#but as much as I don't want to move away from Best Cat I inevitably have to talk about that note.

[stillthewc]

Face Off

Katsumi has her suspect on lock, but said suspect brings up a point that throws a wrench into her argument entirely. Will she be able to end this trial…?

CHAPTER 3 FINALE IS FINALLY HERE!!! *PARTY HORN NOISE* You guys better strap yourselves in because this chapter is real fun. And also has some of my favourite illustrations of this Fangan so far so that's cool haha

I hope you guys enjoy!

[skzoologist]

Unfamiliarity [six]

word count: ~10.7k

warnings: Please refer to the series 'Summary' post, as it is updated whenever needed!

summary: Things are revealed and heating up, leaving Bae uncertain with his own feelings.

a/n: A new chapter, new problems arising. I've had this one in mind for a while now, but holidays got incredibly hectic (with my family getting two new husky babies), so I can only apologise for taking this long. I'll try my best to get the next one out as soon as I can, and I hope you'll have fun reading this one!

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

!I don't condone anyone stealing my work and posting it anywhere without my permission, or feeding it to AI!

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

previous II masterlist II next

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

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

Next time I awoke to the feeling of rustling, someone moving around in the nest. It urged me to open my eyes with haste, the harsh morning lights blurring my vision for a few seconds.

My eyes met with soft brown ones, the colour melted and swirling inside, pulling me into its depths without any resistance. The ears atop his head that sported the same shade flicked once, gaze never leaving mine, only for the brief period of a slow blink. His features softened, much gentler compared to his sharp angles and harsh exterior he usually wore.

Lino crawled back to me, little paws careful about their placement, each step calculated and mindful of the bodies peacefully resting upon each other. Our eyes never left each other, as if he knew I needed that reassurance, that safeness he could provide me with through such a simple gesture. And maybe only he could grant me this feeling of security in such a pure way, I wouldn’t know, not in this tangled mess of feelings.

His tiny head bumped into mine, rubbing fur against fur in a heap of warm colours. A deep rumble left my chest, so low and so quiet that you could only feel it, not even hear it. I inevitably leaned down and trapped his much smaller form underneath my own head, tucking him between my front paws and against my chest.

I didn’t want to let him out of my sight, or anyone, for that matter. The urge to do so much too powerful to fight, consuming me whole and lighting me ablaze from the inside out.

Lino settled down where I’d trapped him without any complaints, his chest letting out lil purrs, the sound ever so slightly becoming delightfully stronger and more prominent. It drew a silent sigh out of me, a stiffness in my muscles I had never noticed now painfully obvious, causing me to forcefully relax them and become lax. 

My body laid against the wolf’s as he was blanketing my back, him being the only one near my size, even with my lanky limbs tucked away. The puppy and the dangerously tiny pika rested against my stomach, heads and limbs buried in there comfortably. Two big cats were partly laying on top of me and everyone else, probably not fitting anywhere else in this single bed. Their spotted tails were tangled amongst limbs upon limbs, as if they were trying to hug and tie everyone together in a desperate attempt.

A whiff told me that everyone had calmed down after what had happened the previous day, the danger and anger mostly gone, although not completely. The flowers were still prickly, the pine trees still much too tall, and that sweetness in the air still sat heavily in your lungs. There was no storm anymore, only an occasional harsh breeze, yet the sun hadn’t come out of its hiding place. A sea could be heard in the distance, waves crashing against rocks in an endless loop, the scent of salt sitting heavily in the vanilla-permeated air, something that felt off a smidge. The citrus smelled tangy too, acidic, something probably only I could pick up on, as it was so faint and hidden away.

And the easel? It was still knocked down, as if it had remained untouched all this time.

It all surprised me, how painfully obvious and straightforward their anger was. It was basically palpable, bristling my fur in warning, even though they had been and still were angry for my sake. 

Mine. 

Not anyone else’s, but mine. It left a strange feeling in my chest, my whole body, one that caused my eyes to become glossy and hazy.

I felt someone stirring against my back, a little yawn and a huff leaving his form upon his waking. Channie nudged my head gently once he saw I had been awake, his own way of greeting me in the morning without lips to form words. I nudged him back, earning a satisfied huff before he placed his head back down on top of mine, apparently finding the position comfortable enough. Not having any other options, I let him lay there, soaking up his warmth greedily, feeling as the anger slowly seeped out of him and turned into a small flame, simmering inside.

While I didn’t like that it’d remained, I had to accept it, grateful that its size was now much more reduced than compared to before.

Slowly, the others woke up as well, affectionately greeting each other in the morning. I let them do so even to me, appreciating the gestures after what had happened. It calmed down the voices inside my head, ushering them away with no way back.

Bones cracked and muscles tore, the sounds of shifting loud in the serene silence of the room.

“As much as I love a good cuddle session, I’m starving, and so are you guys. I heard those growls coming from your stomachs, don’t even try to deny it. Now c’mon, up, get up.” - Channie said, laughter sitting on the edge of his words.

Groans and whines could be heard, pushing the still very naked wolf into bouts of laughter, eyes crinkling and dimples peeking out. I watched it all unfold, the laughter eventually ebbing away into small giggles and stopping, the others shifting back into their humanoid forms as well, grumbling and whining along the way, now able to be more vocal about it.

“But I was soooooo comfyyyy~” - it was Jisung, body draped over the wolf’s and gripping at him in annoyance. “Yeah, it’s rare for Bae hyung to do this, I don’t care about food! Even Binnie hyung agrees with me, right?” - Felix defiantly said, arms crossed and a pout sitting upon his pink lips.

Surprisingly, the pika wasted no time in agreeing with the feline, body still half sprawled out on me even after his shift. His voice was loud so close by, making my ears flinch and flick in pain. Jin was quick to gently cover them, the tips of his fingers pleasantly cold against my burgundy fur.

“Stop whining and fucking go, I’m freezing to death over here.” - the puppy complained, a scowl sitting on his face. “Oi, language!” “You can shut up old man, I bet you’re too old to feel the cold.” “Lmao, gottem!” “Lixieee…”

The playful banter continued on, even after the wolf had tossed one of his gigantic hoodies to the little pup, the fabric engulfing his form and practically eating him alive. The black accentuated his golden fur, as if he was a brightly burning star amidst the veil of darkness. Everyone raided Channie’s and Lixie’s wardrobe, stealing hoodies and other clothes left and right, not caring about the words of protests they had gotten at that.

Lixie was chasing Jin around, the latter comically putting on some loose pants while running away, nearly tripping and landing on the floor face first twice. Channie gave up trying to wrestle back a black hoodie from Binnie’s tight grip, a sigh leaving his nose with a small smile curving along his lips. His eyes met mine, a question swimming around the orbs as his face twisted into slight confusion.

“Baby, aren’t you coming as well? Minho cannot get up until you do, with the way you’re holding him hostage.”

The others’ heads turned towards my still laying form at that, their bodies frozen mid-action. I only tightened my hold around the small feline amidst my paws, feeling strangely affectionate towards him.

Something inside told me to be.

When the wolf came up to us, his hand stretched out and reached out towards our direction, a low whine left my throat, afraid that he would take Lino away. He immediately stilled, eyebrows furrowed and lips dipping down.

“Baby, hey. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or Minho, you know that, right?” - he gently whispered to me, voice so sweet it might as well have been dipped into honey.

I huffed, knowing fully well that he was right. But that something inside me was ancient, a feral urge, something that I hadn’t known about before. Never have I felt this, my days had been purely spent trying to survive in the past.

The chocolate-coated feline wiggled in my hold, making me loosen it and lift up my head, his wet nose bumping into mine in comfort. I closed my eyes and buried my snout into his long fur, allowing the mellow scent of the flowers to soothe my soul and settle into my marrow, weighing pleasantly upon my very being.

They had a hint of an earthly scent to them, one you would only feel out in the open fields, in wilderness far from human-touched cities and pollution.

A soft meow broke me out of my stupor, another tiny lick on my nose as the sitting feline just observed me with an entire sea’s worth of patience. My chest squeezed at the mere thought of it, urging me to look away before I broke down in front of watchful eyes.

Fingers glided through my thick fur, leading my gaze up to Channie’s, the gentlest of smiles sitting on his face. He didn’t seem angry or frustrated at my weird behaviour that not even I fully understood. No, he seemed understanding, if anything, a light dancing around in his caring eyes. The trees swayed gently in the wind, their colours vibrant and comforting now.

Not being able to bear that gaze, that expression any longer, I turned back towards the still awaiting feline and nudged him towards my back. It only took a few seconds for him to understand my intentions, paws making their way towards my back and climbing atop. By the way his weight distributed, he probably splayed himself there, limbs out and dangling freely at my sides.

Knowing he was safe there and close enough, I stood up, following the others. I saw a few share some glances, unable to fully hide their worries from my keen senses. It was all displayed in their scents, the emotion painfully obvious.

But who was I to blame them? I didn’t know what had gotten into me either.

The human, Jisoo, could be seen in the front room, sitting on the couch with now two felines draped over both his arms. Lixie and Jin had always been more affectionate than others, attacking everyone for a quick cuddle whenever. Had you been sleeping, peacefully reading, or even cooking? No matter, you were a prime candidate for some peak cuddling.

“Ah, there you two are, I was wondering.” - Jisoo happily greeted us, smile brightening the more time he spent in everyone’s presence.

I nodded at him with a few swishes of my tail, watching his whole face lit up in response. My ears flattened against my head, embarrassed, glad for the fur hiding my flushed skin.

“So, what happened yesterday?”

Jisoo’s question felt like cold rain upon already soaked fur, making me freeze in my tracks as I had been walking towards the couch. The atmosphere immediately changed, the air heavy and burdensome. I could see Lixie open and close his mouth several times, no sound leaving his still form that now sat there somberly.

“Some fucker approached Changbin hyung and Seungminnie on their run, wanting to speak to you. Just to buy Bae hyung.” - Jin spit out, as if the words themselves were venom.

Everyone tensed at that, the memories not pleasant in the slightest. Jin had a deep scowl etched upon his face, tail lashing out in fury. Binnie was clenching his fists and jaw so hard I was starting to worry he would break a bone, the skin at the joints turning dangerously white. Lixie just became even sadder, a muted anger hiding somewhere deep inside his freckled gaze. Sungie was similar, curling into the snow leopard’s side into a small ball. Lino shifted atop my back, fur pressing against fur. The puppy was staring off into space, yet one of his hands was clutching onto his pants, the fabric nearly ripping in two.

Yet, they couldn’t compare to whatever the wolf must have been feeling, the emotion so clear in his entire body that I was sure he could cause a city to fall, if he so wished.

“Hyunjin…” - he grated out, anger now directed towards the mentioned leopard. “What? Jisoo has every right to know!” “He does, but did you have to say it like that?!” “Oh, so I should have stayed quiet, just so you could omit most of the info??” - Jin defended himself, hands harshly lifted into the air. “You know that’s not what–” “Enough.”

Everyone looked at Jisoo at that, his now standing form tall and voice intimidating, cold. He didn’t say anything else, just stood there, trying to take back control over his heavy breathing. Nobody dared to utter a word, not even our leader, Channie.

A vein popped out on the human’s forehead, scent so soured and ruined, I nearly whined. That once pleasant scent of grass now too strong, as if the plants were left alone to grow for centuries, standing tall and unyielding. No sweetness could be found nearby, as if the joy was somehow killed out of the scenery.

Not uttering a word, he walked towards the kitchen counter, steps long and calculated. His shoulders seemed stiff, a hand clenched together into a tight fist.

“Wait, Jisoo, don’t–” “No, Chan, I should have done this long ago, when the first person approached us.” “But–” “No buts.”

Jisoo left no room for arguments, effectively shutting our entire pack up with a few words.

Once he had reached his desired location, his unclenched hand took his phone into its hold, the skin slowly gaining back its healthy colour.

The rings in the room were deafening as he held the device up to his ear, breathing now seemingly under his control.

“Hey, yea, it’s me. Look, I know you’re super busy, but I need your help. Remember the hybrid I told you about? The one I took off the streets, yeah. Well some fuckers keep approaching not even me, but HIM about wanting to buy him! Can you fucking believe this?! I know, that’s what I said too! Anyway, you’re the one who has experience in things like this, which is why I called you. Mhm. Yea. Of course, just call me whenever I’m needed. I owe you one, really. Thanks, I'll text ya later, bye.”

While Jisoo had been talking, Channie rubbed at his face, sighing heavily. I’d looked at him, head tilted and gaze worried.

“Ah, don’t worry, baby. It’s just… I didn’t want to tell Jisoo like this exactly because of this. That’s a good friend of his, Laneul-ssi, someone with a well-known corporation under his belt. I don’t know much, since it’s all related to the field of biology and medicine, but I do know not to piss him off. He had won several lawsuits, having been in situations exactly like ours before.” - he explained, expression softening. “He has a big pack, like ours, with seven hybrids. Most of them are unique species as well, like us, which is why this stupid shit keeps happening.” - Lixie grumbled out, that hidden anger emerging for a split second from the depths. “Yea, but you don’t need to worry, they’re all great! My best bud, Woo, is there as well. They might be idiots, but they are our idiots.” - Binnie excitedly shared, frustration temporarily melting away.

The others had no idea who they were talking about, never having met them. Lino probably had, but he had no way of talking, instead lounging around on my back comfortably and meowing at us in agreement. Or disagreement, based on the other felines’ reactions.

“Minho hyung, don’t say that!” “Meow meow” “I’m telling this to Seonghwa hyung.”

At that smug face Lixie had made, Lino hissed, earning a laugh from the leopard. Jin just chuckled along, enjoying the drama full force. We others merely watched it, only understanding one half of the conversation.

Jisoo came back, tiredly falling back onto the couch and carding his fingers through his hair, messing up the dark curls impossibly more.

“You didn’t have to do that, you kno’” - Channie said, voice quiet and timid even. “Shush, I had to. Or do you think so lowly of me to just stand by and let these things happen to you guys?” - Jisoo nearly growled out, hurt and anger dripping from his voice. “No, of course not, I never meant for it to sound like that! I could never be more grateful to have been adopted by you. Not only that, but for you to help hybrids by taking them in from the streets and abusive households. None of us would be here without you, living such a happy and free life. I’m sorry, please know that I love you for all you do for our sake.” - Channie immediately scrambled up and took Jisoo’s cheek into his hand, stroking the skin there with a thumb as he spoke. “Yeah, yeah, I know. ‘m sorry, didn’t mean to snap like that. I love all of you, you’re basically my family. I just fucking despise fuckers like these, calling them amoebas would be insulting to the poor life forms.” - Jisoo sighed out, covering the wolf’s hand with his own and drawing a few chuckles out of some of us with his last comment.

I finally walked up to the couch, nudging Jin’s leg and gaining his attention, successfully making him move so I could get up onto the furniture as well. My moves were careful, not wishing for the feline on my back to accidentally slide down and potentially hurt himself, even though I knew he was more than capable of landing safely were he to fall.

Once I was up and laying down, the leopard guided my head into his lap, my weight heavily settling into his thighs. A hand of his immediately attached itself onto my fur, the digits burying into the base of my ear and impossibly relaxing me.

The noise around me lessened, mind taken off of the chatter and chaos. I was transported back to that open field, the easel standing proudly at the edge, the vivid vermillion and black now off to the side in their respective containers. The white canvas had been painted a soothing blue, the painter dabbing the brush against it gently, creating fluffy looking clouds.

As if sensing my presence, he turned his head back, a gentle smile taking its place on his face and drawing tiny dimples out of their hiding places. I blinked at him slowly, the gesture being the only thing exchanged between us as he went back to painting, my own body laying down nearby, the cool touch of a tree’s shadow caressing my fur.

I spent my time there, just lazily lying amidst the grass and flowers, the sounds of the painter perfectly blending in with the ones that came from nature itself. A small stroke of the brush here, a wider one there, a little dip into the paint. He even hummed sometimes, his voice impossibly soft and making me yearn for more whenever he stopped.

“But then–” “Sshhh!” “What do you mean shh, Lixi–” “Oh my god Changbin, just shush, Bae hyung is finally asleep.” “Oooh, uhm, my bad.”

While I wasn’t asleep just yet, I could understand why they had thought so, my own mind barely making sense of their words as it stood at the fragile edge of unconsciousness.

The sound of skin tearing and bones breaking could be heard, the fur on my back bristling as it felt cold now, nothing there to shield and warm it anymore.

“He isn’t, not yet. But I don’t think he’s far from it, seeing as he’s not even reacting right now.” - it was Lino, uttering a quick thanks afterwards, the sound of fabric being shuffled around filling up the silence.

Not even a minute later he sat down next to me, his breath hitting my ears as he glided his fingers through my fur, not leaving my side completely. Jin never stopped with his own administrations, the two soothing my entire being continuously.

“I’m glad he’s resting now, he seemed kind of out of it. What was with him and not letting you out of his sight anyway?” - Lixie muttered, voice not raised so as to not wake me. “I have no clue, but I was afraid he would panic if I left. There was something off about his scent too, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.” “I think… I think a part of his brain took over, after what happened yesterday.” “Sungie is right, that seemed like something an instinct-driven hybrid would do. He probably didn’t even realise it, by the way he’d acted when I first approached you two in the bed.” “Mh, but nothing bad happened, right?” “No, you don’t have to worry, Jisoo. The events just really spooked him, more than he lets on probably.”

The puppy’s voice was the last one I had heard, only a few more words making sense to me before I finally drifted off, the lands of sleep claiming my weary soul.

-.-

Distant voices of bickering awoke me, my ears flickering already in annoyance as I had easily identified who the perpetrators were: Jin and Sungie.

The two had always had a strange spark between them, and not the good kind. The signs had always been there, some I had noticed as well. The bitter glances when only one of them got what they had wanted, or the challenging gazes they sent the other when something stupid had crossed their minds. They probably thought they were slick, never causing a scene openly.

But I had heard their arguments occasionally, midday naps and long nights messing up my usual sleeping schedule often enough to catch them with my sharp hearing, much to the dismay of the wolf. Never were any of the arguments with good reason, as if they were children fighting over a toy.

And I had enough of it.

Blinking my bleary eyes open, I stood up from the couch and stretched, a satisfied sigh leaving my nostrils after a few of my joints popped, getting rid of that uncomfortable feeling. Nobody else was in the room, not even Lino, burying the seed of panic into my body. But before it could blossom I took a deep breath, carefully identifying everyone’s whereabouts.

Channie and Binnie were in their workroom, the two tinkering away on something alone. I never knew what they were doing in there, no sound escaping the place at all. Lixie and the puppy were in the leopard’s room, most probably playing, as they had been regularly doing that lately. Lino’s scent seemed to have been in that same room, probably lounging around and taking another short nap, knowing him. Jisoo seemed to have left the house, something I didn’t appreciate, as it had been a day without work for him originally, and I was sure I hadn’t slept for a whole day. He almost always spent these particular days with us, watching a show on TV or playing on Lixie’s devices.

Taking another deep breath and calming myself down as much as I could, I took off towards my own room, claws silently tip-tapping against the boards underneath. I hurriedly made my way into my room, opening the door with my mouth and shifting back inside, in the safety of my den. Not a thought was formed about what clothes I would put on, the matter at hand much too pressing for me to do so.

Fully clothed and annoyance at its peak, I quickly made my way to the two’s loud voices, no care given as I barged in through the door and into the room.

“You two talk it out right now, this has to stop.” - my voice came out a bit too frustrated and harsh, causing them to flinch.

They both just blinked up at me with wide eyes, the words frozen inside their rigid forms. I merely crossed my arms after I had closed the door behind me and leaned against it, raising up an eyebrow at their unresponsive forms.

As I could see both of them open their mouths, excuses on the tips of their tongues, I straightened up and pushed myself off the door.

“No. Talk it out. Right now.”

Jin and Sungie gulped, gazes casted down towards the floor in shame. I patiently stood there, waiting for any of them to start, my own tail agitatedly swishing behind me.

It had taken nearly five whole minutes for them to start, but Jin finally opened his mouth and started speaking. He spilled out all his frustrations, how he hated the way Sungie stole our attention away and flaunted around with it, greedily asking for more at any given moment. He told us how he hated the way the squirrel acted, much too obnoxious for his tastes.

In return, the squirrel had done the same. He spoke of his fears, his own distaste against Jin’s personality, how he acted too dramatic and overexaggerated everything. The way Jin had a habit of fooling around and occasionally starting a playful banter annoyed him, making him feel smaller and inferior.

The two spoke for a long while, the ice having been broken and letting the words flow seamlessly. I quietly stood by the side the whole time, a silent spectator, nothing more. Channie tried to come in once, probably to check up on us as he usually did, but I silently signed for him to go, knowing I would have to tell him the details later. Jin and Sungie had been too absorbed in their conversation to even notice the whole thing happening, something I was grateful for.

Eventually, they had come to an agreement, shaking hands on it. A smile sneaked its way onto my lips, my previously still tail now swishing gently around.

Problems between pack members had always been stressful, something I ceaselessly tried my best to prevent from happening. So far I had succeeded, only because everyone clicked well together, merely small arguments rising up that had usually gotten resolved in a day or two. That was until the day Sungie came home, the previously perfectly clicking puzzle now disturbed.

Looking back at the two, I found them slightly joking around, my eyes widening in surprise. I was glad they were having fun together, of course I was, but never had I expected them to change attitudes with each other this fast. They were practically different people now!

Sungie’s eyes flashed with what I could only call pure mischief as he’d caught my observing gaze, that smile only widening on his lips and taking on a lovely heart shape. Not even a second later his entire body shot towards me, tails and even his ears wiggling around in happiness, scent a comforting sea breeze that caressed my skin. His limbs latched onto me without hesitation, my balance only maintained through hard work and sheer luck with the force he had launched himself at me.

“Yah, I wanted to do that!” - that was the only warning I had gotten from the leopard before he had done the same thing, proudly attaching himself to my back.

My own limbs were burning from the exertion, not built to carry this much weight so suddenly. Yet, I only tightened my hold on the squirrel on my front, tail brushing against his and Jin’s legs with no hesitation. My senses were enveloped in a wonderful sensation, everything calm and serene around me. The sea was placid now completely, gently lapping at my paws, while the easel stood nearby proudly, the scenery perfectly painted upon its canvas with soothing colours.

The silent sigh that left my form was inevitable, its escape out of my control.

Even with all that, I knew my limits, so I hastily turned towards the door and nudged the little squirrel in my hold to open it for me, the boy doing so hesitantly. His head was buried in the crook of my neck on one side, Jin’s head hidden on the other. Once he had returned there after his task had been done -quietly grumbling the whole time-, a sigh so deep had left him, he nearly deflated as if the air had been taken out of him.

With my way being cleared, albeit it had been a hard task, I continued on my journey to the living room, my steps careful and controlled. I didn’t want to accidentally slip, especially on the stairs, nor did I want to jostle them too much, their scents too elated and breaths too deep for that. It was a miracle Jin hadn’t slipped down from my back, with how he only kept himself there with his own force, even in his slumber.

“Whatcha got there?” - Lixie asked, much too adorable for me to be mad at him and his amusement.

I quietly grunted and just settled down, careful not to sit on Jin and leave him enough space between me and the back of the sofa. All the while Lixie and Binnie had been giggling and chuckling, the latter nearly going into that usual shrill laughter of his, had the awake leopard not warned him with a slap on the arm.

“You know, with the way they’re clinging to you, you would think they don’t hate each other.” “Not anymore.”

The snow leopard just owlishly blinked back at me, Binnie doing the exact same, words frozen into both for a few solid seconds. I couldn’t keep down the smile that crept up on my lips, watching them process the information. The moment where it all clicked in them could have been pinpointed with scary accuracy, their entire face lighting up in delight.

“Oh you sneaky bastard, I knew you were up to something.” - Binnie said, crossing his arms and smirking up at me. “Is that why you disappeared the last like, 2 hours, Hyung? Damn, I wanted to see it though. Bet you were angry.” “Why would you want to see him angry?”

At that, Lixie made an ‘are you kidding me?’ face, eyes sharp and judging. The tiny pika had nearly shrunk into himself, understanding dawning on him mere seconds after.

“Yea, okay, no, I cannot blame you. I bet 10 bucks he’s like Chan hyung, silent and scary.”

B-Binnie??

“I bet 20 bucks he’s actually loud and growls at you.”

Lixie?!?

“Deal.” “Great!”

What the fuck?!???!

My expression must have completely reflected my inner thoughts because the two bursted into laughter the moment they had made eye contact with me, bending over in pain and gasping for air. Nothing held their voices back anymore, that high-pitched, shrill laughter now free to roam the halls of the house. The two stirred on my chest and back, understandably awoken and confused.

“Mh, what happened?” - Sungie murmured out, cheeks squished against my clothed front. “Don’t mind them, go back to sleep.” “Then they better fucking shut up before I chuck something at them.” - Jin added in, his usual, easily irritable self coming out after being woken up.

You never woke Jin up, that was an unwritten rule in this household. Unless you wanted to lose a finger or two and be covered in scratch marks, then, sure, you could freely do so.

Yet, the two amused ones merely started laughing harder, having the time of their life, Lixie even having fallen off the furniture altogether. I started to grow worried, air seemingly avoiding their lungs like the plague.

“What’s the topic of laughter, hm?” - Channie asked, having sneaked up on me and causing me to slightly jump. “I– Y’should’ve–” - Lixie tried to say, only to completely fail and fall into another bout of laughter, following Binnie as the pika couldn’t even form words in the first place.

The wolf hummed once again, that warm light dancing in his dark eyes once again, a gentle smile sitting on his face as he just watched the two, his body leaned against the back of the sofa. A hand came up to support his head, most of the weight held up by his elbow now.

He looked so serene, his scent freely let out for everyone to feel. Those previously angry trees were now quieter, calmer, the sun shining on their thin leaves freely. An underlying hint of something wet, rotting reached my nose, but it was gone within the same second, leaving me blinking and questioning myself.

The laughter subsided, leaving them teary eyed and flushed. Channie went ahead and ruffled their hair, making them whine and playfully pout at him. It was all just a ruse, they both enjoyed it and weren’t even doing a good job at hiding it.

“Baby, can you come with me for a second? I wanna talk about somethin’.”

I nodded back, slowly peeling Jin and Sungie off of me, their limbs securely attached to my body. It was an arduous task, one so difficult, I considered just taking off my hoodie and letting them have it. But with enough struggling and determination, I had succeeded, taking the wolf’s offered hand and letting him pull me up.

Something was off about him.

As we were walking back up the stairs after a brief goodbye to Lixie and Bin, he slightly shrunk in on himself, his entire presence seeming somehow timid even. That same rotting smell appeared once more, the hybrid unable to hide it from me, even if he pushed it back down in the next second.

The last time he had acted like this was when I had to visit the doctor, and it pulled at my stomach with a vicious force.

My room greeted me back, everything left untouched from the time I had come in here for some clothes earlier this day. The wolf sat down upon the bed, patting the empty place next to him in hopes of inviting me closer. His eyes avoided mine, depriving me of those warm depths I loved getting lost in.

It squeezed my throat shut.

“I–,   sigh   Baby, we love you, you know that, right? That we trust you and you can trust us?” - he sighed out, hands finding one of mine and taking it in their tender hold.

I nodded, watching as his thumbs caressed the light skin underneath, occasionally drawing little shapes in there.

“We’ve been talkin’ with the others and… How do I say this? Gosh, sorry, I’m just a babblin’ mess. What I’m trying to say is that we know you went through a lot, and we think talking to someone about it would help you. A lot.”

His eyes finally found mine, hands holding onto me stronger when he felt I had tensed up.

“I know it’s scary, and you deciding to tell us what you went through or not is completely up to you. But it’s not good to bottle it all up, which is why I propose that you go and seek therapy. Talk it out with a professional, go at your own pace. The reign would be completely in your hand, nobody would force you into saying anything.”

His words were so sincere I had to accept them, pulling myself away from the edges of panic and remembering. I couldn’t do that to him, to shatter right when he was just trying to help me. The weight of that act would pull me to the depths of the void, letting it claim me immediately.

“‘Course, if ya want it, one of us would accompany you there if you so wanted it. Just please, consider it, ‘kay? We only want the best for ya and nothing less.”

Those hands never let go of mine, that voice never raised and instead remained a gentle whisper, a soothing balm to my panicked soul. A shaky breath left my lips, only now noticing the slight tremors running through my body. Warmth seeped into me wherever he touched me, as if I was a freezing traveller on the streets, death waiting briefly to claim me.

Hands enveloped me completely, the world moving as I was hoisted up, head buried right in the curve under his jaw, slotting myself in there out of instinct. Heat travelled up and down my back repeatedly, touches firm, as if he was reassuring me of his everlasting presence.

Before I would let my head be filled with his scent, I murmured into his skin a promise, a reassurance of thinking about it seriously. His hand stilled for a single second, that scent of pine and moss blooming with full force. My hands sneaked up his back, grabbing onto the fabric there as an anchor for myself. I felt myself running around in the woods, soaking up the sun and letting it bleed into my fur and bones, the breeze pleasant and not angry in the slightest.

My lungs heaved, having run around for a while, and now I found myself standing at the edge of that meadow I loved once again. The air smelled sweet and fruity, the scent of salt and paint permeating it as well. Yet, I was purely focused on those mellow flowers, their light coloured petals alluring, impossibly so.

My paws took me to their fragile selves, my body inevitably laying down and enjoying their presence. My nose was carefully pressed against one of the flowers, close to the core of their scent and drinking it in, muscles relaxing impossibly more.

I was vaguely aware of the soft murmurs around me, touches belonging to different pack members, the most prominent ones careful on me, as if I was a fragile little thing, much like those flowers I loved so much.

-.-.-

The days started bleeding into each other, my worry for what the wolf had offered up to me constantly plaguing my mind.

On one hand, every fibre of my being screamed at me to refuse it, to just never talk about my past and bury them back deep down. I had survived alone for so long in the past, I could continue doing so in the future if needed. And above all that, to talk about it with a human? The mere thought disgusted me so deeply my stomach turned into knots and churned painfully.

On the other hand, I… felt guilty for thinking so. The feeling sat deep inside me, reaching every nook and cranny, infecting every cell of my body. This pack had gone so far to help me, to even love someone as broken as me. Who was I to refuse an act of kindness that came from within their beautifully selfless hearts?

I was at a standstill, a horrible one.

Not wanting to deal with it all just yet, I seeked out Lixie and the pup, knowing the two were together and playing those games on their TV again. I didn’t even need my nose to be able to tell, their loud voices and shouts echoing through the whole house. Although to be fair, nearly all of them belonged to the young leopard, most probably caused by his continuous losing streak. He had never been exceptionally good at these games, but it wasn’t like he was awful at them either. The puppy was just way better than him, it was that simple.

The door creaked slightly when I’d opened it and peeked inside, Lixie way too focused on the game to notice me, only the puppy’s head turning towards me. His smile widened, all pearly whites, eyes crinkling up and tail starting to slowly thump against the floor. They had both been sitting down there, on some soft pillows and blankets they had piled up in one spot.

My own lips stretched and arched, a slow swish could be heard from behind me. I silently walked up to the bed after having closed the door, not wanting to break the little leopard’s focus in front of me. His tongue slightly poked out from the confines of his cheeks, brows furrowed and nose occasionally scrunching up whenever his character took some damage. Angry clicks and clanks could be heard from his direction, the device in his hand somehow withstanding the abuse without any problem.

The puppy merely smiled through all this, mocking laughter leaving his form after the winner had been announced on the big screen, Lixie having slumped down and started loudly groaning and whining in defeat. His hands were nestled into his hair as he laid on the floor, face down, tearing at the blonde strands forcefully. 

Not wanting him to become bald just yet, I stood up from my seat and kneeled down next to him, bringing his smaller body into my hold. Surprised sounds left his lips, wide, dark eyes blinking up at me atop their field of stars. His round little ears instantly perked up, not in that harsh and angry angle anymore. A slender tail curled around my waist, securing himself to me.

“Hey, I was the winner, how come he gets the cuddles?” - the puppy said, pout hidden inside the tone of his voice. “‘Cuz you suck, Minnie. Git gud.” - Lixie replied, smug face hidden in the pocket of my collarbone.

The puppy gasped, arm threateningly holding up the device in hold against the feline. No real threat or anger was in his entire being, mere frustration and jealousy that only widened my smile. A wonderful idea popped into my mind, stretching my lips into a grin, alarming the puppy and making him slightly back up.

“No, no-no, Hyung, you never do anything good after you get that evil little smile on your f–  Agh-” - he grunted out, unable to fully finish his sentence before I pounced on him, smothering him with my entire body.

My arms tightly held onto his torso, wound around it and latching onto each other. Our legs tangled into the others, weaving and unweaving amidst his struggling. Lixie went along with my plan swimmingly, that same evil smile reflected upon his face. His tail curled now around one of the pup’s legs, hands buried in and tight around fabric. 

“I hate you guys. Both of you, so much.” “Don’t lie, Minnie, just admit that you love us and our cuddles. Stop being a tsundere.” “I will stuff this controller down your mouth.” “You’re welcome to try.” “Ew, no thanks.”

A chuckle left Lixie at that, successfully having disarmed the puppy and his sharp words. A similar sound left my chest as well, the sound low and hard to hear, my head much more enjoying the two’s presence and scents. They mixed disgustingly well together, the freshness of the pup and the sweetness of the feline like a match made in heaven, especially with that hint of vanilla hidden beneath.

“Dal hyung, don’t fall asleep on me again please. Last time you did, I was forced to not move for 3 hours. My bladder can only hold so much.”

Lixie snorted at that and hard, turning away and pressing a hand against his lips, entire body shaking with silent laughter. I lifted myself up, one of my hands helping in the motion, eyes scrutinisingly looking at the pup underneath.

“You wanted cuddles, but the moment you get them, you dare complain?” - I huffed out, lips downturned in a scowl.

He looked away from me, not daring to hold eye contact, scent turning duller and more muted.

“At least lemme go to the toilet when needed, you greedy Hyung…” “Hm, maybe I will.”

The conversation died out after that, the three of us silently cuddling and simply enjoying the other’s presence. That same victory music had been playing the whole time, the words ‘Player 2 wins’ searing into the screen in big, bold letters. None of us moved to turn it off, Lixie’s breathing even turning deep, his mind taken to the lands of sleep in a short time.

A hand tangled into my long strands of hair, slowly creeping up to my ears and touching them gently. The hold on them was careful, as if he was afraid of something. Digits pressed into the soft fur, massaging the area soothingly, earning a content sigh from me. It felt wonderful, never once turning unpleasant or too rough.

I had nearly joined the softly snoring feline by the time the door opened, making me open my eyes and look around with my bleary vision.

“Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to disturb.” - it was the little squirrel, voice timid and I could already see the mental image of him fidgeting with his long sleeves before my eyes. “You’re fine. What did you want, Hyung?” - the puppy replied, sound kept at a low level for our comfort. “I uh… wanted to ask Bae hyung something?” - he was fidgeting, I was sure of it now, the soft rustling of the clothes merely confirming my suspicions.

Sungie usually wasn’t like this, his more outgoing persona in place in front of us, as if he was shielding this part of himself from the harsh world. It brought some worry into my mind, drawing a silent sigh out of my chest as I detached myself from Lixie and the pup -only after i had planted a fleeting kiss onto the skin of their necks-.

Sure enough, an anxious little herbivore greeted me, tail slightly tucked between his legs. My eyebrows furrowed, mind immediately filled with worries and all possible scenarios of what could have happened. A little smile made its way onto his lips once our eyes met, a little wobbly and even fearful.

The time it took me to cross the room to get to him could hardly be considered a second, my long legs carrying me there swiftly.

“A-ah, I’m okay Hyung, don’t look at me like that. I just… c’mere.” - he said, his own forehead creasing with worry at the sight of my expression, a hand latching onto one of mine.

He took me away, the door behind us softly pulled closed as he led the way to my own room, the click it had made loud in the shattering silence. I watched him pace around a bit once inside, one of his fingers pressed against plush lips, teeth nibbling at the skin and nail there. I was swiftly by his side once more, pulling the nearly bleeding digit away and smoothing down the irritated skin.

Eyes looked into each other, some tension leaving his form as he read my silent plea.

“I uhm, uuhh…” “Yes?” “I’mmakinganestandwantedtoaskforoneofyourhoodies!”

I blinked down at him, not really understanding what he had said, only seeing the red dust his cheeks faintly. At my head tilt he groaned into his free hand, cursing at himself silently.

“I said, I’m kinda making a nest and wanted to ask if maybe you could lend me that blue hoodie of yours? I know you love that one, so it’s okay if you say no, but that’s the only thing missing and- What are you doing?”

Not replying, I continued looking through my neatly put away clothes, easily finding the single piece of clothing he had been talking about. It was true what he had said, this particular hoodie was one of my favourites, its big size and thumb holes making it a comforting piece to wear. It even had a pocket in the front, one that I could reach through and stick my hand out on the other side. It was fun.

Thumbing the fabric and taking a deeper breath to make sure it had been soaked with my scent, I turned around and offered the hoodie up to him.

His boba eyes were wide as they stared up at me, unblinking, even his mouth was slightly agape. It confused me, not understanding his reaction to my actions.

Why wouldn’t I give it to him?

Those dark, chocolate orbs glistened as droplets started to form along their shining surface, raining down upon his skin and clothes. I grew alarmed, hastily dropping the clothing and rushing up to him, closing that small gap between us and wiping his tears away. The skin underneath my fingers was smooth and warm, heating up the cold, slender digits.

His sobs only worsened after my actions, making me halt and try to back away, to give him some space. But his hands were on my wrists in an instant, keeping me close and pulling me even closer.

I was frozen, not knowing what to do to comfort him, unable to hush the endless grateful words tumbling out of his lips. While they were muffled, his head buried into my chest, I still heard them crystal clear, growing sad from the implications of it.

Who dared to deny him comfort while nesting?

Herbivores loved to build them, to make themselves feel at home, safe and protected. That was the exact reason why only a select few could ever enter them, the notion of intruding upon them a sin amongst hybrids. The thought of Sungie having been deprived of it all sent a searing sensation down my spine, the emotions bubbling up from deep within. My teeth itched and fur bristled with a ferocity I hadn’t felt in a while, blinding me temporarily.

“–ng, Hyung, it’s okay, it’s okay. I’m fine now, hey, jagiya.” - his gentle words brought me back from that self-destructing train of thoughts, focus back on him and him alone and his impossibly soft voice.

A bittersweet little smile took its place on his face, one I didn’t like too much. It was one that was hiding pain and suffering, all past scars that had scabbed over long ago.

It was painfully familiar.

“Thank you for giving me your precious hoodie that you scented for me. Actually, hang on-”

His touch left me as I watched him go and retrieve said object, his own taken off of his form. My eyes widened in utter surprise, mouth sliding slightly open and remaining there, jaw set into place as if it had been glued there for eternity.

The skin on his body was the same as on his face, a warm shade and nearly free of any birthmarks. It looked soft, well taken care of, only the slight goosebumps were out of place as a cold breeze caressed him. Well, the only things besides something else.

That same skin sagged at his sides and down the lengths of his arms, looking irritated and uncomfortable. It had a reddish hue in the folds and at the edges, clearly chafed out from the extensive touches from coarse fabric he must have worn in the past regularly, if not always.

No wonder he had never shown any skin around us before, my despised suspicions confirmed and now set into stone. It sat heavily on me, my shoulders feeling an impossible weight falling onto them and worsening my posture. The air felt thinner, the acid in my stomach turning into a deadly raging sea, the waves dangerously rolling around and wishing to break free.

He looked so fragile, tiny form littered in undeserved scars and modifications that were deemed ugly by those around him, undeserving of his endless love and joy.

Because why else would he try so desperately to hide them?

The moment he was done, turning back around and slightly smiling at me with those chubby cheeks and rosy lips, something inside of me broke free, my power too small to do anything against it.

I didn’t want to anyway.

My arms picked him up with ease, the alarm bells inside my head still not liking how easily I had done so, despite seeing how he loved eating and had always done so with great vigour. The surprise died in his throat, never truly leaving his mouth and making its presence known. Tiny hands latched onto me, hands fisting the fabric underneath desperately.

His expression was that of utter disbelief, that faint red making a reappearance on his cheeks.

I pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead and held him tight, his head slotting itself into the crook of my neck and comfortably resting there. His shallow breaths tickled my throat with every exhale, yet it brought only comfort to me, as if something lost long ago had finally been found at last. Those tiny hands snaked around my neck and shoulders, trapping me as much against him, as I had trapped him against me. That grey, bushy tail was curled up around us, as if it was a big blanket ready to guide us to sleep.

After pressing my nose against the crown of his head for but a brief moment, my legs started taking us away and out of this room, having a clear goal in mind.

Only the thoughts of protecting the little herbivore in my hold circled around in my head, mind wired to keep him safe and out of harm’s touch. Anyone who would dare stand in my way would learn to pay the price, the easy, or the hard way.

Sungie’s room was dark, save for the few nightlights and string lights all running around the space, not leaving a single corner untouched. The closed door shut out all the remaining light that could pour in from the hallway, yet it posed no problem, my eyes adjusting in a few seconds.

His bed was in the middle, one of the shorter ends pushed up to a wall that was decorated with all kinds of things: different pictures, some from anime, some from things I didn’t recognise. He had some photos scattered around as well, either stuck up to a wall or laying on his cluttered desk, the furniture nearly having no empty spot left on its wooden surface. Clothing littered the floor, all belonging to the nearly sleeping boy in my arms, making me almost sigh out, had I not been too focused on something else.

The nest sat neatly on the bed, a messy little circular shape made from everything plush and soft you could ever imagine. Different blankets were woven into it, not only his, but seemingly Channie’s and Jisoo’s as well. The walls were proudly standing there, made out of different pieces of clothing. I could clearly see Lixie’s, Binnie’s and the pup’s shirts and hoodies in there, all in different colours and sizes. A single article of clothing was thrown over the walls haphazardly, its charcoal-infused scent betraying who it belonged to.

In the middle laid a few plushies -no doubt thanks to Lixie and Jisoo-, along with a few pillows, all belonging to a certain cat in our pack. The feline had clearly left an impression on the little squirrel, Lino’s scent being the closest to him whenever he decided to sleep in there.

My heart skipped a beat when I realised he had asked for my hoodie as well, for my scent, proudly wearing it in front of me.

“Can I go in?” - I murmured into his skin, the hand on his back now drawing long lines into the fabric.

He sluggishly nodded, no doubt dancing on the edge of sleep. Warmth erupted inside me, unable to believe he would trust me so much.

And yet, he had clearly done so.

The nest was as comfortable as it looked, the surface plush and well put together. All kinds of scents enveloped us, all wonderfully familiar and safe. Not a single thing was out of place, nor did they smell wrong. 

The trees were tranquil, and so was the wind, peacefully dancing around the place and leading me to my beloved meadow. No thorn was in sight, nor was there any red or black paint. Instead it was quiet and serene, everything blooming and healthy, the sun not too warm, yet not too cold either.

Sungie stirred next to me, form basically swallowing mine with the way he had climbed on top of me, never truly letting me go. My hands caged him in, one placed on top of his back, the other onto his nape, playing with the hair there. Occasionally I started drawing shapes into his back, always careful not to irritate his skin or accidentally yank at it.

Shallow breaths eventually turned into deep ones, quiet snores leaving his nose as he was resting on top of my chest.

He looked finally relaxed, truly, as if a weight had been taken off his chest. He had always had this melancholic aura around him, never leaving him no matter how hard he tried, continuously following him like a dark cloud.

The door quietly opened, making my ears perk up and eyes search for our uninvited guest.

“Oh, just wanted to see how he was doing with the nest. I won’t be bothering then.” - Binnie said, voice much quieter than usual.

Yet, it was enough to rouse the squirrel up in my arms, round little ears flicking against my skin, leaving tingling trails in their wake. An unintelligible grumble left his squished lips, making the pika halt in his steps and question what he had heard.

“Dun leave, stayy.” - Sungie repeated, earning a chuckle from Binnie and a small smile from me.

The awake herbivore closed the door with a soft click and made his way towards us, scooting into the empty space to my left, letting Sungie steal one of his arms and cuddle it with no mercy. He laughed at that, saying ‘Someone’s cuddly today, eh?’, but he let it all happen with no resistance in any action of his, a happy smile rounding out his cheeks. Those usually acidic fruits now smelled impossibly sweet, their potent scent overpowering everything else and nestling easily into my nose.

Binnie scooted closer to let the sleeping squirrel hold his arm easier, his own head now resting on one of my shoulders and cuddling into me. His warmth seeped into me, urging me to bury my nose into his hair and nuzzle into him for a few seconds. Light chirps were my reward, my tail smacking against the blankets with a quiet thump.

“He was very nervous about building a nest here, y’know. So I’m very grateful for you being here and giving him that hoodie of yours, Bae hyung.” - I had never heard him so quiet in my entire life, making me slightly turn my head towards him.

His gaze was set on the person of our conversation, a light dancing in his eyes that I would usually see in Channie’s, its intensity so fierce, I was afraid of burning up inside.

Those dark orbs slid up to me, the entire power of the sun directed right at me and melting me in its entirety.

“I know you don’t think you did a lot, but it matters so much to him, to us. You keep giving me anything of yours that I want whenever I build a new nest, no questions asked, as if it’s all natural to you. You let him have your favourite hoodie, even cuddling him in his first nest in this house of ours. You’re like a safety blanket and you don’t even realise it.”

Every word he’d uttered felt like a weight released into the ocean of my soul, sinking down to the bottom, destined to remain there for the rest of eternity. The water only rose, struggling against its binds, but the dam held it back, standing strong and proud.

“It should be natural.” - I murmured back, tightening my hold on them and bringing Binnie closer, letting his head slide into the crook of my neck.

A shaky exhale hit my skin there, my thumb sliding back and forth along his exposed bicep, wishing to grant him even a speck of comfort. He only nuzzled into my neck, hiding inside deeper, as if wishing to take refuge there and away from the entire world. I freely let him do so, his nose pressing against my pulse and feeling the calm beats there. The longer he stayed like that, the more relaxed he became, body becoming all lax and letting me carry its weight.

It was serene, peaceful, nearly pulling me into a dreamless sleep as well.

Only their soft snores and occasional louder ones could be heard -no surprise, their necks were in weird angles-, along with the occasional sounds coming from the others in the house. A shout from Lixie, a weird sound from Lino, the dramatic whine of Jin or the boisterous laughter of the puppy.

If I focused hard enough, I could even hear Channie’s steady footsteps, going to greet Jisoo at the door as the man had arrived back from another hard day of work, no doubt exhausted to the bone, as usual. The others would go and greet him as well, usually me included, happy to finally see him and have a brief chat. Then, they would go back to what they had been doing, just like now, Jisoo being left alone to get ready for bed and sleep.

Although this time, he hadn’t done that. No, instead he went with the wolf, the two seemingly arguing about something as they went into a nearby room, not knowing we were inside here and I could hear everything, only thanks to my sharp senses.

“Chan, I really can’t do this right now. Can’t we talk about this tomorrow or something?” “Naur, absolutely not. You keep saying that and it’s already been a week!”

They remained quiet after that, either whispering or not speaking at all.

“Look, I know you have a good paying job and you want only the best for us. But you can’t expect to support 8 hybrids by yourself! You’ll wear yourself thin, heck, you’re already doing that! Constantly staying there for long hours, sometimes not even coming home for the night. You can’t keep doing this!” “Then WHAT?! Should I send back Sungie and Minnie to the centre, for others to adopt? I know fully well you guys have already bonded, I’m not fucking blind! Jesus christ, who do you think I am? I work with animals, I have at least a little bit of inkling as to how hybrids work!” - Jisoo nearly shouted with the full force of his lungs, gradually becoming quieter and quieter, until I could hardly hear the words he uttered.

The silence after that was unsettling, digging its claws into my chest and stomach. A strained little sound could be heard from their direction, although I couldn’t really tell what it was.

“Of course I know, Ji, ‘course I do. I never said you don’t know these things, gods, never ever think so. You’re smart, and you take very good care of us. All I’m saying is to let me share this burden with you. Paying for a house expansion is no cheap task. We could publish some of our music with Bin, hm? Find some easy, hybrid-friendly jobs, ye? C’mere.” - the wolf’s voice was as soothing as when he had first talked to me, back in that all white bathroom. “I kno’, I’m sorry. I’m such an asshole for shouting, fucking hell, I’m so, so sorry.” “Shh, it’s okay, I know you were just frustrated with the situation and not with me. I would be equally as irritated as you if I worked as much as you do, especially with such assholes and incompetent coworkers.”

This comment drew a wet sounding chuckle out of Jisoo, the claws now partially unhooked and free from my chest.

“You’re so right you don’t even know. How do you always say the right things?” “A magician never reveals his secrets.” “You’re no magician.” “But I made your sadness disappear, didn’t I?” “YoU–”

A smack could be heard followed by laughter, my mind soon zoning out and ignoring whatever happened after that.

They were staying?

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

next chapter

[shrenvents]

Dracula Teeth

Chapter two of the Miracle Aligner Series

Jennie's POV

I've never been one to say no to a challenge, especially if said challenge had a face like that. So here we are, him: a drunken mess with tousled hair, looking absolutely mouthwatering, and me: a ginger with just as much luck as a black cat tipping over a salt shaker. This situation was too good to be true.

Overhearing Mickey's rant about some famous person waltzing into the bar made it inevitable that my dumbass would be in this position. Frankly, I couldn't care less who he was, all I knew was that I wanted a peek at the celebrity who would dare come for drinks at a place this musty.

Hence, at exactly 10 o'clock on the dot, I unmistakably asked Les Cactus's newest star to 'leave with me.' Only my inarticulate mouth would turn a somewhat innocent request into something completely different.

Now looking floored by my bold statement, I knew I had to correct his misunderstanding. "I meant 'leave together to drink somewhere else' Alexander. Take it easy tiger." Despite my hands shaking, giving away how giddy I really am, I wear my best smug expression. I haven't flirted with a guy this attractive, well, ever.

His tense frame relaxes and he releases a rocky breath. "Don't look too disappointed," I say giggling, removing my apron. He rises to his feet, face beet red as he nods a yes to my earlier question. I internally commend his inviting stature as it lifts upright. He swipes his jacket off the barstool. "Give me a sec to grab my shit and clock out," I wink, spinning towards the locker room. I feel him watching me as I consciously make an effort to sway my hips.

...

"Okay, ready!" After announcing my return, I inspect Alex's lean frame as it lounges classically on a pillar next to the exit. His hair is flopped in every direction, indicating that he'd been harshly running his fingers through it. Hands resting in his jacket pockets, his eyes shift to me. I'm almost taken aback by the way he peers down at me. Gone is that flustered drunk. His gaze now holds a strange weight and certainty. As if he notices my small hesitation, his stare softens and a tiny smile tugs at his lips - god those lips. "Where're we headed Red?"

I pause as if I'm in deep thought. "A man your age down to go clubbing?" I respond with a grin. He huffs a low laugh. "Christ, how old are you?" He inquires, edging closer.

"25," I answer while teetering on my heels. His smile spreads at that.

"A four-year difference doesn't exactly make me old love."

"Doesn't exactly make you young though?" I briskly counter.

"Smart-mouth," Alex quips, peeping down at my lips as I run my tongue over their dried surface. I'm getting hotter by the minute, unable to withstand his heated gaze. Hastily, I grasp the exit's knob. "Let's get a move on then Alex." His chuckle gets cut short once the freezing air engulfs us both. "Is it always this fucking cold?" Alex bellows, moving further into me, brushing his sleeve against mine. I shiver instinctively. "Yep. Welcome to Canada!" I beam.

For a few short moments, we silently walk side by side. That was until my legs began to sway on suspiciously icy ground. "Agh!" I wobble for a bit before eventually regaining my footing, arms flapping frantically. In the meantime, Alex releases a hoarse laugh, tilting his body backward, and putting his enticing neck on display. My mouth practically watered at the sight. Though, my ogling is cut short when Alex suddenly falls on his ass.

"BAHAHAH," I burst. Visibly in agony, Alex glances up at my hunched figure as I embarrassingly howl with laughter. A pained smile creeps onto his face. As he begins to lift himself from the ground, I reach out to lend him a hand. "Oh, now you're gonna help meh?" He rolls his eyes comically, his accent sounding thicker.

Composing himself, Alex can't help but rub his ass, which makes me cackle once more, and I retract my hand to support my stomach. Then Alex begins to laugh with me - both of us looking kind of ridiculous.

Only when passersby give us strange looks do we stop giggling like two schoolgirls. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I repeat, still holding my belly in an attempt to calm myself. Wiping a tear from my eye, I spare Alex a glance. He looks the happiest I've seen him all night, and so damn handsome.

Just as I start to speak he glides his palm into mine. I stare at him dumbfoundedly. "You offered and I don't want to fall again Red." He states as if it's an obvious claim. I nod sheepishly and lead us towards the club again. A comfortable silence fills the chilling air.

12:46 am

Around eight shots later, Alex and I are just a drink away from ripping each other's clothes off in the middle of the club floor.

After arriving, we went straight to the bar and ordered drink after drink, the rest is a blur. But somehow, we made our way to the dance floor and haven't left since. Though our hands may stray away from an appropriate place every now and then, our lips have yet to touch. Alex's overly amorous gaze has downright entranced me. I circle my fingertips over his shoulders, familiarizing myself with his broad back. I hear him grunt darkly in my ear as he leans in, his nose grazing the side of my head, teasing my hair.

Incapable of resisting, I take this as an opportunity to nuzzle into his neck. His groan is muffled by my hair when my teeth impulsively seep into his neck, marking his skin. His hands clench roughly around my waist, and he growls, "Did you just bite me?" I'm virtually buzzing at this point, I've never wanted someone this badly before, especially not some guy I've just met. If I was sober, I'd definitely have taken off running by now.

"Hmm," I hum pleasantly in response, dragging my hands to his lower back and bringing him even closer. He eagerly accepts my pull, enclosing his arms around my torso in return, raising the trim of my tank top faintly. And then we sway; my head on his chest, nose to neck, while he cages me in. "Christ you feel good." He gently traces his thumb back and forth on my exposed skin. "If you think this feels good, just imagine the sex." When the words escape me, I can't do anything but hide further into his collar. Damn my drunken mind.

Immediately there's a little stumble in our syncronism. "I am," he mutters simply. Egged on by my words, he wraps me up even tighter till I feel his arousal, his palms now possessing my ass. We slow down to a stop and I yank my head back so that we're face to face. "Alexander."

"Alex."

"Let's get out of here."

Chapter 3

[considerthemushrooms]

TW: Grief, pet loss (I'd put this under a cut but apparently Tumblr isn't letting me) -- -- -- I'm struggling a lot lately with losing Loki.

It's been three months and I still can't grapple with the fact that he's gone and I'll never see him again.

I'll never hear him quacking, I'll never see him on his favorite part of the cat tree, he'll never sit with me watching TV, I'll never hear him yell for wet food or listen to his purrs or have conversations with him ever again.

It's been a really, really bad struggle this week. I don't know how to move forward. I was ok tonight, then I wasn't, and every time it feels like the end of the world all over again. I don't have an audience here, but maybe if I just talk I can get some of this out, so to you, Loki, I want to write a letter. I'll let this go into the depths of the internet where you can live forever, and I hope maybe a little part of my love for you will too. You were my best buddy, my little guy, my Loki Dokey Artichokey. I still remember when you picked me in the shelter, because that's how it was - it wasn't the other way around. I knew the minute you grabbed my leg through the cage that everything was going to be different, and it was, and it was beautiful and hard and perfect. There was nothing about you I didn't, or couldn't, love. I'll always hold close the way you chattered at the birds, the way you'd greet me in the mornings. I'll never forget tummy rub time, the way you loved having your armpits scratched, the way I could ask you for a kiss and you'd stroke your nose and cheek along mine in return. I'll never forget your little freckly beans, the way you loved when I held your paw and you'd squeeze your little toes around my fingertip. I'll never forget the way we'd talk, how asking you how your day was was met with a chorus of little quacks and meows. I'll keep close how much you loved your little craft pompoms, how you figured out that soaking them in your water dish made it so you could throw them farther, but you also never picked them up so inevitably someone would step on a wet pompom in the middle of the night. I loved how you'd stick them in my shoes and I'd spend half the day wondering why my shoe felt weird, only to take it off and find craft pompoms inside it.

I'll always love how you followed me everywhere, how you were my little orange shadow on the worst and the brightest days of my life, and Loki Dokey, my baby? Losing you was the darkest day I've ever lived through. I would trade my life a thousand times over if it meant you could have kept going, that you could have lived forever and ever loved and cared for, with everything at your little paws and so much more.

I didn't think there'd be a time in my life I'd have to live without you. You were my baby. My heart. My best friend, my little soul mate. You were everything, you still are everything, because for me you've never gone away. You're always just around the corner, just out of sight, and gods my baby I'm so sorry I can't see your or hold you or be there for you. I'm so sorry I couldn't do something more and I'm so sorry cancer took you from me, I'm so sorry.

I'm so, so, so sorry.

I hope that where you are now is golden and warm and filled with sun and the birds you loved to watch. I hope there's never-ending pompoms and wet food, I hope there's so much love. I hope when you crossed over my best friend's baby Maxie was there waiting for you, to be your friend and to tell you everything was going to be okay, that you wouldn't be alone even on this next big adventure and to help you not be scared.

I hope that one day I get to see you again. I know I will. And if you're still here playing just out of sight, if you're still here padding through the house quacking for my attention, if you're still with me?

Know I love you so, so, so much. It'll never stop. It'll never go away. It'll burn just as brightly as the day we first found each other, and know that the day we're together again is the day my heart will be whole again.

You are my best boy, my beautiful little man, my Loki Dokey Artichokey, and I will never forget you or love you less.

Thank you for being my baby boy, for choosing me, for saving me, for loving me. We'll be together again some day. Until then, love you always.

[animatewarriorcats]

Feel free to ignore this because I know your inbox gets flooded but if I wanted to commission you to make more canon warrior designs (paying you to post more I guess) is that something you would accept?

I don't know to be honest. I really like that I do these out of driven interest in the series, and while in concept compensation to continue that sounds beneficial, in practice I have a lot of difficulty when it comes to commissions to work out of guilt and obligation (always doing my best work of course) but involving a specific monetary attachment to art I make changes the motivation for me significantly. In full disclosure, paying me for specific canon designs may make this project feel daunting at best, or drive me away from working on it at all at worst. Some people out there will have experienced this phenomenon before, but as an adult newly diagnosed with ADHD I am just figuring out what works best for me in terms of financial compensation, and just employment in general. It turns out, I don't work that well as an independent contractor artist! Just functionally, getting work out when the motivation isn't out of interest, passion or fun, has been really difficult in the past. That does also mean that sometimes the interest is preoccupied by other things, and uploads on this blog lag for a while. I have run a queue in the past but once the queue runs out as it always inevitably does we all just have to wait until my interest swings back around again. And it will, I've been hyperfixated on warriors for a long time now, and despite how many times I say 'this year I'll move on' I just haven't yet lmao. There are too many things that I still want to make that outweigh the negative downsides this specific fandom often has, so I am pretty sure I am in cat hell for the long haul.

This is also not to say that no one can ever request canon cats from me, they have, and I have made lists for requests in the past and completed some of them as inspiration strikes. But I prefer to keep it as a suggestion box and complete those as I get ideas for them, as I think that's how I do my best work on this blog.

All of that said, I do have a patreon that has been functioning as a tip jar for animation related expenses that I accrue as an independent who buys all my animation stuff out of pocket. That includes software licenses, hardware replacements like new tablets, maintenance and unfortunately now that patreon is also taxed, taxes. If you still want to help someone who is neurodivergent, making cat art, and still despite a lot of struggle effectively jobless, I always welcome people who want to contribute to the patreon. I used to try to do rewards, but as this post has already described, that became problematic pretty fast, as I was promising things that I am functionally unable to keep up with in a way that is also healthy for me. So there are things that I upload there as part of my workflow that are behind the scenes works in progress and early uploads, but when it comes to rewards I know I am not the most exciting patreon to subscribe to and I just want people to know that up front. It works best when the monetary compensation is as removed from the final product as possible, otherwise I just get locked up in too much shame.

That was a longer post than I anticipated, I hope that answers any questions regarding commissioning canon designs!

[llycaons]

ep20 (2/3): *lwj voice*: something is very wrong

"and others have to suffer because of your debt?" wwx's similarities with wzl are impossible to ignore. but wwx would never hurt innocent people, or allow them to be hurt, because of his gratitude. there are limits to loyalty, and his conscience demands he act even if it's against his obligation. he's still able to make his own decisions, he's still a free agent

I would call that 'horror' or 'alarm'. jc is still like 'hmmm' but lwj is like 'this is fucked this is fucked this is fucked wei ying what are you DOING'

kitty cat moments

HEY WHY DOES WZL JUST STAND THERE AND LET HIM PLAY. if he prevents wwx from making sounds, wwx can't summon spirits. he's less than a foot away and not defending himself at all. eh maybe it's his honor code

by the time he does attack, wlj and jc jump down and jc strangles wzl to death with zidian, no complaints there + good for him and givees wwx back his sword

his little bitter smile. oof.

this hug is one of the best moments in the show it makes me feel so much. and wwx doesn't even list his arms to hug back until it's too late and jc is already stepping away FUCK

good for you, jc! expressing your emotions! telling people who you love that you care about them!

read a really interesting meta ages ago about how wwx deliberately sets jc between himself and lwj, using jc as both a shield and a tool to deflect lwj's inevitable questions and painful condemnation. and it starts here, with moving to sit down. it's also almost a power play

stop hurting me wwx

wwx says don't let outsiders in and jc remembers that lwj is there and goes yeah you got it

another suble manipulation of wwx's, but only to protect himself

where did this boy go....he used to be able to say things like this 😭

and here's jc joining forces with wwx against lwj, who's standing in front of them like a petitioner, and who wwx has barely even looked at

this is exactly how jc is written in a lot of fics that piss me off. this tsundere-esque approach is actually canonical to jc's current relationship dynamics with wwx, it's just not how they interact with each other postres. it annoys me because it's treating jc like an affectionate, if sarcastic and repressed 18 year old who hugged his brother instead of the bitter, deeply wounded man who traumatized him without remorse and tried to kill him multiple times. it's inaccurate, and it's infantalizing, and it lets jc off the hook for the horrific things he does to wwx later in the story by treating him like an awkward kid who can't communicate well instead of an adult who's responsible for the terrible things he's done and the choices he's made

but I like this dynamic. I think it's fun, and sweet, and has personality. i wish we had it back too. I understand the nostalgia

everything about this interaction is so wrong. wwx barely interacting with lwj, being all formal, standing to bow, calling him hgj. the last time they saw each other wwx had asked lwj to sing for him and lwj had given him a song he wrote for them....I'd be freaked out and worried too. but lwj goes about expressing his concern in all the wrong ways

demanding answers. laying down judgement. telling him to return to gusu. of course wwx shies away

he's distancing himself to protect himself. he doesn't want to be the one who lwj leaves, he wants to be in control of how their relationship ends, as he assumes it must end. and he knows nothing good will come to him if he goes to gusu, and that must hurt too because he wants to cultivate the sword again but he never will

this is such a cruel thing to say to lwj...wwx who is the one acting cold suddenly!

and THIS shot. shew. lwj physically trying to get to wwx to demand what's going on, why is he acting like this, why is he not cultivating the sword, why is he using such terrible methods, and jc stepping in as wwx's shield to say this doesn't concern you. the contrast between this scene and postres scenes. wild

[nebulousfishgills]

flower asks!

white carnation, jasmine, azalea, bluebell, tigerlily, aster (lol), lavender, and/or freesia

Thanks for the ask! This one's a long one so buckle up.

White Carnation - Would you ever want to get a piercing? Where?

This may sound funny, but I have zero piercings (not even my ears) and I highly doubt I'll ever get any. It's just never appealed to me, idk. My grandma never pierced hers, she always wore clip-ons.

Jasmine - Describe your dream partner or best friend. What kind of personality traits do they have?

All my friends I would consider my "dream" friends (my irls and if we're friends on Tumblr you also count). As for dream partner... I mean, I'm not sure. I guess someone who's nice. They should be supportive of me and, to quote a thing my mom sent me, "the weird little things that make my heart happy." Someone who makes me excited to wake up in the morning and who would take me to the theatre once in a while. Someone who encourages me to be the best version of myself. Also someone who can take my darker sense of humor and keep me grounded when I inevitably become a whirlwind of undiagnosed adhd or whatever the fuck I have. Also some blue eyes, same as my mom blue eyes can make me absolutely weak.

That was a tangent, but I am a writer so-

Azalea - What is the most recent song you've listened to? How do you feel about it?

Okay this is gonna sound completely fucking unhinged, especially since it's so short, but last night I had Busted from Phineas and Ferb on repeat for like, three hours as I was doing a doodle because it came across my youtube feed and I realized it's like... exactly like a major scene I have planned for a fic, just without the musical swagger.

Cut to me fifteen minutes into this loop alone in my dorm room pretending I'm [Unnamed Character A] telling off [Unnamed Character B] for [Unnamed Event].

Bluebell - Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names?

I'm currently separated from them by "educational distance" but I have two kitties at home, a Tortie named Jackie and an Orange Boy Cat named Maggie (He has a more feminine name because PetSmart told us he was a girl when we adopted him since they *said* they did a spay operation... but then he had to get a surgery where they told us he was a boy... but by then Maggie had stuck and we'd already gone through three hours of arguing on what to name him in the first place).

Tigerlily - Do you have any favorite quotes from any movies, tv shows, books, or poetry? (Or from people in real life)

Y'all, I have a million favorite quotes from a million things. For now I'll give you one of each

Movie: "Ghosts are real. This much I know. There are things that tie them to a place, very much like they do us. Some remain tethered to a patch of land, a time and date, the spilling of blood, a terrible crime. But there are others-- others that hold onto an emotion, a drive, loss, revenge... Or love. Those-- They never go away." -Edith Cushing in my all time favorite movie, "Crimson Peak."

(I'm also like, 99% sure I'm being followed by a ghost or spirit of some sort so)

TV Show: I'm pretty sure me saying Henry's fifteen minute monologue in Stranger Things is cheating since that's, like, many many quotes, but I'll say it anyways because those fifteen minutes were life changing.

Book: I wish it was easier for me to find a quote, but unfortunately all my books are packed away for move-out in a couple weeks. My memory is eluding me so just pretend like I either said something really profound or something extremely stupid.

Play: "You're still beautiful." "You don't have to lie to me." "It's not lying, it's looking at things another way." From Wicked, my favorite musical (am I basic for that, maybe). Seeing this on Broadway last summer was a religious experience and I'm gonna have another one when I see it from the seventh row next year.

(I changed it to play because, fun fact, I don't read poetry that much. Another thing from my mom, she hates poetry... bear in mind this woman has a BA in English)

Real Life: "People are like 'you're weird' and I'm like 'yes, I've been waiting sixty years to get that compliment'" -my history professor. The man's said so much wild shit this semester I have an entire discord channel devoted to recording his quotes, dude's a legend.

Aster - Do you have any fictional crushes on any movie, tv show...

...

Okay I had a collage I made of every character I've had a crush on, lemme see if I can find it so I can be concise.

(One frantic search later)

It's not fully updated, so lemme just make one rq, every character I actively have a crush on (give or take one or two):

Moving on.

Lavender - What's currently on your mind (aside from the ask game)

How much of a degenerate I am.

No, but in reality, I have two packages I'm waiting for and I keep obsessively tracking them because I'm terrified they'll not get to me before my move-out date.

Freesia - What do you want people to remember you for? Serious or not serious answers.

I can say my writing in a serious and a not serious way. Remember me for my s tier descriptions and remember me for whatever the fuck this is:

[yoiku]

Just feeling like unpacking and sorting out some thoughts on this wonderfully rainy morning (begone, roadside dust!!)

Now, I've always been the type to post new art the moment it's done. Posting stuff only on Patreon has still proven easier than I expected. Perhaps since i am still posting stuff -somewhere- it doesn't feel as weird, even though I do miss the interaction from posting on socials. But that'll be back once I have a buffer big enough to keep Patreon relevant. It's also getting easier on letting posting on social wait as time goes by, lol. Actually thought that what if I make the publish gap with the comic even bigger, like several months between Patreon/other sites. But aaaah, I really do want to get it out. It might create more of a gap with time anyway. And the best way to get new people interested in my Patreon is to have interesting stuff out there in the wild. And I'll be honest, it feels validating af to see even a few people willing to spend money to access my Patreon.

It's still conflicting sometimes, because I would really want to keep my stuff available to everyone without paywalls. Art in general is meant to be shared and should be accessible to everyone, this is something I feel on a larger scale. Things like commissioned, unique pieces are luxurious though. They are after all often personal as well. Artists don't live on grants and stipends, hell, even those are usually available for artists who have already made a name for themselves on a larger scale/are well connected. Majority I know struggle with part time jobs, unemployment, studying or are disabled, barely scraping by what they can get in terms of welfare etc. I'm no different. I'm on welfare due to health reasons + in debt, so basically I don't have any "extra" money at the end of each month left for nice things™. And if I do, it usually goes to paying a larger portion of debt away. Sometimes I spend and always regret it later, lol. But if you -never- get to treat yourself even a little, life starts to feel quite depressing. I know so many people are in the same kind of position, where it's just not possible to pay for more than 1-2 subscription services monthly, or none. So having my art behind a Patreon paywall of any kind feels bad, knowing I would likely not be able to afford it myself, lol. Will it ever be easy to combine the thought of art + money without having dreadful crapitalism thoughts creep in? Probably not.

I still want to do my best to pick up some commissions as well, I need to create some sort of hidden stash of money now that I have the cat. Because when (inevitably at some point) a trip to the vet happens, that's going to be at least a hundo no matter what. And when the last trip to the vet arrives, that's gonna be closer to 300-400 with all the cheapest options. (hopefully not anytime soon, but something i have to take into account) I am currently working on a painting comm and might have another one coming up as well, which is giving me much joy. Watercolours are a lot of work, but they're less taxing in the sense that there's only so much detail you can do compared to digital, and tradi allows the happy little accidents with the medium. So it's easier to feel like I did my best wihtout having the thought "ah... i should've kept fixing it"(without asking for more money bc I gotta do better ad infinitum) So I'm really happy peeps have shown interest in tradi comms, even though I'm not very well versed in techniques with those. Learning tho!

My head's been in a relatively good place for a good while now, all things considered. But I have to pull the brakes on myself every now and then because I know it only takes one hard hit in the old mental health for all of it going to shit in the blink of an eye. So I'm trying to tread carefully, prep and plan while keeping the bar set low enough.

Mom has moved to hospice care, which also means that getting the phonecall about her passing can also be any day now. I feel like I've made my peace with it, but even if it doesn't initially hit hard, I'm pretty sure it will bring some mental struggle later. And there will be the whole episode of handling her stuff afterwards. Thankfully there won't be any wealth to distribute, so likely all the mandatory/legal expenses will be handled by welfare. How dreadful that even in that, money is the first thing to have to worry about, huh.

At least the sun has returned from the winter jail, bright days lighten the mind.

[postmirror]

Smoky Shadows Profile

Yueniang Age: 23 years old Gender: Male Height: 176 cm Date of Birth: February 18th

Neverfall's screenwriter once joined the Langhuan conference as an appraiser.

About Design

Teal is the appraiser's knowledge and the accumulation of elegance. Embroidery and the fishtail skirt pattern are the ingenuity of the playwright. The smoke clouds are rising, the bright red spark flickers indefinitely. The game of money and desire is about to begin. I believe everyone will have something to gain from this treasure appraisal.

About Nikki

Yueniang feels that this girl is too conservative on her makeup. Even her dress is longer than the qipao that he usually wears. How about dying a bit of gray on the pink hair and dressing up a little more boldly? As for the cat next to her, she can try applying heavy makeup on it.

About Hairpin

Some people used to lovingly wear that hairpin in their hair. They held it in their hands, sitting in the sunlight and teaching children who were still learning to speak. Some people indifferently locked that hairpin into a box and sealed it, turning a blind eye to everything. Yueniang, putting his fingers on the jade hairpin, feels its warmth and coldness, and lets out a soft sigh.

Pipe

"Smoking? No way! Smoking kills!" "Not to mention it stinks a lot! It damages your throat, and is not good for your skin, so don't get addicted to it!" "Me? Just give this a whiff and you'll understand."

Yueniang extends the pipe toward Nikki. The rising smoke is infused with only the fragrant aroma of orchid, mint, and orange oil.

Grocery Shopping and Cooking

During the days of financial difficulties, even Yueniang had to buy his own food and cook. The spoiled child, who was used to being served, suddenly began picking up the housework. Making mistakes is inevitable. For example, taking leeks for scallions, or forgetting to put salt in the stir-fry. Anyway, the garlic today was in pretty good shape–Yueniang reassures himself.

Price Haggling

Yueniang achieves success in the Ghost Market. Perhaps he learned how to talk tough in the farmers' market.

"The white cabbage is not white enough, can you sell it for cheaper?" "Just gimme a few peppers for free." "You know how many times I bought from you? How dare you short me by a pound!"

Of course, he would sometimes hone his acting skills in the market.

"That store in front is selling for just 5 Gems, I'm gonna go take a look there instead..."

After saying that, Yueniang turns around, arms crossed, and slowly walks away. The more realistic the act, the faster the owner calls him back.

Makeup

Yueniang's make-up skills were all self-taught. After all, he very rarely saw people wearing makeup growing up. Makeup means more to him than just dressing up or concealing. Hiding his vulnerability under heavy makeup puts him at ease.

-

Voice Lines (incomplete)

"Someone said I wrote an entire play just to diss him. And he's perfectly right!"

"What? You want to edit the lines I wrote? Edit your own stupid face!"

"Who believes in ghost stories? Ghosts don't exist–or the people I yearn for would have at least visited me in my dreams."

"What are you staring at? I look stunning in men's fashion too. Not showing you yet, though."

"There's nothing nostalgic about youth. I'm much prettier now than I was then!"

"I rarely compose a script with one specific actor in mind... Qin Yi is a first."

"The slit in this qipao is way too low... I can barely move my legs when I have to fight on a mission."

"I like wearing women's clothing because... Well, don't you think I look good in them? My oval-shaped face looks best framed by long hair, and qipaos look just right on my slender figure."

"You think this hairpin looks nice too, right? Put it on for me."

[saddestcrow]

I didn't know any of this when I first met her through an online shop. I was looking for something cute with a pastel aesthetic, and I'd found a painting of a cat. Its head rested on its paw, but you could see the left legs were mechanical. Lithe and unobtrusive, but very much... different. There were consistent themes, duality, cats, cute things, robots, and tinkering.

I put in my details and got the pastel kitty cyborg on order, but then I got a message the next day:

"Hey to save you on postage, we actually live in the same city, I can hand it to you personally."

And then another quickly after:

"At OOO Park nearby, so you don't just have a stranger show up at your doorstep, cuz that'd be awkward, right?"

Eh, what the hey. I was in a good mood, so we scheduled a day, and come time, I got there 5 minutes early, and she'd still beat me, sitting on one of the park benches. Sure, you could spot the metal arm a mile away. She's never been shy about showing off her "guns" (except for the gun arm). But even when she's wearing her favorite coveralls and pink shirt, there's no mistaking that posture. All right angles like she was ready for inspection.

Her eyes locked to me then her head turned to look at me, and I praised my poor reflexes for not jumping with how...precise she'd moved.

"Janet?"

"Ah, you must be Roy", she said as she began to stand, then seemed to think better of it. As even sitting she still has to look down to meet my eyes. "Here's your very own painting of Mr. Potato Salad." Handing me the painting

"You named your cat Potato Salad?" I chuckled, taking it off her hands.

"Well, his real name is actually Rupert von Grapple, the Great Mouser of House Victoria, Lord of His Domain, Ruler of All He Surveys/ Champion of The People" recited punctuating the start of each title.

I looked at her, waiting for her to give the rest of this obviously storied naming that will inevitably have something to do with food.

"Oh," her cool demeanor breaking and her hands no longer knowing what they're supposed to be doing, "my daughter gave him that name, so I'd said, we're giving a word salad name to this little potato? She said yes. And... you...can guess...the uh...rest" Her hands deciding that in her lap back at attention was the best choice.

"That's...very sweet that you let your daughter name him."

"Can I ask you an insensitive question? No one put you up to this, right?", bulldozing over herself. her eyes searching in mine "No one asked you to buy one of my pieces, right? It's not to just boost my "morale" right? This is real?"

Her eyes shifting across my features and I got the distinct impression like I was hooked up to a lie detector.

I calmly set the painting down, put my arms out and clapped loudly in front of her face.

While she was rebooting from the shock, "yes that was a rude SERIES of questions. It's going to be a piece for the living room. You should have more confidence in your command of color, because you will sell more pieces."

I started walking away with the painting back under my arm, then paused a moment, "And just in case I was unclear, I will be buying more from you in the future and do want to meet again. You're an intriguing person and I hope you take it as a compliment."

And now I've got a handful of art pieces from her, including two commissions, and we meet every other Sunday for brunch to discuss the horrors.

She’s a battle-scarred, jaded super-soldier loaded with biomechanical upgrades and chemical augments. All she wants to do is wear cute clothes and paint.

[thetraingotsetonfireonmidnight]

Can I please request headcanons with adrien/cat noir dating a fem reader that is shy and introverted :) ty!!!

Indeed you can !

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔑𝔬𝔦𝔯 / 𝔄𝔡𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫 𝔄𝔤𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔢 𝔵 𝔖𝔥𝔶 ℑ𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔣𝔢𝔪!𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔢𝔯

Adrien is probably both the best and the worst person you could possibly date as an introvert.

On one hand, he's super sweet and understanding!

Need someone to order for you? He's gotcha!

Need someone to cling to while at an uncomfortable party? He's by your side the whole time.

Don't want to talk to someone but you're too shy to end the conversation? That's ok, he'll do it for you! He'll walk up and make some excuse about how you have to go.

If someone is asking to hang out with you, and you don't want to go–but you don't want to straight up tell them that– he's given you full permission to blame it on him!

"Aw sorry, I have to attend my boyfriend's next photoshoot! You know how busy we can get."

And he's constantly hyping you up.

Whenever talking to others, he always brings you up atleast once.

If you're nervous about something, like an upcoming test or event, he's always there to remind you that you can get through it. He 100% believes in you.

He'll remind you of all your strengths, and that your weaknesses don't define you.

"Sometimes I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."

If you're nervous about making the first move, he's already 20 steps ahead of you. He'll always be the first one to reach for your hand or plant kisses on your cheek.

And when he's Chat Noir? He's basically your free ticket to paradise: being able to go outside without interacting with anyone.

He takes you up high on rooftops where no one can see you

You two don't have to say a single word. You can just bask in the silence asyiu watch the sunset.

Don't feel like talking because your social battery is out? That's ok! He can talk and you can listen. You don't have to say a single thing.

But with all the positives out of the way, there is one tiny problem-

He's famous.

While you try to keep your relationship with him a secret, inevitably, everyone finds out.

Now that it's been made public that you're Adrien's girlfriend, you're constantly surrounded by reporters.

Everyone you talk to is interested in your relationship

Plus angry fangirls posting not so nice things about you.

Adrien tries his best to calm his fan base down, but there's only so much he can do.

To not fuel the fire, he tries not to be too affectionate in public (which is very hard for him because he wants to give you all of his love 100% of the time).

And as Chat, he tries to treat you as if you're a stranger. Last thing either of you needed was for someone to think there was some sort of weird love triangle going on

Except that's exactly what happens because someone caught him giving you a rose during his break while on patrol.

Once again, he has to calm the fan base down, as everyone is convinced you're a blonde magnet.

The other downside is that Adrien can be clingy.

So when you're not feeling like being around people- and that includes him, he's stuck missing you. He respects your space, but he very much texts you while you're away. Give this man a stern talking to about space.

Oh, and if you want something from him...you have to...ugh, communicate that to him 🤢

He can be very uh...socially unaware...yeah let's say that.

So if you want to kiss, cuddle, hold hands, whatever, and waiting until he eventually gives you one isn't working, you can't just give him hints.

Doesn't matter how obvious they are.

"My hand is feeling a little cold."

"Oh I'm sorry, I think I have some gloves you can borrow!"

"I'm feeling lonely over here. If only my loving boyfriend hugged me."

"Am I the boyfriend you're referencing or is there another guy I don't know about?"

Now as Chat, he's a bit more aware.

But that doesn't mean he won't tease you

He likes seeing your fumble to explain to him that you want a kiss from him.

"You know what I want!"

"I'm afraid I don't, ma chérie. Enlighten me."

He's a little shit and he knows it.

But he's also yours and you love him for it.

[cheesus-doodles]

The fact that Mikey and baji are still close and baji works for Mikey as an executive. *Gasps* oh if reader ever finds out she won’t be happy

Anonymous asked: Ok well now I just have to see what this marriage life with bff baji (I guess husband baji, since he finally confessed his feelings) is like. Are they still living poor or baji just one day like “babe I bought us a house!” “How?!?” “I been saving up!” Like reader be like,”how the fuck he suddenly has good money skills when 10 yrs ago he spends every penny on cat food??”

link to relevant HCs!

Masterlist

‎‎

akjndksljndal on the long side again so under read more

i think that Baji wouldn't try to hide his relationship with Mikey from you for very long, because it would be inevitable you would find out anyway.

but first off marriage life with yan bff baji - now husband Baji - would start off no different from before you two were married. still living the dirt poor life, seeming just scrapping by from month to month, scrimping on expenses as best as you can though Baji would never let you go hungry, period. Baji more than happy to let you prepare his lunch for him to bring to work though, to the envy of both Chifuyu and Kazutora, who you both knew and sometimes prepared a little extra for them too, though he didn't like not being able to spoil you - you were his bestfriend, and having to make you work, having his hands tied like that made him fill a bit down

Somehow always seem to come up with enough to make ends meet, to "pay the rent" (the house is owned by him), taking the money you pass him for your half of the rental and just returning it to you in a roundabout manner

his first priority would be to get you out of your job, which occupies way too much of your time and exposes you to way too many threats in his opinion, and back to safety and his side where you wouldn't be tainted with filth, where no one could steal you away from him - doesn't seem to occur to him that you two were already married, cause you two bascially acted no different

of course eventually when he has complained enough to his other fellow executives, when he is sick and tired of your neighbours and the rundown neighbourhood you two live in, and of having to worry about your safety when you walk home alone in the dark of night (even if he has Bonten security trailing you and keeping him updated minute to minute), Baji will eventually start to show his true colors - bit by bit of course, so that you don't get suspicious or worried

starts dropping hints at dinner about how he is considering taking up a second job, telling you that he received several offers asking him to work as a part time business consultant, and calming you down when you worry about him overworking himself - of course he wouldn't work himself to the bone and fall ill, he still needed to look after you right?

definitely the sort to generate fake income statements to show you slowly about how he is starting to make good money, with the blessing of the rest of the Bonten executives who honestly by now didn't want to hear another word from Baji about you but know better than to even breathe wrongly - not with the sort of close relationship him and Mikey shared

will eventually move to "accepting" a full time position as a "business consultant" at one of the front companies then Bonten runs, leaving the pet shop to Chifuyu and Kazutora to run. Both of whom by now have already confirmed their suspicions of Baji's ties to Bonten and Mikey, but other than just going along and pretending not to notice, nothing else they can do without incurring his wrath, especially when it involves you - its a win-win for them though, since with more money, you start to prepare lunches for them as well

Baji moves to upgrade the two of you to a bigger house in a safer neighbourhood, maybe one of those apartment blocks owned and operated by Bonten, with security at the lobby - quickly convinces you that you didn't need to work anymore, that he could provide for the two of you with ease with his new consultanting job

even takes you to go and meet his "new boss" Mikey and his "colleagues", the Bonten executives, who seems nothing short of gentlemen, treating you with nothing short of utter respect - more so they didn't want to get Baji angry, since he still liked to settle business with his fists when the rage sets in. So to you, there is no suspicion about the true nature of Bonten, with even the police not being able to get a good picture of the executives, you never do find out that the polite, kind men, including your own husband and bestfriend, were all dangerous, vicious criminals with blood on their hands

all in all, your life will be a good one - very sheltered and sometimes very limiting, with Baji insisting on always being a part of everything you do, but a very comfortable one at least - as long as you don't go poke when you're not supposed to

[sailordiamondkitty]

So... I've been on "PAW Patrol Movie" in cinema recently. And as much as I don't like the animated series (too childish for my tastes), I simply ADORED this movie. The soundtrack, the animation, the story... All PERFECT 🥰 Well, except of the fact that some scenes were less than perfect and needed some redo... So I grabbed the pen (keyboard) and wrote my version 🙃 It's a bit more angsty than original and I definitely wouldn't put it in kid's show. But it was fun to write nevertheless 🙂

The scene I'm talking about is 'Chase rescues Ryder' scene. So I started with that and went my way a few minutes after 😉 Enjoy

Oh and for the ones not familiar with the movie, here's the original scene:

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

Ryder waited impatiently for the elevator to reach the top of the ridiculously high tower. He huffed irritated, as the idea of building something such high was as crazy, as it was dangerous. The soft ping indicated that he finally arrived at the destination and the door slid open.

‘Mayor Humdinger?’ He called out, stumbling out of the elevator, the storm outside easily swaying the already unstable tower, his eyes searching the office.

‘Yes, how can I help you?’ The man suddenly appeared behind the desk at the far end of the room, laying his hand casually on the flat surface of the table. The demeanour changed drastically when he noticed a person by the door. ‘Ryder? What are you doing here?’ He snarled furiously, his pack of cats hissing, sharing the despise for the boy with their owner.

‘This tower isn’t safe!’ Ryder called, trying to stabilize his movements. ‘We’ve got to get you out of here.’

The moment he finished speaking, the lights blinked and went down, darkness enveloping the room in an instant.

‘Oh no, the power’s out. That means the elevator’s dead. We have to go now!’ The boy tried convincing the man again, turning on the flashlight on his suit, the small light giving him at least a bit of comfort.

‘Nice try!’ Humdinger answered, crossing his arms. ‘I’m not going anywhere with you!’

Suddenly the room swayed again, this time harder and the sound of metal breaking sounded from outside. They were running out of time. Humdinger seemed to finally understand that, quickly lifting himself from the chair.

‘Okay, fine! I’ll go with you’ he decided, trying not to sound scared. He made his way toward the elevator, his cats attaching themselves to his legs, restricting man’s movements. ‘But I want to make it very clear, this is not a rescue! It’s… uh... an assisted exit!’ Humdinger exclaimed imperiously.

‘You can call in whatever you want, as long as you get in the elevator now’ Ryder replied, resisting the urge to roll his eye at the man’s antics. ‘I’ll release the cables manually from above’ he explained, using Mayor Humdinger’s body to lift himself up to the elevator’s hatch. ‘Once I’ve lowered you down safely, I’ll repel down the elevator shaft.’

‘Hmph, show-off’ Mayor murmured to himself, correcting the cylinder on his head.

Ryder bit down the reply as he looked down on the man in the elevator.

‘Even though we’ve had our personal differences over the years, I take no pleasure in doing this’ he said instead, his hand on a lever.

’Doing what?’ Humdinger asked warily. Ryder didn’t answer, instead pulling the lever, releasing the elevator as it started falling down at a rapid speed, Humdinger’s screams feeling the air.

‘Heh, actually that’s pretty satisfying’ he laughed to himself, eying the disappearing shape of an elevator and counting. ‘Three one thousand, four one thousand, five one thousand’ when counted to five, Ryder quickly pushed the lever back, stopping the elevator before it could crash at the bottom of the shaft.

While attaching grabbling hook to the metal bar, Ryder opened the communication channel.

‘Hey pups’ he called out ‘Humdinger’s out, I’m coming down.’

‘Nice job Ryder, see you on the ground’ came a reply, as he started descending.

Suddenly a gush of wind broke a part of the shaft, metal panel smashing on the other side.

‘Whoa, that’s not good’ boy commented, worry on his face. The next two panels above broke, nearly hitting him, as they fell. ‘Oh, that’s very not good!’

He continued descending, this time at a much faster pace, trying to leave the attached tower before it would, inevitably and definitely sooner than later, break completely. Wind howling through the shaft shook the rope, throwing Ryder over the shaft walls as he descended. He stopped the movement, trying to stabilize himself and that’s when another panel was torn out, this time right next to him. He stared at it for a few seconds, scared, trying to quickly decide how to best omit it. Suddenly the tower screeched, the metal holders finally loosing the battle with hazardous weather. Ryder’s terrified scream broke through the howling wind, as the tower fell, burying itself into the next building.

Ryder coughed, looking over the surrounding. Falling with the tower was not a pleasant experience and he made a mental note to try and avoid it for the future. He absentmindedly pushed the emergency beacon on his suit, red light flashing steadily. He eyed the debris that blocked his leg, stopping him from moving away from the site. He tried pushing it away, although with no avail. Ryder huffed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

‘Looks like I’ll have to wait for the rescue’ he told himself, the pain in his crushed leg indicating it was most probably broken.

At least the storm wasn’t bothering him here, the remains of fallen tower successfully blocking the wind. Some small parts of debris and dust fell from the ceiling and he coughed again.

‘Ryder?’ he heard a concerned voice from the side, a familiar one. He looked that way to see Chase descending the debris, running towards him.

‘Chase!’ he called, happiness in his voice. ‘I can’t believe you’ve found me.’

‘You can always count on me, Ryder’ German Shepherd puppy exclaimed with confidence as Ryder turned off his emergency beacon, switching it back to flashlight.

The broken wires shot a spark of electricity and Chase looked at them, worried.

‘Come on’ puppy said, turning his gaze back to Ryder. ‘We gotta get out of here’

‘I can’t , I’m stuck’ the boy replied, trying to push the large debris off his leg.

‘On three, pull as hard as you can’ Chase decided quickly, jumping over the broken rubble and positioning himself behind Ryder. ‘One.. Two.. Three!’

Ryder pulled the leg as Chase grabbed his shirt in his teeth, trying to help. After few seconds puppy fell backwards, as his teeth slid off the cloth.

‘It won’t budge’ the boy exclaimed, looking back at his friend, feeling hopeless. So even their strength combined weren’t enough.

‘One more try!’ Chase decided and Ryder obeyed, pushing the rubble again. At the same time, German Shepherd pup circled around, sliding under the fallen part, pushing it from underneath. They struggled for a while but finally managed to free boy’s leg. As he stumbled backwards, Chase quickly run from under the debris, managing not to get crushed by it. They breathed heavily, catching breath after the struggle.

‘We made it! Ryder, we made it!’ Chase jumped in the air happily, running over to his friend. He stopped abruptly though, seeing the pained expression on boy’s face. ‘Ryder..?’

‘I think it’s broken’ his friend answered, pointing at his leg. ‘It won’t be easy for me to get out of here in this state’ he added.

Chase immediately positioned himself at Ryder’s hurt side.

‘Lean on me, I’ll help you downstairs’ he exclaimed. Ryder didn’t hesitate, as he put his hand on puppy’s back, stabilizing himself.

‘You’re a good friend, Chase’ he smiled, as they took a few small steps toward the exit.

‘You are always there for me. It’s my turn to help you this time’ German Shepherd replied with honesty.

They were halfway through, when the nearby lighting shook the building. Some dust have fallen from the ceiling and Ryder looked up. He noticed the cracks all over the ceiling, small debris falling already.

Another shake and it was too late.

‘Watch out!’ Ryder shouted, pushing Chase away mere seconds before the rubble collapsed on the boy.

The weather finally stabilized when Skye crushed her helicopter into the machine, successfully ending the abnormal storm. She used her jetpack to fly down to the street, joining the cheering, as other PAW Patrol members surrounded her.

‘Do you see Chase or Ryder anywhere?’ Zuma asked, looking around to find the missing friends.

‘No, maybe they’re somewhere else’ Liberty wondered.

Suddenly there was a buzz on the comms and Chase’s worried voice came through.

‘Puppies, we need help!’ he almost shouted ‘We’re on the other building. Ryder’s crushed under the debris! I… I can’t get him out! And he’s not answering me either!’

‘We’ll be right there!’ Marshall replied. ‘Liberty, get some men to help us out, I’m not sure our strength would be enough to free Ryder. And call an ambulance too, it might be needed. Rest of you, follow me!’

The puppies rushed to the entrance of a building, as Liberty carried on her part of a mission. They didn’t have much time, as Ryder needed medical attention. Luckily the power in the city was back on as soon, as the storm ended, so they hastily made their way toward the elevator.

‘Chase, which floor are you on?’ Zuma asked, as the door opened.

‘15th, please hurry’ came a quick answer.

‘Don’t worry, we’re on our way’ Skye reassured him, as the door slid close and the elevator moved upwards.

‘Liberty, when you’re finished, join us on 15th floor’ Rocky called the Adventure City’s pup who became the newest member of PAW Patrol just recently.

‘I’m on it, see you at the top!’ she answered, the sound in the background indicating she’s already on her way with a backup. ‘The ambulance will be here shortly too, just finished the call.’

‘Good, we’ve arrived already, looking for Chase and Ryder’ Marshall said as the elevator stopped and opened.

‘Chase, where are you?’ Rubble called. The place was filled with fallen debris and parts of what used to be Mayor Humdinger’s tower.

‘Over here’ German Shepherd emerged from behind one of the biggest piles of rubble. ‘Quick, help me get him out!’

Another ping indicated that Liberty just arrived at the scene. They joined other puppies and together hastily made their way toward Chase.

The debris was huge and all they could see of Ryder, was his head and one arm, the rest buried underneath fallen parts of walls and ceiling. He was unconscious and bruised all over, from what was visible.

‘I tried to pull him out but I’m not strong enough’ German Shepherd pup explained.

‘And it’s a good thing you didn’t’ replied a tall, brown-haired man, one of the few accompanying Liberty. He crouched next to the puppy, eyeing the debris. ‘We need to carefully remove all of the rubble’ he instructed his companions. ‘Make sure not to move the boy, we don’t know how bad are the injuries.’

The work went swiftly, although not as fast, as the puppies would have wanted. About halfway through the work, the paramedics came and helped remove rest of the debris. Ryder was then moved carefully on the stretcher, the medics quickly looking for any visible injuries.

‘Well, his left leg is definitely broken, no doubt about it’ paramedic exclaimed, motioning the men to pick up the stretcher. ‘And probably right arm too. I don’t like the bruise on his forehead but it doesn’t seem to be very serious, hopefully. He’ll be fine, no grave injuries” he added, seeing the worried looks on puppies’ snouts, especially Chase’s. He leaned to pet pup’s head.

‘You did great, we’ll take it from here’ said the other medic, as they made their way towards the elevator.

The party exited the building, an ambulance parked not far from the entrance. People crowded the street, watching Ryder being put inside.

‘Poor boy…’ some lady gasped, while other nodded, agreeing with her.

‘He’s still just a child’ another added. ‘It should not have happen.’

‘It’s Mayor Humdinger’s fault!’ a man from within the crowd shouted, and people suddenly parted, showing the purple-dressed men in a middle of escaping.

‘What? How is this my fault?’ he argued angrily, the cats hissing by his side. ‘I didn’t ask to be rescued in the first place! Why should I be responsible?’

But nobody listened. Angry shouting escalated, people closing in on Humdinger. He screamed, scared, as he was enveloped by the crowd.

Chase didn’t look at the commotion, his attention solely on a unmoving frame of Ryder in an ambulance. As the paramedics began closing the door, he rushed forward and jumped inside.

‘I’m going with Ryder’ he exclaimed, laying next to the boy.

If the medic was surprised by a sudden movement, he didn’t show it. He closed the door and made his way toward the front of the car, as the other started the engine.

‘Come on, let’s follow them in our vehicles’ Liberty decided. ‘Skye, you take Chase’s police car, since your helicopter is broken.’

‘Yeah, will have to ask Ryder for a new one’ Skye answered sheepishly. ‘I really hope he got an insurance for it.’

‘Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll figure something out’ Rocky cheered her up, putting his paw on her. ‘For now let’s focus on getting to the hospital.’

Other puppies barked with an agreement and split to get into their vehicles. Then they followed an ambulance, not noticing the frantic escape of Mayor Humdinger, as he managed to get free from the crowd. Not that it mattered. All it mattered now was Ryder.

First thing that Ryder felt was pain in his left leg. Broken, he remembered. He tried opening his eyes, but a bright light from a lamp caused him to close them again. He grunted, as he prepared himself for another try. This time slower, he let his eyes accustom to the lighting. He was in a room, hospital, judging by the look of it. There was something on his right, warm and fluffy, pressed to his side. Ryder moved his head carefully and saw Chase sleeping next to him on a bed. Boy’s moving must have woken him up, as he shifted and yawned, stretching his paws. Eyes locked with Ryder and puppy jumped up.

‘Ryder!’ He shouted happily. ‘You’re okay!’

‘I guess I am’ the boy answered, laughing softly. ’What happened?’

‘I freed you from the debris, we were trying to leave the building’ Chase answered. ‘You… there was a lighting nearby. It caused the ceiling to collapse. You pushed me aside but…’ German Shephard’s eyes filled with sadness and regret. ‘Liberty got some citizens to help us remove the rubble, then they moved you to an ambulance.’

‘Oh, Chase…’ Ryder moved slowly, embracing the pup. ‘It’s alright, we’re alright.’ He reassured him.

‘But you were hurt! I couldn’t do anything to help you!’ Chase argued. ‘I failed you…’

‘No, Chase, you didn’t fail me!’ answered the boy with a shock on his face. ‘You are the bravest pup I’ve ever met. I mean do you know any other who would jump over to the next building to reach me? I sure don’t. If it wasn’t for you, I would be still stuck there.’

The door suddenly opened, and a doctor entered a room with rest of the PAW Patrol behind him. He looked up from his notebook, noticing Ryder and Chase. A warm smile appeared on his lips.

‘Ah, Ryder, I see you’re awake now’ he said, moving to stand near the bed.

‘RYDER!!’ cried the puppies in unison, jumping on a bed to cuddle with their friend, licking his face happily.

‘Alright, alright, if you want him to get healed properly, I advise to give him a room to breathe’ the doctor laughed. ‘How are you feeling, my boy?’

‘Well, my leg and arm hurt and I’m a bit sore’ Ryder answered after a while, when puppies finally decided to stop licking him. ‘Other than that, I’m good.’

‘You’ve had an amazing luck. Except broken leg and arm, as you noticed, you’re uninjured. I advise lot of relax and you should be back to normal in about few months.’

‘Don’t worry, we’ll take care of him, doc!’ Liberty barked happily, swinging her tail. ‘Hear that, Ryder? No missions for you!’

Ryder laughed at that, along with doctor. Everything was fine.

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

So there it is, hope you liked it 🙂 I noticed a few things I could change here and there, as I posted, but I decided to not rewrite the whole thing again 😅

[barsformars]

Back

//

g - fluff; non-idol!au

p - vet!jongho × vet!reader

w.c - 1.1k+

t.w - none

c - jongho tries to prove that the cat loves him more than it loves you but him cheating just led to much desired but unexpected situations.

a.n - hello im back to make @closer-stars suffer with another jongho writing! not too sure if you would like the vet au but cats! so kdksksk hope you like it bebs <3

t.l - @closer-stars (ofc) @fromercury @jeongyunhoed @ateezlovenet

//

"Siru loves me more and I am going to prove it to you today," Jongho stated confidently but him sneaking her favourite salmon jerky into the front pockets of his white coat says otherwise. You pretend you don't see anything, just giving him a light shrug and a smile that Jongho can only describe as an I-would-love-to-see-you-try-for-the-umpteenth-time smile.

It's always less talk and more action when it comes to Jongho so he doesn't even bother whining about you doubting Siru's love for him. He pushes through the door to the back where Siru is resting along with the other pets in the clinic, the salmon jerky still in his pocket (of course). You quickly follow right after, not wanting to miss even a second of what was about to come. You usually wouldn't ever dream of him doing it but it's inevitable if he really wants to fight for Siru's attention.

"Siru~" Jongho cooes just like every other overly affectionate pet owner in the world. Oh yes, Jongho's pet owner voice has finally made its debut. You won't even tell him how many times you have overheard him practicing it in the exam room when he assumed you were busy attending to other animals in the other exam room. It definitely sounds much more natural now, maybe because he's actually saying it to an actual cat rather than to the canine skeleton model in his exam room.

"Siru, come here." Jongho's so determined he even included a meow between his words. You stifle a laugh as you watch him from behind. Everything you were witnessing now was ridiculous, ridiculously adorable.

The tortoiseshell seemed to have picked up the scent of her favourite treat because you see her sniffing in the direction of Jongho's pocket, her eyes fixed on it rather than Jongho's face. If he was able to get her out of her cage, even by baiting her like this, you would still acknowledge his victory. It would still be an improvement from before when she wouldn't even move a step closer to him. A small win is still a win.

Unfortunately, Jongho completely messes up when he goes on to say: "It's time for your daily check-up, baby." Yeah....using the word "baby" here wasn't going to work if the three prohibited words in the cat's dictionary was also included in the same sentence. With that, Siru folds her ears back down and immediately goes to hide in the corner of her cage.

"Great! Another free cup of coffee for me!" You chirped as you moved forward to give him a pat on his shoulder.

Jongho sighs in defeat, his shoulders slumping over. "Maybe I should have just been an ordinary doctor for humans. I still don't understand how to get the pets to warm up to me."

"Hey, that was a pretty close attempt," you comforted him. "You just need a little more practice, can't really blame you when you spend more time operating on them rather than interacting when they're conscious."

"But-"Jongho straightens his back so fast you almost lose your balance due to the shock-"I know a trick ninety-nine point nine percent of animals can't resist." He shoots you a mischievous glance and a smirk as he pulls out his 'secret' weapon, which did indeed catch Siru's attention.

Siru was already near the entrance of the cage when your competitiveness takes over you. Your first instinct was to create a distance between the two of them, and maybe you could blame it on your frequent fantasies in doing so, but your arms naturally went around his waist as you pulled him away, you now behind him once again.

"You think I didn't notice? You cheater!" You unintentionally gave him a tight squeeze as you tried to snatch the treat out of his hand and Jongho feels like you had just snatched his breath away, literally and figuratively.

"U-uh...that's a tad too tight, my dear." Jongho regrets almost instantly for saying that right now. It was not unusual for him to use it on you but using it in this situation was probably not the best idea; misunderstandings may arise.

If anyone ever asks you for an instance where your competitiveness takes over you, you're going to use this as an example because you didn't even notice the position the both of you were in until Jongho had said that. "Oh shit, sorry." You tried to take a step back and away from your colleague but it seems like the universe has other plans for the both of you because you trip over Jongho's foot in the process.

You would like to thank his quick reflexes in grabbing your arms — that were pretty much still around him — and reeling you back in, otherwise you would have crashed into the cages behind you, giving the other animals an extremely unpleasant wake-up call. But you also hate it, because now the both of you are closer than before, one cheek squished against his back and his hands firmly holding onto yours, the both of you frozen on the spot. How were you supposed to act in a situation like this?

You were the first one to break the awkward but somehow comforting silence, clearing your throat and redirecting the both of you back to the real reason you two were in here for — Siru.

"Oh yeah, Siru..."

"I'll get her," you said, pulling away cautiously this time to avoid the same situation from happening again. Jongho fingers lingers on your arms as you do just in case he needs to catch you again.

"Okay, I'll go get prepared."

"Thanks." Jongho nods in acknowledgement and heads straight towards the door, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. His heart was pumping dangerously fast, it couldn't be healthy to let it continue that way for any longer.

Jongho was just about to close the door behind him, so he could wipe away the cold sweat that was starting to drip down his warm face, when you called out to him. He can barely breathe all because of you.

"We should talk about it after work." You notice the slight confusion in his face, and though you know he's quick-witted enough to figure out what you mean, you don't want to leave any chances of him misunderstanding. "About us, I mean. But also I mean even if you have nothing to say to me, I have lots of things to tell you. So, please?"

"Sure, we can talk about us."

[1a-imagines]

Bunny band-aid.

Characters: Izuku Midoriya

Overview: You cant seem to catch a break lately and to top it all off you end up getting hurt! Luckily a cute hero is here to help patch you up!

A/n: Me and my friend were talking about dekus red bags that he keeps attached to his hips. She asked what i thought he keeps in them and i said probably first aid stuff and that spiralled into a long conversation about how cute it would be if he had little cartoon/bunny band-aids that he would give to people.

And well- how could I pass that up?

"Why does this always happen to me?" You whined as you hopped around your small apartment, simultaneously pulling up your skirt as you tried to slather your toast with butter.

This morning you had received an angry call from your boss, yelling at you to get in as soon as you could. They were slammed and ,sure, you could imagine that must be stressful for any boss but it feels like your boss in particular was a ticking time bomb.

It was best not to get on his bad side, and so you didn't argue with him about the fact it was suppost to be your one day off.

You also had to ignore all the angry texts from your family for having to cancel on dinner with them yet again. How many times did that make it now? 6? You felt like the worst person ever for letting them down so many times, but your work just kept getting in the way!

You keep telling yourself you'll make it up to them, but you never have the time.

You could feel yourself slowly breaking down but you put on your brave face knowing that you'd only be in more trouble if you showed up at work crying.

You quickly finished your toast and downed your coffee before grabbing your bag and rushing out the door. You ran down the stairs until you reached the street, almost tumbling over a few times.

Your job wasn't too far- if you were quick you could make it in 10 minutes and maybe your boss wouldn't fire you?

So you ran.

You ran all the way down the street, narrowly avoiding other pedestrians and jumping over a few stray cats. You felt like you were running so fast that stopping seemed impossible. Your legs were going faster than you could keep up with. This is the sheer amount power and fear your boss held over you.

What a jerk.

Just as you were running past the park you felt one of your feet get caught on a loose pavement slab. Your eyes went wide as a gasp escaped your lips. Your whole body flew forward and you watched helplessly as the ground beneath you got closer.

You held out your hands and closed your eyes, bracing for the impact. You grunted in pain when your body inevitably hit the hard concrete. You had fallen so hard that your body had even bounced off the ground and skidded to a harsh stop.

That was it.

That was the breaking point. You didn't even have the energy to push yourself up. You lay there, your knees and hands stinging as you let the tears run down your cheeks.

Why was the world so against you lately? Have you done something wrong? Did you really deserve this harsh fate?

Personally, you liked to think you always tried your best. That you gave everything you all and you always went out of your way to help people. Overall, you were a pretty good person.

So why has fate decided to punish you lately?

You forced yourself to push your body up onto your backside and that's when you noticed the contents of your bag had also spilled out onto the ground.

Great…

You sniffled and rubbed your stinging cheek to rid yourself of the tears "Why can't I catch a break…" you muttered solemnly.

Once you had finished your pity party you figured it would be best to push yourself up, but before you could move, the sound of fast paced steps coming in your direction caught your attention.

You saw a boy in a green costume running up to you. When he finally reached you he knelt down, his big eyes filled with worry. He was panting a bit too, showing he must have ran over to you pretty fast.

"Are you ok!? I'm so sorry I couldn't catch you! I saw you fall from across the park and ran as fast as I could." He apologized so sincerely it sounded as if he completely blamed himself for your fall. You were about to say that it was ok but he gasped, successfully cuttinf you off.

"You're bleeding!!" You followed his gaze to your hands and knees.

He was right, You most certainly were bleeding. However, that much was to be expected after such a harsh fall like that. It wasn't a whole lot though, Most of them were just scrapes, but they still stung.

"Hold still! I have some first aid on me. I'll clean and bandage it up for you!" He said, reaching into the red bags strapped to his hips and pulling out a bottle, a cloth, and some bandages.

"You're a hero?" You tilted your head. The costume, plus carrying first aid, made you guess he was. Although you had never seen him before, was he new? You were a pretty big hero fan and you had a feeling you would've remembered someone like him. He smiled softly as he poured the gauze onto the piece of cloth he had.

"Sort of… I'm in training." He paused and looked up into your eyes. "This might hurt a bit, if it hurts too bad just tell me to stop, ok?"

You nodded your head. He was so gentle and reassuring. If he was the future of heroes then it greatly comforted you. The hero society could really use people like him right now. Especially after All Might's retirement.

You hissed in pain when the liquid hit your open wound. Even though you were no longer a little kid it was still one of the worst pains in the world to have to clean up scrapes with that unholy liquid.

It hurt, but didn't want to stop him. He was being so careful and gentle with the way he applied it, it would've been kind of nice if it wasn't burning like a bitch.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on saving people who actually need it right now?" You asked, your voice sounded more bleak and horse than you liked. You could hear the hopelessness in your own voice and you didn't like it. He looked back up at you, that same small smile was still on his lips, had it ever left?

He stared deep into your eyes and it almost made your heart stop for a moment. "What kind of hero would I be if I left a pretty girl crying in the middle of the street?"

"Crying?" You reached up to feel your cheek. You were still crying? You hadn't even noticed. He had been distracting you from all the sadness of your life with just his smile alone. It was incredible…

Wait, did he call you pretty!?

"It must hurt, I know, but don't worry, I'll fix you right up!" He said.

He thought you were crying because of the pain? The pain wasn't so bad, nothing you couldn't handle anyway. These tears were from stress, from holding everything back for so long.

Though you weren't about to tell him that.

You watched him bandage up your hands which seemed to have taken the most damage from the fall. How could you work with bandages all over your hands? You were so going to get fired.

It was kind of sad that despite being hurt, all you could think about was inconveniencing your boss. It was an unhealthy mind set to have.

"What's your name?" His voice broke through your thoughts.

"Oh! Uh- Y/n." You replied shyly, the embarrassment crying in front of him was starting to seep in. You turned your head away when you felt your cheeks heating up. You'd never really been a person to cry in front of people. So this was really embarrassing for you.  

"S-so, what about you? What's the name of my new hero?" You glanced over to him with a lopsided, bashful smile.

You saw him freeze at the sound of being called your hero, his cheeks turning the same shade as yours. Maybe even more so.

"O-oh, It's D-Deku." He stuttered out a reply as he finished wrapping up your hands.

He put the bottle and cloth back into the bags on his hips and pulled out a few bandaids. He took the paper off it and placed them over the scrapes on your knees.

"There! All done!" He pulled back and that's when you noticed the pattern on the bandaid. It had little bunnies on it!

'That's so adorable!' You inwardly squealed. Who would've guessed a hero would be carrying something as cute as this!

It made you gush.

"Thank you so much!" Ever since meeting him you had really perked up. Somehow, he had washed your worries away, maybe all you had really needed was to know that someone cared about you? That you weren't so alone?

Or maybe it was simply because it was the first nice encounter you've had in months! Which was saying a lot since you're legs and hands are currently bleeding.

He soon stood up, offering you a hand and pulling you up too.

"It's nothing! Really! You don't have to thank me!" He waved his hands in front of him shyly. It was like he wasn't used to people wanting to repay him.

Deku grabbed all the items that had fallen out of your bag and brushed the dirt off them before handing them back.

In all honesty, heroes were something a lot of people took for granted, but it was times like these that made you realise they were humans too.

His gesture may have been small but he had still made a big impact on your mood and on your day. You wanted to show your gratitude. After all, he didn't really have to come help you. Hero or not, he still could have walked away or ignored it.

"No! Really! I want to repay you somehow!" He had somehow made you feel the first thread of happiness- or was it hopefulness? That you had felt it for a while. It was so refreshing and he had helped you more than he was probably aware of.

Maybe there was also a small part of you that wanted to selfishly spend more time with him too. He was like a sudden breath of fresh air in your life and you weren't willing to let that go so easily.

"How about I buy you lunch?" You asked with a smile.

You phone began buzzing in your pocket and that's when you remembered you had work!! You pulled out your phone and upon seeing your boss's caller ID you felt your heart freeze. You could only imagine how pissed off he must be right now.

You looked up to see the worried face of your new hero, he must have caught on that something was wrong. Did he really care about you that much? You were nothing more than an acquaintance to him, and yet seeing you frown was clearing upsetting him too.

The world really did need more people like him.

You weren't sure where this sudden boldness had come from but you declined the call, and like that, weight on your shoulder was lifted. You shoved your phone away.

You'd be lying if you said it didn't make you feel a bit special

You'll deal with the consequences later.  

You smiled up at him. "Are you free right now?"

"Actually, I finish my patrol duty in 10 minutes." He replied. "If you don't mind waiting for a bit, then I'd love to get lunch with you!"

You shook your head.

You didn't mind waiting at all. You'd happily wait days, weeks even, to spend more time with your new hero. Something in your heart was telling you to get to know him better- to not let him go so easily.

Maybe fate was finally giving you the break you so desperately wanted?

"Great! Then wait here and I'll be back as soon as I can, ok?" He smiled so brightly you could practically feel the warmth radiating from it.

"It'll be my treat! To make up for not catching you in time!" He declared before running off, not giving you time to fight him on it.

You were supposed to be the one repaying him but it seemed he was now treating you to a meal instead, and you had a feeling that he wasn't going to stand down from it either.

You sighed happily and clutched your bag to your chest as you stared down at the cute bunny band aids that decorated your skin.

"Maybe today will be a good day after all."

[anhed-nia]

BLOGTOBER 10/4/2021: THE RAVEN (1935)

Part of me wishes I had known earlier that this was part of a Universal Poe trilogy with THE BLACK CAT and MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, when I watched the former a few Blogtobers ago...but then again, THE BLACK CAT may have so dominated everything else that it could be best to put a couple of years after that experience, so I could assess THE RAVEN on its own terms. And THE RAVEN is, like, pretty zany.

t appears that the censorious Production Code Administration went after this film pretty aggressively for "running the risk of excessive horror" in its "stark realism", and I am unfortunately ignorant of what grisly delights earlier drafts may have contained. What remains is mainly horrific in concept rather than execution, but that concept allows characters to spew a whole lot of perverted, ridiculous nonsense, and that was good enough to keep me amused. The plot involves a Dr. Richard Vollin (Bela Lugosi), who has retired from his service to humanity in order to concentrate on building an Edgar Allan Poe-inspired torture dungeon in his basement. When he is pressed to save the life of an injured ballerina, he falls in love with her, and sets about punishing anyone who threatens to stand between them. His chief tool in this endeavor is Edmond Bateman (KARLOFF!), a violent fugitive who Vollin deliberately disfigures as a means of blackmailing him into smiting the doctor's enemies.

Just after Judge Thatcher (Samuel S. Hinds) warns Vollin to stay away from his daughter Jean (Irene Ware), the brutish Bateman fortuitously arrives at the doctor's home to beg a favor of plastic surgery. Having murdered two prison guards and burned off a banker's face with a blowtorch, Bateman has concluded that his real problem is his looks: "Ever since I was born, people look at me and say: 'YOU'RE UGLY.' ...Maybe if a man looks ugly, he does ugly things!" Once Bateman is on the slab, Vollin makes him look even more absurd, promising to restore him to a normal state once he has killed Judge Thatcher. At this point I'm thinking, ok, now Bateman looks like nobody who has ever existed, so probably he'll sneak up and snuff out the judge, and no potential witness will be able to finger him OR Vollin...right? But actually, Vollin's plan is a little weirder than that.

In fact, Vollin is such a weird guy that it's hard to imagine missing the fact that he's dangerously nuts. He is at all times lurching, leering, and lingering over some helpless person while making declarations like "Death is my talisman!" and "(I am) a god with the taint of human emotion!" and "A doctor is fascinated by death, and how much pain a man can endure!" Still, Jean brings her fiancé (Lester Matthews) and her father to Vollin's for a weekend slumber party, where their main gripe is that his deformed "servant" Bateman won't stop wandering in and out of their bedrooms, standing behind them, and breathing down their necks while making little frankengroans. It's virtually impossible for Karloff to show off his superior acting chops under these circumstances, but there is something hilarious about him being not exactly threatening, but as awkward as humanly possible at this party full of rich prissy douchebags. You can't help but relate to him: I mean, he's not really a butler or anything. He doesn't even know how to pretend to be one. He's supposed to assassinate one of these guys, but now they all know who he is, and he's totally unmissable even in a dark room. Where's he supposed to go? What's he supposed to do? The whole thing is a nightmare.

Eventually we all make our way down to the torture dungeon with its inevitable pit and pendulum, where Lugosi gets to deliver some of the craziest dialog in the movie. He has moved on from wanting to possess Jean, to just wanting to murder everybody there, and he explains that the mental torture he experiences can only be soothed by physically torturing other people. And sure, we all get the concept of revenge, but it you've never heard it like this: "I tear torture out of myself by torturing YOU!", or, "I'll soon be rid of my torture, and I'll be the sanest man who has ever lived!" The actual presentation of torture in this movie is nowhere near as interesting as the way Vollin talks about it, but luckily for me, he is almost always talking about it.

I don't have any big conclusion to draw about this iteration of THE RAVEN, so I'll just say this: Am I the only person who has been walking around incorrectly assuming that Karloff was a lot taller than Lugosi? I mean I probably got some of that impression from the former's FRANKENSTEIN lifts, but he wasn't always rigged up like that. Maybe it's Karloff's languorous limbs and elongated features that made me think he was just a lot longer of a person than Lugosi, who actually had an inch or two on his rival. But even having seen this movie, in which Lugosi is taller than virtually everybody else on the screen, I'm still having trouble accepting the truth. Maybe in another year or two I'll watch MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE and see if Lugosi is taller than all those people, too.