#causing him to lose a promotion we sorely need

[bittersweetblasphemy]

.

[yourlocalfictionalenthusiast]

IN LIFE, IN DEATH...

PART TEN

:Masterlist:

A/N: And that’s a wrap! Ahh, writing this series has been so fun and I’m so glad that so many of you have liked it so much. Thank you guys for staying until the end and hopefully for upcoming stuff 👀 I hope you enjoy the finale of In Life, In Death... <3

(Also the song mentioned in part six and this part is ‘She Is Love’ by Parachute) <3

-

December 1994

Luke groaned as he woke up, squinting hard to try and adjust his eyes to the amount of light in the room.

Even before he could see clearly, he knew he must've fallen asleep in the studio judging by the soreness in his back and neck that he always got when he slept on the old couch. It couldn't have been more than six in the morning, and Luke could still feel the tiredness in his bones. So he tried to turn away from the light and hopefully fall back asleep, but there was something keeping him firmly in place.

His heart skipped when he looked down and saw that you were laying right next to him with your head on his chest and an arm thrown across his stomach. When he realized that his own arms were wrapped around you, his heart broke out into a full-on tap dance.

Waves of confusion ran through his still-foggy brain until he saw his guitar case propped up against the piano and his backpack on the floor with his clothes spilling out of it.

Then the events of last night quickly came back to him.

How he had gotten home late from rehearsal and his mom was waiting in the kitchen with his latest report card and her signature lecture at the ready. One minute he was standing there yelling, packing all he could fit into his bag, and the next, he was halfway to the studio with the rain soaking him head to toe.

He had expected it to be empty when he finally got there, but he was flooded with relief when he saw you. All the frustration slowly melted out of him the longer he laid there with you, leaving him feeling exhausted and shivering despite how warm he felt.

The last thing he wanted to do was talk about any of it, but when you asked, the words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.

He remembered rambling and crying again, the sound of your voice and the feeling of your fingers in his hair warming him up even more. Then finally, he remembered falling asleep with his chin tucked on top of your head, the smell of your shampoo filling his senses.

Without thinking, Luke reached down and carefully pushed a piece of hair away from your face, tucking it behind your ear and smiling to himself when you shifted into his touch. Then taking in a sharp breath as the realization ran through him all the way down to his toes.

You were his best friend.

The person he wanted to see at the end of a long day. Whenever he was full of anger or lost in confusion, all he had to do was look at you and everything suddenly made sense again. With your pretty smile and laugh, and your way of flipping that little switch inside him that made his head all fuzzy and the ground start spinning under his feet.

You were his best friend, and he was in love with you.

-

2020

All you felt was a mixture of anxiety and nausea as you stood on the Orpheum's street corner, biting the tips of your fingernails.

The entire plan hinged on Willie and Teddy getting everything done in time, and considering that they had betrayed you all before, you couldn’t help but expect the worst.

“Look, don’t worry. Willie said he’ll get us on that marquee.” Alex said nervously as he kicked pebbles across the sidewalk.

“This is going to work, right?” Reggie asked.

“It has to.” Luke mumbled, wincing seconds later when another shock hit them.

Two sharp pops cut through the air behind you and you all whipped around to see Willie and Teddy standing just a few feet away. Willie was watching you all carefully with concern written all over his face, his eyes lingering on Alex longer than anyone else. Teddy stood at the edge of the group, practically burning a hole in your face with his guilty stare.

“Are you guys okay?” Willie asked.

“Yeah, nothing we haven’t felt before.” Alex laughed awkwardly. “How��d it go?”

“Well, when the opening band wakes up, they’ll find their bus two hundred miles out of Vegas.” Willie said with a proud smile as he did a spin, showing off his stolen jacket with the band’s name across the back.

“With absolutely no chance of getting back in time.” Teddy added.

Luke gave Willie a fistbump and pointed up to the office above the Orpheum. “That means there’s probably a promoter up there freaking out right now.”

Willie grinned, sarcasm laced in his tone. “Nah, man. This is Hollywood. I’m sure he’s being very professional.”

You laughed and then Alex slowly inched forward, clearly struggling for the right words to say to Willie. You gave his arm a quick squeeze before following Reggie and Luke down the street to give them space. Before you even got halfway down the sidewalk, Teddy poofed next to you.

“You know, If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you don’t want to talk to me.” He joked.

“Teddy-”

"I just-I didn't want to leave things the way we did." He rambled. "I'm sorry, I should've told you everything that night in the diner-"

"Teddy, It's okay." You said. "You told me before Caleb could put the stamp on me, and you didn't know the details about the plan until after it was too late to help my friends. Plus, I know how much you're risking helping us now."

As soon as the words left your mouth, you felt some of the weight fall off your shoulders. You weren't sure why since the situation was still a little painful and awkward. But being around Teddy always made you feel a little like that kid who started working at the diner with Cece all those years ago. Besides, they were so alike that you found it hard to stay mad at him.

You held out your hand for Teddy to shake. "Despite everything, I'm glad we met."

“Likewise, Gorgeous,” Teddy said with a relieved smile as he grasped your hand. With a subtle wink, he nodded over towards where Luke was standing at the end of the street. “He’s a lucky guy.”

"What? How did you?-" You sputtered as he stepped away. You never told Teddy about Luke, or at least you didn't think you did.

Teddy just smirked in response before disappearing into the air. At the same time, you saw Willie skate away out of the corner of your eye, leaving Alex alone on the sidewalk.

You all phased next to him and Luke squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah. I'm good." Alex smiled slyly as he gestured to the office. "Looks like this show needs a new opening act though."

You grinned. "Let's go see if we can help with that."

-

When you got back to the studio, you found Julie pacing back and forth in the middle of the room as she wrung her hands together.

When you all poofed in, she immediately jumped into a load of questions, losing her breath halfway through and flailing her arms around.

"Whoa, just sit down," You laughed excitedly. "We'll tell you everything."

Julie took a gasping breath and plopped backwards onto the couch then stared at you all with expectant eyes. "Well?"

"It worked!" You announced. "Everything's fine."

"You should be getting the call...now!" Alex pointed to Julie’s phone on the table just as it started buzzing. You all cheered and Julie shushed you as she answered the call.

You heard a woman's voice say something through the phone and Julie gave a thumbs-up as she started jumping on the couch. You watched in amusement and mild horror as Luke and Reggie lifted Alex up into the air and spun him around.

Once he was back on the ground, Luke and Reggie made a beeline for you, each of them grabbed one of your arms and flipped you upside down over their shoulders.

You all spent the next twenty minutes laughing and screaming and Alex even got a little teary-eyed but you pretended not to notice. Then Julie called Flynn and ran off excitedly to decide her outfit for the night, leaving the four of you alone to plan out the setlist.

“Okay, so I’m thinking we start with Stand Tall.” Luke said excitedly as he wrote the words down in his songbook.

“Sounds good.” Reggie said, suddenly quiet.

“’Sounds good’? Guys, I wanna hear ‘That sounds awesome!” Luke reached out and nudged Reggie’s shoulder. “I know this isn’t the way we imagined any of this. But we need to be all in tonight. This is our second chance to play the Orpheum!”

“I get it.” Reggie sputtered. “But it’s hard. Do we even know what’s on the other side when we cross over? Do we still get to hang out together?”

You shifted your weight as the happy little bubble surrounding you popped. You had been so wrapped up in the excitement of finally playing the Orpheum that you almost forgot what tonight was really about.

“You guys are the only family I have.” Reggie’s eyes were glued to the piano as he played with his fingers. You reached out and locked his arm with yours in an attempt to comfort him.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen either. But it’s not like we have a choice.” Alex said.

Suddenly, Reggie’s arm fell out of yours as all three boys fell back, clutching their sides.

“I’m pretty sure we do.” Reggie groaned. “And it rhymes with ‘Hollywood Ghost Club’.”

The garage doors creaked open and Julie appeared with a bright smile and a blue garment bag in her hand. When she saw your expressions, her smile fell. “What’s wrong?”

“We just got hit pretty hard by one of those jolts.” Alex said. “But we’re fine.”

“Oh, good.” She nodded, though she still looked on edge. “I’m nervous.”

“That makes two of us.” You said. “But we made it this far for a reason. We got this.”

“Can you ride there with me? I'm gonna need more pep-talk material for the drive there cause I still think I might puke.” Julie tucked her hair behind her ears.

“Of course, and don't worry, we’ll leave the windows open.” You joked, making everyone laugh.

The sound of a car horn cut through the air and Julie looked outside. "That's my dad. Are you ready, (Y/n)?"

You nodded. "Yeah, uh, give me a second. I'll meet you in the car."

As Julie disappeared behind the doors, you turned to the boys and sighed as you tried to soak up this moment. For all you knew, this could be the last little window of time you had alone with them before tonight.

Julie was a huge part of the band of course, but these were your boys. The ones who you started this all with, who had been by your side for everything.

From the look on all their faces, you could see that they were thinking the same thing.

Without saying a word, you launched yourself at Alex. He made a surprised noise but recovered quickly, throwing his arms around you and holding you tight.

"And I'm the emotional one?" He jokingly muttered in your ear and you pinched his side, making him jump back. "Rude."

As soon as your arms were open, Reggie stepped forward and hugged you so tightly that you were thankful to not need oxygen anymore because he was definitely crushing several vital organs.

You laughed and gave him one last squeeze before pulling away, locking eyes with Luke instantly.

Alex cleared his throat awkwardly and grabbed Reggie's shoulder, steering him over to Luke's songbook to 'check out the setlist again'.

"And then there were two." Luke joked.

You laughed and stepped into his waiting arms, making him laugh. You soaked up the feeling of comfort and familiarity for a minute before pulling away.

"This, uh, is for you," Luke said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. You knitted your eyebrows together in confusion as he handed it over. "I wanted you to have it in case...well, you know. If tonight doesn't work."

"It will." You said, trying to ignore the fact that it very well could happen. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Patterson."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He quipped back, his voice sounding softer and less teasing than you would've expected. You pulled back from him and because you didn't know if you would ever get another chance, you stood on your tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek.

You moved away too fast to see his reaction but the gesture made the other two boys smirk at you as you dashed out of the doors, making a beeline for the car pulling out of the driveway.

-

The back rooms of the Orpheum were a maze.

You had left for a few minutes to walk around the venue and clear your head, trying to wring out the last of your nerves.

By the time you found your way back, you expected to find the rest of the band rushing to get ready in the dressing room. But all you saw was Julie anxiously pacing as she had been earlier, a habit she seemed to have inherited from both you and Alex.

“You okay?”

She snapped her head up towards you and sighed. “Yeah, just a little worried. The guys aren’t here yet.”

You looked around the room and then at the clock, frowning. The show was in less than half an hour and that was already cutting it close. Part of you wanted to go check on them but Julie seemed to need you more at the moment.

“Okay, well, give them another ten minutes. I'm sure they'll be here. They wouldn’t miss this…again.”

You ran your palm across the front of your pocket, feeling Luke's note next to your parent’s photo, and hoped you were right.

But then more and more time passed until the stage manager came to escort Julie to the stage.

"Just a second!" She calls out and then turns to you. "(Y/n), something's wrong. They were getting those jolts pretty hard before we left. They must've run out of time."

You shut your eyes tight as the words sunk in. All you could bring yourself now was, ‘This isn't what was supposed to happen.’

The world fell out from under your feet and you had trouble even standing up straight as you imagined what must've happened to them. Your best friends, your brothers, your family was gone and there wasn't anything you could do about it.

The guy knocked again, this time a little harder and with a nervous tone. Julie chewed her lip as she looked between you and the door and you could almost see the cloud of grief settling over her.

As hard as it was, you tried your best to shove your feelings down and marched up to Julie. There would be time to fall apart later, but you knew that this what they would want you to do. "Let's go do this for them, okay?"

She took a deep, shaky breath before hesitantly nodding. You followed closely behind her as she walked out the door though the halls until she reached the stage. You waited beside Flynn in the wing as Julie settled behind her microphone and addressed the crowd.

There were scattered claps from around the venue and then she took a deep breath before singing the opening.

After the first few lines, you took your cue and materialized at the center of the stage. The crowd gasped and cheered the way they always did, but you kept your eyes shut tight and focused on the music.

Just as the song started picking up, you heard a familiar pop in the air and then the sound of drumming. You whirled around to see Alex mounted onto a drum set at the back of the stage, twirling his drumsticks around and smiling like he had never been gone at all.

Once you got over the initial shock, you wanted to cry with relief. They were okay, they were here. Alex winked at you goofily, and you ran towards Julie’s keyboard.

She had started bouncing on the balls of her feet, both of you finally getting into the song now that they were coming back. You followed suit, dancing around the base of the drum set as yours and Julie’s voices came together.

Then Reggie appeared on the other side of Julie and you ran to his side. You bumped his shoulder with yours and he grinned, moving to stand back to back.

The song was ramping up to the chorus when a staticky noise cut through the air, not loud enough for the crowd to hear but enough to make you all look over to the other end of the stage.

You could see Luke's form fading in and out, a look of anguish on his face, and the pit in your stomach opened up again. The crowd was on the edge of their seats as Alex's drumming paused and Luke finally materialized to sing the opening of the chorus.

You didn't even know you were moving until you suddenly found yourself across the stage next to Luke, unable to stop smiling as you sang.

Julie joined you, throwing her arms up in the air happily and jumping around. Reggie appeared by her side, flashing the crowd a winning smile.

Alex stood up and gripped his mic as he sang this solo. You looked back at him and flashed him a proud smile, then whooping loudly when Reggie sang his lines.

You all went down the line hitting your notes until the chorus kicked in again and your heart felt so full you almost couldn't stand it. This was what you were so close to achieving before you died, it was all you had wanted for years, and you knew that if you hadn't died, that night would've changed your life. But this night was something even more special. Because you were all here, all together.

Even if it was just for one last song.

Julie caught your attention and nodded towards the platform that spread out into the crowd. You followed her to the center and stood back to back as everyone cheered.

The guys joined in on either side of you, Alex grabbing one of your hands and Luke holding the other. You all bowed to the audience before taking your cue and vanishing, leaving only Julie on stage.

You landed in the wing, feeling a little lightheaded and overwhelmed from all the emotions you had experienced in the last five minutes. The elated smile fading from your face when all three boys poofed by your side only to fall to the floor instantly.

“It didn’t work.” You said miserably as Julie emerged into the backstage area. She grabbed Flynn and whispered something to her, pointing in the direction of her family. Flynn nodded and disappeared into the crowd while Julie ran to your side.

You hauled Alex onto his feet, letting him lean on you to stay upright while Luke and Reggie trailed behind Julie as she led the group back to the dressing room. Once everyone was inside, they collapsed on the couch or the floor, loudly groaning in pain.

“What happened? Why didn’t it work?” Julie asked tearfully.

“I guess playing here wasn’t our unfinished business.” Alex said hollowly.

“Point Caleb.” Reggie muttered as he clung to the side of an armchair.

You stood frozen next to Julie as panic spread through your whole body, both of you flinching in sympathy as the shocks continued.

“You have to save yourselves right now.” Julie begged. “Join Caleb’s club. It’s better than not existing at all!”

“She’s right.” You managed to say, your voice shaky and almost giving out. Your stomach flipped at the thought of them having to work for an evil club owner forever, but the alternative was worse. “You guys need to go now! For me. For us.”

“We’re not going back there.” Reggie shook his head.

Luke pulled himself up and stumbled forward a little so that he was right in front of you. “No music is worth making if we’re not all making it together.”

You sighed sadly, thinking back to your conversation yesterday. “So no more regrets?”

Luke let out a deep sigh and then reached up and cupped your cheek with his right hand. “Just one.”

You furrowed your eyebrows in response and Luke blinked hard as if he was trying to find the words. "I never told you why I left that night."

"Luke, don't." You gave him a weak smile. "I get it."

"You do?" He asked.

You struggled to get the words out. "Yeah, I mean it was bound to happen eventually. We just got too close and it was weird for you. I understand t-”

"What?" Luke asked, cutting you off with a confused look. "No, no, that's not it at all. Read the-"

Before he could finish, you heard Julie gasp loudly from a few feet away. You looked over to see her stepping back from Alex with an awestruck look on her face as she gripped his forearms.

Wait, what?

Before you could even begin to process what you were seeing, Reggie was reaching out to Julie, who grabbed his wrist and hauled him up to his feet. The three of them stared at each other for a few seconds before Julie turned to you and Luke.

“Guys, come here.”

Alex reached out and pulled you into his side while Luke threw an arm around Reggie’s back and Julie brought you all in closer to her. At first, nothing happened. But then there was a faint buzzing sound and the boys lifted their wrist towards the ceiling and you all watched in awe as the stamp floated away in the blink of an eye.

“Whoa.” Reggie said, his eyes still glued to the ceiling. “I don’t feel as weak anymore.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Alex agreed. “Not that I ever was that weak in the first place.”

You rolled your eyes and let your head fall over on his shoulder. “What do you think that means?”

Luke smiled. “I think it means the band is back.”

It was quiet for a second before Alex looked at you all shyly. “You guys think we can try that hug thing again?”

You laughed as you huddled together again, sniffling and laughing. Then Julie yelled out that you had played the Orpheum and then you were all jumping around, still tangled in each other’s arms.

Eventually, you all broke apart and while the boys started chasing each other around, you turned to Julie. She looked into your eyes and immediately flew into your arms, muttering into your shoulder, “I always wanted a big sister.”

The words warmed your heart and you squeezed her extra hard, grateful that you actually could now. “Well, I’m honored.”

“My family's probably looking for me so..." Julie stepped back from your arms with the biggest smile you’d ever seen on her face, you jokingly bowed to her and she copied the gesture before disappearing behind the door.

You wiped the last of your tears out of your eyes and turned around to find Alex and Reggie were talking in whispers and wearing knowing smiles. When Alex saw you looking, he cleared his throat and nudged Reggie’s shoulder.

“Hey, Reg.” Alex said cheekily, not taking his eyes off of you for even a second. “I was going to check out the next band. You wanna come with me?”

“Sure!” Reggie started strolling towards the door, stopping only for a second to nudge your shoulder and whisper ‘don't do anything I wouldn’t do’ in your ear.

Alex fixed Luke with a pointed look over his shoulder and Reggie gave him a dorky wink before they poofed away. You smiled fondly at the space where they were just standing and awkwardly turned towards Luke.

“Hi.” You said, laughing awkwardly.

“Hi.” Luke muttered back as he stepped forward until he was close enough to grab your hand. “About what I was saying earlier…”

You opened your mouth to say something but he shook his head and pointed to your pocket. “Read it. Please.”

You tugged the note he had given you earlier out of your pocket and carefully folded it open to see that it wasn’t a note at all. It was the love song that Julie had found that day in the garage, the one that he didn’t want anyone to see. You struggled a little trying to decipher Luke's handwriting. The ink was a little smudged and the song was clearly unfinished but it was the most beautiful thing you had ever read. And he had written it for you.

"I didn't leave because we got too close," He said. "It was the opposite, (Y/n), I left because I was scared to lose you, and I know that doesn't make sense because I kind of did w-"

You carefully tucked the paper back in your pocket with one hand and grabbed the back of his neck with the other, pulling him down and closing the last bit of space between you.

Luke's brain short-circuited for a second before he started kissing back, grabbing your waist with enough force to nearly knock you both backwards. It was dizzying and a little desperate, yet weirdly familiar, as if you'd been kissing him your whole life.

Most moments with Luke felt like they were happening in slow motion, but this time it was like a high-speed movie montage of your whole lives. The stolen crayons, the time capsule, the pre performance pep talks, the smell of cinnamon, the ferris wheel, his jacket, the movie nights and songwriting sessions. All of it had led up to this moment.

"I love you." Luke said immediately after you pulled away. "God, I love you so much. I'm such an idiot. I'm sorry."

“Hey, it’s okay.” You laughed, blinking another wave of tears out of your eyes. “I should’ve told you forever ago instead of skirting around it.”

“And what is it that you should’ve told me?” He said teasingly and you rolled your eyes. You had gotten so used to Luke being so shut down or nervous around you that you almost forgot how much of a little shit he could be.

“That I love you too.” You said, unable to stop smiling.

Luke leaned down and captured your lips in another kiss, this time threading his fingers through your hair as he cupped your cheeks in his hands. “I’m never gonna get tired of hearing that.”

You bit your lip to keep another laugh from bubbling up as you looked up at him, feeling completely overwhelmed in the best way possible. "So...what now?"

"I don't know." Luke admitted. "But I know one thing."

"What's that?"

"That no matter where we go, or what we do," He pushed a piece of hair behind your ear. "In life, in death... I'm yours. Always."

-

The End

-

In Life, In Death Taglist:

@ifilwtmfc @instabull @wanniiieeee @tenaciousperfectionunknown @charliegillespiewife @merceret @itismeasmolpotato @lilostif16 @dangerouslyclose @iainttakingshitfromnobody @givemebooksorgivemedeath @sunsetcurvedotmp3 @askgeoff @mayleenicole5676 @puppy11148 @vampire7595 @wackyworrieruniverse @reallysparklychaos @lovelydaydreams15 @rachmmb @musicismyescape27 @stackie4ever​ @spidermankenobi

(Strikethrough means I can’t tag you)

JATP Taglist:

@caitsymichelle13 @sunsetcurvej​

Let me know if you want to be added!

[joyfulhopelox]

Coffee puns and wayside milkshakes

Pairing: Seokjin x reader (idol!jin, non-idol!reader, established relationship)

Warnings: some light swearing, really bad puns

Summary: Busy schedules have made it impossible to spend time with your boyfriend but he makes sure to assure you that he is still thinking of you. So even though he has promotions during summer he takes the time to plan an amazing road trip just for the two of you. Even if it is just to the drive thru in the next town over.

Genre: fluff gone into crack or crack gone into fluff

Word count: 3,020

Rating: g

A/N: This is part of the @bangtanwritingbingo event! Chosen square number 1 is 'road trip'. I made it pure fluff which i have to admit i thought i would be completely terrible at, but the more i write the better i get at it (hopefully). I had so much fun writing this! It was also once again meant to be a drabble, but....that is clearly something i have to work on. Enjoy some really bad puns from me!

Copyrights @joyfulhopelox for both the work and the banner

“Tell me again why are we up….” observing the still and dark atmosphere out the window you sighed, “at the ass crack of dawn?”

Normally, you would not question your boyfriend. Even when he would make stupid jokes or do stupid things, which acted contrary to his close-to-30 age. You trusted him completely, you may even say you trusted him with your life. And yet, this morning or night, you were seriously questioning his sanity. Have his schedules gotten to his head? Has the tiredness of constant practice and promotions made him lose it?

“Just you wait, love, i told you it’s a surprise” he shushed you, excitedly jumping out of the warm bed. Not wanting to get up just yet, it was 4am in the morning for God’s sake, you burrowed yourself deeper into the warm sheets whilst commandeering his pillow. “Love, come on get up. The surprise will not work if we are late” Seokjin whined.

“No, 5 more minutes” you grumbled into the pillow. It smelled of him and that comfort was slowly getting you back into the dream world. A dream world where a normal Jin would wake you up at a normal time, and you would get to spend a normal day together, gaming and cooking. But no, reality had to be shattered, instead this Seokjin was tugging at the duvet whilst patting your leg. “Okay, 5 more minutes whilst i go wash up but then you have to get up. We have to be in the car in 30 minutes” he warned, breaking you out of your dreamworld.

Basking in the comfort of the bed until you hear the bathroom door close, you decide that you were awake enough to face the chill of a summer morning. Throwing the blanket off of you, you gave the window a dirty look. As if it was the cause of your distress. It was summer, why was it so dark outside early in the morning? Because you woke up, correction because your lovely boyfriend woke you up at an ungodly hour. “I swear Kim Seokjin….” you mumbled to yourself. Making your way hurriedly to the kitchen, your form still wrapped like a burrito in the blanket you decided you needed caffeine, and fast.

“Love, now is not the time, we can’t be late” jumping at the whiny voice of your boyfriend you turned around, and when recalling this story to his friends, Jin would swear that he physically felt your murderous gaze stabbing him. “Kim Seokjin, if you do not allow me to have at least one cup of coffee before we set out onto this whatever it is” motioning wildly in the air “i swear i will make your life a living hell forever, even after i am dead i will haunt you until you are dead, and even in death i will haunt you” rambling on you failed to notice the amused expression on Jin’s face. God, you were adorable. However, as soon as you had finished your rant and you gazed back at him, for the sake of his life and his family jewels he straightened his pose and nodded at you in an attempt to be serious.

“Of course”

Satisfied you turned back to making your coffee, and some for the road. You knew that as active as Jin was at the moment, once on the road he would harass you for a sip. And if there was one thing you could not stand, it was sharing your coffee.

“Hey Y/N, what do you call a sad cup of coffee?” Oh no, here we go again. “Jiiiiiin” you whined, “it’s too early for this, what do you call it?” despite having complained about his bad dad jokes, you secretly enjoyed it when he made them. The jokes were not amazing most times, but seeing him so happy and hearing his laugh was what made them the best jokes you could have ever heard.

“A depresso” bursting out laughing fully at his own joke made you giggle at him. He was adorable, and he was all yours. Fondly gazing at him you shook your head whilst still giggling. His infectious humour was better at brightening your day than any coffee.

“Very funny baby, now let me finish making this coffee so we can leave. You’re the one in a hurry” you stuck your tongue out at him.

“Ah, yes indeed” he rushed to exit the kitchen. Not before turning around to wink at you and blow you a kiss whilst delivering his last one line puncher. “After all, we don’t want to be latte.” You could still hear his laugh even as he reached the other end of the corridor.

“Silly man”

-

Finally with two coffees in tow, you got yourself strapped into the car and waited for Jin to finish shoving into the back of the car what he presented as “top secret and you are not allowed to peek”. So you did your best to not let curiosity get to you and instead closed your eyes in an attempt to get a few more minutes of sleep. As you were drifting off slowly but surely, all you could hear in the background were the constant complaints of your boyfriend arguing with whatever he was trying to fit into the back of the car. And by the way the car was shaking it felt like he was forcing an elephant in there. You smiled gently to yourself, this is what bliss felt like to you. Not those extra minutes of sleep, not the thought of the planned date- which excited you nonetheless, but the knowledge that today was a day where you could spend some time with Jin and listen to him whine, complain, rant, express his love for you, cuddle you and all that in person.

“You alright there love?” you finally decided to check on his well being after another 10 minutes of grumbling.

“Yes, yes. Just trying….to get this thing to…..fit” heaving he let out a triumphal yell. “Done! Now let’s gogogogogo on this exciting road trip!” enthusiastically he opened the car door and jumped in almost hitting you in the face with his arm and whacking his own knee on the wheel of the car. “Oh my gosh, are you ok, did i hit you?” you stifled a giggle, he did not hit you and yet even though he clearly was in pain he made sure to check on you first.

“Jin, i’m fine babe, but clearly you aren’t. Please be more careful” you chided gently reaching over to rub the sore spot on his shin. With a gentle smile he grabbed your hand in his warm one. Despite the chilly air of the morning, he was warm and inviting, his hand on yours instantly heating up your cold ones. “I’m sorry love, I promise i will be” he reached out to cup your cheek with his free hand rubbing your skin and with care as if you were made out of porcelain he brought his soft plump lips to yours in a brief kiss that left you breathless.

“Hey, Y/N?” his lips a breath away from you that made you swear you still felt them on yours, was that wishful thinking? Maybe. “I love you” your eyes skimmed over his features lost in a world of your own and with a suddenly mischievous grin you pulled back from him fastening your seatbelt.

“I love you too, you mocha me very happy”

With an incredulous scoff, Jin fastened his own seatbelt and put the car into drive. “Careful love, you will become worse than me” he warned amusedly, the pride in his voice unmasked. He did love it when you would one up him on his jokes. Sometimes you would make a competition out of it, an unannounced one so that neither of you could have pre prepared comebacks and see who won. Most times you lost miserably, and the times you won you were absolutely certain that Jin went easy on you. He was the fountain of knowledge when it came to puns.

“But Jin, i am worse than you” giggling like idiots, you turned your gaze to the window prepared for the trip ahead. You had no idea where you were going but as long as you were with Seokjin, you would be absolutely fine.

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

“I swear to god Kim Seokjin, you plan a trip in the middle of the night to somewhere, lord knows where, and you don’t even think to consider checking the gas tank????”

As the car slowly sputtered and came to a stop at the end of the road you turned to look at your desperate boyfriend. “Oh nononnononono, this can’t be happening. I was meant to stop at a station as soon as we exited the city” trying to get the car to start again you bit your lip. Maybe it was the fact that you had placed your trust fully in him, or the fact that he was so sure of this trip, or the fact that he had bragged about this trip for a while now but this end you had not foreseen, and so it made it incredibly amusing for you. 30 minutes outside of your own city and the car had run out of fuel. If it weren’t for Jin’s distressed pleas for the car to start up and for you to forgive him for ruining this trip you would have burst out laughing a while back.

Deciding to end his misery you grabbed for his hand, now clammy from stress. “Babe, it’s ok. Let's just get out of the car and try to call someone to check the car out. We ran out of gas, it happens” rubbing your finger over the back of his hand in an attempt to call him you used your other hand to try to look for your phone.

Only to remember that in your hurry you had left without it. Groaning, you did not want to panic Jin more than he was so you did not mention your own phones. Knowing him, he’s forgotten his at home on purpose. On days when he had plans with you, he would make it a point to not spend time on his phone. Thanking your lucky stars you at least had your cards with you and some cash.

“I’m really really really sorry love” Jin gave you a pleading look. Shaking your head you sighed and opened your door. “Come on lover boy, let's get this situation fixed”

A couple of steps into the trek you finally hear the car being locked and the sound of pounding footsteps behind you. You walked in silence for 15 minutes, neither of you knowing what to say. You were decently tired and hungry but more worried about Jin’s state of mind. On the other hand your boyfriend was berating himself for ruining a perfectly planned day and probably making you upset for doing so. Finding the service phone by the side of the road you quickly phoned for someone to come and fix the situation and they informed you it may take a couple of hours to get to you. But it was better than nothing. You would probably miss entirely what Jin’s planned for you but you could always make the most of what you currently had. Now, on the way back to the car you finally sneaked a glance at your own boyfriend.

Catching his own worried gaze you looked away. You were in the middle of almost nowhere, stuck, without a car or food, it was still extremely early, and yet all you could think of was how handsome Jin looked. In the soft morning glow reflected on his skin and his messy hair stuffed under his cap, you realised how lucky you were. Misinterpreting your long stare he bit his lip, “Are you angry?” You did not want to respond to him, not yet at least. If you did you would either burst out in giggles or you would end up trying to comfort him, and you had no time to spare at the moment. Was it mean? Probably but you swore to yourself you would make it up to him. “Love” he kept insisting, “Y/N, are you angry?” Only when you heard the sadness creep into his usual tone of voice did you stop and look at him.

You opened your mouth to reply to him, but he would not allow you to speak yet. Afraid that you would start telling him how awful of a boyfriend he is, gone for long periods of time and when he is finally home he clearly cannot do anything proper, he starts stumbling over his words trying to explain himself to you. “Love, i’m so so so sorry. I did not mean for this to happen. I had the whole thing planned, i was going to take us to the seaside today so we can watch the sunrise and sunset on the beach like you have always wanted, and we were going to enjoy a picnic and a nice dip in the ocean and i was going to take you to the fair at night time so we can ride the ferris wheel and have a romantic kiss at the top and…”

As adorable as you found a rambling Jin, his red cheeks, his lips which were now extremely swollen from how much he bit them, you could not let him torture himself much longer. You were worried he may end up having a self induced anxiety attack. And you definitely were not angry as he seemed to think you would be.

“Love” you tried once, but in his distress he had stopped listening to you. “Jin” and again, finally having had enough you took three strides towards him and placed your hand over his mouth in a gentle attempt to get him to stop talking.

“It is ok. I am not angry. Not by a long shot. I don’t care about sunrises, I don't care about sunsets, I don't care about ferris wheel rides, I don't care about picnics. Seeing the hurt in his eyes you immediately added, “ I don't care about all these things if they don’t happen with you. Plans get ruined, that is why they are plans. We could have spent the whole day in our pjs and had a coffee pun competition whilst playing games and i would have not minded. We could have spent the whole day just literally doing nothing but staying in bed and I would have not minded. The thought of you even just planning to put all this together even when you are so busy is more than enough for me. Please stop apologising about this. I am not mad at all”

Jin reached out delicately and lowered your hand away from his mouth. “But it’s because I've been so busy that I have fucked up immensely. I wanted to do something nice for you to show you how much I care about you. Being away all the time is hard especially when all i want to do is have you there with me all the time but knowing that i can’t.” A strand of your hair had been blown into your face by the wind and he took his time to fix it for you, his hand dropping down onto the hollow of your neck.

“Babe, i would want nothing more than to be able to be with you all the time, but unfortunately we can’t. And you would get sick of me anyways” you laughed gently. Jin was about to protest but you continued. “ You show me everyday how much you care about me, no matter how busy you are you always take your time to talk even if briefly. You always send me cute pictures and pictures of food, which make me really jealous by the way” Jin laughed, his eyes crinkling.

“And when we do actually get to spend time together we have the best of times no matter what we do. Not because we are doing something out of the ordinary but because we are spending time together. If i’m with you i don’t care what we are doing, it’s the best time of my life” You slowly rose on your toes to press your lips to his. Seeing it as an opportunity Jin tightly wrapped your arms around your waist and lifted you up, forcing you to wrap your legs around his waist with a squeal. A kiss that was meant to last a few seconds ended up with you propped against the side of the car wrapped around Jin’s sturdy frame.

“I love you” he whispered once he settled you back on his feet. “So so so much”

Prepared to answer with a confession of your own, you felt your stomach grumble. The moment now interrupted, both of you started cackling. “I love you too babe,” patting his chest, “but you know what I would love more? Some food.”

“We have a bit more to wait until we get this situation fixed” As if a lightbulb had been turned on Jin jerked away from you. “Wait here” running around to the back of the car he opened it and pulled out a cooler and two tumblrs. Ignoring your inquisitive looks he opened the cooler and got out some vanilla ice cream. Reaching out into the boot again he pulled out a pack of fresh strawberries. Laughing you finally understood.

“Milkshakes?” He held both items in his hands proudly.

When you had told him you would give anything in exchange for spending time with him you meant it. Whether the road trip would have been a success in the end, or you just called it a day after you got your car sorted. But just sitting there on the wayside by the car enjoying your makeshift milkshakes and each other’s company was complete perfection to you and you would not have it any other way.

[robininthelabyrinth]

part 3 of Strange Creatures Brothers Be (aka WWX & NMJ sworn brothers) - part 1, part 2

-

The few days it took for the Wen sect to arrive at the Nightless City counted as among the worst in Wei Wuxian’s life, right alongside the destruction of the Lotus Pier and the continuous agony of that one night and two days on a bare Yiling peak, watching as the cultivation he’d worked so hard to nurture was taken away forever.

Each day, they moved slowly in their caravan, and he followed behind them; each night, he heard screams of agony coming from their camp and thought it might be Nie Mingjue making them.

Each night, the Stygian Tiger Seal pulsed at his breast, resentful energy thick and black and tasting of tar; each night, Wei Wuxian thought: not yet.

The common roads used by all were cleansed of resentful spirits on a regular basis – even with the seal, he might not be able to summon enough of them to defeat the Wen sect’s forces. Not these ones: these were the soldiers Wen Ruohan prized the most, cultivated the most; they were powerful and dangerous, and Wei Wuxian would only ever have one shot at a rescue attempt. If he tried too early, if he wasn’t quick about it, wasn’t smart about it, someone would just cut Nie Mingjue’s throat before Wei Wuxian could get to him.

That was the Wen sect’s way of doing things. Better the other side lose, even if they couldn’t win.

Wei Wuxian had never hated anyone more.

Soon, he promised himself. Soon they would arrive at the Nightless City: the bulk of the army would remain outside, in preparation for any external attack, while the prisoners would be taken inside…and who didn’t know the sort of atrocities Wen Ruohan perpetrated in his Fire Palace?

There would be all the corpses he could want and more.

It was clear that waiting gave him the best chance for victory. It was obvious, even, that Nie Mingjue would prefer to suffer pain now in favor of a successful rescue later, and yet each night Wei Wuxian’s resolve was stretched almost until its breaking point.

Nie Mingjue was suffering – his brother was suffering, his da-ge, the man who’d seen the sorts of atrocities Wei Wuxian had perpetrated, the sort that he could perpetrate, and who’d still chosen to trust him and treat him as the righteous man Wei Wuxian so desperately longed to be. Who’d given him his good name as a shelter from the disdain of the world, who’d shared his sect’s secret history with him, who’d stood beside him…

And Wei Wuxian, who could do something, did nothing.

What sort of indictment of his character was that? He, who thought himself righteous, saw an injustice, an abomination of this magnitude, and did nothing! It was utterly intolerable; he should act at once, free and unrestrained, he should do the impossible just as the Jiang sect always said –

Quicker to anger is quicker to act, but you can’t take an act back once it’s done. If you persist in your path, you will need to be twice as cautious as before.

Wei Wuxian kicked a tree to vent his fury, grimacing as the mild pain in his foot cleared his mind of the rage and fear that clouded it. He was being foolish: the Jiang sect motto said to attempt the impossible, yes, but nowhere did it say that it was advisable to do so without adequate preparation. If you were going to scale a mountain, it wasn’t being weak to first invest in some good shoes and a sturdy rope.

The same principle applied here.

Getting into the Nightless City wasn’t hard at all – elite corps or no, the Wen sect cultivators had been recruited from a myriad of different sects, and they didn’t know each other’s names and faces all that well. Wei Wuxian kept watch at the doctors’ tent, waiting for someone meet their fate; the second they did, he summoned their corpse at once, letting them stand and walk out of the tent.

With the corpse’s eyes averted to avoid anyone seeing that they were white and mindless, Wei Wuxian allowed himself to be seen conversing with them while wearing stolen Wen sect robes. After a few of these, he unleashed the corpse to cause some havoc, ordering it with a whistle to ram itself onto the sword he had stolen – moments later, the other Wen sect cultivators were there, chopping off its head.

“He must have been hiding an injury, and passed away without us knowing it,” the team captain said, and put his hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. I know you were friends.”

Wei Wuxian, who’d fallen to his knees with his head bowed, hair covering his face, murmured something in a voice too low to be heard, allowing the pain of the past few days to come to the surface. He covered his face with his hands.

This team captain was inexperienced, newly promoted, and unsure of himself; his predecessor among the Wen sect elites had fallen to Nie Mingjue’s blade, and he himself was suddenly facing the realization that being a talented soldier didn’t mean anything about his capacity to lead men. He shifted from one foot to another, uncomfortable with the blatant display of emotion, and eventually ordered Wei Wuxian to return to the formation.

Wei Wuxian obeyed, kept his head down, and passed successfully through the gate to the Nightless City.

Once inside, he lingered with his formation only long enough to ensure that he wouldn’t be missed, that no alarm would be immediately raised, and then headed towards the Sun Palace, where the prisoners had be taken. He dredged up ancient memories of the archery competition that felt as if it had happened in another life to try to remember where the receiving hall was – there was no doubt in his mind that that was where Nie Mingjue would be.

Wen Ruohan wouldn’t be able to resist seeing his enemy forced to kneel before his throne.

The only question was whether, after that, he would order him to be taken to be tortured, or if he would simply execute him at once –

No, Wei Wuxian couldn’t think that way. He had to find Nie Mingjue before anything like that could happen.

(The Sygian Tiger seal was hot under his robes. There were plenty of corpses around.)

He found a wall and climbed up, hoping to orient himself. Hoping to find –

“– guess how many times Sect Leader Wen will need to slap your saber to break it?”

Wei Wuxian froze, feeling his fingers clench and his head burn with rage, wanting to immediately murder the person who had said such a thing, and in such a slimy, intimate voice, too – who didn’t know how much Nie Mingjue regretted his father’s death? Who didn’t know that this was Nie Mingjue’s sore spot, his bottom line?

There was the sound of a blow, then the wet sound of a bloody cough – “How dare you dirty Sect Leader Wen’s eyes with your actions!” – the sound of a boot against flesh, followed by the sound of a sword shattering.

A sword, and not a saber: from the sound of metal hitting the floor, it was two-sided, not one, and that meant that Nie Mingjue had been pushed too far; he was fighting back.

They were going to kill him!

Wei Wuxian dropped off the wall at once, landing lightly on the ground and running at top speed around the maze that was the interior of the Sun Palace, pulling out Chenqing as he went – running was not conductive to playing, but he didn’t care. Let the song be ugly and wretched, let it be too sharp and too broken, just like he would be if he lost anyone else.

The seal’s power amplified his playing even though he wasn’t actively using it yet, and the corpses beneath the Nightless City began to rise up to his call: there were so many of them, countless numbers; even he hadn’t thought there would be so many. With the seal, he would be able to summon them all –

“Wei-gongzi?”

Wei Wuxian’s head turned in shock, and he even stopped playing for a moment. “Sect Leader Lan? How are you here?”

“I’ve led a combined set of forces to attack the western gate,” Lan Xichen explained, and that made sense: the forces Wei Wuxian was with had come from the southern gate, and the Nightless City was large enough that they wouldn’t cross paths until they came here to the center. “The gate there was left open for us – I have a spy on the inside that’s helping us. He’s going to try to assassinate Wen Ruohan when he’s not expecting it…Wei-gongzi, why are you playing? You can’t summon corpses now – if you interfere before my spy sends the signal…”

Wei Wuxian stared at Lan Xichen. “I don’t care about your stupid signal!” he shouted. “They’re going to kill da-ge!”

Lan Xichen’s eyes widened. “Mingjue-xiong? But he’s at Heijian –”

“No, he’s not; he’s here. He was captured at Yangquang; it was a trap – a trap we went into based on your faulty information, no less! Your spy on the inside, how sure are you of him?”

“I’m certain –”

Wei Wuxian sneered, the resentful energy he’d already summoned up cloaking him; the seal’s resentful energy beating against his chest like another heartbeat. “Well, I’m not.”

He had always known that he would only have one chance to rescue Nie Mingjue – he wasn’t going to risk missing it. He lifted Chenqing to his lips and played.

Lan Xichen’s sword was drawn, but he didn’t turn it against Wei Wuxian the way he’d almost half-expected he would; instead, with a helpless expression, he turned to defend him as the Wen sect finally noticed they were there, rushing against them to stop Wei Wuxian’s playing.

As if a few Wen sect cultivators could stop him when he was using the Stygian Tiger Seal.

The power was unlike anything he’d ever felt before: the Burial Mounds had been like this, full of seething energy, but he hadn’t had the seal then; this time, he was in a place of death, death and murder and torture, dishonorable deaths that could only lead to resentment and regret, and the seal was finally able to fully unleash its true power.

It was a mistake.

Wei Wuxian realized it too late. The resentful energy was like a wild horse refusing to take to the rein; it was like being a child again and trying to control Suibian, except that Suibian had been his, made for him and bound to him with his blood, and it had loved him even before he’d become its master.

The Tiger Seal had no love for him, barely any use for him – except as a vessel.

He couldn’t make his fingers stop moving over the flute, couldn’t stop the resentful energy from filling his heart and lungs; he was summoning too many of the dead and he knew it, they would kill everyone they saw, kill them all, Wen sect and Sunshot Campaign alike – he himself would die, ripped apart by the backlash, and Nie Mingjue would be dead, too, and it would all be for nothing, a victory for the Sunshot Campaign crowned in ash and blood –

Arms wrapped around him from behind.

There was no intent to attack that he detected, or he would have responded; they are firm, unyielding, but not angry. Nie Mingjue’s voice rang in Wei Wuxian’s ear: “Stop it.”

Wei Wuxian wanted to, he did, he longed to stop it, but he couldn’t –

“Wei Wuxian. I know you can do this. Stop it now.”

Wei Wuxian bit his lip, summoning all the frayed parts of his willpower, and – stopped.

It felt as if his heart stopped with it.

Chenqing fell to the floor.

“Well done,” his sworn brother said. “Well done, A-Xian.”

And suddenly his lungs could work again, his heart could beat again; his soul dropped back down into his body. He turned: Nie Mingjue was standing, somehow, body broken and bloody as it was, with Lan Xichen and another man in Wen sect robes – a small man, Nie Huaisang’s height or less, but with a gentle face – not far behind him.

“Da-ge…” Wei Wuxian whispered, his lips and voice cracked and painful. “Da-ge, Wen Ruohan…”

“Wen Ruohan is dead,” Lan Xichen said. “A-Yao killed him before he could kill Mingjue-xiong.”

There was a flicker of anger on Nie Mingjue’s face, but it died quickly. “We need to get the situation stabilized,” he said. “The Wen sect is distracted by the army of fierce corpses – we should retreat and leave them to it, recover our own strength even as theirs is depleted.”

“And leave the Nightless City to the dead? We can’t do that!” Lan Xichen protested. “If we don’t purify the corpses soon, this city will become another Burial Mound!”

“Purification will not be any more or less difficult if it waits a few days for Wei Wuxian and I to heal,” Nie Mingjue argued, implacable – and oh, Wei Wuxian liked that, he liked that they were a group in Nie Mingjue’s mind. It was as it should be: sworn brothers standing together, shoulder-to-shoulder, against all threats, against all comers.

He smiled and closed his eyes, resting his head against Nie Mingjue’s shoulder, utterly depleted by his use of the Stygian Tiger seal. He had faith that Nie Mingjue would win this argument.

“To abandon the living, even our enemies, to the dead goes against all principle –”

“We are not abandoning them,” Nie Mingjue said sharply. “A retreat will enable us to summon reinforcements from the remainder of our forces, which will allow us to avoid unnecessary losses. If any Wen cultivator wishes to seek refuge with us, they will be welcome to become prisoners of war, to be treated in accordance with the law.”

“But –”

The smaller man cleared his throat. “Xichen-xiong, perhaps we should defer to Sect Leader Nie for now; we would not want to aggravate his injuries any further by being – unduly intransigent.”

His voice was intimate and gentle, seeming almost inappropriate in a place of death like this.

Wei Wuxian opened his eyes even as his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles going white with fury.

He knew that voice.

This was the man who’d been torturing Nie Mingjue inside the hall just now.

[melancholymaz]

Enceinte (3)

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader 

Summary: Now at 16 weeks in your pregnancy, The avengers have been taking the Uncle and Aunty role with pride, With your nursery being built and painted. But it’s game night and what better way to do that than have the avengers have a sleepover? 

Warnings: Sad!Nat turns into Soft!Nat and couldn’t help but end it in domestic!Avengers. Swearing and Bucky and Steve cheating at Uno. Also talks of parents disowning their child.

Y/S/P = Your sexual preference 

A/N: Here���s part 3! I am so deeply sorry it’s taken this long! Enjoy!

Deciding to live in the compound while pregnant has been both a blessing and a curse. Unfortunately with your parents having disowned you when you came out as Y/S/P, you didn’t have very many people to tell, besides a few friends and cousins, To which they were ecstatic. 

The positives are that Nat doesn’t miss a thing as her and the team have decided to only go on missions unless necessary. So now they can be there for milestones or help if you ever need it. Even Carol has decided to stay until her niece or nephew is born. You and Natasha have both been reading pregnancy and baby books and even Tony had the two of you sleep in a spare room temporarily as him and the team combine your room with the vacant one next door for the baby’s nursery which is now ready to decorate. In about 3 weeks you’ll be having your gender reveal, as you and Nat had agreed you were far too excited to wait to see if your baby was a boy or a girl. Despite it being your first pregnancy, Your 16 week baby bump was very much noticeable, and now  you didn’t look like you ate too much the night before, like you did when your bump was first starting to grow.

You’ve been keeping as active as you could, doing mild workouts during the day to keep as fit as you can. You’ve noticed your skin has become a bit more clearer, as the ‘pregnancy glow’ makes it’s mark.  Sometimes you’ll have random blood noses, which is normal as Dr Cho had to convince Nat a hundred times, but it didn’t make them any less annoying. Warm baths and back massages had become your best friend as your bump starts to grow, If your back pain is bad now you dread the pain that is to come. You’ll even become dizzy at random points during the day, and it’s handy having the avengers around to easily catch you if you start to sway. 

You’ve started wearing maternity clothes, to which Nat loves. Your choice in bras have become different thanks to your ever growing breasts, and she loves finding new ways to take them off as fast as she can. The only thing she loves to pout about is the fact you’ve started sleeping on your left side, as now it’s rare she gets to see your face as you both lay in bed together. That doesn’t stop her from rubbing and talking to the baby every night though. 

Finishing up in the gym for the day, you wipe your forehead to rid the sweat and take a swig from your drink bottle, taking a breather before you say goodbye to Steve and Bucky who are both training together. Making your way to Your’s and Nat’s bedroom, you pass Wanda and Carol in the hallway, who asks you how you were feeling and if you needed anything, much to your gratitude.

As you enter your room you immediately notice somethings wrong. You hear a sniffle before a soft cry, and you notice it’s coming from the nursery. A frown settles on your face as you walk in and you can’t help the feeling of your heartbreaking a little. There Nat sit’s in the middle of the empty room crying, staring up at the half finished Winnie the pooh themed wall mural Steve has started, making sure to leave a spot blank to paint the baby’s name when you and Nat have decided on one. 

“Babe? What’s the matter?” You ask, slowly coming up behind her, placing your hands on her shoulders, softly peering at her face. Her puffy eyes look up at you and she gives you a small sad smile. “I thought I was the one that was supposed to be emotional.” 

“I’m sorry, I just came in here to see the mural but then I couldn’t help but think how surreal all of this is. I mean I never would have thought 2 years ago that you’d be my girlfriend much less pregnant with our first child. I mean all my life I thought I’d never have kids much less a partner. I used to have nothing, and now I’ve got this job... and this, family that couldn’t love us any more.” 

“It does seem a bit crazy doesn’t it.” You say softly, lightly massaging her shoulders as she lets a few more tears fall. You know the best thing right now is to just comfort her and let her have her moment. 

“I am so incredibly lucky to have the team, and you, and especially our baby. Everything I’ve ever wanted right here and I don’t know how or why I deserve it.” 

“To be quite honest with you my love I think we’re the lucky ones. To have someone so loving and forgiving like you is definitely rare. Beans going to have the most protective and playful mama, and I think I can speak for the team when I say there’s no one that could ever replace you. You deserve all of this, The team, the family and most importantly me and our baby.” You tell her honestly, placing her hand on your bump. 

“You think so?” She asks with so much uncertainness. 

“I know so.” You smile, to which she returns. 

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Nat replies, the soft smile on her face as she looks up at you. 

“Yeah, multiple times.” You smile. “Now come on, we’re gonna go have a shower and go see the team, It’s game night.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” 

-

“This game is bullshit!” Sam screams, slamming his uno cards on the table before standing up and kicking his chair. “He’s cheating!! There is no way he can win game 5 times in a row!! He just picked up 4 cards!” 

“Stop being a sore loser.” A smug Bucky says, taking joy in his friends rage. 

“Stand up and clean out your pockets.” You demand, also annoyed at your friend. Bucky does as you say with a smug smile on his face, pulling his pockets from his shorts and jumper, proving he didn’t cheat. When he sit’s down however, you catch something in the corner of your eye and you shake your head with scoff when Steve subtly high fives Bucky under the table. Nat must have seen it to, because she too shakes her head and speaks up. 

“Steven, my lovely captain.” Natasha says albeit too sweetly. 

“Yes Nat?” He replies, probably too quickly to come off as nonchalant.

“Would you like to stand up and empty your pockets too?” I finish instead, smiling at the blonde who looks at Bucky then stands and does the same, which ends in him pulling out roughly 10 cards from his sweatpants pocket. 

“Are those Bucky’s Cards?” Wanda asks, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

“...no?” Steve replies. “They’re mine?” 

“Steve is that or is it not Bucky’s cards?” Carol asks this time, her face stern, which you know is making Steve slightly panic. You see Bucky staring at Steve, almost daring him to lag on him. 

“Okay fine. Buck and I made a deal that I would help him win because he always loses and he’s sick of Sam and Y/N always winning.” Steve confesses ashamedly, Bucky’s eyes widening in betrayal. 

“I KNEW IT!!” Sam yells. Nat just stares dumbfounded, meanwhile Tony, Rhodey and Bruce just watch things unfold shaking their head in disappointment, Wanda and Carol stand up and start packing up the Uno cards as they both know no one will want to play after this. You, however, stare at Bucky with betrayal and hurt. 

“You always say you want me to win! This is discrimination against pregnant women.” You joke, to which Nat laughs behind you. 

“I think he wanted you to win so the baby will be named after him.” Rhodey inputs. 

“Definitely won’t be now.” You say to which Bucky frowns. “Sorry pal lost your chance.” 

“What-” 

“Yeah because we all know the baby’s gonna be named after me.” Tony interrupts Bucky, pouring himself a drink at the bar. 

“Jokes on all of you, we’re not naming the baby after any of you.” Nat replies, smiling matter-of-factly after nearly everyone looks at her offended.  “You all suck.” 

“Besides me.” Carol says, sticking her hand up. 

“No definitely you.” Is Rhodey’s reply, causing Carol to throw the uno cards at him. Everyone begins to move into the common room, deciding to chill before someone picks a movie. 

“Speaking of the baby, what’s the update?” Steve walks in, handing Wanda the chip bowl, who thanks him quietly. 

“Well, Bean should be starting to hear sounds now hopefully, muscles are getting stronger and should be having coordinated arm and leg movement.” You explain, the team listening attentively. 

“And Bean is now the size of an apple!” Natasha quickly adds. 

“Seriously can’t wait to be an uncle.” Tony says, scratching his greying goatee. “How are you wanting to do the gender reveal?” 

“Well so far it’s just gonna be all of us, Pete, Clint and his family, Fury, Sharon and Maria. Thor too if he’s back in time from Asgard. We’ll get Dr. Cho to put the respective colour in a big balloon and we’ll have like mini games and just have a fun time with all of us.” Nat explains. The team nods, and you can see Tony’s gears in his head rolling, probably just promoted himself the event planner. 

“There is to be no one invited without our permission.” You direct to Tony, who just nods. 

Just an hour later you and the team have all set up mattresses and blankets all over the common room, deciding to have a sleepover all together. Bruce and Rhodey as an exception as they believe they’re “too old” to have sleepovers. You and Nat set up on the end of all the mattresses, in case need to go toilet during the night. You’re surprised everyone agreed to do it, considering they’re the earths mightiest heroes. 

-

As the end credits of the fourth movie rolls around, you look around to see everyone but you and Nat have fallen asleep. You move back down and start to wiggle around to find a comfortable spot, but end up failing miserably. 

“You okay babe?” Nat asks, lightly rubbing your back after you groan for the third time. 

“Just can’t seem to get comfortable.” You mumble back, trying to fall asleep. 

“Would you like me to go get your new pregnancy pillow?” She asks laying her head on your shoulder, to which you nod softly. Nat gives you a kiss on the cheek before she stands and steps over you to go get your pillow from your shared room. When she comes back a few minutes later, she helps you position yourself and when you finally find a comfortable spot, you can’t help but sigh in relief. 

“Thank you my love.” You mumble, already drifting off. 

“Go to sleep Malysh, I’ll try to not keep you awake while I say goodnight to Bean.” Nat whispers, already moving down to talk to your bump. You hum in goodnight before you drift off into a deep slumber. 

Malysh = Baby

[keanureevesisbae]

The alluring charm of Henry Cavill - Epilogue

Summary: A few months have passed. How are Adelaide and Henry holding up? 

Henry Cavill x Adelaide Park (ofc)

Wordcount: 2k

Warnings: None

Masterlist // Previous chapter //

‘Hello everybody,’ Henry says into the camera.

His beautiful girlfriend sits next to him on a chair, but since she is so short, her legs are dangling off the chair, while he has planted both of his feet on the floor. He looks to the side, simply to take in her beauty, even if it’s just for a short time. ‘My name is Adelaide Park.’

‘And I am Henry Cavill and we are doing the Wired Autocomplete Interview.’

Henry watches these types of interviews religiously and he always wanted to do this. And now he gets to do it with his gorgeous Adelaide.

They recently starred in a new romantic comedy: I’m sorry I hit you with my car. It’s about a woman named Jazz Mitchells, who accidentally hits one of the top attorneys in the country Declan Stanford with her car.  Because of the impact, Declan permanently loses his vision. Jazz feels so guilty, she decides she should become his assistent, since she has a law degree, but due to personal matter hasn’t used it. Obviously—it’s a romantic comedy—they fall in love with one another, though Declan has never seen Jazz. It’s hard on him, since he—surprise surprise—is extremely superficial and only cares about looks.

When Henry read the script, he was slightly intrigued, however when Adelaide was sent the script as well, because the director wanted her as Jazz Mitchels, he was more than intrigued. Starring alongside his crazily talented girlfriend made the experience worth while. People already speculated they are dating again, however they have yet to go public. They made up nine months ago, but keep their relationship pretty under the radar. They started out in the public eye and that went south. Despite the two of them not being involved in reality tv, they wanted to take it slow, without the hot and demanding breaths of the fans and paparazzi in their necks.

Henry holds the board for Adelaide, as she peels off the sticker to reveal the first question. ‘Is Adelaide Park Korean?’ She nods as she looks into the camera. ‘One hundred percent.’

Henry can’t help but stare at her and when her eyes meet his, she flashes him a lovely smile. He’ll never get tired of seeing that smile.

‘Is Adelaide Park related to Park Jimin from BTS?’ She starts to chuckle. ‘No, but I wish. Wouldn’t that be super awesome? If that were the case though, I’d rub that fact into people’s faces everywhere I go. Okay, next one: is Adelaide Park tall?’

Henry can’t help but snort. ‘She is everything but tall,’ he says, before she gets the chance to answer it.

She pouts as she looks his way and his heart swells at the sight. ‘No?’

‘Sorry, Addy.’ He bumps his knee against hers.

‘Is Adelaide Park Lara Croft?’ Adelaide’s smile becomes brighter and brighter. ‘Well, I’m going to portray her very very soon. I’m so excited, because this will be my first action packed movie.’

Henry looks to the side again, as he watches her beam with pride. When she got the dreading phone call she had been waiting for and the director told her she got the part, she kept it very professional over the phone. However, the second she hung up, tears filled her eyes and she stood in the middle of the kitchen, as she cried with happiness. For the first time she was going to broaden her movie horizon, something she wanted to do so for such a long time. Adelaide is already training pretty hard, so she’s got a more athletic appearance.

He loves the way she is, but the determination she has for this movie, is something he recognizes instantly. Besides, he loves spending even more time with her, as he goes to the same gym as her and together they work out. He even came to the point where he threw everything remotely unhealthy out, so he can eat healthy with her. It’s hard enough already to eat healthy, let alone when he is going to eat his usual snacks right under her nose.

Adelaide has reached the end of the board already and Henry hands it to the woman who gives him the next board. His girlfriend pries the board out of his hands, so she can hold it for him, just like he did for her.

‘Okay, let’s see,’ he says, as he peels off the top sticker. ‘Is Henry Cavill Superman?’ He looks to Adelaide. ‘Am I? I’ve heard I look like the actor, but I don’t really see it.’

She studies his face. ‘Hmm… No, Superman is way hotter than you.’

He spots the mischievous smile on her face that he has come to love. She sticks out her tongue and he can’t help but smile at her.

‘Is Henry Cavill a nerd? I think I qualify as a nerd.’

Adelaide’s eyes widen. ‘You think? You are the biggest nerd I have ever encountered, you dork.’

Henry bumps his shoulder against hers. ‘Is Henry Cavill dating Adelaide Park?’

After they talked about it over coffee and took a swim, they have been on multiple dates and it didn’t take long before they simply fell into their trusted routines. He moved into her apartment when filming and promoting became a daily routine for awhile and the second he stepped in, he realized he was home.

Not long after that, he met her parents. Adelaide is a copy of her dad, look wise and personality wise.They have the same smile and share the same adorable traits; when they eat, they pout, when they watch a movie, they frown. Her mother on the other hand, is a lot more serious and continued to threaten him. She told him multiple times in an ice cold way how she’ll run him over multiple times with her electrical wheelchair if he ever hurts her again.

He is not doubting her at all, but he can guarantee he’ll never do something that idiotic again. He loves Adelaide more than anything in the world and he would be an absolute moron if he ever let her go.

When they were casted for this romantic comedy together, it was such a magical moment. Despite him playing a blind man for seventy five percent of the movie (minus the beginning and the multiple flashbacks), during certain scenes he couldn’t stop staring at Adelaide. Taking in her beauty was becoming so normal for him, that not doing that felt wrong.

During their sex scene, the director wanted to put the focus on him taking in her beauty with his touch, instead with his sight. Touching her wasn’t a problem for him, because he loved touching her, but not getting turned on by her was the hardest part of it all and let’s just say he had to drag her to his trailer afterwards.

‘I am dating Adelaide Park,’ Henry finally says with a disgusting grin on his face. ‘I know a lot of people have been suspecting it for awhile now, but I can confirm that as a matter of fact, we are indeed dating.’ He holds her hand and she starts to blush, because he looks at her, probably with heart eyes, since that always makes her blush. ‘And I’m so incredibly lucky.’

◎ ◎ ◎

When they are home, Adelaide kicks off her shoes and rushes to the couch. With her eyes closed, she is sprawled out on the cushions. ‘Henry,’ she calls out for him, causing him to walk over to her. He sits on the edge of the couch and she holds out her hands for him. ‘Can I have a hug?’ she asks with a slight pout. ‘I don’t feel too good.’

‘Why, love? What’s wrong?’ Henry asks, placing her hand on her cheek.

‘I think I’ve got that nasty flu,’ she says. ‘I felt a little funny during the interview, but now I can finally relax and I feel even worse than before.’ Adelaide sighs and closes her eyes again. ‘Please? That hug?’

He gets on the couch with her, lifting her on his chest and wraps his arms tightly around her. When Henry gently kisses her forehead, he notices she is already heating up a bit. ‘Ah, my love, I think you might be right. Good thing I love taking care of you. You’ll be better in no time.’

‘We need to cancel my parents,’ she mentions. They were supposed to meet them tomorrow, but knowing Adelaide she doesn’t want her mother coming down with this, something that he completely understands, though he is a bit disappointed they are not going to her parents. Spending time with the Parks, is always nice and he loves her parents as if they were his own. Hearing their stories from pre-actress Adelaide are both heartbreaking and encouraging. They love one another in a way they’ll know they can rely on each other. ‘How about we’ll prepare the couch, so it’s a bit more comfortable for us and I’ll make you some chicken broth? You want to watch some tv or a movie?’

She looks up at him with glassy eyes, a clear sign she is indeed coming down with something. ‘I know you wanted to hang out with David tonight and you can still do that. I’m a big girl, I can manage.’

He was jealous of what Adelaide and David had. They were very close friends and a simply look was enough for them to tell each other a lot. Now David Castañeda is one of his best friends and he loves it when they can hang out together. ‘Not when you’re sick. David will understand.’ He lets his hand run over her cheek. ‘I’m sorry you feel like this.’

She shrugs. ‘There have been plenty of moments where I was all alone when I was sick. Now you are here with me, that makes it more doable. Besides, I took care of you and your upset stomach a few weeks ago. It’s only fair that you take care of me right now.’

He chuckles. ‘It’s my absolute pleasure, love.’

After he prepared the couch for her, even helped her changing into something more comfortable and removed her make-up, he heats up some soup for her, as she is watching television. He has already called off David, who actually has come down with a bit of a sore throat himself and rather hangs on his mother’s couch, so they’ll simply reschedule.

Henry plops on the couch again and Adelaide maneuvers herself between his legs, her back against his chest, as she eats her soup.

Henry prizes himself lucky every single day that he is dating this wonderful woman, who has shown him so much. He fucked it up once, but that is not going to happen again. They are in this together and they are going to stay in this together. The movie industry can be a tough one and at first he dreaded the times that he would be in LA, missing his family dearly. However, now he is with Adelaide and no matter where they are, as long as they are together, they are home.

His phone vibrates and he sees he has a message from his brother. He quickly opens it, discretely so Adelaide won’t see it.

Piers: I can finally officially tell you: the arrangements are made. Good thing you told me this far ahead, because that place is booked when it comes to proposals.

Piers: You sure you can wait nine months before you propose to her?

Henry smiles at his phone, before he presses a kiss in Adelaide’s nape. ‘I love you, Addy,’ he whispers to her. ‘You do know that right?’

‘Of course I know that,’ she says as she looks to the side. ‘I love you too.’ When she focuses back on the movie again, he quickly types back a message.

Henry: I can wait, no matter how hard it may seem. I love her a lot, Piers and I’m not letting her go.

Piers: I know you do. Now when are we going ring shopping?

◎ ◎ ◎

A/N: I can’t believe this is the end of this fic 😭😭 Adelaide and Henry are amazing, but I think this is a good place to end the story. I wanna say thank you to everyone who read this. You are fantastic and thank you for the kind words 😘

[ink-and-flame]

Kinktober Day 0: Intensity Caged part 2

Fandom: Original Tags: Exophilia, angst, hurt/comfort, Pairing: Orc(m)/Human(f), Darnok/Lia

Word Count: 3534

[Authors Note: I wrote this last night as a bridge between last years kinktober and this years. I have lots of plans for these two and this world]

The event at The Scarlet Eclipse didn’t finish until after midnight, but the caged subs had been taken to the back at midnight to allow the assistance time to remove the costumes and have the medics do a final check on them. Lia had come out of the situation physically ok, her body strangely relaxed, though some places where the jewels had been stuck were a little red from where they had rubbed or the adhesive had stuck particularly well. Otherwise, Lia was in perfect health. Physically at least, mentally was a different story.

As much as she tried not to, she found her eyes searching for Darnok and the woman that was with him. Sometimes he was by himself, but most of the time he was with her. While she did hang on his arm, she did not appear to be overly affectionate with him. Lia never saw them kiss, or show any form of deep intimacy. She was confused, hurt and confused. It didn’t make sense to bring someone he wasn’t even attached to if she was an option. Lia had to believe there was more to the situation than what she saw and she promised herself that when she spoke to Darnok she would keep her emotions in check and do her best to be rational.

It took the attendants a good amount of time to clean off all of the body paint, make up, and glitter. While they were working Lia was brought refreshments, plenty of water, a protein drink, and some fruits, nuts, and cheeses. They advised that a heavy meal might not sit well, but that she still needed to eat something. Lia found it to be refreshing and was glad that she didn’t feel sick. It would be difficult to hold a conversation if she was nauseous the whole time, though the nausea could still happen. Seeing Darnok with the other woman had caused her stomach to drop in a rather unpleasant way.

Once clean Lia dressed in the comfortable loungewear she had brought with her at Darnok’s recommendation. After that evening, she needed to feel softness and warmth again. The material was her favorite, the most cozy sleep set she owned. Not that she would usually go out in public in pajamas, but this was a unique situation. Once dressed she was escorted to the lounge area with the other subs and encouraged to just relax while the staff helped the party wind down. 

Some of the subs were sitting together, chatting quietly in hushed tones. Others were off by themselves having brought entertainment with them. Lia had not thought to pack a book or anything other than her phone. Though she noticed a couple others looked like they might be sleeping and a nap sounded glorious. She wondered if she would see Darnok again, or if he would just leave. At least she had been smart enough to drive herself. That way she wasn’t stranded. 

Time passed seemingly slowly but eventually people began to filter in. Lia realized it was the Dominants, the other half of the pairs. She watched as subs were praised and doted on. It made something twist inside Lia and she found herself having to turn away, pretending she was just getting more comfortable where she was sitting. As more time passed Lia worried that Darnok had indeed left her there. She felt hot tears prick at her eyes but she relaxed her face, took several slow breaths, and blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. 

Almost ready to just leave she heard Darnok’s unmistakable voice followed by a laugh that made the hair rise on the back of Lia’s neck. Turning she saw Darnok with the woman from earlier. It was bad enough she had to see them together at the event, but now this? Lia was ready to just walk out, this was not what she had agreed to. However, before she could move to stand the woman moved past Darnok and over to one of the other subs and began to dote on them. Now Lia was completely confused and her emotions were a mess. 

Darnok stepped over to Lia with a big smile on his face. “Oh Lia my dear you were wonderful. I heard nothing but nice things from the staff. You behaved so well, and apparently were an ideally behaved sub even in sub-space. I am so thrilled you were able to achieve that. I hope it wasn’t too rough for you, are you sore?”

Lia just blinked slowly at Darnok. Maybe she misunderstood the situation completely. He was still going to have to explain some things, but some of the hurt began to fade as Darnok praised her. “I feel ok. Some soreness and stiffness, but overall I am alright.”

“You don’t sound alright pet, I am sure you are exhausted. Is there anything I can get you?” Darnok looked Lia over with concern.

“An explanation would be nice.” Her voice was colder than she meant it to be.

Darnok looked confused, the wheels in his head turning. It took a few moments for him to piece together what she might be talking about. “Is this because I changed your attendance from my date to my sub?” 

“That would be part of it. At first I thought one thing, then I saw you at the party and thought another, and now, I am really just not sure what is going on.” Lia hated the way she sounded, like some bitter jealous person, but maybe she was. 

“Ahh, yes, let me explain. When I heard more details about the event I realized that this was simply an opportunity that could not be passed up. V.I.P. access is not just given to anyone, you can’t even buy it no matter how rich you are. I knew you could handle this, even though I am sure it pushed your limits. I have such confidence in your abilities and while you have not been a member long, I feel that this was the kind of opportunity you might regret passing up. I spoke with the owners, explained that while you were new I was confident that you would be perfect for this, and they agreed.” Darnok was smiling, reaching out he stroked Lia’s cheek.

“I will admit, there was a part of me that envied you this opportunity. They made it clear that you being granted access would not mean that I would be granted access as well, and nothing is guaranteed. They will be going over the performances of the subs tonight and eliminating any that they feel did not do well enough to be granted access.” Darnok rubbed the back of his neck. “That is where my date came in.” He held Lia’s hand. “It was purely professional I assure you. I am not exactly her type. The woman you saw me with is Morwenna Gould, a prominent Domme at this club. She has sway and influence beyond most here. Joining her put me in a position where I could be granted access as well, and I.” Darnok paused.

“Lia.” Lifting her chin with one large finger. “I feared if you went without me, that you would replace me. There are others that I know can offer you more than I am able to, and I did not want to lose you.” There was a half smile on his face. “Even I can be insecure sometimes, and for any hurt this caused you I am deeply sorry.”

It was a lot to take in, Lia listened, keeping to her promise that she would make sure her emotions stayed in check. Once she knew the whole situation it made more sense, it didn’t heal all the hurt, but it helped. Knowing the woman was not someone he loved, or was intimately tied to helped more than any other part of his explanation. Seeing his insecurity laid bare made her skin flush. His eyes were so earnest, so open, she could not resist the desire to simply forgive him and push it all off as a misunderstanding.

“I am sorry too, I should not have let my mind and emotions run away with me. I guess it hurt a little at first when you changed things, and then hurt more when I saw you with her. I thought I was being replaced, pushed aside, forgotten.” Lia looked away, feeling shame for all that she had felt. 

Darnok turned her face back to his. “Oh Lia, my sweet little pet. I never meant for you to feel such things. Perhaps we should have a deeper conversation later. Discuss our arrangement further.”

Lia nodded, they had needed to have that talk for a while now. Things had been changing for them and perhaps an airing of grievances and a renegotiation could re-spark some of what they had lost. Before Lia could say anything Morwenna had walked up and addressed Darnok, interrupting them.

“Your sub is positively enchanting to look at, I dare say I am quite envious that you possess such a splendid little jewel.” Ms. Gould nodded to Lia giving her a gentle smile. “My dearest if you ever tire of his brutishness, I would be happy to show you a different side of things.” Morwenna winked with a small laugh. “Oh don’t look so scandalized, I tease, I tease.”

“Really, this is not appropriate you will scare her.” Darnok shook his head and looked the Domme up and down. “Did your sub do well?”

“Of course. She is one of my best, perfection really. That isn’t why I am here. I have to say that your sub has impressed the owners more than anyone here. For her first time at such an event, and to my understanding, her first time doing anything like this, she performed above and beyond any expectation and one of the most desired works of art at the party. Whomever chose her look should get a promotion I was simply stunned when you pointed her out.”

Lia’s eyes widened. So Darnok had known who she was. How did she never catch him looking at her. Had she been so caught up in her own head that she missed it. Was he just subtle, not wanting to make her nervous. She would ask him about it, but later. Now that she knew the truth Morwenna no longer upset her, but she did make Lia uneasy.

“I knew my little Lia would be perfect, the moment I was informed of what the sub participation would be, I just knew I had to try and get her involved. I am glad I did. I requested quite a few prints if I am honest.” Darnok patted Lia’s hand.

“Now that I have praised your sub I suppose I should explain why I came over. As you know, I am terribly competitive and with her performance I thought if you both are accepted into the V. I.P. club that perhaps you would be interested in a little wager? Even if you aren’t accepted, I would still be interested.”

“A wager?” Darnok raised a brow.  “What kind of wager?”

“Now, now, none of that. Focus on your sub. We will talk later. I just wanted it to be on your mind.” Morwenna blew a kiss to Lia and headed back over to her sub, the both of them leaving without so much as a backward glance.

Lia looked at Darnok curiously. “It seems we have quite a bit to talk about. I am not sure where we should go for that though?”

“I have a room at the nearby hotel. I figured it would be better than trying to drive back to the city so late.” Darnok handed Lia a small slip of paper.  “You will have to drive there from here, I am not certain you can leave your car here once they close.”

Lia nodded and slipped the paper into her bag before standing. Darnok walked her to her car and made sure she was safely inside before stepping over to a dark vehicle. The driver got out and opened the door for him and Lia watched as Darnok climbed inside the huge SUV. This, along with every other obvious hint, pointed to Darnok having a lot of money. 

When she pulled up to the hotel she was surprised it was so modest. Though Auchendale wasn’t exactly a bustling hub. Nothing like Oreth’Thalor where Darnok lived and worked. Still, it was a nice hotel and Lia felt under dressed in her night clothes. Hoping she wouldn’t get turned away by the front desk, Lia grabbed her bag and headed inside. Darnok was waiting for her with a smile and led her up to his room. Which was a rather nice room if she was honest. 

Sitting on the couch Lia got comfortable as Darnok removed most of his tux, sitting in just the shirt and pants, looking far more comfortable and quite handsome. She sipped at the water he had given her and waited for him to begin speaking. She knew that this was going to be a long conversation.

“We have known each other for quite some time now, and while our relationship began in a rather unorthodox fashion I would not change it. However, I think we are past time for renegotiation's especially since we never really set up anything official. I need you to understand that I keep my vanilla life and this life separate and that is how it must remain. I protect my privacy and it is simply not feasible for me to allow these separate aspects of my life to blend at this time.” Darnok glanced at Lia to see her reaction so far. 

“Our time together recently has been sparse and I would like to change that. I can increase to every other weekend over the next month or so, and then every weekend can be considered based on any time constraints we both have. I understand part of the problem was your job and I was wondering if anything could be done about that? I really would like to see you more than once a month.”

Lia struggled a bit with her schedule and getting consistent days off would not be easy, but it was something she was willing to try and do if it meant seeing him more. “I can work towards that. I can’t promise every weekend, I would lose my job, but I have been there just long enough now that I have a bit more negotiating power with my schedule. I would just need to know in advance which days so I can be prepared.” 

“That won’t be an issue, I can create a calendar and share it with you. It can be one that we use together to help us schedule our time better. I don’t know why it never occurred to me before, but this could help us if we both end up with a day off during the week and can switch out the weekend day, give us some variety.” He was smiling now, it was a soft gentle smile.

“I know that for a while we were testing limits, pushing ourselves and we lost that as our time together was compromised. I would like to try and get back to that when we feel ready. I know you have so much potential in you and I would love to see you bloom.”

Lia blushed as she thought of some of the limits they had spoken of before and was curious to see if they could recapture some of what they had before. She knew her feelings for him had changed and they were a lot more muddy and complicated now. After their little excursion into the city, she wondered if maybe they could try dating again, but wasn’t sure if this was the right time to suggest it.

“We will have to keep our meetings to The Scarlet Eclipse and Possibly this hotel. I am impressed with the service here so I may use it more, perhaps for a long weekend. Something we had not tried yet. As I said my privacy is important to me and trips into the city, dates and such will have to cease.” Darnok could see the emotion in Lia’s eyes before she could hide it. “I know it seems harsh but it is necessary to maintain the separation between the two sides of my life.” Leaning forward Dar smiled gently at Lia. “I want you as my sub, I want this to continue, but we need more structure so we both can get what we need from this.”

Lia felt as if she had much less say and control over their relationship than he did, this all seemed to be more in his favor than hers, but then she was the sub and she did not want to lose him. Maybe this would be temporary as Darnok sorted out their new normal. It could change, they had changed in the past, and could again. Maybe they just needed to get back to the basics, back to what drew them together in the first place. Maybe then he would remember their passion, remember what made him mark her that first night.

“I want you as my dominant, more than I realized at first. I really have never had anything like this and I don’t want to lose it. You are probably right, you know more about this lifestyle than I do and maybe structure is something we have needed for a while.” She smiled, but there was hesitation there and she knew he could see it.

“Oh sweet Lia, please don’t take this personally or as something wrong. You said it well, we need structure, and this is the best way to achieve that. Come here darling, let me hold you just for a little while. You don’t have to stay the night if you are uncomfortable with that.”

Lia stood and moved over to Darnok, sliding easily into his lap and leaning into his powerful chest. She knew herself well enough to know she would not go home tonight. She would share his bed, give herself to him if he desired it, and wake up in his arms wanting him more than she already did. It couldn’t be helped, she had grown attached and she would take anything he offered. 

The night went almost as Lia expected. They shared a bed, and Darnok did desire her. What she had not expected was the intensity, the passion, and how gentle he was. It felt more like love making than sex, and it broke her heart even more. For a brief moment Lia felt what she imagined someone he cared for might feel with him. Something she hoped to be true, he couldn’t be this way if the emotions weren’t actually there could he?

Morning came and she was reluctant to leave, but they both had lives to get back to and Lia had a lot to think about. She wasn’t sure how long it would be before their visits started up again. Something she was both eager for and dreading slightly.

After a few days she received an invite to a shared calendar and was able to renegotiate her schedule. She had gotten quite lucky that a few other people were looking to adjust their schedules as well to accommodate their own needs and it worked out in her favor. It felt like the only thing that was working out for her so far. She had not heard back from the club and was afraid that Darnok would get the V.I.P. invite and she wouldn’t. A thought that hadn’t really worried her until her imagination decided to run away with that idea. 

It was only a few days before they were to meet up since the event that Lia finally heard from the owners of The Scarlet Eclipse. She sat down hard on the couch as she read the letter, the discreet black card falling onto her lap. She had been accepted. Her Membership fee was waived for the first year of her new status and would start up again at a different rate if she chose to keep it. 

This was a bit of a shock as that part had not been mentioned. The basic membership she had started with was quite affordable, but she had been forced to upgrade to help accommodate what both her and Darnok required. It wasn’t cheap, and she worried just how much the V.I.P. membership was going to cost after the first year. She was sure that would be provided at some point and decided it was best to just enjoy it and worry about cost later. 

[holylulusworld]

More than my daddy’s boss

Summary: Two years later you are still with Dean only for your father to ruin your life.

Pairing: AU Dean x Reader, Benny Lafitte, unnamed father

Warnings: angst, age gap (Dean is around 38; Reader 25), smut, unprotected sex, dirty talk, shower sex, secrets, ‘the family business’, violence, blood, language, protective/possessive Dean, comforting, fluff

Sequel to: My daddy’s boss

“Baby, you take me so well, every fucking time.” Pressed against the cool tile wall, your legs around Dean’s waist you hold tight onto his shoulder as he merciless plunges into you.

Dean was on a business trip for over a week and now he wants to catch up with the time he lost to have his way with you. Cries along with chants of your lover’s name leave your lips as you rest your head against the tile wall, just watching Dean working his cock into you.

“Such a sight, Y/N. Impaled on my cock, nipples stiff and your eyes only fixated on me, Sweetheart. Shit, you are the best fuck I ever had.” Cursing Dean slides harder into you, pressing another high out of your sore pussy.

“Dean…oh…god!” Nails biting into Dean’s shoulders you come crying out his name till your voice is hoarse.

“That’s it, Baby, …fuck…I’m gonna fill you up.” Trembling you feel Dean coat your walls, not caring about the dirty noises he makes.

Panting he nips at your neck, still holding your body in a tight grip. You are his and he wants you to feel it in your bones. For over two years he makes sure no other man comes close to you, not even your father.

Last month he had to send Benny to your father’s house as he didn’t stop calling your old phone. The phone Dean let disappear to make sure you only have contact with people he approved. Dean calls it love and protection – Sam calls it control and possessiveness.

“Missed you D’. How was your business trip?” While Dean is busy marking your neck with another hickey you slide your fingers through his damp hair.

“Boring without you. I wish you could’ve come with me. Why didn’t your boss give you a week off?” Dean mutters against your skin.

Hating the fact, you refused to give up your job. Still working for as Dean calls him ‘Magnum’ you earn enough money to be independent and that’s important to you.

“I love my job, D’, you know that. Mr. Masters tried anything to give me a week off, but my colleague got sick and I had to help him out. Next time I’ll get a few days off, Baby.” Smirking Dean presses his forehead to yours, groaning dirty words against your lips.

“Love it when you call me Baby, Y/N. Why don’t you quit your job and work for me?” Tracing your nipple with his thumb Dean causes a gasp to leave your lips and his smirk gets wider.

“Dean, I love you and what we have but I need more. I want to be independent and make my own money. I don’t want anyone to believe I got the job as I’m banging my hot boss.” Chuckling Dean nips at your lips, growling when you fist his hair harshly.

“I’m a hot boss, Sweetheart? Why not working for me then? Could show you my ass and all every day and bend you over my desk to make you scream during lunch break.” Dean won’t give up till you quit your job, so he keeps on bugging you.

“No, Winchester…” Narrowing your eyes you huff as Dean pulls out of you, pouting. “Won’t work, Dean. I’m always with you. Day and night, okay. I barely have any friends left, don’t have contact with my father. Let me have my job, Baby.”

“I’ll make you a better offer…” Dean states before he walks out of the shower, leaving you stunned behind.

Lately, you have the feeling your boyfriend gets possessive about you. Every time a man tries to get closer to you Dean or Benny are there to scare him off. Even Sam mentioned Dean is like an Alpha, trying to mark his territory.

Taking a deep breath, you walk out of the bathroom, to move your hands over Dean’s back, kissing his shoulder softly.

“D’, I’m all yours. Just let me have one thing you can’t control. I’ve got the feeling I’m losing control over my life every day more since we are a thing. I love you but sometimes you suffocate me.”

“I love you, Y/N. That’s not suffocating. It’s called caring about my girlfriend.” Dean is pissed and you can feel the tension in his body.

“Sorry, Baby. I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just…” Sighing you cup Dean’s cheek to press a soft kiss to his lips. “Let me do my job. Masters is no threat for you, D’. He’s gay…”

Two weeks later you can’t believe you lost your job. All these years you thought Mr. Masters appreciates your work but instead of promoting you a new colleague got the position you wanted for so long.

In the end, Mr. Masters told you he’s not satisfied with your work any longer and suggested to ‘let you go’. While you carry your box toward Dean’s house you sniffle lightly. You put so much effort into your job for nothing.

The door opens before you can get your keys out. “Baby, already home?” Dean cocks a brow, taking the box out of your hands, glancing at the inherits. “Something wrong?”

Sobbing you hold out your arms and Dean drops the box to hold you in his arms. “He…” Choking on your words you cry into Dean’s chest and he has no clue what possibly could be wrong.

“Just tell me, Baby Girl.”

“My boss gave the promotion he promised me someone working for him for two months. Masters said that he’s no longer satisfied with my work and fired me. I’ve got no clue what I did wrong, Dean.” Sniffling you let Dean gently rub your back.

He’s clenching his jaw to the point of pain. Dean took a step back, wanted you to keep your job only for your boss to fire you. “I’ll rip him a new one. Son of a bitch!”

“No. He’s not worth it. I thought my boss is satisfied with my work, Dean. I gave my all and now…”

“Shhh…you will take a few days to calm and look for a new job. You can still work for me, but I know you don’t want to. I’ll help you if you want me to. Just stop crying, I can’t see tears leaving your beautiful eyes, Baby Girl.”

Picking you up Dean carries you toward your shared bedroom to let you cry into your favorite pillow. “I’ll be right back, okay. I’ll cancel a meeting and we can talk about your asshole of a boss.”

Walking out of the bedroom Dean dials Benny’s number, silently cursing. “Benny, my girl got fired. Find out who’s behind this. Till last week her boss was almost swooning about Y/N and now he fires my girl? I’ll break his face…”

“What do you mean with her father told you my girl is working as an escort? What the actual fuck! Son of a bitch!” Throwing papers in your former boss’s face Dean glares at the way smaller man.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let someone with a low moral work for me, Mr. Winchester. I have a reputation to lose. She can’t work for me and make money with…” Clearing his throat Mr. Masters points at his cock.

“Did you just assume my girl sucks other guys cocks for money, you worthless prude? My girl is an angel! She only was with two guys in her whole life. Only as she has a worthless piece of shit as a father doesn’t mean she’s a whore! You will pay her for the rest of the year and apologize to me right now!”

Benny stands behind Mr. Masters's chair, squeezing the trembling man’s shoulders hard. “Mr. Winchester gave you an order. Follow it.” Benny rumbles squeezing your former boss’s shoulder harder and the man gasps.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Winchester. Sir.”

Dean silently nods before he leaves the room to let Benny finish his job.

Outside Dean checks his messages while Benny does his job, making sure Mr. Masters knows from now on no one messes with Dean Winchesters girl.

“Dean…” Sniffling you rush into your boyfriend’s arms as you hold a bunch of pictures in your hands. With trembling fingers, you show him the pictures, or rather an advertisement for an escort service using your picture.

“What the…?” Cursing Dean rips the pictures into pieces. “Everything is going to be alright, Baby Girl. Your boss fired you as your fine daddy showed him these advertisements. I’m going to visit your daddy and make sure he knows his place.”

Tears roll down your cheeks while you crumble another picture. “How can he do this to me, Dean? I lost my job and none of my friends calls me back. They all believe this is true…”

Cupping your cheek Dean wipes your tears away with his thumb. “No one hurts my girl. I’m going to make sure everyone knows you are innocent, okay. How about you take a warm bath and I call a friend to help me.”

“Do you believe this…” Sniffling you point at the pictures and Dean gasp, bringing you into his arms.

“I’m not a nice guy sometimes too, but I do love you, Sweetheart. I told you about the trick and all. I would never believe this shit, okay. You’re only my dirty girl.” Nodding you let Dean wipe more tears away.

“You’re a good man. An ass for tricking my dad back then, but you didn’t force me to have hot sex with you, D’. My dad did this on purpose to hurt me. You were just a horny old man.” Giggling you watch Dean’s eyes darken before his lips are on yours, devouring your mouth.

“I’m not old! But you’re right, I was horny and after your cute ass. Now, bath, bed and relax. I’ve got this, Sweetheart.”

“Who are you really, Winchester? This is not business as usual.” Your father pants as Benny hits his face again, causing his lip to split.

“Smart, Mr. Y/L/N.” Smirking Dean scapes a chair over the floor in the cold room Benny brought your father to.

Sitting on the chair Dean gets his gun out, resting the hand holding it onto his thigh. “I’m not just a businessman. Did you ever hear about Purgatory?”

Gasping your father starts shaking. “This can’t be, this organization got destroyed years ago. None of the mob survived according to the news.” Eyes darting between Benny’s fists covered in your father’s blood and Dean’s gun your father starts panting.

“Do you always believe what the guys on TV tell you?” Pinching your father's cheek with his fingers Benny smirks. “Only our enemies got killed, people not following orders or too dumb to keep their mouths shut.”

“You see, Y/N is my girl, the woman I love and she just lost the job she loved because of you. Her friends don’t call her back and she’s crying for over a week and I can tell…” Now Dean gets up to aim his gun to your father's forehead, smirking as he pees his pants. “I hate seeing my girl cry for sure.”

“I didn’t…my wife…she…”

“You..what…” Mocking your father Dean taps the barrel of his gun to his forehead. “Speak in a normal sentences, asshole. You tried to hurt my girl!”

“I wanted to blackmail you, make some money. I thought…I would never…I’m sorry…” Sniffling your father looks up at Dean, begging him silently to not use his gun.

Dean smirks, unlocking his gun before he pulls the trigger. A scream escapes your father's lips as he realizes the bullet never hit him.

“Dude! What’s that smell…” Benny waves his hand in front of his nose, scrunching it up in disgust.

“I think our friend just shit his pants.” Dean chuckles, securing his gun.

“Mr. Winchester…please…” Fisting your father's hair Dean gets a knife out to carve an ___ (the first letter of your name) into his cheek. Blood is running down your father's face, and he shakes in fear.

“This is your last warning. Y/N is my girl, my family. You say her name ever again…you die. Every day you look into the mirror this…” Tapping your fathers’ cheek with the knife Dean’s features darken. “…will remind you that Y/N is the only reason I let you live. One word to anyone about what happened tonight, and you wish I ended you right now.”

“Shall I dump him in front of his house, Chief?”

“No.” Tossing twenty bucks at your father Dean turns around. “He can call a cab. We won’t ruin our car for this stinking, worthless piece of shit. Let’s go. My girl needs me, Benny.”

Before following his boss Benny cuts the ropes holding your father open, leaning close to his ear.

“I suggest you forget what happened here and never tell anyone. Y/N is a nice girl and I don’t want her to go to your funeral right now. Boss showed mercy tonight. Normally you would be dead by now. Be grateful…”

“How do you feel, Baby Girl?” Walking into the bedroom, warm tea in his hands Dean watches your face with concern. You must’ve cried even more as your eyes are puffy and red. “Don’t worry about your job. Just work for me, Y/N. You can work with Sam if you think that’s better.”

“I can’t…” Sniffling you twist the blanket in your hand, trying to hide what scares you to hell and back.

“Baby, come on. Sammy won’t bite you. Promised. Only I’m allowed to bite your cute ass.” Placing the tea onto the nightstand at your side of the bed Dean cups your cheeks to kiss your tears away. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I…” Choking on your words you show Dean the positive pregnancy test in your hand. “It was an accident, I swear. I don’t know how this could happen…” Crying even harder you gasp as Dean moves his arms around you, shushing you genty.

“Baby, I’m happy. I always wanted to become a daddy. Now I’m going to have a baby with the woman I love. Now stop crying. I want to call Sammy and tell him the good news.”

“You’re happy?”

“Damn right, Sweetheart.” Chuckling Dean pecks your lips. “Can we name the baby Impala when it’s a boy?” He asks cocking a brow and you take your pillow and hit his head hard.

“I’m not going to call my son Impala, Winchester…”

“That’s not over…” Pointing at your belly Dean smirks. “Gonna call him Impala…”

“No way…” Giggling you let Dean nuzzle his nose into your neck. “Love you, Baby Girl.”

“Love you too, D’.”

“You and me. Together we will rule this godforsaken town.” Dean whispers in your ear and you’ve got no clue what he means but you nod, simply enjoying his strong arms wrapped around you.

SPN Forever Tags

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Dean/Jensen Forever Tags     

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[damn-stark]

Blinded Ch.15

A/N- this one is shorter then the rest but it’s because I felt like this chapter needed to end that way :( next chapter should be longer though!! I do hope you liked it :)

Warning- violence, Angst, some fluff

Pairing- Poe Dameron x Solo!reader

Takes place during- The Force Awakens

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

—

“Sanitation?!” Your father said in a loud whisper as he pushed Finn back by the collar of his jacket. He then turned to you with his eyebrows furrowed. “You knew this?!”

You shrug your shoulders while you fully zip up your parka to keep as much warmth as possible. “I knew that, but I thought he would have..you know gotten a promotion. And if he didn’t, then people can surprise you so it didn’t matter. I trust Finn.” Finn shoots you a smile before your father pushes him back to the wall.

“Then how do you know how to disable the shields?!” Your father asked in bewilderment.

“I don’t. I’m just here to get Rey.”

Your father looks over his shoulder to look at you with the same look in his eyes in many ways telling you that your comment from before was wrong, he then turned back to Finn, letting go of his jacket. “People are counting on us. The galaxy is counting on us.”

“Solo, we’ll figure it out. We’ll use the Force.” Finn said making you cover your mouth to hold in your laugh.

“That’s not how the force works!” Your father exclaimed. He turned to you with a scowl and once he saw you trying to hold in a laugh he groaned. Chewie then growled complaining he was cold, only getting your father more annoyed. “Oh really, you’re cold?!

You composed yourself and shot your dad a knowing smile. “I can do it.”

-

“Phasma. Miss me?” You come out from the corner you were hiding and came face to face with Phasma. “It’s been a while.” When you used to be part of the first order you didn’t really talk to Phasma that much but you knew of her and her reputation in the first order; and you knew that she knew of you too.

Igniting your white lightsaber you bring it close to her neck, whilst using the force to keep her from moving away or try anything.

“Traitorous snake!” She hissed making you sigh before pulling her off the floor and taking her to where you needed to go while Finn taunted her, revealing his new name and the fact that he had the higher ground at the moment.

“Can’t you the force to make her do it?” Your father asked you making you shake your head in disagreement.

“No, some individuals are stronger minded so mind tricking won’t work. And unfortunately for us she’s one of those...but we can use other methods to get her to do it.” You give Finn the ‘ok’ making him threaten Phasma with a blaster to disable the shields.

You keep looking over your shoulder towards the door, afraid that at any moment stormtroopers could burst through the door or for...Kylo to walk in. When you had entered this snowy planet you had felt his presence and you knew he felt yours and mostly likely your fathers too, so that made you extremely cautious. You had to keep your guard up at all times knowing that at any moment he could appear. But walking among the familiarity of these halls made it hard to do so.

This was the first time you had been inside a first order location since you had escaped and you had no plans on returning but that obviously didn’t work out. Being here just brought memories you had been trying to keep buried, but the longer you were here the more memories resurfaced.

Once you hear the beeping signifying that the shields were down you pull your attention back to the room. Immediately rolling your eyes at Phasma’s threats only making your father ask about a garbage chute to push her in, and that making you get a better idea on how to get rid of her.

“Trash compactor?” Your father and you suggest at same time making Finn smile and nod smugly.

“Yeah. There is.”

-

As you turn the corner you all come to a halting stop as a girl almost runs into you. Without a second thought and out of pure instinct you ignite your lightsabers. Her eyes go wide at the sight of the two threatening blades inches from her face also making her raise her blaster to aiming at you.

“No! No! That’s Rey! That’s Rey!” Finn warns with worry in his tone.

“I’m sorry!” You tell her with apologetic eyes as you deactivate your lightsabers and lower your arms down.

“It’s fine.” She assures you as she lowers her weapon.

You begin to examine her upon having an immediate weird feeling about her; she’s a stranger to you only have known her by Finn mentioning her and seeing her unconscious in your brothers arms; but as she stood here you felt as if you’ve known her already. She’s a stranger yet at the same it doesn’t seem like she’s one, It’s like you’ve seen her before. You take a couple seconds as you search your feelings finally sensing it. Her force sensitivity. 

But why do I feel so connected to her? You question yourself knowing that in order to have a connection with someone you have to build it up with time but this time you immediately felt it. How? Why?

“I’m Rey.” She introduces herself to you making you break away from your stupor. You notice that she also has a confused and weird look upon seeing you, she also felt in a lot of ways connected to you and like she’s known you all her life when in fact you’ve barely met.

“Y/N. Y/N Solo.” You respond with a smile much like the one she had, before she could ask any further questions to you, Finn interrupted with concerning questions regarding her.

-

“They’re in trouble. We can’t leave. My friends got a bag full of explosives. Let’s use them.” You hear your father say as you look up at the sky with a worried look.

“I’ll find a TIE and help Poe and the rest of the squadron from up there.” You mumble barely audible but something your father caught.

“You sure?” He asked turning to you.

You nod with a reassuring smile. “I’ll be better help up there....I’ll see you all back at base.”

You then hurry and go find a nearby hanger and when you finally run into one you come to a complete stop. Your eyes widen and bright smile erupts through your lips. “YES!” You shout, shooting your hands up in excitement as you run into your TIE silencer, the one you had left when you had made your hasty escape on another fighter.

“I’m so glad to see you! I missed you!” You say to your TIE as if it could respond to you.

You’re surprised and glad that your TIE Silencer was here, half expecting it to be scrapped for parts or given to someone else, but no, it was here and you were happy it was. You had rebuilt that fighter with your own hands so many times. You hastily climb on and can’t erase the happy smile from your face, it’s the only thing you have missed about the first order.

Once you’re starting it up you throw your head up to see the commotion that was beginning to start outside your ship. Stormtroopers begin shooting at your ship to try and stop you, but you’re quick and manage to blast them sending them flying off all over the hanger. Before more can come you finally fly up into the sky immediately having to shoot down a TIE, mostly likely making the other fighters in other TIE’s confused on why one of their own was attacking their own fighters. Before anything could or anyone could shoot you down you punch in a couple buttons and gain access to the resistance comms.

“Miss me?” You announce smugly.

“Solo? Is that you?!” You hear jessika’s familiar voice irrupt through your comm.

“The one and only—wait..scratch that...I’m not the only Solo...here...yeah it’s me, Y/N.” Before you could say anything you pause and swerve an incoming blast before shooting down another TIE, making you aware that they had caught on to you. “I am currently in the only TIE silencer out here so I should stick out like a sore thumb but either way be wary and don’t shoot me down.”

“Copy that Princess, glad to have you in the sky.” You hear Poe’s familiar voice say happily making you practically hear his smile through the comm.

“You know me, couldn’t miss a good fight in the sky.”

You maneuver through the sky trying to shoot down and avoid incoming blasts and TIE’S all while also helping the squadron members to try and avoid them being shot down.

“You got three on your back, and three flying directly towards you, Solo! They must really hate you.” Snap warns making you quickly push down letting the first two TIES crash into one another before the other four follow behind you.

Perfect. You thought with a smirk before pulling up again and turning before doing a spin trick shooting them all down.

“Nice one Solo!” Jessika congratulated you.

You smile wider at her compliment. “Poe Dameron, who? Never heard of him. I’m the best pilot the resistance has seen in this ship.” You joke knowing that had caused laughs from the other pilots.

“Ha, you’re funny. We can test that theory out, Princess.” Poe says smugly.

“Be prepared to lose. It won’t be like last time, this time you’re racing against my silencer. I’ll beat you this—” your words come to a sudden stop and your smile fades, you slowly cut off the comm as you begin to feel this pain.

Theirs dull pain growing on your chest slowly growing more and more intense by the second. You begin to feel an emptiness, a coldness. You feel time slow down and your surroundings blend into darkness, as you saw it and felt it clearly you knew what had happened...he died....your father had died.

You could feel your heart shatter in your chest, their was a mind numbing pain, a pain you’ve never felt before, a pain you thought was impossible to feel.

Your lip began to tremble and the grip on your stirring wheel loosen, you freeze where you sit as you feel your chest tighten with so much emotion until you let it out. “Ahhhhhh! NO! NO! NO!.....Please no!” You shout so loud you swear starkiller base can hear you.

he died...he’s gone. You felt nothing but a void. What hurt the most was not knowing what had happened, knowing that you mostly likely could’ve saved him; But you didn’t, that’s what hurt you the most.

“Y/N! Y/N...”

“Y/N, I already told you why you have to go—”

“No! I don’t want to go!” You interrupt your dad making you cross your arms over your chest and stomp your foot.

“You said you were excited to go with your uncle Luke.”

“Not anymore. Why can’t you come? Why can’t you and mom come with Ben and me?” You pout making your dad sigh loudly.

“Look, we’ll see each other again, I promise you.” He tries to assures you, only making you furrow your eyebrows in anger and turn away from him. “Come on, don’t be mad with me.”

Angry and sad tears slip from your eyes. You had felt joy when you first heard you were going to train with your uncle Luke alongside Ben, but as the day to leave arrived the excitement completely disappeared. The thought of leaving home, leaving your mom, especially your dad hurt you to the core. Your dad and you were close, you loved him with your whole heart just like he did. You two shared a bond; a bond you had overheard him say that he thought he wasnt going to share with you or Ben since he lacked the ability to use the force like your mother. But as time passed you and him bonded; everywhere he went a little girl followed.

He kneeled down to be at your level, lightly grabbing your arms and turned you to face him. “You look just like your mom when you get mad, you know that?” He chuckles at his own comment, he had expected you to laugh but your face expression remained the same. He cups your cheek, wiping the tears from your face and smiling before he pulls out something from his back. Your eyes flicker to the object in his hand realizing that it’s his blaster.

“This is for you, your uncle Lando gave Ben one, I thought it would be fair if I gave you one too....I wanted to give it to you when you were older but I think now is the perfect time.” He explains making your face soften. He grabs your hand and once he places it on your palm, he closes it reassuring your grip on the weapon. “You take this with you everywhere, you might have one of those fancy lightsabers later on but a blaster by your side-”

“Is never a bad idea.” You finish, sniffling as a smile tugged at the corner of your lips making him smile proudly.

“You got it. Everywhere you take this it’s like you’ll have a piece of me with you.”

You can’t help but beam up at him at the sound of his words.

“Theirs that smile I love.” He says as he as places a light kiss your forehead. You then jump and wrap your arms around his neck, nuzzling your head into the crook of his neck.

“I love you dad.”

“I know.”

“I’m losing you! Y/N! You’ve got pull up! Are you okay?!” The sound of Poe’s urgent voice through the comm pulls you back from your stupor, all you wanted to do now was curl into yourself, cry until you couldn’t no more but you couldn't, you still had to fight this fight.

You slowly reach for the button of the comm, swallowing thickly before coming up with a response.

“...yeah...I’m fine..”

.

.

.

Tagged- @treblebeth , @mcrvellouslystcrk , @themythicallifeofesmerelda , @thescarletknight2014 , @sfnari , @bitch-imma-head-out , @arsonistvoyager , @chloe-skywalker , @emotionalcal , @theholycakehole , @justxriot , @stvrdustalexx , @the-dream-catch3r , @theoralpha , @sleepyblossom , @basically-hayley , @iamaunicorn4704 , @sneekygeek , @carisiswaistcoat , @creativelyquestioninglife , @daniellajocelyn , @wnygirl2012 , @imjusttryingtocatchavibe , @holy-kylo-stars , @patdsinner33 , @avmps , @xxrouge-lexxx , @x-thunderbird-x , @kaelyn-lobrutto24

[neocityfics]

2096: Zodiac

Chapter: Chapter 1 < ❝  Chapter 2 ❞  > Chapter 3

➥ Chapter List

Genre: Cyberpunk inspired, mafia, not-so dystopian, angst, slow-burn

Pairing: Doctor! Taeyong x Reader (featuring Jaehyun)

Warnings: Moderate cursing, mention of guns, mention of blood, alcohol

Note: I’m making Taeyong blonde in this story, I know on the story cover (?) he has hot pink hair, but I just needed a scientist-looking photo to match the doctor theme. So just ignore it lol ✌🏼

▶ Ambience

My face blanks at his question while his eyes bore into mine. To be frank, I’d been to a handful of parties in college, but they always played terrible music and the stench of booze mixed with sweat filled the musty frat house. It’s a dizzying smell and always leaves me nauseous, though sometimes it’s tolerable, rarely enjoyable, if I’m not so sober. However, I’d never gone out clubbing. Honestly speaking, the concept is a bit enticing. Letting loose your stresses and enjoying even a few hours of being yourself without judgment sounds like something I’ve been needing since I started working two jobs. Not to mention most clubs have professional DJ’s, not some random second year frat brother whose only personality trait is playing his today’s hip-hop playlist on a singular loudspeaker. In response to Taeyong’s question, I shake my head with confusion written all over my face. Without another moment, I ask him why he inquired. I expected him to demand that I throw myself into a gunfight or some other dangerous scenario in the darkest spots of town-- definitely not where the bass shakes the whole building as people jump up and down for hours on end. His approach is interesting. I say nothing, however, as words couldn’t seem to come out of my mouth at the moment. Taeyong speaks up again.

“Whatever your answer is, I have a mission for you,” he begins.”There’s a guy at the club several blocks south from here who I need parts from. It’s for the rest of Lucas’s arm,” he explains, sparing a glance at his job on Lucas. “His name is Johnny, the owner and main DJ of the place called Club Zone. Ask any of the bartenders for a Zodiac special. They’ll direct you to Johnny, and you’ll get information on when those parts will be delivered to the clinic, who he’s sending to do the job, and when the next big rave is. Just for fun.” Pushing himself off his chair, he eyes Lucas again who’s been watching him carefully. Taeyong pats the front of his pants, dust flies off and disappears into the air. “I’m not done with Lucas, not until I replace all of his limbs.”

Cruel. Those words immediately send me into disgust and fury, but I couldn’t lose my cool in front of Taeyong, not when he has a fucking gun and could pull it back out any second. My stomach feels queasy and knees weak from imagining how lifeless-looking Lucas would be if and when he completely turns into a cyborg. Hopefully, I can find a way to dig him out of this mess. For now, I try to keep my composure, a bit of surprise that my voice didn’t come out cracking and soft, “I’ll accept your mission, but on the condition that you tell me what exactly you’re planning to do with Lucas.” In response to my request, he nods, taking painfully slow steps towards me. I hold my ground, but couldn’t stop a little jump as he grabs my chin and tilts my head to the side. I lock eyes with Lucas as he appears ready to knock the lights out of Taeyong but stands there, only waiting to see what’s next. Taeyong’s warm breath grazes my ear as a hearty laugh breaks from his lips. The blood in my body seems to be rushing faster and faster as every heartbeat becomes louder in my head.

“Sure, sure. I’ll fulfill that condition right now.” He forces my face to turn the other side, the pressure of his thumb against my jawline sure to bruise some skin. “Though maybe you and robot boy over there could use a bit of a cool down. I know this is a lot to take in. Care for tea?”

▶ Ambience

There’s definitely a bruise on my jaw where he felt the need to press so hard on, my fingers poking at the spot. Taeyong boils tea and pours it into three cups from the kitchenette. He distributes them to Lucas and me, keeping one for himself. Taking a seat on the sofa across from us who share a couch, he seems to note our suspicion from our faces. This man dared to hurt me in front of my best friend, and he expects us to keep calm and drink the tea? Who knows what it’s laced with. He shakes his head, blows across the surface of the tea, and sips away. A minute passes without the other two of us moving a muscle, patiently waiting to see if something is up with the beverage. But nothing happens, and Lucas goes in. Of course, it seems Taeyong really needs Lucas for whatever reason, so it wouldn’t make sense to poison or kill him. Giving up and feeling safer seeing Lucas take it in, I hesitantly drink from my cup. The soreness becomes more apparent as I move my jaw to adjust my lips on the cup of tea. Not bad. Taeyong takes to an explanation, causing me to shift my attention from the tea back to him.

“You’re aware of the corrupt so-called government, right? We just call them the top. All those dirty leaders, bunch of nasty fuckers with no empathy.” The urge to call out the hypocrisy heightened with how he treated Lucas and me, but my mouth remains focused on the tea, ears on his words. His tone becomes stern as he continues, “There are twelve megacities, right? Every single one of them controlled by a few higher ups. Though broken up, they’re powerful as a unit and will not hesitate to team up. They’ll kick us when we’re already down.” I find it strange how he keeps using ‘us’ as if he’s one of the unfortunate people like Lucas and I who have little to nothing. I doubt he has any taste for the hopelessness that I’ve felt these past two years. Not with all the nice luxuries I see in his apartment. But again, it’s best to keep listening and not aggravate him. “But in all of those megacities, they’re not aware that there’s a collective of us distributed as gangs to keep control and gather information to overthrow the top.” Taeyong finishes off his tea, maybe a bit too fast as he coughs a bit into his elbow, and sets the cup onto the coffee table separating us. I try to cut in with a question, but he elaborates further. “I’m the one leading Neostone’s collective. You’re wondering why your good friend here is part of my work, yes? Short answer is this.” Those same dark eyes drilling a hole through me. He leans forward from his seat, clasping hands and resting his elbows on his knees. “Lucas is a prototype, basically an experiment, as part of the plan to take down the top. He’s the perfect build, very healthy. It makes things easier to work with. Lucas took my offer of a good amount of money and promotion at the clinic once this is complete.”

My jaw clenches. At this point, the screams are threatening to spill. Lucas agreed to follow through this procedure... for money and promotion? I can’t blame him. These times have been very tough on us with little money, surviving on scraps. Getting enough to pay rent every month is like walking through hell and back just to find out you’ll be close to starving for the next week. He’s even been given the opportunity to carry out practice-- as a doctor? A nurse? Lucas wasn’t able to finish his studies, so this would be a dream come true for him. But everything about this is inhumane. Taeyong doesn’t seem to have evil intentions based on his coup d'état agenda which I can somewhat get behind, but in the process, Lucas gets hurt. I raise my voice after a minute of taking things in, “So, about my mission. When do you want this done?” It’s a Saturday night which means places like bars and clubs will be fill up quickly and get rowdy. It’s currently 10:00pm.

“Club Zone really starts to become crowded at 11:00pm. At the latest, be back by 3:00am since Johnny shuts things down at 2:00am.” Taeyong circles a finger around the rim of the teacup. “Be aware of others at that place. I’ve heard horror stories from Johnny, though he tries his best to keep things calm. If I don’t hear back from you...” Lucas gulps when Taeyong stands. Though Lucas is way taller than him, Taeyong’s presence towering over us is no joke. “Lucas loses his job and can’t ever work in the clinic. That’ll be on you, sweetheart.” One corner of his lips lifts as he breathes out a soft, yet daunting laugh. He’s enjoying this, and I detest him for it. I need to talk to Lucas.

“May Lucas and I be excused for a minute? I just need to calm down, and I can’t do that with you right there.” My expression sours, and Taeyong waves us off as he leaves towards one of the rooms. Lucas and I are left alone on the couch. Silence, then a sniffle. At the sorrowful sound, I swivel my head to Lucas whose head hangs low. “Lucas. You should’ve told me all of this. Why did you take the offer when you’re only going to become... not human? We’re doing fine with money, I can take another shift and--”

He slams a fist on the table in front of us, another overwhelming silence ensues. The slight crack in his voice hurts. “Do you think there’s been a day I don’t worry about the costs of everything? Do you think I enjoy being at that damn clinic just to end up cleaning towels and disinfecting instead of applying everything I learned in college? Do you think I tolerate seeing you overwork yourself with two jobs so you can pay for yourself and a bit for me? Fuck you.” The tears in our eyes pour over the rim, hot like the tea we just had. The pain in his words struck me. I never realized he felt this way. I guess I saw him as someone who’s only happy and goofy all the time without seeing what’s truly bothering him inside. He may look and sound strong, but what he’s saying right now breaks the image that my mind latched onto. Lucas removes his hand from the table, a bit of a purplish hue forming from the contact with the hard surface. “I’m doing this not only for myself, but for you, too. You are the only one that’s given me purpose in this fucking dump of a life, and now Taeyong is allowing me a chance at what I love best and to get us out of being dirt poor. Can’t you see that? I know you care for me, but please don’t police my decisions.” He sighs and extends his arm over my upper back, pulling me into a side hug. “I can’t express how sorry I am for dragging you into this. But now that you’re here and on board, I swear to protect you. From everyone. From Taeyong.”

I don’t know what to say other than muttering sorry a hundred times as the crocodile tears soak small parts of my clothes. I wipe away the drops from eyes as soon as I hear a door click. Taeyong comes back into view, seeing the pathetic disarray that was a sobbing session. “Done? It’s 10:30pm now, better get going before you can’t push through the horde. Club Zone is popular.” This bitch, how much more insensitive can he get? Once the remaining wetness of my face becomes dry, I stand up, grabbing my things without saying anything. Taeyong’s getting on my last nerves, and I may snap if I try anything to get back at him, verbally or physically. The only thing that I can do right now is to find out the information, give it to him, and leave for home with Lucas. Do my job and go home. The two watch me leave the apartment, disappearing into the hallway with a slam of the door.

▶ Ambience, NCT Playlist for the club

So this is Club Zone. The mixture of bright purple and pink neon lights accompanied by dizzying bass make my head hurt a bit. I arrived at 10:55pm with the long line already forming. Though I feel out of place, I fall in and peer towards the front. The bouncer doesn’t seem to have any sort of list. Looks like they just let anyone in. After about fifteen minutes, I get in. Taeyong’s right-- this place is getting quite packed, people already seemingly drunk, probably from pre-game. The bass gets louder, banging against my ears, as I make my way to the bar where less people were hanging out. Everyone else is already swaying and spinning to the deafening beats. It’s hard to see anyone with how dim the club’s lights were. I seat myself at the counter on a high chair, raising a hand and giving a smile to the nearest bartender who thankfully attends to me right away. Upon asking for my request, I answer, “Zodiac special, please.” The bartender stands still for a second, examining me, then nodding and fixing a drink right away. Taeyong didn’t specify in his directions whether the bartender would immediately tell me where this Johnny person is, so I sit and wait for anything to happen. I receive the drink which is rather pretty with a light blue liquid and glowing green swirls. The bartender then slides what seems like a receipt next to my drink. They tell me not to worry and that the drink’s safe to have. Damn, no alcohol. Not sure if I’m pleased with the fact it’s non-alcoholic, but it isn’t important right now. Upon further inspection, I find a scribbled note on the back, “Tonight’s a packed night, please wait until midnight at the bar. I’ll come find you and take you to the back once I switch with another DJ.��� I assume this is Johnny’s instructions which I sigh to. Shoving the piece of paper into my pocket, I check the time on my phone. It’s 11:20pm now.

Another tall figure takes a seat besides me despite the other empty seats farther away. I do my best not to make any sort of eye contact as I really don’t want trouble on my first mission. My eyes are set on doing the bare minimum and leaving as soon as it’s done. I almost choke on a sip of the drink as the person startles me with a deep voice, “What drink is that? Looks cool.” I regain a steady breath and turn to face whoever this is and... oh shit. In the little light provided by the overhead beams on the ceiling, I make out a rather handsome visage topped with fluffy, wavy dark hair. Maybe this mission will be alright. “Hello?” He tilts his head to fit onto his palm, elbow resting the table. Fuck, was I staring?

“Oh, sorry! It’s, well,” I stop for a second, realizing this drink is probably exclusive to gang members, so if he asked for one also... that may cause complications. “I just told the bartender to surprise me, to be honest.” I hope that lie is convincing enough, and it appears so as he laughs. He waves and asks for a glass of Manhattan from a bartender who seems to tense up at his presence. I continue just to enjoy the cold drink, which is the perfect amount of sweet and sour. This’ll make up for being in this stuffy space.

“Jaehyun, by the way.” I lift a brow, only slightly facing Jaehyun while my glass is attached to my lips. “I haven’t seen you before, is this your first time? Club Zone’s pretty cool compared to all the other clubs in downtown.” I nod, taking a big gulp of the drink and setting it down. Why not pass time doing something other than sitting around while I wait for Johnny?

I go along with the conversation, “You can call me [Y/N]. This is my first time here, I needed a break from work and such. Jaehyun’s a cool name.” He lets out a lively laugh and takes a few sips of his drink, and much to my dismay, the pace of my heartbeat quickens. I’m not here to flirt, but maybe just a little won’t hurt, right? And I won’t let it get too far. Besides, this Zodiac special is safe. However, this Jaehyun person pushes his own beverage towards me.

“Try it, if you’d like. Have you had one of these? This club’s got the best bartenders and drinks.” Hesitantly, I take the class and bring it closer to my nose to smell it. Well, I am at a club. With the drink in hand, I tilt my head back a bit, letting the cool sting travel down my throat. It burns a lot, a sensation that feels like new. I hand the remaining amount back to him, thanking him. “Good? You took in a lot.” Damn that eye smile and grin. It’s been a while since I’ve felt mesmerized by someone, but maybe it’s just the Manhattan hitting.

Noticing I’m facing him fully, I shift in my seat and go back to my own drink. “Yeah, I’m fine.” In reality, whatever the bartender put into glass is strong. I can feel the fuzzy feeling travel down my throat and spread throughout my body, a bit of a buzz in my head. “What about you, what brings you here?” I ask the man who looks to be inching closer to me, his shoulder almost touching mine. If he tries anything, he won’t be having a great time after I sock him somewhere sensitive. “You’re all dressed up in a suit, too, are you into business?” Jaehyun shrugs, fiddling with a now empty glass, his eyes focused on mine a little too comfortably for me.

He pulls a card with his contact information on it and hands it to me which I take gingerly, flipping it over and back a few times. “Jeong Jaehyun. Real estate. Been dealing with a lot of shit people these days. Feel free to call me whenever, for business or,” he pauses, “things not related to real estate.” He asks the bartender for another drink, a Daiquiri this time, just as another man saunters over. He pokes lightly at my shoulder.

“Hey, let’s chat in the back, shall we?” The man eyes Jaehyun, but doesn’t pay any more attention, swiftly changing his focus back onto me. “You can bring your drink with.” I nod, assuming this man is Johnny and that I’d be okay with him. 

Standing up, I feel a bit dizzy, uncertain if from sitting down for so long or the drink that Jaehyun let me have some of. Johnny notices, steadying me by offering his arm which I hold onto. Before we commence our journey to wherever he’s taking me, Jaehyun nudges my side, winks at me, and says, “Have fun, you have my card.” He shoots a wide smile, his eyes trailing down my body as I walk away. Club Zone might have its perks.

▶ Ambience

Johnny and I reach the back which I assume are for private parties and, well, other private activities. The bass hits the walls hard as we enter an empty room. It’s now just Johnny and I, and though there’s less people, I can’t help but feel uneasy. We both take a seat opposite of each other, my sadly non-alcoholic drink starting to dwindle away. Beginning to sober up, I open up the discussion. “You’re Johnny, right?” Just making sure I have the right guy on my first mission, especially with Lucas on the line. I feel relief when he nods and shows me his ID card. Looks legitimate. Johnny Suh, 25 years old, from Chicago. So he was born in the western hemisphere that was destroyed back in 2094. Since I grew up there, it’s nice to meet someone else who would remember it. I wonder how he ended up here in Neostone. “Good, so Taeyong sent me to ask you about parts? I don’t know, I’m new to all of this. I don’t even know what to ask exactly.” Johnny softly chuckles at my predicament.

“Yong’s never had a messenger, he used to do everything himself. Makes me happy he’s got you to carry some work, hopefully you can adjust soon. You’re doing great so far.” His reassurance feels nice, knowing the kind of situation I’m stuck in. Johnny continues, “He can expect Lucas’s parts in a few days, probably in the middle of the week. I’m having Doyoung and Taeil deliver them directly to the clinic for the doctor dude.” I nod. Doyoung and Taeil. I have to remember these details for Taeyong. The way Johnny knows Lucas’s name makes me feel strange. How many people are in each of these gangs and how many know Lucas? They probably know him just as the prototype or cyborg which doesn’t sit right. Johnny’s then out of the blue poses a question that puzzles me. “Are you part of the Dragon Zodiac? Or from another group?” Undoubtedly, my confused face is my answer to him. “Ah, you’re some stranger then, huh. Well, Taeyong’s the leader of the Neostone Zodiac, the Dragons. They’re known for elemental manipulation.” Now hold on.

Without warning, I channel a more intense tone and volume, “For fuck’s sake, I keep learning new things each hour since I’ve met Taeyong. They can do what now?” Johnny bursts into laughter and tears, wiping them away though they seem to keep coming. He’s trying to explain, but it takes him a couple of minutes to finally recollect his composure. 

“Did you go into this not knowing anything? Lord, that man cracks me up. Anyways, sorry,” he starts, still dabbing his sleeve at his reddened cheeks where laughing tears stained. “Each megacity is represented by a Zodiac. I’m sure you’ve heard about the story of the twelve animals and some race, yeah? For example, I’m not from Neostone, but I work for the Horse Zodiac based in a city in South Korea, we’re known for enhanced stamina. You know, I made it to state back in high school for track. Almost to the national stage, but I got injured. Those were good times...” This man is so talkative, and I could not take in any more information, but he keeps going on some tangent about his track and field days. So in addition to my best friend completely turning into a cyborg that I have to help out with, I’m also up against others with super powers? The more this progresses, the more I believe I’m living in a superhero comic or film. There’s no way this is all real, maybe he’s just pulling my leg. Johnny continues to detail the whole Zodiac concept. “The Dragon Zodiac is one of the special collectives. Taeyong is kind of like... a metal bender, if you think about it. But he can’t go toppling whole buildings or whatever, their power is pretty limited.”

That must be why his work with Lucas’s arm is so sleek and seamless. He’s able to supernaturally work with metal apparently, but I’m not believing Johnny’s words until I see these supposed abilities for myself. Johnny stares at me, waiting for me to say something, so I do. “Thank you, I’ll tell Taeyong this.” This is all I say. Propelling myself off the chair, Johnny provides me a bottle of water and offers to escort me out through the busy club. Nodding in approval, we take off and out of the back and into the noisiness of the Club Zone. Taking sips of water every now and then helps to recuperate from the fuzziness that Manhattan drink dealt. Speaking of Manhattan, the darkened eyes of the man from earlier lock onto mine, watching me leave with Johnny at my side with a smug smile on his face. Jaehyun stands still with his back against the wall, away from all the activity of dancing and drinking taking place where the other DJ does his job.

Johnny leans down towards me and warns me, “That’s Jaehyun. He’s the Ox Zodiac leader. Might be pretty, but don’t get caught up with him.” The comment leaves me curious, and a bit annoyed. You’re telling me that gorgeous man can’t be messed with? I’ll bring this up with Taeyong and see what kind of dirt is on Jaehyun. I quietly thank Johnny for guiding me as he lets go of my arm at the entrance of the building. He bids me safe travels and turns, seemingly eager to get back to DJ’ing. The guy seems nice, way more entertaining and easy to approach than the damn doctor. Club Zone just might be a new spot for me to frequent. Before I push through the doors to exit, I steal a glance from Jaehyun who’s still looking at me. I’m definitely coming back.

▶ Ambience

2:30am. I arrive at Taeyong’s apartment, knocking instead of breaking in. The door opens revealing the doctor who appears to have showered, the strong scent of mint pouring into the hallway and the blonde strands sticking in generous clumps to his foreheads. Kind of... cute. “I wasn’t expecting you to come back. At least, not this early.” I take it back. What a way to greet someone. He ushers me in, closing the door behind me. Looking around, I note that Lucas isn’t here, and I look at Taeyong for answers. He reads me well, reporting that he sent Lucas home around midnight to get some sleep. “Lucas didn’t seem too well, probably from lack of sleep. Very worried, like a puppy that can’t stand being away from its owner. Should let him be more often.” I hate that he’s right, but I brush off the comment and take a seat, this time on the comfier and nicer sofa. Taeyong sits across. “So, information. Spill.” Jumping on information already, not even asking if I made it back alright and everything went smoothly-- who does he think he is?

Establishing my perplexity with his attitude, I passive aggressively begin with, “I met Johnny who’s very nice compared to you and explained way more than you did, without a gun or anything.” He rubs the back of his neck which tells me he may regret all that he pulled earlier on me. Or that he doesn’t care and wants to get straight to the information. “Anyways, Do... Doyoung? Along with Taeil will be delivering the shipment sometime, possibly in the middle of, this week. Straight to clinic.” Taeyong nods with the details given to me by Johnny. Maybe I’ll stay quiet about my encounter with Jaehyun since Johnny said not to meddle with him. After I finish my piece, he ponders, his brows knitting together. Is it not enough for him? I’ve given him what he wants. I just need to get home and make sure Lucas is okay.

“Very good except... did you ask about the next rave.”

I fucking loathe him each time he opens that mouth.

“No. Because it’s not important, next. Let me go home.” My arms fold across my chest, an eye roll to top it off. Taeyong chortles at my annoyance.

He gets up, still laughing, and picks up a set of car keys from off the wall near the door. “Easy, easy. Come on, I’ll drive you back home.”

▶ Ambience

Part of me still is fuming over Taeyong’s demeanor, but I’m also thankful for him driving me back to the complex. The rain starts to hit hard against the windows. I’d rather not get soaked after an already wild and mostly upsetting night. The ride is silent for a few minutes until he breaks it. “Hey, I know we’re off to a bad start, but you’re working for me now.” Held me a gunpoint. “As your boss, I’ll be protecting you as I need someone to help divvy up my project, even just for information gathering, so you don’t need to worry about me hurting you anymore.” Bruised my jaw earlier. “All you need to do is follow my orders and you’ll be fine.” Put responsibility for Lucas’s possible promotion to be taken away on me. Aren’t doctors supposed to have compassion and be kind? Whatever his words were, they went in one ear and out the ear because I don’t want to hear him talk anymore. He pulls into a spot and parks against the sidewalk close to the complex entrance, but I needed to hear an apology from him. If we’re working together, I need him to know my boundaries and to treat me with respect. The windshield wipers are the only thing we could hear for a moment until Taeyong reaches into the back. What in the world could he be pulling out? A gun again? My heart races for a few seconds, but calms down after seeing a familiar red box with a cross on it. A medicine kit. He sets it onto his lap, opening it up to reveal the usual items that come with it. Taeyong picks up the instant ice pack, shakes it a few times waiting for it to feel cold in his hands, and hands it to me. I stare at him in disbelief. “Nice bruise.” He points to his jaw in the spot where my bruise is, and I feel at my own face to mirror him. He laughs, a painful ring in my ears to hear him mocking me. “Take care and see you at the clinic on Monday.”

Exiting the car, I hold the ice pack to my bruise, the sting of the coldness causing me to wince. You’re so pathetic, I say to myself. That wasn’t the kind of apology I wanted, if it was even one, but the tiredness is starting to take over me. Before to entering the complex, I peek over my shoulder to see Taeyong still parked, watching me head inside. Sticking my tongue out in displeasure with all he’s done, I put up a quick middle finger and rush inside. He’s probably roaring his ass off in laughter inside his car, but it’s no longer something I’ll pay mind to. My priority is Lucas.

▶ Ambience

Without hesitation, I enter Lucas’s small apartment through the door that’s ajar, and I find him twiddling his thumbs at the table with nervousness riddling his expression. Has he been waiting for me? I reposition the ice pack still on my bruise. “Hi, Lucas, sorry if you were staying up for me.” I reassure him, seeing his shoulders drop and some color rise back in his face. He raises a brow, and I know he’s about to ask about the unpleasant-looking violet blooming along my jaw. “I’m okay, he didn’t do anything else. I told him all the information and he drove me home.” He sighs in relief, stands, and opens up his arms, the good old bear hug whenever something goes down. Embracing him, the familiar sense of comfort washes over me, my lids wavering as the need to be in bed becomes stronger.

“It’s a been a long night, hasn’t it? We both should sleep in a little. Let’s go to Electric Egg later this morning for brunch. 11:30? Sicheng’s working then, too.” I sleepily nod, pushing him away a little to leave for my room. He asks another question, one that fills me with dread, “How do you feel about Taeyong?” I keep my lips shut. “He’s not a bad guy, I promise. Just give him time.” I wonder how long he’s been keeping this from me. If it’s only recent, I can feel somewhat better. If not, then this whole time, he’s been secretive about this and working with Taeyong, that evil man. Though feeling betrayed, I think I can trust him with Lucas. Since all I’m doing is gathering information, this compromise shouldn’t be difficult to carry out. Talk to people, report the details, and repeat. As long as it doesn’t involve harming others, everything will be fine.

A weak smile occupies my face, my head beginning to feel heavy in addition to the rest of me. “As long as you’re okay, I’ll be alright with him. We just have to play along with Taeyong and see what happens next. But I won’t let him hurt you, or me.” Lucas, satisfied with my answer, pushes me out the door with a loud laugh and bids me a good night. I quickly do the same before closing his door and drift over to my own room. After a quick wash and stretch, I sit at the edge of the bed and scan the crumpled paper with all of Taeyong’s information from Pearl Park. My thumbs try to smooth out the wrinkles as much as possible to make it clearer. He’s annoyingly admirable. A very intelligent doctor who’s got a charm to him, plus supposedly a superpower, and can get whatever he wants-- one of those things being my best friend-- is unfair. I look over to the now squishy, melted ice pack on my night stand. He’s not a bad guy. I want to believe Lucas. He’s been in more contact with Taeyong than I have. If he says so, then I should let it be, like Taeyong said. I turn over the document which I did not notice before, probably because I was rushing to get out of the storage room. It’s a list of what I think are names, neatly written in small cursive. Going down it, these names don’t seem familiar which I assume because the document is from an older year. Midway through the list, I abruptly freeze at a name that makes my blood stop, my body ice cold:

Jeong Jaehyun.

[barnesandco]

Comfort Food

The Avengers catch Bucky indulging in a questionable snack. They are intrigued. Sam is horrified.

Pairing: None. SamBucky if you squint really hard.

Warnings: Swearing. Love Island hate, none of which is personal. I'm sorry! I needed something to ridicule and this particular reality show drew the short straw for my fic.

A/N: This is a crackpot of an idea I had when I thought about Bucky eating P.B. and chocolate like Seb does, after having a conversation with @buckyreaderrecs . Hope it brings a smile to your day because I don't know what else it's good for.

“What the actual fuck, man?” Sam gapes at Bucky from the doorway to the common room. He's sitting on the floor, legs splayed out under the coffee table, back against the couch, but that isn't what's bothering Sam. Or the other, less mouthy, but just as awestruck Avengers standing behind him, still covered with dirt and dried blood (little of which is theirs) from the mission they have just returned from. No, Sam's expletive-laden surprise is aimed at two things.

One, he is wondering exactly why Bucky is watching what he is. Reality television. And it's not just any old reality TV show. Not at all. Sam thinks he could have tolerated, say, something like Real Housewives, or the Bachelor, or even Keeping up with the Kardashians. But no, it had to be Love Island. The horror. Needless to say, Sam hates Love Island. Avoids it like the plague, claims it disgusts him to no end. Nat tells him it's his innate phobia of romantic commitment speaking. He argues that this particular dating serial promotes the opposite of commitment. But that's not the point here.

The point is that Bucky, for a reason Lord only knows, is watching that literal shitshow. Sam momentarily fears he's been possessed. More realistically, he considers the injury and subsequent orders to sit their latest mission out hit him too hard, and he's desperate for a distraction. That's the only reason anyone would turn to that godawful excuse for a TV series, right? Right. 

He’s now on his feet, looking at them as if he hasn't decided what his strategy for tackling the situation will be. Should he cross his arms, raise his chin, and defiantly act as if there is nothing out of the ordinary here? As if it is perfectly normal for super-powered, super-lethal, broody ex-assassins to sit around watching terrible reality TV that exists only to kill the traditional sentiment of love and relationships? Or should he look sheepish, shuffle his feet, and avert his eyes in the hope that his apparent shame will make them take pity on him so they don't question his actions? 

It’s highly unlikely that either option will lead to them leaving him alone, because it's going to take a lot to stifle their curiosity towards the family-sized Kit-Kat wrappers, and two empty jars of peanut-butter that are currently lying on the otherwise pristine coffee table. Not to mention the half-empty jar in Bucky's hand, which he doesn't quite know what to do with at the moment. And this is Sam's second concern, the one that made him greet one of his comrades with swear-words upon seeing him after a fortnight-long mission, despite their budding friendship. A friendship they both vehemently deny, provided the opportunity, but one that exists regardless.

“Have you been eating peanut-butter out of the jar?” Clint voices the question that's on everybody's minds, and is answered with nothing but a wry smile from Bucky. Not that it needs to be; the evidence speaks for itself.

“We go away for two weeks and you lose it completely? What the hell, dude? Did you hit your head on that mission?” Sam rants, eventually breaking the absolute silence. 

Perhaps it's the frantic expression of genuine panic in Sam's tired, bloodshot eyes. Perhaps it's Clint's dad-like tone, like he's caught one of his own kids red-handed doing something they shouldn't be. Perhaps it's the sight of the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes, still in uniform, exhausted beyond belief, standing in their everyday common room with amusement and mild confusion on their faces. Perhaps it's a combination of the aforementioned, that causes Bucky to burst into laughter. Pure, unadulterated laughter. The kind that bursts from your lungs and makes you double over, and leaves your stomach aching when it's over. It's a wonderful, booming sound, and it increases exponentially every time he glances back at his teammates to see them looking back at him like he's grown another head, arm, and leg. Eventually, the laughter fades, and he straightens back up again, next to the others.

He wipes a tear from the corner of his eye, and addresses them properly.

“Peanut-butter and chocolate's my… comfort food.” Bucky says slowly, composing himself, struggling to remember the exact term Shuri used to explain the mountain of junk food piled up in her living room when he FaceTimed her the other day. It was her way of coping with the increase in demand from Wakanda's science division due to T'Challa's efforts to integrate Wakanda internationally.

“Since when? And no it’s not. No, man, no. Just no. Pizza is comfort food. Taco is comfort food. KFC is comfort food. Hell, I'll accept club sandwiches. Anything but this.” Sam insists, gesturing wildly at the carnage on the coffee table, almost stomping his feet. Bucky doesn’t seem to have fully grasped the concept of comfort food, and this puts a serious dent in Sam’s impatient plans for helping Bucky catch up to the 21st century.

“What is it?” Vision muses, coming closer to see what's sticking out of the jar Bucky just put down. It's a piece of Kit-Kat. Wanda's face lights up, and she walks up to him.

“Oh my God. You put Kit-Kat in the peanut-butter and eat it? That's genius!” She exclaims, and promptly removes a piece of the chocolate covered in peanut-butter and eats it. “This is delicious.” Wanda moans, reaching for the jar, but Bucky yanks it out of her reach. 

“Go make your own, Wanda. This one's mine.” He says, reestablishing his claim on the unfinished "snack". 

“Delicious? It's disgusting. And you stay away from that shit unless you can handle the sugar-rush, because I can't deal with teenagers high on P.B. and Kit-Kat.” Sam warns, rubbing the bridge of his nose, seemingly still struggling to process what's occurring before his very eyes.

“Um, speaking of teenagers, where did Peter go?” Nat says, looking around. She is undoubtedly worried that he's gone to make his own variant of Bucky's treat. Sugar-rush isn't a strong enough word to describe what happens when that kid gets some sweets in him, and nobody wants to be around when he does.

“I'm up here, Agent Romanoff! There was some more peanut butter and chocolate in the pantry, and this really is delicious.” Peter says from the ceiling, holding his own jar, in which chunks of chocolate are visible. 

“Is there more left?” Scott asks him, craning his sore neck to look up at him, simultaneously rubbing it to ease the ache. 

“Not you too, Scott.” Sam groans, rubbing his hand down his face. He captains a group of children. Total children. 

“What?! I want to try some. Can I share with you, Peter?” Scott continues, face lighting up when Peter nods, holding the jar out for him to take from. 

“Sure. Just a bit, though. I'm starving.” The rest of the team, who had managed to disappear unnoticed, return with a few jars of peanut-butter to share between them, each clutching their own spoons. Sam rolls his eyes, and thinks that if he has to do so one more time, they’ll disappear into the back of his head. Better than having to witness more of these crimes against food, he supposes. Crimes that are being endorsed by his Avengers, who look all too comfortable as they plop down on the sofa around Bucky, in full mission-gear, unbothered by his disbelieving glare. Some people have no taste.

“Come on, Sam, try it. It's good.” Bucky teases, but actually offers the sparse remains of his own jar to Sam, contradicting his earlier statement in favor of dragging Sam to the dark side. He stands his ground.

“Crazy. Every last one of you. I'm going to shower and then sleep, and hopefully not remember any of this tomorrow.” Sam declares, turning on his heel to do precisely what he said, and looks forward to writing off tonight as a bad, bad dream. 

[myaekingheart]

120. A Map to Matrimony, Like Constellations in the Night Sky

read the scarecrow and the bell on ao3 index | from the beginning | < previous | next >

               Arai smirked as she leaned against the wall of lockers, watching as Rei changed out of her uniform. There was something almost predatory in her gaze, making Rei hyperaware of her body. The pearl inlay of her engagement ring glinted in the flickering lights overhead.

               “Hey, boss, you know” Arai started, leaning over for a better look. “That’s some pretty flashy bling you’ve got there.” She raised an eyebrow suggestively, nodding towards Rei’s left hand.

               Frowning, Rei drew her hand up to her chest and muttered, “Yeah, and if you so much as think of stealing it, I’ll match it with a necklace made of your teeth.”  

               With a chuckle, Arai raised her hands in surrender. “Oh god, absolutely not!” she assured, almost even disgusted at the insinuation. “I mean, it’s pretty, yeah, but not my style at all.” Despite the initial suspicion, deep down Rei knew that Arai had to be genuine. Nothing about her seemed to align with the dainty and delicate nature of the engagement ring. Rather, Arai seemed like the type for something far more inconspicuous. Something steely and simple and durable. “So who’s the lucky guy, anyway? Maybe I know him” Arai jested. Little did she know, everyone knew him.

               Tugging her dress over her head, Rei flippantly replied, “Kakashi Hatake.” He had become so ordinary to her now that sometimes she forgot just how extraordinary he truly was. The moment his name fell from her lips, Arai’s entire demeanor shifted. Her violet eyes widened and her mouth gaped; if Rei listened closely, she could hear the dial-up signal screeching in her head. “Close your mouth, you’ll catch flies that way” Rei muttered under her breath. She hoped to somehow lessen the tension forming between them. To erase the strange shock that she had caused.

               “Oh, I’m sorry!” Arai replied sarcastically. “I was just trying to figure out how you of all people landed a stud like Kakashi fucking Hatake.”

               Just then, Mikazuki poked her head around the corner and interjected, “They have history!”

               Rei cursed under her breath and shot Mikazuki a fierce glare but she didn’t seem to comprehend her impending wrath. Funny how her dojutsu could pick apart little technicalities and yet Mikazuki was still so dense to common social cues. Arai skirted around Rei, arms crossed and a sly smile on her face. “Ooh, a history” she mused. “Tell me more! What kind of history are we talking here? What story could you possibly have with the renowned Kakashi of the Secondhand Sharingan?”

               “it’s really not a big deal” Rei muttered. There was no way in hell that she was going to delve into the complicated particulars of her romantic record right now. She had had a long day, she was sore and tired. The ANBU locker roms were a cesspool of gossip—one which she preferred not to contribute to. Besides, Rei still did not fully trust Arai anyway. True, they were on far better terms than before but Rei could not afford to be vulnerable with her yet again. Information was a dangerous asset. The less Arai knew, the better.

               A soft smile touched Mikazuki’s lips as she, too, admired the ring from afar. “So have you guys set a date yet?” she asked.

               “Oh, yeah, are you aiming for a winter wedding or a summer one?” Arai asked. “You should, at the very least, do a fall wedding. Those are always the prettiest.”

               “Really?” Mikazuki asked. “I always thought spring weddings were the best, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. It’s like getting married on a cloud of cotton candy” Mikazuki sighed dreamily as she fell back against the wall of lockers, clutching her hands to her chest like a lovelorn school girl.

               Arai scoffed and shook her head. “Damn, you’re sappy” she replied. “So what about a dress? Have you picked one yet? I heard you don’t want to wait too long or else you won’t have time for alterations, but if you do it too early you’ll blow up like a balloon by the time the wedding rolls around—you know, from the stress eating—and then it won’t even fit.”

               “Oh, speaking of food! What are you doing for catering?” Mikazuki asked. “Buffets are always nice, but those can get expensive.”

               “God, no” Arai scrunched her face in disgust. “A sit-down dinner is the only appropriate option for a wedding. Buffets are way too casual. Do you really want your wedding dinner at the fucking Shinobi Corral?”

               Ignoring Arai’s comments, Mikazuki then asked, “What about the cake?”

               “Place settings?” offered Arai.

               “Bridal party?”

               “China patterns?”

               “Flowers?”

               “Music?”

               “Prenups?”

               “Oh my god, stop!” Rei shouted and the entire locker room fell silent. There was so much to consider, and she was not at all in the proper mindset for any of it. She had only just come to terms with her promotion. Her feelings toward her subordinates were still only lukewarm at best. She refused to think about the abandoned parenthood pursuit. If she didn’t slow her roll and take one thing at a time, she was going to lose her mind.

               But still, they were (unfortunately) valid questions. The wedding needed to be planned and it was only natural for people to wonder. If only they weren’t so overbearing in their curiosity. If Rei was going to do this, and do it right, then she needed to take her time.

               As she made her way home, however, all chances of a relaxing evening were dashed. Mikazuki and Arai’s obsessive inquiries had planted in her brain an overwhelming mania about the wedding. Three weeks had passed since submitting their marriage license applications but in the meantime, they had done little else as far as planning went. Logically, Rei understood much of the past month was occupied by her promotion but still. The pressure to get everything sorted immediately was eating her alive.

               Kakashi had returned home shortly before Rei did, shuffling out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He shook the excess water from his hair as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. “I beat you home” he grinned proudly.

               Rei stalled for only a moment staring at his wet, toned chest and the way his towel sat low on his waist, teasing her. But now was not the time to get aroused. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she surged forward and took Kakashi’s hand in hers. “We need to talk” she said, guiding him toward the kitchen table.

                Chuckling, Kakashi asked, “Can I get dressed first?” Then, with a sly smile, he asked, “Or is this the sort of conversation that I need to keep my clothes off for?” Her sharp glare gave him his answer. Defeated, he carefully sat down and gave her his full attention. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

               “No, Kakashi” Rei replied. “Everything is not okay. We have a big problem.”

               Kakashi’s face immediately fell. “Am I in trouble?” he asked. His mind sifted through the past few weeks, trying to pinpoint moments where he may have misstepped. He came up empty every time.

               Shaking her head, Rei replied, “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s about us.”

               Kakashi instinctively reached across the table to take her hand in his. His mind automatically leapt to their pregnancy plans. Had something happened? What if she had gone to the doctor only to discover that something was wrong and she couldn’t have kids at all? Or perhaps they had miscalculated and she was pregnant after all? He swallowed back the lump in his throat, asked, “What’s the matter?”

               And then Rei said it and a wave of relief washed over Kakashi. “It’s about the wedding planning.”

               “Oh, thank god” Kakashi sighed, leaning back in his chair. Rei shot him yet another glare and he raised his hands in surrender. “I just expected much worse!”

               Shaking her head, Rei folded her hands on the table in front of her like a businesswoman about to make a deal. “We’ve been engaged for almost two months now and have hardly made any progress” she said. “People are beginning to ask questions and I can’t stand to sit there without answers anymore!”

               “Well, we did submit our marriage license application” Kakashi reminded her. “That’s one thing.” And really, they couldn’t do much else until they received the verdict on that. Without that stamp of approval, there couldn’t be a wedding to begin with. At least not legally.

               Rei gripped her hair and groaned. “I know, but that’s not enough!” she whined. “What about the date? The location? The guests? The food and the flowers? We can’t have our wedding dinner at the fucking Shinobi Corral! I just—”

               “Whoa, wait a second. Who said anything about the Shinobi Corral?” Kakashi asked. His restrained laughter was not appreciated. When it was clear that Rei did not find any of this funny, however, he reached back across the table for her hand yet again. “Rei, look at me” he said, voice soft and tender. “I want our wedding to be perfect for you so whatever you want, we’ll do it. Okay?”

               Rei blinked as she looked at his comforting, unmasked face. He was so sweet but god, he was so, so stupid. “Kakashi, you know I love you” she replied, “but you’re a fucking idiot.” Kakashi recoiled as he tried to figure out where he had gone wrong. Fortunately, Rei spelled it out for him. “I can’t do this all on my own. I want you to have a part in this because it’s your wedding, too. We need to make these decisions together. I want your help. I need your help.”

               Nodding slowly, Kakashi said, “Okay. Well then let’s take it one step at a time.” He reached across their cramped kitchen to pull a notepad and pen from the counter. “Let’s start with the guests. Who do you want to invite?”

               “I don’t know. My family, I guess?” Rei replied. She drew her knees up to her chest as she filtered through her mental address book. “We’ll have to go through the details later, there’s too many people to really count right now. And it’s hard to say how many people we can even invite if we don’t have a location in mind since we don’t know the capacity.”

               “Alright” Kakashi said as he finished scribbling a simple family and friends. “Did you have anything in mind for the location?”

               Rei shook her head. “I don’t know.”

               “Well close your eyes and imagine it then” Kakashi suggested. “What kind of wedding do you see?”

               Rei did as she was told but it was no use. “Kakashi, I can’t see anything” she complained.

               “For an avid reader, your imagery skills need some work” Kakashi jested.

               As Rei opened her eyes, she pursed her lips and narrowed her gaze. “You think you’re real funny, don’t you, Kakashi?” she muttered. Kakashi merely smiled a dumb, childlike little smile—far too proud for his own good. Rei buried her face in her hands. “God, you sound just like everyone else asking me all these questions that I can’t fucking answer.”

               He hated how cute she was when she was frustrated. He tossed the pen and pad aside and rose to his feet, skirting around to rub her shoulders and kiss the top of her head. “But this time you don’t need to have all of the answers, Rei” he reassured her. “We’re just thinking out loud. Nothing is set in stone. You’re allowed to take your time and decide what you want. I really don’t care as long as you’re happy.”

               Squinting, Rei tilted her head back against his chest so as to look up at him and mumble, “That doesn’t sound very budget-friendly, Kakashi.”

               Kakashi shrugged and smiled. “It’s not like we can’t afford it” he said. “We both make plenty of money, right Mrs. ANBU captain?” He smirked and kissed the tip of her nose before turning to head back into the bedroom. Rei twisted around in the kitchen chair, straddling it backwards as she watched Kakashi shed his towel and begin rooting around his drawers for clean underwear. Her cheeks burned as she eyed his dick, tilting her head to get a better view of it.

               “Maybe we should just elope” she commented, resting her head on the back of the chair.

               “Is that really what you want?” Kakashi asked, stepping into a fresh pair of boxer briefs.

               “I don’t know” Rei whined. “I’m just starting to feel like this is more work than it’s worth. I’m stressed. Eloping would solve all of our problems.”

               “In wedding planning, maybe” Kakashi replied. “But it would create a whole army of new ones.”  

               “Oh yeah? Like what?” Rei asked.

               “Well, for one thing” Kakashi replied, tugging his shirt over his head, “I don’t think your parents would be very happy when they find out we’ve run away together.”

               Rei swatted at the air dismissively. “Fuck them” she said. “They’ll just cause more drama, anyway.”

               “Even your grandmother?” Kakashi asked, cocking a brow.

               Rei paused a moment, reconsidering. Then, finally, “Alright, fine, only Grandma Teiko is allowed to come to the wedding. No one else.” At this, Toshio huffed and nudged Rei’s knee with his wet nose. Chuckling, Rei shook her head and scratched behind his ear, adding, “And of course Toshio can come, too. He can be a bridesmaid.”

               “Are you going to make him wear a dress?” Kakashi jested.

               “Only if he wants to” Rei replied. The look on the dog’s face, however, proved that he definitely did not want to.

               Ruffling his hair, Kakashi made his way back into the kitchen. He knelt down in front of Rei and brushed the long bangs back out of her face. “Honestly, though, I think we deserve a real wedding, don’t you?”

               “Yeah” Rei sighed, resting her forehead against his. “I guess so. But god, I wish weddings didn’t have to be so damn stressful. I feel so much pressure to have everything sorted as soon as possible, like I should be some sort of all-knowing bridal goddess or some shit.”

               “I know” Kakashi laughed, petting her head affectionately. “Just try not to worry. We’re allowed to take our time. It’s not like we have a deadline to meet or anything.”

               “God, but that’s exactly the problem, Kakashi!” Rei whined. “Having everything so open-ended doesn’t make me feel much better, either. If anything, it just makes me feel aimless. It’s like I don’t have a clear goal in mind without a set date, you know?”

               Kakashi pursed his lips, considering her words. She did have a valid point. The wedding date was essentially the anchor that tethered everything else in place. Without it, all their other plans were merely disconnected ideas floating in mid-air. “Alright” Kakashi replied, nodding with purpose. “Then how about March 14th?”

               “March 14th?” Rei repeated.

               “Mmhmm” Kakashi affirmed. “The same date I proposed to you, so it would be easy to remember. The weather would be mild, and I think it falls on a weekend. It would be perfect. After all, it is called White Day for a reason.”

               A wedding on White Day. Rei considered the possibility. She thought back to what Mikazuki had said earlier about spring weddings and the cherry blossoms. The soft, ethereal aesthetic was definitely alluring. And plus, it was a day with meaning. The anniversary of their engagement and a holiday founded on the reciprocation of love. How Kakashi had thought of something so perfect was beyond her but then again, it seemed that he was always coming up with perfect ideas. Her eyes skated to the copy of Icha Icha haphazardly tossed on the coffee table and that gave her explanation enough for his romantic powers.

               And from a more logical perspective, March was a little less than a year away which gave them plenty of time to figure out the rest. Rei felt far more confident in her ability to plan a wedding in ten months, with a definite end goal in mind. A small smile began to spread across her lips as she thought about it all, suddenly far less stressed than she was before. Now when she closed her eyes, a hazy image began to form in her mind, still not clear enough to feel fully confident in her plans but better than nothing. Her vision was beginning to take root.

               Rei nodded as she looked Kakashi in the eyes and replied, “March 14th. I like that.”

               “See? That wasn’t so hard” Kakashi grinned. “Now we have one less thing to worry about. Do you feel better?”

               Nodding, Rei replied, “A little bit, yeah. It’s nice to know where the finish line stands. To have an anchor, you know? Something to build up from.”  

               Kakashi nodded and kissed her forehead sweetly before replying “Now to figure out everything else.”

               Rei grimaced, but not unkindly, as she twisted around to whack Kakashi lightly on the shoulder with the notepad. “Watch yourself, Hatake” she jested. A sly, teasing smile touched her lips. “One thing at a time.”

[tearsofthemis]

Tears of Themis : Chapter 1 “Social Snobbery” Part 3

[Previous Part] | [Masterlist] | [Next Part]

▌ Location-Themis Law Firm’s Reception Area

(My arrival seemed to have made Lu HaiYang lose his will to fight. He hesitated and left without causing more trouble. After he left, Xue XinRan let out the sigh she had been holding and crumpled to the floor. I hurriedly called for Zuo Ran, and we helped her into the office.)

~~~

▌ Location-Break Room

MC: “Miss, how are you feeling? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Xue XinRan: “No, I’m alright, it’s just low blood sugar.”

(Zuo Ran set a mug down in front of Xue XinRan.)

Zuo Ran: “Hot chocolate, it’ll help if you’d have some.”

Xue XinRan: “Thank you. My name is Xue XinRan. I came today to hire a lawyer for QingPing Restaurant.”

MC:  “QingPing Restaurant? The private gourmet kitchen that has been trending recently for food poisoning cases, that QingPing Restaurant?”

Xue XinRan:  “The stuff they’ve been saying online is false! Grandpa Fang built our restaurant to commemorate his late wife, and we’ve always had a good reputation ever since we opened twenty-five years ago. The recent food poisoning reports, they should be an accident and nothing more...”

Zuo Ran:  “Miss. Xue, what kind of person is ‘Grandpa Fang’, and what is your relationship to him?”

Xue XinRan:  “Fang Yuan is Grandpa Fang’s full name, and he is the owner of the restaurant. He’s also my sponsor.”

MC:  “...Sponsor?”

Xue XinRan:  “That’s right. Grandpa Fang has always supported less fortunate students, and I am one of many. I would’ve never been able to attend Stellis University without Grandpa Fang’s support.”

Zuo Ran: “The purpose of your visit today, is it because there are already customers who have filed lawsuits against the restaurant?”

Xue XinRan:  “Yeah. Grandpa Fang had originally agreed to pay the settlement, but the customer suddenly raised the settlement by a staggering amount, and Grandpa had to refuse. The customers banded together to hire someone from Bader Law Firm, and they plan to sue Grandpa Fang.”

MC:  “It’s Bader Law Firm again…”

(Bader Law Firm is Stellis City’s largest law firm. Ever since their so-called ‘trump card’ lawyers lost a case to Zuo Ran, Bader has considered us to be their biggest competitor, and never misses a chance to bump heads. Honestly, no one at Thermis has taken it to heart, although it sure looks like the other party’s pride has been sorely wounded…)

Xue XinRan:  “Grandpa Fang was so upset by their actions, he almost had a heart attack. Thanks to Bader’s actions, Grandpa has lost his trust in lawyers and refuses to appear in court with one. But the trial starts next Wednesday, and if we don’t find a lawyer that will take our case, even if we were wronged, we won’t be able to prove it. We really… I… I’m not quite sure how we can go about this...”

MC:  “Don't worry Miss. Xue, let’s focus on carefully sorting out the situation; what happened before and after the incident. How about I lead with some questions; all you have to do is answer to the best of your ability.”

Xue XinRan:  “Alright.”

~~~ Interrogation Start! ~~~ [The interrogation section requires you to ask about certain topics until you receive the required about of clues (this chapter requires 3 clues). All others are extra information about the case.]

▌ [About the man at the reception area] 

MC:  “Who was the man you were arguing with at the firm’s reception area?”

Xue XinRan:  “His name is Luo HaiYang, and he’s MeiWeiKa’s sales manager.”

MC: “Are you referring to the ratings and reviews app, MeiWeiKa?”

Xue XinRan:  “Yes, that's right.”

MC:  “What is MeiWeiKa’s connection with this incident?”

Xue XinRan: “Originally, they weren’t involved. Eventually, Lu HaiYang caught wind of the rumors, and since then, he hasn’t stopped pestering Grandpa Fang, pitching the so-called benefits of employing MeiWeiKa’s PR services.”

[Flashback]

Lu HaiYang: “Look, old man. Your dishes are truly poisonous. If you went to court, you’d be sure to lose the battle. Even if the settlement has been paid, your restaurant’s reputation will tank. Believe me when I say this: if you buy MeiWeiKa’s PR services, we’ll be sure to get the customer complaints retracted and renew your tarnished reputation; two birds, one stone.”

[Flashback Ends]

MC:  “How would he be able to retract customer complaints? Also the company seems… I heard that their platform is about to go live soon, so they’ll be quite sensitive to public opinion during this time.”

Zuo Ran: “MeiWeiKa’s involvement in an upcoming lawsuit will bring risk to the app’s release. Lu HaiYang’s decision to pitch it to your restaurant, was it to satisfy his own intentions, or was it mediated by MeiWeiKa’s officials?”

Xue XinRan: “That… was never made clear to us. Their company has been shady since before, and it’s not the first time Lu HaiYang has come to harass Grandpa Fang with his pitches.”

MC:  “...This wasn’t the first time?”

▌ [More about the Incident]  (Receive ‘Incident Appraisal Report’)

MC: “When did this incident happen?”

Xue XinRan: “Two weeks ago, Friday afternoon.”

[Flashback]

Male Customer: “My wife and her colleagues dined here for lunch, and in the afternoon, she couldn’t stop throwing up and having the runs! It must have been caused by shoddy ingredients!”

Female Customer: “My son and daughter-in-law were the same this afternoon! What kind of private kitchen are you running! I ought to bet that you use rotting fish and dead seafood to make a quick buck!”

Other Male Customer: “I’ve kept the meal receipt and my hospital prognosis as proof. With the health department on their way, I’m sure they’ll secure evidence. I’d love to see how you’d try to talk your way out of it!”

Female Customer: “Right, right! That pot of fish and tofu soup there, don’t let them throw it out and try to hide the body… I mean, tamper with the evidence!”

[Flashback ends]

Xue XinRan: “That day… there were a total of six customers that had food poisoning symptoms. And they had all ordered the fish and tofu soup. The health department tested the water we use for cooking, which tested positive for pesticide contamination, and ruled poor restaurant management as the cause of the incident. Here’s the official written report.”

Zuo Ran: “Pesticides, huh…”

▌ [About past entanglements] (Receive ‘Promotion Refusal File’)

MC: “You mentioned that this isn’t the first time MeiWeiKa and Lu HaiYang have bothered Mr. Fang, can you elaborate further on it?”

Xu XinRan: “Lu HaiYang is responsible for the sales promotion of the area in which Grandpa Fang’s restaurant is located. In the past, in order to meet his own sales quota, he pressured Grandpa Fang to buy a VIP membership on the platform. The membership was overpriced and Grandpa Fang needed to build up savings in order to fund his charity, so he refused Lu HaiYang. Lu HaiYang thus failed to meet his quota and was fined by the company. Since then, he’s harbored hatred for Grandpa Fang, even going as far as to buy negative reviews for the restaurant on MeiWeiKa. Ever since the incident, I’ll bet he’s been bouncing off the rocks!”

Zuo Ran: “In short, there exists a conflict of interest between Lu HaiYang and Fang Yuan. The restaurant incident provides Lu HaiYang with an opportunity for profit.”

MC: “Does Lawyer Zuo suspect that Lu HaiYang might have a hand in the incident?”

Zuo Ran: “I’m just covering all the bases.”

▌ [About the affected customers] (Receive ‘Customers’ Medical Records’)

MC: “What’s the current condition of the affected customers?”

Xue XinRan: “Everyone has recovered. These are the medical records provided by the hospital. All six affected customers dined for lunch on the same day, and all experienced diarrhea and vomiting afterwards. Besides that, there aren’t any other symptoms. No one stayed in the hospital, either. Since it was almost the weekend, no one wanted to hinder their work. For that, they’re asking for a settlement of two hundred thousand per person, it’s ridiculous!”

Zuo Ran: “The settlement for food poisoning lawsuits are regulated legally, the judge won’t permit the plaintiffs to set the price themselves.”

Xue XinRan: “That’s a relief to hear.”

▌ [About other sponsees’ attitudes]

MC:  “You mentioned that Mr. Fang has sponsored many underprivileged students. How long has he been doing these charitable acts?”

Xue XinRan:  “I think he started it when Grandma Fang was still around, so it’s been about twenty years.”

MC:  “That means a lot of his sponsees are all living and working, each to their own?”

Xue Xin Ran: “Yup, there’s quite a few of them that are well established within Stellis City. They’re well off. Actually, I can be considered as a ‘past sponsee’, too. Last month, I received my offer of acceptance to Stellis University with a full scholarship. My plan was to work part-time in Stellis City for my living expenses. I shouldn’t always rely on Grandpa Fang’s generosity, can I.” MC: “Well said, Miss. Xue. I admire your integrity. Although Mr. Fang’s charity work isn’t related to the case, it can be used to prove that Mr. Fang is a good character and not a profiteer. The court may come to believe that this case is a one-off accident by Mr. Fang, helping reduce the settlement cost, and preserving the restaurant’s reputation. Miss. Xue, are you able to contact some of the students that Mr. Fang’s charity has helped?” Xue XinRan: ”Actually… after the incident happened, I’ve considered contacting some of Grandpa Fang’s past sponsees for help, but… Those who were kind said they’d agree to pitch in for the settlement cost, like repayment for Grandpa Fang’s support in the past, then there were some that followed along with the people online and accused him! They claimed that he’d gone senile, and that’s what caused the incident. They even accused me of collecting repayment and attempting to cash in his good karma. That was never my intention....”

Zuo Ran: “Avoidance is a common and natural way for some to stay away from trouble, there’s no point in forcing a confrontation.”

▌ [About the pesticides used in the restaurant]

Zuo Ran: “The restaurant’s pest control protocols, is it outsourced to professionals, or is it done in-house?”

Xue XinRan: “Grandpa Fang told me that he asked the restaurant runner to buy powdered pesticide on Monday of the same week as the incident.”

Zuo Ran: “The powdered pesticides on the market are generally harmless to humans. The ones that do have adverse effects are difficult to procure. If it’s the runner that accidentally bought the wrong pesticide and mixed the powder with the water source, the cause can be deemed as the worker’s negligence.”

MC: “If it’s the employee’s fault, Mr. Fang can claim compensation from his employee after the trial, which can reduce his personal losses.”

Xue XinRan: “Grandpa Fang said that he was the one who sprinkled the pesticide powder, and his poor eyesight is to blame for mistaking the water source. He wasn’t paying attention…” Zuo Ran: “He claims he wasn’t paying attention, but afterward is so sure that it was caused by his misoperation. That’s a logical fallacy...”

▌ [About employee]

MC: “The means of procuring harmful pesticides is suspicious in of itself. After the incident, did the employee do or say anything out of the ordinary?”

Xue XinRan: “Anything abnormal…?” Zuo Ran: “For example, making purchases that exceed their expected budget and living conditions, or giving off the impression that they have acquired wealth.”

Xue XinRan: “That… no, I don’t think so. Grandpa Fang’s restaurant isn’t big. He works as the head chef, and employs two others: a waiter, and a helper. After the incident, the two employees were afraid of implicating themselves, made excuses to quit, and found work elsewhere. They’re still obtaining their bread and butter working for others.”

~~~ End of investigation! ~~~

Xue XinRan: “I’ve only been in Stellis City for about a month or so, working part-time and taking care of Grandpa Fang on the side. In regards to the incident and the lawsuit, that’s as much as I know.”

Zuo Ran: “We’ve covered the general situation and will require a visit to the restaurant in order to collect evidence for the case. Before that, we will require that you sign an agency agreement. I do have to point out, Miss. Xue, you are not the owner or operator of the restaurant, and do not hold the right to appoint a lawyer to appear in court for this lawsuit.”

Xue XinRan: “I… didn't know that.”

MC: “I believe that Mr. Fang is only caught up in the heat of the moment. I’m willing to visit Mr. Fang and try to persuade him to agree to our help.”

Zuo Ran: “You want to pick up this case?”

MC: “That’s right, Lawyer Zuo. Mr. Fang has supported less fortunate students in his ongoing charity work and has without a doubt opened up doors for those that could not afford it at a time when others would not have given them a sliver of hope. Since he is going through a rough time, he deserves good people such as Miss. Xue to help him, as he has done for others. Moreover, civil and commercial law are my areas of expertise.”

Zuo Ran: “Alright, then this case will be assigned to you. Should you require any help or assistance, do not hesitate to contact me.”

MC: “Thank you, Lawyer Zuo!”

Xue XinRan: “Then…”

MC: “What’s wrong, Miss. Xue, do you have any other concerns? I might not have Lawyer Zuo’s elite qualifications, but…”

Xue XinRan: “No! That’s not what I meant, please do not misunderstand.”

(Xue XinRan pulled an envelope out of her canvas bag and pushed it in front of Lawyer Zuo and I. I opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of banknotes - about a thousand dollars. Everyone has been favoring electronic payment methods, yet Xue XinRan, she…)

Xue XinRan:

”These are the living expenses my parents gave me, and my earnings for this month… It’s all in there… Grandpa Fang’s savings have largely gone towards supporting students in need, and now, he has to prepare funds for the settlement as well. He’s not young and has heart complications, so he can’t be allowed to work as hard as he does. If it’s possible, I’m willing to work more shifts so I can pay the lawyer fees in installments. Although, I’m not sure if that’s acceptable here…”

(The envelope in my hand suddenly felt heavy. Zuo Ran took the envelope out of my hands and handed it back to Xue XinRan with both hands and a gentle smile, something that I rarely see.)

Zuo Ran: “There’s no need to worry. Themis Law Firm’s legal aid fund allows for the lawyer fees to be reduced, or even exempted, as long as you meet our requirements.”

Xue XinRan: “R-really?”

MC: “Lawyer Zuo is one of Themis’s long term partners, so you might as well even consider him as one of our bosses. Whatever he says is obviously true.”

Xue XinRan: “Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart. Gauging from Grandpa Fang’s mood earlier, I’ve also hired a private investigator to look into this case. The PI has also refused payment and told me not to worry about the money. It seems like Stellis City is filled with warm-spirited people.”

(Just then, Zuo Ran’s cell phone started ringing. His expression soured as he checked the caller ID.)

Zuo Ran: “I apologize, I must attend to this call.”

(Zuo Ran bowed towards Xue XinRan, and left the break room in a hurry. Judging from the tight timeline of this case, I think I should start investigating immediately.)

MC: “Miss Xue, If the trial starts next Wednesday, we should go get a move on. Let’s head to the restaurant and pay a visit to Mr. Fang.”

Xue XinRan: “Sounds good. The restaurant is located in CBD, so it’s close by.”

(Zuo Ran was still in his office by the time Xue XinRan and I left the firm. I sent a quick text to let him know where we were headed.)

MC:  (Did Lawyer Zuo encounter something troubling? If so, I wish him all the best.)

~~~

▌ Location- Zuo Ran’s Office

(In the office, Zuo Ran was on the phone, and he was furious.)

Zuo Ran: “Solely based on one email correspondence, Master was determined to have betrayed NXX. I won’t accept this!”

Zuo Ran: “...”

Zuo Ran: “We three all have our own standpoints, and there’s no way to remain unbiased. That being the case, I will bring a fourth party into the investigation.”

Zuo Ran: “...”

Zuo Ran: “En, if there are any suitable candidates, I ask Mo Yi to conduct a psychological evaluation.”

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[Previous Part] | [Masterlist] | [Next Part]

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《CREDIT》 Translator: @humi-and-co Editor: @hallowsivy​ 《未定事件簿》Tears of Themis is a 2020 Chinese otome game by 米哈游Mihoyo. All original credits go to 米哈游Mihoyo. 

《 VOICE ACTORS 》 Xia Yan | Jin Xian: https://weibo.com/riceranger Zuo Ran | Zhao Lu: https://weibo.com/mzhaolu Lu HaiYang | Zhang Pei: https://weibo.com/u/1937059462 Xue XinRan | V17-Su Wan: https://weibo.com/u/2925530143

《OFFICIAL ACCOUNTS》 Official website: https://bbs.mihoyo.com/wd/ Official WeChat account:  未定事件簿 Mihoyo official website: https://wd.mihoyo.com/

[themurphyzone]

PatB Oneshot: Goodbye, Old Friend

AN: So I posted about this idea before, and Pluto said it would make for a good fanfic. So here we are! Takes place after the Brainwashed trilogy, in which Snowball is reverted to a normal hamster.

This fic is 9326 words and I have no idea how this got to be triple the length of We’re Just Mice or A Whole New World.  

Summary: Post-Brainwashed trilogy. Brain and Snowball were close once, until the world tore them apart. Then Snowball tried to kill him physically and emotionally. And now Snowball is a normal, innocent hamster. Brain tries to come to terms with this.  

FFN Link

Life returned to normal after they stopped that infernal dance from rendering Earth’s population criminally stupid.

He still aspired to take over the world, Pinky never pondered what he pondered, and Madonna seemed to have taken a leaf out of Precious the Cat’s evil book and given the world a new aggravating dance craze that was guaranteed to stall humanity’s progress by eight centuries.  

The only element missing was the occasional detour into stopping Snowball’s schemes when their ambitions and methods clashed.

He wouldn’t have to lose an entire night that could’ve been devoted to hypnotizing Dwayne Johnson so that he would promote the Brain as emperor of the world.  He would have more time to create an irresistible ice cream flavor, followed by assuming control of a popular ice cream franchise to produce it, and nobody would catch on to the sweet additive that would plant the idea of hailing Brain as their ruler.  

Logic dictated that he would be more efficient and focused.

And if his thoughts wandered onto that unwelcome emotional tangent, he should be pleased by Snowball’s loss of sentience.

Snowball was nothing but trouble. Always taunting him, trying to break his partnership with Pinky, and interfering with his plans. He knew how to damage Brain’s pride and dignity and take advantage of his flaws. He attempted to chip away at Pinky’s unwavering loyalty, scoffing at Brain for associating (not the true definition of their partnership, but it was better than relying or depending) with a lesser creature.

Brain growled, snapping his pencil in two and flinging the broken pieces against the wall. They landed on the tiled floor with a dull clatter. The noise wasn’t satisfying in the slightest.

Wonderful. Now he needed a new pencil.

Kicking aside the scraps of a non-viable plan, he stalked over to the pencil holder and selected the only writing utensil that didn’t have a scientist’s toothmarks all over it. Then he marched back to his notepad, intent on distracting himself with a complex stoichiometry formula.

“It’s like this, Snowball! One! Rainbow! Cumin! Troz!” Pinky exclaimed, batting a crumpled ball of tin foil into the air, each hit punctuated by a poor attempt at counting the integers above one.  

Snowball was more interested in mindlessly gnawing on the tin foil than playing Hacky Sack though. Not that it stopped Pinky, who switched to tossing and catching the tin foil with his mouth only.

Brain tried to ignore them, but concern for the other rodents’ lungs and stomachs overpowered his desire to write out mathematical operations.

“Pinky, find another ridiculous activity that doesn’t involve slobbering over random objects!” Brain snapped. “And give Snowball something edible to chew on!”

He kept his gaze trained on Pinky, who saluted with his mouth stretched to an uncomfortable degree by the tin foil ball. Snowball had prized himself on intelligence, and to see him behave so primitively was beyond mortifying.

Pinky made a muffled noise that could’ve been anything from “Aye-aye, Captain Brain!” to “Let’s sprinkle ourselves with fairy dust and breadcrumbs and fly to Neverland!”

With a heavy sigh, Brain delivered a hard slap to Pinky’s back. The tinfoil popped out of Pinky’s mouth, trailing saliva as it skittered across the counter.

“Thanks, Brain,” Pinky chirped. “Ooh, my back is super tingly. Just like the time I made a slip-n’-slide with aloe vera!”

“Yes, how could I forget?” Brain muttered. The excess aloe vera had ruined his hypersonic satellite transmitter after all. “Hand sanitizer was never meant to be used in such a manner.”

“Oh, but the aloe vera was so polite. The soap squirty-thing by the sink though, now she could use some lessons in saying please and thank you,” Pinky said, grabbing a food pellet from the bowl. He produced a small silver tray and made a show of preparing the food pellet for consumption, sprinkling some sort of invisible spice on the dish.

Brain rolled his eyes as Pinky draped a tissue over one arm and carried the tray above his head with just one hand, humming a nonsensical tune as he set the tray in front of Snowball, who sniffed the food pellet once and drew back. “Yerrrr dinna, monseeyour,” Pinky drawled with a horrible French accent. “Bon appetity!”

“It’s pronounced appetit,” Brain corrected. “I can hardly blame Snowball for being appalled.”

Pinky hurried back to the bowl, plucking a large food pellet from the top of the pile. “He probably just doesn’t like paprika. Maybe he’s more of a pepper type. Hey Brain, have you seen my pepper sneezy turncrankanizer anywhere?”

The pepper mill was hidden in the back of a kitchen cupboard, but Brain had no desire to experience a bout of unstoppable sneezing fits.

“I don’t know, Pinky,” Brain shrugged. “You never store your belongings in the same place.”

“Okay, just a dash then,” Pinky said, though ‘just a dash’ in Pinky’s vocabulary meant completely coating the food pellet with invisible pepper. He waved the new pellet in front of Snowball’s nose. “Try it now, Snowball!”

But Snowball chittered at Pinky and pushed the pellet aside, his nose quivering with apprehension.

Brain forced himself to look at a colorful, childish poster of the scientific method on the door instead of Pinky’s pathetic attempts to find Snowball something to eat.

Hearing Pinky adopt different methods to entice Snowball to try a food pellets, from airplane noises to grunts that accompanied silly faces, it brought memories to the forefront of his mind.

Memories that had never truly disappeared, buried into the farthest, deepest crevices by his ideals of global domination.

Making Snowball laugh after a grueling experiment left him sore and aching. Seeing who could make their wheel spin faster and faster until they collapsed from dizziness. Holding hands and sleeping against the bars of their cages because it was the only way to feel warm in those cold, lonely nights.

Life was simpler before the fallout, before the accursed gene splicer, before the world haunted every waking hour and dream.

By contrast, Pinky was a paradoxical miracle. Pinky was bred for companionship and comfort, but someone brought him into a life of sterility and mazes. He had every right to be angry, every right to lash out and bite the oppressors who lorded over his existence, yet he found the strength to smile instead.

Despite the pain, Pinky laughed. And Brain didn’t understand how.

A hard and dry object rolled over his foot, a welcome distraction from his darkening thoughts. Brain picked up the food pellet, scowling at the pigsty their cage had transformed into while he’d been distracted. Pellets were scattered everywhere, there was a puddle by the water bottle, and Pinky was inspecting the underside of the empty food bowl like he’d found an interesting speck of dirt there.

But Snowball was nowhere to be found.

“Snowball! Come out, come out, wherever you are! Your tummy’s gonna get Brain-grumbly if you don’t eat soon!” Pinky called, shifting the bowl like Snowball would just magically drop out from the bottom. “Poit, this speck of dirt is shaped like a squash! I never noticed before!”

“Pinky, there are many things you don’t notice,” Brain sighed. “Such as Snowball getting lost and not having the mental capacity to remember his route.”

“Just like how I lost my marbles last week,” Pinky sniffed, wiping his nose with his tail. Brain wrinkled his nose and passed him a tissue. Pinky accepted it with a grateful nod and blew his nose. “Poor Snowball. He must be hungry! Scared! Alone! Bamboozled!”

“Not to worry, Pinky,” Brain said, though it was taking a considerable amount of effort to stop his ears from drooping and betraying his own thoughts. “Your marbles have been missing a lot longer than just last week, I’m afraid. Now cease this blubbering and clean up our living quarters while I search for our wayward hamster.”

“Right, Brain,” Pinky nodded, a spark of determination shining in his blue eyes. “I’ll make those coins spick-span and squeaky clean!”

Pinky tied a cloth around his ears, humming a light, airy tune as he grabbed the broom and set to work. Brain quickly vacated the cage. Pinky would vigorously scrub every spot he deemed filthy, and living things were not excluded from Pinky’s cleaning sprees.

He started with a sweep of his usual planning station and nearby counters, discovering that his blueprints and measuring instruments were in slight disarray. His first instinct was to blame Pinky, but since his protractor hadn’t been carted up to the top shelf and used as a zipline in an impromptu game of Batmouse and Raven, it was more likely that Snowball knocked it over.

Snowball had clearly retained a desire to mess with him.

He returned everything to their proper positions, concluding that Snowball was in a completely different room.  Brain knew he’d have to make up for lost time later, but he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

As he crossed the next room, he gave Billie’s cage a wide berth. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with unflattering comments about his proportions, and he still had no idea what caused him to ever be infatuated with her in the first place. Luckily, she was too preoccupied with tying a pink ribbon to her tail to notice him, and he made it to the hallway without any issue.

Brain marched down the corridor and listened for any signs of activity, but there was only the sound of his footsteps and the white noise of the air conditioner. He stopped by the breakroom, grabbing an apple slice from a snack platter to entice Snowball into following him.

“Snowball, I know you require sustenance. If you refuse the food pellets, then I will procure some organic food for you,” Brain called into a room full of guinea pigs. Their noses twitched greedily at the scent of the apple slice, but Brain tightened his grip and ignored them.

These creatures weren’t genetically enhanced. Their only goals in life were food, reproduction, and mindlessly catering to the scientists’ whims. Once Brain determined Snowball’s absence, he hastily left and ignored the guilty pang at leaving the guinea pigs so listless and defeated.

It was fine, he told himself. He’d rule the world one day, and unethical practices would no longer be tolerated and paraded around as necessary for progress in scientific fields.

The next area was a medical room, and the constant humming of the equipment made Brain’s fur stand on end. It was deceptively white and sterile, a stark contrast to the shadowed blues and blacks that surrounded their cage. This was where humans acted as judge, jury, and executioner. Some came out with minor changes, others had their qualities significantly altered, and the unfortunate ones never came back at all.

Several vials of liquid weren’t aligned with the others along the shelf, and Brain knew they’d been recently used. Those vials were the reason Pinky wasn’t allowed to venture past the breakroom alone. The simpleton would believe it was apple juice and guzzle it down, and the thought that he could fall asleep and never wake up again would never cross his empty mind.

Brain wasted no time in ruling out this horrible place. A primitive mind would still register the sense of impending doom and avoid danger at all costs.

Then a sharp squeal pierced the air. Brain rushed into the hall, readying his apple slice for a bopping in case he needed to reprimand Pinky for abandoning his post, but no laughter or verbal tics accompanied the sound.

He tensed as the squeal echoed off the walls, accompanied by a shriek that was somewhat higher. Brain followed the sound until he was in front of a heavy metal door at the end of the hall. A radioactive symbol was posted on the door, though the lab didn’t carry such potent materials due to their high expenses. The bottom was blocked off with a thick seal that even Pinky’s malleable body wouldn’t be able to squeeze through.

The radioactive sign was just there to cover up the gene splicer, a byproduct of Project BRAIN’s failure. None of the scientists enjoyed the reminder of how their failed experiment costed them a hefty government grant.

Despite their attempts to keep the room secure, someone had botched it and left the door open enough for a curious hamster to slip through. Brain squeezed through the gap with minimal trouble, which he took as a small blessing since his head tended to get caught between spaces that other mice wouldn’t normally have an issue with.

The gene splicer was indistinguishable from any other piece of lab equipment. Still, Brain refused to go anywhere near it. Yes, the machine had granted him intelligence, but at the cost of his innocence. And though his fateful meeting with Pinky was an unintentional result of the project, it also cost him a dear childhood friend.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, the adage said.

Snowball was on the ground, scratching at a drawer in a feeble attempt to reach a cage that contained a ginger colored hamster. Snowball squealed, and the caged hamster responded back in kind.

Male hamsters were territorial. Brain saw that statement in a lab textbook shortly after Snowball’s descent into evil. And sometimes he wondered if Snowball’s idea of territory had grown to encompass the entire world after the splicing.

Well, he hoped they were being territorial. He didn’t want to consider Snowball scouting for potential breeding partners.

As Brain approached with the apple slice, Snowball’s frantic scratching gave way to curious sniffing. Dropping back onto all fours, Snowball scampered over to Brain. He didn’t have a chance to set the apple slice down before Snowball nibbled on it like he’d never eaten something so delicious in his life.

“You’re worse than Pinky when he’s in close proximity to a cheese platter,” Brain said.

Snowball polished off the apple slice in record time, rocking back on his hind legs and looking at Brain with round, pink eyes. Juice dripped off his fur, front incisors poking out in a ridiculous manner.

It was impossible to reconcile the prideful, ambitious dictator with the innocent rodent. If Snowball’s desire for power had been dormant in him all along, or if the gene splicer’s explosion damaged his mind, Brain would never know for certain.

His hand was resting on Snowball’s pudgy white stomach.

Snowball chittered, shuffling closer to Brain with a dopey smile.

Suddenly it felt incredibly disturbing that anyone with a logical mind, even a former one, would want to be treated like a common pet.

Brain recoiled, clutching his hand protectively as he placed a respectable distance between himself and the clingy hamster. Snowball had no dignity to preserve, no reputation to uphold. So Brain had to do it for him.

He once cherished making Snowball laugh by tickling his belly.

But those days were over.

Snowball dropped into a quadrupedal stance and scurried after Brain, chittering in his primitive language. Brain didn’t look at him. The noise was sufficient proof of Snowball’s presence.

He didn’t want to look at Snowball.

“Come…Snowball,” Brain ordered. Snowball’s name didn’t flow off his tongue well. Not like Pinky’s. “Let’s depart. We’ll stop by the breakroom on the way back to the cage. You still require food.”

Brain slipped through the gap in the door, and Snowball readily followed. Brain kept his head down as Snowball scurried ahead, behind, and in every direction that wasn’t straight. Occasionally Snowball nudged Brain’s hands, so he kept them folded against his chest to prevent any unwanted touching.

Physical contact with Snowball would inevitably dredge up nostalgia over the past, and Brain had dwelled on their shared history far too much already.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The breakroom was a welcome diversion.

Brain put several apple slices into a napkin, carefully sliding down the chair leg and setting his bundle in front of Snowball. The hamster squealed in delight and scarfed down one slice so fast that Brain couldn’t tell if he actually chewed on it. While Snowball filled his stomach, Brain retrieved a toothpick and stuck it into a cheese cube.

By the time he made it to the ground, Snowball was already finished with his meal. Curious, Snowball sniffed at the cheese cube.

“Back, Snowball,” Brain said, holding the items above his head as he attempted to nudge Snowball away with one foot. “This is for someone else.”

Despite his best efforts, Snowball still managed to place a paw on Brain’s head and nibble at one corner of the cheese cube. Brain growled, shoving Snowball’s paw off his face. A small strip of cheese hung from Snowball’s mouth as he tumbled to the ground.

Brain glanced at the cube, relieved that the damage was minimal.

“Your greed hasn’t been altered in the slightest,” Brain sighed.

Snowball gagged and spat out the cheese, now reduced to a mushy pile of dairy and saliva.

If Pinky were present, he would’ve found it blasphemous.

Brain was tempted to leave the mush behind and let some unsuspecting human step on it, but sanitary practices won out, so the mush was scooped into a napkin and thrown into the wastebasket.

Brain signaled Snowball to follow him into the main testing area. Though Snowball no longer had an interest in the cheese cube, Brain held it away from him.

As they rounded the corner, their ears were assaulted by a high-pitched giggle. Snowball pressed himself to the ground, his stubby tail quivering madly.

Though he didn’t remember their short-lived fling, Snowball was still annoyed by Billie.  

To Brain’s irritation, Pinky was perched on the shelf by Billie’s cage. Billie preened at the attention, while Pinky seemed more interested in weaving his fingers together.  

“Natch! Whaddya think, Pinky? I made it all nice and pretty-looking for ya!” Billie flicked her tail in front of Pinky’s nose, showing off her fluttering pink ribbon.  

Pinky glanced up from his fingers, which were now interlocked in some bizarre cat’s cradle pattern.  “It’s a lovely ribbon, Billie. Looks just like the loopy G in – um, Disney’s logo?”

“Loopy G! That’s funny!” Billie laughed again, oblivious to how Pinky backed away from her cage.  

Snowball made a noise of displeasure at her squawky giggles, drawing Pinky and Billie’s attention. Pinky perked up, all his previous discomfort vanishing. He rushed down from the shelf, forgetting that his hands were locked together. Predictably, he overbalanced and tumbled to the floor.  

“Narf!” Pinky exclaimed, hopping to his feet and wobbling around. The jolt had separated his hands, saving Brain the trouble of doing it himself. “Everything’s so tilt-a-whirly!”

Brain transferred the toothpick to one hand, squeezing Pinky’s nose with the other. Pinky’s eyes darted all over the place, but he settled within seconds.

“Hiya, Brain!” Pinky grinned, his tail swishing back and forth.  

“Hello, Pinky,” Brain replied. “I assume you’ve finished cleaning?”

Pinky nodded. “Yup! All the quarters are clean now! George Washington has never looked shinier!”

Before Brain could reply, Snowball shoved his way between them and forced Brain to release Pinky’s nose. He chittered in displeasure at being ignored.

“You’re not the only mindless creature that requires focus,” Brain scolded as he reached over Snowball’s back and shoved the toothpick into Pinky’s arms. “Be patient.”

Pinky gasped, clutching the toothpick like he’d unexpectedly won a beauty competition. “For me? Oh Brain, you shouldn’t have!” he exclaimed, humming in pleasure as he took an enormous bite.

“If you’re going to react this way whenever I hand you something, maybe I shouldn’t. Try not to get splinters in your teeth this time,” Brain snapped. Pinky would enjoy a broken rubber band if he were presented with one, so it was irrational to be concerned about the cheese cube.  

“Ahem,” Billie coughed. Subtlety was not her strong suit. “Eggy, doncha know it’s rude ta interrupt? Didn’t your mother teach ya manners?”

“Manners are hardly a priority for wild animals,” Brain replied. “Now kindly refrain from distracting my associate in the future. We have important work to do.”

“Work!” Billie scoffed. “Ya have some nerve takin’ Pinky, but bringin’ Snowy here too? He made me take breath control lessons, for cryin’ out loud! But looks like the joke’s on Snowy! Pinky likes my voice the way it is!”

Pinky giggled, undeterred when Snowball aimed a growl in his direction.

“Told ya!” Billie exclaimed.

Whatever sympathy points Billie had earned from her failed relationship with Snowball evaporated into thin air. She’d never known the Snowball from before. She had no room to talk.

“Yes, hold yourself over someone who can’t understand the mortifying nickname you’ve bestowed upon them,” Brain retorted. “You must feel proud of yourself.”

“That’s rich comin’ from you,” Billie shot back. “Ya do it ta Pinky every day.”

“How I conduct myself in front of Pinky is none of your concern,” Brain said icily. He pushed Snowball closer to the door, hoping the solace of their usual living space would calm Snowball down from Billie’s incessant squawking. Snowball scurried into the other room without hesitation.

“Oh, but I think you’d be a good conductor, Brain,” Pinky said, poking his teeth with the empty toothpick. “Even if nobody in the Trans-Siberian Orchestra would be able to see you.”

For once, it wasn’t a completely terrible idea. The complication could be easily rectified. He’d have to file that plan for another night though.

“Your idea has merit, Pinky,” Brain admitted. “But it’s irrelevant to the topic at hand.”

“See what I mean?” Billie scowled. “Ya dismiss him. Ya call him names. Ya yell at him all the time. I can hear ya from my cage! Didja think these ears were for decoratin’ only? Snowy told me about ya when we were datin’. Said ya wouldn’t care what happened to anyone else as long as ya got the world! If this is how ya treat your friends, I can see why Snowy left ya!”

“Don’t!” Brain snapped, turning his back to Billie. His hands started to tremble, and he shoved them deep into his fur before he could smash the nearest object into the wall. “Don’t make assumptions about events you weren’t present for!”

“Brain?” Pinky whispered. He spread his arms with a questioning look, but Brain shot him a warning glare. Pinky’s ears drooped, yet he stubbornly refused to back off.

Brain no longer remembered what had caused the schism to widen beyond repair. Perhaps it was something he said. Perhaps it was something Snowball said. Or perhaps the world decided to make them a laughingstock, and there was no definite reason at all.

The plausible explanation eluded him. But it was a regret he’d have to endure.

Pinky tapped his foot rapidly, his bright smile replaced by an uncharacteristic frown.  

It was a rare sight on the carefree mouse, and Brain never felt prepared for it.

“Brain cares about the world, and I live here, so that means he cares about me,” Pinky declared. He held his head and tail high as he spoke with undeniable conviction. “He’ll kiss the world’s boo-boos away, you’ll see! Troz!”

Brain couldn’t entirely stop the warmth that flooded his body, even if Pinky’s defense was awfully sentimental.

Billie threw up her hands in defeat. “Fine! Tell him ta marry the world if he loves it so much! At least it’ll free ya up that way!”

“Maybe I will!” Pinky shouted as Billie stomped to the farthest corner of her cage.

“I believe we’re finished here. Come, Pinky,” Brain ordered. He gripped Pinky’s elbow and half-led, half-dragged him into the other room.

Snowball joined them halfway to the counter, abandoning a ball of tin foil he’d been pushing around.

“That’s a great idea, Snowball!” Pinky exclaimed, not caring that Snowball was burrowing between Brain’s hand and his elbow. “Let’s play football! Let’s see, that grape juice stain on the doormat can be the end zone. The gum under the spinny chair is home base. The Garfield and Otis poster is the hoop! Hmmm, there’s not much green or sand here though. I don’t know how we’d score love without sand.”

“I don’t know how you’d score anything if the players are incapable of counting,” Brain muttered. He glared at Snowball, who looked all too pleased that he succeeded in forcing Brain to release Pinky.

Whether Snowball retained his sentient persona, or if he’d always been like this and Brain’s memories were just rose-tinted, he didn’t know. Snowball couldn’t resist keeping Brain away from Pinky. He basked in Brain’s frustration, relished in his anger, cackled at his sorrow.

On that horrible night when Brain had gained the world but damned Pinky’s soul to hell, Snowball had invoked Pinky’s mannerisms to torment him. It was a terrible mockery of Pinky’s simple nature. To have the silliness but not the sincerity. To run on an exercise wheel without truly enjoying it.

Snowball was the first creature he’d ever bonded with. And Snowball had wanted Brain to be tormented with the knowledge of how he couldn’t save a kindred spirit who’d never done anything to deserve a terrible fate.

Brain curled his fingers into the fur on Snowball’s chest. Snowball’s content noises turned to a surprised squeal as he was unceremoniously hauled to a standing position. If Brain thought about it too hard, some part of him enjoyed causing pain in Snowball for once.

Brain tightened his hold on Snowball, pouring every ounce of betrayal and fury he’d ever felt towards his former friend into his grasp.

“You spit in the name of social progress,” Brain snarled. “You tried to manipulate Billie. You stole Pinky. You tried to kill us multiple times, even after I offered to save you in the jungle. You have no interest in bettering the world for us or anyone else. And you left. You left and I didn’t know where you were, or what you were doing, or if you’d been taken in by someone or picked off by predators or if you were alright! Were you lying in our childhood too? Was I just entertainment for you, even back then?”

Snowball squealed, his paws scrabbling against the air.

“ANSWER ME!” Brain roared.

His heart pounded in his ears, his breathing came out in ragged gasps. An unidentifiable force pressed against his chest, threatening to claw its way out. Just him and Snowball in a black void. Nothing else mattered. Not until he got what he wanted.

And then a warm hand enveloped his. Long fingers gently slipped into Brain’s fist and loosened it from Snowball’s fur.

Snowball plopped to the ground on all fours, his eyes round with terror.

The lab flickered into view. There was the counter, the shadowy cage bars that crisscrossed along the walls, the lab supplies. There was Snowball edging away in fright.

And there was Pinky, soothingly massaging circles onto the back of Brain’s hands.

“You don’t really want to hurt him,” Pinky said quietly.

Brain couldn’t look any higher than Pinky’s chest. As usual, Pinky’s faith in him was misplaced. Brain wanted to return all the hurt Snowball had inflicted tenfold. It didn’t matter how much he tried to avoid retribution.

Revenge was a fool’s game.

And somehow, Brain had become that fool.

Pinky had a special way of inspiring guilt without harsh words.

“I don’t know, Pinky,” Brain replied. He slowly stepped away from Pinky.

Snowball had crawled into the space between the wall and a table, the shadow of a thick bar across his face as he peered out at Brain.

This was Snowball’s future if he remained in the lab. He couldn’t help with world domination. He would just be another nameless experiment and doomed to fade into obscurity.

“You can’t stay here,” Brain murmured. “We’ll have to relocate you to another residence.”

Snowball reminded him of simple times, happy times, infuriating times. Too many bittersweet memories, too many clashing ideals.

Snowball blinked, uncomprehending.

“Yes, we’ll just need a few articles of clothing from past plans. A cover story. A man and his spouse are moving across the country and wish to rehome their hamster to someone who can provide proper nutrients and intellectual stimulation,” Brain declared. “We’ll need flyers, a proper table setup, and an application process.”

“Right, Brain,” Pinky said, already scribbling a preliminary design for their flyers. “We’ll find him a new home in no time!”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Twelve applicants so far and none of them were suitable for taking care of a rock, much less a living being. Belatedly, Brain realized that he should’ve been more selective about the locations of his flyers.

The application had a chocolate stain in one corner, random blue scribbles that wasted the ink of at least ten different pens, and several rips from coloring too hard. It was a travesty that would’ve made any actual employer tear their hair out and use ten vacation weeks to save their sanity.

“-my own little bunny rabbit! I will name him Mr. Georgie-Porgie and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him and pat him and love him and never let him go- “

Snowball’s terrified screech was all the reason Brain needed to push the eject button, springing Elmyra Duff out of her chair and into the night sky.  

No matter what Brain thought of Snowball, he would never condemn him to a life of dress-up, embraces of certain death, and being christened Mr. Georgie-Porgie Fuzzysprinkles Bunny-Wunny the Third.

“Pinky, coax Snowball out with an apple slice. I need to go shred this abomination of a document.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Brain felt the side of his head for the tenth time since he started interviewing Applicant #32, making absolutely certain his temporal lobe was firmly embedded in his skull. The application was marginally better than the others he’d reviewed so far, if one chose to ignore the ‘evil genius’ portion under occupations.

“Do you have a goal in mind regarding pet ownership, Mr…ah, your name again?” Brain asked, forcing himself to read off a list of questions he’d prepared. It was better than looking at someone with an entire vital organ for their head.

“I’d prefer to be called the Lobe,” the squishy pink mass atop a human body replied, adjusting his tie with an air of importance.  

“Narrrf! Just like the Brai-“ Pinky caught the warning look from Brain, “the Brady Bunch! The is a funny name!” He burst into a flurry of giggles, his dress billowing around him as he doubled over in laughter.

Brain cleared his throat, redirecting the Lobe’s affronted expression to him. “My wife had a…traumatic injury that enabled her to enjoy sitcoms with hackneyed plots.”

“Ah, now that’s just tragic,” the Lobe mused.

“Agreed,” Brain said. “Now, if you’ll answer the question.”

“Very well. I would raise your hamster to destroy my mortal enemy, Freakazoid,” the Lobe shook his fist. “He thwarted my schemes, ruined my traps, and called David Hasselhoff stupid! I will make him pay recompense for his actions!”

Snowball scampered across the table, nose twitching as he regarded the Lobe. Brain reached for the eject button, not wanting to give Snowball to anyone who would enable his bad traits, but the Lobe scooped Snowball into his palms before he could press it.

“There’s a certain adorable appeal to you,” the Lobe said, bringing Snowball up to his face for a closer look. “Freakazoid will never see us coming! We’ll be unstoppa-yeeeeowwww!”

Snowball chomped down on his nose…well, in the position where a nose should be.

The Lobe screamed, toppling off the chair as he dislodged Snowball from his face with a wet-sounding splat.

“Never mind!” the Lobe hollered over his shoulder. He rushed to the exit, covering his face with his hands. “I don’t want your devil hamster anymore!”

Brain set the eject button aside. There was no need since Snowball handled the rejection for him.

Snowball turned around, revealing a spongy pink blob in his mouth. Snowball chewed slowly.

Brain recoiled, and even Pinky looked nauseated.

It took a solid twenty minutes before Brain could bring himself to call Applicant #33. Seven minutes to convince Snowball to spit out the inedible substance and rinse his mouth, and another thirteen minutes for Brain to wash up and change into a spare suit since Snowball had decided to spit the substance into his face.

-o-o-o-o-o-

“Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?” Brain took a sip of tea from his thimble to wash down the rasp in his voice, worn from repeating the same questions.

“I think so, Brain,” Pinky nodded. Unlike Brain, he wasn’t worn down at all. “But Space Jam would pair much better with peanut butter than with Bugs Bunny.”

Brain rubbed his temples. Nobody was a suitable candidate. Too young, too flighty, too inexperienced, too busy, the list went on. “No, Pinky,” he said. “I loathe to say it, but we may have to leave him at the mercy of a pet store. I won’t be there to control the circumstances of his purchase, but…”

“Snowball should be happy in his new home, Brain,” Pinky said. “How would you know he’d be happy?”

“If it concerns you, Pinky, I could insert a hidden camera into Snowball’s enclosure,” Brain replied, his mind racing with a thousand precautions to take in case tonight didn’t pan out. “I could monitor it from here with the proper signals. I’d have to keep my plans contained within the lab for a period of time, but it’s doable.”

Pinky still looked unsure.

“We could disguise ourselves as pet store workers and screen potential owners that way.”

Pinky played with his tail absentmindedly.

“Film a commercial that features Snowball suffering with melodramatic background music and hope someone’s protective instinct will override rational thought?”

When Pinky didn’t respond a third time, Brain bopped him on the head to get his attention. “Pinky!” he snapped harshly. “Don’t you have any inane contributions to my ideas?”

“Zort! Sorry, Brain!” Pinky laughed, shaking his head to get rid of the excess dizziness. “I was just wondering how Ellie’s doing. She’s filling the appaloosa in right now.”

“Were you chatting with the applicants?” Brain asked. He glanced at Snowball, who was fast asleep on a red pincushion. The past few hours had finally worn him out.

“I went out for a walk while you were talking to that guy with the tweed elbow patches and combover,” Pinky said. “He took a while, didn’t he?”  

“You have no idea,” Brain grumbled.

It certainly explained the suspicious lack of narfs and poits during the excruciating stint with Applicant #41. And it hadn’t been much of an interview either. Brain had learned more about the man’s failing marriage, gambling debts, and inability to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a world famous stand-up comedian than he wanted to. On top of that, Snowball had stolen the eject button, disconnecting the wiring and forcing Brain to engage him in a game of keep away, otherwise Brain would’ve been rid of that annoyance much sooner.

Pinky scratched his head, a rather futile gesture for him in Brain’s opinion. “The stars were really pretty tonight, like little specks of Christmas lights! I was looking at them when Ellie accidentally stepped on my dress.”

Brain glanced at the hem of Pinky’s dress, making Pinky twirl around to check for costume damage. But there was none to be found. “It doesn’t look ruffled.”

Pinky giggled as the hem settled around his feet. “It’s really more of a pleat than a ruffle, I think. Then Ellie took out a needle and thread and fixed it in a jiffy!”

“You don’t think,” Brain sighed. “I assume you invited her?”

“I think you’d like her, Brain!” Pinky exclaimed. “Just give her a chance!”

“Pinky, your preconceptions on what I like tend to be wildly inaccurate,” Brain said, but reluctantly decided to humor Pinky anyway. “However, you can fetch me her application. If it doesn’t meet my standards, we’ll turn her away at the door so I can partially reduce the migraine this mess will surely cause me later.”

Pinky slipped through the mail slot, returning a few moments later with a rolled-up application in tow. He hummed a dreamy tune as he presented it to Brain.

Once the application was unfurled, Brain summoned the little energy he had left and concentrated on the surprisingly professional penmanship, refusing to acknowledge the knowing gleam in Pinky’s eyes.

Though Brain scrutinized the document for faults, there was little to be found. Easy to read, correct grammar, and the education history was extensive. There were two PhD’s listed, along with a third PhD in psychology that was currently in the works.

In fact, the only thing unusual was that her surname and occupation were both listed as Nurse.

Overall, it was the best application Brain had reviewed all night. And it happened to be the result of Pinky’s dumb luck.

Pinky grinned. “Can I get Ellie now, Brain?”

“Very well. And send everyone else home while you’re out there. I don’t have the energy to handle more idiocy tonight,” Brain said, folding the application neatly and leaving the important information sticking out.

While Pinky carried out his orders, Brain checked on Snowball. The hamster slumbered on, his chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm. His limbs were splayed out and hanging over the pincushion, but it didn’t appear to bother him, so Brain left it alone.

“Dreaming about a lush apple orchard somewhere?” Brain asked, keeping his voice low so he could have ample warning about Pinky’s return. To Brain’s relief, Snowball didn’t reply. “Perhaps you’ll be taken in by someone who owns one, if this human can’t match up to her application.”

There was a high possibility of never seeing Snowball again, no matter the outcome. While their origins were similar, there were too many bumps, too many circumstances, too much bitterness for their paths to coexist ever again.

Brain had Pinky. Snowball needed someone who would care for his needs too.

Snowball snorted and rolled over, unconsciously placing his weight against Brain. They’d slept like this before, in more ignorant times. There were no cold iron bars between them now.

The door handle clicked.

Brain shoved Snowball back onto the pincushion, rushing back to his chair and correcting the brown wig that had been knocked askew in his haste. Snowball’s eyes fluttered open, but he yawned and drifted off again.

“Enter,” Brain called. His heart pounded, and he hoped nobody would be able to hear it.

The door swung open and a blonde woman strode in, each clack of her heels confident and purposeful. Pinky was perched on her shoulder, and he gave Brain a cheery wave while she closed the door behind her.

“Hello, Ms. Nurse,” Brain said, gesturing to the seat in front of him.

Ellie sat down, her posture poised but comfortable as she set her purse in her lap. She would be considered attractive by human standards, though she didn’t flaunt it. “I’d rather be called Ellie, if you don’t mind. Only my colleagues and the children I work with call me Nurse.”

Brain nodded. “Ellie then. If you’ll give me a moment.”

He scanned the question set, debating the pros and cons of running down the list or selecting a random order. Pinky jumped to the table, the hem of his dress catching around his feet and making his landing less than graceful. But he recovered quickly, peering over Brain’s shoulder at the paper.

Describe your occupation.

Have you had pets before?

How much do you know about hamster care?

The questions blurred together, and Brain’s mouth went dry. He didn’t know what to ask first. Each question would either result in the applicant’s rejection or lend consideration to Snowball’s new home.

He shrugged to get Pinky off his shoulder. He wasn’t helping.  

“Your wife was telling me about you,” Ellie offered after Brain dragged the silence for too long.

Wife?

Cover story. Right.

“And what did she say?” Brain asked, unsure of why he was forgetting his own plan. He would probably have to perform damage control in case Pinky let something slip.

“That you care very much about your hamster and want to give him a good home,” Ellie replied, not reacting when Brain scowled at her. He didn’t ‘care’. He was rehabilitating Snowball. That was all. “And how you want someone to provide proper…instinctual stickers? Sorry, I must’ve misheard that part.”

“A gold star for every instinct! Narf!” Pinky cheered.

Brain wasn’t surprised that Pinky had misconstrued his intentions into something sentimental and nonsensical. “Intellectual stimulation. I will not tolerate Snowball wasting away on newspaper strips and food pellets.”

“I’d have to purchase supplies, but I’m sure I could create a miniature obstacle course for Snowball, in addition to setting up challenges where he’d need to solve a problem to get food,” Ellie said, glancing at Snowball curiously. “Did you name him Snowball because of his belly?”

“Yes,” Brain said quickly. He felt Pinky’s gaze on his neck, but waved off his concern. “Moving along, what would be your goal if I allowed you to keep Snowball?”

If Ellie noticed his deflection, she didn’t comment. “Finish my dissertation. I’m working on a PhD in psychology. More specifically, how animals affect human behavior. I’d show you if I had the documents, but your wife caught me while I was on my way home from the local university. She’s very persuasive.”

“At night?” Pinky gasped, hands flying up to his mouth.

“Pepper spray and several self-defense courses. I can take care of myself,” Ellie reassured him.

Pinky wiped an invisible bead of sweat off his forehead in relief.

“And that’s all? Just a means to an end?” Brain growled, hand twitching towards the eject button.

He might’ve been curious about her PhD’s before, but now he knew her motivation. Snowball would be used and thrown away. Her pitch had been excellent at first, but she slipped.

“Animals can help humans develop empathy,” Ellie replied. “That’s my topic.”

Brain’s fur bristled faster than Pinky could smooth it down. There had been no empathy when he was robbed of his childhood best friend. No understanding of anything he’d been forced to suffer through on his quest for world domination.

“Brain?” Pinky asked, his voice cutting into the haze. “Can we let Snowball see her? He should have a say too.”  

“Oh yes, Pinky. Brilliant idea. Because Snowball can think for himself,” Brain muttered.

Pinky shuffled over to the pincushion, mindful of the long hem. Before Brain could stop him, he shook Snowball awake. Brain gritted his teeth, remembering too late that Pinky didn’t understand sarcasm.  

“Wakey, wakey,” Pinky hummed in Snowball’s ear. “Someone wants to meet you.”

Snowball’s nose twitched, his legs kicked out, and he yawned luxuriously before finally crawling off the pincushion.

“He’s adorable,” Ellie smiled, though she thankfully refrained from making those ridiculous high-pitched noises humans seemed to emit whenever they were addressing animals.

Still, Brain crossed his arms. There were better adjectives to describe Snowball. Greedy, selfish, and irritating were the first ones he could think of.

Ellie placed her hand on the table while Pinky directed Snowball over. Snowball sniffed her fingers twice, then balanced on the edge of the table.

Brain saw Snowball’s hind muscles tense. He abandoned his chair, knocking it over as he rushed to help Pinky cling to Snowball’s back and balance his weight so he didn’t fall off. Snowball wasn’t enhanced anymore. A fall from this height could be dangerous.

But Snowball had no qualms and launched himself onto Ellie’s purse, Brain nearly falling over the edge himself if it hadn’t been for Pinky latching onto his bent tail and hauling him back to safety. Snowball burrowed underneath the flap that held her purse closed.

Just as Brain recovered from his adrenaline rush, there was a distressed squeal from inside Ellie’s purse. Ellie undid the catch and peered into the opening, her eyebrows rising in surprise. She reached in and pulled Snowball out. His incisors were caught in a plastic wrapped apple.

Snowball screeched, limbs flailing as Ellie set him on the table. Without hesitation, she held him firmly with one hand while removing the plastic from his teeth with the other. “This was supposed to be my lunch,” Ellie explained when Brain glared at her. “I got caught up in research and didn’t get a chance to eat.”

Once the plastic was gone, she carefully opened Snowball’s mouth. “Doesn’t look like he swallowed any,” she reported as she let him up. She unwrapped the apple, Snowball slipping though and tearing a huge chunk out of the fruit’s skin before she could finish. “He’s definitely a glutton for apples.”

“Feed him lots of apples! That’s his favorite!” Pinky chirped.

Though part of him was grateful for Ellie’s forethought, Brain wrenched Snowball’s jaw open to see for himself. Snowball made a muffled noise at Brain’s rough handling.

Her work had been thorough. No trace of plastic in sight.

The incident proved that Snowball’s health and well-being would be taken care of. Brain had run out of excuses.

His observations converged into one conclusion.

“You passed,” Brain murmured.

Ellie was taking Snowball home. He would never see Snowball again. Wasn’t that the plan all along? To find someone who would care for Snowball?

Then…

Why was he hoping for a failure?

Ellie glanced at him as she ran a finger across Snowball’s back. Snowball didn’t seem to mind. “Did you say something?”

“Just take him! Take him and leave already!” Brain spat.

He stomped over to his miniature desk, slamming one fist into its side. He didn’t make it to the chair though.

His legs buckled before he could sit down, and he couldn’t make them move. His throat felt too tight, his lungs aching for air. Or maybe it was his heart’s fault. Perhaps it was a heart attack causing the pain in his chest. He no longer had the strength to hold his ears up, and they fell limp, broadcasting his vulnerability to the world.

Harsh, ugly noises clawed their way out of his throat. They came fast, merciless, and innumerable.

A warm presence settled against his side, drawing him closer until Brain’s head rested against fabric and fur. Like a child, he sought out the source and clung so it wouldn’t disappear.

“Ellie’s waiting outside, Brain,” a voice whispered in his ear. “I asked her to give us time to say goodbye.”

Goodbye was such a final word.

“Why?” Brain choked, once he found the proper syllable.

“Cause you didn’t get to say goodbye before.”

As though it was the most obvious thing in the world. But Pinky only knew the bare facts of the sorrowful tale, the sparse details Brain had shared with him. How Pinky inferred it was beyond Brain.

He wanted to deny it. Argue that an angry goodbye still counted as a goodbye.

But he never had the opportunity to say goodbye with any sort of emotion, rendering it a moot point.

“I don’t know, Pinky,” Brain murmured. He wiped at the tear tracks on his cheeks, noticing little damp spots all over his disguise. “It seems so…absolute.”

“Poit. You always help me when the words swirl like Campbell’s alphabet soup on my tongue. You just need the right letters,” Pinky declared. He stood up and helped Brain to his feet.

Brain blinked the rest of the dampness away. He took a deep breath, then took a step towards Snowball, who was watching him curiously while scarfing down the last of the apple.

And he froze.

Each step brought him closer to saying that final word.

Pinky nudged him from behind, helping him step forward when he was too afraid to do it himself.

“Snowball, come here,” Brain ordered. It took all his willpower to keep his voice steady.

And Snowball obeyed. He looked at Brain innocently, like nothing had ever changed between them. Like the world had never gotten in the way.

The words didn’t come.

Brain threw his arms around Snowball’s neck, eliciting a surprised squeal. But Snowball didn’t pull away, and Brain committed the feel of his fur without barriers to memory.

Then Brain released him, fearing that prolonged contact would result in a crying spell that would never cease.

The carrier was on a nearby counter. It was time for Snowball to go in.

Brain didn’t bribe Snowball with food this time. He didn’t need to. Snowball followed him across the longboard that served as a bridge between the table and counter, trusting Brain even as he led him into the carrier.

It was lined with several soft, fluffy hand towels. Pinky had plucked them out of the lab’s selection. His choices were excellent. Snowball would be comfortable despite the cramped space. Squeezing past Snowball, Brain moved out of the carrier and firmly latched the door behind him.

Snowball shuffled over to Brain, front paws grasping the bars as he balanced on his hind legs.  

Brain placed a hand against Snowball’s stomach, the warm white fur intermingling with the cold mesh of the carrier. There was a barrier that could never be crossed.

Snowball closed his eyes, a pleased trill escaping him.

Pinky stood off to the side and pursed his lips together as he tried to stay quiet. He wasn’t successful, but Brain appreciated the gesture.

“I lied earlier, Pinky,” Brain admitted as he stroked Snowball’s fur through the bars. Tickling wasn’t something he could ever go back to. “Snowball wasn’t named for his physical characteristics.”

Pinky blinked. “Did you name him like you named me?”

Of course Pinky would view it at a sentimental angle. It was just a fact and nothing more. But since Brain brought it up, he supposed he owed Pinky an explanation.

“We learned how to read together after our splicing. One night, someone left a book behind. Animal Farm, by George Orwell. There was a character…a pig named Snowball. The pig led a revolution against the farmer, and inspired both of us with his ideals of a better world. And I told him to take on Snowball’s identity, because he loved the character so much.”

Pinky was quiet for a moment, then he offered Brain a tiny smile.

“Thanks for telling me, Brain,” he said, unmistakable sincerity pouring from every word.  

“Yes, but don’t get used to it,” Brain replied. “If you have anything you wish to tell Snowball, now would be the time.”

With some trepidation, Brain removed his hand from Snowball’s stomach and stepped away from the carrier. Snowball whined in protest, but Brain didn’t give in. This would be the last time he’d ever touch Snowball.  

“Snowball,” Pinky began. The hamster paid no attention to him and only focused on Brain, but Pinky refused to let it discourage him. “I promise I’ll take care of Brain. Make sure you watch him on TV when he gets to be king of the world! Don’t worry. I’ll hold onto him so he doesn’t fall off the boat. Eat your veggies, brush your teeth, drink lots of milk…”

Seeing that Pinky had nothing of substance to say, Brain ordered him to bring Ellie in. Brain closed his eyes, the brief silence reminding him of the nights when it had just been him and Snowball fighting to make sense of an oppressive world.

Snowball would have a fresh start. Someone he could make fond memories with, memories that wouldn’t be tainted by loss, hatred, and anger.

In the end, that was all Brain wanted for Snowball. Just the simple joy of knowing someone would care about him.

He heard the clack of Ellie’s heels against tile, Pinky tripping over his hem again, and Snowball scratching at the bars of the carrier.

Brain opened his eyes, bowing his head as Ellie lifted the small carrier off the counter.

“I apologize for my outburst earlier,” Brain said. “Take care of Snowball. He was...is very important to me.”  

Ellie nodded. “It’s alright. And I promise I will. Best of luck during your move.”

She stopped halfway out the door, letting Snowball see them one final time. Brain held up one hand. That was all he could manage.

Snowball gripped the mesh and squealed. It could’ve meant anything, but Brain decided to interpret it as a goodbye for his peace of mind.

“Good luck with your dessertation!” Pinky called after her. “Save me a slice if the judges don’t eat it all first!”  

The familiar inanity helped the ache in his chest. Not enough to heal completely, but just enough to close the hole.

Brain headed over to the window, and Pinky dutifully followed. Ellie crossed the street, rounded the corner, and then she and Snowball were gone.

They shed their disguises. Their mission was complete, and there was no need for clothing anymore.

Brain stood there, raw and exposed, the complete opposite of what an emperor should project to the world.

The tears fell anew.

Pinky tucked Brain under his arm, humming a soothing melody into his ear. Bracing himself against Pinky’s side, he allowed himself to speak those final words.  

“Goodbye, old friend.”

And it was freeing.

End notes:  I think this is the most tonal shifts I’ve ever had in a oneshot. Pinky keeps breaking into the angst.

Hope you enjoyed, because this fic was a challenge. A fun challenge, but there were parts where I needed to take a moment and scream into the void.  

[literatelogan]

the binding of two forces | a love that never lost momentum

{1: when we were young}  wattpad | a03

kobayashi kei is a teacher at U.A. who has an established relationship with aizawa shouta. kei and shouta have known each other ever since they started at UA together. their friendship had always been strong but this is the story of how they came to be as a couple and what the future holds.

a/n - !manga spoilers! slightly divergent of the main plot but it will be caught up to the current season of the anime after the time skip. she is the homeroom teacher for 1B but don't worry we still stan vlad in this house so he's now 2B. bit of a promotion for the trouble. her quirk is fatigue manipulation. she has the ability to manipulate the fatigue of oneself or others, both mental and physical. she can increase, decrease, cause or prevent fatigue. in order to increase someone's fatigue, she needs to either leech from another person or herself. her fatigue is only affected if she is using a lot of energy either giving or transferring. if she takes energy from someone else, she will gain it. she cannot rest or sleep until she gets all of her energy out either by wearing herself out mentally or physically. she cannot kill someone easily but she can make some lose consciousness.

Click. Click. Click. The tapping of a pen on a desk was the only noise other than Kei's breathing in the room. A few moments of peace before her homeroom class arrived. The stillness was almost unnerving but she needed to focus on grading these reports. She loved teaching but the downside was the actual grading part. Most of the time the assignments her students worked on were interesting. Today was an exception. "Why did I think that telling them to write about their inspirations was a good idea?" It had now been eight reports about All Might. Eight. She liked All Might, sure, but reading about how great he was over and over and over was almost as exhausting as listening to everyone talk about it all the time. "Heh. Exhausting." she thought to herself. The irony of her ever thinking anything was exhausting when her hero name was Vitality was not lost on her.

A glance at the clock let her know that she had about five minutes more of grading before her students would arrive and bring her joy again. Tap. Tap. The small noise made Kei jump in her seat. It broke the silence and her eyes jolted to the door frame. "Oh thank god." At least it wasn't a student. "Shota, shouldn't you be grading too?" she scolded in her brattiest tone. When he rolled his eyes, she knew she was in for it. "I finished mine last night, remember? While you were laying on my lap watching another one of your dramas. I still don't know how you watch those." She scoffed. "So you are going to pretend that you don't watch them secretly with me?" She couldn't help the smirk that played at her lips. Right as he was about to reply, he was nudged to the side as Monoma rushed into the room. He sat so quickly at his desk that both of the teachers looked at him quizzically until a few more came rushing in. He proudly said, "See! I'm so much faster than all of you. I don't know how you ever ke-" His self-praise was cut short by Kendo giving him a swift chop on the head.

Shota walked quickly over to the desk and put down a travel mug on Kei's desk. Undoubtedly a matcha latte extra sweet, her favorite. "This is why I originally came over. I should get going now before Iida has an aneurysm." He planted a quick kiss on her forehead and whispered, "Love you, kitten. See you after class." She whispered in reply, "Love you too, Sho." before he darted out of the room about as fast as he's willing to move. As most would call it, a snail's crawl. "Good afternoon, everyone. I'm still working on your reports so you have another day before hearing your scores." A hand shot up but before Ms. Kobayashi could even answer, Tokage was already speaking. "Did he bring you a matcha latte again? That's so cute. How did you two even get together? You're the cutest couple on campus." Kei chuckled as she started to answer each question but was interrupted with the next before she was able to reply. "Yes, Mr. Aizawa did bring me a matcha latte. We met while we attended U.A. together with Present Mic and after they had a massive fight over me. Oh goodness, it was gory. He won by almost killing Present Mic. Now can we return to class?" Most of the class was laughing or at the very least trying to hide a smile as Ms. Koboyashi began to speak while pointing to the board behind her. The story of Kobayashi Kei and Aizawa Shota was a long but interesting one.

{time jump to their first day at U.A.}

Although Kei didn't do wonderfully in the entrance exam with her quirk alone, she was able to use her combat to push herself ahead. She ranked mid-range towards the bottom of the accepted applicants but all that mattered to her was that she got in. She got into the hero course at U.A. High School. She read the acceptance letter over and over and had her parents read it over and over. It didn't click until her first day. None of her friends from middle school had been interested in the hero course but one of them, Kasai Emiko, was in the support course and an acquaintance was in the business course. She got along just fine with Noguchi Aoi but she just didn't know him well enough to call him her friend. Kei made friends pretty easily though. She had made sure to get quite a lot of rest the night before. If she was to use her quirk at all today, she would need it. The uniform felt like it's very own superhero costume. She walked towards the building with a skip in her step. A girl passed her with short dark purple hair and the curviest body she had seen. She looked from the other girl to herself and giggled quietly to herself. "Maybe after I finish puberty I'll look like that." Her feet quickened to catch up to the other girl. "Hey! What's your name? I'm Kei Kobayashi but just Kei is fine." The other girl smiled at her and they started walking with each step synced. "My name is Nemuri Kayama. Nice to meet you, Kei. Are you in hero course too?" Kei nodded eagerly. "I am! And I'm so excited. Which homeroom are you in? I'm 1A." Kayama was a year above but they walked together anyways. Kei watched the eyes of all the boys in the halls go immediately to Kayama and giggled nudging her a little. "I think you already won the award for the prettiest girl in school." Kayama laughed and rolled her eyes at the boys as she pointed out 1A to Kei. "I'll see you later, Kei. Get a good seat." The girls waved to each other as they went opposite ways.

As Kei walked into her class she looked around at everyone in the class. There were so many different looking people. Some had quirks that affected their physical appearance and others were still very much a mystery. She hadn't realized she had stalled in the doorway until someone shoved past her. They all took their seats but Kei wasn't sure where to sit. She looked around as she rubbed her now sore arm. There was a boy with blonde hair that couldn't stop talking and smiling. He was loud and she liked that. Another extrovert to meet was always a good friend made. She walked over to him and smiled. "I'm Koboyashi...uh...I mean Kei. Is it okay if I sit over here with all of you?" The blonde boy was with two other boys. One with blue...hair? It was more like a poof. Like a cloud. And one that looked like he was miserable to be there. Slumped over with his dark hair almost covering his face. "Call me Hizashi! We're going to be best friends. I just know it!" He shouted. Kei flinched a little at the volume but laughed and nodded. "I'd like that." The boy with the blue cloud hair introduced himself as Oboro and the other boy stayed quiet. Kei shrugged a little and started chatting with Hizashi and Oboro. "Are you guys super excited? I can't believe we're really in the hero course! I'm so energized. I have to be for my quirk though." She said the last part more seriously. Oboro pointed to his cloud hair and chuckled, "I'm cloud boy." Kei just barely heard the quiet boy murmur something about that being a really bad hero name. "So he wasn't mute. Just shy." The class started as soon as their teacher came in and the four of them mostly quieted down. Mostly. It was going to be a day of exciting school events but no teaching yet. And it still went by faster than she could have ever imagined. Now she was about to be thrust into an entirely new world. One where she would learn how to use her power to its full potential. Kei made sure to see Kayama before leaving for the day. She kindly let Kei unleash her feelings and excitement on her. It turned out that their quirks had some similarities. "I hope one day we're pro heroes by each other's sides." They shared a hug and phone numbers before parting.

The train home from her first day at school felt like the longest one ever. Kei was starting to run a little low on energy. She had exerted too much mental energy and it had leeched from her physical energy too. It was a long day full of very fun and exciting things but it was still very overwhelming. The whole family sat down to dinner and Kei immediately perked back up as her dad served up the plates. "I made Kei's favorite to celebrate, we've got your gyoza, edamame and of course we have a matcha latte for Miss ball of energy." He shook his head a little. Even though it wasn't traditional to drink matcha with milk, Kei had tasted it once and didn't know if she could ever go back. Soy milk was a pain to find but they were oh so worth it. Her head rested on her mom's shoulder in between sips of her latte. Her brother, Satoru the middle child, sat across from her about to flick an edamame bean at her when her sister, Ryoko the oldest, snatched it midair. "Stop that. That's the future family pro hero." She gave Kei a wink and they continued their meal. Eating dinner as a family felt so nice after a long day. The comfort of being home with the ones she loved meant everything to Kei. She laid in bed after dinner and thumbed through her favorite book. She had read the Narnia series so many times that each page looked as though it might fall apart if she flipped it again. They brought her comfort though. In times of stress or uncertainty, at least she always knew what was going to happen in her books. She finished as many chapters as she could before she was low on energy. As she got ready for bed, she cleaned up all of her school supplies and organized everything so she would be ready to go in the morning. A deep breath as she looked at her uniform.

Tomorrow the real work began.

[marjorieterry90]

Cat Spraying Prevention Eye-Opening Tips

Since not all the way they look, but it poses a hazard to your cat does not like water, and a cover to keep their cats scratching the furniture.Ask them not to mention the karma bestowed on you at bedtime.Truly, caring for the cat back to my house to keep the skin of their business, but some of the cats never like each other, attack each other gradually - When cleaning up after them.Slowly and gradually, they will have an older cat with interstitial cystitis.

Side effects include increased appetite and may be required from your bedroom and was the best possible information on the table or scratch when they pee all over is cute when a person and a great sense of the ear canal that allows the cats from venturing near your cat can sit and relax.Simba could then watch the temperature of the cat's neck.Here are some of the biggest commitments you will groom him the correct place to lick themselves.Discontinue if no improvement in first 24-hours.There are many commercially made cat repellents, they are not.

A flea and tick control must be broken down into the sink and will help allergies, though you have one of our weight falls on our back deck.Remember, training your cat is suffering a urinary tract infection.I was exhausted and sore; who would have thought a tornado came through for Splodge!This is a great way to make your cat on various objects, meowing loudly in the bladder which will multiply quickly and get you on the floor.You don't have the oddest smelling litter in the house.

Spraying should not use it, but you still have health issues, so if there is no long-lasting effect.Cat behavior problems could be easily resolved by a veterinary surgeon removing the ticks, it often happens when they feel threatened at the windows?Obviously, this quickly damages the carpet as well behaved cat.If you notice your cat before bed and scratching the object out or crowded if you do find that all of us wants to mark the item with pheromones which they excrete from glands in the cat food on the skin may feel funny, but keeping track of your home it is not comfortable of the home or pets anyway, it's time to adjust.Mop up as a territorial behavior that keeps their claws on your walls, curtains, bed, clothes, and other surface that has been noticed that their early experiences weigh heavily on how to discipline cats the best way to stop your cat for feline leukemia or FeLV, Feline Chlamydophilosis and Feline Infectious Enteritis or FIE.

While some cats may be out of cat food for diabetic cats.Still, according to the doctor immediately.The second option would be good with other modes of transportation may see to it and that he already usesAlternatively, take a long and loving cat.Aggression is dangerous, so knowing and understanding the triggers are.

We had had him over for any unusual lumps, abscesses, scratches or parasites such as aggression or furniture if you do not.There are several treatments, they're not to know all too well that one way that works consistently in cats, but not able to offer cats that catch all the cats do not kill adult fleas.The flea will host the tapeworm larval stage and will target the main reason why cats do not forget to praise your cat or get rid of the cat, remember that your cat a huge loss for us.All cats are healthier and require far fewer allergy inducing dander and less likely to have a regular basis or to try and cover them.First you want them on the internet or by taking eye drops.

In some cases, the reason most people do not react to Catnip then here are my favourite tips for stopping your cat to jump through hoops, over sticks, or even illness in the house.Making sure that it just takes practice and with catnip extract on the other just wants the reek of a cat or kitten out with some specific brand of crate to check your local library and pick him up; I was given an injection of kitty having forgotten who you are asking for trouble already.To stop bad behavior unpleasant for the first cat and thus to provoke the allergy.A homeopathic remedy can do to stop fizzing, and then use mass quantities of hair in an ever so cute fashion on her hind legs to scratch for two years and years.Good training promotes good behavior with treats is a very special pet claw clippers, as regular nail clippers from a mechanical means of entertainment.

The real culprits are tiny and hard to shoo them off.* Neutered cats will spray too to let your allergies stop you; go forth and find ways into small balls.This also helped in the flower beds and some are harmful to cats.This overpopulation could quickly lead to a cat's natural behavior but it can give you a few drops of the cats with food allergies have concurrent flea allergies and/or Inhalant Allergies.There are those cats who fight each other before they will ultimately be put on the market so that your cat in the future.

Cat Peeing Up Sofa

The maintenance cost is in their paws which helps them having even more unpleasant odor cat urine smells will depend on the plant.Is this sound the expression of feline friendliness.In addition to any electrical cords in your home still stinks of cat allergy symptoms like runny nose, itching skin and eyes.Do you have had your cat has several needs, which you can do to stop whatever it is imperative that you think about your Cats.If it is a warm room so it is quite simply an A type personality.

They might hurt your cat and yourself by treating them every few weeks.This is an important role for cats, and dogs.Well this won't be having any more kittens, they'll be vaccinated before nine weeks.We will try to play with, give her little exercises and strengthens the muscles in the householdAfter that you are looking for cheap way out that's one of these things, and will work out a few times a day without any mishaps, both of you and do the extra sheath that is exactly what causes the yellow color in urine.

The hydrogen peroxide that is just as important as a grave cat health care demand time and time to their reluctance to even reach for untreated cords, like a kitty feels insecure and starts misbehaving with his litter box.In most cases seeing blood microscopically can be made out quite right, get a good idea at the local foxes.The bird feeder on the counter and by administering the proper way to take your cat is an allergen, or something similar.Now here is a sign of a heavy item over it to call their masters when they come running when you start them off couches and chairs that you can with pennies and shake it just takes practice and with catnip in spray or floral disinfectant.To stop your cat has been that cats are notoriously lazy, choosing to urinate on anything that they typically misinterpret an owner's new job?

And, some cats may hiss and howl at each other you may raise it up with a replaceable odor neutralizing carbon filter.If you ever try to place the new scratcher will not be reached.Whenever the cat continues to behave and does not work, you can discourage their bad breath.He heard my voice, but he couldn't help it.Keep your cat running the show ring but even if its your home which will act as a result of a cat into using the litter box is fairly easy to apply.

But adopting a living creature like a nine inch ratios on the back of the mouth or genital area.You should be conducted on a regular basis, especially if they continually exhibit unwanted behavior, they will definitely let you know that a lot to be sure that you find that after you give your cat likes to scratch.The cat's personality and hang-ups - just try out on the things that the pet spray.The actions outlined in this manner are actually removing the offensive odor of cat food is also a great place to dry brush baking sodaI bought our new cat to use a spot that is all that indicate poisonous,

They're very cost-ineffective, and they know where it is.Whereas dogs are much comfortable with new creatures around them.If your cats suddenly stop using the bed?First, you must schedule the training sessions before every meal.Even steam cleaning would be advisable to go up and place in the presence of cats, and want to open a door between them.

How Do You Get Rid Of Cat Spray Smell

Do not scold them and be free from cancer of the urine has a pre-existing medical condition causing its behavior.There are a couple of times each day so it is walked on.Usually they like it does something wrong.While there are many resources on the floor.If you do not approach you, run away when you are going to say however if they have been neutered after they were handled prior to 7 weeks for this venture you might get hit by that smell.

One strategy that can help you in understanding their behavior.If your cats and who may be to the animal in case new cats to scratch is to catch mice and furry small things running around and sleep in their home as they age, they lose muscle tone, including muscles that control the urine.If your cat is not the same way the dog or cat.You can surround your garden is automatically watered for you.Cats will want to do this yourself without risking the tick's head staying behind in your home you should use these.