#and thus accidentally releasing a dog

[magnus-and-the-dragon]

current status: bolted up wide awake at 3 am, apparently because there is a specific style of kennel I don’t know how to use at the shelter I started volunteering with, and brain feels the need to gnaw itself raw until I have answers

to be clear, i noticed this issue at my first shift on SATURDAY. i’ve now been awake with it for an hour. i was fine when i went to bed. i don’t know what kind of weird fucking tripwire I walked over in my dreams but I would like it to STOP.

[starfishsonny]

dog man au except petey and dog man are rock artists!!! yes they’re based off of ween what about it😞info/lore dump under the cut!

ok so BASICALLY petey used to be in a band w greg (and big jim) and one day big jim accidentally let a loose amp fall on greg when they were setting up!!! unfortunately for him his head was dying and the only person (or rather thing) willing to donate their head to him was his dog, knight!! :0 obvi they couldn’t get verbal consent but the doctors basically said “welp. ok man.”

thus bark knight (or dog man) was born!!! petey immediately forced him back into the band and kicked big jim out in favor of bark knight (and since big jim literally killed greg LMAO). despite bark still getting used to the phantom symptoms and overall feel of his body petey made him relearn guitar + bass so he could play!

after a couple gigs and their first album release they’re informed of a child sneaking into the venue. this was after their performance, and since they were packed up, they decided to have a looksie!! the child ends up being lil’ petey (who since in this au wasn’t born from a cloning machine and rather a one night stand w some random groupie) who is just named petey jr!!! bark immediately ushers petey to take him in, but due to the rising success of their band he’s prettyyy hesitant. boom wacky stuff happens YAY

[somereaderinblue]

Web of Morality

-AU where MJ’s part of the group since childhood, Gwen is bitten by the spider, the symbiote is discovered sooner & Felicia decides to commit a heist sooner; four small changes that made everything different.

-MJ’s part of the group as a homage to USM & to balance out the ratio. 2 boys + 2 girls but also 2 science nerds + 2 theatre kids, making Harry feel less left out.

-(TW: very brief mention of past abusive parent)

-I will not stand for love triangles. Thus, MJ & Gwen are close, practically sisters. MJ’s the one who taught Gwen how to vent via drums & Gwen’s dad was the one who arrested MJ’s dad when he went too far.

-Naturally, after the powers kicked in, Gwen told MJ, who decided the best way to deal with this is to become a hero.

-Gwen is reluctant but after Peter loses Uncle Ben (maybe she could’ve saved him & spare Peter the pain) & her dad has a close call (another one of many, will the next one be his last?), she decides to become Spiderwoman.

-MJ is her girl in the chair, codename Jackpot.

-During summer break, Harry follows his dad out of town while MJ & Gwen claim to be doing their own thing (re: getting used to crimefighting), leaving Peter alone.

-He’s wandering outside, trying not to think abt the bills Aunt May failed to hide when he hears a commotion in the alley.

-The rest is a blur but at the end of it, he’s nursing a nasty shiner & being thanked by a pretty lady in a catsuit. Maybe he’s sporting a concussion too bcz when she asks what he wants in return, he says a hot dog but only if she eats with him.

-Maybe Felicia landed harder than she thought too bcz she finds herself on a rooftop with the kid, trying to make sure mustard doesn’t get on her gloves.

-Instead of calling the cops on her, Peter comes back just to hang out.  A friendship is struck. One night, her grappling gun is damaged & Peter fixes it. The next night, he shows her a notebook full of gadget ideas.

-When someone tries to mug Peter, Felicia saves him if only so she could put his ass through basic training. It takes a lot of coaxing but soon, Peter & her have parkour races across rooftops.

-(If she lets Peter win a few, that’s for her to know.)

-Summer ends, school starts & Vulture strikes.

-Since Peter isn’t Spiderman, he has the time & space to question Vulture's vendetta against Norman. Gwen offhandedly mentions his ‘stealing my work’ rants, which she totally heard from her dad!

-Either way, the seed is planted. This leads to Peter & Harry meeting Otto, who does a double-take bcz Peter’s the spitting image of his old friend, Richard.

-Otto still has lingering fondness for his dad & enough conscience to admit the meeting between Adrian & Oscorp.

-Another seed of doubt is planted in the group’s mind sooner than canon. This seed leads to actions that naturally bring consequences.

-MJ & Gwen are determined to uncover more dirt but they can’t tell Harry & Peter what they’re doing, so the boys assumed they don’t care & snoop on their own. Both pairs make different discoveries.

-Gwen bumps into Black Cat at ESU labs & accidentally releases the symbiote while Peter deciphers a file left by his dad, revealing his research, reasons for leaving....and dying.

-In this AU, the symbiote is more neutral. Still feeds on emotions, but not strictly negative ones. Gwen’s emotions don’t interest it since her civilian life is much stabler. So, it slips onto Peter at school.

-Peter seeks out Felicia bcz he’s terrified that Norman will hurt Gwen if he goes to her dad. While parkouring to calm down, the symbiote reveals itself.

F: So that’s where the alien ooze went. P: YOU TRIED TO STEAL ALIEN OOZE?! F: It was business. P: You- wait....OH MY GOD I’M WEARING ALIEN OOZE!

-Then Harry calls to tell him that his dad’s freaking out bcz the alien ooze is gone & oh lord, Peter is wearing said ooze.

-He should return it-

.

.

.

-Return it to who? The company that stole another man’s life’s work? The company that got his & Eddie’s parents killed??

-Hell. Fucking. No.

-Once, Felicia joked that he was her sidekick. Resolve set, he asks if she’s willing to be his mentor.

-So now Gwen has to deal with her usual rogue gallery & the anti-hero Venom who’s deadset on ruining Norman Osborn.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Toontown Rewritten Recap: November 2002 (Part 3)

Last one before I go to bed, I need my sleep.

November 17, 2002

Shockley was dragged away from his Keyboard to unveil Daisy Gardens, with two connecting streets (Seaweed Street in Donald’s Dock, Silly Street in Toontown Central) being opened to allow Toons to visit this floral neighborhood.

Also, some Starfish migrated to Donald’s Dock. They’re the local Toon-Up treasure.

November 18, 2002

So uh… Remember how Sir Max and Hawkheart stole an ice rink?

Sir Max was arrested by the cops while visiting The Brrrgh (a new neighborhood that was being constructed). Turns out that frozen lake in the middle of a snowy wasteland was ACTUALLY a key fixture of the upcoming neighborhood’s playground.

Sir Max was sentenced to a 20 minute timeout in the Toon HQ, and seven minutes later he accidentally released the ape they were using for their banana unpeeling machine during a game of hide-and-seek, creating a hole in the wall he could escape through. After 7 long minutes in time out, he was finally free.

To keep the fuzz off his trail, he threw some green paint on the ape.

Lighthouse Lane in Donald’s Dock was open for business, connecting Donald’s Dock to Pluto’s Playground, the Brrrgh.

There’s a noticeable hole in the ice where the Ice Hockey rink used to be, but I think it’ll eventually get converted into a fishing pond, so don’t mind it.

Laff-o-Dils started blooming in Daisy Gardens.

November 19, 2002

Sir Max announces the opening of Minnie’s Melodyland, and gets some slight deja-vu due to a (noncanon) promotional video featuring multiple staff members running from Toontown Central to Minnie’s Melodyland being one of the first bits of content the Rewritten Team ever produced.

Ahem, regardless, Loopy Lane in Toontown Central and Sleet Street in the Brrrgh were opened to connect Minnie’s Melodyland to the rest of Toontown.

Also, a big snowstorm hit the Brrrgh, producing Snowflakes large enough to make Toons Laff. (Hint hint.)

November 20, 2002

Sir Max reflects on a funny story from this day’s Neighborhood’s planning.

The original plan had been for Daffy Duck to be the host for this Neighborhood, but Donald threw a fit. In order to placate Donald, they decided he could have the Playground. However, because he ALREADY had a Neighborhood, he could ONLY use the new Playground for sleeping.

And thus, Donald’s Dreamland was born! In order to make sure Donald would follow their ONE rule, a giant bed was constructed to serve as the Playground.

Back in the then-present of 2002, someone left behind a bunch of Laff Notes in Minnie’s Melodyland’s Playground, and Tenor Terrace was opened in the same Neighborhood to connect it to Donald’s Dreamland.

November 21, 2002

A brown dog named Roger Dog made this post while everyone was sleeping.

Who’s Roger Dog?

I’m Roger Dog.

You’re Roger Dog.

EVERYONE IS ROGER DOG AND ROGER DOG IS EVERYONE!

The Roger Dogs have SUCCESSFULLY taken over the world!

Now EVERYONE can use Roger Dog’s exclusive Speedchat phrases.

It’s to late to resist him, Roger Dog! We must bow to our fellow Roger Dog overlords!

Also, they/we constructed Chip ‘n Dale’s Acorn Acres, a neat little outdoors area that connects directly to Donald’s Dock’s Playground, complete with a tunnel to Chip ‘n Dale’s Mini-Golf. Figuring out pronouns in a Roger Dog hivemind is weird, okay.

There’s also a geyser to ride, so it’s not all bad.

And some Zzz’s have turned up in Donald’s Dreamland’s Playground. So that’s neat!

November 22, 2002

Sir Max, and the rest of Toontown’s population wakes up, finding that Roger Dog’s takeover was just a bad dream.

But Acorn Acres was still constructed… Somehow…

…

Sleep-building aside, the Toon Council was ALSO able to finish construction on Goofy Speedway!

Unfortunately, Sir Max wasn’t able to get the street-racing permits, so uh… The tunnels to the race-tracks don’t go anywhere.

Regardless, Goofy Speedway connects DIRECTLY to Toontown Central playground!

The changelogs don’t say anything about Acorn Acre’s famous acorns being added, though…

Maybe those were added at launch?

November 23, 2002

Goofy Speedway is now opened to business, thanks to the hard work of Goofy, Hawkheart, and McQuack!

Hawkheart even put together a scoreboard for the speedway!

Sir Max, eager to give it a try, bought a kart and got to racing.

However, a butterfly landed on Sir Max’s nose, and while trying to shoo it away, he accidentally destroyed almost race track AND Hawkheart’s scoreboard, sparing ONLY the two tracks that make up the Speedway Circuit.

Ah well, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and that’s still enough to open the speedway for business! Just remember that the Speedway uses tickets instead of Jellybeans for its currency when you go to buy your kart.

Also, “Emotions” were renamed “Animations” (though speedchat phrases with Animations attached are still marked with an “e”).

And if you’re worried about Sir Max, don’t. Thanks to a lizard, he saved 15% or more on his car insurance!

November 24, 2002

Sir Max figured out how to make up for his blunder: PUBLIC PROPERTY!

He hired some construction workers and got to work building the new race tracks, only for Shockley to shut him down, revealing that they were working on building new homes for their residents.

Sir Max was confused, having not realized that they hadn’t yet finished building homes for the 100 Toons they invited to live in Toontown, and chalks it up to poor planning. So, he and his crew pack up their equipment, leave, wait for Shockely to think they’ve gone, and then finish building the Rural Raceway tracks overnight while nobody’s looking.

And hey, if anyone happens to move into those houses by the race tracks…

They only have to put up with race cars driving by every 10-15 minutes!

Also, they fixed the Anvil item so it would land on the Toon in first place like it’s supposed to, instead of always landing on the Toon in last place (which is just mean).

See you next time, when we wrap up the month of November.

-

 the car insurance bit nearly make me spit water on my laptop lmao

[tristarnova]

*Ism turns into the Backstory Three [More Cannon] version of himself where:

The Infinity Spaghetti Man originated from an Undertale timeline where Papyrus ate so much spaghetti that he actually broke Undertale. Due to his obsessive craving of spaghetti, he forgot to go on patrol and never encountered Frisk. This caused the timeline to begin collapse, unknown to poor Papyrus. But he had eaten so much Spaghetti, and harnessed… something more.

This allowed him to use The “Spaghetti Force,” the source of his power. Its ambitions or origins are unknown, but what is known is he has been the only entity capable of harnessing it. Using this power, he managed to save himself and his AU from being ultimately destroyed. However, he encountered the human and accidentally completely incinerated them. Afraid of his own power, he fled into isolation.

He found WoooOOO, who aimed to build a universe of his own. Papyrus was the perfect specimen, and thus he took Papyrus from his AU and fully detached him from the timeline, placing a new Papyrus in and rebooting said timeline. Papyrus was now left with no purpose, and began to doubt himself significantly.

However, he trusted WoooOOO, who trained him to use his new power. His humble attitude turned to brutal violence, and he began massacring entities for a ‘challenge,’ wiping out any powerful entity in a huge, systematic, massacre. This was found by The Forgotten OC, who preyed on the violence of the now dubbed “Infinity Spaghetti Man.” He took control of his mind, and began a new massacre, aiming to be released.

The Infinity Spaghetti Man engaged in battle with The YEET, an entity he had encountered in the past, and so he was vengeful, amplified by The Forgotten OC’s mind manipulation. He used the holy corpse pieces to wipe out the remaining resistance fighters, including The YEET and Gary Sue, then released The Forgotten OC. However, The Infinity Spaghetti Man quickly realized the error of his ways, and so attempted to destroy The Forgotten OC in a Final Battle. 

In the end, he was victorious, killing The Forgotten OC by snapping his neck and dropping him into an abyss. However, he was terrified by his power now, having seen the destruction it could cause. He restored the outerverse, and no one bar him, his father, and a small white dog remembered the events.

Fearing he could fall prey to such a thing again, he entered self-imposed isolation. Until he encountered ZOMG OPEE SNAS, who compared him to his own Papyrus. The Infinity Spaghetti Man was only annoyed by ZOS, but tolerated him out of his attempted patience. Later, he aided ZOS in learning the spell that would later create Jotaro Sans.

After the creation of Jotaro Sans, the human that would eventually become Ha ha funny Chocolate attempted a genocide route of Comedytale. The Infinity Spaghetti Man defeated them and stripped them of their power, however did not kill them as he wanted a way to once again eat spaghetti while in exile. After enough goading by Jotaro Sans, he agreed to leave his exile and return with Jotaro on a crusade with the rest of Comedytale to purge the multiverse of Godverse. There he also encountered and killed an old rival, Alpha404 FANON.After said purge, he encountered an entity known as GODVERSE Sans, or technically just GODVERSE. Said entity shocked him to his core with its pure, unlimited power. After the end of The GODVERSE Crusade, he began drifting, and searching for a way to destroy GODVERSE or otherwise protect everyone. These attempts were in vein, and he was finally drawn into The Outerversal Tournament, in which place the events of The Comedytale Story began…*

Wowie

[thehandsresisthim]

“a test of endurance - part one”

contains: smut, gn!dom!reader x sub!johnny x sub!ghost, orgasm delay/denial, anal (plug in johnny), hand job, simon remembers fucking johnny

this work is part of a small “kinktober” thing - i sadly don’t have the time to write a lot, so instead of posting something for each day in october, i decided to try to post something on each sunday in october and something on halloween!! here’s the second part

word count: ~1200

The first time you really tease both men is on a rainy Sunday evening. Both are sprawled across your sofa, wearing loose clothing, a picture of pure comfort - Simon is resting in Johnny's lap, skull mask still on.

You enter the room, smiling. “Are my boys ready to be taught a lesson?” you ask, voice saccharine.

Johnny just hums, whilst Simon - ever the obedient one - immediately sits up straight, eager at the thought of being touched, to get the special attention that only you can dish out.

“I’m ready, love,” as always, Simon is the first to speak, his brown eyes glistening with adoration, like a dog that’s eager to get pet.

“‘m ready,” Johnny says next. His answer is shorter, less respectful - as usual.

+🎃+

Just twenty minutes later, you had one nude trembling man in your lap, and another wearing just his boxers, sitting before you on the carpet.

Simon, ever the obedient one, is holding onto your shoulders as you coo at him and stroke his cockhead. The featherlight touches are coaxing his sensitive dick to release a steady stream of precum, which you eagerly spread all over his cock. Still, it’s not nearly enough for the poor thing.

At a particularly mean touch - you’ve carefully pressed your pinkie finger against his slit, wiggling around a little, knowing exactly that the sensation reminds him of being sounded - Simon catches himself lifting his hips up in an attempt to meet your touch.

Immediately, he tries his best to counteract the movement, fingers boring into your shoulders as he forces his hips back down. “I’m s-so sorry, master…” he whines, nuzzling against your shoulder.

You kiss his neck. “It’s alright, baby. Can you grab the remote for me?”

Simon hiccups and nods, leaning over and handing the remote to you. You smirk as you take it, and then let go of his dick. He whines, but swallows down any complaints.

Noting his discomfort, you place one hand on his lower back and nip at his neck. “You can touch yourself. But, no cumming.” As soon as the words are out, Simon babbles out a string of ‘thank yous!’ and whines, lazily humping into his fist.

With your other hand, you menacingly hold up the remote, and the man kneeling on the carpet swallows as he sees it. His gorgeous blue eyes are wide open, disbelief and a hint of fear mixing with the anticipation.

With a tilt of your head and a mean smirk, you turn the vibrating plug nestled against his prostate off. Johnny wastes no time when it comes to protesting as his cock bobs, awkwardly spilling his creamy precum over his cock.

“Hah– you– sadistic fockin’ whore–” Johnny starts hurling curses at you, eyes narrowing as he sweats some more, skin glistening in the dim light of the living room.

He struggles to sit straight, catching his breath as a heartwarming, pitiful sob escapes his open mouth, a bit of drool joining the puddle of pre on the floor.

“Aww, were you close, love?” you mock, laughing as you toss the remote on the armchair, thus openly revealing that you've got no intention to activate the plug again. Johnny doesn't know if that's a bad thing or not.

You reach forward again, causing Simon to make a startled noise as the fabric of your shirt accidentally moves against his throbbing cock, marking it with his precum.

Paying Simon's whines no attention, you grab the bottle of lube, holding it in your dominant hand. The man in your lap bites his lip, holding out hope that maybe you'll coat your fingers in the lube and work him open, cruelly teasing his prostate until he struggles to speak.

But you don't. Instead, you click your tongue, thus immediately making Johnny pay attention to you.

“Come ‘ere, boy.” you instruct, and just for a second, Johnny considers getting up, and not crawling towards you on all fours like he's been trained to do. But he swallows his brattiness - God knows he's shown enough of that already - and obediently comes close to your outstretched hand.

“Grab the lube. You're going to take your plug out, pet,” you gently pat Johnny’s head, “and you better not cum during.”

Johnny whines at your command and peels his boxers off, the stained fabric clinging to his skin where he dirtied it with his pre.

He takes the bottle with a shaking hand and immediately goes to work.

Simon starts to tremble in your lap, cock twitching in interest at every strangled gasp that Johnny lets out, every wet squelch as he works the plug out of himself.

Simon doesn’t want to get his hopes up, but the prolonged teasing has made him a little delusional - perhaps you’re ordering Johnny to take the plug out so that there’ll be room for his cock? Maybe, just maybe, you’re going to allow Simon to fuck him?

He tries to banish the memory of the last time you made Simon fuck Johnny - how you had one steady hand between his shoulderblades, instructing Simon on just what he’s allowed to do.

“That’s it, baby, you can go faster, go on, Simon, work him open…” your voice echoes in his head.

‘Fuck fuck fuck,’ he thinks, as he notices himself getting closer to the edge. Still, he can’t help his mind from replaying your words, “You better not cum if you know what’s good for you. I swear, Simon, if you finish, I’ll make sure you can’t properly sit for the next three weeks-“

With a panicked whelp, Simon pinches the base of his cock, staving off his orgasm at the last second. It hurts, to edge himself like that, but disappointing you would be worse.

You, ever observant, have paid close attention to Simon’s struggle, and immediately hug him and kiss his neck. “That’s my boy. Good job!”

He keens at the praise, happy to have made you proud. Still, he’s close to the edge, and has to pinch himself again at Johnny’s slutty moan as the man finally works the plug out.

You clap your hands. “You boys did so good!”

Wait. Johnny blinks up at you. Usually, you only say this sort of thing when you’re done with the scene. But the scene can’t be done yet, can it? Simon and him haven’t cum yet, and-

The sadistic gleam in your eyes confirms both boys’ fear.

Simon whimpers and sighs, head hanging low, his shoulders slumped as he wordlessly accepts your silent instruction.

Johnny wants to fight, to argue, but he knows it’s useless. Besides, he knows that he and Simon asked for this, get off on being denied, and if it truly gets unbearable, there’s always the safeword.

Johnny sets the lube down on the table and blinks again. “Master, may we shower? Cold shower, maybe?”

You nod. “Yes, you may.”

Thank you for reading!! here’s part two ! ❤️

masterlist is here

[burnin-hot]

Alright, I'm breaking the spirit of the blog by not keeping things in tags, but what I have to say won't fit in the tags :P

Putting this under a cut because it is long.

I want to preface this by saying this---Honestly? Go nuts, show nuts, whatever. Muslims are not a monolith; not every single one you come across will be, like... really adhering to the thing. I know muslims who drink. I know muslims who smoke weed. I know muslims who pet and feed stray dogs; a friend of mine's dad apparently knows a guy who actively kept them as pets. Frankly, it'd be cool to see an atheist or otherwise nonreligious character who was raised muslim, for a change.

Islam, like Christianity, has branches, the two major ones being Sunni and Shi'a. I don't know much about the latter, so I'll be talking about the former.

Within Sunni Islam, there's four major schools of thoughts, called mazhabs. Different places adhere to different mazhabs, so when making a muslim character, you'd probably want to dig around on where follows what, and work accordingly. I'm only familiar with one mazhab--the Shafi'i mazhab--so what I'll say will be in accordance to what's practised by that mazhab.

If you're writing a "proper" but casual muslim, then... just stick to the basics, I guess?

No drinking alcohol or eating pork unless absolutely necessary, i.e. there's nothing else available to eat or not doing so may cause harm. So, if the story you're writing deals with religious discrimination, you can write your character eating pork and drinking booze in order to blend in and not draw attention to themselves.

Watch the aurat. For men (and women among other women), it's from the belly button to the knees. For women, generally it's everywhere except the face and the hands up to the wrist. As shown by the "women among other women" thing, it does change according to circumstance, but I'm not going to list them out one by one. Covering the aurat will become a must after your character reaches baligh, a.k.a maturity, which is marked by them experiencing menarche or a wet dream wherein sperm is released.

There are five mandatory prayers a day. You should probably look up what the prayer times would be for the setting your character's in---but if it's in, like... a fantasy setting, a guideline would be: Subuh around dawn (but before sunrise), Zohor around midday, Asar in the late afternoon, Maghrib in the evening, and Isya' is... like, an hour or so after Maghrib (so... early nighttime?).

Friday Zohor prayers are bit special, and start a bit earlier, because there's a sermon before the actual prayers. For men, it's mandatory, and because it's done en masse, they have to go to the mosque on that day---unless they have a big enough congregation (I think at least 20 people?) to do it where they're at. Women can opt in or out, thus just doing normal Zohor prayers.

God is pretty forgiving when it comes to performing the prayers, so there are accommodations available for certain circumstances. Your character will be travelling long distances, and will find it hard or impossible to stop often enough for the prayers? Jama' and qasar. They can't stand for long periods of time (or at all)? There are guidelines on how to pray sitting or lying down. I think there's also guidelines on how to pray should one be unable to find the qiblat (which may or may not just be "pick a direction; it's the intent that matters"). If they accidentally miss a prayer, they can also "repay" it (qada').

Ramadhan is, as we know, fasting month. A muslim character would wake before Subuh prayers for sahur, which just means eating something before Subuh begins---or maybe they won't. It isn't mandatory. Once Subuh starts, fasting also starts, and it lasts until Maghrib.

Maghrib marks the start of a new Hijriah date. So, if your character were to perform Tarawih prayers (which I'll talk about in a bit), they would do it on the night before the first day of fasting up until the night of the second last day of fasting.

If there were days on Ramadhan that a character couldn't fast, they'd repay those after the fact by fasting on some other day that isn't during Ramadhan or any of the days that you can't fast on. I can't remember what those days are, so just google it; at least the first day of Syawal--the month after Ramadhan, therefore the day of Aidilfitri--is definitely one, though.

As always, there's a bit of wiggle room for certain circumstances. If your character is cooking for fast-breaking, they can taste their cooking a little bit to test if it's good. I don't remember how much exactly is "a little bit", so... dig around on that, I guess.

Important to note that "fasting" isn't just refraining from eating food. Fasting includes abstaining from sexual acts as well (among other things; I think it's safe to say it's abstaining from temptation in general?), so your character wouldn't be able to have sex while they fast.

On the topic of sex, I'm pretty sure there's a specific shower your character(s) would have to do after they have sex (but before doing holy stuff). Where I'm from we call it "mandatory shower", but Wiki says the proper term is ghusl.

People on their period can't pray, fast, or touch any holy stuff (Qur'an, Yaasin booklets, etc.). If your character was on their period and it ended, they also have to perform ghusl.

For more devout muslims, they may do things that are sunat. This means they're not mandatory, but recommended to do. Sunat prayers I can remember off the top of my head: tahajjud prayer, one where you get up in the middle of the night and pray; witir prayer, an after-prayer prayer, to close off the day's prayers; and finally, tarawih prayer, the one that I mentioned earlier. It's a special sunat prayer only done during Ramadhan.

There are also other non-prayer sunat practices. The sahur I mentioned earlier is one of them. Your character might recite the Yaasin on Thursday nights. They might read the Qur'an in general between prayers (especially between Maghrib and Isya', since the down time between them is so short). They may fast on Mondays and Thursdays outside of Ramadhan. The list goes on and on.

You get... good points... for doing these things. Uh. I don't know how to explain the concept of pahala in English, but it's basically that: good points for doing good things.

If your character is someone who has gone on Haji (the mandatory pilgrimage to Mecca), they may be referred to by the title Haji (for men) or Hajjah (for women). I don't know if there's a non-binary equivalent, or if either of those can be used in a non-binary way.

And to take a couple from Rick Riordan's Samirah al-Abbas:

If your setting has gods or godlike entities, it might be worth it to examine how your character would view these entities with regards to their own religious beliefs.

In the end, how your character practises their religion depends on them. They may follow what they learnt to a T. They may deviate or build upon what they were taught. Hell, they may even abandon parts of it completely. It's their choice. For example, Samirah takes her hijab off around Magnus and Co. When asked why, she explains that she considers them like family to her, thus she believes she could do so around them. As far as I'm aware, that isn't really a thing, but it's her way of interpreting the faith and its guidelines. Therefore, in my opinion, no one can or should stop her.

Uh... I think that's all the things that would be relevant in terms of writing a muslim character. If you reached this point, congratulations! And thanks. It took me, like, Five Fucking Hours to write this LMAO

reblog and put in the tags things a writer should keep in mind when writing muslim characters

[broadway-equius]

D --> Directory

D --> Greetings

D --> I am Equius Zahhak

D --> Firstly, time flu%uates hither and tither, I am an adult

D --> Secondly, I am merely one of many of my kind. I just happen to be an Equius who sings

D --> Tags:

E%pression; my songs, Eqposting; my posts

Recreation; blathering with others, Portrait; art of other Equii;

Aestheti%; pertaining to my interest, E%quisite; Others singing

Silly; humorous things, 100d; self e%planatory

Reminders; testimonials and gifts will be kept here

m!a; magic cast up on me. E%plained here

D --> Links:

My stage partners

Ask bo%; communicate with me here

Submit; lyri% or art

D --> Information and guidelines

D --> Songs thus far:

An accidental release

Regina Spektor - Blue Lips

Pepper Coyote - No Cock Like Horse Cock (request)

Corpse - E-Girls Are Ruining my Life, ft Gamzee

Something Stupid, ft Nepeta

Type O Negative - Love You Too Death

Kerli & Tokio Hotel - Strange ft Nepeta((me)) (request)

Aradia, Snowblood - Crazy Fuckin Robot Body

Gamzee, Can't wait to be GHB ((I was Darkleer here))

Slipknot - Duality, ft Sollux

Korn - Freak on a leash ft Aradia (request)

Devin Townsend - Secret Sciences ft Sollux

Disturbed - Sound of Silence (Darkleer&Signless)

Björk - Play Dead ft Nepeta

Darling Violetta - Smaller God ft Kanaya

Thank You Scientist - Mr. Invisible ft Aradia (request)

Lady Gaga - Bang Bang (request, cover)

I'll make a Machine out of you (request)

RichaadEB - Heiress of Grief

Mother Mother - Let's Fall in Love ft Sollux

Mother Mother - Alone and Sublime ft Sollux

Kanaya, Rob Zombie - Teenage Nosfratu

Gamzee, Break My Mind

Ken Ashcorp - I'm your Slave (cover)

Dave, Orville Peck - Blackened Eye

Disturbed - Inside the Fire

Waterparks - Dream Boy

Aradia, Jack's Mannequin - Dark Blue

SBURBan Juxtaposition - group

Shakira - Whenever, Wherever ft nepeta

Jesca Hoop - Pegasi

Heir(ess) of Grief [DEMO]

Type O Negative - Black No. 1

Korn - Make Me Bad

Mitski - I Bet on Losing Dogs ft Jade

D --> Pending requests are listed here. Oldest among them are priority

D --> When requesting, you may specify the following:

Artist and song title

Cover or Parody, and the topic thereof

A cappella or music

With as much or as little prompting as you wish

D --> If you would like me to cover heavy subject matter, I will handle it with care. Tact is something I am still learning

[anautumncarol]

Okay so today whilst walking my dogs I crossed two breeds of creep (plus we had the feeling we were watched in the forest before crossing the two creeps) so to de-stress I decided to see how many song credits each member of stray kids had on Spotify and what Spotify considered their albums + Circus so here we go:

The albums are:

Mixtape

I am NOT

I am WHO

I am YOU

Clé 1 : MIROH

Clé 2 : Yellow Wood

Clé : LEVANTER

GO LIVE

IN LIFE (minus the songs on GL)

ALL IN (minus the songs that are just translations)

NOEASY

ODDINARY

N°8-7: Lee Know and Seungmin with 8 songs.

N°6-4: Hyunjin, Felix and I.N. with 9 songs each.

N°3: Han with 79 songs.

N°2: Changbin with 82 songs.

N°1: Bang Chan with 85 songs.

I have to note that 3RACHA might actually have one more song each as I may have accidentally skipped a song, however the ratio of songs for the three would stay the same.

Now onto some things I noticed as I did this:

1. Changbin is exactly in the middle of both Chan and Han who have three more and three less songs respectfully. Not very important but I just found it quite neat.

2. I did this in reverse chronological order and for a while Changbin was ahead of the rest of 3RACHA so I think its how hands on Chan was during their first albums that really changed the game for it.

3. This links to the previous statement but I now have this hypothesis that Changbin may have the most song writing credits of the three for skz songs in the future. And honestly I'm kinda happy since that might mean Chan won't overwork himself as much although I hope that it doesn't mean Changbin's overworking himself either.

Afterall, writing songs is hard work and the sheer amount of songs they pump out on a yearly basis is absolutely mind-blowing. Like ever since I became Stay we've had: a Christmas special, a mini album, a single and a world tour. Last time my three favourite rock bands released an album with all original songs was: 2018 (before skz even debuted), 2016 and 2010.

Thus, I really hope neither of the three end up overworking themselves a ridiculous amount, especially if it's with the mentality of giving another a break. And I know I'm being way too hopeful for this industry but it's better than nothing.

Not to mention the possibility that Chan writing less songs could be a hint of writer's block/burnout so let's just hope that's not the case.

4. Jisung got behind Changbin and Chan quite a bit (around 7/8 songs) during GO LIVE/IN LIFE era so I was wondering if something happened around that time but I think I around the time they did a lot more solo projects so it would make sense.

5. Chan is aparantly the only one to have produced skz songs that appear on the albums so if this were a list of who had the most credits for participation altogether he'd definitely be a lot higher that the others. However, since a lot of the time he produces its when he also had a job in writing the song (not always though, best example being Muddy Water) it would have made this process a lot messier.

6. Talking about producers, I have found the most reoccurring one to be VERSACHOI (although I may be wrong) and what I find most interesting is how they're always listed for producing and songwriting which really blurs this whole thing as I know some producers also ask for songwriting credit since when you produce you sometimes make last minute changes to the songs and henceforth some producers ask for writing credits and that's perfectly reasonable. Sometimes it's just for corporate though but that's usually with songs conceived to be world wide hits made eith enormous networks of song writers that make a song with over a dozen people just working on the hook so I highly doubt it's the case here, I'd have to search VERSACHOI up for that and I'm a bit too lazy for that.

7. Woojin actually ended up with credits for 6 songs which makes him one of the most credited members (after 3RACHA) during their first years so I'm kinda wondering how high he would have been on the list if he was still part of skz. But then again the past is the past and both are doing pretty well on their respective sides so there's no point in staying fixated on what could have been and refocus on what is.

8. I'm convinced that the reason as to why 3RACHA did not work on DanceRACHA's Wow is to completely disassociate themselves with that song title despite the fact their Wow is a national treasure and will forever be number one on my favourite 3RACHA songs list. Like to put it into perspective: DanceRACHA's Wow is the only song in the 103 I looked at taht had no credits attributed to 3RACHA whatsoever.

9. My Universe listed "Changbin" and then "Stray Kids" as the performers for My Universe despite the fact that in the song title it says it's by Seungmin and I.N and that there's only the three of them performing so I'm still trying to understand what went on there. My best guess is that they listed Seungmin and I.N as it's VocalRACHA's song and by that logic Changbin was the featuring artist which would make sense as he's individually listen which only really happens when someone has already done features which we know is the case with songs like Mirror Mirror.

10. Linking back to the previous point, I'm wondering what on earth their artist will be named if their solo stuff ever goes on Spotify. Like Changbin's featuring on Mirror Mirror says "Changbin of Stray Kids" although the one on My Universe just says "Changbin". On top of that during the credits it sometimes mentioned the 3RACHA in brackets behind and sometimes it would just be their names. Once it even just said "Chan". I'd understand if the 3RACHA was to identify that they're also a separate unit that make their own music but they don't have any hyperlinks nor songs on Spotify so it feels kinda weird. Furthermore, if we take into consideration the fact that they have their 3RACHA names (CB97, SpearB and J.One) which name would they take if they do post their solo stuff but associated it to 3RACHA and not skz? I'm probably looking way too into it.

Anyway, I want to quickly remind you that these are all speculations from observations I've made and that none of this is confirmed, don't take it as verbatim. Not to mention that my observations are from minor changes that are probably all coincidences with schedule and maybe they just weren't up for a certain song. Afterall we're talking about a 6 song gap out of 103, that's such a miniscule gap in the grand scheme of things.

[paganimagevault]

Portrait of a young Pythagoras by Bruce Pennington 2010

"Another early teacher who enormously influenced Pythagoras’ life and ideas was Thales, one of the Seven Sages of Antiquity. Thales was an old man when Pythagoras sought him out, and his advice was for Pythagoras to follow in his footsteps and travel to Egypt to learn all he could from the priests there. Young and impetuous, Pythagoras was quick to follow this advice. He looked like a freak as he departed for Egypt with long flowing hair and beard he never cut or shaped. He wore an oriental turban, and Persian trousers made of linen – neither ordinarily seen on the island of Samos, or elsewhere in Greece. In Egypt he was quick to learn to cover his feet in papyrus for shoes. No animal skins were ever used. He spent the next 22 years there, and was a witness to the Persian conquest of Egypt. Greek visitors to Egypt, including Pythagoras, were collected into slavery by the conquering army and transported into Babylon. There Pythagoras’ adventures and occult studies were allowed to continue, probably due to his charisma and talents. He was never mutilated to prevent his fleeing, as were so many slaves, for he had little inclination to depart, and instead assimilated himself into this strange culture and continued to grow. Six years later he was able to buy his freedom. For Pythagoras, it was finally time to journey home to the island of Samos.

Due to his ever-strengthening belief in the transmigration of souls, Pythagoras was obliged to become a vegetarian, to avoid the chance of accidentally eating a friend or relative. It’s reported that one day Pythagoras encountered a man beating his dog. As the dog whimpered and yelped in fear and in pain, Pythagoras recognized the noises as the voice of a recently departed friend. He physically intervened upon the man to release the dog, thus allowing his reincarnated friend to escape a life of misery.

Pythagoras the vegetarian did not only abstain from meat, he didn’t eat beans either. This was because he believed that humans and beans were spawned from the same source, and he conducted a scientific experiment to prove it. He buried a quantity of beans in mud, let them remain there for a few weeks, and then retrieved them. He noted their resemblance to human fetuses, thus convincing himself of the intimate relationship between beans and humans. To eat a bean would therefore be akin to eating human flesh. Equally, to crush, smash, or dirty a bean would be to harm a human. Thus the very strict rule to abstain from beans.

There were many rules to follow if you were to be accepted into the Pythagorean Brotherhood. Fail in any of these and you were likely to be cast out from them with great ceremony. A mock funeral would be performed and you would no longer exist in the minds of the Brotherhood. One rule that could never be broken was the edict to refrain from eating beans. 

One bright day a vigorous Pythagoras came upon an ox which was feeding upon beans in a pasture in the region of Tarentum in the south of Italy. Pythagoras informed the startled herdsmen that this must be stopped. He strode across a muddy field and began to speak to the ox in a quiet voice, murmuring into its ear for a long time. Observing all this, the herdsmen broke into fits of laughter. Yet they reported later their startled observation that Pythagoras had convinced the ox to never again desire beans. The locals and visitors to the area thereafter considered the ox to be sacred. The ox, persisting with his new beanless diet, lived to a very old age, well past the lifetime of an ordinary ox.

It took a while for Pythagoras’ career to take hold, and he only found true success when he brought his ideas and his ardent followers to the east coast of Italy, taking residence in the welcoming Greek colony of Croton. There the Pythagorean Brotherhood was able to obtain a strong footing, and its influence soon became widespread. Before long, Pythagoras’ name became known throughout Greece and beyond.

Kylon was the son of a wealthy Crotonate nobleman. Born into nobility, he was used to getting anything he desired. When denied, he could become violent, tyrannical and demanding. Although Kylon had access to all levels of schooling, he proved to be something of a dullard. Nevertheless there came a time when he desired to become a part of the Brotherhood. Because he was a young man of privilege, he believed that he should be allowed to bypass the years of training, silence and deep contemplation which preceded entrance to the inner sanctum of the Brotherhood. Pythagoras bluntly turned him down: and not only was Kylon sent away, but Pythagoras refused a conference with him. Like Hera, Kylon grew angry and vengeful. He was soon giving mock discourses on Pythagorean ideas and beliefs – discourses that characterized the people of Croton as cattle being manipulated and controlled by the Pythagorean leaders. Kylon himself manipulated the emotions of his friends and townspeople, until, as a mob, they descended upon the cluster of houses in which the Brotherhood lived, studied and slept. The angry mob torched the buildings, forcing members of the Brotherhood to flee the terrifying flames. As the members exited the conflagration, many were stabbed to death. Those who escaped both fire and knife fled to the surrounding countryside. Pythagoras was one of the lucky ones: his followers formed a human bridge to help him to clamber out of one of the blazing buildings. But his escape did not go undetected. Soon several of Kylon’s angry friends were in pursuit, yet as he had a significant lead, it looked as if the aging Pythagoras would make it to safety.

Suddenly Pythagoras came to a stop. A vast bean field stretched before him. He stood frozen, uncertain what to do. His eyes focused on a single bean dangling inches from his papyrus- covered feet. So true was he to his ideals that, even at the risk of losing his own life, he was unwilling to trample upon even a single bean. Staring down upon that vibrant bean, the sun low in the sky, he imagined it to be blossoming into a divine ripeness before him. And as he stood there, hesitating, contemplating his next move, his pursuers caught up with him. They lifted their weapons, and bringing the knifes down hard, spilled Pythagoras’ blood on the plants – ending his life for the sake of a bean, and for the deep wisdom immersed in that diminutive cosmic object."

-taken from PhilosophyNow

[sassooda]

Worlds Away JJK AU / Chapter 36 - No Longer Alone 🔞

w/c - 7,680

               “Kokoro really was a fool…I almost feel sorry.” Genghis is in the mood to celebrate as he quietly snickers through the Titer compound, planning to share the news with Getou. He passes through a crowded windowless but well-lit room heading towards the southern bunker. Nearly all of the clansmen and women bow to his presence as he cheerfully ambulates through their earthy corridors, submitting their trust into him. He enjoys the gestured acclaim, knowing full well this position being his was long overdue. After searching over the room joyfully, he becomes momentarily sidetracked as his first turbulent encounter ensues. The young Titer that served Mugoi before appears in front of him, blocking Genghis’s direct path. ‘Now to reform these loose ends…’, he thinks to himself as he assesses the young Titer’s despair. “You there, what is your name?” Genghis sees the hatred in the young man’s face.

               “…Itgeltei.��, is all the young man offers while still trying to remain fearless in front of the now most masterful man of the clan. “Itgeltei Baidal.”. His chin-length black hair waves with the wind as his deep brown eyes feign revenge.

               Genghis smirks to the spiteful response, understanding that the poor wretch has lost his own mentor and is raging with emotions. “You can come with me now, there is still much work to be done.” He motions for the young Titer to follow him but the single energized stomp in response makes him halt his resumed stance.

               “YOU KILLED MASTER KOKORO!” Baidal surges his energy and aims it at Genghis with tear filled eyes. “…and my SISTER!” His shaking limbs continue to quake as he takes a deep breath and prepares to at least injure the newly appointed head before being killed himself. “You have to pa-…”.

               Genghis, without lifting a finger, uses his presence to immediately suffocate the young man who is now clear with regret. “I certainly did not kill Mugoi or Okhin, that was the enemy.” The fear pricks its way to the surface as the young Titer now seems to recognize exactly how unmatched he is and this entertains Genghis, “See, I never inherited the ancient techniques but I’m the top dog now for a reason…”, Genghis slowly approaches while Baidal chokes, surely feeling compressed as he opens his mouth to breathe but is unable to suction in any air. “…I have learned other ways to instill my goals.”. After reaching the young Titer, he looks around to all of the surveyors that stand winded with horror. “YOU ALL UNDERSTAND WHO IS IN CHARGE NOW, RIGHT?!”. Genghis darts his eyes back to Baidal who’s face has since turned red and puffed from the lack of oxygen while he continues to struggle. A woman near the door cries, “Yes! We do Master Genghis!”, and all of the Titers before him that are able, drop to the floor to offer an extensive bow. “Alright then!”, Genghis releases the young Titer with a smile and watches him crash to his knees, gasping. Genghis kneels down before him and holds out a hand, “If you’re willing to redirect your hatred to the right place, you can still serve your clan to the upmost, Baidal.”, but he’s met with still resentful eyes and understands that the young man will need time to decide his own fate as his hand is swatted away. “If you cannot however, you serve no purpose at all. Consider my offer.”. Genghis then turns to continue walking to Getou before the young man did something hasty, not wanting a scene to erupt with so many witnesses.

               After Genghis leaves that corridor, Baidal hunts the room for any indication that he had supporters on the matter but feels completely alone as everyone looks down or simply continues with their business. ‘He may be powerful but he needs to be stopped.’, Baidal’s frustration peaks as he’s still trying to regain his breath, knowing that Genghis could have crushed him if he wanted to. Beneath his heaving he mutters the words that would have caused him death had they been heard, “He was supposed to stay locked away.”. Only by being Kokoro’s understudy did he become privy to the horrifying information of Genghis’s past and the true reason he was sent to death by the hands of Satoru Gojo to begin with. Baidal knows that there was never any love between himself and Getou, being that Kokoro committed atrocities himself. ‘I have to find allies…’, knowing he may have to outsource beyond his clan in order to have the backing necessary. ‘What does he have planned for Master Getou?’. Baidal thinks to check a few more friends before leaving the compound, his anxieties feeling all too real to ignore.

               Genghis is back to his excited mood as he feels the weight of Kokoro’s lack of existence uproot his very soul. ‘Kokoro was a mediocre man and never should have been given this role.’, he resounds internally as he feels that although that wasn’t the exact future he saw, he knew Mugoi was likely to expire at the hands of Fushiguro. “I do admire this Toji’s strength and he will certainly give us another edge until his time comes as well.”. He pretends to be kind as more Titers bow on foot to him as he passes, loving the thrill of being the faux head. The red clay-made walls and ground signify his descent into the compound, “Now we just have to work on Getou with the girl…”. Genghis smiles wider, ‘She’s truly perfect. What she’s capable of…what I’ll have her do…’. Genghis has yet to reveal all of his plans to Getou but will do so when he feels the time is right but not a moment sooner and for good reason.  Upon turning the corner towards Getou’s quarters though, he feels the gravitational presence. “Such a grown child…”, but hurriedly runs towards the door with slight apprehension, knowing there were some of the help in there with him.

               Getou is furiously releasing his gravity manipulation throughout the room. He’s yelling out but the sound means nothing in particular as he pins weaker Titers that were only there to serve him. “What am I supposed to do with THAT?!”, in pure fury he asks one of the servants as he points to the shattered bowl with water spilled all around it. “She’s…SHE IS DISGUSTING!”. The servants cry out unanimously as his fit continues but Getou purposefully doesn’t kill any of them. He looks to a younger male Titer who is already crying, “You really suggest that I should just accept this SHIT?! She’s tainted!”.

               Genghis bursts through the door, “SUGURU! STOP THIS AT ONCE!”, and uses his crippling presence to counter the waves of gravity. They’re no match for Getou’s abilities but they can at least bounce some energy back to him, thus giving his attention to Genghis. “RELEASE THEM!”.

               Suguru faces his mentor and reluctantly quells his technique, allowing the four pinned servants to scurry away through the door behind Genghis. “I wasn’t going to hurt them…but I may hurt bird bitch. You cannot SERIOUSLY expect me to want her.”. Getou now sits to the chair beside him and takes out his bun knowing he made a mess of it. ‘At least Fushiguro took action…’.

               “What happened in the small number of hours I’ve left you?” Genghis sees the shattered bowl and immediately understands that Getou saw something he didn’t like. He takes in the state of the room, all of the different craters formed about as he nears. ‘We’re lucky this part of the structure didn’t collapse…’. He’s a little irritated.

               “I will not have her as my wife.”, Getou huffs. He seethes at the images in his brain that depicted Elska, Naoya and Gojo sharing sexual relations. “She is not suited to be ANYONE’s wife!”. He accidentally snaps his hair band apart while trying to put his hair back up and becomes further infuriated. After grinding his teeth together, he tosses the useless hair tool across the room before running his hands through his long black hair. He sees Genghis nearing him and tries to recollect himself so he doesn’t seem immature. ‘Why the fuck did I have to see that?’.

               “What happened little one? What is SO bad that you feel you can justify this tantrum?” Genghis needs his words to cut but not in a way that will dislodge Getou further. He understands that sometimes he just may need a parental figure and is attempting to gratify this part of Suguru.

               “She…”, Suguru’s words silence for a moment before continuing, “…she was having sex with Zenin and Gojo…”. His fists clench reflexively as the thought of Gojo enjoying himself, living care free. It wrenches his intestines together. There’s a lack of response from Genghis, so he lowers his voice to exact his reasoning, “She fucks everyone.”, he cackles in annoyance, “Everyone but me that is.”. Getou remembers her glare when he left the room they held her in at the base. “I knew Zenin was oddly territorial with her but I never would’ve guessed this debauchery. He hates Gojo too…so I thought.”. Getou reels over the loss of his cohorts once again as he’s no longer alone but it doesn’t really feel like it.

               Genghis knows Suguru is expecting him to be riddled with disgust as well but he’s isn’t. ‘Is he..?’, Genghis is not even upset anymore as he feels that was confirmation of Suguru’s jealousy, whether Getou knows it or not. ‘Maybe there is hope for us after all…’. He lets a few seconds pass to simulate that of someone who cares. Genghis loves Suguru like a son but he also loves his own future as well along with his grandiose plans for their clan. With a small sigh he brings a chair and places it opposite of Getou and sits down. “Look little one, are you sure tha-…”.

               “SHE HAD GOJO INSIDE OF HER WHILE SHE WAS GAGGIN ON ZENIN!” Getou almost doesn’t catch himself in time to control the surging energy flowing through him. ‘Gojo… of all people.’.

               “Hmmm…”, is all Genghis offers while he thinks of how to diffuse this situation.

               “HMMM??!!!” Suguru mocks and then hollers, “What the FUCK kind of response is that?!”. He sees the glint of anger that flashes across his mentor’s eyes and decides to calm down. It’s a matter of respect.

               Genghis raises an eyebrow at how perceptive Getou can be at times although he needs to learn to be like that always. “I can see why that would bother you…”, but Getou scoffs as he turns away. “Her nature…it’s solidified but ever changing it would seem. We may not have the time we originally thought.” Suguru looks back to him now as he’s obviously curious as to what that could mean. ‘She’s already creating a small but powerful army.’.

               “What is that you know, Master?” Getou’s back to his collected demeanor as he’s eager to understand what could cause Genghis to seem so offhand on the ordeal. He looks around the destroyed room and feels slightly embarrassed, especially if there’s some kind of explanation.

               “When she drinks from the hybrid, his curse blood fuels her own. This is what I was trying to elucidate to you before.” Genghis checks to make sure he has Getou’s undivided attention. When he’s satisfied by his pupil practically hanging on the edge of his seat, he continues, “She has awakened to a small degree and with her kind, that means a growing appetite for many things and less inhibiting emotions in exchange.”. Getou’s eyes narrow in response but Genghis proceeds, “When we get her here, you’ll have to sate her needs little one so it’s best you understand now.”. He’s anticipating a rebuttal but it doesn’t arrive, ‘Good, because if you don’t, I will...and that may cause some problems.’.

               Getou is still mildly confused but understands enough that he’ll have to feed and fuck her. “I’ve already tried that, it didn’t work.”. His thoughts take to the last time he saw her, while he was working his way in.

               “You stabbed her, broke her wings and then forced yourself between her legs… let’s understand the difference here, Suguru…”, Genghis shakes his head as he didn’t want to be so blunt but at the same time, there’s no room for error there, Getou must comprehend that.

               “And she called out for Naoya when I did.”, Getou’s patience are being tried at this point. He knows he was wrong in his approach and even with his brutal nature. He also is hesitant to express anything in regards to that scent that provoked him.

               Genghis interrupts the pity party, “Because she’s afraid of you Suguru…and rightfully so!”. He softens his eyes for his pupil for just a moment, “I could never imagine expecting any other outcome. I’ve never even thought to do something like that to a woman.”, Genghis lies with complete knack.

               Getou exhales heavily and turns his gaze to the shattered bowl, “That doesn’t explain why she’s fucking everyone…”, he loses himself in those same images again and runs his finger along his scarred cheek. His eyes widen as he’s suddenly remembering the aftermath, “Toji attacked them though, I’m guessing Kokoro succeeded?”. He switches his view back to his mentor with inquisitive eyes.

               Genghis decides to hold off of the details about Elska and Toji following the incident. ‘She really is getting her fill though…’, but smiles to her ways as he watched them that day, all of it, from afar. He then tilts his head upwards and tries to hold his happiness inside as he delivers Mugoi’s fate, “Kokoro perished by the hands of Fushiguro… and Oda.”.

               Upon hearing of Mugoi’s death a small smirk appears initially but then he’s overcome with the fact that he’d always planned on taking out Kokoro himself. “How can he be dead? Isn’t he under the same technique?”. He hopes the bastard can return for more.

               Genghis allows his grin to sneak through after seeing Getou’s reaction, knowing they’re both pretty glad the fuckers gone. “Yes well, they didn’t use any techniques to kill him, they just utilized that nature of theirs. If he were killed with a cursed ability, yes, we could have reversed that.” Genghis chuckles lowly, “I told him to be extremely cautious but he ultimately underestimated this Toji gravely. To be fair though, I wasn’t expecting the girl to behave as she did…she killed Okhin viciously as well.”.

               Getou catches on to his master’s amusement and it rubs him as odd, “You said the outcome would benefit me…did you know this would happen?”. He’s decided to place that weird display in the back of his mind for the time being. ‘Okhin too?’, Getou barely knew the Titer woman but was aware of her loyalty to himself and their cause and feels regret that she lost her life.

               “I did.”. Genghis leans toward being honest about this bit at least. He waits to gauge Getou’s response and becomes eased when he can tell that his knowing won’t be met with hostility. “Mugoi wasn’t a very good man and he had no business leading this clan. His strategies were half-baked and his desires to lead were misplaced.”.

               “I never did like him…I actually hated that fucker and owed him for Kechi and Eso...” Getou sighs as there’s yet another thing to be grateful to Elska for. “Serves him right.”. ‘I wonder how she did it?’. Getou ponders on her mysterious existence and wonders what else he may not know about her. He thought he was well informed before but sees that’s not the case at all.

               Genghis smiles genuinely as he proceeds the conversation to nourish the seed he’s planted, “So…you were watching her?”. He gives a playful shove to Suguru, “You can’t hide the fact that you’re interested…I can already tell.”.

               Getou’s face becomes deadpanned at his mentor’s words. He’s self-conscious about the truth in the statement, not really being sure as to when it happened nor why. He looks back at the shattered bowl, “I was seeing if there were any tactics I could formulate based on their own.”. He feels another light push and it’s clear that Genghis wasn’t buying it. ‘Why is she so important to even him?’. He sighs in frustration, “Yes, ok? I was watching her…although I regret it now.”. His eyes widen during the statement, showing he meant it desperately.

               Genghis releases a loud cheer into the room, “ALRIGHT!”. He pats Getou on the shoulder, “This is great little one! You shall have her then!”. He can barely control his pride as he knows this step was imperative to conquer. “We will have to secure her soon before the others reach her to do the same.

               Getou wants to ask about the others mentioned but figures it pertains to the clans also aiming for the same goal. He becomes tactical, “I think we should draw them in and crush all of their shaman.”. This time, when preparing her quarters, he would take a note from Naoya and make sure she can at least be impressed by their offer. ‘Would it really make that much of a difference though?’, he’s unsure of what lies ahead because of what’s occurred in the past.

               Genghis leans forward with approval, “That is a wise idea but we should bait them first.”, he smiles maliciously, “I think we should take your lover first and give them a location.”.

               Getou blushes against his own will and tries to mask it with haste, “Whatever, that’s fine. I need to prepare an area for her.”. Suguru stands up, cloaked in agitation as he worries about what could be wrong with him. ‘Why…am I feeling so…awkward?’.

               “Don’t be ridiculous, you only need to prepare another room for yourself.” Genghis can’t believe that he’s having to hold his pupil’s hand through this but laughs to the confusion painted on Suguru’s face, “She’s going to be staying with you.”.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------          

               “Cho, how do you know this? ARE THEY NEARBY?” Naoya knows Choso is also very fine tuned when it comes to sensing other techniques, primarily the Titers for having worked around them for so long. Naoya still is looking around to silently ask everyone to be on their guard.

               Choso doesn’t remove the box from his pocket. He keeps his fingers wrapped around it though and tries to figure out a way to communicate that won’t bring them to a disadvantage. His stillness unnerves everyone but Toji tries to calm the room, understanding there’s a purpose for it. Choso decides to try something. After standing, he uses his right hand to point at his pocket and while still holding the box inside of there, he flicks it a few times with his finger, creating sound.

               Gojo is the first to catch on and decides to give it a codename, “The bento box!”. He smiles to Choso’s relieved nod and turns to face everyone. “Do you remember the yellow fish delivery we received earlier?”, Toji scrunches his face but then the connection is made. “I believe that Choso’s saying he can tell by the bento box it came in.” Elska now seems to get it as well.

               “Baby? When did you eat yellow fish?” Naoya approaches her with a coy smile as the remaining members in the room sigh in frustration, thinking he was too dense to comprehend. Megumi scoffs being out of the loop and apparently feels ashamed of Naoya’s gestures. When within arm’s reach, Naoya snags Elska by the hip and kisses her cheek while whispering, “We will protect you princess.”. He feels her pull away only enough to look into his eyes. He knows she trusts him, it’s written all over her face and nothing could make him happier.

               Elska is lost in Naoya’s warm expression until a realization hits her, “Does…does that mean they saw…everything?”. She becomes completely uncomfortable at the thought and welcomes Naoya’s arms as they wrap around her fully this time. While burying her face into his chest, she can feel the bass from his voice as he laughs awkwardly above her. ‘Greeeaaaaat…’.

               “Well at least it was worth watching…I can attest to that!”, Gojo’s eyes brighten as he recalls the three of them on the bed. ‘It was…perfection.’. Nanami sends narrow eyes over to him which he can feel instantly and against his rowdier judgement, decides to leave it at that.

               Toji scoffs while looking at Gojo, “You’re the fucking worst, you do know that, right?”. He’s never been able to stand Satoru’s need to gloat about everything, especially when it comes to her.

               Gojo warps himself behind Elska, “Oh…but she loves it…” and ruts his pelvis into her rear.

               Naoya uses his projection technique to pull her away afterward, “You’re too fucking much Gojo, don’t expect that shit to happen again.”. He actually really enjoyed the threesome for the most part but sees that he stoked an already heated fire within Gojo by participating. ‘This guy is not right in the head!’.

               “Sati! Why would you do that in front of everyone?!”, She’s not felt Naoya’s technique first hand like that and stumbled with collecting herself after being moved with such speed. ‘Did he seriously just hump me?’.

               Nanami yells, “SATORU!”, with absolute disapproval as Megumi scowls heavily beside him.

               Choso loses himself in thought after hearing Gojo’s mischievous giggles. ‘Do they know that this connects their energy to us? I can tell when they’re spying…’. He twirls the box within his fingertips in his pocket as he tries to formulate an explanation as to why the Titers left it behind if this was genuine. He looks back over to Toji now, ‘Is he really ok? What did this do to him?’. Choso’s eyes now take to Megumi and his heart sinks knowing that they’ve only just begun their father and son relationship officially, ‘I have to figure this out before it’s too late.’. He still hears the voices of everyone else but doesn’t register that his name is being called. The surging energy from the box also ceases and he quietly states, “I think they’re done for now…”.

               Toji sighs, “Thank god, those fucking creeps have nothing better to than to use ourselves against us.”.

               Naoya and Elska both relax into each other knowing they can likely move more freely now. Naoya smiles at her but then continues what they were originally talking about. “I’ll get you some sweets baby!”. He now turns to Choso who is still in his own mind, “Cho!”, Naoya is waving at his friend, “Does that sound alright to you?”.

               Elska chimes in, “I swear I won’t bite you again!”, she looks around to everyone, “Although I am due for a feed soon…”.

               Naoya gasps, “Well I’ll stay too!”. He’s weary of her feeding from Choso for many reasons, his personal ones at the forefront though.

               Toji huffs, “I think you two should make yourselves scarce when we come back.”, his vision glaring between Naoya and Gojo. “You two have had enough today.”.

               Gojo wants to say something smart to rile Toji up but decides that maybe that wasn’t such a huge demand. He looks to Naoya and whines, “Let Toji feed her tonight…”. He kicks at nothing to display his disappointment but knows that he owes the giant this much at least.

               Naoya grabs her hands now and looks down to her with his weak protest, “Baaaby…”, but then sighs as he can understand where Gojo is coming from, “…Ok…but tomorrow you feed from me!”. He smiles gleefully as he secures one of his favorite past times. Of course, he enjoys the feeling her bite surges through him but more than anything else, he loves how much she enjoys drinking from him. It certainly makes him feel needed and with all of the testosterone surrounding her now, he appreciates the affirmations he receives from her, this one especially. ‘If only I had my own fangs…’.

               “If she drinks too much of you boy, she’ll get fucking cavities.”. Toji laughs to his own joke though as he meant nothing foul by it, he’s actually surprised he didn’t receive more resistance from either of them on the matter of feeding.

               “What are you guys about to do?” Choso now feels he missed something important.

               Elska and Gojo chuckle at the fact that Choso indeed tuned them all out moments ago.

               “They’re going on a food run while you stay with me, if that’s ok!”. Elska smiles and continues, “You can take a shower too if you want, I won’t leave the room but you’ll still have privacy in there.”. She walks over to the bathroom and pulls out a fresh towel from a neat stack that lays on iron shelving next to the tub.

               “And make sure you’re clothed when you leave the bathroom…”, Gojo’s tries to make his tone lighter but he’s serious. “I saw what you’re hiding underneath those clothes, you thick ass stallion!”, and laughs to Choso’s widening eyes.

               Choso recalls Gojo complimenting his body before  and becomes flustered by the accusations being launched at him and quickly defends himself, “Elska! I promise I wouldn’t try to do anything sexy to you!”. He hears Gojo roar into laughter and anchors his eyebrows in a way that show the silver shaman that he’s been teased enough for one day.

               “I would hope not.” Megumi makes his quiet presence known again as he’s only just calmed down after seeing his sensei hump her…and then there’s the feeding. He turns his nose up and hollers while leaving for the door with Nanami, “GIVE HER SOME SPACE.”.

               “Doll, I’ll be right back alright?” He grins when she nods in anticipation and he can sense that she’s as eager to feed from him as he is to feed her.

               “Umm…I will too, don’t forget that part old man…”, Naoya finally releases his hands from her as he forces himself away and towards the door. “Be right back baby!” He blows her a kiss from the doorway but waits impatiently for Gojo to make his exit.

               Gojo now grabs her hands and with a serious face says, “Love, just be careful and wait for Toji. We will back after you have some time.” He smiles, “Don’t bite Choso in case it’s related to that other you ok?” He kisses her on the forehead gently before stepping back and taking in her comfortable and casual appearance while relishing on his recent lush memories of them. He glances to Choso, “If anything happens, make a portal to Naoya but we should be back really soon.

               Choso nods and is glad that there was reiteration over him being the source of her nourishment. ‘Gojo is far more intelligent than he typically lets on…’. After everyone leaves the room, the silence engulfs them. “I uhh…I guess I will take a shower now.”, and dutifully heads into the bathroom.

               “Wait there’s a trick!” Elska rushes past the door before he can close it in order to reach the faucet. The temperature designated knobs are actually reversed and she didn’t want Choso to fall victim to ignorance’s cruelty. Once adjusted, she stands up tall and smiles, “Now, you’re all set!”.

               “I tend to take lengthy showers, please do not be alarmed by this.” Choso feels the steam beginning to take form and is ready to wash the day away. She giggles and says “That’s totally fine, relax a bit.” Before switching on the fan and shutting the door behind her. As he undresses, he folds his new pajamas neatly on the counter, planning to put them back on when he’s finished. For a moment he freezes as this doesn’t make sense, how can he watch her while he bathes? ‘Oh, they were way ahead of me with this one…’. He forms his observer window, focuses it on her and leaves the curtain parted so he can check it from time to time.

               Elska isn’t sure why but as soon as the words, “Relax a bit” left her, she felt the urge to do so herself. “Well…he did say he takes long showers…and they’re no longer watching us…”, she walks over to Choso’s unintentional gift and honestly just wants to try it. After grabbing it, she cautiously makes her way back to the bed, dropping her new ace sweatpants to the floor before laying on her back. Her mind brings her back to Naoya and Satoru taking her and becomes flooded with arousal. “That really was…amazing.”. Her nimble fingers press the tiny rubber button located on the bottom of the little pink mouse and jumps with excitement when it turns on. ‘This shouldn’t take much time at all!’, and gleams to its vibrational impact. The thought of Naoya extracting her pheromones and orgasms while Satoru filled her mouth sends a sensation between her thighs before the vibrator ever reached its target. She self consciously listens for any sudden movement in the bathroom, wondering why she was really about to do this right now. ‘I just feel like I need to…’, but is trying to ignore the fact that she’s seen plenty of action for one day, at least normally. Once the silicone bullet reaches her clitoris, her body tenses up by the sensations it sends through her and she quietly gasps with a wide smile.

               Choso is rinsing his hair, enjoying the scented products that fall and mix into the water. ‘How does my hair feel this smooth after just shampoo?’, he’s amazed and feeling anew. After applying the thick conditioner, he decides to read the ingredients from the bottle located at the other end of the tub. When he grabs it, he turns to check his observer window to make sure everything is alright. “Oh my…”. His eyes are wide and the shock from what he’s seeing steals his attention thus causing the shampoo bottle to be dropped onto his foot. “OW!”.

               Elska hears the commotion and immediately closes her legs for cover. She’s panting lightly as she was already pretty close to being done with this test drive but still calls out, “Chos…Choso? Are you alright in there?!”. She sits up as she listens carefully for a response.

               “I uhhh…Yea!! I’m great! Just…dropped something!”. Choso feels his heart pounding through him and when he looks down can see his chest beat along with it. ‘I should’ve just told her the truth!’, he panicked though. He stands at the end of the tub where the water barely touches him as he breathlessly waits for a sign that she’d either stop or continue. ‘Does she not know I’m observing her?’. He watches her settle back into the bed but has failed to notice his instant erection until this point and whispers, “Damnit…”. When she places the mouse back on her sensitive areas, he can see her face twist in pleasure and cannot help himself. Choso begins to stoke his member as his human desires take over and shudders to the wonderful sensations it sends through him. Elska moans quietly but Choso is audibly attached to his window so he hears it. He watches her placement of the toy and is surprised to see that it’s used to for surface features rather than being for inside. He continues to pump his hand, gaining speeding even while the water threatens to stop his motions, moaning himself as he studies the visual before him. “Women…they’re such…beautiful creatures…”, he whispers through his small gasps.

               Elska is working towards her climax, intermittently edging herself when she feels she’s too close, not wanting to end the pleasure so soon. She thinks about how Toji always tries to stimulate her with his hands while he works himself into her, causing her toes to curl. ‘Toji and this would be incredible…’, she pictures him with his wings and fangs out, using his mass to pin her against the bed as he thrusts through her. In this fantasy, he would hold the mouse down against her, forcing her to endure the bliss while locking glowing eyes. “Holy…oh…yes…”, she whines out underneath her breath as she feels her moisture gather. She imagines him smugly smirk above her before saying, “Doll, you’re so fucking wet for me.”, but realizes that would be much more of a Satoru thing.

               Choso is no longer even bathing by this point but has opened the curtains further so he can still receive the warmth from the water as he continues towards his own relief. Every time her body arches or she whispers confirmation to how good she’s feeling, his hand increases speed by itself. He looks down to see how unbearably hard he is and bites his lip as his vision takes back to his technique. His mind is plaguing him as he doesn’t have a direct desire to sleep with her but she’s always the subject of his sexual thoughts. He imagines himself sitting between her knees, administering the mouse. “Mmmm…”, he groans while thinking of her furrowed brow and flush expression being the product of his placement. His hand grips his girth and he momentarily seethes and hisses to the building rise coursing through him. He whispers her name to his own dismay, feeling that it increased his ability to reach his orgasm. The water falling down his back has become cooler but it doesn’t deter him from this interesting experience.

               She is now daydreaming about Satoru’s aggressive behavior. ‘He would most definitely use this mouse as a tool to dominate.’, and the thought of him bending her over while making her hold it to herself almost makes her unravel. He’d say things like, “Awww love, what’s the matter? Can’t handle it?”, and she would have to respond to him before he’d smack her ass…but maybe she would keep quiet on purpose. He’d likely grab her by the throat and raise her up from behind so he could hear her clearly as he spreads her from within. She gasps to this and arches her body again as she nearly lost herself. Her eyes open widely though as she’s sure he would attempt anal next…but she wouldn’t necessarily fight him. ‘If I ever tell him that I actually like it, he would try it all of the time though…’, and the idea of him relentlessly trying to impale her in that manner slightly decreases her arousal.

               Choso is all but minutes away from being spent. He’s staring intently into the observer’s window and ignores her change in demeanor. Instead, he’s now wondering about this taste that women provide. He still isn’t sure you’re supposed to lick them there but the probability of it being allowed makes him imagine how he would. The expression on her face is back to be pleasant so maybe if he would take his tongue to the same spot where the mouse is located, he could cause this too. His eyes are closed at this point, while he hastily grips and rhythms with his hand so when she cries out, his imagination runs wild and he imagines inserting himself into her. That was a mistake though because in this moment, he’s releasing his contents all over himself and the tub while he fails to cease his motion.

               Naoya’s sweet but domineering nature saved the day. While reliving old memories of when she was his prisoner, she remembers the sexual tension that made her crave him even more. While envisioning them on their sides again, she smiles to the desperation felt that consumed her, making her take him in his sleep. “Oh…Naoyaaaaa…”. It really didn’t matter what he would try with her, Elska was likely to allow him wantonly, she trusts him fully in this realm. In her sexual dream however, he’s given glowing red eyes and golden wings. He would brush her hair aside while rocking his hips while they lay there but he’d also lean down to pierce her neck. “God pleeeeassee…”, she begs the universe to at least be able to simulate what his fangs would feel like. She cries out though in real time and releases a wave of pheromones as her legs tremble, the orgasm following immediately after. She lies there panting, not having removed the mouse from her hand, nor has she budged to change her position. Her eyes take to the little mouse though while she heaves and feels her arousal seeping out, “This was actually a wonderful gift Choso!”. She smiles and feels the cold chills that are result of her thin layer of sweat. She goes to sit herself up but finds she just doesn’t have the energy in this moment. Her eyes dart open as she recalls, “CHOSO! SHIT!”, having temporarily forgotten that he was in the bathroom, only a few feet away. She sits up tensely to gather herself as the door is pushed open. She screams, “DON’T!”. She feels so ridiculous as she knew Toji’s door no longer latched.

               Choso heard her scream and although he’s a mess he launches out of the shower. “Elska! What’s wrong?!”.

               Toji stands in the doorway first inhaling the scent before noticing Elska’s position and eyes the mouse next her on the bed. The fact that she wasn’t dressed on her lower half clearly gave it away. He feels himself get a little excited but its all but crushed as a wet and naked Choso barrels out of the bathroom door. “What the f…”.

               Elska quickly covers herself before Choso has a chance to turn around but she can’t help but stare at him against her better judgement. His body is so refined and built, his lower half just as impressive. She doesn’t feel any desire to experience him but she can still appreciate a good work of art. When their eyes meet, Choso turns beet red and flails his hands in an attempt to shield them from his usually hidden parts. “I thought something was wrong!”.

               “The fact that you’re out here butt ass naked is the something that’s wrong buddy…”, Toji glares at the being and huffs. Toji points his finger toward the door and says, “Go get some fucking clothes on! What were you doing in there to still be bathing?!”. A realization hits him and he growls at the possibility that Choso was relieving himself in his shower. “How the fuck were you planning on protecting her if you were in there the entire time?!”, Toji demands an explanation.

               Choso looks away from Toji and to the floor, “Well…I was watching her still…I just multitasked.”. He can feel Toji’s presence intensify immensely and wonders if he should have just lied and apologized.

               Elska folds over in the bed and curls up in embarrassment. ‘Does he mean…he watched me do that?”, she too mortified to ask or even look at either of them.

               Naoya now walks through the door, “CHO! WHAT THE FUCK!?”. He sees Elska hiding in the bed and after seeing his friend’s bareness, freaks out. “WHAT DID YOU DO!?”, he runs to Elska who’s actively deflecting any interaction and he assumes the worse. “Baby! What happened?!”, He then sees the pink mouse on the bed and feels his left eye twitch. He snatches it from beside her and charges Choso, “YOU THOUGHT TO USE THIS ON HER?!”. He sees the surprise in Choso’s eyes and even through his anger, realizes that he jumped to conclusions.

               Elska understands this is taking a wrong turn so she sits up again and says, “I used it on myself! Choso was just taking a shower and bolted out here when I screamed!”.

               Naoya stops now, being only about a foot away from Choso. “Baby, what caused you to scream?”, he now looks at the toy with a raised eyebrow, ‘Could it really be that good?’. Choso’s eyes meet it too and the being blushes further.

               “She screamed when I came through the door, boy, calm down.” Toji is now pinching the bridge of his nose in aggravation to the endless web of miscommunication that spins between them. He walks over to Naoya and steals the mouse. “You guys need to scram for a few. She needs to feed and I’m tired of there being a god damn peanut gallery.”.

               Choso immediately rushes into the bathroom to change as Naoya pouts while walking back to Elska. “Baby, I’m parking right next door and I’ll be back as soon as you are finished.”.

               “We actually are switching rooms tonight!” Gojo now strolls in, having listened from the hall. He comprehends everything that just happened, from the dual masturbation to the sad accusations that were pointed to Choso. If he hadn’t stayed behind though Megumi would’ve seen everything before being shooed away and that’s the only thing that bothers him. ‘Toji is going to have to handle that soon…’.

               “This is my room you silver fuck, I don’t want to move.”, Toji defends his messy territory that has suffered from the multiple people using it.

               Elska is further jolted by Satoru’s sudden appearance but calmly asks, “What are you talking about Sati?”. She’s now quickly donning her ace pants while trying her best to make it seem like she’s no longer bothered by what may have taken place with Choso. ‘I’m just glad that topic got skipped over…’.

               “We’re going to a bigger room, with a bigger bed.” Gojo winks at her as he’s still bent on proving to her that the additional company can be worked with. “But you two can still feed here, I’ll have Naoya and Choso help me set everything up!”. His eyes take to Toji, “Surely you can understand why this room’s defenses are no longer suitable…”. He glances to Elska and brings his palms up to the situation they’re in with an expression that says, “Think about it.”.

               “I swear if it’s poorly designed, I’m going to snap. Color scheme and layout is everything Gojo…”, Naoya rolls his eyes as he’s really not in the position to refuse lodging but wishes he didn’t have to share everything with his cousin and him.

               Toji howls, “You fucking broke the door in the first place you cunt!”. He never knows how far the silver shaman will go but is slowly wondering if there are any boundaries at all. Becoming further irritated, he starts to manually push everyone towards hall. “Get the fuck out!”. Naoya is still protesting to being forced to leave even as Toji shuts the door in his face, hearing his whining through the wood. “Jesus Christ…they’re such fucking handful…”.

               Elska giggles to Toji’s vexation but sits on her knees as the large man returns toward her, sitting on the bed.

               Naoya is still on the other side of the door, “Choso is in there you old fart!”.

               Toji’s eyes narrow to the bathroom but before he can say anything, Choso quickly races out with soaking hair and practically runs to the door leading to the hallway. He now sighs and slouches over on the edge of the bed, “Doll…sometimes it’s so much to navigate through…”, he looks to her, “…are you not overwhelmed by all of this?”. His hand finds it’s way to her cheek after he orients his body more towards her. They’re eyes respond to each other, him not knowing who’s began glowing first.

               “It is…a lot…”. She admits while nuzzling into his hand. “…but look at how you three loners are no longer alone.”, she means it and smiles genuinely as that part does lift her heart. She watches Toji scoot back onto the bed but to his knees and her teeth peer through her lips as she gathers he’s getting straight to it. With slow motion, she crawls over top of him until she’s perfectly seated in his lap and his arms are securing her body against him. Looking down from now overhead, she chuckles, “Just like our first time…”, and brushes his hair from his face as she happily takes in the details of his rugged features. “I’m really sorry about earlier Toji…I really wasn’t expecting Sati to take us away like that. I really wasn’t expecting any of it actually.”.

               Toji can sense her guilt and feels like he should address his prior purpose. “Doll, I was just worried Gojo was taking things too far…like before. I didn’t trust that he would have your best interest at heart which is why I was so angry.”. He lifts his chin so he can tuck her head underneath it while holding her, “I am with you no matter what, never forget that.”. Toji closes his eyes as he feels her relax and cackles, “Naoya already said he wasn’t going to do that again but I feel like Gojo will still try.”. He pulls her away and bends his neck to the side to give her full access with a smile.

               “You’re too good for me, Toji…”, she laments while eyeing his neck. Instead of immediately biting him though she turns his head back towards her for a deep and passionate meeting of the lips. He responds by send his tongue into her mouth, causing her to whimper as she grips his sleek black hair with her right hand while holding his throat with her left, not even meaning to. Both of their fangs form as soon as he breaks their lustrous kiss and he again positions his head to the side as she lowers her own. She can hear him groan as her teeth skip across the skin of his neck and right as she’s about to puncture him, Satoru’s presence can be felt.

               “LOVE WAIT!” He runs over to the bed as Elska didn’t seem to even flinch. “Choso made a valid point!”, Toji’s glowing eyes finally meet his so he continues, “If Toji has Titer energy in him, this is about to be another fucking catastrophe!”.

               Toji swiftly blocks Elska from his neck and rolls over so she’s pinned to the bed, being startled by her reaction.

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Tagging : @angelofthorr

[early2000smovieimagines]

Meeting and Dating Horace Mahoney

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

- You and Horace meet prior to him being captured by Cyrus. Ever since you’d moved to town, you’d made a habit of walking your dog past his scrapyard every evening.

- During one of these walks, your little pooch managed to wriggle free and run into the abandoned area and, like a rational pet owner, you ran after them.

- Soon enough, you were wandering down the rows of old, busted up cars and calling your pets name, growing more and more worried the longer you were inside the eerie area.

- Before you really started to panic, you luckily spotted them at the end of one of the aisles ...though they weren’t the only thing you spotted.

- It nearly gave you a heart attack when you first noticed the figure in front of them but you figured it was the owner of the lot and called out an apology and short explanation; which was backed up by the fact your dog was standing a few feet from them. They didn’t answer.

- Calling your dogs name, your skin began to crawl as the man remained stationary and silent. You called your dogs name again and they finally turned towards you, leisurely returning to your side as you nervously glanced from them to the man.

- You called out another apology, hoping that maybe he’d just hadn’t heard you or that he’d do something to ease your nerves but he remained still and silent. After quickly bending down to scoop up your dogs leash, you glanced up again and found that the figure was gone and you were all alone.

- The hairs on the back of your neck rose and your heart skipped a beat before you quickly booked it out of there.

- The next day, you’d kept a much tighter grip on your pets leash as you passed but something caused you to stop in your tracks. ...A low whistle, long and eerie, filling the pretty sunset atmosphere with a sense of dread.

- Your dog perked up and pulled towards the fence of the junkyard though you were prepared and stood your ground. As you looked through the chain link fence, you spotted a figure amongst the rubble, one you could see far more clearly now that the sun was out.

- The same silhouette as the night before, white as a sheet, bullet riddled and seven foot tall; you immediately forced your dog to move and went back home.

- When you got back home, you began to research the junkyard and stumbled across the story of The Breaker. After that, you researched angry and lost spirits and; taking it upon yourself, you chose to attempt to release him from his purgatory.

- When you returned to the scrap yard, you tried your best to go about the ritual you’d looked up but in the midst of it, a shadow blanketed over you. You freezed in your place and turned to stare up at the hulking figure as it stood over you.

- Remaining still, you watched as the entity began to walk past you, sitting down on one of the busted up cars and staring you down. The two of you sat like that for a while, you being too afraid to move at first before your fear turned into curiosity.

- He didn’t hurt you; he hardly even approached you, he just sat in front of you, occasionally glancing at you before looking around his scrapyard.

- After some time, he merely faded into nothingness and you made your way out of the abandoned lot.

- You sort of thought you were going crazy so after a few days, you decided to go back and see if he was in fact real. He appeared just as you were about to leave, or at least you spotted him right then; after he watched from afar for a while.

- So you turned back around and wandered a bit closer, gradually making your way to his side. You’d continue to return to the junkyard sporadically throughout the next few months, finding that you somewhat liked his company or maybe that you just liked how he made your life more unnatural.

- One day you wanted to test a theory: the theory of if you could touch him, so; much to his confusion, you hesitantly reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. He did the same and thus, your sort of relationship began.

- Your relationship is going to be a slow burn for obvious reasons but after a couple months, he finally just comes up and pulls you into a strong, somewhat inexperienced kiss.

- When you pull away, you don’t know what to say ...so you don’t say anything. You just stare up at him in shock before quickly making your way out of the junkyard. You return a few days later and give him a hesitant, soft kiss, having contemplated the idea of dating a ghost and coming to the conclusion that you were willing to give it a try.

- So, for better or for worse, you begin your relationship with The Juggernaut.

- Well, he can’t leave the scrapyard and no ones going in there to bother you so the two of you can pretty much do whatever you like to each other without having to worry about anything.

- Speaking of: you probably shouldnt bring him around your friends; or anybody similar, because I don’t trust him and you probably shouldn’t either. He’s not the most in control ghoul out there.

- He always tries his best to be gentle with you, knowing that he’s got a lot of strength and could easily hurt you if he isn’t careful. He probably knows exactly how much pressure it would take to break one of your bones, he just doesn’t know exactly when things start to hurt so he treats you like you’re fragile.

- You’re going to be the one initiating most of the affection in your relationship because of his fear of hurting you. Over time, he’ll learn more about being soft and will be able to take the initiative.

- Rest assured, he never minds when you’re affectionate with him; he just isn’t used to it so he’ll look a tad bit uncomfortable.

- He stiffens whenever you give him a hug but he likes it. Regardless though, he’ll leave giving hugs to you since he doesn’t want to have some intrusive thought and/or accidentally hurt you.

- He’ll watch curiously as you play with his hands and fingers. He sort of finds it funny how small yours are compared to his.

- You’re usually the one to kiss him and they’re fairly soft and chaste. Sometimes, he’ll sort of linger by your side and lean down closer to you whenever he wants one.

- Later in your relationship, he’ll be the one giving the kisses and they’ll be a bit more rough and hard; at least at times.

- Sometimes, your seven foot tall boyfriend just has to pick you up so that you can give him a kiss and I think that’s beautiful.

- He’s obviously an extremely strong individual so he can easily lift you and/or whatever you’d like him to.

- Leaning your head on his shoulder and occasionally falling asleep on him while you’re sitting together. He’ll initially stiffen; like he does with all your affection, but he’ll slowly relax as you continue to slumber.

- Since he really doesn’t talk, he can’t exactly call you anything. If he did or when he does speak, he’ll usually just call you by your name since he wasn’t really exposed to pet names.

- Introducing him to a lot of new things since he lived a fairly sheltered life; and because he’s been dead for quite some time.

- He likes listening to you talk and explain things. He thinks your voice is pretty and he never went to school so anything you want to tell him is fine by him; even if it’s boring to most people.

- He doesn’t talk very much; if at all, and he certainly doesn’t like talking about his life so you’ll be the one carrying the conversation.

- I’m making it canon that he whistles more than he speaks. It’s one of the few sounds you’ll ever really hear out of him and while it’s sort of eerie when it’s the middle of the night and you’re somewhat drifting off to sleep in the junkyard, you soon learn to love it.

- Sitting in the junkyard, probably looking up at the stars/sunset or starting a small bonfire. I’m sure that the place is condemned and full of horror stories so people will rarely bother you; even if there is a fire.

- Following him around as he goes about his day. He’s sort of confused as to why you’d just want to watch him do nothing or crush random stuff, etc, but he certainly isn’t going to complain.

- While Horace has a habit of watching people, he looks at you with a far less murderous gaze.

- The main reason Horace snapped is because he lost his father; the last person in his life, and had no one to steer him so I think with your help, he could somewhat resolve the issues that have plagued him after his old mans death.

- He definitely has some attachment issues so you can’t just not visit him for a long time; especially without giving him a warning.

- He really doesn’t want you to be afraid of him so he’ll try his best to deter you from researching him any more than you already have.

- He doesn’t believe you when you compliment him but he appreciates that you’d try to lie for no reason other than to just make him relatively happier.

- He’ll occasionally just very gently and tenderly pick things off of you or out of your hair and it’s just the sweetest little thing to you whenever he does.

- Junk gifts. Want a cool hubcap or car emblem? They’re all yours honey.

- Weed bouquets. Roses don’t exactly grow in car cemeteries, alright? But he’s heard you mention receiving flowers so if you want them, then he’ll try his best to provide.

- Please let him see your dog/s. He had some of his own; that he fed his victims to, so he’s quite fond of them.

- Having a little hideout made out of crushed cars. You like to sit in it either with him or just to relax while he goes about his ghostly day.

- Having a bad day? Sometimes, he’ll just silently hand you some kind of tool and lead you to a wrecked car, urging you to take your anger out on it. He always found it cathartic to break things.

- Board games and puzzles.

- Reading to him. He’s more likely than not illiterate so he likes being able to hear stories for once in his “life”.

- You’ve basically got a big, dangerous jungle gym to play on when you’re with him. He’ll usually stay close to your side as you explore the junkyard, catching you when you trip and steering you away from certain things.

- I assume he has a truck that he can supernaturally operate so the two of you can drive through the lot together during the night.

- He’s sort of envious of you; and definitely envious of the people around you. I mean, you’re alive, you’re attractive. You got to live your life properly and he got jack shit; not that he could hold any of that against you.

- I’m sorry but Horace is the type of spirit that would genuinely consider killing you so that you could be with him forever. The only real thing stopping him is the fact that he can’t be sure that you’d end up actually being stuck with him in the afterlife.

- Horace; in real life, lived a solitary life. He only really had his father so now that he has you; someone else who genuinely loves and cares for him, he’s not going to allow anyone to threaten your relationship.

- On the same note: Horace is extremely protective of you, regardless of his dark thoughts about you. He’s never going to let anything else hurt you; all you’ll have to do is lead them into the scrap yard.

- You kind of really don’t want to get into a fight with him so it’s a good thing you usually don’t. It’s best to just give him space whenever he’s angry, whether at you or something else. He doesn’t want to hurt you but he has his compulsions.

- You’ll give him a few days to cool off before returning, apologizing if you did something or asking if he’s alright if it wasn’t your fault. If he’s the cause of the problem then you’ll go back when you’re over it and will be able to accept his nonverbal apologies.

- Like I said: I don’t think Horace talks all that much in general so it certainly won’t be common for him to tell you that he loves you.

- As for most relationships with supernatural beings, the future isn’t something either of you can really anticipate so you just enjoy the time you have together while you can.

[kaypeace21]

What was the first moment or scene that made you suspect or realize Will can alter reality? 🙋🏾‍♂️

Hi, anon. :) I think it wasn’t 1 thing in particular but an amalgamation of things. S3 was probably what made everything ‘click’ in my mind. But there were A LOT of things in prior seasons that made me scratch my head - such as the connection/parallels of certain human/nonhuman characters to Will. And I was trying to figure out-what the narrative explanation was for all of this.

But I think what made me think of Will altering reality ...was  mostly how the media Will consumed affected the supernatural plot specifically .  And how the mf was connected to Will’s emotional state and “Will the wise”.Of course this is all unconscious on Will’s part-and he’s unaware. I won’t mention outside film inspos just what’s in the show- for this post.

s1: the demogorgans are connected to Will playing the game.Like how rolling the 7 in d&d caused him to be captured by the demogorgan in the game and real life. And how in the game the demogorgan is attracted to blood so it is irl. The weakness of the demogorgan being fire. And in a s1flashback- Will mentions Will the wise using fire powers against the bad guys. Duffers (in interviews) and Nancy saying the demogrogan was like a shark- and Will has a Jaws poster in his room. And in s1, Will watches poltergeist and is thrust into the same scenario as the little girl (being trapped in another dimension- where the mothers can only hear their voices and communicate to them through electronics ). The fact Will can mess with electronics similar to other psychics, and the monsters.In s1 Mr clarke describes the vale of shadows (later the upsidedown) as being created by “necrotic” (’dead’-zombie boy) and “shadow” (shadow monster/mf) magic.  

s2/3: Mike says he was Venkman. And Will is thrust into the same scenario as Venkman’s love interest.Dana finds a demon-dog in her fridge, and hires the ghost busters. And right before Venkman goes on a date with her she is possessed by the big-bad, Zuul, and is transformed into the gate-keeper (who controls demo(n)-dogs). Venkman proceeded to try to talk to the real Dana , ignoring her possessed form and eventually realizes how serious her condition is, is forced to sedate her. Eventually with the help of his team, Venkman closes the gate to Zuul’s dimension, rescuing Dana in the process. 

-In s2 Will also plays dig dug which is about underground mazes- so the supernatural underground caves are made in s2. And it’s a callback to the s1 d&d game with “troglodytes “ (cave men). And in s3 the Russians had the underground lab too - sort of being the troglodytes in a way.

-Will is called ‘zombie boy’ and in s3 when Will watches a zombie movie and writes a d&d story about juju zombies- the mf creates zombies and creates a monster resembling the thing (because when Will was writing his d&d story he was next to the ‘the thing’ poster in s3). When Mike hijacks Will’s d&d story saying ‘they’ll torch the chambers, sacrificing themselves killing the juju ’. Will gets angry and yells “Fine, you win.” And then Joyce and Hopper do just that- when they pull the lever, and Hopper ‘dies’ sacrificing himself, and the Russians literally are eviscerated.

-Will says ‘will the wise’ is a wizard ( writing on a music tape in s3 “will the wise-wizard mix’ and having his password for castle byers be ‘rhadaghast’- a lotr wizard.) In d&d Mindflayers are created by inserting a slug in a humanoid (like Will at the end of s1). And similar to Will’s s3 d&d story-Will says in s2 the mf drawing was for a story he was writing (which isn’t exactly the truth, but close to what is happening).The way they describe d&d Wizards matches Will/mf perfectly “Wizards are adepts and magicians . wizards are able to create spells of explosive fire, sparking lightning, subtle deception, and gross mind control. Their magic summons monsters from other planes of existence, predicts the future, and turns defeated enemies into zombies. Their most powerful spells can transform one substance into another, summon meteors from the sky, and open portals to other worlds”. Dustin says the mf uses it’s “highly developed psyionic powers for mindcontrol.” Nancy in s2 says: “So this thing is like a brain that’s controlling everything.” And accidentally calls the mind-flayer the mind-flamer ( WW had fire power).Hopper then says “So how do we kill this thing shoot it with fireballs?”And Dustin says “ No, No, fireballs you summon an undead army.”Referencing Will (fire)and foreshadowing of the zombie-esque people Will caused in s3.But Mike actually nails it on the head when he says, “If the brain dies the body dies … closing the gate will kill him(referring to Will).Because it’s not the mindflayers’ brain - it’s Will’s brain- that both Will and the mf share! 

Joyce  describes the tunnels Will draws as “like lightning” (a power Will the wise was shown to have in s1  and mf has in s2).And note in s1 we are told Lonnie taught Will baseball (and this was when Jon told Will not to mimic him)- and suspiciously there is a baseball and baseball-mitt next to the ‘shadow monster’ (mf) drawing in s2, and a bat (next to the ww drawing in castle byers in s3). Cause mf= ww.  Will lies and says the mf is just a sketch for a story he’s writing- but even if that’s not exactly true. The mf is still something he unconsciously created. And the mf comes in s2 during Will’s PTSD “anniversary effect” and in s3 everytime Will is thinking of his romantic feelings for Mike (why the mf shows up in the summer despite light being his weakness). 1st time it’s on one of their ‘movie dates’, 2nd time when Will is sad when Mike and El walk off together down the hill to make-out, , 3rd time right after he smashed castle byers after Mike says “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls”, 4th time (after the fight with Mike) when Billy is yelling to open the door (a trigger) and confides in Mike, 5th time when Mike asks him to go away so he can talk to El in the hospital waiting area, and 6th time when Mike says he loves El. 

-Susie in s3 references the ‘A wizard of Eathsea’ -it’s about a male wizard Ged (Will) who casts a powerful spell, but the spell goes awry and instead he releases a shadow creature! The new Archmage, Gensher, describes the shadow as an ancient evil that wishes to possess Ged. But the ‘shadow’ turns out  to be a representation of the darkest aspects of his personality. And the only way for the chaos to stop is for ged and the shadow to merge.

-‘the dark crystal’ movie poster in Mike’s room is about a race called urSkeks who inadvertently divided themselves into two separate beings; the violent, materialistic Skeksis, and the gentle, contemplative urRu. It was only when they merged back together as one could harmony and peace be restored to the world.

- Montauk Project’- The original title for Stranger things was “Montauk”- in reference to the Montauk Project. Where Duncan could “open portals to other dimensions-  and lets loose a monster from his subconscious.”

- In s1 Hopper says he likes the book cujo , that one of the guards is reading, and at the end of the book they replace the dog Cujo with a dog named Willie. A ref to Will creating the demo-dogs. The fact in s2 Chester (Will’s dog) died at the same time the demo-dogs appeared is probably not a coincidence.

- Susie has a wizard of oz poster & in s2 when murray mentions the supernatural he references the movie.He references Wizard of Oz by saying “people don’t like looking behind the curtain” (in the movie what was behind the curtain was a wizard-Will).

-in s3 Will & El parallel (sebastian & Atreyu from neverending story). Which Dustin references in s3.“Atreyu (who was deemed the ‘chosen one) is thrown  into the sea of possibilities (beach in cali). There he wakes on the shore of abandoned ruins (junkyard for El). There Gmork (The Mindflayer) reveals himself, having been lying in wait.He explains that Fantasia represents humanity’s imagination and is thus without boundaries, while the Nothing is a manifestation of the loss of hopes and dreams. And then latches his jaws onto Atreyu’s leg (like what happened to El).The Empress in the story later tells Atreyu, that despite being told he was the chosen one (he never was). And that it was always Bastian (Will) who was the chosen one -that could save them, all along! And that Atreyu’s (El’s) story, and “others” (the rest of the st cast) are following Bastian’s (Will’s) story all along, making them all part of his neverending story. The Empress tells Bastian that he has the power to save them using his imagination.”*Bastian has a bowl cut, appears to be a normal human, and from a single parent house hold. Bastian even temporarily goes evil after he loses his memories (just like Will).

IT ALL CONNECTS BACK TO WIIL!

* There’s also A LOT more evidence - like the many other correlations/parallels/eastereggs to Will and other human characters (El, Kali, Terry, Brenner, Max, Billy, Hopper, Alexi, Etc) who I believe Will created. As well as the parallels to Lonnie and the demogrogan(which in d&d is called “the deep father”).  I recommend reading my THEORY HERE for all that other evidence. It also includes the cited inspos  for the show there too (which i didn’t mention in this post). It’s a very long post-but I believe worth reading.

[lady-o-ren]

THE HUNGER OF MY HEART

//PROLOGUE// //PART ONE// PART TWO

PART THREE

For easier reading here’s the link for ao3 (X)

Jamie stepped into the Lallybroch stables and whistled melodically through his teeth. A wide-browed grey horse poked his head out from the corner stall, hitching his ears forward as he blew excitedly through his nostrils.

"Cobhar, ciamar a tha thu?" Said Jamie fondly, firmly patting the long dappled neck of the horse and scratching behind his ears. "Di' ye miss me, my wee laddie?"

Nothing was wee about Cobhar. He was a good-tempered, but spirited 14-hand gelding that had been the first foal that Jamie's father let him care for when he was a lad, still mourning his mother and needing distraction.

Cobhar's big head came down and mouthed affectionately at Jamie's curls then cheeks in greeting, as he always had done, then descended down to his knuckles, eager for the sweet treat he could smell hiding in his palm. 

"Och, ye miss being spoilt is all then? Didn'a think of me once while I was gone, di' ye?" 

Cobhar huffed impatiently and nudged his head against Jamie's chest, nibbling at the buttons, while swishing his dirt-blonde tail side to side.

"A'right, laddie," Jamie chuckled, patting him again. "Here ye go. No need to knock me over." The stallion's soft velvet lips plucked the whole apple from out his opened palm and devoured it in one loud and juicy crunch.

"Fattening auld Cobhar a'ready, Jamie?"

Jamie grinned ear to ear as he looked aside to see his best friend, and now brother-in-law, Ian, amble up beside him. He was tall and whipcord lean and strong, with an honest, good-natured face about him that had captured his sister, Jenny's heart when they were naught but bairns.

"Ye're one to talk, Ian. My sister didn'a get big as a house on her own, di' she?" 

Face a rich blush, Ian laughed and bashfully scratched his nose, crooked from when Jamie broke it years before, having found him and Jenny in the most compromising of ways.

"Still a wee shite, Fraser. And still redder than a roosters arse," said Ian, as he playfully smacked the back of Jamie's head.

As had everyone else in the family since he arrived back home. His uncle's, aunties and brutally by his beloved godfather, Murtagh, for being away from Lallybroch for so long. But the real blackening had come from Jenny, a feat for a pregnant woman who had once been no bigger than his thumb. Thank Christ, he had a skull made of solid stone (though as predicted she had embraced soon after and kissed him more than what was decent for a sister to).

Rubbing the multitude of throbbing black and blue bumps on his head (but after having given Ian a hard punch to his shoulder), Jamie spotted what looked to be an envelope under his brother-in-law's arm.

"Plan on feeling the bills to the white sow, Ian?"

Ian looked at him quizzically before making an "O" with his mouth and pulled the envelope out.

"It came yesterday, before you di'," said Ian, handing it over to Jamie, who curiously flipped it over.

It was a letter actually. He grinned, almost laughing, as it was addressed to James Alexander Malcom Mackenzie Fraser and had been tied thoughtfully with twine and a sprig of greenery embedded (accidentally?) in its bow that he brushed a blunt forefinger to.

It was from Claire.

Jamie glanced up to see Ian smirking at him and felt his ears blush hot.

"Ye're damn lucky I saw that before yer sister di'. She'd be holding it up to the light and steaming the seams open."

"She'd do no such thing," Jamie retorted, with a glint of humor in his eyes. "Yer wife would tear it open wi' her teeth and wave it in my face."

"That she would," Ian agreed with a chest shaking chuckle. "But our lass is a bloodhound and will find out sooner than not about the puir lass that ye've set yer heart upon."

The last was said almost in question. A hope that maybe Jamie had found a way to balm his wearied heart, knowing that his travels were not just a simple bout of wanderlust and the outlandish reason why. He had the look of a man now awakened, as if he'd been reborn. Something Ian himself had experienced the day Janet Fraser gave him his first kiss at the tender age of six and had never recovered from.

Nor had his nose.

Jamie met Ian's hazel eyed gaze.

"Her name's Claire," he beamed, not bothering to hide the emotion in his voice that rivaled the reverence of a prayer to the creator above. "I met her in London a week ago. Spent every second I could wi' her."

And leaving the woman of his dreams had been like having his heart cleaved in two.

"Then you'll have to write to me," Claire had said, beneath her gates woven green with ivy, having clasped her fingers to his, while her other hand held his arm as if to draw him back to her marvelous world.

"Letters, ye mean?" He gulped, having felt himself sway to her power.

She nodded. "I prefer it. I can't stand the ringing and pinging of a telephone. Will you, Jamie?" Her voice had sounded unsure as if it were indeed possible he could ever refuse her. 

"Who do I address it to?" He had smiled, while grazing a tentative thumb to the back of her palm.  "The funny house no one can see at the end of nowhere street?"

"You're a smart one." She pulled her hand away to tap his nose but had let her caress linger innocently, cluelessly, down his ginger stubbled cheek as he shivered with desire, wanting to kiss the base of her thumb, count her freckles with his mouth. "Address it to this empty lot and your letter will find me. Just don't be forever." 

Jamie had pressed his hand over hers, not knowing if he could ever let her go, feeling his breath stitch tight.

"Then until I see ye again, Sassenach."

She glowed at the name he'd given her the day they'd met. Had told him before it suited her better than even her given one.

Jamie hadn't agreed with that at all and wanted to tell her what Claire was in the Ghàidhlig.

One day he would.

Perhaps strung together with the phrase stirring in his heart.

Tha gaol agam ort

But apparently a day had been far too long for her.

"I think she's the one," Jamie continued on, in almost startling disbelief as he grinned like the lovesick fool he was. "The one that's been calling for me all these years." 

"Christ, man! She's real?!" Ian gripped his shoulder, matching his excitement. "Should we be expecting yer Claire for hogmanay with a wee one of yer own?"

Before Jamie could stutter a heart racing answer to that query, the two were interrupted by Jenny hollering for them. 

“D’ye two want yer dinner, or shall I feed it to the dogs!?” 

Said dogs, Luke and Elphin, Mars and auld Bran, howled in answer while Jamie groaned at his sister's impeccable timing.

Ian slapped his back though and gave his dearest friend and bràthair an encouraging smile and waggle of his dark brows. "Read the damn letter, man. I'll take care of yer sister. Just remember when yer wean's born to name him after me, aye?" 

After watching Ian depart with a wink, Jamie threw a long leg over Cobhar's stall door (shushing the nosey beast with a promise of sugar cubes) and settled himself low in the hay. 

After pocketing the bit of green to his breast pocket with a delicate hand, he carefully untied the twine and opened Claire's letter. The sweet fragrance of elderflowers and chamomile kissed the page where a simple request was written that had Jamie hopping over the stall door and running towards Lallybroch, with his pack of dogs yapping at his heels.

My Dear Jamie,

At the end of the week I'll be in Edinburgh.

Join me?

//

"Are ye ever going to tell me what's in this thing, Sassenach?"

Up and down the winding streets of Edinburgh, past the many sloping buildings and cafes and bitty book shops stacked beside one another, Jamie had been carrying a heavy and ornate wooden chest for Claire as she walked ahead of him, looking for the shop to deliver it to.  

She glanced over her shoulder at him and her young apprentice, Elias, beside him, who'd taken quite a shine to the older Scotsman. He too had been tasked with carrying a package. It was strapped to his back, a long leather cylinder that could've held anything from mundane documents to a treasure map. Jamie wasn't sure at all.

"It's not for me to say. Besides it would only worry your dreams." 

"That doesna make me feel any better," Jamie murmured, staring warily at what he held in his arms which amused Claire greatly enough to bite her posey lush lips from laughing.

"Then pretend it's a cake box."

Elias snorted, catching Jamie's attention.

"Ye ken what's in this thing don't ye, mo charaid?" 

"Aye - I mean yes. But -" Elias flicked his round eyes to his mistress's straight back then cupped his hand to his round cheek. "I'll tell you later. It's downright awful and I nearly lost my -" 

"You know I can hear you both? I'm not that old."

"And how old is that?" Jamie asked half teasing, half with genuine curiosity, while Elias pinked, snorting loudly once more.

Claire stopped in her tracks and spun on her heels, cutting a look at the younger lad who quickly cowered behind the much taller man.

"I'm old enough to remember Queen Victoria but not the Bonnie Prince. Is that enough for you?" She replied flatly, crossing her arms.

Jamie went a bit bug-eyed, mentally counting the decades since the little Queen's reign. Then his wide mouth twitched.

"And ye say ye're no' a witch?" 

Claire rolled her eyes and continued walking but a smile had peeked on her lips that encouraged Jamie to tease her more.

"Ye ken," he began, walking beside her now and shifting the weight of the chest as he did so. "There are auld highland tales that say curls wild as yers are the mark of a Ban-druidh, and that the crows favor them to make their nests."

She tugged at her dark locks and watched as they bounced back on release with utter disdain written on her face.

"They're more of a tumbleweed curse if you ask me," she frowned, making Jamie quickly regret his words.

"I didna mean it that way, Sassenach. Truly. Yer curls are lovely. They're like the ripples in a burn when the rain and leaves fall upon it. Luminous as the sky rich in twilight.  And yer eyes, Christ, they're. . ." 

Jamie's voice trailed off when he realized they'd stopped walking and had the wide-eyed attention of both Elias and Claire. 

As well as everyone else on the street alongside them. 

How loudly had he been blabbering?

But then a smile of pure delight broke across Claire's face, reflecting brightly in her eyes, as she tucked an errant curl behind her ear, only for another far more impetuous to take its place.

"How has no one snatched up a charmer like you, Jamie?"

One had. A very oblivious one.

Jamie sheepishly shrugged and found unparalleled interest in the engravings of the wooden box he carried as his face blazed the very color of his beating heart. He looked very much like a schoolboy.

Unnoticed by them though was dear Elias, whose sea-grey eyes darted between them both, grinning sweet as pie.

Walking down another street, Claire finally announced they had arrived, and the men, sore footed and muscle strained, sighed in relief. 

The shop exterior was hard wood and painted coal black while the door was a dark and flaking green. And written in gold on the long framed window beside the door, Jamie read to himself

THE WITHERED BONE 

Potions // Trinkets // Antiques

 & 

The Finest Biscuits This Side of the Black Realm

"Biscuits?" Jamie murmured, knotting his brow. "What kind of shop is this? Like yers, Sassenach?"

"Not necessarily," she said, hand hesitant on the brass doorknob. "For one it's in plain sight. But if you want to call anyone a witch the three who own this place would fit the bill. I think they even have a cauldron."

"They do. I saw it with - uh, nevermind,"  Elias choked at the last, blushing beet red.

Claire arched her brow. "Now Elias -" 

"I know, ma'am," he drawled, fiddling with the strap over his chest. "Stay away from Ms. Annalise and keep to your side."

"And Jamie -"

He looked at her smiling wryly. "Ms. Annalise?"

"Shut up," she said, playfully swatting his arm. "You stay at the front of the shop. There's nothing there that can bite your nose off."

Claire then ushered them both through the door.

Inside, it was a cluttered jumble of anything and everything. An elaborate display of lost treasures from Africa to France and most prominently the Jacobite resistance in all its doomed glory. There was an array of vintage costume jewelry, stacked stop tables against the walls and racks of overflowing clothing a group of young girls were pawing through, where one in particular, all flaxen hair and big doe eyes, was swaying to the melancholy chords of a record that crackled softly in the background.

What makes you think love will end?

When you know that my whole life depends 

On you

It was a tune Jamie remembered his parents dancing to. His mother had been wrapped in his father's arms as he nuzzled her cheek, softly mouthing the words against her skin. The young girl hummed it too as she gazed dreamily at a dress in her hands.

Overhead hung a simple iron chandelier that seemed to have been ripped straight from a castle's dungeon, dripping hot candle wax to a metal bowl placed on the hardwood floors. One burning drop fell down Jamie's neck as he walked beneath them, that had him cursing underbreath as he scrunched his shoulders and knocked his knee into a table, rattling the knickknacks.

"Ye break it ye buy it, laddie," came a voice from the front of the shop. "I'll take cash and the blood of yer first born."

"Oh, Geilie," said Claire and crossed over to the counter, leaning over the glass display of dirks and sgian dhu (with a cookie jar atop) to kiss a rather wicked to the bone looking redhead's cheek. "You are terrible." 

"It wasn'a as if I lied," Geilie snickered, turning her attention first to young Elias who flinched under her unnerving gaze then to Jamie, blatantly raking over his physique before Claire stepped into her view.

"Who's the clumsy stag ye've brought wi' ye, Claire?"

"A friend who I very much like as he is. No twitching your nose or feeding him your biscuits." She then mumbled to Jamie at her shoulder. "Hansel and Gretel, remember?" 

"Ye're never any fun," she pouted, then pointed her chin. "Have ye a name, stag?" 

"Jamie," he replied simply, not at all trusting the unsettling woman before him with more than that.

"Weel then, Jamie, ye can leave that in the corner there and you," she looked at Elias with a devilish grin as she propped her chin on her hand and drummed her fingers to her cheek. "Louise will be waiting downstairs fer ye, Annalise too. But ye kent that aye?"

While the young lad experienced a sudden shortness of breath, Jamie set the delivery down and rather dumbly asked, "What's downstairs?" 

Geilie's eyes shimmered like the feral beast whose blood she probably bathed in, chilling Jamie down to his bones.

"Why? Are ye needin' an ill-wish like the wee lasses over there." She gestured over to the girls taking their leave. "Mebbe something far more entertaining and lethal like a summoning? Those require a blood sacrifice, ken. Nothing so tender as yer sweet lass here wi' her trade of bits and bobs.

She wasn't kidding. 

Jamie glanced at the doorway that led downstairs, carved with cabbalistic symbols. A faint whiff of bitter herbs wafted through a pigeon blood red curtain that shadowed it, mingling with a coppery tang he could taste on his tongue, tainting the air. It churned his wame with sick.

"Or are ye wantin' - Oh!" She quickly shot a strange and startled look over to Claire.

"Leave him be, Geilie," Claire chided, unaware of the questions in her sometimes friend's eyes as she threw all her attention on Jamie.

"We'll only be a minute," she assured him with a hand running down his arm, sending a shock of steadying warmth through him that he knew came from someplace bewitching within her. "And don't worry about Geilie, she won't touch a hair on your head when she knows I can shrivel hers like a prune."

Jamie smiled at his own Ban-druidh. Must've whispered it too, to deserve the pinch she gave him before leaving  with Elias downstairs to the witch's grisly lair.

"I ken what yer after, mo bhalaich," came Geilie's voice, softly speaking to him as if he were a friend. "I can see it festering in ye like hemlock, yer love fer the Sassenach."

Jamie nervously glanced over to the doorway. "I dinna ken what yer on about, woman." 

"Dinna bother hidin' it, no' like she can see it anyhow. She hasn't the heart fer it, ye see. Hers was taken by her old master, the wee frog, who lived in that house of hers before she di'. She hasn'a a clue where it is, doesn'a even ken it's missin', and wi'out it she canna love ye back."

"Why - Why should I believe you?"  Jamie asked haltingly, for his throat was being strangled by his heart, ripped from beneath his ribs.

"Why would I lie, ye puir wee fool? Save yerself, getaway, or that love ye carry will swallow ye whole, heart and soul and breath."

Only when she touched the tender spot on his chest did Jamie realize he was bent over the counter a hair's breadth away from the witch, close enough to see the harsh and earnest truth pooling in her eyes.

 Then she pushed him away. 

"All done," said Claire, coming through the curtain, and cast her gaze between the two in front of her.

"What have you two been doing?" She waved a finger at them both.

"Oh, a little talking is all. Nothing more," grinned Geilie, face a mask of perfect innocence.  

Claire hummed, believing otherwise and tried to make light of whatever she saw troubling Jamie's face. "You should know whatever Geilie told you, it's probably only half as bad or twice as worst,"  

"Och, I'm sure of it, Sassenach. Shall we go?" Jamie said hurriedly, not meeting her eye. Trying to forget what the witch had said. 

She slowly nodded, her face lined with concern, but tucked her slender arm through his and gave Geilie a half-hearted goodbye. Immediately,  Jamie felt the blood in his veins flow to his heart now beating in its proper place and air return to his lungs. 

But somewhere deep inside himself, Jamie could feel the beginnings of a rotting ache bloom and take root. He was already too far gone.

"You didn't eat the biscuits did you." 

He managed a weak chuckle and swallowed. "No lass." But then he swiveled his head. "Where's the wee lad?" 

In five seconds flat, Claire had Elias by his arm like a child, his face a burning fever red and eyes bowed to the ground with Ms. Annalise leaning at the doorway, a beguiling smile on her face.

No time is wasted that makes  two people friends

//

THANK YOU to everyone who reads and comments on this fic. You have no idea how much I appreciate it!!

!!MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Now Author Notes

*First off sorry for all the messy mistakes and eye gouging writing

*Thanks to @soinspiredbyyou/ @mo-nighean-rouge for help with the line tweaking "Perhaps strung together with the phrase stirring in his heart." Although hers was actually better "Perhaps preceded by a phrase stirring in his heart" but preceded sounded too smart and too good for my dummy words.

*The descriptions of Cobhar are from the book cause I don't know anything about horses.

*The song is Never My Love

*I may come back and fiddle with this chapter but I really wanted to get this done before Christmas.

*Next chapter will be the last

[husbandograveyard]

Henlo all! This is my extremely-close-to-the-deadline-submission for @some-piece​’s AU event. I got these 5 characters to chose from: Rebecca - Hachi - Hawkins - Zoro - Paulie. And after contemplating for a long while I decided to put Zoro in an animal shelter AU which automatically became modern AU setting as well as slight!college AU but the main focus will be on the shelter.

2nd person. Genderneutral reader. slight mentions of animal abuse, nothing too bad. 99% fluff!

“Can I help you?” 

A young man about your age had walked into the shelter where you worked. He had opened the door quite harshly, making the bell at the top ring, and making you put down the cat you had been brushing for a bit and put it back in its cage. You walked up to the little desk area at the front, where he was standing with his arms crossed, an unreadable expression on his face that only seemed to relax a bit when he heard you speak up. 

“Yeah I sent an e-mail, I needed to be here for the volunteer program?” 

You thought for a second, suddenly remembering that you had posted an ad at local universities and colleges to come volunteer at the shelter. Most of those students didn’t have the time to come volunteer, but you had gotten a handful of mails. Most of the students never showed up and the only one that had made an appointment for today had made the appointment for two hours earlier so you had just assumed it was going to be another no-show. 

“Oh… you’re…” “-Late I know, I got lost.” You furrowed your brow wondering how someone could get lost for two hours coming from a campus that was only a fifteen minute walk away, but didn’t pry any further, just happy to have some possible assistance.

“Okay! Well, I’ll go get the stuff in order then, you can wait out here for a bit.”

After you got the papers he handed you some form from the school as well and explained that he had to fill in a couple of hours a week with other things than his sports curriculum to get his degree to be complete, and he had jokingly added ‘how hard can it possibly be to look after a bunch of critters’. The statement in itself did not seem to be meant to discredit your work or the animals, but you already saw that he was vastly underestimating just how much effort went into your work. So as soon as all the papers were signed and in order, you could prove him wrong. 

“You’re in luck, all the cleaning is already done. It’s feeding time now, and I was doing a round of brushing today, so maybe you could help with that and if we still have time left we can take some dogs out for a walk.” 

The grin on his face was confident, and you were taking a little pleasure in knowing it would be wiped off his face in an instant. Your main focus was to make sure he wouldn’t accidentally harm the animals, and to make sure they were properly taken care of. But if it meant this overconfident jock got his ass handed to him, you’d take it. 

The day had proceeded as you had expected. Zoro, as he had introduced himself once you got over the formalities, had not been really good with the animals. He was strong, and a hard worker you had to give him that. But the animals… seemed to not really like him, even if he did do his best? Cats hissed, dogs barked, the one abandoned parrot you were temporarily housing had pecked him so hard his finger started bleeding. Luckily for you, he didn’t physically lash out at the animals, but you had heard a whole new array of curse words and insults that you previously didn’t even know existed. 

You had spent most of the day explaining all the things to him and helping him out whenever he was really struggling but most of the time you had actually been occupied with trying not to laugh too hard at his failing ministrations. 

“You have to be kind, try not to come across as so intimidating. You’re a big bad man that they are scared off, and they’re all just trying to defend themselves,”  you said as you petted a big fluffball of a cat while Zoro put fresh water and new food in its cage. The cat was now happily purring and nudging your hand with his head while a few minutes ago it had been aggressively hissing at your volunteer. 

Zoro just angrily grumbled in response, finishing up his task so you could put the cat back. You eyed the clock, noticing it was already time for him to leave for the day. “I’ll release you from your suffering then. See you next week?” “Wait but you still have all these cages to do?” “I’m used to doing this all by myself, no worries” He frowned, and he seemed to be deep in thought for a second. “I’ll stay until it is done.” You raised one brow: “are you sure? These hours won’t count towards your total and it is getting quite late.”

He only shrugged in response: “My roommate is gone and I don’t have much better to do. I am volunteering time anyway, what is one extra hour going to do?” 

You smiled widely. “Let’s get to it then!” 

Even though the animals didn’t seem to like him very much, you couldn’t help but admire this green-haired man and his incredible work ethic. He showed up late often, because even after a few weeks he still managed to get lost regularly. You had just started to say that he needed to be there an hour earlier than he actually had to be there, so with his geographical skills he’d be there on time or even a little early. 

Most of the animals still were not that much of a fan of him, but you’d worked out a nice system that ensured fast and efficient work, and as little scratches and bites as possible. You got work done faster, had more time for social media and such, and thus animals got adopted out faster. It was a win-win, and you noticed yourself always looking forward to the days he’d come to help. 

Zoro wasn’t really talkative, but would listen to your endless ramblings as you talked about the shelter, all the animals, but eventually also things about your life, your family, your home… he was an excellent listener, and his very blunt character made that he usually came up with very honest opinions and helpful solutions, even when he didn’t necessarily intend them like that. And sometimes, when you stumbled over your words cause you were too focused, or said something that didn’t make sense he would laugh. It was a deep and loud laugh, making his whole upper body shake, and lately whenever he laughed, it made your heart flutter a little. Another reason to look forward to his help, which had already exceeded the number of hours he had to do for his extra credit. 

But the semester was coming to an end and you very well knew that even though he seemed to be enjoying his time way more than he initially did, that he would not do extra time. He had his sport’s practices to focus on and his group of friends that frequently went on weekend trips and such, and he had been missing out on a lot of that because of the volunteering he did. You felt a little sad, but had made peace with it. Still, a little voice in the back of your head was nagging more and more often to ask him to meet outside of the shelter. But you didn’t want to seem weird or creepy. Besides. He was obviously a popular college student, finishing up his degree, with a big group of friends that obviously adored him, and model-grade gorgeous. You were just a high school dropout that managed to get a job in a local shelter of which the owner died only a little after you got settled. You were struggling to make ends meet, had little social life besides the animals. You kept telling yourself that the only reason you were feeling so strange whenever Zoro came out to help, was because he was the only one who had made you feel like your life and stories mattered even a little. But you could get used to being all alone in here again with the occasional customer or 1-day volunteer. It was what you were used to. You had already taken far too much advantage of this gorgeous man’s free time.

And then the last day of the semester came. You were finishing up the chores of the day with a heavy heart. You would have to say goodbye, and you would have to keep it professional, since you never worked up the courage to really deepen the connection the two of you had besides working together. Zoro seemed a little uneasy as well, but neither of you was going to bring up the tense atmosphere. Tense was still better than awkward so you rolled with it. 

“Well then”, you started as you put your broom away, “you’ve been an amazing help this semester.” You walked over to the front desk and handed him all the papers he’d need to get his credit in order. 

“You more than deserved these, too bad I can’t give you a grade.” He chuckled in response. “I wish I could say I would miss it a lot, but I think my arms are better off scratch-free” You laughed a little as well, but felt yourself dying on the inside. Of course he wouldn’t miss this place. Or you. 

He put the papers away in his bag, and you were staring at the desk, desperately making up sentences in your mind, of which you could utter maybe one, just one, to say what you were feeling and what you really wanted. But anything you came up with seemed so lame, so stupid, so hopeless, so desperate, and even though you felt like all of these things, that was not how you wanted to portray yourself in front of him for all people. 

He softly touched your arm, his hand warm, and you jumped at the sudden contact. He stepped back in surprise at your reaction. “Sorry”, he mumbled, “I just wanted to say that I didn’t mind my time here. You really helped me out well”. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, clearly not too used to being soft in someone’s presence, and he smiled an adorable smile as he said those words, a mix of embarrassment and sincerity on his face. You felt like melting, and had to suppress the urge to just wrap your arms around him in a tight hug. With those broad shoulders and strong arms, you were quite sure that the hug he’d give back would be heavenly. But you didn’t, because again, that would be so strange with no indications beforehand that that was what you wanted. 

You nodded, a soft smile on your face as well. “You’re welcome. If you ever have some spare time and get bored, you know the way… or well, you don’t but you’ll find it.” He frowned a little at your remark, but the glint in his eyes betrayed that he found it quite amusing too. He picked up his bag, and opened the door. “Bye then?” “Goodbye Zoro”

A box of kittens. You had nearly tripped over them when you left the shelter to go home for the day. The box was in front of the door and weak, tiny mewls already betrayed its content as you did your utmost best to regain your balance. You kneeled down next to it, carefully opened up the top. Four little kittens, way too young to be away from the mother yet. Already emotional from the happenings of the day you felt tears well up in your eyes. You picked up the box and placed it inside, immediately grabbing whatever supplies you could find to keep the kittens warm, furiously wiping at your eyes in order to clear the tears before they could stream down your cheeks. Things like this could make you so furious. And oh, if only Zoro was still here to calm you down and help out a little. 

You had to take a few deep breaths and gather your thoughts. You had to get out, running for some kitten milk. These babies needed their nutrients and you’d probably spend the night in the shelter making sure they were fed whenever they needed it, keeping an eye on them. So you’d have to go get an overnight bag. But that would mean you would be away from them for a considerable time. You decided that the food was the most important part and literally sprinted to the most nearby pet store, mentally reminding yourself to book an appointment at the vet asap when you were back. 

Sunken deep in thoughts, you weren’t seeing where you were walking, running straight into someone, stumbling and falling on your back in the process. Great. That was what you needed. Some public humiliation while you were already at the verge of a little breakdown. You started to mumble a string of incoherent apologies when you looked up at a surprisingly familiar figure. “y/n?” “Zoro? What are you doing here?” “The apartment I live in is right here. What are you doing here?” He pointed upward at an apartment building and offered you his hand to get up. You grabbed it, and for a split second you wondered how he could possibly take up to two hours to get to the shelter from his apartment that was even closer to the shelter than his college campus was. But then you were back on your feet and you remembered the kittens. Your mind immediately regained some focus again. “Kittens” “What?” “Someone dropped a box of newborn kittens at the door. They will die without supervision, milk and warmth. So I'm getting some food for them and I’ll be staying the night with them to keep an eye on them” You managed to get all things out in one breath, almost turning to start walking again. No matter how much more time you actually wanted to spend in his presence, you knew it was a race against the clock to help the little babies, and those were your top priority right now. 

Zoro’s eyes grew wide. No matter how much he didn’t always connect with some of your furry friends that he had to take care of, he too was filled with rage when he had heard tales of people mishandling them and the reason why some were so scared and defensive when he was too loud or too brisk. You apologized again, explaining that you really had to go, that time was of the essence, and started walking. You were surprised to notice Zoro walking with you. 

“I’ll come with you.”  “What?”  “I’ll come with you. You need food too. And probably some blankets or something for the night right? You need some rest if you are going to take care of everything we usually do and then the new kittens on top of that. I’ll help” 

It was not a question, not even an offer. More a matter-of-a-fact-statement and even though every polite fiber in your being was telling you to follow etiquette and politely tell him that that was absolutely not necessary, you couldn’t push away the overwhelming relief and admiration you felt for this man in that moment and you accepted his help immediately.

You were back at the shelter in a matter of minutes, basic supplies for the kittens in hand, and the vet already on the phone as you followed their instructions on how to take care of them overnight, so you could bring them in for checkup and more detailed advice first thing in the morning. Knowing that Zoro would come and help you out, had done wonders for your mood, your resolve and your nerves. You felt more steady, like you could actually pull this off without neglecting either the kittens or any of the other animals that also needed your attention. 

Zoro had promised to go get some things to make the night at the shelter a little more comfortable and something for you to eat, because he figured you probably were starving at that point. And while you had not eaten yet, the adrenaline made you not feel the hunger. Now that things were calming down and the adrenaline was wearing off, you could feel your stomach grumble and you were mentally thanking your green-haired hero for his considerate streak. He had literally no obligation to help you out in any way. He was no longer officially volunteering. He had nothing to gain. He was probably on his ways to get a couple of beers and blissfully pass out after an evening of fun with his roommates. But he had seen you in distress and decided to help, and it had warmed your heart and given you renewed energy. 

The kittens were left to sleep a little after you had given all the first help that you could under the phone-guidance of the local vet clinic, and now you were nervously waiting on the couch for Zoro to return. You were nervous cause of the kittens, but you also caught yourself being a little nervous about the fact that he’d be keeping you company for the night. Not that you were seeing this as a date of any kind, but just the mere idea gave you the shivers in a nervous kind of way. 

He arrived only a little after you sat down, bag with a big blanket and some drinks in one hand, and another one holding a steaming bag of takeaway food. “I’m sorry it took me so long, I got -” “lost” you chuckled, “no worries, I got the first things taken care off” 

You patted the spot next to you on the couch. “Sit down, thank you for getting food. And thank you for helping out… I… I think I might have had a little breakdown if it wasn’t for your presence” He shrugged off the praise. “I am already used to helping out here, and besides, I kind of liked spending time with you, so a little extra won’t hurt”. 

He said those words so easily, you wanted to smack him for how casual he was about it,  and how bluntly and honestly he expressed his feelings, while you shared the same feelings but didn’t dare utter a single word. You grabbed the food instead and the blanket, sitting down so you could both sit down comfortably, keep an eye on the kittens and eat without too many problems. He got the hint, and made himself more comfortable on the couch as well.

The evening flew by. You had food, checked up on the kittens regularly per the vet’s instructions, and since there were no other chores to do, you could actually have some proper talks with Zoro. He was still not really as talkative, but he answered your questions, told you some more details about his life that he had not mentioned before. You could almost physically feel yourself growing more and more attracted to him, and nearly felt guilty about it. 

Despite all the adrenaline wearing you off and making you tired, you stayed up a remarkably long time, Zoro’s company and the kittens keeping you awake for longer than you had expected to stay up. But now it was nearing 4am and you were feeling your eyelids grow heavy. You were telling Zoro something about why you dropped out of high school, but you kept losing track of your own sentences. You had to think long and hard before repeating the few words you had already said. The playful smirk that was present on his face as you were struggling to find cohesion in your story didn’t help either. He thought it incredibly endearing, and when your eyes finally shut without opening again, and a soft snore could be heard, he very carefully moved you a bit so you would lay more comfortably. He crossed his arms and legs and leaned back in order to get some shuteye as well. 

You woke up to your alarm, that you had set up to go off every few hours, just so you could check up on the kittens and go through all the steps again. Your eyes and whole body felt heavy and it was harder to get up than expected. Not only because you were incredibly tired still, but also because a muscled arm was snugly resting around your midsection. You were sure you had fallen asleep on one end of the couch, but for some reason, you were leaning on Zoro, and he had wrapped an arm around you to secure you and make sure you didn’t slip off the couch. 

Your heart skipped a beat and you got up rather briskly. Of course, the sudden movement made Zoro wake up as well, and he seemed just as embarrassed as you were about the slightly compromising positions you had been napping in. You quickly cleared your throat, muttering ‘kittens’ before standing up, checking up on the babies and going through the motions. Without having to say anything, Zoro got up and started the morning chores already. It was way too early for those, but before you could protest he said that he’d get them started as long as you were working on the kittens, so you both could have a little more rest before your planned vet visit. You gave him a grateful smile. 

When the work was done, you called Zoro back, and you both sat down on the couch again. He seemed incredibly relaxed, almost as if he had forgotten that you were practically cuddling a little while ago, the mere thought of the sensation of his strong arm holding you making your heart race again. You shifted positions seven times in the span of three minutes and you could feel him staring at you, one brow raised in confusion at your almost yoga-like contortions you were trying in order to get comfortable. 

“Are you okay y/n?” 

“Yeah...I...I just… I don’t know how I could ever thank you properly” “Well… I already got my credit. But your head resting on my chest was kind of nice. Maybe a goodnight kiss before we go to sleep again for a little while?” He sounded casual, but he was avoiding eye-contact, regretting the words as they left his mouth. Your eyes grew so big they were about to pop up out of your sockets. “I mean, if you don’t mind if not… I…” Now it was his turn to get flustered, the little bit of smooth talk he had had earlier completely gone as the inner panic set in of maybe misunderstanding your previous actions, glances, words, and ministrations. 

You gathered up all your courage, and gave him a soft peck on the lips, seeing his eyes widen in surprise and the tips of his ears turn red before you rested your head on his broad chest. “You know for that payment, I’m willing to hire you as a full time worker here.” you hummed contently. He let out a few confused grunts, surprised by your bout of confidence, not seeing that you were trying to hide the insane embarrassment on your face. Face red, he managed to utter just one response before you drifted off into sleep again. “I’m gonna need a little more payment than just that. But well, I’ll consider it” 

fin.