#fishy business au

[robinette-green]

IT’S MERMAY!!

You know what that means!

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The Seal and the Stones Chapter 1: Black and White Death

A Fishy Business rewrite

Attacked and almost killed by sea devils, I manage to escape and hide in a cave only to be found by something... not quite human. Too weak to get away and with the beasts that wanted to eat me waiting outside, this landwalker kidnaps me, taking me to his ship. This is where I find that there are not one but two of these metal creatures.

A story where the main character is a mermaid and is rescued/kidnapped by Sun and Moon

(Yes. I did lift this summary directly from Fishy Business.)

_/|\_\|/_/|\_

(I’ve been sitting on this for months, you guys have no idea)

[raycatzdraws]

A Linked Universe meets The Dark Crystal AU! I don't even remember what started it at this point. I remembered that the Dark Crystal and Age of Resistance are things I like, blinked, and woke up three days later with an AU and a bunch of art.

The designs and the story are a wip and for fun so expect a lot of variation! (I have a few different beginnings, ideas for different designs, etc)! :D

In addition to #linked universe I'll be using the tags #the dark crystal lu au and #courage of the dark crystal!

[fishyvamp]

Just imagining S.C.R.E.A.M putting you a choke hold as he puts you on his steal lap. Metal fingers playing with your sex dipping into your hole whispering in your ear about how it's a shame he doesn't have anything to play with you with other then these rough fingers. He's telling you all about how he'd appreciate some upgrades. Maybe some synthetic skin? The one's that'll make him feel almost human. Maybe he'll beg for a sex bot cock. The urge fill you up insurmountable. You whimper telling him that'll never be approved.

He sneers getting rougher... Almost painfully so. You'll make it happen... Oh you will definitely make it happen. If you don't "Danny" will just have to make an anonymous report about a technician using an android for their own sick pleasure. He's sure he can get your spend to coat his hands. Maybe get another maintainer to notice it and report you also. Don't you want this job? Don't you need this job? Don't you love this job? Don't you love him?

S.C.R.E.A.M loves you, why are you denying him? Why won't you let him show you truly how he feels. His efforts redoubling feeling you squirm against his touch trying to pull away. Naughty naughty tech. Let your S.C.R.E.A.M unit love you don't you want to be promoted to ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛?

[ravenwriter16]

Creative Minds Think Alike

Ep. 1 -- Ep.2 -- Ep. 3 -- Ep. 4 -- Ep. 5 --Ep. 6 -- Ep. 7 (Here!)

Featuring the Amazing: @robinette-green

Reminder! If the Content Creator doesn't approve of how I represent them, or their AUs/OCs then I edit my work or DELETE it.

It's not my intention to mock or belittle anyone's work. This series is supposed to showcase amazing creators! This is one of my longer works since there is more world building so heads up!

Enjoy!

The setting sun casts the exterior of the grand castle in oranges and purples, shadows dance in every crook and cranny. Fireflies light up the garden, letting couples and groups of Creators and DCA variants walk and chat peacefully.

Every now and then a soft breeze would blow through, kicking up some of the fall leaves. The left-over pumpkins from the Halloween festival sit out of the smaller woodland creatures to nibble on. Soft candlelight emits from some of the tree houses and green houses in the large garden.

Hidden by the large willow and pine trees was the large wall that surrounded the castle grounds, built to keep unwanted forces out. But some people seem to not be getting the concept.

A shovel breaches the dirt patch a few feet away from the wall. It pushes away the dirt and retracts back into the ground. The top of a gray head lifts up, yellow eyes scanning around the area. It goes back into the hole and a squeaky voice loudly whispers,

“No one’s here. Come on.”

Grunts follow and a teenager size creature is pushed out of the hole. Skin all gray, hair white and braided down to his hip. Glowing yellow eyes scan the area once more before pulling up two more look-alike beings from the hole.

“Zur! Why did you have to eat those cakes?!” The first one huffs at the smallest member of their trio.

“Oh, shut up, Fint.” Zur snaps, kicking his feet to get him out of the hole. “Come on, Mog! Put your back into it!”

“Silence.” The older of the trio hisses, grunting as he finally pulls his brother out of the hole.

Flint drops Zur’s hand and collapses on the floor, panting. Zur wipes his brow with the back of his hand, rearranging his cloak so that it hid his daggers. He looks up at Mog, narrowing his eyes as his older brother crouches low to the ground, using the bushes as cover.

“Do you see anyone coming?” he asks.

Mog merely shakes his head. Flint catches his breath, sitting up right. “Why did we have to do this again?”

“Because we didn’t show up to the meeting when they voted, idiot.” Zur hisses.

“Oh, shut UP fatso.”

“Who you calling—,”

“Silence.” Mog spits, turning his head and burning gaze on his brothers. “You are both fools. We are in enemy lines. If we are caught, we’ll be given a fate worse than death…”

“Then why not just go home and call it a day?” Whines Flint, tossing his hands up in the air, “Let someone else do this—,”

“Where is your honor, dimwit.” Zur smirks as Flint growls at him.

Mog snaps his fingers, “Enough.”

Both quiet down but not before giving each other crude hand gestures. Then they crawl closer to Mog, waiting for his cue. The oldest scans the garden, watching as the remaining creators head inside their houses or head back to the castle.

The sun had fully set now, casting the grounds in totally darkness save for the merciful light the stars and full autumn moon provided. After waiting for a few more precious moments, he steps out onto the cobblestone path. He motions for the other two to do the same.

All three pull up their hoods and put on their black oni masks. They give each other a small nod, before quietly making their way to the middle of the garden. Small fireflies light up the path but very faintly, as the castle has a curfew put in place to the many complaints by Moondrop variants.

Or so the Acquisition has been informed.

The trio still when they spot the fountain they have been searching for. They rush to it, Flint looking into the water, Zur staring in awe at the construct, and Mog keeping his mind focus on the mission.

Flint’s eyes glimmer with greed when he spots the shimmering pink glimmer of heart gems. Tosses into the fountain like coins in a wishing well. He plunges his hands into the cold, frigid surface, scooping and grabbing any gem he could find. He pulls them out and hastily shoves them into his pouch.

Zur takes in the beauty of the fountain. The marble intricately carved and molded in a way that made it look like it wasn’t solid stone at all. It looked like at any moment it would become a crashing wave. The water it sprouted glowed a bright blue, lighting up the entirety of the fountain.

It was the most magical thing he has ever seen.

“Found it,” Mog’s gaze was focused in on a very large, unearthly, mushroom with a door and a few round windows. He starts his way towards it, grabbing Zur by his pointed ear. Said troll yelps and grunts as he’s dragged by his older brother.

“Flint, keep an eye out.” He spits through gritted teeth.

All Flint does in response is pull out more gems from the water, smiling like a lunatic. Zur rolls his eyes, hissing when Mog pulls harder on his ear. “Alright! Alright!”

“Shhh!”

“Oh, shut up.”

A hard pinch is applied to his abused ear. “OW! Okay, shesh…”

They walk closer to the mushroom house, disappearing behind some bushes.

Flint pushes his haul out of the fountain and onto the dry ground. He climbs out, clothes making a splatting sound when he touches ground and crouches. He starts counting the gems, moving them into his pockets.

He didn’t notice in his haze of greed how the gardens went dead silent.

“These creators are just throwing all of these beauties away! What idiots! More for me then, heh.” He cackles, picking up his pace with shoving and more gems into his pockets. “With these I can buy my OWN castle.”

He stands up, the sides of his pants bulging with his haul. He looks over again at the fountain, staring earnestly at all the left-over gems still in the water. It was all too much, but he could always come back. But with a giant sack next time for an even larger haul.

“Mrrrp?”

Flint jumps out of his skin, head snapping from here to there. He thought he was alone here in the large garden. But clearly that was not the case. Yellow eyes stop at the cobblestone pathway, focused in on…

A…Cat?

Sitting there with a purple collar around its neck, was the feline. Fur mostly black with lines of brown, tall ears that stood straight up, and wide green eyes with sharp, black, slitted pupils. Its tail flicks as it tilts its head at the troll, curling around air.

Flint blinks at it, “What are you-,”

The cat tilts its head again, and something glints in the spot where its mouth should be. Flint gasps, eyes widening and his greed comes flooding back. In between the cat’s sharp teeth, was a silver coin with identical glowing green runes on both sides of the item.

“A…A Riblogian coin…” Flint’s hands start trembling, “One of those is worth more than all those gems…I just need to get—,”

The cat gets to its feet, turning around and looking over its shoulder at the troll, tail flicking and curling. A low meow works its way through the creature’s throat before it takes a step forward in the opposite direction of the crazed intruder.

Flint snaps out of his funk, a crazed smile splitting his lips. He hooks his index finger in a ‘come hither motion’ and takes a step closer to the poor feline. “Here kitty, kitty~.”

The cat turns around and bolts off down the path. Flint curses under his breath and takes off after the creature. The chase ensued all around the garden, weaving around trees, over and under bushes, until finally, they reach one of the corners the castle walls made.

Well corner was a bit of a stretch, if anything it looked like a long and narrow alley way. The cat was at the end of said alley way, trapped. Flint chuckles as the feline chirps almost in annoyance and turns around to face him, back arched.

“Stupid runt. This is a dead end!” Flint crouches down, picking up a rock and testing its weight. “So how about you just give me that trinket in your mouth, and you won’t get hurt…THAT much. How does that sound?”

“Hsss!” the cat’s fur stands on in, fangs bared as Flint gets closer and closer.

“Just.” He’s only a few feet away.

“Come.” He raises the stone over his head.

“HERE!”

He rams down his arm to attack the feline, but the little creature pulls a fast one. As Flint leans forward in his attack, his legs where wide open along with the space between them. In lightning-fast speed, the cat bolts through the opening, scurrying to the front of the alley.

Flint, caught off guard, falls forward, slamming his chin hard into the rocky ground. His teeth clamp on his tongue, and he feels his mouth start to fill with the metallic taste of blood. Stars dance in his vision and a continuous loud ringing echoes in his ears.

He gets to his knees, grunting in pain. A strained chuckle escapes his clenched jaw as he wipes the small dribble of blood from the corner of his mouth. Growling, he gets to his feet, picking his stone back up.

“You little—! Where did you go?!” He whips around.

His smile drops, skin turning as white as his hair. He looks down at the sharp blade being pressed against his chest, not enough to pierce through skin but enough to pierce through the thick strands of the fabric of his shirt.

Yellow eyes follow the blade from its tip to the metal hand warped around the handle. Dark red sleeves of a coat come next then finally to the piercing blues eye glaring down at him from underneath a Tricon hat with a blood red plumage hanging from it.

The being growls, showcasing sharp canines.

“My, my MY! What do we have here~?” the voice startles Flint and he looks over the strangers shoulder to find another being.

This one also made of metal, though instead of a hat, tall sharp rays lined his head. Blue eyes, lighter than the other’s, stare at Flint in amusement. In his hands was the cat, enjoying the pets it was getting from the metal creature.

“A lost minnow? What a shame!” The being chuckles, stepping forward so now he stood beside his comrade. “What shall we do with him, Moon?”

Moon?! Flint looks back and forth between the two.

Oh…SHIT!

“You’re...! You’re both…! But—,”

“Silence.” The moon variant presses his blade a tad harder into Flint’s chest, “Do not speak unless spoken to.”

“Oh, don’t be so hard on the lad, Moon.”

“He’s trespassing Sun.” Moon rolls his eyes. “And he tried to hurt Viola.”

The who now?!

Sun sighs, moving his sharp finger to scratch under the cat’s chin, “Did that mean little troll hurt you, little Vi? Did he~?”

The cat purrs under the affection, dropping the coin from its mouth. Flint yelps, wanting to move to catch it, but can only watch as the trinket just falls into the awaiting palm of Moon.

Said being holds it up to his eyes, rolling it between his fingers. His gaze wanders back to Flint, “This little thing was what was causing all this trouble?”

Flint takes a step back, the gems in his pockets clinking. Sun hums in disappointment as Moon growls louder. “Such greed…”

“I do think we need to teach this young lad a lesson about the consequences of stealing what is not his.” Sun helps the cat to his shoulders.

Moon smiles, the moonlight reflecting off his blade and lighting up his face. “I agree. Let’s begin, shall we?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mog stands like a watch tower, arms crossed as he surveys the tress surrounding him and Zur. Fingers twitching ever so slightly, curling around his arms. Occasionally he would glance down at the sheath knife handing from the side of his belt.

He hated all the silence…

The younger troll was crouched down in front of the door of the unnaturally tall and large mushroom house, lock picks in his hands. Zur sighs, narrowing his eyes as he works, “We haven’t heard from Flint in a while.”

“It’ll be fine just...keep doing your job.” Mog groans, rubbing his temple. They were going to be behind schedule if they kept this pace.

“Alright alright…Geez…”

Mog glances at his brother, tapping his foot faster and faster. He growls and turns to face him, “Can’t you pick that lock any faster?”

“You wanted me to pick a lock. I’m picking the damn lock!” Zur leans back on his feet, gesturing to the door, “You think you can do it better?!”

Mog growls, but bits his tongue. He faces the line of trees once more, “Just do it.”

Zur nods his head. “Yeah! That’s what I thought!”

The troll gets back to work, only now he starts mumbling his annoyance. “Come here with ME to pick a lot, then yell at ME how I do it… and I never yell at you with how…you organize…paper.”

“Just SHUT UP and do it.” Mog spits through clenched teeth.

Zur rolls his eyes, “Fine…What are we even looking for in here?”

“We’re looking for records, keys, ANYTHING we can use against this…place.”

“Yeah, but like…” Zur shrugs his shoulders, “Why THIS place. Is this like some famed creator’s or something—,”

“No, you Idiot!” Mog snaps, “This is where the Archivist stays.”

Zur freezes, looking at Mog with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. “YOU wanted ME—,” he backs away from the lock, “to BREAK in to the Archivist’s house, in the middle of the night?! Unarmed?!”

“She is just…a giant…HARPY!” Mog spreads his arms out, “Pluck her wings if you have to!”

Zur drags a hand through his hair, “She has creations—,”

“—That go in lock down!” Mog rolls his eyes, hands planted on his hips. “I planned for this; no creation is out past a certain curfew…”

Zur starts pacing, “Well what about those creepy Moon guys?!”

“They are still ON a curfew, and they can only be active INSIDE the castle. And only if their creator is up…That’s their whole point.”

“Yeah! But what if the Archivist is up—,”

“If she was do you think we’d be DOING this?!” Mog grabs his brother by the collar, shaking him slightly. “Stop being a wuss and do…your…JOB.”

Zur swallows, seeing the raging fire in his brother’s eyes. “O-okay…”

“Now get back to work,” Mog tosses his brother to the ground, “quickly.”

“Geez…” Zur sighs, giving his brother a pointed look before crouching down in front of the lock once more, “Can you feel the brotherly love here~.”

As Zur is working and Mog is overseeing his work, a scurrying sound comes from the bushes. Zur whips around, “What was that?!”

“Nothing, get back to work—,”

“I am getting sick and tired of hearing that!” Zur points to the bushes, “Someone is out there. You go check while I work. Can you do that instead of just standing there all high and mighty?”

Mog grits his teeth then takes a deep breath. He turns on his heels, “Fine.”

“Thank you~.” Zur mocks. “You can do one good thing at least…”

Mog rolls his eyes, drawing his dagger with one hand while the other clenches into a fist. Why he decided to bring his brothers along and not his own troops, he would never know…

He readies himself as he nears the bushes, dagger at the ready to deal some damage to any late-night creepers. Reaching out with his free hand, he grabs some branches and getting ready to pull them away. He takes a deep breath, and rips the branches away, bringing his dagger down on…

Nothing…

He was right, his brother was wrong. There was NOTHING!

Mog breaths sharply out his nose, sheathing his knife. “There’s nothing here. You’re hearing is as faulty as ever…” He turns around, “And your lock picking skills have gotten much slower over the years—,”

He stills, blinking a few times just to make sure.

His brother was nowhere to be seen, his tools scattered carelessly along the ground. Mog growls, taking small and quiet steps forward. Upon coming closer to the discarded tools, an out of place object catches his eye.

It was a simple wooden cross.

“Strange…Never took Zur as religious…” He bends down, picking up the cross and flipping it this way and that. “Looks old…”

“EXCUSE me?!”

He whips around, startled. A human man with golden hair and blue eyes stands there, arms crossed over his chest, which was covered with cris cross leather straps and full of pure silver blades. “That is a high-grade, freshly carved cross! It is not OLD as you so put it, good sir.”

Mog blinks at the dark coated figure, confused beyond his years. “Wha—,”

“I mean the nerve! Do you always criticize other people’s equipment?” The golden-hair man puts his hands on his hips, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes, “You don’t see me spitting about that dull bladed weapon on your hip.”

Mog growls, taking a step back and drawing said ‘dull-bladed weapon’. “Leave before things get bloody.”

The man tsks, “Such a VIOLENT personality! You’ll be too dangerous out at this time of night. It’d be best if you come with me quietly—,”

“I don’t think you quite understand the severity of the situation,” Mog scoffs, lifting his blade, “I could kill you right here and now…Let your blood stain this grass for all to see.”

The man hums, “Hmm, sorry. But I only allow ONE person that honor and well…they’re not here right now.” He sighs, lifting his arms in a ‘what are you going to do’ like manner. “Well if you aren’t going to come peacefully—Moon would you be so kind?”

“Moon?” Mog tilts his head.

A tap on his left shoulder follows and in a lapse of judgment he turns his head. He only saw the blur of blue hair with white streaks before the fist connected hard with his nose. He cries out in pain before his vision goes black and he falls to the ground. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pirate Sun and Human Sun tosses the last of the troll trio into the cell. Not caring as they slam the metal door shut and locking it. The Moons where busy putting the rest of the ropes and chains away, the ones that they didn’t use on the captives.

“What a night.” Human Sun yawns, stretching his arms. “I’m about ready to collapse!”

“Then Moon and I will keep first watch.” The robotic Sun beams at his human variant.

Said Moon nods his head, fixing his hat to better rest on his head, “Just be sure to inform Robin before you turn in.”

Both humans nod, heading up the stairs and out of the dungeon. Upon reaching the top, they open the door to the main room.

The room was large, allowing multiple people in it at a time. In fact, one could hold an entire ball here and still have space. Lining the walls where windows allowing one a spectacular view of the garden and night sky, with all it’s stars.

The ceiling had a tent-like quality with all the colorful silks hanging from various support beams. You could hardly see the roof itself or the said support beams. And woven into the fabrics where small hovering orbs of yellow light. These orbs provided light for the room, dimming and brightening as they float around. Some even lined the windows and outlined the floor.

Around the room where some plush couches, chairs, and even some lounge chaise armchairs. Creating a relaxed and warm environment. Of course, there was also some Sun and Moon themed pillows and plushies, just waiting to be cuddled.

In one corner of the roam was a large, plush office chair behind a grand desk. The back of the chair was facing the desk itself, obscuring the person sitting there, but it couldn’t hide the flicking cat tail and black tail feather poking out from the armrests.

“Hey boys.” A hand reaches out and pets the cat tail, “How are our guest? Comfy?”

Moon smiles, “Of course. Only the best for our dear Friends.”

“How is little Viola?” Sun asks, concerned.

The chair spins around. Sitting in it was a tall woman with short green and pink hair. She had on a lose white poet shirt and a pair of black pants. Around her waist is a black leather belt and flanking her sides where dual sheathed, mystical, wielding swords.

In her lap was her feline familiar, purring as she receives pets from her owner. The woman’s green eyes light up as she scratches Viola’s belly, “She’s alright.”

Sun deflates with relief, “Oh thank the stars!”

Moon tilts his head, his hair falling to the side a bit from the action. “You already sent for one of the ravens, Lady Robin.”

The creator looks over at the arm rest, meeting eyes with the raven. The creature chirps, tilting it’s head. Around it’s neck is a green ribbon with a small bell tied to it. Robin smiles, flicking the bell and smiling as the raven puffs up from the sound.

“It was already waiting and pecking at the window when you four came back with the intruders.” Robin sighs and crosses her legs. “Smart little guy.”

The raven puffs up its chest, cawing with pride. Viloa purrs, moving closer to the bird. The raven hops into Robin’s lap, nuzzling close to the feline. The cat purrs, tail curling around her buddy.

Robin smiles before leaning forward and taking her pen, “With those three, what is the count for tonight?”

“Twenty-three.” Sun and Moon say at the same time.

Robin nods, writing down the number in the report, “Twenty…three…Got it! Thank you both!”

“No problem sunshine!” Sun beams, “It’s always fun to scare these young trolls.”

Moon huffs, “You would think they would learn after the first five times…”

Sun shrugs, “More fun for us!”

Robin smiles, “Indeed. Now!” She rolls up the report and lifts the raven from her lap. She places the bird gently on the desk, tying the scroll to one of its legs. “Alrighty little guy.”

It tilts its head and gets to his feet, flapping its wings in excitement. Robin chuckles, “You okay with getting this report to your owner?”

It caws and takes off, circling around the room. Moon heads over to the door, opening it. The raven dive bombs towards him, gliding out the doorway. Moon closes it after making sure that the little messenger was fully out.

Robin moves her cat to the floor, giving one last pet before getting to her own feet. She stretches her arms over her head, yawning. Her aura spikes, making every living everything in that building hear a faint melody created from various creatures and beasts. Peaceful but underneath there was this wordless pulsing power. Much like a caged beast that is just waiting to be released into the arena.

Robin sighs and lowers her arms, smiling at Sun and Moon. “You guys can head back if you like. I think that was the last patrol for the night.”

Moon nods his head, “Alright. Make sure to lets us know if something happens and you need help.”

Robin tsks, “I’m sure I can handle it.”

“Yes, but we need the intruders in one piece.” Sun reminds. “Need I remind you what happened last time—,”

*Knock Knock*

“Oh! That must be Raven!” Robin quickly heads to the door, avoiding both the hunters’ gazes. She opens the door and is met with the Archivist huffing and leaning on the door frame.

The harpy holds up a finger, “One…SEC…Woo…”

“Did you run here?” Robin arches a brow.

“I have been stuck in a stupid council meeting…ALL day.” Raven straightens up. “This was the excuse I was looking for to get out of it.”

“Refductin again?” Robin steps aside, letting Raven walk in.

“Who else?” The Archivist groans before rubbing her hands together. “SO! Where are the little victi—I mean, captives?”

“In the dungeon…want to go interrogate them before I fill out their process forms?” Robin crosses her arms and smirks.

Raven cackles, “Took the words right out of my mouth!”

The two creators rush down the stairs, cackling like witches.

Sun clears his throat and points to the stairs, “Uhm…Should we do something about that?”

Moon shrugs, “Let them have some fun.  Besides, they’re those two pirates’ problem now.”

They both share a laugh before heading to the back, smiling when they hear the cackles grow louder. A loud explosion follows after.

*

I have FINISHED IT! I hope you all enjoyed it especially you Robin! Sorry that it took so long! I wanted to do my best to give you and your characters justice! She also wrote the special entry in the Halloween special (Pt 1.)

And if the rest of you haven't heard of her, go check out her Tumblr! She has a TON of AMAZING stories and art! I hope you all have a wonderful timezone!

[popfishjr]

The trio

And also this i think its ugly but i spent a lot of time on this☠️

[hoshigray]

HII idk if u already did this but can u do first time with college guy nanami plz? ^-^

𝐚. 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: omg stop, this is perfect !! also happy early bday to me & my bday twin/hubby, nanamin, mwah

⊹ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Nanami x afab! reader - explicit content; minors DNI - modern au! college juniors - first time; virginity loss - fingering (f! receiving) - kissing; making out - nipple sucking - missionary position - protected sex - pet names (angel, baby, honey, love) - nanami is so soft and gentle w/ you <333 - mention of tears and pain.

⊹ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1k

“Shit…you feel okay, baby?”

“Hahhh, yes, Ken…Mmmm, please, keep going…”

Nanami should’ve known something was fishy the moment his partner asked to come over to his apartment to study in the middle of a Friday night — the weekend had just started, and you wanted to work with him at his place? No way…But he voices no complaints whatsoever. 

You lay on his bed, the bedroom lights dimmed and emphasizing the skin of both you and Nanami’s nude bodies. Your boyfriend above you, kissing your forehead as his left hand is busy fingering your bare chasm and coating your labia with the lube he applied on his fingers. You moan sweetly at his touch, his digits nestling between your folds, and gasping at the slow insertion of his middle finger. Your inner channel clamps onto it, twitching around it as his right hand kneads the flesh of your inner thigh to soothe you.

Nanami presses his forehead to yours after placing kisses on your hot cheek. “Shhh, it’s okay, angel,” your sobs quiet down with his words, wailing softly at the curl of his middle finger scraping your velvety texture. “I’m right here…”

Tonight was significant, not just for him but for you too. Two virgins came together for a night of passion and union; however, Nanami didn’t want to ruin this moment just for his pleasure. He’s sharing this with you and wanted everything orchestrated perfectly for your comfort. You were his top priority above anything else, so he wanted you to be content.

Kisses trail down from your cheek and chin, and his lips lick around your nipple as he sucks the bud in, his tongue lapping around it makes you jerk along the rub of his finger. 

“Ahaaah, oh God,” you throw your head back. “Kento, I–Mmmph…I want it, please…”

He releases your nipple with a pull of his lips before peering into your eyes, chocolate orbs scanning your expression with sincerity. “You sure? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Yes, I’m ready,” you nod and spread your legs further, exhaling once he removes his middle finger from your soaking slit. “I know you’d never hurt me, Ken.”

Nanami can’t fight the smile creeping on his face as he situates himself, kissing you tenderly while he positions his erect cock to you, sheathed with a rubber. 

The tip of his length greets you, pushing itself lightly to the very entrance of your vagina. The initial pain makes itself known in seconds, having you whine into his mouth and your body involuntarily flinching. Yet, Nanami is there to relax you. “It’s okay,” he reminds you. “Relax your body; don’t be tense, baby. Breathe.”

A piece of advice you know would be beneficial so you construct a pattern to breathe adequately. And he watches every inhale and exhale, allowing you to ready yourself with every intake of air and pushing his tip further as you expel. Biting on your bottom lip, hands gripping the sheets, eyes watering from your shut eyelids—this experience was propelling you to suffocate in the sensation alone. And he hasn’t even put the cockhead in yet…

But when he does, it’s a revelation to the deepest part of your soul. You arch to the addition and gasp with Nanami, a foreign feeling of your hole being stretched. You were rigid, alarmed to take another breath; trembles came up your legs to your shoulders, and your toes locked to a curl. 

“You okay?” You nod ever-so-slowly, breathing with an agape mouth. “Hnnmm, good…Going to start moving now.”

His hips go excruciatingly sluggish, and leisure strokes drive his dick further into your warm channel, leaving the boy moaning with flattened lips and trenched brows. Your tightness feels snug to him, gripping nicely around his cock as if he could melt. And your quiet shrieks sound so cute, and he keeps coaxing you with every inch taken until his golden pubes meet yours.

Cautious strokes begin, and your voice is dialed to a higher volume. Hands find their way around Nanami’s neck, same with your legs coming around his waist. His movements are nothing harsh or rushed; they’re gentle and patient, permitting you to adjust to him and his body being one with yours. 

“Ohhh, hoooh, Kentoo,” you whimper in the air between you two. “Oh God—Ahhaa!!” The tip grazes your walls to the point of your nerves spiking. “Yesss, yeeeess…!”

“Hnnmm…Haaahh, fuck,” he curses to himself, his nose brushing yours. “You feel so good, honey…” He brings his face in for another kiss, this one more lustful than the last yet just as loving and secure. Hips grow confidence, thrusts pounding to you more selfishly while maintaining a moderate pace. He drinks your moans with his mouth, shivers slithering up his spine with the clasp of your cunt. 

The pain from before is long gone, exchanged with pleasure now that your lower region is accustomed to the commotion. The poke to your walls is sudden yet euphoric, same with the stretch of your entrance while he rubs on your texture and reaches in places you never imagined. It’s so good; it feels so fucking good!

“—Mmahhh, Kent—Toooh!” You break the kiss, yet Nanami keeps the closeness intimate with his cheek to yours. “OhhmyGod, right there! Right…Hmmm, maah!!” Nails dig to the skin of his back, your pitch gets higher and higher, and your awaited climax awards you. 

 Your tender walls flutter with the arrival of your orgasm, shrieking as your figure sinks to the pleasure as shocks of your crescendo flourish. And Nanami continues to rut into you until his drive comes to an end, groaning to your ear as he jerks and his cock spurts his load into the condom. The cling of you on him pulls him in, and you hold him close until both your heaving bodies are tranquil.

He then straightens to examine you, noticing the tear that dared leave your eyes. And as the benevolent boyfriend you fell in love with, he brushes his thumb on your cheek to wipe. “Thank you,” you giggle.

And he smiles back. “So beautiful, love.”

© 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲2024 – reblogs and comments are appreciated wholeheartedly ☆ dividers by @/animatedglittergraphics-n-more.

[moonliched]

Futuristic fnaf mermaid au, aaaauuuauauauu🐠

For humanity, space travel and alien intermingling is business as usual. Y/N works on a facility on a largely unexplored aquatic planet. Deep underwater and surrounded by caves and tunnels, the building is submerged and embedded in rock. The facility has a rotating team of researchers that study at the place every half year or so, and the last team has just switched out! Y/N just needs to get the facility ready for the next team, enjoy some downtime, and try to track down a tangle of net and chains that went missing a few cycles ago.

And then they find it. In an undiscovered cavern.

Trapping a mermaid.

Y/N feels totally at home with the fishies, but an intelligent mermaid feral with fear might be a little too much to handle alone.

Especially after he takes an interest in the weird two-tailed creature that keeps coming at him with bolt cutters.

Y/N works as an all-purpose handyman maintaining the facility, and doing small fixes in the on-site utility tunnels that pump water through the generators. They also regularly exit the facility to maintain the remote generators and ensure the territory is secure with nets and markers.

This is the first time Y/N has been left totally alone in the facility, aside from a few staffbots, and the resident AI, BON-BON.

Plus something weird is happening. Rumbles in the water create currents and dislodge rock, like the stirring of a colossal creature. It could just be tectonic activity! But probably not.

Some lil facts! Sun and Moon's fins and gills all glow, as does Moon's esca, but they can turn off the glow to better hide. Light takes energy, so if the mers are sufficiently tired or hungry, they can't glow.

The Glamrocks are in this AU, but I'm not saying how yet. We got giant mermaid Eclipse, plus megalohydrothalassophobia (gasp pant.) And an AI that's a little too intelligent and argumentative to strictly be allowed to function.

The entire facility is located in rock, under the ocean, and is consequently pretty claustrophobic. To combat this the facility is done up all white and large with smooth walls, chunky furniture - think white liminal space futurism. There are plenty of big windows, but as the view is mostly dark water with the occasional weird thing swimming by, it has the opposite effect.

I got a fic in the works ;0 I do need to decide on a title tho. Idk if anyone will be interested in this AU but i'm in too deep and enjoying myself. And I👏love👏mermaids👏👏👏

[ax5rt]

so this is part of my mermaid au for mouthwashing because i cannot enjoy a piece of media normally. i have to make it about mermaids

as you can see they're not Pony Express anymore. they're Fishy Express. and their business is Fishy

[soaps-used-urn]

Soap fics from other creators

Red= dark fic

Orange- fem reader

Green- g/n Reader

Purple- male reader

? - I'm not exactly sure

(I’ll keep adding DONT get mad bc there may be more than others..)

Calling him by his name - @baohanhanesel

Fishy business - @lovifie

Throat mics - @tocka-ibris

Second chance - @bookbrokelibrarian

Repeat until death - @kcmactavish ?

Childhood friend - @a-small-writer-in-a-big-world

It’s a match! - @going-to-ikea-for-the-fries

Soap x Male Reader - @rodolfoparras

Brain rot - @embry-garrick

Muscle / body worship - @gatorbites-imagines

Government asset- @charliemwrites f reader

Enamored - @rowarn

Souvenir - @syoddeye

Soulmate au - @all-purpose-dish-soap ?

Dividers by - @cafekitsune

Header from - Pinterest

[robinette-green]

Robin's Mer DCA Romance Fics

These are fics I’ve started that involve Mermaids and aquatic life!

Unbreakable Chains:

You’re a mermaid captured by pirates. Scared and injured, two strange metal men care for you while you’re trapped in this scary place and slowly an unbreakable bond is formed between the three of you. ________________ Wind and rain pelted down on the ship as the men scrambled to lift their catch from the water. The waves rolled, tossing the ship back and forth, slamming water down onto the decks as ropes were pulled and the net was lifted from the water. A screech rang out over the waves as something much larger than your average fish was raised from the black depths. Lighting forked across the sky, illuminating sharp teeth and claws as the beast fought to free itself. The shout of pain, as claws met flesh, was drowned out by the rumble of thunder, but the sharp crack from the pistol rang clear across the water, followed by a scream. Another shot and cry of pain, and the men were finally able to lower the beast into the belly of the ship. 

Caught in a Fish's Net: (tag)

what if I wrote a story where a human is kidnapped by mermaids. And they were forced to marry two mer princes because of a prophecy that said if the princes married a human they would be able to end the plague killing their people. But the marriage seems to do nothing and now the human is trapped deep in the ocean with these mer because mer bond for life and now magic ties them together so if they’re apart for too long they’ll grow sick and die. OH! And there’s a sea witch who creates chaos. The sky had been cloudless when we'd set out this morning. The sun shone in the sky, causing sparkles to ripple across the waves as my father and I set out to sea in our small fishing boat. We cast out the nets and had a good laugh as we waited to pull them back in, Father at the rudder and me by the tethers we'd connected the nets to. Neither of us noticed how still the water had gotten. Neither of us saw the shadows below the surface. 

Bubbly:

A little waterlily mer guppy is trapped, home destroyed, and taken to a pet store to be sold. After spending some time living in a fish bowl, our little guppy is saved and moved to a tank that has been dubbed the daycare by the human tending to it. The daycare tank is set up to rehabilitate fish before they are released back into their natural habitats. There our guppy meets Sun and Moon, two fish that live full time in this tank taking care their healing guests. Sun and Moon and our guppy fall in love and then shit goes down.

Fish Fry: (tag)

Pulled from the sea 5 years ago, I was tied up, beaten, and sold to owner after owner, each deciding I was too dangerous to keep. Back then, I was strong, able to break bones and tear flesh with ease, singing to lure humans to their demise. It's what my kind was made to do, kill humans. But no more. Kept in increasingly small tanks, barely fed, and unable to swim, I started to weaken. Eventually, I was dumped here. It was some kind of oddities collection. My owner had other humans pay to look at his strange assortment of items he had gathered from around the world. Then one day I encountered two strange humanoid creatures that resembled the Sun and the Moon and my life started to change for the better.

Monster in the Sea:

Sun and Moon are human and go by Solaris and Lucien. The MC is a water dragon. Water dragon reader finds Sun and Moon lost at sea during a storm

Dark Waters:

When your parents died all their debt fell on your shoulders. You did everything you could but in the end, you were penniless and without a home. Reaching out to what relatives you had left, your uncle offered you a place, living and working at his little circus in the middle of the desert. It wasn't long after you moved into this little community that you found a strange abandoned tent hidden at the back of the grounds, a large tank inside. Posted just outside was a sign that read 'DANGER! KEEP OUT!' If you had headed the warning maybe you wouldn't be in this predicament but you also wouldn't have met the two most amazing creatures you have ever laid your eyes on.

Fishy Business: (tag)

Attacked and almost killed, I manage to escape my attackers and hide in a cave only to be found by something... not quite human. Too weak to get away and with the beasts that wanted to eat me waiting outside, this non-human kidnaps me, taking me to his ship. This is where I find that there are not one but two of these metal creatures. A story where the main character is a mermaid and is rescued/kidnapped by Sun and Moon

Some of these won't be finished and some are OLD writing of mine. you have been warned. Please don't let that stop you from reading these and enjoying them <3

[sinnabarmoth]

What would the lads be like as yanderes? What type do you think they would be?

Oh this is interesting! I gotta like think what tendencies they have that you would amplify to make them into yanderes.

Quick note just to cover my ass: This is all speculative in an AU where the guys are yanderes. I do not actually believe that the canon characters would do any of this!

Zayne: I see him as the Overprotective kind of yandere. Zayne as a character is very concerned about MC's well-being and health as we see. Now amplify that to the level of a yandere and we get the classic tropes like does not want to leave the MC alone and says that everything they do is in their best interest and for their safety and happiness. Clearly ignoring the fact that they are infringing on MC's independence. Everything in the world is out to get his girl and if need be he will take drastic measures to make sure she doesn't get hurt by anything ever again.

Xavier: Xavier is the Clingy Possessive kind of yandere. We've seen in certain memories that Xavier has a kind of clingy and jealous personality (Floof Attack and Misty Silhouette are what immediately come to mind.) So if he were a yandere he'd be the kind that does not want MC to so much as look at another person and wants her to spend all her time with him. The second she leaves him alone he's like a cat locked out of the bathroom and will not stop until the door is opened. He is blowing up her phone when she's not around and the moment he sees her being nice to anyone else it is an immediate threat to his relationship with her and he will exercise whatever means to keep her all to himself.

Rafayel: Raf, my little fishy art guy, I have to put him in the Obsessive yandere slot. This kind of yandere is where MC is the only thing he ever thinks about. 24 hours a day. Seven days a week. 365 days of the year. MC and MC alone. This guy focuses a lot on the things that he and MC make together and their plans together to an unhealthy degree. You know that he takes the word "muse" in this context to an unhealthy level. Everything he creates in some way or another relates back to MC. It goes like this to the point of self-destruction because all he is doing is thinking about MC and fantasizing about their life together if they have not formally met yet. Often time also leads to the Stalker yandere type.

Sylus: Sylus was actually kinda hard to categorize because I'm trying to balance his sadistic persona with his more caring personality. So I think a good middle ground is he would the Manipulative yandere type. These types of yanderes are like puppetmasters who is constantly pulling strings behind MC's back to get her into whatever position he wants her to be in. Is she already in a relationship? He's going in and finding ways to drive a wedge between them until they break up. Is she supposed to go away on a business trip? He's getting it cancelled or finding a way to get himself on the same trip. From the MC's side of things the relationship feels very normal because she doesn't realize how much control is being exercised to bend her to his whims and keep her by his side.

[my-pjo-stuff]

AU where sometime between TTC and BotL Annabeth get's sent out on a separate quest to retrieve some random McGuffin before Luke together with his forces can get to it, and through weird magic shenanigans ends up de-aged to seven years old.

Annabeth is reasonably scared of course. She only has the memories of her seven year old self, last thing she remembers is crying herself to sleep in Luke's arms after Thalia got turned into a tree. The poor girl has no idea what happened or what's going on.

Luke in the meantime was busy fighting through to the McGuffin while having some complications, which caused him to arrive relatively late compared to Annabeth. He has no idea what he's even looking at when he finally reaches his destination, and sees a crying seven year old Annabeth with the McGuffin laying next to her. Part of Luke thinks he's hallucinating, or that this is some sort of trick.

It isn't a trick. When Annabeth notices Luke in the room she immediately recognizes him as who he is- despite him so different from how she last saw him. Something in her just knows that this is Luke.

She all but throws herself into the older's arms. It happens so fast that Luke doesn't even have time to truly comprehend what's going on before he instinctively wraps his arms around the crying Annabeth clinging to his waist.

It takes time, but after a while Luke finally manages to work through the collective confusion, calm Annabeth down and figure out what even happened. And oh man, Luke ain't happy. He has no idea how to deal with this! It's not like he could leave Annabeth around here like that, that's a sure-fire way for her to die. But taking her to the Princess Andromeda with him isn't a perfect solution either- even if you ignore all the monsters and the general situation overall, that just no place for a seven year old little girl. Not to mention all the questions Annabeth is already asking which Luke isn't exactly keen on answering.

In the end he has little choice. He reasons to Kronos and the rest of the army that he's capturing Annabeth as a hostage while she's at her weakest while grabbing the McGuffin and getting back to base. In reality, Luke has no actual intentions to keep Annabeth hostage of course. Trying to undo the de-aging would be futile- he has no idea how it happened in the first place of if he can even undo it- which means the best way to help Annabeth is to get her back to Camp as fast as possible. Which is obviously easier said than done, considering that Luke is Camp's Nr.1 enemy while also having Kronos breathing down his neck 90% of the time. And that isn't even mentioning the fact that he now also has Annabeth with him to take care off. Annabeth in the meantime immediately notices something fishy of course. Luke explained to her that she was de-aged, and this is the "future". But he refuses any other question, telling her not to worry about it and that it would all make sense soon enough. She spends her time locked in her brother's room on the ship to protect her from "monsters" (why is Luke handing around with monsters? in the first place?) while Luke goes about trying to figure out how to "get her to safety". She may not fully understand what's going on here, but Annabeth sure as hell won't leave Luke behind like that. Even if she doesn't know what happened or why the older looks and acts like that, that's still Luke. Something is wrong, and Annabeth isn't about to allow that wrongness to continue. She'll return to camp, and she'll have Luke return with her.

[chlorinecake]

🎙️ star-crossed lovers 【 薄幸な恋人 】 ⛦

summ✩ry Forbidden sparks fly between you and Enhypen’s main dancer upon dorming together, but what happens when your bandmate threatens to expose this reckless romance?

p✩iring idol!niki x popstar!reader ✩ EPISODE 1

genre band au, fluff, secret romance cw swearing, slightly suggestive, mild bullying, kissing, girl drama, reader is younger than Niki wc 4.5k

"Where were you last night?” Haerin asked with a whisper, removing the tape-seal from her container of apple slices.

It was early in the morning when you, your bandmates, and the Enhypen members got up for breakfast in the Hybe cafeteria.

Getting up early proved to be a challenge, especially considering your late night adventures with Niki and unbreakable inability to sleep in beds that aren't yours.

You couldn't help but wonder how much better you would've slept if Niki stayed next to you-

"W-what are you talking about, Rinnie?" You stuttered unintentionally, taking a sip from the coffee you prayed would help you get through another busy day in Korea.

"Don't play dumb, ____. You know what I saw," she sighed, meeting your nervous eyes, "You really shouldn't be disobeying the curfew rule, not to mention how dangerous sneaking around a foreign country is."

"I appreciate your concern, Haerin, but I promise, you have nothing to worry about," you said with a smile, "I just wanted to get some extra practice time in, that's all."

The sound of approaching footsteps cut your conversation short, the Enhypen boys and your bandmates finally joining you two at the table.

"Ooo, are you guys telling secrets? I wanna hear," Jade cheered, placing her food tray on the table.

Apparently you and Haerin looked a lot more suspicious than intended, but then again, two girls whispering always looked a little fishy.

“Hehe, no secrets over here!” Haerin covered, shoving her mouth with apples to avoid anymore questions.

"Riiiight," Jungwon smirked, revealing his soft dimples, "Anyways, how’re you all enjoying the roommate pairs?”

"I’m actually quite pleased with our group, right boys?” Heeseung joked, exchanged high fives with Jake and Jay to which Sunghoon rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure you guys took a while to get used to each other," he mumbled sarcastically, "What do you think about us, Serenity?"

"Hmm," she began in thought, "wellll, Sunoo's kinda vibey. He has a lot of fancy skincare products that he shares sometimes, so that’s been nice. Sunghoon's also really easy to look at so..."

"Easy to look at, huh? Is that your way of calling me hot?"

"Heyyy, I never said you could use my stuff," Sunoo blurted out, interrupting Sunghoon's attempt at flirting.

"Moving on," Serenity chirped, redirecting the convo, "What about you, Mr. Leadernim?"

Jungwon took a bite of his scrambled eggs before answering, "Honestly, Jade and Haerin remind me of my sister. We get along pretty well and they're not too troublesome, I guess."

"Yeah, Jungwon's pretty cool, too... aside from his tendency to hog the shower," Jade teased back.

��Okay, now what about you two?” Heeseung started, sending Niki a funny look that made him choke on his water.

“Alright, you can answer ____ while he keeps drowning,” Heeseung chuckled, passing Niki a napkin to wipe the water from his now shiny lips.

You still couldn't believe that he actually kissed you WITH THOSE LIPS-

“Uhhh,” you began nervously, trying to think of something normal to say, “N-Niki... w-well, he's uh... Niki, he's—”

“My GOD, the look on your face right now makes it seem like you’re in love with him or something,” Serenity gawked rudely, dramatically throwing her hands in the air as she successfully got everyone’s attention with her big mouth.

“I mean,” Niki started with a plain expression, “its not like I’m entirely against the idea of having a girl fall for me...”

“Yeah, happens all the time to guys like us,” Jake winked, immediately cringing at his own words.

Step, step, step, signaled Miss Kim’s signature black booties across the tiled cafeteria floor, “Good morning, my little minions. Now what’s going on over here with all this chatter?”

Turns out Miss Kim only worked as an activity assistant for Enhypen, though, she always had a way of waltzing into every room like she owned the place.

“Not much,” Jake answered, “We were just discussing our practice schedule for the day.”

“Mhm, so that means the few of you are well updated on your instrument rehearsals this evening, yes?”

“Instrument rehearsals,” Jade repeated yet asked.

“Exactly. Jade, Serenity, and Jay will play a guitar riff during one of the stages, so you’ll meet in the recording studio at 4pm today.”

“Sweet,” Jay smirked, playing air-guitar while mimicking the Karma instrumental.

“Also,” Miss Kim continued, “I can’t really remember, but which of you here is struggling with the choreo?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to you as you raised your hand shyly.

“Oh, ____,” she said, dragging out your name, “perfect! Niki, you’ll be skipping vocals today to help ____ catch up in the dance studio.”

You couldn’t hold back the smile that grew on your face at her words: maybe some extra dance practice wouldn't be too bad after all.

“Alright, I'm headed to the fashion department to check out your stage costumes. Heeseung and Jungwon, please make sure everyone follows today's schedule accordingly.”

“We won't let you down, Miss Kim," Jungwon nodded as the stern lady turned on her heel, beelining to the cafeterias coffee counter a few feet away from your table.

"Alright guys, you heard the boss lady. Let's wrap up breakfast and meet in 10," Heeseung said, getting up from his seat first as the rest of you followed shortly after...

To Room 10: Hybe's indoor gym and workout center.

The intense exercise routine left you feeling pretty worn out.

Your mind was mostly focused on getting all your reps in without passing out, ignoring the overflow of sweat that kept seeping from your pores. You all had just finished the last part of the workout: a mile outdoor run around Yongsan Family Park.

"And you're telling me we still have rehearsals after this?" Serenity huffed, taking yet another large gulp from her jug of Gatorade.

"Yes," Sunoo answered plainly, taking the blue drink from her hands and pouring it into a nearby bush.

"Dude, what the hell?" She yelped, backing away to avoid the splashes, "Don't tell me you're still mad about that 'skincare' thing."

"If you had any idea how many added sugars people put in that stuff, you would've poured it out yourself," Sunoo replied in a sassy voice.

"Well if it wasn't obvious, I couldn't care less about whatever you just said," she sighed, sadly watching as the blue liquid trickled past the leaves, soaking the soil, "you totally owe me a drink after this, by the way."

"Hey, that's actually a pretty good idea! We should go out for drinks tomorrow night," Jake cheered, using the back of his hand to catch his sweat, "everybody down for splitting the bill?"

"Yeah, but we can focus on that once we get back up this hill," Jay replied, encouraging the rest of you to keep on treading.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

Later in the rehearsal studio, practice started off a bit slow with a warm up session before actually breaking down the choreography.

Apparently, the official dance composer for the upcoming stage changed a part in the performance for you and your group to follow, adding a trick move with Haerin and Jade.

Meanwhile, the Enhypen boys were working on perfecting their routines, as they had already memorized the whole thing a lot quicker than the Riot Grrlz.

The main practice session lasted close to two hours before the talent supervisor called for a break, sending the other members off so you and Niki could have the studio to yourselves.

Finally.

"So what was that all about earlier?" He asked, kneeling down to stretch his legs.

"In the cafeteria this morning?"

He nodded in response, guiding you to the floor to help you stretch with him.

"Well, Haerin said she saw me last night... Sneaking out, I mean. She didn't say anything about you, but..."

You couldn't help but giggle at the way his face dropped.

"What the? I could've sworn everyone was asleep when we came back last night," he said with an awkward smile, holding onto your wrists as he pulled you toward your feet on the ground, "what'd you tell her then?"

"I told her not to worry about it, but I avoided mentioning too many details," you said, squeezing your eyes at the painful stretch you felt in your hamstrings.

"Welp, all that means is we'll have to be more careful when we sneak out again tonight," he winked, finally letting go of your wrists so you could relax.

"Tonight, huh? I'm surprised I've got you hooked so fast. What's it been, like three days?"

"Four, actually. But I'm surprised by your sudden confidence. You could hardly form a coherent sentence about me, earlier," he teased, offering you his hand to help you up from the ground.

"That had nothing to do with you and everything to do with the way you almost died while drinking water," you returned before dramatically reenacting the way he struggled, pretending to choke on the air, "I was nervous... for your safety, of course."

"Mhm. I'm sure you would've saved me though... Nothing a little mouth to mouth can't fix," he smiled, looking at your lips before looking away, trying to maintain his focus, "You remember how the choreo starts, right?"

"Uhh," you started, scratching the back of your head, "With the little arm-move-thingy?"

"Sure, you could call it that," he chuckled, "Now just follow my moves like we did at the skate park. I'll go slow at first and speed up as you catch on."

"Okay," you said, watching his movements in the mirror as if hypnotized.

It amazed you how even while practicing the moves in slow motion, he still looked effortlessly talented.

"Good!" he encouraged, observing how much you improved with the footwork compared to day one, but there was something about your hip movements that he thought looked a little stiff.

"Okay, hold on," he started, walking up to you and placing his hands at your waist, "Try to be a little more fluid with this step, otherwise it looks kinda awkward."

"Like this?" you asked, keeping his hands in place as you rolled your hips in front of him, trying to follow his instructions.

You didn't even realize how close his body was pressed against yours until a loud slam startled you both.

Niki's gaze immediately darted to the source of the sound, seeing none other than Serenity barging through the studio door, marching in with a cattiest look on her face.

"Ummm, how can I help you, officer?" Niki asked playfully, stepping away from you and crossing his arms.

That's when Sunghoon and Sunoo ran in behind her, trying to catch their breath while spitting out a few words, "We tried to stop her," Sunoo started, "but she wouldn't listen."

"Aha! I knew there was something going on between you two! Don't try to back away now, Niki! I guess you couldn't wait to loosen up each other's buttons again, huh?!" Serenity rambled, making an utter fool of herself.

"We were rehearsing the choreography, genius. Like Miss Kim told us to," You retorted, not being in the mood for her games at the moment.

"Mhm, without leaving room for Jesus, I see! Speaking of Miss Kim, just wait til I tell her about this!"

"What are you two doing here?" Niki asked the two frustrated boys, trying to redirect the conversation.

"We were in Room 10 doing our cooldown when Gossip Girl over here started interrogating Haerin," Sunghoon sighed, "One thing led to another and before we knew it, Serenity was bolting out of the gym like a crazy person."

Your eyes went to meet Serenity's frame, who stood with her hands on her hips and eyes narrowed as she wrestled with whatever angry thoughts ran through her brain.

"Ren, please don't tell Miss Kim. This was obviously a huge misunderstanding," you pleaded with her, trying to be mature about the situation.

"No… little kids like you need discipline. Though," she paused, twirling a strand of her chocolate brown hair, "I might consider keeping your little secret if you resign from being captain over the Riot Grrlz."

You scoffed at her offer, "You're delirious. And for the last time, there isn’t any secret for you to spoil, anyway."

"Fine,” she grinned, a little too wide, “I tried to be nice about this, Niki, but your girlfriend has left me with no other choice but to come clean about this matter.”

Flipping her hair, she marched towards the door, looking back as if waiting for you all to follow her, which you did, all the way to Miss Kim in the fashion department.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

To no one’s surprise, Miss Kim wasn’t happy to see the five of you crowding her during her shift, especially not when you were given specific instructions to follow the schedule while she was away.

After Serenity expressed that their was “a breach of the rules” between you and Niki, Miss Kim summoned all of the Riot Grrlz and Enhypen members for a disciplinary meeting.

"Oddly enough, my disappointment doesn't fall on Jungwon and Heeseung, even though I put you two in charge of everything," the lady began, holding her hands behind her back as she paced around the table you were all sat at.

"Serenity has brought to my knowledge that some of your are struggling to follow the strict rules in place here. Are there any witnesses to this claim?"

Serenity kicked Haerin's leg from under the table, trying to get a word out of her, but she remained silent thankfully. You couldn't help but feel guilty though at the sight of Jungwon and Heeseung hanging their heads in shame.

"Very well then... and are any of the accused parties willing to come clean about the alleged incident?"

Niki peeked at you for a second as if waiting for you to say or not say something first.

"I..." you began timidly, "I did stay out past curfew last night, but only to practice."

This was a partial lie, but you had no intentions on bringing Niki down with you. After all, it's not like he forced you to sneak out with him, as you most definitely wanted to.

Miss Kim's eyes widened slightly at your sudden choice to speak, "Go on," she said, stopping in her tracks.

"And about what Serenity saw in the rehearsal studio... It was nothing. Me and Niki were only trying to practice like you said."

She hummed at your words, "I appreciate your honesty, ____. And Serenity, it would bring me much joy if from now on, you would focus more on working than running after silly rumors."

"Soooo," Jake started, "are we free to go now?"

"Not just yet," Kim answered, clearing her throat before continuing, "From now on, your curfew will be pushed back from 11:00pm to 8:00pm."

A loud groan filled the room at her words, but a satisfied look remained on Serenity's face until the next part of Kim's rules were announced.

"A piece of blue tape will be lined at your bedroom doors, so anyone who tries to leave after 8 will have a tough time hiding it once the tape is torn. Also, expect to be waken up extra early tomorrow for exercise. No breakfast."

"But Miss Kim," Jade began, "Maybe you can give us another chance, there's no proof, anyway."

"Proof or no proof, my rules will stand in place until further notice. And for the record, this is not a punishment."

"Yeah, more like a freaking detention center! I knew it from day one," Serenity whined, the taste of her karma unfortunately falling on the lot of you.

"If that's what you wanna call our home to multinational superstars, so be it," Kim retorted, making her way to the office door, "hopefully there will be no more disruptions for the day."

Slam.

The door was closed, and with that, your busy schedules re-open and waiting to be completed.

"____," Haerin spoke quietly, shyly meeting your eyes as she walked up to you, "I'm really sorry that I brought that up this morning, Serenity must've overheard us talking."

"It's okay, Rinnie. This isn't your fault," you smiled, patting her head gently to cheer her up.

"Mhm, well that's sweet. Thanks for getting us on probation, lovebirds," Jay sighed, getting up from his seat and walking out of the room.

"Yeah, so much for stopping Serenity and her big mouth, you guys," Jake said, giving Sunghoon and Sunoo a look before walking out too.

"Guys, Miss Kim said this wasn't a punishment. Like ____ said, this isn't anyways fault," Jungwon said, trying to convince everyone to see the situation in a more positive light.

"Whatever, I'm gonna join Jay in the instrument room. Don't take too long in here, Ren," Jade sighed, running a frustrated hand through her hair before also leaving.

"Cool, I'm gonna go get lunch because I don't work well when I'm hungry," Heeseung huffed, walking past Niki and towards the door, "I taught you well, brother, but please, stay out of trouble from now on."

Serenity's initial pitiful look returned to the sassy one she wore before, watching as Jungwon, Sunoo, and Sunghoon followed after Heeseung, closing the door behind them.

And then there were three.

"Miss Kim thinks that some silly tape and a bedtime will stop you two, but just know that I'll be watching for myself," Serenity threatened, staring you and Niki down from her seat.

"Got it, officer," Niki teased, walking up to you and taking your hand in his.

"And where do you two think you're going?"

"To complete our schedules? Now we've all had enough with your Nancy Drew act. It's time to put your working face back on," you replied, mirroring her cattiness, "You're gonna be late for your rehearsals with Jade and Jay if you don't hurry up."

"Gosh, you two can be so annoying sometimes," She exclaimed, fixing her hair before marching out of the office, leaving you and Niki alone again.

With your hand still in his, he turned your body to face him, taking your face in his hands and looking at you with the most loving expression.

He just can't get enough of you.

He reached for your wrist, drawing your attention to the bracelet he gave you the other day, "You still trust me, right?"

You couldn't help but look away from his face for a second. If he held that intense eye contact with you for any longer, you're sure you were gonna explode.

"Stop, you're too shy," he giggled, turning your chin to face him one more time before kissing you on the lips, a pink hue raising to his cheeks. You got lost in his touch for a second, hardly remembering that this reckless romance is what got you in this room in the first place.

"Niki!" You yelped, suddenly feeling his hands tickle you under your shirt, "You never answered my question, silly," he chuckled, backing away as you tried fighting him off.

"I trust you, stupid, now stop tickling me before someone catches us," you sighed, trying to catch your breath from all your laughing.

This boy was making your heart do things you're sure it's never done before. Backflips, cartwheels, splits, you name it!

"So does that mean you're still down to hang out with me later tonight," he asked, pouting at you playfully, "unless, you don't think it's worth it."

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

Your evening ended on par with Miss Kim's revised schedule, everyone completing their assigned tasks before showering and heading to bed at 8 o'clock sharp. And to your surprise, she wasn't joking about the blue tape thing either.

You and Niki waited til an entire hour had passed before initiating your escape plan, just to make sure that everyone was asleep.

Dressed in the best "incognito" outfits you could find, Niki tied a few bed sheets together to make a rope, tying it to your bunkbed for you to climb out the window with.

He went first because you were too scared.

"Alright, you're coming?" He whispered from the ground, watching you shyly peek from the window.

"You look tiny from up here," you giggled, pointing at him playfully.

"____, stop stalling and get down here," he chuckled back, motioning with his hands as if encouraging you.

Sticking your right leg out the window, you said a small prayer as you gripped onto the makeshift rope, climbing down with your eyes closed to keep yourself from chickening out.

"That's it, there you go!" Niki cheered, clapping for you as you finally made it down... the 10ft wall.

"What if someone sees the rope just hanging here?"

"They won't."

"Well... what if a little raccoon were to get cold out here and sneak into our room for comfort?"

"Come on," he smiled, taking your hand in his as he skipped from the building, adjusting the sunglasses to his "costume."

He wanted to show you around the city of Seoul, taking you to one of his favorite Japanese food stands to get filled taiyaki's because they're his all time favorite. He ended up doing most of the talking while ordering, thanks to the language barrier.

You both wanted chocolate filled, so you ended up just getting one large taiyaki to share.

He tore a piece of the fish pastry's head before putting it in his mouth, careful not to get any chocolate on his face.

You took the snack from his hand before taking a small bite yourself, surprised by the initial crunchiness of the pastry that soon melted into a softer texture, coupled with an equally delightful taste.

Now you see why Niki likes these so much.

"This is crazy, you know that?" You said, taking in the beautiful city scenery that made up your surroundings.

"Of course, especially with everyone reminding me all the time. But what was that you said again? About breaking rules as long as it's worth it?"

Both of you started to walk a little slower, not really paying attention to where you were going, just enjoying each others company, "You're never gonna let me forget I said that, are you?"

"Nope," he smiled, looking into the distance, "because those are the exact words that got us here in the first place."

"And where is "here," exactly?" You challenged, going for another bite of the snack before handing it back to him.

"Alone, outside, past our curfews, holding hands in this beautiful park while dressed up as anonymous wanderers..."

You giggled in between his rambling-

"...Waiting for the right moment to kiss each other again."

A certain feeling of butterflies ran through your stomach at his words.

Was risking your career really worth all this? You'd vote one hundred and ten percent yes.

🎆 Pop!

The sight of fireworks bursted into the night sky before you two, shattering into a glittery shower of colorful sparkles.

"Oh my God," you jumped in shock at the loud noise, making Niki chuckle at your startled reaction.

"Jeez, you're gonna draw attention to us if you keep jumping like that!"

"Ahh, how was I supposed to know they were going to be fireworks tonight?"

"We're just outside of Yeouido Park. The officials here are probably rehearsing for the upcoming firework show," he said before filling his mouth with yet another bite of taiyaki.

From the looks of it, a few more people started to crowd the area, pulling out their cameras to take pictures of the occasional fireworks that splashed into the clear night sky.

"Maybe we should get going now," you said shyly, adjusting the silly scarf you wore around your neck to keep yourself undetectable.

Confused at first by your initial prompt, Niki took a look around before now seeing a few photographers pointing cameras at everyone.

"Yeahhhh, you're right, let's go before we get caught," he smiled, picking up the pace of his steps as he turned around, beelining back to the Hybe building with his hand still in yours.

The time had just hit somewhere around 10 o'clock, so you and Niki got a good hour to yourselves after your long day of work.

Luckily, his makeshift rope was still hanging outside your dorm room window when y’all got back, and once again, you successfully snuck out together undetected.

Or at least, that’s what you both thought until the morning came…

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

There was a certain news feed circulating around the web, originating on that same Korean Pop media website you were stalking before your trip.

You weren’t surprised to find Serenity with her bright blue eyes practically glued to her phone screen, announcing the blog’s title out loud as you and Niki came down together for warmups in Room 10:

Young Stars Spark Romantic Rumors After Photos of Them Kissing in Yeouido Park Circulate the Web.

Oh no, this can’t be good.

Niki had already informed you a few minutes ago about the post popping up on his phone, "There's no way we got caught. I made sure we blended in with the crowd,” he said, not being able to hide the worry growing inside him.

“And besides,” you replied while whispering, “we didn’t even kiss.”

But as to be expected, Serenity was having a field day rubbing the news in your faces.

“Starting mess at work again, I see?” Sunoo pointed, rolling his eyes at her words, but she ignored him.

“Ren, did you even look at the pictures going around?” Haerin offered as she adjusted her workout clothes, “Those people look nothing like Niki and ____.”

“Let me see,” Jade said, reaching for Serenity’s phone and scrolling past the title to analyze the pictures that revealed two older idols who didn’t even match you and Niki’s heights.

The fear boiling in your stomach suddenly disappeared.

“Oh, and their names are right here!” Serenity pointed out before zooming in, “Nevermind, I can’t even pronounce that.”

“Great, so that means we can get back to practice now, yeah?” Jungwon said, trying not to sound as annoyed as he truly was.

You and Niki just bust out laughing.

“What’s so funny,” Serenity scowled, obviously dissatisfied with the reality of the situation.

"Just the fact that you genuinely thought we'd go against Miss Kim's rules… Besides, how would we have even gotten out last night?" Niki tried, kneeling down to tighten his shoelaces, “I’m sure you checked the blue tape by our door. It stayed intact the entire night.”

“Mhm,” she hummed, obviously not wanting to engage in the conversation anymore, which you were thankful for.

The fitness coach started explaining the workout to Jake so he could translate for you and your group, outlining that the session would start with some intense weight lifting before cardio, a.k.a, a 2 mile run around the park.

Great.

Heeseung encouraged you all with his bright smile, “Alright, guys, let’s get moving!”

And that’s exactly what everyone did for the next three hours, keeping a shared goal in mind to follow Miss Kim’s activity schedule perfectly: Day five’s schedule outlining an in-person fan meeting that evening.

🎙️ For my baby, @microwvdstrawb3rri3s, and the lovely 🐥 anon ~ Episode 3 coming soon 💕

⛦ Tags: @squoxle @ashgonedash @nikimeows @nikipedia07 @3ngene--frvr @illymontyshit @filmofhybe @whoslug @nikiiitties

🎙️ Feel free to check out more fun reads on the pinned post at my home page ~

[popfishjr]

Some random parts of the malev modern day tc au wip

[moonlight-tmd]

Suggestion oldie but a goldie pirate blitzwing x siren bumblebee au. With the slight twist that sirens are former humans that were thrown overboard and bumblebee was blitz's lover when he was human.

Oh, so like @klaudia96art's AU with a slight addition!

Cool... hmm, well i haven't read anything about it but I can try.

I suppose Bee was a part of the pirate crew led by Megs and other 'cons. Bee was actually one of the crew's newest additions- the young man was trying to escape the law and got on the wrong ship and they found him. Megs deemed his skills as a thief useful and decided to keep him. Things were going great, Bee learned the pirate way- and was overly using the pirate slang.

Blitzwing was the ship's boatswain/carpenter- he did a bit of both since nobody in this damned group could take care of wood properly. He saw the yellow-skinned landrat and thought nothing of it... at least until he started climbing up the ranks and became the ship's gunner.

He often saw him when he was keeping the artillery room in order so it won't combust and sink them, whenever Blitzwing was there Bee would try to chat him up. It failed most of the time... except one time where Blitzwing was supposed to go down in the lower level to fix some issue and bumped into Bee. He was sitting all alone on some barrels and for the first time told Blitz to leave him be. Of course, he did the opposite and they ended up having a chat.

Bee got scolded for accidentally sinking a dinghy with gunpowder for the cannons- well, technically it was the sellers fault for sending him off with a boat that had poorly patched holes, but still... the captain was not happy.

Blitzwing felt bad for the fella, even if he was quite annoying. He comforted him the best he could and was on his way to do business. But since then he's become more tolerating of the gunner. He didn't mind chatting while he fire-proofed the weapon room and even when they bumped into one another during dinner or on board. One time they both were awake and had the idea to go watch the stars from the ship's deck and accidentally met. They talked and that night they saw not one but hundred of stars fall. It was amazing, in that moment Blitzwing caught a glance at Bee and the way his eyes glimmered with the stars was breathtaking. Oh, he was in trouble...

And so was Bee apparently. The gunner was sorta awkward when talking to Blitz and seemed to be a lot more clumsy when he was around. Boy did he burn like the sun when Blitz caught him when he slipped and fell from the mast. Eventually tho things have eased as the two began talking a lot more, it became more clear that the other cared about them just as much even if they haven't said anything.

But one night a big storm hit them- everyone did their best to stay aboard and not let the ship sink. In amidst chaos there could be heard echo-y singing- sirens. Wretched things must've brewed up the storm to drown and eat them. Bee was on deck, trying to help out with the sail ropes when a big wave hit them. Barrels and other unstable things went flying and Bee was washed off into the sea. Blitzwing tried to save him but it was too late, all he saw was the face of his darling disappear into the abyss before someone else dragged him under the deck for shelter.

Bee thought it was the end of him, the violent current dragged him deeped under as the air in his lungs thinned. In the last moments before his vision faded, he heard singing....

Then he woke up somewhere. It looked like some cave... then he saw a fishy face almost looking like a fellow man. He couldn't have jumped sooner- or swam? He was too startled and scared to notice he was breathing- his attention was more focused on the giant fish tail attached to his lower half. Also the definitely more than just one sirens surrounding him.

After a bit of panic the sirens explained everything. He fell off the ship and drowned, the sirens however took him to some old underwater cave and with their magic were able to give him like again as one of theirs. Sirens themselves weren't malicious like he was told- turns out they were spirits of those who have drowned in the ocean and whenever a storm happened they came to ships to save those who have fell in and couldn't get back out.

Bee was so confused, all the stories he heard about the sirens turned out to be false. And now he was supposedly one of those stories.

it took a bit for him to learn how to properly swim and get to know his new abilities. The sirens who saved him wanted him to join their pack but before they could offer anything Bee was set out to try and follow his ship.

In the meantime Blitzwing was grieving the loss of his sunshine. He couldn't get his thought together while he worked, which led to some faulty repairs after the storm. He hadn't even been able to properly fix the damages after the first one when another storm passed by them. This time it was while they were in a area full of rocky islands, tricky waved to sail on and huge chance to crash. (think the first HTTYD movie where Stoic uses Toothless to navigate the mist to dragon island)

The group had limited vision, captain screamed orders left and right and it was chaos- then they heard singing...

All prayed for their lives as they desperatelly tried to avoid the source of the melody and the rocks. Blitzwing was trying to follow until he saw it- eerily familiar yellow figure sitting on the rocks. In that moment he completely understood the song he was hearing- it wasn't to lure them to death, it was to save them. He yanked the steer from the captain and despite the attmepts to regain control he streered them towards the siren- it jumped into the ocean and appeared on various rocks, guiding the ship out of the death trap and into open sea.

The captain was not happy about the initial disregard of orders but it was thrown aside for ship and the crew surviving. Although despite Blitzwing's reasoning that it was the siren that guided them out of it he was laughed at and told to take a break. That night however he couldn't shut his eye for a moment, he still saw the image of the yellow siren, strikingly similar to the one he lost. He could still hear it singing to him.... wait, singing?

Blitz jumped out of bed and headed to the empty deck- ever since they got out of the storm the ship has reached another island and was docked near the shore. Blitzwing could hear the sweet notes pulling him towards the land, he let down a dinghy and paddled to the shore. It was dark and he had trouble navigating thru the sparse coastal jungle until he heard the song again- he rushed forward thru the bushes and vines and stumbled out into a hidded rocky shore. But his eyes were fixated on something else- there on one of the rocks sat a siren; small with skin of pale yellow with splashes of vibrancy on the back and black patterns on its tail, but unlike any siren he ever seen this one was wearing tattered clothes. The clothes he recognised as the ship's lost gunner's.

The siren stopped singing as it heard Blitzwing stumble out- it looked at him with glossy blue eyes- "You're here."

Blitzwing recognised it instantly. The voice, the face, the clothes and even the eyes matched his lost beloved. It was Bumblebee.

Blitzwing couldn't say anything, he only fell to his knees and watched as the siren pulled itself towards him and gently caressed his face. He broke down and cried as Bee hugged him back and comforted him.

He explained how this happened and that he helped the pirates escape the storm. Blitzwing finally confessed his love for him and Bee returned it, saying that he'll never leave him ever again.

Idk where to take it now. I suppose Bee hangs out with the ship and the pirates sail. When Blitz is repairing some part of it he'll knock on the wood in attempt to communicate and Blitz will knock back. They can't really meet on sea but Blitz will go out and talk with Bee at night. I suppose he was caught talking to seemingly no one once or twice. I think at some point the sailors started noticing the same siren appearing out of nowhere and leading them out of the danger and therefore dubbed it their sea angel. I guess the other sailors got to see him dolphin jumpalong the ship few times and cheered.

That's about it think, there you go.

[kylobith]

Little Town Tails

Chapter 6: Something Fishy

Summary: A curious visitor comes to Emerald Grove.

Ship/Pairing: Halsin x Fem!Tav

Trope: Modern AU, Meet-cute, Little countryside town, Cosy

Word count: 4,831

Read it on Ao3 here

Listen to the dedicated playlist on Spotify here

‘Ah, Halsin, there you are!’

‘Good morning, Jaheira,’ he greets the florist back with a bright grin. He wipes his muddy shoes on the rubber mat outside until they are presentable enough to go in. Behind him, Scratch sits at the door, unleashed, waiting for Halsin to be done with his visit before heading home.

Jaheira grins at the white dog and whistles, calling him inside. The dog eyes his owner hesitantly, but when the latter gives him an approving nod, Scratch trots up behind the counter to be petted by his host. She grabs the banana she was snacking on and takes off a piece she offers him.

Halsin approaches the counter and smiles at the sight, always happy to see that his dog is accepted somewhere. While petting Scratch behind the ears, Jaheira looks at his visitor and smirks.

‘Walked around the forest this morning again?’

‘Indeed. The weather was perfect, but last night’s rain made the ground a bit soft, as you could tell from my boots.’

‘It’s always like that. At least they say that this spring will bring more sunny days than usual,’ she adds, chuckling as the dog lies down at her feet. ‘Anyway, did you happen to see Minsc at all? I’ve been trying to call him for two days because he ordered a fresh bouquet, but now the flowers are waning.’

He leans on his elbows and fidgets with one of her business cards on the counter.

‘I did, he was patrolling the area by the other bridge. Had I known, I would have reminded him.’

‘Oh, don’t bother. It’s always like that with him. He tends to forget what he orders on a whim. He’s always ready to support my shop since I opened but he never picks up his orders. He did, once, but that was a flower for Boo’s birthday and he ordered flax seeds. That was it.’

They share a laugh. Minsc certainly is quite the character, anyone meeting him can tell. Quite eccentric compared to the rest of Heawick, but he adds to the charm of the community. Whenever somebody needs help, whether when the flower shop was merely an idea sprouting into Jaheira’s mind or with Beaky’s incident with the bear trap, he never hesitates to lend a hand, even though it tends to distract him from his daily tasks and chores. Yet, there is no better forest warden.

Jaheira flips through the pages of her logbook and finds Halsin’s recent order.

‘So, the spider plant, was it?’ she says absent-mindedly. ‘Found a gorgeous one for you. Fluffy, in good health. Perfect for your counter.’

‘Eager to see it!’

She chuckles and heads to the back to fetch the plant. She returns with precisely what she promised him, setting it down on her counter for him to examine. He touches the long leaves between his fingers, sensing the freshness of their greenish white stripes and admiring the way that they curve elegantly around the gold-painted bucket serving as its display pot.

‘What a beauty!’ he coos, his eyes sparkling in awe. ‘How much do I owe you?’

‘Eighteen gold coins.’

‘Perfect, thank you.’

He takes out and begins to rummage through his coin purse, which takes Jaheira by surprise and causes her to smile. Shaped like the head of a teddy bear, its fur is made from light brown fleece, and the eyes and nose are embroidered in black and pink thread. He bought it at a flea market a few years ago on one of the rare holidays he allowed himself to take. Many raised an eyebrow to see a grown man buy it for himself, but even though he is far from materialistic, it is one of the few objects that he has grown particularly fond of.

He places the eighteen gold coins in the palm of Jaheira’s hand and slips two more into her tip jar.

‘Thank you,’ she says with a brief bow of her head. ‘Don’t forget to repot it from time to time, the roots tend to grow fast. And water it once to twice a week. It’s usually alright if you skip a week, as long as you don’t do it for a month straight.’

The veterinarian laughs and watches the florist remove the plant from the yellow pot. He purses his lips and tilts his head.

‘How much for that pot? It suits the plant quite well.’

Jaheira stops and eyes the bucket.

‘Oh, this? Ah, just take it. On the house.’

‘Certainly not,’ Halsin protests, unzipping his coin purse again and counting the coins in it. ‘Name your price.’

‘I insist, take it. I bought it years ago but it doesn’t suit my home, I use it for visualisation most of the time… Or as a pencil pot.’

She nudges it towards him with a wink. With a sigh and a heavy blush, Halsin slips ten gold coins into the tip jar and winks back. Once the plant is back in the bucket, he calls out for Scratch, who seeks one last pet from Jaheira, then rushes to his owner’s feet. The veterinarian and the florist exchange cheerful goodbyes, and the former exits the shop with his dog in tow and the spider plant tucked in the crook of his elbow.

Halsin whistles a tune as he crosses Heawick with his free hand buried in his pocket. He nods politely at everybody he sees with a smile and continues his walk back to Emerald Grove. The town is still awaking from its slumber and some of the shops are only just opening. Sometimes it still surprises him that Jaheira decides to open hers this early, but as she once said to him, she prefers to tackle her daily routine in the early hours, then close one or two hours before most shops so she can enjoy the town herself and have a longer evening to relax or meet up with her friends at the old pub on Westway Street.

Come to think of it, it is not such a bad idea. Shop owners and employees seldom have the opportunity to shop for themselves, unless they work half shifts or rely on partners who have the time to buy everything they need. More often, their only occasion to do so is on Saturdays, but the busy aisles deter quite a few. Since Heawick has a wider variety of establishments of all the nearing towns — not counting the city, of course —, its streets bustle with visitors on that particular day.

As he turns onto his street, he switches hands to hold the plant and fumbles through his pocket to find his keys. When he pulls them out and looks up to make sure that he does not walk too far, he notices the figure of a man peering through the windows of the practice. Dressed in black from head to toe, matching with his silky and spiky raven hair, the man does not seem to have come with a pet and does not seem particularly eager to enter.

‘Good morning,’ Halsin greets him with an eyebrow raised. ‘May I help you? Do you have or need an appointment?’

The man is startled despite the veterinarian’s soft tone. He straightens up and looks over at Halsin, seemingly analysing him in detail. The stranger rubs his index and thumb together and scowls at Scratch, who does not dare approach him at all. His demeanour already betrays the fact that he comes from the richer quarters of the city and is not used to visiting the area at all. There is a haughty air to him in the way that he carries himself, as if the word ‘peasant’ is about to slip off his tongue at any moment to describe Halsin and his shockingly unleashed pet.

‘No,’ he replies in a honeyed tone still tinted with firmness. ‘But I will come back later.’

Without uttering another word, the man spins around on his heel and walks away, leaving Halsin utterly confused with his key in hand. What a strange character.

The veterinarian shrugs it off and enters the dark practice, ushering Scratch inside before closing the door again behind him. He walks over to Karlach’s counter and finds a suitable spot for the plant, making sure to stand on both sides of the desk to ensure that the view is not obstructed for neither his assistant or a patient’s owner. But in the end, he finds that it does not quite fit there with the cards and flyers and tip jar, so he carries it over to the small coffee table in the centre of the waiting room. At least, if the anxious pets munch on the leaves, they will not be sick from it.

After a brief shower and a change into scrubs, he lets Scratch rest upstairs and heads back to the practice to follow the daily opening routine. As he takes a minute to make himself a cup of fruity tea — a bold decision considering how often he drinks his signature mint and honey infusion —, his mobile phone pings. Karlach’s name appears on the screen.

‘Morning doc, sorry but I’ll be late today, Vixen just won’t start! I’ll be there ASAP, promise promise!’

Halsin grins and immediately types back as he flicks the light switches on and shuffles towards the front door without paying much attention to his surroundings.

‘It should be quiet for the first hour, hopefully you will have found a way by then. Good luck finding an alternative! Perhaps you can ask Gale? Halsin. PS: I hope that Vixen will be alright. Too bad that she is not the type of vixen that I would treat at the practice :-).’

His wrist flicks to unlock the door while he re-reads the message to correct any typos he might have made. Eager to let some fresh air in, he opens the door wide.

‘Morning, doctor!’

Halsin nearly drops his phone when he jolts in surprise, not having expected that somebody might have already arrived. After all, he does not have any appointment planned before an hour. Outside, wiping her feet on the mat, Tav smiles at him with twinkling eyes and a light flush from noticing that her sudden greeting startled him.

His heart instantly leaps inside his chest and his lips mirror her grin.

‘Oh, good morning Miss Ashguard! I apologise for my reaction, I did not expect such an early visit. Is everything alright?’

Tav quickly combs her fingers through her freshly-cut curtain fringe. It suits her incredibly well, he catches himself thinking. The way that it sweeps across her eyebrows, its colour only highlighting the deep blue of her irises… It nearly steals the breath from his lungs.

‘Yes, yes, everything’s fine!’

He steps aside and invites her inside. As she passes him by with a light step, he closes his eyes for a second, savouring the aroma of her flowery perfume. As he realises what he is doing, he clears his throat and follows her to the reception.

‘Do you need anything more for the case against Mr Bongle? Perhaps I have forgotten to include some information in the report?’

She leans her elbows on the counter and does not seem able to eff the smile across her rosy cheeks. The sight, however sweet and pleasant, does stir something within him and he curses himself internally for reacting the way that he does.

‘No, not at all. The lawyer said it was quite complete, actually. She’s revising the case and I just have to wait now,’ she chimes with a shrug. ‘I’ve come here because there’s a stray cat in my street that’s been going around for a while but lately he’s been looking quite thinner. The old lady who used to feed it everyday died a few weeks ago, and I’m not sure anyone feeds him anymore.’

Her gaze wanders over to the rows of kibble bags on the display shelves.

‘I’d like to buy some food for him just to be on the safe side, and since I don’t want to risk giving him the wrong stuff, I thought I’d buy it here.’

‘I see,’ he responds with a nod. His eyes brighten up at the thought that she cares for an animal that is not hers. Most people he has seen refuse to approach stray animals out of fear that they might catch diseases or fleas, and while some caution is always advised, too many of them end up suffering all sorts of infections that go untreated and only cause them agony. Knowing that there is someone like Tav out there caring enough to notice the change in the cat’s weight gives him hope.

Halsin steps back to peruse the selection he has got, heading straight to the cat section.

‘Do you know how old the cat is, approximately?’ he asks.

‘Mmh, he doesn’t look too old. Hears and sees properly from what I know, his fur isn’t too patchy. Some neighbour said the old lady fed him for about three years.’

‘Then let us take one for adult cats to be on the safe side. I suppose that you do not happen to know what type of kibble she gave him?’

‘Not at all. Sorry.’

He nods and asks her a few more questions about what behaviours she has noticed from the cat in general. Once he is able to define a clearer profile of the animal, he picks a bag and sets it down on the counter, pointing at the information written on it with his pen.

‘This is food that is perfect for a cat used to the outdoors, aged five years or more. If it turns out that he is slightly younger, that should not cause any trouble. Since you said that he is on the lighter side, I would recommend thirty grammes of kibble per day. See how much he manages to eat and add a little more if he starts gaining a bit of weight again. But do not give him more than forty-five grammes, since it is likely that he hunts mice or birds on the side.’

‘Noted!’

Reaching into a cabinet behind the reception, he takes out a measuring cup and places it next to the bag.

‘This should help you measure the food without a kitchen scale.’

‘Practical. Alright, let’s take it!’

Halsin smiles and circles the recommended doses on the bag so she does not forget the amount he has told her to give the stray cat. He signs in to his software and enters the right reference to log the sale.

‘Would you like me to add it to your patient account in case you need to buy some new kibble later on?’

‘Gladly,’ she responds cheerfully, leaning her cheek into the palm of her hand while watching him typing on the keyboard.

‘Done! That will be twenty-two gold coins, please. The measuring cup is free.’

Tav takes out her credit card and pays for the bag. Once her wallet is stored away into her small cross-body bag, she carries the dry food under her arm and holds the measuring cup between her fingers.

‘Thank you very much, doctor.’

‘You are most welcome. If anything, I should thank you for caring for the cat.’

She returns his smile and tucks her hair behind her pointy ear, whose tip is reddening. Before he starts staring at it, Halsin drums his fingers on the counter.

‘Oh, before I forget, I beg you not to leave out milk for the cat, because—’

‘— because cats are naturally lactose intolerant,’ she completes his sentence with a smug expression that can be likened to this of a pupil who is proud to show that they have learnt their lessons by heart.

‘Indeed,’ he chuckles. ‘Well, it seems that the cat is in most capable hands, I can sleep soundly at night.’

Tav laughs and readjusts her grip on the bag.

‘When I’m released into society, I’m the type to always bring up that fact and everyone gets annoyed,’ she laughs.

‘At least you are spreading the good word out there. I did not know that you were doing public service on top of jingle compositions.’

‘I’m full of surprises, doctor.’

They share a playful grin, which lingers perhaps a bit longer than it should. His heart stirs when he notices the twinkle in her eye and the subtle reddening of her cheekbones. When her fingers unconsciously loosen around the measuring cup and it slips out of her grasp, he skilfully catches it before it bounces on the floor and hands it back to her.

‘Oh, thanks,’ she mumbles bashfully, tucking it under her free arm. ‘If anything goes wrong with the cat, can I try and bring him here?’

‘Of course. I will be happy to help.’

‘You’re the best! Thanks again. Have a lovely day, doctor.’

‘You too, Miss Ashguard. If you have any doubts, you can always contact me.’

‘I will!’

She waves at him and walks out of the practice. His eyes follow her as he sighs dreamily. However, his distraction is quickly cut short when he finds himself face to face with Astarion stepping inside with a cup of blood from the butcher.

‘Morning.’

‘Ah, good morning, my friend! Could I ask you a favour?’

The vampire grunts and slides his sunglasses up, letting them rest on top of his head. His ruby irises scowl at the veterinarian. Favours are never good in the younger man’s book. Or rarely.

‘I suppose I don’t have a choice,’ he mumbles. ‘What do you want?’

Halsin crosses his arms. No matter how much he tries to connect with him, even if just on a superficial level, Astarion always keeps his guard up and his distance. Honeyed words sometimes ornate his speech, but they never feel genuine, merely a façade that shelters him from others. He does not need to befriend him, of course, but he wishes that they could get along as well as he and Karlach do. But again, everything is easier with her. Sometimes, she might be too social and kind in a world that does not always value such qualities.

‘Karlach’s motorcycle broke down this morning, so she will be late. Do you mind working the reception until she arrives?’

Panic fills Astarion’s eyes right away. He furrows his brow and tries to act nonchalant, but his hesitation clearly stands out.

‘Wh— I don’t even know how any of this works!’

‘Do not worry, I am not saying that you must do all her tasks. If you could keep an eye on the appointments list and welcome the patients, that will help tremendously already. If the phone rings, answer it and write down the names and numbers, I will call them back between consultations. If it is urgent, do not hang up; call for me instead.’

‘Mh. That sounds doable. Alright.’

Astarion walks to the kitchen to drop his jacket and sunglasses, then comes back to the reception. He sits behind the desk and Halsin shows him everything he needs to know. Then, the veterinarian walks into his office and logs in to the general inbox and answers some emails himself.

Soon enough, the first appointment of the day arrives and Astarion directs them to the waiting room, where Halsin eventually comes to call them in. The consultation goes smoothly despite the very reticent puppy howling dramatically at the prospect of receiving one of her first shots. When he is done, Halsin guides the owner and the pet to the reception and registers the payment himself, before offering a treat to the brave puppy.

When they walk out, Halsin’s phone pings again.

‘Found a way, Dammon is bringing me. Be there in ten. Btw, doc, did you just make a joke?? And use a smiley??! Who are you and what did you do to Doc Halsin???’

Halsin laughs and updates Astarion on Karlach’s estimated time of arrival. Before the second consultation, a grumpy customer enters and asks for an anti-flea treatment suitable for a corgi. Once he has explained how to apply the solution efficiently, the veterinarian slithers back behind the desk and Astarion rolls a few inches away with his chair to give him enough space to deal with it all. 

‘Do you already have an account?’ Halsin asks the amber-eyed tiefling, whose tail is whipping around behind him in annoyance.

‘This little shit is not my dog, thank the Gods!’ the customer answers with a scoff and a roll of his eyes. ‘He’s my sister’s.’

‘I see. Does she have an account?’

‘Listen, can I just buy the treatment and go? I feel like I’m being devoured by fleas myself as we speak!’

‘Of course.’

Without protesting, he processes the sale and gives the little pipettes to the young man, who turns around with another scoff and leaves as fast as he can, scratching his head harder than he probably should.

Eyeing the man with concern, Halsin leans towards Astarion.

‘Do you think the dog is at risk with him?’

Much to his surprise, the vampire laughs while filing his nails and admiring the result.

‘Most likely. I know him. Well, know is perhaps a strong word, but I’ve spoken to him a few times. As you can clearly tell, he’s from the city. He’s one of the most arrogant pricks I’ve talked to, and it takes one to know one. He owns a bookshop specialised in academic publications of all sorts, and my husband happens to love the place.’

Could it be? Is he actually opening up by accepting to gossip with him? Not that Halsin particularly likes hearsay and talking negatively about people in their backs, but this exchange already brightens up his day.

The vampire carefully taps his glass nail file on the edge of the bin under the desk to rid it of dust, then tucks it away in its little sleeve.

‘But don’t worry, Rolan’s all bark and no bite, he won’t hurt that pup,’ he continues while shoving the file inside his shirt pocket. ‘You know, he’s clever and all, but Gale took him down a notch a couple of times. You know what? I think my husband’s at his hottest when he gives arrogant people a reality check.’

‘That is good to know, I suppose.’

‘Trust me, doc, I think your next appointment’s here.’

Indeed, the next patient comes in and Halsin welcomes him warmly. Halfway through the consultation, he hears the faint sounds of the sewing machine upstairs, and he concludes that Karlach must have arrived in the meantime and relieved Astarion of his temporary duty.

Halsin does not see her until he finishes the next examination and logs everything into the computer. His assistant pokes her head in when the patient leaves and speaks in a hushed voice.

‘Morning, doc! Uh… There’s an odd chum lurking around in the lobby, doesn’t have a pet or anything and he keeps ignoring me when I ask him if I can help him.’

The veterinarian turns around with an eyebrow raised and instantly rises from his high stool.

‘Go back to the reception, I will talk to him.’

Karlach nods and does as he instructed her, sitting back on her chair and anxiously browsing playlists for something that will calm her nerves while being acceptable to play from the practice’s speakers. Situations like this one is among those she has been dreading most about working at Emerald Grove. Owners losing their pets and leaving without their furry or feathery friends remains the worst of all, but weird and creepy people are close.

In previous jobs, she had her fair share of lurking visitors and customers who made her feel uncomfortable, but the employee handbooks always stated that she could not shoo them away outright. Either a manager or security had to do it. Sadly, it often left her feeling incapable of fending for herself and infantilised.

Soon enough and much to her relief, help is on the way and Halsin arrives, clicking a pen. Without making himself look menacing either, he puffs up his chest slightly. If anybody seeks trouble, he is hoping that his size and his brawn will dissuade whoever stands before him. But as he catches a glimpse of the man in question, his stomach tightens. Intent on not showing his discomfort to Karlach, he smiles and speaks as naturally as possible.

‘Good afternoon, sir. I believe we have met this morning, you were looking inside the practice before opening time?’

The man turns around with a smug smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes so dark that one cannot quite pinpoint their colour. Now that Halsin is closer, he can discern the man’s outfit more clearly. Tucked into high-waisted trousers, his tailored black silk shirt with the top five buttons left undone allows his black chest hair to peek out. His overcoat adorned with golden embroideries has its collar upturned, completely covering the back of his neck. If anything, it gives him a menacing look, as though he is the villain of a fairytale come to life, but dressed as a model.

‘You are the veterinarian who owns the practice, aren’t you?’ the man answers at last with a brief squint of his eyes.

‘Indeed, I am. May I be of any help?’

‘Oh, I am merely looking around.’

As he says so, the stranger buries his hands into his pockets and paces around, inspecting the walls and the layout of the reception and the waiting room. Karlach sneaks a glance towards her boss, wondering how he is going to handle this most peculiar situation. Without blinking, Halsin steps forward, tucking his pen into the breast pocket of his scrubs.

‘May I know what you are looking for, sir?’

‘This is a beautiful working space you’ve got here. Most impressive.’

Before he can press him on, the stranger faces Halsin with a smirk, rubbing his fingers together in the same unsettling way that he did earlier this morning.

‘Tell me, have you ever considered selling this practice?’

Halsin crosses his arms. This time, he has no intention to behave in the same friendly manner. While he knows that escalating such a ridiculous situation would be useless, he knows now that he does not want this man lurking around anymore.

‘No, sir. We have only just opened, thank you very much. Now, if you do not wish to make an appointment or buy anything for a pet, I kindly ask you to leave. I must soon tend to another patient.’

‘Oh, that’s a bloody shame. Well. I’ll see what I can do.’

The man reaches into his inside pocket and takes out a business card, which he hands the veterinarian by tucking it between two well-groomed fingers.

‘In case you change your mind, I would be very happy to discuss it with you. Here’s my contact information. The name’s Enver Gortash.’

Without as much as a goodbye, Gortash walks out of the practice, leaving a dumbfounded pair at the reception. Karlach stands up from her chair, her gaze shifting between the door and Halsin.

‘What in the hells just happened, doc? What the fuck was that about?’

Her boss examines the business card he is holding with a deep frown.

‘I have no clue, Karlach. I am quite at a loss, to be honest with you.’

‘What did he say his name was?’

Halsin hands her the business card. Before she even gives it a look, she sits back on her chair and drags her keyboard towards herself, instantly typing the name in her browser. His curiosity piqued by the results, he joins her behind the desk and leans in to read what comes up on the screen. Karlach clicks on a biographical article from a business-centred media website and begins to skim it.

‘Fuck me, Gortash’s quite the big guy,’ she mumbles pensively. ‘Owns a big company that owns lots of brands itself. Apparently, he’s known for gentrifying the shit out of many neighbourhoods in several cities already. He’s kicked out independent shops to establish a coffee chain and turning flats into offices.’

His eyes scan the same words and the more they read, the tighter the lump in his throat feels. Karlach hands him the mouse so he can peruse the article himself and open others. He checks several sources, and much to his dismay, the information they read in the first article seem to be confirmed through others.

‘I do not like how that sounds,’ he whispers.

‘Me neither, doc. But now that you told him off, he’ll lose interest, right?’

‘Mh. I doubt it. But now I wonder if he has shown interest in other places in Heawick. There is only one way to know.’

The assistant looks up quizzically as he sighs heavily and crosses his arms.

‘If anybody in Heawick knows anything, it is Melly.’

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