#after a lot of cat care and mouse rescuing nights

[voodoomousedesigns]

Back in the studio

Finally, after a lot of cat care and mouse rescuing nights, I'm back in the studio, painting tiny walking canes and putting hats on hamsters, mice and rats!

[luboy7rt]

What Animal Team Ghosts Would Randomly Bring Home To You (GN - Headcanons)

(Note: This is just what I (My headcanons), enjoy reading!)(Could be seen as Platonic, Romantic?) (GN Reader) (Elias, Hesh, Logan, Keegan, Merrick, and Kick)

Elias Walker: 

-  Elias has.. habits. He brings home a lot of different animals throughout the years, Riley being the permanent house/military dog.

- Elias has definitely brought home any animal he thinks needs rescuing, one day it will be a cat, the next a little bird, then next a little mouse that needed saving from a mousetrap. You cannot stop this man, he has a mission in just rescuing animals as a unsuspecting side gig to being a literal military commander. (I like to think he's a animal lover, even if it's a ‘secret’)

- You point out a stray dog or cat? That's his now, (if the animal will allow it and wants to come with), Hesh and Logan have gotten used to their father bringing home random animals “...Can we even keep that, Dad?” Hesh would ask every time if it was a random animal that shouldn't be a pet. “Why Not.” Would be Elias's answer every. Damn. Time. 

- Elias would also ensure to tell you, Hesh, Logan, to not touch the more aggressive or ‘spicy’ animals he brings home, basically makes sure you all respect the animals and ensure the animals wouldn't hurt you three.

- If any of the animals he brings home are ‘unfit’ To be around kids (yes, he still calls Hesh and Logan kids, and maybe even you too if you have that type of relationship) he would find a good animal shelter, sanctuary or a good home for the animal.

- Why do Hesh and Riley have a good relationship? Elias taught Hesh how to train Riley, ensuring that Hesh would always know Riley has his back, having Riley around brought a sense of security to Elias as he felt like his boys could be cared for by Riley even if he wasn't around.

- Elias would give a deep chuckle with a half smile as he walks through the front door, spotting you as he carried a small bird in his hands, he would offer a hello, and show you the small baby bird he was now keeping due to finding it injured in the driveway. 

- Basically most people go to this man when they find a random animal, because somehow Elias is always good at knowing what animal, the species and what the hell is wrong If there is something wrong. Everytime Elias is asked about his knowledge, “Documentaries are nice, you should watch them. Maybe then you can learn something for once” He would respond by accidentally being brutal. 

- “Do you feel comfortable? Or should I find a better home for this little guy?” Elias Would ask you, Hesh, and Logan every time he brings home a new random animal, the house has become a farm at this point. You want an animal? As long as you know how to care for it and it wants to or can be around? fine by Elias, do your research and show him you can care for it, and he'll make it happen.

- Yes, you have random animals cuddling up to you in the middle of the night, is it one of the cats? Or could it be the tortoise that Elias has had for years? Or maybe it was just Riley, you'll be in for a surprise if you left your door open.

David 'Hesh' Walker: 

- Hesh would bring home lizards, just imagine him coming home with a few baby lizards in his arms, Riley having one on his snout with wide eyes.. the dog was very steady in slowly creeping behind Hesh as to not drop the little lizard across his snout and head.

- “Oh, Hey..! didn't realize you were home” Hesh would sheepishly admit, as he adjusted the lizards in his arms, trying to get them to stop climbing everywhere. “...Surprise..? No welcome home..? Alright”

- If you don't like the lizards? He'll put them back outside, leave a little bowl of water incase they need it.. Poor Riley would waddle after Hesh, having lizards all over him, trying to walk but being so careful not to hurt any of them.. Riley ends up bringing the lizards in the house, Hesh laughing if you freak out.

- If you do like lizards? He'll put one on your shoulder or head, bonk. There you go, you got your own little guy.

- Your house gets taken over by lizards, Hesh doesn't find it funny after he found one in the washroom at 2AM the next morning, if you have a fear of lizards? Good luck, you scream? Hesh will come to save you, but Riley likes the damn lizards and keeps bringing them inside accidently and it becomes a big mess. Hesh apologizes about fifty times for it.

- “..This might be a little problem” Hesh would mutter as you smack or elbow his stomach, he would wince a bit and be grumbley he couldn't ‘tame’ wild lizards like his father could, awkwardly rubbing his hair as he would pat your shoulder and promise to deal with it.

- It took three weeks. Three weeks to get all the lizards out of the house, and Hesh only kept one bigger lizard, which he built a cage for and now cares for as it had a small injury.

- He gives a soft smile, and a tilt of the head, like a 'I did it' face, in the end, you both are relieved that the lizards are no longer all over your home.

Logan Walker: 

- Logan brought home a large frog, well like a large overweight bullfrog, No questions asked, No answers given as he just plopped it in front of you. Like a silent, I brought you this.

- If you like the bullfrog? You can keep it, Logan would buy a big enclosure for her, and silently look proud of his work, he would feed, care and love this frog like it's his damn firstborn. Even takes photos to send to you, Elias, and Hesh. ‘Look at my frog. ignore she's a bit big, we are working on it'. Texts little updates about this frog every week.

- If he can't care for it? He’ll expect you to, please care for this man’s frog. You don't have to pick it up if you don't want to but feed her for him when he's away if you are still around the house.

- Logan would randomly just plop the frog on you (if you don't mind), frog on your head, frog on your shoulder, frog in your hands, frog on your stomach.. He would just randomly plop her on you, and smile. 

- If you don't like the frog, he will give her to Elias for safe keeping, willing to just visit his frog but wanting to keep the peace between you two.

- Logan likes frogs, if he finds one interesting enough he will just catch it to show it off to you, a rare smile playing on his lips as he lets the frog poke their head out of his hand to show you. Like Logan is quietly and silently asking if you love the frog as much as he does. If you don't, that's alright, he'll find something else to randomly bring you as presents.. Logan always gently puts the frogs he catches back where he finds them.

- Frog catching was definitely a hobby, one Hesh got him into when they were young children. Hesh may have 'forgotten' about the competition about frog catching between them but Logan would never. 

- Logan actually tries to start this competition with you, who could catch the most frogs? If you don't want to? That's alright, he'll show off the frogs from a decent way away. If you do? Get prepared to get dirty, this is war, mud was on both of your clothes, as you two had looked for frogs for hours and who do you think would win?

Keegan P. Russ:

- Keegan isn’t scared of many things in life, so when he brings home a large snake? Wrapped around his neck like it wouldn't hurt him, as he causally walks into the apartment, a wild snake around his neck.. You might be a bit hesitant as it's about 3AM, and Keegan just got home.. with a random big snake.

- Keegan gives a head nod as he put the snake down on the couch.. Like it wouldn't just slither off around the apartment, Keegan puts his hands on his hips, and glances at you before glancing back at the snake. “I have a pet.”

- Yeah, that's all he said to you, do you like snakes? If you are chill with it, Keegan's chill, Keegan will buy a large enclosure for the big guy and ensure he's well fed. 

- If you don't like snakes..? Or are scared of them, Keegan will ensure the snake is kept in a large enclosure, and wouldn't take him out around you. But he does keep him, and nurses the snake up to full health again.

- Keegan would slowly get the snake used to his and your presence, feeding him well so there was no accidents, slowly getting the snake used to you both and making sure to do a tad bit of research about this species to ensure he doesn't fuck up.

- “Put this on” Keegan would say with a straight face and a quiet chuckle as he put the large snake around your neck, his hand not leaving but staying between you and the snake's head, and would tease you if you were scared.. but if you got to scared he would take the snake back and keep him away from you. Keegan wouldn't apologize but would make it up to you for scaring you.

- You always see Keegan with this snake, attempting to scare either Logan or Hesh, whoever was closest to him, maybe even put the snake in Kick's bed, having had ensured the other man had no weapons to hurt Keegan's beloved snake... But also giving Kick the scare of his life.

Thomas A. Merrick: 

- Merrick brings home a small baby squirrel, holding her in his gloved palm, as she was covered in dirty rainwater, and oil. Merrick had just returned from a long mission, still wearing his gear as he accidentally woke you up at around 4AM.

- He would apologize quietly as if trying to make up for the fact he woke you up and asks you to start a little bath in the sink for the little squirrel.

- Merrick was a bit quieter in the morning, as he sat by the kitchen sink, not even taking off his gear, you both would gently clean off this baby squirrel.

- If you don't want to keep her, Merrick would be alright with that, very understanding as he would end up bringing her to a vet for them to figure out what to do.

- If you do want to keep her, Merrick would nod and do his best to ensure the squirrel would be happy and cared for. Merrick would pat your shoulder or head as a thank you, and find a nice spot to put the little squirrel, ends up just making a small bed in an old shoe box.

- Merrick ends up training the squirrel to bring him any amount of dollar bills, Merrick would grin when the squirrel would pass him a five dollar bill and give her lots of headsets and snacks. Merrick would give You a smug I told you I could do it look.

- You two end up having this squirrel for a long while, oh you're cooking something? Watch out Ms.Squirrelly might run past and try to steal your ingredients, you want five minutes alone in the shower, Squirrelly is outside the shower waiting for you, you leave the groceries out? Guess who ate them already. 

- Ms. Squirrelly is very loved by all, even if she does steal money. She's a little thief, but Merrick adores her, and yes he keeps that money to buy you or Ms.Squirrelly a nice gift. 

Kick: 

- When Kick walks Into the house carrying a goat, what do you do when it screams bloody murder when she sees you? Kick was very straight faced as he looked at you, holding her up as if to show you nothing bad happened.

- Kick stole a goat. Who knows where he got the poor girl from, Kick wouldn't give You any details, he just walks into the house and puts the goat down in the kitchen, asking her to shut up as he put a plate of fruit in front of her.

- When you ask what the hell, or why he just shrugged as explains he found her alone while doing a test fly with a helicopter, claiming he just found her and took her home.. He basically just kidnapped a goat from who knows where.

- Kick and the goat don't even get along, she will follow him and you around, but the moment shes alone with Kick? she screams, she just makes the worse screeching noises around him, like he hates this man.. But she doesn't leave even if You give her the chance to. 

- Yeah, the goat vibes with you, but it seems like Kick and her just despise each other, like if one of them are in a room, and the other walks in? One of them will end up leaving.

- Kick regretted taking the goat in, he dislikes loud things.. and this goat is loud, she hates him, and she makes sure to ‘tell’ Kick. Kick will look at you with a straight face.. every time, it just makes it funnier.

- You don’t really have much of a choice, unless it is necessary this goat won’t leave, Kick has tried. She just randomly pops back up in the backyard and you both have to keep her. 

- The only time Kick and this goat get along is when Kick gives her food or ‘fights’ her, play fighting a goat, basically Kick has ran out of ideas but it makes the goat shut up for a while.

[ncytiri]

crying, shaved ice, volcano, mouse trap, droplet and cloud for valentina, venus and/or vernon!! <3 (also your oc page looks AMAZING)

OLI THANK YOU!!!!! i decided to spin the wheel and assign two emojis for all of them so the order is gonna be a little messed up but i got it 🫡 and thank you for the compliment on my oc page!!! :"0 it took me so damn long to do but im sooooo proud and happy with the final result!!

edit - oh my GOD i had this answered for so long and it was never published because it was sent to my drafts instead 😭? so i deeply apologize for the late response oli omfg...

oc emoji asks!

🪤 MOUSE TRAP - what will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for? (valentina)

god both of those honestly… she is very protective of her loved ones and is willing to do anything to keep them safe ANDDDD she is always looking for a way to save herself from the relic (but also valentina wants so badly for johnny to be saved too, she has grown attached to him :/)

☁️ CLOUD - a soft headcanon (valentina)

once valentina started getting more uppity and well known in night city ($$$$$), she was able to help joss pay off randy’s medical bills and also helped joss re-enroll randy into school so he could graduate (also because she’s extra, she has delamain pick up and drop off all the kutcher kids at their respective schools so joss can go to work without worrying about getting them to and from school!) :’) valentina loves river’s family so much and she wants to let them live normal lives again after what happened with randy because she still has nightmares (as does river) about what she saw on that farm, so she can only imagine how bad it must be for randy ❤️‍🩹

😭 CRYING - what makes them cry? do they cry easily? (venus)

it takes a lot to make venus cry tbh but the one thing that does make her cry is a cat, she loves cats SO much… she gets so emotional seeing cats on the street and likes to think in another life, she ran a rescue for kitties ☹️ so instead, while she was employed by arasaka, she would make a monthly donation to animal shelters around night city to help them with any surgeries or care they might need!!

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it? (venus)

she had a plushie her parents got for her before she was even born that she kept for most of her life and she took it with her EVERYWHEREEE truly one of her best friends... but when she moved out, she gave it to her grandmother for save keeping. but after her removal by arasaka, her whole family basically shunned her no matter how hard she tried to tell them otherwise, so even thinking about the small little pearlescent dragon brings back painful memories for her :(

🌋 VOLCANO - how bad is their temper? is it a slow boil, or a instant explosion? (vernon)

vernon has a very mild temper, it takes a LOTTTTT to get him mad omg so definitely a slow boil!!

💧 DROPLET - random angst headcanon (vernon)

vernon is a nomad because he has basically lost every family he has known (his biological one, his adoptive one, etc.). vernon was given up for adoption as a baby by a couple who were unable to give him the life he deserved, so a close friend of his mother promised to raise him as their own. his nomad family was part of a small clan, removed from the seven nations that inhabit the NUSA and were located north were modern day vegas is. he grew up happy until he was about 18 when he was off working a seasonal job at some biotechnica plant, after the season was over, he returned to find his whole clan had basically been slaughtered, only a few members remained who were also returning from their seasonal jobs. so vernon and the remaining nomads gathered what they could of their family to honor them and eventually joined the bakkers which is where his story starts at the beginning of cyberpunk!!! (damn sorry for that long ass dissertation 💀)

[huge-enthusiast]

Miraculous fic recomendations!!

This is just an excuse to show all my bookmarks? Yes. Yes, it is. I'm pretty sure most of this fics are really popular, but try see if you find something you didn't knew about!

All of the fics will be rated Teen and up audiences or lower. Also if I don't put the author's tumblr is because they didn't put it in the fic or/and I couldn't find it.

Pairing: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

knowing you by emsylcatac (they are not really the author of the fic but that's the account that says in the fic, the actual author doesn't have an account).

After dropping their transformations months ago, Marinette and Adrien see each other for the first time after being apart. They've both left too much unsaid and have to work to pick up the pieces of their confused hearts.

Chapters: 1/1

Post-reveal but mostly ladynoir, light angst with happy ending.

the last day on earth by Reiaji

The first time Marinette sees Chat Blanc, she's fourteen years old. The second time, fifteen—the third time, seventeen.

The closer she grows to Adrien, the harder it is to save him.

Chapters: 1/1

Post-reveal lovesquare, kinda heavy angst, hopeful ending.

tell me something i don't know by carpisuns (@carpisuns here on tumblr)

Do you think it still means something? To love someone, even if the universe said you had to?

The odds of having a soulmate are about negative one billion (or something like that). But somehow, like they always have, Marinette and Chat Noir find themselves together. They’re ready to finally tell each other everything, but it turns out that even soulmates have to keep secrets, and while their bond draws them together, duty forces them apart.

Chapters: currently 17/28 (WIPs can be exhausting but this one is 100% worth the wait!)

Mostly marichat but almost all of the lovesquare sides make an appearance, soulmates au, mostly fluff but it can get angsty if it wants to.

One Thing After Another by SKayLanphear

Marinette notices that, sometimes, Adrien acts a little out of the ordinary--like the time he stood in a cardboard box for no reason, or when he actually hissed at Nino. It's only when she starts to notice the similarities between Adrien and a certain feline that she begins to get suspicious.

Basically, Adrien acts like a cat when he probably shouldn't.

Chapters: 15/15

Mostly adrienette with one sided reveal by Marinette's side, miraculous side effects (by both sides wich is really cool!), it's fluff with a lil tiny angst for drama.

This would take some getting used to by Codango (@codango here on tumblr!)

Adrien peeked out from behind the chimney even as the magic of his own Chat Noir mask fell away.

She was still visible, her dark hair bobbing under the street lamps a couple blocks away.

“Marinette.”

Adrien blew out a confused breath. His fiery Ladybug… was the quiet little mouse who sat behind him in class?

“What. The.”

This… would take some getting used to.

Chapters: 8/8

Adrienette with one sided reveal by Adrien's part, awkward flirting, just fluff, nothing to worry about.

comfort food also by Reiaji!

In Marinette's house, cooking is a language of love, and Marinette loves Adrien more than most.

Chapters: 1/1

Adrienette with a little of ladynoir, super super fluff, a lot of insight into Marinette's chinese heritage.

The right side of his face by walkingonthestars (@hamsternamedmarinette here on tumblr!)

Marinette and Adrien are able to remain in their new seats in the back of the room at the end of Chameleon.

Chapters: 1/1

Adrienette, fluff with light angst.

it's a long way forward so trust in me by aloneintherain (@captainkirkk here on tumblr!)

“You’re not the only strong one around here, Chat,” Marinette said. She looked a little winded, but she wasn’t struggling to hold him up.

This close up, he could see the freckles on the bridge of her nose. He could see how that smug smile lit up her eyes. He could feel the strain of her arms—and wow, okay, he really wasn’t the only person around here with muscles.

Six times Marinette carried Adrien (plus one time he carried her).

Chapters: 1/1

All the sides of the lovesquare! Fluff with LOTS of mutual pining.

a fight that you were born to lose also by aloneintherain

When the prosecution starts throwing around the word victim in reference to Adrien, he has to stuff his hands under his thighs to keep himself from bolting out of the courtroom.

Adrien had felt unsafe during those last few weeks, but, until he had woken up and seen Father silhouetted in his bedroom doorway, that had only been paranoia. Father was controlling and cold, but he wasn’t hateful. Adrien was isolated. He was often hungry. And some weeks ago, when he had snuck out to visit Nino, sitting thigh-to-thigh on his bed while Adrien cried in that silent, crumbling way of his, he hadn’t argued when Nino put a hand on his shoulder and said, tentatively, That’s abuse.

But Adrien remembers being small and Father touching his hair after he’d aced another test; Father holding his scribbled drawings like they were something precious, and framing them around his office; Father, dressed as Hawkmoth, his eyes wild behind the mask, lashing his sword against Adrien’s baton; Father, collapsed against Mum, crying into her ashy hair.

Adrien finds out Gabriel is Hawkmoth, and Gabriel gets to bring his long-waited plan into action.

Chapters: 1/1

This one doesn't really focus in the ship that much as is an Adrien character study and an exploration of his relationship with his father, but they're still there so I put them here. Really heavy angst (this is one of this fics that haunt me in the middle of the night) with a happy ending. ❗TW: parental abuse, eating disorders❗

Supercut by LNC

Marinette loves her friends and Adrien can't deal.

Chapters: 1/1

Post-reveal lovesquare, again light angst, an exploration of Adrien's insecurities, Marinette Dupain-Cheng deserves the world, happy ending.

Madame Snare by jettiebettie

“Sounds like a lot of work for nothing. She should take this as a sign to have a relaxing weekend with no responsibilities.”

“It's a lot of work she put her whole heart into. It wouldn't be right for it to go to waste,” Adrien whispers to him. The look on Marinette's face is enough to cause Adrien's own heart to ache. If anyone deserves the satisfaction and pride from a job well done, it's her.

“Too bad there isn't anyone else who can walk in those death traps,” Plagg says. Adrien hums in thought, tapping his chin.

“I could.”

Chapters: 1/1

Marichat, episode-based, Chat Noir in a dress!!!, light angst but it's mostly just idiots being idiots and a lot of fun.

in the same sun by peachcitt (@peachcitt here on tumblr!)

"It’s hard to believe that I saw you last at the peak of summer, when the sun was close and warm - and so were you. It should go without saying that I miss you. I miss you something terrible."

//

"It’s been seven months to the day since I’ve seen you. I wish you were here more than anything else."

Two letters, signed with initials instead of names, found in Paris, France.

Chapters: 1/1

Ladynoir, just angst, that's it, written like letters. No ending, just pain.

an uncurtain discovery by Missnoodles (@ladyofthenoodle here on tumblr!)

When he returns from school on Wednesday afternoon, Adrien discovers the darkness in his own home. He struggles to come to terms with it. To his utter mortification and delight, Ladybug is nearby to rescue him.

(He does not discover that his father is supervillain. That will happen on a different Wednesday.)

Chapters: 1/1

Ladrien, it says it's crack, and don't get me wrong, is super funny, but I also found it sad as fuck?

An Open Secret by Kasienda

Adrien whirled around toward Marinette. She smiled at him.

He couldn’t smile back. He stared at her like the dumb blond model that he was often accused of being.

Something shifted in her expression. And her warm open Marinette smile transformed into Ladybug’s grin. He was looking at Ladybug right now.

He knew Ladybug’s name!

Her name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

And he couldn’t say anything! Not to Marinette! Not even to Plagg, who had confided two weeks prior that Master Fu was growing increasingly paranoid since the location of his home and hideout had been compromised. Their master had apparently decided that Chat Noir and Ladybug would have to give up their miraculouses if they ever discovered each other’s identities.

It wasn’t fair!

...

A fic where they both know, but can't openly talk about it.

Chapters: 4/4

Post-reveal... but is it? Mostly adrienette and ladynoir, fluff with light angst and them being absolute idiots at hiding their secret identity.

golden (like daylight) by okayanna (@anna-scribbles here on tumblr!)

Friendship, Adrien decided, shaking off the mental image of Marinette’s hurricane eyes and hesitant mouth, parted in a small, careful “o.” He had a very strong friendship with Marinette. That was all.

or

Adrien thinks a lot about words, love, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Chapters: 1 + epilogue

Adrienette but has lots of ladynoir, another Adrien character study because I hate myself, it tries to not be angst but the writing will punch you in the guts and make you cry, it's so good.

Strangers in the Bright Lights by poodles (@ladybeug here on tumblr!)

Adrien is about two drinks in when he sees a girl at the end of the bar wearing black cat ears. It's kind of weird, so he watches her, and although it's crowded he can see her face when she turns around. She’s wearing a Chat Noir mask. He takes a quick look around- nobody else is wearing a mask. Just her.

Adrien finishes his gin martini and heads over to her. He could use some company tonight anyways, he hasn’t told anyone he’s back in Paris and Nathalie won’t arrive in town for another month. And it’s been a rough day, okay? A rough move! He’s not sure he wants to be back yet, and he spent most of the day in the Agreste mansion sorting through some photographs of his father he found in the study. Maybe he wants a drink and some stranger to tell him he’s pretty! That’s not a crime, is it?

Chapters: 1/1

Adrienette but it's also ladrien??? I think??? It's super super angsty but they're both drunk the entirety of the fic so it's also really funny.

Pick-Up and Chase by also SKayLanphear

After she accidentally trips into Adrien and apologizes about "falling for him," Marinette learns that he's no match for cheesy pick-up lines--whether they were unintended or not. And while she finds it flattering that he turns into a flustered mess with only a few words, Marinette comes to regret making him uncomfortable. That is, until she learns he's Chat Noir. At which point the phrase "just deserts" becomes a permanent fixture in her everyday plans.

A story in which Adrien is flustered, Marinette is smooth as glass at dropping lines, and Chat Noir gets the romance he was always asking for--even if he doesn't quite know how to handle it.

Chapters: 10/10

Adrienette with one sided reveal by Marinette's side, it doesn't say it in the tags but I'm pretty sure the characters are much older than they actually are in the show, so much fluff and so much flirting.

Pairing: Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe

Nino Has Done Nothing To Deserve This by GuardianKarenTerrier (@guardiankarenterrier here in tumblr)

It's nothing, really- just an innocent comment, a joke. But when they hear it, Nino and Alya come to a realisation.

There were, in retrospect, dozens upon dozens of hints. Now that they're suddenly aware of all their friend's flimsy excuses and rushed explanations, they're not only sure how they've missed it, they're not sure how anyone else has either. They realise that it had to be magic protecting their friends- and that same magic has ceased to work on the two of them.

Well, this means they'll just have to start watching over their friends themselves.

Chapters: 7/7

This is more a found family fic than anything else, Alya and Nino are the mom friend, has light angst but it's mostly identity shenanigans in the most bizarre way. ❗TW: eating disorders❗

christmas lights by demistories

Nino checks up and down the street, checking to make sure there’s no raging akuma headed his way before he crosses quickly and ducks inside the small café. He closes the door quickly before the icy air can blow inside and tugs his beanie down over his ears. He spots Alya sitting alone in the corner.

Chapters: 1/1

Just fluff!! Really short but really sweet.

hold on, i still want you also by Missnoodles!

Written for the @thedjwifizine ! Wich I also recommend if you wanna binge a lot of djwifi fics while also looking at amazing art!!!

Five times Alya ran into her ex, and the one time he stopped being her ex.

Chapters: 1/1

Light angst with a happy ending! I don't really like the ex-lovers to lovers trope but this one is the only exception.

I will continue to expand the list in the future! But by now I hope I was helpful in the search of new fics!

[thirstyforlulu]

Yandere Hellsing x Reader HCs? Including Millennium

Integra:

She’s a very possessive yandere

With her money and power, she has the means to get her hands on you

She’s good at playing cool, you won’t catch on for a while

Sure you notice that she never sends you on missions and that she’s always having you work near her office, but that’s just her being a good friend

When she decides to approach you romantically, she’s very forward

Around you she’s a touch starved animal, unlike her usual put together appearance

If you deny her feelings or try to run, get ready because she’s not giving up that easily

She’ll pull whatever strings she has to in order to find you

She’ll spend thousands bribing people or tracking you

Once she knows where you are, she’ll send Alucard to collect you

When she has you she’s very loving

She’ll want to constantly be touching you in some way

Usually that means sitting beside her while she works at her desk

As long as you’re good, she’ll let you wander the entirety of the manor

Since you tried to run she’s added all sorts of security measures so you can’t get out

Act up though and she will chain you to the wall in her office

“Y/N, your behavior has been deplorable lately and needs correcting.

Don’t give me those sad eyes, this is all your fault.”

Walter:

He’s a sneaky yandere

Very observant, he’ll learn your patterns and preferences

At the start he’ll leave you gifts like your favorite food or pretty flowers

He uses it as an excuse to get closer to you

He’s always offering to do favors for you, secretly lowering your defenses around him

He’s not the type to take anything from you but he will take the time to appreciate them

If you let him clean your room he’ll likely pause to sniff some clothes

You notice how much he knows about you but you just think he’s very observant

You don’t realize it’s due to his obsession

He’s the type to take more precautions

If you deny his advances he’ll lock you up somewhere, probably his room

He’ll get chains and a cage if necessary

If you really act up, he’ll lock you in the basement

The way you cling to him in fear after spending all night in the dark is addictive

His wires are always nearby

If you try to run you’ll only get a few steps out the door before the wires wrap you up and pull you back

He does his best not to hurt you, but if you struggle too much, a few cuts are inevitable

Seras:

She’s a very clingy yandere

She’ll want you on every mission she goes on

When you have free time she’ll take you out into the area nearby for some quality time

If you ever push her away, she gets angry

She’ll pout like a child then force her way into whatever it is you’re doing

At the time, she’ll act like it’s just a coincidence and you might even believe her

You’re not getting rid of her so easily

She’s also a very sweet yandere

If she feels she’s hurt your feelings she’ll go out of her way to get you presents or treat you nicely

Until you say you forgive her, she won’t stop pampering you

No one else is allowed near you, not even Integra

She’ll make excuses and do whatever it takes to keep you to herself

She would never kidnap you or lock you up because she hates to see you sad, but her “loving” behavior will be a trap in itself

Don’t forget that despite how cute she is, she’s still a powerful monster that can and will do what it takes to keep you

If that means making you one of her familiars then so be it

Alucard:

He’s a terrifying yandere

He can control you and the people around you, holding you captive

You’re not a stupid person, you know how easily he could end your life, so you tend to let it all happen

On the plus side, he’s very passionate and often brings you gifts

He’s such a smooth talker you’ll end up forgetting the terrifying threats he’s made in the past

Anyone who flirts with you will mysteriously disappear

Anyone who hurts you will turn up days later torn to shreds in a ditch

He would never do anything to hurt you, but that doesn’t stop him from making threats

“I could tear you apart just like that man from last week. I would love to hear your moans of anguish, but I’d prefer moans of pleasure.”

When you act out he manhandles you

He’ll press you against a wall and bite your neck to remind you of your place

He enjoys when you become complicit, but he likes when you’re occasionally act out

It gives him an excuse to punish you, which he always loves

After that, you’ll think twice before disobeying him

Millenium:

Jan:

Bro this man is already wild

When he sets his sights on you it’s go time

He won’t let anyone else near you or get to know you, not even his brother

He’ll threaten people, meeting them after work for overstepping their boundaries

He’s very touchy, like he’s trying to leave his scent all over you

Out in public, he’ll hang on you, showing others that you’re already taken

He’ll growl at people that look at you too long when passing by

He flicks a lot of people off, all the time but more so when he’s around you

He’s paranoid and doesn’t like anyone else around you, even friends

Clearly he’s a fan of body modification so if he can convince you he’ll want to get some kind of matching piercing/tattoo

If you get it, he’ll pay special attention to it any time you cuddle, running his fingers over it countless times

He can be very intense so he might yell at you, but when he sees the hurt look in your eyes he backs off

In his own weird way, he loves you and doesn’t want to see you hurting

But if he has to hurt you to keep you then so be it

Luke:

He’s not as subtle as he thinks he is

He tries to play it cool, but if someone tries to touch you he will blatantly smack their hand away

Always has an excuse to be around you and if he doesn’t, he’ll find one

He’s not as touchy as Jan, but he does like to hold your hand

You’ll feel his pinky brush against you before his hand completely envelops yours

His grip tightens when he sees you looking at others

Your attention is something he so desperately craves

He gives you every moment of his time and he wants you to do the same

If you’re ever in danger he’s there before anyone else even knows

It helps that he was already watching you

Be ready to compensate him

At first he’s just worried about you, but then once he knows you’re alright, he’ll start making demands

“You owe me for coming to your rescue dear. Or would you like me to toss you back? Maybe then you’ll beg me in such a cute way.”

Rip:

She does not care what other people think

She’ll ruin relationships to get closer to you

She’ll endanger her own job if it keeps you two apart

Doing favors is how she gets closer to you

Anytime you need something she’s there and ready to go

She’d leave in the middle of a mission if she hears you need help

Anyone causing you problems will be slaughtered and presented to you as a gift

“See y/n, I took off their heads just for you.”

She can get very aggressive especially if she thinks you’re denying her advances

She won’t hurt you, beyond a little pinch or so, but she’ll make threats

She’s very sadistic and would be willing to lock you up

Having you as a pet is actually an attractive idea to her

She’ll take good care of you wherever you’re locked up, but she won’t allow many freedoms

“Look at my pretty pet. How lucky am I.”

The Captain:

He’s like a pet, always following you around

He’ll growl at people he doesn’t like around you

His arms are always around you, keeping you close

No one else is allowed to tend to you after missions

When he’s patching you up, he’ll run his hands along your arms and legs, lovingly caressing your limbs

He’ll use that as an excuse to stay around you

Popping in to “check on you” at all hours

You won’t even know he’s come in until he’s sitting on the edge of your bed

He’s the type the would sit there for a moment watching you breathe

If he can, he’ll try to get you to be his assistant

If he can convince the higher ups that he needs one, he’ll do whatever he can

Then he’ll be around you even when he works and will be able to protect you

No one on the battlefield will be able to even get close to you

He’ll ignore his own tasks to protect you

He’s extremely loyal and obsessive

The Doctor

Oh man it is terrifying when he has his eye on someone

He views it like just another experiment, wanting to test and push you

He’ll have you coming to him for “examinations” all the time

He’d likely put a bug on you

Suddenly he knows things you don’t remember telling him, but you can’t prove anything

People you like start disappearing, people you had no idea he knew about

If he suspects you’re starting to catch on and trying to get away, he’ll start drugging you

Then you’ll have to come to him if you’re going to get better

While he’s treating you, he’ll trick you mentally manipulating you to grow closer to him

You’re going to think so highly of him, forgetting all the red flags you’d seen before

He is absolutely a gas lighter but he’s damn good at it

Even if you have experience with this stuff you won’t pick up on it

It’s a game of cat and mouse with him

The Major

He is not subtle and does not care

Your needs or emotions don’t matter to him

If you don’t respond well to his advances he will make terrible threats

If that doesn’t work he’ll take it a step further, allowing the ghouls to get close to taking a bite out of you

Torture is the next step

He doesn’t care about your mood, he has to have you

“Y/N, why do you fight so hard when you know I’m just going to hurt you again?”

He’ll want to do most of it by hand, but if he needs to he will get the others involved

“Would you like me to make a spectacle out of you? I think the others would enjoy that.”

Behave and he won’t hurt you

If he gets mad enough he’ll remove your arms and legs

You’ll become his good little doll, always on display for him

Like a bird in a cage, you’re his favorite display item

[winchesterfanatic1967]

My Masterlist

Imagines:

Sharing a bed- You and Dean share a bed together for the first time. (Fluff)

Such a sap- Dean is a sap for you, but he’s proud of it. (Fluff) 

My Superhero- You’re almost assaulted at a bar, but Dean comes to your rescue. (Fluff, A little angst)

Shy- You’re shy and inexperienced and Dean tries to break you out of your shell. (Fluff)

Period Fluff- Dean takes care of you during that time of the month. (Fluff) 

It all started with a back massage- Dean gives you a massage, and finds out something interesting about you. (Fluff)

It all started with a back massage Part 2-  You start a war with Dean that you immediately regret. (Fluff) 

Makeup- You’re insecure without makeup on, and Dean reassures you that you’re beautiful. (Fluff) 

How To Describe Dean Winchester- You describe your relationship with Dean. (Fluff) 

Dean’s Flannel- Dean loves it when you wear his flannel shirts. (Fluff) 

Bodyguard- After you’re attacked, Dean Winchester becomes your bodyguard. (Fluff, angst) 

Bleeding Love- You’re the one who gets hurt instead of Dean in the car accident post Season 1. (Fluff, A little angst)

Protective- After Dean gets hurt on a hunt, you feel like it’s all your fault. (Fluff, angst)

Nightmare- You get captured by a Djinn, and it shows you your greatest fear. (Fluff, angst) 

Monsters I get, People Are Crazy- The reader is kidnapped by hillbillies and Dean rescues her. (Fluff, angst)

Bedridden- After getting badly injured, Dean helps you out. (Fluff)

I Can Kiss You Anytime I Want- After Dean gets hurt on a hunt, you have nightmares until you come to him for comfort. (Fluff) 

Bait- You’re bait on a hunt, and Dean doesn’t like it. (Fluff)

Stitches- After the readers stitches rip open for a second time, her wound becomes infected. (Fluff, angst)

That’s Not My Dean- Dean comes back from the hunt, but it’s not your Dean. (Fluff, angst)

Impala Cuddles- After having to pull over for the night, the reader and Dean share the backseat. (Fluff)

Buried Alive- Crowley uses you as leverage. (Fluff, angst)

Peanut Butter- The reader has a severe allergic reaction to peanut butter, and Dean drives her to the hospital. (Fluff)

Cat and Mouse- Dean finds something very interesting out about you, and you play cat and mouse in the bunker. (Extreme fluff) 

The Line of fire- The reader has been putting herself in front of the gun a lot lately. (Fluff, angst)

Thunderstorms- You and Dean get into your first fight. (Fluff, angsty)

Visions- A witch puts a severe curse on you. (Fluff, angst)

Wendigo- You get attacked by a Wendigo and Dean patches you up. (Fluff, angst).

Asthma Attack- You have asthma and Dean helps you through another attack. (Fluff)

Seizures- You have epilepsy and Dean doesn’t know. (Fluff) 

Vetala- You and Dean fight after you antagonize the vetalas so they would hurt you and not him. (Fluff, angst)

Hostage- You get shot during a bank robbery and your boyfriend Dean is one of the officers on the case. (Fluff, angst) 

Sick Days- Dean takes care of you when you’re sick. (Fluff)

Your Breath Stinks- You tease Dean and he makes you regret your words. (Fluff) 

Stabbed- You get stabbed in the back, and it’s a little too close to home for Dean. (Fluff, angst)

Blushing- Dean loves it when you blush. (Fluff) 

Seven Years- Dean goes to you at the end of Season 5 instead of Lisa. (angst, Fluff)

Why Is It Our Job To Save These People?- You feel like the world is against you, Dean makes you feel better. (Smut, angst, fluff)

Wedgies- Dean won’t stop tickling you, and you got to do what you’ve gotta do. (Fluff)

Prank War- You start a prank war between the brothers. (Fluff)

Not Today Satan- You meet the Winchester brothers after Lucifer takes a liking to you. (Fluff, Smut)

Are You Going To Kiss Me?- After you watch your boyfriend kill someone, officer Dean Winchester comes to your rescue. (Fluff, angst)

Cuddling Is For Chicks- Dean is feeling low after a bad hunt, and you force him to cuddle with you. (Fluff) 

Yes Ma’am- After a horrible tragedy, Dean is there for you when you need him the most. (Angst, a little bit of fluff) 

A Dream Come True- You have feelings for Dean, and he has no idea he’s hurting your feelings with hookups. (Fluff)

On A Scale Of 1-10- After Dean finds out you’re ticklish, he becomes extremely playful. (SUPER fluffy) 

Dark Nights- Dean is there for you after you go through something traumatic. (Angst)

Sleepy Nights- After being overworked and exhaustion, all you need are Dean’s cuddles. (Super Fluffy)

Just Another Notch- After hooking up with Dean he makes it apparent that it means more to him than just sex. (Slight smut, fluff)

Migraines- Dean takes care of you when you have a really bad headache. (Nothing but pure fluff)

Take Care Of You- After you receive the covid-19 vaccine, Dean helps you with the side effects. (Fluff)

I Would Never Hurt You- You have a past, and when Dean gets angry you can’t help but relive it. (Angst)

I Don’t Want To Get Hurt- You and Dean are the exact same person, and you’re terrified when feelings get involved. (Fluff, Hint of angst)

It’s Not Going To Be Easy- You get pregnant, and your life changes forever. As well as Dean’s. (Angst, Hint of fluff) 

Filling The Empty Void- After you lose your furry best friend, Dean and Sam help you feel better. (Fluff) 

Love Is Patient- You love Dean with all of your heart, but you’re not sure he feels the same. Plus with all of the demons in your head, your mind is constantly playing tricks on you. (Angst)

I Promise- You’ve been in your own head recently, but a green eyed hunter helps the darkness go away. (Angst)

The Right Guy- You take things upon yourself when you’re feeling lonely, and Dean protects you when they go south. (Angst)

That Laugh- Dean misses your laughter and he takes it upon himself to hear it. (Complete fluff) 

Wake Up Call- You wake Dean up the best way you can. (Smut) 

Always Keep Fighting- How your life turns out after losing Dean, Season 15 spoilers. (Angst, death) 

Sweetheart- When Dean calls you ‘Sweetheart” it just gets you a certain way. (Fluffy) 

Those Three Words- You lose your virginity to Dean. (Smut, fluff) 

What Did You Do?- You find out Dean sold his soul to save Sam, and he has one year left. (Angst) 

Beautiful- You’re a bit on the heavier side, but Dean doesn’t care and shows you how beautiful you are. (Fluff, A bit angsty, Smut) 

I Have To Protect You- You have a daughter with Dean, and you have no idea monsters exist. When you’re kidnapped as leverage, Dean has to come clean. (Fluff, angst) 

Jealous- You and Dean have feelings for each other, and Sam is tired of being in the middle. (Fluff) 

Why Didn’t You Tell Me?- Dean x sister reader, he finds out a secret after you died and it nearly destroys him. (Angst) 

Soulmate- You and Dean are soulmates, no other words needed. (Fluff, angst) 

I’m Here For You- Dean x stripper reader, after getting to know he all he wants to do is keep you safe. (Angst) 

I Love That Blush- Dean keeps coming into your bakery for pies and to flirt with you, instantly falling for you and the blush that keeps resurfacing. (Fluff, a hint of angst) 

You Can Always Come To Me- You remember a tragedy that happened 10 years ago, and Dean is there for you. (Angst, mentions of a dark past)

Scars- You have a scar that you don’t want Dean to see, but he reassures you that you’re beautiful. (Fluff, a hint of angst)

I Surrender- When you leave unexpectedly, it breaks Dean’s heart. But when he learns the truth he gets it. (Angst) 

You’re Not A Loser- You’ve never been kissed, and Dean is extremely sweet about it when you feel like a loser. (Fluff, Benny is a bit of a dick)

The Strength To His Calm- After a hunt gone wrong, Dean is blaming himself and you’re the only one who can pick up the pieces. (Angst, a hint of fluff)

It’s Always Been You- It’s getting painful for you to watch your best friend getting his heart broken over and over again, especially since you’ve been harboring feelings for him your entire life. (Angst, smut, fluff)

Whenever I Picture Myself Happy, It’s With You- Dean is extra sweet to you during your time of the month and admits his feelings for you. (Fluff)

You’re The Best Thing To Ever Happen To Me- After some playful morning activities, you and Dean tell each other how much you mean to one another. (Fluff) 

I Can’t Lose You- After almost losing you, Dean is more vulnerable than ever. (Fluff, slight angst) 

Morning Cuddles- All Dean wants to do is stay in bed with you all day. (Fluff) 

Abandoned Farm- After you’re kidnapped and sexually assaulted, Dean is there for you. (Angst) 

Never Change- Dean reassures you that you’re beautiful when you’re feeling low. (Fluff) 

Not Goodbye, See You Later- Dean’s past comes back to haunt him twelve years after the most tragic event in his life happened. (Angst, death, hint of fluff)

The Past Is The Past- Based off of 9x13, the reader sticks up for Dean. 

We Will Find A Way- With the apocalypse about to go down, it hasn’t been good and you desperately miss Dean’s laughter and smile. (Fluff, some angst)

Friends To Lovers- Dean is your best friend, and you have had feelings for him forever. You don’t think those feelings are reciprocated, but unbeknownst to you, they just might be. (Fluffy) 

Everything’s Going To Be Okay- Mary leaves in 12x03, and you’re there for a heartbroken Dean who doesn’t think he’s good enough. (Angst, a tint of fluff)

One Last Chance- Dean cheats on you, and it turns your world upside down. Can you forgive him? (Angst) 

How Dare You?- You comfort Dean after Mary admits she’s working with the BMOL (Angst, hint of fluff)

I’m Sorry- Dean snaps at you and embarrasses you in front of everyone. Will he be able to save your friendship? (Angst, fluff at the end)

Don’t Mess With My Pie- You should know better than to mess with Dean’s pie. There will be consequences (Fluff) 

The L Word- Dean comforts you while you feel like there’s no hope for anything anymore (Angst, hint of fluff) 

Series: 

With You By My Side (Series Complete)- You’re Bobby Singers daughter, you practically grew up with the Winchesters as their father hunted with yours. Sam is the big brother you never had. Dean is so much more. You’ve been harboring a crush on him since you were 16. You’re almost certain he doesn’t feel the same way. But things aren’t always as they seem. (Fluff, Smut, Angst).

You’re The Light To My Darkness (Series Complete)- Y/n has had a pretty tough life to say the least, and ends up in a really dark place. Can Dean find out what’s going on and help bring the light back into her eyes again? (Fluff, Angst, Smut, Emotional, Physical, Mental, Sexual abuse, Drugs, Alcohol, Language, Overdose, Depression, Eating disorder).

Nobody Knows Me Like My Baby (Series Complete)- Dean Winchester is hellbent on revenge. His father John Winchester was a well respected cop in the neighborhood, and he’d been assassinated by a man named James Y/L/N. He tries to get to him by getting close to his daughter, Y/N. But the past comes a knockin’, and the truth is revealed and in the process people get hurt. (Fluff, Smut, Angst, Death)

Picking Up The Pieces- (Series Complete)- The reader has been on her own since she’s been eighteen after her parents kicked her out. She faces many struggles until Dean Winchester comes into her life. He is determined to help her get back on her feet. (Fluff, Angsty, Smut, Death, 18+)

The Cold Hard Truth- (Series Complete)- You go to college and also work part time at the local coffee shop. You meet Dean Winchester and your world turns upside down. The only problem is, you promised your brother that nothing would happen between the two of you. Can you stay true to your word? Or will everything come crashing down? Many dark secrets are exposed, and the cold hard truth comes out. One thing is for sure, everything is not what it seems. (Fluff, Angst, Mentions of sexual assault, Car accidents, Cursing)

He Saved Me- (Series Complete)- You’re on the run from your abusive husband and you completely start a whole new life. After meeting Dean Winchester the mechanic your world turns upside down. (Fluff, Angst, Cursing,  Mentions of abusive marriage)

Falling In Love Slowly, And Then All At Once- (Series Complete)-  Y/n Singer is a college student living out her perfect career, when all of a sudden her world comes crashing down. She rushes home to be there for her family, when Dean Winchester walks into her life. The thing is about love is that you don’t expect it to happen, it just hits you out of nowhere. (Angst, Some smut, Cancer, Death, Fluff, Sadness, Cursing)

[garrothromeave]

mcd garroth + laurance headcanons for the sake of me posting something while working on my long-ass post, also happy birthday blaze ily, 

garroth - total momma’s boy. seems obvious, but it’s true -- back in o’khasis, he was practically glued to the side of zianna. whenever she had to leave for a few days when he was younger, he’d cry if he couldn’t go with her. when he left for the guard academy, he wrote to zianna on a daily basis. to put it simply, he had separation anxiety. the hardest thing about faking his death was not being able to see or talk to his mother. - incredible piano player. his father made him take lessons when he was younger for quite a few years, but he was naturally very good at it. he never mentions this skill to anyone. while they were at malachi’s castle and were looking for materials before they left, garroth stumbled upon an old piano and played something. he got really into it, and laurance ended up stumbling on him playing. he made laurance swear to never tell anyone about it. - when garroth was around eight or nine, his stutter was so bad that garte didn’t let him speak in public or around any people other than the family out of shame. vylad and zianna used to help garroth with his stutter.

- garroth is very sensitive to the saying “oh my irene.” growing up in the ro’meave house, it was taboo to use irene’s name in vein. or anywhere in o’khasis, really. nowadays he’s still very caustious whenever he says it, because he thinks that someone is going to yell at him. - horrified of getting hurt. back during the days of training in the guard academy, while he was very good with technique and fighting itself, he had a very bad flinching problem. overall, for the longest time, wounds and pain made garroth very uncomfortable. because of this fear of getting hurt, he has a bit of a stubble because of the one time he hurt himself while shaving.   - 6′4, because 6′11 is unbelievably tall and i honestly don’t even think that it’s canon? s’yeah. he seems 6′4 to me.

- garroth often sees new things and (internally) has this very child-like wonder response. he was sheltered for the entirety of his childhood and teenagehood. and after the guard academy, he stayed put in the same village for 5 years -- so he hasn’t experienced very much. he often wants to ask dozens of questions, but because of his shyness, he tends to just observe anything new very closely. which leads me to my next headcanon,

- because of o’khasis’ intolerance to many things, he was not very commonly exposed to magick’s users. the first magicks user that he directly met would be zoey, and he was very nervous when talking to her the first time he met her. when garroth gets to know her more, she catches on that he’s curious about a lot of things, and offers to tell him about things. he declines, and he regrets that decision to this day.

- as stated before, o’khasis isn’t very tolerable of things, which caused garroth to develop incredibly bad internalized homophobia. when aphmau comes along, he gets a very strong desire to protect her (little do we know, this strong desire comes from his connection with esmund) and confuses it for/tries to convince himself that it’s romantic love. it is in fact love, just platonic. so basically, this man’s gay as hell.

- garroth has more freckles than any other ro’meave family member. he’s mildly insecure about his freckles, seeing them as a ‘childish’ trait, which is why he wasn’t very bothered with the idea of hiding his face with his helmet. 

- his hair is super curly. it used to be more tame, but as he got older, it got more curly. it’s usually a mess because he doesn’t know how to take care of it, but it somehow looks hot as hell. (no homo ofc.)

- garroth is allergic to blueberries. 

- raven was garroth’s first genuine connection since he left o’khasis. zenix was his second. he loves raven a lot, and hates that he can’t see him as often as he’d like to.

- garroth is a total cat person. don’t get me wrong, he loves dogs, but if he were to choose between having one or the other, he’d choose to have a cat. he had a pet cat when he was little that he still thinks about a lot. (probably named sprinkles, just for the hell of it.)

- because of how he grew up, garroth’s actually a very picky eater. while he’d never admit it to himself or anyone else, he misses the more “rich-people” food he was spoiled with. 

- garroth isn’t actually that stupid, when he first arrived at pheonix drop, he had a name in mind that he wanted to go by (to better hide his identity). however, when his name was asked by someone, he panicked and “garroth” accidently slipped. he beat himself up for the longest time after that. the only reason he finally let go is because no one had ever pointed out how/seemed suspicious he had the same name as the deceased first-born son of o’khasis.

laurance - his hair grows decently quick, so even after cadenza cut it for him, it only took about 4 months for it to grow back just past his shoulders. he prefers it having some length to it anyways, and usually ties is back into a ponytail. after the irene dimension, he would let nekoette braid his hair. - has a very lanky body type. naturally has long limbs, and would often get called a ‘stick’ when he was younger. he’s about 5′11. but don’t confuse his thinner stature for weakness, he matches garroth’s strength easily.

- bi icon. fuck that “you were my first kiss” bullshit he gives aphmau, the list exists and while it’s stupid and weird, according to it, garroth was his first kiss. which is fuckin funny as hell if you think about it.

- laurance is very good with animals. more so rodents and smaller creatures, like squirrels, birds, rabbits, etc. cadenza was convinced that laurance could talk to animals for the longest time. he even had this little mouse that would pop in his house. however, on the contrary, larger animals -- not so much. he’s shit with horses and cows, especially. 

- incredible singer. has serenaded aphmau on multiple occasions, and has even gotten her to sing along with him from time to time. he sang for malachi to help him fall asleep every night since the day they met him. this caused him to start singing for levin at night as well. when laurance saw malachi again after the 15 year jump, within the first few days of his return, malachi asked for laurance to sing for him again just like he used to. which brings me to my next headacanon,

- laurance saw malachi as his own child, and treated him as such. they were very close, and malachi was the most heartbroken over laurance’s disappearance since he saw him very much as a father. it wasn’t that laurance favored malachi over levin that created this bond, it was the fact that laurance first-hand saw a child in need of a home and someone to love him, and it reminded him of when he was small. 

- he’s a sucker for bets. gambles, wages, anything like that. while he’s not directly a gambler, if someone offers he’s sure to accept. he’s a risk-taker, and ends up getting really into it. this also branches into his competitive behavior. he’ll be really upset and possibly a bit petty if he loses. why else do you think he still hadn’t given castor the 5 dollars he owes him?

- slingshot master. you give this motherfucker a slingshot he can kill someone with his impeccable aim. he’s also very good with a bow and arrow or any sort of projectile, but he’s the best with a slingshot. when he was younger, he hand-made slingshots from materials that he’d find around the forest.

- speaking of the forest, laurance is a very nature-loving soul. when he moved to meteli when he was adopted, he’d often go and explore the forests nearby. he and cadenza would use their imaginations and play all sorts of games. laurance and her especially loved to climb trees, and would jump from branch to branch. this helped laurance become very flexible. this is also how he met sasha, she was sitting in his favorite tree one day and they just hit it off from there.

- after he was rescued from the nether, laurance frequently had nightmares that would lead into sleep paralysis episodes. the first time it happened garroth had been looking over him (since this was around the time when laurance first got back and garroth had allowed aphmau to go do her lord tasks while he watched over him) and when he had the ability to move and speak again, he started freaking out. garroth had to calm him down and assure laurance that he’d talk to zoey about what happened. garroth and zoey are the only ones that know of laurance’s sleep paralysis, mainly because he didn’t want to worry aphmau or anyone else. zoey often gave him ways to cope with it. it didn’t happen every night, but it did occur at least 5-6 times a month. his sleep paralysis stopped the moment he entered the nether for the second time. 

- the first time laurance heard he’d made the list for the jury of nine, he felt honoured. when he was oblivious to how corrupt it was, he saw it as a huge opportunity. after learning about it’s true nature, he was still glad that he’d made the list -- because him being on the list prevented another person from risking being on the list and being chosen to be apart of the jury.

- yes, laurance can cook very will in this universe as well. it’s not that he was taught, it’s more that he can look at ingredients and just throw them together to make great combinations. zoey also taught him a few things.

- laurance does not know his real birthday. malachi does not remember his. since cadenza had “given” laurance a birthday, he offered to let malachi share his unofficial birthday with him. malachi accepted. 

garroth + laurance

- laurance began referring to garroth as “pretty boy” after seeing his face. he continued to call him that for the first month of their friendship. garroth hated it, and that’s the only reason laurance eventually stopped.

- laurance and garroth are both very good story tellers, but after one incident where garroth was telling levin and malachi a story, he started stumbling a bit over his words and couldn’t articulate correctly, so laurance picked it up and continued it. from there, they took turns with the story and occasionally interrupted one another to add a detail or plot point, and after that, malachi refused to listen to garroth or laurance separately when telling stories, because their collective minds came up with the most fascinating shit.

- garroth isn’t the best at coming up with insults because he’s simply too nice, but laurance loves to make fun of garroth (in good fun, of course). however, there is one thing that garroth could hold over laurance; and that was their height difference. whenever laurance would mess with him, garroth would just bring up height to piss laurance off. 

- when laurance regained his sight, him and garroth sparred very often. that’s when garroth realized how much strength laurance actually had, since he’d originally underestimated him. laurance, in all honesty, was equally surprised. their spars were pretty evenly matched.

- while these two are best friends, the amount of arguments they’ve had is insane. most of them were light-hearted and were more so disagreements, but sometimes things escalated and would result in yelling. that’s because laurance always took it a step too far. that, or garroth would try to disregard what they were talking about, which only made laurance more heated. but they’re both incredibly quick to forgive each other. once they had a really bad argument and didn’t talk for an entire hour afterwards, but once they saw each other again it was like they’d never fought. 

- since garroth grew up with everything and laurance often had to hunt and shit, garroth wasn’t amazing at it. laurance found out, originally teased garroth, but gave him tips and took him out and taught him how to hunt. garroth’s still shit at it when he does it alone, but when he does it with laurance he’s pretty decent. 

- garroth doesn’t drink. laurance does. laurance once tried to convince garroth to drink, but he refused -- which laurance respected, but garroth had to deal with drunk laurance for the rest of the night at the guard station. he learned things that he really wish he hadn’t that night. 

---

i had more for garroth and laurance’s relationship, but uh, i don’t really have time to write them down, so take these for now! i hope y’all enjoy them as much as i did writing them :]

[nad-zeta]

Hello, could I use your talent again? I was thinking: How would lords from ikesen react to the quarantine because of pandemic like we have today? You can choose historic or modern settings, it's up to you!

Hey there, love! Thanx so much for the request! Hope ya enjoy it! 

Sidenote I don't how thing are in other countries so I'm writing this from the perspective of mine, hope that's okay! Let me know if you want me to do the rest of the warlords 

Modern AU: Warlords reacting to quarantine

Nobunaga

When the news breaks the two of you suit up to go to the shops like you are suiting up to go to battle, and sprint to the nearest store to buy all the candy you can.

Turns out the the only thing you bought was candy lol not one other single necessity ooops

Mitsuhide visits the two of you in a trench coat late one night and delivers you guys some necessities like gloves, masks, and sanitizers in the most shadiest way possible.

He is surprisingly well informed about the virus

Two of you aren’t too bothered by the happenings of the world, cause his whole world is in the small apartment *cough that would be you cough*

Probably powerful enough to buy the supermarket supply chain, and low key distributes food and essentials to the less fortunate during this time

The two of you are stocked up enough to not leave the house for a loooooong while, thanx to all your friends and fam

NETFLIX AND CHILL ^_~

Two of you don’t really watch the news but rather opt to watch movies snuggled up to each other.

Will probably live off of candy during the whole quarantine time

He turns his phone off cause Hideyoshi won't stop calling reminding him to stay safe and stop eating so much candy

Somewhere along the line I can see the two of you playing Strip Go, a past time favorite 😂

Spends the whole quarantine in each other’s arms playing video games, the two of you will probs conquer the virtual world by the end of the quarantine

Hideyoshi:

The two of you will be cuddled up together watching tv when you hear the news of the COVID-19

He low key freaks out, you tell him the two of you should go and stock up on supplies before the lockdown

Looks at you and smiles, “I have prepared for this moment my whole life.”

Walks to the grocery cupboard opens it and gestures to the bottom shelf

HOLY SHIT! Looks like he bought all the hand sanitizes in the shops

Leaves the news on in the background to stay informed about the new numbers and updates

Have you washed your hands? Are you wearing your mask? You better not leave this house young lady, can’t have you getting sick?

Spends hours on the internet getting more accurate information about the virus

This mother hen will spend hours and hours on the phone, calling and texting all your friends and family to make sure they are staying safe!

WHY THE HELL IS NOBUNAGA’S PHONE OFF!

Sneaks Mitsunari to you house cause he low key doesn’t trust this boy on his own

You just pull Hideyoshi to a big hug while kissing his cheek telling him to calm down, and that panic and social media are probs more dangerous than the virus itself.

The two of you do yoga in the morning to calm the nerves and stay healthy. Followed by the two of you sitting together while having a nice warm cup of tea with honey in the morning sun

Mitsuhide

Knows before anyone else there is going to be a quarantine before it happens

Has already fully stocked your apartment to last you for the whole year, never mind just a few months.

Does a crazy amount of research to make sure he is well informed about all the ins and outs

The night before the lockdown is due to start, he drives to Nobunaga and shadily hands him some essential supplies he forgot to buy.

Makes sure his little mouse doesn’t get panicked. Will watch murder mysteries all day with you.

The two of you will be nestled in each other’s arms under a fluffy blanket, while he gently rubs your back to keep the anxiety at bay

Will make his little mouse takes vitamins in the mornings to keep your immune system up!

Will TEASE you causing you to get angry and chase him around the apartment. This is how he makes sure his lil mouse gets in enough exercise! This will probs end in another form of exercise…. (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄  ahem

Will spend hours on the phone trying to get Hideyoshi to stop worrying about everyone

Will make your time in quarantine fun! Turn your apartment into a murder mystery for you to solve

Will let you put make-up on his face and play with his hair to turn him into a pretty princess

He will return the gesture by letting you fall asleep in his arms while soothing playing with your hair

Mitsunari

Lots of cuddles from Mitsunari to keep the nerves and anxiety at bay

Two of you will build Blanket forts to keep the two of you safe from the outside world

Will spend so much time cuddling up together while reading in you little blanket fort that you low key lose track of time

The two of you will probs avoid the negative vibes from the news and get most of your info from Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi!

Mitsunari will make sure to keep both of you healthy by making sure u guys take the multivitamins Ieyasu dropped off  

And also eat the yummo nutritious food that Masa kindly dropped off

The two of you would binge-watch all the Disney movies! Will probs sing and dance to all the songs, using the remote as a microphone

You guys never run out of fun activities to do!

Will learn how to paint and paint the most terrible portraits of each other but beam at each other at how terribly good they are and hang it up around your house regardless

The two of you spend most of your time sitting together in your reading nook, with your head on Mitsunari’s chest while he reads to you

Masamune

Makes the best most nutritious foods for his lass to ensure the both of you are healthy and well nourished

Will land up making enough food for an entire army

Will package the extra food and give it out to friends and fam to make sure they also stay heathy during this time- specifically the troublesome trio (Mitu’s+ Nobunaga)

The two of you will use humor to deal with the panic of it all, cause everyone knows laughter is the best medicine for every situation.

Will have meme making competition, where the loser has to give the winner a kiss

You convince masa to do your favorite workout with you from your favorite fitness YouTuber. This ends in both of you breaking out in laughter at how ridiculously the two of you look. You both will continue anyways cause the best way to stay healthy is to stay fit

Masa makes sure that every day in quarantine is a new fun adventure

Each day you guys will play a new game twister, risk, monopoly, 30 seconds, you name it the two of you will probably play it

Masamune will do the food runs for the two of you, he doesn’t want to risk exposing his precious kitten to the outside world will drop off his food packages on his food runs!

All and all you, and Masa will turn being in quarantine into one big adventure whether is ticking fighting each other, playing games or just spending quiet nights together in each other’s arms, it will be a good time

Ieyasu

The two of you live your lives basically social distanced from other people anyway, so its business as usual.

When the news breaks Ieyasu will rescue as many stray animals he can, to care for them during this time

Luckily the two of you live on a big plot filled with rescued animals so what’s a few more cats and dogs off the streets

The two of you keep fit by playing with all the animals on your farm

Ieyasu will make medicine packages, packed with multivitamins and flu fighters for you, and all your friends and family

During a food run Ieyasu will drop off his medicine packages

Will serve you herb tea and breakfast in bed to make sure you stay healthy and well

Even though he will never admit it he worries about Mitsunari, felt better when he heard that Hideyoshi had taken him in for the time being!

He will be as prickly as always, making contradictory comments as usual. One day after he makes a slightly cheeky comment, you smack him in the face with a pillow! OOOOh, this is war. The two of you engage in a full-blown pillow fight!

I can see the two of you sitting for hours on hours together building a 3000-piece puzzle

The two of you are often snuggled up together while Ieyasu gives you the sweetest little Eskimo kisses and cheek kisses.

Hope ya enjoyed it! and as always if its shit..... I'm sorry I haven't done many HC’S😞 >”<

Anyways hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!  Remember to wash your hands, not touch your face, and stay inside as much as you can! Sending all my love <3

[doginshoe]

Burning Up, Burnt Out

This is my work for the Nalu and Gruvia big bang @nalugruviaevents! I worked alongside @yaushie, who made the beautiful art to go with the fan fiction I wrote. Thanks to @celestial-fire-writer for being beta once again. Summary:  Set in the year after Alvarez and before Lucy's book signing. The team is on a mission to help a native village on a island, but the celebrations afterwards leave Natsu to do some deep thinking about a certain celestial wizard that won’t seem to leave his mind. 

ART BY @yaushie

The fire roared as cinders rose up in the night much like fireflies, stars gleamed in the night sky and the air tasted of smoked meat as the villagers threw their offerings into the large pit of wicked flames. The people cried out as they rejoiced, clapping their hands to the beats played by the drums. The women with sultry eyes moved around the flames like conspiring Wiccans, rising the spirits from the curling fire as they swayed their bodies in erotic and enticing ways. They stretched their arms high and grinded their hips, flicking their legs high in the air as they jumped to then push down and again use their footwork to circle around the fire.

The men sitting at the edge of the cluster of celebration hollered at the women as their skirts sashayed with their sensuous movements. Their tight bandeau leaving the skin of their midriffs exposed and subject to their hungry gazes of wonder and amazement. Many of them would stray just enough from their tight knit group of dancers to caress the cheek of a surrounding watcher, enticing and drawing them in with their deep gazes until they would lean forward in their daze. Then the women would skip back to join the large burning fire - leaving the crowd breathless and entranced. It was a game of cat and mouse and they were teasing minxes.

Natsu, like many others of the audience, watched on. His dark eyes were drawn into the soft exposed skin covered in a soft sheen of sweat, the strong and long legs that kicked up and the way their breasts were barely concealed in an orange fabric that was lined with gold trim. However, it wasn’t all the dancers that grabbed hold of his gaze. It was the billowing blonde hair that caught his breath, the deep brown eyes that occasionally glanced his way. Lucy, who was twisting and turning amongst the other women, had called him in. Her body stirred something in the pit of his stomach as she seemed to move with the fire, embodying the way the flames flickered and curled behind her.

He was completely enraptured. The thrum of the drums and strum of strings reverberating through his body, cutting off the noise of villagers who joined in the festival. Natsu couldn’t tear his gaze from her being, and he knew she had noticed his unwavering stare on her. Lucy grinded her hips more to the music, arched her back just a little bit further to uncover the view of the delicious skin of her neck, but it was her eyes - the way she peered up at him through thick lashes with flushed cheeks - that made him swallow hard and realise that he had been caught.

She knew he was captivated. Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she spun on her feet in rhythm, the deep brown hue making him their victim once again as he was locked in her gaze. He couldn’t count on both his hands and feet how many times her eyes had persuaded him and made his knees weak, lungs breathless - the way they shone when she smiled, crinkling slightly at the side, and sparkling like the stars she beckoned to her side in battle. It was especially painful when they would break in front of him, becoming watery and fragile. Those were times Natsu was lost, when he felt smaller and more vulnerable than when Igneel had disappeared. He couldn’t fight away her sadness. It made him… confused. His heart would feel like stone in his chest as if it had stopped beating and would tumble from its bone cage, a feeling in his throat that threatened to choke him.

She grinned at him. The smile was large as it accompanied her bright eyes, glinting gold from the fire. It pulled Natsu from the thoughts he always found himself puzzled when he looked at the celestial wizard for too long. Her hands clapped above her head before she skipped and flew through the air, her feet coming down to land gracefully before she dipped her body low.

The long blonde locks that had been tied loosely into twin ponytails danced behind her. They shined, illuminated by the flames as they whipped in the fresh night air. The glow reminded him of a far off time, a November sunset - her smile just as wide that day when they had come back from rescuing Macao at Mount Hakobe.

The sun was shining its last rays before it would sink below the horizon. Their shoes scuffing along the cobblestone street as they left the grinning father and son after they successfully brought Macao home to Romeo. The young boy’s shout of thanks echoed in their ears and a small smile still played on the blonde’s lips as they walked beside each other in a comfortable silence. Natsu peered at her from the side. She was strange - that, he was sure of. The newly joined member throwing herself into his business and then complaining every step of the way. Natsu didn’t like people like that. She acted like every other sucker who thought being a mage was a walk in the park and some sort of title that could be thrown around. However, her blind bravery to face the Vulcan alone surprised him; as did her tending to Macao’s wounds and the way she smiled. Natsu had faulted when she had looked back at the snot-nosed kid. He had nearly fallen flat on his face, but he only shook his head slightly, eyes leaving the weirdo to focus back on the path. He hoped Mirajane had something special to eat when he got back.

Natsu tore his gaze from Lucy. The feast before him had been half picked at, which had been extremely unlike him, yet he couldn���t bring himself to pick up another mouthful. Gray was still being patched up by the giggling old crones of the village, much to his dismay, and Erza was at the Chief’s table. He noticed Wendy had been dressed in the same outfit that Lucy was wearing, but she stayed far from the show that transpired in the middle of the village. His dark eyes flicked back up to the blonde as his thoughts drifted back to her. That had been happening a lot lately.

A sigh left his lips, the sound giving life to the muddled thoughts that plagued his mind. The mission had meant to be something for them all to unwind and to let them come back down to reality - to make the war a distant memory. However, the fire dragon slayer had only become more tense. His fists clenched at his side and his chest puffed out as he gritted his teeth. It was his instincts gearing him up for a fight. Yet, he couldn’t beat this down. What was he meant to do?

He gulped as the vulnerable feeling clogged his throat. He had learned, he had grown stronger. Fear didn’t stop him anymore. It was welcomed and used strategically against his opponent. Enemies that seemed impossible were always overcome. Natsu was ready to defeat anything in his way to protect his friends - to make sure their smiles kept true.

Lucy remained a puzzle.

He couldn’t get past it. Her eyes led to his lungs dysfunctioning. Her smiles made his palms sweaty with a heart that just wouldn’t stop pounding. The way she smelled, sweet and like the books she spent so much time with; it pulled him to her.

It made Natsu want to tug at his hair. When he had set out alone he spent most of his nights frustrated as he looked up to the stars, his thoughts drifting to the blonde that he left behind. She always said that they guided her, but Natsu only saw the vast midnight sky. The glinting lights seemed to taunt him rather than to offer solace for his troubles.

The celestial wizard wasn’t in danger and he certainly didn’t consider her to be an enemy. She was much more to him. Lucy was Lucy. Yet, she plagued his mind. It felt like he was missing something. The feeling built in his stomach, a nervousness he didn’t quite understand, and it was wrong. How was he meant to protect her from that? Something that was unknown to him?

Natsu felt the drums pick up speed, the vibrations humming in his veins, as the dance was coming to a close. Lucy clapped her hands as she moved her hips along with the other villagers - the movements absolutely tantalising. And Natsu watched her. His eyes filling with longing as they glazed over. She seemed like a friend to the fire as it bathed her in its light - the flames nearly consuming her as she pushed and pulled her body alongside it.

He could always ignore it. Feign ignorance so he could be welcomed into the bliss that he had lived in before he met her. Things would go back to normal. The simple life. It would be as easy as felling the tree that had begun to bind itself in his ribcage - the centre suffocating his heart. The branches would shrivel and slowly fall, the roots no longer embedding themselves in his bones and he would be free.

A thought he had believed foolishly. Even in the beginning he had tried to ignore her. She was a friend… and that was all. He’d asked her to be his partner because her heart was true. There was nothing else. However. it was the small spark, the tiny little wonder that ebbed at his mind that he should have listened to. Even when he thought he had overcome it, she always made sure to relight it. Always putting herself in harm's way for him, and yet he was meant to be the idiot. Natsu always thought the blonde did stupid things; like when she tried to stop the raft when they were battling the Oracion Seis. The girl had no clue what she was doing, yet she held onto him even as they plummeted down a waterfall.

He could still remember the sick feeling that swam in his stomach as he was swept up in the white rapids - Lucy by his side, her arms wrapped tight around him. No one had ever really cared about his motion sickness. It was always something considered a joke in the guild, a running gag people used to get under his skin. At other times it was an annoyance. If it had been anyone else they would have let the river take him. It was his own fault his stomach couldn’t beat the nauseating waves that rocked his mind. But, she was different. Natsu had never had someone care like she did. Running after him in his weakest moments no matter how pathetic they seemed. He would often think about when they fell from the waterfall. The sound of crashing water filling his ears, blocking out every other noise except his pounding heartbeat until they hit the river below. She’d made him fault again. His mind short circuiting when he looked at her until he could push out an earnest thank you.

The fire called to him as it burned, the flames being his own as he started off the celebration in the village with a mighty fire dragon roar. If all the way back then he had acknowledged the growth then maybe it wouldn’t be a mass of vines and prickly branches that threatened to suffocate him nearly every moment. Instead it had to be crushed into him, literally. Being stuck underneath boulders and watching as she refused to run. The same determination would always flicker in her eyes when he saw her in a fight, always reminding him of the time he could’ve lost her.

“Run for it, Lucy! He’s way stronger than he looks!! I’ll figure something out. Just get out of here!” He shouted, his fingers digging into the dirt as he desperately tried to claw his way out. If she had no magic power then-

“I won’t.”

Natsu stilled as her voice cut through the air, his throat going dry as Kain’s foot came down on her body a moment later, crushing her into the ground. He could barely breathe as she screamed out in agony. He could only watch as she was beaten down. Why wouldn’t she run?

Kain kicked her forward, the blonde gasping for breath as he walked over to her limp and bruised body before gripping onto her hair, the tresses spilling through his fingers as he lifted her up to her knees.

“I don’t want… to run away by myself…” she choked as she began to force a smile through the pain, blood dripping down her chin. Those brown eyes shining before they closed, her smile picking up into a grin. “Because…”

Natsu could only remained frozen in place as Kain pulled her higher into the air, his mind screaming at him to do something, anything, but his body wouldn’t listen. It couldn’t. Even with the weight of the rocks crushing him, her words had left him stiff with shock. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her as her grin stretched wider and wider, a small blush rising on her cheeks.

“It’s always more fun when we’re together!”

Those words echoed in his heart for a long time after she had said them. It was as if his mind put them on repeat, always bringing him back to that moment at some of the strangest of times. He supposed that was when he really did begin to notice that there was something more with his partner. That moment shattered a wall he didn’t know he had built. He treated everyone at Fairy Tail like family, the people who made the guild a home, and Lucy was the same.

Except…. Lucy herself had become a home. He always found himself coming back to her at the end of a long day. She was comforting, she was strong and she was kind. His partner always managed to find the good in everything. Lucy had become a safe place and he just couldn’t stop himself from always being by her side, or noticing just how small her hands were. Or that little buzz of warmth that would linger when their skin would brush against one another, which seemed to be more often than not.

Natsu sighed as he finally leaned back, he seemed to be the only person not in the spirit of the festivities. He just couldn’t seem to enjoy the celebration even as more people began to join in with the women in the center. Even Wendy was coaxed into joining, Lucy grabbing her hands and pulling her into the group. Their smiles growing brighter as she twirled the younger girl. Everyone was cheering, the beat beginning to shake the table as it grew louder and louder.

After that day he could never stray from her side for too long. Coming back from Tenrou after seven years, he would try and protect her, be someone to rely on like he did with her. Except they were thrown into the Grand Magic Games only a few weeks later where he had to watch her fight and he couldn’t step in. Seeing Minerva torture her as she was defenceless. His hands bled as he had to sit back, nails digging into his palms as he shook with anger.

But, even when he was standing right next to her in front of future Rogue… He had come close to losing her so many times, even when he vowed to be there, just like with all his family. He could never save Lucy. That time would always haunt him. Watching as she fell to the ground, the hand where she had her guild mark... He couldn’t protect her! In two different strands of time he was useless. Lucy’s future was destroyed. She couldn’t be happy.

The tips of his fingers just barely grazed the darkness that took her away. Natsu could barely move as he watched her fall. He was too late. Even if it wasn’t Lucy from his age, from his time. He could’ve saved her. He could’ve fixed everything. It was all too real. If his Lucy wasn’t kneeling beside her he would’ve thought she was actually gone, that the only way he could’ve saved her had slipped right past him.

He knew he had to become stronger. She had dug herself too far into his heart. He would be enough to protect her future. That burned into his resolution when Lucy thanked him, the warmth of her hug still burning where her arms wrapped around him. It was then that he knew she’d always be by his side… because he had a future to protect. He had her future to keep fighting for.

Natsu loved her.

When her body laid limp in his arms, Natsu felt nothing but pain until a snap pulled him into a rage. She was stuck in Dimaria’s suspended time. He knew it now, but seeing her like that - he couldn’t even hear a heartbeat. It was all too much. The future he had promised to fight for, to live for and protect was now lifeless in his arms. That thought alone sent a blinding shock through his system, the feeling taking over his senses as he lost control. It was pathetic, but Natsu let himself to succumb to it. He would have fought the demon that was taking over, the END seed that was planted within him slowly sprouting as it filled him with poison, the whispers sometimes still echoing in his mind. He could only be thankful that Gray, and then Erza, had stepped in his way. They stalled his maniacal mission just long enough for him to collapse into her arms. He was home again and the anger washed away.

No matter what they went through they would always be together. Side by side. It didn’t matter whether they were battling some petty dark guild or stopping the end of the world. Today and everyday would always be an adventure. He knew it when he was falling out of the sky. His body battered from fighting with Acnologia, but a giant grin on his face as he knew who gave him the strength so he could do it.

He could barely contain the grin that pulled on his lips as he bared his teeth. Her eyes were blown wide as she stared at him in shock, Happy was in her arms beaming at him. When she smiled back up at him, tears filling her eyes, he knew that he was home. Lucy was home. The three of them would always be a family. A team.

“I’m home!” He chuckled, his smile beaming even wider.

She opened her mouth, a stray tear dribbling down her cheek as she managed to find her voice. Knowing they had finally won. That they had saved the world. She knew that if anyone could do it, it would be Natsu.

“Welcome home!” She cried and he felt the warmth spread through his chest.

In that moment Natsu knew that he could accomplish anything because he always had someone to return to - his guild, his best friend and a particular blonde that managed to start a fire in his heart.

His eyes were glued to Lucy as the dance came to an end. She kicked her leg into the air, following the rest of the group as they finished the song. The drums were intense as she twisted and moved around the fire, a sheen of sweat making her body shine in the fire light. With every spin and dip the flames seemed to copy her. His flames. Natsu couldn’t stop himself from staring. She had never looked more ethereal than in this moment. Her hair spun like gold thread as she turned with the fire behind her. Her hips drawing him in and alighting the embers in his chest, burning him up from the inside. The way she seemed to almost glow had him captivated - it was as if she was a goddess teasing him. Her long legs making his blood pump as they pulled down before leaping into the air. He had been in love with her since long ago.

The last hit on the drum resounded out in the village as all the dancers raised their hands, their chests rising and falling as their lungs struggled to heave in a breath from the movements of the dance. Her eyes burned into his as she grinned before being engulfed with the crowd. The people’s joyous cries replacing the beat that once hummed throughout the village.

She had been swept away from him as he sat in front of his meal. Natsu clenched his fist, offering his gaze back up to the heavens that could only mock him. The twinkling lights glinting down at him like all those nights before. Natsu cursed as he stood from his spot, glancing back at the blonde to find her and Wendy raised up by the village, the younger girl looking more sick than anything whilst Lucy laughed.

He smiled softly before he walked away. He had spent too much time caught up with the celestial spirit mage. Though he knew that he couldn’t help the pull that she had over him. It was as if Lucy was fire itself - a fire he couldn’t control. Ironic, considering the fact that fire was his to wield and command.

A sigh left his lips as his feet kept him walking to the edge of the village, where he could get away from the noise and away from her. He hoped it would ease the unwanted feelings. Yet, it never did. Natsu knew it, but he still walked - his eyes coming back to the stars as he breathed in the crisp air. When he exhaled the puff of air, it came out as smoke.

Tonight, seeing Lucy move that way, was almost earth shattering. She’d stirred up the heat in his chest once again, setting him alight and raising the flames higher and higher with every movement she made alongside the bonfire behind her. It was completely mesmerising. The heat seemed to lick at her skin and embody her very being. It only made the feelings harder to ignore as the embers rose into a wildfire.

Natsu wanted her. Lucy was just… Lucy. She was so good to him, so tantalisingly good that it made him feel weak at the knees. That vulnerable feeling that ate him up was because she made him feel like he was going to lose control. He wanted to hold her close, feel her soft flesh against his and breathe in that sent that made his mind go blank. She was everything to him. The blonde that had treated him to a meal all those years ago becoming someone he didn’t want to live without - someone he couldn't.

Natsu had to steady himself against a tree on the outskirts of the village, his heart rate becoming erratic when he thought of everything he wanted with Lucy. He wanted them to spend every moment together, each day planned with Lucy and leading her off to one mission then the next. However, as time passed he soon noticed that his plans with the blonde took at different turn. The thought of her soft pink lips and smooth skin playing on his mind. That was what had control of him now. The idea of her wrapped in his flames as he took her hard. The blush on her cheeks and how her mouth would part in a soft moan - it all made him feverish.

He was caught in a mess, Natsu shaking his head as he tried to collect his thoughts with a deep breath. He wanted Lucy, no, needed her. She had lit a fire that couldn’t be put out and he couldn’t wait to pull her into his chest and crash his lips onto her own. He loved her and by gods it was time she knew.

He had to tell her, his feet pushing him forward to where the team took rest. This feeling - the jitters that spun webs in his gut - only ushered him to continue forward and quickened his pace. He knew that Lucy was different, he had known from the very start. It had scared him. Igneel never mentioned anything to do with love. Even Makarov had only taught him one important lesson that he kept for the rest of his life, to love your family and to keep them safe.

The torches lit his way as he stumbled past people who had gotten too ahead of themselves in the festivities. Except as he rounded a corner and heard her laugh - his steps picked up into a sprint. The time was now, this is what he needed to do.

“Luc-”

Yet in all his resolve, he found himself pausing. There she was. His partner, but she wasn’t alone. He watched as she laughed, the sweet sound resonating in his ears, while waving away Happy. His best friend breezed up in the air as he yelled at the blonde. The faint traces of their conversation tell him that she’d insulted his chances of ever being the right man for Charla.

Now was his chance, but Natsu couldn't bring himself to take another step. Maybe it was the jittery nerves finally freezing up his muscles, or that she had made him falter again. All he knew was that as he watched his team, no - his family - he felt complete in a way that he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

Lucy was softly smiling as she patted Happy on the back. Her outfit from the dance was gone. It was just her. It was Lucy. Her hair had been taken back up into her pony tail that she had started wearing when he had left her for a year. Her keys were placed on the right side of her hip, the usual brown belt holding them in place. Although she had grown over the years, the blonde hair now reaching past her shoulders and her outfits always being swapped, she was still the same. Her brown eyes were still kind. Their depths drawing him in every time he stared in them for too long, Just like everyone else, she would fight till her last breath for their guild - for him. Lucy was home.

As he watched them, the fire that had been burning so fiercely only blazed brighter. For so long he had been fighting it, thinking the roots that nearly suffocated him would form a forest and leave him in the dark. Now he felt as if he could breathe easier than ever before. This was his team, his family.

Natsu barely registered what was happening before he slipped his arms around both their shoulders, pulling his partners to him in a crushing side hug. His words left his lips as naturally as all the other times before.

“Whatcha guys doing?”

Happy cried out, “Natsu!” but he barely heard his partner as he felt a familiar pair of brown eyes staring at his face. It was Lucy, peering up at him with that concerned look she always wore. 

“Where have you been? I was looking all over for you after the dance, but you were gone.”

She blinked and when Natsu turned he felt that familiar sensation, the second where his brain stopped functioning for just a moment. Those eyes would really be the death of him.

A wide grin crept up on his face, his canines flashing at her as he pulled them along forward. “I’ve been here weirdo. Don’t tell me you’re going blind now too,” he spoke before his gaze turned forward, “Come on! I heard there’s leftovers.”

“Aye!” Happy cheered as he flew from Natsu’s grip into the air, leaving him with just his arm around the blonde that nearly gave him heart palpitations. He felt the nervousness begin to swim in his gut, he knew she’d keep asking questions. The blonde blinked and to his surprise a soft laugh left her lips, her hand coming up to hide her face before she smiled.

“Yeah, I am still a bit hungry,” she breathed as she wiped her brow, “That dancing was really hard.”

Natu’s grin stretched even wider, if it was possible, as he raised his hand into the air. “To the leftovers!” he shouted, and his partners echoed his words before they dashed off. The task becoming a race in a few short moments that was soon joined in by Gray. Though, they didn’t get to destroy anything before Erza had stepped in with a giggling Wendy in tow. He grumbled as he rubbed the beginnings of what was soon to become an egg on his head, but a sweet melody lifted him from his troubles. He stared up to the smiling blonde and the grin came up on his face again.

This was his family, and he could still love Lucy. He didn’t need to change anything.

We’ll be together forever from now on

[leafpool-loves-ashfur]

Honeykit > Honeypaw > Honeysplash > Honeystar

Kit > Apprentice > Warrior > Deputy > Leader

She-cat - SkyClan

Mother: Bristlelight

Sister: Thrushleaf

Mentors: Pouncestar, Fevernose

Dark Forest Mentor: Snowstar

Apprentices: Seedfall, Silverthistle

She and her sister, Thrushkit, started out as thick as thieves, but as Thrushkit grew closer to Thistlekit, daughter of Pouncestar and Sharpsong, and the two became practically inseparable, heeding no mind to the young she-kit they left behind. Honeykit would often try to tell Thistlekit off for ordering her sister around like a slave, but Thistlekit and Thrushkit would ignore her or yell at her for it, both claiming they were happy the way they were. As they all became apprentices, Honeypaw felt more and more separated and ignored, feeling as though even her clanmates didn’t notice her. Pouncestar may have appointed her as his apprentice, but she felt as though no one except him cared. Her mother was loving, but died young into their apprenticeship.

This led her to the Dark Forest, where she was offered training to be the best warrior that not one could ignore. Eager to be important to her clan, she accepted. She trained every night, the training getting harsher, and her days getting more exhausting. She was dead on her feet but refused to stop. Pouncestar noticed her exhaustion, and he and Sharpsong both started to get her to rest and to tell them what’s wrong, caring for her. It was one night when Pouncestar entered the apprentice’s den to find both Thistlepaw and Thrushpaw gone and Honeypaw shivering and shaking and growling as scars formed on her that he understood. He woke Honeypaw up, dragged her to the medicine cat den where Appletail, current medicine cat and Thrushpaw’s mentor, healed her wounds. While Honeypaw at first denied all involvement with the Dark Forest, Pouncestar quickly explained that he too once trained with them, shocking Honeypaw. She believed her mentor and leader was too bouncy, cheerful and energetic to be in a place like Dark Forest, and then he turned her words on her, telling her he believed she was too gentle and kind-hearted… or used to be, before Dark Forest training made her eager for a fight to prove herself, even if it was with her own clanmates.

After that, Honeypaw still kept going to the Dark Forest, but she tried to reign in her temper, and get more sleep. Pouncestar and Sharpsong both didn’t want her going there anymore, but she still wanted the extra training despite their protests, which they reluctantly respected for now... Until Honeypaw got into a fight with her sister, and attacked Thrushpaw. Pouncestar pulled her aside and told her she would not be going to the Dark Forest anymore, or she would be kicked out of the clan. Honeypaw fearfully agreed, but how would she stop going to the Place of No Stars? It wasn't her chose... So when she visited there the next night, she told her Dark Forest mentor, Snowstar, that she couldn't visit anymore, and he asked her why. When she explained, he and his friend Snakeclaw pulled Pouncestar from his slumber, and attacked the leader. Honeypaw joined the fight to defend her mentor, but Snowstar killed Pouncestar. In retaliation, Honeypaw killed Snakeclaw, and Snowstar said he was proud of her, and that he'd be there for her leader ceremony. After that, he left her, and she woke up.

She ran to the leader's den, and yelled for Pouncestar to wake up. Sharpsong, who was sleeping beside him, startled awake, and realized what had happened. Filled with sorrow, Sharpsong told Honeypaw Pouncestar had been on his last life, despite still being a fairly young leader. He was a reckless cat, who always through himself head first into danger... In the morning, the clan mourned Pouncestar, and welcomed Sharpstar as their new leader, and Auburnheart as their deputy. Honeypaw got a new mentor, Fevernose. She was quiet after that, but respectful and dedicated to her apprentice duties, if a bit distant from her clanmates now. She was still friendly and kind-hearted, but her clanmates noticed her distance. Instead of bringing her closer, they let her keep that distance. The only cats left that talked to her daily was her mentor and Sharpstar.

Her warrior assessment felt bland, and her warrior ceremony even more. She no longer fought for her sister to be her sister again, instead watching as Thrushleaf and Thistlesong ran off every day, close as can be. Her spirit started to come back when she was appointed as Seedpaw's mentor. She got along well with the energetic, goofy tom, and enjoyed watching him look like a mouse-brain in front of his crush on his denmate, Daisypaw. But she was even more pleasantly surprised when Auburnheart was killed by badgers and then Honeysplash was made the new deputy. Her clanmates were just as surprised, wondering if such a detached cat could one day be their leader. Many believed she was only made deputy because Sharpstar viewed her as more of a daughter than her own daughter, Thistlesong, who Sharpstar was suspicious of. Honeysplash, personally, didn't hold as much suspicion towards the silver she-cat, because she believed her anger had blinded her and that any of her suspicions were just lingering feelings of hatred and jealousy.

When Sharpstar lost her final life defending her clan in a battle against ThunderClan, Honeystar felt unprepared to be leader, and afraid. She had only just finished training her first apprentice. And at her leader ceremony, who was there but Snowstar to greet her. Pouncestar, Sharpstar, and Bristlelight quickly rescued Honeystar and took her to the proper place to get her nine lives. Afterwards, she appointed Coilspring as deputy, and then made Thistlesong's kits apprentices as her first act as leader. She made Silverpaw her own apprentice, to prepare herself more. Honeystar bonded well with the young she-cat, who was quiet and hesitant, reminding Honeystar a lot of herself. In fact, Silverpaw admired her sister, Shadepaw, and wanted to do everything she did. It remained Honeystar painfully so of her own kithood with her sister, Thrushpaw. She taught Silverpaw kindness and independence as best she could. To Honeystar's surprise, she started noticing Thistlesong and Thrushleaf's angry glares towards her, and how they always took Silverpaw and Shadepaw out on their own. Honeystar dismissed it, wondering if they were feeling envious like Honeystar once had been.

Early on into Silverpaw and Shadepaw's apprenticeships, ShadowClan warrior Morningcloud came barreling into camp, yowling about how he was their father and that he wanted to be with them- in SkyClan. Honeystar was torn, perplexed, and confused, but Thistlesong and Thrushleaf wanted nothing to do with him, and the rest of the clan wasn't too happy to have the tom interrupt their peace. So Honeystar turned him away apologetically, and she would have to do so many more times. She felt bad for Silverpaw though, who seemed genuinely disheartened that her father couldn't stay with them. Honeystar also noticed Silverpaw and Shadepaw drifting apart, as well as drifting away from her parents too, especially after Morningcloud was found dead in the lake. Honeystar stayed as supportive as she could, remembering how Pouncestar and Sharpstar were for her.

To Honeystar's shock, Thistlesong was found murdered in the same place Morningcloud had died. No one knew who did it, but Thrushleaf was heartbroken, Shadepaw enraged, and Silverpaw... cold. Honeystar could never shake the strange feeling that Silverpaw knew something about her mother's death, but never questioned or pressed her on it. She mourned Thistlesong as she would any other clanmate, and moved on. When the apprentices' warrior ceremony came, Thrushleaf requested she name Silverpaw Silverthistle, in honor of her mother, and Honeystar agreed, naming them Shadefur and Silverthistle.

Two moons later, Thrushleaf delivered a prophecy to Honeystar, saying that a cat, hidden in shadows, born of thistles, would be the next deputy. Not soon after, Coilspring was found dead near a den of snakes. So Honeystar appointed Silverthistle as deputy, despite her never having an apprentice. Enraged, and fully believing she deserved to be deputy, Shadefur attacked her sister, but Honeystar ripped her off and exiled her. Shadefur begrudgingly left the clan, declaring she would be leader one day, "with or without this clan!"

Shadefur kept her promise. She created a clan of rogues, BoneClan, and waged war against SkyClan. They attacked the other clans too, but their anger rested solely with SkyClan. Honeystar felt their wrath when she was killed by BoneClan rogues during a battle to protect her clan's territory.

“Slender golden and white she-cat with long limbs.”

Wiki Page.

[be-compromised]

Recathon 2020 Masterlist

Hello and welcome to the Recathon 2020 masterlist! This masterlist will be comprised of all recs posted to this post (all 144 of them!), with some small edits. Those edits are: (1) Duplicate recs have been discarded. Fics appear under the first theme they were rec'd under. (2) "Self rec" and "rec one of your own fics you think didn't get enough love" have been combined. Unless otherwise specified, all recs are Clint/Nat or Clint & Nat. Also, unless otherwise specified all recs are fanfiction. On to the rec list!

Stories set in/focused on/including IKEA. Some Assembly Required by @alphaflyer Teen, no warnings: "They say that when you go to the seven circles of Hell, IKEA has taken over the suburbs and parts of the ring road.” Natasha and Clint enter an alien universe. Anything is Possible by @cassiesinsanity Gen, no warnings: It's 3 a.m. and Natasha is struggling to assemble an IKEA bed. Clint is woken up by her loud cursing and now they're in it together, both figuratively AND literally. #27 IKEA by @nympheline Teen, post-Avengers, angst: Clint and Natasha will never have normal lives. They have accepted this as fact. Once a month, they pretend by putting on some old rings and going to Ikea to pick out furniture. Or to Home Depot to look at paint samples. Or to Walmart to check out baby clothes. Because they will never have normal lives, but it’s nice to pretend. Things We Learn About Each Other at Ikea by Vera (Vera_DragonMuse) Chapter 7 of Drips and Drabs from Alliterative Domiciles, part of the Alliterative Domiciles series Teen, no warnings: Natasha and Clint in Ikea. Consumer Affairs by @galwednesday Steve/Bucky, teen, no warnings: “Tom,” Sara, the Senior Marketing Associate, said levelly, “if you don’t let me promote our bedroom product line using the Winter Soldier’s tweet reviews, I will quit. I will quit today. I will leave you high and dry with a junior marketing associate and an intern, Tom. The intern just started last week. He doesn’t even know how to work the copier yet.” Comedy! Frank & Matt: A Summary by Ariel Video. Matt Murdoch and Frank Castle. captain america | crack!vid 2 and captain america | crack!vid 3 by chrissy mae Video. Exactly what it says on the tin. Cursed Fork by canistakahari Steve/Bucky, teen, no warnings: There is a cursed fork in Steve’s cutlery drawer. Life of Crime by neveralarch Clint/Carol, Clint/Nat/Bucky, Kate/America, explicit, cntw: A supervillain AU where Clint shoots arrows at people and gets beat up a lot. So, not really that much of an AU. It's Raining Men by DailyAsgardianNews Video. Again, exactly what it says on the tin. xD Here Are All the Sensations of Being Alive by prettyasadiagram Gen, cntw: Contrary to what Clint likes to tell the new SHIELD agents, Natasha does have hobbies other than coming up with new and impressive ways to kill people with her thighs, even though the slight flinches and rabbit-quick swallows in the hallway are always hilarious. Natasha and a bedazzler. The Amazing Naked Avengers by vain_glorious Teen, no warnings: There were Avenger-sized mouse traps all over the damn bunker. All about as effective. Meaning no one got killed, but everyone is naked and bleeding a little. The Great Avengers Body Swap by vain_glorious Teen, no warnings: Loki and the Avengers spend a month in SHIELD's detention cells, because Loki cast a bodyswapping spell against them and got himself with it, too. The Importance Of Being Spidey by @copperbadge and @scifigrl47 Gen, no warnings: The Daily Bugle has some peculiar ideas about Clint Barton and a spandex bodysuit. Extracurricular Activities by @scifigrl47 Gen with background pairings, teen, no warnings: New York has a party for any taste. Some people like high class lounges. Some enjoy a good dive bar. There are gay bars and techno clubs and all night raves. And somewhere out there, there's a club where the dancers are dressed like Super Heroes, and Spider-Man may or may not be their headliner. Let's face it, the everyone assumed that Clint would be the first Avenger to take up pole dancing. He's a little distressed he's been beaten to the punch. Phil Coulson Knows Tony Stark's Super Villain Name by @scifigrl47 Gen with background pairings, teen, no warnings: Look, I’m just going to say SHIELD team building exercise with paintballs. Transfer Students by @copperbadge Gen, teen, no warnings: Five times the Avengers pawned kids off on the Jean Grey School. The Immortal Hawkeye by @copperbadge Clint/Bucky, teen, no warnings: Clint's a little older than he looks, and his DNA has a few surprises in store, too. Leader Of The Free World by @copperbadge Gen with Clint/Bucky, teen, no warnings: Clint Barton's presidential campaign started as a joke. It didn't end that way, except for Steve. 5 Times Steve Got Arrested and 1 Time They All Did by @heartsdesire456 Steve/Bucky, Clint/Phil, teen, no warnings: What it says, 5 times Steve Rogers ended up in jail (with and without Bucky) + 1 time all of the Avengers got arrested with him. Cap3 helicopter scene but with My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion by @darlingpeggys Video, uploaded to YouTube by punkrockchewbacca Clint/Other and Nat/Other recs Prince Charming by @brendaonao3 Steve/Bucky, Steve/Thor, Clint/Wanda, explicit, no warnings: Bucky's not looking for a girl, he doesn't need anyone for the long haul. Then he meets Steve Rogers and discovers that what he's looking for in a relationship isn't a girl at all. in deep with you by @topaz119 Clint/Darcy, mature, no warnings: Darcy could have, under normal circumstances, resisted the aesthetics (however awesome they are, and holy crap are they awesome), but there's an itch under her skin—apparently, nearly dying by giant, fire-breathing robots from space in the middle of Nowhere, New Mexico will start you questioning your life choices. Who knew? assume a defensive stance by hoosierbitch. Clint/Bruce, teen, no warnings: No one can understand why Bruce and Clint are together. Clint's loud, brash, irritating--exactly what Bruce doesn't need in his life. fast, thorough, sharp as a tack by @quidnunc-life Natasha/Maria, teen, no warnings: Natasha likes getting a rise out of Hill when nobody else can. longing for the last time by @quidnunc-life Natasha/Valkyrie, teen, no warnings: After they imprisoned Hela, after all her sisters fell to inglorious deaths, the last Valkyrie swore she would not love again. In Your Likeness by hailtherandom Clint/Natasha/Sam, explicit, no warnings, post-WS: In which Sam gets a mysterious package from a mysterious person and, after a spell of feelings and a trip to Switzerland, both of those mysterious things get used quite a bit, much to everyone's delight. Two (Sort Of) Truths and One Complete Lie by igrockspock Clint/Melinda May, teen, no warnings: Melinda May was married once. Good luck finding out to whom. Fic with low kudos/comments Smoke on the Horizon by AuroraShard Teen, major character death, post-IW: Clint falls back on old coping mechanisms after the events of Endgame. Pepper joins him. A short fic about dealing with grief. We Are Family by SneakyHufflepuff. Mature, cntw: Natasha had sister-relationships with some of the other girls in the Red Room, and Nat was hardly the only one to escape. Turns out Clint's going to have to meet the family after all. Self-recs/a story of yours that you wish got more attention the shorter story by @cloud--atlas Mature, cntw: "be careful what you wish for" is written in matter-of-fact writing on the little sign by the entrance. he only wishes to be dry, and idly he wonders if there is any way even that can go wrong. Portrait of an Outlaw by RedBirdBella Teen, cntw: Clint is an undercover police officer working to convict a gang of cat-burglars. After being unearthed he’s beaten up and left for dead in an alley. From his hospital bed, he’s asked to work with a sketch artist to put together portraits for each gang member. Unfortunately, he can only remember one. Diamonds and Rust by @alphaflyer Clint & Kate, gen, no warnings: Kate is back; there's going to be laundry. Driver Choses The Music by inkvoices Teen, mild self-harm: Clint shoves his bag in the trunk of the car – a standard, bland SHIELD undercover ride – and doesn’t ask how Nat acquired the keys. Doesn’t ask how, or even if, she’s gotten permission to take him off base, doesn’t ask what’s in the bag she shoved in his arms on their way out, doesn’t ask what they’re doing in a SHIELD garage at ass o’clock in the morning. Doesn’t care. Some Strings Attached by @topaz119 Explicit, no warnings: "You," Natasha says slowly, "thought we should do something for Valentine's Day?" Five Unrelated Rescues and One Reunion by @crazy4orcas Teen, cntw: Rescue: to free or deliver from confinement, violence, danger, or evil. Reunion: an instance of two or more people coming together again after a period of separation. Show a Little Faith (There's Magic in the Night) by @alphaflyer Teen, no warnings, Dust Bowl AU: Riding the rails in the last bitter winter of the dust bowl years, two drifters encounter something they haven't seen before. Personal comfort fics Woman in the Crosshairs by @freaoscanlin Teen, no warnings: In which Clint has a new hobby and Natasha isn't curious, until she is. Black Widow and Hawkeye, their partnership—and what it means—throughout the years. The Only John Wayne Left in this Town by @gyzym Clint/Darcy, teen, no warnings: Clint's got a secret love, and it's spelled b-a-n-j-o. and at night be warm by @quidnunc-life Teen, no warnings: If Kate would've just talked to him about the Dog Cops finale, then Clint wouldn't be lying in bed, staring pointlessly at the ceiling, when the Insomniacs Anonymous radio show comes on at 1 AM and changes his life three minutes at a time. The First Annual Avengers Convention by starandrea Clint/Phil, teen, no warnings: With damage estimates topping $100 billion, New York City faces a long and expensive road back. Charity organizations have stepped in to support the Red Cross and provide long-term relief, but the economy is struggling and money has to come from somewhere. Everyone wants a piece of the Avengers. Who better to help fundraise than the heroes themselves? Amateur Theatrics by galaxysoup Gen, teen, no warnings: In which Thor’s primary problem-solving method (a mighty blow from Mjolnir) fails to have the desired effect on a magical artefact, and his secondary method (a mightier blow from Mjolnir) proves to be actively disastrous. The Observable Universe by Serea Okelani (sarea) Teen, no warnings, Jane POV: Jane has a low tolerance for stupidity. Clint and Natasha take exception to being called stupid. Catching Bullets in our Teeth by anothercover Clint/Laura, Clint/Nat, mature, no warnings, slow burn divorce AU: Retirement, it turns out, is not a thing that Clint is adjusting to very well. Or, you know, at all. It didn't occur to him that when he dropped the team, it would mean he'd lose Natasha, too. Under the Mountain by flawedamythyst Clint/Bucky, teen, no warnings: Clint and Bucky get trapped in a cave. Natasha and Kate Bishop friendship fics All Night, All Right by MoreThanSlightly (cadignan) Kate/America, Clint/Nat, teen, no warnings: Despite being young and rich and hot and awesome, Olympic gold medalist archer Kate Bishop finds herself in a bar acting like the world’s saddest, dullest cliché: Area Twentysomething Drinks Alone Because Her Ex Is Getting Married Next Weekend. But then, from across the room, she catches the eye of a girl with a wicked smile and an even better right hook. Things start to look up after that. High School/Uni AUs A Whole Month of Detention by @marvelousmsmarvel Teen, no warnings: The first detention was his fault. The second detention was his fault. Not surprisingly the whole month of detentions to follow were his fault too, but Natasha had to admit, marking her flawless record with a whole month of detentions was the best thing she'd ever done. Just A Little Bit True by @lissadiane Clint/Bucky, gen, cntw: Clint is good at cheerleading and bad at flirting and has been pining for Steve Rogers broody best friend for years. Naked Pantomime in the Dark by @intosnarkness Steve/Tony, Thor/Jane, Clint/Natasha, teen, cntw, Modern High School Theatre AU: Clint Barton has been at Carver High for six weeks when they draft him into the theatre department, and his life is never the same. Two for the Show by mousie-tongue Mature, cntw: After her uncle is taken, young Natasha Romanov ends up in state's custody at a group home. She can tough it out alone... but somehow fellow resident Clint Barton becomes the reason she doesn't have to. Wet Hot Avengers Summer by Sarea Okelani (sarea) Clint/Nat, Tony/Pepper, Thor/Jane, teen, cntw: At summer camp, Clint’s met the girl of his dreams. Then he meets her four brothers. Circus or carnivale AUs On the Nature of Dust by inkvoices Mature, no warnings, 1930s dust bowl AU: For as long as he can remember Clint has always been getting into trouble for seeing things that he shouldn’t, or rather for getting caught at it. Oklahoma, 1934, and this time trouble comes in the form of a girl. No Magic Would Save Me by arsenicarcher (Arsenic) Gen, mature, cntw: Once upon a time, an angel with the unlikely name of Pepper came to the circus, and took Clint away. some moments more spectacular than others by @quidnunc-life Mature, no warnings: When Janet suggests a team bonding event, Natasha thinks she means… an art gallery, a movie, even bowling. Something like that. Not the circus. Not clowns. Not falling head over heels for a professional circus archer with an affinity for purple, slushies, and purple slushies. Cover Another Black Eye by @lostemotion Clint/Nat, Clint/Bobbi, teen, some child abuse: History will dub it the summer of love. Natasha neither knows nor cares about love, never has, expects she never will, but history's got one thing right: it's the summer when everything changes. Natasha and the Amazing Hawkeye(s) by @freaoscanlin Gen, teen, no warnings: It starts because somebody orders a hit on the Amazing Hawkeye. No, not that Amazing Hawkeye. The other Amazing Hawkeye. scramble in the summer sky by paperclipbitch Kate/America, background Clint/&Nat, teen, no warnings: Kate’s first week, when she was still pretty sure this was a terrible idea and also not one that real people actually had – seriously, in the twenty-first century, who ran away with the circus – America came up to her three days in and said without preamble: “is anyone going to come looking for you, Princess?” Space AUs The Highest State of Friendship by inkvoices Teen, no warnings: A futuristic space AU in which bounty hunters Natasha and Clint aren’t married. Actually they’re supposed to be hunting each other. We Have Done the Impossible series by Telaryn Explicit, cntw, Firefly fusion, baby fic: Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff were born - and in Natasha's case bred - to serve the Alliance. No one cared when they began sleeping together; under Alliance law an Operative like Natasha could take as many sexual partners as she liked so long as it didn't interfere with her duties. - A baby would interfere. In Two Straight Lines In Rain or Shine by OracleGlass Gen, no warnings, Firefly crossover: "On that barren dustball known as Budapest, Firefly picks up an odd pair of passengers. Homeward Bound: The Adventures of the USS Avenger in the Delta Quadrant by @alphaflyer Teen, no warnings, Star Trek fusion: Sent to track the rebel ship Black Widow and to try and persuade her captain and certain of her crew members to work with Starfleet in defeating the Chitauri invaders, the USS Avenger finds itself displaced to the other side of the galaxy. And that was before the Black Widow opened fire... No Straight Lines by anonymous Teen, no warnings, Firefly AU: “It's curved. You'd end up at the starting point.” Natasha pauses, tilts her head. “Space doesn't have an end,” she adds, trailing her fingers across his shoulders as she passes. Old school, post-2012, they all move into the Tower fics if you let me through the door we can let the world in by @geniusorinsanity Background parings, teen, no warnings: Tony Stark has always wanted a clubhouse. He gets something more than that. Exclusive by @copperbadge Canon pairings, teen, no warnings: Heroes In Manhattan: From Captain America's Hidden Talents To The Truth About The Hulk, We Debunk The Myths And Expose The Daily Lives Of The Avengers. In Great Transition by vain_glorious Teen, no warnings: One by one, the Avengers move into Stark Tower. well, let the drumbeat drop by jonesandashes and @pollyrepeat Gen, no warnings: Pepper leaves, and there’s no more pizza, and Thor’s already talked about Jane, and Tony suspects all of them realize, abruptly and simultaneously, that they actually have no idea what to do now. He is, in fact, pretty certain that they’re just a few minutes away from someone deciding to say something about the weather. It’s probably going to be him. Culture and Other Balls of Twine by LithiumDoll Gen, no warnings: “Okay, I realize this could appear to be poorly conceived - to those of limited vision - but what you have to understand is, I’ve actually just had the greatest, most outstanding idea ever.” Tony’s eyes searched heavenward and then he nodded soberly. “Yes, I believe history will consider this my triumph.” To Be Modified As Necessary by ignipes Background pairings, teen, no warnings: They only need ten rules to ensure (relatively) peaceful cohabitation. Experts at the Fall by @enigma731 Gen, no warnings: After the Battle of New York, Natasha just wants things to go back to normal. But that’s not so easy considering that normal means being a spy, and her partner’s decided to be a superhero instead. And it’s especially difficult when her new assignment from S.H.I.E.L.D. is to collect intel on the Avengers. Fics where Natasha isn't as confident as she likes to pretend to have a home by oceanofchaos Background/past pairings, gen, no warnings: She doesn’t need other people, but she’s beginning to think she might want them. She buries herself in her work instead. Bouncing Baby Sniper by vain_glorious Clint/Nat, Steve/Peggy, teen, no warnings: Clint is actually Peggy Carter's grandson. Favourite kinky fics Get Some by @eiluned Explicit, het anal, butt plug, DP: He had just taken a big drag of coffee, savoring the sugary leftovers at the bottom of his mug, when she turned to him and out of the blue said, "I want you to fuck me in the ass." Cue epic spittake. your mileage may vary by Nonymous Explicit, past abuse, latex, BDSM: Clint's not really sure how to handle this whole BDSM thing. Natasha's not really sure how to handle Clint Barton. But she's definitely gonna give it the ol' college try. Moving the Furniture by @copperbadge Steve/Natasha, mature, friends with benefits: Steve thinks about sex a lot, and he'd like to have some, if he could just stop being an idiot around the people he'd like to have it with. Dropping Glasses Just to Hear Them Break by @lostemotion Explicit, cntw: Clint's mission to kill the Black Widow ends up a disaster when he runs into a third party in the field and finds himself being turned from hunter to hunted. His former target offers her assistance, and soon he's in for a whole other brand of trouble. Favourite poly fics runaways are running the night by anothercover Clint/Nat/Bucky, other parings, explicit, cntw: Natasha, Nakia, Okoye, Jessica Jones, and Valkyrie are the War Dogs: an all-girl rock band navigating their sudden explosion of hard-won success. Clint is a stand-up comedian. Bucky works security. Good People by @paperairplanesopenwindows​ Clint/Nat/Laura, teen, no warnings: "You have ‘Thank God you didn’t die when SHIELD fell’ sex with your wife and partner once and then your partner runs for the hills and your wife turns into a lovesick teenager.” She's My Cherry Pie by sheis-theslayer Clint/Nat/Laura, Nat/Laura focus, explicit, no warnings: If Laura Barton has said it once, she has said it a thousand times: no one touches the food while she's cooking. Especially if it's her pies. But Natasha Romanoff never listens. Alliterative Domiciles by Vera_DragonMuse [series] Pepper/Tony/Bruce, Clint/Nat, cntw: Fluff, schmoop and Tower shenanigans Little Stranger by Not_You OT6, gen, pregnancy: Natasha is not fit to be a mother. She is bitterly aware of this, sitting on the closed lid of her toilet and watching another test come up positive. A Safety in the End by @cloud--atlas​ [series] Clint/Nat/Bucky, teen to explicit, cntw: The relationship adventures of Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov and James "Bucky" Barnes RedStar by @cloud--atlas​ [series] Clint/Nat/Bucky, teen, angst, musician AU: “Clint,” Kate says slowly as two figures emerge from the house, their shapes so achingly familiar Clint wants to wrap himself up in them and never, ever let go. “Are you friends with James Barnes and Natasha Romanov of fucking RedStar!?” this is how it began (this is the secret between) by @notcaycepollard​ Clint/Nat/Laura, mature, no warnings: "Laura's a translator for SHIELD," Natasha tells him. "We're keeping her." i am on a lonely road and i am travelling (looking for the key to set me free) by irnan Nat/Steve/Bucky, teen, no warnings: Wherein Natasha Romanov has a bucket list and a metaphorical feelings-cat, joins the Victoria Hand Rescue Society Inc, and is absolutely not dating either or both of her super-soldier BFFs from the 1940s, no matter what Nick Fury thinks. Friends and Ex-Lovers by @scifigrl47​ Clint/Bucky/Nat, mature, no warnings: Natasha knows exactly what a good thing she's got. She just thinks it could be better Three Step by @copperbadge​ Nat/Steve/Bucky, mature, no warnings: "How many times a week can a couple have a threesome with the same guy before it becomes some sort of three-way relationship?" Keeping Steve by @copperbadge​ Steve/Tony/Pepper, explicit, no warnings: The gifts from Tony and Pepper are nice, and Steve secretly likes showing off signs that he belongs to them -- until some offhanded teasing from Clint makes him wonder if they're gifts from his lovers or payment for services rendered. Hide and Seek by @cassiesinsanity​ Clint/Nat/Bucky, teen, no warnings: There are reasons you should never break into your friends' houses. Kate finds out one of them. Favourite fics 1000 words or less Slow and Simple Melody by limned Teen, no warnings: Today he isn’t expecting to find Natasha awake in the communal living room at two-thirty in the morning, but it’s a pleasant surprise. You Are My Sweetest Downfall by @nympheline​ Teen, mild angst: You know how Natasha’s hair is really long in Iron Man 2 and then for the Avengers it’s completely chopped off? I like to think that’s because she got hurt in a mission in between and loses her hair because of a really serious head injury and Clint’s just going to be a mess because she’s hurt and she won’t say much because she never does. And he tells her she’s beautiful anyway. tower of babel by @sweetwatersong​ Gen, no warnings: Someone very cleverly thinks up a spell to keep the Avengers from talking to each other. They've fallen victim to one of the classic villain blunders, though: Never underestimate Hawkeye. account rendered by Siria Gen, no warnings: Clint lies in the debrief. Favourite Clint/Laura fics Repair Work by igrockspock Clint/Laura, gen, no warnings: Clint says, “I'm retired. One hundred percent. Done with Avenging.” Laura says, “Will that be for five minutes, or for five days?” Fragments by @intosnarkness​ Clint/Laura, teen, no warnings: Clint Barton has brought home strays before, but never one as dangerous as Natasha Romanoff. small town girl by @topaz119​ [series] Clint/Laura, teen to explicit, no warnings: “Oh, nice,” Laura said. “A smartass.” Holding Out For A Hero by @alphaflyer​ Clint/Laura, gen, no warnings: Cooper Barton pens an essay about his father; Laura does damage control. Clint helps (sort of). Topical: favourite trapped/isolated/quarantine fics Time, Baby by cat_77 Teen, cntw: A mission gone horribly wrong leaves Clint and Natasha trapped, injured, and suffering a slow death of suffocation. Time and each other: they have one and kind of need to steal some more of the other. Chasing the Light by Sarea Okelani (sarea) Teen, medical/quarantine/virus themes: A mission that goes awry tests two assassins and their partnership. Kate sets up Clint and Natasha How To Win Friends and Influence People by @cloud--atlas​ Gen, no warnings: For the prompt: Bookshop AU. One is bookseller/bookshop owner, the other a customer. Instead of talking one of them tries expressing feelings through the books they buy. Hawkeye's Pet Supplies by SneakyHuffelpuff Gen, no warnings: For the prompt: AU where Clint and Kate work at a pet supply store. Natasha is a frequent customer, and Kate is suspicious of her motives. Serendipity by silverfoxflower Teen, no warnings: "Why are you still in bed?" Kate demands, kicking at a corner of Clint’s mattress, which, rude. Why were girls and cats always so rude to him. By the Book by @alphaflyer​ Teen, no warnings: Clint Barton's love life isn't just a car crash, it's a multi-vehicle pile-up. Kate decides to lend a hand. Five of Clint’s Relationships that Kate Didn’t Approve of (And One That She Does) by @alphaflyer​ Teen, no warnings: Exactly what it says on the tin Poste Restante by @alphaflyer​ Teen, no warnings: The vials with live pathogens, alien prosthetics and ant colonies aren't the worst things Clint's friends drop off at his place for each other. Matters don't really get hairy for Kate until Natasha Romanoff shows up, with a heart-shaped box that says "Neuhaus". Favourite AUs Brown and Gold by Koren M (CyberMathWitch) Teen, no warnings, Dragonriders of Pern AU: What if they were different people in a different place and time? (A time that just happened to have dragons.) Soiree by ruby_caspar Teen, no warnings, a Georgette Heyer Regency AU: The Dowager Duchess known as the Black Widow is the talk of the ton - rich and mysterious, the only way to meet this elusive lady is through the equally mysterious Mr Barton… no light in this valley by trysts Teen, cntw, wild west AU: It was a good way to end a bad year, Clint figured. Tomorrow Then by @scribblemyname​ Teen, no warnings, reincarnation AU: Neither of them remembers where it started. There is eternity and the earth tilting in the heavens, but there is no beginning. They are not human enough yet for beginnings. Maps by @cloud--atlas​ Teen, cntw, reincarnation AU: Natasha won't let go, no matter what he becomes. Mr. & Mrs. Barton (Or: Why Natasha Sends Jennifer Aniston an Annual Apologetic Fruit Basket) by @geniusorinsanity​ Explicit, cntw, Mr. & Mrs. Smith AU: Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married. Boy and girl neglect to do background checks. Not a Day Goes By (Not a Single Day) by @intosnarkness​ [HSAU Theatre 'Verse] Gen, no warnings: A Coda: On the life and times of Clint and Natasha Yesterday, Upon the Stair by @intosnarkness​ Mature, cntw: When she was little Natasha had an imaginary friend. But like all little girls, she learned to forget him as she grew up. So imagine her surprise when one day she comes face to face with her old friend. And he's pointing an arrow at her heart. Talking Like Peter Lorre by @freaoscanlin​ Gen, no warnings: Clint has a very important question for fellow zoologist, Dr. Natasha Romanoff. Or: the AU where they’re all scientists in Antarctica and everybody is cold. All Under Heaven by @cloud--atlas​ Teen, cntw: Wherein Clint and Natalia are nature documentary filmmakers, filming for the BBC in Guilin, China. We Together Make A City by @cloud--atlas​ Mature, no warnings: Written for the prompt: Clint was/is a musician. Soft Landing by @cloud--atlas​ Teen, no warnings: Natasha Mends broken hearts. It's easy until it's not. Here I Dreamt I Was A Soldier by @sugarfey​ Mature, cntw: Bletchley Park, 1942: Women are recruited from across the country to decode enemy transmissions. The war stories of Maria Hill, Natasha Romanoff, Carol Danvers and Kate Bishop. Like campfires in the dark by @scribblemyname​ [series] Mature, cntw: There is nowhere to run, nowhere to escape the Great Strangeness creeping over the earth. They don't need to run. Clint Barton, Vampire Slayer by Sproid Mature, violence: The adventures of Clint Barton, Vampire Slayer. Or, how to be a Slayer while working for SHIELD and with the Avengers. Something that made you go: "Wow! This person knows what they are talking about!" Habeas Matrimonium by @crystallitanie​ Teen, no warnings: Five times Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton pretended to be hitched (and one time... well) In The Service: Three Times Hawkeye Questions His Orders (And One Time He Doesn’t) by @alphaflyer​ Teen, cntw: Some Government jobs are more … complicated than others. Samsara by xahra99 Teen, no warnings: Burning down a monastery isn't the worst thing they've ever done. Natasha and Clint take on a mission in Tibet. Everything isn't quite as it seems... Domestic Clint/Natasha Junk Food and Dirty Socks: A Love Story by igrockspock Gen, no warnings: Clint and Natasha show their love in unusual ways. Exciting Adventures in Cohabitation by igrockspock Teen, no warnings: Clint and Natasha try to navigate the mundane problems of living together. Like how someone can't be bothered to pick up her damn socks, and somebody else keeps leaving empty milk cartons in the fridge. Friendship fics Frequently Asked Questions by Mad_Maudlin Clint&Kate, teen, memory loss: Today is Monday, March 18th. You started losing your memories yesterday. still officially lost by @pollyrepeat​ Clint&Coulson, teen, no warnings: “Barton has clearly imprinted on you,” Fury starts, and keeps talking right over Phil’s knee-jerk, horrified, “He has not,” to seal Phil’s doom by saying, “so I’ve decided that you’re going to take primary responsibility for him from now on.” something good waitin' down this road by defcontwo Clint&Kate, gen, no warnings: Hawkeyes' House Rules for Dog Ownership and Other Misadventures. Or: Clint, Kate, a dog, and a study in moving forward. When push comes to Chevre by @copperbadge​ Bucky&Various, gen, Bucky Barnes acquires a plot of land in Wakanda, buys some goats, grows peanuts and sweet potatoes, and fosters a wayward rhinoceros. That's it, that's the story. Silhouette by @mariana-oconnor​ Clint/Bucky, Steve&Bucky, Clint&Natasha, mature, cntw: After a mission in Mexico goes wrong, SHIELD Agents Barnes and Rogers are given the job of hunting down the notorious Hawkeye and the Black Widow, the only problem being: no one even knows what they look like. On the other side of the law, Clint's enjoying messing with their new SHIELD shadows, especially seeing how close he can get to Agent Barnes without him realising, but he makes the mistake of getting attached, and that makes everything more complicated. Best Kept Secret by AlchemyAlice Tony&Natasha, teen, no warnings: In which there is a secret friendship, and Tony can’t deal with feelings, so Natasha has to do it for him. These two features may or may not be related. Heartbreak and angst we were emergencies by @gyzym Explicit, cntw (please see story notes): It's not about being unmade; it's about remaking, one aching step at a time. This Bitter Earth by @cloud--atlas Teen, cntw, dystopia: The only beautiful things here are her and the stars. And he can’t reach the stars. White Blank Page by allisnow Mature, cntw: Debt is beautiful only after it has been repaid. Not Easily Conquered by dropdeaddream and WhatAreFears [series] Steve/Bucky, Steve/Peggy, Clint/Natasha, mature, cntw: “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” Peggy says, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Warp and Weft by legete Mature, body horror: The muscle apparently talked a little much for Loki's liking. Now Natasha has to pick out the stitches. Favourite long!fic your blue-eyed boys by Feather (lalaietha) [series] and the related series [to see you there] (Clint/Nat, Bruce/Betty and Tony/Pepper) and (even if i could) make a deal with god (Steve/Bucky) Various pairings, teen to explicit, extensive warnings - please see tags, canon-divergent after WS: post-Winter Soldier recovery fic > Specifically: what i thought, what i said (Clint/&Natasha, Steve/Bucky, teen, no warnings) and [your albatross: carry it with no regrets] (Mature, no warnings: Five moments in Clint Barton's life.) To Be Vulnerable is Needed Most of All by perfect_plan Steve/Bucky, Clint/Nat, mature, mental illness and PTSD: Steve is a shy comic book artist and meets his new neighbour, Bucky Barnes. Hyperfocal Distance by @freaoscanlin Teen, cntw: The AU where Natasha is an investigative journalist and Clint has a camera and is pretty good at shooting things with it. we are for each other by @quidnunc-life Steve/Maria, Clint/Natasha, teen, post-Avengers, no warnings: SHIELD has fallen, and Steve and Natasha deal with the questions that fell with the Triskelion: who are they, and who do they want to be? Which parts of their pasts are they going to rescue from the rubble? Where do they belong? letting me in or letting me go by @quidnunc-life Teen, no warnings: Natasha Romanoff has worked hard to become a successful member of SHIELD Investigations, and her hard work pays off when she lands a major job investigating corporate espionage at Stark Industries with Clint Barton and his apprentice, Kate. Working with other people isn't Natasha's forte, and she has her reasons for preferring to work alone; but Clint is charming and Kate is irrepressible, and soon Natasha finds herself wrapped up in a case that could prove to shake the skeletons out of her closet and upend everything, including the friendship (or more?) that's started to develop between her and Clint. Agent, Archer, Widow, Spies by @alphaflyer [series] Teen, cntw, James Bond fusion, excellent mission fics. Brooklyn Baby by sprinkle_of_cinnamon Bucky/Steve, Clint/Nat, mature, no warnings, AU: In which Bucky is just trying to live life and enjoy his unofficial official table at the obnoxiously hipster coffee shop but some guy named Steve stole his spot. Or, the time that Bucky unintentionally befriended the Avengers and had no idea. but the sky is the same by @sweeter-than Teen, no warnings: Takes place one year after Clint makes the unexpected choice to bring Natasha Romanov in from the cold. They've become co-workers and acquaintances, but Natasha is still as much a mystery to Clint as she was on the day he was first sent to target her. A story about making friends and making choices, set against the backdrop of daily life at SHIELD.

[kittinoir]

Echoes of You Ch. 10

Read on Ao3

Chat Noir stifled a curse as his toe caught on a loose shingle and he nearly toppled right over the edge of a roof, straight down into the street below. He caught himself at the last moment and used his momentum to swing himself back up. He started running again, scowling at the stupid mistake, but then, he was making a lot of those these days.

He’d been careless, and lazy, and…and irresponsible. That was how he’d gotten into this mess, and that was why he still hadn’t been able to find her. 

This, he thought as he glanced at the pink sketch book in his right hand, at least he could do right. He’d recognized it at Marinette’s instantly, but when he’d tried to return it at the Gardens, she and Alya had disappeared. Not really a surprise, he guessed; Alya probably had some story to upload to her blog.

A small part of him had been flattered when he’d picked up the book and saw sketch based on his suit, but he knew better than to read too much into it. After all, he had the same assignment. There weren’t exactly tonnes of them to choose from. He’d been marginally surprised she hadn’t chose to use Multimouse for inspiration, but then, she technically didn’t exist. Besides, only Chloe would be vain enough to design something based on herself. Well, and he’d be lying if the thought hadn’t crossed his own mind. He’d quickly dismissed it, however, in favour of a more personal design concept based on - and, in his heart, dedicated to - his Lady.

Marinette’s design was beautiful. Simple, but his guess was that she hadn’t gotten very far on it when she’d been interrupted. He’d thought about letting ‘Adrien’ return it but didn’t want to imply that he and his alter ego had been at the same place at the same time. Her name, however, was written in graceful cursive on the inside flap, giving him the only reason he needed to drop by.

He had to be careful, though. He couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes. One had been enough, and it had cost him everything. He couldn’t put Marinette at risk as well. She’d already warned him once at the studio when Scream-ripper had attacked. ‘Do I know you’? She was clever, pretending  she was nothing more than some passing civilian to him where Hawkmoth could easily observe him. After all, no one was safe while Hawkmoth was free. He wished he’d been able to protect Ladybug half as well as Marinette protected herself. 

Which was why, he decided as he swung around a chimney, he would leave the sketchpad on her balcony and leave. No contact was probably safest - even if he did want to ask her how she was holding up. She’d seemed so scared a few weeks ago. He’d never admit it, but seeing that had left him a little shaken. Marinette always seemed like one of those people with an iron-core. He’d never seen her like that before, and he didn’t like it. Of course, Ladybug had been that way, too. Was that why she hadn’t trusted him with the Miracle box? Had he put too much pressure on her? Made her think she couldn’t rely on him?

Maybe, he thought, as he landed on Marinette’s roof and leapt for the chimney. Maybe.

And then panic turned his thoughts to dust in the wind, because there on the balcony, sitting in the chair with some tea and her tablet, was Marinette.

She glanced up at him, face going as red as his felt. Thank god for the mask.

“You weren’t supposed to be here,” he said intelligently. Luckily for him, she laughed, the sound like music to his sensitive ears. 

“I live here,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

At least she didn’t sound angry about it. More curious. It made him smile, but then, she always did that. 

“I have something for you,” he said, accepting defeat and dropping down to the balcony. “Not quite a glass slipper but…” He held out the sketchpad, and as she lit up, he was suddenly glad she’d been on the balcony.

“I can’t believe you found it!” Marinette exclaimed, standing up to take it. She quickly flipped through the pages, as though making sure an errant smudge of dirt hadn’t found its way on to one of the pages. She paused on the sketch clearly based off his suit, at once noticing his scrawled note in the margins: ‘Chat Noir Seal of Appur-oval’. She ran a finger over the signature, and he nearly purred, as though she were running that finger over his bare skin. 

“I can’t believe you made the trip, either,” Marinette said, placing the book carefully on her chair. “You must be pretty busy, what with saving Paris and all.”

Chat Noir tried not to let her words affect him, but some of his chagrin must have shown on his face because she immediately frowned. “Never too busy for a fellow teammate,” he said easily, forcing a grin. “It was the least I could do, especially since I’m the reason Multimouse only got one shot.”

But Marinette’s frown only deepened. “Multi…mouse?”

“Yeah,” Chat Noir said, swinging his tail super-casually in one hand. Totally normal conversation. Totally normal conversation he was not taking advantage of because his Lady had disappeared. “That was what you called yourself, when Ladybug gave you the Miraculous, right?”

“I…guess it was,” Marinette said slowly. She looked like she was about to say something else, but her face abruptly smoothed, replaced by an easy smile. “Yeah. Don’t sweat it; whatever happened was probably my fault, not yours.”

Suddenly Chat Noir found himself struggling not to pour his heart out to this girl, to not ruin everything he’d worked so hard to maintain over the past year and half. But what was even the point? His Lady was gone, leaving him to pick up the pieces of his own mistake with a partner who was doing her best but was still inexperienced, and a guardian who was even less forthcoming than Fu had been, something he hadn’t even imagined could be possible until it happened.

And that was why he never should have come here. He was blurring the lines, between his civilian life and his vigilante one. And he was putting Marinette at risk - just like he’d done to his Lady.

“Chat Noir?” Marinette said before he could make up some lame excuse to leave. “If we were teammates once, then… well, to me, that means we’re friends. If you need help, or just…a place to rest for a little while? You can always come here.”

Her kindness was the final nail in his coffin, the reason he teased and joked and flirted; because he knew if anyone was ever genuine with him, it would break his heart. She was breaking it now. And now he had to break hers, too.

“Thanks for the offer, Mousinette,” he said, wincing internally. Dumb. So dumb. He had never sounded dumber. Mousinette. He should cataclysm himself right now.  “But like I said before, damsels to rescue, Ladies to save. I’m fine. Although,” he said quickly, struck by inspiration, “Can I ask you a few questions about when you were Multimouse? I know Ladybug swore you to secrecy, but of course, the cat’s already out of the bag.”

“Uh, sure,” Marinette said, biting her lip, “But - ”

“Great!” Finally, a possible lead! He should of thought of this sooner. So dumb! And if this one didn’t work out, there was always Nino, Alya, and the others. “When Ladybug gave you the miraculous…she was suited up, right?”

Marinette frowned, then nodded. “I guess…?”

“Yeah, I guess she would have to be,” Chat Noir agreed. That would have been too easy. “Any chance Ladybug might be someone you know? Maybe a friend?”

Marinette seemed taken aback, but she shook her head. “No, Chat Noir, I swear, I have no idea who Ladybug is, and if I did, I’d never tell anyone.”

“No, no, I know you wouldn’t,” Chat Noir back peddled quickly. “I just thought I’d ask since I was here. We protect each other, that’s…that’s all.”

Marinette nodded. “I get it,” she said sweetly. “You’re a team.”

“Yup,” Chat Noir said as though chewing glass. “Me and her against the world. Thanks, Marinette. I won’t keep you. After all, it’s a school night.”

“No problem,” Marinette said, turning around for her book as he deployed his baton. “Thanks again for returning this. I swear this book has half my life in it.”

Chat Noir froze. “That book…?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, thumbing through the pages one more time. “It’s practically a scrap book of my best work.”

“Right,” Chat Noir said, the muscle’s in his back tensing as he prepared to leave. “Thank you, Marinette. You’ve been a great help.”

“Me?” Marinette asked. “You’re the one who brought my sketchpad back.”

“Good night.” He left without more of a goodbye. There was no time. There never really had been, not for feeling sorry for himself anyway. Not when his Lady was out there waiting for him.

But he’d been honest thanking Marinette: she had been a great help, in reminding him of one very important detail that he’d forgotten until then, that Salem had withheld from him, thinking he’d be too distracted or disinterested to pursue it.

The Miracle Box didn’t come without instructions. 

[saundraswriting]

Hercules Chapter Five

SUMMARY:After a decent night's rest the BAU returns early to another dead teenager and more evidence. J.J. gets her explanation but is not pleased. Spencer pushes himself harder to try to find anything to help solve this case. In a fit of hopelessness Spencer asks Morgan to look at the map. With the breakthrough Spencer has a lot to connect.

WARNINGS: Spencer gets snippy cause he is tired. None really. Abuse of caffeine?

Previous // Next

Spencer woke to the sound of rushing water. He flailed awake and took a moment to get his bearings, he didn't remember falling asleep. He remembered being sent home and Morgan all but dragging him to the car. 'Morgan must be in the shower.' Spencer realized, stretching like a cat making a sinful noise in the back of his throat. 'I must have needed the sleep.' Spencer rolled out of bed and looked in the vanity mirror. His cover-up was still mostly intact, so he began picking out his clothes for the day.

"I'm going to be thinking hard-and pacing and writing. So let's forgo the waistcoat and just wear the purple shirt and black slacks." Spencer muttered to himself.

"You know talking to yourself is sign of insanity." Morgan teased. Spencer turned to reply. and froze. Morgan was wearing a pair of jeans. barefoot and shirtless-Spencer didn't know where to put his eyes.

Spencer didn't have a foot fetish but he couldn't help but drool a little over Morgan's bare feet- they were large and strong looking, like the rest of him-better than drooling over his well developed abs and pecs. Spencer could see a hint of their matching soul-mark and felt a pang in his gut. Spencer looked away to hide any expression on his face. When he looked back to Morgan's face, he'd pulled on a shirt and his cheeks were slightly darker than normal.

"I've never seen you barefoot before. It is a slightly disconcerting sight. Are you done in the bathroom?" Spencer felt a nervous thrumming under his skin, Derek's mark had drawn his gaze almost instantly. Spencer was hoping he hadn't given anything away. He was fidgety from ignoring the urge to touch it, to cross the last few feet of space between them.

"Yeah. I am done. Go ahead." Morgan folded his sleep clothes and put them back in his bag.

Spencer quickly dressed, covered his mark and gathered his things. Spencer handed Morgan's clothes back with a soft thank you. They left and were back at the station quicker than desired. " I'm gonna work with the maps, maybe the pattern deals with a category of places." Spencer made himself a cup of coffee while talking aloud.

Morgan passed him a bag of sugar. "Here, I got you this yesterday. Pass me a mug please?" He made his coffee and they walked into the bullpen.

Spencer made to head into his map room and Morgan followed.

Spencer traced the drawn out lines lightly with his fingers, talking to himself under his breath. "Are these the same? No? How about going in this direction? What made him choose these places to kill and dump?" Spencer stopped to cough. It was deep and thick and long. "Maybe drawing them in a different order? Connecting the dump sites to dump sites..."He trailed off, eyes closed and fingers twitching. Morgan pursed his lips in worry. He could see Spencer driving himself into the ground about this but Morgan knew there was nothing he could do to help. "Morgan! Can you come here?" Gideon waved him over. Morgan pushed off the door frame he was leaning against and walked over.

"Hotch and I are going to hit the field-with the recent body found-We have to dig something up from Blaine. J.J. is handling the press and locals. Morgan, I need you to please keep an eye out for Reid. He is pushing hard. He is going to crash. He needs some food. He isn't sleeping enough either." Gideon said. Morgan nodded. The older agents left with a nod. Morgan pulled a young uniform to the side. He handed him some cash and told him a very specific breakfast order.

“Spence, Breakfast will be here in like 45 minutes. We can look at this better with full bellies and fresh eyes." Morgan looked into the room to see Spencer looking at crime scene photo and locations on his map. Spencer waved at the door absentmindedly. Morgan only huffed in displeasure.

"Hey, Agent Morgan, we just found another body, RR on the right heel." One of the LEO's stood in the doorway.

" So murders on Saturday and Sunday. The end of the week and the start of the next, death and rebirth, old and new. No rhyme or reason to the victims or M.O. No discernible pattern to the locales either....Maybe the pattern is there isn't a pattern at all. This is just his learning stage, but then why sign the heel? This can't be a typical fantasy-satisfying killer. Could it be they all wronged him-is this revenge? Plain and simple? Is he getting back at parents, family?" Reid grabbed Ophelia and closed his eyes.

"Reid, hey, we have another body. I'm going to look at the scene. Forensics is looking for the kill site based off preliminary data. Evidence will be pouring in-can you go through it to find anything relevant" Morgan asked getting ready to go.

"Yes, Morgan. I can handle it." Spencer grinned. Morgan felt his stomach drop, the smile was boxy and strained. Spencer was putting on a façade, a weak one.

"Go, Morgan. You're needed. I'm more help here-me and my big ol' brain." Spencer's joke fell flat. Morgan cupped Spencer's face in his hands, pressing their foreheads together. Spencer could feel Morgan's breath on his lips. His heart pounded and palms grew sweaty at the closeness.

"No. Your brain is not your only good quality. You are so much more than your brain." Morgan practically snarled. Spencer felt his breath catch. Morgan looked ready to go to war, ready to make Spencer believe him. Spencer knew his best friend well enough to know that Morgan wasn't really mad at him but for him. He was angry at all the people that made Spencer feel this way.

"Okay, Morgan, I'm more than my brain." Spencer's grin was brighter than the sun and made Morgan's chest loosen. His stomach returned to its proper placement. "Now, go. I've got this handled."

Morgan left and shortly after the food he'd ordered arrived. "Agent Dr. Reid? Agent Morgan had me deliver this for the two of you, but he left...?" The LEO held up two bags. Spencer sighed and grabbed the bags thanking him. He opened them and gave a solitary chuckle. A Eggs Benedict and Banana Nut Muffin with a side of blueberries was in one of the bags for Spencer and the other held pancakes and omelet for Morgan. Spencer placed the second bag in the fridge and settle down to eat his food. The LEO came back with a carton in his hand. "Doctor! This too." It was a mix of orange and tropical fruit juice.

'Derek Morgan, I don't deserve you as a friend, let alone a soulmate.' He thought solemnly. He was eating his breakfast alone when a familiar voice interrupted him.

"Oh, does that look good or what! How did you get it?" J.J sat down graceful as always throwing Reid the stink eye. "Morgan arranged it. He left to do a body thing." Reid said fiddling with his half-empty glass of juice.

"Come on, Spence, let's go talk. I know your itching to get to your map." J.J pulled him along to his map room. "Okay, Doctor Reid, Mr. Genius, tell me your woes." J.J toed off her heels, sighing as she sat in an empty chair. Spencer sighed and leaned against the table.

"I found out 9 months ago that Derek was my match. I saw it when he was changing the bandage on the cut on his cheek from that Pedophile case. He had tilted his head and his mark was there-barely hidden by his shirt. I panicked and left for two days. I had arrangements made to leave, permanently. I didn't know what to do. We'd been best friends for years! How was I supposed to act? How was I supposed to feel?" Spencer took a breath, fingers pressed into his temples. "I'd fallen in love with him over the years. He sees me, not only my brain, not only my degrees, not only my quirks, but me. He accepts me and my brain and my degrees and my quirks. He has saved me, he has protected me he has rescued me. He cares for me. Derek Morgan is my best friend. My. Best. Friend. I knew seeing his mark that I loved my soulmate for him, not just as my match but my soulmate. But Morgan doesn't." Spencer wrapped his arms around himself. "I refuse to reveal this and have him feel obligated to me. Morgan would give up his future happiness to be with me, he is too good. He is straight, let him find someone he loves, someone who doesn't remind of the horrors we live through. Let him find someone who loves hi,, someone who makes him happy and someone he can make happy. Someone who can help the memories fade away. Not me-I'm not what he deserves." Spencer paced the length of the room breathing quickly.

"Spencer Reid! How dare you take that choice away from him. He is your soulmate! You are his too! How dare you choose who will bring him happiness for him!" J.J. demanded.

"J.J, I am giving him an out, a choice, to find someone he loves and deserves. Someone who brings him happiness, peace, safety, when he walks through the door. Someone for who Morgan wouldn't have to change for. I AM NOT THAT PERSON J.J.!" Spencer yelled. He froze instantly. "I'm-I'm sorry, J.J. I just... I am not that someone and I never will be." He finished quietly.

J.J stood  silent as a mouse, tears brimming in her eyes. She couldn't imagine the pain Spencer was putting himself through. "You are wrong. For once in your life. You. Are. Wrong...  You both deserve this and everything that comes with finding you soulmate." J.J. said vehemently. She left in a swish off her skirt and flash off blonde hair, leaving her shoes behind.

Spencer sighed and leaned back against a wall, thumping his head several times.

When Morgan returned from the crime scene several hours later, Gideon and Hotchner were still out interviewing suspects and families, it was to absolute silence. His breakfast was in the fridge, J.J.'s heels were outside the door to Spencer's room, and a few tables covered in bagged evidence.

"Hey! Someone want to fill me in, now, please?" Derek demanded. He glared at the loitering uniforms who were actively avoiding his gaze.

Matthew stepped forward . "I can. Dr. Reid and Agent Jareau sat down to talk in the map room but by the end they were yelling at each other, or rather talking loudly. Agent Jareau must have left her shoes there when she left the room. They were arguing about a 'him' and soulmarks. Since this morning about half an hour after you left, Dr. Reid has been cooped up pardon the few minutes he took to glance through the evidence. and get coffee. Agent Jareau has ben entertaining the press most of the day." Matthew was chewing his lip. "That is everything I know, agent Morgan." Morgan thanked Matthew even though he didn't particularly like him and sent him off. Morgan glanced back at the door and sighed staring intently.

"Do we have a master key?  Or a key to this room specifically?" Morgan's questioning tone didn't hold room for refusal. A moment later a single golden key sat in Morgan's palm. He unlocked the door a trickle of apprehension running down his spine. A angry Spencer wasn't something to be trifled with, or an upset one, but can't be left alone either. He entered quietly but saw his caution was unnecessary because Spencer was too bus sucking down coffee and glaring at the walls.

"God damn it. How am I missing this? I need more coffee. Garcia! Do you have anything?" Spencer barked. His hair was a mess and his shirt was wrinkled.

"No, not yet. I'm trying Spencer. Calm down. Look at the big picture not the little details. We want to see not immediate family and jail time. How far are we going, Spencer?" Garcia sounded frantic-keystrokes coming through the speaker, sounding like gunshots.

"Aunts, Uncles, and first cousins to maybe third. Let me know, as soon as you get a hit." Spencer made to hang up but paused. "Garcia. Thank you." Spencer apologized.

"Anything for you, boy genius. Not a problem. Talk later." Garcia hung up. Spencer ran his hands through his hair a few times mussing it even further.

Morgan gave him a second to put himself back together again. "Pretty Boy!" Derek growled from behind gritted teeth.

Spencer froze instantly. He turned to face Morgan and shrunk in on himself. He took a few steps back, eyes wide and bouncing from Morgan and back again, chest rising and falling faster than a hummingbird's. "M-M-Morgan! What are you doing back so soon?" Spencer voice trailed off hearing the absurdity of his statement.  He was trembling whether from exhaustion or panic Morgan wasn't sure.

"I am trying to help you. But every time I turn around your pushing harder and harder without caution for your own wellbeing." Morgan gesture encompassed the whole room. "Let me help you. What do you need from me?"

"Morgan, I think I am missing a key point but I don't know. Maybe with one more victim...but I don't want one more victim. There is no way these murders are impulsive. I need to decode the messages and journal from Blaine if he has one. Your fresher eyes on the map might be helpful." Spencer waved at it absentmindedly searching for the coded messages coughing into his elbow.

"Okay, kid. I'll take a look." Morgan looked at the key and then the map. It just looked like a mash of lines. Morgan squinted and purposefully unfocused his eyes. The dump sites formed the outline of a man almost. The lines formed a triangle and two lines continued to the left and right to form almost right angles. The head and shoulders of a man.

"It's the same code. He has a date and a place in here. Thursday the 5th at 6:45pm warehouse 13 off Constantine St. So we have the newest meeting date for the Religious Revolutions." Spencer bounded excitedly on the balls of his feet. He spoke a tad faster than Morgan could keep up so he patiently waited.

"Do you see the image on the map? The dump sites almost for the head and shoulders of a man? The gatherings are about Greek Gods and Goddesses? Is there a myth-?" Spencer loud curse broke his train of thought. Morgan stopped again.

"What. The. Fuck. Are you saying? Wait...Leonard means Lion, Ophelia means Serpent, Tabitha was Gazelle and Everette is Boar...Morgan!1 Morgan! The fantasy is he is playing Hercules. Hercules was the illegitimate son of Zeus and a mortal woman. Hera grew jealous and cursed the son to kill his wife and children. To appease the gods and earn back their favor to avoid Tartarus, Hercules had to complete the 12 labors of Hercules. Our usub was born of an affair and some how was the cause of the death of his wife and kids. In the chaos of putting his life back together he was 'told' to atone of his sins he must complete the 12 greatest labors?" Spencer was talking so fast his words they were almost unintelligible pacing just as fast.  "I need records of marriages 25-30 years ag and birth certificates. And incidents involving husbands, wives and children. I should be able to match them some way. How do we do this, Morgan?" Spencer stopped pacing facing Morgan.

"I'm not sure. But we can do it. You and me and the others. WE are the Behavioral Analysis Unit. We'll get him one way or another. When Hotch and Gideon come back we can regroup and go from there. Why don't you go take a nap somewhere? We had an early start and you had a intense day. Chief Yates said there was couch we could use in the lounge." Morgan grabbed Spencer elbow and guided him the aforementioned couch.

Spencer wanted to protest but was cut off by several sneezes and a coughing fit. 'I can't be sick. Maybe a nap will put me back to sorts.' Spencer laid down and Morgan threw a blanket over him. Spencer settled in a second.

"Sleep well, Pretty Boy." Morgan murmured in his ear, dropping a light kiss on his temple. Spencer shifted deeper into the couch and Morgan noticed his breathing was already slow and rhythmic.

Morgan headed to the bullpen and grabbed J.J's shoes. He then went and found the woman in question. "Hey, J.J. You're gonna need these. Spencer had a massive breakthrough. We have more to work with and more to add to the profile. What about Gideon and Hotch?" Morgan  handed over the heels.

"He finally did huh? Good. We can get this case done. They should be here soon. I think Hotch said Blaine was emancipated at 15. What about you?" J.J. put her shoes on and pulled her hair up into a professional looking clip.

"She was hacked to death. Not much to go on. The dump site was near a stabling office." Morgan said. "They stable horses for those without the space but have money to own one. They take care of feeding and sheltering the horse but it is legally yours. This was just the office, the property is outside the city a bit." Morgan further explained at her confused look.

"Hey, we're back. Fill us in,k Reid." Hotch said as he entered.

"He is taking a nap, Hotch. He needed some sleep." Morgan started with nodding towards the map room. The went in and Morgan explained everything since this morning. The breakdown and breakthrough.

"Okay, Morgan, sounds good. we can release all this in the morning. Let Spencer sleep like another hour and then we can go through some of the evidence and redo the profile and go through the necessary files. I'll call Garcia and see if she can help, and ask a few techies here too." Hotch  said. Gideon told the desk Sargent to tell everyone to start their next shift at the barracks to get updated. Morgan stole a desk and propped up his feet to catch a cat-nap.

Morgan stirred awake 45 minutes later-feeling refreshed and energized-unsure of what woke him. A noise interrupted his searching, stifled laughter of several people, the noise was what woke him. It was coming from the lounge. 'Where Reid was sleeping.' Morgan realized. He hurried over and saw Thomas and his buddies standing around Reid on the couch trying not to laugh too hard. Morgan crept closer, quiet as a panther. He tapped Thomas' arm relishing in the scared flinch when he saw the murderous intent in Morgan's eyes.

"A-ag-Agent Morgan! What brings you here? Thomas smirked, trying to look like the cat who ate the canary but falling a little short.

"The fact that you are tormenting my teammate and best friend by writing on his face in sharpie. Come on you three before I lose my temper. You are going home." Morgan said fiercely.

"You don't have the authority to send us home. You aren't our boss. We don't have to listen to you." Thomas said smirk growing. "Besides, you of everyone in the BAU should understand. You're the jock, the Alpha, the ladies' man, it should be written into your DNA to pick on him."

"No. Spencer is amazing. He has a bigger brain but a bigger heart and he has done things that I would hesitate to do. He took down 2 armed unsubs and faced a man with a dead-man's switch. Spencer puts himself last because he was wrongly treated that way. He went through high school at the age of 12, facing people like you with no help. Do I feel the desire to remind him of what he has overcame? No, because friends don't do that. If anything, I respect Spencer. I wish I could be more like him-brave, honest, loving. Now, go home before I make you.

"You can't." Thomas finally lost his smirk.

"No. But I can. 3 of you, no pay, two weeks." Chief Yates ordered. The volume of his voice woke Spencer-who jolted awake, yelping when his hand hit the back of the couch. The terrible trio shot Derek a glare and stormed off. Yates followed them. 

"Come on, lets get you cleaned up." Morgan helped him off the couch but Spencer shook his head. "No thanks, Morgan. I can get it by myself. Can you see if there is any progress on the stuff I need? And a coffee, please?" Spencer looked up at Morgan from under his eyelashes. With his clothes rumpled, bed-head and a sleep drenched voice Morgan could only nod his head and watch as Spencer walked off. Morgan was forced to think of dead puppies to stop the rush of blood heading south.

When calm again Morgan talked to Gideon and Hotch about what happened and Reid's stuff, starting coffee too. Hotch motioned to the pile of boxes where the bagged evidence was and Morgan groaned.

Spencer came out of the bathroom face cleaned and clothes straightened. He made a cup of coffee and came over to the table. "Thanks for the nap. I'm going to start reading these. You guys should head to the hotel and sleep. I can handle this." Spencer said.

"Nope, I am helping you or we start tomorrow. I know you read the fastest but you need some help. J.J. has a press conference on for tomorrow. We got this. Together." Morgan looked Spencer in eye and he was comforted by the confidence in the stare. Spencer closed his eyes and Morgan was stunned by the determination and passion that lit them up.

"I am very ready. Let's read, and find this guy." Morgan nodded and ripped open a box.

Previous // Next

*******************************************************************************************

Chapter 5 is up and running. Spencer and Derek are getting heated. The next chapter is a personal favorite. 

[theimpossiblescheme]

More Cats OCs!  Last time we had a set of three sisters--this time we have four brothers!

1. What is their name? Gender? General age?

Ulyssess, Cavalcanti, Orsino, and Prufrock (left to right)—all male.  The first three were from a first litter, so they’re all mature adults around Munkustrap’s age.  Prufrock was from a second litter, so he’s closer in age to Admetus and Plato.

2. What are three adjectives to describe them?

Ulysses—finicky, protective, dignified Cavalcanti—supercilious, prim, imaginative Orsino—dramatic, timid, responsible Prufrock—cheeky, lighthearted, idealistic

3. Do they have a human home or are they a stray? 

The four brothers live with a novelist in Cheshire, a young woman who writes detective stories and is currently attending night classes to become a teacher. 

4. If they have a human home, what is their home life like? If they are on the streets, what is life like for them?

Their owner, Eleanor, is a dyed-in-the-wool “crazy cat lady” who adores her pets and takes very good care of them.  Sometimes she gets distracted in her writing so much that Cavalcanti and Orsino have to paw and meow at her door to remind her to feed them, but she does her best to look out for them.  And on days she knows she’s going to be exceptionally busy, she has lots of toys and a cat tower for each of them to keep them occupied.  Sometimes, however, Ulysses thinks it’s more fun to keep her company by walking on her typewriter.

5. What is their ‘role’ within the tribe, or what are they known for? (Ex: Tugger is the curious cat/rockstar, Gus is the theatre cat, Mistoffelees is the magician, Munkustrap is the Jellicle Protector, Jelly is seen as a caretaker, etc)

Ulysses, Cavalcanti, and Orsino are exceptional co-protectors, Ulysses especially so.  He gets along the best of the three with the kittens, even if he’s easily flustered by their wilder shenanigans (he’s nowhere near as patient as Munkustrap, but he tries), and the other two work best as messengers who talk to cats outside of the Tribe.  Prufrock, however, is a charmer, but not in the same way Tugger or Alonzo are.  While those two are more Casanovas with hearts of gold, Prufrock is a Prince Charming who loves sweeping queens off their feet more than playing with their hearts (and causing a little trouble on the side with Pouncival and the gang). 

6. Who are their best friends? You can include characters from the show or tag other people’s OC’s. How popular are they?

The three eldest brothers tend to be a bit standoffish, but Ulysses genuinely likes Munkustrap and Asparagus and has a soft spot for all of the kittens (Etcetera kissed him on the cheek once for rescuing a toy mouse she’d been playing with, and he was mush all day afterward, though he tried very hard to hide it).  And Prufrock loves hanging out with Plato, Pouncival, Tumblebrutus, and Admetus, but occasionally he’ll follow Alonzo around and see if he can learn anything from him.

7. What is their favorite food? Do they prefer human food or something they’ve hunted?

Ulysses and Cavalcanti both love fish, particularly haddock if they can get it.  Orsino’s a frog hunter who likes to see if he can stake them out at the local pond, and Prufrock loves human food.  He is absolutely that cat who will sit by your chair and stare at you until you throw him scraps, and he’ll be your best friend if you let him have jam or marmalade.

8. Do they have any accessories? Scars? Why or why not?

Ulysses has a bad left eye, thanks to a run-in with an alley cat who didn’t take kindly to anyone snooping around their turf, so he wears a little cat-sized monocle on that side.  Cavalcanti wears a tiny black bowtie, and Prufrock has a red collar with rhinestones on it.

9. What style of dance do they work best in?

Cavalcanti isn’t a great dancer—he was born with Cerebellar Hypoplasia, which makes him wobble when he walks, so he sticks primarily to singing.  Ulysses and Orsino are very athletic ballet dancers, and Prufrock specializes in a mix between ballet, modern lyrical, and hip hop.  And they are all very supportive of their wobbly brother.

10. Do they have any sort of magic? Do they fear magic?

None of them have any magic of their own.  Ulysses is healthily cautious around magic, Cavalcanti and Orsino flat-out don’t trust it (the only reason they aren’t scared of Misto is that he’s so small and sweet when he isn’t throwing lightning bolts), and Prufrock loves it.  

11. Any fears?

Ulysses is afraid of losing his brothers, especially Prufrock—he knows the kind of trouble they can get into and hates the idea of not being around to protect them.  Cavalcanti and Orsino are both horribly afraid of knives.  And Prufrock has an irrational fear of being kicked out of the Tribe—every time he does something vaguely mischievous, he’s terrified that Old Deuteronomy is going to throw him out onto the street to die.

12. Do they believe in love? If so, what is their “type” and how do they act when they are in love? If not, then why?

Prufrock is the kind of cat who falls in love with roughly five different people every day—he doesn’t so much have a set “type” as his “type” is always changing depending on who he meets.  He’s very generous with his affections and tries to make anyone he’s involved with feel special.  Cavalcanti and Orsino consider themselves too “busy” to settle down with anybody, and their views of love are quite cynical (Orsino in particular likes to go on long tangents about the more “important” things in life than romance).  And in the middle, there’s Ulysses, who certainly believes in love and that anyone can find it, but thinks of himself as a “realist” who waited too long to find anyone special and is now married to his job.  He does get a little wistful watching the younger kittens with their partners, and he thinks the older couples in the Tribe are incredibly lucky.

13. Do they personally know anyone who has gone up to the Heaviside layer? Do they believe in the Heaviside layer?

They don’t know anyone personally who’s gone there, but they certainly believe in the Heaviside Layer.  Prufrock has his moments of doubt, though, but it’s usually whenever he gets scared of being shunned.

14. Any passions or hobbies? (Ex: Dance, hunting, etc)

The three eldest brothers take their jobs as protectors and messengers very seriously, but they all love to dance.  Ulysses likes entertaining the young ones if he has the time for it, and Cavalcanti and Orsino are avid hunters who use their outings as an excuse to go somewhere they’ve never been to hunt for new prey.  And whenever Prufrock’s not giving his brothers a headache, he likes to just sit and talk with someone he likes as they watch the goings-on in the Junkyard.

15. If a song was sung about them at the Jellicle Ball, what would it be about?

Ulysses gets a song to himself about the duties he takes on for his Tribe and family (maybe Munkustrap sings with him since he can relate so much!), and it sounds like a cut song from A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder—classical-sounding, but with a sense of humor.  Cavalcanti and Orsino get a Gilbert and Sullivan meets Cole Porter buddy song about the places they’ve been around the country and are constantly trying to one-up each other.  And Prufrock gets a “Corner of the Sky”-style I Want Song about the love and adventure he wants in his life away from what Jellicle tradition expects of him.

16. What are their thoughts on some of the main characters in the show? (Ex: Tugger, Munk, Jenny, you get to choose!)

They have generally very high opinions of their Tribe family, even if Cavalcanti isn’t Tugger’s biggest fan.  But they do all have mixed feelings about Grizabella—Cavalcanti and Orsino absolutely refuse to accept her as one of their own after the betrayals the Tribe has suffered (they tend to value loyalty above all else), Ulysses thinks she’s regrettably made her bed and now has to lie in it, and Prufrock is just curious as to what makes her so terrible.  Nothing can be worse than Macavity, in his mind… right?

17. Do they have any secrets they are hiding?

Prufrock couldn’t hide anything if he tried—he’s the sort of cat who always wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s not nearly as sneaky as he thinks he is.  And as dramatic as Orsino can be, it’s hard for him to keep any secrets as well.  Cavalcanti, however, has a much richer imagination than he lets on, and he likes to mockingly imitate cats he doesn’t like… when their backs are turned because he doesn’t want to get in trouble for disrespect.  And Ulysses privately envies Prufrock’s defiant streak and wishes he could get away with the same things, but knows he must set a good example and would never dream of making Old Deuteronomy angry with him.

[i-will-physically-fight-you]

Velveteen Wishes: Chapter 1

Title: Velveteen Wishes

Summary:  In an attic of a dilapidated house laid three toys who were just as real as you and I are. For their owner, a brown-haired boy with rosy cheeks and chestnut eyes, made them so through his love.  These three toys were all he had. They were his only friends and together they fought against evil in the Imagination Land.

But evil lurks in the real world, danger that the toys cannot protect their boy from. Patton, Virgil and Logan will have to become more than mere toys to save Roman.

Pairings: platonic lamp

Words: 2406

Warnings: death mention, verbal/physical abuse, child abandonment, crying, sickness

Previous | Present | Next

First off, thank you to everyone who left a flood of nice comments on my fics tonight--I’m crying?? It inspired me to actually write this AU idea I got last night. The title is a reference to the Velveteen Rabbit, which is one of my all-time favorite children stories. 

I hope you guys enjoy this! <3

In an attic of a dilapidated house laid three toys who were just as real as you and I are. For their owner, a brown-haired boy with rosy cheeks and chestnut eyes, made them so through his love. These three toys were all he had. They were his only friends and together they fought against evil in the Imagination Land.

The biggest of the toys was a light blue teddybear. He was half the boy’s current size and had been a gift when the boy had been but a babe. For as long as the boy could remember, he always had his teddybear at his side. When he was little, he had called the bear Patsy. But as the boy grew older, so did the bear in his heart’s mind.

Patsy had imaginary children and that meant he was a dad now. In the boy’s mind, all grown-ups needed serious names. Without his parents’ permission, he’d taken a book from their bookshelf. He knew he should’ve have! They were very, very angry when they found out. But both Patsy and him figured they could find a good name in a book so heavy and thick.

The book was full of big words that the boy had never seen before. He was very good at reading things. He loved reading stories. But it was hard for him to read such a big book! He and Patsy had been right, however. Because there was a lot of names in the book. The problem was finding one that was a good one.

Patsy didn’t look like a George. He wasn’t an Abraham or a Thomas either. It was towards near the end of the book when they finally found it. In the midst a page that illustrated armored tanks was a section about someone named General Patton. The boy didn’t really know who this guy was, but he sounded like an important guy! Patsy agreed with him, and that was how Patsy became Patton.

Logan came after Patton. He wasn’t truly meant for playing. He was an owl knickknack meant to collect dust on top of a shelf.  But the boy thought he looked sad sitting up there alone all by himself. The boy rescued him by standing on his tippy-toes on a chair to reach him. He dusted him off and christened him Logan, after one of his favorite superheroes, Wolverine.

He thought Wolverine was so cool with his hands that shot out razor claws. Logan didn’t understand the boy’s logic. He was an owl—and owls were smart, wise creatures. They’re nothing like Wolverine who fought with his fists. But Logan accepted the name all the same.

The boy was afraid his mother would notice the disappearance of one of her knickknacks. For several weeks, he made sure to hide Logan underneath his bed covers from his parents. But she didn’t seem to notice Logan was gone from his perch above the kitchen cupboards. For that, the boy let out a sigh of relief.

Finally, there was Virgil. He was a black cat plushie with a missing eye. The boy found him in a yard sale he attended with his mother. She dragged him along after school to look at the clothing they had to offer. Not clothing for little boys, even though the boy desperately needed new trousers. But clothing for herself. He spied Virgil on top of a pile of other plushies. While there were perfectly other good stuffed animals there, the boy’s heart ached for him.

“Please, can we get him?” The boy asked, hugging Virgil tightly to his chest.

“What? No! Put that away, it’s ratty and old! You don’t want a stuffed animal with only one eye, do you?”

“Fine.” The boy bit his lips, moving to put the stuffed animal away. But the truth was that he did want Virgil very much. When no one was looking, he snuck the stuffed animal into his backpack. He knew it was wrong to steal, but he couldn’t leave him. What if no one gave him a home?

His mother just about had a fit when she discovered what her son had done. She wanted him to return Virgil, but he begged and pleaded to keep him. He sobbed loudly until she slapped him across the face.

“Enough!” She yelled, “Quit crying and I’ll let you keep him, alright?”

The boy nodded his head as he held onto the stuffed animal tighter. Virgil was just as frightened as him when his mother threatened to get rid of him. But the black cat did his best to soothe the boy’s tears. A broken toy like him didn’t deserve such a kind and good owner. After all, his previous owner immediately abandoned him as soon as he lost his eye. He pledged to protect the boy to the best of his ability.

The boy named him Virgil after his class’s pet mouse. He thought it was funny to name a cat after a mouse. Virgil appreciated the irony.

It was summertime. Every day before the boy’s parents left for work, they locked him in the attic. It had always been this way since his grandmother died. The boy missed his grandmother terribly. She used to listen to his stories with the reverence his parents never had. She made cookies that both the boy and Patton loved. She told stories of her childhood that the boy and Logan loved. She comforted the boy and Virgil during fierce thunderstorms.

But without his grandmother, there was no one to watch him during the day. Rather than hire a babysitter or send him to daycare, they locked him in the attic. It was cheaper that way. With his parents, it was always about the money. The boy didn’t understand what money was apart from the fact it was boring adult stuff.

The boy thought all parents locked their children in the attic. Maybe if he was friends with other kids, he’d know it wasn’t the case. But the boy had no friends apart from his toys. The boy tried hard to make friends. But all the kids thought he was weird with his ill-washed clothes and scuffed up shoes. That was alright, because he had his imagination. In his imagination, he was a prince like in the Disney movies! He rescued people, and everyone loved him. It was the best thing ever!

Being locked inside the attic wasn’t the worse thing. It was better than being locked inside the closet. His parents only locked him inside the closet if he had misbehaved.  It was dark and scary inside the closet. He was sure a spider crawled over his foot once in there. Worse of all, he usually didn’t have any of his toys in the closet with him. He was all alone and he hated it.

Yes, the attic was much nicer. The attic was where his bedroom was and where all his toys lived. It was in the attic where together he and his toys went on adventures in Imagination Land. His parents hated it when he played anywhere other than the attic. They claimed he was too loud and he made a mess of things.

It was a summer day—the attic was sweltering. The little fan attached to the attic window was too weak to combat the temps. It was all due to the dastardly evil Dragon Witch. She made the attic room unbelievably warm with her ferocious fire. The boy had to venture into Imagination Land to defeat her.

No matter how many times the Prince and his courageous knights of Etherwood defeated her, she’d always returned. It was endless clash of good and evil. The Dragon Witch was too pompous to realize that good always saved the day, no matter what. But where was the fun without a bad guy to fight?

“Look, that’s where her evil fortress awaits us!” The boy pointed out excitedly, his other hand held onto his sword with a firm grip.

In the distance to where he gestured, stood a dilapidated castle. Heavy fog surrounded it, making it appear even more ominous and eerie. They heard a roar echo the perimeters, sending bats scurrying out of its depths.

“Oh no, do you think there’s spiders in there?” Patton said, hiding behind Virgil.  

“You know spiders are relatively harmless—” Logan began.

“It’s a creepy old castle, of course there’s spiders.” Virgil shrugged his shoulders. Patton made concerned noises.

“It’s okay, Patton! I’ll kill the scary spiders, for ya!” The boy promised, despite being just as scared of the spiders himself.

“Thanks kiddo, you’re the best!” Patton chirped.

When they finally entered the Dragon Witch’s lair, numerous trials awaited them. They had to be careful treading their way down the shadowy hallways. One wrong step, and they’d activate a trap. Virgil led the way, his overcautious nature coming in handy.

The winding hallways led them down to the dungeons. An enormous three-headed dog guarded the entrance. The others gathered their weapons to fight the beast when Patton gasped and ran to it.

“Puppy!” He called out joyfully, petting its underbelly.

The beast responded by attacking Patton with all three of its’ tongues. He laughed as the tongues washed over him, coating him with saliva.

“Quick, while it’s distracted.” The boy whispered to the others and they raced through the gate. Once they reached the other side, he called after Patton to join them.

“Aw, alright.” Patton pouted, giving one last pet to the three-headed dog before leaving him.

The last trial before they faced was a riddle. None of them except Logan could make heads nor tails of it.

You can carry it everywhere you go, and it does not get heavy. What is it?

“Air?” Patton suggested.

“You can’t carry air though.” Virgil pointed out.

“You can carry a balloon full of air, or a plastic bag!” Patton grinned, “Those aren’t heavy at all!”

“It’s not something literal, Patton, it’s metaphoric.” Logan’s eyes lit up in realization, “Your name!”

The final gate creaked, startling the group, as it swung open.

“Good job, Logan!” The boy praised him.

“It was nothing.” Logan promised, although he sounded smug.

They continued walking until they reached the heart of the dungeons. There, standing in all her horrific glory was the Dragon Witch. She was in her dragon form, a great big green beast. On top of her head, was the stereotypical pointy hat with purple trim. The room burned bright with the fire from her breath.

“There you are, you evil queen!” The boy yelled.

The Dragon Witch smirked, but before she could launch into an evil monologue—he rushed at her with his sword. With his friends at his side—there was no way they could lose to her! But as the fight went on, he grew more and more weary. His thoughts grew discombobulated.

The dungeon kept glitching into his attic. Of course, he knew the Imagination Land was all make-believe. There’s a small part in every child that recognizes this truth. But usually he had a better control on it than this. His stomach grumbled. When was the last time he ate? He can’t remember if he had breakfast today. Sometimes his parents forgot to give him breakfast.

Dragon Witch’s flames furled around him as she cackled. Virgil and the others led a charge against her, but with a swipe of her tail she sent them crashing against the wall.

“Poor little prince, all alone,” She crooned as she pinned the boy underneath her claw, “what ever will he do now?”

The boy attempted reaching for his sword, but he couldn’t grasp it. Tears streamed down his cheeks. The Dragon Witch was right; he was all alone.

“Get away from him!” Three collective voices shouted at once. The Dragon Witch was taken for surprise, screeching as she tried escaping the wrath of the boy’s friends. The events that happened afterwards were blurry for the boy. His eyelids felt heavy, and his head hurt so much. Why won’t it stop hurting?

He whimpered, and something soft brushed against his cheek.

“Shhh,” A voice whispered, “You’re safe now, sleep.”

“Patsy?” The boy murmured.

“Yup, it’s your Patsy-Watsy.” The voice chuckled, “Virgil and Logan are here too. But you gotta sleep, we’ll watch over you, okay?”

“Okay.” The boy said as he drifted off to sleep.

Once certain he was unconscious, the three toys gazed at one another in concern.

“He’s getting worse, isn’t he?” Virgil asked, his tail twitching in agitation, “should we be letting him sleep? What if he doesn’t wake up?”

“I’m sure our kiddo will be right as rain!” Patton reassured, placing an arm around him, “right, Logan?”

Both Patton and Virgil looked over to Logan. He knew the most about anything and everything. His only entertainment for years had been listening to the television from his shelf.

“Rest is the best thing when a human is sick,” Logan said, hesitated, “although I do think perhaps he’s getting worse.”

“He’s going to die.” Virgil muttered darkly.

“No he isn’t!” Patton protested.

“He’s been sick for two days without food or water!” Virgil exclaimed, “all because those jerks forgot about him.”

“They didn’t forget—not on purpose, I mean—” Patton’s voice faltered, unable to put a positive spin on it, “Logan?”

He looked towards the owl for help. But the owl remained oddly silent; for once, he was unable to come up with an argument that negated Virgil’s worries.

“I’m afraid, unless he gets help soon, the outcome is bleak.” Logan said at last, his voice as fragile as the porcelain he was made of.

Patton, Logan and Virgil may be real as you and I are. But in that moment, they felt imaginary. Because as real as they were, they were still just toys. Toys couldn’t lock pick doors or scream for help. They could only look on helplessly as their boy took shallower and shallower breaths.

Desperately they all wished that they could be more than toys. All of them loved the attention and love they received from the boy as toys. But a toy is not what their boy needed. He needed guardians who’d give him the love and care he deserved. Things as toys they couldn’t give to him. 

At that exact moment of their wish, a shooting star traveled across the sky.

General Tag List:  @yourhappypappypatton@alextheodd@cryingtitan @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2@usothemarshmallow@madly-handsome  @i-just-wanna-be-alone-blog @remy-alagaesias-dragon-queen@ashrain5 @otaku-marijane @pathos-logical@moonstone-fox@violetvirgil @fandergecko @echomist13 

[texanredrose]

Captain’s Orders

Author’s Note: @keena-kapu brought something up for NSFW and, though I didn’t actually go that route, I was mighty tempted. Just wanted to get this scene out of my head. See y’all in a month!

Yang swallowed hard, doing her best to keep her composure as her crew hauled Winter onto the deck of the ship. She looked horrible with her naval uniform torn to shreds from two months stranded on an island, a slight tremor in her legs from lack of food and water, and a few cuts that hadn’t yet healed from who knew what- but she was alive, and that mattered so much more to the Captain just then.

However... she couldn’t exactly say that.

“Looks like we’ve found quite the castaway, haven’t we?” Her voice, loud enough to be heard over the waves crashing against the side of the ship, was met with jeering laughter from her crew. “And what should we do with her, hmmm? This naval officer without the Crown to protect her?”

She began to pace, hoping it appeared to her crew like she was enjoying this. After almost a year of playing cat and mouse with one of Her Majesty’s finest, one would think the renowned pirate Captain Yang Xiao Long would be absolutely glowing with mirth at having found the one who’d chased her so tirelessly now weak and bereft of any manner with which to defend herself.

But in truth, Yang didn’t enjoy this, not in the slightest. Because while the rest of the world might think them mortal enemies, the reality couldn’t be further from that idea. The whole series of events started with a chance meeting in a port- a night where they fell into bed together, driven more by passion than sense. Or, well, that was true for her, seeing as she rather enjoyed spending a night with a beautiful woman or two before heading back out to sea whenever they made port. It just happened that one night, the woman she decided to indulge with happened to be none other than the Sea Wolf- Captain Winter Schnee, a naval officer in Her Majesty’s employ who excelled at running down and capturing pirates and bounties alike. Yang managed to escape by the skin of her teeth that night- after they’d gone a few rounds because, apparently, the naval woman happened to be in rather dire straights at the time when it came to releasing pent up urges- and gave Winter the slip shortly after. The next time her ship- the feared and famed Longwang- pulled into port, however, she came across the naval Captain again, and for a second time Winter opted to postpone collecting the bounty in favor of rolling through the sheets.

“Part of me says we should make her walk the plank.” She forced a chuckle, throwing her arms wide. “But another says we should repay the favor shown to our kind and let her dance a gallows’ jig. I think she’d dance rather pretty, what say you?”

Her crew roared back with laughter, showing their clear favor for irony, but it made her blood run cold.

After their second meeting, they reached an agreement: on the open seas, they were mortal enemies, but behind closed doors, they were free to indulge in each other without worrying about bounties or reputations or anything else. For a while, it worked for both of them. Yang’s cleverness and crew kept her one step ahead of the naval officer and Winter’s efforts only grew in response, doubling down on her vow to capture the pirate. Meanwhile, their secret rendezvous at ports allowed both of them to find sweet release, enough that the pirate found herself without want for any other company. Then Yang noticed that... well, perhaps things weren’t working out- at least, it wasn’t enough for her anymore. During the nights they spent together, when they lay panting beside each other with sweat cooling on their skin, they’d begun talking- and pillow talk didn’t surprise her. It was the cravings that began to eat at the back of her mind when they were apart that did- the little questions she wanted to ask when next they found themselves naked and spent, when such answers might fall from her lover’s lips.

“Ah, but it’d be a shame for that, really, without your crew here to see.” She tried to sound snide and cruel, and perhaps the edge to her voice carried that well enough to hide her fury. “But there’s a bit of irony in that, aye? Pirates we may be but we take care o’ our own while the imperious Navy loses one of their finest officers in a storm and don’t even turn back to look for her.”

Because she’d stopped seeing Winter as the naval officer hellbent on arresting her with whom she enjoyed a few dalliances with, no. She’d started seeing Winter as something much more, though she hesitated to put a name to it, lest she lose everything in the process.

“And we’re the ones who get labeled traitors.” Venom dripped from that last line as she mentally cursed the scheming underling who’d effectively staged a mutiny, taking control of Winter’s ship and ordering they sail for port rather than double back for their captain. Cowards, the lot of them. “But we already dealt with them, now didn’t we?”

Another chorus of cheers went up as Winter began to cough, the chilly night air likely biting her down to the bone with how damaged her uniform was. Yang had to make this quick.

“Aye, and I think it’s high time we send a message back to Her Majesty and her naval dogs.” Quickly, she went and grabbed Winter’s arm, roughly squeezing her bicep to prompt a stifled whimper of pain as she hauled the woman closer. “And in the meantime, I’ll be showing the lost Captain my... hospitality.” The entire crew began to whistle at that, jeers coming from all around, before she snapped off her orders. “Make for Agave Port! Full speed! And if anyone even thinks about disturbing me, I’ll personally shove a cannonball up that person’s ass and toss ‘em overboard. Savvy?”

“Aye aye, Captain!” The crew then launched into a flurry of activity while Yang roughly escorted her prisoner to the cabin, shoving her inside and slamming the door behind her.

“Winter.” The moment they were behind closed doors, she dropped the facade, stepping forward to wrap her arms around the woman and hold her, giving her something solid and warm to lean against. “Thank the Maidens we found you in time. I thought-”

“I didn’t think you’d speak to them like that.”

“What?”

Winter sagged against her, eventually turning her head so they could properly look at each other, and only then did she notice the dullness in normally striking blue eyes and how much the past two months had worn on her. “Your crew. I sometimes imagined how you’d speak to them. It was never like that.”

“I just- I have a part to play. You’re a naval officer and I’m a pirate; I’m supposed to act like that around you.” She gave a helpless shrug, trying to brush formerly white bangs turned almost brown thanks to dirt and grime behind her ear. “I just had to make it convincing. If I did what I wanted to do... I don’t know how they’d react.”

Apparently summoning her strength, Winter drew herself to her full height, trying to calm the shaking from cold and fatigue through sheer force of will as she offered a small smile. “And what did you want to do?”

Immediately, she popped up on her toes, the differences in their height not so great that she needed to do so but it put the force behind the gesture that she wanted, using one hand clutching at the back of Winter’s head and the other at the small of her back to steady her as they kissed, the urge to cry tears of joy almost overpowering. 

How close had they come to the last time they’d been in each other’s arms being the the last time? It pained her heart to even consider it, scared her worse than anything she’d faced in over twenty-five years.

Maybe it was the two months as a castaway or just melting into the familiar embrace, but Winter went nearly boneless against her, fingers carding through her hair, knocking off her hat in the process. It didn’t matter- nothing mattered, outside of the weak embrace.

When they parted, her lover chuckled. “I can see why you would be concerned how they might react.”

“They’re an unpredictable bunch,” she replied with a smile, cupping the woman’s face.

“Much like their Captain.” Winter sighed, resting against her. “I would’ve never guessed missing our night in Onyx Cove would’ve prompted a rescue... but I’m afraid I must insist on a bath before we make up for lost time.”

It stung but she kept her smile in place, if only to steady her voice. “Right. This way.”

Tucked away in the corner of the cabin, she kept a bathing basin, more so she could clean her hair than her body, as she could hardly fit in it. Winter, however, didn’t have the breadth of her shoulders to consider, and she’d grown far more lean in the past two months, though it likely wouldn’t be the comfortable sort of indulgence she’d known. Still, Yang fetched some rainwater they’d collected during the last storm and poured it in, adding oil to the tray beneath it and igniting a flame that it might warm a little. Then, she turned her attention to Winter, whose fingers fumbled with the damaged clasps remaining on her coat.

Wordlessly, she took over, noting that there would be no salvaging the uniform and hoping that some of the extra clothes she’d acquired over the years might fit her lover’s taller frame. Although she’d much rather take her time, Yang hurried as much as she could, not wanting to prolong the woman’s exposure to the cool air in the cabin, but she did allow herself little, reassuring touches here and there. To the wounds yet to heal, to the prominent ribs formerly hidden beneath healthy layers of fat and muscle, to the hollow of her hip where a new scar showed pink in the flickering light of the lanterns- most damning of all, she couldn’t resist pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder, nevermind the lack of bathing, simply because she could. 

How close had she come to being too late?

“I must insist-”

“I know,” she replied, soft. Though the door to the cabin was closed, their agreement only ever involved satisfying... physical demands. An arrangement, an accord- not a relationship. And to Winter’s mind, this wasn’t Yang fretting over her lover; it was just a woman impatient to collect a debt. “I’ll help you in.” Once the naval Captain settled in the basin, the water just barely reaching the tops of her breasts, knees bent to allow herself to submerge at all, Yang shrugged off her coat and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt. Normally, she wouldn’t be buried under so many layers, but she always hated the cold and the northern wind brought with it the sort that bit too deep for her to bear easily. “Let me get your back.”

Carefully, mindful of bruises and cuts, Yang ran a cloth across her skin, clearing away dirt to reveal uneven tans where the sun had burned through the tatters of the woman’s uniform. She could count every rib, see the jut of her shoulder blades, and noted the pain that jolted through her body when the cloth passed over a specific part of her back.

“After I went overboard, I was lost on the waves until I crashed against a rock. It probably saved my life... but the bruise still hasn’t healed.” She winced, shifting in the basin. “I haven’t much time to let it rest.” A chuckle. “So be gentle tonight.”

It felt like a knife in her heart, hearing those words. “... right...” When she finished washing Winter’s back, she stood up and dried her hands on her trousers. “There’s some dried meat and rum on the desk. I’ll go find you some more food.”

Yang left the cabin, not bothering with her coat or hat- for the moment, she wanted the bracing chill of the night air to snap her out of it, to help put things into perspective. Her feet carried her to the starboard side, stepping up on the railing and wrapping her leg through a shroud, leaning against the creaking ropes and staring at the sea and sky beyond.

She’d gone into pirating all those years ago to rebel against the corrupt naval officers who killed her mom and, up until recently, she’d never thought- even for a moment- that she’d ever have any qualms with it. Harassing the navy, stealing their supplies, she’d never questioned it.

But now?

“Yang?” Lilac eyes turned to find Ruby watching her, having climbed down from the crow’s nest. “Everything okay?”

“No,” she replied, always a bit too honest with her sister than was probably wise. “I... don’t have a heading. I don’t know where I’m going.”

“I thought you said that was the best part of being at sea? Sailing for the sake of sailing?” Ruby hopped onto the railing beside her and sat down. “Living for the sake of living?”

“Maybe I was wrong.” A shake of her head. “Maybe that’s how you end up running aground.”

“I thought you’d be really happy.” Her sister frowned, the red cape she wore billowing around her and slapping against the wood. “We found Captain Schnee. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“She- she has nothing to do with this.” Yang cleared her throat. “It’s something different-”

“Hey.” She looked down to find silver eyes watching her closely. “You know you can’t lie to me, right?”

Her shoulders fell, a frown claiming her lips. “Does the crew know?”

“You haven’t exactly been subtle.” She started ticking things off on her fingers. “You come back bragging about how you escaped arrest but refused to name who almost got you, after that we start getting chased by Captain Schnee, at the next port you disappear like you do but none of the brothels had seen you, then Captain Schnee’s there again, and then you have us fire around Captain Schnee’s ship instead of at it-”

“Okay, alright, I get it.” She slapped a hand to her face and sighed. “So everyone knows...”

“That you have a soft spot for Captain Schnee.” Ruby shrugged. “You wouldn’t have us come all the way out here looking for her if you really just wanted to kill her when we get back to Agave. So, what’s the problem?”

“It’s not a soft spot, Rubes.” She looked down, at the waves lapping against the side of the ship. When she spoke again, her voice had turned soft, almost as if she feared the words leaving her mouth- which she did. “I love her.”

“I- uh, alright, so that’s... wait, how is that bad?”

Tears stung at her eyes. “Because she doesn’t love me back.”

“What? I don’t- are you sure?” Ruby shifted. “I mean, love romantic love isn’t something I, uh, get or anything, but I just- I’m not connecting the dots here, Sis. How could she not love you back?”

“Because this was just sex to her.” She sagged against the shroud. “That’s how it started for both of us. But for me, it changed, and it didn’t for her.” They were both silent for a moment as tears slipped down her cheeks. “I don’t know what to do.”

Tentatively, her sister offered her suggestion. “Tell her?”

“I can’t.” She scrubbed at her cheeks. “She’s a naval officer on board a pirate ship.”

“Oh, if she turns you down, you could...” Ruby put her hands up. “But you wouldn’t!”

“It doesn’t matter, Sis. There’s a chance and I won’t take it.” Another sigh left her lips.

“Yang, I’m not trying to play devil’s advocate here but... are you sure you love her?”

“I’d go ashore if she asked me to,” she replied, her tone steady and even. She meant it, with every fiber of her being. If asked, she’d go ashore and never set sail again. She’d run her ship aground and set it aflame. She’d steal the crown from Her Majesty’s head.

If Winter asked it of her, she’d turn herself in and face the gallows.

“Dad always said that, for all the pain that comes with love, it’s always worth it in the end,” Ruby said, swinging her legs back over the railing and landing on the deck. “As soon as we make port, you should tell her. If not for her, then for you.”

“I’ll think about it,” she replied, staring off into the distance for a while longer. Finally, she came to a decision; in the end, she could only be one of two people. 

She could continue being the pirate captain, being chased by the same woman she would welcome into her bed whenever the chance arose.

Or she could leave the sea, lest she lead her crew to ruin by following her heart rather than her head.

With a sigh, she turned to jump back onto the deck, heading below to collect up some more dried meat, fresh water, another bottle of rum, and a few biscuits before returning her quarters. There, she found Winter had finished her bath and pulled on one of Yang’s long shirts and crawled into the bed she used on the rare times she brought someone back to the ship from port. It hadn’t borne any weight in it since... well, before the naval officer began her pursuit.

“Trouble?” Her voice came out thick, as if she was staving off sleep by the barest margins, and the bottle of rum in her hand gave clear indication why. Clean with a full belly and a comfortable spot to rest- no wonder she felt sleep calling to her.

But Yang merely sat on the edge of the bed and offered her a biscuit. “You should try eating a little more. You’ve got a lot of strength to recover.”

“Might as well put it off for the morning,” Winter said, a frown touching her lips. “Anything I gain now will be burned off tonight.”

Pressing her lips into a thin line, she resolved not to push tonight. In the weeks until they made port, she could bully the woman into accepting nutrition, but right now, rest would be just as good. Standing up, she went to set the food on the desk and took a swig of the rum herself to ease the pain in her chest- or rather, replace it with fire, as the alcohol burned down her throat. She didn’t feel like drinking tonight but might need it to calm her mind enough so she could sleep.

“Rest for tonight.” Yang set the bottle down and started dimming the lanterns, intending to sleep in the hammock strung up beside the bed. “You need it.”

“Why Agave?”

“What?”

“You’ve never shown much interest in Agave Port.” Although still weak, Winter pushed herself up, looking almost like a ghoul in the low light. But she still carried herself as she always did, shoulders straight and chin tilted up proudly- despite all that had been stripped away from her, she remained Captain Winter Schnee, the woman Yang loved. “And if memory serves, there are closer ports.”

“Agave is where your ship pulled in for repairs,” she replied, sitting on the edge of the bed so she could pull off her boots. “We’ll find them there.”

“Is that so.” A noise like a contemplative hum but softer. “I realize I’m in no position to ask... but may I beg a favor of you?”

Pausing, she looked back over her shoulder, afraid of what might be asked of her. Normally, she’d fulfill any request Winter had, when they were behind closed doors, and they’d yet to find an idea the woman entertained that Yang didn’t like just as much. However, something about the way Winter needed another pull from the rum worried her, sent her heart racing in her chest. “Anything.”

“Rather than head west to Agave... head east.” Brows furrowed, Yang turned to look at the woman, who’d decidedly turned her gaze away, focusing on the liquid sloshing within the bottle in her hand. “For weeks, I begged the Maidens to send me visions of you at night. I didn’t have so much faith to think asking for rescue would be possible, so I asked for comfort instead. And I realized that... were I given such a chance to see you again... I’d rather it not be in chains or ropes.”

“What are you saying?” Hope ran rampant, nearly impossible to contain, but she managed to keep her voice even and calm, tempering the thoughts that perhaps she was wrong, that she wasn’t alone in wanting more, because Winter was still weak and possibly delirious. Did she understand what she was saying? 

“I don’t want to return to my post.” She reached up and ran a hand through her hair, damp moonlight spilling over her shoulders. “Some of the crew, I’ll miss. But when I needed them most, the Navy sailed off and left me. You... a pirate, you came and found me. The treasure you prized, forgotten amidst the waves.” She chuckled dryly. “You don’t have to say anything. We have our parts to play, and I can play mine just fine without the title. Leave me in a port of your choosing and my bed will be open whenever you come to call. But Captain Schnee died two months ago, lost at sea. She will chase you no more.”

Yang swallowed thickly, looking away for a moment before steeling her nerves, turning her back to the woman. “We won’t go to Agave if that’s what you want. But it’s funny that you call me the pirate when you’re the one who stole my heart.” A soft gasp behind her but she couldn’t tell if that boded well or ill. So, she continued. “If your bed is the only place you’ll have me, then that’s where I’ll be. But... truth be told, I’d rather be in your heart than your bed.” She took a deep breath. “I love you, Winter.”

The shuffling of fabric, rustling that drew closer, until a hand on her shoulder forced her to turn, and she could see the icy fire that she’d fallen in love with return to blue eyes a moment before they slipped closed, their lips pressing together in a passionate kiss that she fell into, wholeheartedly. She clutched-gently, mindful, but desperate all the same- at the shirt, opening her mouth and giving everything she could, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. What she would do to keep the woman in her arms scared her but liberated her as well because what regrets could she have? Only that she’d never gotten the chance to utter those words, let them fall from her lips like the rum spilling as it rolled across the floor, forgotten.

When they parted, breathless, she found herself pinned in place by the look in the woman’s eyes, that forceful stare that had drawn them together at first. “I love you, Yang, and Maidens as my witness I feel a fool for not telling you that sooner.”

She pulled Winter closer, buried her face in the woman’s neck and held her tight, overjoyed. That she’d found her alive, that she’d found her at all, but mostly that she’d finally unleashed the words she’d kept locked inside only for the sentiments to be returned. “For what it’s worth, I feel the same. I should’ve told you back in Mistral.”

“I was an idiot back then but being without you made me wise.” A soft sigh. “I just can’t imagine what we’ll tell your crew.”

Yang chuckled, drawing back and smiling wide. “I do.”

Gently, she coaxed her lover, her love, out of bed, retrieving a box she’d steadily filled in the past few months with whatever caught her fancy, though admitting as much made her blush with Winter’s eyes on her.

“You bought me clothes?” Fine silks, silver embroidery, blues that matched her eyes and pristine white that couldn’t be found anywhere else on the ship- Yang had poured a fair bit of her share into purchasing everything. “And when were you planning on giving these to me?”

“I... had an idea.” As Winter began sifting through the available garments, she turned her back to afford some privacy while fumbling over her words. “Just, a passing daydream I liked to entertain, that one day you’d sneak aboard the ship and try to confront me here, but... not to arrest me. I thought... it would be rude if I didn’t have something to replace what I’d tear off of you.”

“You estimated my tastes rather well.” Sneaking a peek, Yang found the woman looking herself over, trousers tucked into thigh high boots, a double breasted jacket fitting her a bit looser now than it should’ve, and sleeves with silver cuff links making her look more a merchant than an officer. “I think I’ll fill these out rather nicely in a month. Did you take my measurements while I slept?”

“No,” she replied, offering a cheeky smile and holding her hands up, wiggling her fingers. “I did it while you were awake. Just... indisposed.” Then she reached out and grabbed Winter’s hand. “Now, come on.”

Emerging from her quarters, Yang called out, her voice booming and ordering everyone to the top deck. A few grumbled about lost sleep but did as they were bid, until every pirate aboard her ship had amassed, awaiting whatever she might say. 

Ruby happened to be the only one of them smiling, though, as silver eyes darted down to their clasped hands.

“I have an announcement.” She looked at Winter. “Captain Schnee is no longer a member of Her Majesty’s navy. She’s one of us, now.” A pause. “And she’s my co-captain. You’ll give her the same respect you would me. Any questions?”

Silence, for a few moments, before one voice rose up. “Who’s on top?”

Yang’s brows furrowed. “We’re co-captains, so-”

“Not that!” The man corrected. “In bed! Which one of you is on top?”

For a moment, she had a mighty urge to throw someone overboard.

And then her shoulders fell, a little smile claiming her lips; they were pirates, after all, so one couldn’t fault them for poor manners. “She is.”

“YEAH!” Ruby shouted, thrusting her fists into the air before snatching her hat off her head and turning to the rest of the crew. “NOW PAY UP, YOU BILGE RATS! I WON BOTH BETS!”

Curses and mutters and complaints and excuses flew, but not one ill word about their newest Captain, and Yang had to laugh at the dumbstruck expression on Winter’s face.

Finally, the woman just shook her head. “Pirates. I’ll never understand you lot.”

“You can’t say that,” she said, stepping closer and teasing a kiss. “You’re one of us now.”

“That I am.” She closed her eyes, resting against Yang for a moment before humming. “And after some rest, I think I’d like to practice my plundering skills.”

Sweeping an arm under Winter’s legs, she lifted her love into her arms and carried her back to the cabin. “Oh, and man the helm! We have a new heading!” She looked at Winter. “Where do you want to go?”

She smiled, reaching up to idly play with a few blonde locks. “It’s been a while since we’ve been to Vacuo and the last trip ended with my ship almost sinking.”

“Make for Vacuo! The first free port!”

“Aye aye, Captains!” The crew chorused back, launching into a flurry of activity to change their course and adjust the sails, Ruby calling out orders while holding her winnings with both hands.