#floppy eye-ears. ears that its eyes are on. that's really cute and has nothing to do with it being an apple but i do love it a lot

[front-facing-pokemon]

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook: Sugar (C)Rush

In which you just wanted to get a quick snack.

Tags/Warnings: Wolf Hybrid!Jungkook, Dog Hybrid!Reader, Strangers to crushes is that a thing that's a thing now, Fluff, Safe for work, Flirting, piercing? Jungkook is a piercer and tattoo artist in this oops, insecurities

Length: mid/long

Masterlist

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Life really has never been kind to you.

You just want to go home with your frozen pizza and icecream, but it doesn't seem to work out tonight, because some evil person had decided to put your favorite flavor of icecream on the highest shelf, far away from your reach. And now? Now you're left staring it down, after having tried to reach it twice, garnering nothing but laughter from a group of young boys, a small flock of tall dog hybrids.

You're a dog hybrid too- but you're no tall and strong dog hybrid. No, you've been born as a 'cute' and floppy-eared little show-hybrid.

Cute? Absolutely not. A mockery, that's what you are.

You huff to yourself and attempt to give up, when a tattooed arm reaches for exactly what you've been eyeing. "That one?" A voice asks, and you nod dumbly, accepting the tub of strawberry and cream goodness from the stranger. And when you turn around to thank the man, you want to disappear.

That has to be the most handsome wolf hybrid you've ever seen in your entire life, all dressed in Calvin Klein while wearing the most charming smile you've ever been given by another being. All while you yourself look like you've just fallen out of bed, absolutely no effort put into your appearance tonight.

"Thanks.." You mumble more or less, spotting how who you assume are his friends walking up to him- and of course, they're just as handsome as he is.

You flee the scene pretty much, hurrying to pack your things outside when you notice his slightly flowery scent close to you again. "Hey- just wanted to apologize for my friends. They weren't laughing about you, promise." He tells you, visibly sorry.

"Its fine." You shrug, squishing your things into the paperbag, until it rips, box of pizza and other things tumbling to the floor, all while thunder rumbles in the sky, first drops of rain pattering onto the ground.

You're pretty close to crying now. Today the universe is truly testing you, and you're not up for the tournament this time.

"Ah, hyung, can you give me that please?" The wolf asks his packmate, who gives him the white plastic bag leftover. "Here.. is your home far? You should hurry so you don't get caught in that weather." The young man says calmly as he packs your stuff for you, carefully making sure this time it'll all stay in, before he gives it to you.

"Its fine." You just mumble. "Thanks." You nod, before hurrying away from the guy.

You feel awful about it- but it's better than having to suffer the embarrassment any longer.

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"And so we meet again." The wolf hybrid chuckles impishly to himself as he invites you into his workspace where he'll be piercing you today, your cheeks reddening in shame as you remember him as well. "Even cuter than last time." He comments, walking in behind you. There's soft, slow music playing in the background, and a faint smell of incense having been burned maybe. It's a lot different from Taehyung's space, even though he works in the exact same shop here.

Taehyung, your best friend, had promised you a piercing for free on your birthday. But every time he was free, you wouldn't be- work constantly coming in between you and any attempt at scheduling an appointment. So today, he'd simply offered someone else to do it- quote: 'actually, he's gonna be a lot more gentle than I'd ever be with you'.

So this wolf hybrid you couldn't get out of your head this past week, is named Jungkook. The mystery piercer that you've always heard of, but that you've never seen in person before.

"Tae said we'll be putting some jewelry through your belly button?" He asks, or rather states while he desinfects his equipment, putting on gloves. "Did you choose something already?" He wonders, and you nod.

"Uhm.. Tae said he.. had ordered something, I don't know.." you mumble, and Jungkook crouches a bit down to your height before he leans in playfully.

"Listen, these ears might be big-" he comments, wiggling his black wolf ears between his wild locks of hair, "- but I can't hear you if you talk down to the floor, puppy."

What an ironic nickname.

"I said Tae ordered something." You snap back a little louder, and he laughs brightly at that, shaking his head-

His tail wagging.

"You're so cute." He comments to himself. "Yeah I knew, just wanted to tease you. Can you get up from the chair for me? I wanna mark the spot." He asks, and you do as he says, slipping down from the chair to stand in front of him. "Can I?" He asks when his hands lift your shirt, and you nod without thinking- pulse racing soon however as he not only lifts your shirt, but tucks it right underneath the underside of your bra.

And considering his smirk, he knows exactly what he's doing.

Right now, he switches into a more professional mood though, one knee resting on the floor while his palms sometimes adjust your hips for him, something that doesn't go past you at all. Your curled tail is hard to keep from wagging every time he moves you around, something inside you awakening like some odd kink you never knew you had. "There. Is that okay?" He asks, scooting away a little so you can look at yourself in the mirror.

You nod- trusting him in his judgment fully.

"Not much of a talker, hm?" Jungkook says calmly, picking up his equipment before wiping the area down with a disinfectant wipe.

"Hm just.. I don't know.." you mumble to yourself. "Awkward."

"Doesn't have to be." He smiles kindly. "Taehyung told me you're an artist?" He asks, and you shrug.

"I'm.. not sure if you could call it that." You simply answer, when he pats the seat again for you to lay down on. "I'm a concept designer for.. like, video games." You simply explain quietly, stiffening up a little once the wolf picks up the more scary looking tools.

"Thats so cool though." Jungkook praises as he makes sure to place the clamp properly. "Deep breath." He offers, and you do as he says, becoming a bit uncomfortable for a moment as he guides the needle through. "Almost done. You're doing great." He kindly says, clearly trying to make it quick as he places the metal piercing and screws the ball onto it so it stays in place. "And done! You can get up and take a look at it now." He excitedly tells you, tail wagging behind him as he watches you examine his work.

"I like it." You nod. "Its perfect." You smile, and he nods in satisfaction, before he picks up a bandaid to cover it for now.

"You've got the care sheet with you, but in case anything happens, I'll give you my number alright?" He asks, and you nod easily as you pull down your shirt again, offering your phone for him to put your number into his contacts. "And uh.." he smiles awfully impish as he saves the contact and sends you a message so you have his own as well. "You can totally text me for anything else too." The wolf tells you. "Unless there's a boyfriend..?"

"I-" you suddenly realize what he's implying. "Boyfriend? Me? I- no I, haha no, I don't have one.." you shake your head, a bit more than just flustered by his blunt ways of getting closer to you.

"Damn I was almost one hundred percent sure you'd be taken-" he laughs to himself, still grinning at you. "-but, I'm a lucky guy I guess." He offers, and you shrug a bit.

"I mean.. I don't know-" you say, unsure. "-I'm.. not really up for uh.. you know, hookups or stuff like that.."

"Oh no no no, I'm sorry if I made it seem like that." He immediately clears up. "I'm more interested in getting to know you, really. We could hang out sometimes, talk a little, maybe we'll click, who knows." He explains his intentions.

"...why?" You ask, and he seems a bit more serious now, realizing that your past experiences can't have been very good if you're this reserved with someone trying to get to know you like he does.

"Why not?" He offers. "You're cute. Very pretty, in my opinion. Now I just gotta find out if you can handle me, and if I can handle you, easy." The wolf shrugs.

"..you sure?" You ask. "I'm a dog."

"Canine hybrid." He corrects jokingly. "And so am I."

"People will laugh." You argue more.

"If that makes them happy." Jungkook answers, not letting go.

"...Ok" you agree at that, jumping over your own shadow.

Maybe.. maybe he's not that bad.

Maybe this could all work out.

[poppy-metal]

Demure

Wc: 4k

Pairing: eren jaeger x reader

Cw: car sex, fingering, emphasis on reader being innocent and a virgin. reader is armins little sister. corruption kink

you're 6 years old when you first meet eren jaeger. apparently he'd run off some people that were bullying you big brother, armin. you admire him and mikasa immediately.

you're 8 and he's 11 when you get a scrape on your knee from playing tag. eren runs into your mothers bathroom to fish out the first aid-kit, you know he just doesn't want you to tattle, you never would anyway, but he pulls out a pink band-aid with little ariels all over it and places it gently over the cut. he stays there for a few beats, soothing the skin around the hurt area with his thumbs. his big bright green eyes look up at you, "better?" and that's the first time your heart skips for a boy.

you're 11 and he's 14 when armin starts becoming protective. "he's had like. 5 girlfriends in middle school, who knows what he's gonna be like in high-school"

it intrigue you, for some reason.

you're 13 and he's 16 when he taps furiously on your window at night, wild eyed and wearing a t-shirt and sweats. he falls ungracefully on his ass when you let him in, though he grins at you from the floor. "thanks, squirt"

you wince at the nickname, knowing it solidifies you as someone only platonic to him. armins little sister and nothing more. "what's this all about?"

he gets up and swipes imaginary dust off his sweats, looking around your room. its absurdly girly. he picks up one of your plushies and tosses it up, then catches it, peering over at you and grinning. "i hope you never change," he sighs and flops down onto your pink sheets. "girls my age are fucking psychos"

you creep closer to him, snatching your plush back. "im sure there's something you're leaving out there. im not completely dumb, you know"

he waves his hand, "yeah but you're....i don't know? innocent or whatever. you don't care about shit like boys and drama"

i do care about boys, you think, watching the way his shirt rides up to expose a hint of tan skin. you look away, squeezing your plush to your chest. "im gonna grow up eventually, ren"

he sighs and sits up, looking at you from under his ridiculously cute floppy brown hair. "Just promise me you won't go boy crazy"

you roll your eyes and sit down next to him, he leans in and licks a broad stripe against your cheek with his tongue, grinning "we have cooties"

you swat at him and wipe your cheek, groaning and calling him gross. "i know that. you and armin never let me forget how gross boys are", you side eye him. "what did you even do? really?"

he looks to the side, only now having it in him to look the least bit sheepish, "my girlfriend may have caught me with my hand down historias skirt..."

"EREN JAEGER!!!"

yeah, boys really are gross. but not eren, no he's beautiful and magical and makes you feel all the fluttery things. but he's also a player, a bad boy, dangerous and completely off limits. maybe your crush should have ended there, but of course it didn't.

You're 15 when you go on your first date with a boy. until now you haven’t allowed yourself to even think about men outside of the enigma that is eren jaeger, but that’s a lost cause, a stupid crush you need to let go of. and despite what eren thinks, you’re not that innocent. not in your head anyway. you’re a girl and you have fantasies. 

the guy is nice, armin likes him enough. big and tall and humble, reiner brought you flowers for your first date. the age difference is a little weird, he’s in erens grade, a senior, but you think its harmless. you’re turning 16 soon. the date goes well, you smile and giggle alot, and reiner seems smitten by the end of it. he even goes as far as to kiss your hand when he drops you back off at home, at 8pm sharp, just like he promised. he was kind and sweet, and you liked him, but you wonder what it means that there were no flutters in your belly, not like when you’re around him…

you’re still thinking about that when you open the door, and walk inside. the house is quiet, and you wonder where armin is, and eren. thinking they both must be in armins room, you go to the kitchen to get a glass of water, stopping on your path there when you see eren on the couch. he’s lounging back, hand idly wrapped around a gaming controller as he watches you.

you glance around him. “where’s mimmin?”

he doesn’t take his eyes off you. “annie called”, he leans forward a little, propping his chin in his palm as he observes you quietly for a moment.

you squirm in place, his eyes are too hot. “oh” and you make to start moving again but his voice stops you. 

“so. braun, huh?” his tone is hard to discern, the words coming out cool and detached, but his eyes are that intense green. 

“yeah” you say, shifting on your feet. “he was nice. kissed my hand and everything”

“sounds like a dream” and that is definitely said sarcastically. you bristle but eren is already turning away from you, facing the TV. “didn’t think he was your type though” 

because erens been your type since forever, you guess he’s right. reiner couldn’t be more different in both personality and looks, but maybe that’s a good thing. “maybe he can be” you say softly, looking at your feet. you dont see erens eyebrows jump, or his lips twist disdainfully. 

“If you wanna settle for missionary the rest of your life, then sure, go ahead” he sounds a little miffed and that confuses you. makes you look up. you don’t even know reiner that well, but you feel the need to defend him from erens usual snarky jabs. 

“not every guy that doesn’t live on Xbox and fuck half the school is a bland guy” you huff. you feel a little guilty for calling him out but he started it. eren hated preps, that was obvious, but its not like he was a model person either, if his long track record of promiscuity was anything to go by. reiner wasnt boring he just…..wasn’t eren. but that wasn’t a flaw. It shouldn’t be. 

“you been keeping tabs on me, princess?” eren asks wryly, smirking now. you just glare at him, quirking a brow and daring him to prove you wrong, to say he’s better. 

he doesn’t. he just looks at you, sets his controller down and does that tick he’d developed since he was young of jiggling his knee, tapping his finger on it. “don’t go on more dates with him” 

you squint your eyes, “and why not?”

“because i said so” 

“you’re not my boss” 

“because..” he scratches the stubble on his jaw, gaze looking far off as he stares at his bouncing leg. “guys shouldn't touch you” 

your mouth pops open. you get that, right now, you’re too young for stuff like sex, but being touched? everyone your age had boyfriends, why should you be any different?

It feels a bit like deja vu when you tell him, “m’not staying innocent forever. dating and s-sex are apart of life. you do it, why shouldn’t i?” 

you didn’t really get his whole overprotective bit, armin, who was your brother, wasn’t even this bad. he’d seen happy almost, when you told him about your date with reiner, even, so you really don’t see where eren is coming from. 

erens lip curls in a smirk and he points a finger at you. “that’s why” he says. “you can’t even say the word sex without stuttering. what’ll you do when you see a cock for the first time?” 

your skin heats, hating that he’s right. “I’ll grow out of it” you promise him. 

he huffs a laugh. “sure thing, dork” but then his face gets serious. “you don’t need to change though. sex is lame, i promise.” 

“you seem to have alot of it, so there must be something good about it” 

“for me, yeah” he grins. “but im selfish. most men are, and you deserve better than some highschool tumble with a guy who looks like he can’t find the clit to save his life” his eyes weigh you down. “just keep bein’ you. If i come back from college and hear that you’re the towns tramp stamp, m’ not gonna be happy” 

and that’s that. 

you’re 16 when eren leaves for college. you get to 18 without ever being touched. 

you’re 18 and you wish you hadn’t begged armin to let you come to this stupid bomfire party. it’s just the first time he’s been home in the 2 years since he’d left for college, and you know that means eren is back too, though you have yet to see him. he’s supposed to be at the party though.

you wonder if he’ll react to having seen you after not for awhile, if he’ll look at you different now that you’re grown. you’re wearing a simple pleated white skirt and a pink top, the picture of innocence you’ve always been, never changing. 

being around so many people makes you uncomfortable, you want to cling to armins side, but you don’t want to be annoying so you tell him its okay to leave you. your eyes scan the mass of people on the crowded beach as you nervously hold your solo cup to your chest. 

your eyes stop their nervous skittering when they land on someone familiar. 

college eren is completely different and yet wholly the same since you’d last seen him. he’s wearing a red bomber jacket, over a black t-shirt and skinny jeans, scuffed converse kicking in the sand as he shifts from one foot to the other. you peep tan skin, a hint of a tattoo peeking on his neck and….and black hair. he’d dyed his hair, and, is that jewelry on his ear? rings on his hand?

he’s smiling easily with a pretty blonde and...and reiner. talking to them like old friends as he tilts his head back and laughs, taking a swig from his cup. he’s still chuckling and shaking his head when his eyes flick distractedly over, rove over you and then stop. even from all the way where you are the green of his eyes pins you in place. the warm glow of the bonfire dances across his features, and you see the bastard has a lip ring as well. he takes his time cataloging you and you do him, before his lips tilt, he hands off his drink and he makes his way over to you. 

your whole body is tense with nerves as he gets closer and closer.

when he’s standing in front of you, the smell of his cologne wafts over you. his smile is small and genuine. “hey, pip” 

pip as in short for pipsqueak. you have to fight the urge to grin at him, your cheeks warming pleasantly, even though you groan out loud. “m’ not little anymore” 

“I can see that” eren eyes rake over you, linger on your bare legs before dragging slowly back up. his eyes feel like a caress and when they meet yours again, you’re already tingly. you’ve never been touched sexually, and just one look from eren has you wet between the legs like nothing. “still dress like you wanna be an extra in a Bratz commercial” 

the tension disputes as you swat his arm. “shut up!! Its a fashion choice, not like you’d know. dressed like a wannabe rockstar” 

“aw, c’mon. you’d be my groupie right?” 

you roll your eyes. “you wish, jaeger”

“mm” he hums softly. “s’cute though. always has been” 

before you can even register the compliment, he’s leaning forward to peek into your cup, swiping it easily from you. “underage drinking, are we? left you for a couple years and you go rebel barbie on me” 

you squawk as he chugs all of your drink back in one gulp, crushing the cup in his fist and tossing it behind him. “ren! I wasn’t even drinking it. It was..” you wave your hand around. “for the aesthetic”

“uh huh” he drones, but then he jerks his chin. “i’ll get you another one to stand around and look pretty with then. C’mon”

cute, pretty. the compliments are gonna make your heart fly out of your chest if he doesn’t let up. you follow him as he leads you to a keg, one that’s a little ways away from the bustle of the party, close to the parking lot where you came in. 

you shyly say ‘thank you’ when he fills you a cup and hands it to you, proceeding to lean back against a car as he goes back to observing you.

to distract yourself you mumble, “you can’t just lean on a strangers car for the sake of being cool” 

the grin is back. “you think im cool?” when you glare at him he rolls his eyes and slaps the hood of the car. “she’s mine, pip. you can untwist your panties” 

you blink at him, “since when did you get a new car? and when did you dye your hair?” 

he looks at you curiously, drumming his fingers. “do you not, like. follow me on instagram?”

you look away, kicking your feet in the sand. hesitantly you admit, “didn’t wanna miss you, so i didn’t look” 

he doesn’t say anything to that. the silence stretches between you, making you nervous. should you not have said that? you guessed it was weird, after all, but it was true. If you’d looked at how erens life was progressing without you there to see it, you’d have cried and been a total lovesick girl about it. 

he finally breaks the silence. “do you have a boyfriend?” 

you look back at him. “uh...no? do you?”

the smirk you wanted ghosts over his lips again, and your eyes are drawn to his lip ring when he tugs it between his teeth. “nah, you know me. unattainable” 

“yeah, i know” you say under your breath, thinking of how eren jaeger had been an unattainable fantasy for you for years. 

“so no current boyfriend or…?” 

“no boyfriends...ever” its embarrassing to admit, but less humiliating than admitting that the reason that was is because you’re in love with your brothers best friend, the very man standing before you now. 

“that’s kinda tragic, pip” eren hops up on the hood of his car and fishes a cigarette out of his pocket. he waves a hand at you, “you’re rockin’ a bod like that and no one’s bagged you? thought you’d be beating down options with a bat by now” 

you watch the smoke that plumes in the air, the way it coils and wisps, and really look at eren. he’s tragically beautiful. his no black hair is boyishly messy, tangled around his head in a dark halo. his face is sharp and tan, his eyes striking and making you feel like you’re sinking into the sand beneath your feet.

you’ve wanted him for so long, it makes you ache. years and years of pushing away men and declining confessions for this man in front of you. you’d never expected anything from him, but you couldn’t move past the fantasy in your head. couldn’t imagine giving any of your firsts to anyone but eren. 

“you told me to stay innocent” its out before you can stop the words, they just fumble out, spilling from your lips and into the air like the smoke.

eren stills, pauses from where he’d been about to take another drag. his expression is unreadable. he flicks the ashes from the cig on the sand, stumps it out under his foot as he hops down. the wind ruffles his dark hair as he just looks and looks and looks at you. 

“yeah?” and oh, jesus, if the rough gravel in his voice doesn’t make your cunt warm immediately. “and you listened?” 

you squeeze your thighs together, an action that draws erens gaze between your legs. to late to back down now, you think, and wet your lips. “y-yeah. I did” 

“you didn’t let any boys touch you while i was gone?” eren continues and he draws closer, creeping towards you.

you shake your head, silent as he comes in front of you. he reaches up to delicately push a strand of hair behind you ear with one of his ring fingers. he keeps it tucked behind your ear as he towers over you, staring you down. “you’re still my innocent little girl, huh?” 

you wonder if this is how it feels to be seduced, seduced by eren jaeger no less. his eyes are warm, and they make you feel warm from where the rest on your eyes, and then, your lips. they part under his gaze, on instinct. “I am, ren. always have been” 

his eyes darken, and the finger behind your ear becomes his whole hand sliding to cup the back of your head, slowly fisitng your hair in it. “shit” he tilts your head up. “you can’t say things like that, baby”

baby, baby, baby. your head swims. you’re on autopilot now, speaking without thinking and you think that’s good because if you were thinking clearly you wouldn't have the courage. “i’ve always been your good girl. no one elses�� 

you have one second to hear his exhale before his lips are crashing against yours, and oh. oh, he’s good. you feel the metal of his lip ring against your bottom lip as he slides his tongue in your mouth, eating you up.

“god, you’re sweet” he nips your lip. “knew you would be”

you pant into his mouth, your hands curling on his chest, “y-you’ve thought about me?”

“‘course i did, im not blind” he pulls away. “I just really like my dick and didn’t want it chopped off. armin is scary” 

you know he can be when he wants to be, knows if he saw eren ravishing his little sister against his car right now, body parts would be strewn about. and that’s just from armins verbal warfare.

you look at eren demurely from under your lashes, “i don’t want anything to happen to your…” you trail off at the end.

erens eyebrows climb up his forehead, he presses close to you, tugs you to him. “my…” he prods, eyes glinting with mischief. 

you look away, pouting. “know i can’t say it” you mumble, hating that even now, saying vulgar words is embarrassing for you.

erens chest shakes with a laugh. “you just sucked my tongue down your throat, pip, and you can’t talk about my cock? you’re precious, c’mere.” he starts walking backwards, towards his car. “we gotta be sneaky about it but-” he dips down to kiss you again, once, twice. “i really wanna touch you” 

you gulp, and nod, let him pull you to his car and open the backseat for you, climbing in after you. he shuts and locks it behind him and then he’s facing you, eren jaeger giving you his full attention. looking at you like he wants you, like he’s seeing you, like he wants to do alot of bad things to you.

you place a shaking hand on his shoulder. “im- i dont know what to do..”

you want to impress him, but pretending you’re good at something you’re not won’t do that. eren doesn’t like liars anyway. 

he scoots close to you, pulling you halfway onto his lap until you’re sitting comfortably against him. you bite your lip when you feel the hard ridge of his cock pressing against your ass under your skirt. one of his hands settles on your bare thigh, scooting it up just barely.

“you ever watch porn, sweetheart?” erens breath puffs against your ear and you squirm on top of him. 

you push down your own embarrassment, resigning yourself to be a big girl and be honest. “s-sometimes” 

“yeah?” god, why does just that word turn you on so much? “tell me what kind of stuff you watch when you touch your little pussy” 

his vulgar words go straight to your cunt, at the same time his hand slides up your thighs and slips under your skirt. you close your eyes when you feel the tip of his finger trace over the band of your panties. “they’re always a couple..” you gasp when his hand dips inside, palm cupping over your pussy. “a-and the guy has dark hair..”

“Imagining anyone in particular?” eren teases, but you hear his breath catch at the same time yours does when he sinks one long finger inside. the folds around your slit part seamlessly around the intrusion, sucking his finger in like your pussy wants it there. “so wet, baby. keep talking for me?”

ever the good girl, you push through the tingles and the heat spreading down your legs, the slick sound of his finger fucking in and out of you filling the silent car as you struggle to find words. “s-shes always inexperienced. Its her first time and...and hes gentle” you moan a little when erens thumb comes to swirl around your clit, hips lips finding your neck. he’s teasing another finger at your tight entrance when you swallow another groan and try to keep talking like he’d asked. “he’s gentle but he takes. t-takes what he wants”

“mm” eren hums, tongue sliding against your skin. you gasp when the tip of his ring finger edges in beside the other one, stretching your tight passage around his digits in thorough little twists of his fingers. “that’s real good, baby. you like the sound of that, huh?” 

eren hooks his chin over your shoulder, bunches your skirt around your waist so he can see where your little pussy is clenching and squeezing around him, clit engorged and throbbing for attention. when you don’t answer, he continues, using the slick dripping down your slit, gathering it and then pushing back into you. “I bet” he says, low, husky. “In those videos, he eats her out real nice, yeah? makes sure her little virgin cunt is wet enough to take his cock”

“y-yeah” you pant, holding his wrist but not pulling it away, pushing him more towards you. you’re starting to grind down against the pleasure, walls rhythmically fluttering around his fingers, fucking yourself on them without even knowing it. he curls them, and your head thumps back against his shoulder as you cry out. 

“i’ll give that to you” eren promises, pumping his fingers faster, his other hand coming up to cup one of your tits over your blouse, giving it a squeeze. “gonna take you home after you cream around my fingers and lay you out on your bed” he kisses your cheek, holding you firm against him when you start to twitch and writhe. “lick this little flower open. wanna feel your thighs squeeze my face when i drink the cum from your pussy, get you all loose and wet and then i wanna feel you drip down my dick when i slide it inside”

“oh god, ren!” you jerk in his hold as you feel your orgasm crest over you, gushing down his palm, as you ride his hand, milking it as tingles shoot across your whole body. A milky, creamy film rests around his knuckles when he slides his fingers out of your weeping cunt, still pulsating and twitching from the come down. 

he rubs the excess slick around your folds and clit, rubbing it in. you whimper and he chuckles and kisses your cheek. 

you sag against him, fucked out. eren brushes some hair from your forehead and kisses it. “wannabe punk pounds sweet virgin pussy into her bed” 

you look at him, confused and dazed “huh?”

eren grins at you. “s’ gonna be the name of our porno” 

[writemekpop]

Woof Woof | Osaki Shotaro

Pairing: Osaki Shotaro x Reader

Summary: Your husband Shotaro surprises you with a gift you can't afford... when you see it, you freak out.

Genre: Established relationship, Domestic fluff, Parents AU

Word Count: 0.6k

Warnings: Cheeky hubby taro getting his own way 

Gif: @junkhei

“Aah buhbuhbuh… aah buhbuhbuh,” Shotaro mumbled as he nuzzled his cheek against the little red nose of your baby girl, Suzu. 

“Are you even listening to me, Taro? That’s just enough money for diapers. Nothing else.”

Your husband Shotaro was a (failing) DJ, so you didn’t have a lot of spare cash. As he put down your daughter and left for the shop, you curled up on your couch. Soon, you were dreaming…

You were woken by a scratching noise. 

Shotaro was wrestling the door open with one hand, his other hand wrapped around a ginormous cardboard box. Still a little sleepy, you giggled. Shotaro looked like just a box with two jean-covered legs.

What the hell was scratching around that box?  

It didn’t take you long to find out. Because you soon felt a wet, hot tongue rubbing against your nose. A dog’s tongue. 

Shotaro had unleashed a three-legged little sausage dog into your house. It yipped excitedly, its wet nose sniffing around. 

“Osaki Shotaro!” you shrieked, jumping to your feet. “Who’s gonna feed that thing? Do you know how much a vet costs?”

Shotaro pouted, covering the dog’s floppy ears with one hand. “Don’t listen to her, Choco,” he whispered. “You’re safe here.” 

“I’m sorry Shotaro, but the dog has to go.” You put on your sternest stare.  

Shotaro held the dog up, so it was at your eye level. 

Its little brown paws dangled out of Shotaro’s hands, and its wet black eyes seemed to be looking straight at you.

“Please, Y/n, I promise I’ll be a very good boy,” Shotaro said in a squeaky high voice. 

You chuckled. “That’s what you think the dog sounds like?”

“Will you be my mummy? Pleaseeeeee…”

Shotaro pushed the dog closer, and it lapped at your nose. 

You couldn’t shake your massive grin. 

“Aww, fine! We’ll keep the dumb thing.” 

You sighed. Why could you never resist your husband’s charms? He would be the death of you. 

Shotaro stepped towards you, holding your face with both hands. His thumbs gently stroked your cheeks, and his fingers wrapped round the sides of your neck. 

As you gazed into your husband’s starry black eyes and cute mushroom nose, you just had to smile. 

“Great. Now I have three kids,” you whined, though your smirk kind of ruined your attempt to look annoyed. 

Shotaro grinned. “Can a kid do this?” 

He kissed a soft, sparking trail from your collarbone to your jaw. You felt your heart pick up and a shiver of breath leave your lips. Your body always reacted to Shotaro – and he knew it. 

All your money troubles seemed to melt away like cotton candy. Nothing existed but this moment, Shotaro’s lips on your skin, your sweet, sweet bliss. 

He leaned in to kiss your mouth, but… you stopped him by pressing one finger on his plump pink lips. 

“I am not sharing your lips with a dog!” you laughed. 

Shotaro smirked devilishly, then pressed his lips against yours anyway. They were sugary sweet, just like bubblegum – another thing he’d spent your money on! 

You couldn’t help it – despite the fact that you were meant to be mad at Shotaro, the kiss was so dizzying that you were already tilting your head to the side to deepen it. 

When you pulled away, you grazed your lips along Shotaro’s cheek, your eyes half shut. You weren’t quite ready to let him go yet. The slight roughness of his skin sent fireworks shooting in your belly. 

“Why can I never say no to you?” you moaned.

You felt rather than saw Shotaro smirk. “So… what if I said that Choco has a sister who really needs a home?”

“No!” 

—

MASTERLIST

Let us know what you thought in the comments or on anon! 💋

[lallyloo]

Jealousy

(So @imincognitohere and I were talking about EB recs, and porn, and how Link’s entire porn collection would consist of a dark haired guy with glasses and a John Mayer lookalike. Then we imagined Rhett finding Link’s JM porn collection and crying, and then just railing Link. And now we’re here.)

*

He’s not really supposed to be on Link’s laptop, but Link’s running behind and Rhett really needs the May 2022 Ear Biscuits schedule now.

He silently curses himself for not keeping the schedule on his own laptop, or even his phone, but Link’s the one who types during planning sessions and they’re always together, so it’s never mattered before.

But today Link’s stuck in traffic on the way to the creative house, and Stevie’s trying to book their first guest in nearly two years, and Rhett needs the info now.

And they have each other’s passwords for this very reason.

So Rhett waits for the sign-in screen to appear, and he types Link’s password.

RaisinCRUNCH1984!

And he’s in.

 The desktop is just a line of neatly organized folders against a backdrop of some douche playing guitar.

Rhett stares at the douche for a second.

He knows his name is John Mayer.

But in Rhett’s mind he’s just ‘douche’.

Link’s crazy about his music but Rhett’s not, and the guy seems like a tool anyway.

And why does Link need him on his desktop? Why not Christy? Or the kids? Or hell, why not him and Rhett? Would that be too much? No.

And sure, Rhett’s desktop is a silhouetted photo of himself in Death Valley, but that’s neither here nor there. It was a great trip, and it’s a great photo, and it’s not just some random musician guy.

Rhett tears his gaze away from the background and scans the labels on the desktop folders, stopping when his eyes hit one called ‘May’. It seems to be the most obvious choice, likely full of schedule info, brainstorming, personal appointment times, etc.

To Rhett’s surprise, the files inside seem to have much more random names than the desktop folders.

It doesn’t seem like Link at all, and Rhett is a bit flummoxed as he reads down the list of random letters and numbers jumbled together.

He settles on a file called 324_eB_32_MMdrmfanta.

He’s in such a hurry he doesn’t pay attention to the file type, and Rhett realizes it’s a mistake as soon as he clicks it.

It’s not a list of dates or information. It’s not a schedule.

It’s a video.

And it looks like porn.

There’s a room. An office maybe? The camera pans and there’s a desk and a chair and a window.. and a bed. Yep, it’s porn.

The camera pans to socked feet, and up bare legs, over a little red speedo, to a bare chest, up to the face of someone who looks a bit like a younger Link.

Dark hair, blue eyes, glasses.

There’s a knocking sound in the video, someone at the door, and Rhett is curious to see who might walk in. It’ll be a blonde woman, he assumes. A Christy lookalike.

“Link you dirty dog..”

He’s invested now, curious to see what kind of fantasies Link is into. He knows Link and Christy’s relationship has its ups and downs, and Link’s blue balls have been an ongoing joke for years, and maybe he’s invading their privacy a bit by watching this video.. But it’s not actually Link and Christy. It’s just porn. Just a fantasy Link has. And they’ve talked about fantasies before. Hell, Rhett told him about the first time he ever jerked off. Watching a little porn video is nothing.

The guy with the glasses heads for the door and Rhett is enraptured as the scene unfolds – slipping off the chain lock, a hand on the doorknob, turning it slowly. Rhett wonders what the woman’s going to be wearing. What she’s going to say. What they’re going to do. How they’re going to fuck.

On screen, the door opens and Rhett pulls back a bit, surprised, when he realizes there’s a man on the other side of it. Another brunette, with longer hair – not as long as Rhett’s, but longer than Link’s. And flowy. The guy’s kinda pretty.

Huh. Maybe it’s a threesome video? Two guys and a girl? The guy with the glasses looks surprised but pleased, and Rhett stares at the screen, wondering when the girl will show up.

The other guy says something Rhett doesn’t register, and then he steps into the room, wraps the glasses guy up in his arms, and shoves his tongue down his throat.

The unmistakable sound of a porn sax overdub echoes through Link’s office, and Rhett pulls himself out of it. He clicks through the video, skipping ahead, his eyes growing wide as he gets quick glimpses of erections, blow jobs, sloppy kisses, a finger in a butthole, AND IS THAT HIS TONGUE?? And fucking, so much fucking, fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Rhett skips to the end to see the long-haired guy trailing his tongue over the glasses guy’s dick, licking up every messy drop of cum.

And. Oh.

The girl never showed up.

Rhett closes the video.

So Link watches porn. Gay porn.

And he’s never told him.

Rhett can’t help but feel a little confused. And a little jealous.

Why hasn’t Link told him? Why haven’t they talked about it?

Does Link like guys?

Rhett’s never been into guys. Not once, like ever.

Well, sure, he’s thought about Link once in awhile. What it might be like to touch him. Kiss him. Maybe more.

But that doesn’t count. Because it’s Link.

It’s Link!

Rhett’s not into guys. Link doesn’t count.

And if Link is into guys he clearly doesn’t want to tell Rhett yet. And that’s fine.

Isn’t it?

Rhett is a little hurt, but he’s alright with letting Link tell him in his own time. That’s what best friends are for. They’re cool and they’re understanding and they’re patient. And Rhett is all of those things.

He closes the folder, and his eyes fall to the desktop again.

To that douche.

With the familiar face.

Why does he suddenly seem so familiar?

Rhett stares at him for a moment and his blood runs cold.

The video.

The guy at the door with the stupid floppy hair.

Rhett quickly opens the folder again, choosing another file at random.

Cheesy porn music starts and Rhett watches another slightly geeky dark-haired guy with glasses flirt with a dark-haired flop. Rhett skips ahead quickly. There are blowjobs, and the flop is lifting the cute geeky guy, kissing him, spreading his cheeks as the glasses guy gasps–

Rhett closes that video, and clicks another one, and moans fill Link’s office as the video starts right in the middle of a fucking scene. Two guys. Another cute eyeglassed guy with dark hair, and some long-haired jerk. As Rhett watches, he catches sight of a guitar in the background and his face burns hot.

“Rhett?”

Rhett fumbles with the laptop, slamming it closed, but the video keeps playing and the moans of two guys echo through the room as Rhett turns towards the door.

“Link!”

Link looks furious.

“Dude, what’re you doing??”

“I was just looking for– ”

“You’re snooping on my laptop??” Link pushes past him and opens his computer, typing in his password.

“No! I wasn’t! I was just– ”

Link clicks the little x in the top corner of the video and the room falls quiet as he turns back to Rhett.

“That’s my private stuff.”

“I was looking for the Ear Biscuits schedule!”

“And you thought you’d just watch some of my porn while you were in there?”

“It said May! I thought it meant the month!”

“Well it doesn’t mean that!”

“I know that now!”

Link looks at him for a moment and then rolls his eyes. “It’s a stupid name. I’ll.. rename it.. and hide it, I guess.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“What if you need somethin’ else in the future?”

“Well I’ll know not to look in the John Mayer folder.”

Link makes a sound, something akin to a squawk. “What??”

“That’s what it is, right?”

“It’s– I mean, it’s..” Link stutters, unable to look at him. “NO.”

“Oh, come on.”

“It’s not.”

Rhett gestures to the laptop, which still sits open on the desk. “You’re tellin’ me all those dudes with the long hair don’t make you think of… him?”

Link doesn’t answer the question, he just frowns. “I should’a called it something else.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. PORN maybe?? THIS IS MY PORN RHETT DON’T LOOK AT IT?? Does it need to be that obvious?”

Rhett can’t help but laugh, “That wouldn’t help at all. You know it’d only make me more curious.”

“True.” Link says, and he’s smiling now at least. “So fine, I’ll call it something you won’t care about.”

“Like what?”

“Well I’m not gonna tell you, ya dummy.”

Rhett raises his hands in defeat, “fine, fine.”

The room is quiet for a moment as they look at each other, and Rhett can’t help it when his gaze moves from Link’s face down to the idiot on the screen.

He’s so smug. So full of himself. He writes stupid lyrics and people just swoon over him. Link swoons over him.

But Rhett writes lyrics too. And he sings. What’s wrong with his songs?

“What’s John Mayer got that I ain’t got?”

Link’s eyes nearly bug out of his head. “WHAT?”

“I didn’t even know you liked guys,” Rhett says quietly, “and now you’re into HIM of all people.”

“What’s wrong with HIM?”

“Well, for starters, he’s a– ” Rhett stops himself from calling the guy a name. Yeah he’s a stupid dumb idiot who steals the affection of certain best friends, but Rhett doesn’t need to say that to Link. He doesn’t need to make him more upset. “He’s not.. ”

“I know you think he’s not cool,” Link rolls his eyes again. “I don’t care.”

“It’s not that.”

“Well what is it??”

“He’s not.. me.” Rhett can feel his face start to burn the moment the words are out of his mouth. It’s stupid. He’s stupid. What is this? What’s he even doing?

“Not you??” Link laughs. “Dude, don’t tell me you’re jealous of John Mayer now too.”

“Well, I wasn’t,” Rhett says, and Link shoots him a skeptical look. “I mean, maybe just a bit. But now...”

“Now what?”

“After I saw those videos..” Rhett chokes out. “Link, why’re you thinkin’ about him and not me?”

“Rhett, you’re not into guys!”

“And you are??” Rhett can’t seem to help the hysterical tone in his voice.

“Well, yeah, man.”

“Since when??”

“Since.. always, I think.”

“What about Christy?”

“Christy knows,” Link shrugs, “she’s okay with it.”

“Oh.”

Rhett thinks of his own wife and how she’d react if it were him.

Lately Jessie’s been more open-minded than anyone, more willing to learn and explore and grow. Would she be okay if he were.. if he liked..

And he already knows the answer – has heard her say a hundred times, a hundred ways, ‘we’re not who we used to be.. so whatever that means for you and Link, that’s fine by me. The four of us can figure it out.’

Rhett hadn’t questioned her at the time. Hadn’t realized what she meant.

“So, look, you found my porn,” Link is saying, “but I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do about this whole jealousy thing you’ve got going on. I’m not gonna stop watching it just because your feelings are hurt.”

“But..”

“But what??” Link asks, exasperated.

“I want you to think of me.”

“Look,” Link sighs and takes off his glasses, rubbing a hand over his eyes, “I used to think of you..”

“When??”

Link shrugs. “Awhile ago. Years.”

“Why’d you stop??”

“Rhett, listen, I knew it was never gonna happen with you so I made myself stop.”

“And it’s gonna happen with John Mayer??”

“No,” Link laughs, “it’s just a.. just a stupid fantasy.”

“So let me be your fantasy.” Rhett hates himself the moment it’s out of his mouth – he’s never said anything more embarrassing – and Link just gives him an odd look.

“Dude..”

Rhett cringes, “I know.”

“I’m not gonna fantasize about my straight best friend.”

“But I want..”

“Rhett, WHAT.”

“I’m not into guys,” Rhett tries to explain, feeling like an idiot, “but I’m into you.”

“Well, I’m a guy.”

“I know, but you’re – ”

Link steps forward, and before Rhett can say anything more Link leans in and kisses him. It seems to be a test at first, gentle, and then Link slips his tongue out, pressing against Rhett’s lips, encouraging Rhett to open for him.

And Rhett does. He doesn’t even question it. His brain just screams, yes! Finally! And he’s kissing Link, soft and wet, and an ache shoots through his body, straight to his dick.

When Link pulls away, Rhett’s still got his eyes closed, his head tilted, with a smile plastered to his mouth.

“Did you like that?” Link asks.

“Yeahhh,” Rhett sighs dreamily.

“Then you’re into guys, you dummy. The percentage don’t matter.”

Rhett’s eyes snap open. “Okay, I’m into guys.”

Link looks at him, wide-eyed, and smiles. “So kiss me again then.”

Rhett does, taking hold of Link’s face and kissing him, and he knows he’s supposed to be doing something else. He came in this room for a reason. A file or something.

But none of that matters because he’s kissing Link and Link’s kissing him back, and as Rhett pushes Link up against the desk they bump the cable on Link’s laptop and it beeps to notify them that it’s come unplugged.

“Hold on,” Link mumbles, pulling away to plug the cable back in, and Rhett’s eyes are fixed to the photo on the desktop.

Stupid John Mayer douche.

He’ll never have Link.

“What’re you lookin’ at?”

Rhett glances up to find Link watching him curiously.

“What?”

“You’re staring at my laptop like you wanna murder it.”

“What,” Rhett sputters, “no I’m not.”

“You really are jealous, huh?”

“No.”

“You sure?”

“Link, I’m fine.”

“Guess I’ll just leave it open then,” Link smirks. “Since it’s not botherin’ you.”

Rhett reaches past him and slams the laptop shut. “No.”

Link laughs. “You’re like a jealous girlfriend.”

“Boyfriend.”

“Oh, you’re my boyfriend now?”

“Maybe,” Rhett says, and he’s dying. Literally dying. Link’s never going to let him live this down.

But Link kisses him again and suddenly Rhett doesn’t care. They’re kissing and Link is touching him. Link’s hands move down to unbutton his shirt, so Rhett grabs hold of Link’s shirt and tugs it up and over his head.

“What ones did you watch?”

“What what?”

“The videos, which ones.”

Rhett nearly chokes, looking away, and Link takes him by the chin and pulls his gaze back.

“You can tell me.”

“I don’t know,” Rhett admits, “I just skimmed a few.”

“Well what’d they do in them?”

“Blowjobs,” Rhett says, replaying the scenes in his mind, “lots of fingers everywhere. Fucking.”

“Fucking?”

“Yeah, tons of it.”

Link’s fingers slide down Rhett’s belly, stopping at his belt, and the buckle clinks as Link undoes it. “You wanna act it out?”

“Act it out??” Rhett feels like he might actually scream.

“Yeah.”

“DO I HAVE TO BE JOHN MAYER?”

“No!” Link laughs and shuts him up with another kiss. “Just be you, dummy.”

“You want me to– ” Rhett stammers, speaking against Link’s lips, “Want me to go to the door?”

“The door? Why?”

“To knock? Like in the video?”

Link laughs again, and at least Rhett’s managed that. If nothing else, he can always make Link laugh.

“You watched the dorm fantasy video?”

“I don’t know.”

“Guy studying? Red speedo?”

“Ohh, yeah, that one.”

“And how’d it end?”

Rhett’s eyes go wide. “Fucking.”

“Right,” Link says, smiling back at him. “So you wanna just skip to that?”

Rhett’s died. He’s a corpse.

But he manages to breathe out, “Yes.”

Link opens a drawer and tosses a bottle of lube on his desk, and he’s saying “come on, come on,” and Rhett’s brain finally returns to him, because if there’s one thing he’s good at it’s using his dick.

He’s not quite sure of the next step because he’s never done THIS. But Link walks him through the lube and the prep, and god, his ass is beautiful, and now Rhett gets to fuck it, and when Link’s hand slips over Rhett’s dick, slicking him up good, Rhett’s knees nearly give out.

Then Link’s turning away, still talking to him, teasing, asking, “You gonna fuck me better than John Mayer would?” and Rhett grips his hips and slides in slow, easing in deep, gasping at how tight Link is around him.

And Link groans,“Oh god.. fuck, you’re in..

And moans, “Rhett, do it.”

And Rhett does.

He fucks the hell out of Link.

Plows him into the desk.

Tries to fuck John Mayer right out of his mind.

Just rails him.

And Link keeps gasping, “Yeah, like that, yeah, Rhett, fuck me like that,” and when he breathes out “better than John Mayer ever could..” Rhett stops and grabs hold of him, turning him around, needing to see him, wanting Link to see who’s fucking him and giving it to him so good.

Link goes easily, seemingly happy about it, and when Link is bare-assed on the desk with his dick in his hand, Rhett hooks his arms under his knees and fucks in again.

“Tell me,” Rhett sputters as he fucks with everything he’s got.

“Tell you what?” Link is looking up at him, dazed, and they both know Link’s teasing.

“Tell me I’m better.”

“Better than who?”

“You know who,” Rhett grits out, and he’s going to come. Soon. Real soon. And he needs to hear it so bad. “HIM.”

“Oh..” Link grins, and his voice catches in his throat as he says, “John Mayer?”

Rhett can only nod, silently begging Link to give him what he needs.

“You’re better,” Link smiles up at him, his breath stuttering, and Rhett can feel him tighten around his cock. “You’re so good, Rhett, fuck, you fuck me better than anyone.”

“Yeah,” Rhett gasps, pulling Link’s knees up higher, fucking in tighter, harder, faster, and he nearly folds Link in half when he leans in to kiss him again.

And Link breathes against Rhett’s mouth, “No one fucks me like you..” and he comes, shooting hot between them, and Rhett groans and stills, coming hard inside Link.

“Fuck, yeah, so much better than him,” Link sighs, “You’re bigger too.”

And Rhett’s pretty sure he passes out.

When he comes to, he’s still holding onto Link, and he lets go slowly, easing his legs down.

“You alright?” Link’s asking, with a little worried expression on his face.

“Yeah,” Rhett says, “was I out long?”

“You were out??” Link sits up quickly, getting a better look at him.

“I think so,” Rhett shrugs, “I dunno. Maybe it was just too good.”

Link laughs, “Dude, stop.”

Rhett stares down at him, looking hurt.

“What, you’re sayin’ it wasn’t good?”

“Rhett– ”

And Rhett knows he’s teasing again, and he knows it was good, but Rhett pushes against his chest anyway, encouraging Link to lie back down on the desk.

And Rhett leans over and licks up every messy drop of cum from Link’s chest, and sucks his dick clean too.

He’s clearly better than John Mayer.

And he definitely likes guys. Especially Link.

[janeykath318]

The Avengers Zoo

“Since when did the Avengers compound become a zoo?” Darcy asked, flabbergasted to see a frog and a porcupine just chilling out while a hairless cat sat in a sunny corner relaxing. Jane had been summoned down to headquarters and she’d begged Darcy to come too.

“Since Loki showed up and decided to cause havoc, as he is wont to do,” Jane sighed. “Everyone is….not human right now.”

“Oh, dear,” Darcy sighed. “Have you figured out who’s who?” 

“Getting there. Hawkeye and Falcon are obvious, The bald eagle has to be Steve, and Thor is a golden retriever, which I have to admit, is kind of fitting.” 

A big yellow dog trotted over to Jane and sat at her feet, tail wagging and tongue lolling. 

“Hey there, big guy!” Darcy greeted. Thor barked and doggy grinned at her. 

“Yeah, it’s good to see you too, pal,” she returned, smiling at him. “Hopefully, we can convince your Bro to undo whatever he did.”

“We think they still have their human minds, but Leo and Jemma are running some tests to verify that,” Jane informed her, leading Darcy to another room, which contained a dozing black bear, a striking panther, an adorable floppy-eared bunny, and three large birds of prey.

Darcy’s jaw dropped and she saluted the bald eagle. 

“Wow, Cap. It’s a good look on you,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. The eagle-Cap’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move a muscle. 

Talk about majestic.

The sleek Falcon next to him let out a sound that Darcy took to be a birdish laugh and preened his feathers. 

“Yeah, I see you, Wilson. You’re looking good, too,” she assured him.

Clint-Hawk flapped over to her and squawked a greeting.

“Hey, Clint. How’s the bird life treating you?” She asked, trying not to laugh. “If this wasn’t top secret, I’d have so much good blackmail material on you.” 

Hawkeye gave her a birdie glare and shook his brown feathery head. 

Darcy had to stifle a shriek when two large spiders suddenly dropped down in front of her. Of course, they were much bigger than any natural spider, but Loki had probably done that on purpose.

 “Natasha?” She asked nervously, looking at the one with the red hourglass symbol on its body and thanking her stars she wasn’t arachnophobic. 

The spider blinked at her and waved one of its legs, as if affirming her guess. The other spider was a solid black and much more wiggly than Natasha. 

“Let me guess: Peter?” She queried, laughing at the younger spider’s antics as he shot around webbing everything in sight. 

“Yep,” Jane sighed. “He makes such a mess.”

“King T’Challa looks every bit as regal in panther form as human form,” Darcy commented, watching the panther walking alongside one of the scientists, not making the slightest noise. 

“He’s trying his best to help us figure this out,” Jane said affectionately. “He’s quite brilliant even in large cat form.”

The bunny rabbit hopped over to them and looked up at Darcy intensely. In a flash, she was given a mental image of the transformation moment and all the human identities of the animals. 

“That’s definitely Wanda,” She informed Jane. 

“She showed me who everyone is.” 

One of the other scientists ran over eagerly.

“Ooh. Do tell,” he begged, looking like an excited puppy.

Jane rolled her eyes. 

“Darcy, this is Leo Fitz. He’s helping figure this thing out. Fitz, this is Darcy.”

“Nice to meet you.” 

“Likewise,” Fitz said. 

“Other than the ones we already know, the cat is Dr. Strange, the frog is Bruce Banner, the porcupine is Tony Stark…” She cut off with a giggle and Fitz and Jane grinned at the hilarity of Tony the Porcupine.

“Anyway, Wanda is the rabbit, and the bear is Bucky Barnes, bless his heart.”

Darcy looked over to the bear, who was now awake and watching her with quizzical eyes. 

“I’d stay away from that one,” Fitz advised. “He growls if anyone gets within three meters of him.”

“Poor Bucky really doesn’t like scientists,” Darcy told him. “He knows me. I’ll be okay.”

She walked over and sat down beside Bucky the Bear. He lifted his head, but didn’t growl or lunge at her. 

“Hey, there, Bucky.” She told him. “Can you understand me?”

The big bear head nodded clumsily. 

“Excellent,” Darcy beamed, then sighed, remembering their last very awkward encounter. “Now I can finally clear the air about us without you running off or interrupting me with self-flagellation.” 

Bucky bear made a mournful sound, but Darcy kept on track.

“I thought we had a good thing going, Bucky. The flirting was top-notch and you had me completely wrapped around your little finger. Then we kissed and suddenly, you freaked out and avoided me like I had the plague. It’s okay if you aren’t ready, but I want you to know I’m not scared of you in bear form and I’m not scared of you in human form, either. 

You’re a good man, Bucky Barnes. Believe it or not, you do deserve to be happy. Just think about that, okay?”

She could see Steve’s eagle eye watching them, and The Falcon and The Hawk were also gazing with interest. 

The bear snuffled and looked up at her with soulful eyes that were ridiculously cute in a large beast like him. 

Darcy had a strong urge to give him a pet, but figured it would be best to ask first.

“Do you mind if I touch you? That fur is really something.”

The bear didn’t seem to mind and Darcy slowly sank her fingers into his side and marveled at the feel. She gently ran her hand over his soft black fur, noting that Bucky bear had closed his eyes in bliss. 

“Oh, you like that, do you?” She teased. “I bet your human self would too.” 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a commotion and Jane Foster giving a familiar mischievous figure a thorough chewing out. Loki was trying to be a smartass, but Jane was having none of it. Finally, he gave an exasperated huff.

“Fine! I have modified the spell to wear off in three days. There is no need for more threats. I am well aware of your expertise. You mortals have no sense of humor.”

With a poof, Loki turned himself into a snake and slithered away. 

Jane sighed. 

“Hear that everyone? You’ll be human again in three days. I have no idea what we’re going to do in the meantime.”

Turned out, Darcy added Avengers zookeeper to her resume during the next few days. She chatted to them, made terrible bird jokes, and helped make sure they ate. She got to watch Steve, Sam, and Hawkeye soaring regally in the air, which was a pretty incredible sight. Bunny Wanda liked to sit on her lap and nibble at lettuce while Porcupine Tony made ridiculous faces at Darcy and pretended he was going to poke Bucky with his quills. Bucky mostly snoozed at Darcy’s feet or watched the Birdy Trio flying around. 

Kitty Strange slept most of the time and looked disdainfully at the others when he was awake, goblin like eyes eerily watchful. Thor of course, followed Jane around with his undying loyalty, and the spiders chilled out in their webs, amusing themselves by building more and more elaborate designs. Bruce was given his own private enclosure away from the chaos and he hopped about contentedly. 

When day three arrived, they made sure everyone was in a safe location for a safe transition back to human form and waited it out. 

Darcy got a text from Jane while on a coffee run that simply said, “I forgot how annoying human Tony is. I think I liked him better as a porcupine.”

The avengers were chattering and joking around about their antics as animals when Darcy got back. 

“Lewis! I hear you’re switching careers to zookeeper!” Tony yelled. She flipped him off and ignored him. (She’d learned long ago this was the most effective method of dealing with him if Pepper wasn’t around to tattle to.) 

“I have now dubbed you three the Birdy Trio and nothing is gonna change it, so get used to it,” she informed Steve, Clint, and Sam. 

They all groaned and Darcy grinned in satisfaction. 

Behind her there came a rusty bark of laughter and she turned to see Bucky grinning from ear to ear. His smiles were rare, but they were so adorable, Darcy’s heart skipped a beat.

“Don’t be smug, Barnes,” she playfully chastened him. “You’re gonna be Bucky Bear to me for the rest of your life.” 

The smile did not diminish one bit.

“I hope that’s not the only thing I am to you, doll,” he said softly, making her blush.

Steve, observing their interaction, dragged Clint and Sam away to give them privacy and Darcy vowed to thank him later. Steve really was a good bro.

“You were right. I shouldn’t have run away like that,” he admitted, taking a tentative step toward her. “I’ve been kicking myself ever since. I’ve got more issues than National Geographic magazine, but if you’re willing to give me another chance, I’d definitely like to take it.” 

Darcy smiled and grabbed his hands in hers: both of them. He looked surprised when he saw her grasping his metal hand, but he gently squeezed back. 

“Bucky Bear, I’d love to. How about we start by catching up over dinner?”

“Sounds great, doll,” he said, beaming at her. 

[jincherie]

TEASER: sunshine riptide

genre: hybrid au, ot7, fluff, animal crossing insp wc: 2.6k

“So in exchange for three months paid stay on the island while you get back on your feet, you will work part-time at the Rabbits Den three days a week, and man the desk in the Resident Services Building on Sundays. Is that okay to you?”

You nod eagerly, the ordeal seeming too good to be true and something you’re afraid will be retracted if you don’t act with haste. Mr Bang returns your motion with a little less fervour, the same kind look never leaving his face.

“Perfect, it’s settled then! We’re glad to have you with us, y/n.”

Something lifts from your chest in that moment, as though you’d been walking beneath the cover of a lead blanket and it has finally slipped from your shoulders. You feel a little breathless, and you know the grin that slips onto your face is stupidly wide. Embarrassingly, you feel salty pricks at the corner of your eyes.

“Thank you so much,” you say, and you mean it. It hadn’t exactly been a well thought out plan, moving here with nothing to your name but your most basic possessions, but you’d just needed to escape and start anew and this… this had been the first opportunity you’d seen. The best opportunity you’d seen. “Really, thank you.”

“You’re more than welcome, young lady.” Mr Bang’s expression grows even softer, if possible. “This is a place people come to find refuge, and happiness. You’re welcome here.”

You clear your throat, turning your head to the side and pretending that you need to cough so he doesn’t see the tear that slips out. You have a feeling he knows, though, as you turn back and find him smiling at you, floppy rabbit ears framing his round face. He reaches out, patting you on the shoulder.

“Now, lets find you a room for the night. I’ll send word to the house I have in mind and make sure they have it nice and tidy before your arrival tomorrow. Sound good?”

It hits you only now how tired you are, more emotionally exhausted than anything, and nod while allowing him to lead you down the hall. That does sound good, actually. That sounds amazing.

O – O – O

You’d arrived on this island in the early hours of the morning yesterday, the late-night ferry the only one that runs to this island on the outskirts of the archipelago. It’s likely due to the fact that the captain is a nocturnal hybrid, and hence prefers to run his business under the cover of night. You hadn’t been able to sleep on the trip over, so when Mr Bang had shown you to the room he was happy to lend you for the night, despite it being barely ten o’clock in the morning you’d passed out the second your head hit the pillow. It was more of a nap than anything, but you suspect that the events of the past few months all caught up to you at once because you woke only for dinner and then fell asleep once more. Mr Bang offered no judgement, and simply left a note instructing you where the bathroom is and where you could find towels so that you could freshen up once you awoke. He also left you a coffee bun in a container, since you’d missed the afternoon tea he held the day before.

You hadn’t even been on this island a day and already the kindness of one of the residents was almost bringing you to tears.

Due to the fact that you’d slept far too early, you end up waking up at an ungodly hour the next day, the day you are meant to be moving in to the sharehouse that Mr Bang told you about. Laying in the bed, nestled in the warmth of the covers and watching as the suns rays slowly begin to stain the ceiling and the curtains in rich marigold, you do your best to get yourself together. You can breathe easy now, any anxiety you’d felt previous now nothing more than an echo in your chest. You feel refreshed, and not just from the ridiculous amount of sleep you’ve had in the past twenty-four hours. There are of course some nerves pertaining to meeting your new housemates, but it’s manageable. You have faith that everything will turn out well. It’s a good feeling.

Mr Bang is kind enough to offer you breakfast, and likely would have pushed you to stay for lunch had you not shown up down the stairs with your baggage already in tow. So begrudgingly, he allows you to head on your way, informing you that your new housemates knew of your arrival and had endeavoured to tidy up as much as possible. You thought it was a little funny he was telling you that—just how messy is the house usually?—but he simply shook his head with a smile that told you the answer would come soon enough.

The island isn’t big, but it most definitely isn’t small. The sun is warm and the air cool with a tinge of salt and sea trailing along the breeze, and the path you walk along that skirts the beach is peppered with sand and the odd shell. It makes you happier than anticipated, because just being out here makes you feel so free. Mr Bang told you that the house where you will be staying is on the other side of the island, past the little cluster of shops and small businesses and perched at the edge of the sand, backing onto a river that flows into the ocean and skirted on one side by a small cliff.

“It’s their own little alcove,” Mr Bang had snorted, a mixture of fondness and amusement evident on his features. “They get up to more trouble than I can keep track of over there, but they’re good boys.”

Ah, that’s right. You’d almost forgotten; your new housemates are a bunch of boys. You hope that Mr Bang is right about their character and you won’t be living in discomfort for the next three months.

The path wound and curved a bit, following the edge of the island, and before long you were walking through a section of light forestry. You suspected the house would be on the other side, and were in the midst of thinking just what it would look like when a small squeak! catches your attention and you halt, almost dropping your bag.

It’s silent, save for the way the breeze caresses the leaves around you. You peer around, eyes unable to spot anything in the foliage. Did you imagine it? It’s a little early in your stay to be going crazy. Hesitantly, you adjust your grip on your bag and resume your trek.

Squeak! S-squeeeak!

No, you definitely heard that. You freeze, having gotten a better sense of where the sound is coming from now and turning towards a large tree smothered in vines of varying thickness and clinginess. For a moment, you don’t see anything, eyes squinting hard—it’s like one of those I spy books you used to rave about as a kid— and just when you think you might be looking in the wrong place, you catch movement.

There, in a cluster of the vines dangling from one of the tree’s thicker limbs, is a tiny creature, all tangled up and squeaking in distress.

“Oh my goodness,” you drop your bag, immediately moving closer.  “Poor thing��hold on just a second, bub. I’ll get you out. Promise not to bite me?”

The creature offers a squeak and logically you know it isn’t answering your request, but you pretend it is anyway. Carefully stepping over plants and twigs, thanking past you for wearing more practical boots, you reach where the creature is stuck, dangling just below eye level.

The vines it has managed to get all tangled up in aren’t particularly thick, but there are a lot of them, and it has managed to get a few of its limbs stuck in place. Carefully, you snap a few of the more central ones and ease the tiny thing out, getting a better view of it the more you pull from its body. It’s squeaking all the while, though with much less distress and more of an energy that simply feels chatty. It makes you smile.

“There you go,” you murmur, cradling the tiny baby in your palms and cooing, trying to calm the heartbeat and hurried breaths you can feel racing against your skin. You stroke along its back as lightly as you can manage. “Oh, you’re a little sugar glider! You’re so pretty, such a cutie. Look at your markings, wow… so pretty.”

Almost as though it can understand your praise and is basking in it, it flicks its bushy tail and rolls in your palm, like a cat rubbing against something with its cheek except this little glider is doing it with its whole body. It’s awfully friendly, you note. Perhaps much of the wildlife here is more peacefully accustomed to human and hybrid activity.

“Okay, you’re free now. I’ll stop ogling at you and let you go,” you say, holding your hands up to a part of the tree that isn’t covered in vines lest there be a repeat of the earlier situation. The sugar glider merely blinks, eyes still on you, and doesn’t move. Brows drawn in confusion, you move your hands closer to the tree, “Well, aren’t you going to—oh!”

Faster than you can react, the little thing darts from your hands, leaping to your bicep and scurrying up with tiny claws in your shirt to your shoulder. Once at its apparent destination, it rushes to the crook of your neck and makes itself at home, nestling against you and securing itself with its tail partway around the back of your neck and its little paws clutching your shirt edge. You giggle, still in shock and trying not to jostle it off as you fight the ticklish sensation.

“Okay. I guess you can come with me. I’m not sure if you can stay the whole while, but I’m sure it will be okay while I walk.”

So off you go, bending and retrieving your bag carefully so you don’t dislodge your tiny new companion. You’ve seen a bit of sugar gliders, but the way this one is acting is quite peculiar. If it sticks around until you arrive at the house, you’d love to snap a quick picture because it really is so pretty, so cute.

The trip is faster than anticipated, now there is something else to occupy your thoughts. Before you know it you’re out of the forestry and approaching a large, modern three storey building that is probably just a few yards short of a mansion, nestled between the ocean, the river, and a short cliff-face just barely higher than the roof. This is the place for sure.

The little glider seems to perk up, the closer you get, something that surprises you since it was so quiet you thought it was asleep. With a soft noise, it grabs onto your hair with tiny paws and scurries to the top of your head, likely making a mess of it in the process but it’s so cute you can’t bring yourself to mind. At least it will be an interesting first impression.

As you approach the front door, you think you see movement in one of the windows on the ground floor. You almost dismiss it as you reach the eve, until you catch the hurried patter of feet against hardwood from beyond the door.

You barely manage to blink before the door is flying open, a man with raven curls and two fluffy russet ears peeking between the locks presenting you with the biggest grin you have ever seen on anyone’s face. It’s boyish and cute, a direct contrast to the mature, sculpted features of his face.

“Hello!” he says, and you catch sight of a long, fluffy russet tail whipping behind him and betraying his excitement—not that he was doing much to hide it. “You must be the new roomie! It’s nice to meet you! We’ve been waiting all morning, and one of us actually went to pick you up but… I’m not sure where he is.”

You’re a little overwhelmed but easily recover when he simply keeps looking at you so happily, returning the man’s bright smile. There’s rustling in your hair at the back of your head but you ignore it, adjusting your grasp on your bag. “Ah, thank you. I’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you…?”

The man pulls back, a sheepish look on his face that accompanies a light flush in his cheeks. “Oh, right. I’m Taehyung. Sorry. My hyungs tell me I tend to get a bit ahead of myself sometimes.”

You keep the smile on your face. “That’s okay, we got there in the end. It’s nice to meet you, Taehyung.”

Taehyung brightens, tail curling happily behind him. He opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted from a voice to the side.

“Are you going to make our poor new housemate wait outside all day, Tae?”

The light blush colouring Taehyung’s cheeks deepens, a sheepish laugh escaping. “No. I was just about to invite her in!”

He steps back and reveals the person behind him who had spoken, a tall man with dimples and silvery hair that did little to conceal the large, rounded grey ears atop his head. He seems a little awkward in his stance, like he has more body than he knows what to do with, but still extends an arm in greeting with a kind smile. “y/n, is it? Welcome, please come in. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here with us, however brief. We’re happy to have you.”

Don’t cry, don’t cry! If you cry now you can never show your face here again. You clear your throat, returning his smile as you step inside and out of the sun, the difference in temperature against your skin immediate. “Thank you, I really appreciate your generosity in letting me stay here.”

“Nonsense,” Taehyung snorts, “Namjoon-hyung has been saying for months we should find someone to fill the spare room, and now you show up on our doorstep! It’s perfect.”

The taller, who Taehyung had referenced as Namjoon, seems a little bashful, his cheeks heating. Does everyone in this house blush so easily? You hope it’s not contagious.

There is movement in your hair again, the glider apparently needing to breathe, and you have your mouth open ready to explain when Namjoon beats you to it.

“Oh, I see you’ve met Jimin already!”

What?

The glider leaps from your head and onto Taehyung’s outstretched arm, climbing to his head before leaping from that too and gliding through the air, all the way around the corner. There is a small clutter, the sound of a light swearword entering the air, and then the ever-familiar patter of feet against hardwood. Another boy rounds the corner, ashy-blond hair tousled and parted by two small grey ears, bushy tail curling behind him.

He skids to a stop in front of you, dipping in a brief bow before rising and shooting you a bright smile. “Hello! Thank you for helping me! I’m Jimin, welcome home!”

It takes all of your willpower to keep the happy tears at bay as you tilt your head back and laugh, already feeling lighter than you ever remember feeling before.

[pumpkinpot]

Hoshi

A/N: this is part of the Citrus Dome Sci-Fi collab. this is also pure fluff. no smut, no real angst. just spooky summer vibes and poly love. I hope you enjoy. (I’m sorry for grammatical errors in advance.)

synopsis: since beginning your relationship with Katsuki Bakugou and Ochako Uraraka you’ve developed a love for exploring abandon places with them whenever you three have time to explore. This time, so happens to land on a derelict observatory. (additional head canons for this story on my tik tok under pumpkinpots)

“It says here it was abandoned in the mid-nineteenth century due to the spike in light pollution with the growth of the city,” you say, pointing to the dome at the peak of the building. “All of the mobile telescopes were transferred to the university's observatory, while this placed rotted away.

Uraraka half listens, levitating sheetrock from the doorway and discarding them in the nearby field.

“Why just abandon it?” Katsuki asks, fiddling with varying lenses in his camera bag. “Couldn’t this have been a museum or something?”

“Yeah,” you agree, shifting a glance to make sure Uraraka doesn’t need help. “It looks like it was bought by a merchant in the eighties who wanted to turn it into a house, but he was indicted for tax evasion before the renovations ever finished. It hasn’t been touched since.” 

He scoffs with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Rich idiots.”

Uraraka brushes specks of dust off her palms across her cut-off shorts before urging us alone. “Shall we?” 

It takes two and a half pushes to nudge the door wide enough to squeeze through. The observatory opens to us with a groan of whining metal and the scratch of loose dirt on concrete. 

Centered in the main foyer, a gaping mural of blue and white cobblestone depicts a dusty map of astrology stars. 

Katsuki has to be coaxed with a promise to be flashed to pose under the Taurus constellation for a picture, meanwhile, Uraraka floats just above Pisces with a cute puffy cheeked expression. 

Names, small sayings, and symbols decorate the wall in vibrant graffiti, the place a cocktail of color and wild Ivy.

"It's a lot more lit than I thought I'd be," Uraraka says, stuffing her flashlight into her bag. 

Katuski keeps the light attached to his camera lit as he weaves in and out of rooms, zooming in on old books and broken equipment. 

We follow him through a puzzle of what seemed to be living quarters and small classrooms, ending in a half oval auditorium. 

At the center of the stage a white globe balances on a pillar of cement. 

“What’s this?” Uraraka asks. 

You touch where someone had attempted to derail the sphere like a baseball before trailing your eyes above the layered seating. “It's a projector ball. Technicians would likely project light from there into the ball to make it seem like the planet or star they were studying. That's why it's,” you knock on the sphere's cool solid surface. “Crystal.”

Uraraka shines her phone’s light into it, the shattered pieces reflecting shapes in a dim glow.

Katsuki points the camera into the orb, the bluish tint reminds you of the similar one in the abandoned lighthouse you’d explored with them two years ago. Though that one would have lit from the inside. 

Quickly you explore the base and second levels, eager to get to the actual observatory. It's evident where the renovations to make this a home had been started and never finished. Small cracks in the floor, sealed with caulk, loose wooden planks pillaring knocked in walls. 

It could have been a beautiful home, you think to yourself. 

Up the second flight of stairs gradually more and more light fills the space until you are bathed in the orange glow of early dusk. A large open scare slits the dome, edging with rust and ivy. The circular room holds nothing of true value, nothing left behind but broken tables and a ladder to the viewing balcony tailing the opening of the dome. 

“The big telescope that would have been here-” Uraraka says, fiddling with the screw holes in the floor, “- would have been a refracting telescope. It uses small bits of glass to magnify what you’re looking at, then is bent back through the telescope hitting the eyepiece. The other kind is a reflector,” she continues, “It's got a primary mirror at the bottom of the lens into a second mirror than a third eyepiece mirror. This one is mostly used to see the different parts of a star to see what it's made out of.”

Katsuki and you exchange looks of pure astonishment. "how do you know all this?" you ask.

She fishes a gum wrapper from one of the holes, tossing it to the side. “Before I was accepted into UA I was really considering going into astronomy. I thought it fit so well with my quirk, but the courses were too expensive.” 

"More expensive than UA?" Katuski asks, refocusing his camera. 

She nods, seeming just as dumbfounded as us. 

“Do you think it could work on my explosions?”

“If you were in space maybe,” you hypothesize, “but in that case, we probably wouldn’t see it for a long while.” 

He seems semi disappointed as if his evening plans had been somehow derailed.

You run your hands across the walls of the dome, dusk sun baking its metal frame like a soup pot. 

For a moment you just watch them. It’d been so long since the opportunity arose for the three of you to go exploring. With you still temporarily stationed in the American hero commission and those two workings in Japan it was rare to find time to skype let alone go on adventures. You were lost in the bliss of having your partners so near without having to scream about a lost wifi connection when your hand hit something protruding from the wall.

“What are these?” you ask, inspecting circular gears attached to a crank.

“It looks like the wheel to turn the dome,” Uraraka says.

Katsuki zooms in on the puzzle of rigid plates. “This bitch turns?” 

“Yeah, that slit doesn't move so the dome has to, to accommodate where in the sky they were looking.” 

Katsuki fingers the gears a moment, mapping its track all across the sphere. He traces along the parts not layered in rust until he’s back at the start. “Do you think it still works?” 

“Not without some serious lube and strong arms.”

“We’re one for two,” you suggest. 

Katsuki hands over his camera to Uraraka, positioning himself opposite you to push the lever, while you pull left.

At first, the dial stays put, its stance unforgiving, but after a bit more pull than push a deafening whine reverberating through the entire observatory. 

No visible move happens until the second crank roundabout when the shift of light against concrete becomes clear.

Katsuki’s eyes light with sheer amazement as the entire dome rotates around you. We are halfway through a full rotation before Uraraka shouts for you to stop. 

You push on the lever stilling its movements as quickly as you can.

She holds a finger head tilted to the side. “Do you hear that?” 

Your breath balloons in your chest as you lean in closer. The tiniest of whimpers echo around the dome from the viewing balcony. 

One after another you file up the ladder, hopping on the edge of the dome. Balancing on the concrete crease between the moving track and the rest of the building you search for the sound. 

“Here!” Uraraka yells from the other side.

 You sprint as much as you dare, teetering along the two-story edge. 

She squats over the body of a squirming animal, a tuft of fur caught in the track of the dome's rotation. She coddles its little frame, before reaching a hand out to you. “Y/n, your knife-”

Hesitantly you hand it over. She snips away the stuck pieces muttering thanks that none of the actual tail got caught. She folds the blade back into itself, pinching leaves and sticks from the animal's fur and tossing them over the side. 

She holds it up, floppy ears and a black nose making it a nearly recognizable creature. A puppy. 

He looks to be light brown, but that could be the soot. 

Katsuki checks around the dome for any signs of a litter or mamma, before joining us with a shake of his head. 

The pup squirms and with an open mouth, letting all sorts of noises tumble from his dirt-covered tongue. 

Uraraka floats the puppy to the floor of the dome, as we file down the ladder. You empty the contents of your water bottle into a cup for drinking and the rest onto its back for cooling.  

His fur peaks through white and brown spotted under layers of grime. 

“Well,” Uraraka says, “we’ve been talking about wanting to expand our family.” 

“I suppose there’s no better place to start,” you add, both of us looking to Katsuki for consensus.

He passes glances between the three of us. “Fine, but I get to name it.”

“Alright, but we get veto power.” 

“Explosion-”

“Veto,” you say in unison. 

He looks around puffy-lipped. “I didn't even get to finish.” 

“Explosion nothing,” Uraraka clarifies. 

He’s silent for a long moment looking around the space. “Hoshi?.” 

“Star?” you confirm.

“This observatory was used to study the stars, wasn’t it?” He bats.

You and Uraraka exchange a satisfied, yet surprised look. You hadn’t expected something so- normal. This is after all the same man that made you name your golden pothos “boom boom boi” in his honor. 

“I like it,” you say.

“Approved,” adds Uraraka. 

We better take our picture before it gets too dark,” he says, turning away so you can’t see the blush on his cheeks. He switches out his filming camera for a smaller polaroid, propping it up on the edge of a broken table. 

He runs back as the timer ticks down. He slides to your right side, Uraraka on your left. Their arms link behind you as you hold Hoshi up to your mid-chest. Clicking down from five you all give your cheesiest grins. A rectangular card spits from the bottom of the camera. 

Ochaco shakes it a few times, swapping you a picture, for a puppy. 

You wait for the picture to pixelate before opening the ninety-cent notebook of film slips and position it in the next available spot.

Urarka’s cut-off shorts and Katsuki's tanned shoulders are a stark contrast to the puffy blue coat and chunky knit beanie from the last abandoned mansion expedition last time. Before that, the three of us accidentally matched our windbreakers to Midoryia during a tour of The Ghost Candy Shop in Kyoto. We look like a group of tourists. 

The small book seemed to be filling quickly despite the rareness of time to get away. Memories pile up from when it was just Uraraka and Katsuki to when you became a staple to their adventures. They’d given you responsibility for the book to garner your importance to them in their relationship until the reasoning for the gift became nothing more than routine. You were theirs, and they were yours. 

Now a new member had sprouted in your little family, and if you squinted, you could imagine the rest of the pages being filled with the pup in aged years to maybe more as time goes on.

 Right now, you were happy with the three and a half of you.

[goodfemalecharacters]

because there’s nothing I do better than spite-write.  an AU where Sam and Eileen meet in 2002, when Sam is at Stanford.  1k.

Eileen doesn’t expect to see anyone in the library this early.  Don’t college kids have hangovers to sleep off on Saturday mornings?  And yet, she’s not alone in the stacks.

The kid in question is probably her age, maybe a year or two older, and he keeps staring at her when he thinks Eileen isn’t paying attention.  It’s annoying because the back of her neck won’t stop pricking, even though she knows some snooty rich Stanford student is hardly a threat.  Not for a seasoned hunter, anyway.  And no matter what Lillian had to say on the subject, Eileen is plenty seasoned.

It’s getting really hard to concentrate with the kid’s eyes on the back of her head.  It doesn’t help that he’s kind of cute in a floppy, puppy-ish sort of way.  He’s probably never worked a day in his life.  He has a stack of books next to him that’s nearly as tall as he is sitting down, which is really saying something.  Surely he doesn’t need that many.

Eileen rolls her eyes and returns to her book.  It’s in Greek, and she hates trying to read Greek.  Latin, she can handle, but Greek drives her up a wall.

The kid wanders behind her, ostensibly to run his fingers over the books on the shelf next to her, but Eileen can feel his eyes on the back of her head and then on her notes.  She fights back the urge to scoff.

“See something you like?” she snaps at last, whipping around to face him.

She very nearly smacks face-first into his chest because he’s standing almost directly behind her.  The kid takes a half step back, his shoulders colliding with the bookshelf.  He’s really a deer in the headlights, and for a second, Eileen almost feels bad.

“Um.  Sorry.” 

He puts his hand on his chest and moves it, counter-clockwise.  Eileen can’t stop herself from smiling.  He smiles, too, broad and dimpled.

“Actually, it’s the other way.”

He corrects it instantly. “Sorry.  I took a class last semester, but I didn’t have room in my schedule for the follow-up.”

“Most people don’t know any,” Eileen says with a shrug. 

It’s rare to find someone who bothers.  There’s Lillian, obviously.  But even she gets frustrated sometimes.  A few months ago, she’d made Eileen lookout on a hunt, and the ghost—identifiable to Lillian through its moaning—had turned out to be invisible.  Eileen had noticed it eventually, thanks to the dust on a bookshelf moving in a gust of wind, but it had been too late.  

(Eileen forcibly shakes off the memory of Lillian screaming loudly enough to shake the floorboards as Eileen stitched up her arm with shaking hands.)

“They should,” he says, awkwardly.

A smile tugs on the corner of Eileen’s mouth. “Yeah.  They should.”

The kid sticks out his hand.  Eileen hesitates for a brief second before taking it.  There’s a faint memory of calluses on his palms, which takes her by surprise.  She schools her expression back into something neutral by the time he meets her eyes again.

“I’m Sam.”

“Eileen.  Did nobody ever teach you staring is rude?”

He releases her hand so he can put both of his in the air defensively. “Sorry.  That’s usually my spot.  I’m not used to seeing other people up here, especially this early on a Saturday.” 

She raises her eyebrows. “You usually sit in the mythology section?”

“It’s quiet.  Besides, I’ve always sort of been interested in that sort of stuff,” Sam says with a shrug. “Classics major?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” It explains the Greek, anyway. “Big classics fan.”

It’s not like it’s against the rules for a member of the general public to be in this library.  But it would definitely raise more questions if Sam discovered that she wasn’t a student.  Stanford is a big enough school, even if Eileen’s too-big canvas jacket and mud-caked boots make her stick out like a sore thumb.

“I think I’m gonna be pre-law, but I’m a freshman, so I’m undecided so far.  There are too many interesting classes to take to commit yet.”

He takes the opportunity to lean over her shoulder again.  Eileen lets him.  It’s not like he’s going to be able to understand much of it anyway.  He smells like cheap shampoo, the kind that Lillian snags from the few motels they stay in that provide it.

“The word you’re missing there is ‘minotaur,’ I think,” he says, brow furrowed. 

Eileen looks down at it again. “What makes you say that?”

Sam shrugs. “Sometimes these things can be really metaphorical.  The more direct translation is labyrinth-dweller.  The most famous thing I can think of that lived in a labyrinth was—”

“Minos’ minotaur,” Eileen finishes, jotting it down. “That makes a lot of sense, actually.”

The first vic had been stabbed in the stomach.  They’d been thinking that it had been a weapon, but what if it had been a horn?  

When she looks up, Sam is all dimples again.  She smiles back.  It feels like when she and Lillian reach a conclusion at the same time, but better, because Sam hasn’t snapped at her about finding the answer quicker.

“Wait.  You can read Greek?”

Sam nods. “A little.”

Knowing the word ‘labyrinth’ in Greek is more than a little, but Eileen doesn’t say so.  For the first time, she notices a certain thinness to his cheeks, and a certain nervousness to the way his eyes dart around the room.

He didn’t have enough to eat as a kid, he’s assessing exits like his life depends on it, and he knows Greek off the top of his head.  Eileen wonders if he has a knife in the pocket of that big brown hoodie to match hers.

For a crazy, wild moment, she considers asking him.  Then, she crashes back down to reality.  If she and Lillian don’t get a move on, the Minotaur is going to strike again.  She can’t let an innocent person die because she’s too busy flirting.

“Thanks,” she says, gathering her papers together. “That was the last piece I needed.”

The papers crumple together in her duffle bag.  Eileen usually likes to keep her research tidy, but her last file folder ripped a week and a half ago, and they’ve been too busy to replace them.  She shoves the book in, too.  She’ll jog out of the library if the little alarm sounds.  Lillian prefers it when she can see the research firsthand.

“Oh.  You’re welcome.” Sam smiles. “Do you have somewhere to be?”

Another smile creeps up on her face before she catches it. “Why?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to talk Greek mythology with someone who knows their stuff,” Sam jokes.  Then, “Plus, I just earned my first free coffee at the shop down the street.”

Eileen feels a ‘yes’ at the tip of her tongue, but she forces it back.  She scrambles to think of a plausible excuse instead.

“Can’t.  I’ve got a study session.  I’d love to, though.”

His face falls, but he recovers pretty quickly. “Maybe another time.  Here.”

Sam hurries back over to his own table and pulls a piece of paper out of his notebook.  Eileen stands, hauling her duffle over her shoulder.  He nearly knocks over his stack of books in his haste.

“My number.  For when you’re free to talk about King Minos,” he says, holding it over.

Eileen folds it carefully and places it in her pocket. “Thanks, Sam.  Really.”

He signs ‘thank you,’ back to her, even though it doesn’t really fit.  Eileen hasn’t smiled this much in so long.  Her cheeks hurt.  She feels Sam’s eyes on the back of her head until she’s out of his sight, and she’s red to the tips of her ears.

Twelve hours later, once Lillian and Eileen have killed the Minotaur, Eileen takes the little scrap of paper and lets it flutter on to the floor next to its bloody corpse.  If Sam has really gotten out of this life, she’s not going to be the one to drag him back in.

No matter how nice his smile is.

(thanks to @uglyorangejacket for being so excited <3)

[melodiesofblueroses]

hi! ✨ i read your fic of seiichiro bonding with the reader of cinnamoroll and i loved it! 🥺 do you think maybe you could do a part 2 to that fic where seiichiro takes the reader to sanrio puroland and they’re so excited? and the moment the reader gets to meet cinnamoroll, at first they’re in shock that their favorite sanrio character is right in front of them, but once cinnamoroll waves at them and opens his arms out for a hug, the reader eventually hugs him and they start crying out of happiness and also because cinnamoroll IS JUST SO DAMN CUTE? (omg and bonus points if cinnamoroll realizes the reader’s crying and is trying to wipe their tears away like “no, please don’t cry! be happy ^w^” and seiichiro is just watching the intereaction with a soft smile on his face) thank you so much 😃

Aww this was an absolutely adorable request! I had such a blast writing it, though it did end up a bit long, hope you don't mind! I'm pretty sure I'd also burst into tears if I ever got to meet a sanrio character since I practically grew up with them. Plus, the cuteness would simply be too much for me 🥰 Thank you so much for the request! Remember to take breaks and drink water! I don’t know about you, but it’s been pretty hot recently where I live, so don’t forget to take care of yourself!! Hope you enjoy 💕

»»————————-　♡　————————-««

-𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨: seiichiro x gn!reader

-𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦: fluff

-𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: ~2.1k

»»————————-　♡　————————-««

the moment the plate of the glorious golden cinnamon roll was placed in front of you, you had to pinch yourself to make sure that this wasn’t a dream but rather reality. it wasn’t a dream that you were now in puroland; it wasn’t a dream that you were now seated in the cinnamoroll dream cafe; and it certainly wasn’t a dream that you were enjoying this experience side-by-side with the handsome and dependable student council president of your school: seiichiro minamoto. this all felt too good to be true. i mean, never in your wildest dreams did you think that you would find yourself surrounded by everything cinnamoroll, alongside a fellow cinnamoroll lover at that too. you wanted to savor in each and every moment so that it was ingrained into your mind. this day was already becoming perfect. 

when you snapped back to your senses, gazing at the rather large cinnamon roll situated right in front of you, your mouth began to water. the sweet cinnamon and sugar aroma that wafted through the air didn’t help either. the dough looked so golden and buttery, the icing a beautiful pure white and light blue, and the little cinnamoroll foam topping on top was just way too adorable. how could you even eat something as pretty as this?

“gah, this is so cool,” you mumbled to yourself, containing a small squeal so that you didn’t just erupt into a little fangirl session right then and there. it looked so perfect and beautiful, but the smell was also making you quite hungry. from all that walking you did and excitement you felt as you visited the puroland attractions, you definitely deserved a snack, no matter how cute it may have been. immediately, you cut out a small piece and ate it, instantly humming in content. it was so warm and buttery and melted in your mouth. there was so much cinnamon goodness though it was perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the icing. sure it might’ve been a bit too sugary and sweet, but you didn’t seem to take notice since you were currently too caught up with the fact that you were eating a cinnamoroll themed dessert. if only you had taken a picture beforehand to commemorate it (you were too caught up in the excitement to even consider it). 

the smile never left your face the entire time you ate your dish, though you could’ve sworn you saw seiichiro smile from the corner of your eye. that thought made you quite flustered and caused you to choke up a little, embarrassed at the fact that he had caught you in that little self-indulgent moment of yours. gosh, what if he could tell that you were quietly squealing to yourself? perhaps he even found it to be quite adorable? geez, that thought made you so flushed, and you felt your cheeks begin to warm up. quickly trying to brush that thought aside, you directed your attention towards seiichiro and his snack. it was most likely all in your head anyway. seiichiro was a really sweet guy that everyone loved; there was no way he was pining after you. “what did you get seiichiro?”

his drink looked so dreamy from afar, with its side drizzles and sweets on top. there was even one of those iconic chocolate wafer sticks placed in the brown colored whipped cream that sat atop the drink. sure it was nothing more than a sugar concoction, but it was the perfect thing for a pick me up. the both of you needed the energy anyway, especially since there were still quite a bit of attractions to get through. 

“i got the brown sugar boba tea,” he replied, taking a sip from it. “it’s a bit too sweet for me, but it’s still quite good.” the smile that followed did nothing but attack your heart. why’d a simple smile have to look so good on him too? “but how are you enjoying your cinnamon roll?”

“it’s good!” you replied a bit too enthusiastically, though you decided to blame it on your current sugar high. “it’s so buttery and sweet, the perfect snack to satisfy my sweets craving. plus, it has cinnamoroll on it.” you picked up the foam and showed it to seiichiro, still in awe at how adorable it looked. it felt so nice to have someone to bond over the cute puppy mascot with you. “gahh, i can’t wait to meet him. i bet it’s so magical.”

“meeting cinnamoroll always makes me feel better,” seiichiro chimed in. he was happy to see you enjoying yourself and absolutely couldn’t wait for you to meet cinnamoroll. puroland and cinnamoroll were indeed magical, and seiichiro was glad that they were able to help out someone else. “it’ll be worth the trip.”

“i don’t doubt that. when does the meet open though?”

“hm, about two hours from now.”

“damn…” you were starting to grow a bit impatient. don’t get me wrong, you absolutely adored the fact that seiichiro was kind enough to invite you to puroland, and the sights here were something else, but you also were really looking forward to meeting cinnamoroll. taking another bite out of your dessert, you began to imagine just how it would be like to once and for all meet your adored mascot. you might freeze on the spot from all the excitement, perhaps tear up a bit. it was pretty hard to predict how you might react to finally meeting the puppy that you admired so much, but whatever happened, you knew that it’d be a perfect experience at the end. the time to meet cinnamoroll couldn’t have come any faster. 

~

the moment you saw cinnamoroll in front of you, a mere few feet away from where you were standing, you had to pinch yourself to make sure that this wasn’t a dream but rather reality. it wasn’t a dream that you were at puroland; it wasn’t a dream that you were standing in line with seiichiro, waiting for a chance to meet cinnamoroll; and it certainly wasn’t a dream that you were about to meet your hero (maybe it was a bit of a stretch, but you really did adore cinnamoroll who helped you through the toughest times). and just like that we were at the beginning again. 

there were a few people in front of you right now, and you were trying your best to calm your nerves before you got to meeting him. every sensation and feeling had left your body at the moment, replaced by nothing but a mixture of nervousness, adrenaline, and excitement, though it was mainly nervousness. everything felt so surreal, as if it was nothing but a hazy dream. it still hadn’t settled in that you were really going to meet cinnamoroll even if he was right in front of you. maybe it was simply your nerves or because you had believed that you weren’t going to be meeting him so soon, but you were finding it rather hard to believe that that was actually cinnamoroll. how would you meet him? oh gosh, what if you fumbled with your words or shook his hands wrong? what if you made a complete fool out of yourself? those thoughts did absolutely nothing to help calm you down. 

before you could continue overthinking about how you were going to approach cinnamoroll, you felt a heavy hand on your shoulder. it was warm and comforting; it was reassuring and calmed down your nerves immediately; it was seiichiro. looking up at him, he gave you a soft smile. 

“you must be excited,” he chuckled. 

“yeah…” you muttered, averting your gaze back to cinnamoroll. he must’ve caught on to how tense you were and wanted to try to ease your anxiety. he must’ve felt the same way when he first met cinnamoroll after all. you were honestly really grateful that you had him by your side. seiichiro really was a dependable and sweet guy, always wanting to help out others. if it weren’t for him, you probably would’ve fainted on the spot right now. he helped keep you standing upright. 

by the time it took you to calm down and reset your mind, it was you and seiichiro’s turn to meet with cinnamoroll, though the shock of it all made you freeze up. it took a good few seconds for you to move from your spot, prompted by seiichiro’s gentle push. and soon enough, you were standing in front of your most beloved character, who was dressed in his cute cafe outfit. geez, he looked even more adorable up front in person! his floppy ears were the cutest, and his soft smile did nothing to quell your nerves. this was all so surreal. it still hadn’t settled in that you were, in fact, standing in front of the cinnamoroll right now, so the most you could do was stand in front of him in awe. it really didn’t feel like this was reality but rather a dream. 

but the moment cinnamoroll waved at you and held out his arms, motioning for you to hug, it all hit and came crashing down at once. you were physically there at puroland, physically in front of cinnamoroll, and physically meeting him. it sure didn’t feel like reality, but you were damn happy that it was. and when the realization hit, your tears came flowing all at once from the sheer happiness and joy you felt at that moment (plus, he was just way too cute for his own good). you couldn’t believe that you were finally meeting cinnamoroll, the adorable white puppy mascot that helped you through all your good days and bad. he was always there for you, and now you finally had a chance to meet and thank him for all he’s done for you. is this was heaven felt like? ok, that might be a bit of a stretch, but you were on cloud nine at the moment. 

you immediately jumped into cinnamoroll’s arms and tightly hugged him, taking in his warmth. it was rather comforting and promptly relieved you of any nerves or adrenaline you had left over. the tears never stopped, however, although it’d be more accurate to say that they couldn’t stop. you were just too euphoric at that moment, and the tears naturally flowed because of it. the fact that you were able to revel in cinnamoroll’s touch was a dream come true. 

when the two of you pulled away, cinnamoroll seemed to have noticed your tears with the way he tried to wipe them away and comfort you. needless to say, you were quite taken aback when his stubby arms gently caressed your cheeks, but it felt so nice. sure, it did tickle a bit, but the action only made you feel flushed. his touch was way too reassuring, and although he never spoke, you could tell what he was trying to say from what his touch conveyed: “please don’t cry! i’m right here for you!” 

alas, this only made you cry harder. the fact that your favorite character was reassuring you (for real this time too!) made your heart melt. cinnamoroll actually cared for you, and it was one of the only things that you had ever wanted to hear. he was simply too sweet. you didn’t care much for what the scene might’ve looked like for those on the outside, seeing a random person burst into tears at the sight of cinnamoroll. all that mattered at that moment was the fact that you were meeting cinnamoroll. 

unbeknowest to you, seiichiro who was standing behind you certainly did think that it was a cute sight. you looked rather adorable as you embraced cinnamoroll, clearly fixating on nothing but him at the moment. it put a smile on his face to see you enjoying himself. in fact, seiichiro was enjoying spending time with you at puroland as well! it was always nice to spend time with a friend, especially one who was just as much as a cinnamoroll fanatic as he was. he totally understood how you felt right now. meeting cinnamoroll was always overwhelming and emotional, at least for him anyway. it felt as if a heavy burden has been lifted, and for a few moments, everything was perfect. 

and for you, everything was in fact, perfect. i mean, you finally got to visit puroland and meet cinnamoroll! that itself was more than a perfect day in your eyes. not only that, but you also got to spend the day alongside seiichiro, someone that you considered a friend. it really wasn’t everyday that you met someone who unironically loved sanrio, cinnamoroll in particular, so you held him close to your heart. plus, he invited you to meet cinnamoroll, so he must be a great person (you kid yourself, of course, but you really did love seiichiro).

cinnamoroll really did help bring people together. 

[tiredassmage]

12. How do they feel about romantic relationships? Are they into casual flings or more serious, long-term romances? Or are they uninterested? (For Etienne if you wanna answer this for him anyhow XD)

Oh my god, bastard (affectionate). Bastard who is lucky I did the Alexander raids with him or I'd barely have any decent pictures of him sksksksnks. Indecent menace. Without further ado then xD

How do they feel about romantic relationships? Are they into casual flings or more serious, long-term romances? Or are they uninterested?

I do think Etienne plays at being a 'bad boy' more than he actually is. Him and Theo shaking hands in being suggestive flirts who are willing to waggle their eyebrows at just about anyone that catches their slightest fancy, but who are also unshakably loyal to their selected partner(s).

I do actually doubt how much Etienne has really flirted or slept around, despite very confident jests otherwise and mischievous eyebrow waggling. I'd absolutely believe he's the bad influence that did most of the legwork in convincing Loukas its sexy to skip just one class to go grab their first smooches or three or five, but I also... imagine he does retain a lot of his classes and learned information. Would I put it past him to get idly distracted from a conversation by staring at Loukas's beautiful booty? Absolutely not. But there are more braincells in between those floppy ears than he'd let you believe sometimes, I think.

That all said, he does really enjoy the game of flirting, and I think he's hardly opposed to being known as a charismatic flirt, but I think his loyalty to Loukas might run a lot deeper than most (maybe even they themselves) really expect until... something maybe happening to either of them. This is maybe a little off-topic, but since we're here and I haven't really said much on Etienne anyway (and it's all pretty new brainwaves, too), he's generally got a lighthearted and easy-going façade, but I also get the impression that he is kind of explosively emotional at times. Echo or not, Etienne would threaten to throw hands with primal gods for his crush turned boyfriend. I can really easily imagine him getting very emotional and very... shall we say... insistent about taking care of himself were something to go wrong. Probably very loudly, very vocally.

Annyway, before I get off on that tangent of theoretical craft, to get back on subject, my best guess at the moment as to where 'casual fling' he would have totally been cool with leaving at that and nothing more referencing him and Loukas as my case study (bc it is the only one I have some solid reference to, lol, he's probably had other little experiences, but I haven't really figured out any details) was probably when he got the feeling that it was something mutual. And, lbr, he totally enjoys flustering the living hells out of him. It's really cute. Etienne will absolutely continue to do this.

He also seems very settled on the relationship for now, so I don't see him particularly pursuing other flirtations. He certainly still has eyes and can call pretty when he sees it, but he's telling me he very much likes his bunboy boyfriend. He thinks he would very much like to keep this one, thank you. (◡‿◡✿)

[misskikuwrites]

Downpour

Bede/Gloria (dressedinpinkshipping)

Hurt/comfort, fluff, light angst

-

Bede stepped out of the station and surveyed the open, unfamiliar landscape before him. A beach of soft, white sand met crystal clear water of shimmering azure, an endless sea sweeping to the depths of the horizon. Pokemon he had never encountered before lounged on their pink bellies, sleepy eyes drooping shut. He retrieved his Pokedex. Barely a minute off the train, and the Isle of Armour had already proved its worth, and Bede realised that perhaps Ms Opal had been onto something when she suggested that he train here. To reach new heights of pink, or something along those lines.

As pink as Galarian Slowpoke were, Psychic Pokemon weren't cut out for the Fairy Gym, and so Bede decided to let sleeping Slowpokes lie. He sent out his Hatterene, and trained his sights down the beach.

"Well then, my dear Hatterene, shall we find out what all the fuss is about?" he said to her, a resolute smile dawning across his face.

Hatterene chimed in agreement, her dark eyes narrowing as she mimicked her Trainer's grin.

"We'll have to make the most of this opportunity. Ms Opal must have sent us here for a reason, and I won't rest until I find out what exactly the Isle of Armour has to offer."

Bede turned from the blinding white sand and marched along the dirt path, Hatterene drifting by his side.

"The strongest Trainers from around Galar have gathered here to train," he continued, "which means there must be something here that cannot be attained anywhere else."

More Pokemon he didn't recognise darted into the grass. Long floppy ears peeked above the bushes, the chocolate coloured pelt tipped with fluffy clumps of lighter fleece. A brief scan of the Pokemon with his Pokedex revealed it to be a Normal Type, called a Buneary. It tilted its head at him, pink nose twitching as it sniffed the air, and both ears shot upright.

"Hmm, you are rather cute, aren't you? I'm sure Gloria would most certainly fawn over a Pokemon like you."

Bede hid his growing smile behind his hand, a faint laugh escaping him at the image conjured by his mind; Gloria gasping in delight and unable to contain her excitement, her eyes sparkling and twinkling in glee as she practically vibrated with untapped energy, ready to pounce on Buneary at any moment.

A trill of amusement snapped Bede out of his delusion, and he stole the soft smile off his face. Roughly clearing his throat, he took off down the path again.

"Enough distractions," he said, voice coming out tighter and strained. "We're here to train."

He continued down the path, trying to push away the possibility that Gloria was here. Somewhere on the vast Isle of Armour, she could very much be training here as well, and that realisation sent his gaze wandering as if to seek her out, as if an encounter with her could happen at any moment. As he headed past the Dojo, his mind was constantly on alert, distracted and muddled by anyone and anything with a passing resemblance to her.

A flash of dark brown hair in the corner of his eyes made his pulse skip until he looked and saw the face of a stranger instead. Upon seeing that it was someone else, he sighed heavily, frustrated that his attention was so easily stolen. The flutter in his chest, anxious with anticipation, reminded him of how on edge he had been for weeks after finally accepting his feelings towards Gloria. His mind constantly on alert, bracing itself for her to show up at any moment. It was pathetic that after months of dealing with the way he felt towards her, coming to terms with the fact that he was in love with her and figuring out ways to keep himself in check, nothing had changed at all.

Bede couldn't stop himself from jolting as the Dojo doors swung open, heart catching at the slightest chance that it was her, and plummeting when it wasn't. He marched on, away from the building and the Trainers in bright yellow uniforms outside, and decided that he needed - and deserved - to train in peace and quiet.

"Hey, Bede!"

One step short of the wetlands, Bede turned and gave Hop a disinterested stare.

"Fancy seeing you here!" Hop grinned at him, Dubwool at his side. "I had a feeling I'd run into you sooner or later."

"And here I was hoping otherwise," Bede sighed.

It took but a glance for him to determine that Hop was by himself, and that continuing their conversation would be a waste of precious time.

"Look, I didn't come here to mess around. If you'll excuse me, I have training to attend to."

"What, you're not here to see Gloria?"

Having turned on his heels to stalk away, Bede froze with a foot in the air. At the mention of her name, his heart had flopped and heat began to rise across his face. He knew instantly that Hop was taunting him. Dangling information about Gloria like bait on a string, waiting for a bite. Bede refused to react, to give Hop the satisfaction of a response. He marched purposely away.

"Betcha haven't seen what she looks like in the Dojo's uniform," Hop continued, "or that new Pokemon of hers. Glo said she's only introduced him to her closest friends, so I guess if you haven't seen it…"

"I've met Kubfu."

Folding his arms, Bede met Hop's grin with a flat look of his own. Forget propriety, he wasn't about to walk away after that insinuation - at least not before tearing down the smug look on Hop's face. Injured pride swelled in his chest, burning with irritation, and he trooped right back to Hop.

Amusement widened Hop's grin. "Really? Bet you didn't get to touch him though."

"And why would I?"

"Well, Kubfu's super shy. He'd only let you touch him if he trusted you, so if you didn't even manage that much…"

"I had no need to touch Kubfu in order to know whether he trusted me," Bede huffed. "The fact that he no longer cowered behind Gloria said enough."

Besides, his conversation with Gloria had switched quickly from Kubfu to the gift she wanted to give him, the bracelet of woven twigs that hung around his wrist, and he hadn't been able to think about anything else. Even now, he still wore the Galarian cuff she had made for him, amateurish as it was.

"Ah, you've been here before, haven't you?" Hop said. "Must've run into Gloria then; guess that's why you didn't react to my comment about the uniform. You've already seen her in it."

Bede frowned. "No, I haven't. This is the first time I've stepped foot on the Isle of Armour."

He ignored Hop's pointed remark about the Dojo's uniform once again, despite his mind already wandering.

"Then how come you've got a Galarian cuff around your wrist?" Hop pointed at it, an eyebrow raised. "The twigs they're made from are native to the Isle of Armour, you can't get them anywhere else. They're usually made into cuffs to evolve Galarian Slowpoke but… dude, why's it so wonky?"

Hop leant forward to get a better look at the misshapen bracelet, his mouth curling into a crude grimace.

"I'll have you know, this was a handmade gift from Gloria." Bede took a sharp step back, holding the bracelet protectively where it hung beneath his watch. "I would appreciate it if you kept your ill-mannered comments to yourself."

"Wait, Gloria made that for you?" Hop balked. He straightened in surprise, eyes wide. "Gloria did? As in, Champion Gloria? My best friend, the girl you're head-over-heels for, that Gloria?"

Bede's cheeks burned as he glared at Hop. "What other Gloria is there?" he hissed, unamused by having his feelings outed like that.

"Dude, no wonder it looks like that-" Hop cut himself off as Bede's glare darkened, "-uh, I mean, no wonder it looks so… unique. She's never been good at any form of crafts or, heck, anything to do with her hands! It took her years to learn how to tie her shoelaces!"

Heavy thumping in Bede's chest scattered his thoughts, and he looked down at the bracelet around his wrist once again. The bracelet that Gloria, supposedly uncoordinated with her hands, had made for him herself.

"Is there a point to your questions, or am I free to resume my training?" Bede huffed. He absently adjusted the bracelet, his loose golden watch, where they hung. "I have yet to find a place secluded enough so Hatterene and I can work in private."

"What, do I need a reason to mess with a mate?" Hop beamed a cheeky grin. "If you're looking for a place that's quiet and out of the way, then the Forest of Focus might work for you. It's nearby, too - if you head through the Soothing Wetlands, it's on your left."

Bede appraised Hop for a moment, taking in his advice, the comment that they were friends. "I suppose it won't do me any harm to take a look. Thank you."

"No prob!" He sauntered back a step. "But man, she seriously made that for you?"

Hop's insistence over the bracelet made Bede frown. "What about it?"

"Nah, it's nothing!"

The twinkle in Hop's eyes said there was more to it than that, but time was slipping away, and Bede didn't like the look of the grey clouds forming on the horizon. He didn't have the energy, time, nor patience to press Hop any further.

"If that's all, then I'll be on my way."

"Later!" Hop gave him a wave, a flash of a smile, and turned on his heels.

Bede didn't bother to comment that he didn't plan on running into Hop later - or anyone else, for that matter. He was here to train, not socialise, and headed for the Wetlands, for the Forest of Focus, for relative silence.

-

As it turned out, Hop was right. The Forest of Focus was devoid of people, the path overgrown, and the air was filled with the sounds of undisturbed Pokemon. Rustling of bushes, of branches and shrubs, the chattering of Pokemon in the trees and the trickling of a nearby stream was a melody strung by nature itself. Peaceful and serene, there were no strangers in sight. A place where he could truly focus.

"Alright, Hatterene. Let's get to work-"

A dull thump made him pause, and he glanced down towards the noise by his feet. His heart dropped, air leaving his lungs in a sharp, broken gasp, and he snatched his golden watch from the dirt where it had fallen. His fingers trembled as he fastened it around his wrist. Pressed it right to his skin, held it there as the panicked beating of his heart drowned out everything else. The clasp, loose and worn, clicked into place.

Bede took a breath. Then another, and another, deeper and slower than the ones before. He had to be more careful, couldn't let that happen again. Needle-sharp pain sank into his chest with a pang of disgust, loathing that even now, after all this time, he couldn't bring himself to get rid of that watch. After everything that had happened, he couldn't.

He couldn't.

A heavy weight fell over him. The cold metal against his wrist sat as a reminder of his failings, his weakness, his past. It made him work harder. Train harder, to push himself and Hatterene further in the isolated forest. For hours, they trained in the humid air, until sweat and heat soaked into their bones. They trained until the wind picked up, until the forest came alive with creaking and cracking branches and Pokemon began to scatter from the trees. The sky above turned dark and grey, a hint of the storm to come spitting through the canopy as droplets of rain. Bede wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, slick with sweat, and decided enough was enough. The ache in his lungs had become a burn that rose up his throat. Hatterene sagged, drifting slowly over to him, eager for respite.

"That should be enough for today," he said to her with a nod, a faint, exhausted smile that she shared. "You did well, and deserve a break." He returned her to her Great Ball, noting the change in weather. "And I should be getting back before this storm hits."

With a sigh, he rolled his shoulders, and turned to head back the way he'd come. He touched the Galarian cuff in his wrist, his fingers absently tracing the uneven pattern, before he slid his hand up to his watch.

Everything stopped.

Nothing. He felt nothing. No weight, no cold metal, no watch. It was gone. Bede stared down at the empty space on his wrist, his eyes blowing wide. Unable to breathe, to think. Fingers winding around his wrist, grasping the air, his sleeve, his skin.

It was gone.

Heart in his throat, Bede whirled on his feet and swept his gaze over the ground. The dirt, the thick grass, the leaf litter and detritus, his footprints in the soft mud.

No.

It had to be here, he knew it had to be here. He dropped to his knees, brushing leaves and twigs away with hurried swipes of his hands. Scrambling forward across the dirt on his hands and knees, tossing everything out of his path.

It has to be here!

Wind broke through the trees, whistling and rustling. Deafened by the pounding of his heart between his ears, by the panic seizing around his throat like a vice, and he couldn't feel the rain as it fell over him. He felt nothing; not the cold wind, the biting rain, the rocks beneath his hands and knees, the thorns on branches he swept aside. He scrambled to his feet, wiping the rain off his face, unknowingly leaving a streak of mud in its place.

He staggered back the way he came. Kicked and shoved aside leaves and branches, twigs and logs. His hand fumbled for his wrist. Empty. Gone. It was gone. How could it be gone? How did he not notice?

He couldn't breathe. Couldn't see through the rain, his vision blurring, eyes prickling with heat and panic, and he turned around again. Faster this time. Breaking into a sprint, rushing back to where they'd first began to train hours earlier. The dirt, disturbed by their efforts, was now slick with water. The path turned to mud. He hit the ground on his knees, digging through the muck desperately, rocks and branches scraping his fingers raw, burning his knuckles.

No.

He continued. Through the mud, the downpour, the pain.

No, no, no.  

Again and again, searching up and down the path, into the overgrown grass and bushes, tossing stones and logs out his way.

No, no, no, no, no.  

Back and forth. On his knees, on his feet. Wiping away raindrops, the water, the tears on his face, down his cheeks, smearing mud in its place. Gasping with heavy sobs. Breaths of white hot panic, blazing in his throat.

It can't be-

Thunder crashed in the distance. A flash of light, a flash of realisation.

No.

It went dark. Everything went dark. The forest, the sky, his vision. He fell to his knees and felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

-

Gloria rushed into the Dojo, the wind slamming the door shut behind her.

"Whoa!" She breathed a nervous laugh as thunder crashed in the distance. "That's one heck of a storm!"

She stepped into the Dojo as the rain began to fall in earnest, the wind roaring outside. The warmth and shelter of the sturdy building was a welcome relief, and she was ever grateful that she'd made a run for it at the first sign of rain.

"That's not even the worst of it," Hop said. "It's forecast to get worse from here!"

"Oh, gosh. I'm glad I got back in time, then!" Gloria tidied up her uniform, fixed her wind-swept hair back into its neat bun, and settled down beside Hop. "Have they shut down the trains, yet?"

"Yeah, last one left for Wedgehurst half an hour ago. They're not going to be running until the storm's well and truly gone."

That was understandable, and as Gloria glanced around the Dojo, she found it was full of all sorts of different people, not just the students. League staff, Pokemon rangers, odd Trainers who had been caught out by the storm were taking shelter here too. The air thrummed with the noise of dozens of conversations taking place at once, the floor packed with people. Gloria could hardly hear herself think.

"It sounds like we've got the whole island in here," she joked, trying to settle her nerves.

The buzz of noise was reaching an uncomfortable level, swamping her body with a jumble of sounds from all directions. She heard someone laugh behind her, a young girl squeal to her far right. In the kitchen, chairs scraped against the floor.

The storm outside was looking more and more tempting as the seconds ticked by.

"Hmm, not the whole island," Hop commented. "I don't see Bede anywhere."

Gloria perked up. "Bede? Is he here?" She glanced around the room, spying yellow uniforms, League Staff, Trainers she didn't recognise.

"I ran into him this afternoon. He was looking for a quiet place to train, so I mentioned the Forest of Focus to him."

Gloria hummed in thought. Heavy disquiet settled in her gut as the storm raged outside. Thunder shook the building. Lights flickered. Her heart pounded harder in her chest, and she couldn't stop feeling as though something wasn't quite right.

"Do you think he caught the train back?" she asked, pulling out her phone. They still had service, and she fought the urge to ring Bede then and there. Nerves spun in her stomach, and she didn't want to overreact for no reason; there was no need to panic.

"There's no way he'd let himself get caught in this weather, he's too proud to let anyone see him looking like a soggy Wooloo!" Hop laughed, but his reassurance did nothing to calm the anxious thrum in her chest.

"Yeah, you're right."

She tightened her grip on her phone, held it close in her lap. Her eyes swept over the crowd and back again, trying to spy anything recognisable. Platinum blond hair, a magenta jacket, or the colours of the Fairy Gym. A lump sat in her throat that she couldn't swallow down. Something wasn't right.

Where is Bede?

"I'm going to call him," Gloria said.

The pull on her gut, of her instincts, was too great to ignore. Too fierce, too strong, and she unlocked her phone and called him despite the incredulous look on Hop's face.

"Seriously? He's probably in Ballonlea right now, drinking tea or whatever with Ms Opal." He waved off her concerns. "Arceus, I could go for a hot drink right now."

She focused on the ringtone by her ear, her whole body tensing as the seconds ticked by.

"I know, but…" Gloria pursed her lips when she reached Bede's answering bank, his calm voice telling her to leave a message, and she hung up. Not a second passed before she called again.

Hop raised an eyebrow at her. "For all you know, he could be having a shower or something."

Trepidation sloshed in her belly, and she couldn't bring herself to respond to Hop's unhelpful jibe. Her call went unanswered a second time. She stared down at her phone, at Bede's name, at the picture she'd chosen for his contact. It was from their trip through the Wild Area, a cropped portion of a picture she'd taken not-so-sneakily one morning. A peaceful moment in time captured in the early morning, Bede illuminated by soft light as he cooked breakfast, unaware of the phone trained on him. The serene smile on his face stirred another bout of unease inside her.

"Do you really think he'd let himself get caught out in this storm?" Hop scoffed. "This is Bede we're talking about. Didn't you say he was always checking the weather when you two scouted the Wild Area together?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"But what?"

"I don't know!" Gloria huffed. "Something doesn't feel right. He always answers his phone."

"Maybe he's got it on silent?"

"Bede doesn't put his phone on silent!"

She called him again, staring off to the side as her phone rang by her ear so she didn't have to see Hop's bemused expression.

"You call him often, do you?"

Gloria sent Hop a look.

"Hey, you're the one who said he always answers his phone. You must call him pretty often to be so sure of that."

For the third time, her call went unanswered. She went to call again when Hop snatched her phone out of her hands.

"Hey!" Gloria yelped, lunging to try and grab her phone back.

"You're just gonna keep bombarding him with calls!"

"So what?! That's none of your business!"

Hop jumped to his feet, holding her phone high above his head. "You've gotta give him a break! If he's not answering, he's not answering! There's no point in spamming him with calls!"

Gloria got to her feet and stared Hop down. "Give. Me. Back. My. Phone."

"No can do! Not unless you tell me why you're so insistent on calling him like this."

She huffed. "I already told you; something doesn't feel right!"

"You've gotta be more specific than that."

Hop waved her phone above his head, taunting her. She glared at it, at him, and debated tackling him to the ground in order to steal it back. It was tempting.

"I don't know how to explain it, okay?! I just- something doesn't feel right."

Her heart ached.

"I need to know that Bede's okay," Gloria said, and folded her arms across her chest. "I can't help but feel like… something's happened. I know it's probably nothing, and I'm probably wrong, but…"

She couldn't brush it aside. Something hardened inside her, and she turned towards the heavy wooden doors.

"Hold on, you're not seriously thinking of going out there, are you?"

She didn't look back. "You said he was in the Forest of Focus, right?"

"Glo, come on. He's probably fine!"

"I know," she said softly, pressing her lips tightly together, "and I'm probably an idiot. But I need to know. I'd rather be a soggy, wet idiot than do nothing at all."

"This isn't even the peak of the storm!"

"That's why I have to go now. Bede's not answering and you've stolen my phone, so…"

"Wait, wait, here's your phone!" Hop thrust it back to her, and she pocketed it.

"I'm still going."

He sighed. "I know, but now I can call you if he turns up here. Or if he happens to call you back, you'll know."

"Thanks, Hop."

"Yeah, yeah. Just know that if he's cozy and warm in Ballonlea and you get drenched for nothing, I'm going to throttle him next time I see him, okay?"

That made Gloria laugh. "I'll make sure to warn him."

Above all, above the nervous churning of her gut and the anxiety pulsing in her veins, she wished that Hop was right. She took a breath and made for the doors, shoving them open against the roaring wind. Gloria slid between them before they slammed shut with a crash as loud as thunder behind her. She stepped out into a torrent of wind and rain, of blistering, breathless cold. Gusts of wind threatened to knock her off her feet. Blinding rain fell sideways and drenched her as though she'd been hit with a wave from the ocean instead.

Not once did she consider turning back.

Gloria launched down the stairs, slick with water, and broke into a sprint towards the wetlands. A blazing heat burned inside her. It ached in her lungs, up her throat, and drove her onwards. Forward. Fighting through the storm, through the wetlands, the overflowing bog and thick mud, pushing hard enough to stumble and land on her feet before she had the chance to fall.

One thing - and one thing only - kept her going, and she ignored everything else.

Bede.

She wanted to be wrong.

The canopy above muffled the storm as she burst into the Forest of Focus. It became an orchestra of wind ripping through trees, branches rustling and snapping, a million drops of rain pattering on a million leaves.

For once, she wished her instincts were wrong.

It was dark. Bursts of lightning cut through the canopy, followed seconds later by booming thunder. Trees became humanoid shadows in the depths of the forest. Rushing water warned of an overfilled river nearby, a black void opening up into the ground where it ran. Gloria turned from it, forcing down a panicked thought of the consequences if she fell in. She, or someone else before her.

Pain thumped in place of her heart. She no longer felt the cold; the cloak of thick water covering every inch of her body had sapped the heat from her bones and made her numb. She didn't feel the mud flicking up against her legs as she ran through the forest. Her foot twisted. An awkward step on slick grass, and her stomach lurched as she staggered and fell to her knees. She didn't pause for a moment, not even to wince, and leapt to her feet. Onwards again. Following the path from memory, looking left and right and back again, searching the trees, around rocks, over the bridge. Peering into dark bushes, through the shrubs and thicket.

Light flashed. It lasted a split second, enough to illuminate the path ahead of Gloria and the figure slumped in the grass.

Bede.

Something tore inside her chest. She was at his side before she'd realised she'd moved. Before she could take a breath, her lips formed his name. A gasp, a sob, a cry of desperation as she touched his shoulder, upon seeing the hollow expanse behind his eyes. Wide and unseeing. She took his hand, his fingers cold. Too cold. His face, pale and streaked with mud and water, was marked with the trails of tears coursing down his cheeks.

Gloria fell into him. Against him. Her arms wrapped around his back, pulling him into her arms, pulling his head to her chest, as she broke. She shattered and crumbled at the sight of him, and couldn't do anything else but embrace him.

She hated being right.

Bede-

Her heart ached.

He was cold. Soaked to the bone, shivering against her. He shifted slightly, giving the faintest movement in her arms, and she held him tighter.

"I'm here," she said. A broken whisper against the top of his head. His platinum blond curls cold and damp with water, darkened by mud. "It's okay."

Forcing the torrent of emotions down, Gloria pulled away. Enough that she could look into his face, into his eyes, and urge him to move.

"Come on, let's get you out of this storm."

She regretted meeting his eyes when nothing registered on his face when he looked at her. There was nothing. Nothing at all behind his eyes. She glanced away and helped him to his feet, looping an arm around his back when he staggered.

What happened to you?

Her jaw clenched hard with unanswered questions, to stop herself from voicing the agony that lanced through her chest. Questions could wait. The blistering rain and biting wind would only strengthen, and the chill of Bede's skin, his faint, shallow breaths, filled her with a greater sense of urgency. They had to get out of the storm. Without thinking about it, she led Bede down the path, through the forest, and away from the Dojo. Deeper into the island. Away from prying eyes, from noise, from people, to the shelter of a cave nearby.

Out of the wind and rain, in a secluded, quiet nook, Gloria directed Bede to sit. He collapsed to the ground as though his legs had given way. Slumping forward, his damp fringe fell over his eyes. The tips of his hair were speckled with mud.

A tight lump lodged in Gloria's throat. She turned away from him for a moment, shucking off her bag, and dug out a towel. She had to gather enough strength to look back at him. Words she couldn't say built in her chest, in her lungs and throat, and stuck on her tongue. Heat washed over her eyes. Despite finding him, despite leading him to shelter, she felt useless. Unable to do anything with her friend suffering right in front of her.

It hurt.

She couldn't bear to see Bede like that any longer. She stepped over to him and sank to her knees at his side, twisting the towel in her hands, and he didn't react. Didn't glance up at her, didn't move at all. If it wasn't for the slightest rising and falling of his chest, he could have been made of stone.

Gloria blinked back her tears. Slowly, she lifted the corner of the towel to Bede's cheek, wiping away the thin streak his own tears had left through the mud on his face.

He turned his face away.

It broke something inside her. The towel slipped from her hands, and she reached up to cup his cheeks instead. With nothing else she could do, she wrapped her useless arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug once again.

"I'm sorry-" she hiccuped as she spoke. Broke off into a sob. "I'm sorry. I don't- I don't know what happened, but- but I'm here. It's okay."

She squeezed her eyes shut. Her lips trembled as she fought back a sob.

Whatever it was, whatever had happened-

"-I'm sorry." It was all she could say. "You don't have to say anything, or tell me what happened, but… but I'm here. I'm here. Everything's going to be okay."

She couldn't promise that, she shouldn't, but she did. She hugged him close as he sank into her, his head dropping to her shoulder, Bede finally accepting her embrace. He did nothing to return it, remaining still in her hold, but it was enough. Enough for Gloria to know this was what he needed. It was all she could give, all she could do to stop herself from crumbling any further when his shallow, shuddering breaths reached her ears. The trembling of his body gave his tears away.

She said nothing, and held him until silence fell over the cave once more.

-

Gloria had come out of nowhere. Like a bolt of lightning, she had appeared before Bede in the darkness, as though summoned by the flash of light itself.

Why?

She pulled him into her arms and nothing made sense.

Why are you here?

He followed her directions, her urging, and stood. Walked with her to a cave, out of the freezing wind that threatened to draw all the heat from his body. Her arm around his back was firm. Solid. It was real.

It didn't make sense. Why had she been there, in the forest, in the storm, when the world had turned to chaos around him?

Bede's legs gave way. Strength sapped from his bones, his body heavy and numb, and he collapsed to the ground with no will to fight. All he saw was the empty space on his wrist.

Again, it hurt. It stung. Guilt driving a stake into his heart, throbbing with shame. With regret and disgust.

Why-

Why does it still hurt?

The touch of a towel against his cheek scattered his thoughts. She was here. Still here, still real. Still looking at him with heartbreaking concern that only made him turn away from her with regret.

How could he bear to face her like this?

He didn't have to. Gloria pulled him into her embrace, wrapped her arms around him, and his remaining walls crumbled. Everything inside him snapped all at once and he collapsed against her. His head fell to her shoulder, dampening her already wet shirt with his tears, as his heart gave way to her touch. He felt everything. He felt all his pain and guilt and regret, and gave it all to her. With quiet sobs, he let himself cry in her arms. The words she whispered to him soothed the turmoil raging inside his chest, and he succumbed to her.

He gave in.

"It's gone."

His voice, loud in the silence, cracked. Heat swam behind his eyes, further tears clouding his vision, and he squeezed them shut as he took a shuddery breath.

It's gone.

He didn't want to believe it.

Gloria pulled back slightly, settling her hands on his shoulders, and regarded him for a moment before asking, "what's gone?"

Bede couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes, afraid of what she'd see, knowing that he was unable to hide it from her when she looked at him like that.

She always saw right through him.

Instead, he lifted up his right hand, staring down at it and away from her. Gloria followed his gaze. A moment later, she gently took his wrist, her fingers lingering over the spot where his watch used to sit.

"Oh, Bede…"

The anguish in her voice was too much.

"It's gone," Bede repeated in a fragile whisper.

Her hand shifted to hold his, and he squeezed her hand tight in return. Tears threatened to spill again, his face scrunching up to hold them back, to fight the agony blazing in his chest, and he forced his lips firmly together to prevent them trembling. The hand still on Bede's shoulder slid to his arm, soothingly brushing up and down in an attempt to comfort him. Her gaze remained on his wrist. For that, he was thankful.

"How…?" Gloria tried again. "What happened?"

He took a breath, his lungs heavy and rigid, and it felt like it took all his energy just to inhale. His words came out as a sigh.

"I don't know."

He didn't.

"I… lost it."

Somehow.

It was difficult to speak. Exhausting. His tongue weighed down like a stone in his mouth.

"It fell off and I…" He clenched his jaw, disgust towards himself and towards his pain rising like bile up his throat. "I'm finally free of that wretched thing so why does it hurt so much…? Why can't I-? Why-?"

A sob escaped through his teeth. The chain around his wrist was gone and yet its grip around his soul felt tighter than before. The freedom he'd sought had been ripped away and left a gaping hole in its wake. It hurt. The weight of his regrets, his past, remained.

Why, after all this time, could he not unshackle himself from it? The hold that watch had on him endured, a deep scar seared into his flesh.

"Why can't I release myself from this burden?" It came out as a gasp. Following the burning tears in his eyes, the heaving of his lungs for air. Heat washed down his cheeks as he cried. "Why am I still chained to him-?! I should rid myself of it and be done with it but- but- I can't…!"  

His fingers trembled, curled into a fist, as Bede crumbled into Gloria. Shuddering breaths and broken sobs wracked his body. Pain and guilt and everything all at once tore through his heart, and Gloria held on to him through it all. She wrapped her arms around him and shouldered him as he wept.

And he broke down like never before in the comfort of her embrace. The wails that met his ears sounded too close and too far away, foreign and yet familiar, and he knew it was coming from him. He couldn't stop it, like he couldn't stop the pain. He couldn't hold anything back. There was nothing he could do but let it all out; the cries that left his throat raw, the heavy gasps that shook his body, the tears falling from his eyes. Held up by Gloria, he let it happen. Let the floodgates open, his walls collapse, and he held her in return. As tightly as he could, he held her, and it kept him from shattering completely, from letting the darkness take hold.

Bede gave in to her- to her comfort, her concern, her embrace, and they rode out the storm in his heart, sheltered from the turmoil raging outside in the depths of a cave. When his tears had dried, his breathing calmed, when he had no more agony left to voice, he remained in her arms in silence. The shame he felt was not towards how he lingered in her hug, but due to the fact that all it had taken for him to break was a simple, golden watch. A trinket, an object from his past. A chain he couldn't bring himself to remove.

He was shameful. Piteous. Pathetic. Knew he didn't have to say as much for her to know the truth of how deplorable he had become.

It made him laugh. A dry, hollow breath of laughter.

"It's merely a watch," Bede said softly, as quiet as a whisper. Disbelief in his voice. "He didn't deign to gift it to me himself- no, it came wrapped in a box, with assurances from Oleana herself that it was from him. "

Pain flashed behind his eyes.

"For all I know, she could have been behind it, gifted it without his knowledge."

It hurt.

"Why would he have remembered my birthday when he couldn't even recall my name?"

Memories he had buried deep resurfaced. Innumerable, unanswered calls. Awards received without an audience, without recognition. Disinterest in the eyes of the one looked up to the most.

Disappointment.

Movement across his back swept those images away. Gloria, her arms still firmly around him, comfortingly ran her hands across his back. Her touch was tender. Gentle and soothing, and he let his eyes flutter shut from her ministrations. He didn't know how such a simple gesture could be so calming, if she knew how much it would quell the pain in his heart, or if he felt this way because it was her.

Bede sighed. "I should be grateful. Happy, even, to finally be liberated from it-" from him "-yet why? Why does it- why do I feel this way?"

"Maybe... you weren't ready."

He hadn't expected her to answer him, and her voice cut through the silence. It gave him pause.

"I think, and I might be wrong," she continued, "but... maybe it hurts because you didn't have control over it. You didn't actively choose to get rid of it, you had that choice made for you, and… sometimes, that lack of control can hurt the most."

Bede let her words sink in.

"It's okay if you weren't ready. No one gets to decide when you're ready to move on - if you choose to do at all - except you. And Rose, he had such control over your life for so long, a year or two apart from him isn't going to be enough to get over everything he did to you."

Gloria let out a quiet breath, resting her head against the top of his shoulder.

"You've come so far already and, and I know it still hurts. It's still so raw. I'm not able to do much but… but when the storm passes, I'll help you look for it."

Everything stilled inside of him. "You… you will?"

She didn't tell him to leave it. To move on, now that he had a perfect opportunity to rid himself of it for good.

"Why?" He pulled back, pulled out of her arms, and finally met her eyes. He saw then that she had been crying as he had.

She smiled. "Because it means a lot to you. And… and I want you to be able to choose to move on when you're ready." Her expression wobbled as she spoke, as her lips quavered slightly. "How could I not want to help you, Bede? I almost want to drop everything and go out looking for it right now." Admitting that, she laughed. "And- And just because you're attached to that watch doesn't mean you haven't already come so far. You know, it's just a watch. Whether you keep it or not says nothing about you as a person or your past or anything at all. I… I want you to know that."

Bede wanted to embrace her again. His heart ached as he took in everything she said, filling his chest with warmth.

How could he not be so utterly in love with her when she was like this?

Arceus, she… she was everything he needed and more, and he lost himself in her gaze for a moment, unable to pull away, to look away, to see or care about anything else but her. Adoration for her surged in his lungs, rising up his throat with words that formed silently on his tongue, seconds from spilling out.

Everything he wanted to tell her.

Gloria flustered, quickly glancing away. "I- we should, um, try and dry off a bit," she squeaked, jumping to her feet.

The towel that had fallen into her lap dropped to the ground. She went to grab it as he did, their fingers overlapping on the cloth, and she jolted as though the touch of his skin had burned her. Even in the darkness of the cave, Bede could make out the blush on her cheeks. It made his heart skip with a heavy thump.

Gloria snatched the towel, her sudden embarrassment startling him. Nothing he had done, or said, should have elicited such a reaction from her, and his lungs fluttered breathlessly as his mind scrambled to work out why she was acting this way.

"You've, um, got a bit of mud on your cheeks," she said quickly, shoving the towel into his hands.

She wasn't looking at him, and Bede couldn't take his eyes off her. He absently rubbed the towel against his cheek as he studied her, using the cloth to hide the slow trickle of heat that built across his face. Seeing her flustered like this had completely distracted him from his lost watch, a new set of emotions pooled through his veins and washed over the pain. It was as though upon losing it, he had gained even more in return.

The key to his unbroken chains was right in front of him. It had been all along.

-

Something was wrong with Gloria. Her heart galloped at an impossibly fast pace in her chest, thumping like a drum against her ribcage, and she could feel her cheeks begin to flush. All it had taken to set her off like this was a simple look from Bede. In that moment, his eyes raw and red from crying, mud streaked across his face, his damp hair hanging over his brow, something had ignited inside of her. Despite the pain, the cold, the discomfort, he had smiled at her. His expression had eased, light returning to his violet eyes, and it had done something inexplicable to her.

Her heart raced. Blood surged through her veins, her mind dizzy and incoherent. Now wasn't the time for- for whatever this was, and she chided herself for finding Bede adorable in such a vulnerable moment. Guilt pierced her chest, and she tried to shake the giddy feeling in her lungs away. It wasn't right to fawn over how ridiculously gorgeous he managed to be even when he was drenched and covered in mud, when he had been crying on her shoulder minutes earlier. She needed to screw her head on straight and focus.

Gloria peeked at Bede, remaining stiff at his side, and the strings of her heart tugged at the sight of his platinum blond curls damp and plastered to his brow and cheeks. His hair seemed even longer than usual, the weight of the water pulling out some of the curl. Droplets spilled from the tips of his hair and slowly cascaded down his cheeks.

She snatched the towel off him and threw it over his head. Covering his face, his hair, and muffling his yelp of protest, Gloria forcefully ruffled the towel as her heart punched upwards into her throat.

"Y-You should dry your hair as well!" she squeaked.

"Hey!"

She didn't know what she was doing anymore, rubbing the towel over his head because she couldn't bear to look at him for a moment longer. Bede caught her wrists, tugging her hands away from the cloth, and she stumbled to her knees from the motion. The towel fell from Bede's head, revealing his irritated glare. Having fallen to her knees, she was suddenly close to him again- close enough to make out the heat swimming across his face, the embarrassment in his eyes. Her breath caught. His hands, firmly around her wrists, felt like lighting.

"I'm perfectly capable of drying my own hair," Bede huffed.

Gloria opened and shut her mouth wordlessly. She couldn't speak. Not when he was this close to her, not when he was holding her wrists like that, not when the blush on his cheeks melted his glare into something heated and dark. It sent a shiver down her spine and all she could do was nod fervently until he let her go.

She turned away from him, air filling her lungs with a silent gasp, and she fumbled for her bag.

"S-Sorry," Gloria mumbled. She wasn't thinking straight at all. Her heart thumped in her ears, drowning out anything coherent. "It's- It's really cold in here, huh?"

She rubbed her arms up and down, giving an exaggerated shudder, as the cool air in the cave began to gnaw at her skin. Her damp clothes didn't help.

"Do you have a change of clothes on you?" she asked, glancing back at him.

Bede was drying his hair with the towel, and looked over at her from beneath it.

"I hadn't planned to stay here long enough to warrant a change of clothes," he said. "If it hadn't been for me losing my watch, I would have returned to Ballonlea by now."

"Right. Of course." She snapped her gaze back to her bag. Somehow, he'd managed to send her heart rate skyrocketing again. She heard Bede shiver, and almost shivered in return from that faint sound alone.

"I-I have a blanket!" Gloria yanked a picnic blanket from her bag, bundling it in her arms, and gestured with it to him.

"I'm not sure how much a blanket will help, but I appreciate it. It will be better than nothing, I suppose." He took it from her and began to unfurl it.

"You should at least, um, take off some of your clothes…" she trailed off, her cheeks heating as she spoke. "Y'know, since  th-they're wet and it's cold and- and you can use the blanket to, um…"

She wasn't making any sense.

"F-Forget it!" she squeaked, unable to think past the fact that she'd just told Bede to undress when he didn't have a change of clothes to get into, which meant he would be-

"I'm gonna change!" Gloria said loudly. Her voice cracked, and she pulled out her change of clothes. "So- So don't look this way, alright?"

She sent Bede a pointed look over her shoulder, her face ablaze with embarrassed heat, and he blinked at her, his eyes widening.

"You don't have to tell me not to!" he huffed. "Of course I wouldn't…" Bede cleared his throat. "Although, you are right. I should probably remove at least some layers…"

He said that last part quietly, and Gloria snapped her head around so she wasn't looking at him any longer. He was going to take up her suggestion, and that realisation sent a crackle of lightning through her blood. She clutched the dry clothes in her arms to her chest, and tried to shove those thoughts away.

He was her friend, for Arceus' sake! He was getting out of his damp clothing because it was cold and the storm wasn't going to pass any time soon, and the blanket would keep him warm and- and she had to stop thinking about it. Sure, Bede was definitely attractive. He was extraordinarily gorgeous in a way that left her breathless, and she found her gaze lingering on him more often than she'd like to admit, but he was her friend and she shouldn't be gawking over him.

And she definitely shouldn't be flustering over the prospect of him with less clothing on.

Gloria heard something shuffle behind her, the sound of wet clothing being removed, and she jolted. Her mind snapped back to reality. With her heart in her throat, she quickly began to change, and fought the urge to glance over her shoulder to make sure Bede wasn't looking this way.

Of course he wouldn't. There was no need to check, no need to even think about looking behind her, when Bede was most certainly undressing as well. That would be all kinds of wrong.

Gloria took a shaky breath as she pulled on her cozy woolen jumper, and shoved her damp clothes to the side by her bag. Her legs were no more bare now than they'd been in the Dojo's uniform, but she wished she had packed something warmer, or longer, than her pink dress. She undid her hair, shaking out her messy bun to dry it as best she could. As she sighed, silence filled the cave once more.

"Are you, um…" She didn't know what to say, hadn't thought this through. "...decent?"

Arceus. Her cheeks burned with a furious blush, and she squeezed her eyes shut in mortification. She wasn't even facing him, for goodness sake!

Bede cleared his throat. "I am," he said, making Gloria jump.

"Right!"

She whirled on her feet a little too fast, with a bit too much panic, and relief knocked the air from her lungs when she realised Bede had only taken off his outermost layers. His t-shirt and shorts were folded neatly beside him, keeping his long-sleeved top and, presumably, his leggings on. He had the blanket covering the legs and the lower part of his chest, and appeared enviously warm. Gloria's heart stammered in her chest as she sat next to him, with a comfortable distance between them. She faced forward, not letting herself look at him, still feeling awkward- as though he could read the inner turmoil that had been churning in her mind.

It was difficult being friends with someone so undeniably attractive at times.

"Feeling a bit warmer now?" Gloria asked, needing something to fill the silence. She absently rubbed her calves up and down as the cool air seeped into her.

"I am, yes. The blanket certainly helps."

She nodded stiffly. With Bede so close, it felt like her whole body was on alert. Stiff and tense, hyperreactive to the slightest sound, the slightest movement in the corner of her eyes. The situation was so strange, she couldn't bring herself to calm down. Cold wind swept through the cave, the temperature biting, and in a swift movement, the blanket was thrown over her legs.

Bede shifted closer, right up against Gloria's side, wordlessly sharing the blanket she'd given him. Warmth enveloped her. Flooding her veins, her chest, her lungs, and she gaped at him in silence as he looked away.

"That's better, isn't it?" he said quickly.

"You- You don't have to…"

She flustered and stared into her lap. Their shoulders were pressed together, and although they'd hugged before on many occasions, and sat like this before too, it felt different. Worlds apart from their casual hugs, from the time he'd sat beside her like this to comfort her.

"Need I remind you, it's your blanket? It wouldn't be right for me to have it all to myself when you're shivering like that."

Gloria nodded. She'd stopped shivering. "Thanks…"

"Like I said, you're the one sharing it with me," Bede huffed. "If anything, I should be thanking you."

That made her laugh. A short breath of laughter that dissolved the tension in the air. It allowed her to relax, to see how absurd the whole situation was, to realise that she was making a big deal out of nothing. This was Bede. Her friend. There was nothing for her to get worked up about.

With a smile, Gloria leant her head against Bede's shoulder. A comforting gesture that warmed her heart.

"I'm… just glad you're okay," she whispered to him. Her eyes drew closed. She settled against him, relishing in his presence, how calm and peaceful she felt beside him.

She felt safe, and knew everything was going to be alright.

-

When Gloria leant her head against his shoulder, Bede's mind screeched to a halt. Every fibre in his body tensed all at once. He couldn't breathe for a moment, his brain short circuiting in disbelief, as she snuggled into him. The practicality of sharing a blanket for warmth was suddenly lost, thrown out the window, the cave, into the storm, and he glanced at the girl curled into his side in shock.

"I'm… just glad you're okay," she whispered with the sweetest smile on her face, and her eyelids fluttered shut.

He couldn't say anything in return. His heart wedged in his throat, in his mouth, and no words would form. She looked so serene, so peaceful, and he didn't dare move, not wanting to risk disturbing her.

Somehow, she had become something of a panacea to him. Her mere presence at his side was enough to ease the pain, appearing out of nowhere whenever he needed her the most.

In the midst of the storm, she had found him.

"Why were you there?" he found himself asking.

"Why was I where?"

"In the Forest of Focus, where you found me."

"Oh, that." She laughed sheepishly. "Hop said that's where you were going to train."

"But why were you there in the first place? You should have been taking shelter."

"I actually had been taking shelter," she admitted, "in the Dojo."

"So you just decided to go wandering around the Forest of Focus in the middle of a storm?"

Gloria snorted. "No, I'm not that reckless!"

"Then… why?"

Why had she been there?

"I… was looking for you," she said quietly. Sheepishly.

"And you say you're not reckless…" Bede huffed, despite the firm squeeze of his heart. "What on earth would cause you to look for me in the middle of a storm?"

He hadn't given anyone, let alone her, any indication that something was wrong.

Gloria pursed her lips. The bashful look in her eyes, along with the hint of a blush on her cheeks, sent Bede's heart fluttering.

"Well… it's a bit silly," Gloria began. She chewed on her bottom lip as she mulled over her words. "But I… I had a bad feeling about it. When Hop mentioned that he'd seen you earlier, and you weren't there in the Dojo, I just… something felt wrong."

"That's it? You went looking for me based on a feeling?"

"There's more to it than that!" Gloria pouted. "You didn't answer your phone, either."

He hadn't heard his phone ring over the storm, and doubted that he would have answered in that moment anyway.

"I still don't see how that alone would make you venture out into weather like this."

Her expression fell and, for a moment, Bede wondered if he'd somehow pushed that point too far. As though he'd stepped on her toes, hit a sore spot.

"I guess it was a bit ridiculous," she agreed with a sigh. "But I couldn't just sit and do nothing. Not when everything inside me was screaming that something was wrong. Not when… when I've felt like that before."

She went quiet.

"What do you mean?" Bede asked. There was more to this, more to what she was - and wasn't - saying, and he desperately wanted to know. He needed to know, to understand.

"I haven't told anyone about it before," she said slowly. "It's one of the reasons why I'm always going with my gut, trusting my feelings, that sort of thing. Sometimes, most of the time, I'm wrong, but… once, before this, I was right."

Her eyes closed. She took a breath, a slow, deep breath, before continuing.

"It was the day my father died. The day of his accident. He was… hit by a car on the way home from work."

Bede's heart dropped into his stomach. She'd never spoken about this before.

"He was always really punctual, always made an effort to be home before seven at night. But that day… I remember looking up at the clock right as it hit seven and- and I knew. I knew then that something had happened."

She sighed.

"I mean, I obviously didn't know what had happened but… at that moment, I felt like something was wrong. I knew something was wrong. And- And maybe that was just me being an anxious child or finding something in those memories that wasn't there in the first place-"

Gloria caught herself and paused. Again, she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I just… whenever I get a feeling like that, I can't stop myself. I have to do something. And today, when Hop mentioned that he'd seen you, and the storm was raging, I-I felt like something wasn't right."

Bede found her hand under the blanket and gave it a squeeze. A firm, comforting squeeze, as his heart ached for her.

He didn't know what to say.

"I didn't want to be right," she continued, "I wanted you to be okay. To be wrong, like I have been hundreds of times before this. But I needed to know for myself. I'd rather have wasted my time and got drenched than do nothing at all, if there's the slightest chance that I was right."

"I'm… sorry." It was the only thing that came to him. "I had no idea."

She gave him a faint, appreciative smile. "Of course you didn't. I haven't told anyone about that."

"Well, yes, but I meant that about… your father. And what happened. I'm sorry."

He fumbled over his words, his mouth dry.

"I didn't mean to make this all about me," she said lightly. "But thanks. It's been almost ten years and yet when I get a feeling like I did that day, it's like I'm going through it all again. At least this time, I could actually help someone. I'm glad."

"So am I," he found himself replying.

She squeezed his hand, and Bede's heart skipped. He didn't know if he should keep holding her hand like this or let it go, and the thought that perhaps she didn't mind sent a wave of heat through his veins. He decided to test the waters, to try something a bit more daring, and against all logical reasoning, he threaded his fingers between hers, interlacing them together. She returned his grip, and the air died in his lungs.

Arceus, it was too much. His heart surged, filling with heat and emotion, and he couldn't believe what was happening. That Gloria had found him in the Forest of Focus to begin with, that she was nestled at his side under a blanket they shared, holding hands with her head rested on his shoulder. To be like this with her was more than he could handle, to have her accept him and all his faults, his failings, to offer to go look for his watch with him after the storm passed.

He wondered how on earth he had managed to find someone like her in the first place.

"Oh, I should probably let Hop know I found you," Gloria said, stifling a yawn. "That way, you don't get 'throttled' the next time you see him."

"Excuse me?"

She snorted, pulling out her phone and typing a quick message with her free hand. "Yeah, Hop said that if I went out into the storm and got drenched for nothing, then he'd throttle you the next time he saw you."

"I'd like to see him try," Bede huffed, amused at the thought of Hop trying to fistfight him.

"Hopefully now you won't have to." Gloria pocketed her phone and relaxed again, settling her head further on his shoulder.

It would be easy for him to rest his cheek against the top of her head, and he fought the temptation to do so- holding her hand, their fingers interlaced, was already overwhelming, his chest thrumming and fluttering with heat, and he didn't want to risk pushing his luck any further. This was more than enough for his heart as it was.

Gloria yawned, lackadaisically covering her mouth with her free hand.

"Sorry," she said, catching the end of her yawn and slurring her words, "I had an early start. Went looking for Max Mushrooms all morning."

Bede swallowed the bubble of amusement that swelled in his chest at her sleepy yawn, and bit back a smile. He didn't know how she managed to be so cute all the damn time, constantly tugging on his heart with the most ordinary behaviour. A simple yawn sent his heart fluttering once again.

"Well, since I doubt the storm is going to pass anytime soon, now might be an opportune time to rest," Bede said, as casually as he could.

"Mm… but shouldn't I-" she yawned "-keep you company?"

Her eyes had already fallen shut.

"You don't have to be awake to keep me company," he said softly. Unable to hold back the tender smile on his face. "You've already done more than enough for me."

Gloria grumbled something in thought, in a weak protest, pouting her lips.

"Go ahead and rest. You deserve as much." He reached over and pulled the blanket higher over her so it rested just beneath her chin. As though he was tucking her into bed, urging her to sleep.

She sighed heavily, and sank into the warmth of the blanket. Her body relaxed. The pout of her lips eased. Her breathing slowed as she fell into the depths of sleep, and Bede finally gave in. He lowered his cheek to the crown on her head and smiled. An unbidden, unabashed smile pulled on his lips. His heart, having melted in her presence, swelled with adoration for her.

"Thank you," he whispered into her hair.

The space on his wrist no longer felt so empty.

-

To not fall asleep beside Gloria was an onerous task. Her warmth was comforting in a way that caused him to let down his guard, to relax, to forget the world around them. He found himself dosing on and off, woken by a sudden clap of thunder or the cry of Pokemon deeper in the cave, and chided himself each time for it. Sleep was too inviting next to her. Bede huffed. It wasn't like him to ignore the dangers of sleeping around wild Pokemon, completely throwing aside years of protective instincts he'd drilled into himself, just because of her. Had her naivety rubbed off onto him, or was it because somehow, she made him feel safe?

His worries faded when he glanced at her. Sleeping soundly with the faintest smile gracing her lips, the expression on her face calmed him. Talking with her, crying in her arms, being in her embrace, bit by bit she had chipped away at the cage around his heart and released him from that pain. He knew, with her beside him, that he could forsake the chain that had kept him shackled for so long. He could finally leave it behind.

Her acceptance was what he had needed all along. The Galatian Cuff around his wrist, although not a replacement for his watch, filled the space it had left behind. Just like how Gloria, how Ms Opal and the Trainers of his Gym, how all the people he now considered friends, had filled the gap in his heart left by the wounds of his past.

As the tempest inside Bede began to ease, so too did the raging weather outside. The storm passed. Golden light streamed into the cave as the setting sun breached the dark clouds and bathed the Isle of Armour in warmth once again. He didn't know how much time had passed since Gloria had found him, since they had taken up shelter in the cave, and he couldn't bring himself to wake her just yet. She continued to doze happily on his shoulder, evidently more exhausted than she had let on. As always, it seemed as though she had pushed herself as hard and as far as she could manage, even though no one was expecting her to do so.

That much, they had in common.

Bright light flashed over Bede's eyes, and he recoiled, squinting, and glared at the source towards the entrance to the cave.

"Oh, Arceus this is gold!" Laughter spilled from the person aiming the blinding flashlight from their phone at Bede and Gloria. "I have to get a picture of this."

Bede immediately recognised that cocky laugh, his heart catching in his throat as a shutter sounded. Again and again.

"Delete those right this instant!" Bede snapped.

Heat surged across his cheeks, embarrassment filling his lungs, and he stiffened in shock. With dread at having been caught snuggling under a blanket with Gloria.

Hop snorted. "No way! I'm sending these to Gloria." He flashed a grin at Bede. "And Marnie, and Sonia, and her mum-"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Wouldn't I?" Hop sauntered over, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Marnie is not gonna believe this unless I have evidence and, hey, I have a competition to win."

Bede bristled with mortification. "What competition?!"

"Nope, can't tell ya. That'd ruin the whole thing!" Hop kept his phone trained on them. His grin widened. "But wow. Wow. This is what you two have been doing the whole time? And here Gloria keeps insisting that you're only friends."

"We- We've done nothing of the sort! Whatever you're insinuating, you must have your head screwed on backwards!"

"Right. Says the guy currently snuggling with Gloria. And aren't those her clothes next to her bag?" Hop let out a low whistle, his eyes wide. "Maybe I should give you two some privacy…"

Heat surged through Bede's entire body. With the blanket covering Gloria up to her chin and the clothes she was wearing earlier bundled up by her bag, he realised what exactly Hop was getting at.

"Sh-She got changed!" Bede barked quickly. "We got drenched in the storm, so she changed! You- You've got this all wrong. We haven't- we didn't- whatever you're suggesting, you couldn't be further from the truth!"

He tugged the blanket down enough so Hop could see with his own eyes that they were both fully clothed. At the sudden lapse in temperature, Gloria grumbled and shifted closer to her only source of warmth, to Bede. Hop watched on, amused.

"Sure, sure. I believe you." Hop's grin said otherwise. "This is definitely something purely platonic that I'm witnessing right now."

"What are you even doing here?" Bede huffed. He pulled the blanket back up to Gloria's chin, scowling as his cheeks blazed with a dark blush he couldn't force down.

"Glo told me where you guys were, and since the storm passed, I decided to come check up on my mates out of the goodness of my heart."

"I don't believe that for a second."

"Ouch, that's harsh."

Hop's cheeky grin remained firmly in place, evidently amused at Bede's growing discomfort.

"How Glo can do something like this and act like she doesn't have feelings for you is beyond me." Hop gestured at them snuggled beneath the blanket. "You should've seen how distraught she was when you wouldn't answer your phone. I doubt she would've acted like that towards anyone else."

Bede's heart flopped. "She was distraught because-"

Gloria's words came back to him, how she'd never opened up about the feeling she'd had the day her father died to anyone before. He realised then why Hop was reading so much more into the situation.

"Because…?" Hop raised an eyebrow, waiting for Bede to finish his sentence.

"It's not what you're thinking," Bede sighed. "Trust me, you couldn't be more wrong. Gloria, she… she can't help but act when she feels as though someone is in need of help. I'm sure you know that well enough."

Hop looked at Gloria and his grin began to fade. Amusement fell from his eyes.

"Yeah, you're right. And Arceus, she'd hate it if she heard what I was insinuating…" He made a sour expression at himself. "I just… want her to be happy, y'know? If she's got feelings for you, I want her to realise that but… ugh!"

Hop ruffled his hair in exasperation, before sighing heavily.

"I guess it's still too early for that, huh?"

"You don't need to tell me that."

Hop quirked a smile. "Good thing she sleeps like a log. If she heard any of this… the Meowth would be out of the bag for sure!"

"Which is why now would be an opportune time for you to can it."

Bede sent a wary glance at Gloria, finding that her peaceful expression hadn't changed one bit. She was still fast asleep. As much as he didn't want to wake her up, now was as good a time as any. He shifted his shoulder gently in an effort to rouse her.

"Gloria? The storm's passed," Bede said to her. "You should get up now."

"Good luck with that." Hop grinned again, phone ready in hand to take more unwanted photos.

Bede decided to ignore that. He'd already fallen for Hop's taunts twice in one day, and wasn't going to give him any more fuel. Gloria's brow scrunched as Bede nudged her with his shoulder again, and she grumbled something incoherent in her throat. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. She blinked a few times in a daze, Bede's heart swelling at the adorable, sleepy haze in her eyes, and she lifted her head off his shoulder.

Their eyes met. A moment passed before recognition filled Gloria's eyes, before she realised how close they were.

"Oh! Sorry!" Gloria squeaked, recoiling off Bede's shoulder.

The blanket fell as she startled, and it pooled over their laps and revealed that they were still holding hands. Their fingers were still entwined. A shutter clicked. Gloria snapped her head towards the sound.

"Hop?!" She snatched her hand from Bede's. Heat rushed up her cheeks, and Bede glanced away as an identical blush burned across his face. "What- What are you doing here?! Did you just take a picture?!"

Her embarrassment infected Bede, and he felt suddenly sheepish, as though they had been caught doing something indecent rather than simply holding hands. As though that was somehow worse than sharing a blanket, than her sleeping on his shoulder. He could feel amusement radiating off Hop and focused on folding up the blanket instead as Gloria flustered.

"Delete it!" she cried, leaping to her feet in indignation.

"Too late, already sent it to Marnie," Hop teased.

Marnie again. Bede bit back a frustrated huff. He couldn't voice anything in protest, silenced under the weight of mortification at being discovered holding Gloria's hand after assuring Hop that nothing was going on between them. He knew what it had looked like, and that made it impossible to deny what had happened, or what Hop thought had happened. The furious blush on Bede's face pooled to the very tips of his ears and flushed down his neck. An entirely unhelpful physiological reaction.

"Why did you send it to Marnie?!" Gloria squawked. She stamped her foot, folding her arms firmly across her chest as she stared Hop down.

"How else is she gonna believe me?" Hop flashed a grin at her. "Who knew you two were at that stage already-"

"Gimme that!"

She launched herself at Hop and swiped his phone before he could blink. Bede watched on, impressed.

"How many did you take…?!" Gloria swiped through the photos on Hop's phone, her eyes widening.

"Don't worry, I already sent them to you."

"I don't want them!"

She thrust his phone back at him with a huff. The embarrassment on her face shattered into hurt, and her expression darkened. She turned from Hop, her eyes meeting Bede's for a split second, before she marched over to her bag.

"Forget it," she said through her teeth, stuffing her wet clothes into her bag.

Bede sent a pointed look at Hop, who grimaced apologetically. They both knew he'd gone too far.

"Glo, look, I'll delete them." He tapped away at his phone. "And I didn't send them to Marnie, or anyone. I promise."

Bede stared at Hop in disbelief. He hadn't sent them to anyone at all?

Gloria sent an unimpressed look over her shoulder at Hop. A hard, callous stare that made Bede glad it wasn't directed at him. The hurt in her eyes was obvious, and it made her whole body tense as though she was trying to protect herself from further harm.

"You know how much I hate the paparazzi, taking pictures of me all the time when I'm just minding my own business, always insinuating stuff about me, and then you go and do the exact same thing…"

She pursed her lips. Bede knew it was to stop them from trembling. She always did that when she was about to cry, and it pierced his heart.

"Glo…"

"I should be safe with my friends. To be able to relax without- without you acting like them."

Gloria turned away from Hop. Her bottom lip trembled for a second before she bit down on it. Bede went to stand, moved to step closer to her in order to offer her some comfort, when she picked up her bag and stood.

"I came here to support Bede," she said, turning sharply to face Hop. "You have no idea what he went through, what happened, at all. So don't act like them, don't twist what you saw for your own amusement when you don't even know what happened."

"I... I'm sorry." Hop slumped. "You're right, and… man, I really acted like an ass. Sorry." He gave her a regretful smile, turning the screen of his phone towards her. "I deleted them all. Guess I should've known better, huh? You and the paparazzi are like water on an oil fire."

Gloria's expression eased slightly, the corner of her lips turning up at Hop's analogy. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Can you forgive an ass like me?" Hop lifted his arms, gesturing for a hug.

She looked at him for a moment before shaking her head with a smile, and accepted his hug.

"As long as you don't do that again," she warned.

Hop laughed. "I think I learnt my lesson."

Bede sighed to himself in relief. He was grateful that he didn't have to intervene in any way. Gloria had a glare that was sharp enough to kill, and the last thing he wanted was to give her a reason to level it at him.

He took note to avoid resembling the paparazzi in any way, shape, or form.

"Oh, the storm's over!" Gloria realised way too late. "We should get going, then."

"I was thinking the same." Bede nodded, gathering this folded up Gym Leader shirt and shorts, and handed the blanket back to Gloria. She met his eyes when she took the blanket off him, holding his gaze for a moment.

"Did you still want to…?" she asked quietly, looking deeply into his eyes as if searching for something.

He didn't know how to reply, suddenly put on the spot by the depth in her eyes, the concern on her face, and the question she didn't finish lingering in the air.

Did he still want to… what?

All he could think about was Hop's insinuation from earlier, and his mouth went dry.

Gloria tilted her head as she waited for his answer, the motion adorable in a way that didn't help his ability to speak at all. She leant closer, and Bede's breath hitched in his throat.

"Your watch," she whispered, "did you still want to look for it?"

Oh.

Oh.

Bede swallowed, and glanced away from her face, from the warmth of her eyes, in order to form words on his tongue. Did she not realise how close she was standing to him, or did she not care about personal space?

"No," he said.

The finality of his answer eased something in his chest, and he found himself relaxing. Tension he hadn't realised he'd held finally faded.

"No…?" she echoed. Her eyes widened. "Are you sure…?"

Ahead of them, towards the entrance to the cave, Hop stood with his back to them. Out of earshot.

Bede managed a smile, turning to walk towards the cave's entrance. He looked back at her, a steady warmth filling his lungs, and he knew this was what he wanted. He could finally set himself free.

"I'm sure," he answered. "It's time for me to let it go. I suppose all I needed was a push in the right direction for me to realise that."

She returned his smile and fell into step beside him. "If that's what you want… then I'll support you."

With her next to him, Bede found he could stand a little straighter, a little taller. Each step became easier as they made their way towards the Forest of Focus. Whenever he felt a prickle of doubt, all he had to do was glance at her, to remember her support, her encouragement, her acceptance, and he could move forward. He held his head high as they walked through the forest, not once feeling the urge to search for his watch.

He could finally leave it behind-

Something crunched beneath his foot. Automatically, Bede glanced down at whatever he'd trodden on, and spied a glimmer of gold beneath a mound of mud. A golden buckle covered almost completely in mud, yet still recognisable and familiar. His watch.

"Bede?"

From up ahead, Gloria called to him. Her voice stole his gaze away from his watch, and he could suddenly breathe again. Hadn't realised that he'd been holding his breath, that his heart had been pounding in his ears.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, looking as though she was about to head back over to him.

Bede smiled at her, and took a step, and then another and another, until he was at her side once more.

"Everything is more than alright," he said, and lightly touched her hand. He gave it a quick, gentle squeeze, before continuing on after Hop.

Gloria skipped to catch up with him, her cheeks slightly flushed. She caught his hand as they walked, returning the squeeze he had given her, before releasing his hand. When he glanced at her, she glanced back at him, smiles building on their faces.

Everything was more than alright.

It was perfect.

[goldenlaquer]

How about an s/o who has the fruits basket curse(the one where u turn into one of the zodiac when hugged by the opposite gender) for kamui, gintoki, and okita

THIS I LOVE. 

These will be more of reaction headcanons of the men finding out about the curse. Also, I took creative liberty on assigning different animals for each guy, just for funsies. 

Gintama Headcanons:

Kamui:

It makes him whine, ya know? He’s got the touchy-touchy thing going on when it comes to you, so when you refuse the cuddles and the much needed skinship, Kamui’s going to throw a tantrum. He wants the real hugs, not the awful, awkward lemme-put-an-arm-around-your-shoulders-and-squeeze ‘hugs’. He wants to be able to glomp you whenever he sees you, not have to eat dirt and concrete whenever you hurriedly side-step to get away from his questing arms. 

The one time that you look away from diligently watching him (because you know just how mischievous he can be), the one time your back is turned away from him, Kamui strikes, lunging forwards to throw his arms around you, cheek gleefully turned to plant against the space between your shoulder blades, just the way he’s always wanted--

poof

Kamui blinks twice. Instead of you, he’s holding something small, soft, and furry--

A bunny. 

Turning your quivering body this way and that way, to make sure that what he’s holding is actually real, his surprise rapidly melts into cooing (for all his childish ways, Kamui is quick on the uptake): so smol, so cute, so adorable. Your pink trembling nose. The floppy ears. The wiggling cotton-like tail. All of Kamui’s strength is held back as he carefully holds you.

Here you are, panicking that Kamui has found out your close-guarded secret, and he’s just gushing over the transformation? Typical. 

But the delight is cut short. Whenever he touches you, you transform into a bunny? That means he can’t feel the smooth touch of your skin? Can’t tangle his limb with yours? Can’t tightly embrace you as a human? No thanks, as cute as you are as a bunny, he would like a refund for that right now. 

When you revert back, Kamui’s immediately on the question train, except it isn’t about the circumstances of your curse, it’s on how to break it. 

While his opponent may not be something he can just punch away, you betcha he’s tearing a path through the galaxies to find a cure or something to that like, utilizing his captain status for something other than fighting for once.

The sooner that he can touch you, the human you, the better. 

Okita Sougo:

If there’s a character in Gintama you wouldn’t ever want finding out about your curse, it would probably be Okita. As if he didn’t need another reason to give you hell. That shithead sadist.

But even if you keep mum on the matter, that guy’s got killer instincts, both metaphorically and literally; he definitely knows that something’s up with you; the dogs constantly trailing behind you whenever you guys go out. The abnormal way you avoid absolutely any male contact, which includes him (a factor that kinda really irks him, especially when you practically dive out of the way before he can play any physical pranks on you).

Not to mention, your insanely good sense of smell, which Okita has, of course, snidely joked about. But what he didn’t know was how close to the mark he was. (”Oh my, just like a dog,” Your shoulders stiffen and you nervously glance at Okita, who stares at your reaction closely. “Are you going to bark at a squirrel or pee on a tree next?”)

So many clues, but the damning part is that he doesn’t know how to piece them together into a plausible conclusion. Though, Okita doesn’t really pressure you into telling him, maybe some loaded questions here and there, but never outright telling you to confess-- his pride dictates that he should figure it out himself. 

Everything clicks together when you fall sick. 

Okita comes to visit, not because he’s worried about you or anything, it’s just that he likes to kick people when they’re down, so he’s come to gloat, and the rice porridge in his hands is definitely not for you, but for him to gleefully eat in front of you--

Okita slides open your door, just in time to see your passed out body on the couch transform into a dog. 

huh. 

When you wake up, fever broken and body back to normal, all you see is a mysterious takeout box with cold porridge next to your couch and nothing else. 

He doesn’t tell you that he knows. You’ll have to figure that out yourself. Maybe it’s because he wants to mess around with you a bit more, or it’s because he knows the great lengths you go to try and conceal the fact from everyone, practically vibrating with the fear of rejection, and it would be pretty annoying if you got all freaky-scared on him now that he knows.

Still, the asshole in him can’t help to slip in the ‘poochie’ nickname, every now and then (read: every time) 

Sakata Gintoki: 

Short story: Gintoki falls on you. Then, bada bing, bada-boom-- shit happens. 

Long story: It was a job request, a simple roof repair, and Gintoki had instructed you to hold down the ladder (”Hold it down, you hear? I’ll send the hospital bills to you if I fall!”). But unfortunately, by the sheer will of goldenlaquer’s writing, a ladder rung gives out and Gintoki plummets down below, right on top of an unsuspecting you. 

Also, because of anime/manga logic, there are no concussions or any other serious injuries. Just a bunch of scrapes and a cat. 

A goddamn cat. 

Now, Gintoki ain’t a praying man, but he sure hopes to the gods, Jesus Christ, and Buddha that he did just not squish his absolutely human girlfriend into a cat, because, haha, that would be utterly preposterous--

“Get off me,” the cat grunts, its voice sounding remarkably just like your voice. 

“You’re kidding,” Gintoki says, staring down at you. You stare back at him, slitted eyes (the same color as your eyes) unamused. 

It all comes nicely together when you revert back, entirely naked. Gintoki leers a bit at the exposed skin before remembering that he wants answers to this madness!

It was something you’ve had ever since you were born, you explain, and had kept secret because most people don’t take kindly to things that are different. The curse is activated every time someone male hugs or bumps into you, or when you’re under stress. You feel really nervous, this is the first time you have told someone else your biggest secret.

Gintoki’s face is stoic as he listens to you, appearing to be the most serious he has ever been. That is, until:

“I see. So, what you’re saying is, every time I want some pussy, all I have to do is hug you--”

Claw him. Rip his perm off. He deserves it. 

[saiilorstars]

Star-Crossed

Previous Story || Current Masterlist

Chapter 6: Friends of the Ood

Fandom: Doctor Who // Pairing: 10th Doctor x OFC

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @perfectlystiles

Minerva’s face claim: Victoria Camacho // (Kaeya’s face claim: Michelle Trachtenberg)

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Chapter summary: The Doctor and Minerva take Donna to see her first alien planet. Things go wrong when they realize what's happening with the Ood and for some reason, Minerva feels a terrible ache in her chest.

"Afraid you're gonna lose, Minerva?" Donna taunted as she did several laps in the swimming pool of the TARDIS, "I'm just asking for one little race."

Minerva just smiled and watched her ginger friend swim around the large pool. The two had taken for a relaxing swim before going to Donna's first alien planet adventure. Minerva had been talking about the pool earlier and Donna wanted to give it a go. So, Minerva brought the ginger to the wardrobe and plucked out two bathing suits to get into the pool.

Donna wore a one-piece, lavender bathing suit with thin straps going criss-cross on her back. Minerva chose a white one-suit, not feeling quite secure in a bikini for some reason. It had deep cut-outs on either side, a gold circular pendant binding the bust and the abdominal pieces together. But while Donna was taking some swims, Minerva was sitting outside with her feet dangling below in the water. Her hair was left down to its natural length and the clip she was supposed to be using to be in the pool was right beside her.

"C'mon!" Donna called again, swimming towards her.

The Doctor walked in, having heard Donna's constant calls for his Clever Girl. "What's going on?"

"Minerva doesn't wanna race with me," Donna rested her arms on the floor beside Minerva, "I told her I'd go easy on her."

The Doctor bent down beside Minerva, "You haven't told her?"

Minerva smiled with embarrassment, "Nope..."

"Told me what?" Donna looked between them, a frown growing on her. What was she missing out on now!? Those two always had some inside jokes going on!

"Minerva's an excellent swimmer," the Doctor declared, "She used to be on a swim team as a kid."

"Wow, and you didn't say?" Donna asked Minerva, eyes wide, "All this time you could've easily won a round with me!"

"I didn't want to..." Minerva shrugged. She liked swimming but she didn't like boasting about her natural ease with it. There was simply no need to.

"Well c'mon then," Donna grabbed her hand, "Do one round with me. I want to see how fast you are!"

"No, let's not," Minerva tried to pull back.

"Oh go on," the Doctor encouraged, "You'll be excellent as usual!" He kissed her cheek.

Minerva smiled, sighing as she reached for the clip, "Alright, then. I'm coming in."

"Hooray!" Donna clapped and swam around them.

"Let me," the Doctor took the clip from Minerva.

"You know how?" she teased, "Just twist and snap."

"Ha, ha, I think I can manage to do some hair."

"Yeah, figures since you take two hours each day," she mumbled.

"Oi!" he frowned, "I do not take two hours."

She glanced at him, raising an eyebrow, "Three?"

"Minerva," he mumbled, raising her hair as she instructed and snapping the clip to hold her hair.

"Yes Martian?" she shifted to peck his lips.

"Nothing..." he sighed, the kiss was enough to shut him down, even if it was just a simple peck.

"Good," she patted his cheek, kissing him again more deeply before jumping into the pool. "Donna Noble, you better get ready!"

"Oh, a challenge," Donna returned to them, both having their hands on the edge, "Do the honors, spaceman!"

"On your marks..." the Doctor stood to his feet, still a bit hazed from Minerva, "...get set...go!"

Both women pushed themselves with their feet, swimming ever so fast. The Doctor beamed when Minerva started getting ahead. Oh, she was just amazing at swimming! He actually hadn't seen that well of a swimmer since...

He shook his head, not wanting to finish that thought. He knew exactly who Minerva reminded him of as a swimmer. There was only one person who swam as fast as she did...Kaeya. Granted, it was expected from the princess of a species of water. As much as the Doctor didn't want to think of it, Minerva did share that similarity in rather high levels. Minerva was incredibly fast, she could stay underwater for a long time past any human he'd ever seen, and she was skillful like no other. He thought she was rather lovely as a swimmer and always tried pushing away the similarity as best as he could. It wasn't fair to Minerva, nor Kaeya. He should just focus on Minerva and only her. And that's what he tried with great struggle, but still tried.

"Oi, you're too fast!" Donna complained as she stopped midway, Minerva already making her return trip back to the Doctor.

"Sorry!" she called, making the ginger laugh.

"Minerva wins!" the Doctor declared, finally out of those thoughts of his. He bent down with a grin, "My Clever Girl wins."

"Thank you Martian," she grinned back, "What's my prize?"

"A kiss from a Martian," he tapped his lips.

"Ew, thank god I didn't win," Donna muttered as she returned as well.

"Mm, I'd rather get a kiss from a human," Minerva taunted.

Immediately, the Doctor thought back to Cody. Ever since they had left Isadora's house, he'd been having more and more thoughts of Minerva and Cody actually getting together. He'd been having some nightmares about it too. The kind where Minerva openly and flat out said she preferred Cody over him any day...and then she left, forever.

It was hard to ignore them, but he did...because he came to the conclusion that he didn't want to give Minerva up. Yes, it was probably selfish but he was doing it out of lo...

He was doing it because he was in like with her. Yes. That's what he meant to say. He didn't want to give her up because he knew for a fact that only he could make her the happiest woman in the universe, despite all their differences and struggles.

"I'm just messing with you, Martian!" Minerva laughed, pulling him out of his thoughts, "Of course I'd want a kiss from my big, hot Martian," she leaned over and pecked his lips.

He faintly smiled, "Thank you."

"Well, I'm gonna go shower," Donna stepped out of the pool and wrapped her towel around her body, "You two behave," she wagged a finger at the pair.

"You're ever so funny, Donna," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "But you should know that you really are not."

"Uh-oh," Minerva swam back a few feet.

The Doctor only had the chance to mutter out two words, "Uh-oh what?" before he was pushed into the pool.

Donna busted out laughing, nearly falling back with so much laughter she had pouring out, "Oh my god!"

The Doctor shook his head, looking at himself and seeing he was soaking wet. He was still in his suit with shoes on, "That wasn't funny!"

"I thought it was," Donna shook her head, still not over it.

"Next stop, Donna Noble's home!" he shouted, completely outraged.

"Yikes," Donna stopped laughing almost immediately, "Minerva, I leave that up to your charms cause I really don't want to go home! Bye!" she quickly rushed off, smirking when she got a glimpse before leaving of Minerva swimming over to the spaceman.

"She is going home right now! I'm not even gonna land, nope! I'm gonna chuck her out from the sky!" the Doctor was rambling in his fury, "And no parashoot either! She'll just have to wing it! Then I'll throw all her suitcases out and-"

"Woah there Martian," Minerva was now in front of him, her hands on his chest, "Don't you think you're overreacting just a bit?"

"I'm all wet and in my suit, Minerva, look," he reached inside his jacket's pocket and took out his screwdriver, "It's wet too!" his frown turned into a pout, "That's not fair!"

She laughed, "You're so cute sometimes!" she took his screwdriver and threw it to the floor.

"Sometimes?" And then his pout reverted to a frown, suddenly his soaked appearance wasn't a big problem.

"You can't be cute all the time," she shrugged calmly, "Sometimes you have to be a bit hot," she supplied, leaning up to his ear, "And sometimes you have to be a bit sexy," she smirked as she faced him again, the pink tint on his cheeks more than satisfying for her, "But right now, you look really adorable with your hair all floppy and wet." She laughed as she ruffled through it.

"She is so going home..." he managed to say, her little compliments - plus having her right in front of him when she was practically little clothed - were a bit distracting...just a bit.

"What can I do to change your mind?" she asked seriously, though the faint smile letting her know he really wasn't going to send Donna home, "I'll do anything."

"Anything?"

She nodded, "Anything, I'm at your service Martian."

"I want a kiss right here," he tapped his lips. She nodded and pecked his lips, "And another one," he tapped again and he was kissed again, "And another," he was kissed again, "Another," this time he grabbed her by the waist, his hearts racing as his fingers brushed on her exposed sides.

Minerva had chills going around her body at the sensation of his fingers on her skin, "And then?" she mumbled, doing her best to focus on his face entirely.

"And then I want a big kiss," he smiled.

"With pleasure," she draped her arms around his neck and tugged herself closer, chest-to-chest, "But for the record I was already planning on doing this anyways," she said before kissing him.

And so, the Doctor forgot all about Donna and her little stunt. The only thing on his mind was his Clever Girl who kissed so sweet and soft.

~0~

The TARDIS was currently jostling its three passengers all around, all aboard for their newest trip. The Doctor and Minerva were finally granting Donna her first alien planet trip which had the ginger beaming here and there.

"Set the controls to random! Mystery tour," the Doctor explained as the box came to a halt, "Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, any when in the whole wide- are you all right?" He paused when he saw Donna blinking and looking around.

"Terrified. I mean, history's one thing, but an alien planet..." the ginger breathed.

"I know," Minerva grinned, "Each time I go to a new one, it's just so wonderful! Though I have to say my favorite one is Planet Sto, Astrid took me to all the shops they had."

"Can we go there next?" Donna asked, quite serious. She was never one for shopping but an alien shopping spree didn't sound too bad.

"How about we get through this one first?" the Doctor offered, nodding for the doors where their secret trip awaited them. Donna beamed and nodded fairly fast, "I know what it's like - everything you're feeling right now. The fear, the joy, the wonder - I get that!"

"Seriously? After all this time?" Donna asked, a bit surprised.

"Well, now it's even more wonderful because I got my Clever Girl with me," he wound an arm around Minerva's waist, tugging her closer to him.

Donna rolled her eyes, "Don't start you two," she warned and headed for the doors, "Oh! All right, then, you and me both! This is barmy!" The pair followed, the Doctor stopping for his coat on a rail. "I was born in Chiswick. I've only ever done package holidays. Now I'm here. This is- I mean, it's- I dunno. It's all so- I don't even know what the word is!" Donna opened the door and stepped out into a rather cold snowy environment. "Oh, I've got the word. 'Freezing'," she frowned.

The Doctor stepped out and helped Minerva, taking a quick scan of the place, "Snow! Ah! Real snow! Proper snow at last!" although deep down, the Doctor worried over the climate for a certain Clever Girl.

"I think we deserve real snow," Minerva nodded, no one catching a quick flash of blue her eyes gave as she looked up to the blue sky. She started to shiver as the seconds went by but she didn't want to leave, the place was amazing!

"What do you think?" the Doctor looked at Donna.

"Bit cold," she shivered, hugging herself.

"Look at the view!" Minerva exclaimed, trying to run forwards, but the snow was making it a struggle.

"Yep. A beautiful...cold view," Donna called.

"Millions of planets, millions of galaxies and we're on this one. Molto bene! Belissimo! Says Donna, born in Chiswick. You've had a life of work and sleep," the Doctor caught up with Minerva, snatching her by the waist, suppressing a laugh at her surprised squeals "And the telly and rent," he continued, hugging her to provide some heat for her, "Takeaway dinners, birthdays and Christmases, and two weeks holiday a year and then you end up here! Donna Noble, citizen of the Earth, standing on a different planet. How about that, Donna?"

Crickets.

The pair turned around and saw they were short one ginger.

"Hey, Donna?" Minerva called.

The ginger reappeared from the box of wonders wearing a warm coat with a fur-lined hood, carrying a blue coat in her arm, "Sorry. You were saying?"

"Better?" the Doctor smiled.

"Lovely, thanks."

"Comfy?"

"Yep."

Minerva tilted her head, studying the ginger for a second, "Can you hear anything inside that?"

"Pardon?" she leaned forwards, making Minerva laugh, "Oh, here," she handed Minerva the blue coat.

"Oh thanks!" Minerva took the coat and started putting it on.

"Minerva, we can go back..." the Doctor began but was soon cut off with a hand over his mouth.

"No, I don't want to go. It's lovely and I want to explore," she declared.

The sound of a rocket flying over made the trio look up, Donna gaping at the sight, "A rocket. Blimey, a real, proper rocket. Now that's what I call a spaceship," she slapped the Doctor on the arm, "You've got a box - he's got a Ferrari. Come on, let's see where it's going," she trudged ahead, the Doctor pouting and glancing back at the TARDIS,

Minerva, now dressed in the double-breasted, closed, blue coat, giggled and turned his head back, "I love your box of wonders."

"Really?"

She nodded, her fingers reaching further around his face and pulling him down. "So much," she murmured before kissing him.

"OI!" Donna called back, not about to let a snog session ruin her chances to see about that rocket.

The pair pulled apart with smiles for each other, Donna's call not even perturbing them. The Doctor put an arm around Minerva's waist and headed after the ginger.

"Perhaps we should really go back..." he repeated, not to pleased with her wanting to stay. This was her health after all, they shouldn't risk it.

"Don't you dare," was Minerva's only words on the topic.

~0~

The trio were walking in the direction of the rocket when the Doctor stopped, his head turning as he heard ethereal music somewhere. "Hold on-can you hear that?" he asked, "Donna, take your hood down."

The ginger pulled down her hood, "What?"

"That noise-it's like a song..."

Minerva frowned as she heard something extremely faint, very very faint, "I think...no," she shook her head. She must be dreaming, her head hadn't cleared from her mother's words and her father's pending illness.

"Over there!" the Doctor broke into a run in a different direction.

Then again, if the Doctor had heard it...

After a short run, they found the body of an alien half buried in the snow, an Ood.

"What is it?" Donna asked, she and Minerva kneeling by the body.

"An Ood. He's called an Ood," the Doctor answered, kneeling as well and pulling out a stethoscope.

"The humans' servants?" Minerva frowned as she recalled the story the Doctor told her about when he and Rose had met "the devil". As much as she believed in the spirits, that one was just creepy to her.

"Yup," the Doctor mumbled, the rise of guilt flashing in his mind when he remembered the Ood that had died last time he saw them...thanks to him.

"But its face..." Donna said, a bit horrified at the appearance of the alien.

"Donna, not now. It's a "he", not an "it". Give us a hand," the Doctor gestured for her to kneel on the other side.

"Sorry."

The Doctor moved the stethoscope around the Ood's chest, "I don't know where the heart is. I don't know if he's got a heart. Talk to him. Keep him going."

"What's your name?" Minerva asked softly.

"Designated Ood Delta 50."

Donna, seeing how the Ood's translator ball lit up when it spoke, picked it up and spoke into it, "My name's Donna. That's Minerva."

"No, no, no, no. You don't need to," the Doctor motioned for her to put down the ball.

"Sorry. Oh, God- this is the Doctor. Just what you need - a doctor. Couldn't be better, eh?"

"You've been shot," the Doctor blinked at the injury the Ood bore on its abdominal.

"Who would shoot an Ood?" Minerva frowned, "I thought you said they were peaceful..."

"They are," the Doctor confirmed. Minerva made a good point, if the Ood were peaceful beings...why would they need to be shot?

The Ood struggled to speak out, "The circle—"

"No, don't try to talk," Donna tried shushing it.

"The circle must be broken."

"The circle? What do you mean? Delta 50, what circle? Delta 50? What circle?" the Doctor asked repeatedly.

But suddenly the Ood opened his eyes that were a deep, glowing red. The trio scrambled back as it growled and sat up. But the growl quickly faded and he fell back, dead.

"He's gone, now..." Donna blinked, walking towards the body.

"Careful, Donna," Minerva warned the ginger.

But Donna felt no more threats from the dead alien. She placed a hand on his chest, "There you are, sweetheart," she stroked his head, "We were too late. What do we do, do we bury him?"

"The snow will take care of that," the Doctor stood to his feet, helping Minerva up then.

"Who was he? What's an Ood?" the ginger turned around.

"They're servants - of humans in the 42nd century. Mildly telepathic. That was the song—it was his mind calling out."

"I couldn't hear anything," Donna stood.

"But I could," Minerva frowned, looking at the Doctor with concern, "It was really faint though, only like small snippets that faded as soon as they started. How can I do that if Donna can't and we're both human?"

The Doctor could see that as part of Kaeya's people's abilities—the Moontsay's, abilities. They were mildly telepathic and because the crystal had remnants of Kaeya and her people, then it was sure to have been affecting Minerva in that way as well, allowing a snippet of the telepathic abilities to inhabit Minerva's mind.

"I...don't know, sorry," he sighed, the lying was just getting difficult to do when she wore that sweet, innocent look on her face.

"I told you, you were special," Donna reminded, giving the Doctor a questioning look while the brunette looked ahead. With a nod from him, Donna understood that the crystal was acting up again.

"Oi, you're special too," Minerva countered, believing Donna's silence had gone to those self-esteem doubts of hers. Donna didn't consider herself important nor special in the least minimum and that was something Minerva would not stand for.

"I'm not the one who heard a mind song!" Donna tried playing along with Minerva's beliefs.

"For all we know it was just the TARDIS getting into my head," Minerva shrugged, "I've spent a long time in it now. That was probably it." She glanced at the Doctor for another confirmation.

He did a quick nod and looked back at the dead Ood, not having the courage to look her in the eye and lie once more to her. "His eyes turned red," he said instead, hoping to get off the topic.

"What's that mean?" Donna asked.

"Trouble. Come on," he nodded for the ginger to return. He took Minerva's hand and started walking away.

None of them noticed the small wave of snow purposely moving to cover the Ood in a perfect manner followed by a blue light racing up to the sky.

"The Ood are harmless and completely benign," the Doctor was explaining to Donna, Minerva already knowing from his story telling, "Except the last time I met them there was this force, like a stronger mind, powerful enough to take them over."

"What sort of force?" Donna questioned.

"Long story."

"Long walk."

"It was the devil, Donna," Minerva answered.

Donna raised an eyebrow, tossing her answer to the trash, "If you're gonna take the mickey, I'll just put my hood back up."

"Must be something different this time, though," the Doctor mumbled, "Something closer to home," they peered over a bluff and saw a base, Ood Operations, "A-ha! Civilization!"

~ 0 ~

Solana Mercurio was greeting a group of buyers for the Ood in front of the company's warehouse, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ood-Sphere and isn't it bracing? Here are your information packs with vouchers, 3D tickets and a map of the complex," an Ood was passing out the maps to the buyers, "My name's Solana, Head of Marketing. I'm sure we've all spoken on the vid-phone. Now if you'd like to follow me—"

"Sorry, sorry! We're late! Don't mind us! Hello," the Doctor, Minerva, and Donna came running up, all out of breath, "The guards let us through."

"And you would be—"

The Doctor flashed his psychic paper, "The Doctor, Donna Noble and Minerva Souza."

"Representing the Noble Corporation, PLC Limited, Intergalactic," Donna supplied, Minerva shooting her a proud wink for her quick wit.

"Must have fallen off my list. My apologies, it won't happen again," Solana smiled, writing down their names, "Now then, Dr, Noble, Mrs. Noble, Miss Souza, if you'd like to come with me—"

"Oh, no, no, no. We're not married," the Doctor shook his head, irritated that once again people mistook Donna for his wife.

"We're so not married," Donna added.

"Never."

"Never ever."

"Good because I'd kill both of them if they did that to me," Minerva smirked, taking the Doctor's hand in hers, "My sister cannot marry my boyfriend."

"The only one I'd ever marry is you," the Doctor blurted quite absently, however his comment didn't go over Minerva's head.

"Really?" she blushed, "You'd want to marry me?"

The Doctor, who was now sporting a red blush on his face after realizing what he said, started stuttering, "Well, I mean...y-yes, but not if you-you d-didn't want to. I-I mean if it was al-al right with y-y-you and..." He took a forceful pause, actually afraid he might have scared her off.

"Right, so can we go in?" Donna asked, biting down her laugh at the pair. They were just adorably hilarious!

"Of course. Here is your information pack. Vouchers inside," Solana handed Donna the packet, "Now, if you'd like to come with me, the executive suites are nice and warm." An alarm blared, making everyone look around.

"Ooh, what's that? Sounds like an alarm," the Doctor tried locating the origin of the alarm.

"It's just a siren for the end of the work shift. Now then, this way! Quick as you can!" Solana ushered them inside, also looking about and wondering what the hell was going on.

On a turn of a hallway, Minerva turned around in front of the Doctor and pulled him down into a surprise, passionate kiss, "For the record, I would love to marry you one day," she smiled, Eskimo kissing him afterwards.

The Doctor blinked then smiled, blushing again but this time it was worth it knowing his Clever Girl would actually want to be his wife in a future...

~ 0 ~

Solana was expounding the qualities of the Ood which stood on pedestals for display to the potential buyers, "As you can see, the Ood are happy to serve and we keep them in facilities of the highest standards, "Here at the Double-O - that's Ood Operations - we like to think of the Ood as our trusted friends, "We keep the Ood healthy, safe and educated, "We don't just breed the Ood, we make them better, "Because at heart, what is an Ood... but an extension of us? If your Ood is happy then you'll be happy too," Solana finished with a grand smile and received a round of applause from the buyers. She stepped off her pedestal and moved to the Ood standing in a row, at the center of the room, on circular platforms, "I'd now like to point out a new innovation from Ood Operations. We've introduced a variety package with the Ood translator ball. You can now have the standard setting - 'How are you today, Ood?'" she stopped by the first Ood.

"I'm perfectly well, thank you."

"Or perhaps after a stressful day, a little something for the gentlemen. How are you, Ood?" she moved onto the second.

"All the better for seeing you," the second Ood answered in a sultry female voice.

"And the comedy classic option. Ood, you dropped something."

"D'oh!" the third Ood answered in a Homer Simpson voice, making everyone laugh.

"All that for only five additional credits. The details are in your brochures. Now, there's plenty more food and drink, so don't hold back," Solana stepped back and allowed the buyers to mingle about.

"This is all wrong," Minerva muttered, nearly glaring at the potential buyers.

The Doctor slipped on his glasses and headed to the control board where he switched on the screen. Donna grabbed a drink and followed, along with Minerva, over to the Doctor.

"Ah, got it. The Ood-Sphere," the Doctor pointed to the screen which showed their current location, "I've been to this solar system before - years ago. Ages. Close to the planet Sense-Sphere. Let's widen it out... the year 4126. That is the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire."

"4126? It's 4126? I'm in 4126?" Donna gasped, Minerva smiling in amusement at her.

"It's good, isn't it?"

"What's the Earth like now?"

"A bit full, but you see, the empire stretches out across three galaxies," the Doctor gestured to three lines connecting in a near triangle across the screen.

I"t's weird. I mean, it's brilliant, but... back home, the papers and the telly, they keep saying we haven't got long to live - global warming, flooding, all the bees disappearing."

"Yeah. That thing about the bees is odd," the Doctor mumbled absently.

"But look at us - we're everywhere. Is that good or bad, though? I mean, are we like explorers or more like a virus?"

"Sometimes I wonder..."

"Oi," Minerva elbowed the Doctor in the ribs, "Don't diss my species," she wagged a finger.

"Oh but what a beautiful virus you are," he teased, taking her pointing finger and kissing it, making her laugh.

"What are the red dots?" Donna asked, chuckling herself and pointing to the dots.

"Ood distribution centers," the Doctor replied, distracted as he kissed each Minerva's fingers, she laughed even harder.

"Across three galaxies? Don't the Ood get a say in this?" Donna questioned, deciding to find out for herself as she saw the pair get into another moment of theirs, "Um... sorry, but..." she tapped the Ood gently, "Hello. Tell me, are you all like this?"

"I do not understand, miss."

"Why do you say, "miss"? Do I look single?"

"Donna, any guy would die for you," Minerva turned around.

"Says the woman who has an alien for a boyfriend," Donna frowned, "C'mon, even the spaceman has a girlfriend!"

"Don't do the 'says' thing, that's mine," Minerva pouted.

"And why do you say it like it's impossible for me to actually have a girlfriend?" the Doctor looked the ginger with a pout.

"Have you seen yourself?" Donna gave him a quick look over.

"I have," Minerva mumbled to the side, blushing deeply for her comment.

Donna shuddered. "Ew."

"Not like that!" Minerva quickly exclaimed, blushing even harder.

"Back to the point, please," the Doctor nearly pleaded, sporting his own embarrassed blush.

"Right. What I mean is, are there any free Ood?" Donna turned to the Ood, "Are there any Ood running wild somewhere like wildebeest?"

"All Ood are born to serve. Otherwise we would die," the Ood answered.

"No one can be born to just serve," Minerva said, sadly looking from one Ood to another, "Everyone has a purpose. Everyone is important."

"Before the humans, what were you like?" Donna asked the Ood, the alien simply tilting it's head.

"The circle," it said.

The Doctor tensed, recalling the last Ood's words, "What do you mean? What circle?"

"The circ- the circle- is-"

"Ladies and gentlemen. All Ood to hospitality stations, please," Solana called.

All the Ood started to leave. The Doctor took off his glasses and reached into his pocket for the map of the complex, "I've had enough of the schmoozing. Do you fancy going off the beaten track?"

"Is that a date?" Minerva raised an eyebrow, playfully biting her lip, "Full of adrenaline?"

"What kind of alien boyfriend would I be if I didn't offer a date like that?" he smirked.

"Then off we go!" she beamed, moving to go ahead when she was yanked back, the Doctor giving her a sharp look, "What?"

"You know the word," he reminded.

"What's the word?" Donna stepped to their side, curious.

Minerva groaned, "Allons-y, then..."

"What?" the ginger frowned, confused.

The Doctor beamed and planted a kiss on Minerva's cheek, "Allons-y!"

"That's such a stupid word!" Minerva shook her head, letting the Martian lead them away, her hand in his.

~ 0 ~

The trio came to a locked gate and the Doctor used his sonic to open it.

"Ood Shift 8 commencing," a voice over rang around the area, "I repeat, Ood Shift 8 commencing."

The trio climbed up a couple steps and looked down into an open area where two rows of Ood were being marched. An Ood at the end of one of the rows fell to its knees, a soldier, Kess, walked over to it, "Get up. I said, get up!" he ordered, cracking a whip.

"They're slaves," Minerva said with utter disgust, "Doctor, you forgot to mention that," she shot him a sharp look.

"Get up!" Kess ordered again, the poor Ood standing up, "March!"

"Last time I met the Ood, I never thought, never asked..." the Doctor mumbled, trying to avoid Minerva's eyes.

"That's not like you," Donna shook her head.

"I was busy..."

"That looks like the boss," Minerva nodded over to two men walking after the Ood, another Ood walking along with them.

"Let's keep out of his way. Come on," the Doctor led them down the stairs and off to another place.

~0~

The trio were striding down a line of warehouses, the Doctor lagging behind as he looked at the map of the complex.

Donna and Minerva stopped at a door where Donna whistled loudly, making the Doctor duck and turn back, "Where did you learn to whistle?" he joined them.

"West Ham, every Saturday," Donna shrugged.

"You are so my sister," Minerva laughed, "I've got a whistle of my own."

"Yeah, where did you learn?" she asked as the Doctor used the sonic on the door.

"I've been on the road since I was fourteen, after I left uncle Aaron I started hitching some rides. You gotta have a whistler like no other."

The door slid open and the group went inside. They found it was a warehouse that was filled with dozens of large shipping containers. There was even a large metal claw that moved along the track in the ceiling, currently lifting and moving some of the containers.

"Ood Export. You see?" the Doctor pointed up to the claw, "Lifts up the containers, takes 'em to the rocket ships. Ready to be flown out all over the three galaxies."

"What, you mean- These containers are full of..." Donna trailed off, she and Minerva gazing up at the claw.

"What do you think?" the Doctor moved to the nearest container and opened it up.

"Oh my god," Minerva clapped her hand over her mouth, appalled at the many Ood standing inside the container in a formation.

"Oh, it stinks. How many of 'em do you think there are in each one?" Donna crinkled her nose at the scent.

"A hundred? More?"

"A great, big empire, built on slavery," Donna frowned.

"It's not so different from your time," the Doctor countered, both women glaring at him.

"We don't have slaves," Donna snapped.

"I didn't even use the maids in my house," Minerva added.

"Who do you think made your clothes?"

Minerva and Donna looked down at their current clothes, suddenly self conscious about them.

"Is that why you travel round with a human at your side? It's not so you can show them the wonders of the universe, it's so you can take cheap shots," Donna spat.

"Sorry..."

"What are you sorry for? Showing us the dark sides of species," Minerva sighed and moved over to his side. He sighed of relief that she hadn't taken offense to it and dropped a kiss to her hair.

"I don't understand, the door was open—why didn't you just run away?" Donna asked the Ood that had remained still.

"For what reason?" one of the Ood asked.

"You could be free," Minerva offered, thinking that was more than enough of a reason to run.

"I do not understand the concept."

"What is it with that Persil ball? I mean, they're not born with it, are they? Why do they have to be all plugged in?" Donna looked at the pair, confused.

"Ood, tell me, does "the circle" mean anything to you?" the Doctor asked, all the Ood's translator balls lighting up as they answered in unison.

"The circle must be broken."

"Whoa, that is creepy," Minerva's eyes widened.

"But what is it? What is the circle?" the Doctor insisted.

"The circle must be broken."

"But why?"

"So that we can sing."

Up above, Kess, along with two guards, had found the group. Kess walked over to a comms, "Mr Halpen, I'm in Ood cargo. I found your unwanted guests," he turned to the guards, "Go!" and he hit a button, an alarm blared.

"That's us, come on!" the Doctor yanked Minerva by the hand and started running.

The trio ran down the maze of shipping containers, Donna stopping at the sight of a door, "Doctor! Minerva! There's a door!" she headed for it when it opened up and guards rushed in.

"Don't move!" one of the guards held a gun to the ginger.

Donna raised her hands in surrender, unaware that the pair had ran off without her.

~0~

"N-n-n-no, wait!" Minerva stopped the Doctor, "We're short one ginger!" they both looked around to see it was just them.

"Stay where you are!" they hard a guard shout from a distance.

"Gotta keep going!" the Doctor pulled her away again, several of the guards beginning to find them.

~ 0 ~

Kess moved down a catwalk and looked down as the pair ran down the maze.

~ 0~

"Donna? Where are you?!" Minerva shouted, frantically looking around for their ginger friend.

~ 0 ~

"All guards withdraw," Kess ordered into the comm.

"Sir?"

"I said withdraw. Keep to the perimeter. I've got these two."

~ 0 ~

Down below, the Doctor and Minerva stopped, the Doctor pressing himself against a container to listen.

"Where is she?" Minerva panted for air, leaning against the container on her back.

~ 0 ~

"I've always wanted to do this," Kess turned on the equipment around him, taking a seat at the controller of the claw.

~ 0~

"Doctor," Minerva tugged on his sleeve and pointed up, both of them seeing the claw moving for them.

"Don't you dare!" he almost growled, yanking her away. If they dared to touch even a strand of Minerva's hair with that thing...

"Where are gonna go!?" Minerva called, glancing back as the claw neared them.

The claw was sent smashing down, just narrowly missing the pair.

~0~

"Can you help me?" Donna stood to her feet, one of the Ood raising its head...with its eyes red, "Oh, no you don't," the ginger breathed in horror.

~0~

Minerva screamed as she and the Doctor fell and rolled on the floor, "It's gonna get us!" she cried as the Doctor jumped to his feet and pulled her for another run.

He cast a glare up to Kess as they ran again.

~0~

"Stay where you are, that's an order! I said stay! Doctor! Minerva!" Donna pounded on the door, the Ood taking slow steps for her.

~0~

The claw knocked the pair again, this time sending them over some barrels and finally to the floor on their backs.

"It's coming," Minerva pointed up, panting for her air.

The Doctor quickly rolled over her, not going to let anyone hurt her if he could help it. He would not fail her, never again. Minerva screwed her eyes shut and held onto the Doctor's lapels when the claw dropped for them, terrified of what could come next.

~0~

Another hand turned off the control up where Kess was, halting the claw just mere inches from the pair below.

~0~

The Doctor lifted his head up, thanking every possible god he knew of for their streak of luck.

"Why aren't we dead yet?" Minerva whispered, her eyes still shut. The Doctor looked down at her and chuckled, internally debating what he was laughing at: her question or her adorable scrunched face. He leaned down and kissed her, without a question Minerva responding to it, "Why are we kissing when we could die?" she murmured against his lips.

"Open your eyes and you'll see," he pulled back so she could see above.

Minerva's eyes opened and gazed above at the claw just inches above them, "We have extremely good luck," she whispered.

The Doctor looked at her eyes, just loving how really deep their shade of green was, they were lovely. He could possibly stare at them all day...

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Minerva blinked, blushing at how close they were and their position at the moment.

"I just love your eyes," he remarked, resting his forehead on hers. He also blushed at her closeness; he could actually feel her breath hitting him as she panted.

"Are you ever gonna get off me?" she asked quietly, her blush growing deeper, "Because I think they're coming..." she tilted her head back to see running feet coming for them.

"Ruin the moment why don't they," he muttered as he pushed him self up, Minerva laughing as he helped her.

~0~

"Doctor, get me out of here!" Donna shouted endlessly from her container as the Doctor and Minerva were being brought by guards.

"If I were you, I'd listen to the ginger," Minerva said to the guards, "You want trouble, simply upset Donna Noble."

"Unlock the container," Kess gave the order.

The door of the container was opened and out came Donna running to hug the pair, "Oh thank god!"

"Nice to see you again, Donna," Minerva flashed a smile.

"All safe and sound," the Doctor added.

"Never mind about me, what about them?" Donna pointed to the row of red-eyed Ood marching out of the container and killing several guards.

"Red alert! Fire!" Kess ordered and started to shoot along with the rest of the guards, "Shoot to kill!"

The trio took the opportunity and made their escape. They ran out of the warehouse, along with Solana, and stopped once they felt they had a decent distance from the Ood.

"If the people back on Earth knew what was going on here..." Donna leaned against a wall as she caught her breath.

"Don't be stupid. Of course they know," Solana waved her off.

"They know how you treat the Ood?"

"No, but they don't ask, same thing," Minerva spat, a new disgusted expression in her eyes, "What does the company do to make them obey?"

"That has nothing to do with me."

"Why cos you don't ask?" Minerva gritted her teeth.

"That's Dr. Ryder's territory!"

"Where is he?" the Doctor moved over, "What part of the complex?" he held the map to her, "I could help with the red-eye. Now show me!"

"Don't think that's gonna work," Donna dashed off.

The Doctor took Minerva's hand, keeping her quite close to him as they ran. No one even looked up to see the blue light just hovering over the spot they had been in.

Solana hurried to a nearby comm. and switched it on, "Mr Halpen, I found the Doctor. He's heading for Ood Conversion."

"On my way," Mr. Halpen replied.

Solana switched off the comm. and took a deep breath, finally returning to normal. A sudden wind picked up as the guards ran past her, under the blue light. The wind held them back for a couple of minutes, as if it was trying to stall.

~0~

The trio stopped by another warehouse, the Doctor looking around as he heard the same Ood song again, "Oh, can you hear it? I didn't need the map. I should've listened!" he used the sonic on the door and unlocked it, ushering Minerva and Donna in before going in himself and locking it shut again.

"Does that mean we're locked in?" Donna frowned at the turn of events. She had just been trapped in a container with red-eyed Ood, did she really want to be trapped in a whole warehouse of more Ood?

Minerva looked around as she felt a faint song run through her mind, "Do you hear that?" she whispered.

They headed for some stairs and went down to discover some cages.

"Oh, my head," the Doctor put a hand on his head, feeling it pound with so much music and a high volume.

"What is it?" Donna asked.

"Like...like singing," Minerva mumbled, "But it doesn't hurt me," she looked at the Doctor, "Because I can't hear it properly, I guess..."

They stopped at a cage where Ood were huddled together. The Doctor switched on a light to get a better view.

"They look different to the others," Donna remarked.

"That's because they're natural-born Ood. Unprocessed. Before they're adapted to slavery. Unspoiled," the Doctor explained as he squatted in front of the cage, the two women following, "That's their song."

"But I can't hear it," Donna sighed, tired of being the only one who couldn't hear the blasted song.

"Do you want to?"

"Yeah," she turned to face the Doctor.

Minerva tilted her head at the Ood, carefully focusing to the small snippets she heard.

"It's the song of captivity," the Doctor explained as he placed his fingertips on Donna's temples.

"Well, let me hear it, spaceman."

"Open your mind. That's it. Hear it, Donna... Hear the music."

But Donna gasped and faced the Ood, tears streaming down her face as she heard, in a max volume, the song of "captivity". It was...it awful. She could actually feel her heart breaking at their sadness, their sorrow.

"Take it away," Donna breathed, turning to the Doctor again, begging him, "Please..."

"You sure?" the Doctor asked, also catching Minerva's look.

"Oh god yes, please..." Donna nodded, letting him place his fingertips on her temples again, "...I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"But you can still hear it," she said after he was done.

"All the time," he said sadly.

"This is completely awful," Minerva sighed, putting a hand over her head, "We need to stop them."

The Doctor used the sonic on the cage while the women heard a noise from the level above, "They're breaking in," Minerva looked up.

"Ah, let 'em," the Doctor entered the cage as the Ood tried shuffling away, "What are you holding?" he asked them, one of the Ood looking up in shyness, "Friend. Doctor, Donna, Minerva, friend. Look at me. Let me see," the Ood came closer, "That's it. That's it, go on. Go on."

One of them held out his cupped hands and removed the top to reveal a mushy...

"Brain?" Minerva frowned.

"It's a brain. A hindbrain," the Doctor explained, "The Ood are born with a secondary brain. Like the amygdala in humans, it process memory and emotion. You get rid of that, you wouldn't be Minerva or Donna anymore. You'd be like an Ood. A processed Ood."

"So the company... cuts off their brains?" Donna could barely utter the words as she thought of the horror those poor Ood went through.

"And stitches on the translator..."

"Like a lobotomy. I spent all that time looking for you two," the ginger looked between the pair, "Because I thought it would be so wonderful out here. I want to go home."

Both stunned, the pair looked at Donna for a second before Mr. Halpen and the others arrived, "They're with the Ood, sir," a guard said.

The Doctor slammed the cage door shut, "What are you gonna do, then? Arrest us? Lock us up? Well, you're too late! Hah!"

~ 0 ~

Now in Mr. Halpen's office, the trio were being handcuffed to a pole by guards. Minerva could not be angrier with the Doctor. "Seriously, stop talking!" she yelled at him.

The Doctor flinched at her loud tone. Of course he was guilty that he'd gotten her and Donna cuffed...but it was all for a good cause after all...he'd just have to apologize in a big way again.

"Why don't you just come out and say it? FOTO activists," Mr. Halpen crossed his arms and leaned against his desk, eyeing the trio with suspicion.

"If that's what Friends of the Ood are trying to prove, then yes," the Doctor snapped.

"The Ood were nothing without us - just animals roaming around on the ice."

"Who the hell are you to decide that?" Minerva raised an eyebrow, "It's because you can't hear their songs...their...very sad song." She looked down, even though she couldn't hear the song in all its volume and glory, she could still feel it in her heart...her heart just seem to ache at it.

"They welcomed it! It's not as if they put up a fight," Mr. Halpen shrugged.

"You idiot! They're born with their brain in their hands, don't you see? That makes them peaceful! They've got to be because a creature like that would have to trust anyone it meets!" Donna was trying very hard not to yell for the first time in her life.

"Nice one," the Doctor whispered to her.

"Thank you."

"The system's worked for 200 years. All we've got is a rogue batch. But the infection is about to be sterilized," Mr. Halpen moved to the comm., "Mr Kess, how do we stand?"

~ 0 ~

In the warehouse, guards were moving canisters into position by the fenced-in, red-eyed and rabid Ood. Kess stood watch, "Canisters primed, sir. As soon as the core heats up, the gas is released. Give it 200 marks... and counting."

~ 0 ~

"You're going to gas them?!" Minerva gasped.

"Kill the livestock. The classic foot-and-mouth solution. Still works," Mr. Halpen said.

Her eyes narrowed, her eyes flashing blue for a brief second to speak, "You were just like them," she mumbled before blinking and looking around.

The Doctor wondered who she meant by 'just like them'. He supposed that was a brief slip of the crystal inside her. But what did it mean? Was it supposed to be his people at the time of the Time War? Someone the Moontsays had disagreements with as well?

Perhaps this wasn't even what he should be thinking about. His poor Clever Girl was suffering without even noticing. He just wanted to fix this before she realized what was going on. He didn't want her know and see how terrified she'd be. This was his job and he was going to see to it that nothing happened to her. She would only be happy and happy and happy, just like she should be. She had such a big heart and she didn't deserve this. She'd gone through so much, endured so much from her family and from alien nonsense she had no business being in. And yet after all that, she still had such a big heart; such kindness inside her. The Doctor loved that about her— the fact that she wasn't corrupted by her mother, by the alien mishaps.

He just loved it...he loved...loved...

He blinked as he picked out the repetitive word running through his head and shook it fiercely. This was not the time to be thinking of any of that.

~ 0 ~

The unprocessed Ood put their hands out to the side...

~ 0 ~

The fenced-in red-eyed Ood stood in the center of the warehouse of containers with their hands out to their sides...

~ 0 ~

The Oods in the showroom gripped their heads as if they were in pain...

~ 0 ~

The fenced-in Ood in the warehouse joined in on the song along with the unprocessed Ood, the volume increasing.

~ 0 ~

The alarms blared inside Mr. Halpen's office, "What the hell?" the man looked around. He, along with Ryder and Ood Sigma, exited the office and left the trio cuffed to the pole. They rushed out to see the guards shooting at the infected Ood.

"It's a revolution," Ryder stared in awe. Halpen pushed past him and went up the stairs, Ood Sigma following in.

~ 0 ~

In the warehouse, Kess had been fenced in instead of the Ood, the canisters still active and his gas mask thrown on the other side of the fence, "Come back! Let me out of here!"

The canisters released the gas and Kess screamed.

~ 0 ~

"Change of plan," Mr. Halpen hurriedly entered his office.

"No reports of trouble off-world, sir. It's still contained to the Ood-Sphere," Ryder entered after him.

"Then we've got a public duty to stop it before it spreads."

"What's happening?" the Doctor asked, just able to hear the shooting from outside.

"Everything you wanted, Doctor. No doubt there'll be a full police investigation once this place has been sterilized so I can't risk a bullet to the head. I'll leave you to the mercies of the Ood," Mr. Halpen headed for the door.

"But, Mr Halpen, there's something else, isn't there? Something we haven't seen," the Doctor called, making the man stop.

"What do you mean?" Donna asked, confused.

"The creature couldn't survive with a separate forebrain and hindbrain, they'd be at war with themselves. There's got to be something else, a third element. Am I right?"

"Again, so clever," Mr. Halpen said.

"It's got to be connected to the red-eye. What is it?"

Mr. Halpen looked at the Doctor in the eye for a second, "It won't exist for very much longer. Enjoy your Ood," and he left the office with everyone else.

The trio immediately started to try and free themselves from their cuffs.

"Well, do something! You're the one with all the tricks! You must've met Houdini!" Donna cried.

"These are really good handcuffs!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Yes, because it's all about the quality, Martian!" Minerva reached up to her hair and plucked out a bobby-pin.

"Are you really going to try to get out of this with a pin?" Donna shook her head.

"Donna, I've opened the TARDIS with a pin. What's a handcuff to me?"

The Ood entered and made them all desist in their struggles. They started marching towards them, making them scream out in unison that they were friends.

"Doctor, Donna, Minerva, friends!" the Doctor shouted.

"The circle must be broken!" Donna and Minerva added together.

"Doctor, Donna, Minerva, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Doctor, Donna, Minerva friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Friends, friends, friends! "

"The circle must be broken!"

"Doctor, Donna, Minerva, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Doctor, Donna, Minerva, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Doctor, Donna, Minerva, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

The Ood held out their translator balls to them but stopped just literal inches away from the trio's translator balls switched off and the Ood held their head in their hands. One lifted its head and the group saw his eyes were normal again, "Doctor. Donna. Minerva. Friends."

"Oh, that's us!" Donna leaned her head back in relief, "That's us!"

"Yes, that's us! Friends! Oh, yes!" the Doctor laughed.

"Do you think you could set us free? My pin broke." Minerva gestured to her handcuff, so innocently that it just added to the Doctor's joyful laughter.

~ 0 ~

The trio ran down the stairs from Halpen's office and across the compound, careful around the ongoing fight. The Doctor came to a halt as he tried to think, "I don't know where it is! I don't know where they've gone!"

"What are we looking for?" Minerva asked.

"Might be underground, like some sort of cave or a cavern or..." the Doctor looked around as they continued to run.

~ 0 ~

On a turn, an explosion knocked the group to the ground.

"Alright?" the Doctor glanced between Minerva and Donna.

"Peachy," Minerva rubbed her head.

The smoke cleared up and they saw Ood Sigma standing in front of them.

~ 0 ~

The group arrived in front of the Warehouse thanks to Ood Sigma where the Doctor used the sonic on the panel to get inside. They rushed in to see a great large brain being kept below within an energy field.

"The Ood brain. Now it all makes sense. That's the missing link. The third element, binding them together," the Doctor said as they all looked below, "Forebrain, hindbrain and this. The telepathic center. It's a shared mind... connecting all the Ood in song."

A weapon clicked behind them and they turned to see Mr. Halpen holding a gun to them, "Cargo. I can always go into cargo. I've got the rockets, I've got the sheds. Smaller business. Much more manageable without livestock."

"He's mined the area," Ryder said.

"You're gonna kill it," Minerva whispered, "The weaker species, huh?" She didn't know why but her chest seemed to ache. "Why? They're innocent..."

But Mr. Halpen ignored the girl, after all that had happened he really could care less about the Ood being 'innocent' and whatnot, "They found that thing centuries ago beneath the northern glacier," he chose to focus on the brain instead. If they were to die, then they might as well know what the thing was.

"Those pylons..." the Doctor said to the women.

"In a circle. "The circle must be broken."" Donna realized, Minerva nodding in agreement.

"Dampening the telepathic field, stopping the Ood from connecting for 200 years."

"And you, Ood Sigma, you brought them here. I expected better," Mr. Halpen shot the Ood a look.

"My place is at your side, sir," Ood Sigma moved to Halpen's side.

He laughed, "Still subservient. Good Oo—" he stopped when he felt a lump in his throat.

"If that barrier thing's in place, how come the Ood started breaking out?" Minerva asked.

"Maybe it's taken centuries to adapt. The subconscious reaching out," the Doctor offered, not so sure himself.

"But the process was too slow, had to be accelerated," Ryder spoke up, turning to Mr. Halpen, "You should never have given me access to the controls, Mr Halpen. I lowered the barrier to its minimum. Friends of the Ood, sir. It's taken me ten years to infiltrate the company. And I succeeded."

"Yes. Yes, you did," Mr. Halpen nodded then pushed Ryder over the railing.

"You murdered him!" Minerva cried, disgusted by the man.

No one dared to look down as they believed Ryder to be absorbed by the brain and so none of them saw the blue glow of light rushing down and making him fade away just before he would actually touch the brain.

"Very observant, brunette. Now then, can't say I've ever shot anyone before... can't say I'm gonna like it, but, uh, it's not exactly a normal day, is it? Still..." he aimed the gun at them.

"Would you like a drink, sir?" Ood Sigma moved in front of the group.

Mr. Halpen laughed, "I think hair loss is the least of my problems right now, thanks."

"Please have a drink, sir," Ood Sigma held a glass out.

"If- if you're gonna stand in their way, I'll shoot you too..." Mr. Halpen seemed to struggle to speak, his last words coming out slurry.

"Please have a drink, sir."

"Have-have you...poisoned me?"

"Natural Ood must never kill, sir."

"What is that stuff?" the Doctor asked curiously.

"Ood-graft suspended in a biological compound."

"He's looking...pale," Minerva remarked, Halpen looking extremely unwell.

"What the hell does that mean?" Mr. Halpen asked, almost gagging.

"Oh dear," the Doctor breathed.

"Tell me!"

"Funny thing, the subconscious. Takes all sorts of shapes. It came out in the red-eye as revenge. It came out in the rabid Ood as anger. And then there was patience. All that intelligence and mercy focused on Ood Sigma. How's the hair loss, Mr Halpen?"

"What have you done?"

"Oh, they've been preparing you for a very long time. And now you're standing next to the Ood brain. Mr Halpen, can you hear it? Listen."

Mr. Halpen looked to the side as he heard the faint Ood Song in his mind, "What have you-I'm... not-"

Ood Sigma stepped out of the way for the group to see what was going on. Mr. Halpen dropped the gun and gripped his head in agony. He pulled at his scalp and it actually came off, revealing an Ood head. He lurched down as he gagged, tentacles coming out of his mouth.

"They-they turned him into an Ood?" Donna gaped.

"Yup," the Doctor nodded, looking at Donna and Minerva and finding the clever girl to be somewhat distance.

"Minerva?" he asked.

"They died, so many died," she whispered so sadly it broke his hearts. She placed a hand over her heart and he knew that it was another slip of the crystal.

Mr. Halpen made an odd gurgling noise and coughed up his secondary brain.

"He has become Ood-kind and we will take care of him," Ood Sigma said.

"It's weird, being with you two," Donna remarked, "I can't tell what's right and what's wrong anymore."

"It's better that way. People who know for certain tend to be like Mr Halpen," the Doctor said and heard a loud beeping noise, "Oh!" he turned off the detonation packs quickly, "That's better. And now... Ood Sigma, will you allow me the honor?"

"It is yours, Doctor."

"Oh yes!" the Doctor went to the equipment that powered the field, "Stifled for over 200 years but not anymore. The circle is broken. The Ood can sing!"

The field around the brain shut off and the song emerged, heard by everyone now.

"I can hear it!" Donna exclaimed as the Doctor laughed.

Minerva turned to the Doctor, his laughter cutting short when he saw her face covered in tears. He rushed up to her, pulling her away from the others, "What's wrong!? Why are you crying!?" he checked her over for any physical injuries he might have missed earlier.

"I...I don't know," Minerva admitted, looking around as she thought, "My chest," she placed her hand over her chest again, "It...it hurts, it's...this..this is so sad."

The Doctor grew silent, that was Kaeya's pain, Kaeya's pain breaking through.

"Why am I so sad?" Minerva burst into tears.

The Doctor pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, looking over her to Donna who stared with confusion and concern. For such a happy moment, it hadn't felt like it...

~ 0 ~

The Doctor and Donna stood outside the TARDIS, Ood Sigma and several others a few feet away from them. The Doctor kept the door open in case Minerva were to call or shout for him. She'd been put to rest after her sudden crying, no struggles given for the first time. The Doctor had made sure her she was as comfortable as possible. He felt responsible, truly responsible, for everything Minerva was going through. He felt so impotent with the situation and frankly, he didn't know how long he could last like this. Finding Kaeya was proving to be an even bigger challenge than it was with Aaron Lozano.

He had to basically sit there and watch how Minerva endured Kaeya's crystal's effects.

"The message has gone out. That song resonated across the galaxies. Everyone heard it. Everyone knows. The rockets are bringing them back. The Ood are coming home," the Doctor spoke, his thoughts pushed away as he focused on the Ood. The faster he finished up here, the faster he could get to Minerva's side and take care of her.

"We thank you, Doctor, Donna, friends of Ood-kind," Ood Sigma said, "And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room in the song for you."

"Oh-I've-I've sorta got a song of my own, thanks."

"I think your song must end soon."

The Doctor stiffened, "Meaning?"

"Every song must end. Even a flower's song must end."

"Yeah..." the Doctor turned to Donna, avoiding the trouble to think of those confusing words, "Um, what about you? Do you still want to go home?"

"Nope, I think there's someone in that box that needs my help," Donna gave him a sharp look. She would certainly not be leaving the spaceman and Minerva at any moment, not when there was this big of a problem with Minerva. Besides the traveling and all its glory, she truly did take a liking to Minerva, and she wanted help the Doctor in any way so Minerva would be well again.

"Then we'll be off," the Doctor cleared his throat, the ginger certainly had a look of doom when she wanted to.

"Take this song with you," Ood Sigma said.

"We will," Donna nodded.

"Always," the Doctor added.

"And know this, you will never be forgotten. Our children will sing of the Moontsay-Doctors, and our children's children, and the wind and the ice and the snow will carry your names forever."

If the Doctor hadn't been too focused on Minerva he would've caught the alerting word in the Ood's words. He, along with Donna who had missed the word as well, quickly hurried inside the TARDIS.

Once gone, there was a rush of wind and snow scurrying behind the Ood, making them all turn.

Dr. Ryder stood on the snow, stumbling back, "What...what happened?" he shivered and hugged himself, "It's so cold," he dropped to his knees, feeling too weak to stand, not to mention the blazing coldness.

"She is returning," Ood Sigma said, "Moontsay, friend of the Ood."

The blue light behind Dr. Ryder glowed stronger for a second or two and rushed up to the sky again.

~ 0 ~

Donna stood in front of a stove in the TARDIS kitchen, awaiting for hot chocolate to finish up. The Doctor sat at the table, waiting for her to finish up. He knew Minerva would be waking up soon and he wanted to have something nice and warm for her. She had been freezing when he brought her into the TARDIS and her room. He had wrapped her in blankets and left a heater in her room after he left, hoping it would be enough to bring her temperature up to a human status. And since he could only do milkshakes at the moment, coldness, he asked Donna to help make a nice hot chocolate.

"I just don't understand what the whole crying thing was about," Donna leaned against the counter, watching the hot chocolate in case it was ready yet.

The Doctor sighed, having thought about that more thoroughly, "During the war, Kaeya's people, most of them, died as bystanders. Kaeya lost everything and I think the situation paralleled with the Ood."

"That's awful," Donna shook her head, "To lose everything, to lose a home...I tell you, I lost it with my father's passing, I don't think I could manage losing everything like..." she eyed him cautiously.

"Like Kaeya and I," he finished for her, "It's okay to say it. But, technically, Kaeya hasn't truly lost everything. Her planet is still here, with only her grandfather-"

"A grandfather she thinks is also dead," Donna pointed out, "She has no idea that some of her people have survived to this day.

"I'll gladly take her to see Mayar," the Doctor sighed, "Though I'll probably stay inside the TARDIS."

"What are you going to do when the princess returns?" Donna looked back, "I mean, you said she was in love with you, but...there's someone new in the picture now."

"For some time I believed Kaeya had changed into some dark woman, but now I understand that she was sick. I still care for her, just..."

"...not the way you used to," Donna finished for him.

"I'd like to be friends but not if it makes Minerva feel uncomfortable, and definitely not if it only hurts Kaeya."

"That's big of you," Donna nodded, "But how do you know Kaeya won't bring the claws out to fight for you," she chuckled a little and sat down on the table while the chocolate finished up.

"If she's truly the same woman that I knew for centuries then I know she won't do anything."

"Why though? I mean, I don't know a lot but you said there'd been centuries of love between you two."

"Donna I was married," the Doctor announced, becoming silent as he thought of that wasted time with Kaeya as well.

It seemed to parallel his time with Minerva. Granted, a year didn't compare to centuries but the pain was the same. There was so much they could've done together, he and Kaeya, but under the circumstances their 'courting' was cut short the moment his marriage had been arranged.

"Tell me the story," Donna quietly edged, seeing the troubled thoughts on his face.

"No," he shook his head, snapping out of the thoughts.

"C'mon, remember what I said? I'm here to help Minerva and you. Minerva's told me nearly everything about you."

"Another time, I promise," he said instead, actually meaning it.

It would be nice to get the story off his chest and get an opinion that didn't belong to Minerva. He knew that Minerva would never scold him for his past, just because of who she was and what he was to her. But Donna always spoke her mind. He knew that she would say when he'd messed up, give him the real scold he needed, the real advice he needed. Perhaps, like Martha was to Minerva a confidant, Donna could be his.

"Alright spaceman, I'm holding you to that," Donna stood and went to a cabinet, "I'll understand the little love talks about a girlfriend/boyfriend."

"N-n-n-no, it's not like that yet," the Doctor shook his head.

"Oh c'mon, you don't have to lie to me, spaceman," she winked, "I can keep a secret," she whispered.

"I'm not lying," he shrugged 'casually'.

"But you're almost there," Donna studied his face, smiling sadly, "I know it because...that's the look that Lance used to give me, a fake one, but...yeah," she shrugged and turned away before her eyes watered up and were seen.

"Donna," the Doctor moved up to her, "He's not worth it," he set a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I know, I know," she wiped a loose tear, "But, Minerva's worth it, right?" she turned to him.

"Millions," he breathed, "She's...she's just, wonderful in every aspect."

"And that's why you're falling in love," she wagged a finger, laughing when he saw him blush, "It's alright because she is too," she picked up the hot chocolate mug, "It won't be long until the three little words pop out," she grinned and pushed the mug to him.

"Thanks Donna," he rolled his eyes playfully and took the mug and walked away.

"I'm here to help!" the ginger called with a small laugh.

~ 0 ~

Minerva had her earphones inside her ears, connected to her mp3 and listened to her music. She sat against her headboard, on her bed, with her blankets to her waist. She'd gotten some nice sleep, but she was still a bit cold and she didn't want to cause any trouble for the Doctor or Donna and so decided to listen to her music in hopes of falling back asleep...though it somehow seemed to be hard as she'd been doing this for twenty minutes.

The door to her room opened just slightly, the Doctor poking his head to see how she was doing, "You're awake," he blinked and stepped inside, noticing she had her earphones plugged in, "Right, probably want to be alone, then," he walked for her.

But she beamed at his appearance and yanked her earphones off, putting her mp3 on her bedside table, "No, I want you to be with me," she reached out for him, "As much as I love my songs I love even more when my Martian is with me."

He laughed, "I brought some-"

"Hot chocolate!?" she tried lifting herself up to see the contents of the mug.

"Yeah," he walked to the side of her bed, handing her the mug, "Donna made it so it's edible."

She chuckled and took his hand, "I would've loved your milkshakes."

"But I wanted you to be warm and since I'm not allowed to use the stove without your supervision, I asked Donna to make it."

"I'll have to thank her then," she pulled him down to the bed, "Can you stay with me, please?" she asked seriously, "I'm cold."

"Anything my clever girl wants, she gets," he reminded and made himself comfortable, "So," he reached for her mp3, "What exactly were we listening to?"

"My favorite song," she sipped her mug.

"Ah yes, the little Spanish one. You know, I don't understand what is so special about it," he gave her a look.

"Is describes me before we got together."

"Care to elaborate?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Mm, alright, I'll tell you why," she made herself comfortable and leaned against the headboard again, "You came into my life and you showed me what it was to be truly happy and I just couldn't tell you how much you meant to me back then. You're always here for me when I cry, when I need someone...you're always here. You've done so much for me and in the past I was afraid I'd lose you and you'd never know how much you meant to me. That's why I love the song, because it's my story, my story in 3 minutes."

"Only here I don't ever plan on leaving you," the Doctor earnestly told her. Suddenly, he kicked off his shoes and scooted closer to her, his hand under her chin, "Never, never, never," he said before pressing his lips to her for a gentle kiss. Minerva was blushing red by the time they pulled apart, not even her small shiver managing to cool her down. The Doctor sadly looked at her and suddenly grinned, "I've got an idea," he declared, "Can you lean forwards, please?"

"Mhm," Minerva did as told and watched him crawl behind her, leaving her in-between his legs.

"There we go," he gently pulled her back to his chest, dropping a kiss on her hair; she definitely felt warmer now which was a good sign, "Now drink up, clever girl."

She took a sip from her mug, "Mmm, it has marshmallows."

"Donna's touch."

"I definitely feel much better now," she tilted her head up, "Do you mind staying with me tonight?"

"Of course not, I'll be here until you want me to leave."

"Oh, guess that's never," she casually shrugged, "I have so much on my mind I don't want to be alone. I'll crack if I do."

"No you won't," he assured her.

"Right, because you're here with me now. I can't break if I got my brilliant Martian with me, right?"

"Right," he firmly said.

"My doctor and even a psychologist, wow..." she paused to think, "...you know, if you wanted to charge, you'd make a fortune out of me and my problems."

"I do charge."

"Oh really?" she raised an eyebrow, "And what's it gonna cost me? Five hundred dollars? A thousand?"

"A thousand," he declared, nodding.

She laughed, "I'm gonna have to make a payment plan because I'm broke!"

"A thousand kisses should do the trick," he grinned.

"Oh, kisses," Minerva pretended to think about it as she drank from her mug again.

"Yes, I don't need money, I need kisses from a beautiful woman."

"Have you tried Marilyn Monroe? I'm sure she'd love plant a big one on you," she shrugged.

"Nah, I was setting my eyes on this brunette," he kissed her cheek, making her smile, "She has this beautiful eyes that I can stare into for eternity, she's insanely clever, mind you she's short," he kissed her neck.

"Oi!"

"And yet so big of confidence," he kissed her temple, "She's got really long hair I just love to kiss," he set a couple of kisses around her head, making her chuckle, "She always smells like vanilla for some reason," he turned her head to him, "Sound familiar?"

"Mm, maybe," she mumbled, entranced by his closeness and minty scent.

"And I've heard she's cold so I've gotta warm her up, starting with her lips," he lifted her chin and kissed her.

"Definitely warmer," she murmured into their kiss.

"I swear to you, Minerva, that nothing will happen to you," he rested his hand on her cheek, looking her in the eye, "I swear."

"I know you will, I trust you with my life, Martian," she took his hand from her face and kissed the back of it, not grasping what the Doctor was truly talking about. While he spoke about the crystal she thought it was just him by him and his over-protection, "For now, think you can keep me warm?"

He smiled and nodded, "Of course," he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her blanket over them, resting his chin over her head while she drank from her mug, silently cursing himself for this mighty secret of a crystal he was keeping from her.

But it was for her own good and if it did her good, he'd do it.

[keelywolfe]

FIC: The Rose and the Thorn: Chapter 13 (Mafia AU)

Summary:  Rus fled after his argument with Blue, leaving his brother behind to try to pick up the pieces. Blue has already been forced to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea, what other deal might he have to make?

Tags: Spicyhoney, Cherryberry, Mafia AU, Flower Shop AU, Violence, First Meetings

Warning: Warnings for implications of prostitution.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12

~~*~~

Read Chapter 13 on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

“Wait!” Blue cried. Too late, far too late, his little brother was already gone, stepped into one of those shortcuts of his that Blue usually appreciated, relieved that his brother could easily escape from any awful confrontations. He hadn’t used that particular skill against Blue since he’d been a frustrated child, chafing at the limits Blue put on his wandering in the Underground. He’d never needed to, until now, and Blue sank to sit again on the bathroom rug, burying his skull in his hands and struggling to breathe through the heavy, steamed air from the still running shower.

Stupid, Blue thought tiredly. Blaming Papy for his own idiocy, taking out the frustrations he didn’t dare let loose anywhere else on his undeserving little brother. Papy was so sweet and kind, still clinging to some of his naivety even in this unwelcoming Human world; how could Blue ever have expected him to handle someone like that Edge fellow? If Red made him deeply uncomfortable and fearful, then Edge was so much worse. Red at least he understood, he knew what that brother wanted of him, product and sex, in that order, and once he got it, Red would dismiss them out of hand, hopefully without leaving too many scars behind.

Edge held mysteries behind that polite demeanor of his and Blue rather wished either he was taller or Edge was a great deal shorter, because he would have liked a good look in the large skeleton’s eye lights, trying to read exactly what was hidden within them. If only he simply wanted sex from Papy, that at least would only break his brother’s heart. Blue was far more worried about the state of his soul.

And then he went and gave stabbing through it himself a good try, Blue thought glumly. The brief, bitter satisfaction of watching his words strike home was almost immediately swamped by horrified regret as his little brother’s expression crumpled, the first tears falling. Blue couldn’t know how much truth any of his accusations held, but even if they were, Papy didn’t deserve that. Not when Blue well knew how easy it was to make mistakes.

He really was just like their father, blaming others for his blunders—no.

No, it was this place. He needed to get them out of here, away from the Fells, any way that he could.

Blue dragged himself upright and to the shower, reaching inside to turn off the taps and barely wincing as steaming hot water soaked through his shirt. He felt brittle and exhausted, had since late this afternoon when the weight of cameras watching him grow golden flowers became too much to bear. An uncaring mechanical eye watching as he did the very thing he’d promised himself he wouldn’t by getting involved with this sort of people. It brought back too many memories of living in the Underground and doing whatever it took to support him and his brother after their father…well…after he was gone.

He’d sworn he wouldn’t do such things again, made a promise to himself when they came to the surface and knowing he was breaking it left him nauseous, sickened by his own deceit. In the end, Blue filled most of the planting boxes in that room until it became too much, claustrophobia swarming over him, dimming his vision even as his gorge rose. He’d nearly staggered out the door and begged the guard outside to take him for some fresh air.

The Dog, Dogamy, he later learned, did so with some haste, perhaps worried that Blue was about to vomit on his very nice shoes. Instead of bringing him downstairs or to a handy window, Dogamy led him up to the rooftop and both the fresh air and the small garden was a blessing. Something to take his mind off of what he was doing in that closed off little room and when he’d finally brought Papy back upstairs with him, Blue could almost pretend this was why they were here, tending to an overgrown garden for some wealthy benefactor and soon they’d go back to their own little house and plants, back to their simpler life of flowers and hard work.

Then he’d looked up to see his brother and Edge kissing, and his meager daydream shattered.

Blue felt far too old for his years as he shuffled back out into the bedroom, stripping off his sopping shirt and tossing it into the discreet hamper next to the closet. The closet itself held plenty of clothes, far too many for what was only supposed to be a short stay here, and a brief pang of worry tightened in his chest as he wondered about their closed shop slowly losing their regular customers, his garden overgrown and going to seed without his care.

He shook it away. It didn’t matter, they’d managed before and they could do it again. Nothing mattered but keeping his brother safe.

Blue chose one of the shirts in his size at random, forced to yank it down and leaving the hanger at an awkward angle. He shrugged into it, buttoning it up as he made his way to the loveseat to sit and wait.

And wait. Hours passed and his brother did not return while the heavy weight of worry and regret nesting in Blue’s soul hatching into something closer to panic. He’d been angry and even cruel, but surely Papy wouldn’t hold a grudge for the entire night…would he? Either he was too angry or hurt to return, or he’d gotten himself into trouble and Blue couldn’t bear to wait any long to see which it was. He only hoped he wasn’t making another reckless decision based on his worries.

Opening the door revealed one of the seemingly endless supply of the Fell brothers’ Dog guards. This one had large, floppy ears and a mottled patch of white around one of their soulful brown eyes. They looked at Blue curiously as he stepped out and said, firmly, “I need to see Red.”

He didn’t know what orders they’d been given but the Dogs who wouldn’t take him look for his brother yesterday readily took him to Red, leading him down the corridor with none of their ridiculous backtracking and fuss of before. Not that it ever fooled Blue, he prided himself as being something of an expert at puzzles, but it wouldn’t do to tip his hand about that. Let the Fells think him lost in their silly little maze, they could gape in astonishment if ever he needed to make a quick escape.

The room he was led to was the same one he’d first seen here, Red’s office. Only this time, that enormous desk was covered in scattered papers and Red sitting behind it looked harried for once. His jacket was gone, tossed over the back of one of the sofas, his tie raggedly loosened, and there was a teacup at his elbow that he loudly slurped from, not the whisky glass Blue was growing accustomed to seeing in his hand, and honestly, why did these people insist on dressing up so much in their own home?

A glance back at his current guard confirmed that the Dog was wearing a fine suit of its own, honestly, everyone here dressed like they’d gotten a clearance deal on leftover costumes from the set of ‘Goodfellas’. That was one of Papy’s favorite movies, scrounged from the dump years ago and it made it to the surface with them for occasional re-watching. Perhaps that should have been a clue for Blue from there, a premonition of the sort of trouble his brother would be wont to find.

Then again, Blue was acutely aware that the clothes he was wearing weren’t his own. None of the clothing in that large closet was any he’d’ve chosen on his own, but even he could reluctantly admit they were flattering. This one was almost too cutesy for his tastes with its billowy sleeves and pale, delicate floral pattern, but he had no doubt he wore it well.

Not that it helped in the slightest. Red only barely glanced up from his paperwork, the first Blue had seen in this place aside from his own contract, reluctantly signed even as he wondered precisely what sort of devil he’d made a deal with.

“whatcha want now?” Red asked brusquely, shuffling a clumsy stack of papers to the side, “wanna whine about our deal again? gonna have to wait until morning, i got other things to handle aside from you.”

“My brother is missing,” Blue said, bluntly. That was enough to at least get Red to look at him, brow bones raised. “We argued and he…left,” Blue finished, lamely. He hardly wanted to explain to Red what they’d argued about, “and I’m worried about him, I’m sure he didn’t leave the building but—” Left unspoken was that surely Papy didn't need to leave the club to find trouble.

Red’s sharky teeth curved into a sly grin. He slouched back in his chair and it creaked ominously under his shifting weight, "lost him, already, huh. how many times you expect me to play fetch with your boy?"

"Woof!" Blue snapped, too harried to care about irritating this…this…but Red’s grin only widened, his deep crimson eye lights gleaming.

"heh, cute.” His gaze shifted to the Dog. “doggerel, g'wan and check downstairs, kid snuck down yesterday to hang out with the morning shift.” Red’s expression soured as he added, “may as well tell edge, if you shitstains haven’t gone behind my back and done it already. he’ll pitch a fit if ya don’t.”

It was on the tip of Blue’s tongue to protest telling Edge anything, but instead he only sputtered out, “Downstairs! He was down there yesterday with all those horrible people??”

A sudden coldness abruptly dropped over Red’s face like a storm cloud. “might wanna watch what ya say about our downstairs personnel. they work fuckin’ hard, don’t need the likes of you judgin’ ‘em.”

“What?” Blue said, aghast, and shook his head, “I don’t mean the ladies, they’re perfectly lovely, do you know how often I’ve delivered flowers here? I mean the patrons!” He shivered helplessly. “I don’t even like to think what that sort would do to my brother, please, you need to—”

“calm your tits, it ain’t like he snuck out on the stage to shake his ass.” But some of the cold tension in his expression eased. Red jerked his chin at the dog, who nodded and went back out. Which left the two of them alone, again, and that was not something that ever seemed to end well, in Blue’s opinion.

“this wasn’t part of our deal, ya know,” Red pointed out lazily. “already found your bro once on my dime, now we’re gettin’ greedy.” He stood and came from behind the desk, sitting instead on the leather love seat. His bulk took up more than his fair share, but then, he didn’t invite Blue to sit next to him. Rather, he spread his knees wide in silent, obscene invitation, smoothing a hand along the inner seam of his trousers with his rings glimmering against the dark material. “whatcha gonna give me for this, baby blue?”

Blue took a deep breath, calming the thin tremor that quivered through his soul. He’d known this was a possibility from the start, braced for it before he’d ever left that borrowed bedroom. He lifted his chin and said, stoutly, “Whatever it takes to keep my brother safe.”

He stepped forward boldly without another word, dropping to his knees on the plush carpet and reached up to scrabbled roughly at Red’s belt as he tried to work up a little moisture in his suddenly dry mouth before there were complaints about his sandpapery tongue. He could do this, Blue told himself, it was to help his brother, he could do this, do anything for Papy, anything at all, and he never needed to know what Blue had done, never, even as his own hypocrisy burned acrid on the back of his tongue.

But before he could even manage the shiny buckle, hands took a rough hold of his wrists, stopping him.

Startled, Blue looked up, “What--?”

Red never seemed to lose that smirk of his, but now it was more lopsided, startlingly reminiscent of Edge, and never had he and Red looked so much like brothers. “stand up, baby blue. keepin’ little bros safe is free of charge.”

“I pay my debts,” Blue said, low, even as he wondered wildly why he was arguing in favor his own defilement. Red only gave him a withering look, reaching inside his vest pocket for a fat cigar. He popped a wooden match alight with the sharpened tip of his thumb and the pungent smell of smoke filled the air.

“i don’t need to barter for sex, honey,” Red said in a cloudy exhale. “you wanna pay me back, you just make sure you stick to our deal.” He leaned in suddenly, cigar held well away in one hand as his mouth barely brushed the side of Blue’s skull in a low murmur, “when ya finally get on your knees for me, ya gonna be beggin’ me to be there.”

“I’d love to see you try,” Blue said unthinkingly. It earned him a startled laugh even as he quailed inwardly.

“oh, sweetheart, ya never let me down.” Red drew back and offered him that wider grin. “gonna try, fer sure, that’s a bone-ified promise.” He set a hand in the middle of Blue’s chest and gave him a light shove, sending him toppling on his backside as Red stood and went back to the desk. “now get out, the dogs’ll bring your bro back to ya when they find ‘im.”

Blue wobbled to his feet, already heading for the door. He hesitated there, uncertainly, he should be grateful for what he’d gotten, he should flee with all due haste and yet, he could help a soft, heartfelt, “Thank you.”

He didn’t wait for a reply, the door closing softly behind him as he fled. There wasn’t a Dog in sight, hopefully they were all searching for his brother, and Blue headed back to their room alone. He was halfway there when he realized, a niggling, absent thought in the back of his skull suddenly coming clear. The teacup he’d been drinking from; when Red leaned in, beneath the layer of cigar smoke, he’d smelled like golden flower tea. Why would he be drinking his own profits? It made no sense, or none that Blue could make of it.

That didn’t matter, not right now, he could worry at that sore spot later. For now, all he wanted was his brother back with him, as safe as circumstances allowed. He hoped fervently it wouldn’t take long.

~~*~~

tbc

[vannahfanfics]

Hey there, @madeofsaltiness​! Here is your second match-up, this time for Haikyuu!! Once again, I’m very appreciative that you commissioned me, and I hope you’ve enjoyed them!

I match you with...

Kōtarō Bokuto!

That’s right, this is the man for you! This gentle giant loves you to the ends of the earth and thinks that you’re the most adorable girl on the planet. He thinks it’s so adorable how shy you are at first, but loves it even more when you open up to him and become a ball of enthusiasm just like him! He loves it when you give him advice; he always listens, even sometimes too enthusiastically... However, he knows that sometimes you can be so stubborn that you don’t practice what you preach, so sometimes he has to wrap you up in a bear hug and tell you to stop and think for a minute. Is it just an excuse to cuddle you? Probably, but he does worry, too!

Kōtarō loves to laugh, so he definitely appreciates that you have a sense of humor. He’s an optimist that borders on overconfident, so he likes that you look on the bright side and make the best of situations, too! He thinks you’re a bundle of fun, so he loves to take you out to clubs and parties so you can have a good time! Though Kōtarō is a full-on extrovert, he knows that sometimes you just don’t have the energy. Don’t be afraid to tell him you’re not feeling it! If you don’t want to go out, he is 100% okay with snuggling up with you for a night of movies or videogames, too! As long as he’s with you, this big guy is completely happy! 

Kōtarō also loves animals, especially dogs! His favorite are big, poofy, energetic dogs. He loves to wrestle around on the floor or in the grass with his pupper, and is very enthusiastic about training it to fetch. He likes taking the dog to the dog park too to socialize, but it’s more just so Kōtarō can go around petting every pooch in sight. 

Kōtarō loves that you dance! He thinks it’s soooooo sexy! He loves to dance with you, too, even though he’s not nearly as skilled as you are. He likes it when you choreograph routines for you guys to do together; he gets so into it, and even though his movements are a bit more fumbly and uncoordinated, he has a blast! He loves to just sit back and watch you dance sometimes, too. He just thinks it’s the sexiest thing on the planet, and as soon as you’re done dancing, he just can’t help grabbing you by the hips and kissing you all over because it just makes him realize how damn amazing you are!

He also thinks it’s really fun how many languages you know. He wants you to teach him and is an avid and quick learner. He even goes out of his way to find new languages for you guys to learn together. He thinks it’s a great way to spend time with you, and it can be useful down the road. 

Kōtarō is a big boy and big boys gotta eat, so this mans is a real foodie. He loves to go find the weirdest things possible to eat, so therefore, he loves to travel. You don’t even have to give him money; if it’s weird, outlandish, or even a little bit disgusting, Kōtarō is gonna try to eat it just to say he did. It makes food outings really fun and memorable, though!

Though Kōtarō seems like a dense airhead, he can actually get pretty thoughtful when he wants to. He loves to snuggle up with you in the bed or under the stars and have deep conversations into the night. Oftentimes these turn into silly hypotheticals and debates, given that both of you are fun-loving people, but sometimes you get a peek of just how philosophical Kōtarō can be. 

I’m really enthusiastic about how much Kōtarō loves food, so I thought that some headcanons on one of your food adventures would be fun!: 

You and Kōtarō often go meandering downtown in search of street food and dives to go try some new food. You walk hand-in-hand down the small streets and sidewalks, discussing what you’re in the mood for. 

It really doesn’t matter, though, because as soon as Kōtarō sees something that interests him, he’s zooming off with you in tow. He’s targeted a new street vendor, so it seems the decision for dinner has been made regardless of any input you may offer. 

He plunks down at the counter, practically bristling with excitement as he drinks in the oden steaming in vats of broth in silver trays. You’d never had oden before, since it wasn’t sold in these parts, so you had to admit that you were excited to try it. You sit down beside Kōtarō, studying the selection while making small talk with the vendor. 

It ended up being a good decision. The various oden were steeped in rich broth that saturated them with flavor, making you hum with delight at every bite. Kōtarō was inhaling the oden like a ravenous beast; you almost felt bad, knowing that your boyfriend was going to devour the vendor’s entire stock. Your wallet already felt lighter. 

However, that didn’t matter. The smile on Kōtarō’s face was simply radiant, and praise tumbled from his mouth, enough to make the vendor begin to blush. You loved seeing him this happy, so it didn’t matter how much it cost. 

Like usual, though, Kōtarō overdoes it. He’s nursing a distended belly and practically waddling down the street whence you came, bellyaching about his bellyache. He nuzzles into you, seeking your touch to soothe the pain, and you can’t help but joke about what a baby he is. Still, he’s your baby. 

Again, Kōtarō loves big, floofy dogs. I thought I would elaborate on that with a cute little scenario, specifically about a trip to the dog park: 

You don’t know who’s bounding faster, your St. Bernard or Kōtarō, as you walk through the gate of the dog park. Your dog immediately zooms into the grass, falling onto his back to begin rolling around in the dewy, pleasantly-smelling blades. His fluffy fur drifts on the breeze, even though you’d brushed him before you left. Kōtarō flops onto the dog’s belly to boop its nose with his own, then ravage its belly with enthusiastic pets and scratches. 

Sometimes, you wondered if Kōtarō was nothing more than a big, silly dog in human form. 

His eyes are bright when he turns to you, and it didn’t take much of your imagination to envision him crowned with big floppy ears and a thick, wagging tail. You smile as you crouch down to pet your dog’s head, watching his big pink tongue loll happily and douse his fur in drool. 

“Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?” Kōtarō babbled as he swept his large hands around the dog’s furry belly in wide circles. The dog barked in response, loud and booming, that attracted the attention of nearby pets and owners alike. You laughed, always charmed by Kōtarō’s enthusiasm for your shared pet. They really were on the same wavelength, and there was so much love between them. 

“All right, boy. You wanna fetch?” Kōtarō asked while he stood, pulling a tennis ball out of his hoodie pocket. The dog rolled onto his belly, barking again, and Kōtarō wasted no time in hurling the ball as far as he could. It sailed across the park to land near the fence. With speed almost surprising for such a hulky body, your dog took off for the ball. While you waited for him to retrieve it, you sidled up to your boyfriend and hugged his waist. 

“What is it, babe?” he asked, still watching your dog with a smile, but he dropped a kiss into your hair. 

“Sometimes I think you love him more than me,” you joked. He looked at you with raised eyebrows, and then a cute smile graced his lips. 

“Hahhhh? I could never! First of all, he’s not a good kisser,” he joked back. You tipped your head back in laughter. Indeed, they were more tongue baths than kisses that left Kōtarō’s face shining with drool and his hair sticking up in odd places. The dog trotted back up to their feet and plopped the ball down at their feet, then ran off to go bother a Doberman. 

Kōtarō wound his arms around you and hugged you close, showering you in kisses. 

“You’ll always be my number one, baby. That’s a fact <3″ 

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