knew what he was saying or not. 

His eyes narrowed, zeroing in on the candles, and then he lost focus again. She wanted to shake him, and then decided that this wasn’t the worst idea, so she did, surprised at how it didn’t scare her to grab the Dark One by the shoulders and rough him up. As long as he knew what was going on, he wouldn’t hurt her.

She hoped he knew what was going on.

“Rumpelstiltskin!”

Another flash of right-mindedness, and Rumpelstiltskin grabbed her wrist, yanking her down, nearly nose to nose. “Blow them out, Belle.”

Her breath caught, but this was not the time for that blush of feeling or any breath catching at the proximity of his mouth. She nodded and hurried back to the candles.

All she had to do was blow them out. Simple. Easy. 

She opened her mouth to do just that and then she was burning her other index finger, searching for something in the flame that was just out of reach. 

“Not her too,” Rumpelstiltskin moaned. “Please, anything else.”

Belle was too enthralled by the firelight to wonder who this “her” was. The flames danced higher, high enough that she could see people in them—her father, Gaston, even Rumpelstiltskin. If she looked enough at one, the others faded, and as she focused on Rumpelstiltskin’s flame, another emerged. 

The man in this one had Rumpelstiltskin’s face, his little smirk, but he was just a man. He filled Belle’s vision, reaching a hand out to her. 

“Rumpelstiltskin?” 

“At your service, milady,” the man-Rumpel said, ducking into a bow.

She reached for his hand, awed at this version of the man she loved with no trappings of darkness, and burnt her palm. 

“Shit!” she yelped, too far gone to notice she’d cursed. The man-Rumpelstiltskin disappeared, and she clapped a hand over her eyes. 

“Belle, no!” Rumpelstiltskin cried, and she didn’t know if he was talking to her in real life or a dream, so she ignored him, took a mighty breath, blew out the candles, and collapsed on the floor.

She woke in the pile of dropped candles, Rumpelstiltskin standing over her. There was no question of whether he was himself now, just whether he was angry or not. 

Also, had she thought of him as the man she loved? Oops.

“What happened?” She braced her palm on the floor to stand and yelped at the pain.

“I hate to say it, dearie, but you saved our skins.” He knelt down and took her hand, twisting it so he could examine her burnt palm. He waved a hand and the burn healed. “Any more?”

She offered her other hand, the one with all the burnt fingers, and as he examined them, she had the strangest idea he might kiss them. 

He didn’t. He just healed them again.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Never better, dearie.” He dropped her hand like it had been the burning object.

“What would have happened if I hadn’t blown the candles out?” She sat herself up again, then reached for his hand to pull her up. A flash of the vision of him as a man filled her eyes, and then it was gone.

“I’d have survived long enough for them to burn out, but you’d have been burned alive most likely.”

“Rumpelstiltskin! You called me up here knowing you’d be okay but I could die?”

He pressed a hand to his heart, but it held none of his usual drama. “I didn’t call you up here, you barged in throwing candles!”

“You didn’t—yes you did!” She fished the note out of her basket and thrust it at him. He snatched it, scanned it, then frowned.

“Well.” He shifted as if his boots had suddenly shrunk. “It appears I did call you up here.” 

She raised an eyebrow, fists on her hips. “Well? Do you have anything you’d like to say to me?”

He waved a hand and all the spilled candles returned themselves to her basket. “I’ll take tea in half an hour.”

Shaking her head, she couldn’t hide her affectionate grin at the way he wouldn’t meet her eyes, and after picking up her basket, she laid a hand on his shoulder. He eyed it like it might attack.

“Thank you for healing me, Rumpelstiltskin.” She squeezed his shoulder, then let go. Even after her hand was gone, Rumpelstiltskin still stared at the space it had been.

“It’s no matter,” he said and then, with no warning, disappeared. 

Left alone in his tower for the first time, Belle grinned, pleased with herself. It was a good thing no one knew that laying a kind hand on the Dark One’s shoulder was all it took to best him.

-

[cowboy-heart]

also, i recently gathered all of my favourite poems (by other writers) into a single PDF for myself and decided to share it on my ko-fi!

it’s 106 pages, 62 poems, with an index, and links and credits to all the writers! and it’s free!

it’s a mix of published poets, blog excerpts, and internet poets, covering themes of love, grief, living, butch-femme, LGBT, nature and justice! - full list of contents in read more :)

it’s free since it’s not my own original work, but if you wanna tip for making the PDF then it’s much appreciated!! 🧡

(sidenote: if you/your work has appeared in this and you want it removed or edited, let me know and i’ll do so immediately!)

After The Threesome, They Both Take You Home’ - Sue Hyon Bae

‘Come, And Be My Baby’ - Maya Angelou

‘Witness’ - Crystal Wilkinson

‘lady macbeth-macbeth’ - @two-bees-poetry

‘how to spend an august afternoon in love’ - @cheruib

‘Chocolate Chip Pancakes’ - Caitlyn Siehl

‘The Teapot’ - Robert Bly

‘Little Weirds’ (excerpt) - Jenny Slate

‘Writing Prompts for the Broken-Hearted’ (excerpt) - Eden Robinson

‘Perhaps The World Ends Here’ - Joy Harjo

‘The Serious Downer’ - Jill McDonough

‘Summer Was Forever’ - Chen Chen

‘For Grace, After A Party’ - Frank O’Hara

‘A Vow’ - Wendy Cope

‘Laura, I Want You Pulling Your Hair Back’ - Natalie Dunn

‘Watching you talk on the phone, I consider the empty space around atoms-‘ - Rhiannon McGavin

‘Gram Loves You. Please Call’ - Amy Gotliffe

‘The Quiet World’ - Jeffrey McDaniel

‘the undone cowboy writes to his sweetheart’ - Silas Denver Melvin ( @sweatermuppet )

‘Song of the Anti-Sisyphus’ - Chen Chen

‘RURAL BOYS WATCH THE APOCALYPSE’ - Keaton St. James

‘A Possible Exit’ - Jarrett Moseley

‘poem on my fortieth birthday to my mother who died young’ - Lucille Clifton

‘ANSWERING HER QUESTION’ - Alice White

‘when the one you thought, finally, wouldn’t, does’ - Marty McConnell

‘fourth grader’ (excerpt)

‘Poem’ - Langston Hughes

‘For M’ - Mikko Harvey

‘A Drink of Water’ - Jeffrey Harrison

‘Cold Solace’ - Anna Belle Kaufman

‘Boot Theory’ - Richard Siken

‘Love letter as an autism diagnosis’ - Arden Kowalski

‘Tea’ - Leila Chatti

‘Night Walk’ - Frank Wright

‘Don’t Hesitate’ - Mary Oliver

‘For A Student Who Used AI To Write A Paper’ - Joseph Fasano

‘Rain’ - Raymond Carver

Unnamed/‘who’s afraid of hoverflies?’ - @a-chilleus

‘The Orange’ - Wendy Cope

‘Failing and Flying’ - Jack Gilbert

‘Can’t Get Enough Of My Love’ - Shuyler Peck

‘Invitation’ - Mary Oliver

‘Dead Rat’ - Mervyn Peake

‘Wild Geese’ - Mary Oliver

‘I Imagine The Butch’s Stripper Bar’ - Jill McDonough

‘FEMME SHARK MANIFESTO’ - Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Unnamed (fake interview) - @llovely

‘Butch Please: A Letter To Baby Butches’ - Kate

‘ROUND TWO: the body as protest’ - Joelle Taylor

‘ROUND SEVEN: the body as uprising’ - Joelle Taylor

‘Angel’ - Joelle Taylor

‘Catallus 16’

‘15. Fan Letter’ - James Crewes

‘Make Out Sonnet’ - F. Douglas Brown

‘Hey Cowboy’ - Silas Denver Melvin ( @sweatermuppet )

‘Fat Top/Switch’ - Emilia Phillips

‘On a Night of the Full Moon’ - Audre Lorde

‘The Gardens’ - Mary Oliver

‘Want’ - Joan Larkin

‘Social Skills Training’ - Solmaz Sherif

‘Bullet Points’ - Jericho Brown

Unnamed - Marwan Makhoul

[yonderghostshistories]

I recently watched the film "A Liar's Autobiography" (2012) recently, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT AND IT'S THE GREATEST ANIMATED TRIBUTE TO GRAHAM CHAPMAN IMHO AHHHHH!!!

Here's my thoughts on this film and why I absolutely love it!

(Spoilers btw, you should definitely watch ALA it's great!!)

-all the animations were peak, I especially love the animations about Graham's childhood, the Monkey Pythons and the animation where it dealt with Gray's alcoholism and him going cold turkey was very brilliantly done fr!!

-Graham's narration and voice is REALLY immersive and cool and lovely, it's like he's genuinely talking to you in a way!

-i love the scenes with him and David, such wholesome portrayal of their love and relationship with each other like it so 🥰🥰 <3333 (honestly, shout-out to the actor Philip Bulcock, he did wonderfully as David Sherlock!!)

-i like the songs, especially the "Sit On My Face" song rendition!!

-i like the animation where Graham was Colin "Bomber" Harris is which he metaphorically beat himself up to defeat the alcoholism!!

-i like the payoff of the "Oscar Wilde" thing at the end from the beginning, it rounded out things nicely and it was really wholesome seeing John cheering up and patted Gray on the back as buddies, it was a nice moment <333. Also, apparently Stephen Fry voiced the God-esque version of Oscar Wilde, which imo IS REALLY COOL FR!!

-i cried internally (my body couldn't produce the tears physically fsr, but on the inside it was sobbing like HELL) when they showed the Graham Chapman funeral/memorial service video of John's speech at the end and like GAHHH IT WAS SAD AND HEARTBREAKING 😭💔

-i LOVED the "Medical Love Song" scene at the end, it was ABSOLUTELY GREAT!! Plus the second rendition of the "Sit on My Face" scene, pretty awesome!!

-Cameron Diaz as Sigmund Freud was really hilarious 🤣

-i like how the film portrayed Gray's struggle with alcoholism (especially the absolutely beautiful oil painting-esque animation which is from Gray's POV), and like my fellow moot @michael-palin-is-the-loml said, it was done very tastefully in a way that Graham would've appreciated himself!

-i like the scenes with Gray and his parents, they were quite nice!

-i love the simple line of "fuck off Ginger!", like I do relate to that moment very much fr 🤣😭

-Everyone voice acted SUPERBLY in this film, hat's off to them!!

-i loved the "Sex Test" scene in the film, like as a bisexual myself, it's probably (imo at least!) a VERY accurate and superbly funny representation of the "sexuality is a spectrum" thing 👏👏

-Oh yeah I also love the scene in ALA where Graham saw the love of his life David appearing out from the sea in the pose of "The Birth of Venus" painting, which makes sense imo since Gray would think of David as his (gay) God(dess) <333

Here's my final verdict/thoughts on the film:

This film deserves ALLL THE LOVE, and I don't think it's as bad as some people said it was! This was truly made with a labour of love 🫶💞 from both the team AND the Pythons! (Apart from Eric ofc lol) and it really shows that this is NOT only a love letter to Python, BUT TO GRAHAM "GRAY BAE" CHAPMAN HIMSELF!!

This movie is a glorious 10/10 from me, and it's my favourite film in the world! (Tied with HFC ofc!)

[darklybound]

What the Fuck? - A Rumbelle Ficlet 

****

This is a Rumbelle fictlet I wrote and decided to post as I'm still working on my longer nsfw fanfic.

It is also the first piece of writing I have posted on my ao3! You can read it there as well.

[ao3 link]

****

What the Fuck?

“What are you doing, dearie?” Rumpelstiltskin asked, staring down at his maid.

That morning, he had expected his recently acquired servant to be cowering in the shadows of his castle or frantically doing the duties he had assigned her to spare herself the Dark One's wrath. A normal reaction to giving oneself over to the most powerful magic user in the realm. This is why when Rumpelstiltskin used his authority over his domain to locate her and found her outside his castle, his stomach dropped.

Of course, she would be a runner. She was a noblewoman entrapped by the monster whom as a child she had been told would eat her if she misbehaved. No doubt she feared as much for her life as she did her maidenhood. He was the Dark One after all. Everyone left the Dark One as everyone had left the spineless spinner.

Rumpelstiltskin had magicked himself in front of where he sensed her life essence, expecting to find a terrified woman sneaking out of his castle. He had not been looking forward to wrangling her back inside nor calming down the wild woman.

Instead, he had found his maid digging in the dirt. The soil was almost camouflaged with how it blended into the brown dye of her trousers and the dark grey tunic she wore, but it stood out against her pale arms, leaving no doubt that she had been tilling the ground.

This is how Rumpelstiltskin found himself hovering over his maid, asking her what she was doing. The noblewoman jumped at his sudden appearance and looked up at her jailer with surprised yet calm eyes that were like pools of liquid sky. Eyes Rumpelstiltskin couldn’t stare at too long, or he feared he may float away to another time to a different-hued set of kind chestnut eyes.

“Why, I’m gardening, of course,” Belle answered before ignoring him to go back to tending the earth as if it was perfectly normal.

“What the fuck?!” Befuddled, Rumpelstiltskin slipped from the mannerisms he employed as the Dark One. His carefully crafted dangerous aura was replaced by his mouth opening and closing like a fish and his hands waving around frantically. For a second, the Dark One acted like a man.

Belle returned her gaze to him. The flash of annoyance at being interrupted twice at her task immediately shifted to an emotion Rumpelstiltskin hadn’t seen anyone look at him with since Bae. Amusement.  “While I was working, I noticed the abandoned garden from a window. That’s when I realized I was the only servant you had to tend to the castle, and you Rumpelstiltskin, have let your beautiful estate wither. So, I decided to do something about it.”

“Y-You…” He couldn’t believe it. He was stammering. Him! The Dark One was stuttering! All because his latest possession was not acting like she should! She was a noble! She should be weeping, wailing, clawing her way out of his hold instead of clawing in the dirt. To try and what? Make the Dark Castle lighter? Like it was an actual residence of life instead of death and rot? Flowers against the Dark Castle’s walls were like flowers upon a tombstone. The beauty distracted the living from what lay beneath. Death.

She wasn’t playing her part. She wasn’t supposed to care about the duties of her new position. She wasn’t supposed to adjust as if her family had just fallen into disgrace, and she was working diligently to save whatever honor and wealth they had left.

Rumpelstiltskin looked upon his maid with wide eyes, and for the first time in a century, he pondered if he was the one who underestimated who he had made a deal with. She gazed back with an unwavering expression that contained poorly hidden judgment on how rundown he had let his castle become and with concern that she had overstepped.

She tried to hide her reprimand, but he could see it in her exasperated huff and the slight uptick of her brow. Her unease was subtle in the way her hands twisted around the scattered blades of grass peeking out from the displaced soil and in how she bit her lip in the manner that he had seen young ladies do when anxious about a man’s reaction.

She was criticizing him instead of begging for forgiveness! Him, the Dark One! She was concerned about his reaction, not petrified at the horrors he may inflict upon her for her transgression. She was treating him as if he was a normal master and not…not a monster. The Dark One fell away completely as the old spinster’s heart started beating once again.

Too astounded to properly reply, Rumpelstiltskin whispered the only panicked thought in his head.

“What the fuck?”

[steele-soulmate]

Tattooed Wings, CHAPTER 618, Peter Steele & OFC, Soulmate AU

SUMMARY: Mary Claire Bradley meets her soulmate- literally- the famous Peter Steele of metal group Type O Negative. But will obstacles including trauma, stalkers, and toxic family members get in the way of their life?

WARNING: mentions of child rape (nothing graphic) PTSD, milk kink, soft smut, grinding, assault, fingering, hand jobs, blow jobs, 69, P in V sex, blood, noncon rape, violence, death, vandalism, graffiti, attempted kidnapping, break-ins, wild animal attacks, terrorist attack (sabotage) consensual impregnation, bareback, impregnation kink, creampies, terrorist attacks (shootings) hit and run pedestrian accident, precipitous labor, neonatal death, abandoned baby, child intoxication, death of a minor character, injured baby, kidnapped child

WORDS: 1060

“Hey!” Isabelle announced herself, coming into the girls’ shared hospital wearing a bubble backpack. When she turned to close the door, I saw Mittens looking like a happy kitty in a cat backpack.

“Mitties!” squealed little girl as she led the charge up to the family nanny.

MEOW Mittens perped as Primrose appeared from behind the motherly cat, chittering as Isabelle set the backpack down and opened it.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY…” screamed the babies as they swarmed the Ratajczyk pets with gentle hands and excited eyes. Mittens leaned in deeper to the scratches and sweet words, her green eyes closing as a loud purr erupted out of her.

PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR…

“MITTIES IS BAE!” little girl declared as Primrose was busy exploring the hospital room.

“MITTIES IS BAE!” the babies repeated, clearly agreeing with little girl.

Peter had been taking a sip from a water bottle but had no choice but to spit out his drink from roaring with laughter at little girl’s cult of babies. He wheezed and coughed as he reveled in the babies’ adorableness.

“Oh my babies,” he gasped as a knock at the door turned out to be Ken Anderson carrying two bouquets of flowers- one of pink baby roses, blue violet petals and white baby breaths and was wrapped with purple paper and the other was a gathering of wildflowers and was wrapped with pink paper.

“Hihi mama and papa and Ratajczyk cubs!” he sang out as he moved across the room to settle the flowers onto the windowsill, where there were vases of flowers as provided by Type O Negative fans and PeteClaire shippers. I had posted to my socials and had asked that flowers be sent to the nurses and other patients instead of to us. The next day, the nurses’ station was overflowing with flowers, to which they had all thanked me.

“Hihi, Mr. Ken!” Elizabeth still wasn’t able to open her mouth fully, and was now receiving speech therapy with someone who would come and take her out on walks around the hospital. The girl had taken to bouncing a tennis ball while walking, a tick for calming her anxiety, or so she told me.

“Hihi Elizabeth!” The corners of Ken Anderson’s eyes crinkled. “How are you doing?”

Isabelle was the only person at home right now, and she would let Daisy out back to do her doggy business and feed the Ratajczyk pets. She came in every other day with the mail that she would pick up at the family PO box.

“I’m doing good, Mr. Ken!” The entire family was taking two weeks off from rehearsals for The Nightmare Before Christmas- a Broadway Musical in order for the two eldest girls to heal enough before returning to the Paper News Theater for run throughs for the newest Tim Burton musical. “Katie and I composed a song together- it’s called The Waltz of the Pumpkin King and His Ragdoll Queen.”

“Do you want to hear it?” Katie asked from where she was working on her calligraphy for her Chinese class on her bed. “There’s a piano in the library just down the hall, and Isabelle brought Lizz Lizz’s Celtic harp with her for her to practice on!”

“If it’s alright with your parents, then of course!” Ken Anderson responded with, glancing back over to where I was hosting Primrose in my lap as I knitted a Vinnland flag blankie.

“It’s alright with me!” I hummed as I worked peacefully. “Peter took the babies out to go explore the garden, so I’m the one holding the fort down here.”

MEOW Mittens meowed loudly as she darted out from underneath Elizabeth’s bed, clearly experiencing a case of the kitty zoomies.

“Okie dokie mommy!” Katie chirped as she got out of bed, taking her IV drip pole with her as she and her sister pattered out of the room with Ken Anderson close on their heels.

“Go straight to the sunroom and then back again- no detours!” I called out as a nurse entered the room. Primrose and Mittens both knew to hide whenever hospital employees would stop by.

“Hello, where are the girls?”

“They took Ken Anderson to the sunroom to show him a song that they wrote,” I replied, my focus on my knitting project.

“Ah, fun! Are all of your kids musically gifted?”

“Well, so far, only Elizabeth and Katie show an interest in music and play instruments,” I told the nurse as I got started on another row. “Little girl and Baby Tommy are beginning to show interests in what brings them joy- I’m thinking of enrolling little girl into gymnastics and Baby Tommy seems to want to dance with big sister Elizabeth Drew. However, the dance studio where she is currently enrolled at only accepts students aged five and over, so we’re going to need to wait until he turns five in a few months.”

“Neat! Well then, if you could excuse me to go and change out the girls’ IV drips…”

TAGLISTS ARE OPEN/ ASK BOX IS OPEN/ REQUESTS ARE OPEN/ PLOT BUNNIES ARE WELCOMED

If you liked this, then please consider buying me a coffee HERE It only costs $3!!!

PETER STEELE TAGLIST

@rock-a-noodle

@elianafilthyrose

@ch3rry-c01a

@rockstarslutt

@angelxfuckk

[seokgyuu]

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currently in the works: lord, have mercy! ✧ being a priest's son, jacob is anything but experienced when it comes to intimacy. when you meet him at a wedding, you make it your goal to change that. ✧ jacob x gn!reader / strangers to fwb to lovers, religious guilt, smut. (18+)

Kim Younghoon.....................................................………. $26 A hearty meal originating in the Seoul of 1997, Kim Younghoon is perfect for a filling lunch or dinner. Some people even swear by him as a splendid experience for breakfast. Served with a sunny side up and an iced americano this might even be true.

Lee Jaehyun.........................................................………….. $26 Easy to enjoy, Lee Jaehyun (also known as Hyunjae) comes with many health benefits. He is rich in vitamins and sweet at the same time. Enjoy it with a soft drink of your choice on a hot summer day for full effect.

Lee Juyeon..........................................................…………... $25 A spicy dish that could easily burn you if you don't watch out. Best served with a glass of milk or yakult.

Kevin Moon...........................................................………….. $25 Recently revamped, this small meal has become a bigger one. We added a new side dish of honey glazed cottage cheese, this in 1998 first served dish is something to enjoy with a glass of our best Merlot.

Choi Chanhee.........................................................………... $25 The sweetest treat on this menu! With style and an artistic twist, this sweet treat will make you crave for more. Pair it with our signature hot chocolate for the full experience!

Ji Changmin............................................................……….. $25 What might look like straight out of a horror movie is actually just our very own Ji Changmin dish containing a very medium rare steak and beetroot drenched fries. It tastes especially good with a glass of our Malbec.

Ju Haknyeon..........................................................………... $24 With his exceptional taste, Ju Haknyeon has everyone who tastes him asking for more. As one of our most beloved dishes, the slightly sour but addictive taste of lemon mixed with the sweetness of plum, it has revolutionized our menu.

Kim Sunwoo............................................................……….. $23 Kim Sunwoo is famous for luring our fine dining guests into his colourful and appealing appearance. Filled with fruits, our Kim Sunwoo is one of the sweetest treats on the menu, but if you feel up for it you could also try his spicy version spiked with ginger.

Sohn Youngjae........................................................……..... $23 A wild mix of vegetables and beef, Sohn Youngjae has an exquisit taste that is almost for everyone. The rich spices of Korea mixed with the welcome and basic American style kitchen make this dish well rounded.

[mrs-monaghan]

JK’s Jimin promo lives have me thinking what a wild card he might be on his own appearances and interviews when he is supposed to be promoting his own debut album. What if he’s on the Jimmy Fallon show and they just fanboy Jimin together? What if he just goes on interviews and is like “yeah yeah that’s my album, whatever, but lemme talk about Jimin…” Kinda like he did with the CK modeling, 30 secs of brand mention, then hours of isn’t my bae the cutest on the planet? Look how sexy my man is in this mv? 💀🥰 I mean what’s HYBE going to do? Fire him?!

This ask tickles me 😂😂😂😂😂 funny.

But nah... when it comes down to it he's a professional. Also much like Jimin didn't mention him on Fallon, JK is probably supposed to do the same. I think they have been told to keep each other's names out their mouths. But of course JK is JK.

Which makes me back track here and agree that JK might actually name drop Jimin. We've established Jimin is the rule follower and when told not to talk about JK he listens. Meanwhile his boyfriend is like; Jimin Jimin Jimin Jimin Jimin Jimin hyung Jimin.

So yeah, while he will maintain professionalism and prioritise his work, when asked a question about the members i think JK will bring up Jimin. He is just not giving a shit atp and I can see him doing this.

I mean, Jimin won't be allowed to go support him in person and I can see JK retaliating this way. I love this man. I'm not even kidding rn. He really is something else

[chibbypanda]

Paradox Live | what the anime’s finale could’ve been…

General SPOILERS of the events that happened during the first Paradox Live.

The finale of Paradox Live the Animation was a mess.

It was a bundle of anime original ideas that were cool on paper, but felt haphazardly executed due to the show’s pacing. There is only so much twelve episodes can do, and it seemed that it wasn’t enough time to flesh out those ideas.

I can go on about my thoughts on Allen’s conflict with his father or my mixed feelings towards the unnamed scientist’s motives, but I’m here today not to burn the final episodes to the coals. Rather, I want to explore the season finale and what it might’ve been.

Before I do just that, I need to share some context.

The drama CDs implied that a major incident happened at CLUB paradox before the events of LIVE.

While the incident in question was never explicitly explained, it did cause three major events:

It made Kanata remember Nayuta’s “death.”

It revealed that Alter Trigger not only organized Paradox Live, but implied that they intended to do something to the performers.

It made the performers realize just how powerful and dangerous phantometal can be.

What made the anime stand out at the time (fingers crossed that the manga will have its own take in the future) was how it portrayed that very incident. In the anime, Alter Trigger forced Kanata to remember his repressed trauma to turn him into a phantometal vessel that will spread the metal erosion to everyone inside CLUB paradox.

The purpose? To make everyone become one with the metal. Why? I have no idea. The scientist just said that he wanted to become messiah and to strip away humanity’s pain and suffering…or something. Okay, Haruomi did comment that the scientist just wanted puppets to control so maybe the scientist wanted to take over the world. That said, considering how everyone affected would likely die as soon as the metal reaches their literal hearts…I don’t know how the mind control thing will happen.

Frankly, I don’t know if the scientist would’ve had any control of the rampage at all. He may have started Kanata’s descent to madness, but unless he has a way to actually control Kanata himself…technically the scientist’s experiment has run wild and for all we know, Kanata might’ve just devoured the entire venue with the scientist in tow.

Other than that, I have no clue of who the scientist is as a person nor understood his implied history with BURAIKAN (except how he apparently killed Chisei or directly contributed to his death). He’s just a mad scientist who happened to conduct a similar experiment ten years ago, and then decided to do it again.

There’s just so much missed potential there.

And of course, the day was saved when BAE, TCW, and AKYR gathered together to sing a friendship rap to free Kanata from his metal-induced state. The rap was well-sung and I love the lyrics. I understand the show’s intent behind its setup, though it’s a bit hard to believe that it’s what saved Kanata considering that he and the others were barely friends but anyway—I’m not here to burn them. I did that already in other places. I am here to wrap my head around the intentions of these plotlines to find a bright side. Because when I think about it, they could’ve been quite something.

This is where I get loosely philosophical.

Based on the finale’s resolution, it seemed like the show intended to hammer in the message of how music has the power to connect people in ways that are hard to see but can be felt regardless. That’s why the scientist used Paradox Live for his plan, as well as why the characters tried to reach Kanata through music.

It appeared to be a nod to the general project as it was an outlook originally said by Tsubaki, Naokira’s wife and Yohei’s friend. She believed in music’s power to connect to others which was why she saw the potential of phantometal.

To me, this line of thinking seems to be inspired by the words of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer who wrote the following in his book, “The World as Will and Representation”:

Therefore music is by no means like the other arts, namely a copy of the Ideas, but a copy of the will itself, the objectivity of which are the Ideas. For this reason the effect of music is so very much more powerful and penetrating than is that of the other arts, for these others speak only of the shadow, but music of the essence.

The human will is defined as an insatiable force that drives people to act and move forward towards their goals, even though there’s no guarantee that this “goal” will be achieved. Thus, it becomes the “root cause of all suffering” but nevertheless the thing that makes us human. Therefore, it is said that in order to be at peace with one’s self—one needs to temporarily release themselves from the will by momentarily losing themselves to the arts—one of them being music.

With that in mind, Schopenhauer believed that out of all the arts music could pierce through a person’s will the most because it was seen as a direct representation of the human will. He believed that unlike the other art forms that could only capture the shadow of things, music can be presented as itself.

Okay, that sounds interesting, but how is it related to Paradox Live?

It might be just me, but as I said before, I think the finale attempted to implement Schopenhauer’s view on music in its anime-original finale.

For one, the scientist’s plan was already messed up as it is. He basically forced someone to relive their repressed trauma to cause a dangerous chain reaction that could claim the lives of every person the venue—or even the city if he’s not stopped. On it’s own, it’s clear why he needs to be stopped.

That said, if you look at it in a more philosophical lens, then it becomes more poignant as to why everyone—Haruomi especially since he’s the only one aware of what’s actually happening behind the scenes—was strongly against it.

As stated before, Schopenhauer believed that music can be used as a means to temporarily release oneself from the will in order to ease one’s suffering. Emphasis on temporary because while the human will can cause suffering—it is nonetheless the driving force that allows humans to overcome suffering and thus live. The arts, let alone music is never meant to be used to destroy what makes us human. It is meant to connect and inspire us to keep going—to remind us that life is worth living.

“Losing oneself isn’t salvation.”

Haruomi told the scientist during their confrontation. The scientist’s plan is the antithesis of music’s purpose. To him, it wasn’t enough to temporarily release humanity from their suffering. No, he wanted to use music to permanently strip away the human will to “save” humanity from their suffering. And by doing so, he essentially took away their will to live, and thus their sense of self. How is that any different from being dead?

There’s this other cool detail I noticed, and it’s probably there for drama and stuff, but when Kanata was turning into the vessel fake BURAKAN told him this:

“Change the world with your screams!”

On one hand, it’s villain dialogue but on the other hand it could’ve been another nod to how the scientist’s plan was the antithesis to what music is. They could’ve said, “Change the world with your song!” or somewhere along those lines. After all, Kanata’s chosen because of his music (also the fact that he won by default which is a questionable writing decision for the anime).

So why screams? If music is perceived as the closest representation of the human will, then it can be argued that Kanata lost his music the moment he lost his will to live. It kind of happened in the LIVE drama. After remembering the truth of his situation, Kanata lost his reason to live which led him to lose his reason to sing and thus he couldn’t create illusions.

Just a quick tangent, this seems reminiscent to what happened to Allen in the season finale—when he lost his ability to use illusions. Could it be that because his will has been shaken by doubt, it affected his music and thus his phantometal? If it weren’t for the choice to make cozmez win by default, then I would’ve been sold on this plotline.

In context with the anime’s finale, it seems have happened again when Kanata transformed into the phantometal vessel. By forcing him to confront the reality of Nayuta’s “passing,” Kanata has lost his reason (Nayuta) to sing or live, and by having his will snuffed out—so does his music. And by being possessed by the metal, he’s forced to snuff out the will of others in turn.

That’s why CLUB paradox was filled with static, screams, and whimpers. By using music to snuff out the will, music has unsurprisingly died with it. That sounds so cool, and I wish that the anime fleshed out that concept.

Actually, come to think of it, I wonder if the way Kanata remembered Nayuta’s “death” would have affected the severity of the incident.

In the anime, Iori made a comment that Kanata’s metal went berserk due to its owner’s memories being forcibly opened—implying that Kanata’s state of mind made the situation worse. The original project has yet to reveal how Kanata exactly remembered the truth, but the manga did show that illusion Nayuta disappeared on his own without any prompting from other forces (in the anime, illusion Nayuta disappeared because fake BURAIKAN’s pushed Kanata into a corner).

If illusion Nayuta is a piece of Kanata’s subconscious, and he disappeared in his own accord…does that mean that Kanata felt that he’s ready to let go deep down? But again, it’s still unclear if the manga will adapt its own take of the incident so whether Kanata’s mental state affects the incident itself is still up in the air.

Back at the topic at hand, there’s also the Friendship Rap—the resolution of the story. I think its main issue was in its execution because story-wise it makes sense. The show has established that music has the power to connect to others, and philosophically music is the closest representation of the human will. Therefore, gathering together to sing their hearts out in hopes to reignite Kanata’s will makes a lot of sense.

“Remember cozmez’s music and our sound!”

That’s what Allen pleaded to Kanata. By remembering the music he made with Nayuta, as well as the music that drives him to get better at his craft, Kanata was finally able to regain his sense of self.

When he was struggling near the end of Last Verse (the moments before Allen summons his phoenix illusion), I want to believe that it’s Kanata fighting the phantometal with everyone too. He wanted to live. He wanted to be saved. He wanted to face life head on, even if Nayuta won’t be there with him (Nayuta’s alive in the end, so lucky him).

And so, in the end, the scientist plot—and in turn his warped philosophy was thwarted. He was literally beaten up by Haruomi and figuratively defeated by the characters’ strong bonds (or at least, they would’ve been strong bonds if the show didn’t pace it in a way that makes it feel like a gathering of acquittances).

And that’s how I think the show would’ve been.

With more time, Paradox Live the Animation would’ve been a fun yet compelling exploration of the power of music and its connection to the human will. They could’ve fleshed out the scientist’s motives and his history with BURAIKAN, as well as show more moments of Kanata bonding with the others in order to make the Last Verse more poignant in its message of human connection.

But alas, the show is already over and we can only think about it in retrospect. Regardless, the show will always hold a special place in my heart for its quirks and I hope that a season two will be greenlit. Like please! I want more ParaLive anime content!

That’s all for now. What are your thoughts on Paradox Live the Animation? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[rpking99]

Map

Here we have the map of the lovely Luxure Region. The artificial paradise made rather wonderfully with small artificial bioms for the region to enjoy

This region is very small, and mostly works as a luxury get away resort. The entire region is no bigger than the Battle Frontier from Hoenn.

You arrive on the south of the island, at the airport. Where you are met by the professors, Juniper and Sonia.

North of the airport, following the only real road in the region, you arrive in EctaCity. The only city in the island, it is still a very large one. Bars, hotels, clothing shops and more. For anything and everything you would need

Also within EctaCity are the Contest Hall, the tower of the Elite 4, the Pokémon Centre and the regions Pokémon Lab.

On the left of the island we have Skyla's Flying Gym, Clair's Dragon Gym, Elsa's Electric Gym, Candice's Ice Gym, Nessa's Water Gym and Bae's Fighting Type Gym.

And on the right hand side we have Mallow's Grass Type Gym, Klara's Poison Gym, Sabrina's Psychic Gym, Whitney's Normal Gym, Flannery's Fire Gym and Olivia's Rock Type Gym

All Gyms in this region also has a secondary usage as well. As this Region is a get away, the Gyms are just a fun option for if you wish to partake. If not, then these buildings would be pointless. So each of them also has a method of entertainment

Skyla's gym has hand gliding. Clair's Dragon Gym is a museum about Dragon-Type Pokémon as well as tribes from multiple regions that focus on Said Pokémon type. Elsa's is connected to this Regions branch of PokeStar Studios, which focuses on more... Adult films. Candice's Gym is set at the top of the mountain range, acting as a ski resort. Nessa's is a beach resort. Bae's Gym is not just a Pokémon gym but also a gym for working out and training.

Mallow's gym is an exotic green house and outdoor kitchen. Klara's Gym acts as a club with a rather... spercific taste. Sabrina's is a dojo for meditation, yoga and so on. Whitney's gym is the least amusement focused, and is instead a farm that helps support the entire region to reduce the imported food they require. Flannery's is a sauna. And Olivia's let's you have fun with rock climbing

There also appears to be a strange cave range at the north of the island. A place with plenty of wild Pokémon. And hiding something dark and mysterious....

(Credit to @1-king-many-queens for making this map for me)