#emotional support duck tail curls

[slutforpringles]

Daniel Ricciardo in the Paddock prior to final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium | Saturday | Francorchamps | Rudy Carezzevoli

[ddejavvu]

hi!! happy monday! so i was wondering if you could write something with hybrid au with hotch 👀 the reader is a cat hybrid and she lives with him and she’s really comforting to him and when he comes home he can’t wait to cuddle with her and kiss her and play with her and it’s just all so softtttt <3 thank you!

The jingle of Aaron's keys in the door is enough to rouse you from your catnap, the sun warming your skin as you sprawl in a patch of it. You scramble to your feet, eager to greet your charge. Penelope, the sweet blonde glitter bomb, had recruited you in hopes of helping her boss with his emotions. She told you that he tended to shut himself down instead of feeling, and that she was absolutely certain a 'cute thing like yourself' would help. You'd say you're doing a pretty good job. Aaron walks in the door with a smile on his face now, a stark contrast to the grumpiness he used to radiate the first few weeks of living with you. Now, when your fingers pry at the collar of his suit jacket he grins, setting down his briefcase as quickly as possible so that he can catch you when you scale him like a ladder.

"Hi sweetheart," He hums, fingers already reaching for the spot behind your ears that makes your chest rev with a purr, "Did you have a good day?"

"Mhm," You nod, "I birdwatched."

"Oh?" He glances over at the birdfeeder he'd set up outside the window, a perfect spot for you to laze around and observe, "Did you see any cool ones?"

"One of them had yellow feathers on its chest," You muse, sharpened nails making quick work of untying his tie, "But other than that, just the regular ones."

"Maybe you'll see that pretty red one again soon," He recalls the bird you'd dragged him out of his home office to see, excitedly yowling about its stunning colors, "He likes the birdseed we put out."

You nod along absentmindedly, tail curling around his wrist as he supports you from below. A quick trek into his bedroom reveals that you're more than ready for the cuddle session you know is coming, a pair of pajamas already laid out for him. The clothes you wear are exclusively comfortable, a sweet pink nightgown already adorning your frame.

"These are your favorites," Aaron observes, plucking a speck of lint off of the black fabric of the shirt, "Are they softer than the rest?"

"No," You hum, already curling up near his pillow, blanket tucked to your chest, "They're the ones you wore the first time you let me sleep in here."

He stills from where he's shaking out the shirt, glancing up at you with his dress attire unbuttoned.

"Oh?"

"Yeah," You pick at one of your nails, tail curled around your waist, "I remember you were worried about it, you were all stiff and freaked out. But I just rammed my head into your chest and started purring, and you relaxed."

He doesn't realize he's smiling until he's trying to talk through the expression. He ducks his face so you can't see it, "Yeah. I remember that."

"Hurry up," You clearly don't realize what a sentimental moment he's having, or you just don't care, but it doesn't ruin the mood. Your whining only makes him go faster, and he gets a knee up on the mattress in no time.

"You're impatient," He chides, but there's no negativity behind the tease. He wraps his arms around you from where you're bundled up in the blanket, his smile soft and sweet as his hair flops over his forehead. You've spent many a night combing your nails through it to get him to sleep, and if your arms weren't just as tightly tucked in as the rest of you, you might try it now.

"I missed you," You whine, and it does the trick. He stops poking fun at you and tugs you closer, eyes slipping shut as his nose butts against yours. When he speaks the murmur of his voice flows through you, warmer than any sunspot you've ever had the privilege of lounging in.

"I missed you too, honey. Tell me more about your day," He pleads, a hand stroking smoothly and soothingly over your back, "Is that dog next door still taunting you?"

[blubberingmess]

[Little guy: Bubba] *your view*

Soulmate AU

Pairing: Bucky/chibi!bucky x male!reader

• yes, there will be another part but in Bucky's view :) sorry not sorry

Summary: A life with your grumpy chibi, before you met your soulmate.

Warning: none

Ideas for what chibi!bucky looks like (minus the ears and tail - maybe next time). Drawings aren't mine, also the gif below.

More info about the AU (Please read):

There's no particular time or date when the small version of their soulmate-- or what most people called chibi-- would randomly come out from nowhere, dressed in their favorite/mostly used clothes. They mostly appear when one turned eighteen to twenty-five. On some rare occasions, some chibis won't show up until the person turned to their thirties.

No one knows how it works, not even the scientists. They have never experimented on one because they can't, for chibis cannot be killed no matter how you tried. They only disappears when the real version of them dies. But! They can get hurt, it won't bruise or anything but they can feel the pain.

Chibis don't talk, they communicate through actions and facial expressions from what you've heard. Your soulmate's mood affected the chibi version of themself, will mostly find comfort from their 'guardian' but that's all. People will affect their chibis emotionally, but not physical feelings like pain, hunger, etc.

They also have different personalities, the same personality your soulmate already have and also the personality they would build themselves from how you would treat them.

They eat, drink, sleep like normal people would. They have a mind of their own and as smart as the person they represent.

They also age, their skin wrinkles and their hair grays as well. One woman you found out that her soulmate is twenty years older than her, a few gray streaks of hairs can be seen on her chibi.

Also, they are as small as the size of you hand - even taller depends on your soulmate. But the chibi with the size of your palm are almost always be 6ft < your soulmate. That means if you're smaller than him, your chibi self will be smaller than your palm which means it'll be so much smaller than your soulmate's palm which is.... oh god. You'll get squished! But that's okay, your chibi self can't die ;)

While your soulmate is the person representing your chibi, your chibi's soulmate is your soulmate's chibi :) chibi's are much more emotional - the real emotion of the person. For example; your soulmate is angry at you while his chibi self is not, then that means he isn't actually angry.

More info about them as you read through the story :)

Ask me anything about it if your ever confused or curious and I'll try my hardest to answer it ♡ or this AU is already made, then I apologize if I explained something wrong. This is just how I see this AU would work :)

Also, if you don't like or against fics like this, you are very much welcome to ignore this or unfollow me (igaf, boo) I support LGBTQ+ wether you like it or not~

[Chibi!Winter Soldier]

It was a cold night of December when you first met your chibi, a rather scary meeting to be honest. You were just making yourself a cup of hot cocoa when you heard a shuffling behind you, it was almost inaudible but you heard it.

Slowly turning around, you didn't see anyone, but you did saw something move on the counter just behind the large bowl of fruits you have. There's a pair of steely blue eyes on top of the bananas, quickly ducking down as soon as it saw you snapping your eyes at it. Though, it was no use, it has already been caught and the mop of brunette can still be seen from your point of view.

"You know I can see you right?" Your voice laced with amusement as you spoke, already knew what the small guy is. The chibi tensed, the top of its head poking up more from behind the yellow fruit.

"Its okay, little guy, I'm not going to hurt you," you coaxed the chibi with a soft voice, letting them know you genuinely don't mean any harm. Regardless of how calm your voice sounds, your inner self is currently freaking out at this moment. Heart hammering against your chest as you anticipate on what's about to happen; excited to finally meet your chibi, the mini version of your soulmate!

Slowly but surely, you sees him peek half of his head to the side. Frosty blue eyes staring up at you cautiously-- curiously-- as he analyze your face for a moment before slowly completely stepping out from his hiding place, an arm behind his back.

You immediately noticed the mask that's covering the lower part of his face, and his clothes; some type of tactical gear.

Is your soulmate a soldier or something? An agent?

You were about to take a step forward to properly greet the chibi when he suddenly pulls out a knife from behind him, held by a metal arm, the same arm he's been hiding as he stepped out. A small, but surprisingly intimidating growl emits from him making you lift your hands up in surrender.

"Woah there, buddy! I thought chibis were supposed to be soft and loving? I didn't know they would also want to stab you in the freaking face!"

Another growl before he pulled out something from his thigh holster; a handgun.

You gulped. "Or two. Damn."

He didn't do anything but glare at you, and if looks could kill, you would've been six - no, sixty feet below right now. The chibi's action confuses you greatly, especially after hearing about them being really clingy and sweet towards their 'guardian'; not this!

My soulmate must be a real hot-headed motherfu--

Your thought was cut off by a low rumble that reverberated throughout the whole kitchen, disrupting the tense silence between the two of you. Looking around the kitchen and back down at the small, feisty chibi, you gave him a nervous smile and asks, "You hungry?"

The chibi's eyes flickers at the warm mug behind you then back up at your eyes, silently asking - no- commanding you. You cautiously and slowly dropped down your right hand, stiffening as you heard him cocked his tiny gun.

You doubt it could actually kill you but it still looks intimidating, especially the little guy who is aiming it at you.

"I'm just gonna give you the mug, see?" You grabbed the now warm cocoa and a thin straw you didn't know you'll actually need until now. Slowly making your way towards the counter where he stands, you carefully placing the coffee beside him before walking backwards on your previous spot.

He gingerly lowers his weapons, tucking them back inside his pocket and holster and walked towards the mug, not before giving you a warning look.

"Cookies?" You didng wait for a reply as you began searching through your cupboards, it's not like you expected it considering chibis can't talk.

The intimidating chibi watches you as he took a sip from the thin straw, following your every move with curious eyes. He can't help but feel guilty from his not-so-friendly first impression, it's his instinct to pull out a weapon - well, it's actually your soulmate's instinct, but there's truly nothing in his mind that could push him to actually hurt you.

Your soulmate would've done the same.

Placing the small plate of assorted cookies beside him, you crouched down and watches as he took a broken piece and began nibbling on it, giving you a chance to get a closer look at him.

His mask is now off and resting close to him, making you see his whole face. His lips are pink and a bit upturned on the sides, stubble around the lower part of his face. He looks gloomy and tired, like there's something bothering him for days - even months. No doubt there's not, from how he looks and how he acted a few minutes ago, you could instantly tell that your soulmate isn't like anybody else.

It scares you and excites you at the same time.

You came back to reality when you noticed that something is being pushed right in front of your face, it's a mini chocolate chip cookie. Trailing your eyes from the cookie and to the chibi who's holding it out for you, a smile adorned your face when you saw him looking to the side with a nonchalant look on his face, a small blush on his cheeks.

"Hey bubba? Have you seen my pen?" You mutter-ask from your spot on the couch, looking around for your pen. Bubba (What you decided to call him) opened his eyes from the armrest of the couch on your left, looking up at you while still nibbling on his plum.

It's been three year since your first meeting with your chibi and living with the little guy isn't as bad as you thought it would, just scary. He would still glare at you and send you frosty looks but only when you would do something stupid or idiotic, but he immediately warms up at you after a few days.

Bubba gave you an 'are you serious' look before lifting his flesh hand up and tapping his ears two times before lowering them back down on his half-eaten plum. You kink an eyebrow before reaching up to your right ear and felt the pen you've been looking for the past five minutes, propping your left arm on the armrest behind Bubba.

"Thanks, little dude!"

Bubba just sassily rolled his eyes before he resumed nibbling on his beloved plum, eyes closing in bliss and instinctively leaning back on your arm as he do so.

Who knew the grumpy chibi likes to cuddle and curl up against you when you're reading or working inside your office, sometimes would even take a nap on your shoulder, on top of your head, or your lap kid he feels like it.

What you also noticed is that the little guy likes to eat, a lot, he would practically order you around to make him something sweet or savory, maybe even both. You don't actually mind, you like taking care of him, you just wish you could also take care of your soulmate like how you would take care of the chibi.

You learned that if your chibi would act this way; asking for different kinds of foods and demands affection from you, that means your soulmate is craving them just as much. But sadly, you're not there to actually give him what he needs, you doubt the chibi version of yourself could... maybe?

Oh how it breaks your heart everytime.

Speaking of breaking your heart, how many times had you woken up at the sound of Bubba's whimpers and cries at early mornings around two or four. Everytime he would curl up against your chest, crying and clutching at your shirt as you let him soak your shirt with his tears.

"Hey-hey, it's okay. It's okay, Bubba. Shh, you're okay. I got you, don't worry." you cooed, scooping the chibi with both of your hands. Bubba's shaking immediately subsides the moment he felt your soft, gentle touch on his back, breathing heavily while tightening his hold on your thumb like it's his lifeline.

Glossy blue eyes looking up at you in pain and sadness; almost begging, lips quivering as tears began pouring out from his eyes. Your heart clenched inside your chest as you watched him breakdown in your hands.

You want to calm him down. You want to help him so bad to get rid of the pain, the sadness, but you can't. Unless your soulmate can't calm down, the chibi in your hands won't.

Thankfully, episodes like that don't happened often and doesn't last long - not anymore. A small mood swings here and there but it would almost always immediately diminished after a minute or two.

Your soulmate's chibi must be calming him down. Good job, me that is also not me.

When you go out which isn't that often considering you work from home-- also seeing that you don't have that much friends outside to go away with-- Bubba will be guarded and on your shoulder at all times with his small metal hand on the back of your neck. He'll always have that deep scowl on his face that only softening up when looking at you or when you offer him sweets - ice cream preferably.

You did left him one time, only coming back to a very stressed out and dishielved looking Bubba. Thinking at first that your soulmate is in another one of his heart wrenching episode, but it wasn't. You noticed it the moment you stepped inside the living room and seeing him perched up on the windowsill, his eyes immediately brightens up when he sees you - before frowning once again, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away from you with a pout.

You just sigh and didn't even make a move to hide the smile on your face.

Your chibi is such a drama queen.

[Chibi!Runningawayfromeveryone!Bucky]

You felt something lightly tickled your cheek but you're still sleepy to do anything about it, ignoring the next one your forehead, then on your other cheek, and then your temple. The small of plum and something woody with a hint of gun powder enters your nostril, a familiar scent you grew accustomed to for the past five years with your chibi.

"I'm awake. Geez, Bubba, good morning to you too." you chuckled, patting the said chibi on his head. Bubba grin up at you before giving you a sweet kiss on your nose then began nuzzling into your neck, sighing in content.

The temperature in Bucharest this time of year is quite cold but you're happy that it doesn't bother your chibi, he actually likes it. You decided to have a vacation; just you and Bubba, away from New York, your migraine inducing work - your family. It's all just too much for you to handle.

Bubba was the one who actually chose Bucharest for some unknown reason, he really wanted to go there and who are you to turn him down? Especially when he looks up at you with those big, pleading eyes of his.

Ugh. If this what your soulmate looks like, you don't know if you can handle him. You don't even know if you can say 'no' to him! Now that's scary.

Lifting up your gaze at the ceiling, a frown quickly replaced the soft smile on your face at the thought of your soulmate.

It's been five years since your chibi appeared and you're still yet to see him. You've hang out with the small group of friends you have, relatives, and even visit places you've never visited before with Bubba by your side, but it's all fruitless.

Maybe he's gone? No, Bubba is still here (snoring soundly). Maybe he don't want you? Can't be... right? Bubba likes you and find comfort in your touch. But... maybe it's just Bubba himself and not really your soulmate.

"Bubba stop moving around!" You hissed, gently grabbing the said chibi from your head. He started wriggling around like an excited puppy and tugging at your hair the moment the two of you stepped out from the hotel building, it's a weird behavior you haven't seen him in before.

"What got you so excited, little guy? We're just visiting the market nearby to buy some peaches... Maybe some plums as well. Actually, I'm craving for some corvig."

Bubba half-heartedly listened to you ramble while his eyes roams the market sharply, ears peeled and nose constantly sniffing the air. What you didn't know is that chibis will act like that-- excited and eyes darting from one place to another-- if it means your soulmate is nearby, their senses are tingling and they can feel their heart getting warmer the shorter the distance you are from your soulmate - also Bubba's too.

You stopped in the middle of the market, looking for the particular stall that sells peaches. Bubba is also looking around but for a different reason, absently clutching at his shirt where his supposedly heart is located.

"Why's there no fruit stalls around? Is it on the other side of the market?" You groaned, pulling out your phone. The people around you gave you looks, some with confusion but most of them are uneasiness, thinking you're somewhat scolding your chibi before going back to what they were doing, but now all of them had stepped/walked away from you.

It's not like you cared, the first thing on your mind right now is peaches and plums, also corvig.

You suddenly heard Bubba let out a noise, a squeak-like of grunt before scrambling off your shoulder and down to the pavement with ease. It took you a few seconds to comprehend what just happened before snapping out of it and sprinting towards where Bubba run off to.

Damn, didn't know chibis could run so fast.

"Bubba! Where are-- you." Your last word changed it's aim from Bubba to the man before you, staring back at you with the same surprised expression on his face. His hands are half stretched in front of him before dropping them down to his sides, straightening his back.

Your eyes swing down to the two chibis who are currently busy hugging each other, giggling as hearts and flowers practically floats around them. You watched as Bubba kissed the other chibi on the cheek before nuzzling his head on his shoulder, who squeaked in happiness before burying his face on his chest, obviously much more smaller that Bubba.

The chibi is... you - a chibi version of you exactly; dressed like you and almost looks exactly like you.

Gazing back up at the big version of Bubba or your soulmate, you cleared your throat and was about to step forward to introduce yourself when he suddenly took a step back, his left hand quickly moved to his back.

And then he growls.

You whole body steeled once you heard the sound left his lips and your hands are lifted up in a split second, enough to for him to notice but not enough draw any attention towards the both of you.

With him ready to pull out a weapon behind his back whilst glaring at you with ice-cold, guarded look in his eyes, and you with your hands up in surrender was all too familiar it makes you want to laugh and crack a joke.

"I thought soulmates were supposed to be soft and loving? I didn't know they would also want to stab you in the freaking face!"

Please tag me if you ever tried this Soulmate AU. I really want to read one 💕💕 I hope you enjoyed it. There's a part 2 but in Bucky's view of chibi!You suddenly popping up in his life like fairy god mother.

If there are misused words or wrong grammars, don't be shy to tell me!

[delimeful]

cut clean from the dream (3/3)

Part 1 | Part 2

warnings: fear, misunderstandings, small head injury (only a little one)

-

Patton hovered at the roof of the shady-looking human store, occasionally sticking his head over the ledge to peer through the dusty display windows.

He’d come all this way, past what felt like hundreds of sprawling human cities, and now the only thing between him and the next step to finding his best friend was one measly wall. His cloaking magic had served him well so far, but being invisible wouldn’t help him walk through solid surfaces.

And getting in there was vital. The dark blue life-trail that he’d been tailing for so long had led him to this doorstep, and hadn’t emerged again. He was exhausted from using such powerful magic for such a long time, but he wasn’t going to stop now! He would stay right on this roof until he found Logan, or at least a sign as to where the fairy had been taken from here.

‘You can’t help anyone if you pass out from magic exhaustion,’ a tiny voice in the back of his mind that sounded an awful lot like Logan reminded him. He bit his lip, considering for a moment finding a tree to hole up and recover in.

At that very moment, a human in a bright jacket turned the corner, striding towards the store with purpose. Patton’s wings twitched as his determination renewed. He wouldn’t pass up this opportunity!

As soon as the stranger pulled the door open to enter, Patton invisibly dove past, any sound he might have made obscured by the small, ringing bell that the open door had triggered. The stranger’s nose twitched briefly, but neither him nor the shopkeep seemed to track Patton’s movement, so he hurried along to the rickety shelves.

There were all sorts of strange bits and bobs, some of which looked alarmingly fae-like, but no Logan. Against the advice of that little voice— one he was beginning to suspect was his common sense— he cast the tracking spell again, and found a heavy collection of deep indigo life-trail on one empty spot on a shelf. There was a ring in the dust, leftover from a container that must have been big enough for Logan to fit in.

But he wasn’t here now. And whatever had taken him, it had strong enough magic to cloak his life-trail entirely.

The air sprite felt his spirits sink as he realized that he had truly lost his only lead.

Then, he felt his stomach sink as there was a yell from the nearby shopkeep. He realized that the magic drain had caused his invisibility to flicker right out, leaving him hovering there clear as day.

He backpedaled immediately, but there was no breeze to aid him in the stagnant store, and before he could get out of range, thick fingers were closing around him, crushing his wings to his back painfully. He cried out, but the grip didn’t loosen.

“What in the world did you get out of, you little--”

“Hey!” An indignant yell made the furious mutterings of the man holding him come to a pause. The stranger in the bright coat stood at the head of the aisle, frowning severely.

The shopkeep’s tone immediately turned customer-service pleasant. “Just one moment, sir, I’m simply dealing with some loose merchandise--”

“Excuse me?” the stranger cut him off, expression only growing more offended. “That is not your merchandise, that is my… my emotional support sprite!”

What?

“What?” the shopkeep echoed Patton’s thoughts, looking bewildered. The stranger walked over with purposeful steps, holding a hand out in demand.

“My property, if you will. If I’d known you were so callous with other people’s belongings, I wouldn’t have chosen here to browse.” The stranger stuck his nose in the air haughtily.

This seemed to snap the shopkeep out of his fugue, and he hurriedly dropped Patton onto the other man’s hand. “My apologies, sir, though I do ask that in the future you keep a closer eye on your… pet.”

Patton had tried to catch himself as soon as he began freefalling, but his wings were still crumpled, and it was only a short distance to the other human’s hand. As soon as he landed, fingers curled up around him, one keeping his leg pinned to the palm. He tried to wriggle free anyhow, and received another hand cupped over him for his efforts.

Above him, the stranger sniffed once and then turned on his heel and walked right out of the store. Patton breathed a sigh of relief; back out in the fresh air. Once this human let his guard down, all he would have to do was summon a slight breeze and catch a lift away on it. Provided his magic wasn’t too taxed for such a task.

The stranger walked rather quickly for another few moments, and then turned sharply into an alley. Patton looked up with wide eyes as the hands around him unfolded, revealing a face with bright red eyes that seemed surprisingly… concerned? The stranger let out a long breath of relief, and then started speaking rapidfire.

“I am so, so, so sorry about that,” the stranger said, flattening his hands out so that there was nothing stopping Patton from standing. He did so, but curiosity kept him from immediately fluttering away. That, and his wings. “I just needed him to let go of you, I promise I don’t think of you as anything less than the person you are, please don’t be afraid.”

“You-- huh?” Patton replied, eloquently. The stranger smiled with oddly sharp teeth.

“Sorry, let me start over. I’m Roman, and you are?”

“Um, Patton!” he offered, still a bit thrown off. A moment ago, he’d been sure he was going to end up as part of a potion, and now he was… free? Maybe? He subtly started straightening out his wings, just in case.

“Nice to meet you, Patton! My sincerest apologies for my rough handling, I hope you’ll forgive me such actions in the name of getting you out of that cursed place.”

Patton nodded, and then shook his head, trying to figure out what to focus on first. “Why were you in there in the first place?”

Roman took on a proud expression. “I’ve been stopping by to inspect the place for other fairies or sprites that are trapped, waiting to be sold. That way, I can buy their freedom. Not that the store owner knows that, of course.”

“But why?” Patton knew better than most that humans, magic or not, saw their kind as useful at best and pests at worst.

“I will admit to my shame that it took the intervention of another to show me that the portrayal of fairykind has been terribly skewed,” he said, and then a fond smile overtook his face. “Luckily, I have a roommate who is educated in such matters, and didn’t hesitate to inform me of the truth as well.”

Huh. Patton hadn’t known that there were humans who considered fairies people. It made his heart feel warm as a summer wind. For a moment, he wondered if maybe Logan was one of the fairies he’d freed, but… Roman was no witch. He couldn’t be able to cloak a presence so effectively. He shook the thought away, focusing on the present. “Then, I’m free to go? For realsies, right?”

“That’s right! For realsies,” Roman said, and then shifted to rummage in his pocket with one hand. “Here, if you ever find yourself in need, this little card will point you in the right direction to my abode. Me or my roommates would be happy to help!”

Patton took the square of paper, which was thoughtfully very small, and tucked it into his belt. “Thank you!” Hesitantly, he hovered into the air over Roman’s hands, and smiled when the human didn’t even twitch in his direction. “Really. Thank you.”

“No thanks necessary,” he said, and then added with a wink, “but I do appreciate them greatly!”

Patton laughed, and then let the wind carry him up and up and up, until Roman was just a bright speck of color on the ground, and he headed back to the evergreen he was using as a temporary sleeping perch.

Close encounters aside, he had a lot of thinking to do. Logan would be proud, once Patton found him.

He was going to find him. He had to.

---

Two days later, Patton had scoured every nook and cranny in the entire town, and all he’d gotten for his efforts was an increasing sense of despair and exhaustion. There was no trace of Logan anywhere, and it was becoming more and more difficult to keep his spirits high. The fact that he hadn’t found a place to safely rest and recharge wasn’t helping, either.

He ducked behind a reflective street sign as another car rushed by in a rumble of noise and smoke. On the bright side, so many hours spent eavesdropping on humans meant that he was learning a lot about how things worked outside their home forest. Logan would have loved to hear all about it...

“Wait… humans!” Patton hurriedly perched on the top of a nearby lamppost, pulling a flat sheaf of paper from his belt. He’d been so consumed with his search that he’d almost forgotten his encounter with Roman.

The human had said that he or his roommate would offer help, and he had meant it, Patton was sure. Logan would have been concerned about what the humans wanted from him in exchange, but Patton wasn’t quite as cynical. Logan could lecture him about it later, after he found him.

Stretching out his wings, he tapped the paper and activated the rune on it, smiling as a bright, glittering trail glowed its way into existence. The magic was fairly nature-based, he noticed as he darted into the air and followed the weaving path between buildings and over streets. Roman had probably asked for the help of a fairy to create it.

Maybe, once he found Logan, he could convince him to come along and visit Roman? They had so much in common, it seemed like they’d get along! They were both pretty stubborn though… Maybe after an initial rough patch.

Soon enough, he reached the third level of an apartment building, and the trail led right to a window that was draped in red curtains and closed tight. He knocked on the glass politely, but nobody seemed to be inside, and the paper didn’t work as a key.

Patton hummed, brow furrowing in thought, and then hovered over to the other side of the building. Maybe the roommate was in?

There were curtains on this window too, dark heavy ones, but they were parted just slightly enough that he could see into the room. The glass part of the window was lifted up, but there was a layer of mesh still preventing him from just flying in. He almost called out, but as he got closer, he could sense human magic thick in the air.

Instead, he pressed closer to the glass and peeked through the drapes, promising himself that he would apologize for intruding if everything turned out okay.

There was a human inside, but it definitely wasn’t Roman. He was tall, dark, and covered in glowing magic tattoos, ones that marked him as a witch, which made the tips of Patton’s wings flutter fearfully. Was this really Roman’s roommate?

The witch seemed to be hunched over something on his desk, going by the faint muttering and surges in magic, he was casting something. Patton tilted his head, wondering if maybe he should just go back to the window he knew was safe and wait for a little bit. This could be a whole other section of the building, for all he knew.

He drifted back just slightly, but at that very moment, he saw the witch move away, and got a perfect glimpse of what was sitting on the desk in front of him.

Or, rather, who.

Logan, his Logan, sat there, wings disheveled and face scrunched up in pain, his hands held out, magical cuffs of glowing script just barely visible around them.

Normally, Patton wasn’t the type to just jump into things without talking first, especially not fights. But the sight of Logan, his best friend, who had been captured and put in chains by a witch? That was far from normal.

Between one blink and the next, there was a gale underneath his wings. The cutting winds tore through the window mesh as easily as a knife through butter, and he rocketed towards the witch’s face fast enough to make them flinch. He stopped inches away, between the witch and Logan, and spread his wings wide and threatening.

“Get away from him,” he screamed, and the winds answered his call, throwing the room into upheaval and shoving the human to the ground as effectively as if Patton had been human-sized himself.

Convinced that the pin would hold, he turned to Logan, his vision already blurring with tears at seeing his friend alive and safe, even if just barely.

“Patton--” Logan attempted, and then cut himself off with a huff as Patton tackled him into the bear hug of all bear hugs, knocking them both into a sitting position. Despite his exasperation, Patton could see the way his friend’s wings were beating hummingbird-fast, and if the spot on his shoulder that Logan pressed his face to was a bit damp when he pulled away, well. Patton wasn’t going to tell anyone.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again,” he told Logan, still holding his hands desperately, as though he’d vanish if he let go for even a second. “I was so scared, you can’t ever leave me behind like that again, okay?”

They both knew Logan hadn’t chosen to be abducted, but Patton’s voice cracked on the last syllable of his plea, and Logan’s face softened.

“I won’t,” he said, gripping Patton’s hands back just as tightly. “I promise.”

Patton sniffled, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt. His magic pulled at him, and he abruptly remembered the human witch he’d attacked only moments ago. “Oh no! Logan, come on, we have to get out of here.”

He pulled them both to their feet, but when he began to hover towards the window, Logan didn’t follow. He looked back to him, confused. “Logan? It’s okay, we’ll find someone at home who can get that human magic off of you, no problem! So come on, okay?”  

Logan adjusted his glasses, using his other hand to tug Patton back to the surface of the desk. “Patton, hold on a moment. While I do appreciate your… dashing rescue, you’ve misunderstood a few things.”

Patton stared at him in disbelief. “What’s there to misunderstand? I saw the witch hurting you!”

“Pat, look at him,” Logan said, and turned Patton to face the witch, who was still pinned to the floor by swirling winds.

… He wasn’t straining against the magic at all, now that he took the time to feel the enchantment. He was just laying there, in a tipped over wooden chair on the floor, looking up at them with half-lidded eyes like he was already over the entire situation.

“You alright, Virgil?” Logan asked, and the witch rolled his eyes.

“Other than the headache?” he snarked back. “Yeah, I’m fine. Have you convinced your sprite friend that I’m not evil yet?”  

“I am working on it,” Logan replied, the slightest smile on his lips as he looked down at the human.

And that-- that smile, more than anything, convinced him.

“Okay.” Patton released the spell, stumbling slightly as the magic drain hit him fully. “Okay. But you…,” he yawned, “you have a lot of explaining to do, mister.”

“I’m sure I do.” Logan helped him sit, not complaining as Patton slumped over and used him as an improvised mattress. “For now, though, I think you need to rest.”

Even as Patton’s eyes drifted closed, he was clinging to Logan’s hand. And from the firm grip that he got in return, he knew that the other fairy wasn’t planning on leaving him anytime soon.

That was enough, for now.

[strangerobin]

Rue: Chapter 4 (Jasper Hale x OC)

Not everyone is excited for a reunion. Especially when expectations are not aligned.

**Note: Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me how you feel about the story so far!

I had a bit of difficulty writing this part I must say; but I don’t believe that two people meeting again in forever can go back to being in love like nothings happened.

But lemme know what you think!**

Elsewhere.

Adeline ran as fast as she could, her chaser right at her heels as she darted into the woods. Rain pelting heavily, the moon hidden behind clouds, the woods seemed darker than usual.

To make matters worse, she was slowing down. She had been starving herself greatly recently, in a self-loathing attempt and now she deeply regretted her foolish decision. As if it wasn’t enough she was having trouble controlling her hunger, now she was being chased down by an unknown assailant, vampire. She ignored the constant tugging at her heart again, begging her to stop, to turn around and just look at her chaser.

It occurred to her then that this person was the same one who was at Whitehorse. Judging from the female vampire that had approached her just now in the bar, someone or some persons were interested in her. It might not even be her father. But bullshit, she wasn’t going to let this unknown stranger get to her. Nor was she going to let them ruin her peace of mind she had fought to safeguard for decades now. She needed a plan, and she needed it fast.

There was a clearing just a few miles south, if she could just make it there…! Pushing her limits, she ducked under a pine and concealed herself into the night, mindful not to tread on anything that might give her away. Circled the perimeter and watched as the man who had been chasing her stopped in the clearing, apparently confused that he had lost her track somehow.

Now-

Blood pumping, she darted out and aimed for the jugular. Her hand clasped onto the man’s neck in a death grip and pushed him up into a tree.

“Who are you and what do you want from me?” Adeline hissed. The man, blonde she noted, made no move to subdue or even try to escape her clutches. His face was still partially hidden under his hair, but she was aware of his amber orbs observing her behind his curtain of hair. Neither did she miss the scars, multiple healed bite wounds littered across his porcelain neck and clavicles, screaming danger. Her heart hammering in her chest now, a tidal wave of anxiety washed over her and an eerie sense of foreboding was looming overhead. Her mind was trying to make a connection, something about this man just… But the anxiety got to her again and she tightened her grip over his neck even harder.

It occurred to her then that the man’s companion was also nowhere to be found. Was this a trap after all?

“Answer me.” She growled impatiently. “Who are you? Why are you after me? Where is your companion?!”

Yet he only remained mum. This only further enraged her.

“Speak or I’ll rip your pretty head off of its rightful place.”

“Just like how you ripped my heart out all those years ago?”

Momentarily Adeline was caught confused by the man’s reply, until he looked up and the dim moonlight casted shadows on his smooth marble like face. Adeline gasped, dropping her arm and taking a step back. A chill ran up her spine and grasped painfully onto her heart, tightening; just as her mind roared, losing its usual powers of logics and deduction.

“Jasper?”

*

Back at the parking lot, Jasper had suddenly felt a breeze, a sliver of a shadow passing by, and then the strongest urge he had ever had to run after the shadow. Unknowingly, he had let the urge overtook his actions; until he saw Adeline materialising out of thin air, running at top speed a few yards before him did he finally realised what had happened.

He had chased on then, close on her tail.

And now he watched, somewhat in fascination, at the myriad of emotions that ran through Adeline’s eyes in that instant. Shock and disbelief gave way to confusion, then guilt and grief. He’d forgotten just how expressive she can be at times and how he could read her like an open book.

Except it was his Adeline. His sweet Adeline.

There was no mistaking on his part. She had not aged a single day. Her hair was shorter now, but her countenance, and those expressive cornflower eyes they were the same, fresh from his memory. There was no doubt in it. Now that his vision was so much better, he could even notice features on her face that he would have missed as a human. And yes, he could also smell her sweet hybrid scent, so similar to Renesmee’s yet also different in it’s own way. Oh how his cold dead heart felt, ready to burst, he had never felt so alive since his transformation. Perhaps he shouldn’t be too hasty in accepting this hybrid thing, but it would explain so much of her past actions. And it would also explain so well how they were seeing each other right there and now. And more than anything, he was just… feeling all kinds of emotions now that she was here again. Joy and shock at the prospect of reunion, apprehension and nausea at how events would unfold. But mostly he felt a deep inner relief and serenity for the first time in years. One he did not know that he had been missing until beholding her again for the first time in centuries.

She was the missing piece he had been seeking unknowingly all these years.

He had meant to step forward, to embrace her, to touch her, anything, something just to confirm her presence right in front of his eyes. To hold onto her, to make sure that she wouldn’t just disappear again into thin air again.

But even as he pondered on his actions, those haunting orbs were now settling to something between fear and distrust.

Adeline, her hand trembling against her lips, was slowly backing away as she tried to process the events that had transpired; unsettled, she did not even notice that she had backed herself into the trunk of another tree.

“What sick joke is this?” She finally let out a shaky laugh. Her eyes darting everywhere but him.

With a sinking heart, Jasper swallowed harshly, his throat dry. He’d run through this in his head for uncountable times now. A simulation of their reunion, heartfelt exchanges and eager embraces, passionate declarations; or cold-hearted refusals and further blows to his heart. But nothing like this, not this deer-in-the-headlight shakiness, blatant denial, this refusal of even a simple acknowledgement.

“Adeline it’s me. It’s your Jasper.” He finally breathed, closing the distance. Reaching out a finger to twine her stray locks behind her ear, before leaning in to take a whiff of her floral scent.“It’s Jasper.” He repeated like a broken record.

“No… that’s not possible…” She murmured to herself, frozen in place by shock. Until fear flashed in her eyes again and she jerked away as if she had been electrified.

“What power do you possess? Did Father send you to lure me back?” She swallowed in alarm and closed her eyes, her cornflower orbs filled with unshed tears and undisguised fear.

“Adeline?”

“Please, I’ll go, willingly. Please… just stop what you’re doing, stop messing with my mind will you?” She continued to implore, on the verge of tears. “Stop this. I’ll go mad if you don’t.”

His heart almost broke again at her desperation, her pleads weighing heavily on him.

“No Adeline, darling. It really is me.” He whispered, cupping her face gently to catch her attention.

“No, you died all those years ago. In 1863.” Adeline shook her head furiously, as if every word was a bodily pain inflicted on her part. “I saw the stone, Mrs Whitlock told me so.”

“No, no.” Why couldn’t she just see him for what he was? Why was she so adamant on disproving his entire existence? “I was turned, I was found by a coven of vampires and turned.”

“I don’t believe you.” She finally looked him in the eye and he could see the determination behind, the determination to reject his being altogether as nothing more than a illusion of hers, put into her mind as some cruel joke.

His insides raged then, why couldn’t she see the obvious? He did not come so close to her only to lose her again! Not this time!

“So I will go. I will not shackle you to a life of secrets and miseries. Nor will I bind you to eternal gloom and slaughter your happiness, take your sun and hide your moon.” He recited in a sudden outburst of spite. “Just know that, in another life where I was free of lies and deceit, I would move heaven and earth just to stay alongside you.”

Adeline gasped audibly, her eyes grew big as saucers, and a tear glided down her cheek. Her lips trembled and he could feel the turmoil and shock in her. He could practically hear the whirling of the cogs in her brain moving, as she finally put two and two together. Her eyes darted frantically, as the truth dawned on her.

“This can’t be.” She finally let out a hysterical laugh and muttered weakly, backing up shakily and holding onto a branch for support. “This is impossible.”

“It’s the truth, darling. I-”

“No!” She screamed with all her might. “No.” She mumbled again raking a hand through her curls roughly and shaking her head in denial, even as tears were streaming freely down her face now. “You died… you died…”

“Adeline…”

“I have to go.” She muttered to no one in particular. “I can’t, I can’t, this can’t happen, this shouldn’t have happened…My fault, my fault. I shouldn’t have… shouldn’t have…”

“Adeline!” He reached for her then, to stop her, to pull her out of her panic.

“Don’t touch me!” She screamed, slapping his hand away. “Don’t…” Adeline chewed on her lips and swallowed nervously, before looking at Jasper, her eyes a sea of emotions and anguish. “Don’t try to find me ever again.”

Without so much as a backward glance, Adeline bolted in the opposite direction with lightning speed and melted into the night.

Left alone in the open, Jasper clenched and unclenched his fists. This was not what he had anticipated, in fact the worst had happened. There was a new agony in his heart, a heaviness weighing on him. Could broken hearts break a second time? If so, his had died a second time today. He could make chase, to corner her, to confront her; but was her blatant rejection not evident enough? Did she need to spell it out in black and white for him?

Letting out a heart-wrenching howl, Jasper dropped to his knees. His eyes were burning like coals but no tears would ever fall out, unlike her. He had lost that ability all those years ago, oh but how he wished he could cry now! To let release any, even the slightest of his unsurmountable grief.

But he could not.

Why couldn’t things stayed the way it had been back in Texas? If she had been a simple dressmaker, if he had never joined the army; they would have married, settled down, had a children or two and grew to see each other old. Buried together in the local cemetery, side by side and that would have been it.

Life was so so cruel.

He punched his fists repeatedly into the ground out of frustration.

Until he felt the strangest sensation.

A pull. There was a strange pull at his heart; tugging at his heartstrings, urging him on in the direction Adeline had just disappeared into.

Jasper stood up slowly, gauging at this new sensation.

It was as if an invisible pathway had just opened for him. There was a new lightness in his heart now. A giddiness at what he had just discovered.

And he thought that finally he understood what this all meant now.

*

This couldn’t be happening.

It was impossible!

Surely he was an imposter?! Her Jasper! Her Jasper had been dead for more than a hundred years, he couldn’t possibly have came back from the dead? And to become a vampire of all things?

A vampire? God forbid, that would mean that someone had changed him!

But she recalled his topaz eyes that shone eerily in the moonlight, the icy cold skin that had cupped her face so lovingly, that marble smooth and hard skin, the bite marks littered all over his neck. Literally nothing about him screamed human; those were the features of a top predator.

Was this some form of joke the universe was having on her? Her Jasper alive all this time? An immortal not unlike her, but stronger and more lethal?

No! No! No! No! She’d left this hole years ago. She wasn’t going to dig herself into another hole now! It couldn’t have been him! Dead as a door nail he was. She’d seen his grave, she was there.

Though no one ever recovered his body. A treacherous voice whispered in the back of her mind. And anyhow what was that line that he had recited then? It was word for word from the letter she had written to him all those years ago. No one other than himself could have read it.

Her treacherous mind continued to drift into dangerous territory, and though she tried to steer it away, the barriers were all but down now.

She’d rather it had been a stormy night. That thunder and the rain, they would have distracted her from her thoughts. But no.

The moon was a beacon hung against a starless backdrop, and through the half parted curtains, the clear moonlight filtered in, illuminating every feature of his in a white halo. Everything was so calm, so peaceful, in comparison to the raging storm within her.

She’d never stare into those warm brown eyes again, never run her hands through his thick golden curls, never feel his chuckle rumbling deep in his chest or his beating heart on her palm-

“Darlin’?” Jasper’s lashes fluttered, he had sensed her uneasiness somehow and was struggling to rise from his slumber.

“It is nothing darling.” She murmured before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips, relishing in his strong embrace one last time. “It was only a dream.”

He grunted and soon his breathing was even again.

With his handsome face and his wits and charm, he’d be able to rise up in the ranks, and get a fine rich Southern Belle for a wife quick enough.

Father’s threats were still fresh in her mind.

Better this than a mangled body, six inch deep in the ground.

Better leave now when he still loved her, than when he learnt of the truth, the ugly horrible truth.

Every move was another battle. How she withdrew herself from his arms, how she struggled not to sob or to crawl back into bed and confess every little sin she had committed. To stay for another day, for him to tell her that everything would be alright for another day. How her heart broke to leave the ring on the dresser and the heartless note she had written.

One final kiss to his forehead because she couldn’t bear to turn back a second time for she was sure that she would lose her resolve and strength to leave him.

But another day would become another week, another month, another year. What then when Father returned for her? Or when he realised that his wife had not aged a single day since she turned 17?

Better this farewell now. Better to look back with love and fondness and regret, than to let it be corrupted by hate and disgust or worse… blood.

Tomorrow he will wake and she will be gone. And when the time is just right, he will forget her, he will move on, fight the war, get married, grow old. All men do, the world must go on. And only she will be stuck in time, reminiscing the past through rose tinted lenses.

It was alright so long as he lived. She would live with this pain. She would bear this petit mort.

Every. Single. Time.

Until there was nothing more left of her heart.

Was this all for naught then in the end?

Was there no need for to leave him then? Or was his death inevitable regardless of what she did? Was it something that she had done? Something she had miscalculated?

Was he even Jasper to begin with?

She needed to be somewhere, anywhere other than being alone with her thoughts. And as the little house at the end of the lane grew bigger, only then did she realise where her subconscious had lead her to.

“Adeline?”

Standing at the doorway was her half brother, Anakin, smoking. Jet black hair pulled back into a ponytail, tanned torso bare displaying all his tribal tattoos. His black eyes held surprise as he eyed her carefully.

“I didn’t think I would see the likes of you for the next few years.”

“Change of plans Anakin. Is Father here?”

“It’s only me and the tyke; you know me and the old man can never stay in the same room long before ripping each other throats.” Anakin snorted before flicking his cigarette butt away. “But Ad are you alright? You look awful and you’re shaking so badly; and you’re soaked through and muddy. What happened, Ad?”

“Nothing.” She mumbled. “Just invite me in for a bath will ya.” Though now that he mentioned it, she was feeling kind of faint. Intending to push her way in, Adeline stumbled instead and Anakin was by her side in a flash, supporting her.

“Shit you’re weak. When was the last time you even fed Ad?”

“Addieeeeeeeeeeee.” From within the house, a shrill cry sounded. It was followed by loud footsteps and a young girl of 7 or 8 bounded straight into the foyer; her features were Asian, soft brown eyes and straight dark hair. And a sunny smile on her face. “You came!”

“Hey Loreen.” Adeline tried to smile and felt another wave of nausea.

“Lorie be a good sport and run the bath will you? Addie needs a good bath and rest after her long journey.”

The child straightened her back immediately, sensing the edge in Anakin’s voice and the urgency of the matter. “Alright.” She chirped and turned to go into the bathroom.

“I see you’ve both been well.” Adeline remarked offhandedly, to which Anakin rolled his eyes.

“Bath and get changed. I’ll go get you some blood.” Anakin sighed eyeing his dirty sister. “And take those shoes off, I don’t want you trekking mud into the house. I just cleaned the floor this morning.”

Adeline pulled at his sleeve before he could turn to leave.

“Anakin thanks.”

The frown line over his faced softened and Anakin smiled a lopsided smile.

“Well what are family for?”

This time she didn’t have a smart comeback.

[athenasbloodyspear]

Say Something to Stop Me: Chapter 9

Writing Master List | Say Something to Stop Me Master List

(There’s a double asterisk ** at one point in the story, I recommend playing the song I mention “Every Step You Take” by The Police as you read if that’s your thing! It’s what I wrote the rest of the scene to and I think it just makes it feel like a movie.)

Dr. Cho did end up having to put a few stitches in Bucky’s eyebrow and it turns out he was hiding some nasty bruises under his shirt. He looked like he’d gone through a meat tenderizer. The bullet proof vest he wore kept most of the shots from being fatal, but the smattering of bullet shaped bruises on his chest nearly tore you in two.

You sat in a chair across the room and watched as Helen finished his stitches and felt around on his chest for any broken ribs or potential internal bleeding. You found yourself just staring at him while they ran various diagnostics. He was definitely worse for wear, but he was so unbelievably beautiful that you felt your heart squeeze in your chest.

It was funny, this dynamic between you two. A push and pull that you hadn’t experienced before. It was like when you worked together on missions. When one of you moved, the other adjusted to fill the space you had left. When he had needed your calming touch and level head, you’d been able to provide it for him.

It struck you then, how long you’d been living in a relationship that was only push, no pull. You’d let someone dictate your emotions, your reactions and responses to nearly everything. You had shoved yourself into a box for him, trying to fit exactly how he wanted you.

Bucky let you be exactly how you needed to be in each moment. He stepped in to fill holes and support you where you needed it, but stepped away and let you go when he knew you could stand on your own.

He trusted you.

You trusted him.

You loved him.

After they’d finished, Tony told him to get his ass cleaned up and to bed.

“And I mean sleep Barnes. If you rip those stitches because you can’t keep your hands off her, I won’t let anyone come close them and you’ll have to restitch them yourself.”  

You let Bucky rest most of his weight on you as you helped get him back to his room. At this point you knew that there was no risk of Bucky ripping those stitches. He needed sleep badly.

You assisted as he peeled his bloodied pants and boots from his body, then held under his arms as he slowly lowered himself into the bath, being careful to keep his right arm above water. Everytime he winced in pain you felt a sting in your own chest.

He’d be fine, you knew. He healed abnormally fast. That didn’t make the moments of his pain hurt any less to watch.

After he’d finally lowered himself into the steaming water, you’d told him to lay back and relax while you rinsed and lathered his hair and scrubbed at his neck and chest to remove the layers of sweat and dried blood. Then you’d gotten him dried off and dressed in pajamas before helping him curl up in his bed.

He was asleep before you could even pull the covers up to tuck him in.

~0~

The next few weeks passed quietly. Sam was mostly bed ridden, so you and Bucky spent a lot of time in his room generally bothering him and making him wish he could heal faster just so he could get away from you both and your endless supplies of one-liners.

One night, you both helped him make the long trip to the common area under the guise of a change in scenery. Really, Peter wanted to keep watching the Fast and Furious movies and making Sam watch his least favorite movies when he didn’t have the ability to leave on his own was hilarious.

Were you terrible people? Maybe.

Sam did admit he would have done the same thing if given the chance.

Pretty much everyone joined in. Steve had helped Nat up from her room. She was in much better shape than Sam and was pretty much 100%, but Steve stayed close to her most days claiming that just because she seemed better didn’t mean something couldn’t happen to her.

Wanda and Vision came to watch the movies as well, which ended up being the best part of the experience. Vision kept pointing out the flawed logic in many of the action scenes and Wanda kept trying to patiently explain to him that the movies weren’t intended to be logical. Vision's distress nearly made Peter pee his pants laughing.

When you were taking a snack break between Fast Five and the 6th installment, Tony wandered into the kitchen slowly. Looking at his hands.

“Hey kid. Can you come chat over here a second.”

“Uh. Sure Tony.”

You stood from the couch, having to untangled yourself from Bucky’s hold, and sauntered to the kitchen island.

“How you feeling, kid?” Tony asked.

“Fine…” You murmured. “What’s going on?”

“Uh. Nothing major. Just trying to gauge how you’re doing emotionally before I say what I have to say.” Tony was looking at pretty much anywhere but you, fiddling with spoons and forks that were on the counter.

“Out with it Tony.”

“Uh…” Tony hedged. “Well I just want you to know that Elijah…” He trails off.

Saying his name is enough for everyone in the room to suddenly quiet and look in your direction.

“Just say it Tony. I’m fine. What about him?”

Bucky gets up from the couch and takes a few steps toward you before stopping a few feet from the two of you. The rest of the group stays where they’re seated, staring.

“Elijah’s dead.” Tony finally finishes.

It takes a moment to fully process that thought. You really hadn’t been prepared to hear anything about him today, let alone that he was dead.

“He’s what?” You whisper.

“I’ve had an agent tailing him since that day in Brooklyn.” Tony says softly. “I just got word that he’s dead.”

You whip your head up to look at Bucky.

“I swear to god it wasn’t me.” Bucky says, holding his hands up in surrender. “But when I do find out who it was, I will probably give them a kiss on the mouth.”

You grab a wooden spoon off the counter and whip it at Bucky’s head. Bucky ducks easily and Steve reaches up and grabs it out of the air behind Bucky before it can smack into the glass wall behind him. You also let out a small chuckle. You can’t help it.

“I’m thinking you won’t want to, Barnes.” Tony remarks. “Considering the cause of death was the dumbass getting himself good and drunk and wrapping his fancy sports car around a tree. So unless you’d like to kiss the man's corpse, you’re shit out of luck.”

Bucky huffed and crossed his arms, rolling his eyes at Tony.

You sat down abruptly at a stool at the kitchen island. Bucky took a few quick steps toward you and laid a hand on your back.

“Sweetheart, are you…?”

“I’m fine.” You whisper. “I’m fine.”

And you were, you realized. You basically felt nothing. Of course, you felt some twinge of sadness at someone you had spent so many years of your life with dying in a horrific car accident.

But you felt fine really. No shortness of breath, no panic at the thought of him. You were clear headed and calm.

There was no threat of the sea of emotions lapping at your heels. You didn’t feel like you were about to drown.

“I’m fine.” You murmured again. Looking up at Bucky. “I’m fine, Bucky. Does that make me a monster?”

Bucky stepped in to you then and wrapped you in a warm hug, kissing the crown of your head. “No. It does not make you a monster sweetheart.”

“So. Not to bring up a touchy subject or anything…” Sam piped up from his spot where you and Bucky had propped him on the couch. “But, this man was your fiance, no?”

“Yes.” You murmur back. Bucky’s arms tensed a bit around you, you felt his head shift and you assumed he was leveling Sam with a death glare.

“And, we’re totally fine with him being dead? Like don’t get me wrong, I’m on your side no matter what I just feel like I’m missing something.”

“Sam, she doesn’t have to…” Bucky started.

“No, Buck. It’s okay.” You said, placing a palm on his chest and giving him a little push so you could turn to look at Sam and the rest of your family in the living room.

“Yes. He was my fiance. I knew him for most of my life. I kept him a secret from you all because he hated SHIELD and all of you. He hated that I worked here.” You started. Bucky was watching you carefully, with a hand placed on your back. He seemed poised for attack, like if there was any indication that your heart rate picked up or you lost your breath he would snag you in his arms and run out of there like a bomb was going off.

You loved him.

But it was time for your family to know.

“We ended things when I got back from Budapest. He was abusive, to say the least, and manipulative. I was angry at myself for letting it get that far which was why I isolated myself from you all for so long.” You sighed and offered your family a small smile. “But, I’m feeling more like myself again.” You looked at Sam then. “So, no. We don’t really care that he’s gone, beyond normal human discomfort with death. Even if that makes me a little evil, I kind of don’t care.”

It was quiet for a moment. Then Sam spoke. “Well good riddance then.”

Nat spoke up next. “I am a little disappointed you didn’t take a crack at him Barnes.”

“Trust me I wanted to.” Bucky chuckled. “But my priorities were elsewhere.” He snuck a look at you with a little smile.

“Thank you for telling us.” Wanda said softly. “You didn’t have to.”

“I know. But you’re my family.”

Steve stood up then from his spot across the room and crossed to you. He wrapped you up in a big hug. The next thing you knew, Bucky, Nat, Wanda, Peter and even Vision were joining in. You teared up a bit standing in the center of all of them.

“Get in here Tony.” Steve muttered.

“Sorry pal, I don’t do group hugs.” Tony quipped from where he leaned against the kitchen island.

You peeked through the holes between arms and saw Sam sitting on the couch smiling at all of you. You pouted a bit as you looked at him, offering your apologies that he was stuck on the couch.

“I’m there in spirit, gorgeous.” Sam smiled at you. “When I can stand on my own I’ll give you a better hug than any of these assholes could dream of.”

You giggled then. The whole group devolved into arguments on who gave the best hugs.

Right as Nat and Steve were going toe to toe (arguing vehemently that the other gave the best hug) Tony spoke up. “What do you all say we go to the bar down the road and celebrate?”

“Celebrate?” You chuckled.

“Yeah kid. I think it’s about time we let loose as a family. I’ll give Sam the bottom half of a suit or something so he can walk on his own in the bar.”

“You mean to tell me these past few weeks I could have just borrowed a suit? What kind of sick bastard are you?” Sam yells incredulously from across the room.

“Don’t push your luck birdboy.” Tony looks at you again. “What do you say? Fancy a night out with your family?”

You couldn’t think if anything you’d love more. “Hell yes.”

~0~

You all piled into various vehicles at the compound and made the short trek down the road to the bar. (Not before Sam finally gave you a big hug. He wasn’t kidding, he was a really incredible hugger.)

You all made quite a scene rolling up as a unit and pushing a bunch of tables together. Luckily, most of the patrons at the bar seemed to be wise enough not to cause a scene with the entire Avengers team in one spot.

You sat and marveled briefly at everyone laughing and drinking and enjoying themselves. It was still amazing to you that all of these people, who had seen so much and suffered so much could be together here now, laughing and joking with each other.

You were proud to be one of them.

Peter was slinging spitballs through straws in Sam’s direction which Sam was artfully trying to dodge, his iron legs supporting him now. Tony, Steve and Bucky were sniping back and forth at each other. Vision and Wanda had gotten up from the table to dance to the songs playing on the jukebox.

“Hey hot stuff.” Nat said, dropping down next to you at the table. “Whatcha thinking about all quiet over here?”

“Just amazed I’m here, is all. It’s everything I always wanted, but really didn’t think I could ever have.”

“I know what you mean.” Nat said softly. “I didn’t know if I’d ever really have a family like this. I didn’t think I could.”

“I tried so hard to make it work with Elijah, nearly destroying myself in the process, because I wanted to belong somewhere. For somewhere to be home.” You muttered.

“I know.” Nat said. “Seems silly now doesn’t it? I fought for years against belonging here. It scared the hell out of me. Still does most days, especially when one of you gets hauled through those doors all messed up. Emotionally or physically.” She looks at you pointedly then. “But I’ve learned I’d rather be terrified of losing you all than never having you, you know?”

“Totally.”

You both sit in silence for a bit, sipping on your beers and just taking in the scene. Just then, “I Ran” by A Flock of Seagulls came on and you bubbled up with laughter.

“What’s that giggle for?” Nat asked.

“Nothing. I just got an idea.” You drained your beer and stood up from the table you were sitting at. “Hey, can you turn it up?” You sent the bartender a smile. He nodded and spun to turn the volume up in the bar. “Wanna join?” You tossed over your shoulder at Nat as you placed your hands on the bar and hopped up. You started moving your hips to the music, the same way you did a year ago in Budapest.

Nat glanced over to where Bucky was still mostly oblivious to you standing on the bar, his back facing you as he talked to Steve and Tony. “Hell yeah I do.”

Nat hopped up on the bar with you and sidled close to you, moving her hips with yours.

Wanda saw you and quickly hopped up on the bar. A few other women in the bar looked up and watched, and you three waved them over to have them join. The bartenders quickly moved the glasses on the bar out of the way so you all had a clear space to dance.

There were a few whoops and hollers from some of the men sitting at the bar on the other end, and you spun, ignoring your real prey and sending flirtatious smiles and giggles toward the men down the bar.

The attention of the other men finally got the attention that you had been looking for in the first place.

Steve’s head popped up from their conversation and his eyes widened at the sight before him. You, Nat and Wanda dancing tightly together, hands in the air. Without tearing his eyes from you he quickly punched Bucky in the shoulder. You could tell Bucky had probably asked what the hell Steve’s problem was when Steve just pointed in your direction. Bucky turned slowly to look.

You weren’t looking directly at him, you were still making eyes at the guys down the bar, but from your peripheral vision you saw his jaw drop open before he quickly shut it, grinding down on his jaw. He leaned back against the table, resting his elbows on the surface and spreading his legs out to assume an arrogant laid back stance. Clearly intent on enjoying your show.

It took every ounce of will not to hop down off the bar and climb him like a tree.

As the bridge of the song sped up and the electric guitar started shredding Nat, Wanda and you really turned it on. You saw Steve put his face in his hands as he released a long groan. Bucky just leveled you with an arrogant smirk. As the final tones of the song played you finally looked fully at Bucky, giving him a haughty smile as if to say What? I’m not doing anything.

Bucky just rolled his eyes at you as the song ended and the first notes of “Every Breath You Take” by the Police started**.

It was just like that first night in Budapest. You, up on a bar dancing, and Bucky staring at you from his place at the table, a dark heated look in his eyes.

Except this time, it would end differently.

Bucky stood up abruptly from the table and stalked toward you. Nat and Wanda took that as their cue to step away and off the bar, leaving you standing there alone. When Bucky reached the bar he wrapped his hands around your waist.

“C’mon babygirl. Let’s go home.” He chuckled as he lifted you up off the bar. As he stepped back he started to lower you down from where you towered over him. You slid down the front of his body as he set you back to your feet. Once you were safely on the ground, he kept his hands on your waist as you looked up at him. You smirked at him and batted your eyelashes innocently. He groaned low in his throat and leaned down so his mouth was even with your ear. “You’re killin me sweetheart.” He rose back up to his full height and looked down at you. His eyes raked over your whole body and you flushed and bit down on the corner of your bottom lip. “Fucking hell.” He growled.

He picked you up, tossed you over his shoulder and made a beeline for the door. You squealed.

He snagged your coats off the back of his chair as you passed the table that everyone was sitting at.

“Got someplace to be, Barnes?” Natasha crooned as Bucky rushed past where she now sat next to Steve.

You blushed and giggled, waving to everyone from your place on Bucky’s shoulder as he continued out the door, not slowing down for anything.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind you he dropped you back on your feet and roughly grabbed both sides of your head, crashing his lips against yours. You pressed your body against his, your hands grabbing two fistfuls of his t-shirt and yanking. You wanted him closer.

He finally ripped his mouth from yours and stared down at you as his chest rose and fell rapidly, he was as out of breath as you were. “I love you.” He breathed.

You didn’t answer him. He knew.

You just launched yourself into his arms, your legs wrapping around his waist and your hands tangling in the ends of his hair when it curled against the back of his neck. You dragged his lips back to yours. His hands caught you around the waist, his metal arm lowering down to hold you under your hips and keep you from slipping.He started to walk you backwards toward where his bike was parked across the parking lot.

You devoured him, nipping at his bottom lip and running your hands through his hair. You had one hand gripping the back of his neck to keep him from moving too far away from you.

Suddenly you heard a voice call out from near the door of the bar. Sam, standing on his own with a pair of iron legs assisting. “Fucking nasty. Get a room!”

You heard the chorus of chuckles from your friends, your family, as they all spilled out the door of the bar.

Bucky pulled his head back just enough so that there was enough space between you that he could yell back “Trying to!” before smashing your lips back to his.

Once he reached his bike, he set you down before quickly mounting the bike and hitting the kickstand. As soon as he was stable you giggled and jumped on the back, wrapping yourself around him and burying your face into his neck.

He revved the engine twice, yelled “hold on” over his shoulder and took off.

You lifted your head to look at everyone as Bucky ripped out of the parking lot. A huge grin on your face, you lifted a hand to wave at your family. You could just make out the sound of Nat yelling “See you at home!” At the same time that Sam yelled “I’m gonna need a different floor to sleep on tonight.”

You giggled again and faced forward in the seat, squeezing Bucky again as he turned onto the asphalt and hit the gas.

You hurtled down the road toward the compound.

As you were flying down the asphalt you decided that you were going to finally just start living without fear that someone was going to take it away from you. The fresh air was pelting your face and it was so strong it wiped away any doubt. It wiped away the thought that you didn’t deserve to have moments like this.

You wanted to feel it all. The pain of the whipping wind, the sting of the air on your eyes, the smell of gasoline in your nose.

You wanted to feel every moment you could with Bucky. The good, the bad and the boring. You wanted to spend time with your family and be there for every moment in their lives and never miss a month with them again.

You wanted to be totally free.

You started to peel your arms away from Bucky’s chest. One of his hands left the handlebars and he grabbed your wrist.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I wanna feel the wind!” You yelled back. “I wanna feel everything, Bucky.”

He paused only a second before patting your wrist twice, and dropping his hand to your thigh to hold on to you. You squeezed your legs together, gripping him tighter as you released your hands from his waist, slowly lifting them so that they were above your head.

Your hair was flying wildly around your head and the only things you could hear were the sound of the engine and the wind. It was the most amazing feeling in the whole world.

You let out a loud whoop as you just let yourself go, laughing at how absolutely wonderful it was to just feel.

Against your chest you could feel Bucky’s back rumble as he laughed with you. He squeezed your knee once, put his hand back on the handlebars and pushed the bike a little faster.

You wanted this forever.

Just you, your man and the wind.

@vicmc624

@austynparksandpizza

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write Entry #27: Mothers and Daughters

Prompt: calculations (free write!) | Master Post | On AO3

Who wants some FEELINGS? :D As a timeline note, this takes place somewhere between 5.1 and 5.2.

--

While the Grand Dame’s Parlor was the Canopy’s premier location for food and drink, Eulmore’s upper levels still boasted numerous smaller cafés and restaurants to appease the rapacious appetites of the elite. With the return of night, however, and the radical shift in the Eulmorans’ attitudes about the exclusivity of their city, many of those businesses had begun welcoming former bonded servants, the residents of the Derelicts and Gatetown and Kholusia, and visitors from the Crystarium on the new airship circuit, altering their menus and décor to better suit the new clientele.

One of those locations was a cozy lounge overlooking Gatetown and the southern half of Kholusia, that served an excellent espresso con panna and almond biscotti. Both Alphinaud and Synnove had taken to ensconcing themselves in one of the booths along the large bay windows with their grimoires and carbuncles when they were in Eulmore, working in companionable silence. Despite their notoriety, the other patrons generally let them be—though the arcanist and the academician had both raised their eyebrows and exchanged looks when they discovered the lounge had renamed itself to The Carbuncle.

Today, however, Synnove was by herself and had shamelessly commandeered one of the circular booths, sitting cross-legged on the padded bench with a couple of grimoires spread out before her on the table. Amandina and Roksana were napping in a bundle of ears and tails in the space between her legs, the occasional squeaky snore escaping Roksana as she drooled on her sister’s ear. Synnove alternated gently rubbing each twin’s head with a finger as she worked on a programming issue.

She nearly jumped in surprise at someone clearing their throat, and she bolted upright, blinking rapidly.

“Oh, I’m so terribly sorry, Synnove, I didn’t mean to frighten you!” Dulia-Chai said, a hand over her heart and ears pinned flat. She had a folio and three thick ledgers cradled in one arm, and rather than her usual rich velvet robes, she wore a lovely, airy dress of light cotton dress, tied off with a deep violet sash, that back on the Source Synnove recognized as popular among the Ishgardian noblewomen for summer wear before the Calamity.

The arcanist shook her head to clear it of cobwebs, and warmly smiled at the woman. “Oh, no harm done, I always get lost in my head when I’m deeply involved in mathematicians,” she said, Dulia-Chai sighing in relief and her ears relaxing. Synnove tilted her head and grinned a little wider. “Would you like to join me?”

Dulia-Chai smiled in return. “I would like that very much, thank you. I have my own work to be doing today while Chai-Nuzz is at the old Stoneworks offices, and I find it easier to stay focused when I am with like-minded individuals.”

Synnove laughed and leaned over to shove aside her grimoires so they only covered half the table. “Far less likely to be bothered here than at the Parlor, too, I imagine,” she drawled.

The miqo’te rolled her eyes as she slid onto the bench, sitting down her things and beginning to spread out papers before her. “Heavens forfend that a woman enjoy some tea and biscuits in the sunshine while she balances the books!”

As Synnove laughed quietly, Amandina yawned, blinking awake and looking around curiously. The black pearl carbuncle spotted Dulia-Chai and peeped excitedly, wiggling out from under her sister and crawling over her mama’s knee to toddle across the bench to plop next to the miqo’te.

Dulia-Chai gasped in delight. “Well, hello, sweetheart,” she cooed to the carbuncle. “You’re Amandina, yes?”

Yeah! Amandina cheeped. And you’re Grammy Dulia!

Synnove felt a deep, fiery blush crawl up her face and she resolutely stared down at her equations. She had an inkling of how the babies came about their terms of address for everyone, and she was tempted to have A Talk with them about poking about emotional aether resonance responses.

Dulia-Chai, however, beamed with open joy. “Yes, I am,” she said, pleased, and carefully scooped the carbunclet into her hands and bringing her up to eye level. “Would you like to help me with these ledgers?”

Ooooooooo, Amandina said, her tails wagging in excitement, numbers! I like numbers!

“So do I!”

Quiet settled over the table shortly thereafter, one of the lounge staff delivering a fresh plate of biscotti for them plus a pot of tea for Dulia-Chai. Amandina was crouched on the miqo’te’s shoulder, avidly watching as the woman settled to the herculean task of reestablishing the Daedalus Stoneworks into a functional business. Synnove, meanwhile, eventually calmed, and quickly became engrossed in her theorems once more. The only sounds for some time were the scratching of quills and pencils on parchment, the sip of tea or coffee, the crunch of consumed biscotti, and the soft chime of a question followed by the low murmur of response.

After finishing the review of one set, Synnove rose back to proper awareness to a serious crick in her back, and she forced herself to sit upright, popping her joints and spine, and reaching her hands into the air to stretch. She rubbed her eyes, glancing over at Dulia-Chai, and raised her eyebrows.

Dulia-Chai was scowling ferociously at the parchment before her, tapping the end of her quill against the table. With her other hand, she was petting Amandina, curled up in her lap and quietly purring as she napped.

“Something wrong?” Synnove said quietly.

“Hmm?” Dulia-Chai looked up. “Oh! Well…no, I don’t think so.” She dropped her gaze back to the accounting, brow furrowing. “I believe I’ve run into the problem of staring too long at the same numbers, and now my results don’t look right. Would you mind reviewing these for me?”

“Not at all,” Synnove said, holding out her hand. Dulia-Chai passed the parchment over, and Synnove held it up, scanning the page quickly. After a moment she hummed, “Mmm, no, you’re fine.”

She glanced over to Dulia-Chai, who was staring at her in open astonishment. By sheer force of will, Synnove fought back the childhood-era urge to hunch her shoulders around her ears, but that didn’t stop her from squirming, and she only stopped when Roksana grumbled in her sleep.

“What an incredible ability!” Dulia-Chai gasped as she accepted the parchment back. “I like to think I’m quite good at mathematics, but to be able to do calculations at such a speed! How wonderful!”

Synnove grinned, a bit flustered under the praise, and shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve always been good at mathematics,” she said. “It was why I originally joined the Arcanists’ Guild back home; one of their departments focused much more on the mathematics and geometry portion of arcanima. But I ended up falling in love with the aetherophysics portion, and, well.” She gestured at the grimoires and carbuncles. “Here we are.”

Dulia-Chai looked at her slyly. “And was part of that love because it didn’t come so easily to you?”

“…Actually, yes.”

The miqo’te beamed. “How fortunate to be afforded such an opportunity. I can only hope one day that the children of Norvrandt will be able to make similar choices, to learn and study for learning and studying’s sake! Oh, your mother must be so proud.”

Despite her best effort, Synnove flinched. Roksana jolted awake, blinking blearily.

Dulia-Chai’s expression shifted to concern. “Synnove? I’m so sorry, my dear, what was it I said?”

Oh, the older woman was too perceptive by far, but as uncomfortable as it was, lying would be worse. Synnove took a breath and let it out again, slowly. “My mother,” she said quietly, “was, ah, actually quite displeased I wanted to study arcanima. My auntie, who was head of the family, always supported me, and she’s certainly proud and that’s what counts in the end, but I didn’t even tell Isolde before I went off to study, and when I returned home for winter break she was not pleased.”

The miqo’te’s jaw dropped open, disbelief on her usually kind face.

The words, normally firmly dammed away in a corner of her mind Synnove preferred to ignore, were pouring out before she could stop them. “Isolde was always a shite mother, honestly,” she said, “Auntie and Rereha’s ma had to shame her into getting me proper tutors, not just the etiquette ones, because Isolde’s plan was essentially to use me as a bargaining chip with other merchant families, not that she actually paid much attention to me. She didn’t even know what my favorite color was. We had a terrible row that break, near screamed the estate down around our ears, and then I stormed out and…I haven’t spoken to her since.”

Auntie Re says Isolde is a raging bi—

“Langauge, Roksana.”

The white pearl carbunclet grumbled. Not sorry…

Dulia-Chai seemed to regain some of her ability to talk, clearing her throat before saying faintly, “And how long ago was that?”

Synnove furrowed her brow. “Um…fifteen years ago.”

The look the miqo’te leveled on her was shrewd. “Would you say you’re happier with that state of affairs?” she said.

“…Yes. Yes, very much.”

“Good.” Dulia-Chai actually growled, her tail lashing on the bench next to her. “What a horrible fool of a woman. Fate hands her a kind, determined, intelligent daughter and she doesn’t even have the sense to be encouraging, to be proud? The loss is hers, to no longer have such a wonderful person in her life!”

Synnove flushed again, chest suddenly feeling tight, and picked up Roksana to cuddle her, ducking her head while the carbunclet papped her chin with a paw. “Thank you, Dulia,” she said. “That…that means quite a lot.”

“You’ve spoken highly of your aunt before, and I am more than glad to know you had a maternal figure to look to while growing up,” Dulia-Chai continued, “but it certainly was not fair to you to still have to deal with the frankly atrocious behavior of the woman who birthed you. I would certainly be proud of a daughter like you! Hell’s fire, I am proud of you!”

Synnove had absolutely no idea what to say to that, even as warmth flooded through her and her flush deepened. She squeaked in surprise when she felt arms wrap around her, but once she realized it was merely Dulia, she leaned into the embrace, burying her face in the older woman’s shoulder. Amandina crawled up between them to cuddle into her neck, her squeaky purrs joining Roksana’s.

“Thank you,” Synnove said, her voice muffled and watery, though she did her damnedest to not burst into overwhelmed tears in public. “I just…thank you.”

Dulia-Chai hummed soothingly and began to pet her hair. “You are, my dear, more than welcome.”

[chiimmchiimm]

❝ 𝓢𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝓶𝓸𝓸𝓷 !¡ 𝒿𝓀 ❞

The largest herd on the entire East Coast would have a new leader. Qualities were of utmost importance to them, a good alpha had to possess a sense of justice and a beta woman to augment his legacy. Jungkook's parents had accepted their marriage since before he was born. The second strongest family, the Lightwoods, had a perfect beta daughter for their son. However, one night after an unexpected event, Jungkook decided to marry his youngest daughter. 

𝒫𝒶𝒾𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔:  Jungkookwolf au x (female:Lucy)  𝒢𝑒𝓃𝓇𝑒: smut, wolf au, fluff, angst, one shot.  𝒲𝑜𝓇𝒹𝓈: 16 k    𝑅𝒶𝓃𝓆𝓊𝒾𝓃𝑔: +18   𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔: abuse, violence, , sadness, psychological abuse, dirty lenjuage, naked, muscles, mating, cumshot, bite, sex. 𝒜𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇’𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝑒: This is my first one shot of this theme I hope you enjoy it. If there is a lot of demand, maybe make another one with the member you choose most. 

Social pressure could be included within the determining factors for anyone to lose their reason, their own identity. Jungkook always considered himself a strong person, both physically and mentally. His education had been one of the best in town, the most neat and disciplined so that I could deal with any problem that might arise. Being the firstborn of an Alpha family was not easy, he lived constantly under the rules, absurd duties and constant dialogues about loyalty.

In Dyonisia, everyone envied him, and for that reason, he always walked alone. He did not like people, he did not like to make friends for convenience, to feel like a sample object to flatter their families. He preferred to sink under his father's extensive library, though he never said no to a walk on the Hun River.

That morning, his father had practically forced him to get out of those four walls, breathe air, take a bit of color, inviting him to interact with the other betas or omegas in town. He had only built a small friendship with a beta, Jimin, the son of his father's assistant, a very brief relationship just by spending good morning, but Jungkook found it pleasant. Perhaps it was her sympathy and the kind smile that she gave her mother every time she brought her hot chocolate. He used to watch those scenes from a porch seat with a book on his lap and another cup to go with. He never got too close, fearing the same rejection as the same betas of his kind. They were supposed to respect him (or at least that's what they did in public) but they never missed an opportunity to denigrate his taste for loneliness, to process low words towards his low weight and unattractiveness. This was her childhood, subjected to constant ridicule that seemed endless.

So when Jungkook culminated in the hormonal process of puberty, his alpha genetics came out in the way his muscles protruded above all those scrawny betas. At twenty-two, he possessed all the qualities necessary to be the new Alpha Chief.

I inhale deeply, filling my lungs with rich natural oxygen. He had always loved the wild smell of pine leaves, the crisp sound of boots as he stepped on dry leaves. Feeling comfortable, he gave himself the pleasure of stretching his shoulders to remove all the accumulated tension, placing a hand on his shoulder to massage the neck area.

He dragged his boots down a small slope of land to approach the shore and touch the crystal clear water, he needed to get drunk from that cold and wet feeling left by the river.

It stopped mid-slope when I hear a couple of voices below.

"What's wrong?" It echoed, a thick, coarse voice with an ironic air. A man of medium height with strong arms and a broad back covered by a white tank top. He seemed to be talking to someone but his physiognomy was so robust that it completely covered him. His shoulders fell serene but the tension was palpable in the muscular contraction of his back. —Come on, darling, you're my girlfriend, you love me, I love you, what do others matter?

“I love you, I'm just not ready to go to those kinds of contacts, sorry.”

"But why not?"

Jungkook analyzed his tired tone, shrewdly deducing that it was not the first time that he had insisted. Then, the boy supported the weight of his body with one leg, discovering with this small act, the body of a girl with whom he spoke so uncomfortable. Slowly her eyes widened with involuntary emotion. She felt chills, the movement of her brown hair against the wind seemed unreal, so soft and fluffy that it caused inhuman impulses to touch it. Big, expressive eyes that screamed what he thought: discomfort and some fear. Letting herself be tamed by sudden curiosity, she began to explore her sweet, perfect features, brown skin, small nose, and prominent natural red lips. It seemed like a beam of light in so much darkness, it really was beautiful. A scent of honey rose from her developed nose, an aroma so exquisite that she had to close her eyes briefly to calm the excited red of her irises. "My love, nobody will know, only you and me.I am giving you an option so that you do not have to pass your fever with those harmful drugs.”

Jungkook raised his eyebrows as surprise hit his facial control. Outraged by his low propositions, he frowned. I calculate that he must have been the same age, therefore, it seemed unheard of to him, considering that he did not seem stupid, that he did not know the serious consequences of such acts. He growled, his toes curling inside his shoes. He showered her with loving flattery whenever he could, yet there was something about his insistence that had him truly concerned. He talked to her about mating as if it was just about sex. That act links two people for life, though, only if the male wants. There was something about the way his fists clenched that prompted his instincts to think he was not to be trusted. He could smell the urge from there, a smell so rotten that his mouth suddenly wrinkled. Jungkook tilted his head to the side to examine his distressed expression, hurt by his little collaboration.

"I have said no."

A smile escaped Jungkook's lips without realizing it.

"But Lucy ..."

Her words stayed in the air when she noticed that the girl caught Jungkook's presence. I swallow hard, her expressive eyes staring at him in panic. The boy turned with his hands on his hips, then raised his eyebrows contemptuously at Jungkook. Quite nervous, Jungkook slid down the slope.

"Didn't they teach you not to listen to private conversations, asshole?"

"Tony, let him."

The boy looked at Lucy abruptly.

"What did I leave him? He could tell your parents about us. This jerk might not have good intentions ..."

"Like the ones you have with her?" He growled, his inner wolf shaking its tail eager to get out. For tearing everything in his canines with his canines. He was sure that the vein in his neck had made its appearance, he felt the blood rise suddenly and collect on his head. Lucy stared at him too shocked, then ducked her head in embarrassment, closing her brown eyes. Jungkook didn't want to make her feel bad, damn it, he should have controlled her tone. Her beautiful hair covered her face with such tender grace. How could someone as sweet as her date someone so hypocritical?

"What have you said?"

"What you listen."

"Give up for dead ..."

Lucy put her hands on his chest to stop him.

"Not here," she pleaded, her eyes set on the ground.

The boy shook his body violently and then roared.

The discussion did not get worse because a group of young betas appeared to camp at the foot of the river. Children who laughed tirelessly until they saw the two wolves pulling their teeth out and roaring intensely at each other. Jungkook was forced to calm down and reticulate for the sake of that foolish beta, he could not, rather, he should not. If his father found out that on his first outing, after so long, he had killed off a dead beta, he would be in real trouble. Everyone knew the difference between beta and alpha strength, it wouldn't have cost Jungkook to destroy him, but it wasn't the right thing to do. He returned to his home and sank into the safety of his room. He slept, ate and breathed thinking of those expressive clear eyes.

Located at the foot of a picturesque cabin where the vines climbed the walls emitting a smell of wet leaves from the recent storm. Today was the great day, that one, in which his role as future leader would consolidate, he would take the privilege of meeting his future wife and in the worst case, the mother of his cubs. His mother was almost as nervous as he was as he tried to calm himself down with exaggerated vents. He was convincing himself that it was the best choice. Her father rang the bell with searing assurance.

"Thanks for coming, Joe," said a robust man thanking him for his visit, Jungkook assumed he was responsible for the family. His mother entered first, giving him a nod in greeting, she did not like the contact very much. At a quick glance I notice Jungkook's presence. "Come on in." Is waiting for you.

His future wife.

Your future Alpha.

He nodded resignedly.

She felt a real desire to back down, to return home with some excuse to excuse her sudden flight. However, I end up entering that cozy house. The commitment was something that had always been in force throughout his life, his father kept reminding him how important it was to find the right partner, how essential it was to get someone with good genetics for the litter. But he was never in favor of arranged marriages, he was never in a hurry to establish love relationships. He always thought that fate would be in charge of introducing him to what would be his alpha, but that was just an absurd wish. Since he turned fifteen and hit the first stretch, his father had been in charge of reminding him, every day until today, that his destiny had been decided.

Enveloped by the pleasant heat of the living room. The house was not very big but enough for them. Sometimes those were the best, since a small house with interactions was better than a huge one where ghosts flooded around the corners.

She left her coat on the polished coat rack in the hall, then headed into the living room. He quickly approached the fireplace to take refuge in the crackling wood as it was burned by the fire.

"Carina, daughter, come down. Your fiance has arrived!"

Jungkook stood by the fireplace while he waited. The sound of heels began to echo down the steps. He raised his head as a new scent filled the room, his nose was suffocated by too intense a perfume. It was not annoying, without going any further, but too excessive. Her nose wrinkled in response. His sense of smell was so muffled that he soon began to crave oxygen.

"I was getting ready, mother," she said, in a charming voice.

Jungkook stifled a brief sigh as his eyes closed. Then he turned around and greeted her with a kiss on the hand. Without much more to say, his skin was overly lubricated and flavored with some artificial citrus from some body cream. I take his small bow as a greeting to tour the girl's body. The dress reached to the ankles where high-heeled shoes stood out with pride. The vermilion color with touches of bows matched a small belt. The dress was wide at the bottom, being narrower at the waist area, accentuating it. Then, I look at the artificial details of her makeup, her red lips highlighted by a lipstick, recently, by how fresh they looked. He had to control the movement of his eyebrows to avoid frowning, the girl was beautiful in itself, she did not need as much makeup. He liked natural appearances more like his mother or that girl on the river.

"Nice to meet you..."

"Carina," she added, quickly with a desperation that covered with a sporadic laugh.

Jungkook replied with a small grimace of politeness. Actually, I was tense.

"Where's your sister, darling?" Asked his mother under his breath. The girl shrugged contemptuously as if she wouldn't mind. Jungkook looked away awkwardly, they were talking in front of him like he wasn't.

"Sorry for being late ..."

Lucy ended her hasty career the moment her large eyes saw the figure of Jungkook occupying half of the room. Being totally paralyzed by the impression. Jungkook, who had recognized that voice, turned in his direction, also opening his eyes in surprise. Lucy closed her mouth as fast as she could, nerves beginning to dominate her movements. Both of them looking at each other in total surprise until their sister stood between them.

“Shall we go to the table?” She suggested, a little annoyed at his extreme attention to his sister.

Jungkook reacted, accepting a little disoriented that he would place an arm inside his forearm.

The couple walked to the table, however, there was a moment when Carina looked back to cast a teasing glance at her sister. Lucy rolled her eyes at his childish behavior.

"I was a little nervous because I didn't know how you were going to react. Really, this is crazy. Arranged marriage ..."

Carina talked and talked but he had lost himself in his thoughts shortly after the start of this conventional conversation. Sitting in front of his parents, with her at his side talking to him about anything he didn't even bother to hear. He hadn't yet touched the suckling pig meat that Mrs. Trivia had so skillfully cooked. His mother was talking to his mother, his father was talking to the other about some topic related to hunting, leaving poor Lucy behind, who was playing with the chicken leg with her fork at the other end of the table. He pursed his lips in a pout as he spun the food lost in his world. She felt boredom and a little angry at her mother for forcing her to attend these kinds of meetings. They didn't even get along with their sister, they were totally opposite. Carina was more flirtatious and concerned about much more "feminine" matters (at least that's what she called housework), Lucy was much more adventurous, carefree, she was a ray of sun molten in hope that exuded happiness for her radiant smile. She raised her eyes from the plate when she felt watched. Jungkook averted his gaze as soon as he rested hers on him.

Feeling even more out of place when she unconsciously watched her sister's hand cling to her strong bicep.

His mother was totally focused on a lively conversation with Jungkook's mother, so much so that when the brunette got up and sneaked out the back door, no one noticed her absence.

Holding between his small fingers his large planted chicken leg.

"Dog, I'm bringing you ..."

An excited bark came out from behind a trash can when the stray dog ​​she cared for behind her mother's back, ran at her in desperate gallops. With his tongue hanging out and his eyes drowning in hunger. Lucy, laughing, crouched down and set the plate down for the poor animal to feast on. The dog did not think twice and eagerly put the ozico in. A mixture of saliva and leftovers of meat began to fall on top of his shoes, he did not care too much, he increased the level of his laughter while he filled his head with caresses.

"Why did you run away?"

Frightened by such a compromising scene, Lucy spun back. When she met Jungkook's worried gaze she placed a hand on her chest and sighed in relief.

"You can't run away from a place you never were," he declares, his so ambiguous little confession decreasing in pitch as he turns back to the animal. He repeatedly pats his head as he watches his little fight with the larger area. Jungkook bows his head. He analyzes her curiously, a feeling similar to what she feels for him.

"Sorry," he whispers. Jungkook stops looking at the animal, directs his frown at her while undoing the smile that he doesn't know when he's formed. "This morning. Tony's."

-Why do you apologize? It wasn't your fault. ”Confused, he intensifies the wrinkle on his forehead.

"For not respecting you, Alpha. If I had known that ..."

"Stop justifying an apology," he replies, through an excessively abruptness. Lucy ducks her head in shame hidden under her long hair. Jungkook begins to feel remorse when he smells his sadness with his experienced sense of smell. So weak and fragile. He does not know how to react, it is the first time that he is in front of a woman and the dumbness reigns, the words have simply been stuck at the beginning of his throat.

Lucy raises her head.

"Do not."

Its softness shakes you.

"It's a stray dog ​​that I take care of behind my mother ... Please don't tell him!"

"Is very..."

"Pathetic, I know."

"No." he clarifies. Lucy expands her eyes to him. "It is an honorable gesture."

Lucy's cheeks are bathed in rich lipstick when their gazes collide for a brief moment.

"Thank you very much sir."

Jungkook wrinkles his nose.

"What's that, sir? But how old are you?"

"I'm twenty-one, sir."

"For God's sake, don't call me sir reminds me of my father." Far from looking like an order, his pleasant laugh relaxes the situation.

Lucy gets caught up in the alluring sound of his voice, taking a few seconds to contemplate the hectic movement of her lips as she laughs. Jungkook intensifies his smile when he realizes it. She deflects hers drowning in a shame marked by the red of her ears.

"Call me by name, Jungkook."

"I'm so excited about decorating the banquet. I love roses, do you like roses as much as I do? I like the red of their petals it's so intense ... Oh, oh, over there!" Screaming excited when visualize from afar a wildflower stand. Catch Jungkook's doll to drag him towards the small traveling shop. There was so much fuss in the main square that you didn't notice the reverberating sound the song made of your tired sigh produced. He keeps thinking about how uncomfortable he is, he should help his father with the affairs of the town and not there, in a square choosing what would be the perfect flower for the center of his wedding table.

Two weeks had passed since that dinner, nothing had changed in his cold demeanor. Try as she might, she knew Carina was not his type. His heart did not stir when he touched it, nor did its aroma captivate him, it seemed the same as the rest of the omegas or betas in the surroundings.

"Jungkook."

Jungkook was aware of his claim hidden in a small grimace.

"Which ones do you like best?"

Carina reached out toward the flower trays.

"Do I really have to be here?" He asked, frowning roughly. Carina clenched her teeth, highlighting her jaw. Jungkook rolled his eyes at the sight of his little tantrum. Being a little nicer, I try to fix it in a quiet whisper. "I mean, I trust your taste."

Carina felt flattered, relaxing into a huge smile.

"I have to help my father. See you later."

He got out of there before Carina wanted to give him a suffocating hug. He adored them, he really missed the comforting warmth he felt when someone close hugged him, but he couldn't bear the excessive way his hands tightened around her neck.

A most peculiar brown mane drew his attention to the well-known girl who was reading in a street vendor.

He approached by an unconscious impulse that he offered to his lips with an excited smile.

“What are you doing?” He leaned down to whisper directly into the shell of her ear in greeting.

Lucy closed the book in fright. Suffering a chill from the wet friction of his lips on the skin.

When he bent his neck, he smiled.

"Are you following me, Jungkook?"

"Maybe," he joked, as he widened a mischievous smile. Lucy had to go back to the book so that she wouldn't witness the emotion of hers. Jungkook leaned over the stall ledges to steal his attention. "I came with Carina to buy some things for the wedding."

A prick-like pain seemed to hit his heart.

"It must have been exciting for you to have practically run out of the flower shop."

“Were you watching me?” She asked mockingly, exaggerating a playful smile.

"Maybe."

Jungkook was the faithful image of happiness. He couldn't stop smiling, unlike when he was with his sister, with Lucy he could bring out his personality, knowing that he would never judge him.

"Violent pleasures end in violence and have their own death triumph, in the same way that fire and gunpowder are consumed in a voracious kiss." I recite almost from memory when I look down at his book. Lucy turned her neck to him with too much surprise in her eyes. Jungkook replied with a proud grin. "Romeo and Juliet." I didn't think you were a lover of literature.

"It's the best way to get out of here getting lost in the exciting lyrics of Shakespeare," he replied, forming a small smile.

"Of all the works you have, why that one?" It is a tragedy with a very sad ending.

"An inspiring tragedy," he contradicted, frowning as he playfully punched him with the book in the stomach. "Besides representing a beautiful love story."

"Do you think such love exists?"

Jungkook raised a curious eyebrow.

"Yes, but not for me," I whisper, a cold and bleak air crowding into his tone like it's a disease. Jungkook slowly broke his beaming smile until he ended in a straight line. "My destiny is written and as traditions agree, I will end up marrying a stranger."

Lucy leaves the book inside a wooden box, the movement of her hand is so pessimistic that Jungkook lets out a sigh.

Frowning, she retrieves it. He put two fingers up to catch the grocer's attention, he came as fast as his old legs allowed. Jungkook took out a bill and placed it on top of the books.

"Keep the change."

Lucy opened her eyes in surprise.

"What are you doing?"

Jungkook offered her the book but she did not accept it. She was still holding a tense, reluctant posture toward him.

"Can't I give you a gift?"

"It is not appropriate. You are a committed man."

"With your sister."

Lucy's heart clenched.

"Still, it's not appropriate."

"Keep him."

As if he were a puppet at his whim, he managed to get the book into his arms.

"But..."

"Accept it as a sign of our friendship," he asked, Jungkook manifested his last masterpiece when he gave her a smile so charming that even Lucy was duped. "Friends make gifts, right?"

"Yes, I guess so."

He hated the pressure of the elegant shirts, he had always liked the comfort that loose and wide clothing provided much more. His mother had forced him to dress cordably on the occasion, when she had seen him in those jeans and black sweatshirt, he cursed the four winds.

As he walked down the streets of the town, the lanterns guided him with a charming light. The air that night was cool and comforting, and yet he would be locked in a house dining with his future wife. Jungkook sighed tired, really, he had been visiting that house too many times a week, he saw Carina almost every day. The only amusement that made this bustle more enjoyable was the pleasant company of Lucy. That little beta that made him smile every time they spoke. An impatient sigh came from his lips without realizing it.

Would it also be today?

"Ahead."

Mrs. Trivi opened the door for him with a smile.

Jungkook was looking resignedly at the table set in the living room when a delicious smell led him to the kitchen.

"Mmm ... that smells good."

He smiled like a little boy when he saw a chocolate cake in the middle of the table.

"Get your filthy hands away from my chocolate cake!" Cried an uncompromising voice that he had instantly recognized.

"Just a bit." Fawning smiled as he stretched out one of his hands but Lucy slapped him.

"Not!"

Immediately they both laughed as Lucy tenderly took her hand to analyze the red mark. There was a time when the laughter stopped and his eyes couldn't be more attracted. They fell into comfortable silence as they analyzed his detailed pupils. Jungkook cocked a small smile as his heart began to crash against his chest. Lucy looked away in intimidation, her dark eyes too deep. I swear for a moment to hear the heart fluttering in Lucy's chest, her scent so close it was starting to cause terrible side effects. He felt a shiver as his fingers left her wrist in need of the desire for her soft touch. Lucy swallowed to calm the dryness in her throat, her lips taking control of her mouth to smile unconsciously. He knew he kept staring at her and he inexplicably liked that. 

Jungkook found himself half a step away when the door slammed shut.

"Jungkook wasn't expecting you so soon. I've missed you ..."

Lucy was brutally pushed aside when Carina hugged Jungkook.

"Are you going to stay for dinner?" A totally ironic question to his sister.

Lucy smiles falsely.

"If you talk to me like that, yes."

"Stupid ..."

"Actually, I'm only here to pick up some of your father's papers." Jungkook's clever intervention gives him the perfect excuse to refrain from that absurd evening. Carina ironically raises her eyebrows while transforming a forced smile.

"Oh! In that case come, I'll take you to his office."

Lucy mocks her sister's back, imitating her gait, and Jungkook laughs softly when he turns to say goodbye.

The sun was shining bright that morning but the desire to get lost in the pages of a book had really won the battle. Her father's office was an intimate and private place where he used to spend most of the day. Besides, she preferred to shut herself up in that rustic and solitary room, than to have to endure the excited screams of her sister for the few days that remained for her wedding.

He was turning the pages of the book too lazily. He didn't know what was going on inside her but for a while he had been in rather poor humor. He no longer wanted to smile, he rarely laughed at his father's jokes when there had been from the first syllable before. He made cheap excuses, whether it was because the summer was ending or because his parents no longer paid as much attention to him. Deep down, he knew what the real reason for his emotional downturn was. Jungkook was going to marry his sister's monster.

The problem was not commitment (or at least that's what he wanted to think) Jungkook was a very attractive young man, it was more than clear that he would not stay single all his life, but the fact that he went with his sister definitely put him in a very bad mood . She was capricious and did not agree with her friend's kind attitude. So sweet and chivalrous, he couldn't deny how good he felt when sporadic moments passed. Her chest heaved uneasily and her lips couldn't stop smiling.

He shook his head to scare away the strange thoughts and concentrated his attention on finishing Cervantes' great work. When finishing with the last page, he got up from the chair and walked to the shelf, with the bad luck that when he wanted to return it to its place of origin, the height played a trick on him.

“Do you need help?” A velvety voice vibrated behind her. Jungkook leaned his shoulder against the mark of the door as he contemplated the amusing scene of seeing her on tiptoe and with her tongue sticking out.

"What?"

Lucy landed on the ground momentarily stunned by his appearance. Swallow, overwhelmed by its natural beauty. He had never felt the need to focus on the bodies of the other betas, and yet his eyes wandered alone on an involuntary tour of her majestic legs in tandem with his strong arms clenched as they crossed. Coming out of her hypnosis, she blinked nervously as she turned back to the bookshelf and managed to cover her blush. What happened to him? It looked like a beta controlled by her impulses.

"Oh! No, I can alone," rejecting her help with a self-sufficient air. He stood on tiptoe again, stretching his arm as far as he could to strain the book into the empty space. She lowered to the ground tired and snorted closing her eyes. "Okay. Can you ..."

A hand runs over her shoulder, catching the book and setting it in place. His hard pecs collide unintentionally against his back as his body leans forward to reach the high shelf. Feel an intense stomach cramp when you shrink at the compact sensation. She seems so moved by the pleasant sensation of his body heat that her neck turns to increase the vision of her strong arm backing up.

"Thanks ..." he whispers.

"I had brought you a book."

Jungkook's voice sounds more stable than it actually was, his mind had played a bad thought on him. He didn't want to get away from her. She had felt such a pleasant sensation when she had accidentally brushed against his body. Forcing himself to stay away from its delicious smell he takes two steps back to walk away.

"You didn't have to with the book the other day ...”

Lucy turns around when she is sure that the redness on her cheeks has completely left her skin but then, Jungkook takes out a book from his cloth bag.

"Oh, my mother, my mother!" I do not believe you. I've been looking for this book every time Mel put the job but always told me she didn't have it.

He snatches the book from her with too exciting speed when he recognizes the book.

“Since when do you like witchcraft, Jungkook?” He hums mockingly as he glides his fingers across the uneven surface of the cover, in a hypnotized smile.

"If you don't want it ..."

“Yes, yes!” She hugs the book, afraid she will take it away.

Jungkook laughs softly.

Lucy takes the book off to look at it, jumps with excitement as she squeals like a little girl. She doesn't know when she has dared to run to his body to hug him, but when she is aware of what she has done and tries to separate herself, Jungkook is wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her closer. Suddenly, Lucy hides a smile sinking into her chest. Its honey scent is so comfortable, it inspires enjoying its natural perfume, it takes a step closer to make a better hole in its arms. Jungkook gasps, tilts his head to bury his nose in her neck and bask in her softness, his fingers lightly touching the skin behind her ear. Her small caress makes Lucy stir at the sensation. With an innate craving he clenches his wool sweater in a fist, Jungkook gently caresses the strip of fur again. Smile when you feel the trembling of your body stuck.

"Shall I interrupt?"

Lucy separates agitated when she hears her sister's irritated voice.

"Thank you, really, thank you."

His stuttering is covered by the sound of his hurried footsteps. He runs away from there with his face burning, hoping that Jungkook hasn't seen the shame on his face, but both he and Carina have witnessed his little blush. Jungkook smiles unconsciously, caring little that his behavior was being observed by the other woman.

"Carina, you are beautiful."

Flaunting her majestic dress she waves her hand proudly. His other hand is in a friendly greeting with Jungkook's mother.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Jeon."

"Nothing formal, after all, we will be family soon." Her confidence makes Carina smile with greatness. Completely ignoring his parents and his bored sister. — I can't believe my son is getting married in a week.

Lucy purses her lips, tries to act normally but cannot.

Carina widens her smile when she notices her sidelong disgust.

"Neither do I ... I'm so nervous."

Jungkook's mother turns to a circle of men who speak animatedly.

"Jungkook, son, your fiancee just arrived!"

Jungkook slammed his glass down, placed it on top of the waiter's tray, then loosened the knot in his tie. Really, he had infiltrated the older wolves to hide, had had to put up with old stories of when the pack was a third of what it was now, but it was worth it to get away even for a few minutes.

An old man she had been talking to slaps him on the shoulder for support. He sighs and turns to his mother. He tries to process a charming smile on his girlfriend but is only capable of grimacing.

"These..."

He shuts up.

He sees Lucy a few meters behind, clad in a short but really delicate dress. Jungkook couldn't contain the bubbles of emotion growing inside her, she really was beautiful. The white color suited him wonderfully highlighting his pretty eyes that did not hesitate to observe him.

"Precious..."

"Thanks," Carina responds, taking a quick look at her mother.

"What a boring party." Is this what they call music? ”Her friend scoffed as she played with the liquid in her glass. Lucy shrugged, then finished her third drink. When he threatens to leave her on the small table behind him, Ginger grabs her shoulders to stop her. "Don't turn around."

"What happens?"

Lucy frowns in concern.

"Would you believe me if I told you that your sister's fiancé did not take his eyes off you?"

"Of course not." He chokes on the alcohol when he swallows. You cough when you notice how the drink is going the wrong way. — You should stop drinking because alcohol makes you see things that are not.

"Yeah right."

Red-brushed nails are embedded around his arm.

“May I have a second, I want to talk to my sister?” She demands, lashing out in an unkind tug until she pulls her out of prying eyes.

"Ouch! What are you doing?" Lucy moans in a confused howl from the strangely aggressive pressure that travels through her fingers.

"You've been taunting Jungkook all night."

"You're sick in the head," she clarifies, denying herself absorbed in an incredulous expression, sucking her lips inward to contain herself. She decides to ignore him and walk back to the living room, however, her sister's hand returns her to her place.

"I warn you, stop bothering my fiancé."

"Your ego has gone to your head and your understanding is clouded." Jungkook is my friend, nothing more.

"You're right," he spits bitterly. She smiles, she wears an evil grimace that only anticipates what will come next. —Really, I don't know why I bother if it's clear that she would never notice someone like you.

"Like me?"

"Yes." He tightens his smile, emphasizing a wicked look. "In an immature and horrendous brat who doesn't have two fingers on her forehead, you're not even pretty."

Sigh, release his breath directly to her face to unbalance her. Lucy frowns in pain at her sister's hurtful words. He had always been cruel, he had never lacked time to mess with his appearance, but this time it was different, he sensed it in the way he acted. He had pulled out his claws to defend his position as if he felt Lucy was a threat when he had just told her otherwise.

"You're worth nothing."

He moved closer to her ear so that his whisper would take on a dramatic tone. She emphasized the last word to make it stand out from the rest. Lucy swallowed nervously, a swirl of anguish crouching inside her stomach from the lack of delicacy. She knew that she shouldn't listen to her, she was just a hurt woman for some reason that she couldn't explain. But it was the derogatory tone and the way his eyes killed her in anger. She didn't know that it hurt more, if her sister's slurs or the fact that deep down she knew she was right. I never considered myself a good specimen, haughty and pushy. No beta approached her if it weren't for sweet reasons. She always walked alone waiting for someone to surprise her, but that never happened, it only existed in her head.

Until now.

"Lucy." An oddly low voice sounded behind him. Startling her by sudden interruption of her thoughts. She turns around and twitches a weary sigh.

"Tony, I'm not in the mood. Go, please."

"We need to talk."

Lucy inevitably stared out the window, seeing her sister hanging on Jungkook's arm. She was smiling as she bragged about something she couldn't hear from a distance. As if struck by a current, Jungkook squinted into the darkness of the porch, but there was no one there anymore. Her desire to get out of there was greatly increased by accepting that Tony will guide her down the dark steps at the back of the house.

“Haven't we gotten too far away?” He asks, not stopping to observe everything that had a little moonlight reflected on its surface. It had been a while since they had started on this walk, Tony had been silent and certainly, Lucy was beginning to wonder if accepting his offer had really been a good idea.

"It's so they won't listen to us."

"I think that's enough, I don't even know where we are."

She stopped abruptly causing Tony to turn and look at her strangely.

"Lucy, forgive me."

—Tony, we've already talked about this, you aspire to things that I don't. We don't have the same goals, the same dreams. We were always different, now I realize how wrong I was to accept that this happened.

"But what are you saying?" You love Me.

"No, Tony. I liked you but I never loved you. "I confess, the words had been previously selected in his head so as not to reject him too abruptly, but the fatigue was cleverly perceived between his tired grimace and lowered shoulders." Sorry, "I sigh. Taking steps carefully so as not to trip over the dark stones.

His hand tied to her arm holding her back.

"We need to talk," I pronounce slowly with a bright threat in his eyes.

"We've said enough," he said, shivering from the nerves that covered his vision. He shook his arm but he just cocked his fingers more. "Tony, let go of me I have to go back."

"You love me," he repeated in a desperate air. Lucy widened her eyes in fright as she took painfully slow steps toward him. "I'm going to show you how much I love you."

He yanked her onto the nearest log just to adjust to her body as soon as he had the chance. Her nose inspired his perfumed scent eagerly as she trembled paralyzed. His nails embedded in the rough wood with a disturbed look. He began to deliver small kisses to the bottom of her jaw, sticking out his sticky tongue to lick a strip of her syrupy neck. Lucy shrugged her head in response, feeling the real fear when his hands clenched her and she felt his hard erection on her thigh.

"My precious beta ..." her breath falling into the shell of her ear before she licked it with emphasis. Lucy patted her chest desperately, attacking with her hands in an absurd attempt to pull him away.

“Stop!” I yell, sick and scared. Holding back an anguished sob at the top of her throat. All she did was get Tony to growl and hold her tighter in his lumberjack arms.

"Don't scream, no one is going to listen to you, we're in the middle of nowhere. Don't make this more difficult, Lucy."

He hit his body again this time making it at least a few inches apart. He sank his body into the crisp wood of the tree groaning in pain as he felt loose strands dig into his back.

"Let me go, I promise I won't tell anyone," I plead, opening my teary eyes so that he will change his mind, that being his breaking point.

"Damn it, I just want to convey to you how much I love you so hard it is to understand!" If you don't want to understand it the good way then the bad way it will be… ”A hand went up to wrap the column of his neck and thus keep his face free for him. He smiled, pulling his teeth out in a sharp smile. Lucy kicked when she buried her mouth in his neck, she knew what she would do when she felt the fangs in her neck.

"No ..." she sobbed.

A furious roar echoed through every space in the forest. So furious and scandalous that Tony caught a glance before falling to the ground pushed by strong arms. Lucy slid down the tree, killing her bent legs. Her hand covered her neck still feeling the edge of her fangs.

Another furious roar.

Lucy tore her gaze from the dried leaves to find a scene too terrifying. Jungkook hitting with all his fury the face buried in the earth of Tony. Flipping him violently with each punch. Fixing a bloodshot gaze, pulling out the fangs at each lunge. He tried to get up but his knee failed, he had to lean on the trunk not to collapse.

"Jungkook," I whisper weak. Not abandoning that fear that I still felt. Jungkook looked up from Tony's badly injured body to look at her with concern. His eyes darting to the hand covering his neck. He got up as fast as he could and approached her too nervously.

"Are you okay? Has that motherfucker done anything to you?" He growled, the vein in his neck sticking out at every word. His breathing hitched at his chest but he didn't seem to mind. With too much tenderness he uncovered his neck to see two red marks but without going deep. He sighed, feeling relieved and selfishly good. Lucy welled up tears at his pitiful gaze. She buried her head in his chest to calm her sobs. Jungkook stroked her head slowly. "Don't worry, I'm not leaving you alone."

"Where could it be?" Has he come home? ”Her father asked in an anguished tone as he wandered around the empty room.

"Lucy would never leave without telling us." Her worried mother assured her to try to calm her husband's uncomfortable hustle a little.

Carina rolls her eyes.

"Please, you're putting on too much of a drama, he's always sneaked out of ..."

Jungkook's mother's outrageous heels stormed in.

Behind her husband walks with a long face.

“Have you seen Jungkook?” Her mother added in a panic attack. It was not common for her son to leave the party in the middle of a conversation. She had been worried since she saw him leave in a hurry.

The glass opening was what twitched the nerves of everyone present. Immediately everyone turned in alarm to find a Jungkook with his shirt stained with mud. His mother covered her amazed mouth when the poor and trembling Lucy appeared behind him with her tousled dress and red neck. But undoubtedly, what caught the most attention was the boy that Jungkook so skillfully dragged by his mother's velvet carpet.

"Lucy! OMG, what happened?"

Her mother ran to wrap her daughter in her arms, who soon began to cry when she felt the heat of the home again.

"This jerk has tried to take her into the woods," Jungkook roared into the air. Wrinkling her nose when the memory of him trying to mark her came magically to knock her good pose down. He released his shirt causing it to drop straight to the floor, the drool hanging and his mouth bloody as he lay dying on the fluffy carpet.

"He?"

Her mother grabbed her shoulders to inspect the mark on her neck.

"No." I assure, licking my lips so I can speak. "Jungkook was on time, Mom."

The woman sighed in relief.

"Thank heaven."

"That happens to you for being anybody," her sister accused in a too despicable tone. Her father turned shocked to his daughter.

"Carina, please, that comment is too much!"

"Tomorrow everyone will know what happened tonight." He pointed coldly at his sister as if it wouldn't affect him. His mother immediately looked at Jungkook's mother, who looked down at the dying individual in her living room.

"I'll try not to talk about it much, but you know what the rumors are like."

"No one will want to marry her," Carina commented in a low whisper that did nothing more than hide her inner joy.

"I will do it."

Everyone watched Jungkook's jaw drop. Everyone except Lucy who had frozen in her mother's arms, sticking her head out to look at him too shocked.

"It is a solution," he commented to his father in an attempt to convince him. Mr. Jeon seemed to think about it as he placed a finger on his chin and turned to seek his wife's approval.

"But are you listening to each other?" What kind of mental dementia makes you think it's a good idea? Do not!

“Carina!” Her mother said in a dominant cry. The girl opened her mouth as she exhaled fire from anger. Heading towards Jungkook so that he could convey his agony.

"It's her problem she has gotten into." I understand that you want to help her but there are many ways.

"It is my decision, father."

Sitting with her hands on her knees as she watched her mother's reflection travel across the room.Combed with a tousled braid that ran down the right side of her shoulder. Looking back into that mirror, she thought that perhaps this would be the last time she could feel the warm relaxation of her space. She tried not to cry so as not to ruin the makeup so exquisite that her mother had taken the time to do it.

He couldn't find the exact words to describe how he felt. Nerves had indeed taken the form of lingering chills. He always assured his crazy and dreamy person that the day they would take his hand would be the happiest of his life, and yet he kept thinking that this situation had been forced.

"Here it is, it was from your great-grandmother, then it happened to your grandmother and then to me. Now it's your turn to take it."

"Why are you crying, Mom?" I whisper in a small smile when she saw slight drops caress her cheeks.

"It's not every day my girl gets married," I croon melancholy as I hooked a loose lock with the blue clasp. I sigh, stroking her daughter's bare shoulders. "We should have had this talk later but the situation has been a bit rushed."

“About what?” She scowled her outlined eyebrows.

"About the rules in marriage, my love."

"Mom..."

"You know what will happen tonight, Jungkook will take you and be his wife. You must have puppies, all you can and ..."

"Mom, I don't want to talk about this. Can you please go away?"

"I know it's difficult, at first it takes a little getting used to but I'm sure my girl will do very well. Jungkook is a great man who has done us a great favor, keep that in mind."

I kiss her forehead lovingly before leaving her thoughtful in the mirror.

Everything happened so fast, in less than a blink he found himself closing his eyes to the roar of applause from the guests. Stop in the middle of an altar full of precious flowers. Being the center of attention and the reason for the excited whistles.

"You may kiss the bride."

Lucy gulped when the priest's words broke through all the screaming. His eyes ceased to outline the flowers in a nervous air. The seat next to him shifted back, implying that Jungkook had risen. Lucy took the fabric of her skirt and tightened it anxiously before getting up. Raising her chin little by little in a situation that seemed more eternal than the cycle of the earth. Connecting their eyes for the first time since they had made the pact in that stone seat. Jungkook sighed when he noticed how his bright pupils faded as the agony continued to rage. Guilt gnaws at him like a disease that destroys everything in his path.

He moved just a little closer to receive her rejection in a fearful gasp. So, banishing the desire he had to caress that fleshy mouth with his lips, he decided to bring a kiss to his forehead and walk away as soon as possible. Lucy, who had closed her eyes not to witness out of embarrassment, opened them in surprise to find a Jungkook further away than she ever walked to the garden with the guests.

He had hardly had a bite of the wonderful cake that Mrs. Jeon had prepared. The food had danced with her fork the short time dinner had lasted. The dance was more awkward than I imagined. Everyone exhaling tender sighs while the couple glowed in the middle of the garden. Envious women who wanted to take their place, themselves as men who longed to feel what Jungkook's hands touched as she delicately adjusted herself on the bare area of ​​his back. They were both tense.

I kept thinking about what would come next, there was less left for the evening to end and the guests to leave. With the end of each song his greatest fear was approaching, he should spend the night with Jungkook.

A couple of Jungkook's cousins ​​dragged her away to talk about marriage issues. However, Lucy was absent and lost in a sea suffocated by a storm of nerves. Himself, when they gave more than two in the morning, one of the cousins ​​took her with complicit laughter to her room. He left her alone saying goodbye with a wink that he did not see as he fell into bed.

Very soon, the door opened in a scandalous screech, standing firm with her back stretched up as she turned to see her husband. He was shocked when he saw how shabby he looked, his tie untied and his vest buttons undone with a shirt half out.

"I'll sleep in the room at the end of the hall to let you rest." A hoarse voice accompanied by an unstable babble. Lucy raised her eyebrows when she could smell alcohol filling the room. Looking more closely at his appearance, he noticed how the red cheeks and lost eyes gave rise to the thought that the stains on his pants had not been water. He looked really tired as he leaned his back against the door to stand upright.

"But this is your room," she whispered persuasively. Jungkook waved his hand away as he crawled over to his dresser to grab his nightwear.

"Never mind."

Puzzled by his sudden stability, she was left with the word in her mouth when Jungkook closed the door two seconds later.

Two weeks later.

Like every waking up in the last days, there was a part of her that wanted to continue sleeping, to sink her head into that fluffy pillow and forget about her problems. But ignoring them wasn't the best option, still, he spent as much time as he could in the isolated room that had been on his property for a couple of days.

After the wedding night a cold air had crept in between them, Jungkook hardly spoke a word that was not strictly necessary, whether it was a good morning or a goodbye. When she left the room, he seemed to notice her presence and go to the garden with some excuse without any reliable argument. He would be lying if he said that this contempt did not hurt him in the deepest, ignoring her had become his favorite activity.

So, she was pleasantly surprised when she went down to breakfast to see two cups on the table.

"Good morning." He nodded as he walked past him so he could sit down.

"Good morning." Unlike her shyness, Jungkook seemed much more awake and with an overwhelming air that made that distressed sensation ease somewhat.

Lucy picked up her fork and began to eat silently with overly careful bites as she noticed a gaze piercing her from the other end.

"When you finish breakfast I want to teach you one thing."

True to his word, after devouring what was left of his plate, Jungkook rose from the table and she followed behind. He felt a swirl of emotions that he could not stop.

What she wasn't expecting was for him to lead her to a huge library that she hardly knew existed.

"It is huge," I admit in a scream that he confessed the wonderful surprise that had been. The books placed perfectly on the bookshelves almost perfectly, you could tell that it was an important place for Jungkook since the brightness of his eyes gleamed menacingly.

"It is entirely yours." Feel free to pick up any book you want, although we can always go to town to buy more.

"With the ones here, I think that's enough." My God! ”I shout excitedly when I visualize a golden cover more than familiar among so much wood. She raised an eyebrow, opening her mouth surprised to find that type of book, there. “Do you have the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf?” She furrowed her eyebrows in a grimace accompanied by a small smile. It was so striking that he had a children's tale among great classics that he could hardly see that Jungkook's cheeks had camouflaged a soft red.

"It was my favorite when I was little, I didn't fall asleep unless my mother read it to me at least twice." He confessed, exhaling those childhood memories. He smiled, imagining the situation of a little Jungkook between blankets as he begged his mother to start his reading. Although it died down in the same way that a feeling of remorse arose, he no longer spent time with his parents, least of all with his mother.

"You should have given him war ..."

Her velvety voice led him back to reality. Her smile just appeared when I watched from afar as Lucy's small feet leaned to reach the book. A feeling of tenderness similar to that of the other time caused him to walk to offer his help.

"Wait, I will ..."

But Lucy had already managed to catch him and they collided almost unintentionally when she got down and he lunged forward. Her back pressed to his chest harder than last time, feeling the hot breath falling into her ear, making her goose bumps. He swallowed and turned around, leaning on the shelf. Her fingers gripped the book with maddening anxiety as she realized how close they were so painful between them. Jungkook had a hand on the shelf next to her head for support, aware or not, that he was cornering her. Jungkook raised his hand in a delicate caress to her chin to get a better view of her clear eyes. The arm she had supported was closing the distance at too slow a speed, torturing her with the prospect of her dilated irises. His dark gaze kept her in place, almost instinctively or because she was amazed by that intense gaze. Her lips parted as he brought his thumb up to stroke her chin in small circles. Lucy closed her eyes to heighten the sense of pleasure, barely aware that Jungkook was approaching tortuously slow steps toward a single destination. She lifted her head a little to give him better access when she felt the brush of his nose on hers followed by a small contact with the soft skin of her approaching lips.

"Mister Jungkook your guest has just arrived." The voice of one of the house servants caused Jungkook to walk away immediately and Lucy to hide her face placing the book on her warm face.

“What guest?” I snort, trying to sound as kind as possible being aware that I had interrupted. The elderly man left the library without answering. Jungkook rubs his palm over his face to calm down and not kill whoever has come to his house without warning. Something told him that his parents' absence had something to do with the surprise guest. I glance at Lucy apologetically which the girl received with an embarrassed nod.

Through the hallway upstairs, he could already smell a peculiar perfume. The citrus smell was unmistakable, I just hope it was a mistake and that it really wasn't who I felt.

Unfortunately, going down the stairs to his huge mansion, he realized that his sense of smell had not fooled him.

"Cousin Kook but how long without seeing you!" Have you put on weight? ”Burlon, with the biggest and most false smile he could show as he followed his steps up the stairs. Jungkook snorted more than annoyed as he glared at his father, who kept a serious expression next to his wife.

“What is he doing here?” He didn't hide his anger in an ironic tone like his cousin did.

"He came on behalf of the neighboring town." I have invited you for a few days to file the sloths, please be kind.

His father's pleas caused him to sigh.

"Yes, Kook treat me like a princess." His maniacal laugh made his hair stand on end. He clenched his fists trying to control his wolf from taking over. However, another sweet smell made her look up quickly toward the stairs. "But what have we got here?" I had heard that you were married but the rumor had not reached me that your wife was such a beautiful specimen.

Lucy was halfway there when she felt the other alpha's piercing gaze from below. Her stomach clenched when she felt his eyes travel as far as he could without cutting himself. I look at Jungkook terribly self-conscious but he barely looked at him and he was already grunting at his cousin.

"Taehyung called me, did you ..." I walk in a flattering air to where she was when she finished going down the stairs to gently hold her hand and plant a kiss on the back, leaving her with a shiver. His dark eyes were similar to Jungkook's but much more mischievous. With nothing more than to compare both smiles that although they were too far away, Jungkook's toothy smile was as pleasant as the square of that flirtatious wolf.

"Lucy, please go." More than a plea, it sounded more like an overly demanding order. The vein in his neck already looked too visible, implying that his patience was running out.

"What? No, why so soon?"

Lucy looked at Jungkook for answers but only got a neutral and overly intense gaze.

"Listen to me."

"You are a curmudgeon, Cousin Kook."

"What a heady smell, shit, I had never smelled such a smell." How lucky you are to fuck, I almost become like a small wild omega when its perfume has gone up my nostrils.

"Signature." Gag. Slipping the folder with the papers into a noisy slip.

But Taehyung smiled mischievously.

"It must have been a pleasure being paired with someone so cute," he commented. I borrow a pen from the desk to capture his signature. They were just papers that agreed to the new territory deal. Delimiting their land so that there are no misunderstandings when hunting. Jungkook was deeply upset with his father's actions, he could have brought his uncle, at least he would not have to endure such high alpha airs. She didn't want him here, much less knowing that Lucy was close. He was jealous, damned jealous. Because although he trusted her, not so much in him.

"It is not your fault." Now get out of my sight.

"Oh come, we are family, there are no secrets between blood brothers. What was it like to take it? Delicious sure. What legs and what small breasts so well placed, how does your ..."

"If you talk about my female again with those words." No. ”He patted the table as he got up, a shout rumbling dominated by his primitive impulses. He had to calm down or he would end up transforming and slitting his neck. She closed her eyes, hiding her fiery red irises as she ran her tongue over her raging lip. "If you ever talk about my female again, no matter what it is, I'm going to rip your throat out with my fangs."

"Well, it hit you hard."

"Stay away from her, Taehyung." Don't force me to follow through on my threat.

"Relax, you're a little tense," the brown-haired boy lied, rising to rest his hands on his cousin's shoulders. Jungkook identified the fact as a mockery, finally roaring at Taehyung so that he would take his hands off her. Fangs coming out to impose dominance, Taehyung ended up walking away as he raised his hands to the air, hiding with an awkward smile how much his howl had stunned him.

"You better not notice your scent near her."

"Too bad my beloved uncles can't join us for this delicious dinner," Taehyung mentioned as he devoured a piece of meat with a pleasant smile. Jungkook rolled his eyes, then looked at Lucy to verify her condition. She looked awkward, too self-conscious about dining with someone she didn't know.

"Yes, eat and be quiet."

"Were you always so irascible or is it because I'm close to your female?"

Lucy, who until then had been quietly eating, raised her head to Taehyung quite surprised. Flashing nervously as she clarified in her head if what she had just said was true, or just the result of her joking nature. Jungkook had to hold back a groan to stay seated and not jump at his cousin's neck.

"Shut up and eat," he growled menacingly. Casting out your voice I recorded with as much impatience as shame. Lucy was listening to everything, and if she could perceive, just a little bit, discomfort in her. Taehyung would end up in the backyard with his head buried in the ground.

"Why are you reacting like this?" A moment ago you were yelling at me that if I approached her you would nail my fangs.

"With permission," she apologized in a too embarrassed whisper. Jungkook frowned too sadly when he saw her almost run to disappear. He squeezed the fork showing his white knuckles with a thirst for blood, specifically, that of his cousin. Giving Taehyung a voracious glance, he ran after her to try to explain.

It was a relief to him to see her climb the stairs.

"Sorry, it is martyrdom to dine with someone like him." I shouldn't have asked you to come down to dinner with us. ”He spoke too regretfully. Lucy suspended her leg and turned, holding on to the railing. She contracted when she saw true overwhelm in Jungkook's dark pupils, at least he had come looking for her.

"Yeah, it's kind of weird," I whisper. I go down the steps to shorten the distance, staying a couple higher to place his eyes on a level with his. Taehyung's inappropriate comments had made her more uncomfortable than she would like to admit, but that had not been the main reason she had decided to run away. "What she said ..." soft babble. Jungkook raised an eyebrow, his Adam's apple moving as he swallowed too hard. There was illusion in its brilliance, so much so that Jungkook was almost blind. She could feel the intensity with which her heart beat, nervous about an answer. "Is it true?"

"It is not so, I just warned him that he will not approach you. He did not mean it, well, unless he makes it clear." He ended up confessing. Lucy pursed her lips, she had avoided his question.

"Would you only do that to him if he got close to me? Why?"

He didn't know what, but his chest heaved with excitement, if he could ever know that Jungkook saw her as a female and not as the girl he had been forced to marry to keep his bond.

"You should have listened to the endless barbaric things he said about you as if he were an omega in heat." I don't want him to be near you, that's all.

"Your female said."

Jungkook straightened his back taut, his shoulders haughty from the rise of his chest in alarm. He felt anxiety in her, a need that was mortifying him. She didn't want to hurt him, because if she did, he would.

"Yeah, well, don't take it into account. Taehyung says a lot of nonsense. It's the only thing he's good at."

"I don't know why, but I have a feeling you're hiding something from me, Jungkook."

"I'm not hiding anything from you."

"Then why do you run away to the room farthest from the hallway every night?" Gripping the railing too tightly. She was agitated, annoyed by her cowardice.

"That's my business," he growled before walking out the other door.

Lucy tried to go down the steps to follow him but suddenly, her belly contracted curving her towards the railing. She moaned a little dizzy, thinking innocently that it was from eating so fast at dinner.

Drowned in her own sweat, anguished by the heat so suffocating that itchy between her legs. He opened his mouth and roared impatiently. Had a month already passed? As he could, he got out of bed almost dragging himself across the floor to get urgently to the bathroom kit. She opened the closet with so much anxiety that the products were scattered on the floor, the occasional shampoo spilling its contents. He didn't care too much, now he had more important things to take care of.

"It can't be," I sob. Her belly contracted so powerfully again that she ended up on her knees. She did not recall having been so suffocatingly hot. She felt the moisture between her thighs when I rub them out of necessity. Now he understood that rush to unite male and female when they were just beginning to be considered adults. Females were usually warm once a month when the full moon shone high in the dark sky. Also, he had known, from the many books he had read on the female body, that, as you turned years, the need for you to be taken was getting stronger. Until now, I hadn't felt the need to get fucked so badly.

I was involved in a pretty serious problem. Its heat had never passed without the inhibitirios and if it hurt now, he couldn't imagine how it would roar when midnight will come.

As best he could, he managed to hold himself up to go back to bed. With beads of sweat and red cheeks trying not to faint on the way. A delicious smell began to cloud her senses, these being much more receptive when his heat possessed her, a smell of honey, delicious honey coming from the closet. I drag my feet toward the cabinet, licking his mouth at how dry it was. When he opened its doors, his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth fell open at the overpowering scent of the hanging garment. It was his jacket and his fucking scent.

Lucy slammed the door when she felt lucidity for a second. He had to go back to bed, even if he didn't want to, he had to. He couldn't continue torturing himself with her scent because that would make his situation worse.

But it didn't last long, her belly throbbed furiously again, taking away the little sanity she'd tried to establish. Her legs couldn't be any more wet from the exhorted amount of lubrication that was expelled from her vagina. His hole closing around nothing, urgently demanding to be filled by something, by an alpha's cock.

She opened the doors like a desperate woman. When the garment ripped, its scent not only penetrated her nose, it also contracted her belly even further. Lucy, lost in that exciting scent, ripped the jacket from the hanger, breaking it into a thousand pieces. He brought the garment up to his nose and breathed in its scent.

She growled completely overpowered, controlled by her scent, she ended up running down the hall in search of him.

I needed it to ease her.

He needed me to fuck her so badly.

He wanted his fucking cock between her thighs.

"Jungkook ..." I sob at the door. Anxiously scratching at the wood when I try to open it to find it closed. Jungkook woke up suddenly as a desperately sweet scent rose up his nose roses. I gasp, looking down at the sheets. His cock throbbed in need as I heard her moan behind the door.

He got up, sweating from his hands and his mouth suddenly dry. I put her ear to the door to hear her better.

"Get away," he growled. Lucy gasped needlessly, feeling distressed at his rejection. What he didn't know is that, Jungkook was controlling himself, he was using all his self-control not to knock down the door and fuck her in the hallway, open her beautiful legs and sink his cock deep inside her until he shouted her name.

"Please ... It hurts so much." His needy little howl was too devastating. Her irises took on the reddish color of her wolf when she squeezed her thighs and her wonderful lubrication rose up her nose. He licked his lips anxiously, too overwhelmed. He put his hand on the latch. I gasp at the anticipation.

But he shook his head away from the door.

"Go back to sleep, Lucy." He growled back. "I don't want to hurt you."

Jungkook slammed his fist against the door. Why did everything have to be so unfair? Why should he have known her like this? He cursed in fury when he heard him walk down the hall. He had perceived disappointment, sadness, much pain. Damn, he didn't reject her because he didn't want her, his damn erection screamed to sink into her tight pussy, but, the feeling of guilt was still installed in his chest.

He didn't want her to think he was taking advantage of her.

Too overwhelmed by shortness of breath, she ran to the nearest balcony. His hands hit the railing in anguish as he crashed into it. He stretched his neck back, his head back, the cool air calming his anxiety a little.

"My God, I've been following your scent all over the hall." A hoarse voice appeared from behind. Scaring her too much. Turning, he encountered Taehyung's mischievous pout. She clung to the wall as much as she could when she saw the air brazenly smelling. "Are you okay puppy?" I can help you with something?

"I don't think you can help me on this," I stammer in a hoarse tone. He didn't like the threatening look with which he was running her. He watched her with lust, his intense red eyes as he approached with slow steps.

"I think so," he assured. He smiled, gleaming his tongue in one step through his fangs. "But, I'm confused." Why aren't you fucking your husband? ”She scoffed, giggling wickedly at the need on her face. Delighting in the wet sweat that stuck her nightgown to her skin. Then, in an act that couldn't scare her anymore, Taehyung seemed to hit something on his head, stopping abruptly with a too dark, mischievous glow. “It hasn't taken you, yet.

"No, he, yes ...

"Don't lie to me or burn in hell, needy puppy," I whisper too attracted by my gasp. He strode over to me to stand in front of me, lightly imposing his body. I swallowed saliva burdened by the smell of pine that began to rise up my nose. Taehyung smelled great, but it wasn't the scent he wanted. I felt too small under his piercing predatory gaze. "Damn, how could I have rejected you and more when you have your heat?"

"He has not rejected me, I am the one who has decided to go through this." I tried to face him, thanking the cold weather for helping me to reduce the suffocation a little. But, I didn't count on him also being able to take advantage of the movement of the air to better inhale my scent and to know, through my heartbeat and my fear, that he was lying.

"But how capricious is destiny and what a beautiful coincidence. My parents are crazy because I do not commit myself, it is not my fault that the betas of my town are not pleasant to me. Like ... like you."

"You should listen to Jungkook and go back to bed."

I tried to get under his arm but he immediately got in the way.

"Oh! Wasn't it you who had decided not to relieve yourself?"

"I have to go," she sobs. This was getting out of hand, he could perfectly feel the need in his eyes, in the evil play of his tongue on his fangs.

"Don't go, going through the heat without a male is very hard." I can help you, let me ease you ...

"I'm already taken ..."

As I pulled my face away from his hand when I tried to stroke my cheek, I became hysterical. My heaving chest being stopped by his. I was very close, I wanted to go. Damn, I should have stayed in bed.

"Trickster pup, I can smell how needy you are from here." Just let me ...

"I warned you not to go near her." A deafening roar came from the balcony entrance. Taehyung stopped cornering me by turning abruptly. I shrugged my stomach full of fear. Jungkook roared furiously at his cousin, he was really afraid that in one of these he would jump against him and kill him. His gaze was so threatening, red irises, his chest heaving as he blew air out of his mouth.

"I have only offered my help." I was greatly surprised when I perceived fear in his tone, Taehyung seemed terribly terrified by the way he looked at his white knuckles.

"I'm going to slit your throat so deep that your pathetic alpha blood stained my mother's carpet," he roared. She screamed in fright when in overly striding strides, she approached Taehyung and lifted him up into the air before slamming his back against the wall. The chestnut groaned disoriented, coughing as Jungkook began to squeeze his neck.

"Jungkook ..." I sob scared to see him lose control like that. The muscles in his back tensed, then he dropped Taehyung's body to the ground, letting him cough from lack of oxygen.

"I told you to go back to your room, Lucy!" Damn it! ”He turned to her with all the rage in the world. Lucy cringed against the wall when she saw him approach.

"It's not even my room!" All this would not have happened if instead of marrying me you had married my sister! ”She cried. He ran away with tears clouding his sight. She couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't take her rejection, her screams anymore. She urgently needed to sink her head into her pillow and cry until she ran out of water on her body. She never imagined that she could yell at him like that, look at him with such contempt.

She entered the room slamming the door. She didn't care that Jungkook's parents heard her in her little tantrum. He ran to the bed and sat down as he placed his hand on his chest.

The door opened, then slammed shut more loudly than hers.

"Get up, let's talk," he demanded. Standing in front of the bed with his arms crossed. He was too irritated, he needed to control himself but that would require a time he didn't have.

"I don't want to talk to you," she denied as she drove her tear-stained gaze to the bed. She didn't want to look at him, she felt so humiliated and despised.

“You are an unconscious, how could it occur to you to wander around the house knowing that there is another male nearby that can smell you?” He growled, moving his arms from side to side, losing control. Thinking of everything that could have happened if he hadn't arrived on time, of the consequences that would have ruined everything. The moment an alpha marks you, you lose any chance of belonging to another male. The beta bite was easy to replace. But Taehyung was an alpha, if he had marked his precious neck, goodbye, because that would mean that his scent, his blood, his everything would belong to him. And that, that bitter feeling had him too upset. He didn't want it to belong to anyone but him, from the first time he smelled her, from the first time he saw her, he knew in the depths of his heart that this female would be for him.

"Do you mind?"

"Of course he does, you're my wife!"

“I am nothing of yours, nor have you even taken me!” His dominant roar caught him off guard. Accustomed to keeping situations under control, I let Lucy get up and push him away. Jungkook did not move, he was simply surprised by how really upset he noticed her. He felt so much disappointment, a craving so strong that it clouded his character. One more push, a heartbreaking sob, Jungkook caught his hands before he continued to hurt himself. Suddenly, all the anger, all the jealousy left her body, changing into a feeling of guilt. A terrible and distressing feeling of sadness. I hear her heart pound, her irises swell. She wasn't mad at him, she was mad at herself. That feeling ended up confusing him.

Lucy, still defeated by exhaustion, continued to stir in her arms, screaming, crying, pleading for him to leave. Jungkook ended up overpowered by his instincts, drawing her tightly to him. She was silenced by the touch of his hot breath on the sensitive skin of her upper lip. He swallowed, the alpha's fingers clenching his arm so eagerly that he would swear that tomorrow he would have bruises on his skin. I avoid eye contact, closing my eyes, tilting my head to avoid being controlled by her red irises.

"You haven't even kissed me ..." he confessed with all the pain in the world. Opening her eyes to send him a heartbreaking look, full of broken illusions. Jungkook stared at the deep detail of his yellowish irises. His fingers tightened more intensely, he could not control himself, less when the smell of his heat impacted urgently on his nose. Much less when an anxious moan emerged from her perfect lips after rubbing her thighs. Her eyelids half closed with excitement. Its brilliance startled at the bad need to be reciprocated.

Jungkook couldn't take it anymore, too much emotion, too much demure. He could no longer hold back, he had lost because he had fallen before his most primitive self. Jungkook squeezed his arm again, emitting a hoarse moan when he inhaled thoroughly. His smell. Damn it, it was dripping. It was ready for him, so that he would take it as he had wanted so much.

"Jungk ...

But he had already silenced her. He slammed her against the door to press her against his body. He grabbed her by the neck and brought her to his desperate mouth. Her lips parted wide, not caring that he was being too rough. He had been too long ignoring her wishes, now they would be more than rewarded. Lucy's eyes tightened at the addictive taste of his saliva. He groaned, letting his inner wolf take the reins, reaching up his hair to clench his hair in a fist as they eagerly ate their mouths. There was a moment when Jungkook parted his lips, causing such a flattering snap that he almost lost his identity. She, seized with excitement, ran to glue their mouths together, but Jungkook held her in place in an overly revealing growl. Lucy gasped in agitation from shortness of breath. Jungkook groaned before dominance kissing her again. Their kiss was so dirty, full of passion and accumulated lust. Out of necessity, Jungkook's hands slid down the curve of her waist until they reached her hip and clenched them eagerly. She stifled a pleading moan. He kept going down terribly slow, squeezing her bottom, making it collide with the protruding bulge that caged his pants.

"God I want to fuck you so badly." He almost drowned out his voice when he returned he felt the moisture of his crotch wet his needy erection. Lucy gasped in pain, a fear in her eyes making him stop abruptly. "Lucy, if you don't want us to ... We better stop now."

But she was too fucked up, she was still scared, but it wasn't because of the situation, or because of him, she was just panicked not to like him without clothes.

"I want to," she whispered, pulling her mischievous tooth closer to stretch her lip. Jungkook placed his open palms on his waist to bring his noses together and thus, not miss the detail of his dilated eyes.

"Fuck," I howl. Desperate, he urgently kneaded her butt making her moan. He crushed his hands on her thighs to lift her up. Her legs encircled his waist, her small body matched his so well. Jungkook didn't waste much time finishing taking her to the bed to throw her on the sheets. Her back bounced up the nightgown, revealing to her anxious eyes the sweet skin of her velvet thighs. Lucy, excited, tried to rub her thighs to calm the itch in her crotch, but Jungkook didn't let her. She crushed her hands to his skin and spread her legs too desperately. His hand went to his sweaty face, letting his fingers run in soft caresses down her neck, licking his lips at the sight so appetizing. He let his hand roam the endless ends of her collarbones, gently skirting the bone until she fell into the valley of her breasts with her nipples presenting herself enthusiastically to him. I knead one of her breasts while sighing. Lucy cried, dropping her head. Her delicious sweaty neck exposed for her mouth. I couldn't be more excited to mark it. Jungkook raised his corners to form a delightful smile, his eyes directed to the dark stain of her panties. "I can smell from here how needy you are for an alpha's cock."

"Please ..." I sob disturbed by the uncontrollable need I suffered. Her back was curved forward so as not to lose the sensation of his touch. With her legs open for him. Jungkook reached for her panties and gently squeezed her fingers. Making them wet and a little sticky. Lucy gasped, groaned, all she could emit was coming out of her half-open mouth. Her nightgown was almost ripped from her weak, dying body. Her nipples greeted him erect with excitement. On instinct, Jungkook licked his lips imagining what it would be like to have those beautiful, round and perfect breasts in his mouth. Another in his place would have lost his mind, ripped his pants off and started to fuck her, but maybe it was the time he had thought about having her so he wanted to have a little time, enjoy his body.

 He took off his shirt, revealing his majestic figure, those broad shoulders, well-marked pecs that gnashed with the desire of his mouth to try, his damn abs, and above all, that path of pubic hair that disappeared through his pants. Those who hid something much more attractive. Jungkook threw his head back leaving the sight of his wide and shiny neck as a reward for how wet the accumulated sweat had left him.

"Give me time, honey." It's been a long time since I've wanted to know the taste of your skin. ”I whisper under a persuasive tone. I put my mouth to her neck to start distributing wet kisses and small bites that did nothing but leave her wanting more. I stick my tongue out to run it inside her neck, her hot breath contrasting against the wet area leaving her completely on edge. Lucy tried to close her thighs but found Jungkook's hips. Her nipples tightened from the pressure of his chest coupled with hers. His hand hooked into her silky hair to stretch from the roots. Jungkook growled disgust bringing his mouth to hers anxiously. Lucy opened her mouth when she felt the pressure of his tongue on her lower lip. I kiss her hard, hard. The nails superficially scratched his broad back as he came down to attack her neck again, this time, much stronger. There was no more compassion, he kissed her, mojo and bit as he wanted.

Like the hand between their bodies to knead her breast urgently, she embedded her nails into his skin when her nipple cried out in pain from the pressure just exerted.

"Oh, Jungkook," she moaned uncontrollably as she felt her teeth roam over his collarbones. His bites, despite being, a little strong, there was some love in them, an affection that was represented with kisses to calm the bruises. He caressed with the surface of his lip until he reached the sensitive skin of his halo, which he wet with his tongue and introduced into his mouth. The salty taste of his skin was too addictive, he was sure, when he had the privilege of clenching his nipple with his teeth, that this game had made him a gambler. It parted, leaving a click too suggestive to slide into the other.

"Shit, from the first time I saw you I wanted to do this." I speak against his skin creating tickles. Lucy moaned as she punched the sheets when her separation was with a suction. "If your pathetic boyfriend hadn't been there, he would have ripped your clothes off and fucked you right there."

"I would have left you," I sob. Too lost in how her tongue sank slowly into her navel. Her body spasmed slightly as she felt an overly suggestive kiss on top of her panties. The pressure of his mouth had been so wonderful that I swear at that moment, that when he took that garment out and kissed her again, he couldn't live a single day without it. Jungkook let out a too hoarse laugh, his breath hitting her folds directly as one of her fingers pushed aside her panties.

"Would my bitch let me pierce her sweet kitty with my huge cock?"

Jungkook stretched his mouth with pleasure as his eyes never stopped looking at his needy gaze. Lucy swallowed nervously, anxious that her lips that brushed her tender spot would drop a little further. Jungkook licked his lips one last time before crushing a sweet kiss right in the center.

"Jungkook ..." she howled agitatedly as she felt more pressure from her sinful lips. Her tongue came to play an important role, starring in a walk between her folds leaving her with a dry throat. "God, yes! Jungkook please ..." She kept screaming ecstatically, and somehow, she loved it. His cock vibrated with enthusiasm inside her pants. She loved his pleading as he kissed her inflated clit. He brought a finger to the scene, stroking its red button so he could stick his tongue down. Lucy moaned uncontrollably with her legs too restless, Jungkook held her open with one hand while the other pressed her palm against his center, before taking the liberty of inserting a finger. His hole cutter sucked easily. A compassionate scream succumbed strongly when she felt what her first orgasm was. Her cheek was resting on the pillow with her mouth open for better breathing. Her belly rising and falling. Her legs dropping from exhaustion.

Jungkook broke up to enjoy his work. Seeing her so agitated just with his tongue made her want to tear her apart. I eagerly remove his pants to release his needy cock. Lucy's eyes widened at the noise and she looked at her. It was much larger than he had expected with the wet pink tip of his own precum. Jungkook moved his cock, stretching his skin, letting the beta's ears hear the wet snap of her masturbation. Her mouth became water but that did not remove the fear that began to help her. It was her first time, she had had an orgasm lubricating her entrance much more, however, that did not block the thoughts of how that would fit inside her little hole. She started to panic because until now she hadn't noticed the pain the first few times.

She tried to get up off the mattress too agitated but Jungkook wrapped her neck to lay her down again. Her red irises caused yellow ones to appear. Lucy began to stir from lack of oxygen while complaining in sobs. Jungkook groaned dominant, leaving her completely still. Pleasure clouded her mind again, leaving her under his control.

"Spread your legs for me, darling," I order too impatiently. Lucy spread her legs, clearing the way for her moisture to hit her nose again. With his free hand he brought the tip of his cock to his hole, letting just his touch cause impatient moans. I run the tip to lubricate with his moisture, Lucy dropped her head while panting too far. "Shit, your little wet kitten is soaking the tip of my cock. Do you want it inside you?"

"Yes," I sob. Spreading your legs wider if possible. Jungkook groaned satisfied at his submission. Her fingers closed enthusiastically in his throat.

"A lot?"

"A lot..."

   Sliding slowly so as not to harm him, finally, he introduced the first centimeters, causing both screams of pleasure. Jungkook started to get dizzy when his tight entrance pressed his walls against him.

"Shit, I won't be able to control myself, you're too close." I sob, letting out a shaky gasp. Too much pleasure was beginning to impose his impulses on his clarity. It was her first time, she really didn't want to split her in two, but it was so hard to stay steady when as he entered, inch by inch, she urgently spread her legs wider.

"Don't do it, take me however you want." You are my alpha I am at your disposal.

  She was so good that she took away what little sanity she had forced herself to keep. He placed himself faithfully on top of her, trying not to crush her completely. He slid his hand down her throat to the nape of her neck and pulled her into his desperate mouth. Their tongues were too anxious. She felt Lucy's nails adjust to her skin, her other hand stretching the strands of her disheveled hair. The kiss was cut off by her when Jungkook made his first lunge. Her head fell limp to the pillow, offering her neck without realizing it. Jungkook grabbed her hips to improve her fit. Lucy moaned again and he smiles on the skin of her chin.

"My sweet submissive puppy." He kissed her ear with a too dark tenderness. Lucy gasped as she let her lips stutter meaninglessly. Jungkook clenched his hips eagerly as he picked up a much more predatory rhythm. He ended up panting hoarsely against his ear. "Tonight I'll settle for taking you like that, spreading my legs as I sink the way I want." But the rest of the nights I want you with your ass up showing me that delicious ass.

"More, give me, more." I almost shouted. Disoriented by the cloud of pleasure that clouded her mind. Her nails leaving small furrows of reddened skin. His hands melted into her hips celebrating a devastating rhythm. It was no longer controlled, the need to make her moan was much stronger.

"Do you like how I fuck you?" I whisper agitatedly against her ear as the head of the bed hit the wall with fury. "My good bitch is going to carry my puppies."

"Yes Yes."

"Shit." He closed his eyes ecstatically. He had never felt such pleasure, it was as if all his instincts would rise to a thousand and his belly was about to explode in a wonderful way.

   Lucy gasped as the pressure returned to her lower abdomen. He brought his hands up to his neck when Jungkook lovingly assaulted his neck again. Lucy groaned in shock as she felt the sharp tips of her fangs crash against her warm skin. He didn't even know why they had appeared, Jungkook had only become aware of his presence when he tried to kiss an old ribeye.

"Take me," she gasped in overwhelming anxiety. Jungkook put his hand to his neck, turned his head to his liking, and finally sank his fangs into his flesh. Jungkook stopped his movements to prevent the wound from getting bigger. Not realizing that the orgasm overwhelmed them when she decided to drink his blood. When they were removed, two small holes were marked on his neck that would later disappear. Creating a bond for life. Lucy pressed her cheek to the fluffy surface with more than surprise. Feeling his cum dripping inside her, hitting her walls with enthusiasm as her small contractions milked him patiently. She was suddenly deeply excited.

A few minutes later, Jungkook came out of it. He lay on the bed with one arm tucked under his head. Lucy snuggled into his chest a little shy as she felt Jungkook's hand tighten on her hip to pull her closer.

"Why did you take so long?" She murmured a little self-consciously. He had just realized that he had been screaming too enthusiastically. She blushed embarrassed. Still a little dizzy, she crushed her cheek to his warm chest. His breath fell heavily against her hair, relaxing her.

"For fear of letting my impulses dominate me. I didn't want to hurt you."

"That time..."

"Yes, dammit, there was nothing I wanted in the world more than to eat your mouth and put your butt on my father's desk." But I shouldn't, we barely knew each other and I didn't want you to form a wrong image of me.

   Lucy put a hand on her chest and looked at him with her eyes open.

"And what image do you think I have of you now?"

"I don't care, because I'm going to do what I told you, Lucy." I love you every night with me.

"Do you love me?" Jungkook managed to perceive her emotion, as her heartbeat ran wild inside her chest, giving her away completely.

"I don't love you, I love you."

  They both drew a too cute smile.

"Me too, alpha."

[loverabbitss]

Drippin’ Like Honey

Y/N P.O.V.

I was out at the store shopping for me and my girlfriends. Since, there's three of us food tends to fly by especially because they eat about five meals a day each. I say girlfriends yet their actually my capturers. They brought me from my family when I was seventeen. Apparently my family needed the money to survive because bills were getting higher, so my parents made the executive decision to sell me.

I will forever hate them for this. When I was first sold to May and April I was resistant. Picking up on my anger and hesitation they tried treating me with care and compassion, but all they got in return was anger and rebellion. So, they started treating me more aggressively. They would feed me when they wanted to, they made me watch them have sex, which wasn't just one or two rounds then done. They'd make me clean up their up off the sheets. If I resented I was put in a room by myself with nothing but a bed and bathroom.

Besides that I'd get spanked. If I ever tried to escape I was beaten until my ass had their hand prints on it. It took me a while to truly get accustomed to them because I was so angry with life. I hated how I had no control over anything. However, I stopped fighting back because I felt it wasn't worth it. That's when May and April say me changing and they changed as well.

They would only make me do things sexually if I wanted it, which now means I won't be waking for weeks. Also, they let me be free, but I still belong to them. I'm brought out of my thoughts when the cashier calls for next in line. After I finish I start on my walk home with three huge bags of groceries. Honestly, this is the only reason I've been pissed lately. They have been sending me to buy groceries making me carry these heavy bags home. Then, when I get home they want me to cook for them. They treat me like a fucking maid and I'm fed up.

I get home after some struggle. I place the bags down to get the key unlocking the door. Once inside I hear moans, grunts, and skin slapping. My eyes roll, typical them fucking each other and wanting me to do everything else in this house. Walking to the kitchen I kick my shoes off then put the groceries away. Slowly the sounds decrease and I know that they've ended that round. I doubt that their finished.

Once, I'm finished in the kitchen I feel a tail brush against my leg. Looking done I see Rima, our Peruvian flat-faces cat. I pick her up kissing her head as she snuggles into me.

"Hey mama, those girls making too much noise for you?" I coo rubbing her fur. She purrs softly enjoying the feeling.

I walk to our room and when I enter I see both of them wrapped into each other. April with her hand on May's ass. Their both drenched with sweat and cum dripping out of their pussies. Ignoring them I was over to our shared closet grabbing my robe because I want to get out of this dress.

"Babygirl, come join us." May requests.

"I think I'm good." I respond.

"That wasn't a question Y/N." April growls.

I put Rima down because when I snap I don't want to drop her mid argument.

"Fuck you." I snap.

"That's no way to speak to your daddy." May says.

"Yeah well if I had one I wouldn't have to be so angry." I bark back puffing then walking back into the closet searching for some pajamas.

While searching I feel hands on my waist twist me around. A angry April is in my face seeping red.

"Since, when have you learn to be so disrespectful?" She asks.

"Since, when both you horn dogs couldn't keep your dick in your pants just to do some simple errands." I growl. I feel April's grip tighten on my waist.

"You could've told us how you felt. You always do, why stop now?" May asks from her position on the bed.

"Because it wouldn't matter anyways I'm just a sex slave and toy to you two. That's all I ever was. I don't even know why I tried to convince myself otherwise." I reply.

Before May could respond April pulls me into a heated kiss. At first I tried not to kiss back, but her lips are so soft and the kiss was filled with passion. Every emotion she felt was put into that kiss as she lifted me up causing me to wrap my arms around her waist. Slowly, we break the kiss once air becomes an issue.

"One, your so sexy when your angry. Two, you know we're in love with you and we're sorry for not being as active in helping anymore. Your right we have been caught up with having sex together or with you that we haven't been doing daily errands and for that we apologize." April says.

"I accept your apology, but" I stop then tug on her horn lightly making her whimper a bit.

"If you ever do that again I will end this relationship." I finish.

Her eyes flash bright gold from her hazel eyes. As you can tell she likes the aggressive type. You'd think May was the soft one, but no way she's right below April. They both fight each other for dominance, although, when it comes to me they know that I'm submissive.

April carries me back to the bed dropping me down. I sit up and from the corner of my eye I see a flash of light blue. A slick tongue makes its away around my ear and my body shivers.

"Papi's going to fuck that pretty pussy hard." May husks in my ear. My pussy flusters becoming very wet.

"Look at our babygirl May she's blushing." April teases.

I duck my head a bit then a hand lefts my head back up.

"Don't hide from us babygirl your to gorgeous for that." April says.

I feel hickies begin to liter my neck. Automatically, I move so that my neck is easily accessible. Hands start undressing me untying my dress. I didn't wear anything underneath because there was no need to.

"Gosh your so sexy." April growls as she crawls on the bed getting between my legs.

Her hands wrap themselves around my thighs parting them.

"No no, let's lay her down." May suggests pulling away from her artwork on my neck.

April agrees and they lay me down. She gets between my legs again, her face right in from of my pussy. Her smile widens.

"You smell delicious baby." She moans licking her lips.

She takes no time diving in. I moan moving my hand to her horns holding onto them. May comes in from of me with her fat cock ready to play. I open my mouth allowing her to enter her favorite place. Her eyes close and she's lost in pure bliss as I begin sucking her. April curls her tongue and my back arches. The motion caused me to take May down my throat.

"Fuck babygirl! Just like that." May moans.

Her hand goes to the back of my head and she stills my actions. She starts fucking my face relentlessly. May was lost in her own bliss and April was destroying me with her tongue. She swirls her tongue around my clit as she sucks on it. I moan around May's cock making her tighten her grip.

"I-I-I'm c-close. Take my cum like a go—ughh good cumslut" she struggles to demand.

With three last deep thrusts May cums down my throat. Her warm cum just keeps flowing. Suddenly, my stomach clenches and my hands are gripping April's horns tightly. She moans against my pussy, which takes me over the edge and I'm squirting. I pant heavily and the girls look at me shocked because I've never squirted before.

"We need to get you angry more often." May says.

"Try me and you both will be using dildos to fuck each other." I reply. They both pout.

I lean up on my forearms kissing both their pouts.

"Mmm, I can't feel my legs. Daddyyyy whyyy." I whine. She smirks.

"Because you were being bad." She responds.

I'm lifted from the bed and sunken down onto May's cock cowgirl style. I moan loudly still being sensitive. I feel a finger enter my ass and I groan.

"Your almost there baby." May encourages me as April prepares me for her cock. I grind slowly on May. She grips my hips helping me adjust.

"Papi your so big, your stretching my little hole out." I moan.

April slowly slips in two more fingers and my asshole clenches around them. I bite my lip to keep from whimpering. She cock is two inches thicker than May's so it's hard for her to just slip in.

"Ready babygirl?" April asks.

I nod. She takes our her fingers and lubricates her cock. Slowly she slips her cock into my ass I moan loudly throwing my head against her shoulder. Her hands wrap around and grip my breasts pinching my nipple piercings. Both of my holes clench when she tugs them a bit.

"Oh fuck yes." I moan softly.

I begin to bounce on both cocks. One of April's hands wraps around my neck and the other stays on my breasts. Soon May starts pounding into my pussy and April picks up the message pounding into my ass too. Skin slapping, moans, growls, grunts we're evidently loud throughout the house.

"Ahhh I'm so full." I moan loudly.

"Your so tight." May groans.

My holes clench around both cocks making them grunts. We were fucking like animals without a care in the world. We were loud screaming and moaning. Sweat dripping like honey down our skin. After continuous pounding me they both stilled in me as they came together feeling each other cum. The feeling of their cocks shooting cum into my snatches forced me into cumming hard. I screamed their names knowing that I probably disturbed the neighbors.

"Shit papi and daddy!" I screamed.

I leaned against April for support as we all came down from our high. She whispers into my ear.

"Your going to look so good with our cum leaking out of your holes." She smacks my ass. I bite my lip.

From there that lead to 10 more rounds 5 of which were on our bath tub.

We all had sweat Drippin’ like Honey.

Hey lovelies, I hope you enjoyed this imagine! Don't forget to vote, comment, and share!

[unlockthelore]

Compassion

Sesshomaru was capable of many things: relieving enemies of their lives, silencing an army of humans single-handedly, and instructing those under his command. Though, what most would expect him incapable of is compassion.

For her? He could make an exception.

From the series Affections Touching Across Time on Ao3. For more updates, follow the affections touching across time tag on this blog. 

Sesshomaru had grown accustomed to the idea of change. It was an inevitable, unpredictable, and untethered force constantly inspiring. In lieu of Naraku’s threat, life ebbed on as it had before, with obligations and concerns he had no prior interest in rearing their head. His mother was far more talkative than she’d been centuries past.

Though not wholly to him. While their relationship wasn’t hostile or that of strangers, she’d taken more to communicating with Rin than she did him or Jaken. Granted, he could understand why she neglected to speak with the latter. She seemed to derive some amusement out of Jaken’s plight. A terrible thing for the small imp. The Lady of the West did not tire easily and his anguish might keep her for the next millennia or so.

However, the West was one of his issues. An achievement of which he had no interest in until his mother divulged information to Rin and curiosity beset her to ask. Perhaps showing immediate interest in Rin’s revival whilst in his mother’s presence wasn’t the best idea. Unknowingly, he’d handed her quite a bit of ammunition to use against him in the form of someone he couldn’t rid himself of easily.

Or at all, if he were honest.

The years he’d spent apart from Rin gave perspective. Time to understand his place in the world, seek out stronger opponents, and wander his father’s lands. In his absence, his mother took the helm as the Lady of the Western Lands and her opposition was quickly dealt with. She would not allow his father’s hard work to be undone by unruly demons or upstarts of humans believing the aftermath of Naraku’s defeat was cause for rebellion.

“I will hold until you are ready,” she said. Her voice carrying from the mouth of Bokuseno, eyes unseeing and wooden lips shifting without the demon’s will. Sesshomaru had half a mind to turn on his heel and leave but spindly branches blocked his path as the forest reacted to Bokuseno’s will.

It both pained and amused him that the tree demon could be possessed by his mother. A pain reflected in his stoic countenance as he listened to her words.

“Once you are prepared to take the helm as your father’s successor, heed these words. You will have need of the dragon, imp, and seeress. Though we may be inu yōkai and many remain in our court, we are surrounded by vipers, waiting for the faintest showing of skin to strike. Remember compassion as it has been taught to you, my son. Blade and claw will not serve you well in an arena of words and promises. I’ve protected you as long as I could and I will continue to do so, but change is coming, Sesshomaru.“

Sesshomaru clenched his jaw but said nothing as sight returned to Bokuseno’s eyes, his boughs trembling with a shudder as best as a tree could muster.

“What did I say, Lord Sesshomaru?” Bokuseno asked to Sesshomaru’s back.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes as he cleared the path of branches before him with a flourish of his hand, whip cutting through the rattling wood, sending it raining down as he passed. “Nothing I don’t already know,” he said, his mother’s warning and thinly veiled assurance receding to the back of his mind as he heard Jaken and Rin’s laughter.

In the glistening waters of a stream teeming with fish, sunlight dancing upon its rippling surface, Rin and Jaken splashed about in hops of catching another fish to add to their ever-growing pile guarded by A-Un. While the imp who’d sworn himself to Sesshomaru’s service hadn’t changed a bit from they met, Rin had grown into a woman in the blink of an eye. Truthfully, he knew it had been longer than that. Years spent apart with letters and fleeting visits, her life detailed to him with words on scrolls written by her own hand and enthusiastic retellings from her own lips. Gone was the starry-eyed way she’d regard him, replaced with a sharpness and wit, along with an accuracy for interpreting his actions and words ( few, though there may have been ).

Brown eyes compelled Sesshomaru to speak earnestly, even if his words were sparse. Rin’s intuition had grown as much as she had. Deduction and sneakiness allowing her past his defenses. And try as he might, he couldn’t reconcile who she was now with the girl she’d been. The Rin that followed at his side, barely standing taller than his knee, was and wasn’t the Rin praising Jaken for a successful capture after he’d toppled into the water and nearly gotten swept away with the current. Her hands supporting him under his arms as he recounted the feat.

She lacked his former ward’s innocence.

She no longer viewed humans with contempt but remained wary of their intentions.

Kindness came to her easier but so did decisions, and her hand was swift in carrying them out.

He no longer had to shield her from a fight. Her tricks and skill made her an even greater asset.

Sesshomaru decided to concede his mother’s point. Change was coming as before. It had already come for Rin, taking his former ward and instead granting him a trusted friend and companion. Who learned throughout the years how to hide things even from his eyes.

  Dusk fell over them gently. Jaken and Rin, exchanging blunted barbed words and smiles until they tired, the tall grass swaying in the breeze while the fire crackled between them. A-Un settled comfortably at Rin’s back. Since her return to their group, the dragon was rarely if ever not by her side. While Rin no longer required their constant protection, A-Un’s electricity crackled brightly in their open maw and smoke plumed through their nostrils when a threat to her was posed.

Thankfully, as Rin slept at A-Un’s side with Jaken curled beneath the dragon’s tail, there were no physical threats to harm her. Mental, however, was another tale.

Nightmares lingered in the reaches of Rin’s psyche. They were not an enemy Sesshomaru could destroy or a plot to thwart. An ill-given punishment for the actions of others marred upon her mind in scars no remedy or spell could heal. He’d been patient with her in her youth. Waking her when she was in tears and calming her when she screamed herself hoarse. It wasn’t her fault, he reminded himself, and the agitation he felt waned. Worries lingering in the back of his mind during their time apart.

If others would be cruel to her when she wailed and cried.

Would they steal her voice away with callous words?

Render her unable to even muster a smile?

Gratefully, none of his concern came to fruition. To his relief, Rin no longer screamed in her sleep or woke with inconsolable hiccuping sobs.

Instead, she rose in a solemn silence. Muted shadows swallow her as she wandered from A-Un’s side and over the mumbling lump that was Jaken, disappearing into misty thickets with only the curl of her hair on the wind as if bidding farewell. Sesshomaru wasn’t a heavy sleeper. Years of battle making it nigh impossible for movement to go unnoticed. And he’d seen her the moment she rose to leave. Briefly considering letting her be until salt — sharp, heady and bitter — spurred him into movement. Rin’s footsteps were noiseless.

A faltering pride swelled in Sesshomaru’s chest as she ducked beneath low branches and side-stepped gnarled roots, likely having memorized the path after venturing it earlier in the day. Though at that time, the sun shone brightly, pinpricks of sunlight visible between the leaves haloing her in a soft golden glow. She’d been smiling and humming, skipping through the foliage freely.

Not walking quietly, back straight and head raised high, hands lingering at her side with fingers twitching. Alert and prepared, but no less weary of something and upset.

Sesshomaru’s nose twitched at the potent scent of flowering blooms, sweet and strong, overpowering the salty bitterness tinging the air. Slivers of moonlight colored the mist lingering over a decadent array of blooms swaying amidst the tall grass. Rin’s steps, careful and calculated, avoided clusters of flowers deftly as she stepped in a rhythm almost as if she were dancing. Sesshomaru lingered beneath the boughs of a withering tree, watching her quietly as she moved, only to crumple to her knees after a misstep.

Her shoulders trembled but he heard no sound. Sharp and bitter saltiness drowned by the flowers’ sweet scent, crisp snapping of flower stems joining the chirping crickets and buzzing insects. A quiet wind rustling the leaves on the trees and carrying her hair eastward. Rin’s hand snapping at another flower’s stem and tucking it in her lap before pulling a single dusky black plait from behind her ear, her thumb caressing the orange tie at the ends before falling to her lap, resuming weaving together the flower stems.

Sesshomaru refused to look elsewhere. His nose hadn’t failed him in years and he doubted it would now. But he couldn’t intrude. Autonomy had given Rin a need for privacy. However, it also hardened her stubbornness. At heart — Rin was a free spirit and akin to providing comfort to others whilst bearing her own burdens, yet she faltered when allowing others to assist her. In years prior, Sesshomaru would have never thought it was a trait they shared. Rin had always been cheerful as a child. Akin to speaking her mind, no matter how crass the thought.

But there was much he didn’t know of her. And while this was one of the lessons he disliked, he would pay attention nonetheless — finding himself at her side almost in an instant when a silvery tear rolled down her cheek.

“Rin?”

Her hands stilled. The flowers stems tremble in between her fingers and in the dim of the night, he cans the myriad of flickering emotions painting anguish across her features. Sesshomaru knelt in the blooms, careful not to crush them, but lingering close enough to her side that he could make out the dried tear streaks amidst the rivulets of newer tearfalls.

Lowering her hands to her lap, Rin muttered in a voice barely above a whisper. “… I thought the flowers would hide the smell…”

Sesshomaru’s lips twitched at the corners, threatening to dip into a frown. He told himself once more that he wouldn’t fault her for this. Her memories, while old and in the past, were just as meaningful to her in the present. Lifting his hand achingly slow, Sesshomaru carefully wiped away the streaks of tears with his thumb, wrinkling his nose as the sharp salty tinge grew stronger.

“Why would you try to hide them?”

“Have you seen A-Un try to tiptoe through flowers..?”

She tried to laugh. A tired giggle, mirthless and utterly hollow, crude compared to her usual infectious guffawing laughter. Sesshomaru could imagine what would happen if A-Un were to wake and see Rin like this. The dragon would have stopped at nothing to find the source of her pain. Curled around her as if she were their own and held her close til morning. But A-Un remained in the clearing and Sesshomaru knelt beside Rin, wiping away the tears as they fell.

“Is it the nightmares?”

Rin’s smile fell almost immediately and her eyes shuttered. Sesshomaru did frown at the look on her face. Devoid of cheer, almost completely blank, save for the tears wetting her eyelashes and the pad of his thumb with every swipe. She sighed, a wispy rattling laugh parting her lips. “… It’s funny..” She said, though the humor was both lost on him and nowhere to be found in her words. “I thought I didn’t have any tears left to cry. But… here they are…”

Sesshomaru wasn’t sure what to say. Words oft escaped him in matters such as this and he doubted they were what Rin wanted entirely. So where words failed, action prevailed. There was only a small space where the flowers wouldn’t be easily crushed and it wasn’t enough for both of them to sit comfortably side by side. With his hand leaving her face, Rin’s eyes widened fractionally and he heard her breath catch as he shifted to sit behind her. His armor carefully removed and set aside, allowing him to wrap his arms around her.

She stiffened in his hold. Every muscle tensed and quivering, the tension gradually melting as she sagged against him, her head thumping against his chest. There was little else Sesshomaru could do but rub his hand up and down the length of her arm, squeezing gently when she shifted. Content to listen to Rin’s shuddering breaths and the wilds around them until she was ready to speak, leave, or do anything at all..

After a lingering pause, a long pause broke the silence. “I lied to Master Jaken,” she admitted, sucking her teeth and brushing the back of her hands beneath her eyes. “Just a bit..”

“Mm?”

“Well, it was a harmless lie. If I told him the truth, he would’ve just panicked.. And he sleeps like a log anyway.”

“What did you say?”

Rin snickered, likely amused by the memory, and Sesshomaru was pleased that her laugh had regained some of its enthusiasm. “I had something I needed to do. Girl things. You should’ve seen how quickly he turned tail, it was a little funny.”

Sesshomaru almost wanted to smile as she laughed, but every time her hands pulled away from her eyes, the brackish scent assaulted his senses. Squeezing her upper arm, her laughter stuttered and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“You don’t have to hide from me.”

Rin paused and inhaled deeply, laying her hand against his sleeve, her fingers curling into the fabric and pulling it taut. “… I know,” she managed to say and the weariness combined with the fragility of her voice tensed something in his chest. He held her tighter in response and if Rin noticed, she was gracious enough not to point it out. Continuing with a rough tear-filled sigh, her hold on his arm so tight that she was shaking. “I’m just a little ashamed, I think. It’s been so long. I should be better now.”

Sesshomaru could hear the admonishment. Her frustration, fear, and anxiousness. Perhaps at one point in his life he had felt similar to her. Though his qualms were of a different sort, and he’d had centuries to come to terms with them for better or worse. Rin was forced to confront her worst fears, death, and understanding of a species that she both feared and abhorred. Sesshomaru wouldn’t fault her for her feelings but he wouldn’t uphold the way she spoke of herself either.

Where others might have broken, Rin hadn’t.

Her pain could take centuries to heal and he would hold her throughout it all.

“You are allowed to feel what you do,” Sesshomaru insisted.

Rin said nothing and briefly, Sesshomaru wondered if that was the end of their talk. Then, the world seemed to slow as she turned in his embrace to face him. Brown eyes, glazed over and brimming with tears, met his own. Her lips trembling as he drew her into his lap and cradled her against his chest, allowing her to pull her knees in close. The soles of her feet, dirtied with damp soil and grass, brushed against the leg of his hakama and he could care less for the stain. Flowers fell from her lap as she moved and he reached out to cup them in the palm of his hand, lifting them back to her view and allowing her to pluck them from his hands.

Her fingers caressed his own for a bit longer as she gathered the last of the flowers, tracing the lines of his palm.

“Thank you,” Rin murmured, her lips soft and warm as they brushed against his cheek as he leant his head down.

“… Mm.”

He knew she didn’t mean about the flowers but chose not to touch on the subject. Allowing her to shift in his lap, spreading the flowers out in her own. The pungent scent dissipating as she brushed her fingers along the flower petals. Peace reigned as Rin gathered herself, examining each of the flowers with interest. Her fingers occasionally falling to the exposed skin of his wrist, tracing the length of his marks with interest.

“One day, I’ll grow taller than you…”

With how lazy her touches were becoming and the dreamy tone of voice, along with such a ludicrous idea, sleep must have been creeping upon her again. Rin had grown considerably but in comparison to his half-brother’s wife and the slayer woman, she was quite small. Still, he would humor her.

Burying a smile in her hair, Sesshomaru muttered low. “Will you?”

“Absolutely,” Rin protested, wiggling her toes as she laughed heartily. He drank in the sound, reveling in its return as she added. “And then we’ll see who hugs who.”

“…I look forward it,” Sesshomaru said, wiping away a few stray tears as he pulled away to see her face. Her eyes flicked up to meet his own, unspoken apologies and hopefulness glimmering beneath the fog of discontent.

“Can you stay with me for a bit longer?”

He could have told her that he had no intention of going elsewhere. That he would stay with her until she felt at ease. Carry her back to sleep at A-Un’s side or his own. But he said neither thing, simply pulling back to rest his chin against her head. “…Continue what you were doing.”

Her breath hitches but he could practically hear the smile in her voice as she spoke. “Are you sure, m’lord?” There was a slight shuffle, and he could hear the telltale sounds of her muttering as she weaved the flower stems together. “If I finish this, I will try to make you wear it.”

“Will it make you smile?”

After a short pause, Rin nodded.

Like this, Sesshomaru cared little for appearance and decorum. What he desired was the smile he adored and if he had to endure wearing one of her flower crowns, then so be it.

“I will wear it then.”

[cutegirlmayra]

A prompt. Can we have some modern tails and amy mother child moments? You can add sonamy on the sides. I really loved the other one :)

Cheery Cherry, may all your prompt wishes come true~ And I hope you don’t mind… but what if… Not Sonamy, necessarily,… but a ‘different’ love story? -eyebrow bounce-

Public announcement: PROMPTS ARE ON SHUTDOWN! PLEASE DON’T ASK FOR ANY TILL I REOPEN THEM! Thank you :)b

Prompt:

Amy was sweeping away in her home, finding that little critters kept wandering in, she would gently lead them outside and then look to see large holes in her walls from when Sonic and the gang came over and caused havoc.

She sighed, before the door swung open again.

Without even looking to see who it is, she slumped down and let out a frustrated groan, “Look, little guys. If I don’t finish cleaning this mess, then I’ll clean you all out of existence!” she swung around and swapped her broom for her hammer, before seeing Tails with his eyes red from crying and sniffling as he held the door open.

“Even you’re calling me names…”

“Tails!” she immediately dropped her hammer, “N-no, no, I wasn’t! I just thought you were-… uh, anyway, what’s wrong?” She struggled to explain herself, but then tossed the whole thing aside, leaning him in.

He fell face-first onto her couch, void of life it seemed, and mumbled into the cushions while his hands gestured around lazily to his sides.

“Tails, you absolutely know what butts have sat on that seat cushion.” Amy nonchalantly stated her warning as Tails immediately let out a gasp and pulled his face out from the seat cushion, sitting back properly this time.

“Yuck! Phoo! Phoo!” he spat and wiped his mouth.

“Now, you look like you’ve been crying.” Amy sprayed the spot his head at talked into and began to continue cleaning while he composed himself.

His two tails wrapped up around him as he attempted to hide himself and appear smaller. “It’s awful! I’ll never be able to show myself around Zooey again! Or any girl for that matter.”

“I’m a girl, Tails.” Amy unamusingly pointed out, wiping her table down.

“Well… not really, you’re like a… girl bro.”

She turned around, growling a moment.

“I-I-I mean, you’re the prettiest girl there is! But easy to talk to about things that well… n-normal dude bros can’t–or… don’t… talk about.” he broke out of his little insecure entanglement and waved his hands out in front of himself, before holding himself and leaning back on the couch.

“So, what happened with Zooey?” Amy went back to her chores, going to the dishes and pulling back her wraps around her arms to do so, getting into the bubbly water.

“…I met her friends…”

“And?” Amy didn’t seem to be picking up on what that implied.

“…And… They didn’t like me.”

Amy had just picked up the scrubber when she felt her whole house had collapsed onto her heart. At least, that’s how deep it felt.

“Didn’t…” she turned to look over her shoulder at him. “Like… you? Wh-wah-what do you mean?” she put the dish she was about to scrub back into the sink, giving Tails her full attention.

He turned quiet, his tails barely flopping like they would if he was happy.

The light tap of them made her strangely nervous, and she put the scrubber away, making it splash into the sink as she turned back to him, looking upset.

“Hmph.” She glared off to the side, biting her lip. “So… They don’t like decent men in this world?”

“Heh.” he smiled a moment, but then pulled up his knees and curled himself up again, turning his head away from her, sorrowfully. “To be honest… I don’t think they like her either.”

“What…” Amy put the dish away, her entire face softening as he said that.

“They weren’t exactly friendly or nice to her either.” He looked out the window, tilting his head. “Amy… Why do girls insult each other so much? It doesn’t sound the same when dudes do it. When Sonic or Knuckles tease me, it makes me laugh and I can usually tease them back. Their smiles are different too… But when Zooey and I were talking, her–so called–friends’ smiles looked more like Eggman’s smirking… Zooey got real quiet too as they pulled her away from me… I wanted to reach out and get her away from them but she told me not too…”

“How did she say not too?” Amy, fully invested now in this story, sat down on the couch beside him.

He looked up, watery eyes again, “Please… don’t.” he ducked his head, as though ashamed.

“Like…” Amy leaned in closer, narrowing her eyes for understanding. “Please, don’t? Or Please… Don’t?”

“Is there a difference?” Tails looked up to her, as a new found rage swirled inside of Amy.

“Yes. A big one.” She walked back over to her hammer, picking it up as it was beside the broom. She didn’t even glance at the broom, her own troubles were not as severely crucial to the moment as what she had just heard. “I have a feeling those girls weren’t her friends, Tails.” she turned back to him.

“I think Zooey needs us.”

Worried, Tails got up and followed after her.

It took only a moment for Tails to show Amy the direction the girls ran off too, and once finding them, were appalled to see the girls flinging her own produce at her shop down on her.

They laughed as Zooey sat on the ground, covering her head as she was bombarded with juice spraying everywhere over her. Her shop wasn’t exactly structurally sound either, and when one girl tossed the watermelon, Zooey gasped as it hurt her shoulder and also hit one of the key posts for her roof.

“Ah!” she cried out, as the girls stepped back, seeing the structure come down.

“Tails! Get Zooey and that roof!” Amy cried out, “I’m gonna take care of these… These…” she ground her hammer’s stem into her tight grip around it, making hot heat sear through her hand… but it wasn’t burning lava quite like her eyes looked. “Girls…” she walked with purpose, justice and fury in her quake, and said those words as though a hissful curse.

Tails charged without another thought towards Zooey, “It’s going to be okay!” he comforted her, and flew up to catch the roof. Struggling, it almost looked like he wasn’t enough for the job.

“Tails! Oh no, be careful!” Zooey cried out, turning to look up at him. “Ohh!” more produce fell from their raised shelves as Tails began to find the strength, with the added weight now leveraged from the roof, to lift the shelter up.

“Z-Zooey!” he called down to her, his teeth clenched tightly to keep the roof up. “The beam!”

“Huh? Oh!” Zooey looked up from her cowering, before quickly grabbing the wooden staff that supported the roof and held it in place. “It’s ready, Tails!”

“Grrr…!” Tails squinted his eyes as he used the remaining muscle he had left to lower the roof gently back into place. As he flew down, he ‘phew’d a moment and sat back, breathing hard.

“A… Are you… okay?” He smiled to her.

“Oh, Tails… Tails, that was-! Oh!!” She covered her mouth several times as though too astonished by his feat for words, then wrapped her arms around him in great gratitude.

A blush crossed Tails’s face, before a sly boyish grin took hold and he looked the other way, “O-oh, yeah. It was nothing. I do this kind of stuff all the time. No need to worry about me.” He tried to sound as cool as Sonic, but was beaming from ear to ear with joy at her reaction.

She pulled away then, still looking scared, “I’m sorry I asked you to leave so abruptly. It really wasn’t you, Tails. Honest! I just didn’t want those girls to hurt your feelings…”

“But they were hurting yours!” He quickly sprung to his knees, clasping her hands in his own as she then looked down to the gesture and back up into his passionate eyes. “Zooey, I’m a hero! Y-y-yo-you’re… em, you should tell me if someone’s bullying you!” He opted to not say what he wanted too… but in his heart, he wanted so desperately for her to accept him as ‘her hero’. “If I knew those girls were so vicious towards you, I would have never left your side!”

“O-oh, Tails…” She ducked her head, turning to the side with a smile and blush, but there was still some doubt. “I… I just wanted to protect you.” she turned back to look at him, and in a sweet moment, Tails felt his heart melt into his crushing feelings.

“Zooey…”

“Tails…”

“Zooey…” He leaned forward a little more.

“Tails…” Her eyes drooped a little, leaning closer as well.

                                         “AMMMMYYYY!!!!”

“H-huh?” the two leaned back, away from each other and turned to see the girls shouting out for mercy and getting thrashed about by Amy’s hammer.

“And don’t you forget the name!” Amy shooed them away, then took in a deep breath, “Awhhh~ Awh~ Awh~” Amy suddenly sang, calling out to the forest as suddenly those same critters who she was ushering out–politely–the door before came bounding out the woods and heading straight to the girls.

They screamed and ran as the critters pursued.

Amy scoffed out her nose with a big blare of air, then held her hammer to her side, hitting it to the ground. “I can’t stand women like that. Letting their own cowardly emotions make prey of those sweeter than they are! Hmph! I curse the whole lot of them! When I’m a mother of daughters, I’ll-” she swung her hammer as though lecturing before turning around to see Tails walking up to her, Zooey’s hand in his.

“You’d make a great mother,… Amy.” Tails smiled warmly, his ears bending a bit as he confessed that. “Thank you.” he looked back to Zooey, who stepped forward to be beside him. “Without you, I wouldn’t have known what was really going on, or have saved Zooey in the nick of time.”

“Thank you, Miss Amy.” Zooey bowed a little, “I’m sorry I look this way but…”

“That’s not your fault.” Amy was suddenly horrified that she would apologize for something like that. She moved her hammer to the other hand and offered her own. “Come on, let’s get you all cleaned up. Tails? Mind tinkering with that stall?” Amy gave him a sly look in her eyes.

“Huh? But I don’t… OOOOOHHHHH…. Got’cha.” He winked back to her, seeming to now comprehend. “I’ll uh…” he let Zooey go into Amy’s hands, then staggered back as though a sneakily hiding what the two were planning, and cracked his knuckles out. “Just go get my tools then… Heh heh…” He snickered mischievously and was off like a rocket.

Zooey looked to Amy for an explanation, but Amy just sneered. “Come on, I have to be a good wingwoman now and tell you all the amazing things there are to know about Tails.”

“Oh, I’ve already seen so many amazing things in Miles…” Zooey raised a hand to her heart, blushing down into it. “It’s amazing to even think there could be more.”

Amy’s heart melted with that too, but she laughed and blushed with her, “I know how that feels.” she lightly reminisced about Sonic. “Also, since when does anyone call Tails, Miles?”

“Is that not… his name?” She seemed embarrassed, “I’m so sorry! Tails told me it was a nickname, and Miles does sound awfully…” she paused a moment, looking down to the ground and blushing even more red than before. “Precious…”

“Oh, you’ve got it bad.” Amy began to help her towards her door. “But you got it right, and that’s what’s important.”

“H-huh?” Zooey seemed confused on the context that Amy was implying, but seeing that, Amy just waved it off.

“Nothing. He’s Miles to you and Tails to us. But both are pretty precious friends, if you ask me.”

Later, the girls came back to the stall, all messy and scratched up from the implied critter fiasco.

“You… you… Hey, Vixen!” one of the girls called out to her.

Her tail shook out in her shock, as Zooey had cleaned up but wasn’t expecting them to come back so soon.

But now, Zooey lifted her cart and placed it down on the newly rebuilt shelf on the ground, raised so that people could sample the fruit, and looked mildly more agitated with the girls than before.

“Heh, what makes you think you can pull off that face with us, huh?”

“Yeah!” one of the other girls, still having a raccoon tugging her hair with its teeth as it seemed to be stuck there, “You don’t have your little heroes around this time! What are you gonna do now, huh?”

“I’ll always have my friends, right here with me.” She proudly put her hands to her hips, daring to even close her eyes to show her confidence in the situation.

The strange, new power from her made the girls hesitate a moment, before marching up to continue.

“I wouldn’t do that…~” She slightly chimed, as suddenly the entire stall began to transform and guns, rockets, and canons suddenly emerged from every nook and cranny of the wooden and shoddy stall.

Mechanism began to activate and the roof formed into the upper-half of a giant robot, his arms spread out and then pointing to the girls as though to activate the cannon fire.

The girls’ eyes shrunk.

“Not again.”

The fireworks were glorious.

And as the robot leaned his free hand down to Zooey, she giggled and stepped into it, letting it rise her up to the head.

“Thank you, Tails.”

On his home monitor back at his place, Tails blushed at the controls of the new Security Zooey Safety machine he had invented.

Amy, home again and washing dishes, was amazed to hear another knock at the door.

Opening it, she smiled as Tails wore an apron with a maid’s hat on, holding up a bucket of soapy water and some tools to fix the holes and other such things.

She patted his head, then let him in.

Her home was fixed up in no time, and Tails’s relationship was saved all in the same day~

[lonelypond]

Moonlight Becomes You: Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Ch. 20

NozoEli, NicoMaki, Love Live, Love Live Sunshine, 1.7k, 20/?

Summary: Nozomi and Eli's date is not what Eli...or Nozomi expects at all. And can Nico and Maki have one uninterrupted meal?

What The Hell, Eli?

““Hey I recognize this neighborhood.” Eli sat up, sniffing. She could smell the Russian spices in the air. Nozomi had brought her back to Nozomi’s shop/apartment.

Nozomi giggled.

“This has the best chocolate in LA?”

“No, I picked it up from Jin’s Patissierre before I picked you up.”

“So no restaurant.” Eli felt overdressed and suddenly on the spot. She could feel her neck get prickly.

Nozomi laughed, “I thought we could talk more privately.” Nozomi parked and when Eli didn’t get out of the car walked over to open her door, “Plus, is it my fault all the best places are takeout?”

Eli sat, stiff, arms crossed, “I dressed up.” Eli glanced at Nozomi, “You dressed up.”

“And you look lovely.” Nozomi grinned, “Why can’t we have a date here?”

Eli pouted.

“It really is the best chocolate in LA.” Nozomi sighed, “I will drive you home or to any restaurant you want, if you really want that.” Nozomi crouched, her green eyes worried, “You just seemed like you needed to talk about something. And I wanted you to feel safe. You trust me don’t you?”

Eli heard Nico’s voice in her head, “You trusted Nico. Trust Eli.”

Nozomi stood, about to close the car door. Eli put out her hand. “I do like chocolate.”

“So I heard.” Nozomi stepped back, “We can watch a movie or something. You don’t have to talk, if you don’t want to.”

“Okay.” Eli got out of the car, Nozomi giving her space.

And then Eli felt herself being grabbed in a strong, warm hug, Nozomi’s voice soft in her ear. “But when you want to talk...”

###

Booksmart was a good choice, Nozomi thought. Eli was relaxing, the chocolate had been a hit. And now that the final credits had rolled, there was opportunity to get to know Eli better.

Eli stretched and turned to Nozomi with a smile, “That was a relief.”

“How?” Nozomi leaned in. Her couch was more of a love seat so there wasn’t much space between them. She’d sat first and let Eli choose between joining her or the beanbag chair.

Eli chuckled, “Usually when I’m watching a movie it’s for the podcast so Nico keeps up a running commentary.”

“Nico huh,” Nozomi poked Eli in the ribs, “I remember hearing your voice on those podcasts.”

Eli blushed, “Well, I have gotten used to keeping up with Nico.”

‘I guess you can get used to anything.”

Eli’s face darkened for a second, but then she smiled brightly, “So did you like the movie?”

“You heard me laughing.”

“Yeah. It was pretty good. Can’t imagine things like that happening.”

“Didn’t you go to parties in high school?”

“No.”

Nozomi’s smile was wry, “Me neither. But I bet Mari partied like that.”

“Yeah, I think that was actually the weirdest party I’ve been to…” Eli shrugged, “Nico drags me to some, but they’re premieres so more red carpet, less dance on the pool table in some fancy mansion.”

“But you dance so well.”

Eli blushed again, ducking her head, but then staring into Nozomi’s eyes, “Any chocolate left?”

“So you’re only here for the chocolate?”

Eli shook her head.

“How about some tea too. I picked up some from next door I thought you might like.”

“Ooohh, that sounds good.”

Nozomi stood up, ready to bustle in the kitchen, and Eli glanced at her phone.

“Expecting a call.” Nozomi couldn’t help the disappointment.

“No, no.” Eli bounced up, “Just curious how Nico’s date is going.” Eli paused, “I’ve kind of been in the way and I feel bad.”

“So you want it to go well.”

“Nico deserves someone who appreciates her.”

“Don’t you?”

“It’s different when a person’s in love with you.”

Nozomi had her back turned as she measured out tea, “Which you know from experience?”

A pained laugh, “No. I guess actually that’s the romantic in me coming out, thinking it’s better if you’re in love. I wouldn’t know. Haven’t dated since college. Got dumped.”

Nozomi turned to take a long, appreciative look at Eli, “They weren’t into super hot blonde dance goddesses? Because, spoiler, I am.”

Cute girls blushing was pretty much everything that was right in the universe, especially right here on Nozomi’s home. Eli seemed to be getting more restless though, pacing, rubbing her forehead…

“Getting a headache?”

“Yeah. It happens sometimes.” Eli flumped onto Nozomi’s couch, frowning as she leaned her head into her hands, muttering to herself.

“Need aspirin or…”

“No.” Eli shook herself, “Maybe the tea will help?”

“Here you go.” Nozomi poured a steady stream into the cup but Eli’s hands on the saucer were shaky, not graceful. And then the saucer dropped, spilling tea everywhere and Eli pitched forward, curled up in a ball on the ground.

“Eli?” Nozomi was on her knees, reaching out to Eli.

“Call Nico.” Eli’s eyes were wide and panicked, her mouth clamped down on what Nozomi was sure were whimpers.

###

"So Nico was sprinting through the airport chasing this driver for someone named Nik Yazik, while Nico’s actual driver was chasing after me, while Nik Yazik was chasing after her...”

Laughing, Nico leaned forward, sparkling, ruby eyes burnished and bright, strawberry lips carved into a smile, and Maki had never been happier. So, of course, that’s when Rin’s business emergency ringtone went off.

Nico frowned.

“Sorry, Nico. That’s our emergency ringtone. I’ll be as quick as I can.” Maki pulled out her phone.

Nico nodded, taking the opportunity to steal a bite of Maki’s dessert.

“What’s the matter, Rin...yes, Nico’s here with me, why…”

Nico froze in mid chew.

“What did you say...Eli?...okay, okay…”

Nico grabbed Maki’s phone out of her hand, “What happened to Eli?”

“Huh...Oh, Nico! Hi, Nico! Maki thinks you’re really cute. How’s your date going?”

Nico gritted out each word, “What happened to Eli?”

“This Nozomi person wouldn’t say, just that Eli was at her place and said to call you. Sounded like she was in some kind of trouble. Do I need to call the cops?”

“DON”T CALL THE COPS!” Everyone in the restaurant was now looking at Nico, who grimaced, tossed Maki’s phone back at her, “We have to go. NOW.” Nico waved at Mama Gianelli, “Put it on Nico’s tab.”

Mama Gianelli nodded, “Take care of Eli.”

“Nico always does.”

And now they were sprint walking toward where the cars were and Nico was keeping up a constant flow of commentary, “I knew there was going to be trouble....Eli just can’t cope….how much of a disaster lesbian do you have to be....stupid Eli wrecking Nico’s....” Nico stopped and Maki ran into her, causing both of them to stumble down the sidewalk. Fortunately, Nico managed to stay on her feet.

“Maki.” Turning, Nico had Maki’s hands, “I’m so sorry. But....”

“Eli’s family.” Maki finished Nico’s sentence, grinning as Nico’s eyes widened and a smile replaced the grumpy wrinkled frown.

Nico grabbed Maki in a huge hug that made Maki grunt as the air escaped her torso. When Nico released her Maki decided they were taking her car. “Nico, I’m driving. You’re too emotional.”

###

Nozomi dealt the cards, pushing away the wet nose that kept pushing into her hands to be petted.

“Let’s see what the cards have to say about your future now.”

The creature that had finished where Eli started sat next to Nozomi, watching the cards as she dealt them out face down on the low table and then flipped them. Nozomi could feel the intelligence so she just explained like she would if the Eli she started the afternoon with were sitting next to her.

“Four of Cups, reversed.” Nozomi turned to the angular, almost foxlike face, somehow different from her first encounter with four legged Eli, a difference more than lighting. “Are you ready to be brave?”

The reply was a sharp yip.

“Good girl.” Nozomi turned over the next card, “Queen of Swords. Reversed. Someone hasn’t been the best influence on you.”

No response.

“And finally, The Star.” Nozomi giggled, “It looks like you, well, non furry you. Blonde and strong and focused.”

Eli barked.

Nozomi reshuffled. “Sometimes, there’s some more information needed so we have one more card.” Nozomi revealed the Two Of Pentacles, a lively fellow with a pentacle in each hand. “This means balance, Eli. It’s a good sign.”

Nozomi considered the array of cards she’d drawn. Eli had obviously had a strong female influence in her life who wasn’t supportive and made Eli wary of new connections, but by reaching out Eli could have a bright future, with happiness and balance.

“Who hurt you, Eli? Was it Nico?”

Eli cocked her head at Nozomi, bright blue eyes confused. Nozomi reached out a careful hand, wondering if she could touch Eli’s ears, but the creature shied away. This was why Kanan and Yoshiko had dragged Eli down to the beach. But what were they up to? Did they transform as well? Some of the Yoshiko-Yohane confusion would make more sense then. Nozomi was going to have a serious talk with Hanamaru as soon as Eli was safe and restored to what Nozomi suspected was her native form.

Frantic banging on the door downstairs, and Nico’s voice carrying through the open window. “Hey, open up, Eli, where are you?”

Eli recognized Nico’s voice and howled. Nozomi hurried downstairs, Eli carefully following, sniffing everything in reach of her nose, even if they were the same things she’d sniffed on her way upstairs.

Nozomi opened the door, Nico rushed past her, Maki stepping in with a polite nod. As soon as Eli noticed Maki, there was a throaty gekkering noise and Nico frowned.

“We talked about this Eli. Maki is not a threat.”

Maki took a step back, leaning against the archway, watching Nico.

Nico was staring at Eli, who was still sniffing her way around the room.

“Three?” Nico muttered, turning to confront Nozomi, “What did you do?”

“A Tarot reading.”

“Did that give her extra tails?”

“When she changed…” Nozomi was not going to forget that scene anytime soon, “this is how she looked.”

Nico dropped to the floor, legs crossed, “What the hell, Eli? What are you doing?” Eli, responding to her name, trotted up to Nico, nudging at her.

“I might know people who can help.” Nozomi’s voice attracted Eli’s attention back to her, and Nozomi knelt to pet the friendliest of her visitors.

Nico sighed. “Kanan, right?”

“And Yoshiko.”

Nico rolled her eyes, “Oh this’ll be fun. Another party.” She facepalmed, muttering. Maki began to look concerned and stepped forward, kneeling to hug Nico.

“Call ‘em,” Nico said through her fingers, “Call any damn body who might know what’s going on.”

A/N: Tired, but here you go. Take care.

[ndanya-qiri-ffxiv]

Ends and Beginnings

A tale to flesh out some backstory for Danya, but moreso for her and Mahji’s sister, Tensa. I have a whole plot rolling around in my head that I need to trya nd launch. 

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

She shouldn’t have helped him. It had always been too risky. She’d put his life and the life of that godsdamned Wolf ahead of her own. C’ndanya balled her hands into fists at the thought of it. The idiot had come back to the very jungle he’d been banished from! To hunt! Her lip curls with disdain the longer she things about it - but nothing could be done now. The pair had escaped, and she hadn’t been found out. 

For a few weeks, at least. 

Then the whispers began. Danya led the hunting party the wrong way. There were no tracks found the way we went - only the way we looped back. By the time we found the tracks, they were days old. She supported a traitor and his whore over her own flesh and blood. 

Which is why she’d made preparations to leave and then had followed through. She’d find Mahji and drag him back by his tail if she had to. She understood why he had acted the way he had, had done the things he’d done, but he’d made her life a living hell for it. He’d stand for his judgment and she’d clear her own name… theoretically.

She was picking her way through the forest as silently as she could, carrying only the bare minimums - her spear and some supplies to make camp. 

A snapping branch in the near distance made her stop in her tracks. She perked her ears forward and stared hard in the direction that the snap had come from. She’d left at dusk, just as the guards and scouts had changed rotations - she shouldn’t be encountering anyone at all. Seconds stretched to a full minute until she heard something else - something too close to avoid, a crashing that signified someone running through the underbrush. 

She turned to face the sound but was too late. Qiri burst from the underbrush and had her by the throat with one hand before she could react in any way that mattered. She grabbed at his wrist as he drove her back against a tree with a feral growl, full of violence and intent. She tried to kick him, but he positioned himself just so her flailing did nothing more than annoy him. 

“I shouldn’t be surprised that the second twin is as traitorous as the first. You spit upon the gifts bestowed to you, the generosity of the tribe! You were to be High Priestess, a beacon to guide them. Your morals are lacking.” He squeezed her throat slowly and she grunted and gasped in pain and surprise. “You will not escape your judgment like he did.” 

She dug her nails into his forearm as hard as she could. It was all she could do. She’s tall and fit - but he was taller and fitter, a mountain compared to her. Already she was unable to draw enough of a breath in.. The worst part was the smile - he looked satisfied with her suffering. 

Then, Danya saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Desperate, she snapped her gaze to it immediately, which tipped Qiri as well. He threw her to the side and whirled, just in time to see C’bharra lunge at him with a long, wicked knife extended. The nunh avoided the worst of the blow, knocking the blade to the side. He earned a deep laceration into his flank for his trouble, but avoided a stabbing.

“How dare you,” he snarled, before reaching out to try to grab Bharra by the arm. She slipped away from him and paced just out of reach, lowering herself down, ready to pounce, “I should have made an example of you when you stepped in to save the boy. He didn’t deserve the mercy.” 

“He is my son, Qiri, and Danya is my daughter. They are yours as well.” 

“I’ve sired many children,” he snapped back, slipping his spear off his back and stalking toward her. “But only two of them were traitors.” 

“The only traitor is --” Bharra’s comeback is cut short as she is forced to parry away a forward thrust from the nunh’s spear. Danya remained crumbled on her side near the edge of the clearing. She held her throat and gasped for breath desperately.

The nunh and her mother perform their dangerous dance in front of her. Bharra was small and lithe, but Qiri had reach and strength. Each thrust and swing of Qiri’s lance gained him ground, and the tide appeared to steadily turn to Qiri’s favor. 

Then, he made a mistake. He took too much of a step forward, over extended on one of his swings. Bharra ducked under it and lunged forward, knife held low and ready. She thrust it forward and it looked like it would land cleanly in his belly. 

Until Qiri dropped his elbow down hard against her temple and she dropped to the ground with a cry of pain. The blade still connected with his belly, but without the force behind it to actually bury into him. He was wounded, but not critically. With a growl, he pulled his lance back and raised it up before slamming the butt of it into Bharra’s gut, forcing her breath out of her. 

“Mama!” Danya managed to gasp, trying to get to her feet. She froze when Qiri turned the spear around and pointed the bladed end against Bharra’s belly. 

“How did you know where to find me?” He inquired, voice unnaturally calm. His eyes never left Danya.

“Tensa is not a subtle child,” Bharra managed to say through gasps for breath. “Less so when you are spotted carrying her away to help you with your twisted mission. Isn’t that right, dear?” 

Bharra turned to look to the edge of the clearing and Danya followed her gaze. Tucked away against a tree was her younger sister, leaning heavily on her staff as she always did. She was smaller than the rest of the women her age, frail and weak, constantly short of breath. She earned her keep - and Qiri’s grace - by being a wealth of information and a skilled, albeit slow, healer. 

“Tensa,” the heartbreak in Danya’s voice was too much for the younger woman to handle, and she looked away. 

“Mm.” Was the only response from the nunh. He finally tore his eyes away from Danya, focused them back on Bharra. “You always were more trouble than you were worth, High Priestess. A shame you were gored by a boar this eve.” 

Without another word he drove the spear head into the downed woman’s belly and twisted. In unison Bharra and Danya screamed, both a wail of pain - one physical, one emotional. Danya finally forced herself to her feet.

“Mama..!”

“Run, Danya..!” Came Bharra’s response, forced through gritted teeth and tears. 

There was a moment where time slowed down. Tears freely welled in Danya’s eyes and she felt frozen in place - until she felt Qiri’s gaze on her. Then the words registered, and the fear outweighed the grief, and she turned and ran. She crashed through the underbrush with abandon. She didn’t stop to think or to plot a course - she ran. She ran for what felt like hours, as many miles are her legs could carry her. 

She only stopped when she literally collapsed. She was well out of the territory of the Coeurls, nearly out of the main part of the jungle itself. She laid where she fell and made no attempt to move, and there she grieved for hours. 

-----------

Qiri had made no attempt to follow Danya. He chose to let her flee, though he stood stock still, radiating rage and frustration. Tensa was keenly aware of it and did her best to stay quiet and still at the tree line. The nunh continued to stare into the forest for long moments before Tensa couldn’t help herself and coughed quietly, covering her mouth with one hand. 

His gaze flicked to her immediately and her ears wilted back. He looked down to Bharra next, but she had lost consciousness - and would soon perish - from the wound to her belly. He sighed sharply through his nose and approached her, kneeling down beside her, holding one arm out to her. He seemed unconcerned with his wounds, and she dared not mention them.

“Come. We return home. She escaped, but now none of them will be a thorn in our sides.” His voice was eerily calm, in stark contrast to the fire she saw still burning in his eyes. Tensa simply nodded to him and stepped forward into his waiting embrace. He scooped her up, cradled her against his chest, and then turned to walk back to the village. 

She shifted the staff around to her back and let it dangle there from the belt that held it in place. She wrapped her arms around Qiri’s neck and they traveled in silence. The resolution of the conflict tonight was bittersweet. Danya escaped, but Bharra was dead - but there was a great pit of guilt that had formed in her belly for celebrating such a fact. Bharra had favored her siblings, but had loved her all the same. 

Danya and Mahji, too, had loved her.

But they had left her behind. Left her to the devices and the cruelties of the other younglings. The priestesses who mocked her and laughed at her, and the Tias who insulted her and spurned her. None would help her when she struggled, not even with things that were normally done in groups. 

Except for Qiri. He had always had a soft spot for her. Cared for her and encouraged her. Gave her opportunities that she otherwise wouldn’t have had. 

And yet… 

Her reverie was snapped when she found herself being put down gently outside the tribe’s shrine to Azeyma, which was inside a small but well-kept building in the center of the village. She smiled tentatively at Qiri, who smiled back.

“You did well, Tensa,” he says, reaching up to gently tussle her hair. “Your faith and loyalty to the Coeurls will be rewarded. This, I assure you.” 

Tensa nodded to him and he turned to leave. She watched him make his way over to a pair of scouts, heard him speak with convincing concern about Bharra - at which point, she turned away and made her way into the shrine building. She couldn’t bear to listen to him.

She shut and latched the door behind her and leaned her staff against the wall near it. She then turned and limped her way around the small room, lighting the candles one by one. Even such basic movements took her time and caused her to breathe just a little more labored. A task that should take but a few minutes took her nearly fifteen. When she finished, she lowered herself to kneel in front of the hand-crafted statuette of Azeyma that acted as the shrine’s centerpiece.

She was quiet for a few long moments, eyes fixated on the ground and ears wilted back against her hair. 

“Azeyma,” she finally said, her voice quiet and respectful, “One of Your daughters is lost and afraid. I fear I am full of hate and anger. I celebrated as my siblings were hunted. I do not mourn for my now-dead mother. I feel no regret.” 

She fell silent then, and her ears wilted back further against her hair. Saying it out loud made it so much worse.  She waited for a response. A stirring of the wind. A whisper of advice. Anything. 

“Please,” she pleaded, voice wavering, “Please, I need Your guidance. I have been alone for so long. Have I not been a dedicated daughter? Have I not prayed enough? Followed Your word..?” 

She fell silent again. She waited. She waited, and she grew more stricken. Tears welled up in her eyes and flowed freely down her cheeks. 

“Why won’t You answer..? How am I to know the way if --” 

“Has that selfish witch ever answered you? Or any of the rest of your tribe, for that matter?” The voice was smooth and gentle and came from behind. Tensa turned to look. She knew she had locked the door behind her, and it hadn’t been opened. 

The voice belonged to a woman - she was tall and strikingly beautiful. Her hair was a fiery red and her eyes brilliant gold. She positively glowed there by the door - but every now and again, it was like her form flickered, and there was darkness around the edges. Tensa watched her warily, but didn’t feel particularly threatened.

“No, I mean it,” the woman continued, striding closer to the shrine and to Tensa, “Not disrespectfully, mind you. Factually. Has she ever answered you or yours? I don’t believe so, and -” 

“Who are you?” Tensa asked as firmly as she could manage.

“Hmm? Oh, oh, of course. Well, my name isn’t important - not right now. What is important, though, is that I am the guardian spirit and local deity that does care about you and yours. I bless your hunts and your raiding parties. I help your Nunhs stay strong. I guide your shaman and your priestesses.” She ticked off all her duties on her fingers as she spoke, though Tensa looked skeptical. 

“You do not give your name, and I do not know it. How am I to believe your word?” 

The entity is silent after Tensa’s question. She hummed to herself, pondered it. “Do you recall,” she began, with a gentle affection in her voice and a smile to match, “When you were young, and you were picking herbs in the forest alone? They had sent you with a guard, but he’d wandered off to do whatever it is he did. You were cornered by an angry boar, yes?” 

The young Coeurl stared at the woman a moment before she nodded. She was clearly unnerved.

“None came to save you. You couldn’t run fast enough or shout loud enough. But the boar was deterred either way. Charged you and then stopped. Squealed and ran off into the woods again.” She nodded as she spoke, and Tensa nodded along. The woman smiled brightly and motioned at herself. “That is thanks to me. And do you know why I chose to save you?” 

Tensa shook her head meekly. The woman’s smile only broadened and she approached the frail young woman again, now right next to her. She knelt down beside her. “Because your faith is pure in a setting where you would be forgiven to lose it. Because you are strong in the face of frailty. Because you do not stop fighting. A shame that Azeyma has not seen fit to reward you for that.” 

The Coeurl’s ears wilted back at that and she looked back to the statuette of Azeyma that she had prayed at every day since she was old enough to do so. Her faith had been unbroken and unwavering. She finally cleared her throat. “We were all born with challenges laid out before us. We must navigate the path that She set before us and --” 

“What challenges did your siblings have?” The woman asked firmly but not unkindly. “What true challenges did Mahji face? Danya? The wrath and anger of the Nunhs? Have you not suffered the same, mm? But therein lies the difference. Mahji was blessed with strength and athleticism. Danya was blessed with powerful aether and the mind and imagination to use it to her fullest potential. There is a reason they were feared and loathed.” 

The woman fell silent and let her words settle. She saw the tears begin to shine in Tensa’s eyes again, but didn’t push. Not yet. The Coeurl sniffled but sat up straight. She did not speak. The woman tried not to smile.

“And then Mahji was banished after picking a fight he knew he could not win. When he returned, it was with another woman from another tribe. What a punishment! He even met with Danya - and she helped him escape. I don’t doubt he put it into her mind to leave as well. But did either of them come to rescue Tensa? They said they loved you, but where were they?” 

The woman leaned forward, reaching out to stroke the back of her hand gently down Tensa’s cheek, loving and affectionate. 

“They left you behind. All alone. At the mercy of the Coeurls.” 

She let silence fall over them again. Only the wind blowing through the jungle and distant voices reached them for a few long moments. Eventually, Tensa spoke. Her voice was full of bitterness and anger.

“Yes. They left me behind,” she said, her words deliberate and slow as always, with generous pauses to catch her breath as needed. “I have always been an afterthought. A burden. To my mother. To them. Even if they did love me, I was weight they could not carry. What of it? What would you have me do? I walk the path Azeyma has given me.” 

This time, the woman heard the cynicism in Tensa’s voice. The faith was cracked. It’s all she could do not to break into a grin, to drop the facade. “I would give you a gift. I would ease your burdens - soothe your frailty, strengthen your aether, grant you the ability to stand on your own and command respect. I ask only that you place your faith in me and I will reward you in ways you cannot yet imagine.” 

Tensa studied the other woman. She was strikingly beautiful. Her aether burned bright and strong. But every now and again, there was that flicker of darkness around the edges. There was danger here - but her bitterness and hurt and anger was strong. 

“And what is the name of the woman that I am to put my faith into?” She asked again.

“Azaervia,” came the immediate response, and the candles in the room flickered. Tensa felt power in that name. “You must renounce Azeyma, and claim me as your deity. You need fear nothing, little one.” 

There was a beat of hesitation, a flicker of suspicion on the Coeurl’s face, before she spoke with confidence fueled by her anger and spite, “No longer shall I worship Azeyma or all that she stands for. This night, I renounce her, and swear my faith to Azaervia.” 

“That was perfect, my dear,” purred the woman as she reached out to take Tensa’s hands in her own. “Now, close your eyes. Relax. Let me grant you the gift I have promised you.” 

The candles flickered around them again and the air felt suddenly stale, but what was done was done. Tensa let Azaervia take her hands and nodded at her words. With a deep, steadying breath, she closed her eyes and waited. 

There was another shift in the aether - one of the few things that Tensa was incredibly sensitive to. In that moment she felt a downburst of wind and knew the candles were blown out. The aether remained strong - but now it was incredibly so, and dark as night. Her eyes shot open and locked on Azaervia, who smiled wickedly back.

The woman was still strikingly beautiful - but was clearly no goddess. A pair of dangerous looking horns curled back from her forehead, settling over braided hair. Her eyes were a deep, unnatural purple. She had a pair of leathery wings folded tight to her back, and a long, whip-like tail. “I told you to keep your eyes closed, little one. Tensa of the Coeurls, you have placed your faith in me. Now, reap your rewards and accept your gift.” 

Tensa was frozen in place. She couldn't scream. She felt the magic that held her in place but could do nothing to fight it. Azaervia seemed to grow blurry for a moment and then burst into a cloud of thick, dark smoke. The smoke swirled around the Coeurl for a moment before it forced its way into her open mouth and up into her nose. 

She felt like she was choking but could not cough. The choking turned to suffocation as the smoke filled her lungs, and then her belly. There was a moment or two where she was sure she would die, and tears rolled freely down her face. Then she felt the smoke disperse - felt it started to spread through her body, a shock of cold that ran through her veins from the tip of her ears all the way to the tip of her tail. When it ended, she was left gasping for air and collapsed forward onto hands and knees. She shivered uncontrollably and coughed violently. She felt Azaerzia there. In her head. In her body. 

The effects were felt immediately as well. Once her coughing fit ended, she could breathe easier. Her limbs did not feel as heavy or as clumsy. She felt a stronger and more open connection to her aether. She felt relief and excitement - and then felt immediate guilt for feeling it. Azaerzia chuckled, a disconnected, eerie sound that was as if it were one of her own thoughts and not a separate voice. 

‘You will gain more strength in the coming days. I cannot repair all the damage, so you will never be cured - not physically. But your magical prowess will be unmatched, I assure you. I am not a woman who makes my promises lightly.’

Azaerzia hummed for a moment, and then spoke again.

‘The first order of business will be earning you the title of High Priestess, yes? Let’s get some rest, little one. I will help you realize your potential in the morning.’

[sammyspreadyourwings]

For that propmpt list thing: "“19. There’s so much blood." Whoever you want to choose but I'm partial to Roger and Brian (and your Brian whump is great sooo)

19) There’s so much blood

I’m glad you’re enjoying my stuff. Sorry, it took so long to get this out.

Circa, 1781 (probably, eh they’re super famous rn)

Side note, more Brian whump but in a different style than how I’ve written every other piece!

Roger is riding high on the adrenaline from the concert. He barely has the focus to stop for a few autographs with fans along the rope line. All he wants to do is get Brian between his legs when they get back to the hotel room and celebrate. Brian grabs his arm harshly. He’s yanked back in surprise and he turns to snap at Brian to ask what the big idea.

It happens in slow motion.

As much as he hates clichés it’s the only description that fits. His eyes flit up to Brian’s face who’s staring worriedly into the crowd opposite of them. Then a man slips under the rope and rushes forward. The momentum from Brian’s tug sends Roger sprawling back. Roger winces as he lands awkwardly on his wrist.

Everything speeds up. He hears John’s confused statement, a sharp gasp from the fans and the man taking off with security tailing him. Roger shoves himself up and over to Brian. His heart is in his throat despite not knowing what happened. He ducks under Brian’s arm and sucks in hair when he sees darkening fabric.

It doesn’t seem like the fans noticed anything beyond some guy breaking the rope line. Brian’s face is quickly paling. Roger knows they need to go, and to cause as little seen as possible. He straightens with Brian’s arm around him to make it more like his giving comfort than supporting his weight.

“Freddie, John! Let’s go before someone else tries something.”

John seems to pick up on the stress in his voice. Roger watches John push at Freddie’s elbow which is enough to get the singer moving again. Freddie looks at him confused and Roger shakes his head and tilts it towards the waiting car. As they walk Brian lets out soft grunts of pain. Once they’re far enough away from paparazzi and fans, Roger slots his hand over where he saw the fabric darkening.

He gags at the sticky feeling.

John supports Brian from the back as Roger climbs in first. He looks worried but is just as confused as Freddie about Roger’s insistence that they move. Brian climbs in clumsily and his eyes are sagging. Roger presses his hand harder against the spot. Both John and Freddie climb in, Freddie taking the front as usual and John squishing in between the door and Brian.

The second the door is closed Roger let’s out a sigh of relief.

“We need to go to the hospital.”

He sees the driver peer through the review mirror and nods in acknowledgment. Meanwhile, both John and Freddie are staring at him as though he’s lost his mind. John reaches over so that his hand is over Roger’s and his eyes widen.

“Shit.”

“Keep pressure,” Roger orders.

As soon as John’s hand is steady on the wound Roger reaches up and cups Brian’s head in his hands.

“I think he may have gotten stabbed by that fan,” he hears John explain.

That makes sense. Roger is surprised his mind didn’t immediately make that connection.

Hazel eyes are glossy, but they’re trying to focus on Roger, “Brian, hey.”

He sees the lips move as though Brian’s attempting to speak. Roger nods.

“That’s it, just pay attention to me, sweetheart. There you go.”

Roger isn’t sure what he’s saying, but words tumble out of his mouth just to keep Brian’s attention. He’s not sure if falling asleep is a bad thing with blood loss, but he’s calmer with Brian at least aware of what’s going on.

“There’s so much blood,” John mutters.

His heart jumps into his throat. He glances down and sees that blood is lazily leaking through both hands that John has on Brian’s abdomen. He vaguely recalls that means a vein or artery was hit. Not a surprise considering it’s in the torso, but Roger’s panic spikes.

“Only a couple more minutes until we’re at the hospital,” Freddie calls back.

“Just hang on. Okay, Brian. Just keep staring at me. That’s it, love.”

“Could do that for the rest of my life,” Brian whispers, dazed, “you’re so pretty.”

Roger does roll his eyes. Even in the grips of blood loss, Brian is still a sweetheart. Although the slurring in his voice is alarming.

He nearly falls off the seat when the car slides to a stop. Roger hears Freddie say something like he’s going to go get someone. John’s cursing is steadily growing worse. Brian’s eyes are staying closed for a longer amount of time. He panics and tugs sharply on a curl, he barely gets a reaction.

“No, Bri. Brian. Don’t sleep. Don’t do that. Come on, love. Listen to me. Please listen to me.”

John steps out to let a nurse into the car. Roger folds himself over Brian’s body in panic when he feels the nurse attempt to slide Brian out of the car. Conversation flows over his head, but then someone is wrapping their arms around his chest and pulling him in the opposite direction of Brian. He kicks and squirms but the arms manage to keep him away while Brian is loaded onto the stretcher.

Roger dimly realizes that it’s Freddie that’s holding him. He forgets how strong the singer is. Once he’s calmed down enough, Freddie sets him back on the ground and he sags into John’s arms. John to his credit barely stumbles and cradles him.

He’s also not sure how they get into the waiting room, because his legs aren’t working and also Freddie must have sweet-talked someone into giving them a private room because Roger doesn’t feel anyone’s eyes on him. John hasn’t let him go yet, and the blood is starting to dry and crust on his hands.

It makes them itchy, but he knows that he can’t stand.

Freddie returns with a warm cloth and starts swiping at his palm. The singer is speaking, but there’s a buzzing in his ears making it impossible for him to understand what’s being said. It’s like a record skip of Brian’s breathing growing weaker. He hopes that the knife missed Brian’s lungs, but he doesn’t know what else it would’ve hit instead. Intestines? That would increase the risk for infection, and considering Brian already has a weakened immune system.

John’s arms get uncomfortably tight. Roger flicks his eyes to John and understands that it was the bassist way of making sure that he doesn’t fall into another panic attack. Freddie picks up one of John’s hand and starts wiping away the blood. Brian’s blood. Christ, there was a lot.

Roger wonders with morbid curiosity how much he lost.

They sit in the waiting room, he couldn’t tell you for how long, just watching people trickle in and out of the uncomfortable seats. His logical mind was telling him that they had to take Brian to surgery and they’re more focused on fixing him than comforting the family, but the emotional part of his mind that watched Brian’s eyes roll into the back of his head at the last second is telling him that the staff is just stalling so they don’t have to tell Queen that their guitarist is dead.

John doesn’t let him go, and Roger is grateful.

Eventually, a soft knock stirs them all from their anxiety. Roger glances over the doctor, the man is older, maybe in his fifties and his posture is neutral. He can’t figure out what news he’s about to be told. His fingers dig into John’s arm as the forearm tightens around his stomach.

“Well,” the doctor says, “the surgery was successful in repairing the artery. Mr. May is in recovery now. He lost a lot of blood, were able to replace it. He’s on a round of IV antibiotics because the weapon did perforate his intestine. He will make a full recovery.”

He sags against John.

“I’ll have a nurse take you up to his recovery room. Mr. May will be waking up within the next hour or so.”

Roger wants to hug this doctor, “thank you.”

He nods, “someone upstairs will go over this with you, but make sure that he refrains from strenuous activity and rests frequently. His stitches will be examined in two weeks for removal.”

He feels the weight lift from his shoulders. Roger wants to collapse but he wants to see Brian first.

The nurse takes them up to the new room, babbling excitedly about how she got to meet Queen. It’s endearing but also Roger is annoyed by the chatter because he wants people to be professional when dealing with Brian. Thankfully, Freddie is still playing up his frontman persona and is able to take the brunt of the girl’s attention.

Roger lets out another long breath when they finally reach Brian’s room. He rushes to his side and picks up Brian’s hand on the bedsheet. There’s no reaction, not that he expected on and he raises the palm to his lips.

“Wake up soon, dearest.”

[im-fairly-whitty]

Hermanos: Coco Villain!au -- Part 2

Several weeks have passed since part 1, and after there was time to cool off everyone felt bad about the fight. Teto for getting over emotional, Iria for hardly being the diplomat she knows she could have been, and Ruy for the growing feeling of discomfort that maybe he did the wrong thing.

Shortly after Teto and Jasmine leave, Iria and Ruy have their first real argument as Iria tries to talk about the fact that Ruy’s maybe still hiding from issues that he should be addressing instead. Ruy gets reflexively defensive and then pleading, trying to convince her that everything’s alright since he’s afraid that she’ll leave him if he’s not good enough. 

They both come out of the conversation ruffled, realizing that there really is a lot of work for them to both do in order for them to really have a happy ending. Iria is confident that they can work through it, especially after bouncing ideas off of Teban, but Ruy is silently terrified that maybe he won’t be able to get better, since this seems to be the same set of problems they had when they broke up all those years ago 

But this time, whether Ruy realizes it or not, he’s got more than half a century more of determination and experience than he did last time. This time he’s decided he’s really going to try to make things better. This time he isn’t going to run away. At least not yet.

(The following takes place in the Land of the Dead. Teto POV written by me, Ruy POV written by @slusheeduck .)

Part 2

Well, at least it wasn’t the house.

Ruy teetered slightly as he looked up at the smart, neat home, swallowing as he suddenly doubted his already-not-great idea. He looked at the door, then shook his head and turned to walk away--only to be stopped by a muzzle knocking forcefully into his ribcage.

“Ay, all right! All right!” Ruy huffed as he rubbed Caprice’s nose, and he could practically hear actual words in her knicker and whistle: Do it. You know you have to. Don’t be a chicken about it.

He gave her a quiet whine, but she merely nudged him again. So, with a deep breath, he resigned himself to the lion’s den as he turned and knocked on the door, quietly praying that no one would be home.

“Ay, I’m not done with the page yet.” Teto said absently, picking Canela up by the scruff, lifting her off the top on his book and setting her on his shoulder, “Wait till I’m done.”

The softly glowing squirrel chattered back at him, but sulkily curled around his neck vertebrae, her fluffy tail making an impromptu fuchsia and lime scarf. He smiled to himself as he finished the last paragraphs, feeling the eager tension in her tiny body as his fingertip traced to the bottom of the page.

“Alright.” he said.

In a blur of light she zipped down his arm, scrabbling at the paper with her tiny hands until the page had been successfully (though somewhat haphazardly) turned. She jumped to the top of the book, already perched and ready as he began tracing his finger down the paper again, letting her track his progress.

He stifled a grin at her tense anticipation. It was probably the slowest possible way to read a book, but it was certainly the most entertaining.

He looked up as he heard a knock at the door. Canela squeaked indignantly, trying to tug his finger back to the page.

“Hold on Nela, gotta get the door.” he said, offering his hand for her to scurry up his arm and perch on his shoulder.

He stood, cracking his back to the left and right before sighing and walking toward the door. Jasmine hadn’t told him to be expecting anyone, but Matty had said he’d come by sometime that week to look over some of the charity’s annual goals.

Teto twisted the handle and swung the door open.

And stared.

Ruy crossed his arms as no one came to the door immediately. There. No one was home. He’d tried. Better go back to the other side and try some other…

“Mierda,” he hissed to himself as the door opened, then looked up at Teto as he stood in the doorway. His hand automatically went to grip his left arm, and he suddenly wished he hadn’t left his poncho with Miguel. It was easier to hide beneath five feet of wool.

For a long moment, he stood in silence, until Caprice whinnied and nudged his ribs again. “Quit it!” He shut his jaw with a clack as he looked up at Teto again, then puffed out a quick breath.

“I…’msorrythingsgotbadwhenyouvisitedokaybye,” he yammered out, then quickly turned to leave before Caprice stopped him. “Preese, come on!” She didn’t move, and he whined as he turned back around to face Teto.

“What?” Teto asked, blinking.

Ruy grimaced. “I’m...sorry that things got bad. When you visited.” He let out a breath and shrugged. “So...there. I’m sorry.”

Teto stood in the doorway, hand still on the knob. Canela crouched by his chin as they both watched Ruy fidget.

“Why?” Teto asked.

Ruy blinked. “‘Why?’ You don’t ask ‘why’ with an apology.”

Teto kept his expression flat, raising a brow ridge.

Ruy grit his teeth. Of course he wasn’t going to make this easy on him. He sucked in a breath and let it out.

“I’m sorry that I got so defensive. Even though you came to my house unannounced and--” Caprice gave a few warning clicks, and Ruy shut his mouth with a click before he took a breath and amended, “And I should have behaved better than I did. Especially after the past few months.”

Teto folded his arms, Canela darting to his other shoulder as he leaned against the doorframe.

“I didn’t ask what you were sorry for Rodrigo,” he said, “I want to know why you’re sorry about it. Is it because your...girl-...wif-...because Iria told you to be sorry?”

Ruy immediately stiffened at the mention of Iria, then slouched and scowled at the question. “No.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m sorry because I don’t like being like that, and I’m trying to be better. Even to bootli--” He stopped himself. “Even to my brother.”

Teto was silent as he looked at Rodrigo, taking his time to try and figure out how to respond. Jasmine wasn’t home, meaning that whatever he did there would be no support or damage control. He had never considered this possibility and it was leaving him at a loss for words.

Canela looked up at him, the long tufts on the tips of her ears brushing his chin. She flicked her tail and darted down his side to the ground, making her way over to Rodrigo in the jolting bounds that was her version of walking slowly.

Teto nearly called her back, but decided to wait and see what happened. Even before she was an alebrije she was much too fast to catch, and she’d always been an excellent judge of character. Canela’s last hop took her right to the edge of Rodrigo’s shoe and she stared up at him, tiny nose twitching as she put her two tiny front paws on the edge of his shoe.

Ruy was just debating throwing up his hands and going back to the ferry--with or without Caprice’s approval--the longer Teto stayed silent, but his eyes automatically followed the multi-colored blur that ran down Teto’s front. He blinked as she reached the ground and took a few hops toward him, staying very still as she got closer. Even with the current circumstances, even with whose alebrije she was, he couldn’t stop the little smile that twitched at his mouth as she set her little paws on his shoe.

“Hola, ardillita,” he said softly, automatically reaching his hand down toward her. “You working as Teto’s lie detector?”

Canela bumped her nose against his outstretched hand, and then ducked under it, choosing instead to climb up his pant leg and shirt until she was perched on his shoulder.

She sniffed his hair, quickly finding his braid and tugging at it.

Ruy grinned as the squirrel bumped her nose against his hand, then let out a bright, surprised laugh as she darted up his side and began sniffing at his hair. He grinned as he reached up to gently rub her head with one finger, then glanced up at Teto.

“So does this mean I passed the lie detector test?” he asked, trying to keep his voice flat but failing as the alebrije tugged on his braid.

Teto sighed, letting the door stand open as he lowered himself to sit on the step, resting his chin on one hand. “It would probably be more accurate to say you passed the test of not having any food in your pockets. Her name’s Canela, eleven-year-old me though naming her after the churros Coco used to make us as kids was the best possible choice.”

“Canela, Canelita,” Ruy crooned softly at her, chancing a gentle, whole-body stroke. He frowned as he processed the rest of Teto’s sentence. “Eleven? Is that when you found her?”

“Si.” Teto said, adjusting his glasses a little, mostly just to do something with his hand, “She was just a baby, her back leg was all mangled when I found her, I had to chase off Pepita. But I got her patched up in my bedroom and by the time she was better she didn’t want to go.”

Ruy’s frown deepened as he rubbed Canela’s head again. “You kept a squirrel in your room? How did none of us find out? How did Mama not find out?”

“The one perk to having no one ever pay you any attention.” Teto said a little wryly, “I do remember you yelling at me for throwing Pepita out once though. She’d gotten the door open and I panicked when I found her ready to jump up a bookcase to get Canela so I threw her out of my room and slammed the door. You had some choice words if I recall correctly.”

Despite his earlier plan of being composed and an adult in this encounter with his brother, a small pout escaped Ruy. “If you’d told me you were hiding a squirrel, I wouldn’t’ve been so mad.” He patted Canela again. “Though I still might have been mad about you being mean to Pepita. It wasn’t really her fault she lived in a place that wasn’t suited for her; I did everything I could to keep her occupied.”

“I know, I was glad you did, it made keeping Canela safer.” Teto said, “I guess I could have told you, but at first it was a secret, and then after a year or two it was too much of...I don’t know, a personal secret. I didn’t want anyone else to know about her I guess, she made me happy and I guess I was afraid someone else knowing would ruin it.” he rubbed his forehead, “Ridiculous, I know.”

Canela arched her back into Ruy’s hand as he petted her, then twitched her tail and looked down the front of his shirt, stretching herself as long as she could to try and reach his shirt pocket, apparently not wanting to move her back until her front was inside the juuuust out of reach pocket.

Ruy gave a wry smile at that. “Mm, not as ridiculous as you think.” He glanced down as Canela reached down toward his pocket, then offered his hand up as a bridge between shoulder and pocket. “Here, might be easier.” He smiled, then looked up at Teto. “But I definitely would have been nicer to you if there was a squirrel in the bargain.”

“Missed opportunity I guess.” Teto said, watching Canela use Rodrigo’s hand and stuff herself into his shirt pocket, her long glowing tail hanging out like a puffy handkerchief as she poked her head out to look at them all smugly. “Believe it or not, she actually made it all the way till a few months before I shipped out to Germany.”

Ruy laughed as Canela scrambled around his pocket before poking her little face out, and he rubbed the very top of her head with a “Felicidades.” He looked up as Teto spoke, expression softening. “You got to be there for her whole life?”

“Just about.” Teto said, smiling fondly, “I was terrified I’d have to leave her behind when I enlisted. She was so old by then and there wasn’t anyone I could trust to leave her with. But it all ended up working out anyway.”

Teto watched Canela close her eyes in victorious satisfaction, snuggling down a bit more in the pocket.

“Well, she’s not going anywhere for awhile.” Teto said, working up his nerve as he got a frankly dangerous idea.

It was so strange to be talking with Rodrigo like this, no anger, just curious interest. Something he’d only ever imagined since they were kids.

“Would, uh, I don’t suppose you’d like to come in and have something to drink?” Teto offered, scratching the back of his head and bracing himself. “At least until Canela decides to give you back your pocket.”

Ruy’s hand had automatically found its way to Caprice’s muzzle as Teto spoke about spending Canela’s last few days together, a quiet apology for not being there for hers; on cue, she gave a few chirps before headbutting him gently. He leaned back against her, smiling a bit as Canela snuggled more comfortably into his pocket.

He looked up with wide eyes as Teto actually invited him in. He froze up. “No,” he said automatically, then shook his head. “Um. To the drink. I don’t...uh, I don’t do that anymore. But...yeah, I’ll....I’ll come in. For a bit.”

If Ruy still had a heart, it’d be hammering in his ribcage. This was...scary. Sure, Teto’s alebrije liked him plenty, but everything they’d said had just been small talk. If Teto decided to go at him again, he didn’t have anyone who could come to his defense this time--well, unless Caprice figured out how to talk in the next five minutes.

  Teto snorted as he pushed himself to his feet, “For heaven’s sake Rodrigo, it’s only ten in the morning, I was talking about coffee, not hard liquor. Congratulations on quitting though, I remember giving up smoking, it was awful, but worth it.”

He pushed the door open, leading the way inside the house toward the kitchen before he could talk himself out of it. If Ruy had come all this way then maybe they had a chance of really talking.

“Eh, not that much worth it. You’re still dead, aren’t you?” Ruy joked with a nervous smile, then cleared his throat. “But, uh, but wow. I didn’t even know you smoked. What’d I do to earn two secrets from you?”

As Teto walked inside, Ruy turned and gave a three-note whistle, nodding for Caprice to follow them in.

“It wasn’t really a-” Teto stopped, looking back as Rodrigo’s huge alebrije started toward the doorway.

He started to say something, but shut his mouth before it got out, turning his words into an uncomfortable hum, hypersensitive to how much he didn’t want to break this miraculous ceasefire. Jasmine would not be pleased to have a horse on her wooden floors, spirit-guide or not. She barely even tolerated Canela darting across the countertops.

Ruy automatically froze up as Teto turned back around. He automatically reached up just as Caprice set her head on his shoulder, eyes wide as he waited for the inevitable “No.” He wouldn’t be able to do this without Preese. Even if things felt fine now, there was a good chance that it’d all go to hell, and Ruy could not handle being alone for that.

He stayed absolutely still until Teto let out a non-committal hum, browbone furrowing, and he swallowed. “Please, Teto,” he finally pleaded, voice soft. “I need her just as much as you need Canela.”

“Is she...good? Indoors?” Teto asked reluctantly, weighing his wife’s future wrath against his brother’s current discomfort. “I swear it’s nothing personal, it’s just that I barely get away with having a squirrel indoors here.”

Ruy stroked Caprice’s muzzle as he nodded. “She stays in my apartment. Even when it was a wreck, she never fell or stepped on anything she wasn’t supposed to. I mean, except me, but usually that was because I did something stupid.”

Caprice gave a whinny that almost sounded like a laugh, then turned her gaze on Teto, softly glowing crest raising curiously as she waited for his response.

Teto smiled, biting back a joke about heartily approving of his horse’s methods. They probably weren’t on safe enough grounds for that kind of humor yet.

“Alright, as long as she’s careful.” he said, continuing his way to the kitchen, forcing himself to let go of the anxiety. Jasmine would understand, this was too good an opportunity to mess up now. “So, was she a bird or a horse when you were alive?”

Caprice gave a whistle in reply, stepping gracefully into the house and carefully keeping right in the middle of the hallway to avoid hitting anything. Ruy kept a hand on her neck, instantly relaxing now that Caprice was in with him.

“A horse. Do you, ah...do you remember that time I stole a horse? When I was...ah, around twenty, twenty-one? My plus-one at that year’s charity gala?” He patted her side. “This is her--a little more colorful, but not much really.”

Teto did remember, he remembered very clearly in fact, having been called in from an important business dinner across town for the family emergency. Papa had dragged Rodrigo to a back room and directed Teto to handle figuring out where the horse had come from, and to make sure that it got back before anyone noticed hard enough to sue.

“That’s the horse you stole?” Teto said, pausing to look at the alebrije, Rodrigo had called her Caprice.

He’d taken the horse himself, never having been one to shy away from handling animals and wanting to keep things as quiet as possible by doing the job right the first time himself. He’d spent all evening with the horse in a side pen on some family land while he made calls to try and track down its owner.

The longer he’d searched though, the less determined he’d become, seeing what terrible condition the animal was in when he took a break to feed her while waiting for some of his people to call back with leads.

Wherever Rodrigo had gotten her from, she sure didn’t look like she was going to have a good time when she got back. Underfed, ungroomed, several medical issues and even what looked like signs of abuse.

Teto had spent some time silently stroking her nose before going back into his office and making some new calls. Calls to a veterinarian and a horse rancher of good character on the other side of Mexico where the stolen horse would never be looked for again.

“How on earth did you soul-bond with a horse you only knew for an hour?” Teto asked, approaching Caprice with a carefully outstretched hand, eagerly looking her over with new eyes. He’d always wondered what had happened to her.

Ruy laughed. “You think Preese would let me ride her if she’d only known me for an hour?” He glanced up curiously as Teto outstretched his hand. Caprice flared her nostrils, but then knelt her head forward to bump her nose against his hand.

Ruy half-smiled, patting her neck again before he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “I, uh...after my debut, I kinda...skipped town for a bit. On foot. Not my best idea. But I wound up stumbling on a horse ranch just outside the city and saw Preese, and I just...I felt a connection with her, you know?” He smiled as Caprice turned her head, bumping her nose against his skull. “So I visited her just about every day. Brought her treats sometimes. Tried to figure out a way to buy her and keep her in my crappy little apartment in Mexico City.

“Kept promising and promising I’d spring her when I got the chance.” He shrugged, watching as she turned back to impatiently nudge Teto into petting her again. “Then I caught wind of the gala Mama and Papa were throwing--and that I was actually barred from entering the venue.” He gave a soft, dry laugh. “If I was genuinely disowned now, I figured I might as well go down riding off into the sunset...well, it would’ve been sunrise, but you get what I mean. And I might as well have Preese as my loyal steed.”

He went quiet for a moment, running his hand down Caprice’s neck a few times. “She wasn’t at the ranch next time I visited. I never found out what happened; I mean, it’s not like she can tell me.” His jaw clenched, and he gave her neck a pat. “But whatever happened, we’re together now.” He forced out a strained laugh. “But she’s not having me ride her ever again if she can help it.”

Teto smiled as Caprice kept nudging him for attention. So she did remember him then. He held her huge head, firmly stroking up her forehead, his fingers gliding over her feathers.

“You look so much better.” he smiled, feeling a real glow of satisfaction, “I sent her to a guest ranch in Sonora.” he said, continuing to stroke her face, bending to look closer at her magnificent feathery crest. “Papa dumped her on me and told me to get her back to wherever you’d found her, but she was in such bad shape I got her a vet instead and found someone who could give her an easy time after what she’d been through. Her reward for being a part of a Rivera family scandal I guess.”

He chuckled as he gently lifted one of the feathers in her crest to get a closer look at it, it must have been at least three feet long, “I don’t think I ever told Papa come to think of it, I guess whoever her owner was didn't recognize her picture in the papers the next day. And just look at you now, you’re beautiful, I’d love to know where you picked up these gorgeous feathers, Nena.”

Ruy’s face slackened in shock as Teto spoke so candidly about getting Caprice off to somewhere safe after the party. He swallowed, then looked up at Caprice. “En...en serio? That’s where you ended up?”

Caprice, patiently letting Teto examine her feathers, gave a few chitters in response before pawing at the ground (very gently), then knelt her head down to let Teto take a closer look.

Ruy shifted; if it were anyone, anyone, else, he wouldn’t hesitate in launching himself at them in a tight hug full of grateful words and headpats and compliments. With Teto, though...well, even if he was more grateful than words could say, he didn’t think that kind of display would be appreciated.

“Thank you,” he said softly, leaning against Caprice. “En serio, Teto, thank you so much. I…” He blinked. He was not going to cry in front of his brother, especially not because Teto did something nice. He swallowed hard--funny how a throat could still get tight when there was no throat there--and rubbed Caprice’s side. “I was always...I was so scared of what happened to her. Thank you for making…” His voice broke. He was not going to cry. “...for getting her everything she needed.”

Teto looked up from Caprice, surprised to see his brother actually tearing up. His stroke down the alebrije’s neck slowed.

“De nada, it wasn’t like I could just send her back to that kind of place, could I?” he looked back at her, a wry smile coming to his face, “You know, if I knew you were hiding a horse I probably would have been nicer to you.”

Ruy gave a short, rough laugh at that, still recovering from the immense wave of relief from learning Caprice’s fate. He looked up, just catching an unmistakably smug look on her face before she nuzzled Teto’s shoulder. He gave another laugh, giving the bottom of his eye sockets a quick swipe with his fingertips. “If you haven’t noticed, her way of thanking people is to demand attention from them. Pobre S...ah, one of my friends still gets his ribs rattled by her if he doesn’t give her a good enough hello.”

Teto smiled, gladly stroking her neck. People were always so complicated, but not animals. He always knew what to do around them at least.

“Well, she deserves it.” he said, “And at least now if Jasmine catches us I have a good backstory to distract her with.”

Ruy smiled, then glanced down at Canela, still huddled in his shirt pocket. He brushed the top of her head lightly, as if to assure that she hadn’t been forgotten. His smile faded as he kept petting her, a realization dawning on him.

“Kinda terrible, isn’t it?” he said after a moment. “We might’ve gotten along better if we didn’t need to hide them while we were alive.”

“I guess there was a whole lot of hiding going on in our family.” Teto said, his smile fading.

Ruy’s jaw set as he stared hard at nothing in particular, hand dropping away from his pocket. “That’s practically all we did.” His eyes flicked up to Teto. “When we weren’t trying to earn Papa’s love, at least.”

Teto sighed, long and tired. “I honestly think I only stayed sane because I was overlooked so much. I just made my own little world when I was a kid, and then later Jasmine and I made our own world together with our family. It...couldn’t have been easy to be under the spotlight all the time like you were.”

Ruy blinked, eyes wide enough they threatened to fall out of his skull as he looked up at Teto. Was he...sympathizing? Seriously? Serious, stoic Teto was actually admitting that maybe Ruy had actually had a hard time?

Ruy blinked several times, trying to process that information and suddenly very worried that this was some sort of horrible, alcohol-induced dream. That was about the only time something like this would have been possible months ago.

He swallowed hard as he rested his eyes on Teto. Then, voice tight with some emotion he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to name just yet, he asked, “Didn’t you say you were gonna make some coffee?”

“I did indeed.” Teto said, patting Caprice one more time before leading the way into the kitchen, stepping behind the bar counter and busying himself with opening and closing cabinets.

Being honest was one of his core values, something he always stuck to, but being emotionally open was an entirely different ball game. He could be sure of how Jasmine would respond when he...emoted...but anyone else always made him uncomfortable and unsure. He had no idea how Ruy might react if he tried going beyond just being honest, and he didn’t want to mess things up. Much safer to hide behind coffee for the time being.

“Jasmine’s our caffeine addict.” Teto said, keeping the conversation safely shallow as he pulled out a tin of their most expensive brand and setting it on the counter by the coffee maker. “I’m not too attached to it myself, but being married to her has made me something of an expert in the different brands just by association.”

Ruy tilted his head curiously at Teto’s explanation. Without so much as a word of notice, he slipped into the kitchen and picked up the tin to look at it curiously. He gave a low whistle.

“Que sofisticado, you weren’t kidding,” he hummed as he rolled the tin over to look at the back. “Most of mine comes from university students, so...eh, not nearly so fancy. Does wonders for a hangover, though.” He set the tin down as he looked at the very elaborate coffeemaker. “You, uh, you know how to use that?”

Teto chuckled, swapping out the filter and adding the coffee grounds and water in almost one motion before punching in a well worn pattern of buttons on the machine. “Trust me, making your wife coffee for several decades gets you to the point of being able to do it in your sleep. It was always the worst when she was expecting, she would crave all these ridiculous combinations that I’d have to make her at any hour of the night. No cup is beyond my skill.”

“Mm.” Despite the completely bizarre situation he was in, Ruy’s mind drifted back to Iria. What would he have done if she’d been expecting while they were together? Would have been that patient?

God, he hoped he would have.

He quickly grabbed the coffee can and looked over it with a renewed, vehement interest. “Wow, from Ethiopia. She’s definitely a coffee lover.” Stupid. But at least it turned his thoughts away from reviewing everything he’d missed in life for the hundredth time.

“Mmmmhmmm.” Teto said, leaning back against the counter, folding his arms, “I’ve still got business connections that have lasted from back in the land of the living, I enjoy being able to get her what she wants, not just what she needs. She’s what keeps me together.”

He scratched the back of his head. He could talk about Jasmine forever, but he was probably starting to stray toward emotional again. If Rodrigo went there first he could follow, that was probably the best plan. Until that happened though, even small talk was an amazing victory to be valued.

Ruy shifted his weight back and forth, tugging at his braid. “Yeah, yeah. It’s the same thing for me with Rita.” He grimaced. “Well, most of the time. When I don’t…” Ruin everything.

He bit back the end of that sentence, then quickly turned around. “So, uh, where are your mugs? I’m guessing you’ve got everything organized like crazy here.”

“‘A house of order’ and all that.” Teto said, pulling out a set of mugs from a cupboard and sliding one across the counter toward Rodrigo, “When did you two meet anyway? Is she from New York?” he said casually, praying this was an alright question.

He had to learn more about Rodrigo somehow, and his...whatever she was...could be a good place to start. If he could talk about Jasmine for ages, maybe Rodrigo was the same for Iria. Maybe.

Well, this was exactly where he hadn’t wanted the conversation to go. He tugged harder on his braid, staying quieter longer than he probably should have.

“She’s Maldonian, actually, but we, uh...yeah, we met in New York. One of those awful patron galas--it was so much like the ones Papa used to do I almost didn’t go altogether--but I’m glad I went to this one.” He shifted his weight again. “It’s, uh, it’s a really long story. And I think the coffee’s just about done, so there’s no point in starting that,” he said, voice just a little too clipped and quick.

Teto looked at the coffee maker, which he knew still had a couple minutes to go. Rodrigo wanted to back off the topic, which was fine. He knew next to nothing about her, but after seeing their matching tempers a few weeks ago...not to mention her undetermined relationship status...it wasn’t hard at all to imagine that there could be problems they were having.

“Well, whatever it was, I’m sure it was more romantic than our first meeting.” he said, brain working frantically to find another topic, one not related to significant others, “We were set up on a blind date, we called off the date once we both arrived, and then spent several hours barely talking to each other while eating at the same table. Life works in mysterious ways.” he picked up his mug from the counter for the sake of doing something. “How are Enrique and Miguel doing? I’ve only seen them a few times, but Miguel’s practically unrecognizable, it’s phenomenal.”

Ruy stiffened as Teto talked about how in love he and his wife were. Ordinarily, Ruy would be completely floored at the thought of Teto getting married for love instead of just treating it like some...chess game or whatever. But...well, the very last thing he wanted to hear about was about a happy couple.

He perked up as Teto shifted the conversation to Miguel and Enrique. “Oh, si si si, the kid’s doing great. He talks my ear off every time I visit. See?” He smiled a bit as he pointed to where his ear would have been. “You know he was a musician? I know he strummed a little bit with Papa, but all of us did that at some point. He’s got a good ear, though; I’ve caught him messing around at my piano. I think it’s helping.”

He tugged at his braid again. “Quique’s doing all right. I don’t think he’ll be okay until his wife turns up; he misses her more than anything else. But he’s finally sleeping; that’s big for him. He had a worse time than...well, than I did with that whole thing.”

“I’m glad they’re both recovering.” Teto said, suddenly awash with topics to not say out loud.

Like that Enrique still treated him like an enemy, that Miguel at least seemed to trust him still somehow, that he’d always thought something was wrong with Miguel but had never been able to investigate properly with Papa looming over him constantly. So many red flags he’d ignored for so long. It was far beyond shameful.

He nearly opted for talking about how waiting for Jasmine had been, that he could relate to Enrique, but veered away from it sharply.

The coffee machine beeped.

“Fantastic.” he said, quickly going to it, “I mean, not Enrique having a hard time, just...Miguel being better...and the coffee.”

He poured the coffee into his own cup, reaching over to do the same for Rodrigo’s.

Canela shifted in Ruy’s pocket, opening her eyes at the smell and poking her head farther out to get a better look.

“Do not let her drink any.” Teto warned, “We’ve only just finished repairing the mess she made the last time she got ahold of caffeine.”

Ruy smiled as he looked up at Teto. "Letting your alebrije get into caffeine?" He tutted as he shook his head. "And you were always the responsible brother." He sipped at his cup carefully, tilting his head as Canela tried to poke her face in, then leaned against the counter. "Maybe, uh, maybe he could come visit you? You've got a pretty big family and I think he misses that. Plus you've got a nephew around his age, si?" He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand as he added a mumbled, "I could bring him. Let Quique be alone for a bit."

"It's not so much a matter of letting her in, but keeping her out." Teto said, watching Canela aggressively shove her tiny head against Ruy's chin, scrabbling at the edge of the mug as he angled it away from her. He leaned against the counter, raising a brow ridge at Rodrigo's offer, "And I'd love to get Miguel around here more, I always hated seeing him glued to Papa, he needs to be around more kids his age. Luckily we don't have too many dead family members his age, Marco would have been perfect, but there's still plenty of family who are eager to love him." He took a sip of his drink and then set it on the counter, tapping the ceramic handle. "The only problem is that Enrique is so understandably jumpy that he won’t let anyone even look at them, he thinks the whole land of the dead was on Papa's side, he doesn't realize that it was really only our parents...and Coco I guess." He shook his head, trying not to dwell, "But we'd all love to help them both and if Enrique stays seized up it's not going to let Miguel recover any better. You're really the only one he seems to trust, what do you think we can do? I think with your help we could actually have a real shot at helping them both recover."

A pained look crossed Ruy's face at Coco's name, and he took another quick drink of coffee to dispel /that/ train of thought. He was having enough of a time dealing with one sibling, he didn't need to think about any of the others just yet.

"Like I said, Quique's going to need time. I don't know if he'll ever be able to come to terms with...any of what happened." He looked up at Teto over the rim of his cup. "But like I said, I...I could bring Miguel. Promise to keep an eye on him...though it'll probably take a long talk and explaining why I'm suddenly willing to associate with bootlickers." His jaw clicked shut as the word left his mouth, and he sent an apologetic look up at Teto. "Ah, no offense meant, Teto."

Teto chuckled, shrugging at Ruy's apologetic look, "Don't worry about it, it's hard to get offended at slurs that went out of date seventy years ago. It's like a black and white film cursing you out, my own teenagers did far worse than that."

And Ruy had actually apologized for it. Mostly. Teto wasn't about to punish that. "I think that could be an excellent first step though. With your help we can get Miguel around loving family again and loosened up. Also, Jasmine and I have also tracked down some of the best therapists we can find, I'm not sure Enrique has started either of them in therapy yet, but they both need it desperately. Maybe you could suggest it next time you see them? I think it would go over much better if it was your idea." Teto rolled his eyes at the ceiling before taking another sip, "I mean honestly we all need therapy after this. Jasmine keeps pestering me to make our next appointment already."

Ruy winced at the mention of therapy. He'd heard Teban whisper about it to Iria a few times while he'd been there, but...ay could he just have some time to recover first? They all needed that before ripping open fresh wounds. "Maybe. I'll see how he's doing," he mumbled before taking another sip. He tapped against his mug, bones clinking out a small tune, then looked up at Teto as a thought struck him. "What...do you need therapy for? I mean, aside from our parents being...from what they did. I think the only one more stable than you was Coco."

"Have you never been before?" Teto asked, looking up at Ruy, well, it would certainly explain a lot. "I'm probably only stable /because/ of therapy. My son Nicolas had some struggles when he was a teenager so he started seeing a therapist, when I saw how much it helped him Jasmine convinced me to start seeing a counselor of my own for a bit. I was able to let go of a lot of things, it made me a better parent." Teto tapped at the counter, making a small whistling noise to try to get Canela to stop trying to get into Ruy's cup. "Then when Jasmine died we went to couples counseling for a few months since we'd been apart for seven years just to help things go smoothly while we got back together. Which is pretty standard I think for couples here, helps you reconcile the time you had apart and everything." Teto opened a cupboard, getting out a small packet of peanuts and reaching over to split it open on the counter near Ruy, finally getting Canela to zip down and start rifling through them instead of bugging his brother. "So I guess by now it just feels natural. It's good to have someone from the outside with a level head to help you untangle your own thoughts and figure out how to handle things. It's too easy to get snarled in emotion and broken thought processes when you're dumped in something you can’t handle, I'd be a mess if I hadn't gotten counseling. I think everyone could use it sometimes to be honest."

Ruy squinted down at his cup as Teto spoke. Part of him, of course, wanted to argue that he'd made a jab about Ruy's own mental state and that he didn't need a therapist, thanks, he'd rather just enjoy the new (metaphorical) life in front of him rather than go back to all the times he'd been hurt. But considering he could hear at least Seba and Iria (and Caprice's knicker) in his head telling him that was stupid, he figured it best to hold his tongue there, instead making a vague noise of agreement before taking another drink and figuring out a better conversation path. "You were always smart about stuff like that," was what came out, followed by, "I kind of hated you for it. I mean, I hated you for a lot of things, but being able to keep your head under control was one of the big ones."

Teto paused at the backhanded compliment, trying to untangle how he was supposed to react to it. "Well, I guess I just don't think most things are worth getting very worked up over." he said, shrugging. "Most of the time I'd rather just hole up with a book alone than deal with drama anyway, makes me useless at parties."

Ruy stopped mid-drink, shaking his head and pointing at Teto as he swallowed. "Drama is only at Mama and Papa's parties. Mine are completely drama-free," he said with a smile.

Teto squinted at Ruy with a doubtful smile, “You’re telling me you’ve never had the police called or a fight break out or especially loud music at any of your parties before?”

Ruy waved a hand. "Loud music is necessary, and the police are basically best friends with me by now!" He stared up at Teto as he added very seriously, "But there is no fighting. That rule's set in stone."

He shrugged as he finished the rest of his coffee. "En serio, the most drama is when a freshie comes and gets a little, ah, overwhelmed. But I always take care of it...well, if I can get to them before they leave."

Teto snorted at Ruy’s comment about being friends with police. He was sure they were /very/ familiar with each other. His seriousness about the no fighting rule surprised him a little, but in a good way. It was funny to imagine Ruy as directing anything, even his own party, but he was a conductor, so maybe not. “You help new arrivals?” Teto asked, pushing his empty mug to the side and reaching out to stroke a finger down Canela’s back as she ate a peanut, turning it back and forth in her tiny paws as she attacked it, “That explains how you helped Enrique so well I guess.”

Ruy's browridge rose at Teto actually laughed at his joke, and he smiled a bit before tapping on his empty mug. "Some of them, if I can. I figure if they're showing up to one of my parties so soon after dying, they need some help getting adjusted." 

He shrugged. "It backfires sometimes. I mean, obviously I'm not the best option for getting settled, and, ah, sometimes people get the wrong signals. But it's found me some great friends." He looked up. "That's how I met Seba. He's the one who was yelling at the police the night everything happened." He half-smiled. "I think you'd like him, actually. He's so serious."

"That's right, the one in the hat." Teto said, nodding, "I think he was the one to call me some especially exciting /modern/ names when he saw me at the police station. He seemed to have his head on straight though, if he hadn't raised the alarm at exactly the right time we would never have gotten this mess sorted out. And here I thought you were allergic to serious people." Teto smiled.

"That's really decent of you to be willing to get involved like that though," Teto said, gently tapping Canela's head until she finished her peanut and grabbed his finger to make him stop, glaring at him for his teasing, "I have trouble convincing myself to get tangled up in other people's trouble, but there's a lot of people out there that just need someone to be their friend. That's a real talent, being a friend, it's one you've had ever since we were children."

Ruy couldn't help his grin as Teto mentioned Seba swearing at him, though it dropped to a curious look as he continued.  

"Really?" The surprise in his voice /probably/ made him sound sarcastic, but it was genuine. After all, this is the brother that'd called him selfish most of his life; he'd been sure that kind of compliment was impossible for Teto.

"Well sure," Teto shrugged, cupping his hand to let Canela curl up in it, her long tail falling over the side. "I mean you're a disaster, but people have always liked you anyway. You should have seen how many people tried to show up to your funeral, they weren't all just fans, there were dozens of people who swore they were best friends with you. "People don't trek across the world to mourn someone who didn't matter. I have no idea how you do it, but whatever it is you do, you seem to really manage to make people feel welcome and needed. Your police station friend alone was certainly ready to pull someone apart for you if needed." Of course there was a downside to that, making friends with so many people inevitably attracted bad influences, but it was a grudging realization that had stuck with Teto ever since the funeral. Often wondering why that skill hadn't quite seemed to stick with family instead of only friends.

Ruy fell silent, letting Teto's words turn in his head for several long seconds as he stared down at his cup. Finally, he swallowed and shook his head. "I don't know either," he murmured. "I just...I like people. I like how messy and imperfect and passionate we all are--even after death when you'd think we'd all have it together. And sometimes you find people and you just...you're in perfect harmony, you know? And the more people you find like that, it's like...you're building an orchestra. So I seek them out wherever I can." He gave a little laugh as he leaned against the counter again. "Dios, that sounded like a sappy interview clip." He shrugged.  "But I do mean it. And I think our family helped with that. Everything always had to look so perfect." His jaw clenched slightly. "I think any bit of that human messiness died with that de la Cruz man."

 Teto listened thoughtfully, Ruy always had been the poetical one, he'd forgotten how well he could phrase something lyrically when he got pensive. He sighed, resting his chin on his un-squirreled hand as he leaned against the counter. He'd wondered about that man himself several times in the last few months. "You know, maybe that first death was so messy that they felt like they had to compensate the rest of their lives. Maybe that was why things were so miserable." He stroked Canela with his thumb, "But we still had plenty of "human messiness" though, I mean, remember whenever Mama Mari came to visit? Didn't get any messier or more human than that."

Ruy clenched his jaw. "I don't know. I have a hard time imagining them as anything but obsessed with perfection and their image." He stood up straight as Teto mentioned Mama Mari, and he let out a laugh loud enough to startle Caprice in the doorway, then he leaned over to turn Teto's face toward him. "No, no no, mi corazon. It's Abuelita, not Mama Mari," he said, pitching his voice in an approximate imitation of their grandmother. He laughed again as he let go of Teto's face. "Dios mio, I hated her. You did, too, I remember."

Teto half gagged, barely needing to fake any part of it as the memories of their overbearing grandmother came rushing back, but also startled at Rodrigo having actually touched him, actually joking with him. "Whoa, whoa, you can't just spring that one me," he laughed, waving a hand, "I swear my whole childhood just flashed before my eyes, I can't do another one of that witch's visits again. "I swear my greatest accomplishment was getting successful enough to be out of country whenever she tried to visit. I remember both of us hiding at the top of the stairs to get away from her, those truces were one of the only times we always got along I think."

Ruy laughed. "Remember the time we hid in the attic for /hours/ to keep away from her? You kept shushing me to keep Mama from finding us." He grinned. "And you never sacrificed me like Matty did. He shoved me at the piano that time she turned up without any warning. I played for hours, and she kept patting my hair and babytalking at me about how I'd be a great musician just like my papa." He pulled a face. "At the very least, being the black sheep meant I never had to deal with her post-death."

Teto grinned, "Well someone had to get you to shut up if you wanted to stay safe. That was the one time I was glad I didn't know anything about music, I was nearly invisible after the first hour if I stayed out of sight." Teto reached up to Canela where she'd scrambled up to the top of his head in panic at Ruy's sudden laugh, but she chattered back at him, probably annoyed at no longer being the center of attention. "And that's right, you probably haven't seen her in decades have you? She's just as awful as ever, I'll tell you that much."

Ruy giggled as Canela chattered angrily at him. "Lo siento, Canelita, lo siento. I didn't mean to upset you," he assured, then shook his head. "Did you hear about the time she showed up at one of my concerts? I think I can pinpoint that as the night I started drinking tequila more than water."

Teto grimaced, "I hadn't heard about that one, but I'm imagining her invading the stage halfway for some reason? "And honestly I can't blame you, I probably went through a pack a day whenever she invited herself to stay over to "spoil her great grandchildren." I'm just glad she was gone by the time Adrian was born, she would have been intolerable if she'd had another musical descendant to fawn over."  

Ruy laughed. "Not quite, but I wouldn't have been surprised if she had. It was...after my debut, but before I became..." He waved his hand vaguely in front of himself. "...like this. It was a concert of Rossini's pieces, and to this day I can't perform anything by Rossini or I get in a panic. The performance goes well, we leave, and as I step out from the back I just hear 'Rodriiiiiigo!' "Before I can do anything she's grabbing me like a lifeline, all 'Mijo I knew you were talented!' and 'But why didn't you perform? You play beautifully, Rodrigo, you shouldn't be so shy!' and of course the papers heard her from a mile away. So she got interviewed, all while holding on to me like I was her lifeline." He laughed as he shook his head. "It was like her visits but ten times worse. And she was having the time of her life." He laughed again, letting out a sigh as he leaned back against the counter. "I can't tell you what they actually wrote; that was the second time I ever got blackout drunk. I wouldn't be surprised if those interviews wound up on the ofrenda."

“Now that sounds miserable.” Teto said, grimacing, “Were you...alright? I mean...obviously things didn’t turn out well by the end but...” He paused, the old old question he’d had for decades pushing its way out despite his better sense. Talking about your death wasn’t nearly as taboo as a living person might think, more like discussing a long past fairly unfortunate event than anything, but it still felt surreal to be talking normally with Rodrigo. “I mean, after you left, after you went off the deep end, it was really hard to keep track of what you were doing outside of sensationalist headlines. I tried to for a while, tried to track what was happening to you, but then the stress got too much for me and Jasmine made me stop for my own health. “So when we got the call that you’d finally died it took me weeks to try and track down what had happened. But everyone you’d known was extraordinarily tight-lipped. Not even money could get them to budge when I sent people asking around about what had really happened the night you went off the bridge. Or even the weeks before.” Teto rubbed his forehead, sighing as old memories of long transcontinental flights and stacks of forensic files and sleepless nights came back to him. “I had to make sure that nothing...had happened to you, like, someone coming after you. Foul play. But I could never find anything like that, you were just...dead. I understand if it’s not a question you want, I’ll back off if you say so, but I have to ask Rodrigo, was...was it /really/ an accident that night? Did you really just black out that night or...?”

Ruy watched Teto with serious brown eyes as he fumbled through to his question, brow ridge raising when Teto mentioned his friends refusing to tell him what had happened but otherwise keeping his face composed. When the question finally came, he let out a long breath through his nasal cavity. "Are you wondering if I was murdered or if it was a suicide?" he asked evenly.

“Yes.” Teto said, relieved to have the beating around the bush done with, “I'm sorry, Jasmine would probably tell me to be more delicate, I know. But it’s been keeping me up at night for decades now. “On the one hand there weren’t any signs of tampering with the car, but you were also known for having an incredible alcohol tolerance. From what I could tell there was something that went worse in those last months so it could have been you passing even your own limits, making it an accident, but I know if I had been in your place I would have killed myself, there was far too much pressure on you to survive. So I’m stuck, I couldn’t figure it out.” Teto could tell he was getting too eager as he laid out the puzzle pieces he’d collected and held onto for ages, pulling them out to share them with Rodrigo. Everyone always said he got too deep into his puzzles, that he got too analytical, but he’d thought about this one way too long not to try and finally get the answer. He looked up at his little brother, trying to brace himself for the likely disappointment of Rodrigo brushing him off instead.

 Ruy crossed his arms, starting to puff out his cheeks but remembering that he didn't have skin here. He looked up at the ceiling. "There was a while I thought it might've been a hit," he said. "I, uh, I made friends with gangsters in Vegas? That's a whole different story, but I thought maybe I did the wrong thing on my last visit and they took me out. Wound up visiting one of them on the other side, and apparently they were just as surprised as everyone else." He rubbed the back of his head. "For a split second a couple weeks ago, I thought it might have been Mama and Papa. Something like a mercy killing, you know? Stop having the prodigal son ruin their reputation. But if they were as broken up as you said they were, then I don't think that was it. "I guess, in a way, it was a drawn-out suicide. Once Rita left, I wrote my last symphony and just kinda waited for death to catch up to me." He shrugged. "I always knew I wouldn't live that long. I didn't want to die, but I wasn't trying that hard to stay alive, either." He rubbed his face. "I honestly don't remember much of my last month--I was pretty much living on cocaine and whiskey. So...I didn't intentionally drive off that bridge. I shouldn't have driven, but I did, and I died." He looked up at Teto with a half-smile. "I'm guessing that was one of your puzzles. Sorry, but I can't believe you'd be that broken up about me dying after our last goodbye."

 “For heaven's sakes Rodrigo, even your death was tragically romantic.” Teto said, gazing into the middle distance as he rubbed his chin sorting out the last piece of the puzzle. A drawn out suicide, beautifully terrible. “And Rita? Was she someone you were dating? That makes so much sense, that’s exactly the kind of thing everyone refused to talk about.” He nearly reached into the cupboard for a celebratory drink but remembered Ruy’s new sobriety goal at the last second and grabbed the coffee pot instead. He refilled his cup and took a long celebratory sip. “And honestly no, I wasn’t broken up.” He said, not harshly, just honestly, maybe a little tiredly, “it was more like...like when a loved one finally passes away from a terminal illness.  There was just a terrible kind of relief, the family didn’t have to suffer anymore, you were supposedly finally out of your misery. It was finally over. Kind of. I still needed to know though, about what had happened. You’re still my brother even if you’d died the night you left that stupid posadas party. “I mean, up until that point I think I was on you so much because my twenty-year-old self still thought I could “fix you” and took it personally when you refused to cooperate.” Teto said, grimacing, “But when you finally punched me and got shouted out something changed, I realized I’d never be able to fix it. I just had to let it go. Let you go. So when you died it was really just a years-long process coming to an end for me.” He sighed, taking another sip. “I hope you’ll forgive my cut and dry way of thinking about it all, it can be annoying for some people.” He paused, “well, really I hope you can forgive me for my explosion a few weeks ago, I guess I was thinking like my twenty-year-old self again with us both looking like it and it was an inexcusably ridiculous display in my part. I really thought I’d stopped caring but apparently I hadn’t quite managed that.”

 Ruy gave a wry smile, then picked up his empty cup and tapped it against Teto's cup in a mock toast. "That's the Rivera way, Teto. We never stop caring about things that hurt us." His jaw clenched tightly as he looked away. "I'm...sorry, too. Again, for how I acted. I just..." He shut his eyes. "I felt...good. For the first time in almost a century, I felt good about where I was. I was back with Rita, I was away from the family, I was able to be sober and relaxed and...and happy. "And then...and then you showed up and the bubble popped. And I was just hit with everything I'd spent my whole life and death running from in the one place I felt safe and suddenly it was ruined." He grimaced, trying to force the tears away. He was /not/ going to cry in front of Teto. "And then after you left, Iria and I fought and suddenly everything was too real again and I was so bitter that you'd ruined everything and left me stuck remembering that I was still the same wreck I was before Vico had gotten to me and..." He sucked in a breath, quickly swiping at the bottom of his sockets with his fingertips before he let it out in a huff. "Look, you really wanna know why I'm here apologizing? It's because I spent four months being treated like I'm actually a good person, and I want that feeling back. So the place to start was apologizing to you, because that's the sort of thing I figure a good person would do."

Teto stared at Rodrigo as he actually broke down. Not in lies or in anger, but actual real distress. He had absolutely no context for dealing with a Rodrigo like this. The only schematics his brain could find was how he would helped his own children through something like this. Hopefully it would be enough. He crossed to Rodrigo’s side of the counter, putting a hand on his shoulder. He’d try a hug if it really were his own son but he didn’t want to push it. “You really have grown up haven’t you?” He said, unable to keep some of the wonder out of his own voice, “Rodrigo you’re not running away or covering things up, you’re actually wanting to fix them. That’s...really good. “And Rita, that’s Iria...you two are still together after all that time and trouble having passed? That’s really amazing. That sounds like something worth fixing. “And...for what it’s worth, I do think you’re a good person...” Teto said, smiling painfully, “just also an incredibly stupid brother sometimes.”

Teto's comforting was...incredibly stiff and borderline painful to listen to, but that didn't matter. The moment his hand touched Ruy's shoulder, he automatically leaned against his brother. Had he ever done this before? Possibly that time when they were both hiding in the attic--every other time had he'd either been shrugged off or deliberately trying to get a rise out of Teto. "I'm so tired, Teto," he said quietly. "I'm tired of fighting the family. I'm tired of pushing my limits. I'm tired of being..." He waved his hand vaguely. "...this. I've been this for over seventy-five years." He sighed, then looked up at him. "How do I stop?"

Teto’s brain reeled, but as Rodrigo leaned against him his hand automatically switched to his other shoulder, holding him in a side hug that still felt surreal, but a whole lot less stiff and awkward than he’d been a second ago. “That,” Teto said, finally impossibly feeling like he was on safe ground, “sounds like a perfect question for a therapist. If I pretended to know the answers right now I’d be lying, but if you really want to figure things out then you’ll do it. You’re too stubborn not to. Not to mention we’re all having to root up old problems right now, so you’re in good company. If you want company. Miguel isn’t the only one we’d love to have back. “I can help...if you want. I can recommend you the best therapists, our therapist Tina is very sweet and enthusiastic, I think you’d really like working with her if you even wanted to just try one session to feel it out. She can help you talk things out and make a plan to tackle it. “And for the addiction part, well, my smoking was never quite as bad as your drinking was, but I do know what it’s like to quit and I could help with that too if you like, to keep you accountable if you want.”

Ruy whined and shut his eyes as Teto turned the subject back to therapy. He was probably right, and Ruy knew he should probably go (especially since he knew for a fact he'd be a therapist's dream patient), but...well. He'd asked for a solution, and Teto gave him one. That was kind of his thing, after all. "There's one back on the other side I've been meaning to call. I'm staying over there," he murmured. "It's...easier with alcohol over there, too." He shrugged with a half-smile. "Can't get drunk so why bother. But...thanks. I'll, um I'll call if I start getting in trouble." He glanced up at Teto, browbone furrowed. "Would you really love having me back, or are you just trying to butter me up into going to therapy?"

Teto paused to really consider it, knowing Rodrigo wanted a real answer, not whatever sounded best. Did he really want to have him back? “You know, I don’t really think we really got to know each other in the first place. Not as adults.” Teto said, looking at him, “I don’t think it’s wanting you back as much as I’m curious to really meet you in the first place. The best you. Do I want the old stuff back? Absolutely not. But I think I would love to get to know my brother. For real this time, starting over. It’ll take a while to untangle everything for real, but I think it could be really good for everyone. Teto shoved Ruy’s shoulder a bit as he stepped back with a smile. “I mean, today’s actually been surprisingly nice. Not a single casualty so far.”

Ruy smiled as Teto gave him a friendly shove--probably the closest to actual brotherly contact he'd ever given--then rolled his shoulders with a smile. "And you kept all your teeth, imagine that." He stepped back, crossing his arms. "Well, I have a knack for attracting serious people in my life now, maybe you could join the chorus of people saying 'Ruy, don't.'" he said with a grin, then arched a brow ridge. "So...I know you were figuring out the puzzle of how I died, but...why were you trying to keep tabs on me in New York?"

Teto scratched the back of his head, putting his other hand in his pocket. “I...don’t really know. If I did know I’ve forgotten the reason.” Teto said with a shrug, “Morbid fascination maybe? Perhaps I was just used to spending so much energy thinking about you for so long I didn’t know how to give it up all at once. Or maybe I was still worried about you anyway. Maybe all of the above. Who knows.” Teto hadn’t thought about that in decades, but he felt that his guesses were all probably pretty close. “I imagine you’re probably ready to get back to Iria, I’ve held you here long enough.” He said, smiling, “Feel free to drop by again whenever you like for more coffee. Oh! And we can set up you bringing Miguel over soon, that will be so good for him.”

Ruy half-smiled. It maybe seventy-five years after the fact, but...well, it was nice to know someone had worried about him then. "Yeah yeah, of course," he said as Teto nudged him out. "But really quick; you said you had a son who's a musician? Is he...here yet?"

“Oh Adrian?” Teto smiled as he led the way back to the front door, not exactly wanting Rodrigo to leave, but also knowing a good stopping opportunity when he felt one, “he just arrived a year or two ago actually. He writes a lot of his own music but got much more into “electronic” when he got older, I think he’s very much into rearranging old songs in his computer programs than he is playing real instruments. You know he actually made an ofrenda for you in his room when he was little, it had this awful newspaper clipping photo of you being arrested for public drunkenness or something. He was a big fan of yours growing up, we were terrified he was going to be just like you.”

Ruy's browbone shot up at the mention of having a little ofrenda to him, and he chuckled as Teto

mentioned which photo he was using. "Well, I'd like to meet him, if it's okay," he said, then held up his hands. "Promise, Teto, I'll only keep the talk to music, not all the fun things I got up to. Last thing this family needs is another this."

“Don’t worry about it, you can talk about whatever you want. Adrian’s a grandfather by now, he can do whatever he wants with his afterlife, I trust him.” Teto chuckled, imagining Adrian embarking in wild shenanigans, “And honestly he’d be delighted to meet you. I think he’s even...”redone” some of your songs if I remember correctly. Let me know the next time you want to come over and I’ll make sure he’s here, it’ll probably throw him into a panic at finally getting to meet you properly, you died years before he was born.”

Ruy chuckled. "I'll be gentle with him, promise." He rubbed the back of his head. "Y'know, it's kind of sad I didn't get to meet them. I actually like being a tío." He started to open the door, but looked up as Caprice gave a nicker and nudged her head against Teto's ribcage. "She wants a proper goodbye."

Teto didn’t know what exactly to say to that, he’d spent years being /grateful/ he hadn’t had to deal with “Tio Ruy” being around his children, but suddenly it did sound extremely sad. Instead of thinking about it too hard he wrapped his arms around Caprice’s neck, burying his face in her feathers for a moment before pulling back and stroking her forehead. “It was very good to see you again.” He told her. He turned to Rodrigo, “I’m not sure where Canela is but-” He was interrupted by a barrage of angry chattering at their feet, Canela looking up at him fiercely, probably upset to see him paying another alebrije attention.

Ruy laughed at the angry chattering, stooping down to carefully pick up Canela. "You get a goodbye, too, Canelita, then Teto will have your full attention." He grinned as he carefully patted her head with his fingertip. "Tell you what, if I ever cut my braid, I'll give it to you, suena bien?" He handed her off to Teto, then opened the door and waited for Caprice to step out first. He lingered for a moment, looking up at his brother. "Uh, Teto?"

Teto watched Canela sulkily accept Ruy’s pats and then zip up his arm as Ruy handed her back. She wrapped around his neck like a pouty scarf, narrowly watching Caprice leave. “Yes?” Teto asked, looking up as Rodrigo hesitated at the door. Ruy shifted his weight back and forth for a moment, debating. There was a lot inside him that wanted to be said, but he couldn't quite get them into words--it was more like an orchestra tuning up. So, taking a deep breath, he threw himself at his brother to give him a tight hug. "Thanks," he said quietly. "Thank you /so much/ for saving Caprice, I mean it. And...and thanks for letting me apologize."

Teto stood frozen for a moment, startled at the tight hug. For the millionth time that afternoon his brain frantically noted that this was Rodrigo. But so what? Good. It was about time they were both able to grow up and finally get this far. Teto returned the hug, maybe not quite as tight as Rodrigo, but just as warmly. “Of course, thanks for coming by to do it. I think we both needed this.”

Ruy nodded, giving Teto one last squeeze before pulling back. He gave him a smile as he stepped out into the doorway. "I'll send you an invitation next time I throw a party, whenever that is. Might get you to loosen up a little bit," he said breezily, giving Teto a grin. "And, uh, call me about seeing Miguel. We'll figure it out." He gave Teto a little wave, then turned and began walking away. Something in him felt...lighter. More fresh. Like something that had been festering away inside of him had been cut away. Things wouldn't be perfect. If they weren't perfect with Iria, then there was sure to be bumps with Teto. But...it was nice, not hating his brother. Honestly, it was kind of a shame that he hadn't stopped sooner.

“I’ll talk to you soon then.” Teto said with a smile. He waved as Ruy walked away with Caprice. He wanted to watch longer, but stepped back inside and shut the door after a reasonable amount of time. He leaned his head against the wood of the door as a small chuckle escaped him. The chuckle turned into a full laugh, of relief, of incredulity, of the good feeling inside. He sat down on the floor as he continued to laugh, eventually slowing to a ridiculous chuckle as he wiped a couple stray tears from his eye sockets. Well. Who would ever have thought. Canela perched in his knee, head cocked and curious. “I think it’s time for a drink.” Teto told her, ruffling his fingertips down her back. He stood, still gasping for air a little as he tried to get his breath back. “And we have to figure out how to tell Jasmine when she gets home.” But halfway to the kitchen he spotted the few faint dusty hoofprints that had been left behind on the dark wood floors, and set about scuffing them out with his socks, his laughing coming back as he did. Well. Things were going to get a little screwy if Rodrigo was really going to be coming back into the family, but somehow Teto didn’t really think he minded.

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

And there we go. Ladies and gentlemen I give you the boys, being actual adults and the first ones to rise from the ashes of their trashfire of a family. As always, the inbox is open for any questions you may have.

- Wit

[warriorsrewrite]

Enter the Wild Epilogue

( you can either read it under the cut, or here on ao3. it’d be very much appreciated if you interacted with both ! a big thank you to all my followers for supporting me !!! info on the fire and ice rewrite included on the end notes of the ao3 page )

When they reached the RiverClan border, it was time to bid farewell to Loudbelly and the WindClan kits.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help bringing them to RiverClan camp?” Whitestorm asked politely as Loudbelly was preparing the kits for the short swim across the calmest part of the river.

“We’ll be fine, but thank you for the offer.” He lifted his head and looked to Firepaw and Sandstorm. “And thank you two for letting me join you. You’ve allowed me to finally meet my daughter…” He glanced down at Tawnykit, his smile full of love.

Firepaw and Sandstorm nodded with their own smiles. “Well, thank you for helping us with our own kits,” Sandstorm said, her gaze drifting down to her siblings, who were all huddled around her legs.

“Take care,” Firepaw called to them as Loudbelly carefully led the way across the river, the four kits paddling along behind him.

Trusting Loudbelly’s RiverClan senior warrior skills in swimming, Bluestar urged the ThunderClan patrol onward towards home rather than waste time waiting until they were all across the river.

It was long after sunset when they finally pushed past the gorse tunnel and into the clearing. The first thing Firepaw noticed when they arrived was that the bodies of Spottedleaf, Brindleface, and her kit had all been buried, the empty space where they had been almost suggesting that they were never there at all.

The second thing he noticed was Frostfur sitting anxiously in the middle of the clearing, her black fur seeming even more spiky and out of place, if that was even possible. When she saw the incoming patrol, she immediately leapt to her feet and dashed to meet Sandstorm and her young kits. She found a way to curl herself around all five of them, taking turns furiously licking their pelts and tutting over their small injuries. Firepaw was sure the whole forest could hear her purr.

The next thing he noticed was a flash of dark gray before all the air was knocked out of his lungs and he was shoved to the ground. Blinking, Firepaw looked up to see Graypaw on top of him, pure relief making his yellow eyes shine in the moonlight. Letting his smile show all of the similar relief he felt, Firepaw murmured, “I’m back.”

An emotion flickered across Graypaw’s face that Firepaw couldn’t quite make out before he gave Firepaw a shaky grin. “Welcome back.”

“Why is she here?!” an enraged yowl cried, breaking the moment between them and causing them to scramble back to their feet. Firepaw saw Tigerclaw, his eyes in furious slits trained on Yellowfang, stalking up to the reinstated healer with his large claws unsheathed. “Why did you bring back the traitor?!”

Anger that had been accumulating for a long time against the senior warrior suddenly burst inside of Firepaw. Not thinking of the consequences, he dashed in front of Yellowfang before Tigerclaw could have a chance to swipe at her, and hissed at the large warrior.

Obviously not expecting such an action from him, Tigerclaw halted and took a small step backwards. Firepaw felt a flare of triumph in causing such a reaction, though it quickly faded when both Darkstripe and Longtail sprung to Tigerclaw’s defense, hissing straight back at him.

“Enough,” Bluestar interjected, her deadly calm voice causing the two young warriors to flinch. “Back down at once, all of you. I will explain everything that happened in a moment and why Yellowfang is back with us.”

“Yellowfang…?” Longtail repeated, others who had not joined in the battle echoing his confusion.

But Bluestar was ignoring them all in favor of stalking up to the Highrock, swiftly climbing up to the top. However, she didn’t need to call everyone to gather, for every eye of ThunderClan was already upon her. “Brokentail has been defeated,” she called once she had everyone’s attention, “and ShadowClan has been freed of his and his follower’s tyranny!”

Yowls of approval and victory shouted from all around the clearing, Firepaw joining in with them, still feeling the disbelief that they had actually done such a thing.

“Brokentail and Clawface, the real and only killer and kidnapper of today’s tragedies, were sentenced to death by the new leader of ShadowClan, Rowanberry,” Bluestar continued, her voice more subdued. “Boulderpelt, Blackfoot, Tangleburr, and Fernshade were all exiled for following him and threatening the newfound peace within ShadowClan.”

Murmurs broke out all around Firepaw as Bluestar listed the names of the newly exiled. He didn’t blame them, and briefly wondered how Ratpaw and Snowpaw felt, having seen the father they were so proud of being exiled in front of not only their entire Clan, but members of another one as well. His heart went out for them, and he hoped they understood why it had to be done.

A small noise had Firepaw turning his attention to Tigerclaw, who sat ramrod straight, an unreadable look on his face at the news of Brokentail and his follower’s fates. Firepaw narrowed his eyes at him, but was distracted as Bluestar continued her report before he could fully dissect what it was Tigerclaw was thinking.

“For helping fend off Brokentail’s followers, and for helping us track the path Clawface took - for that is what she really did when she saw what he had done - Yellowfang, along with the rest of the falsely exiled ShadowClan cats, was forgiven by Rowanberry and given back her healer duties. And, because of the heinous crime committed today, ThunderClan finds itself without a fully trained healer.” A small smile, tired but still present all the same, turned towards Yellowfang. “I know it was your idea, but to truly make sure where your loyalties lie, I will ask you… do you wish to take up the role as ThunderClan’s fully trained healer and continue the training of Spottedleaf’s former apprentice, Graypaw?”

Firepaw heard Graypaw gasp quietly, and he smiled as he watched Yellowfang give Graypaw a wicked grin, promising all the things to come, before she turned her gaze to Bluestar. “It would be my greatest honor to accept.” And, mostly likely just for the show of it, Yellowfang dipped her head almost to the ground, causing Bluestar to chuckle softly.

“Then ThunderClan welcomes you fully.”

“Yellowfang! Yellowfang! Yellowfang!” rose the cries of ThunderClan as they accepted their new healer. As Firepaw joined in, he couldn’t help but notice the pointed quietness of Tigerclaw and his small gang of followers off to the side, all of them giving suspicious looks towards Yellowfang even as she ducked her head in what she’d never admit to be embarrassment.

“As for the stolen kits,” Bluestar continued on as soon as the clearing quieted down, “it’s plain to see that Frostfur’s litter has been returned to her. In regards to the kits from WindClan who were taken when they were driven out… Loudbelly, a RiverClan senior warrior who aided us in this battle, took custody of them, as one is his own daughter. If he managed to explain everything to Stormstar, they should all currently be under the care of RiverClan until a permanent solution can be made.”

“What will we do about WindClan?” Frostfur suddenly spoke up, still curled around all her kits, though Sandstorm looked ready to leave the pile at any moment. Firepaw saw the queen’s eyes flicker towards the nursery, where he knew Brindleface’s remaining kits were.

That’s right… he thought with a burning sadness in his chest, their father is from WindClan. Tornear, I think Brindleface said his name was… Just thinking of the missing tom not knowing his mate and one of his kits were dead, along with the possibility that the kits would never be able to meet their father, had Firepaw’s throat closing up in grief.

Bluestar seemed to catch on to all of this as well, as a brief look of sorrow passed through her blue eyes. Giving a small nod to acknowledge the question, Bluestar murmured, “I understand your concern, but unfortunately, the decision on what to do about WindClan is one that the three remaining Clans must make together. I will be sure to bring it up at the next Gathering, of that I promise you.”

Frostfur stared up at Bluestar for just a moment before she nodded and went back to doting on her kits.

Turning her attention back onto the clearing as a whole, Bluestar announced, “because of the damage Brokentail did to ShadowClan during his reign, I have given Rowanberry and her Clan a full moon of peace in order for them to get back onto their feet. I except all warriors and the like to respect this as well.”

Tigerclaw suddenly stood from where he sat and said, “a moon is a long time, Bluestar. What if they take advantage of this kindness?”

Something flashed in Bluestar’s gaze as she stared down at her deputy, and Firepaw had the suspicion that she wasn’t pleased at him showing his disapproval at a time like this. “It’s an act of trust, Tigerclaw,” she replied coolly, and Firepaw was slightly impressed Tigerclaw didn’t flinch outright at how her words sliced through the air, “and a way to help repair our relationship with ShadowClan. A new leader means a new opportunity for allyship. Or is that something you’d rather not have, Tigerclaw?”

“...No, Bluestar,” Tigerclaw muttered after a moment. The large tabby tom’s tail lashed, but other than that, no outward sign of anger or irritation showed on him as he stiffly sat back down.

Her eyes remained on him for a moment longer before they abruptly shifted over to Firepaw. Freezing in his spot at the sudden attention, he almost couldn’t move when she gestured for him to come directly below the Highrock. It wasn’t until Graypaw gave him a shove that his feet finally obeyed, bringing him to a spot he hadn’t been in since he had first become an apprentice.

Wait…

“There is one more thing that needs to be addressed,” Bluestar said, and when Firepaw heard the sadness in her voice, he knew immediately what this was for. “The attack earlier this morning left both of ThunderClan’s apprentices without mentors. And while we have found a new one for our healer apprentice, our warrior apprentice is still without his own.” Her gaze - a deep, sad blue - looked down to Firepaw. “It’s always regretful when an apprentice is forced to change mentors, especially halfway through their training, but it’s something that must be done. Firepaw, your new mentor will be…”

Firepaw couldn’t help but hold his breath as he watched Bluestar scan the crowd behind him. Though he had been thinking of who his new mentor would be since Brindleface had told him she’d be stuck in the nursery for a moon, he had never really stopped to think about who exactly that would be. And since finding out Brindleface was… no longer able to continue his training at all, he’d been too preoccupied with ShadowClan for it to even cross his mind.

But now, he’d finally know who would take over and help him complete the last three moons of his training.

He just hoped it wouldn’t be -

“...Tigerclaw.”

Firepaw felt the ground beneath him fall away as the name passed Bluestar’s lips. In his shock, he spun around to see the dark brown tabby stalking over to him, a certain glint in his yellow eyes that filled Firepaw with more dread than he had ever felt before.

Oh no...