#catch a tiger by a tail or something something

[naffeclipse]

Temperate Tail

Tigertaur!Eclipse x Reader. Sickness. Non-consensual touching. Kidnapping.

Prev

You moan quietly at the arms underneath you, lifting you away from the cool cave floor. Blearily, you peek between heavy eyelids to watch the deeper shadow of stone break away to red evening, burning into a black-blue twilight on the horizon. The leafy foliage flutters with a warm breeze. You shudder underneath it as the arms that hold you squeeze you a little too tightly. The motion of being carried away is not as smooth as the nagas ought to be.

Sun and Moon went to hunt for themselves. You thought they had only awakened you a moment ago, gently fed you another sensitive plant, and told you their plans.

They worried, whispered, but you had shooed them away. They can only hunt together in the dusk or dawn, and you’re well aware that they’ve kept from satisfying their stomachs to watch over you in your sickness. You can survive a little while on your own—all you do is sleep.

And the nagas are not the only dangerous creatures in the jungle.

“Back already?” your hoarse voice crackles under the ill strain to speak. You allow your head to loll against the firm arm cradling you. 

You desperately long for the flower to kick in soon and spare you the furious whiplash effect of fevers one moment then chills the next. Sun and Moon have been diligent in tending to you; a fact you still have to stomach. Under their constant care, you’re useless, at their ever gentle mercy.

This body pressing you close is not the warmth of a sun-heated patch of grass nor the cool shadows stretching underneath a misty tree. It’s even, neutral, calm. The being is steady in a way that betrays the skilled strength hiding under short fur of orange and deep red. An unagitated killer, carrying away his prize prey.

Your eyelids fly open.

“Eclipse,” you half growl, half groan.

A large hand, tipped in compacted but curved claws, slaps over your mouth. Your weak protest is muffled under his near smothering palm. Deep red eyes flash in warning. His gait is swift and seamless, not the swaying motion you register with Sun or Moon. The beast holding you flies over the forest floor upon four tiger legs, his upper half bearing the resemblance of a man in form. The silent pads of his paws let him ghost through the forest, you caught in his muscular embrace.

His focus remains on the forest as it deepens with shadows and reddens with the last slips of sunrise. You boil internally, not only because of your sickness, but at how long he must have been lying in wait, watching, willing Sun and Moon to leave you for but a moment. The fiend.

Eclipse is the only beast who stands a chance against Sun and Moon, save for one other in this mad jungle.

You try to bite his hand but only succeed in scraping your teeth against his palm and getting hair in your mouth. His round ears flicker. Turning his head, he watches for a moment, still bounding between thick, mossy trees before resume his cunning getaway.

You want to snarl at him, threaten him, demand he puts you down now. His hand gags your every attempt to throw threats. Furious and festering in your feverish state, you struggle to find a way out of his arms. His claws press against your cheek, almost squishing the flesh against your molars. The promise of bruises hangs over his fingertips.

His own threat flares in his round, black pupils—so unlike the slitted gaze of Sun and Moon.

You glare at his orange, light yellow, and dark red mane-like growth of fur around his head, flaring around him like sun rays. He’s always made you think of a dark sunset, eclipsing a land of light. Upon his face, he’s marked by an orange and deep red jagged crescent, and around his deep red eyes are vertical white stripes that cut from the corner of his gaze.

Through the quiet buzz of the jungle, you fight his vice-like hold and your own fading strength while he carries you from the lush and verdant part of the jungle to tall grass, wild and whipping in the summer breeze, to thickets speckled with rocky crevices. 

Eclipse’s territory. The pulse in your throat quickens. You try to kick but weakness sets upon your sickly form.

He stops in the center of the verdant field. His large head tilts down to gaze at you. The appetitive glint in his wine dark eyes fills you with acidic apprehension. He nimbly folds upon his tiger legs, sitting not unlike a cat pleased with the mouse he’s brought back. His large palm lifts away from your mouth—there’s no worry that Sun and Moon will hear you now. He lays you down on the thick grass. The emerald green colors darken just as the sun slips away, leaving a purple twilight against the sky. The lush vegetation brushes against you like strands of hair. You shudder.

“Take me back, right now,” you demand is overwhelmed by your croaking. That is not the fierceness with which you want to address Eclipse.

His wide grin upon his large head splits to reveal curved canines. He licks his teeth once. You force yourself to not flinch, though holding your head off of the ground is beginning to take its toll on your limited energy.

“No. You’re staying here, with me, until I say so.” He bows over you. Large tiger paws dig slightly into the moist dirt as his hands arch for you. “As if those two snakes were taking care of you. You still have a fever.”

You glare. He has too many limbs, too many claws to watch for. Though you fade under the aching pulse eradicating your body, you refuse to close your eyes for even a moment.

“I don’t need your help.” Before his hand takes a hold of you, you twist onto your belly. Shoving your knees up and working your elbows, you begin to crawl away—as slow and pitiful as you are, you refuse to stay here a moment more. You push with strength you do not have. Glass blades swipe against your arms. The almost muddy ground soaks into the fabric of your long khakis. 

A large hand seizes your ankle. With a rattling breath sucked out of your lungs, you’re dragged back over the grass and flipped upright. Before you can curse him, Eclipse tucks you under his white hirsute belly of his lower tiger half, two massive paws pinning your arms by your sides. His weight holds you down like a striped blanket. 

You groan sickly. Throwing him a half-lidded stare of disdain, you can only watch as Eclipse lays down on top of you, his arms crossed over your midsection as you struggle to breathe under his weight. He tilts his head, his mane-like fur too short to take after a lion, but the tufts are spikey and vibrate with orange, light yellow, and deep red hues.

“You won’t get any better crawling around in the mud,” he drips with derision. “Why are you so difficult?”

Clutching your hands into fists, you bare your teeth as if you had as sharp of fangs as him. He laughs. The harsh, sharp sound makes you vibrate within your ridiculously chilled body. If you weren’t sick—if you had your machete—

“Get off me,” you rasp. 

“Relax, kitten,” he purrs, lifting a hand to trail a black claw over your arm, tracing from the crease of your elbow to the curve of your shoulder. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” 

He does not feed you, and you very much want to bite.

You shiver. Goosebumps prickle your skin under the lethal brush of the tiger’s hand. Your breath catches when his touch nears your neck. Your fever spikes. Caressing your throat, Eclipse’s claws linger on your jugular vein. The very beat of your heart pushes back on his presence. You will your frantic pulse to not give away the violent fear flooding your veins, too weak to throw him off you and run.

His deep red eyes flash with a predatory smugness. You squirm. In what you can only understand as delight, he shifts his hand to firmly press on your shoulder, restricting your movement further.

A moan slips past your teeth.

“I will make you feel better,” his throaty growl fills your body. You freeze, eyes wide like a gazelle. 

“Eclipse,” you try to argue, but you cough.

Softly, so softly you almost don’t understand what’s happening, Eclipse begins to purr. You feel it within his tiger half as well as his chest. Fully laid out underneath him, deep rumblings fill you like the echoes of thunder. A strangely gentle vibrancy soothes the edge of the fever. You gasp quietly at how sweet the relief is—how swift and consuming it is of the ache that’s been plaguing you for a day and night now.

“What are you doing?” you ask, harsh in your allayed confusion.

“Giving you what you need: me.” His wicked maw splits into a wide smile. “Don’t deny you feel better. I can already see it in your face.”

“No,” you groan, but it’s not your best lie.

He laughs softer this time, condescending but adoring, as if he can’t get enough of your antics.

Internally, you writhe. The aching soreness, the flip-flopping of shuddering from chills and melting from the fever is washed away like mud from a stone, but you wonder if that could be due to the flower you consumed earlier. His purring… it is enticing, seductive in how it urges you to stop resisting. You hate that a sliver of you wants it. You loathe that you want him to keep taking away the sickness.

You’re useless. Eclipse has stalked you time and time ago, and pounced just when you were foolish enough to believe you were safe. Now, you don’t even have a weapon to brandish against him. He’s too swift and cunning—he always has you before you realize what’s happening. 

A perfect ambush predator.

He keeps telling you that you need him. You have never revolted against such a bold declaration more than this. His bone-snapping strength and his sound-breaking speed are intimidating, certainly, but you won’t let him play with you. 

He acts hungry, he keeps looking at you as if you were a sweet morsel, and you refuse to believe that he is anything but a monster yearning for flesh after he’s finished playing with his food.

Depleted of adrenaline and reserved energy, you can do nothing but soak in his healing rumbles.

Eclipse’s body lays lightly over your own. You carry vague suspicions that he’s not resting his full weight on you—crushing you to death is not his means of slaughter. He has far too many claws and a pair of powerful jaws for that. Instead, stomach to stomach, he longues over you as if soaking in the starry light. This close to your chest, you wonder how well he senses your angry heart.

Insects buzz through the grass. You have an urge to shiver in the lack of safety in the night, but Eclipse’s purring keeps you from feeling too aware of your surroundings. In the darkness, his orange and deep red hues have melted to a muted color. The length of his tail playfully flickers behind him, long and tipped in black. He is too cat-like, too large, to be trustworthy.

“Relax, sweet little kitten,” he croons in a low voice, “I’m not letting you go anywhere.”

You glower in the dark. His predator eyes can see your expression perfectly, but he only sneers in reply.

As if sweeping aside your ungrateful attitude, Eclipse plays with wisps of your hair, twirling the strands around his claws with a casual intrigue. He never tugs on the strands. You do little but breathe. His purrs are alleviating the worst and you need every ounce of strength you can steal to get away from him. The gleam of his deep red eyes become black in the crescent of moonlight.

He leans down. You turn your head away but that does little to stall his nuzzling. He rubs affectionately against your nose, your neck, even your hair, and you protest with loud grumblings. You squeeze your eyes shut at the stroke of his sleek fur—something so dangerous shouldn’t be so soft. A whimper escapes you, and you bite the inside of your cheek to hold back the next one. His purr picks up. He effortlessly ignores your half growled cursing while fussing his fuzzy short mane against your cheek.

When will he have his fill? Is he ever going to be satisfied bating you around like a delicious little mouse? Your heart skips a beat.

“Why are you doing this?” you grunt.

“You smell like those awful snakes,” he growls lightly. He pulls back in the slightest so you can catch the sizzling pleasure in his gaze. “You have no idea how much better you smell with me all over you.”

“I don’t smell like anyone but me,” you hiss. But you’re not sure. Have Sun and Moon left their scent on you? The thought hadn’t crossed your mind seriously until now.

Eclipse tilts his head slightly. The wild fluff of his head speaks to his jungle prowess. Hanging only an itch above your mouth, he muses in tune with his purring. 

“You do smell lovely.” He traces a tapered finger from your temple to the edge of your jaw, as if sizing up a morsel. “Like dried petals with a slight spice.”

A shudder takes over your shoulders. He hooks your chin in his grasp then deliberately rubs his fluffy cheek against your mouth. A thick sultry ting of amber and dark earth fills your senses, ending with a lingering, spicy musk.

You sputter, tasting hair. He snickers with a simper when he lifts his head.

The strong scent reminds you of when he first surprised you. He pinned you to the ground before you realized you were being hunted. A mistake you refuse to make again. There was no doubt in your mind that he was going to tear your throat out, but he purred and fawned over you, and dragged you off to a rocky crevice to find out more about you. You were terrified then—but you at least had your machete on you.

The shiver that rolls down your body is not for his pleasure, despite his smirk. You’re going to find a way to wring his neck.

“Stop it,” you snap, your voice thick and labored.

“I am good for you. You can’t deny that,” he leans in closer. He lays his head beside your own, covering your chest. You swallow at the graze of his teeth against your soft neck. 

His voice lowers, “You like to think you have claws, but you don’t. You need me. You need to trust me.”

You screw your eyes shut.

No. You can’t. You can only rely on yourself. Sun and Moon are sweet, they practically begged to help you, but you can’t accept that, not truly. You won’t let them have your back just to get a fang or claw in it.

It hurts. You remember.

When push comes to shove, you can only hope you’re out of reach of everything and everyone.

“Kitten,” he purrs, turning your chin with a sharp finger. “You’re safe with me.”

You stare back at him, eyes narrowed with disbelief. The rhythmic swells of his purrings have yet to wane. The delicious relief holds you down still. He envelopes you like a waterfall, crashing down, drowning you where you stand.

A sliver of you wants to trust him, and that part of you is very, very wrong and weak.

His one round ear twitches, and then both lie flat against his skull The summer breeze ceases. Unease pricks your spine. His expression sharpens as he rises, hands pressed into the grass on either side of your head, claws extended.

The deep purr within his body cuts off. For a fraction of the night, he holds your gaze with a promise.

I will steal you away again soon.

His jaw splits open in a snarl that quakes the meadow. Your heart climbs up your throat, rattling under his force. The next second, Eclipse leaps off of you. You gasp at the sudden loss of the tiger’s presence. A flash of midnight blue scales darts through the grass. 

Moon.

The naga strikes in the blink of an eye. Moon’s fangs snap inches from Eclipse’s neck, vicious spit dripping from his sharp incisors. The flare of his hood makes him larger, and horrifying, and the glinting red and yellow diamonds flaring underneath his intimidating display promise lethal retribution. The tigertaur dives deeper into the field, effortlessly lunging out of reach from a furious swipe of Moon’s claws. Eclipse grins; there is nothing humorous in his glinting jaws.

The meadow rustles to the side of you. A sweeping mass of golden scales circle you, crushing grass and smothering vegetation. Hands take your shoulders. A low hiss fills the air with a threatening rage but soon softens. You look up, stunned. 

Sun, too.

The naga instantly grabs you and holds you against his warm chest. You lock your arms around his spindly neck, minding his sharp head spikes. His blue eyes are dark as if ink were spilled into his irises. His arms tremble for one moment before steadying around you. In the emptiness of Eclipse’s purrs, your entire body shivers and the fever returns in thick, heavy waves.

You twist your head back, fighting the ache dripping back into your limbs. Moon is coiled upon his tail, tall, taller than you’ve ever seen him hold himself up. He watches the meadow with a fervent rage. His red eyes are wide, glinting dark like arterial blood.

Sun says Moon’s name. In a snap, Moon is slithering to your side, his hand brushing the small of your back with a reassuring—or in need of reassuring—touch. You try to say their names. Sun tucks your head against his shoulder.

The moment they turn away, you see Eclipse in the tall grass, not yet gone. He’s crouched, half-hidden. He grins like the Cheshire Cat between wavering blades of green. His fingers dance in a goodbye. Your heart drops into your stomach.

Sun and Moon shoot away—a fight avoided is the only good fight. Cutting through the grass, rustling through it with thunderous hissing, they spirit you out of Eclipse’s territory. You cling tighter to Sun and watch Moon’s and his long tails become whipping blurs, scales glinting with shards of starlight.

“You came?” you gasp. You try to not choke Sun with your crushing grip.

“Are you hurt?” Moon hisses.

“No.” You shake your head. “Eclipse was watching the cave.”

“We put that together,” Sun gives without his usual musical timber. “Did he do anything to you?”

“No.”

He nods, relieved, but it’s short-lived as a dark cloud passes over his usually sunny expression. “You scared us, lily pad. That’s the second time I’ve found you gone.”

“We should have stayed,” Moon says, his snarl lowering into remorse.

You let your head fall against Sun’s shoulder, bouncing along with his swaying. Moon’s concern rings in your head like a bell. 

They came for you. They didn’t let you go. You close your eyes even as liquid spills underneath your eyelashes.

They take you far away from the tall grass, and they don’t stop until you’re well into the densest, darkest shadows of the jungle. You cling to the quiet sound of the nagas’ hissing.

You still feel Eclipse’s purr deep within your chest.

[xazse]

I don’t know about the anon but I freaked out when I saw the new fic. It was so good 🤤. I love how you’re giving us so much content nowadays and I’m here for it! Anyway, I was hoping that maybe you could figure something out for snow leopard Gojo and cat hybrid reader (him as a cat jest feels right) ? Imagine Satoru having this in mind ever since he saw you, I mean, big cats mate practically for the solo reason of breeding ?and he's no different- having many pups is a necessity to prove you're his and the best way to show how much he adores you! He’d be very protective about you while you’re carrying, never stepping away from your side and he’s become so needy too because you smell so divine with all those hormones to him.

It makes me think back to that kitty tiger fic where he would lick her and I see this as a continuation of short!

Well, not really since I mentioned a leopard but honestly if you did a tiger and really wrote it as a continuation l'd be thrilled. Do you think you’ll write more because I’d love some Satoru tiger/leopard fics. Have a nice day lovely 💕

Notes: SORRY ITS SO SHORT I HOPE YOU LIKE IT, I HAD FUN WRITING IT!!

Warnings: Pantysniffing + breeding + hybrids + little hybrids + pregnancy + overprotective!Satoru

Pairings: SnowLeopardSatoru + KittyHybrid!Reader

Oh yes of course SnowLeopard!Satoru was in love the day Suguru brought you home, you smelled of that icky place but eventually when you got comfortable he began cleaning you of that filthy, licking you everywhere to ensure you smelled exactly like him.

After scenting you to smell just like the touching started, it starts small with Satoru laying you in his lap or letting you stroke his hair until it got even more physical he was having you bent over balls deep inside of you, this became a daily occurrence where he’d pump you full load after load.

The leopard loved you so much, of course when you started showing signs of morning sickness he was so damn excited, well when he had said that you gave him the nastiest look ever but he had to phrase it as he was excited for the baby!

The first few months were absolute hell for you, Satoru could not and would not leave you alone, he insisted mining everything and anything with you.

You needed a shower? He’s in there helping you get in places your cute little belly prevents even in public he’s always making sure your near him, he keeps a tight grip on your arm so he doesn’t lose you.

He also keeps close because you smell, so fucking good, it drives him damn insane, he keeps you in his lap for hours just sniffing your neck or even having your legs wrapped around his head so he can smell your cunt.

He loves getting into your dirty laundry and smelling your panties, who cares if you catch him jerking off with it around his fat cock, he’ll look you dead in your face as you slowly close the door to let him have that privacy, he can’t fuck your pussy like he used to anymore so this’ll do.

When the babies come it’s so hectic around the house, you and Satoru are constantly chasing the little ones around, they don’t give either of you a break some days. It’s so cute to see how they look exactly like Satoru in some ways, two of them have his hair and the third one looks exactly like you, a carbon copy is what she is.

Their little ears and tail swish behind them so freaking cute, the amount of photos Satoru has in his phone is astonishing, he also posts them on his instagram always, everytime, Suguru also does his hair share with helping with them when you and Satoru are stressed. He’s like their uncle and it’s so adorable to see them braiding his hair or him reading to them.

When you finally get alone time, Satoru’s fucking you like he wants to put even more babies in you, the way he’s groaning is so damn loud it pairs with the way you sound when both of you meet in the middle, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t fucking back on him just as hard, it’s already been multiple orgasms and you’re both still going at it.

[aimfor-theheart]

to break first

|| mel medarda x reader, jayce talis x reader, viktor x reader || E/18+ || messy dynamics/hurt/comfort || wc: 6k || ao3 ||

minors and ageless blogs dni, 18+

Your lovers are strange, demanding types.

a/n: idk man. but this revived my writing so. pls take it. dividers by @/cafekitsune

tags: messy dynamics, light smut/smut mentioned and implied, implied rough/hate sex, some hurt/comfort, ends on a hopeful note. not beta read/edited.

You've never liked Jayce much.

And you might just be the only person he doesn't like, either.

He plays nice, though, especially around Viktor. You think Jayce has teeth that he tries to hide, but you catch the flash of them from time to time. He smiles at you and it doesn't reach his eyes. It's just shy of contempt.

It makes your grin cheshire and sharp. You like watching him squirm. You like watching him wrestle with his distaste for you, try to keep his teeth hidden. Especially here, at this gala, all gold and sparkling and pristine, for all the world to see.

Bubbling rosé is bright and fruity on your tongue. You're shoulder to shoulder with Viktor, the two of you half-miserable together, stuffed into formal wear and ripped from your respective labs and studios. Which is why Jayce lingers; he's hovering in that annoying way of his. Bumbling a little. He's trying to make Viktor feel more at home but—

You have something Jayce doesn't.

Only you can do that.

You're Viktor's childhood friend, thick as thieves and twice as inseparable. You're an artist from the Undercity—a painter, a poet, a musician. An artistic genius, the world claims, an artistic savant. And one of the rare, lucky few who has been exalted and raised above your station to be paraded around Piltover like some trophy of success from their lowest. It's mostly Viktor's fault, you claim—the moment Heimerdinger found him, he also accidentally found you.

"Ah, if it isn't one of the most brilliant and groundbreaking artists of our generation." A smooth, easy voice floats through your thoughts. You turn your head to find Councilor Medarda, swathed in what could be a starry sky of silk and gold.

She's even more beautiful in person somehow; if you were to paint her, she'd be all easy, graceful lines, curved and long. A lily stem. The arch of a tiger.

"Just the person I was looking for." She muses.

"Me?" You balk, at the same time that Jayce gaps, "Them?!"

You swing your gaze to glare at him and even Viktor wrinkles his nose. Jayce tries to clear his throat, clear the mistake.

Councilor Medarda raises a brow at Jayce, but then her eyes flicker to you, honing in on you. Hazel and gold and reflective; a kaleidoscope of color. And with such—intensity. You feel it in her. Thrumming. "Yes, you." She says smoothly and she smiles in the elegant way of royalty; perfect and mysterious.

"Are you sure you have the right person, Councilor Medarda?" You joke, "you know I'm just—"

"I'm certain. And please—call me Mel. I'd love to commission you for several art pieces to be displayed in the council chambers."

Viktor whistles a little, impressed, though you can tell it's a little dry.

(He both rambles and rants about Councilor Medarda from time to time and you can never tell if he adores her or resents her.)

Jayce startles at this, but again, he tries to play it off. He places his hand on her lower back, "I didn't know the council chambers was looking to display art."

Mel allows his hand to remain, but she tilts her chin up and her eyes flash somewhat—quick, sharp. There's a silent conversation there that you can't decipher.

But you can tell there is something more than just coworkers happening between them.

"I'm looking to display art in the council chambers." Mel then says.

Jayce looks away, cowed somewhat, tail tucked between his legs in a way that makes you smile.

Mel drifts from Jayce's hands, offering her arm to you, "will you walk with me? I'd love to discuss what I have in mind."

If only to steal her away from Jayce, you finally peel yourself away from Viktor's side and the wall. Your shoulder, where it was touching his, goes cold. But Mel's arm is warm as you twine it around yours.

She draws you away from the scientists, into the fray of swirling, dazzling people.

You glance over your shoulder only once and catch Jayce's eyes, and let your smile curl into something a little smug, almost vicious; baring your teeth as if to gloat at his own, still tucked behind his lips.

***

"Mel's an artist." You say to Viktor, offhand. "A good one, too. You should see her paintings—"

Viktor sighs heavily, snatching one of the little tools that you'd been fiddling with out of your hands. "You sound like Jayce."

You wrinkle your face in disgust, reaching back for the tool and grappling with him a moment for it. You press all against each other, squabbling, before you win out and take it back from him. He stares at you, almost in some form of a glare and you stare back, watching his eyes, dark in the low light of the lab. He glances at the tool in your hands like he might try to take it back, and when he moves, you move faster, and hold it out of his reach.

"Are they together?" You ask.

He gives up on the tool.

Then, he lifts his shoulders in some form of a crooked shrug, eyes going skyward. "One can only assume."

"She's out of his league." You sigh, throwing your weight back in the chair in despair.

Viktor snorts at that, returning to his work, "I'm sure few are in league with Councilor Medarda."

His voice is dry. A little brittle.

"I don't know what you have against her." You then venture, speaking more to the ceiling, returning to fiddling with the tool. It twists in your fingers, the sound of metal whirling and softly grinding.

"I have nothing against Councilor Medarda." He says too evenly.

"You know, I've never been able to tell if it's contempt or adoration you have for her." You continue, as if he hadn't said anything to contradict you. "But either way, she gets under your skin."

"She does not—"

"Are you jealous? She took your big, dumb partner away?" You press, twisting and twisting away at the tool.

"No—" Viktor says sharply, but it rings with a note of truth. It's not quite that then.

You pause. And then.

You crack your eye open, "I think she likes me."

Viktor pauses now too, metal clinking quietly with the sudden stop of his work again. He knows that tone of your voice. His face pulls; distaste. Frustration.

(Jealousy.)

His speech is slow as he tries to parse through what to say, "Councilor Medarda is charming and—"

"She invited me to dinner." You say and now you're watching him carefully, "at her personal suite. Just us."

Viktor rounds on you, "you're going to get yourself into trouble."

You can't help but smile, slow and amused, "I feel like it's good for the art—fool around with a politician—"

"You know, I have always wondered if you would learn your lesson," Viktor continues over your monologuing about drama and passion and politics, "—maybe this time, you'll finally learn it."

He snatches the tool from your hands and throws it down on his desk.

"I love learning." You chirp innocently and he shakes his head, face flushed with passion.

He looks at you again when he can, shakes his head some more, some of the irritation fading from his features. He never stays mad at you for long; doesn't have it in him. Besides, he causes his own trouble. Doesn't learn his own lessons. And when the dust settles, the two of you are still here, beside each other. The artist and the scientist, making messes, breaking things—all for some higher purpose only the two of you have ever understood.

(You've loved him your whole life. Sometimes, you think you carry half of the other's ribs inside one another. He must have twelve of yours, and you must have twelve of his—)

You lift your foot, nudging his calf beneath the desk with it, then up to place it in his lap. An olive branch, of some kind. Your affection is unsurprising to him and he sighs. He drops his hand to your ankle. He squeezes.

"She's going to eat you alive." Viktor finally warns.

"One can only hope."

A laugh startles out of him, rough and raspy, before it dissolves into coughing.

You lurch up to give him water, sitting near you, and bring the glass to his lips on reflex, like you used to as children. And on reflex, he drinks—he doesn't try to take the glass from your hands right away or push you away. Instinctively, you care for him, and instinctively, he lets you.

(You think you're the only one he'd ever allow to do this, born out of years of pressed side to side in the same bed, listening to him weather the nights. Born out of years of your love and stubborn care for him.)

After a moment, he lifts his hand and slowly replaces yours.

You hover over him. He sets the glass down. The water is almost gone. You'll replace it for him before you leave the lab.

He settles back into his chair, eyes returning to the pieces in front of him; all the odd metal scattered like little silver stars in front of him against a vast, dark sky. He picks up one, and then another, and tries to fit them together.

Then another. And another.

You watch him twist and turn, put the puzzle together.

He says, "Lately, I feel as if—" his fingers are careful, almost shaking, as he tries to create something of the scattered, broken pieces, "everything is quite fragile. And it's all just going to—" he presses a little too hard, and the metal all splinters apart, clattering back to the desk, "break. At any given moment."

After a moment, he looks up at you, still hovering over him, "I fear you're heading towards a breaking point."

You hum a little.

"What is it you scientists say?" You ask, running your fingers through his dark hair, thick and tousled. You twirl a strand around your finger, let it fall;

"It has to break first, before you can discover anything."

***

You'd say Mel Medarda is a wolf in sheep's clothing, but she doesn't feign anything so harmless or lost as a sheep.

You do think she's—

A little like Jayce, where she hides her teeth. But where Jayce irritates you because he's certainly trying to seem better than he is, or more harmless than he can be, Mel does so with intention. Mel hides her teeth to lure you closer. She doesn't pretend she doesn't have them; she waits until you're in range before you catch a glimpse of them.

And by then, well. It's too late.

You realize this over dinner, as she laments about what art she'd like from you and she's adamant about not censoring you.

(You're known for you controversy; whether in your physical art, your poetry, or music. Once pulled to the light of the Upper City, you refused to let them defang you. Where Jayce pretends he doesn't have teeth, you bare yours proudly, and sometimes wish you could tear the tender parts of Piltover open.

You strive to do it with your art. And while applauded in some vague capacity, you are also kept on a tight leash. Your patrons are warily supportive of you. Your commissions are strict. You're treated the way you think a wild animal is; with utmost care and fear and awe.)

In fact, her only rule for you, is to not hold back.

Which, given the growing tension between the Upper and Lower Cities, you realize this cannot only be from the goodness of her heart or for the integrity of art but—

You tilt your head and consider her.

"Am I a political move, Mel?"

She smiles in that enigmatic way of hers, her teeth flash, "isn't all art?"

You narrow your eyes, "perhaps. I wonder of it's effectiveness when it's employed by the people it often critiques." You lift your chin and pretend to be hurt—or perhaps, mask your hurt within dramatics to make it seem ironic, "and here I thought you really liked me—"

"I do." Mel assures, "I've admired you a great deal from afar. And getting to know you, your mind, it's—" she considers her words, "it's been nothing short of mesmerizing. Astonishing."

She sounds sincere. But you wonder if she always sounds that way.

She can tell she hasn't convinced you because you've never been able to mask your emotions well, so she leans forward and says, "unfortunately, everything I do is a political move, whether I'd like it to be or not. Both can be true—" she says, "I can adore you. And I can also need you to make a public point, wield you like my own elegant weapon."

"Artists make for disobedient weapons, usually." You say.

She laughs a little at that and agrees, "True." And then she lowers her voice, looks at you through the fan of her dark lashes in such a way that seizes you—arrests you, holds you right there, caught, in her heady gaze;

"But I don't need you to be obedient."

"I can never tell if you're trying to seduce me or persuade me." You blurt out, the words running from your mouth like a rabbit from a wolf. Your desire bursts from you like frightened birds taking to flight, like most of what you feel does, all of it spilling out of you in a gush of rawness.

She stands gracefully and again, you think of how you'd draw her—how you'd capture her in a poem or a song. The sharp curve of her waist, the predatory grace she carries effortlessly. You think her song is a croon from the deep part of your chest. You think her poem looks like an hourglass on the page and she slips from your fingers as easy as time does, too.

She rounds the small table to your side.

You look up at her. Your heart kicks up into a quick dance.

She brings the back of her knuckle to your jaw and gently—with all the carefulness in the world, strokes you.

(She touches you the way one does a bird, as if they know it's fragile. Perhaps as if they know it might fly away.

Or maybe she touches you the way one does an animal they're not sure of; will you bite? Will you lean into the touch?)

"Both can be true." She finally answers.

When she kisses you, it's fiercer than you're expecting; a lightning strike, a blow to the heart.

Your teeth come up against hers.

She gasps when you drag her further down to you, greedier than she's ever known, meeting her fierceness with your own, like the clashing of blades, or the destruction of stars.

And you think, if you don't want obedience, then I'll show you.

I'll show you.

***

"What are you playing at?"

Jayce's voice is a vicious little hush in the caverns of the council chambers. Mel has just left you after peaking over your shoulder to view the preliminary sketches.

You lift your head and blink up at Jayce slowly, dragging yourself from your sketch; from your world of art.

(It sets his teeth to grinding because Viktor makes that same look, when he's so deep into his work and Jayce disturbs him. It's a face he finds endearing on both of you, unfortunately. He imagines your minds are in heaven and he's selfish enough to drag you both back down to earth.)

"What do you mean? For the art piece?" You ask, glancing down at your lap, at the series of gestures and lines that you've been lost in. Maybe you're feigning innocence a little. But you want him to say it, if he's going to pick this fight.

Jayce's eyes flash like the too-hot part of the flame.

You have to bite back a smile.

Come on, you think wildly, say it. Let's fight. Here in the chambers, where you try so hard to be their golden boy.

"What are you trying to get out of Mel?" He asks and it makes you laugh outright, because he's dancing around what he really wants to ask.

Your laugh echoes in the hall, bouncing off all this marble and gold. It's out of place here, too loud, too free.

"The better question is what she's trying to get out of me." You say, "do you think I have it in me to manipulate the Mel Medarda?"

He goes quiet at that.

"Are you doing this to get back at me?" He asks after a moment and it's so close to what he wants to ask, so close to what he really wants to talk about.

"She kissed me first." You answer. "Have you had this conversation with her?"

You can tell by the shadow of uncertainty that passes over his face that he hasn't. You stand, easily setting your sketches and pencils aside, and drift nearer to him.

"Oh," you hum, "you didn't know. She didn't mention some plan of seduction to you? Maybe she really does like me."

He rounds on you so sharply that you are genuinely surprised. You gasp when your back hits the wall and he's got you caged in, a snarl on his lips and you finally get to see those teeth of his—

"You just always have to push me, don't you? In all the years I've known you, you've only ever tried to get under my skin. I tried so hard, for so long, for Viktor's sake to get along with you." He says lowly and distantly, you think, does he cage in Mel like this? With his big arms and broad chest? Or does she have him on a tight leash, underneath her?

"This time, I didn't mean it. Surely, you understand—" you say slyly, "when she comes onto you like that, all honey-voiced and half-lidded. She's hard to resist, isn't she?"

The grip he has on your biceps tightens to a point of pain—he'll bruise you. You'll be tender there, where his big hands gripped you, and it only makes you smile.

"Stop it." He snaps.

But you can't help yourself now, because once you've got something between your teeth, you've never been able to let it go;

"I just want to know if she kisses me the same way she kisses you? Does she play nice with you? She's quite fierce with me—"

When Jayce kisses you, it's a crush of aggression.

You laugh into his mouth wildly as he shoves you harder against the wall, teeth mean in the tender part of your bottom lip so that your laughter melts into a groan of pain. Of pleasure.

You claw at his back and wonder if Mel does, too.

You fight and hiss and snarl, show him your teeth when he sinks his into the fluttering pulse at your throat. You try to draw blood. You think he tries to bruise.

And well, you always wanted to see his teeth—

Just never thought you'd end up with a ring of their mark on your neck.

***

You're not really sleeping—nights are long. Days are longer. You're in the studio too much. This art piece is strangling you, wrestling with you and you're losing. Your lovers are strange, demanding types. Jayce comes to you at his lowest, and Mel at her highest. She licks the wounds Jayce leaves on you, purrs about how good you're being for her, goads you into putting up more of a fight that she likes to quell. She asks, have I stolen your bite? Are you going soft on me? Until you try to wrestle with her, too.

Mel subdues you the way snakes do—constricts and tightens and puts all that pressure on you until you just burst.

Until you go slack in her grip.

Jayce takes his anger out on you and he's not so cunning or delicate as her. You think Jayce struggles with you the way he must with his hammers, with high heat and all his strength.

Your art is starting to look like pieces of them; brutal and brilliant and cunning and beautiful. Tricky to capture, even more difficult to mesh together.

You're covered in paint when Viktor comes to visit you, frustrated with the canvas in front of you, which you think you'll end up scrapping again.

(This is the fourth one. You've been trying to fit all the components and pieces together but none of it's working, all of it's a mess. Splintered apart on the canvas. It looks like a disaster on the page.)

"Have you eaten?" Viktor asks as he comes to stand behind you. He gazes at the canvas n front of you.

You sigh heavily. "Have you?" You return.

He snorts at that, "No. I'm coming from the lab and thought I'd check on you—Mel mentioned you were here."

He pauses and then, "that you'd been here. For awhile now."

You hear the layers in his voice; the worry, but then the—

Irritation? Disdain?

"Are you asking me to dinner?" You say instead, dashing the canvas with a sudden great, horrible X. It's your meager attempt at some sort of joke or flirting, but your voice is perhaps too thin for it. You stare at your canvas, now dripping with that great X, the paint slipping down and marring it further.

When you turn to look at Viktor, he regards you warily. He glances at the canvas you've just ruined, and then back to your face.

He takes in your appearance; your disheveled hair and the paint all over your clothes and skin. And then his eyes skip down to your throat, to your arms. All marked up and bruised, unhidden and worn proudly here, in the safety of your art studio.

"Should I be concerned?" Viktor asks instead and you've always loved his bluntness. His lack of tact is like coming home. It's a relief, when you're constantly with Mel and Jayce lately, who talk in riddles and niceties and flowered language that hides their intentions or feelings.

There is a bitterness in Viktor's voice that you know well, too.

"About?" You prod.

"I'm no fool." Viktor answers, "I know you're sleeping with Councilor Medarda."

"Is that all you know?" You return, tilting your head.

"Is there more to know?" Viktor asks, eyeing you.

"Jayce hasn't said anything?"

You watch a strange shadow pass over Viktor's face as he slowly comes to the natural conclusion that you've lead him to. He's right, he is no fool. And then you watch his eyes catch fire, catch jealousy.

"I warned you—" he starts, suddenly.

"And I told you, it's good for the art—" You joke.

"Obviously it isn't!" He snaps, gesturing to the canvas behind you, ruined and glaring at your back. And then he heaves out a rough, agitated breath, dragging a hand through his hair. "Do you ever think of consequences?" He demands.

"Sure," You say, "I'm exactly where I want to be."

"You know, they are my colleagues. What am I supposed to do if—?!"

You laugh at that, enough that it startles him out of his beginning tirade. He comes up short and his shoulders bunch with tension as he glares at you.

"Is something funny?" He hisses.

"Your colleagues?" You repeat, "that's all they are to you?"

"Well—yes, technically." He stumbles on his words here.

"Are you jealous, Viktor?" You ask. "You don't have to be."

"I'm not jealous—" He refutes, even as his cheeks grow ruddy. And for a moment, you could be twelve with him again, his face flush as he looks at you after you'd kissed him for the first time because he'd never kissed anyone before. Or twenty-two and drunk, kissing one night under the stars when you felt so lost and disorientated in the Upper City—just wanted to feel like yourself again.

Or now, at thirty-two, staring at the man you've loved your entire life and whatever mess you've made out of everything.

You reach out and touch his cheek, glowing with color, and at first he winces away, but when you persist, he relaxes. He presses his cheek to your open palm and looks at you; raw and frank and so Viktor that you can't help the faint smile that touches your lips. Even as he frowns at you.

"What are you meddling with?" Viktor murmurs, turning his face into your cupped hand. You feel the faint brush of his lips, a little dry, and soft. Warm.

"Apparently our political landscape." You respond and that at least gets a laugh from him. You feel it against you and some spark shimmers through you, shudders and opens itself to you.

(Your desire for Viktor is something always with you, ambient, perhaps dormant, that always resurfaces like the great fins of some horrible, huge monster in dark waters. Your desire for Viktor is a symptom of your love. You've never know what to call it except that, except his.)

"Have I upset you?" You ask now as his laughter fades, and with it his amusement.

He sighs deeply and you feel his breath against your skin. You draw nearer. He leans back onto his crutch only slightly, only for a moment, before he allows you further into his space.

"I don't—" He struggles for the words before admitting, "yes, somewhat. For some reason."

"Are you feeling neglected?" You ask and try very hard to keep your amusement out of your voice, lest you irritate him further. He's always had a jealous streak in him, even as kids. If you made another friend, he would pout until you draped yourself over him and showered him in your attention again.

Even your previous relationships had bred some sort of jealousy in him; he's never liked any of your partners.

(It's so endearing to you that you have to tuck your teeth into your own lip and hum a little.)

You lean towards him, ducking your head so that your nose dips to brush against the line of his jaw. You feel his body shudder more than you see it. His breath goes tight. Your eyes flicker, a flash in the sun-spun light of your art studio;

"Do you want me to kiss you the way Jayce kisses me?" You murmur, your lips hovering over his. You watch his face gutter, lashes fluttering against his cheeks. His breath goes shallow.

"Or would you prefer Mel?" You murmur, just before you close the distance and kiss him with a certain fierceness, a meanness that you don't usually have with him. He stumbles back a little with the force of it and your hand that had been holding his cheek, slips into the hair at the nape of his neck.

A groan startles out of him when you tighten your hand into a fist and pull.

You part from the kiss, panting a little, and he looks down at you, eyes molten gold and burning.

You're about to kiss him again, when he murmurs, "I want—" he swallows hard, "I want you to kiss me the way you do—I want—"

You press back into him instantly, suddenly overwhelmed with the thought, with the notion that his desire, his jealousy—

You kiss him like you always have, overeager and desperate and messy. You urge him backwards, towards your workbench, all cluttered with paints. His crutch clatters against the ground uselessly as you grab for each other. You knock over a jar of brushes half-haphazardly placed on the floor.

You're overwhelmed with the thought that his jealousy might've been for you, too.

When he braces his hand against your work bench, he knocks over a cup of paint. You laugh into his mouth as you paw at his stupid, perfectly buttoned vest. When he touches you again, he stains you blue—and later red and violet. Burnished gold and paint so silver it makes the stars look dull.

A mess, he tsks, impossibly fond, as he looks at you and himself and the work space.

At all that you'd done.

***

"You've been pulling strings," Mel says as you lay in her lap, letting her pet and stroke you. Her fingers dance over the ridge of your brow.

You blink up at her slowly, eyes fluttering. "Shouldn't that be my line?" You ask.

"I'm not naive to the way you've been pulling our strings." She muses, fingers tumbling into your hair. She's gentle here, careful as she cards her way through your hair, her fingers nimble.

"Pulling strings is a far too sophisticated thing to call it." You snort and lean into her touch like a cat, preening a little.

"What would you call it?" Mel asks and the smile she wears is less of a mystery to you now, and you can tell there's a fondness to it.

(She does really like you—she is really being sincere, you've learned.)

You think about this for a long moment; you toy with saying a fucking mess. Or digging my own grave. But neither feel quite so full—while true, in many ways, there leaves little room for—

Well, this.

The way she holds you. The cat's curl of her smile, pleased and mischievous. Her fingers, gentle and coaxing, urging you to unfurl and bloom.

Or Viktor's rasping laugh that you can pull out of him. The fondness you hold for him like a pearl held inside a clam, growing and glowing. The way you drape yourself all over him, and he accepts it as easy as the day accepts the sun, or the night accepts the moon into its skies.

And even Jayce and the strangled back-and-forth that the two of you dance; it's still yours. It's still his. And the way he cups your cheek admist the violence or how he let's no one speak ill of you in front of him.

(Or the way Jayce and Viktor's minds work together, or how tactical Jayce and Mel can be; sharpened like daggers and twice as pretty. Or the creativity you pull out of Mel, allowing her to see the world like a boundless piece of art. Or the way Viktor's science influences your art; how your art influences his science. The fierceness you bring out in Jayce—the passion he brings out in you.)

It doesn't quite account for all the parts that make you burn and grow and shake out your great, big wings to fly.

Finally, you say, "it feels like I'm trying to find the melodies and harmonies and how they mesh—or the composition of a painting, or the feeling of a poem, but some of the words are still missing. It feels like when I chase art and try to break it open, to reveal what it wants me to learn—or show me."

"Have you figured it out yet?" She asks and she's genuinely curious, almost quiet in her desire to know.

At that, the door creaks open and there are several hushed whispers before Jayce suddenly strides into the room with all the false confidence in the world. Viktor looks sheepish behind him.

You sit up sharply, trying to detangle yourself from Mel.

"I told you they were here—" Viktor hisses to him, "and we shouldn't—we shouldn't be here."

Jayce isn't listening, though, and he's clearly inflating himself to get out, "I've come on important business of the council."

Mel raises her brows and throws you a sideways glance. She then says, "then come in, Councilor, since it's so important that you've come to my personal quarters. Unannounced."

Jayce at least has the good sense to look a little sheepish now, too. You can't help the laugh that springs out of you.

He throws you a dark look before clearing his throat.

"Councilor Haskel and Salo are seeking to strike down the art deal." Jayce announces and your heart drops a little, sinks in your chest.

You look at Mel. She purposefully keeps her face a mask of coolness. She rolls her shoulder briefly, which is your only tell of irritation or concern.

"Come in, Jayce." Mel finally says, "and you, too, Viktor. Shut the door behind you."

Both wander into the space and it's such a surreal moment, all four of you, for once, in the same room, that you can't help but laugh again.

Mel sighs in a way as if to say, I suppose this would happen eventually.

Jayce and Viktor can't quite look anyone in the eye and they both take uneasy seats int he living room.

Again, you feel like laughing—you're not sure what all the trepidation is for. Each of them have you seen you naked; you have seen them naked.

"What's their angle?" Mel asks, ignoring both Jayce and Viktor's shyness.

Jayce clears his throat, "they don't think it's worthwhile to support an artist from the Undercity at this time."

You wince and Jayce adds, "their words, not mine."

"Well, that won't do." Mel tsks and she suddenly moves to stand, graceful as ever, her robes trailing in a wave of silk and the smell of lillies. She likes to pace when she's thinking, and she pads over the window, to look out at the city.

Eventually, she says, "we'll need a grander plan. Something they can't refuse."

"What are you thinking?" Jayce asks.

She turns and all around her, she's doused in gold light, glowing in the evening sun as if she was born to it. "Perhaps combining some science with it." Now she looks at Viktor, "something symbolic to the current advancements with Hextech, perhaps."

Viktor looks at you, then back at Mel, "I can do that."

"Jayce, I need you to talk to the other Councilors and be sure they're not swayed by Haskel or Salo." She then adds, "and I want more publicity around it—and around our artist and scientist."

Our artist.

Our scientist.

"Ah—" Viktor starts, "I don't want to be in the public eye."

Our, our, our.

"It'll put pressure on Haskel and Salo if the people are behind you both, too." Mel presses gently, though her gaze has softened on him; she's sympathetic to his desires.

To assure him, you chirp, "I can do all the talking."

"Not sure that's our best idea." Jayce remarks.

"I am certain I can name several worse ideas of ours." You quip without thinking, and then you toss one of Mel's throw pillows at him; the beautifully embroidered one that's likely far too expensive and made from the rarest threads.

It hits him with a dull thud. And for a moment, he's shocked. The room is silent.

Still, your heart sings our, our, our.

But then Viktor snorts, before breaking out into his low, soft chuckle. And then the twinkle of Mel's giggles, coupled with your own laughter that bursts from your chest like a bird taking to flight.

And Jayce watches a moment, all of you laugh and smile, and if you could paint him in this moment, you would—

A little awe-struck. Tender around the edges, burnished gold. Breath stolen from him.

(Oh, he does really like you, too. All of you.)

But then laughter rumbles from him, too. And the tension slips from all of you, drains from your bodies with each bubbling sound.

And all of them together—finally together—are the melody you've been looking for, the words you couldn't place. The color on the canvas that finally brings it all together.

It's all the broken pieces like a mosaic, finally put together to create something whole.

And it's all ours, you think, the sun a flare of light and beauty bursting through the room, bathing all of your favorite people in it's gold and glory;

It's all ours.

[ldysmfrst]

American Mate - (3)

Following Instincts

Paring: Hybrid!BTS Ot7 x Plus-sized Human FemReader

Status: Ongoing series

Chapter number: 3 of unknown

Word count for Chapter: 4,279

Work count for Story: 12,632

Genre: Hybrid Playmate Au inspired by works created by @yoongiofmine

Warnings: (I am not good at this, but I will try. Let me know if I missed anything!!) NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, m/m, and m/f/m. This chapter does have Injury, Anxiety, Panic attacks, comfort, and Cultural differences.

BTS HYBRID ANIMAL TYPES: Seokjin - Roan Ferret, Yoongi - Black Jaguar, Hoseok - Marten, Namjoon - Alaskan Timber Wolf, Jimin - Red Panda, Taehyung - White Southwest African Tiger, Jungkook - Flemish Giant Rabbit

AMERICAN MATE MASTER LIST / LDYSMFRST MASTER LIST

Outside the break room, Yoongi is in Alpha space, catching your scent of sweet peas as it changes into a moldy pea soup smell after the comment from the redheaded playmate. Turning with a low and threatening growl, Yoongi’s eyes have gone to his hybrid's bright golden-yellow cat eyes as he blocks you from their sight. Zeroing in on the playmates, tail raised and puffed out, tip twitching back and forth with a snap of irritation, making them all step back and quiet down.

Hearing you murmur something in his native tongue and then the frantic footsteps, Yoongi snaps his head to watch your fleeing form disappear into a room down the hall. Taking a quick look back at the playmates, office staff, and then his pack, Yoongi huffs and quickly follows you, unable to fight his Alpha instincts.

The rest of the BTS packmates follow their bonded one closely behind as they feel his need to protect you from the others in the office. Namjoon catches Yoongi by the shoulder, stopping him from attempting to enter the room where you sought refuge. The rest of the pack forms a barricade around their Prime Alpha and packmate, who has entered Alpha space. They all are standing on guard, facing the rest of the people in the office, watching closely for any danger, and keeping the rude humans away. 

“Yoongi-hyung, you need to give her space. Remember, she is human and might get scared of Alpha Yoon. What is happening? I need you to get enough control to explain what is happening?” Namjoon calmly speaks to his older packmate. Pushing out calming scents, trying to bring him out of his Alpha space with soothing strokes along his shoulder and back. “Can you come back and explain why you are protecting Miss Y/n?”

Barreling into the front of the group of observers with his tail bushed out and scent smelling slightly panicked and concerned, Derek comes up to the defensive line of BTS, “You have to let me get to her. You have to let me help calm down Y/n. Can’t you scent her distress? She is not doing okay by herself. You can even smell her over the scent-blockers!  I am the closest thing she has to a family. Please let me in to make sure she is okay. Please.”

One of Yoongi’s black jaguar ears twitch back, hearing the urgency in Derek’s voice. He looks at Namjoon, takes a deep breath, and closes his eyes. After a few seconds, he turns to Derek with normal dark eyes, taking in his shifty behaviors and now partly distressed scent. 

Shaking his head slowly to Namjoon, Yoongi steps between his packmates and face-to-face Derek. “You are the closest thing to her family?”

“Yes, she and I were hired together when they decided to start this branch. We work together and spend time together at my den or her apartment. I do my best to protect her from situations like this because of her past,” Derek shares with a furrowed brow. Then he glares at the snobby-faced Playmates and says, “I normally try to keep her away from the Playmates in general so things like this do not happen.” 

“She is only here today because there was no convincing her otherwise. Since in the meeting yesterday with your manager and what was said on the phone, she thought it would be disrespectful if she were not in attendance,” explains the fidgety hybrid.

Looking Yoongi in the eye, he continues, “She was bullied a lot before, and while it is not something that is okay, unfortunately, it still happens to this day. I really tried but I couldn’t do anything to keep her away. She had to be here even with little to no sleep because of her nightmares.”

Bowing slightly but keeping an eye on the pack, Derek demandingly pleads, “Now, please, Mr. Min, please let me pass. Everyone can smell that something has happened. I think she is hurt in more ways than one.”  

The last comment got the attention of the whole pack on him, and everyone looked concerned. Several eyes flashed as their hybrid halves showed their displeasure with the news. Yoongi continued to fight his Alpha instincts with a deep growl and even breaths.

“How can you tell?” Namjoon asks from next to the door. He can smell the scent left in as you ran through the hall, but it tells him nothing for a few reasons: 1. He has never smelt Y/n and 2. Not all scents are pleasant to start with.

“That moldy smell, like veggies gone bad?” inquired Derek, watching the pack of hybrids start sniffing, searching for the smell, and scrunching their noses once it hits. “That is why I know something is not right. Y/n, her scent turns like that when she is hurt. I am not sure if it is just emotional. It could be physical, too. I can’t tell how bad it is because the scent-blocking measures she took for your arrival are still dulling it down.  Now again. Let me in to help my friend. I may be a Beta but she is a pack member and I will protect her.”

“Fine, but I am going in with you. I was the one who knocked into her and failed to keep her from falling. My Alpha instincts have gone haywire, and I need to protect her,” his eyes glaring back at the playmates, “from certain people here. Most of all, ensuring she is okay and make amends for my mistake,” Yoongi states without room for argument, moving to the side, nodding to his packmates to make room for them.

Once the two are through, the pack retakes their defensive stance, keeping everyone else out. They understand where their mate is coming from as they also want to keep the group of Playmates away from you, their disgusting words looping through their heads.

Namjoon shuts the door for privacy and protection while he stands guard just outside, with one ear listening to what is happening inside the room and one ear on the rest of the office. His mind racing from the powerful wave of rotten scent that has built up in the room.

The scent-blocking measures no longer mask your distress and pain causing your scent is much more robust in this room. This makes Derek and Yoongi to whine at the smell and quickly move to your side.

Derek pulled you into a tight embrace, pushing his scent out and over you and scenting the top of your head while murmuring soft, reassuring words. Yoongi comforts you with his own calming scents, pushing down the desire to pry you out of Derek’s hold to take you into his own. Much to their relief, your tears slow, and your breathing calms after what feels like hours.

“Derek, my nightmares, they came true. I ruined everything. I should have stayed away like you and Evie said. I should have been looking where I was going. Reina was right. The one with the black tail, did I hurt him? He... He tried catching me. Me! I weigh a ton,” you ramble as your panic is still racing in your mind.

At that last comment, a deep growl resounds throughout the room. It takes half a second to realize it is not from the hybrid holding you. Catching your breath and snapping your mouth shut, you cautiously peek through your hair to look behind you to see none other than Mr. Min Yoongi, who turns out to be the owner of said black tail, now snapping to and fro with irritation. 

“Shit,” you mumble under your breath, your mind racing to figure out a way to get out of this situation without causing any further damage and how best to word your resignation letter.

“Miss Y/n, let us address a few things. Firstly, you do NOT weigh a ton, nor will you ever refer to yourself in that manner again. Secondly, I am not injured, nor could you injure me, as I AM an Alpha in my own right and am stronger than I look, even if I am not the Prime Alpha of the Bangtan Pack,” declares the hybrid, his eyes flashing a different color.

You shrink down to try to make yourself smaller. Seeing your reaction and realizing that his Alpha is trying to be in control again, he takes another deep breath to calm himself, looking between you and Derek. He can almost hear his Alpha stomp around his head, demanding to get you out of the other hybrid’s arms and keep you as his.

After a few controlled breaths, Yoongi says, “Lastly, would you be so kind as to allow my Alpha to inspect you for injuries? I came out of the observation room door unannounced and ran into you. I tried to prevent you from falling, but we are close in height, and I could not do much other than take what I hoped was the brunt of the fall.”

Turning more towards him but still staying in the safety of Derek’s hold, you look at him with confusion. “Your Alpha? Like your hybrid-side is not yourself?” Looking over your shoulder at Derek, you see him with a smirk and a chuckle on his lips.

“Missy here,” Derek looks at Yoongi, “has never met an Alpha male before. I am a beta, and her best friend is an omega.” Turning his attention back to you, “Unlike Evie and I, an Alpha has an inner animal that they can change into fully at will and it allows them to go into Alpha space to assist in protecting, hunting, and mating.”

You look at Yoongi with wide eyes, “You turn into a black cat?” 

“I am not a black cat,” he huffs in annoyance, eyes flashing a different color briefly. “I am a Black Jaguar hybrid, and I am trying my best to keep him at bay because he can sense that your emotions have calmed down, but you are still in pain.” 

His eyes roam over your figure, stopping when he notices you are cradling your right wrist. Standing up and motioning to a nearby chair, he asks, “Please, can I inspect you for injuries? I can see you are being careful with your right hand.”

With a gentle push from behind you, you move to the chair Yoongi gestured to. Derek also stands up but keeps his distance, watching how the two of you interact.

Yoongi kneels before you, “I have to let my Alpha see for himself. I promise he will not harm you. Mr. Gulley can attest to that at this point, my Alpha would have much rather hurt himself than you.” 

Glancing at Derek, he nods with a knowing smile while taking a seat a few tables over, so as not to interfere. Taking a moment to collect yourself, running your good hand through your hair and fixing your shirt, you look down at the hybrid.

With a slight smirk, he looks at you with kind eyes, “Miss Y/n, please allow me to check for injuries. You have no reason to be nervous. You look perfect as you are.” 

Blushing slightly at his words, you nod and tuck your hair behind your ear again. You watch him closely as his dark brown eyes slowly change into a stunning golden-yellow color, with the pupil elongating into a pointed oval. His ears and tail moved this way and that, never quite settling in one position for very long. Your scent turns slightly back to sweet peas as the sight makes you smile softly. 

Cautiously, Yoongi kneels closer to you to become within reaching distance. Taking your left ankle gently in his hand, he rotates it, bends your leg at the knee, and sniffs at each joint. He repeats the process with the other side as well. Finding that nothing in your legs seems to be hurting, he looks at your face again with a short, pleased chirping sound. 

Scooting a little closer, he reaches out to your left hand, bends your elbow, feels along your fingers one by one, then rotates your wrist and again seems to sniff along the joints. 

You fidget in your seat, knowing what comes next will hurt, but you don't know how the hybrid in front of you will react. Noticing your movements and the slight change in your scent, Yoongi wraps his tail around your ankle to offer support. A slight sense of pride fills him when your scent calms down at his gesture of comfort, even if you do not realize it. 

Taking your right hand, he follows the same steps, pausing slightly before he rotates your wrist. You let out a yelp of pain and bite your bottom lip as you try to pull your hand out of his grip, which only causes him to hold it just a little bit tighter with one hand while the other quickly reaches to the nape of your neck to bring you into an awkward hug. Your head is now resting on his shoulder with your nose breathing against his neck, your good hand going to his side and gripping his shirt. 

Once the pain has dulled, you realize you smell the rain, not like fresh rain but like petrichor or the earth after a good downpour. It is comforting and relaxes you even more until you hear a soft chuffing noise and remember who you are smelling. 

Pulling away, you shyly look back at Yoongi, still observing you with golden-yellow eyes and holding your wrist firm but gently. “Umm... I think I just landed on it wrong. Just some ice and pain meds should be okay. I will be good as new tomorrow,” you say with a false smile, trying to play it off as no big deal.

However, Yoongi’s ears flatten, and his feline eyes narrow at you while nodding down to your wrist. Following his line of sight, you now see that your wrist is slightly swollen and is covered with a lovely purple color. “Okay, maybe I won’t be as good as new tomorrow.”

Derek stands up and approaches the two of you to see the damage done. Taking a sharp breath, he looked at Yoongi and froze, noting that the Alpha was sternly watching his every move. 

Outside the breakroom, Mr. Johnson, the director of PMS USA, was informed there was an incident and is now standing with Manager Sejin outside the BTS barrier. He had ordered Reina and the other playmates to be escorted back into the conference room by some other staff. 

To say the Playmates didn’t attempt to excuse away their behaviors or tell a specialized version of the story would be lying, and BTS’s reaction quickly caused them to shut up and hide in the room like they were told to in the beginning.

Mr. Johnson had hand-picked you to be the friendly first face of PMS because you light up any room you walk into and are always willing to put in the extra time to help make things perfect on or off the clock. 

“Hello, I am the director, I really should go in there and make sure my employee is okay, Manager Sejin,” Mr. Johnson states, glancing at the members of BTS as they continue to block the door and growl at anyone who walks near them. 

“Why are they not letting anyone near the door? I am sorry. I know about hybrids from the symposiums and conferences but rarely interact with many. I typically leave that up to my staff,” says the director, glancing over at the hamster hybrid.

“Namjoon-ssi, do you want me to answer that, or would you like to?” Manager Sejin asks while watching Mr. Johnson. Namjoon redirects his attention from the breakroom door to the seemingly incompetent human before him. 

Taking a few slow steps forward, Hoseok takes over guarding the entrance. Namjoon comes to stand with his pack, but nearer to Mr. Johnson and Manager Sejin, he says, “Mr. Johnson, we are a pack. More so, we are a pack of Alpha hybrids. Ranging from prey to predator types. We are a bonded pack on top of that, which means it’s all or none. We all are protective of something or someone if one of us feels the need. When one of us is hurt, we are all hurting with them.”

Looking at each of his packmates, Namjoon is filled with a sense of pride. Though they don’t know the extent of what has happened, they still support their mate to the best of their ability in a foreign country without question.

“Yoongi-hyung is feeling protective of Miss Y/n because of a few things. Miss Y/n is injured because of an accident caused by hyung. She is not in a good emotional state because of your Playmates’ behavior due to the same accident,” the Prime Alpha says as he looks back at the Director, trying to maintain a more neutral expression to hide his disdain for the women now in some office somewhere.

“As an Alpha, our animals require us to hold ourselves to a higher standard than other hybrids or humans. We like to try and ensure those around us are happy. With a very select few, we want to make sure they are also healthy and protected, among other things. In Yoongi’s Alpha space, he has failed to meet these standards when it comes to Miss Y/n. It is now beyond his control, so to speak, to do anything other than fix his mistakes and ensure Miss Y/n’s safety, recovery, and happiness. This means the Bangtan Pack is now responsible for the same.”

“Oh well. Um. I see. I can reassure you that Playmate Services has a good doctor who can tend to her if she needs one, and of course, she can have the rest of today and even tomorrow off. No need to make a fuss,” says the director, trying to dispel the sense of doom he is feeling due to the power emanating from the six remaining Alphas.

A deep growl rips from behind Namjoon, causing everyone to look and see that Taehyung's eyes are flickering crystal blue. His scent of burning ebony wood crashed over the pack.

Speaking through gritted teeth, he glares at the director, saying, “You seem to be in over your head, Mr. Johnson. Your company is built for hybrids, and you have hybrids working for you, yet you know nothing. Your incompetence is allowing bullying. From what one of your staff says, it has been happening for quite some time and yet you do nothing about it. Did you not hear our Prime Alpha tell you that she is ours now. We will take her to get treated by our medical professionals. We will take care of her to ensure she heals properly and regains a better state of mind. Not. You.”

“Hyung, it’s okay. Calm down, please. We don’t need two of you in Alpha space right now. It will not help Miss Y/n or Yoongi-hyung,” Jungkook says as he steps up next to Taehyung, scenting his neck gently as his snickerdoodle scent pushes out, causing the blue to flicker to stop and remain his natural dark brown. 

With a last glare and a mumbled, “Pathetic, oblivious, 리더십이 부족한 사람, human.” He moves closer to Hoseok and, in turn, you. Jungkook quickly follows in an attempt to keep the high-tempered White Southwest African Tiger calm and get closer to you as well. 

“You may have misunderstood me, gentlemen. I have tried to deal with the playmates and their disrespectful actions towards Y/n and some of the other staff. Sadly, Reina is the top female pick and brings in a lot of money. Since we are the newest and smallest branch, the corporate office wants to refrain from taking any disciplinary actions for fear that she will quit. They think that any of the office staff are replaceable, whereas reliable Playmates are harder to find,” Mr. Johnson explains.

“Mr. Johnson, while that may be the case prior to today, their bullying has gone too far. Manager Sejin,” Namjoon says, “I believe it would be wise if the director took care of the bullying by the playmates and joined them for the time being. We need a few moments without interruptions to assess what is happening and how the Pack will move forward with this office, if at all.” 

Dismissing the director to be dealt with by Manager Sejin, Namjoon walks back to the door, which is now being guarded by Hoseok, Taehyung, and Jungkook. The scent of snickerdoodle, ebony wood, and lilac mix together with the pack scent of vanilla underneath.

“... can’t tell?”

“Can’t tell what?” Namjoon asks the small group.

“Hobi-hyung can’t tell,” replies Jungkook while Taehyung nods in agreement. 

“The boys say that their Alphas are reacting to Miss Y/n but I can’t tell if mine does or not. You spoke to her, stood right in front of her. Namjoon, can you tell?” questions Hoseok with his arms crossed and hip cocked to the side.

“Oh? Hmm, I guess I haven’t really paid attention. After what happened with… you know who… I guess I have been pushing my Alpha to the back as much as I could. I have been focusing on taking care of you guys, my mates, first and I couldn’t do that with him pacing in my head so much. She really tore Yoongi-hyung, Jimin-ah, and well you, Hobi, apart inside with what she said,” reflects the Prime Alpha.

Namjoon started thinking back to hearing your voice, full of determination and strength, over the phone yesterday. Your care, intention, and respect for the pack that you have shown today. It would be simple to say that his Alpha was at least comfortable around you, and from how the pack’s scents have been, he wasn’t the only one who was.

“My Alpha is comfortable with Miss y/n, but I wouldn’t say that he is reacting in any particular way.”

A soft whine leaves Jungkook before he says, “Why do the older mates always walk with blinders on? Huh! You need to really let your Alpha look at her. My Alpha hasn’t wanted to look away from her since we walked into the office.”

“Joon-hyung, I am with Kookie on this one,” Taehyung nods, still in the bunny hybrid's hold. “While I wasn’t drawn in right away, I trust Yoongi's Alpha not to react this way with just anyone. So, when he ran after her, I was the closest one to the door, and before the pack’s scent took over, I could smell vanilla with something rotten. At first, I thought it was a candle or something, but I looked around. There are no candles.”

Taehyung’s comment on smelling vanilla caught Jimin and Seokjin's attention. Turning to join the conversation while trying to maintain the barrier, Jimin speaks up, “So it wasn’t just me. When Yoongi-hyung and that man went in, I smelled vanilla with almost a compost-like smell. After that, my Alpha wanted nothing but to keep everyone, human or hybrid, away from this door. He is really fighting to be at the front.”

“I figured that our muscle bunny was just leaning into his instincts of being a bunny when he was speaking about Miss Y/n in the conference room. Yet it didn’t explain to me why my Alpha felt awkward at her bowing to me when I spoke to her before going into the room,” adds Seokjin with a stern but thoughtful look. 

“Wait, wait, wait!” Hoseok moves away from the door slightly, his expression confused and frustrated. “Are you telling me that you have all had some kind of reaction from your Alphas for the human lady behind the door? Some of you smelled vanilla, too?”

Nodding, they all look at Hoseok and then at Namjoon, waiting for them to come to the same conclusion. After a few tense moments passed, it was like a lightbulb went off over Hoseok’s head as his lilac scent burst with more hints of rose and vanilla.

Everyone now focuses on Namjoon.

Namjoon’s head is racing over every moment that has happened since walking in the door. As Prime Alpha, his responsibilities for the pack are more significant than others, and with what the boys are hinting at, the next few moments will change so much. 

“Her reactions were top-notch with our pack, and her showing an exceeding amount of respect to the packmates could be just her professionalism,” he thinks aloud, trying to find a non-life-changing reason for the situation only to be met with more whines and a few soft growls.

Looking up, Namjoon makes eye contact with each of his mates before continuing, “However, only the vanilla scent can mean one thing which won’t be easy for the human woman.”

Taking a deep breath, the pack turned their attention to the door.

“We have an American Mate.”

Previous / Next

Taglist - CLOSED

@braveangel777 @bethanysnow @smileykiddie08 @kayways @danielle143 @nenefix-on @im-gemmy @fluffy-canada-pancakes @juju-227592 @levislifeline @carolinexkpop

[schrodingers-romy]

Cozy [Hanemiya Kazutora x Reader]

Pairing: Hanemiya Kazutora x GN!Reader Word Count: ~800 [Ao3 Link]

Summary: Your boyfriend has a new outfit; inspired by a puzzreve tora costume

Warnings: No gendered pronouns or terms for reader, established relationship, excessive snuggling, reader and tora are clingy4clingy, chifuyu is suffering

Notes: Inspired by this tora outfit, something quick written bc I really want to cuddle him <3

“What are you wearing?”

Kazutora startles from where he is lounging on the couch, nearly slipping off of it before he catches himself. “You’re home early!” He gives you a boyish smile, full of teeth.

He’s past the stage in your relationship where he tries to act ‘cool’ around you, so now you’re constantly hit with the full, clingy force of his genuine affection. (And as much as you like to tease him for once acting all nonchalant and aloof, you were well aware of his past, and the trust he had in you now to be so candid. And you cherished that trust every day, doing your best to give him the affection he craved, even when it was only by silently leaning into his embrace.)

“You still haven’t answered my question, baby,” you say.

He looks down at himself, as if he could have possible forgotten what he was wearing. “Oh, this? I lost a bet. Now I have to wear this all day.” Kazutora stands up, with all the grace of a tired housecat, to reveal the full outfit.

He is dressed in an oversized, fuzzy tiger onesie, a kigurumi. The hood is adorned with large, furry black ears, and you catch sight of a fabric tail hanging limply behind him. There are even paw-shaped pockets stitched to the front, designed so that if Tora shoves his hands into them, it will look like his hands were furry tiger feet. Even the zipper in the front was shaped like a cat’s paw. Overall, the costume has done an incredible job at turning your lanky boyfriend into something emulating the shape and fluffiness of a plushie.

“Lost against Baji, and he had Mitsuya make this for me,” Kazutora continues, before giving a little spin, causing the tail to fly out behind him. “Jokes on them, cause I kinda like it actually. It’s comfy. And it’s a tiger!”

You step forward, until you can wrap your arms around him. He’s exactly as snuggly as he looks; the onesie gives him an extra layer of softness that you melt into. You cling closer to Kazutora, shoving your head into the hood with his, nuzzling between the plush fabric and your boyfriend’s warm neck. You let out a deep sigh, all the worries and struggles of the day evaporating as Tora wraps his arms around you and pulls you even deeper into the embrace.

You lose track of how long the two of you stand there, holding each other. You’ve started to unconsciously press gentle kisses to Kazutora’s tattoo, and he tilts his head to give you more access, earring jingling with his movement.

“Do you like it?” he murmurs.

“Yup. ‘S cozy,” you whisper. “Want to stay like this forever.”

He giggles, bright and airy. “You’re so cute.”

You give his neck a light nip, causing him to yelp. “Says the boy who looks like a stuffed animal.”

“I feel like a stuffed animal,” he agrees. “It’s comfy in here. Feels like I’m wrapped in clouds and rainbows and fluffy kittens an’ shit.”

Kazutora pauses.

Then, he states, “I just had the best idea.”

“Oh no,” you say, on instinct.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, sweetheart,” you soothe, “What’s your idea?”

“Well—”

-

Chifuyu lets out a heavy sigh once he walks into the living room.

“Why do you guys have to be like this. In a public space.”

You and Kazutora stick your tongues out at him, in unison. “It’s not public. It’s our apartment,” Tora protests.

By ‘like this’, Chifuyu is referring to Kazutora’s brilliant idea: apparently, the onesie was just baggy enough for you to be able to slip inside of it with him. Now, the two of you were lying on the couch together, snuggled into the same onesie like two content garter snakes wrapped around each other, both of your heads poking out into the oversized hood. You had to admit, as stupid as it feels, you’ve never felt as warm and snug.

Chifuyu does not find it as wonderful as you and your boyfriend do, according to his wrinkled nose and judgmental stare. “We need to update the apartment rules, then.”

“He’s just mad cause he’s not getting laid,” whispers Kazutora. Loudly.

Chifuyu’s reaction is to throw a pillow at the both of you. It collides with a thump, causing you and your boyfriend to let out harmonious squawks. “You weirdos deserve each other!” he hisses, before stomping off to his room.

“Aww, that was sweet of him. We do deserve each other, Tora,” you coo, before pressing a quick kiss to the tip of his nose.

Kazutora tilts his head so he can catch you in a proper kiss. You can feel him smiling against your lips. “Well, I sure hope so.”

[rea-grimm]

Hi, I hope you are well:) can we get more headcanon or a luffy dragon story?

dragon!Luffy getting jealous, sounds too funny

Hi, I'm fine, thank you for asking. I hope you are well too :)

Dragon!Luffy is a treasure, and I hope you get to enjoy his jealous side!

Jealous - Luffy, Sanji, Zoro

Dragon Luffy

If Sanji was flirting with you, he doesn't mind. He trusts his crew and knows that you belong only to him. Moreover, you are all part of his treasure.

However, when you are away from the ship, he keeps an eye on his treasure…unless something catches his attention. He still drags you along. Despite all that, he pays attention to you, but he can't always tell what it is.

You were just on a new island and you were gathering supplies for a new voyage. You were at the market with Luffy, looking at the stalls. Luffy was at the fountain watching the water spray to the beat of the music.

You watched with him for a while before you noticed a stall with marinated cured meats. There was a young quite handsome young man who, when he noticed you, tried to attract you closer.

You knew he was interested in you by his words and how he looked at you. He also gave you samples to taste and you had to admit that the meat was excellent. You tasted it and thought you could snag it for a discount.

Once the fountain finished, he looked around and saw you laughing at some joke with the salesman. In addition, the seller offered you a piece of meat and tried to feed it to you. He didn't like that and was at your place in no time.

“Y/N there you are!” he shouted, wrapping his arms around your waist like an octopus. He was smiling at you, but you noticed the murderous look he was giving the shopkeeper. Plus you heard him growl softly.

“Luffy, what do you think of this meat?” you asked him innocently, taking the piece the vendor offered you and shoving it into Luffy's mouth, he immediately calmed down and chewed contentedly.

"It's good, isn't it?" you smiled Luffy with his mouth full and offered with from the tray. He took all the pieces and stuffed them into his mouth, seeming to have completely forgotten what had upset him in the first place.

You bought several pieces of meat. Luffy took one bag in his hand and took your hand with the other and you made your way to the ship.

As you were leaving, you heard a noise. You turned over your shoulder and noticed that he had demolished the booth in question with his tail. You heard him chuckle in satisfaction.

Corpse groom cook Sanji

Sanji was jealous almost every time but it depended on the circumstances. When he saw that someone was bothering you and that you were not comfortable, he wasn't afraid to get his feet dirty.

He could simply see them, but he didn't want you to see him like that. He knew you didn't mind, but he didn't want to expose you to it unnecessarily.

However, when he sees you with someone alive, with whom you are comfortable, and how you smile contentedly, it breaks his heart.

He saw you happy and that mattered to him. Therefore, he lowered his head and was determined to let you go with someone alive, with whom you will be happier.

On the ship afterwards, he kept pointing out how happy you were with another man and the like. He told you that you should follow your happiness, that he doesn't want to stand in your way, that he doesn't want to hinder you and the like.

It annoyed you a little, because you only had a place in your heart for him, but he was so deaf. He didn't listen to you at all and kept talking to himself.

That's exactly why you had to show him. A hug worked best for him, but a kiss on the cheek was enough to stop thinking about it and return to normal.

If you wanted to bring him to his knees and shut him up 100%, you kissed him on the lips. You didn't have to worry about him bleeding to death since he was already dead, but sometimes you did worry if you were overdoing it.

Tiger Zoro

Zoro thought to himself that he wasn't the jealous type as he trusted you and knew he could count on you.

If it was an annoying cook, he made his jealousy clear and wasn't afraid to fight because of you.

Most of the time he didn't mind when you were making out with a stranger, but if it went on too long or there was any touching or flirting, he got worried.

He was watching you from afar, and if the situation didn't turn out to his liking, he could easily step in.

You were just talking to a young swordsman who seemed to think he had a chance with you and who even kissed your hand. That alone was a warning sign for the tiger.

Zoro stood to the side leaning against the house, never taking his eyes off of you. He had confidence in you, but he didn't like the swordsman at all.

Another exclamation point appeared as you were about to leave and he kept hovering around you like an intrusive insect.

Zoro immediately walked over to you and you could tell he didn't like the situation. He had black streaks all over his body and one hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

“Hey Y/N, everything okay? he asked you, standing next to you. His tail wrapped around your leg lightly. Although he tried to appear calm, he couldn't control the snarl tearing its way from his throat into words.

"Absolutely. I was just saying what an amazing boyfriend I have," you replied, hooking his hand before smiling at him. You were quite glad that he came to you and helped you from this poisoning.

As you calmly returned to the ship and crawled into your room Zoro followed you. You were lying in bed and you noticed that the tiger was much cuddlier than normal. As soon as you asked him if he was jealous before, he denied everything.

Luffy Masterlist

Sanji Masterlist

Zoro Masterlist

[lvnleah]

zoo days.

find the masterlist here! forgot to post this one 🙈

March 29th 2029 | 5 years old & 10 months. 

“Are you excited to see all of the animals, bubba?” Leah asked as she helped Finley zip up his coat. 

Finley bounced on the tip of his toes, “Yeah! I can’t wait to see all of the animals. Will there be tigers?”

“Oh of course there will!” Leah nodded, “Are you excited Ellie bee?” Leah cooed, turning to Ellie who you were currently strapping into her pram. 

Ellie reached up and grabbed Leah’s nose, giggling as Leah blew a playful raspberry on the palm of her hand. You smiled to yourself as you put the nappy bug under the pram. 

It was the weekend before Leah and Finley’s birthday so you had planned a little family day at the zoo. Finley was turning five and Leah was turning 33, something she wasn’t too pleased about. 

As you secured the nappy bag under the pram, you glanced up to catch Leah playfully rolling her eyes as Ellie continued to giggle at her. “33’s not so bad if it means you get a zoo day,” you teased, giving her a quick wink.

Leah shot you a look that said, don’t even start, before turning her attention back to Finley. “Alright, bud, let’s go see those tigers!” she said with a grin. 

“Stay close to me and Mumma please!” You reminded Finley as he started to run ahead. 

Ellie, now strapped in and ready to go, made a soft babbling sound as she pointed in the direction Finley had run. “Dah!” she squealed as if urging everyone to hurry along.

"Alright, alright, little miss," you said, giving the pram a little push. "We’re going now!”

“Mumma, can we see the tigers first?” Finley asked Leah, looking up as he held her hand, “Pleaseee!”

Leah smiled, “Let’s see where they are on the map, and we’ll make sure we get there.”

When you entered the zoo, Ellie was sitting up in her pram, her little hands waving excitedly as she spotted some flamingos nearby. Finley dashed ahead a few feet, bouncing up and down as he scanned the map you’d handed him.

"Okay, where to first, tour guide?" you asked, catching up to him.

Finley’s face lit up. “The tigers are this way!” He pointed dramatically, ready to lead the charge.

Leah shot you a grin, shaking her head as you both followed his enthusiastic steps. "Well, looks like we’re on tiger duty."

As you made your way toward the tiger enclosure, Finley kept turning around every few seconds to make sure you and Leah were still following him. 

"Come on, we're going to miss them!" he called out, bouncing with excitement.

Leah chuckled, "Don't worry, Finn, the tigers aren't going anywhere."

Ellie was mesmerised by everything around her. Every time a bird flew overhead or she saw something new, her eyes widened and she let out an enthusiastic “Oooh!” You could already tell she was just as taken back by the zoo as Finley was.

When you reached the tiger exhibit, Finley pressed his face up against the glass, searching for any sign of movement among the tall grass and rocks. 

“Where are they?” he asked, his voice tinged with impatience.

“They’re probably hiding, bubs,” you said, standing next to him. “Sometimes they like to blend in.”

Leah crouched beside Finley, scanning the enclosure as well. “Look over there,” she pointed out a stripey patch moving in the distance. “See that tail? I think one of them is coming closer.”

Finley gasped, his eyes widening as the tiger slowly emerged from the shade and into view. "Woah…"

Ellie, catching sight of the large cat, pointed and squealed. 

Leah moved over beside the pram, tickling Ellie’s stomach, “Do you like them, Els?”

The tiger made his way into Finley’s sight, making him gasp, "Mumma, look how big it is!" he whispered loudly.

Leah smiled, her arm wrapping around Finley’s waist. “Yeah, he’s pretty big, huh?”

As Finley stared in awe at the tiger, completely captivated, Leah exchanged a glance with you, a soft smile spreading across her face. “Remember when he was scared of cats?” she whispered with a laugh.

You giggled quietly, nodding your head. For some reason when Finley was around a year and a half, he wouldn’t go near any cats, instead, he’d cry at them. “Now look at him. Ready to make friends with a tiger.”

Ellie, not wanting to be left out, stretched her arms out toward the glass, her tiny fingers tapping it as she babbled something incomprehensible but clearly very important to her. “Ba-ba-ba!”

Finley turned to her and grinned. “Ellie, that tiger goes roar!” He said before making a roaring noise. 

Ellie tried to copy her big brother's noise, “Grrr!”

Leah laughed. “Close enough, Els. You’re a great big brother, you know that bubba?”

Finley smiled at her praise, then turned his attention back to the tiger, still completely fascinated by its every move.

After a while, the tiger wandered back into the shadows, disappearing from sight. Finley sighed dramatically, “I wish we could stay and watch them forever.”

You ruffled his hair, “There’s still a lot more animals to see, bubba. How about we go check out the giraffes next?”

“Okay!” Finley agreed, bouncing on the balls of his feet again. “But can we see the monkeys after?”

“Absolutely,” Leah said. “Giraffes, then monkeys. Deal?”

“Deal!” Finley said, already eager to lead the way once again.

Ellie babbled in agreement, and Leah leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the forehead before you all started making your way to the next exhibit. 

“Well, that’s one animal down,” you said with a grin as Leah took your hand into hers. 

As you walked hand in hand, Finley skipped ahead, constantly looking back to make sure you were following his lead. Ellie continued her excited babbling, eyes wide as she took in the new surroundings. 

Leah glanced at you with a content smile. “He’s so full of energy today.”

You chuckled. “It’s not every day you turn five and get a whole day at the zoo.”

Leah nodded. “I know. I can’t believe he’s five already.” She sighed, “And I’m bloody thirty-three!”

“Alright, oldie! We get it, you’re turning thirty-three and think you're a granny.” You laughed, “No but seriously, where did the five years go?”

Leah rolled her eyes before glancing down at Ellie, who was now chewing on her fingers and smiled. “We’ve got two little ones growing up too fast.”

When you arrived at the giraffe enclosure, Finley pressed himself against the railing. "Look how tall they are, Mummy!"

You crouched down beside him. "Wow, bubs! They’re massive, so cool aren’t they?”

Finley nodded excitedly, staring at the giraffes as they moved about. "Do you think they can reach the sky?" he asked. 

Leah laughed softly and crouched beside you. "They can reach pretty high, but not quite that high, buddy."

Ellie, fascinated by the movement, pointed toward one of the giraffes, making her own little noise of wonder. "Oooo!"

Leah smiled at Ellie. "Do you like them too, Ellie bee? They’re so big, aren’t they?"

Ellie clapped her hands in response, her little face lighting up as she watched the giraffes.

Finley turned to Leah, "Mumma, what do giraffes eat?"

Leah pointed to the trees where one of the giraffes was munching on some leaves. "See that tree? They eat mostly leaves, and sometimes fruits. See how they use their long tongues to grab the leaves?"

Finley watched in fascination as the giraffe’s tongue curled around the branches. "Woah! That’s so cool. Can we have a giraffe at home?!”

Leah laughed, ruffling his hair. "I think they should stay here in the zoo, bubba.”

As the giraffes continued to move about, you glanced at Leah and smiled. "This was a good idea, huh?"

She nodded, her eyes soft as she looked at you. "Yeah, it’s perfect."

You continued to walk around the zoo and saw all the different animals from Zebras to Hippos, you saw it all. Just as you were leaving the butterfly house, Finley’s little legs grew tired and Ellie was already asleep in her pram. 

“Mumma, up please?” Finley asked Leah, holding his arms up to her. 

Leah smiled before picking Finley up who immediately cuddled into the crook neck, “Wanna go get some lunch, pretty girl?” 

You nodded in agreement, “Yeah I’m hungry, I think the bubbas are too.”

As you made your way toward the zoo café, you kept glancing at Leah holding Finley, who was half-asleep on her shoulder. His wild energy from earlier had completely worn off, and now he was snuggled into her, his little fingers gripping her jacket. 

Ellie, still sound asleep in her pram, had her tiny fists curled up near her face, her breathing soft and steady. 

"Poor thing, he's wiped out," Leah whispered with a smile, gently brushing some of Finley's hair out of his eyes.

You leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Guess running around a zoo will do that to you. Good thing we’ve got lunch as a pit stop."

As you reached the café, you found a table inside and settled down. Leah carefully transferred Finley onto her lap, and he stayed asleep, his head resting against her chest. You parked Ellie’s pram nearby and sat down beside Leah.

"Think they'll wake up for food?" you asked, grinning.

Leah laughed softly. "Knowing Finley, he’ll wake up the second the food is here.”

The two of you ordered lunch, keeping it simple with sandwiches and some chips for the kids. Sure enough, as soon as the food arrived, Finley stirred and began to wake up. 

"Mumma, what's that?" he mumbled sleepily, blinking his eyes open.

"Just some lunch, buddy," Leah said, stroking his back. "You hungry?"

Finley nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Can I have some chips?"

"Of course," you said, sliding the plate closer to him. "Here you go, bubba."

Finley perked up almost immediately, sitting up and grabbing a chip. Leah chuckled, watching him munch away, her free hand gently rocking Ellie’s pram.

"I think the monkeys are next on the list," Leah said between bites, glancing at Finley, who nodded enthusiastically.

“And then maybe the penguins,” you suggested, knowing how much Ellie would love seeing them.

Leah smiled softly, glancing down at Ellie in the pram, her little face peaceful in sleep. “Yeah, Els will love that if she’s awake.”

Finley finished his last chip and bounced in his seat, “Can we go now?”

You laughed, “Alright, alright, just let me and Mumma finish our food.”

Finley grinned and started talking excitedly about the monkeys he wanted to see, while Leah took another bite of her sandwich. 

As you and Leah enjoyed the last bites of your lunch, Ellie started to stir in her pram. Her tiny eyes fluttered open, and she let out a soft yawn, stretching her little arms above her head.

“Looks like someone’s waking up just in time,” you said with a smile, leaning over to tickle Ellie’s belly. 

Leah smiled warmly, “Hu, sleepy girl. Ready to see some more animals?”

Ellie blinked up at Leah, the classic ‘Leah frown’ on her face, she reached her arms out to be picked up. You gently lifted her out of the pram, and she snuggled into your shoulder, still waking up.

“Ellie, we’re going to see the monkeys next!” Finley announced with excitement, leaning over to peek at his little sister. “You’ll love them, they’re funny.”

As you finished your sandwiches, Ellie, now fully awake, wiggled on your lap and made a sound that was unmistakably her hungry noise—an insistent, “Mmmm, mmmm,” as she reached toward the table.

“Looks like someone’s ready for lunch too,” Leah chuckled, leaning over to unbuckle Ellie from the pram.

You took out Ellie’s little lunchbox from the bag. Inside were some cut-up pieces of soft fruit, a few crackers, and a small sandwich. It was stuff packed from home because she was a little fussy eater just like Leah. Ellie’s eyes lit up when she saw the food, and she clapped her hands excitedly. 

“Here you go, Els,” you said, handing her a little piece of banana. She grabbed it eagerly with her tiny fingers, stuffing it into her mouth with a satisfied hum. 

Finley watched with a grin as Ellie ate. “Ellie loves bananas!” he exclaimed, finishing the last of the chips that he’d stolen from Leah’s plate. “She’s like a monkey!”

“She sure does,” Leah said, watching Ellie with a smile as she moved on to munching a cracker.

You offered Ellie another small piece of her sandwich, which she looked at for a moment before taking a bite. She chewed slowly, looking around the café, taking in the new surroundings between bites.

“Is it yummy, Ellie bee?” you asked, brushing a crumb off her cheek.

Ellie babbled in response, too focused on her lunch to do anything else. She reached for more food, her little fingers moving between bites of her sandwich and the soft fruits.

“She’s a good eater today,” Leah remarked, handing Ellie a bit more fruit. Ellie eagerly grabbed it and gave Leah a big smile in return.

“Alright, she’s done,” you said, wiping Ellie’s hands and face with a napkin as she began to throw the food around. “Ready for more animals, bubba?”

Ellie grinned and clapped her hands again. “Let’s get going, then,” Leah said, finishing the last of her drink. She stood up and took Finley’s hand while you settled Ellie back into the pram.

With the zoo map in hand, Finley took the lead, pointing in the direction of the monkey exhibit. You and Leah exchanged a quick smile, watching him bounce ahead with renewed energy.

As you followed, Ellie babbled happily in the pram. Finley kept talking about the different animals you still needed to see. You were happy seeing your kids and wife happy. 

Leah took your hand into hers and squeezed it gently as you walked. "I’m glad we did this today," she said softly. 

You nodded, glancing over at her with a smile. "Me too. It’s been a perfect day."

[gofishygo]

WEEK THREE [PRIDE MONTH SERIES], SLIP THROUGH YOUR TEETH VALERIA GARZA X FEMALE! READER- UNFINISHED

(i will finish this when i am like. feeling bonita idfk when i wrote this i wanted to make it like fluff and nice but it ended up being straight fuckin TOXIC YURI IM SO SO SORRY i promise i dont antagonise lesbians shes just yk.... lowkey a cartel leader... so....)

notes: valeria lowkey toxic as fuck, violence, obsessiveness, kidnapping, manipulation, yeah shes not very nice.....

Alejandro, especially, tells you not to remember anymore- lose track of the dates that weathered in the coast of time, slip the face and crime of the las almas cartel in between the cracks of walls, let it slip through wooden panels. Because forgetting was easier for you now; it was his job, as Mexican special forces, to face those slivers of crime in it’s snake-like and behemoth form, growing mold and cobweb in forgotten corners and crevices, forming sharp sea glass from sandstone and tide, filthy and sneaky and

wiry.

Valeria thinks you are wiry. It frustrates her, boils blood in the heart she’d scraped out on those mountains when she put on the mask of el sin nombre. How you look at her with no form of recognition, eyes blank, a deer in headlights. What had happened to the shine of your eyes when you’d see her? How you’d hug her in a heartbeat with clammy hands and thin layer of sweat over your skin? She misses the feelings of her childhood, tucked away in whatever nook or cranny she could spare in her mind; one where she’d sit with your hand in hers, try catch fireflies with plastic nets and takeaway containers, where you’d sit in the orchads with her, orange juice running down your chins and juicy flesh stuck between your teeth. A time where you we both were younger, fatter, happier- living- a commodity scarce in what remained of the city she’d known.

But after a while, prey tends to be found in barbed fences, writhing, ensnared by metal teeth, flailing in it’s mental bounds. And that is how you appear now- eyes glazed over in some rabid state, wrists tangled in the ropes, red and tender, nearly bleeding at the friction. Your teeth are bared. (it’s a lovely glimpse into the rest of your skull, the shine of those spit-covered ivory bones. More majestic than those tusks of long-extinct animals, woolly mammoths, sabretooth tigers.) but she slips those thoughts into the back of her mind, buries them with nerve bundles and tangles of neurons. She cannot have those thoughts, not with you. Instead, she forces pity to boil in her chest for her beloved corazon behind that window, scared, alone. It doesn’t slip out- she’d learned how to trap her emotions, meld and twist them over years of military service, but between viper-glint of her eye, some bastard-child of pity smoulders silently, cries for you underneath those glassy layers. You are almost dog-like now, vicious threats coming out as barks at the back of your throat. And she wants to calm you, tame you, put a muzzle on those jaws and scritch the scruff of your neck like she’d used to.

It had taken a while to wrangle you down though

But now, you are finally here, and you are crying, her thumb on your lip, sour stone of spit solid and stinging the back of your throat. “awh, mi corazon..” she tuts, using disappointment to feign something more sinister. “Always been such a good girl, hm? listening to every beck and call. Ran away from the woman you loved with a tail between your legs just because Alejandro commanded you to.” And you have to bite back a whine when she grips your cheek, nails faintly digging into delicate skin. “So, what’s the problem with another order, estimada? You know I would do just as much as that puta did for you, more maybe.” Valeria’s breath sends chills down the veins of your neck, ghosts the shell of your ear. her touch- you don’t want to think it’s love, you swear it isn’t love, but feels like home. You see it, for a moment, cinder walls and timber flooring. “And all I need is just a name.”

And despite how you’d told yourself you hated her, tried to erase her name from your head, way she grips your face feels warmer than any embrace you’d had. “So give me a name, sweetheart.”

[clangenrising]

Month 17 - Greenleaf

Goldenstar settled down in the dark, cozy space underneath the twoleg nest. It smelled strongly of Songdust down here, which was comforting, but she could still catch whiffs of Schmidt’s scent - a strange mix of oat and honey laying over his natural musk. The entire place was strange, to be honest. The wood above their heads all laid perfectly flat and straight in rows, sunlight peeking through gaps at regular intervals. Somewhere deeper in, water gurgled and an ever present humm filled the air now that there were no loud sounds to cover it up. It made her fur stand on end. 

She glanced at Scorchplume and pursed her lips in a frown. Her beloved’s gaze was distant and unfocused as she huddled nearby, tail tucked around her paws as if to avoid accidentally touching anything. Even her breath was a little shakier than normal. Goldenstar had no idea what was going on with Scorch but it upset her how suddenly and without warning the behavior had appeared. She knew Scorch wouldn’t want her to pry in front of a city cat though, so she held her tongue. 

“Thanks for speakin’ with me,” Schmidt said once they were all settled. “I s’pose to start, I should ask: how much d’you know about the situation here in the city?” 

“Um,” Goldenstar glanced at Scorchplume who briefly caught her gaze before looking away. “I mostly know about how things were under Razor. I’m sure things have changed since he died though.” 

“‘Changed’ would be puttin’ it kindly,” he said, grim faced. “Since he and Tiger both passed in the battle, there’s been a bit of an argument about who gets to take over.” He winced politely as he said it.

“I see,” Goldenstar hummed. So they had killed the deputy and the leader at once and there was a dispute about succession. When that happened in the Clans, they just went to StarClan and asked the previous leader, but city cats didn’t go anywhere when they died so it wasn’t like that was an option. 

“Who’s currently in charge?” asked Scorchplume and her voice sounded strained. Goldenstar’s frown deepened. 

“Well, Sardine is claimin’ he’s next in line,” said Schimdt. 

“Sardine?” Scorch scoffed, eyes focusing for a moment. “He barely made it into the inner circle.” 

“Exactly,” Schmidt nodded. “But Oreo abdicated to him and there’s no one else with a stronger claim. A few cats have made a bid for the spot but opinion is split. There’s Bella Swan but, as a she-cat, she’s unpopular with a lot of the toms.” Goldenstar twitched her ear at that. City cats were so confusing and stupid. “And there’s Rudy. He’s very popular with the Chaff. Even though he doesn’t have a great case, he has a lot of force to back it up.” 

“Can’t you ask your Folk for an answer?” Goldenstar asked. “I thought they appointed Razor as your leader in the first place.” 

Scorch scoffed again. “The Folk don’t actually talk to cats like that. Razor said that to justify his rule, not because it was true.” Schmidt shuffled uncomfortably but nodded.

“Regardless of your thoughts on the Folk,” he said, “only Portia can really understand their will.” It was Scorch’s turn to shuffle, her lips pursed tight as she held her tongue. Goldenstar frowned. 

“You wanted to discuss this with me for a reason, I’m assuming,” she said. “Is there something you’d like me to do about the situation?” 

“Myself and some other, like minded cats are thinkin’ about rubbin’ our head on the post, so to speak, and I was hopin’ you’d have some advice for us.” 

Goldenstar’s fur bushed ever so slightly. “Me? Why me?” 

“You’re a leader,” Schmidt said, brows furrowing. “You have experience governin’ a large group of cats very effectively. You were able to win both battles that were fought. Surely you must have some knowledge on the topic.” 

Goldenstar swallowed thickly. “I mean… I have some experience,” she said, “but I’ve only been leader for about a year! And I’m not the leader of all of the Clans, there are three other leaders who I collaborated with to accomplish those things.” She felt like there were ants in her pelt. It took all of her effort not to squirm. “And besides, I had StarClan to guide me, I don’t-”

“Goldenstar,” Scorchplume said sharply and she fell silent at once. Scorch was right. This wasn’t the way she ought to present herself to a city cat, as some bumbling girl who had no clue what she was doing. She took a deep breath and tried to think about Scorchplume’s advice on speechcraft before she continued. 

“What I mean to say,” she said, sitting a little taller, “is that my leadership is a collaborative effort. I learn as I lead just like the others learn from me. I’m not sure if I can help you with your ‘politics’. They seem very… cutthroat.” 

“They are,” Schmidt sighed. “I understand. Thanks for listenin’ anyway.” 

“What exactly did you want help with?” Goldenstar asked as sympathy washed over her. “I may not be very useful, but I suppose I can try.” 

“Well, we’d like to get someone in power who cares more about the common cat, about doin’ what’s right,” said Schmidt. “We know now is the best time to make a move, what with the uncertainty about who’s most deserving and what not, but we aren’t sure which cat to rally behind or how to get cats to agree he or she should be in charge.” 

“That sounds like your problem,” Scorchplume said bluntly. “I don’t know how you expected a Clan cat to be able to tell you that but we don’t have the time to stay and figure out what’s going on well enough to solve all your problems for you. We should be leaving, before someone comes to find us.” 

Guilt pooled in the pit of her stomach at Scorch’s harsh words but she could see the reasoning. “I really am sorry,” she said, “but she’s right. We need to go home.” 

“I understand,” Schmidt said again. “Apologies for keepin’ you so long.” 

“That’s alright,” Goldenstar said. “I’m not sure if you’d like my blessings but I hope StarClan lights your path regardless.” 

“Songdust has told me about them,” he said. “I’m most grateful.”

Goldenstar smiled. “And I’m grateful too. Thanks for watching out for her.” 

“Don’t mention it,” he smiled back, a tinge of sadness in his gaze. 

He started back towards the yard but Goldentstar paused for a moment to check on Scorchplume. Her eyes were closed tight, her breathing slow and labored, like she was holding back nausea. Her tail was still curled tightly around her paws but Goldenstar noticed the way her paws were kneading the dirt absently. 

Casting a glance to make sure Schmidt wasn’t watching them, she leaned in and whispered to Scorchplume, “Hey, are you alright? What’s wrong?” 

“I’m fine,” Scorchplume lied, clearly choking out the words. “I just want to get out of here and go home.” 

“Alright,” Goldenstar said softly. “Just… let me know if you need anything, okay?” Scorch twitched an ear in response. Her own stomach churning with unease, Goldenstar slipped back out onto the grass.

“Ready to go?” called Branchbark when he saw them.

“Mhm,” she nodded. “Let’s get back to camp so Songdust can get some rest.” And so Scorchplume will feel better. She ran her eyes over her Clanmates, making sure they were all present and doing well. Songdust seemed forlorn, Branchbark eager to leave. Sparrowsway seemed irritated, his tail twitching at the tip, and Floodstrike was poorly hiding disappointment, although not as poorly as Luna who was pouting dramatically. Lastly, she looked at Scorchplume again, who seemed to be doing better, although Goldenstar noticed the distant look in her eyes, the kind of look that said “let me be anywhere but here.” It hurt to see, especially because she had no idea what had caused it. 

“Do you really have to go?” asked Luna. “Maybe you could stay the night! There’s space in my garden.” 

“No, we should go,” Songdust sighed. “Goodbye, Shepherd.” The big dog howled softly, licking Songdust’s face with his massive tongue. She cringed but stood firm instead of pulling back or being pushed over. 

“I’ll walk you back,” said Jo. “Probably best if the others stay here, though.” 

“Alright,” Schmidt said, tucking his paws neatly under himself as he sat down on the deck. “Safe travels, y’all.” 

“Yeah, safe travels,” pouted Luna. 

“It was nice to meet you both,” Goldenstar said. “You’re both welcome to visit any time.” Schmidt nodded but the smile on his face told her immediately that he didn’t plan on taking her up on her offer. 

“Let’s go,” Songdust said, “I’m looking forward to-” 

“Hold on,” a voice called across the lawn. Scorchplume immediately paled and Floodstrike hissed threateningly. Goldenstar whipped around to see Ghost appearing on the fence behind her. He looked absolutely terrible, his pelt a patchwork of scar flesh and his dark circled eyes sitting underneath two shredded ear stubs. Another cat leapt up beside him, a young she-cat who Goldenstar couldn’t help but think looked like Barleybee wearing Smokyrose’s fur. 

Jo stepped up in front of the warriors, tail arched aggressively and hissed, “Fuck off, Ghost, you no good, piece of shit, dirt bag motherfucker!” Shepherd, feeding off her energy, snarled and barked at the newcomers. Goldenstar’s fur stood on end at the sound of it and she reminded herself, gratefully, that the terrifying beast was on her side. 

Ghost looked less than pleased but not exactly afraid of the threats. “Easy, Jo, I’m just here to talk.” 

Shepherd barked again, “Leave!”

“Yeah right,” Jo laughed. “You running an errand for that fish-faced fuck? Tell him he can choke on grapes, dickhead!” Goldenstar, overwhelmed by the number of strange profanities, barely registered that the old she-cat must have meant Sardine. So Ghost was working for Sardine now. That made sense although Goldenstar couldn’t deny she was disappointed. 

“He’s serious,” the cat beside him said earnestly. “Please, hear him out!” Ghost cast her a look of appreciation before meeting Goldenstar’s eyes.

“I wanted to talk with you, honest,” he said. “About my daughters.” Goldenstar felt another rush of sympathy. 

Floodstrike hissed, “They’re not your daughters, fox heart, they’re Smokyrose’s!” Ghost’s muzzle curled back in a soundless snarl. 

Quickly, Goldenstar stepped forward and said, “Everyone calm down. I want to hear him out.” 

“Goldenstar,” Scorchplume sounded like squeezing her voice out took a great deal of effort. “We need to go.” 

“It’ll just be a second,” said Goldenstar. Bounding forward, she jumped up onto the fence beside Ghost. On his other side, the young grey cat smiled brightly at her and she couldn’t help but return the smile a bit. “What did you need to discuss?”

Ghost sighed and, with one last glance at Jo’s scowl, turned to focus on Goldenstar, saying, “I wanted to make sure that the girls are alright.”

“They are,” she replied softly. “I’m surprised that you wanted to know. If you wanted to see them you could have stopped by.” For the cat who had abandoned Smokyrose to her pregnancy, the cat Scorch had said did the same to all of his mates, this turn of events felt like it had come out of nowhere.

“That’s kind of you,” he huffed a laugh, “but I would have just made things more dangerous for them. Scorch was right when she sent me away.” Goldenstar frowned at that. When had Scorch done that? She glanced down at Scorch and found her sitting with her eyes shut and her ears pressed flat against her head again. 

Ghost continued, “It was me that got Miss Smoke killed. I thought for a while that was my punishment for caring at all, that things would be better off if I forgot about them, but I can’t help but worry. I don’t even know their names and I feel terrible about it.” He sighed and shut his eyes. The cat beside him leaned up against him and purred reassuringly. 

“Their names are Fogpaw and Slatepaw,” said Goldenstar, smiling gently. “Fogpaw looks exactly like you and Slatepaw looks exactly like her mother.” 

“Oh,” Ghost said, throat working tightly. “And they’re alright? They’re not just safe, they’re… cared for?” 

“Completely,” she assured him, leaning in to bump her forehead briefly against his. He startled at the touch, sorrowful eyes searching her face. “They’re growing into brave, kind young warriors.” 

“That’s… good,” he said, looking away, towards the city behind them. 

“Is there anything we can do to help them?” asked the she-cat. “It’s not safe to visit but if there’s something else, Ghost would like to help.” She looked at Ghost as if prompting him to say something they had rehearsed and he swallowed thickly. 

“Right, yes,” he said, glancing between the two cats on the fence with him. “If I can help, just let me know.” The words sounded clumsy on his lips but he pushed through them regardless. Goldenstar was struck with the distinct impression that he was trying very hard and it only made her heart swell for him. 

“Well,” she said, thinking, “the most important thing I can think of is getting the city cats to stop stealing our prey. It’s slowed down a bit but we’re still shortpawed. I know you’re important around here, is that something you could do?”

Ghost looked like she had asked him to eat deathberries, his scarred face heavy with despair. “I mean…” he shifted his weight uncomfortably. “It’s not so simple. The Exalted hunt for sport but the Chaff, my cats, they hunt to avoid starvation.” 

“It would be very hard to convince them to stop,” the she-cat said solemnly. 

“Maybe they don’t need to stop entirely,” Goldenstar said, an idea starting to spin in her head. “Even if they shifted where they were hunting and someone taught them how to preserve next year’s hunt then it wouldn’t be an issue really.” 

“Next year’s hunt?” Ghost asked. 

“There are certain rules we follow when we hunt to make sure that the prey can survive and breed until next year. It’s very important, not just for our continued survival but as a way to respect the blessings StarClan gives us. I could teach you if you wanted.” 

“I don’t know,” Ghost sighed. 

The she-cat leaned against him and said, in the way one might urge an uneasy apprentice, “I think it would be worth it to try, don’t you?” Goldenstar struggled to piece together what exactly was the nature of their relationship.

Ghost swallowed, searched his companion's face, and then said, wearily, “I suppose so.” 

“Goldenstar,” Scorchplume spoke up, urgency creeping into her tone. 

“Right,” Goldenstar looked down briefly, a pang of guilt in her belly. She’d been caught chattering like a queen at the border, holding up the whole patrol for hours with their gossiping. “We have to go. I know you can’t visit camp but maybe we could meet near the thunderpath some time to talk further.” 

“Alright,” Ghost said. “You tell time by the moon, right? How about I meet you when it's halfway full?”

“That sounds perfect,” Goldenstar smiled. She dropped back down onto the grass and started north towards home. The cat sitting beside Ghost whispered something encouraging and he shut his eyes tiredly. 

An idea struck Goldenstar suddenly and she paused to look at Schmidt. “Hey, Schmidt, if you’re looking for someone with leadership experience who might be interested in changing the way things are run here, I think Ghost would be an excellent cat to talk to.”

“What?” Ghost opened his eyes in surprise.

“Him?” Jo gawked. “The ‘I Don’t Make The Rules, I Just Enforce ‘Em’ fuck?” She lashed her tail, glaring at him and he scowled in her direction. 

“Yes,” Goldenstar said. “I think you two could work very well together.” 

“Well, I guess I could ask him a few things,” Schmidt said carefully. 

“Change sounds good, doesn’t it?” the she-cat urged Ghost gently. “Isn’t that what we’ve been talking about?” 

“Mm,” Ghost looked askance. Jo huffed, vindicated.

“Just give it a try,” Goldenstar said. “Now, let’s go. I’ve stalled us long enough.” 

“Right,” Jo said. “This way.” As she stepped away, she said, “You keep eyes on that fucker, Shepherd.” The dog boofed at Ghost in affirmation. The warriors hurried up over the fences, back towards their territory. Scorch sighed in relief once the yard was behind them, visibly relaxing her posture. 

“Are you alright?” Goldenstar said softly as they followed behind Jo.

“Yes,” Scorch said, and this time Goldenstar believed her a bit. “It was nothing, really. I’m fine now.” 

“Do you want to talk about it later?” frowned Goldenstar.

“It’s nothing, Goldie,” Scorch laughed from behind her mask. “Really, I’d prefer if we just forgot about it, yeah?” 

“Yeah, alright,” Goldenstar agreed. Whatever makes her happy, she decided. Brushing her tail against Scorch’s leg for a second, she focused on the path ahead, eager to get away from the noise and heat and “politics” of the city.

[daisiescomelate]

Love Spell

Prompt: secret crush + alcohol = disaster. Sukuna believes himself able to hold his liquor but he might quit drinking all together after tonight.

Content: Sukuna/Reader, drunk Sukuna, drunk flirting, sukuna hiding his crush.

masterlist

The music reverberated on his body, pumping his blood and making him feel hot. His vision was a blast of red light and dancing shadows. He struggled with the floor that couldn’t hold steady, the drink on his hand spilled a little from the side. He gulped it down so nothing else would go to waist. A figure in front of him curled their fingers calling him over and he smiled, ready to step forward, when from behind a familiar voice called his name.

“Sukuna”

The ring of that voice was clear to his ear even in the chaos of the club. It shot a run down of electricity down his spine to set all over his skin and on the pit of his stomach with a tingle. He turned around with the intention of focusing his eyes on the ones he wanted to see. Your image separated from the blur of the crowd and took a better shape as you got closer.

“Sukuna, it’s late. Let’s go, I have work tomorrow.” You grabbed his wrist, trying to make him focus on you. The trick was not necessary, his gaze was set on you and your outfit. If his eyes wondered it was to take a better look. “We are the only ones left, and you’re too drunk to stay by yourself, buddy.”

“Yeah, sure”, he said absentmindedly. As if he would offer resistance to the idea of you taking him anywhere. Damn, that outfit looked good on you.

“Alright, chop chop.” You pulled his arm and guided him through the mass of people towards the exit. He followed you from behind and his eyes couldn’t help to wonder somewhere they shouldn’t, but he was relatively quick to catch himself. The place smelled like alcohol and sweat, but tailing behind you he got a trace of that scent of yours, not a perfume… shampoo? What shampoo was it again? He should buy it, it smells so good.

White light broke in the distance. The mess of bodies ended and the night breeze hit his face. A bulk guy in plain black said something to you, making you smile in his direction as you answered back. Sukuna frowned at the dude as he passed him. The man stared in confusion as he held the door open for you both.

“Easy, tiger.” He told him, which only annoyed Sukuna further. He could take down that guy with an arm tied behind his back. Was his height what gave him so much confidence? Sukuna had knocked out people much taller than him.

Sukuna felt his arm being tugged again and he remembered who he was following. He heard the sound of the heavy metal door close behind himself and like that the night fell quiet. His body already missed the vibration and his ears felt clogged, but now the street lights made it easier to see and you looked stunning with the white gleam surrounding you like a halo.

“Can you walk?” you asked, changing the grip you had on his wrist to his shoulder. His brain needed a second to process your words, too focused on the way your hand traveled up his arm. Was it the cold from outside or the path your fingers drew on his skin that gave him goosebumps and made his head give another spin? He finally made sense of the question. It sounded like a stupid question, to be honest.

“Of course– Of course I can walk” he said, but for some reason the words were hard to get out because of the weight of his tongue. Sukuna lifted one hand and touched the tip of his tongue with the tip of his fingers wondering what the hell was wrong with it. The action seemed to move his center of gravity because he tilted to the side and almost fell into the pavement.

You were there immediately, catching his weight with your whole body and pushing him straight back up. At the contact of your sides pressed together a low moan escaped him. His arm seemed to move on its own when he curled it around your waist. If he tilted his head and moved it to the side your lips would be right there for him to catch.

“C’mon big boy, use both feet.” You said while you struggled.

The shape of them was so tempting. He wanted to push closer and trap your lower lip between his teeth, lick to finally get an idea of what they tasted like. A thought flashed at the back of his mind, something he was supposed to remember. Something important.

“Sukuna please, cooperate with me. You’re too heavy.” You catched that lip between your own teeth and then the tip of your tongue flashed out to care for that spot. Sukuna followed every bit and felt his inside flutter. Then, the previous thought sparked through the haze of the whiskies and margaritas and he remembered.

Fuck, too close. He thought, and quickly moved to get on his two feet properly and took his arm away.

The sudden motion made you stumble. You catched yourself by holding his arm again. When you were secure on your feet again you looked up at him.

“Ready now?” You said with a scolding frown.

In the haze of the alcohol Sukuna had almost forgotten how elemental it was for him to keep his hands to himself when you were around. The wave of rationality, unfortunately, quickly reseeded when he felt you hug his waist and place his arm over your shoulder. Suddenly he couldn’t remember the important thing.

“I will help you walk, let's go. There is no one else on the streets at this hour, I want to get home as soon as possible.” You secured his position by holding his hand that was hanging over your shoulder and gave the first step forward.

Sukuna hummed at your perfume again and buried his nose on your head.

“You still feel like flirting?” You laughed, because he had been playing and praying all night as he usually did, setting for anyone that showed him a green light.

“Mmm…” he answered, trying to discern if what he was smelling was some kind of fruit or herb. He felt like there was some vanilla in there.

Something was odd, though.

Ah, yes.

Sukuna moved his hand and catched yours again, intertwining your fingers together.

There.

He felt your body shake slightly and he guessed you were silently laughing but he couldn't figure out what it was. He heard something along the line of ‘so cute’. Maybe there was a puppy somewhere.

Sukuna raised his head to look for the puppy, pushing you to the side with his weight when his balance changed. He felt you push in the opposite direction so as to not be sent out of the sidewalk and into the streets.

The streets were soaked after a light night rain. Water dripped from the leaves of the trees you passed. The fresh air was so different from the smoke heavy air of the club. Sukuna thought back on how fun the night was. He had found a very fun, very pretty redhead as soon as you all got there and followed her without looking back.

He remembered her dancing while staying close to him and how hypnotizing she had become a few rounds into the night. He was sure he knew who he was taking home with him then when he got bored of the party. He tried to remember what she had said her name was. Heather? Haidy? No wait, that was someone else. The name with the H was the blond one. Red hair, red hair… Maybe he never got her name? It was loud. He hadn’t asked either.

Sukuna moved his free arm to pat over his jeans and jacket. Walking with him twisting and moving like that made it hard for you to keep your hold of him.

“Did you forget something? Your phone?”

“Nah. I got someone’s number… I don’t– I don’t remember actually. I’m looking.”

“Can’t you do that when you get home?”

“She was hot. Lincy– Lily– something.”

“Well, looks like she really catched your interest.” So much that he forgot to catch her name. “We’ll look for her next week.”

“Mmm…” Sukuna hummed pleased. “She really knew how to dance.”

“I’m sure, Romeo.”

Sukuna delighted in the memory for a second longer and then frowned. “We were having a good time, but I lost her at some point.” Did someone else call him over? Maybe she got a sight of someone else, or maybe…

“There were a lot of people there and you were very drunk, it wasn’t hard to miss people in that crowd. I was talking with someone too, I left to get a drink and they were gone. I couldn’t find them again. It was a shame, they were cute.”

Ah, right…

Sukuna pressed his jaw at the memory. He had seen you in the crowd with a person standing a little bit too close to you for his own comfort. He was too far gone with the liquor to care to be subtle about it. After a while staring at the person talking you to your ear and looking clearly displeased, Redhead lost interest and left him to pout by himself.

Standing in the middle of the crowd dancing around him, with a glass on hand, he watched you too get all cozy with each other. The person made some stupid joke and you laughed like an idiot with your eyes shining under the dim light. The person was nothing but lacking. Shitty plain cheap clothes, messy hair, too many accessories. Sukuna had a bad feeling about this person and felt like he should walk all the way there to warn you.

When you moved away from them he didn’t waste a second to walk into their direction to say hi. He didn’t do anything to them, he didn’t even mention you, but they must have got the message that Sukuna thought they were annoying because soon they escaped to the darkest corner of the club to hide from him.

It was once the problem was taken care of that the blond winked at him from a distance. Right, Haily. What happened after that is more of a blur, most likely that was the point when he started accepting the flashy cocktails from the bartender.

You walked another block with Sukuna dragging his feet. Sukuna thought back to the sunset peach cocktail he shared with another faceless person. Your steps were heavier on the pavement and you were audibly struggling to breathe.

You both walked another few blocks like that until you called it quits. You stepped away from the streets and carried him to the side. You were passing a wide park with a small pond next to a set of trees just ahead with two benches that had a nice view of the water next to it.

“Okay, I need a break.” He heard you say. He followed you as you walked to the side and next to one of the benches. “Sit down, big boy.”

Sukuna dropped all his weight over the bench. He cursed between his teeth when he noticed the seat was still wet because of the rain. He tried to stand up but you pushed him back down. “If you stand up now and you fall on your ass I won’t be able to pick you back up.” You said rubbing your shoulder. “Jesus, how much do you weigh? Do you really need that much muscle?”

“You don’t like ‘em?” He smiled and stretched his arms over the back of the bench and spread his legs, as if setting himself on full display.

He saw something under the dim lights of the street lights above, something that delighted his drunken brain. You looked slightly embarrassed by looking and he had the sudden urge of seeing if he could make it worse.

He reclined forward, set on not breaking eye contact.

“Why are you standing there? I don’t bite.”

You sighed heavily and sat next to him, with his arm behind your back. The tip of his fingers brushed the hair at the end of your nape. “Your outfit looks nice today.” You rolled your eyes, which pleased him.

Sukuna knew of his reputation and how so many people saw him as a player –not that he could deny the allegations. If he acted like any other thing around you it would only be suspicious. So he kept a solid act with you, but never let it go out of hand.

But why deny himself something he wanted? Because he came to realize he might want this a little bit too much. No relationship in his life had ever been nothing but flitting. He didn’t know how to make long term things work. And he had the impression if he ever wanted to try something with you it would be a one chance opportunity. So he made a plan. The main problem about his lack of commitment was how fast he got bored of people, but he had a strong feeling that wouldn’t be a problem with you. The second issue that interfered with his relationships was his whole attitude. He was pretty and hot while his mouth was shut or doing some other things, but very few people could truly stand him on a day to day basis.

So he was doing some self improvement work, like a big boy. But it was taking too damn long. His ego had done a great job keeping him blissfully blind to the depths of his bullshit. Even he had a hard time listening to himself speak as of now.

It was taking way too long. He was abashed by how much crap was engraved in his personality and how hard all his stupid patterns run down on his system. He gained self awareness and absolutely nothing else, which was a nightmare because he could now clearly see all the ways the ship would go down if he ever took the first step with you but had no solution to any of his problems. The clock was ticking, monkeys kept crawling your way to lamely flirt with you, and Sukuna had to bite his tongue and hope none of those assholes could convince you of anything.

Fortunately he learned that he could distract you a little bit with his games.

He played with a strand of your hair that had fallen out of place, keeping his eyes fixated on the skin of your neck. He traced a short line from the line of your hair to your upper back over your spine. You shudder and slightly move away by instinct.

“Cold breeze?” He asked, playing you. It gained him a scold but you immediately looked away from him. He smiled to himself and traced the same line for the second time. There was a slight shudder again but you didn’t move and he smiled to himself.

He tilted his head to be closer to you and blew over the shell of your ear. You jumped at the unexpected action, covered your ear and flipped your face only to realize he was close enough for your noses to be close to touching.

“Where are we going anyways?” he asked without moving.

“What?” You asked dumbfounded.

“Where are we walking to, my house or yours?”

You blinked, “Oh.” You cleared your throat and said, “I was going to drop you off at your place and then go back to mine.”

“That sounds so complicated, you should just stay the night.”

“I don’t feel like sleeping on a couch, thank you. My back is going to kill me tomorrow.”

“My bed is big. No need for you to stay on the couch.”

You opened and closed your mouth without a sound like a fish out of the water.

Sukuna moved forward, purposely further infringing into your personal space.

“I’m not gonna do anything to you. No need to worry.” He smiled widely, because he meant it. Sukuna was working so hard to keep his hands to himself, if you wanted to make him change his plans you would have to beg him.

“What’s the deal with you today?”

Sukuna looked down at your lips –which made your eyes grow wide– and took a while to think.

“Too much alcohol, maybe.” Me murmured to himself and straightened his posture. “Argh…” he complained and stretched his arms over his head. Alarms were ringing at the back of his mind again and he felt like he had to back up immediately.

“So, are we staying here all night or are we going home now?” He said as he crossed his arms over his chest looking forward and avoiding the stream of questions in your eyes. “I feel like it’s about to start raining again.” He said looking up at the sky.

You looked up and the grimace on your face told him you agreed with him. “Okay, let’s go.

You stood up and extended a hand to help him out of the bench too. Sukuna placed both hands over his knees and stood from the seat.

“I’m feeling much better, actually.” He said but still placed his arm around your shoulders as he walked forward. He didn’t lay his weight on you again, instead he focused on keeping his stand so no other part of you would actually touch him. “Why don’t we buy something to eat on our way back, love?”

“At three in the morning?”

“There is a convenience store around the block close to my apartment. Did you bring your wallet?”

“Pay for yourself.”

“I never pay for anything when I go out. I don’t have money on me.”

Sukuna heard a quiet ‘idiot’ from you and laughed. You were still the only two people out there so he couldn't care less about how loud he was.

[barleyo]

Hey there, tiger.

Recom! Miles Quaritch X Fem! Reader (smut)

A/N: Hope you enjoy this (RUSHED) little drabble, there’s plenty more where it came from. My inbox is ALWAYS open, so don’t be shy to share any ideas or make and requests! Enjoy!

Wordcount: 1.6K

Tags: p in v, oral (m receiving), SLIGHT dacryphilia, reader taking sneaky pictures of the Colonel, stalker behavior, one sided pining, degrading, public sex, humiliation, workplace sex, reader being a creep (she's just like me tho)

It wasn’t supposed to be weird or creepy in the least bit. At first, it was completely professional, practically part of (Y/N)’s  job description, and she did not do it often in the beginning. Once, maybe twice a week.

It was so innocent: quietly following the colonel around base, not too close, a few feet to divide themselves. Scribbling down observations she made about him, about how oddly cat-like he was, how all Na’vi were. Naturally, she had to get closer and observe more often to get all the details. If she did not do that, how would she have found out about the colonel’s feline tic of gliding his tongue over his teeth when he was angry? Or how his kitten-like nose crinkled in disgust at his team’s frequent immaturity, or how his tail thumped the ground when he was waiting for something? 

Or how far down his deep, azure stripes went down on his body? Well, she did not know that one yet.

(Y/N) tried to convince herself that it was her job, no, her obligation as a biologist on Pandora to study all life: plants, animals, the natives. 

The Recombinants. 

Colonel Miles Quaritch.

Besides, the research was helpful to her team, surely it must have been okay if the ends had justified the means. Reading Na’vi body language was crucial to communication with the natives, and the recoms could provide just that with their newly acquired bodies and movements.

So what if she peeked around corners to catch a glimpse of his toned back as he walked away, or if she ‘accidently’ bumped into him in the hallway to feel his hand on her own as he helped her to her feet? 

“Watch it now,” he had said, hand on (Y/N)'s shoulder to settle himself, “be more careful, a tiny thing like you might get crushed next time.”

She was just doing her job. Hell, she could sell it as Na’vi-human social studies to herself, anything to rationalize her hobby. Anything to be near him.

Noting these interactions and conclusions was well and fine, but a thought had occurred to her when she reached the halfway mark in her journal that focused on all things Miles Quaritch. A girl can only describe so much with words, and some pictures to accompany her entries would do nicely. 

There he was, long legs spread as he sat on a bench in the gym, thick, blue arm flexing as he lifted a weight. The gym was completely empty, just Quaritch, (Y/N), and her polaroid camera that was ready to snap a few pictures and leave with her. 

She silently opened the door and tucked her journal under her arm, ready to glue the pictures in as soon as her camera spit them out. She sat on her knees: being low to the ground made it easier for her to get a clear picture. Peering her head through the cracked entrance, she held her camera up, focused it, and clicked. 

She could have gotten away with it, if it weren’t for the colonel’s impeccable hearing capabilities. The second the shutter of her camera clicked, his guard rose. (Y/N) had not registered that he caught her until the screen of her camera showed a pair of black, heavy boots, tightly laced and dusty. 

“Can I ask what the fuck you think your doin’, miss?” Quaritch snatched the camera from her hands, pulling out the small polaroid that it dispensed. 

“No– sir, I promise, this isn’t what it looks like,” she said, scrambling to back out into the hallway. “I wasn’t–”

“You weren’t snapping pictures of me?” He shook the picture, exposing the image of himself it had burned onto the film. He grabbed the camera from her hands too, placing it on a nearby bench.

“Ah–”

“What’s this then?” He shoved the picture into her chest, hand gripping her shoulder to keep her from running. His face looked all but impressed, but his tone was teasing.

Her face grew immensely hot, she tried to turn her head away from him to hide it, but his finger fell under her chin and forced it up. 

“Look at me when I talk to you,” he said, tongue running over his sharp teeth. That was the first time she had seen it up close, seen him up close. It scared her, but the excitement he caused her far surpassed that feeling. “Answer me, won’t ask you again.”

“It’s a picture of you. I’m so sorry,” she blinked away tears forming at her lash line.

“No, ‘m not sure you are sorry.” He pulled her into the gym and pushed her back against the frosted window. “Matter of fact, I’ll bet I’ll catch you doing this again if I don’t teach you any better. I’ll bet this isn’t your first time sneaking pictures of me either, sweetness.” 

“No, it’s my first. This is the only time I’ve tried.” (Y/N)’s eyes glossed over, looking too soft and sad for Quaritch to resist any longer. 

“Really? Guess I should go easy on you then, huh?” A dark smirk covered his face.

Unzipping his pants, he pulled his cock out and gave it a few lazy strokes before forcing her to her knees and rubbing it over her face. Clear globs of precum got smeared over her face. Quaritch laughed as she tried to catch his cock with her tongue, letting it dart out of her mouth when it swiped past her lips. 

(Y/N) felt a whine constrict in her throat when he finally pushed past her lips and into her mouth. His big hands held the back of her head and held her still while he moved his hips. She moved her tongue over the underside of his dick, licking it as much as she could while he thrusted slowly in and out of her wet mouth.

She pushed her hands into her pants and rubbed her clit messily while Quaritch used her mouth. Her moans vibrated on his length, his control slowly slipped away with each noise. He let his pace loosen and let himself explore further into her mouth.

“I know you wanted me to catch you. You wanted me to catch you n’ punish you for creeping around,” he said through gritted teeth as he pushed further down her throat. Her throat clenched around his cock every time she gagged or choked, sending sharp pleasure through his body.

“Fuck,” he sighed. He pulled out and a string of spit connected (Y/N) to the tip of his cock. Miles took her camera and clicked. 

(Y/N)’s voice was croaky as she spoke, “What’re you doing?”

“Just leveling the playing field,” he said, smearing her spit all over her face. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up, flipping her body around on the glass. “Gotta have a pic of my own, baby, that’s just fair.”

Pulling her pants and panties down to her ankles, Miles teased his tip at her entrance, slipping it in with shallow thrusts. 

“Please, I need the whole thing…”

He grunted and pushed the rest in, stretching out her walls. She bit down a whine when she felt his girth split her open, leaning against the window for stability. He was ruthless with his pace now, he was far too close to his own release to take it slowly, instead choosing to pull her hips back and slam into them harshly. Slick squelches and skin slapping echoes in the empty room.

“Wanna know something?” he purred into (Y/N)’s ear, deepening his thrusts when he paralleled his back to hers to lean to her ear.

She didn’t respond, too lost in the feeling of him burrowing balls deep into her heat, too dizzy with ecstasy to focus on his words.

“I knew what you were doing.”

“Wha– what d’you mean?” she moaned.

“Don’t act dumb now, you think I didn’t hear you followin’ me around like a lost dog?”

“I–”

“You think I couldn’t smell you? I could, the whole time. Took everythin’ in me to not bend you over like this earlier.”

(Y/N)’s walls fluttered and clamped at his words, feeling them rush straight to her cunt like they were injected into her veins. “You knew?”

“Sure did,” his rhythm became messy and rougher, abusing every spot in her. “Smelled how wet you were for me in the hallways, mess hall, everywhere. Dirty little thing, always wantin’ me.”

She threw her head back and let a string of profanities fall from her mouth. Her cunt gushed hot, clear cum, dripping down her lips and thighs and coating Quaritch’s dick. 

“Christ…” 

He pulled out and pumped his length, giving rough tugs until he came thick ropes on (Y/N)’s slick pussy. He stuffed his fingers into her after scooping some of his cum up with them, and snapped a final picture. 

“You’re so fuckin’ soaked, it’s crazy,” he laughed, tucking himself back into his pants and adjusting (Y/N) as well.

She was silent for a second before opening her mouth. 

“You aren’t mad at me, are you? For following you around?”

“Oh, ‘course not,” he wrapped an arm around her waist. “You aren’t the only one who’s been busy. I’ve done a little hunting of my own too.” Using his other hand, he pulled out a stack of pictures from his back pocket.

Her eyes widened at one. 

The picture showed her with her hands in her pants. She was sitting on her bunk, and the picture was dark. It must have been taken at night.

“Where did you get this?”

“Like I said,” his grip on her waist tightened, “you aren’t the only one who’s been busy.”

[newtthetranswriter]

FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE WHO WRITES FOR FAIRY TAIL!!!

Would you mind writing a Loke/Leo x Celestial Spirit!Reader? Maybe they're one of the Chinese zodiacs and they met because they both joined Fairy Tail!

The reader traveled to the human world to seek out a worthy person to have their key, and that's when they met Loke. They knew that he was celestial spirit, but kept it a secret. They ended up dating before Lucy came along.

Eventually, Loke became contracted with her while the reader got contracted to Angel. That was because she found her key before the reader had the chance to give it to Lucy.

For the scenario, can you write something during the fight with Lucy and Angel, where Lucy summons Loke and Angel summons the reader? I'd prefer angst pls!!! Thank you!!!

Word Count: 2328

Paring: Loke/Leo x Celestial Spirit! Reader

Warnings: Canon typical violence, mentions of feelings of abandonment, possible ooc Loke, use of the nickname 'kitty' for both reader and Loke, reader's gender is never mentioned

A/n: Hello, I’m thankful for the request. I recently started a rewatch of Fairy Tail in preparation for the new series and realized how much I like Loke, so thank you for feeding my need for him. Anyway I decided to make the Reader the Tiger Zodiac from the Chinese Zodiac because I thought it’s be fun to put the two big cats together. Also because they likely wouldn’t call it the Chinese zodiac I called the Eastern Zodiac because the more Asian inspired parts of Fairy Tail were referred to as being from the Eastern Continent, just so it makes sense. Well without further ado, I hope you enjoy and as always remember to hydrate or diedrate. 

  The Jade Zodiac Keys are much harder to come by as not many wizards know of their existence so for one of us to get contracted we have to do the leg work. I personally grew impatient and decided to go find my key and then find a wizard I trusted with it. So, I left in search of my key and wizard.

   It was long after I left, when I heard that one of the Golden zodiac spirits was banished from our home. Being the curious spirit I am, I went in search of the banished spirit. Eventually I stumbled upon a guild hall in the small town of Magnolia. Entering the Fairy Tail guild hall, I was immediately drawn to a ginger wizard surrounded by women. If it wasn’t for the familiar energy radiating from him I would have thought he was just another wizard, but being a spirit myself I was easily able to tell what he really was.

  I quickly approached the table, catching the attention of the group. “Excuse me but could I speak with you for a moment?” I asked, picking up on the fact that he was likely hiding his true nature from those around him.

  The ginger froze, likely figuring out what I was the same way I picked him out of the crowd. “Sure, who am I to deny a lovely creature like you, my attention.” His voice came off as flirtatious but there was an underlying hint of worry. He waved off the women, ignoring their whines, before standing up. “But, uh, not around here. Follow me.” With that he motioned for me to follow him out of the hall.

   After walking for a few minutes in tense silence we reached a small clearing just outside of town. “So, did the Celestial Spirit King send you to kill me?” He said, turning to look at me over the edge of his glasses. “He finally decided that it would be easier than having a rogue spirit running about.” He was stating it like it was fact.

   “No actually, I heard that one of the twelve golden zodiacs got banished and wanted to see if it was true.” I started earning a confused look. “So, what did the great and powerful Leo do to get exiled from his home among the stars?” I asked, while leaning against a tree.

   I didn’t miss the slight glare he sent at my mockery of his title. “What’s it to you? Do you think I would really believe you came all the way from the celestial world to ask why I got banished?” He now sounded defensive. “Also it’s Loke now, I left the name Leo behind.” 

  “First,I didn’t leave the Celestial world just for you. If I just wanted to know what happened I’d have asked around there. Second, The jade keys that are bound to the Eastern Zodiacs are nearly impossible to find. So, I set out to find my key. Once I do that I’m gonna find a wizard I can trust to make a contract with.” I explained to the confused spirit.

  He still looked confused but spoke up. “So, what exactly is the point of taking the time to find me? Just go find your key and leave me to enjoy what time I have left.” Loke said. “Why waste your time and energy to come talk to me, if it’s so difficult to find your stupid key.” 

  I looked at him shocked. “Put the claws away kitty. If I had any idea where my key was I wouldn’t be here. I came searching for you because I figured we could help each other out.” I stated.

  “How exactly can you help me? Once I run out of magic I’m dead, unless you can somehow convince the King that I didn’t do anything wrong, there’s nothing you can do to help me.” He turned away, getting ready to walk away.

   I nodded, moving away from the tree. “You’re right, I can’t convince the King you did nothing wrong. Because I have no clue what you did in the first place. But what I can do is share my power with you to give you more time.” I said placing my hand on his shoulder, demonstrating my proposal by pushing a wave of my own magic through him. He looked over his shoulder at me confused. “I can still return to the Celestial world whenever I need to recharge, you on the other hand won’t last much longer here without a supply of power. So, I’ll give you some of my magic every now and then, if you promise to help me find my key?” I asked hopefully.

   Loke thought for a minute, before responding. “Sure, I’ll help you. But once we find your key, I want you to forget about me, and let me die in peace.” He sounded like he already accepted he was going to die sooner or later, and he was just agreeing knowing I would be persistent. I nodded in agreement. “Also, no one knows that I’m a spirit, the guild thinks I’m just a normal wizard. I don’t care if they know that you’re a spirit but no one and I mean one is to know what I am. Got it?”

   “Whatever you say, Kitty. It will probably be easier for us if people think I’m also just a wizard, anyways.” I answered. “So, Loke, shall you introduce me to the guild I’ll be joining?” I asked, moving to walk in front of him.

   He just rolled his eyes. “Yeah whatever. Just stop with the Kitty shit.” With that we made our way back to the guild hall.

   Time skip to shortly before Lucy joins Fairy Tail.

   It has been almost three years since I joined Fairy Tail. Loke and I have spent the time going on jobs and becoming closer, while also searching for my gate key. Though somewhere along the way my priorities changed. I was no longer worried about finding my key, I instead was focused on keeping Loke around for as long as possible. We had grown extremely close fairly quickly.   

   After only three months of working together, Loke asked me out on a date. During which he told me about why he was banished and told me that if that changed how I felt he would understand. Though he had nothing to worry about because after he finished his story, I pulled him close and promised that I would stick by his side. I had told him that had it been me, I would have likely done the same. With our new found understanding and bond we became almost inseparable.

  Unfortunately for us, good things never last long. We had just finished up on a tough job and I had expended a great deal of my power. “Hey Loke, I’m going to return to the Celestial world for a bit to recharge. I’ll be back soon, Ok?” I said leaning on his shoulder as we sat waiting for a train to take us back to Magnolia.

  “Yeah, ok. I’ll tell the guild you aren’t feeling well and decided to go home.” He said with a nod. “Don’t take too long though, I don’t know if I can cover for three months again.” There was a slight chuckle in his voice at the reference to the one time I forgot that a day in the celestial world is three months in the human world.

  I laughed as well. “That was one time. Well I’ll be off. I love you and remember to stay safe Kitty.” I said placing a kiss to his forehead making sure to transfer the little extra power I had left, just in case I did take longer to recover than I planned. As I faded I heard a quiet ‘i love you too, kitty’ and couldn’t help but smile at our shared nickname for each other.

  After resting for a few hours and recharging my power I started to get ready to return to Loke. But I was stopped by a familiar sensation that I hadn’t felt in so long. Before I could even register what was happening, I was pulled through the gate and was now face to face with white haired woman. One hand was on her waist while the other held a familiar green key.

  “So you’re Y/n the Jade Tiger.” She said in a cold tone. “You are now my spirit and you will do as you’re told.” She said leaving no room to argue. Before I could speak she looked at me, noticing the guild mark on my hand. “Oh, you’ve been playing human have you? Well that’s over now. If I find out you returned to that reached guild, I’ll make sure you regret it.” It was clear from her tone that she was not one of the nice Celestial wizards. She viewed spirits as property and nothing more. “Now gate close, you better be ready to fight when I call you.”

   Returning to the celestial world after being summoned was an odd feeling after spending so long coming and going whenever I chose to. I looked around my small section of the Celestial world trying to figure out how to return to Loke. I was now contracted to a wizard and though I had no say in the contrat it was now set, I had to obey her wishes. If I went against them, I would be exiled for breaking the contract and then there would be no way to help Loke. So, I resolved myself to sitting and waiting to be summoned, hoping that I could convince my new wizard to allow me to visit Loke if only once to explain what has happened.

   Time skip to Lucy Vs. Angel

   No matter how hard I tried to convince Angel to allow me on final visit to my old guild, she would never let it happen. It was fruitless to try and argue with her, so I just hoped Loke knew I didn’t abandon him. I worried constantly that he would fade away while I was away and just hoped that one day I could see him again.

   My prayer to see him again was answered in a way I never expected. I had been sitting talking to one of the other Jade Zodiacs, when I was summoned. The trip between worlds always throws off my senses when I'm summoned, but once I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings I froze. Standing just feet in front of me was none other than Loke. His hair was longer now, and he was wearing a nice suit, but I could never forget those eyes.

   “Loke, you’re okay. I was so worried about you.” I said moving to get closer to him.

   I watched as a river of emotions flashed across his face. “I see you found your key, good for you.” It seems he settled on indifference for our reunion. 

   The blonde standing behind him looked at him confused. “You know this spirit Loke? Is she one of your friends?” She asked him.

   “I know this spirit, or at least I thought I did. And no she’s not my friend.” It felt like I had been stabbed in the heart, hearing the malice that laced his voice.

   Before I could speak again and explain myself, Angel spoke up. “Enough, I called you here to fight, not wallow in the past now take out Leo and kill that wizard so I can take her keys.” Her words caught everyone's attention.

   I turned away from Loke, looking to the wizard I was contracted with. “You can’t expect me to fight him, anyone but him.” I said, holding back tears.

   “You will fight whoever I tell you to fight. Now fight him.” Angel said clearly not wanting to deal with my defiance

   I was about to retort but was interrupted by a wave of yellow light washing over me. Turning quickly I saw Loke preparing to fight. “What are you doing Loke? I can’t fight you. I know it seems like I abandoned you but I didn’t I promise. Please listen to me for five seconds.” I begged, as I began deflecting the punches Loke was sending my way.

   “I don’t want to hear it. You broke your promise, you never came back. I almost died and you were nowhere to be found, had Lucy not been there I would be dead.” He spat as he continued throwing punches. I didn’t even have a chance to speak between deflecting his attacks and the words that honestly hurt more than any punch could. “I waited for you for months, saying that it was probably just taking longer for you to recharge. I waited in our apartment for you to show up and you never did. You abandoned me and now you’re contracted to this bitch, doing her dirty work. I thought you were going to give your key to someone you could trust.”

   He only stopped when I lost my footing falling flat on the ground. “I never meant to be gone for so long. I tried to come back but I couldn’t. You have every right to hate me for leaving you when you needed me.” I said, holding back tears. “I’m just glad someone was able to save you.” Sitting up slightly, I turned to look at the blonde wizard that held Loke’s key. “I guess I should thank you for saving Loke.” I finished with a said smile. Before I could say more or hear a response, Angel closed my gate sending me back to the celestial world. Back among the stars, I prayed that Loke and his wizard would beat Angel. Even if I know that Loke will likely never accept my apology, I hope that he will someday know that I never meant to abandon him.

EDIT: part 2 is out now

[ranharrafantasy]

See Ya' Around - [Wolf TF Story] [Fur Pills Part 1]

"Hey, man! Thanks again for spotting me on the bench! I haven't seen you around before, is this your first time? Oh, it is? That's great, well, welcome! I come to the gym almost daily so if you keep coming, I'm sure we'll run into each other again. I'm taking off now but before I go, I didn't catch your name… Cool! I'm Brayden! Well, see ya' around!"

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2 Months Later

"Hey! Cool to run into you again! It's been awhile. Oh!? My ears? Haha, yeah… I started taking Fur Pills. Have you heard of them? They're these pills that can turn you into an anthropomorphic version of basically any animal you want! The entire transformation process takes a year to complete, though. Yeah, yeah, I know it's different, but something about it, when I saw the ad my gut told me I needed to do it. I've been taking them for about 2 months now. I like waking up and seeing how much I've changed. I just finished my set here, maybe we can spot each other next time? It was great bumping into you again! See ya' around!"

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2 Months Later

"Dude! We keep running into each other as I'm on my way out! That's too bad, I'd love to do a set with you sometime. I show up around 6 everyday if you're here. Yep! Transformations still going strong. I'm growing fur like a mofo and I think something in the pills makes by beard grow like crazy, too! I practically have to shave everyday! Oh, did you have something to say? Oh, of course, you can ask me anything. No worries, I'm an open book, ask away!

"Haha, no, I'm not afraid of what other's think. I'm still me, they're still them; we just look different. Being furry isn't just about sexuality, it's about being your true self and expressing your person the way you want to. In the same way that celebrities get plastic surgery or bald dudes get hair plugs, we are all just trying to exist in a body that make us happy. If others can't see that, then they need to take a look in the mirror.

"I'm glad you asked. I hope that helps. Yeah, I have gotten a few snide comments from a few people. It doesn't bother me. I'll never see them again, and after everything is said and done, it's them who's going home with resentment in their life, not me.

"It was cool catching up with you, I got to run! See ya' around!"

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2 Months Later

"I'm glad we ran into each other on the way in! It was great to workout with you! My workouts sometimes can be a little intense so I'm impressed you were able to keep up. Oh, my fur? Yeah, it's coming in still. Hopefully soon I'll be seeing more drastic results that show I'm a wolf. People keep asking if I'm a husky. What was that? Um, no, not really, I doesn't get too hot to bare with all this fur. I can be a little sweaty after a workout, but I just shower afterwards and it's no big deal. Do you want to feel? Soft huh?! Well, speaking of which, I'm going to hit the showers. Thanks again! See ya' around!"

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2 Months Later

"Hey! It's me, Brayden! I was waving at ya for like 2 minutes, don't you recognize me?! Haha, no worries! My face started to turn shortly after I saw you last! What do you think, not bad, huh? I think I officially look more wolf than human, now! I've been loving it! My tail has been coming in and I'm not going to lie, it wagged when I saw you! Haha!

"The name of the pills? Oh, they're called Fur Pills! They have pills for basically any animal! Bears, tigers, lions, meerkats, horses, you name it! No, it doesn't hurt, on the contrary, it feels good! I'm open to answer any questions you have! Nothing else? No, worries! Great to see you! See ya' round!"

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4 Months Later

"Oh hey! It's you! Bold of you to come up and tap me on the shoulder, what if I were somebody else? Haha, you're right, there aren't many other wolves at this gym. Yup! I'm fully wolf now! My 1 year of transformation ended two weeks ago and I couldn't be happier! Being a wolf is incredible! I love my fur, my ears, my tail! Every part about it has allowed me to truly be me.

"Thanks for supporting me through this. I know we don't know each other well, but still, running into you the past year has meant a lot for me through this process… Uh… Um… There's actually something I've actually been meaning to ask you… Would you maybe like to grab dinner together sometime? I know you still hardly know me and I don't know if you're even into guys… or wolves for that matter, but I just wanted to shoot my shot and-, oh?! You will!? Awesome! Great! Hey, I'll give you my phone number and…

"Well, well, well. Do I, by chance, spot some fur growing from under your shirt? C'mon, don't be shy! Show me! Congrats dude! I'm so happy for you! And if your curious, now that you're becoming furry, you're definitely even more my type, haha! How does Friday sound? Good? Sweet! See you there!"

---

Thanks for reading! <3 More transformation content at link in bio.

[katyleen]

The Tiger’s Savior

Pairing: Tiger!Soonyoung x reader (hybrid au)

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: Depictions of sexual assault (only a little tho), curse words

Synopsis: The world of hybrids are cruel. Humans treat them as if they’re pets, slaves, and many more. What would happen when you stumbled across an unconscious tiger?

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It was supposed to be a normal day. You didn’t have anything special for today, already used to the usual routine of your daily life. So why is it that there is a ruckus caused by a group of teenagers when you are in the middle of a walk? You were sure that they are one of those who think that being bad is cool and was about to tell them to stop when something made you paused. They were surrounding someone and is now on the ground, unmoving.

Thinking that this is a bullying gone too far, you stormed over to them, ready to reprimand them.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” You shouted, startling the teenagers as they scrambled to escape from the scene. You went up to check on the victim of those teenagers but then you let out a gasp. The victim, which turns out not to be a human but a hybrid. A tiger hybrid to be exact. He was unconscious and has many bruises on his body.

Now you’re not clueless of the world of the hybrids. You know that they live in a cruel word, where humans don’t treat them as equals but as pets instead. You’ve seen many cases where they abandoned their hybrids, turned them into their slaves, or sometimes sold them to the black market. Fortunately, you’re not one of those people. Not having the heart to leave him on the street, you have made a decision. You whip out your phone and dialed someone.

“Hey Seungcheol? Sorry are you free right now? I need your help.”

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“I know that you care about the hybrids but I definitely didn’t expect you to bring a tiger to your house.” He said after laying the tiger hybrid on the bed in your guest room.

You have called one of your closest friends and when he showed up, he looked so shock to see you with an injured hybrid. He was a bit skeptical of letting an unknown stranger into your house, even insisting that at least let him stay in his house, but you were stubborn and argued that your house is closer and he needed to be treated soon. He eventually gave in and helped you carry him to your house.

“I mean what did you expect? Me turning a blind eye and leaving him alone in the streets where people won’t even glance at him or maybe even do something worse to him? Yeah that’s not happening.” You rolled your eye’s sarcastically. You have just finished treating his wounds and now waiting for him to wake up. Seungcheol sighed, and went to sit on your couch.

“Well do you want me to stay here until he wakes up then? Hybrid or not, he’s still a stranger and we don’t know whether he’s dangerous or not.” He asked, worrying about you being left alone with the hybrid. You shrug your shoulders, plopping down to sit next to him.

“It’s your choice whether you want to stay or not. I don’t really mind being alone with him.” You tried to ease his worries. Obviously he chose to stay, turning on the TV as you guys search for something interesting to watch.

Hours have passed and you could hear some noise which is definitely not caused by you, Seungcheol, or the TV. He glanced at you, also hearing the noise. You both then turned to look at the door which the hybrid is currently resting. You went to turn off the TV while Seungcheol is slowly walking to the door. You catch up to him as he grabs he doorknob.

“Wait shouldn’t we knock first?” You asked, grabbing his shoulder. He gave you a deadpanned look.

“This is your house. Why would you need to knock in your own house?”

“But-“ he proceeds to open the door, and you find the hybrid is now awake, sitting on the bed. He jolted as he looks at you and Seungcheol, not expecting to see strangers and in a unfamiliar place. His ears are twitching and his tail is curled up, you think that’s a sign that he’s scared.

“Wh-who are you? And where am I? Why am I here?” The hybrid asked, voice trembling but he tried to hide it. You gave him a reassuring smile as you answer him.

“I’m Y/n and this is my friend Seungcheol. You’re in my house because you were injured so we took you here to be treated.” He seems to relax at that, but still on guard. You don’t blame him because humans are cruel to hybrids. And in his eyes, you might be one of them.

“Listen, you’re hurt. I’m willing to let you stay here until you’re healed unless you don’t want to.” The hybrid and Seungcheol both snapped their heads at you, not expecting you to say that. You almost laughed at them moving in sync.

“Wait wait wait you’re not serious are you? I know he’s hurt but are you really going to let a stranger stay with you alone?” Seungcheol asked, clearly not happy with your decision. The hybrid seems hesitant too, either feeling guilty or uncomfortable you’re not sure. You know it’s dangerous to let a stranger in your house, but for some reason you feel like he won’t do anything bad.

“Seungcheol, he’s injured. Would you leave him alone outside if you were in my shoes?” You asked him. The room was filled with silence until he let out a sigh.

“Fine. I have to go now but never hesitate to call me if anything happens ok?” You let out a cheer as you thanked him. You turned to look at the hybrid who was looking at your interaction with Seungcheol. He flinched when his eyes met yours and quickly looked away. You gestured to him to wait for a moment to say goodbye to Seungcheol.

After seeing him out, you went back to the room only to see the hybrid curled up on the bed. His ears twitched as he hears your footsteps coming closer, hugging himself tighter. You don’t approach him any closer, afraid to make him uncomfortable.

“I know you probably want to leave, but I really think it’s best if you stay here until you’re better.” You started. When you don’t see him make any signs of objection, you continued. “Of course, if you really don’t want to, you’re free to leave. I won’t force you to stay.”

You want to reassure him that either way you’re fine with his choice. You left the room to give him some space and instead going to the kitchen instead. You searched for the ingredients to make dinner, and noticed that some of it is in a higher shelf.

“Seungcheol you jerk. You just have to move them to the higher shelf.” You grumbled, trying to reach them. Obviously you can’t, and you huffed in annoyance.

Suddenly you feel your back being pressed by someone as a hand went to grab the ingredient you were looking for. Surprised, you turned around, seeing the hybrid looking at you with a curious face.

“Is this the one you were trying to grab?” He asked, handing you the ingredient. Still not believing that the hybrid is now in front of you in such a close proximity, you nodded your head.

“Y-yeah…have you decided on whether you’d like to stay or not?” He gave you a little nod and looked at the floor.

“Yeah…I decided to stay for a bit…unless you changed your mind.” He said quietly. You smiled at him, showing him that you haven’t changed your mind.

“So, do you want dinner? I’m making kimchi for tonight’s dinner.” He tilted his head.

“What’s that?” You let out a gasp.

“You’ve never tried kimchi??? No this won’t do. You’re trying kimchi tonight.” He looks confused but decided to be silent about it and watch you cook.

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“Soooo how is it?” You asked, watching him practically inhaling the food.

“Tif is so gud. Wut is it called again?” He asked, still chewing. You chuckled at his response, happy that he enjoyed your food.

“It’s called kimchi. I can’t believe you’ve never tried it before.” He gulped down the remaining food.

“Well my previous owner never really gave me anything but leftovers so I wouldn’t know how other food tastes like.” He answered nonchalantly, as if it’s a normal thing. You gripped your spoon tightly, not believing that his previous owner wouldn’t take responsibility over him.

“Well now you can eat whatever you want. I don’t think I have much food left though so I need to go buy some more. You can go with me and choose whatever you like there.” He looked up from his food, surprised that he’s allowed to pick what he wants. Heck, his previous owner didn’t even let him step foot outside unless they’re in a good mood.

“By the way, I never got your name.” He snapped out of his thoughts after hearing you talk.

“Oh…my name is Soonyoung.” He replied.

“Nice to meet you Soonyoung. We’re gonna go grocery shopping tomorrow so you can rest for now. Ah, that’s right you don’t have any clothes…I can lend you some in the meantime cause I have a few oversized clothes but we’ll need to shop for your clothes then-“

“Wait!” Soonyoung cuts you off. “You don’t have to go that far. I’m probably going to be here for a short while so please don’t burden yourself about me.” He said. He’s worried that if you feel tired of taking care of him you’ll throw him out sooner.

“It’s not a burden at all. I want to do this for you.” You said. After the talk, you help him explore your house to make himself comfortable and even ushered him to take a bath. Once he’s done, he steps out of the bathroom and noticed you yawning.

“It’s getting late, I should go to sleep now. Feel free to stay awake if you’d like but don’t stay up too late. Good night Soonyoung.” You get up from the sofa and walk towards your room, but then you feel him tugged on your sleeve.

“Um-can I…” he hesitates, while you’re waiting patiently for him. “Can I…sleep with you? I-I can sleep on the floor don’t worry it’s just that…I don’t want to be alone…”you smiled at him and grabbed his hand, leading him to your room.

“You can sleep on the bed, it’s big enough for the two of us anyways.” You assured him, plopping yourself on your bed as you drifted away to sleep almost immediately. He slowly climbs on the bed next to you, grabbing the blanket on your bed to cover you to keep you warm. He cautiously looked at your face as you peacefully sleep and noticed a few strands of hair fell on your face so he moved your hair that was covering your face, and he catches himself admiring you.

“I know we just met…but thank you for saving me.” He whispered, even though he knows you can’t hear him.

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“So this is a grocery store.” Soonyoung mumbled in astonishment. You are now very concerned about how he used to lived if he didn’t even know what grocery stores look like. You decided to introduce him to various things in this world until he decides to leave.

“Yep, but it’ll be better if you stick with me. We could get separated and it’ll take a while to find each other.” He gasps after hearing your explanation, immediately leaching to you to prevent any of you from getting separated. You couldn’t help but giggle at his behavior. For a tiger, he sure reminds you of a hamster instead.

You and Soonyoung walk around the aisle, occasionally grabbing things that you need to buy and suggesting snacks that you think he’d like. Soonyoung looks overwhelmed but but he manages to pick some snacks himself. You asked him if he has any favorite food but he replied that your kimchi is the best. It also pushed you to introduce him to every food you could think of.

After you’re done, you wait in line at the cashier. You noticed that a lot of people are giving weird looks to Soonyoung, and you know that he noticed them too from the way his tail is curled and hugging himself in an attempt to make himself smaller. Something inside you snapped, you suddenly feel protective towards him. You put an arm around his shoulders, glaring at anyone that was looking at you and Soonyoung. They got the message and continued with what they’re doing. You hurriedly went to pay and take him outside of the store.

“Hey, I’m sorry that you have to experience that. I know people can be…unsettling sometimes. But I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.” He smiled, thankful for your words. He then grabbed most of the groceries that you’re carrying and helps you put them away in your car. This action makes your heart feels warm, but you shrug it off.

“Hmm…we still have time to go clothes shopping. What do you think? Do you still want to go or do you want to go some other time?” You asked, not wanting to make him uncomfortable after what happened earlier.

Soonyoung can’t help but feel safe around you. Even though he just met you yesterday you still treat him with care. Even now you’re asking about his opinion! He has never given the chance to do that before. It really makes him warm.

“We can go now if you’re not tired. But I don’t have any money on me-“

“That’s fine, consider it a gift from me.” You said. He halted, and make a ‘x’ sign with his arms.

“No no no you’ve done so much for me already I can’t-“ he tried to denied but you insisted.

“Soonyoung. I want to do this for you.”

Knowing that you meant it and won’t back down, he relented. After a few minutes of driving, you’ve arrived at a mall. Soonyoung looked around in awe, he thought the grocery store was big but this place is huge.

You couldn’t help but laughed at his cute behavior, making him blushed slightly. You guided him through the mall, tell him to look around and go to the store that caught his eyes. Eventually he tugged on your sleeve and pointed to a clothing store. You encouraged him to take a look around the store and help him decide which clothes to buy.

After deciding and trying out the clothes, you finally paid for it and went out of the mall with Soonyoung’s new clothes.

Soonyoung looks at the shopping bags feeling excited and guilty at the same time. He’s really happy that he got something unlike before where he doesn’t get anything at all, but he also feels bad that he made you spend money on him. In his eyes, you have proven to be a kind person and he decides to put his trust in you. He doesn’t want to use you for his own benefit and he has no idea how to repay you back.

“Soonyoung?”

He snapped back to reality, blinking a few times before looking at you who is looking at him worriedly. Apparently he was thinking to deeply because suddenly the both of you are already back at your house.

“Are you ok? You were deep in thought so I was wondering if something is up.” You explained. He feels even more guilty for worrying you over nothing.

“Ah..sorry. I was just thinking about something.” He mumbled, looking down to avoid your eyes. You nodded your head, starting to put away the groceries. Soonyoung noticed and immediately began to rush to you, wanting to help. You laughed at his eagerness, telling him that you got this and instead suggesting to put away his new clothes. He contemplated for a second and decided to listen to you.

He went to his room, and starts to take out the clothes from the shopping bags. He grabs one of them and looks at it carefully. It wasn’t just a random shirt that was bought carelessly, but you really spent the time looking for the ones he likes and feels comfortable with. He can feel his tears starting to gather in his eyes and wipes it before it can spill out.

He feels overwhelmed with gratitude towards you. You don’t know anything about him, heck you just met yesterday, but you have done so much to him and treated him better than his previous owner. Now, he is determined to pay you back no matter what. He would do everything you asked him to and protect you from anything bad.

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It has been months since you found Soonyoung on the streets. You decided to adopt him after talking it through with him. With you adopting him, it would mean that he is under your care and no one will be able to treat him carelessly whenever he’s out. Although adopting him means he is required to wear a collar whenever he goes outside, Soonyoung insisted that it’s fine and he’s more than willing to wear one.

He also gets along with Seungcheol really well. At first he’s a bit weary of Soonyoung, but he has grown fond of him and sometimes invites him to hang out with his other friends. Now Soonyoung has a lot of friends, especially their hybrid friends. For example, Soonyoung really enjoys teasing the dog hybrid, Mingyu. You can’t help but feel proud that he is finally starting to trust humans and found his happiness.

Besides having a lot of friends, he also has a job now. He insisted on getting a job to help you. You’ve told him that he didn’t need to but he was determined, telling you that it’s not fair for you to do everything while he does nothing while living in your house. You could only sigh in defeat and let him do what he wants. He now works in a cafe which is just a few blocks away from your house. You visit him sometimes to check up on him, and he’s always excited whenever you came. Once in a while, he gave your usual drink for free even though you tried to decline. He only grins at you playfully before going to attend another customer.

After his shift ends, he always tells you about his day, whether it’s about a new drink he made or angry customers who were only embarrassing themselves. His stories always made you laugh, and he also never forgets to ask about your day in return. Whenever you tell him about your day, he always listens intently, nodding from time to time and makes a comment to indicate that he’s listening.

You’ve also introduced him to many foods, and yet he still says that your kimchi is the best. You went to many places together and Soonyoung is always grateful to you. He never knew that the world is so big and wonderful, and there are a lot of things that he discovered. He stays true to his word, often helping you with chores, attempting to cook for you…which resulted in him banned from the kitchen as he almost burned your kitchen.

After spending time with him, you begin to notice that the feeling you had from the beginning grows stronger. At first you wanted to make sure that he’s comfortable around you, wanting to let him see the world that he’s been missing out, wanting to give him a chance to heal from the things he experienced before he met you, but then you noticed how your heart skips a beat whenever he does some act of services for you. How he always offered to help you, how he always make sure you don’t overwork yourself, and how he made sure to let you know that you can depend on him. Your heart beats faster around him lately, you always melts at the way he smiles at you, you can’t help but spoil him a lot just to his excited face.

It’s no different from Soonyoung too. At first he’s only around because he felt guilty and felt the need to repay your kindness, but now he’s starting to do all those things because he wanted to. He genuinely wants to be around you, always wanted to be there for you, and his face always feels hot whenever you’re near him. He wants you to depend on him, to trust him to take care of you the same way you take care of him. Even though he’s a tiger, he’s always gentle whenever he’s around you. You joked that he might actually be a hamster instead, to which he sulked about it for a few days.

It was such a happy moment for the both of you. None of you expect for the happy moment to be interrupted.

One day, as you were deciding on dinner, someone knocks on your door. You were confused because you didn’t order anything and Soonyoung has an extra key with him. You opened the door to investigate only to see a man who you’re sure never met in your entire life.

“Hey. I heard you have a tiger hybrid with you?” He asked, you couldn’t help but feel nervous about him. How did he know about Soonyoung? And why did he come to your house?

“Listen, I don’t know who you are but you need to leave.” You said, attempting to close the door but he blocked the door with his foot. You feel scared now, the unknown man forcefully open the door again.

“I know that hybrid is here. I need him back. That piece of trash belongs to me and he needs to go back.” He steps into your house now, looking at you in an agitated manner. He looks around to see if he could catch a glimpse of the tiger hybrid, but you gathered enough courage to shove him back a little.

“Whether I have a tiger hybrid with me or not is none of your business. Now you better go or else I’m calling the police.” You threatened him, although it only made him chuckle darkly as he noticed you trembling in fear. He grabbed your shoulder and pushed you harshly onto the floor. You hissed in pain, attempting to grab your phone but he steps on your hand with force, making you cry in pain.

He grabbed your face, forcing you to look at him. You tried to stay calm as to not make the situation worse, but you feel yourself panicking even more.

“You’re going to tell me where that little shit is and I don’t care if I have to do this the hard way. It’d be a shame if I had to put a scar on your pretty face, but maybe I can have some fun with you first.” He started to lift your shirt. You trashed in his grasp, trying to get away but he’s much stronger than you.

You feel your tears fall, you are incredibly scared right now and you can’t do anything to stop him. You tried kicking him off you, but that only tightens his grip on you as he use his free hand to run forcefully over your chest. You cried, begging him to stop even though you know he won’t listen but you still hoped that he’d stop.

“This wouldn’t have happened if you had just tell me where that damn hybrid is. Besides, you can’t lie to me you’re enjoying this aren’t you? What a who-“

Before he could finish his sentence, he was yanked off of you and was punched straight to his face. He stumbled backwards, groaning in pain. You’re still paralyzed, not able to move as you’re still in shock of what happened. You almost couldn’t hear anything but you managed to take a deep breath and look at your surroundings. It was then that you noticed a very aggressive looking Soonyoung standing protectively in front of you, growling at the intruder who assaulted you.

“You’re fucking dead you sorry excuse of a human! Touch her again and I’ll rip you out from limp to limp you hear me.” The man was visibly scared, but let out a chuckle at the sight in front of him.

“There you are. You know you belong to me, this wouldn’t have happened to her if you stayed in the goddamn house.” Soonyoung has his claws out, ready to pounce on his previous owner. He broke into your house. He threatened you. He fucking touched you-

That was enough for him to attack. He throws punches and scratches on him to the point where the man started to beg him to stop, but that only makes Soonyoung even angrier.

“You want me to stop? Did you stopped when she begged you to stop? Did you listen to her? You didn’t- she fucking begged you but you still did it. What makes you think I’ll stop just because you’re begging it-“

“SOONYOUNG THAT’S ENOUGH!”

He snapped out of his anger, looking at his prey who is now full of bruises and scars and then looks at Seungcheol who is now standing inside, phone in his hand probably just finished calling the police. He’s breathing heavily, trying to calm down before dropping his prey to the floor. He then gasped, turning to look at you who are still crying and trying to calm down. He rushed to your side, gently grabbing your hands and rubs circle in hope to help you come to your senses.

He sees Seungcheol grabbing the man forcefully from the corner of his eyes, clearly furious at what he did but still holds himself back from giving more injuries to him. He forced him outside, probably to get him arrested to the police. But that’s the least of his concerns, now his priority is you.

Your body is still shaking, you’re still crying which makes Soonyoung panic. He doesn’t know what to do, he never deals with this kind of situation before. He hesitantly moves closer to you, looking at you carefully to see if you’re ok with it. Once he’s sure that you won’t push him away, he wrapped his arms around you, giving you a comforting hug as he rubs circle on your back, whispering things to help you calm down. Finally you take a shaky breath and return his hug. You hug him tightly but he doesn’t mind.

“H-he was loo-looking for you. A-and I refused to-tell him…and then he pushed me-and starts to threaten-and-and…”

“Sshh..it’s okay now. Everything is okay. It’s over, I’m here. I’m here to protect you, the bad man is gone.” He assures you. You stay like that for a few more minutes, enjoying the warmth and comfort he’s giving you.

“So he….he was you previous owner..wasn’t he?” You asked in a low voice. He hums in return, conforming your thoughts.

“I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through. You must have been suffering so badly this whole time. You don’t deserve the kind of treatments he was giving you.” You may not know what exactly he has been through, but you know it’s probably worse than what you had just experienced.

“Don’t apologize. You had nothing to do with it. Yes I suffered a lot, I couldn’t trust others easily but then I met you.” He pulled away from the hug to look at you in the eyes.

“It was hell back then, but after meeting you, suddenly I can see the colors of the world again. I learn how to trust, I met wonderful people and have seen many things in this world. I tasted the best food I have ever tasted in my entire life and all that is thanks to you.” You feel yourself crying again from his speech, you can feel him wiping off your tears gently with his thumbs.

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You have shown me how it feels to be cared, to be respected, to be loved…you also taught me how to love.” Your eyes widen at his last statement. Were you hearing things?

“Y/n, I know this is a horrible time to confess…but I have grown to love you for the last few months. I adore everything you do, you are kind, and I just can’t help myself but to fall for you.” He then smiled sadly, looking down to avoid your eyes.

“You probably don’t feel the same way, I mean…a human and a hybrid? That never happened before and you’re probably weirded out by my confession-“ he starts rambling but you feel joy enveloping your heart. You thought he wouldn’t feel the same but turns out he does.

You put your hand under his chin, lifting his face up to look at him. You give him a smile before replying, “Soonyoung, I love you too. I love how you’re always there by my side, how you always make that smiley face whenever something good happens, how determined you look when you’re set on doing something, how can I not fall for you too?” He gasped, not believing what he just heard. You giggled, finding his reaction cute that you can’t help but kiss his cheek.

He pulled away from you, hand touching the spot that you just kissed him. You laughed, seeing his blushing face. He seems to snapped out of it quickly before throwing himself onto you, making you both fall to the floor. He then goes to give pecks on your face, grumbling about how unfair and cute you are.

“Ok I’m back-what the fuck are you guys doing?” Whoops, you guys definitely forgot about Seungcheol, seeing him standing in front of you with a (jokingly) disgusted face.

“I was gone for a few minutes and you guys suddenly become a couple? Yeah ok I’m cool with this. Soonyoung if you hurt her I’m gonna beat your ass, mark my words.” He threatened him. Soonyoung gulps, promising to treat you as the way you deserve. You roll your eyes at them, but at the same time really glad for their support.

.

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“DUDE STOP SUSPECTING ME?? WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS TARGETING ME?” Mingyu whined, as Soonyoung claims him to be the mafia again.

“It’s not my fault you’re always acting suspicious.” He put his tongue out, successfully annoying Mingyu.

“Y/n~Soonyoung is being mean to me.”

“AM NOT? DON’T BRING HER INTO THIS!”

Seungkwan sighed before looking at you.

“So you guys are actually dating? Him? Soonyoung? With you?” Soonyoung gasped after hearing that, abandoning the mafia game, making his way towards you before caging you in his arms.

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m a great boyfriend, right Y/n?” He grins at you, resulting in you patting his head softly.

“The best I could ever asked for.” Seungkwan fake gagged before leaving you alone to complain how you guys are acting like a disgusting lovey dovey couple around them.

Soonyoung looks at you expectantly, arms still warped around you as his tail wags happily. You sighed, lifting your hand up and make a tiger sign.

“Horanghae Soonyoung.”

“Horanghae Y/n~”

“SEE? THEY’RE DISGUSTING. WHAT EVEN IS HORANGHAE?”

“Seungkwan horanghae~”

“I’m actually going to high kick you.”

[journey-to-the-attic]

3rd anni FINALE: brothers / paws n claws

ao3 link

note: based loosely on the pop quiz of the same name, though with the requested change of levi being a snake rather than a giraffe - and since that was different, i decided to do something new with ik as well (this is what that random animal poll was for). this one's a proper long one, so i'm deeply sorry if the keep reading bar ever breaks

∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎

You'd normally think that an event that makes Luke flee the House of Lamentation, tearfully shouting, “I’ll go get help!” must be some kind of catastrophe. Well, it still might shape up to be - but I'm hopeful that it won't. Right now, it's a situation at most.

Said situation can be summarised with one sentence: there was something wrong with the cake. This is vague enough to be misleading, though, so I’ll elaborate: there was a potion in the cake, and it made Beel grow fluffy ears and a tail, then shortly thereafter started doing the same thing to everyone else.

‘Fluffy ears and a tail’ might not sound too bad, but Luke wouldn’t have run like that if that was all. Beel has rapidly developed a mouthful of sharp teeth, a bone-shakingly powerful roar, and a sudden, even more pronounced taste for meat. Raw meat, specifically, because that is what lions eat. It'd be cool if it wasn’t for the fact that we had been the nearest sources of raw meat when the hunger first hit.

The only thing to do, really, was run and hide. And that probably wouldn’t even have worked (Beel is also now even faster and stronger than usual) if Mammon hadn’t suddenly sprouted new striped features of his own and pounced on him in return. Things just sort of went crazy after that.

I haven’t been able to keep track of them all, but knowing their track record, everyone else has probably been hit with the curse, too. Asmo definitely has, at least - I know that because it happened while he was rushing me to the safety of his room's two locks.

“It’s weird that the potion changed your clothes as well,” I say, trying to figure out whether that’s a dress or a really long blouse as he pushes me in. “Isn’t it?”

Asmo doesn’t answer for a moment - he turns the key, then peers fretfully through the peephole. After a moment, he hisses, “That doesn’t matter, does it? You know Mammon’s a tiger? There—”

There’s a knock on the door, and Asmo skitters backwards. After a moment, there’s another, mellower knock, then a plaintive, “Hello?”

Though it sounds closer to a ‘he-wo?’. Asmo frowns. “Levi? Why do you sound like that?”

There’s a shuffle. “I goh— got fangth. It’th… wha’ever, can I come in?”

Asmo doesn’t move for a moment, but relents quickly. Levi sidles in, head turning from side to side, tail dragging in behind him. It’s longer and thinner than in demon form, and iridescent green instead of deep grey - his pupils look narrower, too, and there are dark markings along his cheeks.

“Whoa!” I hadn’t gotten a good look at him when he first started transforming. “You’re a snake!”

“I notithed,” He says unhappily. He has fangs now - long, curved ones that keep catching on his bottom lip. “It’th a nigh’mare. Theeth teeth…”

“Are they retractable?”

“I’unno…” He scrunches his face in concentration. The fangs suddenly swing up into the back of his mouth. “...oh! Yes! Finally!”

“When did you switch?” I ask as he opens and closes his mouth several times with relish. “Asmo went a few minutes ago, I think he’s a panda… it looked like it hurt.”

He makes a popping sound, then releases a long sigh. “Eh - not really? It’s more like everything gets really hot and itchy for a bit. Isn’t anything happening to you?”

I look down at myself. “Doesn’t look like it.”

“Guess the potion only works on demons. Lucky…” Levi rubs his arms, then abruptly dives into Asmo’s bed. “Brr! Why’s it so cold in here?”

“Snakes are cold-blooded, right? So you need to get heat from somewhere else.” I lean over and plant my hands on his cheeks. “Is that nice?”

“Ooh… yeah…” He blinks at me. “Hrm. Everything looks so weird. It’s, like… fuzzy.”

I squint at his face. Wait - those aren’t markings after all. “Oh! You’ve got heat pits! You’re, like, seeing temperature. That’s so cool.”

Asmo looks as well, then recoils, hands flying to his mouth. “Eww! There’s holes in your face!”

“As if you don’t have a nose,” Levi snaps, but reaches self-consciously to cover his cheeks anyway. “...ugh. I’m still cold.”

I’m not large enough to be an effective heater - what we really need is either a heat lamp, or the sun, neither of which Asmo has in his room. He resorts to dragging Levi to his bathtub instead, and lighting candles in a circle around him. It looks like we’re using him for a nefarious ritual, but it seems to provide Levi with a little relief.

“It’s like I can see them way clearer than everything else,” Levi says, squinting, then covers his nose. “And they smell super strong. You know I’ve got venom now, too? I got some on the carpet and it started, like, dissolving.”

So the potion definitely isn’t just a cosmetic thing. I glance at Asmo. “Do you feel any different?”

“Hmm. Maybe?” He stretches, and for the first time his sleeves fall down enough for me to see his hands. The pads of his fingers look thicker, and his nails look more like claws. “Like, I kinda wanna go to sleep, I guess.”

He leans forward on the edge of the bathtub, then fumbles and slips down into a heap. “Ooh. Gosh, this whole thing is weird. How do you think everyone’s doing?”

“It might not have even worked on Lucifer.” Those candles really do smell strong. It’s making my nose tickle. “What animal do you th— achoo!”

I can tell something’s changed as soon as I open my eyes again, but Levi’s yelp and jerk backwards (dangerously close to the candles) confirms it. I look down. Those definitely aren’t the clothes I was wearing a minute ago.

“Oh,” I say, defeated. “So the potion did work on me.”

“You’ve got a tail!” Asmo squeals, trying several times to scramble to his feet before succeeding, and immediately reaching for me. “And your ears!”

“Whoa whoa whoa—” I think I can empathise with Hyde when Aunt Lisa rushes him now. “Wait, wait, wait— put me down for a sec—”

Asmo (somewhat unwillingly) releases me, and I hurry to the mirror. White ears, a bushy red tail, distinct markings across my cheeks… am I wearing gloves? No - that’s straight-up a paw. It’s alien trying to move my fingers and watching the claws flex instead.

…my right hand is still normal, though. That one is just wearing a sort of glove. It’s like the potion got mad about not being able to do anything to the prosthetic and doubled its effects on the intact one.

I lift my paw as if to swipe at the mirror, then bare my teeth at it. “Rarrgh!”

Behind me, Levi’s reflection soundlessly pretends to get shot in the heart and collapses backwards into the tub. Asmo isn’t nearly so quiet - he squeals again, twice as loud this time.

I give him a moment to compose himself, then turn and announce, “I think I’m a red panda.”

“Ooh! So we’re matching?!” He slides over and sets his head on the crown of my head, then brandishes his own claws at the mirror as well. “Oh, we need to get pictures. Or film some videos! We can’t let this go to waste!”

“Hey, hey, slow down.” Levi emerges from the tub again. “What about everyone else? If the potion even works on humans, then Lucifer’s probably…”

“Oh, yeah! We totally need pictures of him, too.”

“That’s not the point—”

Levi pauses to yawn, but it’s nothing like anything I’ve ever seen before. He just keeps going, wider than should really be possible. His fangs click out, and the entire roof of his mouth seems to turn inside out for a moment - then everything realigns, and his jaw swings shut again.

“What?” He asks after a moment. Asmo is staring at him in horror - and I with fascination.

“What happened to your bones?” Asmo asks in a hush.

“That was so cool,” I say with the same intonation. “And gross.”

“...you don’t sound like that’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not.”

“That potion really is crazy,” Asmo whispers. He looks haunted. “Should that stuff really be allowed? What’s Solomon doing in that lab? Am I gonna start doing that?”

“You’re fine, Asmo,” I reassure, patting him on the arm - he latches onto me like a stress blanket. “Pandas don’t do that.”

“You promise?” He asks tearfully.

“Promise.” I think of all the videos I’ve seen over the years. “And everyone loves pandas, anyway. They’re super cute.”

Levi crosses his arms over the edge of the bathtub and rests his chin atop them, then heaves a melancholic sigh. “And everyone’s scared of snakes ‘cause they think they’re gross.”

“Oh, don’t be a spoilsport,” Asmo scolds - though, to be fair, that’s easy for him to say. “We don’t think snakes are gross.”

“Uh, yes you do. You went ew about my heat pits.”

“That’s not the same thing!”

“I love snakes,” I declare. “Anyway, every animal’s kind of gross sometimes. You should watch Planet Earth.”

All while we’re saying this, I’m beginning to worry a little about the others. Levi’s the only reptile so far - if we’re lucky, that’s the furthest up the evolutionary tree anyone else has gone, but if we’re unlucky, one of them could be a fish. If the potion’s capable of giving Levi heat pits and the bone structure to actually unhinge his jaw, there’s no reason it couldn’t give someone gills.

I wonder how the potion decides what it’s going to turn us into. Levi being a snake makes sense… but Beel being a lion and Asmo a giant panda feel more arbitrary. (Though I couldn’t imagine what it’d look like if they turned into a fly and a scorpion.) And I don’t know why I’m a red panda, either.

“I think I’m gonna go look for Beel,” I decide after a while. He’s probably sated himself at least a little by now - he knows where the fridge is. “You guys stay here.”

“You think we’re gonna send you to the lions?” Levi asks in disbelief, and starts attempting to get out of the tub. “No dice! You’re staying here, where it’s safe. I’ll go check on Beel.”

“You have to stay here, though - you’re cold-blooded now, remember?” I push him back down, which takes surprisingly little effort. “So you have to keep warm.”

“Come on, d’you really think these candles are doing anything for me? They’re tiny.”

Now that he mentions it… “Hmm. Maybe we should run you a hot bath.”

“You want me to take a bath while you go talk to a lion?”

“He’s right, hon.” Asmo interjects. “We’re not the ones who need protecting.”

“Come on, we do this every time something—” I sigh loudly and try to compose myself. “—okay, look, you know you never win this fight. Nothing’s happened to me before. And it's just Beel, anyway.”

They exchange a look. After a moment, Levi huffs. “Fine - but you’d better not do anything stupid, alright?! I’ve seen this go wrong in way too many shows!”

“And if it looks like trouble, you’re coming straight back here,” Asmo adds. “Or I’ll cry. I mean it.”

I sigh, but smile at him anyway. “Sure, Asmo. Take a nap or something.”

It’s finally business as usual. We have an impromptu team handshake - which is nice, that’s never happened before - and then I let myself out into the hall, and into the figurative jungle.

It’s eerily quiet out here. Or it is for a moment, at least, because then something crashes in the kitchen.

I can take a guess at who it is. I hurry downstairs - I feel more agile, somehow. I don’t think my feet are paws as well, but these boots definitely look like them. I’d thought having a tail would feel stranger, but the sensation seems to have settled in seamlessly. It feels as if it’s been there the whole time.

Beel, just as I’d thought, has his head in the fridge when I get there. I can hear glass clinking and plastic crinkling. Several containers are already lying empty on the table. The only real difference between this and his usual fridge raids is that he’s gone exclusively for the raw meat.

I’ve never seen him get food poisoning, but that doesn’t mean he can’t. Well, maybe the potion gave him a lion’s stomach too... “Uh - Beel?”

He makes a sound of surprise that isn’t that different from a cat’s ‘mrrp’ - just a lot deeper - and pulls back from the fridge with startling swiftness. There’s a scrap of something pink hanging out of his mouth.

“...are you having fun?” I ask after a moment. Ignoring all new features, his demeanour looks about the same. Maybe his eyes are more dilated than usual.

He makes a rumbling sound at the base of his throat and swallows the rest of the scrap in his mouth, slamming the fridge shut with his elbow and moving to the sink. He cups his hands under the faucet and drinks deeply - every move is poised and purposeful. Then he closes his eyes and shakes himself all over, like a wet dog.

When he opens his eyes, they look normal again. I can’t say the same for the rest of him - his hair is longer and poofier, as if in imitation of a mane, and there’s fur around his neck that makes him look almost twice as large as usual.

“You switched, too?” He asks after a moment. I catch a glimpse of sharp, bloodstained canines, and recoil before I can stop myself. “...hm? Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, peachy.” Do red pandas’ tails fall between their legs when they’re nervous, too? I feel like mine’s trying to do that. “What about you? Do you like being a lion?”

“I don’t like… liking all this,” He says after a moment, gesturing at all the empty boxes. I try not to think too hard about the image they conjure. “I mean, it’s way better when it’s cooked. You can put all sorts of different stuff on it to make it tasty. But it’s the only thing I feel like eating right now.”

“Well, that’s how a lion eats.”

Beel looks at me for a moment. Then, unprompted, he reaches up and scratches my fluffy new ears. I feel my shoulders fall. “Hey. It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you.”

I hadn’t even noticed myself tensing up. It’s not like I thought he ever would, but… actually, I can’t tell if those were the red panda’s survival instincts, or my own. I’m fairly sure the latter hasn’t been working for a while.

“Yeah, I know,” I sigh after a moment, sitting down with him. Using my tail as a cushion, I can’t feel the chill of the kitchen tiles at all. “I just… I dunno. Do you know what happened to everyone else?

He thinks for a moment, then looks a little alarmed. “Uh— I think I was chasing Satan for a while. He was moving all fast and funny, and I just— I don’t know. It felt like I had to grab him. I don’t think I caught him, but…”

“We’d better see, just in case,” I conclude, getting up. “I need to check on everyone, anyway. Asmo’s with Levi already…”

“Belphie went to the observatory,” Beel says thoughtfully, following me out of the kitchen. “And I haven’t seen Lucifer since we split up. He looked like he was gonna follow you and Asmo, but then…”

“Did it look like he transformed?”

“Uhh…” He looks mildly guilty. “I don’t know. I stopped thinking straight. Mammon bit me, and then I was chasing him instead…”

“He bit you?” I saw Mammon jumping at him, but I didn’t think he’d gone that far.

“Yeah. Pretty hard, actually. It only hurt for a bit, though.” Beel points to his shoulder. “I think he thought I’d go after you first, so he was trying to chase me off. I don’t know where he went after that…”

I sigh. “Well, he’s got to be somewhere in the house. Let’s go find Belphie first.”

“Mmm? Sure.” He pauses to yawn. It isn’t quite as spectacular as Levi’s, but it’s impressive all the same. The teeth are still a little unsettling. “Be careful. I don’t know what he turned into.”

He rubs my ears again, then moves away with long, languid steps, tail trailing lazily behind him. My own tail swishes anxiously for a moment before I steel myself and follow him.

It turns out Belphie didn’t even make it into the observatory - he got into the music room, then apparently couldn’t be bothered to walk any further past the divider and just curled up under the piano. Beel very nearly stands on an extended arm before he seems to smell his presence.

“Belphie?” He crouches down and reaches for the thick brown tail he’s using as a blanket. “Wake u—”

As soon as his hand closes around the fur, Belphie’s entire body goes rigid - the underside of the piano presses his ears flat against his head as he rolls out from under it and flips upright in an instant, poised as if to pounce. It’s all so quick, all so alarmingly sudden, that my entire body tenses, jerks backwards, and I find myself with both hands raised high in the air.

I don’t know what I expected to do, only that I had to make myself look as large as possible. Belphie - eyes wide open in a way that they almost never are immediately after waking - looks at me for a moment, then laughs so loudly that Beel jumps back this time.

“Where’ve you been?” He asks, grinning. His teeth aren’t nearly as pointy as Beel’s, but his smile is a lot more devious. “Hey, I’m just messing with you.”

“Uh huh,” I say, trying not to look too scared. For some reason, I can’t bring myself to bring my hands down. I just look like I’ve long since surrendered. “I knew that.”

Belphie snickers. His tail curves up behind him, ears swivelling to the side of his head. “C’mon, relax. Let’s play a game.”

On the last word, he hops just a bit forward, and I take a great big step back. Beel glances between us, then commands, looking mildly concerned, “Be nice, Belphie.”

“I am being nice,” Belphie says with a sniff, baring his teeth at me again. The longer I look at his grin, though, the more it begins to look playful. “Hey. Hey!”

He darts forward again, but this time I’m ready for him - I pounce straight at his chest, knocking him within an inch of smacking his head on the piano, then quickly get up and scurry to the other side of the room. Belphie springs straight back to his feet and rushes so swiftly at me that there’s little I can do before he scoops me up with deceivingly gentle hands and tosses me a fair distance across the room.

A ‘fair distance’, however, is not long enough to prevent me from running straight back at him (for some reason, my hands end up in the air again) and bowling into his knees to knock him over. He lets out a sound between a yelp, a yip and a laugh, tumbling back onto his stomach and forgoing even getting back to his feet before he charges again.

“Wait—” Beel’s head swings back and forth until he’s blinking from the whiplash. “You two, come on—”

Belphie swipes at my feet at the same time that I seize his hood, sending us both back to the ground in a tangled heap. I recover first and unpin myself from beneath his unexpectedly heavy limbs, and register Beel standing over us - without stopping to wonder if it’s a good idea, I reach up, hook my claws into the fur around his shoulders, and scramble up him like a tree.

He only wobbles for a moment before balancing himself again. I adjust myself onto his back, then peer triumphantly down at Belphie through his mane.

“That’s cheating,” He complains, sitting up. “C’mon, are you really doing this?”

“You started it.” I muffle through Beel’s mane.

“What? You literally jumped at me first.”

“You’re bigger than me, so it doesn’t count.”

Beel makes a deep, rumbling sound that I’ll take as one of amusement. Hmm. I’m a lot closer to his ears from here.

Belphie yawns and flicks his tail about, then wraps his arms around it like it’s a toy. “Whatever. Bet you’re only getting away with it ‘cause you’re cute. Right, Beel?”

Beel lifts his hands innocently. Meanwhile, keeping my right hand latched to his mane, I reach up with my left to touch his ears. “I’m just standing. I can’t control what IK does.”

“Uh, yes you can. You can literally just pick her up. Any time.”

Beel’s fur is softer than I was expecting, but still coarser than any dog I’ve ever pet. I turn around to look at his tail. It’s sort of similar to Belphie’s usual demon tail - sleek along most of its length, but with a big fluffy bit at the end. He’s holding it too far down for me to reach from here, but if I twist a little more…

“Whoops—” Turns out I twisted too far. My claws detach, and I rapidly start slipping down his back.

Belphie’s eyes flash up. As smoothly as if he’d anticipated it, he ducks forward and cushions the landing with his tail - then draws in a breath through his teeth and scrunches his face up. “Oww. That hurt.”

“No one told you to do that,” I counter, but hurriedly shuffle off anyway.

“And let you break your tail? I don’t think so.” He reaches over before I can get far enough away and squishes my cheeks inward, then puts on a voice that he reserves for his most infuriating bits. “You gotta be careful, you’re just a little baby. Look at your cute little ears. What are you meant to be?”

“Not telling you!” I try to wrestle my face out of his hands, but he’s a lot better at this game than either Beel or I am. “Hey! I’m gonna bite you if you don’t stop!”

“Fine,” He sighs with unnecessarily gloom, and acquiesces. “You’re so mean to me. Well, do you know what I’m meant to be?”

I fold my arms and regard him for a moment. It’s not as obvious as the others have been so far. “I dunno. A weasel?”

He gives me a look. “Be nice.”

“I am being nice. What’s your problem with weasels?” I lean forward and pick up his tail at the tip. It’s heavier than it looks. “...well, your ears are the wrong shape, anyway. Um… you could be a hyena. Do a laugh?”

“Ha ha ha.”

“A proper one.”

“That is my proper one.”

“What do you think, Beel?”

He starts. He doesn't seem to have been paying attention - just watching us with a warm look on his face. “Uh— a cow?”

“A cow?” Belphie repeats incredulously. “Have you ever seen a cow? You just want steak, don’t you?”

Beel’s face says ‘guilty as charged’. I prop myself up on my knees and start ruffling Belphie’s ears without permission. They feel like they could be extra-big cat ears.

“I think you’re some kind of desert fox,” I announce. “Try barking.”

He looks offended. “No way.”

“I command you to—”

“I think it’s time for Beel to have a snack,” He says loudly, and gets to his feet. “We’re going now.”

“It’d be easier if you just do it on your own,” I say persuasively, following behind as Beel gets unceremoniously pushed out of the room. “It’s less embarrassing. It’s on your terms.”

“I’m not barking!” He insists, moving a little faster, as if that will stop me from speaking. “Make Lucifer do it. Wolves are way closer to dogs.”

“I d— oh, so the potion did work on him?” My attention is successfully shifted. “Where did he go?”

“I dunno, I wasn’t looking— where are you going?”

I’m already in the other room when I realise I was meant to answer that question, but it doesn’t matter that much. There are only so many places to be in the House of Lamentation, and Lucifer’s pretty predictable. He might well have gone back to his office to do his work for the day.

I look into the common room just in case, which is empty - but, rather suspiciously, there’s a lot of grey fur stuck to the cushions in Lucifer’s usual spot. The common room has a pretty distinct mix of scents to it, and Lucifer’s is strong enough that he can’t have left too long ago.

I’m not sure I enjoy having such strong senses. It’s easier not to pay attention to it all when I’m in the middle of something else, but it’s overwhelming as soon as I stop and try to dissect everything.

I sit down for a moment, close my eyes, and listen carefully to the silence. There’s some distant clanking and conversation from the kitchen, but other than that it’s just quiet…

…the weird thing is that we all still have our normal ears, on top of the new animal ones. I can’t tell which ones are doing the work.

Garden, a voice in the back of my head suddenly supplies, and I open my eyes again. I don’t think I even heard anything - not consciously, anyway - but it feels like the right thing to do.

And apparently it is. Lucifer is sitting out on the grass and doing absolutely nothing.

Which is quite suspicious, really. But all I can think about is how he doesn’t seem to have heard the door open, and that it would be really funny if I snuck up on him.

I take a slow, careful step onto the lawn. He doesn’t give any indication that he’s noticed anything. Maybe he can’t hear me over the rustling of his own tail swiping idly through the grass. I think this is about as close as I can get away with. Can I jump that far? Only one way to find out.

I crouch back and adjust myself. Then, using the soft grass as a springboard, I launch myself ever-so-gently at his shoulders and grab him by the head.

Lucifer doesn’t scream - I wouldn’t have expected him to, and if he had, I’d have been very alarmed. But he does let out a loud, gruff ‘heurgh!’ and nearly topple straight over, which is about as good as you get with him.

“Hey,” I announce, into his regular ear, then lean up and do the same into the wolf ones, just in case. “Hey!”

“Yes, I can hear you,” He sighs, catching himself on a hand and trying to act stern. (His tail is wagging.) “And what do you think you’re doing?”

“Dunno.” I lean forward until I’m just about hanging over his shoulder. Lucifer has to switch from hunching forward to tilting back to keep balance. “What’re you doing?”

He’s quiet for a moment. I get the feeling that he doesn’t know, either. “Keeping watch.”

“Watch on what?” The only thing in front of us is a big hedge and some flowers. “There’s nothing here.”

“Hmm,” He says, which isn’t an answer. “Shouldn’t you be inside?”

“Well, I was looking for you—” I tip further forward still, and at this point Lucifer seems to decide that it’d be more prudent to just lie back, so that I’m lying on my front instead of attempting to fall head-first into the grass. “—oof— ‘cause I didn’t think the potion would work on you. And I wanted to see what you were like.”

“You wanted to see me do something embarrassing,” He concludes, and waves off my defensive ‘nooo’. “I didn’t think it would work on you, either. What are you, exactly?”

“Red panda.” I reach across his chest and poke at one of the straps running down his shirt. “Wow. Your suspenders are kind of ugly.”

There’s a short, sharp exhale, and then he remembers to be offended. “I didn’t choose them.”

“Well, I was saying - it’s weird that the potion knows how to make clothes, isn’t it? I mean, it’s adding bones and everything…”

“Which is exactly why I’d like to question Solomon about what he put in it,” He says, and now he does sound genuinely severe. “He’s lucky it hasn’t done any damage. I don’t know how Luke managed to bake it into a cake.”

The tip of his tail - the rest of it is trapped under his back - has started lashing angrily at the grass. I wonder if scratching his ears would help calm him down, or just make him madder.

“It’s not his fault,” I say in what I hope is a persuasive voice. Maybe it’d help if I sounded more pitiful. “And I helped him bake it, too.”

He gives me a look. “You’re the one I’m most worried about. A human body shouldn’t be able to handle the same kind of magical stress as a demon, and it wasn’t exactly comfortable when I transformed. Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

“Funny story, actually. I just sneezed and then it happened.”

“You just sneezed,” He repeats.

“Didn’t feel a thing,” I confirm. “Anyway, it’s cool, isn’t it? Like - Levi has heat pits now.”

“We still don’t know how long this is going to last,” He says, but he does look less tense. “...well, you might as well have fun with it.”

“Do you feel like howling at all?” I ask, looking up at the moon. I mean, I know it’s not actually a thing, but even so… “Actually, do you feel any different? Like… is the wolf within talking?”

“You make it sound more dramatic than it is,” Lucifer says with another little exhale. “But yes.”

“What’s it saying?”

“To hunt, mostly. Feed the family, or something along those lines. But we’ve been grocery-shopping this week already - and I’m not sure what I’d hunt even if I listened. What about your… ‘panda within’, then?”

It’s nice that he’s playing along. “Mmm… I think I really wanna climb up something.”

“Something up high?” He gently pushes my head off his shoulder and gestures to the end of the garden. “Will that do?”

It’s not the tallest tree in the Devildom, but to someone of my stature it’s an intimidating enough height that I’d probably feel a little dizzy at the top - which is perfect. I hadn’t realised how much I wanted to do this until Lucifer pointed it out, but I’m moving before I can even stop to think about it.

There’s something liberating about this new agility. Scaling the trunk comes about as second nature as taking stairs - so smoothly that it feels like the air is parting around rather than rushing against me. It’s only once I’m crouched contentedly on the highest sturdy branch I can find that I notice Lucifer standing at the base of the tree, ears pricked and eagle-eyed in apparent trepidation.

The bark is rough, but for some reason it doesn’t bother me at all. I lie forward with a leisurely sweep of my tail and give him a winning smile.

He huffs. “Proud of yourself, are you?”

“Yup.” It’d be better if this was an apple tree - then I could pick one and toss it down to him, and it’d be extra cool.

Alas, the tree just has regular leaves. Which… look kind of tasty, actually. It’s not like I have access to bamboo down here, so this might be the next best thing.

“Don’t,” Lucifer warns. I can only assume that I was wearing a Beel expression. “You’ll make yourself sick.”

“I’m not doing anything,” I insist, then pause. Something’s just sped past one of the windows upstairs. “...huh? Was that Mammon?”

I can hear Lucifer’s tail swishing agitatedly as I edge closer to the end of the branch to get a closer look. A moment later, another blur goes by.

“He’s just running. Okay—” I quickly unlatch from the branch and drop down, landing neatly in Lucifer’s arms. “—I’m gonna go check on him.”

“Was a warning too much to ask for?” He asks, as if he hadn’t reached up as soon as I let go. “Alright, but be careful. He’s… energetic.”

“You aren’t coming?”

“In a moment,” He says, and an odd look comes over his face. “I might have a walk. I need to…”

I feel like ‘patrol’ might be the word he’s looking for, but Lucifer seems pretty adamant that he’s the boss of the wolf and not the other way around, so I won’t tease him. He sends me back to the house with a nod, then sets off - turning his head first, then the rest of his body, tail pointing out behind him.

I’m expecting to hear the thunder of feet as soon as I get inside, but apparently tigers are lighter-footed than I’d thought. I barely even sense Mammon approaching until he suddenly springs out from around the corner, coming within less than an inch of slamming tie-first into my face before yelping and jerking away.

At the same time, as if struck by invisible lightning, I half-twist and half-leap backwards, hands flying above my head again, and it’s only a moment after the weird, chattering sound that I realise I was the one making it. Mammon skitters several feet away, eyes wide with alarm, then catches himself on the wall and realises what’s going on.

“Whoa whoa whoa!” He holds out his hands in supplication. “Chill, it’s just me!”

I blink at him, mildly out of breath, then say, “I knew that.”

“...are ya gonna put your hands down, then?”

“Yeah.”

He waits. It takes a little effort, but I manage to regain control of my limbs and bring my arms back down to my side.

Mammon cocks his head to the side. His tail goes from pointing down to up, and begins to move idly from side-to-side as he sets his hands on his hips.

“Didn’t scare ya that bad, did I?” He steps closer, then motions for me to look up. “C’mere, lemme get a look at ya.”

“Why were you doing upstairs?” I ask as he pokes at the new markings on my cheeks, then leans back and tilts his head from side to side, squinting at me. “I saw you in the window.”

“Runnin’,” He says after a moment’s thought, squashing both my ears flat against my head. “I kinda… bit Beel. I was sorta worried I’d start bitin’ everyone else, so I was tryin’ to blow off steam. Actually, I was takin’ laps around the garden first, but Lucifer said it was makin’ his head hurt.”

“So you came back in?”

“Well, I did wanna start runnin’ faster,” He admits. “Like, I was there first. But then he growled at me. Figured it wasn’t worth pissing him off after that.”

He swipes a hand across his face, then sighs. “Man. I’m beat. Let’s just find somewhere to chill.”

“Aren’t you hungry at all?” I ask, following him back to the common room. “You were running for ages. Tigers eat a lot even when they’re just sleeping all day.”

“Eh, I’ll manage,” He yawns, slumping onto the sofa cushions and turning onto his side, like a leisurely cat. “‘Sides, I’m pretty sure Beel cleaned out the fridge. And it ain’t like there’s anything to hunt around here.”

“Ooh— actually, do you want a fun fact? Tigers kill their prey by biting onto their throats until they suffocate.”

Mammon lifts his head and gives me a look. “That’s a fun fact?”

“A lot of people think they maul them to death. Well, they can, but the throat thing’s easier. ‘Cause it saves energy.” He looks uneasy, so I try to comfort him by adding, “It’s just what they do. Tiger’s gotta eat.”

“Tiger’s gotta eat,” He repeats, but his face stays creased. “Okay, now tell me something nice.”

“Alright.” I sit down on the carpet in front of him. “Every tiger has a unique pattern. So these are your special Mammon stripes! They’re the same under the fur, too, so you’d still have them even if you were completely bald.”

“Ha! Reckon I could pull it off?”

“Uh... I dunno, your head’s pretty big.”

He smacks me on the arm. “I told ya to tell me somethin’ nice.”

“I’m not going to lie - that’s the nice part. If you did go bald, Levi wouldn’t stop calling you an egghead for a week.”

“Ain’t that mean someone’s smart, too? Hey, I could live with that.”

“But your head would be so shiny. And an eagle might think it was a rock and drop a tortoise on it.”

He snorts incredulously. “Yeah, ‘cause that happens all the time to bald people.”

“It’s happened at least once,” I assert. “Historically. According to one guy two thousand years ago. The bald guy died, by the way.”

“Be a hell of a way to go.” He twists up, so that his chest faces the ceiling, and folds his arms with a deep sigh. “Fine. Guess I’ll hold back, just for you.”

His tail lolls over the edge of the sofa as he closes his eyes. I watch it for a while, glancing periodically up at his ostensibly absent expression, then reach out to catch it.

Like a spider on a string, it flicks backwards, and goes to lying barely an inch away. I try again, then again, then again, and yet it keeps bouncing away, as if it can sense the movement. No matter how fast I move, it’s always just a little faster.

I refuse to give up. I keep batting at it with mounting frustration, switching from quick jabs to slow, careful ambushes before finally turning a glare to Mammon’s face - and belatedly notice that his eyes are fully open again.

We look at each other for a moment. Then I realise that he’s not paying attention, and instinct takes over. Before he can react, I seize his tail and - for some reason I can’t fathom - bite it.

But I suppose I can’t have bitten it very hard, because Mammon usually makes it very loudly known if someone so much as pinches him. This time, he just stares at me. Then he starts laughing.

“Hahaha, oh man—” He reaches forward and gives both my ears an aggressive, adoring rumple, declaring, “Aren’t ya sweet? You havin’ fun with that? Hahahaha!”

“Quit it,” I mumble, pushing his tail away from me with perhaps an unnecessary amount of force, then decide on a whim to climb up onto the sofa with him. “Move up.”

“Oof!” He ends up squished against the back, but I’m too embarrassed to care. “Sheesh, give a guy some breathing room.”

“No,” I muffle into a cushion. “Die.”

“Fine, then. Have it your way.” He burrows one arm under me, then uses that as leverage to make himself some more room. I bury my face in my hands and pretend not to hear his pleased chuffing. “Wanna tell us a bedtime story?”

I peek up at him through a gap in my fingers. “...all the stories Dad told me about tigers end in the tiger dying.”

“Oh, don’t tell me, lemme guess—” He snickers. “—some little red thing tries to eat its tail and—”

Before he can finish, my hands shoot up and tug both of his tiger ears down. This time he does yelp. “Oi! Okay, okay, you win—”

“I don’t even know why I did that,” I grumble, letting go and shielding my face once more.

He chuffs again, pinching my nose with just enough force to be annoying. “Yeah, well, it was funny. Don’t even worry about it. Y’know Levi used to bite my arm whenever he got excited? Man, that was ages ago…”

“You shouldn’t let him bite you now - he’s got snake venom. You’ll get necrosis and your arm’ll fall off.”

“That bad? Yikes.” He yawns, then abruptly tucks me under his chin like a glorified teddy bear. “Good thing you’re gonna guard me, right?”

“I can’t do anything when I’m stuck here,” I complain - knocking my head affectionately into his at the same time, like a hypocrite. “I can’t die valiantly in battle if you don’t let me go.”

“Against a snake? Nah, leave it. That’s not even a cool thing to fight.”

“How dare you say that about Saint Patrick…”

The conversation continues in that vein for a little longer - until Mammon finally runs out of energy to keep coming up with responses, and instead starts responding with a series of low, growling hums. He dozes off soon after that. Considering how long he was sprinting around for, I’m impressed he managed to stay awake for that long.

I’d like to stay with him for a while, but I don’t feel sleepy at all, and it’s also getting kind of warm. I carefully wriggle my way out, then stand up and survey the scene. I reckon I’ll build a few cushions around him, like a fort, and that way he’ll be extra safe…

Once I’m done with that, I decide to go wandering again. Satan’s the only one I haven’t seen so far, and I can’t tell if the ongoing silence from him forebodes well or poorly.

The first place to check is, as usual, the library, which is empty at first glance. Then I catch a pair of vivid green eyes staring at me - a large demon-shaped cat tucked neatly into a high-up gap in the bookshelf.

“...why are you in there?” I ask, even though I know the answer from Hyde, and it’s just that he can, and wants to be.

Satan stays there for a moment, then slips out, landing softly on all fours, and sits gracefully back on his haunches. I’d be worried about the lack of response if it wasn’t for his tail pointed straight up behind him, waving slowly like a happy flag.

“Hello,” He says, perfectly serene.

“Hey.” I give him a knowing look, which he ignores. He’s not fooling anyone who knows him even a little - let alone me. “Are you having fun being a cat?”

“You would not believe,” He replies, and at this point the giddiness starts to seep into his voice. He leans forward a little. “Come here. Scratch my ears.”

There’s a weirdly intense look on his face. I wrinkle my nose at him. “What?”

“Scratch my ears,” He says again, as if it was the instruction that was the problem.

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

“Not if you’re gonna be weird about it—”

“I can purr now,” He says impatiently. “Come on, come on, I’ll show you.”

“Okay, okay—” I bend down a little and give the base of his ears a rub. They’re sleeker than Hyde’s - more intact, too. “Is that good?”

He shuts his eyes, ducking his head so that I get the angle correctly. A familiar sound starts up, even louder and deeper than I’m used to, like a little motor in his chest.

It’s hypnotic. I kneel down beside him, and in turn he starts dipping his head even lower, until it looks like he’s contorted in a funny yoga pose. Eventually he just gives up on supporting himself and flops over onto his side with a content little smile.

A voice in the back of my head comments that this must all look incredibly strange. The voice in the front of my head replies that it’s really cute, so it doesn’t matter.

I mess around with one of his ears and turn it inside out. He doesn’t seem to notice, but the ear itself starts twitching restlessly, as if trying to reverse itself. “What’ve you been up to? What else can you do?”

(It’s kind of hard not to start baby-talking him, but I’m not sure he’d forgive me if I did.)

“Well, Lucifer left his office unlocked, so I went in and got some fur on his chair,” He says triumphantly, opening his eyes for long enough to offer a slow, happy blink. “Then I just took a nap. Sleeping as a cat is much nicer than sleeping as a demon. No wonder they always look so happy.”

There’s no way Satan didn’t spend at least a little time just basking in the bliss of his feline transformation, but I won't force him to admit that. I pick up one of his hands and turn it over. Like Asmo, they look mostly the same, but with little pads on the ends of his long fingers.

Satan yawns, then slowly sits up again. “What are you looking at?”

“Trying to see if your hands do the…” I press down between his knuckles, and his nails do indeed seem to protract. “Whoa! I wonder how that works?”

He looks down, then lets out a shallow gasp and wrenches his hand out of mine, reversing the positions so that he’s holding my left hand instead. His ears are pointed straight up - I imagine a pair of whiskers fanning out from his cheeks.

“You’ve got paws,” He whispers in awe.

“Paw,” I correct, showing him the right one. “This is just a glove. I don’t think the potion works on prosthetic stuff.”

“Interesting..." He frowns. “I wonder if we have any textbooks about this kind of thing.”

I know he prefers spellwork over brewing, which I’ve heard Professor Baal vocally complaining about in the staff room before, so this is a good sign for them. After a moment, though, the scholarly look on Satan’s face vanishes again, and now he’s wearing the same expression he watches kitten videos with.

He tweaks my nose, then starts combing his fingers methodically through the hair I messed up on the sofa earlier, beginning to purr again. I’m suddenly put in mind of those videos of cats grooming each other.

He shifts to better reach the back of my head, and I hear a quiet chime. I look down. There’s a bell tied around his tail.

Weird choice of accessory. It’s not attached very securely - just loosely looped around with a strong string. Satan pauses as I detach the bell, then lift it up and give it a jingle.

I open my mouth to say something, then realise that, based on his expression, he won’t hear a word of it. Satan’s completely frozen in place, eyes fixed on the bell. His now-unadorned tail swishes restlessly behind him.

Holding my breath, I jingle the bell again. The pupils of his eyes expand until there’s barely any green left in them, and he crouches back unconsciously. I think he’s actually trembling a little in anticipation.

I give it one last shake, then toss it away. Satan follows it with a sharp turn of his head - then, wiggling as if to calibrate, pounces at it like— well, like a cat at a mouse.

As soon as he lands beside it, his hand strikes the edge at just the right angle to send it spinning away, and this time he doesn’t even try to adjust before leaping at it again, then again - head held close to the ground, digging his claws into the carpet to keep himself from skidding and then getting them stuck when he tries to keep going. Each time, the bell seems to evade his grasp, right up until he lunges for it a little too rapidly and runs head-first into the wall.

“Oh no—” I’d been covering my mouth to stop myself from laughing, but now it’s more out of shock - I hurry to prop him back up as Satan stares at the ceiling, dazed. “—are you okay?”

He blinks deliriously for a moment, then gives himself a shake and flushes. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine—”

He hurriedly gets back to his feet and, for want of something to do, starts flattening the fur on his ears. The bell lies, discarded, a few feet away. His eyes keep darting back to it again.

After a moment, deciding that he doesn’t seem like he has a concussion, I get up to retrieve it. Satan watches me in close anticipation as I toss it in my hand for a moment, then roll it over to him.

His hand shoots out and slams it to the ground. Then he smacks it my way again, and without thinking I dive to the side to catch it.

With each pass, he gets a little more boisterous, and the bell starts moving in wilder, faster directions, criss-crossing all over the library, passed back and forth with barely enough respite to actually jingle. I bounce this way, Satan bounds that way - knocking into furniture so frequently and loudly that it’s not really a surprise when someone comes to see what’s going on.

The door opens, and Satan stops himself short. He sits up straight, replacing his playful expression with a completely serious one, and Levi eyes us both suspiciously.

“What were you doing?” He asks after a moment.

“Nothing,” lies Satan, getting up. His eyes dart down to the bell again, and he discreetly kicks it away. “What’re you doing here?”

He scratches his head. “Well, Asmo got hungry. And I didn’t wanna just sit around in his room.”

“Are you still cold?” I ask. He shrugs.

“I think I’m getting used to it,” He says, coming further into the room. “I mean, it’s still chilly, but it’s like… outside chilly.”

“That’s good. Oh, have you tried eating anything yet? Do you reckon you could swallow stuff whole like Gerald does?”

He grimaces. “Do I have to? That sounds gross. Do we even have anything big enough?”

“Uhh… a big loaf of bread, maybe…?”

Satan, listening to this with interest, glances to the side and spots Levi’s long snake tail, and abruptly shoots into the air - so high that it looks as if a helicopter took off with a rope tied around him. Levi yelps and dives to hide; a moment later, Satan lands on his feet, a good ten feet away from where he started.

Levi peeks warily out from behind the armchair. “What was that?”

Satan clears his throat and refuses to make contact. “Ahem - do you hear people in the common room? Let’s go to the common room.”

The common room is a lot busier than it was since I left it. The twins have arrived, and the scene looks like Mammon’s swapped personalities with Belphie - while the latter is playing a chase game with Beel around the sofa, he has his head propped up on a cushion, blinking reproachfully at them for disturbing him.

Asmo shows up soon after we do, throwing himself into the seat next to me with a metric armful of some leafy vegetable that I can only assume is the Devildom equivalent of celery. He offers me a stick and keeps crunching loudly throughout Levi and Satan’s bickering, cheeks perpetually full like a hamster.

With everyone else gathered here, it’s not long before Lucifer slips in as well, and immediately gets dragged into Belphie’s game with Beel. Lucifer waits until he’s tuckered himself out (which doesn’t take long, because it’s Belphie), to finally call a family meeting of some kind so that everyone can get their bearings.

Though there isn’t much to say - we're all more or less settled into ourselves now, so it’s just a matter of getting used to everyone else. That doesn’t take long, either, and soon enough, certain demons start getting bored. Within the hour, they’re all running around the house again like excited puppies.

…I say ‘they’, but that includes me. Levi’s the one who opts to stay sitting calmly by the fireplace. Belphie keeps collapsing in the middle of the hallway for a five minute nap before he gets up to join in again, and Lucifer has to try to keep up with us to make sure we don’t start breaking everything.

Such is the commotion that no one hears the knock on the door, which Luke left unlocked when he fled. That also means that no one thinks to stop Mammon when he makes to use it as a launchpad - Solomon steps inside and immediately gets bowled over, sending the carefully corked bottle in his hand flying. Behind him, Luke lets out a short squeak and covers his eyes, but it lands safely on the carpet, its momentum carrying it down the hall.

And then it comes to a stop by Satan’s feet.

He stares at the bottle, eyes dilated. His tail flicks restlessly.

“Satan,” Lucifer starts, ears pricked in caution - none of us are close enough to grab the bottle to safety. “Don’t—”

Satan reaches down and bats the bottle cleanly into the wall. It smashes it into about a million smithereens. The rest of us watch the violet potion inside drain into the carpet.

“You know,” Solomon says, cross, “Sometimes you bring this on yourselves.”

[or-is-it-all-just-an-obsession]

Death smiles at us all

Beautiful Tokyo of the noughties, the city breathed a mixture of humidity and exhaust fumes, saturated with the smell of street food, tobacco and fresh paint. High-rises stretch into the sky like steel trees, and neon signs in bright, even acrid colors shimmered with lights at every turn, promising entertainment, food and danger. The streets were full of noise: the squeaking of brakes, horns, the hum of people and their quick steps on the asphalt. Everyone is in a hurry somewhere. Everything was mixed in one seemingly endless symphony, in which millions of people lived and breathed.

Teenagers, in turn, grouped at subway stations and slot machines, wore loose jackets with tiger or dragon patches, chains dangling from their pockets, and low-waisted jeans for girls. Street pack fashion was a symbol of belonging, strength, and independence. Everywhere you could find boys and girls with tousled hair dyed bright colors and eyes full of determination, carelessness, or hidden anger.

At this time, among the noise of the street, there was a place where I always found refuge. The motorcycle shop "S.S MOTOR" was small but cozy, littered with motorcycle parts and old photographs. The smell of machine oil and iron created a feeling of peace. It was here that I sat next to Shinichiro, watching him work on another bike of some acquaintance. A strange combination of circumstances brought us together a couple of years ago and since then I have followed him like a faithful tail. Shin-san has always seemed to me to be the center of the universe, became a family, finding me in the chaos of Tokyo

"Hey, give me the key for ten," Shinichiro squatted by one of the bikes and glanced in my direction. His voice sounded familiar softness, mixed with fatigue.

Silently handing over the tool, I felt how the hot air of the store and the hum of its work created a sense of security, time flowed differently here.

"You know, you remind me of me," he grinned, wiping his oily hands on a rag. "I was like that too - clinging to someone, thinking that this is how I could find my way."

Averting my embarrassed gaze and hiding my face, I asked. "So what, did you find it?"

Shinichiro laughed, and his laughter was as warm as ever. "Not really. But you know, sometimes it's enough just to be around the people who are important to you."

I did so, stayed by his side, sometimes began to make fun of him with Waka-chi and Taka-chi. At such moments, I realized that it didn't matter if he was a hooligan, the founder of the Black Dragon, or just the owner of a motor store – for me, he was everything, the place and people changed, but I stayed close.

"If it weren't for those damn boys"

August 2003. Evening was descending on Tokyo, and the street lights mingled with the darkness. The small shop was a bright spot among the shadows and seemed almost cozy, despite the shabby sign and the eternal smell of oil. No matter how hard they tried to send me home, I still stayed with Shinichiro.

"Come on, it's late, go. I'll close it soon and catch up with you," he said, adjusting the collar of his work jacket. His gaze was soft but insistent.

"Shini-san, come on, where am I going to go alone? You know I'm going to stay," I replied with a grin as I sat down on the toolbox.

He only smiled, shaking his head. "Well, well, that's enough. Come on, I'll close the store now"

Reluctantly, I got up and pretended to leave.

"Let's go to the grocery store on the way"

"Okay!"

But as soon as we moved a couple of steps away, we heard a crash behind us. We looked at each other, realizing that the sound came from his store

"Something must have fallen," Shinichiro stiffened. - "Go ahead, I'll quickly check and catch up with you, okay?"

"If someone robs you, what will you do? Even I'm stronger than you," I said, trying to defuse the situation.

"What if we go together and get into trouble? You'd better wait here."

I sniffed in displeasure, but nodded anyway. "Just don't linger, okay?"

He turned around and ran back to the store, leaving me alone. "And how long should I wait..." - I muttered under my breath, but I did not receive an answer.

After standing for a couple of minutes, something inside me began to sound the alarm, not coming up with anything better, I headed for the store, but what I saw stopped time.

Shinichiro was lying on the floor, passed out, and two teenagers were standing above him, not recognizing them in the dark immediately, I was only worried about Shin. I ran to them and pushed away one guy who was already sitting in front of the lying body.

"Why are you standing like idols, call an ambulance!" - a scream escaped from my throat, which seemed to bring them back to reality. And I realized who they were - Baji and Hanemiya.

Baji was trying to find the phone, and Hanemia was saying something under his breath, I wasn't listening, I found the phone in my uniform pocket and handed it to Baji, his fingers trembling so much that he could barely dial the number.

"This... it shouldn't have been like this," Baji muttered.

"Seriously? Is that all you can say now?" my voice trembled.

"It's all because of Mikey. So if you don't kill Mikey, then..."

I grabbed Shinichiro's head and pressed against his chest. "Shini, please wait for the ambulance, everything will be fine..." - my words sounded more like a plea. His skin was cold, and his breathing was becoming more and more shallow.

He smiled, with the same gentleness I had always known. "Forgive me... I will not be able to keep my promise..."

"Shut up, don't you dare say goodbye anymore!" - I felt my eyes fill with tears, but I forced myself to hold on. "Everything will be fine!"

Sirens sounded in the distance, getting closer with every second, but the world inside me collapsed. Shinichiro's head became heavier, and his chest stopped rising. All the subsequent events flashed before his eyes, as if in a fog, he was taken away on a stretcher, Baji and Hanemiya were handcuffed, it turned out that the police arrived along with the ambulance. Their faces were filled with shock and guilt.

When I was asked about what had happened, I answered mechanically, giving the necessary explanations, but even when I was sent home, there was an empty, icy feeling inside me, I did not know what to do next.

All the days merged into one single lump, which repeated day after day. The day of the funeral was gray, covered with clouds, not a single ray of sunlight was released. Various people from the family, from the gang, those who somehow knew him, gathered. Someone's tears and whispers sounded everywhere like white noise, but I did not understand, or maybe did not want to understand them, the words seemed meaningless, distant and foreign.

Standing in the midst of the crowd, I felt as if I were alone on this earth. Everything that had seemed important before disappeared in an instant. My beam of light that had guided me through the darkness suddenly went out, leaving me alone again. Everyone had families, friends, people they could rely on, and I had only him. Shinichiro. And now he is gone.

Only one soap tormented me, that everything could have been different if only I had not let him go, insisted on going with him.

My body seemed to be moving on autopilot, and I walked over to the tombstone, looking at the engraved name. The smell of damp earth, of a freshly dug grave hung in the air. The flowers placed at the foot seemed so bright against the gray day, but even they could not dispel the darkness inside me. I didn't want to believe that this was the end.

"You'll stay in my heart forever, Shin," I whispered softly, clutching a small bouquet in my hands. My words trembled in the air like leaves in the wind. "I'll never forget you..."

The life in me stopped, and each new dawn seemed like just another reminder that nothing would return, and the world around me remained the same - the same streets, the same store with the smell of oil, the same empty conversations with people whom I almost did not notice.

When someone who was the meaning of your existence leaves, you are left with a void that nothing will fill, but I was not the only one who experienced it. Manjiro, Shinichiro's younger brother, suffered just as much, if not more. If Shinichiro was dear to my heart, then his younger brother had a special place for him, in return and for him, he was also everything. He replaced his parents, became his support and protection, and now he has been taken away from him. I knew him for a long time, from Shini's stories and from rare meetings. The little blond boy, with a wide smile and sparkles in his eyes, now looked like a shadow of himself. In his eyes, so similar to those of his brother, melancholy and fatigue also settled. We were both drowning in our pain, but each in his own way.

On the rare occasions when I was at Sano's house, I only appeared to chat with Shinichiro, but now I avoided this place. I thought that by avoiding I could run away from my pain, but one day everything changed

Late at night, walking around native places, suddenly heard the roar of a motorcycle. For a moment, my heart, but turning around, I saw Manjiro. He raced down the street like a ghost. His face was pale and tired, and his gaze was blank, like that of a man who has lost his bearings. He drove past me, but almost immediately slowed down, looked at me as if he was trying to remember who I was.

"Hello," I said awkwardly, my voice sounding strange and hollow.

"Is that you...?!" his voice was hoarse, filled with doubt and fatigue.

We froze in silence, not knowing what to say to each other, probably both were too absorbed in our thoughts and pain. Now I thought about the fact that I looked terrible - eyes swollen with tears, carelessly disheveled hair, and I also don't remember the last time I washed my face.

"Will you ride with me?" his question sounded strangely confident, and I nodded. Tokyo at night has always been a place of delight for me, when the whole city shimmered with various lights, sparkling in the dark, reflected in the river, and all this created the illusion that heaven and earth merged into one magical space. It is a city of contrasts: ancient temples and nightclubs coexisted with each other, creating a unique and inimitable appearance. It was a city that never slept, a city where everyone could find something for themselves.

The motorcycle carried us through the glowing streets, and for a while, the cold loneliness receded, dissolving in the noise of the city and the soft whistle of the wind. A couple of hours later, he dropped me off at my house. During all this time we did not exchange a word, but this trip was like a breath of fresh air. And I fell asleep a little calmer than usual.

It became a habit, the next night we also spent driving through the streets, again without saying a word, just enjoying the silence and scenery. This was repeated over and over again, until one day, sitting by the river, Manjiro spoke. We started with little things - about school, about how we spend our days. I found out that he was either sleeping or walking with the gang, sometimes riding alone.

"At school, I usually sleep, eat, and then sleep again. If it gets boring, I just leave," he said with indifference, but in his voice you could hear that he didn't care about all this.

Once we arrived at the night beach. The sound of the waves was soothing, soft and melodious, in the darkness the waves lapped against the shore, leaving a wet trail in the sand, and the moon illuminated their path. Sitting next to each other, we listened to the sound of the sea. It was one of those moments when the pain receded. Such trips have become islands of happiness, making you feel that life can be calm.

Quietly singing the tune of familiar songs, I plunged into my thoughts, at some point I noticed that the person lying next to me began to feel sleepy, and his eyes slowly closed.

Such habitual trips brought us so close that he no longer let me go. If I wasn't around, Manjiro would find me himself, as if he couldn't stand being alone. Our nights began to be filled with conversation, sometimes silence, and sometimes I sang him lullabies that seemed to soothe him and bring him peace, he seemed to forget his pain, and his face, even for a brief moment, became calm.

But no matter how hard I tried to lull him to sleep with my song, he still followed the path of his older brother. With his gang, he gradually conquered territories, creating his name in a world dominated by fighting and force. He burned with a desire to become someone significant, perhaps a worthy heir to Shinichiro.

If I had the opportunity, I stayed by his side, watching him lead his people. He introduced me to the other founders, but there was one with whom we don't talk about the events of that night, both realized that it was a taboo topic that neither of us brought up, Baji, sometimes I helped him with his homework. In my head I understood that he was not to blame, but the flame of anger and resentment burned in my heart. Another nice guy, Mitsui, often hosted me at his home, especially when I escaped from my own house, staying there and helping to look after the sisters when he needed to leave for another meeting.

The illusory normality of life, which briefly showed part of something normal and that despite all the difficulties, remained relatively peaceful until one day Hanagaki appeared. His presence was a breaking point, the beginning of something dark, as if fate had decided to test us again. With his arrival, everything began to change, and a series of events followed, which brought only pain and suffering. Everything spun again, as if in a vicious circle, where dark days repeated one after another.

Each fight, each new conflict, has only taken us further away from the moments of peace that we were building. And each new death of loved ones distanced Manjiro further and further away, and each new day he had to put on a heavier mask, and his eyes, once alive, now resembled emptiness. It was like some kind of déjà vu, as if everything we had experienced before was coming back, and we were going through the same painful cycle over and over again.

The only thing that remained was the expectation of an end that seemed to never come.