#also i adopted my very own cat today and i drew this waiting for him to come out of hiding

[crynghost]

Boom sonadow? Anyone?

Also here have this song because i can't listen to anything but hollywood undead it seems

[dragonseattofu]

NekuShiki question time! :)

Tell us about one of their vacations they went on together!

Any funny/silly headcanons you want to share?

Who would propose to the other and how?

Hey Anon, so let me start off with saying how completely honored I am to have someone interested in my headcanons. I was honestly so shocked and you literally made my day so thank you. Please see bottom for notes. Now to the ask,

Vacations

My idea for right after the first game, before A New Day and before NEO, is that the gang would all have a typical beach vacation. Some place local, since these kids are still teens, and they are all typically broke. Eri would be along for the ride too because Shiki wouldn’t travel without her best friend, and also because Eri would just invite herself. Even if Eri trusts and loves Rhyme, she definitely doesn’t trust the boys to be alone with her cute best friend on a weekend trip.

They take the train to the beach, and it’s time to get changed. Eri picked out a bathing suit for Shiki, that’s not exactly revealing but less conservative than Shiki would have liked.

“I can’t wear that! Is that the only one you brought me?” Shiki’s voice raised in a panic.

“Shiki, it’s really not that bad. It’s a tankini and it will look cute on you!”

Her insecurities were screaming at her. No way could she go out in public wearing that! The top is practically see through!

“Eri, this may look cute on other people, but not me. I-I can’t pull this look off, I’m not —”

“Are you girls okay in there?”

They both turned to the closed door. The changing room is open air, so even though Neku couldn’t see anything, he could hear everything.

“Shiki, I have an idea. Is there anyone else inside?”

“No, why?”

“Eri, come guard the door.”

“Neku, if you think I’m going to let you into the girls changing room —“

“I’ll keep my eyes closed, I just need to give Shiki something.”

“I could just —“

“Just come to the door, Eri. Shiki, put the swimsuit on, I’m not going to look.”

“But!”

“I’m tying something around my eyes, I’ll be quick.”

He heard some shuffling and the door opened. Eri guided Neku into the room, and once inside she shut the door. Shiki touched his elbow to let him know where she was, and he offered her the cloth he was holding.

“What are you?”

“Just turn around.”

She did as he asked, and he draped his short-sleeved cotton shirt over her shoulders, trying very hard not to touch her bare skin, even if he thought otherwise.

“My shirt’s long enough to cover pretty much all of you, and you can’t enjoy the beach if you’re feeling self conscious about your swimsuit. You’ll get there one day, even if that day may not be today.”

The UG gang knew how low Shiki’s self confidence was, and even though Eri was very attentive to Shiki’s needs, sometimes her methods of getting Shiki to own herself weren’t always the best. The seamstress was getting better every day, but when she is with her best friend, who looks great in a bikini, those feelings she once had still linger. Some things just take more time and Neku wanted Shiki to have fun today, without having to worry about what she looked like.

He couldn’t see the smile she was wearing, or the blush of her cheeks, but he heard her sigh of relief.

“Thanks Neku.” He stayed with her as she finished getting ready, which wasn’t very long, and sooner than later, Shiki took Neku’s hand to guide him back out of the room. When the coast was clear thanks to Eri’s watchful eye, the pair walked into the sunshine and only then could Neku see Shiki, who was in his shirt that was flowing around her loosely, buttoned only around her waist, her green two piece swimsuit still modestly visible.

Leave it to Shiki to find a way to make a simple shirt look fashionable.

And for Neku, who was a little awestruck, claiming the sun made his face flush, smirked to himself as Eri complimented Shiki on her new look. She looked perfect in his shirt.

Cute/Silly head cannons

Neku living with Shiki, and she’s so busy she doesn’t really cook for herself/eats unhealthy. He’s straight up appalled. So he teaches himself how to cook and essentially turns into a domestic househusband. Cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, feeding Mrs. Mew (her black cat that she adopted when Neku was in the UG) etc. When the kiddos (twisters) come over, Neku’s in the kitchen while Shiki entertains for a bit, brings them all tea wearing an adorable apron, and kisses her on the check before setting the serving plate down in the kitchen to come back and join everyone. I long for domestic fluff.

Proposal

I feel like Neku would totally try planning out this creative and artistic proposal, his kiddos would be dying to help him out. Shoka would go nuts making sure her mentor got the most gorgeous proposal setting, she would grumble as Fret tried to help out in an most exaggerated way, and Rindo would try to prevent Shoka from killing Fret who she finds is ruining his plan. Neku would just let them be as long and they weren’t doing anything dangerous, and he agreed that a girl who changed him for the better AND waited for his return after three years did deserve the best. When push comes to shove and it’s about to happen, the twisters and the original crew watching (and recording) them, Neku gets so nervous he ends up messing up, but Shiki totally understands what he’s saying and she pops the question. And it’s kind of like Amity and Luz from the Owl House.

Neku’s looking everywhere but at her, and Shiki can tell he’s so nervous that he’s starting to stutter. She finds it funny that this once emo teen turned into a suave young adult was now reduced to a bumbling mess. “What I’m trying to say is —”

“Will you marry me?” Shiki interjected, reading his mind. She’s so excited that she could burst.

He was relieved that it’s out in the open, but disappointed it was not he who popped the question he had prepared so long for. He’s pouting but also smiling as he whines, “Ah no, I was going to say it.”

Shiki giggles like a schoolkid as she waves her hand in the air to placate him, “okay, okay, go ahead.” In an attempt to take his pending question more seriously, Shiki bit her lips together, but couldn’t fight the corners of her mouth lifting upward in a goofy grin.

He bent his right knee onto the pavement, took her hands in his, looked her in the eye and breathed out, “Shiki Misaki, will you marry me?”

“Yes!”

He had 0.1 seconds to kiss her before he’s mauled to the ground by their friends. Eri and Shoka grabbed Shiki, screaming so loudly it drew the attention of commuters all around them. He has to calm them down so he can put the ring on his fiancee’s finger, a mere afterthought that after all the suffering everyone in the group has gone through, they all have something amazing to celebrate.

Note: I’m sorry this reply is so late, but I wanted to think about what to say and I ended up writing little ficlets for you, so I hope you can forgive me! And thank you again for prompting me, I find it hard to write sometimes and this really encouraged me to write more. If you, or anyone else likes these, please feel free to send me more prompts, I might even make a ficlet collection on Ao3 if anyone is interested!

[lokigayforhela]

Only three more parts to love bites. :( While I am a bit sad, part 28 is cute, and I like to know that Hela gets to live happily ever after lol. And ngl, I am excited to see your new stories also!! If I may, can I request a soulmate AU? It is possibly my favourite trope ever!

Throwback to when I had the drive to update a story every day. Those were the times, weren’t they? Anyway, I had lots of fun reading different soulmate AU ideas to get inspired, and ended up making up one of my own (I think? There are so many ideas out there, I don’t want to take credit for something someone else did). If you’re a visual person, here’s where I got inspiration for the tattoo. Enjoy!

Being single sucked.

It wasn’t that you hated, or were jealous, of all of yourfriends who had found the person whose tattoo lined up with theirs, you just…were tired of waiting to find yours.

Sometimes it felt like you were running out of time, and assupportive as you were of all of your friends and family members and classmatesthat were finding their soulmates and falling in love and getting intorelationships, you were ready for your moment in the sun, ready to finally findthat special someone who you were meant to spend the rest of your life with.

“Earth to Y/N, are you there?”

You were brought out of your silent revelry when you heardyour best friend speak, and you managed a weak little smile as you looked up,trying to ignore how awkward you felt sitting alone at a table full of pairedup friends. “Yeah, just… Just thinking…”

Out of habit, you looked down at the tattoo on the side ofyour arm, not quite on your wrist, but not quite on the back of your armeither. It was a design you couldn’t quite make out on its own, but youimagined once it was lined up against the arm of your soulmate, it would cometogether beautifully.

“Hey… I’m sure you’ll find your soulmate any day now.”

You shrugged a bit. “Yeah, I guess. It just… feels like I’mgetting left behind. You know?”

A few of your friends laughed and murmured in agreement, andstarted talking about how long their own experiences had taken, but you were alittle distracted, and too in your emotions to really listen to what they weresaying. A little too abruptly, you stood, causing the entire table to fallsilent, and you swallowed hard.

“You know what, I’m gonna… look around for a bit on my own. I’llcatch you guys later.” You shouldered your bag back on and turned to leave witha small little wave as your friends mumbled confused goodbyes.

You hadn’t meant to seem so standoffish and rude, butsometimes it made you feel a little lonely, to be the odd person out of thefriend group, and to have to listen to them all be cute and loving together. Youjust wanted that, too. Wanted the sweet stolen glances, the soft kisses, theconstant hand-holding.

You wanted to be loved.

Shaking your head to clear your mind a little, you walkedthrough the rest of the food court in silence, turning the corner to walk downone of the halls lined with shops, but you were surprised to see an unfamiliarstation set up. Curious, you walked a little further down the hallway, andquickly realized that there were little kennels and play areas set up, thesounds of dogs and cats barking and meowing and playing surrounding you. Youcouldn’t help but to smile. You lovedanimals.

You walked along the little row of animals, smiling andcalling each one by name, so that they all got some attention, and just as yourounded the corner to walk down the other side, you bumped right into someonewalking toward you, knocking the clipboard out of their hands. You felt yourcheeks heat with embarrassment immediately as you both knelt down to gather thepapers that had been knocked loose.

“Sorry! I’m so sorry. I should have been looking where I wasgoing,” you insisted as you reached across the floor.

“It’s fine. Happens more often than you’d think,” the othergirl muttered, and you felt yourself cringe a little in worry that she wasannoyed with you.

Once all the papers had been gather up, you looked up at herto hand them back to her, but found yourself frozen in place, fixated by howethereally beautiful she was. Hereyes were the most beautiful shade of blue-green you had ever seen, and herdark hair framed the pale skin of her face so perfectly that you were almostconvinced you were looking at a portrait and not a real person.

The both of you just looked at each other for a long timebefore the girl finally cleared her throat a bit, and looked down at yourhands, and you felt your cheeks grow even hotter. “Right. Sorry.” You handedthe papers back, and couldn’t help the shiver that ran down your spine whenyour fingers brushed together, praying that she didn’t notice it.

As you both stood back up, you looked back at the line ofanimal kennels. “I’ve never seen you here before. Is this temporary?”

“Mm.” The girl nodded once. “We’re here from the animal shelter.Hoping to find some homes for some of our adoption-ready little ones. We’rerunning out of space, and… well, we want as many of them to find homes aspossible.” She glanced at you out of the corner of her eye, and then down ather clipboard. “…I don’t suppose you’d be interested in playing with a few dogsto see if one is a right fit for you?”

You laughed a little, running a hand through your hair. “Ifeel like at the very least I owe it to you, after nearly running you over.”

The girl smiled, only a little, but it was the most she hadsince you’d bumped into her, and it was breathtaking. “Great. Just fill outthis form real quick, and we can start looking at some of the animals.”

You nodded, and took the proffered clipboard from her,filling out the paperwork quickly and handing it back to her. You watched insilence as she read over everything.

“Alright. Have you seen any animals in particular that arestanding out to you?”

You bit the inside of your cheek as you regarded thekennels. “…introduce me to some that haven’t been played with today.”

The girl studied you for a long time, and then noddedslowly. “…sure. Go pick out a play area and bring over one of our dogs. There’ssome hand sanitizer you can use before you start playing.”

You nodded and picked out a quiet little corner, watchingthe curious stranger as you rubbed the sanitizer in your hands. She was theprettiest girl you had ever seen, and though a tad standoffish, there wassomething about her that made you want to get to know her more, and you foundyourself subconsciously looking her over, trying to figure out where her tattoomight be.

Your sneaky scrutinizing was cut short as she turned backaround, leash in hand as she led a dog over to your little play area. “This is Faolan.He’s one of our wolf hybrids. He came from a litter with only one othersibling, a little girl named Fenris.” She smiled as she scratched his headgently. “Who I… actually adopted myself. I would have taken both, but I didn’thave the room, and my landlord wouldn’t allow it.”

You frowned a little as you looked at him. “That’s reallysad.”

The girl shrugged. “Unfortunately, most siblings areseparated, especially when it comes to shelters. We try to keep them togetheras much as possible, but it… doesn’t always work that way.” She looked at youthen, eyebrows raised in slight amusement. “You can pet him, you know.”

You laughed softly, and reached over her arm to scratchunder his chin, but came to an immediate halt as you looked down at her arm. Itdidn’t take you long at all to recognize the same style that your own tattoowas drawn in, especially considering the way you had reached across her hadleft your arms aligned perfectly. Now that you had both pieces of the puzzle,you could see that what you had thought to be a couple of curving lines combinedwith the other girls’ to make a minimalist-style outline of a wolf. Fitting, you found yourself thinking,and as you finally snapped yourself out of your shock, you looked up to see thegirl staring at you, just as shaken by the turn of events.

Suddenly, you felt extremely shy, pressing your lipstogether before smiling a little. “…hi.”

The girl huffed out a breathless little laugh of disbelief,and smiled, as well. “Hi.”

You looked back down at your arms, and wondered when you’dboth gone from petting Faolan to holding hands, but the way the simple motionhad brought your arms even closer together only made you more certain that youhad finally found your soulmate. Yousqueezed her hand gently as you looked back up at her.

“I… Do we kiss now? Is that what’s supposed to happen next?”she asked, not nearly as cold and brusque as she had come off before.

“…If you’d like to.” You shrugged a bit, leaving itcompletely up to her.

“…I’d like to.”

You nodded, smiling at her so softly, despite how nervous you were suddenly feeling, andcarefully reached over to cup her face, leaning in to press the gentlest kissto her lips.

It was chaste, as most first kisses tended to be, but youcouldn’t help but feel the sparks from the simple action, like every nerveending in your body had all lit up at once, and everything was just perfect.

You beamed as you drew back, relaxing when you saw the girlwas doing the same as she looked at you.

“…Hela.”

You laughed softly. “Y/N.” And you paused, as you lookeddown at the pup who had brought you together. “And I’ll take the dog.”

[ejzah]

A/N: This chapter deals with the second part of Little Angels. I tried to trim it down to scenes where it could be from Deeks’ POV.

***

The Agent and the Lawyer, Part 13

“What did Callen say?” Kensi asked, glancing at Deeks briefly before she returned her eyes to the road.

“Andre Maragos has requested a lawyer,” he said dryly. “Do you think he’d accept me?” Kensi snorted at that, glancing at him again. Her eyes were appraising.

“Well, you certainly can look the part of a lawyer a guy like Maragos would hire.”

“Again, not sure if that’s a compliment,” he said with a frown. Instead of making another joke at his expense, she said,

“I really am glad you’re here today. You’re making this whole thing a lot less terrible.”

“Anytime.” He glanced behind them where the transport van was following. “So what do we do if Lucas doesn’t actually know or show us where the bodies are?”

Kensi’s eyes narrowed on the road, her expression deadly. Suddenly, Deeks was very glad that he wasn’t on the receiving end of her rage.

“Then you might have to stop me from shooting him.”

***

“I think this is one of the most horrific things I’ve ever seen,” Deeks muttered to no one in particular. And he’d been party to some pretty awful stuff.

Lucas Maragos had lead them directly to the edge of a small hill, radiating smugness the entire time. It wasn’t clear if he was enjoying bossing them around, or having the opportunity to finally show off his work.

Either way, Deeks was reconsidering his position on guns. He sighed as several forensic experts dug up the spots Maragos had pointed out.

“Mr. Deeks, Agent!” A woman dressed in protective gear said, motioning for them to come over. “We found something.” If her expression was anything to go by, it wasn’t pleasant. Then again, that’s what they were hoping for.

Kensi, who’d been talking with Maragos, hurried over. They both glanced in the small grave, where the skeleton of cat lay.

“Well, now we know he wasn’t lying about the cat part.” Deeks said, holding back a shudder.

“You should call Sam,” Kensi told him, a deep frown growing between her eyebrows. “I’m going to see if I can’t get anything else out of Maragos.”

“Sam, you need to get out here,” he said when the agent picked up.

“So far they’ve found the remains of five cats,” Kensi said once Callen and Sam had arrived. “Lucas isn’t being particularly helpful at the moment. He keeps repeating that his brother is responsible.”

Sam and Callen shared a dark look, something unspoken flowing between them. There was clearly something going on with Sam, but now was definitely not the time to ask about.

“Any other sites?” Sam demanded.

“You should ask my brother, these are his,” Lucas responded, apparently trying to appear genuine.

“You seem to be enjoying the attention. Give me the keys.” He directed the last part to Kensi, grabbing the keys to Lucas’ cuffs from her.

“Is that a good idea?” Deeks asked as Sam unlocked the handcuffs. Lucas’ legs were still bound, but Deeks didn’t trust the man not to make a run for it. Or try something more violent.

Kensi caught his eye, shaking her head as Sam dragged Maragos several feet away, ignoring the man’s protests. Sam seemed to just barely be holding himself back from inflicting physical damage. Callen watched it all with obvious concern, but didn’t attempt to intervene.

“Does Sam have a personal history with this guy or something?”

“No,” Callen answered shortly. Sam returned a few minutes with Lucas, who actually seemed a little frightened and was in a much more sharing mood

Deeks could only imagine what Sam had used to gain his cooperation and that worried him.

How strong could the team’s case be if they resorted to threats and potential violence?

***

“What do we now?” Deeks asked, as they drove to the mission.

They’d found the remains of the third girl who was originally buried, but not Amanda. Both Lucas and Andre had proven uncooperative, blaming the other for the murders.

Then Andre had made an ill-planned attempt to leave the country with his family. It was certainly suspicious behavior, but they’d taken a swab from Andre and it didn’t match any of the DNA on the remains.

They also had a signed statement from Andre’s mistress and a home video the two had made. Deeks could have happily lived without ever seeing Andre Maragos naked. To say that Sam had not been pleased when they interrupted his interrogation with Andre to tell him would be an understatement.

“We look at the evidence again. We look for what we missed before,” she said and then sighed deeply. “And we pray that we come up with something before Amanda runs out of time.”

As they watched the video of Amanda for the countless time, it was not lost on Deeks that they were grasping at straws.

“Hey, take a look at this,” Sam said suddenly, pointing to a bare finger that was just visible at the edge of the video. There was a note of something close to excitement in his voice. “When he picked up the camera, he took off his glove.”

“Different MO,” Callen said. “Makes sense, glove would have been shredded after all the digging.” Sam wasn’t about to be talked down from whatever idea he had. Kensi walked over as Deeks stood up, to get a better look at the screen.

“Hear me out on this, G. What does this guy do with his gloves afterwards?”

“Well, first thing you would, uh, burn ‘em, shred ‘em. It’s full of DNA.”

“What if he’s going fast, got careless?” Sam continued, sounding like he was telling a story. “Left a glove behind, like in a box or in the dirt in the hole.”

“The case is closed,” Deeks said immediately. “I mean, we catch him the second we find that glove.”

“But there is no glove,” Kensi said, echoing Deeks’ own thoughts.

“We don’t know that,” Sam said and Deeks heard warning bells going off in his head. “Maybe neither does the killer. He’s going fast, he’s scared, he tosses everything only to realize, he left a glove behind.”

“Right, but he didn’t,” Deeks said, not liking where this was going at all. What Sam was suggesting was sketchy at best.

“We could make him believe that he did,” Callen said, nodding in agreement with Sam.

“What if it doesn’t stand up in court though?” Deeks asked, thinking of how he’d tear apart “evidence” like that.

“We’ll do whatever it takes to make it stick,” Kensi said as Sam instructed Eric to modify the video. He turned them out for a minute, distracted by his concerns.

“You’ll need to sell it to Lucas Maragos, Deeks,” Sam said, drawing him out of his thoughts. “Make him believe that the glove is real. We’ll do the same with his brother.”

“Me?” Deeks repeated, startled by the suggestion, especially coming from Sam.

“You’ve already got a connection with him. It’ll be easier than if Callen or I do it. Kensi will back you up if you need it.”

***

“I do not like this,” Deeks muttered, his voice barely audible as they waited in the interview room again.

“You’ll be fine,” Kensi said. “And it’s for Amanda.” She flashed a warning look his way as the sound of guards drew closer and he pressed his lips together, holding back any further comments.

He pulled in a slow, shallow breath, trying to calm himself. This was no different that cross examining a difficult witness. He just had to play to his audience, frame the story they needed to hear, and pretend he believed every word he said.

Deeks snapped his eyes back open the second the guards were at the door, adopting a relaxed posture as they led Lucas in. Kensi said nothing as he opened the laptop on the table, started the DVD with Amanda’s video, and sat next to Lucas Maragos.

“See that little sucker right there? It’s a glove that got left in the dirt,” he told the man. Lucas’ eyes were laser focused to the screen, a change from his earlier careless attitude. “And it is filled with DNA.”

He didn’t glance at Kensi, putting all of his attention on Lucas. Deeks hoped he wasn’t playing it up too much. Maragos cleared his throat after a moment, now looking anywhere but at the laptop.

“I don’t know why you’re showing me this,” he said. Kensi leaned forward then.

“Because when we get a DNA match, we’ll be able to find your partner. And believe me, we’ll get him to turn on you,” she said, her matter of fact tone chilling.

“You can take him back,” Deeks called to the guards. “But let us know if he has decides to talk. Who knows, he might be able to escape a death sentence.”

It was only after they were outside again that he allowed himself to let out a shaking breath.

“You ok?” Kensi asked, eyeing him with concern.

“Yeah.” He was surprised to find it was true.

“Eric’s calling,” she said, putting her phone to her ear and had a rushed and confusing conversation. She shoved the phone in her pocket and started jogging towards the SUV. “Eric says we need to get to Angeles Forest now. Callen and Sam are following someone in one of Andre’s vehicles.”

***

“I can’t believe it was Andre’s kids,” Deeks said, shaking his head as Kensi returned from putting the younger boy in the back of an LAPD cruiser. He knew they were hardly the first to commit a heinous crime, but it was still shocking.

“I guess they learned a lot from their Uncle,” Kensi said darkly.

“What will happen to them?” Deeks had defended juvenile clients before, though never one charged with attempted murder. And in his own experience, the courts could be pretty brutal when it came to kids.

“Well, I’d guess their dad is going to higher them the best lawyers he can find,” Kensi started. “And then it depends on how they’re charged. I could see the FBI wanting to try them as adults, but I doubt it’ll go through.”

“I don’t know if I’m relieved or disappointed,” he said and Kensi rolled her eyes.

“C’mon, we’ve got lots of reports to file.

“Not me, I’m just a legal consultant.” Kensi made a rude noise at this.

“Nice try. You never get out of paperwork. And if you don’t do it, Hetty will hunt you down. And no one wants Hetty hunting them down.

***

“You know, you did really well today. I was surprised, but you did good,” Kensi told him as they walked out of the mission, taking their time.

It had been eye opening to watch Deeks question Lucas. She had expected him to hold back and certainly hadn’t considered that he would taunt Lucas. The images he’d produced had been horrifying, and affective during their first interview.

“I think you’ll find I’m full of surprises, sugar bear,” he said, grinning that annoying smirk of his. Kensi held up a hand, turning to face him so he was forced to stop in the middle of the hall.

“Woah, sugar bear? I don’t think so.”

“What, I think it’s very appropriate. You’re very sweet and-“

“And you are absolutely forbidden from calling me that anywhere another person might hear it,” she finished for Deeks, shaking her head. Of course, now she’d left herself wide open to being called “sugar bear” in private.

“What about “Princess”?” he asked, undaunted by her implied wrath. She started walking again before he could see her slight smile. Their shoulders brushed as they walked, an unnecessary physical reminder of Deeks’ presence. Technically, it violated the rules of their bet, but Deeks didn’t mention it.

“Definitely not.” Before he could suggest something even more ridiculous she said, “Be serious for a second. Ok? I know that defusing tension is a big thing for you, but I really need to know how you’re doing.”

He sighed and this time he was the one to stop. He tossed his head back for a second and it was amazing how suddenly his face transformed. She saw the weariness and a surprising amount of anger that he’d hidden for the majority of the case.

“I’m...good,” he decided after a pause. “Which I know is weird to say. I didn’t realize how much I needed to see someone like Lucas Maragos get what he deserves.”

“So we didn’t scare you off with our serial killers?” She was actually curious; he’d been obviously horrified, but not nearly as much as she’d expected. He’d dealt with the possibility of seeing girls buried alive better than many seasoned Agents would.

“I mean, the kids following in their uncle’s footsteps is pretty awful, but again, I’m glad they’re not out there hurting more people. I don’t see nearly enough of that as a lawyer. And it’s even worse if you’re a public defender or district attorney.”

“And here I thought you’d be running out of here after a couple days,” she said.

They were in the parking garage now, which was mostly deserted and had stopped walking again. Kensi found she was reluctant to go to her own vehicle.

“You’re not going to get rid of me that easily Kensi Marie Blye,” he said, then made a face that she recognized meant he was holding something back.

“What?”

“Nothing...just um,” He rubbed his chin before continuing, “How often do you threaten people or make up evidence to get results?” She nodded, knowing he was thinking of the way Sam had treated Maragos and the planted glove.

“Sometimes you do what you have to,” she said simply. “The important thing is that we found Amanda in the end.” He still looked serious, so she cleared her throat and added, “And now, I think you owe me some Mexican. I’m calling in my first special delivery. I expect it on my doorstep in an hour.” She did a smug little dance to accompany her victory.

Deeks rolled his eyes, chuckling under his breath.

“Yes, technically you did win,” he agreed. “Although I would point out that if this wasn’t such a tense case, you would have been all over me.”

“Those sound like the words of a loser,” Kensi teased, ignoring the thought of being “all over him”. Deeks scrunched his face at her.

“You are a very annoying winner.” Kensi grinned at him. His hair was more disheveled than normal after tramping around in the heat all day and his light blue shirt was now untucked. He looked anything but a high price lawyer. He also looked completely delectable.

“But as I am a man of my word-“ Kensi grasped the sides of his face, cutting him off mid-word as she kissed him roughly, pushing her tongue past his lips and letting out a sigh when his hands settled on her waist.

“Oops, I guess I lost,” Kensi gasped out several moments later. She stepped back from him, her skin feeling flushed and a deep need running though her body. His answering grin was breathtaking as he pulled her back to his chest.

[nattikay]

@arcadia-trash @keepin-it-crispy @elizabethemerald yeah idk what the point of this fic even is but it’s got some Jlaire in it so ^^;

It was nice to be back in Arcadia, if only temporarily. New Trollmarket, while still much smaller and less intricate that its centuries-old predecessor, was established and thriving around the New Jersey Heartstone, and to celebrate the success of their quest Jim, Claire, and Blinky had gathered together in the newly-running Gyre station to visit the friends and family they’d left behind in California.

The trio were greeted with a plethora of hugs and shouts for joy as they reunited, Toby in particular talking a mile a minute, excitedly raving about everything they’d missed while on their journey and insisting that they had to come along and properly meet Krel tomorrow. Jim, Claire, and Blinky were already more-or-less familiar of the supernatural goings-on of their hometown over the past few months, of course, thanks to the ever-useful invention of cell phones and texting--but it was special to hear about it face-to-face.

These joyful greetings were short-lived, however, as the time was late--they’d decided to travel at night just to make sure Jim and Blinky would be safe from the sun. And so they all soon found themselves saying goodnight and heading their separate ways--Claire with her family, Jim with his mother, and Blinky with Toby, Aarrrgh, and Dictatious--with promises to come together to hang out for real the next morning with a celebratory breakfast.

“We can do it at my house,”  Jim offered, tusks protruding from his toothy grin. “Food’s on me.”

“Can’t wait!” called Toby, waving over his shoulder as he and Blinky made their way over towards the Domzalski home.

“See you then,” added Claire, pulling Jim down for a quick kiss on the cheek before heading off to her own street.

Jim smiled and waved back, watching a moment as his girlfriend, best friend, and essentially-adopted-father walked off in different directions before turning back into his own house.

“Mom?” he called, not seeing Barbara in the front room where she’d been just minutes before.

“I’m here,” she responded, walking in with a pile of blankets and a pillow, which she promptly handed to Jim with an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but I’m afraid you’re gonna have to sleep on the couch...see, with Walt and I somehow getting roped into looking after all the changeling familiars, well, we needed space to put them all and well, with you not here--”

“It’s ok, Mom, I understand,” said Jim, mildly disappointed but not surprised. As much as he’d miss his old room, he couldn’t really fault her reasoning given the circumstances. Besides, a couch would still be way more comfortable than the forest floors and hard stone caves he’d slept on during the exodus to New Jersey.

“Thank you,” said Barbara with a hint of relief. “It’s getting pretty late, you go on and get some sleep. I love you,” she added, moving in to hug her son one more time, which he gladly returned. 

“Love you too, Mom. Goodnight.” 

Barbara grinned appreciatively as she headed back up the stairs, leaving Jim to set up the pillows and blankets as comfortably as he could on the couch. He drew the blinds (didn’t want to wake up to a burned stone shoulder or something if the sun rose before he woke up, after all), placed the pillows and set the blankets. That doesn’t look too bad, he thought as he examined his handiwork. Satisfied, he went to brush his teeth, change his clothes, and turn out the lights before crawling under the blankets and closing his eyes.

It was decidedly more comfortable than a cold stone cave, and yet...yet...

“Uuugggh. Why can’t I fall asleep?!” Jim growled to himself as he adjusted his position for what felt like the fiftieth time.

It’s not that he wasn’t tired...well, it wasn’t like the Gyre journey had been particularly long or exhausting or anything, but he was the...normal amount of tired, he supposed. The same that he was every night.

Was it maybe his horns getting in the way? ...nah, he’d gotten used to sleeping around those months ago, there’s no reason it should suddenly start bothering him now.

Perhaps it was the strangeness of sleeping on the couch in his own home, now that his childhood room had been taken over by a bunch of babies? Maybe...but somehow he didn’t feel like that was quite the full story.

So what was it?

Groaning, Jim turned over once more and tried again to drift off into sleep.

.oOo.

The sun was shining through the blinds (though not directly enough to cause any harm) when Jim was roused the next morning by a cheerful voice wafting over from the door.

“--morning, Dr. L!”

“Hi, Toby! Come on in...you’re a bit early, I don’t think Jim’s even up yet, let alone making breakfast.”

“That’s ok!” said Toby, bounding into the front room as Jim sat up, rubbing his bleary eyes. He’d managed to get a little sleep that night, but none of it had been restful, and he was left feeling even more tired than he’d been before.

“Hey, dude!” Toby greeted his best friend excitedly. “Aarrrgh and Blinky’ll be coming through the sewers; while you were gone Aarrrgh connected that old hole Draal made in your basement to one in our house. But Nana and I are here now, so---oh man,” he broke off, noticing the bags under Jim’s eyes. “You alright dude? You look awful. Did you sleep ok?”

“I mean, not really,” said Jim, stifling a yawn. “But it’s ok. Happens to everyone, yeah? Let’s go get that breakfast party started,” He sat up and stretched before heading towards the kitchen, hair and scruff a mess and still in his pajamas.

“What do you think we should do, pancakes or waffles?” he called back over his shoulder.

“Oh, I’m totally feeling waffles!” said Toby.

“Waffles it is,” said Jim, gathering ingredients for the batter.

About five minutes later Blinky and Aarrrgh emerged from the basement, plopping down in the front room to chat amiably with Toby, Nana, Barbara, and Strickler (who, Jim noticed, was holding a babbling infant that he recognized as the changeling’s own former familiar).

In another ten, the food was ready.

“Alright, we got fresh waffles for whoever wants ‘em,” the half-troll called from the kitchen. “Along with whipped cream, syrup, and fruit, or for anyone who wants some more trollish toppings, some old sock bits and tin foil,”

“Alriiiiight!” exclaimed Toby, leaping up and helping himself as the adults followed closely behind.

“Can’t tell you how much I’ve missed the smell of your cooking, kiddo,” said Barbara, to which Jim shrugged, smiling.

Just then another knock sounded at the door. Strickler, being the closest, answered it and let the Nuñezes in.

“Sorry we’re a bit late,” apologized Ophelia, “It was a little hard to drag Claire out of bed this morning...she’s usually so good with mornings, but I guess she’s been busy with that quest...”

“Oh, you’re alright; in fact, you’re right on time,” assured Strickler, ushering them in. “The food has just been put out...”

Upon the invitation, Claire made a beeline for Jim, slipping her arm around her boyfriend in a comfortable side-hug.

“You’re looking professional this morning, Chef Jim,” she teased, eyeing his pajamas and messy mane. 

“Yeah, sorry about that,” shrugged Jim. “Honestly, I wasn’t even really up until Toby came over...didn’t sleep all that well last night,”

“You too, huh?” asked Claire, and sure enough when Jim glanced down she also had a bleary look in her eyes and while she had at least put on day clothes her hair, bound by its many clips, was slightly disheveled. 

You couldn’t sleep either?” he asked, surprised. “Not even in your own bed?”

“Apparently not. It was weird...it was like something wasn’t quite right, for some reason...but anyways,” Claire continued, shaking off the mystery, “Let’s try some of these waffles, they smell amazing!”

.oOo.

Once everyone had eaten, a few began to disperse. Nana Domzalski retreated to her house to check up on her cats; Ophelia and Javier returned to their daily schedule with little Enrique in tow. Stickler went upstairs to feed the familiars and Barbara insisted on washing the dishes (”You made the food for everyone and you did wonderfully, now you sit back and let me clean it up!” she’d told Jim when he offered to help). That left Jim, Claire, Toby, Blinky, and Aarrrgh in the front room while Toby excitedly showed off some of the new magic tricks he and Aarrrgh had perfected to Blinky.

Jim sat on his little couch-corner, the furnishing still covered in the ruffled blankets he’d slept under (or at least, tried to) last night. Claire was leaned into his side, watching Toby’s magic act as she lazily ran her fingers through Jim’s scruff. Jim wasn’t sure he could remember ever feeling so relaxed before. In fact, he felt like he was just about to drift off to--

“Hey, I think that’s what was missing,” said Claire suddenly.

“Huh?”

“Last night, when I had trouble sleeping. That’s what was missing.”

“...what was it?”

Claire snuggled in closer. 

“Your heartbeat,” she said simply. “I guess I’d gotten so used to sleeping to it in New Trollmarket and on the journey that suddenly not having it was just...off,”

Jim took a moment to absorb this statement, eyes slowly widening. Oh. Oh.

“Ooohhhh,” he said out loud. “...man, that makes so much sense now! You were missing my...my heartbeat and I guess I was missing...your scent...oh man,” he shook his head, followed by a yawn. “That explains a lot.”

“I know we have a lot to do today, or a least a lot Toby wants us to do,” droned Claire contentedly, voice growing drowsier by the word, “but now that we have...what was missing...maybe a quick nap first would be best,”

“...yeah,” Jim managed, smiling warmly as his eyes grew heavy. “Yeah, that’s a good idea...”

And the two drifted off into a very contented snooze.

[alarriefantasy]

                                 Halloween Fic Rec 2019

Demon

Trade Mistakes by ifancylou, Taayjaay

Words: 3k

Harry summons a crossroads demon without realizing that he'd be giving up his soul in exchange for the deal. He offers the demon something a little different instead.

Demons by CarlyLovesLarry

Words: 4k

or where Harry is a demon and Louis is a hunter, and Harry fuck Louis into oblivion  

Sealed With A Kiss by ty_madison

Words: 6k

Harry has been having dreams about a boy, every night since he turned sixteen and everytime he has opened his eyes in the past the boy has disappeared. But now he is awake, the boy is here and he has a deal to make with the innocent Harry.

Paper Planes by cathedralhearts

Words: 7k

Louis sold his soul to the Devil when he was sixteen, tear-stained and miserable, grief wracking his body as the doctors told him his mother had days to live. Lucifer prefers to go by the name Harry, wears Louis’ soul around his neck as a pendant, and spends the next five years following him around.

Shadow Holding Me Hostage by scribblewrite

Words: 26k

Harry's a demon, basically the king of hell and the source of all evil, and he needs an heir. Louis's a normal human, unsuspecting of what's in store for him.

The Devil's Angel by lilacsweaters_ivorylilies

Words: 86k

Ezekiel 28:13 - For Lucifer has been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was his covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of his tabrets and of his pipes was prepared in him in the day that he was created. 

Fantasy/Supernatural

got me losing every breath (i'm latching onto you) by kissingiscool

Words: 14k

(or an au where louis is a fairy with a fear of thunderstorms and a talent of knitting and harry is a vet with three cats and a lot of love.)

A Love So True You Don't Have To Be Afraid by homosociallyyours

Words: 14k

In a world long ago but not so far away, where true love is valued above all else, Louis and Harry have already found one another. Their lives are shaken by the arrival of Simon, whose heart is more than a bit shit, and who longs to sow unhappiness.

When Louis is changed into a dragon and Harry is the knight meant to vanquish him, it would appear that Simon has succeeded. But love wins, every time.

Waiting For Someone Who Needs Me by graceling_in_a_suit

Words: 17k

AU: Harry is a genie, and Louis doesn't think he needs anything.

The Prince Of Light by jacaranda_bloom

Words: 35k

Louis was found abandoned at a hospital at six months old and adopted by an older couple who raised him. Now twenty, he studies by night and by day works as a live-in au pair for a family with three little girls. One of the girls, Holly, swears there is a Garden Fairy coming and eating treats she leaves out in the cubby house each night.

When the family goes away for a two week holiday, Louis is secretly tasked with feeding the Fairy. While laying out the food one night he falls from the cubby house and is found by Harry. Harry is different and Louis is fascinated. But as Louis learns how different Harry really is, he discovers his own true home and a very surprising past he never knew.

Cue badgers, bananas and cookies, soulmates, a whole other world, and a future he’d never imagined.

like cabbages and kings by you_explode

Words: 60k

When Louis was a kid, he had a series of very vivid dreams about a place called Wonderland. There were rabbits wearing waistcoats and talking cats and ridiculous tea parties, and amidst all the absurdity, there was a boy. A boy with dimples, big green eyes and the sweetest soul Louis has ever known. Louis has always kept a place in his heart for that boy and for his funny dreamworld, and when he’s twenty-five and his life falls apart, it turns out Wonderland might not be so imaginary after all.

there's no fair in farewell by we_are_the_same

Words: 218k

When Harry and Louis, two Cupids who have been bringing people together for decades, are tasked with making Soulmates Liam and Zayn fall in love, it proves to be much harder than expected. But maybe, just maybe, that isn’t such a bad thing after all.

Ghost

The Haunting of Louis Tomlinson by HelloAmHere

Words: 31k

OR: Louis is a plucky Gothic Heroine, Harry is a Mournful Spirit, and Big Country Houses are full of mystery and suspense, as Big Country Houses ever are!

Close to Nowhere by angelichl

Words: 34k

Louis and Harry are psychics who kind of hate each other. They go to Tennessee to investigate a haunting.

you look so good in blue by patdkitten

Words: 20k

Or: Harry Styles hears about a perfect flat from his roommate Zayn's boyfriends and decides to sign the lease. The only problem is: the flat has a reputation for being haunted. It certainly doesn't help that Harry's cat is seeing things as soon as they move in...

The Case Of The (Definitely Not Haunted) Styles Mansion by BriaMaria

Words: 40k

Or the Nancy Drew AU where Marcel is a man of logic, Louis is a private detective who believes in ghosts, and the Styles Mansion is definitely, absolutely, positively *not* haunted.

Tied to Fate by littlelouishiccups

Words: 52k

After his estranged father’s death, Harry inherits a castle in England that has belonged to his family for generations and he knows nothing about. When he breaks up with his boyfriend, Harry decides England is the perfect place for a small vacation. He isn’t prepared to meet Louis Tomlinson, a ghost who once lived in the castle and has haunted it for over five hundred years. He’s even more unprepared to fall in love with him.

Through Eerie Chaos by MediaWhore

Words: 102k

The Ghost Hunter AU where Niall lives to prove ghosts are real, Zayn is a skeptical librarian and Harry gets caught up in a century-old mystery and catches feeling in the process

Halloween Themed

Trick-or-Treat (Cheer Up) by writingstylinson 

Words: 2k

Louis Tomlinson is the single father of a little girl named Finnley, and they’ve been living in Holmes Chapel for a year. This Halloween is the first one they will be celebrating without Louis’ younger siblings or his own mother. It’s because of this that his daughter, who is usually outgoing and fearless, starts to have some worries about going trick-or-treating alone with her father.

Then Louis comes up with the perfect solution.

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene by allwaswell16

Words: 2k

When Louis takes his son trick-or-treating in a stormtrooper costume, little does he know by the end of the night he will end up gaining a Luke Skywalker, a Chewbacca, and a Rey. He doesn't mind the additions, and if Rey's very hot dad wants to come along as well, he doesn't mind that too much either.

this kitten's got your tongue tied in knots by ballsdeepinjesus

Words: 3k

[it's halloween, harry is a kitten in a tree and louis is a (fake) firefighter.]

A gold and green Halloween by Tita

Words: 8k

Harry and Louis are strangers who, dressed as Drarry, compete on a Halloween couple's costume contest. It's exactly as much of a mess as it sounds.

Black Cats Steal Hearts, Not Souls by SLD24

Words: 9k

Harry finds a kitten in a pumpkin patch the day before Halloween but it turns out not to be a kitten at all.

Horror

All The Songs That You Sing In The Dark by pukeandcry

Words: 10k

What happened was that first people got sick.

What happened after that was that they died.

But the worst thing was what happened after that. After they died, they came back.

The Skeleton Key by photo41

Words: 18k

Harry Styles, a good-natured nurse living in Manchester, quits his job at a hospice to work for Violet Winston, an elderly woman whose husband, Ben, is in poor health following a stroke.

When Harry begins to explore the couple's rundown mansion, he discovers strange artifacts and learns the house has a mysterious past. As he continues to investigate, he realizes that Violet is keeping a sinister secret about the cause of Ben's illness- and tries to convince the Winston's estate lawyer, Louis Tomlinson, that he really isn't going insane.

Loosely based off the movie of the same name.

Insane by prideinlou

Words: 20k

Or in which Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles are two dim-witted, drunk teenage boys that take a Halloween night dare too far, and end up in a life or death situation in the clutches of a haunted mental asylum.

Will they make it out alive... or will they go insane?

Mermaid

seaside improvisation by tinyweirdloves

Words: 6k

[harry is a mermaid who has lost his tail and he lives in louis's bathtub for a month.]

at least as deep as the pacific ocean (i wanna be yours) by writtensoul 

Words: 9k

louis is the very entitled prince of the seven seas!! harry is a goofy sailor boy!!! a lot of hijinks ensue involving slippery mermaid tails and happy fun little sea creatures!!

Define Dancing by asphodelknox 

Words: 20k

Death has a way of making certain things crystal clear. After Jay’s death, Louis returns to the summer cottage he always considered home. Unbeknownst to him, he’s also returning to the merman who has been his best friend through everything and finds that maybe there’s a chance for more.

Don't Let the Tide Come and Take Me by kiwikero

Words: 28k

Or, the one where Louis decides to set a merman free and ends up finding his own freedom along the way.

Still Deep In Us by graceling_in_a_suit

Words: 41k

AU. The village Harry has called home his entire life sits on six shaky legs, held aloft from the ocean which claimed the entire world twenty years ago. Harry's just a grieving tinkerer trying to do his best, and Louis is a mermaid that ruins The Village's delicate balance of power (and perhaps, just maybe, wins the heart of a boy).

Pirates

Captain Harry Styles... And The Faerie by spaceboyharry

Words: 8k

“You have today been defeated. Remember this forever as the day you were bested by Captain Harry Styles.” Louis zoomed past, shouting “AND THE FAERIE!” I sighed, rolling my eyes. “And the bloody faerie.”

must be something in the water by hattalove

Words: 3k

They all remember, somewhere deep down, why they gave up everything they had for the Mermaid.

The last vestiges of kindness and bravery and everything that is good in the world are on board that ship. Louis’s heart is on it, moored by some nameless jetty.

In Your Black Heart (Is Where You'll Find Me) by graceling_in_a_suit

Words: 35k

Louis Tomlinson has been lying for five years. His crew sees him as a pirate, a Captain, and an alpha; only two of those are the truth. He was content to let the illusion go on forever, but an omega named Harry Styles just had to join his crew and get his warm-vanilla stink all over Louis' best laid plans.Or: the story of The Captain and The Carpenter.

Si Pudiera Volar by messofgorgeouschaos

Words: 68k

When Harry’s fiancé leaves him for his cousin, he looks the other way for the sake of his happiness. He’ll do anything to forget about him, including joining a monastery. It isn’t until his cousin’s former lover, a pirate, appears that he realizes everything is not as it appears, and an honest pirate might be the only person worthy of his heart.

Or, a fic loosely based on Corazon Salvaje.

Vampire

Call Me the End of Your World by captainsftlouis

Words: 3k

or, the vampire AU where Louis is addicted to vampire venom, and Harry is addicted to Louis.

Waiting On You: A Christmas Drabble by emma1234

Words: 5k

On their first Christmas Eve as a couple, Louis and Harry decide it would be a great idea to exchange one special gift with one another to mark a new tradition. Of course, things never go as smoothly as they planned.

I Wanna Do Bad Things With You by lesbianphrodite

Words: 7k

Harry goes to his favorite pub with the intention to drink and feel bad for himself after a terrible break-up. Instead, he ends up hitting it off with a handsome vampire.

Forever And Always by jacaranda_bloom 

Words: 25k

OR the one where Harry’s neighbour is a crotchety old witch who hates vampires, Niall is the unsuspecting human who ends up inhabiting Harry’s body, and Louis is the caseworker who is assigned to swap them back. How it ends up a love story is anyone’s guess.

we should open up (before it's all too much) by disgruntledkittenface

Words: 43k

Struggling with grieving and depression since his dad died, Harry has never felt so alone. It’s too much to cope with on his own, but he feels like a burden when he tries to open up with people.

Then he meets Louis.

For You I'd Bleed Myself Dry by amomentoflove

Words: 49k

Harry is cold. His bones ache. Every movement draws a whimper from his cracked lips. The stone underneath him is practically like ice. He’s numb, but can clearly feel the sharp pains on his neck every timeHe visits him. Below the icy cold, the achy bones, and the pain on his neck, Harry Styles is pissed. There’s a fire burning in his mind and the anger for the man who keeps him imprisoned is the fuel. He despises him, the man who feeds from him and is a daily reminder that Harry’s suffering won’t end. The man who keeps Harry so weak that he can barely move most days. Harry’s waiting for the day when his owner will go too far and finally kill him. Death must be better than this cold hell he is in.

It won’t happen, though. He has a way of keeping Harry’s heart beating. So for now, all Harry can do is wait for death to come.

He’s been waiting for years.

Witches

what's inside your imagination (is as real as anything else) by suspendrs

Words: 3k

Or, Harry's a witch who likes to pretend he's a human pretending he's a witch, and Louis's the human in a not-so-clever costume that keeps catching his eye.

A Kind Of Magic by mellagreens

Words: 12k

Louis feels the urge to tell Harry he's in love with him.

Spellbound by lovelarry10

Words: 22k

Louis’ a shifter. Harry’s a witch. The only problem is, they’re hiding those things from each other.Will they be able to keep their secrets hidden at the most spooky time of year?

Call It True by abrighteryellow

Words: 48k

With dreams of being a successful novelist, Harry’s been working so hard that he almost doesn’t notice the smoothie shop that just opened down the street. But he can’t miss the mysterious, irresistible boy who works there, nor the strange but entirely positive effect his drinks seem to have. Harry needs to know what’s going on and he wants to get close to Louis, though not necessarily in that order.

A Spell and A Spark by dinosaursmate

Words: 73k

Louis is a teenage witch, living and attending university among mortals. He has to keep his secret whilst studying on both his degree and his witch's licence. His friends don't suspect a thing, even as spell after spell goes awry.

Our Place By The Moon by PearlyDewdrops

Words: 108k/WIP

Or: a late 90's urban fantasy AU in which Louis wants to befriend the strange boy next door, Harry is just trying to keep his family together, and falling in love is most inconvenient for a witch that may have accidentally reignited a centuries old curseꟷone that kinda messes with that.

[ambersky0319]

The Boy I've Loved for Years

Human AU

Word Count : 1.8k

Parings : Logicality

----

"Patton, you are..." Logan trailed off, staring at himself in the bathroom mirror. That was where his speech currently was. And that, that wasn't too good. Not when he needed it all figured out by tonight.

He sighed, running a finger through his hair. It was messiest than normal, but did not make the teacher look any less attractive. Logan was lucky, Virgil had offered to take Patton to a movie and then to lunch while he prepared everything. Logan owed Virgil big time.

Roman as well, Logan was reminded, when the doorbell rang. He quickly left the bathroom to answer, coming face to face with Roman's grin.

"Specs! I can't believe it! Thank you for asking me to help, I've got so many ideas!" Roman exclaimed, wrapping Logan in a tight hug. "Of course, it's your decision what you do. I'm just happy to help!"

Logan laughed, adjusting his tie. "Good, because I need a chef and someone to help me set up." Roman seemed to grin more, and bowed.

"At your service, Mr. Crofters."

-

Later in the evening, Logan was beyond nervous. He was on the borderline of entering full blown panic. The only thing that kept his mind calm was the sound of the dogs barking in the pound behind him. He was waiting for Virgil to drop off Patton, as had been planned. But in the mean time, he practiced his speech under his breath.

Virgil's car pulled up, a brilliant purple atop fading into black. Patton got out and waved happily at Virgil, before dashing over to embrace Logan. Virgil did a small salute before pulling out of the pound parking lot, and Logan turned his attention to Patton.

"Sorry we're late! There was a lot of traffic and all," Patton chirped, kissing Logan's cheek quickly. "But! I'm here now! So, what did you have planned, my dear Starlight?"

Logan's cheeks flushed pink, and Patton giggled. Logan cleared his throat, smiling. "A lot of things, actually. It is our anniversary, after all. This is only one if our stops." Patton tilted his head, finally registering the sound of barking.

His eyes lit up. "You don't mean..." Logan nodded, and Patton squealed, jumping onto Logan. "You are the best boyfriend, in the entire cosmos!" Patton cried out, peppering Logan's face with kisses.

Logan laughed, carefully setting Patton down. He took the excited man's hand and guided Patton into the pound. They asked to see the dogs, both allergic to cats, and a lady brought them into a loud room.

Patton had spent possibly twenty minutes just playing and looking at dogs. One caught his attention, though. A pitbull, with scars along her sides as if she had gotten into a fight. It made Patton frown, and Logan watched as Patton tried to pet her.

She flinched away, and Patton drew back. He motioned for Logan to come sit with him, and Logan didn't deny, sitting beside Patton. Patton was patient, and one of the volunteers offered treats to give to try and coax the dog towards them.

The dog, Logan reminded himself, was named Roxy. Patton seemed determined to help her, and he looked at Logan. "She was in dog fighting, wasn't she?" Patton asked the worker, turning back to Roxy.

"Yes," replied the young girl softly. The dogs had, for the most part, quieted down. "Roxy hasn't had many good homes in her life. I'm surprised she hasn't moved, almost no one is allowed this close."

Logan tilted his head. Roxy hadn't moved away when Patton had scooted over. Patton called Roxy's name, very softly and full of care. And Logan's heart melted, and the volunteer nearly fainted.

Roxy had gotten up and moved to Patton, climbing into his lap when he had called her. Patton grinned, running his hand over her gently, and she rested her head on his leg. She looked up between Patton and Logan, and her short tail wagged a bit.

"Her. Can we adopt her?" Patton asked, looking at Logan. He looked to the volunteer, who nodded and helped the two men up, careful to not startle Roxy now that she seemed content.

Logan and Patton filed the proper paperwork, and soon Roxy was in Logan's back seat. Patton was giddy, opting to sit in the back with Roxy. The pitbull slept the entire ride to the house, and Logan knew it was a good decision to make this the first gift.

He pulled into the garage and the two men and new dog entered the home. Patton watched as Roxy cautiously explored the home, and he jumped into Logan's arms once again.

"Lolo, you truly are the best," Patton mumbled, burying his face in Logan's neck. Logan laughed, kissing Patton's cheek. Both of their glasses were askew now, but neither seemed to care much.

"The night's not over- do you smell what I do?" Patton lifted his head from Logan's shoulder and sniffed the air. His eyes widened as the smell of pizza and fresh pie finally reached him. Logan pecked his lips, setting Patton down. "How about a picnic outside, and Roxy can explore the backyard while we eat."

Patton nodded, unable to speak. He fixed his glasses and called for Roxy, leading her to the back door of the house. As Patton took her outside, Logan grabbed the pizza platter and the cake tray. He put the lid of the container over the cake, and placed it in a small basket with a blanket. He held the platter, also covered to avoid the pizza slipping off, and let the basket loop around his elbow as he walked outside.

Patton was watching Roxy carefully as she smelled their large backyard. Logan worked at a very good school, and Patton was learning how to be a therapist, currently working as an assistant therapist under Dr. Picani. They both made good money, and could afford a nice home.

Logan set up the blanket and Patton soon joined him, both helping themselves to the pizza. Just one taste, and Patton knew the chef. "Roman made this!" He chirped, looking at Logan for confirmation. Logan nodded.

"Indeed. A special homemade pizza for a special occasion." Logan said, continuing to eat his own slice. "He was quite generous."

Patton giggled, and tossed Roxy a piece of crust. She sniffed it wearily before eating it, perking up and almost begging for more. Both men were shocked she could even stand on her hind legs, and each tossed her some more crust.

The sun began to set, and all the pizza had been consumed. They ate some cake, but not too much, already full from the pizza. Once it was packed away safely, Logan and Patton lied down on the blanket. Roxy was a ways away, sleeping peacefully more towards their porch.

Patton curled into Logan, though his gaze was on the sky, watching as stars began to show. "Today was amazing, Logan. Thank you."

Logan smiled and kissed Patton's head, looking up at the stars himself. "No need to thank me, Sunshine. You deserve it all, and much more." He said, and Patton glanced at him, face flushing.

"You're a sap sometimes," he giggled. Logan laughed.

"Perhaps Roman is rubbing off on me, then."

Silence fell over the two, a comfortable one. They lied there for quite awhile, possibly two hours, if Logan was correct. Patton seemed to be dozing off now, and Logan realized he needed to actually get to the point of it all. Sighing silently, Logan glanced down at Patton.

"Love?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you awake enough?"

"Mhmm...." Patton hummed, and it was clear he wasn't processing what Logan was saying. Not fully, at least.

Logan smiled a bit, sitting up and leaning down. He planted a soft kiss on Patton's lips, pulling away moments later. Patton almost chased the warmth, and opened his eyes. He pouted playfully. "Logan," he whined quietly.

"Sunshine, I need you to hear everything." Logan stated, getting to his feet. Patton huffed at the fact he'd have to get up, but didn't complain. Logan seemed nervous, beginning to fidget, and whatever was going to happen, Patton would make sure he heard.

Logan took a deep breath, taking both Patton's hands in his own. Roxy watched them from afar curiously and tiredly.

"Patton, you are..." another deep breath, and Logan's hands trembled. Patton remained silent, and gave Logan's hands a gentle squeeze. "You are so incredibly and astoundingly amazing. You bring light into my world. You've helped me... You've helped me through my hardest times."

Logan began to rub circles on the back of Patton's hands, looking down at their interlocked fingers. "For four years, you've stayed by my side. Didn't give up on me. You've always encouraged me and helped me deal with emotions that I had tried to lock away completely."

"Logan...?" Patton whispered, and Logan sniffled. When had he started crying.

Logan released one of Patton's hands to while away his tears before they fell too heavily. "I'm... I'm going to get to the point. Or else I might never."

Logan knelt to the ground, and Patton gasped, free hand going to his mouth as his face flushed red. Logan reached for his back pocket and pulled out a pastel blue box, before releasing Patton's other hand.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I can't imagine a reality where we aren't together, or where you don't make me happy every single day." Logan smiled, watching as Patton choked back a sob. "So, Patton Hart, will you marry me?"

Patton uncovered his face, a huge grin stretching from ear to ear. He bounced on his heels and nodded, tears streaming down his face. "Yes! God, yes!" He exclaimed, and Logan got to his feet.

Patton pulled Logan into a life-threatening hug, but Logan reciprocated it with as much force. Tears if his own slipped down his cheeks and he kissed Patton, smiling wide as he did so.

When he pulled away, Patton sniffled and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. Logan took the other, and Patton watched as Logan slipped the engagement ring over his finger. Patton observed it closely now, as best he could with blurred vision. It was a fairly large diamond, and the band had small aquamarine stones embedded into the silver.

"Logan, it's beautiful," Patton breathed out, tearing his gaze to meet the eyes of his fiancé.

Logan smiled, kissing Patton slow and full of love. It took Patton's breath away. "Not as beautiful as you, Sunshine." Patton giggled, laying his head on Logan's shoulder, arms around Logan's torso.

Roxy bounded over and barked, and Patton and Logan turned to her. Laughing, they knelt down and Patton gestured her over. She seemed to understand and Patton pet her head, Logan's arm still around him.

Taglist

If you wish to be added or removed, just ask!

@treasureofpriam @theloveliestjellyfish @tacohippy56900 @acompletemusicalnerd @romanknite

[post-itpenny]

Final Business

Some Mafia AU that went on for way long than intended so I apologize for the length. Tagging @clownsgobeepbeep and @grotesquegabby since a few of yours make cameos. 

Maggie sat at the little desk outside her boss’ office nervously tapping her fingers. She heard a soft jingle as a tiny figure stepped out, she gave Amaranthus a smile and tiny wave. The little girl returned so in kind before giving Maggie a suspicious look.

Maggie snickered and pulled a small paper bag from her purse, inside of which was a large cinnamon roll which she ripped in half.

“Normally I prefer these for breakfast.” Maggie giggled as she gave half to Ama, “but today is special I think.”

Ama munched on her half of the pastry, pausing on occasion to let her cat Mune lick some of the frosting from her fingers. 

Maggie scarfed down her half of the pastry, her eyes flicking to the door of the office ever so often.

“Why is today special?”

Maggie turned to Ama at the question. “Well today I have to ask your dad for a really, really big favor that’s why. This cinnamon roll grants courage.”

Maggie spoke with such certainty that Ama took a moment to stare in awe at the remains of the treat in her hands before quickly eating the rest.

“Daddy is really nice, you don’t need to be sc-scared.”

Maggie gave a tight smile, the whole ruse of being a secretary felt silly and she was absolutely certain the kid had some awareness of what her dad did for a living. Until moments like this that is. 

Maggie gave the little girl a thumbs up before going to the office door and giving a knock.

“Enter.”

Maggie found her boss seated behind his desk filling out some kind of paperwork. She hated calling him boss if she was honest with herself but that was what Blueblood was. Besides, part of her was worried if she continued to call him “ass” in her head that one day it would accidentally slip out.

“Good morning Miss Bryne I believe today you were on desk duty.”

Maggie straightened her shoulders. “Yeah well about that, sir I need to ask-”

Blueblood looked up, Maggie never started off by calling him “sir.”

“What do you want Maggie?”

“I need the day off.”

“Now?”

“Its an emergency.”

Blueblood frowned, waiting for her to elaborate. Maggie however kept silent, refusing to look away first.

“So you’re not going to even tell me why?”

“No, not now at least it's a family emergency.”

“You do know I did a background check on you yes? Miss Bryne you don’t have any family.”

Maggie flinched at the observation but refused to back down. “If you did as thorough a check as you claimed then you would know that's not entirely true. Sir I need the day off. I will owe you double the favor. Hell, I’ll do the next couple jobs free if it makes you happy.”

Bloueblood sneered, “best not considering you could stand to dress more professionally.” He eyed her scuffed boots and worn clothes. Something very obvious now that she wore a new boa. 

Maggie rolled her eyes but held her tongue, she needed this too much to blow it in the name of getting the last word.

Blueblood arched an eyebrow, surprised at her lack of sarcasm. “Fine then, double the favor and I would appreciate some form of proper explanation after. Tomorrow I expect you here bright and early.”

Maggie sighed with relief and turned to go, “thank you so much-”

“Also, stop feeding my Angel so many sweets. She gets plenty already with all the tea parties she has.”

Maggie scoffed, “oh let the kid live a little. No childhood is complete without a little sugar rush.” 

Before he could argue she was out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She had been saving for years, putting aside every penny she could spare and watching the housing market like a hawk. 

At long last, there was just enough.

Maggie’s better paycheck had helped immensely, something that made her question why was she being paid such a small wage to begin with. But Magpie sunk a large portion of her savings in as well and bought a small cottage that sat in the country nearly two hours from the city. 

Magpie had an armed guard nearly 24/7,  Maggie couldn’t be there to make sure her adopted mother was alright. When he was finally let in on the plan Vespers saw to it himself to help cover the signing fees and drive his aunt to the real estate office himself. Now here he was driving her to one final stop, one last piece of business.

The Godfather’s manor never felt so cold and unwelcoming to Magpie. This had been her childhood home, now it was a cave draped in finery. Her brother stood outside the door to the Godfather’s office, he looked so angry.

Magpie arched a questioning brow, what could she have possibly done to him personally to earn such a look?

Inside Blackwood sat waiting surrounded by guard, the blind old woman next to him as stoic as ever.

Magpie suppressed a shiver. Bridgette Bryne had always been next to her grandfather’s side, the two had always needed each other but Magpie knew how much they truly did not get along. Such an odd relationship.

“My dear Magpie,” Blackwood warmly greeted, “it's been quite sometime since you’ve visited us Angel.”

Magpie kissed his offered hand before stepping back. “Good day sir, I deeply appreciate you seeing me on such short notice.”

Blackwood sighed, “I understand how upset you must feel losing Maggie, Ms. Bryne herself was quite frustrated were you not Bridgette dear?” Blackwood asked the woman next to him.

Bridgette gave a mournful nod but nothing else, though she was blind her eyes somehow managed to land on Peregrine at the back of the room. 

“However my darling Angel,” Blackwood continued, “I must ask why such dramatics?”

Magpie felt a cold sweat break out on the back of her neck. “Sir?”

Blackwood gave a thin smile, “you came to tell me you were leaving yes? Don’t think you could hide buying a house of all things.”

“Magpie gripped the cuffs of her coat sleeves. “Sir I have long desired to leave the city altogether you know this. I have already arranged for Joseph and Vega to take over the care of the shop and I find that I am no longer useful to you anyways. What's more with Jack’s crew running about I’m only a liability to you my dear Blackwood sir. I felt this would be the better arrangement.”

“But you seem to be under the impression I would allow you to leave my dear Angel.”

Magpie frowned, she was afraid of this. It took so much begging to him for her to retire, even more to find an arrangement that allowed her to leave the manor. Blackwood was a manipulative and greedy one no doubt. A control freak till the end.

“Sir I serve no purpose to you. My last act of service was caring for Ms. Bryne’s granddaughter-”

“Which you did quite wonderfully. I’m afraid the girl’s own rash behavior caused this consequence.”

Bridgette hummed in annoyance, “she certainly didn’t get it from me.”

Blackwood cleared his throat to pull the attention back to him. “I never formally dismissed you from service to your family Magpie my dear. While I am upset to have lost one perfectly good asset I refuse to lose another.”

“You have a funny way of treating your valuable people if I may be so bold, sir.” Magpie deadpanned.

Blackwood grinned, it was not a good thing. “Ah there it is. So this is where the little bird got her sass. Oh but I do take care of what is valuable my Angel. I shall reacquire Maggie in time don’t you fret and when I do she shall come directly back to her grandmother for training again. Blueblood will either drive her out or toss her aside quickly no doubt. A harsh lesson in obedience but a solid one.”

Magpie blanched, horrified at how serious he was. But Blackwood was still smiling. “What’s more my darling Angel you can’t possibly leave now given your recent promotion.”

“What promotion?”

“Well I can’t possibly be around forever Magpie. It has been my intention for years that you would be the perfect fit. You have a generous nature and are very calculating. But you and I both know the coldness underneath that fa-sod. A perfect fit indeed.

Magpie stood in shock, processing this new information. No wonder her brother was so angry.

Magpie started laughing. 

It was a loud, hysterical laugh. Blackwood’s smile quickly slipping from his face.

“No you fool of an old man. I can’t stand you, why on Earth would I want to replace you?”

She continued to laugh as she turned to leave, only to be stopped when three of Blackwood’s men drew guns.

The laughter stopped but Magpie still did not turn to face him.

“Please by all means, go ahead and shoot.”

She took another step.

The man to her left pulled the trigger.

BAM!

The man collapsed, brains blown out. Magpie stock still with her gun still pointed in his direction.

Where she had even drawn the gun from did not matter, she didn't even look to the man when she shot him.

The other two gunmen backed away, Magpie looked over her shoulder with a giggle, she had a cold but mad look in her eye.

This is what Blackwood was so desperate to keep.

His Angel of Death. 

“Such a bastard,” she hissed. “You never let me off my leash unless it was to maw your enemies. You kept both my little bird and I on tight funds so we could never gain any financial independence. You expect me to admire and adore you and fear you all at once. How stupid. The only thing you can truly hold over me you allowed my brother to send packing into the hands of a devil but far, far out of your grip.”

Blackwood paled, looking to Peregrine who stood with his arms crossed and just the slightest smirk.

“My deepest apologies sir, you did tell me to deal with her as I saw fit. Maggie was a liability.”

Blackwood looked from one sibling to the other, perhaps… just perhaps… they were more coordinated than he thought.

Again Magpie laughed, “shoot me I don’t care. But you know I’m faster than any of your men Blackwood. If I die you come with me.”

The words hung in the air.

She was right and they all knew it.

Magpie walked out the door gun in her hand, her brother did not follow but did give just the tiniest smile on her way out.

Mission accomplished.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vespers had been waiting in the car, he did not see his aunt tuck a gun into the band of her skirt. All he saw was a tired older woman he had been tasted to drive to the bus station with her bags.

“I’m really sorry I can’t come with you like planned Aunt Pie,” Vespers sighed. “I have some unexpected errands to run tonight.”

Magpie smiled and gave her nephew a kiss on the head, “it’s quite alright Vessy dear. I won’t be alone. By the way, some parting advice for you. Please do yourself a favor and talk to that D’Vitt boy. The worst that can happen is he isn’t interested.” 

Vespers blushed in embarrassment as they arrived at the bus station. Almost not noticing Maggie come up to the car and help Magpie out.

“So I can’t stay the night but I’ll take the last bus back so I can help you get settled.”

Magpie smiled and hugged Maggie tightly, the two carrying Magpie’s bags as they boarded the bus together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the D’Vitt Casino no one was aware of the drama that had occurred at the Blackwood estate. They were just aware that one Blackwood was now walking towards the bar where Stellar D’Vitt had been speaking with the bartender.

He frowned at the white-haired figure that approached, “what the hell are you doing here?”

Vespers gave a cheeky grin. “Well I have been running errands all evening and finished my last one not too far from here. Figured I would stop by and grab a drink before calling it a night. Mind joining me?”

Stellar sneered, “whatever you’re after you won’t find it here.” With this he walked off leaving Vespers alone at the bar.

The bartender watched in mild amusement as Vespers sat down with a tired sigh, “it’s Harley yes? It's been a long day friend, what do you recommend?” 

Harley shook his head with a smirk as he reached for a glass.

[magicinthestory]

Day 7-Fears Part 2

Luna walked down the street trying to find where the other two had gone off to and thankful she didn’t have to look very far as the two of them had stopped at a food vender and it seemed Diamond was trying to get him to try some of her spicy food. “Diamond, please don’t.”

“Oh it’s not even spicy.” She exclaimed but laughed.

Luna was glad to see that she seemed to be more relaxed than before and she was grateful to her friend for giving her the opportunity to talk with Shinso. “I think we will just have to take your word for it.”

“Thank you, Luna.” Shoto said looking at her. “How did you talk go? Were you the first one to conquer your fear and tell him your feelings?”

“No, I didn’t. Come to find out he thought I was scared of him…” She sighed. “I also found out that he doesn’t hate us so that’s a plus.”

Diamond tipped her head. “That is good but why would he think that you feared him? I understand what he thought you feared but what made him think it was true for you?”

“My constant nervousness around him. I told him that I wasn’t scared of him or his quirk but that I did get nervous around him then I left.” She laughed off her growing nerves.

“Your fear of rejection got in the way.” Shoto commented looking to her.

“You’re one to talk.” Luna shot back at him before sighing. “Okay time to change the subject. While I love the smell and taste of coffee I am tired of wearing it. Can we find a store where I can get a change of clothes?”

“Yeah, there is a store just around the corner, which is why we stopped here.” He answered and threw away his trash.

Diamond did the same then the three of them were off.

Luna was quick to get a change of clothes, a pair of jeans and tank top with an oversized pullover see through shirt. After that they made their way through each stop that they had agreed on. As the day drew to an end Shoto and Luna bid Diamond farewell when she had to go.

“I need to run to the pet store real quick but you can go one home if you want.” Luna spoke looking to Shoto who rolled his eyes.

“Really? Let me guess something for Willow?” He asked, sighing when she nodded.

“Hey I spoil my cat and you buy All Might stuff just to piss of your father, which if I may add is the whole reason for getting me and Diamond to agree to hang out with you today. This is a judgment free zone.” Luna pointed out with a sly smile

“Yeah fine, just don’t be late getting home.” He sighed but started walking off.

Luna turned on her heel and headed into the pet store. She quickly moved to the cat section to look around for something for hers. But she wasn’t there alone for long.

At first neither noticed one another, both focused on their objectives but soon he spoke out and she nearly froze, twice in one day?. “Say one was to find a kitten outside that was too young to eat real food what would the best milk replacer be?”

She looked over at him then to the shelf before picking one up. “Well most of these are the same but i found that my cat responded best to this one. Did you find a kitten outside?”

“Yeah, soon after you left the coffee shop I tried to go find you but you were no where around then I found this little guy. I took him to the local vet and he said that he would need a milk replacer for a few weeks.” As Shinso spoke he pulled the kitten out from inside his jacket.

She nodded slowly and looked over the kitten. He was small but his mews of complaint from being moved from his warm spot sounded clear. “Well it was a good thing you were there then.” She smiled looking up to the purple haired boy in front of her. She then turned her attention to the self again and along with the milk she grabbed a bottle and cleaning wipes then moving to grab a pet blanket and a stuffed toy from the dog section then came back.

Shinso replaced the kitten in his jacket against her chest. He watched the way she moved around knowing exactly what to grab. “You’ve had to do this before?”

The raven haired girl nodded. “When I adopted Willow from the shelter they were wrong about her age do to her being a maine coon and therefore bigger the most kittens her age. Thankfully we realized the problem pretty soon so we got her what she needed. Although she did get sick and I was scared I would lose her ...” She sighed then looked back to him “Have you done this before?”

“When I was little I did.” He answered her.

“Okay good.” she smiled then moved up to the counter with him following her. “Do you mind if I get this?” she asked looking back at Shinso.

“No go a head.” He replied checking on the kitten as she paid for everything. Once done he followed her out of the store.

Luna swung the bag as they walked in silence for a moment but then she stopped and looked at him. “You said you were looking for me what you found the kitten, why were you looking for me?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I was starting to wonder if you had missed that part…. I wanted to talk to you about something but honestly I was relieved when I couldn't find you because I was scared that I would be jumping to the wrong conclusion again.”

She tipped her head. “What conclusion would you be jumping to now?” She shook her head. “Actually if you don’t want to tell me then you don’t have to.” She handed offered him the bag.

He took the bag from her. “I thought you were supposed to face your fears in order to get past them.”

She laughed softly. “Well then since it is your fear then it is your choice, I just said you don’t have to.”

The purple haired male studied her, beyond her laugh and behind the smile he noticed how nervous she was getting again. “You know you are one of the hardest people to get a read on but I think I’ve got it now.”

“Good night, Shinso.” She turned on her heel and started to walk away.

“You are afraid to actually let people in.” he called after her.

His words made her actually freeze. “You figured that much out but it doesn’t change anything.” Luna sighed. “And before you repeat that you should face the things that scares you, just remember, it takes one to know one… so I will let people in when you do. Until then I’ll keep pretending.” she started walking again. “You should get home and get that kitten fed. I’ll see you at school monday.”

“Luna.” He followed after her, catching up easily as she had slowed down.

Her heart jumped hearing her first name out of his mouth. “What more do we have to talk about?” She asked as she looked at him and continued walking. “Actually I can think of something. You are smart enough to figure out one of my biggest fears which leads me to believe that you figured out why it is you make me so nervous and that was why you wanted to talk earlier. However instead of talking about that wanted to talk about fears and overcoming them.” she bit her bottom lip and stopped. “So let me overcome one fear now and get this rejection out of the way.” she turned to face him. “I like you, Shinso, I like you a lot. I have had a crush on you since the first week of school. I can not explain to you how great it was to hear you say that were going to get into the hero class, that you weren’t going to let your fears about your quirk and what people think stop you from being a pro hero.” Luna sighed. “And that look on your faces says it all. I don’t have a problem letting people in as much as I do with them rejecting who I am once I do…..As you said at the sports festival ‘you can’t help the things your heart longs for.’....” She may have continued on but she found herself lip locked with the male which was a very good and maybe only reliable way he could have shut her up, without crushing her.

Shinso was surprised to hear what she had to say, not really the subject but how she said it. She always seemed to think about what she was saying, even if it came out broken when tripping over her words, but now it sounded as though she was just laying it all out. She even used his own statement against him. That was when he realized that he needed to stop her before she dug herself a hole and for whatever reason kissing her was the only thing that came to mind besides using his quirk which was a big no. He pulled back after a moment to look down at her. “Are you done? At least for now?” He asked calmly waiting for her to nod. “I like you as well, Luna, which is why I didn't want to confront you about it and then be wrong. Okay?”

“okay…Sorry I was being rude and sassy and mean…...” She looked up at him, meeting his eyes.

“Apology accepted. You know you could really give someone whiplash trying to keep up with your train of thought or mood swings ” He offered as faint smile then suddenly took a step back and started walking. “Come on, let’s get you home as i’m sure you have some kind of curfew, Redbrook.”

“So i have been told.” Luna sighed, frowning as he stepped back. She followed after him before laughing softly. “You know you could actually call me Luna or if that is just not setting well with you you can come up with something else. By the way, I know you are training with Aizawa and since Zackary works for the same agency I know you have worked with him as well. I’m curious what do you call him if you call me Redbrook.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” His smile grew before glancing back to her. “I call him by his hero name most of the time.” He answered.

“Ah yes Scarlet Raven slips off the tongue so much easier.” She smiled softly.

“Actually it does a lot better than your code name so I’ve heard, Starlight Melody. That has nothing to do with your quirk.” He slowed down so she could catch up and walk at his side.

“Yes but that in the beauty of it, people think I have a music based quirk not an element based one.” she shrugged. She took a deep breath as they approached the gates of her current home. “Shinso, thank you for being persistent enough to get me to finally spill to you… all at once…. In the future I will try to be more open, especially with you.”

“No need to thank me but I will attempt to do the same for you.” He replied looking to her. “Goodnight Luna and sleep well.”

“You too.” She smiled in return, waving as he walked away before heading inside the house.

[vantemei]

 imagine taehyung is a successful actor and he has great friends and a good income and a nice big penthouse in seoul but he still feels lonely so he decides to get a hybrid.

taehyung doesn't just wake up one morning and decide he's going to get a hybrid. the idea comes to him when his friend namjoon introduces taehyung to his own bunny hybrid, jeongguk. taehyung has known namjoon for the majority of his career, the majority of his life really, and he's always seen the elder as someone who is serious and hardworking but a bit of a goofball once you get to know him. 

however, even in the entire thirteen years he's spent with the elder, he's never once seen him quite as relaxed or content as he did whenever jeongguk would curl into his side or wrap his arms possessively around namjoon's waist, chin snagging on his shoulder and ears perking up when namjoon would chuckle at his actions.

after that taehyung decides to do some research. there are hundreds of different kinds of hybrids. different species and different breeds and different races. each hybrid is different and unique in their own way and need a lot of care and time. certain species of hybrids get heats and ruts, others have periods of hibernation, and some even have migration inclinations. avian hybrids require homes with large open spaces and lots of outside room. more wild hybrids like wolf and bear hybrid need to live places with more deciduous climates. 

taehyung spends two weeks looking through all the different species that can happily live in cities and more crowded places. it takes him another week to narrow it down to a cat hybrid, though a dog hybrid would be tempting, taehyung's schedule is often busy and he wouldn't be able to go out with a dog hybrid much and he doesn't trust the streets of seoul - even gangnam - enough to let someone precious to him wander by themselves.

so taehyung looks up the nearest shelters and finds the best one. he reads the reviews and smiles at all the positive comments left by people, happy with their new companions. taehyung realizes that yes, this is the place.

the drive to the shelter is 15 minutes but it feels like seconds pass before taehyung is stepping out of his car - a luxury lamborghini he would never buy for himself but was a gift from a fellow actor - and he nervously fiddles with the cuff of his coat. it's barely september and the air is already chilly with the promise of snow. not that he minds, taehyung loves the snow.

the shelter is a tall multiple story building and taehyung recalls that the website said each floor is specified to the species of hybrids that live there.

a woman sits at the front desk, long auburn hair pulled back into a neat bun and a polite smile on her face as she greets taehyung, eyes widening in recognition as he tucks his face mask into his pocket.

"h-hello, how may i help you today?"

"hello," taehyung greets her with a smile. "i'd like to adopt a hybrid."

"of course! well, i'll just ask you to fill out some basic information first and then we'll get you started."

"of course." taehyung takes the offered clipboard with a simple white form on the front and takes a pen from the bowl on the desk, quickly filling out his basic information. name, address, living situation, job, easy things.

"now, just to make sure you understand;" taehyung looks up. "you won't actually be able to adopt a hybrid today. you'll be able to meet some and you'll meet with a representative of whichever species you choose but before any hybrid can be adopted from out shelter we conduct a thorough background check and a home visit to make sure the hybrid will be going into a safe environment and you also cannot just choose a hybrid. hybrids are people to and whoever you choose will have to choose you back. we put the safety and comfort of the hybrids staying with us first."

"that sounds perfect. i'll be happy to provide any information you ask of me,"

taehyung hands back the finished form and the woman - her desk plaque reads 'park eunji' - and she takes it with a smile, eyes flicking over the form with a subtle nod.

"you've already decided you'd like a cat hybrid? alright, then please wait just a moment and i'll call down an agent from the feline department."

the wait isn't long. not even two minutes later the elevator to taehyung's left dings and a man with a large smile and soft brown hair steps out. "hello taehyung-ssi, my name is jung hoseok and i'll be the case worker for your time with us."

"it's nice to meet you hoseok-ssi," hoseok's hand is warm and taehyung smiles back just as brightly at him.

"alright! well if you'll follow me we can head up to the feline section. eungi told me you're looking for a more domestic breed, is that correct?" hoseok presses the button for floor seven and taehyung nods.

"alright then! i'll just ask you a couple of quick questions before we get there. taehyung-ssi, what brought you here to our fine shelter with the intention of adopting a companion?"

"well my job is sort of-" taehyung bites his lip and tries to think of a good way to word it. "taxing? not so much in a physical sense - though it can be that way too - but, i'm an actor so i spend a lot of time in the public eye and even when i'm not at events and just trying to buy groceries people are always watching me. it's hard to live with people always watching you hoseok-ssi, especially when they never really look at you. a lot of people try and take advantage of you and it's hard to make friends. a friend of mine is in a similar situation and he adopted a hybrid a few months ago. a really sweet guy named jeongguk. whenever i see them together i see how happy they are and i realized that i want that to. someone i can spend time with carelessly. someone who i can be myself around and be comfortable with. ah- sorry, i ramble sometimes-" the elevator dings just as taehyung looks up from where he was staring absently at the wall and catches the soft smile on hoseok's face.

"i think you'll find someone like that here taehyung-ssi. i'm glad you came to us."

hoseok leads him out of the elevator and taehyung marvels at floor around him. the elevator opens into a large room with couches, chairs, bean bag chairs, and soft carpets everywhere. there are about thirty or so cat hybrids spread throughout the room. 

some of them are sleeping, curled up in chairs or couches, and some of them are reading or listening to music stretched over the rugs. there's a tv playing a movie that looks like 'a man and a woman' and taehyung grins as he briefly remembers having to film in the snow for a few scenes of that movie. several hybrids are curled around each other in what looks like a cuddle pile as they watch and there is a similar pile on the other end of the room that looks like a nap pile.

hoseok leads taehyung over to a desk across from the elevator and greets the man there - his nametag reads 'kyungsoo' - with a smile and grabs a 'hello my name is' sticker which he passes to taehyung with a marker.

"just put this on and go socialize! i'll come check in on you soon!"

"alright. thank you hoseok-ssi!" taehyung beams at the man and carefully writes his name on the sticker before peeling off the back and smoothing over the front of his black gucci button up.

looking out over the room taehyung can see some of the hybrids who have spotted him looking over him curiously, a couple of them seeming to recognize him and turning quickly to whisper to the closest person. taehyung's eyes flit across the room until they come to a halt on a single figure curled up on a beanbag chair a little ways away from the others, right up against the window that looks out over what appears to be a back courtyard. a boy, maybe a couple years younger than taehyung with fluffy black hair and matching ears and a tail is curled intently over a sketchbook, a small pencil held tightly in his tiny hand.

the hybrid's ears twitch as taehyung makes his way over and taehyung holds back a small gasp as the boy looks up at him, beautiful deep amber eyes locked on him as he makes his way over and seats himself in front of the beanbag, legs folding across each other and warm smile on his face.

"hello," the hybrid blinks but remains silent. "i'm taehyung, do you mind if i sit here?" again he receives no answer so taehyung take it as a 'yes' and leans his back against the wall, grin not faltering at the lack of an answer. "i'm sorry for interrupting you, you seemed like you were really into it. do you mind if i ask what you were drawing?"

the hybrid's eyes flicker across taehyung's form and he can see the boy's nose twitch subtley, probably taking in his scent, and the way his tail flicks curiously next to his ankle. he takes the moment of being observed to do the same. the hybrid is small. definitely no more than two or three years younger than taehyung but his stature is small, as many cat hybrid's are, and he looks like he would come right up to taehyung's shoulders. 

his black hair is fluffy and falls over his eyebrows, shadowing his pretty amber eyes just slightly. his cheeks are naturally rosy and soft, rounded in the cutest way taehyung has ever seen and his lips are thick and plush, a soft pink color that looks like the petals of a rose. all in all he's probably the most beautiful person taehyung has ever seen and he hopes the slight flush on his own cheeks isn't too visible.

the hybrid's tail flicks again before curling around his ankle and he silently hold his sketchbook out towards taehyung, shy and hesitant as his ears twitch forward.

taehyung takes the sketchbook and his eyes widen. "wow! this is amazing! you drew this?!" the hybrid flushes and ducks his head slightly, hands curling together into his chest, knees drawing up, and he nods, eyes cast down. taehyung looks back at the beautifully detailed raven on the paper and his smile grows to a rectangle. "this is beautiful! you're very talented. you must have worked really hard on it, you should be proud!"

the hybrids ears twitch and his cheeks darken and taehyung bites back a squeal. he's just so cute!!

the hybrid slowly reaches his hand out of the shy little ball he's made of himself and he gently flips the cover of the sketchbook over so the inside cover is showing and glances at it purposefully. taehyung does as well and smiles. "property of jimin? is that your name?"

a nod.

"that's a beautiful name jimin,"

jimin pulls his hand back and peeks out from behind his knees, eyes slit into crescents and cheeks flushed with a smile and taehyung's heart races.

"would you show me some of your other drawings?"

jimin's eyes widen a bit and his tail flicks excitedly against his sock covered feet, ears perking up as he sits up a little more, arm reaching out for the book. taehyung hands it over with a soft smile and watches as the hybrid flips through the sketchbook for a few pages before he seems to find the one he was looking for. an intricate rose is sketched across the page and taehyung gasps dramatically.

"jimin! this is so beautiful! did you learn from van gogh? you must have!"

taehyung watches, delighted, as jimin's cheeks get darker with each praise and he smiles shyly as he takes the book back. that's how they pass the time; jimin flipping through his sketchbook and taehyung 'ooh-ing' and 'aww-ing' at each new page and praising the detailed work and before either of them realizes it, a little over an hour has passed.

"oh, taehyung-ssi! i see you've met jimin," taehyung startles slightly at hoseok's sudden presence and he feels jimin's hands on his shoulders clench. he's moved his position in the last hour so his back is against the beanbag chair and he holds the sketchbook open in front of him with jimin leaning over his shoulder to flip through pages.

"oh uh- yes, yeah..." taehyung's startled expression melts into a soft smile as he feels jimin's tail wrap around his upper arm. hoseok grins at them. "well, it's been about an hour so i wanted to stop by real quick and see how you two are getting along?"

hoseok is honestly a bit surprised that it's been an hour. when he saw taehyung walk over to jimin he figured the actor would go to someone else pretty soon. jimin has been with their shelter for almost four years and in all that time hoseok has only ever heard him speak three times. everyone who tries to talk with jimin quickly notice his mute tendencies and end up moving on pretty quickly and jimin has never looked even slightly put off by it. in fact, jimin usually ignores people who try and speak to him.

hoseok's jaw had dropped when he glanced over at the two after about half an hour and saw taehyung leaning his back against the beanbag with jimin practically wrapped around him, black tail curled loosely around his arm and chin resting on his shoulder. jimin never even got that close to the other hybrids, nose usually scrunching up when anyone got to close to him.

even now, the way jimin shrunk back shyly behind taehyung, small hands curling over his shoulders and tail tightening on his arm, hoseok can't believe he's warmed up to someone so much so quickly.

"we're getting along well i think, jimin is really talented," the genuine care in taehyung's words warms hoseok's heart and he smiles.

"that's good. jimin? what about you? do you like taehyung-ssi?"

the hybrid bites his lip and peeks up at hoseok, nodding quickly before his eyes flicker back to the window, cheeks flushed.

"alright then! i'm glad you're getting along. i'll leave you to it then,"

two more hours pass and hoseok looks back over at the pair and is surprised to see taehyung standing now. he's holding jimin's much smaller hand in his own and the hybrid is pouting up at him. taehyung looks apologetic as he presses a kiss to the back of jimin's hand and turns away, frowning down at his phone as he walks towards hoseok.

"is something wrong taehyung-ssi?"

"no, not at all. i just got a call from my manager and i need to go, but i was wondering if i could come see jimin again? probably not tomorrow but the day after?"

"of course! visiting hours are everyday from 08:00 to 20:00 so feel free to drop by anytime. you can get a visitors pass from eungi at the front desk and just make your way right up!"

taehyung smiles writes something down on his phone before glancing back up.

"and i- i was wondering if i could bring him a present? just, nothing too big but-"

"of course taehyung-ssi," hoseok cuts off his embarrassed rambling and taehyung awards him another blinding smile.

"alright. thank you hoseok-ssi. i'll be seeing you."

[arcanelaurels]

could we get some taakitz with adopted angus shenanigans? Pretty pleease

Animal Shenanigans - A Trilogy

1 - “Conspiracy” Has Multiple Definitions

“How many did you say you saw today?”

“Um, about four at school, sir,” Angus answered. “They kept moving around the courtyard and sitting up in trees or on poles near me. It kinda freaked my friends out.”

Kravitz made a sympathetic noise. “I’m sorry about that, Angus, I think that’s my fault. They tend to…well, find me. Whenever I’m in the material plane,” He explained. 

“I know,” Angus chirped. “I’ve seen them in the backyard. But why did some of them follow me to school?”

“I think they’ve started to take an interest in you. It happened to Taako, too. He always sees one or a few when he goes somewhere, just keeping an eye on him.”

“That’s kinda creepy…” Trepidation was audible in Angus’s voice.

“Oh, there’s nothing creepy about ravens except society’s perception of them,” Kravitz waved dismissively. “Sure, the Raven Queen is the goddess of death, but ravens themselves aren’t bad omens or anything. They’re actually very intelligent creatures.”

“I think you might be biased in thinking that, sir.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong,” Kravitz argued. He stood up from the table. “Come on. Maybe if I introduce you to some of them, you’ll feel better.”

“O-Okay,” Angus nervously replied as he got up.

“Here.” Kravitz pulled something out of his pocket and offered it up to Angus.

Angus took what looked like a few pellets. “What are these?”

“Treats,” Kravitz replied. “They’re special ones for ravens.”

Angus pocketed the treats and followed Kravitz out back, where the usual grouping of ten or so ravens was hanging out. They all turned to look at the two - specifically Kravitz - and watched as they walked up to the porch railing. The hairs on the back of Angus’s neck stood up at the unnerving sight. One raven flew up and rested on the railing in front of Angus, looking almost like it was investigating him. He turned to Kravitz questioningly.

Kravitz held out his hand and the raven readily hopped up onto his forearm, then turned to investigate Angus again. 

“Go ahead,” Kravitz prompted.

Angus dug a treat out from his pocket and cautiously held it towards the bird, who regarded it for a moment before gently plucking it from his fingers and eating it. Kravitz nodded encouragingly as Angus held out his arm and the raven hopped onto it. He struggled to keep his arm up under the weight of the bird, but managed to hold it steady.

He looked up at Kravitz with pride, but hesitation was still visible on his face.

Kravitz didn’t even seem to notice as another raven landed on his shoulder. “Ravens are also very intelligent. They could probably help you with cases where there’s a missing item or something.” 

“Really? That’s amazing!” Angus grinned at the bird, then pulled out another treat. The raven took it and flew off, joining the rest of the conspiracy in the yard. A few moments later, it returned - or perhaps it was a different raven - with a large red feather.

Angus’s jaw dropped. “I know this feather!” He exclaimed, taking it. “This was on my favorite cap that got blown away in the wind a few weeks ago!”

“Oh, yes, I remember. You were inconsolable for the rest of the day,” Kravitz said. “They must’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while if they recognized that.”

“Really?” Excitement sparkled in Angus’s eyes. “That’s so cool!”

Kravitz tousled Angus’s hair a bit. “See? They’re not so scary now, are they?”

2 - The Fuzzball

“Ew, Mags, is that a bug?”

“What? No! How many bugs have you seen that are this big?”

“Everything looks like a bug when you hold it in your giant ogre hands, homie.”

“I’m nowhere near the size of an ogre,” Magnus argued. “And it’s not a bug. It’s a kitten!”

Taako eyed what looked more like a black fuzzball curled up in Magnus’s hands than an animal. “And?”

“Aaaand,” Magnus hesitated. “I found her near my house all alone. No parent or siblings or anything. She’s really small for her age, and I’d take care of her, but I don’t think the dogs would take well to her.”

“So, what? You want me to take it?”

“Well, yeah! Pets are good for kids. And since you won’t let me give Angus a dog-”

“Dogs are gross and slobbery and dumb, no thanks.” 

“-I figured a cat would be a good idea.” Magnus continued as if uninterrupted. “And look how cute she is!”

As if on cue, the kitten untucked her head from under herself and opened her eyes wide to look at Taako. She had one bright green eye and one bright blue eye, and her steady gaze would be unnerving if it weren’t offset by the fact that her ears were comically too large for her head. She stood up and arched her back in a stretch, her tiny claws unsheathing and barely pricking the callouses on Magnus’s hands. 

Taako stared at her with an expression that would’ve been unreadable to others, but Magnus recognized that he was considering the option. 

“I think she might’ve been abandoned for being a runt,” Magnus added in a softer voice.

Taako’s ears twitched at that - which was the exact reaction Magnus was hoping for. The kitten, noticing it, flicked her ears as well to mimic him. It was a cute enough action that it successfully broke even Taako’s defenses, and his lips parted in a small gasp that he didn’t bother to cover up.

Magnus chuckled. “Yeah, I know, right? And she seems pretty smart, too. Why don’t you hold her?” He offered up the animal.

Taako scrunched his face in fake disdain as he hesitated. Magnus knew it was just for show and waited patiently before Taako reached out and plucked the kitten out of his hands. She squirmed for a bit as he tried to figure out how to hold her properly. He quickly figured out the best way to hold her - one hand under and one hand keeping her steady - and lifted her up to eye level and stared at her.

She stared back, her gaze more unnerving now as Taako stared into the depths of her eyes. They stayed like that for a few minutes, neither one relinquishing. Magnus was starting to get unnerved.

Finally, the kitten blinked up at Taako and let out a tiny mew as if pleading with him.

Taako pursed his lips as if fighting off a smile, his ears flattening. “Fine, I’ll take the fuzzball.”

“Oh, good.” Magnus let out a sigh of relief. “You’ll love her, I promise. And Angus will, too. Whatcha gonna name her?”

“Hmmmm.” Taako held the kitten up at eye-level and they stared at each other again. “Jiji.”

“Jiji? Doesn’t that mean like ‘old man’ or something?”

“Yeah, my dude. It’s a little thing called i-roh-nee.” He ignored Jiji as she clambered up his sleeve to his shoulder, no doubt pricking his arm on her way up. “But don’t blame me if one of Krav’s ravens eats this thing.”

3 - Detective’s Helper

“I’m home!” Angus’s shout rang through the house as he hurriedly took off his shoes and raced towards his room, not bothering to take off his coat.

“Whoa, hey, slow your roll there, kemosabe,” Taako appeared from the kitchen and held out a wooden spoon in front of Angus to block his path. What looked like a small shadow darted into the room and Jiji started winding her way around Angus’s ankles in greeting. “How’s the case going?”

“Really great! I solved it, actually,” Angus answered over-enthusiastically. “I’m also very tired from solving crimes and catching crooks, so I think I’ll just go to my room and take a nap before din- Ow!”

Jiji - who was getting much better at jumping - had leapt up onto Angus’s shoulder in one go, using her claws to stabilize herself. She started sniffing at the collar of Angus’s coat and stretched her neck out as far as she could in an attempt to stick her head in it as if searching for something.

“Agnes, I swear to the gods, if you don’t up your Deception soon, you’re never gonna make it as a master detective.” Taako plucked the energetic kitten off of Angus’s shoulder and dropped her on the floor. She subsequently took off through the house. “What are you hiding?”

“My Deception’s fine!” Angus argued. “I just suck at lying to you,” He added in a grumble. With a sigh, he opened his coat and took something out of his inside pocket - a small tortoise.

“What do you have there, Angus?” Kravitz walked in, Jiji perched on his shoulder like a gargoyle statue on a church. Upon spotting the tortoise, the cat hunched forward and her pupils instantly dilated so that her eyes looked all-black. She stayed where she was, though, as if some force were keeping her on Kravitz’s shoulder.

“Dinner, it looks like,” Taako answered for Angus, swiping the tortoise from his hands.

“What?!” Angus and Kravitz asked at the same time. 

“Tortoises make an excellent soup, my dudes,” Taako assessed the small reptile. “I’ll have to fatten him up first, of course. Way too small to feed the three of us.”

“No, Taako, please!” Angus stepped toward him and grabbed part of his shirt. “I found him in the victim’s house and-”

“You stole from a dead guy?” Taako interrupted. “Hell yeah, kid, just like your old man.”

“Mostparentswouldn’tapplaudthatbut anyway,” Angus made his point quickly before getting back to the main argument. “I wanted to keep him. He was actually important to solving the murder and he was gonna get sent to a shelter otherwise.” He drew his lips into a pout and looked up at Taako with wide, pleading eyes. “Pleeease?”

Taako pursed his lips, trying not to let his facade crack. “Where the hell are you gonna keep this thing?” 

“I’ll get a terrarium! I even have my own money for it from detective work!”

“And when it gets too big for that?”

“It’s a Horsfield tortoise, sir. He won’t get much bigger than he is now.”

“But what if he and Jiji don’t get along?” Kravitz piped up, gesturing towards the agitated kitten on his shoulder. 

“I’ll keep him in my room!” Angus answered. “And I’ll make sure she can’t break into his cage or anything.” He looked between them, his pleading face back on. “Pleeeease?”

Taako and Kravitz looked at each other, some sort of silent communication passing between them, before Taako sighed in resignation. “This place is turning into a zoo,” He grumbled, then held the tortoise out towards Angus. “Fine, you can keep it.”

“Yes! Thank you!” Angus threw his arms around Taako in a hug before he carefully took the tortoise from him. He hugged Kravitz, too, before holding the tortoise at eye-level. “Come on, Clyde! Let’s go see our room!”

“Clyde?” Taako asked incredulously.

“I didn’t name him, sir!” Angus called over his shoulder as he raced down the hallway.

Kravitz snorted. “You named a female kitten ‘old man,’ who are you to talk?”

“Shut up.”

(Note: Angus absolutely does 1000% of the required research to take care of the tortoise bc he’s a good good boy)

Like My Work? Buy me a coffee!

[cupidkihyun]

Bliss pt. 2 [Taeyong]

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Characters: Lee Taeyong, Hybrid!Reader (You)

Word Count: 1308

Notes: This is part 2, it’s a bit short (part 3 is gonna be longer tho)! This series starts off a bit slow, so please bare with me!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Taeyong arrived at the hybrid facility for his scheduled class. He went to the assigned room and sat down among the other people looking to adopt hybrids.

The same woman who had taken him on the tour came in and stood at the podium.

“Hello everyone! Glad you could all make it, I’ll be teaching you the basics about hybrids today”

She talked about proper nutrition for different kinds of hybrids, mainly dog and cat hybrids and the origins of why hybrids existed today. 

“Now I’m sure you all have heard that scent is a very powerful tool for hybrids. Once you adopt them they will likely ask to scent you, meaning they want your scent on them, it calms them and it also lets other hybrids know that they have an owner” 

“Touch is also another very powerful tool, especially for dog hybrids. They will find comfort in your touch and will need your attention. This means you cannot leave them on their own for days, if you are going on a trip please take them with you. Their ears and tails are also very receptive to touch and they can bring pleasure and pain, so please be careful when you touch them”

She finished the class with taking questions from the crowd then dismissed the class.

He made his way out of the classroom waving to the receptionist before going through the doors that led him to Y/N’s room. 

Y/N’s POV

You stood in front of the mirror in your room, trying to decide the outfit you wanted to wear for when Taeyong came. You had been notified yesterday that he was coming for a visit, and you wanted to impress him.

You didn’t have many clothes in your possession, but what you had was flattering on your figure. They were simple clothes, but you had grown to love them. You decided on high waisted black jeans and a striped t-shirt. It was simple, but that was your style. You put on black socks and put your headphones in, your heartbeat going along with the bass in the song.

20 minutes later you could smell Taeyong coming down the hallway, his footsteps light. Even though you hadn’t been around him long last week you could still pick up on his scent.

He knocked on your door lightly, knowing you could hear it. 

“Hi”, you said softly, opening the door and letting Taeyong inside. 

“Hey, how did your test go?”

You look up at him astonished that he remembered.

”Um, it went okay, I think. I haven’t gotten my grade back”

“I’m sure you did great, you looked like you knew what you were doing when you were studying. How do you even take the tests? You can’t take them online can you?”

“The University sends the tests here and I take them under supervision and send them back. Until I get a new home I can’t physically attend the University. So… what are we doing today?”, you asked. 

“I thought we could watch a movie. You mentioned you liked watching the latest movies, so I bought one that recently came out”, he said as he pulled out a movie from his shoulder bag.

“Oh that’s awesome! Thank you Taeyong”, you said. 

“No problem, you have a DVD player right?”

“Yeah I have one on my computer, I can plug it into the TV so we can watch it better”

You set up the movie and put it on the TV. You turned around to see Taeyong looking around your room. All that was in your room was a dresser, wardrobe, desk, and a twin bed. There was no obvious place for the two of you to sit other than the bed. 

“We can both sit on my bed if you want….”, you said blushing at your words. You knew they didn’t mean anything, but sitting with Taeyong on your bed was intimate for you.

“Are you sure?”, Taeyong asked you. “I can sit on the floor”, he offered.

“No no, it’s okay. The floor would be really uncomfortable”

You got up on your bed and patted the spot beside you. Taeyong came up beside you and sat a couple feet away, making sure you were comfortable.You started the movie and settled into your spot, laying your back against the wall.

The movie ended about 2 hours later, you pressed stop on the remote pausing the movie.

“Taeyong, that was really good. I haven’t seen a movie that good in a while. Thank you for bringing it”

Taeyong stared at you eyes wide and jaw open slightly.

“It was my pleasure Y/N, I’m glad you liked it”. You sat in comfortable silence, lost in thought. 

Taeyong drew in a breath, “Y/N…..”

“Hm?”

“May I touch your ears?”

You stared at him. Your ears were the most sensitive part of your body, you didn’t let just anyone touch them.

 “Uh you know what never mind, I’m sorry I-”

“You can touch them”, you said.

Taeyong had been honest with you so far, and you trusted him not to hurt you, his character showed you that much. 

“Are you sure? I’m just curious is all”, he said sheepishly.

“I’m guessing you haven’t been around hybrids much”, you laughed. 

“Nope, this would be my first”, he laughed with you. 

You got up on your knees and moved on the bed until you were sat in front of him, lowering your head a little. 

Taeyong tentatively reached his hand out, you held your breath as you waited for him to touch your ears.

He softly touched your left ear, moving his hand down to where your ear met your hair. He rubbed right behind your ear and you let out the breath you were holding in. To say that it felt good was an understatement, you hadn’t been pet in a long time. 

“Is this okay”, you heard Taeyong say.

“Yes, please… keep going”, you said with your eyes closed. You couldn’t find it in yourself to be embarrassed, you had been denied this simple pleasure for too long. 

Taeyong chuckled rubbing behind your ears, and gliding his hands along them. You pressed your head further into his touch, you sighed at the feeling. You could hear your tail thumping softly behind you, a sign that you were happy and content. After a couple of minutes Taeyong removed his hands. You let out a high pitched whine when he did so. 

You immediately covered your mouth, opening your eyes to see Taeyong chuckling.

“I’m sorry, I just haven’t been pet in a while”, you said covering your face with your hands. 

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m glad that you trust me enough, I know it’s a sensitive part for hybrids”

Taeyong’s phone alarm went off and you scooted back from him.

“Ah visiting hours are almost over”, he said with a small pout on his face.

“Oh yeah, they end at 7”, you said getting off of the bed. Taeyong followed suit and put on his shoes and got his bag from the floor.

“Oh wait, your movie!”, you said as you made your way over to your computer.

“Keep it”

“What? No I couldn’t-”

“Please Y/N keep it”

“Thank you Taeyong”

“I’ll see you next week, okay? Bye Y/N!”

You barely lifted your hand to wave before his chestnut hair was ducking out the door. 

As Taeyong made his way down the hallway you tried to get your emotions in order. No one had ever given you something before. You also couldn’t get rid of the butterflies in your stomach. Taeyong made you feel appreciated and equal to him, something you had never felt. 

You would have to keep yourself in check, he was just looking for a friend and you would honor that.

[ladybuvelle]

Little Heart

The road felt so soft that day, long ago. It was humid outside and the clouds hung low in the sky, heavy with rain and waiting for the right moment. The sun was still too fierce to let it happen. Not just yet. It was well enough to walk for a short while and take in the summer stormscape just before the actual storm - but Waka-sensei would have to leave soon. It was a long walk back to his home, and it wouldn’t do to be caught in the rain.

Sona had hoped to keep him long enough that he would have to stay and wait it out. He could stay the night, perhaps. The matrons wouldn’t turn him away. They could have dinner together. He could tell her more stories.

Her pulse surged so hard with the beat of her heart that she could feel it in her fingertips. The thought of it all was just so exciting.

“Sona” he called to the little girl behind him, her smaller strides often holding her back. “|Come look! You can see it raining in the distance, past the fields. We’re still ahead of it.|”

They had walked toward the farmlands where the ground was more flat for miles and miles, lacking the trees that grew around the orphanage that obscured a lot of the view. She looked where he pointed, and indeed in the distance was a great darkness of clouds and the distant static of rain. It was scary. It was beautiful. They were so far away they could see the wind pushing the clouds along as they watered the fields.

“|The vegetables will be happy, don’t you think?|” he asked, an airy tone to his voice in awe of nature.

“|Yes|” Sona gestured back to him with a strong nod of her head and a cat-like paw next to her cheek.

“|I don’t think the cats will be very happy though|” he laughed, joking about her gesture. “|They’re all running inside right now if they haven’t already. Animals can usually tell the weather before it happens. If only we had that talent.|”

Reaching out for her little pale hand, Wakahisa had turned back in the direction of the orphanage. “|We should return now, little heart. Before the clouds come this way.|”

Without thinking, Sona took the man’s darker hand - really, just holding onto a row of his fingers - and walked along in distress. For a few steps. Then she stopped and pulled him back.

“|Look!|” she gestured with her free hand, back toward the rain in the distance. Nothing had changed, she just wanted to keep looking. To keep him there just a little longer.

“Hm? |Look at what?|”

“|Raining|.”

“|Yes, it’s still raining. It’ll come this way soon. Now come - or the cats will laugh at us for getting wet!|”

Never one to protest too much, the little girl had to give up. But maybe she could at least make him walk more slowly. Her sandals dragged along the soft ground, kicking up bits of dirt and small pebbles as they went. Wakahisa tugged her along, though never forcefully, yet it had become obvious his ward was being difficult. He let go of her hand.

“|Is something wrong, Sona?|” he finally asked, this time gesturing along with his speech. Waka tended to do that if a topic was more serious and could be learned from. It drew Sona’s full attention. But she couldn’t just admit she didn’t want him to go.

“|No|” she obviously lied, her face turned down as she shook her head.

“|Do you want to get caught in the rain?|”

Again, she shook her head. Hard enough to make her pigtails swish about.

“Aya... |But something is bothering you today, little heart. Are you upset that I have to leave early?|”

Not the entire reason, but close enough. The way she hesitated to answer him was an answer in itself. Wakahisa had been Sona’s personal tutor for over two years by then. That was quite a while to get to know someone, especially a child who was still growing and developing. It was also an eternity for an orphan. Every year passing only made her less adoptable. And being disabled...

It wasn’t hard to understand how lonely she must have been. How isolated she must have felt among her peers. Not many of the other children took an interest in learning hand signs to talk, and it was hard enough to get most of them to learn reading and writing. Sona was a bright child. A smart child. A curious little girl with such a big heart. Of course she was sad. Every day had its rain for her.

But the world didn’t revolve around a little girl either. He had a wife had home, bedridden and unwell, and a son that was still quite young. He had responsibilities to them as much as his personal duty to helping a child in need. He’d made a marriage oath - but he’d also made an oath as a priest long before that to help the needy.

The older man had to sigh under the weight of his own heart, looking about and deciding a small outcropping of rock would serve as a temporary seat. Without a word Sona followed along, still frowning but curious. There wasn’t much room to sit, and it was quite uncomfortable anyway, so the teacher offered her a seat on his lap. Of course she gladly took it, even if the humidity made it a little uncomfortable and stuffy to be so close to someone.

“|We’ll sit for a minute|” he attempted a compromise, “|maybe the wind spirits will blow the clouds back awhile. But the rain will come eventually... So just a minute or two, alright, little heart?|”

Sona sat in accepting silence, staring out into the distant sky again. She could hear the faint sound of her sensei’s heartbeat. His breath, uncomfortable in the heat. The distant sound of swirling winds across wet plains of grass and brush. Like swaths of paper ribbons in the breeze, shimmering silver in the low light. As the rain swept across the land one could hear the protests of birds, disturbed from their games and picking at crop seeds, crying out curses to the heavens for inconveniencing them so. The birds never seemed to care about offending someone. But they’d also forget their anger by tomorrow...

“|If you think on it|” her teacher’s voice broke Sona’s concentration, causing the gold in her eyes to blink away, “|water has been everywhere. There isn’t a place in this world water hasn’t touched, or a person it hasn’t visited. The rain out there... at one time it was part of the ocean and held the bodies of great fish inside it. At another it was a stream bubbling over rocks. Perhaps a few days ago it was washing your bowl!|”

“|When you think of things like that...|” he went on, patting his blue-haired student’s head, “|even if we’re apart, nature keeps us all together anyway. We live under the same sun and the same moon, we see the same stars at night. My breath was yours at one time, and you lent it to a flower before returning it back to me.|”

“|We are always together, little heart. Even if distance and time separates us, parts of us find one another always. I think there is comfort in that. Do you?|”

It was a little much for her to understand, but Sona nodded eventually anyway.

“|Good!|” Wakahisa clapped his hands before picking Sona up and setting her back on her feet. “|Maybe someday it will make more sense to you? My sermon delivery is a bit rusty I think.|” He had to laugh, and despite Sona not fully getting it she had to giggle too.

“|For now, let’s take you back. Just remember... even though I have to go, I’ll never completely leave you. There is more to people than just what you can see, touch or hear. You have a piece of my heart with you wherever you go.|”

Taking his hand again, Sona made a gesture around her face. With her hairline and chin it was somewhat vaguely heart-shaped - thus why he called her “little heart”.

He chuckled. “|Yes, and you lend me a piece of your heart, too. But remember to keep some for yourself, Sona! Someday you will need it. You can give it to someone very special.|”

Who could be more special than Waka-sensei? At the time she couldn’t even imagine.